# I need a good book!



## ReformedWretch (Aug 25, 2007)

I’ve not read in a while and I am beginning to yearn for something good. I enjoy eschatology (partial preterism) and books speaking out on Arminianism. I especially enjoy books that attack faulty doctrine and expose why it's faulty. While scholarly books have a place in my library I am not seeking such right now, I am more in the mood for an easy to read (for laymen) but through book. I love DeMar, Gentry, Piper, etc. and I own tons of books having read them all, some of them more than once. So, can anyone recommend something fairly new?


----------



## sotzo (Aug 25, 2007)

"Dont' Waste Your Life" by John Piper.


----------



## christiana (Aug 25, 2007)

The Christian in Complete Armor, William Gurnall


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 25, 2007)

Adam -- There are some new books geared to laymen among the titles listed by Tony Reinke here, some of which may be of interest. Happy reading!


----------



## Beoga (Aug 25, 2007)

The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul. It is short, easy, but a wonderful read.


----------



## Kristine with a K (Aug 25, 2007)

"The Enemy Within" by Kris Lungard

I'd give it about 30 thumbs up, because everyone I know that's read it puts it at the top of their "favorite books" list.


----------



## weinhold (Aug 25, 2007)

Might I suggest a work of fiction to enliven your imagination? _The Scarlet Letter_ would do nicely, or Twain's _Huck Finn_ might also be a good choice.


----------



## ReformedWretch (Aug 25, 2007)

THis is what I was worried about, I'll have to get more than one! (lol)


----------



## ReformedWretch (Aug 25, 2007)

weinhold said:


> Might I suggest a work of fiction to enliven your imagination? _The Scarlet Letter_ would do nicely, or Twain's _Huck Finn_ might also be a good choice.



I've read Huck Finn numerous times. I know the scarlet letter story but have never read it.


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

You might enjoy something completely different from what you are used to, like Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_.


----------



## larryjf (Aug 25, 2007)

The Christian in Complete Armour is a great book, but rather heavy and encyclopedic.

A much more layman-focused book with the same general thrust that i would recommend is...

The Embattled Christian


----------



## tellville (Aug 25, 2007)

I'm reading "The Case for the Real Jesus" by Lee Strobel. It's his new apologetic work. While some things said by those being interviewed I didn't agree with, overall quite a good book. And Lee Strobel is a great writer (at least in his own "newsworthy" genre).


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

fredtgreco said:


> You might enjoy something completely different from what you are used to, like Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_.


Yes!


----------



## ReformedWretch (Aug 25, 2007)

Fingolfin said:


> fredtgreco said:
> 
> 
> > You might enjoy something completely different from what you are used to, like Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_.
> ...



Hmmmm maybe!


----------



## christiana (Aug 25, 2007)

joshua said:


> larryjf said:
> 
> 
> > The Christian in Complete Armour is a great book, but rather heavy and encyclopedic.
> ...



Ahhh, you're so right! My three volumes of the abridged are falling apart, held together with a rubber band and so heavily underlined! Such great value there that one could read it daily and never tire or fail to benefit! 

I finally bought the unabridged one and plan to do the same with it!
John Newton(1725-1807) said " If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armor."
Spurgeon called it peerless and priceless!


----------



## bookslover (Aug 25, 2007)

christiana said:


> Ahhh, you're so right! My three volumes of the abridged are falling apart, held together with a rubber band and so heavily underlined! Such great value there that one could read it daily and never tire or fail to benefit!



Is the text just abridged (and it must be one heck of an abridgement, because the original is huge) or has the text also been "tinkered with" (= dumbed down and simplified)?


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 25, 2007)

christiana said:


> I finally bought the unabridged one and plan to do the same with it!
> John Newton(1725-1807) said " If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armor."
> Spurgeon called it peerless and priceless!



Indeed!

Another option for daily devotion reading is _The Christian in Complete Armour: Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare_.


----------



## Dieter Schneider (Aug 25, 2007)

I think you ought to read [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Does-Believe-Atheists-John-Blanchard/dp/0852344600"]John Blanchard - Does God Believe In Atheists?[/ame] It's a tome - I couldn't put it down. Gripping and helpful. 
I also love C H Spurgeon. His Lectures To My Students are a tonic, full of wit and humour. And why not browse through a good bookshop here?


----------



## christiana (Aug 25, 2007)

bookslover said:


> christiana said:
> 
> 
> > Ahhh, you're so right! My three volumes of the abridged are falling apart, held together with a rubber band and so heavily underlined! Such great value there that one could read it daily and never tire or fail to benefit!
> ...



I've not yet started the unabridged edition, 1180 pages. Just looking it over I dont notice that much change other than some modernization of the language. The abridged edition is 1024 pages. I ordered this new one from monergism.com.
The one mentioned above by another poster called The Embattled Christian is actually by Bryan Zacharias and is his introduction to Gurnall's work and his theme.


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

Adam, I thought about it............you need to curl up with a nice Harry Potter book and a cup of cocoa with extra marshmallows.........cozy.


----------



## caddy (Aug 25, 2007)

My wife's reading that now. One of the best books I have read in the past year is Beeke's _Puritan Reformed Spirituality_. SO much depth and meat in that book. I will throw it out there anyhow even though it really doesn't fit your criteria. Not many books make me want to recommend them. This one is definately different. 



sotzo said:


> "Dont' Waste Your Life" by John Piper.


----------



## caddy (Aug 25, 2007)

Even Better _Brother's Karamazov ! _What a classic. I would get that one and consider just reading the chapter on the "Grand Inquisitor." 



fredtgreco said:


> You might enjoy something completely different from what you are used to, like Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_.


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

caddy said:


> Even Better _Brother's Karamazov ! _What a classic. I would get that one and consider just reading the chapter on the "Grand Inquisitor."
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Except that would ruin the preferred reading order of Dostoyevsky :

Crime and Punishment
Brothers Karamazov
The Idiot


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

fredtgreco said:


> caddy said:
> 
> 
> > Even Better _Brother's Karamazov ! _What a classic. I would get that one and consider just reading the chapter on the "Grand Inquisitor."
> ...


With due respect Pastor I think the Idiot can almost stand alone, as far as Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov I think that you are right.


----------



## caddy (Aug 25, 2007)

Fine Point there Fred ! 



fredtgreco said:


> caddy said:
> 
> 
> > Even Better _Brother's Karamazov ! _What a classic. I would get that one and consider just reading the chapter on the "Grand Inquisitor."
> ...


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

Fingolfin said:


> fredtgreco said:
> 
> 
> > caddy said:
> ...



The Idiot does stand alone in terms of plot, but if a person's first exposure to Fyodor was _The Idiot_, he likely would not read any more. You really have to understand some of how Dostoyevsky thinks in order to read it. _Crime _is definitely the easiest of the three, and is the place to begin, in my opinion.


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

fredtgreco said:


> Fingolfin said:
> 
> 
> > fredtgreco said:
> ...


Good point. I was exposed first to The Idiot (despite having heard more of Crime) my call was not academic Pastor, more personal preference.


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

No worries! Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

fredtgreco said:


> No worries! Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!


And to you Pastor!


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

Josh,

I don't know Russian, so I am not qualified to know whether a particular translation is better or not. I just have the _Modern Library _edition.


----------



## etexas (Aug 25, 2007)

joshua said:


> Thanks, Pastor. And I thought you were fluent in 12 languages?


Josh, you might want to Amazon up some reviews! I have found good editions of various books tat way.


----------



## fredtgreco (Aug 25, 2007)

joshua said:


> Thanks, Pastor. And I thought you were fluent in 12 languages?



Nah, only studied 6 (including English).


----------



## Iconoclast (Aug 25, 2007)

*books*

Adam,
To be Near Unto God, by Abraham Kuyper,on the back cover it says
110 meditatons on a single thought from psalm 73
Sinclair Ferguson, Know Your Christian Life. It deals with systematic themes in a very plain, yet clear and substantial way.


----------



## cwjudyjr (Aug 26, 2007)

*What is the difference?*



christiana said:


> bookslover said:
> 
> 
> > christiana said:
> ...




The abridged and unabridged editions are very close in size, counting the pages. What advantage is there to reading the abridged since it is essentially the same length? Is the language up-dated, is it formated differently? I want to get this title but am confused as to the best way to go. Thanks for your help!!!

Conrad


----------



## christiana (Aug 26, 2007)

cwjudyjr said:


> christiana said:
> 
> 
> > bookslover said:
> ...



I'm just beginning the unabridged edition but I think if I had it to do over I would have started with this one. The language is easy to read with clarity of meaning and I prefer it to be as close to what he actually wrote as possible. The print is only slightly smaller, double column as contrasted with single column in the abridged. It is such a book that handling it in this hardback edition and marking it as I do it will hold together better. So many pages in a paper bound abridged edition do not hold together as well. Though this book is a book for preachers it is still one that reaches any heart, stimulates one to stay close, humbled and aware of Satan's attempts to intervene in our life and disrupt our doctrine! There are so many exhortations given to the minister of a flock in dealing with great struggles of the faith!
Short answer: get the unabridged; you'll love it! http://www.monergismbooks.com/completearmour1961.htm

Read these reviews: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Complete-Armour-William-Gurnall/dp/0851511961/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-0289976-0414344?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188150443&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: Christian in Complete Armour: Books: William Gurnall[/ame]


----------



## Philip A (Aug 26, 2007)

joshua said:


> Fred, I already have _The Brothers Karamazov_, but have not read it. I'm interested to know which editions of _Crime and Punishment_ and _The Idiot_ I should get.



I have read the Pevear and Volokhonsky translations of _The Brothers_, _Crime and Punishment_, and _Notes From Underground_, and they've all been very good. They are a huband and wife team, one speaks native English and Russian as a second language, and the other _vice versa_. A lot of people who know much more than me recommend them; supposedly they get a little closer to Dostoevsky's original style. Plus they come in the Everyman's edition, which is absolutely beautiful, feels nice in the hand, and looks great on the shelf 

I started with the _Brothers_, then read _Notes_, and then _Crime and Punishment_. I have _Demons_ to read next, and really ought to have _The Idiot_.


----------

