Leitourgia

In Intermediate Greek Grammar (Baker Academic, 2019), David Mathewson and Elodie Ballantine Emig bring together their experience in teaching Greek at the seminary level to create this reference grammar for second-year students. It is divided into 13 chapters that address a distinct grammatical category (e.g., cases, adverbs, verbs, infinitives). Each grammatical category is explained using examples from the Greek New Testament, preventing the book from using made-up sentences. The authors assume a minimalistic and realistic approach to language; for them, exegetical nuggets are not found by overanalyzing linguistic units but by reading in context and allowing language study to support the task of exegesis. Mathewson and Emig present a helpful guide to a fill a lacuna in intermediate Greek reference grammars. The book is clearly organized, with headers for easy access. The purpose of this book is to support exegesis from the Greek New Testament, and practice exercises help reinforce...

In A Manual for Preaching (Baker Academic, 2019), celebrated preacher Abraham Kuruvilla provides a practical guide for moving from text to sermon. The steps covered include discerning theology, deriving application, creating maps, fleshing moves, illustrating ideas, crafting introductions and conclusions, producing manuscripts, and delivering sermons. Throughout each chapter, Kuruvilla uses examples from the book of Ephesians and the Jacob cycle in Genesis to provide real examples. Two complete annotated manuscripts, one from Ephesians and one from Genesis, are included as appendices. This book is an incredibly valuable gift to preachers. Even if one does not agree with Kuruvilla’s hermeneutic of preaching (his pericopal approach is described and defended in Baker’s Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views), the suggestions for preparation and delivery are immensely helpful. Kuruvilla advocates for propositional preaching with manuscript delivery, which may be less familiar in free...

In Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry (Baker Academic, 2019), R. Robert Creech applies Bowen family systems theory to congregational life, showing how congregations are family systems. After reviewing the basic concepts of Bowen theory, Creech shows how it can be used as a map for both practical theology and for reading Scripture. As a map for practical theology, Bowen theory can be applied to difficult congregational situations, preaching, pastoral care, spiritual formation, and community. Creech then shows how Bowen theory can be a map for reading Scripture, using the life of Abraham, the character of Jesus, and the teaching of Paul as case studies. This book is an interesting contribution to pastoral theology. Creech is right in comparing Bowen theory to a map; it has principles that can guide congregations, but it is not meant to be read as a rigid set of rules. He presumes a working familiarity with Bowen theory, although his introductory matter establ...

Kregel Publications continues its Big Greek Idea series with John’s Letters: An Exegetical Guide for Preaching and Teaching (Kregel, 2019). Written by Herbert Bateman and Aaron Peer, this commentary assumes a discourse-level analysis of the Greek text of I-III John. Each section begins with the “Big Greek Idea” and offers a structural overview. After a brief outline, the section includes a clausal outline (grammatical diagram), visually distinguished by its grammatical, syntactical, and semantic functions. A running commentary explains the clausal relationships according to these three primary functions, with occasional excurses for lexical, syntactical, grammatical, or theological “nuggets.” The explanation of syntax is thorough and well-researched. This guide succeeds in its ability to save time in grammatical work for exegesis. It, however, assumes a working knowledge of grammar and the Greek language. For teachers and preachers, this is an invaluable resource. It does not prom...

In Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality (IVP, 2019), lifelong writer and editor Andrew T. Le Peau reveals the secrets of efficient writing. For Le Peau, writing itself does not get easier, but the process can become easier. He attends to three major areas: the craft of writing, the art of writing, and the spirituality of writing. Regarding the craft of writing, Le Peau describes the technical areas of good writing: crafting an opening, making a persuasive argument, rewriting well, and forming good titles and endings. In the art of writing, he moves to more abstract areas, such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. In his final section, which is his unique contribution, Le Peau discusses the spiritually formative aspects of writing. Writing about ourselves changes us, as it did Augustine, and self-doubt can be removed when we have the courage to be creative. In this book, Le Peau ensures that writing does not remain a useless creative endeavor but spirituall...

In You of Little Faith: How Bold Giving Leads to Great Blessings (Baker Books, 2019), pastor Ryan Thomas confronts American Christianity by claiming that the deterrent to spiritual growth may very well be a lack of giving. Thomas contends that people who give posture themselves to receive rewards. The first is stronger faith; giving becomes a test of faithfulness to God’s promises. Next, giving provides freedom from materialism and paves a new way to live. Third, giving leads to financial provisions. Finally, giving results in treasures in heaven, with a view toward spiritual friendship with God and others. On the one hand, Thomas calls nominal Christians to action—especially in an age when giving is low. On the other hand, Thomas can be critiqued for being too inflammatory and perhaps unnecessarily prophetic. His arguments are largely sourced from his personal experience and stories, with weaker biblical, historical, and theological support. Much of the complexities and nuances o...

In Narrative Apologetics: Sharing the Relevance, Joy, and Wonder of the Christian Faith (Baker Books, 2019), Alastair McGrath sets forth a new kind of apologetics—one that is not based on systems and arguments but on stories. For McGrath, the Bible tells a consistent story, a narrative of God’s divine work in the world. Accordingly, the best defense of Christianity comes from a story that is well-told. McGrath also submits that current culture finds more relevance and connection from a story than a set of vapid propositions. McGrath begins with a theological defense of narrative apologetics, followed by an explanation of its practical applications, biblical narratives (exodus, exile, Christ, kingdom), and strategies for using narrative apologetics. His movement from theory to praxis is, fittingly, very well-ordered. He stands against postmodern narratives and insists that the biblical narrative is the ultimate source of salvation; at the same time, this story speaks to all people ...