Castle Church Popular Posts

Bruce Waltke on Righteousness in Proverbs [Reformed Chicks Blabbing]

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:54:49 GMT

Bruce Waltke was recently at Westminster and he gave the chapel message. Here's the link to the audio. Also they recently had a forum on social justice. Here's a link to the archive where you'll find the MP3s from the...

Source: Reformed Chicks Blabbing
Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ReformedChicksBlabbing/~3/250871316/bruce-waltke-on-righteousness.html

Westminster Assembly Project [Backwoods Presbyterian]

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:17:00 GMT

Website worth your time:

Westminster Assembly Project

The Westminster Assembly Project exists to make the writings of the Westminster Assembly and its members available to scholars and to the general public. It is the umbrella title for several subprojects, one of which seeks to publish the minutes and papers of the Westminster Assembly. We hope that as this site develops it will prove useful for researchers focusing on Puritanism, the English civil-war, post-Reformation theology, or the history of Presbyterianism and Congregationalism.

Source: Backwoods Presbyterian
Link: http://backwoodspresbyterian.blogspot.com/2008/02/westminster-assembly-project.html

Dever on Church Membership and Discipline [Between Two Worlds]

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:52:00 GMT

Andy Naselli has some audio and video of Mark Dever speaking on church membership and discipline at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/02/dever-on-church-membership-and.html

Tonight's Academy Lecture --Amillennialism 101 Continues" [The RiddleBlog]

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:22:35 GMT

I'm continuing my series entitled "Amillennialism 101." This is the third lecture in the series, and deals with "Interpreting Bible Prophecy--Part Two" from a Reformed amillennial perspective.

Academy lectures here held at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, they begin at 7:30 PM and are free of charge. There is a time for discussion and refreshments are served.

Click here: Christ Reformed Info - Schedule of Academy Classes and Author's Forums

Source: The RiddleBlog
Author: Kim Riddlebarger
Link: http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2008/2/29/tonights-academy-lecture-amillennialism-101-continues.html

The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses [Between Two Worlds]

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:24:00 GMT

Vern Poythress's book, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, is now available online for free.

Here is the table of contents:

Part 1: Understanding the Different Aspects of the Law

Part 2: Understanding Specific Penalties of the Law

HT: Keith Plummer

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/02/shadow-of-christ-in-law-of-moses.html

Muether on Van Til [Between Two Worlds]

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:09:00 GMT

Here are a few blurbs for John Muether's forthcoming biography, Cornelius Van Til: Reformed Apologist and Churchman:

“An outstanding introduction to the life and thought of Westminster Seminary’s premier apologist. Muether writes with the spirit of Van Til’s apologetic: suaviter in modo, fortiter in re—‘gentle in persuasion, powerful in substance.’ Read and be persuaded by the powerful impact of Van Til’s gentle yet confrontational blend of vigorous thought, gracious service, and Presbyterian churchmanship. This is essential reading for understanding Van Til’s unique and creative integration of the best of the Dutch Reformed tradition with the strengths of American Presbyterianism, which gave birth to presuppositionalism and continues to energize interest in worldview analysis.” —Peter A. Lillback, President, Westminster Theological Seminary

“John Muether does a masterful job of tracing the personal history of this ‘father of presuppositionalism.’ He also shows the inextricable link between Van Til’s own call as a minister of the gospel and his task of training men for gospel ministry to be self-conscious in their apologetic method. As Muether weaves together the various strands of Van Til’s life and career, one can readily see, in a way not clearly seen before, that it was Reformed theology, and not philosophy, that shaped Van Til’s work as a Christian apologist. I could not put this book down.” —K. Scott Oliphint, professor of apologetics and systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

“Highly interesting and engaging. Particularly helpful is how Muether sets Van Til’s work in the context of contemporary academic and especially ecclesiastical debates. He presents many new angles on Van Til’s life that promise to enrich our appreciation and evaluation of him.” —David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple professor of systematic theology and Christian ethics, Westminster Seminary California

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/02/muether-on-van-til.html

Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 4 [Reformation21]

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:16:48 GMT

From the Westminster Bookstore blog:

"Thanks to Baker Publishing, we now offer you the chance to peruse the detailed Table of Contents and thorough Editor’s Introduction from the much-anticipated fourth and final volume of the complete English translation of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics. Volume 4 is titled Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. It is due out this May."

Source: Reformation21
Link: http://www.reformation21.org/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/?pm=114&vobId=7227

Westminster Shorter Catechism Project [Reformation21]

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:36:27 GMT

James Grant passed along a link to a site that looks very helpful: The Westminster Shorter Catechism Project.

It includes the catechism, along with links to works and commentary by John Flavel, Thomas Watson, Thomas Boston, James Fisher, John Whitecross, and others.

Source: Reformation21
Link: http://www.reformation21.org/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/?pm=114&vobId=7206

Banning Human Cloning [Between Two Worlds]

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:41:00 GMT

Leon Kass suggests how to do it.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/02/banning-human-cloning.html

Soul Patches: a Defence of the Trueman Hypothesis [Reformation21]

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:01:47 GMT

Some may remember that a few months back I argued that soul patches on ministers were a sign of pathetic middle aged men in the uncoolest and untrendiest calling on earth trying to pose as -- say it ain't so -- cool and trendy. Well, a friend in Grand Rapids has challenged that thesis.

Source: Reformation21
Link: http://www.reformation21.org/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/?pm=114&vobId=7191

Two Testaments, One Story [Triablogue]

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:58:00 GMT

Christianity Today has an interview with G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson on their recent publication, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament.

Source: Triablogue
Link: http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2008/02/two-testaments-one-story.html

Mohler: Top 10 Books Every Preacher Should Read in 2008 [Between Two Worlds]

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:13:00 GMT

Each year in Preaching Magazine Al Mohler lists his "top 10 books every preacher should read." Here's the new list for 2008:

1. Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching: In Honor of R. Kent Hughes, edited by Leland Ryken and Todd Wilson

2. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical
Interpretation, by Graeme Goldsworthy (IVP Academic)

3. Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, by John MacArthur (Thomas Nelson)

4. A City Upon a Hill: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History, by Larry Witham (HarperOne)

5. Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution, by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach (Crossway)

6. Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society Through Christian Higher Education,
by David S. Dockery (B&H Academic)

7. After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of
American Religion, by Robert Wuthnow (Princeton)

8. God’s Ambassadors: A History of the Christian Clergy in America, by E. Brooks Holifield (Eerdmans)

9. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, edited by D. A. Carson and
G. K. Beale (Baker Academic)

10. Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters, edited by Donald K. McKim (IVP Academic)

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/02/mohler-top-10-books-every-preacher.html

Save Our Seminary? [Green Baggins]

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:19:24 GMT

Posted by Lane Keister

It is difficult for me to write concerning my alma mater at a time like this. In so writing, I do not wish to steal the thunder from Gary Johnson, who will be writing shortly on the particulars of this website. Instead, consider this post as a shot across the bow, as a preparatory post, a prelude. I have many friends among the students who have signed this document, and I count Enns, Kelly, Green, and Taylor my friends. I count them as brothers in Christ certainly.

My question for the folks who have signed this document is this: what do you suppose is the motivation behind those faculty members who have been disturbed by Enns’s book? If all one read was the website referenced above, one would think that anyone concerned about some of the things in Enns’s book was a witch-hunter. The website advocates that the seminary be saved from such faculty. That is not explicit in the text of the document, which does not name names. However, the “villains” have been clearly identified for anyone who has ears to hear.

Let me say right here and now that I will put my entire reputation, integrity, and everything else on the line and vouch for the faculty that those who have concerns about Enns’s book have them because they want a confessional seminary. And, I would add, anyone who wishes to suggest that a confessional seminary cannot be creative needs to go jump in the lake. Would anyone accuse Gaffin and Poythress, for instance, of being uncreative? Look at their writings. And some, I suppose, might accuse them of being non-confessional. I would not, and would contest anyone who would.

I do not wish to sound like I know better. But let me say this: if three entire departments told me that I had said something wrong in my book, I would hope (I have an ego, too, so I don’t know for sure) that I might reconsider what I said in the book. Proverbs 9:8 is very important here: “Do not reprove a scoffer, for he will hate you. Rebuke a wise man, for he will love you.” I do not regard Enns as a scoffer, mind you. I was primarily thinking of the last half of the verse. Enns has a lot of wisdom. I am the better for his wisdom. So, as a wise man, he should be humble. The fear of the Lord and great humility are some of the signal marks of wisdom. I can well imagine that the prospect of rejecting some of one’s published writings would make one think that he has been humiliated, attacked, etc. His own precious infant had been attacked. That’s probably how I would feel. So, I can imagine that the thought of any kind of recantation is hateful to him. So, in asking him to reconsider his book, I know that I am not asking of him something easy. It is terribly difficult to admit error, especially if one has a Ph.D. from Harvard. Nor do I ask him to recant everything in the book. I found many helpful things in the book. The Christological implications of the incarnational analogy in the form that he presents are what trouble me. Let him not think that the faculty hates him. Let him rather think that this discipline is actually part of love. If I were going astray, I would hope that my fellow presbyters would corral me back into the fold. I would love them for it. Otherwise am I an illegitimate child, and no true son of the King.

I will say one more thing. I had lunch with Enns once. It was a very enjoyable experience. We talked about creativity. I told the story about my music composition professor in college who told me that boundaries spur creativity far more than the lack thereof. If I were to sit down and say, “I’m going to write a piece of music,” I would be absolutely stymied. I have no conception of what I could do. But if I say, “I’m going to write a theme and variations for organ pedal solo” (which I did), the piece practically leaped out of me. The question then became: what can I do within those boundaries? The more rigid the boundaries (and feet are a bit rigid!), the more creative I became. The analogy here is this: one does not find truly biblical creativity by escaping the boundaries of confessional orthodoxy. The boundaries establish the prerequisites for creativity. Modern theology needs to recover this insight, or the entire theological enterprise is completely and utterly doomed.

Source: Green Baggins
Author: greenbaggins
Link: http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/save-our-seminary/

Mark Dever Interviewed about Richard Sibbes [Faith by Hearing]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:01:19 GMT

Timmy Brister interviews Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., and president of 9 Marks Ministry, about the Puritan preacher Richard Sibbes. Dever wrote the definitve biography on Richard Sibbes, first as a dissertation, and then as a book. Dever discusses Sibbes’ life, theology, and both Brister and Dever discuss issues with the SBC and other denominational concerns in light of Sibbes point of view.

Brister is responsible for starting the 2008 Puritan Book Reading Challenge; a challenge to read 12 Puritan classics in 1 year, one each month. The book assigned for January is ‘The Bruised Reed’ written by, you guessed it, Richard Sibbes. My wife and I are unofficially participating in the challenge, reading ‘The Bruised Reed’ together aloud. Each month Brister plans to conduct one interview to coincide with the book assigned to that month.

All in all, this is a helpful and interesting interview. The challenge is a great effort.

Mark Dever on Richard Sibbes mp3>>>

Source: Faith by Hearing
Author: Todd
Link: http://faithbyhearing.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/mark-dever-interviewed-about-richard-sibbes/

Audio Books: Stott and Mohler [Between Two Worlds]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:41:00 GMT

Just received in the mail a copy of audio books that readers of this blog may be interested in: The Cross of Christ, by John Stott, and Culture Shift, by Al Mohler. You can listen to samples by following the links to the Christian Audio website.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/01/audio-books-stott-and-mohler.html

Videos on "When Sinners Say 'I Do'" [Between Two Worlds]

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:35:00 GMT

Sovereign Grace Ministries has set up a YouTube page of videos related to Dave Harvey's book, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage. Here are the videos:

Why I Wrote This Book

02:37

Why a book on marriage? And why talk so much about sin? Dave Harvey explains.

Chapter 1: What Really Matters in Marriage
02:41

What determines the quality of your marriage? Dave Harvey explains in this overview of chapter one: "What Really Matters in Marriage."

Chapters 2-4
02:29

Often the deepest conflict is the one we're not aware of, and our fiercest enemy is within our own hearts. Dave Harvey points us to the only hope for victory in this overview of chapters two through four.

Chapter 4: Taking It Out for a Spin
03:44

What actually causes conflict in marriage? You may be surprised at the answer in this overview of chapter four.

Chapter 6: Forgiveness, Full and Free
03:37

Is restoration possible after sin devastates a marriage? Hear one couple's story in this overview of chapter six.

Chapter 7: The Spouse in Sin
03:18

Growth in holiness is not a solo project. In this overview of chapter seven, Dave Harvey explains how to humbly, patiently, and courageously lead your spouse to repentance.

Chapter 8: Stubborn Grace
04:28

God's grace doesn't just bring you to conversion, then leave you on your own. In this overview of chapter eight, Dave Harvey explains how the grace of God provides staying power for your life and your marriage.

Chapter 9: Concerning Sex
03:01

Sex. It's a topic that has everyone's attention. But it's easy to forget that this topic has God's attention as well. In this (G-rated) overview of chapter nine, Dave Harvey explains what the gospel has to do with this part of marriage.

Chapter 10: When Sinners Say Goodbye
04:12

It's been said that all we need to do is live long enough, and we'll be bereaved. In this overview of chapter ten, Dave Harvey talks about maintaining hope when "death do us part" actually happens.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/01/videos-on-when-sinners-say-i-do.html

Reflections on the 34th Anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Decision… [Building Old School Churches]

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:10:23 GMT

Intro: Admittedly this has only a tenuous connection to the subject of building Old School Churches, but today is 34th Anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history, the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme court decision of January 22, 1973. Because the simple phrase “34th Anniversary” doesn’t really carry the [...]

Source: Building Old School Churches
Author: Andrew Webb
Link: http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/reflections-on-the-34th-anniversary-of-the-roe-vs-wade-decision/

Enns vs. Helm vs. Beale [Between Two Worlds]

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Here's the history and links:

Paul Helm reviewed Peter Enns's book, Inspiration and Incarnation.
Enns responded.
Now Helm responds in kind.

And for those who might be interested, here's a recap of the exchanges between Enns and Greg Beale over this book:

G. K. Beale, "Myth, History, and Inspiration: A Review Article of Inspiration and Incarnation," JETS 49 (2006): 287-312.
Peter Enns, “Response to G. K. Beale’s Review Article on Inspiration and Incarnation," JETS 49 (2006): 313-326.
G. K. Beale, "Surrejoinder to Enns's Response," SBTJ (spring 2007).
G. K. Beale, “Did Jesus and the Apostles Preach the Right Doctrine from the Wrong Texts? Revisiting the Debate Seventeen Years Later in the Light of Peter Enns’s Book, Inspiration and Incarnation,” Themelios 32.1 (2006): 18-43.
Peter Enns, "Response to Greg Beale," Themelios 32.3 (May 2007): 5-13.
G. K. Beale, "Surrejoinder to Peter Enns," Themelios 32.3 (May 2007): 14-25.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/01/enns-vs-helm-vs-beale.html

Are there Errors in the Bible? [Tim Challies]

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:00:00 GMT

A few days ago I received an email from a reader of this site who was concerned about how to answer those who claim that the Bible is a book filled with error and contradiction. Such claims are common and, sadly, are more and more being put forth even from within evangelical circles. This reader affirmed his belief in the inerrancy and authority of Scripture but was looking for some guidance on how to answer the multitudes of claims against the Bible.

I’d like to take that on. At first I was going to do that in a single, short article. But as I thought about it and as I began writing, I determined it would be best to first lay some groundwork. I’ve written about this subject in the past and find it a deep and fascinating one. I think I would do well to revisit some of the doctrine of Scripture and from there to examine the question this person has asked me. So we’ll likely make this a three-part series.

The doctrines regarding the Bible have been discussed and debated at length throughout the history of the church. At the time of the Reformation, the main thrust of the debate had to do with the Bible’s authority, and whether the Bible would be the sole ultimate authority over the lives of Christians over against popes, creeds, councils and the Catholic Church. In more recent days, the doctrine of the Bible’s inerrancy came under intense discussion and scrutiny. In response, several evangelical leaders, including Francis Schaeffer, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, Roger Nicole and James Boice, created an organization called The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. This organization had as its purpose “elucidating, vindicating and applying the doctrine of biblical inerrancy as an essential element for the authority of Scripture and a necessity for the health of the church of God” (James Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace, page 68”). Three gatherings were held which produced three scholarly documents, the first of which was “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.” The second dealt with principles of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) and the third with the application of Scripture. These documents still stand as pillars on the subject. Though the majority of Christians agree with them, it is becoming increasingly common today to doubt or question such fundamental doctrines.

In his book Scripture Alone, James White has a chapter entitled “Definitions: More Than Half The Battle.” He is absolutely right that properly defining terms is often more than half the battle. Whenever I discuss this subject of inerrancy, I find that very few terms receive any clear definitions. While a term like “inerrancy” has a consistent theological meaning, this does not indicate that every person who uses the word means the same thing by it, and that the person truly understands it. I will suggest an appropriate definition of inerrancy shortly.

I found also that the issues at stake go far deeper than merely the inerrancy of Scripture. They extended to areas such as the canon of Scripture, the authority of Scripture and the inspiration of Scripture. Perhaps this is because, although inerrancy stands on its own biblical merits, it is also a doctrine constructed from other doctrines. While the Bible contains many passages that prove it true, it is also true that it follows logically from other doctrines of Scripture. So before we can approach inerrancy, I believe we need to step back and examine aspects of these other doctrines. We will do that briefly in this article. Certainly there is much more that could be said about any of these subjects, so understand this as a mere introduction.

Authority

When we examine the Bible’s authority, we must begin by answering the question of, “What does the Bible say about itself?”. We find throughout Scripture that the Bible claims for itself a position of unique and supreme authority. In doing so it appeals only to its own authority for proof because there is no greater authority to which it can appeal. After all, if something is the ultimate authority, to what else can it appeal? Were the Bible to appeal to our reason to substantiate its authority, it would implicitly show that human reason is a higher authority. In an article written a couple of years ago by a popular blogger I found cause for concern when he expressed one of his main disagreements with inerrancy is that it did not “feel right.” “My problems with inerrancy have been going on for a very long time, and I’ve heard it presented and taught by the best. It’s never sat well with me, probably because I have a lot of literary interest in the text of scripture, plus I don’t like to be bullied. I get a rash.” But as I indicated, the Bible does not appeal to our feelings or our reason for its authority. Nor could it while remaining Scripture.

We can define the doctrine of Scripture’s authority as follows: “The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, page 73). I do not know of any Christians who claim that they have the right to disbelieve or disobey what God has taught in Scripture. They may do this in their lives (and we all do, at times) but I do not know of any who believe Scripture gives us such license. This doctrine forms the basis of apologetics, for we can only appeal to the Scripture when we trust its authority.

Inspiration

Closely related to the authority of Scripture is the inspiration of Scripture. Inspiration tells us how the Bible was transmitted from God to men. We find that the Bible draws its authority and inerrancy from the indisputable fact that it is inspired by God. The Bible teaches that “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). The words the ESV translated as “breathed out by God” are also translated “inspired” and this is the basis of inspiration. This is explained further by the apostle Peter who writes, “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20,21). The Holy Spirit was actively involved in bringing God’s words to humans.

The actual form this inspiration took is much disputed. We know from reading the Scripture and observing the different styles of writing and differing levels of expertise in writing, that God did not merely use men as automatons. If He had done this, we would expect to find a consistent writing style throughout. Somehow God used the specific skills, backgrounds and situations of the authors to transmit His words. Zechariah 7:12 sheds light on this. “…lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets.” We see that the ministry of the Holy Spirit extended to the whole and to the individual parts (…the words that the Lord of hosts…).

The Testimony of Scripture

If it was God who inspired men to write the Bible, what does that teach us about Scripture? Is it possible that Scripture, as it was given from God to men, can be anything less than perfect? Would God lie? Would He write in only half-truths? The Bible tells us otherwise:

2 Samuel 7:28 - “And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.”

Numbers 23:9 - “God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Psalm 12:6 - The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

We find a consistent Scriptural witness that God does not lie, for He is incapable of telling falsehood. The men who wrote God’s words, had supreme confidence in the rest of His words. If God is incapable of telling a lie, it follows that the words He spoke to those who wrote the words of Scripture must also be perfectly true. At this point, I trust we have sufficient Scriptural basis to conclude that Scripture is authoritative and that the words given by God to men were without error. But how can we know that the words we have today accurately represent those words?

Canon

Many people do not understand the concept of canon and this is especially true in the fallout of The Da Vinci Code and hundreds of similar books. There seems to be a misconception that when the Bible was compiled as one book made of many different books and letters, people were engaged in gathering together some writings attributed to God and publishing them in one volume, much as one might do with the writings of a favorite poem or play-write. But this is not how the canon came together. The Bible is more than a “best of” compilation of God’s writings.

The term “canon” originally referred to a stick which was used for measurement. It later came to describe a standard or rule. By extension, it came to describe an authoritative list of something. In the case of Scripture, it speaks of the authoritative list of God’s writings, yet it is more than a mere table of contents. It refers to all the writings that were breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). Thus without the act of inspiration, there could be no canon.

As we have seen, canon refers to the entire body of an author’s work. Allow me to provide an example. If we look at the canon of a man like John Piper, we would say that it includes Desiring God, The Passion of Jesus Christ, Don’t Waste Your Life and so on, from the first book he wrote to the last. The canon of John Piper would only be complete when it included every word he had ever written. But who can infallibly know a person’s canon? In truth, only the author really knows what he or she has written. John Piper may have many books available to us, but who is to say that every word of his has been made available to us? Who is to say that he has not released other books under a pseudonym? Only he infallibly knows his canon. Similarly, it is only God who infallibly knows all He has written. The Scriptural evidence compels us to believe, then, that if we have the complete canon, God helped people find out what it includes. When the Bible was compiled into the book we know and love today, it represented every word God had ever written. So there is a sense in which the primary task of the men who compiled the Bible was to find the complete canon of God. The primary measure they used was whether a book was inspired by God.

This is a topic that could (and perhaps should) be covered at length, but I am not writing today to defend the canonicity of Scripture. As far as I can tell, most people who struggle with inerrancy, do not deny that the canon of Scripture represents God’s words to us.

Transmission

The final topic I will write about in this opening article is transmission which describes how the words of God were transmitted from the original documents to what we have today. This is a topic that can only be done justice in a much longer treatment, so allow me to merely point to some of the facts. We possess a wealth of biblical manuscripts in the original languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. John MacArthur aptly summarizes as follows: “With this wealth of biblical manuscripts in the original languages and with the disciplined activity of textual critics to establish with almost perfect accuracy the content of the autographs, any errors which have been introduced and/or perpetuated by the thousands of translations over the centuries can be identified and corrected by comparing the translation or copy with the reassembled original. By this providential means, God has made good His promise to preserve the Scriptures. We can rest assured that there are translations available today which indeed are worthy of the title, The Word of God” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook, page xxii).

And Now…

Having begun to define terms and provide background to the study of inerrancy, I will turn at last to the doctrine in the next article.

Advertisement:

Source: Tim Challies
Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/challies/XhEt/~3/215025957/are-there-errors-in-the-bible.php

Slate on Joel Osteen's theology: "an eerily collapsible spiritual narcissism" [The Vossed World]

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:06:00 GMT

Chris Lehmann, on Joel Osteen and his new book, writes the following in Slate: "if you bracket all the scary, irresponsible health-and-wealth cheerleading that jolts through "Become a Better You", this exurban image of God the indulgent dad is among the more troubling features of the gospel according to Osteen. For it turns out that the divine hand turns up everywhere, at least in Joel Osteen's life. God upgrades his reservations to first class on a long international flight; God spares his car in a water-planing wipeout on the Houston interstate; God allows Osteen and his wife/co-pastor, Victoria, to flip a property "for twice as much as we paid for it" in a once-sketchy Houston neighborhood; God swings a critical vote on the Houston zoning board to permit Lakewood to move to its mammoth Compaq Center digs—and God even saw fit 35 years earlier to ensure the engineer who designed the ramps leading to the Compaq Center provided easy parking access for Lakewood. This is a long, long way down the road from the inscrutable, infant-damning theology of this country's Calvinist forebears—it is, rather, a just-in-time economy's vision of salvation, an eerily collapsible spiritual narcissism that downgrades the divine image into the job description for a lifestyle concierge. Lakewood and Osteen seem to keep God so preoccupied it's a wonder He can ever find the time to stock his fridge or whip out His wallet."

Lehmann points out that Osteen's health, wealth, and prosperity gospel is vaccuous of substance: "Joel, who succeeded to the Lakewood pulpit on his father's death, has pointedly refrained from pronouncing visions, performing wonders of the spirit such as speaking in tongues, or really doing much biblical preaching at all. He has the wardrobe and tirelessly dapper mien of an oil industry lobbyist; it's as a walking advertisement of the success creed, and not as any manner of prophet, that he's made his name. "I'm not called to explain every minute facet of Scripture or to expound on deep theological doctrines or disputes that don't touch where people live," he writes dismissively in Become a Better You. "My gift is to encourage, to challenge, and to inspire." Hence, it seems, the erect-posture pointers, the counsel to "get in the habit of smiling on purpose," and Osteen's monotonous hymning of the health and wealth gospel of Word-Faith. "It doesn't please God for us to drag through life like miserable failures," he scolds. The Creator "wants you to succeed; He created you to live abundantly."

Apparently the faith once for all delivered to the saints that clearly excludes Mormons such as Mitt Romney just doesn't "touch where people live".

Source: The Vossed World
Link: http://breusswane.blogspot.com/2008/01/slate-on-joel-osteens-theology-eerily.html

Understanding Dispensationalism [Between Two Worlds]

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 04:22:00 GMT

Vern Poythress's book, Understanding Dispensationalism, is now online.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Getting Dispensationalists and Nondispensationalists to Listen to Each Another
Chapter 2: Characteristics of Scofield Dispensationalism
Chapter 3: Variations of Dispensationalism
Chapter 4: Developments in Covenant Theology
Chapter 5: The Near Impossibility of Simple Refutations
Chapter 6: Strategy for Dialogue With Dispensationalists
Chapter 7: The Last Trumpet
Chapter 8: What is Literal Interpretation?
Chapter 9: Dispensational Expositions of Liternalness
Chapter 10: Interpretive Viewpoint in Old Testament Israel
Chapter 11: The Challenge of Typology
Chapter 12: Hebrews 12:22-24
Chapter 13: The Fulfillment of Israel in Chris
Chapter 14: Other Areas for Potential Exploration
Postscript
Bibliography

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/12/understanding-dispensationalism.html

Biblical Theology [Between Two Worlds]

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:29:00 GMT

James Grant points to a new, free online course by Miles Van Pelt (Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson) on biblical theology.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/12/biblical-theology.html

Warfield on Inerrancy [Reformation21]

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:39:05 GMT

A pithy reminder from B.B. Warfied's classic work on The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible:

"[W]e do not adopt the doctrine of the plenary inspiration of Scripture on sentimental grounds, nor even, as we have already occasion to remark, on a priori or general grounds of whatever kind. We adopt it specifically because it is taught us as truth by Christ and His apostles, in the Scriptural record of their teaching,a nd the evidence for its truth is, therefore, as we have already pointed out, precisely that evidence, in weight and amount, which vindicates for us the trustworthiness of Christ and His apostles as teachers of doctrine."

Source: Reformation21
Link: http://www.reformation21.org/Reformation_21_Blog/Reformation_21_Blog/58/?pm=114&vobId=6930

Wilson on "Future of Justification" [Between Two Worlds]

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:05:00 GMT

Doug Wilson plans to blog his way chapter-by-chapter through Piper's The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright.

Source: Between Two Worlds
Link: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/12/wilson-on-future-of-justification.html

What Makes a Good Elder [Building Old School Churches]

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:37:08 GMT

If you aren’t familiar with John Piper, you really should be. Piper is a Baptist Pastor, and Reformed, and he has written some amazingly insightful books. He has quite an ability to draw out and write on the experiential or heart issues of the Christian faith. Normally he writes for Christian laypeople, but in 2002 [...]

Source: Building Old School Churches
Author: Andrew Webb
Link: http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2007/12/11/what-makes-a-good-elder/