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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. Book Reviews THE WIT AND WISDOM OF JOE BRUMBELOW by David R. Brumbelow; Hannibal Books, Garland, TX; 12 Chapters, 239 Pages; $12.95, Paper Subtitled, Favorite illustrations, personal stories, humor, history, folklore, and lessons learned from over 50 years in the ministry, this is truly a delightful book. Beyond any question, Joe Brumbelow was this reviewer’s idea of a preacher, a gentleman, and a soul winner. He believed the Word of God implicitly, honored Christ devotedly, and did all he knew to do from the pulpit and house-to-house to win others to the Lord Jesus Christ and His so-great salvation. Appendix 3 gives the plan of salvation and makes an appeal for readers to trust Christ, which is what Brumbelow would have wanted. We will say up front that the book lists me as one of Joe’s favorite writers and in the back, in Appendix 1, giving additional information, The Biblical Evangelist is listed, complete with mailing address, telling readers where to subscribe. We are also listed in a section naming his favorite expositors. At the same time we assure you that this, while making me feel honored and humbled, has nothing to do with our recommendation of Wit and Wisdom. This delightful book stands on its own merit. I think it will do for you what it did for me: I laughed, I wept, I praised God repeatedly in its reading. I think you will, too! One of the things we had in common was music. One of Joe’s favorite hymns (it was sung at his funeral) is also mine: Only A Sinner, Saved by Grace, by James M. Gray. If the Undertaker gets me before the Uppertaker, I hope it is sung at mine, too. This book was written/compiled by one of his three sons – all of whom are serving Christ today: one as a pastor, one as an evangelist, and one as a deacon in the local church. You can sense as you read, the love and respect David had for his father (and mother, who has released a cookbook through the same publisher; a few of her recipes are in this book and one chapter is written by her). Some of his wit involves his boys; for example, “I heard that every fourth child born in the world was Chinese, so we stopped at three.” Joe had a real burden for revival. The last sermon he preached, just prior to his drowning, was about revival. He longed for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God upon His people. He mentioned W. Hershel Ford and his truly great sermon books (we loved ’em) and noted how preachers delighted to “borrow” them. Ford could borrow, too, and one of my sermons ended up in one of them – same major points and all of my illustrations, sans credit! This is the kind of book you can sit down and read from “kiver to kiver” (and many will, too engrossed to put it down), but at the same time it is the kind you can read a little, quit, pick it up later and not miss a beat. Or you could pick it up and start reading any place: front, back or middle. We heartily recommend it! It is also recommended by Dr. Adrian Rogers, Dr. Paige Patterson, Dr. Ed Young, Dr. James L. Draper and a host of other notables. All of which makes my commendation unnecessary! David, by the way, is pastor of the [See ad for this book on page 6] * * * * * 21 THINGS GOD NEVER SAID by R. Larry Moyer; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI; 21 Chapters, 176 Pages; $10.99, Paper So you’ll understand what this book is all about, the subtitle says, Correcting Our Misconceptions About Evangelism. Moyer, a graduate of Dallas Seminary and the head of an evangelistic association (EvanTell, Inc.) in that The book is very well written, interesting and basically helpful. Moyer has many, many good chapters. We especially liked “If you don’t know the date you were saved” and “You shouldn’t keep company with sinners.” We also liked his one about assurance, but felt he should have pointed out that doubt is always the result of some sin in the life. While some would give a few of his answers an “F,” we would give most an “A+.” Some things we did wonder about. For example, he says, in answer to the misconception about inviting Jesus into your heart, “That phrase isn’t found in the Bible. Only one verse could be considered to support such wording,” and he identifies that as Revelation 3:20. But what about Proverbs 23:26, where Wisdom is speaking: “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways”? And we were a little troubled with calling “Unless you’re willing to turn from your sins, you can’t be saved” a misconception. Surely he isn’t saying repentance is wrong, is he? He says he believes in repentance, but some statements in this section seem to confuse reformation (always wrong as a basis of salvation) with repentance. Was Charles Spurgeon wrong in preaching his famous sermon, “Turn, or Burn,” based on Luke 13:1-5? We don’t think so. If the argument is, “You can’t be saved until after you’ve quit your sins,” then he is right. But repentance is a heart action combined with faith that involves an inward turning from sin. It is an about face on the inside, if you please. Several times he references “pastor-teacher” (trying to make these two gifts one), indicating a misunderstanding of Granville Sharpe’s rule (even saying “most scholars” agree with him). And in this context he speaks of a gift of evangelism (something the Bible doesn’t teach; there is only a gift of evangelist). Moyer doesn’t like the famous Ezekiel “bloody hand” passages (3, 33) being used to make Christians feel responsible about the souls of others. In this case, as with several others, he puts most of the blame on “the sovereignty of God,” but his main point is that we are not obligated to speak to everyone we meet. True, but the emphasis in Ezekiel – and while the context is about Old Testament watchmen in Israel, there is surely an application for Christians today – about responsibility pertains only to those God has instructed you to warn (“when I say unto thee”); that is, He has put a burden on your heart to witness to them. His #17, about Calvinism (“Since I, God, am sovereign and will save whomever I choose, I don’t need your help”) is good in what he says, but his answer to the argument is incomplete. And he quotes here Lewis Sperry Chafer’s book True Evangelism (evangelism by prayer) very favorably. While we are certainly in favor of praying for the lost, this book caused more than one man to quit the ministry, deciding preaching and personal work were not important – just prayer. Over a half-century ago this reviewer joined a host of the country’s top evangelists (John R. Rice, the late Bob Jones, Sr. [founder of Bob Jones University], Charles F. Weigle [author of “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus”], George Bennard [author of “The Old Rugged Cross”], Hyman Appelman, Clifford Lewis, Joe Henry Hankins, etc.) in pleading with the publisher, Moody Press, to remove it from circulation because of the harm it was doing. His final misconception, about fruit bearing, is part true, part false. He is absolutely right that God demands only faithfulness, leaving the results to Him. But how many times would a farmer plant wheat in his South Forty and never get a crop before he started wondering what he was doing wrong? And hasn’t God promised, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6, emphasis added)? Soul winners should expect results and when they don’t get them, taking an inventory to discern the problem is a good policy! By the way, his #8 is “If you don’t shed tears for the lost, you won’t be effective in evangelism” and we thought it fine, but there was no mention of Psalm 126 here. It is easy to point out areas of disagreement, but don’t let our negativism fool you. On the whole, this is a very helpful book. We think you will be blessed by it. * * * * * EXPLORING THE MIND & HEART OF THE PRINCE OF PREACHERS by Kerry James Allen; Fox River Press, This is a tremendous volume, the result of painstaking work. The author spent 7 years reading every sermon by Spurgeon (63 volumes, 3,561 sermons) and 30 of his additional books. He then spent another year cataloging and cross-referencing his find. You can benefit from his labor. While there are a number of helpful illustrations herein, it is primarily a work offering Spurgeon’s quotes on many and sundry topics. For that reason, it can read like a devotional volume as well as a reference work. Spurgeon was, without question, one of the greatest preachers and writers of all time. Yet, like any man, he was not perfect and it is not necessary to agree with all he wrote in order to profit from him. He was a rigid 5-point Calvinist and exalts that position here. He also fell into the same trap as many ministers after You will do well to obtain this book and enjoy reveling in the wonderful prose of a master preacher! We are glad to recommend it, even though putting our approval on “the Great Charlie” is like a baying hound recommending the moon! * * * * * FORM & FREEDOM by Jeff Brown; VTR Publications, The summary of the contents for this volume is given, at least in part, in the subtitle, What the New Testament Teaches About Church Government and Church Leadership. (His choice for the title is explained in his Conclusion: “Here is what the New Testament teaches about church government: it has both form and freedom.”) The author is an American missionary working in If so, in our mind he has justly earned it. This is a scholarly work, well researched and documented, with clear biblical teaching about the subject. The chapter titles sum up the contents very well: A Defense of Self-Government for the Church; Making the Self-Government of the Local Church Function Well; Elders and Their Work; and, Deacons and Their Ministry. Sub-points throughout the chapters help with the flow of the author’s arguments. Brown says at the start, “It is the writer’s opinion that an open study of the Scripture on this matter will lead one to the conclusion that the government of the church is congregational.” We agree. And we also concur that, “Church government and church leadership are overlapping themes. Pastoral duties cannot be separated from pastoral ethics” (emphasis ours). And he calls for church leaders to ask “What would Jesus do?” even if it means losing everything. He also quotes Ray Stedman as saying, “If a pope over the whole church is bad, a pope in every church is no better.” Amen! And remember, as the author points out, “A church that has existed for two years will not be perfect; neither will a church that is 100 years old.” That is why each member must practice grace and forgiveness in everything. At the close of each chapter other books are recommended for further study. There are 3 appendices. One is a chart showing the development of Episcopacy in the first five centuries (showing period/sources/description). Another is a list of 21 questions for spiritual leaders from I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 (very helpful). And the other is a partial list of church groups in the Adding to our recommendation of this volume is the fact that there are not many books on this subject out there! Take advantage of this one because it is a good one! * * * * * LEADING WITH BILLY GRAHAM by Jay Dennis; Baker Books, While this could be considered a semi-biography of T. W. Wilson, the subtitle sums up the contents much better: The Leadership Principles and Life of T. W. Wilson. The latter, of course, was one of Graham’s most intimate associates, the man who could easily be termed “the man behind Billy Graham who made him tick.” While some have thought that Wilson became famous because he happened to be a childhood chum of the evangelist, the truth lies more in the fact that Wilson, a powerful preacher/evangelist in his own right, helped Graham climb to the heights of fame because he chose to be a “next-level influencer with Billy. The author is pastor of a mega church (First Baptist in Those who have been appalled at Graham’s promotion of Roman Catholicism over the years, especially in his crusades where he uses garbed nuns in the inquiry room as personal workers – and this reviewer is one of that number – will find the Graham/Wilson philosophy for this in We were also surprised that Dennis used a quote from the High Priest of Modernism (as he was popularly known), Harry Emerson Fosdick, in the next-to-the-last paragraph in the book. Graham got in trouble when he was at Northwestern Schools by advertising a Fosdick book and later issued a public apology for so doing. This is an interesting, well-written book and the ‘leadership principles’ it promotes are worthy of adapting by any and every child of God. They work! * * * * * STORIES BEHIND 50 SOUTHERN GOSPEL FAVORITES, Volume 2, by Lindsay Terry; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI; 2 Parts, 50 Chapters; $11.99, Paper This is a delightful book, causing us to wonder how and why we missed volume 1. Since one doesn’t need to be from the South to enjoy Southern music, this book should find a wide audience. The recently deceased Mosie Lister, a well known figure in Southern music, wrote the Foreword. A “brief history” of this type music in the front enhances the volume. As for the two parts, the first contains the normal Southern Gospel favorites (39 of them), and the other 11 are classified as “Classic Hymns & Gospel Songs” these groups often sing and record. The latter makes a good addition to the book since the non-Southern will be more familiar with them! You will be surprised, probably, to find what the writers were doing when inspiration for their famous songs struck them – such as sitting in the forest waiting for a deer to stroll by to shoot (Joel Hemphill, “He’s Still Working on Me”)! And we were surprised to discover that Stephen Adams wrote his song, “Peace in the Midst of the Storm” after experiencing the same tornado in 1974 that my youngest daughter and her daughter went through at Xenia (OH), although he felt the brunt of it at Our dear friend (and columnist here for “Gone Fishing”), C. Sumner Wemp is mentioned in the story about Mark Lowry’s “Mary, Did You Know?” It seems Wemp, then teaching at Some were written at times not exactly “spiritual high” (Marijohn Wilkin’s “One Day at a Time”) and others almost claimed divine inspiration (John Stallings, “Love Grew Where the Blood Fell”), where the author claimed, “It seemed as if I was holding the pen and the Lord was putting the words on paper. It was like taking dictation.” One was inspired by an illustration in a Billy Sunday sermon (“I Should Have been Crucified,” by Gordon Jensen). One of my favorites was “Because He Lives,” written by Gloria & Bill Gaither, not because the story was new to me (it wasn’t), but because the song is so sweet and even more precious when the background is noted. But perhaps the story I liked most was about a song I had never heard, “He Saw Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need.” It was written by Dottie Rambo for a dying brother who felt he’d gone too far in sin to be saved. (I like stories with a happy ending; he did get saved before he died!) And we liked the story behind Charles Tindley’s, “We’ll Understand It Better By and By,” probably because it’s one of our favorites and one we heard Charles Tindley, Jr., and his wife sing 60 years ago, telling the same story about the background. We are glad he included Robert Lowery’s “Shall We Gather At the River” in the second part if for no other reason than to prove it wasn’t written after a temperance sermon. (Lowery did write a famous temperance song, however, “Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?”) George Beverly Shea’s famous “I’d Rather Have Jesus” (words by Rhea Miller) is also in this second section. At the end of each story Terry has given an appropriate “Reflection,” which is something like a preacher making an application to his sermon. Music lovers (and non-music lovers) should enjoyed this book. It is well-written and interesting. * * * * * A LOCAL CHURCH: GOD’S PLAN FOR PLANET EARTH by Jim Gent; Smyrna Publications, Old Bridge, NJ; 3 Parts, 16 Chapters, 164 Pages; $10, Paper Baptists have always been strong on the local church and this book was written by a Baptist pastor in The author starts where every local church should start: with a saved, regenerate membership, followed by baptism (immersion, of course) and the Lord’s Supper. He goes on to emphasize prayer, purity, separation, Spirit-filled living, spiritual leaders (pastors and deacons), and soul winners with a world vision. He writes a lot that needs to be said and preachers will find many sermon inspirations between the covers. We are glad to recommend it! Church planters or pastors starting a new church may have a copy free by writing the * * * * * THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY: Volume 21A, Haggai, Malachi by Richard A. Taylor & E. Ray Clendenen; Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN; 6 Chapters, 496 Pages; $29.99 This is the third volume we’ve reviewed of An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scriptures, a planned 40-volume set. It gets its name, we assume, from two sources. First, it follows a project completed at the end of the 19th century by the same publisher, An American Commentary, edited by Alvah Hovey. Second, it uses the NIV as its basic text (not the NNIV, we hasten to add). We previously reviewed Volume 29, II Corinthians, by David E. Garland; and Volume 37, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, by Thomas R. Schreiner, giving both extremely high marks. We’ll do the same for this release. Both Taylor and Clendenen have a high view of Scripture and a reverent attitude toward its message, believing without reservation in a “Scripture based on the firm conviction of its complete truthfulness.” The writer of Haggai is the Director of PhD studies at Dallas Theological Seminary; the writer of Malachi, in addition to being the General Editor of this set and Associate Editor of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, is an Adjunct Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Haggai, “the most matter-of-fact of all the prophets,” wrote the shortest of the Minor Prophet books (2 chapters, 38 verses), but he had a major impact on Malachi (lit., “my messenger”) may have been a prophet by that name or another prophet called Jehovah’s messenger (Clendenen doesn’t offer a preference) and “its position in the canon favors a date during the Persian period after the rebuilding of the temple in 515 B.C.” The earliest text of the book is “found on the fragmentary Clendenen interjects several “excursus” (digressive sections) in his comments. There is two after 2:4, “Priests and Levites in Critical Perspective” and “The Levitical Covenant”; one after This is probably the finest, most complete study of Haggai and/or Malachi with which we are familiar in today’s offerings. Each book is well outlined and show tremendous research. Notes are where they belong, at the bottom of the page, not hidden at the end of the chapter or at the end of the book. Select Bibliographies, Selected Subject Index, Selected Scripture Index (although not every reference we checked was where it was supposed to be; probably not surprising in a work of this magnitude), and a Personality Index are found in the back. This is an excellent volume for preachers and teachers of the Word of God. We highly recommend it! Our understanding is that several other volumes in this set have also been released. If we can obtain them, we will review them as well. * * * * * PET PARABLES, Volume 1, by Neta Jackson; Illustrated by Anne Gavitt; Kregel Publications, This is a release in Kregel’s “Kid Zone” and, as any reviewer worth his salt would know, if this is volume one there must be others in the works. This short – but very attractively illustrated and printed – volume has two stories, “The Cat Who Smelled Like Cabbage,” and, “The Duck Who Quacked Bubbles.” The first story teaches kids the value of others, even when their close friends are biased against them. The second is about a duckling called Grumble (guess why?) who eventually learns her lesson and became Bubbles. At the end of both stories, the author gives hints to parents about lessons they can teach their children from the stories. All kids will love this book, but it will be a special treat for those who have pets. * * * * * THE COSTLY CALL by Emir Fethi Caner & H. Edward Pruitt; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI; 20 Chapters, 159 Pages; $10.99, Paper This is an interesting book of conversion stories. While all the converts were Muslims, not all were persecuted for their new faith. Most were, however; many severely. As the authors say in the Introduction, “The Costly Call chronicles the amazing, and sometimes painful, stories of men and women whose faith is sincere, genuine, and committed.” They involve 19 Muslims in 18 countries on 3 continents. One thing that surprised us – yea, troubled us – was the way dreams entered into the stories, resulting in conversions. This was coupled with the fact that few reported trusting Christ on any biblical passage, although all claimed the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, not merely a prophet. One girl (who had fallen in love with the man who had first told her of Christ) received her marriage proposal from him as a result of a dream he had experienced, telling him she was to be his wife! Frankly, we are not into dreams that much. Perhaps that is why so many of these converts became Pentecostalists after getting saved. We did like the answer Imenjui gave in response to a question about whether he ever doubted his commitment. He responded: “Our commitment to Jesus Christ should not be based on whether we will face persecution. It is not determined by whether or not our decisions will be easy or difficult. Our commitment must be based on our understanding that Jesus Christ is the only true and living God, and our foremost allegiance must be to God Himself, no mater what the cost. When we understand this truth, it deepens our commitment and makes it easy to live or die for our faith.” That’s the way it ought to be with all of us! We called this a book of conversion stories. Not quite; in our opening paragraph we said it involved 19 Muslims, but there are 10 stories. Of the score of tales, only 19 came to Christ. The final story in the book, about Mashi (nicknamed “Silver Moon”), tells in her how words that she believed Jesus was the Son of God, but refused to receive Him as Lord and Savior because if would mean, “I will never see my father and grandfather again. As a Muslim, I cannot live with that thought.” Please pray for this poor girl, under extreme conviction at the time! The book ends with an Appendix, “Christian Persecution in Muslim Nations.” It gives statistics describing nations in various sections of the world, showing that percent of it population is Muslim and what Christian. (Examples: * * * * * GOD’S PROMISES NEW EVERY DAY, A Daily Devotional by Stewart Custer; BJU Press, The back of the book says, “Pause. For fresh counsel, old reminders, brief, daily visits with a wise companion. God’s Promises New Every Day. . .because they are.” Each day has a 1-paragraph devotion, a golden thought, and a closing Scripture verse. Since they are brief, we will give you a sample, choosing February 29 since it will be awhile before you need it again: “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,…but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Eccles.9:11). God is the only being who can control time and chance. David expressed it well, “My times are in thy hand” (Ps.31:15). The Lord Jesus Christ holds the keys of hades and death (Rev.1:18). Concerning chance, Solomon had it right: “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Prov.16:33). That is why David prayed, “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust” (Ps.31:1). “Be thou my strong rock” (Ps.31:2). “Make my face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake” (Ps.31:16). Golden thought: My times are in His hand. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Ps.31:24). This is a warm, excellent little devotional volume. We are glad to recommend it. * * * * * LEADING LEADERS by Aubrey Malphurs; Baker Books, Subtitled, Empowering Church Boards for Ministry Excellence, it is aimed mostly at pastors and the governing boards of their churches. The back cover says the author is “a nationally recognized expert on leadership issues,” which reminded us of how far out of the loop we’ve gotten in our advanced years (we had never heard of him). Nor he us, we are confident! He is the author of 15 books (none of which we have seen) and a professor of pastoral ministries at the Dallas Theological Seminary, which we have heard of! Instead of trying to offer advice for a particular type church, this volume seeks to fill the needs of all types, from the formal Episcopalian to the independent congregational. While that is not all bad, it does make for wasted reading for many. Malphurs seeks to answer such questions as who leads, defining board leadership, why have a governing board, the matter of board accountability, how a board is constructed, characteristics of board leadership, how it operates, its meetings, ways to improve it, and other matters. For churches based on congregational leadership, which is the type for most of our readers, he seeks to “strike a balance of power between the pastor and the governing board, as opposed to one entity having all the power. Over half the book is comprised of appendices, which is admittedly unusual for a book. However, these are a vital part of the overall purpose and contain valuable helps. The first one is called a governing board audit and it is actually a multiple-choice test in 20 questions to evaluate your board’s efficiency. The second is for spouses of board members and while very brief offers excellent advice. Then comes job descriptions for board members and pastors (some pastors don’t seem to have a clue). There is a mission statement, character evaluation tests for both men and women, a brief covenant for board members, and policy statements used by several churches, both small and large. They are helpful to look over for suggestions relating to and fitting one’s one situation. Overall, this book produced mixed emotions for us. * * * * * THE POWER OF MENTORING by Martin Sanders; Christian Publications, This is another book on leadership, subtitled, Shaping People Who Will Shape the World. The author is a professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in Sanders writes on such themes as a rationale for mentoring, models for mentoring, discipleship, character development and its related integrity, and various aspects of the individual life. There are 3 appendices, one of which offers suggested resources on character, coaching, developmental issues, discipleship, emotional development, identity, intimacy, leadership development, mentoring, questions and women. Some of his recommendations are good; some are bad. * * * * * SEEKING THE UNSEEN GOD by Martin R. Berglund; Christian Publications, Inc., As with most books today, seemingly, the subtitle explains the contents better than the title: Faith Lessons From the Life of Moses. Berglund is pastor of Fellowship Alliance Chapel and founder of God @ Work radio ministry. These studies are well written, helpfully outlined, and loaded with illustrations. For example, his study, “What Does Faith Look Like?” is outlined: Faith Resists, Faith Hopes, and Faith Entrusts. His illustration there from Donald Grey Barnhouse might be worth the price of the book. The entire volume is filled with good things. We are delighted to recommend it. * * * * * AUTHENTIC WORSHIP, Herbert W. Bateman IV, General Editor; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI; 3 Parts, 11 Chapters, 318 Pages; $15.99, Paper The editor, who teaches New Testament studies at Grace Theological Seminary at The book itself came out of a conference at Grace in March, 2001 with the theme, “Authentic Worship: Hearing Scripture’s Voice, Applying Its Truths.” Sprankle’s offering is in the form of a skit aimed at solving the problem of churches offering members traditional, progressive and contemporary services (and their tendency to result in 3 different churches within one). It asks, “Do we dust off the hymnals and crank up the organ? Do we light up the projector and hit the keys for some choruses? Or do we pound the drums and shout to the Lord?” It showed the problem; it offered no solution. Most of the book revolves around music as worship. We have always considered everything in an evangelical church to be worship, including the offering. If it is any comfort to anyone, this book shows the music style issue to have been with the church throughout the centuries. In addition to a Select Bibliography, there are 3 indices: Scripture, Author and Subject. * * * * * |
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