{"id":645,"date":"2015-04-29T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/?p=645"},"modified":"2015-03-11T19:26:01","modified_gmt":"2015-03-11T19:26:01","slug":"bible-resource-spotlight-after-acts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/forbiblestudynerds\/2015\/04\/bible-resource-spotlight-after-acts.html","title":{"rendered":"Bible Resource Spotlight: After Acts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reader Appeal: Bible teachers, students, Bible Study Nerds<\/p>\n

Genre: Christian History<\/p>\n

FBSN Rating: B<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Bryan Litfin is a theology professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He also holds a Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history and a master\u2019s degree in historical theology. So, you know, he\u2019s a big ol\u2019 Bible Study Nerd\u2014and he really gets into researching ancient biblical events and people.<\/p>\n

In his book, After Acts<\/em>, Litfin puts his full nerdiness on display by digging into church history after Jesus\u2019 resurrection, trying to determine what really happened and what simply became legend in the lexicon of our faith. As he says:<\/p>\n

\u201cPeter was crucified upside down,\u201d you hear in a sermon, \u201caccording to tradition.\u201d \u201cPaul went to Spain,\u201d the pastor says on another day, \u201caccording to tradition.\u201d Thomas founded the Indian church, Mary lived in Ephesus, the original apostles became martyrs\u2014all according to this vague yet authoritative source called \u201cearly church tradition.\u201d But what exactly do we mean by this term? Where do these ancient traditions come from, and how reliable are they historically?<\/p>\n

Litfin\u2019s question offers a fascinating premise for a book on church history, and he ably investigates answers as they relate to several key figures of our faith.<\/p>\n

After Acts<\/em> researches the historical records regarding the lives of all four gospel writers, as well as Peter, Paul, James, Mary, Thomas and others. Litfin explores the common assumptions we have \u201caccording to tradition\u201d and tries to determine how reliable that tradition is when compared to the evidence. For instance, it\u2019s very likely that Jesus\u2019 mother, Mary, was cared for by the Apostle John in her later life, but very unlikely that she lived in Ephesus with him. Also, history indicates that Simon Peter was indeed crucified under Nero\u2019s persecution, and even likely buried \u201cin a grave now located beneath the altar of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica,\u201d but there\u2019s scant evidence to show that he \u201cconsidered himself the preeminent authority figure of the Roman church.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strength of After Acts<\/em>\u2014its dependence on provable, historical investigation\u2014is also one of its few drawbacks, though. Sometimes the details of research are, well, boring to read. For example, Litfin opens the book with an extensive, three-page timeline of significant dates, followed immediately by page after page of term definitions (\u201capostle\u201d \u201cchurch fathers\u201d \u201corthodoxy\u201d \u201cGnosticism\u201d and so on). While that background information may be important, filing the first 25 pages of After Acts<\/em> with such dry reading makes it tempting to put this book aside before you even get to the good stuff. And make no mistake, the following chapters of Litfin\u2019s book are \u201cgood stuff,\u201d but you have to get to them to find out, and some just won\u2019t make it. You might want to consider treating the early pages of this book as a skip-able appendix\u2014something to refer back to if you have questions along the way during your reading of the body of the book.<\/p>\n

In all, though, After Acts<\/em> is well worth the time spent (even the boring parts). Recommended for any Bible Study Nerd interested in learning more about the differences between \u201cchurch tradition\u201d and the legacies of our Christian faith.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Acts <\/a>by Bryan Litfin<\/p>\n

(Moody Publishers)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2126\u2126\u2126<\/p>\n

About: For Bible Study Nerds\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n

About: Mike Nappa<\/a><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2014 to present by\u00a0Nappaland Communications Inc<\/a>. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reader Appeal: Bible teachers, students, Bible Study Nerds Genre: Christian History FBSN Rating: B   Dr. Bryan Litfin is a theology professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He also holds a Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history and a master\u2019s degree in historical theology. So, you know, he\u2019s a big ol\u2019…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":571,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[299,267,298],"class_list":["post-645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-resource-spotlight","tag-bryan-litfin","tag-christian-history","tag-church-tradition"],"yoast_head":"\nBible Resource Spotlight: After Acts - For Bible Study Nerds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bible Resource Spotlight: After Acts - For Bible Study Nerds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reader Appeal: Bible teachers, students, Bible Study Nerds Genre: Christian History FBSN Rating: B   Dr. Bryan Litfin is a theology professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. 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He's a former youth pastor who shepherded kids on staff at Chuck Swindoll's church in Southern California\u2014and he's a bestselling and award-winning author with more than a million copies of his books sold worldwide. Plus, he holds a degree in Christian Education with an emphasis in Bible Theology. So, you know, he\u2019s got that going for him. Mike is also a pop culture dork who watches too much TV, reads too many comic books, utters too many bad words, laughs at all the wrong jokes, and often gets in trouble because he says whatever he happens to be thinking at the moment\u2014like quoting an R-rated movie in the middle of a sermon. Yeah, he\u2019s a mess (just like you!), but he kind of likes it that way. Most of all, Mike Nappa loves Jesus, and he figures that covers over a multitude of sins. 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