Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

JOHN PIPER'S Q&A WITH PRISON INMATES

Pastor/theologian John Piper's 30 Minute Q&A (video) with prisoners at Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) can be found here. I was blown away by the depth of the questions and Piper's thoughtful answers. These men are serious Bible students!  My guess is that the depth of the Q&A session found at this prison would rival or surpass a similar session in an average evangelical church.

PROF. BEN WITHERINGTON'S LIST OF "TEN 2009 BOOKS ON THE NEW TESTAMENT YOU SHOULD HAVE READ"

I take the title of Witherington's post as something of a joke, a professor's way of producing a wry smile on the faces of his indulgent audience.   If I had the time, I would go to Amazon and calculate the total pages of the 10 books.  I would bet the average is over 400 pages!  I wonder if he gives points for having heard of the books, let alone having read them?  If so, I can truthfully say I have heard of only three.  One, Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, I had blogged about previously and offered a link to a radio interview/debate with the author.  Bauckham's book defends the trustworthiness of the New Testament gospels in new ways.  It arrived in the mail today, all 538 pages of it!!  It looks terrific.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

On the road today I came unexpectedly upon a major book sale being held in a small town about an hour and a half away.  I happened to see a sign on the road advertising the sale, and since I had a few extra minutes, I wandered in.  I picked up Willliam F. Buckley Jr.'s Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith which I expect to enjoy perusing.  I also picked up Philip Yancey's Reaching for the Invisible God.  I read a few pages a moment ago and came across this quote from C.S. Lewis:  "The Christian has a great advantage over other men not by being less fallen than they, nor less doomed to live in fallen world, but by knowing that he is a fallen man in a fallen world."  Of this Yancey says, "That recognition forms my starting point in understanding a journey to know God."   I appreciate that starting point.  It liberates us from a lot of false notions and expectations.  I shall look forward to reading this book.

EMERGENT CHURCH: IS TRUTH REALLY PLURAL?

Albert Mohler offers a major review and critique of John R. Franke's Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth,  (HT: Between Two Worlds).

In recent years, John R. Franke, a professor at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, has been among the foremost proponents of the embrace of a postmodern worldview. A major figure in the emergent church, Franke has been a significant critic of modern evangelicalism. In his new book, Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth, Franke offers an argument that pushes the postmodern envelope and offers what amounts to a completely new way of understanding truth. Truth, Franke argues, is inherently plural.

Franke's new book is part of the "Living Theology" series published by Abingdon Press in cooperation with Emergent Village. The book deserves close attention, for it presents a vision of truth we are sure to confront in years to come.   [more . . .]

RANDY ALCORN'S BOOK: "IF GOD IS GOOD . . . FAITH IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING AND EVIL"

From Between Two Worlds:

Randy Alcorn's new big book on the problem of evil and suffering is now available: If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil (Multnomah).

You can read the table of contents and some excerpts at EPM's page, read an interview that Andy Naselli did with Randy here at Between Two Worlds, or read a review of the book by Tim Challies.

Me:  I've clicked through the links.  This book looks tremendous!  I'm reminded of his earlier blockbuster, Heaven, which I have on my shelf and need to get to soon.

A "GOSPEL-CENTERED READER"

Click here for what looks like a very useful collection of articles related in one way or another to the "Gospel."  It was compiled by Timmy Brister.  His attractive and meaty blog is one I shall want to revisit.  (HT: Between Two Worlds)     (I note Tim Keller has a number of articles on the list.)

BEN WITHERINGTON - "RELATING THE OT AND NT THOUGHT WORLDS"

Asbury Theological Seminary New Testament Professor Ben Witherington offers a substantial excerpt from his yet-to-be-published book, The Indelible Image (vol. 2).  Click here.  Very interesting.

"BETWEEN TWO WORLDS" BLOG KEEPS PRODUCING INCREDIBLE MATERIAL

If you don't yet regularly visit, "Between Two Worlds," you will unquestionably miss valuable stuff.  Here are some items from recent posts that I am glad to know about:

- (Atheist) Michael Ruse: Why I Think the New Atheists Are a Bloody Disaster

- Matt Harmon:  How Did We Get Out Bible and Has It Been changed?    (Terrific 12-page study sheet)

- John Piper:  C.S. Lewis and Jonathan Edwards on Layers of Self -Admiration

- Dan Wallace - Response to the video suggesting Obama may be the Anti-Christ

- Matt Anderson:  Perinatal hospice offers an alternative to the trauma of aborting a disabled child(World Magazine)

 - C. J. Mahaney Interviews David Powlison

- For Whom did Christ Did: 3 views

• Paul Helm (Calvinist View)
• Michael Jensen (Amyraldian View)
• Ben Witherington (Arminian View)  Update: On the general Arminian-Calvinist debate, see Wintery Knight's blog post wherein he invokes the Middle Knowledge perspective of Dr. William Lane Craig.

            - Justin Taylor:  John Piper answers the following questions in the latest Bible Study Magazine:

• How do you keep from growing indifferent to the Bible when you're so familiar with it?
• How do you approach the Bible?
• How can we make time for the Bible?
• How do you memorize Scripture?
• Is the Bible easier for you to understand than for other people?
• What would you say to someone who hasn't read their Bible in a long time?

GOD'S COMMANDMENTS KEEP US FROM WANDERING IN THE DARK

Much could be said under the heading I've given this post.  Certainly one could launch into a disquisition on the 10 commandments, but I simply want to jot down a few perspectives I have "bumped into" during the last few days.  In a 1991 book titled How My Mind Has Changed, various theologians gave their answer to the book's title.  Elizabeth Achtmeier, then adjunct professor of Bible and homiletics at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, titled her response: "Renewed Appreciation for an Unchanging Story."  After recapping the Biblical story, she wrote:

I have come to a new appreciation of the place of law and commandment in the gospel, in both Old and New Testaments.  Obedience to the divine law does not form the basis of our relationship with God, but is rather the outcome of it.  God redeems us by the cross and

NON-CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY IN LATIN AMERICA

Christianity Today magazine reports on non-Catholic Christianity in Latin America.  It looks a lot like theological anarchy, which is a little discouraging, to say the least.  The article offers differing interpretations.  I found it insightful and valuable.  

USEFUL ITEMS FROM "BETWEEN TWO WORLDS" BLOG

There are loads of useful recent posts on Between Two Worlds.  I'll highlight a few below.  This is a blog you will want to check regularly.  Readers of my blog will recognize many previous links to "Between Two Worlds."

    - Link to a free audio download of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy" at Christianaudio.com

    - Theologian Wayne Grudem's Sunday School Class - mp3 & outlines.  This represents an amazing opportunity to listen to a distinguished professor teaching lay people week by week.  Years of teaching by topic available.

    - The 99 Most Essential Bach Masterpieces.  99 downloadable tracks for $2.99 (total).  Another amazing offer

ARE JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY AS VIOLENT AS ISLAM?

This is a tremendous article by Raymond Ibrahim.  It appears in the Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2009.   (HT: Michael Rubin)   If the subject interests you even moderately,  Ibrahim's article would be well worth printing for handy reference.  It begins:

"There is far more violence in the Bible than in the Qur'an; the idea that Islam imposed itself by the sword is a Western fiction, fabricated during the time of the Crusades when, in fact, it was Western Christians who were fighting brutal holy wars against Islam."[1] So announces former nun and self-professed "freelance monotheist," Karen Armstrong. This quote sums up the single most influential argument currently serving to deflect the accusation that Islam is inherently violent and intolerant: All monotheistic religions, proponents of such an argument say, and not just Islam, have their fair share of violent and intolerant scriptures, as well as bloody histories. Thus, whenever Islam's sacred scriptures—the Qur'an first, followed by the reports on the words and deeds of Muhammad (the Hadith)—are highlighted as demonstrative of the religion's innate bellicosity, the immediate rejoinder is that other scriptures, specifically those of Judeo-Christianity, are as riddled with violent passages.

Ibrahim tackles the issue competently and lays to rest egregious misrepresentation and propaganda against Christianity.  Read the article for the clarity and insight that is hard to come by in popular media.  Ibrahim offers accurate history and theology. 

R. A. TORREY (1856-1928) - MAJOR AMERICAN EVANGELICAL LEADER OF AN EARLIER AGE

Earlier generations of Christians were well acquainted with the famed American Bible teacher, scholar, and evangelist, R.A. Torrey.  The renown of R.A. Torrey during his lifetime reached enormous heights.  I have known of him for years (in fact an uncle of mine was named after him), but I've not read very widely or deeply in his writings.  Today I looked on the internet and discovered a treasure trove of materials at The R.A. Torrey Archive.  The website contains entire books, numerous articles, and various resources related to the man.  Particularly interesting to me was an audio recording of a sermon preached by R.A. Torrey.  It is the only voice recording that has survived.  I listened to it (it is 27 minutes) and was  struck by the depth and

SPIEGEL: 10 LESSONS FROM GREAT CHRISTIAN MINDS

I am indebted to Justin Taylor's blog for the following:

From philosophy professor James Spiegel:

Augustine (5th century): Remember that you are a citizen of another kingdom.
Martin Luther (16th century): Expect politicians to be corrupt.
Thomas Aquinas (13th century): God has made himself known in nature.
John Calvin (16th century): God is sovereign over all, including our suffering.
Jonathan Edwards (18th century): God is beautiful, and all beauty is divine.
Thomas a’Kempis (15th century): Practice self-denial with a passion.
John Wesley (18th century): Be disciplined and make the best use of your time.
Fyodor Dostoevsky (19th century): God’s grace can reach anyone.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (20th century): Beware of cheap grace.
Alvin Plantinga (21st century): Moral virtue is crucial for intellectual health.

Read the whole post for his explanation of each point.

THE NEW AMERICAN RELIGION - "MORALISTIC THERAPEUTIC DEISM"

Chuck Colson linked to this insightful article by Dr. Albert Mohler. I value its power to clarify the "theological thinking" (if we can call it that) of a great majority of American youth -- and even adults -- today.   Mohler writes: [my bolding]

THE PASSOVER LAMB HAD TO BE SACRIFICED

From Between Two Worlds:

1 Corinthians 5:7--"Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Todd Bolen explains why we should watch this graphic video.

Me: I don't understand why the lamb didn't die more instantly.  Or were those just reflexive movements after the throat was slit?  This is the first time I have seen a Passover sacrifice, the ritual slaying of a lamb.

PROF. BEN WITHERINGTON POSES FIVE QUESTIONS TO BISHOP N.T. WRIGHT ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE

Ben Witherington begins his interview saying:

N.T. Wright's Surprised by Hope has been called an instant classic, and now with two years of positive reviews under its belt, it was time to sit down with the Bishop and ask some follow up questions which arise from some of the things he has said in the book and some of the responses he has gotten.    More. . .

Me:  This is an exceptionally excellent interview!  It is brief, to the point, and illuminating.  Note: I posted a picture of N.T. Wright at his desk earlier.

Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia

This organization does high-level work. The Center's website lists their Fall 2008 Faith & Life lectures available for listening:

The Biblical Practice of Prayer, Tony Monaghan
The Abuse of Sex, Roger Scruton
What is the Bible, and Where Did It Come From?, Drew Trotter
Saturday Seminar, Understanding the Bible, Bill Wilder
Love and Justice, Nicholas Wolterstorff
Ken Myers, Mars Hill Audio
Dr. Robert Wilken, University of Virginia
Prayer and Art, Gene Veith

I receive the Center's newsletter, Praxis (available at the website).  An undergraduate student is quoted there as saying of Scruton's lecture, "The Abuse of Sex": "I thought it was absolutely amazing... Among professional philosophers alive today, he now is by far the one whom I respect most." 

Other lectures from the Center can be found here.

C.J. Mahaney Interviews Pastor John Piper

Mahaney's interviews with evangelical preachers, writers and theologians are always interesting.  Here is his interview with John Piper.  (HT: Justin Taylor)

When asked about his practices concerning morning devotions, Piper answered:

I set aside one hour for prayer and Bible reading using the Discipleship Journal read through the Bible reading plan. That puts me now (February 2009) in Exodus, Psalms, Matthew, and Acts. On the five free days when there are no assignments I focus on memorization.

EXCELLENT BLOG: "BETWEEN TWO WORLDS"

I have found Justin Taylor's blog, "Between Two Worlds," so valuable that I now read it daily.  Today he strongly recommends two books.  I looked up the comments on Amazon and have put the books on my "wish list."  Here is what Taylor wrote:

If you don't yet have following books on your bookshelf--Reinventing Jesus by Daniel B. Wallace, J. Ed Komoszewski, and James Sawyer, and Putting Jesus in His Place by Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski--I'd warmly recommend them. They are both exactly what the church needs--excellent material, written in clear, accessible English, on important subjects under attack.

He goes on to  recommend inviting Ed Komoszewski to do seminars at one's local church. He also lists mp3s available from the Christian Life Conference at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis where Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson recently spoke.  Taylor lists the talks available for download on his blog.

Dr. Ben Witherington Writes on the Apostle Paul's Ethical Trajectory Regarding Slavery

Dr. Ben Witherington, Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, has a blog on which he has published a section of a book he is writing on New Testament ethics.  I have extracted below a portion of what he published, all of which I found very interesting.  Witherington shows how Paul's treatment of slavery exhibits increasing specificity as the closeness of his contact with those receiving his letters advances.  In short, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon demonstrate an ethical trajectory which proves quite illuminating.

Witherington labels this section "LEVELS OF MORAL DISCOURSE"

Unfortunately, besides the neglect or disparagement of NT ethics, one of the other negative things that has happened to NT ethical material is the de-contexualizing of the material and the failure to see its usual ad hoc nature. All too often it has been treated rather flatly or uniformly. These things ought not to be. NT ethics is just as much a word on target for certain Christian audiences as the theologizing we find in these same documents. And in fact, when we have material that is repeated in more than one document, for example like the household codes, we begin to discover that there are trajectories of change in some of this material, just as there are levels of discourse. Let me explain what I mean by these two concepts (levels of discourse and trajectories of change) as they are in fact intertwined.

If a person has any sensibility about wanting to make an effective communication with a particular audience and persuade them of something, especially if the issue here is exhortation and application, then that person must:

Top 100 Theology Blogs

Click here.    HT: Matt Harmon (listed as #11!) via Justin Taylor (listed as #75)

Update: Having had a chance to look at a few of the blogs, it is clear to me that they are not listed in order of excellence.  In some cases, I am puzzled to know how the blog made such a list in the first place.   I am, in short, disappointed.  

WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO LIVE IN THE LEFTISTS' DREAM WORLD

But that's what it is, a dream world. Thomas Sowell published an astute column today.  He says:

Conservatives, as well as liberals, would undoubtedly be happier living in the kind of world envisioned by the Left.

Very few people have either a vested interest or an ideological preference for a world in which there are many inequalities.

Even fewer would prefer a world in which vast sums of money have to be devoted to military defense, when so much benefit could be produced if those resources were directed into medical research instead.

It is hardly surprising that young people prefer the political Left. The only reason for rejecting the Left’s vision is that the real world in which we live is very different from the world that the Left perceives today or envisions for tomorrow.

Most of us learn that from experience — but experience is precisely what the young are lacking.

“Experience” is often just a fancy word for the mistakes that we belatedly realized we were making, only after the realities of the world made us pay a painful price for being wrong.

Those who are insulated from that pain — whether by being born into affluence or wealth, or shielded by the welfare state, or insulated by tenure in academia or in the federal judiciary — can remain in a state of perpetual immaturity.

Keep reading for more of Sowell's column.  [I might insert here that those who believe in "original sin" perceive human life in a profoundly more realistic way than those who do not.  See, for example, Alan Jacobs' book, Original Sin: A Cultural History and the review of the same, by George Sim Johnston originally published  in the Wall Street Journal (6/13/08)]

INFANT BAPTISM AS AN INDIVIDUALIZING ACT . . .

I confess I am far from a dyed-in-the-wool infant-baptism man.  Not at all.  In fact, I lean fairly strongly to believer's baptism, and go to a church that practices believer's baptism.  At the same time, I understand the theology of infant baptism and respect it, and sometimes find myself on the fence, especially when I witness little kids not more than 6 or 7 getting baptised.  That makes me  uneasy. Be that as it may, I found these words of Gilbert Meilaender's both thought-provoking and challenging:

"For years I've been puzzled about the attitude many people appear to have toward baptism.  Even if they don't seem to care all that much about the church, they still bring their new little son or daughter to be baptized.  They seem to think of baptism as a natural result of their connection to this little baby.  Since they were once baptized, their child should be too."

"But isn't the truth of baptism just the opposite of affirming a human connection?  Being baptized is being handed over to God.  The first thing to say about it, therefore, is that it is a deeply individualizing act.  Having been baptized, that little child sets out on a journey in which she must learn to love Jesus more than father or mother.  She is plunged into the waters of baptism, in which she must learn to swim."  - from Letters to Ellen, p. 32

REVIEW OF ALAN JACOB'S BOOK, 'ORIGINAL SIN: A CULTURAL HISTORY"

The reviewer in the New York Sun is Bruce Chilton who sees strengths and weaknesses in Jacob's book

"An Evangelical Manifesto: The Washington Declaration of Evangelical Identity and Public Commitment"

Alan Jacobs offers trenchant comments on the new "Evangelical Manifesto," seeing it weak and colorless and, as it stands, of questionable value.  He writes as an insider, not an outsider.  He is an evangelical himself, a professor of English at Wheaton College, Illinois.

The Associated Press covered the announcement here.  Warren Davis sees it representing a power struggle amongst evangelicals.  So many of the "Christian Right" were neither consulted nor asked to initially sign on.  That would include Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Richard Land, to name but two. 

Other commentators are more positive.  I personally have not had time to study the document and expect to blog further in due course.

NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR N.T. WRIGHT TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK "SURPRISED BY HOPE"

N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, England, and one of the top New Testament theologians in the world today, here gives a short talk about his new book, Surprised by Hope.  It is hard to imagine a more lucid speaker and thinker.  His new book deals with the Biblical teaching of the resurrection of the body and the "new creation."  If you have never heard Tom Wright speak, this recording of his address at Trinity Church Boston would make an excellent introduction.

Pope John Paul ll on Islam

From Pope John Paul II's Crossing the Threshold of Hope:

"Whoever knows the Old and New Testaments, and then reads the Koran, clearly sees the process by which it completely reduces Divine Revelation. It is impossible not to note the movement away from what God said about himself, first in the Old Testament through the Prophets, and then finally in the New Testament through His Son. In Islam, all the richness of God's self-revelation, which constitutes the heritage of the Old and New Testaments, has definitely been set aside. 

"Some of the most beautiful names in the human language are given to the God of the Koran, but He is ultimately a God outside of the world, a God who is only Majesty, never Emmanuel, God with us. Islam is not a religion of redemption. There is no room for the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus is mentioned, but only as a prophet who prepares for the last prophet, Muhammad. There is also mention of Mary, His Virgin Mother, but the tragedy of redemption is completely absent. For this reason not only the theology but also the anthropology of Islam is very distant from Christianity."

Me: I think this an excellent summary statement.

Theology Divides Mormons and Evangelicals

I found this AP article accurate and informative, a useful sketch of Mormon doctrines that evangelicals find unorthodox and unbiblical.

New York Times Op-Ed on "Gospel of Judas" by April D. DeConick: National Geographic Messed Up

Click here for a most interesting evaluation by Dr. April D. DeConick, a professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University and author of The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says. Her article appeared today, Dec. 1, 2007, in the New York Times. 

AMID much publicity last year, the National Geographic Society announced that a lost 3rd-century religious text had been found, the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. The shocker: Judas didn’t betray Jesus. Instead, Jesus asked Judas, his most trusted and beloved disciple, to hand him over to be killed. Judas’s reward? Ascent to heaven and exaltation above the other disciples.

It was a great story. Unfortunately, after re-translating the society’s transcription of the Coptic text, I have found that the actual meaning is vastly different. While National Geographic’s translation supported the provocative interpretation of Judas as a hero, a more careful reading makes clear that Judas is not only no hero, he is a demon.

Several of the translation choices made by the society’s scholars fall well outside the commonly accepted practices in the field. . .  (more . . )

Me: This is a fascinating article for anyone remotely interested in the subject.  April DeConick maintains a blog related to her academic work.  Previously, I had read N.T. Wright's Judas and the Gospel of Jesus, an excellent book that I failed to blog about for lack of time. Now, however, it would appear that DeConick's work requires primary attention by all interested in the "Gospel of Judas."

Nourishing and Enlightening Lectures Available as mp3 Downloads at the Center for Christian Study at UVa

For years I have highly respected the Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia.  Today I visited their website and took note of many mp3 lectures the Center has made available to internet surfers.  Here is a sample of what I found:

Body and Soul: A Theology of Embodiment lecture given by Dr. Drew Trotter

The Cross in the Circle: A Survey of Celtic Christianity by Gordon Lindsey (a series)

When Oprah Talks, People Listen: Contemporary Cultural Authority and Christian Proclamation by Ken Myers

Should God be Held Directly Responsible for the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse? Ben Witherington Disagrees with John Piper

Ben Witherington (Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky), writes:

To what extent should God be blamed for what might be called random natural disasters? I am not talking about specifically targeted judgments like those depicted in Exodus or Revelation. I am simply talking about your average generic twister that causes mayhem for God's people and everyone else in its path. Think of hurricane Katrina and the mayhem on the Gulf coast, not just on sin city in New Orleans, but also on the First Baptist Church in Biloxi.

John Piper on his website of course recently had a post about the disastrous collapse of the bridge over the Mississippi in Minneapolis. His view was that however random it might seem to us, that actually this was the will of God, and in essence we should just suck it up. God is sovereign and he disposes things as he will, and according to his sovereign pre-ordained plan. If you just happened to be on the raw end of the deal, so much the worse for you. Since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, actually God has a right to judge the whole world now, if he so chooses. The fact that he spared some shows God's mercy, according to Piper, but he was under no obligation to spare anyone. 'There but for the grace of God go I", so to speak. This doesn't sound much like an attempt to mourn with those who are mourning.

I would suggest that there are some significant theological flies (or gadflies) in this whole ointment. Let's start for a second with the book of Job. There is this little story about Satan being allowed

Muslim-Christian Interfaith Dialog in Dubai

The topic:  "Who is Jesus in the Light of the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran? sponsored by the Muslim Student Association MSA and the Christian Fellowship Club CFC at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.  Speakers include Thabiti M. Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands.  It runs almost two and a half hours.  Very interesting.

N.T. Wright Evaluates C.S Lewis

For a masterful theological evaluation of C.S. Lewis's works by a top-rated New Testament theologian, see N.T. Wright's Touchstone Magazine article available here.  If only I had more leisure, I would love to make specific comments on this article but time forbids.  (I know of no theological analysis of Lewis's work equal  to Wright's).  I apologize for the light blogging these days.  I hope that time constraints will allow more extensive blogging soon.  Best to all...

Free Books Available for Downloading: Vern S. Poythress

How delightful to come across a website that allows one to download books for free.  Vern S. Poythress, Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, has made a number of his books available on line, specifically: The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy; God Centered Biblical Interpretation; The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation; Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach; and Symphonic Theology.  The Amazon.com listing of Poythress's books can be found here.  

I do not write as a "fan" of Poythress necessarily (I haven't read that much of his work), but as one who recognizes the importance of serious theology and who appreciates having access to Poythress' perspective.

2 Corinthians 13:14 - Church Unity Based on a Dynamic Relationship with God as Trinity

I value the comments Professor Murray Harris makes on 2 Cor. 13:14.  The Apostle Paul concludes his second letter to the Corinthians with this verse:

May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Murray Harris, writing in The Expositor's Bible Commentary says,

Paul grounds his pastoral appeal for unity of spirit and for the rejection of discord in the theological doctrine of the Trinity.  The grace of Christ banishes self-assertiveness and self-seeking, the love of God puts jealousy and anger to flight, while the fellowship created by the Spirit leaves no room for quarreling and factions. 

Tony Campolo: A Liberal "Evangelical" Pushing Left-Wing Politics

Tony Campolo has written a new book, Letters to a Young Evangelical.  I learned of it by reading Jordan Hylden's review in the February, 2007 issue of First Things.  Hylden titles his review "A Letter to Tony Campolo."  For those not familiar with Campolo, he is a prolific author, professor of Sociology, popular speaker, and self-attested Evangelical, but also a political liberal who reads the Bible with left-wing spectacles, along with others whom he terms "Red Letter Christians" (as in Bibles that print the words of Jesus in red).  Mark Tooley, whose analysis I have cited in a previous post in connection with Tony Campolo and the Evangelical Left, refers to "Red Letter Christians" as "Red Letter Leftists."  Clearly, this is no exaggeration, nor does it bear false witness.  Campolo is a man of the political left who reads the Bible accordingly.

Jordan Hylden writes in his letter (review) to Campolo:

. . . I'm so disappointed.  You start off by accusing conservative Christians of uncritically baptizing the Republican agenda, and you claim to offer a biblical

EVALUATING "CNN PRESENTS: AFTER JESUS"

Dr. Albert Mohler does a good job evaluating "CNN Presents: After Jesus," a special airing on CNN Friday Dec. 22nd at 10:00 PM (EST), Saturday Dec. 23rd at 8:00 PM, and Sunday Dec. 24th at 8:00 PM.  Mohler critiques the program from an evangelical point of view.  He points out strengths and weaknesses, and laments that CNN did not include an evangelical theologian,  historian, or New Testament scholar such as  N. T. Wright, D. A. Carson, or Darrell Bock.  On balance, though, Mohler says that although he found a good bit to criticize, "Nevertheless, when the entire program is reviewed, I would judge the project to be more even-handed and responsible than I had at first expected." 

New Testament scholar Scot McKnight suggests that there is plenty to like and a good bit to disagree with in CNN's production.   He notes that the theme of the night was the diversity of Christianity in the first three centuries.  He then asks a good question:

How can we talk about the rise of orthodoxy and skip over Irenaeus, Ignatius, Tertullian and Athanasius — and show how they responded in their contexts to the challenges and gave major voices to the ongoing development of orthodoxy? We virtually jump from the NT to Constantine, and give the impression that orthodoxy dropped out of the sky when Constantine needed a political expedient to unify the empire.

WHAT MAKES THE CHRISTIAN GOD UNIQUE?

Kenneth Richard Samples taught philosophy and religion courses at a public college in Southern California for a decade.  His teaching responsibilities included teaching a course on world religions which often raised special questions.  He writes here how he answered the question posed by a Jewish and Muslim student:   "Exactly how does the God of Christianity differ from the Jewish and Muslim views of God?"

I explained to them that historic Christianity, like Judaism and Islam,¹ affirms the existence of one true and living God. I pointed out that Christianity enjoys a unique and special relationship with Judaism. However, I also emphasized three distinctive ways in which the Christian God differs from the conception of God found in these two other Middle Eastern monotheistic religions. In fact, I said that these three doctrinal distinctives set the Christian faith apart from all other religious systems, not just Judaism and Islam. The three tenets (in a sense) express the theological heart of historic Christianity.

The first way in which Christianity is distinct is in its special conception of monotheism. Unlike traditional Judaism and Islam, the God of Christianity possesses a unique and mysterious plurality of personhood within its single divine essence. In other words,

THE DARKER MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

Christmas carols need careful attention.  There we often find the unexpected.  Instead of Christmas being all bright, light and cheery, we find a darker backdrop which is quite central to Christmas, but often forgotten.

Wilfred M. McClay points out that the French carol "O Holy Night" reads "Long lay the world in sin and error pining,/Till he appeared, and the soul felt its worth."  Hmmm.   Did the world in fact lay "in sin and error pining"?  Yes, indeed.

And what about "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"?  The words in the first verse read:

"To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray." 

McClay says,

DO CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS WORSHIP THE SAME GOD?

I commend Bat Ye'or for bringing attention to a new book which will serve to clear up a lot of fuzzy thinking on the relationship of Islam to Christianityand Judaism.  Bat Ye'or reviews  Durie Mark's Revelation?  Do We Worship the Same God? in a National Review Online article  titled "Which One God?  Comparing the Muslim and Christian conceptions of God."

With the passing of time, hidden challenges, which for a long time had been growing unnoticed and unaddressed, can suddenly emerge into the full-blown light of current events with a force which seems quite overwhelming. Today the Western world, or Judeo-Christian civilization, shaken by jihadist terror, is being rudely awakened to theological realities blurred for decades. From clashes of

What is the "Emerging Church" Movement?

Scott McKnight answers the question in an address delivered at Westminster Theological Seminary, October 26-27, 2006.   Warning:  McKnight is a theologian and his answer, though highly readable, is comprehensive, and therefore lengthy.  (HT: Smart Christian)    Click here for an earlier post on the Emerging Church.

THE EMERGENT CHURCH - A FIRST POST

I haven't written anything on the "Emerging Church" because I haven't felt it was something I was supposed to spend much time concentrating on.  That will probably change at some point.  But for now, I'll simply link to an article by John Mark Reynolds which offers something of an introduction and a mild critique.   Here is Mark Driscoll on a 3 1/2 minute video offering his own introduction to "Emergent vs. Emerging Churches."  Finally, Justin Taylor summarizes Darrell Bock on emerging church (or hear it from Darrell himself).   (HT: Andrew Jones)

The Limits of Roman Catholic - Muslim Dialog

John F. Cullinan (former senior foreign policy advisor to the U.S. Catholic bishops) comments on the Pope Benedict XVI's latest remarks, saying

As the pope brought to a close — at least for now — the uproar that followed his September 12 remarks on faith and reason in Regensburg, he reiterated yet again his very precise bottom line for future dialogue with the Muslim world.

Benedict’s [later] brief remarks [to diplomats from Muslim-majority states accredited to the Holy See], delivered in French as a courtesy to his interlocutors, are fully intelligible only in the light of the four ecclesial texts he cites or quotes from. . .

What’s relevant is that Jews and Muslims occupy wholly separate categories in Catholic thought.  "Nostra Aetate" acknowledges “the spiritual ties that link the people of the New Covenant [Christians] with the stock of Abraham [Jews].” More specifically, “Christians and Jews have such a common spiritual heritage,” grounded in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), that joint “biblical and theological enquiry” is very much in order.

There is, however, no such “common spiritual heritage” between Christianity and Islam (especially since orthodox Muslims hold that the Quran wholly supercedes and replaces the Bible). In fact, the Council Fathers merely note that “the Church also has a high regard for the Muslims” while carefully prescinding from any comment on Islam as such. (Benedict repeats this formulation almost word for word in his September 25 remarks.) In comparison with ecumenical dialogue with other Christians (with whom reunion remains the ultimate goal in accordance with Jn 17:21-22) and inter-religious dialogue with Jews (with whom both genuine theological and practical collaboration is possible), dialogue with Muslims is by nature limited to such purely practical initiatives — above all, forging agreed rules of the road for avoiding conflict — that Benedict raises in two carefully chosen quotations.

The upshot is that purely theological dialogue between Christians and Muslims is pointless, if not counterproductive. Whatever its other attributes, the most fundamental elements of all orthodox Christian thought are Trinitarian and Christocentric; and these are precisely the same elements that orthodox Muslims necessarily find blasphemous on the one hand and idolatrous on the other. What’s more, sharia jurisprudence plays roughly the same role in Islam as systematic theology in Christianity. That’s why purely theological dialogue inevitably mixes apples and oranges. But basic disagreement over the nature of God in no way precludes discussing how best to coexist peacefully in a pluralistic world. That’s the meaning of Benedict’s September 25 exhortation in favor of “sincere and respectful dialogue, based on ever more authentic reciprocal knowledge which, with joy, recognizes the religious values we have in common and, with loyalty, respects the differences.” In other words, it’s possible to share — and discuss — certain religious values without sharing religious truths.

There is much more in this article.  It truly needs to be read in full.  I think Pope Benedict XVI is opening a completely new chapter in the relationship of Christians (not only Catholics) to the Muslim world.  It strikes me that Pope Benedict XVI is the right Pope at the right time.

The Beauty of God as Trinity: Love at the Center of the Universe

I like these word about the Trinity found in The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God, p. 73

"The story that is the Sacred romance begins not with God alone, the Author at his desk, but God in relationship, intimacy beyond our wildest imagination, heroic intimacy.  The Trinity is at the center of the universe; perfect relationship is the heart of all reality.  Think of your best moments of love or friendship or creative partnership, the best times with family or friends around the dinner table, your richest conversations, the acts of simple kindness that sometimes seem like the only things that make life worth living.  Like the shimmer of sunlight on a lake, these are reflections of the love that flows among the Trinity.  We long for intimacy because we are made in the image of perfect intimacy.  Still, what we don't have and may never have known is often a more powerful reminder of what ought to be.
    Our story begins with the hero in love.  As Buechner reminds us, "God does not need the Creation in order to have something to love because within himself love happens."