Robert W. Wall

1–3 John

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Thomas Andrew Bennett has written a smart, well-written commentary on John’s three Catholic Epistles. His fluent exposition of these neglected biblical texts and his wide-ranging theological investigations of them fashion an inviting dialogue for and with clergy of the confessing church. Bennett’s attentiveness to the reception history of these letters as well as the ecclesial location of their interpretation as Scripture is especially welcome. Readers will appreciate the care by which Bennett selects which of these issues to discuss and how they might help the pastor or teacher prepare sermons or lectures that are formative of a people’s knowledge of and life with God.”

A Commentary on the Letters of John

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Birger Olsson's major commentary on the Johannine Epistles locates these distinctive New Testament writings at the end of the first century within a Judaism struggling to find itself following Rome's destruction of Jerusalem. . . . This is not a commentary for timid readers but one that will reward in deepened insight with each reading. Highly recommended.”

Brother of Jesus, Friend of God

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This fine collection from Luke Timothy Johnson, a leading interpreter of the Letter of James, offers advanced Bible students a fluent and full introduction to the letter's composition, canonization, theological contribution, and history within the early church. Although Johnson's book is scholarly in purview, including extensive notes and a current bibliography, his evident purpose is to set James within a context where current interpreters can better retrieve meaning in a way that underscores the letter's continuing importance for forming a more vital Christian faith. Johnson accomplishes this purpose with uncommon skill and grace.”

Domination or Empowerment?

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This is a fascinating study of Paul’s use of power language in his Corinthian correspondence informed by an extraordinary breadth of resources including Esther Cen’s inspiring autobiography. For students of Discourse Analysis or post-colonial exegesis generally, or for those who are spiritual leaders interested in the disposition of power within a Christian setting, Cen’s monograph is a must read.”

Evolution and Holiness

Science & Faith

“What a good book! Hill's study moderates the best kind of dialogue between faith and science in which a fluent assessment of the discipline of sociobiology (in his case) interacts with a faithful understanding of John Wesley's pivotal doctrine of Christian perfection (holiness) to produce a deepened understanding of the gains of science and the practice of faith. This book exemplifies, then, a way forward in the mostly messy slugfest between faith and science that typifies this dialogue in the secular academy and evangelical church. I highly recommend Hill's programmatic discourse to faculty and clergy alike.”

Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle

Theology

“One of the signal biblical scholars of our day, Gordon Fee has scaled down his magisterial Pauline Christology into a more modest size to be accessible to serious students and busy clergy. The immense scope of Fee’s learning is still evident in this edition, but here is a four-part synthesis of the most important and constructive themes of Paul’s witness to the risen Christ. Especially important is Fee’s well-regarded defense of Paul’s incarnational Christology and its strategic role in his messianic conception of God’s salvation. Readers of Scripture will appreciate Fee’s discussion of Paul’s running dialogue with his Bible, the Greek translation of the synagogue’s Hebrew Scripture, to lend biblical support to his core theological claim that Messiah Jesus is God’s Son. Fee records Paul’s dynamic struggle of relating his new belief in a divine Jesus to his own Judaism’s monotheism. An excellent resource for the seminary classroom and parish library.”

Navigating Revelation: Charts for the Voyage

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“An indispensable tool for teachers and students of the Book of Revelation! Crafted over many years of teaching this sacred text, Lemcio's charts are designed for classroom use and as guides for student learning rather than for their indoctrination into the one and only way of interpreting Revelation. Of particular importance is his interest in a theological reading of Revelation, set rightly within the context of the entire biblical canon. These are charts, then, that will help facilitate a student's conversation with all of Scripture, apropos of Revelation's role as Scripture's concluding and capstone witness. I recommend Lemcio's book enthusiastically for its use in the college or seminary classroom, and for any congregational setting in which a clearheaded and practical understanding of this magisterial book of Scripture is targeted.”

On the (Divine) Origin of Our Species

Science & Faith

Afterword

(wrote an afterword)

On the Origin of Christian Scripture

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“David Trobisch is a signal figure in contemporary discussions of the Christian Bible's origins. What he makes clear in this expansive sketch of the various phenomena that produced the Bible's canonical edition is the interdependency of the second century's social world, the developing technology that produced collections of related writings, the literary marks and peculiar network of ecclesiastical figures that produced--perhaps inevitably so--the first editions of the church's biblical canon. Provocateur and poet, historian and hermeneut, Trobisch has drawn for us more a map than a monograph and one that promises to guide future quests of an ancient history and help plot the tellings of this fascinating story of the bible's real beginnings.”

Prima Scriptura

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Clayton Croy's combination of Christian theology, hermeneutical theory, and exegetical practice is ecumenical, fluent, and comprehensive, which allows for a versatility uncommon in introductory texts on this topic. Croy grounds his treatment of exegetical practices on the theological nature of Scripture and on the sort of faithful interpreter who can best render a sacred text for today's world. Each section concludes with excellent annotated bibliographies of resources and teacher-friendly exercises that will make this book useful for the classroom.”

Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A book written for the church by a masterful teacher of the church. But Luke Johnson is also one of the world's leading scholars of Luke and Acts; his ideas, forged by careful study of the biblical narrative and honed in the seminary classroom, fund a stunning array of insights that readers will encounter in this challenging book. . . . This book really teaches!”

Revelation

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“An evocative, provocative theological commentary of first rank. Chris Thomas’s fine commentary is informed not only by his fluent reading of the sacred text and its many interpreters but also by his deep commitment to God’s people, especially of the Pentecostal communion. Frank Macchia’s complementary theological reflections are remarkable for their breadth and incisiveness in reading the church’s Scripture and tradition. Theirs is an intellectual achievement for the academy and a magisterial gift to the church.”

Studies in Luke, Acts, and Paul

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The sheer range of interests and their interactions evinced by Rowe’s essays on Luke, Acts, and Paul is breathtaking. This collection illustrates his understanding of the Christian mind needed to read the church’s scripture rigorously, constructively, and honestly. His intellectual adventures always seem to be in hot pursuit of the truth, and each bears witness to the courage required to take one’s stand once there.”

Text and Paratext

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Greg Goswell has provided us with an excellent introduction to a paratextual approach of the two-testament Bible’s final form―an interpretive approach that he has helped pioneer in biblical studies. This is a clearly written and engaging book with pedagogical aids that are exceptionally student (and teacher) friendly. I am confident that his work will introduce readers to a fresh way of understanding the rhetorical design of the entire biblical canon by more carefully considering what is typically overlooked: the text’s paratextual elements―book titles, chapter divisions, the sequence of books within their canonical collections, and the intracanonical relations between them. This new learning will surely excite and inspire a deeper understanding of the Bible for use in the church’s worship and the academy’s instruction. I strongly encourage its use by clergy and faculty alike.”

The Way according to Luke

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This fine study from Paul Borgman examines the narrative coherence of Luke's gospel and his Acts from the perspective of an auditor, who likely would have been among the first beneficiaries of Luke's literary masterpiece. Repeated themes and wordplays are 'ear clues' that not only frame the plotline of a good story but more importantly supply the rich texture of the core beliefs of a biblical faith. Borgman's formalist treatment of Luke and Acts amply shows the importance of a careful analysis of literary patterns in guiding the theological interpretation of biblical narrative.”

Time and the Word

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Who is more qualified than Ephraim Radner to reclaim the patristic practice of figural interpretation for today's church? Radner recognizes that the first task in doing so is to reset historical criticism's discourse, which typically treats figural reading as an artifact of antiquity, an inappropriate approach to Scripture for the modern-minded. . . . This is a highly original, intellectually rigorous, fearless book written by a scholar of the church for the academy.”

Travels Through the Book of Acts (Volume One, Acts 1–15)

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this thought-provoking book, Jim Duddleston presents a deeply personal reading of Acts 1–15 that integrates a close reading of the narrative with personal experiences from traveling the same routes the risen Lord’s apostles did . . . Whether you share Duddleston’s approach to Acts or his personal witness to the relevance of its narrative message for today’s evangelical congregations, his reading provides a faithful example of a devotional yet critically informed commentary of one of scripture’s most important narratives.”

Women in Ministry

Women

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)