Ten Theology Books to Watch For – Oct. 2018

 [easyazon_image align=”center” height=”500″ identifier=”1481302264″ locale=”US” src=”https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/51k22Bv3knL.jpg” tag=”douloschristo-20″ width=”333″]

[easyazon_link identifier=”1481302264″ locale=”US” tag=”douloschristo-20″]A New Testament Theology[/easyazon_link]  

Craig Blomberg

Baylor UP

Craig Blomberg has now crowned his distinguished career to date as a careful reader and interpreter of the New Testament by tackling the largest and most difficult of challenges―that of writing a New Testament theology. Blomberg’s text draws upon his proven ability to read ancient texts in historical context, his deep knowledge of the various textual traditions that comprise the New Testament, and a sympathetic competency to see the New Testament as a lived text. A New Testament Theology is a major achievement by a seasoned scholar and one that will serve teachers and students alike.

Blomberg presents the task as twofold: chronological and synthetic. Blomberg thus plots actors, authors, and books of the New Testament in a reconstructed chronological order, highlighting both the dominant and distinctive themes for each. Examinations of Jesus and the early church come first, followed by those of the early Jewish Christian writings of James and Jude, and then the missionary letters of Paul (treated together). Blomberg then unpacks the contributions of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, followed by the Pastorals (treated as an extension of Lukan thought even though originating in Paul), Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, and the Johannine corpus of gospel, epistles, and Revelation.

As Jesus’ ministry begins with the proclamation that “the time has come,” the recurring, unifying, and synthetic theme of the entire New Testament is, according to Blomberg, the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises, both directly and typologically, explicitly and implicitly. Blomberg’s careful inductive reading demonstrates the Bible’s remarkable cohesion and foundational importance for the contemporary church. While the grand finale of God’s cosmic redemption is still in the future, the determinative events for human well-being have already taken place in Christ. This is the conviction that drives Christian life from generation to generation: the ages have turned, God’s victory is assured, even though there is still much work to be done.

[easyazon_link identifier=”0664263283″ locale=”US” tag=”douloschristo-20″]A Philosophy of the Christian Religion[/easyazon_link] 

Nancey Murphy

Presbyterian Publishing

Each field of study comes with its own set of questions; each period of time refines and redirects those questions. The Christian religion as we find it in the twenty-first century presents a unique set of problems to be solved and questions to be answered. In this comprehensive discussion of the philosophy of the Christian religion, eminent philosopher and theologian Nancey Murphy applies the tools of philosophical analysis to a set of core yet contemporary religious questions: what does our historical moment mean for the possibility of knowing God? Is faith still possible? Does God intervene in human history? Is there such a thing as universal knowledge of God? Even students familiar with religious and theological study often lack the tools that philosophical enquiry provides to better grapple with these questions. A Philosophy of the Christian Religion offers those tools, and invites the reader into a deep exploration of the intellectual challenges and opportunities of Christian faith.

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