Michael Pahl has a new book out over at Wipf and Stock, From Resurrection to New Creation: A First Journey in Christian Theology.I had a chance to read it along the way. It is a fantastic intro to Christian theology. If you’re charged with doing a “Christianity 101″ course in your church, this is the place to go.
Check out these endorsements (some of which are more sketchy than others…):
“In this clear and compelling introduction to Christian theology, Michael Pahl explains the biblical roots and practical significance of the most important Christian convictions. He rightly directs our attention to God’s resurrection of the crucified Jesus as the center of Christian faith and practice. Readers will come away both informed and inspired.”
—Michael J. Gorman
St. Mary’s Seminary and University
“This is the way to do theology, as rooted in Story, God’s own Story that emerges with yearning for resolution at the time of Jesus and which only Jesus Christ resolved. Theology has too often lost sight of this Story, but Michael Pahl’s book calls us back once again to the Bible and to the earliest theologians’ way of doing theology-let the gospel story be told and let that Story shape how we understand theology.”
—Scot McKnight
North Park University
“Michael Pahl profoundly grasps what too many Christians miss: that the death and resurrection of Jesus transforms everything. Carefully interpreting these events and their relationship to other areas of Christian faith, From Resurrection to New Creation shows us how the entire story of God, humanity, and the cosmos can only be rightly read in light of Jesus’ saving work. This book is remarkable for its breadth of biblical engagement, its incisiveness of theological perception, and its lucid and accessible prose. Those taking a first journey in Christian theology could ask for no better guide.”
—Daniel Kirk
Fuller Theological Seminary
“A splendid little book that explores the essentials of Christian theology in a fresh, lively, and insightful manner. By beginning with the resurrection, Pahl is able to make a point about both the center of Christian theology and how to do theology in a way that takes seriously the New Testament’s historical context. Highly recommended!”
—David M. Miller
Briercrest College
I agree – that Scot McKnight is a shady character. Or did you have someone else in mind?
BTW, thanks for the tip on the book – looks interesting.
Sure thing. The reason I like the book so much is that it starts with Christ and isn’t afraid to use the death and resurrection and new creation as lenses for understanding Christian theology. It’s actually *gasp* Christian! Weird, I know…
But of course the real reason I’m promoting the book is that it’s the first time I was asked to blurb something.
A (modern) Christian theology that starts with Christ? What will they think of next?