Category Archives: Bible Reading

JONATHAN EDWARDS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

George Marsden is widely considered one of the best living historians of American Christianity, if not the best. 

This is Marsden’s third book on Jonathan Edwards. His big biography won the prestigious Bancroft Prize.

In this book, Marsden gives us an Edwards for our own time. We perhaps find an unlikely partner in Edwards for helping to navigate our present time, but Marsden makes a compelling case that the 18th century clergyman has much to offer us.

Among other things, Edwards’s love of beauty and the natural world are simply stunning. They are chalked full of implications for how we see the world today.

Whether you know much or little about Edwards, An Infinite Fountain of Light is a terrific read.

REVELATION FOR THE REST OF US

It is wonderful that Scot McKnight is inviting others to collaborate with him on certain writing projects. Scot wrote the popular book called Tov with his daughter and he has brought folks in on a variety of projects. In this particular case, Scot teams up with Cody Matchett. Such apprenticeship, especially by an established scholar, is most encouraging.

In lieu of a typical book review, I like to depart at times from that format and list a handful of insights or implications that I appreciated most from my reading. Here we go…

*Years ago, I remember thinking if the blessing at the beginning of Revelation (1:3) is true, then the book can’t be too difficult to understand. It didn’t make sense that Revelation would be impossible to understand and at the same time say, “Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (Emphasis mine) Frankly, it would be cruel if God instructed us to obey a book that is beyond our comprehension.

The authors do a terrific job of showcasing that Revelation’s meaning is clear and that its message is indeed life-giving. I should add that Revelation being “clear” is not at odds with the need to read carefully, something the authors greatly help us with.

*I regularly call our country “speculation nation.” We live in a toxic time where many of us drink a deadly cocktail of ignorance and arrogance. We may not know much, but others better listen to us!

Revelation for the Rest of Us consistently and winsomely reminds us to steer away from speculation. And speculation is big business for the book of Revelation! Instead, McKnight and Matchett model an attractive form of attentively listening to the text and locating the gems that are hiding in plain sight.

*If one appreciates the history of the church, then one can’t help but be a bit suspicious that a certain dispensational reading of Revelation is correct. What about Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestant denominations who disagree? What about the recency of dispensationalism? Dallas Theological Seminary is one of the seminaries I attended. Even there it was admitted that dispensational was recent.

Revelation for the Rest of Us should cause many to reconsider whether a dispensational reading is accurate.

*Speaking of history there are several terrific insights from both the ancient context and some from the more recent past. These do a good job of illuminating Revelation. For example, there is Tacitus talking about Nero and from the more recent past, Howard Thurman reflecting insightfully reflecting on Negro spirituals.

*There are helpful reflections on how to apply the book of Revelation in the most practical ways imaginable. The authors help us to understand the big picture of this book which offers great motivation to apply it to the details of our life. Lives, as the authors say so well, embodied as dissident disciples.

*What are you expecting from reading the book of Revelation? A decoder ring to tell you how various symbols point to things in our own day? If that approach has led you to a veritable cul-de-sac, then Revelation for the Rest of Us will offers much clarity and sanity.

David George Moore is that author most recently of Stuck in the Present: How History Frees and Forms Christians.

Stuck in the Present: How History Frees and Forms Christians: David George Moore, Carl Trueman: 9781684264605: Amazon.com: Books

 

 

 

ENJOYING THE BIBLE

Matthew Mullins has written a terrific book. Mullins teaches English and the history of ideas at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

The subtitle offers a better feel for what Mullins is seeking to do: Literary Approaches to Loving the Scriptures. Mullins deftly shows how the ability to read and appreciate poetry makes one a better reader of Scripture. After all, the Bible is not all prose. There is much poetry. 

Enjoying the Bible is an extremely well-written and motivating account of how to better read the Bible. 

Those who have little understanding of how genre functions may be stretched a bit but carefully working through Enjoying the Bible will be well worth the effort.

THE MAKING OF BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD

Along with the book, Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, these books raise a number of concerns about the biblical basis for the so-called complementarian position of men and women.

The Making of Biblical Womanhood does a good job of raising questions about how the social mores of one’s time influence the way one reads the Bible. Barr provides some interesting examples, especially from her area of expertise: the Medieval period.

All of us must wrestle honestly with how much our views are influenced by the socio-historic context (our own and previous periods) in assessing whether our views are consistent with the biblical record. This is a life-long process and one all of us will receive plenty of correction on in the next life! If Paul saw through a “mirror dimly” then we ought to be more circumspect about how clearly we see, especially with respect to the issues that thoughtful Christians disagree on.

This book does not purport to be a work of exegesis. As the good scholar that she is, Barr knows well that her main lane is history. That certainly does not mean that she has nothing of value to offer about the Scriptures. That is patently not the case.

I am in that small group of “left-leaning” complementarians (though I do not like the baggage that comes with the word complementarian). By that descriptor you will know that I didn’t find all of Barr’s arguments persuasive, but I am glad for the things that did make me think afresh about this issue. My own position is that women can teach both men and women as long as it is clear that they are under the authority of the church…something I wish was taken more seriously for men as well! Having heard many men who had no business preaching and teaching, I wish churches would be careful in vetting everyone.

THE NEW TESTAMENT IN ITS WORLD

The New Testament in its World by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird

I typically read 4-6 books at the same time. Being a person of many interests, it fits my personality, and dare I say, my calling.

When one of the books I am reading is long (500 pages plus) and/or technical, I tend to read no more than 5-20 pages at a sitting. It gives me ample time to ponder and scribble my many marginal notes.

One large book (almost 900 pages) I am now finishing is The New Testament in its World by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird. I saw it highly recommended by many I respect so I decided to read it. I am glad that I did. It would fit in the long, but not technical category.

Instead of a traditional book review, let me mention (in no particular order) five things I appreciated about this book:

*Even though this a dual authored book, it is clear and smooth in its presentation.

*It is amply supplied with graphs, timelines, maps, and other visuals that wonderfully augment the text.

*The authors do a terrific job of modeling how history is crucial for the best understanding of the New Testament. My own book, Stuck in the Present, highlights this need.

*Various positions on the different books of the New Testament are offered. The authors are fair and balanced in telling the reader why they hold, or at least lean in one direction.

*There is a good use of both ancient and modern scholarship. This regularly reminds the reader that the Christian faith has a rich history.

Highly recommended!

 

 

READING THE BIBLE IN 2021

Here is a piece I wrote for Christianity Today at the beginning of 2020.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2020/january/reading-bible-fast-and-slow.html

If you read my piece you will see that I intended to do three quick readings of the Bible. That changed pretty early on. I finished the Old Testament, but then got gloriously stuck in some slow reads of a few books in the Bible. 

I have always been comfortable allowing for flexibility as long as my overall goal of regular engagement with the Bible takes place. 

For the past couple of months I have been mulling over and do multiple reads of both Lamentations and Jonah. Since I am putting together mini commentaries for both, I may be gloriously stuck there for some time!

Your “Bible-reading plan for this year” may get modified as mine did last year, but whatever you end up doing, make it a priority to have regular intake of God’s Word. It is always good to plead for God to “open our eyes to behold wonderful things from His Word.” 

 

REPORT: YOUR/MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

Thanks to all of you who were a part of this unscientific, but still revealing poll.

Here is the previous post with all your votes. Below it is the wrap up and a few reflections.

YOUR/MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

Number of people who participated: 46

Top four books listed:

First place: Psalms received 34 votes

Second place: Genesis received 33 votes

Third place: John received 31 votes

Fourth place: Romans received 27 votes

(Over twenty of you listed all three of the top three books: Genesis, Psalms, and John)

Number of books in the Bible included on someone’s list: 56/66

32/39 in OT (missing I Chron., Ezra, Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Haggai, and Malachi)

24/27 in NT (missing II Thess., II and III John)

Most surprising book(s) picked: Tie between Numbers and Zephaniah (But it took two professors to include these books!)

Books picked only one time:

Numbers

II Chronicles (Mrs. Moore)

Lamentations (Only picked by yours truly and I am lamenting that fact!)

Hosea

Amos

Micah

Zephaniah

Zechariah

Titus

Jude

“Brother from another mother” vote: Mark Meynell (a writer and teacher in the UK) was the only other one besides yours truly to include both Ecclesiastes and Habakkuk on his list. May his tribe increase!

Most surprising book(s) not picked: For me, there were no real surprises. I did not expect Nahum or III John to make anyone’s list.

It is a good reminder that the entire Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit but that does not mean that every book of the Bible is equally important/relevant.

And yet, it should be said that there are gems everywhere in Scripture so reading through the whole of the Bible is indispensable for knowing where these may be found.

Some other reflections:

This exercise confirmed to me that a “Reading the Bible Fast and Slow” method is a good one. See my description of that method here: 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2020/january/reading-bible-fast-and-slow.html

I am more convinced than ever that solid growth as a Christian comes from sustained engagement and unhurried reflection on the totality of Scripture.

Having written a commentary on Ecclesiastes I was thrilled by how many put It on their list: fifteen of us!

Another encouragement was seeing how many put I and II Samuel on their lists. These and I and II Kings almost made my own list. Recent meditation on them convinced me even more that they have much to offer.

 

YOUR/MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

I am curious to know the ten, or at most twelve books of the Bible that have made the biggest impact on you. 

Two on my list, and no surprise to many of you, are Ecclesiastes and Habakkuk. I have published a commentary on the former and am hoping to do so with the latter.

My other ten would be: Genesis, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Jonah, John, Acts, and Colossians.

What about you? I would love to know.

I am a big advocate of constantly reading the totality of Scripture, but God moves us in a variety of ways, and some books of the Bible make a bigger impact on us.

Give me your own list.

Only rule is no more than twelve.