Reading the New Testament as Christian Scripture

Reading the New Testament as Christian Scripture is designed to meet the needs of contemporary evangelical undergraduates. This survey textbook effectively covers the New Testament books and major topics in the New Testament, assuming no prior academic study of the Bible.

Many introductions to the New Testament focus on critical issues such as authorship, background, and history. While this book addresses these important issues as well, its focus is on reading the text of the New Testament itself. The authors believe the New Testament should be read from multiple angles: historically, literarily, canonically, theologically, and ecclesially. They pay attention to how the New Testament documents fit together as a canonical whole that supplements the Old Testament to make up the Christian Scriptures. They also show how the New Testament writings provide basic material for Christian doctrine, spirituality, and engagement with culture.

This is the first volume in a new series of survey textbooks that will cover the Old and New Testaments. The book features full-color illustrations that hold interest and aid learning and offers a full array of pedagogical aids: photographs, sidebars, maps, time lines, charts, glossary, and discussion questions. Chapters can be assigned in any order, making this an ideal textbook for one-semester courses at evangelical schools.