Even More Books on the Origins of the New Testament Canon
As I noted in a previous blog post, it seems that the issue of the origins of the biblical canon continues to garner quite a bit of scholarly attention. And this is good news. There’s always more issues to be explored and debated.
Let me mention four new volumes sitting on my desk, the first two of which I was able to endorse.
Tomas Bokedal, Christ the Center: How the Rule of Faith, the Nomina Sacra, and Numerical Patterns Shape the Canon (Lexham, 2023).
While I always appreciate new books on the canon, sometimes it seems that we are rehashing the same topics over and over. Not … Continue reading...
How Did We Get the Bible?
I recently did a weekend conference for Christ Covenant Church in Atlanta, GA, on the topic of where the Bible came from, and why we can trust it. Here’s a video of my lecture, followed by a video of an interview I did with Jason Dees, the senior pastor of Christ Covenant. Enjoy!
How to Make People Feel “Seen” Rather than “Watched”
As the tributes to Tim Keller continue to pour in, I was struck by a comment my wife Melissa made recently in a podcast with Collin Hansen. As they discussed Tim’s ministry, she made the observation that Tim had the ability to make a person feel ‘seen’ rather than ‘watched’ (starting at 19:33).
I thought that insight was so profound, and so critical for ministry, that I wanted to offer my own reflections on it. In fact, I think the “see” vs. “watch” framework can be a shorthand way to capture two very different approaches to ministry. So, here are a few diagnostic questions for Christian leaders (myself included) … Continue reading...
My Tribute to Tim Keller
By now, you have heard the sad news. Tim Keller has just passed away.
I still remember the first time I heard a Tim Keller sermon. It was the mid-90’s, and I happened to be in New York City. Having just graduated from seminary, I had heard all the buzz about this new pastor in Manhattan who had (incredibly) built a thriving, growing church in the midst of one of the world’s most liberal cities. Since it was a Sunday, I figured I would go have a listen.
The church was meeting in an auditorium (part of a local college, if I remember). The stage was very plain, with a … Continue reading...
New Book on Canon Formation
My interest in the origins of the New Testament canon began probably 30 plus years ago. At the time, there was a general interest in the subject, but it was still pretty niche. One had to dig around to find works on the canon that went beyond the well-known volumes by the likes of Bruce Metzger or F.F. Bruce.
But thankfully things have changed in the last bit of time. Now the topic of canon has garnered quite a bit of attention—at both scholarly and lay levels. New work is being done, and fresh avenues are being explored.
One example of fresh work is the new volume of collected essays … Continue reading...