While attending Freed-Hardeman University, I became
friends with two great men of our brotherhood, Winford Claiborne
and E. Claude Gardner. Brother Claiborne was one of my professors,
and brother Gardner was president of the school. I see them regularly
at the lectureship and look forward to any opportunity to be in
their presence. This book is dedicated to brother Gardner by Winford
Claiborne. So the book is precious to me for various reasons,
but the subject of Hebrews is important to every man, woman, and
child.
The subject of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus
Christ over all other beingsmen, beasts, and angels. It stresses
the superiority of Jesus and Christianity over every other religion.
Yes, Jesus is superior to Mohammed, Confucius, Buddha, Moses,
Abraham, Luther, and any other man you can name. Yes, Christianity
is superior to Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Satanism,
Judaism, the New Age Movement, and any other religion you can
name.
Winford Claiborne is a very meticulous student
of the Scriptures. I know this because he was a very meticulous
teacher in class. As an illustration, my wife and I had to write
term papers for his class. Upon returning the graded papers, he
asked me if he should penalize a student who had spelled his name
incorrectly. Now, I had looked in the FHU Catalog to make 100%
sure I had spelled his name correctly, but I considered there
could be a misprint in the catalog. So, I said that he should
be lenient since his name could be misspelled easily. (In fact,
he explained they had misspelled his last name on his birth certificate.)
His reply was, "Well, I agree. That is why I am giving your
girlfriend an A even though she misspelled my name." When
I looked at my paper, it had received a lower grade. I had made
the mistake of not capitalizing "Greek" and misspelled
judgment as "judgement." One can imagine how many times
those two words can show up in a religious term paper. Well, he
discounted my grade for the same error at every occurrence of
these two words. I can laugh about it now, but it surely was not
funny then! It was a lesson in being meticulous and illustrates
the high level of performance he expected and strove for in his
studies.
This book is an analytical outline of the epistle
of Hebrews. It contains a well-written introduction, brief but
poignant commentary, illustrative quotations from modern day writers
and observers, and very appropriate applications for our lives.
The book is divided into chapters corresponding to the chapters
in Hebrews and is for assisting in study to prepare and teach
a class on Hebrews. Each chapter closes with review questions,
which makes the book a suitable tool for use in the classroom
as the student's book.
Brother Gardner and Max Patterson kept encouraging
Winford Claiborne to publish this manuscript on the epistle of
Hebrews. I was hesitant to buy another book on Hebrews since I
have several excellent books on this wonderful epistle, but, because
of my deep admiration for brothers Gardner and Claiborne, I decided
to purchase a copy. Reading through the book has been very rewarding
and exciting. I highly recommend using this book in studying one
of the greatest pieces of writing from the greatest book man has
ever been given. A study of the book of Hebrews will strengthen
your faith.
Winford Claiborne delivers regular radio addresses
on the International Gospel Hour. This is his fourth book published
by the International Gospel Hour, and all proceeds from the sale
of his book are used solely to support the radio program. The
International Gospel Hour also has a web site (www.gospelhour.net)
that contains sermon texts and audio lessons. If you enjoy great
"true to the Book" gospel preaching that is direct and
plain, then you will not be disappointed. Tell your friends about
the program. -29 Flora Dr., Bedford, OH 44146-2011. DRKenney@email.com
For previous book reviews, visit www.streetsborochurch.org