Newsweek magazine’s cover story, “The Decline and Fall of Christian America” [April 13, 2009] continues to evoke controversy and conversation, and much of it is illuminating.  Now, Stephen Prothero of Boston University enters the fray with an incisive commentary that throws a few punches.

The very essence of the age we call modern represents a challenge to authority.  Ultimately, the greatest authority an anti-authoritarian age must topple is the authority of the Bible as the Word of God.  In Ancient Word, Changing Worlds: The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age, authors Stephen J. Nichols and Eric T. Brandt offer an unprecedented combination of analysis and collected primary readings.

The 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin has prompted numerous conferences, special observances, and books — and rightly so.  For some, the anniversary offers a first opportunity for an introduction to the great Genevan Reformer and his legacy.

2009 marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective [Crossway] by Russell D. Moore.  Okay, so a fifth anniversary is not such a big deal, but I was grasping for an excuse to put this book where it belongs — on your reading list.  I recently had the opportunity to reread this book, and I was reminded how helpful it really is.  Russell D. Moore, Senior Vice President and Dean of the School of Theology (where, you ask?) at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, clarifies so many of the issues swirling about evangelicals as we discuss the Kingdom of God, eschatology, and Christian political engagement.  He offers a really helpful survey of these issues, and an even more helpful theological and biblical framework for understanding the Kingdom of Christ.

The arrest and trial of Adolf Eichmann took place almost a half-century ago now, and though his name lives in infamy, the story of his capture and its significance is largely lost to the current generation.  Now arrives Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb, and the story comes alive again.

We are constantly bombarded with health messages these days, with many offering confusing, complicated, or contradictory advice.  There are so many messages with so many misunderstandings that, in the end, they have become like car alarms going off in the parking lot.  They are heard now as a noisy nuisance.

Here is a simple rule to keep in mind:  When D. A. Carson writes a book, buy it.  This is certainly the case with Carson’s recent book, Christ & Culture Revisited [Eerdmans].  Readers will immediately recognize the reference to the classic 1951 work by H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture.  Those who desire a deeper understanding of this difficult question will welcome Carson’s very thoughtful look at the claims of Christ and culture.