Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PAUL
by James R. Beck

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PAUL by James R. Beck; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI; 10 Chapters, 296 Pages; No Price Given, Paper

In the previous review we admitted a bias. We are going to have to make the same confession with this one: Your reviewer is not a fan of psychiatry! And for a psychiatrist to attempt to psychoanalyze the Apostle Paul, while it may not be the unpardonable sin, it surely ranks right up there somewhere. We find the idea absolutely abhorrent!

In his very first set of conclusions, Beck starts with a faulty notion: “the crucifixion of Jesus in a year when the Passover occurred on a Friday.” Who said this was fact? Even a mental contortionist couldn’t fit “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40) into a Friday time frame. Some scholars think it happened on a Wednesday and others insist it had to be a Thursday (we, personally, are a Wednesday man). Our point here is that if you start with a faulty premise you end up with a wrong conclusion. And that is one of our main objections to psychiatry: it is based on guesses!

It is a book we can do without. You may make your own determination.