Book Reviews for A Tale of Two Kingdoms

A Tale of Two Kingdoms
By Heather A. Kendall
Reviewed by Dr. Geoff A. Adams, The Gospel Witness, May 2006

The author has presented an organic view of the Holy Scriptures in a very lucid and interesting way. Great doctrines of the faith appear in a germinal form in the Old Testament. All is seen as equally inspired, but the acorn develops into the oak tree. Thus, truth shines brightest in the New Testament! This digest of the history of the Bible shows the progressive revelation of the kingdoms of Christ and Satan. Mrs. Kendall presents these truths in a non-technical manner, often illustrating them by personal and family references.

The hermeneutical principle of moving from the physical and external to the spiritual and internal, as is done with types and antitypes, is well founded. The formation of Israel as a chosen nation leads to its deliverance from Egypt and its possession of the Land of Promise. As the author deals with the Kingdom of David and its later division into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, salient features of the major and minor prophets are presented in a gripping manner. As apostacy increases among the Children of Israel, the importance of the faithful remnant appears. The addition of believing Gentiles (Amos 9:11) will expand this chosen group. So the chosen nation serves as the source and model of the Kingdom of God.

Following this survey of the Old Testament we have an interesting sample of the uninspired Jewish literature of the 400 years of silence. We see how it encouraged the expectation of deliverance from political oppression. It gave little thought to a divine Saviour who would emancipate from sin.

Next, the author gives a concise survey of the four Gospels. The Kingdom is at hand with the arrival of the Messiah and the antagonism of Satan becomes more apparent from the nativity scenes onwards. Two kingdoms are in conflict and things are moving to a showdown. John the Baptist calls Israel to repentance. According to Christ, even Nicodemus, "the teacher of Israel," needs to be born from above. The Sermon on the Mount reveals the spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God. It is not of this world. A superior righteousness to that of the Scribes and Pharisees is essential for entry. His followers are the true seed of Abraham. Parables explain the slow but sure growth of Christ's Kingdom. The mighty miracles which He performs indicate His divinity, but this arouses charges of blasphemy. Following Peter's great confession, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord gives more specific predictions of His coming trials and death in Jerusalem. The trial and crucifixion of the Saviour are seen as the heart of the redemptive plan to which the prophets had long borne witness. Here, predictions of the destruction of that guilty city are linked with the final judgement at Christ's Second Coming.

In her chapter on the book of Acts, Mrs. Kendall leads us through the birth of the church, as thousands of Jews recognized Jesus as the true Messiah. After the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the missionary movement lept forward. The young church gradually separated from Judaism. The gospel's power had reached both Jew and Gentile.

A chapter on "Letters To The Churches" gives us a careful summary of various epistles and their doctrinal emphases. A review of the Book of Revelation follows. The triumph of the Son of God over the infernal trinity brings the canon of the Scriptures to a glorious climax. The closing chapter gives a digest of the prophetical views and representative Church Fathers.

Pastors, Sunday School Teachers and Bible students will all find this book a great tool to assist them in rightly expounding the Holy Scriptures. Mrs. Kendall presents “Points to Ponder” at the end of each chapter which enhances its use as a devotional guide.

GUARDIAN BOOKS, ISBN 1-55452-003-7, 446 PGS.
COPIES AVAILABLE FOR $22.95 AT THE JBSC BOOKSTORE

Book Reviews for A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Ask For Substantial Christian Writing
By Rev. David Daniels, ChristianWeek, April 2008

If you care about the ongoing availability of solid Christian books, you may want to read the cover story, “How to Save the Christian Bookstore” in the April 2008 issue of Christianity Today magazine. Cindy Crosby, a former Christian bookstore owner, describes the “roller coaster ride” Christian retail has taken over the last 20 years.

Drawing from statistics provided by the CBA, the major trade association for Christian retailers, Crosby notes that of the estimated 4,000 Christian retail stores in the mid 1980s, about 2,800 remain today. While 98 new stores opened in 2007, another 160 closed.

The problem is not a lack of interest in Christian books. Demand is high for popular Christian writing, as the religion section of big box stores like Chapters-Indigo or Barnes & Nobles reveals.

But this popularity may well be part of the problem. Crosby quotes Lynn Garrett, senior religion editor of Publishers Weekly, who says: “Blockbusters like The Prayer of Jabez and The Purpose Driven Life ended up doing more harm than good for Christian booksellers.”

Bookstore chains, large discounters and the big box stores were able to sell these books at discounts simply out of reach for independent Christian retailers. The sheer popularity of these books, with their deep price cuts, lured Christians away from smaller Christian stores.

As she describes current challenges facing Christian bookstores, Crosby states something that should give every Christian pause for thought. In recounting her own Christian retail experience between 1983 and 1993 Crosby says, “We sold everything from curricula to candles, communion bread to contemporary fiction… Serious reference volumes and niche books that met a felt need stayed on the shelf, sometimes collecting dust…”

Near the end of her article, Crosby writes: “Displaying shelves full of books that meet niche needs but sell very few copies may be an indulgence today's retailers can't afford.”

From the perspective of business profitability, I see her point. Retailers must sell or sink. And while the appetite for Christian writing remains high, books of a serious theological nature still find their way into far too few hands.

Christians cannot expect the big box stores to care about anything more than stocking their shelves with what sells. And if you've browsed Chapters, Wal-Mart, Costco and other large chains, you know that what sells is often not the best that is available in Christian reading.

But that leads to another danger. Publishers also must survive, and the smaller the potential market for a title, the less chance an author has in getting his or her book published. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves bereft of serious Christian writing, of literature that expands our understanding of the great God we love and serve.

For example, Heather Kendall's A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Guardian Books, 2006) is an accessible, useful book enabling readers to see the history of salvation as it unfolds through the pages of Scripture.

The late Geoff Adams, who served many years as principal of the Toronto Baptist Seminary, saw Kendall's book as a “great tool” for Bible students and readers, noting that it “traces the unfolding history of salvation described in the Holy Scriptures as it presents the antagonism between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan.”

He describes Kendall's book as “lucid and interesting” and written in a “non-technical manner.” Each of the 16 chapters concludes with several “Points to Ponder” making it an excellent choice for small groups, Sunday School classes or personal Bible study. A “Timeline of Key People and Events” and an extensive bibliography for those desiring further study rounds out this engaging treatment of the biblical story.

Despite lacking the high-level recognition of a Philip Yancey or of W Publishing, the book is available online through Barnes & Noble and in Mitchell Family Bookstores (Ontario). The author's website www.tale2k.com has more details. I suspect Kendall's book is an exception. Far too many excellent Christian books languish for lack of visibility to the Christian buying public.

How can we address the challenge of keeping Christian bookstores open and of getting publishers to continue publishing substantial Christian literature? At the risk of sounding simplistic, I suggest pastors take the initiative in recommending worthwhile reading choices to their people. Encourage them to frequent Christian bookstores, asking for important books-books that truly challenge the mind and feed the soul.

Both Christian publishers and retailers must survive by selling a product. Where there is demand, there will be product availability. The solution resides within our purses and wallets and within our willingness to make wise reading choices.

Book Reviews for A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Christian Author Donna Dawson
Writer of Exciting and Faith-filled Novels
Ms. Dawson's homepage

1 Introduction

Over the past little while, I have had the opportunity to get my hands on books written by Canadian Christian authors. It has been a great joy to read these books and I would like to share my thoughts on them. Come join me.

2 Heather Kendall

If I ever wanted a book to read alongside the Bible, Heather Kendall’s book A Tale of Two Kingdoms is the one I choose. Insightful and detailed this book reads like a combination between study guide and novel. It is packed full of important information about the history surrounding the Bible and leaves me scrambling back to the scriptures to verify the content. Ms. Kendall’s Biblical overview would benefit anyone interested in analyzing the scriptures but it is also an excellent book to introduce a person to the truth of scripture in an easy-to-read format.

Ms. Kendall begins in the beginning with Genesis and shares the stories of scripture in chronological order. She offers tidbits of information such as where and when the historical accounts were written. She draws from the intellects of numerous theologians and historians and while some of her sources are unfamiliar to me, the ones that I am familiar with are known for their wisdom. She then works it all together into an interesting and challenging manual that the serious thinker would find an absolute treasure. Ms. Kendall walks us through each Biblical account and leaves no thought unchallenged.

This is a book that I would recommend to teens who are questioning the validity of scriptures, non-Christians interested in what the Bible says and adults who want all the knowledge surrounding the Bible.

Book Reviews for A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Book Review: A Tale of Two Kingdoms by Heather A. Kendall
Written by Violet Nesdoly
Published May 6, 2008

When Heather Kendall's pastor began teaching things with which she couldn't agree, she found herself studying the Bible in depth on her own. The result was a Bible study that morphed into A Tale of Two Kingdoms, a 448-page book that traces the story, from Genesis to Revelation, of the kingdom of God in collision with the kingdom of Satan.

In this ambitious project, Kendall takes us on an overview trip through the Old Testament, the inter-testament writings (Apocrypha), the New Testament, and looks at a few post- New Testament writers as well. Throughout the journey she draws attention to the unity of the Bible's message, i.e. that it was God's plan to defeat Satan by sending His Son (called the "promised Seed"), to die a substitutionary death for sinful humanity, and then be resurrected to render death and Satan's kingdom impotent.

The book is organized into two main sections. "Part 1: Waiting for the Promised Seed" - an 11-chapter section that covers the Old Testament, and "Part 2: Responding to the Promised Seed" - a five-chapter section that deals with Jesus, his life, death, resurrection, the birth of the church and early church writings. An appendix, timeline, endnotes, bibliography and index complete the volume.

Pages are clearly laid out with white space separating the parts written by Kendall from block quotes of others and italicized sections quoted from the Bible. Bits of the text in non-outlined text boxes, one or two per page spread, add more visual interest. The end of each chapter lists "Points to Ponder," where the author summarizes the main ideas covered.

Kendall is a self-admitted lay person and writes in a language that's easy to understand. However, she has obviously done lots of research, given the number of expert opinions she quotes. She uses personal and family vignettes as illustrations and these give the book a warm, friendly touch.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms will appeal to those interested in an overview of the Bible, especially as it relates to the plan of salvation. Kendall interprets the Bible literally. Her approach to it is uncritical and enthusiastic, and she frequently invites readers to join her in her faith.

People who are entirely unfamiliar with the Bible may feel challenged in places where Kendall gets right into things without explaining who the characters are and precisely where they fit into the larger story. But those who have even a nodding familiarity with the Bible shouldn't find this a problem. Of course the time line at the back of the book also helps keep all the people and events in order. The bibliography is a great list of additional resources for the keen student.

This comprehensive yet concise guidebook would make a valuable addition to any Bible student's library. For more information on the author and a free pdf download of the first chapter, go to Kendall's Web site.

Book Reviews for A Tale of Two Kingdoms

A Tale of Two Kingdoms by Heather A. Kendall
Product review by Dawn Huffmaster, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC
January 2010

Christian wife, mother, and author Heather Kendall had begun to question her knowledge about God's plan of salvation, so she decided to do an in-depth study on her own. Heather share those findings, as well as her personal testimony, in her book A Tale of Two Kingdoms. Her main goal in writing this book was to show that God's plan of salvation has been in motion before creation and will continue through the end times. Her secondary goal was to show how Satan continually tried to interfere in God's plans but always failed. The book included "Points to Ponder" questions at the end of each chapter to help pull out main points for reflection, as well as a timeline, maps, and extensive lists of references for further study.

The book's language is very easy to read, and its content is divided into two main parts. The first part, titled "Waiting for the Promised Seed," takes us on an amazing journey of Bible history, beginning with the war in Heaven between God and Satan and ending with the "silent" 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. The second part, titled "Responding to the Promised Seed," begins with the birth of Jesus and takes us through His ministry, death, and resurrection, and the early church letters. The book ends with a comparison and contrast between Jewish and Gentile writers of the times and their beliefs.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms is a nice book for anyone wanting to "dig deeper" into the topic of salvation. It could be read by adults or teens, although I encourage parents to preview the book before allowing their teens to read it in case anything needs further discussion. It would also be great for small study groups or Sunday school classes. I found this to be a great Bible study tool, and because of my personal beliefs, much of it only solidified what I already believed about my own salvation. On the other hand, there were some parts I disagreed with. But every section of the books points you back to Scripture, so you can seek Truth for yourself and not just take the author's word for it.

This book was not put together overnight and cannot be read overnight, so expect to spend some time with it once you begin. It is extensive, well organized, well researched, and explained in detail based on the author's understanding of Scripture and historical documents.

Books that help explain the Bible are not usually at the top of my reading list, but reading A Tale of Two Kingdoms has changed my outlook. I can see where this type of book could be valuable to my understanding. Although I will always reach for my Bible first, this book makes a nice addition to my small collection!