Nobody's Mother explores some of Paul's more difficult statements in 1 Timothy 2 related to women, specifically "saved through childbearing" (1 Timothy 2:15). However, the majority of the book builds up the historic background and context of 1st century Rome and Ephesus, the city in which Paul's recipient Timothy was ministering. This background is presented in a very engaging and revealing way that kept me turning pages and excited to learn what was coming up in each successive chapter. The final chapter brings everything together and delivers the payoff remarkably well. I was delighted with the insights Dr. Glahn pulled in from Paul's other writings, especially those written from or to Ephesus, as well as the comparison with 1 Peter. I enjoyed the thoroughness of the research and the carefully considered delivery of the conclusions. I think Nobody's Mother is and will continue to be an important volume for understanding the role of women in the Church, as well as better understanding Paul's style of writing, the importance of Ephesus in the New Testament, and the larger role, often forgotten by most Westerners, of established cult practices that Christianity was displacing.

Rethinking the Atonement is a collection of essays related to Jesus' atoning work. If you expect "on the cross" to complete that previous sentence, then this is a book you should consider reading. Dr. Moffitt convincingly argues for a slightly different understanding of Jesus' atoning work in light of Hebrews. Specifically, the cross is only part of the work: the shedding of blood outside the tent. The resurrection, ascension, and the intercession of Jesus before the throne of God all come into better focus as part of this work. Other recent works have successfully argued for understanding the cross, resurrection, and ascension as related to Jesus becoming King. Jesus is both King and High Priest, and Dr. Moffitt completes the picture by tying the story of the gospels to this additional and vital role of Jesus. The content is a little repetitious due to this being a collection of essays, but I found the repeated content helpful in re-establishing the context. Rethinking the Atonement has given me a lot to consider, and I'm grateful for this fresh perspective of the atonement.

Jesus is King, and he is restoring creation, the image of God in man, and renewing the glory (honor and fame) to creation, man, and God! This is the message in Dr. Matthew W. Bates' <i>Why the Gospel?</i>, which asks and seeks to answer an important question. In my opinion, he successfully restores a more wholistic picture of the Good News about Jesus. Better still, Dr. Bates provides a framework for practically applying this more complete gospel message. This book is a must read for all Christ followers. If any talk of reframing or "changing" the gospel scares you, don't be dissuaded from picking up this volume. Dr. Bates grounds every argument solidly in scripture. This is the best, practical guide to the gospel I've encountered. While many other books have brought me to the same line of thinking about the gospel, I still wrestled with how to apply the ideas beyond my own, personal worship. Dr. Bates provides suggestions for applying the gospel of King Jesus in many contexts: Church community, evangelism (especially to the "nones"), and rehabilitating the image of Christians to the watching world.