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The A to Z of the New Testament – featuring Jean-Claude van Damme, George Lucas, the Cast of Friends, and More!

The A to Z of the New Testament – featuring Jean-Claude van Damme, George Lucas, the Cast of Friends, and More!

Last updated on: September 1, 2023 at 7:42 am by James F. McGrath

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The A to Z of the New Testament – featuring Jean-Claude van Damme, George Lucas, the Cast of Friends, and More! 2023-09-01T07:42:43-04:00 James F. McGrath

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If you are connected with me on social media you are probably aware of my book The A to Z of the New Testament which will be in bookshops from October but pre-orders of which will probably ship this month. My advance author copy arrived yesterday (see the photo at the end of this post). The book is designed to be fun, to offer an enjoyable way of learning what scholars know about the New Testament. Remember when learning was fun? If it hasn’t been in a while, please give me the chance to convince you that it still can be even for adult learners! The promotional videos below give a taste of the feel of the book, using popular culture references to illustrate points or simply to make it more fun to do serious learning without it feeling difficult.

The book is currently on sale at Christianbook.com for only $15.99. They were formerly Christian Book Distributors. My guess is they changed their name because CBD is also an abbreviation for something else. Does anyone know for sure?

Let me make sure you don’t miss my video explaining why Jean-Claude van Damme is in the book!

The second video I made about the book does something similar but with Star Wars and textual criticism (which is just a fancy term for comparing manuscripts of an ancient work when we no longer have the original, in order to deduce what the original form was like). If you never imagined that the cantina scene with Han and Greedo and the story of the woman accused of adultery could have anything in common, watch this video!

The third video I made about the book has a Friends theme:

These videos are also on TikTok and Facebook.

When you get a copy of the book and read it, I will be grateful if you would take the time to review or at least rate it online. That makes a huge difference to how places like Amazon decide what books to draw to the attention of others. Even just giving it however many stars you think it deserves is enough if you don’t have time to say a few words. Thank you in advance!

Since I don’t go on Goodreads regularly, I only just discovered how many great reviews there are there of some of my previous books!

Pearl Loewen wrote about What Jesus Learned from Women, “What a delightful, enjoyable book! It’s got to be one of my favourite reads in a while of any genre. Although my reading of Scripture isn’t ultra-conservative, seeing how a historian interprets the Gospels and traditions was so valuable. Add to that the highly imaginative, at times speculative approach left me wondering if I don’t need to go back to the Gospels and re-read them with different lenses. The narrative historical stories introducing each chapter and woman were also valuable in taking the reader back in time, and envisioning how the women may have told their own stories.

I don’t give many books five stars, but this one deserved it. McGrath is right: there ought to be more men writing about women. I look forward to his next book on John the Baptist’s impact on Jesus.”

Andy Hickman says that my Theology and Science Fiction is a book he has long wanted to write himself, and offers some of his favorite quotes. The book is still only $2.99 for Kindle!

Matthew Clanahan took the time to rank individual chapters in Religion and Science Fiction.

Also, don’t miss Avril’s story about her experience with Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith, which the publisher has at 60% off at the moment to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Use the coupon code TARDIF to get the discount.

When you read The A to Z of the New Testament, please share your thoughts about it on sites like Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you!

Finally, here is a photo of me taken in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies office suite at Butler University, literally minutes after the book reached me and I first held it in my hands. I’m so grateful to work at a place where there is such enthusiastic support for my work not only in research but in teaching, whether the audience is our undergraduate students, the internet via my blog, or a general readership through books like this latest one of mine.

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