Web Side Story

If you're ready for a little fun, check this post at NPR's technology blog. From CollegeHumor.com, this video, set to the music of West Side Story, provides a tribute (???) to some of our favorite websites.

Book 2 - A Theology of the New Testament

The second book on my Top 5 is George Eldon Ladd's A Theology of the New Testament, first published in 1974. Note the indefinite article; Dr. Ladd did not see his work, as do many scholars, as "the" theology, but rather a contribution to the field of New Testament inquiry. His explication of the kingdom of God in the gospels put substance to an otherwise benign sounding concept. And it was a breath of fresh air after having spent over 2 years in study at the Church of Christ sponsored Harding Graduate School of Religion.

After reading this book, along with those of several others then teaching at Fuller Theological Seminary, I quit my job at IBM and moved from Arkansas to California so I could study under such articulate evangelical scholars. The irony of all this is that on arriving at Fuller I discovered Dr. Ladd's teaching skills had deteriorated, and I was encouraged by fellow students to take professors other than Ladd. And I took their advice and never was in the classroom with him.

To understand "why" and the pressures of being an evangelical scholar during that time period, see Michael Bird's book review of Ladd's biography, A Place at the Table: George Eldon Ladd and the Rehabilitation of Evangelical Scholarship in America by John A. D'Elia.

Despite all the tragedy surround Ladd's life, this book is still a tribute to evangelical thought and one I still turn to ponder New Testament theology.

Happy Fourth of July

Why Christians celebrate freedom every day:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:1-2).

SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!

We've been talking lately about books. And one thing I know about books--they're expensive! So here are some tips for saving money on book expenditures.

1. Check your church library. Most churches have a limited library, but some have invested in quality commentaries and resource books. Instead of buying, borrow.
2. Start today using Google books. Before you invest, see if the book is in the Google collection. Even if only certain portions of the book are available for preview, it may just be the pages you need. Besides, you can check whatever text is available and make an informed judgment on whether you really need to invest in the book.
3. Read the reviews at Amazon by customers who have purchased the book you're considering. Also check whether you can look inside the book to review the table of content and select pages.
4. Check your local library. Even if the book is not in the stacks, most libraries offer inter-library loan services to their patrons (and enjoy doing it). I've borrowed highly technical and expensive New Testament works from major universities using this technique. Most have a liberal return time, so you'll have time to read what you need.
   
5. Finally, make sure you know where the used book stores are in your area. Many communities have stores specializing in religious studies. Visit these on a regular basis to find bargains.

Book 1 - The Gospel According to Paul

Here is the first of five posts on my list of Top 5 books.

I have had this little book in my library since 1967, before graduation from college, before Vietnam, before seminary. The price on the cover is $1.65.

When studying Paul, it is still a work I read with profit. In slightly more than 100 pages, A. M. Hunter puts St. Paul's thinking into a framework that makes sense to me. When I preached my first sermon, I stole shamelessly from this book, and of course learned there's more to preaching than reading a book on theology, even a good one.

Hunter groups Paul's think around the concept of salvation. He writes:"When Paul thought about salvation, he saw it in three tenses. It meant a past event, a present experience, and a future hope."

Any book that can make sense of Paul's theology in 100 pages has to be on my list.

Annotated Bibliography - Tanakh

This extensive bibliography from Denver Seminary should give you plenty of options when considering resources for the study of the Hebrew scriptures. Ranging across the theological spectrum, the annotations provided helpful insights into authors and their approaches.

Tanakh - Torah, Nevi'im, Kethuvim

What is a practical way of gaining a greater command of that great body of sacred literature known variously as the Hebrew Scripture, Old Testament, Tanakh, etc.? Note: "Tanakh" is commonly used in Jewish circles when referring to Scripture, representing in shorthand the three-fold division of the bible into Law (Torah), Prophets (Nevi'im), and the Writings (Kethuvim).

Here are five suggestions for your consideration:

1. Get a good sense of ancient Israelite history. Consequently, make sure you have a solid history to refer to such as John Bright's A History of Israel.
2. Study with Jewish scholars. Check you local library or consider purchasing The Jewish Study Bible, edited by Marc Zvi Brettler and Adele Berlin, with comments, book introductions, and essays by the best of modern Jewish academic scholarship.
3. Have one solid Introduction available. Here are two to consider: Walter Brueggemann's An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination and The Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament. Also worth considering is Jon D. Levenson's Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible.
   
4. Resource one substantial theology such as Walther Eichrodt's 2 volume classic, The Theology of the Old Testament.
5. Get some help with how to read this ancient literature. Two volumes, again from a Jewish perspective, are James Kugel's How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now and Marc Zvi Brettler's How to Read the Bible.