Todd Bolen is a professor, mentor, and friend — the kind of teacher and advisor I want to be around and be like. In 2002 I took my only class with Todd — History of Ancient Israel — and then toured Israel with him in summer 2005. Both experiences fostered true education: my understanding and my … More Lessons on Teaching from Prof. Todd Bolen: A Brief Interview
The Bible contains a rich tapestry of interwoven themes, intricate layers, and imaginative development. Reducing its grand story to a sterile set of platitudes or a disposable heap of shallowly constructed contradictions is naïve at best. As I go deeper into the unfolding themes of Scripture, I continue to marvel at its intricacy and sophistication. … More Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King (Review)
I recently reviewed Dr. Douglas Huffman’s very helpful Handy Guide to New Testament Greek. Dr. Huffman was kind enough to answer a few questions about biblical Greek and the value of keeping up with the biblical languages. How did you get into biblical Greek, and what made you enjoy it enough to continue studying and eventually teach it? I first took biblical … More Interview with Dr. Douglas Huffman: Keeping Up with Your Greek
Dr. Abner Chou serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s College in Southern California. He is the author of I Saw the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Vision (Wipf & Stock, forthcoming) and will contribute the Lamentations installment of the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Logos). I have known Abner for more than ten years now. … More Lessons on Teaching from Dr. Abner Chou: A Brief Interview
I’ve always thought the account of Simeon in Luke 2:21-35 was a very precious and moving story. I’ve read it and been stirred by it at all times of the year. But it’s particularly striking around Christmas. Simeon was an elderly man who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the promised Messiah, … More All I Want for Christmas: Simeon’s Hope
“If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Most Greek teachers have brandished some version of this educational proverb in the relentless battle for student motivation. The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek by Douglas Huffman (Kregel Academic, 2012) provides a concise summary of grammar, syntax, and diagramming, adding a well-crafted weapon to the arsenal. This power-packed book will … More The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek by Douglas Huffman (Review)
The wisest man in history besides Jesus of Nazareth said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7a; 9:10a). Like many proverbs, this one is layered. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom in several ways: 1. Fearing God grounds wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning … More How Is the Fear of the Lord the Beginning of Wisdom?
On November 6, Zondervan will release what looks like a helpful new compare-the-approaches book on biblical theology: Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice by Edward W. Klink III and Darian R. Lockett. Klink and Lockett both teach at Biola University in Los Angeles. PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION Understanding Biblical Theology examines the five major schools of … More Biblical Theology Briefing (#2)
Thrones are not where you go for grace. “The rulers of the Gentiles,” Jesus said, “lord it over them” (Mark 10:42). Sovereigns are not often known for their sympathy. So when we read that we have (a) a “great high priest” (b) “who has passed through the heavens” (c) as the very “Son of God” … More The Sympathy of Christ and the Throne of Grace
Eschatology, the study of the end times, is one of the most difficult theological subjects to grasp. Full of complexity and often conjecture, contemporary discussions and debates about eschatology often discourage Christians rather than encouraging us. Eckhard Schnabel has helped bring clarity to the issues with his 40 Questions about the End Times. You can … More Review of Eckhard Schnabel’s 40 Questions about the End Times
The new “Biblical Theology Briefings” are an opportunity to share observations, arguments, outlines, books, articles, reviews, sermons, videos, diagrams — anything I’ve found that could foster a clearer understanding of the Bible’s parts as they relate to its whole. “Biblical Theology” is a specific discipline within biblical studies (it doesn’t mean “theology that’s biblical in … More Biblical Theology Briefing (#1)
Four years ago, on August 11, 2008, I preached my first message as Associate Dean of Men at The Master’s College. With 14 pages of single-spaced notes on a music stand and 45 staffers and student leaders packed into the corner of a dorm lounge, I told “The Story Above All Stories” — my first … More The Story Above All Stories
The new and revised 18-volume Pictorial Library of Bible Lands by Todd Bolen is a landmark achievement. These volumes contain more than 17,500 high-resolution photos of the lands and islands, sites and landscapes, roads and ruins, digs and artifacts, cultures and climates of the Bible. The vantage points vary from aerial to close-up to panoramic. Lighting, weather, season, … More Review of The Pictorial Library of Bible Lands by Todd Bolen
I enjoyed three main courses this past school year in addition to doctoral colloquia and other projects. For those who may be interested, below are summaries of the three major papers I wrote for my Ph.D. seminars. TITLE: “Exegesis of Romans 1:18-25” COURSE: Exegesis of Romans with Dr. Tom Schreiner Thesis/Summary: “In Romans 1:18–25 Paul … More Ph.D. Papers
If you want to be a scholar, you have to know your field. The seminal works, the major contributions, the game-changing periods, the ebb and flow of dialogue throughout the decades or centuries or millennia. You have to join the conversation. There’s one problem with this (well, more than one, but one I’m going to … More Controlling the Questions: Circular Scholarship and the Cul-de-Sac of Inquiry
Dear Christian, Please help. Please help the younger generation of Christian high schoolers, college students, recent graduates, singles, and young married’s. Please help us learn to walk with Christ, read the Bible, love one another, develop a prayer life, conquer temptation, make wise decisions, and move in the right direction. We need you. We need the ripeness of … More Mentor: A Plea to Older Christians
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