Been There Read That

This week's episode centers around a discussion of books to avoid and obtain in studying the Book of Revelation.  Brother George Battey is in the process of writing his own commentary on the Book of Revelation and has done a ton of reading and research in the process.  We are thankful for his willingness to sit down with us and share some of the materials that he has found helpful.

Bad Authors To Avoid:
John Walvoord
Dwight Pentecost
John MacArthur
Clarence Larkin
Jerry Jenkins
Tim LaHaye
John Hagee
Don Preston
Max King
 
Introductory Recommendations:
The Woman the Lion and the Dragon by Albertus Pieters
The Returning King by Vern Poythress
Between the Cross and the Throne by Matthew Emerson
Kingdom Come by Sam Storms
A Case For Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger
 
Intermediate Recommendations:
The Triumph of the Lamb by Dennis Johnson
The Revelation of John a Narrative Commentary by James L. Resseguie
The Drama of Christianity by S. L. Morris
Behold the Revelation of Jesus Christ by James E. Smith
The Message of Revelation by Michael Wilcock
More Than Conquerors by William Hendriksen
ESV Expository Commentary on Revelation by Thomas R. Schreiner
The Expositor’s Bible on Revelation  by William Milligan
Lectures of the Apocalypse by William Milligan
 
Advanced Recommendations:
New International Greek Testament Commentary on Revelation by G. K. Beale
Revelation: A Shorter Commentary by G. K. Beale
A Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham
The Climax of Prophecy by Richard Bauckham
The Revelation of St. John by G. B. Caird
The Revelation of St. John by R. C. H. Lenski
The Pulpit Commentary on Revelation by Alfred Plummer

In today’s episode we have our first guest interview. Evangelist and author Brother George Battey (my father) joins us to discuss the Book of Revelation. Brother Battey is currently writing a commentary of the Book of Revelation and shares with us some helpful historical and theological information regarding this challenging book of the Bible. Topics discussed include:

• The historical background of each of the major interpretive approaches to the Book of Revelation and their origins
• Distinctions between Historical and Dispensational Premillennialism
• Distinctions between Moderate and Full Preterism
• Distinctions between Premillennial, Postmillennial, and Amillennial views of the Millennium
• Authors to avoid in your studies
• How the different interpretive approaches to Revelation have affected churches of Christ historical and which ones pose the greatest threats in the present. 

Be sure to join us again next week for part two of this interview where Brother George will review both helpful and problematic commentaries on the Book of Revelation.

In this week's episode we discuss keys to building your library wisely on a budget. Tips include utilizing free books, selling books you don't use, knowing what a good price is for a book, how to assess a book you are not familiar with, how and where to find book reviews, and how to target/discover good books.

 

Books discussed in this episode includes:

The Preacher and His Work by Jack Meyer Sr.

Old Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman III.

New Testament Commentary Survey by D. A. Carson

Episode #6 discusses the pros and cons of the weekly reading assignment in T. Desmond Alexander’s book From Paradise to the Promised Land. Two issues that surfaced in the assignment were the concept of a corrupted creation through man’s fall and keeping the Sabbath ordinance of the Old Testament. Reading recommendations related to these two issues included:

 

Books Recommended:

God’s Good Earth by Jon Garvey

Sabbath Day or Lords Day by George Battey (available on ChristianResearcher.com)

The Believer’s Sabbath by John G. Reisinger

The Sabbath and the Lord’s Day by H. M. Riggle

Seventh Day Adventism Renounced by D. M. Canright

From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation by D. A. Carson

Two other books discussed were:

Creation and Change by Douglas Kelley

Seriously Dangerous Religion: What the Old Testament Really Says and Why it Matters by Iain Provan

Today’s episode shines the spotlight on author O. Palmer Robertson.  Robertson’s major works are introduced and then a full review is given of his two best books.

Books Mentioned:

• Christ of the Prophets
• The Genesis of Sex
• The Israel of God
• The Christ of Wisdom
• The Christ of the Covenants (not recommended)
• The Current Justification Controversy

Books Reviewed and Recommended:

• The Final Word
• God’s People in the Wilderness

Episode #4 begins with some helpful reading practices, discusses last week's assigned reading, introduces some books that arrived in the mail, and opens a discussion topic on Calvinism.  The largest portion of the episode features a discussion of the high points from chapters 7 & 8 of T. Desmond Alexander's "From Paradise to the Promised Land".  Alexander's book is currently featured in the weekly reading assignments.  There are also brief reviews and introductions to "Kingdom Come" by Sam Storms, "Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes" by Kenneth E. Bailey, "Drawing Water From The Wells Of Salvation"Doug Edward, "Practicing Proverbs" by Richard Mayhue, "Jesus the Sage" by Ben Witherington, "Seriously Dangerous Religion" by Iain Provan, "Elect in the Son" by Robert Shank, and "The Gospel Plan of Salvation" by T. W. Brents.  If you have a favorite book to recommend on the topic of Calvinism, please send us the title and author's name to ChristianResearcher@gmail.com. 

Today's episode features a discussion of New Year's resolution reading goals, reading strategies, a few brief reviews of Nathan's current reading material, and an invitation to join in a reading study through the Pentateuch.

In today's episode we will discuss all of the different types of content you can expect to find in upcoming episodes including reading programs, book reviews, study recommendations, interviews, and much more.

Join us for our first episode and get to know us, our website (www.ChristianResearcher.com), and the goals we hope to accomplish through our podcast.  Our main goal is to promote Bible knowledge by offering encouragement pointing listeners toward helpful resources and techniques.  We're excited about this new endeavor and hope you will join us in our weekly journey.