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The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology

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The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology by Jordan B. Cooper My rating: 4 of 5 stars Overall, this is a tremendous work and will serve as a resource to reference time and again. I struggled at times with the argumentation: more than one straw man was triumphantly knocked down and far too many either/ors were forced on the reader. Add to that the double standard of what at least seemed like an "If it supports my position, good and necessary consequence is acceptable; if it confronts my position, good and necessary consequence cannot be claimed and an explicit Scriptural reference is required." My biggest gripe is the constant appeal to the "plain reading" of the text. In too many discussions, "plain reading" merely means "the reading that I prefer," and is used as a shortcut to rhetorical success while not really adding anything to the debate. For the most part, the uses of "plain reading" in this text don't
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Top 22 Books of 2022

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2022 was a good reading year. I read quite a few books that will remain with me for a while. I decided to compile my top 22 books of 2022. A few that could have made this list did not. Also, I am only listing books I read for the first time this year. So Shakespeare and Wodehouse and the like are MiA, but that is because their works I read and/or watched this year were repeats. So, in order of completion, here are my top 22 books of 2022: I am late to the Denis Johnson game, with this being my first step into his writing. But better late than never because this collection is overwhelming, in the best way possible. This is another great writer introduced into my world because of Nick Offerman's narration. Superficial? Probably. Providential? Maybe. Awesomely beneficial? Absolutely!!  A masterpiece. Moving forward, this is the Buster Keaton bio to recommend and reference. And everyone needs to read at least one Keaton bio, so read this one.   An examination of the influence and prese
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