The second book IVP sent me was another quick read like the Dawkins Delusion. Like Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus it is written for a lay audience, from a conservative Christian perspective. It delivers a good punch to Ehrman’s work.

Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus”
IVP, 2007
Timothy Paul Jones
175 pages
Purchase from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Here is the TOC:
Introduction: A New Breed of Biblical Scholar?

Part One: Why the Texts Can Be Trusted
1 Truth About “The Originals That Matter”
2 Truth About the Copyists
3 Truth About “Significant Changes” in the New Testament
4 Truth About “Misquoting Jesus”

Part Two: Why the Lost Christianities Were Lost
5 Truth About Oral History
6 Truth About the Authors of the Gospels
7 Truth About Eyewitness Testimony
8 Truth About How the Books Were Chosen

Concluding Reflections: “It Fits the Lock”
Appendix: How Valuable Is the Testimony of Papias?

Here is a couple of the endorsements from the back:
“In Misquoting Truth, Timothy Paul Jones gives Bart Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus and Lost Christianities the debunking they deserve. Jones exposes the bias and faulty logic that surface time and again in these highly publicized books. Misquoting Truth provides a much needed antidote and will serve students and Christian leaders very well. I recommend this book enthusiastically.” —Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor, Acadia Divinity College

“Timothy Paul Jones turns the tables on Bart Ehrman’s overstated Misquoting Jesus. He applies to Ehrman the same probing logic that Ehrman claims to apply to the New Testament evidence. The evidence turns out to be more believable than Ehrman’s strained interpretations of it. It is not the New Testament writers or copyists who depart from history, Jones shows, but a few scholars who invest too much faith in their skepticism. Jones not only checks that skepticism: along the way he equips readers to make their own informed choices about authorship, scribal transmission, and church selection (or rejection) of key New Testament passages and documents–and many writings from outside the New Testament as well. This is a valuable primer for orientation in a discussion that cannot be ignored.” —Robert Yarbrough, Associate Professor of New Testament and New Testament Department Chair, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

I enjoyed reading this book. It is aimed at the popular level, so there is nothing ground-breaking or earth-shattering here (much like Ehrman’s work). But Jones certainly knows his stuff and gives Ehrman the critique he deserves. Much like the Dawkins Delusion, it is written in a conversational and very readable style, but without dumbing down the facts. And it isn’t preachy either, which I liked. If you have some people who needs some balance in perspective after reading Ehrman, this is the book to put in their hands. Happy reading!

IVP sent me two recent releases that I am very happy to blurb.

The Dawkins Delusion: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine
Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath
IVP, 2007
118 pages
Purchase from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Here’s the TOC:
1. Deluded About God?
2. Has Science Disproved God?
3. What Are the Origins of Religion?
4. Is Religion Evil?
The book includes a further reading bibliography as well.

Here are some of the jacket blurbs:
“Addressing the conclusions of The God Delusion point by point with the devastating insight of a molecular biologist turned theologian, Alister McGrath dismantles the argument that science should lead to atheism, and demonstrates instead that Dawkins has abandoned his much-cherished rationality to embrace an embittered manifesto of dogmatic atheist fundamentalism.”—Francis Collins
“With rigorous logic and exquisite fairness, the McGraths have exposed Dawkins’s very superficial understanding of the history of religion and theology. Because he is so ‘out of his depth’ in these areas, Dawkins uses his fundamentalistic scientism and atheism to constantly misjudge the possibilities for dialogue between religion and science. Thank God for scholars like the McGraths who are committed to finding truth in both.”—Dr. Timothy Johnson
“The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why.”—Michael Ruse

You can also view an interview with Alister McGrath on CBC regarding the book here

This is a short and sweet book that is an enjoyable read. I felt like I was sitting across the table with the McGrath’s having a discussion over some coffee. I will admit at the outset that I did not read Dawkin’s God Delusion, but I read a number of reviews, particularly those by bibliobloggers, so I got a good feel for what the book is about.
You cannot help but be impressed with the depth of scholarship which the McGrath’s bring to this discussion — something markedly different than Dawkins.
It also should be made clear that this is NOT an apologetics book. It is an engagement and critique of several of Dawkin’s main assertions. The authors are not preaching, and even conceed points to Dawkins when he makes valid arguments.
Lastly, I want to say that I was very intrigued by the jacket blurb by Michael Ruse (above). Can this book really make an atheist embarrassed? After reading it, I think I understand what he meant. It is in fact Dawkins who makes Ruse embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGrath’s highlight why. It is exacctly the same feeling I have about Fundamentalists in my ideological camp. Christian Fundamentalists make me embarrassed to be a Christian. It seems clear that many atheists do not want to be associated with Dawkins, much like I don’t want to be associated with Dobson/LaHaye/ad infinitum.

Definitely worth the read!

This is the second of 2 great books I received from Hendrickson. It has been a busy summer (hence the lack of blogging) but I want to blurb this book and 2 new books I recently received from IVP as well. So here goes:

Johannine Discipleship as a Covenant Relationship
Rekha M. Chennattu
Hendrickson, 2006
256 pages
Purchase from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Here is the TOC:
1. An Introduction to the Discipleship Motif
2. The Old Testament Covenant Motif and John 13-17
3. Discipleship and Covenant in John 13-17
4. Covenant-Discipleship Motifs in John 20-21
5. The Covenant-Discipleship Motif and the Johannine Community
The book includes an excellent bibliography as well as author, subject, and ancient text indexes.

From the back:
“Working on the literary, theological, and historical levels, Rekha Chennattu has produced a remarkably fine example of modern Gospel study. Her apprach has produced a remarkably fine example of modern Gospel study. Her approach to biblical theology—embracing close readings of the Johannine discipleship texts, the biblical motif of covenant, Johannine theology in general, and the historical situation of the Johannine community—is a model of how this discipline can be carried out effectively and fruitfully. Her scholarly study of discipleship in John’s Gospel has important implications for understanding Christian life today.” — Daniel J. Harrington

“This book is a masterful fusion of the historical-critical method and narrative criticism. Exegesis of the discipleship narratives and discourses in the Fourth Gospel is combined with an analysis of the Old Testament covenant motifs behind its concept of discipleship and of the function and relevance of the discipleship paradigm for the Johannine community. It makes a major original contribution to Johannine scholarship and may well serve as a model for future New Testament Studies.” — Francis T. Gignac

The book also contains a fine foreward by Francis J. Moloney

There is also a fine review of this book available here, which points out the strengths and weaknesses of the book.

For my part, I enjoyed poking through this book and jotted down some notes in my Accordance notes, its exegesis of the passages in question are illuminating. The discussion of covenant motif is also very good. It is worth being on the shelf of any Johannine scholar.