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“God in America” PBS Video Series

By on February 14, 2011 in Church History, Video

I recently started watching the “God in America” video series that PBS did last year. So far it is pretty good and quite fascinating. There are only six episodes so it is pretty easy to get through. PBS’s website summarizes the series:

For the first time on television, God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election. A co-production of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and FRONTLINE, this six-hour series examines how religious dissidents helped shape the American concept of religious liberty and the controversial evolution of that ideal in the nation’s courts and political arena; how religious freedom and waves of new immigrants and religious revivals fueled competition in the religious marketplace; how movements for social reform — from abolition to civil rights — galvanized men and women to put their faith into political action; and how religious faith influenced conflicts from the American Revolution to the Cold War.

I have not watched the whole series yet but so far I am enjoying it and continue to be intrigued. You can watch the series online at PBS’s website, buy the DVD’s from the website, or download them through iTunes.

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What’s Up with Bonhoeffer?

By on January 19, 2011 in Church History

One of the new books from this last year I have been really been excited to get into is Eric Metaxas’ book, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. I have been interested in Bonhoeffer for a few years now, mainly since his first name is my last name, he was a German pastor during the Hitler Nazi regime, and the fact that there is a certain mysticism surrounding his actual orthodoxy.

I have resolved not to read Metaxas’ book until I have gotten all the way through The Cost of Discipleship, the most famous of Bonhoeffer’s writings. I started this book just recently but had to table it so I could get through all the reading I had to do for the creation course I am presently sitting in.

When I went through college I was taught that Bonhoeffer was a liberal and was most likely not saved. These statements were made mainly unqualified, but I do recall at the time the rationale made sense (I don’t recall what that actually was though). The interesting thing that Metexas does is paint Bonhoeffer in a very evangelical, orthodox light. Metaxas is saying that Bonhoeffer has been misunderstood and that he really was a champion of the gospel and was very evangelical.

Yesterday Tim Challies, a blog I follow, posted something he called, “Counterfeit Bonhoeffer.” Carl Trueman, professor of historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, also jumped into the conversation with his short article “Bonhoeffer and Anonymous Evangelicals.” Both of these articles work to shed some light upon the disagreement there is over Bonhoeffer.

This discussion goes to show the point that to be a student of the Word and to be a recipient of knowledge imparted through the works of fallible man, you must be a discerning reading. Discernment is of the utmost importance. Don’t be fooled into believing everything you read or see or hear.

So what do I think about Bonhoeffer? I don’t know. I am going to read these works discerningly and work to come to some conclusions as I go. Unfortunately this could be a few more months for me.

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The Importance of Church History

By on December 24, 2010 in Church History, Creation

How did the church fathers understand and interpret Charles Darwin and evolutionary science? Well that is easy, because Charles Darwin was not even born until some 1500 years after the church fathers! The church fathers obviously did not even know about Charles Darwin and his evolutionary thinking!

One of the things that I learned in seminary and has been reinforced since graduating is the importance of church history. I have found it extremely helpful in things that I am studying or things that I might be thinking through to ask the question; “what did the church fathers believe on this?” or to ask “how did the church fathers interpret this?”

As I have been reading for an upcoming class on biblical creationism one of the books that I am reading is called Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth. The book is a festschrift in honor of Dr. John Whitcomb who has done a lot of work in the area of biblical creationism. The very first chapter of this book is “The Church Fathers on Genesis, the Flood, and the Age of the Earth” written by James R. Mook. Here Mook is digging into church history to see how the church fathers understood Genesis, the flood, and how old the earth is.

Understanding how the church fathers understood something can give us insight into how we could perhaps interpret or understand something. Mook, quite wisely, had this to say about using the church fathers for our interpreation:

“Christians should be aware of the great cloud of witnesses in Church history, and a judicious use of the fathers can be both relevant and edifying. And even though the Christian’s highest and final authority should always be Scripture, the more knowledge of Church history one has, the better. In being tutored by the fathers, we will be better armed to discern and respond to the novel theological heterodoxies in their day and ours.” (pg. 25)

Let me point you to one resource that is extremely helpful in processing all that the church fathers had to say and write. InterVarsity Press has published the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. The set is not yet complete, but for the volumes that are available, they look at how the church fathers responded and interpreted the Text of Scripture. Take a look at it on the IVP site and you’ll get a better understanding for what I am talking about. (These resources are also available through Logos ).

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