21 studies on the Gospel of Mark

The Gospel attributed to Mark is the shortest of the Gospel accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is also, according to most scholars, the first of the gospels to be written. And when you start at chapter 1 verse one, and read it straight through to the end of chapter 16, it moves very quickly. (I know because I once took a class where we were handed a manuscript of Mark (no chapter/verse designations) and sent to various parts of the campus to read it aloud!) If I could only read one of the synoptic gospels this is probably the one I would pick.

Based on this Gospel account, William Boekstein has given us a book with 21 studies for individual or group use. Bible Studies on Mark (Reformed Worship Inc., 2016) starts at the very beginning and goes through the book, offering insights and opinions on the text.

I appreciated the thought that Boekstein put into writing these studies, and for the most part enjoyed reading through them, although at times it seemed like there was a disconnect between some of the material presented, and the questions at the end of each chapter. I was also confused, in this study of Mark, why the author felt the need to explain why Matthew’s gospel started with a genealogy.  And that disconnect, for me, continued throughout the book. Although he made a point of suggesting that one should study one gospel at a time, he made frequent references to other gospels and to the New Testament letters.

As I mentioned earlier, the Gospel of Mark is very fast paced. In the NIV, the word immediately is used 11 times, and a frequent time indicator is ‘then’. Unfortunately this book didn’t maintain the pace of the gospel. The details that Boekstein provides fit more with the gospel of Luke than of Mark.

Having said that, there is a lot to be gleaned from this book, just as there is from the Gospel on which it is based.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

4/5

      It may be politically correct in this post-Christian era to say that Jesus is one of many, someone who lived and died and taught a lot of neat stuff, just like Krishna, the Buddha, Confucius, and Muhammad. Politically correct, but not correct. In his book God among the Sages: Why Jesus Is not just Another Religious Leader (Baker Books, 2017) Kenneth Samples discusses the similarities, and more importantly the differences. 

     The book is divided into three parts which follow a logical progression. Part I is the “Historic Christian Portrait of Jesus” and talks about who Jesus is, how, he saw himself and others saw him; along with ideas on how to answer challenges to that identity. Part II, “Four Major Leaders of World Religions and Jesus”  is a compare/contrast synopsis of Jesus and other leaders. The chapters cover some of the many titles ascribed to Jesus. The titles were chosen to coincide with the titles that other leaders claimed or were given to them. Hindu’s Prince (Krishna), Buddhism’s the Buddha (Gautama), Confucianism’s teacher (Confucius), and Islam’s prophet (Muhammad) are put side by side to Jesus: Lord, Christ, Savior, and son of God.  Part III talks about the truth of Christianity as compared to World Religions (and the 4 mentioned above are just some of the major religions of the world).

         Samples deals with a very touchy subject as addresses the issue of truth: specifically the truth of Christianity.  If the claims of Jesus, and Christianity are true, then by default, some of the claims of other religions must be false. In a culture of inclusivism and pluralism are accepted by many, this is a hard pill to swallow. But Samples treats the issue and the differences with utmost respect.  He insists that tolerance does not mean we agree with everything that proponents of other religions have to offer, but our disagreements should be done in a respectful manner.

         The topics covered in most of the chapters are worthy of entire books (many of which have already been written), so I comment Ken Samples for his clear and to the point presentation of so many difficult to understand topics.

     The discussion questions and suggested readings at the end of each chapter are also very helpful.

        I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

           5/5

A New Generation Means New Methods of Sharing an Old Message

For quite some time the ‘generation of interest’ for communities in general, and specifically faith communities, has been Gen Y or Millennials. It’s a demographic that differs from the boomers, builders, and busters. And just when the experts think they have it figured out, we move onto a new subset of the population: Gen Z-Centennials.
They’re younger, and they have different goals and priorities. And so, the learning curve has to start over for those who are trying to keep up. And by the way, starting now, and for the next few decades, this subset is going to figure substantially in national conversations. That means that we as community leaders, and church leaders, want to know who it is that we are ‘leading’.  In Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World, (Baker Books, 2017) James White gives us a picture of who is included in this generation, and the distinctive that separate them from previous generations.

                                             

White divides the book into 2 parts; one part addressing current realities that are facing the church in our Post-Christian world.  Here he includes some research on what we are facing in the west, and moves on to the distinctives of Gen Z, and how their thought processes are being shaped. Part 2 is what the author suggests as a response, and the author talks about being countercultural as a church.  (that seems to follow the example of Jesus---when sin entered the world things got turned upside down, Jesus was all about turning the upside-down upside-down, thus making it right-side-up)

But being counter-cultural means we have to learn the culture we want to address, so that we know how to address members of that culture, without offending them (except with Biblical Truth). Chapter 8 includes some ideas for new approaches to evangelization in this new culture.

There are also some manuscripts of 3 messages that Dr White has preached, and his sermon on gay marriage (Appendix A, p 161) is quite an eye-opener. That teaching tool in itself would be worth the price of this book for anyone struggling with how to address the issue in a loving manner, while staying true to Scripture.

White also provides “discussion questions” at the end of each chapter. The questions can be used for personal reflection, but small groups wanting to learn how to share the gospel would benefit, as would church leadership teams as they plan for the future of their faith community.

      I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for posting a review. I was not required to post a positive review.

            5/5