Some of the hottest debates in twentieth-century Christianity whirled around the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Fueled by early-century pentecostal revivals at places like Los Angeles’ Azusa Street, fresh pneumatological expressions became, by century’s end, the catalyst for the unprecedented expansion of the Christian faith. In the academy these developments precipitated multiple, varied, and outstanding works of scholarship. Readers [...]
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Posted in Biblical Studies, History, Theology on Nov 19th, 2012
The folks from Zondervan cooked up something a little extra-special for the holidays this year! Finding the perfect gift for someone involved in theological disciplines can be tough. Sure, buying them a book or two is nice. But who can tell whether or not those books will simply become the next indistinguishable title on their already stuffed book shelves? [...]
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Posted in Book Previews, Theology on Nov 5th, 2012
A rich collection of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s most profound and moving sermons. Many people think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as primarily an activist-theologian. Yet, Bonhoeffer spent most of his public life as a pastor. His sermons are disarmingly eloquent and superbly crafted; through them his deep understanding of the gospel and passion for the Christian life shine [...]
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Posted in Books, History, Theology on Oct 31st, 2012
Today is the 495th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. On this day in 1517, a relatively unknown monk named Martin Luther nailed (as was normal custom at the time) 95 theses he wished to debate to the cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany. Quickly spread by followers using Gutenberg’s newly invented printing press, the [...]
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The theological import of prepositions is beyond question, and it is further underscored by the difficulty we have in rendering them just right. Such importance makes them worthy of concentrated, supplemental study for anyone who wishes to master biblical Greek and speak intelligently about theological matters. Thanks to Zondervan and New Testament scholar Murray J. [...]
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Ok, ok, I admit it–I love the Puritans. Love the Puritans. Whenever I read them, I feel at home. Like I have come to a safe place wherein I know that I will always hear the gospel, receive moral instruction, spiritual edification, and discover anew the glory and majesty of God. Stale, legalistic, boring are [...]
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Posted in Theology on Oct 17th, 2012
C.S. Lewis famously noted that we do not know that the sun exists because we can see it, but because we can see all things in its light. Indeed, our world is dominated by the visual, the striking image. No society needs the image or simply, ‘image’, as our does. Without images, it often seems, [...]
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The very term “hermeneutics” is rather intimidating to many people. What does it mean? Well, sometimes its easier to understand something by witnessing it in action–in real life–than it is to grasp it as an abstract concept. Thanks to IVP Academic you can now do just that with Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views. Usually I keep [...]
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Today I have deals on two books. Both books deal with differing, though specific, elements of John Calvin’s thought. Both are academic studies and are intended for specialists on Calvin, or related fields. First, Serene Jones takes a fresh look at Calvin’s masterpiece Institutes of the Christian Religion and draws a compelling portrait of [...]
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Posted in Historical Theology, Theology on Apr 5th, 2012
Who wasn’t intimidated the first time they cracked Calvin’s Institutes, Schleiermacher’s Christian Faith, or Barth’s Dogmatics? Unlike Biblical Studies or History, Theology often does not have specific material reference points around which its ideas converge. But it does have conceptual reference points. Mapping Modern Theology, just issued by Baker Academic, takes advantage of those key reference points in order [...]
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