Books

5 Books on the Witness of the Old Testament Prophets

Chosen by Andrew Abernethy, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, coeditor of “The Prophets and the Apostolic Witness,” and author of “Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible.”

Illustration by Christianity Today / Source Images: WikiMedia Commons

The Prophets

Abraham J. Heschel

Heschel (1907–1972) was a Jewish rabbi and theologian from Poland who escaped the Holocaust, lived in the US during the civil rights era, and taught for decades in New York City. The Prophets brilliantly captures how the Old Testament prophets offered an “exegesis of existence from a divine perspective.” Heschel also daringly probes the pathos of the Prophets’ God, whose involvement in history evokes divine love and anger.

The Book of Isaiah (2 vols.)

John N. Oswalt

Whenever students or pastors ask me to recommend a commentary on Isaiah, I always mention this one. Oswalt offers a remarkable blend of attention to small exegetical details and the broader organization of the book, leaving readers with a strong sense of the thrust of each passage. Having gotten to know Oswalt, I can clearly see how his worship of Isaiah’s God has infused this commentary with richness.

The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today

M. Daniel Carroll R.

For years, I’ve used Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination in the classroom. It powerfully captures how prophetic hopes and critiques speak into current realities. But I have been dissatisfied with his examples from Scripture. Carroll repackages the best of Brueggemann and invites us to experience the prophetic word through powerful samplings from Isaiah, Amos, and Micah, all while drawing upon his experience living for years in Central America.

Interpreting the Prophetic Word: An Introduction to the Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament

Willem A. VanGemeren

In the academy, it is common to study the prophets through historical and literary lenses. In popular Christianity, it is common to ignore such matters and just talk about Jesus. VanGemeren brings these elements together. He invites us to study the prophets within their original contexts, while also considering how the prophetic word speaks to future generations and fits into a redemptive-historical timeline that orbits around Jesus and retains hope for Israel.

The Cost of Discipleship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bonhoeffer, of course, wasn’t an Old Testament scholar. But in 1937, writing to a church caving to the Nazi agenda, he put on the prophetic mantle and cast an uncompromising vision for following Jesus. He is a contemporary example of how the Prophets risked their lives to hold forth God’s Word.

Also in this issue

How are the ways we interact with artificial intelligence shaping us? Our cover story this month explores how Christians working in tech fields are thinking through the ethical and spiritual implications of this and other AI-related questions. Also in this issue: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s prison poetry, compensation for women’s ministry leaders, and insights from Hebrews on Christ’s solidarity in human suffering.

Cover Story

AI Will Shape Your Soul

New Yorkers Watch as Their Only Evangelical Colleges Close

Putting Christian and Missionary Alliance Theology in Song

Honor Thy Church Mothers—with Wages

Christians Seek to Expand Holy Land Tours to Include Christians

Looking for a Detox for Unhealthy Masculinity

Colombian Christians Preached Social Justice. Practicing It Is Harder.

The Bots and the Bees

Testimony

I Hadn’t Committed Suicide. But I Was Spiritually Dead.

Culture War Is Not Spiritual Warfare

Stowaway Pastor Survives Atlantic Crossing

Praise Him with Harp and Tuba?

My High Priest Understands My Pain

How to Handle Toxic Friendships

The Middle Ground Leads to Nowhere

Christian Imagination Can Change Our Culture Wars

Do Not Conform to the Work Habits of AI

The Cost of Creativity: Bonhoeffer Set Aside Ethics For Art. Did He Choose Well?

Take a Risk and Make a Friend

Review

The Gospel Is Greater Than Its Greatest Proclaimers

Review

Sticking Out and Fitting In as an Asian American Believer

New & Noteworthy Fiction

View issue

Our Latest

Latino Churches’ Vibrant Testimony

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Review

Modern ‘Technoculture’ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who don’t perceive God to conclude that he doesn’t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamar’s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But it’s the work of God’s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive God’s Word—together.

Review

Safety Shouldn’t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

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