Spirituality According to John: Abiding in Christ in the Johannine Writings
Spirituality According to John: Abiding in Christ in the Johannine Writings. By Rodney R. Reeves. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press 2021. 280 pp. Paper, $28.00. Rodney Reeves has a PhD in NT from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a lifelong Southern Baptist. He is a gifted communicator and uses a number of stories and […]
A Guide to Theological Reflection: A Fresh Approach for Practical Ministry Courses and Theological Field Education
A Guide to Theological Reflection: A Fresh Approach for Practical Ministry Courses and Theological Field Education. By Jim L. Wilson and Earl Waggoner. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020. 192 pp. Paper, $18.99. Wilson and Waggoner have written a welcome guide to theological reflection for Evangelicals. The book is divided into two sections: the first presents […]
Practical Faith & Active Love: Meditations on the Epistle to James
Practical Faith & Active Love: Meditations on the Epistle to James. By Joel W. Huffstetler. Berkeley, CA: The Apocryphile Press. 2020. 109 pp. Paper, $16.95. Joel Huffstetler is an Episcopal priest. This book originally caught my eye because I was curious as to how somebody from his background would interpret the book of James. Most […]
Put on the Armor of God: A Corporate or Individual Command?
Kenneth W. Yates EDITOR Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society I. INTRODUCTION In Eph 6:11, Paul exhorts his readers to “put on the whole armor of God.” In 6:13 he repeats the command, even though he uses a different but synonymous verb. These are the only times in the NT where believers are commanded to […]
My Vertical Neighborhood: How Strangers Became a Community
My Vertical Neighborhood: How Strangers Became a Community. By Lynda MacGibbon. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2021. 160 pp. Paper, $17.00. We are all surrounded by neighbors, but how do you get to know them? In My Vertical Neighborhood, former journalist Lynda MacGibbon tells the story of moving from rural New Brunswick to take a job […]
Different Meanings of Salvation in Five New Testament Books: Part 2
Robert Wilkin Associate Editor Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society I. INTRODUCTION In part 1, we considered the use of sōtēria and sōzō in Philippians, James, and Romans. In the second and final installment, we will consider the uses of sōtēria in the Thessalonian Epistles and in Hebrews. II. THREE USES OF SŌTĒRIA IN 1-2 […]
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. By Robert Alter. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018. 3500 pp. Hardcover, $125.00. Christian interpreters of the OT run into two common struggles when reading the OT. The first is the tendency to read our Christian perspective into passages where it is not warranted. The […]
The Table of the Lord, Part 3
Eric Svendsen1 I. THE MEANING OF “TO BREAK BREAD” The meal instituted by Jesus for His church goes by a variety of titles in the NT, including Lord’s Supper and Agape. Another designation is “the breaking of bread.” It eventually came to refer to the meal proper, at least in Christian circles. There is general […]
Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew
Five Things Theologians Wish Biblical Scholars Knew. By Hans Boersma. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021. 152 pp. Paper, $15.59. Boersma is a deacon in the Anglican church. In general terms, a Biblical scholar is seen in the book as one who uses historical-grammatical exegesis to find the authorial intent of the Biblical author. He […]
We Believe in: Sanctification
Arthur L. Farstad1 (1935-1998) But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Pet 1:15-16). I.INTRODUCTION Blue-eyed British monk Pelagius (ca. AD 360-420) taught that if we should, we can. Denying original sin, he made grace essentially […]