It was only a few years ago that I began to hear about this thing called “missional theology.” It is hard to define precisely, but it brings a dynamic, story-driven trajectory to the Christian identity that derives from the great Missio Dei – the mission of God. There is an energy behind this missional thrust that galvinizes ecclesiology and brings a new urgency to the idea of vocation. God is active. God is working out his plan. Jesus is central to... Read more

I just received, yesterday, my copy of N.T. Wright’s Simply Jesus (HarperOne). A full review is in the works, but here are my first impressions – Though Wright is trying to make his work accessible (which is appreciated), he still makes lots of illustrations using events and figures that younger folks (perhaps 30 and under) would not understand; and he uses lots of illustrations from the UK which won’t hit home to many Americans (though since I lived in England, I... Read more

Personally, I was never really attracted to the book of Galatians in my younger Christian years. There was too much anger and annoyance and hair-splitting (so I thought) in that letter over “justification.” This was a scholar’s debate and caused me to be soporific. Then I discovered the so-called New Perspective and I saw this text as something very relevant and a “big deal” in its own time and had great relevance for our time as well. I read Richard... Read more

Some good new articles in HBT, here. Read more

My friend Ramone is currently studying at Durham and runs a helpful blog. He also had the wisdom to choose Durham for his PhD. 🙂 Ramone shares about why he chose a British programme over an American program. Check it out. I will say that there are many advantages to doing a PhD in a good US program (though I direct many prospective students towards the UK as well). For example, some US programs requird courses in pedagogy – something... Read more

“Kingdom of God” in the NT means: “God is taking over as King” (RT France) “God’s way of doing things” (John Drane) Essentially, these glosses complement one another because to “recognize” and claim God as King and to become a subject under his royal rule means that you submit yourself to his particular way of doing things. I think this is helpful. I can see now why some people see “kingdom” as a centralizing concept in the Bible, especially in... Read more

I am working on a new lecture on Mark for my intro to Scripture class and I wanted to talk about what Jesus means when he says the Kingdom of God is near. If you notice (1:14), he also tells his hearers to repent. How could this be good news? Why does Jesus announce the Kingdom and call for repentance? I appreciated Morna Hooker’s thoughts “God’s Kingdom means ‘territory under the rule of a king’. In this case, of course, the... Read more

I recently mentioned the HarperOne book Simply Jesus by NT Wright which is coming soon (late Oct, 2011). Today, I just noticed another forthcoming book that looks to be perhaps the next in a series on Jesus, this one called, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels (March 2012). Here is the description: Since ancient times, the church has sought to distance itself from its Jewish roots and has developed teachings on the Bible and about Jesus that... Read more

I am really enjoying thumbing through the 2009 book About the Bible: Short Answers to Big Questions (rev.; Augsburg, 2009), by T. Fretheim. He says that merely seeing the prophet as social reformer or as future-predictor misses the heart of the matter. Here is his succinct definition: a man or woman dispatched by God with a word of judgment or promise for a critical moment in the history of God’s people. (p 99)   Read more

I don’t know when it came out, but the most recent issue of Early Christianity (Mohr Siebeck) has the theme of “Christianity and Empire” with articles by A. Droge, J. Albert Harrill, and Paul Holloway, among others. John Granger talks about “Crucifixion in Imperial Thessalonica” under the subject of “NEW DISCOVERIES.” Check it out. Read more