1 Corinthians

Rating:
Summary: A balanced look at original meaning and modern application
Review: Dr. Blomberg does an excellent job of combining scholarly but accessible exegesis of the text of 1 Corinthians with an extremely balanced examination of modern applications. The troubles of the Corinthian church remain germane for the 20th and 21st century church. In spite of the nearly two thousand year of "progress," problems such as willful and baseless divisiveness, sexual immorality, propriety of conduct during worship services, and the role of women in the church exist in one extreme or the other in almost every modern denomination. Every Christian can benefit from a modern look at the overarching importance of love in the life and ministry of believers. Dr. Blomberg's fair application across the doctrinal spectrum, his willingness to bridge between the original context and the modern to confront divisive traditions and practices head on, and his focus on the importance of the fundamental unity of all Christians make this a very valuable and very readable look at Paul's inspired solutions to the problems of both a first century church and modern churches.

Rating:
Summary: New Testament Scholar as Pastor
Review: I have mixed reactions to The NIV Application Commentary series. The theory behind the series is that most commentaries simply take the reader back to the first century, whereas this one brings the first century into the present. To accomplish this goal, this series has three sections for each set of passages: Original Meaning, Bridging Contexts, and Contemporary Significance. But the introduction itself seems to admit there is no real distinction between Bridging Contexts and Contemporary Significance. ("[T]here is not always a sharp distinction or a clear break between this section and the one that follows"). At other times, Bridging Contexts provides some interesting materials, such as how the passage has been interpreted at other times in church history.

The introduction is helpful, but short. The Original Meaning sections are consistently good, but sometimes seemed to shortchange the topic to make way for the other two sections. Blomberg is a first rate scholar, so I am always interested in his discussions on New Testament documents. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the emphasis of this series on contemporary significance. If I had been, I probably would have taken a pass on it. Having bought and read it, my opinion has not changed much. Perhaps the problem is that New Testament scholars do not necessarily make good pastors/priests/reverends. But perhaps the problem is really trying to convert the entire letter into today's world in a vacuum, that is, without a context or specific inquiry.