We continue with our series: “How I Do Research.” I am very pleased to present to you the interview I conducted with Prof. Helen Bond of the Univ. of Edinburgh. Prof. Bond has numerous important books including Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation (SNTSMS, 1998), Caiaphas: Friend of Rome and Judge of Jesus? (2004), and she has written dozens of academic essays. 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... Read more

In 2013 I happened to be at a lunch with Dr. Richard Hays and I asked him how his “big Gospels book” was coming. [We saw some of the earliest impressions of his work in his nice little essay in the Cambridge Companion to the Gospels in 2006.] In 2013 he told me he was simply too busy as dean to find dedicated time to work on this major project. Many of you have heard that Dr. Hays was diagnosed with... Read more

My buddy Andy Johnson (Nazarene Theol Sem) – wonderful guy, great scholar – has written a handy essay on “Building a New Testament Library: Philippians – Philemon.” Below I give quick notes on his choices, and any of my own additions will be noted by “NKG.” Please do read his full comments, of course. Philippians Technical: Fee (NICNT) Bockmuehl (BNTC) Theological: Fowl (THNT) Migliore (Belief) Semi-technical Flemming (NBBC) – Wesleyan Hooker (NIB) *NKG: I echo all these. Everyone needs to... Read more

Truth be told, when I was in seminary, I held Dr. DA Carson in the highest of admiration – he was a reputable biblical scholar, a man of the church, and intrepid defender of evangelicalism. I don’t know if he has changed, or if I have changed (probably the latter), but I was profoundly disappointed with his recent work The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures – an edited volume that boasts a veritable “who’s who” of Gospel Coalition scholars such... Read more

I mentioned previously the exciting news that the Institute for Biblical Research Pauline Theology group (co-chaired by John Goodrich and myself) will host a book review session for E.P. Sanders’ new book Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought (Fortress). Participants include Craig Keener, Susan Eastman, and John Barclay (and Sanders himself, of course). The event will be November 18, 2016, 4-6PM, San Antonio, Texas (venue TBA).  Fortress has kindly offered a free book for promotional purposes. Here is how to... Read more

I have long respected the work of Dr. Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary). He has written outstanding commentaries on Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and James. He has also penned a number of textbooks and thematic works that bring biblical scholarship to the church. He has gracious answered my questions about his way of doing research. 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 go back and forth? It... Read more

A thoughtful conversation with two wonderful New Testament theologians, N.T. Wright and Richard Hays. I owe a debt in about equal measure to their two streams of scholarship. This discussion is entitled: “The Good News and the Good Life.” Enjoy! Evening Conversation with N.T. Wright and Richard Hays from The Trinity Forum on Vimeo. Read more

I teased Michael Bird the other day that 2015 went by without a single new book from him. He pointed out that he would have several works released in 2016. Well, we are indeed starting to see new books from Mike. The first up is his brand new commentary on Romans in the Story of God series. Scot McKnight edits this series and he launched it with his own outstanding offering on The Sermon on the Mount. A few other volumes... Read more

  When I was in seminary, the “New Perspective on Paul” was all the rage – you either loved it or hated it. I did some adjuncting at a seminary before starting my PhD and I taught a course on Paul. I taught mostly a “pro-NPP” perspective, and several students protested, threatening to have me fired (because I was promoting heresy). In response, I had to write a “position paper” for the faculty and the community to show that the NPP could be biblically... Read more

I am pleased to continue our series on “How I Do Research” with this interview with Dr. David deSilva (Ashland Theological Seminary). deSilva is an impressive scholar, author of the highly-acclaimed textbook An Introduction to the New Testament (900+ pages), significant scholarship on Hebrews, and much research on the cultural world of the first century. His work on social-scientific study of the New Testament was very formative for me especially in my early years of New Testament study. He is currently writing the... Read more