Archive for the 'NT Studies' Category
Craig A. Evans. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. IVP, 2006. 290 pp.
This book is offered as an exposé of sorts, revealing how certain scholars—among them, James M. Robinson, Robert Funk, Bart Ehrman, Karen King, Morton Smith, Elaine Pagels, John Dominic Crossan, and collectively the Jesus Seminar—“distort the gospels” and thus mislead the public to historical conclusions at odds with traditional Christian claims. Evans also takes aim at various popular authors, such as Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) and Michael Baigent (The Jesus Papers), for creating what he calls “hokum history” (204). Finally, it is an apologia for the New Testament Gospels: “this book is written to defend the original witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. When put to the test, the original documents hold up quite well. Despite their having been maligned, even ridiculed, and pushed to the background, it is time to give them a fresh hearing” (17).
Reviewed by Stephen J. Patterson.
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Phil A. Newton. Elders in Congregational Life: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership. Kregel, 2005. 176 pp.
Phil Newton’s book is not long but it is definitely helpful those thinking about making the change from congregational governance to elder governance. Even though the book is written from a Baptist perspective, it really is insightful for anyone thinking about this issue. He spends the first two parts of the book addressing eldership in the Bible. His exposition of Acts 20 is what got me thinking about Paul’s address to the Ephesian elders. And this text is quite important to the role and necessity of biblical eldership. Of course he also deals with Paul’s letter to Timothy and Titus and then the Hebrews writing on elders in Hebrews 13 and the final words from Peter on eldership.
Reviewed by Sam Shin.
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Thomas R. Schreiner & Shawn Wright. Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ. B&H, 2007. 364 pp.
Believer’s Baptism, edited by Schreiner and Wright, covers a multitude of theological and historical aspects all centered on the rite of Christian baptism. The goal of their presentation is to show that baptism is only for those who have professed faith in Christ and that the practice of infant- or paedo- baptism compromises the gospel itself. The book is well-researched, and the importance and preservation of this sacred Christian rite are found within this study.
Schreiner and Wright organize their presentation in 10 distinct chapters, each focusing on a different historical practice. Each chapter is written by a different author, focusing first on baptism proper and then often expanding the discussion into the mode and method. Each author concludes his section by summarizing his findings and explaining the necessity of holding to a baptismal view that is strictly for those who have professed faith in Christ.
Reviewed by Stewart MacLean Jr.
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Brian J. Walsh & Sylvia C. Keesmaat. Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. IVP, 2004. 256 pp.
Occasionally, a book comes along that ignites the fires of my imagination and fuels my passion for being part of the counter-culture we call the Church. Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat’s Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire is one such book.
Colossians Remixed goes where regular commentaries rarely go. The authors rewrite Colossians as if Paul were writing to postmodern, postChristian, 21st century Americans living under the rule of the American Empire. They go about this task by showing how deeply subversive Colossians was of the Roman Empire, and they seek to translate the subversive nature of the tract into today’s world.
Reviewed by Trevin Wax.
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J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, Daniel B. Wallace, Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture. Kregel, 2006. 352 pp.
This book is a very good introduction to the topics of Contemporary Issues, Apologetics, and Textual Criticism for the dedicated layman or the serious-minded Bible study leader. I was surprised by the popular level approach to these topics brought by some of the top-shelf names in Christian scholarship. When life-long church members can say things such as “No one can really know what happened two thousand years ago,” the pastor must know that their knowledge is lacking and wonder what is the object of their faith. Their theological training from Sunday School classes has not prepared them for current challenges to the faith, and to their own faith. For pastors with members that are interested in the subject of how we know what we know about the faith, this would make a good gift to show your appreciation for their commitment to the task of teaching the Word. This book, though good for a lay introduction, does not suffice for the seminary student.
Continue reading ‘Reinventing Jesus | J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, & Daniel Wallace’
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Stuart Bell. Sane Spirituality: Lessons from Corinth for the 21st Century. Sovereign World, 2004. 128 pp.
This book started life as a series of sermons. It is an encouragement to me that publishers seem to be reviving the sermon-book which at one point looked to me like it was fading from use. Bell’s book is definitely aimed at the popular market, but any reader would have much to learn from what he has to say. If you are interested in how a charismatic interprets and applies 1 Corinthians then this is a good place to start.
He has a simple definition of charismatics which he has borrowed from David Pawson—“those who recognise that the gift of the Spirit is to be received and the gifts of the Spirit are to be exercised. . . .
Reviewed by Adrian Warnock.
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David Crump. Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A New Testament Theology of Petitionary Prayer. Baker, 2006. 345 pp.
With a glut of books on prayer in the Christian market, here is a scholarly addition to the mix, worthy of the serious reader’s time. The books on prayer tend to be light and devotional in nature, like Murray’s classic With Christ in the School of Prayer, or the more recent and popular The Prayer of Jabez and Secrets of the Vine. The recent popular works especially tend to promise more than they can deliver, or are products of the “Health and Wealth” television preachers.
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Thomas R. Schreiner & Shawn Wright. Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ. B&H, 2007. 364 pp.
What is the biblical case for believer’s baptism? What biblical support do paedobaptists point to for their belief in infant baptism? What is the relationship between the old and new covenants? What did Alexander Campbell, one of the first voices of the Restoration movement, actually think about baptism?
These questions and more are answered splendidly in Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ. A host of well-known Baptist scholars have collaborated to provide a resource for all who seek to better understand the biblical underpinnings for believer’s baptism. . . .
Reviewed by Trevin Wax.
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Leon Morris. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross. Eerdmans, 2001. 318 pp.
Morris has written a very thorough and scholarly linguistic and exegetical study of some of the most important soteriological terms related to the cross work of Christ. Though many scholarly works undermine the authority of Scripture and call into question the fundamental doctrines of the faith, this work is thoroughly conservative and evangelical in its defense of the historic doctrines of soteriology. However, it defends these doctrines not on the basis of tradition but on the basis of a fresh analysis of the relevant data.
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