A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Gregg Davidson and Kenneth J. Turner, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis 1: A Multi-Layered Approach (Grand Rapids, Mich. Kregel, 2021). Thanks to the kindness of Kregel Academic, I have an extra copy of the book to give to a reader of this blog. Sixteen people left comments, so I but those names into Excel, randomly sorted them, then generated a random number on random.org. The winner of the book is….
Ian Renwick
Good job Ian, the random winds of evolutionary fate have landed you an copy of Manifold Beauty. I will sen you and email asking for shipping info and I will get the book out ASAP.
I will launch another giveaway a bit later today so stay tuned. As they say on YouTube, subscribe to the blog to get updates.
I have not done a book giveaway in a while. As it turns out I have several books I have been setting aside for a time such as this. In fact, I get occasional emails from readers wondering when I am going to give away another… today is that day.
As I mentioned in the original review, Manifold Beauty is a biblical-theological reading of Genesis 1. Each chapter represents a unique theological interpretation of the creation story. Although the authors do not deny Genesis 1 is a literal creation story, they are more interested in the theology of the creation story than the mechanics of creation. Although the principal topic is Genesis 1, the chapters provide a full canonical perspective for each theological topic.
In the introduction, Davidson and Turner are clear that none of their suggested layers are entirely new, each layer draws on previous scholarship. They argue the themes presented in this book are complementary, they all “contribute to and reinforce the unified message of Genesis 1” (11). The authors agree with the Chicago statement on biblical inerrancy but understand a distinction between the literal meaning and a literalistic interpretation. In the full review, I summarize the seven theological layers covered in Manifold Beauty, so read that post for more details on the book.
If you want a free copy of this book, leave a comment with your name and email (if it is not in your profile already) so I can contact you if you win. I will put all the names in a spreadsheet, randomize them, then use a random number generator to select a winner on November 15, 2021 (one week from today).
If you don’t win this book, check back for another giveaway starting November 15.
To celebrate the end of a great semester, I am giving away a new copy of John A. Beck’s Zondervan Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Zondervan posted a two-minute video featuring John Beck to YouTube discussing biblical imagery, and another on the importance of background studies for reading the Bible.
The contest ended this morning, and according to Random.org, the winner is…
Britt T.
I will be contacting Britt via email to arrange for mailing the book. Thanks to all who participated, I have several more “extra” copies to give away, so look for an announcement for the next contest by the end of the day.
To celebrate the end of a great semester, I am giving away a new copy of John A. Beck’s Zondervan Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. To enter, leave a comment and I will pick a winner at random from the comments. I will close the contest on May 9 and announce the winner then.
This 282 page book is a handy guide to historical and cultural background used for poetic imagery in the Bible. Entries are diverse, ranging from nations and peoples, key geographical locations, animals, foods, or other elements of culture. Beck gives a short overview for each entry then attempts to show how the entry is used as a figure of speech. For example, For Mount Carmel, Beck provides some basic data on the location and then treats a number of texts such as Amos 9:3, which describes “the beauty of Carmel.” For the entry “Staff,” there is a brief note on the use of staffs in the ancient world and an explanation of the use of “staff” to describe political leadership. This imagery is then extended to God (Psalm 23) and the Messiah (Gen 49:10).
This book is a handy reference for busy students and pastors who want to explore biblical imagery. There are other similar books available which have far more detail, but this book has the advantage of including enough information to illustrate a metaphor but not so much that the reader is overwhelmed with details. I would have like a short bibliography for each entry so that readers who were interested in more could dig a bit deeper, but the target audience for this book will not find this to be a problem.
According to Random.org, the winner of the The Gospel According to the Simpsons by Mark Pinsky is….. Jared Kusz. I cannot think of a man more deserving. Let me know where you want to pick the book up.
Thanks to all who participated, I will be giving another book away next week.
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Gregg Davidson and Kenneth J. Turner, The Manifold Beauty of Genesis 1: A Multi-Layered Approach (Grand Rapids, Mich. Kregel, 2021). Thanks to the kindness of Kregel Academic, I have an extra copy of the book to give to a reader of this blog. Sixteen people left comments, so I but those names into Excel, randomly sorted them, then generated a random number on random.org. The winner of the book is….
