I wrote this article with two purposes in mind: (1) to understand 1 Samuel 25 and (2) to make a hermeneutical demonstration of the appropriate use of cultural backgrounds.
Tag: Evangelicalism
I Sing the Mighty Power of God—Additional Stanza
Yesterday, I preached on Psalm 147 (Psalms Series). As I was thinking about a good hymn of response to this psalm, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" by Isaac Watts came to mind. But I just felt that it was missing some key elements to it. Plus, the hymn has only 3 stanzas. So,… Continue reading I Sing the Mighty Power of God—Additional Stanza
Partipants, Not Spectators
There are two kinds of people who enter a sports arena. There are the fans. With pompoms and face paint, they are excited and ready to be entertained. Then there are the players. They are not there to be entertained, but to compete. If you're not a sports fan, this dichotomy also works in the arts. There are theater-goers, and then, there are the actors and the production team. In both worlds, there are spectators, and there are participants.
“What Is the Gospel?” by Greg Gilbert — a Book Review
Since the gospel creates the church, a biblical understanding of the gospel is significant in the life of the church. The opposite is also true: a wrong understanding of the gospel is detrimental and could lead to the death of local churches. Thus, Greg Gilbert’s What Is the Gospel? provides a significant contribution as he clarifies and defends the biblical gospel and the centrality of the cross.
“Three in One: Analogies for the Trinity” by William David Spencer – A Book Review
Spencer argues for the legitimacy of the use of imagery in teaching the Trinity. For Spencer, such complex doctrine requires natural illustration to help us understand the Triune Godhead. Spencer’s research is thorough, and the structure of his argument is well-presented. I began reading this monograph as a critic who denied any value for using images to teach the Trinity. While I remain unconvinced by Spencer’s arguments, reading Spencer made me realize one way the use of imagery in teaching the Trinity may be helpful, but it may not be in the same way intended by Spencer. Before presenting this one way that imagery could be helpful, here are three arguments against the legitimacy of the use of imagery to teach the Trinity: What then is the help of these illustrations of the Trinity? One thing that this monograph helped me realize as Spencer kept citing his students’ responses is that these illustrations could be a pedagogical tool to negatively demonstrate what the Trinity is not. In other words, since these illustrations all come short of the entire concept of the Trinity, they are helpful in so far as the teacher demonstrates how the Trinity is unlike any of these images. Once the point of distinction is made, the understanding of the biblical teaching of the Trinity becomes apparent. In this negative way—and only in this way—images and illustrations are helpful in the teaching of the Trinity.
“Five Views on the New Testament Canon” — A Book Review
How did we end up with 27 books in the New Testament? Are these books authoritative because they were selected as part of the NT canon, or were they selected because they were authoritative? Various groups within Christendom think about the NT canon differently. The contributors to this monograph are Darian R. Lockett (conservative evangelical), David R. Nienhuis (progressive evangelical), Jason David Beduhn (liberal Protestant), Ian Boxall (Roman Catholic), and George L. Parsenios (Eastern Orthodox). I am reading this monograph coming from a conservative evangelical viewpoint with a historic fundamentalist heritage. I am not unaware of my bias in this review, but I am not ashamed of it either. In all honesty, no one approaches the discussion with complete neutrality. So the editors, Stanley E. Porter and Benjamin P. Laird, write in the introduction, We further anticipate that many readers will be confronted with viewpoints and perspectives that they have not seriously considered and that they will be encouraged to carefully examine the merits of their own positions and to engage in further research and reflection.”
“A History of Evangelism in North America” edited by Thomas P. Johnston – A Book Review
A History of Evangelism in North America is a collection of essays by various authors edited by Thomas P. Johnston. The goal of this collection is simple: “The goal was to offer a breadth of concurrent evangelism methodologies, which in some cases includes considerable interactions between the subjects. The result portrays God’s oversight of evangelism as North American Christians sought to obey Christ’s Great Commission in their generation.” This collection of biographical sketches and historic movements rekindles one’s passion in evangelism. I received a free copy of this collection from the publisher, Kregel Publications, in exchange for an honest review.
“Irenaeus on the Christian Faith: A Condensation of Against Heresies” by James Payton, Jr. — A Book Review
Irenaeus on the Christian Faith is James Payton’s condensation of the church father’s magnum opus, Against Heresies. Irenaeus, a theologian of the second century, presents a defense and presentation of the Christian faith against Gnosticism. In Book I of Against Heresies, Irenaeus painstakingly describes the gnostic teaching. He responds negatively in Book II by offering a thorough refutation. He then responds positively in Books III-V by presenting what Christians believe from the Apostles’ Teachings (Book III) and from the words of Christ (Book IV). Book V serves as an addendum, where Irenaeus adds “further teaching” from Christ and the Apostles. James Payton finds Irenaeus’ presentation of the Christian faith beneficial and edifying even for believers who are a couple millennia removed from the dangers of first century Gnosticism.
“Between Faith and Criticism: Evangelicals, Scholarship, and the Bible in America” by Mark A. Noll – A Book Review
Mark Allan Noll, formerly a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, is now a research professor of history at Regent College. He holds a Ph.D. in History of Christianity from Vanderbilt University (1975). His dissertation was “Church Membership and the American Revolution: An Aspect of Religion and Society from the Great Awakening… Continue reading “Between Faith and Criticism: Evangelicals, Scholarship, and the Bible in America” by Mark A. Noll – A Book Review
“The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship” by George M. Marsden – A Book Review
George M. Marsden is a Reformed Evangelical historian with a PhD in American history under Sydney Ahlstrom at Yale University. Marsden previously taught at Calvin College, Duke Divinity School, and University of Notre Dame. He has won the Bancroft Prize for his work Jonathan Edwards: A Life (2003)in 2004. His other works include Fundamentalism and… Continue reading “The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship” by George M. Marsden – A Book Review
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