If your love of beauty and history extends to architecture but your travel budget is limited, consider obtaining a copy of THE MAJESTY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA.

Author Jim Fraiser and photographer West Freeman traveled the 200-mile length of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, the heart of of the realm of King Cotton, to assemble the text and illustrations for this handsome, informative little book. The result is replete with fascinating anecdotes about times long past and splendid pictures of the extraordinarily beautiful homes, churches and public buildings that stand as a monument to an era.

Beginning at Port Gibson, the "Gateway to the Delta," and the classic simplicity of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Messers Fraiser and Freeman trace the history of this diverse and scenic region in both the lives of its founders and the exquisite constructs they created. The text is filled with gossipy tidbits as well as less-familiar history, like the chandelier from the famous steamboat Robert E. Lee that hangs in Port Gibson's First Presbyterian Church and the tale of the ghost of owner John Bobb, murdered by Union soldiers, that purportedly still roams the flying-wing stairway and double-tiered galleries of McRaven in Vicksburg.

This book is for those whose hunger for beauty extends to that crafted by the hands of man. If it has a flaw, it is that the taste of these magnificent structures it provides leaves the reader hungry to sample them first-hand. Should one be fortunate enough to do that, they could do worse than to tuck their copy of THE MAJESTY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA into their tote as a reference.

Majesty Of The Mississippi Delta is as much a travel account as an architectural and art history of the homes, churches, and stores on the Mississippi Delta. Color photos of both interiors and exteriors are accompanied by quotes from historical documents and descriptions of each building. A rich history for those who enjoy architectural history in general and the Mississippi area in particular.

In the 1970s, when I was a student at a very Dispensationalist higher educational institution, I was told that Dispensationalism was, at that time, "in a state of stasis." On the one hand, stasis can denote stability, which can be a good thing. On the other hand, it can simply mean that nothing was happening to worsen an already unstable situation (as we see in some science fiction movies when an extremely sick patient is placed into stasis). Unfortunately for Dispensationalism, all evidence now points to the latter as being the true nature of the situation. ¶ Several years after I heard that remark, the chickens came home to roost on the house-of-cards that would later come to be known as "Revised Dispensationalism" -- revised to patch up some problems inherited from those who came to be known as "Classical Dispensationalists" -- and the inherent instability became apparent. Within a short time a "new, improved" brand of Dispensationalism hit the bookstore shelves: Progressive Dispensationalism. Time will tell whether the cards were replaced by something truly more substantial and enduring. ¶ One of the architects of Revised Dispensationalism, Charles C. Ryrie, was the consulting editor of the book under review here, "Issues in Dispensationalism." In the 1960s he wrote an irenic apologetic entitled "Dispensationalism Today." At that time Dispensationalism presented a unified front, and all of its opponents were to be found outside that system, mostly within Covenant theology camp of Reformed churches, and thus Ryrie's apologetic was directed at them. But the situation has changed dramatically since then, and now Ryrie's brand of Dispensationalism must contend with new opponents from within the camp -- even from the very institution where Ryrie himself was schooled in the system, and where he held court as one of its preeminent instructors for many years. ¶ On the back cover of the book we read a quote from Ryrie: "Dispensationalism dying? Hardly -- read on." Unfortunately, the book as a whole does not confirm Ryrie's confidence. If the older forms of Dispensationalism are not actually dying, they are certainly suffering from advanced hardening of the arteries and even severe atrophy. A patient in such a condition cannot have high hopes for longevity. This new volume could easily be subtitled "Dispensationalism Yesterday" for all the hope it extends to the future of the system it defends. Some of its more noteworthy essays are as follows: ¶ Ryrie's own "Update on Dispensationalism," which forms the first chapter, attempts to address what he believes are the weakest points of the new Progressive Dispensationalism (PD). Here he is strongest when he questions whether PD truly qualifies as Dispensationalism at all, and this is an issue that will have to be discussed and explored in future literature. But he is weakest when he challenges PD on its individual conclusions. ¶ Ryrie's rather icy contribution is followed by "Dispensational Hermeneutics," by Thomas Ice, who defends the method of literal interpretation, but does not deal with historic Dispensationalism's own failure to consistently apply that method. ¶ "The Biblical Meaning of Fulfillment," by Charles Dyer, is somewhat better, but disappoints by failing to deal with the crucial issue of initial or partial fulfillment. The Dispensational bias of using the Old Testament as its hermeneutical starting point also comes through loud and clear, which simply begs the very important question of whether this is the most appropriate place to start when defining "fulfillment" in the New Testament sense of the word. ¶ John F. Walvoord's "Biblical Kingdoms Compared and Contrasted" is helpful, but the questions he's raised have been answered in the book "Progressive Dispensationalism," by Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock. ¶ By far the worst contribution to this volume is found in "The New Covenant," by John R. Master, who very nearly (if not actually) returns to Lewis Sperry Chafer's long-discredited "Two New Covenant" theory to explain how the New Testament could apply the language of Jer. 31:31-34 (a prophecy addressed to ethnic Israel) to the church. ¶ Zane C. Hodges is up to his usual habits of incendiary overstatement in "A Dispensational Understanding of Acts 2." The credibility of his essay decreases as his use of hyper-emotional rhetorical slams increases. ¶ It's not that this book is a totally lost cause. There is some good stuff here, and even some tentative attempts at dialogue with the PD viewpoint, even though they sometimes seem artificial, and perhaps forced by the fact that the advocates of Classical and Revised Dispensationalism may feel backed into a corner, and are beginning to notice the substantial thinning of their ranks. ¶ Meanwhile the book serves the useful purpose of providing us with something to gauge the size of the fault-lines along which the world of Dispensationalism is currently dividing. It also shows how as paradigms shift, thought patterns that refuse to jump over to the new paradigm begin to harden and fossilize. The main question, I believe, is: as conservative evangelicals continue to make progress in the field of biblical hermeneutics, will Dispensationalists have any share in that progress, or will they be left behind? At this point the train is leaving the station, and many have yet to climb on board.

I've checked out this book from the library many times and am saddened to see that it's out of print. I would very much like to have my own copy of this book. Although it is nearly 10 years old, and thus deals with issues occurring back then (this is why I only give it 4 stars), it will help the Bible student answer some questions regarding dispensationalism and the kingdom of God. In fact, a reading of this book might cause those who are considering progressive dispensationalism (is it actually dispensationalism?) to see why the traditional view of dispensationalism makes good sense of history and the future. It answers some of the errors of progressive dispensationalism in advance, showing that Christ is not presently seated on the Davidic throne. (Progressives have yet to demonstrate where Scripture shows the Davidic throne as a heavenly throne; it is always pictured as a purely earthly throne.) This book is extremely helpful for those who are seriously considering the implications and some of the issues of Dispensationalism.

A valuable overview of a wide variety of Dispensational thought by many competent scholars within the Dispensational Community. I especially like the chapters on "Dispensational Hermeneutics" and "Israel and the Church."