I bought this entire New Testament series commentary to help me in teaching an adult Sunday School class. I'm glad I did! All of the books include a verse-by-verse description that is very helpful. A teaching outline is included for each chapter, along with discussion questions and an area with a more deeper discussion of certain topics important to that chapter.

As a new teacher, I have found this series invaluable in preparing my lessons. I think you'll like this one.

Living What You Believe: Wisdom From The Book Of James is the collaborative effort of Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier and designed to take the reader on a guided tour of the Book of James to learn how to embrace a hands-on, concrete faith that will enable him or her to truly live out what they profess to believe as Christians. The issues and elements surveyed within the context of the Book of James include temptation, relationships, speech, finances, good works, prayer, and planning -- all for the purpose of encourage and instructed Christians to live wisely and well within the framework of the Gospel. Living What You Believe is a highly recommended addition to personal and small group New Testament and Christian Life studies.

The book's subtitle, "Pathway to Spiritual Formation" may mislead you. This is not a high theory book -- but a practical, frank review of the world we live in and how we might live better. The appendix on our heritage as Christians is worth the cost of the book alone! If you are longing for a closer walk, this book is an absolute must read!

Boa and Bowman have put together a lengthy survey on apologetic methods within Christianity. In the process, they have surpassed all other comparative apologetic works by cogently and thoroughly examining apologetic methods and the great thinkers who have subscribed to the various methods.

This book is extremely useful for a number of reasons. It's obvious strength is its thorough treatment of four major apologetic methods; classical, evidential, presuppositional, and fideist. This book is the best in print in dispassionately presenting each view, its strengths and weaknesses, and how each view interacts with various apologetic issues and objections. The reader will gain a solid working knowledge of apologetic school of thought to reflect upon and possibly incorporate in their own approach to apologetics.

Second, this book provides one of the best summary level examinations of many prominent Christian thinkers throughout church history. Anybody who wants a good summary treatment on the thinking of folks like Pascal, Kierkegaard, Van Til, Clark, Kuyper, Barth, Craig, Plantinga, Geisler, Aquinas, and many others will find it here.

Third, their demonstration of how each apologetic system interacts with key issues such as science, theology, the Bible, Jesus Christ, etc is very informative. I found these examinations to be very insightful, since it impressed upon me the reality that evangelical Christianity is not at all monolithic in how it views the relationship of apologetics to these vital issues. Through this diversity of thought, I have found my own approach to apologetics expanded and challenged in a very healthy way.

Lastly, the authors truly invoke a spirit of Christian love throughout this book. The authors clearly hold to the view that great Christians can and have held to each apologetical method, and the authors have properly resisted any attempt to use apologetical method as a litmus test to judge the level of anyone's Christian walk. This is very refreshing, and is definitely a step in the right direction. While properly pointing out where certain thinkers in each camp have strayed from acceptable evangelicalism (Barth and his errant view of Scripture, Pinnock and his god of limited omniscience, etc), they affirm the value of each apologetic method and the thinkers who hold to each view.

At the end of the book, the authors attempt an integration of each method which I found helpful and balanced. The authors properly note that pure integration may not be possible, and might not be desirable either. I felt that the biggest strength of their integration approach was the belief that each apologetic method is useful for reaching certain people who hold certain objections or presuppositions, and that these apologetic approaches can be integrated somewhat with certain methods being more emphasized than others based upon the beliefs and views of the person we are in dialogue with.

The only weakness of the book is that while it does attempt to deal with tangible objections such as in the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Christ, and the problem of evil, readers who are looking for comprehensive apologetic responses to these issues may not be satisfied by what's here. This is a book that deals with apologetic method, and while it does show how each method generally responds to these kind of objections and issues, the reader will not really find a systematic treatment here, although I should stress that what is covered in these areas is very helpful.

But since this is not really the thrust of the book, I do not see it as a weakness of the book worthy of demoting the 5 star rating I've given it. This is a thoroughly researched book which in my view, presents the best contemporary treatment of apologetic methods in a spirit of Christian love that will hopefully serve as a model for further development of respectful apologetic method in the future. A well done book that is highly recommended.

This is a very nice reference text. A must for any serious apologist or, for that matter, anyone who simply loves to read apologetics texts.

The text is mapped out in such a way that it divides the various apologetic 'tasks' into 4 areas or parts. First, apologetics as 'proof.' Second, apologetics as 'defense.' Third, apologetics as 'offense.' And fourth, apologetics as 'persuasion.' Each part carries its own weight when dealing with certain areas or aspects of the task of apologetics. For instance, apologetics as 'proof' takes various thinkers, approaches, and worldviews and delineates them in detail for the reader. Further, a thinker is given, say, B.B. Warfield, his thoughts, writings, and methods are examined and exposited, and then his approach is described and demonstrated for the reader. This is the trend in all four parts.

The authors also cover the role of philosophy in apologetics, which I might add, is a very important role. Thank you for its inclusion, this makes for an important read. Moreover, once all the various thinkers/scholars are examined, the authors take their reader to what is called the 'integrated approach.' It seems interesting that the integrative approach is applied predominantly by/to reformers or those who adhere to what is known in philosophical circles as reformed epistemology. Nonetheless, this approach is examined along with its adherents.

Finally, the book also includes a few very nice extra features such as apologetic web sites, a further study section, lists of tables and charts, a name index, subject index and Scripture index. I have enjoyed reading this text, and it should be pointed out that it is written in a style of a reference text, so the reader can read 'at' it if the intent is to find a particular thing, or the text can be read from cover to cover. Either way, the book makes for good reading, I highly recommend this text.

A reviewer claims that Boa and Bowman's book tries "to take the strengths of each approach and put them together into one apologetic system." He then claims that the authors twist the approaches of other apologists to fit their categories and that the authors claim that their own integration is the best one.

Frankly, the reviewer could not have been more wrong. Boa and Bowman defend each of the four approaches as valid and helpful in their own right. They go out of their way to point out ways in which various apologists do not fit neatly into one category. For example, they suggest that William Lane Craig is a classical apologist with evidentialist leanings, and that Alvin Plantinga is a Reformed apologist with classical leanings.

When Boa and Bowman come to discuss the integration of the four major approaches, they state very plainly, "we do not claim that our proposals should be accepted as _the_ final integrative approach" (p. 509). Or again, "We do not wish to be interpreted as proposing a 'new approach' or a comprehensive approach that definitively unites them. Indeed, we are not sure that this is possible or even desirable" (p. 535). Instead, the authors recommend that apologists take whatever approach they find most compelling and then strengthen that approach by learning from the other approaches.

This is the first book that presents sympathetically the apologetic thinking of such disparate thinkers as C. S. Lewis, Richard Swinburne, Cornelius Van Til, Karl Barth, and Francis Schaeffer. There simply isn't another book like it.

I was glad to see Zondervan match the NIV study notes with the more accurate NASB translation. While the NIV is more readable, the NASB is more literal and therefore more helpful for study. The notes in this Bible can be trusted primarily for historical accurracy and for accurate protrayal of the various doctrinal viewpoints. The outlines and references to other passages within the study notes are very helpful also. The only drawback with these notes is that in fine points of doctrinal differences, they are somewhat ambiguous in an effort to appeal to all the different camps. All in all, a fine combination.

This is the bible for which I've been waiting. I have always been fond of the study tools in the NIV Study Bible, but I have never been satisfied with the NIV translation. The NASB is credited as the most accurate and literal translation. With the 1995 update it's even more readable. The study notes cover historical, archeological, and devotional information. The center-column references are exhaustive. There are very detailed in-text maps and charts that provide supplemental informtation. The book introductions provide extensive information on the background of each book as well as providing a detailed outline. In the back of the bible there are three indexes. There is a subject index, an index to the study notes and the NASB concordance/dictionary. In the front of the bible there is a very detailed chronological timeline. There are also several essays on selected subjects. This is a very useful study tool and by far the most complete study bible in the New American Standard that I've ever seen.

If you love the NASB, and are a serious student of the Word, this is the bible for you. It has the award-winning study notes of the NIV Study Bible plus the reliable New American Standard Bible translation with the 1995 update, hailed the most accurate word-for-word (while extremely readable) bible on the market. It has exhaustive center-column references. Charts on almost every bible subject possible are included. Introductions to every book of the bible are extensive and include information on the following: Style, Date, Author, Subject Matter, Cultural Information, and very indepth outlines. There are hundreds of intext maps and a very extensive chronology of the bible included at the beginning of the bible. The best thing about the study notes is that they are not biased to any particular denomination. When more than one view exists on a subject, generally at least three views are presented. Information from all kinds of archaeological and historical sources offers much needed insight to difficult passages. This is your one-stop for cultural, historical and theological information for almost every verse in scripture. I'm a youth minister and this bible is my main source of study and lesson preparation. I find that I don't need much more than this. If you're a minister or just a student of the Word, then you can't go wrong with the NASB Study Bible.

I found it very difficult to follow. To many little sections which made it difficult. If you could figure out how to follow its flow then maybe you could enjoy the information obtain in the book.

I work in the pressure cooker of Health Care. As a CEO I make decisions impacting individuals lives and careers. The people who look to me for leadership want decisions that are honest, effective and value based. The Leadership Bible is my daily source of inspiration and strength. I especially appreciate the character profiles and the Homepages that guide me to further study on a variety of leadership topics.

I am a new leader in a training program and I have found this to be an amazing resource. It is comprehensive in that it covers a variety of attributes necessary for making me into a successful servant leader. The wisdom found in the Bible is mind blowing, but practical and this book takes you through a step by step process on each attribute. It has helped me to fill holes in my leadership role that I didn't know were necessary even. I recommend this to anyone who wants to become a fully rounded successful servant leader.

Kerry Livgren was the main contributor in the Progressive Rock Group Kansas throughout the 70's and continues to work indirectly with the band here and there. This book appears to be an autobiography on his sense of discovery, and includes some reasoning behind the Lyrics of some of the more Famous Kansas songs. Kerry appeared to be a man with a mission of self discovery, attempting to find truth in many religious views, then settling down to Christianity. This is a very good book. Although there is some history of most of the different versions of Kansas throughout the years, I would not call this a definitive history of the band, although there are some good highlights here....

Fans of the band Kansas in particular and progressive rock in general will find there curiousity rewarded by Livgren's personal journey in that genre and his remarks about his bandmates and other artists. But the book is especially recommended to those who are interested in Livgren's personal spiritual quest. Many who were fascinated with the spirit of seeking and questioning in Livgren's lyrics over the years will find their suspicions confirmed by this book. What impressed me was the author's credible claim that he was sincerely asking those questions and looking for answers rather than just delighting in the searching or entertaining fans. His quest took him through various views, including modern esoteric views, and ultimately to evangelical Christianity. Especially recommended for those who are seeking for themselves and want to experience the feel of finding an answer.

In this book Kerry Livgren, the former songwriter and musician for the 70's rock band Kansas, chronicles his compelling search for spiritual peace. Told with good-natured frankness and warmth, Livgren takes his reader on an elliptical journey of religious investigation, eschewing his childhood Christian roots in order to examine nearly every philosophical view the world has to offer. All of this is done against the backdrop of the intriguing story behind the rise and fall of one of America's biggest 'arena rock' acts. It becomes evident that Livgren is not only a talented composer and musician, but a well-read scholar as well. He is able to articulate succinctly the main tenets of the world's major belief systems, and directs his reader through the emotional and logical process whereby he reached his destination: a return to biblical Christianity. His description of his personal conversion experience is especially poignant, full of drama and unexpected humor. This book is fascinating and entertaining reading for rock music enthusiasts as well as religious inquirers.

This book is indeed interesting, some of the time. There are long stretches of paragraphs that are a bit of a struggle to read through, particularly the sections on psychology and postmodernism.

The most interesting passages are about the other major religions,how they came to be, and the influence they have on Christianity.

Now back to the reason I claim this book to be inconsistent. There are sections that expound on a "faith only" salvation, and how fundamentalist "cults" believe too much in a literal translation of the bible and salvation through "works." While these authors go to great lengths to show that faith is the only need for salvation, the second half of the book discusses declining morality in the world. If works are not necessary to Christianity, then why should morality be promoted? Wouldn't living a moral life be a "work?" I find it foolish to say that all you must do to be saved is believe and have faith. Why would the bible exist with all of those "rules and regulations", if faith alone was enough to save?

This book is otherwise a fine discourse on upholding your belief in an almighty God and His plans for His creation.

Boa and Bowman's book offers a consisten presentation of an evangelical Christian worldview. Contrary to another reviewer of this book, evangelicals are not inconsistent when they maintain that we are saved through faith alone and at the same time maintain that there are moral absolutes that we ought to uphold. The evangelical view is not that works are unimportant, but that none of us can attain a right standing before God on the basis of our works. In other words, being good is definitely important, but none of us is good enough. That's why Christ died on the cross! The whole point is that we have all violated God's moral absolute standards, and therefore we all deserve his punishment. Yet, by his mercy, we may be forgiven and reconciled to God, and spared that punishment, because Christ died in our place. This basic Christian belief cannot be maintained without also maintaining that such moral absolutes exist.

I highly recommend this book.

This book merely whets one's appetite. The arguments presented are truly compelling evidences for God's existence as the title suggests, but they lack the detailed substance that the topic requires. But readers are forced to dig elsewhere to resolve missing details. This entire book is like a preface to the real arguments. It's best feature are it's quotes, bibliographies and endnotes. These features lead the reader on to more meaty details. This book does a valuable service in introducing (scientific and theological) laymen to the true arguments and debates that surround the evidences presented here. The writing is geared to people who are just getting acquainted with the arguments. Folks with some study behind them will be disappointed. Look through the notes and bibliography and if you've read 50% of what's there, you can pass the book along to an uninitiated friend. However, another valuable service of the book is that it provides easy to remember analogies that readers can carry with them into discussions on God's existence. If you've ever been in a discussion and couldn't quite remember the facts of your case, their handy analogies will prove a big help. I believe it's still worth having as an introduction and for it's references. Their writing style is easy and fluid as well.

What the author writes is typically what you would expect of a Christian... all others are cults except Christianity.

Actually, of all religions, Islam and Christianity are definitely cults. Holy wars----sound familiar? Be prepared to kill in the name of your god---sound familiar? Be prepared to sacrifice your son on the altar---sound familiar? Kill all livestock, women and children---sound familiar? What kind of god would demand these to be done? The God of the Holy Bible. Yes, it's a cult but as Christians they should fabricate reasons to explain these.

Reading a book about reviewing religions and cults from a viewpoint of a Christian (the author) is simply a waste of time. A book of foolish, biased views... Please recycle the paper.

One thing that must be addressed at the outset is that this book is a book for Christian witness. It is not a platform for analyzing perspectives but very much a tool for winning people for Christ. Dr. Boa clearly states. "This book is PRIMARILY DIRECTED TO CHRISTIANS, particularly those who find themselves uninformed and bewildered by these religious movements." Page 8

Another observation that must be addressed is that this work is concise, there's NO WAY to write an authoritative book in 280 pages all these different belief structures and Dr. Kenneth Boa makes no bones about hiding that fact. He alludes to the fact that there are many faces to the religions; "There are so many schools of Hindu thought today that almost anything we say about this vast religion MUST BE QUALIFIED." Page 17. Though the context of that statement is Hinduism, that could be applied to ANY of the material in this book.

Don't let brevity be a negative. If you are a true student of people and really want to fulfill the purpose of this book, this is a fantastic place to start, where this book does it's most good. If you think this is all you need to fully understand any of these religions, Nope!, you will have more research awaiting you which is a good thing if this is a type of ministry that you feel called to.

Each chapter is presented as the following:

1. Background and Teachings - in a very basic form, but gives you an grasp of the movement.
2. Biblical Evaluation - Which at least get's you thinking critically/scholarly Biblically in terms of their teaching.
3. Things to Keep in Mind - Strategy points for sharing the Gospel.

From the couple of religions that I have studied, there will be a need for more information because the details of these religions are always in flux. It's not a matter of the material becoming obslete neccessarily (some of it is historical origin), but some of these organizations might have doctrinal "changes" because of new "revelations".

If you're a Christian and know nothing about any of these religions, this makes a handy reference book offering a bird's eye view about what these movements teach. For what it is designed to do, it is a good little book.

This is a good and informative book, and I encourage all to buy it. In answer to the review by Craig S. Shoemake, who says that, in effect, you need to be an insider in order to write about a particular worldview, I would like to point out that his claim is self-refuting. That is, his review writes about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity -- well! is he an adherent to all of them at the same time. If not, then by his own reasoning, he should have kept silent.

Don't let the feeble objections of non-Christians bother you. They have no defense against the Christian worldview, and this book does it part in showing you that.

Also recommended are any books written by Norman Geisler, Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, R.C. Sproul, and Vincent Cheung.