March 6, 2021
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book reviews
Here are some more book reviews. See the category link on the left for more.
The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices, by Lydia McGrew
In this book she refutes the increasingly popular idea in NT studies that the gospel writers used "literary devices", which are alleged techniques commonly used by ancient historians to "invent" historical details, "transfer" words from the original speaker to someone else for theological reasons, etc. (For example, Michael Licona teaches this view in his book 'Why are there differences between the gospels'). Instead, she shows that they used the "Reportage" model, which is that they were reporting history in an accurate fashion (though sometimes using achronological topical arrangement or synopsizing for brevity). This is a very thorough and very important book. She shows that actually most ancient Greek/Roman historians at that time did NOT use those literary devices, and that even if they did, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would not likely have read their works or learned that "Bioi" genre/style. She then goes through many of the alleged discrepancies between the gospels and shows how they can be harmonized. In three or four instances, she posits that the authors of the gospels made a simple error (she is not an inerrantist), and shows that this is much more likely (and even more useful) than that the authors deliberately changed the story for theological reasons. This book dovetails well with the previous book "Hidden in Plain View" about how the gospels "accidentally confirm each other" with "undesigned coincidences". The book also has great information on the secular historians at that time.So the Next Generation Will Know, by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace
This is written primarily for those who are in direct frequent contact with Christian children, such as youth group pastors or parents. It's about how to connect with the new generation (Generation Z, the iPhone generation), and how to help them to not only understand Christianity and understand the evidence for it, but believe in it and CARE about it. The first part of the book was kind of boring, but it got better. They share some of their failures as youth group leaders / educators in a Christian school, and how they made changes to have students have more transformational time, not just fun time. They recommend "TAB"- mixing the three aspects of Theology, Apologetics, and Behavior, into all teaching of youth. They suggest good question topics of high apologetics interest. They recommend times of training, followed by scheduled 'challenges' for the youth... missions trips, evangelism trips, service trips, visiting a group of people who have a different worldview, etc. I think this is worth reading for every Christian, and repeatedly every couple years, and discussing with others.Attached, by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
This book discusses three different styles to relational attachment, especially in romantic relationships. The three styles are Anxious, Avoidant, and Secure. Anxious people are nervous about the relationship, and respond to relational stress by trying to talk more and increase emotional intimacy. They are quick to see relational problems as indicating that they are a failure. Avoidant people try to avoid emotional intimacy and seek 'space' and 'distance' in their relationships. Secure people are easily able to show emotional intimacy, and tend not to worry about their relationships. The authors suggest (based on psychological studies) that almost everyone falls into one of these styles, or a mixture (like Avoidant-Anxious). They suggest that people are genetically predisposed toward them and are also somewhat conditioned by childhood examples, and that people can sometimes change over time. Also, people can take note of their own tendencies and apply coping mechanisms to avoid problematic excesses. The authors discuss the problems that manifest in relationships between Anxious and Avoidant people, and other pairings, and how to try to mitigate them. The last two chapters have excellent general advice for romantic relationships and happier marriages, such as how to fight verbally in a healthy way with one's spouse. The book is completely secular, so it misses the powerful perspective that comes from the Bible on marriage and relationships (and its scenarios are very secular, with lots of stories of couples living together without being married, and all the stress associated with that). However, as secular romantic relationship books go, it is a decent read. The central concept is a helpful tool, though it should not be applied too rigidly.
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