Sammy and His Shepherd

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Sammy and His Shepherd: Seeing Jesus in Psalm 23, by Susan Hunt
Illustrated by Cory Godbey
(Reformation Trust, 2008), hb., 50 pp.
Ages 3-8

My family has appreciated Susan Hunt’s other books for children so I was excited to see this one. She works through the 23rd Psalm line by line, with each chapter illustrating one line with the narrative of a sheep named Sammy. The story is engagingly written and Mrs. Hunt has obviously done some research on Psalm 23. Sammy meets a sheep from another fold where the shepherd does not care for his sheep. This reminds Sammy of the great care he receives. Eventually Sammy’s shepherd purchases this other sheep even though the other sheep seems likely to die and to be of little worth. The emphasis on free grace is clear and helpful. The story does a good job of encouraging children to deeply trust the Lord, to know of His deep love, and to desire to love and follow Him.

The book is also nicely illustrated and discussion questions are given for each chapter. Mrs. Hunt’s brief preface is also a good encouragement for reading with your children. I commend this book to your family and as a good gift for others.

E. V. Hill, His Wife’s Funeral

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As part of the pastoral labor my wife and I do a fair bit of pre-marital counseling. As we were doing some more of such counseling this Fall I remembered hearing, while in college, a recording of Pastor E. V. Hill preaching his wife’s funeral. It was a powerful sermon filled with insight and anecdotal wisdom on marriage and parenting. Since I have lost the tape I had of the sermon I searched youtube and was delighted to find that the sermon is available there. It is found in two parts and is well worth listening to.

The sermon was preached in 1987 and is titled “My Wife’s Death in Biblical Perspective.” His text was Job 1:21, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Throughout the sermon he refers to his wife with the name he called her, “Baby.” He explains at the beginning of the sermon that he did not choose to preach her funeral to display special strength; rather, he said, “I stand fulfilling a task my member asked of me.” His wife, one of his church members, asked him to preach her funeral so he did so.

The first part of the sermon (all of part 1 and into part 2) Hill expounds “The Lord giveth” in reference to his wife as a gift from God. He said, “In my wife He gave a great gift.” Along the way he acknowledged the labors of his wife’s parents in raising a godly pure woman. In this section he digresses to talk about parents’ (especially fathers’) roles in selecting spouses for their children (about 2:55-6:50 in part 1). The story of him turning away from his door a young man who had come to see his daughter is classic. It is a good example of fathering well and is humorously told. Hill told the congregation plainly, “some of these relationships have to be broken up!” This was no passive fathering! He also said, “You can’t get no race horses out of mules!” He goes on to encourage male headship and to extol the femininity of his wife.

At the end of Part 1 and beginning of Part 2 (you can just pick up at the beginning of Part 2) he tells a couple of stories to illustrate his statement, “She was my protector.” These stories move me even as I listen to them for the 50th time. He tells about a time when he took on a business venture that she had warned against and then he lost a large sum of money in it. She did not berate him or hold it over his head. Rather, in a very touching way she extolled his virtues rather than his failings. At another time when they did not have enough money she did not complain but tried to obscure the fact that their lights had been cut off by setting up a candle light dinner. Of these instances he stated: “She could have broken me at that point. … she could have broken my spirit … and demoralized me.” But instead she supported him and believed in him. There is also the story of how she sought to protect him from a death threat by placing herself in the way (you’ll have to listen to it).

Lastly, he takes up “the Lord taketh away” (about 4:30 in Part 2) making the important point that a sign of Christian maturity is being able to say “Blessed be the name of the Lord” not only when the Lord gives but also when He takes away. This is such an important point. Then as he repeatedly shouts “Blessed,” it seems to me that he is right there practicing what he is preaching, blessing the Lord in that moment acknowledging that the Lord had indeed taken away the wonderful gift He had given in Mrs. Hill. The sermon closes in a moving anticipation of heaven.

I could listen to this sermon over and over. It means a lot to me for various reasons not least because I have been blessed with a wife who has supported me in similar ways. This model and message needs to be shared. So I encourage you to listen to this sermon and pass it along to others.

David Dockery’s Annual Booklist

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Each year, Dr. Dockery typically circulates a list of top picks of books from the previous year. He just sent out the list for this year and kindly gave me permission to post it here for any who might be interested. Here is his list with his introductory comments:

Of the making of books there is no end . . . (Eccl. 12:12). Trying to keep up with the books that are made seems to get more challenging each and every year. Some of you have asked if I had plans to publish the recommended books list for 2008. I know that it is time to shop for good books for good friends and family members, and perhaps to pick up a book or two for yourself. I have tried to keep the list to books published in 2008, though a few 2007s found their way onto the list.

Baggett, David, Gary Habermas, and Jerry Walls. C. S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness and Beauty IVP, 2008.

Beale, Greg K. We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry. IVP, 2008.

Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament.
Baker, 2007.

Berding, Kenneth and Matt Williams, Editors. What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Their Writings. Kregel, 2008.

Carson, Donald A. Christ and Culture Revisited . Eerdmans, 2008.

Colson, Charles with Harold Fickett. The Faith. Zondervan, 2008.

Copan, Paul. When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics. Baker, 2008.

Crouch, Andy. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. IVP, 2008.

D’Souza, Dinesh. What’s So Great about Christianity Tyndale, 2008.

Dyrness, William A. and Veli-Matti Karkkaianen, editors. Global Dictionary of Theology. IVP, 2008.

Elshtain, Jean Bethke. Sovereignty: God, State, and Self (Gifford Lectures). Basic, 2008.

The ESV Study Bible, Crossway, 2008.

Flew, Anthony. There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. Harper One, 2008.

Forster, Greg. The Contested Public Square: The Crisis of Christianity and Politics. IVP, 2008.

Garrett, James Leo. Baptist Theology: A Four Century Study. Mercer, 2008/09.

George, Robert P. and Christopher Tollefsen. Embryo: A Defense of Human Life. Doubleday,
2008.

Harris, Alex. Do Hard Things. Multnomah, 2008.

Haykin, Michael A. G. and Kenneth J. Stewart, editors. The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuity. B&H, 2008.

Horton, Michael. Christless Christianity. Baker, 2008.

Jacobs, Alan. Original Sin: A Cultural History. HarperCollins, 2008.

Jenkins, Philip. The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia…and How It Died. HarperCollins, 2008.

Kaiser, Walter. The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments. Zondervan, 2008.

Keller, Tim. The Prodigal God. Dutton, 2008.

Lindsley, Art. Love The Ultimate Apologetic. IVP, 2008.

McGrath, Alister. Doubting: Growing Through the Uncertainties of Faith. IVP, 2008.

Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Atheism Remix. Crossway, 2008.

Morgan, Christopher W. and Robert A. Peterson, editors. Suffering and the Goodness of God. Crossway, 2008.

Nichols, Stephen J. Getting the Blues: What Blues Music Teaches us About Suffering and Salvation. Brazos, 2008.

__________. Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of Christ. IVP, 2008.

Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Berkley Publishing, 2006.

Poe, Harry L. Edgar Alan Poe. Metro Books, 2008.

Redmond, Eric. Where Are All the Brothers? Crossway, 2008.

Schreiner, Thomas. New Testament Theology. Baker, 2008.

Schultz, Quentin J. and Robert H. Woods. Understanding Evangelical Media: The Changing Face of Christian Communication. InterVarsity, 2008.

Smith, Christian. Passing the Plates: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money. Oxford, 2008.

Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Belknap, 2007.

Toobin, Jeffrey. The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. Anchor, 2008.

Wells, David. The Courage to Be Protestant. Eerdmans, 2008.

Whitlock, David W. and Gordon Dutile, editors. A Noble Calling: Devotional Essays for Business Professionals. Wipf & Stock, 2008

Wittmer, Michael. Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus is Not Enough. Zondervan, 2008.

A Very Short Intro to Augustine

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Earlier this week I mentioned reading a couple of short books over Thanksgiving and commented on one of them. The second book is Henry Chadwick’s Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2001). This book is only 134 pages and is a great size for carrying in a coat pocket. Chadwick, who died earlier this year, was a prominent Anglican theologian well acquainted with the writings of Augustine, and he provided here an accessible stimulating overview of the life and work of this key theologian of the early church.

As I have said before, I think these brief surveys of key people or issues by people imminently familiar with the topic and qualified is a great service to the rest of us. I had a basic awareness of Augustine already but this book in brief compass has substantially increased my awareness and appreciation of Augustine, his formative influences, setting and writings.

Here is a sampling of quotes from the book. Quotes directly from Augustine’s works are indicated by two sets of quote marks and reference to the source:

“Among ancient men he had an unsurpassed power to articulate feelings.” 1

[as he was moved towards conversion]”The professor of rhetoric found that his copy of the Pauline letters was becoming important to him.” 26

“Vision will be granted to him who lives well, prays well, and studies well” (O ii. 51) 36

“Augustine records with some astonishment that there were contemporary Christians in Africa who read no book other than the Bible . . . . He was sure that wider studies were necessary. A biblical scholar needed to know some history, geography, natural science, mathematics, logic, and rhetoric (how to write and speak clearly and appropriately). There could be places where a little knowledge of technology might well help the interpreter. Certainly some knowledge of Greek was most valuable for checking translations and variant readings.” 27

“…one should begin each day not with complacency that one has survived another day but with compunction that one more day of one’s allotted span has forever passed.” (T xiii.12) 45

“The lay community met regularly for daily prayers and recitation of the Psalter. (It is hard to exaggerate the importance of the Psalter for Augustine’s spirituality; psalm quotations have been shown to be essential to the very structure of the Confessions.)” 46

“He wanted to be a monk, not a busy town parson continually beset by unreasonable people.” 58

“He who does not think of the world to come, he who is a Christian for any reason other than that he may receive God’s ultimate promises, is not yet a Christian” (S 9.4). 59

“But he was sure that those who praised a bishop for being easygoing could only be wicked people (P 128.4).” 63

“At long last I came to love you, beauty so ancient, yet ever new.” (C x.37). 74

“Take away justice, and what are governments but brigandage on a grand scale?” (CD 4.4). 106

“. . . but he remained pre-eminently a master of persuasive speech. . . . A fascination with words never left him.” 125-126

Abbreviations of sources:
O- De Ordine (On Order)
T- De Trinitae (On the Trinity)
S- Sermones (Sermons)C- Confessions
C- Confessions
CD- De Civitate Dei (The City of God)

2008 Bibles and Bible Reference Survey Article

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The latest issue of Preaching Magazine contains my survey of new Bibles and Bible reference materials (e.g. commentaries) that have come out since last fall. The longer web version of the article is now available online as well.

There were quite a few new study Bibles that came out in this time period like the ESV Study Bible, the NLT Study Bible, the Orthodox Study Bible, the Chronological Study Bible and many others. I comment on each of these as well as language helps, commentaries, surveys, and biblical theology. The web version, though does not show that the magazine decided to print a photo of me this time and chose to use this photo!

This issue also includes interesting items from Walt Kaiser and Sidney Greidanus on Christo-centric preaching (not available without a subscription).

Atheism Remix

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Over Thanksgiving I read a couple of smaller books, one of which was Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists, by Al Mohler. It is a very helpful book which I commend to you.

I had heard of the book but had not seen it and did not know its aim. I decided to read it over this break because it was short. It is the sort of “short book” that we could use more of: one written by someone very aware of the issue and which summarizes carefully an important topic helping others to be aware of a significant topic or conversation. Mohler does not here seek to provide a thorough refutation of the New Atheists (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens), but summarizes their writings and their place in the history of ideas so that the rest of us who have not read all the relevant books and articles can be more aware of what is going on. This is very valuable for a variety of people, not least pastors whose members may be hearing about these writings. I benefitted significantly from this overview.

One thing I noticed, which Mohler pointed out, was how often these atheists (like many before them) rejected Christianity after being exposed to a pretty lousy example of Christianity. It is as if people are inoculated against Christianity by being exposed to a very weak strain of it. Once that weak strain is conquered, they are then impervious to examples of vibrant Christianity. The analogy does not hold entirely, but it reminds me again of this point: laboring for the purity and vitality of the church is not drag on evangelism but is, in itself, evangelistic. The greatest hindrance to the advance of the kingdom is an impure church; and, the greatest tool for the advance of the kingdom is a pure church.

Amend ETS: A Successful Effort

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I have been away from the blog for the last week due to a busy schedule at the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). Readers of this blog know that my friend Denny Burk and I had co-sponsored an effort to amend the doctrinal basis of the ETS and that the vote on the measure was to take place last week. Now that the meeting and the vote are over, the story can be told and reflections given.

In short, we feel that our effort was successful, even though the Society decided not to adopt our specific proposal. The final vote was 130 opposed and 47 in favor (with 177 total votes cast, it was an abysmal turn-out for such an important vote). How can I claim that our effort was a success after we got only 26 percent of the vote? Let me explain.

Denny and I are realists. We knew over a year ago that our proposal had very little chance of getting the support of a majority of the ETS, much less of the 80 percent super-majority that is required to amend the doctrinal basis. When the Executive Committee (EC) made clear their intentions to oppose our measure last year, we knew that its passage would be highly unlikely. Nevertheless, we pressed forward with our effort because we thought that there would be something to be gained by soldiering on.

What Was Gained by This Effort?
First, we believed that if we pushed forward we might be able to spur the EC on to take this matter up for themselves. It was clear on Friday that we had achieved that goal. After the final business meeting, we were assured that the EC would be taking up this issue to see if there is any significant interest among the membership to clarify the ETS’s evangelical commitments. We are grateful for this result and will support the EC’s efforts in this regard going forward.

Second, we thought it would be good and healthy for the Society to debate the matter publicly and for everyone to get their cards out on the table. I have to say that the two sessions of debate and discussion were some of the most stimulating sessions I have ever been to at ETS. To hear the members speak both for and against was highly instructive. I think we have a much better feel for how different members think about things as a result. Moreover, Denny and I were encouraged that so many distinguished members stood to speak in favor of our proposal: Wayne Grudem, Al Mohler, Michael Haykin, John Warwick Montgomery, Robert Saucy, and others. We have the utmost regard for dear brothers who stood to oppose it. ETS needs to be a place where people of good will can debate and disagree without rancor and without fear of recrimination.

The Meaning of the Vote
I think there may be some misunderstanding about the meaning of the vote. The vote tells us only that 130 members by and large did not favor our specific proposal. The vote did not tell us that there is no will in the Society to change the Doctrinal Basis or to implement some other compromise position.

How do I know that this is the case? There were members who spoke at the debate in favor of our proposal but who nevertheless voted against it in the business meeting. These members liked the idea of a change in principle, but for whatever reason could not sign the specific amendment that we were sponsoring. So the vote didn’t tell us much about the Society’s will to make changes. It only told us that the Society didn’t favor our proposal. Denny and I like our proposal, but we aren’t married to it. Through deliberation and debate, the Society may come up with something even better. For these reasons, it is good that the EC will be exploring the issue further.

Going Forward
As the EC considers polling the membership and discussing what might be appropriate changes to the doctrinal basis, here are some questions that need to be answered before any other proposal comes forward.

(1) What is the distinction between a doctrinal basis and a doctrinal statement? After the debates, I am even more convinced that the membership does not understand what this distinction is. The EC assumes that the distinction was vital to the formation of the Society, but I believe that point still to be in dispute. I have read the founding documents and the minutes from the deliberations at the founding meeting. These documents show that the word basis was used not to define a “methodological principle,” but to designate the basis for membership. I do not see in those documents that the founders distinguished “basis” from a “statement as the EC has argued.

That being said, it may very well be that the distinction could be a helpful one to make. But it needs to be one that the whole Society understands and affirms, not one that comes down from a historically dubious reading of the founding of ETS. If the Society does decide to embrace such a distinction as vital, then for consistency’s sake the Society should remove the Trinity from its doctrinal basis. As it stands now, the Society has spoken to the issue. In 1990 when the Trinity clause was added to the doctrinal basis, the Society was saying in effect that the doctrinal basis can be expanded without turning it in to a doctrinal statement. As a matter of history, therefore, the EC has the burden of proof in making the distinction that they have made.

(2) Does the Society want to expand the grounds upon which a member might be expelled from the ETS? According to the ETS constitution, membership challenges can only proceed based on defections from inerrancy and Trinity. Does the Society want to enumerate other evangelical identity markers upon which one’s membership might be terminated (e.g., the person of Christ, salvation by grace through faith alone, etc.)? We still believe that a basic evangelical affirmation needs to be included in the doctrinal basis itself.

It may very well be that the Society has no will to expand the basis for membership challenges. If that is the case, there are a number of ways in which the Society could clarify its basic Evangelical commitments without expanding the grounds for membership challenges.
One, the Society could adopt a “doctrinal abstract” and insert it into the constitution. Members would then be required to affirm the current “basis” and the new “abstract,” but then membership challenges would happen based on defections from the “basis” only. In this scenario, members would be affirming a fuller evangelical statement each year when they renew their membership, but their membership would only be in jeopardy if they were to deny inerrancy or Trinity.

Two, the Society could simply add a fuller statement to its by-laws, just as it added the Chicago Statement a few years ago. Of course the statement would in no way be binding and members would not even have to affirm it. Nevertheless, it would give some direction to prospective members who want to understand what we mean by “Evangelical” in the name of our Society.
As far as these two compromise positions are concerned, Denny and I would favor the first over the second.

What Now?
As for Denny and me, we are happy that the EC is taking a leadership role in the continuation of this effort. We will support them as they do so, and we look forward to seeing how the membership will respond. We do not intend at this time to put forth another proposal but will wait and see what the EC is able to achieve in the coming months

Children of the Covered Wagon

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Children Of The Covered Wagon, by Mary Jane Carr
Revised and edited by Michael McHugh
(Christian Liberty Press, 2005), pb., 275 pp.
Ages 8+

This is an older book which has been revised and edited, though there was no indication of the previous publication date or the extent of the revising and editing. The story itself “chronicles the trials and tribulations of a company of pioneer men, women, and children who braved the dangers of the Oregon Trail in 1844″ (from the Preface). The story focuses on a particular company’s travel to Oregon relating, primarily from the perspective of one of the young boys, the difficulties, adventures, sufferings, and joys of the people along the way.

My boys had been learning abut this era, and this book really helped us grasp more of what it must have been like for the people who made this journey. The book “humanized” the Oregon Trail for us. As we read of them leaving family behind, eventually having to dump prized possessions along the trail in order to keep moving and fearing Indian attack we were brought into the story. More than once my boys commented along the lines of “Wow, that would have been hard!” The story was not as consistently exciting as some others, but it was valuable in coming to a better appreciation of this era in American history.

The Prince’s Poison Cup

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The Prince’s Poison Cup, by R. C. Sproul
Illustrated by Justin Gerard
(Reformation Trust, 2008), hb., 35 pp.
Ages 4+

R. C. Sproul’s writings have meant a lot to me for many years, so several years ago I noted with interest when he began writing children’s books. This is the first of his children’s books I have read however. I am now all the more interested to get his other children’s books.

This story is a good allegorical retelling of the gospel. The story begins with a little girl who loves to hear stories from her grandfather. She asks him, “If medicine helps us get better, why does it always seem to taste so bad?” From this question the grandfather tells her a story of how “sometimes things that seem terrible are actually very good.” What follows then is medieval story of a people who rebelled against their good King (the King of Life) and drank from a forbidden fountain. As a result the people became wicked and abandoned the King. Eventually the King’s Son, the Prince came and drank the deadly poison himself. The poison killed him, but the King brought him back to life. The Prince’s action also turned the poisoned fountain into a life giving fountain that restored the people to the King.

The story is well woven bringing in many facets of Christ’s ministry and giving a good grasp of the atonement in basic terms. A discussion guide is also provided in the back to help parents discuss the book with their children. This is a great tool, because although the connections will seem obvious to those raised in the faith, this guide ensures that you can give this book to people with no background in the faith and they will be sure to see the connections being made.

I commend this book heartily. Books like this are wonderful on various levels. For one, I like to be able to present the gospel regularly to my children from various angles. Secondly, this is a great tools for parents, helping them as they read to their children to better grasp the gospel and to learn to interpret some of the imagery of the Bible. Then, this is helpful not only for believing parents, but it can also be a good evangelism tool as you give books like this to non-Christian parents. Often time parents who do not profess faith will want their children to have some exposure to Christianity. Anyone reading this book- young or old- will hear the gospel, and that gospel is still the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16)!

Lastly, the book also portrays a healthy family situation where a grandfather is involved in the life of hid grandchildren, where he is considered a source of wisdom, and where adults take time to tell stories and explain the gospel to children.

Applying the Doctrine of Hell

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We must teach our people doctrine. As we do so, we must also apply the doctrine well- thoroughly, convincingly, pastorally, searchingly- so that it cannot be no mere mental exercise but having addressed the mind it moves the heart bringing about conviction, joy, repentance, worship, etc.

I am currently teaching our church’s Sunday School class on the Doctrines of Sin, Man and the Person of Christ. This week the topic was the doctrine of Hell with an emphasis on its reality and eternality. Here is the portion of my notes dealing with applying this sobering truth.

What are the practical, pastoral, every-day implications of this truth that those who die in their sins will suffer eternal torment as their judgment?
1. Evangelism– If you care about people, and realize the truth of this doctrine you cannot help but labor, pray and speak the gospel so that souls might be saved from this result.

2. Pity on the lost– In addition to seeking their salvation, this truth should cause us to have extra pity on unbelievers, even if they mock, mistreat, or abuse us. It is this truth which will allow us to forgive them as we see that they will be judged.

3. Don’t envy the unrighteous– Psalms 73 & 37. It will seem at times that those who ignore God get ahead, but as the Psalmist notes, contemplation of their final end will keep us from dishonoring God by envying the wicked.

4. Forgive- We can forgive those who wrong us, not hold grudges, and forego retribution because we know that God will punish all sin, even those which go unpunished here & now. This is what enables people to go on when justice is not meted out.

5. Greater awareness of Christ’s suffering on the cross- If the punishment deserved for an individual’s sins requires eternal torment, what must Christ have suffered as he received in his body the punishment deserved by thousands/millions in a period of no more than three hours?
With this in mind we are all the more prepared to sing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and many more of or hymns.

6. Worship- The more you realize the horror of what we deserve and see that God has graciously rescued you from that, your heart should well up in worship! Regardless of what troubles beset us today, this greatest of our troubles- receiving the fury of God’s righteous wrath- has been removed by the cross of Christ! Let us then exalt the Lord our God. Let us bear this in mind as we come to the Lord’s Table this morning.