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| Invitation to Romans: Participant Book (Disciple Bible Studies) | 
 enlarge | Author: Pamela Michelle Eisenbaum
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Category: Book
List Price: $9.00
Buy New: $3.69
You Save: $5.31 (59%)
Buy New/Used from $0.37
Avg. Customer Rating:  (2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 532524
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 101
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4
ISBN: 0687496497
Dewey Decimal Number: 225
EAN: 9780687496495
ASIN: 0687496497
Publication Date: December 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 History of a Biblical letter April 28, 2008
In a departure from the normal presentation of a Disciple Bible Study, the Invitation to Romans spends much of its effort understanding the history of interpretation of the letter of Romans rather than in an exegetical study of the intent of the author to convey meaning to the letters recipients. Since Romans has had such an important impact on the history of the church, this is a reasonable approach. In fact, it would be impossible to have any meaningful discussion of the core ideas of the letter without touching on the history of interpretation, since disparate readings of Romans have been key to the establishment of denominational identities. I wish the focus was a bit more on the meaning of Romans for contemporary life and culture and less on Origen and Martin Luther.
Also new to this study is the emphasis on dramatic readings of the text on the accompanying DVD/video tape. This helps us to empathize with the early recipients of the letter who for the most part would have heard the letter read when the church gathered for worship. Another change for the video material is that preacher/story teller Michael Williams, playing the part of your favorite, funky professor, provides the part two videos for each session in dramatic fashion. Williams tells the story of Romans but isn't really convincing as the venerable scholar meeting us, surrounded by books and papers, in his study. This is a good effort to spice up the series but it falls short in some significant ways.
 Proceed with caution February 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have led two Disciple bible studies previous to picking up this study, and my first word of caution is simply this: this is not anything like a Disciple study. The short-term part is actually a good thing, as it won't deter someone who might be wary of a 32-week commitment. But the problem with this particular study is that the commentary comes off somewhat "universalist". It is interesting that the video is also very different from a "typical" Disciple study in that is in two-part. The first part is a dramatic reading of the passage from Romans followed by a discussion by two New Testament scholars discussing the passage. The second part is a scholar looking at the history and theology of the passage (usually something different than the first segment). My class got nothing out of hearing the scripture read, and we just fast-forwarded to the discussion. The commentary was so hit-and-miss, I would be carefully in using it. Lastly, this study, especially the "discussion questions" in the leader's guide, is written well-over the heads of lay people. On a positivie note, Romans is a difficult letter and this study has guided the class through it magnificently. The struggles has forced them to think about their own beliefs, do a little digging, and I think will lead them to a greater understanding of their faith. Just be prepared that this journey through Romans is a little rocky in places.
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