Book sale @ Text, Community & Mission

The ever-illuminating Daniel J. Doleys is selling more books than your grandfather's garage could handle.  And all of the prices are about the cost of books circa 1955, so get over there now

(Almost) Free (Michael F.) Bird

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There's a March sale over at cbd.com, where you can nab Michael Bird's 'Are You the One Who Is to Come?' for a sweet price of $3.99.  This book is a fascinating read where its depth and scope go beyond its length (208 pages).

I'm sort of offended that you're still reading this post; you should've bought 4 copies of the book by now.

'Jesus the Temple' Review

Nicholas Perrin's 'Jesus the Temple' is a helpful and thought-provoking book that investigates how Jesus and the early Christian movement related to the Jerusalem temple.  The book sets up the discussion by taking passages from Paul and other early Christian writers where language of the temple is used (1 Cor 3:9-11; 6:16, 19-20), of which Perrin asks where the source of this 'Temple identity' came from.  His answer is Jesus, which he seeks to demonstrate by spending the next 185 pages arguing that Jesus' actions and teachings constituted an alternative temple movement.

For its small size (190 pages +32 pages of references and indices), this book covers a lot of ground.  Perrin sets this book in the midst of debates about the historical Jesus and his relation to Paul and the other New Testament writers (what did Paul know of Jesus?  What continuity is there between Jesus' teachings and the rest of the NT?).  However, the bulk of the book (three of the five chapters) is devoted to Jesus' words and deeds that (in Perrin's mind) ought to be seen as 'Temple acts' (my words, not his).  Let me allow Perrin to speak for himself: "Jesus of Nazareth's most distinctive activities, healings/exorcisms, and meals were public signs that he had reconstituted time, space, and a people around himself, the new convergence of heaven and earth, the new temple" (p 179).

To this reviewer, the most illuminating discussion was on the topic of Jesus and the poor (chapter 4).  Here, Perrin treats the thorny issues of Jesus' teachings on money (the rich young ruler incident, etc.) and how they relate to his temple program.  While trying not to gush too much, I urge scholars and pastors (if I must dichotomize the two) to wrestle with Perrin's understanding of Jesus' poverty ethics. He seeks to go beyond the social justice vs. spiritualizing antithesis, which helps provide a more nuanced understanding of Jesus' view of riches and poverty.

Lastly, historical Jesus scholarship is blessed with not only gifted scholars, but gifted writers as well.  Perrin joins this enviable group, with his consistently clever turns of phrase and penchant for illustrations.  Occasionally his style would impede the clarity of the discussion, but on the whole his style made this book a delight to read and engage with.

Perrin has provided New Testament readers with a fresh perspective on the mission of Jesus that does justice to material in the four gospels.  Those interested in the historical Jesus, New Testament theology, and Jesus' ethics will find plenty of thought-provoking insights here. I hope this book would be widely received, and I cannot wait for the follow up volumes from Perrin.

(NOTE: This was a copy of the review I posted on Amazon.  I'm looking to interact with this book more in later posts)

Hot Readings, part 1

Here's a smattering of things that I've read recently that kicked my butt (in the most delightful way).

In the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, David Instone-Brewer wrote an article on the apostolic letter in Acts 15. He contends that of the four commands in 15:29, the third command (a reference to 'strangling') has to do with the killing of babies and infants, not with animals and dietary customs. He builds his case by culling evidence from intertestamental and rabbinic writings (his area of specialty). A very convincing article on what at first (to me) sounded like a bland topic.




This book has become the most important biblical studies book I have ever read. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This book deals with the questions of why and for whom the Gospel of John written. I'll devote a longer post to it soon, so that I can explain it better and to make my joy complete. All that to say: if you are a deeply-thinking Christian and have a background in biblical studies, read it.

More to come!

Not by might, nor by power, nor by books, but by my Spirit

Okay, I must confess. I am a negligent blogger. It's a sad fact, but that's how it is.


Feels good to get that off my chest. Now onto the post!


Trinity's bookstore had a store-wide 40% off sale. Needless to say, the phrase "book sale" is my bat signal. So I swooped into action, and here are my little treasures:







These two are simple overviews of the past few decades of study on the OT and NT respectfully. They both average around 500 pages, each chapter written by a specialist on their own specialty. Topics covered (to name a few): textual criticism (OT and NT), linguistics (Stanley Porter writes this for the NT edition), historical issues, and each genre/body of writings (Pentateuch, Gospels, etc.). Each chapter is basically a "here's what people are saying about (insert subject), so nothing new is going to be said in these books. Unless anyone wants to do further biblical study or is extremely curious, I can't really recommend this series. But for my purposes I find them quite useful, maybe even invaluable.



This little number comes from a theology conference a few years ago. I'm not sure why I bought it. I have really enjoyed other things I have read by Markus Bockmuehl, and the opportunity to read an essay of his along with essays by Kevin Vanhoozer and N.T. Wright (and many others) pulled me in. From what I gather so far, the book is based on the popular movement (not sure if that is the right word) of 'theological interpretation of scripture.' And this book uses that foundation to investigate how the NT influences and prescribes theology. So I'm curious. Pray that I'll remain orthodox :]



This book comes highly recommended by a fellow blogger and patristics/trinity buff. This is a wonderful textbook that gives brief overviews of the life and writings of a great many church fathers. Since my familiarity with the fathers/early church history is painfully little to none, this is great for me to be able to taste a little bit of information about a lot of people. And if I find something that interests me, the book's massive bibliographies on each entry provide more than enough direction for future study. If you are like me and need a gentle intro to early church history, go here first.



Lastly, I had to pick up another book in Carson's New Studies in Biblical Theology series. And what better volume to buy than 'Thanksgiving' by Dr. David Pao (who is also known as 'my academic adviser'). This volume looks at the uses of thanksgiving language throughout the Bible--especially in Paul (as well as extra-biblical/intertestamental literature), and shows the seriousness of thanksgiving (yes, it is serious thanks!). This book is an easy skim-read (unlike other volumes in this series), and Pao's pastoral sensitivity shines through. If you have ever read anything by Paul, read this. I'm not sure Dr. Pao would like me to say that.

Quickie Book Roundup

Here are some books that have been throwing words at my eyes this semester.






David Clark's To Know and Love God has been one of the most enjoyable reads in recent memory. The book is essentially a book on how to do theology, but it isn't as boring as it sounds. With a theological-philosophical focus, Clark gently takes you through competing ideas about theology, the method, and the difficulties surrounding the study of theology. Clark puts a lot into the 300+ pages. His treatment of doing theology in a globalized context shouldn't be missed. It is focused, broadly-evangelical, gospel and God-centered, understandable, and many other words. Books like these make me like theology again. Please don't miss this one.




It's hard for me to review (if you call what I'm doing a book review) Daniel Migliore's Faith Seeking Understanding. From the get-go, this book is a success. It succeeds at being an up-to-date introduction to the major doctrines of Christian theology. Christology, salvation, God, humanity, it's all there in 439 pages (complete with index, biblical citation list, and a glossary of theological terms!). There's plenty of quotations and interaction with feminists, Roman Catholics, liberationists, and Karl Barth. And them some more Karl Barth. 73 Barth citations is what the index tells me. However, for all this outside (read "non-evangelical") interaction, the book succeeds in being a more liberally-minded text, full of statements and conclusions that one can only agree with in part. Take, for example, this quote from his only paragraph on Hell:

Hell is simply wanting to be oneself apart from God's grace and in isolation from others. Hell is that self-chosen condition in which, in opposition to God's agapic love and the call to a life of mutual friendship and service, individuals barricade themselves from others. It is the hellish weariness and boredom of a life focused entirely on itself. hell is not an arbitrary divine punishment at the end of history. It is not the final retaliation of a vindictive deity. Hell is self-destructive resistance to the eternal love of God. it symbolizes the truth that the meaning and intention of life can be missed.

There is so much I'd like to agree with in this quote, but there's so much that is skewed or unsaid that in the end I have to leave it. This still is a very interesting book, for no other reason than to see what others are saying.




Frank Lambert's Inventing the 'Great Awakening has awakened the sleeping historian within me. This book is written against those who in the past few years have argued that the Great Awakening of the 18th century didn't really happen. They say reports about the awakening were blown out of proportion and used by 19th century revivalists to justify their claims to a revival. So Lambert goes through the historical context of the 18th century colonies and the data to see if the Great Awakening was in fact Great. I'm still in the beginning of this one, and so far I have been blown away by Lambert's clarity and slow treatment of the material. I was intimidated by this book, not being a historian of any stripe, but I am loving it now.

"Many of the restaurants in Valdosta (Georgia) will take a dollar off the price of your Sunday dinner if you can produce a bulletin as proof that you attended church that morning."

-Randall Balmer Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory


This is the best quote I've read all year.

I Love Books...

...because I am a sinner.

I love them because they impress people when they see how many I have.
I love them because they give me information I can use to impress others.
I love them because when I read them I can assert my knowledge and opinions above the author and even rebuke him for his weaknesses.
I love them because I can take the information I want and ignore the wisdom and insight that confronts my sins and shortcomings.
I love books because they can take me away from God.


*Note: This post was not written to attack or convict others who like books. This post is pure autobiographical reflection, intended to display the sins of my heart in one specific area (books). I am also not saying that books are inherently evil; it would be pure, undiluted foolishness to say that--and I don't believe that anyway.