HEREIN IS LOVE: GENESIS, by Nancy I. Ganz, 2001, Shalom Publications, P.O. Box 23139, Ottawa, Ontario, K2A 4E2. Email sha1om@accanada.net. 299 pp. Teacher’s manual with same title, 74 pp. Reviewed by Pastor Kenneth G. Smith.

If one were to choose five books of the Bible that are basic to grounding a new convert in the Christian faith, surely one of those hooks would he Genesis.

The same holds true for children. Why not begin with the beginning? That is exactly what Nancy Ganz has done. Honed out of her years of teaching children in her church’s educational classes, Herein is Love: Genesis provides us the fruit of her hands. And it is wonderful! It is one of those books that catches you up in the plot and carries you along to see what happens. And even though I have read Genesis many times, I found myself enthralled once again with the glorious story of God’s gracious covenant in Christ as Moses under the Spirit first penned it.

And, of course, that is the plot. The author is jealous that her listeners catch the central message of Christ in every chapter. In that sense she follows the genre of Promise and Deliverance by de Graaf. But there’s more detail here. At some points author Ganz seeks to stimu late our imagination, hut she’s very careful to keep that kind of creativity within the parameters of her hermeneutics. She makes great use of other portions of the Scriptures to affirm her assertions, and that way the reader learns more and more of the way Genesis relates to the whole of Scripture.

Ganz writes well. He thoughts are clear and she paints graphic descriptions. That suggests why she chose Nicora Gangi Manwaring from Syracuse, N.Y., an artist nationally recognized both in and out of Christian art circles, to provide the cover design for both the text and teacher’s manual. The text reads as though speaking to children because that was the way it originated. However, the language is not childish, and I believe one of the great uses of the text itself will be with adults who are still spiritual babes. I have suggested that the cover subtitle should be changed from “A Commentary for Children” to “A Commentary for Be ginners or Starters.” I know many adults who could profitably digest this book.

Having said that, I note that it takes a bit of genius to be able to take covenant theology and teach it on a beginners level, but that is what we have here. The author avoids moralisms as she unfolds and stresses God’s covenantal love to sinful, yet chosen, people. She has been granted wonderful insights so that the message of the cross of Christ beams on us as we travel through these early days of redemption with the patriarchs. As is true of any commentary, there is interpretation here. But once again the author has taken pains to confer with theological and exegetical scholars before simply voicing an opinion. She writes solidly within the context of biblical and Re formed tradition.

I am enthusiastic about this first published work of Nancy Ganz, and I await other volumes on the Pentateuch she has ready for the press. While I appreciate the outward appearance, I have wished that inside the type were larger; and I agree with the suggestion that since Genesis is a long hook, this work might he improved were it in two volumes. That would he particularly helpful to a young Christian adult reading it for personal growth. But it would make it easier for teachers also.

Users will find that the Teacher’s Manual also was born out of the author’s teaching experience, therefore the suggestions are not just filler. Each lesson includes helps for visual aids, memory work, craft, review questions, prayer, and psalms to sing. (The writer reflects her own appreciation and understanding of the book of Psalms not only in these selections, but also in her frequent references to them in the textbook.) Anyone teaching the book of Genesis using this text and manual would there fore have excellent help in preparation.

For whom would I recommend this book and its manual? It was first of all designed for those teaching children, whether in church school classes or home school. Parents could also find it helpful for family worship; however, the readings would need to be taken in bitesize due to the length of some chapters. And once again I would find this useful to help a young Christian begin to be come familiar with the Word of God. Finally, it becomes another useful re source for general study of Genesis.

The book of Genesis has been challenged over the past century in terms of its historical and inspirational integrity. This work keeps things in the true historical perspective and will help stem the tide of the drift into mythological speculation.

REFORMED EDUCATION: The Chris tian School as Demand of the Covenant, by David J. Engeisma. Re viewed by Michelle Selvaggio, sixth grade teacher, Trinity Christian School, member, Rochester, N.Y., RPC.

Engelsma’s book presents an excellent polemic for establishing and supporting Reformed schools. To Engelsma, as to many Reformed educators, the teacher stands in the parents’ place as a servant assisting in rearing the covenant child. He argues that the Christian school “arises from the covenant of grace” and is “a demand of that covenant. He also con tends that Scripture must be the corner stone of the curriculum and applied to every subject area.

The reader should be aware that Engelsma’s arguments reflect the distinctive doctrines of the Protestant Reformed Church. Among these distinctives are a denial of the covenant of works and of common grace. Also, some may find fault with his argument that there is no justification for home schooling where parents have access to, or are able to establish, a “good” Christian school. Any reasons in favor of home schooling are not considered, thus undermining his argument.

Taking into account its flaws, Engelsma’s book is an excellent primer for parents, teachers, and indeed all believers. One would be hard pressed to come away from it unconvinced of the necessity of Reformed schools.

PURITAN PAPERS VOLUME ONE, 1956-1959, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ed.), Presbyterian& Reformed, 2000, 320 pp. Reviewed by David Whitla.

Puritan Papers contains 23 lectures that were delivered at the “Puritan Conference’ in Westminster Chapel, Lon don, between 1956 and 1959. The Conference was started by .1. I. Packer and Martyn Lloyd-jones in the 1950s and has continued to the present day as the “Westminster Conference.” It was the conviction of the founders that “the Puritans were strongest just where Protestants today are weakest, and their writings can give us more real help than those of any other body of Christian teachers since the days of the apostles.” This is no less true at the outset of the 21st Century.

Respected scholars J. I. Packer, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, lain H. Murray, Ernest Kevan, and several others share insights from the Puritans on a wide variety of subjects. A brief paper is followed by application, often in the form of discussion questions raised at the conference, and in some cases there is recommended further reading. The reader will find helpful insights into doctrinal issues, as well as old wisdom for contemporary life in the areas of the family, work, wealth, the gospel ministry, church discipline, worship, the Sabbath, personal godliness, spiritual depression, revival, and more.

The contributors take a variety of approaches. While some of the papers are biographical in nature (such as “John Calvin: The Man God Subdued”), others review a specific Puritan book and apply its contents (such as “William Guthrie on the Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ”). The wisdom of specific Puritans on certain issues is distilled (such as “Richard Baxter’s Social and Economic Teaching) but more often, that of the Puritan movement as a whole is the focus (such as “The Puritans and the Doctrine of Election,” and “Daily Life among the Puritans”).

A complete set of the Puritan papers would make up a useful reference library in itself: A dictionary of solid doctrine and handbook of practical godliness. Despite the (often unfair) criticism that the Puritans have come in for over the years, the demand for their work continues to grow. It is heartening that in an age of “spiritual flabbiness,” the lessons we can learn from these remarkable men and women of God continue to be recognized.

20tH CENTURYPEOPLEWHOSHAPED THE CHURCH, by Todd Temple and Kim Twitchell, Tyndale, 2000, 367 pp. Reviewed by David Whitla.

This attractively presented volume contains 46 short, well-written biographies of individuals whose lives and work profoundly influenced the church in the last century.

The authors’ aim is to “determine who among our fellow believers have been most influential in the church and the world in which God called them to live.” Acknowledging the difficulty of choosing who should be included in the list, they use five criteria to make a selection: salvation (“they made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior”), lordship (“his or her life shows evidence of the transforming work of Christ as Lord”), influence (“the person has had substantial impact on our faith and our world”), fruit (“the person’s impact was the ‘fruit’ God brought forth”), and lifespan (“the work was carried out in the 20th Century’). No “formal theological test” was applied.

Given these criteria, many readers will be disappointed to find included Pope John Paul II, neo-orthodox theologian Karl Barth, and evangelist-healer Aimée Semple McPherson. Doubtless, these and others are “people who shaped the Church” in the last century, hut many will take exception to being identified with them as “fellow believers.”

Reading through the lives of familiar and less-familiar names, we are given an intriguing overview of 20th Century church history. It often makes for sobering reading. The story of these people is the story of decline in the central role of the organized church in a sea of parachurch organizations, which define a significant number (such as Bill Bright and James Dobson), the explosion of Pentecostalism (David du Plessis), the rise of feminism (Evangeline Booth, Aimée Semple McPherson), and the growth of “mass evangelism,” where success is measured by how many “decisions for Christ” were made (Luis Palau, Billy Graham). It is also the story of God’s faithfulness in raising up torchbearers for the truth in a century of theological liberalism and skepticism (such as J. I. Packer, F. F. Bruce, C. S. Lewis).

The book has a clear ecumenical thrust. commending all entries, regardless of their theology and often their personal lives. For example, J. Gresham Machen is lauded for his stand for Reformed ortho doxy in the face of new liberalism, yet Bill Hybels is praised for avoiding the pitfalls of “many young leaders entered the ministry stifled by entrenched traditions and superiors unwilling to change.” J. I. Packer’s biographical sketch is very fair on the theology of the Puritans, yet no criticism is aired for Karl Barth’s neo-orthodoxy, which has devastated many branches of the church.

Overall, the hook’s value lies in its readable short introductions to men and women who (for better or worse) shaped the church, and the insight it gives into how the church got to be where it is today. The two useful appendices and an extensive bibliography will provide a good starting point for further biographical and historical reading.

POLITICS, RELIGION, AND THE BRIT ISH REVOLUTIONS: The Mind of Samuel Rutherford, by John Coffey. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Re viewed by Dr. John Delivuk, technology librarian at Geneva College, and member of Geneva (Beaver Falls, Pa.) RPC.

John Coffey has written an outstanding biography of Samuel Rutherford (1600- 1661), whom many consider to be the Scottish Covenanters’ greatest theorist. Unlike many theologians, he was also a well-known devotional writer, most famous for his Letters.

Rutherford attended the University of Edinburgh in 1617, was a brilliant student, and was appointed Regent of Humanity in 1623. In 1626, he committed fornication with Eupham Hamilton. Rutherford was disciplined for sin, repented, was converted, and began to study for the ministry. In 1627, he began his successful ministry in Anworth, strongly supporting the Covenanter cause.

In 1636, Rutherford was forbidden to exercise his ministry and was ordered to reside at Aberdeen. He returned to his well-loved congregation when the covenanting revolution took place 18 months later. The church appointed Rutherford professor of divinity at Aberdeen; he was one of the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly and played a major role in its work. During this period, he became more of a Chris tian political philosopher; his most famous political work, Lex Rex, was published in 1644. Rutherford returned to Scotland, objected to the treaty with King Charles 11 in 1650, and led the protest against it for a decade. After the Restoration (1660), LexRexwas ordered burned. Summoned to appear before Parliament for treason in 1661, he was dying and unable to obey the order. His last words were, “Glory, Glory dwelleth in Emmanuel’s land.”

In this book, Coffey attempts to ‘provide the first comprehensive study of his life and thought” (p. 2). The introduction sets the scene by surveying Rutherford’s changing reputation from his own time to the present. Chapter 2 gives a biography of Samuel Rutherford. The next chapters follow his intellectual development as student, Puritan pastor. Reformed theologian, political theorist, ecclesiastical statesman, and national prophet.

Coffey’s work is impressive. He has a broad grasp of sources, both historical and contemporary. Coffey fairly discusses different viewpoints on Rutherford’s life and work. Unlike many readers of Rutherford, he realizes the theologian was attempting to keep his theology in balance. for example, Coffey observes that “The preservation of a fine balance be tween nature and grace, divine sovereignty and human responsibility, man as both patient and agent lay at the heart of Calvinist religion. However, the twin foci of Rutherfords theology have meant that he has been read in quite a contrasting way by succeeding generations” (p. 138).

Coffey uses this observation to defend Rutherford from theological critics and political thinkers who failed to see the balance.

Coffey’s documentation is thorough. He weaves his sources together as a skilled composer weaves separate instruments into a great symphony. Coffey understands the historical period in which Rutherford lived and paints him in the historical context.

Much of this hook is not for the casual reader. for example, in Chapter 5, Coffey sums up more than 4,000 pages of Rutherford’s theology in about 30 pages. Persons reading this book will find a knowledge of Covenanter history and of Reformed theology helpful. Those with this background will find an honest, sympathetic, and clear account of a leading Covenanter in this rare intellectual treat.