I have on my desk the book by Michael Allen, The Christ’s Faith: A Dogmatic Account, which I intend to review in the near future. In short, Allen offers a theological reading of the pistis christou passages, a good summary of the book can be found here. However, for those not wanting to read the whole book, Allen has a good summary of his argument in a recent journal article: Michael Allen, “‘It Is No Longer I Who Live’: Christ’s Faith and Christian Faith,”... Read more

The latest issue of ExpT has a positive review by Paul Foster of my (now probably forgotten) 1 Esdras commentary for the Septuagint Commentary Series. This is an important addition to the Septuagint Commentary Series, and makes a valuable contribution to scholarship on 1 Esdras. All three sections of the volume are helpful in generating a deeper understanding of the text, and for the appreciation of the textual and exegetical issues that surround it. This is a strong piece of... Read more

Beth Barnett offers what is one of the most polemical and oddest reviews of my ebook Bourgeois Babes, Bossy Wives, and Bobby Hair-Cuts: A Case for Gender Equality in Ministry over at her blog under the title Pricks, Jocks, and Princes. I thought my book would only annoy people more conservative than me on the gender issue, evidently I was much mistaken! Read more

My good friend Ben Myers has begun a video series on The Apostles Creed. I just watched the first one and it is great, wonderful dramatic introduction, very well done, worth watching. I love reminding students that we had a creed before a canon and it was the “canon of faith” which determined which books were in the “canon of books.” Read more

Congratulations to two great biblical studies people. First, congrats to Dr. Mark Goodacre of Duke University for his promotion to full professorship at Duke University (HT Jim West). Second congrats to Dr. Josh Jipp, a Duke grad, for winning the 2013 Achtemeier Scholarship for NT studies (HT Mark Goodacre). I’ve known Josh since he was an undergrad and he is now teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Bravo to both! Read more

The overarching premise behind Rom 1:18–3:20 is that God will not allow creation to indefinitely wallow in corruption or permit Israel to forever languish in the mire of its covenantal curses. The world must be cleansed from evil and the ungodly and disobedient brought to account (Rom 3:6). But judgment is not the only part of the story and Paul opened his letter with the good news of salvation in Christ to Jews and Gentiles (Rom 1:3-4, 16-17). While the... Read more

Over at ABC News is an interesting piece about the euthanasia of Belgian Laureate Christian de Duve. Michael Cook writes: A man who had exhausted the best life had to offer decided in all lucidity and serenity that it was time to slip away, surrounded by those who loved him. Why shouldn’t everyone be able to depart like this? Don’t be fooled. De Duve’s death is no advertisement for euthanasia. We know that de Duve was very old and dependent but apparently... Read more

We know from Rom 16:1-2 that a deaconess named Phoebe carried Paul’s letter to the Roman churches. However, what was her role in undertaking such a task? Did she just hand on the letter like a FedEx delivery lady, did she read the letter to them, did she answer questions about the letter, or did she even expound the letter (see my earlier thoughts here). Peter Head of Tyndale House is doing some research on letter carriers in the ancient... Read more

There is an excellent piece by R.R. Reno, editor of First Things, over at Hillsdale College on the present and future of religious liberty in America. It is quite a sobering and concerning piece about the threat to religious liberty by secularists. He ends with these words: In conclusion, I want to focus not on fury but on the remarkable capacity for communities of faith to endure. My wife’s ancestors lived for generations in the contested borderlands of Poland and... Read more

N.T. Wright, Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at St. Andrews University and former Bishop of Durham, will be in Melbourne in July and will be speaking at three conference events: 1. Jesus, Paul, and the Mission of God’s People. Tuesday, 16 July.  This event will focus on how Christians resource the teachings of Jesus and Paul for contemporary mission. Also featuring Michael Bird, Brian Rosner, and Wei-Han Kuan. Sponsored by Ridley Melbourne. 2. Paul and the Faithfulness of God.... Read more