Good quote from Brian Blount about judgment and the lake of fire and sulphur in Revelation 20: “This portrait of God imposing eternal suffering seems as un-Christlike a punishment as imaginable. Yet John is dealing with the twin concepts of justice and mercy/grace. For him, one cannot exist without the other. For the evil that has been perpetrated, there needs to be justice, and he conceives of it in its most undiluted form as eternal suffering in the lake of... Read more
Over at the Church Grammar podcast, Brandon Smith does an interview with Richard Bauckham covering early Christology (7:50), the theology of the Book of Revelation (15:10), the testimony of Jesus’s eyewitnesses (24:37), the city of Magdala (37:15), poetry (46:26), and more. Worth a listen to! Read more
By Elizabeth Webster Why be Anglican and why be ordained? These are the questions that Mike asked me to write on half-yelling across the courtyard at Ridley in a way that only Mike can. They’re good questions, especially when there are so many options out there; but the more that I have spent time being formed in the Anglican Church & the Church of England, the more that I am sure that it is the place that God wants me,... Read more
Ben Myers The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2018. Available at Lexham Press. By Laura Paul Reading Ben Myers, The Apostles’ Creed is a bit like having a conversation with a supremely wise and winsome Christian friend. You know, one of those very rare folk who can speak of truths you’ve heard a million times before, but in such a rich, fresh way that your mind and heart are left longing to know more?... Read more
Paula Fredriksen When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation New Haven, CN: Yale University Press, 2018. Available at YUP. I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since I missed out on picking up this book at SBL 2018 because of a certain unnamed Wipf & Stock editor, who used his privilege on being already within the book exhibits before opening, to go and purchase the last copy on the last day seconds before I got to it! I’ve forgiven... Read more
Now up are a series of videos about Markus Barth, son of the Swiss Theologian Karl Barth, who was great NT Theologian in his own right, from the 2018 Princeton Symposium on Markus Barth. I’ve always admired and enjoyed the work of Markus Barth. He was ahead of the game on so many areas: Paul within Judaism, pistis christou debate, importance of resurrection in the NT, a theology of baptism and the Lords’ Supper, great studies on Ephesians. I lament... Read more
Lewis Ayres gives a great lecture (audio) on “Is Nicene Trinitarianism in the Scriptures,” where he engages with David Yeago, who distinguished between biblical judgment and theological concepts, while pointing out that Nicene theology is an appropriate and coherent reading of Scripture, but its not the only possible reading of Scripture. Lots of interaction with theologians like Ratzinger and De Lubac and even mentions of Tolkien. Read more
There’s been a flurry of books about Christianity and Economics in the last year, including the following: Michael Rhodes and Robby Holt, Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2018). John D. Barry, Jesus’ Economy: A Biblical View of Poverty, the Currency of Love, and a Pattern for Lasting Change (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2019). Michael Barram, Missional Economics: Biblical Justice and Christian Formation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018).... Read more
Sage advice from John Wesley “Do I understand Greek and Hebrew? Otherwise, how can I undertake, as every Minister does, not only to explain books which are written therein but to defend them against all opponents? Am I not at the mercy of everyone who does understand, or even pretends to understand, the original? For which way can I confute his pretense? Do I understand the language of the Old Testament? critically? at all? Can I read into English one... Read more
I’ve been reading an interesting article by Paul Avis, “Lambeth 2020: Conference or Council?” Theology 122.1 (2019): 1-13. Concerning what type of councils is the Lambeth Conference as a decision making body, Avis concludes: If most early councils were largely pragmatic affairs whose decisions lacked executive effect; if they typically searched for consensus rather than always taking divisive majority decisions; if large numbers of bishops absented themselves, even from ‘ecumenical’ councils; if they gave rise to bitter controversy; if Vatican II was... Read more
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