Simon Turpin. Scoffers. Master Books, 2021.

Scoffers gets its title from II Peter 3:3 (some translations say “mockers”):

…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (II Peter 3:3-7)

I personally remember discovering these verses years ago as I was reading the Bible. I said to myself, “This is an end-times’ prophecy that has already come to pass.”

Modern evolutionists embrace a Uniformitarian view of geology: that the natural processes all proceed slowly and gradually change things over long periods of time. If the flood of Noah were historical, then Uniformitarianism is wrong. The Catastrophists are right.

We see this prediction in II Peter having come to pass in other ways. There is a tendency for people today—I have observed this personally—to mock people who are skeptical of evolution or of a creation that is billion of years old. Scoffers or mockers, indeed.

Peter was even accurate about the specifics of the criticism of Christianity. Darwin wrote in his Autobiography that he abandoned biblical teaching on origins for two reasons: he was skeptical about the worldwide flood of Noah, and he called the idea of eternal punishment in hell a “damnable doctrine.” Wow! He “deliberately overlooked” specifically Noah’s flood and a future judgment by fire! God knows what is going on.

Scoffers takes these things and goes into great detail. The whole book is an in depth study of chapter 3 of II Peter. Turpin begins with Peter’s appeal to the authority and historicity of the ancient prophets of the Bible. So how can we be sure those Old Testament writings were accurate and the writers “carried along by the Holy Spirit”?

Then Scoffers gets into the part alluded to above. What did Peter mean by scoffers? What about prophecies about the end of the age? Do people really overlook creation? Have others besides Darwin deliberately rejected the first eleven chapters of Genesis including the Flood? What about judgment of “the ungodly”? Will there be a new heaven and a new earth?

Scoffers is wide-ranging, covering appropriate parts of the Bible, of science, of anthropology, of archaeology, of theology. Ultimately, Scoffers, in spite of its title, is very positive, uplifting, and hopeful. Even though we have read and reviewed other creationist books on these pages, this reviewer learned a few new things.

For example, I had never really noticed Genesis 19:9 before. When the men of Sodom demand that Lot send his two male visitors outside so they can sodomize them, Lot refuses and calls them wicked. Their response includes the complaint, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge!” Doesn’t that describe homosexual activists today? “Don’t judge us! Don’t be judgmental!” As Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says:

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.

Mr. Turpin also tries to avoid controversies among Christians. For example II Peter 3:9 says

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Turpin notes:

Christians who are Arminian in their theology understand that the “any” and “all” in 3:9 as referring to God’s desire to save every single person alive, whereas Christians who are Calvinistic in their theology generally understand the “any” and “all” to be an expansion of “you” in 3:9 and referring to God’s desire to save his elect people. (202 n.3)

Scoffers is rich in detail, evidence, and examples. It is well organized, well documented, and clear. And unlike the Scoffers whom Peter alluded to, it respects its audience.

Jenny Leavitt. GodPrints. Redemption P, 2022.

I confess that I was a bit skeptical about GodPrints as I began reading it. Back in the early seventies critics coined the term “disease of the week.” Due to the popularity of the novel and film Love Story and television specials like Brian’s Song, stories about people suffering terrible diseases became overdone. As I began this book, I was beginning to feel like someone was trying to exploit my tear ducts. Even the title seemed a bit strained.

Gradually, as I realized what the author was doing, I changed. GodPrints is pretty intense in places, but it has a truly redemptive purpose. It is worth sharing.

Mrs. Leavitt tells about her own battle with cancer. She was a young mother in her early twenties with two preschool sons when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is often fatal. The treatments were brutal. I was reminded of Gunther’s Death Be Not Proud, the explorer’s memoir about the death of his teenaged son from a brain tumor. She and her husband were told that she probably would not live. Obviously, she did, or she would not be writing this book.

What made this story different from the other ones I have mentioned was the both Mr. and Mrs. Leavitt, though they came from rough backgrounds, had committed their lives to Christ when they were teenagers. What was happening? What would happen to her little boys? She not only committed herself to Jesus, but she and her husband committed themselves to fight the disease.

Since the couple were young and Mr. Leavitt was just starting out in a career, there were financial as well as medical concerns. She credits the support of their church at the time as well. People were looking out for them and praying for them. Although she has suffered from side effects from the cancer treatments and the cancer itself, she has been in remission for many years.

But it is fair to say that the cancer was not the biggest trial. We read about her family and her two sons growing. The younger one, Jacob, had begun taking the Bible seriously when he was about fifteen or sixteen. She could see some real and positive changes. She was thanking the Lord for the way He was working in his life.

Then, one night, the boys were on their way home in their car from a church event, and their car was struck by a drunk driver. Jacob died. Caleb survived but took months to recover from his injuries. In many ways this was a harder trial than the cancer. We can attribute Jacob’s death to simple natural facts, but it still hurt.

As is true in many cases with the death of a child, the accident put a strain on the couple’s relationship. It is not uncommon to have a divorce follow the death of a child. Mrs. Leavitt honestly chronicles their struggles. This story became a lot more than just a disease of the week story.

If there is a theme to GodPrints, it perhaps can be summed up by James 1:2-4:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (For a great musical adaptation of these verses go to https://safeshare.tv/x/ss646654689bbe0.)

Hard times can have some people turn bitterly away from God, but to find real strength and consolation, they can draw people closer to God. Where else can they turn for such support?

While GodPrints focuses on those two major trials, there are others as well. She describes a few years after Jacob’s passing in a chapter titled “Six Months from Hell.” She is a little vague on this, but basically through much of her life, she had been conscious of the Lord’s presence. Now, there was no sense of that. She realized afterwards that God will do that to get us to simply have faith regardless of how we feel. Trust in Him and His Word. That is what faith is, regardless of what we might be experiencing.

There were other events in the lives of the Leavitts, moves, job changes, even starting a church. But overall, their story has potential for ministering to its readers. Because the Leavitts have been through so much, we can see that what they have learned is hardly superficial. They have been there.

As kind of a postscript, I was reminded of an experience in my own life. When I was twenty-two, two of my best friends from high school were killed in an automobile accident. The last few times I saw my friend Bruce before he died, he was talking about God in a different way. He asked not “Do you believe in God?” but “Do you know God?” He had changed. Jesus had become real to him.

Looking back, his dying got me thinking about what happens when we die. Bruce had a faith that I did not have, but I had a sense that Bruce was all right. It would take another three years before I had my own experience with Jesus, but that accident was a “GodPrint” in my life. GodPrints is not mystical. It is real, it is raw, but through it all there is a confidence that God knows what is going on and that He has something better for His people.

Another book we recently reviewed with a similar bent is Be Held by Him. Although both books deal with enduring and handling trials, including severe diseases, they are different. I would recommend Be Held by Him especially for people whose problem is mysterious, rare, undiagnosed, or thought imaginary. I would recommend GodPrints especially for married couples and for parents who have lost a child. Both are well worth sharing with people who are going through trials and maybe wondering where God is in all that is happening.

Bob Santos. Greater Glory. SfMe Media, 2023.

As I have said about a few other books, if you were to read this book with a yellow highlighter, it would be simpler to dunk the book into a bucket of yellow ink. Greater Glory has something to share on every page. To really benefit, read it slowly.

Greater Glory is subtitled The Transformational Power of Christian Unity. Jesus prayed that His people would be one as He and the Father were one (see John 17:11). From my perspective, things are getting better in that regard, but Christians are still divided among themselves. Mr. Santos shows us a way through. It may require more humility than many of us, especially Americans, are used to, but if we can relate to our brothers and sisters truly as brothers and sisters, it strengthens the whole body.

Many years ago I read Daring to Draw Near by John White. About three or four chapters in, I was reading it on my knees. Greater Glory did not make me do that, but it had a surprising effect on me. I knew I needed to change. I had to confess there was still a lot of pride in me so that I tended not to see things the way I should. Before I could say, “Please read this book,” I realized I had to confess that I was falling short and needed the Lord’s help.

Greater Glory seems to be written more for the Church in the West. The title of the first chapter gives us a hint of where Mr. Santos is going—“Whose Kingdom Are You Building?” Many years ago when I worked for the Federal Government, people would talk about Empire Builders in the bureaucracy. They were able to use the law and whatever practices and rules there were to insure that their job would appear to be indispensable, and they would at least have job security if not generous promotions.

Alas, Santos notes that churches, whether individual congregations or church groups, often are tempted the same way. But we understand when we read the Bible that God does not see things that way. There is only one Kingdom—His. If we can really see that, then we can work with other Christians who are not part of “our church” and accomplish things in the power of the Holy Spirit that we never could on our own.

Greater Glory notes a few important ideas.

Believers are never told to become one; we already are one and are expected to act like it. (320)

Unity and uniformity are two very different concepts, but we often confuse them. (340)

The greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit this reviewer ever experienced was around 1979. It was a Christian men’s convention. The men came from many walks of life and from virtually every church group, Protestant, Catholic, Independent. The Lord blessed that convention, and for a brief time we were rejoicing at the foot of His throne.

Santos also reminds us that the walk with God is based on a covenant. A covenant is not like a contract.

In producing a contract, each party is concerned primarily about its own interests. But with a relational covenant we emphasize the other party’s interests. (346, emphasis in original)

The Lord gives equal honor to all Christians, and he desires to bless all equally. (496)

Now, some readers may ask, “Yes, but what about what that group believes?” or “what that church practices?”

Santos gives wise counsel in chapters titled “Navigating Doctrinal Differences,” “Factions,” “Resolving Conflict,” “False Prophets,” and “Bringing Correction.” These things are difficult and by no means trivial. Santos shares not only Bible teachings but personal experiences and observations. He has seen the Lord make significant changes in the community where he lives because many of the churches got together to pray and to agree to focus on the key features of the church as a whole such as repentance, prayer, and biblical instruction. The chapter titled “Tearing Down Walls” is worth reading on its own even if you were skim other chapters.

It should be obvious from even the variety of God’s creation, what a fascinating world we live in, that its Creator loves variety. Similarly, “The diversity of Christ’s body is why love, not uniformity, serves as the perfect bond of unity” (1205). He notes that when the parts of the human body attack other parts of the body, it is a sign of autoimmune disease. Something similar can happen to the body of Christ.

The key idea of all this is intentional edification. We either focus on building others up, or we fixate on how they fall short. (1262)

Caesar hoped to reform men by changing institutions and laws. Christ wished to remake institutions, and lessen laws, by changing men. (1278)

Common thought tells us that we foster change through public criticism, boycotts. protests, and the manipulation of public opinion. (1307)

But

Real change and genuine transformation require welcoming the kingdom of God through prayer and yielding to heaven’s throne. (1314)

How strange it must seem in the eyes of heaven that multiple congregations within a community would compete and criticize one another while trying to accomplish the same purposes! If nothing else, we are unified by our mission. (1452)

I could go on quoting, but these are principles and directions. The book is also full of examples of what works and what does not work, what is the Bible’s way and what is man’s way. If nothing else, Greater Glory gives us something to pray about. For example, I pray for my church and the people in it every day. What if I start praying for the other churches in my area? What if others do?

I recall another book I read years ago. I do not recall who wrote it or what book it was in. (Any readers out there who might know?) But the author was praying for revival, and he felt the Lord asking him if he could pray for the revival to come to a different church?

A unified Church is the only offering we dare present to the coming Christ, for in it alone will He find room to dwell. (1499)

Marc Cameron. Tom Clancy: Red Winter. Putnam, 2023.

We had written before that Marc Cameron’s stories from the Tom Clancy estate may be the closest to what Clancy himself might have written.

Red Winter is not a Jack Ryan, Jr., tale. This features the original Jack Ryan, Sr., CIA analyst and independent investor, long before he becomes President. Jack is thirty-four in November 1985 when this is set. Yes, technically November is not winter, but this is walled-off Berlin back when people were worrying about a new ice age rather than global warming. It is cold and snowy. This may be an exercise in nostalgia, but it works.

This is set after the Red October incident and the adventures with the Royal Family in Patriot Games, so Ryan has gotten the attention of Admiral Greer of the CIA. Still, he is not really the main character here. Ryan is working with and under Mary Pat Foley. Mary Pat would be a regular figure in many of the Jack Ryan novels. Her experience teaches Ryan and readers about espionage.

There are two parallel plots in the story. Since this is 1985, the United States is experimenting with stealth aircraft. Rumors abound, and UFO fanatics camp our around an Air Force practice range in Nevada, also known as Area 51. Along with the UFOlogists is an East German spy who knows there is something else going on. When one of the prototype stealth planes crashes, the conspiracy theorists try to reach the site before the military authorities. So does the East German spy.

Most of the action, though, takes place in the divided Berlin. Without preaching, we can see the great difference between East and West, between Communism and Capitalism. Freedom is worth maintaining. Through a convoluted drama, we learn that an East German official wants to defect to the West. For most of the book, no one on either side has any idea who it is. Mary Pat and Jack are dispatched to Berlin, both West and East, to see what they can discover.

We meet a few Stasi (East German Secret Police) officers and a German couple who maintain a safe house in East Berlin. They spied for the Allies during World War II and have kept things going with the various NATO allies since.

We also learn a little more about John Clark, a Clancy regular. He has a very interesting role in this story. He is assigned simply to tail a couple of allied spies in East Berlin. Ryan, Foley, and none of the other allied principals know where he is or what he is doing. It is never simple, especially when international relations are involved.

Red Winter does make observations about government workers on both sides. Jack Ryan notes the following about some of his fellow workers:

Government service was a noble endeavor, but unfortunately there were far too many ruthless self-promoters who clawed their way up through the ranks. (124)

An East German character notes that government workers on their side fall into one of three categories: (1) the true believers who really think they are helping to create a Utopia, (2) people who are attracted to the power, and (3) people who would otherwise be criminals but can use their criminal bent legally working for the government.

There is a lot of action. Being about espionage, the action is more subtle than an overt war or crime story—though I would be lying if I wrote that no one dies. Who is the person who wants to defect? Is he or she genuine or is it some kind of setup? How does this connect to events in Nevada?

We are reminded that the Stasi got many if not most citizens to spy on one another. What can beautiful women do about their Stasi handlers? (Naturally, we mean handler in more than one sense.) What can a person do when his or her family or friends are threatened?

While perhaps not quite as ironic as Rainbow Six. there is a pleasing and ironic ending, and one that is fun to read and mosty unexpected. This throwback novel reminds us of why we liked Clancy in the first place. It also reminds us, as did a review in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, that Communism is amoral and evil. You can try to dress it up and say it is for the good of the people, but that is simply putting jewelry on a pig’s snout.

Jerry Trousdale. Miraculous Movements. Nelson, 2012.

Miraculous Movements was recommended by the same insider who recommended A Wind in the House of Islam. Because it came out a few years earlier, I thought that I might just be reading an earlier version of A Wind in the House of Islam. I was wrong. Its thesis is something else. That is what makes it stand out.

Miraculous Movements does have some of the kinds of testimonies that the other book has. A testimony of one experienced Muslim leader illustrated what I wrote recently to my friend that Islam has no good news, no Gospel. Even Mohammad on his deathbed said that he could not be sure if he were going to Paradise.

Hanif’s commitment to Islam was genuine, but there was a deep void in his soul that Islam never really satisfied. He longed for certainty regarding his status with God. He struggled to find answers or reasons for the violence inside his Islamic world. He grieved at the lack of compassion for suffering people. And he recognized that his religion did not allow him or the people he led make choices for themselves, nor did it give them satisfying answers for the huge struggles of life. (18)

Jesus offered something else.

We read sometimes about dreams and miracles and people intrigued by the person of Jesus as we saw in A Wind in the House of Islam, but there is also a method involved. That is what Miraculous Movements focuses on.

The first few chapters of the Book of Acts describe the beginnings of Christianity in Judea and Samaria. These include some examples of what today we would call mass evangelism. This worked in those places because the people there were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Some like the Samaritans and Sadducees just used the first five books, but they all had some background. Also many or most of the people had at least heard of Jesus and what he had been doing.

So when Peter and the others preached to the crowd on Pentecost, about 3,000 repented and were baptized. Acts 4:4 tells us that Peter and John’s preaching converted another 5,000. “Crowds” of Samaritans followed Philip in Acts 8:6. Mass evangelism has had some success especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. People like D. L. Moody, Charles Finney, Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, and others brought many to Christ. But they mostly worked in places that were culturally Christian such as Europe, the Americas, Australia, and parts of Africa. They were more like the people in Judea at the time of Christ. They knew about Jesus: Now it was a matter of following Him and obeying Him.

However, once the Book of Acts takes us beyond Jesus’ homeland, the method is different. Indeed, it follows the pattern that Jesus actually gave his own disciples. Matthew 10 gives Jesus’ instructions to the twelve apostles, and Luke 10 gives very similar instructions to the seventy disciples He commissioned.

“And proclaim as you go, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.” (Matthew 10:7-13)

“Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10:2-9)

Notice that they are to go into a town, work for a living, and seek one “who is worthy” or “a son of peace.” They stay and make disciples.

Miraculous Movements emphasizes that the disciples make other disciples. While leaders and those who will be sent out will become obvious, there is no professional clergy as such. This is virtually identical to the way followers of Christ are multiplying in India as told in Bhojpuri Breakthrough.

Using the Bible as support, Miraculous Movements describes step by step how this normally happens. That part should be helpful for American and Western church people as well. So much of the culture today does not have the Christian background that people a generation or two ago used to have. There may still be a place for mass evangelism, but it seems as though the pattern described here works. It works because we see results, but it gets results because it was the way Jesus told His followers to do it.

We note these steps are also described in our review of Motus Dei. Miraculous Movements may be more accessible to some readers, but both teach Christians things we ought to know. Now let us act on them.

The actual results may vary. In some places, people are able to build some kind of pavilion or building to meet in. In other places, however, the work is very much underground and secretive. Some church planters have been martyred or imprisoned. Still, many people are discovering the difference in following Jesus, receiving hope and a true Spirit.

As a personal reflection, I think of my own experience. I was raised in the church. It was mainline, so not especially evangelical, but we learned the Bible, so I had some of that background. Even as an English major in college, we were required to study the King James Bible as literature. When I began to encounter people who spoke of a personal relationship with God and spoke of the Holy Spirit as operating today, I could see some truth in what they said. Eventually I—alone, not in a church setting—confessed Jesus as Lord (I used the word boss), the Holy Spirit came upon me, and my life has not been the same.

Though not an evangelist, I have had the opportunity to pray with a few people to receive Jesus the way I did. In each case, they were attending a Bible study, just as Trousdale describes. Somehow, they had become interested, and the person of Jesus had become appealing. They wanted Him, too.

Trousdale notes that the Bible studies are presented primarily as stories. People everywhere like stories. Even postmodernists who are skeptical about everything except power note the effectiveness of narrative. The stories are presented in such a way not simply to say that here is a story of Moses or Abraham or Jesus, but to promote action. What ought we to do if we consider this story? Too often Western Christianity tells about God, but minimizes actions we must take. As James wrote: “But be doers of the word and not hearers only…” (James 1:22).

Yes, Mr. Trousdale is onto something. Read this book.

Curtis E. Jennings. Western Christianity? All That?! Vantage, 2003.

Western Christianity? All That?! is a topical overview of the history of Christianity in Europe and the Americas. The title suggests the humorous historical satire 1066 and All That, but this is a serious book that can be helpful to readers, especially lay readers who may have never studied church history but want to know how we got to where we are.

Western Christianity? is arranged differently from most history books. Each of its ten chapters covers a different topic. This can help a reader who is looking for a specific item. For example, I might have been reading about Nestorian churches in medieval China. I would look in the chapter titled “Doctrine” to find out what Nestorius believed. We also read, for example, how both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches came to be organized in a manner similar to the political kingdoms of the day in the chapter “Organization.”

Other chapters cover Women, Church-State relations, the Reformation, Liturgy, Music, Art, Architecture, and Holy Orders. Each chapter is 12-20 pages, so this is an overview. It is helpful to readers looking for basic background material. The author has a detailed bibliography and often in the text refers to works where the reader can find more details on the subject.

Alert readers may have noticed that this is published by what used to be the primary American self-publishing house. Jennings is a college professor, and had this been an academic work, he probably would have found an academic publisher. Unfortunately, like many self-published works there are a number of spelling and grammar errors that in some cases change the intended meaning. Speaking from experience, I often re-read pages I have written on this blog and nearly half the time make a correction. We miss things when we become familiar with what we have written. It does help to have outside editors or proofreaders to make sure it says exactly what you want it to say.

Colleen Snyder. Verdict at the River’s Edge. Forget Me Not Romances, 2020.

Verdict at the River’s Edge may be billed as a romance, but the romance is truly secondary. This is a kind of coming of age story. It is set in rural West Virginia, but its backdrop is completely urban.

Miss Collin Walker is a twenty-six year-old social worker who specializes in teenagers. A West Virginia summer camp far from her coastal city of Oakton offers inner city youths with promise a free week of camping. One of Collin’s charges, Rob, has been chosen, and she gets to go, too, to help out and to enjoy some of the recreation herself.

Rob is one of a about half a dozen young people aged twelve to seventeen who have decided to devote the week primarily to white water rafting. No one has had any experience, but Mitch the instructor assures them they can do it if they put real effort into it and work together. Collin can see the working together part a challenge since the kids come from different parts of town with their own neighborhood and gang loyalties.

We also learn that Collin has a fear of rivers. We understand from the beginning that something traumatic happened to her on a river, but it is a while before we find out what it is. She cannot talk about it. It is hard enough for her to mention that she had a twin brother who died. Her challenge, then, is to make peace with the river.

So, yes, the inner-city youths like Rob begin to see things in a different light, but we realize that Collin herself has to change as well. She may be a trained and certified counselor, but she also has to face her fears and grow. The narration often reveals her thoughts which demonstrate something that all of us have to deal with: How do we discern the true thoughts from the false? The voice of God from the impulses of the flesh?

Verdict at the River’s Edge is well written. It has authentic and realistic dialogue and a good amount of action. Yes, there is action at the camp on basketball courts as well as on the river. There are other things going on as well—a disguised intruder that the camp workers call Big Foot appears at night from time to time and causes trouble for Collin. The camp janitor, Jeff, is looking out for her and seems to be taking an interest in her. We learn, again thanks to past traumas, that she has trouble trusting anyone, especially a man. She assumes the worst. There is a lot going on, and a lot for her to overcome.

This fast-paced entertaining novel spins a yarn that keeps us going. As one who taught high school for forty years, I can say that she gets teenagers. The description of the basketball games are very well done. Basketball is one sport I do not especially follow but she makes the contests sound exciting even to someone like me. I was reminded a bit of Trollope’s descriptions of a fox hunt—I knew nothing about them but after reading him, I can see why people like them. Maybe I’ll pay more attention to the NBA playoffs this year…

Stanley E. Porter and Ron C. Fay. Luke-Acts in Modern Interpretation. Kregel, 2021.

This is another in what is becoming a series titled Milestones in New Testament Scholarship. We have reviewed the book in this series on the Gospel of John. Most of what was written in the first few paragraphs in that review could be written about this volume as well. There are ten essays written about ten influential theologians who contributed in some form in the last one hundred fifty years to the study of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. These books are often studied together since they are written by the same person. (At least most people think they are…a few of the theologians discussed here thought otherwise.)

As with the volume on John, the essays are arranged chronologically, with the earliest writer first. Each essay itself is written by a theologian who has studied in detail the theologian being written about. The editors each contributed an essay as well as co-authoring an introduction and conclusion. As with the other volume, we more or less begin with the historical critical approach, then a history of religion perspective, followed by various types of literary criticism.

Much of the study, especially the writings from the later nineteenth century, deal more with the origins and authenticity of the writings rather than the specific content or teaching in the two “Lukan” books of the New Testament. The more recent theologians cited in this book are more likely to take the works seriously and treat them as genuine writings by a single author. It seems that each scholar studied has a slightly different take on the “we” portions of Acts. Beginning in chapter 16, parts of the book are written in the first person—using we—rather than the third person. This has traditionally been understood to mean that Luke was accompanying Paul in those episodes. Some of the critics featured here have different takes on that interpretation, but all have to admit that it does make for some interesting discussions.

We begin with older German theologians who tend to be skeptical of the New Testament and its origins. The first essay on Adolf Harnack does all readers a service by actually defining what Theological Liberalism means. The term liberal means different things in different contexts, but here we are reminded that a liberal theology believes (1) religious belief must be updated to keep in line with new ideas and discoveries, (2) it is OK to challenge long-held beliefs, (3) ethics is more important than historical accuracy, (4) liberal theology is based on something other than biblical authority, and (5) God is more subjective and less transcendent.

Martin Dibelius tried to explain the Lukan writings in terms of the historical context. He believes, for example, that Luke came after Mark and Matthew and reflected a particular brand of Christianity. Like other scholars of his ilk, he sees the first three gospels as all likely coming from a single source but embellished in different ways. He then attempts to harmonize his ideas with the writing of Acts.

H. J. Cadbury takes an interesting approach. He was a Quaker, and Quakers tend to emphasize subjective religious experience. He attempted to analyze Luke and Acts without referring to any theology because he believed that approaching Scripture with a theological perspective automatically created bias.

Ernst Haenchen hypothesized about sources. Source criticism goes back about two hundred years, but he tries to re-create what he would consider “authentic” sources to determine what was really accurate in the New Testament books. He would emphasize that there is a difference between the persona of Paul in Acts and his character as it comes through in his epistles. This, then, gets into fuzzy ideas of authorship, which had been very popular in theology for a century through the 1960s. Still, he notes some different literary types and styles which can help readers appreciate the writings regardless of their theological leanings.

Dr. Porter, one of the editors, wrote the chapter on F. F. Bruce. He also noted that he had the opportunity to hear Dr. Bruce speak, so there is a bit of a personal connection here. Although Bruce is open to some questions about sources, he would not be considered a liberal theologian. Indeed, one could define conservative theology as the opposite of the five points of liberalism mentioned above. Porter also notes that Bruce’s background was the classics and history rather than theology. Bruce, then, takes the New Testament as a historical document comparable to (and mostly superior to) classical histories, notably the work of Thucydides. As a classicist, he takes the wording of the Greek New Testament at its face value. Probably his two best-known works (which this reviewer recommends) are New Testament History and The New Testament Documents, Are They Reliable? He looks at the New Testament with the scholarly understanding of a classicist in both. He did write more scholarly commentaries as well, but his work is still widely read by evangelical Christians today.

Hans Conzelmann is interesting because he took a theological position on the writings on Luke. He is liberal. He considers Luke-Acts later books, but he does because of his understanding of eschatology. We understand that the disciples during Jesus’ time on earth expected Him to set up his final kingdom. When he ascended to Heaven, they expected Him to return shortly. Other books in the New Testament seem to echo that idea. The Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts recognize that His return may be delayed. Therefore, Luke’s eschatology focuses on Jerusalem in the first century, and Acts emphasizes the growth of the church apart from any immediate return of Jesus.

C. K. Barrett takes a historical perspective to develop his theology of Luke and Acts. To him, those two books are the core of the New Testament. Luke contains more history than the other gospels, and Acts tells some of the history of the early church, especially the life of Paul. To him, then, these two books present what the early church needed to know. The author of this chapter, John Byron, actually studied under Barrett and got to know him pretty well. Byron probably does speak more of Barrett’s personal motivations, especially as a Methodist preacher as well as a professor, than other essays in this collection.

Jacob Jervell emphasizes the Jewishness of the Book of Acts. He maintains that the book only ends with a loose call to Gentiles. Yes, Paul ministered outside Judea, but he first sought out Jews in most places where he went, and much of the Book of Acts focuses on Jewish ministry and reactions to the Gospel by Jews. His story in Acts concludes with the note that “the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles” (Acts 28:28), so there is some evidence to Jervell’s point.

Richard Pervo, picking up a postmodern vibe, emphasizes Luke-Acts as stories or narratives. He compares them to other ancient works and calls them novels. Dr. Fay, who wrote this chapter, assures us that Pervo does not mean that Luke and Acts are fiction, but that they use narrative techniques found in novels. Of course, one could argue that the term novel means “new,” and that novels were not written before the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries. But there were prose romances written in the classical era such as The Golden Donkey (2nd Century A.D.), but that is the only one that has survived. One could make a case that the travels of the apostles, especially Paul, are picaresque in nature as is The Golden Donkey.

Loveday Alexander, the last of the theologians the book describes, makes a more specific literary approach. I recall years ago having a conversation with a theologically liberal pastor who was telling me that the Gospels developed out of oral traditions. Now, I was probably the wrong person to discuss this with him because I had studied oral tradition in literature under Albert Lord, who with Milman Parry developed the explanation of how orally transmitted works such as epics were passed on.

I asked this pastor about oral formulae or other evidence that the Gospels had been orally transmitted. It was clear he did not know what I was talking about. I have complained that theologians speak of oral traditions of various Bible books, but I never have come across one that actually explained how it might have happened. Nor have I ever seen or heard of a reference to Lord or Parry in any speculation about books of the Bible emerging from oral tradition. I have expressed my annoyance with this elsewhere in these pages.

Well, I still have not read anything about the Bible remotely like Lord’s thesis in The Singer of Tales, but Alexander looks at Luke and Acts as literature and actually explains how they could have been transmitted orally. Even today, many observant Jews memorize Scripture and Talmudic writings. So she says that early followers of Jesus strictly memorized his teachings and passed them on that way. Interesting and possible. However, for at least the last 1500 years and probably 2500 years, Jews who have done such memorizing have done their memory work from written sources. So which came first, the memory work or the writing? Alexander touches on other literary types and devices as well, and certainly gave this teacher of literature some things to think about.

Some topics are picked up by many of the writers. Are these books an apologetic to Gentiles or for a Jewish audience, or both? Are the recorded speeches and sermons written in their entirety or are they excerpts or summaries selected by the Holy Spirit? When were the books written? And, perhaps most importantly, what can we learn about Jesus and the first Christians from reading these books?

P.S.: If you are curious about the basics of oral transmission according to Parry and Lord, the following article is a good introduction: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2022/09/feature-vita-milman-parry.

Reza Aslan. Zealot. Random House, 2013.

This is not a review as much as it is a note to a friend who suggested this book to me. He especially wanted me to read chapter 10, so this is focused on that chapter.

I have read chapter 10 of Zealot, along with some other chapters as well. I do not understand the author’s scholarship. If there is a verse in the Bible or something he does not like, he dismisses it as inauthentic. He makes some blanket statements about Jesus and about the Scriptures that anyone familiar with them knows are simply not true.

Jesus spoke of eternal life many times, and even his opponents knew that. Jesus was challenged in his own ministry about a belief in the afterlife. Some Sadducees, the priestly party of the Jews who did not believe in the afterlife, told Him about a woman who had outlived seven husbands in succession. Which man will she marry in the afterlife? They asked the question to mock him, but he treated them with respect. Jesus then quoted the book of Exodus to show that there is an afterlife. (The Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Bible and claimed that they said nothing about an afterlife.) See Mark 12:18-27.

At one point the author Reza Aslan says that Jesus only mentioned the afterlife once when He said “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Aslan then asserts, without any evidence, that Jesus really did not say those words. Ironically, that is one saying of His that near contemporary secular history quotes.

Towards the end of the first century the Emperor Domitian began a persecution of Christians. He did this because he was told that Christians were claiming that Jesus was the rightful king, not the emperor. He had two of Jesus’ grand nephews arrested (grandsons of Jesus’ half-brother Jude). He questioned them and they replied that their uncle’s kingdom was not of this world. Domitian could see from their appearance and what was reported that they were farmers and posed no threat to the empire. Not only did he release them, but he no longer persecuted Christians for the rest of his reign. They were harmless. It is interesting that first century secular history apart from the Bible notes those specific words of Jesus!

If you read the Gospels, Jesus refers to the afterlife, heaven, hell, and eternity many times. It is hard to dismiss all those passages as inauthentic.

Aslan’s overall thesis is one that has been repeated in some form over the centuries. He claims Jesus was a political zealot who really wanted to conquer Rome and help Jews rule the Gentiles but who was killed before his plans succeeded. That is precisely what Muslims teach. The world had to wait for Mohammad to come along and finish Jesus’ task and begin to conquer the world. That is Muslim theology (jihad and all that). Even today we recognize that Islam is both religious and political.

Other groups have made similar arguments. In our lifetime the Unification Church made a similar claim that Jesus did not do what he had come to do and Rev. Moon had come along to complete the mission. The Mormon argument is similar: that the Bible was not the complete scripture God wanted to share, and Joseph Smith came along with the Book of Mormon to finish God’s job.

The reason I responded originally to what you wrote and sent you The Case for Heaven was that you had made an appeal about the Gospel. The Gospel is summed up by saying God sent his son Jesus to suffer for the sins of humanity, and God will save those who accept this truth from His judgment. Since you used the Gospel to appeal to me, I assumed you understood that. Aslan and the Muslims in general have no gospel. Zealot has no gospel. The primary evidence that proves Jesus was speaking the truth about God and life and death was that he was publicly and brutally killed and yet rose from the dead.

Aslan dismisses the resurrection, of course. He presents a common theory from the last two hundred years or so that Jesus was really just an itinerant rabbi who died young, but his followers, especially Peter and Paul, made up the story of the resurrection and spiritualized Jesus’ movement.

Aslan claims that Paul corrupted Jesus’ political movement into something else. The Muslims are here to reclaim that political conquest. Aslan also claims that Jesus only cared about Jews, yet the Bible tells us of Gentiles he healed and ministered to and that He directed his followers to teach “all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and go into “all the world” (Mark 16:15). In fact, Paul devoted his work to the Gentiles, and Peter ended up in Rome among the Gentiles, too.

In chapter 10 Aslan implies typical Muslim anti-Semitism, namely that the Jews like Jesus really are zealots who want to rule the world. If they cannot do it through conquest, they’ll do it by controlling the monetary system.

Hitler was influenced by similar thinking except that he was no Muslim. He saw Jesus as a prophet who was reconnecting the world with the nature-based religions like the Norse beliefs. One of his heroes was Julian the Apostate. Hitler blamed Paul and other Jews for corrupting the “natural religion,” what we would today call neo-paganism. That was one of his ideological reasons for the Final Solution.

All I can say, my friend, is that Zealot presented nothing new. There is no gospel in it. The evidence presented is weak or non-existent. Ask God to show you. He has promised, “If you seek me, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus Himself said, “Seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). Ask Him. You will have to accept His terms, but He is happy to reveal Himself to those who are honestly looking.