This week’s feature at the Reading Wheel Review is an additional piece related to this month’s focus on Stephen O. Presley’s, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church: Recovering an Ancient Vision. Over at the Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy, Dr. Presley reviews a recent book by Dr.
In his Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church, Presley engages the disciplines of biblical studies and biblical theology, and challenges some of the current trends by contrasting them with the approaches to Scripture found among the patristics. In Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling, Gupta contrasts the beliefs and practices of the ancient church with the broader pagan culture. As Presley puts it, “Gupta’s explanation of the strangeness of early Christian spiritual communities unearths some of their distinctive features, and there is no question that Romans found those features unusual. Whereas the Romans emphasized secret liturgies and myths, the Christians attempted to imitate Christ.”
For more on Gupta’s Strange Religion, read Dr. Presley’s review at the Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy.
