Judging a Book by its Cover

If you love roving bookstores, then you must be guilty of judging a book by its cover. You pass over dozens of books to pick up one striking title and cover. There are some books required for classes -- good books -- that I would have never picked up without instruction or previous experience with the author. Maybe there are some that you refuse to buy on principle -- I won't buy any edition of a book whose cover has been changed to include, "Now a Major Motion Picture," especially if the actors are on the cover.

Whatever your standards, if you're a fan of books and design, check out the blog, The Book Design Review. Joseph Sullivan highlights the best, worst and mediocre cover designs. It's a chance for book lovers to see all different kinds of books on all different topics. And it's a chance for those who enjoy graphic design to see some great work.

Start out with Sullivan's post, My Favorite Books Covers of 2008.

Empire, Suffering and Idolatry (Books to Read No. 2, 3, 4)

Not one book, but three to recommend!

Greg Beale is a great bible scholar. He manages to stay thorough and well-argued while pastorally sensitive. Both his The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGNT) and his seminal study, The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, will change how you read Scripture and how you see your world. So, needless to say, I was excited when I saw that he was writing a biblical theology on idolatry. And the title makes me more excited. We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry is now available from IVP Academic and should be very good.

I have never read anything by Seyoon Kim, but have heard good things about his critique of the New Perspective on Paul. Now, he has a book on the New Testament engagement of Roman Imperialism. Christ and Caesar : The Gospel and the Roman Empire in the Writings of Paul and Luke examines the perspective of Paul and Luke on Roman imperialism. From the publisher's blurb on the back, it seems to stand in criticism of anti-imperialist readings and applications of Christianity. Paul and Luke are not concerned with earthly empires, but are working towards the consummation of an altogether different kingdom. So, with this book and his book on the NPP, I guess we should see Kim as N. T. Wright's academic arch nemesis.

One of the most emotionally difficult, if not intellectually difficult, apologetic challenges faced by Christians is the presence of suffering in a world created by a wholly good God. A resource now available for this challenge is Suffering and the Goodness of God, a collection of essays (view titles here). Don't take my word for it, though: Blurbs are by Jerry Bridges, Bryan Chapell, Stephen Nichols, and Stephen Wellum. Dr. Wellum said, "Chapter by chapter, the authors root and ground their reflections in Scripture, modeling how to move from biblical exposition to a biblical theology. The reflections are not only theoretical and necessary but also practically engaging. There is much wisdom in this work." This book is the first of a series called "Theology in Community." If this is any indication of what's to follow, it will be a series to watch.