Last year, I wrote an essay on Paul and worship for a book called God and Wonder. I wanted to do something creative for this, not your typical academic essay. So, I decided (with fear and trembling) to try out historical fiction, offering a snapshot of Paul’s life of worship. I appreciate Cascade/Wipf&Stock granting permission for me to post this on my blog (a short excerpt). Thanks to editors Dr. Jeffrey Barbeau and Dr. Emily McGowin for their work on the... Read more

I am really excited about the March 14, 2023 release of my book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (IVP Academic).  If you would like to start reading Tell Her Story now (more than a month in advance), please consider joining the launch team, which is designed to generate interest in the book and help the book with a strong rollout. Joining a launch team means you are wanting to help get the word out... Read more

My new friend, Noel Forlini Burt, has written an excellent new book on journeying through “wilderness” experiences with faith and hope. I am thankful that she agreed to write about this topic and showcase some ideas in her book. Noel has a PhD from Drew University. She teaches and lectures widely in the intersection of Bible and spiritual formation. A spiritual director, retreat leader, and academic, Noel believes the Bible is a deep well from which people can draw in their... Read more

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a notice that one of my profs from seminary (Sean McDonough) had published a volume in a brand new series. I immediately got my hands on it, because it sounds amazing—and it is! The Preacher’s Greek Companion to Philippians Hendrickson Publishers is known for great language reference resources, and they were the original US publishers for the Black’s NT Commentary series and the small NIBC volumes (now Baker). This new series walks the... Read more

I got the sad news recently that Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters will be discontinued by the publisher’s decision. This was originally Mike Bird’s idea in 2008, and he brought me on board in 2009 as associate editor. The first issue appeared in 2011. We were co-editors for several years, and then eventually passed the baton on to Stan Porter and Christopher Land. The journal had a good decade run, first with Eisenbrauns, then PSU Press. We... Read more

Amy B. Peeler, Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans) **MUST READ OF 2022 Peeler’s book is my top book of the year. Winsome, academically rigorous, interdisciplinary, a great contribution to the ongoing discussion of gender, Scripture, and theology. Simon Gathercole, The Gospel and the Gospels (Eerdmans) Gathercole looks at the canonical gospels in relation to the wider phenomenon of gospel writing in the first few centuries. Are the 4 gospels distinctive? How? Excellent in-depth study. Michael J. Gorman, Romans (Eerdmans) The... Read more

Thank you to Dr. Jim West for reading Tell Her Story and writing up a very positive review—I’m honored and thankful! You can read the whole review HERE. Here are some things Jim says: Many years ago I read a fantastic volume titled ‘When Women Were Priests‘.  It was a revolutionary and eye opening volume and more influential on my own approach to the issue of the place of women in the history of earliest Christianity than anything else. I... Read more