Monday, October 20, 2014

Book Review: The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel


The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God.


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Book Review: The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser, Editors.

Replacement Theology (the doctrine that the Church has forever replaced Israel) has been described by some as a cancer in Christian theology; this book is a scholarly attempt to bring a biblical perspective on that an other very important issues that have to do with Israel’s past, present, and future in the plan of God.

I could not recommend this book highly enough. Get it, read it, live it! It is time for the church of Christ to come to a balanced and biblical view of Israel. Too much speculation and false ideas, along with a lack of biblical understanding have twisted our Israelology and turned it into a caricature.

Will you agree with everything in the book? No. I know I didn’t. Also, as usual in a book of this type, some chapters are better written than others. Truly, though, some are gems and have done an outstanding job in the allotted space for their subject. The questions at the end of each chapter are excellent and help one benefit from the content a whole lot more than usual. Plus, the video links help one come into “conversation” with the authors. The book is worth (almost) every penny.

The one negative for me is the unfortunate use of endnotes instead of footnotes. The book is an academic treatment of the subjects; academics love FOOTNOTES (yes, that information should be at the bottom of the page, ready and immediately accessible). We have to see where they got their information, we want to read what other related information is available. We DO NOT like to hunt for that information pages later, and it is a pain having two different places in the book open at all times. PUBLISHERS: If you intend the book to be academic, please do not use endnotes. Thank you very much.

4/5
Disclosure: The book was received for free from Kregel Academic & Ministry review program. The program does not require a positive review, only a truthful one.