Gerald Bray at Union University

Gerald Bray is the Scholar-in-Residence at Union University this Fall. It is a great privilege for us to host Dr. Bray who is an amazing scholar and good friend. His intellect and wit are both legendary!

He will give a series of public lectures on the theme, “God is Love.” All the lectures will be held in Union’s Coburn Dining Room and the schedule and specific topics are as follows:

Tuesday, September 29 – 12:15 pm
“God’s Love for Himself”

Thursday, October 1 – 12:15 pm
“God’s Love for His Creation”

Friday, October 2 – 12:00 noon
“The Rejection of God’s Love”

Monday, October 5 – 12:00 noon
“God’s Response to the Rejection of His Love”


Dr. Bray will also speak on the debate between John Piper and N. T. Wright at our Christian Studies colloquium at 3:15 on September 29 in Jennings 325.

Brad Green Online

My good friend and colleague has launched a website making available various papers and addresses he has given (print and audio). Brad is an excellent theologian in the classic mold- not merely academic but also with a heart for the church. He has given serious thought to a number of issues including education, the life of the mind, Augustine and others. I am excited to see these items available to a wider audience and believe this site will be a helpful resource.

Practical Theology for Women

Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives, Wendy Horger Alsup
(Crossway, 2008), pb., 154 pp.

I have been thumbing through this book and it seems quite good. I particularly appreciate her arguments that theology is for everyone, that there are not two tracks for Christians: the theology track and the ‘practical-only’ track. This point needs affirming repeatedly in our churches today.

Here is a good quote on the practical effect of theology:

“I have heard some women argue that they don’t want to know more theology than their husbands know. They seem to fear that studying theology will turn them into theological Amazon queens who naturally relegate their husbands to second-class positions in the home. But this is a terrible way to think about theology. God forbid that women should avoid studying the deep things of the Word lest they surpass the understanding of the men in their lives! Studying theology- such as the Holy Spirit’s role in convicting man of sin, and God’s sovereignty over all creation- will curb, not enhance, a woman’s sinful tendency to nag and manipulate her husband. My husband can bear witness to the fact that a better understanding of God’s character, that is, theology, makes me a better wife. No matter where our husbands, fathers, or pastors may be in their spiritual journey, when we ladies grow in our understanding of God’s character and attributes, it can only be a blessing for our homes, our marriages, and our churches.” (21-22)

Faith Comes by Hearing

Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism, ed. C. Morgan and R. Peterson (IVP; pb., 256 pp.)

I have begun looking over this book and am quite impressed with it. It must be pretty good if D. A. Carson says about it:

For those who are more interested in faithful alignment with what Scripture says than in sentimentality on this extraordinarily challenging subject, this is now the book to read.

Morgan and Peterson (both faithful scholars and committed churchmen) have compiled quite a list of contributors. Here is the table of contents:

1 Introduction by Robert A. Peterson
2 Inclusivisms and Exclusivisms by Christopher W. Morgan
3 General Revelation: Sufficient or Insufficient? by Daniel Strange
4 Exclusivism: Unjust or Just? by William Edgar
5 Other Religions: Saving or Secular? by Eckhard J. Schnabel
6 Holy Pagans: Reality or Myth? by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
7 Saving Faith: Implicit or Explicit? by Stephen J. Wellum
8 Inclusivism versus Exclusivism on Key Biblical Texts by Robert A. Peterson
9 The Gospel for All Nations by Andreas J. Köstenberger
10 God’s Zeal for His World by J. Nelson Jennings
11 Answers to Notable Questions by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson

I have only dipped in various chapters so far, but the summary chapter addressing key common questions is itself a great resource for pastors since we commonly are asked the questions listed here. I close with a quote from this chapter which demonstrates the heart of the book:

The best way to help the unevangelized is not to become more optimistic about their eternal destiny apart from the gospel. Rather, it is to allow our understanding of God and his Word to generate a greater burden for the unevangelized and to pray, give and go to make sure that they hear the gospel.

Amen!

Gum, Geckos, and God

I am happy to be participating in a blog tour by Jim Spiegel promoting his new book Gum, Geckos, and God. Jim teaches philosophy at Taylor University and is the father of four children. This book is a record of various conversations that have come up between him and his children as they have talked about God and the Christian life in informal settings. You can see more about the tour at Zondervan’s site.
This is the tour schedule:

July 21- Spunky Homeschool
July 22- Beauty from the Heart
July 23- At a Hen’s Pace
July 24- A Holy Experience
July 25- Family Voice
July 28- Ted Wins
July 29- In a Mirror Dimly
July 30- Oversight of Souls & The Children’s Hour
July 31- Christians in Context
August 1- The A-Team Blog
August 4- Embarking
August 5- Challies.com

On its day, each blog will post a question about the book and Jim’s answer. Readers can then ask further questions in the comments section. As you can see I will host the tour on my children’s literature site as well.

I am excited about this book and have really enjoyed reading it. I hope you will stop by for the tour and check out the stops at the other blogs as well.

Amend ETS Article Online

I have commented here previously about the effort to amend the doctrinal basis of the Evangelical Theological Society. Following the "ETS" label at the bottom of this post will take you to the previous posts. Denny Burk and I have been working on this and have written an article to explain our concern, proposal and rationale. The ETS Annual Meeting will begin next week and our proposal is tto be read to the members. The proposal would not be voted on until next year.

Below I have slightly reworded Denny's announcement about this article being made available.

In order to get the word out about this amendment, Denny and I have written an article that was published this fall in the Criswell Theological Review. The title of the article is “Inerrancy Is Not Enough: A Proposal to Amend the Doctrinal Basis of The Evangelical Theological Society.” The editor of CTR has allowed us to post a free copy of the article on the journal’s website, and you can now download and read our rationale for the amendment. Even though the article relates most directly to voting members of the ETS, the issues we raise here are relevant to anyone who is concerned about the shape of contemporary American evangelicalism.
Denny Burk and Ray Van Neste, “Inerrancy Is Not Enough: A Proposal to Amend the Doctrinal Basis of The Evangelical Theological Society” Criswell Theological Review n.s. 5 (2007): 69-80.
[For more information, visit the website www.AmendETS.com.]
[For information on how to subscribe to CTR, visit www.CriswellJournal.com.]

Pondering the Omnipotence of God

I am looking over my notes for Sunday School in the morning. We are covering the doctrine of God and are currently discussing some of his attributes. Last week we discussed God's omnipresence and omniscience, so in the morning I am to cover omnipotence. What an exhilarating, awe-inspiring topic!

I was just reading Dagg's section on this in his Manual of Theology and
came across this quote:

We are filled with awe in contemplating the omnipotence of God. When we hear the voice of his thunder in the heavens, or feel the earth quake under the tread of his foot, how do solemn thoughts of things divine fill our minds! From the rending cloud, and the quaking earth, let us look back to the power which brought creation into being, and forward to that display of his power which we are to witness on the last day. Such a being, who will not fear?

The whole section is helpful. Dagg goes on to note that all of the universe is under God's "immediate and perfect control." He helpful contrasts our power which causes a finger to move and God's will which launches planets into orbit "with a force which the cannon-ball gives
but a very faint conception."

So much could be said here but let me briefly note some benefits of thinking deeply on this truth about God:

• As C. J. Mahaney notes, thinking of God's power in contrast to our weakness cultivates humility
• As noted by Dagg knowing the overwhelming power of this God to whom we will all give account cultivates the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom. Surely it is the height of folly to scorn such a God and good proof of wisdom to submit to such a One.
• This is the fountainhead of assurance, certainty and stability. God is the bedrock of faith and He cannot be forced to change. My salvation is secure because God has declared and no one is 'big enough or bad enough' to reverse or resist his decree. (see Rom 8:33-34)
• This is the basis of courage. How shall we obey God in spite of those who would intimidate and threaten us? By being convinced that God reigns, that His will will triumph, and that we would rather spurn any man than spurn this God. By being convinced that he is able to keep that which we have committed to Him (2 Timothy 1:12; cf. 2 Timothy 4:17-18). If this all powerful God is with us, who can stand against us?! (Rom 8:31-19).

Two New Books from B&H Academic

It is really encouraging to see the high quality of books now being published by B&H. Two recent books I have been looking at are Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses on Christian Apologetics and Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: An Introductory Christology.

Passionate Conviction, edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig, is a collection of addresses from the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the C. S. Lewis Institute and the Christian Apologetics program at Biola. The essays are divided into six categories: Why apologetics?, God, Jesus, Comparative Religions, Postmodernism and relativism, and Practical application. The contributors are top flight scholars such as, in addition to the editors, Craig Evans, Charles Quarles, N. T. Wright, J. P. Moreland, and Francis Beckwith. These are helpful essays.

Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective, edited by Fred Sanders and Klaus Issler, is a collection of 6 essays dealing with the person and work of Christ in light of the Trinity as a whole. These are significant, helpful essays of serious theological work. Bruce Ware contributed a chapter titled, “Christ’s Work, A Work of the Trinity.” I have been particularly intrigued with Donald Fairbairn essay on the Patristic witness to the unity of Christ. Fairbairn, a significant Patristics scholar, corrects a common error in the understanding of the debates about Christ’s person and nature. Particularly Fairbairn seeks to rehabilitate Cyril of Alexandria arguing that Cyril was “the Christian church’s most significant Christological teacher” (80). These essays are not light reading but they are informative and helpful.

May we continue to see such substantive, thoughtful, helpful materials form B&H in the future.

Motive for Studying Theology

In preparing to teach our opening Sunday School class on systematic theology- on why such study of theology is important- I read the opening of J. L. Dagg’s Manual of Theology. I thought the opening paragraph was particularly good and wanted to pass it along:

“The study of religious truth ought to be undertaken and prosecuted from a sense of duty, and with a view to the improvement of the heart. When learned it ought not to be laid on the shelf, as an object of speculation; but it should be deposited deep in the heart, where its sanctifying power ought to be felt. To study theology, for the purpose of gratifying curiosity, or preparing for a profession, is an abuse or profanation of what ought to be regarded as most holy. To learn things pertaining to God, merely for the sake of amusement, or secular advantage, or to gratify the mere love of knowledge, is to treat the Most High with contempt” (13)

May we pursue our study of Scripture with this aim and teach our people to do so as well.

NB: I have searched sometime for a copy of this book and thought it out of print since it was not available at Amazon. However it is available from Sprinkle Publications which can be reached at 1-800-460-3573 (no website).