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46+ Works 1,323 Members 13 Reviews 5 Favorited

About the Author

Samuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London and visiting professor of Christian ethics at King's College. He has written numerous books, including Be Not Afraid.

Includes the name: Revd Dr Samuel Wells

Also includes: Sam Wells (1)

Works by Samuel Wells

The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics (2004) — Editor; Contributor — 160 copies
Eucharistic Prayers (2016) 20 copies
Hanging by a Thread (2016) 14 copies
Joining the Angel's Song (2016) 5 copies
Face to Face (2020) 3 copies
Liturgy Comes to Life (2010) 2 copies
Reflections for Lent 2016 (2015) — Introduction — 1 copy

Associated Works

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Wells, Samuel
Legal name
Wells, Samuel
Other names
塞繆爾.韋爾斯
Birthdate
1965
Gender
male

Members

Reviews

This volume is a welcome addition to the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. This series lies somewhere between exegesis and exposition. As the title suggests the theological issues are to the fore and this provides a fresh approach.

Samuel Wells, rector of St Martins-in-the-Field, London, takes a narrative view of Esther. Some commentaries concentrate on the leaves of a tree, Wells focuses on the forest. This is no atomistic approach. In his opening chapter he uses the terms farce, burlesques-style, a study in improvisation to describe it. This is no dry and dusty tome. He brilliantly opens up Esther and shows the book to be both far fetched and existentially urgent.

Wells is author of Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics and he also sees elements of improvisation within Esther. Intriguingly, he sees the key question of Esther as "How to navigate the dangerous waters of exile, between the two extremes of spineless assimilation and fruitless resistance?"

George Sumner is professor of World Mission at Wycliffe College, Toronto, and so inevitably and intriguingly the missional elements of Daniel are highlighted. As he writes in the introduction: "There is no missiology without Christology (and vice versa), even as there is no Christology without staurology." He, as does Wells, provides a Christological perspective on the text. He sees Daniel as a single coherent work - despite its redactional history. He takes a "circulatory system" approach, where a major artery runs directly from Daniel to Revelation and he rightly interprets the two books in relation.

Sumner does not suffer from chronological snobbery and he freely uses Calvin, Jerome, Melanchthon and others to help make sense of the text.

There is a subject index and a useful scripture index.

Of the making of commentaries there seems so end. So what fresh insights does this volume offer? The strength is that Wells provides a drama-tic setting to Esther and Sumner brings missional insights to the understanding of dabble. Both authors take seriously the Christological and canonical settings of the books. The weakness is that there is no common format. But then, perhaps that is a strength - each author is free to do what they would like and thus play to their strengths.
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stevebishop.uk | 2 other reviews | Jul 23, 2020 |
This (and the accompanying reader volume) provides a clear and wide-ranging overview of the history and method of Christian ethics (set within the authors' own framework of distinguishing 3 different approaches of which they clearly favour the ecclesial approach indebted to writers such as Hauerwas) and also discussion of various issues. This updates the original 2010 edition.
 
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ajgoddard | Jun 5, 2020 |
A stimulating study of the practice of Christian ethics through the model of dramatic improvisation, which first appeared in 2004 by leading Anglican moral theologian who did his doctorate on and has co-authored with Stanley Hauerwas
 
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ajgoddard | 1 other review | Jun 5, 2020 |
This is a collection of readings from various writers structured around the accompanying text book.
 
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ajgoddard | 1 other review | Jun 2, 2020 |

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Associated Authors

Ben Quash Contributor
Rowan Williams Afterword, Foreword, Contributor
Daniel M. Bell Jr. Contributor
James Fodor Contributor
Stephen Cherry Contributor
Edmund Newey Contributor
Andrew Shanks Contributor
Jessica Martin Contributor
Peter Wilcox Contributor
David Scott Contributor
Grace Davie Contributor
Stanley Hauerwas Contributor
Luke Bretherton Contributor
John Berkman Contributor
Philip Kenneson Contributor
Hans S. Reinders Contributor
Charles Pinches Contributor
Joseph Mangina Contributor
Tripp York Contributor
Kelly S. Johnson Contributor
Willie Jennings Contributor
Robert Song Contributor
Scott Bader-Saye Contributor
Kevin J. Vanhoozer Contributor
D. Stephen Long Contributor
Nicholas Adams Contributor
Michael L. Budde Contributor
Paul J. Wadell Contributor
Brian Brock Contributor
Joel James Shuman Contributor
Stephen Fowl Contributor
Amy Laura Hall Contributor
Michael Hanby Contributor
Lauren F. Winner Contributor
R. R. Reno Contributor
Emmanuel Katongole Contributor
Jennifer Herdt Contributor

Statistics

Works
46
Also by
3
Members
1,323
Popularity
#19,431
Rating
4.1
Reviews
13
ISBNs
129
Languages
2
Favorited
5

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