For some of us, the apostle Paul is like a distant uncle. We've heard he's pretty important. We've read the good parts of his letters. But sometimes he comes across as prickly and unpredictable. Not someone you'd like to hang out with at a coffee shop. He'd raise his voice, try to convert the barista, and we'd want to slink out the back door. For a mid-afternoon latte, we'd prefer Jesus over Paul.But actually, this is the guy who, from Ephesus to Athens, was the talk of the marketplace and the raconteur of the Parthenon. Maybe it's time to give Paul a break, let go of some stereotypes and try to get to know him on his own terms. If that's where you are, Rediscovering Paul is your guide. This is a book that helps us find Paul again holding forth in the marketplace of Corinth, working with a secretary in framing his letter to the Romans, or pastoring the messy emerging churches of Philippi and Thessalonica.Drawing on the best of contemporary scholarship, honed by teaching and conversing with today's students, Rediscovering Paul is a textbook that rises above the rest.
David Capes is professor and chair of the department of Christianity and Philosophy at Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas. He is co-author of 'The Holy Land: Follow the Steps of Jesus' and has served as pastor of several churches in Texas.
Rodney Reeves is dean of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Church Vocations and Professor of Biblical Studies at Southwestern Baptist University (both in Bolivar, Missouri). He has served as a pastor with churches in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.
E. Randolph Richards is Dean of the School of Ministry and Professor of Biblical Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is co-author of Finding Paul: An Introduction to His Life and Work, and The Story of Israel: A Biblical Theology; and author of Paul and First-Century Letter Writing and The Secretary in the Letters of Paul. He has frequently served as an interim pastor, and as a missionary with the International Mission Board, SBC in East Indonesia.