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A most unlikely hero, the man born blind in John 9 champions Jesus' cause and triumphs against overwhelming odds. Single-handedly he disputes with the Pharisees and the Jews, first as Jesus' witness and then as his surrogate disputant. Throughout the process the man navigates much like the proverbial blindfolded player in the children's game Blindman's Bluff by which he deepens in spiritual perception into Jesus' true identity. Set in the dramatic backdrop of a two-party juridical controversy between Jesus and his Jewish accusers, the man's journey to full faith lights the often treacherous path for us modern readers to traverse as our vision of Jesus clarifies. This story offers us hope that no one is too blind to be ennobled and reveal God working in our lives.
The well-known idiom about death and taxes being the two certainties in life may require a revision with a potential third certainty—old age. Barring the unexpected or the unthinkable, people nowadays can expect to grow old with life expectancies increasing due to medical and scientific advances. Hence, old age is a timely and compelling subject that affects us all. But it can be a mixed blessing. We know of old people struggling with health issues or financial woes. In that sense, old age, like death and taxes, is not a comfortable topic. Yet, the Bible portrays God as having a high view of the aged. Utilizing a biblical hermeneutics of ageism, we can read Scripture to extract important lessons and principles not only as an encouragement to older readers but as a guide for younger readers in relating to senior members of the faith. Since aging is a global phenomenon, the personal points of view of the old people themselves living in Asia assume equal importance with those living in the West, particularly America. In fact, can we not all learn from each other, adopting good ideas from our global neighbors to strengthen our own lives and relationships?
Today the Asian church ministers in a multi-religious and often multi-cultural environment and faces serious challenges. Thankfully we have a resource that offers guidance and encouragement – the ancient documents known as 1, 2 and 3 John. In this commentary Dr. Gilbert Soo Hoo provides careful textual analysis alongside contextual relevance in the hope that the reader will hear God’s voice, encouraging them to become disciples that live in fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another. The fundamental christological truths presented serve as a template to help evaluate various teachings and to discern what is true and what is false, which is critical for believers living and serving in multi-religious Asia.
"I want my work to have significance" is an often-expressed declaration. But that desire faces a shocking challenge from possibly the wisest man who ever lived, Qohelet, through his writings in Ecclesiastes. Repeatedly, he pens the word "meaningless/absurd" to encapsulate his conclusions about work and life. We cannot simply dismiss his viewpoint as that of a madman because his words are canonized in Scripture. However, a second writer, the frame narrator, emerges at the end of Ecclesiastes to complement Qohelet without totally agreeing and with a greater urgency for our duty to God as our vocation. Both writers see the complexities and incongruities that typify our labor and life. Yet, through these challenges we can still find significance when we honor our God.
Today the Asian church ministers in a multi-religious and often multi-cultural environment and faces serious challenges. Thankfully we have a resource that offers guidance and encouragement – the ancient documents known as 1, 2 and 3 John. In this commentary Dr. Gilbert Soo Hoo provides careful textual analysis alongside contextual relevance in the hope that the reader will hear God’s voice, encouraging them to become disciples that live in fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another. The fundamental christological truths presented serve as a template to help evaluate various teachings and to discern what is true and what is false, which is critical for believers living and serving in multi-religious Asia.
This volume addresses the perennial issue of unity and diversity in the New Testament canon. Celebrating the academic legacy of Fr. Frank J. Matera, colleagues and friends interact with elements of his many important works. Scholars and students alike will find fresh and stimulating discussions that navigate the turbulent waters between the Gospels and Paul, ranging from questions of Matthew's so-called anti-Pauline polemic to cruciform teaching in the New Testament. The volume includes contributions from leading scholars in the field, offering a rich array of insights on issues such as Christology, social ethics, soteriology, and more. The contributors are Paul J. Achtemeier, Sherri Brown, Raymond F. Collins, A. Andrew Das, John R. Donahue, S.J., Francis T. Gignac, S.J., Michael J. Gorman, Kelly R. Iverson, Luke Timothy Johnson, Jack Dean Kingsbury, William S. Kurz, S.J., John P. Meier, Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B., Christopher W. Skinner, and Matt Whitlock.
Understanding and assessing the New Testament writings from Asian viewpoints provides a unique and original outlook for interpretation of the Christian Scriptures. To that end, An Asian Introduction to the New Testament is the first book of its kind to take full account of the multireligious, multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural, and pluralistic contexts in which Asian Christians find themselves. Into this already complex world, issues of poverty, casteism, class structure, honor and shame aspects, colonial realities, discrimination against women, natural calamities and ecological crises, and others add more layers of complexity. Perceiving the New Testament in light of these realities enables the reader to see them in a fresh way while understanding that the Jesus Movement emerged from similar social situations. Readers will find able guides in an impressive array of more than twenty scholars from across Asia. Working with volume editor Johnson Thomaskutty, the authors make a clear case: the kernels of Christianity sprouted from Asian roots, and we must read the New Testament considering those roots in order to understand it afresh today.
Criminals in Hong Kong and China are often superstitiously religious. Ironically, both they and police officers worship the same folk god, Guan Gong, who represents righteousness! But their religiosity has no moral consequences – what both groups are seeking is protection from their opponents. Unfortunately, some Asian Christians have a similar model of religiosity. They want God’s protection and blessings, but they do not want God to affect how they live. James will have none of this. He is convinced that our devotion to God must be reflected in the way we live, and so he writes a letter that is full of sound, practical advice. He exhorts us to control our tongues, he speaks against gre...
There is a growing recognition that God’s design is for us to read Scripture alongside the whole church in all of its cultural and linguistic diversity. Exploring the New Testament in Asia is a textbook for students and scholars of the New Testament to help the church hear and see the good news of Jesus anew. This collection of essays offers theological reflections on New Testament themes from Asian perspectives, while addressing contextual issues in light of the New Testament. Touching on topics such as salvation, holiness, poverty, ethnic tensions, reconciliation, honoring elders, persecution, and hospitality, the scholars in this book demonstrate the importance of a varied contemporary context for understanding the New Testament. The result is a theological contribution that is both contextually relevant and biblically faithful.
Using various narrative approaches and methodologies, an international team of forty-four Johannine scholars here offers probing essays related to individual characters and group characters in the Gospel of John. These essays present fresh perspectives on characters who play a major role in the Gospel (Peter, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, Thomas, and many others), but they also examine characters who have never before been the focus of narrative analysis (the men of the Samaritan woman, the boy with the loaves and fishes, Barabbas, and more). Taken together, the essays shed new light on how complex and nuanced many of these characters are, even as they stand in the shadow of Jesus. Readers of this volume will be challenged to consider the Gospel of John anew.