Looks like a great forthcoming book from Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World, coming out from Baylor Uni Press in September 2016. “Silly,” “stupid,” “irrational,” “simple.” “Wicked,” “hateful,” “obstinate,” “anti-social.” “Extravagant,” ”perverse.” The Roman world rendered harsh judgments upon early Christianity—including branding Christianity “new.” Novelty was no Roman religious virtue. Nevertheless, as Larry W. Hurtado shows in Destroyer of the gods, Christianity thrived despite its new and distinctive features and opposition to them. Unlike nearly... Read more

I enjoy keeping in contact with the Christian scene in Scotland by reading Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, a great journal, had one of my first articles published there. In the latest issue, I enjoyed reading my friend and former colleague Jamie A. Grant, “The Bible as Scepter: Authority and Worldview,” SBET 33.2 (2015): 138-50. In the article, he addresses how the Bible speaks to all aspects of life and society under the headings: The range of Scripture (it speaks to the totality... Read more

If you don’t know who Leon Morris is, then you know nothing about twentieth century evangelical biblical scholarship. Morris was a great commentator and biblical scholar who wrote several notable volumes on the atonement and New Testament, which are still worth consulting. He was principal of Ridley College for many years, and we name almost everything after him at Ridley: library, lecturerships, and maybe even a water fountain. Morris left an important legacy which, I like to think, is carried on... Read more

Back in February I had the pleasure to delivering a theology lecture to students and faculty at NOBTS on “What is Evangelical about Evangelical Theology?” which is now on-line. Read more

Mark J Boda The Book of Zechariah NICOT; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016. Available at Amazon.com By Len Firth There has been a recent deluge of Zechariah commentaries. I am aware of three which in Zechariah studies constitutes a veritable flood. This is a great boon for those wanting to plumb the depths of an often misunderstood and rarely preached book. One of these three, The Book of Zechariah (NICOT) by Mark Boda commands attention. Boda is a Zechariah scholar who has... Read more

The Saint Hilarius Herald Adam Driver Set to Star in Joel Osteen: The Musical Broadway is abuzz with news that the theatrical extravaganza Joel Osteen: The Musical is about to open with Star Wars’ Adam Driver in the lead role as Joel Osteen. Award winning producer Cameron Mackintosh has brought together Andrew Lloyd Weber (Cats, Evita, Phantom of the Opera) and Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods) to create an epic musical drama about America’s most beloved televangelist. In a coup for the producers, yesterday they confirmed... Read more

See here to watch myself and Scott Harrower on the new Vodcast show, “The Now and the Not Yet,” where we discuss Romans, Justin Welby, Analytic Theology, and how much I hate coffee. Only 10 minutes! Read more

Starting tomorrow! A new vod-cast series from Ridley College with Scott Harrower and Michael Bird on all things theology and biblical studies. Check our website or Youtube page for releases.   Read more

Below is my TED-style talk on “What is the Gospel?” Goes for 7.59 mins, delivering at the Melbourne Stir Conference, sponsored by SparkLit. Read more

A very positive review of my The Gospel of the Lord by Taylor Brown over at Seedbed. Michael Bird’s The Gospel of the Lord is a must read for anyone involved in Gospel studies, New Testament studies in general, or anyone (from seminary students to lay people) interested in better understanding the foundational documents of our Christian faith. If I were to recommend one book that not only critically interacts with the major scholarly voices in Gospel studies over the past... Read more