Justo Gonzรกlez, The Bible in the Early Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022). 186pp + indexes. ISBN 9780802881748 Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson When Christians and people of other or no faith ask me questions about the Bible, they typically donโt ask why I regard the Bible as trustworthy, or why I shape my life on …
The Doctrine of Election
John Calvin, The Doctrine of Election (trans. from the French by Robert White; Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2022). 224pp + indexes. ISBN 9781800402652 Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson The biblical doctrine of election is fraught with controversy. The reasons for this are not hard to discover: there is, firstly, an apparent tension between determinism …
Passions of the Christ: The Emotional Life of Jesus in the Gospels
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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Tolkienโs Faith: A Spiritual Biography
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 …
Why the Cross? Divine Friendship and the Power of Justice
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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