‘Jesus Have I Loved, But Paul?’: New Book Released by Fuller Professor

J. R. Daniel Kirk provides fresh perspective on the messages of Jesus and Paul :: 01/24/12

J. R. Daniel Kirk, assistant professor of New Testament at Fuller’s Northern California campus in Menlo Park, published his second book, Jesus Have I Loved, but Paul? (Baker Academic), this January.

“If a book about Jesus and Paul could ever be a page-turner, this is that book,” commented Michael J. Gorman, dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. “If we listen to his wise counsel, we will become more faithful communities of the cross-shaped, life-giving gospel."

Students of the Bible are often drawn to Jesus’s message and ministry, but they are not always as positively inclined toward Paul. In this volume, Dr. Kirk offers a fresh and timely engagement of the debated relationship between Paul’s writings and the portrait of Jesus contained in the Gospels. He integrates the messages of Jesus and Paul both with one another and with the Old Testament, demonstrating the continuity that exists between these two foundational figures.

After laying out the narrative contours of the Christian life, Kirk provides fresh perspective on challenging issues facing the contemporary world, from environmental concerns to social justice to homosexuality.

“Any opinionated reader sure about Jesus or Paul needs to listen again,” remarked Mark Labberton, director of Fuller’s Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching, “and will find this book to be a gift that speaks to the academy, to the church, and to those far beyond the walls of both."

In the first two weeks of the book’s release, Baker Academic launched a “blog tour” featuring daily posts from several different bloggers, interacting with various chapters of Jesus Have I Loved, But Paul?, as Kirk himself is a prolific blogger. Learn more about the tour and read the posts here, or visit Kirk’s blog, “Storied Theology,” at www.jrdkirk.com.

Kirk, who earned his PhD at Duke University in North Carolina, joined Fuller in 2008 as assistant professor of New Testament at the Northern California regional campus in Menlo Park, having previously taught at Biblical Seminary and Duke Divinity School, as well as several undergraduate institutions. He is also the author of Unlocking Romans: Resurrection and the Justification of God, as well as numerous articles.