becoming

Okay, when I read Luke’s gospel, I was also curious about what happened to Jesus and how he escaped at the cliff of Nazareth.

But when I learned Bruce Longenecker was able to write a whole book on just that… now I am in awe.

Oh, it is only 152 pages.

Hearing the Silence
Jesus on the Edge and God in the Gap—Luke 4 in Narrative Perspective

——–

Update: Nijay K Gupta just wrote a short review of the book.

I couldn’t agree more with Bergler’s diagnostic. My hope is that his remedies will live up to that.

Interview with Thomas Bergler on his book The Juvenilization of American Christianity.

[link: EerdWord]

Essential theology books of the past 25 years

We posed this question to eight theologians: Suppose someone who hasn’t been keeping up with theology for the past 25 years now wants to read the most important books written during that time. What five titles would you suggest?

Here are their responses:

• Stanley Hauerwas
• Amos Yong
• Emilie M. Townes
• Lawrence S. Cunningham
• Sarah Coakley
• Kevin J. Vanhoozer
• George Hunsinger
• Willie James Jennings

[link: christiancentury.org]

My next book-purchase is coming. Any recommendation from you this time? Read anything interesting lately?

Let me know.

The Golden Canon Leadership Book Awards

Two things in short supply for nearly every church leader—time and money. Unfortunately both are necessary if we hope to buy and read the numerous books intended to help us in our work. That is why Leadership created the Golden Canon, the ten books of 2009 most valuable for church leaders. The winners were selected by a diverse group of more than 100 pastors and leaders, including our contributing editors, who selected the best books in two categories: The Leader’s Outer Life, and The Leader’s Inner Life. We hope this list contributes to your development as a leader, and assists you in determining where to invest your finite hours and dollars.

The Leader’s Inner life
BEST OF THE BEST
Knowing Christ Today
Why we can trust spiritual knowledge
by Dallas Willard (HarperOne)

“Every leader from elder boards on down ought to be revolutionized by this book. Its correctives are timely, needed, and redemptive.” —Sarah Sumner

The Leader’s Outer life
BEST OF THE BEST
Deep Church
A third way beyond emerging and traditional
by Jim Belcher (IVP)

“Neither traditionalism nor emerging Christianity comes out unscathed. But Belcher’s analysis is fair and even. I hope all our future conversations about what divides us is done in the spirit of Deep Church, which reminds us at every turn what unites us: the gospel of Jesus Christ.” —Brandon O’Brien

Read the whole list here.

[link: leadershipjournal.net]

Michael Bird 報告他和Craig Keener 編緝的New Covenant Commentary 終於出爐！首兩本正是兩位編緝的作品：

Colossians and Philemon
By Michael Bird

Romans
By Craig S. Keener

我之前已提過這系列，可參這裡的介紹。

[HT: Euangelion]

若你有意接受神學訓練，但不知自己能否應付？
或是你有心深入了解跟基督信仰有關的研究，但在云云書海中，不知如何入手？

你可參考以下出自加神的書單。這是他們MDiv 的學科課本及延伸閱讀。絕大部份都是華文書（一些是中譯 ）  。

1. 一年中文書目
2. 二年中文書目
3. 三年中文書目

不要被這些長長的書單嚇怕。相反，視這些為神學院老師幫你精挑細選的好書。我常說，基督教出版質素的參差也是信徒靈命裹足不前的原因之一。今天你在書室亂買、亂讀，後果可能和你不買、不讀一樣嚴重。

重視這些書單，它會成為你生命中的好嚮導。

[link: Tyndale Library Blog]

Nijay Gupta’s very positive review of Greg Beale’s new book We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry (IVP, 2008).