tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221033792024-02-08T12:26:59.386-08:00gptsrabbiMy name is Benjamin Shaw. I am Professor of Old Testament at Reformation Bible College. Most of my posts will have something to do either directly or indirectly with my work. It gives me the place to publish short works, or pieces that have only an ephemeral significance.Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-11080541289626507802022-12-28T06:39:00.003-08:002022-12-29T12:47:07.277-08:00A Proposed Bible Reading Adventure<p>Read a chapter from each of these sections each day (a total of seven chapters). When you get to the end of a section, simply go back and start reading again. You get the Bible all mixed up together. The Old Testament sections follow the order of the Hebrew Bible. This is a variation on Grant Horner's Bible Reading Schedule, but I think it's more interesting.</p><p>Section 1: The Pentateuch (187 chapters)</p><p>Section 2: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings (147 chapters)</p><p>Section 3: The Latter Prophets: Isaiah through Malachi, minus Lamentations and Daniel (233 chapters)</p><p>Section 4: Psalms (150 chapters)</p><p>Section 5: The Writings, in this order: Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1-2 Chronicles (252 chapters)</p><p>Section 6: Gospels, Acts, and Revelation (139 chapters)</p><p>Section 7: The Epistles (121 chapters)</p><p>Sections: Shortest to Longest</p><p>Section 7: The Epistles</p><p>Section 6: Gospels, Acts, and Revelation</p><p>Section 2: The Former Prophets</p><p>Section 4: Psalms</p><p>Section 1: The Pentateuch</p><p>Section 3: The Latter Prophets</p><p>Section 5: The Writings</p><p>What this means is that you will get through the epistles more often than Gospels, Acts, and Revelation. You will get through the Pentateuch more often than through the Latter prophets, etc.</p>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-84135350504426576772022-10-17T16:19:00.001-07:002022-10-17T16:21:10.103-07:00David's "Satan"<p>2 Samuel 24:1 says, "Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'" The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, "Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel." The obvious difference between the two has provoked a great deal of discussion among the commentators and theologians. I have no intention of adding to the dispute about the Lord or Satan. Instead, I suggest a different alternative.</p><div style="text-align: left;">People connect "Satan" in 1 Chronicles 21:1 with "Satan" of Job 1:6 and following. There is a difference, however. In Job, the character is referred to as "the Satan." The word has the Hebrew definite article attached. Clearly from the context, the devil is intended. In 1 Chronicles, however, the definite article is missing. It is simply "a satan." The word <i>satan</i> in Hebrew may refer to the devil, or it may refer to an adversary. It is used in that latter sense twice in 1 Kings 11. In verse 14, the adversary (<i>satan</i>) raised up against Solomon is Hadad the Edomite. In verse 23, the adversary (<i>satan</i>) is Rezin the son of Eliada. In neither case is the definite article used with <i>satan</i>. The construction is identical with 1 CHronicles 21:1.</div><p>On the basis of this observation, I suggest that <i>satan</i> in 1 Chronicles 21:1 ought to be translated "an adversary." The significance is as follows. The Lord raised up an unnamed adversary against David. This adversary was probably not an individual, as in the cases with Solomon, but rather an army. The census that this adversary provoked David to take was a census to determine the strength of forces that David could call upon if the need arose. As 2 Samuel 24:1 says, "he incited David against them." The "them" is probably not Israel, but the adversary. This is a test for David. Will he trust in the power of the Lord to defeat this adversary, or will he rely on the strength of his army? It is similar to what the Lord says in Judges 2:221-23,<span style="font-size: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;">"</span></b></span><span class="text Judg-2-21" id="en-ESV-6567" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: times;">I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,</span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Judg-2-22" id="en-ESV-6568" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> as their fathers did, or not.”</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Judg-2-23" id="en-ESV-6569" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">So the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua." The Lord tested David, and in this case he failed, bringing judgment on the people as a whole, as did the sin of Achan in the taking of Jericho. </span></span></p>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-62272547806070565122020-12-23T12:38:00.000-08:002020-12-23T12:38:57.462-08:00Some Thoughts Toward a Better Understanding of the Old Testament<p>Most Christians appear to have a limited understanding of or appreciation for the Old Testament. The New Testament makes sense to them, but the Old Testament is a mystery, with its diverse kinds of literature and a seeming lack of connection with the New Testament. Most Bible reading plans don't help this very much. Either they read straight through the Bible, in which the New Testament simply follows the Old, or they have some OT and some NT every day, but with no connection drawn between them. Perhaps one way of rectifying this situation is to use the New Testament as something of a search engine for the Old. This has the dual advantage of connecting the testaments and of clarifying the significance of those connections. </p><p>If we start with Matthew, the first verse gives us a number of Old Testament connections. "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham". There are three connections right away. "The book of the genealogy" connects us to Genesis 5, which begins "This is the book of the generations of Adam." That genealogy takes us from Adam to Noah. The subsequent genealogy in Genesis 11 takes us from Noah to Abraham. So read Matthew 1, Genesis 5, and Genesis 11. "The son of Abraham" connects us to the story of Abraham in Genesis 12-25. This may seem long for some readers, so read Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 21-22, which will give the reader the substance of Abraham's story and clarify the importance of Abraham for the story of Jesus Christ. "The son of David" takes us to the story of David. The Old Testament gives 61 chapters to the story of David (from 1 Samuel 16-1 Kings 2). That doesn't include the 73 Psalms of David in the Book of Psalms. So read 2 Samuel 1-8, which gives us the best part of the story of David. That includes the covenant that God made with David which issues in the promise of the everlasting Davidic king.</p><p>The genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Jesus also links to a number of other OT passages. First, we have the mention of Judah and Tamar, which takes the reader to Genesis 38. The mention of Rahab (Matthew 1:5) takes us to Joshua 2, with the beginning of the conquest of Canaan. Verse 5 also mentions Ruth, which takes us to the Book of Ruth. The mention of "the wife of Uriah" takes us to 2 Samuel 11-12 which also tells of the birth of Solomon, thus continuing an explanation of the working out of God's promise to David. </p><p>The mention of Josiah (verse 11) takes us to 2 Kings 22-25, which tells of the glorious reign of Josiah and the sad demise of the kingdom of Judah. The reference to Zerubbabel in verses 12-13 takes us to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The story is summarized in Ezra 1-5. </p><p>Matthew 1 ends with the birth of Jesus and the reference to the Immanuel prophecy from Isaiah 7. To get the context for that pronouncement, the reader can read Isaiah 6-12. </p><p>From the first chapter of Matthew, the reader has been introduced to many of the major themes and persons of the Old Testament. It has also drawn the reader to more than thirty chapters of the Old Testament, and has given the reader some sense of the importance of those passages in the unfolding story of God's redemption. </p><p>A person who has a Bible with cross references can thus easily make connections with OT passages by noting the passages that the NT quotes. When making those connections, it is important to get something of the context for the OT citation. Continuing our use of Matthew, chapter 2 will take the reader to Micah 5 (read chapters 4-6); Hosea 11:1 (read chapters 10-11); Jeremiah 31 (read chapters 30-33). The final reference in Matthew 2 "he would be called a Nazarene" is something of a puzzle, but a reading of 2 Kings 15 and Isaiah 8-9 might go a long way to clearing up the puzzle. </p><p>By following the directions given by the New Testament, the reader can, over time, develop a solid understanding of the Old Testament, and the way it relates to the New.</p>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-34944445218742556402020-08-09T16:29:00.001-07:002020-08-09T16:29:15.004-07:00Preaching to Cows<p>Heard from a radio preacher this morning (approximate quote): "When my pastor was teaching me to be a preacher, he told me to grab my Bible, and he'd take me out to preach. He gave me a bullhorn and drove out to the country. He told me to open the window and start preaching. At some point I said, 'Pastor, why am I doing this? There's nothing out here but cows!' He said, 'Son, when you're ready for people, I'll take you into town. But for now, just preach!'" It's a funny story, but it teaches a real truth. Preachers need to practice if they're going to improve. </p><p>Now most would-be preachers aren't going to have someone take them out to preach to cows. These beginning preachers will be placed in front of congregations. Very few of them are any good at it when they start. Listening to them is like listening to someone starting to play the violin. It can be excruciatingly painful. But if a man is called to preach, he must practice. And that means that congregations are going to be subjected to beginning preaching.</p><p>Some advice for those afflicted congregations. First, welcome him. He's nervous and unsure. Make him feel comfortable. Second, don't overpraise him. You may think it will encourage him, but it will likely encourage him to think he doesn't need to improve. Third, don't overcriticize him. I don't know a single preacher who is not, at some level, insecure about his preaching. Beginning preachers, except the arrogant ones (who are usually full of themselves and probably shouldn't be preaching) are insecure and sensitive about their work. Fourth, don't ignore him. He needs help and encouragement, and maybe some instruction. Those who are good at public speaking, or teaching, might consider offering your assistance. I think it is especially incumbent on overseeing pastors to spend time with beginning preachers after they have preached. Gently point out to him things he did well and things that need to improve. Fifth, don't approach him immediately after the service to point out his errors. Preachers after the service are generally emotionally spent and not in a good position to receive correction. Wait until a more opportune time.</p><p>Now some advice for those beginning preachers. First, practice! Preach every chance you can find. If God has called you to preach, preach! Sign up to preach for chapel services at the local rescue mission or homeless shelter, or prison if it's allowed. If you're in seminary and have had some homiletics instruction, and people have approved for you to do pulpit supply in local churches, take every chance you can get. Second, record yourself and listen to yourself afterward. It's painful, but you will hear your mistakes and will learn to do better. Third, work with simple and clear passages. Develop a file of sermons that you can hone over time, and that can be adjusted timewise to fit any time between fifteen and thirty-five minutes. Some places that you might preach may limit you to fifteen minutes. And most preachers, beginning preachers especially, do not do well when they go past thirty-five minutes. Fourth, be open to instruction and criticism. Whether it is given in a spirit of love or not, criticisms can help you get better. </p><p>If you have to preach to cows, preach to cows. Eventually, they'll put you in front of people.</p>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-60034846148298159902018-06-17T17:13:00.000-07:002018-06-18T16:55:27.564-07:00Final Reflections on PCA GA 2018<br />
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There is no particular order to what follows.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
It was a very short assembly. The opening worship service
began at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon and, except for the closing devotional at
8:00 Friday morning, everything had been done by 10:00 or so Thursday evening. I think part of the reason the Assembly moved so well was that Irwyn Ince was a very effective moderator.</div>
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The Overtures Committee is to be commended for their
excellent work. I just wish that all presbyteries had sent commissioners.</div>
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The informational reports are a waste of time. The
information is in the Commissioner’s Handbook. Let the commissioners read
those. Then the various committees wouldn’t have to spend money making infomercials.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The Committees of Commissioners for the various permanent
committees and agencies have become rubber stamps for the committees and
agencies. They are supposed to function in a checks-and-balances fashion, but
they have long since ceased to do so. I was embarrassed for the Covenant
College CoC with regard to the issue about putting women on the board. It
struck me that the CoC in that case served as the advocate for Covenant
College, rather than the devil’s advocate.</div>
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This assembly began the process of making consistent our
constitutional statements on the nature of marriage.</div>
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The ratio of TEs to REs remained about 4-1. I don’t
entertain any real hope of this changing anytime soon, though I continue to
pray for a change.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I am becoming more convinced that we don’t need an annual
GA. It didn’t strike me that there was anything done this year that would have
been damaged by being put off to next year. </div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I still think we need a delegated assembly. As it is, “grass-roots
Presbyterianism” looks more and more like the Southern Baptist convention with
wet babies. </div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Perhaps, with 87 presbyteries, it is time to start thinking
about synods. If presbyteries need to divide (or “multiply” as apparently the
new buzzword is), that could be handled at the synod level without the need for
the GA to render a judgment on it. As it is, the Assembly usually rubber stamps
those requests.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Perhaps we could improve the TE to RE ratio if only the
following TEs were allowed voting privileges: TEs who are currently serving as
pastors, associate pastors, assistant pastors, RUF ministers, and those serving
pastoral callings on the mission field. As a seminary professor, I would happily
give up my voting privilege to someone who is actually pastoring a local
church.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I’ll revisit these issues next year.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-17573384972661431412018-06-09T11:38:00.003-07:002018-06-09T11:38:48.862-07:00The PCA: A Connectional Church?
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At the congregational level, there is not much difference
between a congregational church and a PCA church. Congregational churches are often
ruled by a board of elders, elected from among the members, which is also the
case with Presbyterian churches. But, as far as church government goes, that is
where the similarity ends. Presbyterians hold to the idea of a connectionalism
through graded church courts. The “courts” language is unfortunate, as it gives
a certain twist to the meaning of those bodies, and their purposes, that is not
intended in the name. But that is a consideration for another post.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Unlike congregational churches, Presbyterian churches are
partially defined by their identity as “connectional” churches, that is,
congregations of the same denomination are vitally connected through the church
courts. In the PCA, the session is the court of the congregation. The
presbytery is the court of the churches in a defined area. The General Assembly
(GA) is the court of the denomination as a whole. The difference between these
courts and, for example, the Southern Baptist Convention and the SB Conventions
in the various states is that decisions of the higher courts are determinative
for the policies and practices of the lower courts. In other words, a decision
by the presbytery affects all the congregations in the presbytery. A decision
of the GA affects the presbyteries and the local congregations.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The question is whether the PCA is functionally a
connectional church. My experience is limited both by time and area, in that I
have been an ordained teaching elder (TE, minister) in the PCA for only a
little over twenty-two years, and all that time I have served in Calvary
Presbytery in the Upstate of South Carolina. But I was raised in the UPCUSA
(now the PC[USA]) and served in various capacities in that denomination until I
joined the PCA in 1981. My experience there was not much different from what I
have experienced in the PCA. And my experience tells me that most PCA congregations
are functionally congregational. Unless the area is saturated with PCA
churches, one local congregation is at most vaguely aware of other PCA
churches. There seems to be little cooperative work among them. The existence
of presbytery and GA is acknowledged, but the existence of those courts seems
to be more theoretical than practical (at least in the minds of congregational
members).</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
How do we, as TEs in the PCA, change that reality in order
to make the church connectional in practice as well as in theory? First, we can
attend presbytery regularly (along with the allowed number of ruling elders [REs]).
Then we give our congregation a report on the actions of presbytery. Did the
presbytery take candidates under care? Did the presbytery license or ordain a
man to ministry? Is the presbytery planting a church? Were decisions made at
presbytery that will affect our congregation? It will benefit the congregation
to know these things, to remind the congregation that they are connected to
other congregations with similar goals. Second, we can make the concerns of
presbytery a regular element in our pastoral prayers and in the prayer lists
that most churches make available to members. Third, we can attend GA (with our
allowed number of REs) and again inform the congregation about the actions of
GA, particularly regarding things that will affect our congregation and/or the
character of the denomination as a whole. Fourth, we can make the concerns of
GA a regular element in our pastoral prayers and in the prayer lists we make available
to our members. Fifth, we can make it a practice in church prayer meetings to
pray regularly through the list of presbyteries. In this practice, it can be
particularly helpful to contact the stated clerk of each presbytery to ask if
there are particular concerns of that presbytery that we can pray for. Again, this
keeps church members reminded that we are a vital part of a much larger
national (and international) church. Sixth, we can make it a practice in church
prayer meetings to pray regularly through the list of the committees and agencies
of the GA. These committees and agencies regularly publish newsletters that
include prayer requests. Seventh, we can in our prayer meetings particularly
pray for upcoming meetings of our own presbytery and the annual meeting of GA.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
These practices can accomplish two things. First, they will
regularly remind the congregational members in a tangible way that they are not
alone in their gospel labors. Second, we are reminded by James that “the prayer
of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect” (James 5:16 CSB). Such
prayers, along with the Word and the sacraments, are the very lifeblood of the
church.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-14035947240322807032018-06-03T18:20:00.004-07:002018-06-03T18:20:42.778-07:00RE, TE, BCO, RAO, RRONR, and PCA GA
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The time has rolled around again for the meeting of the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA GA). It is made up of REs (ruling
elders, members of the ruling boards on local congregations) and TEs
(ministers). The meeting and its purposes are briefly defined in the <i>BCO</i>
(<i>Book of Church Order</i>—the policies and procedures manual for the PCA)
and much more thoroughly treated in the <i>RAO </i>(<i>Rules of Assembly
Operations</i>—the policies and procedures manual for the GA itself). The
meeting itself is run according to the <i>RAO</i> and <i>RRONR</i> (<i>Robert’s
Rules of Order, Newly Revised</i>—the guide to orderly discussion for meetings,
especially necessary for a meeting as large as the PCA GA, which generally has
1,200-1,500 commissioners). </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The meeting can be, and usually is, overwhelming for
first-timers. I suggest that any TE or RE who is attending for the first time
attend the workshop that is scheduled for first-timers. It will help you get a
handle on things, and the meeting will not be quite so overwhelming. But to get
you started, here are some guidelines. First, if you have a laptop, download
the Commissioner’s Handbook. That contains all the necessary information. If
you don’t have a laptop, you can get a hard copy, but you will want to get it
ahead of time (you’re pushing your luck at this point). Second, look through
the docket. That will orient you as to what happens when. Third, read the key
elements of the Handbook. Some people want to think that every page of the
Handbook is equally important, but that’s not true. The budget material, for
example, is largely opaque to those without some experience in accounting. Even
if you have experience in accounting, there is no way to tell, just from looking
at the numbers, whether these budgets make sense or not. From my perspective,
the important parts this year are the Overtures (true every year). If you don’t
understand the overtures, find someone to explain them. Next is the report of
the Ad Interim Committee on Racial Reconciliation. The report has been two
years in the making and deserves careful study, whether you agree with certain
portions of it or not. Third is the report of the Standing Judicial Commission
(SJC). There is no opportunity to debate the decisions of the SJC, but you
ought to at least know what the cases and issues are that have risen to the
level of the GA. </div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The last things to read are the informational reports of the
committees and agencies of the GA. This information will be repeated on
Thursday afternoon. After that, you can read the budget reports. In total,
there are some 634 pages to the Commissioner’s Handbook, but not all of it will
need to be read closely. Having at least read the key elements and skimmed over
the rest will prepare you to take part in the Assembly and not feel completely
lost.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
A note about speaking at the Assembly. If it’s your first
meeting, it’s probably best just to sit quiet and listen. If you decide to
speak, 1) Make sure you know what you’re talking about. If you’re not sure, be
quiet. 2) Speak briefly and to the point. Don’t ramble. Prepare some notes to
keep you on task. 3) Remember that you’re not the only one desiring to speak,
so don’t hog the microphone. 4) Pay careful attention to men such as Fred
Greco, David Coffin, and a few others. These men know what they’re talking
about and they present a good model for anyone else to follow.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-27761152512667878672018-05-21T16:54:00.000-07:002018-05-21T16:54:19.787-07:00The PCA and Confessional Integrity
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
In 2002, the PCA adopted what is usually called “good-faith
subscription” to the denomination’s doctrinal standards—the Westminster
Confession of Faith (WCF) and the Larger (WLC) and Shorter Catechisms (WSC).
This required changes in the <i>Book of Church Order</i> (<i>BCO</i>) and thus
in the practices of presbyteries when examining a candidate for ordination. The
amended section of the <i>BCO</i> now reads as follows: The presbytery “shall
require the candidate to state the specific instances in which he may differ
with the Confession of Faith and Catechisms in any of their statements and/or
propositions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The court may grant an
exception to any difference of doctrine only if in the court’s judgment the
candidate’s declared difference is not out of accord with any fundamental of
our system of doctrine because the difference is neither hostile to the system
nor strikes at the vitals of religion.” (<i>BCO</i> 21-4.f). If such an
exception is granted, it is to be noted in the minutes of the presbytery using language
prescribed by the <i>Rules of Assembly Operations</i> (<i>RAO</i>) as follows: “Each
presbytery shall also record whether:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>a)
the candidate stated that he had no differences; or<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>b) the court judged the stated difference(s)
to be merely semantic; or<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>c) the court
judged the stated difference(s) to be more than semantic, but “not out of
accord with any fundamental of our system of doctrine” (BCO 21-4); or<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>d) the court judged the stated difference(s)
to be “out of accord,” that is, “hostile to the system” or “strik[ing] at the
vitals of religion” (BCO 21-4).” (<i>RAO</i> 16.3.e.5).</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Since that time, it has become common for candidates to
express differences from the standards in three areas: creation, Sabbath
observance, and visible representations of Christ. These stated differences
have become so common that it seems it is almost expected for candidates to express
those differences. (Whether candidates have actually studied the issues
involved or have consulted any works defending the confessional statements is
another matter.) Those differences are also commonly allowed as exceptions by
presbyteries under category (c) above: The difference is “more than semantic,
but not out of accord with any fundamental of our system of doctrine.” </div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
As stated, the matter sounds innocuous. But the denomination
has reached the point where a sizeable minority (at least) of the denomination’s
ministers believe the confessional standards of the church to be wrong in at
least three specific areas. Put another way, these men believe that the
confessional standards of the church misrepresent the teaching of the Bible in
these areas. </div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The Westminster standards are not inerrant. The version of
the standards used in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and in the Presbyterian
Church in America differs significantly from the original formulation regarding
the relationship of church and state. Those changes were introduced in the late
eighteenth century when the Presbyterian Church in the USA was first formed.
There are provisions in the <i>BCO</i> for emending the confessional standards.
Yet there has been no move on the part of the minority to propose changes to the
standards. Perhaps they believe that the approval of the presbytery for their
exceptions is sufficient. But over time, as more and more men take these
exceptions, and have them approved, there is a <i>de facto</i> change of the
confessional standards. When these kinds of <i>de facto</i> changes take place,
there is a muddying of the doctrinal waters. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Now it is likely the case that at the time the PCA was
formed (1973), and again when the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical
Synod joined the PCA (1982), there were men who held these same differences. The
matter of confessional change was not brought up at either of those times,
though it probably should have been. But another generation or so has passed
and there has still been no action. Perhaps, for the sake of our confessional
integrity, it is time to begin.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-28648095028811318262018-05-13T18:51:00.000-07:002018-05-13T18:51:43.770-07:00Burning the Bones of the Dead
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
John Wycliffe was a fourteenth century reformer who is
largely credited with one of the first translations of the Bible into English.
This activity, and many of the theological views he espoused, were contrary to
the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. His influence, however, was so widespread
that forty-three years after his death, his bones were dug up by church
authorities, burned, and the ashes scattered in the river Swift. In his day,
that made sense. Heretics were burned at the stake. Wycliffe’s death prevented
that. A space of forty-three years between his death and his burning does seem
excessive. Luther, born almost exactly a century after Wycliffe’s death, shared
many of Wycliffe’s theological views. One supposes that if the Roman Catholic Church
had been able to get hold of Luther, he would have met the same end as Wycliffe’s
bones.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The church in the West no longer burns heretics. In fact,
given the plethora of Protestant denominations, the disagreements among various
Catholic orders, and the vast numbers of non-Protestant, non-Catholic sects,
and non-denominations, it seems impossible any longer even to identify a
heretic, let alone burn one. Yet we have, perhaps, a more effective way of
dealing with those whose views do not fit the spirit of the age. If not more
effective, it is at least more satisfying to the heresy-hunters of our day. We
burn those with theological failings on social media. We denounce them. We
denounce their views. We point out, with a fair measure of glee, their
shortcomings and their foibles. We hold them up to mockery and ridicule. Like
the French Revolution, we lead them to the guillotine and lop off their heads. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
But perhaps we ought to rethink our approach. After all,
those who began the Reign of Terror in France ended up as its victims. Times
had changed. Views had changed. The former revolutionaries were now considered
oppressors, rightly to be beheaded. It may well be that, as times and cultural
commitments change, those who are now leading the pack in decrying the failures
of their forefathers will become the victims of a new social media purge. They,
too, may be hanged, drawn-and-quartered, beheaded, burned at the social media
stake. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
True heresy is rightly opposed. But who defines the heretic?
The non-denominations, and most of the non-Protestant, non-Catholic sects have
no way of defining heresy, because they have no confessions that define the
limits of orthodoxy. It is only those churches that have theological
confessions that are able to define heresy. Thus heresy, since it to be
opposed, ought rightly to be opposed and condemned, not by individuals with
their differing individual standards, but by the church courts, properly
called. When the shortcomings of our forefathers are examined in light of our
confessions, it may be that their views are properly called heresy, and that
heresy is to be condemned. But let it be done decently and in order, not by the
rabid pack of social-media hounds who madly tear to shreds that which they
often do not even comprehend.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-41869070281062308062018-04-28T16:58:00.000-07:002018-04-28T16:58:14.540-07:00Presbyterians and Order
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
One of the regular frustrations of teaching is trying to
teach students how to do a paper properly. We give them instruction in a class
on rhetoric and writing. We tell them to use Turabian for instructions on
proper formatting of subheadings, footnotes, and bibliography. We have a
seminary style sheet that gives them footnote and bibliography examples for
some of the (very few) kinds of things not covered in Turabian. Yet consistently
students will write papers in their final year of seminary in which they still
will not footnote or do a bibliography in proper form. They seem to make up the
format as they go along, because they are often not even consistent with
themselves. The reason is that they don’t consult the style sheet or Turabian.
They just wing it. From what I’ve heard, this problem is not unique to my school.
The sources are available, but unused.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Presbyterian churches are very concerned with order. It is
sometimes joked that the “life verse” for Presbyterians is 1 Corinthians 14:40,
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” Presbyterian denominations have
a book, usually titled something like <i>Book of Church Order</i>. It explains
the principles and structures of the church and lays out guidance for how
things are to be done. For example, the PCA’s <i>Book of Church Order</i> (<i>BCO</i>)
has chapters on how candidates for gospel ministry are to be licensed, how they
are to be ordained and installed, how congregational meetings are to be conducted,
and how church discipline is to be carried out. There are sixty-three chapters
in the book, covering just about anything that might be involved in keeping
order in the church. Men coming to be licensed are even tested on their
knowledge of the <i>BCO</i>.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
However, the testing is not usually taken very seriously. I
heard of one examination (perhaps apocryphal) in which the examiner asked the
candidate if he had a copy of the <i>BCO</i>. The answer was yes. The examiner
then asked if the man knew how to use the index. Again, the answer was yes. At
that point the examination was concluded. Clearly, the assumption was that if
the man ever met with a situation, he would look it up in the index and read
the appropriate chapter(s). Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, many ministers
do not do that. There are Facebook pages for PCA ministers, and sometimes
questions are asked that cause me to ask myself, “Did this man bother to read
the <i>BCO</i>?” It seems from the ensuing discussion that he had not. (I serve
on the Committee on the Review of Presbytery Records for the PCA General
Assembly. The review of these records also demonstrates every year that things
are often done “indecently and out of order.”) The minister simply “goes with his
gut” on how to do things. The result is that he often acts in a manner contrary
to the <i>BCO</i>.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The issue gets much
more complicated than it should have. This is especially damaging in cases
involving church discipline. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Students who don’t consult the recommended style guide for
writing papers get marked down, and, in some sense, no real damage is done. But
when the <i>BCO</i> (or similar guides in other denominations) is ignored, real
damage and real hurt can be the result. Perhaps it is time for ministers to
take their vows more seriously and realize that keeping the peace and purity of
the church requires them to understand not only the Bible, and whatever
confession of faith the church uses. They also need to understand and apply the
agreed-upon principles and processes for governing the church to maintain both
its peace and its purity.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-17444640532223024232018-04-14T16:28:00.000-07:002018-04-14T16:28:45.006-07:00On Moving Fences
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I grew up in what I thought of as a very traditional
Presbyterian church. The ministers wore robes. The choir wore robes. There was
an organ. There was a split pulpit (lectern on the left of the congregation,
pulpit on the right). There were stained-glass pictures of Jesus around the
church, especially the large one up behind the choir loft. We had Sunday school
and youth fellowship. There was no Sunday evening service. There was no
Wednesday evening prayer meeting. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
When I got to seminary, I began to discover that my home
church was not a very traditional Presbyterian church. Or it was a very
recently developed tradition. I did not make that discovery based on the
assigned readings in my classes. For the most part, nothing I was assigned to
read had been published before 1950. (I was in seminary from 1977-1980, so that
would be the equivalent today of being assigned nothing written before 1988.) But,
driven by my own curiosity and the encouragement of fellow students, I read
well beyond what was assigned. I learned about traditional Presbyterian practices,
such as the singing of psalms exclusively without instrumental accompaniment;
the eschewing of any visible representations of any of the persons of the
Trinity. I learned about the history of Sunday school (initially developed as an
evangelistic outreach to unchurched children). I learned about midweek prayer
meetings. I learned about, and even attended, a church that had a Sunday
evening service (though sparsely attended) as well as the Sunday morning
service. I read, and read about, the Reformed confessions of faith (I was never
required to read any of them in my seminary classes). I read about the history
of Reformed liturgies. I developed a very different idea of what “traditional
Presbyterian” meant. Some of the changes to the tradition that had occurred in
the four centuries between the mid-fifteenth century and the mid-twentieth century
I thought were good and valuable. Others I thought (and still think) unsound
and unhelpful, and actually damaging to what being Presbyterian means. But I
was able to evaluate those changes because I had made a study of them. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
G. K. Chesterton once wrote: “<span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">In the matter of reforming things, as distinct
from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which
will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain
institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate
erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and
says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more
intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of
it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you
can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to
destroy it.</span>” (<i>The Thing</i>, “The Drift From Domesticity,” 1929)</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I once sat in a presbytery meeting and heard a young recent
seminary graduate express a scruple about the prohibition of images of Jesus
that is found in the Westminster Larger Catechism, answer 109. He said that he
didn’t believe it was correct. When asked if he had ever read anything
defending the Catechism’s view, he said that he didn’t need to. He further said
that he wouldn’t read anything defending it unless the presbytery required him
to, because the view expressed by the Catechism was so obviously wrong. The
presbytery declined to require him to read anything and granted him an
exception on the matter. He struck me as the type of “modern reformer” referred
to by Chesterton. He didn’t see the use of the fence and wanted it removed. Perhaps
it is uncharitable of me, but it appears to me that many of the debates in the
PCA are between the two types of reformers mentioned by Chesterton. Some want
to do away with the fences without having any idea why the fences are there.
Would that all of us would be the second type of reformer, knowing not only why
the fences were put there in the first place, but also why now it makes good
sense to move them (or not).</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-46311489086681857982018-04-01T15:10:00.001-07:002018-04-01T15:10:47.626-07:00Knowing Your Ignorance
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Some people think I know a lot. Perhaps I do in some
comparative sense, but in an absolute sense, I am an ignoramus. I am only too aware
of the vast gaps in my knowledge, even in the areas in which I am supposed to
be an expert. We are all condemned to ignorance by the mere fact of our
finitude. If you read a book a week for eighty years, you would read a little
over four thousand books. If you read a book a day for those same eighty years,
you would read about 29,000 books. Most people don’t come close to the first
number, let alone the second. But even if someone managed to read 29,000 books
in their lifetime, it would still be a minute fraction of the number of books
in print. According to Wikipedia, about 300,000 books (new books and
re-editions) were published in the US (in English) in 2013. If only half of
those were new books, there were still over 150,000 new books published in that
year alone. It is simply impossible for someone to keep up with the flood of
information available to us. Granted, not all of these books are useful or
significant, but the number that are useful and significant, even in a limited
area such as Old Testament studies, is far beyond the capability of any one
person to keep track of, let alone master. These facts, however, should not deter us from seeking to increase our knowledge, particularly in the things of God.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
As I read discussions and comments on Facebook, it quickly
becomes apparent that most of us pretend to a level of knowledge that we simply
don’t have. This pretense stems from pride and arrogance, and a desire to win
whatever argument we have entered into, which itself speaks of pride. Ministers
in particular seem to be guilty of this, though that may be no more than my
observation based on the self-selection of my friends on Facebook. Or perhaps
it is due to the fact that ministers are supposed to be knowledgeable about the
Bible and theology. But ministers of the gospel are supposed to be concerned
about the truth. It is not helpful to the cause of truth when we pontificate
out of our ignorance, rather than comment carefully out of our knowledge. This
applies to all of life, and not just to the limited sphere of social media.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
It is often more helpful for a minister to say, “I don’t know,
but if you need me to I will find out.” This admission accomplishes three things.
First, it rebukes us for our pride. Second, it strengthens our humility. Third,
it drives us to a more diligent study of those things that we, as ministers of
the gospel, ought to know. These are all good things in themselves. Further, it
serves to encourage those in our churches to remember that their ministers are
not infallible, and to pray for us in the burden that we bear to hold forth the
truth in righteousness.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
May we resolve to be more humble about our knowledge, to be
more self-aware regarding our ignorance, and to strive for a more thorough
knowledge of the truths of which God has made us stewards. </div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-63512236805299408232018-03-25T16:52:00.004-07:002018-03-25T16:52:54.256-07:00Preparing Young Men for the Ministry
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Someone in a Facebook group posted last week that their
pastor had his eighteen-year-old son preach for the congregation, and they
asked whether that was right or not. It provoked quite a bit of discussion. I
realize that some ecclesiastical traditions try to get young men into the
pulpit as soon as possible, arguing that they need experience in the pulpit if
they are going to be effective preachers. I think it’s a bad idea, for several
reasons.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
First, young men put in positions of authority tend to
become living, breathing examples of “knowledge puffs up.” Second, unless a man
has some physical limitation, almost anyone can be taught to speak effectively
in public. Certainly, preachers need practice, but I’m not sure it helps the
congregation to put teenagers in the pulpit. Practice can be provided in other
ways and in other contexts. Third, I’m sure that most young men do not meet the
qualifications for elder set out in 1 Timothy and Titus. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
What do I look for in a young man who thinks that he might
be called to the ministry? First, the qualifications set out in the Pastoral
Epistles. But in addition to those, I think four other qualifications are
necessary. First, does the young man have a servant’s heart? I read often about
teenagers doing community service to pad their applications for college. But,
does this young man look for opportunities to serve? Does he serve when no one
is watching? Does he work as hard at service when he is not being watched as
when he is? The work of the pastor is a work of service. Someone without a
servant’s heart may preach well, but he will never be a pastor.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Second, is he teachable? It is unfortunately the case that
many young men, especially in Reformed circles, go through “cage-stage” Calvinism,
in which they think themselves to be the one appointed to cure all the ills of
the church. But young men need to learn. They need to learn that a good grasp
of the Five Points is not enough. They need to learn that others, particularly
older folks, often know more than the young man does, due to life experience
and faithful participation in the life of the church. Is the young man willing
to be corrected? It he receptive to the sometime painful rebuke? </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Third, is he faithful? I have occasionally heard younger
people referred t as “possibility junkies.” That is, they won’t commit to
anything because something better might come along. Or, having committed to
something, will renege on it because something better has come along. So, is
this young man faithful, making commitments and staying with them even if
“something better” comes along? Is he a regular and faithful participant in the
life of the church? Is he in attendance week in and week out, or is he
frequently absent? </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Fourth, is he patient? Often, young men are in a hurry to
get into the pulpit. He has a real zeal for Christ. He has a true desire to
proclaim the gospel. This combination of zeal and desire tends to produce an
urgency on his part to enter the work of the ministry. But God is rarely in a
hurry. In fact, God often puts a man in the wilderness for a while before he
puts him in the ministry. Is this young man ready to wait for God’s timing? </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
God does occasionally call young men into early and evident
pulpit ministry. Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon are often cited as
examples. But these men are the exception, not the rule. Is a young man willing
to be part of the rule, rather than the exception? Then, if he is also a
teachable, patient, faithful servant, maybe he is ready to begin training for
the ministry.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-53940807350227433302018-03-17T17:46:00.001-07:002018-03-17T17:46:45.882-07:00Basic Readings in Church History: Suggestions for the Beginner
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Many Christians are poorly versed in Bible content and in
theology, and last week I gave some suggestions for changing that. But compared
with their knowledge of church history, those same Christians are virtual
scholars in Bible and theology. For many, it seems that the history of Christianity
began with their birth, or perhaps their rebirth. There is little to no sense
of where they currently live in relation to the broader scope of the entire
history of the church. Yet there is a vast library of accessible books that can
correct that problem. For the person looking to begin an exploration of church
history, I would recommend the following books. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
First is S. M. Houghton’s <i>Sketches from Church History</i>.
This is not a continuous history, but rather, as the title suggests, glimpses
into episodes and persons from the past. About a quarter of the book is devoted
to the first 1,400 years of church history, with the remainder focusing on the Reformation
and, after the Reformation, focusing on the Protestant Church, especially in
the West. While the selection of material doesn’t give the reader much on the
Eastern Church or on the development of Roman Catholicism after the Reformation,
it is a good introduction for a modern American evangelical. It has plenty of
illustrations, which is also helpful.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Second would be Bruce Shelley’s <i>Church History in Plain
Language</i>. This book is now in its fourth edition. It is also light on the
Eastern church but gives more information on Roman Catholic developments in the
post-Reformation period. It is divided into forty-eight chapters, most of them
in the ten to fifteen-page range. Thus, over the course of about a month and a
half, at the rate of one chapter a day, the reader can get a decent
introduction to the history of the church.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
A third recommendation is <i>Church History: The Basics</i>
from Concordia Publishing House. I am less familiar with this work, but it
appears to be a good alternative to Shelley. It is an abbreviated form of the
book <i>The Church from Age to Age: A History from Galilee to Global
Christianity</i>, also from Concordia. This is a substantial church history in
one volume. One advantage of it is that it includes readings from primary sources
in each of the ages. A similar work would be Justo Gonzales’s <i>The Story of
Christianity</i>, a popular choice for use in seminary church history survey
courses</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
A little more advanced treatment can be found in the Pelican
History of the Church series. This is a seven-volume collection consisting of
the following: Henry Chadwick, <i>The Early Church</i>; R. W. Southern, <i>Western
Society and the Church in the Middle Ages</i>; Owen Chadwick, <i>The
Reformation</i>; Gerald R. Cragg, <i>The Church and the Age of Reason,
1648-1789</i>; Alec R. Vidler, <i>The Church in an Age of Revolution</i>;
Stephen Neill, <i>A History of Christian Missions</i>; and (a relatively new
addition to the series) Owen Chadwick, <i>The Christian Church in the Cold War</i>.
As indicated, this is more demanding reading, but it gives a more thorough
treatment of many of the doctrinal disputes that characterize the history of
the church.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Finally, I would recommend Paul Johnson’s <i>A History of
Christianity</i>. Johnson is not a church historian, but this is a readable
account. I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. From <i>Kirkus Review</i>: “<span style="color: #333333; margin: 0px;">Though the narrative is fast-paced and the style
vigorously economic, the account brims with telling details and reasoned
judgments and never seems superficial, Johnson eschews all special theological
pleading and abides by professional canons of evidence and objectivity. Drawing
on a wealth of primary and secondary sources, he maintains a healthy balance
between the internal and external dimensions of Christianity's development;
events and ideas mesh into a coherent story.</span>”</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-4119830144007142662018-03-10T17:38:00.003-08:002018-03-10T17:38:52.501-08:00Basic Readings in Theology: Suggestions for the Beginner
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Most Christians learn what theology they know from the
preaching and teaching of their pastors. For some churches in the Reformed tradition,
this has been accomplished by expository preaching in the morning service and
catechetical preaching in the evening service. Expository preaching moves
through books of the Bible, explaining and applying the teaching of the
biblical text. Catechetical preaching uses one of the Reformed confessions or
catechisms as the basis for explaining the doctrines of the Scriptures in a
systematic fashion. In our day, however, this dual approach is uncommon, and
the biblical and theological knowledge of people in the pews is scattered and
unsystematic. Though people may have some vague ideas of the general content of
the Bible, and some similarly vague ideas of such basic Christian doctrines as
the Trinity and the full humanity and full deity of Christ, their knowledge is
weak. The following suggestions are provided for those who want to learn more
about the Bible and more about the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Bible Content</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I recommend Michael Williams’ little book <i>How to Read the
Bible Through the Jesus Lens</i>. This book devotes about half a dozen pages to
each book of the Bible. He gives a theme verse for each book, a summary of the
content of the book, and a brief treatment of how that book points to Christ.
It is very helpful to read the section, then read the book of the Bible that
the chapter discusses. This works very well with a Bible reading program that
goes through the Bible in a year. Another useful tool is the <i>KJV Reformation
Heritage Study Bible</i>. This gives commentary on each chapter of the Bible
designed to help the reader understand and apply the text. <i>The Reformation
Study Bible</i> is also quite helpful, with detailed introductions to each
book, as well as commentary throughout, and additional essays on key topics.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Theology</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I recommend here Louis Berkhof’s <i>Manual of Christian Doctrine</i>.
This is an abbreviated version of his <i>Systematic Theology</i>, which in turn
is something of a condensed presentation of Herman Bavinck’s <i>Reformed
Dogmatics</i>. It was done originally for high school and college students as a
summary presentation of systematic theology. Another good resource is <i>Basic
Christian Doctrines</i>, edited by Carl F. H. Henry. It is a collection of
forty-three short essays by a variety of evangelical scholars. They were
originally published in <i>Christianity Today</i> in the 1950s and were
collected into one volume in 1962. It is available used at a very modest cost,
and is also available in PDF form online: http://www.veritasseminary.com/wenix/Library/Carl%20Henry/CARL%20F%20H%20HENRY%20CONTEMPORARY%20EVANGELICAL%20THOUGHT%20VOL%2003%20BASIC%20CHRISTIAN%20DOCTRINES.pdf<i>
</i></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Another useful book is Archibald Alexander’s <i>A Brief
Compendium of Bible Truth</i>. Alexander was one of the first professors at
Princeton Theological Seminary and, though written in the nineteenth century,
his presentation is clear and accessible.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
For those in Reformed churches, the classic confessions and
catechisms also provide a solid foundation for the beginning reader. My
recommendation would be to start with the Westminster Shorter Catechism which
is available online in both its original form and in modern English. From
there, the reader can move to the Heidelberg Catechism, the Westminster
Confession and Larger Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort.
Commentaries are available on all these documents. The Westminster documents
were written in the middle of the seventeenth century to provide a standard for
the Church of England, though the Church of England never adopted them. The
Belgic Confession was written in the sixteenth century for the churches in the
Netherlands. The Heidelberg Catechism was another sixteenth-century document
from the German Reformed churches. The Canons of Dort came out of the disputes
over the teachings of Jacob Arminius in the early seventeenth century. These
resources are all available online.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The person who studies these is well-equipped to move on to
more substantial reading regarding both the Bible and systematic theology.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-29454071463753888362018-03-03T16:39:00.002-08:002018-03-03T16:39:42.702-08:00Pastors and Congregational Reading<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most pastors realize in seminary that they have gotten
themselves into a profession that requires reading. Whether they read much
before seminary, the class requirements force them to read a great deal. This
is especially true for Presbyterian and Reformed pastors, as these churches
have always put a high value on an educated clergy. By the time they finish
seminary, they have gotten used to reading demanding material—academic biblical
studies, systematic theology, church history. It is easy, then, to forget that
at one time they really struggled with that material.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been a voracious reader since I learned to read. But
until I got to college, I didn’t read anything that made any demands on me as a
reader. Then my first class in college was a philosophy class. I passed the
class, but I’m pretty sure I understood no more than about ten percent of what
I read for that class. After I was converted, I read the Bible a lot, but I
didn’t read a great deal of Christian literature. I did read Watchman Nee’s <i>The
Normal Christian Life</i> and <i>Sit, Walk, Stand</i> (both perfectionist
standards back in the day), but I remember almost nothing else of what Christian
literature I read. I read C. S. Lewis’s <i>Mere Christianity</i>, which seemed
to me to be heavy reading. I also read another work by Lewis, either <i>the
Problem of Pain</i> or <i>Miracles</i>, I’m not sure which. I think I finished
the book but found it a very difficult slog. Then I read his <i>Pilgrim’s Regress</i>,
which I didn’t understand at all.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After seminary, I have gone back and revisited some of those
books and didn’t find them difficult. But by then, I had read enough difficult
theology that I had the context and the foundational understanding to read
Lewis with ease. I think something like this happens with most pastors. They have
gotten used to reading difficult material, so they tend to think that everyone
ought to be able to read it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I may be entirely wrong about this, but I think most people
who can read don’t read. And most people who read don’t read anything that
makes demands on them as a reader. They read what is comfortable for them.
Pastors need to keep this in mind when they recommend books for people in their
congregations. The fact that a given book is not difficult for you does not
mean that it won’t be difficult for them. There’s a reason that most of the
books on sale in a Christian bookstore are theologically substandard. They are
written by people who have a substandard theological training, but they are
also written for people who don’t know much theology. These authors may have
bad theology, but they know their audience and they write to their audience</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s something to keep in mind when recommending books for
people in your congregation. Ask yourself if the person will not only willingly
read the book but also understand it. If you have visited the person’s home,
you should have a good idea of what they read (or whether they read). You
should also keep a list of less demanding, more accessible, sound Christian
books. Avoid recommending the fat books with small print, unless you know that
is what the person reads. Avoid reprints of the Puritans. There’s nothing wrong
with the Puritans—a lot of good stuff there. But most modern Americans would
not be able to work through Puritan works without a lot of help. The Banner of Truth Puritan Paperbacks are about the most accessible Puritan works available. As a pastor,
you are a shepherd. You want to feed your sheep good food, but it had better be
food that they’re willing and able to eat.</div>
Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-85394939472070131882018-02-28T04:31:00.002-08:002018-02-28T04:31:50.471-08:00A prayer for today<span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">O Lord, we pray today for those who are anxious and in
distress. Let them put their trust in you. Let them know that in you they will
never be put to shame. Be quick to hear their prayers and deliver them speedily
from their distress. Teach them to find in you a rock of refuge, a fortress of
defense. In their trouble help them to commit themselves into your hands.
Direct them, that they may not trust in useless idols of their own making, but
instead teach them to place their full trust in you, their saving God. We pray
in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Ps 31:1-6)</span>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-27322493726136479492018-02-24T16:36:00.004-08:002018-02-24T16:36:43.535-08:00Reading the Bible: For Content vs. For Devotion
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
What does it mean to read the Bible “devotionally”? Does
reading the Bible for content compete with reading the Bible devotionally? My
guess is that most Christians would see contrary purposes in the two ways of
reading. As part of the requirements for one of my classes, students are required
to read 6-7 chapters of the Bible each day. One student commented at the
beginning of the semester that he wasn’t used to reading the Bible that way. He
usually read the Bible “devotionally:” certainly no more than a chapter at a
time, more likely just a few verses. After reading, he would then spend time
reflecting on what he had read. That is, perhaps, what most people mean by
reading the Bible devotionally. The problem with that approach is that it is
almost impossible ever to get the scope of the section, let alone the scope of
the whole book, or the place of the book in the Bible as a whole. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Perhaps the difficulty is that we have the wrong idea of
what it means to read the Bible devotionally. Devotional reading is a way of
reading that is intended to increase our devotion to the God we serve. We best
increase that devotion by getting to know the content of the Bible in a more
thorough fashion than is the case for most of us. One thing that we will find
in gaining a more thorough knowledge of the Bible is that we have often put God
in our own convenient little boxes. Another way of putting it is that God is
stranger and more unpredictable than we think. Because Achan violated the ban,
God required that the Israelites stone him and his family to death (Joshua 7).
When Saul violated the ban, God merely told him that he would not become the
head of a dynasty. Saul remained king (1 Samuel 15). When David committed
adultery and murder, he was not executed. He was not even explicitly required
to offer a sacrifice (2 Samuel 12). I would argue that David did offer sacrifice
(based on what he said in Psalm 51), because he also understood the requirements
of the laws in Leviticus, but not based on an explicit requirement voiced by
Nathan.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
But how does one go about reading the Bible for both
devotion and content at the same time? By doing a little more work than most
people put into their devotional reading. The first step is to have a reading plan
that takes you through the whole Bible in a reasonable amount of time (1-3 years).
Anything slower is too slow. Second, use a Bible that does not have subheadings
in the text. Instead, once you have read through your reading for the day, go
back and outline what you have read. Pick out the major points of the section you
have read. Then pick out the subpoints of the section. Having done that, you
will then have a grasp of the development of the story (or the psalm, or the
prophesy) that you are working on. Based on that outline, begin asking
questions. What is happening here? Why is it happening? What is God doing in
the passage? What is God requiring in this passage? Why are the people acting
the way they are? What is motivating their behavior? From the answers to these
questions, you can then begin developing points of personal application. These
applications do not necessarily mean, “What do I do now?” The application may
be, “What should I have learned here?” “What should I believe about God based
on this passage?” In other words, application may have as much to do with what
we are to believe as it does with what we are to do. The Westminster Shorter
Catechism Q&A 3 summarizes it this way: What do the Scriptures principally
teach? The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God,
and what duty God requires of man.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Once you have worked through a particular book, go back and
put all your outlines together. See how the story develops, see how one section
naturally flows into the next. As I said, this takes more time than perhaps you
ordinarily devote to your “devotional” reading. But you will also come away
with a more satisfying view of the Bible, and of the God who gave it to you.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-74157860613166189802018-02-17T08:43:00.001-08:002018-02-17T08:43:06.969-08:00The Pastor and Bible TranslationsExcept in certain very conservative Christian circles, the
KJV is no longer the exclusive Bible of the English-speaking church. Despite
sales numbers, it is probably no longer even the primary Bible of the
English-speaking church. That means that in most congregations, there are
perhaps as many as half a dozen different English translations being read by
the people in the pews. In the PCA, my own denomination, here is the likely
scenario: some few of the oldest members are still using the KJV. The adults
are probably using either the ESV or the NIV. Some are using the NIV2011. Some of
the younger members may be using the New Living Translation (NLT) or the
Contemporary English Version (CEV). Perhaps some of the children are using the
New Century Version (NCV) which is aimed at younger readers. Given this
variety, what is a pastor to do?<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
It doesn’t really matter which version the pastor uses,
though some congregants will follow his lead on Bible choice. But the pastor
should find out which translations are being used in his congregation; and he
should familiarize himself with them. By this, I do not mean that he should
look up a few of his favorite passages in them to see what the translation
does. Nor do I mean that he should do an exhaustive comparison of the
translation with the original Hebrew and Greek. Pastors, by and large, have neither
the time nor the expertise to do that. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
In what follows, I presume that the pastor is reading the
Bible annually. I suggest that he find out which versions the people in his
congregation are using. Then, over a period of several years, use each one of
those versions as his reading Bible for the year. By the end of the year, he
will be intimately familiar with it. For example, if the pastor is using the
ESV, but the majority of his congregation is using the NIV1984, probably his
first year he should spend reading the NIV1984. He then moves through, in
subsequent years, the other versions that are being used. Who knows? In this
process he may even find a translation he prefers to the one he had been using.
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Another thing that the pastor should do is have a variety of
translations to read and consider in his sermon preparation. This would not
even involve any expense, as there are several online sites that offer a
variety of English versions free.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I have, over the years, read through a good number of the
English translations available, including some of the more obscure ones. I have
learned something from each one, and I have benefitted from each one. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I would make one other suggestion. Take the time to read
Mark Ward’s little book <i>Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James
Bible</i>. Even if you have never read the KJV, it is a wise and useful survey
of the issues related to Bible versions.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<br /></div>
Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-45582202108425550922018-02-16T11:47:00.004-08:002018-02-16T11:47:32.698-08:00A Note on Psalm 145:13b
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
In the KJV, Psalm 145:13 reads: Thy kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. In
the ESV, the verse reads: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your
dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his
words and kind in all his works.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Notice that the second sentence in the ESV is absent in the
KJV. The NASB follows the KJV, while the NIV and the New Living Translation
agree with the ESV. The question is twofold. Where does this line come from? And,
is it a legitimate part of the biblical text?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The answer to the first question is as follows: The
additional line is found in the Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation
of the Old Testament. It is also found in the Hebrew text of Psalms from the
Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), one medieval Hebrew manuscript, and in the Syriac
version. It is not found in the vast majority of medieval Hebrew manuscripts. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The answer to the second question is more difficult, and the
following comments constitute my summary of the arguments.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Arguments in favor of the originality of the line:</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>Psalm 145 is an acrostic
psalm. That is, each line (verse, in this case) begins with a successive letter
of the alphabet. Verse 1 (after the title) begins with aleph. Verse 2 begins
with bet, and so on. However, there is no nun (n) line in the standard Hebrew
text, making it an incomplete acrostic. The line in the LXX, the DSS, the one
Medieval Hebrew manuscript, and the Syriac supplies this “n” line, making the
acrostic complete.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>All other verses in the
Psalm are one line long, whereas this verse, with the second line, is two lines
long. A copyist could have inadvertently skipped this second line in his
copying, and copies made from that copy would not have included the line.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The fact that the line is
found in one medieval manuscript, the DSS, and two ancient versions makes a
case for the originality of the line.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The line fits well with
what follows in the Psalm, making a transition in the thought from what
precedes to what follows.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>Though the second part of
the line (“and kind in all his works”) is also found in verse 17, such a
repetition is occasionally found in the Psalms.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Arguments in favor of omitting the line:</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>Almost all Hebrew
manuscripts, after the DSS, do not include the line.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The Psalm could have
intentionally been an incomplete acrostic. There are other examples in the
psalms of such incomplete acrostics.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The LXX is not always an
accurate translation in the Psalms.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The Syriac translation in
general shows a fair amount of influence from the LXX. Hence, it is not always
considered a separate textual witness.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>An early copyist, noting
the missing “n” line could have supplied it, explaining its presence in the DSS
copies and in the one medieval manuscript.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span>The second part of the
line, “and kind in all his works” is also found in verse 17, perhaps indicating
part of the source for some copyist seeking to complete the acrostic.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
I don’t think the arguments in either direction are
compelling, leaving it a matter of judgment on the part of translators. It
should be noted, however, that prior to the 1950s, no translation team had
access to the DSS manuscripts. The NASB, the NKJV, the NET Bible, and the
Lexham English Bible are, to the best of my knowledge, the only post-1950s
translations that do not include the line.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The NET Bible adds the following note: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ref21">“</a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">Psa 145</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"> is an acrostic psalm, with each successive verse beginning with a
successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in the traditional Hebrew
(Masoretic) text of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ref22"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="margin: 0px;">Psa 145</span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span> there is no verse beginning with the letter <i>nun</i>.
One would expect such a verse to appear as the fourteenth verse, between the <i>mem</i>
(</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span font-family:sbl="" hebrew="" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;">ם</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;"><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;">) and <i>samek</i> (</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span font-family:sbl="" hebrew="" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;">ס</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;"><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;">) verses. Several ancient witnesses, including one medieval Hebrew
manuscript, the Qumran scroll from cave 11, the LXX, and the Syriac, supply the
missing <i>nun</i> (</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span font-family:sbl="" hebrew="" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;">ן</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "SBL Hebrew"; margin: 0px;"><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="margin: 0px;"></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;">) verse, which reads as follows:
"The Lord is reliable in all his words, and faithful in all his
deeds." One might paraphrase this as follows: "The Lord's words are
always reliable; his actions are always faithful." Scholars are divided as
to the originality of this verse. L. C. Allen argues for its inclusion on the
basis of structural considerations (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ref23"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="margin: 0px;"><i>Psa
101-150</i></span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span> [WBC], 294-95), but there is no apparent
explanation for why, if original, it would have been accidentally omitted. The
psalm may be a partial acrostic, as in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ref24"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="margin: 0px;">Psa 25</span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span>
and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ref25"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="margin: 0px;">Psa 34</span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span> (see M. Dahood, <i>Psalms </i>[AB], 3:335).
The glaring omission of the <i>nun </i>line would have invited a later redactor
to add such a line.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-20138732949035594912018-02-10T10:31:00.001-08:002018-02-10T10:31:54.248-08:00On the Church and Bible TranslationsMark Ward recently published a significant book on the KJV: <i>Authorized:
The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible</i>. He draws attention to the
problems created by the changes in the English language over the past four
centuries, as those problems easily lead to misunderstandings of what the KJV
is saying. This is often the case even for highly educated people who think they
are invulnerable to such misapprehensions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
For about three and a half centuries, the KJV was <i>the</i>
Bible for English readers. It was the pew Bible for churches that had pew
Bibles. The phraseology of the KJV was often familiar even to those who had not
read the Bible much. It was the Bible not only of English-speaking Christians
but the Bible of the English-speaking church. The English Revised Version
(1885) and the American Standard Version (1901) were intended as updates and
replacements of the KJV, but neither made any significant headway either among
individual readers or in churches.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Modern English versions began to appear in the early part of
the twentieth century. James Moffatt produced a translation that achieved some
popularity among Bible aficionados (C. S. Lewis recommended the New Testament
of it somewhere, and it remains in print), but it was never intended to be used
as a church Bible. Faculty at the Universities of Chicago and Toronto produced
a modern English version about the same time as Moffatt, titled <i>The Complete
Bible: An American Translation</i>, but it never received any wide use. To my
knowledge, it has not been reprinted since the 1940s. It might have worked well
as a church Bible, but never was used as such.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The big change began with the publication of the Revised
Standard Version in the 1940s and 1950s. The New Testament appeared in 1946,
the Old Testament in 1952, and the Apocrypha in 1957. This translation was done
under the auspices of the National Council of Churches. It was widely and
quickly adopted by mainline Protestant denominations. The church I grew up in (UPCUSA)
had RSV pew Bibles, and we were given RSV Bibles in second-grade Sunday school (in 1971, the church gave its graduating high school seniors copies of <i>Good News for Modern Man</i>).
<i>The Hymnbook</i>, a hymnal produced as a joint venture by several Presbyterian
denominations in 1955, used the RSV text for the Psalms responsive readings that
were printed at the back of the hymnal. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Conservative churches continued to use the KJV until the
mid-1970s, when the NIV first appeared. The generally conservative tone of the
NIV, its relatively easy readability, and its heavy marketing made it quickly
the go-to translation for evangelical churches. In the last twenty years or so,
things have changed. Crossway got permission to use the RSV as a base text and
a translation committee produced the English Standard Version. About the same
time, with funding from Lifeway, a translation committee produced the Holman Christian
Standard Bible. This has recently been updated as the Christian Standard Bible.
It serves as the base text for Sunday School literature for the Southern
Baptist Convention. Five of the mainline denominations put together a translation
committee that produced the Common English Bible, which is now used as the base
text for their liturgical and Sunday school materials. Independent evangelical
churches use generic Sunday School material, most of which is keyed to the NIV.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Most churches no longer have pew Bibles. So, the following
situation is found in the American church: mainline churches use the NRSV (the
1989 revision of the RSV) or the Common English Bible. Southern Baptists (and perhaps
other Baptist conventions) use the Christian Standard Bible. Conservative
Reformed and Presbyterian churches likely prefer the ESV. Most evangelical
churches use the NIV. There is no longer a single Bible translation used by all
English speakers. In any given Protestant/Evangelical congregation, there may
be five or six different versions being used by the congregants. At some level,
this variety of translations can be helpful, as different translations can
bring out different nuances of the original languages. But at another level, it
is a real loss to the church. We no longer, as it were, speak the same
language. </div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-30944897419102372412018-02-03T16:33:00.003-08:002018-02-03T16:33:55.879-08:00Sin and the Prophets
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
It may be simply my impression and nothing more. But it
seems that modern evangelical discussions of sin focus on what sin has done to
us. The cultural factors of addiction, pornography, climate change, and the
recent news items about the prevalence of sexual assault have tended to focus
our ideas of sin on the awfulness of the way humans treat one another and the
planet we occupy. This explains in part the prominence of “brokenness” in our
considerations of sin. This is certainly an important aspect to the doctrine of
sin. The relationship between Adam and Eve was damaged, broken, if you will. Without
the restraining work of the Holy Spirit, our treatment of one another would be
far worse than it is. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
The problem with this approach to the doctrine of sin is
that it appears to make of sin something outside of us, some external evil
influence that does damage to the soul in the way that mustard gas damages the
lungs. This view finds its expression in the bumper-sticker theology of “Hate the
sin. Love the sinner.” It separates the sin from the sinner. But this is not
the biblical doctrine of sin. The biblical doctrine has it that “In Adam’s
fall, we sinned all.” Sin is not some external force or power, but a part of our
character, an innate corruption of soul. Adam fell, and we are fallen, and that
fallenness expresses itself in all aspects of our lives.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
A further difficulty with our modern conception of sin is
that we see the effects of sin as primarily horizontal. Dr. Nassar’s abuse of
the gymnasts under his care was a profound offense against them. Sex
trafficking is a profound offense against those who are its victims. But sin,
biblically defined is not exclusively, or even primarily a horizontal offense.
It is primarily an offense against God. It is this truth that seems to be
lacking in many modern discussions of sin. It may be mentioned, but the
profundity of the offense appears really to be ignored. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
It is for this reason that most moderns seem to be
uncomfortable with the biblical prophets. They spoke much about sin, but not in
our terms. They were concerned with the horizontal affects of sin. But they were
far more concerned with the vertical effects of sin. They were profoundly aware
of the depth of offense their sin, and the sins of their people, brought against
God. Sin, in the prophetic view, was an abomination against God. It was a stench
in his nostrils. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
We don’t share that view. We understand that the being of
God is not affected by our sin. God is complete and perfect within himself. But
we think, therefore, that sin has no effect on God. The prophets understood how
wrong that is. So, they depicted sin in the most awful categories, with the
ugliest, most repugnant images they could set out. They understood how ugly and
repugnant a thing it was to offend against the thrice-holy God. We need to
regain their understanding, or we will continue to redefine sin until is means
only that which we find offensive.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-7527138990706690392018-01-27T09:42:00.000-08:002018-01-27T09:42:10.166-08:00The Pastor and His Commentaries
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Since part of the work of the pastor is to preach the
biblical text, commentaries can make up a large part of a pastor’s library. There
are pertinent questions to ask relative to commentaries: Which commentaries? And
When? The second question is easier to answer.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
When to Buy</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
My recommendation is that you hold off on buying
commentaries on a particular book until you are ready to begin preparing to
preach that book. My reasoning is as follows: first, new commentaries are always
coming out. That means that what is a really good commentary now may be superseded
five years down the road. For example, the two top-rated commentaries on
Genesis on bestcommentaries.com are those by Gordon Wenham and Victor Hamilton.
Both are a generation old. Hamilton was published in 1990 and Wenham in 1987.
There are seventeen commentaries on Genesis listed as forthcoming, with several
of them being candidates to replace Wenham and Hamilton. If you are not planning
on preaching on Genesis any time soon, you are better off waiting to buy. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Second, for most pastors, commentaries can be a significant
part of the budget. You need to ask yourself if you can afford to have several
thousand dollars’ worth of unused books sitting on your shelves.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
To sum up: my recommendation on when to buy commentaries is
shortly before you are ready to begin preparing a series on a specific book of
the Bible.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Which to Buy? </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
You’ll get different advice from different people on this.
My approach is minimalistic. I recommend that you buy no more than five
commentaries on any particular book. You should have one technical commentary based
on the Hebrew or Greek text of the book. You should have one somewhat less
technical commentary that deals with selected matters related to the original languages
and that goes through the book passage by passage. A third commentary should be
expositional, not necessarily dealing with the original languages, but
explaining the movement of the book. A fourth commentary should be a pre-critical
commentary, which would generally be any pre-1850 commentary. My rationale for
this is that those commentaries are coming to the biblical material from a
different cultural setting, and therefore with a different set of questions to
ask of the text. This can make the pastor aware of some of the breadth of issues
that the biblical text addresses. A good source for identifying these
commentaries is Spurgeon’s <i>Commenting and Commentaries</i> (<a href="http://www.romans45.org/spurgeon/misc/c&c.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Cambria;">http://www.romans45.org/spurgeon/misc/c&c.htm</span></a>).
Reading Spurgeon’s comments on the various commentaries is an education in
itself. Many of these older commentaries are now available online at archive.org.
A fifth commentary can be something of a duplicate of one of the other four. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
My own sense is that when you move beyond this minimum, you
find yourself reading material that has already been covered in another
commentary.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
What Not To Buy</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Don’t buy sets. The quality and usefulness of the commentaries
in a set vary from one author to another. Commentary sets look nice on the
shelf, but you end up with books you never use. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Don’t buy older commentaries that are available online. Yes,
I know, that set of Keil & Delitzsch, or of Calvin, can look nice on the
shelf. But they are available free online. Commentaries are for consultation
and you will not be reading much at a time, so reading them online should not
be too difficult.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-3803669051128122522018-01-20T13:34:00.000-08:002018-01-20T13:34:10.398-08:00Some Thoughts on Preaching
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Three disclaimers: First, I don’t consider myself to be any
better than average as a preacher. Second, aside from the preaching I hear at
the church I attend, and the occasional conference, I don’t listen to much
preaching. Third, no one has ever hired me to teach homiletics. Nonetheless, I’ve
heard a lot of preaching over the last forty-some years, and I try, in my
exegesis classes, to give the students some instruction in how to preach the
passages we deal with.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Some preachers seem to be confused about some basics. A sermon
is not the same thing as a theological lecture. Some preachers don’t seem to
understand that, because their sermons focus exclusively on pouring out
information about the text, more like a commentary than a sermon. A sermon is
the explanation and application of a particular passage/topic/doctrine of
Scripture. As such, the two key elements are the clear explanation of the text
and the direct application of its message. It is not an exclusively
intellectual exercise, but is intended to get to the heart through the head.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
On the other hand, a sermon is not merely a means of moving
the emotions of the congregation. Some preachers don’t understand that, as
their sermons seem to focus on moving the emotions almost in a way that seems
manipulative. Instead, both the head and the heart of the hearer must be
involved. </div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
Sermons are less about rhetoric than they are about
connecting the text to the listener. I know that sounds vague, so an
illustration might help. A number of years ago, I heard a sermon at a conference.
It was clear that the preacher understood his text. He didn’t miss the main
point. It was well-organized and clear. The preacher had obviously worked hard
on the sermon. It was a rhetorical tour de force. But it was emotionally cold.
It had not connected with the audience, and I heard very few commendations of
the sermon afterwards. Another year, another conference, a different preacher.
This time, the preacher had been assigned a topic common in Reformed theology.
If you were to go to sermonaudio.com, and search for this topic, you would find
many sermons on it. Most of them would use the same primary texts, and the
outlines would be interchangeable. This man took a different approach. He didn’t
take one text, he took many (sort of like the Book of Hebrews) and he came at
the topic from an entirely unexpected angle. He, too, had clearly worked hard
on the sermon. As with the other, it was well-organized and clear. The
difference was that it was emotionally warm. By taking a different approach,
coming at the topic from an unusual direction, he had made the topic clear,
fresh, and applicable. He also, I think, had a clearer sense of his audience
than the first speaker. I heard some complaints (from professors) about the
approach he had taken. But I heard many more commendations of the message.</div>
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My own sense is that pastors, on the whole, spend less time
in prayer and meditation over their sermons than they should. The sermon only
begins with the exegesis of the passage or topic. It is brought to flower by
being the subject of much reflection, much prayer, and an intimate knowledge of
the congregation.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22103379.post-9137227917399030612018-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:002018-01-13T08:01:30.528-08:00On Pastoral Praying
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Hundreds, if not thousands of books have been written on
prayer. Countless sermons have been preached on prayer. But the reading of
books on prayer makes no one a praying man. The essence of prayer is in the
praying. As Nike says, “Just do it!” It doesn’t matter how articulate the
prayer is. What does matter is the praying itself. </div>
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All Christians must be pray-ers, but the pastor especially
must be a man of prayer, and this in two aspects: in private and in public. The
private prayer of a pastor also has two aspects. There is first his praying for
himself and his family. This prayer is the essential foundation to any other
prayer. The man who prays for himself prays out of a sense of need, out a knowledge
of his inability and his unworthiness. The man who does not pray for himself,
whatever his claims to the contrary, thinks he does not need prayer. But a man
must also pray for his family. To do this adequately, he must know his family—their
needs, their cares, their concerns, their fears, and their frustrations. Many
pastors have sacrificed their families to their ministry, thinking the latter
to be more important, but the family must come before the church or the
ministry. It is one of the essential qualifications for the office.</div>
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The second aspect of a pastor’s private prayer is prayer for
his church. These prayers must not be vague and general. There are of course,
general concerns and cares that are reflected, for example, in Paul’s prayers
for the churches. But it does little good to pray for the growth in grace of
John Doe if the pastor is not aware that John Doe’s wife is threatening
divorce, or that John Doe fears that he will lose his job. This sort of
information the pastor only knows if he is indeed pastoring the flock. In
addition to the prayers for the individual congregants, there is prayer for the
congregation as a whole, for its growth, for its strength, for its unity.</div>
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The pastor’s private prayer is fundamentally a matter of
discipline. He must set apart time for the exercise of prayer, and that time
should be regular. I make no prescriptions as to when, or where, or how long; only
that it must be done, and done regularly.</div>
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<span style="height: 14px; margin: 540px 0px 0px 212px; position: absolute; width: 15px; z-index: 251659264;"><img height="9" src="file:///C:/Users/Benjamin/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png" v:shapes="Ink_x0020_2" width="10" /></span>The pastor’s public prayer is a
matter of preparation. In the Puritan period in England, there was a great deal
of debate between those who preferred the set prayers of the Book of Common
Prayer, and those who argued for extemporaneous prayer. Both sides had a point,
but the points got lost in the heat of the debate. Public prayer, the pastoral
prayer that forms a part of public worship, should be planned. It need not be
written out ahead of time, but the pastor should have carefully thought through
the themes and points of the prayer before he prays. Many pastors are
particularly weak on this. There are three books, then, that I recommend for
pastors as they consider the public prayers of the church. The first is Samuel
Miller, <i>Thoughts on Public Prayer</i>. The second is Matthew Henry’s <i>A
Method for Prayer</i>. This is available as <i>A Way to Pray</i>, edited by O.
Palmer Robertson, and as <i>A Method for Prayer</i>, edited by Ligon Duncan.
The third is Hughes Oliphant Old’s <i>Leading in Prayer</i>. All three of these
are excellent resources for the pastor who desires to improve in his public praying.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Benjamin Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983772163162004808noreply@blogger.com0