Bruce Gore has written a thick book called Historical and Chronological Context of the Bible. Since I’m a student of church history and the Scriptures, I asked the publisher for a complimentary copy (to see what the book was like and how it was written and arranged) in exchange for an interview with the author. The interview is below. What provoked you to write this book? The book was originally written as a textbook for a class in the historical... Read more

The NIV wide margin side-column reference Bible, premium goatskin leather is one of the loveliest Bibles I’ve come across. In fact, it’s the most elegant NIV edition I own. It’s nearly perfect. The layout is amazing. The single column is great for readability. The references in the margin are awesome. The cover is brown and made of goatskin, which is a mark of a premium Bible. The thick paper is excellent. The design and construction is flawless. The opaque paper... Read more

Jeffrey Weima is the author of 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. This commentary, hands down, is the best treatment of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians in print. I caught up with Jeffrey recently to discuss his commentary. Enjoy! How long did it take you to write this commentary from beginning to end? The truth is that I am scared to figure this out with precision, since the number will be unbelievably high! I worked... Read more

The CSB Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, Holman Handcrafted Collection, Premium Goatskin is an elegant Bible. This is a high-end beautiful, well-crafted Bible. The goatskin cover is durable and super soft. The paper, the font, and the format is classic. The verse-by-verse format makes it easy for reading and preaching/teaching. It lays perfectly flat from beginning to end. The cross references and footnotes are located at the right hand and to the bottom of the pages. No pages stuck together, as is... Read more

The ESV Topaz Reference Bible Goatskin Leather, Dark Blue edition published by Cambridge is an amazing Bible. This premium Bible is not only elegant, but the craftsman quality of both the goatskin cover and the construction and printing is peerless. Hands down, this is in the top 3 of all the premium Bibles I own. High quality marks every aspect of it. The typesetting is spaced perfectly, the pages are not too thin but crisp and smooth, and the font... Read more

Several months ago, I met New Testament scholar David deSilva who has been generous with his time in aiding me in my research for the revision and expansion of The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. As part of my research, I’ve been working through many of deSilva’s books. Today I want to feature his superb work Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity. Recently, I was able to catch up with deSilva to talk to him about the book. Enjoy!... Read more

The Book of Acts as Story: A Narrative-Critical Study is a new book by David R. Bauer. Recently, I caught up with David to discuss the book. Enjoy! There are many volumes on Acts in print today, why did you write this one? How is it different from others? The consideration that the Book of Acts is essentially a narrative suggests the value of applying “narrative criticism” to its study.  Yet this has seldom been attempted for the Book of... Read more

In episode #147 of the Christ is All podcast, bestselling Frank Viola gets personal about what the life of an author is like. He also talks firsthand about his premium online training for authors called SCRIBE. Brian Russell (the interviewer) attended the live SCRIBE training (which is now online) and gives his honest reflections. If you are an aspiring or accomplished author, you’ll want to hear this. The interview is only 37 minutes. Listen for Podbean (for Androids) Listen on... Read more

When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus’ Vision by Joseph H. Hellerman (2009) is a book written by a scholar who seeks to present (in a popular way) that the early church functioned like a family and that Christians today ought to capture this same vision. In my 2008 book, Reimagining Church, I devote an entire chapter on the church as family. In it, I point out biblically that the dominating image for the church in the New Testament... Read more

The Pharisees is a new 500-page book edited by Joseph Sievers and Amy-Jill Levine. Note that scholars disagree regarding the specific relationship that the Pharisees had with Jesus in the New Testament as well as their overall disposition. This book favors certain perspectives. And it does a great job in that endeavor. I caught up with the editors to ask them some questions about their robust new volume. Enjoy! What provoked you to write this book and how does it differ from... Read more