Category Archives: Book Reviews

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. Chapter 19 The Ethiopian eunuch We next find Shank studying the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch together. Randall had introduced them to the story, saying it’s important to … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. Chapter 16 Shank gets into a discussion with another friend about Acts 2:38. I’m going to cut short the long litany of Baptist vs. Church of Christ baptism arguments at … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. Chapter 12 Shank describes a family gathering at which his aunt tried to pray for him to receive the gift of tongues. She prayed in tongues as part of the … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. Nick Gill commented earlier, and I completely misunderstood his question (my fault), and I wrote a 2,000-word reply to the wrong question. But the essay addresses issues that are being … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. Chapter 9 In chapter 9, Randall thoroughly disproves the notion that the church was founded by John the Baptist. He is, of course, exactly right. The library taught Shank the … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. As promised, I need to tell the story of the Landmark Baptist movement, founded in the 19th Century and centered in Nashville, Tennessee. Alexander Campbell famously debated the leader and … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. This idea that the Church of Christ denomination is the only saved denomination is wrong on so many levels that I have to say a few more things before we … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. And having spent far too much time in chapter 5, dealing with baptism, we finally move on to — Chapter 6 Shank soon found that his studies with Randall resulted … Continue reading →

We are considering Michael Shank’s book Muscle and a Shovel. And we’re continuing to consider the Bible’s teaching on baptism and faith, in particular, whether James teaches a works salvation that damns all who fail to be baptized in the exactly … Continue reading →

In the comments, Gary asked, Jay, is not baptism the re-enactment of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection? No one in the Ole Test. could be baptized for that reason. Are you saying we don’t need to be baptized. Maybe I … Continue reading →