Justin Taylor's Blog, page 343

Out of a Far Country

The book is Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope. It's co-written by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan. I've only been able to read the first chapter thus far, but it immediately puts you into the midst of their pain and brokenness. I trust God will use it to show grace and truth to many families struggling with similar situations.

"Out of a Far Country is a true-life parable of saving grace for a prodigal mother and a wayward son who needed God's forgiveness. Their story will warm the heart and lift the spirit of every parent who prays for a wandering child and every believer who needs to be reminded why the gospel is good news."

—Philip G. Ryken, president of Wheaton College in Illinois

"This is the story of God's persistent chase of a wayward son through the prayers and love of a determined mother. But even more, it is a testimony to the fact that loving God is a far more satisfying pursuit than following our own desires. I am thankful that Christopher and Angela are willing to be so transparent about their journey. Christopher's desire to follow Christ regardless of the struggle stands as a model for all who desire to love God with all their heart."

—Joseph M. Stowell, president of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan

"Out of a Far Country reads like a modern rendition of the prodigal son parable, only it is more gripping. The journey taken by Christopher Yuan is rarely documented. Be prepared, for the raw emotions of both mother and son authentically mark every page. The spiritual lessons to be gained from this book are many. May it gain a vast audience!"

—J. Paul Nyquist, president of Moody Bible Institute

His Greatest Failure as a Pastor

Justin Buzzard:

About ten years ago I heard Ben Patterson, campus pastor of Westmont College, say something that I will never forget. Ben told the story of a retired pastor who began noticing that his former congregation was sliding away from orthodoxy. The pastor saw this as his fault, noting the one thing he thought he did most poorly as a pastor. The pastor stated, in two sentences, his great failure as a pastor:

I always told people what to believe.

My great mistake is that I never told my people what NOT to believe.

Update: You can listen to Patterson's whole talk here: "Courage in Christian Ministry." It's a bracing, sobering, encouraging talk, conveyed out of personal trial and much grace. It's well worth your time.

Thanks to commenter Steve for reminding me of the original source.

The Most Important Discovery in the History of Archaeology?

Ziad al-Saad, the director of the Jordan's Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, on some miniature lead codices: "They will really match, and perhaps be more significant than, the Dead Sea Scrolls," and "maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology."

Larry Hurtado, a leading scholar of early Christianity, responds:

Chill, dude.  Take a breath.  OK, I know that you need to puff public interest in support of your efforts to obtain possession of these items (which he alleges were illegally taken out of Jordan into Israel), and I know that you also want to get as much publicity out of this as possible for your institution, but these comments only make you look silly.

You can read more of his caution here.

In another post, "<blockquote><p>. . . [I]t's clear that there's a significant interest to which those manipulating these reports hope to appeal. But, as a scholar of early Christianity, I'm not favorably impressed with the behavior of those doing so.</p>
<p>I don't like being played with when it comes to scholarly issues. I don't see the point of fellow scholars speculating in the press as to what these items "might" be. Why play into the game of those who hold the items and could, if they really wish to do so, simply make them available for competent analsys? I understand that it's flattering for scholars to be approached by the press for comment on something (anything!). But instead, we should all simply say, "No comment until the items are placed into the hands of competent experts." I tire quickly of the self-serving antics of the people who claim to be in possession of items of great scholarly significance but prefer to conduct their business through press releases instead of inviting competent testing and analysis.</p></blockquote>
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Why Gospel-Centered Friendship Is a Precious Gift

C. S. Lewis:

Lovers are always talking to one another about their love;

Friends hardly ever about their Friendship.

Lovers are normally face to face, absorbed in each other;

Friends, side by side, absorbed in some common interest.

—The Four Loves (Mariner, 1971), p. 61

Beyond the Veil

Peter Leithart, on the book of Revelation:

When John first turns to see Jesus, he first sees lampstands, then the garments of Jesus, and finally the face and body of Jesus.

He moves from the lampstands of the holy place, to the veiling garments that cover the Son of Man, beyond the veil to the Son of Man Himself.

Compare:

Hebrews 10:19-22: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Hebrews 6:19-20: "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Hebrews 9:11-12, 24: "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. . . . For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."

The Two Keys to Interpreting Old Testament Narrative

I find Dale Ralph Davis to be consistently refreshing. An exchange from his recent TGC interview:

Is there a process you suggest for pastors when they sit down with an Old Testament narrative and begin to search for how they will teach Jesus and the gospel from it? If so, what is it?

As far as a process goes for approaching an OT narrative, yes, I have one, but it's not worth writing about.

I think the best process is for a guy to have a fascination with OT texts and a determination to preach them.

If you assume that the living God has given us this Scripture, and if you assume that he had a purpose and didactic intent in giving it—even OT narratives, some of which strike us as strange—then I think you'll find your way in preaching them.

The fascination and determination will carry you along. I recall going through some of this in my first pastorate with the temptation to play with texts like 2 Kings 6:1-7 (the axe-head story). It seems to border on the ridiculous, but what if I come to it assuming that God, in its given context, had a particular intention in this scripture? Just thinking that way makes me ask the question Why? and tempts me to keep working and thinking until it begins to come clear.

I sometimes weary of all the "technique" we put into interpretation, as if working with OT narrative, for example, is some sort of high-priestly craft which only those who know the best buzz-words can carry off. Rather, I think simply a desire to get at the message of the text and an assumption that all OT texts are "preaching" texts will carry one a long way.

If you want to see Dr. Davis model this kind of teaching and preaching, I've collected his Old Testament studies here.

Giving and Receiving Criticism in Light of the Cross

Some notes below from Alfred Poirier's excellent article "The Cross and Criticism," first published in The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring 1999).

Definition:

I'm using criticism in a broad sense as referring to any judgment made about you by another, which declares that you fall short of a particular standard.

The standard may be God's or man's.

The judgment may be true or false.

It may be given gently with a view to correction, or harshly and in a condemnatory fashion.

It may be given by a friend or by an enemy.

But whatever the case, it is a judgment or criticism about you, that you have fallen short of a standard.

Key Point:

A believer is one who identifies with all that God affirms and condemns in Christ's crucifixion.

In other words, in Christ's cross I agree with God's judgment of me; and in Christ's I agree with God's justification of me. Both have a radical impact on how we take and give criticism.

Application:

Critique yourself.
Ask the Lord to give you a desire to be wise instead of a fool.
Focus on your crucifixion with Christ.
Learn to speak nourishing words to others.

How to give criticism in a godly way:

I see my brother/sister as one for whom Christ died (1 Cor. 8:11; Heb. 13:1)
I come as an equal, who also is a sinner (Rom. 3:9, 23).
I prepare my heart lest I speak out of wrong motives (Prov. 16:2; 15:28; 16:23).
I examine my own life and confess my sin first (Matt. 7:3-5).
I am always patient, in it for the long haul (Eph. 4:2; 1 Cor. 13:4).
My goal is not to condemn by debating points, but to build up through constructive criticism (Eph. 4:29).
I correct and rebuke my brother gently, in the hope that God will grant him the grace of repentance even as I myself repent only through His grace (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

Don't Know Much About History: The Allure and Danger of Sanitized Biography

Hagiography does no one any favors. It's unfair to the subject, presenting a saint instead of a sinner. And it's unfair to the audience, who make a good-faith assumption that they are not merely reading a well-written tale or watching a good film, but that they are reading or seeing something that reflects reality and basic accuracy.

Andrew Roberts's Wall Street Journal weekend review of a new biography on Mahatma Gandhi serves as a good reminder in this regard. Contrary to the sanitized portrayal of Gandhi in popular culture, Roberts explains that Gandhi could be unusually cruel, racist, and sexually perverse—among other vices.

Those interested in the real story of Gandhi might also want to read Richard Grenier's "The Gandhi Nobody Knows" (Commentary, 1983), which was a response to Richard Attenborough's 1982 Gandhi film.

If a biographical subject seems too good to be true, there's often a reason for that.

How Do You Make Scripture More Personal?

"The Pulley," by George Herbert

When God at first made man,

Having a glass of blessings standing by,

"Let us," said he, "pour on him all we can.

Let the world's riches, which dispersèd lie,

Contract into a span."

So strength first made a way;

Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honour, pleasure.

When almost all was out, God made a stay,

Perceiving that, alone of all his treasure,

Rest in the bottom lay.

"For if I should," said he,

"Bestow this jewel also on my creature,

He would adore my gifts instead of me,

And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;

So both should losers be.

"Yet let him keep the rest,

But keep them with repining restlessness;

Let him be rich and weary, that at least,

If goodness lead him not, yet weariness

May toss him to my breast."

—From The Temple (1633)