Köstenberger, Andreas J. Introducing Jesus: The Fourfold Gospel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Academic, 2026. 248 pp. Pb. $19.99 Link to Kregel Academic
Andreas Köstenberger is well known for his work on the Gospel of John, including A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters (Zondervan, 2009) and his new two-volume commentary in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series (Logos, 2026). He served as the editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society for twenty-two years. This new book is an introductory textbook on Jesus and the Gospels, condensing his Jesus of the Gospels: An Introduction (Kregel, 2020).
Köstenberger aims to provide an accessible textbook for high school and college students, as well as interested laypeople. His five main goals have not changed (p. 19-20), nor have his theological assumptions. But since this book is a primer on the Gospels, Introducing Jesus omits many technical details from his larger book. For example, although this book mentions a few key names for historical Jesus studies, the larger textbook has much more detail on the history of interpretation. The original text has many richly detailed footnotes; this primer has none. But this is not a problem since the target audience of the two books is quite different. Do college students ever look at footnotes? Köstenberger rarely addresses Synoptic parallels, and he does not cover source, form, or redaction criticism. But given the goals of Introducing Jesus, these critical methods are not important.
After an introductory chapter, Köstenberger covers each of the four gospels in four chapters (except for Mark, which receives only two chapters). There is no discussion of authorship or origins of the gospels, although there is a brief one- or two-page introduction before each new unit of the book that introduces the author, the distinctive contributions of each gospel, and some major emphases. Köstenberger then provides a running commentary for each gospel. In terms of depth, his comments are more than one might encounter in a good study Bible. He is brief and to the point (again, something that will appeal to students, even if that frustrates professors). Chapters begin with a chart outlining the section of the gospel under consideration, and occasional charts appear throughout the book. For example, one chart summarizes Jesus’s resurrection appearances (p. 196-97). Each chapter ends with a few discussion questions and a short devotional reading based on the chapter’s content.
Köstenberger provides some teaching resources on his website, Biblical Foundations, including discussion questions, quizzes, exams (with a key for teachers), devotional reflections, and visual charts. The discussion questions match those at the end of each chapter in the book. The same applies to the devotional reflections. Under visual charts, there is a single-page PDF outlining each gospel. Each chapter includes a short, objective five-question quiz, but the four unit exams contain three essay questions each (and the final has two open-ended questions). I noticed that anyone could download the answer key. Perhaps changing this file to a password-protected PDF is a good idea.
Conclusion. Köstenberger’s Introducing Jesus certainly achieves its goal of condensing his larger, more academic textbook for use in lower-level classrooms. In this, the book is similar to Mark Strauss’s Introducing Jesus (Zondervan 2018), which condenses his Four Portraits, One Jesus (Second edition, Zondervan, 2020). By providing a brief running commentary for each gospel, Köstenberger’s book will be a valuable resource for laypeople working their way through the first four books of the New Testament.
NB: Thanks to Kregel for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.
There are quite “almost free” books in the Logos FBOTM Promotion:
Terry L. Johnson, Reformed Worship: Worship That Is According to Scripture, $2.99
Earl M. Blackburn, John Chrysostom (Bitesize Biographies), $3.99
Derek W. H. Thomas, God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained (Welwyn Commentary Series), $7.77
David Jeremiah, Colossians and Philemon: The Lordship of Jesus (Jeremiah Bible Study Series), $5.99
Jonty Rhodes, Man of Sorrows, King of Glory: What the Humiliation and Exaltation of Jesus Mean for Us, $6.99
Michael Bentley, Luke : Saving a Fallen World (Welwyn Commentary Series). $7.99
John Blanchard, Major Points from the Minor Prophets, $8.99
Arnold Dallimore, A Heart Set Free: The Life of Charles Wesley (A Welwyn Biography), $10.99
Grant R. Osborne, George Guthrie, Hebrews Verse by Verse, $11.99 (Reviewed Here)
Gareth Crossley, The Old Testament: Explained and Applied, $22.99
As always, subscribers save another 5%.
What is new in Logos 53? For those who do not already know, Logos recently moved to a subscription model. Rather than a major upgrade every couple of years, upgrades are rolled out about every six weeks. Logos has been integrating more AI into the software for years (smart searches, fuzzy searches, etc.), but over the last year this has evolved into Study Assistant. This is a basic chat-style AI that uses only the books in your library. In Logos 53, when you highlight a few verses, you now have “explain” and “ask” on the context menu. The Study Assistant will then explain the text using commentaries from your library. Users can then ask further questions in a typical AI dialogue. The “Ask” option does just that; you ask a question about whatever you highlighted. For example, I highlighted “adverbial acc” in the Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. The Study Assistant gave me the definition from Dictionary of English Grammar for Students of Biblical Languages, plus additional information from Pocket Dictionary for the Study of Biblical Hebrew. It also gave an example from Joshua 7:25 and some examples from the New Testament (citing A.T. Robertson). All of these references include page numbers and links to the book, so I can open directly to the page and read the context of the citation.
I know many people who are concerned about AI in sermon preparation, and rightly so. Study Assistant will not write your sermon for you. I asked it, “Please write a sermon outline for Acts 20:1–6.” The response was, “I appreciate the request, but I’m not able to write sermons, outlines, or other long-form creative content. This falls outside my role as a study assistant.” Study Assistant is an amped up search engine that can do some amazing things, but it will not replace the Holy Spirit for pastors trying to write a sermon.
Should you subscribe to Logos? Some people just hate subscriptions. That’s OK. But if you’re the type to upgrade Logos every two years, you’d pay the same amount as you would for the subscription. I personally like the idea of getting smaller upgrades every six weeks rather than a massive dump of features every few years. I think I can use the newer features better when I get one or two at a time. I also think this system lets Logos be more flexible about what they choose to upgrade.
This Logos Free Book of the Month promotion runs through September 30.A new free book will be available on September 15 at 9:00 a.m. PST. As always, you can use the (free) basic edition or the inexpensive Fundamentals collection to access these free and discounted books. All the links are Logos Affiliate links. If you plan to buy Logos books, use this link to support Reading Acts.
There are quite a few additional books on the FBOTM promo that are “almost free.”
Curtis Vaughan, Thomas D. Lea, 1 Corinthians, $2.99
Did You Know? More Than 6,000 Bible Questions and Answers, $3.99
Kevin O’Donnell, Postmodernism, $4.99
Stephen Tomkins, A Short History of Christianity, $5.99
Alister McGrath, Mere Theology: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind, $6.59
Liz Hoare, Using the Bible in Spiritual Direction, $7.19
Trevor Dennis, Lo and Behold! The Power of Old Testament Storytelling, $8.99
Christopher Rowland, Christian Origins: An Account of the Setting and Character of the Most Important Messianic Sect of Judaism, $9.99
Aaron Chalmers, Exploring the Religion of Ancient Israel: Prophet, Priest, Sage and People, $10.99
Christopher J. H. Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, $14.99
Christopher J. H. Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God is excellent and often used as a textbook. For me, Christopher Rowland’s Christian Origins is an exciting title and one I am certainly going to purchase. But there is a little something there for everyone. As always, subscribers save another 5%.
What is new in Logos 53? For those who do not already know, Logos recently moved to a subscription model. Rather than a major upgrade every couple of years, upgrades are rolled out about every six weeks. Logos has been integrating more AI into the software for years (smart searches, fuzzy searches, etc.), but over the last year this has evolved into Study Assistant. This is a basic chat-style AI that uses only the books in your library. In Logos 53, when you highlight a few verses, you now have “explain” and “ask” on the context menu. The Study Assistant will then explain the text using commentaries from your library. Users can then ask further questions in a typical AI dialogue. The “Ask” option does just that; you ask a question about whatever you highlighted. For example, I highlighted “adverbial acc” in the Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. The Study Assistant gave me the definition from Dictionary of English Grammar for Students of Biblical Languages and some additional information from Pocket Dictionary for the Study of Biblical Hebrew. It also gave an example from Joshua 7:25 and some examples from the New Testament (citing A.T. Robertson). All of these references are cited with page numbers and links to the book, so I can open directly to the page and read the context of the citation.
I know many people who are concerned about AI in sermon preparation, and rightly so. Study Assistant will not write your sermon for you. I asked it, “Please write a sermon outline for Acts 20:1–6.” The response was, “I appreciate the request, but I’m not able to write sermons, outlines, or other long-form creative content. This falls outside my role as a study assistant.” Study Assistant is an amped up search engine that can do some amazing things, but it will not replace the Holy Spirit for pastors trying to write a sermon.
Should you subscribe to Logos? Some people just hate subscriptions. That’s OK. But if you were the type to upgrade Logos every two years, you would be paying the same amount as you would for the subscription. I personally like the idea of getting smaller upgrades every six weeks rather than a massive dump of features every few years. I think I can make better use of the newer features when I get one or two at a time. I also think this system allows Logos to be more flexible on what they choose to upgrade.
This Logos Free Book of the Month promotion runs through September 15.A new free book will be available on September 15 at 9:00 a.m. PST. As always, you can use the (free) basic edition or the inexpensive Fundamentals collection to access these free and discounted books. All the links are Logos Affiliate links. If you plan to buy Logos books, use this link to support Reading Acts.
Renberg, Lynneth Miller, and Adam R. Renberg. Candles in the Darkness: Experiencing Advent with the Early and Medieval Church. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2026. 182 pp., Hb. $29.99 Link to IVP Academic
Candles in the Darkness is not simply a Christmas devotional book. The book combines the insights of a historian (Lynneth) and a theologian (Adam). In their introduction, the Renbergs introduce the reader to Egeria, a woman who made a pilgrimage from Spain to Jerusalem in AD 382. In a letter, she described a Christmas procession from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, “walking from cradle to cross” and celebrating the coming of the Light of the World. The authors of this set of Christmas devotionals invite their readers to make the same kind of pilgrimage over the four weeks of Advent and the twelve days of Christmas.
Each daily reading for Advent and the twelve days of Christmas includes Scripture to read, explore, and meditate on. Following Scripture is a meditation from a historical figure and a modern meditation written by the authors. Finally, each devotion ends with a prayer intended to spark the reader’s own prayers, drawn from Scripture or another historical figure. Each day’s readings are brief, rarely more than three pages.
Most readers will be familiar with Augustine, Anselm, or Francis of Assisi (or at least have heard of these names). But the Renbergs include readings from many unheard voices, including women who wrote spiritual reflections and had a significant impact on the church’s spiritual life. Hildegard of Bingen (ca. 1089-1179) is perhaps the most well-known female mystical writer included in the book. But readers will sample Macrina the Younger (ca. 327-379), the ninth-century Frankish noblewoman Dhouda, and Paula the Elder (ca. 347-404). The book also includes several obscure medieval liturgies, such as the Gregorian Sacramentary and Ethiopian liturgies, and books of poetry such as the Book of Exeter (ca. 970). At the very least, reading Candles in the Darkness may spark an interest in church history beyond “the usual suspects.”
Some readers might wonder how helpful an ancient writer can be. After all, many writers use typological or allegorical interpretations that miss the meaning of Scripture (from a modern reader’s perspective). As the Renbergs explain in their introduction to the book, ancient writers invite readers to “enter the text as active participants” (9). Any allegorical readings are faithful attempts to read behind the text. This sort of reading requires both the discipline of the mind and the heart (10).
Conclusion. Candles in the Darkness is a well-written Christmas devotional that invites readers into the unfamiliar world of medieval Christianity to think more deeply about Christ’s coming into the world. Although intended for reading during the Advent season, the book will reward readers at any time of the year.
McKinion, Randall L. and Jason K. Lee. Joshua. A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching. Kerux Commentaries. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Ministry, 2026. 301 pp. Hb. $28.99 Link to Kregel Ministry
Kregel’s Kerux commentary series combines rich exegetical commentary with timely preaching to help pastors and teachers prepare sermons and lessons for the church. In this new commentary on 1 Corinthians, Randall L. McKinion (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) provides the exegesis. McKinion is Professor of Old Testament at Cedarville University. Jason K. Lee (PhD, University of Aberdeen) contributes to the preaching helps for the commentary. Formerly Professor of Theological Studies, Director of Center for Biblical Integration at Cedarville, Jason K. Lee (PhD, University of Aberdeen) now serves as Provost and Vice President of Academic Administration at the University of Mobile and is a Discipleship Pastor at Heritage Fellowship Church in Springfield, Ohio. Lee edited the Matthew volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture.
Like other volumes in the Kerux series, McKinion and Lee divide Joshua into “preaching units” in three parts: Entering the Land (Joshua 1-12, twelve units), Distributing the Land (Joshua 13-21, five units), and the Final Days of Joshua (Joshua 22-24, four units). Observe that more than half the commentary covers the first twelve chapters of Joshua. This reflects the main problem with any commentary on Joshua, especially for one focusing on preaching the text. The first half of the book has all the exciting, preachable stories. The second half is rich in geographical detail but very difficult to preach or teach through. Except for the final challenge from Joshua, the second half of the book makes for difficult (boring?) sermons.
The twelve-page introduction begins with a brief discussion of authorship. Joshua 24:26 indicates that “Joshua wrote a book called torah” (34). But even the most conservative reader should not assume that the author of the biblical book is Joshua. McKinion and Lee do not accept the compositional theories of the Deuteronomic historian, as expressed by Martin Noth (34). Nevertheless, they state, “when considering the Books of Joshua through Kings, the reader, and the preacher of the Old Testament may no longer do so without recourse to the claims made about the Deuteronomic history” (35). Throughout the commentary, they consider how Josh will relate backward to the Torah, especially the book of Deuteronomy.
All this affects the book’s date. If the book’s origin is with the “historical Joshua,” even this depends on the date of the Exodus. But the final form of the book dates to the exile. The book uses the phrase “to this day” several times (e.g., 4:9, 5:9; 7:26). This may reflect an explanation of a given condition, an unusual object, or a practice. (an etiology). However, this is of no help since we do not know when “this day” was (37).
McKinion and Lee “take seriously, the historical veracity of the book’s claims” (37). They agree with a lengthy citation from Brevard Childs, distinguishing between the tasks of biblical interpretation and historical reconstruction. Both conservatives and liberals overemphasize historical reconstruction when approaching Joshua and miss the biblical and theological message. “This commentary has tried to take this warning seriously” (37). Are McKinion and Lee successful? In the main commentary, there is a little historical argument. Joshua is assumed to be accurate, so there are no lengthy excurses on the walls of Jericho, for example. There are other resources for the archaeology of the conquest, both positive and negative. This commentary is focused on preaching and teaching Joshua in the local church.
Regarding the theology of Joshua, McKinion and Lee focus on three major themes drawn from Joshan 21:43-45. First, Yahweh gave all the land to Israel that he had promised their fathers (21:43). Second, Yahweh gave Israel rest from their enemies as he promised their fathers (21:44). Third, none of Yahweh’s good words to Israel has failed (21:45). These main contours of the books theology are developed into a series of paragraphs on the promises to the fathers, the promise of the land, rest in the land, the coming heir the king, the importance of the Torah, serving the Lord, Joshua has a spirit filled wise man, and faith and trust in the Lord.
The theological section avoids making Joshua into a type of Jesus and interpreting everything in the book as foreshadowing Jesus. It also avoids the annoying tendency to make Joshua a model for contemporary leadership (Joshua the CEO?). They do discuss Joshua-Jesus typology. (59–60), but they avoid flattening out the book to the extent that Joshua is just a pattern for future Christology.
The Kerux series uses sidebars in the body of the commentary. In this volume, McKinion and Lee frequently provide a sidebar entitled “Where Have I Seen This Before?” (including an excellent chart on pages 80-82). These are intertextual links to the Torah. But these are far more than “Joshua is a new Moses.” In addition to these, there are several examples of intratextual illusions within Joshua. For example, there is a box comparing Joshua 3:7 and 4:14. McKinion and Lee include additional notes on the influence of Deuteronomy 31 on the book of Joshua and Chronicles (57-58).
The exegetical notes are based on the Hebrew text, which appears without transliteration. Grammatical and lexical details appear in sidebars labeled Translation Analysis. Readers without Hebrew will have no trouble reading the body of the commentary. Since chapters cover large sections of Joshua (often two or more chapters), the exegetical comments mostly cover paragraphs and individual verses.
In the commentary’s preaching sections, Lee offers assistance to the pastor or teacher preparing sermons on Joshua. This is much easier in the first twelve chapters of the book. The distribution of the land (Joshua 13-21) is divided into four parts (with the Levites and Cities of Refuge as a separate chapter. It is possible that this whole section could have been a single sermon on the theme of land and rest (see the sidebar on rest, 242-44). Lee divides his “creativity in preaching” section into a historical/literary option and a digital/life experience. For the first option, he gives an illustration drawn from history (although sometimes recent history). For the second, he offers an illustration that is more modern (popular books, films, YouTube videos, or common life experience).
I notice one shortcoming of the commentary. McKinion and Lee do not deal with the problem of violence in Joshua. Other than a sidebar on “devoted things” (125), little is said about God’s command to completely destroy Jericho and kill everyone in the city. Often, Joshua commentaries devote a section of the introduction of a major excursus to the “Canaanite Genocide.” For example, in his recent commentary in the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (reviewed here), David Firth observes that Joshua narrates history in accordance with the conventions of the period. Following John Walton, he observes that ancient people believed land belonged to their god, who gives it to whom he chooses. The land did not belong to any one people. The land always belongs to God, who gave it to Abraham and his descendants.
Conclusion. This criticism aside, McKinion and Lee provide good exegetical notes and preaching tips to help pastors and teachers present Joshua to their congregations, which is the goal of the Kerux series. The commentary will be helpful to anyone wanting to dig deeper into this important Old Testament book.
