CHRISTIAN CHILD-REARING AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Paul D. Meier, M.D., Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 222 pages, $5.95.
Parents are seriously in need of good advice—medically, psychologically, and spiritually. Paul Meier, M.D., currently assistant professor of practical theology at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, has written a book that covers almost every area of child development from the prenatal to the adolescent stage. Christian Child-rearing and Personality Development is based on Biblical truths and modern research, and is written in easily understood language.
Here are a few gems: (1) approximately 85 percent of a person's ultimate personality is formed by the time he is 6 years old; (2) neurotic parent-child relationships develop where there already exists a neurotic husband-wife relationship; (3) you cannot truly love others until you learn to love yourself in a healthy way; (4) five factors consistently found in mentally healthy families: love, discipline, consistency, example, and a man at the head of the home; (5) children need attention and stimulation, and if they can't get it by good behavior, they will get it by bad behavior; (6) all of the nerve and brain cells a person will ever have are produced by 6 months of age; (7) there are presently more than 6 million children in the United States who are living in fatherless homes; (8) warning: day-care centers may be hazardous to your child's health; (9) family devotions are a must; (10) many children, especially boys, are somewhat late in the maturation of their nervous systems, particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for reading and writing.
Even though some Adventists might question Meier's recommendations for school-entrance age, the doctor does stress the importance of readiness and sufficient independence from the mother.
Ethel Young
TREASURY OF QUOTATIONS ON RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS
F. B. Proctor, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1977, 816 pages, $14.95.
Special appreciation should go to Kregel Publications for this volume. They seem to specialize in reprinting religious masterpieces. Treasury of Quotations on Religious Subjects has 800 pages filled with a gold mine of thoughts old and new on 3,000 subjects. It was formerly published in 1887 under the title Classified Gems of Thought. Hundreds of top religious-thought leaders are quoted. Among them are Baxter, Bunyan, Calvin, Matthew Henry, Luther, Moody, Schaff, and Spurgeon. The expository preacher will greatly appreciate this reference work, which is designed to stimulate the mind when considering Biblical truths.
J. R. Spangler
FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Pontifical Gregorian University Press, Rome, 1977, 372 pages, $8.50.
Samuele Bacchiocchi, a teacher of Bible and Church History at Andrews University, broke tradition by being the first non-Catholic to be accepted as a regular student at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. As such he received both gold and silver medals for attaining academic distinction. His doctrinal research was on the controversial question of the origin of Sunday observance. This research has now been published by the Gregorian University Press with the Roman Catholic imprimatur. More than that, the book is prefaced by the distinguished Jesuit scholar, Father Vincenzo Monachiano, chairman of the church history department of Pontifical Gregorian University and director of the dissertation.
The book examines the meaning and observance of the Sabbath in New Testament times and traces the genesis of Sunday observance. The research shows that the adoption of Sunday in place of the Sabbath did not occur in the primitive church of Jerusalem by virtue of apostolic authority, but approximately a century later in the church of Rome, due to an interplay of Jewish, pagan, and Christian factors.
This work represents one of the most exhaustive efforts ever directed to this subject. It includes extensive footnotes with documentation.
Copies may be ordered directly from Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, 230 Lisa Lane, Berrien Springs, MI 49103. The book is also available in most Adventist Book Centers.
Orley M. Berg
YOUR CHURCH CAN GROW
C. Peter Wagner, Regal Books Division, G/L Publications, Glendale, California 91209, 1976, 176 pages, $3.50.
"Healthy churches, like healthy people," says Peter Wagner, "exhibit certain vital signs." Wagner uses a Biblical/clinical approach and sets forth seven indicators of ecclesiastical good health. He analyzes the health of a number of contemporary churches. With the aid of the Wagner formula, you will be able to determine whether your church is prospering, needs a prescription, or requires a postmortem.
Wagner is Associate Professor of Church Growth and Latin American Studies, School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
This book is a must for those interested in the health of their church. I heartily recommend it to all seriously interested in church growth.
J. Lynn Martell
