The strengths of this volume are numerous. First, students receive a thorough understanding of the cultural, historical, sociological, religious, and geographical contexts from which the New Testament emerged. Burge, Cohick, and Green carefully craft each element so that they are academically complex while suitably accessible, balancing brevity with depth.
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Now that the 2011 NIV has been released online and is set for full publication in March, fans of the TNIV may be curious how they compare. What follows is an analysis of the updated NIV's treatment of key passages involving women as well as its use of gender-inclusive language. TNIV fans will be grateful that a number of the things they loved live on in the NIV-11, and, in some places, the new NIV has even found room for improvement. However, they may be disappointed that the NIV-11 is not always consistent in its treatment of gender.
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These twenty-seven departures from the Greek undermine the ESV claim to be "the very words of God to us" (9) and to let the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. Regarding women in Paul's teachings, the ESV and its notes do not fulfill its promise to represent the original text accurately, differing evangelical positions fairly, or the broad tradition of evangelical orthodoxy.
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Craig Keener's 1-2 Corinthians is a wonderfully engaging and easily read commentary on Paul's letters to the Corinthians. It is tightly packed with documented information from ancient sources on the historical/social/cultural setting of Corinth in Paul's time. This information enables the reader to understand more clearly the intentions behind Paul's letters to the Corinthians, underlining how the cultural emphasis on rhetoric in Paul's time shaped his writings.
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If, like me, you are neither a theologian nor a professor, no need to fear opening the covers of Manfred Brauch's Abusing Scripture: The Consequences of Misreading the Bible . . . Professor Brauch is writing primarily to evangelicals who, like himself, hold the Bible as the unique word of God, guiding our faith and daily practice. Brauch contends that those who claim this high level of commitment to Scripture are the more accountable to rightly divide the word of truth. Yet, Brauch claims, "on a regular basis, in our interpretation and application of the Bible, we grievously abuse Scripture; we do violence to its message and meaning"(16).
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Truly, the most striking message from James' book is that Ruth is not just a lonely woman, in the way of modern romance movies, seeking love and matrimony to complete her happiness. Marriage is not the ultimate goal. Instead, Ruth is a courageous woman, whose mission is to fulfill her vow to show hesed toward Naomi—even if it means breaking gender expectations. This is the great kindness that is spoken of in Ruth 3:10—a great kindness which is echoed in kind by Naomi and then Boaz, and culminates in a phenomenally world-changing, eternity-impacting royal family line.
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Both scholars and laypeople will appreciate the way that Bailey brings biblical episodes to life and provides new focuses and perspectives in the stories. In a way, his description of parables as extended metaphors reflects the contribution of his entire book. Bailey has effectively permitted us to take up residence in a Middle Eastern house so we can look at the biblical world through its windows.
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Even though Köstenberger claims to supply the reader with the "facts" (16), and to employ a "listening hermeneutic" (119, 220, 229), and not elevate ideology over Scripture (119), claiming to have no "presupposed notions" (183), in reality what she does herself is analyze feminists' writings about Jesus through the theological framework of gender defined by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) (which she cites, 23, 179). In effect, she evaluates all writers on the extent they agree with the following presuppositions: "governing 1 and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men" (179) . . .
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Kristina LaCelle-Peterson writes a compelling outline of Christian feminism that serves as a valuable tool for the average evangelical seeking more refined and informed thinking about gender from a biblical perspective. The book's title hints at its ambitious purpose: to liberate evangelicals from cultural trappings that have misdirected our reading of Scripture, our family structures, and our models of church participation. The author invites all Christians to look at Scripture with fresh eyes and to listen to the voices and experiences of Christian women through the ages so that we can gain a more accurate understanding of gender as it relates to Christian identity and vocation.
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