Cry Out To Jesus
Whatever your concern, burden, hurt, obstacle, weight – Cry Out To Jesus
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New ESV Study Bible
Many in the Christian community have been eagerly awaiting the new ESV Study Bible. Demand has already been a bit overwhelming for Crossway. Pre-publication demand exceeded 100,000 copies. This is a true study Bible combining dozens, even hundreds, of resource materials for in-depth examination of the Word of God. Personally, I have enjoyed the ESV translation immensly. My friend David Porter had a review up on his website within 24 hours of receiving his copy.
Look what I just received yesterday! I just received my first copy of the new English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible! I was so excited to receive it, the first thought that came to my mind was to photograph it for my blog. For this first post, on the new ESV Study Bible, I thought I would share with you my first impressions. 1.) Wow! This is a huge text! According to my blue Chinese desk ruler, this text, lying on its back, it is 2 1/8 inches deep! That depth competes with the copy of Dr. Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology" that also sits on my desk. 2.) 2,750+ pages! 3.) Another reason for my enthusiasm, is affinity. Dr. Wayne Grudem was the General Editor of this project. Wayne is also my Sunday School teacher. There are two other contributors, to this project, that I know from my home church: Dr.(s) Paul Wegner & John DelHousaye. Further still, there are many contributers who are my mentors from afar. Examples include, J.I. Packer, Vern Poythress, Darrell Bock, John Piper, and quite a few more. Additionally, there are many scholars, from all over the world, who I look forward to getting to know. With the Internet, it is incredibly easy to plug right into their minds! 4.) Content! Of course, first and foremost, this is God's sacred text. But as you all know, this text can be difficult to understand. With this study Bible you literally have scores of the world's most brilliant minds, holding your hand all along the way. I noticed also, that this study Bible also touches on some of our culture's most difficult challenges such as abortion, world religions and cults, foundational doctrines, and much, much more. 5.) On-line ESV Study Bible website. I haven't perused this additional value as of yet, but I did get, with my new Bible, a secret password that unlocks features that evidently allow me to personalize the site. For example, evidently I will be able to keep notes, on the web, of my studies. My mind reels with the possibilities of such an on-line resource and the possible community that could be formed around the study of God's word.
Whatever your translation preference, the ESV Study Bible will be a worthy addition as you grow in your understanding of God's Word.
Theological Studies For Pastors And Others
Between Two Worlds has a great post on how pastors can keep current with theological study. After almost 30 years as a pastor, I can attest to the difficulty with moving forward in this area. Staying up with current works on culture and biblical study is challenging. Finding time for personal reflecction is hard when you have read the passage many times before. The press of daily duties always looms large.
1. Build it into the things you’re already doing. (QT, sermon prep, discipling, etc.)
2. Stop wasting so much time on the internet. (pick just 2 or 3 blogs to read, and look at them once a week; stop wasting time updating your Facebook, Linkedin, and MySpcae pages, etc.)
3. Always have a book nearby. (capture the spare moments)
4. Build time for reading and reflection into your schedule. (you’ll be amazed how much time is freed up if you do #2! But beware, a pastor’s schedule abhors a vacuum, so if you don’t block out the time, something else will fill it in.)
5. Have a plan. (if you aim at nothing you’re sure to hit it.)
6. Read primary sources, not commentary. (you don’t have time to waste on the commentators. Read the Bible and the people who have written important theology. You can do it. You don’t need a PhD to read Luther, Calvin, Augustine, Edwards, Grudem, Frame, etc)
7. Don’t do it alone. (cultivate a theological conversation among your leaders. They will correct your idiosyncrasies and keep you accountable. It will also create a culture of theological seriousness in your church, which will benefit everyone.)
8. Let the Scriptures, not our culture, set the agenda. (Trying to keep up with our culture’s agenda is a chasing after the wind. On the other hand, if the Scriptures set the agenda, you’ll be ready for anything the cultures blows at you.)
9. Church History and Historical Theology are the pastors Cliff Notes to theology. (Other people, smarter than me, have already faced the stuff I face and have figured a lot of things out. I can stand on their shoulders and look like a genius! The cultural package may have changed, but there’s nothing new under the sun.)
Between Two Worlds: How Busy Pastors Can Work Theological Development into Their Schedules.
Hermeneutics Quiz
How do you interpret Scripture? What are the rules you follow to understand what the Bible meant then and how it should be applied today?
These are just two of the questions one asks when learning hermeneutics. This discipline applies to all ancient literature but is under attack by those contemporary philosophers that promote ‘personalizing’ the text. That is, it means whatever it means to you. This is of course the logical extension of post-modernism into the arena of literature.
Biblical interpretation requires higher standards and more rigorous discipline from believers. We are not free to ‘personalize’ a text in this way. Moses, Paul, and Isaiah had something to say and we need to grasp what they meant, not merely what we want.
Scot McKnight has developed an interactive quiz along with Christianity Today. I suggest you take the test and reflect on what your score means for your personal walk with Christ and your commitment to Scripture.
BTW – I scored 52 which makes me Conservative in my approach to Scripture
War of the Holy Books
The Christian Post has a great article about the ongoing holy war between Christianity and Islam. Many believe that Christianity will win the war because of the widespread availability of the Christian Bible.
Why isn’t the Koran widely translated and distributed? The Koran must be memorized in the original Arabic and cannot be changed in any way according to conservative Imams.
Sounds like all the sound and fury of the debate over the King James Version. “Only 1611 will do!”
Read the full article here.
Questions for God
Is God real? Is the Bible true? What do Christians believe? Why does God allow evil?
These are questions that non-Christians and Christians alike have been asking. A new book, “The God Questions,” was originally intended to enable Christians to invite friends to church. But pastors and co-authors Dr. Hal Seed and Dr. Dan Grider discovered that Christian believers were as unclear about biblical answers as their friends were.
Here is a great article
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