Abstract
This Festschrift volume of 13 essays is published to honour Stanley N. Gundry. The essays cover the width of Stanley Gundry’s contribution to evangelical church life, publishing and theological reflection.
The first two essay offer an appreciation of Gundry, by his brother Robert H. Gundry and fellow publisher Robert A. Fryling. Two historical essays offer a review of American Evangelical Theology, by Millard J. Erickson, and the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy, by John D. Woodbridge. There are four essays on biblical themes by John H. Walton on rhetorical strategy in Genesis, Tremper Longman III on reading the OT as Christian Scripture, Karen H. Jobes on the impact of the Septuagint on an evangelical doctrine of Holy Scripture, and Craig L. Blomberg on the quest for the historical Jesus.
Stanley Gundry and his wife Patricia have supported the equal ministry of women and men in the church over many years. This is reflected in essays on 1 Cor 14:34–35 by Gordon D. Fee and on the interpretation and rhetorical use of biblical women by Ruth A. Tucker. The final chapter in the volume on The Blessed Alliance by Carolyn Custis James and Frank A. James III also reflects this shared ministry of women and men in the life of Christian scholarship and in the church. Two further essays on the role of theological education by Richard J. Mouw and on the missional nature and role of theological education by Christopher J. H. Wright offer reflections on current practice and possible future developments in theological education from an evangelical perspective.
This volume addresses concerns in Evangelicalism principally in the United Stated of America. In Europe and the UK evangelicalism has not experienced anything like the fundamentalist–modernism controversy. It is however helpful for European readers to engage with the history of evangelicalism in the USA. The title of this volume, Evangelical Scholarship, Retrospects and Prospects gives the impression of a collection reflecting upon history and offering a view of the direction of travel for American Evangelicalism. However, most of the essay cover the review of history more fully than engaging with prospects for future developments.