Herman Bavinck - "I have my faith, and in this I have all"

In the providence of God, Bavinck's life ended unexpectedly, at a time when he was still engaged in a variety of academic, political, cultural, and church activities. After offering an eloquent address on the floor of the synodical meeting of the Reformed churches in Leeuwarden, Bavinck suffered a heart attack, from which he first rallied but never fully recovered. After a prolonged period of illness, Bavinck "fell asleep" in the Lord on July 29, 1921. Among the poignant memories recorded of visits with Bavinck at the time was his reply to the question of whether he was afraid to die: "My dogmatics avail me nothing, nor my knowledge, but I have my faith, and in this I have all."

(Cornelis P. Venema, "Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology,"New Horizons, October 2008)

For a helpful introduction to the life and theology of Herman Bavinck, I recommend the following brief articles:

• Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology
  by Cornelis P. Venema
• The Legacy of Herman Bavinck
  by Nelson D. Kloosterman
• The Witness of Scripture to Itself
  by Lane G. Tipton

I also commend to you his magnum opus, Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics. 4 Volumes. Edited by John Bolt and translated by John Vriend. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2003 - 2008. Hardcover, 3,008 pages.

Herman Bavinck - "I have my faith, and in this I have all"

Themelios 34:2 is Now Online

The latest issue of Themelios is now available online. There are some very fine articles, but I would like to draw particular attention to a handful of reviews I found to be helpful.

Old Testament

A. Philip Brown II and Bryan W. Smith, eds. - A Reader’s Hebrew Bible

(reviewed by Christopher Cowan)

I was very glad to see this volume highlighted in Themolios. This is an excellent tools for those with a beginning to intermediate level of skill with Hebrew. We highlighted this resource and posted interviews with the editors (here, here, here, here, here, and here).

Gregory K. Beale - We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry

(reviewed by Mathieu Richelle)

This is a great book which I have heartily recommended on the blog (here). We also posted a review by David Wenkel (here). Richelle does an excellent job critiquing this book. This is very helpful.

Bruce Waltke, with Charles Yu - An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach

(reviewed by Rodrigo de Sousa)

A very judicious review. I have enjoyed reading this volume, but there are a few peculiarities which de Sousa does a fine job of critiquing.

New Testament

Joseph Fitzmyer - First Corinthians

(reviewed by Nijay Gupta)

Edited by William Foxwell Albright, David Noel Freedman, and John J. Collins - The Anchor Yale Bible

(reviewed by Andy Naselli)

I found this to be a very helpful introduction to this commentary series.

Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell. - James

(reviewed by Scott Newman)

We highlighted this commentary on the blog last November (read here).

History and Historical Theology

Herman J. Selderhuis - John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life

(reviewed by David Roach)

This is an excellent biography. I highly recommend it (read here).

Systematic Theology and Bioethics

Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung, eds. - A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to “Left Behind” Eschatology

(reviewed by A. J. Gibson)

I was delighted when I first heard of this book (read here). I was even more delighted to find A. J.'s review. I, too, am looking forward to more works on this subject.

Ethics and Pastoralia

Mark Dever and Paul Alexander - The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel

Graham Tomlin - The Provocative Church

(both of these titles were reviewed by James M. Curtis)

This is the first review of Tomlin's book that I have found. I'm very glad that Curtis highlighted Tomlin's re-defining of repentance. I have not read this book, but I have watched Tomlin's lectures through this book. The contrast in these two titles highlights a major difference in ministry philosophy between Dever/Alexander and Tomlin. I, personally, was surprised that Curtis took to Tomlin's book more than to Dever's. In any case, these were also very helpful reviews.

Themelios 34:2 is Now Online

The New Covenant Roots of the NT Canon

[T]he idea of a NT canon was not the idea of some fourth-century Christians or even the product of a second-century reaction to the truncated canon of Marcion. Rather, the concept of a New Testament flows organically from the establishment of a new covenant, predicted by the OT prophets and instituted in and through the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who thus became the very fount not only of all Christian salvation blessings but also of the NT canon.

(Köstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. [Nashville: B&H Academic, August, 2oo9], p. 30.)

The New Covenant Roots of the NT Canon

A Twofold Dynamic to Understanding the NT

There is a twofold dynamic to understand the NT. It is important to read each individual book within its own context and frame of reference. In this regard, the critical issues of author, date, purpose, and so on (the standard fare for NT Introductions) are important foundational issues in interpreting the NT. But the book must also be read within its larger canonical framework. In this way, attention can be given to all the major elements of a given piece of writing: (1) the unique set of historical circumstances that occasioned a given book; (2) its own narrative development or flow of argument; (3) significant theological themes; and (4) the way in which a particular NT document sustains a variety of historical, literary, and theological interrelationships with other books included in the biblical canon.¹⁰²

---

¹⁰² The preceding observations provide the underlying rationale for why the material is treated in the remainder of this volume the way it is (note especially that the book follows a chronological, rather than canonical, order of Paul's letters). The present remarks also provide the foundation for the final chapter on the subject of the unity and diversity of the NT.

(Köstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. [Nashville: B&H Academic, August, 2oo9], p. 29-30.)

A Twofold Dynamic to Understanding the NT

The Oral Roots of the NT

In the case of either the Gospels or the Epistles the Word was oral well before it was written. We reverse the process today when we read the text of the New Testament out loud and then proclaim and declaim on the basis of it. Thus, it is fair to say that when we tell the story of the New Testament, we are telling the story of a second-order phenomenon, the story of the literary residue of a largely oral movement which grew on the basis of preaching and teaching, praying an praising, and other forms of oral communication. It was not mainly, in the earliest period of Christian history, the texts that spread the Word, but rather the oral proclamation.

(Ben Witherington III, The New Testament Story. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004, p. 5.)

The Oral Roots of the NT

Calvin Urges Christians to Pray with Passion

I have been meditating upon the following passage from John Calvin's Institutes.

Another rule of prayer is, that in asking we must always truly feel our wants, and seriously considering that we need all the things which we ask, accompany the prayer with a sincere, nay, ardent desire of obtaining them. Many repeat prayers in a perfunctory manner from a set form, as if they were performing a task to God, and though they confess that this is a necessary remedy for the evils of their condition, because it were fatal to be left without the divine aid which they implore, it still appears that they perform the duty from custom, because their minds are meanwhile cold, and they ponder not what they ask. A general and confused feeling of their necessity leads them to pray, but it does not make them solicitous as in a matter of present consequence, that they may obtain the supply of their need. Moreover, can we suppose anything more hateful or even more execrable to God than this fiction of asking the pardon of sins, while he who asks at the very time either thinks that he is not a sinner, or, at least, is not thinking that he is a sinner; in other words, a fiction by which God is plainly held in derision? But mankind, as I have lately said, are full of depravity, so that in the way of perfunctory service they often ask many things of God which they think come to them without his beneficence, or from some other quarter, or are already certainly in their possession. There is another fault which seems less heinous, but is not to be tolerated. Some murmur out prayers without meditation, their only principle being that God is to be propitiated by prayer. Believers ought to be specially on their guard never to appear in the presence of God with the intention of presenting a request unless they are under some serious impression, and are, at the same time, desirous to obtain it. Nay, although in these things which we ask only for the glory of God, we seem not at first sight to consult for our necessity, yet we ought not to ask with less fervour and vehemency of desire. For instance, when we pray that his name be hallowed — that hallowing must, so to speak, be earnestly hungered and thirsted after.

(John Calvin, "Of Prayer" in Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated by Henry Beveridge. 1845. III, ch. XX, no. VI.)

• The words appearing in black, bold print highlight the various terms Calvin used to describe the passion with which we ought to pray.
• The words appearing in red, bold print highlight the various terms Calvin used to describe the way we ought not to pray.
  
• The words appearing in blue, bold print highlight the various terms Calvin used to describe God's response to thoughtless, emotionless prayers.
  

Calvin Urges Christians to Pray with Passion

Forthcoming: Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader

I often shy away from reading books on apologetics, but this one looks like the kind of book on the subject that I would enjoy reading. More than that, I can see this book (and the subsequent volumes) being useful reference tools for many years to come.

Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader (Volume 1, To 1500), edited by William Edgar and K. Scott Oliphint. Wheaton: Crossway Books, Forthcoming, 2009.

WILLIAM EDGAR (DTheol, University of Geneva) is professor of apologetics and coordinator of the apologetics department at Westminster Theological Seminary. His books include Reasons of the Heart, The Face of Truth, and Truth in All Its Glory.

K. SCOTT OLIPHINT (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His books include Things That Cannot Be Shaken, Revelation and Reason, and Reasons for Faith.

Publisher's Description:

An unprecedented anthology of apologetics texts with selections from the first century AD through the Middle Ages. Includes introductory material, timelines, maps, footnotes, and discussion questions.

The apostle Peter tells us always to be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks us to account for our hope as Christians (1 Peter 3:15). While the gospel message remains the same, such arguments will look different from one age to another.

In the midst of a recent revival in the field of apologetics, few things could be more useful than an acquaintance with some of these arguments for the Christian belief through the ages. This first of two proposed volumes features primary source documents from the time of the early church (100-400) and the Middle Ages (400-1500). Featured apologists include Aristides, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas.

The authors provide a preface to each major historical section, with a timeline and a map, then an introduction to each apologist. Each primary source text is followed by questions for reflection or discussion purposes.

$39.00 Hardcover
Available Sep 30, 2009

ISBN: 1581349068 / 9781581349061
Size: 6 x 9 inches
Pages: 512

Forthcoming: Christian Apologetics Past and Present: A Primary Source Reader

Unity in Diversity in the Church

Over the past week I've been contemplating the comments being offered via email as well as those posted here on the topic, "Are Millennial Views Essential." As I've considered the comments my thoughts have continued to return to 1 Corinthians 12 and the description of a healthy functioning local church. The immediate context is referring to spiritual giftedness, so I don't want to stretch this passage to far. That said, the principle of unity in diversity can be extended to the universal Church.

Ephesians 4:1-6 calls us to consider unity in diversity on the theological level:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (ESV)

Finally, I am considering statements like the following by David Watson on The Unity of the Church in I Believe in the Church (Eerdmans, 1985):

[T]he doctrinal basis for unity must [be] the unchangeable gospel of Jesus Christ, as given in the Scriptures as a whole. If the basis is 'the church', the immediate question will be 'Which Church?' If we attempt to come together on an aggregate of beliefs or on some lower common denominator, we shall be either more than, or less than, the church that Christ found upon the rock, against which even the gates of hell could not prevail. (p. 355)

This all seems so simple and straightforward, but we are intent on "defining" and "distinguishing ourselves" from one another within the body. How do we get back to this?

Unity in Diversity in the Church

A Collection of Psalters On Display at the Getty Museum

On view through August 16, 2009.

In an era of e-books, it is impressive to see the enduring beauty of the 21 manuscripts and leaves, or individual pages, displayed in "Temptation and Salvation: The Psalms of King David." All of the examples -- some large, some tiny -- were drawn from the Getty's own collection of the illustrated texts, inaugurated in 1983 with the purchase of 144 manuscripts owned by German chocolate magnate Peter Ludwig and his wife, Irene. (Martha Groves, "Getty displays medieval manuscripts focusing on King David," LA Times, July 20, 2009)

(HT: Jim Davila @ PaleoJudaica.com)

A Collection of Psalters On Display at the Getty Museum

Christian History Chronology Project

This morning a friend mentioned to me that he had been browsing through the Chronological Index that I have posted on this site. I can't tell you how much I appreciate feedback on these lists. They are all a work in progress, and every bit of encouragement is a blessing. If you're not familiar with this list, you will find a link on the sidebar (along with a Missions Chronology) under the title TheoSource Church History Project.

1. Christian Missions Chronology
2. Christian Chronological Index

Both of these lists draw from a supplemental project to the TheoSource Book Recommendation Lists (listed in the header). As I consider book recommendations, I am concerned to know as much as possible concerning the author of the book recommended. This is also true for reviewing books. All of the details I've learned about various authors are not contained in these lists. However, these lists display the results of what has been collected so far. This task is time consuming and requires a great deal of research, which I thoroughly enjoy. I have collected numerous biographies and biographical dictionaries to help me with the details. As I am introduced to new authors, find biographical information and time to enter the data, these lists will continue to grow.

The first list is filtered to only display information about persons categorized as a "missionary". The second list is a full display of all the names collected thus far. Each list is outlined by recognizable periods in Church History. Beyond this outline, each individual is listed in chronological order according to the year of birth (*see note below).

My interest in developing these lists is to gather basic information on authors and tie this data to a list of books authored and a list of biographical sources. In some cases, I have added photos either found on the internet (mostly Wikipedia) or scanned from books out of my personal library. Beyond the knowledge of basic details, I am always interested in locating authors among their contemporaries. I find this to be very helpful in gaining an appreciation for the original context of book.

For example: Here is a list of 34 persons contemporaneous with John Calvin.

Hübmaier, Balthasar

b. 1480

d. 1528

[German Anabaptist]

Oecolampadius

Protestant reformer at Basle and Berne.

b. 1482

d. 1531

[Protestant]

Luther, Martin

Wittenburg, Germany

b. November 10, 1483, at Eisleben, Germany, Europe

d. February 18, 1546, at Eisleben, Germany

[German Protestant Reformer]

Place of burial: Wittenberg, Germany

Zwingli, Huldrych

Theologian.

b. January 1, 1484, at Wildhaus, St. Gall, Switzerland, Europe

d. October 11, 1531, at Kappel am Albis,

Latimer, Hugh

Bishop of Worcester. Burned at the stake in Oxford

b. 1485, at Leicestershire, England

d. October 16, 1555, at Oxford, England

[English Protestant]

Coverdale, Miles

English translator or the first printed Bible.

b. 1488

d. 1568

[English Protestant]

Cranmer, Thomas

Archbiship of Canterbury turned reformer and martyr.

Farel, Guilaume

b. 1489

d. 1565

Bucer, Martin

Strasbourg Reformer

b. November 11, 1491, at Schlettstadt in Alsace, France, Europe

d. February 28, 1551, at Cambridge, England

[German Protestant Reformer]

Place of burial: university church

Recalde (de Loyola), Iñigo de (Ignatius of Loyola)

Co-founder of the Society of Jesuits, Mystic

b. 1491, at Basque, Gúipozcoa, Spain, Europe

d. July 31, 1556

Blaurock, Jörg

An effective Anabaptist preacher.

Baptized by the pouring of water in Zürich in January, 1525, by Conrad

Grebel. This has been noted as being the first Anabaptist baptism.

"He was captured in Tyrol and burned at Innsbruck."

b. 1492, Switzerland, Europe

d. 1529

[Swiss Anabaptist]

Gardiner, Stephen

Bishop of Winchester under Henry VIII, a persecutor of Protestants.

b. 1493

d. 1555

Tyndale, William

Bible translator.

b. 1494

d. 1536

[English Protestant Reformer]

Bilney, Thomas

b. 1495

d. 1531

Simons, Menno

A prominent Anabaptist & founding father of the Mennonites.

b. 1496

d. 1561

[Swiss Anabaptist]

Melanchthon, Philipp

b. February 16, 1497, at Bretten, near Karlsruhe, Germany, Europe

d. April 19, 1560, at Leipzig, Germany

[German Protestant Reformer]

Grebel, Conrad

b. 1498, at Zurich, Switzerland, Europe

d. 1526

[Swiss Anabaptist]

Lupset, Thomas

Cambridge scholar and friend of Erasmus and Cardinal Pole

b. 1498

d. 1530

Osiander, Andreas

Reformer.

b. 1498

d. 1552,

[German Lutheran]

Bora, Katherine von

Martin Luther’s wife.

b. 1499

d. 1552

[German Protestant Reformer]

Ridley, Nicholas

Studied at the Sorbonne and Louvain, as well as at Cambridge. Bishop of

Rochester (1547), and Bishop of London (1550). Burned at the stake with Hugh

Latimer.

b. 1500

d. October 16, 1555, at Oxford, England

[English Protestant Reformer]

Hamilton, Patrick

b. 1504

d. 1528

Bullinger, Johann Heinrich

b. July 18, 1504, at Bremgarten, Aargau, , Europe

d. September 17, 1575, at Zürich, Switzerland

[Swiss Prostestant Reformer]

Knox, John

Scottish Reformer

b. 1505, at Giffordgate ?, Scotland, Europe

d. November 24, 1572, at Edinburgh, Scotland

[Scottish Presbyterian]

Xavier, Francis

Co-founder of the Society of Jesuits

b. 1506, at Biscay, Spain, Europe

d. December 3, 1552

[Roman Catholic]

Buchanan, George

Scottish political theorist.

b. 1507

d. 1582

[Reformed Chruch of Scotland]

Calvin, John

Father of Calvinism. Genevan Reformer and the greatest systematic theologian

of the Reformation

b. July 10, 1509, at Noyon, Picardy in Northern France

d. May 27, 1564, at Geneva, Switzerland

[French Protestant Reformer]

Bradford, John

Burnt at the stake in Mary Tudor’s reign.

b. 1510

d. 1555

Servetus, Miguel

Heretic.

b. 1511, Europe

d. 1553

Hamilton, John

Archbishop of St. Andrews

b. 1512, at Scotland, Europe

d. 1571, at Stirling, Scotland

Wishart, George

Scottish martyr; Mentor to Knox

b. 1513, at Scotland, Europe

d. 1546

[Scottish Presbyterian]

Foxe, John

Church historian, martyrologist.

b. 1516

d. April 18, 1587

[English Protestant]

Ninian, Winzet

Publicly disputed with Knox at Linlithgow.

b. 1518, at Renfrew, Scotland, Europe

d. September 21, 1592, at Ratisbon,

[Roman Catholic]

Place of burial: St. James Church

Beza, Theodore

b. June 24, 1519, at Vezelay, Burgundy, France, Europe

d. October 13, 1605, at Geneva, Switzerland

[French Protestant Reformer]

Place of burial: in the monastery of St. Peirre

I've never seen a timeline exactly like the one I'm offering here. I'm certain that it can be improved. One note that I have made today is to include names of notable philosophers, scientists, and world leaders for an even greater context. For instance, the following names need to be added:

• Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452–May 2, 1519)
• Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527)
• Copernicus (1473–1543)

John Calvin (July 10, 1509–May 27, 1564)

• Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
• Francis Bacon (1561–1626)
• Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)
• René Descartes (1596–1650)
• Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606–October 4, 1669)

What do you think?
I am also soliciting your feedback on this project. If you know of a way that these lists can be improved, I'd love to discuss it with you. If you have details that can be added, please leave a comment below or send them to me with sources.

*I am currently without access to MS Access since my previous computer recently crashed. As soon as I get all of my data transferred to this computer I can resume work on the lists. Also, I noticed today that the first few pages of the Christian Chronological Index consist of names that are out of order. This is due to incorrect tagging which will be corrected.

Christian History Chronology Project

Cambridge Celebrates Multiple Anniversaries

This morning, I learned of the significance of the year 2009 for Cambridge University. According the CUP website, 2009 is a year of celebrating anniversaries.

This year we celebrate 425 years of continuous publishing, a year that also marks the 475th anniversary of King Henry VIII’s grant to Cambridge University Press of ‘Letters Patent’ allowing us to print ‘all manner of books’. 2009 also sees the 800th anniversary of the University of Cambridge, providing an occasion for us to join in celebrating our respective foundations by commemorating the books, people, ideas and achievements that have emerged from this shared history and which continue to inspire and transform the world.

University of Cambridge 800th Anniversary website.

Most notable, form my perspective, is Cambridge UP's work publishing Bibles.

Bibles

Bible publishing provides a unique link between Cambridge's present, past and future. The first Cambridge Bible – an edition of the Geneva Bible – was published in 1591. As the oldest Bible publisher in the world, with an unrivaled tradition stretching back over four hundred years, Cambridge has a long-standing reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

Cambridge today is uniquely recognized and respected for fine Bibles produced in a traditional and familiar style. Over a hundred styles are available, now in a variety of modern translations as well as the King James Version and Book of Common Prayer which have been a constant feature for nearly four centuries.

The following translations are offered by the Cambridge University Press:

• English Standard Version
• King James Version
• New American Standard Bible
• New English Bible
• New International Version
• New King James Version
• New Living Translation
• New Revised Standard Version
• Revised English Bible
• Today's New International Version

The Press is also noted for its academic, theological books such as:

• A handful of titles offered at the Westminster Bookstore.
• The old Cambridge Bible Commentary series contains many classic volumes. These are, now, out of print, but they can be found online and at some used bookstores. Cambridge UP is in the process of replacing this series with the New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series.
  

(HT: PW Daily)

Cambridge Celebrates Multiple Anniversaries

When Helping Hurts by Corbett & Fikkert

Blessed is the one who considers the poor! Psalm 41:1a (ESV)

A friend, who spends a great deal of time working with the poor and needy in our community as well as with the many folks who are attempting to minister in various ways to the same, recommended the following book to me. I've been awaiting its publication and now I see that the Westminster Bookstore is offering a Special Launch Price for 48 Hours. Upon his recommendation and what I've learned about the authors, I think that you ought to consider this book. Hurry this deal won't last long.

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert (Moody Publishers, 2009). PB

Sample Pages

ISBN-10: 0802457053 | ISBN-13: 9780802457059
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $14.99
Westminster Bookstore: $4.89 - 67% Off (NO LONGER ON SALE)
CURRENT PRICE (as of April 2011): $9.72

Publisher's Description: Churches and individual Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty, resulting in the use of strategies that do considerable harm to poor people and themselves. When Helping Hurts provides foundational concepts, clearly articulated general principles and relevant applications. The result is an effective and holistic ministry to the poor, not a truncated gospel.
A situation is assessed for whether relief, rehabilitation, or development is the best response to a situation. Efforts are characterized by an "asset based" approach rather than a "needs based" approach. Short term mission efforts are addressed and microenterprise development (MED) is explored.
208 Pages
Published July 2009
About the Authors:
Brian Fikkert is an associate professor of economics at Covenant College, and the founder and executive director of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College.
Steve Corbett is the community development specialist for the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, and an assistant professor in the department of economics and community development at Covenant College.

When Helping Hurts by Corbett & Fikkert

Michael Bird on Paul's Eschatology

Craig Blomberg's review of Michael Bird's Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message (IVP, 2008) highlights Bird's cautious understanding of Paul's view of Christ's millennial reign. In light of recent posts and discussions of eschatology and the local church around the blogosphere, I was curious to read this particular section for myself in Introducing Paul. I would like to point out a few portions from chapter 7, The Return of the King.

First, Bird admits the difficulty of the task of ironing out the details of eschatology.

Trying to understand Paul's eschatology can be a bit mind-boggling at times, even more so if you try to correlate it with events, language and descriptions from the book of Revelation. It is tempting for us to resort to being 'pan-millennial', the belief that it will all pan out at the end. Then again, we should not ignore the seriousness of Paul's eschatological teaching, which involves defending the gospel (1 Cor. 15) and providing hope to those in distress (1 Thess. 4). While Paul does not want believers to become 'eschatomaniacs', end-times fruitcakes or a doomsday cult, he still urges them 'not to be uninformed' of the doctrine of the last things (1 Thess. 4:13). So, I suggest, get excited about Paul's eschatology, take it seriously, but avoid becoming fixated on dates and timetables. (116-17)

From here, Bird introduces Paul's view of "suffering, temptation and tribulation to come." In short, Bird argues that Paul held a post-tribulational perspective. Bird applies this perspective by calling on Western churches to fervently uphold the persecuted church in prayer. He also issues a corrective call, saying,

Our churches, some American ones in particular, need to spend less time telling non-Christians that to know Christ means to have fellowship with his sufferings and to be conformed to his death (Phil. 3:10)! For one day the prosperity bubble will burst and the lawless one will be revealed. (118)

Finally, I'd like to say that I appreciated Bird's hesitancy with regard to his exegesis of 1 Cor. 15:23-25. He writes,

What is perhaps more controversial (and I propose this view with a degree of hesitation) is that Paul also implies a messianic or millennial reign of Christ upon the earth.... An interval is implied between Christ's resurrection and his parousia, and another interval between Christ's parousia and his subjugation of all authorities at the 'end'. The explanatory clause 'for' (gar) of verse 25 appears to make the reign of Christ temporally prior to the 'end' (telos) in verse 24. In other words, before the 'end' or the consummation is the reign of Christ over all authorities. I wouldn't bet my house on this one, but it is plausible, it fits the text and the idea comports with the millennial imagery we have in Revelation 20:1-10. (121)

This chapter on Paul's eschatology is an excellent example of theological charity on non-essentials. Bird places greater emphasis on the essentials and lesser emphasis on the negotiables. Truly, my favorite portion of this short chapter is his dealing with Romans 8, which concludes with the words,

It is the hope for resurrection and new creation that sustains believers, and they wait for it patiently and prayerfully as led by God's Spirit (Rom. 8:22-27). (122)

This is a very helpful introductory book, suitable for students and lay-persons alike. I recommend it. I also recommend you read the following review:

• Craig Blomberg, Review of Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message. Denver Seminary, July 9, 2009.

I also recommend that you listen to Andy Naselli's discussion with Kevin Bolin on the topic, Are Millennial Views Essential.

Michael Bird on Paul's Eschatology