Resources Books

I just finished a class on English Structure using this as our textbook. The authors bring you through reasoning about grammar principles/rules/nuances via examples and short exercises. I found it to be an extremely useful review of basic to advanced grammar points, with helpful hints on activities and common gotchas for ESL/EFL students. I give this 5 stars for the native english speaking teacher (However, I would give 4 stars as a resource for teachers who have english as a second language themselves, as much of the book's exercises assume you inductively learned many of the rules, and I could see this being lost on the non native speaker. However, they do explain the subtle nuances in most cases, so it is still a good guide).

This book should not only be used by ESL/ESOL/VESOL teachers, but by anyone who teaches grammar. Every detail is explained, the exercises and are easy to follow.

Teachers will never use another book once they see how complex material is made easy to explain.

First of all, do not be put off by the title. This is not a traditional, dry grammar book, filled with every rule of correct English usage. Those of you who know Richard Firsten's publications, such as "Troublesome English" and the "Real Life Grammar" series, will not be surprised that "The ELT Grammar Book" is really a teacher's guide to the most common, and most difficult to explain, points of English grammar.
The book devotes a chapter to 20 of the most common areas of grammatical difficulty, such as word order, articles, subjunctives, and direct object companions. Each area is dealt with in the following three ways:
The Socratic Approach - whereby readers are encouraged to observe, think about, and make conclusions about the point. This technique enables exploration of the grammar in a way which is much more meaningful in the long run. Instead of committing rules to memory without really understanding why they exist, this method helps you understand the point so that you can more easily explain it to your students.
"Troubleshooters" - These are helpful insights that occur in most chapters, which focus on the points which are likely to cause problems for students because of language interference or other reasons.
"Teaching Tips" - These are activities, exercises, and games designed to help teachers make the teaching of grammar more enjoyable.
Towards the end of the book there are a couple of interesting chapters which you would not expect to find in a grammar book. The first of these deals with "ELT Waifs," words or phrases or phenomena which occur in casual language usage, but are not usually explained or codified, such as the use of words like "over," "that," and "quite." Even more surprising is the final chapter, which attempts to predict how we might expect English grammar to develop in the future based on its past development. I may not happen to agree with some of the predictions, but their inclusion displays the Mr. Firsten's obvious interest in the life of languages.
In addition to the chapters, there are very useful appendices that explain points in more depth and even cover helpful rules for spelling and pronunciation.
Although I have been teaching English for over 15 years, I discovered a new way of understanding complex grammatical points in nearly every chapter, and more importantly, I found ways of explaining these points in simple terms without having to resort to academic language. If, like me, you dread being asked why English grammar adheres to its own peculiarities, and have been searching for simple explanations, you will love this book.

The ELT Grammar Book is a reference guide for
teachers of English to speakers of other languages.
Readers may recognize the author's name as the
columnist of "Grammatically Speaking" in TESOL
Matters and "The Grammar Guy" in ESL Magazine.
Richard Firsten has taken his grammatical expertise
and produced a reference tool that focuses on topics
both difficult to understand and explain. The style is
casual and relaxed, which is a pleasant deviation
from typical pedantic grammar reference materials.
Though extensive and in-depth (22 chapters
and 8 appendices totaling over 550 pages), the text is
not intended to be exhaustive. Topics were restricted
to include only high frequency areas typically most
troublesome to teachers and L2 learners alike.
Eighteen of the chapters focus on grammar-exclusive
themes that include such topics as adjectives, articles,
modal auxiliaries, passives, prepositions,
subjunctives, verb tenses, and word order. Three
chapters are primarily discourse related.
Autosegmentals are analyzed in chapters 15 and 18;
the former chapter covers word and phrase stress
while the latter focuses on sentence-level intonation.
Chapter 21 is entitled "ELT 'Waifs'" and deals with
relaxed pronunciation, intensifiers, and common
phrases seldom included in instructional texts.
Phrases that add so much to the flow of conversational
English such as "a great deal of" or the frequent use
of the suffix "-ish" (childish, pinkish, late-ish, around
eight-ish) can assist the L2 student in understanding
common discourse. In the final chapter, the author
notes the changing nature of the English language
and predicts upcoming transformations that are likely
to occur.
Each of the 21 instructional chapters
concludes with "Teaching Tips," which supply
instructors with resources that allow students to
flesh out the content material through numerous
activities designed for pairwork and/or small groups.

These activities alone make the text a valuable
resource. Scattered throughout many of the chapters
is an aside called "Troubleshooter." This
informational box interrupts instructional sections
with pertinent explanations in anticipation of
students' questions. Another strength of the text is
the salient feature of the inductive method of
instruction. For example, situations are often
presented in the form of dialogs so that readers can
observe the grammar point contextually. By

highlighting selected portions of the dialog and
through provocative questioning, the writer models
a lesson requiring the reader to elicit a rule or to
figure out why a certain construction is used.
Employing this critical thinking strategy leads to
discovery, and ideally, to student ownership of that
specific grammar point. At a minimum, adding this
method to one's teaching repertoire will supply
diversity to classroom instruction.
Finally, the eight appendices cover a range
of subject matter that includes strategies, games,
pronunciation, spelling, and further elaboration on
previously covered material. For instance, the author
has provided an excellent outline in the second
appendix that uses the mechanical, meaningful/
manipulative, and communication approach in
relaying content material. Examples abound using
cloze procedures, slot substitutions, and incomplete
dialogs.
Many ESL professionals rely upon college
composition reference manuals for consultation.
Often these tools provide ESL-specific material only
in the form of an appendix or sub-section. The
detailed instruction found in The ELT Grammar Book,
however, is designed exclusively with the L2 learner
in mind. Its primary limitation is found in the
authors' intentionally selective subject matter which
may leave instructors searching elsewhere for
particular topics not addressed. Regardless, whether
an instructor's method of infusing grammar is
comprised primarily of explicit discrete-point
instruction or incidentally through a more
communicative approach, the information, activities,
and strategies offered in this text will provide a
handy reference tool for teachers of L2 students in
various levels and contexts.

Tom Bellomo taught EFL in Spain for five years,
ESOL in New York for five years, and has been
teaching EAP coursework in Florida since 1997. He
presently teaches at the English Language Institute,
Daytona Beach Community

Our medical practice wanted to implement a comprehensive employee survey, and previous surveys done by practice management consultants seemed to create more bad than good. The survey book and guidebook by Connolly and Connolly provided good advice and a ton of sample questions. I was able to prepare a 100 question survey from scratch in about six hours. The Connollys' advice about pre-screening the survey with employees was also helpful; it helped me weed out some poor questions, add some better ones, and created a starting point for employee support of the survey. We will launch the survey in a few weeks to our 110 employees. If you don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a survey firm and want to make a first try in-house, this seems like the resource you need to have.

The guidebook is written in user friendly language and is very comprehensive. It gives you all the tools you need to conduct an employee opinion survey.

PPI's employee survey package is excellent! Period. First and foremost, it provided what was most important to us.. a reliable and valid instrument. The rest is pure gravy. It's easy to use, easy to follow, and has useful real-life examples. Our team confidently put together a 24 question survey,in a relatively short period of time, and used the feedback method recommended to deliver results. We'll use it again for our follow-up survey. I highly recommend it.

The guidebook is written in user friendly language and is very comprehensive. It gives you all the tools you need to conduct an employee opinion survey.

The book arrived ahead of schedule and it was in mint condition. I am satisfied with the service and the product.

I am happy with the purchase that I Made. It was delivered on time and was in great shape.

I was asked to evaluate ths for the textbook selection committee at a local high school for possible use as the text book for an environmental science class next year. Since my degree is in Environmental Science, and I have done a lot of work with environmental education, I have read a large number of environmental science books and have seen the good, bad and worst of books on the market.

At first I just planned to skim the book, but after reading a few pages I decided to look at the book more closely, and I was impressed with what I saw. The book is well written in clear, easy to understand language, using a good amount of well done graphs, charts and photos. The layout, in addition, was good, making the book flow in an orderly manner.

The information in the book was excellent, and covered the entire range, as much as is possible in one book, of environmental science. The biology and chemistry were integrated nicely and flowed smoothly.

I have rated this book as four stars only because I feel the authors didn't cover the section on renewable energy as well as I would have liked. The book tended to move through the subject rather quickly, offering only a limited view of what can be done to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. In all other ways this book was superior to many I have read.

I would highly recommend this for an introduction course in college, and also think it would bean excellent choice for a text at the AP or regular high school level, provided the students had enough science background to be able to understand the science. I even believe that a motivated home schooled student could study from this book and do quite well in the subject. Overall, one of the best introductory text books I've had the pleasure of reading.

The thing that I like the most about this book is the way chemistry is incorporated into the sciences that relate to environment. It has all the basic chemistry skills required for one to be able to relate to environment at the introductory level.

The Appendix on Environmental Chemistry is very well presented. It has most of the concepts that one require in this course. It is written in short and to the point to avoid confusion, but with high clarity. That is what students appreciate. Students do not need to refer to other textbooks. The material includes all that a student need to understand the basic concepts of chemsitry as applied to environmental science.

The format is outstanding. It is best suited for students taking Environmental Science. It just delivers materials of basic interest with excellent problems and things to ponder sections. The illustrations are superb.

Students are often frustrated with voluminous information. They usually buy a book and are turned off and do not read it. They need concise and just the right stuff in it. This book has that quality. Students would love it and I am glad it is on the market.

It was a delight reading this study guide. Excellent job! It just does a good service to students.

Little more than a year after he published the opus Agriculture and Modern Technology: a Defense,* Thomas R. DeGregori has returned with another work of similar scope and perhaps even greater depth: The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology.** The book examines in detail many preconceptions and cultural myths about the environment, natural resources and technology, and shows that many are so badly distorted that they contribute to the commission of countless wrongs.

DeGregori's deft handling of these preconceptions and cultural myths invites a comparison to Dawkins' work with memes, or Campbell's syncretistic work with folklore, but as an economist of strikingly pragmatic bent, DeGregori prefers to deal with historical fact.

Those who cherish any illusions about the environment, natural resources or technology will find this a painful book to read. In chapter 1, we learn that "green consumerism" is still consumerism, barely green, and sometimes outright dangerous. In chapter 2, we learn how wildlife conservation efforts in Africa have destroyed cultures, forcing natives from their lands and depriving them of traditional foods. These natives are then denied access to modern technologies, with a view to ensure that they somehow remain "authentic" after such irreversible intrusions, enduring an enforced primitivism at the hands of their conquerors.

The theme repeats itself in chapter 5, where the notion of the American Indian as the "original ecologist" is exposed as the typical aftermath of subjugation. Primitive peoples in their wild, "natural" state (notions of what is "natural" are scathingly debunked as well) are viewed as savages, akin to animals and therefore not landowners, justifying their subjugation and the theft of their land. Once subjugated, nostalgia usurps memory and they are viewed as having lived "sustainably" in a pristine pre-technological utopia and an elaborate parody of their past is concocted to mesh with other mythical views we wish to entertain in the present. If these peoples rebel by refusing to act as expected, they are once again referred to as savages and often treated accordingly.

Much of the book deals with skewed notions of what is "natural," and they are mainly exposed in chapter 6. There, we learn that life "in harmony with the environment" for most of human history has had little in common with its idyllic portrayals, being instead nasty, brutish and short. As it turns out, the only thing able to protect us from the uncaring ravages of nature is, and always has been, technology.

"Here [in this book] the focus is on the consumption practices that reflect the phobias and beliefs that deny and/or reject the technological and scientific transformations that have given us longer, healthier lives," DeGregori states in his introduction. The book achieves this ambition, and a good deal more.
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* Iowa State University Press, Ames, 2001. 268 pp., [money]. Reviewed in AgBiotech Reporter, July 2001.
** Iowa State Press, Ames, 2002. 224 pp., [money]

This is a book that will challenge much conventional wisdom about the impact of modern technology on our environment. No matter how much you think you know about the topic, you will learn something new by reading it.

The author, an economist of the old-fashion institutionalist school (unlike the current institutionalist crowd, he believes in material progress) begins the book with a simple question: If modern science and technology are killing us, why are we so healthy and living so long? In short, his answer is that human beings have evolved into problem-solving (i.e. technological) creatures, and that no one should deny that this is a good thing in light of the available historical record.

The topics discussed in the book go much beyond what its title suggests and range from the living conditions of early Pacific Islanders to the Nazis' love of all things natural - with the exception, of course, of other human beings who didn't fit their idea of the master race. Indeed, the book is as much a study of the cultural divide between technological optimists and pessimists as it is a study of the impact of technology on humans and the environment.

One warning, though. The author is an academic and writes like one. The titles listed in his 45 page bibliography are thus methodically referenced in the main text in a way that will probably distract some readers unfamiliar with this writing style. In the end, though, the book is well worth the effort.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology is a holistic expose of the hypocrisy of the major planks of the stereotypical leftist agenda: namely the three mentioned in the title.

Dr. DeGregori contrasts "green consumerism" with another plank of the leftist agenda: income disparity, and shows, through a variety of examples, what the results of such national policies would be: increased prices and scarcity for all. In short, the green movement is for guilt-ridden rich folk, and not for the masses.

Addressing natural resources, DeGregori shows that the best way to preserve them would be to allow free trade and property rights. I particularly enjoyed the applications to developing economies around the world, although I found it painful to learn of the way in which developed economic powers (U.S. and Britain in particular) egotistically deprive indigenous cultures of even the chance to utilize their natural resources to increase their income (thereby increasing education, access to life-saving consumer products, and increasing general standards of living). Cases from India, Africa, and Southeast Asia are used to vividly illustrate the consequences of leftist, socialist moves to keep indigenous cultures in developing countries at a stunted level of economic and cultural development.

DeGregori's examination of modern technology is superb, as well. He exposes the fanatacism of anti-technology individuals-e.g. those who decry "cold pasteurization" as harmful, even though empirical evidence shows that there has not been a single incident of an individual consumer becoming ill as a result. His evaluation of techno-phobes' concerns is invaluable, and reaches beyond contemporary quibbles to address the fundamental philosophy driving their zeal. He addresses some of the most important issues of today, such as debates surrounding genetically modified food vs. organic and those regarding the use of DDT and fertilizers.

DeGregori also addresses the demand for technological improvements by cultures in developing countries, and the benefits to be gained: increased income, increased competitiveness in the global economy, increased life-expectancies, and decreased environmental degredation.

I was surprised to find that such a scholarly book was such an easy read; the information was logically presented, and easily digestible. DeGregori's information is heavily footnoted, but since the footnotes aren't the crux of the book, you can simply read around them. If you are looking for more information, the footnotes may well prove invaluable, as DeGregori cites pro and con sources to many of his arguments.

This book was required for a university course that I am taking from DeGregori. In person, and not just on books, DeGregori is a professor with a firm grasp on the latest economic information from developing and developed economies around the world. Degregori encourages you to look on the positive side of things-all the progress we've made, and potential solutions to some of the problems.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology by Thomas R. Degregori (Professor of Economics, University of Houston, Texas), is a 256-page, scholarly volume whose reasoning and language is accessible enough to make it appropriate for any non-specialist general reader concerned about the environmental degradation and human overpopulation problems that are significantly effecting planet Earth. The intent of The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is not to flatly denounce conservation efforts, but rather to closely scrutinize them (including the myths surrounding them), and to take a cold, hard look at whether such things as "ecotourism" are truly beneficial to the ecologies or the people who live in them. From revealing how some African game wardens are empowered to legally shoot to kill anyone suspected of poaching; to debunking the myth of the "untamed West" which ignored the profound impact Native American cultures and settlements had on the land, The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is a thoughtful and thought-provoking extended essay that strives to uncover facts beneath layers of propaganda on all sides of thorny environmental and technology issues. No academic library's Environmental Studies collection can be considered comprehensive without the inclusion of Professor Degregori's The Environment, Our Natural Resources And Modern Technology.

This is an excellent book for churches who want to improve their ability to develop a volunteer (servant) program. But, it will take work, commitment and time. Sue Mallory offers many perceptive Bible based concepts - not a quick fix.

The Equipping Church is one of the best books I have ever read on what it means to use our God given gifts as members of the body of Christ. Sue Mallory doesn't sugar coat the time, effort and faith that is involved in building the kind of community many churches long for, but are unsure how to create. Ms. Mallory lays out the path her church followed in the process of moving toward and becoming a faithful place in which they could be God's people. The stories she shares are personal, sometimes heart wrenching, but always authentically filled with grace. Ms. Mallory makes me want to dig in and do the work to which I am called.

Sue Mallory, one of the nation's leading experts on lay ministries has written the definitive text. This book, along with the companion guidebook, show churches how to recruit, train, and support volunteers. She gives the vision for an alive, involved church and tells you how to get there. I could not recommend it more highly.

Sue Mallory, one of the nation's leading experts on lay ministry has written the definitive text on the subject. This book along with the companion guidebook, give a step by step process for empowering and enabling a church's members to engage in meaningful ministry.Topics include how to recruit volunteers, how to discern people's talents and gifts, how to train people to serve in ministry and how to support and nurture those people.Up until now most of this material has been available only in workshops or on tapes. It is great to have the complete plans for a lay ministries program in one book. (Actually, two with the guidebook).

I'm an associate pastor in our church. When I started to disciple a small group of guys who were not very spiritually grounded, I wasn't sure what to use as our "study." None of them enjoyed reading much so too much would turn them off - reading something small and whimpy would defeat the purpose. Every Day with Jesus is absolutely perfect! The sizes of the chapters are manageable for a days' reading and there is fantastic, easy to understand substance in every reading. Thank you Pastor Greg for helping my friends in the faith! I would recommend this to nearly ever Believer because God is using it in my life to speak great spiritual truth!

Greg Laurie's devotions help you to invision Christ as your close friend. The devotion is an excellent tool to share with new believers.

Laurie does an excellent job of applying the scriptures to our every day life. Easy to understand and analogies you can relate to. Good reading material for everyone.

Greg Laurie has written a daily devotional that is both easy to read and relevant to our every day lives. This devotional uses the life of Jesus as the basis of each entry. At the end of the book, readers would have gained greater insight into the life of Jesus while developing a deeper devotion to Him.

Wow..The Executive Rules does RULE on how to land that top job. Anyone thinking about changing employment or needing information on how to find an executive position must read this great book. I give it 5+ stars.

Randy Loren
Author
Climbing The Money Mountain

This is a wonderful read with tremendous amounts of hardcore advice that we should all take to heart. Mr. Greer gives you the unabated version of what most successful recruiters look for in a candidate. I keep a copy of this in my home office and I reference it often. After reading this book I ended up getting my dream job and I think it has also helped me to be a better employee. This is a must read!!!!

First off, this guy knows what he is talking about. This isn't some general job hunting advice book. Greer uses his experience in management recruiting and gives an inside track on how to get a high paying position in the absolute quickest time. The information in this book covers in depth nearly all aspects of the management/sales seekers employment process and provides direct and to-the-point strategies that will get your resume read by the decision makers.

The major thesis is that the job search is a process, and while there are many things you can't control, you can control your process and execute on your strategy to maximize your probability for a positive outcome, and more importantly, minimize wasted effort and costly time. This is a straight forward, to the point, no holds barred examination of the best and most practical process to find and get a job as quickly as possible.

T. Greer has done an excellent job laying out the blueprint for an effective search that includes everything from who should write your resume, to interviewing, to what and what not to say and do when effecting a transition from your current job.

I was employed in three months in a great job. I highly recommend taking the time to get real about your job search.

Jason K.
G.E.Capital

Mr. Greer's breakdown of the "Seven Key Career Questions" should be the foundation for anyone hunting for a job. Whether you are just starting a career, or looking for the next step to take, Mr. Greer's book provides readers with the insider's guide to everything you need to know. Particularly important is his emphasis on the details, such as making sure your resume is readable and professional. Filled with anecdotes, examples, and invaluable information, "The Executive Rules" is a must-have for anyone looking for a job. It would certainly make a great gift for any recent grad.

About halfway through the book and it has over delivered many times already.

Easy to understand, sequential step-by-step actions clearly written, nice touch of humor throughout.

Definitely recommended if you want to know Facebook inside and out.

If you are a technophobe like me, it will definitely help you to do better with Facebook.

This book is just perfect. From the opening few pages you can get a real handle on the phenomenon that is facebook, and quickly you'll know how play in the sandbox with the best of them. It flows along in the typical style of all the "dummies" books as it really helps you get started with ease, but this one has an extra edge: it's fun to read. The authors, whether intentionally, or just naturally, inject a very refreshing sense of humor into their writing that makes the adventure that much more enjoyable.

Everything is covered here; how to use facebook to keep in touch with friends, how to reconnect with old friends on there already, making new friends, joining groups, sharing pictures, playing games, making the most of thousands of available applications, how to use facebook for your business... It goes on and on and on.

Social networking is just the latest wave of the computer revolution, but it's a big one, and if you're planning to ride it, bring your surfboard, ...and your copy of FfD!
~well done.

This dummies book provides a good grounding in the uses of Facebook. As with all technology books, it's *already* a tad dated, even though it's publish-date is this year (2008!). Applications and their popularity ebb and flow - some of the third party applications they've mentioned I have not once encountered (ie - Fluff Friends), and some daily requests I get deluged with are not mentioned at all. I can't turn around, for example, without someone sending me a Lil' Green Patch, guilting me into sending out more green patches. It's like a charity virus. :-)

What the book is really for, though, is a novice through beginner's journey into the social network that is Facebook. The guide begins with how Facebook started, what the term "face book" means (hint - it's a college thing) and things you can and cannot do on this site.

What can't you do? Troll. Lie about who you are. Be under 13. Upload illegal content or porn - sorry!

What you can do - post a profile. Add photos, find friends, join groups, make pages for your business, plan events, mess with all kinds of fun applications, join up to five networks, make a newsfeed, sell things and buy advertising.

It's useful that some mention is made of how many friends to acquire. DO you be-friend everyone who asks? The book suggests quality over quantity - always useful advice in making friends in the meat world as well. :) What exactly Facebooking is, in practice, is laid out: how to find friends, how to "poke" them, and how to manage your ever-growing FB friend lists.

The Adding Photos chapter is pretty comprehensive and moves on into adding videos, writing Wall posts and giving "gifts."

One thing I found interesting and useful was the section on setting up FB with cell phones, something I had not tried prior to the reading. Of course, young people who've grown up with texting won't find anything new here. :)

The book has a great section for business people who have not been weaned on social networking - there is a chart advising when to make profiles, pages or groups, what you can do with events, how to set up ads and find/nurture "fans" of your business. This information should be extremely useful for anyone with a small or home business wanting to explore the amazing potential of free marketing/networking with Facebook, which is, honestly, a pretty intuitive site to dive into.

One thing I would have appreciated would have been some more insights from the authors on how FaceBook has impacted their lives and the lives of people in general. FB is a huge world and I am still learning the etiquette - how long is too long to be polite when answering wall posts and messages - sometimes I don't get to it for weeks/months. Do I always need to return gifts/fairy dust/karma? How do I get people to stop deluging me with said gifts/fairy dust/karma? What about people in the real world who want to know about my life and *aren't"* on Facebook - how do I let them know I don't have time for updating them and that REALLY if they care, they need to follow me there?

These are the kind of things I would really like to know and would improve the book considerably. In a sense, FaceBook for Dummies is mostly a regurgitation of the how-to instructions you can glean yourself from the FB website. A nicely laid-out regurgitation. :)

Richard B. Hays argues that the passage in Galatians (2:16) translated into English as, "... a [human being] is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ ..." can be, and should be, translated differently.

Hays argues that the passage should be translated as it is literally given in the original koine Greek: "... a [human being] is not justified by the works of the law but through [the] faith OF Jesus Christ ..."

Of course, such a translation all but destroys the popular Protestant doctrine of "justification by faith only." The emphasis of most evangelicals is that it is OUR faith that saves us and that no "work" we perform can, in any way, contribute to our salvation.

Reasoning from this conclusion most of Protestantism has jettisoned water baptism as having any role to play in a person's salvation whatsoever. The fellowship through which I came to the Lord as a teenager, however, teaches that a person must be baptized in water to be saved. This has always confused me.

For years I have listened to the wrangling and agreed (secretly) that baptism could be considered a "work" if understood as a human work. On the other hand, if a human being is saved by "faith only" then I have never been able to understand why water baptism has played such a large role in Christian conversion through the centuries. What is the purpose of water baptism if a human being is saved by faith only?

Hays, if he is correct, solves the dilemma. His argument helps me see why water baptism has been the central initiation rite within Christianity from its inception.

If we are going to be consistent in our translation of the verse then the faith Paul is describing is as much "of Christ" as the works Paul is describing are "of the law." The grammatical construction of the two phrases is identical.

Paul uses the identical construction in Romans 3:21-22 to say, "But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through [the] faith OF Jesus Christ unto all them that believe...."

Again, the righteousness Paul is discussing is "of God" (genitive). That righteousness of God has been made available to human beings through the obedient faith OF Jesus Christ (also genitive)! It is the righteousness of God that is transferred into us as "believing ones."

Water baptism, then, makes a whole lot more sense. Three chapters later, in Romans 6:3-4 (as well as in other places in the New Testament) Paul says that at the point of our baptism - a passive act on our part; one in which God is the one doing the work - God transfers us INTO CHRIST!

Human redemption has been secured by the perfect, obedient faith of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. My faith does not produce my salvation; my faith leads me to submit to God's commandment and, at my baptism, God places me into Christ, where the redemptive work He accomplished is passively imputed to me as I am passively transferred into Him! All by the power and work of God!

So, neither is faith a human work nor is baptism a human work - both are my appropriate response to the completed work of God. And, because of the perfect faith of Jesus Christ, God can, and does at my baptism, transfer me into Him where the righteousness of God becomes mine!

Richard B. Hays, you're a genius. Thank you!

This is a highly technical work and you must have some knowledge of New Testament Greek to maximize its benefit. This is a work that all pastors, and laymen who work with the Greek text should interact. Hays makes a very cogent argument for certain passages normally translated "faith in Christ" to be the "faith or faithfullness of Christ" that is to say the "Subjective Gentive instead of the traditional "Objective Genitive." This position is not new and does have growing support by many serious Biblical language scholars. Agree or disagree with the author's conclusion, this is the type of exegetical issues that every Bible exeget should at least be conversant. The text will give you important data and exegetical information for drawing an infomred conclusion. The text is easy to follow. This second addition has a new introduction and two appedixes, one by Dr. James Dunn (Romans in Word Bible Commentary) who argues against Hays' thesis, followed by a response by Hays. These three additions are worth the price of the book. If Hays is correct, nothing of the cardinal doctrines of Christianity change, but how we might approach the teaching of Romans and Galatians will. For example, there would be a greater emphasis on preaching both the active and passive obedience of Christ, the federal headship of Christ and a defense against turning faith into a justifying work like Jacob Arminius tried to do.

Richard Hays argues that Paul is telling or appealing to a story in his argument with the Galatians--the story of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. There are many things of interest and value in this work. I will simply mention the provacative thesis that, many times, when our English Bibles translate "faith in Jesus Christ," Hays argues that Paul is actually referring to "the faith of Jesus Christ." Christ's own trust in God and his faithful obedience to the point of death on the cross is the crux of our salvation from the curse.

I still haven't decided if I'm sure Hays is right. As I have noted, the book is worth several readings. But for those looking for something meaty in New Testament theology, hermeneutics and/or literary theory, I think this should be at the top of your list.

Hays avers his work doesn't supplant other approaches to understanding but that it is "complementary." Still he seems to have broken new ground and threatens, or rather enables, a fresh new understanding of Christ's atoning work and our response to it. While best known for giving us the translation "the faith OF Jesus" Hays himself is more enamored of the implied story behind Galatians (with strong apologetic implications) and Romans, too. He exposes the "myth of Paul the isolated religious genius who shared little or nothing with his Jewish-Christian contemporaries" but employed the given story of Jesus in his mainstream theology. Hays' work will nevertheless be difficult for the public in that it is a thesis simply made into a book. And it would have helped if the German, French, and Latin quotes (sometimes extensive) had been translated in this reprint of a landmark work.

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