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In a Glass Darkly

Nov 22, 2020 | 2017 - Autumn, Book Reviews, Free Autumn 2017

In a Glass Darkly

Authors Zoe Bennett and Christopher Rowland
Publisher SCM £25
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334054221  2016

Our reading of the Bible, or indeed any work, is to some extent coloured by our own life experience. Bennett and Rowland bring together the Bible and Christian tradition with their own personal and professional experience as they consider the interpretation of scripture, made more interesting by the fact they come from different church backgrounds. This is not an easy book to read, but it is made more appealing by reference to literature, particularly the works of John Ruskin and William Blake, and by the personal experiences encountered by the authors. It is, in the true apocalyptic sense, an ‘unveiling, unmasking, revealing, that which is hidden.’ As such it provides a challenging and thought provoking read for all who attempt to explain the Bible to others; a book to ‘stimulate readers’ imagination to engage with the Bible’, as the authors intend.

MARGARET TINSLEY

Biblical Analysis, Christian Tradition

 

Money and Possessions

Nov 22, 2020 | 2017 - Summer, Book Reviews, Free Summer 2017

Money and Possessions

Author Walter Brueggemann
Publisher WJK £27.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780664262808

In a market-propelled society, dominated by the power of money, preachers may be reluctant to tackle attitudes to money and possessions as too culturally sensitive. In this survey of scripture, Brueggemann invalidates any such reluctance as Biblically unsupported. In this incisive, elegant, and counter-cultural interpretation he argues cogently that the entire Bible has more to say about money and possessions than many other topics. He reveals a consistently urgent narrative message throughout scripture that all money and possessions are a gift from God, meant for the benefit of neighbours, albeit a gift marred by predatory economics that result in economic inequalities, oppression of the poor and vulnerable, and persistent exploitation of the ‘have-nots’ by the ‘haves.’ His exegesis is peppered with brief contemporary parallels to underline this core scriptural theme. A few social justice parallels might raise some readers’ eyebrows but this very readable, not highly technical book would be a very useful resource for Bible study and for preachers willing to tackle the topic.

PETER WRIGHT

Biblical Analysis, Social Policy

 

The Bible in the Contemporary World – exploring texts and contexts – then and now

Nov 22, 2020 | 2016 - Winter, Book Reviews, Free Winter 2016

The Bible in the Contemporary World – exploring texts and contexts – then and now

Author Richard Bauckham
Publisher SPCK £15.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281074846

Bauckham is a well-respected biblical scholar who has also written extensively about ethics and modern life. He is an outspoken critic of the failings of contemporary society and this book brings together a collection of his papers on the theme of the relevance of the Bible today in that context. Only three of the chapters are newly written for this book, and a number of the chapters appear in other books which many people will probably already have; nevertheless it is very helpful to have a handy collection of papers all on the same subject within one binding. As is sometimes the case with a collection of essays and papers written over a number of years, there is some repetition, and a recurring theme is the idolatry which Bauckham sees as the chief evil of contemporary life. The earliest chapters were first published in 2003, but none seems dated, and all are worth reading and plundering for sermon quotes. There is much in this book to challenge lazy thinking and to stimulate discussion. It is thoroughly recommended.

HELEN FONTAINE

Biblical Analysis

 

The Good Shepherd

Nov 21, 2020 | 2016 - Spring, Book Reviews, Free Spring 2016

The Good Shepherd

Author Kenneth E. Bailey
Publisher SPCK £12.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281073504
first issued by IVP 2014,
this edition is also in print.

We all know and love Psalm 23, but Kenneth Bailey’s latest Bible study provides many fresh insights. Read his book and you will learn the difference between a rod and a staff, and much more besides. He goes on to show how the metaphor of the Good Shepherd is used and developed throughout the Bible, including Jeremiah (on bad shepherds), Ezekiel (bad sheep), Zechariah and the four Gospels (sending shepherds out to seek the lost sheep) and 1 Peter, who told us to be good shepherds, too. All this is illuminated by the author’s extensive first-hand experience of life in the Holy Land and his deep knowledge of Bibles in Arabic. After you have read this fine book, Psalm 23 will never seem the same again.

PETER THORNTON

Psalms, Biblical analysis

 

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