Fresh, pertinent biblical criticism.
In this thoroughgoing analysis of the Christian Bible, Baido-Essien explains exactly what Jesus expects of his followers.
According to the Gospels, after Jesus is raised from the dead, he makes a number of post-resurrection appearances. In one of the last, he succinctly outlines the responsibilities of new Christian disciples in a short series of commands (just three verses long) that come to be known as the Great Commission. According to Matthew, it reads, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” The Commission represents Jesus’ marching orders to the first believers, and it remains a powerful summary of Christian ethical teaching. Essentially, Baido-Essien’s book is a close reading of the Commission that tries to answer the following questions: What are the exact expectations of the Commission? What did each piece mean to the first Christians? How should it affect and direct believers’ lives today? He divvies up his analysis to correspond with the passage’s three verses. The first deals with Jesus’ comprehensive authority, the second with discipleship and baptism, and the third with teaching and the church. Baido-Essien handles all three prongs with energy and ease. Best of all, his analysis never feels stale or dated; whenever possible, he injects his interpretation with anecdotes and analogies that keep his writing fresh and current. That timeliness is the work’s strongest attribute: Baido-Essien remains convinced that the Commission has both historical and contemporary relevance, and he’s determined to demonstrate how its language affects modern believers. However, he grounds his project in a deep understanding of scholarly research, and his claims are both serious and substantial.
Fresh, pertinent biblical criticism.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-1467036986
Page Count: 384
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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