Perhaps I should make a "bragging about Jeff blog" before all the space gets used up on this one... but for now, I am just to excited not to post stuff (plus Jeff will never do it):

Seven Plus Seven
Thursday November 13, 2008

I've never been a fan of studies of the seven deadly sins. I did purchase the New York Public Library series since it had two of my favorite authors, Phyllis Tickle and Joseph Epstein. Recently I got a book in the mail and when I saw the title "Seven" I thought, "Here we go again." No, it is not here we go again. Jeff Cook, in Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes , uniquely and eloquently combines the seven deadly sins with the seven beatitudes.
What Seven does is combine something we need to repent from with something we need as a virtue. Instead of leaving a person feeling guilty, as so many of the studies of the seven deadlies do, this book stiff arms us a bit and then points us to the way of Jesus.I recommend this book for church small groups, for college groups interested in exploring Christian morality, and to anyone who needs a good reminder of our moral calling. The prose is gentle and informed and accessible; the quotes very good; the stories exceptional.Notice how he puts them together:
Pride and the poor in spirit
Envy and the mourner
Sloth and those who hunger for a life made right
Greed and the mercy giver
Lust and the pure of heart
Wrath and the meek peacemaker
Gluttony and the persecuted

Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).