An Old Testament Theology | Waltke & Yu

I've been enjoying Dr Waltke's lectures on the Psalter and had heard that he was working on an OT Theology. Well here it is.

Waltke, Bruce and Charles Yu. An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach. Zondervan, October 2007. Hardcover, 1024 pages.

ISBNs: 0310218977 / 9780310218975

Features: Thumb Indexed, Index Included

List Price: $44.99 (USD) $53.99 (CAD) £26.99 (GBP)

Sample Pages

Purchase: WTS ($29.24) | CBD ($32.99) | Amazon ($29.69)



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Synopsis (from Zondervan's website):
An Old Testament theology by a leading Old Testament scholar who combines a technical with a spiritual understanding of the Old Testament.

Description:
The Old Testament is more than a religious history of the nation of Israel. It is more than a portrait gallery of heroes of the faith. It is even more than a theological and prophetic backdrop to the New Testament. Beyond these, the Old Testament is inspired revelation of the very nature, character, and works of God. As renowned Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke writes in the preface of this book, the Old Testament’s every sentence is “fraught with theology, worthy of reflection.”

This book is the result of decades of reflection informed by an extensive knowledge of the Hebrew language, the best of critical scholarship, a deep understanding of both the content and spirit of the Old Testament, and a thoroughly evangelical conviction. Taking a narrative, chronological approach to the text, Waltke employs rhetorical criticism to illuminate the theologies of the biblical narrators. Through careful study, he shows that the unifying theme of the Old Testament is the “breaking in of the kingdom of God.” This theme helps the reader better understand not only the Old Testament, but also the New Testament, the continuity of the entire Bible, and ultimately, God himself.

Dr Bruce K. Waltke (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary; PhD, Harvard Divinity School) Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and professor emeritus of biblical studies at Regent College in Vancouver. www.brucewaltke.com

Other Works:
Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Regent Publishing, 2002) [WTS]
Genesis: A Commentary (Zondervan, 2001) [WTS]
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew and Syntax (Eisenbrauns, 1990) [WTS]
NICOT: The Book of Proverbs, 2 volumes (Eerdmans, 2004, 2005) [WTS: volume 1 | volume 2]
A Commentary on Micah (Eerdmans, 2007) [WTS]

Companion Volume:
You may also want to note that Zondervan has previously published a NT companion volume.

Thielman, Frank. Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach. Zondervan, September 2005. Hardcover, 800 pages. (WTS Bookstore $28.79)

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An Old Testament Theology | Waltke & Yu

"Religion Never Was Designed To Make Our Pleasures Less"

Have you ever had a book call out to you from the book shelves. Well this happened (figuratively speaking) to me this evening. I'm working on two sermons for this coming Lord's day and was considering a sermon I preached about a month ago based upon Question 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism—What is your only comfort in life and in death?

In particular, I was considering the fact that the authors of this catechism chose to start with the basic human desire for comfort. According to Webster's dictionary comfort is

a) relief from pain, grief, distress, etc.;
b) a state of ease and quite enjoyment, free from worry, pain, etc.
c) anything that makes life easy and comfortable

Well, here's where I "heard a call" from one of my books. I immediately thought of John Piper's Desiring God and went to find it. Along the way my eyes came across a book that I've had for about seven years but haven't read yet. This book is J. I. Packers Hot Tub Religion (1987). It "called out to me." I took it off the shelf, flipped through the table of contents and was drawn to Chapter 4: Toward a Theology of Pleasure. I'm compelled to share the following with you: Packer writes...

We need to emphasize the Christian's heritage of enjoyment. Unbelief makes us fear that God is a hard and unfriendly taskmaster who will begrudge us pleasure and require us to do things that we do not want to do and cannot enjoy. Scripture, however, shows us that the opposite is true. "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Ps. 16:11). "You give them drink from your river of delights" (Ps. 36:8). "God, my joy and my delight" (Ps. 43:4). "I will be glad and rejoice in you" (Ps. 9:2). "The kingdom of God is...righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him" (Rom. 15:13). A wonderful homespun hymn by the old Calvinist Isaac Watts, the songster of Puritanism, expresses the Christian's mood of exultant enjoyment with tremendous verve:

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place!
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God,
But children of the heavenly King
May speak their joy abroad.

The God that rules on high,
And thunders when he please,
That rides upon the stormy sky
And manages the seas—

This awful [awesome] God is ours,
Our Father and our love;
He shall send down his heavenly powers
To carry us above.

There we shall see his face,
And never, never sin;
There from the rivers of his grace
Drink endless pleasure in.

The sons of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry!
We're marching through Emmanuel's ground
To fairer worlds on high.

Amen! Watts is right. Christianity, which some believe breeds gloom, actually drives it out. Sin brings sorrow, but piety produces pleasure. (pp. 71-72).

_______________________________________________________________________
Packer, J. I. Hot Tub Religion. (Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 1987). This has been reprinted by Crossway Books & Bibles under the title God's Plan for You (2001). [CBD | WTS]
_______________________________________________________________________

This has been a timely "word" for me and trust that it will stimulate you to consider the "glory begun below."

"Religion Never Was Designed To Make Our Pleasures Less"

Klock & Klock Classic Reprint Library on ebay

I just found this listing and there isn't much time left, but WOW!!!!

If you are unfamiliar with the Klock & Klock Classic Reprint Library, you'll need to know that these are reprints of some of the best commentaries and theological books printed from Puritans to theologians/expositors of the early 1900's. Kregel, Baker, Wipf and Stock, and other publishing houses have reprinted some of these titles since, but very few match the durable quality of these volumes. Most, if not all (I forget), of these volumes were selected by Cyril Barber, the renown evangelical, bibliophile of the 20th century. They were printed between the years of 1975-1985.

I don't know the fellow selling these, but the auction is worth considering. His starting bid is stout, but considering what you're looking at, it's very fair. Take a look.

Here is his list...

Old Testament

• Notes on Genesis Volume I & II by George Bush
• Commentary on the Book of Exodus by James G. Murphy, D.D., T.C.D.
• Notes, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Leviticus by George Bush
• Notes, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Numbers by George Bush
• Notes, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Joshua by George Bush
• The First Book of Samuel by W.G. Blakie, D.D., L.L.D.
• The Second Book of Samuel by W.G. Blakie, D.D., L.L.D.
• The First Book of Kings by F.W. Farrar, D.D., F.R.S.
• The Second Book of Kings by F.W. Farrar, D.D., F.R.S.
• The Book of Chronicles by James G. Murphy, L.L.D., T.C.D.
• Ezra and Nehemiah by Walter F. Adeney
• The Argument of the Book of Job Unfolded by William Henry Green, D.D.
• The Book of Job by Edgar C.S. Gibson, D.D.
• A Commentary on the Psalms Volume I & II by Dave Dickson
• A Commentary on Ecclesiastes by Ernest W. Hengstenberg
• Isaiah Translated ad Explained Volume I & II by Joseph Addison Alexander
• The Prophecies of Jeremiah by Dr. C Von Oreeli
• Obadiah and Habakkuk by Edward Murphy
• The Prophet Jonah by Samuel Clif Burn
• Zechariah and His Prophecies by Charles Henry Hamilton Wright, B.D.

New Testament

• Practical Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew by James Morison, D.D.
• Commentary on the Gospel of Mark by J.A. Alexander, D.D.
• The Epistle to the Romans by Handley C. G. Moule, D.D.
• A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians by Thomas C Edwards, M.A.
• The Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians by Arthur P Stanley, M.A.
• An Exposition of First Corinthians 13 by J.D. Jones, M.A., D.D.
• The Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians by John Hutchinson, D.D.
• St. Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians by George Milligan, D.D.
• Studies in First Timothy by Alfred Rowland
• Exposition of Titus by Thomas Taylor
• The Epistle to the Hebrews Volume I & II by Franz Delitzsch, D.D.
• The Epistle of Saint James by Joseph B. Mayer, M.A., Litt.D.
• The First Epistle of St. Peter by F.J.A. Hort, D.D., D.C.L., LL.D.
• Lectures on the First and Second Epistles of Peter by Philip Schaff, D.D.
• An Exposition of The First Epistle of John by John James Lias
• An Exposition of the Epistle of Jude by Thomas Manton, D.D.

Theological/Doctrinal

• The Background of the Epistles by William Fairweather, M.A., D.D.
• The Background of the Gospels by William Fairweather, M.A., D.D.
• The Minor Prophets Volume IIT by Frederick A. Tatford
• The Words of the Apostles by Rudolf Stier, D.D.
• Heroes of Israel by W. Garden Blakie, D.D., L.L.D.
• Biblical Demonology by Richard Gilpin, M.D.
• Pastoral Epistles by John Eadie, L.L.D.
• The Pilgrim Psalms by Samuel Cox, D.D.
• David, King of Israel by Rev. William G. Blakie, A.M.
• The Life of Joseph by Rev. Thomas Kirk
• Moses, The Man of God by James Hamilton, D.D., F.L.S.
• The Life and Work of St. Paul Volume I & II by F.W. Farrar, D.D., F.R.S.
• The Biblical Doctrine of Justification by Frederick Brooke Westcott
• The Antichrist by Arthur Pink
• The Biblical Doctrine of the Antonement by John Scott Lidgett
• The Biblical Doctrine of Immortality by S.D.F. Salmond, D.D.
• The Biblical Doctrine of Reconciliation by James Denney, D.D.
• The Progress of Doctrine of the New Testament by Thomas Dehany Bernard, M.A.
• Theology of the Old Testament by George E. Day
• Sabbath Morning ‘Readings by Rev John Cummings, D.D. F.R.S.E.
• Baptism by Johannes Warns (tear in binding lower left corner)
• The Resurrection of Life by John Brown, D.D.
• Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict by Samuel J. Andrews
• Dogmatic Theology Volume I, IIa, IIb and III
• The Apostles of Christ by J. D. Jones, D.D.
• Is Christ Infallible and the Bible True by Rev Hugh Mintosh, M.A.
• The Birth of Christ by H.P. Liddon & James Orr
• The Incarnation of Christ by E.H. Gifford and Samuel J. Andrews
• The Words of the Risen Saviour by Rudolf Stier
• The Public Ministry of Christ by William G. Blakie D.D., L.L.D.
• The Ascension of Christ by William Milligan, D.D.
• The Intercessory Prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ by John Brown, D.D.
• The Central Teachings of Christ by Thomas D. Bernard
• The Parables of Christ by Alexander Bruce
• The Miracles of Christ by Alexander Bruce
• The Divinity of Our Lord by H. P. Liddon
• The Resurrection of Christ by H.C. G. Moule & James Orr

Klock & Klock Classic Reprint Library on ebay

A Theology for the Church | Introduction

A Theology for the Church, edited by Daniel L. Akin (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2007). Hardback, 979 pages.

[CBD | Amazon]

In July (2007) I announced the appearance of a new systematic theology edited by Daniel L. Akin (President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC) and published by B&H Academic. Well, about a week ago I received a review copy from the publisher. (Thank you!!!)

Reviewing a book like this could take on a number of different forms, and I will be posting a review on SharperIron, in time. For now, I would like to work my way through this 979 page work and discuss it's various sections individually.

Its Various Parts...
Daniel Akin, the editor, introduces the purpose, methods and unique features of this systematic theology in a brief Preface. The body of this work is comprised of eight sections covering eight theological loci. And, worth reading first, is a Conclusion written by R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

The Purpose...

Each contributor to this volume has a passion for a revival of theological knowledge and understanding in the church, that the church as a whole would regain a love for the great doctrinal truth of God's infallible and inerrant Word. (p. vii)

The Method...

Each chapter is organized around four main questions, the order of which is significant: (1) What does the Bible say? (2) What has the church believed? (3) How does it all fit together? and (4) What is the significance of the doctrine for the church today? (p. vii)

A Unique Feature...
Whereas most systematic theologies are the output of an individual theologian, this volume combines the expertise of fourteen theologians. Each contributors has written in an area of his own expertise. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.

In his Preface, Dr Akin admits that this is "a unique approach to a systematic theology text" (p. viii) but they all are committed to the same essentials. "Each participant in this project," Akin writes, " is a confessional theologian, and churchman. They are evangelical and baptistic in their commitments, and they believe, as I do, that the task of theology must be recovered in the church if it is to have vitality and health in the twenty-first century" (p. viii).

Contents...

SECTION 1 THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 1 | Prolegomena: Introduction to the Task of Theology by Gregory Alan Thornbury
Chapter 2 | Natural Revelation by Russell D. Moore
Chapter 3 | Special Revelation by David S. Dockery and David P. Nelson

SECTION 2 THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
Chapter 4 | The Nature of God: Being, Attributes, and Acts by Timothy George
Chapter 5 | The Work of God: Creation and Providence by David P. Nelson
Chapter 6 | The Agents of God: Angels by Peter R. Schemm, Jr.

SECTION 3 THE DOCTRINE OF HUMANITY
Chapter 7 | Human Nature by John S. Hammett
Chapter 8 | Human Sinfulness by R. Stanton Norman

SECTION 4 THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
Chapter 9 | The Person of Christ by Daniel L. Akin
Chapter 10 | The Work of Christ by Paige Patterson

SECTION 5 THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Chapter 11 | The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit by Malcolm B. Yarnell III

SECTION 6 THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
Chapter 12 | The Work of God: Salvation by Kenneth Keathley

SECTION 7 THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
Chapter 13 | The Church by Mark E. Dever

SECTION 8 THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS
Chapter 14 | Personal and Cosmic Eschatology by Russell D. Moore

CONCLUSION
The Pastor as Theologian by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

I hope that you will follow along as I work through A Theology for the Church chapter-by-chapter. I'd be glad for you insight and comments as we compare this work with other classic and standard systematic theologies.

A Theology for the Church | Introduction

"The Event of the Century"

That’s the way some have described the Prayer Meeting Revival, which began 150 years ago today in New York City and spread across the country and the Atlantic to the British Isles. The events of 1857-59 started with a layman named Jeremiah C. Lanphier, who began holding noon prayer meetings at the Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York. The meetings lasted approximately one hour once a week. Anyone desiring to attend could come and go anytime during that hour. At first hardly anyone came; three weeks later daily prayer meetings were requested, so the church was opened everyday at noon for prayer. Other churches began doing this, and soon the fire spread to other cities until most of the country was experiencing revival.

So how did these meetings spontaneously spring up across the land until the phenomenon became known as America’s “Third Great Awakening”? America had seen great revivals before, the last one dying out about twenty years earlier. By 1857 many areas of the country had become known as “burned-over districts” because of excesses that became prominent toward the end of the Second Great Awakening. Many people had come to accept the “New Measures” of Charles Finney as the way to do evangelism, exciting people’s emotions and trying to coerce them to make decisions, not realizing that the new measures represented a doctrinal departure into heresy. A large number of these converts fell away and became harder to reach. Ministers were always trying new ideas to interest people, but weren’t emphasizing the scriptural gospel and sound theology.

No doubt, the Lord used several circumstances to awaken people from their lethargy. The abolition issue was reaching fever pitch in the North while State’s Rights and Secession were doing the same in the South. The country was headed toward war. In 1857 an economic depression hit the country and brought about a “pall of mourning over every house” (words of J.W. Alexander, quoted by Iain H. Murray in Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858, p. 341). So, tempers were rising and spirits were falling.

However, God had certain men still preaching sound gospel. One of the most prominent of these men was James Waddell Alexander, a Presbyterian minister in New York City and son of Archibald Alexander, who was a leader in the Second Great Awakening. J.W. Alexander had been preaching to his people about the Holy Spirit’s role in conversion. The Lord blessed his preaching by granting his church a measure of revival in the years before 1857. One of the men blessed by such preaching was Jeremiah Lanphier, who later went to the Dutch Reformed Church and became a lay-evangelist. So, apparently, God brought about a sense of need in people and put some well-trained leaders in place to point needy people to the divine Supply.

This revival had at least three benefits for America: 1) it steeled the country for the destruction and debauchery of war that followed in the 1860s; 2) it produced a new generation of ministers and missionaries; and 3) it caused many people to change their focus from things temporal to things eternal. The revival that sprang from these prayer meetings caused many to think about their souls and to seek Christ and His salvation. How good of the Lord, in a time of national crisis, to send a national moving of His Spirit! We haven’t seen the like since. But God is the same, and He can send revival to needy people absorbed with the troubled affairs of modern-day life in America. We should be praying, “Lord, send a revival, and let it begin in me.”

Though there seems to be no definitive history written about the Prayer Meeting Revival, eyewitness accounts are available. The best one seems to be The Power of Prayer: Illustrated in the Wonderful Displays of Divine Grace at the Fulton Street and Other Meetings, in New York, and Elsewhere, in 1857 and 1858 by Samuel I. Prime, reprinted by Banner of Truth in 1991. J.W. Alexander wrote booklets about the revival, but I don’t know if these are in print. Iain Murray puts together a good account of this revival in his book Revival and Revivalism, also by Banner of Truth, 1994. Do you know of other accounts of this lively period of God’s extraordinary work?

"The Event of the Century"

ebay Sale | Biblical Language References

I've uploaded more books to ebay this evening. Please visit this link and place your bids.

Up for auction are the following books:

• Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament | 2 Volumes
• Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the NT
• Old Testament Word Studies | William Wilson
• Introduction to the New Testament | Theissen
• Englishman's Greek Concordance of the NT
• An Exegetical Grammar of the Greek New Testament
• A Survey of Old Testament Introduction | Archer
• A Survey of Israel's History Rev. & Enlarged | Wood
• A Parsing Guide to the Greek New Testament | Han
• A Dictionary of New Testament Greek Synonyms | Berry

Please let me know if you have any questions about these. For more information on this library sale please visit my earlier post.

Don't forget about the special items listed at TheoSource Book Sale.

ebay Sale | Biblical Language References

Book Review—Preaching the Cross (Together for the Gospel)

The following book review has been posted on SharperIron this morning. I've enjoyed reading this book, so far, and recommend it to you. I appreciate Matt's work reviewing this for us.

Reviewed by Matt Christensen

Dever, Mark, et al. Preaching the Cross. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2007. 176 pages, Hardcover. $19.99 USD.

(Review copies courtesy of Crossway Books)

Purchase: Crossway | CBD | CVBBS | Amazon | WTS (currently on sale)

Special Features: Appendix: Together for the Gospel Affirmations and Denials (2006); General Index; Scripture Index

DCN: 251

LCCN: BV4211.3.P735

Subjects: Gospel, Preaching

Mark Dever is senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC and Executive Director of 9Marks Ministries.

J. Ligon Duncan III is senior minister of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi, Chairman of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

C. J. Mahaney is Director of Sovereign Grace Ministries.

(read the full review here)

Book Review—Preaching the Cross (Together for the Gospel)

DON'T MISS THIS SALE! from WTS

UPDATE: [9/19/07] The "select commentary sale" is now over.

UPDATE: Westminster Bookstore has extended their select commentary sale 'til 9/18/07. You still have time to pick up a few commentaries at great prices. They must have sold out of Waltke on Micah because I do not see it on the list any longer.

Also, they have added a clearance sale with a few mentionable:

1. Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce (Paperback) by John Piper $3.20
2. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World (Paperback) by Stephen J. Nichols $5.20 [SOLD OUT]
3. Justified in Christ: God's Plan for Us in Justification (Paperback) by Oliphint, K. Scott (Editor) $7.60
4. ***Preaching the Cross (Hardcover) by Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan III, R. Albert Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, John Piper, R.C. Sproul $8.60 [DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP!!!! We will be posting a review of this on SharperIron in a couple of weeks.]
5. Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election (Paperback) by Storms, Sam $7.74 [SOLD OUT]
   

Now I'm really excited. This is my kind of shopping! I only wish that they had discounted some commentaries on the book of Psalms.

I have a copy of Waltke's commentary on Genesis and we will be posting a review of it in the next couple of months. It is laid out a bit differently than most other commentaries, but it is a gold mine of exegetical and theological insights.

Also, Iain Dugiud's commentary on Esther & Ruth in the Reformed Expository Commentary series. Here's an affordable way to check out this new series. Please use any of the links from this site to WTS when you make your purchases. Thanks!

New! Best of WTS Sale!

Sale #10: Recommended Commentaries From now until our next newsletter is sent, enjoy discounts of up to 55% on a selection of some of our most highly recommended biblical commentaries. Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation by Poythress, Vern S. NT 311: Recommended $14.99 $6.75 Esther and Ruth (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Duguid, Iain M. $17.99 $9.89 Ezekiel - NIV Application Commentary by Duguid, Iain M. $29.99 $14.99 1 Peter (BECNT) by Jobes, Karen H. $39.99 $21.99 Book of Revelation (NIGTC) by Beale, G. K. NT 311: Recommended $80.00 $44.00

They are selling out quickly. The five shown above are all that remain of this sale as of 9/15/07.

DON'T MISS THIS SALE! from WTS

Book Review--God’s Indwelling Presence

We have posted a review of the following on SharperIron.

Reviewed by Aaron Carpenter

Hamilton, James M., Jr. God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old & New Testaments. NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. Nashville, Tenn: B&H Publishing Group, 2006. 233 pages, Hardcover. $19.99 USD.

(Review copy courtesy of B&H Publishing Group)

Purchase: B&H | CBD | Amazon

Note: This is volume 1 in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE AND THEOLOGY

Special Features:

3 Appendices:

1) The Use of emphusao- in John 20:22
2) “He is with you, and He is in you?”—The text of John 14:17c
3) Rushing Wind and Organ Music: Toward Luke’s Theology of the Spirit in Acts

Bibliography, Author Index, Subject Index, and Scripture Index

Sample Chapter: PDF

ISBNs: 0805443835 / 9780805443837

DCN: 231.3

LCCN: BT121.2 .H245 2006

Subjects: God\Holy Spirit

(read the full review here…)

I've enjoyed this new theological series by B&H and look forward to more titles to come. Here are two more volumes to follow (we definitely will be requesting review copies):

Volume 3: Future Israel by Barry E. Horne (due October '07)
Volume 4: Enthroned on Our Praise by Timothy M. Pierce (due November '07)

Book Review--God’s Indwelling Presence

R Albert Mohler on Reading Books

Here are some encouraging thoughts on reading from a true bibliophile. Dr R Albert Mohler is the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In the T4G video, posted on the Together for the Gospel website, C.J. Mahaney took special care to comment on Dr Mohler's voracious appetite for books. His personal library mounts to over 30,000 volumes of which he has read at least 90 percent. Taking this into consideration, the following post bears a significant amount of weight.

Some Thoughts on the Reading of Books

Posted: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 3:01 am ET

I cannot really remember when I did not love to read books. I do know that I was very eager to learn to read, and that I quickly found myself immersed in the world of books and literature. It may have been a seduction of sorts, and the Christian disciple must always be on guard to guide the eyes to books worthy of a disciple's attention -- and there are so many. (more...)

I can't claim to have read anywhere near as many books as Dr Mohler (for many reasons), but they say that your are a reader if you carry a book with you in the car to read at stop lights. I tell you what, my time to read is very limited, so I take a book with me nearly everywhere I go so that I can take advantage of possible free moments. I often read at red lights, too, and in traffic jams.

One thing that I have been more mindful of lately is taking along a pocket sized Bible with a good book. I tend to reach for a good book first; which is a habit I need to change!

Are you a reader? When and where do you read? I'd like to hear from you. I know that I rarely ever saw Tim Ashcraft without a good book in his hand. :)

R Albert Mohler on Reading Books

Book Review--Believer's Baptism

There has been an ongoing storm of discussion in the blogosphere regarding the issue of Baptism (Justin Taylor's Summary | Phil Gons' Summary). Here is a new book dealing with this issue from a solid Baptist perspective. Stewart has done of fine job of reviewing this book and I hope that you will take the time to consider this subject and share your thoughts and/or questions about the book. (The full review has been posted at www.sharperiron.org.)

Reviewed by Stewart MacLean Jr.

Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ. Edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn D. Wright. NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic, 2006. 364 pages, Hardcover. $19.99.

Purchase: B&H | CBD | Amazon

Note: This is volume 2 in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE AND THEOLOGY.

Special Features: Forward by Timothy George; Author Index; Subject Index; Scripture Index

Sample Chapter: PDF

ISBN: 0805432493 / 9780805432497

DCN: 243.161 B431

LCCN: BV803 .B34 2006

Subjects: Baptist Doctrine, Baptism

Editors: Thomas R. Schreiner (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Associate Dean of Scripture and Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books and many articles on New Testament interpretation and biblical theology. He also serves as preaching pastor of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. (from the back cover) (more…)

Book Review--Believer's Baptism

Mid-America Conference on Preaching: Oct. 18-19, 2007

Andy Naselli has posted an announcement about the upcoming Mid-America Conference on Preaching, hosted by Inter-City Baptist Church and Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, October 18–19, 2007.

"Learning from the Past, Pressing toward the Future"

This year’s speakers include Doug McLachlan, Mark Minnick, Sam Horn, David Saxon, David Doran, and the faculty of DBTS.

Here's some more information on the conference...

A Message to Pastors

Dear Pastor,

We would love to have you join us for the 2007 Mid-America Conference on Preaching. Our theme for this year, Learning from the Past, Pressing toward the Future, is a reminder that we are runners in a relay race that began with the Apostles and will continue until our Lord returns. We can’t live looking backward, but if we don’t understand what has happened before us, we’re surely headed for trouble.

Our desire for the MACP remains the same: to equip and encourage those who serve Christ’s church as pastors. We count it a real privilege to serve the Lord and His servants in this way. These two days will be packed with great times in the Word and encouraging fellowship together. We are pleased to have Doug McLachlan, Mark Minnick, Sam Horn, and Dave Saxon join the DBTS faculty and me as speakers for this year. We are making some changes to the format that I think you will enjoy, and we have some special surprises for you that we hope will make the conference a special blessing to you. Dress for the conference is business casual.

The reality of our accountability to the Lord constantly motivates me to grow as a believer and a pastor. I am looking forward to how God will use this year’s conference in my own life. Please join us for two spiritually refreshing and refining days!

For the sake of His name,
David M. Doran

• Special discounts at Inter-City Christian Bookstore
  
  
  
  
• Shuttle service to/from airport and conference hotel
  
  
  
  
• Hospitality room: refreshments and fellowship
  
  
  
  
• Internet café available for e-mail service
  
  
  
  
• Wireless web connections for laptop users
  
  
  
  
  
  

Sample Workshop Topics

• Essential Qualities of God-Honoring Worship Songs
  
  
  
  
• A Model for Developing A God-Centered Ministry
  
  
  
  
• Shades of Evangelicals: Recognizing the Differences
  
  
  
  
• Conservative Evangelicals and Fundamentalists: Recognizing the Differences
  
  
  
  
• Are We Worried about Holiness or How We Look?
  
  
  
  
• Expositional Preaching from the Parables
  
  
  
  
• Designing Sermons for Effective Communication
  
  
  
  
• Weakness or Wisdom? Fundamentalism and Romans 14:1–15:13
  
  
  
  
• Are Baptists Protestants?
  
  
  
  
• In Defense of Penal-Substitutionary Atonement
  
  
  
  
• Evangelistic Calvinists Past and Present: Being What We Were Chosen to Become
  
  
  
  
• Is There a Present Form of The Kingdom of God/Heaven: A Case Study in Hermeneutics and Theology
  
  
  
  
• The Meaning of Fellowship in 1 John
  
  
  
  
• An Overview of Ecclesiastes
  
  
  
  
• Local Church Membership and the Practice of the Ordinances
  
  
  
  

Conference Schedule

Mid-America Conference on Preaching: Oct. 18-19, 2007

Just for Fun!!!

For the past year I've been using Google Analytics to track stats for this site. One feature that I particularly enjoy is the map overlay. We don't hear from everyone who visits but I'm always curious to know who's visiting. Today I was curious to find out if we have received visitors from each state in the Union. I was surprised to see that we have welcomed visitors from all but two, namely, Hawaii and Wyoming.


Wow! I'm surprised and very grateful. I would like to thank everyone who has visited our humble blog. We hope that we can be of service to you all as you study the Word of God.

Now for some fun with stats...

Here are the top five states:

State

# of Visits

1.	South Carolina	915
2.	Alabama	218
3.	Georgia	174
4.	(?)	154
5.	Indiana	121

Here is what most readers have visited (besides the main page):

URL		Pageviews
1.	Whetstone Conference	345
2.	Theological Library Sale	104
3.	Summing Up	56
4.	Pauline Christology by Gordon Fee	50
5.	223.2 Psalms	50

Thanks for reading!

Just for Fun!!!

Oswald T. Allis (Sept. 9, 1880 - Jan. 12, 1973)

The Church is indebted to men such as O. T. Allis for their diligent labors in defending the faith. Allis was born to Julia Waterbury and Oscar Huntington Allis on September 9, 1880, in Wallingford, PA. As a young boy, Allis enjoyed the blessings of a Christian home and sound church family.

In 1897, Allis entered the University of Pennsylvania and gave himself to diligent studying. In 1902, he entered Princeton Theological Seminary and came under the influence of eminent, conservative theologians such as J. A. Alexander, William Henry Green and Robert Dick Wilson. Of this period of his life Allis wrote,

It was the privilege of the writer to study at Princeton Seminary under men who held firmly to the great tradition on which that institution was founded, men who not merely believed but gloried in that pervasive supernaturalism which alone can be called truly biblical.

(From the Preface to The Old Testament: Its Claims and Its Critics, as quoted by John H. Skilton in his essay "Oswald T. Allis" in Bible Interpreters of the Twentieth Century, edited by Walter A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver, 1999.)

He also studied philosophy and earned a Master of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1907. This time of studying at Princeton prepared him for doctoral work in Berlin, Germany.

Upon his return from Germany Allis took up a position teaching Semitic Philology in the Old Testament department of Princeton Seminary assisting John D. Davis and later Robert Dick Wilson. Allis held his position here until his resignation in 1929 over the modernist takeover of the seminary. He left Princeton along with J. Gresham Machen, Robert Dick Wilson and Cornelius Van Til to form a new seminary in Philadelphia, Westminster Theological Seminary. Some interesting facts about the formation of this new seminary is that Allis not only provided a building to serve as the schoolhouse and rented it out to the school at the price of one dollar per year, but the building was that of his childhood home (1604 Spruce Street).

Having been trained firsthand from those with whom he would contend he was able to argue with greater understanding of his opponents position. Among his writings is The Five Books of Moses in which Allis defended the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch against the modernist critics. He also countered the rejection of biblical supernaturalism and affirmed the predictive nature of prophecy in his work The Unity of Isaiah.

Among his writings were books dealing with the plethora of modern versions of the Bible being offered to Christians. He was not against modern translations, but found that many of the versions were in fact paraphrases, rather than faithful translations. He also noted that the RSV

is not merely a 'modern speech' but a 'modernist' or 'higher critical' revision of the version of 1611....It makes many changes in the text of the Bible, either on the authority of the ancient versions or simply on the basis of conjecture. And its marginal notes are at times inaccurate, inadequate, and misleading; and they tend quite definitely to undermine confidence in the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible.

(As quoted by John H. Skilton in his essay "Oswald T. Allis" in Bible Interpreters of the Twentieth Century, edited by Walter A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver, 1999.)

One last thing I've learned about O. T. Allis that I would like to share with you from John Skilton's biographical sketch has to do with his view of dispensationalism. Skilton writes,

Allis, well aware of the gravity of the critics' attack on the Bible, recognized how important it is for Christians to stand together against destructive forces from without. He feared that the dispensationalism of his day was separating Christians and weakening their power to fight unitedly against their real enemies.

(John H. Skilton in his essay "Oswald T. Allis" in Bible Interpreters of the Twentieth Century, edited by Walter A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver, 1999.)

I've not read this book, so I can't offer my impression, however, Skilton's observation here is something worth considering with great sobriety. It's not so much his criticism of dispensationalism that concerns me, but rather what he identifies as something else that destroys unity among believers and weakens a collective witness for the truth. I tend to be a pacifist of sorts. I don't like battles or even arguments. However, defending the Christian faith is essential if I would be obedient to Christ. There is a battle raging for the souls of men, women and children. Our enemies are cunning and their ways are subtle. We need to resolve to take up this charge and oppose those who would undermine and destroy the gospel. We really do need a greater sense of unity among our churches in order to be effective at this task.

Biographies of Oswald T. Allis -

• PCA Historical Center - Oswald T. Allis Collection (offers a very short biographical sketch)
• Wikipedia - Oswald T. Allis
  
• Moyer, Elgin. The Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary of the Church. Revised and enlarged by Earle E. Cairns (Chicago: Moody Press, 1982) - "Allis, Oswald Thompson" (p. 10; very brief) [Amazon, out of print]
• John H. Skilton, "Oswald T. Allis" in Bible Interpreters of the Twentieth Century, edited by Walter A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999) pp. 122-130. [Amazon, now out of print]
• Strangely enough there is not an entry for Oswald T. Allis in Timothy Larsen's Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals.
  

Works by Oswald T. Allis -

• The Seminary Faculty. Biblical and Theological Studies: A Commemoration of 100 Years of Princeton Seminary (1912. Reprint. Solid Ground Christian Books, 2004) [CBD | WTS]
• The Five Books Of Moses. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1943; Reprint. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001). [ WTS]
• Prophecy and the Church (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1945; Reprint. Wipf & Stock, 2001) [WTS]
  
• Revision or New Translation? "The Revised Standard Versionof 1946": A Comparative Study. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1948) [out of print; Amazon]
  
• Unity of Isaiah. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1950; Reprint. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001) [Amazon]
• God Spake by Moses: An Exposition of the Pentateuch. (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1951) [P&R | CBD | WTS]
• Revised Version or Revised Bible? A Critique of the Revised Standard Version of the Old Testament (1952). (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1953) [out of print]
  
• The New English Bible, the New Testament of 1961: A Comparative Study. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1963) [out of print; Amazon]
  
• The Old Testament: Its Claims and Its Critics. (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1972) [out of print; Amazon]

Secondary Source -

• The Law and the Prophets: Old Testament Studies In Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis. Edited by John H. Skilton. (Nutley, N.J.: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1974) [out of print; Amazon]
  

[NOTE: If you desire to purchase books we would encourage you to support a Christian bookseller, however Amazon offers titles (even used titles) others do not. Please use our links to these booksellers to show our support for them.]

Oswald T. Allis (Sept. 9, 1880 - Jan. 12, 1973)