tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-284447322024-03-07T20:07:25.862+11:00Biblio-FileCollected musings of a pair of book loversKara Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14371757486444178312noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-78413622792683836192020-04-19T02:13:00.001+10:002020-04-19T03:27:55.274+10:00Ten books that have influenced me the mostSomeone asked me the other day which books have influenced me the most, and I thought for old times' sake I would write a blog post with a list.<br />
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Keep in mind that these are not necessarily the best books I've read; some of them happened to be in the right place at the right time of my life. I have restricted myself to theology books; there are fiction books that have also influenced me profoundly, but that influence is usually subtler.<br />
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I have arranged the books in order of author. Five of these books are written by Americans; the other authors include one Australian, one Canadian, one Dutchman, one Englishman, and one Scot. Three of these books are available as pdf downloads: I have put a link in their titles.<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/The_Art_of_Biblical_Narrative.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/The_Art_of_Biblical_Narrative.jpg" width="132" /></a>Robert Alter, <i>The Art of Biblical Narrative</i> (Basic Books, 1981)<br />
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Interestingly, the first book on this list is by a (non-Christian) Jew, and so "biblical" here means "Old Testament". Alter fundamentally misunderstands the Old Testament since he doesn't read it in the light of Jesus. And yet he has helped and encouraged me to read the text closely, discerning the importance of details, and asking why one word is used rather than another.<br />
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D. A. Carson, <i>A Call To Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers</i> (Inter-Varsity Press, 1992)<br />
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This book, first published in 1992, was reissued in 2015 under the much better title, <i>Praying with Paul: A Call To Spiritual Reformation</i>. The book is actually an exposition of the prayers in Paul's epistles. This book transformed my prayer life (though not as thoroughly as I might wish) by challenging me regarding the things I pray for, and helping me to pray through passages of the Bible.<br />
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G. K. Chesterton, <a href="https://www.ccel.org/ccel/c/chesterton/orthodoxy/cache/orthodoxy.pdf"><i>Orthodoxy</i></a> (John Lane, 1908)<br />
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This is a whimsical account of how Chesterton became a Christian: "I am the man who with the utmost daring discovered what had been discovered before.... I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy." This book gave me a vision of how grand orthodox Christian theology is: "There never was anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy. It was sanity: and to be sane is more dramatic than to be mad."<br />
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Graeme Goldsworthy, <i>Gospel and Kingdom</i> (Paternoster Press, 1994)<br />
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There are many good books on how to read and understand the Old Testament, but this was the book that most clearly showed me how to read OT stories in the light of Christ. I had always been convinced of covenant as a unifying OT theme; this book encouraged me to place kingdom as a companion theme alongside it.<br />
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Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson, <i>Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth</i> (Canon Press, 1998)<br />
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This book does for evangelical Protestantism what Chesterton's Orthodoxy does for catholic Christianity: provide a vision of how exciting believing the Bible and following Jesus can be. (In fact, while the authors call their approach "medieval Protestantism", Douglas Wilson has used the label "<a href="https://dougwils.com/the-church/s8-expository/calvinism-4-0-chestertonian-calvinism.html">Chestertonian Calvinism</a>" to describe his beliefs.) Needless to say, I caught the vision, and as a result this book is one of the clearest statements of my worldview, and the sort of things I wish to encourage in my home.<br />
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James B. Jordan, <a href="http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/pdf/through_new_eyes.pdf"><i>Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World</i></a> (Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1988)<br />
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This book helped me to see how the Bible fit together: the connections between different passages, and how certain themes and motifs run right through God's Word. It also helped me to understand the created order in the light of Scripture.<br />
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J. Douglas MacMillan, <i>The Lord Our Shepherd</i> (Bryntiron Press, 1983)<br />
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This exposition of Psalm 23 was one of the first theological books I read as a teenager, and it showed me how personal and pastoral biblical exposition can be. This is experiential Free Church piety at its warmest.<br />
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Vern Poythress, <a href="https://frame-poythress.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PoythressVernPhilosophyScienceAndTheSovereigntyOfGod.pdf"><i>Philosophy, Science, and the Sovereignty of God</i></a> (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1976)<br />
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It was Poythress who guided me from an interest in mathematics to an interest in theology. This book helped me get straight in my mind how everything fits together.<br />
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Klaas Schilder, <i>Christ in his Suffering</i> (Eerdmans 1938)<br />
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This is the first volume of a trilogy in which Schilder covers every aspect of Christ's Passion. I had the feeling while reading it that I was on holy ground. Schilder often breaks out into prayer and doxology.<br />
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R. C. Sproul, Jr., <i>When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling</i> (P&R, 2004)<br />
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This was the book that convinced me of the value of homeschooling, and led me to adopt a perspective that sees homeschooling as first and foremost discipleship.<br />
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<u>Concluding postscript</u>:<br />
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Growing up in a Reformed Christian home, being a Calvinist was never going to be a problem. These books helped me work out the sort of Calvinism I wanted to pursue: a deeply biblical, warm, thoughtful and catholic Calvinism.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-84262034396181675812017-12-01T08:31:00.000+11:002017-12-01T08:31:04.360+11:00Helpful but with some dubious assertions<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Every-Page-Simple-Testament/dp/1400205344/">Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament</a> by David Murray<br />
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This book is an accessible summary of the way the Old Testament points to Jesus. Murray notes that there are many connections to draw to Jesus, and attempts to provide a reasonably complete survey of these connections.<br />
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Murray is basically correct in his approach. He sees Jesus on every page, though not necessarily, it seems, in every verse. That is, every <i>story</i> can be connected to Jesus even if we have to be careful not to press the analogy in every detail. Murray makes a lot of 1 Peter 1:12 ("<sup class="versenum"> </sup>It was revealed to them [the prophets] that they were serving not themselves but you<span class="text 1Pet-1-11" id="en-ESV-30369">, </span><span class="text 1Pet-1-11" id="en-ESV-30369"><span class="text 1Pet-1-12" id="en-ESV-30370"> in the things that have now been reported to you</span>"</span>) in arguing that the Old Testament prophets knew about the New Testament era that was coming. The Old Testament "things" is the same as the New Testament "reports".<br />
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Murray is spot on at many points. For example, he correctly points out, on the basis of Acts 2:30-31, that in Psalm 16 David was a "believing Christian speaking of Christ as his only hope" (p. 194). I also appreciate Murray's alliteration in arranging his subpoints: his chapter on Jesus and Creation has the headings "The Arrangement of Redemption," "The Arena of Redemption," "The Aim of Redemption," "The Accessories of Redemption," "The Assistants of Redemption," "The Advance of Redemption," "The Analogy of Redemption," "The Advantages of Redemption," "The Apex of Redemption," "The Author of Redemption," and "The Application of Redemption".<br />
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There are, however, numerous points at which I disagree with Murray, either because he makes a dubious assertion or because he omits a critical point. I will restrict myself to three examples.<br />
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Firstly, Murray tends to see Jesus as doing everything in the Old Testament. For example, he argues that "the Son of God is the usual way God appears to humanity" (p. 76). Yet this has the effect of diminishing the work of the Holy Spirit. If we are going to apportion divine deeds among the different members of the Trinity (and that in itself is fraught with peril), then many Old Testament acts must be seen as the work of the Spirit (e.g. Nehemiah 9:20).<br /><br />
Secondly, in looking at Jesus in the prophetic books, Murray omits the idea that Jesus is the one on whom the judgement falls. He talks about Jesus being the judge of the nations (p. 128) but we can also look at judgement the other way: when Nahum 1:2 says "<span class="text Nah-1-2">The <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> is a jealous and avenging God;</span><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Nah-1-2">the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> is avenging and wrathful", we have to remember that this wrath against sin fell on Jesus. This is a glaring omission in what attempts to be a complete catalogue of connections between the Old and New Testaments.</span></span><br />
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Thirdly, in talking about covenant signs, Murray claims that "the crown on David's head reminded him and all Israel of God's promise of an everlasting king and kingdom" (p. 167). There is, however, no reference to David being crowned until he obtains the crown of the King of Rabbah in 2 Samuel 12:30. David was anointed with oil (2 Samuel 2:4) but the crown is not itself a Davidic symbol. It is used in the Psalms (89:39 and 132:18) to refer to the later monarchy, and perhaps this is where Murray gets the idea.<br />
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Thus, <i>Jesus on Every Page</i> is a rather annoying book. It is helpful in many ways, but it could have been so much better. The numerous points of disagreement I had prevent me from recommending it wholeheartedly.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-72028066160353973262017-11-26T11:23:00.001+11:002017-11-26T11:34:03.224+11:00An intriguing blend of approaches<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Unschooler-Education-Without-School/dp/1520155549/">The Classical Unschooler: Education Without School</a> by Purva Brown<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i230poW__WRXK8aPKgIsgyE17BmY1pgaSoKHiVBXoTOfrFxNQqDSbRCRkO407bTaxNxgHTd5ZqeQIKUNoBHPb-uUBA756TWcTmTM8X6JMR0bl_9mq0e3HYs0Bzm0By5Xq3ay/s1600/Classical+Unschooling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i230poW__WRXK8aPKgIsgyE17BmY1pgaSoKHiVBXoTOfrFxNQqDSbRCRkO407bTaxNxgHTd5ZqeQIKUNoBHPb-uUBA756TWcTmTM8X6JMR0bl_9mq0e3HYs0Bzm0By5Xq3ay/s1600/Classical+Unschooling.jpg" /></a>This book presents an approach that blends two major, but seemingly inconsistent, approaches to home schooling: classical education and unschooling.<br />
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The classical approach sees home education as progressing through three stages: in the <b>grammar</b> stage (covering approximately grades 1 to 4) the emphasis is on learning <i>facts</i>, often with memorisation; the<b> logic</b> stage (grades 5 to 8) emphasises the connections between these facts; while the <b>rhetoric</b> stage (grades 9 to 12) emphasises the application and expression of the facts. The classical approach often uses history as a backbone, and covers the whole of world history a number of times (e.g. once in each stage). <br />
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Unschooling might seem to be the complete opposite to this. It emphasises a lack of "subjects", and focuses on topics that the student is interested in himself. Unschooling places a high value on nature study and field trips.<br />
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In this book, and also on her blog, <a href="http://purvabrown.com/">purvabrown.com</a>, Purva Brown boldly presents an approach which combines the two. In doing so she has done a great service to the world of homeschooling, and her writings deserve to be more widely known. Classical unschooling manages to take the best of both worlds.<br />
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So how does it work? It means giving your children access to lots of books. It means reading lots of stories and getting them reading what they are interested in. It often means eschewing formal bookwork and engaging in creative play. Classical unschooling recognises that in young children memorisation is natural and exciting. It's classical schooling without being a slave to curriculum, and unschooling that is purposeful.<br />
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This is a slim volume that has been self-published. It does not even have page numbers. But it is still worth reading, and Purva Brown's audacious approach is definitely worth considering.<br />
<br />John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-1131218849418742162017-08-16T15:59:00.001+10:002017-09-07T21:07:22.718+10:00Almost persuaded me, but not quite<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Living-Gods-Two-Kingdoms-Christianity/dp/1433514044/">Living in God's Two Kingdoms: A Biblical Vision for Christianity and Culture</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_VanDrunen">David VanDrunen</a><br />
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This book is a defence of the "Two Kingdoms" view of how Christians are to live in this world and relate to the surrounding culture.<br />
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VanDrunen argues against the idea that legitimate cultural activities are redeemed through the gospel. Whereas <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_M._Wolters">Al Wolters</a> wrote a very helpful book called <i>Creation Regained</i>, VanDrunen sees his position as being "Re-Creation Gained": "Our cultural activities do not in any sense usher in the new creation. The new creation has been earned and attained once for all by Christ, the last Adam" (p. 28).<br />
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VanDrunen does not believe that the creation mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 still applies to Christians today; instead, Jesus has fulfilled Adam's obligations on our behalf (p. 50). Christ "does not restore us to Adam's original task but takes us to where Adam was supposed to arrive" (p. 59).<br />
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VanDrunen sees Christians and living in two kingdoms, each ruled by God. The first he calls the "common kingdom", and includes every human being. This is regulated by the covenant with Noah in Genesis 9, but not, for example, by the Ten Commandments. The second he calls the "redemptive kingdom", and is to be identified with the church: "the church is the only institution or community in the present world that can be identified with the kingdom proclaimed by Christ" (p. 101). This is virtually the Roman Catholic view, although VanDrunen later clarifies this by saying that the church is not identical to the kingdom (p. 116). "Identified with" but not "identical to" is, however, a rather subtle distinction.<br />
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VanDrunen concedes that "the New Testament does not say explicitly that God still rules the broader cultural life of this world through the Noahic covenant," (p. 118) but suggests that "it does not have to" since it was to be a perpetual covenant: "while earth remains" (Gen 8:22). VanDrunen labours under the disadvantage of being forced to invent terminology: the Bible never refers to the "common kingdom".<br />
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In practical terms, this means Christians should not try to "take over" or "take back" politics or education (p. 125). Instead, we should see ourselves as exiles, just like the Israelites in Babylon.<br />
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VanDrunen writes very well, and his writing is saturated with Scripture. I appreciate his emphasis on the uniqueness of Christ and his high view of the church. Were it not for some obvious drawbacks, I would have been convinced of his view.<br />
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Firstly, VanDrunen virtually ignores the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). There, Jesus instructs his disciples in a way that is reminiscent of God's words in Genesis 1:26-28. Now it's quite clear that VanDrunen doesn't view it as supplementing or expanding the creation mandate, but it's disappointing that he does not deal with the text at all. The clear link between creation mandate and Great Commission is a significant argument against VanDrunen's thesis.<br />
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Secondly, in regards to education, VanDrunen argues that theology is the province of the redemptive kingdom, and all other areas of study belong to the common kingdom (p. 174). This does not account, however, for subjects on the borderline, such as church history. Is this something the church can teach, or not? It appears that VanDrunen's distinction between the two kingdoms may be rather artificial.<br />
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Individual parts of this book are, however, excellent, and I can endorse many of VanDrunen's conclusions while disagreeing with his thesis. For example, he rightly points out that "the church, acting officially through its deacons, has authority to do only the kind of diaconal work that Christ, speaking in Scripture, authorizes it to do" (p. 157). I can agree with that, precisely because I see a distinction between church and kingdom: there are works of service and cultural activities that constitute kingdom work but not church work. The church should focus on the ministry that Christ has specifically called her to do, but the work of Christians (both individually and in groups) goes far beyond that.</div>
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<i>Living in God's Two Kingdoms</i> almost persuaded me, but not quite.</div>
<br />John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-38588230178290646432017-07-11T19:13:00.001+10:002017-07-11T19:45:35.458+10:00If Wodehouse had been a modern American Christian<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flags-Out-Front-Douglas-Wilson/dp/1944503498/">Flags Out Front: A Contrarian's Daydream</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Wilson_(theologian)">Douglas Wilson</a><br />
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This is one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. It is funny and engaging all the way through.<br />
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It concerns a fictional fundamentalist Bible college in the American South (called Choctaw Valley Bible College), and its mild-mannered president, Dr Tom. One night a prankster switches the flags at the front of the college so that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Flag">Christian flag</a> is higher than the American flag (see the cover illustration). Dr Tom decides to let it remain like that, and a controversy ensues.<br />
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<i>Flags Out Front</i> is all about what being a faithful Christian looks like in modern America. Wilson makes the point that faithful Christians will have enemies on both the left and the right of politics.<br />
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Wilson includes plenty of humorous asides, and has obviously been inspired by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse">P. G. Wodehouse</a> in both his plot and his choice of words. This book has instantly become one of my favourites.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-48465725237249782772016-10-11T11:18:00.000+11:002016-10-11T11:18:09.930+11:00Not your grandmother's theonomy<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bounds-Love-Introduction-Gods-Liberty/dp/0997240296/">The Bounds of Love: An Introduction to God's Law of Liberty</a> by Joel McDurmon<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5covBPklodmGgwOKbKYdDPefCUfPIIw-KVhe6At5syWYbczpNoalXOKM0cENZ22l26oQC4R6gM3BUlWXfyHurt28bXEX29wsGIvJk7a0aB29_VH1t_6pcv1bAwQ4o2Tpdosrp/s1600/The+Bounds+of+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5covBPklodmGgwOKbKYdDPefCUfPIIw-KVhe6At5syWYbczpNoalXOKM0cENZ22l26oQC4R6gM3BUlWXfyHurt28bXEX29wsGIvJk7a0aB29_VH1t_6pcv1bAwQ4o2Tpdosrp/s1600/The+Bounds+of+Love.jpg" /></a>Although it's not really clear from the title, this book is about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theonomy">theonomy</a>, which McDurmon defines as "the biblical teaching that Mosaic Law contains perpetual moral standards for living, including some civil laws, which remain obligatory for today" (p. 17).<br />
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The key phrase here is "including some civil laws". This is a reasonable definition: non-theonomic Reformed people would say that <i>no</i> civil laws remain obligatory for today (only, perhaps, the principles behind the laws). But in his discussion of which civil laws remain obligatory, McDurmon departs in a significant way from older Theonomic writers such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rousas_Rushdoony">Rousas Rushdoony</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Bahnsen">Greg Bahnsen</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_North_(economist)">Gary North</a>.<br />
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In chapter 3, McDurmon argues that crimes relating to worship (e.g. idolatry and blasphemy) and sex (e.g. homosexuality and adultery) carried the death penalty in the Old Testament because of the concept of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herem_(war_or_property)">herem</a>, in which things that could contaminate Israel needed to be destroyed. McDurmon argues that this no longer applies today. Although he isn't clear on this point, he seems to suggest that they should not even be <i>crimes</i> today (though of course, they are still <i>sins</i>). Later in the book he says that in a "properly theonomic society", the government "would have little to do with sex or marriage" (p. 94).<br />
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In chapter 4, McDurmon argues that all other Old Testament death penalties (e.g. for rape and kidnapping) still apply, on the basis that the penalties were an expression of God's perfect justice. Yet this does not sit easily with what was stated in the previous chapter: the death penalty for blasphemy was also a just one, yet McDurmon says it no longer applies. In any case, McDurmon's position represents a significant (and very conscious) departure from traditional theonomy. <br />
<br />
Finally, with regards to practical application, McDurmon correctly notes that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commission">Great Commission</a> includes a command to disciple <i>the nations</i>, and teach God's law to entire societies rather than just individuals (p. 104). Yet it seems he has a defective view of <i>discipleship</i>. Discipleship, among other things, encourages inner conviction rather than just behaviour modification. That also applies in "teaching the nations". So when McDurmon says that Christians "should always lead opposition to any and all taxation" (p. 112), one can't help but feel that he has misplaced priorities and is fighting the wrong battles.<br />
<br />
<i>The Bounds of Love</i> is an interesting read but not really a book I would recommend.<br />
John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-27876748841536158492016-09-25T15:18:00.001+10:002016-09-25T15:19:36.614+10:00A significant contribution to historical theology<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Decline-African-American-Theology-Captivity/dp/0830828273/ref=cm_cr-mr-title">The Decline of African American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity</a> by Thabiti M. Anyabwile<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdEb1wSArLc4bh4ueCYpPcuNioXJrwHhdZDp_t1zxouUdctJBUY89l12YplED0eqrcy-gYNmWAfZPHx4fKicRSQS09ALAG8oQvGLIiX5FyqCSPDDE8K9h7WxQsZ0occtKmsAW/s1600/The+Decline+of+African+American+Theology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdEb1wSArLc4bh4ueCYpPcuNioXJrwHhdZDp_t1zxouUdctJBUY89l12YplED0eqrcy-gYNmWAfZPHx4fKicRSQS09ALAG8oQvGLIiX5FyqCSPDDE8K9h7WxQsZ0occtKmsAW/s1600/The+Decline+of+African+American+Theology.jpg" /></a>This is a book of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_theology">historical theology</a>. It looks at theological
development among African-Americans from 1600 to the present day. There
are not a lot of early African-American theological writers, but
Anyabwile does a fine job of introducing the reader to men like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Hammon">Jupiter Hammon</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Payne">Daniel Payne</a>, as well as bringing out the theology present in
slave songs and testimonies.<br />
<br />
As the title indicates, Anyabwile
argues that the history of African-American theology is a story of
decline: from orthodox Calvinism through Arminianism and Pentecostalism
to full-blown liberalism and prosperity theology. One interesting reason
given for the rise of liberalism in African-American circles is that
"most theologically conservative seminaries adopted the racist
segregationist policies and attitudes of the time" (p. 205).<br />
<br />
Each
chapter of the book covers a different area of doctrine: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation">revelation</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_proper">theology proper</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anthropology">anthropology</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christology">christology</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation_in_Christianity">soteriology</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatology_(Christianity)">pneumatology</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiology">Ecclesiology</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology">eschatology</a> are glaring omissions:
Anyabwile says only that outlines for these chapters were "left on the
cutting room floor" (p. 241).<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most striking thing I
read was that in the era of slavery, black people were often
stereotyped, but they did not respond by stereotyping white people
themselves: "the folk theology of slaves proved resilient against
tendencies to denigrate white people as a class or to make pejorative
associations with white skin color" (p. 113).<br />
<br />
<i>The Decline of
African American Theology</i> is a helpful an interesting book, and makes a
significant contribution to the discipline of historical theology.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-13684980001643120132016-05-08T14:51:00.001+10:002016-05-08T14:51:48.772+10:00Some good points, but based on an unconvincing hermeneutic<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Corporal-Punishment-Bible-Redemptive-Movement-Hermeneutic/dp/0830827617">Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts</a> by William J. Webb<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHrsvyQhgHu3-Uldwf4BrIYqeuofDtAhQwyiNSADv5utdD2xfLXk3xhXG7iKOKSAzKAOQLSA2GMqqRvfF8ay46nAdSp_FaGQZCE0JRZZ-egG0XZ4Mx7C-jjzmB-mSJsiXINcN/s1600/Corporal+Punishment+in+the+Bible.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHrsvyQhgHu3-Uldwf4BrIYqeuofDtAhQwyiNSADv5utdD2xfLXk3xhXG7iKOKSAzKAOQLSA2GMqqRvfF8ay46nAdSp_FaGQZCE0JRZZ-egG0XZ4Mx7C-jjzmB-mSJsiXINcN/s320/Corporal+Punishment+in+the+Bible.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
This is a book arguing against smacking (spanking) children. Webb particularly interacts with organisations such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_on_the_Family">Focus on the Family</a>, which advocates smacking, but suggests a parent administer <a href="http://family.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/25648">no more than two smacks at a time</a>. Webb argues that such an approach is not "biblical" at all, in the sense that it has moved beyond what he calls the Bible's "concrete specific instructions". Webb points out that the Book of Proverbs encourages using a rod on the back, rather than a hand on the bottom. Webb than says that the way Focus on the Family has moved beyond the Bible is a good thing, and we should go even further, following the Bible's own trajectory towards a more gentle approach. Webb calls this a "redemptive-movement hermeneutic".<br />
<br />
Firstly, the book has a rather condescending feel about it. Webb is constantly "commending" corporal punishment advocates for going beyond the Bible, when they would argue, of course, that they are faithfully following the principles laid out in Proverbs. Webb also notes that he used to believe in smacking, but now he knows better.<br />
<br />
Secondly, Webb focuses his attention on a narrow band within the broad spectrum of Christian smacking advocates. He seems to have no knowledge, for example, of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pearl">Michael Pearl</a>, who does indeed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Train-Child-Child-Training-21st-Century/dp/1616440724/">argue</a> for using a "rod". Maybe he knows about Pearl but considers him too <a href="http://jonathanmerritt.com/how-influential-are-michael-and-debi-pearl-and-how-harmful/">fringe</a> or <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2011/october/when-child-discipline-becomes-abuse.html?paging=off">discredited</a> to be worth mentioning. In any case, different pastors, authors, and parents apply the biblical teaching on smacking in different ways (<a href="http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/class-7-the-rod-of-correction/">this article</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_Baptist_Church">Capitol Hill Baptist Church</a> mentions a plastic spoon), and it's not clear that the Focus on the Family approach can be said to be representative. Webb struggles to articulate what could be wrong in using an actual rod. The only arguments he gives are: (a) it gives him a feeling of revulsion, and (b) even Focus on the Family avoids it.<br />
<br />
Thirdly, at the heart of everything he says about smacking is Webb's redemptive-movement hermeneutic. It's the idea that we look at how the Bible's approach to a certain issue is different to that of the surrounding culture. (In this case, ancient Egyptian and Babylonian laws.) To put it bluntly, we see how the Bible has improved upon that, we discern the direction that the Bible takes us, and go further in that direction. This sounds a lot like improving upon the Bible, and it is. Webb's hermeneutic fails to take into account that in Christ we already have God's fullest revelation. For more details, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_R._Schreiner">Thomas Schreiner's</a> <a href="http://cbmw.org/uncategorized/slaves-women-and-homosexuals-by-william-j-webb-review-by-thomas-r-schreiner/">review</a> of Webb's earlier book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slaves-Women-Homosexuals-Exploring-Hermeneutics/dp/0830815619/">Slaves, Women & Homosexuals</a>.<br />
<br />
I was all set to give this book a two-star rating, but Webb includes a postscript in which he gives an excellent overview of "alternative" disciplinary methods. Regardless of whether one agrees with smacking or not, there is a lot of helpful parenting advice here. That was good enough to lift the book up to three stars.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-37559645852229686802015-07-29T19:31:00.000+10:002015-07-29T21:17:23.527+10:00Shrill and contradictory<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Puritans-Fundamentalism-Anglican/dp/0522851843">The New Puritans: The Rise of Fundamentalism in the Sydney Anglican Church</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Porter">Muriel Porter</a><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__kT2nRXTNc2v4ZWLQumSu5PASWLz8GR_bndQM-6SKcuqeuswJTAZ1Cqek6Lwl2CHDkz9Wk8YSrTtPr08fghvjzYDZscOYmGNWCo4emITjTmnNLFhQZpAGfnfF_vB5o8XWUZ1/s1600/New+Puritans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__kT2nRXTNc2v4ZWLQumSu5PASWLz8GR_bndQM-6SKcuqeuswJTAZ1Cqek6Lwl2CHDkz9Wk8YSrTtPr08fghvjzYDZscOYmGNWCo4emITjTmnNLFhQZpAGfnfF_vB5o8XWUZ1/s320/New+Puritans.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
This book is a critique of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Diocese_of_Sydney">Sydney Anglicanism</a>. It is written in rather a shrill tone, and Porter makes no attempt to be objective (p. 6), or even fair: if she misrepresents her opponents, it is their fault for being unclear (p 7).<br />
<br />
As the title suggests, Porter argues that the doctrine and approach of the Sydney Anglicans is a form of Puritanism. She note that they emphasise the Bible, and want to reform church practice along Scriptural lines. This causes them to jettison cherished practices (such as the wearing of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestment">vestments</a>) as well as reject new things like the ordination of women.<br />
<br />
And this is the strange thing about this book. One moment the Sydney Anglicans are criticized for being reactionaries who are breaking with historic Anglicanism, the next moment they are taken to task for living in the past. One is reminded of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton">G. K. Chesterton's</a> comments in <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/orthodoxy.ix.html"><i>Orthodoxy</i></a> (though it must be said that Chesterton was no friend of the Puritans himself):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Suppose we heard an unknown man spoken of by many men. Suppose we were
puzzled to hear that some men said he
was too tall and some too short... One explanation (as has been already admitted)
would be that he might be an odd shape. But
there is another explanation. He might be the right shape.
Outrageously tall men might feel him to be short. Very short
men might feel him to be tall.</blockquote>
And like the critics that Chesterton talks about, Porter does not mind contradicting herself. Without any awareness of the irony involved, she writes against those who "want to turn the clock back" and on the <i>very same page</i> (p. 8) says that she writes the book "in loving memory of the vibrant mainstream Anglicanism of the Sydney Diocese of my childhood, my first spiritual home, which is now well and truly buried."<br />
<br />
Or to take another example, Porter appeals to the "openness characteristic of historic Anglicanism" (p. 4) but then dismisses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Nine_Articles">39 Articles</a> as "the product of compromise" (p. 16).<br />
<br />
But the most disappointing thing about this book are the insinuations. Porter is quite willing to insinuate baseless allegations by asking loaded questions (pp. 37 and 126). This really is a dreadful book. Porter obviously has the cause of women's ordination close to her heart, but she has done this cause no favours by writing this volume.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-8518254794154365112015-05-17T15:43:00.000+10:002015-05-17T15:54:04.910+10:00Sad in a number of ways<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Death-Church-Carl-McIntire/dp/B0018EAXKY">The Death of a Church</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_McIntire">Carl McIntire</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46ois2jjAtfD24ZF5mmlJ8KNBbeChJ6nwVcvjiezois6czBsM5u5mvQCmmeTHlW4ruVYdMZIYRZ37G8Rrt43fYJTBk6_4fyD7pbxX6vs5O-twWQ5OGKLAYWRzciAckU6z2ix_LQ/s1600/The+Death+of+a+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46ois2jjAtfD24ZF5mmlJ8KNBbeChJ6nwVcvjiezois6czBsM5u5mvQCmmeTHlW4ruVYdMZIYRZ37G8Rrt43fYJTBk6_4fyD7pbxX6vs5O-twWQ5OGKLAYWRzciAckU6z2ix_LQ/s320/The+Death+of+a+Church.jpg" width="240" /></a>This book is a critique of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confession_of_1967">Confession of 1967</a>, adopted by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Presbyterian_Church_in_the_United_States_of_America">United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America</a>, a denomination that later formed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_%28U.S.A.%29">PC(USA)</a>. McIntire had left this body more than thirty years earlier, as a result of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist%E2%80%93Modernist_Controversy">Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy</a>, and formed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Presbyterian_Church">Bible Presbyterian Church</a>. The first half of the book goes through the 1967 Confession section by section, while the second half of the book provides a historical (but intensely personal) overview.<br />
<br />
Much of this book is an insightful assessment of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Christianity">theological liberalism</a>, and the language that it uses. McIntire notes that Christ's death is called a "mystery", when the Bible says no such thing: "God has been careful to present in detail the full and glorious meaning of this one act of reconciliation when Christ died upon the Cross for the sins of men" (p. 39). McIntire goes on to suggest that calling it a "mystery" is a "simple device for denying the Gospel and obscuring the meaning of the Cross" (p. 42).<br />
<br />
McIntire also points out that the new ordination vows being brought in at the same time no longer ask ministers if they believe the Scriptures are the Word of God, but merely whether they accept them to be "by the Holy Spirit God's word to you". The capitalization, McIntire argues, makes a world of difference.<br />
<br />
Yet there are a number of things in the book that leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Even as an Australian, I found it hard not to cringe when I read "this revolutionary program, which the Negroes are promoting" (p. 92). Then, as McIntire relates his own struggles, he takes aim at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Schaeffer">Francis Schaeffer</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_G._Rayburn">Robert Rayburn</a>, who split away from the Bible Presbyterian Church in 1956 to form a new denomination that would later become the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Presbyterian_Church,_Evangelical_Synod">Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod</a>, which in turn merged into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_America">Presbyterian Church in America</a>. Schaeffer and Rayburn, claims McIntire, "have gone back on the faith they once professed", and their church has a "socialistic structure" (p. 167).<br />
<br />
This was my introduction to Carl McIntire, who died in 2002. We can honour him as a warrior for the faith, but some of his attitudes and priorities sadden me.<br />
<br />
The book is available in full <a href="http://www.americanpresbyterianchurch.org/?page_id=751">here</a>.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-12730417142909721242014-12-26T10:19:00.001+11:002015-05-17T12:48:27.017+10:00But what does "biblical" mean?<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Biblical-Womanhood-Liberated-Covering/dp/1595553673/">A Year of Biblical Womanhood</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Held_Evans">Rachel Held Evans</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2EnS83b6i6yQTtOo1APGyHJX00n2Hjsam-f1JUNBSbuLsFOeokN15g5wMOx3Tf6zOTAplUr13ny2orYtX6geEB2vHTt5VHZXTBkmCYpNxHopp_U9JgoW4VgJxIElEtJH_jn1Gg/s1600/A+Year+of+Biblical+Womanhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2EnS83b6i6yQTtOo1APGyHJX00n2Hjsam-f1JUNBSbuLsFOeokN15g5wMOx3Tf6zOTAplUr13ny2orYtX6geEB2vHTt5VHZXTBkmCYpNxHopp_U9JgoW4VgJxIElEtJH_jn1Gg/s1600/A+Year+of+Biblical+Womanhood.jpg" width="210" /></a>In this memoir, Rachel Held Evans describes how she spent a year trying to live "biblically" as a woman. She tried to follow the Bible's instructions to women as "literally" as possible.<br />
<br />
Evans is a little vague about why she did this. She notes that she has been accused of mocking God's Word, but doesn't respond to the criticism, except for saying that it made her doubt herself (p. 4). She seems to have undertaken the project as a way of demonstrating the foolishness of trying to follow the Bible exactly, and the inconsistency of those who try.<br />
<br />
For example, the subtitle indicates how she called her husband "master". This comes from 1 Peter 3:5-6: "<span class="text 1Pet-3-5" id="en-NIV-30430"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands<sup>,</sup></span><span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-NIV-30431"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-6" id="en-NIV-30431">Now, Evans has missed the point of the passage. Peter does not tell women to call their husbands "lord"; he tells them that they should have "</span><span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (v. 4), and to follow the example of the "holy women of the past". He then mentions a specific instance from the life of Sarah (Genesis 18:12), and says that women should be daughters of Sarah, not necessarily in calling their husbands "lord", but in "doing what is right and not giving way to fear".</span><br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">Has Evans missed the point intentionally? Is she saying that the word "biblical" has no meaning and that we all pick and choose what verses of the Bible we want to obey? Well, the entire book revolves around this slippery use of the word "biblical". </span><br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">Two examples of this slippery usage will suffice. Evans writes to a Jewish friend to get advice about following the Old Testament food laws. She notes that she didn't want to follow the rabbinic tradition, "after all, this was my year of living biblically, not my year of living Talmudically" (p. 157). But then, on the very next page, she decides to stick to all the dietary laws found in the Old Testament, including "no mixing of meat and dairy". Well, that's not in the Old Testament; that is merely a Jewish tradition. Does Evans not realise this? It appears she is confused about what is in the Bible and what isn't.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">A second example of the slippery use of the word "biblical" is in Evans' discussion of female victims in the Bible. She refers to them as "victims of biblical misogyny" (p. 47). Here the word "biblical" appears to mean "described in the Bible". But the Bible certainly isn't approving of the actions of rapists like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnon">Amnon</a>. Evans says that women like the Levite's concubine of Judges 19 were "crushed at the hand of patriarchy" (p. 66). But there is nothing in the text to suggest that "patriarchy" is to blame; indeed, in this particular case the woman could better be described as a "victim of anarchy".</span><br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"><br /></span>
In this, and in many other places, Evans fails to grasp the <span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">difference between an indicative and an imperative. Just because the Bible describes a particular action or practice, it doesn't mean that Christians are to copy the action or follow the practice. So when Evans notes that "advocates of biblical patriarchy" do not appear to be "taking multiple wives" (p. 52), she is both misreading the Bible and misunderstanding her opponents. The Bible tells lots of stories of polygamy, and none of them present the practice as worthy of emulation. Almost always some trouble comes out of it. And even if we were to say that it was still <i>allowed</i> today, it doesn't follow that we should be doing it. You may believe, for example, that ("biblical") slavery could still be practised today, but it doesn't follow that to be "consistent" you should take some slaves yourself.</span><span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">I</span><span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">t's this very issue of consistency that Evans seems to be exploring in this book, but she fails to demonstrate that anyone is being inconsistent. Time and again, she mentions various "opponents" (my word, not hers), but evidently has not grasped the reasons for or the implications of her opponents' views. Sometimes she makes totally unfounded accusations, such as saying that "those who seek to glorify biblical womanhood have forgotten the dark stories" (p. 66). </span>Evans also fails to grasp the history of interpretation of the Old Testament throughout the history of the Christian Church. Mainstream Christianity has never said that we should adopt Old Testament practices completely. In this way, Evans is responding to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man">straw man</a>.<br />
<br />
Evans also lacks hermeneutical sensitivity: a number of times she engages in a "flat" reading of the text. Her statement that a man's "procreative prowess is listed by the writers of Scripture as one of his most worthy virtues" (p. 58) is an obvious misreading, while her comment that "Jesus showed little regard for the Levitical purity codes" (p. 169) fails to take into account that Jesus told the healed leper to go to the priest (Mark 1:44) in obedience to Leviticus 14.<br />
<br />
Thus, throughout <i>A Year of Biblical Womanhood</i>, Evans misinterprets Scripture, in failing to properly understand and apply the Old Testament. She misunderstands the people to whom she is (presumably) responding, especially those in the "biblical womanhood" movement. And she misuses key words, such as "biblical" and "literal".<br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">Evans
explicitly identifies herself as feminist. I think it is also fair to
describe her as "post-evangelical", though she doesn't use that phrase.</span><span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429"> Not only does Evans show a defective <i>interpretation</i> of Scripture, she also has a defective <i>view</i> of it. She talks about "how insufferable I found the apostle Paul's rambling prose" (p. 121). She rejects the unity of Scripture, referring to the Bible's "cacophony of voices" (p. 294). This leads her to reject a unified concept of what it means for anything to be "biblical".</span><br />
<br />
It should be noted that there are some good exegetical insights in this
book. I appreciated her description of the militaristic language of
Proverbs 31 (p. 76), and her comment that "most of the Bible's
instructions regarding modesty find their context in warning about
materialism, not sexuality" (p. 128). It was also very encouraging to
read how the project exposed her and her husband's prejudices,
particularly in regards to conservative Christians (p. 130).<br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Pet-3-4" id="en-NIV-30429">Evans is strongly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_egalitarianism">egalitarian</a> in regards to male-female relationships. She notes that she undertook this project "looking for permission" to lead and speak (p. 296). She concludes by affirming that her calling "is the same as that of any other follower of Jesus" (p. 295). And yet the entire project revolved around assuming (pretending? modelling?) a hierarchical marriage relationship (p. 302). Is that what Evans thought was biblical? Presumably not </span>– the book seems to present a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum"><i>reductio ad absurdam</i></a> argument. Evans is attempting to show that it's either (a) not really in the Bible, or (b) irrelevant for modern-day Christians.<br />
<br />
Thus, <i>A Year of Biblical Womanhood</i> is almost wholly ironic. In this way, Evans is a clear example of what happens when evangelicals embrace postmodernism.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-15789845047217185132014-12-21T17:25:00.001+11:002014-12-21T17:25:50.082+11:00Some unusual terminology, but well worth the effort<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Theology-Exegetical-Canonical/dp/0310218977/">An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Waltke">Bruce Waltke</a> with Charles Yu<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZzYCOd7XMX4DonWFn9YAqq4HhrWT8ung_I3m9a3KcU73BhZqh6REE14QsaywoJJLWGl_Gyq74XwrCmIdfatdFcJzVhl505C4vL9GFZ3kOrT0MKw-4tpBFW3JvjZ8_FnUn8fuZg/s1600/An+Old+Testament+Theology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZzYCOd7XMX4DonWFn9YAqq4HhrWT8ung_I3m9a3KcU73BhZqh6REE14QsaywoJJLWGl_Gyq74XwrCmIdfatdFcJzVhl505C4vL9GFZ3kOrT0MKw-4tpBFW3JvjZ8_FnUn8fuZg/s1600/An+Old+Testament+Theology.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
This review is unprecedented as far as this blog goes in that I am reviewing a book that I have not yet finished. In fact, I am only about half way through. It has been rather heavy going, but it is worth the effort, and I intend to finish it next year.<br />
<br />
<i>An Old Testament Theology</i> is a comprehensive textbook on the Old Testament. Waltke goes through it book by book, though some sections of the Bible receive more coverage than others. Genesis gets 173 pages, Job gets 19, Song of Solomon gets nothing at all.<br />
<br />
One of the interesting features of the this book is that each chapter is of the form "The Gift of...". This strikes me as a great organising principle for the Old Testament: "The Gift of the Cosmos", "The Gift of Liturgy", "The Gift of Kingship", etc.<br />
<br />
The other thing that strikes the reader is the non-standard vocabulary employed. The hardest to get used to is the rendition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton">covenant name of God</a> as "I AM" throughout the book. Even more annoying is the use of "vice-regent" used several times. I think the word meant was "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy">viceroy</a>" (which has the associated adjective "viceregal") or else "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicegerent">vicegerent</a>". <br />
<br />
On the other hand, the best example of unusual terminology in the book is Waltke's use of "Sworn Land" instead of "Promised Land". Waltke notes that God doesn't just promise the land to Abraham, he swears an oath to him that he will give it. I wonder if the phrase will catch on.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, this book will reward readers who put in the effort to carefully read, ponder, and evaluate what it says.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-6836965505536575862014-10-27T13:51:00.001+11:002014-10-27T13:58:13.023+11:00A soft complementarian position denying the eternal subordination of the Son<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Justice-Gender-Roles-Perspectives/dp/0310519284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414378182&sr=8-1">Jesus, Justice, & Gender Roles: A Case for Gender Roles in Ministry</a> by Kathy Keller. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/Jesus-Justice-and-Gender-Roles_Kathy-Keller-194x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://newlife.id.au/wp-content/uploads/Jesus-Justice-and-Gender-Roles_Kathy-Keller-194x300.jpg" /></a>
This is part of Zondervan's "Fresh Perspectives on Women in Ministry" series, the other volumes being John Dickson's <em>Hearing Her Voice: A Case for Women Giving Sermons</em> (see my review <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/a-revolution-based-on-what-verse-doesnt.html">here</a>) and Michael Bird's <em>Bourgeois Babes, Bossy Wives, and Bobby Haircuts: A Case for Gender Equality in Ministry</em>.
<br />
<br />
Kathy Keller is the wife of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Keller_(pastor)">Tim Keller</a>, pastor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redeemer_Presbyterian_Church_(New_York_City)">Redeemer Presbyterian Church</a> in New York City. The book is written in two parts. The first part ("Hermeneutical Imperatives") discusses relevant New Testament texts. Keller seems to be a soft complementarian. She translates <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Timothy_2:12">1 Timothy 2:12</a> as "I do not permit a woman to authoritatively teach a man", and believes that this still applies today. On the other hand, she is fine with women leading mixed Bible study groups. Following Redeemer's policy, she believes that women can do everything in the church that a non-ordained man can do. This does, however, presuppose a very high view of ordination. Although the emphasis in the pastoral epistles is certainly on the work of the pastor, especially preaching and teaching, Paul does not say "I do not permit a non-ordained person to authoritatively teach a man". In fact, just a few verses before, Paul had said that "the men should pray, lifting holy hands", and that the women "should adorn themselves in respectable apparel" (1 Tim. 2:8-9). Clearly, then, male/female roles and conduct are in mind, and not merely the ordained/non-ordained distinction.
<br />
<br />
In the second part of the book ("Personal Journeys"), Keller is apparently trying to reach out to disaffected women. She distances herself from anyone who is more complementarian than she (p. 33): <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am frequently embarrassed by others who use the title "complementarian" but who go beyond Scripture to legislate arbitrary rules about the age of boys when women must not teach Sunday school to them any longer, or whether a female small group leader should have a male co-leader if the group is mixed, and so on. </blockquote>
<br />
More disturbing, however, are Keller's views about the eternal subordination of the Son (p. 47). She says, "Jesus' submission to the Father was limited to his earthly incarnation" and "to my knowledge, no complementarian has ever espoused such a thing, despite egalitarian charges to the contrary". Well, Keller's knowledge is rather limited, because a host of complementarians have demonstrated that this is the historic Christian doctrine. See, for example, <a href="http://www.waynegrudem.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Biblical-evidence-for-the-eternal-submission-of-the-Son-to-the-Father.pdf">Biblical Evidence for the Eternal Submission of the Son to the Father</a> by Wayne Grudem, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-eternal-subordination-of-the-son-is-the-historic-doctrine-of-the-church/">The Eternal Subordination of the Son Is the Historic Doctrine of the Church</a> by Dave Miller, and <a href="http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/42/42-3/42-3-pp461-476_JETS.pdf">A Defense of the Doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son</a> by Stephen Kovach and Peter Schemm.
<br />
<br />
I'm afraid I couldn't help thinking that Keller was selected to write this book because Zondervan wanted the complementarian case to be presented by a woman. It would, however, have been better to ask someone more qualified to write this volume.
John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05775201340629067494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-67062763633770697542014-10-22T13:25:00.000+11:002014-10-22T17:26:47.186+11:00A revolution based on what a verse doesn't say<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hearing-Her-Voice-Revised-Edition/dp/0310519276/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1413922131&sr=8-1;">Hearing Her Voice: A Biblical Invitation for Women to Preach</a> by John Dickson <br />
<br />
<a href="https://vyrso.com/product/25300/hearing-her-voice-a-biblical-invitation-for-women-to-preach.jpg?1080855179952" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://vyrso.com/product/25300/hearing-her-voice-a-biblical-invitation-for-women-to-preach.jpg?1080855179952" width="206" /></a>This book is all about one verse in the New Testament: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Timothy_2:12">1 Timothy 2:12</a>, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." Dickson argues that the verse does not forbid women from giving sermons today. His argument is as follows (pp. 80-81): There are many different different forms of public speaking in the New Testament, such as "exhorting", "preaching", and "teaching". Only one of them is forbidden to women – "teaching", in 1 Tim. 2:12. According to Dickson, this actually refers to "preserving and laying down the traditions handed on by the apostles", and this is not what happens in most modern-day sermons. Hence, women are allowed to give sermons today.<br />
<br />
This is a rather idiosyncratic, and certainly very narrow definition of "teaching", and Dickson is not convincing. But even if we were to grant his definition, he is still on very flimsy ground. <br />
<br />
Dickson fails to demonstrate why women are allowed to "exhort". The New Testament seems to use that word in two different ways: both personal encouragement, and delivering a "word of exhortation". The latter is used in Hebrews 13:22, in reference to the entire book, and Hebrews does seem to be a sermon, or at least composed of sermonic material. Why can women give <em>this sort</em> of exhortation? Dickson seems to suggest that because that particular word is not used as a prohibited activity for women, it is allowed. In this way, Dickson stands firmly in the Anglican tradition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normative_principle_of_worship">normative principle of worship</a>, holding that whatever is not forbidden is allowed, but as an adherent of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulative_principle_of_worship">regulative principle</a>, I must reject this. The onus is on Dickson to demonstrate that women are allowed to preach; the fact that they are "not forbidden" is not good enough.<br />
<br />
Again, even if we accept Dickson's definition of teaching, it is much better to see it applying today as "telling people what the Bible says". In fact, there is another possible definition, which Dickson completely ignores: "teaching" is what <em>teachers</em> do. And the New Testament says a lot about "teachers". Unfortunately, Dickson fails to mention Ephesians 4:11 ("He <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-29284V" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NASB-29284V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)"></sup>gave <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-29284W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NASB-29284W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)"></sup>some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and <sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-29284Y" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NASB-29284Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)"></sup>teachers"). Actually, he does allude to it on p. 78, and seems to suggest that the office of teacher has ceased. But this verse is talking about the pastor/teacher as a single office, and this office is restricted to men (1 Tim. 3:1-2). This is the office that Timothy held, and he was told to devote himself to "the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching" (1 Tim. 4:13). This is describing the work that a (male) pastor does, and there is no indication in the New Testament that other people do this as well. Thus, there are good reasons why we would conclude from the New Testament that women are not allowed to "exhort", even if we grant Dickson's idea that modern-day sermons are essentially "exhortations" based on the text.<br />
<br />
In short, Dickson is presenting an argument from silence. The book has a very feminist-sounding title, and my edition has quite an outrageous subtitle: "A Biblical Invitation for Women to Preach". (Other editions have "A Case for Women Giving Sermons"). Well, it's not a biblical invitation at all. It is based entirely on what Dickson argues one verse is not saying. We should not base doctrines on what single verses say, let alone on what they don't say. John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-76599362690840362062014-09-11T17:58:00.002+10:002014-09-11T18:03:03.977+10:00Tragic misapprehensions<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Home-rome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Home-rome.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rome-Sweet-Home-Journey-Catholicism/dp/0898704782/">Rome Sweet Home</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Hahn">Scott</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Hahn">Kimberly Hahn</a><br />
<br />
This is the story of Scott and Kimberly Hahn's conversion to Roman Catholicism. They came out of evangelical Protestantism, and both studied at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grove_City_College">Grove City College</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon%E2%80%93Conwell_Theological_Seminary">Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="western">
It's an intriguing story, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Scott became a Catholic a few years before Kimberly, and they relate the struggles they had in a "mixed marriage". Secondly, one can detect in this book a trajectory from intellectual conviction (believing that the Roman Catholic Church is the True Church) to emotional connection (feeling at home in the Catholic Church).</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
However, both of these reasons are built on flimsy foundations. Firstly, the Hahns completely misunderstand key Protestant doctrines such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_scriptura"><i>Sola Scriptura</i></a>. Now, <i>Rome Sweet Home</i> is more than twenty years old, and it is quite likely that the Hahns have refined their understanding as they have engaged in Catholic apologetics, but they think that <i>Sola Scriptura</i> means the Bible is the "Christian's only authority" (p. 53). As Keith Mathison demonstrates in <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-perilous-and-exciting-doctrine-of.html"><i>The Shape of Sola Scriptura</i></a>, that is most emphatically what it does <i>not</i> mean. Rather, it means the Bible is the only <i>ultimate</i> authority. It is a shame that both these people could study at an evangelical seminary and not know this.</div>
<br />
Secondly, their emotional connection to the Catholic Church is also a flimsy foundation for conversion. Kimberly says regarding the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosary">rosary</a>, "I really felt the Lord was giving his approval and ministering to me through it" (p. 160). It is, of course, impossible to argue with such feelings. But it is significant that the Hahns need to retreat into such mysticism in order to justify their conversion.<br />
<br />
The Hahns make much of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+tim+3%3A15&version=NIV">1 Timothy 3:15</a>, where it says that that the Church is the "<span class="text 1Tim-3-15" id="en-NIV-29747">pillar and foundation of the truth". They rightly point out that this might go against the evangelical instinct of regarding the Bible as the pillar and foundation of the truth. But quite apart from the fact that both could be true, there is still no reason to believe that Paul is talking here about the Church of Rome.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Tim-3-15" id="en-NIV-29747"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Tim-3-15" id="en-NIV-29747">This is therefore a rather sad book. The education that the Hahns received and the conversations they had with evangelical friends were not sufficient to keep them from converting to Rome. But they did so on the basis of some tragic misapprehensions concerning Protestant doctrine and spirituality.</span>John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-34590614521164711912014-09-08T20:26:00.002+10:002014-10-22T17:34:22.141+11:00An important theme, but mixed contributions<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Holy-Spirit-Reformed-Spirituality/dp/1601782705/">The Holy Spirit and Reformed Spirituality</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXoDW5_rLLZ70sJ4P8arSebut4Xx0vF5XFMbWJYft2TOooVNjlTIYfQpM0WYVbcyoUiH3IlVWlBZaD1HrTHz3PwdSdg_qmv5LnWO8apIpN5vNzCOIYSdWutfIGZGx_y-WoZA88Q/s1600/The+Holy+Spirit+and+Reformed+Spirituality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXoDW5_rLLZ70sJ4P8arSebut4Xx0vF5XFMbWJYft2TOooVNjlTIYfQpM0WYVbcyoUiH3IlVWlBZaD1HrTHz3PwdSdg_qmv5LnWO8apIpN5vNzCOIYSdWutfIGZGx_y-WoZA88Q/s1600/The+Holy+Spirit+and+Reformed+Spirituality.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
The volume is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festschrift">Festschrift</a> of sorts. A Festschrift is a collection of essays written in honour of a particular academic, usually on a topic that is dear to that academic's heart. Well, <i>The Holy Spirit and Reformed Spirituality</i> honours <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Thomas_%28pastor%29">Geoff Thomas</a>, who is not an academic at all, but rather an ordinary pastor.<br />
<br />
The theme of this book is an important one, for two reasons. Firstly, there seems to be a misconception that Reformed theology is weak on the Holy Spirit. Some would even suggest that while Reformed theology may be good on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soteriology">soteriology</a>, when it comes to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatology_%28Christianity%29">pneumatology</a> we need to turn to Charismatic theology.<br />
<br />
Now, it is true that there is no chapter in the original Westminster Confession of Faith specifically on the Holy Spirit, but many reformed theologians have written volumes on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctrine-Holy-Spirit-George-Smeaton/dp/0851511872/">George Smeaton</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-Holy-Spirit-Abraham-Kuyper/dp/1602068380/">Abraham Kuyper</a>, and <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=0fg2AAAAMAAJ">James Buchanan</a> in previous generations, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Contours-Christian-Theology/dp/0830815368/">Sinclair Ferguson</a> more recently.<br />
<br />
The second reason why this topic is important is that there are some people who like reformed <i>theology</i>, but prefer other <i>spiritualities</i>. Catholic writers like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_Manning">Brendan Manning</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Nouwen">Henri Nouwen</a> are quite popular in some Reformed circles. But although Reformed spirituality is often neglected, it is inseparable from Reformed theology.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the essays in this volume do not really match the importance of the theme. It is often the case that contributions to Festschriften vary in quality, but overall this book is somewhat disappointing. It was interesting to see no less than four chapters dealing with some aspect of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Owen_%28theologian%29">John Owen</a>'s thought. Two of these (by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Trueman">Carl Trueman</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Thomas_%28theologian%29">Derek Thomas</a>) were good, but the other two seemed to merely rehash what Owen had written. Similarly, there is another chapter that is merely rehashing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Berkhof">Louis Berkhof</a>. <br />
<br />
Even more disappointing is Stephen Turner's contribution on the call to the ministry. Turner notes that <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+13%3A2&version=NIV">Acts 13:2</a> describes the Holy Spirit calling men to ministry. He suggests that this was communicated through a prophet,
and acknowledges that we no longer have prophets in that sense. But
Turner still wants to hold to the idea that today the Holy Spirit calls
men via an "inward" call. Yet that is simply not in the text – the passage is quite clearly describing an <i>outward</i> call.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, Robert Oliver's piece on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Dering_%28clergyman%29">Edward Dering</a> is very good. This book really is a mixed bag, and generally fails to live up to the promise of its title.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-20251496259740600992014-04-30T09:27:00.000+10:002014-04-30T09:27:09.467+10:00Beowulf in Florida<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Blur-N-D-Wilson/dp/0449816737/">Boys of Blur</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._D._Wilson">N. D. Wilson</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dob4rhosHzRO60B3hEJcAb31QBnGIOiHirc9WDSpo8kyTl8JG-453qMxNtV_QTh-HWgg13C_IsC2wA7lk1-bqaASm-H4i8skYCOS7Bx0mdsoIkaUxU5H9Mg7UcIdSfqyKTGw5w/s1600/Boys+of+Blur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dob4rhosHzRO60B3hEJcAb31QBnGIOiHirc9WDSpo8kyTl8JG-453qMxNtV_QTh-HWgg13C_IsC2wA7lk1-bqaASm-H4i8skYCOS7Bx0mdsoIkaUxU5H9Mg7UcIdSfqyKTGw5w/s1600/Boys+of+Blur.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>N. D. Wilson's latest story is essentially a zombie novel, but don't let that turn you off. (In fact, he never even uses the word.) I was a little sceptical at first as to how plausible the supernatural elements were going to be, but they work, mainly because of the way that Wilson draws on the great Anglo-Saxon poem, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf"><i>Beowulf</i></a>.<br />
<br />
Wilson has a special interest in writing American stories. In <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/11/10/142207375/epic-fantasy-meets-americana-in-the-dragons-tooth">this interview</a>, concerning <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dragons-Tooth-Ashtown-Burials/dp/0375863966/"><i>The Dragon's Tooth</i></a>, he notes that growing up, he had the assumption that "you had to be in England if you wanted to have a magical adventure", and so he set out to make magical adventure possible in America. <i>Boys of Blur</i> is set in Florida's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades">Everglades</a> region. It does for Florida what <a href="http://www.amazon.com/100-Cupboards-Bk/dp/0375838821"><i>100 Cupboards</i></a> did for Kansas; incidentally, it also does for American football what <i>100 Cupboards</i> did for baseball.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the biggest strength of the novel is the way it brilliantly depicts what it means to face temptation. Usually this is a temptation to anger, resentment, or envy – e.g. "Just about every human on the planet was better off than Charlie at this moment" (p. 157) or "This stupid town and all its petty people deserved everything they were getting" (p. 169). But this is an optimistic novel – the main characters resist these tempting thoughts. Wilson also eschews any form of moral ambiguity – these thoughts are always depicted as being wrong.<br />
<br />
This is a great story, that I can heartily recommend to young and old alike. Only one minor quibble: on p. 95 it says "the two tumbled off of Charlie". There's no excuse for that.<br />
<br />
Finally, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2014/04/15/review-of-the-day-boys-of-blur-by-n-d-wilson/">here</a> is a very good review of the book: <i>You’ve got your aforementioned zombies as well as a paean to small town
football, an economy based on sugar cane harvesting, spousal abuse, and
rabbit runs. It sounds like a dare, honestly. “I dare you to combine
these seemingly disparate elements into a contemporary classic”.</i>John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-39137830261072858902014-03-19T13:53:00.004+11:002014-03-19T13:53:43.784+11:00Should be part of every theological curriculum<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pastors-Classics-Timeless-Ministry-Literature/dp/0801071976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395189255&sr=8-1">Pastors in the Classics: Timeless Lessons on Life and Ministry from World Literature</a> by Leland Ryken, Philip Ryken and Todd Wilson<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM8vdRon5R2gAzU_Qe0vDEK0Y398mTNaBpxIjTAXSRGZZ1vfxXIxzbEDRbtXgBawHQ16z2Yl0u6X0KC0WsBXlMYIkJ1BSFY_BWKFHYcfPlWjIudc9kiURLt0CA9EYKiFJ2HzHWQ/s1600/Pastors+in+the+Classics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM8vdRon5R2gAzU_Qe0vDEK0Y398mTNaBpxIjTAXSRGZZ1vfxXIxzbEDRbtXgBawHQ16z2Yl0u6X0KC0WsBXlMYIkJ1BSFY_BWKFHYcfPlWjIudc9kiURLt0CA9EYKiFJ2HzHWQ/s1600/Pastors+in+the+Classics.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
This is one of very few books on an interesting and significant subject, and I hope it becomes widely used.<br />
<br />
This volume covers seventy books in which Christian ministers feature prominently. Twelve books are covered in depth, while the rest have enough information to help you evaluate whether you want to read the book.<br />
<br />
In fact, I found this book made me want to read some of the novels it describes. I have read eleven of the books (<i>The Canterbury Tales</i>, <i>The Diary of a Country Priest</i>, <i>Gilead</i>, <i>And the Shofar Blew</i>, <i>The Book of Bebb</i>, <i>Death in Holy Orders</i>, the Father Brown stories, <i>Mansfield Park</i>, <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>,<i> The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner</i>, and <i>The Sunday Wife</i>), while another six I hope to read this year (<i>The Vicar of Wakefield</i>, <i>Witch Wood, The Mackerel Plaza</i>, <i>The Dean's Watch</i>, <i>The Warden</i>, and <i>Silence</i>). My only quibble is that the book didn't include Madeleine L'Engle's <i>A Live Coal in the Sea</i>.<br />
<br />
I would love to see this book used in seminaries and theological colleges, as a launching pad to reading some of the books covered. It would be so helpful to prospective pastors to meditate on and discuss these fictional portrayal of ministers. Even a reading course of four such books would be a big help in thinking through various pastoral and theological issues. <i>Pastors in the Classics</i> makes an important contribution to the Christian Church.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-21306728130120345282014-01-15T16:03:00.000+11:002014-01-15T16:07:03.383+11:00How to be a writer on $10,000 a yearI have been been reading Boswell's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Samuel_Johnson"><i>Life of Johnson</i></a>, and it's quite fascinating. I'm up to Johnson going to London to try to make a living as a writer. Boswell records a hypothetical budget that one of Johnson's friends had <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1564/1564-h/1564-h.htm">explained to him</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thirty pounds a year
was enough to enable a man to live there without being contemptible. He
allowed ten pounds for clothes and linen. He said a man might live in a
garret at eighteen-pence a week; few people would inquire where he lodged;
and if they did, it was easy to say, "Sir, I am to be found at such a
place." By spending three-pence in a coffeehouse, he might be for some
hours every day in very good company; he might dine for six-pence,
breakfast on bread and milk for a penny, and do without supper.</blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Samuel_Johnson_by_Joshua_Reynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Samuel_Johnson_by_Joshua_Reynolds.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson">Samuel Johnson</a> in 1772</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's break that down:<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;">
<colgroup><col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
</colgroup><thead>
<tr valign="TOP">
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Item</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Per day</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Per week</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Per year</div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Clothes</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
4 s.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">£</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Rent</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
18 d.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">£</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
4</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Food</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
7 d.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
4 s.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">£</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
Coffee</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
3 d.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
18 d.</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 4;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">£</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
4</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<div class="western">
Now, <a href="http://safalra.com/other/historical-uk-inflation-price-conversion/">this website</a> tells me that<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> £</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1</span> in 1750 would be the equivalent of<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> £</span>190 today, and this in turn equates to A$350. This gives us an annual budget of $10,000:</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
</div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;">
<colgroup><col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
<col width="64*"></col>
</colgroup><thead>
<tr valign="TOP">
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Item</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Per day</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Per week</div>
</th>
<th width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Per year</div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Clothes</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$70</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">$3,500</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Rent</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$30</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">$1,500</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Food</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$10</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$70</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">$3,500</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
Coffee</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$4</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
$30</div>
</td>
<td width="25%"><div align="CENTER" class="western" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">$1,500</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
For a writer in Melbourne, the coffee works out about right. The food budget would be roughly equivalent – $2 a day will give you bread and milk for breakfast, while $8 will fill you up in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Melbourne">Chinatown</a>. Unfortunately, one would be hard pressed to find accommodation at even the most dingiest dive for $30 a week. The clothes budget, both then and now, is wildly disproportionate.</div>
John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-42823430147223208122014-01-01T17:55:00.000+11:002014-07-23T13:11:14.926+10:00Books Kara read in 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunaitnoNivjtRAdeOdikn9QCgRRLaXFym7awzM5tzbRiOV3QXniQAr9j02tgXrMRjDwa_Xs210JhTnJpYlvGBcMqtjyKke_TbQybEfoPiB7d6btLTpUYbMCpPYQnL0IUQM6XiVw/s1600/DSC06438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunaitnoNivjtRAdeOdikn9QCgRRLaXFym7awzM5tzbRiOV3QXniQAr9j02tgXrMRjDwa_Xs210JhTnJpYlvGBcMqtjyKke_TbQybEfoPiB7d6btLTpUYbMCpPYQnL0IUQM6XiVw/s320/DSC06438.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> With our new little boy, Zephaniah.</i></div>
<br />
Total read: 36<br />
<br />
Fewer than in 2012, but I had other fun things to do, like growing a baby and living with an energetic toddler!<br />
<br />
So here they are, with occasional comments. I've only linked to reviews, this time. <br />
<br />
The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton<br />
<br />
Already Gone by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer<br />
<br />
The Lord our Shepherd by J. Douglas MacMillan<br />
<br />
They Found a Cave by Nan Chauncy<br />
<br />
Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark A. Noll (<a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/turning-points-by-mark-noll.html">my review here</a>)<br />
<br />
Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart<br />
<br />
Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement by Kathryn Joyce (<a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/quiverfull-inside-christian-patriarchy.html">John's review here</a>)<br />
<i>Maddeningly unreferenced and anecdotal. Misunderstands her subject on key points, particularly missing the point of Christian self-sacrificial living.</i><br />
<br />
Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson (<a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/an-excellent-story-of-fatherhood.html">John's review here</a>)<br />
<br />
The Puritan Experiment in the New World (1976 Westminster Conference papers)<br />
<br />
My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart<br />
<i>I liked it until the last couple of chapters. Not recommended.</i><br />
<br />
Talking About Dragons by William Chad Newsom <br />
<i>Nothing much new here.</i><br />
<br />
Fit to Burst by Rachel Jankovic<br />
<i>Excellent, gospel-centred mothering book. I like her sense of humour and imaginative illustrations.</i><br />
<br />
Standing on the Promises by Douglas Wilson<br />
<i>Best parenting book I've read.</i><br />
<br />
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
<br />
Ride Like an Indian by Henry V. Larom<br />
<i>Children's book that reads like it was written by a health and safety committee. What kid sterilizes his knife before becoming blood brothers with his best friend?</i><br />
<br />
Evening in the Palace of Reason by James Gaines.<br />
<i>Fascinating double biography of J.S. Bach and Frederick the Great.</i><br />
<br />
Asterix the Gladiator<br />
<br />
Asterix and the Actress<br />
<br />
Family-Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham (<a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/a-great-introduction-to-some-radical.html">John's review here</a>)<br />
<br />
Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson<br />
<br />
The Four by Peter Leithart<br />
<br />
The Light Princess by George MacDonald<br />
<br />
Classical Education and the Homeschool by Wes Callihan, Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson<br />
<i>Short, helpful introduction to the subject.</i><br />
<br />
Monet by Jude Welton (Eyewitness Art series)<br />
<br />
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan<br />
<br />
The Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton<br />
<br />
Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher<br />
<br />
The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge<br />
<i>I fear she didn't believe in the resurrection.</i><br />
<br />
Aunt's Aren't Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse<br />
<br />
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola <br />
<i>Charlotte Mason isn't God. Sometimes Andreola sounds like she thinks differently.</i><br />
<br />
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield<br />
<br />
Empire of Bones by N.D. Wilson (<a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/once-again-brilliant-christian-story.html">John's review here</a>)<br />
<i>This series keeps getting better. Fascinating incorporation of theology into story.</i><br />
<br />
The Last Judgement by Iain Pears<br />
<br />
Death By Living by N.D. Wilson<br />
<i>If you read Empire of Bones, you need to read this too.</i><br />
<br />
The Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger<br />
<br />
The Lord's Service by Jeff Meyers<br />
<i>Not uniformly convincing, but still very helpful in thinking through liturgical matters.</i>Kara Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14371757486444178312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-89083348441720783012013-12-31T12:37:00.001+11:002014-07-31T11:23:57.892+10:00Kara's Reading Goals for 2014It's that fun time of the year again. Book lists! Here are twelve books I plan to read in the coming year. <br />
<br />
<b>Books that are presents from my husband:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Companion-Thoughts-Being-Pastors/dp/1591281407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453199&sr=8-1&keywords=true+companion+wilson">True Companion</a> by Nancy Wilson <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in June</i></span><br />
<i>This is a reworking of the Pastor's Wife e-mails that Nancy has been writing for the past few years. I find her advice biblical and practical.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Lovers-Cookbook-Celebrated/dp/0345465466/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453246&sr=8-1&keywords=book+lover%27s+cookbook">The Book Lover's Cookbook</a><br />
<i>A present for our fourth anniversary. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Devotional books:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pastors-Wife-Sabina-Wurmbrand-ebook/dp/B004478IP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453294&sr=8-1&keywords=pastor%27s+wife+wurmbrand">The Pastor's Wife</a> by Sabina Wurmbrand<br />
<i>I'm reading this as a companion to <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/20-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2014.html">John's Lenten reading</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pulpit-communion-table-John-Duncan/dp/0902506013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453338&sr=8-1&keywords=pulpit+communion+table+duncan">Pulpit and Communion Table</a> by John Duncan<br />
<i>This will be my Sunday book. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Books on Raising Children:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Instructing-Childs-Heart-Tedd-Tripp/dp/0981540007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453375&sr=8-1&keywords=instructing+child%27s+heart+tripp">Instructing a Child's Heart</a> by Ted Tripp<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Own-Classical-Curriculum/dp/0898706602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453407&sr=8-1&keywords=designing+classical+curriculum">Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum</a> by Laura Berquist <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in March</i></span><br />
<i>I like to read one book on homeschooling every year. This one is from a Catholic perspective. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Christian Living:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Say-Goodbye-Survival-Mode-Strategies/dp/1400206464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453448&sr=8-1&keywords=say+goodbye+survival+mode+paine">Say Goodbye to Survival Mode</a> by Crystal Paine <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in March</i></span><br />
<i>This is written by a childhood friend.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Is-Day-Living-Present/dp/0830843078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453476&sr=8-1&keywords=holy+is+the+day+weber">Holy is the Day</a> by Carolyn Weber <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in January</i></span><br />
<i>This looks like another book about motherhood burnout, which seems a popular topic these days. But I'm interested because her book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Oxford-Memoir-Carolyn-Weber/dp/084992183X/ref=pd_sim_b_1">Surprised by Oxford</a> was so good.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Children's books:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Ships-Before-Troy-Story/dp/B00824YT6W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453526&sr=8-2&keywords=black+ships+troy">Black Ships Before Troy</a> by Rosemary Sutcliff <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in February</i></span><br />
<i>Illustrated by Alan Lee.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Blur-N-D-Wilson/dp/0449816737/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453554&sr=8-1&keywords=boys+blur+wilson">Boys of Blur</a> by N.D. Wilson <span style="color: red;"><i>Finished in April</i></span><br />
<i>I like this author so much that I think I'll be reading anything he writes from now on. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Bible Study:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-as-Literature/dp/0310390214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453577&sr=8-1&keywords=how+read+bible+literature">How to Read the Bible as Literature</a> by Leland Ryken<br />
<i>I attempted this last year. Maybe I'll finish this time!</i> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Exegetical-Fallacies-D-A-Carson/dp/0801020867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388453634&sr=8-1&keywords=exegetical+fallacies">Exegetical Fallacies</a> by D.A. Carson<br />
<i>This book is about things like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy">etymological fallacy</a>.</i>Kara Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14371757486444178312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-48240384407404822432013-12-30T10:03:00.000+11:002014-12-28T09:49:27.724+11:0020 books John plans to read in 2014See my previous years' lists: <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/20-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2010.html">2010</a>, <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/20-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2011.html">2011</a>, <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/20-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2012.html">2012</a>, <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/25-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2013.html">2013</a>. Last year I listed 25 books; I have finished 17 of them, and am currently reading another five. Altogether, I read 83 books in 2013.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here is my so-called "<a href="http://dangerousminds.net/comments/forget_the_selfie_heres_the_shelfie">shelfie</a>":<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Five novels:</b><br />
<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearls,_Girls_and_Monty_Bodkin">Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin</a></i> by P. G. Wodehouse <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">13th Feb.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I include a Wodehouse book on my reading list every year. This will be the 22nd one I have read.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Deans-Watch-Elizabeth-Goudge/dp/1598568876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388211625&sr=8-1"><i>The Dean's Watch</i></a> by Elizabeth Goudge <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25th Oct.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I read City of Bells by the same author in <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/20-books-john-plans-to-read-in-2012.html">2012</a>. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Mackerel-Plaza-Peter-DeVries/dp/0140019367/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388211631&sr=8-1"><i>The Mackerel Plaza</i></a> by Peter de Vries <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25th Aug.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
In his <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><i>Dutch Calvinism in Modern America</i>, James Bratt describes Peter de Vries as a "secular Jeremiah, a Christian Reformed Church missionary to the smart set."</span></span> <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Immaculate-Deception-Iain-Pears/dp/0743272412/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388211684&sr=8-2"><i>The Immaculate Deception</i></a> by Iain Pears <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22nd Feb.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
This is part of a series of detective novels set in the art world. The protagonists are an English art dealer and his girlfriend, who is a member of the police art squad in Rome.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scimitars-Edge-Novel-Marvin-Olasky/dp/0805441832/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1388203184&sr=8-3"><i>Scimitar's Edge</i></a> by Marvin Olasky <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">19th Mar.</span></span></span></span><br />
<b><br /></b>
Olasky is best known as the editor of <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/">WORLD</a> magazine, but among many other books, he has also written this novel.<i> </i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Five theological books:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Theology-Exegetical-Canonical/dp/0310218977/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388220835&sr=8-1"><i>An Old Testament Theology</i></a> by Bruce Waltke<br />
<br />
I have a particular interest in the Old Testament, and aim to read one book like this a year.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Through-His-Eyes-Perspective-Women/dp/1433502240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388220874&sr=8-1"><i>Through his Eyes: God's Perspective on Women in the Bible</i></a> by Jerram Barrs <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11th Feb.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
This book discusses about twenty different women in the Bible. This book will, I think, help me in my doctoral thesis, which is on the portrayal of women in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Samuel">Book of Samuel</a>.<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Four-A-Survey-Gospels/dp/159128080X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388220915&sr=8-1">The Four: A Survey of the Gospels</a></i> by Peter Leithart <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">28th Dec.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I really like Leithart, and this book seems to be in the same vein as his <i>Deep Exegesis</i>, which I read <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/johns-june-reading.html">a few years ago</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hope-Fulfilled-Essays-Robertson/dp/1596381159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388220960&sr=8-1"><i>The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson</i></a> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">31st Jul. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I generally enjoy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festschrift"><i>Festschriften</i></a>, and this one has a really interesting collection of essays.<i> </i><i> </i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Right-Reason-Princeton-Mind-Unorthodox/dp/1596381434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388220996&sr=8-1"><i>"Right Reason" and the Princeton Mind: An Unorthodox Proposal</i></a> by Paul Kjoss Helseth <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11th Feb.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I am reading the Princetonians in some depth this summer, presently engaged with Charles Hodge's <i>The Way of Life</i> as well as Archibald Alexander's <i>Thoughts on Religious Experience</i>. The "unorthodox proposal" in this book is that the Princetonians were consistently Reformed thinkers rather than Enlightenment rationalists.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Five more Christian books</span>:<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Living-Life-Meant-Spent/dp/0849920094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388257588&sr=8-1">Death by Living</a></i> by N. D. Wilson <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10th Jan.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I love Wilson's fiction (see my reviews of <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/once-again-brilliant-christian-story.html"><i>Empire of Bones</i></a> and <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/an-excellent-story-of-fatherhood.html"><i>Leepike Ridge</i></a>) and this looks like it is just as good.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Is-Day-Living-Present/dp/0830843078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388257616&sr=8-1"><i>Holy is the Day: Living in the Gift of the Present</i></a> by Carolyn Weber <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">29th Jan.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
Weber's <i>Surprised by Oxford</i> was excellent (see <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/surprised-by-oxford-by-carolyn-weber.html">Kara's review</a>) so I am keen to read this, even though the topic doesn't seem as interesting.<i> </i><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Shepherds-Calling-Equipping-Their/dp/1433523698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388257663&sr=8-1"><i>Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes</i></a> by Voddie Baucham <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">18th Apr.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I appreciated Baucham's <i>Family Driven Faith</i> (see <a href="http://bookloversjournal.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/a-great-introduction-to-some-radical.html">my review</a>) and this book is rather relevant for me.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Defending-Constantine-Twilight-Empire-Christendom/dp/0830827226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388257736&sr=8-1"><i>Defending Constantine</i></a> by Peter Leithart<br />
<br />
Yes, Leithart is the lone writer to appear twice on this year's list. He argues in this book that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great">Constantine</a> was a genuine convert to Christianity.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Solitary-Confinement-Richard-Wurmbrand/dp/0340109084/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388257826&sr=8-1"><i>Sermons in Solitary Confinement</i></a> by Richard Wurmbrand <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">26th Mar.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wurmbrand">Wurmbrand</a> was a Romanian Christian pastor imprisoned from 1948 to 1956 (including three years in solitary confinement) and again from 1959 to 1964. After his release he left Romanian and founded the <a href="http://www.vom.com.au/">Voice of the Martyrs</a> organization. This book will be my <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2010/02/recommended-reading-for-lent-and-other-lent-stuff.html">Lenten reading</a> for 2014. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Five miscellaneous books</span>:<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Continent:_Travels_in_Small-Town_America"><i>The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America</i></a> by Bill Bryson <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23rd Apr.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
This book was published around 25 years ago, but I'm sure it will yield some fascinating insights.<i> </i><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Qs-Legacy-Helene-Hanff/dp/0140089365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388258290&sr=8-1"><i>Q's Legacy</i></a> by Helene Hanff <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">29th Jul.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
Hanff is best known for her wonderful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/84,_Charing_Cross_Road"><i>84, Charing Cross Road</i></a>. (I never realised until now that there was a comma in the title!) This book seems to be a prequel of sorts. The "Q" referred to in the title is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Quiller-Couch">Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wordsmithy-Hot-Tips-Writing-Life/dp/1591280990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388258337&sr=8-1"><i>Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life</i></a> by Douglas Wilson <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">18th Jan.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I don't particularly regard myself as an aspiring writer, but Wilson is usually fun to read. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dreams-Witch-House-Classics/dp/0142437956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388258364&sr=8-1"><i>The Dreams of the Witch House And Other Weird Stories</i></a> by H. P. Lovecraft <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">30th Aug.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
I have read a few Lovecraft stories, although now I think of him mostly in connection to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror">Arkham Horror</a>, which is one of my favourite board games.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maps-Ancient-Sea-Kings-Civilization/dp/0932813429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388225262&sr=8-1"><i>Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings</i></a> by Charles Hapgood <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;"><b>✔</b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9th Oct.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
Hapgood argues that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_Reis_map">Piri Reis map</a> provides evidence of global exploration by an as yet undiscovered pre-classical civilization.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-34359160185837030082013-11-21T08:31:00.001+11:002013-11-21T09:05:41.626+11:00Nobody seemed to like him much but we think he's great<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gordon-H-Clark-Personal-Recollections/dp/0940931273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384978974&sr=8-1">Gordon H. Clark: Personal Recollections</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkrQs8vBVoBOIe-16iMRnkWCTUi-z6zr13PZXy0WlzzLdjR4-egKh83ZO-0dJoKATQ8C_sTQDpAb1m3GdtMhQ-EFTsq6MhFZy4pHBj1zooxM9_gQX_q_lx28sX2VL3UCL2qP-TA/s1600/Gordon+H+Clark+Personal+Recollections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkrQs8vBVoBOIe-16iMRnkWCTUi-z6zr13PZXy0WlzzLdjR4-egKh83ZO-0dJoKATQ8C_sTQDpAb1m3GdtMhQ-EFTsq6MhFZy4pHBj1zooxM9_gQX_q_lx28sX2VL3UCL2qP-TA/s1600/Gordon+H+Clark+Personal+Recollections.jpg" /></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Clark">Gordon Clark</a> was a 20th-century American Christian philosopher and theologian. This is a book published a few years after his death by <a href="http://www.trinityfoundation.org/">The Trinity Foundation</a>, an organisation dedicated to promoting his work. This volume is a collection of reminiscences by people who knew Clark.<br />
<br />
This is a rather strange book. Again and again reference is made to people who disagreed with Clark, disliked him, and even doubted his Christian faith. One slowly gets an idea of why that might have been the case, but this volume lacks an explanation of the issues involved. It would also have been improved by a balanced assessment of Clark's life and thought.<br />
<br />
Here are some representative quotes:<br />
<ul>
<li>"Many people found Gordon Clark to be a hard man: cold, ruthless, blunt, unsympathetic, disdainful." (p. 19)</li>
<li>"His many books testify to his faith. Yet, sadly, even almost to the end of his life, there were those who were skeptical of his salvation." (p. 23)</li>
<li>"My Apologetics professor had Dr. Clark explain his philosophy to our class one session. After Dr. Clark completed his lecture, responded to questions, and left, the professor said his method of apologetics was heresy and no one would likely come to salvation after hearing the Gospel preached by Dr. Clark." (p. 69)</li>
<li>"None of the authors I read mentioned Clark very favorably. Some had written before Clark's time; others ignored him; a few made disparaging remarks." (p. 96)</li>
</ul>
One further claim arrested my attention. <a href="http://www.theopedia.com/Ronald_Nash">Ronald Nash</a> says (p. 87), <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the year when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gresham_Machen">J. Gresham Machen</a> died (1937) to the first publications of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_F._H._Henry">Henry</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_John_Carnell">Carnell</a> after World War II, Clark stood almost alone for the set of essential beliefs that came to serve as the foundation of evangelical scholarship in the 1950s. Others who may have shared Clark's convictions neglected the vital matter of getting those views into print.</blockquote>
This is simply not true. It didn't take me long to find some counter-examples:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Thompson_Allis">O. T. Allis</a>, <i>The Five Books of Moses</i> (1943) and <i>Prophecy And The Church</i> (1945)</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Berkhof">Louis Berkhof</a>, <i>Summary of Christian Doctrine</i> (1938)</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loraine_Boettner">Loraine Boettner</a>, <i>The Person of Christ</i> (1943)</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hendriksen">William Hendriksen</a>, <i>More than Conquerors</i> (1940)</li>
</ul>
The last book mentioned is significant, since it was the first book published by <a href="http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/about/baker-book-house-story">Baker</a>. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Gordon H. Clark: Personal Recollections</i> includes numerous frank acknowledgements of Clark's weaknesses, but it does seem to be a little starry-eyed in its assessment of him.John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-32334685211354891382013-11-02T16:59:00.000+11:002013-11-02T17:23:57.961+11:00Keller 5, Critics 3<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Engaging-Keller-Thinking-Influential-Evangelical/dp/0852349289/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383363605&sr=8-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Engaging with Keller: Thinking Through the Theology of an Influential Evangelical</span></span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwfPy38DMbq2BSB55itBgIEvKshL5UDLxKFlKm4D2QaeYrWNQH-APqojnXBBQdS25HQckbUjpAk_sBtI4tG8A7pwajN-bRNmVcZev1zVQhazNijkYHbn4xk1xDv7kjfuedHophA/s1600/Engaging+with+Keller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwfPy38DMbq2BSB55itBgIEvKshL5UDLxKFlKm4D2QaeYrWNQH-APqojnXBBQdS25HQckbUjpAk_sBtI4tG8A7pwajN-bRNmVcZev1zVQhazNijkYHbn4xk1xDv7kjfuedHophA/s1600/Engaging+with+Keller.jpg" /></a><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"></span></span>This is a book of essays critiquing certain aspects of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_J._Keller">Tim Keller's</a> theology. It is written by Presbyterian ministers, acknowledging that Keller is committed to Reformed orthodoxy (p. 20) but taking issue with the way he has chosen to express certain things (p. 21). Now, I like Keller (and have for the last fifteen years) but I found this book surprisingly convincing. <br />
<br />
Of course, there are three levels at which one must be convinced:<br />
<ol>
<li>Does Keller really say these things? </li>
<li>Is he wrong?</li>
<li>Does it matter? </li>
</ol>
There is no question that the book is accurately portraying Keller's ideas, and the critics seem to be on the right side on some of the points discussed. As to how important Keller's unfortunate phraseology is, I'm not sure. Nor am I sure that it was worth writing a book about it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here are the chapters of the volume, with a running score:<br />
<br />
<b>Introduction</b> – the editors do a fine job defending the publication of the book, but I am still uneasy. Is it really worth the effort? The editors asked Keller to write responses (p. 22), but he was too busy. That's a real shame, I think, and at this stage the points are shared.<br />
<br />
<div class="western">
<b>Keller ½, Critics ½</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Sin</b> – when Keller talks to "moderns" he talks about sin as disobedience, but in preaching to postmoderns he emphasises sin as being idolatry. Are we allowed to emphasise different aspects of biblical truth like that? I see no reason not to. </div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 1½, Critics ½</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Hell</b> – following C. S. Lewis, Keller argues that people in hell are there because they chose to be. Now, this may be a simple case of emphasis (as with the previous point) but Keller seems to be downplaying the idea of God condemning people to hell in such a way as to make me think this is a fair criticism.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 1½, Critics 1½</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Trinity</b> – Keller describes the persons of the Trinity has being in a "divine dance". Kevin Bidwell ably demonstrates that this is not the same as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perichoresis">perichoresis</a>, and that it isn't a great illustration.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 1½, Critics 2½</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Mission</b> – Keller's vision is of the Church being involved in social justice and community relief work. But this is not so much church work as kingdom work, as Keller himself acknowledges (p. 156). Points are shared here as well.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 2, Critics 3</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Hermeneutics</b> – Keller has a tendency to base his ideas on his readings of parables, which is a perilous exercise. But they shouldn't be regarded as off limits for Christian doctrine, and it's not enough to say they are <i>intended</i> to be ambiguous (p. 178). I'm giving this one to Keller.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 3, Critics 3</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Evolution</b> – Keller is relatively happy for Christians to accept evolution in some sense, as long as they hold to a literal, historical Adam. That strikes me a precisely where we need to draw the line in the sand. Keller again.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 4, Critics 3</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Ecclesiology</b> – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._G._Hart">D. G. Hart</a>, perhaps the most notable of the critics, rounds out the volume with a shocker. In contrast to the generally irenic tone of the volume, Hart accuses Keller of breaking his ordination vows by co-operating with non-Presbyterians (p. 235).</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<b>Keller 5, Critics 3</b></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In conclusion, I hope Keller takes on board some of the criticisms expressed in this volume. But there isn't anything here that would make me counsel people against reading Keller's books.</div>
John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28444732.post-55461648937285027862013-10-28T15:54:00.000+11:002013-10-28T15:55:57.523+11:00Once again, brilliant Christian story-telling<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Bones-Ashtown-Burials-3/dp/0375864415/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382931178&sr=8-1">Empire of Bones</a> by N. D. Wilson<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7XwNHqvdr7ujhZ_tGiE8kMgHWjM9u-U5ZUUgj-x3YushG3z8RHovfJBtDz9jOXVT0XhcCJIzztkSaptMqRn5URGt7EIOqpMU31hyF2uPPiWz5F1vbESDZxM8u_WAJARL47jlgA/s1600/Empire_of_Bones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7XwNHqvdr7ujhZ_tGiE8kMgHWjM9u-U5ZUUgj-x3YushG3z8RHovfJBtDz9jOXVT0XhcCJIzztkSaptMqRn5URGt7EIOqpMU31hyF2uPPiWz5F1vbESDZxM8u_WAJARL47jlgA/s320/Empire_of_Bones.jpg" width="213" /></a>This is the third volume in the Ashtown Burials series. Reviews of this book are a little superfluous. If you have read the first two, you will want to read <i>Empire of Bones</i>, and you will love it. If you haven't read any book in the series yet, you will need to start with <i>The Dragon's Tooth</i>.<br />
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Yet I do need to say something about how I love this series so much, and the recent publication of this volume is an excellent opportunity to do so. I want to mention five important themes in the series, that came out in the book in particular.<br />
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Firstly, the series is distinctly Christian, and this became slightly more explicit in this book (e.g. p. 333). There is an atonement of sorts, and it has a similar feel to that of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe"><i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i></a>.<br />
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Secondly, as Suzannah Rowntree has <a href="http://www.vintagenovels.com/2012/11/the-works-of-n-d-wilson.html">astutely pointed out</a>, the Order of Brendan in the book series is used as a metaphor of the Church. This is developed a bit more in <i>Empire of Bones</i>, and we start to see the fuzzy edges of the concept, such the existence of different denominations, and the presence of people who view the Order as a club rather than a calling (p. 313).<br />
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Thirdly, Wilson draws heavily on the Old Testament's Book of Daniel. The central character of the book is a boy named Cyrus, who (like his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great">biblical namesake</a>) is a <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45:1&version=ESV">Messiah-figure</a>. His brother, Daniel, is a prophetic figure, and the book contains a significant prophecy about "seventy weeks". <br />
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Fourthly, Wilson explores the theme of death in this series, and especially this book. Again and again reference is made to the blessing of mortality. As one transmortal character is told (p. 103), "You fall and you rise and you fall again, but your inner war can never leave off, it can never stay won. Mortals weren't made for it. We were made to run and hit the finish." This is also something that Wilson has been exploring in his non-fiction writing – see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1W841iPg1Q">this video</a>, for example.<br />
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Fifthly, this book is strong on the theme of family, especially fatherhood. There are lots of interesting family dynamics and exploration of the differences between girls and boys (e.g. p. 142).<br />
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Finally, I detected a couple of interesting influences in N. D. Wilson's writing that I hadn't seen before. The other day I happened upon a <a href="http://www.credenda.org/archive/issues/9-1exlibris.php">review</a> he had written of Thomas Cahill's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Irish_Saved_Civilization">How the Irish Saved Civilization</a> many years ago. Wilson had sounded convinced, and his appreciation of Celtic Christianity comes through in <i>Empire of Bones</i>. Also,there is a hint of the Eastern Orthodox concept of the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foolishness_for_Christ#Eastern_Christianity">Holy Fool</a>" (p. 430).<br />
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<i>Empire of Bones</i> is brilliant writing. Wilson draws on a wide range of sources, but so much of it is original. This is an imagination most fertile. John Dekkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127084907802954563noreply@blogger.com0