R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 610
January 9, 2011
Building the Kingdom of God
Our readiness to perform our task becomes critical when we realize the world also has a mission—to capture and assimilate the church. If the church becomes an echo of the world, the mission of the world is accomplished.
It is our task to build the city of God. It is supremely costly and extraordinarily dangerous. He who will work to build the kingdom of God must be on guard against arrows that are directed at his face—but perhaps even more on guard for the arrows directed at his back.
Nehemiah's work provoked hostile reactions from some of the pagans. But the real threat was grounded in the fears of God's people. When a leader like Nehemiah, Paul, or Jesus Himself provokes a hostile reaction from enemies, the people are prone to turn on them as they bear the fallout from such attacks. Remember, it was the people who feared the wrath of Rome who turned their wrath on Jesus.
True leaders of the Christian faith, however, love believers and pagans alike and risk the hostility of both to build the kingdom of God.
Coram Deo: Do you love believers and unbelievers alike? Are you willing to risk the hostility of both to build God's kingdom?
John 17:14–16: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
January 8, 2011
Links We Liked (1/8/11)
Here is a round-up of some of the notable blogs and articles our team read this week.
The New New International Version - Writing for WORLD and discussing the new NIV translation, Marvin Olasky says that "the Walter Cronkite of Bibles is dead." You may also be interested in the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood's listing of Gender-Neutral Bible Resources or their Response to the New NIV2011.
Mass Exodus of Roman Catholics - "Most cradle Catholics who leave the church (roughly 60 percent) end up saying they have no religion, but the second-largest percentage (about 40 percent) turns to a more evangelical form of Christianity."
America by the Numbers Infographic - The New York Times offers this sampling of statistics from the newly released Statistical Abstract of the United States.
How Dare You? - Here's an interesting piece by Scott Clark on the self-esteem culture. "We shouldn't think that the culture of self-esteem has not deeply influenced the contemporary evangelical and Reformed churches. It has. It shows up everywhere in contemporary worship services."
9Marks eJournal - 9Marks Ministries has released the latest edition of their eJournal. The subject is Pastoral Moves. As editor Jonathan Leeman says in his introduction, "Quick, before you make another move, pastor, read this eJournal!"
January 7, 2011
United in the (whole) Truth
"We are prone to partiality. It is our habit not only to have preferences but to establish ourselves and pride ourselves in the preferences we choose. We play favorites and then rally around our favorites as we strive to demonstrate why our favorites should be everyone's favorites. Being partial, having preferences, and playing favorites isn't inherently wrong, so long as our partiality, preferences, and favorites are in accord with sacred Scripture. Problems quickly emerge, however, when we begin to play favorites with Scripture itself."
This is how Burk Parsons begins his editorial introduction to the January issue of Tabletalk, an issue that gives an overview of the New Testament epistles, with an eye on how they encourage and exhort the church. He goes on to show how the Christians in Corinth were playing favorites, some saying "I follow Paul" while others claimed "I follow Apollos." And along the way he finds and helps apply a lesson for all of us.
Read more in United in the (whole) Truth.
$5 Friday Returns from Christmas Break
$5 Friday returns from Christmas break and includes a collection of digital resources on marriage, spiritual growth, and the character of God. Sale starts Friday at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST.
January 6, 2011
God's Technology: An Interview with David Murray
The personal computer and the Internet have transformed the way we and our children study, play, socialize, shop, learn, and even apply for jobs. If you are a parent, teacher, or pastor, you probably feel overwhelmed by the size and speed of the changes. There are many wonderful new opportunities, but also many dangers.
In this interview, Chris Larson discusses God's Technology with Dr. David Murray, and what could be a proper Christian response to the digital revolution. In his DVD teaching series, Dr. Murray lays the foundation of four biblical principles, then makes the case for disciplined discernment in our use of technology. He then presents a practical seven-step training program to develop disciplined discernment in our children, and he concludes by showing how to apply these seven steps to Facebook use.
The DVD of God's Technology is ideal for families, schools, and churches that want to train their children to use God's good gift of technology in a God-glorifying way. This interview provides an informal discussion of those issues that the DVD series expands upon.
God's Technology DVD is available at ligonier.org/store/gods-technology-dvd/.
January 5, 2011
A Generation of Articulate Christians
[image error]Michael Morales, the Dean of Admissions for Ligonier Academy, recently took time to answer a few questions from Christianity.com about Ligonier Academy, including the role that Dr. R.C. Sproul had in shaping its vision and what his ongoing involvement will be at the Academy.
Starting with the basics, what can you tell us about the Academy and its purpose?
Michael Morales: Ligonier Academy is a Bible college offering two four-year Bachelor of Arts programs, one in Biblical Studies and the other in Theological Studies, as well as a two-year Associate of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies. Encapsulating everything Ligonier Ministries stands for, the Academy's purpose is to equip the next generation of Christians to be leaders in the church and in the world—discerning, gracious, and bold leaders who are grounded in the truths of Scripture and able to defend the faith once delivered for all. As R.C. Sproul has said, "My dream is that Ligonier Academy will supply this nation with an entire generation of articulate Christians who understand the Bible and their faith deeply, and that those individuals will then live out their faith in every nook and cranny of the world in which we live."
Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, January 2011
The January edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's issue strives to give an overview of the New Testament epistles, with an eye on how they encourage and exhort the church. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Jason Stellman, Robert Peterson, Sinclair Ferguson, David Wells, Keith Mathison and R.C. Sproul Jr.
[image error]We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have to subscribe to get those. But for now, here are links to a few select columns and articles from this month:
"United in the (whole) Truth" by Burk Parsons
"Knowing Scripture" by R.C. Sproul
"The Precious Gift of Baby Talk" by John Piper
"Time to (Re)Discover Hebrews" by Sinclair Ferguson
"The Dangers of Mixing Law and Gospel" by Jason Stellman
"The Deity of Christ & the Church" by Robert Peterson
"The Soul-Shaping Reality of the Gospel" by David Wells
"Two Thumbs Down" by R.C. Sproul Jr.
*****
If you have not subscribed yet, you should. It's only $23 for a year, and $20 to renew. You save even more if you get a 2- or 3-year subscription (as little as $1.36 per issue). Special discounts for churches or businesses are available for those who want multiple copies of each issue. Start receiving Tabletalk by calling one of Ligonier Ministries' resource consultants at 800-435-4343 (8am-8pm ET, Mon-Fri) or subscribe online.
January 4, 2011
Of Making Many Books There Is No End
One of my favorite parts of publisher websites is the "Coming Soon" section. Here the publishers announce forthcoming titles. I was recently asked to look through the "Coming Soon" section of several Christian publisher websites and share with our readers those titles that I hope to read soon after their publication. Most of the titles in the following list are academic titles, so they will not appeal to everyone.
I already know that I will disagree, perhaps strongly, with some of these books. However, I like to stay informed as much as possible with all sides on certain issues. Of course, since none of these books has been published, I cannot say whether any one of them will be good or not. I can say, however, why I am looking forward to a particular book.
Baker Academic
Paul Copan. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Many of the new atheists point to difficult passages in the Old Testament to support their accusations against theism. I'm looking forward to seeing whether or not Copan offers helpful answers to these accusations. If so, this might be a good book to give to people who are wrestling with such questions.
Christian Smith. The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism is not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture. It is difficult to tell from the publisher's description whether this book will be another critique of the Bible's authority or merely a critique of the use made of the Bible by certain evangelicals. Either way, I like to keep up with books on such topics.
Walter Kaiser. Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church. I have a long-standing interest in eschatology, and this book looks like it may provide some interesting insights into O.T. eschatology.
Herman Bavinck. Reformed Dogmatics, abridged edition. Herman Bavinck's four-volume Reformed Dogmatics was only recently translated into English. I have read this translation, so I am interested in the abridgement to see what was removed.
Khaled Anatolios. Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine. This looks like it will be a very interesting look at Nicene Trinitarianism.
Broadman & Holman
Christopher Donato, ed. Perspectives on the Sabbath. I'm looking forward to this book because I have been helping Chris with it since the very early stages. I've actually already read the manuscript, but I am looking forward to seeing the completed bound version. The four views represented are: the seventh-day Sabbath view (Skip MacCarty); the Puritan Sabbath view (Joseph Pipa); the Sabbath fulfilled in Christ view (Craig Blomberg); and the Lutheran view (Charles Arand). In each of the four sections one author presents his view. The other three authors respond, and then the first author offers a rejoinder answering the questions and criticisms of the other three.
Christian Focus Publications
Philip Ross. From the Finger of God: The Biblical and Theological Basis for the Threefold Division of the Law. The endorsements for this book caught my attention. It looks like it could be a definitive text on this subject.
Crossway
D.A. Carson. Evangelicalism: What Is It, and Is It Worth Keeping? Anything written by Carson is always worth reading.
C. John Collins. Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care. Collins has written some interesting books on Genesis 1–4 and on the relationship between science and faith. I expect this book should be interesting as well.
Eerdmans
Hans Boersma. Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry. I have a long time interest in any books dealing with sacramental theology.
Keith Ward. More Than Matter: Is There More to Life Than Molecules? It looks like it might be an interesting look at this hot-button issue of our day.
Ian Levy, ed. The Letter to the Galatians. This is the first volume in a new series called "The Bible in Medieval Tradition." This volume contains six medieval commentaries on Galatians never before translated into English.
IVP
Karl Giberson and Francis Collins. The Language of Science and Faith. I try to keep up with as many books as possible on the issues of science and faith, creation and evolution, etc. written by representatives of all views. The authors of this book are both associated with BioLogos, and both accept some form of evolutionary creationism. Because BioLogos is becoming more and more prominent in these discussions, this book may prove to be an important one.
Oxford University Press
Chad Van Dixhoorn, ed. The Westminster Assembly Minutes and Papers. This is the publication I look forward to more than any other in 2011. The multi-volume set will contain the complete minutes of the Westminster Assembly with introductions, annotations, and indexes. Much of this material has never before been published, so it will provide a wealth of contextual information.
Christopher Bryan. The Resurrection of the Messiah. I'm primarily interested in seeing whether Bryan is going to say anything that Wright or Liconoa have not already said in their recent massive works on this subject.
P&R
Derek Thomas. Acts. My hope that this commentary on Acts will find a place in my "Top Five Commentaries" blog series.
Reformation Heritage Books
Willem J. van Asselt. Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism. There is not much information about this title on the publisher website aside from the name of the editor, but knowing the quality of his previous work, this new book should be a good one.
Westminster John Knox
Kimberly Bracken Long. The Eucharistic Theology of the American Holy Fairs. Holy fairs were practiced by Scots Irish Presbyterians in nineteenth-century America. This book should provide some insight in to the development of sacramental practice and theology in America.
Alister McGrath. Surprised by Meaning: Science, Faith, and How We Make Sense of Things. Another potentially interesting book on the relationship between science and faith.
Zondervan
Michael Horton. The Christian Faith. This will be the newest complete systematic theology written from a Reformed perspective.
January 3, 2011
Shipping Department Closed for Inventory
In order to better serve our students, we will be taking inventory of our resources January 5-7, 2011. Our shipping department will be closed during this time. Orders will resume shipping on Monday, January 10. We appreciate your patience during this time.
Guippetto
Creation, one has to believe, must be a plenty cool thing. The angels, I'm sure, took their seats with a level of anticipation we can only imagine, as they waited for the curtain to go up. God said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Oh His stars that must have been something. The radiance broke forth, and the heavenly chorus sang. Glory!
Because we are still modernists, even in this postmodern age, we tend to see the glory of creation in the design stage. We think the universe a staggering marvel of engineering. We think that after the angels saw the light, that God took a time out to explain the wave properties and the particle properties, and how He balanced them in an almost incarnational way, (Jesus is, after all, the light of the world.) Like a scientist explaining an experiment, like a detective explaining a crime, God dispassionately explained His secret blueprints. We think too that this is God's pleasure in the creation, that He is tickled pink with His own elegance.
This is all well and good. The universe is quite a harmonious complexity of a watch, and our Lord quite the skilled Watchmaker. The universe, however, I believe, in the end is not so much an astounding machine as it is a way yonder too much fun toy. It is God's own toy, and His delight in it is like that of a child. The trees in the fields clap their hands not as solemn applause, but as giddy frolic. The seas roar not like a lion, but like the crowd at the football game. The mountains melt not because of a consuming fire, but from the very looseness of joy. And snow, then there is snow, an extravagant array of tiny ice sculptures coming together to form a falling curtain on the earth. No machine could ever do that. A toy, on the other hand, a globe sized snow globe, that's something God could not only make, but could play with for months on end.
Creation reflects the Creator. Its playfulness is His playfulness. And in the end, for His grand finale, He makes of us, stringed Calvinist puppets though we may be, into real boys.
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