Bearing God's Name - by Carmen Joy Imes (Paperback)

About the Book

What does the Old Testament-especially the law-have to do with your Christian life? Carmen Joy Imes takes readers back to Sinai, arguing that we've misunderstood the command about "taking the Lord's name in vain." Instead, Imes says that this command is really about "bearing God's name," a theme that continues throughout the rest of Scripture.

Book Synopsis

What does the Old Testament-especially the law-have to do with your Christian life? In this warm, accessible volume, Carmen Joy Imes takes readers back to Sinai, arguing that we've misunderstood the command about "taking the Lord's name in vain." Instead, Imes says that this command is really about "bearing God's name," a theme that continues throughout the rest of Scripture.

Review Quotes

"Carmen Joy Imes is helping us to relish once again the wondrous depths of truth and challenge that are there for us Christians in that great epic narrative of Old Testament Israel-whether those stories are familiar to us already or not. . . . I trust that reading this book will give you a deeper and more biblical understanding of what it ought to mean to bear God's name, and not to bear it in vain."

"Carmen Joy Imes's Bearing God's Name is a marvel. Imagine a scholar who writes for the church, a member of the academy who cares deeply for the parish. However you phrase it, Imes has done it-given the gift of both accessibility and accuracy to the church. I learned much in this text and look forward to returning to it again and again. I suspect your experience will be the same."

"Did Old Testament law apply to Christians in the New Testament? Are they still relevant today? With a writing style that is straightforward and recurrently witty, Imes answers those questions and more. Not only does the author demonstrate a solid understanding of biblical history, but she also introduces and explains concepts that the non-expert can appreciate. . . . Highly recommended for all students of biblical history, and especially for Christians who want to understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments."

"Get ready to receive an abundance of insight from the story of Israel's exodus and dedication to their divine calling. Carmen Imes brings this ancient story to life in a sharp and approachable read that will help you understand the divine calling in your life."

"If you are ready to be transformed by a book, read this one! Like Lucy and Edmund in C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Carmen Imes plunges her reader deep into the world of the Old Testament (and the New). The journey will reshape what you know about God's name, Israel's law, and our identity as Christians who bear God's name."

"Professor Imes refuses to divide the Bible into a simplistic dichotomy of rigid law and abounding grace. Her goal is to highlight continuity between Sinai and Calvary; between lawgiver Moses and grace-dispenser Jesus. . . . Imes skillfully highlights the teachings of Sinai law throughout the New Testament. Yes, grace and mercy win out, but within a proper understanding of the foundation which was laid by Yahweh in the first covenants. My favorite emphasis of Imes's writings centers on her exposition of 'chosen people.' Yes, Israel, but now all tribes, all races, all linguistic flavors can be included in the massive throng of the new chosen people who will one day gather at the Throne of God and sing in glorious unison, 'Hallelujah, for our God almighty reigns!' Well done, Professor Imes."

"Rarely do we encounter scholars who are able to distill the essence of complex notions and recast them in forms that are both accessible and compelling for lay readers. Carmen Imes's skills in this regard are extraordinary. In the academy, people who have read her published technical monograph on bearing God's name have been quick to celebrate the stellar quality of her work. In this volume Carmen introduces lay readers and serious students of Scripture to her major findings through writing in engaging and persuasive prose-with plenty of ideas for application. For readers who long to recover the life-giving message of grace in the Torah, this book will be a great place to start."

"Warm, witty, wise, and winsome; theologically rigorous, rhetorically convincing, and pastorally helpful, this book is not to be missed. Taking the reader through the narrative of the exodus, Carmen Joy Imes shows us that it is our story, not an arcane, ancient document as dry as last year's bird nest. The genre of Law speaks today. You will see the name Carmen Joy Imes regularly in the future as she continues to bless the church with accessible and edifying scholarship."

"Carmen Joy Imes is helping us to relish once again the wondrous depths of truth and challenge that are there for us Christians in that great epic narrative of Old Testament Israel--whether those stories are familiar to us already or not. . . . I trust that reading this book will give you a deeper and more biblical understanding of what it ought to mean to bear God's name, and not to bear it in vain."

--From the foreword by Christopher J. H. Wright, author of The Mission of God

"Carmen Joy Imes's Bearing God's Name is a marvel. Imagine a scholar who writes for the church, a member of the academy who cares deeply for the parish. However you phrase it, Imes has done it--given the gift of both accessibility and accuracy to the church. I learned much in this text and look forward to returning to it again and again. I suspect your experience will be the same."

--Talbot Davis, pastor of Good Shepherd UMC in Charlotte, North Carolina, and author of Simplify the Message: Multiply the Impact

"Did Old Testament law apply to Christians in the New Testament? Are they still relevant today? With a writing style that is straightforward and recurrently witty, Imes answers those questions and more. Not only does the author demonstrate a solid understanding of biblical history, but she also introduces and explains concepts that the non-expert can appreciate. . . . Highly recommended for all students of biblical history, and especially for Christians who want to understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments."

--Chad Clark, Library Journal, November 2019

"If you are ready to be transformed by a book, read this one! Like Lucy and Edmund in C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Carmen Imes plunges her reader deep into the world of the Old Testament (and the New). The journey will reshape what you know about God's name, Israel's law, and our identity as Christians who bear God's name."

--Beth Stovell, associate professor of Old Testament at Ambrose University and national catalyst for theological and spiritual formation, Vineyard Canada

About the Author

Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton College) is associate professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, she is the author of Bearing YHWH's Name at Sinai. She is also a regular contributor to The Well and serves on the board of directors of the Institute for Biblical Research. She is also a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature.