Three Things Worth Checking Out

Here are three recent things I’ve read or listened to that are worth your time.

1.) Steve Wellum’s faculty address on The Extent of the Atonement and Ecclesiology.  Listen to it here.  HT: LXX Studies via Barabbas.

2.) An interview with Greg Beale on his book: A New Testament Biblical Theology.  Read it here (begins on page 8).

3.) Carl Trueman’s talk on Why the Reformation Isn’t Over.  Listen to it here.

Liberal Theology in a Sentence

Al Mohler:

H. Richard Niebuhr famously once distilled liberal theology into this sentence: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”

Read the whole article here.

How to Fight Biblical and Theological Ignorance

Matt Svoboda at SBC Voices has some good words about fighting biblical and theological ignorance.  His second point resonated with me.  Here is what he wrote:

Don’t be soft on Sundays- Many churches have fallen into this thought process that we have to preach as if everyone is as theologically slow as a turtle. But they aren’t. If we never move beyond a 5th grade level of biblical depth our congregations won’t either. Remember, church is primarily for believers. Colossians 1:9-10 encourages us to grow in the “knowledge of God and to bear fruit in every good work.” Sadly, most sermons do not help people grow in the knowledge of God, but rather merely encourages people to “live good christian lives.” Our transformation is based on what we know about our great God. We can’t grow more intimate with God without growing in our knowledge of him. I can’t grow in love for my wife if I don’t continue to learn about her.

My belief has always been to challenge your hearers to ”come up” to your level of understanding, rather than always “going down” to their level.  Certainly this doesn’t imply confusing your hearers, but it does mean stimulating their minds to deeper and greater thoughts about God and Scripture.  Good to see that someone else agrees.  Read it here.

Comparing Dispensational Theology and Covenant Theology

Jason Robertson at Fide-O has put together a helpful comparison between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology.  Read it here.

The Late Great Planet Church

The Nicene Council has produced a DVD on the history and rise of Dispensationalism: The Late Great Planet Church.  I have not seen the DVD, but Nathan Pitchford has posted a helpful review.  Read it here.

Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology

Zondervan has a new Counterpoint Series book due out in November: Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology. 

Here are the contributors:

- Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.: A Principlizing Model
- Daniel M. Doriani: A Redemptive-Historical Model
- Kevin J. Vanhoozer: A Drama-of-Redemption Model
- William J. Webb: A Redemptive-Movement Model

Should be interesting.  See it here.

Recovering Theological Hermeneutics

CBD has Recovering Theological Hermeneutics, by Jens Zimmermann for only $4.99.  See it here.

Huge Discounts at CBD

Christian Book Distributors has some incredible deals on some excellent resources.

• New Testament Commentary Set ($89.99)
• Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, D. Martin Lloyd Jones ($6.99)
• Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhof ($9.99)
• Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge ($17.99)
• Isaiah, John Goldingay ($4.99)
• 1-2 Kings, Iain Provan, ($4.99)
• Deuteronomy, Christopher Wright ($4.99)
• Philippians, F.F. Bruce ($4.99)
• Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, Leslie Allen ($4.99)
• Out of Egypt, Craig Bartholomew ($6.99)
• Kingdom of Priests, Eugene Merrill ($7.99)
• Concordance of the Septuagint ($34.99)
• Encountering the Old Testament, Bill Arnold ($14.99)

Top Ten Books of 2008

Its that time of year again.  Here are my top ten books of 2008.

Beale on Inerrancy

Jim Hamilton provides a summary of G. K. Beale’s argument for biblical inerrancy.  I think it is important to recognize that Beale’s argument is rooted in a biblical-theological understanding of Scripture.  In other words, doctrinal subjects such as inerrancy cannot be divorced from the biblical plotline in which they are disclosed.  Read it here.