What were New Testament women really like? The conventional opinion is that they were powerless. “Women were subject to men and unable to wield real authority,” writes Susan E. Hylen, summarizing this view. “They did not own property or participate … Continue reading Review of ‘Finding Phoebe’ by Susan E. Helen
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets,” observed Paul Batalden. He was talking about healthcare systems, but others have applied his observation to organizations generally. If he’s right, churches need to ask why their systems are … Continue reading Review of ‘Bully Pulpit’ by Michael J. Kruger
Pastors are public intellectuals. We don’t think of ourselves that way, but we should. After all, we stand before congregations and use words to apply Scripture to the various situations our audience members face. That is why Paul exhorted Timothy, … Continue reading Reading Quadrilaterally: What You Should Read in the Coming Year
Several years ago, I began reading the books of Psalms and Proverbs daily during my devotional time. By following a set schedule of readings, I have been able to read each book completely once a month. This daily immersion into … Continue reading Why You Should Read Psalms and Proverbs Daily
Turning Points is a one-volume history of Christianity written for laypeople and students. It tells the Church’s story by describing “decisive moments in the history of Christianity” when the doctrine, character, and institutions of Christianity took a new direction. (The … Continue reading Turning Points, 4th Ed. | Book Recommendation
Harry Bosch is getting old. To be precise, he is 72 years old in 2022, when the events in Desert Star take place. His motto has always been, “Everybody counts or nobody counts. This is the driving force in his … Continue reading Desert Star | Book Review
I once cold-called a young woman named Tiffany for a date. My call went straight to voice mail, so I left a message that began with these words, “Hi! My name is George P. Wood … .” After a few … Continue reading A Good and True Story | Book Review
Outsiders describe Pentecostals as people of the Spirit. After all, we practice spiritual gifts regularly. Our distinctive doctrine teaches that tongues is the initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism. People of the Spirit is even the title of an official … Continue reading Saved, Delivered, and Healed | Book Review
I came across Holy Abortion? in the course of researching Christian attitudes to that topic. Michael J. Gorman is a well-regarded New Testament scholar and author of the classic 1982 study, Abortion and the Early Church. That book describes and … Continue reading Holy Abortion? | Book Review
“American society has a knowledge crisis, and the American church is no exception,” writes Bonnie Kristian in Untrustworthy. Her book details the origin, consequences, and resolution of the crisis. Its message is timely. What is the crisis? “It ain’t what … Continue reading Untrustworthy | Book Review
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