In this study of the Gospels and the book of Galatians, David Bartlett explores how to reconcile the biblical text’s message to our contemporary context and a particular congregation’s character and need. While, as he shows, important continuities exist in the way the good news is understood throughout the New Testament, precisely what it looks like and how Christians respond to it differs between Mark, Paul, John, and the rest of the writers. Consequently, he demonstrates, preachers have options as they try to discern what news a congregation needs to hear on a particular Sunday. Including sample sermons, What’s Good about This News? shows how each of these biblical texts remains a redemptive word for today’s people.
David L. Bartlett was the J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor Emeritus of Christian Communication at Yale Divinity School, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches USA. Bartlett had a long career, holding both academic and pastoral positions. As an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches USA, he served as the Senior Minister for congregations in Minnesota, Illinois, and California. He was also on the faculty at schools such as American Baptist Seminary of the West, Graduate Theological Union; The University of Chicago Divinity School; Divinity School; Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia; Yale Divinity School; and Columbia Seminary. He was Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Yale Divinity School for eleven years. At both Yale Divinity School and Columbia Theological Seminary, he was a distinguished faculty member and was honored as professor emeritus. He also served as theologian in residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. He wrote eighteen books, two of which he coauthored with his wife, Carol.
