BOOK REVIEWS Continued
life which are used to illustrate the nature and character of the man are presented in rather minute detail, but these very details are neces sary in order to reveal just how he operated in his personal life as well as in his public ministry. The book is written in an easy manner; it is delightful reading. One gets a very definite impression that Harry was an incurable comic and prankster so that life with him was never monotonous. But under lying all of the fun that he so thor oughly enjoyed, there were the abid ing convictions which controlled him, motivated him, and guided him throughout his life to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he loved and served so faithfully for so many years. This biography could well be placed in the hands of younger men, especially those who are seek ing to know the Lord’s will for their lives. It should also be in the hands of the many older Christians who still remember with love and affec tion having heard Harry Rimmer, and perhaps even having known him personally, because it enables them to experience again the bless ings received by all who came in contact with him. Printed by Publisher’s Printing House, Berne, Ind., Price: $4.50. Reviewed by Dr. S. H. Sutherland, President Emeritus, Biola College. THE PROTEST OF A TROUBLED PROTESTANT by HAROLD O. J. BROWN This book should be read by every Christian who is concerned with today's church scene and also by unbelievers who consider the church a failure. The author tells it as he sees it and he sees it with a depth of insight and breadth of knowledge which together produce a significant summary of today’s Christian world. ‘‘The Roman Cath olic Church must beware of con tamination by radical unbelief dis guised as Protestant scholarship. Protestantism must beware of un reformed Romanist expansionism disguised as polite ecumenicity. In- 32
dividual Christians must beware of relativist brainwashing in their own congregations. Congregations must take care lest ‘progressive’ ele ments in the World Council of Churches turn their denominations into political action groups to work together for a vision of a revolution ary, Marxo-Christian secular city" (p. 202). The desperate plight of the contemporary scene, according to Mr. Brown, is ultimately due to the rejection by the modern mind of objective truth because this always carries with it the implied obliga tion to act in accordance with it. The great division of Christendom is not denominational but is rather “ between those who believe the Bible and those who do not.” The author is to be commended for giv ing us a picture of where we are.— 282 pages; paper; Zondervan, Grand Rapids; 1969. — Reviewed by Dr. R. L. Saucy. THE BEACON BIBLE COMMENTARY This set, recently completed by 39 scholars in the Wesleyan-Armi- nian tradition, is not exhaustive but aims to give the flow of exposi tion, which it does well. The re viewer has been pleased with the carefulness of scholarship evident in places he checked particularly. Footnotes show use of better works and comments reflect careful and wide study with an attempt to give the reader some of the choice ma terial available on a given area. The style is simple and non technical. Frequent warm applica tions and homiletical suggestions for treating a passage add value. Material is arranged under an out line and the print is easy to read. A helpful factor is that main views on a verse are often given
(as on leaven, Matt. 13), or there are interesting details (as the exact size of Herod’s temple, Matt. 24), or accounts are harmonized (Saul’s conversion, Acts-9, 22, 26). Understandably, such a Wesle- yan-Arminian work argues that one may fall from salvation (cf. its treatment of John 10:28-29, Gal. 5:4, Heb. 6:4-8 etc.). The case in Hebrews 6 is argued carefully for that viewpoint and is helpful in showing the eternal security ex ponent how such a view might be defended. It is unfortunate that the writer there implies dishonesty in those who disagree with his Armini- an view, saying that this represents "evasive juggling of plain words." On I John 5:18, the work says Christ keeps the Christian, and ap pears to be out of harmony with its stand on John 10:28-29 where one’s security depends on his own faithfulness: “ Our security is not our grip on Christ but His grip on us.” In prophetical areas, the work shows little or no use of dispensa- tional writings, though Newell and Strauss are mentioned on the Reve lation. The 144,000 of Revelation 7 are taken as symbolically repre senting “ the whole number of the faithful,” not actual tribes of Israel which the text really has in view. On 17:10-11, other views are given more weight than the futurist, and on chapter 20, a number of views are cited but the reader is left un certain about the conviction of the commentary itself. This reviewer believes the work is helpful and often well-written and rich in giving the flow of exposition in most places. Weaknesses in mat ters like eschatology and the believ er's security do not offset the over all value in many areas for the THE KING’S BUSINESS
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