A fun read and interesting commentary
357482
I really enjoyed this book and was completely swept away by the characters and the great writing. There were more than a few times when I laughed out loud while I was reading it, which doesn't happen for me too often.

I am old enough to have avoided a lot of the commotion around needing to fully and aggressively differentiate oneself  on college applications; I always felt grateful that my age group (I am 44) was one of the smallest and there was definitely less pressure when I applied to college in 1986. Even so, I can fully appreciate the lengths that kids (and parents) will go to so they can be accepted at the "right" college. It can get out of hand.

My favorite thing about this book is how the author gently pokes fun and makes a commentary on the college application process but avoids being mean-spirited and even helps the reader feel for the characters, no matter how crazy and self-absorbed some of their behavior may be.

The author strikes a great balance and the book is really entertaining. I hope it becomes a move - I could totally see it!
113996
I wish to preface my review with the fact that I am a born again Christian and have been educated in very conservative Christian schools and colleges.  I've studied the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Parables of Jesus as college level classes.  NEVERTHELESS, I found this commentary on the Bible to be a treasure trove of information and logic.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous suffragist of the late 1800s to the early 1900s spearheaded this commentary focusing primarily on the places in the traditional Bible wherein women are referenced.  While other notables contributed and provide a wealth of information, I personally found her logic and reasoning to be of such a high level that I am convinced that her IQ dwarfs that of Einstein.  Mind you I do disagree with her on her disdain for supernatural claims, as I think that what is supernatural and magical in one era becomes science in the next.  However, at the time of her writing, 1898 specifically, things like artificial insemmenation hadn't been developed yet and so claims such as the Virgin Birth did seem fanciful.  Nowadays there are other myths involving virgin births from Greek mythology as well, so apparently artificial ensemmenation of some form must have been known in antiquity.

It was very interesting how she traces with adept scholarship the command of Paul for women to wear a head covering in public to an ancient Jewish Rabbinic teaching that held that the way the Genesis referenced "sons of God" took to wives the daughters of men was by laying hold of their hair.  Accordingly they warned women to cover their heads in public so that these "Sons of God" might not get possession of them.  It falls in line with other materials I have read tracing a lot of Paul's comments to ancient Jewish traditions, not specifically to the teachings of Jesus.  Ironically enough, Jesus didn't make gender an issue in His teachings.  Most of the banning of women from leadership roles in the Church have nonChristian origins.

For those who are aware of the Annunaki/Ancient Alien theories concerning the Old Testament, they will be interested in finding out that the Book of Revelations here is attributed the Re-Veilings books of the temple of Luxor in Egypt. It is important to keep in mind that the great Christian leaders such as Martin Luther even expressed concern over Revelations being included in the Bible and it actually wasn't included in the canon until quite late.  So the intergalactic battle between the heavens that one contributor gives of Revelations is most interesting.

I found the power of this commentary to be in its focus solely on the women of the Bible.  There are lots of women who are mentioned in both the Old Testament and New Testament that quite frankly one does not hear about.  But even in the Old Testament and early Christian Church times there were women who were priests, judges, prophets, and disciples.  And I found Elizabeth Cady Stanton's notion that Self-Development for women shoudl be more important than Self-Sacrifice to be a notable one.

In closing, this isn't a book for someone who is not saved or born again or who isn't familiar with some of the discrepancies or quirks of the Bible.  As it can shake ones faith.  Me, personally, I felt stronger in my faith after reading it because of the logic presented in it.  While I consider myself to be an evangelical, I'm not unaware of the some of the evangelical failings, and they will probably reject the notion that not all of the books in the Bible are divinely inspired.  Stanton's continual mocking of it as being the "Word of God" will surprise some people.  But for those who are more studied and familiar with some of the background that went into the compilation that is now bound as one book, Stanton's discrepancies will come as no surprise.  And it is actually encouraging to find that even after reading such a thorough analysis of the Bible as this one, that Faith in Jesus can and does remain strong.
108696
I have always enjoyed a good commentary, and this one is excellent.
4351607
If you like easy to read and irreverent political commentary, you should enjoy this book as much as I did. The chapters are short -- so they can be read in bite-sized inrcrements -- and each is like an extended version of one of the entries on Gutfeld's blog "The Daily Gut." And for those of us who miss what "The Daily Gut" used to be -- lately it's just been a vehicle to announce the guests for the "Red Eye" television show -- it's nice to see that Gutfeld has not lost any of the zip on his pundit's fast ball. All the ususal suspects are addressed in the book -- political correctness, feminazism, the Occupy Movement, etc. -- and all are skewered as only Gutfeld can do. Most of the arguments and observations presented are not new, but Gutfeld's irreverent, and delightfully disjointed, presentation of those arguments is both enjoyable and amusing. His humor is not for everyone -- much like Monty Python is not for everyone -- but it's the kind of thing I genuinely enjoy. I certainly would recommend the book to other conservatives, to libertarians, to those who eschew political labels but enjoy good political humor, and to liberals (excuse me, Progressives) who are open-minded enough to be able and willing to laugh at themselves from time to time (if there are any).
4438422
Ben Witherington is one of the most prolific New Testament scholars writing today, and he brings a great volume of learning to the texts. In this book, a "socio-rhetorical" commentary, he takes a careful look at Paul's letter to the Romans, paying special attention to the social setting of Paul and his readers, and also analyzing carefully Paul's rhetorical structure and flow. These two emphases make this book a bit different than many commentaries, in that they bring out these two facets of the text, but I think this makes his book the stronger for it. This well-written commentary does justice to this very important and theological letter, discussing the many important issues of interpretation, all the while keeping Paul's "rhetorical strategy" in view. This helps, in my estimation, to help keep sight of the forest among the trees, by placing particular verses and passages within the larger narrative flow, to help see the relations between the passages and their role in supporting his main argument or countering possible objections. This, in turn, helps keep Paul's main idea always in view.

Witherington, with the help of doctoral student Darlene Hyatt, also adds "Bridging the Horizons" sections that illumine applications of texts and themes to our modern day, a very helpful addition. It is certainly not a comprehensive "application" section, but it demonstrates one possible direction one could go when looking at a particular text, and some of them prove quite insightful.

Overall, I think this is a great book on Romans. Witherington's Methodist leanings certainly show through, as do any commentators, but I think this provides a refreshing, non-Reformed and non-Lutheran take on this letter that is still very balanced and seems to take into account Paul's major points with ease. While not the only book one could or should read on Romans (I'm sure there is no such thing), this book is a worthy addition to a library and makes for very good reading.
2973005
This book was a joy to read with fun writing style and valuable insight into the human condition and the not so secret sources of happiness. I truly enjoyed the humor, the cultural insights, and the wide variety of perspectives provided. By the way, don't let him fool you, Eric is not as much of a grump as he would like you to believe.
1097424
I listened to a sermon on 1 Peter by Dr. Daniel Doriani (prof. at Covenant Theological Seminary) and then came to read this commentary. The first thing that I noticed in regards to both is that Dr. Doriani writes how he speaks. With an engaging and humorous style, this commentary on 1 Peter reads like a sermon. In both the sermon and first pages of this commentary, we get a gifted communicator breaking down the history of the epistle and the theological context and concern of its author, Peter. Not "First Peter, but the same Peter of the first and second letters." (lecture to seminary students at Covenant).

This is not the first contribution of Dr. Doriani in the Reformed Expository Commentary series. He also wrote the commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle of James. I was especially impressed with the latter, as he made clear that while the apostle seemed to focus on a living faith by evident works, he also had a firm grasp on grace, which a lot of people miss. Well, Doriani exacts the same kind of careful scholarship in exegeting the texts and providing the benefits of a pastoral, applicable message without being overwhelmingly technical. This makes his contributions a welcome resource for sermon preparation, seminary essay-writing or personal Bible study--it's an "every man" resource that should not be missed.

My favorite study in this volume is the one on 1 Peter 3:13-18 on the "Right Kind of Fear" (pg 134). This portion of the letter is where we get explicit instruction on the task of giving a defense of the faith (apologetics) and how we are to respond when we encounter persecution. Dr. Doriani offers a contrast of the idolatrous fear of losing esteem and comfort and the kind of biblical fear that we should exhibit when we encounter challenges due to our faith. Of particular value is his word study on "fear" from various translations (NIV, ESV, NRSV, NASB and CEV) and the conclusion which should put fear in its proper perspective. In addition to the riches we get from the text, each entry comprises an acknowledgement of where we fall short (law) and the source of grace and strength from which to draw (gospel). This volume is not to be missed.

If you can, I recommend collecting all of the entries in this Reformed Expository Commentary series, but if you are not sure where to start, you cannot go wrong beginning with this volume on 1 Peter.

May you be richly blessed by this wholly biblical resource as I was.

**DISCLAIMER** I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. There was no obligation to provide a positive review.
2471032
Who would expect such a clever critique of American religiosity from a cartoon sitcom? This is a very entertaining read that unveils how the Simpsons cartoon has more religious themes in it than we might have noticed. My one main critique of the book, is that it is mistitled. I can understand why it was named The Gospel According to the Simpsons because there are a series of these books (advertised in the back of the book) on the Gospel According to Peanuts, Harry Potter, Disney, etc. However, the author himself recognizes that the word "Gospel" is actually misapplied to the Simpsons, because for as much religious/spiritual content as there is in the show, it is not specifically Christian. That is, in terms of presenting the Christian Gospel (good news) of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. So the author even recognizes that this message is not conveyed in the Simpsons, but rather the belief system presented in the cartoon is more based on good works/good life getting you into heaven. I think the book would be more accurately titled "Faith and Morals in the Simpsons" or something like that, which probably wouldn't be as catchy.

What surprised me (and is to the credit of the author) is that though the author is a self-proclaimed Jew and member of a liberal synagogue (p. 192), he has a pretty accurate understanding of the Christian gospel. As a religion writer, he picks up very well on the ways that the Simpsons poke fun and satirize what is happening in many Christian churches in America today. Though the Simpson family is ostensibly Christian in the cartoon, each member of the family has their own twist on religion, that once again does not directly reflect the Christian faith so much as a generically moral-religious worldview. Specific chapters deal with Homer, Lisa, and Ned Flanders' "faith" as well as one on the preacher at their church, Reverend Lovejoy. The faith of other characters is discussed intermittently throughout.

The clever part of it is how well each of the different characters portrays (albeit in a parodied or somewhat exaggerated manner) many real-world views that people have about religion. And while the religious humor may startle some, most of the time the characters are just being more honest in expressing their thoughts then we are willing to be in real life. But for all the laughs, the series does not take an overly negative or mocking view of Christianity specifically, or religion in general. Part of the reason the writers try to avoid specific mention of the Christian Gospel, or use Jesus Christ as an object of joking, is to keep from offending people. Actually one of the best parts of the series is how it uses satire to critique, not the heart of the Christian message itself, but rather the oddities of American Christianity and the curious or misguided beliefs that many of its adherents hold to.

The book is a light and entertaining read, and while we don't look to a cartoon for moral guidance or how to live, the show takes a surprisingly moral outlook on life. And using humor, it engages in situations of temptation that parallel real life, and with some of the "major" temptations, the characters come out surprisingly well. Such as episodes where either Homer or Marge is tempted to cheat on one another, and all the opportunities are ripe, but they ultimately remain faithful to each other for the sake of love and family. But above all, the show teaches us to laugh at ourselves a little, which never hurts. :)
1690773
An interesting, insightful look into the history, evolution and anthropological relationship of humour made fun. Recommend to anyway one who enjoys jokes, laughter and an anthropological view. The chapter on ancient mythic tricksters is really interesting.
3037875
Key to Immortality is an engaging commentary on the Gospel of St. Thomas. Kapuscinski takes each of the logia within the Gospel of St. Thomas and discusses these logias meanings for his own life, leaving the reader to interpret and determine their applications within their own lives. Kapuscinski also provides important notes and discussion from translators and other commentators on the Gospel of St. Thomas.

Ive never been a big reader of the books from the Apocrypha, but Kapuscinski makes the writings seem valid and important, even if the mainstream Church does not agree. I found Kapuscinskis writing to be fresh and engaging, and I enjoyed every moment I spent reading Key to Immortality.

This book is an important addition to the existing commentary on the Gospel of St. Thonas, and I would encourage anybody interested in what the out-of-the-mainstream writings of the disciples had to say to give it a read today. The book is accessible even to the layperson, because Kapuscinski discusses and dissects each of the logia in a way that is clear and mostly free of theological jargon. Those of a theological bent will still find the text useful, because of the insightful viewpoints Kapuscinski expresses about the Gospel of St. Thomas and its meaning to him and us.
3293754
An entertaining, well-written treatise on the difference between the kind of person we might consider a "follower" of Christ - and what Jesus himself might have regarded as such. Not a Fan is a challenging, in-your-face examination of Fans vs. Followers both in every day life and our Christian journey. Sometimes the book was very funny, especially in his use of footnotes. Interestingly, the humor was more predominant in the first half. I guess he wanted to lure me in as a reader - and it worked. I found myself looking forward to picking the book up every morning with my coffee - one of the best compliments any reader can give a writer, if you think about it.  Humor aside, this book could get pretty serious and even emotional at times. But Idleman writes in a very welcoming, casual voice that never feels "preachy" - even when the subject is this convicting. He asks a lot of tough questions both of himself and us, always referring to scripture - especially the red-lettered words - to back up any statements he makes, turning the reader around to face whether he/she is truly a follower of Christ in the way Jesus intended, or only a fan. I probably wouldn't recommend this book for a "new" Christian - but rather someone who has been at it for some time and needs a good, honest kick in the spirit, or an objective self-appraisal of their spiritual walk.
2915313
I am really enjoying this commentary. I help lead a Bible study, and this commentary has some very helpful points to consider and share, so I have found it to be very useful in my prep when I lead the study. Numbers is actually a wonderful book to study in depth. There is much that is very relevant for Christians today, and this book provided me with a number of insights I hadn't considered before.
4409524
Dr. Varner has provided an enjoyable commentary on this ancient Christian text that will be useful to laymen and specialists alike.  His translation approach is helpful especially for those of us less adept with the Greek.  His passion for the topic is infectious and makes for an enjoyable read in the context of his story of discovery.

Overall, Dr. Varner allows the text to speak for itself but on occasion his Evangelical assumptions show just a bit.  For instance, his assertion that we not read too much into the word "sacrifice" with reference to the Eucharist and that we should see it as a sacrifice of praise and nothing more.  This would be reasonable, perhaps, if we had no other early church reference to the Eucharist as a sacrifice.  But this assumption that it is not referring to the Eucharist or the real presence flies in the face of works such as Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho where he very clearly identifies the Eucharist as a sacrifice (See Chapter 41 of that work).  If we were to assume the Didache is using sacrifice in another way, then we would need to explain how the early church came to a very different understanding in a few short decades.  It seems more likely that the author of the Didache was writing under assumptions and a context common to Justin Martyr's assumptions and context.  In the rush to dismiss a discussion that may be difficult for Evangelicals by recommending we not read too much into the text, we fear the opposite error of reading too little into the text.

Despite the subtle bias however, this is a very readable and enjoyable text providing a solid introduction to the early church.  It will be an important addition and, no doubt, a standard text for Evangelical and other Protestant patristic studies.  Many thanks for such an enjoyable and crisp read obviously fed by the deep waters of the church fathers.  From this text it seems Dr. Varner is a great teacher and we can envy the students who will especially benefit from this text.
2829528
I am a woman that can laugh at myself and I found these musings delightfully entertaining.  Although I disagree with some of the generalizations and perspectives, I appreciate the candid commentary of the author's view on gender relations.  Even though this is clearly not meant to be a self-help book, it may just clue you in to understanding male/female dynamics a little better.
1826953
First let me just say that as a pastor working on the Greek text for a sermon series through Thessalonians, I've found this commentary to be helpful in a few key areas.

Primarily this author strikes me as one who has a seasoned grasp of the original Greek text, and yet also brings relevant import into the critical applications as they relate to the text.  It is not what I would call a highly technical commentary.  It does not deal with the views of Socio-Rhetoric, or spend a lot of time on theories that don't bear spiritual fruit for the reader.  Instead this commentary tends to focus on application from other scriptures to the discussion of the text.

Let me give you an example so you know what I mean.

Let's take 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, a paragraph that focuses on the Coming of the Lord.  For these six verses he gives us 13 pages of material. It is laid out well, with a verse marker for comments under each verse.  He gives the text first, and then comments on each verse.  He deals with Greek words if there is anything special about them.  He gives the Greek fonts, and then discusses the relevant grammatical features and discusses the implications of those features. Instead of interlacing his comments with quotes from other commentators and interactions with their views, he footnotes all of those.  I like this because I like to read an authors thoughts without all the back and forth interruptions those other citations can sometimes spawn.

He typically cites just a handful of cross references to other passages and then discusses them more than other commentators.  He likes to draw out the implications a bit more than most commentators.  This really helps a pastor or bible teacher grasp his ideas for application more than most commentators.  So I would suggest to you that this commentary is a Pastors friend.  It will help you develop sermons.

Exegesis: My experience with the exegesis in this volume is that he is fair, balanced, and avoids the temptation to jump to unwarranted conclusions.  It's well done.

Let me give you a little bit on 1 Thessalonians 4:13 so you see more clearly what I mean about this.

From pg 136 "The Parousia is a difficult topic.  Within the short space of the mission, it would have been impossible for the apostolic band to have given anything like complete instruction about it.  Clearly they had spoken much of it, for the Thessalonian correspondence gives evidence of a lively interest in the whole subject. It is worth asking ourselves whether the comparative neglect of the doctrine in much modern Christianity has not resulted in great loss." He then discusses other issues revolving the portions of vs. 13 for 3 more pages.  He has a number of great points from other scriptures that tie directly into all of this. I found the commentary to be inspiring.

So what is missing?  Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphic Citations.  It's as if there was nothing in common between this letter and the intertestamental literature. He could have hundreds of citations.

That's my big beef with this otherwise excellent book.
4691951
This is an amazing and humorous synopsis of much of content of Tim Freke's and Peter Gandy's earlier three books on Gnosticism (which I highly recommend, but not a necessary prerequisite to enjoy this book.)  The Gospel is set as a dialogue among Jesus, Mary Magdalene and (Saint) Peter. The book gives an interesting take on Christianity, it's history (and the plethora of misconceptions prevalent today) and what Christianity SHOULD really be.  The last chapters in particular are a hilarious parody of fundamentalist Christian thought on the rapture and day of judgement.  Those chapters alone are well worth the price of the book, but the reader should avoid skipping to the back because the "Jesus story" (the bulk of the Gospel) contains immense wisdom and plenty of chuckles to boot.  Freke and Gandy managed to effectively and humorusly needle many of their critics (including the Amazon reviewer of their "The Laughing Jesus" who criticized them for using too many exclamation points!!!!!)

It's a great read. It's lots of fun but at the same time contains so much wisdom that is spot on essential for humanity to hear and understand in order to grow out of our collective dilemma of materiality and grow into the sprituality that is our true nature.  It's time to wake up from the dream, and Freke and Gandy have helped us by providing a delightfully concocted primer that everyone can understand.
1869604
I couldn't wait to read this book, and I was not disappointed. Beran is a lively writer who has fun with words; I laughed out loud at his sardonic phrases like "Sinister Capitalist" and his asides (the one about Edie Sedgwick was a hoot). Beran opines, and reading the book is rather like being the listener in a one-sided (yet enjoyable) argument about public policy and American culture. Even so, Beran substantiates his facts with endnotes; we as readers know when Beran stops reporting and starts postulating. That's fair.
One criticism is the editing. I did like Beran's writing style, but the work could have benefitted from an editor with a firm hand. Beran's arguments meander. Occasionally-only very occasionally, though-his spry use of language becomes burdensome rather than engaging for the reader.