Interpretation articles from October 2006

Interpretation archives from October 2006

Editorial.
October 1, 2006... HOW DO WE REGARD the "other"? The question is necessary, because the world is a kaleidoscope of peoples, customs, and values, no single subset of which equals the whole. We are cosmopolitan--citizens of the world--whether we consciously define...

Care and keeping east of Eden: Gen 4:1-16 in light of Gen 2-3.(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... Biblical stories of beginnings continue to captivate and inspire the imagination, especially those concerning origins, sex, murder, and morality. The stories of Adam and Eve and of Cain and Abel have been the subject not only of scholarly...

Can a Cushite Change His Skin? Cushites, "racial othering," and the Hebrew Bible.(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... Biblical narratives are often far from ideal sources for case studies dealing with how human beings should treat those who are Other (e.g., Gen 9:18-27; Josh 9:1-27; Ezra 9-10). They present people with obvious ethnic prejudices and characters...

The centrality of wonder in Paul's soteriology.(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... One of the defining features of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century is often described through the aphorism that "the world is getting smaller and smaller." What this phrase describes is not a change in the size of the orb itself,...

Taking liberties with the text: the Colossians Household Code as hermeneutical paradigm.(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... In the concluding chapter of his book, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul, Richard B. Hays asks, rather provocatively, "Should we interpret Scripture with the same freedom that Paul did?" (1) By modern standards, Paul was neither a...

Psalm 126.(Between Text & Sermon)(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... We live in a world filled with profit and loss, victory and defeat, well being and suffering. Each and every person (and community) will walk through times of ease and times of trouble. This is the nature of life. Those who come to terms with...

Isaiah 62:6-12.(Between Text & Sermon)(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... What happens when the bright promises of God turn dark and remain unfulfilled? What happens to the shining vision of glory and greatness when it is overwhelmed in the grit and grime of quotidian life in the world? Do we dare hold onto the...

Luke 2:1-14.(Between Text & Sermon)(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... For those of us who have grown up since the mid-1960s, the words of this passage summon up the character of Linus, the wise, blanket-toting young Peanuts character who recites Luke's narrative on an empty stage in the Charlie Brown television...

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24.(Between Text & Sermon)(Critical essay)
October 1, 2006... In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: If we do not give thanks daily for Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith,...

Preaching and Teaching the Psalms.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Preaching and Teaching the Psalms by James L. Mays. Edited by Patrick D. Miller and Gene M. Tucker Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 189 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-664-23041-5. NO ONE HAS DONE MORE in the past twenty years to...

God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation by Terence E. Fretheim Abingdon, Nashville, 2005. 398 pp. $29.00. ISBN 0-687-34296-1. At last Professor Fretheim has brought together much of his important work...

Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature by David M. Carr Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005. 330 pp. $65.00. ISBN 0-19-517297-3. The main title of David Carr's intricately detailed and argued...

Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil by James L. Crenshaw Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005. 275 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-19-514002-8. HUMAN MISERY ELICITS the question, "Where is God?" This question, and the...

The Teaching Ministry of Congregations.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Teaching Ministry of Congregations by Richard Robert Osmer Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 347 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-664-22547-0. ONE OF THE TASKS OF THE CHURCH in the twenty-first century is the recovery of an...

The Faith of the Outsider.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Faith of the Outsider by Frank Anthony Spina Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 206 pages. $16.00. ISBN 0-8028-2864-7. USING THE ART AND methodology of narrative and rhetorical criticism, Frank Spina examines selected biblical...

Cross-Cultural Paul: Journeys to Others, Journeys to Ourselves.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Cross-Cultural Paul: Journeys to Others, Journeys to Ourselves by Charles H. Cosgrove, Herold Weiss, and K.K. Yeo Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 301 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8028-2843-4. THIS EXTRAORDINARILY RICH volume is a fascinating...

Can I Get a Witness? Reading Revelation through African American Culture.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Can I Get a Witness? Reading Revelation through African American Culture by Brian K. Blount Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 167 pp. $16.95. ISBN 0-664-22869-0. ONE OF THE LEADERS IN the intersection of cultural and...

Jesus, The Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Jesus, The Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church by Jack Rogers Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 169 pp. $17.95. ISBN 978-0-664-22939-9. JACK ROGERS HAS WRITTEN a timely and important book describing...

Sarah: Mother of Nations.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Sarah: Mother of Nations by Tammi J. Schneider Continuum, New York, 2004. 145 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-8264-1625-X. "PATRIARCHAL" TALES IN Genesis become Matriarchal/Patriarchal tales as Tammi Schneider highlights Sarah, who was chosen...

Esther.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Esther by Linda M.Day Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries. Abingdon, Nashville, 2005. 177 pp. $24.00. ISBN 0-687-49792-2. LINDA DAY'S CLOSE ANALYSIS of the text of Esther is preceded by an introduction that reviews literary genre,...

Junia: The First Woman Apostle.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Junia: The First Woman Apostle by Eldon Jay Epp Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 138 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8006-3771-2. MOST SCHOLARS IN THE twentieth century assumed that Paul greeted two men in Rom 16:7, Andronicus and Junias, to whom...

Reconstructing Old Testament Theology: After the Collapse of History.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Reconstructing Old Testament Theology: After the Collapse of History by Leo G. Perdue Overtures to Biblical Theology. Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 399 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8006-3716-X. IN THE EDITOR'S FOREWORD, Walter Brueggemann...

Solomon: Israel's Ironic Icon of Human Achievement.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Solomon: Israel's Ironic Icon of Human Achievement by Walter Brueggemann. Studies on Personalities of the OT. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 2005. 301 pp. $44.95 (cloth). ISBN 1-57003-578-4. THIS IS NOT AN HISTORICAL...

New Testament Theology: Communion and Community.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... New Testament Theology: Communion and Community by Philip F. Esler Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 353 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8006-3720-8. PHILIP ESLER'S BOOK seeks not only to alter the genre of such works but also fundamentally to...

A Love Supreme: A History of the Johannine Tradition.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... A Love Supreme: A History of the Johannine Tradition by Allen Dwight Callahan Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 128 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8006-3708-9. THIS BOOK BEGINS WITH an intriguing analysis that turns traditional interpretations of...

Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology by Udo Schnelle, translated by M. Eugene Boring Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2005. 695 pp. $49.99 (cloth). ISBN 0-8010-2796-9. UDO SCHNELLE, PROFESSOR of New Testament at the University of...

Social-Science Commentary on the Letters of Paul.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Social-Science Commentary on the Letters of Paul by Bruce J. Malina and John J. Pilch Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 419 pp. $27.00. ISBN 0-8006-3640-6. SOCIAL SCIENCE HAS recently contributed a great deal to the study of the NT....

1 Timothy.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... 1 Timothy by Deborah Krause Readings: A New Biblical Commentary. T & T Clark, London, 2004. 192 pp. $52.95. ISBN 0-567-08169-9. WRITING FROM AN unabashedly feminist "take" (p. xi), Deborah Krause examines the "pseudo-epistolary"...

God and Power: Counter-Apocalyptic Journeys.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... God and Power: Counter-Apocalyptic Journeys by Catherine Keller Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 184 pp. $22.00. ISBN 0-8006-3727-5. CHRISTIANITY SEEMS perennially derailed by a longing for certainty and absolute power that threatens...

The Many Faces of the Church: A Study in New Testament Ecclesiology.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Many Faces of the Church: A Study in New Testament Ecclesiology by Raymond F. Collins Crossroad, New York, 2004. 188 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-8245-2135-8. RAYMOND COLLINS REVIEWS the earliest textual evidence for NT visions of the...

Methodism: Empire of the Spirit.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Methodism: Empire of the Spirit by David Hempton Yale University Press, New Haven, 2005. 278 pp. $30.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-300-10614-9. WRITING FROM A transnational perspective, David Hempton's purpose is to account for the rapid...

Confessing Christ in the 21st Century.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Confessing Christ in the 21st Century by Mark Douglas Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, 2005. 288 pp. $27.95. ISBN 0-7425-1433-1. THE PAST DECADE OR SO has seen renewed interest in the ancient confession "Jesus is Lord." As Mark...

Problems With Atonement.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Problems With Atonement By Stephen Finlan Liturgical, Collegeville, 2005. 124 pp. $15.95. ISBN 0-8146-5220-4. IN THIS CHALLENGING and enlightening book, Stephen Finlan suggests that we have misunderstood the nature of God's...

Proclamation and Theology.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Proclamation and Theology by William H. Willimon Abingdon, Nashville, 2005. 106 pp. $9.00. ISBN 0-687-49343-9. FOR WILLIAM WILLIMON, the purpose and responsibility of preaching is simply stated: "Preaching is about God and by God,...

Preaching and Ethics.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Preaching and Ethics by Arthur Van Seters Chalice Press, St. Louis, 2004. 173 pp. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2976-3. CAN PREACHING ENABLE the church to live out its discipleship in faithfulness to Jesus Christ as it engages in moral and...

When God Speaks through Change: Preaching in Times of Congregational Transition.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... When God Speaks Through Change: Preaching in Times of Congregational Transition by Craig A. Satterlee Alban Institute, Herndon, 2005. 187 pp. $18.00. ISBN 1-56699-297-4. TO PARAPHRASE WHAT they say about the weather, if your...

Envisioning the Word: The Use of Visual Images in Preaching.(with CD-ROM)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Envisioning the Word: The Use of Visual Images in Preaching, with CD-ROM by James A. Jensen Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 155 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8006-3729-1. THIS NEEDED BOOK and accompanying CD-ROM address why, when, and how to...

A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... A Song to Sing, A Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice by Don Saliers and Emily Saliers Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2005. 209 pp. $21.95. ISBN 0-7879-6717-3. EMILY SALIERS SINGS with Amy Ray in the folk-rock...

Welcoming Children: A Practical Theology of Childhood.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Welcoming Children: A Practical Theology of Childhood by Joyce Ann Mercer Chalice Press, St. Louis, 2005. 300 pp. $23.99. ISBN 0-827242-51-4. THIS VOLUME IS A groundbreaking text in theology and children's ministries as much for...

The End of Words: The Language of Reconciliation in a Culture of Violence.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The End of Words: The Language of Reconciliation in a Culture of Violence by Richard Lischer Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 179 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8028-2932-5. EARLY IN THIS COMPELLING book, Richard Lischer, the distinguished...

Religion, Politics, Media in the Broadband Era.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Religion, Politics, Media in the Broadband Era by Alice Bach Sheffield Phoenix, Sheffield, 2004. 190 pp. $70.00 (cloth). ISBN 1-905048-07-6. THE THOUGHT THAT RUNS through this book is that "God is on our side" for people who are...

Authorizing Marriage? Canon, Tradition, and Critique in the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Authorizing Marriage? Canon, Tradition, and Critique in the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions edited by Mark D. Jordan Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2006. 208 pp. $35.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-691-12346-2. Are there biblical...

Vital Christianity: Spirituality, Justice, and Christian Practice.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Vital Christianity: Spirituality, Justice, and Christian Practice edited by David L. Weaver-Zercher and William H. Willimon T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2005. 248 pp. $31.95. ISBN 0-567-02551-9. This collection of essays explores the...

Theology Today: Reflections on the Bible and Contemporary Life.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Theology Today: Reflections on the Bible and Contemporary Life Patrick D. Miller Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 137 pp. $16.95. ISBN 0-664-22992-1. In this collection of his wide-ranging essays from the journal Theology...

But Is It All True? The Bible and the Question of Truth.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... But Is It All True? The Bible and the Question of Truth edited by Alan G. Padgett and Patrick R. Keifert Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006. 175 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8028-6316-7. What does is mean to say that the Bible is true? Nine...

Interpreting the Psalms: Issues and Approaches.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Interpreting the Psalms: Issues and Approaches edited by David Firth and Philip S. Johnston InterVarsity, Downers Grove, 2005. 336 pp. $26.00. ISBN 0-8308-2833-8. Incorporating recent scholarship, this collection of essays...

Contours of Christology in the New Testament.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Contours of Christology in the New Testament edited by Richard Longenecker McMaster New Testment Studies. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 359 pp. $28.00. ISBN 0-8028-1014-4. Designed to be easily accessible to ministers, laypeople,...

Studies in Matthew.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Studies in Matthew Ulrich Luz with translator Rosemary Selle Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 397 pp. $30.00. ISBN 0-8028-3964-9. In this new volume, a companion to his acclaimed Hermeneia commentary on Matthew, Luz reviews the core...

Studies in Matthew: Interpretation Past and Present.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Studies in Matthew: Interpretation Past and Present Dale C. Allison Jr. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2005. 282 pp. $34.99 (cloth). ISBN 0-8010-2791-8. Starting with the patristic period, the author considers the history of the...

Illuminating Luke: The Public Ministry of Christ in Italian Renaissance and Baroque Painting.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Illuminating Luke: The Public Ministry of Christ in Italian Renaissance and Baroque Painting Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2005. 177 pp. $34.95. ISBN 0-567-02820-8. In part two of this three-part...

Voyages with John: Charting the Fourth Gospel.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Voyages with John: Charting the Fourth Gospel by Robert Kysar Baylor University Press, Waco, 2005. 339 pp. $29.95. ISBN 1-932792-43-0. This collection of essays by one of the Fourth Gospel's foremost interpreters chronicles the...

The Historical Jesus in Recent Research.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Historical Jesus in Recent Research edited by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight Sources for Biblical and Theological Study 10. Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, 2005. 618 pp. $42.95. ISBN 1-57506-100-7. Dunn and McKnight have...

Gender, Tradition, and Romans: Shared Ground, Uncertain Borders.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Gender, Tradition, and Romans: Shared Ground, Uncertain Borders edited by Cristina Grenholm and Daniel Patte Romans Through History and Cultures. T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2005. 297 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-567-02911-5. Feminist...

Early Patristic Readings of Romans.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Early Patristic Readings of Romans edited by Kathy L. Gaca and L. L. Welborn Romans through History and Cultures Series, T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2005. 237 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-567-02931-X. Various contributors attempt to reconstruct...

A Concise History of Christian Doctrine.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... A Concise History of Christian Doctrine Justo L. Gonzalez Abingdon, Nashville, 2005. 220 pp. $24.00. ISBN 0-687-34414-X. A highly respected teacher of church history retells the story of the development of Christian doctrine. He...

The Resurrection of Jesus: John Dominic Crossan and N.T. Wright in Dialogue.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Resurrection of Jesus: John Dominic Crossan and N. T. Wright in Dialogue edited by Robert B. Stewart Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 220 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8006-3785-2. These essays form the core of the 2005 Greer-Heard...

The Gift of Grace: The Future of Lutheran Theology.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... The Gift of Grace: The Future of Lutheran Theology edited by Neils Henrik Gregersen et al. Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 336 pp. $30.00. ISBN 0-8006-3686-4. Thirty theologians evaluate the prospects for Lutheran theology for the new...

Shaking Heaven and Earth: Essays in Honor of Walter Brueggemann and Charles Cousar.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Shaking Heaven and Earth: Essays in Honor of Walter Brueggemann and Charles Cousar edited by Christine Yoder et al. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 170 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-664-22777-5. This book is based on presentations...

God, Truth, and Witness: Engaging Stanley Hauerwas.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... God, Truth, and Witness: Engaging Stanley Hauerwas edited by L. Gregory Jones, Reinhard Hutter and C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell Brazos, Grand Rapids, 2005. 336 pp. $39.99 (cloth). ISBN 1-58743-151-3. This collection of essays...

Memory, Tradition, and Text: Uses of the Past in Early Christianity.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Memory, Tradition, and Text: Uses of the Past in Early Christianity edited by Alan Kirk and Tom Thatcher Semeia Studies. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2005. 282 pp. $38.95. ISBN 1-58983-149-7. This series of essays...

Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction edited by Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray Resources for Biblical Study. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2005. 440 pp. $39.95. ISBN 1-58983-171-3. ...

Befriending the Stranger.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Befriending the Stranger by Jean Vanier Eedrmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 131 pp. $15.00 ISBN 0-8028-3134-6. The founder of the L'Arche communities with and for people with disabilities (in which Henri Nouwen lived his last years as...