When book blurb goes wrong
My copy of Erasing Hell, by Chan and Sprinkle has arrived in the post. Sprinkle is a serious scholar, so I thought I should give it a try - test it out for an essay on one of my courses. However, I was more than a little put off by the following excerpt from the book's back cover:
This is not a book about who is saying what. It's a book about what God saysSeriously?! To be more precise, this is a book about what Chan and Sprinkle think the bible says, but this is not quite the same thing!
It gives me an idea for my book title on Pauline Christology, when it finally gets published: Pauline Christology: What God Thinks, Not Dunn, Hurtado etc., by Chris Tilling!
posted by Chris Tilling @ 4:13 PM
17 comments
17 Comments:
Best. Title. Ever!
I'd definitely read that book! ;-)
It would probably be more honest as to what a lot of scholar's think they are doing anyway!
BW16
reminds me of one of my students who, after listening to what several scholars had to say about a subject, suggested: "But let's look at this from God's point of view!" (no lack of self-esteem there!)
I get your point.
I read Bell and Chan/Sprinkle one after another, and the difference in tone struck me. The latter seriously come across as wanting to listen to the Bible, even if they don't like the result. In that sense I take the - indeed questionable - blurb.
Bell, imho, was much more about what he thinks, what people think, what people can digest, and which narrative he feels to be more beautiful.
Your magisterium has spoken; the issue is resolved....
Chuck Grantham
well the title is OK but I think you should rearange the title to lead with the claims of divine insight, no point hiding it in the subtitle (or blurb)
"What God thinks about Pauline Christology by Chris Tilling"
Hmmm. What's wrong with Pauline Christology: Why God Agrees with Chris Tilling?
Thanks Nick!
And BW16, you are almost a celebrity now - I feel privileged to have you comment! (and you are right)
Scott, I love that!
Alex, yea, I understand. Good to hear from you. Love to your wifey.
From the rest of you, I have to go with Terry's hilarious book title!
Pauline Christology: Why God Agrees with Chris Tilling!!
Psh aww shucks Christ, you're making me moist.
*Should be "Chris" and not "Christ". But I'll let you do what you like with that one!
"Psh aww shucks Christ, you're making me moist."
Wow...I hope that was a title suggestion.
Advance sales have already gone viral.
Love it!
I had exactly the same reaction to the blub on the back of this book.
I expect that the publisher rather than the authors was the cultprit on this one.
Robin
Robin, I am sure you are right.
BW16, at first I was glad it was a typo, and then I realised that this only made things slightly less problematic.
In the introduction Chan says he's 'spent many hours fasting and praying that God would prevent my desires from twisting Scripture to gratify my personal preferences'. Maybe Bell and the scholars he disagrees with just aren't fasting and praying enough.
He also urges readers to 'read the scriptures we've quoted as truth directly from the mouth of God'. Reminds me of John Piper's comment about ignoring scholars and going with what the 'plain meaning' of a passage is.
In the introduction Chan says he's 'spent many hours fasting and praying that God would prevent my desires from twisting Scripture to gratify my personal preferences'. Maybe Bell and the scholars he disagrees with just aren't fasting and praying enough.
He also urges readers to 'read the scriptures we've quoted as truth directly from the mouth of God'. Reminds me of John Piper's comment about ignoring scholars and going with what the 'plain meaning' of a passage is.
How about, How I changed God's mind about Pauline Christology by Chris Tilling. I was hoping you'd reviewed Sprinkle's book on the NPP somewhere.
Hahah, I love that title!
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