Part One God is not, in any of the great theistic traditions, merely some rational agent, external to the order of the physical universe, who imposes some kind of design upon an otherwise inert and mindless material order. He is not some discrete being somewhere out there, floating in the great beyond, who fashions nature in accordance with rational laws upon which he is dependent. Notice that Hart has in mind the general consensus among theistic religions about God, not …
Category: Book Reviews
Review of Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology, by Andreas J. Kostenberger & Richard D. Patterson, Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, hdbk, 891 pp This large volume has already positioned itself as a premier textbook for hermeneutics for evangelicals. The authors; one an OT commentator, and one a NT commentator, have put a lot of thought into their production. The publisher has produced an attractive, well planned volume. But why buy this book over …
Gary V. Smith, Interpreting the Prophetic Books: An Exegetical Handbook, Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2014, pbk, 214 pages. This book by a recognized expert on the Prophetic literature serves as a competent introduction to the topic. It is well arranged and readable. The beginning grad student is always kept in mind. Smith includes useful information even for those familiar with the field. The first chapter covers style, genre and parallelism, etc. The author’s illustrations of parallelism in the Prophets is …
A review of David Bentley Hart, The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss, Yale University Press, 2013, 376 pages, paperback. Among the most learned and entertaining, if not sometimes infuriating writers on the theological scene today is David Bentley Hart. He is the author of such notable books as The Doors of the Sea, The Beauty of the Infinite, and Atheist Delusions. Alongside this is his impressive portfolio of articles (in particular for First Things). His ‘Christ or Nothing’, ‘Laughter …
A review of Duane A. Garrett, A Commentary on Exodus, Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2014, 741 pages This latest commentary to be released by Kregel comes from the veteran commentator Duane Garrett of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Garrett is known for contributing solid works on Hosea and Joel, Amos, and several commentaries on Wisdom Books. He is known for his balanced approach and careful exegesis. This new work on the Book of Exodus helps to maintain his standards. Kregel’s Exegetical …
Thought I would write a quick post on some of the books I think are important acquisitions for a Christian’s library. If you don’t yet have them (and in some cases, if you can get them), you should try to acquire them. The list is somewhat eclectic and does not pander to what’s new, although some new titles were deliberately included. This is not a Top Ten list, but all the books are, in my opinion, must haves. 1. Systematic …
Review of The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel, edited by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2014, 349 pages. The book under review is the result of a conference that was held in New York in support of the special place of Israel in the Scriptures. Seventeen contributors put forth various articles under the headings of New Testament, Old Testament, Hermeneutics, Theology & Church History, and Practical Theology. A Forward is provided by …
I’ve posted a short review of what I think is a good Bible overview at the TELOS Ministries website: http://www.telosministries.com/review-of-telling-gods-story-by-preben-vang-terry-g-carter/ …
{This is part of a chapter by chapter critique of this book at SharperIron] Before foraying into the New Testament, where he seems to think he will find justification for his views, Matthew Vines attempts to deal with “The Abominations of Leviticus.” He does not deal with the relevant texts by doing contextual exegesis or theological formulation; instead he takes a more indirect route around Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Basically his approach is to relativize the Old Testament law by …
When some one says that they want you to take them at their word, what exactly do you think they mean? I think your answer would be that they want you to trust what they are saying. But what is it about what they are saying that you are supposed to trust? The Collins English Dictionary defines it as: to assume that someone means, or will do, what he or she says ⇒ when he told her to go, she …
