Tom Schreiner recently published a book about the relationship between Christians today and Old Testament law. His book quite simply asks and answers 40 different questions related to the subject. The book is approachable and enjoyable -- especially to those interested in the New Perspective on Paul (but don't know too much about it).
I sat down with Dr. Schreiner and discussed his newest publication; you can read our conversation here (pages 8-9).
Here is my reportishreview of the book.
40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law (Kregel $17.99), Thomas R. Schreiner
Asked to consider the most important issues in life, probably not too many people put understanding Old Testament law on their list. But an understanding about how the law relates to Christians today is paramount; understanding how the New Testament church relates to the law means understanding how God saves people from sin.
Toward that understanding, Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, interacts with various questions about the relationship between Christianity and the Old Testament law in his new book, 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. For questions ranging from “What does the word law mean in Scripture?” to “Is the Sabbath still required for Christians?” Schreiner offers six to 10 pages introducing the question, naming some key positions and presenting what he thinks is the biblical answer to the respective question.
“[The issue of Christians’ relationship to the law] is absolutely central because justification and law relate to how we are right with God; and that’s the most important question in life. So when people are discussing the nature of the Gospel, and how we are right with God, that’s not a trivial issue,” Schreiner said about the importance of his subject.
Schreiner divides his book’s 40 questions into five parts: the law in the Old Testament, the law in Paul, the law in the gospels and Acts, the law in the general epistles and the law and contemporary issues. The second section concerning Paul makes up the largest portion on the book. And much of the discussion centers on what is known as the New Perspective on Paul, which is primarily a discussion about how Paul viewed the Old Testament law and Second Temple Judaism, an idea first introduced by E.P. Sanders and later promoted by James Dunn and N.T. Wright. The New Perspective has found its way, primarily through Wright, into evangelical circles, and so Schreiner devotes substantial space to overviewing the issues presented by the New Perspective.
I've been waiting this book from Carl Trueman. Typically, I'm not particularly interested in politics, but many of the observations (and frustrations) I've made concerning the current political milieu are the same that Trueman articulates in his book, Republocrat. Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative (P&R $9.99), Carl R. Trueman
Carl R. Trueman, professor of historical theology and church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, recently released a book discussing popular politics – as opposed to an academic discussion of political science. In his provocative little book, Trueman briefly looks at those areas he perceives as important in a Christian understanding of the Western political climate. Drawing from his own English upbringing and current residence in one of the United States’ most historically significant cities, Turman offers a proposal for Christians thinking about politics in the intentionally oxymoronic, Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative.
Republocrat? That is not a word. And the book’s cover image might accurately be described as artistically nightmare-inducing. What is a liberal conservative? Something like those really orange green walls? Or perhaps icy hot cocoa?
Trueman explains his subtitle by more or less outlining his own political journey. He explains that he formerly considered himself a liberal, because liberals once cared about the same things he does: concern for and care of the oppressed – the poor. But, Trueman explains, when the liberals started promoting the oppression of the unborn, no longer standing up for those who cannot defend themselves, he saw that he might need to leave the group. But because, simply, he was not a conservative politically, he was left (no pun intended) not knowing where to go.
“I bring nothing for the comfort of those Christians who want to stand with the Old Left on issues such as poverty; we have nowhere to call home,” Trueman writes. “We are despised by those who claim to speak for the oppressed but only seem to speak for those whose notion of oppression is somebody, somewhere, telling them they have to take responsibility for their own irresponsibility or that certain self-indulgent behavior is unacceptable.”
Trueman moves through his book explaining how America’s consistent secularization has become a religion in its own right. And then, in a humorous chapter about conservative media bias and its massive Christian following, Trueman tries to show that much of the propaganda-filled rants by certain conservative icons are not helpful from a Christian perspective. He suggests, rather, that Christians should be the most articulate and thoughtful members of political discussion.
“Let us be Greek apologists once more, and show the civil powers that we can be the best and most informed and thoughtful citizens there are, not those whose stock-in-trade are clichés, slander, and lunatic conspiracy theories,” Trueman offers.
Republocrat interacts frequently with how the biblical authors engaged politics, and the book often seeks to repeal certain assumptions common to American pop-Christianity. In concluding his book, Trueman suggests that much of current political discussion in Christian circles if unhelpful because it seems to overlook pragmatic problems to commonly offered solutions.
“You can talk theonomy, theocracy, or Christian nation if you wish, but in the real world of the here and now, Christians have to cast their votes in terms of the situation, as we currently know it,” Trueman writes.
But the most affecting portion of Trueman’s book comes as he gives a critique of Christians’ often one-sided involvement in politics. He suggests that as the religious right will become increasingly disillusioned with the political process if candidates continue using main-stay issues like abortion as a platform for vote-collecting, only to do little or nothing about the issue once elected. A danger, according to Trueman, is that the Christian political perspective becomes marginalized because of Christians lumping in with partisan agendas.
“We need to avoid this marginalization of the voice of Christians in politics by realizing the limits of politics and the legitimacy of Christians, disagreeing on a host of actual policies, and by earning a reputation for thoughtful, informed, and measured political involvement,” Trueman concludes.
Below is a review I wrote a couple of days ago. Note that while I'm calling this a review, it's much more of a report (but who wants to say "book report" -- what is this, 4th grade?). This review will appear in the Oct. 11 issue of "Towers".
Review: The Young and the Digital: What the Migration to Social Network Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future (Beacon $26.95), S. Craig Watkins
“Have you ever stopped to notice the assortment of people using a communication technology while you are sitting in an airport terminal? Seated across from you is a business traveler checking her e-mail on a BlackBerry. Spread out along a nearby wall are several women from a college volleyball team using their mobile phones to send and receive text messages. And sitting right beside you is a twelve-year-old boy who has powered up his Nintendo DS to play a quick game of Madden NFL. This is the digital lifestyle in action,” S. Craig Watkins observes in his book, The Young and the Digital.
Watkins thoughtfully explores this digital lifestyle and its many and complex consequences for both the present and future of American life. Writing from a seemingly liberal, yet admirably balanced perspective, Watkins moves The Young and the Digital from simple observations about the new digital age to conclusions from extensive, scholarly research about the psychological consequences of an always-plugged-in generation, from cultural shifts in social media to pros and cons of new technologies in education.
“In the current cultural milieu, fast entertainment is more than a luxury or a way to pass time. It is an entitlement that more and more of us expect no matter where we are – at home, as work, in school, on vacation, or even when driving our cars. That cultural ethos, or the expectation that anytime is the right time for entertainment, is transforming our behavior,” Watkins observes his last chapter. This idea seems to be the thesis from which his book develops.
An unexpected literary device appearing throughout the book is Watkins repeated theme of “familiar and foreign.” Watkins consistently points out that while the young and the digital are exploring opportunities and technologies previous generations never could, younger people are still looking for essentially the same thing: relationships. In fact, Watkins notices that the reason behind the whole-scale embracing of new social media is much less about the technology and more about interactive and social involvement. Relationships are still the primary interest among the younger generation.
Further, research seems to suggest that participants in the often cultic world of online gaming are much more interested in taking part in an activity with other people, current and potential friends, than they are in the particular game itself. Watkins points to a number of cases where a husband and wife have begun online gaming together, not because of any special affinity for gaming, but as a way of spending time with one another. Some of The Young and the Digital’s research suggests that perhaps gaming will soon replace movie theaters as the requisite evening date activity. After all, gaming allows more social interaction, goes the argument.
In a fascinating chapter about the relationship between race/socioeconomics and social media, Watkins explains that, despite initial speculation, races and economic groups seem still to group together, even in the virtual worlds of Myspace and Facebook.
“Social and mobile media may be changing how we connect, but as we move into the digital future, it does not appear to be significantly altering who we connect to,” Watkins fairly observes, pointing out the familiar and yet foreign relationship between face-to-face culture and virtual culture.
Demonstrating a balanced analysis, Watkins offers at least three chapters with a decidedly negative perspective about the effects of the new digital culture. One helpful distinction Watkins points out is that while many people claim that new technologies allow them to multitask better than ever, research shows the increasing presence of an appropriately named disorder, continuous partial attention (CPA). Where multitasking at least gives the impression of efficient work, the effects of CPA are unfortunately detrimental to the quality of school and professional work.
To conclude The Young and the Digital, Watkins examines the presidential campaign and subsequent election of President Barack Obama. Affectively revealing a power and influence of new social technologies, Watkins explains how Obama and his campaign team uniquely and innovatively employed social media advertising and interaction, ultimately helping him win the presidential election.
So introducing the culture-shaping influence of social media and new technology, drawing cultural analysis of the phenomenon and even drawing conclusions about the problems involved with this new tech-savvy society, The Young and the Digital offers a thorough and fair survey of the digital world. Watkins’ book is an important one, both for understanding this new world and recognizing the dangers and opportunities it presents.
