How Calvinism Lost its Way

Over at the Koinonia blog, Douglas Estes has written an interesting post on how some Calvinists have inappropriately used their Calvinism as a club to beat people over the head with. If you're a Calvinist, take notes on how not to act toward your non-Calvinist brothers and sisters.

See his post here: "Return to Calvin: A Personal Reflection on how Calvinism has Lost its Way."

Jesus Wore Pants!

So says this baptist pastor.

Sigh.

The use and abuse of Deuteronomy 22:5 continues. For a sane response see Claude Mariottini's post here.

(HT: Claude Mariottini)

The Role of Doubt in Faith

While reading through Paul L. Redditt's Introduction to the Prophets, I came across this probing piece on the relationship between doubt and faith:

Too often people think that doubt is the opposite of believing, and sometimes doubts do drive people to despair of the adequacy of their religion. Such an outcome is not necessary, however, since doubt may serve the greater good of driving someone past pat answers to more satisfying answers. Doubt takes seriously the religious belief or structure under attack and the pertinence of the opposition. Such grappling may lead to deeper faith.

--Paul L. Redditt, Introduction to the Prophets (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008), 122.

Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention?

Block, Daniel I., ed.

Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention?

Nashville: B & H, 2008. Pp. xxii + 346. Paper.
$27.99. ISBN 9780805446791.

Appearances can be deceiving. The title alone may lead one to think this book is about proving whether or not the Israel of the bible actually existed in ancient history. Not so. It’s actually a collection of essays delivered at a conference on the bible and archaeology in January, 2004, held at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, the purpose of which was “to explore the significance of archaeological discoveries of the past century for the interpretation of the Bible and our understanding of the nation of Israel” (6). All the conference papers (minus one) were updated and revised for inclusion in the book. An additional essay not delivered at the conference (by John M. Monson) was added.

The first essay, written by Daniel I. Block, serves as a general introduction to the book and sets the stage for the essays that follow. He notes that while more resources and new methods of investigation have helped scholars progress in their reconstruction of the social and political world of the ancient Near East, the “effects” these results have had on both “the scholarly world and the public in general,” in reference to ancient Israelite history, have been mixed (4). Many believers find the entire enterprise useful only for apologetic reasons (i.e., in order to prove the bible true) while many nonbelievers find it helpful for debunking the bible.

In “scholarly circles” terms like “maximalist” and “minimalist” are tossed about, “often used disparagingly of others by those who are involved in the discussions” (4). There are extremes on both sides. For instance, there are some who eschew “literary conventions and genres” and use “the genealogies in Genesis to date the age of the earth” (5). And there are others who, in spite of “the discovery of a 9th century BC Aramaic inscription that contain[s] the expression, byt dwd, ‘house of David,’” deny that the David of the Bible ever existed (6). But “thankfully,” says Block, “there is room for a more respectful middle way” (6). He explains:

A high view of Scripture will not make the Scriptures say any more than they want to say—the problem that plagues many Christians—but nor will it refuse to let the Scriptures say what they want to say—a common problem among cynics. Perhaps if we adopt a more realistic stance and pay closer attention to the literary nature and the intentions of the biblical texts on the one hand, and to the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record, on the other, we may find room for modesty in both the conclusions we draw and the style with which we discuss those conclusions (6).

The essayists are evangelical scholars who share a high view of Scripture but do not set out to “prove the Bible.” Rather, in line with the modest, middle way approach described above, their goal is to understand the Old Testament text in its historical and cultural contexts and show how the world of the ancient Near East can “open new doors into the collection of books we hold to be sacred” (6). Along the way, readers are “introduced to ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Luwians, Canaanites, Moabites and Ammonites” (7).

The book is organized logically and chronologically, beginning with three essays (excluding Block’s) which deal with issues of methodology in reconstructing ancient Israelite history. The rest address various issues spanning from the times of the patriarchs all the way to the post-exilic period. The final essay is sort of like a “case study” on the importance of understanding the literature and culture of the ancient Near East for interpreting the Old Testament. The essays and contributors are as follows:

• Israel—Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? (Daniel I. Block)
  
• The Value and Limitations of the Bible and Archaeology (Alan R. Millard)
  
• Contextual Criticism as a Framework for Biblical Interpretation (John M. Monson)
  
• North-West Semitic Inscriptions and Biblical Interpretation (Joel Drinkard)
  
• From Joseph to David: Mari and Israelite Pastoral Traditions (Daniel E. Fleming)
  
• Major Geographical Issues in the Accounts of the Exodus (James K. Hoffmeier)
  
• Slavery and Slave Laws in Ancient Hatti and Israel (Harry A. Hoffner Jr.)
  
• Were the Israelites Really Canaanites? (Alan R. Millard)
  
• Syria and the Bible: The Luwian Connection (Richard S. Hess)
  
• David and Solomon’s Jerusalem: Do the Bible and Archaeology Disagree? (Alan R. Millard)
  
• Who Were Israel’s Transjordanian Neighbors and How Did They Differ? (Gerald L. Mattingly)
  
• Shalmaneser III and Israel (K. Lawson Younger Jr.)
  
• Did the Israelites Really Learn Their Monotheism in Babylon? (Simon J. Sherwin)
  
• Did Persian Zoroastrianism Influence Judaism? (Edwin M. Yamauchi)
  
• Interpreting the Bible as an Ancient Near Eastern Document (John H. Walton)

The essays are written at a scholarly level and are heavily footnoted. I found the essays on methodology by Millard (his first), Monson, and Drinkard to be well balanced and persuasive. Much more can be said but an analysis of each essay is beyond the scope of this review. Overall, Israel—Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? is a good, up-to-date work on how evangelical scholars are rightly using the fruits archaeological discoveries for the benefit of understanding the bible and the environment in which it was produced.

I'm Still Here!

Has it really been almost 4 months since my last post? Wow. Well, I've been pretty occupied this year with family, work, and school. I hope to begin blogging more frequently sometime next month. (Truth is, however, I'm not the kind of blogger who posts two to three times a day, 7 days a week - in case you haven't noticed!) I have a few book reviews coming soon on Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? and Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus. So Stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

The holidays are now over, which means some of us can finally rest a little easier. This was Matthew’s first Christmas and New Year, leaving no doubt who the center of attention was at all our family gatherings. Let’s just say he’s all partied out right now. Having him with us this time around made the holidays so much more enjoyable!

I got some great new books this Christmas and I’m looking forward to reading them all:

The Truth of the Cross (R.C. Sproul)

Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living like Jesus is Not Enough (Michael E. Wittmer)

The Flames of Rome (Paul L. Maier)

Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (John M. Frame)

The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament (Sandra L. Richter)

How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic (Madsen Pirie)

The following two books, which I plan to review here shortly, I received courtesy of B&H Publishers and Westminster John Knox Press respectively (thanks!):

Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? (Daniel I. Block; B&H)

Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus (William R. Herzog II; WJK)

Last but not least, my beautiful wife bought me an awesome Sony Walkman mp3/video player! I can now listen to music, sermons, lectures, debates, and watch pictures and videos wherever I go. What’s remarkable (or sad) is that I’m the last person in my family to get an mp3/video player. Even my mom has one!

I hope your holidays were no less exciting and pleasurable.

Jürgen Moltmann: Coming Together at the Cross

"Ecumenism is realized only (but then also world-wide) where we find ourselves beneath the cross of Christ, and mutually discover ourselves beneath his cross as brothers and sisters, as the hungry in shared poverty (Rom. 3.23), as people imprisoned in shared sin. Beneath his cross we all stand there with empty hands. We have nothing to offer God except the burden of guilt and the emptiness of our hearts. Beneath the cross, people are not accounted Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox. There the godless are justified, enemies reconciled, the imprisoned freed, the poor made rich and the grieving filled with hope. That is why beneath the cross we also discover ourselves as children living from the same freedom in Christ, and as friends in the same fellowship of the Spirit."

--Jürgen Moltmann, God For A Secular Society: The Public Relevance of Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999), 204.