Monday, March 31, 2008
- NTS Connection
In this issue, we are featuring books recommended by Rev. Randy Beckum, Associate Professor of Missions and University Chaplain at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS. Randy is also presently serving as President of the NTS Alumni Association.
The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way by Eugene Peterson (Eerdmans, 2007)
This is the third (and, I think, the best) in Peterson’s spiritual theology series, which also includes Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and Eat This Book. Peterson explores the way of Jesus traced through the lives of Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Isaiah. In this book, Peterson's pastoral heart is evident: "Jesus is an alternative to the dominant ways of the world, not a supplement to them. We cannot use impersonal means to do or say a personal thing—and the gospel is personal or it is nothing." (p. 2). This is a great preaching resource.
Evil and the Justice of God by N.T. Wright (IVP Books, 2006)
Bishop of Durham and New Testament professor at Cambridge and Oxford, N. T. Wright ends the first chapter of this book with the words: "Evil may be a four-letter word. But so, thank God is Love." He challenges us with a treatise on how we respond to evil in this world and how God will ultimately make all things right. Wright gives us a sequel to C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, from a biblical theologian’s point of view.
How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity by Thomas Oden (IVP Books, 2007)
Thomas Oden has given us a gift with this study of the development of Christianity from south to north. He has dedicated this effort to the nearly half billion Christians in Africa. This is a must read for anyone who wishes to have a global perspective of the church and a broader understanding of our roots.