Leitourgia

In Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry (Zondervan Academic, 2019), Matthew Patton, Frederic Clarke Putnam, and Miles Van Pelt attempt to create an intermediate Hebrew teaching grammar that focuses on discourse analysis.  For Patton and Putnam, traditional Hebrew pedagogies have neglected macro-level relationships between paragraphs and discourses, focusing instead on micro-level relationships between words and sentences. Although useful and manageable for introductory courses, one cannot neglect more significant analysis in advanced courses. This book is divided into two sections: working with Hebrew prose (written by Patton) and working with Hebrew poetry (written by Putnam). This is an excellent introduction to Hebrew syntax analysis, which is lacking in most language programs. It distills advanced scholarship into a clear, concise reference work. Examples from the Hebrew Bible are thorough, varied, and perceptive. Some of the glosses ...

In Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues (Zondervan Academic, 2019), Joshua Chatraw and Karen Swallow Prior discuss how Christians should handle cultural issues that are not necessarily addressed in the Bible. The authors first offer a model for cultural engagement before introducing key views on major cultural issues, including sexuality, gender roles, human life, immigration and race, creation care, politics, work, arts, and war. Bringing together respected writers—both from the academy and the church, across various disciplines—Chatraw and Prior have compiled a robust volume of perspectives on current cultural issues. The essays, however, do not remain speculative but always have a view toward informing engagement with the world. Therefore, while one may not necessarily agree with every chapter, each certainly offers a new way to consider how to be a Christian in a changing world. Each chapter is short and manageable, and some are more technical than others. ...

Now in its fourth edition, Bill Mounce’s classic Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar continues its legacy as the go-to Koine Greek textbook. As is common in most new editions, the overall content has remained the same, with a few minor adjustments in design and language. This new edition has removed some of the seemingly unprofessional aspects, such as the owl. Section overviews provide a fly-over of each chapter’s content, making it easier for students to understand what to expect. Especially useful is how chapters begin with exegetical insights, which make the examples feel relevant and practical rather than made-up. Mounce has a special eye for ministerial application, which makes this text shine among other, more technical teaching grammars. This book succeeds in offering the basics of biblical Greek, suitable for classrooms, seminaries, churches, and independent study. Moreover, the Zondervan Greek publications offer a suite of useful works that guide Greek scholars through thei...

In The Mosaic of the Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ’s Work (Zondervan Academic, 2019), Joshua McNall seeks to rescue atonement theology from evangelical abuse. McNall submits that typical soteriological methods can either treat one atonement theory as superior to the other, creating a hierarchy, or collapse and reduce them all together, creating a diluted puddle. He attempts to reconcile these extremes by presenting an integrated approach to the atonement, viewing it through the “mosaic” of Christ. Using the metaphor of a body, McNall draws on classical views of the atonement: the feet (recapitulation), the heart (penal substitution), the head (Christus Victor), and the hands (moral influence). Brought together, one can discover a more beautiful vision for what Christ’s work has accomplished. This book is an excellent evangelical introduction to soteriology and atonement. It is readable yet profound. Although his metaphors may become confusing at times (after all, if ...

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...