Being Well When We’re Ill

Being Well When We’re Ill: Wholeness and Hope in Spite of Infirmity
Marva J. Dawn
Augsburg Books
Published in 2008

Review by Kelly Stern

Over the last twenty years, I’ve started to read several books on physical suffering, but this book by Marva Dawn is the only one I’ve finished.  I highly recommend it for two reasons. One is that Marva Dawn knows suffering. She has had far more serious physical ailments than I’ve suffered with my chronic muscle disease. Marva knows pain and disability from the inside. The second reason is that she is a theologian. The Bible has been her textbook on suffering and the Triune God has been her guide. Her life and her theology give me hope that I really can be well even when I’m ill.

Each of the twenty-one chapters in Being Well When We’re Ill begins with a passage of Scripture and ends with a prayer. The pages in between are full of Marva Dawn’s losses and her finds. For example, part of Marva’s suffering results from being physically crippled eighteen years ago by the misdiagnosis of a break in her left leg, As she tried to make sense of her loss, she came to understand that “the harder we try intellectually to create some meaning, the more emotionally exhausted we become because our desire is set on making sense.” She goes on to explain that the search for meaning “escalates the spiritual danger because the more we long to make sense of things the more our desire is for meaning rather than for God in all God’s mystery”. Rather than asking “Why?” Marva has learned to ask “What is God doing in the midst of this?” and “Where do I catch glimpses of the Trinity’s grace?”

I have caught many glimpses of the grace of God in the pages of Marva Dawn’s book. I believe this title will not only help those who suffer, but the loved ones and even the professionals who care for them.

 

A Book You’ll Actually Read

A Book You’ll Actually Read:
On Church Leadership
On the New Testament
On the Old Testament
On Who Is God?

Mark Driscoll
Crossway Books
Published in 2008

Review by Ryan Ho

I’m excited about this new series.

For those who don’t know, Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and the author/co-author of several books. This series, titled “A Book You’ll Actually Read,” consists of four books – On Who Is God?, On the New Testament, On the Old Testament, and On Church Leadership.

Whereas most little books lack both content and quality, these books contain lots of valuable information and insights. On Who Is God? tackles several very tough trinitarian issues, but thankfully Driscoll is both clear and orthodox in his treatment. On the New Testament and On the Old Testament both include sections that examine each biblical book and are full of helpful explanations. On Church Leadership examines each of the major roles in ministry, such as deacons, elders, etc., clarifying what the Bible has to say about each. All four books include a section dedicated to answering common questions on the topic, and each ends with an appendix list of books and magazines for those who want to do further reading.

If you don’t have trouble reading a commentary or theology dissertation from cover to cover, these books aren’t for you. If, however, you can’t remember the last time you finished a book, take a look at this series. The books are short and sweet, but at the same time jam-packed with useful knowledge. Overall, Driscoll’s new series is a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn more.

 

Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile

Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile
Brant Pitre
Baker Publishing
Published in 2006
ISBN: 9780801031625

Review by Ben Pascut

In Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile, Brant Pitre argues that the historical Jesus spoke and acted with a great anticipation of the Great Tribulation, inseparably associated with the Jewish expectation for a final end of exile of the twelve tribes of Israel.

In chapter 1, Pitre gives a detailed overview of the scholarly agreement that the expectation of the eschatological tribulation was a common and even central aspect of early Jewish eschatology, and significant in the Jesus tradition. However, he shows that there remains as of yet no systematic study of the tribulation in the Second Temple Judaism which is vital for the Jewish tradition.

In chapter 2, he explores the concept of the eschatological tribulation in Late Second Temple Judaism with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding on how this concept was understood and articulated in the extant literature of the period.

Using the historical methodology of John Meier (criteria of authenticity, multiple attestation, embarrassment, coherence, and discontinuity with the Early Church) the following chapters are full of great insight.

In chapter 3 in particular, the tribulation not only proved to be a helpful concept for explaining the difficult sayings of Jesus but also provided an important tool for understanding how Jesus may have considered both the tribulation and the coming of the kingdom of God.

In chapter 4, Pitre draws the conclusion that Jesus evidently expected many of the same things that other Jews in the Second Temple period awaited: a period of wars, strife, deception, the persecution of the eschatological remnant, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, the coming of Messiah and of other false prophets.

Finally, in chapter 5 Pitre investigates the relationship between the eschatological tribulation and the death of Jesus concluding that 1) Jesus saw himself as Messiah 2), his expectation that he would die in the eschatological Tribulation remained central in his life, and 3) Jesus went to Jerusalem and performed symbolic signs that not only meant to symbolize events connected with the Tribulation but to set them in motion.

Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile is indeed fascinating and worth reading. It can help the reader understand the concept of the Tribulation in the life of Jesus and of his contemporaries from a historical perspective that will equip, edify, encourage them and ultimately better understand Jesus and his message.

 

An Old Testament Theology

An Old Testament Theology
Bruce Waltke
Zondervan Publishing Co.
Grand Rapids, MI
ISBN: 9780310218975

Review by Kevin Stern

In An Old Testament Theology, Bruce Waltke builds a method and model for doing Biblical theology. He divides the book into three parts: Introduction, which presents the method; Primary History, which discusses the historical narrative (Genesis-Nehemiah); and Other Writings, which includes prophecy, wisdom literature, and Ruth.

The introduction develops Waltke’s exegetical method of approaching his topic–God establishing his kingdom for the hallowing of his name. Within the first section, Waltke discusses hermeneutics, narrative, and literature, as well as his beginning assumption. This was as helpful as the core content itself. The remained of the work is a masterpiece of Biblical exposition. Each unit of material (e.g. The Gift of the Cosmos) is developed individually.

I began reading this book by dipping into individual sections as I needed information, but Waltke’s engaging writing left me always wanting to check out the next section. I finally gave in and began reading it cover to cover. The 1000+ pages seemed to sail by, giving me a new understanding of the Old Testament. Whether you use An Old Testament Theology as a reference tool or simply look to it for a good read, this book belongs in your library.

 

To the Jew First

To the Jew First
Edited by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser
Kregel Publications
Grand Rapids, MI
ISBN: 9780825436581

Review by Ryan Ho

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

To the Jew First is a comprehensive look at the biblical, theological, historical, and practical basis for Jewish evangelism. The book features a number of leading theologians from a range of theological views, including Dallas Theological Seminary’s Dr. Bock and Dr. Burns.

To the Jew First breaks itself down into three major sections. In Part One, “Bible,” the writers examine the meaning and application of the Bible in regard to Israel and Jewish evangelism. Part Two, “Theology,” engages the various issues regarding Israel’s future and Jewish evangelism from a variety of theological perspectives. In Part Three, “Mission,” the authors discuss the practical outworking of the theology discussed throughout the book in relation to Jewish missions in the new millennium.

If you have every wondered about the meaning of Paul’s phrase “to the Jew first” or longed to understand more about Jewish evangelism, then To the Jew First is a book worth checking out.