Book reviews --Books for Bible study > Likes and Comments
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One of our newer books in the area of Biblical studies, and a particularly helpful and timely one, is Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God, by Paul Copan of Paul Beach Atlantic Univ. I finished reading this one myself just recently, and would highly recommend it, not only for course-related reading, but for individual study. My review is here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/919548618 .
Ron Andrea, the author of the popular-level study of the Letter to the Romans Living in the Spirit: Paul's Timeless Message to Christians, is one of my Goodreads friends, and generously gave me a review copy of his book last year. In turn, I'm passing it on to the library, because I believe it will be of interest and benefit to other readers. My review is here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/1063684429 .
Here's my review of The Politics of God and the Politics of Man by 20th-century French scholar Jacques Ellul: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . This short (199 p.) book is a series of serious discussions, based on very close readings, of a number of passages in II Kings; I gave it four stars. This is one of several books we have by the prolific Ellul, though it's the only one I've read so far.
Ever since I joined Goodreads in Feb. 2008 (which will soon be nine years ago!) I've been slowly working on reviewing some of the many books I read prior to joining. Since one of my graduate degrees is in Religion, with a concentration in Biblical Studies (and I used to teach in that field), quite a few of these fall into that subject area, and that's the case with the one I've just reviewed, Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15 by Kenneth E. Bailey. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .
Here's the link to my review (posted last night) of another nonfiction book I read back in the early 90s, Paul, Women and Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul by evangelical New Testament scholar Craig Keener: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . This is another book I wanted to have a review to link to for a discussion in another group, because I feel it has a message that's so important and germane to that conversation.
Back in 1992, I read and reviewed evangelical Bible scholar Craig S. Keener's book
And Marries Another: Divorce and Remarriage in the Teaching of the New Testament for The Christian Librarian. This review updates that one: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . Though it was published over a quarter of a century ago, Keener's serious, compassionate and well-informed study is still relevant for readers interested in the New Testament teaching on the subject.
Recently, I finished the first of two serious theological works by Dietrich Bonhoeffer which I'm reading back-to-back,
The Cost of Discipleship. That review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . For nonfiction books I like, my usual default rating is three stars; but I gave this one four.
1984 is my best guess as to when I read
Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus by 20th-century scholar Joachim Jeremias (I'd bought a copy in the early 80s, but actually might have read it before that). It's a wonderful background resource for any reader interested in the New Testament, in or out of academia. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . (My first rating was three stars, but I've raised it to four.)
Baker's Bible Atlas by Charles F. Pfeiffer is another book I read decades ago, but only got around to reviewing very recently. It's a solidly evangelical work of its type, and still provides a valuable foundation of basic information despite its age. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .
As I have opportunity, between writing reviews of newly-read books, I try to take time to review some of the many book I read pre-Goodreads, provided that I remember them well enough to do them reasonable justice. One nonfiction book that's well deserving of a review is Introduction to the New Testament by Everett F. Harrison, one that I read as a young man fairly new to serious Bible study, and learned from immensely. Here's my five-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
The English Bible, from KJV to NIV: A History and Evaluation (1981), by the now-deceased American biblical scholar Jack P. Lewis, will probably only appeal to a relatively small group of Goodreaders. But for those looking for a serious and detailed objective evaluation of the major English-language translations, it's a great resource. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .
Holy Bible: New International Version. www.goodreads.com/review/show/17282114 .
Understanding Scripture: How to Read and Study the Bible. www.goodreads.com/review/show/26899481 .
Toward Understanding The Bible: Hermeneutics For Lay People. www.goodreads.com/review/show/17313617 .
The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis, by Hugh Ross. www.goodreads.com/review/show/17438986 .
The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment, by Edward Fudge. www.goodreads.com/review/show/17378621 .