Book Blog

Last week, I shared a favorite book of mine that had connections back to my college and seminary days. This week isn't just one I read back in college, it was written by one of my professors. 

Plowshares and Pruning Hooks helped me understand biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature in a much deeper way. Like Walter Bruggemann before him, Sandy carefully asks some relevant questions about the way we read prophecy in Scripture:

• What was the purpose of prophecy?
• How literally should we take these passages?
• Are we using a consistent hermeneutic?
• What does past fulfillment teach us about promises we're still waiting to be fulfilled?

I've gotten the sense that this book received criticism from some theological circles, but I know it has been widely affirmed in many others. 

Personally, I always found Dr. Sandy to be a humble, engaging, and encouraging teacher. He was more apt to ask us questions than feed us answers. Even if you differed with him, he was willing to listen and engage you. That is no doubt why I appreciate this book like I do, I know the heart behind it.

In the end, I highly recommend this somewhat obscure book for anyone interested in being better equipped to handle prophecy and apocalyptic parts of the Bible.