Book Reviews
Book Review: The Meaning of Singleness
- Details
- Written by: Denise Nicholls
The Meaning of Singleness
Danielle Treweek
Ivp Academic 2023
Reviewed by Denise Nicholls
This is a great book! A must read for ministers of the gospel whether engaged, married, single or single again. I say this because so many ministers (myself included) have often longed for and prayed for young families to come to their churches as THIS will see a renewal of our Churches. Further we can either neglect or pay lip service to the Church as THE family of God, when we concentrate our efforts upon the nuclear family as the mainstay and structure of our Churches. Danielle Treweek’s 2024 Australian Book of the Year is a sober reminder of the place of the important and often neglected place of the single Christian disciple in the life of the Church.
Through thorough research on the various positions of single believers since the inception of the Christian Church, to the Patristics, the middle and late medieval church to the present day, Treweek provides us with a very readable book in ten chapters and four parts, navigating the Context, Diagnosis, Theological ‘retrieval’ and finally her own thoughts on the Meaning of Singleness for the evangelical church today.
Book Review: Bridging the Testaments
- Details
- Written by: Dale Appleby
Bridging the Testaments: The history and theology of God’s people in the Second Temple Period
George Athas
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic. 2023
Reviewed By Dale Appleby
George Athas is senior lecturer in Hebrew, Old Testament, and early church history at Moore College. A difficulty in being a teacher is not knowing things. Worse is not knowing that we don’t know. Bridging the Testaments is a great help for those of us whose knowledge of the period between Malachi and Matthew is best represented by the two blank pages between those books in our Bibles. However, Athas begins with a different question: did prophecy cease during that period? Was there any prophetic activity between Malachi and Herod? In answering this he provides a thorough (re)construction of both the history and the prophetic activity of the people of Judah and Samaria in the period between the return from exile and the birth of Christ.
The book is in four parts: The Persian Era; The Hellenistic Era; the Hasmonean Era; The Roman Era. As well there are eleven Tables of Rulers, High Priests, and others, lots of maps and many family tree diagrams. The writing is leisurely and easy to read. Athas seems happy to take time to explain things rather than skimming over the details. The book is interesting not tedious.
His argument is that there was a lot of prophetic activity in this period and that it had a lot to do with the status of Jerusalem over against Mount Gerizim, and the status of the Davidic line over against the priesthood. Mount Gerizim and Samaria had various advantages of population and wealth. Jerusalem was the seat of the Davidic monarchy which had less and less power as time went on. Thus the prophetic activity was focused on Jerusalem and David’s line in order to help the people of both north and south focus on Jerusalem as the centre of national life and hope. The prophetic line was that “Yahweh had himself entered the Davidic dynasty as its father figure and that he ruled the nation through his son, the Davidic heir, as stipulated in the canon of the Prophets.” (p18). So the redefinition of the “kingdom of God” as a “kingdom of priests” and the development of the priesthood as the central power of the nation (especially if centred on Mount Gerizim) raised serious questions about the promises of God and his purposes. The way this developed kept changing as different world powers had influence in Judah and Samaria. One of the great strengths of this book is the clear and detailed description of the great powers and their influence on the life of the people of God.
This relates to one of the main theological arguments, that of late theological development. The progressive revelation of God and his purposes continued because God pursued a relationship with his covenant people. He did not go silent for 450 years. Athas says, “We should, therefore, expect theological developments to have occurred, but it is important to understand the contexts in which it occurred so that it might be understood correctly.” (p13).
The book takes a bold approach to dating and to contextualising such matters as the Book of the Twelve Prophets, some of the well-known difficult passages such as the final chapters of Zechariah and the visions of Daniel that relate to Greece and so on. (They were up to date prophetic applications of earlier prophecies applicable to the current context). Athas gives excellent foot-note references (there is no Bibliography as such) to support his decisions and to reference other voices in the discussions.
Overall this is a terrific book. It is a great combination of well written history and a theological path to understanding both the books of the canon and the extra-biblical writings such as Maccabees and Josephus in their historical context. It is a book that as a local church minister I would have liked to have had from the beginning.
Dale has retired at least three times after ministries in Perth, Darwin and Jakarta. He is a member of St Mark’s Bassendean WA.
Book Review: Modern Genre Theory
- Details
- Written by: David Mitchell
Modern Genre Theory: An Introduction for Biblical Studies
Andrew Judd
Zondervan Academic 2024
Reviewed By David Mitchell
Judges 19 is one of the most confronting stories in the Old Testament. How are we supposed to read it? Is it something of a cautionary tale about the likely outcome for those who commit adultery? Perhaps, like a modern horror film, its designed specifically to make us squirm and shrink away from it. Or, perhaps, it’s better understood as being a piece of wisdom literature with complex truths about life under the sun being conveyed through the narrative. Or, would we be better understanding it as simply another dot point in the decline of the Jewish nation during the period of the judges as they await a king? Or is it some mix of all of things?
How we read a given passage of scripture depends significantly on what genre we assign it. Hence the battle, say, between the literal six-day creationist and the theistic evolutionist, or between the reader who takes Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) as speaking about the actual intermediate state and the person who thinks it does not. On all sides of such debates, people can agree on the authority of the Scriptures and yet be at odds as to what the scripture in question is authoritatively teaching.
If we read a section of text as satirical or sarcastic, we would take the meaning as completely opposite to what it might look it says! Such is the power of genre. With all these questions about genre, it is a surprisingly neglected aspect of Biblical studies and hermeneutics (and I say this as a lecturer in these fields)! I suspect that this is largely because genre is so fundamental and foundational we miss that it is there, like how I once looked for my glasses for 10 whole minutes before I realised that I was in fact already wearing my glasses (it had been a long day!).
All of this is a long way in to telling you that Andrew Judd’s new book Modern Genre Theory: is well worth the time it will take you to read. Following on from the work he put into his doctoral studies, Judd reviews some of the history of the way genre has been viewed in the academic world (both in theological and non-theological circles), carefully lays out 12 tenets of modern genre theory and then puts them into use to read through a full pallet of Biblical literature. He shows his working well enough for the scholarly minded to have some paths to follow up, he’s nuanced and careful in his critique (perhaps he could afford to be more strident given the effort he’s clearly put in to the research!) but while I’m sure not everyone will agree, I think his book is eminently readable and is definitely, at times, out-right funny. No small feat for a book that I’d happily set as a first-year theological text.
For seasoned exegetes it will probably mostly help you discern the glasses you’re already wearing—though there will no doubt be some fresh food for thought along away! For those starting out or looking for a way to understand the Bible better, this book offers what the sub-title describes: it gives an introduction for biblical studies through modern genre theory.
I particularly appreciated Judd’s extended treatment of Judges 19 which arises twice within the book. If you were challenged by the questions above, then this book will help you, if not find the right answers, then at least ask the right questions. In the end that’s why I think this book is excellent: There are points where I might disagree with some of Judd’s specific landing points in his case studies, but I’m convinced he’s help readers of the Bible to ask really good questions.
David works with AFES at Curtin University, teaches Introduction to Biblical Theology at Trinity Theological College, Leederville and does deputations for Bush Church Aid in Perth.
Book Review: Mission is the Shape of Water
- Details
- Written by: Andrew Esnouf
Mission is the Shape of Water
Michael Frost
100 Movements
Reviewed by Rev. Andrew Esnouf
Michael Frost has been a leading Australian voice on the theology and practice of mission in contemporary Western society for several decades and has authored numerous books on these topics. Despite this long list of publications, Mission is the Shape of Water displays a unique approach amongst his corpus of work. Frost’s recent books such as Surprise the World and Keep Christianity Weird have focussed on ways individual Christians can participate in God’s mission through everyday habits and individual flair. ‘Mission is the Shape of Water’ is distinct from these books in that it takes a wider approach, drawing upon Christian history to encourage and equip contemporary Christians in their missional endeavours.
Frost unpacks the title’s opaque imagery in the prologue. Firstly, water’s fluid nature means that it always takes the shape of whatever contains it. In a water bottle it takes the shape of a water bottle, in a bucket it takes the form of a bucket. Like water, Frost suggests, mission’s shape at a particular time and place is always determined by its context. Secondly, taking inspiration from the 2019-2020 pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong use of the phrase “Be water!” to describe their agile and mobile protest tactics, which could at times combine into an unstoppable force. Coordinated protesters – just like water – are able to move swiftly in some contexts, to pool together into a large immovable contingent and then effortlessly disperse in some contexts, and to move forcefully together as a single force in other contexts. Mission is like water in that it is always contextually attuned to the immediate situation, and is best when a coordinated and responsive movement.
The core of the book are the ten chapters, each describing a different “shape” that water has taken throughout the history of the church, and offering some thoughts on how this shape may look in our current world. These shapes are: God slaying, peacemaking, flame bearing, spirit seeking, wordsmithing, freedom fighting, unshackling, contextualising, remissioning and unearthing. Each of these shapes arose in different contexts and functioned in different ways, and Frost presents them not as an essentialised list of permissible or essential ways to be missional, but as a smorgasbord of approaches, some of which are in tension with each other – sometimes uncomfortably. For instance, in “Spirit Seeking” shape, Frost commends the early modern Moravian missionaries for, among other things, “overlooking seemingly intractable social issues” such as polygamy and slavery in order to call people to salvation. This is in tension with the ‘Freedom Fighting’ shape of mission, in which Christians make resisting such intractable social issues as slavery and other brutalities the core of their missional endeavours. Frost is not contradictory in this, but rather is explicit that differing situations call for diverse approaches to mission.
There are further shortcomings of this book one should be aware of. Firstly, whilst this book includes many historical anecdotes, it should not be mistaken for a work of historical scholarship. Secondly, there is very little articulation of a theology or motivation for Christians or churches to be missional. Finally, there is only sparse advice for readers on how to discern the needs of their current context, and how to shape missional faithfully and effectively in their context. If the reader is seeking edification on any of these three topics, they are best to look elsewhere.
Ultimately, this book isn't perfect, and it isn’t a one-stop-shop for grounding the reader in all aspects of missional thinking and practice. And it does not claim to be. It is, however, an accessible and enjoyable jaunt through Christian history in the search for historical practices of mission that inspire and expand the imagination of the contemporary church.
Andrew Esnouf is Parish Minister (Youth) at St A's Merri-Bek in the Diocese of Melbourne
Book Review: Tidings of Comfort and Joy
- Details
- Written by: Dr Gillian Porter
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
25 Devotions Leading to Christmas
Mark M. Yarbrough
Kirkdale Press
REVIEWED BY DR GILLIAN PORTER
In the lead up to Christmas it is easy to get sidetracked by Christmas events, buying presents, end of year activities and busy-ness. Yet the season of advent gives us an opportunity to pause and look for the hope brought in the son of God coming to be one of us. In his new Christmas devotions “tidings of comfort and joy” Mark Yarbrough brings the reader through the lead up to Christmas, providing space to reflect and be moved by the promise of Christ.
Each daily devotional draws from scripture and the author’s life to gently remind us of the powerful hope we have. He finishes each day with an Advent Application - a specific task or reflection to move the reader from a passive listener to active participant, and concludes with a prayer.
This short book of devotions is a profound and practical tool to engage mind, body and spirit in advent reflections as we prepare ourselves for Christmas to ensure we do not loose the meaning of the season.
Gillian Porter is a medical doctor in Melbourne and serves in public health mission.
Book Review: The Coming of the Holy Spirit
- Details
- Written by: Matt Jacobs
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
Phillip Jensen
Matthias Media, Australia, 2022
Reviewed by Matt Jacobs
Having become a Christian as a teenager in the mid-90’s, one of the biggest debates I had to navigate was over the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Some of my Christian friends spoke about the Spirit a lot — the amazing things that happened at their churches, and the experiences they claimed to have. Other Christian friends rarely spoke about the Spirit — their focus was all on Jesus and the Bible. What stood out to me was the tension, and sometimes outright hostility between those two groups. The big questions for me weren’t just, “who is right?”, but more personally, “what if I don’t feel anything particularly ‘spiritual’ in my life? What if I don’t have ‘spiritual’ experiences… am I missing out on something? Am I not really a Christian?”
How I wish I had a book like Phillip Jensen’s The Coming of the Holy Spirit to help me at the time. Though at first it felt a little disappointing: where’s the controversy? Where are the spicy take-downs of views he disagrees with? Wisely, right in the introduction, Jensen points out that ‘these issues may be so important to us, or may loom so large in our vision, that we can’t see around them to what God has actually said to us about the Holy Spirit. We may be so intent on solving our current problems and answering our burning questions that we fail to hear what God is saying to us though his word.’ (p7). And that’s the real highlight of this book.
Jensen begins by carefully walking through Jesus’ promise of the Spirit in John 14-16, then explores the arrival and world mission of the Spirit in the book of Acts, then moves on to the work of the Spirit in the Christian life by exploring the New Testament letters. With all of that important information as a foundation, the book then turns to address many of those hot-topics, in short appendices such as ‘baptism with the Spirit’, ‘speaking in tongues’, ‘guidance’, and ‘spiritual warfare.’ The result is a surprisingly gentle, yet incredibly clear and helpful book that carefully untangles much of the controversy, and settles on the wonderful truths that God has revealed in his word.
Two particular highlights for me were Jensen’s insights on the fruit of the Spirit (chapter 21), and the contrast between the ‘unspiritual’ and the ‘spiritual’ churches (chapters 23-24).
On the fruit of the Spirit, Jensen acknowledges the temptation we might feel to skip over the things that seem mundane, onto the more ‘controversial, exciting or glamorous aspects of the Spirit’s work.’ But to skip the fruit of the Spirit is to miss the vital, transformative, and truly miraculous work the Spirit produces in every Christian life (p254). The normal Christian life of submitting to the Lord Jesus and growing in Christlikeness is fundamentally and powerfully spiritual.
This is what I needed to hear more of in my youth! In contrasting ‘spiritual’ and ‘unspiritual’ churches (Ephesus and Corinth), Jensen points out that, ‘strangely to our ears, the most ‘charismatic’ church in the New Testament is in fact the most unspiritual. The church over whom most has been written on charismatic questions in modern times was in its own time viewed by the apostle not as a beacon of spirituality, but carnality’ (p283). That’s an insight I’d never noticed before! And again, ‘In their unspiritual minds, the Corinthians failed to understand that character is more important than competence, convictions are more important than curiosities, caring for others is more important than consoling oneself, and edification is more important than experimentalism’ (p305).
In summary, The Coming of the Holy Spirit is a clear, faithful, and gentle book that aims to listen to the wonderful truths that God has revealed about the person and work of the Spirit: that He himself dwells in our hearts forever, and grows us up in the image of Christ, by his Spirit.
The Reverend Matt Jacobs is the youth minister at St Jude’s Bowral, NSW.