Baptist history is one of my research interests, having grown up Baptist. My great-grandparents ministered in the German Baptist movement in the U.S. and Canada. I’m exploring what my spiritual heritage reveals about evangelical movements within different cultural contexts. The German Baptists in North America (1924), by Albert John Ramaker, is the first book in […]
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I grew up on missionary stories. My bookshelf was full of them, and they inspired my dreams that, one day, I would follow in the footsteps of these godly heroes. Foreign mission work was a rare avenue open to women in my conservative Christian world, and I had no doubt God had called me to
A Leopard Tamed by Eleanor Vandevort Read More »
Occasionally, the internet yields good fruit, and one of those is the opportunity to meet different sorts of people we would never encounter otherwise, especially if they live overseas. The digital world introduced me to Rev. David Runcorn, a retired Anglican priest in the UK. We recently learned of each other’s work and connected via
Playing in the Dust by David Runcorn Read More »
At first, I didn’t want to watch The Book of Clarence (2023). A hasty glance at the description made me assume the film would regurgitate low budget movies on the life of Jesus. But my spouse thought it looked intriguing, so we watched it. And I’m glad we did. The film is thought-provoking and creative,
The Book of Clarence by Jeymes Samuel Read More »
When two different friends on the same day recommended Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, I immediately bought the book. Not only because it came recommended, but also because the title was calling my name. I have a love/hate relationship with social media and other tech. Social media, particularly, has caused
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Read More »
Have you seen the movie Noah starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly? Given my interest in Old Testament reception history, I could not pass it up. How would two Jewish men today interpret this flood story? The Genesis account itself is a product of unique Israelite interpretation of a common ancient Near Eastern narrative. The
Noah by Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel Read More »
I recently read Christian Smith’s book The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture (2012) published by Brazos Press. It critiques a form of biblical interpretation that too often treats the Bible in a wooden and rule book fashion, thereby diminishing the richness of Scripture. Having grown up in
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How do we make sense of difficult passages in the Bible? What about the violence or apparent contradictions? Peter Enns addresses these concerns in his book The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It. Enns is concerned that instead of honest engagement with Scripture some Christian thinkers make
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Numerous books have been published in recent years addressing challenging passages in the Old Testament. Many of them have focused on the Israelite conquest of Canaan, while others discuss a palette of “problems.” In this post I review three books that engage these challenges. I especially consider how they handle violence in the Old Testament.
Three Reviews: Ethics and Old Testament Violence Read More »
One of my research interests, and one I am currently writing on for publication for Eerdmans, is the origins, nature, and useful interpretation of Scripture. Well, I guess that is more like three research interests! But I like to contemplate them together, as they intertwine. Origins helps us to know what the Bible is and
Divine Scripture in Human Understanding by Joseph Gordon Read More »
John Webster provides a helpful contribution to the discussion on the inspiration of the Bible in Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch. He provides a much needed look at the role of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology) that is missing in some of the discussions on the nature of Scripture. Webster roots his views of Scripture in
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In Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament. Peter Enns proposes an incarnational model for understanding how the Bible was inspired by God. Just as Jesus is 100% divine and 100% human, so also the Bible is both divine and human (17). Jesus was “God with us.” Even though he is
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