February 8

By | February 8, 2010
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My favorite Super Bowl ad (of those I saw) was by Audi.  My guess is that it won’t be too long before we won’t find it funny.

A survey of Protestant pastors asked them to "name the top three living Christian preachers that most influence you."  In the top ten were a father and a son, two guys named Charles, two guys named John, and one guy named Barbara.  She’s a college professor, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her.

The 2010 Christianity Today Book Awards go to a bunch of books I haven’t read (and don’t plan on reading).

Piper recently recited the Book of Philippians from memory to his congregation.  It’s a very different style from Ryan Ferguson’s presentation of Hebrews 9-10 (noted here long ago), but I thought it was very good.

Orthodoxy or the Academy?

By | February 6, 2010
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This came out last month when I was away, but I want to note it for any academics who read here who didn’t see it.  Carl Trueman on “The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind“:

Third, there would seem to be a pervasive evangelical inferiority complex. This means that, while we do not wish to exclude anybody, we dread being excluded ourselves. Indeed, for the evangelical academic, in a world so ill-defined, it is always tempting to cut just a few more corners, or keep shtum on just a couple of rather embarrassing doctrinal commitments, in order to have just that little bit more influence, that slightly bigger platform, in the outside world. This is particularly the temptation of evangelical biblical scholars and systematicians whose wider guilds are so utterly unsympathetic to the kind of supernaturalism and old-fashioned truth claims upon which their church constituencies are largely built. In so doing, we kid ourselves that we are doing the Lord’s work, that, somehow, because we have articles published in this journal or by that press, we are really making real headway into the unbelieving culture of the theological academy. Not that these things are not good and worthy—I do such things myself—but we must be careful that we do not confuse professional academic achievement with building up the saints or scoring a point for the kingdom.

And later…

The day is coming when the cultural intellectual elites of evangelicalism—the institutions and the individuals—will face a tough decision. I see the crisis coming on two separate but intimately connected fronts. The day is coming, and perhaps has already come, when, first, to believe that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired, authoritative, and utterly truthful, will be seen as a sign at best of intellectual suicide, at worst of mental illness; and, second, to articulate any form of opposition to homosexual practice will be seen as the moral equivalent of advocating white supremacy or child abuse. In such times, the choice will be clear, those who hold the Christian line will be obvious, and those who have spent their lives trying to serve both orthodoxy and the academy will find that no amount of intellectual contortionism will save them.

You can read the whole thing.  It’s not very long.

February 3

By | February 3, 2010
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The media doesn’t know we exist.  Or at least they don’t believe it.  That’s judging from this story about Tim Tebow.  They act as if he is the only intelligent, articulate Christian who is saving himself for marriage.

Actually, one of them knows.  This column by WP columnist Sally Jenkins puts everything else in sharp relief. (You should read it.)

The creator of Calvin and Hobbes gives his first interview since 1989.

Sovereign Grace has a spectacular sale on CDs, mp3s and books this month.

Piper gave an autobiographical sermon this week on C. S. Lewis.  You can download the mp3 or read the manuscript.

And if you haven’t seen a Super Bowl commercial yet, here’s one from cars.com.

Leviticus

By | February 2, 2010
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A few weeks ago in Jerusalem, I was on a tour of the Western Wall tunnels with an Israeli guide.  She’s a fifth-grade teacher by day, but she supplements her income by taking tourists along through excavated passageways in the evening.  As we had some time to talk personally, I asked her about her job teaching the Bible at a (Jewish) religious school.  I believe she said that the curriculum for that year is Deuteronomy and Kings.  I commented that those are great books.  She replied that they ‘re all good.  I said, well, Leviticus isn’t so great.  She said that she loves Leviticus.

Now, I’ve made an off comment (or a dozen) in recent years about the nature of Leviticus and my lack of love for it.  Recently, however, I was very aware of two things: (1) I was loving every book of the Bible I was studying and (2) I would be studying Leviticus in connection with my arguments Gezer standing stones with Leviticus, tb091405094dddproject.  I had no fear, however, that I would change my opinion of this very boring book.

It is boring, right?  I mean the entire 27 chapters is legal material, with a couple of narratives thrown in.  The narratives consist of one longer one (chs. 8-10), which mostly reads along the lines of “And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times” (Lev 8:11), and a shorter one which lasts seven verses and consists of the stoning of a blasphemer (Lev 24:10-16).  Back to the first narrative, the most interesting thing about it is that nobody knows just why Aaron’s two sons died.  They offered “unauthorized fire” and then fire came out of the tabernacle and burned them up (using words identical to the previous chapter where fire came out and consumed the animal sacrifices).  We don’t know what was “unauthorized/foreign/strange” about their sacrifice, only that they paid dearly for it (Lev 10:1-3).

So, why I am writing this post?  Am I writing to say, “hey, I was right, Leviticus is lame”?  Probably not.  If I felt that way, I’d maintain the recent radio silence.  Instead, in the course of five days, I have become fond of this book.  Why?  For one, I understand it better.  Two, there’s a literary artistry that I was ignorant of before.  Three, there are some good books about it that provide some helpful insights.  A word about each point.

One thing that I understand better is why the book is arranged the way it is.  The book proceeds roughly from public to private.  It begins with the sacrificial system and ends with personal life matters.  More than that, there’s a reason why each section is placed where it is.  You might expect that the first thing in Leviticus is a description of the Levites (given the name of the book).  Or, if you ‘re picking up from Exodus, you might expect Moses to fulfill the commands the Lord had previously given him to consecrate the priests.  The tabernacle had been constructed, but the priests were not ready to serve.  Yet Moses does not begin the book this way.  Instead, he begins with seven chapters describing the sacrifices.  Why?  When you read the account of the priests ‘ consecration (Lev 8-9), there are a number of sacrifices required.  In order for that to be understandable, the sacrifices have to be described first.  There are other examples of just how this book “works,” but this gives you a taste.

I did not focus much on the literary artistry in the book, largely because of time constraints.  But an example of this is the use of triads throughout the book.  For instance, the first three sacrifices are grouped together (Lev 1-3).  Each of these is divided into three parts.  That makes for easier reading and easier remembering, if you ‘re sensitive to it.

Finally, there are some good books about Leviticus that make the process of study more enjoyable (in my opinion).  Because of time, I was limited in what I could use.  But I would recommend Gordon Wenham’s commentary on the book (in the NICOT series).  Wenham also has a Guide to the Pentateuch that gives briefer synopses of each book, and I like both his insights and the brevity.  A good article on the book was written by N. Kiuchi in the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch.  If you ‘re interested in spending more time in the book, any of these will help you along.  One major aspect that some of the books will help you to understand is the relationship of Leviticus to the New Testament.

All of this does cause me a problem.  I need, for personal and pedagogical reasons, a book that I can use as a contrast, a book to beat up on.  I have cities that fill that role when talking about geography (Fresno, Arad), and I have people that serve in that capacity when talking about archaeology (RASM) or politics (JC).  Who can stand in for Leviticus now?

To Die Is…

By | January 31, 2010
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Guy in the ministry, mid-30s, living in the Dallas area.  Has a wonderful wife and young children.  And brain cancer. 

How would you respond if it were you?

How would you respond differently if you knew God better?

Alive

By | January 25, 2010
7 Comments

I have returned, but my intentions to resume blogging have been thwarted by illness, catching up on other things, and more illness.  The trip was excellent and virtually everything I was praying for was answered in the best way (including that I not get sick until the trip was over).  To those of you who prayed for us, thank you very much.  I ‘ll be back as soon as possible.

Book Recommendation: The Flames of Rome

By | January 1, 2010
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With the close of the semester and a quick flight to Florida and back, I picked up a book I expected to keep my attention.  Fresh off a semester in which I studied Roman history a tad, I was interested to see how Paul L. Maier’s The Flames of Rome would tie in with what I had learned.

Maier is a professor of history at Western Michigan University. He is also a Christian, and in brief correspondence with him some years ago, I was very impressed by his kindness.  Still, I wasn’t sure if he could pull off what few others could: writing a good work of Christian fiction.

First off, this isn’t entirely fiction.  Maier did tons of research from the 1st century and built his story around hundreds of historical facts.  He calls this a “documentary novel,” and he had dozens of pages of endnotes to prove it.  I was impressed by his work.  I believe I only found one point that I questioned.  Naturally he does his best to bring known historical events together which may well not have been together in the history, but he never falsifies data.

Second, the book is enjoyable.  It is a good story, and I never felt bored.

Third, the book fills in a lot of details during an important period in New Testament history.  The book covers roughly AD 49-66, so you meet figures like Priscilla and Aquilla, Peter, Paul, Timothy, and Luke.  The storyline, however, centers around the Roman emperors Claudius and Nero. 

I recommend this book as an easy way to get a better feel for the Roman world in the formative years of the church.  I wish there were more such books.

January 1

By | January 1, 2010
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If you think that the terrorists haven’t already won, it must be because you don’t fly on airplanes.   Christopher Hitchens asks “Why are we so bad at detecting the guilty and so good at collective punishment of the innocent?”

Here’s a provoking column in the NY Times that I read many months ago but never got around to linking to: End the University as We Know it.

This Egyptian Muslim converted to Christianity, was arrested and tortured before he escaped to Israel on a jetski.

I asked for prayer before I left for Israel.   The Lord has been good to answer our prayers.   I am feeling much better than before I left.   Some cold symptoms persist, but I’ve been able to teach and feel pretty strong most of the time.   I recovered from jetlag probably more quickly than I ever have before.   And my memory is pretty good.   I was thinking today that a person inside me that has long been asleep has now come back to life.   I’m thankful.   The family seems to be doing pretty well too.

Gospel of Thomas: Did Jesus Say This?

By | December 30, 2009
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Some scholars believe that the Gospel of Thomas is as reliable as the four Gospels in the New Testament.  The book consists of 114 sayings, and some sound like Jesus, some do not sound like Jesus, and some are just embarrassing.  You judge for yourself:

51. His disciples said to him, "When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?"

He said to them, "What you are looking forward to has come, but you don’t know it."

58. Jesus said, "Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life."

77. Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

86 Jesus said, "[Foxes have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lay down and rest."

98. Jesus said, "The Father’s kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one."

100. They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, "The Roman emperor’s people demand taxes from us."

He said to them, "Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine."

107. Jesus said, "The (Father’s) kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, ‘I love you more than the ninety-nine.’"

114. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."

You can read the whole book here.

Thoughts on Bible Study

By | December 28, 2009
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Several people have asked me in recent months to share my thoughts on studying Scripture.  I don’t think I have anything unique to share on the subject, but sometimes hearing it again or from one you know can give a fresh push.  In that light, I offer a few thoughts.

The most important thing for studying the Bible is time.  You can’t really study the Bible in ten minute chunks.  Well, I don’t think you can.  I’d recommend blocking off an hour.  The first hour of the morning may not be the best for you, nor the last hour of the day.  Maybe 8-9 in the evening.  The obvious key here is making this a priority. 

One way to help make it a priority is to get accountability, such as teaching what you ‘re learning to others.  If you can’t find a willing group of third-graders, you can start a blog.  If, however, you know that no one is reading, you may not feel very accountable.

The next thing is to choose a portion of Scripture that you are interested in.  I recommend that you choose a portion that has limits set by the author.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to study a whole book.  If you chose to study Matthew 13, for instance, there’s a good chance you will come up with all kinds of crazy interpretations if you don’t understand the rest of the book. 

Third, Bible study requires a pencil, pen, or keyboard.  There are all kinds of ways to go with this, but if you ‘re not writing, you ‘re probably not studying.  A couple of ideas that you might try if you ‘re using a computer: (1) copy your text from a Bible program, format it in a way that suits your method, and print it.  This gives you the freedom to mark and highlight without ruining your Bible.  (2) copy and paste verses by theme.  I did this recently in studying Isaiah 1-12 and it helped me to quickly see threads running through the whole chapter.  The point simply is that with a computer, you have lots of options that were not possible when working with printed text.

Fourth, read your entire text over many times.  If you ‘re studying Galatians, read the whole book every day for a month.  If you ‘re studying Luke, you might read six chapters a day, and that will get you through the whole book 15 times in 2 months.  I believe this is a very important step in the process.  You understand the whole from the parts and the parts from the whole.

Fifth, write your own commentary.  Read each verse and write observations as well as questions.  Writing down questions is just as important as listing observations.  Questions push you further.  Sometimes you ‘ll find the answer to your question as you study.  Even if you don’t, questions help you to engage with the text.  This step is the heart of the process; don’t shortchange or rush it.  The most important thing is not what you write on the page but the understanding that you gain as you write on the page.

Sixth, read another commentary or two.  You probably don’t want to do this each day, but if you ‘re studying Joshua, you might take this step after you’ve written your own commentary for every few chapters.  You may want to purchase a couple of the best commentaries for your book.  If you ‘re studying the book over a series of months, it is probably impractical to check it out of a library for that long.  If you purchase the commentary, you can make notes in it. 

How do you know what the best commentaries are?  Ask a trusted pastor or teacher.  Check out the rankings at www.bestcommentaries.com.  There are assorted lists online, but the key is knowing whether the ranker has the same criteria in mind that you do.  For my perceived audience (college grads with at least a minor in Bible), I’d make some generalizations.  Helpful series, in increasing depth: Tyndale, New American Commentary, and NICOT/NICNT.  Series to avoid for this type of work: Anchor, Hermeneia, Word Biblical Commentary.  There are many individual volumes that are good and bad that are not part of any series.

Seventh, summarize the book.  Start by summarizing paragraphs.  Then summarize each chapter.  Finally summarize the book as a whole, with the goal of providing a brief version of what the author hoped that his audience would understand.  This is a very useful exercise in helping you to hone in on the essence of the book.

A subject that really deserves another post is the order in which you study the Bible.  I’m a strong believer in reading books, including the Bible, in order. Earlier material prepares you for later material.  Zechariah is best studied in light of Isaiah.  Jeremiah must be studied after Deuteronomy.  Matthew assumes a knowledge of the prophets.  Keep this in mind as you choose books to study.

I ‘ll end with a word about application.  Some view Bible study that doesn’t have an immediate daily application as incomplete.  I disagree.  I view Bible study as an opportunity to understand what the author/Author was trying to communicate.  In understanding his message, my thinking is changed.  With changed thinking, I live differently.  So I’m not primarily concerned that I have a list of five things to do differently from each chapter.  Of course, it also varies based upon the book you ‘re studying.  Proverbs will have more applications than Leviticus.

What did I miss?  Feel free to comment below.  This is just off the top of my head and I certainly don’t consider myself any kind of expert.  My goal is to motivate especially those who are out of school and who do not have a regular habit of studying the Bible.