Disclosure: I received this book via Goodreads' Early Reviewer program.
Ronald J. Allen has been a professor at Christian
Theological Seminary in Indianapolis for nearly three decades. He has written a
number of books on both of his teaching specialties, preaching and the New
Testament.
His latest, published by Eerdmans, is a very readable
introduction to the New Testament. The heavy theology is in there, but
it is presented in a very clear manner, a feat that not every academic
manages. The book is written to be accessible to the unchurched, and is
successful in that. Yes, the first few pages include a "how to read the
Bible" section that is very simplistic to anyone who has ever picked up a
Bible, but after that the book has much in it that "church veterans"
can benefit from.
Topics covered in the book include the world of the New Testament,
the authors of the books, and how the Bible came to be the book it is today. He
then moves on to discuss the life of Jesus, the books of the New testament, and
then ends with discussions of "big ideas" and "famous
passages" from the New Testament. Each chapter has discussion questions designed
to spur conversation about the material, either in a one-on-one setting or a Bible
Study or Sunday School class. The four appendices are also helpful resources,
especially the discussion of the various Bible translations.
Allen has a perspective on these topics, as every author of a
theological work does. What makes his approach useful is that he discloses his
perspective, and then presents all of the major positions in an even-handed
manner. Again, his approach is to be open to the unchurched, so not hewing
solely to one particular theological viewpoint is wise.
There are not many books out there that meet the niche that
this one does. The combination of the modern, academic viewpoint and the very readable
nature of the writing makes it a very successful work.
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