I’m reading some political philosophy these days and I’m coming across books that really do say that the state should be allowed to force people to change their religious beliefs. How on earth did it come to this? In my mind, the political left is no longer characterized by a broad and inclusive platform, but by an increasingly radical social progressivism. While social progressive politicians and parties are far from monolithic, generally speaking, they are economically socialist, tend towards authoritarianism,... Read more

The Deal On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther sent the Ninety-five Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz. In remembrance of this important day, Zondervan Academic is running a special Reformation Week eBook sale October 31 – November 6. Readers can save up to 77% on titles including the following: –       What Christians Ought To Believe by Michael Bird (sale price $9.99) –       Pilgrim Theology by Michael Horton –       Shaped by the Gospel by Tim Keller –       Finally Free by Heath Lambert –      ... Read more

The latest issue of ExpT includes some good articles on 1 Corinthians, including one by my former PhD student David Wenkel on “Kingship and Thrones for All Christians: Paul’s Inaugurated Eschatology in 1 Corinthians 4–6.”  Here’s the blurb: The central argument presented here is that 1 Corinthians 4–6 reflects a single eschatological vision of the identity of the Corinthians. This single vision works itself out in two separate references as Paul addresses them as both ‘kings’ and ‘judges’. This conclusion... Read more

See the plenary by N.T. Wright at a conference on Christians and Media, it was on Church, Media, and Public Life in a Post-Rational World. Here’s my favourite quote from the talk. As long as the countries of the Enlightenment could keep the rest of the world at bay, sending the occasional gun-boat to sort out the natives or the more frequent cargo ship to bring back diamonds, emeralds and amethysts, sandalwood and cedarwood and sweet white wine, we could... Read more

Just read a great article by Oliver Crisp (Fuller Seminary) for a version of the “incarnation anyway” argument, i.e. even if Adam and Eve had not sinned, the incarnation would have happened. Crisp concludes: The aim of this paper has been to commend one particular incarnation-anyway argument, namely, the christological union account. If the christological union account is on target, then union withGod – a fundamental aim of creation – is not merely a matter of redemption from sin. It... Read more

Okay, I have a free copy of An Anomalous Jew to give away to one of the persons who gets ALL the right answers to the following questions: 1. Paul was born in: a. Jerusalem b. Antioch c. Tarsus d. Rome 2. Paul dictated Romans to … a. Tertius b. Timothy c. Phoebe d. Luke 3. Paul’s self-description “I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin” comes from: a. Phil 3:5 b. Rom 11:1... Read more

My new book, An Anomalous Jew: Paul among Jews, Greeks, and Romans (Eerdmans) is now out and available for purchase! Only $16.66! Let me explain why I think this book will interest folks into Pauline studies: The introduction gives a fresh overview of discussions in scholarship about how Paul was Jewish, with a review ranging from Markus Barth to Francis Watson. Then, in Salvation in Paul’s Judaism I discuss how continuous and discontinuous Paul’s soteriology was with Judaism; or how I came to a post-NPP perspective. In Paul,... Read more

I’ve just heard word that Dr. John Kutsko, Executive Director of SBL, has written to InterVarsity Press, informing them that there is a proposal to temporarily suspended IVP from hosting a book stall at the annual convention in Boston in 2017 pending advisement from the executive committee and AAR (who can ratify or reject the proposal). The objection of SBL is that IVCF’s employee policy requires subscription to a document called “Theological Summary of Human Sexuality,” which in SBL’s mind... Read more

Right now my eBook on Romans (#SGBC) is 64% off going for $8.99: http://bit.ly/2epiGcS  This deal disappears end of day Oct. 21. Read more

I just saw that Markus Bockmuehl’s volume Ancient Apocryphal Gospels is soon to be out. I’ve read some parts of it and it really is good. In particular, I like Bockmuehl’s notion of some apocryphal Gospels and fragments as “para-textual” rather than “apocryphal” or “heterodox” as categories. It will be one to get, probably not available at SBL, but out in the new year. In this reader-friendly guide, Markus Bockmuehl offers a sympathetic account of the ancient apocryphal Gospel writings, showing... Read more