Expository Preaching: The Minimum

Colin Adams suggests that at minimum expository preaching includes . . .

1. Reading or quoting from the biblical passage to be expounded.
2. Giving the basic thrust of that passage’s message.
3. Positively demonstrating the meaning of the text by supplying relevant supporting evidence to your interpretation (historical background, literary context, grammatical support, word studies, wider Scriptural cross-reference, etc)
4. Negatively clarifying what the passage does not mean; ruling out possible faulty interpretations.
5. Drawing out the lessons of the passage for believer and non-believer.
6. Relating the passage to Christ and his gospel (setting the text within the wider framework of biblical theology).

(Note: non essentials to exposition include catchy introductions or conclusions, illustrations, numbered points, alliteration. No doubt some of these can be helpful on ocassion, but you could do exposition without them).

The post can be found here.

Reformed Theology Literature Website

There is a nice Reformed theology literature website accessible here.

Dissatisfied Churchgoers Cite Three Main Complaints

According to the latest issue of the Church Leaders Intelligence Report,

People who are dissatisfied with how their church is helping them develop spiritually (about 17% overall) are most concerned about three elements of the weekend worship service. 68% say the service does not incorporate Bible teaching that helps them with everyday life. 70% say the service is not challenging or thought-provoking enough, and 81% say it does not provide enough in-depth study of the Bible. Those generally satisfied with their churches also list these three elements, but with a much higher rate of satisfaction.

Sounds like some solid Bible exposition would help!

Zane Hodges (1933-2008)

I learned today that Zane Hodges has gone on to be with the Lord. Although I did not know the man personally, men that have taught me were influenced by him. Dan Wallace has a nice reflection on Zane here.

Considerations for Choosing a New Sermon Series

Colin Adams has offered the following list of helpful points to consider in selecting a new sermon series.

1. How long do we have for this batch of sermons (one year; three months; four weeks)?

2. What Testament did we preach from last?

3. What biblical genre have we not preached from lately?

4. What is the one greatest spiritual need in the church currently? (and what book/section of a book would best address that need?)

5. What portion of Scripture excites me at the moment personally?

6. What Scripture books/sections have I not preached on with this congregation?

7. If we’ve just preached through a relatively lighter book, what would stretch the congregation? If we’ve just waded through Leviticus, what might make for some lighter lifting?

8. Are there any clear and present theological dangers that need to be urgently addressed?

9. Is there a contemporary circumstance (9/11, credit crunch) that might call for or pave the way for a series of sermons?

You can read the entire post here.

Ortlund on Preaching

The Faith by Hearing blog has noted the availability of three messages by Ray Ortlund on preaching. Here are the links to Ortlund's message.

Power in Preaching: Decide (1 Cor 2:1-5)

Power in Preaching: Desire (1 Thess 1:2-5)

Power in Preaching: Delight (2 Cor 12:1-10)

Why Professors Blog

Fred Sanders has an interesting post on why professors blog. The post has remarks from Michael Bird, Scot McKnight, Andreas Köstenberger, and Peter Leithart. You can read it here.

Thanks to Justin Taylor for pointing this out.

Blomberg Takes on National Geographic

Craig Blomberg takes National Geographic magazine to task for denying that Herod the Great actually slaughtered the infants as recorded in Matthew 2:16-19. You can view the National Geographic article here and Craig Blomberg's response here.

Preaching a Funeral For An Unbeliever

See this helpful post on preaching an unbeliever's funeral.

Stackhouse on Qualifications for Teaching at a Small Christian College

Some readers might be interested in this post by John Stackhouse on "Qualifications for Teaching at a Small Christian College." The post can be accessed here.

Review of Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek

Constantine R. Campbell, Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 159 pps.

Thank Jesse Hillman for the review copy.

Constantine Campbell has written a short, interesting, and informative book on verbal aspect in biblical Greek. The strength of this work is its clarity (terms are defined, examples provided, etc.). The reader is also aided by the exercises (with answers), a glossary, and an index. To be quite honest, I am not sure that I am qualified to evaluate the strengths of some of some of the more technical linguistic arguments, but it appears that Campbell was fair and balanced in his discussions. Every now and then, one reads a book that stretches and informs the reader. For this reader, Basics of Verbal Aspects is such a book.

Table of Contents:

Preface

Introduction: Verbal Aspect and Exegesis

Verbal Aspect Theory

1. What is Verbal Aspect?

2. The History of Verbal Aspect

3. Perfective Aspect

4. Imperfective Aspect

5. The Problem of the Perfect

Verbal Aspect and New Testament Text

6. Verbal Lexeme Basics

7. Present and Imperfect Tense-forms

8. Aorist and Future Tense-Forms

9. Perfect and Pluperfect Tense-Forms

10. More Participles

A Concluding Postscript: Space and Time

Verbal Glossary

Answers to Exercises

Indexes

Prophecy of the Eucharist in Malachi?

Jake Belder has an interesting post in which he notes that some of the early Church Fathers viewed Malachi 1:10 as a prophecy of the Eucharist. Read the post here.

Witherington on the Rhetorical Nature of Hebrews

You can read the text text (but not the notes) of Ben Witherington's Society of Biblical Literature paper on "The Rhetorical Nature of Hebrews" here.

Goodacre on Dating the Crucial Sources in Early Christianity

Mark Goodacre's handout for this year's SBL Meeting paper on "Dating the Crucial Sources in Early Christianity" is available here.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:

Bob Becking
From David to Gedaliah: The Book of Kings as Story and History
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6207
Reviewed by Marvin A. Sweeney

Jason Beduhn and Paul Mirecki, eds.
Frontiers of Faith: The Christian Encounter with Manichaeism in the Acts of Archelaus
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6297
Reviewed by Tobias Nicklas

Roland Boer, ed.
Bakhtin and Genre Theory in Biblical Studies
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6214
Reviewed by Timothy J. Sandoval

Susan Brayford
Genesis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6302
Reviewed by Jan Joosten

Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch
Studying the Old Testament: A Companion
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6203
Reviewed by Steed Vernyl Davidson

Stephen K. Catto
Reconstructing the First-Century Synagogue: A Critical Analysis of Current Research
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6430
Reviewed by Birger Olsson
Reviewed by Jonathan Bernier

Nicola Denzey
The Bone Gatherers: The Lost Worlds of Early Christian Women
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6280
Reviewed by Paul Dilley

Deborah L. Ellens
Women in the Sex Texts of Leviticus and Deuteronomy: A Comparative Conceptual Analysis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6434
Reviewed by Naomi Steinberg

Richard A. Horsley
Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6119
Reviewed by Lester L. Grabbe

Paul Joyce
Ezekiel: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6431
Reviewed by Corrine Carvalho
Reviewed by Steven S. Tuell

Adriane B. Leveen
Memory and Tradition in the Book of Numbers
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6153
Reviewed by James W. Watts

David R. Nienhuis
Not by Paul Alone: The Formation of the Catholic Epistle Collection and the Christian Canon
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6406
Reviewed by Patrick J. Hartin

Matthew B. Schwartz and Kalman J. Kaplan
The Fruit of Her Hands: A Psychology of Biblical Woman
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6180
Reviewed by Corinne Blackmer

Jan G. van der Watt, ed.
Identity, Ethics, and Ethos in the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6044
Reviewed by H. H. Drake Williams III

Adams on Prophetic Preaching

Colin Adams has suggested five "guidelines for prophetic preaching."

1. Prophetic preaching must be God-centered preaching
2. Prophetic preaching must pay careful attention to historical context
3. Prophetic preaching must recognise a variety of genres in prophetic literature
4. Prophetic preaching must take account of the past, present and future
5. Prophetic preaching must connect to Christ

You can read the entire audio and get a link to his audio presentation of the material here.

Blomberg on James 5:13-18

Craig Blomberg has posted some helpful thoughts on James 5:13-18. Read it here.

Mounce on Ekklesia

Bill Mounce has an interesting post on ekklesia, the word commonly used for church. But the post is not really a word study or a study of specific texts. Rather it is a theological and personal exploration of the topic. This is of course is fine as far as it goes, but it would, in my opinion, have been better to have the latter supported by a more rigorous examination of the former. In any case, you can read Mounce's post here.

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest from a Bible Exposition perspective include:

Ward Blanton
Displacing Christian Origins: Philosophy, Secularity, and the New Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6059
Reviewed by Clare K. Rothschild

Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan
The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6186
Reviewed by Craig L. Blomberg

Katherine J. Dell
Opening the Old Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6480
Reviewed by Bill T. Arnold
Reviewed by George Heider

Brad E. Kelle and Megan Bishop Moore
Israel's Prophets and Israel's Past: Essays on the Relationship of Prophetic Texts and Israelite History in Honor of John H. Hayes
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6457
Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Daniel A. Smith
The Post-Mortem Vindication of Jesus in the Sayings Gospel Q
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6419
Reviewed by William Arnal

Fred Strickert
Rachel Weeping: Jews, Christians, and Muslims at the Fortress Tomb
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6000
Reviewed by Samuel Thomas

Jürgen Zangenberg, Harold W. Attridge, and Dale B. Martin, eds.
Religion, Ethnicity and Identity in Ancient Galilee: A Region in Transition
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6611
Reviewed by Christoph Stenschke

The Pastoral Epistles and the Circumcision Party

Brent Pitre has a post which critiques one of the reasons commonly put forward by scholars who deny Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles, namely, the identity of the opponents as Gnostics. You can read the post here.

Another Online Bible Map Resource

Todd Bolen has pointed out an online Bible map resource. Although the layout is bare bones, the resource looks very comprehensive. You can view it here.

Managing Your Personal Library

Challies has posted a link to an article entitled "100 Tips and Tools for Managing Your Personal Library" just in time for ETS and SBL book buying. This article is very comprehensive. Check it out here.

Schreiner's Review of Scot McKnight's Blue Parakeet

See Thomas Schreiner's thoughtful five part review of Scot McKnight's Blue Parakeet. You can see his review here or my review of the same book here.

Melchizedek

Stephen Cook has an interesting post on Melchizedek (Gen 14:17-24). He suggests that Melchizedek's non-Hebrew origins highlights a universal theme. Cook writes,

A great triangle of blessing begins here to connect Abraham's people and the world. Abraham has blessed a mass of non-Hebrews (Melchizedek's people) by ridding Canaan of predators (vv. 1-16). But God's blessing now (vv. 17-24) flows mysteriously back to Abraham through a non-Hebrew channel!

Walton on Cain's Sacrifice

John Walton has a helpful post on Cain's Sacrifice on Genesis. Read it here.