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Rating: 
Summary: Scholarship Under Siege
Review: I purchased this book in an effort, or attempt, to bolster my belief that one does not need to accept Christ as Lord -- That belief in his saving power is sufficient. Instead, his interpretation and exposition of scripture was so flagrantly misleading and misconstrued, that it had the precise opposite effect on me! His scholarship -- that is, pure, objective scholarship -- was so poor, so lacking, that I couldn't get past it to the truths he was trying to elucidate. If one is NOT familiar with basic scriptural texts, this book may be of interest. But for anyone with a basic understanding of the New Testament in general, and the Gospels in particular, this book will come across as either sophomoric, or worse, deceptive -- actually an attempt to make a point at all cost. I look forward to a similar book by someone more qualified, or at least more objective...
Rating:
Summary: Scholarship Under Siege
Review: I purchased this book in an effort, or attempt, to bolster my belief that one does not need to accept Christ as Lord -- That belief in his saving power is sufficient. Instead, his interpretation and exposition of scripture was so flagrantly misleading and misconstrued, that it had the precise opposite effect on me! His scholarship -- that is, pure, objective scholarship -- was so poor, so lacking, that I couldn't get past it to the truths he was trying to elucidate. If one is NOT familiar with basic scriptural texts, this book may be of interest. But for anyone with a basic understanding of the New Testament in general, and the Gospels in particular, this book will come across as either sophomoric, or worse, deceptive -- actually an attempt to make a point at all cost. I look forward to a similar book by someone more qualified, or at least more objective...
Rating: 
Summary: highly recommended, yet controversial book
Review: While "The Gospel Under Seige" is a study focused on the relationship between faith and works, it really is the first segment of a larger three-part study on the all-important theme of our salvation. Together with "Grace in Eclipse" and "Absolutely Free" by the same author, they form a sort of mini-commentary on numerous difficult, misunderstood, and controversial New Testament passages. "The Gospel Under Seige" was the first composed of the three books and may be the most difficult to understand at times since it is designed to address difficult passages head-on with commentary. The other two books seem to be layed out in more of a lesson format with commentary backup. Some of the argments may sound strange to your ears on first hearing, largely because you may not have heard any of these arguments outside of this book. My suggestion is that you not read this you would read a novel, but to consciously contemplate if what you have read is what the scriptures actually say or not, putting away for the time being any preconceived notions that you may have about the passage in question. This is akin to a scientist not writing the results of his experiment before he actually performs the experiment. (An honest scientist for example, would not discount the possibility of miracles until he could prove that they do not exist, etc.) Please keep in mind that the author is a highly regarded expert in the Greek language. He has co-edited the majority text version of the Greek New Testament and he has taught the subject for thirty years. The nuances and technical points that he makes are not based on someone else's work, they are based on his own, although he is careful to cite other scholars who share his opinions to show that this is not individual or unusual interpretation from a linguistic standpoint. One of the author's purposes in this trilogy is to demonstrate that the modern Reformed position has changed its positions from those of the original reformers from whom they derive their denominational name. He cites numerous references for these changes in the notes. This is an important point because many automatically assume that the modern Reformed position is exactly that of the original reformers and they are not willing to question their authority. The author argues that the position he is advocating is in actuality closer to that of the original reformers than the modern Reformed position. The book is quite instructional, and as the author presents his analysis, he often shares insight on his hermeneutical approach. This information is instilled in the reader so that they too can avoid some of the common interpetive pitfalls when they do their own analysis. But no matter what your particular view may be, the book is an eye-opener, and highlights many linguistic details from the original language that we simply cannot get from our English translations. Even if you do not agree with any or all of the author's interpretations, there is a lot of detailed linguistic material that is brought to light to give us cause for serious reflection. Written by a complete gentleman (he even took the time to speak with me over the phone at Redecion Viva), this is a highly recommended, yet controversial book.
Rating:
Summary: highly recommended, yet controversial book
Review: While "The Gospel Under Seige" is a study focused on the relationship between faith and works, it really is the first segment of a larger three-part study on the all-important theme of our salvation. Together with "Grace in Eclipse" and "Absolutely Free" by the same author, they form a sort of mini-commentary on numerous difficult, misunderstood, and controversial New Testament passages. "The Gospel Under Seige" was the first composed of the three books and may be the most difficult to understand at times since it is designed to address difficult passages head-on with commentary. The other two books seem to be layed out in more of a lesson format with commentary backup. Some of the argments may sound strange to your ears on first hearing, largely because you may not have heard any of these arguments outside of this book. My suggestion is that you not read this you would read a novel, but to consciously contemplate if what you have read is what the scriptures actually say or not, putting away for the time being any preconceived notions that you may have about the passage in question. This is akin to a scientist not writing the results of his experiment before he actually performs the experiment. (An honest scientist for example, would not discount the possibility of miracles until he could prove that they do not exist, etc.) Please keep in mind that the author is a highly regarded expert in the Greek language. He has co-edited the majority text version of the Greek New Testament and he has taught the subject for thirty years. The nuances and technical points that he makes are not based on someone else's work, they are based on his own, although he is careful to cite other scholars who share his opinions to show that this is not individual or unusual interpretation from a linguistic standpoint. One of the author's purposes in this trilogy is to demonstrate that the modern Reformed position has changed its positions from those of the original reformers from whom they derive their denominational name. He cites numerous references for these changes in the notes. This is an important point because many automatically assume that the modern Reformed position is exactly that of the original reformers and they are not willing to question their authority. The author argues that the position he is advocating is in actuality closer to that of the original reformers than the modern Reformed position. The book is quite instructional, and as the author presents his analysis, he often shares insight on his hermeneutical approach. This information is instilled in the reader so that they too can avoid some of the common interpetive pitfalls when they do their own analysis. But no matter what your particular view may be, the book is an eye-opener, and highlights many linguistic details from the original language that we simply cannot get from our English translations. Even if you do not agree with any or all of the author's interpretations, there is a lot of detailed linguistic material that is brought to light to give us cause for serious reflection. Written by a complete gentleman (he even took the time to speak with me over the phone at Redecion Viva), this is a highly recommended, yet controversial book.
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