ets. A New Testament Chronological Chart is also included. The first two have been prepared by Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Jr., professor of Old Tes tament at Grace Theological Semi nary, Winona Lake, Indiana; the New Testament material was pre pared by Dr. James L. Boyer, pro fessor of Greek and New Testament, at the same institution. The chart of the kings and prophets is particu larly helpful, for it shows very clear ly the division of the kingdom, the captivity by Assyria of the Northern Kingdom, and eventually by Nebu chadnezzar of the Southern Kingdom. It also fills in the gaps between the prophetic books by showing the years of the authors. It is interesting to note the overlapping contemporary periods whi ch are involved. The charts are printed on heavy lamin ated cardboard and fit into the aver age loose-leaf notebook of 8% x 11 size. An enlarged paper edition for each is also available. Over the past ten years the coun try of Colombia has been wracked by continual political violence. During this time, however, the church of Jesus Christ has known no greater period of growth or spiritual vital ity. The author formerly served with the Sudan Interior Mission and uses the book-to trace the ministry of Don Vicente Gomez who, following his training at the Bible institute in San Cristobal, extended God’s ministry through frequent and extremely dan gerous trips to remote village areas. — 254 pages; cloth; Moody Press, Chicago, 111.; $3.95. The founder-director of Overseas Crusades presents 20 brief biographi cal stories concerning ambassadors of the cross of our day. They include such men as Abe Van Der Puy of HCJB, Arthur F. Glasser, mission ary to China and home director of Overseas M i s s i o n a r y Fellowship, Norman Nelson, singing ambassa dor, William Gillam, vice president of the Oriental Missionary Society, Robert H. Bowman, founder and president of Far East Broadcasting Company, and Miss Joy Ritterhof, founder-director of Gospel Record ings. The practicality of the modern day stories of God’s triumph through His Spirit-led servants is a challenge for the hour in which we are living. One interesting chapter deals with As A Roaring Lion by Martha Wall Born To Climb b y Dick HiUis
C om m u n ic a tion fo r the C h u rc h b y Raymond W McLaughlin How can the church develop a virile life within the local body of believ ers? How can the church express the gospel message so clearly that unbe lievers will hear and respond in faith? The author deals with these essential questions. Communication is defined as “ the sharing of information for the pur pose of affecting the receiver in some predetermined way” (p. 17). Start ing with this definition, the author proceeds to describe the fundamen tals which govern communication, to outline the process of communication, and to note some of the barriers which block or distort a message. A major emphasis of the book is the group life of the church. Group dynamics principles are related to communication. The book should be of value to ministers and laymen as they seek to develop a more effective life with in the church and to develop an effec tive proclamation of the gospel to non-Christians. Attention to the posi tive suggestions which are given should result in avoidance of many church conflicts and in resolution of presently existing ones. The material should benefit churchmen whose spe cial interest may be evangelism, edu cation or administration. — 228 pages; cloth; Zondervan Pub. House, Grand Rapids, Mich.; $3.95. — Re viewed by Dr. Robert Posegate. These pieces are sharp, witty and fundamental. They will delight and involve an evangelical to the wagging of the head, nodding of assent and vigorous “ amens.” But the stance of Miller is posed. It is that of the preacher, not the poet. The writer is not looking for answers but for an audience. He is a rhetorician at tempting to bring his audience into agreement. However, he has selected his audience and it is the audience of the pew and not the library, desk or park. The cover claims that “ the author Poem s o f Pro te st and Fa ith b y Calvin Miller
evidences a genuine awareness of contemporary problems” ; however, there is no such evidence in his verse. “ The Great God, Same” and “ Theos- analysis” bring assent from the pew but no response from the “ prostitutes and publicans” and “ hapless or phans.” The writer may be aware of contemporary problems but he is im peccably removed from them as in “ Protest Pests,” “ From Under the Rocks” and “ Procession of Fools” to name a few. In spite of the shallow poses of most of the verse, there are moments of deep penetration which approach genuine poetry. One example is the first part of “ Frenzied Fire” which is superb. However, Miller apparent ly was afraid his audience would be too dull to make the application and spoiled his performance by making it for them. For pastors who need crutch ma terial to lighten heavy sermons or who need a ready-made illustration full of humor and wit, this book will be invaluable as a source. For those evangelicals who need assurance that everyone else is out of step will find that Miller meets that need. But for those who are looking for the real in poetry; for those with questions of “ protest” or who long for “ faith” will find little of value here. For the preacher is ministering to the well, not the sick; he is confirming rather than affirming; encouraging bigotry rather than faith. 95 pages; paper; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich.; $1.50. — Reviewed by Colin McDougall. Bible Charts Have you ever been confused as to when the Southern and Northern Kingdoms divided and when different kings reigned over the nation of Israel and Judah? These questions often perplex the average Bible stu dent who may not have memorized all of the chronological orders of bib lical events. Very welcome then is this series of three new “ study- graphs” •published by Moody Press, Chicago, 111. The charts cover Old Testament Patriarchs and Judges and Old Testament Kings and Proph
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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