Review-Robert Williamson Jr.-Reading the Bible with Brueggermann

 

Reading the Bible with Brueggermann by Robert Williamson, Jr.

Published November 11, 2025

I was excited for the opportunity to review this book. It is an overview of Brueggermann’s writings.  The part I connected to was his background in the Evangelical and Reformed church that later became part of the United Church of Christ.  I grew up with a similar background at a U.C.C. church that was still heavily influenced by it’s Evangelical and Reformed roots.

Brueggemann is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of recent years, but his approach to Scripture can sometimes seem challenging to readers from a traditional evangelical background. In Reading the Bible with Brueggemann: Scripture’s Power to Remake the World, Robert Williamson Jr. helps readers understand Brueggemann’s thinking and why his approach to the Bible has attracted so much attention.

The central idea of the book is that the Bible is more than a collection of religious teachings or moral lessons. Scripture challenges the way we see the world and calls us to live differently. Brueggemann encourages readers to pay attention to how God’s Word confronts injustice, questions our assumptions, and offers hope when life does not turn out as expected.

One of the most helpful aspects of Brueggemann’s approach is his understanding of the Psalms. He recognizes that the Christian life includes both praise and pain. Sometimes we feel confident in God’s goodness, and at other times we struggle with unanswered prayers, grief, and disappointment. The Psalms give us permission to express those feelings honestly rather than pretending everything is fine. I appreciate this reminder that genuine faith does not mean we never struggle or ask difficult questions.

Brueggemann also emphasizes the prophetic message of the Old Testament. The prophets challenged religious hypocrisy, confronted injustice, and warned God's people against putting their trust in wealth, political power, or religious institutions. These messages remain relevant today. The church must be willing to examine itself and ask whether its practices reflect the character and purposes of God.

Another important theme is that Scripture offers an alternative to the values of the surrounding culture. Instead of making wealth, success, and personal security our highest priorities, the Bible calls us to trust God, care for our neighbors, and live with generosity and compassion. This is a valuable reminder that reading Scripture should do more than increase our biblical knowledge. It should change the way we live.

From a traditional evangelical perspective, however, I would approach some of Brueggemann’s conclusions with discernment. His emphasis on social justice, challenging established power structures, and reimagining our understanding of the world can be helpful. At the same time, those concerns must remain grounded in the authority of Scripture and its message of sin, repentance, salvation, and reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. Challenging cultural assumptions is important, but our interpretations must also be faithful to what the biblical text actually teaches.

What I appreciate about Robert Williamson’s book is that it helps readers understand Brueggemann’s approach without requiring them to agree with every conclusion. It provides an introduction to his major ideas and encourages readers to think more carefully about how they interpret Scripture.

Overall, Reading the Bible with Brueggemann is a worthwhile book for pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the Old Testament. Even readers who disagree with some of Brueggemann’s theological conclusions can benefit from considering his insights, particularly his treatment of lament, the prophetic voice, and the Bible’s challenge to complacency.

I would recommend this book as a way to broaden one’s understanding of biblical interpretation, while remembering that every interpretive approach must be measured against the teaching of Scripture as a whole and the central message of the gospel.

Review-Charles Martin-The Reason for Jesus

 

The Reason for Jesus by Charles Martin

Published October 13, 2026

Why did Jesus come to earth?

 Most Christians would answer that He came to save us from our sins and make eternal life possible. But Charles Martin invites us to look a little deeper. In The Reason for Jesus, he asks us to consider not only what Jesus came to save us from, but what He came to bring us into: a restored relationship with God the Father.

 That distinction matters. It is possible to think of salvation primarily as a transaction—we were sinners, Jesus died for us, and now we have the promise of heaven. All of that is important, but is that the whole story?

 Martin reminds us that the gospel is also an invitation to know God personally. Jesus did not come simply to change our eternal address. He came to bring us home to the Father.

 One of the book's most meaningful themes is the character of God. Many people struggle to believe that God truly loves them, especially when their own experiences of love have been marked by disappointment, rejection, or conditional acceptance. Martin's emphasis on God's fatherly love offers a different picture. We do not have to earn our way into God's favor. Through Jesus, we are invited to receive the grace and forgiveness that God freely offers.

 Yet this emphasis raises an important question: Why was the cross necessary? God's love is wonderful, but the Christian message is not simply that God loves us and wants us to feel close to Him. Sin has genuinely separated us from God, and Jesus came to deal with that separation through His sacrificial death and resurrection. The cross reveals both the seriousness of our sin and the extraordinary lengths to which God was willing to go to redeem us. Our restored relationship with the Father is possible because of what Christ accomplished for us.

 I appreciate the reminder that Christianity is about more than religious rules, outward appearances, or the hope of a better life after death. It is about knowing God, trusting His grace, and allowing that relationship to change the way we live. As Jesus says in John 17:3, eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

 Ultimately, The Reason for Jesus points us toward a truth that can become easy to overlook: the greatest gift of salvation is not simply that we get to go to heaven, but that through Jesus we can know the God who made us and loves us. That relationship begins now and continues into eternity.

 Martin's emphasis on the Father's love and the relational purpose of salvation is a worthwhile reminder for Christians who may have reduced the gospel to a set of beliefs or a promise about the afterlife. The cross remains at the center of that message, for it is through Christ's sacrifice that the way back to the Father has been opened. The good news is not merely that God has a place for us someday. It is that, through Jesus, He welcomes us into His presence today.

Review-J.R. Hudberg-Unto Us a Child is Born

Unto Us a Child Is Born by J. R. Hudberg

Published October 6, 2026

Advent is one of my favorite times of the year. There is something special about slowing down, remembering why Jesus came, and preparing our hearts for Christmas. J. R. Hudberg's Unto Us a Child Is Born is a devotional designed to help us do just that.

The book is built around four familiar Advent themes: hope, peace, joy, and love. Hudberg takes each of these themes and connects them with people and stories from Scripture. This is something I try to do when I am writing an Advent sermon. What I especially appreciated is that he doesn't simply retell the Christmas story. Instead, he helps us see how the coming of Jesus meets some of the deepest needs we experience as human beings.

One of the strengths of the book is the way Hudberg connects the Old Testament with the life of Jesus. Stories involving people such as Adam and Eve, Job, Jacob and Esau, and Hagar are brought alongside events from Jesus' life. At times, people tend to forget that the Bible is one connected story and that it points us to Christ. This book does a good job of reminding us.

I particularly liked the emphasis on the fact that Jesus doesn't just give us hope, peace, joy, and love, He is the source of those things. We can look for peace in our circumstances, happiness in our possessions, or hope in the things happening around us, but those things can disappear. The hope and peace Christ gives are different because they are rooted in Him.

Another thing I appreciated is that Hudberg doesn't leave Advent looking only backward. The book also points us toward Christ's return. We celebrate the first coming of Jesus while looking forward to the day when He will come again. That is an important part of Advent that can sometimes get lost in all the Christmas activity.

The devotional format makes the book easy to use. It is divided into four weeks, with short daily readings that can easily fit into a busy December schedule. I can see this working well for personal devotions, but it could also be useful for a small group or even a family reading through Advent together.

What I came away with most was a renewed appreciation for the simplicity of the Christmas message. We all have needs, sometimes needs we can't fix ourselves. We need hope. We need peace. We need joy. We need to know that we are loved. And Advent reminds us that God didn't simply tell us He cared about those needs. He sent His Son.

Unto Us a Child Is Born is a warm, accessible, Christ-centered devotional that would make a good companion for the Advent season. It encourages us to slow down, look beyond the decorations and busyness of Christmas, and remember the One whose birth we are celebrating.

Review-D. L. Webster-Curing Christianity

 

D. L. Webster’s Curing Christianity is an honest and provocative examination of some of the unhealthy ways Christianity can be practiced and communicated. Webster argues that Christianity itself does not need to be abandoned, but that Christians need to confront fear, shame, church hurt, unhealthy religious practices, and questionable interpretations of Scripture.

A central theme is the contrast between fear and love. Webster believes Christians can become so focused on judgment, rules, and religious performance that they lose sight of the character of God revealed in Jesus. His discussions of hell, purity culture, sexuality, mental health, and biblical authority are intended to help readers rediscover a healthier faith centered on Jesus and love. 

Many of the points Webster covers are ones that I have preached on.  I believe that too many Christians get distracted by fears instead of focusing on God.  Many times, Scripture tells us to “fear not”.  God wants us focused on what He tells us to do instead of living in fear.

From a traditional evangelical perspective, Webster raises some important questions. The church should certainly reject shame-based Christianity, fear as a tool of manipulation, and the misuse of Scripture. His reminder that our Christianity should actually look like Jesus is particularly valuable.

At the same time, I found some of his conclusions more difficult to accept. Love cannot replace the whole counsel of Scripture. God is love, but Scripture also teaches that God is holy and just. We should reject distorted presentations of hell without rejecting what Scripture teaches about judgment. Likewise, Christians can misuse the Bible without diminishing its authority.

Ultimately, Curing Christianity is more valuable as a conversation starter than as a complete theological treatment. Webster asks questions the church should be willing to consider, even when his answers require careful biblical examination.

The cure for unhealthy Christianity is not less Jesus or less Scripture. It is more Jesus and a deeper, more faithful understanding of Scripture.

Recommended for readers interested in church hurt, Christian deconstruction, spiritual health, and examining how faith is communicated and lived out.

Review-Angie Smith-Into the Deep

 

Into the Deep: Finding Relief from Pressure, Exhaustion, and the Need to Perform in a Shallow World by Angie Smith will be published October 6, 2026.

The main idea behind Angie Smith's “Into the Deep” is not “I’m tired in a need a nap" way. But tired in a "why does everything feel like performance" way. Smith, who's got a PhD in psychology and a knack for making hard truths feel like a conversation with a friend, is basically saying: I see you, and I know why you're exhausted.

The setup is relatable to the point of being a little uncomfortable.

·         We say we want rest, but we fill every quiet moment with noise.

·         We say we want to be known, but we're really good at hiding the messy parts.

·         We talk about wanting freedom, then try to control everything we can.

·         We say our faith carries us, but our actual behavior tells a different story.

 Smith's point isn't "you're doing life wrong", it's that these are learned survival habits, not character flaws. At some point they made sense but they don't anymore.

So instead of handing you another five-step plan to fix yourself, she goes underneath the habits-perfectionism, impostor syndrome, the comparison spiral, the low-grade anxiety of constantly performing-and asks what's actually driving them. Her explanation is we're trying to solve deep, soul-level exhaustion with surface-level fixes, and it's not working, because it was never going to.

Along the way, she pulls in stories of biblical figures who wrestled with the same stuff- identity, worth, fear of being fully seen-not as tidy examples, but as proof that this struggle isn't new, and that it's never been met with judgment. To truly fix the problem, we need to address it from a spiritual point of view.

The big idea she keeps circling back to is the world's going to keep telling you you're not enough. That's not new information. What she's offering instead is permission to stop trying to control it — to take a breath, loosen your grip, and trust that the deep water, as scary as it looks, is actually where you find solid ground. And the solid ground we find in the deep water is Jesus Christ. It is not a one-time epiphany but a slow unlearning of the scripts you didn't even realize you were performing. It is changing the way you look at yourself from seeing yourself through the eyes of the world to seeing through the eyes of God.

The bottom line is less a shortcut to being a better you and more let’s look at why you’re so tired of pretending. This is a book for anyone who is ready to stop managing appearances and start on the path to actually living.