Wednesday, March 12, 2014

And Now For Something Completely Different by Matthew Martin

             When I received a copy of "And Now For Something Completely Different" free as part of the book review program for bloggers at www.bookcrash.com, I knew nothing about the author,
Matthew Martin. And in some ways, I'm very glad that I didn't know anything about him. I was, then, able to objectively examine his book "And Now For Something Completely Different" without any preconceived notions and simply delve into the contents. I am glad I had that chance, as it was a decent book.    
             Since you may also not know much about author Matthew Martin, a little information may be helpful. Matthew is a graduate of the Memphis School of preaching and serves as the preacher for the brethren in Guy, Arkansas. His book, "And Now For Something Completely Different" is actually a verse by verse commentary on the book of Hebrews from the New Testament. The title is derived mainly because, unlike most Bible Commentaries, the book does not focus on the notes of other commentators, uses very little scripture from other Bible passages and simply quotes the verse and explains it in context. By those criteria, it is definitely different from other Bible Commentaries.
             What I liked about the book was it's simplicity in presenting the material. Each verse from Hebrews is in bold type to set it apart from the commentary portion. It does not use tremendously long, theological terms. And it offers easy to understand explanations. As with any commentary, I couldn't help but notice the author's theological slant at times, but nothing overtly blatant. I also would like to have seen the text in it's entirety at the start of each chapter, before diving into the individual verses and their explanations. But, this is just a commentary, so there are no literary thrills to keep you captivated.
             All in all it was a good read, if you are more study minded. Some may find verse by verse Bible exposition to be uninviting, while others will probably be tankful that such a simple book explains the scriptures thoroughly. Whichever is your preference, I hope that you hunger to learn the Word of God, and this might just be a good place to start.  If you desire, you may purchase this book at www.amazon.com.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting sounding commentary. What is his theological slant?

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  2. Thanks for commenting. Matthew is a Church of Christ Pastor, which I am not that familiar with. But, it appears to be a Calvinistic bend and Cessationist pneumatology. I liked that he simply commented on the text, kept it all about Jesus and didn't get into debates. Simple but good. Thanks again for commenting.

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