Ronald E. Heine Origen: An Introduction to His Life and Thought Cascade Companions. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2019. Available from Wipf & Stock. Ronald E. Heine has written a short, informative, and readable intro to Origen. There is a lot on Origen’s early life and context, his time in Alexandria and Caesarea. Probably the highlight is how Heine explains Origen’s rationale for allegorical and deeper readings of Scripture, very, very good. Also, Heine demonstrates that Origen is a genuine biblical interpreter,... Read more

DAVID GURETZKI, AN EXPLORER’S GUIDE TO KARL BARTH (DOWNERS GROVE: IVP, 2016)  and MARK GALLI, KARL BARTH: AN INTRODUCTORY BIOGRAPHY FOR EVANGELICALS (GRAND RAPIDS: EERDMANS, 2017) By Dr. Chris Swann This was a difficult review to write. This may seem a strange thing to say about Mark Galli’s Karl Barth: An Introductory Biography for Evangelicals and David Guretzski’s An Explorer’s Guide to Karl Barth. Neither book is hard to read. Far from it! Both books are accessible, clear, and coherent.... Read more

James R. Payton The Victory of the Cross: Salvation in Eastern Orthodoxy Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2019. Available at IVP and Koorong  James Payton’s new book is an excellent introduction to salvation (i.e. soteriology) in Eastern Orthodoxy. There is lots on theosis, resurrection, and new creation as you’d expect. Payton also covers Orthodox views of the atonement, the reason for the need for salvation, saving action of the Saviour, how God saves humanity, theosis, how salvation is embodied in the... Read more

Jackson Wu Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. Available at Koorong. By Edwin Chow Jackson W. (Wu) is a teacher of theology and missiology in a seminary in Asia. He is not actually of Chinese descent but an American who has two decades of experience working in East Asia. He uses this pseudonym for security reasons and in order to connect with people in his context. Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes aims to... Read more

Wesley Hill The Lord’s Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019. Available at Lexham and Koorong. Reviewed by Chris Porter. The Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father, has to be one of the most well-known pieces of Christian scripture, read as it is in public occasions, openings of parliament, and throughout our media. Its familiarity has brought great benefit to many praying it, and comfort in times of trial. But how often do we reflect... Read more

You can now order through Logos a 2 hrs course I recorded on The Identity of Jesus. This course evaluates the testimony of each of the Gospel writers and the apostle Paul to discover who the New Testament authors believed Jesus to be. Attention is given to the testimony of Jesus himself to see how he understood his own identity. You will have the opportunity to look at Jesus through historical, religious, and personal lenses as you reflect on your... Read more

Samuel Escobar In Search of Christ in Latin America: From Colonial Image to Liberating Saviour Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019. Available at IVP and Koorong. Reviewed by Scott D. Harrower Samuel Escobar is one of Latin America’s standout theologians, and he offers us a work that flows out of six decades of Christian life and ministry. This book he traces five centuries of christology as well as its ethics and social impact in Latin America. His main point is... Read more

Coming this August: Michael Bird and Nijay Gupta, Philippians (NCBC; ed. Ben Witherington; Cambridge: CUP, 2020). In this commentary, Michael Bird and Nijay Gupta situate Paul’s letter to the Philippians within the context of his imprisonment as well as the Philippians’ situation of suffering and persecution. Paul draws the Philippians’ attention to the power and progress of the gospel in spite of difficult circumstances. He also warns them about the dangers of rival Christian groups who preach out of poor motives... Read more