This Week, and a Glimpse at Next Week

Two brand new books this week, and two that continue a series. A good week overall. Next Tuesday (10 December) I will post my (surprising) Book of the Year. You might be taking notes or jotting down some books to buy this week and next.

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

Reading the Bible like Jesus, part two. This Substack’s basic theme can send chills up and down the backs of those who think they’ve got the Bible mastered.

Do you know about the “strongmen,” those who have shaped the patterns of how tyrants and dictators do what they do? Ruth Ben-Ghiat does. I read her book recently and will offer some reflections on it Tuesday.

“Be careful what you fight for” because you just might get it. You won’t like it. Said to those who think presidents can usher in kingdom conditions.

Thursday I will summarize a massive new study on the “next quest” for the historical Jesus. A big book with more than thirty scholars and essays on important themes, some neglected and most not integrated into depictions of Jesus.