In the first part, I summarized the book and talked about the positive features of this fascinating book. Here I offer critical comments. I mentioned before that Winn’s book is a deductive study—applying a hypothesis to the text and pointing out proofs or evidence in favor of his theory (namely that Mark’s Gospel was written to counter Vespasian’s claims to supremacy). Winn assembles many different types of evidence in favor of his theory. But, in my opinion, this doesn’t raise... Read more

  I read lots of books, but I can’t say I enjoy many of them. Well, Adam Winn’s new book, Reading Mark’s Christology under Caesar: Jesus the Messiah and Roman Imperial Ideology is an absolute pleasure. In this 2-part review, I will take this first post to summarize the book and explain why I like it so much. In the next part I offer my critical feedback. Summary The application of postcolonial criticism and empire studies to the Synoptics has been... Read more

In seminary, Dr. Gary Parrett got me hooked on the importance of catechism/Christian education as a fundamental ministry of the church. Parrett introduced me to the Heidelberg Catechism and the teachings of Augustine. He also fostered in me a love for the three big staples of the traditional catechetical diet: the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed. And that love has stuck with me and grown over the fifteen years since I took that course (“The Educational... Read more

I was recently asked what books I have my eye on and want to get for SBL/Christmas[/Valentine’s Day?]. This covers the next six months or so. Luke Timothy Johnson, Miracles. Interpretation. WJK, Jul 2018. Michael Gorman, Abide and Go: Missional Theosis in the Gospel of John,  Wipf and Stock, Jul 2018. David deSilva, The Letter to the Galatians. NICNT repl. Eerdmans, August 2018. Louise J. Lawrence, The Bible and Bedlam: Madness, Sanism, and NT Interpretation. T&T Clark, Aug 2018. looks to be a fascinating study... Read more

So, this year my commute time to work is longer because I am teaching a class at the Newberg campus twice a week (~45 min away). My friend and dean, Roger Nam, recommended that I check out some good theology podcasts. To be honest, I never much listened to podcasts before, but I am really enjoying it. The following are a mix of older podcasts and newer ones, but all of them are worth checking out. OnScript – for me,... Read more

Why Galatians?  We built our intermediate Greek reader on Galatians. I have used many different kinds of Greek reader textbooks in the past, and even though having different types of texts was pedagogically helpful, it felt very choppy. Most reader walk you through short snippets of biblical and non-biblical texts. There is something especially satisfying for me in reading a whole text from beginning to end. So, we chose to build our textbook with a bulk of reading in a... Read more

Since Thursday, the new intermediate Greek textbook I co-edited (with a group of my students) has now been downloaded almost 1000 times. I have received words of appreciation and positive feedback from students and Greek nerds in places such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Ethiopia, England, Scotland, India, Canada, Japan, and Brazil. Why? Not because I am famous or anything like that. I believe this textbook is getting attention and recognition because it is a high quality product... Read more

I am excited to announce the publication of Intermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts. This book is an open-access textbook, which means that it is free to download and read through the George Fox digital commons. In the academic year 2017-2018, I taught an advanced Greek seminar with 8 students. Their main project was writing this Greek reader (via GoogleDocs). This textbook is designed for students who have already learned the basics of Biblical Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. IBGR... Read more

I used this Two Horizons commentary when I taught a course on Joshua and Judges about 7 years ago. It is spectacular, so you just can’t beat the price. Also, you can pick up Joel Green’s Two Horizons 1 Peter volume, and Robin Parry’s Lamentations on the cheap this month! CLICK HERE Read more

InterVarsity Press shared the news today that a second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters is officially in the works. I am serving on the editorial team alongside Lynn Cohick, (general editor) Scot McKnight, and IVP editor Anna Gissing. We are planning for a release year of 2022. I vividly recall sitting in my seminary dorm alongside my roommates, in awe of the first edition and thumbing through the impressive list of contributors. Never in my wildest dreams... Read more