New Book Review: God’s Word in Human Words by Kent Sparks
Kent Sparks’s 2008 volume God’s Word in Human Words (GWHW) has begun receiving some attention and, predictably, strong negative reactions among some. Regardless of whether one identifies with it or is repulsed by it, GWHW is an engagement of evangelical biblical scholarship that should be taken very seriously and engaged patiently. I hope the volume receives the serious attention it deserves and that, after some of the first round of backlash has settled a bit, the book can be assessed seriously by evangelical scholars in a constructive manner.
I have a longer history with this book than most others, except for the author himself. I was asked by Baker to review the book in pre-publication form in January 2007, and I did so with great interest. After its publication in 2008, I was able to read the book again, and all of this culminated in an extremely well attended session at this past year’s meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Boston in November 2008.
In two posts, I would like to (1) outline briefly what I think are the central tenets of the book, and (2) recreate, as it were, something of the SBL session. On the second point, I will outline my own comments as well as make available, with their gracious permission, the written comments of Stephen Chapman (Duke Divinity School) and Bill Arnold (Asbury Theological Seminary).
