Category Archives: Reviews

The only protection of fundamental rights comes from the commanded order as revealed by God through His self-revealing in time and space, through Covenant and Christ.

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Powerful and unique are two of the best ways to quickly describe season one of ‘The Chosen’, a ‘pay-it-forward’ episodic, visual chronicle of the life of Jesus.

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Countless pastors, ministry leaders, and students of the Word of God have been immensely blessed and nourished by titles such as The Sovereignty of God, The Attributes of God, and the plethora of commentaries published by Arthur W. Pink. However, few Christians know the life and story of the man behind the pen. They say that you can’t truly appreciate a book unless you know the one who wrote it, and this is truly the case when it comes to Arthur W. Pink. As always — in a remarkably balanced and honest way — Iain Murray, in his book The…

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I’ve been trying to put my finger on the reason why Trent Dalton’s book Boy Swallows Universe (HarperCollins, 2018) is so popular. For the first time in the history of the Australian Book Industry of the Year (ABIA), Dalton’s work won all four major categories: Book of the Year, Literary Book of the Year, the Matt Richell Award for New Writer and Audio Book of the Year. It also won the 2019 NSW Premier’s Award as well as the 2019 MUD Literary Prize. What’s more, it’s currently being turned into an international TV series which will surely only add to…

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“All sides are anti-science.” I’m watching psychologist professors Jonathon Haidt and Jordan Peterson on YouTube discussing polarisation and the left-ward bias of our Universities. Haidt says that an anti-science trend emerged among conservatives in relatively recent times. “To be anti-evolutionary… is actually what’s happening on the left now, too,” Peterson adds. His prediction is that having taken the humanities, those leftist ‘neo-Marxists’ will be targeting the biology school next. He quotes Brett Weinstein, “evolutionary biology has something in it to offend everyone.” It was a unique experience for me as I read A. N. Wilson’s (2017) biography of Charles Darwin,…

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My interest in Gene Edward Veith Jnr’s work began in 2012 after reading ‘Modern Fascism’ (1993). In it Veith shows himself to be a fearless, sharp, forward-thinking academic who isn’t afraid to stick his neck out when presenting sensitive facts. For a scholar, this isn’t just risky, it often means standing alone, on uncomfortable truths, that have either been conveniently buried or ignored. Taking a stand can end in ostracism or excommunication. One potent example is Veith’s thunderous proclamation that ‘fascism is back in academia’. This rides on the coattails of a discussion about the defence (and for some, the denial)…

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Several weeks ago, several second-hand books were being given away at my church. After cursorily browsing them, I disinterestedly selected Postmodern Times by Gene Veith, Jr. Usually, a book like that could easily sit on my pile for a year before being touched, but as it happens I decided to at least read the introduction when I arrived at home. It turned out that this would be the second non-fiction book I have read in my life that I would have difficulty putting down (The other is God’s Undertaker by John Lennox). It was outstanding. What first struck me about…

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“Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman. They were the happiest people on the planet. True, they were the only people on the planet, but they were still terrifically happy. Unfortunately, things didn’t stay happy and wonderful for long…” With Christmas just around the corner, it’s probably time we all start thinking about gifts. And if you’re like me, the bulk of your Christmas purchases will be primarily for the kids in your family. But whether they’re your children, your grandkids, or your nephews and nieces, knowing what to get the little ones isn’t always easy, so…

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John M. Perkins is an American civil rights campaigner. His 2017 book, ‘Dream with Me’, is a brave step forward in seeking to create better dialogue between both black and white communities. Overall, ‘Dream With Me’ is a call for both black and white Americans to unite, in their diversity, under God. This review will focus on two primary strengths of Perkins’ work. The first strength is the presence of a Theology of Christian Liberation. Perkins refuses to take the easy path of perpetual anger, condescension and resentment – both traits found in Black liberation theology (which is largely tainted by…

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Amazon’s ‘Jack Ryan’ is a fresh creative take on Tom Clancy’s, ‘Jack Ryan’ brand. The story has a standard structure. The plot is revealed as characters move from one crisis to the next. Each episode adds to the next, leading to the narrative’s conclusion. Casting was on point. Actor John Krasinski (Jack Ryan) plays alongside Australian actress, Abbie Cornish (Doctor Cathy Mueller who takes up a “casual” romantic relationship with Ryan). Wendell Pierce (Robert Zane in ‘Suits’) plays the role of James Greer. All three add to the series and its fresh creative take on Tom Clancy’s, ‘Jack Ryan’ brand. Amazon has been consistent in the temperaments…

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