Book Reviews—7/26/10

Answers in Genesis, as an organization, has contributed greatly to the Christian intellect by equipping believers to understand why they believe what they believe (and why it matters). Though they are most renowned for their work in promoting young-earth creationism, their focus is really one of biblical authority—whether or not we can trust the Bible to be accurate and to guide our understanding of the world.

That question of authority is the subject of In God We Trust. Through the book, Steve Ham (brother of AiG founder and president Ken Ham) shows that we all depend on some sort of authority for our worldviews to avoid the “loose hinges” of blind faith and that biblical authority is a worthy bedrock that makes our faith both reasonable and authentic.

The book is broken down into three sections. In the first, “The Substance of Authority”, Ham illustrates the need for authority (and the consequences of its absence), examines the shaky substitutes for biblical authority that mankind relies on, and shows that any true authority must have its origin with the Creator. The second section, “The Authority of God”, expands on God’s character expressed through each person of the Trinity. The final section, “Authority and Christian Practice”, looks at the implications of biblical authority in the daily life of a believer, in worship, in the family, in the Church, and in the mission of the Gospel.

Ham is not covering any new ground here—all of his points have been addressed before by other gifted authors. Still, In God We Trust proves to be a better-than-average book on apologetics, making a robust case for Christianity and the power of Scripture. Its focus is not so much on defending the faith to skeptical outsiders (though it is useful for that) as on shoring up the often wobbly beliefs of today’s Christians with the firm pillars of the Word.

Justin Lonas

Target: All
Type: Apologetics
Take: Recommended

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt, 2010, Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs, Colo., ISBN 9781601422217, 240 pages, $14.99, softcover.

Occasionally, when a book that turns out to be very popular in the Christian community, we are a little bit too late to the table to provide a worthwhile original review. This is the case with David Platt's best-selling book, Radical. As such, we are referring you to an excellent review by Kevin DeYoung in which he thoroughly explores the book and then opens the floor for a response from the author. This does more justice to the book and the issues it raises than any review we could write here.

Click HERE to read the review.