Review: How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur

This past week I read two books on studying the Bible inductively by Kay Arthur. The first one is "The BASIC STEPS of BIBLE STUDY" (BSBS), Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR, 2019, and the second is "HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE" (HSYB), Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR, 1994.

IN GENERAL

Right off the bat, between these two books, I would recommend HSYB, since BSBS is simply the first part of HSYB. BSBS is a very simple introduction to inductive Bible study, whereas HSYB goes into much more detail.

Both books are easy to read, even HSYB, the more in-depth book of the two. In fact, for every part of the process, there are easy to follow steps. HSYB is not the theory of inductive Bible study, but a practical walk-through of the process.

SUMMARY

The book is divided into six parts. The first two chapters are an introduction. The rest of the chapters of the book are divided into five parts. The first introductory chapter, If You Want to Know God's Word, is written as a letter to the reader by the author, giving a little background to the development of the Precept Upon Precept Inductive Bible Courses. The second introductory chapter, The Joy and Value of Inductive Study, gives a very broad outline of the rest of the book. Arthur writes, "Inductive Bible study draws you into personal interaction with the Scripture and thus with the God of the Scriptures so that your beliefs are based on a prayerful understanding and legitimate interpretation of Scripture--truth that transforms you when you live by it." (p11)

Review: Francis Schaeffer by Mostyn Roberts

Title:	Francis Schaeffer
Author:	Mostyn Roberts
Series:	Bitesize Biographies
Publisher:	EP Books
Year:	2012
ISBN:	0-85234-792-8
ISBN-13:	978-085234-792-8
Pages:	146
Format:	Paperback

Francis Schaeffer is one of the 20th century’s greatest influencers towards thinking Christianity. To him, Christianity was not simply a form of mysticism, and neither was it a leap of faith into the unknown. To Francis Schaeffer, Christianity was rational—not rationalistic. Christianity had all the answers to life’s big questions, and Schaeffer did not shy away from answering those questions.

From academics, to blue collar workers, all were important to Schaeffer, and he believed that each one had to be answered on his own level.

Mostyn Roberts wrote a very easy to read introduction to the life and ideas of Francis Schaeffer. Roberts writes about Schaeffer’s early years all the way to the end of his life in 1984, laying out a history of Schaeffer’s life, but also includes his teachings, apologetics, films, politics and his final battle with cancer.

Schaeffer left a legacy that every Christian would do well to learn from and emulate. Schaeffer taught us that it is important for Christians to think.

If you want to learn about Schaeffer, this is the book to start on. It is easy to read, doesn’t drag things out and it really accomplishes its purpose, which is to introduce the reader to Francis Schaeffer.

Once you are done reading this book, and you would like to know more about Schaeffer, then you can move onto FRANCIS SCHAEFFER: an Authentic Life by Colin Duriez (hardcover, kindle).

A Journey in Heresy: A Short Review

“(6)  I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;  (7)  which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  (8)  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  (9)  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:6-9)

The book we are looking at in this blog post is as follows:

Title: A Journey in Heresy: A Theological Novel
Author: Richard P. Belcher
Publisher: Richbarry Press, Fort Mill, SC
Year of Publication: 2009
ISBN: 978-1-883265-31-2
Pages: 174

Belcher has written 24 book in his Journey series. Based on the 3 books I have read (A Journey in Grace, A Journey In Sovereignty, and the current book under review), I would recommend others to read these books too.

A Journey in Heresy is a book about a Baptist Theological Seminary where a conspiracy is afoot to replace the current head of the Evangelism department with a more erudite evangelist who brings in thousands of “decisions” a year for Christ. The problem with this scenario is that those who want the new man—Jacob Johnson Maxwell—to take over the evangelism department, want him there purely because he brings in all these “decisions.” Little do they know about this man’s heretical teachings, and it takes three men at the seminary, Ira, Dink and Dr. Sisk, to unmask the teaching of Maxwell. Dink, that is to take the brunt of the conspiracy, is tasked by the president of the seminary, Dr. Sisk, to research Maxwell’s teaching, and so starts a series of teachings on Maxwell’s theology by Dink.

My Top 10 Books of 2013

It is the time of year that many look back over the year to assess the year’s successes, failures, and hardships. For those that enjoy reading, there were also successes and failures, and sometimes hardships when reading books. Successes in the books read, failures in the books not read or finished, and hardships to grind through some books.

Of course, my list of books will not be the same as someone else’s list of books, since our interests will be different, and there are few people in the world who have actually read the same list of books this year. The books I will list here did not come from another list at all. These are the top 10 books that I have personally read this year.

10. Love Your God with All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland

In the evangelical world there are opposites in many areas. Not the least of those opposites are in the area of the mind and the spirit. However, what has probably been neglected the most in evangelicalism is the importance of the mind. In this book, J.P. Moreland takes very seriously the imperative that Jesus highlighted for the questioning scribe:

“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” (Mk, 12:30)

Moreland highlights the use of the intellect as Christians in God’s kingdom in the areas of evangelism, apologetics, worship and vocation. The evangelical has many times loved the Lord with great zeal, but neglected to love God with the mind.

I finished this book on 23 June 2013.

Translating Truth: A review—Part 5 (Final)

We now come to the final part (Part 5) of my review of the book Translating Truth. The previous 4 parts looked at the foreword by Packer (Part 1), and then the first four chapters by Grudem (Part 1), Ryken (Part 2), Collins  (Part 3) and Poythress  (Part 4).

Chapter 5

The final chapter is by Bruce Winter and is called REVELATION VERSUS RHETORIC: Paul and the First-century Corinthian Fad.

Winter starts his chapter with a discussion of Seneca the Younger’s (4 B.C.-A.D. 65)  writing style to Lucilius, the procurator of Sicily, and also his friend. Seneca, a noted Stoic philosopher and Roman senator, was surprised by the criticism of his style of letter writing. Gallio, the proconsul of Achaea who was also the judge in the case of Jews vs. Paul in Corinth (Ac 18:12-17), was the brother of Seneca, and together they were carefully educated in Rome by their father, Seneca the Elder. Later, Seneca the Younger became the personal tutor of Nero before Nero became emperor.

Seneca responded to his friend Lucilius that his style of writing to him was of such a nature because of their friendship, and the way he would have spoken to Lucilius if they had been sitting together somewhere or were taking a walk together. Seneca said that the person who is the same when you hear him as when you read his words, is the one who has fulfilled his promise. Seneca stated

“that, ‘I should not stamp my foot, or toss my arms about, or raise my voice,’ for he leaves ‘that sort of thing to the orators [the rhetoricians]’” (p136)

with their “rhetorical delivery” (ὑπόκρισιϛ).

Letter writing in the time of Rome was very significant in that it had an awareness of the social connection between the letter writer and the recipient. The tone of the letter was affected by this social connection with its rank and status.

“Seneca helpfully reveals the options that were open to Paul as a letter-writer, an issue highly relevant to our subject of revelation and rhetoric in Paul. His letters [Paul's] had likewise come under scrutiny from some of his recipients, namely the Corinthian Christians and, in particular, his detractors.” (p137)

Some New Testament scholars have judged Paul’s letters as epistles structured along the rules of the rhetorical handbooks of the time.  Many scholars read Paul’s letters through this epistolary rhetoric grid. Also, remember, Paul and Seneca the Younger were contemporaries. Winter writes that this chapter will examine whether Paul’s communications weren’t, like Seneca’s, influenced by the writer’s relationship with the recipients. The fad among the educated of the day was to write in this grand epistolary style, a fad that did not escape the view of this proud Roman colony of Corinth. So, if Paul wanted to, he certainly could have written in this style. Winter writes concerning this issue,

“We have important information in 1 Corinthians 2 on the topic of revelation versus rhetoric, although it is not immediately obvious on an initial reading that in 2:1-5 Paul dealt with rhetoric or that 2:6-16 is Paul’s clearest declaration in any of his letters on the issue of revelation.” (p138-139)

In order to draw conclusions in this regard, Winter discusses four issues: (1) the relationship between Paul and the recipients of his letters, (2) his self-disclosure as to why he adopted his approach concerning rhetoric with the Corinthians, (3) Paul’s claim concerning revelation and the mind of Christ, and (4) Paul and the “grand style.”

1. Paul certainly breaks with the “grand style” of the day by addressing his recipients with the startling term, “brother” (ἀδελϕὸϛ). In Roman law, this term had no validity outside of sibling relationships. It was not just improper to use this term of those who are not siblings by birth or by adoption, but it was illegal too. It was significant that Paul chose to use this term, since it reinforced the idea of family, brothers and sisters in their relationships with one another. Sibling language in such a letter would have been deemed inappropriate.

2. Paul certainly refers to his modus operandi when he arrived in Corinth.

“On Paul’s coming to Corinth he refers specifically to the grand style of rhetoric in 2:1, asserting that in making known ‘the witness or mystery of God’ he did not retort to either rhetoric or wisdom. His phrases refer to superlative rhetoric and to knowledge achieved through learning.” (p141-142)

Paul’s preaching of the cross was not with cleverness of speech (the wisdom of rhetoric). Paul presented himself in complete antithesis to the virtuoso rhetoricians of the day (2:3). He came to them in weakness and fear, not with powerful speech and grandiose style. Paul’s abandonment of rhetorical demonstrations was that the Corinthians’ faith would rest not on the wisdom and demonstrations of men, but in the power of God. “By first-century reckoning Paul had adopted an anti-rhetorical stance and, in doing so, had clearly bucked the latest fad.” (p142) Winter concludes this section by writing that

“it is important to reflect on the fact that Paul has renounced for presentation purposes the conventions of orators and the devices used by its promoters at the time of the flowering of what is known among ancient historians as the Second Sophistic. For him the grand style of the orators and the grand style of oratory were antithetical to the Christian messengers and message. . . His modus aperandi was shaped by the message and not by the contemporary fad.” (p143)

3. After Paul showed his antithetical stance with regard to rhetoric, he continues this stance in terms of the wisdom of God as opposed to the wisdom of men. Paul writes that this is “a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age. . . just as it is written, ‘THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Cor 2:6, 9-10)

4. Almost a century ago there were scholars that argued that Paul did not write epistles, but real letters. A decade or so ago Janet Fairweather, who is a Cambridge classicist specializing in rhetoric, studied Galatians and came to the conclusion that Paul’s style rejected standard Hellenistic modes of argumentation and that it was not an Atticizing one, and that it was not well suited to writing.

What does this mean for the translator? Paul stuck to a style of simplicity and a word order that assured a forcefulness in delivering God’s Word. Paul was not interested in the fads of the day, and delivered the message of the gospel in plain language and not great sophistication.

Conclusion

This book is not always easy, especially if the reader is not familiar with translation issues or linguistics. However, with a little grit, most Christians should be able to comprehend the importance of Bible translation and what translators should give us in translations. I found most of the book easy reading and I think the issues were carefully covered.

I have to admit, I have always been an ELT proponent (see Part 1). What this book has done for me is to provide me with more grounding in the faithfulness of the ELT philosophy. When dealing with the words of God, the translator needs to be absolutely sure that what he is providing as a translation of those awe inspiring words do actually represent God’s words and not merely a human approximations of what God said.

I know there are some readers of this blog that feel that the DET philosophy of translation is the correct one, however, in my opinion, DET hides too much of the authors shared world and inserts too much of the translator’s shared world into the translation of the Bible.

In the end, you still have to make up your mind as to which translation you prefer, but I do hope that this review have stirred something about the importance of translation in your heart and that you decide to purchase the book to see the detail for yourself; or, at least you will reconsider your use of DET translations and start looking at ELT translations. To refresh your mind concerning the scale of translations between ELT and DET, revisit Part 1 and go down to the table called A SPECTRUM OF TRANSLATIONS.

Translating Truth: A review—Part 4

We have now completed looking at the foreword by Packer, and then the first three chapters by Grudem, Ryken and Collins.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is written by Vern S. Poythress, and is entitled TRUTH AND FULLNESS OF MEANING: Fullness Versus Reductionistic Semantics in Biblical Interpretation.

While Poythress is a brilliant scholar, he is also one of the writers that I find most difficult to read. I read his book GOD CENTERED BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION (P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 1999), and found it very difficult to stay with his train of thought. It was probably my own fault, since everything he said seemed to be important. When I read a book I use a colour marker to mark the important bits, and with his book I found I marked way too much, and as a result I could not deduce from his writings which was more important than the rest. I found this chapter in Translating Truth to be similar. Either he only writes what is important, or I can’t decipher from his writings what is really important.

That said, let’s give this a go!

From the get-go Poythress jumps into the nature of meaning in language and the origins of language. Evolutionists believe that language evolved from grunts to what we have today just like humans evolved from the goo to the zoo to you! Apparently it is a survival mechanism! However, the Bible portrays human language as a necessity from the beginning to serve as communication  between God and man. Poythress writes that

“it is plain from Scripture that God designed language in such a way that there can be multi-dimensional, complex, nuanced communication between God and man. God can tell stories, both fictional (parables) and nonfictional. He can expound and reason theologically, as in Romans, and he can express the full range of human emotions, as in the Psalms.” (p115)

Hence, the Bible contains all kinds of written genres such as prose or poetry, history, simple narrative and more. Meaning cannot be reduced to byte-sized isolated sentences thrown together at random. The meaning of a sentence comes from knowing who or what is in the sentence and what the surrounding context is. And, the full meaning only becomes apparent when you get to the end of the particular Biblical book. To discover whether modern theories of meaning are adequate to capture the richness of the Bible, Poythress looks at three technical tools that blossomed in the twentieth century. They are symbolic logic, structural linguistics, and translation theory.

Poythress finds symbolic logic to be obviously reductive in its approach to meaning and so moves on to structural linguistics. In this section Poythress looks at people such as Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield and Noam Chomsky, who all had impact in this field.

Translating Truth: A review—Part 3

This is now Part 3 of a review of the book Translating Truth. You can find Part 2, a chapter written by Leland Ryken, here! The start of this multi-part review can be found here.

Part 1 covered the foreword by J.I. Packer and chapter 1 by Wayne Grudem. Part 2 covered  chapter 2, written by Leland Ryken.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3, is written by C. John Collins, and is entitled WHAT THE READER WANTS AND THE TRANSLATOR CAN GIVE: First John as a Test Case.

For Collins, the issues of Bible translation go beyond the linguistic and theological academy, down to the type of Bible ordinary people will read and study. Also, with the Biblical illiteracy that prevails in the modern church, a major challenge lies before us. While the discussions concerning translation philosophy have been vigorous, Collins feels that it should be vigorous. There have been many comparisons between Bibles by opponents of certain translation philosophies, and this is where Collins’ approach is different. He writes,

“[I]t is easy to score points against an opponent by selecting out particular Bible passages, and this is what many reviews have done: but this fails, whether because the translation under review may or may not reflect its stated philosophy well in that particular place, or because the reviewer may or may not understand how the translators applied their philosophy, or because we have to see how the version performs on a whole body of text.” (p78)

Collins then continues with his aim in this chapter of the book.

“In view of this, here is what I am to do: first, I will consider what an ordinary person might think of as ‘translation’; second, I will aim to make this more rigorous by considering the dynamics of communication; third, I will compare how the various approaches to translation perform on a continuous text, namely 1 John.” (p78)

Collins also calls “essentially literal” translation (ELT), “transparent” translation (TT). Since people have misunderstood this translation philosophy, Collins explains that

“The goal is for the syntax and semantics of the original text to govern the translation in such a way that such things as text genre, style (including irony and word-play), and register, figurative language, interpretive ambiguities, and important repetitions show through.” (p83)

While TT philosophy agrees that translation involves transferring text from one language to another language, yet “it aims to keep its interpretation to the level of recognized linguistic operations on the text.” (p83) That means, when an ambiguity exists in the text where it could mean two different things, the TT leaves it intact while other translation will attempt to remove the ambiguity, thereby leaving the reader in the dark about a possible difference in translation and meaning.

Translating Truth: A review–Part 2

I started with a multi-part review of “Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation” in Part 1.

In Part 1, I looked at the foreword of the book written by J.I. Packer, in which he explained what it means to speak of an “essentially literal” or “word-for-word” translation, what I called ELT (Essentially Literal Translation). Packer also wrote about “thought-for-thought” or “dynamic equivalent” translations, what I called DET (Dynamic Equivalent Translation).

I also looked at chapter one, written by Wayne Grudem. In this chapter Grudem argues (1) that the Bible repeatedly claims that every one of its words (in the original languages) is a word spoken to us by God, and is therefore of utmost importance; and (2) that this fact provides a strong argument in favor of ‘essentially literal’ (or ‘word-for-word’) translation as opposed to ‘dynamic equivalent’ (or ‘thought-for-thought’) translation.” (p19)

Chapter 2

This chapter, entitled FIVE MYTHS ABOUT ESSENTIALLY LITERAL BIBLE TRANSLATION, is written by Leland Ryken. After explaining what an ELT is, Ryken jumps straight into the five myths he wants to clear up.

The first myth is that advocates of ELT are guilty of word worship and idolatry. Ryken writes:

“Questions arise at this point. What makes it either more or less idolatrous to assign priority to the words of the original as distinct from the ideas or meaning? All translation theorists assign priority to something. Nida, for example, evolved the rule that gave ‘the priority of the needs of the audience over the forms of language,’ and further decreed that ‘the use of language by persons twenty-five to thirty years of age has priority over the language of the older people or of children,’ and that ‘in certain situations the speech of women should have priority over the speech of men.’ While I believe that this ascribes an unwarranted and dangerous priority to the audience, surely it would be a strange polemical maneuver for me to say that Nida has made an idol of that audience.” (p59)

Ryken then lists a few passages that “assign primacy to the words of Scripture rather than the thoughts:” Jer 1:9; 1 Cor 2:13; Gal 3:16; Jn 6:63.

Christians are, or at least should be, very sensitive about idolatry in their lives. We want to please God, and we want Him as the ruler on the throne of our lives. That is why this myth, or the claims by people like Nida concerning word worship and word idolatry, is such a cheap shot. In fact, in a boxing match, it will be counted as a low blow! These kinds of comments are usually thrown around by people that have run out of arguments. They are simply mythtaken!

Translating Truth: A review–Part 1

I recently discovered this fairly small book, written by five members from the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible. The foreword of the book was written by the General Editor for the ESV Bible, Dr. J.I. Packer. Just to put you at ease, I prefer the NASB over the ESV. So, I am not promoting the ESV here at all.

General Info

Title:	Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation
Format:	Paperback
ISBN-10:	1-58134-755-3
ISBN-13:	978-58134-755-5
Size:	13.97cm x 21.59cm
Weight:	201.3gr
Published:	30 November 2005

The five authors of this book are: C. John Collins, Wayne Grudem, Vern S. Poythress, Leland Ryken, and Bruce Winter. You can find out more about them at the book’s site at Crossway.

Blurb on the book

“In an age when there is a wide choice of English Bible translations, the issues involved in Bible translating are steadily gaining interest. Consumers often wonder what separates one Bible version from another.

“The contributors to this book argue that there are significant differences between literal translations and the alternatives. The task of those who employ an essentially literal Bible translation philosophy is to produce a translation that remains faithful to the original languages, preserving as much of the original form and meaning as possible while still communicating effectively and clearly in the receptors' languages.

“Translating Truth advocates essentially literal Bible translation and in an attempt to foster an edifying dialogue concerning translation philosophy. It addresses what constitutes "good" translation, common myths about word-for-word translations, and the importance of preserving the authenticity of the Bible text. The essays in this book offer clear and enlightening insights into the foundational ideas of essentially literal Bible translation.” (Crossway)

Foreword

In the foreword of the book, Packer goes into general descriptions of the three categories that have been used for translating the Bible in the last 60 or so years.  First, the “word-for-word” or “essentially literal” translations (ELT). These versions “aim to be as transparent as possible to the vocabulary, sentence structure, thought process, literary purpose, situational context, personal style, rhetorical strategy, and communicatory technique of each author, within the limits that good English allows.” (p10) He then mentions versions that fall into this category: Tyndale, King James Version, RSV, NKJV, NASB and ESV, with the NRSV, NET and HCSB not too far behind. He then clarifies that these versions are not “word-for-word in any mechanical sense; they seek simply to catch all the meaning that the text expresses..., in a way that the original writer, were he with us today, would recognize as a full and exact rendering of what he sought to put across to his own readership...” (p10-11)

Second, he mentions the “thought-for-thought” or “dynamic equivalent” translations (DET). Here translators aim “to induce, directly and immediately, the same positive complex of compelling interest and intellectual, emotional, and volitional response that the original writers sought to trigger in their own readership, and the developed method is to modify the wording and imagery of the text as a means to this end.” (p11)

Translations that fall into this category are: GNB, Living Bible, NLT, CEV, NCB and God’s Word. The problem with these translations is that they try to be interpretive and tend to paraphrase somewhat too. This makes them try to be more than a translation and has some danger in them as follows: (1) Focus is blurred: Where one or more understanding of the Biblical text is possible, this method smooths over the difficulty leaving readers completely unaware that any difficulties exist and that other options are available. Also, Biblical technical phrases are eliminated. (2) Fidelity is restricted: In the case that a literal rendering would not “make sense” to the casual reader, this method will substitute that rendering with modern day word pictures that may even convey equivalent meanings as the original. The problem here is that the reader will never know where this had been done  and where not. (3) Foreshortening is imposed: By this, Packer means cultural foreshortening. “Colloquial paraphrase, however dynamically equivalent, cannot but pre-empt recognition of the cultural gap between the Bible worlds... and our own world of today... Distancing (that is, discerning the differences between our world and worlds of the past) must precede assimilation (identifying transcendent similarities that reach above and beyond the differences). Cutting corners here, in rendering literature from the past—the Judeo-Christian past no less than any other—is always under-translating.” (p12-13)

The third category Packer mentions is what may be called “exposition-for-text” or “expanded paraphrase.” “These elaborate and amplify what is found in the semantic field of each text and passage, just as a pulpit expositor might do.” (p13) These are J.B. Phillip's’ The New Testament in Modern English and, of course, Eugene Peterson’s The Message. The danger of these dangerous translations (my classification), is that they may read way more into the text than what is actually there, which Packer calls “over-translating.”

Ollie Chandler Collection: Just did not grab me

I have joined a program by Multnomah Books in which I get free books from them, and then I have to read them and write a review on the book.

In this case, I was given the Ollie Chandler Collection written by Randy Alcorn. I have a teaching book by Alcorn, which I enjoyed. And, it was based on that book that I accepted this collection to review.

Now, if you know me, you would also know that I can read several books at a time. Right now I am reading 2 books on software development, one sci-fi novel, one classic novel and one book on Islam from a Christian point of view. I have also just finished a book on the Biblical teaching on homosexuality.

That is why this review on the Ollie Chandler Collection certainly is not my best.

To tell you the truth, I did not even finish the collection. I am not much of a fiction reader and only read fiction to break the "tone" of my reading a bit. Hence, when I do read fiction, it really has to grab me, which this "trilogy" did not do. My wife read all 3 books and enjoyed it. So, it is not as if I am saying they were bad at all. In fact, my wife belongs to a Christian ladies' book club and all the ladies there enjoyed it.

Somehow it just did not grab me.

I have written other (better) reviews here and here.

Love your God with all your mind

J.P. Moreland has written a book that should be read by all Christians. The book I am talking about here is:

Title: Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul.
Publish Date: 1997
Publisher: NavPress
Pages: 249
ISBN: 1-57683-016-0 ISBN13: 978-1-57683-016-1

Just to be clear, the link in the title above and in the image is to the 2012 revised and updated edition of the book, while I am reviewing the original 1997 edition here.

The main point of the book is that the “mind plays an important role in Christianity.” (Back page) Accompanying this main point is the lament that “[u]nfortunately, many of us leave our minds behind when it comes to our faith.”

In this book, Moreland lay down a challenge for the church to once again become a thinking church. For too long the modern evangelical church has been satisfied with being spiritual and falling into the trap of anti-intellectualism.

The book has 4 parts:

Part One: Why the Mind Matters in Christianity

Chapter One: How We Lost the Christian Mind and Why We Must Recover It
Chapter Two: Sketching a Biblical Portrait of the Life of the Mind
Chapter Three: The Mind’s Role in Spiritual Transformation

Part Two: How to Develop a Mature Christian Mind

Chapter Four: Harassing the Hobgoblins of the Christian Mind
Chapter Five: Clearing the Cobwebs from My Mental Attic

Part Three: What a Mature Christian Mind Looks Like

Chapter Six: Evangelism and the Christian Mind
Chapter Seven: Apologetic Reasoning and the Christian Mind
Chapter Eight: Worship, Fellowship, and the Christian Mind
Chapter Nine: Vocation and an Integrated Christian Worldview

Part Four: Guaranteeing a Future for the Christian Mind

Chapter Ten: Recapturing the Intellectual Life in the Church

Appendix 1: Intellectual Resources
Appendix 2: Sources for Integration

While the book is catalogued as having 249 pages, only 192 pages are pages with content. I have found the book easy to read, and I am convinced that the book will be understood by even most teenagers.

Here is one quote that sets the book up for its major premise:

“Judged by the Scriptures, church history, and common sense, it is clear that something has gone desperately wrong with our modern understanding of the value of reason and intellectual development for individual discipleship and corporate church life.... Our society has replaced heroes with celebrities, the quest for a well-informed character with the search for a flat stomach, substance and depth with image and personality. In the political process, the makeup man is more important than the speech writer, and we approach the voting booth, not on the basis of a well-developed philosophy of what the state should be, but with a heart full of images, emotions, slogans all packed into thirty-second sound bites. The mind-numbing, irrational tripe that fills TV talk shows is digested by millions of bored, lonely Americans hungry for that sort of stuff. What is going on here? What has happened to us.” p20-21

Jesus said that we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. The whole man! Yet, evangelicalism has been satisfied with the heart and soul, and has largely neglected the mind. It has been very “spiritual” as opposed to being “rational.” However, Moreland shows how the starting place for Christian growth is with the mind. It starts with thinking. Thinking is not opposed to spiritual growth. It is part of spiritual, mature Christians.

It is in the best interest for every church to nurture thinkers, something that the church has not done.

I would recommend every church to encourage their people to read this book and to start a plan of action to nurture more thinkers in their midst.

Biblical Words and Their Meaning (by Moises Silva)

One of the most difficult books that I have read in recent years is that of Moises Silva, “Biblical Words and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics.” I read the Kindle edition, so instead of page references, you will find location references.

When reading this book, it is important to keep your wits about you. Even though Silva wrote this as an introduction to lexical semantics, if this is not your field of study, you will have to concentrate hard.

However, I really enjoyed reading this book. There were some things that I already knew, but even then, Silva explained those things very well with some different ideas and examples. Then there were some other things that I didn’t know, and he opened my eyes to new things.

For instance, something that I already knew:

“Theologians have been particularly concerned with pointing out the differences between Greek and Hebrew thought. [I was taught this.] The former, we are told, is static, contemplative, abstract, intellectualized, divisive; the latter is dynamic, active, concrete, imaginative, stressing the totality of man and his religion. Whatever we may think of this contrast, Barr claims that the linguistic arguments used to support it are ‘unsystematic and haphazard.’ Evidence of the kind adduced by these theologians is valid only when the Biblical languages are rigorously examined and hen the method is integrated with general linguistic science. Modern theology fails on both scores.” (location 221/p18?)

Something that I did not consider before:

“In some cases, a derivative [a word derived from another] that has not undergone phonetic changes may nevertheless undergo semantic changes and become unrelated to the original word. English regard was a derivative from guard, but the meanings of these words have drifted so far from each other that the speaker is not aware of their connection (as is reflected by the difference in spelling).” (location 664)

Having read the above piece in the book, I wondered how I could have missed this, it is so logical!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. While it was challenging, I found it very rewarding. Even if you do not understand Greek or Hebrew, the principles that are taught in this book could help you from falling into the trap of misusing Biblical words like so many Christians do.

There are some publication problems that I have with my edition (Kindle: ePub edition, March 2010, ISBN: 978-0-310-87151-4), and perhaps even with the paper edition. Unfortunately, I do not have the paper edition.

I am a stickler for spelling, and to find a spelling mistake right on the copyright page in the subtitle of the book is simply ridiculous. Ever heard of SEMNTICS? According to the Amazon “Look Inside” page for this book, that mistake is in the paper edition too!

Then there are a couple of misprints.

At location 2917 (somewhere on pp204-205), it is written:

"When προσκυνεω is used in this sense of entreaty, it is properly synonymous with another verb found in the New Testament, προσκυνεω, which also means  to entreat..."

Here, the 2nd προσκυνεω should be another word.I tried to use the Amazon “Look Inside” feature here, but that page is unavailable. The 2nd προσκυνεω is a misprint!

At location 2981:

"ευσεβεω is another New Testament verb for worship from the same root..."

You see, ευσεβεω had just been dealt with, so how could ευσεβεω be another word for worship? Using, once again, the “Look Inside” feature of Amazon, here I found that my Kindle edition had the wrong words! Instead of ευσεβεω, the paper edition has σεβομαι (this can be seen on pp208-209). Yet another misprint!

Surely, the process of editing the Kindle book is the same as the paper edition? The same original files should have been used for both. I have made my own Kindle book, so it cannot be that difficult for the publishers and editors to have ensured that these misprints were not in the Kindle edition! Unless, of course, a pre-publication transcript, which still contained errors was used for the Kindle edition! That will be unconscionable!

Funny thing is, I contacted Zondervan about this and I was told that the Kindle ebook does not yet support  a Greek font. However, I have my Kindle edition in front of me as I write this, and it is using a Greek font! Apart from this, Zondervan did confirm that σεβομαι must replace ευσεβεω and that my reasoning was correct concerning the wording at location 2917. The 2nd προσκυνεω must be replaced with γονυπετεω!

I find things like this very annoying, making me wonder if editors even care about their jobs anymore. And it is not just this book. It is almost every book that I read that has spelling mistakes in, or duplicate words.

But, besides all this, I will still recommend this book!

God’s Lavish Grace (by Terry Virgo)

I just finished Terry Virgo’s book “God’s Lavish Grace.”

What I like about the book is that it sites many passages from the Bible. Grace is something many Christians battle with, thinking that in order to remain accepted by God, we need to follow certain laws or do certain things to be accepted. Virgo writes:

“You reign in life by receiving abundant grace, not by putting yourself under laws. It is because of your standing that you reign in life. It is because you have obtained grace, not because you have achieved or accomplished merit. It is by your position, not by your performance! The imposition of law upon your life will never cause you to reign in life. It will never cause you to enjoy fellowship with Jesus and the grace-filled life that is so necessary for you to bear fruit for God.” (p15-16)

Virgo’s main point, at least as I see it, is that the law cannot make us better. In fact, adding “the law to [the utterly sinful man] does not improve him but strangely makes him even worse.” (p24) It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings freedom and we have died to the law and are now married to a new husband. It is He who will sanctify us by His Word.

I definitely will recommend this book to others and I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do, point us to the grace of Christ!

I have but one thing to complain about, and I find this with many charismatics (as Virgo is), even if they are reformed. Of course, I do not say that this is the case with all charismatics, and even less that this is how it is with all reformed charismatics.

In his sixth chapter, “A conscience cleansed from dead works,” Virgo does make Scripture say what it doesn’t say. It is the subject of “dead works” as mentioned in Hebrews 9:14, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Concerning these "dead works, Virgo writes that they are:

1. Something with no life in it, done without faith, like church programs. Things done by routine.
2. Things done presumptuously. Things we think are good.
3. Things that God did not personally tell you to do.

When we look at the passage that Hebrews 9:14 comes from, it is clear that the writer of Hebrews did not have any of the three points in mind that Virgo proclaimed to be dead works. The context is clear as to what dead works are, regulations concerning food and drink, and of various washings, sacrifices of bulls and goats. It is attempting to be accepted by God through the law and rituals. The book of Galatians is very clear on this subject! It is not the law and rituals (dead works) that will cleanse our consciences, but “ the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, [will] cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

It is always important to read the Scriptures in context, and not to tag our own ideas onto what we read!

Beautiful Creatures? Not so much!

Beautiful Creatures, the movie, is not so much about beautiful creatures, than the claim to immortality and the fight between “good” and “evil.”

Beautiful Creatures starts slow (at least according to my wife), but soon reveals itself as the clash between casters (immortals) from the dark side and from the side of the light. There is enough excitement in the movie to be a popcorn movie, since it also involves the blooming love between a caster (Lena – Alice Englert) who will turn 16 on December 21, and a normal human, Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich).

However, when a caster turns 16, The Claiming happens. If the caster is a male, then he can choose at The Claiming, and later, whether he wants to be a “dark” or “light” caster. On the other hand, if the caster is female, then she does not have any choice at The Claiming whether she wants to be “dark” or “light.” This is decided for her, since at her Claiming, her true self will be revealed and she will turn to the “dark” or the “light” side based on that inner true self.

It is here where the evil, dark side shows its true colours, since Lena’s mother, Sarafine (Emma Thompson), has become the most powerful caster on the dark side. She is joined by Lena’s childhood friend, and cousin, Ridley (Emmy Rossum), who at her Claiming became a siren, and has amazing powers over men and can make them do anything for her, even kill for her. These two women are trying their utmost to influence Lena’s Claiming so that Lena would be claimed for the dark side.

What is New Covenant Theology?

I received A. Blake White’s new introductory volume entitled, “What is New Covenant Theology? An Introduction,” today. The link to the book takes you to Blake’s blog, so you can read more from his side. The Table of Contents is as follows:

• Introduction
• Chapter 1 – One Plan of God Centered in Jesus Christ
• Chapter 2 – The Old Testament Should Be Interpreted in Light of the New Testament
• Chapter 3 – The Old Covenant Was Temporary by Divine Design
• Chapter 4 – The Law Is a Unit
• Chapter 5 – Christians Are Not Under the Law of Moses, but the ‘Law’ of Christ
• Chapter 6 – All Members of the New Covenant Community Have the Holy Spirit
• Chapter 7 – The Church Is the Eschatological Israel
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

It is not a thick book, and it is very easy to read. I am not a fast reader, yet I finished the book in 1.5 hours. It must be remembered that this is an introduction to New Covenant Theology (NCT), and not a PhD dissertation. As such, it may or may not answer all your questions, but it definitely gets you off on the right track.

One of the golden threads right through the book is to remind us that all of Scripture should be interpreted in the light of its main character, which is Jesus Christ and His saving work!

“The story of the Bible is not the story of the covenant of grace; nor is it the story of Israel. The Bible is the story of God’s work in history to sum up all things in Christ. New Covenant Theology strives to keep this one plan of God—centered in Jesus Christ—primary.” (p7)

It is well worth buying this book, as it uses the smallest amount of space, to pack an important subject as NCT, in language that is understandable to all.

To learn more about New Covenant Theology, please visit my blog series, NCT Friday, at my previous blog.

A short review of Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson

Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Carson is here at his exegetical best. I believe every Christian should read this book. Carson handles word-study, grammatical, logical, presuppositional and historical fallacies.

Under the word-study fallacy he handles one of the great fallacies we have heard in the church for the past 30 years: the so-called differences between agape and phileo, and many more.

In his chapter on grammatical fallacies, Carson deals extensively with issues of Greek translation, where preachers and teachers would make comments based on the Greek. He explains how Greek is a very flexible language and that assumptions based on a little Greek knowledge could actually be very incorrect!

Next, Carson deals with logical fallacies. This is where many Christians get tripped up. There are many areas in which Christians make false assumptions when dealing with logic, especially while reading the Bible. in this chapter we learn how to read the Bible with our minds active and in thinking mode. Truth is propositional, and we need to know how to handle those propositions correctly.

In His chapter on presuppositional and historical fallacies, Carson explains how our own frame of reference can influence how we read the Bible, and how to read the Bible correctly, understanding what it means from the author's perspective. He also shows how our interpretation of history can be muddled up under the historical fallacies. How do we read history? How do we interpret it? Are we reconstructing historical events correctly, and what caused them?

In his concluding chapter, Carson quickly goes through several more fallacies in summary fashion, such as problems with literary genre, arguments from silence, statistical arguments and more.

In my opinion, every person who is serious about studying the Bible should read this book. It certainly helps in recognizing the pitfalls of interpreting the Bible, and teaches us to think more while we study the Bible. God, after all, is a thinking God!

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