Leitourgia

Gregg R. Allison's 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith: A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology  (Baker Books, 2018) is a systematic theology accessible to students and laypersons alike. In this single-volume work, Allison outlines 50 key doctrines, from creation to Christ to church, giving major affirmations, biblical support, major errors, and ways to live the doctrine. Allison also provides a breakout box of controversial questions surrounding the doctrine, which may work effectively in a classroom discussion setting. Each doctrine is only devoted around four to six pages, but Allison packs each chapter with sound, ecumenical teaching, subscribing to a catholic and orthodox way rather than holding to a denominational dogma. Each chapter begins with a summary, main themes, and key verses, allowing easy reference, and the chapters end with a teaching outline for students to study and teachers to utilize for the main structure of each chapter. Allison's new text ...

The wisdom books of the Old Testament—Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs—are often met with confusion on how to interpret and even preach through them. This is the problem that Edward M. Curtis seeks to fix in Interpreting the Wisdom Books: An Exegetical Handbook  (Kregel Academic, 2017), the newest addition to Kregel's Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis  (Daniel M. Howard, Jr., ed.). The wisdom books are very timely and practical, so, in this book, Curtis outlines an approach to reading wisdom literature, from observation to interpretation to application. Curtis guides the exegete through the major themes and concepts of each book, pointing out important literary devices and words. This book reveals the message beneath each book and how it can be appropriated to the modern world. What I found most useful were the short series of "hooks" for each book (i.e. "Ecclesiastes emphasizes perplexing realities about life"). Curtis' text is brief ye...

IVP Academic, 2017. 365 pp. Many students of theology are exposed to Abraham Kuyper in an introductory systematic theology or church history class, often seen as a developer and ancillary thinker of John Calvin. He is perhaps most famously known for his bumper sticker-esque motto: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!'” However, many students do not spend considerable time studying Kuyper’s life and specific teachings. Much of this disconnect has been due to the lack of access to his writings. With massive translation projects underway in his original Dutch language, the writings of Kuyper are surfacing and becoming more accessible to non-Dutch speaking readers. Thus, Craig G. Bartholomew believes that his new text,  Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction (IVP Academic, 2017), has come at the right time to expose thinkers—Reformed or not—to rediscover the ...

IVP Academic, 2018. 224 pp. The psalmist proclaims that God is good and does good (cf. Ps. 119:68, 100:5, 136:1, 34:8). By far, the most common attribute of God in the Psalms is goodness. Yet this is an attribute of God often overlooked in Christian faith and practice. Moreover, it is sometimes denied, with the goodness of God being contingent on what humans believe to be “good” living. In  The Lord is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter (IVP Academic, 2018), Anglican priest and theologian Christopher R.J. Holmes believes that the doctrine of divine goodness is assumed by Christians, but he himself does not assume its veracity. Instead, he probes its development through the book of Psalms and comes to the conclusion that the Psalms serve as a case study for exhibiting God’s goodness, a trait that carries through the rest of Scripture. Holmes begins by establishing a sound doctrine of God. What does it mean for God to be “simple” and “good”? How does the doctrine of the Trin...

As pastor-theologians, it is imperative for those in ministry—whether academic or pastoral—to have access to the original languages of Scripture. Knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew illuminates one's understanding of how God has revealed himself and how Christians live in light of this revelation. However, in the realm of print Bibles, there are very few options that are accessible. Some are clunky and ponderous, taking multiple volumes; others are smaller yet expensive; others still separate the Old and New Testaments, leaving a discontent among the biblical languages. This is the problem that the editors of The Complete Hebrew-Greek Bible (Hendrickson, 2017) seek to resolve. In a compact, full volume, both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament are provided for reading the original languages. This is neither an interlinear Bible nor a parallel Bible; there is very little annotation in this work with the exception of minor references and variant spellings. The H...

Multnomah, 2017. 162 pp. Worship goes beyond Sunday morning services and far beyond the three or four songs played by a band. When we understand the greater purpose of worship, transformation and revival will occur. Thus, there is a need for a renewed "liturgical literacy" among laypersons and ministers alike. The heart of true worship has been hidden among decades of worship wars, and we have been seeing an increased shift toward a deeper understanding of liturgy. Such is the purpose of Louie Giglio's updated  The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life  (Multnomah, 2017). In this book, Giglio seeks to recapture a more profound theology of worship, one that is a response to who God is. To Giglio, the passion of the Christ demands our fullest devotion to following God. Giglio makes the claim that we are all worshippers and, regardless of our awareness, we become what we worship. Giglio sets some important foundations about worship as a way of life; however, he tra...

IVP Academic, 2012. 135 pp. Introducing theology to students can be difficult in a single text. Systematic theologies provide large amounts of information that may be overwhelming and unnecessary for a general audience, and popular books are accessible yet may teach doctrine that is either too shallow or too slanted. Where is the via media in teaching theology? This is the issue that Michael Reeves seeks to rectify in his new book Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (IVP Academic, 2012). In this text, Reeves does not dissect the minutia of Christian theology but rather surveys the Christian life from a trinitarian lens, showing how the Triune God distinctly operates in the life of a believer. This book answers the great questions of Christianity through the Trinity. Reeves argues that the dogma of the Trinity sets Christianity apart from other religions; thus, trinitarian living is distinct from other faiths. In five brief chapters, Reeves introduce...