Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors WJK Press, 400 pages What a marvelous commentary that will go right alongside the popular “Feasting on the Word” series! The nine volumes belong on the pastor’s shelf. Why? Because preaching is crucial to the life of the church, always and especially in turbulent times. A wide variety of teachers, preachers and scholars bring the depth of the Scriptures into conversation and connection with both Word and world. The biblical texts for each Sunday are interpreted within the context of the whole canon as well as the world to which they speak. The preacher looking for a path forward that takes both Word and world seriously will find skilled companions in this collection. Imagine being in a lively seminar each week! What’s even better is an added feature of the commentary connecting the Psalms with Scripture and weekly worship. As Barbara Brown Taylor said, “there are diamonds to be discovered each week.” That … [Read more...]
The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis
Alan Jacobs Oxford University Press, New York, 280 pages Amid the horrors of World War II, Christian humanist thinkers came suddenly to see that Christian values were collapsing all around them. Alan Jacobs, a humanities professor at Baylor University, presents the thought of five of these Christian intellectuals: Jacques Maritain, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, W.H. Auden and Simone Weil. Though the war was waged with instruments formed by technology, they came to see it primarily as a spiritual conflict. Auden summarized this perspective best: “The English intellectuals who now cry to Heaven against the evil incarnated in Hitler have no Heaven to cry to: they have nothing to offer and their prospects echo in empty space.” Christian thinkers had long been aware of the challenge posed by modernism, yet it took the shock of a brutal world war – the second in a generation – to force them to come to grips with the reality of a world increasingly based on science and technology. They … [Read more...]
The Hidden Life of Trees
Peter Wohlleben Greystone Books, 288 pages About worship, David Gambrell once said, “I like to think of worship as an organic, dynamic thing — like a tree that is rooted, growing, bearing fruit for the world.” I have no idea whether Gambrell, associate for worship in the PC(USA) Office of Theology, has read “The Hidden Life of Trees,” but doing so would certainly confirm his use of trees when referring to worship. In fact, Peter Wohlleben has opened wide a window on the life of trees that evokes wonder and awe akin to worship. Not worship of trees, of course, but worship of the living God whose presence is made visible in the beauty of creation. Our ancestors in the faith reveled in scientific discovery. This joy is what I experienced reading the author’s description of how trees actually communicate with one another using fungal networks. He goes on to the describe how trees protect themselves by clever use of toxins. I will never look upon the skin of trees – or trees themselves … [Read more...]
Advent for Everyone: Luke (A Daily Devotional)
N.T. Wright WJK Press, 128 pages Advent, like Lent, provides a structure for the focused attention of a daily devotional. It’s common for people to use these seasons in a special way, either alone or with a small group. N.T. Wright brings his usual historical and exegetical skills to bear on the Gospel of Luke in a pastorally thoughtful and accessible manner. On the one hand, there is a candid acknowledgment that Advent for most people is preparation for Christmas. Accordingly, he brings forward the history of Israel’s yearning for a Messiah and the various Scriptures that provide the background for the fulfillment of this yearning in the coming of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Wright doesn’t neglect the more difficult “Second Advent,” which puzzles and makes some people very uncomfortable. Holding the first and second Advent in creative tension is not easy. But Wright is an experienced pastor and a scholar who does this as well as anyone. Each Sunday of Advent receives … [Read more...]
Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World
Christopher de Hamel Penguin Press, 640 pages. Reviewed by Karen R. Dukes Many experts have attempted to write about their field of interest for a wide audience, with greater or lesser success. In “Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts,” de Hamel invites us to share his love of ancient handcrafted books. He takes us with him as he sits down with 12 stellar manuscripts and “interviews” them, as a journalist might interview 12 people who have lived long and interesting lives. The author’s extensive career at Sotheby’s, and his former position of librarian of the Parker Library in Corpus Christi College at Cambridge, have given him both knowledge of and access to these valuable and fragile manuscripts. He describes his visits with these books in detail — from his arrival at the library or museum where each is housed, meeting staff members and the particulars of the book’s creation, history and physical appearance. Each book is given its own chapter, in chronological order, beginning … [Read more...]
The Forgotten Books of the Bible: Recovering the Five Scrolls for Today
Robert Williamson Jr. Fortress Press, 179 pages Reviewed by Teri Peterson As a parish minister, I am always on the lookout for materials that will help me teach and preach. It is rare to find a book that is intellectually rigorous while also resonating with our contemporary context, and even more rare to find one that combines those qualities with accessibility. “The Forgotten Books of the Bible” does this beautifully. In this one slim volume, we have been gifted an insightful commentary on the Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Lamentations and Ecclesiastes. The structure of the book makes it easy to navigate, as each chapter is roughly two parts. The first half is commentary on the book under consideration. In many ways it reads like a traditional commentary, giving historical context, quoting verses, exploring the Hebrew and offering a bit of text-critical analysis. Yet sprinkled throughout are witty turns of phrase and little gems that will make this easy to read even for those … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 149
- Next Page »
Tweet With Us
Be A Facebook Fan
Our World in Photos
Pin With Us