Mark A. Chancey

Mark A. Chancey teaches at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Articles by Mark A. Chancey

Features

Textbook case

Bible class in public school
Nov 14, 2006 by Mark A. Chancey
When asked about the Bible course at the local public high school, a West Texas minister told the Abilene Reporter News, “My hope is the end result is they read their Bible and start asking questions elsewhere and they become Christians. That’s the hope of the community, too.”
Features

Paul and the law

E. P. Sanders's retrieval of Judaism

Jun 13, 2006 by Mark A. Chancey

The Jews of Jesus’ time, the preacher intoned, were slavishly devoted to the practices of their ancestors. They studied scripture but did not apply it. Their temple was “rotten to the core.” Ancient Judaism was a religion whose rituals were “impressive, inspiring and empty.” It was a faith preoccupied with the superficial and lacking in substance.

Books

Lesson plans

Aug 23, 2005 reviewed by Mark A. Chancey
Creators of a Bible curriculum used in 1,000 U.S. public schools claim that "The Bible in History and Literature" is a nonsectarian course, when the truth is that it presents a distinct theological perspective. Discussions of science are based on nonscientific literature; archaeological findings "prove" the Bible’s complete historical accuracy. One chapter describes the U.S. as a historically Christian nation and suggests that it needs to reclaim that heritage.
Books

The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited

John Howard Yoder; Michael G. Cartwright and Peter Ochs, eds.

The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited

Jun 14, 2005 reviewed by Mark A. Chancey
In 1996, shortly before his death, John Howard Yoder grouped ten essays based on papers he had written in the preceding three decades into what he called the “Shalom Desktop Packet.” The collection circulated among Yoder’s wide circle of colleagues and conversation partners, then was made available online.