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Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John
In many respects John remains the most beloved of all Gospels. In this careful study for laity, Frances Taylor Gench provides an opportunity for Christians to immerse themselves in this complex Gospel and become better acquainted with its intriguing and distinctive vision. Examining thirteen central texts (including the wedding at Cana, the woman of Samaria, the "I Am" passages, the woman accused of adultery, the raising of Lazarus, and the resurrection scenes), Gench focuses on each text's key features, including literary design, historical origins, and theological insights. Drawing on questions and insights raised by contemporary biblical scholars, Gench helps her readers see these texts anew. She explores the ethical challenges that these texts pose and discusses how this perplexing Gospel can inform Christian life and faith and the practice of daily ministry. Each chapter concludes with thoughtful and engaging study questions for individual or group use.
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First published May 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 30, 2022
It's good
July 14, 2012
This book "Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John" by Frances Taylor Gench is one of the more aggravating reviews I have had to write and I find myself vacillating between 2 and 3 stars. Here are some of the highlights as well as some of the disappointments I had with the book.
There are some unique comments and thoughts throughout this book and it is very accessible. In one place the author says, "Jesus is the fleshed out truth about God" which I thought was a nice way to communicate ideas about the incarnation. Throughout the book she says things which are useful for preaching to students who are new to the ideas of John. She is thoughtful and if she had been able to continue the momentum of chapters 1 and 2 it would have been excellent. Her chapter on "entries and exits" was a unique look at the life of Jesus and the relationship with his earthly Mother. The final chapter was actually very good as well and she made some solid comments about the story. The author comes across as a kind and professional minister with a clear ability to communicate with general readers.
I wish I could leave the review at this but unfortunately there are some other factors that reflect negatively on the book. First of all, with the exception of a few ideas the bulk of the book was somewhat generic. Gench is very liberal in her approach to John's Gospel and follows the lead of Bultmann in interpreting the scriptures. She is sold "lock, stock and barrel" to the interpretation of the "establishment". She interpreted most things using the "Johannine Community" model which contains numerous anachronisms. In addition to this she practically avoided any and all passages which contained some of the more polemical interactions that Jesus had with the religious authorities of his time.
Something I found to be problematic was the fact that much of what she says is slanted towards a feminist approach, which I felt was somewhat out of place in this work. She is even one of those who believe the gospel may have been written by a woman. Is that possible? sure. Is it Likely? Not really. I felt that she allowed present issues to influence her perspectives on the past. In an attempt to tone down the alleged anti-semitism in the gospel of John she even paints the Pharisees as a merciful group who brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus cause they knew he would find a way to show her mercy. She presumes that may have been their motive. She used all the modern buzzwords by engaging post-colonialism, questioning the Father language used of God, feminism and the scriptures as well as tolerance for homosexuality. She places them as a "marginalized" group who are more less victimized by the church. Her stance on homosexuality was clear and lets just say it was not in accord with the scriptures.
The literary aspects were excellent but some of the theology and historical interpretation was questionable and occasionally heretical. Overall it is okay and has some merit but it is not something that I would read again and unfortunately it is not something I would recommend either.
There are some unique comments and thoughts throughout this book and it is very accessible. In one place the author says, "Jesus is the fleshed out truth about God" which I thought was a nice way to communicate ideas about the incarnation. Throughout the book she says things which are useful for preaching to students who are new to the ideas of John. She is thoughtful and if she had been able to continue the momentum of chapters 1 and 2 it would have been excellent. Her chapter on "entries and exits" was a unique look at the life of Jesus and the relationship with his earthly Mother. The final chapter was actually very good as well and she made some solid comments about the story. The author comes across as a kind and professional minister with a clear ability to communicate with general readers.
I wish I could leave the review at this but unfortunately there are some other factors that reflect negatively on the book. First of all, with the exception of a few ideas the bulk of the book was somewhat generic. Gench is very liberal in her approach to John's Gospel and follows the lead of Bultmann in interpreting the scriptures. She is sold "lock, stock and barrel" to the interpretation of the "establishment". She interpreted most things using the "Johannine Community" model which contains numerous anachronisms. In addition to this she practically avoided any and all passages which contained some of the more polemical interactions that Jesus had with the religious authorities of his time.
Something I found to be problematic was the fact that much of what she says is slanted towards a feminist approach, which I felt was somewhat out of place in this work. She is even one of those who believe the gospel may have been written by a woman. Is that possible? sure. Is it Likely? Not really. I felt that she allowed present issues to influence her perspectives on the past. In an attempt to tone down the alleged anti-semitism in the gospel of John she even paints the Pharisees as a merciful group who brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus cause they knew he would find a way to show her mercy. She presumes that may have been their motive. She used all the modern buzzwords by engaging post-colonialism, questioning the Father language used of God, feminism and the scriptures as well as tolerance for homosexuality. She places them as a "marginalized" group who are more less victimized by the church. Her stance on homosexuality was clear and lets just say it was not in accord with the scriptures.
The literary aspects were excellent but some of the theology and historical interpretation was questionable and occasionally heretical. Overall it is okay and has some merit but it is not something that I would read again and unfortunately it is not something I would recommend either.
April 1, 2013
This was a study book my church recommended for devotional reading during Lent, so I took the 40 days of the Lenten season to read through this rather short book and gained some interesting insights. I found the writing much too scholarly for my taste - while it was clearly an introductory level of conversation, it was written in such a way as to put me into a bit of a doze... The author clearly knows her stuff and made me think about several issues, which I suppose is the purpose, but I didn't really enjoy the text very much. I did, however, enjoy a number of the questions she posed at the end of her chapters. They were thought provoking and served their purpose well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews