For over fifteen years, I have been teaching the theological concept of cruciformity—the notion that the cross of Christ is not just a place or event, but a pattern and formational disposition for believers to emulate. Cruciformity is about the disregard of status and laying down of power—just as Christ did—to be a force for good in the world. Cruciformity is about sacrifice, humility, and service. Year after year, this was a core lecture in my courses on Pauline theology. Time... Read more
Mike and I tag-teamed on Romans 12-15 for the Two Testaments Podcast, hosted by Will Kynes and Rony Kozman. Check it out: Read more
Eerdmans is running a great ebook sale—$5 each 0n select items. FYI: Some of the items are not listing correctly on Amazon (buyer beware). I am hoping they will fix that in the next day or 2, so check back. Read more
Congratulations to editor Dr. Thomaskutty and the contributors to this important piece of scholarship: An Asian Introduction to the New Testament. Here 20+ Asian scholars lend their expertise to talk about the New Testament its world from a distinctly Asian perspective. I was asked to write a preface, what an honor! I feel like Asians are left out of so many Western conversations in academia and in popular culture. In the last few years, we have seen fresh interest in... Read more
Interpretation is one of my favorite theology journals. It is thematic, and the theme for the Jan 2022 issue is “Cross Examinations,” reflecting on the cross and Christian theology. Table of Content of the (4) articles below. I especially enjoyed Suzanne Watts Henderson’s lead essay. In fact, I read excerpts to my students in class yesterday. Check it out. Read more
Recommended Resource: The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Zondervan Academic, 2022) I have a few resources on my “reference” shelf that I will consult as a go-to. I have the 5-volume (3500pp) New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (2014). It is an excellent, in-depth resource for word studies. The big set retails at ~$250, which is a steep sticker price for pastors and students. Zondervan has edited the set down to a... Read more
(Wanna get caught up on all our previous guest posts and their commentary recommendations? Here is the index link to this series.) Today we have Dr. Aubrey Buster (Wheaton College) as our Old Testament expert. Buster has a Cambridge Press monograph coming soon on Remembering the Story of Israel (May 2022). She is also co-writing a commentary on Daniel with John Walton for the NICOT series, and authoring the Ezra-Nehemiah volume for the new series, The Bible in God’s World.... Read more
It’s a digital tablet that doesn’t have email. It doesn’t do Netflix. No Youtube. You can’t text from it. Forget about Candy Crush. So what does it do? You can write on it. First things first, what are we talking about? About a year ago, I got ReMarkable 2 as a gift. ReMarkable is an ultra thin paper tablet that comes with a special digital pen. It is a tool for writers and artists. Unlike popular tablets from Apple, Samsung, Microsoft,... Read more
Biblical Studies Best Book Award Rebekah Eklund, The Beatitudes through the Ages (Eerdmans) Nijay’s says: Beautifully written, lots of great insights from reception history, and thoughtful about how we read within our own cultures and historical moments New Testament Studies Gombis, Power in Weakness: Paul’s Transformed Vision for Ministry (Eerdmans) Nijay says: Raw and honest personal stories, combined with a cruciform reading of Paul = essential reading for pastors and students of Paul *Honorable Mention*: Stephen E. Young, Our Brother Beloved: Purpose and Community... Read more
Crux Sola: Formed by Scripture to Live like Christ
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My Top Six OT Commentaries: Esther (Dr. Chloe T. Sun)
(Wanna get caught up on all our previous guest posts and their commentary recommendations? Here is the index link to this series.) Today we have Dr. Chloe T. Sun, professor of Old Testament at Logos Evangelical Seminary. Her publications include The Ethics of Violence in the Story of Aqhat (Gorgias), Attempt Great Things for God: Theological Education in Diaspora (Eerdmans) and Conspicuous in His Absence: Studies in the Song of Songs and Esther (IVP Academic). Currently, she is working on... Read more