The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation

Here's yet another reason why you need to know what's going on in the Feminist/Egalitarian arena!
This evening I was searching through the Amazon website and came across the following Bible translation:
The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation
by Priests for Equality
Sheed & Ward (Hardcover ed., 2007; Paperback ed., 2009)
Product Description
Seeking to be faithful to the original languages, Priests for Equality have sought new and non-sexist ways to express the same ancient truths. The Inclusive Bible is a fresh, dynamic translation into modern English, carefully crafted to let the power and poetry of the language shine forth-particularly when read aloud-giving it an immediacy and intimacy rarely found in traditional translations of the Bible.

---

I might as well put in another plug for Margaret E. Köstenberger's Jesus and the Feminists: Who Do They Say That He Is? (Crossway Books, 2008).
     

The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation

The Promise-Plan of God by Walter Kaiser, Jr.

[Originally posted 1/8/08]
I just stumbled across this forthcoming title from Zondervan which looks to be very exciting. I have benefited immensely from his Toward an Old Testament Theology (and some of his other books) and I'm looking forward to this revision and addition, too.

The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments
Coming April 2008 from Zondervan
432 pages

ISBNs: 0310275865 / 9780310275862

Purchase: Zondervan | WTS | CBD | Amazon

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (PhD, Brandeis University) is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished professor of Old Testament and president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He has taught at Wheaton College and at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dr. Kaiser has written numerous books, including Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching; Hard Sayings of the Old Testament; Exodus in the Expositor's Bible Commentary; The Messiah in the Old Testament; A History of Israel; and coauthored An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning. Dr. Kaiser and his wife, Marge, currently reside in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.

Synopsis:
Exploring the difficulty in determining the true nature, method, scope, and motivation for biblical theology, this book proposes the promise of God as the center of Old and New Testament theology and applies the solution to each of its eras. [source]

Description:
Recognizing the major crisis in biblical theology, namely the inability of the discipline to restate and reapply the authority of the Bible, Walter Kaiser offers a solution to the unresolved issues of definition and methodology in biblical theology. A proper understanding of biblical theology, explains the author, "shows us an inner center of plan to which each biblical writer consciously and deliberately contributed; however, this inner biblical unity, which biblical theologians traditionally have been loathe to adopt for fear of gratuitously imposing a grid of their own devising over the text, is a center that is inductively supplied and confirmed by the text of Scripture itself. That center is the promise of God."

This book is a complete revision of Walter Kaiser's Toward an Old Testament Theology. Extending the discussion into the New Testament, Dr. Kaiser now offers a biblical theology of Old and New Testaments.

• In Part I of his book, Dr. Kaiser discusses the inherent difficulty in determining the true nature, method, scope, and motivation for Old Testament theology.
• In Part II, he applies his solutions clearly and methodically by chronologically discussing the Old Testament eras from the Prepatriarchical (Prolegomena to the Promise) to that of the Postexillic (Triumph of the Promise).
• In Part III, Dr. Kaiser now explores the central theme of the promise of God in the New Testament story.
• A special section examines the connections between Old and New Testament theology.

"This textbook is different," says Dr. Kaiser, "in that it takes the Bible's own system of organization as the solution to the very issues that have perplexed us the most, while also strictly observing the historical sequence of divine revelation." [source]

UPDATE:
I've received a review copy of this new release and have been picking through it over the past few weeks. As I've been reading this volume, I've also been reading Eugene Merrill's Everlasting Dominion: A Theology of the Old Testament (B&H, 2006) and Bruce Waltke's An Old Testament Theology (Zondervan, 2007). On its way to me is Merrill's Kingdom of Priests, 2nd edition (Baker, 2008). I'm enjoying the opportunity to be immersed in the world of OT History and OT Theology.

Each of these volumes is unique and distinctly Evangelical. In my mind, Kaiser and Merrill have a similar approach. I'm more familiar with the writings of Walter Kaiser, but have recently been turned on to the scholarship of Merrill by means of a hearty recommendation from Dr. Layton Talbert. Both hold similar positions, but present them in slightly different ways. Both emphasize the importance of recognizing the progressive nature of God's revelation to man. Both are a welcome addition to my library.

To me, Waltke's writing is more technical in nature. He does not refrain from addressing and digging into highly technical matters. I still need to read more before I say more. In the meantime, here is a link to the Zondervan site where you can browse this volume.

Browse Waltke's An Old Testament Theology

_______________
Related: Book Review--The Majesty of God in the Old Testament (Baker Academic, 2007)

The Promise-Plan of God by Walter Kaiser, Jr.

A Little Bit of Book Fun: Baptist Theology

I share this with you for the sake of humor, but do NOT, at all, want to disparage the value of this forthcoming book. I've not yet read anything by Dr. Garrett, but this little mishap has worked out to introduce me to some of his work in Baptist theology.

Wyman Richardson, at Walking Together, posted a notice (Coming In January 2009) of the following book due out January of 2009:

See larger image

Baptist Theology: A Four Century Study (Baptists) (Hardcover)
by James Leo Garrett (Author)

List Price: $55.00 Price: $34.65 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details You Save: $20.35 (37%) Special Offers Available Save an extra 5% on all Books pre-orders. Details

This title has not yet been released. You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Well, if you haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary yet, take a look at the following, "unofficial" correction by Swampboy:




What a hoot! I'm told that the publisher is correcting this immediately.

A Little Bit of Book Fun: Baptist Theology

Andy Cheung Interviews Tom Schreiner

I would like to thank our anonymous commenter for sharing the following link to a recent interview with Dr Thomas Schreiner regarding his forthcoming New Testament Theology.

Interview with Tom Schreiner

Monday, 24 March 2008

Last Week, Midlands Bible College and Divinity School Tutor Andy Cheung interviewed New Testament scholar Tom Schreiner (professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) on his forthcoming book, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ.(read the full interview here)

In this interview Schreiner explains his approach to writing this New Testament Theology, shares some of the challenges he faced along the way, reveals some of sources that influenced his understanding of NT Theology (Ladd, Wright and Piper to name a few), and recommends a few other titles that he found to be very helpful. My compliments to Andy Cheung for a job well-done conducting this interview.

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ

by Thomas R. Schreiner

ISBNs: 9780801026805 / 0801026806

Price: $44.99

Format: Hardcover | 976 pages

Publication date: May. 08 | Division: Baker Academic

Excerpt here.

CBD ($32.99) | Amazon ($29.69)

Andy Cheung Interviews Tom Schreiner

Forthcoming: The Surprising Work of God

To Be Released July '08

Rosell, Garth. The Surprising Work of God: Harold John Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the Rebirth of Evangelicalism. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Paperback. 288 pages. $19.99.

Publication date: Jul. 08 | Division: Baker Academic

ISBNs: 9780801035708 / 0801035708

Pre-Order: CBD ($14.99) | Amazon ($13.59)

Garth M. Rosell (PhD, University of Minnesota) is professor of church history at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1978, and former director of the Ockenga Institute. He is the author or editor of eight books, including The Memoirs of Charles G. Finney and Commending the Faith: The Preaching of D. L. Moody.

Here is a very interesting forthcoming publication. I admit that the use of the term "interesting" is very subjective. It is interesting to me because I had just recently searched for information on Ockenga and the founding of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Also interesting to me is the title which draws a parallel between the growth of Evangelicalism and the spiritual awakening witnessed by Jonathan Edwards (note Edwards' Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God. The subtitle elaborates this parallel: How America's 20th Century Evangelical Awakening Became a Worldwide Christian Movement.

There is a little bit more description available on Baker Academic's website. Hopefully they'll post an excerpt soon. I'm eager to read this one.

Forthcoming: The Surprising Work of God

Forthcoming: New Testament Theology by Thomas R. Schreiner

Coming Soon!!!
NOW AVAILABLE!

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ

by Thomas R. Schreiner

ISBNs: 9780801026805 / 0801026806

Price: $44.99

Format: Hardcover | 976 pages

Publication date: May. 08 | Division: Baker Academic

Excerpt here.

Purchase: WTS | CBD ($32.99) | Amazon ($29.69)

Thomas R. Schreiner is professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the author of Romans in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

HT: Mike Bird via Jim Hamilton

Forthcoming: New Testament Theology by Thomas R. Schreiner

Forthcoming: A Reader's Hebrew Bible edited by Philip Brown & Bryan Smith

I've been waiting for this volume to appear for a few years now and try to ask Bryan about its progress when he comes to Charleston to visit his parents. I'm excited to see that Phil and Bryan's project is nearing its completion. I expect this to be a tremendous help to people like me who still need a bit of help when working with the Hebrew text.

A Reader's Hebrew Bible. Edited by A. Philip Brown II & Bryan W. Smith, general editors. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Italian Duo-Tone™, 1,680 pages. $49.99 (USD) $53.99 (CAD) £29.99 (GBP)

Coming May 2008 Early Release: March 2008

Purchase: Zondervan | WTS ($34.99) | CBD ($36.99) | Amazon ($31.49)

ISBNs: 0310269741 / 9780310269748

Preview sample text.

A. Philip Brown II (PhD, Bob Jones University) is associate professor of Bible and Theology at God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He coedited the 3rd edition of Handbook of New Testament Greek, a publication for Bob Jones University. Phil posts occasional articles on his blog, Exegetical Thoughts and Biblical Theology.

Bryan W. Smith (PhD, Bob Jones University) is Bible integration coordinator at Bob Jones University Press.

Synopsis (from the Zondervan website):
Following in the footsteps of the popular A Reader’s Greek New Testament, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible includes features that make this a time-saver for studying the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament. It comes in Italian Duo-Tone™ binding—attractive, durable, and affordable.

Description (from the Zondervan website):
Ideal for Hebrew students and pastors, A Reader’s Hebrew Bible saves time and effort in studying the Hebrew Old Testament. By eliminating the need to look up definitions, the footnotes allow the user to read the Hebrew and Aramaic text more quickly, focusing on parsing and grammatical issues. A Reader’s Hebrew Bible offers the following features:

• Complete text of the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible using the Leningrad Codex (minus critical apparatus)
• Shaded Hebrew names that occur less than 100 times
• Footnoted definitions of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less (twenty-five or less for Aramaic words)
• Context-specific glosses
• Stem-specific glossed definitions for verb forms (Qal, Piel, Hiphil, and so forth)
• Ketib/Qere readings both noted in the text and differentiated appropriately
• Marker ribbon

Reviews:

1. James Spinti of Eisenbrauns has reviewed this volume here.
2. Phil Brown has written his own review of A Reader's Hebrew Bible: A Review by its Typesetter.

Forthcoming: A Reader's Hebrew Bible edited by Philip Brown & Bryan Smith

The Best Books of 2007

I've seen a few list of Best Books of 2007 posted on the internet and I thought I'd share some of those links with you. (A HT is due to Tim Challies for sharing links to some of these lists.)

1. Dr Andreas Köstenberger, of SEBTS (Biblical Foundations) has posted a list of what he considers to be the best books of 2007. His top two are as follows:
1. Greg Beale and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. (Baker)
   
2. Bruce Waltke. An Old Testament Theology. (Zondervan)
   
2. Tim Challies posted a list of the top 7 books he read in 2007.
3. Tony Reinke, of The Shepherd's Scrapbook, has posted his 2007 TSS Books of the Year Award along with a list of TSS top-30 books from 2007. His top two picks are as follows:
   
1. Leland and Philip Graham Ryken. The ESV Literary Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles)
   
2. Bruce Waltke. An Old Testament Theology. (Zondervan)
4. C. Michael Patton, of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries (blog: Parchment and Pen), offers a great list of the "Best of 2007" which covers theological issues, books, and blogs.
5. Dr Russell D. Moore, of SBTS (Moore to the Point),has posted a list of Ten Good Books from a Good Old Year (not necessarily published in '07) that stood out to him this past year.
1. #3 on his list is Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. (Baker)
2. This is an eclectic list and his comments are insightful.
6. Trevin Wax, of Kingdom People, offers a list titled My Ten Favorite Reads of 2007. This is my first introduction to Trevin's blog. It's one I'll add to my Reader.
7. Abraham Piper, of Desiring God Ministries (Desiring God Blog), asked his coworkers "to list three books each that they enjoyed in 2007." This list is broad and very interesting. Here's Our Favorite 2007 Reading.
8. James H. Grant, Jr, of In Light of the Gospel, has offered an excellent list of Best Christian Books of 2007. His top pick was also Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. (Baker) He also provided links to other lists I had missed.
9. Ben Meyers, of Faith and Theology, has posted his Theology Highlights of 2007. I've learned a lot about modern theology from reading Ben's blog. Here are the top books he's recommending:
1. Best theology book (academic): Rowan Williams, Wrestling with Angels: Conversations in Modern Theology (Eerdmans, 2007)
2. Best theology book (popular): Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief (WJKP, 2007)
3. Best book (New Testament): Susan Eastman, Recovering Paul's Mother Tongue: Language and Theology in Galatians (Eerdmans, 2007)
4. Best book (Old Testament): Rudolf Smend, From Astruc to Zimmerli: Old Testament Scholarship in Three Centuries (Mohr Siebeck, 2007)
5. More items other than books are included in his list along with annotations.
10. Joel R. Beeke shares his top 10 reads of 2007.
1. Dr. Beeke’s Top 10 Reads of 2007: Part One
   Part One offers Beeke's #10 - #6.
2. Dr. Beeke’s Top 10 Reads of 2007: Part Two
   Part Two will offer Beeke's #5 - #1.
• #1 is Herman Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics 4 volumes
11. Andrew T. Le Peau, of Andy Unedited (IVP), listed his best reads of 2007. I enjoyed the categories he used.
    
• The Not-As-Bad-or-As-Good-As-People-Thought Award
  
• The Book-Most-in-Need-of-an-Editor Award
• The Profundity-in-a-Readable-Package Award
• Best Book in the History Category
• The Most-Educational-in-an-Entertaining-Package Award
• Honorable Mention
12. Chad Knudson, of The Road to Emmaus, listed his Top Ten Books of 2007.
13. Kim Riddlebarger, at The Riddleblog - Five of the Best Books of 2007.
14. Josh Gellat
15. TullianTchividjian
16. Justin Buzzard
17. Al Hsu
18. Mr. Wilson’s Bookshelf
19. Andrew Peterson
20. Ignatius Press
21. Dustin Crowe

Well, this year has been one in which I've been able to do more reading than I have in a long time. I still wish that I could have read more, but I really can't complain. To those that I was able to read cover-to-cover can be added a long list of books of which I was able to skim and/or read significant portions. Here is a list of noteworthy books from my shelves that were published in 2007.

Commentary Surveys (This year was a boon year for this category!)

1. Tremper Longman. Old Testament Commentary Survey. 4th edition. (Baker Academic, Dec. 2006)
   
2. D. A. Carson. New Testament Commentary Survey. 6th edition. (Baker Academic, Dec. 2006)

   Baker's website says Dec. 2006 for both of these books while the books say 2007. Either way it was at the very beginning of the year that these books became available. The recommendations of these two scholars have proven extremely helpful in my own research and study.

3. John Glynn. Commentary & Reference Survey. 10th edition. (Kregel, Feb. 2007)

   This, by far, is my favorite survey and one I've followed for about ten years now. Glynn passed away this past year, so we're looking forward to hearing who will take up this project and continue to carry it on.

Commentaries (I regret that I have not had the privilege of reviewing many of these titles. However, these have been eagerly awaited and most have already been peer reviewed in theological journals. )

1. Bruce K. Waltke. A Commentary on Micah. (Eerdmans, Jan. 2007)
2. David Toshio Tsumuro. The First Book of Samuel. NICOT. (Eerdmans, Mar. 2007)
   
3. Layton Talbert. Beyond Suffering: Discovering the Message of Job. (BJU Press, May 2007)
   
4. Gerald Wilson. Job. NIBC. (Hendrickson, June 2007)

   Hendrickson has scheduled the release of two more volumes in this series in 2008 [Exodus by James Bruckner (March), and Jeremiah, Lamentation by Tremper Longman, III (May),

5. R. T. France. The Gospel According to Matthew. NICNT. (Eerdmans, July 2007)
   
6. Darrell Bock. Acts. BECNT. (Baker Academic, Sept. 2007)

   Bock's commentary has been eagerly awaited by many. It is sure to be a valuable contribution. Baker has scheduled the release of three more volumes in this series in 2008 [Matthew by David L. Turner (Jan.), Mark by Robert H. Stein (May), and 1-3 John by Robert W. Yarbrough (July)].
   

7. John Goldingay. Psalms, Vol. 2. BCOT. (Baker Academic, Oct. 2007)

   Volume one was published in 2006.

8. D. A. Carson & G. K. Beale (eds.). Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. (Baker Academic, Nov. 2007)

Theology

1. Thomas R. Schreiner & Shawn Wright. Believer's Baptism. NACSBT. (B&H Academic, Feb. 2007)

   This is an excellent resource. I gleaned much from it!

2. Gordon Fee. Pauline Christology. (Hendrickson, March 2007)
3. Daniel L. Akin (ed.). A Theology for the Church. (B&H Academic, July 2007)

   This may not become a standard textbook in most seminaries, but it should be close at hand.

4. Bruce Waltke. An Old Testament Theology. (Zondervan, Nov. 2007)
   

Miscellaneous

1. Thabiti Anyabwile. The Faithful Preacher. (Crossway, March 2007)

   See my review.

2. Dave Harvey. When Sinners Say "I Do." (Shepherd Press, June 2007)

   Powerful because it is gospel-saturated! I'm still working through it and have been greatly humbled.

3. Leland Ryken & Philip Graham Ryken (eds.). ESV, The Literary Study Bible. (Crossway, Sept. 2007)

   More than just another book, this is a study Bible designed to aid in READING the Bible. It has been my favorite publication this year.

4. Mark Dever. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. (Crossway, Sept. 2007)

   A must read! Very straightforward and practical.

5. Ron Klug (ed.). 40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (Augsburg Fortress, Oct. 2007)

   This was my first introduction to Bonhoeffer. This was an enjoyable and challenging book to read!

6. Steve Jeffrey, Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach. Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. (Crossway, Oct. 2007)

   There were a lot of books published this year dealing with the issues surrounding justification. This one fits into that category and seems to have been the most anticipated of them all.

7. Carl R. Trueman. John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man. (Ashgate, Nov. 2007)

   For the academician and students of the Puritans, Trueman has produced a hearty monograph on this prince of Puritans.

8. Jurgen Moltmann. A Broad Place: An Autobiography. (Fortress, Nov. 2007)

   "Straight from the horse's mouth." This is a well written, enjoyable and very informative book.

9. John Stott. The Living Church. (IVP, Dec 2007)

I'm sure that there are other that should be in a list such as this, but this is a fair start. What have you read that was outstanding?

The Best Books of 2007