Growing Up Practically Pagan

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Writing in 1937, in a book subtitled, A Study of Some Pressing Tasks and Problems of Present-Day Protestantism, William Adams Brown listed as one of the key problems this:

“The fact remains that great numbers of our children are growing up practically pagan with not even a bowing acquaintance with that greatest of all our treasures, not only as religion but as literature, the English Bible” (The Minster: His World And His Work, 164).

In 75 years this problem has only gotten worse. What steps will you and your church take this year to begin changing this? Some helps using the Read the Bible for Life material can be found here. A multitude of steps are available to us. We must act to point people to the Scriptures.

Best Reads of 2011

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Several years ago I began keeping an annotated list of every book I read each year. It has been a very useful discipline and resource for later. As part of my own review of this past year I will post here what have been the best books I have read this past year. Included in this list are only books I read all the way through. I am not addressing here commentaries or other reference books which might be consulted (my thoughts on the best new Bible reference works published in the last year can be found here). I have also listed our favorites of books read to my children this year at my blog on children’s literature.

Here then are my favorites from the year in general categories.
History/Politics
1. An Autobiography, R. G. Collingwood- A fascinating little book. I got lost some in the philosophical debate chapters but much challenging and rousing stuff on childhood, education and politics (completed in 1938).
2. Hitler in the Crosshairs: A GI’s Story of Courage and Faith, Maurice Possley and John Woodbridge (audio)- This is a fascinating story covering spiritual biography, World War II history, and intrigue. I suggested to Dr. Woodbridge it would work well as a movie and he hinted there was some discussion in that direction.
3. Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin, Bill Kauffman- Kauffmann does not know how to be boring, and he clearly warms to his topic here.This is a well written biography and powerful argument for Anti-Federalist views. Since the Anti-Federalists are so often unknown today and when they are recognized they are maligned and misunderstood, this book ought to be read. Thanks to Eric Smith for loaning me this book!
4. The Revolution: A Manifesto, Ron Paul (audio)- Very good! Paul’s candor and adherence to the constitution is refereshing. He is knowledgeable on the issues so this book would be useful to any US citizen.
5. Pursuit: The Chase, Capture, Persecution, and Surprising Release of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Clint Johnson- I have not seen much on this part of history and Johnson tells the story well. There were some surprising grammar errors, but Johnson writes in a balanced manner neither vilifying nor excusing. Shows stubbornness and other negatives of Davis but also his honor & perseverance. He corrects some common historical misunderstandings.

Fiction
6. The Year Of The Warrior, Lars Walker- This is a Viking story mixed with fantasy. I would never have known of it or probably paid it serious attention if Hunter Baker had not so warmly and consistently commended it. I was hooked right away with this tale of a priest in training who is captured by marauding Vikings eventually becoming the priest for a Christian Viking leader. Walker takes historical facts known of the time and era and weaves them into a powerful story. This becomes a powerful tale of pastoral ministry.
I also read his Blood and Judgment, which is a fascinating, well-informed fantasy take on Hamlet. Thanks Hunter!
7. Hannah Coulter, Wendell Berry (audio)- Classic Wendell Berry, this novel really appealed to me. The story is a wonderful vehicle for extolling the value of family, community, place and tradition. There are good examples for various aspects of life. Interestingly, the Okinawa chapter was very “preachy”, even protruding from the narrative. I gave copies to my mom and my wife and daughter for Christmas.
8. Noah Primeval: Chronicles of the Nephilim Book I, Brian Godawa- I mentioned this in more detail in a recent post, so here I will simply say it was nicely done. Another book in biblical fiction I appreciated was Day of War (Lion of War Series) by Cliff Graham. David’s “mighty men” sound like modern special ops with ninja moves, but it was a good read and brought to life some of the biblical characters.

Theology/Pastoral
9. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, Dietrich Bonhoeffer- A real gem, powerful on prayer and the use of the Psalms.

10. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith, Peter Hitchens (audio)- Excellent! You have probably heard recently about what a good writer his recently deceased writer his brother was. Peter Hitchens is also a very gifted writer. He reminded me of C. S. Lewis often both in his content and in the fact that like Lewis Hitchens was a delight to read not only because of the truth he wrote but simply for the sheer delight of how well he writes.
This book could have been listed under politics/history as well because it is a sharp analysis/critique of culture as well. Thanks to Phil Eyster for insisting I make time to read this book!
11. The Orthodox Pastor: A Guide to Pastoral Theology, Archbishop John Shahovsky- I stumbled across this book at a conference and read it on my plane ride home. It embodies Eastern Orthodox so there are obviously places where I differ, but it was also rich with wisdom and insight. I hope to post more on this book later.
12. The Mighty Weakness of John Knox, Douglas Bond- This is a brief introduction to Knox which does a great job of introducing the man and his relevance for us today. In his engaging way Bond brings Knox to life.

Noah, Action Hero

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Brian Godawa, screenwriter of To End All Wars, has written a “speculative retelling” of the Noah story titled, Noah Primeval: Chronicles of the Nephilim Book I. I was contacted about reviewing the book and at first was not interested. “Hollywood re-envisions a Bible story” did not sound interesting. However, when I noticed Godawa has a book on faith and film published by IVP and saw endorsements ranging from Ralph Winter (X-Men) to Marvin Olasky, I decided to give it a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book- both the theological depth and strength of writing. This is a really fun read! I was impressed by how the author built biblical plausibility into so much of the story. Of course, it is quite speculative in many areas, but overall it works. Then, the words put into the mouths of the characters are often theologically weighty and profound. One powerful scene provides a moving expression of courage rooted in trust in God’s sovereignty. Often scriptural truths, which show up after Genesis, are stated by characters in the story.

The basic idea is that Noah would have been part of a tribe. Thus, in this retelling Noah leads a tribe who remains faithful to Yahweh resisting the lure of the “city dwellers” who have been drawn into the worship of the fallen angels who have set themselves up as gods on the earth. Here Godawa draws in the creation stories from the Ancient Near East as the alternative stories created by these fallen angles to draw people away from Elohim. Noah also is struggling with trusting God in light of the sufferings he and his people have endured. This sets up a good lesson on how people sometimes struggle with faith but in the end must trust God.

Godawa has done his homework on the Nephilim (which seems to be the central interest in the series), other creation and flood stories from the Ancient Near East, the Book of Enoch and intertestamental Jewish literature as he weaves ideas from all of these into a fantasy tale. He provides several appendixes explaining his understanding of various issues which underlie the story (Nephilim, Leviathan, etc.). I am not convinced by all his interpretation, but the story still works well. He is careful to state that he is not trying to suggest this is how the Noah story even might have happened. Here are his words:

“This novel seeks to remain true to the sparse facts presented in Genesis (with admittedly significant embellishments) interwoven with theological images and metaphors come to life. Where I engage in flights of fancy, such as a journey into Sheol, I seek to use figurative imagery from the Bible … and bring them to life” (4).

I think Godawa succeeds overall (a couple of lapses) and tells a great story. I enjoyed the story immensely and was encouraged by it. This book would make great holiday reading.

The Power of Symbols, Christmas

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One of the best books I read this year was The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (who writes incredibly well, like his recently deceased brother). As we approach Christmas I was reminded of his discussion of the Communist attempt to suppress any vestige of Christmas in Russia. Drawing from written sources and his own experience living in Russia, Hitchens described the Communist concern especially to turn children away from religious interest. Then he provided the following quote from a pamphlet titled, “Against the Christmas Tree” which has been published in a series called “The Library of the Young Atheist”:

“Millions of little children are brought up by very religious grandmothers. For such children the Christmas tree represents a very great danger…. Not one Young Pioneer detachment, not one school and not one group of young and Atheists should leave children of pre-school age unattended during the Christmas holidays. The struggle against the Christmas tree is the struggle against religion and against our class enemies.” (181)

My point here is not trees but the value of symbols and traditions. When an atheistic regime sought to stamp out Christianity they were deeply concerned about the power of symbols to keep alive religious memory. Too often today Christians breezily dismiss “mere symbols” claiming to be concerned only with the “real idea.” This is short-sighted and ignorant of history and human nature- not to mention ignorant of the Bible since God saw fit to give us symbols.

The potential application of this point is broad, but, to speak of Christmas, we do much of our best teaching and discipling when we use good symbols, investing them with biblical meaning and incorporating them into meaningful, appropriate traditions. These things will stick with our children and our churches for years to come providing pegs for biblical truths and armor against cynicism. So as you prepare for and celebrate Christmas make the most of your traditions and symbols, enjoying and celebrating the appearing of God’s saving grace (Titus 2:11).

Thundering Knox Preached Grace

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John Knox is known as a thundering preacher, and he was. However, it is easy for us to associate “thundering” with condemnation. Douglas Bond, examining one of only two surviving sermons from Knox (on the temptations of Jesus), concludes:

“Knox labored to give confidence to his flock in their sanctification. There is no hint of sanctification being a condition of justification; he didn’t point his flock to fear and obedience to the law. Rather, he showed them their champion Jesus Christ, and he called them to ‘joy and bold courage.’ Because Christ their Victor had already triumphed over Satan, sin, and death.” (The Mighty Weakness of John Knox, 56)

Historical Examples as Spurs to Perseverance

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For me, there are times in ministry when I feel completely overwhelmed. The size, depth and number of the needs plus my own weakness and failures combine for a crushing despair. Many gospel  tools are needed for these situations, and one of these tools is the example of our forebears.

It is helpful for me to read John Knox writing to John Calvin:

“I am prevented from writing to you more amply by a fever which afflicts me, by the weight of labors which oppress me, and the cannon of the French which they have now brought over to crush us.”

One danger in times of difficulty is exaggerating our own challenges and throwing a pity party. It is helpful to be reminded what others have faced (and still do). Yes, our challenges are real, and we need not minimize them. We just ought not overrate them. So far, no foreign country has brought over artillery to bombard me. You may wonder if some deacons or particular members are searching for cheap canons on ebay, but I imagine you’re not being bombarded yet. The point here is not to shame us, but to remind us that we are a part of a long line of brothers and sisters who have labored for the faith and we are taking our place among them. This is ennobling, placing my struggles in the bigger picture of the outworking of God’s plan. (1 Pet 4:12)

It is, then, also helpful to me to read Knox concluding that same letter saying, “He whose cause we defend will come to the aid of his own.” The heroes of the faith persevered not by some unique ability available to them. They simply held fast to God in faith, just as we can. Their hope was the faithfulness of God. God has not changed. He is still faithful. You and I can trust him as well, hanging on, doggedly determined to be faithful to the task He has given us if it kills us- because God is faithful, his cause will not fail and we have the privilege of playing a part.

So, let us take our place in the line, knowing our labors are not in vain because our great and good God is working his purposes out and they will resound to our good and His glory (1 Cor 15:58; Rom 8:28).

(Quotes from Douglas Bond, The Mighty Weakness of John Knox, 81)

Bond-voyage! A Hymns Tour of England & Wales

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You may have noticed the ad recently inserted on the right hand side of this blog. It is for the tour led by my friend Douglas Bond covering great hymn writers in England & Wales. I can’t think of a better person to lead such a tour! My family has loved his Mr. Pipes books which are essentially such a tour in book form (you can see my reviews of these books, along with other Bond books, here). I would love, one day, to be able to take my family on one of these tours, so I wanted to make sure you knew about this opportunity.

And while we’re talking Bond, I have just begun reading his new book The Mighty Weakness of John Knox! It is good history written with the flair of a novel (as good history ought to be written!). Special deals on this book are also currently available at Bond’s website.

2011 Bibles and Bible Reference Annual Survey

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Each Fall I write an article for Preaching Magazine surveying the study Bibles and reference works that have come out in the past year. The 2011 version of the article has recently come out. Perhaps it will be useful as you make plans for sermon series in the coming year, and even as you request or purchase gifts this Christmas!

My top 6 picks of the year appear at the very end of the article.

C. H. Dodd on Paul’s Poor Writing & Defective Imagination

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The Apostle Peter tells us that in Paul’s letters “there are some things … that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). We are not surprised then to find passages which require work to understand. In these cases it becomes particularly clear whether one approaches the Scripture expecting it to conform to one’s own understanding (Does this passage fit life as I understand it?) or whether one approaches the Scripture as the true Word of God to which we must conform (it is true, how must my understanding adjust to appropriate this teaching).

I stumbled upon a very clear example of this this week in C. H. Dodd’s commentary on Romans (The Epistle of Paul to the Romans. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1932). In discussing Paul’s use of a marriage analogy in Romans 7 about the law, Dodd states, “The illustration, however, is confused from the outset” (100). He goes on to say, “We shall do best to ignore the illustration as far as may be, and ask what it is that Paul is really talking about in the realm of fact and experience” (101).

I am aware that Dodd did not share my view of the Scripture, but this level of condescension was still surprising. It only gets worse. Dodd’s concluding paragraph on this passage is below:

The two lines of illustration, then, which Paul offers, have not proved very felicitous.  He lacks the gift for sustained illustration of ideas through concrete images (though he is capable of a brief, illuminating metaphor).  It is probably a defect of imagination.  We cannot help contrasting his labored and blundering allegories with the masterly parables of Jesus, unerring in their immediate translation of ideas into pictures, or rather their recognition of the idea in the picture which life itself presents.  Paul flounders among the images he has tried to evoke, and then with unconscious humour pleads that he is trying to stoop to the weak nature of his correspondents.  We are relieved when he tires of his unmanageable puppets and talks about real things (103 – emphasis original).

Too bad for Paul. It is a shame he had a defective imagination and blundered so poorly in these letters which have shaped the Western world and have impacted millions of people the world over (believers and unbelievers). Dodd’s comments remind me of a retort Howard Marshall once gave in a seminar where someone presented an argument similar to Dodd’s (on a different passage)-  “I now have a new exam question for first year students, ‘Rewrite Paul’s argument in order to more faithfully communicate his point’.”

Yes, commentators note the challenge of this passage, but across the centuries they have not landed on Dodd’s counsel of despair.

Of course someone with a high view of the Bible’s inspiration cannot brook Dodd’s approach. However, even apart from inspiration, this dismissive condescension is foolhardy. It reminds of C. S. Lewis’ apt phrase, “chronological snobbery”- the ancients were obviously less intelligent than we are and we can explain how it really ought to have been done.

We ought beware of the hubris of assuming we- whose writings have not yet endured a generation, much less a couple of millennia- can stand in judgment over writing which has been read, understood, appreciated and applied for 2,000 years in various cultures and translations. Simple historical awareness and cognizance of our own smallness should give pause.

One suspects the defective imagination was Dodd’s.

Mark Galli “Why We Need More ‘Chaplains’ and Fewer Leaders : What’s a pastor for?”

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Mark Galli’s recent article in Christianity Today by this title is well done and resonates with the concerns of this blog. He begins by noting a typical website which suggested “chaplain” type pastors led to church decline and instead encouraged us to look for pastors with innovative ideas which would lead to “growth.” In fact it was claimed of these high energy guys, “they’ll grow it [the church] without a doubt.” The “chaplain” mindset was criticized for being concerned with bringing “healing to hurting souls.”

Of course things can be overstated, but Galli makes an important point about how our view of church has shifted. He writes:

We find ourselves in an odd period of church history when many people have become so used to large, impersonal institutions that they want that in their church as well. Thus the attraction of megachurches, where people can blend in and not be seen if they want. Many thought leaders who ponder church life naturally end up championing massive institutions and denigrating (inadvertently, to be sure) the healing of hurting souls. And this in a community whose theology is supposedly grounded in the universal and cosmic love of God who gives attention to each of us as individuals.
…
One wonders where we got our other ideas about the pastorate. For centuries, the pastorate was thought to be about “the cure of souls”souls being understood not as the spiritual part of us, but as the fullness of our humanity. The pastor has traditionally been thought of as one who does ministry in the midst of a people who are sick and dying, and who administers in word and sacrament, in Scripture and in prayer, the healing balm of the Lord.

So who told us that the pastor is primarily a leader/entrepreneur/change agent and anything but a curer of souls? And why do we believe them?

Galli defends the “chaplain” picture of the pastorate stating:

To say that a pastor is first and foremost a chaplain – someone who is the Lord’s means of healing – is not to suggest that his or her role is primarily therapeutic. It includes therapy-like moments, for example, in helping parishioners deal with their ordinary fears and worries. But it is fundamentally about the healing of souls – helping men and women, boys and girls, to become right with God, and therefore, right with others.

All I can say is Amen.

Galli closes with his own experience:

I’ve been a parishioner in many churches over many years. In each church, the pastor has been tempted, as I was, to become the great leader, to shape himself in our culture’s image of success. To be sure, the modern pastor does have to “run a church”; he or she is, in fact, the head of an institution that has prosaic institutional needs. I’ve been thankful when my pastor carries out these institutional responsibilities with efficiency and joy.

But the times I remember most, the times when my troubled soul has been most deeply affected and moved – outside of preaching and receiving the sacraments – have been when my pastor acted like a chaplain. When he pulled me aside in the narthex, put his arm around me, and prayed with me about some matter. When he visited me in the hospital. When in unhurried conversation I felt less alone, because I knew in a deeper way that God was present.

Brothers, let us be faithful in all our tasks. But let us be clear that our primary task is the care of souls. Fail in this area and we fail completely. This sort of service is not typically flashy but it does please the Great Shepherd of the sheep to whom we will give account.