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CURRENTLY IN BOOKS
Enlightening the church’s call to holy living

Andrew Hershey-Bergen

1-2 Peter, Jude
Waltner, Erland and J. Daryl Charles.
Believer’s Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, Pa.:
Herald Press 1999.
$32.79.

This is the latest in the series of biblical commentaries from the Believers Church Bible Commentary. Waltner and Charles continue the excellent scholarship we have come to expect from this set.

Both authors are good in handling difficult texts, illuminating obscure passages (such as the references to Noah, Balaam and fallen angels) and the world in which these letters were written. The result is a clearer view of the context of these documents and, therefore, a much better understanding of the original meaning. The books are well researched, yet they don’t get bogged down in difficult, academic language. I appreciated their easy to read, concise style.

Writing on 1 Peter, Waltner does a good job of showing how the first-century church suffered for its faith. He accurately identifies the main issue of 1 Peter: How to maintain holy relationships with God and with a world that is growing increasingly hostile to Christian faith. However, the parallels to today’s situation are immediately obvious, and it is here I find his work to be lacking. He spends much time in describing how early anabaptists dealt with political opposition and persecution, but little energy on current situations. His work would have benefitted from making some bold statements in how the modern church should live and how we can keep holy relationships both with God and with a fallen world.

Charles, writing on 2 Peter and Jude, begins by expressing that these two letters are noticeably lacking in modern Christian discussions on ethics. This is a sad situation when both 2 Peter and Jude are extremely ethical and have much to say to our contemporary struggle with holy living. He examines the word “knowledge” used throughout the letters, arguing for the fact that moral absolutes can and should exist in a world of relativism. He affirms the appropriateness and even the biblical mandate for definitive guidelines in addressing right and wrong. According to Charles, Peter’s guiding principle says that “the church’s moral authority will be shown by the degree to which it ‘reaffirms its call’ and the degree of ethical integrity exhibited before a watching world”.

These commentaries do an excellent job on enlightening the church’s call to holy living in the midst of human settings. Charles’ work alone is worth the price of the book.

Andrew Hershey-Bergen teaches at Bethany Bible Institute, Hepburn, Sask.

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Last modified May 26, 2000.

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