Matt Bates and Matt Lynch run a podcast series called OnScript. They recently had Josh Jipp appear for an interview about Jipp’s new book, Christ is King: Paul’s Royal Ideology (Fortress, 2015). I have heard a lot of good conversation around this book. Check out the podcast here. Read more

A few weeks ago, I was in a bookstore (yes, they still exist!) and I came across a discounted copy of N.T. Wright’s latest book, Simply Good News (HarperOne, 2015). I’ve now read a good bit of it and it is a nice short synthesis of his work on the grand story of Scripture and the meaning of the gospel for Christian life. This is, perhaps, the easiest introduction to Wright’s work for laypeople from Wright himself (hence, Simply N.T. Wright). For... Read more

This is a series on Crucifixion, by Fleming Rutledge. (see part 1) Here I would like to discuss Rutledge’s chapter on “The Godlessness of the Cross.” Her emphasis falls on the horror of the cross: “Most of us are conditioned to think of Jesus’ death as the scandal, when in fact it is not the death in itself, but the mode of death that creates the offense” (72). When she refers to the “godlessness” of the cross (paying especially tribute to Moltmann and Bonhoeffer on the... Read more

Given that I named this blog Crux Sola (short for “the cross is our only theology”), you may understand my joy at the publication of Fleming Rutledge’s new book The Crufixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ (Eerdmans, 2015). At over 600 pages, it is a tour de force on the theology of the cross with endorsements from Hauerwas, Scot McKnight, Marilyn McCord Adams, Richard Mouw, Mark Galli, Wolterstorff, Lou Martyn, Stephen Westerholm, Martin de Boer and many others. While Rutledge has spent many years... Read more

Welcome to the Friday Book Corner. Today’s book is the second edition of Paul, Apostle of Liberty by Richard N Longenecker (Eerdmans, 2015). Truth be told, I have a reprinted 1976 edition of this book on my bookshelf (original, 1964), never read (it was bequeathed to me). Don’t get me wrong. I have long admired Dr. Longenecker’s work. I enjoyed his Introducing Romans (2011). I regularly return to Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period. He was the master of edited volumes,... Read more

  It’s that time again!   *Disclaimer: Even though we had what appear to be very weighty and important books published in 2015 by John Barclay (Paul and the Gift), NT Wright (Paul and His Recent Interpreters), James D.G. Dunn (Neither Jew nor Greek), and E.P. Sanders (Paul), I have not had a chance to finish reading these, so they will not be included in this list, though probably some will appear on next year’s list! Best Textbook Reading John... Read more

Fuller Seminary has an interesting journal called Evangelical Interfaith Dialogue. The fall 2015 is dedicated to the topic of “Scriptural views on Other Religions.” The esteemed Dr. John Goldingay has written the lead essay on the First Testament, and I was asked to write on the New Testament. Several “response” articles follow the lead essays offering various perspectives and insights for interfaith dialogue today. I hope I don’t need to convince you that now, more an ever, evangelicals need to learn... Read more

Prof. JMG Barclay has spent several years pushing back against the “Paul vs. Caesar/empire” contingency; Barclay is a recognized historian of early Christianity and makes a brief, but cogent case for his own view on the subject. Here is a short video articulating his perspective on Paul and Empire.   Read more

Please check out my blog post for the George Fox Seminary blog – and circulate if you are interested. Read more

Welcome to Friday Book Corner.  Right now the topic of early Christianity and conflict with the empire is hot. Everybody and their brother wants to weigh in. Unfortunately, some are not as well informed as they should be. Thankfully there are people like Bruce Winter, a recognized historian who knows the ancient literature up and down and all around. Winter has written a very useful book, Divine Honours for the Caesars: The First Christians’ Responses (Eerdmans, 2015). About half the book is devoted... Read more