Literary and Philosophical Investigations of the Apocalypse of John
The book of Revelation is strange, to put it mildly. An informed reading reveals John's pastoral intent is very much in keeping with typical New Testament instruction regarding God, Jesus, and the life that Christ followers are meant to live in the face of seductive idolatry and intense oppression. With a message so simple, why would John cloud it ......
Ecclesiastes and the Man Who Outshone the Sun King
This is an unusual book, rich with intrigue. It is, foremost, a book about Ecclesiastes-not a commentary, not another scholarly monograph, but rather a guide to understanding the angle of vision the ancient text asks us to see: that is, how to live our lives within proper limits, how to surrender ourselves to God, and finally how to learn to die. ......
In this volume, John Screnock provides a foundational examination of the Hebrew text of Psalms 90-100. The analysis is distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the text. The author's exposition is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for ......
Apocalyptic Pastoral Theology in Paul's Thessalonian Letters
Writing a study in apocalyptic pastoral theology may sound like an exercise in "performative self-contradiction." But such an endeavor reminds us that the imminent expectation of the Lord's return, a pervasive hope in the first generation of the Jesus movement, is not an embarrassing, superfluous doctrine of little value to ordinary Christian ......
Scholars today tend to view the birth narratives of Jesus as substantially less reliable than the rest of the canonical Gospel accounts. Indeed, many recent studies of the historical Jesus pass over his birth altogether or provide only scant commentary. A primary reason for this skepticism is intent oriented: ancient birth narratives (so the ......
The devil-styled by Calvin as "God's adversary and ours"-is ubiquitous in the witness of the New Testament. Yet contemporary Christian doctrine generally remains dumbfounded about what to do with him. At the same time, our present is marked by a resurgence in the language of the "demonic"-that is, invocation of pervasive, radical, and perhaps ......
In the fourth and fifth centuries CE, Christian artistry began to flourish, as elite patrons sponsored decorative initiatives for basilica churches throughout the Mediterranean basin. But what about the first three centuries? Living prior to the Constantinian age of tolerance, did Christ followers of that period engage in artistic expressions that ......
Abraham fascinates. As a primeval desert sheik with dazzling character traits, as the father of many peoples and religions, as a migrant with long wanderings through trials and tribulations, as a convert and a sacrificer, as a believer and a doubter-his impact reverberates through the ages into the present. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all ......
Toward a Deeper Practical Theology of Mental Health
What if our well-intentioned efforts to promote mental health inadvertently perpetuate systems that cause mental unwellness? What if the resilience we encourage only equips individuals to endure rather than challenge structures detrimental to their well-being? Why do mental health experiences vary so drastically across cultures, with Western ......
