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. (Mar.)