In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview Chris Brauns about his book Bound Together: How We Are Tied to Others in Good and Bad Choices (Zondervan, 2013).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

About the Book:
We are not just isolated individuals. Instead, our lives are woven together with others. We have solidarity with other people—the choices one person makes affects the lives of others, for good and for bad. Because much of the pain we endure in life is in the context of relationships, this truth often strikes us as unfair. Why should a child suffer because of the choices of his parents? And on a grander scale, why do we all suffer the curse of Adam’s sin? Why should anyone be judged for someone else’s sin? In Bound Together, Chris Brauns unpacks the truth that we are bound to one another and to the whole of creation. He calls this, ‘the principle of the rope.’ Grasping this foundational principle sheds new light on marriage, the dynamics of family relationships, and the reason why everyone lives with the consequences of the sins that others commit. Brauns shows how the principle of the rope is both bad news and good news, revealing a depth to the message of the gospel that many of us have never seen before.

About the Author:
Chris Brauns, MDiv, DMin, is the senior pastor at the Congregational Christian Church of Stillman Valley, IL. His other books include Unpacking Forgiveness and When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search. You can connect with Chris on Facebook, Twitter (@ChrisBrauns), and at either unpackingforgiveness.com or chrisbrauns.com.

Books by Chris Brauns:

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview Michael Williams about his book Basics of Ancient Ugaritic (Zondervan, 2012).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

About the Book:
Basics of Ancient Ugaritic is a teaching grammar of this ancient language, one spoken at the time of Abraham occurring in ancient texts in cuneiform writing. It begins with the alphabet, and each new lesson builds on the ones before it. It is not, therefore, a synthetic Ugaritic grammar—these types of texts often prove to be overwhelming for students.

Instead, Basics of Ancient Ugaritic can be used for learning the language by individuals on their own or in a classroom setting. Each chapter concludes with a set of exercises allowing students to know whether they are grasping the fundamentals of the language.

In short, Basics of Ancient Ugaritic represents an ideal first text for entering the larger world of Semitic languages.

About the Author:
Michael Williams (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is Professor of Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary and a member of the NIV Committee on Bible Translation. He is the author of Deception in Genesis, The Prophet and His Message, and How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, and editor and contributor of Mishneh Todah. His passion is to equip students with knowledge of the Old Testament and its languages so that they may grow in their comprehension and appreciation of redemptive history and be adequately prepared to promote and defend the faith through word and action. Michael resides in Grand Rapids, MI, with his wife, Dawn.

For additional information on Michael Williams, see his Amazon author page and faculty bio at Calvin Theological Seminary.

Books by Michael Williams:

Other Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

I know we’re not quite yet to Christmas, but in the midst of planning and brainstorming about how awesome 2013 is going to be, I’ve been thinking about the new devotional reading I want to begin on January 1st. Here are the devotional books I’ll be using in the new year:

Tell me about the devotional reading you’re planning for the new year. What new devotional books or apps are on your reading list?

Welcome to the eighth day of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 5th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Giveaway. Today’s prizes are sponsored by Moody Publishers and Zondervan’s Engaging Church Blog . Here are the prizes we’ll be giving away today:

Prize Pack 1:

Prize Pack 2:

Prize Pack 3: (3 Winners)

*Today’s giveaway is limited to residents of the continental Untied States.

Welcome to the sixth day of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 5th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Giveaway. Today’s prizes are sponsored by Christian Audio, EP Books, Matthias Media, New Growth Press, and Zondervan. Here are the prizes we’ll be giving away today:

Contest 1 – Audiobooks for Pastors (Christian Audio)

• # of Winners: 1
• Winner will receive:
  • The Blessed Church by Robert Morris (audiobook download)
  • Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp (audiobook download)
  • The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson (audiobook download)

Contest 2 – Book Grab Bag (EP Books, Matthias Media, New Growth Press, Zondervan)

• # of Winners: 5

• Winners will receive:
  • The Course of Your Life DVD and Leader’s Guide
  • The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne
  • Missional Moves by Rob Wegner & Jack Magruder
  • Family Feuds: How to Respond – CCEF (3)
  • Bitesize Biographies – Francis Schaeffer by Mostyn Roberts

  *Today’s giveaway is limited to residents of the continental Untied States.

Welcome to the fifth day of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 5th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Giveaway. Today’s prizes are sponsored by Academic PS, Kregel Publications, Reasons to Believe, and Zondervan Academic. Here are the prizes we’ll be giving away today:

Contest 1 – Time to get your Greek on! (Academic PS/Zondervan & Kregel Publications)

• # of Winners: 1
• Winner will receive:
  • Devotions on the Greek New Testament
  • Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament
  • The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest 2 – Theologian Trading Cards (Zondervan Academic)

• # of Winners: 1
• Winner will receive:
  • Theologian Trading Cards Box Set
  • Special card autographed by Norman Jeune III

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest 3 – Hugh Ross books (Reasons to Believe)

• # of Winners: 1
• Winner will receive:
  • Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job
  • The Creator and the Cosmos
  • Beyond the Cosmos

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Today’s giveaway is limited to residents of the continental Untied States.

Beginning the study of New Testament Greek during my first year of college was a life-changing experience that brought God’s word alive in so many new and exciting ways. Some seventeen years later, I’m a bit rusty, but am for the most part still functionally literate. For me, studying Greek has always been more of an academic exercise. I’ve long wanted to take my Greek studies to new heights that might impact my devotions and enrich me spiritually. For whatever reason this has been rather elusive to me, keeping my Greek studies firmly planted in their long-standing academic “box.”

I was filled with great anticipation when I came across Devotions on the Greek New Testament in the Zondervan Academic Resources catalog earlier this year. The subtitle promises “52 Reflections to Inspire & Instruct,” so I was hopeful that Devotions on the Greek New Testament would be the resource I’d been looking for to help bridge the gap between the academic and the spiritual/devotional aspect of my Greek studies. Duvall and Verbrugge did not disappoint.

Devotions on the Greek New Testament is composed of fifty-two, two to two and a half page devotional readings, each focused on a particular passage from the Greek New Testament. The Greek text is at the top of the first page of each devotional reading, followed by an explanation of how understanding the day’s passage in Greek matters for your life and ministry. For the purposes of this review I read through devotional entries by Ben Witherington III, Constantine R. Campbell, and Lynn H. Cohick. Here’s a bit from each of those chapters to give you an idea of what you’ll find in the book:

“Understanding the cultural background of the first century is often critical in learning to understand some of the idioms and imagery of the Greek New Testament. These idioms sometimes get lost in translation.”
-Ben Witherington III on Acts 26:14 (p. 57)

“Thus in 1 Peter 1:7 we witness a Greek wordplay that draws both a contrast and a parallel between faith and gold. Genuine faith is more valuable than gold, but like gold, faith is made pure by passing through fire”
-Constantine R. Campbell 1 Peter 1:7 (p. 132)

“That Paul uses a verb rather than a noun becomes especially important in interpreting 2:5, which can be translated literally, “this think among yourselves which also in Christ Jesus.” Generally speaking, the reader inserts the verb of the first clause (“think”) into the second clause.”
-Lynn H. Cohick on Philippians 2:5 (p. 92)

The list of contributors for Devotions on the Greek New Testament is rather impressive. In addition to those mentioned earlier, I was glad to see contributions from Craig L. Blomberg, Darrell L. Bock, William D. Mounce, and many others, all experts in New Testament Greek exegesis. I also wanted to make mention that the chapters follow in canonical order. Here’s a breakdown of the number of chapters per New Testament Book:

• Matthew – 4
• Mark – 3
• Luke – 3
• John – 5
• Acts – 3
• Romans – 3
• 1 Corinthians – 3
• 2 Corinthians – 1
• Galatians – 2
• Ephesians – 2
• Philippians – 4
• Colossians – 2
• 1 Thessalonians – 1
• 2 Thessalonians – 1
• 1 Timothy – 1
• 2 Timothy – 2
• Titus – 1
• Philemon – 1
• Hebrews – 2
• James – 1
• 1 Peter – 1
• 2 Peter – 1
• 1 John – 1
• Jude – 1
• Revelation – 3

Devotions on the Greek New Testament is a resource I wish I’d been introduced to during my first two years of Greek study. Professors would do well to introduce this book to their students in either the second semester of Greek 1 or the first semester of Greek 2. Once students are several chapters in to the book, it’d be a good exercise to challenge them to put what they’re learning into practice and produce their own devotional reading based on a Greek New Testament passage. As for me, I’m well past my Greek 1 and 2 days, so my plan is to add Devotions on the Greek New Testament to the stack of devotional resources I’ll be working through in 2013, finishing one chapter each week.

I wholeheartedly recommend Devotions on the Greek New Testament for students, professors, and pastors. Not only will you learn from some of the best minds in New Testament exegesis, you’ll also be encouraged to strengthen your walk with the Lord at the same time.

My overall rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer:
This product was provided by Academic PS and Zondervan for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Where to Buy:

• Zondervan
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Christian Book

I have fond memories of collecting baseball cards as a child, but I never thought I’d get the card collecting urge again, especially in my mid-thirties. However, my long dormant passion for card collecting was suddenly awakened when I came upon the ad for the forthcoming Theologian Trading Cards in the Zondervan 2012-2013 Academic Resources Catalog. After seeing that catalog page, I was hooked and knew this was a product I just had to get ahold of. As it turns out, Theologian Trading Cards developer Norman Jeune was  fond of collecting baseball cards as a child, just like me. He actually got the idea for the Theologian Trading Cards during his seminary days when he overheard other students talking about theologians, almost like they were baseball players with stats. This unique idea was dormant for a few years, but saw the light of day when Norman received an overwhelmingly positive response to some sample cards he had mocked up in photoshop. Once Zondervan got behind the project, Norman’s idea for theologian trading cards was finally on its way to becoming a reality. After five years of hard work, the cards are finally available to theology-loving card collectors worldwide.

The Theologian Trading Cards really do have the look and feel of a glossy baseball card. For example, here’s Martin Luther’s “rookie card” for the Wittenberg Whistle-Blowers.

The layout of the cards are pretty straightforward. The front of each card contains the theologian’s name (1), team name (2), and picture (3). The back of each card contains the theologians birth/death years (4), bio (5), and their significance (6). For various reasons, pictures were not available for some of the theologians featured in the set. In these cases, instead of the theologian’s picture, you will see a white silhouette with a big question mark in the middle. You can see an example of this in Oscar Cullman’s card (above).

In addition to the Wittenberg Whistle-Blowers, there are fourteen other teams. Below is a full list of the teams included in the set as well as their general description:

• Wittenberg Whistle-Blowers – Early Reformers/Later Lutheran Church
• St. James Padres – Church Fathers (Patristic Era)
• Avignon Crusaders – Medieval (excludes mystics and monks)
• Geneva Sovereigns – Later Reformed Church/Early Reformers
• Munich Monks – Hermits, Monks, Mystics
• Constantinople Hesychasts – Orthodox Church
• Canterbury Monarchs – English Reformers/Anglicans/Puritans
• Serampore Preachers – Missionaries
• St. Paul Cardinals – Roman Catholic (primarily post-Reformation)
• Los Angeles Knights – Fundamentalists/Evangelicals
• Orthodoxy Dodgers – Heretics
• Munster Radicals – Radical Reformation/Anabaptists
• Athens Metaphysicians – Philosophers
• Berlin Aggiornamentos – Contemporary
• Jerusalem Resourcers – Contemporary

When it comes to the Theologian Trading Cards, there’s one question all of us will need to answer after we rush out and buy a set. What are we going to do with them? Surely, it wouldn’t do them justice to sit in a box on a shelf. You could buy a big three-ring binder and some card protector pages, but that’s not much better than leaving them in the box. These cards need to be used, handled, and enjoyed. That’s precisely why I’ve come up with four recommended uses for the Theologian Trading Cards:

# 1 – Theologian of the Day – Every night at dinner time, a member of the family picks a random card out of the box, declares the namesake of that card as “theologian of the day” and shares the biographical and significance data with the rest of the family.

#2 – Homeschool Church History Card Collection – If you’re a homeschooling family like we are, you’re probably working your way through various stages of world history. You could incorporate the Theologian Trading Cards into your curriculum, rewarding your student with trading cards from the era they’re studying, helping them to interact with the material they’re learning in yet another way.

#3 – Church History and Theology Charades – Gather a group of 4 or more and sit in a circle with a box of Theologian Trading Cards. Each player picks a random card. Each player will act out their theologian in pantomime. The player who correctly guesses the theologian is awarded a point. The first player to get to 10 points is the winner.

#4 – Church History and Theology Quizzing – Find yourself a group of 4+ folks who are interested in learning about theology and church history. Each of you will need a set of Theologian Trading Cards. Work through one team a month, memorizing the biographical data for all of the “players.” Memorize the significance data for possible bonus points. Schedule a quiz meet at the end of the month. Players get points for word-perfect recitation. Plan on going out for pizza after your quiz meet. The quiz meet champion eats for free.

As you may have already figured out, I’m rather enthusiastic about these theologian trading cards. The reality of our day is that most people are used to taking in very small snippets of information. While many wouldn’t necessarily read an entire book on any one of these theologians, they’d probably be willing to take in the information contained on handful of trading cards. Hats off to Norman Jeune III and Zondervan for producing such a unique product with great potential to creatively introduce church history and theology to a whole new generation of learners. Those of us who still love to read long “boring” books will be lining up to buy these cards too. Not because we’re unwilling to read a more lengthy church history or theology volume, but for the simple fact that the Theologian Trading Cards are just so cool!

My rating for the Theologian Trading Cards is 5 out of 5 stars.

About the Author:
Norman Jeune III coordinates the provision of pastoral care to children and their families as the Lead Hospital Chaplain at CHOC Children’s Hospital in Orange, California. Norman also administers a field education program at CHOC Children’s for students of Fuller Seminary, and holds an M.A. from Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is also the co-founder of the popular theological blog Christians in Context, which was recently ranked as one of the top one-hundred theological blogs and featured in Biola University’s alumni magazine. Norman and his wife Janice, along with their three children, worship at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, California.

Related Media:

• Norman Jeune III on Twitter – @Norm_III
• Norman Jeune III on Facebook
• Bob Hayton’s review at Fundamentally Reformed
• Scott McKnight’s interview with Norman Jeune
• Danika Cooley’s review at Thinking Kids
• Video of my initial reaction

Where to Buy:

Zondervan Amazon Barnes & Noble ChristianBook

Disclaimer:
This product was provided by Academic PS and Zondervan for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Congratulations to Taylor Schombert, who won a copy of Missional Moves: 15 Tectonic Shifts that Transform Churches, Communities, and the World by Rob Wegner and Jack Magruder (Zondervan, 2012) in last week’s Win-A-Book Wednesday giveaway. Stop by this Wednesday for another great giveaway.

I did a little happy dance today when the book review fairy (AKA the UPS Man) stopped by today to drop off my review copy of the exciting new Theologian Trading Cards by Norman Jeune III, published by Zondervan. I received a galley copy about a month ago and while I thought that was pretty cool, the real thing is even better. Look for my review here at Bible Geek Gone Wild next week. In the meantime, enjoy this video where I share my initial thoughts.