Pneuma Review Summer 2011
The full issue of The Pneuma Review (14:3) Summer 2011, now in digital format. Find all of the articles and reviews, in easy-to-read format on the Archive page.
Summer 2011
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Biblical Imagery: The Metaphorical Symbols of the Holy Spirit
Christian theology should always be concerned to speak about God on the basis of God’s self-communication in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God comes to us in Christ Jesus through the power and personal presence of the Holy Spirit. God exists in differentiated personhood. Thus relationality is an essential attribute of God’s very being—a…
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Leading a Church in the Twenty-first Century: An International Perspective
How Shall We Lead the Church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, preacher and international instructor Aldwin Ragoonath asks, what is hindering church growth in North America? How can we can lead towards growth in the church in the Twenty-first century? Where I am Coming From I was born into a nominal Hindu home that…
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Richard Soulen: Sacred Scripture
Richard N. Soulen, Sacred Scripture: A Short History of Interpretation (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009), xv + 216 pages, ISBN 9780664232467. There are numerous books presenting overviews of the history of biblical interpretation. This book belongs near the top in terms of readability—it can be read at a fast clip with hardly any loss…
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In Conversation with Loren Sandford
Pneuma Review: What was it like growing up in a household where your parents had such a distinctive ministry? Please tell our readers about your own journey and how you came into prophetic ministry. R. Loren Sandford: There were strong positives and strong negatives. It wasn’t just that the ministry was distinctive, but that…
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Mark Powell: Introducing the New Testament
Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 560 pages, ISBN 9780801028687. In the long line of NT introductions, there are some whose chief merits lie in the depth of their analysis, and there are others that are judged better for their pedagogical merits….
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Stephen Nichols: The Reformation
Stephen J. Nichols, The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007), 159 pages, ISBN 9781581348293. Stephen J. Nichols has written a book on church history that is interesting, informative, and entertaining. The book is titled, The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. According…
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Thomas Reynolds: Vulnerable Communion
Thomas E. Reynolds, Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2008), 256 pages, ISBN 9781587431777. Difference, normalcy, embodiment, community, and redemption are all topics that relate to disability. Disability studies have greatly increased with the onset of late modernity, and this is a blessing to all those who seek…
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Loren Sandford: The Prophetic Church
R. Loren Sandford, The Prophetic Church: Wielding the Power to Change the World (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), 218 pages, ISBN 9780800794620. Loren Sandford, senior pastor of New Song Fellowship, is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and a widely recognized leader within the charismatic renewal. He has authored several books, and written, produced, and recorded…
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John Goldingay: Genesis for Everyone
John Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone Part One: Chapters 1−16 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 197 pages. John Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone Part Two: Chapters 17−50 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 186 pages. Genesis for Everyone lives up to its name. This two volume contemporary commentary of the book of Genesis is a…
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David Augsburger: Dissident Discipleship
David Augsburger, Dissident Discipleship: A Spirituality of Self-Surrender, Love of God, and Love of Neighbor (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006), 245 pages, ISBN 9781587431807. Augsburger, an American Anabaptist author, currently professor of pastoral care and counseling at Fuller Seminary, explains that his book’s purpose is to unfold a “radical, spirituality” that he defines as…
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Michael Austin: Wise Stewards
Michael W. Austin, Wise Stewards: Philosophical Foundations of Christian Parenting (Kregel Academic, 2009), 192 pages, ISBN 9780825424250. Wise Stewards begins with the philosophical question “What gives meaning, purpose, and value in life?” But don’t let the philosophical focus of this book scare you away. One of the author’s main accomplishments in the text is…
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Walter Brueggemann: Divine Presence Amid Violence
Walter Brueggemann, Divine Presence Amid Violence: Contextualizing the Book of Joshua (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade, 2009), xii + 82 pages, ISBN 9781606080894. To begin this review quite honestly, I chose the text because of the difficult dilemma it was attempting to resolve, namely violence and the Bible and even more specifically violence and war as…
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Words and the Word: Explorations in Biblical Interpretation and Literary Theory
David G. Firth and Jamie A. Grant, eds., Words and the Word: Explorations in Biblical Interpretation and Literary Theory (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2008), 317 pages, ISBN 9780830828982. Prior to the post-modern period, many of the critical methodologies used in biblical studies such as redaction criticism, form criticism and source criticism were used in biblical…
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Gary Burge: Jesus and the Land
Gary M. Burge, Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to “Holy Land” Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic: 2010), 176 pages, ISBN 9780801038983. Affirming the normal human practice of attaching oneself to land—of having a place to call home—Burge recognizes the practical and political challenges this desire poses for both Palestinians and Israelis….
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Summer 2011: Other Significant Articles
Jennifer Powell McNutt, “The Enduring Church: Believers in every age worry about the collapse of the faith” Christianity Today (January 2011), pages 44-47. Morality declining? Bad doctrine hurting churches? Others have worried about such things before. What can this tell us about our call to reach our generation? christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/january/29.44.html Craig S. Keener,…
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Everett Worthington: A Just Forgiveness
Everett L. Worthington, Jr., A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing without Excusing Injustice (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009) 252 pages, ISBN 9780830337014. Since this reviewer has sat under Worthington in a seminar setting in an American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) national meeting, it is a personal pleasure to review this book of his which seeks…
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Tony Richie on Kingdom of Heaven and Justification
Must Re-centralizing Jesus Mean Displacing the Spirit? A Review Essay of Scot McKnight’s “Jesus vs. Paul” In this review essay, Tony Richie responds to Scot McKnight’s article that introduces a conversation among theologians. Scot McKnight, “Jesus vs. Paul” Christianity Today (December, 2010), pages 24-29. The December 2010 cover encapsulates the discussion: Jesus preached almost…
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Kevin Williams on Kingdom of Heaven and Justification
Kingdom of Heaven, Justification: Is There a Conflict? Something Missing? In this review essay, Kevin Williams responds to Scot McKnight’s article that introduces a conversation among theologians. Scot McKnight, “Jesus vs. Paul” Christianity Today (December, 2010), pages 24-29. The December 2010 cover encapsulates the discussion: Jesus preached almost exclusively about the kingdom of heaven….
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One of a Kind: The Relationship between Old and New Covenants as the Hermeneutical Key for Christian Theology of Religions
Adam Sparks, One of a Kind: The Relationship between Old and New Covenants as the Hermeneutical Key for Christian Theology of Religions (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick, 2010), 325 pages, ISBN 9781606083451. In this book Reformed theologian Adam Sparks attempts to contribute to the theology of religions conversation by offering a critique of some of the…
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Coming in the Fall 2011 (14:4) Issue
Read a chapter from Steven M. Fettke’s new book, God’s Empowered People: A Pentecostal Theology of the Laity (Wipf & Stock 2011). “How should we lead the church?” Eric Scalise continues the conversation with his article, “Healthy Leadership and the High Cost of Caring.” Some reviews to look for in the Fall…
