Many familiar Gospel narratives are filled with geographic details that we gloss over because of our distance from the Holy Land. Yet climate, landscape, natural resources, and other features of geography leave a lasting mark on the societies and cultures that have developed within them. In a world of dirt roads and dry riverbeds, where shepherds watch their flocks in the hills and fishermen mend their nets by the sea, Jesus taught from hill and plain, using the surrounding landscape as the backdrop for his teaching. Jesus’ parables and illustrations are often brimming with geographic clues, but the significance of these distinctive details is often lost on us today.

The Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels puts readers in the sandals of the disciples as they travel throughout Israel with Jesus, explaining the significance of geography for mining the riches of the biblical text. With more than fifty Gospel stories expounded from this important geographical angle, you’re bound to take away something new from these well-worn stories.
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The traditional interpretation of the book of Ruth is a beautiful love story between the eponymous Moabite and Boaz, the wealthy Israelite landowner. But this book is not a Disney movie. In her new book, Carolyn Custis James reveals a bracing, more relevant interpretation of this Old Testament book. In this excerpt from Finding God in the Margins, we see how this ancient narrative speaks directly into many of the problems facing society today.

Where the book of Ruth lands in the Bible is significant. In the Jewish Bible, the book of Ruth is located after the book of Proverbs as a beautiful example of wisdom living, a.k.a. living in the fear of God. In the Christian Bible, Ruth follows the book of Judges and precedes 1 Samuel. Viewed at the macro level, this narrative forms a sturdy bridge between the “years when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1) and the monarchy of King David (4:18–22). At the micro level the story centers on urgent family issues and Ruth’s reinterpretation of three Mosaic laws: gleaning, levirate, and kinsman-redeemer. Ruth lives on the hungry side of the law, so her perspective differs dramatically from Boaz’s. His willingness to listen to her (which is one of the jaw-dropping aspects of this story) moves him from the letter to the spirit of the law. As a result, a hungry widow is fed, and a dying family is rescued.

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The latest releases from Lexham Press cover a wide range of topics, but they’re all united by a common theme—helping you connect God’s Word to real life. Commentaries, bible studies, or theological works—these are powerful books that challenge you to think about what you truly believe. Whether it’s revealing the lies pastors are prone to believe or removing the filters we view Scripture through, reflecting on these hard truths help us reorient our lives towards Christ.
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There’s so much to look forward to in 2018. Lexham Press has some exciting new books scheduled to release this year, including a brand new book by Dr. Michael Heiser. We just finalized our Spring 2018 Catalog where you’ll find all of our exciting forthcoming titles. Here are three highlights that are coming soon—and all three are available for pre-order right now.
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We all have a particular Bible translation we always turn to. It might be the Bible we grew up reading or it might be a translation we chose after hours of diligent research and thoughtful consideration. But what about all the other translations available to us? Should they be tossed aside?
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In his two massive theological commentaries, Common Grace and Pro Rege, Abraham Kuyper develops a robust public theology, fully addressing the intersection of faith and culture. Too often, theology simply resides in the lofty chambers of academia, without any real connection to the life of the common man. That is why Kuyper’s encounters with Islam during his travels around the Mediterranean are so crucial for a full understanding of his public theology.
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As the country celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, we are also reminded of other African-Americans who have contributed to the black community and the world through education, ministry, and writing. One such individual is Charles Octavius Boothe (1845-1924).

Boothe was born into slavery in Alabama, but went on to become a pastor, educator, and activist. He established and pastored Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, which would later be pastored by Martin Luther King Jr. and renamed Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.

Boothe also helped found Selma University and served as its second president. He was the editor of The Baptist Pioneer, and promoted literacy programs and theological training for black preachers and laypeople. In 1890, to further this mission, he published a systematic theology titled Plain Theology for Plain People. It was his aim for the book that “simplicity should prevail—simplicity of arrangement and simplicity of language” so that even the average sharecropper could understand it.

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