The New Testament Today

How should we read the New Testament as we near the 21st century? The field of New Testament studies has become so complex that its practitioners can be overwhelmed by the diversity of approaches. Powell, professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, has assembled 11 prominent New Testament scholars to discuss the current state of research and the future of New Testament studies. Fernando Sequoia, a professor at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Divinity School, opens the collection with a discussion of historical and literary criticism, exploring cultural studies as a method of thought that both includes these critical approaches and affirms critical diversity. A good example of what this collection offers to current New Testament scholars is the contribution of John Carroll, professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va.; he contends that critics are now reading the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts through the lens of “ideology and culture.” He points out that no other gospel provides as rich a basis for discussing wealth and poverty, the marginalized and the role of women, issues that are as relevant today as to the early Church. Each essay is accompanied by a list of further readings. Powell and his contributors offer a quick and concise reading of the current state of New Testament scholarship, providing an engaging introduction to New Testament studies.