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Reading G.K. Beale’s “New Testament Biblical Theology”

By on January 25, 2012 in Books, New Testament, Reading

Starting in a week or so I’m going to start reading through G.K. Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology, which was released toward the end of last year. I’m starting this pursuit with a couple of other blogger/reviewer types; Craig Hurst and Bob Hayton. We’ll be setting up a discussion forum shortly to discuss what we are reading and learning. Our goal is to read two chapters per week until we are finished. Since this is a larger book it will likely take us the better part of three months to accomplish. If anyone is interested in joining us let me know, we would be glad to have you.

If you are not familiar with Beale and his work in the New Testament you should be. Beale has written some important contributions to the New Testament and biblical theology as a whole. He is frequently highlighted with The Gospel Coalition and is likely best known for his work with Carson, Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament.

Check out this video of Beale discussing this new work.

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Books & Reading for 2012

By on December 30, 2011 in Books

 

Coming on the heals of reading and reviewing Tony Reinke’s book Lit!, I thought it would be wise to have a game plan going into 2012 for devouring some books. I am not certain how many books I read in the last year—though if I were to guess it would be somewhere around 40-50. I am thinking ambitiously for this next year and I’m hoping to blaze through 75-100. Here is what is going to help me accomplish such a goal:

  1. I am setting a goal of reading 2 biographies a month for the year. I will do this reading primarily at home during the evening hours after dinner. So far I have picked out 15 to read, but just read one of them yesterday and today so I am now down to 14. Biographies are easy to read and don’t tax my mind like reading theology does. Learning from other people and their lives is very rewarding.
  2. I’ll begin work on my dissertation in this next year and that will force me to crank though some material. I will do a good bit of this work during the day while in the office. I figure that I will set aside 2 hours a day for reading. This obviously won’t work for every day, but it gives me something to shoot for.
  3. I am teaching a course this spring on the book of Genesis. Doing so will allow me to keep reading books on narrative, genre, commentaries about Genesis…which will all fuel my dissertation work as well.
  4. Also in the mix I am hoping to throw in some fiction. This is an area I identified I need substantial growth in while reading through Lit! and want to grow in. I’m not sure where I should start so if you have suggestions on what I should tackle first I am all ears.

The number one excuse people have when asked why they don’t read is typically all about time. I am personally going to make time. However, if people just redeem the small amounts of time they do have then they would be shocked at how much they could read. I read something just recently that pointed to a logical statement by John Piper:

Most of us don’t aspire very high in our reading because we don’t feel like there is any hope. But listen to this. Suppose you read about 250 words a minute and that you resolve to devote just 15 minutes a day to serious theological reading to deepen your grasp of biblical truth. In one year (365 days) you would read for 5,475 minutes. Multiply that times 250 words per minute and you get 1,368,750 words per year. Now most books have between 300 and 400 words per page. So if we take 350 words per page and divide that into 1,368,750 words per year, we get 3,910 pages per year. This means that at 250 words a minute, 15 minutes a day, you could read about 20 average sized books a year!

So those of you that think you have no time…start by redeeming 15 minutes of your day then build that to 30 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how many books you’ll be able to get through.

I’ll have a few more things to say about books and reading as we move into the new year. Until then though, figure out where you are going to start using your 15 minutes!

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Reading Your Bible with the Grand Narrative in Mind

By on September 4, 2011 in Bible Unity, Books

I have been served well by some advice given by Tim Chester in his book, From Creation to New Creation.

Chester says that to help see the big picture as you read through your Bible you should be asking yourself these questions:

  • What is happening to each element of the promise at this point in the story?
  • What does this story tell us about God and His rule?
  • How does this section contrast with, point to or illuminate the work of Christ?
  • How does this section give us confidence in the word of promise that comes to us in the gospel?
  • What does this section tell us about how people are to respond to the word of promise?

By “promise” Chester is referring to the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-8. I went over this today in Sunday School and it is my hope that Chester has served my church as well as he has served me.

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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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Book Review | “Reformation” by Carl Trueman

By on July 25, 2011 in Book Review, Books

Trueman, Carl. Reformation: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Edinburgh: Christian Focus, 2011. 127 pages | $10.99. |

This short work by Carl Trueman is a great little summary of the reformation and some of its application. Carl Trueman is a professor of historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA. Prior to coming to WTS in 2001 he was the senior lecturer in church history at the University of Aberdeen, where he also earned his Ph.D.

This book is actually a reprint of the same work previously published in the UK when Trueman was still at Aberdeen. The content of the book is derived from a series of lectures he did at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales in 2000. It is simply structured, with only four small chapters: (1) The Pearl of Great Price; (2) Meeting the Man of Sorrows; (3) The Oracles of God; and (4) Blessed Assurance.

Trueman’s wit shines through the pages as he addresses each of the topics in the chapters. The key Trueman is arguing for is that the “Reformers are as relevant today—and is applicable to situations today—as they were in the sixteenth century” (12-13). One of the ways he demonstrates this statement is to make theology the driving force, not morality. There certainly were issues of morality that required the reformation, however, the reason the reformation happened, Trueman demonstrates, is based upon theology.

Throughout the book, Trueman primarily examines aspects of Luther and Calvin. He occasionally will draw conclusions based upon others; however, the bulk of his work surrounds Luther and Calvin. The centrality of Christ to life and to the narrative of the Scripture are what propagate throughout Trueman’s work. One of the practical ways in which Trueman demonstrates the Reformation today is with this statement:

Yet if the Reformers’ claim that Christ is the centre of the Bible and that the whole Bible tells one story, that of God’s grace in Christ, then no sermon worthy of the name Christian can possibly omit speaking of Christ, wherever the chosen text may be taken from, Old or New Testament. God-centered sermons must by definition be Christ-centred sermons if they are to contain even a drop of grace. Worship songs and prayers should be the same, focusing not on ourselves or our needs, however important they may be, but on Christ.

One of the peculiarities to note about this book is that it is written in English…British English to be exact. Though it is 100% understandable, the differences in the spelling of some words will occasionally throw the novice reader off for a moment. The book overall is a great book for the lay person in the pew who desires to know a bit more about the Reformation and how it still even applies to them today. It is a worthy of anyone’s time.

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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Jim Hamilton’s Top 10 Books in Biblical Studies

By on June 16, 2011 in Books, Theology

Jim Hamilton over at “For His Renown” has listed his top 10 books in the area of biblical studies. This is a great list even though he shamelessly puts his own book in the first spot. However, if I were to make a list like this I would but his book in the first spot as well. Take a look at what made the top ten.

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So you want to read more?

By on May 26, 2011 in Books

I am often asked how it is I am able to read as much as I do. Let’s set the record straight…I don’t read nearly what I ought to nor what I desire to. I think people use a broken syllogism. Greg has a lot of books. Greg likes to read. Greg reads a lot of books.

Nope, it doesn’t work like that! However, I do ok getting through books each year but I desire to get through more. Today John Starke over at The Gospel Coalition has a great article targeted to slow readers (which he counts himself as one of). It has some great points on how to get a little more mileage out of reading. In summary fashion he says that in order to get through more books you should:

  1. Read in 15 minute segments
  2. Get up 40 minutes earlier every day
  3. Use the odd times to read
  4. Read widely and more than one book at a time
  5. Work hard to finish a book

The piece of advice from this list that I have taken to recently is reading in the odd times. I try to workout on the elliptical 3 to 4 times a week. Instead of listening to music I take that time to read on my Kindle. I am currently reading Paul Miller’s book, Love Walked Among Us , which is a great book about learning to love like Jesus loved. I am able to get through 40-50 pages in about 30 minutes..even while bobbing up and down!

Next piece of advice I’m taking is reading in 15 minute sections. Be sure to get the whole article over at TGC blog.

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Books – Digital vs. Paper?

By on May 20, 2011 in Books, Technology

It is no secret that I love books. Books bring us knowledge that we once did not have and there is a certain amount of power in that. For me, books are the tools I need to perform my job and my ministry. Just like a mechanic needs certain wrenches and power tools, the theologian and teacher needs good books. It is with this mindset that I have grown my library to around 2800 volumes. Many of my books are digital and are contained in Logos Bible Software, others are on my Kindle, and then there are still others that live on shelves in my office. If you were to break my library down it would probably be around 2200 digital volumes and 600 print volumes (624 to be exact at time of writing).

There is a growing trend in publishing where more digital copies are now being purchased than print copies. The Amazon Kindle has been the primary factor in this. As of this last April Amazon has said they are selling more digital books than they are print books. There are still many out there, many people I know, who simply refuse to go the route of digital…and I get that. People love the feel of a book in their hands and the fragrance of the paper under their noses—I am no different. There are many pros and cons lists that people have created to look at this subject. Before I share with you my pros and cons of digital books let me share with you my rationale of how I choose to buy a book in print or digital.

I like having most of my reference works in Logos so they are fully searchable. These works include commentaries, systematic theologies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and larger sets that might take up a lot of shelf space. Aside from these types of books I also have thousands of journal articles in Logos that are fully searchable. Then if non-reference type books I am looking to buy are available in Logos or on the Kindle I’ll get them digitally, but if they are not I will get the print version. I won’t typically wait for a Kindle version or Logos version to arrive if a print version is already out. There is just no saying how long the wait could be. So what about those pros and cons of digital material?

Pros

1. Searchability

2. With the Kindle I can have hundreds of books with me at all times and in total it weighs less than a pound!

3. With Logos the power to preform complex searches is a snap

4. Kindle books tend to cost less than print books

5. Saves some series shelf space and the cost of bookshelves

6. If you move frequently (I’ve moved 15 or more times in the last 15 years) books become arduous to move with you

7. Environmentally friendly in that digital books can save tons of paper

Cons

1. Page recognition. One of the tools some people use to remember what they read is to recall where the material is on the printed page. This is not possible with digital books.

2. You have to have some sort of hardware to read a book with

3. Difficult to share a digital book, however, some books on the Kindle can be shared temporarily with friends, but this function is left up to the publisher if they are willing to allow it.

4. Many times digital books are not available when the print book comes out, this is especially true of books on Logos.

5. Studies have shown that people tend to read slower with digital books (this is not true for me, I actually can read faster on my Kindle)

6. You have battery life to worry about, whether that is on a Kindle or on a comptuer

There are a myriad of factors not even listed or discussed here. Even though the list for the cons appears longer, I am still a strong supporter of the digital book movement. An article I read years ago that has been helpful can be found here.

So what do you think…tell me your thoughts about the ebook revolution and how it is or is not changing your life.

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