Book Review of On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble

On Getting Out of Bed

By Alan Noble

IVP 

ISBN 978-1-5140-0443-2

Reviewed by Clint Walker

Have you ever gotten a good night’s sleep, and still struggled to get out of the bed in the morning? Have you ever wondered if you are alone in not feeling most of your life is not rainbows or sunshine, and wondered what defect you had? Most of us have endured something like this, says Alan Noble. He says, “Get to know someone really well, and almost without fail you will discover a person who routinely struggles to get out of the bed in the morning” (p.8). 

Reading this book is less of a research project, and more of a book to be experienced, especially for melancholy souls like my own. This text goes to great pains to support and recommend mental health counseling, reasonable medicating, and care. However, at the same time, Dr. Noble challenges the approach that human beings in their mental, emotional, and spiritual complexity should be treated as problems that a medical or self-help industry can fix. This book has several short phrases that serve as hooks to challenge its reader to persevere and persevere faithfully during mental suffering.

You have heard the phrase, “just get out of bed”. Other phrases Noble uses is “do the next thing” as a witness to God’s grace and goodness to others, and as a “spiritual act of worship”. He encourages others not to sin in their suffering, and blame their melancholy for their sin. 

There is much to commend in this encouraging, challenging and thoughtful book of just over 100 easy to read pages. As I read it I felt less alone in some of my down times, and encouraged that pushing through my struggles does matter. I came to understand that sometimes, putting one foot in front of the other is truly an act of faith. And these truths and others touched my heart, and left me both affirmed and changed.

Book Review of The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters edited by Gupta, Cohick, and McKnight

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship: Second Edition

Edited by Scot McKnight, Lynn Cohick, and Nijay Gupta

ISBN 978-0-8308-1785-6

Intervarsity Press

Reviewed by Clint Walker

Many folks, like me, enjoyed the first edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, published in 1993. At that point, I was a twenty-year-old student at Sterling College in Sterling, KS. In 2023, the year that I turned 50, the second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters was released. I have been excited to dig into this fine new work and highly recommend it to students of the New Testament everywhere.

Part of the reason I am excited about this book is personal. At the time of this book's release, all three of the editors of this new volume were at Northern Seminary. During COVID, I audited a class with Nijay Gupta on Philippians. Lynn Cohick taught a class in my doctoral coursework in 2021. So, my connection has made me root for this fine work.

This is a large text, and I will admit I have not read it cover to cover. (Honestly, it is not meant to be read that way) I have read this text, and several things are helpful to know about the scholarship in this text. They are:

• This is almost entirely new in its content. Only 15 of the original articles were used, and several of them were updated (p. ix). I will probably use both the original and this update for research.
• My perception is that this volume has longer articles than the previous text and perhaps fewer topics covered. 
• The bibliographies that follow the articles are up to date, and worth paying attention to!
• I think the "Interpretation" articles in this edition are an excellent addition.
• It is really worth one's time as a reader to not only explore articles based on the table of contents but go through the contributors list. For instance, I looked up Michael Gorman, and am going to read his three articles. In some cases, you can get a "readers digest" version of influential books and ideas. Good stuff.
• Finally, this may be marketed as a more academic book, but it is a great book for anyone who loves understanding Paul and His Letters in a deeper way, no matter their background. 

If you have the money, I recommend adding this book to your library!