The Person Of Christ
“The Flesh of the Word: The extra Calvinisticum from Zwingli to Early Orthodoxy,” by K. J. Drake
*** Oxford University Press | 2021 | 336 pages (hardcover) | $99.00 We live in an age of rapid technological advancement. One could perhaps be forgiven for using the weary term “unprecedented” to describe it. The expanding abundance of easily accessible information about nearly everything has had a revolutionary impact on nearly everything, including the […]
The Person of Christ: An IntroductionBy Stephen J. WellumCrossway, 2021180 pages (paperback), $18.99 The two great mysteries of the Christian faith are the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. In his writing on the latter, De Incarnatione Filii Dei, the late sixteenth-century Reformed theologian Jerome Zanchi noted that out of Paul’s “briefest of descriptions” […]
Throughout the Four Gospels, Jesus is characterized as a prophet (Matt 21:11, 45; Mark 6:1–4, 15; 8:27–28; Luke 7:15; 9:8; 13:35; 24:19; John 4:14). Jesus himself did not object to others’ claims that he is a prophet.[1] Although prophetic office was not common in the time of Jesus, in many instances he was also characterized […]
History and Eschatology: Jesus and the Promise of Natural TheologyBy N. T. WrightBaylor University Press, 2019365 pages (hardcover), $34.95 History and Eschatology presents N. T. Wright’s 2018 Gifford Lectures, a prestigious Scottish lecture series established in the late nineteenth century. The purpose of the series is to promote the study of natural theology. “Natural theology” […]
Contemporary theological reflection on the ascended Jesus is sparse. [1] This is true of contemporary Indian theological reflection as well. [2] Yet, the ascension is a very important element in Christology. There is a need to reflect on who Jesus is today; or in other words, there is a need to reflect on who Jesus […]
“Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels” by Craig S. Keener
Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels by Craig S. Keener Eerdmans, 2019 743 pages (hardcover), $37.99 The question of the reliability of the canonical Gospels has been a central debate in New Testament studies since the advent of the German higher critical movement. Every twenty years or so, the debate resurfaces with […]
(PART TWO OF A FOUR-PART SERIES) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to […]
Flourish: How the Love of Christ Frees Us from Self-Focus by Lydia Brownback Crossway, 2019 139 pages (paperback), $12.99 In her latest book, Flourish, Lydia Brownback challenges readers to think carefully about their lives and to begin Christ-centered living rather than self-focused living. She begins by pointing out what types of things can cause us […]
Christmas is a time when we cross great distances and deep divides to be with the ones we love. For some, that might mean traveling to see family and friends in a different town or state. For others, it might mean taking small steps to overcome conflict with someone in your family. Christmas is a […]
Christ the Heart of Creation By Rowan Williams Bloomsbury, 2018 304 pages (hardcover), $35.00 I have always had a somewhat ambivalent attitude to Rowan Williams. I find his own positive theology to be of the banal liberal variety that causes damage to the church. His time as archbishop of Canterbury was, in a sense, the […]
Although John 17 has been known as the “High Priestly Prayer” of the Lord Jesus Christ for many years, some reservations have of late been expressed about the suitability of that designation. It has been pointed out that Jesus was praying on earth and not in heaven, that he made no mention of “sacrifice” but […]
In the marketplace of American religion, most people are looking for something practical: a religion that will improve their lives, enable them to become more self-sufficient, or leave a mark on society. Whether it’s getting fit at SoulCycle, becoming more mindful through meditation, or partnering with Jesus to renew all things, Americans love religion because […]
Of the Gospels, none is as full of Old Testament typology as the Gospel of John. The apostle John had a keen interest in the types, shadows, symbols, metaphors, and elusive allusions the Savior employed during his earthly ministry in order to set forth his own divine glory (John 1:14). Most of the types in […]
As a Jewish person, the first time I heard the gospel was in a Bible study organized by the Navigators at San Diego State University. After sharing some of the Old Testament prophesies, they turned to the Gospel of John, showing how Jesus was the fulfilment of all the prophesies. That was the beginning of […]
Growing up in evangelical circles, I often witnessed the odd Christian ritual of sharing your life verse. The life verse was some particular passage from Scripture that people grasped onto as a special word from the Lord for them. It would sometimes, then, help shape their lives as they sought to live according to its command […]