I just finished reading The Missing Gospels by Darrell L. Bock, professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Being a trained journalist, I applaud the measured, scholarly and objective telling-of-both-sides aspect of Bock's writing.
He thoroughly explores--without hair-splitting irrelevancies--documents discovered at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. These documents have often been co-opted to uphold the teachings of Gnosticism by participants in the New School of theological thought.
Bock clearly and succinctly, after providing the back story as to the debate on whether Christianity needs a makeover, explores four key themes within that debate. He devotes individual chapters, each in their turn, to comparing and contrasting the New School with the Traditionalist view of each theme.
I am impressed with the respect with which Bock treats those whose conclusions go counter to his, and his reliance on studying and quoting original sources to reach his conclusions.
Through the use of citing specific and generally agreed upon dating of all manuscripts, and giving credit where credit is due to the scholarship of the New School, Bock, I believe, provides a sincere and evenhanded apologetic for the traditional Gospel account being legit.
This is an invaluable study for Christians who desire to have a reasoned understanding of and response to many aspects of Gnosticism and its current promotions.
copyright Barb Harwood
"But examine everything carefully;..."
1 Thessalonians 5:21a
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