Scribbling Theology:

Category: Book Review

• The Best Books I’ve Read In 2022

  Posted at 11:12 am by Camaron G. W. Smith, on December 31, 2022

  

  The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community by Curt Thompson

  To some people, the desire to be known might not come as a shock. However, God used this book powerfully to expose my innermost desire: to be known by Him and the people around me. Curt Thompson writes poetically, eloquently, with sophistication and depth that only the most artistic neurobiologists could write. Thompson masterfully weaves faith, psychology, and the world’s beauty into a rich and profoundly moving tapestry of transformative meaning for the indigent and broken Christian.

  When Everything’s on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes by Brian Zahnd

  If my Christian journey can be defined by one word for the last few years, that would be deconstruction (and reconstruction). Deconstruction has become increasingly popular lately, and Brian Zahnd is a clear voice through the flames when your faith seems to be burning down around you. Zahnd writes with intelligence, wisdom, and prophetic vigour as he reflects on his journey through the fire while bringing together some of the most critical voices of the past and present. Zahnd encourages the deconstructing Christian to commit to reconstruction and that Jesus is worth clinging to.

  Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe

  Climate change is arguably the biggest threat to humanity; as Christians, we are obligated to play our part. Katharine Hayhoe is a passionate climate change scientist who loves Jesus just as much as she loves the world he created. It is a part of her mission to help churches see the importance of living out our Genesis 1-2 mandate and care for the world as intended. This book helps the already converted and the sceptic bring together seemingly opposing worldviews so that they may live faithfully and with urgency.

  How to Inhabit Time by James K. A. Smith

  In this book, James K. A. Smith writes to help us (as the blurb describes) develop a sense of temporal awareness. Many Christians, even just people in the west, lack the ability to live wisely in our cultural and historical moment. I’m still working my way through this book. Still, Smith writes with philosophical sophistication, historical awareness and sharp cultural discernment as he moves the reader away from their own individualistic perception of history and into how to be influential kingdom-minded people in their moments of history.

  Sabbath by Abraham Heschel

  I was reluctant to put this book on my list, not because I don’t think it deserves to be in my top five, but because when I finished the book, I wasn’t entirely sure what I had just read. Sabbath is a classic Jewish work on the “architecture of time.” For Heschel, the sabbath day was the day in which every other day led to. It was this sacred temple in time that allowed God and his creation to come together in a kairo-protest of the worldly powers that be.

  Posted in Book Review | 0 Comments | Tagged Books, Jesus, Reviews, Theology

• One Covenant Just Renewed: A Review on Why Sinai Still Matters by Carmen Joy Imes

  Posted at 4:17 pm by scribblingtheology, on April 21, 2020

  

  As some of you may know, I absolutely love the Old Testament. One day I aspire to be an Old Testament scholar where I do work in Genesis 1-11. However, until then I plod away on blog posts sharing my divine insights into God’s Word with all ya’ll. Recently, I picked up this tasty treat “Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters” by Carmen Joy Imes. I’ve gotta say right off the batt, I loved it. The stress Imes places on the importance of the Old Testament, the love of God’s law and its role in the Christian life, and how she digs deep into the meaning of “taking the Lord’s name in vain” (Ex 20:7) excites me to no end. In my opinion, there can not be enough good Old Testament scholarship in the academy (but maybe I’m a little bit biased).

  I don’t know about you, but when I was first started reading the Bible, I was taught that the Old Testament was mostly about two or three things: The age of the earth, the story of Israel for some reason, and a bunch of good morally therapeutic stories we can become better people from. Be faithful like Abraham, or as bold as Moses, or as mighty as David, but never like Jonah (but God will use you anyway). The law is used to sort of place rules around humanity; a list of dos and don’ts. Don’t murder, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain by swearing, don’t steal or cheat and definitely don’t worship other gods (as if they existed anyway right?). I was taught when Jesus and the New Testament happened, the Old Testament became mostly irrelevant, replaced and kinda done away with. The Old Testament became a sort of novelty that none of us really knew what to do with. Personally, the Old Testament was way more interesting because it read more like The Lord of the Rings with battles, love lost, and deceit and the New Testament became a boring monologue from one person (Paul) to an invisible audience (the Church).

  It took me a long time to realise this couldn’t be further from the truth. While the Old Testament is full of these things to be sure, it is so much more than all of that. Let me be clear, without the Old Testament, there would be no New Testament, and there would be no Jesus Christ. To this day I’m still discovering the implications and importance of the Old Testament and absolutely loving it. That journey began at Bible College where I started to realise that the Bible was one unified story about God, humanity and our salvation leading to Jesus. I often found myself asking the question “why is none of this taught in our churches?” However, Bible College only gave me the tools to do the digging. It was through years of personal study, resources like The Bible Project and other scholars like Carmen Imes that I fell head over heels in love with the Old Testament. I’m yet to learn Hebrew but it’s on the to-do list.

  Personally, Imes has sharpened my thoughts around three main ideas:

  1. God’s law (the ten commandments) was given as a gift in response to Israel’s liberation and salvation, not to achieve it.
  2. That the law is about Israel living out their vocation so that people may know Yahweh.
  3. That Jesus and in turn, the Church united to Christ are the ones who take up this vocation and bear God’s name.

  Traditionally, God’s law has been seen as something the Israelites must obey to be saved, to be God’s people. This isn’t entirely wrong. Imes does point out in her book that the law was a fence given to Israel so that life could flourish (pg 35). God does require obedience, however, the law was given and the obedience required comes after salvation, not before it. Imes argues that the law was a gift. She says:

  Remember – the Israelites had already been resuced from Egypt when they were given the law. God did not say to them, “Do all these things and I will save you from slavery.” He saved them first, and then gave them the gift that goes with salvation, instructions on how to live as free men and women.

  What a freeing truth. God’s law was given to His people as a gift to help them flourish, to help them carry His name, not to achieve salvation. There were no requirements, God simply saw His people in anguish and brokenness and said “I will save them,” and He did. This has some profound implications around my thinking of salvation as a New Testament Christian. God sees humanity and wants to rescue them out of the slavery of this world into His own Kingdom without any prerequisites. It’s only after we’ve been liberated from sin, forgiven, washed clean and united to God in Christ are we then given God’s law (i.e. to love God and others as ourselves) to flourish and carry His name. Which leads me to the next great idea.

  Imes argues that the law was given to Israel to help them to live out their vocation. Israel wasn’t giving God’s law as a list of rules to obey otherwise God’s wrath and anger would just come down on them without a second chance. It was given as a gift so that His people could living out their calling, their vocation as the representatives of God on earth. As Imes breaks down the ten commandments in chapter three she argues that the command to not take the Lord’s name in vain should better be translated to not carry the name of Yahweh in a way that would dishonour Him (pg 49). Imes argues that all of Israel was supposed to carry Yahweh’s name in the same way that the high priest was (pg 50-52). Israel was to be a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation carrying Yahweh’s name before the nations. As Imes says:

  As His treasured possession, Israels vocation – the thing they were born to do – is to represent their God to the rest of humanity. They function in priestly ways, mediating between Yahweh and everyone else. They are set apart for his service.

  The problem? Israel failed woefully at this. They constantly fell into idolatry and sin as they misrepresented Yahweh to the nations. Which brings us to the final thought I loved in this book.

  Imes beautifully and biblically argues that Jesus is the true Israel. She carefully traces this idea through the Gospel of Matthew where she compares the obvious imagery in Jesus’ story to that of Israel. Here are some examples (among many others) that she mentions:

  

  She goes on to argue that because Jesus is the perfect image of God, that because He is in covenant relationship with the Father, Jesus ultimately fulfils all that Israel failed at. Therefore, our election is about representation, taking God’s name and carrying it to the ends of the earth (pg 164-166). The law is given to the Church as a gift for human flourishing as we’re united to God in Christ.

  This was a very brief overview of Imes’ book. All in all, it was a really great read and I recommend that people read it to gain a healthier understanding of the relationship between the law and the Christian. 10/10.

  Posted in Book Review | 0 Comments

• Learning from the Puritans: Communion with the Triune God by John Owen

  Posted at 12:54 pm by scribblingtheology, on July 8, 2019

  

  I remember reading J. I. Packer a few years ago and being struck when he said that the Puritans are like the Redwood trees of the Christian world (the Redwoods are the biggest trees in America). And I remember being even more struck when he said: “And John Owen is the greatest of the Redwoods”.

  And just as the Redwood trees would be a momentous climb, so John Owen requires a momentous effort to read. He even laments his own writing style. But I firmly believe his writings and works are worth all the toil in the world.

  This short blog on communion with God is really an attempt to make accessible what John Owen has to say about how we worship the Father and the Son in an intimate and particular way. The aim of this blog is to elicit deeper and richer worship.

  So how do we worship the Father, and the Son?

  The Father: Owen begins pastorally by helping us to see that we commune with the Father in love. Christians should see that the Father is full of love for us. I think it’s tempting for us to sometimes think that God the Father only loves us because Jesus died for us. But notice the order of John 3:16. It’s because God loved the world that he sent his Son to die for it. Because God set his affections upon us he paved the way back for us to commune with him through the sacrifice of his Son.

  And there are two responses from us if we’re to have communion with God the Father. First, we must receive this love by faith, and through Christ. We need to see, behold, and hold on to the fact that as the light of the sun comes to us and warms us by its beams, so through Jesus, the beams of the Father’s love comes to us with delight. Second, we are to respond in love as we marvel at the fullness of the Father’s love towards us. A right understanding of God’s love to us must pass through the head and into the heart. And when the heart is warmed by the love of God we cannot help but love him back. Ephesians 1:4 begins with God’s love to us in Christ, and finishes with our love for him.

  The Son: We commune with Jesus Christ in grace. Grace is everywhere described to Jesus Christ. Grace and truth came through Christ (John. 1:16-17). We commune with Christ in grace in three ways.

  1. Grace as personal beauty. We commune with Christ in his beauty because we are desperately needy. As Christians, we can assume that when we first come to saving faith we are needy and Christ meets our need. But then we eventually move on and lose our neediness. But this isn’t the case, we never become not needy. But the good news is that Christ never becomes not sufficient to meet our needs. The Father was pleased for the fullness to dwell in Christ (Col. 1:19). Because of his fullness, Christ meets our every need. Are you dead? Christ is your life. Are you weak? Christ is your strength. Are you ignorant? Christ is your wisdom. Are you guilty? Christ is your righteousness. As we see Christ’s sufficiency for our every need we commune with him in the grace of his beauty.
  2. Grace as acceptance. Paul in the book of Ephesians reminds us that we’ve been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). This grace is the free undeserving acceptance of God the Father through the blood of Christ. This grace is extended to us because of the perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And so we get to commune with him as the blood brought bride.
  3. Grace as renewal, and the enabling to walk in the holiness of a new life. This is an organic grace that we receive from Christ. It’s a grace that Jesus works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 15, Jesus says he is the vine, and we are the branches. When we are united to Christ by faith he will produce good fruit in us. This is a work of his grace.

  So next time you drop to your knees in prayer, consider the unique ways you can pray to God the Father in love, and God the Son in grace. Consider how you relate to each member in particular. And may your walk with God become richer, deeper, and more meaningful in the years ahead.

  Part II on the Spirit still to come…

  Written by

  Daniel Barden

  Posted in Book Review | 0 Comments | Tagged Christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, love, opinion, Review, Spirituality, Theology

• Must Read Books and Theologians: Part I

  Posted at 11:43 am by scribblingtheology, on June 25, 2019

  

  N.T. Wright

  Wright will probably go down in history as one of the greatest theologians/scholars of our age. He is a monster when it comes to writing books (he pumps one out every day I swear), and his work in the historical Jesus is unmatched. There isn’t a single book that won’t make you walk away with a fresh perspective and a greater appreciation for Scripture and theology.

  • Surprised by Hope 

  Surprised by Hope is probably one of his more well-known works. This book almost single-handedly changed the way modern evangelicals think about the last days, heaven, the judgement to come. If there was one book out of this list you should absolutely read it’s this one.

  • The Day the Revolution Began

  An excellent book on thinking over the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For a more in-depth review click here.

  • Pauline Perspectives: 1978-2013

  This was my first introduction to Wright. I gotta admit, when I first read it, I had no idea what was being said. It’s a dense read and has over thirty years of scholarship for you to comb through. If you can get through it then you deserve a clap. Good luck.

  • Paul: A Biography

  A great introduction to the person and work of the Apostle Paul. For a good review on this book click here.

  G. K. Beale 

  Beale is an absolute genius and knows his biblical theology almost better than anyone I’ve read. If you want to understand how our eschatology integrates with the here and now as well as with the biblical narrative look no further.

  • A New Testament Biblical Theology

  No pastor’s library is complete without Beale’s A New Testament Biblical Theology and A Commentary on the New Testaments Use of the Old Testament. These books are worth their weight in gold as you go back to it time and time again to make sense of the passage you’ll be preaching through.

  • The Temple and the Church’s Mission

  Originally recommended to me by a good friend of mine, The Temple and the Church’s Mission coupled with Kingdom Come by Sam Storms thoroughly convinced of Amillennialism and it’s implications for the Christian life. Look no further dear reader.

  • We Become What We Worship

  I first heard of this book through my old bible college lecturer as he was going through the idea of identity and idolatry (another great book by the way). I’ve gotta say, thinking about sin, and how we become what we worship changes the way you look at life on a fundamental level. I cannot recommend this book enough.

  • Revelation

  I’ll be blunt. If you want a solid commentary on the book of Revelation, start here.

  C.S. Lewis 

  Does this man need an introduction? If you’re not sure who he is… where have you been? This guy is a legend and definitely belongs in the theological hall of fame.

  • The Chronicles of Narnia

  Yes… ok… not very theological I know. However, go deeper dear reader and you’ll begin to discover and taste some of Lewis’ idea as they jump off the page in this grand story. Besides, this is a classic… so just read it ok?

  • The Screw Tape Letters

  Edgey, scary, and so very thought provoking. The Screw Tape Letters are probably one of the best books ever written on the topic of spiritual warfare. It won’t be long until you start to adopt a more spiritual perspective of reality.

  • The Great Divorce

  Hell yes. This book is so confusing but rich at the same time. I recently wrote a blog on hell that mentions this book, and let me just say The Great Divorce adds a lot of shape to the conversation around the nature of hell. Go! Read it.

  John Walton

  Walton is a great as he can be controversial. Personally, I love everything he does. However, he stirs up Christians who tend to read the Bible more literally. What fun!

  • The Lost World of Genesis One

  The first book in his lost world series, Walton really digs deep into the ancient near eastern world, develops the context, and places the Scriptures in that world. Worth a read he is honestly one of the best people for this job. For a deeper review, click here.

  • The Lost World of the Flood

  I personally clicked with this book better than Genesis one, but it’s similar in style and content, copy and paste above 🙂

  • A Survey of the Old Testament

  A Survey of the Old Testament by Hill and Walton was actually my textbook for bible college. It’s easy to read, informative and a great resource to introduce anyone to the big picture of the Old Testament.

  Other Must-Read Books and Theologians

  • The Cradle, The Cross, and the Crown by Andreas J. Konstenberger

  One of the best New Testament introductions I’ve personally had the pleasure of reading.

  • Desiring the Kingdom by James K. A. Smith

  Amazing. Compliments Beale’s theology on idolatry and worship. Smith is simply brilliant.

  • The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser

  Still making my way through it as I’ve given it a friend. From what I’ve read of it and heard of Heiser on his podcast, the biblical theology in this is stunning, challenging and extremely thought-provoking. Expect a more in-depth review of this in the future.

  • Anything by Tim Mackie and the Bible Project

  Delightful.

  Posted in Book Review | 0 Comments | Tagged Christianity, church, doctrine, God, Jesus, opinion, Review, Spirituality, Theology

• Blurred Vision: A Review on Boyd’s “Cross Vision.”

  Posted at 10:41 am by scribblingtheology, on February 21, 2019

  

  Take a seat, sit back and peruse the theological landscape of the 21st century. One doesn’t have to look far to notice that traditional perspectives of God’s wrath, violence and judgement are in a bloody war with more progressive interpretations and theology. The more progressive positions on God’s wrath abandon the traditional ways of thinking and instead strive to replace them with what is knowing as a “cruciformed hermeneutic.” In other words, everything we see in Scripture (particularly in the Old Testament) must be interpreted in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. This cruciformed hermeneutic is championed by Gregory A. Boyd who is an esteemed pastor, theologian and scholar who has written his magnum opus “The Crucifixion of the Warrior God” and at a more popular level, his abridged version “Cross Vision.” This post will be focused on his later work.

  Cross Vision was a great book to read, easy to follow, thought-provoking, very challenging at times. Like I mentioned in my review on Rob Bell’s “What is the Bible?” there’s never a time where I’d say “don’t read this book.” Every book is probably worth reading, meditating over and then considering in light of the Bible. Boyd is no exception to this rule, in fact, I’d encourage people to read if for no other reason then it is good to be challenged on ideas we’ve held for granted for so long. We all need to be rethinking and revisiting things we’ve been taught to make sure we remain faithful to the story of the Bible. To do this Boyd brings out some very heart-wrenching parables to drive his point home. Here’s one of those stories for the sake of the review:

  It’s a few thousand years ago. A young Canaanite couple is enjoying an afternoon with their newborn infant. Like everybody else in their small town, this couple has heard rumors of a warring nomadic tribe called the Hebrews who worshipped a mighty warrior god named Yahweh. But the people of their town had prayed and made sacrifices to their chief god, Baal. And since Baal had protected them from other warring tribes and deities in the past, they had hope that the Hebrews would not attack their town. On this day, however, their prayers and sacrifices prove futile. This couple hears the battle horns and war cries of an approaching army. They see and hear neighbors screaming and frantically running down the dirt path outside their tiny hut. Their hearts pound as they stare at each other for a brief bewildered and terrified moment. Suddenly realizing what is taking place, the teenage mother sweeps up her newborn, the husband grabs his sword, and they turn to run out the door. Unfortunately, they’re too late. Before they reach the door, two sword-wielding Hebrew soldiers appear before them screaming, “Praise Yahweh! Yahweh is great!” The terrified husband raises his weapon, but the soldiers quickly run their swords through him. Seeing the hopelessness of her situation, the petrified mother curls up in the corner of her hut, crying and shaking as she clutches her wailing infant. As the two Hebrew soldiers approach her with their bloodied swords raised above their heads, she holds up her baby, begging the soldiers to at least have mercy on her infant. One of the soldiers is moved and hesitates for a moment as he thinks about his own young wife and newborn daughter. His comrade notices his hesitation and reminds him that Yahweh had specifically commanded Moses to have his people worship him by showing no mercy toward anyone or anything. “The mother and baby must also be offered up to Yahweh,” he the first soldier reluctantly nods his head, closes his eye, and shouts, “Praise be to Yahweh!” as he puts his full weight and strength into his falling sword. Both soldiers are splattered with blood as the sword splits the young mother’s skull. The other soldier then shouts the same praise as he bludgeons the crying infant to death.

  Picture this on CNN or Fox News. This is a gut-wrenching story of how those early Canaanite conquests in the book of Joshua may have played out. Anyone today would call this genocide, and rage in protest if not vomit at such an incident. We’d be protesting and petitioning our governments to get involved and put an end to such injustice. Fair enough, I totally get that. I’d probably be protesting as well. The problem is, however, we want just that, someone to get involved and for there to be justice. There is this innate sense of retribution and a desire for justice that screams out in every one of us.

  At this point, it is worth pointing out that I have written a two-part series here and here on the issue of God’s violence and wrath that will help give shape this discussion. However, in short, I’d like to say this. This is a blurry issue. I think where things become messy is in how God is presented in Scripture, and whether or not we’re ok with the person we see. Is God loving? Absolutely. Except, let’s stop defining love by our 21st Century Western standards and just take God for who He is portrayed in Scripture. This, I believe is ultimately where Boyd fails. I understand why he reinterprets God’s acts of “violence” (I’d say judgement in response to sin), but it just doesn’t stack up to the entire biblical story. God is ultimately about redeeming all of creation through Jesus, yes. But sometimes He also has to remove sinful people, places, and nations in order to achieve that ultimate goal.

  Boyd is a great writer, theologian, pastor and brother in Christ. In a debate, I probably couldn’t hold my own against him but I’d still love to chat with him over a steaming hot cup of coffee. Read the book, it is a great read but stack it against other books like “Is God a Moral Monster?” by Paul Copan and “Confronting Old Testament Controversies” by Tremper Longman III (to be released in April) that I believe do a more faithful job in dealing with the issue of God’s violence and wrath.

  All in all, I’d give this book a 7/10. Read it, love it, hate it, but most of all be challenged and prayerful about it. Never swallow any pill without reading the label if you catch my drift.

  Posted in Book Review | 1 Comment

• The Lost World of Genesis One: A Messy Book Review (possible trigger warning)

  Posted at 2:30 pm by scribblingtheology, on September 25, 2018

  

  Not long ago I asked people on Facebook what books I should review, so here’s the first one in that list “The Lost World of Genesis One.” Before I dive into it, I just want to remind any readers that this isn’t a traditional book review, I’m more spitting ideas and thoughts out as I reflect on the book. Anyway, here we go.

  For as long as I’ve been a Christian at least, being a legitimate Christian meant a few things 1. It meant that you are saved by the blood of Jesus 2. It meant that you go to church and pray 3. It meant that you took the Bible seriously, literally, and unquestionably. For someone like me who came out of a worldview that was vague and largely based on “what you felt was right,” this came as a breath of fresh air. Finally, I had rules and expectations to fall on to and for a while I loved it, it felt safe, and I just followed pretty confidently anyone who taught me the Scriptures. But as I grew in my faith, as I went to Bible college and into ministry, I started to realise a lot of this stuff wasn’t so black and white especially when it comes to how one interprets the Scriptures…

  There are so many different understandings on different things when it comes to the Scriptures. The Atonement, the gifts of the Spirit, the last days, and even Genesis 1 and creation. As I see it there is somewhat of a spectrum when it comes to where Christians land on the creation issue. On one end of the spectrum, you have Young Earth Creationists that take the creation account in Genesis 1 literally. They believe that God created the heavens and the earth in seven literal twenty-four hour days and that the age of the earth can be traced back (through genealogies and scientific method) to be about only ten thousand years old. On the other end of the spectrum, however, you have Theistic evolutionists. They believe that the creation account doesn’t serve to give us a literal account of how God created the universe, rather, God used the evolutionary process over potentially billions of years to create the cosmos.

  John H. Walton’s book “The Lost World of Genesis One” speaks into the Genesis 1 debate and clears up a lot of the messiness that so often clouds this issue. Walton digs deep into the ancient near eastern context, using great exegesis, and suggesting that Genesis 1 isn’t about whether or not God literally created the world in seven literal days or how old the earth is, rather, it is about God Himself, and how everything that He created functions (including humanity) in relation to Him. He argues this by giving us 18 propositions (though I think he could have argued his point in less).

  Personally, I found his book overall to be a breath of fresh air. For me, the age of the earth debate is one of the biggest wastes of time that the Church has ever been involved in. There are legitimate Christians on the entire spectrum. A lot of trees have had to die over something the Bible doesn’t really emphasise, but I think it is fairly typical of us to get caught up in something that’s not that important (trust me I understand for some people it is). I don’t think Genesis 1 cares about young earth or evolution, I think Genesis 1, 2 and 3 serve to set up the entire biblical narrative that ultimately culminates in Jesus’ first and second coming. I recommend anyone from any place on that spectrum to read it and be challenged by what Walton has to say and then maybe, just maybe, we can start to work towards putting to rest some of the messiness surrounding these discussions and start talking and doing the more important things like actually preaching the Good News (which of course is found in Genesis 1-3 if taught properly).

  Posted in Book Review | 1 Comment

• My Favourite Heretic: Rob Bell and his “What is the Bible?”

  Posted at 11:12 am by scribblingtheology, on June 28, 2018

  

  Well after years of hearing a lot of people bashing on Rob Bell (myself included) as to why he is a heretic, why he is going to Hell, how he is leading people astray etc. I actually decided to get some first-hand insight and I started listening and reading his stuff.

  When I first became a Christian seven years ago I remember watching Bell’s “Everything is Spiritual.” At the time I thought it was brilliant (I still do). Since then I’ve only been in circles where people have said nothing but negative things about Bell and to be honest I sort of struggled reconciling what I first watched and what a lot of people were saying….. but these were smart people so they must have been right. Seven years later I decided to read one of his latest books “What is the Bible?” and…I…loved…It.

  Yes, I loved it. I totally get why people are attracted to what he has to say. Bell asks a lot of good questions and challenges a lot of things the average Christian would consider sacred and necessary. I resonate a lot with what he talks about. But. Yes… there is a but. Bell’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. After putting down his book and taking that deep breath of fresh air I couldn’t help but realise how time and time again Bell would throw the baby out with the bath water. In Bell’s attempt to rethink sacred cows within the Christian religion, it seems to me that Rob also rethinks things which have been the most fundamental to our faith for thousands of years (God, the nature of Scripture, sin etc.). Bell rethinks everything from humanity and its collective meaning all the way through to the very person and nature of God…. and…this…matters.

  Should we be asking questions, wrestling, shaping our thinking? Yes. Should we be challenging, pursuing, and sharpening our iron? Yes. But we cannot let our desires to be thinkers, to be edgy theologians or philosophers crumble the walls of authentic, thought out, Spirit-filled Christianity. God is who God is. We can question and wrestle with that as much as we like but at the end of the day, Scripture has some pretty clear things to say about who He is (have a read).

  So would I recommend the book? That’s kind of a weird question. Read. Read everything. I love books. I love knowledge. I love understanding. I loved this book. I love Rob Bell. It’s a great book but with bad theology which is why he is my favourite heretic.

   

   

  Posted in Book Review | 1 Comment

• The Day the Revolution Began: A Developing Book Review

  Posted at 3:23 am by scribblingtheology, on August 29, 2017

  

  So I’m reading “The Day The Revolution Began” by N. T. Wright. I’m up to chapter 5 and I thought I’d share my thoughts on the book and Wright so far. My hope is that this review will serve as a platform for discussion and edification. I’m interested to hear any of your thoughts.

  1. N. T. Wright is one of my favourite modern day theologians for a multiplicity of reasons including his work on Second Temple Judaism, justification and works, and his refreshing take on Christus Victor. Revolution, in particular, has given some great insight so far into the background of the Cross and into biblical themes such as priesthood and how that is fulfilled in Christ as well as clarifying some things around Christus Victor and the context that the Reformers were writing in.

  2. I have read either in parts or all of many of his books and have always found myself challenged and often motivated to live out the Christian life in its fullness, in some ways Revolution is no exception to this. I have certainly been spurred to take seriously idolatry which is always for me personally, refreshing.

  3. Despite the praises I give to Wright, I have some issues with Revolution. I have told one friend of mine that reading the book is sort of like an abusive relationship, there are things I hate about the book but I’m always drawn back to it. In particular, I have an issue with the way Wright caricatures Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA). I have always come to appreciate the scholarship and academic tone of Wright’s works, however, so far whenever he talks about PSA he speaks about it with venom and likens PSA to that of pagan worship. If I didn’t know any better (but I do) I would say that Wright and anyone who believes this about PSA completely misunderstands PSA’s depths and beauty.

  (However, I understand that Wright is broad brushing from experience and usually wouldn’t pit this against theologians such as Thomas R. Schreiner. In fact, Wright both affirms PSA and doesn’t lump him into his broad brushing of PSA in a recent debate with Schreiner centred around Revolution.

  4. Unfortunately, I can understand how some could be led to reject altogether the idea of PSA in favour of Christus Victor or any other model of the atonement. However, don’t fall into the trap of pitting one against the other. Properly taught, the atonement incorporates so many things including both PSA, CV and I suspect other theories as well. But to reject PSA in favour of other models is grossly unbiblical and can have vastly unhealthy implications that I’m not sure I could predict (this can be true of holding exclusively to PSA as well).

  5. Would I recommend the book? In short, yes. It is worth a read. But I recommend it lightly seasoned with a warning. Wright is not a heretic, nor is he dangerous, but Revolution (at least so far) can have you asking more questions than rolling around in answers. Wright is unforgiving in his treatment of PSA but don’t let that lead you to reject it in favour of exclusively any other model.

  Conclusion: The atonement is vast, deep and stunning. A proper approach to it would lead any soul to be reconciled to God and any Christian into a deeper relationship with Him. I pray that a book such as this would lend towards that goal for any who pick it up as I firmly believe that was Wright’s intent in writing it.

  Posted in Book Review | 1 Comment | Tagged Atonement, Christianity, God, Jesus, N. T. Wright, Review, Spirituality, Theology

• Search for:

• Recent Posts

  • 2022 Mix Up: My Five Favourite Blogs of the Year
  • The Best Books I’ve Read In 2022
  • Scribbling Journal: Entry 3
  • Scribbling Journal: Entry 2
  • Scribbling Journal: Entry 1

• Archives

  Archives Select Month January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 August 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 August 2017 December 2015 November 2015

• Facebook

  Facebook

• Follow Blog via Email

  Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  Email Address:

  Follow