A few weeks back I finished this historical biography on Anne Bradstreet (1612-1642) by Faith Cook: Anne Bradstreet Pilgrim and Poet (Carlisle: EP Books, 2010). This is a great introduction to an amazing Puritan woman’s life, times, and writings. Anne came to America with some of the first Puritan refugees in the 1630s and faced the tough shores of the American East coast. Her life was filled with death – many of her children, siblings, and friends died at young ages. Her poems often reflected this unavoidable reality along with the truth of life after death:
All men must die and so must I
This cannot be revoked
For Adam’s sake this word God spake
When he so high provoked
Yet live I shall, this life’s but small
In place of highest bliss
Where I shall have all I can crave
No life is like to this.
I enjoyed this book; I’ve not read many books about this time period in America’s Puritan history, so it was fascinating. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys historical biography along with excellent poems of Christian piety. Faith Cook is a superb author and biographer. This book will not disappoint. It would be a good one for a women’s book club at your church.
Another EP book I want to recommend is Every Word Counts by Tom Barnes (Carlisle: EP Books, 2010). This new book was written in response to the ongoing discussions and debates about the nature of Scripture, including inerrancy, authority, and infallibility. He starts by very briefly mentioning the Beale/Enns debate, along with other authors like A. T. B. McGowan, John Webster, and Timothy Ward, just to name a few.
This book is helpful because Barnes simply goes through scripture highlighting what it says about itself. When we talk about if, how, and why scripture is inerrant/infallible, we have to do so in scripture’s own terms. Of course, this is a key truth to the whole debate. Barnes talks about Jesus’ use of the OT, the “true” aspect of scripture, inspiration, how scripture is a treasure, and how the church should respond to scripture. It was pretty straight forward and clear. In fact, I think it is much more helpful than Beale’s The Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008) because it is easier to read, more level-headed, less polemic, and didn’t overstate premises as much as Erosion.
In summary, Every Word Counts is a great book to read and study if you want a good scriptural summary on the Bible. I’ll hand this one out to Christians who do have questions about scripture – it will answer quite a few of those questions and give the reader an appreciation for and love of the Bible along the way.
Note: Thanks to EP books for sending me these review copies.
shane lems
sunnyside wa
The Reformed Reader Blog 