The Future of Sunday School?

  
See this interesting article "Can Sunday School Be Saved?"
 

Good Advice for Christian Teachers

  

“Christian teachers and scholars must be better than our cultured despisers or tormentors if we desire to be a good and godly Bible teacher or scholar. We must not let a wounded ego goad us into uncharitable and unloving remarks and behavior. Sometimes this is difficult, especially if we are deeply hurt by something said or done, but such is the high calling of a real Bible teacher or scholar. Let it not be said of you at the end of your career that you had more to repent of than to be proud of in your career. Let it rather be said that you manifested the fruit of the Spirit in all you did and said.”

Ben Witherington III, Is There a Doctor in the House? An Insider's Story and Advice on Becoming a Biblical Scholar (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 133. 

  

Get a Free Copy of the Jericho Unearthed DVD

  

The Associates of Biblical Research are offering a free copy of the Jericho Unearthed DVD to anyone who joins as a member or upgrades their current membership. There are three levels of membership. 

1. A Supporting Membership for $35 per year includes four issues of Bible and Spade, and a free copy of Jericho Unearthed. A portion is tax-deductible.

2. A Sustaining Membership for $75 per year includes four issues of Bible and Spade, a free copy of Jericho Unearthed AND an additional surprise, free gift. A portion is tax-deductible.

3. Student Memberships are available at a reduced price of $20 per year, and also receive Jericho Unearthed for free.

I have been a member of ABR for a number of years. Here is a preview of the video.

A Review of the Life Application Study Bible Devotional

   
Life Application Study Bible Devotional: Daily Wisdom from the Life of Jesus (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2011).

Tyndale House provided me a complimentary copy of the Life Application Study Bible Devotional to review sometime back. It has taken me awhile, but I thought that this review might be timely at the first of the year since some of you might be committing yourselves to work through the Scriptures in a deeper or different way in 2012.

I will start off with basic facts about the book. This book is limited to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So if you decide to work through this book in 2012 then you will only be covering the Gospels. This is fine of course but just so that you will know. There are 52 chapters in the book. Each chapter is divided into six parts, a part for each day of the week with Saturday and Sunday combined together. For each day/weekend there are four separate components: (1) “Setting the Scene” in which the passage is described briefly, (2) “Reading the Word” which provides the passage for the day in the NLT, (3) Getting Personal” which most often takes the form of interactive questions, and (4) “Talking to God” which provides suggestions for how to pray in light of the passage.

This book contains a number of strengths. It is convenient. If you want to undertake a year-long devotional study of the Gospels then they have done most of the logistical work for you (deciding what passages to study, etc.). This book is easy to read. Theological jargon is kept to a minimum. This will make it easier for those unfamiliar with theological terms to make use of the book. This devotional is also easy to use. The days are clearly identified and the content is clearly defined by bold headings. Since the 52 chapters are not tied to months, you can actually start this book on any week of the year and then go one full calendar year from that date. There are also two helpful indices: topical and scriptural. A final strength is that this devotional is very much text centered. This work does not contain many illustrations, stories, humor, and the like that characterize some other devotional works.

As with any devotional, preferences will often be the final arbiter of one’s appreciation (or not) of this book. Those who prefer devotionals that use a Scripture text as an entrée into pastoral or spiritual insights (e.g., Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest) might prefer to use something else. One might also quibble here and there with the commentary in the “Setting the Scene” sections. Occasionally, the teacher in me would have emphasized, stated, concluded, etc. different points in some of the chapters. But that is par for the course with a work like this.Overall, I think that the Life Application Study Bible Devotional could be a helpful resource for readers interested in growing spiritually by getting to know God, the Gospels, and themselves better. To get a feel for the content go here and check it out.
   

Systematic Theology "Must Haves" from 2011.

  
See Mark Snoeberger's list here.
 

Some Great Questions

  
"Would you preach the Word of the Lord? Have you heard it? Do you hear it? How may I declare to you a little of that treasure? If in the Spirit you hear one word of Jesus today, your life will be transformed. Yet you may not stay with one word. You must, day by day hear and heed the voice of the Savior. Being a specialist in the Word does not mean that you specialize in precept only or in promise only or in pronouncement only. Preach the Word of the Lord that you have discovered afresh, or discover it for the first time. Bring from your treasure things both new and old. Drink from the fountain, feast on the banquet, fall down before the fire, draw near to the Lord." 

Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching Christ in All of Scripture (Wheaton: Crossway, 2003), 177.
  

Free Audio of J. I.. Packer's Knowing God

  
Christianaudio.com is offering a free audio download of J. I. Packer's classic book Knowing God during the month of January. Listening to this book would be a great way to start the year. For more details and instructions go here. 
  

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

   
The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below.

Daniel Bodi
The Demise of the Warlord: A New Look at the David Story
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8001
Reviewed by Jeremy Hutton

M. Eugene Boring
Mark: A Commentary
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5593
Reviewed by W. R. Telford

Bruce Chilton and Deirdre J. Good
Studying the New Testament: A Fortress Introduction
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7973
Reviewed by Paul Foster

Hemchand Gossai
Power and Marginality in the Abraham Narrative
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8055
Reviewed by Thomas Hieke

David G. Horrell, Cherryl Hunt, and Christopher Southgate
Greening Paul: Rereading the Apostle in a Time of Ecological Crisis
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7932
Reviewed by Amy L. B. Peeler

André Lemaire, ed.
Congress Volume: Ljubljana 2007
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7676
Reviewed by Siegfried Kreuzer

Herbert Migsch
Studien zum Jeremiabuch und andere Beiträge zum Alten Testament
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8043
Reviewed by Hannes Bezzel

Carolyn J. Sharp
Wrestling the Word: The Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Believer
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7980
Reviewed by Phillip G. Camp

Matthew A. Thomas
These Are the Generations: Identity, Covenant, and the 'toledot' Formula
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=8155
Reviewed by Mark McEntire

Eugene Ulrich and Peter W. Flint
Qumran Cave 1.II: The Isaiah Scrolls
http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=7919
Reviewed by Eibert Tigchelaar

Some Benefits of Reading the Psalms

  
See William Varner's post here.
  

Giving the Bible the Benefit of the Doubt

  

“Another aspect of Christian character that is needed to be a good and godly Bible teacher and scholar is a willingness to give the text the benefit of the doubt before leaping to the conclusion that the text is: (1) riddled with contradictions, (2) is unclear, or (3) is hopelessly antiquarian and thus obsolete and irrelevant. One of things that has often surprised me about some Bible scholars is that they will not give the Bible the same benefit of the doubt they will give their colleagues' theories, even if a theory is wild and wooly. This I find exceedingly odd. Why should a modern writer be given so much more benefit of the doubt than an ancient one? I see no rational reason for this, but it reflects a phenomenon I have come to call justification by doubt, as if doubting something proves one is a critical thinker and therefore a good scholar of the Bible.”

Ben Witherington III, Is There a Doctor in the House? An Insider's Story and Advice on Becoming a Biblical Scholar (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 129. 

  

The Authenticity of 2 Peter

  
Rob Bradshaw at BiblicalStudies.org.uk has just posted a PDF of P. H. R. van Houwelingen's 2010 article in the European Journal of Theology entitled "The Authenticity of 2 Peter: Problems and Possible Solutions" here. I remember looking at this article a while back and finding it helpful.
 

Concerning the Song of S0ngs

  
"It is therefore not surprising that the Song is one of the three most commented-upon books in the Bible. In the first place, its presence there urgently calls for explanation. Can a canonical book of Scripture really be as secular as this poetry seems to be? In a second place, if it has some hidden religious or theological meaning, how do we discover it? To those who think they know the answer to the last question, the Song then offers unique opportunity for exegetical virtuosity—not to say uncontrolled fantasy.”

Robert W. Jenson, Song of Songs, Interpretation (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005), 2.
  

Acts as Narrative

 
How does Acts work as a narrative? Simply stated, the plot of Acts unfolds in support of Luke’s theological aim. On the one hand, he designs his story according to a specific geographical and chronological framework. The action begins in Jerusalem before moving beyond the holy city into the neighboring provinces of Samaria and Judea before moving into the nations and peoples beyond Palestine. Many have found this geographical outline indexed by Jesus’ programmatic prophecy in Acts 1:8. In addition, Acts traces the key events with brief glimpses of the most important leaders of earliest Christianity to establish a general chronology of the church’s origins. On the other hand, the historical conception provides the framework for two grand thematic movements (‘conversion’ and ‘consecration’), each scripted by extended citations of Scripture (see 2:17-21; 15:16-18) that narrate how the redemptive purposes of God are realized through the church’s mission.”

Robert W. Wall, “Acts,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, vol. 10, ed. Leander E. Keck (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002), 13–14.
  

New Job Commentary

  

My friend Larry Waters has co-written a commentary on Job with Mona Bias in the Asia Bible Commentary Series. Larry knows more about the Book of Job than most anyone I know. This expository commentary provides solid explanations of the book and thoughtful applications particularly geared towards an Asian context. The book is a bit difficult to find, but you can see it here and order it by following these instructions.

Step One 

Send us an e-mail ( atapublications@gmail.com ) indicating your order and delivery address.
Company / Receiver Name:
Address:
Town / Area Code:
State / Country:
Contact Name:
Phone / Fax No.:

Step Two

Confirm your order.

Step Three 

Payments can be made in two ways:
Telegraphic Transfer
Account Name Asia Theological Association Manila, Inc.
Account Number 441-2-441-00323-9
Swift Code MBTCPHMM
Bank Metrobank-Karuhatan, Valenzuela Branch
Bank Address 235-I McArthur Highway, Karuhatan Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
Check/International Bank Draft
Payable to Asia Theological Association Manila, Inc.
Send to  Dr. Theresa Lua c/o Asia Graduate School of Theology
               54 Scout Madriñan, Quezon City 1103, Philippines

   

The Exegetical Habit

  

"Responsible biblical preaching does not come easily. It requires time, study, and hard work. The time required for the study of Scripture is not spent apart from ministry; it is not even in preparation for ministry. It is ministry, and as such it should be cherished and protected. There are ways to use study time wisely and efficiently. There are even shortcuts we can take in the process of biblical interpretation, but there are no short circuits." 

Thomas G. Long, The Witness of Preaching, 2nd ed. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2005), 67.
  

Black's Top Ten for Studying Greek

  
David Alan Black lists his top ten recommended books for studying New Testament Greek here.
 

Working While Working on a Ph.D.

  
It is generally inadvisable to pursue a Ph.D. while working a full-time job. But if you must, Mark Warnock has some good advice here.
 

Merry Christmas!

  
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Galatians 4:4–5
  

The Pastoral Epistles as Christmas Epistles

  
See this article by Jeff McSwain. One of my favorite lines in the article is, ". . . the Pastorals are less concerned with the deity of Christ than with the humanity of God." 
 

Interview with Craig Keener

  
The Cristianbook.com blog has a four part interview with Craig Keener concerning his Miracles book here.
 

Pastoral Salary Cap?

  
Joe Wooddell has an interesting post on pastoral salaries here. The problem is that  the Bible does not appear to address the issue directly. That being said, I think that it is generally unwise and unhealthy for a pastors to make significantly more than the average member of their church. But I acknowledge that there could be exceptions to this and a variety of factors may need to be taken into consideration.
  

Latest Issue of the Bulletin for Biblical Research: Vol. 21 No. 4

  
Main articles:

Old Greek Daniel 7:13-14 and Matthew's Son of Man
H. Daniel Zacharias

Let the Reader Understand: Mark's Use of Jeremiah 7 in Mark 13:14
Robert S. Snow

Consumed by Zeal: John's Use of Psalm 69:9 and the Action in the Temple
Steven M. Bryan

Johannine Fulfillment of Scripture: Continuity and Escalation
Brian J. Tabb

The Portrayal of Peter and Atonement Theology in the Gospel of John
Timothy Wiarda 
  

The Virgin Birth, Virgin Conception, and Immaculate Conception

  
The Virgin Birth, Virgin Conception, and Immaculate Conception are all designations that relate directly, or indirectly, to the birth of Christ. People typically use the designation Virgin Birth and Virgin Conception to mean the same thing. Namely, that Jesus was conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit while Mary remained a virgin. I prefer to use the designation Virgin Conception since strictly speaking, we are referring to the circumstances of the conception rather than the birth per se. That is, while Jesus was conceived supernaturally like no other child; he was born naturally like every other child. (I am not distinguishing here between what is called natural and Caesarean childbirth.) The Immaculate Conception on, on the other hand, is a Roman Catholic dogma that holds that Mary was conceived and preserved from the stain of original sin. While I believe that the Virgin Birth/Virgin Conception has biblical warrant, I do not believe that the Immaculate Conception has any basis in Scripture. Concerning the Immaculate Conception, see this post by Bill Combs.
 

A Caution Concerning Sermon Preparation

"Tragically many seminary-trained preachers view exegesis as an academically inclined exercise intended to display scholarship and research. Instead of spending time alone listening to Scripture, they regurgitate other scholarly opinions. Open Scripture is bypassed in favor of commentary helps. Of course, commentaries, at best, are written by gifted people intent on helping the readers discover the riches of God's Word. In no way do I wish to disparage commentators' ministry in God's service. Yet too many preachers seem frightened to practice a belief in a speaking God who meets them in Scripture. They dive too quickly into historical-grammatical research and see 'waiting on God' as suspiciously pietistic and vulnerable to eisegesis. Why delay the hard work of discovering a text's meaning when it is presumed to be available only through others' sound scholarship?"

Michael J. Quicke, 360 Degree Preaching: Hearing, Speaking, and Living the Word (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 141-42.
  

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  
Martyn Lloyd-Jones was born on this day in 1899. Those interested in the work of Martyn Lloyd-Jones might want to check out this site.