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The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) © 2007 Eerdmans 698 pages Tsumura’s entry in Eerdman’s NICOT commentary series is strong. Here is where it’s most useful: Ancient Hebrew: The core of this commentary is Tsumura’s ability to bring out the meaning of the original language. Interconnections within the text [...]

Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship © 1995 Eerdmans 105 pages Proper Confidence is the fruit of a lifetime. Lesslie Newbigin’s bio blurb describes him as “an internationally esteemed British missionary, pastor, apologist, theologian, and ecumenical statesman.” In this book, published three years before his death, he described his vision of true [...]

The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium © 1998 Galilee: Random House 224 pages The Powers that Be is a digest of Wink’s Trilogy on the Principalities and Powers. After years of seeing Wink’s name curiously sprinkled through the footnotes of other books I’ve read, I finally decided to read him for myself. [...]

Allah: A Christian Response © 2011 HarperCollins 326 pages I want to believe him—I tried to believe him. In the end, Volf himself offered the argument (in order to refute it) that convinced me. Let me rewind. My friend Brian Lachine pointed out that Volf always tells you precisely what he’s going to argue before [...]

A Better Hope: Resources for a Church Confronting Capitalism, Democracy, and Postmodernity © 2000 Brazos Press: Baker Book House 288 pages A Better Hope was my first introduction to Stanley Hauerwas, and I’m sure it will prove to be the start of a long fruitful journey. In this audaciously subtitled book, Hauerwas has collected 14 [...]

The Subversion of Christianity © 1986 Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley Eerdmans 212 pages Ellul’s Subversion is a compelling and challenging read. It’s challenging because Ellul was a French Christian-anarchist with a thorough grasp of church history. He often addresses situations and theological issues that are opaque to the modern Western reader. It’s compelling due to [...]

Key Questions about Christian Faith: Old Testament Answers © 2010 Baker Academic 345 pages John Goldingay is one of our time’s leading Old Testament scholars. To oversimplify his method, Goldingay prefers to allow the text to dictate its own needs and concerns, rather than to read modern questions and worldviews back into scripture (in contrast [...]

Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible © 2006 InterVarsity Press 313 pages It’s always difficult to write a review for a book that didn’t live up to your expectations. This is the third book I’ve read in the NSBT series. After devouring Beale’s brilliant survey of the Temple motif [...]

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper © 2011 Doubleday Religion 240 pages Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is a fascinating, meaty-yet-readable book on the Last Supper. Pitre takes Jesus’ Jewishness seriously as he examines just what his Last Supper would look like through [...]

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith © 2011 Image Books: Crown Publishing Group: Random House 291 pages Full disclaimer: I’m a Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada minister (to my US friends, think Assemblies of God) reviewing a book on Catholicism. Still, I read this book with an eager and generous heart. Using the [...]