Friday, August 25, 2006

Seeking A Fresh View of Jesus

I am really wanting to get a fresh view of Jesus.

I find that I tend to get lost in religious busyness and theological and ecclesial blah blah blah. It's not that I don't think the latter has its place - it does. It's just that I think it can't be the core of religious experience - the experience of a real and daily relationship with God. I want more. I want my walk with God to be transpropositional (which - of course - includes the propositional). David Brainard used to talk about people who talked about the shell rather than talking about the nut. That's what I'm talking about; I'm tired of all shell all the time. And I'm talking about myself.

To that end, today I made a couple of decisions (I'm only sharing some of them).

I plan to read each Gospel again while reading at least one excellent commentary for each one. I like Luke for its apologetic value and so I'm going to begin there. I just ordered the 1st volume of Darrell Bock's set on Luke. I'll be using DA Carson's excellent little volume on best NT commentaries and other sources to guide me as I choose commentaries. I'll probably hit Donald Guthrie and Luke itself of course while I wait for Bock's volume to arrive.

Bock recently blogged on commentaries he recommends.

I wonder if we might convince Scot McKnight, who edited the excellent Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, to do the same?

6 comments:

Wade said...

Joel Green's commentary on Luke is fantastic.

Scot McKnight said...

Wade's got it right. The first one I pick up now is Joel's. One major feature of Joel is that he is a fine writer as well; the text flows.

I like Nolland and Bock -- thought both of them are too wordy for my tastes in a commentary. Not that either is wrong, but it is hard to find what you are looking for in those massive commentary approaches.

Stephen said...

thanks guys!

scot, I'd love to see a post from you with commentary recommendations on all the gospels and/or all the books in the NT library!

Anonymous said...

Stephen,

I suggest that you read everything you can by Dallas Willard. You will not be disappointed.

Pilgrim

Stephen said...

Thanks Pilgrim!

I have read some DW. I really appreciated his Spirit of the Disciplines and I've begun Divine Conspiracy and Renovating the Heart.

Anonymous said...

This is where I'm at in that, Stephen. I posted in on fm 3 weeks ago - wanting to see more convo's that have to do with helping each other in our walk with God. I don't mean it need be confessional time, but thoughts and words more toward strengthening, how today to walk with God. I yearn for more personal discussions, where we are and where we want to be. Seems the majority of convos end up with a recognition of what's right or wrong, and I have become dissatisfied with that being all there is.