Reading Recommendations

I just came across this fantastic list of articles compiled by Justin Taylor. This ought to keep anyone busy for a while:

• Thomas Chalmers, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”
• Jonathan Edwards, “The Excellency of Christ”
• B.B. Warfield, “The Religious Life of Theological Students”
• B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord”

. I’ve tried to add as many links as possible to free versions online:Bryan Chapell

• J.I. Packer, “What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution”
• Francis Schaeffer, “A Day of Sober Rejoicing”
• Thomas Chalmers, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”

Graham Cole

• “The Martyrdom of Polycarp“
• Adolphe Monod, Adolphe Monod’s Farewell to His Friends and to His Church
• B. B. Warfield, “Imitating the Incarnation“

Mark Dever

• Jonathan Edwards, “A Farewell Sermon“

Dever also mentioned three books:

• Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed
• John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
• Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry

Kevin DeYoung

• John Piper, “Boasting Only in the Cross” (Passion OneDay 2000 sermon)
• C.S. Lewis, Introduction to Athanasius’ On the Incarnation
• J.I. Packer, Introductory Essay to John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
• Jonathan Edwards, “Heaven, a World of Love“
• D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “What Is Preaching?” (included in Knowing the Times)
• J. Gresham Machen, “What Is Christianity?” (in Selected Shorter Writings)
• J. Gresham Machen, “History and Faith” (in Selected Shorter Writings)
• J. Gresham Machen, “What Is the Gospel?” (in Selected Shorter Writings)

Stephen J. Nichols

• J. Gresham Machen, “The Good Fight of Faith“
• Jonathan Edwards, “The Most High, A Prayer-Hearing God“
• John Chrysostom, “Homily 21, On Ephesians 6:1-4“

Ray Ortlund

• Francis A. Schaeffer, “The Lord’s Work in the Lord’s Way“
• C. S. Lewis, “Three Kinds of Men“
• Martin Luther, Letter to Jerome Weller, in Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel, edited by T. G. Tappert, pages 84-87.
• Jonathan Edwards, on spiritual pride, in “Thoughts on the Revival,” in Works, I:398-403.

John Piper

• C.S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory” (first sermon in the book by that title)
• C.S. Lewis, Introduction to Athanasius’ On the Incarnation
• J.I. Packer, Introductory Essay to John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
• Jonathan Edwards, “A Divine and Supernatural Light Immediately Imparted to the Soul“
• Martin Luther, “Justification by Faith” (Luke 16:1-9) in The Protestant Pulpit, ed. by Andrew Blackwood
• Charles Spurgeon, “The Minister’s Fainting Fits“
• Charles Spurgeon, “The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear“
• Geerhardus Vos, “The Scriptural Doctrine of the Love of God“

David Powlison

• B. B. Warfield, “Imitating the Incarnation“  (“The last page and a half offers the most riveting description of the goal of Christian living that I’ve ever read.”)

Fred Sanders

• Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
• Athanasius, “Letter to Marcellinus on the Reading of the Psalms“
• Lancelot Andrewes, Private Devotions

R.C. Sproul

• Jonathan Edwards, “A Divine and Supernatural Light“
• This section of Luther’s last sermon at Eisleben

Carl R. Trueman

• R. V. G. Tasker, “The Biblical Doctrine of the Wrath of God“
• Martin Luther, “Two Kinds of Righteousness“
• George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” [the most brilliant statement (and example) of clear prose—something which pastors and theologians need to grasp.]

Bruce Ware

• R.C. Sproul, Lecture on “The Locus of Astonishment” (A brief summary is available here. For a similar talk, listen to “When Towers Fall.”)

Donald Whitney

• Charles Spurgeon, “The Minister’s Fainting Fits,” from Lectures to My Students.
• Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on “The Eternal Name,” from Ps. 72:17, no. 27 (New Park Street Pulpit), May 27, 1855 PM
• Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on “Baptismal Regeneration“
• D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “‘But God’: The Christian Message” (Ephesians 2:4)

What’s I’ve been up to lately: Part 2 of 2

In the first part of this series (if it should even be called that) I filled you in on my work with Third Millennium Ministries and the first of 2 great benefits this project has had one me. The first benefit was encouragement: Third Mill is working hard to bless the universal church. This second great benefit I’ve experience working with Third Mill has been the reawakening of my love for New Testament study.  Let me explain a bit and then give the old tip-of-the-hat to some of the resources I’ve made use of in the course of writing for Third Mill.

After I began to get into serious study of theology a little over a decade ago all I would read was the New Testament (I was only a Christian for a few years at this point). Shortly I became the standard stereotype of the evangelical Protestant: All Paul, and not much else. Oh, I read the Gospels and the non-Pauline letters several times, but my steady diet of Pauline literature surpassed my reading of the others by a ratio of something like 4:1. not to mention the Old Testament. I read Genesis several times, most of Exodus, and other bits but largely had no concept of the overall unity in the plotline of the Old Testament, and the Bible as a whole. My love and passion for the Old Testament came during my first semester in seminary while sitting under the teaching of Richard Pratt (President of Third Mill). Pratt brought a unity to my understand of the Bible that I previously lacked and got me excited about rereading the Old Testament, as if for the first time.  Though I wasn’t a theological or biblical studies major in seminary (I was in college), I began to read more and more of the Old Testament, and works on the Old Testament. For nearly the next 5 years I’ve done little more than do research into Old Testament Theology.

Sure, I read the NT during this time, but my OT to NT reading diet had flipped: about 3:1 in favor of OT.

Well, in working on a lesson on the Gospels for Third Mill, my attention was pulled back to the NT. I’ve “reentered” the world of New Testament study, and having had my head in the ancient world of the Old Testament for a few years, I see the NT with new eyes. OT references and allusions make much more sense, in fact my reading is transformed.

Here are some of the works I’ve consulted in my study.

Introduction to the New Testament

Theology of the New Testament

New Testament Theology

Theology of the New Testament 

The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown

The New Testament in Antiquity 

Survey of the New Testament

Review of Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous (Part 2)

Critique. I have several criticisms of W. Jay Wood’s book, not all of them substantial. I’ll start them off from what I find the least important to the more important.

First, though his way with words is fantastic and normally his arguments flow together kind well, a difficulty with the structure of the book is that essentially it seems as if it were two books in one. The first half of the book focuses on the nature of epistemic virtue and vice. Here Wood has some truly wonderful things to say. His elaborations on seeking knowledge in the wrong way, as well as his discussion on how our biases effect our evaluation of topics, is well worth the price of the book. Often I was lead to serious contemplation regarding my thoughts and attitudes toward those with whom I disagree.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book, that which deals will more technical epistemological models, seems to start off abruptly. A helpful “segway” chapter would have greatly prepared his readers for the craggy twists and turns of academic epistemology. Throughout the second half of the book Wood continually refers to the virtue epistemology taught in the first half (as to not allow the readers new-found knowledge to fall by the wayside), nonetheless, I find these ocassions insufficient to overcome the rather harsh transition from the first to second half of the work.

Next, I think the jump from ancient “virtue” views of epistemology straight over to foundationalism without taking the time to define at least the classic schools of thought in epistemology of rationalism and empiricism (the former whose numbers include Socrates, Plato, Augustine [somewhat], and Descartes, with the latter including Aristotle [somewhat], Aquinas, Locke, and Hume). Both fall under foundationalism, yet broad brushing the movement without acknowledging the difference may serve to confuse readers later on down the road, so to speak. I also wished he would have, at least briefly (though it would indeed be quite a task to be brief about!), Immanuel Kant’s transcendentalism.

My chief object to Wood’s presentation of a Christian virtue epistemology is what seems to me as an inconsistency between his statement, “Altered affections thus often bring an end to one way of seeing and thinking and the beginning of a new one,”  and the manner in which he presents case for virtue epistemology.  As Christians we believe that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Col. 2:3). All systems not build on the rock of God’s word are ultimately foolish and vain attempts to escape the authority of their Maker. Wood’s statement above indicates some level of awareness that one’s epistemic pursuits are driven by the passions of their heart, yet the need for regeneration in one’s thinking (including ever other aspect or faculty of man) is not mention until the eighth chapter and is discussing the views of another thinker, namely Jonathan Edwards.

A biblical epistemology acknowledges that the reason people establish godless and false worldviews, which are intricately tied them with their epistemology, is chiefly for moral concerns (sinful rebellion to God’s rightful rule). The epistemological issues are logically subsequent to the moral (see Rom. 1:21-23). When one rejects God as the epistemological bedrock for all intelligibility then naturally another foundation for knowledge will be sought. Scripture calls these idols. Wood rightly expounds the teaching that there are oughts to epistemology, right ways and wrong ways to seek knowledge and wisdom. Unfortunately he does not say that these norms are found in the Bible. Rather it seems, to this author at least, as if Wood calls Christians to think “Christianly” simply because we ought to live within our professed tradition.

Perhaps it is simply my own apologetic disposition that causes me to desire Wood to expand on the antithesis between Christian and non-Christian epistemology. We as creatures of God have an innate knowledge of our Creator. Yet, we sinfully suppress this truth (Rom. 1:18). Though many people profess an epistemological agnosticism toward God, everyday their unguarded actions actually prove that they do know10 the God of the Bible. For instance, the infinite personal God of Scripture is the only logical and coherent ground for laws of thought, the uniformity of nature, the dignity of humanity, love, and moral absolutes.

The non-believer’s epistemological assumptions must be challenged. Any epistemology that does not presuppose the truth of God’s word in Scripture will render any form of true knowledge nonsense, and unintelligible. The non-Christian is not only spiritually but epistemologically lost.

Wood seems to blur this epistemological antithesis, perhaps for the sake of political correctness, when on page 72, “In the lives of devout Buddhists there is a consistency, and integrity if you will, between what they sincerely believe to be true and what they profess and do.” Just before this he sets up this statement by saying, “…we don’t call a committed Buddhist a fool.” Yet for apologetic and philosophical reasons I cannot fully broach here, I can indeed call a committed Buddhist a fool, at least in the sense in which Scripture uses the term. Buddhism in its mainstream form is generally atheistic, denying the necessity or existence or any God, let alone the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture states the “the fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Secondly it is impossible for any religious or philosophical system to attain 100 percent systemic consistency. This is because we are God’s creation, made in His image, living in His world. At any and all points in which non-Christians affirm a truth (regarding anything at all) it is because the are borrowing “Christian capital.”

Conclusion. Despite of differences of views regarding Biblical epistemology I may have with the author, nonetheless I would fully recommend Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. The author’s emphasis on moral virtue being vital and crucial to intellectual pursuits is a message that we need to hear more often. Wood’s chapter on the relationship between proper thinking and proper subjectivity was quite reminiscent of C. S. Lewis in his The Abolition of Man. As opposed to a common misunderstanding by those who follow after intellectual pursuits Wood draws our attention to the fact that feelings can be viewed as value-laden seeing. Without proper feelings one cannot be said to truly understand a given situation.

Review of Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous

In 1998 W. Jay Wood, associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Wheaton College in Illinois, released Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. The book is an introduction to the philosophical study of knowledge, or epistemology, and, more specifically, a primer in what has come to be known as virtue epistemology.

Few Christians seem to believe that the benefits of studying epistemology outweigh its difficulties. It seems dry and detached from everyday life. Wood sets out to shows that a proper understanding of epistemology leads one to consider intellectual virtues as intricately woven with moral virtues.

What is Virtue Epistemology? Our pursuit of knowledge has a profoundly ethical dimension. In fact epistemology is properly understood as a subdivision of ethics. This is a crucial. While worldview thinking has become quite popular in Christian circles, unfortunately few see thinking itself as subject to the teachings of the Christian worldview. John M. Frame argues a similar point in his Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. As opposed to a generic virtue epistemology both Wood and Frame call Christians to view our intellectual lives as subject to the authority of the Bible.

Truth-seeking is a matter of seeking it in the right way, for the right reason, using the right methods and for the right purposes. A completely unbridled quest for truth- one indifferent to right motives and means- is degenerate from its inception…Knowledge, like wealth, cannot be sought at all cost but is itself subject to moral restraints.

Wood reminds his readers that this is nothing new in the history of philosophy. Prior to the Enlightenment all acclaimed philosophers believed that, “…we should situate the life of the mind within a larger framework of motives and ends.”

As opposed to foundationalists and internalists who state that S is justified in believing p if they have fulfilled epistemic duty X, and reliabilists and externalists who argue that S is warranted in believing p if S is in such and such an environment suited for X type of epistemic output, virtue epistemologists argue in this fashion, “S is justified in believing that p if and only if S’s believing p is the result of S’s intellectual virtues or faculties function in an appropriate environment.”

Content. Christians who want to think clearly about their faith will find this book a great service. It is also a good introduction to epistemology. With all the literature piling up yearly one hardly knows where to begin. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous is an excellent place to start. The book is not overly long, in fact it is a barely over 200 pages (a good week’s read). Within the span of this short work the author plows through issues such as intellectual virtue and vice (what are they, how do we obtain them, and how they can help or hamper our growth, etc.), foundationalism in its various forms, epistemic justification, reformed epistemology, and the battle between internalist and externalist camps of epistemic justification.

It was this last debate that I found especially helpful. Before I had read Wood’s work I was aware of the distinction between justification and warrant (Alvin Plantinga’s term), but wasn’t t aware of the content of that distinction. Wood’s explanation is brilliantly done. Simply put justification normally is thought of what gives the person a right to hold a certain belief. Knowledge has historically been defined as justified, true, belief.

The debate between internalists and externalists is in whether this justification should be see as the knower fulfilling certain “epistemic duties”, i.e. the knower’s right to hold certain beliefs because they formed in a reliable, belief-producing environment. The latter is what the externalist asserts.  Externalists such as Alvin Plantinga desire to distance themselves from the historical baggage of justification language, since it is almost always tied together with an internalist view of duty, and instead offer the term warrant.

Method. Wood’s writing style is very clear and his arguments flow into one another very well. His target audience seems to be college students (such as his own pupils) as well as educated laypersons who seek to integrate their faith with intellectual sophistication and articulation. He reaches his goal quite well. He normally doesn’t spend too long on one school of thought, and, quite consistently, shows how a virtue epistemologist, such as himself, would respond and critique the competing schools.

Next I’ll offer my criticisms of the book and provide a conclusion.

Books on Hell

As a follow-up to the last entry, I’d like to direct your attention to the following resources:

Year End Favorites

As we get toward the end of the year I wanted to post some thoughts on my favorite books I’ve read this year.

1) Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem- Jay Richards. For the past year and a half I’ve keep my eye on Jay Richards, an intellectual renaissance man that has something intelligent and balanced to say on nearly everything ranging from intelligent design, economics, climate change, to Christian stewardship, apologetics, and philosophy. This particular book is a primer on the principles of capitalism from a Christian point of view. That is to say that Richards not only addresses the common objections to capitalistic economics from the secular left, but also handles theological objections to capitalism from the religious left (Wallis, Sider, Campolo, etc.) He makes a strong case that contrary to popular perception, capitalism (not the various forms of socialism) is the best long term, and most humanitarian, way to help the poor.

2) Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be- DeYoung and Kluck. DeYoung and Kluck (like Piper above) model charitable criticism and asks penetrating questions to Emergent leaders, and best of all he does this be applying not new theological constructs but old trusted and truth doctrines of the universal church of Christ. The book is chock full of quotable material and Kluck’s perspective as the “man in the pew” provides both humor and much appreciated practicality. Here are two of my favorite quotes:

“Prattling on about the wonders of personal relationships while refusing to make definitive statements about the one we love in a relationship is not the kind of talk that honors one’s wife, or God for that matter.”

“I’m convinced that a major problem with the emerging church is that they refuse to have their cake it too. The whole movement seems to be built on reductionistic, even modernistic, either–or categories. They pit information versus transformation, believing versus belonging, and propositions about Christ versus the [authoritative person] of Christ…  Carl Henry is right: “the antithesis of “person–Revolution” and “proposition–Revolution” can only result in equally unscriptural contrast of personal faith with doctrinal belief. It is now often said that belief in Christ is something wholly different from belief in truth or propositions. But to lose intelligible revelation spells inescapable laws of any supernatural authorized doctrinal assertions concerning God.”

3) The Future of Justification- John Piper. Pastor-theologian Piper addresses the provocative views of N. T. Wright.  Piper models for his readers both keen exegesis and academic charity, never condemning Wright for his views, even when their implications could possible prove problematic for understanding key gospel passages. Ultimately Piper calls Wright to clarify his bolder assertions. Piper’s strength lies in demonstrating the connections and logical flow of Paul’s thought (especially in Romans and Galatians), but he isn’t (in my view) the best at painting the broader picture of redemptive history (Wright’s strength). When all is said and done, Piper does a wonderful job arguing that the Protestant doctrine of justification is the biblical one.

4) Doctrine of the Word of God- John Frame. The volume completes Frame’s long-awaited Theology of Lordship series and was worth the wait. To my knowledge this book is completely unique in its comprehensiveness. The actual book is slightly over 300 pgs long, with another 300+ pages in appendices. As opposed to the other volumes in the Lordship series (Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, Doctrine of God, Doctrine of the Christian Life) Frame has refrained from detailed interaction with opposing views, and when he does he paints with broad strokes. Surprisingly, rather than subtracting from the “punch” of the book, I think it enhances it. No getting bogged down in technical points, rabbit trails, etc. Instead, Frame goes straight to Scripture and highlights the multifaceted ways in which God’s revelation (the “Word of God”) is communicated to creation.

5) Generous Justice- Tim Keller. Keller’s fourth book puts some feet on his first three (I’m not including Ministries of Mercy on this list). Since Christianity is the only viable and livable worldview (Reason for God), then we ought to listen intently to Christ on the gospel (Prodigal God). But our journey doesn’t end there. Idols of the heart remain and we needs to apply the gospel to them. Life abounds with temptations to define our worth apart from Christ (Counterfeit Gods). Now Keller addresses how a grace-shaped faith works itself out in the world. His central thesis is that faith is personal but never private, working itself in deeds of justice. Leaning heavily on Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, Keller argues that the distinction between acts of justice and deeds of mercy isn’t as neat as the conservative/liberal split would have us believe. Justice is giving someone their due as one create in the image of God. The gospel teaches us that desert (as in deserving someone) shouldn’t necessarily disqualify anyone from our Christian aid because Christ didn’t wait until we were spiritually middle class before he rescued us out of our spiritual poverty (He leans heavily on Jonathan Edwards for this last point). Overall Keller is fairly conservative in economics and doesn’t compromise the distinction between the church as organization and the church as organism (invoking the genius of Abraham Kuyper), arguing that the primary goal of the organizational and institutional church is word and sacrament. Nevertheless Keller strongly argues that as an organism the Church should set up parachurch and non-profit organizations aimed at joining Christ in combatting the effects of sin “as far as the curse is found. While I have a few quibbles (and I plan to write something on that soon), overall Generous Justice is a much-needed help for Christians wrestling with the question of how Christians should “do” justice.

New books

Here are a few recent releases that I’m very interested in (especially Keller and Frame’s book). Click on the images for more info.

And here’s one that I’m especially looking forward to:

For Further Study on the Five-Points of Calvinism

For those of you interested in digging in further to study the doctrines of grace (aka the 5 points of Calvinism), you should know that there are many helpful works on the subject in print. Here I’ll point out a few that I find particularly helpful for the beginner:

Kingdom, Covenants, and Canon of the Old Testament

The following are lessons from the Third Millennium Ministries (commonly called “Third Mill”) series titled Kingdom, Covenants, and Canon of the Old Testament. I’ve had the privilege of studying with Richard Pratt, and I must say that to hear the content of the second lesson (“The Kingdom of God”) presented in the classroom was (and still is!) absolutely revolutionary to my understanding of the Bible. The goal of Third Mill is to make seminary level biblical education available to the world for free. While not in agreement with every sentence of the lessons (I don’t agree 100% with anybody!), I wholehearted and without reservation recommend Third Mill.

If you’re looking to strengthen your understanding of the Old Testament, and in fact the whole Bible,  this 4-part series is an excellent place to start.

Additional resources for a better understanding of the Old Testament (click on the links for more information:

Beginner:

• God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible
• The Servant King: The Bible’s Portrait of the Messiah
• A Better Way: Jesus and Old Testament Fulfillment
• The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament
• From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology
• From Creation to New Creation: Making Sense of the Whole Bible Story
• The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made
• Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament

Intermediate:

• Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament
• The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story
• The Symphony of Scripture: Making Sense of the Bible’s Many Themes
• According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible
• As Far as the Curse is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption
• Immanuel in Our Place: Seeing Christ in Israel’s Worship
• Progress of Redemption: The Story of Salvation from Creation to New Jerusalem
• A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament

Advanced:

• An Old Testament Theology:  A Canonical and Thematic Approach
• Dominion and Dynasty: A Study in Old Testament Theology
• An Introduction to the Old Testament
• Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel

Free Kindle Book: What is the Gospel?

For this month only Amazon is giving away free Kindle editions of Greg Gilbert’s book, What is the Gospel?

Here are some reviews of the book:

“Greg Gilbert is one of the brightest and most faithful young men called to serve the church today. Here he offers us a penetrating, faithful, and fully biblical understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no greater need than to know the true gospel, to recognize the counterfeits, and to set loose a generation of gospel-centered Christians. This very important book arrives at just the right moment.”
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Two realities make this a critically important book: the centrality of the gospel in all generations and the confusion about the gospel in our own generation.What Is the Gospel? provides a biblically faithful explanation of the gospel and equips Christians to discern deviations from that glorious message. How I wish I could place this book in the hands of every pastor and church member.”
—C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“Greg Gilbert contends that the current evangelical understanding of the gospel is lost in a fog of confusion. He burns away that fog by shining fresh light on an old subject. Gilbert writes in a clear, concise, and colloquial style that will especially appeal to young adults. What Is the Gospel? will sharpen your thinking about the gospel, etching it more deeply on your heart so you can share the good news of Jesus Christ with boldness. It will leave you pondering the extent to which the gospel has impacted your own life. It will cause you to cry out with thankfulness to God for what Christ has accomplished.”
—James MacDonald, Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicagoland Area; radio teacher, Walk in the Word

“A wonderful telling of the old, old story in fresh words—and with sound warnings against subtle misrepresentations. As the old gospel song attests, and as is true of Greg Gilbert’s fine book, those who know the old, old story best will find themselves hungering and thirsting to hear this story like the rest.”
—Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary

“Greg Gilbert is someone I have had the honor and privilege of teaching and who is now teaching me. This little book on the gospel is one of the clearest and most important books I’ve read in recent years.”
—Mark Dever, Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington DC; President, 9Marks

Review: The Children of Hurin

 

This review was originally written in 2007

WARNING:  This review contains spoilers

To begin I would like to say that I have read and enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  In fact, I have read it several times and get more from it each time that I read it.

That said, I was extremely excited when I heard that a new book by Tolkein was being offered in the summer of 2007.  I told my wife that it was a must have for our anniversary, and she came through.  I opened it on the morning of May 14th and sadly had to put it aside for 2 ½ weeks until finals and papers were through.

Well that time finally came and I curled up with the book.  For those of you who do not know, The Children of Hurin a story that has been told in various other forms in other Tolkien sources, namely the Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien, the son of the great author, took those stories and other writings by his father on the subject and compiled them into a full length novel.  This and other background materials are explained in the introduction.

I began reading expecting the majesty and beauty of the Lord of the Rings (remember, that’s all I’ve ever read of Tolkien).  I was surprised from the beginning.  This work was much less descriptive than what I was used to from Tolkien.  If you are familiar with the flow of Biblical narrative, big picture stuff with occasional narrowing of focus for dialogue and action, that is how I felt the flow of the book went.

Another difference I found was that this novel is darker than what I was used to from Tolkien.  There was a sadness and a hopelessness to the life of the main character, Turin, that was hinted at in the Lord of the Rings but not as developed as it is in this book.  In Children of Hurin, Tolkien develops a story that works out like a Shakespearian tragedy – everyone dies in the end.  In looking at Tolkien’s history and his feelings about World War I, this sadness and hopelessness made sense.  A friend of mine explained that much of Tolkien’s writings, outside of stories about Hobbits, was like this and showed his pain of loss.  In light of that, this book made sense.

Even with the surprises, this book was excellent.  Too many times today, authors write the same books over and over with the different characters and settings.  It was nice to see a different side of an author that I have loved for years.  I actually felt like I knew Tolkien better than from just reading the Lord of the Rings.  I look forward to reading that trilogy again in light of this book and picking up other titles such as the Silmarillion.  Children of Hurin is a must read.

12 Books that have Influenced Me

Here are some of the most influential books that I’ve read, if not for their content, then for the effect they had on me at the time when I read them (in no particular order).

1)Resurrection- Hank Hanegraff: This was a pivotal book for me early on in my Christian walk. Hanegraaff employs (more or less) the standard evidential argument in favor of the historical, bodily resurection of Christ. This was the first book I read that showed that Christianity is rationally defensible.

2)The Gospel According to Jesus- John MacArthur. Originally I read this work thinking I would disagree with it (I was a young and silly antinomian at the time) but was overwhelmed by the biblical force of MacArthur’s argument that receiving Christ as savior entails placing yourself under his lordship.

3) Doctrine of the Knowledge- John Frame. Other than the Bible, this is my favorite book. Frame develops a God-centered approach to epistemology (theory of knowledge). His clear writing style was welcoming, and his humility comes through on nearly every page. For an outline of the book, click here.

4) Apologetics to the Glory of God- John Frame. Here Frame develops a presuppositional apologetic with insights from DKG (above). Highly readable and very insightful. He defines the 3 tasks of apologetics of defense, offense, and proof.

5) The Potter’s Freedom- James White. This work was the “nail in the coffin” for me reading my views on free will, God’s sovereignty, election, predestination, etc. White defends the Calvinist view of God’s work in salvation over against the modified arminianism of Norman Geisler in Chosen But Free.

6) Dominion and Dynasty- Stephen Dempster. I love this book. In fact, apart from the works of Graeme Goldsworthy and the teaching of Richard Pratt, this book was the main work that sparked my love (and understanding) of the Old Testament.

7) Worldviews in Conflict- Ronald Nash

8 ) The Pleasure of God- John Piper. My favorite book Piper’s written, and he’s written some fantastic books. He main thesis is that we become more like God when we take pleasure in the things he takes pleasure in. He then spends the rest of the book explaining what the Lord delights in, first in himself (the loving relationship among the members of the Trinity, his delight in all that he does, etc.), and second in his creation (prayer, justice, etc.)

9) Reckless Faith- John MacArthur. A great book for sharpening your discernment.

10) Looking at Philosophy- Donald Palmer. Palmer is fantastic at explaining philsophical concepts and the connections between schools of thought. Challenging and also pleasant.

11) The God Who is There- Francis Schaffer

12) Connecting- Larry Crabb

Review: Longing to Know

Back in 2003, Brazos (an imprint of Baker Book House) released Esther Meek’s Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People. I read it a while back, took some summary notes, and then apparently forgot about them. Just recently I ran across them and thought they might be helpful to those who are curious about what’s called epistemology (the philosophy of knowledge), but turned off by dry academic tomes.

1) Preliminary Concerns:

A) According to Meek, the history of western philosophy can be described as the path from skepticism to certainty back to skepticism. As a result those who seek knowledge that does not change (and indeed cannot change) have purposed several criteria for what qualifies as ”certainty” in the field of epistemology.

One important qualification for certainty is that the object of our knowledge must be impervious to doubt beyond question (or indubitable). But there’s a crucial problem with this model of certainty, namely that it does not fulfill it’s own requirements. This proposition for certainty (”Genuine objects of knowledge must be impervious to doubt and beyond question”) is itself subject to doubt, yet, in light of this we still claim knowledge of many things as is abundantly demonstrated by our everyday experience as “knowing” agents. Thus, this foundational pillar of epistemology must be reexamined, and quite possibly redefined.

B) Another problem that nags epistemological endeavors is that if we are to formulate a true-to-life epistemology we are faced with examining an action that we perform almost every moment of our life. While tacitly we perform these actions, putting them into carefully formulated propositions is quite tricky. We’re are so “close” that stepping back and reflecting on our “epistemic activity” is often like trying to look, without the help of a mirror, at the nose on our face.

2) What is Knowing?

A) One thing that Meek stresses in the book is the body-soul unity of human beings. She doesn’t use this language in the book, yet repeatedly Meek calls us away from the modernist model of epistemology that sees the knowing enterprise as something hampered by human subjectivity in search of a sterile ”objective” mode of knowing.

B) In order to appreciate the richness of the human knowing process we must see that every instance of knowing involves 3 perspectives. Meek calls these perspectives ”the rules, the self, and the world.” John Frame refers to them in his Doctrine of the Knowledge God as the ”normative, situational, and existential perspectives.” Each of these serve as a way of viewing the whole of the knowing endeavor.

C) Meek defines knowledge in this way: ‘‘Knowing is the responsible human struggle to rely on clues to focus on a coherent pattern and submit to its reality.” The major sections of her book are organized according to this definition, unpacking it phrase by phrase.

Knowing is the process of integration, by which we focus on a pattern by and through the means of various clues, called subsidiaries, in the world, our body-sense, and in our standards for thinking.

Much of the pattern-making process is inarticulatable, and this more-than-words aspect of epistemic acts cannot be ignored, for it is crucial in our common, everyday process of knowing.

Through the integration process the clues now take on greater significance. No longer are they viewed as seemingly disconnected occurrences, but rather meaningful portions that make up a greater reality (ex: a magic eye puzzle). Yet, in a very real sense the pattern or integration, once achieved, retroactively throws light on the subsidiaries that made it up. The particulars retain their meaningfulness, but one that is enhanced; transformed.

These patterns now shape us, because, ideally, they connect us with a reality independent of ourselves. We come to see the fullness of the pattern when it’s truth is lived in, habited, thus extending ourselves out into the world by means of it.

3) What About Doubt?

A) Doubt can occur by one of two ways. Doubt creeps in when we either:

1) Stop using the clues as clues, which can lead us to believe that the clues are all they are (rather than as pieces of a puzzle), or…

2) We see only the focus and lose sight of how this conclusion or intergration was achieved by the use of subsidiaries, or clues. This can lead one to believe that simply a dogmatic answer is asserted without proper substantiation, thus the answer (i.e. the focus, the conclusion to a series of complex epistemic acts) seems pat.

B) Two things can be done to address doubt, but before we look at what these are we must realize that a huge contributing factor to doubt is the ”modern model” of epistemology which is aimed at infallible certainty. Certainty as purposed in the modern model was an impersonal, flat property sought of propositions that functioned in an all-or-nothing manner.

So, Meek contributes to developing a sound Christian apologetic for handling the existential crisis that haunts many when they realize that they have doubts. She even applies this to the story of John the Baptist when he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one they were looking for (the Messiah) in Luke 7. She has some very rich pastoral applications.

Conclusion. I would recommend this book to any person interested in delving deeper into the area of epistemology. John Frame, in his review of the book says, “All in all, this is the best book on epistemology (let alone Christian epistemology) to come along in many, many years.  It is a must for any serious student of the discipline and, indeed, for ordinary people who are trying to get clear on how to know God.”

Speaking the Truth in Love: The Theology of John M. Frame

I just finished checking the “forthcoming titles”  on Presbyterian and Reformed Publishings’ webpage. They finally posted Speaking the Truth in Love:The Theology of John M. Frame. I’ve contributed the article, “Perspectives on Multiperspectivalism” (I’m one of the “other” contributors).

It’s a monster tome, reaching 1232 pages! I can’t wait. Look into it.

Reformed Dogmatics

I teach two courses covering the whole gamut of systematic theology, from God to Eschatology. Naturally then, I need resources to  keep me fresh on the subjects. Here’s a recently released systematic theology from the Dutch Reformed tradition that I plan to work through for years to come. It’s also getting great reviews. Here are just a few:

“This should be on the bookshelf of every pastor and student who wants to read Reformed theology at its best.”
- Carl R. Trueman, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

” . . . a wellspring of the best that our confession has to offer . . .”
- Michael Scott Horton, Westminster Seminary, California

 This is not what you think!

…it is NOT a dry, impenetrable, scholastic tome.

It IS:
• a strikingly clear and readable systematic theology
• built on the Dutch Reformed tradition of Calvin and Bavinck
• up-to-date; interacts with contemporary theological issues

Also, in the summer, I’m teaching an Old Testament survey course. I plan on using Peter Leithart’s A House for My Name. I thought about using Stephen Dempster’s Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible , but I thought it might be too academic and off-putting for the beginner.