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The end. Phew. In once sense I’m relieved that this epic study of Paul is finished. On the other hand, I suspect I’ll have to pick up another book by Dunn shortly. His formula of scholarship + passion + lucid writing is perfect. Here in the last chapter we’re going to wrap up the study [...]

Web © 1979 Penguin (1980) 141 pages Web is a posthumously published novel by one of the last century’s greatest science fiction writers: John Wyndham. Like his more famous works (i.e. The Chrysalids, The Day of the Triffids), Web rides the line between science fiction and horror—this time swerving more towards horror. Lord Foxfield was [...]

In a Church or community where only ecclesiastical officials rather than all the members of the community are active, there is grave reason to wonder whether the Spirit has not been sacrificed along with the spiritual gifts. —Hans Küng, Church, 187 in James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, 598.

I remember sitting in Pastoral Theology classes back in Bible College. The professor would offer a case study of a situation that was far from black-and-white, and we naive students would offer a solid answer. I learned then that the application of principles is a complex art. Now that we’ve studied Paul’s ethical principles, it’s [...]

Colossians and Philemon © 1986 Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Eerdmans 192 pages Long before the massive Christian Origins and the Question of God, long before “The Right Reverend Father in God, by Divine Providence Lord Bishop of Durham”, we had N. T. Wright, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey. While some the later themes of Wright’s [...]

The psalmist doesn’t try to explain evil. He doesn’t try to minimize evil. He simply says he will not fear evil. For all the power that evil has, it doesn’t have the power to make him afraid. —Frederick Buechner, “The Clown in the Belfry” in Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons, 128.

I’ve been been using BibleWorks for a couple weeks now. I’ll admit, there is a bit of a learning curve. The screen is divided into 2-4 columns (default: 3) with many tabs in the right “analysis” tab. Add a whole row of custom icons across the top and you’ve got a pretty intimidating UI. Here [...]

Interpreting Martin Luther: An Introduction to His Life and Thought © 2008 Regent College Publishing 345 pages Interpreting Martin Luther is a seminary course converted into a book. Each of the twelve chapters correspond to the twelve classroom lectures in the semester. Having taken the course from the author a little less than a decade [...]

Scripture is the only book which is essential to our engagement with Christ, but reading Scripture is not the same as engaging Christ; the book is not a substitute for a personal engagement with the living Savior. —Victor Shepherd, Interpreting Martin Luther: An Introduction to His Life and Thought, 246.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen © 2009 Vintage: Random House 287 pages “It simply makes you want to run.” I bought this book because of that blurb from Outside Magazine on the inside of the cover.  They’re absolutely right. After all the chapters are [...]