Here are the resources that I leveraged in 2022 to help shape my thinking and understanding of the world.
Books
This was a year of friends making book recommendations to me. I tend to stay more technical in my reading, so these recommendations were, in my opinion, a necessary departure from my normal patterns and provided some much needed perspective.
- Salvation through Allegiance Alone – Matthew Bates *****
- In Search of Christian Freedom – Raymond Franz ***
- Faith After Doubt – Brian McLaren ****
- The Good Shepherd – Kenneth Bailey *****
- The Sin of Certainty – Pete Enns ***
- The Color of Law – Richard Rothstein *****
- Acts – Brazos Theological Commentary ***
- Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the world – D A Carson ***
- Faithful Antiracism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change – Christina Barland Edmondson, Chad Brennan ****
- Healing Racial Trauma: The road to resilience – Sheila Wise Rowe ****
- Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church – Diane Langberg ****
- The Bait of Satan – John Bevere *
- Pagan Christianity – George Barna, Frank Viola ***
- The Sum of Us: What racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together – Heather McGhee *****
- The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse – David Johnson *****. This one surprised me. Unexpectedly and wonderfully practical. A sobering reminder of the damage I can and have done to people.
Extra-Biblical Sources
Part of my research this year included Jude and 2 Peter. The Assumption of Moses and the Testimony of Moses were two sources referenced in the research. I read the Assumption of Moses, which is a short document that sort of provides some context.
Journal Articles
- Paul, Arabia, and Elijah (Galatians 1:17) – NT Wright
- On the Origin of Watchers: A Comparative Study of the Antediluvian Wisdom in Mesopotamian and Jewish Traditions – Amar Annus
- Let Each One Be Careful How He Builds: A study of the statistical narrative of the international churches of Christ – the initial growth phase – Andy Fleming
- How Can the Bible be Authoritative – NT Wright
Courses
Podcasts I keep current with – these are all 5-star
- Ask NT Wright Anything – This podcast gives me so many research ideas and well-thought-out perspective. Wright is a New Testament scholar, and that includes a thorough grasp of the Old Testament prophets which serve as the foundation of the New Testament. If you don’t know your prophets you’re only getting about 20% of the New Testament.
- BEMA – The Jewish understanding of the scriptures. This is a refreshing look at God’s word, especially if you are steeped in the Enlightenment / Reformation worldview that can hamstring your ability to see God’s word for what it is. If you don’t know if this is your worldview, it is. It’s the default. You need to intentionally work at dismantling this. Marty is great, esp Seasons 1-5. The introduction of Elle Grover Fricks (and YouTube) and Josh Bosse to the fray brings a level of scholarship in parallel with rabbis and academics.
- Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig is quantifiably in the list of top living philosophers as a measure of the times his work is cited by other researchers. I spent many years studying apologetics and have moved away from the value there and am spending more time in theology. The Reasonable Faith podcast allows me to keep a toe in the apologetics world while also providing access to a mind that thinks deeply and chooses words carefully. These skills have helped me hone my ability to think clearly. Craig also publishes a Defenders podcast, which is a 3-year systematic theology in lecture form. While I’m not a huge fan of systematics, I’ve worked through this series twice and can assure you you’ll learn a ton if you are new to bible study or systematics.
- Naked Bible – Michael Heiser made my mind explode a half-decade ago and showed me just how little I knew about my bible. He’s very technical and makes academic research available to his audience. If you are looking for more than just devotional or personal character development and are willing to spend the effort wading through difficult topics that you won’t understand, knowing that someday you will, this podcast will push you to levels you didn’t know could be attained.
- Israel Bible Podcast – Cyndi Parker, the host, is an instructor at the Israel Bible Center. She publishes a weekly podcast interviewing other instructors at IBC about their courses. It’s a taste of what is available in their courses. This is another podcast that has provided a number of research ideas. While I’m not a student yet, I’m pretty sure I’ll be signing up in 2023. I think it’s $300 annually for full access to their course catalog, round table discussions with scholars, and articles.
- The Bible Project – This is probably a familiar name to most people who have gone past bible reading and are trying to understand more about their bibles. If you’ve only watch the BP YouTube videos, letting Tim and Jon talk to you about the content more comprehensively may be your next step in bible study. Tim Mackie is probably the most accessible and well-rounded theologian I’ve studied with. Tons of book recommendations made in this podcast.
Honorable Mention Podcast
- The Bible for Normal People – Pete Enns is a well-known and controversial scholar referenced by Wright, Heiser, and others from time to time. I don’t stay current with this one, but will listen from time to time to make sure I challenge my own comfortability in my biblical understanding. If you are rigid in your faith, don’t listen to this one. It could shake you. Or make you more rigid. Neither of which are good options.
Thinking about the ICOC
Truth Trauma Theology Podcast, Patreon, and YouTube – Kyle Spears provides valuable mental health content with a focus on healing. An aspect of his work provides access to influential thought leadership in the International Churches of Christ where an internal ongoing conversation about trauma and healing is taking place. Some of the ICOC and Theology content is available on Kyle’s public YouTube channel and podcast. Some of the more sensitive content is available through his Patreon behind a very low cost paywall – enough to require effort on your part to demonstrate a willingness to engage.
Here are the important non-paywalled discussions that interact with ICOC cultural dynamics and, with the John Mark Hicks discussion, the traditional COC approach to theology and hermeneutics:
- Generational Tension with Steve Staten
- Trauma & The Bible with Dr. Douglas Jacoby
- Wandering Exiles Why So Few Christians Find Their Way Home with Dave Pocta
- What is Legalism with BEMA’s Marty Solomon
- Searching for the Pattern with John Mark Hicks
- Disenfranchised Grief with Marilyn Kriete
Wander through Kyle’s YouTube channel and you’ll find interviews with John Louis, Ed & Deb Anton, Steve & Lisa Johnson, Steve Kinnard, Daren Overstreet, Todd Asaad, Tammy Fleming, Jeanie Shaw, Wade Cook, Gordon Ferguson, Robert Carillo, Michael Burns, Vince Hawkins, and Steve Saindon.
On Kyle’s Patreon feed you’ll also find an Andy Fleming interview that sheds light on his paper I referenced above along with more personal “Off The Record” commentary by his guests not publicly available.