As I read through Michael Brown’s book Resurrection, comparing the events surrounding the life and death of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson to the life and death of Jesus, Brown makes the case that even though these two individuals are both compelling figures in Judaism, one important event, the resurrection, distinguishes why one is considered to be the Jewish Messiah and the other is not. Jesus’ resurrection is what Brown calls the event that changed the world. As Brown points out, many of the followers of the Lubavitcher Rabbi, who they refer to as The Rebbe, expected him to resurrect after he died on June 12, 1994.  When no resurrection occurred, many became dejected, and it divided the entire movement, and those divisions still exist today. Subsequently, his followers have come up with different reasons as to why his resurrection had not occurred, but this has left many questions unresolved such as, is the Rebbe still with us today and is he the promised Jewish Messiah of Israel? This book takes us deeper into the mysterious sect of the Lubavitch Movement, an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, whose many adherents still claim today their beloved rabbi is the Jewish Messiah.

I can’t help but reflect on my own life, living in New York City, as I read through Brown’s timeline of the events surrounding the Rebbe’s death. For years before he died, there were huge billboards around New York City showing his face and blaring a fervent Messianic message “We Want Moschiach Now.” This group of devoted followers believed he was the best candidate to be the Jewish Messiah and they were waiting for him to declare himself to be the Messiah. Then the unexpected happened and he died. Right afterwards many clamored on the streets of 770 Eastern Parkway, his home awaiting him to be resurrected, but after three days their hope had turned to sorrow. Many of his followers claimed he could have been the Messiah, but the Jewish world was not quite ready to receive him, so he died for their pain and suffering and even attached the Suffering Servant motif from Isaiah 53 to their Rebbe’s death in the literature that was being circulated after his death.

As Brown writes in his book, even though they knew the Rebbe had not physically resurrected, many came to believe he never really died, and his presence is still with us today. When one visits the Rebbe’s place of worship at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY, one may converse with his followers and see some rather fascinating ideas being promoted. One of the most fascinating is the idea the Rebbe is still with them today as he sits in a chair they have in the corner of the building where they worship even though you cannot see him.

Lubavitch children every day pray to the Rebbe who they believe did not die, by chanting this phrase, Yechi Adonenu Mereinu v’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’Olam Va’Ed, “May our Master and Teacher and Rabbi, King Messiah, Live Forever.” Reflecting on this phrase that is used again and again in publications about the Rebbe, Brown points out that in Judaism there are two ways to reflect upon someone’s life. You can refer to someone who is living and to one who has died. By referring to The Rebbe as SHLITA instead of as The Rebbe ZT’L, they are making the case that he never died. This might be overlooked by many, but by using SHLITA which means “may he live a good long life” instead of ZT’L, “In blessed memory”, they are telling everyone in Judaism of their belief that the Rebbe is still alive and not dead.

Brown states very directly in Chapter 5 that we have two leaders with two very different outcomes. Jesus died and was buried just like Rabbi Schneerson, but what sets Jesus apart is that he was resurrected on the third day and the Rebbe did not. There were no mass hallucinations as some want to suggest, as Jesus showed himself to hundreds after his death.  The early disciples did not cling to a Messiah they could not see. They beheld him, they touched him and even grieved when he physically went up into heaven, waiting for Him to return at the proper time.

Then in Chapter 6, Brown takes us to the pinnacle event that Christianity stands, the death of Jesus and compares this to the Rebbe’s death. Jesus did what no one expected Him to do, as He came down to earth from heaven to die for our sins revealing himself as the true Messiah of Israel and the whole world and then was resurrected.

This idea may seem like something way outside of Judaism, but as Brown points out in Chapter 7, Orthodox Judaism does have a belief in what is called the merit and death of a righteous tzaddikim. A Tzadik, who is a Jewish holy man, may increase in his suffering as he is trying to rectify his generation and the generations to come. As Brown rightly concludes, this idea sounds like the Gospel, and it is! Now with this backdrop, Brown brings the words of Paul in Corinthians to light “…Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised from the dead on the third day, according to Scriptures, and that he appeared…”

Over the last two thousand years many in the Jewish community have tried to distance themselves from the idea of a Messiah who dies, by referencing Deuteronomy 13:2-6. This passage states that if a prophet comes to you and says, “let us follow and worship other gods,” this is a test from the Lord. Even though he may appear to be righteous, and it looks good, stay away.  However, Jesus never tried to get the Jewish people to follow other gods. When Jesus refers to himself as God in the flesh is this a test from the Lord? The answer is no! The answer lies right in the Old Testament itself as Brown reveals the mysterious concept of the Divine Angel in Chapter 9. Brown points out that this Angel of the Lord is no ordinary angel as he speaks as God and does things only God can do. The rabbis have never really been able to figure out precisely who this angel is, as they get close but not close enough to call him God.

Finally, Brown wraps up his book by stating that the event that changed the world, the resurrection of Jesus, has changed the lives of millions and millions of people, both Jew and gentile. The Rebbe could never claim such miraculous testimonies as those who have come to follow Jesus these last two thousand years.

The Rebbe has changed the face of Judaism and today there is still much confusion over who this rabbi was and who he is today. There is no such confusion with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The event that changed the world is still being heralded by His followers and still changing the lives of people all over the world.

Reviewed by Mitch Forman 

Preview: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Resurrection/nN7QDwAAQBAJ

Pneuma Review speaks with Dr. Michael Brown about his 2020 book Revolution.

PneumaReview.com: Revolution and revival are subjects that you have addressed in a number of your books. What experiences in your life birthed your passion for these things?

Dr. Michael Brown: Although I had been preaching the message of repentance since my first sermon in 1973, and although revival was a consuming theme in my life from the early 1980s, the revolution theme did not become prominent in my life until the late 1990s. To be sure, I had believed in the transforming power of the gospel, even on a national level, in particular during times of spiritual outpouring. And I had also believed that we were all called to lay our lives down for Jesus. But it was only while serving as a leader in the Brownsville Revival that these different themes coalesced around the concept of revolution.

Michael L. Brown, Revolution: An Urgent Call to Holy Uprising (Charisma House, 2020). Preview

As I explain in more depth in Revolution, it was in 1999, after speaking at a major rally in New Jersey, attended by thousands, that I went to my hotel room and decided to watch a documentary about the rise of religious fundamentalism worldwide, beginning in the late 1970s in Iran. Watching the footage from America as Ronald Reagan came to prominence, I was struck by a similar at a major Christian rally where the speaker sounded themes very similar to mine – except he spoke in 1979 and I was speaking in 1999. Yet things had only deteriorated morally in America since then.

At that moment, it struck me that something dramatic had to change, that more of the same would only produce more of the same, that we needed revolutionary change in our churches that would produce a revolutionary change in our society. And as I began to study revolutionary movements in history, trying to understand how cultural came about, for better or for worse, I began to see in a deeper light how revolutionary the words of Jesus really were, from His call to leave everything for His cause to His call to go and change the world with Him (better known as the Great Commission). That’s what led to the writing of this book.

PneumaReview.com: The title of your most recent book is Revolution: An Urgent Call to Holy Uprising. What prompted you to release this book at this time?

Brown: This is actually an updated, revised edition of the book Revolution: The Call to Holy War that came out in 2000 (this, of course, was before 9/11, and the “Holy War” subtitle was inspired by the students in our ministry school, who heard in terms of a gospel call to lay down our lives for a dying world).

Twenty years later, while speaking with editors from Charisma, one of them asked to see the book, after which he reached out to me, asking if I could work on an updated and revised edition to be released immediately. I felt deeply that this was the Lord’s will, since at that very moment, crowds were marching down our city streets proclaiming, “This is revolution!”

PneumaReview.com: Please describe the characteristics of the revolution that you are calling for in this book.

Brown: Throughout the book, I make very clear that this is a Jesus revolution, not a fleshly, violent revolution of intimidation and anger. It is a revolution based on conformity to the character of Jesus, based on obedience to His radical calling, based on the power of the Spirit, based on the upside down method of the cross. Talk about revolutionary concepts!

PneumaReview.com: What are some of the changes that will need to take place in the church before society at large can be changed?

Brown: We can’t just do church as usual, the same way many of us have been doing it for decades. We can’t go on with a spectator Christianity, where people gather together to watch (or, even participate in) a nice religious show. We need to reach the lost and make disciples. We need to produce true Jesus-followers who are joined to Him in loving obedience whether by life or by death. We need to ask how it is that the world has changed us rather than us changing the world. And then we need to be willing to make major changes – not just for the sake of change and certainly not just to be “relevant” – in order to raise up real revolutionaries.

PneumaReview.com: How important is it for the church to have an eternal perspective in order for this radical transformation to take place?

Brown: It is massively important to have that eternal perspective. That’s why I devote chapters in the book to the gods of this age, the gods of material and greed and addiction to sports and entertainment, the things that so deeply distract us, the things that put our whole focus on the here and now. Instead, we must live our lives in the light of eternity, illustrated powerfully in the book not just by stories of martyrdom, but by the theology of martyrdom. With that understanding, even we live to be 100 years old and are financially prosperous, we will live each day in light of forever.

PneumaReview.com: What can individual believers do in order to prepare themselves to be part of this revolution?

Brown: First and foremost, they make a fresh consecration of their lives to the Lord. They count the cost afresh, understanding how extreme the Lord’s demands are, but then they see that this is the path to a meaningful life: “Here I am, Lord! Send me, use me.” But this can only happen when we experience His goodness and grace and love afresh. Otherwise, it will be fear-based or behavior-based. That’s also why there’s an entire chapter in the book devoted to the subject of holiness – but again, this is not presented in legalistic terms but in liberational terms. Holiness to the Lord is the theme of our counterculture revolution.

In short, I would encourage everyone to read the words of Jesus and the apostles afresh and ask, “What if they really meant what they said?”

PneumaReview.com: How can pastors help prepare their people to be involved in this?

Brown: Pastors need to ask themselves what they are building and what they are producing. Certainly, it is impossible to please everyone, and there is more than enough burden on pastors and elders already. That being said, it’s all too easy for leaders to take the easy route, which is often the traditional route, just replicating what they’ve seen over the years, even if the model is not proving effective.

A constant prayer of mine is that, whatever it takes and whatever the cost or consequence, Jesus will be glorified in my life to the max. If we share that heart, I believe God will answer that prayer – and it is revolutionary indeed.

PR

Dr. Michael Brown is a very well-known author who is quite prolific. He seems to be ever widening the field of topics that he writes about. The Power of Music is unique in that he has not written a book about this subject before. As the title of the book indicates music has power, it has influence, it has the ability to move people. Its influence can be either positive or negative. In this book Dr. Brown looks at both the constructive and destructive power that music can exert.

The book consists of a preface, an introduction, and twelve chapters. In the course of these chapters the author focuses on a variety of topics related to music. For example, chapter 1 is very autobiographical; Brown writes about his own journey and the part that music has played in his life. He was very interested in rock music when he was a teenager, he played it and attended a lot of the concerts put on by the musical celebrities of the day, groups like the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Led Zeppelin. He also writes about how the hymns that were sung in the Pentecostal church he started to attend impacted him. In other chapters, he moves on to describe the impact of music in the wider culture. In chapter 3, Brown cites Daniel J. Levitin who pointed out the pervasiveness of music in our world; it can be heard at weddings, graduations, funerals, sporting events, and in many other settings (page 31). In chapter 5, the author shows how the Communists promoted their message through song. In chapter 6, he writes about the part that music played in the United States during the time of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War (pages 62-70). Later in the book, Brown highlights the significant place that music occupies in Scripture (pages 142-152). Music is significant in both the secular and spiritual world. It cannot be denied that there is power in music, it engages our minds and moves our hearts and emotions.

Reviewed by John Lathrop

Preview The Power of Music: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Power_of_Music.html?id=0Nl7DwAAQBAJ

PneumaReview.com had the opportunity to speak with two scholars about this move of God, each of them giving an interview. The first of these interviews was with Dr. Paul Palma. He has written a significant book called Italian American Pentecostalism and the Struggle for Religious Identity, published in August 2019. In this book, he has written about the Italian Pentecostal Movement in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The second interview is with Dr. Michael Brown. It may be a surprise to some but an Italian Pentecostal Church played an important role in his spiritual journey. We trust that you will find these interviews informative and inspiring.

PneumaReview.com: You were born into a Jewish family. How did you happen to go into an Italian Pentecostal Church?

Michael Brown: Because I was not a religious Jew, I got caught up in the whole counterculture revolution of the 1960s, playing drums in a rock band and becoming a heavy drug user. My two best friends and fellow bandmembers (and drug users) liked two girls whose uncle was an Italian Pentecostal pastor and whose dad had been praying for them for years.

When the girls started attending services there, my friends went with them, first just to hang out, then because the church fascinated them, both because it was Pentecostal and because the pastor was teaching about the end times. When my friends started to change, I went to the church in August 1971, to pull them out. I was sixteen at the time, and, as they say, the rest is history.

PneumaReview.com: How were you received by the people there?

It made such an impression on me that I said to my friends, “Fine, if this is the direction you want to go, I won’t fight you over it.”

Dr. Michael Brown speaks with Pneuma Review about his new book, Jezebel’s War With America. He urges believers to remember who we are in Jesus and take a stand against the spirit of the age.

PneumaReview.com: Please explain to our readers what you mean by Jezebel being at war with America when the historical figure, Jezebel, has been dead for thousands of years.

Michael Brown: We know that in the Bible there was a wicked Queen Jezebel, and she was incredibly powerful. She led the nation into idolatry. She emasculated her husband who was a strong King. She was associated with sexual immorality and with sorcery. She was a murderer, and she was obviously demonically empowered. Jesus called a woman “Jezebel” in the New Testament a thousand years later. This woman also was a false prophet; this false spirituality led people into idolatry and sexual immorality. The same demonic forces that worked through this queen 3,000 years ago and through this false prophet 2,000 years ago are working together in America today.

PneumaReview.com: What do you see as the primary signs that the spirit of Jezebel is at work in America?

Michael Brown: When we look at the state of the nation today, we see the rise of radical feminism and the emasculating of men. We see the rise of idolatry turning away from God, the rise of sexual immorality through porn and the Internet, the intense baby-killing fueling a militant abortion spirit. There are reports that we even have more witches today in America than Presbyterians. The same demonic power that works through Jezebel paralyzes people by fear. All these are clear signs that Jezebel is clearly at work in America.

PneumaReview.com: What are the main tactics that this spirit employs in order to accomplish its purposes?

Dr. Michael Brown is a well-known figure in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles. He travels the world preaching, is the host of the Line of Fire program, and has written numerous books. His books address a wide variety of topics. Some of these topics he has written quite extensively about, these include: revival, Jewish apologetics and evangelism, and the LGBT issue. In Jezebel’s War With America, Dr. Brown addresses some of the major forces that are contending for the soul of America.

The book is comprised of a preface and twelve chapters. The premise of the book is that the characteristics that marked the life of the biblical Jezebel are at work in our day in America. The Jezebel of the Old Testament was an ungodly and controlling woman. The woman that Jesus called Jezebel in Revelation 2:20 was also an ungodly figure, she led the Christians of the first century into sexual immorality and idolatry. This is the “spirit of Jezebel,” that stands opposed to the Word and will of God and it is active in our day. The activity of this spirit can be seen in a number of the major issues that are currently confronting our culture. These issues include: idolatry, sexual immorality, abortion, radical feminism, the war on gender distinctions, the rise of witchcraft, and the silencing of the prophetic voice (that is, biblical truth). A quick survey of these topics reveals that a number of the challenges we are facing as a nation are sexual in nature. Subjects that fall into this category include sexual immortality, abortion, and gender distinctions. Radical feminism might also be included in this list.

Michael Brown’s PneumaReview.com author page

In chapter 4, “Jezebel and the Sexual Seduction of America,” Brown cites figures about how widespread pornography is. Some of the statistics on this are staggering. One of the reasons for this is the availability of porn on the internet. It can be viewed discreetly, on a cell phone, or from the privacy of one’s home on a computer. Pornography is a contributing factor to extra marital affairs and problems in marriages. It thus creates problems for the viewer and others as well.

Chapter 6 is titled “Jezebel and Radical Feminism.” Brown admits that not all feminism or women’s movements are bad, some have been very helpful with regard to issues that concern women. The author’s issue is with radical feminism. Their agenda is very different. Brown quotes a number of radical feminists in this chapter. It is clear from some of their statements that these women have little regard for men or marriage. For example, Brown quotes Sheila Cronan as saying “Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage.” Brown says that radical feminists are extreme. It is clear that their goals, if achieved, would negatively impact marriages and family.

Pneuma Review speaks with Dr. Michael L. Brown about his story, Playing With Holy Fire, and encouraging the biblical use of spiritual gifts.

PneumaReview.com: Briefly describe your own personal history in the Pentecostal/Charismatic church.

Michael Brown: The Lord saved me in an Italian Pentecostal church in Queens, New York in 1971. That was my first introduction to the gospel, and those dear believers helped pray me into the kingdom. I was an ungodly rebel, yet the Lord burdened them to pray for me, and their prayers were wonderfully answered. I surrendered to Him on December 17, 1971 and was filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues on January 24, 1972.

Michael Brown in an earlier time.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I became somewhat skeptical of my Pentecostal roots, joining another church during that time while I went to grad school. But the evidence of Scripture was too strong in favor of the continuation of the gifts, and my life was dramatically impacted again in late 1982 when the Spirit got hold me and brought a fresh outpouring to our congregation. From that time on, I have primarily been in Pentecostal-Charismatic circles, although I work with believers from all segments of the Body.

A highlight of my life was serving as a leader in the Brownsville Revival from 1996-2000. That was a classical, repentance-based revival with full-blown Pentecostal elements.

PneumaReview.com: You have addressed errors in the Pentecostal/Charismatic church before. What prompted you to write a whole book devoted to the subject at this time?

Michael L. Brown, Playing With Holy Fire: A Wake-Up Call To the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2018), 224 pages, ISBN 9781629994987.
Read the review by Pastor John Lathrop.

Michael Brown: The last time I wrote an entire book focused on some of our shortcomings and abuses was 1991 (Whatever Happened to the Power of God: Is the Charismatic Church Slain in the Spirit or Down for the Count?). Since then, although I have often addressed issues in our midst, I have not devoted an entire book to the subject.

A few years back, Pastor John MacArthur launched a frontal assault on the Charismatic church with his Strange Fire book and conference (by the same name), yet I felt his criticisms were over the top, throwing out many healthy babies with some unhealthy bathwater, and in response, I wrote Authentic Fire. I also know that his criticisms would largely go unheard by those he most wanted to address. In fact, I believe his conference helped galvanize our movement in certain ways. [Editor’s note: PneumaReview.com covered the Strange Fire book release and conference including reviews by Craig S. Keener, Jon Ruthven, Charles Carrin, Eddie Hyatt, Monte Lee Rice, and Loren Sandford. PneumaReview.com also published reviews of Authentic Fire by William De Arteaga, John King, Daniel Snape, Loren Sandford, and former MacArthur disciple Rob Wilkerson.]

Dr. Michael Brown has Pentecostal roots that run deep. His early days as a Christian were spent in an Italian Pentecostal Church in New York, years later he was one of the leaders in the Brownsville Revival in Florida, and in addition he has written a number of books that deal with the ministry of the Spirit. Some of his books dealing with the work of the Holy Spirit include: Whatever Happened to the Power of God, The Revival Answer Book, and Authentic Fire. He has been exposed to the charismatic workings of the Spirit since the early 1970s both as an observer and as a participant. He cares very deeply about the Charismatic/Pentecostal movements. Much good has come from these movements, however, there is no denying that they have had their fair share of problems as well. In Playing With Holy Fire Brown addresses some of the problems within the Charismatic/Pentecostal church. He also gives examples of positive things that have taken place as people have obeyed the promptings of God. In some of his other books, Brown has written about the shortcomings of the Spirit-filled church, in this current volume he deals with them quite extensively. He does not write merely as a critic, as always, he seeks to be redemptive. He identifies the problems, explains why they are problems, and offers counsel to move forward toward more biblical beliefs and practices. The author offers a wealth of scriptural references to substantiate the truth in the face of error.

The book consists of a preface, twelve chapters, and a postscript. The chapters are: “The Spirit Is Moving Mightily!,” “Why Are We So Gullible?”, “Mercenary Prophets,” “Superstar Leaders,” “Abusive Leadership,” “Unaccountable Prophecies,” “Sexual Immorality,” “The Pep-Talk, Prosperity Gospel,” “Celebrating Doctrinal Deviance,” “To the Third Heaven and Back in a Flash,” “Wanting to Be Wise Like the World,” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” The postscript is titled: “A Word to the Charismatic Critics.” As a quick look at the chapter titles makes clear, Brown covers a number of very significant topics. One interesting feature of this book is that the author does not give the names of the people who are in error in the various areas that he covers in the book. He states his reasons for not naming names in the preface of the book. In the preface he also lists things that have contributed to the problems in the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movements, he believes they stem from “immaturity, gullibility, carnality, sensationalism, merchandising, corruption, and doctrinal error” in a rapidly growing supernatural movement.

Chapter one is very positive. It speaks about the tremendous impact that the charismatic work of the Holy Spirit has had upon our world. In fact, Brown tells us that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Azusa Street ranked 68^th in a list of the top 100 events of the last 1,000 years in a report published by Life Magazine in 1999. So the world has noticed!

An appreciation for the role that A. B. Simpson (1843–1919), founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, played in the shaping of late nineteenth-century trans-Atlantic evangelicalism has been growing in recent years. While the impact that he had on the denomination that he founded is obvious, the impression that he left on early Pentecostalism seems now beyond academic dispute. Only more recently has Simpson’s contribution to a wider Evangelicalism been considered. Michael Yount’s A. B. Simpson: His Message and Impact on the Third Great Awakening will certainly contribute to that growing understanding and appreciation.

At the heart of Yount’s work is the assertion that Simpson played a significant role in shaping the Third Great Awakening, a movement of God that brought new life to the Church and emerged from, among other influences, the Layman’s Prayer Revival of 1857 and Phoebe Palmer’s Tuesday Meetings for the Promotion of Holiness. After providing a very helpful chapter that surveys the religious landscape that led to and marked this Awakening and after providing a chapter laying out an insightful biography of Simpson’s life, Yount moves on to describe those areas, both theological and practical, where Simpson’s contributions may be seen most clearly. These are 1) evangelism, 2) the Holiness Movement, 3) the Healing Movement, 4) the Premillennial Movement, and 5) Urban and Worldwide Evangelization. These, of course, align with Simpson’s “Fourfold Gospel” and his emphasis on mission. Each of these chapters is clearly laid out, starting with an examination of the theological and historical context of the topic at hand and then moving on to describe and analyze Simpson’s particular views and contribution in that field.

Despite the fact that the contours of the Christian canon were decided by the fourth century, vibrant and vigorous discussion about the authenticity of the books has persisted into our day. Indeed, for many years now, the New Testament canon has been a subject of research and dispute. When and how these 27 books became recognized as a new scriptural deposit has been a chief source of contention. More importantly, why did the new Christian sect perceive the need for a new canon at all? Does the New Testament exist because of some action done in the second or third century church, or did it arise more naturally from within the early Christian faith itself? Was it an extrinsic phenomenon, or an intrinsic one? Were the books written as Scripture, or did they become Scripture by a decision of the second-century church? These are the types of questions that led Michael J. Kruger to challenge modern scholarship’s dominant view that the New Testament is a late creation of the church imposed on books which were originally written for another purpose.

Michael J. Kruger is President and Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte.

Calling into question the commonly held extrinsic (or “from without”) view, which holds that the New Testament was an ecclesial product designed for ecclesial needs in the later Church, most directly to address the rise of Marcionism in the early church, Kruger tackles the five most prevalent objections to the classic understanding of a quickly emerging, self-authenticating collection of authoritative scriptures – he refers to his model as an “intrinsic” one. This framework recognizes the canon as the product of internal dynamics evolving out of the historical situation in which Christianity found itself, not a development retroactively imposed by the church upon books written hundreds of years before. He argues that the makeup of first-century Christianity created a favorable environment for the growth of a new revelational deposit. Kruger stipulates that the extrinsic model is correct as far as it goes, but that we should not rule out other definitions that bring more balance to our understanding of canon, and that therefore there is no sharp delineation between “Scripture” and “canon,” the latter of which only applies to the final, closed list of books. Moreover, he argues that there was a matrix of theological beliefs held by early Christians that would have resulted in a canon developing quite naturally, even if the early church did not recognize it formally. Third, he argues that while most Christians were illiterate, they were nonetheless characterized by a robust textuality – that is, the knowledge, use, and appreciation of written texts. Furthermore, he asserts that the New Testament authors, contrary to the interpretation of the extrinsic model, provide substantial indications that they understood their message as authoritative, showing this often quite plainly. If the extrinsic model were true, Kruger contends, we would expect that it would have taken quite a while for the New Testament writings to be attain Scriptural status, but in fact the Scriptures were deemed to be such at a much earlier time than commonly allowed by scholars.

While The Question of Canon scrutinizes today’s popular scholastic view, it also offers an alternative concept that is, in some respects, a better empirical foundation for canonical studies. He does not deal with the standard questions about the canon. For example, how do we know we have the right book? Instead, he asks more fundamental questions about where the canon comes from. I recommend this text to those who have interests in knowing how, when, and why the Scriptures became “the Scriptures.” Kruger has offered the church a service with this volume.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Publisher’s page: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4031

Companion website: http://michaeljkruger.com/tag/the-question-of-canon/

Preview The Question of Canon: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Question_of_Canon.html?id=eYgMAgAAQBAJ