When I saw WJK’s new A “Down and Dirty” Guide to Theology (D.K. McKim) as a new release, I thought this might be the right book for my freshman theology students. Now that I have read it, I admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the great little reference book that it is, but it is more about the discipline of theology, than it is an introduction to Christian theology. I don’t blame McKim for this – I simply misunderstood what the book contained. In... Read more

Amazon is now selling my book, Prepare, Succeed, Advance. It is not “in stock” at the moment, but they do have the Kindle version for sale for an amazing price of $12! When it comes in stock, I will let y’all know. Read more

I just received an advertisement drawing attention to the relatively new periodical (since 2008), Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, sponsored by Biola University/Talbot. The journal seeks out articles that research on “the nature and means of becoming more like Jesus.” I appreciate journals like these – great for ministry leaders and connects academia to the church in more fruitful ways than traditional journals. They have some free articles that look interesting. I am not a fan of the... Read more

As I previously posted on my favorite SBL fall picks for Eerdmans, so I am also doing for Baker Academic. Personally, this year, I think Baker will steal the show (if their Nov releases stay on schedule and make it to the conference!). Here are some highlights: (don’t let the logo fool you; Baker does not officially endorse my unofficial endorsements of their books) A.G. Padgett, As Christ Submits to the Church: A Biblical Understanding of Leadership and Mutual Submission... Read more

I am already starting to drool over the best fall books from Eerdmans, a few of which I am saving up to buy at SBL. Here are some items that caught my eye. Eerdmans Companion to the Bible; Gordon Fee and R.L. Hubbard (eds.) (Sept) Paul’s Letter to the Philippians; Witherington (Sept) Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church (Sept) The Gospel of John; F.D. Bruner (Oct) After SBL, in December, we will see the book I am most interested in: Getting “Saved”: The Whole... Read more

In the August 2011 issue of Scottish Journal of Theology, there are a number of interesting items – Beverly Gaventa authors two of them. “Neither Height nor Depth: Discerning the Cosmology of Romans” and A review of Kavin Rowe’s World Turned Upside Down. See here for issue contents. Read more

Some of you may know that I am writing a commentary on Colossians (Smyth & Helwys) right now. While I am in the initial primary research phase, I am avoiding any contact with Colossians scholarship and commentaries – that will come later. However, when Clinton Arnold’s commentary on Ephesians came out recently (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), I felt that it would be helpful to see how he interprets this cousin of Colossians. There are, of course, so... Read more

Arland Hultgren has recently published a new commentary on Romans (Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Commentary; Eerdmans, 2011). Hultgren is a New Testament scholar at Luther Seminary, well-known for his commentary on the parables of Jesus. Now, he fills 800 pages with a Lutheran analysis of Paul’s most influential letter. It is not in a series, but a stand-alone work. It has Hultgren’s own translation. The commentary proper has a basic format – broken down into passages, he first... Read more

At the end of May, J.R. Daniel Kirk posted his thoughts on an oft-repeated reflection of Soren Kierkegaard: “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” Kirk found this to be a “cop out”: “It transforms prayer from a dangerous act in which we summon the God of all the earth to act now upon the earth over which God is sovereign into something that’s just for shaping... Read more

I mentioned, under Gospel of John resources, the excellent short commentary by Richard Burridge in the Daily Bible Commentary Series – probably focused on laypeople, but I found much rewarding material. Someone pointed out to me that CBD currently has all books in this series for only $2.99.  (Amazon: $12.95) I also noticed that this generally unrecognized series does boast some eminent scholars: Loveday Alexander (Acts) Francis Moloney (General Epistles) Dick France (Pastoral Epistles & Hebrews; also Mark) Jerome Murphy-O’Connor... Read more