Book Corner May 2011

Book Suggestions From Gettysburg Seminary Faculty
(Spring 2011)

Marty Stevens
HELPFUL BOOKS IN OLD TESTAMENT AND STEWARDSHIP STUDIES
** Most helpful

Lutheran Study Bible. Augsburg Fortress.
Oxford Annotated New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Oxford.
Tanakh: The Hebrew Scriptures. Jewish Publication Society.

Dictionaries and other Reference Works
** Achtemeier, Paul. HarperCollins Dictionary of the Bible. HarperCollins, 1996
Bright, John. A History of Israel (4th ed). Westminster John Knox, 2000.
** Miller, J. Maxwell and John Hayes. A History of Ancient Israel and Judah. Westminster John Knox, 1986.
Mills, Watson. Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University, 1990.
** Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford, 1989.
Page II, Charles & Carl Volz. The Land and the Book: An Introduction to the World of the Bible. Abingdon, 1993.

General Introductions
Berquist, Jon L. Judaism in Persia’s Shadow: A Social and Historical Approach. Fortress, 1995.
** Birch, Bruce, Walter Brueggemann, Terrance Fretheim, & David Petersen. A Theological Understanding of the Old Testament. Abingdon, 1999.
** Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Fortress, 2007.
** De Vaux, Roland. Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. Eerdmans, 1997.
Stevens, Marty E. Temples, Tithes, and Taxes: The Temple and the Economic Life of Ancient Israel. Hendrickson, 2006.

Broader Biblical Themes
Birch, Bruce C. Let Justice Roll Down: The Old Testament, Ethics, and Christian Life. Westminster John Knox, 1991.
Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Westminster John Knox, 1998.
Dever, William G. Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel. Eerdmans, 2005.
** Gowan, Donald E. Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel. Westminster John Knox, 1998.
** Mann, Thomas. The Book of the Torah: The Narrative Integrity of the Pentateuch. John Knox, 1988.
** Stevens, Marty E. Theological Themes of the Old Testament: Creation, Covenant, Cultus, Character. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Relationship with Jews and Judaism
** Carroll, James. Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews. Mariner Books, 2001.
Jodock, Darrell ed. Covenantal Conversations: Christians in Dialogue with Jews and Judaism. Fortress, 2008.
Soulen, R. Kendall. The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Augsburg Fortress, 1996.

Stewardship
Hall, Douglas John. The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of Age. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1990.
Hoppe, Leslie J., O.F.M. There Shall Be No Poor Among You: Poverty in the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 2004.
Horsley, Richard A. Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009.
** Powell, Mark Allan. Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2006.

Kristin Johnston Largen

Quest for the Living God, by Elizabeth Johnson:
This is the text that was recently criticized by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  It is a wonderful contemporary description of the triune God who continues to be at work in marvelous, surprising ways in creation as a whole, and in the human family in particular.

Sinning Like a Christian, by William Willimon &
Glittering Vices:  A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies, by Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung
I used both of these texts in my “Seven Deadly Sins” course this spring.  Willimon is a little more light-hearted, and DeYoung is more serious and moralistic [and more concerned with “remedying” sinful behavior—hence the title].  Both are easy, informative, interesting reads.

The Shaking of the Foundations, The New Being, & Eternal Now, by Paul Tillich
These fabulous sermon collections by one of the all-time best Lutheran theologians, hands-down, bring me to my knees every time I read them.  Straightforward, elegant and profound, they answer the “so what” question of theology as well as anything I’ve ever read.

Cross Examinations, edited by Marit Trelstad
This is a fabulous collection of essays that will appeal to any Lutheran theologian/pastor, as they address the concrete, contemporary meaning of the cross from a variety of perspectives, collected under three different headings:  “The Cross in Racial and Gender Oppression,” “The Cross and the Suffering World,” and “The Cross:  Imperialism, Violence and Peace.”

Re-thinking Salvation: What Christians can Learn from Buddhism, by Kristin Johnston Largen
What can I say?  It’s my own book, but I think it is offers one inviting example of comparative theology, a discipline in which Christians reflect constructively and creatively on their own theological doctrines through open engagement with non-Christian religions.

Confessions, by Augustine
This is a classic for a reason.  If you haven’t read it, you must. If you’ve read it before, read it again—trust me, there is more there than you remember!

The Crucified God, by Jürgen Moltmann
A contemporary classic, one that my students deeply appreciate and cherish every year.  Ditto to what I said above about Confessions.

Shalom Church:  The Body of Christ as Ministering Community, by Craig Nessan
This is a brand-new book by the dean of Wartburg Seminary.  One of the key pieces of Nessan’s argument, and, in my view, the richest, most innovative sections of the book as a whole comes in Part II, in which Nessan reinterprets the four classic marks of the church—one, holy, catholic and apostolic—for life in the world today, such that they not only serve to define the church internally, but also provide the ethical impulse needed for the church to live out its calling in the world. 

Brooks Schramm

Benjamin D. Sommer, The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).

Peter Schäfer, The Origins of Jewish Mysticism (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009).

James L. Kugel, How to Read the Bible: A Guide Scripture, Then and Now (New York: Free Press, 2007).

Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007).

Rick Carlson

New Testament  Books to Consider
Powell, Mark Allan.  Introducing the New Testament. A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey. Baker, 2009

MATTHEW

• Talbert, Charles. Matthew. Paideia. Baker, 2010.

MARK

• Boring, Eugene. Mark. NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2006.
• Malbon, Elizabeth Struthers. Mark’s Jesus. Characterization as Narrative Christology. Baylor, 2009.
• Marcus, Joel.  Mark 9-16.  AYBC. Yale, 2009.

JOHN

• Anderson, Paul. The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel: An Introduction to John. Fortress, 2011.
• Carter, Warren. John and Empire. Initial Explorations. T & T Clark, 2008.
• Gench, Frances.  Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John. Westminster John Knox, 2007.
• Kysar, Craig.  Word of Life. The Theology of John’s Gospel.  Eerdmans, 2008.

ACTS

• Parsons, Mikeal. Acts. Paideia. Baker, 2008.

ROMANS

• Matera, Frank. Romans. Paideia. Baker, 2010.

PHILIPPIANS, PHILEMON

• Cousar, Charles.  Philippians and Philemon.  NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2009.

1-2 PETER, JUDE

• Donelson, Lewis.  I & II Peter and Jude. NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2010

1-3 JOHN

• Lieu, Judith.  First, Second, and Third John.  NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2008

REVELATION

• Blount, Brian.  Revelation. NTL. Westminster John Knox, 2009.
• Gorman, Michael. Reading Revelation Responsibly. Cascade, 2011.
  
  

VARIOUS SUBJECTS RELATED TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Carter, Warren. The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide. Abingdon, 2006.
• Eberhart, Christian. The Sacrifice of Jesus: Understanding Atonement Biblically. Fortress, 2011.
• Elliott, Neil and Mark Reasoner, editors. Documents and Images for the Study of Paul. Fortress, 2010.
• Gench, Frances.  Faithful Disagreement: Wrestling with Scripture in the Midst of Church Conflict.  Westminster John Knox, 2009.
• Horsley, Richard. Jesus in Context. Power, People, and Performance. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008

• Loader, William. Sexuality in the New Testament. Understanding the Key Texts. Westminster John Knox, 2010.
• Okure, Teresa, Daniel Patte, and Nicole Wilkinson Duran, editors. Mark: Texts @ Context Series. Fortress, 2010.
• Segovia, Fernando and R. S. Sugirtharajah. A Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings. London: T & T. Clark, 2007.

• Sugirtharajah, R. S., ed. Voices from the Margin. Interpreting the Bible in the Third World.

Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2006.

• Skinner, Matthew. The Trial Narratives. Conflict, Power, and Identity in the New Testament. Westminster John Knox, 2010.
• Wright, N.  T. Justification. God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision

PAUL IN CRITICAL CONTEXTS SERIES/FORTRESS PRESS

• Elliott, Neil. The Arrogance of the Nations: Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire. 2008
• Johnson, Matthew, James Noel, and Demetrius Williams. Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race, and Slavery in Philemon. 2011
• Kahl, Brigitte. Galatians Re-Imagined: Reading with the Eyes of the Vanquished. 2010.
• Kim, Yung Suk. Christ’s Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor. 2008
• Lopez, Davina. Apostle to the Conquered: Reimaging Paul’s Mission. 2008
• Marchal, Joseph. The Politics of Heaven: Women, Gender, and Empire in the Study of Paul. 2008
• Stanley, Christopher, editor. The Colonized Apostle: Paul through Postcolonial Eyes. 2011

Miscellaneous books recommended by Kirsi Stjerna

• A powerful narrative of a tough white Jewish woman who saw no race but people, while living in the “projects.”

Sofi Oksanen, The Purge. [Original in Finnish: Puhdistus.]

• A chilling, tender account of women’s suffering and survival in the “East of Finland” during the Communist era.

Available in many languages, winner of several international prizes.
Kristin Swenson, Bible Babel. Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of
All Time. - A bright book by a scholar writing to a general audience in an engaging way. One of the “best sellers” out there!

Margaret, R. Miles, The Word Made Flesh. A History of Christian Thought.

• A fresh and inclusive look at how Christian thought and experienced developed over centuries. Engaging, with a CD-rom filled with images. Unique approach.

Heikki Räisänen, The Rise of Christian Beliefs. The ThoughtWorld of Early Christians.

• From a world-known scholar, an accessible source filled with information for all who wish to understand where our “Jesus traditions” and traditions come from. The book has everything, and in “fair play” it does not favor any source or tradition, and takes the reader to the roots.

Augustine of Hippo, Confessions.

• A timeless masterpiece, of a believer’s struggles and finding rest in God. A satisfying read for spiritual formation and nurture,  for Christian theology, or for an “Augustine Fix”.

Bernard McGinn’s, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism.

• A gem from the authority in the field, a beautiful collection of writers from early desert mothers and fathers to more contemporary voices such as Simone Weil and Thomas Merton. Great for study, reflection, and prayer.  Inspires one to find one’s inner mystic – also in Lutherans!

Carolyn Schneider, I Am a Christian: The Nun, the Devil, and Martin Luther.

• A brand new book, written with a fresh perpective, looking at a medieval tradition of a “bold Christian nun” who countered the devil with her baptismal faith, a tradition employed by Luther! The story and Luther’s interpretation of it applying to suffering (of women in particular) today.

Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations (2nd ed)., textbook and sourcebook.
The best narrative and theological interpretation of the different reforms of the 16th century; fun to read, as is the sourcebook, students’ favorite over the years.
Timothy Lull, ed. Martin Luther’s Basic Writings (2nd ed. with CD-rom). 

• A great collection of Luther’s basic writings.

Heiko Obermann, Luther, Man Between God and the Devil.

• The best and the “deepest” biography available.

Denis R. Janz, The Westminster Handbook to Martin Luther.

• Want to quickly find out what Luther said about “faith”, “hell”, “sex”, “marriage” etc? This is your “dictionary.”

Scott Hendrix, Luther. Luther.

• A super-brief and good summary of Luther’s life and contribution as a theologian and  a reformer.

Tuomo Mannermaa, Christ Present in Faith, and Two Kinds of Love, Introduction to the Religious World of Martin Luther.

• Excellent, foundational, pioneering studies into Luther’s theology of justification and the idea of Christian’s oneness with God and call to live with Christ’s love in this world.

Kirsi Stjerna, Women and the Reformation.

• Introduces several women’s lives, their works, theology and spirituality from a feminist theological perspective.

Bruce F. Gordon, Calvin.

• Brand new, focuses on narrating the complex life of a complex man.

Marion Taylor, ed. Biographical History of Women Biblical Interpreters.

• A ground-breaking book, introduces women over the centuries as interpreters of the Bible. Forthcoming.

Merry Wiesner-Hanks and Susan Karant-Nunn, eds., Luther on Women.

• A great collection of quotes and letters from Luther addressing women and issues pertaining to lives of women.

Chava Fraenkel-Goldschmidt, The Historical Writings of Joseph of Rosheim. Leader of Jewry in Early Modern Germany.
Dean Phillip Bell and Stephen G. Burnett, Jews, Judaism, and the Reformation in Sixteenth Century Germany.

• Two sources giving important, accurate information of the lot of Jews during the Reformation era and with different approaches to the relations between Jews and Christians.                                                                                    

A good website for Luther-related inquiries:             www.ProjectWittenberg.org

Gil Waldkoenig  
Recommended Books at Spring Convo

Roger Gottlieb, A Greener Faith   (Oxford, 2009)

• A reputable survey of the ecumenical and interfaith effort to address environmental issues of global public concern

Sam Hamilton-Poole, Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation (Upper Room, 2009)

• Suggests that the practice of prayer is a vital response to the plight of the planet, and leads one in that practice

Belden Lane, Landscapes of the Sacred, Expanded Edition  (Johns Hopkins, 2001)

• Explores the validity of environment in the history of Christian spirituality, through several case studies, and treatment of the methodological issues

Belden Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes  (Oxford, 2007)

• Further explores the validity of environment in the history of Christian spirituality, especially teasing out a kind of theology of the cross in deserts, mountains and extreme environments.  Includes a good summary of the 4th century desert fathers and mothers, and apophatic traditions.

Nick Spencer, et. al, Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living (Hendrickson, 2009)

• An earlier edition of this book was written and published in Great Britain by evangelical scholars.  They note that in their home context climate change is not religiously contested but is accepted as scientific data, and “sustainability” is national policy.  They adapted some of their approach for the American context in which climate change denial is promoted vigorously, but do not alter their summary of scientific data nor their practical approach to a Christian response.

Bron Taylor, Dark Green Religion  (U CA, 2010)

• An eye-opening survey of the religious fringe of environmental activism and belief.  In light of this book, alarmist criticism of mainstream Christian and interfaith environmentalism is clearly overdrawn.  Also, the changing public scene is portrayed in this work without the hangover of Christian nostalgia that colors so many other treatments of religion and society.

Dr. Susan K. Hedahl
Book Recommendations

I am a voracious reader of books of all sorts and regularly raid the three town libraries: Gettysburg College, Seminary and Adams County Library.
I believe a good preacher must read as widely as possible!
Here are just a very few of the hundreds of books I read each year:
Rita N. Brock and Rebecca A. Parker.  Proverbs of Ashes:  Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and The Search For What Saves Us.  (Boston:  Beacon Press), 2001.
Sally A. Brown.  Cross Talk:  Preaching Redemption Here and Now. (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press), 2008.
Chris Hedges.  I Don’t Believe in Atheists. (New York:  Free Press). 2008.
___________.  Death of the Liberal Class, 2010.
Thomas G. Long.  Preaching From Memory to Hope.  (Louisville: Westminster John Knox press). 2009.
Richard I. Pervo.  The Making of Paul:  Constructions of the Apostle in Early Christianity (Minneapolis:  Fortress press), 2010.
Stephen Prothero.  God Is Not One:  The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World – and Why Their Differences Matter. (HarperOne), 2010.
Marilyn J. Salmon.  Preaching Without Contempt:  Overcoming Unintended Anti-Judaism.  (Minneapolis:  Augsburg Fortress), 2006.
Garry Wills.  What the Gospels Meant. (New York: Viking Press), 2008.
N. T.  Wright.  Surprised by Hope:  Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. (HarperOne). 2008