Continuum Publishing Group
The conversation of the nations in revelation.
McNicol (New Testament, Austin Graduate School of Theology, Texas) argues that the views of the prophet John on the end-times were deeply formed by reading key passages of scripture on the pilgrimage of the nations, beginning with the period of the exile. Rome was the new Babylon that was to be defeated by the new people of God, he says, but once defeated, the nations would come to the knowledge of God and Jesus. He calls this description the eschatological covenantial restitution. His perspectives are the problems of the conversion of the nations, the role of the nations, their ultimate destiny, the scriptural framework for the conversion, the central message, and the abiding value of John's Apocalypse. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Empire and exile; postcolonial readings of the book of Jeremiah.
Having grown up in recently post-colonial Tobago, Davidson (Old Testament, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley) draws from his own experience and his study of post-colonialism to examine the ideology of place in the prophetic book of the Old Testament. His topics are (dis)locating location, (dis)locating interpretations, the Book of Jeremiah in postcolonial perspective, saving home in Jeremiah 32:1-15, the world in the home in Jeremiah 40:1-12, (a)way from home in Jeremiah 29:5-7, and reading between exodus and exile. The study began as his PhD dissertation at Union Theological Seminary, New York; no date is cited. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
English phonology and pronunciation teaching. (online access included)
Rogerson-Revell's (education, U. of Leicester, UK) text offers an accessible introduction to English phonology and its practical application to pronunciation teaching. The text assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and is suitable as a resource for newcomers and experienced practitioners in English language teaching, applied linguistics students, EFL and ESL teacher trainers, and postgraduate course tutors. Opening chapters provide an overview of phonology and pronunciation learning and teaching, and key research findings on second-language phonological acquisition. Subsequent chapters focus on core features of English phonology — speech sounds, consonants and vowels, phonemes, syllable structure, connected speech, stress and intonation — and the use of this knowledge to diagnose and prioritize pronunciation difficulties, develop effective teaching techniques, design a pronunciation syllabus, and assess skills. The text includes activities, quizzes, references for further reading, and a glossary of terms. Audio files are available on a companion website. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
God's equal; what can we know about Jesus' self-understanding?
Grindheim (New Testament, Fjellhaug International U. College, Norway and Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology) argues that being God's greatest and final messenger was not sufficient justification for the radical upheaval Jesus sought to accomplish in the world. Only God himself could say and do what Jesus said and did, he says, which means that Jesus claimed to take God's place, to be God's equal. He illustrates with elements of the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus appears to act in a role that the Jewish tradition reserves for God. His arrangement is topical rather than by passage, considering such matters as miracles, Jesus as the eschatological judge, his relationship to his disciples, his metaphorical self-descriptions, mediatory figures in Second Temple Judaism, Jesus as the son of Man, and God's new temple. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
How to be an outstanding primary school teacher.
Dunn is deputy headteacher of an Ofsted-rated outstanding primary school in the UK; he was part of a team that worked to bring a school in Special Measures out of the category in a year. Based on proven classroom practice, he offers all levels of primary school teachers, from novice to experienced, a toolbox of innovative, easy-to-implement strategies and activities they can incorporate into their classrooms for improved teaching effectiveness. Dunn includes techniques for building good teacher-student and student-student relationships, managing lesson planning, assessing for learning, taking a positive approach to classroom management, providing differentiation, using questions effectively, creating school-local community cohesion, starting lessons with engaging activities, including whole-group discussion to summarize a lesson, assigning purposeful homework, maximizing constructive use of teaching assistants, and monitoring one's development into an outstanding teacher. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
An introduction to the study of Isaiah.
Stromberg (U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) offers a road map to scholars just embarking on the journey through the vast literature on the Old Testament prophetic book. He covers the formation of First-Isaiah, Second-Isaiah and the book, Third-Isaiah and the book, literary approaches, reading Isaiah holistically, approaches to the books' theology, and aspects of its theology. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Land of our fathers; the roles of ancestor veneration in biblical land claims.
This volume is part of the series titled "The library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies," which was formerly the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series. The author's affiliation is not stated on the book, but a Wikipedia entry states that "Francesca Stavrakopoulou (born Bromley, 1975) is an atheist Bible scholar and senior lecturer in the University of Exeter's [UK] department of Theology and Religion." This study involves the function of graves for the living — much more than "simply a matter of disposing of a cadaver" (from the first chapter). The primary focus here is on "one particular ideological function of burial: its territoriality." (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The new creation. (reprint, 1964)
English Dominican Friar and theologian McCabe (1926-2001) introduces sacramental theology in what became one of his most popular books. He explains the meaning of the various sacraments in the context of Old and New Testament scripture. Among his topics are the people of God, the eucharistic community, penance as the first of the sacraments of return and anointing the sick as the second, sex and the sacred, life after death, and a royal priesthood. There is no index. The 1964 edition was published by Sheed and Ward. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Not quite a teacher; target practice for beginning teachers.
In addition to teaching at an inner-city state secondary school in London, Bennett also teaches, trains, and advises new teachers from all over the UK on The Times Educational Supplement online behavior forum. Drawing on his classroom experiences, he offers pre-service and novice teachers an entertaining but still practical and serious guide to the business of teaching. The text combines the author's recounting of his own early experiences in teaching with advice from his "older, wiser self" to help readers make sense of the teaching challenges and hurdles that generally defy understanding until experienced first hand. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
A pastoral leader's handbook; strategies for success in the secondary school.
An experienced trainer and educational consultant in leadership and management, and Ofsted inspector for both primary and secondary phases, Nathan has worked with a wide variety of schools and colleges throughout Britain and abroad. Her text provides current and prospective secondary school pastoral leaders with an examination of the role and responsibilities of the pastoral leader in the current educational climate, particular as the structure of the pastoral system changes in response to the UK government's restructuring agenda and to new approaches to behavior management. Coverage includes an overview of the pastoral system, becoming effective in the role, leading the tutor team, managing pupil behavior, bullying and cyberbullying, pupil welfare, liaising with external agencies, managing extra-curricular activities, using data to raise achievement, and dealing with parents. Case studies are incorporated throughout the text, offering real examples of both good and bad practice. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Paul's use of the Old Testament in Romans 9.10-18; an intertextual and theological exegesis.
A pastor in New Hampshire, Abasciano (New Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts) continues the exegesis of Romans 9 that he began in his 2005 book on verses 1-9; he projects a third volume covering the rest of the chapter. His method entails exegeting the Old Testament text in its original context, surveying the history of its interpretation in Judaism and Christianity prior to and roughly contemporaneous with Paul, and comparing its extant relevant textual traditions to the form of Paul's quotations. His topics include Genesis 25.23 and Malachi 1.2-3 in their Old Testament context, Exodus 9.16 in its Old Testament context with special attention to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, and interpretive traditions surrounding Exodus 33.19B and 9.16. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
