Tag: Nijay K. Gupta

I don’t normally publish review-ish posts on Saturday, but I have a deadline—and after weeks of trying, I have a draft I can live with (deadlines are my friend). So, hope you don’t mind this out-of-place post.

Slow Theology:
Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World

by A J Swoboda/Nijay K Gupta

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press
Publication Date: September 23, 2025
Format: Paperback
Length: 208 pg.
Read Date: January 4-11, 2026

Wouldn’t it be great if we were simply given simple and immediate answers to all our questions? Lord knows, it certainly would make all our lives easier if God sent us a quick note the way a friend would send us a text message. But the deepest questions do not necessarily deserve quick answers. In fact, the quick answer very well may cheapen the sacredness of a holy question. Moments like these—when we seek to understand as best we can the theological conundrums that Christians have been meditating on for centuries—actually demand from time to time that we resist the temptation to offer quick answers and shallow hot takes. Deep questions deserve deep responses, which require lots of time, energy, and toil. Sometimes, deep Christian formation is possible only when we embrace the unanswerable. To try to solve a question that has been wrestled with for thousands of years with a short tweet, YouTube clip, or pithy bumper sticker is the most dangerous and flippant of responses.

Not every question that we may ask about God can come back to us as a neat and tidy package with a pretty bow on top. We believe that the importance of creating space for unanswered or unresolved questions is modeled by the inspired Scriptures.

What’s Slow Theology About?

We live in a hurried world, where untold information is at our fingertips (and the amount of it grows all the time), rushed “hot takes,” we demand answers—fast—and seem to receive them on all subjects at all hours, we want instant results from exercise/financial investments/diets/self-improvement schemes. This is the atmosphere we in the West are immersed in, believe in, and live by. Quick Fixes, Fast Solutions.

But the Bible doesn’t tell us to be that way—particularly when it comes to our understanding of God, His revelation, or our sanctification. Instead, we’re told to patiently slow down, persevere, listen, and think.

The authors give us eight practices—practices, not disciplines, not steps, not a “just add water” approach—to help build this into our lives, minds, and hearts.

They include: taking a long view of faith, applying the Sabbath to our theology, talking to God through our difficulties, believing with the Body of believers, appreciating mystery, and perseverance.

That’s probably an oversimplification of the book—but if I don’t oversimplify, you’re going to get a novella-length summary. And neither of us has time for that (especially when we could be reading/re-reading/chewing on this book instead)

Highlights

My practice with Non-Fiction books is to talk about the parts of the book that I found particularly helpful, informative, or whatever. In keeping with that practice, I should note Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapt—yeah, that’s just not going to help. This book started off strong and went from strength to strength.

But there were a couple of things that really stood out to me. There’s a good section on Asaph and Psalm 73. I admit to a little bias there—ever since a sermon series my pastor delivered in the 90s, the psalms by Asaph and his sons have been my favorite. But I think this section on Psalm 73, and the honest and faithful way Asaph dealt with challenges would’ve stood out to me regardless. Things don’t all work out for Asaph in this psalm, but he knows his God is with him as he works through them.

I’d also point out the section on lament. I’ve pointed to books discussing it well a few times in the past (I’m sure, don’t ask for examples), and here’s another one worth turning to time and again. The authors focus on Jesus and David in this exhortation, and it struck home to me. In response to so much of the news lately—this is a practice I fear we’re going to need to focus on.

There is a wise saying that gets passed around: “To cry is human. But to lament is Christian.” Lament is the biblical practice that we have been given to process our hurt and anger with God and not just against God. Lament actually invites us to be openly upset with God, not to push him away but to invite him to respond. Not long after Jesus questioned the presence of God, he was raised from death to life. Lament, in the end, is hope-filled desperation.

Drawbacks

I’m sure there are some. I didn’t take note of them on an initial read. Hit me up after a few re-reads, if you’re dying to hear about any quibbles.

So, what did I think about Slow Theology?

You ever read one of those books, and by the time you’re mid-way through, you just know that it’s going to be living in your head for the rest of the year or so? That was the case with this one by Chapter Two. Nothing happened to change my appreciation after that. This is going to be one of those books I’m going to be bouncing off of for at least 12 months.

I should say that I’ve never listened to the podcast by the authors with the same title. I probably should start.

This is a book full of wisdom. It’s something to chew on—meditate on—to come back to and reason with. This shouldn’t be something read once and discarded, thinking you’ve got it down cold. It’s not about information or answers, it’s about practice. (mentally insert the Heidelcast’s riff on the “Not a game, not a game. It’s about practice” quotation here, if you know what I’m talking about)

I strongly encourage you, reader, to pick this one up. I think you’ll be rewarded.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a participant in the Baker Publishing Group Nonfiction Reviewer Program. However, as always here, I read this book because it interested me and the opinions expressed are my own.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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My Favorite Theology/Christian Living Books of 2024

By HCNewton

On January 5, 2025

In News/Misc., Theology/Christian Living

My Favorite Theology/Christian Living Books of 2024
It’s time for me to start with these lists, I guess. We’re going to start with my favorites in Theology and Christian Living (and related things). There’s some overlap in some of these titles, which just shows what kinds of things I was thinking about this year, I guess. I didn’t read as many books along these lines as I expected to/usually do–mostly because the ones I did read took some work to get through (and I had too many “project reads”). But these would’ve floated to the top in any year.

As always, re-reads don’t count for these lists.

(in alphabetical order by author)

On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God

edited by Matthew Barrett

My original post
This is simply a monumental work that the Western Church desperately needs. (at least from where I’m sitting) Barrett and the all-star group of contributors make the case that we need to remember, if not rediscover, the classical, Nicene doctrine of the Trinity (as well as that which led to it and from it). We ignore it at our own peril and play fast-and-loose with it today to the damage of our preaching, our sanctification (collectively and individually), and our mission. These 800 pages of articles define the essentials, expand upon those definitions, show where we’re falling and failing and point us to recover lost ground.

I read it far, far too quickly to get everything it was trying to do–I’m going to take another run at it soon and will read it slowly, with a notebook in hand.

5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars

The Marrow of Modern Divinity

by Edward Fisher, Thomas Boston

My original post
This is one of the most famous (or infamous) books in the Scottish Reformed tradition–Edward Fisher’s defense of the Gospel against the errors of legalism and antinomianism with (generally) helpful notes (as short as a phrase or as long as several paragraphs) by Thomas Boston that created a controversy in the Church of Scotland big enough that books are still being written about it.

The Marrow is so clear. It’s so helpful. It’s so full of Gospel truth and assurance. It’s so spot-on in describing the ditches of legalism and antinomianism that are so easy to fall into. And yet, it never gets nasty or harsh in the criticism of the errors, it just points at them and says, “Don’t go there, and here’s why.” So few books along these lines manage that (I’m not saying they’re wrong to show teeth, but Fisher/Boston show you don’t need to).

I cannot recommend this enough.

5 Stars

On the Unity of Christ

by Cyril of Alexandria, John Anthony McGuckin (Translator)

My original post
One thing that goes along with our problems with Trinitarian Theology is Christology–particularly the Unity of the Divine and Human natures of Jesus Christ. It’s not an easy thing to grapple with, make no mistake, but it’s not something we should take casually, either. Cyril of Alexandria’s On the Unity of Christ is one of the landmark works in the development/defense of this idea–and reading it you understand why it’s stood the test of time. The translation (and, I assume, Cyril’s original) flows easily, most of it can be understood by 21st Century readers (even those of us relatively unschooled in philosophy or technical theology). The case he’s making is easy to follow and profit from.

Sometimes it’s hard to understand why something is considered a classic outside of its age. On the Union of Christ is not one of those books.

5 Stars

The Water and the Blood: How the Sacraments Shape Christian Identity

by Kevin P. Emmert

My original post
I read this last January, and should probably schedule a re-read soon. It’s one of those books.

It’s is a confessional (from all over the Protestant spectrum) and theological look at the sacraments and their role in teaching Christians about Christ and forming their character and lives in Him. The book starts by talking about the dependence of the Sacraments on the Word, then moves to a look at the nature of the Sacraments and how they function generally to form Christians. The next two chapters look at each Sacrament specifically—what they tell us about those “who have been immersed into Christ and who commune with Him.” The last two chapters apply all this, how the Sacraments form and inform Christian morality and then how they equip and guide believers into the work of ministry in a variety of settings.

The focus of the book is our identity in Christ—the doctrine of Union with Christ—and how the sacraments shape us into better living out that identity. And I just wanted to marinate in that for days. I still do, really.

5 Stars

Word and Spirit: Selected Writings in Biblical and Systematic Theology

by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.; edited by David B. Garner & Guy Prentiss Waters

My original post
This is a collection of most (if not all) of the shorter works of Richard Gaffin organized under the topics of: Hermeneutics, Biblical Theology, and Systematic Theology; Theology of Hebrews and Paul; Scripture, Epistemology, and Anthropology; Pneumatology; and The Law of God, Soteriology, and Eschatology.

If I were asked what was the best section, or the best piece in the book (or in each section), I’d balk. If pressed, I’d make an attempt and would end up arguing for just about every piece in the book. It’s probably the book on this list I profited the most from. I expect that to be true–or at least in the running–anytime I pick it up in the future.

5 Stars

Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling

by Nijay K. Gupta

My original post
Gupta’s aim is to show how strange the early Christians appeared to their neighbors due to their practices, beliefs, and attitudes. Not as a call to “keep Christinity weird” or anything–but to remind us how odd we are compared to everyone around us, and we’ve always been that way.

There’s the implication that if we don’t seem weird to those outside the Church, maybe we’re doing something wrong. But that’s not his main point.

Also, the strange-ness of early Christianity was one of the things that attracted some to the Church. It was different, it was distinct, and that drew in people who saw the shortcomings of their culture.

It’s a somewhat humorous (but not jokey) and engaging read that educates and challenges. It’s well worth your time.

This could/should be read in conjunction with the books by Williams and Presley on this list, they describe some of the same time period in overlapping but distinct ways.

4 Stars

Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World Like the Early Church

by Stephen O. Presley

My original post
While many look at the increasinly post-Christian world we seem to be living in and come up with plans for waging a Culture War of one form or another, Presley asks why not look to the Early Church, the pre-Constantinian believers who were in a situation very similar, but a pre-Christendom. How did they go about interacting with the culture? This book explores that idea by looking at the way Christians believed, taught, and acted (generally speaking, recognizing outliers and sins along the way) in the spheres of: Identity, Citizenship, Intellectual Life, Public Life, and Hope.

His position is, to over-simplify: through a focus on catechesis (or, if you prefer, discipleship) and liturgy (or, if you prefer, worship) the Church was able to build identity and community, able to live out the lives they were called to and to impact—slowly and organically—the culture around them.

It’s not a perfect book, but it’s so helpful that it’s easy to overlook what few problems/quibbles I might have had with the writing/examples. It’s a reminder that the Church ought to be the Church (see the book by Strange below), and focus on that.

This could/should be read in conjunction with the books by Williams and Gupta on this list, they describe some of the same time period in overlapping but distinct ways.

Oh, yeah, it hasone of the best indexes I encountered last year, too.

4 Stars

Empowered Witness: Politics, Culture, and the Spiritual Mission of the Church

by Alan D. Strange

My original post
This is an introduction to and defense of the Presbyterian doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church (essentially that the Church has a ministerial, not majesterial/legislative, calling). The book accomplishes its task primarily
by looking at the way Charles Hodge and some of this Southern Presbyterian opponents–who all held to this doctrine–dealt with the issue of slavery/The Civil War in the middle of the 19th Century.

It might seem like a strange approach, but it really works–keeping it from contemporary arguments, Strange is able to talk about these things without bringing in too many prejudices or getting distracted by trying to comment on contemporary issues.

There are few books (of any genre) that I’ve spent as much time talking about over the last year as I have this one. It’ll spark conversation for you, if nothing else. But you’ll profit from it greatly.

4 1/2 Stars

Redemptive History & Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos

by Geerhardus Vos, edited by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.

My original post
Like the Gaffin collection (above), this is a collection of much of Vos’ shorter works, largely focused on Biblical Theology. We get 270 pages of 20 +/- page articles, then several shorter works and addresses, and then a handful of Book Reviews (that provide as much as, if not more, to chew on than the shorter works).

This collection just knocked my socks off. I read an article a week and it was one of the highlights of the week for me to do so.

I learned a lot. Not just about Vos and his brand of theology, but about the Scriptures and the Lord who gave them to His Church so she would see Him and His glory in them.

The writing is fantastic. The thinking is even better. I had to think about a lot of this, to ponder and wrestle with it, and got to revel in it, too.

I can’t think of a reason to not read this book—it’ll reward careful reading (and casual reading, too—just not as richly). It’s just great stuff.

4 1/2 Stars

Cultural Christians in the Early Church: A Historical and Practical Introduction to Christians in the Greco-Roman World

by Nadya Williams

My original post
For Williams, Cultural Christians are “individuals who self-identify as Christians, but whose outward behavior, and, to the extent that we can tell, inward thoughts and motivations are largely influenced by the surrounding culture rather than by their Christian faith and teachings of Jesus.”

There are three driving concerns behind this book. The first is to combat the idea that the Early Church was too spiritual and correct to have to deal with these individuals—and because of that we can have some problematic ideas about the Church today. Secondly, because of our historical ignorance, we can fail to see how the Early Church was influenced by the culture around them. Third, if we see how the Early Church is susceptible to this, and that we are, too—we can more easily see the need to push beyond Cultural Christianity to the genuine article.

Williams does discuss some of the major theologians of the first few centuries of The Church (until around the time of Constantine), but her focus is on everyday believers. To get a real flavor of what life was like we don’t just need the theological tracts and creeds, we need to know what people ate, wore, did for a living, and so on.

We have the same feet of clay as our forefathers did—and the same challenges to overcome. Thankfully, we have the same Savior. This book helps us to remember that—and I encourage everyone to pick this up (and not just so you don’t have to hear me do it in person, as many of my friends have).

This could/should be read in conjunction with the books by Gupta and Presley on this list, they describe some of the same time period in overlapping but distinct ways.
4 Stars

A few books that almost made this list, and I want to be sure to mention one more time:
The Lord Jesus Christ: The Biblical Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ by Brandon D. Crowe (My original post), The Two Kingdoms: A Guide for the Perplexed by W. Bradford Littlejohn (My original post), Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy by John McGuckin (My original post), and The Hijacked Conscience: An Informed and Compassionate Response to Religious Scrupulosity by Debra Peck (My original post).

Strange Religion by Nijay K. Gupta: People Say I’m Strange, Does It Make Me A Stranger…

By HCNewton

On June 9, 2024

In History, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Strange Religion:
How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling

by Nijay K. Gupta

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press    
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 216 pg.
Read Date: May 12-19, 2024

I set out to spend a few years studying ancient religions in general and Roman religion in particular, and I came to a clear conclusion: by and large, early Christians were weird and were dangerous to many, and yet clearly some found this religion attractive and compelling.

This book is not a handbook for how to be Christian today or how to create a “weird” church. Largely, I see the work I have done as descriptive—these are the first Christians, warts and all. They were not bucking conventions and pop religion to be special or different. In their best and most genuine moments, they were simply following Jesus, like mice blindly chasing after the pied piper. As they did so, they deviated from the norm of religion, and, whether they were intend. ing to or not, they stood out in society. This deviation from the norm is one way of defining what it means to be “weird. Another way is simply to say that “weird” things belong in another category. l am hoping that an extended investigation of the belies, practices, and ethos of the early Christians will clarify their origins and foundations, and provide insight into authentic Christianity today.

What’s Strange Religion About?

Gupta’s observation/conclusion is that early Christians were strange or weird when compared to others in their culture—thanks to their beliefs, ways of acting, and ways they wouldn’t act (for starters). They didn’t set out to be strange, to rebel against the culture, or anything like that. Actually, their goals involved being good citizens and living quiet lives—but their religious convictions set them outside the norm, and they stayed there for a good long time.

While Gupta doesn’t shy away from the occasional application to the contemporary Western (particularly American) Church, by and large, this is a descriptive book. He just talks about Roman culture in certain areas and then talks about how Christians were oddballs in the midst of all that. As he says above—this isn’t an attempt to make Christianity weird again, or anything like that—just to remind us how out of touch with the culture we were at one point.

Some of the areas he covers are: how the Romans of the first couple of centuries saw Christianity as a superstition; some early Christian beliefs—like believing they were possessed by God’s Spirit, their reckoning of the meaning of Time, and wanting to be associated with a horrible criminal in the first place (only the worst of the worst were crucified, who’d want to be associated with someone like that?); worship practices; family practices; and the way they treated others.

Belief

Romans sometimes argued about the gods—not over personal “beliefs” but over what they thought was true of the gods, But the Christians took their views to a whole other level, “believing” things that seemed absurd, disturbing, and even impossible. This may be one reason that Christians originally referred to themselves as “believers.” Today, we take for granted that religion is all about “faith” and “belief.” We have “faith” statements, “faith” traditions, and “interfaith” dialogue. But in the ancient world, there wasn’t this natural association between religion and faith language.

This is one of the biggest differences—one that shapes a lot of the rest. The book as a whole comes from Gupta’s students asking, why early Christians called themselves “believers,” what did the other followers of other religions call themselves? And well, one of Gupta’s findings was that Christians were more than a little strange by focusing on faith and belief. It was just foreign to the status quo.

The priests of public Roman religion were not chosen for their piety. They were expected to be experts in performing rituals. In fact, they had to be masters of religious arts so as to maintain the pax deorum*. It was a bit like being a professional bomb-disposal expert. It really doesn’t matter what you believe about government, law enforcement, or justice as long as you are good at defusing bombs. French historian and archaeologist Robert Turcan refers to Roman ritual worship as “Taylorism”—a form of scientific management. Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) developed a theory of management that was meant to produce efficient and effective workflow. Taylor offered a kind of mathematical formula to get the most out of human and industrial resources. Turcan argues that this was the mentality of the Romans—efficient and “successful” ritual performance to keep the gods content and happy. Roman priests and other cultic personnel had to provide meticulous observance of time-honored rituals.

He goes further:

There was a pervasive Roman understanding that persona beliefs, best intentions, and heartfelt emotion did not enhance religion. What mattered was what the gods actually called for—sacrifice and compliance. The early Christians had ther own practices and rituals, of course…But one thing we learn when we read the New Testament is that these Jesus people were absolutely obsessed with belief.

Now, Gupta spends twenty pages making that case, I just gave a brief overview—but even here, you can get an idea of how he goes about talking about each topic addressed.

* “Keeping Peace with the Gods.” Gupta describes the function of the sacrifices and rituals as maintaining this peace. It’s most of the content of the first chapter, and the basis for most of the rest of the book.

Pobody’s Nerfect

The last chapter* is entitled “The Christians Were Not Perfect”—some of this covers similar ideas as Nadya Williams’ book, Cultural Christians in the Early Church, but not all of it.

I really appreciated this chapter for a couple of reasons: 1. It’d be easy to take Gupta’s material and walk away with the idea that the early Christians had it all together (something that Williams and Gupta really wanted to counter), and 2. Gupta hits on some things that a lot of people don’t cover along these lines.

That said, it’s not a perfect chapter—and maybe it’s the most obviously imperfect chapter—I’m not sure I’m willing to buy into all of his examples from the Scriptures showing those imperfections (actually, there are some I’m sure I don’t buy).

But the chapter as a whole is a nice, refreshing reminder about the feet of clay that even the best of us possess.

* There is a conclusion following it, but it’s not long enough (or something) to be considered a chapter—at least not a numbered one. I wanted to stress that because I’ve complained recently about too many books not having a conclusion.

So, what did I think about Strange Religion?

One thing I haven’t talked about yet is that one of the things that Gupta focuses on is that despite—or maybe because of—the strangeness of Christianity to the Romans of the first and second centuries is that it was attractive to them. The “freaks” kept drawing more and more people to them, converting them to the weirdness. Again—not because they were strange, but because following Jesus Christ made them that way.

As a reader, not only did I appreciate the material, but the way that Gupta presented it. He built his arguments carefully and clearly (and one assumes accurately). Throughout all of this Gupta’s sense of humor shines through—keeping the text engaging as it educates. I’m always going to say good things about a book that does that (as long as the humor doesn’t detract from the serious material), and Gupta got this part right.

This is really one of the better books that I’ve read this year. From the thesis to the conclusion, and most points in between, Gupta painted a much-needed picture of early Christianity and Christians and how they related to the culture around them. It’s encouraging to remember that’s the natural state of the Church and one that we shouldn’t find ourselves overly-worried to be in again. I encourage Christians and those curious about our early history to give it a read.

I know that my wife has another book by Gupta on her shelves, I’m probably going to have to borrow it soon.

4 Stars