Thirteen Tips for Leading the Congregation in Prayer

See Kevin DeYoung's "Thirteen Tips for leading the congregation in prayer" here.

Church Splits

David Murray has some advice for those who have been, or are now involved in, a church split in this post.

Pitts on Lukan Authorship of Hebrews

Michael Bird has a nice interview with Andrew W. Pitts who is a coauthor of a forthcoming with Joshua F. Walker entitled "The Authorship of Hebrews: A Further Development in the Luke-Paul Relationship" which will be included in forthcoming in book Paul's Social Relations, ed. Stanley Porter (Leiden: Brill, 2010). According to Pitts, "The evidence we examine suggests that Hebrews likely represents a Pauline speech, probably originally delivered in a Diaspora synagogue, that Luke documented in some way during their travels together and which Luke later published as an independent speech to be circulated among house churches in the Jewish-Christian Diaspora." Read the entire interview here.

Journal for the Study of the New Testament: March 2010; Vol. 32, No. 3

Table of Contents:

Guardians, not Taskmasters: The Cultural Resonances of Paul’s Metaphor in Galatians 4.1-2

John K. Goodrich

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 251-284
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/251

Immortal Glory and the Problem of Death in Romans 3.23

Ben C. Blackwell

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 285-308
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/285

With Homi Bhabha at the Jerusalem City Gates: A Postcolonial Reading of the ‘Triumphant’ Entry (Mark 11.1-11)

Hans Leander

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 309-335
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/309

Review Article: Seeking the Identity of Jesus

Richard Bauckham

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 337-346
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/337

Review Article: Seeking the Identity of Jesus

John K. Riches

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 347-362
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/347

Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Rejoinder

Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Richard B. Hays

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2010;32 363-370
http://jnt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/363

Preaching Christ From Ecclesiastes

I just noticed that Sidney Greidanus' book Preaching Christ From Ecclesiastes: Foundations for Expository Sermons is due out in May 2010. Should be interesting. If Eerdmans wants to send me a review copy I would greatly appreciate it!

"Was Jesus' Last Supper a Seder?"

See Jonathan Klawans article entitled "Was Jesus' Last Supper a Seder?" hosted at the Biblical Archaeology Review website here. Although I disagree with Klawans' conclusion that the Lord's Supper was not a Passover Seder, the article provides a decent overview of the issue. I would also suggest that readers take a look at Harold Hoehner's Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, pp. 76-90.

Varner on a New Perspective on Hebrews

See William Varner's post entitled "A New Perspective on Hebrews" here.

Interview With Gerald McDermott

See Trevin Wax's interview of Gerald McDermott, professor of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. His new book is The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide here. You can see his list of the eleven most influential theologians on Christian thought among other things.

Thiselton: The Living Paul

One book that I look forward to reading is Anthony Thiselton's The Living Paul. According to the publisher:

The apostle Paul has long had his admirers and revilers. And contemporary Christians often harbor private misgivings about this prominent apostle. Paul sounds harsh, intolerant, misogynistic, and his gospel surely misconstrues the message of Jesus. "How is it," they want to ask, "that some Christians can speak so fondly of Paul?"

Anthony Thiselton is an unabashed admirer of Paul, a student of his letters and a devotee of his gospel. Over a range of issues, Thiselton cleans the lens and sharpens the focus to give us snapshots of Paul's life, mission and thought. Whatever your level of knowledge and experience of Paul, you will find The Living Paul informative and interesting, nuanced and inspiring. A portrait of Paul rendered in the deft strokes of a master.

Rackham on the Fidelity of Luke

Richard Rackham suggests the following in his discussion of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1–29).

"We now come to a narrative which bears strong testimony to the fidelity of S. Luke. This is indeed incidentally confirmed by the relation of S. Paul to S. Barnabas: at Jerusalem, and in official records, Barnabas stands first (verses 12 and 25), but where S. Luke narrates, or gives his version of the record, he slips into the usual Paul and Barnabas (verse 22: cp. 2 and 35). But the chief evidence is afforded by the speeches. These are of course only brief notes of what was actually said, written out afterwards by S. Luke; and yet in these few verses the characteristic attitudes and phraseology of the speakers unconsciously assert themselves."

Richard Belward Rackham, The Acts of the Apostles: An Exposition (London: Methuen & Co., 1901), 247

While I am a believer in Luke’s fidelity, I am not sure I am convinced that order of names is all that determinative.

Oswalt Discussing The Bible Among the Myths

John Oswalt discussing his recent book The Bible Among the Myths.