"The Drama of Scripture" is an introduction to the basic story line and theology of the Bible. In considering the biblical story, the authors emphasize the unity of the whole, viewing the Bible as a drama in six acts--creation, sin, Israel, Christ, church, and new creation. Two overarching themes tie the biblical story together--covenant in the Old Testament and kingdom in the New Testament. Throughout, the authors suggest, God is revealed through the story and calls us to participate in his drama.

    Designed for students, teachers, pastors, and others wishing to think and write about the Bible carefully, this brief hands-on guide incorporates insights from the field of biblical interpretation into its straightforward approach to the complex task of exegesis. This task is broken down into seven distinct elements: survey; analysis of the context; analysis of the form, structure, and movement of the text; detailed analysis of the text; synthesis; reflection on the text for today; and expansion and refinement of the exegesis. Practical hints and suggested exercises show the reader how to develop proficiency in each of these elements. Resources are supplied for those who want to pursue further study in any of these seven areas. Appendices supply two sample exegesis papers and practical guidelines for writing a research exegesis paper.

    An investigation of the New Testament canon and how it fits into redemptive history.

    Scripture Alone is written to instill a passionate love for and understanding of the Bible. In this defense of God's inspired Word, readers will comprehend what "God's Word"is, the nature of Scripture, the relationship of the Bible to tradition, how to apply Scripture to today's issues, and much more. Included is a faith-inspiring study of the canon--what it is and where it came from.

    We cage them or clip their wings to keep them where we want them. Scot McKnight contends that many, conservatives and liberals alike, attempt the same thing with the Bible. We all try to tame it. McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet has emerged at the perfect time to cool the flames of a world on fire with contention and controversy. It calls Christians to a way to read the Bible that leads beyond old debates and denominational battles. It calls Christians to stop taming the Bible and to let it speak anew for a new generation.In his books The Jesus Creed and Embracing Grace, Scot McKnight established himself as one of America’s finest Christian thinkers, an author to be reckoned with. In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight again touches the hearts and minds of today’s Christians, this time challenging them to rethink how to read the Bible, not just to puzzle it together into some systematic theology but to see it as a Story that we’re summoned to enter and to carry forward in our day. In his own inimitable style, McKnight sets traditional and liberal Christianity on its ear, leaving readers equipped, encouraged, and emboldened to be the people of faith they long to be.

    When New Testament authors appeal to Old Testament texts to support their arguments, what is the relationship between their meanings and what was originally intended by their Old Testament forebears?Leading biblical scholars Walter Kaiser, Darrel Bock, and Peter Enns present their answers to questions about the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, addressing elements such as:Divine and human authorial intent.Context of passages.Historical and cultural considerations.The theological grounds for different interpretive methods.Each author applies his framework to specific texts so that readers can see how their methods work out in practice. Each contributor also receives a thorough critique from the other two authors.Three Views on the New Testament Use of Old Testament gives readers the tools they need to develop their own views on the meaning, contexts, and goals behind the New Testament citations of the Old.The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

    Can we trust the Bible completely? Is it sufficient for our complicated lives? Can we really know what it teaches? And isn't it more important to focus on Jesus instead of the Bible?With his characteristic wit and clarity, Kevin DeYoung has written an accessible introduction to the Bible that answers important questions raised by Christians and non-Christians alike. This book will help readers understand what the Bible says about itself and the key characteristics that contribute to its lasting significance. Avoiding technical jargon, this winsome volume will encourage men and women to read and believe the Bible--confident that it truly is God's word.Free Study Guide by Pat Quinn.

    The author discusses the structure of Paul's eschatology, the interaction between his eschatology and his soteriology, and the religious and ethical motivation of his eschatology. This volume also discusses the coming of the Lord and its precursors, the man of sin, the resurrection, chiliasm, the judgment, and the eternal state. The Pauline Eschatology, originally published in 1930, includes a bibliography and an appendix on the eschatology of the Psalter.

    This book examines the five major schools of thought regarding biblical theology and handles each in turn, defining and giving a brief developmental history for each one, and exploring each method through the lens of one contemporary scholar who champions it. Using a spectrum between history and theology, each of five 'types' of biblical theology are identified as either 'more theological' or 'more historical' in concern and practice: Biblical Theology as Historical Description (James Barr) Biblical Theology as History of Redemption (D. A. Carson) Biblical Theology as Worldview-Story (N. T. Wright) Biblical Theology as Canonical Approach (Brevard Childs) Biblical Theology as Theological Construction (Francis Watson). andnbsp;A conclusion suggests how any student of the Bible can learn from these approaches.

    Hays maps the shocking ways the four Gospel writers interpreted Israel's Scripture to craft their literary witnesses to the Church's one Christ. The Gospels' scriptural imagination discovered inside the long tradition of a resilient Jewish monotheism a novel and revolutionary Christology.Modernity's incredulity toward the Christian faith partly rests upon the characterization of early Christian preaching as a tendentious misreading of the Hebrew Scriptures. Christianity, modernity claims, twisted the Bible they inherited to fit its message about a mythological divine Savior. The Gospels, for many modern critics, are thus more about Christian doctrine in the second and third century than they are about Jesus in the first.Such Christian misreadings are not late or politically motivated developments within Christian thought. As Hays demonstrates, the claim that the events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection took place according to the Scriptures stands at the very heart of the New Testament's earliest message. All four canonical Gospels declare that the Torah and the Prophets and the Psalms mysteriously prefigure Jesus. The author of the Fourth Gospel puts the claim succinctly: If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me (John 5:46).Hays thus traces the reading strategies the Gospel writers employ to read backwards and to discover how the Old Testament figuratively discloses the astonishing paradoxical truth about Jesus' identity. Attention to Jewish and Old Testament roots of the Gospel narratives reveals that each of the four Evangelists, in their diverse portrayals, identify Jesus as the embodiment of the God of Israel. Hays also explores the hermeneutical challenges posed by attempting to follow the Evangelists as readers of Israel's Scripture--can the Evangelists teach us to read backwards along with them and to discern the same mystery they discovered in Israel's story?In Reading Backwards Hays demonstrates that it was Israel's Scripture itself that taught the Gospel writers how to understand Jesus as the embodied presence of God, that this conversion of imagination occurred early in the development of Christian theology, and that the Gospel writers' revisionary figural readings of their Bible stand at the very center of Christianity.--Joel B. Green, Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary "First Things"

    But questions like these puzzle believers and unbelievers alike. Editors and scholars Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas Schreiner recognize the challenge we all face and offer this volume to help us properly understand the Bible.Covering a diverse range of essential subjects, including how to read the Bible well and why it is reliable, these eighteen essays delve into specific topics such as world religions, canon, and archaeology. Pastors, lay leaders, students, and other Christians engaged in studying God's Word will benefit from this collection, written by notable contributors, including J. I. Packer, John Piper, Daniel B. Wallace, and Vern Poythress.Useful as both a general overview of the Bible and as a tool for more specific reference and training, this book will help you grow in your understanding of Scripture and your ability to apply the Bible to life.

    Brief and approachable, it offers both a broad overview of the exegetical process and a step-by-step approach to studying the New Testament in depth, helping students and pastors understand the text and appropriate it responsibly. The book is chock-full of illustrations of New Testament texts where the method under discussion truly makes a difference."A wonderfully clear and accessible handbook for New Testament exegesis. Exegetically rigorous, theologically informed, and practically useful."--Thomas R. Schreiner, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

    If you could stand a little more joy--or even a lot more!--Then Dr. Warren Wiersbe has a message for you. In this book he:• Unlocks the treasures of the Apostle Paul's "joy epistle" to the Philippians • Pinpoints the joy-stealers • Shows why you don't need to worry • Outlines the secret of contentmentAuthor Wiersbe says: "If you master . . . Philippians, then you should enjoy a happy Christian life!" This book, then, could be a turning point for you. Discover the secret of joy, walk out into the sunshine and BE JOYFUL!

    The Bible has long served as the standard for Christian practice, yet believers still disagree on how biblical passages should be interpreted and applied. Only when readers fully understand the constructs that inform their process of moving from Scripture to theology--and those of others--can Christians fully evaluate teachings that claim to be "biblical."In this book--part of the Counterpoints series--scholars who affirm an inspired Bible, relevant and authoritative for every era, present models they consider most faithful to ScriptureWalter C. Kaiser, Jr.: Principlizing ModelDaniel M. Doriani: Redemptive-Historical ModelKevin J. Vanhoozer: Drama-of-Redemption ModelWilliam J. Webb: Redemptive-Movement ModelEach position receives critiques from the proponents of the other views. Moreover, due to the far-reaching implications this topic holds for biblical studies, theology, and church teaching, this book includes three additional reflections by Christopher J. H. Wright, Mark L. Strauss, and Al Wolters on the theological and practical interpretation of biblical texts.The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

    It wasn't their natural qualities that made these women extraordinary but the power of the one true God whom they worshipped and served.In "Twelve Extraordinary Women," you'll learn more than fascinating information about these women, you'll discover-perhaps for the first time-the unmistakable chronology of God's redemptive work in history through their lives. These women were not ancillary to His plan, they were at the very heart of it.Some of the women you'll come to know include:Ruth (Ruth 1-4) Anna (Luke 2:36-38) Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42) Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:56-61) Sarah (Genesis 11-25) Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) The Samaritan woman (John 4 Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1-2)You will be challenged and motivated by this poignant and personal look into the lives of some of the Bible's most faithful women. Their struggles and temptations are the same trials faced by all believers in all ages. And the God to whom they were so committed is the same God who continues to mold and use ordinary people today.