Archive | August, 2011

Book Review | “The Trials of Theology”

By on August 29, 2011 in Book Review, Theology

Cameron, Andrew J. B. and Brian S. Rosner. The Trials of Theology. Edinburgh: Christian Focus, 2010. 192 pages | $14.99 |

Andrew Cameron and Brian Rosner have edited this helpful little book about “becoming a ‘proven worker’ in a dangerous business.” The book complements a previous book that Rosner edited, The Consolations of Theology.The book’s goal is to demonstrate that a dichotomy exists between the head and heart of most theologians. It is one thing to be a student of the Bible; understanding the language, words, sentences, paragraphs, but it is entirely another thing to know the Bible. One of the main things I took away from looking at this book was the idea of not getting lost among words when studying the Word.

The target audience of this book is clearly the theological student, scholar, and minister. Though others can certainly benefit from it, the target lies with the mentioned group. The book is broken down into two sections; voices from the past and voices from the present. The first five chapters compose articles written by respected men from yesteryear on how the study of the Word should impact the theologian. Articles in this section are from Augustine, Martin Luther, C. H. Spurgeon, B. B. Warfield, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and C. S. Lewis.

The articles presented from present voices are from John Woodhouse, D. A. Carson, Carl Trueman, Gerald Bray, and Dennis Hollinger. Each man in this category supplies an essay that is relevant to the discipline they are in (biblical, systematic, historical, etc.).

As a professor in a university and an assistant director of a graduate school I sense the dichotomy of the head and the heart frequently…in myself. I know that what is true of myself in this situation is also going to be true of any of my students as well. While reading this I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 8:1-3:

We know that ‘we all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

Cameron and Rosner have done the academy a great service in providing this collection of essays. They are helpful, convicting, and useful for today’s theological student, scholar, and minister.

FTC Rhetoric: I do not receive payment for my book reviews. I do sometimes receive free review and giveaway copies from authors, publishers, and publicists. My first responsibility is to my readers, therefore, I am committed to honest reviews.

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My New CrossBreed Holster

By on August 28, 2011 in Announcement

Not too long ago I picked up a new Glock 17 (9mm). With the anticipation of Wisconsin’s new conceal carry law going into effect I thought I would get a holster for it. A friend of mine I used to work with recommended CrossBreed Holsters as the most concealable and comfortable holster for a full size gun. I got mine in the mail a week or so ago and have been wearing it around the house to break it in. I’ve also been wearing it without the gun here and there breaking the leather in.

My first impressions with the holster have been great! It is very comfortable to wear and doesn’t print at all against my clothing. The one I got is called the “SuperTuck Deluxe” and I opted for the horse leather option (for better breath-ability).

Mark Craighead is the guy behind CrossBreed Holsters. He takes quality and customer service seriously. In fact, his holsters come with a lifetime warranty as long as you treat the holster well. So if you are looking for quality holster then check out CrossBreed Holsters; you won’t be disappointed.

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NPR and the Historical Adam Kerfuffle

By on August 17, 2011 in Creation, Historical Adam

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It is no secret that there is a great debate raging whether or not Adam and Eve were real historical people. I’ve mentioned the issue on the blog previously and will continue to point people to different conversations and debates. I read an article today published by NPR called “Evangelicals Question The Existence Of Adam And Eve.” No sides are taken in the article, it is simply a good reflection of the contemporary conversation.

In the coming months and years we are going to see an onslaught of published material on the topic. I am aware of at least one Ph.D. dissertation being researched on the topic and C. John Collins recently released a book on the topic as well through Crossway.

This topic is of monumental importance because within it are issues that pertain to the nature of God and man, of sin and redemption. In my course this fall, A Theology of Creation, I will be spending a few weeks on this topic, which I plan to barely scratch the surface of all that is going on with the topic. The implications are huge and the fall out from it certainly going to be influential.

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Free ESV Student Study Bible Online

By on August 15, 2011 in Books, Technology

One of the tools I frequently use when studying and preparing teaching lessons or papers is ESVBible.org. At this site I have access to the ESV Study Bible notes as well as a host of other items. For a limited time you can get the new ESV Student Study Bible notes for free. It is pretty simple to do, all you have to do is follow their directions.

Normally on sale for $9.99,  you can unlock the Online Student Study Bible for free by sharing it with five friends. Here’s how:

 

  1. Log in to your ESVbible.org account (or register for free)
  2. Click on the add content button at the top
  3. Click on “Student Study Bible Notes”
  4. Click on the “Invite 5 friends” link
  5. Submit 5 e-mail addresses and the Student Study Bible notes and resources will be unlocked – use and enjoy!

There are a host of other things you can access as well besides these notes—MacArthur’s notes are available as well as the Literary Study Bible notes. I hope you check it out and make using the resource a normal part of your routine.

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My Top 5 Must Read Books

By on August 7, 2011 in Books

I saw earlier on Facebook a friend who had just finished reading Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. She made the comment that when she finished she thought she should just start it all over again. By saying that I believe she was talking about the impact of the book on her life. I commented that the book was in my top five must read books, which afterward she asked what the other four were. So here you go, my top five must reads in no particular order…

Oh, and let me just say that I am aware that everyone will not agree with these and I might not agree with them myself in a few months, however, these are the top five for now :)

1. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

2. The Cross of Christ by John Stott

3. God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment by James Hamilton | Check out Jim’s blog

4. Knowing God by J. I. Packer

5. Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

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Essential vs. Peripheral Doctrine

By on August 2, 2011 in Books, Theology

A month or so ago I posted on theological triage. Today Crossway has a post that discusses four categories of doctrinal importance;

  • Absolutes: Define the core beliefs of Christian faith.
  • Convictions: While not core beliefs, these may have significant impact on the health and effectiveness of the church.
  • Opinions: Views or personal judgments generally not worth dividing over.
  • Questions: Currently unsettled issues.

The post is worth taking a look at. The information in the post comes from a book Life’s Biggest Questions. While I have not read the book yet, I do think that these topics are worthy to consider. These are the very pieces of information that our church is working through as we seek to develop a profile for a new pastor.

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Hello world!

By on August 1, 2011 in Uncategorized

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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