Book Review: The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel

The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God.

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Book Review: The People, The Land, and The Future of Israel: Israel and the Jewish People in the Plan of God by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser, Editors.

Replacement Theology (the doctrine that the Church has forever replaced Israel) has been described by some as a cancer in Christian theology; this book is a scholarly attempt to bring a biblical perspective on that an other very important issues that have to do with Israel’s past, present, and future in the plan of God.

I could not recommend this book highly enough. Get it, read it, live it! It is time for the church of Christ to come to a balanced and biblical view of Israel. Too much speculation and false ideas, along with a lack of biblical understanding have twisted our Israelology and turned it into a caricature.

Will you agree with everything in the book? No. I know I didn’t. Also, as usual in a book of this type, some chapters are better written than others. Truly, though, some are gems and have done an outstanding job in the allotted space for their subject. The questions at the end of each chapter are excellent and help one benefit from the content a whole lot more than usual. Plus, the video links help one come into “conversation” with the authors. The book is worth (almost) every penny.

The one negative for me is the unfortunate use of endnotes instead of footnotes. The book is an academic treatment of the subjects; academics love FOOTNOTES (yes, that information should be at the bottom of the page, ready and immediately accessible). We have to see where they got their information, we want to read what other related information is available. We DO NOT like to hunt for that information pages later, and it is a pain having two different places in the book open at all times. PUBLISHERS: If you intend the book to be academic, please do not use endnotes. Thank you very much.

4/5

Disclosure: The book was received for free from Kregel Academic & Ministry review program. The program does not require a positive review, only a truthful one.

Book Review: Blessed are the Balanced: A Seminarian’s Guide to Following Jesus in the Academy

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Book Review: Blessed are the Balanced: A Seminarian’s Guide to Following Jesus in the Academy

By Paul E. Pettit and R. Todd Mangum

Many students seeking an academic degree in theology are not blessed, like me, with a wife that constantly and lovingly reminds him that there should be a daily time when the books are put on hold in order to have some family time (or you have dismissed the importance of her gentle nagging). This book will fill that need in your life. Not only does it remind us of the need to give our minds some rest, and our hearts some nurturing in the presence of our beloved families; but most importantly, it helps us bring to mind the whole reason we are pursuing academic excellence: to glorify Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Keeping our personal relationship with God aflame with passion, as we seek to know His Word better through academic learning, is something that should not be forgotten; otherwise, we will doom our very souls.

The book engages your attention, by appealing to your keen mind (especially if you’ve already learned some Greek and Hebrew); it also gives real-life illustrations to drive a point home. The authors do not forget to remind us of the beauty of humility, and the value of having a servant’s heart.

I know you are busy, but trust me: you want to read this book. It is brief, pulls no punches, and goes directly to the point. Take it with you to a park early on Saturday, read it, and come home with a fresh perspective on your calling to the higher learning endeavor.

4/5 Stars

Disclosure: The book was received for free from Kregel Academic book review program. The program does not require a positive review, only an unbiased one.

Book Review: Apostle of the Last Days: The Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul by C. Marvin Pate

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­Apostle of the Last Days: The Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul by C. Marvin Pate

Book Review:

C. Marvin Pate is a well-known name in New Testament Theology, particularly in eschatology; having written and edited other books on the subject, this time he focuses his attention on Paul’s eschatology.

Pate rejects the New Perspective on Paul being advocated of late by some important Pauline theologians (e.g. N.T. Wright, Jamed D.G. Dunn) and opts for the traditional view. Because that view is highly controversial and is making big waves in contemporary Paul studies, a more detailed refutation of their basic convictions would have enriched Pate’s book.

Having in mind that Paul lived in a time where Greco-Roman culture and Jewish Theology were the “locations” where Christianity was born, Pate seeks to find a place of reconciliation between the vacuity of “realized eschatology” (a la Preterism) and the politically invested “consistent eschatology” (totally futuristic). The Bible seems to favor an “already/not yet” eschatology, especially in light of the reality of a first and second coming of Jesus. The term used to describe it is “inaugurated eschatology;” a middle-of-the-road view that takes into account both sets of Scriptures used selectively by the other two positions.

The many tables present to elucidate Pate’s views are a testament to the amount of work invested in preparing the book, although the inclusion of an annotated bibliography would have made the book immensely more valuable for Pauline research. Others will also miss an index of topics covered in the book.

A word of caution: It is somewhat problematic to use eschatology as the hermeneutical lens through which one reads Paul’s theology, and it may lead to selective use of evidence rather than an all-encompassing theological exploration of Paul’s convictions. Pate does his best to avoid this pitfall but readers may disagree on the level of his success/failure to do so.

The book packs a punch and is recommended as a decent theological primer to Pauline eschatology.

4/5 Stars

Disclosure: The book was received for free from Kregel Academic & Ministry book review program. The program does not require a positive review, only a truthful one.