Scot McKnight
Participants in this blog have for a long time heard me encouraging you to read the stuff that Scot McKnight, a professor in religious studies at North Park University in Chicago, is writing. His material is deeply informed (the cutting edge of New Testament studies) and easily accessible.
Here are some suggestions of what you might enjoy:
The popular Jesus Creed blog
The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible
One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow
The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others
Enjoy this excerpt (from One.Life):
“We need to shed our unearthly and nonsocial idealistic and romantic and uber-spiritual visions of kingdom and get back to what Jesus meant. By kingdom, Jesus means: God’s Dream Society on earth, spreading out from the land of Israel to encompass the whole world. . . .
“Kingdom is an interconnected society;
Kingdom is a society noted by caring for others;
Kingdom is a society shaped by justice;
Kingdom is a society empowered by love;
Kingdom is a society dwelling in peace;
Kingdom is a society flowing with wisdom;
Kingdom is a society that knows its history;
Kingdom is a society living out its memory;
Kingdom is a society that values society;
Kingdom is a society that cares about its future.”
He is one of my favorites. A tremendous scholar who writes books everyone can (and should) read.
Based on my occasional interactions with him, he appears to be living what he writes about. Even better.
I’m sitting on the edge of my seat awaiting the release of Scot’s _The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited_.
Earlier, based on your high recommendation, I got a copy of Blue Parakeet. That was one of the best, most practical, things I have ever read about how one reads the Bible. I wish that could be required reading!
I cannot agree enough. I have thoroughly enjoyed the books I’ve read by McKnight, finding them to be very deeply informed and yet accessible as well (which does not appear as something always easy to do).
I actually met Scot McKnight last May and perhaps it is just me, but I always find myself surprised at the very ordinariness of these well known scholars. The same is true for McKnight. Here is this well-known and very intelligent man and yet he struck me as very humble and approachable…like we were old friends catching up. For me, that makes his work and his writing all the more enjoyable!
Grace and Peace,
Rex
Thanks for putting these previous recommendations together here. I’m with you: McKnight is a keen resource, especially to those who weary of Calvinist perspectives.
I enjoy Scot McKnights books and blog. He is a great intellectual. If you enjoy and like Scot McKnight I would like to recommend some others: McLaren, Claiborne, Bell, Tony Jones, Brandon Mouser’s blog, The Naked Pastor blog, Matthew Paul Turner’s blog: Jesus Needs New PR (Interesting and humorous).
Good recommendations I think; I really, really like the excerpt from One.Life and will be reading some of the books you mention.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these kingdom characteristics. I’ve recently been learning more about the kingdom teachings of Jesus, and this list is very helpful. I looked up McKnight’s book and look forward to reading more of it.