Spurgeon is a great example of gospel preaching always bringing the great truths to bear on the minds and hearts of his hearers. This is a great quote. “I may not have many more opportunities of preaching, and I make up my mind to this one thing, that I will waste no time upon secondary …
“Only one reliable force stands in the way of the power of the strong over the weak. Only one reliable force forms the foundation of the concept of the rule of law. Only one reliable force restrains the hand of the man of power. And, in an age of power-worship, the Christian religion has become …
“…cowardice would seem to be a sort of fearful yielding of the soul” (Theophrastus, Characters [371-287 BC]) Cowardice “is a disease graver than any that affects the body since it destroys the faculties of the soul. Diseases of the body flourish but for a short time, but cowardice is an inbred evil, as closely inherent …
The method or theory of bible translation is an important and, at times, a complicated issue. It is something pastors need to consider. I have made clear elsewhere that I favor a more literal translation, rather than a dynamic equivalence approach. I don’t think dynamic equivalence translations are evil, but I think there is much …
Continue reading ‘Considering Bible Translation, Two Recent Essays’ »
I was honored last week to preach the ordination sermon for Corey Cummings, a former student. I recently posted his prayer of dedication. The audio of the sermon has now been posted as well. I took up 1 Thessalonians 2:1-3:10 where Paul describes his ministry among the Thessalonians, using his practice as an example of …
Continue reading ‘Ordination sermon from 1 Thess 2:1-3:10’ »
While reading on the King James I recently found an interesting quote from Bruno Bettelheim’s book, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Alfred A. Knopf, 1976). The portion cited was the following: “As long as parents fully believed that Biblical stories solved the riddle of our existence and its purpose, …
Robert Alter, in his fascinating book, Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible, makes this observation about the difference seen in American culture from the 300th anniversary of the KJV (1911) to today. “As I assemble these reflections on the presence of the King James Version in American writing, the fourth centennial …
Continue reading ‘KJV Anniversary & the Waning Influence of the Bible in American Culture’ »
It was my privilege yesterday to preach at the ordination of Corey Cummings, a former student of mine. As part of the service, a prayer of dedication was given which Corey had written. Because I thought this prayer expressed well the sort of things a pastor ought to desire to have prayed for him, I …
I recently came across this poem and appreciated it. It can apply to various situations, and the field of pastoral ministry is certainly one of them. Many faithful brothers never win the world or the church’s applause or even appreciation. Sometimes a faithful work fails. And every faithful work has it share of failures- and …