HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL! Now that I have your attention, read this book – Four Views on Hell, edited by Preston Sprinkle (Zondervan, 2016). The four views are: “Eternal Conscious Torment” (Denny Burk), “Terminal Punishment”, aka annihilationism (John Stackhouse), “Universalism” (Robin Parry), “Purgatory” (Jerry Walls). This is a second edition of the book, with new contributors, very well chosen. Burk presents the traditional view, supported by a “plain reading” of several biblical texts (I will return to this later). Burk represents his position well,... Read more

Over the last several months I have been reading Matthew L. Skinner’s Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel: Encountering the Divine in the Book of Acts (Brazos, 2015). It is part commentary, part devotional, part sermon, part scholarship – all blended together into a delicious literary meal! The book is a lean 180 pages, no footnotes. It is not a commentary, it is not a monograph; it is a theological-narrative reading of Acts in its context. Skinner is a gifted writer, teasing out the theological... Read more

….Cliff Kvidahl. He has already received the book and has informed me this giveaway has greatly increased his quality of life. Glad to help, Cliff.   Read more

I have always loved Festschriften (celebration-writings). When done well, they serve as  a combination of scholarship and appreciation, and there is a great energy and warmth that is attractive. Right now I am working through two relatively new works. Chris Keith and Dieter Roth, ed. Mark, Manuscripts, and Monotheism: Essays in Honor of Larry W. Hurtado (LNTS 528; T&T Clark, 2015).  No doubt Prof. Hurtado is deserving of this honour. I have admired his scholarship for many years, I have used his... Read more

Pre-order this book! The Crosses of Pompeii: Jesus-Devotion in a Vesuvian Town (Fortress, May 1, 2016). Through a twist of fate, the eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 CE also preserved a wealth of evidence about the town, buried for centuries in volcanic ash. Since the town’s excavations in the eighteenth century, archaeologists have disputed the evidence that might attest the presence of Christians in Pompeii before the eruption. Now, Bruce W. Longenecker reviews that evidence, in comparison with other possible... Read more

For your viewing pleasure, watch this lecture video of Mike Bird’s take on the so-called “Apocalyptic Paul” – those of you who know his view, fast forward to the Q&A for Mike’s thoughts on American cheese, American measurement system, and Donald Trump. And something about Billy Ocean.   Read more

It is my pleasure to offer this interview with Prof. David Horrell (Exeter), one of the leading NT scholars. Prof. Horrell has written numerous important works including Solidarity and Difference and the recent Becoming Christian. He is currently working on the ICC for 1 Peter – a massive undertaking! So, here is what he had to say about his research practices. How do you approach research as a whole? Do you have a big-picture strategy? Do your research all at once, and then write? Do you do some sketching and reflecting on paper and then dig into research? Do you... Read more

This is a reminder, if you sign up to say you are going to attend our EP Sanders panel discussion at IBR/SBL (Nov 18, 4-6PM, San Antonio, TX), you enter a chance to win Sanders’ new big book Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Theology (Fortress). Here is how to enter for a chance to win the book. If you are planning on going to the event (I’m trusting your honesty!), please RSVP for free on Facebook. Then leave a comment on this... Read more

The latest issue of Interpretation focuses on the theme of the Gospel of Mark. The main essays look very interesting! Suzanne Watts Henderson, “The “Good News” of God’s Coming Reign: Occupation at a Crossroads” Jaime Clark-Soles, “Mark and Disability” Raj Nadella, “The Two Banquets: Mark’s Vision of Anti-Imperial Economics” Brian K. Blount, “Jesus as Teacher: Boundary Breaking in Mark’s Gospel and Today’s Church” Read more

I am starting a blog series on the Lord’s Prayer called “The Lord’s Prayer, a Missional Reading” over at the Missio Alliance Blog. If you are interested, the first post is live here. And please share with anyone that might be interested. Read more