Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Andy Naselli

What Is the Message of Each Book of the Bible?

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I’m teaching a course at Bethlehem College & Seminary this fall to second-year seminary students called “New Testament Background and Message.” We are systematically working through the NT, and prior to each time we meet for class the students must summarize the theological message of a NT book in one clear, concise sentence. Then they must briefly unpack that sentence by showing how the book’s themes support that message. (And it takes a lot of work to do that well!)

NIVPBIt frustrates me when books and articles discuss the “theology” of a Bible book by presenting a bucket list of parallel motifs but without showing how they integrate as one coherent theological message. So I was delighted to see that the new NIV Proclamation Bible (ed. Lee Gatiss; cf. publisher page and 40-second video) includes a one-sentence summary of the message of every book of the Bible.

I disagree with many of these one-sentence summaries (which are rather uneven), but it’s still helpful to consider how others articulate the messages. These are from the introduction to each book of the Bible:

[Read more…] about What Is the Message of Each Book of the Bible?

Four Views on the Historical Adam

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adamThis debate-book releases on December 10:

Matthew Barrett and Ardel B. Caneday, eds. Four Views on the Historical Adam. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. 288 pp.

I read an uncorrected proof of the book, so I won’t quote from it. But I’m happy to relay that it’s stimulating (as Counterpoints volumes usually are).

The book has three sections: [Read more…] about Four Views on the Historical Adam

The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts

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greenThis 640-page handbook is worth adding to your library:

Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald, eds. The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013.

You can view the contents and contributors via Amazon’s “look inside” feature.

Related:

  1. Is ‘Background Information’ Ever Necessary to Understand the Bible?
  2. Extracanonical Jewish Literature That Is Significant for NT Studies
  3. The Importance of Extracanonical Jewish Literature for NT Studies

 

Two New Church History Surveys by My Former Seminary Professors

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Two of my seminary church history professors wrote textbooks that released this fall:

Beale1 Beale2 woodbridge

  1. David Beale. Historical Theology in-Depth: Themes and Contexts of Doctrinal Development Since the First Century. 2 vols. [Volume 1 | Volume 2] Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 2013. 532 + 505 pp. (“Look inside” here and here.)
  2. John D. Woodbridge and Frank A. James III. Church History, Volume 2: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day; The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. 864 pp. 25-page PDF sample. (This is the sequel to Everett Ferguson’s volume 1.)

David Beale taught me at Bob Jones University, and John Woodbridge taught me at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. [Read more…] about Two New Church History Surveys by My Former Seminary Professors