New Books You Should Know About
By Matthew Barrett –
How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens. By Michael Williams. Zondervan, 2012.
How would the Bible read differently if we read each book in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Michael Williams argues that Christ is the central focus of each biblical book and every theme of the Bible ultimately finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Christ. Justin Taylor commends the book saying, “Few books do a better job of giving us an overview of Genesis to Revelation in such a compact way. This is the sort of book I’d love to have in the hands of every member of my church!” Here is a video of Williams talking about his book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw-4B3WgvUE&feature=player_embedded
Preaching & Preachers. By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Zondervan, 2012.
Wait a minute! This is a classic, not a new book! Ah, yes, it is a classic, but it is a classic text with additional essays from Bryan Chapell, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan, Timothy Keller, and John Piper, in light of its 40th anniversary. John Piper praises this new edition, “Preachers need to hear this kind of preaching as a partial antidote to the relentless trivializing of preaching in our day.”
God’s Names. By Sally Michael. P&R, 2012.
God goes by many names in the Bible and the meaning of each and every one of these names has significance, telling us something about who God is. Sally Michael, co-founder of Children Desiring God, has written a book that introduces children to the names of God. The names she focuses on include: Elohim, Jehova, Yahweh, El Shaddai, El Elyon, El Kana, Jehovah-El Emeth, Adonai, El Roi, Jehovah-Shammah, A Strong Tower, Jehovah-Sabaoth, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Or, Jehovah-Shalom, Judge of the Whole Earth, Jehovah-Maginnenu, Jehovah-Rohi, Father, Lamb of God, Savior, Messiah, Christ, Salvation in No Other Name, Helper, Coming King, and Overcomer. Each name is explained around a specific story in the Bible. I am looking forward to reading this one to my daughters . . . and I imagine they will not be the only ones learning about the names of God! John Piper commends the book, “The God Sally sees, savors, and sets forth here is unabashedly big. Not distant and uncaring. But great enough to make his caring count.”
Biblical Greek: A Compact Guide. By William D. Mounce. Zondervan, 2012.
Wow, how I wish I had something this compact and neat when I was learning Greek. This little book will fit right in your back pocket and yet it contains all the basics of biblical Greek. I especially appreciate all of the memorization charts in the second half of the book. To this day I still have my old binder from seminary where I wrote down all the rules and charts to memorize. This little book has done it all for you. Greek students, don’t miss out on this user-friendly book.
(And if you like this book you may also be interested in this laminated chart.)
Salvation Accomplished by the Son: The Work of Christ. By Robert A. Peterson. Crossway, 2011.
One of the very first books I read on the work of Christ and the application of his work by the Spirit was John Murray’s little classic, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. I loved it. So I went on and read Robert Letham’s The Work of Christ. But now we have yet another volume, much larger in size too, by Robert Peterson, an accomplished scholar and very sharp theologian. Nearly 600 pages in size, Peterson walks us through the work of Christ, taking us into the biblical text. I look forward to digging my teeth into this meaty volume. Thomas Schreiner praises Peterson’s work saying, “Peterson conducts a full-orbed tour of Christology, particularly highlighting the often neglected role of Christ’s resurrection in our salvation. He writes with a pastor’s heart, as is evident in the biblical fidelity and remarkable clarity that marks this work.”
Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches. By James M. Hamilton Jr. Crossway, 2012.
One of the newest books in the Preaching the Word series is James Hamilton’s Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches. I believe pastors will especially benefit from this volume. Here is why:
Useful for personal study, as well as for preaching and teaching (Hamilton even includes helpful charts and tables to highlight key themes and literary elements), the thirty-seven sermons in this volume have a clear structure: introduction, body, and conclusion. Hamilton successfully grabs the reader’s attention, raises awareness of a real need, and states the main point of the sermon text. In addition to explaining the meaning of each passage, Hamilton connects the main ideas to applicable analogies and actionable points. Revelation is a prophecy of epic proportions and Hamilton invites readers to love God and his people by expositing this revelation of Jesus, and to say along with the apostle John, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles
This is one book I am anxious to read. Not too long ago I enjoyed hearing Goldsworthy give a series of lectures on biblical theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In his forthcoming book Goldsworthy has dedicated himself to a full-fledged treatment of what he calls “Christ-Centered” biblical theology. Goldsworthy unfolds the sweep of salvation history culminating in Christ. Schreiner recommends the book saying, “Over the years readers have benefited from Goldsworthy’s work in biblical theology. Now we have the mature and wise reflections of a veteran scholar on how to do biblical theology. I found this book to be edifying and stimulating. Even those who disagree with some dimensions of Goldsworthy’s approach will find him to be a challenging conversation partner.”
Here is the table of contents:
1. Biblical theology: lame duck or eagles’ wings?
Confessions of a biblical theology addict
The big questions about the big picture
The Robinson-Hebert schema
The role of Genesis 1–11
The question of reductionism
Why is biblical theology so neglected?
2. Evangelical definitions and presuppositions
Tentative steps towards a definition of biblical theology
Evangelical theological presuppositions in biblical theology
Evangelical hermeneutical presuppositions in biblical theology
3. Salvation and history
The idea of salvation history
The biblical history as salvation history
Salvation history within Scripture: Old Testament
Salvation history within Scripture: New Testament
Conclusions
4. Evangelical practice
The lack of consensus among evangelicals
The shaping of a biblical theologian: my debt to Donald Robinson
Some leading evangelical biblical theologians
Conclusions
5. Multiplex biblical theology
The problem of unity and diversity in method
Proponents of the multiplex approach
Conclusions
6. Letting the Old Testament speak I: biblical history
What kind of epoch?
The main foci in Old Testament history
Conclusions
7. Letting the Old Testament speak II: prophetic eschatology
The pattern of prophetic eschatology
The canonical shape
The main foci in prophetic eschatology
Conclusions
8. Letting the New Testament speak
Is the New Testament normative in the interpretation of the Old Testament?
Does the New Testament exhibit a structure of revelation?
The Abraham-David/Solomon axis and the fulfilment of prophecy
A comparison of approaches
9. Typology
Robinson’s typology
Approaches to typology
Some issues in the debate
Macro-typology
10. The Robinson legacy
Robinson’s typology and method in biblical theology
Israel and the church
Eschatology
Baptism
Assessment
11. How to do biblical theology
Is there a future for biblical theology?
Possibilities for biblical theology
Epilogue
Matthew Barrett (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett has contributed book reviews and articles to various academic journals, and he is the author of several forthcoming books. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Cassandra and Georgia. He is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.
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