J. Richard Middleton

Saved Through Fire

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this readable and incisive study of the fiery ordeal in the Old Testament, Jewish apocalyptic literature, and the New Testament, Daniel Frayer-Griggs persuasively argues that fire is associated by both Jews and Christians not only with the destruction of the wicked but also with the testing and purification of the righteous. Alongside the bold attempt to unravel long-standing interpretive cruxes (especially in the sayings of Jesus), this book lays the exegetical foundation for a coherent biblical theology of judgment.”

Science and the Doctrine of Creation

Science & Faith

“How did the most important twentieth-century Protestant theologians model Christian engagement with the scientific questions of their time? Rather than staking out a definitive position on creation and science, each of the ten essays in this book gives an account of the diverse ways a particular theologian (Warfield, Barth, Torrance, Moltmann, Pannenberg, etc.) addressed current scientific issues and how he understood the very relationship of science and theology in light of the doctrine of creation. This is a rich feast indeed!”

The Bible and Bob Marley

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This lucid and well-researched book is a salutary example of careful and sympathetic theological engagement of an important figure in popular culture by a musician-cum-biblical scholar who knows and loves his subject.”

The Church in Exile

Theology

“Instead of pining for a lost Christendom, Lee Beach offers the North American church a deeply biblical model for ecclesial identity and mission that is addressed to our contemporary situation of 'exile.' His nuanced exegesis of Old Testament diaspora tales, his exploration of the mission of Jesus in the context of Second Temple Judaism and his profound analysis of 1 Peter speak powerfully to the church in a post-Christian context. We have much to learn from Beach's insights about holy, missional and hopeful Christian living from the margins.”

The Lost World of the Flood

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Many readers of the Bible are perplexed about how to understand the seemingly legendary stories in Genesis 1–11. In continuity with Walton's previous Lost World books, Longman and Walton—both of whom have written commentaries on Genesis—provide astute guidance for reading the flood narrative as part of the larger story of Genesis 1–11 and in the context of other ancient Near Eastern literature. Attentive to contemporary questions of science and history that many readers bring to the text, they zero in on the sort of literature the flood story is, helping us to better understand its theological claims, which are meant to impact human life both in ancient times and today.”

The Lost World of the Prophets

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“John Walton has distinguished himself as one of the foremost interpreters of the Old Testament for the church today. The Lost World of the Prophets makes accessible serious biblical scholarship on the cultural context of the Old Testament prophets. This book is a superb guide to reading the message of the prophetic literature with integrity and faithfulness to the God of Israel and Jesus Christ. I am deeply grateful for this outstanding work.”

The New Testament and the Future of the Cosmos

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Ryan Juza tackles a crux in New Testament studies—the degree to which the various authors of the Gospels, epistles, and Revelation understand the future of the cosmos as replacement or renewal. Juza’s careful tackling of numerous specific texts, along with his clear conceptual categories, is a model of respectful biblical interpretation. We are indebted to Juza for this lucid study, which uncovers a coherent vision of the future among divergent biblical writers.”

The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism

History & Biography

“What do you say about a historical study that reads like a whodunit? Dan Hummel’s book is a page turner, shedding light on details that I already knew from dispensationalist pop culture, filling in the gaps through patient analysis and good storytelling. Historians will love his patient analysis; it’s the storytelling that hooked me. At the end of each chapter, I had to know what came next. Not only is The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism a superb academic study; Hummel’s analysis of the gap left by the decline of dispensationalism helps us understand the ideological crisis of the so-called evangelical church today.”

The Rule of Faith and Biblical Interpretation

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In a world where much academic biblical interpretation is severed from deep theological reflection, Fennell makes a persuasive argument for a recovery of the Rule of Faith as a tried and true communal reading strategy of the historic church . . . His emphasis on the compatibility of theological faithfulness with genuine diversity of interpretation, along with his profound awareness of social location, makes this a most helpful discussion in our contemporary context.”

The Ten Commandments through the Ages

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Sara Koenig has dug deeply into the reception history of the Decalogue. This wide-ranging exploration of Jewish and Christian interpretation of the Commandments is a rich and inspiring feast for both scholarly and lay readers.”

The Vehement Jesus

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Neville’s close, contextual readings of Gospel texts that seemingly implicate Jesus in violence (by teaching or action) could be a model for biblical scholars who want to face difficulties in the Bible head-on while respecting the normative, canonical thrust of Scripture (an ethical variant of the rule of faith). Without harmonizing variant traditions or reducing them to their supposedly ‘historical’ kernel, Neville proposes responsible readings of problematic texts in a manner that will be helpful to the church negotiating a violent world. Parenthetically, his treatment of the cursing of the fig tree is worth the price of the book.”

Towards an Incarnational Spiritual Culture

Philosophy

“The incarnation, at the center of Christian faith, provides a touchstone for understanding the world as God’s good creation and human beings as called to embodied, dialogical relationship with their creator. This ambitious book contrasts the incarnational Christian vision with contemporary permutations of ancient Gnosticism, teasing out philosophical implications of an incarnational spiritual culture for human identity in the twenty-first century.”

Understanding Our Story

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“This introduction to Adrian van Kaam makes accessible to a broader public an important Christian contribution to holistic anthropology and formative spirituality. Marked by clear exposition, Letterman and Muto's analysis of van Kaam's multidimensional and dynamic view of the person not only has implications for counseling and spiritual direction, but encouraged me to reflect on the course of my own life. A book to be studied and savored.”

Watching Cosmic Time

Arts & Literature

“Moore’s exploration of key mid-twentieth-century films against the backdrop of World War II and the problem of order versus chaos is a tour de force of insightful analysis. His attentiveness to clocks and time references in these films made me want to go back and watch them again. Moore’s thick description of the geopolitical backdrop of the movies draws the reader in to reflect on how the anxieties of the mid-twentieth century are still with us today.”

What Hath Darwin to Do with Scripture?

Science & Faith

“In this book, Dru Johnson offers readers a brilliant thought experiment: suppose we compare Darwin and the authors of Scripture on the intersection of scarcity, sex, and environmental fit—topics that were clearly important for Darwin's understanding of the evolutionary process. It turns out that these topics are central also to the way Scripture portrays Eden, life after the fall, and the new heavens and new earth. Although this book does not (by a long shot) 'harmonize' Scripture and science, the thematic comparison generates many exegetical insights and sheds significant light on the Bible's vision of God's intent for creation.”

What Job’s Friends Could Have Done

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Stephen Torr is passionate that the church learns how to minister to those with trauma, so that they might experience healing from their wounds. To that end he takes us on an extensive tour of Kevin Vanhoozer’s theodramatic approach to theological anthropology and ecclesiology, with a healthy dose of Donald Winnicott’s psychology of maturation, while reflecting on Job and his friends and suggesting implications for the church today.”