Today I’ll be reviewing a book about the reliability of the New Testament. Unfortunately, this book didn’t release before I turned in my manuscript for The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded to the publisher, else I would have cited it. (Many of you have asked, and my book releases early March of 2025. The link above will give you details.) Most educated people – including well-known celebrities and non-Christian podcasters – confidently (and sometimes belligerently)... Read more

Happy new year to everyone. I have no idea how many of you who read these articles on Patheos are in ministry. I’m speaking of pastors, teachers, missionaries, church planters, etc. If you are in ministry, comment below and tell me what ministry you are currently involved with, your age, and what city/state you in live in (or if you’re outside the USA). I am considering doing something special for leaders. The tremendous response to my last book 48 Laws... Read more

Today I’m going to feature another valuable commentary set. But before I do, let me clear something up. People sometimes ask why I use Bible commentaries. The main reason is to understand the variations between ancient biblical manuscripts and to gain expert perspectives on the original Hebrew and Greek texts. I also consult them to discover how (and why) scholars disagree in their interpretations of various biblical texts. In that respect, I read commentaries for their reasoning, not for their... Read more

If you somehow missed the first excerpt of my upcoming book on the New Testament story, you can read it here. Christoph Heilig is one of many scholars who helped me with some of the research questions I had for it. And as I was writing my own book, Heilig came out with a new book of his own on a different topic. Christoph Heilig’s Paul: The Storyteller offers a fresh and innovative exploration of the Apostle Paul’s narrative approach,... Read more

To my mind, Paul Barnett is one of the greatest scholars in the world. His expertise is early Christianity, biblical history, and the New Testament. And he’s written a new book. But before we get to that, let me fondly about Paul. Here are some of his outstanding publications (some of these volumes have been revised in later years). They are so good, I’ve cited many of them in my upcoming book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church:... Read more

I’m a collector of premium Bibles. I love the look and feel of the goatskin leather covers. That’s why I wanted a copy of The John MacArthur Premium Edition Study Bible (Second Edition). This Bible stands as a conservative theological resource that offers readers an exploration of Scripture through a Reformed, evangelical Protestant lens. Published by Thomas Nelson, this study Bible combines the full text of the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) with MacArthur’s extensive explanatory notes, providing readers with a... Read more

Behind the Scenes of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts edited by B.W. Longenecker, E.E. Shively, and T.J. Lang, is a new book that provides readers with a deep dive into the world of the New Testament. Because my upcoming book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded is print ready and due to release March 2025, I wasn’t able to cite this book before I turned my manuscript into the publisher. In this... Read more

One of my favorite commentaries of the New Testament is the Baker Exegetical Commentary set. In the months to come, I will be reviewing the commentary set as a whole along with certain volumes within it. Thomas R. Schreiner’s Revelation: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament is a comprehensive and insightful exploration of one of the Bible’s most challenging books. This volume, part of the respected Baker Exegetical Commentary series, offers readers a thorough analysis of Revelation that balances... Read more

One of my favorite commentaries of the New Testament is the Baker Exegetical Commentary set. In the months to come, I will be reviewing the commentary set as a whole along with certain volumes within it. G.K. Beale’s commentary on Colossians and Philemon in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series is a masterful work of biblical scholarship that combines rigorous exegesis with accessible insights for both scholars and laypeople. This volume stands out as a comprehensive and... Read more

Stephen Dempster’s The Return of the Kingdom (2024) is one of the books I cited in my upcoming massive work The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded due out March 2025. Dempster’s “The Return of the Kingdom” is a compelling exploration of the biblical narrative’s central theme: God’s kingship and the restoration of His kingdom. This volume, part of IVP Academic’s Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series, offers a comprehensive yet accessible examination of how the... Read more