Dru Johnson The Universal Story: Genesis 1-11 (Transformative Word Series) Lexham Press March 7, 2018 Available at Amazon.com Reviewed by Lynsey Stepan Dru Johnson captivates his readers by highlighting the fact that Gen. 1­­—11 appeals to humanity’s biggest questions. He lists questions that modern readers bring to the text such as: How does evolution fit in the Biblical creation narrative? Why is Noah’s family portrayed so negatively? Further he cautions readers that a text from the Ancient Near East (ANE)... Read more

Aimee Byrd Why Can’t We Be Friends: Avoidance is Not Purity Philipsburg: P&R, 2018. Available at Amazon.com Fresh from her takedown of Trinity and marital subordination, the latest offering from Aimee Byrd (aka, The Housewife Theologian) is about male and female relationships. In an age of pastoral sex scandals, #MeToo, and #ChurchToo, is following the Billy Graham Rule (where men don’t dine alone with women other than their wives), the only game in town concerning how Christians can have platonic relationships... Read more

Mark Brett from the University of Divinity has a great video on “Settler Colonialism and Freedom of Religion” where he talks about the use of the exodus narrative by religious pilgrims to America and other European colonies, its negative impact upon indigenous populations, and how Roger Williams, a Baptist, was an exception who objected to the use of state power to enforce religious uniformity and the exploitation of first peoples. “The exodus story supported colonial aspirations for religious freedom, but... Read more

My Logos Mobile course on The History of Heresy is now available for purchase through Faithlife. You can a preview here and here. I originally wanted to call the course “Heretics-R-US: From the Judaizers to Joel Osteen,” but that would be too controversial, because, you know, Paul’s opponents were not really judaizers – only Gentiles strictly can judaize – better to call them proselytizers. Any ways, here is the outline. Course Outline Introduction Introducing the Speaker and the Course Unit 1: What... Read more

Ian Paul Revelation TNTC; Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2018. Available at IVP Ian Paul has written a fantastic intermediate commentary on Revelation as part of the reboot of the Tyndale commentary series under the editorship of Eckhard Schnabel. Paul has done a good job of writing a commentary on one of the hardest books of the NT to write a commentary on that is informed and yet not bogged down in detail, so it’s readable and useful to students and pastors.... Read more