Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Quote of the Day
In a cruel and evil world, being cynical can allow you to get some entertainment out of it. - Daniel Waters, born June 20, 1731
Friday, May 4, 2012
Commentary on the Psalms
Allen P. Ross’ A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1 (1-41) is a great addition to any pastor, teacher, or student’s library of commentaries on the Psalter. Dr. Ross’s work on the book of Psalms in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol 5 serves as an appetizer for this current work.
Dr. Ross shows an easy familiarity with the text of the Psalms. He is obviously at home with the biblical text; each Psalm is presented in the author’s own translation from Hebrew. In addition, he comments freely on relevant literature about the text.
The structure of the commentary is: the author’s translation along with brief footnote discussions of textual variants; contextual overview; an exegetical analysis; exposition; and message and application. The exegetical analysis is presented in outline form, although it does not appear that the intent was to produce an outline. While some commentaries strive to condense the text into a simple outline, Ross allows the text to construct its own outline.
Particularly interesting is the section dealing with textual variants. Ross brings to bear variant readings from the Vulgate, LXX, and other Hebrew text traditions.
A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol 1 is not stuffy reading. Ross walks his reader through the garden of the collection of Hebrew worship material and points him to the God who is worshipped through His Son. If volume 1 covers Psalms 1-41, then four or five volumes may be required to complete the Psalter. Regardless, I intend to own each volume and recommend that everyone who loves the Psalms do likewise.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dr. Ross shows an easy familiarity with the text of the Psalms. He is obviously at home with the biblical text; each Psalm is presented in the author’s own translation from Hebrew. In addition, he comments freely on relevant literature about the text.
The structure of the commentary is: the author’s translation along with brief footnote discussions of textual variants; contextual overview; an exegetical analysis; exposition; and message and application. The exegetical analysis is presented in outline form, although it does not appear that the intent was to produce an outline. While some commentaries strive to condense the text into a simple outline, Ross allows the text to construct its own outline.
Particularly interesting is the section dealing with textual variants. Ross brings to bear variant readings from the Vulgate, LXX, and other Hebrew text traditions.
A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol 1 is not stuffy reading. Ross walks his reader through the garden of the collection of Hebrew worship material and points him to the God who is worshipped through His Son. If volume 1 covers Psalms 1-41, then four or five volumes may be required to complete the Psalter. Regardless, I intend to own each volume and recommend that everyone who loves the Psalms do likewise.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Friday, March 30, 2012
Study Bibles Gone Awry
“And further, by these my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end…” These words, written by Solomon in Eccle.12:12 could be revised today. It could read, “of the making of many study Bibles there is no end…” What is the reason for the American evangelical’s love affair with the study Bible? Understand, I am not on a one-man crusade to put an end to the publication of study Bibles. Be very clear about this. Having been tagged with sundry labels, some given fairly and some unfairly, I do not want to add “bibliophobe,” censor or book burner to the list. However, enough is enough.
A quick search on the website of Christian Book Distributors shows that they offer 1,094 varieties of study Bibles viewable on 44 pages. Among the study Bibles listed are: The MacArthur Study Bible, The Chronological Study Bible, The Joyce Meyers Everyday Life Study Bible, The Life Application Study Bible, The Patriot’s Study Bible, The C.S Lewis Bible, The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible, and the list goes on and on. What becomes painfully obvious is that the study Bible craze is more personality driven than need or content driven. The latest evangelical rock star is expected to offer his or her version of a study Bible. It was only a matter of time that current obsession with C.S. Lewis would result in someone putting together a study Bible with his name attached. I wonder if Lewis would have endorsed this.
Study Bibles have had a long history in America. Perhaps the earliest and best known is the Scofield Reference Bible, which is still being printed. Scofield’s notes allowed the most casual reader to have a basic grasp of particular passages in the Bible. One of the drawbacks of the Scofield (and any other study Bible for that matter) is that the notes that appear on a page may be taken as the final word in how a passage is to be interpreted. Some may even go so far as to give the “notes” the same level of authority as Scripture.
This rant was prompted when I was introduced to the latest entrance in the study Bible pageant. Whoever hatched this brilliant scheme must have been smoking something funny. The newest study Bible on the market is – and I am not making this up – The NIV Lesson from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter. The book description reads:
The NIV Lessons from Life Bible takes Mr. Carter's years of teaching Sunday school lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA, and meshes them with the text of the NIV Bible. Through 'In Focus' articles, 'Bible in Life' notes, in-depth studies and insightful observations and reflections, President Carter's teachings in this Bible provide fresh insights for you to study and contemplate.
In the Huffington Post, Paul Brandeis Raushenbush interviewed President Carter and asked him about “the hardest questions presented in the Bible.” Here is an example of Mr. Carter’s answer to one of these hard questions:
Raushenbush: Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life" (John 14:6). How can you remain true to an exclusivist faith claim while respecting other faith traditions?
Carter: Jesus also taught that we should not judge other people (Matthew 7:1), and that it is God who judges people, so I am willing to let God make those judgments, in the ultimate time whenever it might come. I think ‘judge not that you be not judged’ is the best advice that I will follow. Maybe it is a rationalization, but it creates a lack of tension in my mind about that potential conflict.
There are many verses in the Bible that you could interpret very rigidly and that makes you ultimately into a fundamentalist. When you think you are better than anybody else -- that you are closer to God than other people, and therefore they are inferior to you and subhuman -- that leads to conflict and hatred and dissonance among people when we should be working for peace.
According to Mr. Carter, if you take an exclusivist approach to salvation – if you actually believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (and note that the rest of the verse was omitted: "no one can come to the Father except by me" which is even more exclusivist), then you are a fundamentalist that thinks “you are better than anyone else – that you are closer to God than other people, and therefore they are inferior to you and subhuman.”
There is no question that Jimmy Carter has been an active former president, working for social justice and fighting poverty. But by what stretch of reason and good sense does anyone think that he has the credentials to publish a study Bible? There is nothing new in President Carter’s commentary. It is the same old postmodern, politically correct drivel that has been offered for years.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
"It's...About...Leadership"
Alex Knapp gives one of the best essays on leadership I have read in a long time. That I am an aging "trekkie" may have someting to do with it. Read "Five Leadership Lessons From James T. Kirk."
Monday, March 5, 2012
Book Review: Invitation to Biblical Interpretation
Invitation to Biblical Interpretation is a toolbox for the Bible student and teacher. Andreas Köstenberger and Richard Patterson have provided a tool that is an essential volume to any Biblical library.
Subtitled, Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology, the authors attempt to show the important interplay of these features of Biblical interpretation. Since it is a book about interpretation, the bulk of the attention is given to the literary aspect of Scripture. However, even in this, the authors are careful to direct the reader’s attention to the story line of the Bible, the salvation history through which the literature must be understood.
Köstenberger and Patterson touch issues of canonicity, genre, discourse analysis, and even discuss the elements of good preaching. My contact with these subjects was spread over several college and seminary courses. Here is a book that ties them all together.
This is designed to be a textbook. Each chapter ends with a glossary, study questions, assignments, and a bibliography. Each chapter begins with objectives and an outline.
The only disadvantage to the book is its length; and that is a disadvantage only if it is considered as a textbook. Modern seminary and upper level college courses on hermeneutics usually last 1 semester. At 849 page (before indices), it would be quite a chore to do justice to the work within the confines of a semester.
Having taught college level hermeneutics, I wish I had this book as a resource. Regardless of one’s experience in preaching, Invitation to Biblical Interpretation will challenge you and make you re-examine your approach to sermon preparation.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
Subtitled, Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology, the authors attempt to show the important interplay of these features of Biblical interpretation. Since it is a book about interpretation, the bulk of the attention is given to the literary aspect of Scripture. However, even in this, the authors are careful to direct the reader’s attention to the story line of the Bible, the salvation history through which the literature must be understood.
Köstenberger and Patterson touch issues of canonicity, genre, discourse analysis, and even discuss the elements of good preaching. My contact with these subjects was spread over several college and seminary courses. Here is a book that ties them all together.
This is designed to be a textbook. Each chapter ends with a glossary, study questions, assignments, and a bibliography. Each chapter begins with objectives and an outline.
The only disadvantage to the book is its length; and that is a disadvantage only if it is considered as a textbook. Modern seminary and upper level college courses on hermeneutics usually last 1 semester. At 849 page (before indices), it would be quite a chore to do justice to the work within the confines of a semester.
Having taught college level hermeneutics, I wish I had this book as a resource. Regardless of one’s experience in preaching, Invitation to Biblical Interpretation will challenge you and make you re-examine your approach to sermon preparation.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Theodicy
"You must take heed of making God to have a hand in men’s sins. Is it likely that God is the author of sin and the avenger of it? Is it a likely thing that God should make a law against sin, and then have a hand in breaking his own law? God permitted their sin, which he never would, if he could not bring good out of it." - Thomas Watson
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Book Review: Every Body Matters
Gary Thomas has entered a risky arena in his Every Body Matters. Many evangelicals voice considerable objection over the current cultural obsession with body image. Conversely, some Christians have fallen prey to the mindset that “image is everything.” In this book, Thomas adds his input in a way that brings us back to the center.
The premise is that God has given each of us only one body through which we live to the glory of God. Stewardship of this resource is as important as any other aspect of life. Thomas states his position clearly: “Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties – or facing your fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond – one thing is certain: you’re doing it in a body, a body that not only contains a soul but affects your soul as well. We are not angels, pursuing God without physical covering, and if we try to pretend that we are – living as though the state of our bodies has no effect on the condition of our souls – all the proper doctrine in the world can’t save us from eating away our sensitivity to God’s presence or throwing away years of potential ministry if we wreck our heart’s physical home.”
The intent of this book is not to produce marathon runners (although Gary Thomas runs in marathons), bodybuilders, or swimsuit models. It is to encourage the Christian to seriously consider the totality of the individual created in God’s image.
The premise is that God has given each of us only one body through which we live to the glory of God. Stewardship of this resource is as important as any other aspect of life. Thomas states his position clearly: “Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties – or facing your fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond – one thing is certain: you’re doing it in a body, a body that not only contains a soul but affects your soul as well. We are not angels, pursuing God without physical covering, and if we try to pretend that we are – living as though the state of our bodies has no effect on the condition of our souls – all the proper doctrine in the world can’t save us from eating away our sensitivity to God’s presence or throwing away years of potential ministry if we wreck our heart’s physical home.”
The intent of this book is not to produce marathon runners (although Gary Thomas runs in marathons), bodybuilders, or swimsuit models. It is to encourage the Christian to seriously consider the totality of the individual created in God’s image.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Living in the Light of the "Hour"
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus repeatedly spoke about “his hour.” This is a reference to his impending death on the cross. In John 12:23-26 that “hour” had finally come. Everything would be different. The world became a different world.
Up to this point, the disciples were clueless about the events of the coming days. They would be taken by surprise at Jesus’ crucifixion and suffer crushing despair, unaware that the Savior would rise from the dead.
In John 12: 23-26 Jesus prepared his disciples by telling them how to live in this different world. He would show them in concrete ways by his death and resurrection.
In a series of paradoxical statements, Jesus left instructions for his disciples, the Twelve and those who would follow their teachings down through the centuries.
One must die if he is to Live – 24
All who heard Jesus were familiar with this agricultural analogy. The seed goes into the ground and “dies” so it can germinate. If it doesn’t do this, it cannot take root and bear.
Jesus’ was about to do this very thing. He would die and go into the tomb, but He would come out alive. His resurrection would bear fruit that still has yet to be gathered.
In all likelihood, you and I are not called upon to die – yet! Tertullian said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” But if not called upon to die for the sake of Christ, we are certainly to die to self for the sake of Christ. This is amazingly difficult. Yet we discover that the only way to truly live without fear and without hesitation is to die to this life and live to the glory of God.
One must lose his life if he is to keep it – 25
Most of our lives are spent providing for this life, making ourselves comfortable, attractive, healthy, safe and secure. It’s all about living in the now.
Jesus says that to keep our lives we must lose them. There is more to life than “now.” And while we know there is a life to come that will overshadow this life, it is true that so few of us prepare for that life because we are so consumed with this one.
To lose our lives means to lose them in following Christ. All of the things we do to maintain life here is good and right – but not if it consumes us; not if life becomes our life.
One must be humble if he is to be honored – 26
We would expect Jesus to have something to say about serving God and following Him. This is right and proper. At the end of the statement he adds this: if anyone serves me the Father will honor Him. This is consistent with Jesus had said previously about seeking the most prominent positions at a feast. In the kingdom of God the way up is down; the first shall be last; the last shall be first.
This is counter-cultural to a “me-first” culture. But it is only being Christ-like.
Up to this point, the disciples were clueless about the events of the coming days. They would be taken by surprise at Jesus’ crucifixion and suffer crushing despair, unaware that the Savior would rise from the dead.
In John 12: 23-26 Jesus prepared his disciples by telling them how to live in this different world. He would show them in concrete ways by his death and resurrection.
In a series of paradoxical statements, Jesus left instructions for his disciples, the Twelve and those who would follow their teachings down through the centuries.
One must die if he is to Live – 24
All who heard Jesus were familiar with this agricultural analogy. The seed goes into the ground and “dies” so it can germinate. If it doesn’t do this, it cannot take root and bear.
Jesus’ was about to do this very thing. He would die and go into the tomb, but He would come out alive. His resurrection would bear fruit that still has yet to be gathered.
In all likelihood, you and I are not called upon to die – yet! Tertullian said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” But if not called upon to die for the sake of Christ, we are certainly to die to self for the sake of Christ. This is amazingly difficult. Yet we discover that the only way to truly live without fear and without hesitation is to die to this life and live to the glory of God.
One must lose his life if he is to keep it – 25
Most of our lives are spent providing for this life, making ourselves comfortable, attractive, healthy, safe and secure. It’s all about living in the now.
Jesus says that to keep our lives we must lose them. There is more to life than “now.” And while we know there is a life to come that will overshadow this life, it is true that so few of us prepare for that life because we are so consumed with this one.
To lose our lives means to lose them in following Christ. All of the things we do to maintain life here is good and right – but not if it consumes us; not if life becomes our life.
One must be humble if he is to be honored – 26
We would expect Jesus to have something to say about serving God and following Him. This is right and proper. At the end of the statement he adds this: if anyone serves me the Father will honor Him. This is consistent with Jesus had said previously about seeking the most prominent positions at a feast. In the kingdom of God the way up is down; the first shall be last; the last shall be first.
This is counter-cultural to a “me-first” culture. But it is only being Christ-like.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Hmmm...
"Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, or forties – or facing your fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond – one thing is certain: you’re doing it in a body, a body that not only contains a soul but affects your soul as well. We are not angels, pursuing God without physical covering, and if we try to pretend that we are – living as though the state of our bodies has no effect on the condition of our souls – all the proper doctrine in the world can’t save us from eating away our sensitivity to God’s presence or throwing away years of potential ministry if we wreck our heart’s physical home." – Gary Thomas, Every Body Matters
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Determinations
I gave up on New Year's resolutions long ago. Instead, I have composed a list of "determinations," things that are continual goals for my Christian life.
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." (1 Tim. 4:16)
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2Pet. 3:18)
Principles:
I am responsible for my own progress in holiness.
My own sanctification takes priority over ministry to others. 1Tim says that I will not be able to be an instrument of salvation to others if I do not take heed to myself.
Being is more important than doing.
Therefore, in order to better take heed to myself, I have composed these determinations:
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." (1 Tim. 4:16)
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2Pet. 3:18)
Principles:
I am responsible for my own progress in holiness.
My own sanctification takes priority over ministry to others. 1Tim says that I will not be able to be an instrument of salvation to others if I do not take heed to myself.
Being is more important than doing.
Therefore, in order to better take heed to myself, I have composed these determinations:
- I will say fewer prayers, but pray more.
- I will read the Bible, and allow myself to be read by the Bible.
- I will be less critical of others and more critical of myself
- I will be ruthless in the sin I see in myself; gracious in the sin I see in others.
- I will be ready for the worst and anticipate the best
- I will take the work that God has set before very seriously; I will not take myself seriously.
- I will be a better husband, father, grandfather, and friend; I will be an enemy of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
- I will declare war on pride, arrogance, conceit, and Phariseeism – beginning with my own.
- I will approach the work of God with the same attitude that David had in 2 Samuel 24:24 "And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen."
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