The best ideas are common property
F. Scott Spencer, Passions of the Christ: The Emotional Life of Jesus in the Gospels (Baker Academic, 2021). 265pp + bib. & indexes. ISBN 9781540964465 Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson Carl Heinrich Bloch, Jesus Cleansing the Temple, 1874. Biblical revelation, the ecumenical creeds, and orthodox Christian theology all attest that Jesus Christ was fully God …
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Holly Ordway, Tolkienโs Faith: A Spiritual Biography (Elk Grove Village, IL: Word on Fire Academic, 2023). 480pp. ISBN 9781685789916 Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson There is a scene in J. R. R. Tolkienโs The Lord of the Rings where Frodo and Sam, hobbits from the Shire, are about to enter the evil land of Mordor …
Ligita Ryliลกkytฤ, Why the Cross? Divine Friendship and the Power of Justice (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023). 491pp. ISBN 9781009202763. Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson Published in the CUP series Current Issues in Theology, this book addresses the question, โWhat does it mean for the cross of Christ to save?โ This book offers a fresh …
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Mark R. Sneed, Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022). 288 pages. ISBN: 9783110579314. Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson William Blake, Behemoth and Leviathan, 1805. The poet and artist William Blake painted the image above, depicting the mythical biblical creatures Behemoth and Leviathan, in 1805. More recently, children's …
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I have written elsewhere on the danger of dogma. Here, I want to explore the potential weaknesses of (over)reliance on Christian creeds and confessions in the life of the church. Recently, in an unprecedented move, a group of American theologians and pastors within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) moved to amend their denominationโs confessional statement, โThe …
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