Monthly Archives: February 2017

Book Reviews, Theology

Book Review: How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth, by Christopher J. H. Wright

Leave a comment

How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its WorthI have yet to read anything by Christopher J. H. Wright that I didn’t like and couldn’t recommend. His The Mission of God and The Mission of God’s People continue to be my most recommended texts. I now add How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth to that list for seminary students and those already in Bible preaching and teaching roles. Practical to its core, Wright guides the reader in approaching and handling the Old Testament with pastoral care, keeping his writing accessible to a broad range of readers while maintaining the same quality of method and depth for which he’s known.

The book is written in two parts. Wright begins by arguing for the importance of preaching and teaching the Old Testament and encourages the reader to do so, noting its increasingly limited exposure and the pitfalls that lie therein. He also corrects some commonly held misconceptions and sayings about the OT that are perpetuated by poor reading, exegesis, and sloppy books (e.g., the OT is not “all about Jesus,” as we often hear; it “points to Jesus”). We need to remember that the OT is comprised of different types of writing for different purposes, and that they each have their place and importance within the greater narrative. We should preach and teach them for what they are as they are and refrain from attempts at making them all fit into a simple “Jesus message,” which does not help others actually understand the OT—and thus rightly understand the New Testament—and is likely indicative of a preacher or teacher who does not properly understand the OT. The second part of the book—the bulk of the text—helps the reader to understand the different sections of the OT and then how to preach and teach from them. Wright offers many helpful checklists for sermon and lesson prep throughout the text, and he even includes easy-to-follow outlines and notes for several key Bible passages at the end of relevant chapters.

I highly recommend this for any and all preachers and teachers of the Bible. I imagine it will quickly find its way into Bible college and seminary syllabi everywhere.

 

*I received a temporary digital copy for review from Zondervan via NetGalley.

Book Reviews, Theology

Book Review: The Parables after Jesus: Receptions across Two Millennia, by David B. Gowler

Leave a comment

The Parables after JesusDavid B. Gowler’s The Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia is an historical survey of ways in which the parables of Jesus have been interpreted and used in writings and visual art. This is not a collection of complete examples of interpretation of specific parables; this is, rather, Gowler’s own exposition of pieces of others’ interpretations in relatively chronological order. In fact, there is no single parable used as a point of reference for the myriad of authors and interpretations, nor is there a single piece provided in its entirety. The only arguable exception to the latter is the inclusion of black and white thumbnail images of artwork in an appendix as references for those interpreted by Gowler in the larger text. It appears as though this will not change for publication (see final note below), and they are hardly helpful in their current size and quality.

This is a proper history book, not a helpful resource for understanding Jesus’ parables. If you’re looking for one person’s exposition on historical theology and secular use (or inspiration) of Jesus’ parables that reads like an academic lecture, then this may be for you. If you’re looking for original source authors’ complete examples and their own explanations, this is not the book for you. I did not find the text to be as helpful as I’d hoped, and reading one’s academic interpretation of artwork without providing the actual artwork is a bit frustrating.

 

The digital copy I received noted several times, “THIS IS NOT FINAL TEXT.” The title is misspelled and appendices were incomplete, but I hope I have helped the reader determine if the finished and published book may be worth reading, using, and owning.

 

*I received a temporary digital copy for review from Baker Academic via NetGalley.