Tuesday 15 May 2007

Definitely worth having

The US based Particular Baptist Press are engaged in producing some quality commentaries on New Testament books. Called The Newport Commentary Series, they are well bound hardbacks with a good clear typeset, although the dustjacket lets them down in being prone to fading in the sun, as we have proved to our cost in displaying them in the Shop window. But most important of all they have substance. This can be judged by the authors - John Gill on the Gospel of John and Romans, James A Haldane on Galatians and Hebrews, and Samuel Eyles Pierce on 1 John. Yes, some authors are worth reprinting in a contemporary format. I found the introduction to Gill on John to be excellent. The series editor Terry Wolever contends against the notion that Baptists of the 18th/19th century needed to be freed from the shackles of hypercalvinism before they could preach the gospel widely. He points out that the General Missionary Convention in America - the counterparts of the Baptist Missionary Society in England - paid great attention to publication work in conjunction with their missionary endeavour. Thus they sponsored the first American printing of Gill's famous 'Exposition of the Old and New Testaments' (see our website for details of the 9 vol set), derided by some as anti-evangelistic! So buy the book, even if it's just for the introduction.
Jeremy

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