Book news!

Just a few things that I wanted to bring to your attention. First, WTS Books is offering the first 1,000 copies (or until noon Saturday) of Rick Horne's new book, Get Outta My Face: How to Reach Unmotivated Teens with Biblical Counsel, for 65% off the cover price (only $4.88). This book is written to help parents and counselors to reach out to troubled teens with Biblical truth. Horne is a professional counselor and the book is recommended by the well-known Christian counselor Paul Tripp and by David Powlison (Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology at WTS). You can preview the table of contents and first chapter at the link provided.

Also, WTS announced today that William Ames' A Sketch of the Christian's Catechism is not available. This is the first in a series on Classic Reformed Theology that is edited by R. Scott Clark from Westminster Seminary California. Here is the summary from the WTS website:

William Ames (1576-1633) was an influential English Puritan. After fleeing England in 1610 for a freer academic and ecclesiastical life in the Netherlands, he was appointed professor of theology at Franecker University in 1622. A Sketch of the Christian Catechism is the result of his lectures through the Heidelberg Catechism at that institution.

Ames's method in this book is not an analysis of the Catechism itself. Rather, he chooses a particular text of Scripture that supports the main thoughts for a given Lord's Day. While the exposition is directly from the Bible, Ames's doctrinal conclusions and applicatory uses keenly interact with the corresponding Questions and Answers of Heidelberg.

Joel R. Beeke's introduction provides valuable background on Ames and his work. Todd Rester's fresh translation from the Latin opens several avenues of interest for modern day English readers. Historians of 16th and 17th century thought will value the critical English translation of a much neglected text, and the fact that it demonstrates the parallels and communication between English Puritanism and the Dutch Further Reformation. Reformed pastors will also take interest in this, as it provides yet another resource on a classic doctrinal standard.

It looks like you can get it $2 cheaper from Reformation Heritage Books (the publisher). Along similar lines those interested in historical Christian theology may also want to look at Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation: 1523-1552 translated by William Dennison. This is the first volume in a three book series that presents a translation of all the major Reformed confessions of faith from the immediate Reformation and Post-Reformation period. It was much more common in earlier eras for Christians and counsel to write public confessions of their faith than it is now and these confessions are important for understanding how the church has interpreted God's revelation in the past.