Books
How do we live distinctively in communities embedded in the world around us? The Not-Very-Persecuted Church provides church leaders, pastors, and Christians interested in community development with principles for evaluating culture in light of mission. Since we are called to live in community, the processes that build group identity can help us understand how to live together well. Paul addressed some of the problems that can occur in not-very-persecuted groups in the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians, and he shows us the way suffering forms identity in that context. With discussion questions and stories from personal interviews, this book offers both fascinating glimpses into the world of the first century and practical applications for Christians today.
Jesus Caesar: A Roman Reading of the Johannine Trial Narrative. WUNT. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019.
In this academic work, Laura J. Hunt looks at Latin use in Ephesus, Antioch, and Alexandria. The evidence of intersections between Roman and Greek languages in those cities suggests that the Roman cultural encyclopaedia could shed light on the Gospel of John, particularly the trial narrative. Words that intersect with important Roman concepts include πραιτώριον, βασιλεύς, υἱὸς θεοῦ and ἐξουσία. The phrase Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος in John 19:5 approximates hic vir, hic est from Vergil’s Aeneid (6.791), marking it as a literary allusion. A semiotic analysis of John 18:28–19:22 reveals a Jesus depicted with the words and images of a Caesar. The Roman Pilate tests the loyalty of both Jesus and ‘the Jews’ to Caesar, emerging as weak only in relation to Caesar. Although other scholars have looked at empire in the Gospel of John, this study offers a sustained Roman reading of the Johannine trial narrative.
Articles
- “Samaritan Israelites and Jews under the Shadow of Rome: Reading John 4:4–45 in Ephesus.” Religions: Exploring the Complexity of Identities and Boundaries within the New Testament World 14.8 (2023): 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091149
- “Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Interpretation.” Diegesis in Mind: Cognitive Disciplines and Ancient Narrative in Dialogue. 1 June 2023
- “Alien and Degenerate Milk: Embodiment, Structure and Viewpoint in Four Nursing Metaphors.” Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies 4.1 (2022): 119–156.
- “The Many Languages of the Bible.” Light & Life Magazine. January 2019.
- With Elizabeth Mehlman. “Paul’s Rule in 1 Corinthians 7:17–24: Contemporary Limitations and Challenges for Existing Identities in Christ” CATR 8, no. 2 (2019): 103–18.
- “B. L. Merkle’s Interpretive Method Applied to 1 Timothy 2:8–15.” Paper Presented at the 2010 Annual Conference of The Evangelical Theological Society, Atlanta, GA. November 18, 2010.
- “Missions in the Context of Recovery from CSA.” Missiology. July 2010.
- “Where Do You Come From? Cultural Confusion in Galatia and the United States – Gal 1:18–24.” Evangelical Journal 26, no. 2, Fall 2008.
YouTube Videos
- Theology of Suffering: 14 min
- “Head” in Ephesians 5:21-33: 12 min
- Bible Passages for Social Justice: 4 min
- Preaching without Blaming the Jews: 9 min
- Navigating Gender in the Church: 40 min
- Ladder of Abstraction (useful for Bible applications): 6 min
- End Times: An Overview of Views: 15 min
- Theology of Revelation: Overview: 6 min
- Sermon: What Do We Do with Vibranium? (Black Panther): 30 min
Book Reviews
- Review of Identités Romaines: Conscience de soi et représentations de l’autre dans la Rome antique (IVe siècle av. J.-C.—VIIIe siècle apr. J.-C.), edited by Mathilde Simon. Bulletin for Biblical Research 22, no. 4 (2012): 615–16.
- Review of Seeking Spiritual Intimacy: Journeying Deeper with Medieval Women of Faith, by Glenn E. Myers. Criswell Theological Review 9, no. 2 (Spring 2012): 106–108.
- Review of Galatians Re-Imagined: Reading with the Eyes of the Vanquished, by Brigitte Kahl. Criswell Theological Review 8, no. 2 (Spring 2011): 95–96.
- Review of An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts, by D. C. Parker. Criswell Theological Review 7, no. 2 (Spring 2010): 116–118.
- Review of Words & the Word: Explorations in Biblical Interpretation and Literary Theory, edited by David G. Firth and Jamie A. Grant. Criswell Theological Review 7, no. 2 (Fall 2009): 122–24.
- (with J. Brian Tucker) Review of Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s Supper, by Ben Witherington, III. Criswell Theological Review 6, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 86–89.
Book Chapters
- “Loveday C. A. Alexander: Luke-Acts in Its Ancient Literary Context.” Pages 347–80 in Luke-Acts in Modern Interpretation. Edited by Stanley E. Porter and Ron C. Fay. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2021.
- “1 Peter.” Pages 527–42 in T & T Clark Commentary on Social Identity in the New Testament. Edited by J. Brian Tucker and Aaron Kuecker. London: T & T Clark, 2020.