“There are two distinct views of salvation entertained by professing Christians. Correspondingly, there are two distinct classes of believers, often within the same church. The one class of believers sees the Gospel as a salvation from sin. They think more of this aspect of the Gospel and value it more than the hope of heaven or of earth. The great thing with them is to realize the idea of deliverance from sin. This is the charm and glory of the Gospel. They seek freedom from sin more than to be saved from hell. They care more to be saved from sin itself than from its consequences. They think and pray very little about the consequences of sin. It is their glory and their joy that Christ was sent to deliver them from their bondage in iniquity, to lift them up from their wretched state and give them the liberty of love. This they labor to realize; this is to them the Good News of Gospel salvation.
“Believers in the other class are mostly anxious to be saved from hell. The punishment due for sin is the thing they chiefly fear. In fact, fear has been mainly the reason for their religious efforts. The Gospel is not thought of as a means of deliverance from sin, but as a great system that takes away the fear and danger of damnation, though it leaves them still in their sin. They seem not to notice that a scheme of salvation that removes the fear of damnation for sin, that leaves them still in their sins to live for themselves, and that maintains the belief that Christ will in the end bring them to heaven (despite their having lived in sin all their days), is a compromise on a most magnificent scale. By virtue of it, the whole church is expected to wallow on in sin through life, and be no less sure of heaven in the end.
“You will find these opposing views everywhere as you go among the churches. Many people in the church are altogether worldly and selfish; they live conformed to the world and negligent of their duties.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 220-221
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Salvation from sin, or salvation from hell?
“There are two distinct views of salvation entertained by professing Christians. Correspondingly, there are two distinct classes of believers, often within the same church. The one class of believers sees the Gospel as a salvation from sin. They think more of this aspect of the Gospel and value it more than the hope of heaven or of earth. The great thing with them is to realize the idea of deliverance from sin. This is the charm and glory of the Gospel. They seek freedom from sin more than to be saved from hell. They care more to be saved from sin itself than from its consequences. They think and pray very little about the consequences of sin. It is their glory and their joy that Christ was sent to deliver them from their bondage in iniquity, to lift them up from their wretched state and give them the liberty of love. This they labor to realize; this is to them the Good News of Gospel salvation.
“Believers in the other class are mostly anxious to be saved from hell. The punishment due for sin is the thing they chiefly fear. In fact, fear has been mainly the reason for their religious efforts. The Gospel is not thought of as a means of deliverance from sin, but as a great system that takes away the fear and danger of damnation, though it leaves them still in their sin. They seem not to notice that a scheme of salvation that removes the fear of damnation for sin, that leaves them still in their sins to live for themselves, and that maintains the belief that Christ will in the end bring them to heaven (despite their having lived in sin all their days), is a compromise on a most magnificent scale. By virtue of it, the whole church is expected to wallow on in sin through life, and be no less sure of heaven in the end.
“You will find these opposing views everywhere as you go among the churches. Many people in the church are altogether worldly and selfish; they live conformed to the world and negligent of their duties.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 220-221
“Believers in the other class are mostly anxious to be saved from hell. The punishment due for sin is the thing they chiefly fear. In fact, fear has been mainly the reason for their religious efforts. The Gospel is not thought of as a means of deliverance from sin, but as a great system that takes away the fear and danger of damnation, though it leaves them still in their sin. They seem not to notice that a scheme of salvation that removes the fear of damnation for sin, that leaves them still in their sins to live for themselves, and that maintains the belief that Christ will in the end bring them to heaven (despite their having lived in sin all their days), is a compromise on a most magnificent scale. By virtue of it, the whole church is expected to wallow on in sin through life, and be no less sure of heaven in the end.
“You will find these opposing views everywhere as you go among the churches. Many people in the church are altogether worldly and selfish; they live conformed to the world and negligent of their duties.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 220-221
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Free from sin, not just sins
“To teach that such an expectation [freedom from living is continual sin] is a dangerous error is to teach unbelief. What if the apostle had added to this command—which requires us to account ourselves “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God”—the following statement: 'Yet let me warn you: nobody can rationally hope to be free from sin in this world. You must remember that to entertain such an expectation as God commands in these words is a dangerous error.' What would be thought of this if it were attached to Romans 6:11?
No man can deny that the passage speaks of sanctification, of being holy before God. Te whole question is , Will Christians “continue in sin” (Romans 6:1) after having been forgiven and accepted by their Redeemer? Paul labored to show that they may die to sin, even as Christ died for sin. He also explained that they may live a new, spiritual life, through faith in His grace, even as Christ lives a higher and more glorious life.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 212-13
No man can deny that the passage speaks of sanctification, of being holy before God. Te whole question is , Will Christians “continue in sin” (Romans 6:1) after having been forgiven and accepted by their Redeemer? Paul labored to show that they may die to sin, even as Christ died for sin. He also explained that they may live a new, spiritual life, through faith in His grace, even as Christ lives a higher and more glorious life.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 212-13
Review of Campbell's Basics of Verbal Aspect
This is a guest post by Dr. Carl Conrad, one of the moderators on B-Greek, and a Greek professor for many years. I was thinking about doing a review, but Dr. Conrad says essentially the same thing I would, only much better and in greater detail, with more learning to add punch to it.
There has been a great deal of hoopla over the last week surrounding the publication of the new Con Campbell book, Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek: a flurry of reviews (several by students) and a series of blog posts by the author himself, all conveniently listed on the Koinonia site.
I might have felt there was more justification for the hoopla if the book had been titled something like, “Verbal aspect in Biblical Greek: a perspective on the controversy.” But what we are offered appears to be seriously intended as a textbook (with exercises and a key to the exercises) for use in the classroom for intermediate Biblical Greek classes, perhaps supplementing Dan Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. The marketing of such a textbook would seem to imply that the dust has settled on the controversy regarding verbal aspect and that there is now the sort of consensus on the matter making possible what is termed, in the preface of the little book, “an introduction, a textbook, a way in for nonspecialists.”
I really do not believe that the dust has settled on aspect studies sufficiently to say there is much of a scientific or even a more-or-less clear and intelligible doctrine of Greek Verbal Aspect. That is not to say that I don't think some questions regarding verbal aspect have found some resolution and that some pedagogical errors of years gone by (e.g. the "once-for-all-time aorist") have been shown the door. There are some items on which there is general agreement and it is good to have these clearly presented and clarified with the aid of a consistently-applied analogy of how a spectator views a procession as a whole event or as an ongoing process of which only a nearer or more distant perspective is accessible.
My own thinking is that the distinction between Perfective Aspect (Aorist) and Imperfective Aspect (Present, Imperfect) is valid and useful, and I am comfortable with the clarification that "Perfective aspect" means a view of the verbal action or process as a whole and external, while "Imperfective aspect" means a view of the verbal action or process as internal or within the transpiring process. I think that the category termed Aktionsart is indeed useful to characterize particular verbs as "iterative" or "punctiliar" or "progressive"; indeed, I think the category is also useful toward understanding the way voice works in the Greek verb.
Perfect and Pluperfect "tenses" seem to be problematic for a doctrine of verbal aspect: I can see that calling them "Stative" makes sense to some extent, and I can see why some would like to assert that they are really Imperfective. I think, however, that the problem is complicated (1) by the number of instances of οἶδα and ἕστηκα and the pluperfects εἴδειν and εἱστήκειν and their compounds, since they do in fact indicate "knowing" and "standing" as would present and imperfect forms and (2) by the fact that Biblical Greek is a language in flux and that the older perfect and aorist tenses are on their way to merging in the same fashion as they have merged in Latin: the Koine aorist often enough functions like a perfect or a pluperfect tense and there are instances where it would appear that a perfect tense form functions pretty much as does an aorist to indicate completed action. I don't think anything useful is accomplished by attempting to force the perfect-tense forms into the "Imperfective" pigeonhole.
As for the assertion that time is a metaphor and that the best way to understand temporal reference in Greek verbs is in terms of a metaphorical spatial proximity and remoteness, it seems to me an interesting theory, an interesting way of looking at it, but I really believe that ancient Greeks in the Biblical era as well as before and afterwards were thinking pretty much in terms of what we mean by time present, past, and future. What I would like to see explored, however, is some rationale for the fact that present and past counterfactual conditions are conveyed in ancient Greek by the indicative imperfect and aorist tense-forms respectively.
I am still inclined to think that the student learning important Greek verbs would do well to read carefully through the lexical entries for important verbs and note the range of forms in which they most commonly appear as well as the contexts in which their important senses occur. Reading voluminously helps too. The old Latin proverb is discimus agere agendo ("we learn to do by doing") which has corollaries for language-learning: discimus loqui loqendo ("we learn to speak by speaking") and discimus legere legendo ("we learn to read by reading." I think that lots of (Greek) conversation in the classroom -- something apparently unimaginable in the American academic classroom -- and lots of reading Greek in the library will do more for one learning the usage of Greek verbs than doctrines of Greek verbal aspect.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
There has been a great deal of hoopla over the last week surrounding the publication of the new Con Campbell book, Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek: a flurry of reviews (several by students) and a series of blog posts by the author himself, all conveniently listed on the Koinonia site.
I might have felt there was more justification for the hoopla if the book had been titled something like, “Verbal aspect in Biblical Greek: a perspective on the controversy.” But what we are offered appears to be seriously intended as a textbook (with exercises and a key to the exercises) for use in the classroom for intermediate Biblical Greek classes, perhaps supplementing Dan Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. The marketing of such a textbook would seem to imply that the dust has settled on the controversy regarding verbal aspect and that there is now the sort of consensus on the matter making possible what is termed, in the preface of the little book, “an introduction, a textbook, a way in for nonspecialists.”
I really do not believe that the dust has settled on aspect studies sufficiently to say there is much of a scientific or even a more-or-less clear and intelligible doctrine of Greek Verbal Aspect. That is not to say that I don't think some questions regarding verbal aspect have found some resolution and that some pedagogical errors of years gone by (e.g. the "once-for-all-time aorist") have been shown the door. There are some items on which there is general agreement and it is good to have these clearly presented and clarified with the aid of a consistently-applied analogy of how a spectator views a procession as a whole event or as an ongoing process of which only a nearer or more distant perspective is accessible.
My own thinking is that the distinction between Perfective Aspect (Aorist) and Imperfective Aspect (Present, Imperfect) is valid and useful, and I am comfortable with the clarification that "Perfective aspect" means a view of the verbal action or process as a whole and external, while "Imperfective aspect" means a view of the verbal action or process as internal or within the transpiring process. I think that the category termed Aktionsart is indeed useful to characterize particular verbs as "iterative" or "punctiliar" or "progressive"; indeed, I think the category is also useful toward understanding the way voice works in the Greek verb.
Perfect and Pluperfect "tenses" seem to be problematic for a doctrine of verbal aspect: I can see that calling them "Stative" makes sense to some extent, and I can see why some would like to assert that they are really Imperfective. I think, however, that the problem is complicated (1) by the number of instances of οἶδα and ἕστηκα and the pluperfects εἴδειν and εἱστήκειν and their compounds, since they do in fact indicate "knowing" and "standing" as would present and imperfect forms and (2) by the fact that Biblical Greek is a language in flux and that the older perfect and aorist tenses are on their way to merging in the same fashion as they have merged in Latin: the Koine aorist often enough functions like a perfect or a pluperfect tense and there are instances where it would appear that a perfect tense form functions pretty much as does an aorist to indicate completed action. I don't think anything useful is accomplished by attempting to force the perfect-tense forms into the "Imperfective" pigeonhole.
As for the assertion that time is a metaphor and that the best way to understand temporal reference in Greek verbs is in terms of a metaphorical spatial proximity and remoteness, it seems to me an interesting theory, an interesting way of looking at it, but I really believe that ancient Greeks in the Biblical era as well as before and afterwards were thinking pretty much in terms of what we mean by time present, past, and future. What I would like to see explored, however, is some rationale for the fact that present and past counterfactual conditions are conveyed in ancient Greek by the indicative imperfect and aorist tense-forms respectively.
I am still inclined to think that the student learning important Greek verbs would do well to read carefully through the lexical entries for important verbs and note the range of forms in which they most commonly appear as well as the contexts in which their important senses occur. Reading voluminously helps too. The old Latin proverb is discimus agere agendo ("we learn to do by doing") which has corollaries for language-learning: discimus loqui loqendo ("we learn to speak by speaking") and discimus legere legendo ("we learn to read by reading." I think that lots of (Greek) conversation in the classroom -- something apparently unimaginable in the American academic classroom -- and lots of reading Greek in the library will do more for one learning the usage of Greek verbs than doctrines of Greek verbal aspect.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where is our strength?
“The state of mind in question [living dead to sin] implies that the Christian knows where his great strength lies. He know it does not lie in works of fasting, giving to charity, saying prayers, doing public or private duties—nothing of this sort, not even in resolutions or any self-originated efforts, but only in Christ received by faith. He no more expects spiritual life apart from Christ than a sane man would expect to fly by swinging his arms in the air. Deep in his soul lies the conviction that his whole strength lies in Christ alone.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 211
Fall is fading, winter is approaching
It snowed yesterday and last night, not much, but some. Debbie and I went for a walk in the snow late last night; it was crisp and beautiful on the fields and trees. We saw deer tracks crossing the road at several spots. As we were walking, the clouds broke and the stars and moon came out, lighting the woods around us and turning them into a winter wonderland. It is easy to worship God when it is so beautiful.
This morning, the temperature was at 19 F, with a crisp north wind. It was a bit cool riding the bike, but my main concern was the ice that had formed when the slushy snow froze as the temperature dropped during the night. But, by noon the sun had melted most of the snow :(
I wish I had taken the camera home last night to get a picture out my study window. It really is a lovely sight down the road there.
This morning, the temperature was at 19 F, with a crisp north wind. It was a bit cool riding the bike, but my main concern was the ice that had formed when the slushy snow froze as the temperature dropped during the night. But, by noon the sun had melted most of the snow :(
I wish I had taken the camera home last night to get a picture out my study window. It really is a lovely sight down the road there.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The provision is already there
Finney was a firm believer in holiness. Not legalistic holiness, but heart holiness:
Yes! We depend on God's provision; it can't be our works, in fact, Finney goes on to say:
<idle musing>
Yes! It has to be all God, or it is rotten to the core. Dead to self, but alive in Christ. That is the core of Christianity. Anything else is window dressing. All “good works” that we might do have to spring from Christ within us or they are simply dung/garbage/σκυβαλα.
</idle musing>
A precept requiring us to consider ourselves “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God” would be utterly impossible if no provision were made for us to have such relationships to sin on the one hand, and to God through Christ on the other...Who does not see that the very command implies that there is a foundation laid and adequate provision made for the state required?—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 208
Yes! We depend on God's provision; it can't be our works, in fact, Finney goes on to say:
We cannot begin to receive by grace until we renounce all expectation of attaining by natural works. It is only when we are empty of self that we begin to be filled with Christ.—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 209
<idle musing>
Yes! It has to be all God, or it is rotten to the core. Dead to self, but alive in Christ. That is the core of Christianity. Anything else is window dressing. All “good works” that we might do have to spring from Christ within us or they are simply dung/garbage/σκυβαλα.
</idle musing>
Apples, again!
I followed Renee's advice and cooked down some of the applesauce over the weekend to make apple butter.
Unfortunately, we only have a small crockpot, so I could only cook down 2 quarts at a time. You have to cook it down for a good 5-6 hours to get it thick enough, so it took most of the day. I didn't follow the recipe she linked to, but instead just added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg per batch. I don't add sugar to my applesauce or apple butter. It turned out great!
So, now I have 14 pints of apple butter (do the math on how long it took, if you want). I think I'll find a faster way to cook it down next year. Maybe a 9 x 13 inch pan in the oven? Do you think that will work?
Unfortunately, we only have a small crockpot, so I could only cook down 2 quarts at a time. You have to cook it down for a good 5-6 hours to get it thick enough, so it took most of the day. I didn't follow the recipe she linked to, but instead just added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg per batch. I don't add sugar to my applesauce or apple butter. It turned out great!
So, now I have 14 pints of apple butter (do the math on how long it took, if you want). I think I'll find a faster way to cook it down next year. Maybe a 9 x 13 inch pan in the oven? Do you think that will work?
Friday, November 14, 2008
It's already here
“...if you want to be saved, you must accept a prepared salvation, on already prepared and full and present. You must be wiling to give up al your sins and be saved from them—now and forever. Until you agree to this, you cannot be save at all. Many people would be willing to be saved in heave, if they could hold on to some sins while on earth—or rather they think they would like heaven on such terms. But the fact is, they would dislike a pure heart and a holy life in heaven as much as they do on earth, and they utterly deceive themselves in supposing that they are ready or even willing to go to the heaven that God has prepared for His people. No, there can be no heaven except for those who accept a salvation from all sin in this wold. They must take the Gospel as a system that hold no compromise with sin—a system that intends full deliverance from sin even now, and makes provisions accordingly. Any other gospel is not the true one, and to accept Christ's Gospel in any other sense is not to accept it at all. Its first and its last condition is sworn and eternal renunciation of all sin.—Charles Finney, God's Call, pages 170-171
Eisenbrauns monthly sale for November
I forgot to mention this, and it is already the middle of the month! Eisenbrauns is offering a 15% discount on all used books through the entire month of November!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The danger of riches (long)
The other day Debbie and I were discussing the prosperity “gospel” and how it ignores certain scriptures, especially I Timothy 6:9: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” RSV
Interestingly enough, John Wesley wrote a sermon entitled “The Danger of Riches.” Here is a few lines from it:
He goes on to explain a bit more:
So what is the result of this desire? Wesley examines that next:
Not a good place to be, is it? And the ultimate end is:
Sounds like the U.S., doesn't it? Don't agree with us? We'll invade/bomb/kill you until you do!
But, what is the remedy? Wesley had a 3-fold plan:
I highly recommend that you read the whole sermon; it is available on-line here. A sound word for a time like this.
Interestingly enough, John Wesley wrote a sermon entitled “The Danger of Riches.” Here is a few lines from it:
The Apostle does not here speak of gaining riches unjustly, but of quite another thing: His words are to be taken in their plain obvious sense, without any restriction or qualification whatsoever. St. Paul does not say, “They that will be rich by evil means, by theft, robbery, oppression, or extortion; “they that will be rich by fraud; or dishonest art;” but simply, “They that will be rich:” These, allowing, supposing the means they use to be ever so innocent, “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
But who believes that? Who receives it as the truth of God? Who is deeply convinced of it? Who preaches this; Great is the company of preachers at this day, regular and irregular; but who of them all, openly and explicitly, preaches this strange doctrine?
He goes on to explain a bit more:
First, let us consider, what it is to be rich. What does the Apostle mean by this expression?
The preceding verse fixes the meaning of that: “Having food and raiment,” (literally coverings; for the word includes lodging as well as clothes,) “let us be there with content.” “But they that will be rich;” that is, who will have more than these; more than food and coverings. It plainly follows, what ever is more than these is, in the sense of the Apostle, riches; whatever is above the plain necessaries, or at most conveniences, of life. Whoever has sufficient food to eat, and raiment to put on, with a place where to lay his head, and something over, is rich.
Let us consider, Secondly, What is implied in that expression, “They that will be rich?” And does not this imply, First, they that desire to be rich, to have more than food and coverings; they that seriously and deliberately desire more than food to eat, and raiment to put on, and a place where to lay their head, more than the plain necessaries and conveniences of life? All, at least, who allow themselves in this desire, who see no harm in it, desire to be rich.
And so do, Secondly, all those that calmly, deliberately, and of set purpose, endeavor after more than food and coverings; that aim at and endeavor after, not only so much worldly substance as will procure them the necessaries and conveniences of life, but more than this, whether to lay it up, or lay it out in superfluities. All these undeniably prove their “desire to be rich,” by their endeavors after it.
So what is the result of this desire? Wesley examines that next:
This seems to mean much more than simply, they are tempted. They enter into the temptation: They fall plump down into it. The waves of it compass them about, and cover them all over. Of those who thus enter into temptation, very few escape out of it. And the few that do are sorely scorched by it, though not utterly consumed. If they escape at all, it is with the skin of their teeth, and with deep wounds that are not easily healed.
They fall, Secondly, into “a snare,” the snare of the devil, which he hath purposely set in their way. I believe the Greek word properly means a gin, a steel trap, which shows no appearance of danger. But as soon as any creature touches the spring, it suddenly closes; and either crushes its bones in pieces, or consigns it to inevitable ruin.
Not a good place to be, is it? And the ultimate end is:
Riches, either desired or possessed, naturally lead to some or other of these foolish and hurtful desires; and, by affording the means of gratifying them all, naturally tend to increase them. And there is a near connection between unholy desires, and every other unholy passion and temper. We easily pass from these to pride, anger, bitterness, envy, malice, revengefulness; to an headstrong, unadvisable, unreprovable spirit: Indeed, to every temper that is earthly, sensual, or devilish. All these, the desire or possession of riches naturally tends to create, strengthen, and increase.
Sounds like the U.S., doesn't it? Don't agree with us? We'll invade/bomb/kill you until you do!
But, what is the remedy? Wesley had a 3-fold plan:
You may gain all you can, without hurting either your soul or body; you may save all you can, by carefully avoiding every needless expense; and yet never lay up treasures on earth, nor either desire or endeavor so to do.
Permit me to speak as freely of myself as I would of any other man. I gain all I can (namely, by writing) without hurting, either my soul or body. I save all I can, not willingly wasting anything, not a sheet of paper, not a cup of water, I do not lay out anything, not a shilling, unless as a sacrifice to God. Yet by giving all I can, I am effectually secured from “laying up treasures upon earth.” Yea, and I am secure from either desiring or endeavoring, it, as long as I give all I can.
I highly recommend that you read the whole sermon; it is available on-line here. A sound word for a time like this.
Say it isn't so!
Yikes! This is tragic. I was over in the shipping warehouse receiving books and I noticed an ICC volume that looked like it had been crunched. I picked it off the shelving cart and took a closer look.
NO!!! It can't be. But, it was and is. The ICC volume, The Gospel according to Matthew, volume 1, the cloth bound version, is Print on Demand! That's right, they want $156.00 for a non-signatured, perfect bound, hardcover book that is print-on-demand.
What a bummer :(
NO!!! It can't be. But, it was and is. The ICC volume, The Gospel according to Matthew, volume 1, the cloth bound version, is Print on Demand! That's right, they want $156.00 for a non-signatured, perfect bound, hardcover book that is print-on-demand.
What a bummer :(
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Christianity and war
I am posting this a day late, but Peter Kirk has a good post on Christianity and Veterans/Armistice Day:
<idle musing>
Amen! Preach it! The church should be working for peace among all, not promoting a nationalistic agenda.
By the way, I saw a wonderful bumper sticker the other day: Real Patriots Question Their Government. Nationalism and patriotism have gotten confused lately, as has civil religion and true Christianity.
OK, go ahead and fire away. [as I put on my flame suit and duck]
</idle musing>
If military people wish to have their own parades to mark their fallen comrades, they are welcome to do so. But please can they do so well away from the churches, whose fundamental attitudes are, or should be, completely at odds with theirs. And please can churches stop pandering to the expectations of those in the world outside, and of those among their own numbers, who hold anti-Christian militaristic views and expect the church to hold ceremonies for them, and disrupt its own regular programmes to do so.
<idle musing>
Amen! Preach it! The church should be working for peace among all, not promoting a nationalistic agenda.
By the way, I saw a wonderful bumper sticker the other day: Real Patriots Question Their Government. Nationalism and patriotism have gotten confused lately, as has civil religion and true Christianity.
OK, go ahead and fire away. [as I put on my flame suit and duck]
</idle musing>
The Yoke
“Their [some Christians] real feeling is that Christ's service is an iron collar—an insufferably hard yoke. Hence, they work so hard to throw off some of this burden. They try to say that Christ does not require much, if any, self-denial; they say that Christ does not require much, if any, deviation from the course of worldliness and sin. Oh, if they could only get the standard of Christian duty quite down to a level with the fashions and customs of the world! How much easier it would then be to live a Christian lfe and to wear Christ's yoke!
“But Christ's yoke as it really is, in their view, becomes an iron collar. doing the will of Chris, instead of their own, is a hard business for them. Because doing His will is religion, they groan under the idea that they must be religious. Of these people I ask, “How much religion of this kind would it take to make hell?” Surely not much! When it give you no joy to do God's pleasure, and yet you are required to do His pleasure in order to be saved, then you are perpetually forced into doing what you hate as the only means of escaping hell. Would not this be itself a hell? Can you not see that in this state of mind you are not saved and cannot be?”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 165
“But Christ's yoke as it really is, in their view, becomes an iron collar. doing the will of Chris, instead of their own, is a hard business for them. Because doing His will is religion, they groan under the idea that they must be religious. Of these people I ask, “How much religion of this kind would it take to make hell?” Surely not much! When it give you no joy to do God's pleasure, and yet you are required to do His pleasure in order to be saved, then you are perpetually forced into doing what you hate as the only means of escaping hell. Would not this be itself a hell? Can you not see that in this state of mind you are not saved and cannot be?”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 165
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Where's the fire?
<idle musing>
I was talking to Ryan, our son, the other day and one of the topics that came up was the Ephesians in Acts 19, where they burn their sorcery scrolls. The text says that the value was around 50,000 drachmas, but what does that mean to the average reader? Not much. So, to help Ryan get a better idea of what the value was, I decided to make a few assumptions and calculate the value in dollars, so here we go...
The average income in the U.S. right now is around $30,000.00 per year. That works out to about $15.00 per hour. Assuming that a person works 8 hours per day, that means they make about $120.00 per day, before taxes. The average income for a day worker in New Testament times was a drachma. So, let's extrapolate and get an approximate market value for the scrolls. $120.00 x 50,000 = $6,000,000.00! Yep, that is the correct number of zeroes. $6 million! Don't like that number? Think that I should allow for 30% in taxes? OK, but that still comes to $4.2 million!
And, this wasn't any mega-church, either. Let's suppose that there were 120 members, a very large church for the time. That means that each person burned $50,000 worth of books! No wonder “the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” These people put their money where their mouth was—almost 2 years' worth of wages, up in smoke! How many people in today's church would be willing to do that? More importantly, would I be willing to do it?
Hmmm, let's bring that a bit closer to home. I currently have a little over 1,000 books (I have been cutting down my library for several years now), and I would estimate that the value per volume is around $18.00—some are worth much more, some much less. That means my library is only worth $18,000, at most $20,000. Better add some more stuff on the pile. My bike is worth about $1800; Debbie's is worth about $800; our car is worth less than $1,000. The lawn tractor is worth about $300. And I can't forget the trailer for the bike, $300.00; and the Yakima™ rack is worth a couple of hundred. That still doesn't even bring me to half what they got rid of. I'm running out of stuff to throw on the fire...
You get the idea? They got rid of anything that stood between them and God. It wasn't the cost that mattered, it was whether it got in the way of serving God with their whole hearts.
</idle musing>
I was talking to Ryan, our son, the other day and one of the topics that came up was the Ephesians in Acts 19, where they burn their sorcery scrolls. The text says that the value was around 50,000 drachmas, but what does that mean to the average reader? Not much. So, to help Ryan get a better idea of what the value was, I decided to make a few assumptions and calculate the value in dollars, so here we go...
The average income in the U.S. right now is around $30,000.00 per year. That works out to about $15.00 per hour. Assuming that a person works 8 hours per day, that means they make about $120.00 per day, before taxes. The average income for a day worker in New Testament times was a drachma. So, let's extrapolate and get an approximate market value for the scrolls. $120.00 x 50,000 = $6,000,000.00! Yep, that is the correct number of zeroes. $6 million! Don't like that number? Think that I should allow for 30% in taxes? OK, but that still comes to $4.2 million!
And, this wasn't any mega-church, either. Let's suppose that there were 120 members, a very large church for the time. That means that each person burned $50,000 worth of books! No wonder “the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” These people put their money where their mouth was—almost 2 years' worth of wages, up in smoke! How many people in today's church would be willing to do that? More importantly, would I be willing to do it?
Hmmm, let's bring that a bit closer to home. I currently have a little over 1,000 books (I have been cutting down my library for several years now), and I would estimate that the value per volume is around $18.00—some are worth much more, some much less. That means my library is only worth $18,000, at most $20,000. Better add some more stuff on the pile. My bike is worth about $1800; Debbie's is worth about $800; our car is worth less than $1,000. The lawn tractor is worth about $300. And I can't forget the trailer for the bike, $300.00; and the Yakima™ rack is worth a couple of hundred. That still doesn't even bring me to half what they got rid of. I'm running out of stuff to throw on the fire...
You get the idea? They got rid of anything that stood between them and God. It wasn't the cost that mattered, it was whether it got in the way of serving God with their whole hearts.
</idle musing>
Monday, November 10, 2008
True Riches
“Sinners act as if they were afraid to be saved. Often they seem to be trying to make their salvation as difficult as possible. For example, many of them know what Christ has said about the danger of riches and the difficulty of saving rich men. They have read from His lips, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23), and “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 25). This they know, and yet how many of them are in a mad rush to be rich! For this end, some are ready to sacrifice their consciences—some their health—and all seem deliberately ready to sacrifice even their souls! How could they more certainly ensure their own damnation?
“Thus they regard damnation as if it were salvation, and salvation as if it were damnation. They rush toward damnation as if it were heaven, and flee salvation as if it were hell.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 132
“Thus they regard damnation as if it were salvation, and salvation as if it were damnation. They rush toward damnation as if it were heaven, and flee salvation as if it were hell.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 132
Apples, apples everywhere...
No, not the computer kind!
We live fairly close to an abandoned apple orchard. We love apples, so all summer we have been watching the apples ripen and wondering if we could get some. Finally, I contacted the owner and got his permission to pick some. Because of all kinds of other things going on (AAR being one of them), we were unable to get to them until last Tuesday. Even then, it was getting dark by the time we got there.
It had frozen several times, so some of the apples that were hanging on the trees were just mush. But, some were very good. We also managed to get a good number of windfallen ones. All told, in about 45 minutes we got about 1.5 bushels. That's a lot of apples, but we love apples, so we figured we would use them all.
Since many of them were windfalls, we needed to process them right away. So, last Tuesday and Wednesday night, we made apple sauce—lots of it. Tuesday night I made 10 quarts, Wednesday night we made pints—21 of them, but we love apples. I add it to my home made yogurt for a sweetener.
I wanted to make apple butter, but it would have taken too long for the apples to cook down enough. Maybe next year...
We still love apples, but that was a little much for the middle of the week. I don't want to handle another apple for a while. Next year I think we'll pick them on a Friday night or Saturday.
We live fairly close to an abandoned apple orchard. We love apples, so all summer we have been watching the apples ripen and wondering if we could get some. Finally, I contacted the owner and got his permission to pick some. Because of all kinds of other things going on (AAR being one of them), we were unable to get to them until last Tuesday. Even then, it was getting dark by the time we got there.
It had frozen several times, so some of the apples that were hanging on the trees were just mush. But, some were very good. We also managed to get a good number of windfallen ones. All told, in about 45 minutes we got about 1.5 bushels. That's a lot of apples, but we love apples, so we figured we would use them all.
Since many of them were windfalls, we needed to process them right away. So, last Tuesday and Wednesday night, we made apple sauce—lots of it. Tuesday night I made 10 quarts, Wednesday night we made pints—21 of them, but we love apples. I add it to my home made yogurt for a sweetener.
I wanted to make apple butter, but it would have taken too long for the apples to cook down enough. Maybe next year...
We still love apples, but that was a little much for the middle of the week. I don't want to handle another apple for a while. Next year I think we'll pick them on a Friday night or Saturday.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Finally
“If we say “I believe in Jesus” but it doesn't effect[sic] the way we live, the answer is not that now we need to add hard work to our faith so much as that we haven't truly understood or believed in Jesus after all.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, page 126
<idle musing>
That is the last quote from The Prodigal God. I hope you have learned a good bit about grace from the brief quotes I have been giving.
I finished the book back in September, but had been unable to get these sections that I had marked typed up until now. Reviewing them has been good; I re-learned some things that I thought I had already learned, but apparently hadn't.
The grace of God is more vast and deeper than we realize. What we have in Christ is far greater than we can begin to understand. We stand at the edge of the beach, seeing the ocean stretched before us and think we understand it. But we haven't even touched the water, let alone begun to plumb its depths...
</idle musing>
<idle musing>
That is the last quote from The Prodigal God. I hope you have learned a good bit about grace from the brief quotes I have been giving.
I finished the book back in September, but had been unable to get these sections that I had marked typed up until now. Reviewing them has been good; I re-learned some things that I thought I had already learned, but apparently hadn't.
The grace of God is more vast and deeper than we realize. What we have in Christ is far greater than we can begin to understand. We stand at the edge of the beach, seeing the ocean stretched before us and think we understand it. But we haven't even touched the water, let alone begun to plumb its depths...
</idle musing>
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Grace is dangerous
“You knew you had to obey God because if you didn't he wouldn't answer your prayers or take you to heaven. But if you remove this fear and talk so much about free grace and unmerited acceptance—what incentive will you have to live a good life? It seems like this gospel way of living won't produce people who are as faithful and diligent to obey God's will without question.
“But if, when you have lost all fear of punishment you also lose incentive to live an obedient life, then what was your motivation in the first place It could only have been fear. What other incentive is there? Awed, grateful love.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, page 122
<idle musing>
Wow! That last paragraph hit hard. What was/is my motivation? Is it love of God, or fear of the consequences. It is so easy to lapse into the elder brother mentality; no wonder we need grace on a moment-by-moment basis! Otherwise we lapse back into performance based religion instead of grace-based Christianity.
</idle musing>
“But if, when you have lost all fear of punishment you also lose incentive to live an obedient life, then what was your motivation in the first place It could only have been fear. What other incentive is there? Awed, grateful love.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, page 122
<idle musing>
Wow! That last paragraph hit hard. What was/is my motivation? Is it love of God, or fear of the consequences. It is so easy to lapse into the elder brother mentality; no wonder we need grace on a moment-by-moment basis! Otherwise we lapse back into performance based religion instead of grace-based Christianity.
</idle musing>
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Transforming Love
“Pharisees are being good but out of a fearful need to control God. They don't really trust him or love him. To them God is an exacting boss, not a loving father. Christians have seen something that has transformed their hearts toward God so they can finally love and rest in the father...
Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant (Philippians 2). He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and, at the cost of his life paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our hearts can rest, in his Father's house.
Knowing he did this will transform us from the inside out...Why wouldn't you want to offer yourself to someone like this? Selfless love destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger orelder brothers.”—Timothy Keller,The Prodigal God, pages 86-88
<idle musing>
From the inside out! That is the only kind of transformation that counts! All other is simply surface and makes us nothing more than white-washed tombs.
</idle musing>
Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant (Philippians 2). He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and, at the cost of his life paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our hearts can rest, in his Father's house.
Knowing he did this will transform us from the inside out...Why wouldn't you want to offer yourself to someone like this? Selfless love destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger orelder brothers.”—Timothy Keller,The Prodigal God, pages 86-88
<idle musing>
From the inside out! That is the only kind of transformation that counts! All other is simply surface and makes us nothing more than white-washed tombs.
</idle musing>
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
The cure
“It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord—lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness—that you are on the verge of understanding the gospel and becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being bad is not just being good, you are on the brink. If you follow through, it will change everything—how you relate to God, self, others, the world, your work, your sins, your virtue. It's called the new birth because its so radical.
“This, however, only brings us to the brink of Jesus' message, not to its heart. This tells us what we must turn from, not what, or who[m], we must turn to.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, pages 78-79
<idle musing>
To the edge of the message. But so often that's where we stop...
</idle musing>
“This, however, only brings us to the brink of Jesus' message, not to its heart. This tells us what we must turn from, not what, or who[m], we must turn to.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, pages 78-79
<idle musing>
To the edge of the message. But so often that's where we stop...
</idle musing>
Monday, November 03, 2008
AAR Day 3
This post is going to be a stream of consciousness post, as I compose it throughout the day.
I got to the exhibit hall early to use the computers in the Cyber Cafe, a little after 7:30. Wow, they must have just disinfected something, because the ammonia smell was really strong. It dissipated in about 5 minutes, but it was sure strong for those few minutes.
I wish I were the one running the Cyber Cafe. They are the only place with lines! The shortest it has been is 1 person waiting, and they have about 10 computers.
I just found out that Barack Obama is going to be staying at this hotel tonight. They are shutting everything down tomorrow morning and no freight is leaving the hotel until Thursday. They are allowing individuals to take their boxes out to vans, but that is all. I hope I don't have a problem getting out of here tonight, but I do feel sorry for all the people who have to catch a plane tomorrow. They will probably have to allow an extra hour or two to get to the airport.
Well, at 3:00 PM I heard the tape guns start; that means people are tearing down and packing up. By 4:00 about 50% of the back section were gone, but the front section seemed to be holding on. By 4:30, about two-thirds to three-quarters of the back were packed up, or packing up. The front section caught the bug. I took some pictures of what it looked like, but they are too depressing to post. At 5:10, the official announcement came over the loudspeaker: “Due to popular demand, the exhibit hall is closed.”
How depressing. The people who promised to come by on Monday didn't. I think I can safely say that I speak for all the publishers in saying that it was a depressing conference with disappointing to non-existent sales...I hope SBL isn't like this!
I got to the exhibit hall early to use the computers in the Cyber Cafe, a little after 7:30. Wow, they must have just disinfected something, because the ammonia smell was really strong. It dissipated in about 5 minutes, but it was sure strong for those few minutes.
I wish I were the one running the Cyber Cafe. They are the only place with lines! The shortest it has been is 1 person waiting, and they have about 10 computers.
I just found out that Barack Obama is going to be staying at this hotel tonight. They are shutting everything down tomorrow morning and no freight is leaving the hotel until Thursday. They are allowing individuals to take their boxes out to vans, but that is all. I hope I don't have a problem getting out of here tonight, but I do feel sorry for all the people who have to catch a plane tomorrow. They will probably have to allow an extra hour or two to get to the airport.
Well, at 3:00 PM I heard the tape guns start; that means people are tearing down and packing up. By 4:00 about 50% of the back section were gone, but the front section seemed to be holding on. By 4:30, about two-thirds to three-quarters of the back were packed up, or packing up. The front section caught the bug. I took some pictures of what it looked like, but they are too depressing to post. At 5:10, the official announcement came over the loudspeaker: “Due to popular demand, the exhibit hall is closed.”
How depressing. The people who promised to come by on Monday didn't. I think I can safely say that I speak for all the publishers in saying that it was a depressing conference with disappointing to non-existent sales...I hope SBL isn't like this!
More elder brother activity
“Elder-brother obedience only leads to a slavish, begrudging compliance to the letter of the law. It is one thing to be honest and avoid lies for your sake, but it is another to do so for God's sake, for truth's sake, and for the love of the people around us. A person motivated by love rather than fear will not only obey the letter of the law, but will eagerly seek out new ways to carry out business with transparency and integrity.
“Honesty born of fear does nothing to root out the fundamental cause of evil in the world—the radical self-centeredness of the human heart. If anything, fear-based morality strengthens it, since ultimately elder brothers are being moral only for their own benefit. They may be kind to other and helpful to the poor, but at a deeper level they are doing it either so God will bless them, in the religious version of elder brotherness, or so they can think of themselves as virtuous, charitable persons, in the secular version of it...
Elder brothers may do good to others, but not out of delight in the deeds themselves or for the love of people or the pleasure of God. They are not really feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, they are feeding and clothing themselves. The heart's fundamental self-centeredness is not only intact but also nurtured by fear-based moralism and this can and does erupt in shocking ways. That is why so many churches are plagued with gossip and fighting. Or why so many moral people live apparently chaste lives and then suddenly fall int othe maost scandalous sins. Underneath the seeming unselfishness is great self-centeredness.
Religious and moral duties are a great burden, often a crushing one. Emotional frustration and inner boredom with life is repressed and denied. Elder brothers are under great pressure to appear, even to themselves, happy and content. This is the reason that sometimes highly moral elder brothers will blow up their lives and, to the shock of all who know them, throw off the chains of their obligations and begin living like younger brothers.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 60-61, 63
<idle musing>
Interesting take on it, isn't it? Maybe that is why we have seen so many high-profile people crash and burn of late. The pressure to perform must be enormous.
</idle musing>
“Honesty born of fear does nothing to root out the fundamental cause of evil in the world—the radical self-centeredness of the human heart. If anything, fear-based morality strengthens it, since ultimately elder brothers are being moral only for their own benefit. They may be kind to other and helpful to the poor, but at a deeper level they are doing it either so God will bless them, in the religious version of elder brotherness, or so they can think of themselves as virtuous, charitable persons, in the secular version of it...
Elder brothers may do good to others, but not out of delight in the deeds themselves or for the love of people or the pleasure of God. They are not really feeding the hungry and clothing the poor, they are feeding and clothing themselves. The heart's fundamental self-centeredness is not only intact but also nurtured by fear-based moralism and this can and does erupt in shocking ways. That is why so many churches are plagued with gossip and fighting. Or why so many moral people live apparently chaste lives and then suddenly fall int othe maost scandalous sins. Underneath the seeming unselfishness is great self-centeredness.
Religious and moral duties are a great burden, often a crushing one. Emotional frustration and inner boredom with life is repressed and denied. Elder brothers are under great pressure to appear, even to themselves, happy and content. This is the reason that sometimes highly moral elder brothers will blow up their lives and, to the shock of all who know them, throw off the chains of their obligations and begin living like younger brothers.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 60-61, 63
<idle musing>
Interesting take on it, isn't it? Maybe that is why we have seen so many high-profile people crash and burn of late. The pressure to perform must be enormous.
</idle musing>
Sunday, November 02, 2008
AAR Day 2
Well, traffic in the hall was a bit better today. You could still do gymnastics in the aisles for a good portion of the day, but there were several times when it was actually approaching being busy. Here's hoping that Monday is a busy day...
As it always works, I had a person looking for one of the titles I didn't bring. I asked them if they would be at SBL as well, since I would have it there. Nope. They took an order form and will order it.
A highlight is that the mug is a hit. I don't know if people are as interested in the graphic as they are the shape and color, at least that is what they all comment on. That's kind of discouraging in a way; we worked hard to get the graphic to look good on the mug (OK, Andy did), and people are more excited about the shape and color! Oh well, that's marketing. At least it says Eisenbrauns on it, so they will remember where they got it :)
Here is a picture of our booth. I'm thinking about turning the banner into a bookmark. What do you think? Would you want an Eisenbrauns bookmark with 9800 book cover images on it?
After the exhibit shut down for the night, Bobby K (Hendrickson) and I went out for dinner, but first we hopped on the elevator to drop stuff in our rooms. The elevator stopped at my floor; the door opened about an inch, and stuck, then closed. Uh-oh. Visions of being stuck on an elevator danced in my head. But, we held the “door open” button down and it opened. Most of the people on the elevator opted to get off and try another one. After I dropped my stuff in the room and came back, the same elevator was there again, but the people waiting said they had barely gotten off it and weren't about to go on it again. We all waited for the next one.
Safely back in the lobby again, I met Bobby and we went to a Mexican restaurant on Wabash. I can't remember the name of it, but it is right next to the Opera (an Asian restaurant—obvious, right?). The food was good, the company was better (thanks, Bobby) and we had a good time talking for about 3 hours. By the way, their cheesecake dessert was unlike anything I had ever tried before and excellent; if you ever get there, be sure to try it.
As it always works, I had a person looking for one of the titles I didn't bring. I asked them if they would be at SBL as well, since I would have it there. Nope. They took an order form and will order it.
A highlight is that the mug is a hit. I don't know if people are as interested in the graphic as they are the shape and color, at least that is what they all comment on. That's kind of discouraging in a way; we worked hard to get the graphic to look good on the mug (OK, Andy did), and people are more excited about the shape and color! Oh well, that's marketing. At least it says Eisenbrauns on it, so they will remember where they got it :)
Here is a picture of our booth. I'm thinking about turning the banner into a bookmark. What do you think? Would you want an Eisenbrauns bookmark with 9800 book cover images on it?
After the exhibit shut down for the night, Bobby K (Hendrickson) and I went out for dinner, but first we hopped on the elevator to drop stuff in our rooms. The elevator stopped at my floor; the door opened about an inch, and stuck, then closed. Uh-oh. Visions of being stuck on an elevator danced in my head. But, we held the “door open” button down and it opened. Most of the people on the elevator opted to get off and try another one. After I dropped my stuff in the room and came back, the same elevator was there again, but the people waiting said they had barely gotten off it and weren't about to go on it again. We all waited for the next one.
Safely back in the lobby again, I met Bobby and we went to a Mexican restaurant on Wabash. I can't remember the name of it, but it is right next to the Opera (an Asian restaurant—obvious, right?). The food was good, the company was better (thanks, Bobby) and we had a good time talking for about 3 hours. By the way, their cheesecake dessert was unlike anything I had ever tried before and excellent; if you ever get there, be sure to try it.
AAR day 1
OK, the wireless didn't work in the conference hall (they said it would), so I am using another machine to post this. All that means is that I can't post any pictures.
The AAR people are telling us that they have about 5,000 people registered; there were 3500 preregistrations. But, you wouldn't know it in the exhibit halls. I am not sure if it is because it is in the basement and the elevators aren't immediately obvious, or if it is because the meetings are scattered between 2-3 other places, but you could do gymnastics in the aisles and not hit anybody.
<idle musing>
I am musing here, but I think SBL members tend to buy more books. And, I think the reason is because SBL revolves around a book—the Bible. Even if it is to say how wrong it is, or obsolete, or whatever, their work is constrained by a text, which tends to make them more book-centered. AAR, on the other hand, is open to any "religion" which is about as nebulous as you can get. No need for books...just an
</idle musing>
This is a new one on me, maybe not to others, but it is to me: There are televisions in the elevators here! Yep, you can't get away from them, they are set on CNN and are in the wall of the elevator just above the buttons. The sound is piped in from the ceiling. As much as I hated Muzak™, this is even worse. Are we that addicted to news and television?
I went swimming last night. The pool is 20 yards and has 4 lanes; the water isn't too warm for lap swimming, although it is a bit warmer than regular pools. It was refreshing after a day in the exhibit halls. After that I went to the Liturgical Press reception; they always have nice reception. Last year they sponsored a tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls in San Diego. This year it was in the back of an Italian restaurant; very well done. Thanks to Joe, Brian and Hans for putting it on—so now go buy a volume of Sacra Pagina, Berit Olam, Aramaic Bible, or St. John's Bible to help them pay for it :)
Yesterday at lunch I was on a panel discussion with 2 others sponsored by the ATLA and AAR. The discussion was non-teaching options for graduate students in theology and religion. For some reason they thought I might know something about that :) It was an interesting time and I enjoyed it. I hope they went away from it having learned something. I reassured them that even though I wouldn't have chosen the path I ended up taking, God was there at every turn and He took care of us.
This is getting long, so I had better end it...more later.
The AAR people are telling us that they have about 5,000 people registered; there were 3500 preregistrations. But, you wouldn't know it in the exhibit halls. I am not sure if it is because it is in the basement and the elevators aren't immediately obvious, or if it is because the meetings are scattered between 2-3 other places, but you could do gymnastics in the aisles and not hit anybody.
<idle musing>
I am musing here, but I think SBL members tend to buy more books. And, I think the reason is because SBL revolves around a book—the Bible. Even if it is to say how wrong it is, or obsolete, or whatever, their work is constrained by a text, which tends to make them more book-centered. AAR, on the other hand, is open to any "religion" which is about as nebulous as you can get. No need for books...just an
</idle musing>
This is a new one on me, maybe not to others, but it is to me: There are televisions in the elevators here! Yep, you can't get away from them, they are set on CNN and are in the wall of the elevator just above the buttons. The sound is piped in from the ceiling. As much as I hated Muzak™, this is even worse. Are we that addicted to news and television?
I went swimming last night. The pool is 20 yards and has 4 lanes; the water isn't too warm for lap swimming, although it is a bit warmer than regular pools. It was refreshing after a day in the exhibit halls. After that I went to the Liturgical Press reception; they always have nice reception. Last year they sponsored a tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls in San Diego. This year it was in the back of an Italian restaurant; very well done. Thanks to Joe, Brian and Hans for putting it on—so now go buy a volume of Sacra Pagina, Berit Olam, Aramaic Bible, or St. John's Bible to help them pay for it :)
Yesterday at lunch I was on a panel discussion with 2 others sponsored by the ATLA and AAR. The discussion was non-teaching options for graduate students in theology and religion. For some reason they thought I might know something about that :) It was an interesting time and I enjoyed it. I hope they went away from it having learned something. I reassured them that even though I wouldn't have chosen the path I ended up taking, God was there at every turn and He took care of us.
This is getting long, so I had better end it...more later.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
AAR Day 0
Yes, day zero :) The conference technically began last night at 7:00, with the exhibit halls being open until 9:00. Attendance was light, to be kind.
The exhibit hall is divided into 2 halves and is in the deep dungeons of the Chicago Hilton. It isn't immediately obvious to people that there are 2 halves, so maybe most people stayed in the other half. I haven't talked to anyone from that half yet, so I don't know if they had more people. But, there was a nice reception going on for attendee—on the second floor! That probably kept quite a few people away.
The accommodations are nice, although why I would need two bathrooms in my room is beyond me. The workout room is actually an "Athletic Club." They have Precor equipment all around, treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and recumbents. Very nice. I grabbed a recumbent and rode for half hour, but I have to laugh at the heart rate thing. I have learned that I have to tell it that I am 40 or it thinks I have exceeded my maximum heart rate and should be dead. Even then, it thinks I am working too hard. For those of you keeping score, I am actually 52, but my maximum heart rate is much higher than most people that age.
They even have a real swimming pool! It is only 20 yards and 4 lanes, but it is swimmable. I think tonight after the exhibits close I will go for a swim. They told me it is chlorine, which is good because I am allergic to bromide. For those of you still reading, bromide is the most common chemical used in hot tubs, etc., but a large percentage of people are allergic to it, including me. Some pools are using bromide now, too. It is easier to get the balance right and cheaper, as well.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Today at noon I am part of an AAR panel on "what to do with a religion/humanities degree other than teach." It includes lunch, so that is nice. I have no idea what I will be asked, but I can say that I have enjoyed the 20 plus years of not being in school and doing all kinds of interesting jobs, for the last 5 right here at Eisenbrauns.
I will try to get pictures up later. I even remembered the USB cable this time :)
The exhibit hall is divided into 2 halves and is in the deep dungeons of the Chicago Hilton. It isn't immediately obvious to people that there are 2 halves, so maybe most people stayed in the other half. I haven't talked to anyone from that half yet, so I don't know if they had more people. But, there was a nice reception going on for attendee—on the second floor! That probably kept quite a few people away.
The accommodations are nice, although why I would need two bathrooms in my room is beyond me. The workout room is actually an "Athletic Club." They have Precor equipment all around, treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and recumbents. Very nice. I grabbed a recumbent and rode for half hour, but I have to laugh at the heart rate thing. I have learned that I have to tell it that I am 40 or it thinks I have exceeded my maximum heart rate and should be dead. Even then, it thinks I am working too hard. For those of you keeping score, I am actually 52, but my maximum heart rate is much higher than most people that age.
They even have a real swimming pool! It is only 20 yards and 4 lanes, but it is swimmable. I think tonight after the exhibits close I will go for a swim. They told me it is chlorine, which is good because I am allergic to bromide. For those of you still reading, bromide is the most common chemical used in hot tubs, etc., but a large percentage of people are allergic to it, including me. Some pools are using bromide now, too. It is easier to get the balance right and cheaper, as well.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Today at noon I am part of an AAR panel on "what to do with a religion/humanities degree other than teach." It includes lunch, so that is nice. I have no idea what I will be asked, but I can say that I have enjoyed the 20 plus years of not being in school and doing all kinds of interesting jobs, for the last 5 right here at Eisenbrauns.
I will try to get pictures up later. I even remembered the USB cable this time :)
Friday, October 31, 2008
I give, that I may receive?
“We see that the elder brother ”became angry.” All of his words are dripping with resentment. The first sign you have an elder brother spirit is that when your life doesn't go as you want, you aren't just sorrowful but deeply angry and bitter. Elder brothers believe that if they live a good life they should get a good life, that God owes them a smooth road if they try to live up to standards.
"What happens, then, if you are an elder brother and things go wrong in your life? If you feel you have been living up to your moral standards, you will be furious with God. You don't deserve this, you will think, after how hard you've worked to be a decent person!...Elder brothers' inability to handle suffering arises from the fact that their moral observance is results-oriented. The good life is lived not for delight in good deeds themselves, but as calculated ways to control their environment.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 50-51
<idle musing>
The Romans defined religion as do ut der—I give that I may be given to. Sounds like some prosperity teaching doesn't it? Not terribly Christian, though...A friend of ours says, “You deserve to burn in hell. Anything else is a blessing, so get over feeling sorry for yourself and be thankful.”
That I can agree with! My work, my good deeds, are garbage (Philippians 3:8 Gr. σκύβαλα, Spicq translates it “It's all crap”!!), used menstrual cloths (Isaiah 64:6), in God's eyes.
Those two verses put it into good perspective. Can you imagine bringing used Kotex™ or a pile of manure to God as an offering? Yet that is what we are doing when we trust in anything we do to make ourselves more acceptable to God.
</idle musing>
"What happens, then, if you are an elder brother and things go wrong in your life? If you feel you have been living up to your moral standards, you will be furious with God. You don't deserve this, you will think, after how hard you've worked to be a decent person!...Elder brothers' inability to handle suffering arises from the fact that their moral observance is results-oriented. The good life is lived not for delight in good deeds themselves, but as calculated ways to control their environment.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 50-51
<idle musing>
The Romans defined religion as do ut der—I give that I may be given to. Sounds like some prosperity teaching doesn't it? Not terribly Christian, though...A friend of ours says, “You deserve to burn in hell. Anything else is a blessing, so get over feeling sorry for yourself and be thankful.”
That I can agree with! My work, my good deeds, are garbage (Philippians 3:8 Gr. σκύβαλα, Spicq translates it “It's all crap”!!), used menstrual cloths (Isaiah 64:6), in God's eyes.
Those two verses put it into good perspective. Can you imagine bringing used Kotex™ or a pile of manure to God as an offering? Yet that is what we are doing when we trust in anything we do to make ourselves more acceptable to God.
</idle musing>
A few on church
There is a good take on consumerism and the church over at Out ofUr. Here is a short snippet from the end of the post:
And, along those same lines, Alan Knox talks about the church as a corporation versus being a true body of believers:
<idle musing>
I am reminded of David Fitch's book, of which I have forgotten the title...but anyway, he says that making disciples is not efficient. People are messy things that don't fit into nice little programs and packages easily. I agree. It is not an accident that C.S. Lewis chose a corporation to depict the enemy in Screwtape Letters. It is the opposite of an organic organization like what the church is supposed to be.
</idle musing>
This might be a good time to link to an older post at the M Blog. Guy discusses what Luther wanted the church to look like:
And, Alan Knox mentioned the reformers goal for church the other day, too:
<idle musing>
Been there. Our agenda eclipses God's agenda. We get scared of what might happen if there isn't a “scripture lesson.” But, in doing that we ignore John 5:39-40 “You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (RSV) We exalt the scripture above the very one the scripture is pointing too!
</idle musing>
I hear a lot on Christian radio and see a lot of Christian books fighting against postmodernism, relativism, and secularism. But if people are constructing their identities and lives around consumer brands like Apple, is the church fighting the wrong battle? And perhaps more disturbing, are we unknowingly contributing to the problem by encouraging Christians to construct and express their identities via Christ-branded merchandise rather than through characters transformed to reflect the values of Christ himself?
And, along those same lines, Alan Knox talks about the church as a corporation versus being a true body of believers:
It may be pragmatic and efficient and logical to have a human leader, and a set of programs, and a specific meeting place, and tax-deductible status. But, these things do not define the church. We could argue the benefits or the detriments of having these things, but they would be outside the scope of defining what (or WHO) the church is.
Jesus said that he wold build his church... not his charitable organization. We would do well to remember that Jesus cares about his church, not our organizations and programs.
<idle musing>
I am reminded of David Fitch's book, of which I have forgotten the title...but anyway, he says that making disciples is not efficient. People are messy things that don't fit into nice little programs and packages easily. I agree. It is not an accident that C.S. Lewis chose a corporation to depict the enemy in Screwtape Letters. It is the opposite of an organic organization like what the church is supposed to be.
</idle musing>
This might be a good time to link to an older post at the M Blog. Guy discusses what Luther wanted the church to look like:
The following characteristics summarize Luther's "Order of Divine Service" as to the "how" churches should be organized.
Self-organized
Home-based
Lay led
Full sacramental life
Stewardship and social ministry
Simple catechetical instruction
Ideal context for loving accountability after Matthew 18
"Form and Order" are not imported but emerge spontaneously from community life.
And, Alan Knox mentioned the reformers goal for church the other day, too:
[A]ccording to Chadwick, the early reformers recognized that the whole congregation (not just "the clergy") should take part in the church meeting. They were not content with a passive audience who simple listened to teaching, reading, or singing. Instead, they expected a church that took part in the meeting.
So, what happened? Well, according to Chadwick [in The Early Reformation on the Continent (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001)], the reformers could not determine how to have this type of meeting while ensuring that the meeting also stayed focused on teaching the Scriptures. He said that the early reformers emphasized teaching (and a certain style of teaching) to such an extent that it eclipsed their desire to have a participatory meeting.
<idle musing>
Been there. Our agenda eclipses God's agenda. We get scared of what might happen if there isn't a “scripture lesson.” But, in doing that we ignore John 5:39-40 “You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (RSV) We exalt the scripture above the very one the scripture is pointing too!
</idle musing>
Thursday, October 30, 2008
New mug!
Yep, as promised, we have a new mug, and just in time for me to take it to AAR, too. This year we are doing the Gezer calendar, which was discovered 100 years ago, in 1908.
Eisenbrauns 2008 Gezer Calendar mug
Eisenbrauns, 2008
16 ounces
Ceramic
Your Price: $7.50
www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~EISMUG2008
If you follow the link, you can see other views of it, too. The pictures really don't do it justice. It is a beautiful cobalt blue. The staff here are already fighting to get their hands on them, but I will make sure we have enough to bring to SBL :)
Sin, redefined
“Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don't obey God to get God himself—in order to resemble him, love him, know him, and delight him. So religious and moral people can be their own spiritual Saviors and Lords as much as the younger brothers who say they don't believe in God and define right and wrong for themselves.
“Here, then, is Jesus' radical redefinition of what is wrong with us. Nearly everyone defines sin as breaking a list of rules. Jesus, though, shows us that a man who has violated virtually nothing on the list of moral misbehaviors can be every bit as spiritually lost as the most profligate, immoral person. Why? Because sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, page 43
How blind can we be? Apparently, very, as Keller goes on to show:
“The younger son's flight from the father was crashingly obvious. He left the father literally, physically and morally. Though the older son stayed home, he was actually more distant and alienated from the father than his brother, because he was blind to his true condition. He would have been horribly offended by the suggestion that he was rebelling against the father's authority and love, but he was, deeply.
“Because the elder brother is more blind to what is going on, being an elder brother Pharisee is a more spiritually desperate condition.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, page 47
“Here, then, is Jesus' radical redefinition of what is wrong with us. Nearly everyone defines sin as breaking a list of rules. Jesus, though, shows us that a man who has violated virtually nothing on the list of moral misbehaviors can be every bit as spiritually lost as the most profligate, immoral person. Why? Because sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, page 43
How blind can we be? Apparently, very, as Keller goes on to show:
“The younger son's flight from the father was crashingly obvious. He left the father literally, physically and morally. Though the older son stayed home, he was actually more distant and alienated from the father than his brother, because he was blind to his true condition. He would have been horribly offended by the suggestion that he was rebelling against the father's authority and love, but he was, deeply.
“Because the elder brother is more blind to what is going on, being an elder brother Pharisee is a more spiritually desperate condition.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, page 47
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The elder brother
“The elder brother in the parable illustrates the way of moral conformity. The Pharisees of Jesus' day believed that, while they were a people chosen by God, they could only maintain their place in his blessing and receive final salvation through strict obedience to the Bible. There are innumerable varieties of this paradigm, but they all believe in putting the will of God and the standards of the community ahead of individual fulfillment. In this view, we only win through to happiness and a world made right by achieving moral rectitude. We may fall at times, of course, but then we will be judged by how abject and intense our regret is. In this view, even in our failures we must always measure up.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 29-30
<idle musing>
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Too much like what passes for Christianity in many places. But, wait, it gets better, he continues the story...
</idle musing>
“Jesus the story-teller deliberately leaves the elder brother in his alienated state. The bad son enters the father's feast but the good son will not. The lover of prostitutes is saved, but the man of moral rectitude is still lost...The elder brother is not losing the father's love in spite of his goodness, but because of it. It is not his sins that create the barrier between him and his father, it's the pride he has in his moral record; it's not his wrongdoing but his righteousness that is keeping him from sharing in the feast of the father.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, pages 34-35
<idle musing>
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Too much like what passes for Christianity in many places. But, wait, it gets better, he continues the story...
</idle musing>
“Jesus the story-teller deliberately leaves the elder brother in his alienated state. The bad son enters the father's feast but the good son will not. The lover of prostitutes is saved, but the man of moral rectitude is still lost...The elder brother is not losing the father's love in spite of his goodness, but because of it. It is not his sins that create the barrier between him and his father, it's the pride he has in his moral record; it's not his wrongdoing but his righteousness that is keeping him from sharing in the feast of the father.”—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God>, pages 34-35
Another one of those test things
OK, I'm a sucker for them. I guess there aren't any surprises here, but I wonder if this will get me tarred and feathered in Indiana. But then, how much can they really tell from a 20 question survey?
Your Political Profile: |
 Overall: 15% Conservative, 85% Liberal Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Defense and Crime: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal |
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Prodigal God
A few month's ago, one of the publisher reps was making a call and a book caught my eye. I knew it wasn't a book that Eisenbrauns would carry, but I casually mentioned that it looked interesting. Low and behold, the next time he came around he brought me an advanced reading copy (ARC in industry parlance). The book is titled The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller and I will be offering extracts from the book for the next week or so. Because it is an ARC, the page numbers might not match the published version when it appears on October 30.
Keller's basic thesis is that we have misnamed the parable of the prodigal son and caused the word prodigal to morph into meaning “wayward.” In actuality, prodigal means recklessly extravagant, which defines God's relationship with us; scripture calls the parable “the parable of the two sons,” since there is an elder and younger brother. With that as background, I present you with the first excerpt:
<idle musing>
Ouch! Many of us (me included) started out as younger brothers whom Jesus went looking for. Once he found us, he cleaned us up. Problem is, we think we cleaned ourselves up and we look down on the very people we used to be—and still would be but for God's mercy and grace being manifested to us and transforming us.
</idle musing>
Keller's basic thesis is that we have misnamed the parable of the prodigal son and caused the word prodigal to morph into meaning “wayward.” In actuality, prodigal means recklessly extravagant, which defines God's relationship with us; scripture calls the parable “the parable of the two sons,” since there is an elder and younger brother. With that as background, I present you with the first excerpt:
Jesus' teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners doesn't have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did. If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think.—Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, pages 15-16
<idle musing>
Ouch! Many of us (me included) started out as younger brothers whom Jesus went looking for. Once he found us, he cleaned us up. Problem is, we think we cleaned ourselves up and we look down on the very people we used to be—and still would be but for God's mercy and grace being manifested to us and transforming us.
</idle musing>
Monday, October 27, 2008
Living in sin?
“A certain individual supposes that Christ's righteousness, having been imputed to him, allows him to go on living in sin. That is, he supposes that he is entirely exempt from the penalty of violating the law. He even thinks that he has the honors and rewards of full obedience while he still has all the self-indulgences of a life of sin. Horrible!
“Examine such a case thoroughly, and you will see that selfishness is at the bottom of the religion in it. The man was worldly before and is devout now, but he is devout for the same reason that he was worldly. His selfish heart is the basis for each system.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 104
<idle musing>
Not that you can live without sin without the grace of God. That is the foundation of what Finney is saying, which is why he finds it so horrible. The person is stamping on the grace by which they might be saved, saying it is can have no effect in their life.
</idle musing>
“Examine such a case thoroughly, and you will see that selfishness is at the bottom of the religion in it. The man was worldly before and is devout now, but he is devout for the same reason that he was worldly. His selfish heart is the basis for each system.”—Charles Finney, God's Call, page 104
<idle musing>
Not that you can live without sin without the grace of God. That is the foundation of what Finney is saying, which is why he finds it so horrible. The person is stamping on the grace by which they might be saved, saying it is can have no effect in their life.
</idle musing>
Ouch!
We just received the next printing of A Grammar of Akkadian. Lots of boxes, but not all were healthy:
Forklift through the side of the box. I'm glad this doesn't happen very often.
Forklift through the side of the box. I'm glad this doesn't happen very often.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I think I'm going to be sick
I just read this at Out of Ur. Mystery Worshippers! What is the church? K-Mart?
Lord, bring us to our knees in repentance! We need the Holy Spirit to show us our need for you and you alone. Forgive us for trying to save the world before being saved ourselves.
Lord, bring us to our knees in repentance! We need the Holy Spirit to show us our need for you and you alone. Forgive us for trying to save the world before being saved ourselves.
German quotes
Nijay has some thoughts on writing a dissertation. Along the way, he touches on something that we at Eisenbrauns think is important:
<idle musing>
Good idea, except in Eisenbrauns books, we do it the other way around. We put the translation in the text and footnote the original. If the original is too long, we put it in an appendix. That way we keep the book accessible—as if Akkadian/Hittite/whatever is accessible!—to the beginner, but allow the purist to check the original. Now, if we could just get a few elitist bloggers to do the same... :)
</idle musing>
German quotes - OK, we are required to have international breadth in our research, so we must cite and interact with German and French lit. But, do we need to quote the German without an English translation? My question would be, why? The only reasons I can see why we would quote the German is because (1) we feel the wording of it is very important to the argument or (2) the German is rhetorically more appealing (i.e. a good sound-bite). There are those, I guess, who feel if a reader does not know German, he/she is out of luck. That’s just snobby, in my opinion. Are we saying we don’t want MA and undergrads to read our published theses? Are we that elitist? Well, I think we can have it both ways if we do this: Keep the German quotes in, but have an appendix in the back that has English translations of all German quotes.
<idle musing>
Good idea, except in Eisenbrauns books, we do it the other way around. We put the translation in the text and footnote the original. If the original is too long, we put it in an appendix. That way we keep the book accessible—as if Akkadian/Hittite/whatever is accessible!—to the beginner, but allow the purist to check the original. Now, if we could just get a few elitist bloggers to do the same... :)
</idle musing>
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Experience or Atonement?
The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.—Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
True salvation
Salvation, to be real and available, must be salvation from sin. Everything else fails. Any system of religion that does not break the power of sin is a lie. If it does not expel selfishness and lust for the things of the world, and if it does not generate love for God and man, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Spirit, it is false and worthless. Any system that fails in this vital respect is a lie, can be of no use, and is no better than a curse.—Charles Finney
Monday, October 20, 2008
Salvation from sin, or salvation from hell?
The impression of many seems to be, that grace will pardon what it cannot prevent; in other words, that if the grace of the Gospel fails to save people from the commission of sin in this life; it will nevertheless pardon them and save them in sin, if it cannot save them from sin. Now, really, I understand the Gospel as teaching that men are saved from sin first, and as a consequence, from hell; and not that they are saved from hell while they are not saved from sin. Christ sanctifies when he saves. And this is the very first element or idea of salvation, saving from sin. "Thou shall call his name Jesus," said the angel, "for he shall save his people from their sins." "Having raised up his Son Jesus," says the apostle, "he hath sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities." Let no one expect to saved from hell, unless the grace of the Gospel saves him first from sin.--Charles Finney, from An OnLine site for the Complete Works of Charles G. Finney
True love
Ted over at The Jesus Community has some good thoughts on the place of zeal and love in the Christian life. Here's an excerpt:
<idle musing>
This is so true. There is no doubt that the church needs to repent; there is no doubt that there is a need for more holiness in individual Christian's lives. But, there is also no doubt that the call to repentance must come from a heart that is full of the love of God and is heartbroken with God's love for His church.
Wesley used to talk about holiness as being perfected in love. For him, the test of holiness was not obeying certain rules and regulations, but how one loved. We need to recover that same standard today.
Lord, fill us with love, your love, that we might shine and be an attractive representation for you. Forgive us for judging others and then using a different standard on ourselves. Pour out your holy love on your church. We know it has to be your love or it won't be real.
</idle musing>
I see zealous Christians who talk about the lack of truth and holiness in the church, and often seem to hold other Christians at arm's length. They talk about other Christians and churches derisively. I wonder if whether we love or not shows up in how we look at others and what we say about them. Those who know this deep, deep love of Jesus in their own life, will not throw stones at others who may be failing.
<idle musing>
This is so true. There is no doubt that the church needs to repent; there is no doubt that there is a need for more holiness in individual Christian's lives. But, there is also no doubt that the call to repentance must come from a heart that is full of the love of God and is heartbroken with God's love for His church.
Wesley used to talk about holiness as being perfected in love. For him, the test of holiness was not obeying certain rules and regulations, but how one loved. We need to recover that same standard today.
Lord, fill us with love, your love, that we might shine and be an attractive representation for you. Forgive us for judging others and then using a different standard on ourselves. Pour out your holy love on your church. We know it has to be your love or it won't be real.
</idle musing>
Friday, October 17, 2008
Money-back guarantee?
Our loved ones did not come with money-back guarantees. We did not buy them and we cannot trade them for newer models. This may come as a shock, but we do not own our loved ones.—Francis Frangipane, A House United, page 123
<idle musing>
A humorous way of saying that we are not God.
But, how often do we treat others as if we did own them? We take for granted their service, as if we deserve it. As a friend of mine likes to say, "You deserve to roast in hell. Anything else is a blessing, so treat it that way." But, without Christ in us, we can't. We are curvatus in se, as the reformers used to say—curved in on ourselves. It is only as Christ lives his life through us that we are able to extend beyond ourselves and love those around us.
</idle musing>
<idle musing>
A humorous way of saying that we are not God.
But, how often do we treat others as if we did own them? We take for granted their service, as if we deserve it. As a friend of mine likes to say, "You deserve to roast in hell. Anything else is a blessing, so treat it that way." But, without Christ in us, we can't. We are curvatus in se, as the reformers used to say—curved in on ourselves. It is only as Christ lives his life through us that we are able to extend beyond ourselves and love those around us.
</idle musing>
Eisenbrauns ASOR/SBL sale in October
Don't want to pay the airlines for those extra books you schlep home from SBL every year? We don't want you to, either! So, we are doing what we can to help:
SBL prices on-line from now until October 31.
These are the same prices you would/will pay in the booth, but you don't have to pay the Boston sales tax, or the airlines' extra suitcase/overweight fees.
Discounts are 20-50% off, including new release and not yet released items. Enjoy the savings and tell your friends. But, don't forget to swing past the booth anyway. We are still giving away two $50.00 gift certificates each day. Besides that, we want to see you :)
Oh, I almost forgot, there are 631 titles on sale! That has got to be some kind of record for us. I know I feel like it was a lot of work, and I'm sure Andy and Shannon both agree with me.
SBL prices on-line from now until October 31.
These are the same prices you would/will pay in the booth, but you don't have to pay the Boston sales tax, or the airlines' extra suitcase/overweight fees.
Discounts are 20-50% off, including new release and not yet released items. Enjoy the savings and tell your friends. But, don't forget to swing past the booth anyway. We are still giving away two $50.00 gift certificates each day. Besides that, we want to see you :)
Oh, I almost forgot, there are 631 titles on sale! That has got to be some kind of record for us. I know I feel like it was a lot of work, and I'm sure Andy and Shannon both agree with me.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Pleasing God
The reason you cannot please God in your outward acts is that your governing purpose is not right. When your leading motive is wrong, everything you do is selfish, because it is all done for the single purpose of pleasing yourself. You do nothing for the sake of pleasing God or with the governing purpose of doing His holy will. Therefore, everything you do, even your religious duties, only displeases God.—Charles Finney
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The sin of offense
Today there are preachers who are afraid to preach truth for fear people will react and leave the church. The end result is a church of easily offended people who cannot grow beyond their inability to accept correction.—Francis Frangipane, A House United, page 119
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Heaven?
He [God] can never save us by merely taking us away to some place called heaven—as if a change of place would change the human heart.—Charles Finney
Monday, October 13, 2008
Taking offense
People don't usually stumble over boulders; they stumble over stones—relatively small things. It may be that the personality of someone in authority bothers us and soon we are offended. Or a friend or family member fails to meet our expectations and we take offense in our soul.—Francis Frangipane, A House United, page 117
Harvest time, or dodging trucks
It is harvest time for soybeans and corn around here. The combines are running from early morning until late night. It's not so bad when they are doing corn, but when they are harvesting soybeans the dust is pretty bad. The wind takes the dust from the soybean leaves and blows it for quite a ways, clogging your breathing. You can see it billowing across the fields toward you. At least that gives you a warning before you get into the dust cloud.
But, the trucks are another thing altogether. Most of the year, the back roads are quiet and wonderful for bicycling. But, come harvest time they become highways with tractor-trailers full of soybeans and corn. They don't go slow, either, they fly, making runs from the fields to the storage and back for another load. It's kind of fun, but scary at the same time. It only lasts for a few weeks, and then peace descends on the roads until the next fall.
This morning riding in was beautiful. The magical light of predawn was causing the yellows and oranges on the trees appear almost luminescent. I wouldn't have been surprised to have some elves step out from behind a tree and tell me that I was a captive and had to appear before Galadriel and Celeborn.
But, the trucks are another thing altogether. Most of the year, the back roads are quiet and wonderful for bicycling. But, come harvest time they become highways with tractor-trailers full of soybeans and corn. They don't go slow, either, they fly, making runs from the fields to the storage and back for another load. It's kind of fun, but scary at the same time. It only lasts for a few weeks, and then peace descends on the roads until the next fall.
This morning riding in was beautiful. The magical light of predawn was causing the yellows and oranges on the trees appear almost luminescent. I wouldn't have been surprised to have some elves step out from behind a tree and tell me that I was a captive and had to appear before Galadriel and Celeborn.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Credit cards and saving
I was reading this week's Time magazine the other day and ran across this:
<idle musing>
That is the highest number I have heard for average credit card balance. The previous one was $12,000, but that was a few years ago. I guess the way to handle a shortage of funds for your favorite toy is to charge it. The scariest thing is that I don't have any credit card balance, and I know at least 3 other people who don't. That means somebody, somewhere, has to make up for it.
I think it is high time that we as a church wake up and repent of the sin of overindulgence, of the sin of loving the world and the things of the world, of serving mammon instead of God. God is a jealous God, and he will not delay his judgment forever. Perhaps 9/11/2001 was a warning salvo across the bow. If so, we missed it and blamed it on somebody else; not our fault, we say...
</idle musing>
Somewhere along the way, THRIFT did not just stop being a value; it became a folly. Saving was for suckers; you'd miss the ride, die leaving money on the table when you could have lived it up. There are no pockets in a shroud, as the saying goes. We once saved about 15% of our income. By the roaring '80s the rate was 4%; now we're in negative numbers...The average American has nine credit cards with a total $17,000 balance. We borrow against our houses and pensions to live in a way that dares us to actually grow old...
There's no way to tell during this current distress whether we're repenting or just retrenching. THRIFT-store sales are up. Cars are shrinking. P. Diddy retired his private jet to save on gas. In hard times, people often rediscover the peace that prudence brings, when you try to spend a little less than you have because tomorrow might be worse. But that feels almost un-American; we're optimists by nature, and we've been living large for so long that solvency feels like a sacrifice.
<idle musing>
That is the highest number I have heard for average credit card balance. The previous one was $12,000, but that was a few years ago. I guess the way to handle a shortage of funds for your favorite toy is to charge it. The scariest thing is that I don't have any credit card balance, and I know at least 3 other people who don't. That means somebody, somewhere, has to make up for it.
I think it is high time that we as a church wake up and repent of the sin of overindulgence, of the sin of loving the world and the things of the world, of serving mammon instead of God. God is a jealous God, and he will not delay his judgment forever. Perhaps 9/11/2001 was a warning salvo across the bow. If so, we missed it and blamed it on somebody else; not our fault, we say...
</idle musing>
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Sobering thought
I noted this as I read it, but forgot to post it. From Israelite Religions:
"...some twenty thousand urns with infant and animal bones cremated and buried in the tophet (sanctuary) at Carthage during a period of six hundred years attest to infant sacrifice. Other cemeteries have children's bones that included both cremated and inhumed examples. The data suggest that such sacrifices were used for purposes of population control, as animal substitution decreased with an increase in population at Carthage."—Israelite Religions, page 293
<idle musing>
Yikes! Population control! That's just plain morbid. Of course, we use abortion for population control in the world today, so what's the difference in the end? One is sacrificed on an altar (presumably), the other on a table with a white cloth over it... I wonder what archaeologists and philologists will be saying about us in 2000 years?
</idle musing>
"...some twenty thousand urns with infant and animal bones cremated and buried in the tophet (sanctuary) at Carthage during a period of six hundred years attest to infant sacrifice. Other cemeteries have children's bones that included both cremated and inhumed examples. The data suggest that such sacrifices were used for purposes of population control, as animal substitution decreased with an increase in population at Carthage."—Israelite Religions, page 293
<idle musing>
Yikes! Population control! That's just plain morbid. Of course, we use abortion for population control in the world today, so what's the difference in the end? One is sacrificed on an altar (presumably), the other on a table with a white cloth over it... I wonder what archaeologists and philologists will be saying about us in 2000 years?
</idle musing>
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Summary of Partakes of the Divine Nature
The last chapter of Partakers of the Divine Nature should actually be the first, in my opinion. In it, Gösta Hallonsten makes an important distinction between a theme of theosis and a doctrine of theosis: “if the doctrine of theosis according to the Greek Fathers or present-day Orthodox theology is examined, it will be realized that deification as doctrine is not solely about the final goal but is conceived of as a comprehensive doctrine encompassing the whole economy of salvation.” (page 284) In other words, there might be a theme of theosis in Western theology, but it is a theme that is an undercurrent because it is a scriptural theme. But, in Eastern theology, it is more than a theme, rather “[t]he whole structure implies that creation and human beings from the very beginning are endowed with an affinity and likeness that potentially draws them to God.” (page 285). And “[i]n the East, creation from its very beginning is seen as a participation in God; hence grace cannot be separated from creation, but inhere in it and potentially leads us to union with God...The world and human beings are seen as caused by God in the sense of formal causality, whereas in the Western view efficient causality takes its place: God and the world are distinct beings, even if the world participates in Being in an analogical sense.” (page 286).
If this chapter had been first, it would have framed the whole book differently. After reading this chapter, it was appears that some of the claims of a doctrine of theosis in Western theology earlier in the book fall flat; it was not a doctrine, but a biblical theme that was used to buttress the main arguments the theologian in question was making. But, perhaps I am being too harsh.
I highly recommend the book; it should give the person reading it some food for thought, at the very least, and it might transform one's outlook on the importance of theosis for Christian life and theology.
OK, Jon, now you can borrow the book and read it :)
If this chapter had been first, it would have framed the whole book differently. After reading this chapter, it was appears that some of the claims of a doctrine of theosis in Western theology earlier in the book fall flat; it was not a doctrine, but a biblical theme that was used to buttress the main arguments the theologian in question was making. But, perhaps I am being too harsh.
I highly recommend the book; it should give the person reading it some food for thought, at the very least, and it might transform one's outlook on the importance of theosis for Christian life and theology.
OK, Jon, now you can borrow the book and read it :)
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Partaking
“Just as the word of God became flesh, so it is certainly also necessary that the flesh may become word. In other words; God becomes man so that man may become God. Thus power becomes powerless so that weakness may become powerful. The Logos puts on our form and pattern, our image and likeness, so that it may clothe us with its image, its pattern, and its likeness. Thus wisdom becomes foolish so that foolishness may become wisdom, and so it is in all other things that are in God and in us, to the extent that in all these things he takes what is ours to himself in order to impart what is his to us.”—Martin Luther, Christmas sermon of 1514 (quoted in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 191)
<idle musing>
Whodda thunk!!?? That certainly sounds like Athanasius to me. Hard to believe that such an important insight would be all but forgotten in Western theology for 500 years.
</idle musing>
<idle musing>
Whodda thunk!!?? That certainly sounds like Athanasius to me. Hard to believe that such an important insight would be all but forgotten in Western theology for 500 years.
</idle musing>
Monday, October 06, 2008
Quote for today
“Perhaps it is not the case that the West has failed to articulate a doctrine of deification, but that it has failed to understand the nature and function of theology, and to put the vision of deification properly to work. If so, Western theology ironically has neglected its own most important point: deification is doctrinally a constituent of the doctrine of God; and not fully to grasp the implications of this is to forestall and deactivate the fundamental task of theoria—redemptive insight into the perfection of divine esse”&—Nathan R. Kerr in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 176
The bailout and bicycling
Hey! I might stand to benefit from the bailout. There is an obscure provision in the bill that allows tax credits to businesses with employees who bicycle to work. Granted, it is a whopping $20/month, so it might not even be worth the paperwork for Eisenbrauns to do it...but maybe it will. There are 3 of us who bike to work currently; with a tax credit maybe that will increase, who knows.
Just think, at $240/year it will only take me 30 years to earn back what it is costing me as a taxpayer! Of course, I'm sure there is a time limit on the tax credit, and at 52, I probably won't be bicycling to work for 30 years longer, but with the current economic situation, I might be. Or, it could get worse and I might be forced to sell my bike for food—NEVER! :)
Just think, at $240/year it will only take me 30 years to earn back what it is costing me as a taxpayer! Of course, I'm sure there is a time limit on the tax credit, and at 52, I probably won't be bicycling to work for 30 years longer, but with the current economic situation, I might be. Or, it could get worse and I might be forced to sell my bike for food—NEVER! :)
Friday, October 03, 2008
Heaven, or hell?
"If during the Middle Ages a similar effect [audience shock value] was often provoked by references to the burning flames of hell, in patristic writers the attempt to enhance the devotional zeal for spiritual life and the commitment to Christ was carried out by no less shocking, but significantly more positively oriented, affirmations. Not eternal punishment as retribution for sinful life was emphasized, but rather eternal life in God, divine therapeutic forgiveness, and the restored harmony of the whole creation. Emphasis was placed not on what would happen to people if they did not obey the divine commandments, but rather on what awaits them if they reconcile themselves with God."—Vladimir Kharlamov in Partakers of the Divine Nature, pages 127-128.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Barth's new Church Dogmatics
OK everybody. I'm definitely going out on a limb here...I just looked at what CBD is doing with the "new" Church Dogmatics and have decided to play their game—and beat them at it!
Everybody ready? OK, check out this pricing:
Everybody ready? OK, check out this pricing:
Church Dogmatics
31 volume set, New Edition
This is a heavy item and will incur additional shipping!
by Karl Barth
T & T Clark, Forthcoming 2009
English. Paper.
ISBN: 9780567022790
List Price: $950.00
Your Price: $416.25
www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~SETCHURCH2
I can only run this pricing until the end of November, so if you have ever wanted to say you own Barth's Church Dogmatics, this is even cheaper than the existing 14 volume set! I don't think you will find it cheaper anywhere.
We are partakers now!
The participles in [2 Peter] 1:4 do not of themselves indicate whether the participation in divine nature is past, present, or future, but the consensus view that 2 Peter writes solely of the future, of an eschatological entry into a state of divine incorruption, fails to take seriously the juxtaposition of the divine attribute of virtue mentioned in 1:3 and the exhortation for the readers to enter into virtue now (1:5-7). The readers have already now been given everything that is necessary for piety and therefore are no longer subject to the tyranny of passionate desire. The interpretation that 2 Peter envisions sharing in divine nature as something belonging solely to the future cannot be suported from the immediate context and suggests mistakenly that a departure from the physical world is requisite for participation in divine nature. this is clearly not 2 Peter's intention...—James Starr in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 83
Cats
We have been adopted by another stray cat. This one is a tiger striped cat. It appears to have been dumped on the road in the last several days. It showed up on Monday and is very friendly; probably a pet that a family decided to get rid of and hoped that someone would adopt. That makes three now...
No, they are not inside cats; we feed them and let them stay around. One lives under the deck, one in the barn, and the new one appears to have found a place right across the road from us. Unlike some bloggers, I don't think cats are demonic. In fact, I think people who consider them so are themselves deceived :)
No, they are not inside cats; we feed them and let them stay around. One lives under the deck, one in the barn, and the new one appears to have found a place right across the road from us. Unlike some bloggers, I don't think cats are demonic. In fact, I think people who consider them so are themselves deceived :)
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
An Anastiform gospel
"In chapter 3 [of Philippians], the believer's re-formation or conformation begins with sharing in Christ's sufferings and death, and then with participation in resurrection. Conformity with Christ, then, is first 'cruciform,' and then 'anastiform,' to coin a term derived from ANASTASIS, resurrection. Theosis has to do with 'anastiform' experience, both in this life and the next. If we want to call Paul's gospel 'cruciform,' as Michael Gorman does, we must also call it 'anastiform,' or we leave out half his message."—Stephen Finlan in Partakers of the Divine Nature, pages 74-75
<idle musing>
And that is the problem with what passes for the gospel in many places. We miss the second half; we preach a decapitated gospel. Why is there no transformation? Because most of us don't believe it can happen. Paul would not recognize what we have done to the gospel!
</idle musing>
<idle musing>
And that is the problem with what passes for the gospel in many places. We miss the second half; we preach a decapitated gospel. Why is there no transformation? Because most of us don't believe it can happen. Paul would not recognize what we have done to the gospel!
</idle musing>
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Quote for today
“What must be noticed in Philippians is that the believer receives an ability to discern what is good, what is righteous, and what is conducive of love; and with this ability, the believer is able to stand pure and blameless “in the day of Christ” (1:10). It is not that the believer will be declared blameless on that day; the believer already is blameless, already is righteous, already is possessed of EPIGNWSIS to discern what is best, because of the re-formation wrought upon the believer in this lifetime, and because of the righteousness received from God in this lifetime. Such a change is truly a re-formation of the person.”—Stephen Finlan in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 74
Monday, September 29, 2008
Dogs!
It seems that every October, the dogs get more agressive. This year, they started a week earlier. Yesterday Debbie and I took a bike ride and were chased by several dogs. These same dogs had just ignored us when we went by earlier in the year.
Anybody got any ideas on why this happens every fall?
Maybe everybody should just get cats instead of dogs! Then I wouldn't need to carry dog spray...
Anybody got any ideas on why this happens every fall?
Maybe everybody should just get cats instead of dogs! Then I wouldn't need to carry dog spray...
Theosis/Deification Greek/Latin
Deification, then, is not a transcending of what it means to be human, but the fulfillment of what it is to be human. Although we need to realize how far we are from that fulfillment, that realization is greatly impeded by the conviction that to be human is to be fallen and frail (“all too human”)...Deification reveals the divine and lofty purpose for which humankind was created.—Andrew Louth in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 39
Friday, September 26, 2008
Theosis
A while back I finished Partakers of the Divine Nature, but never got around to putting any quotes from it on the blog. I hope to do that over the next week or so, and then give a brief summary at the end. Here is the first quote to start the series...
What is envisaged is a transformation, a transfiguration, of human beings. Those are big words, but what is certainly meant is a real change: a change that is the result of coming to share in the life of God. This change involves a kind of reconstitution of our humanity, a reshaping, a straightening out of all the distortions and corruptions that we have brought upon our humanity by misusing—and abusing—our human capacities, and by living out our lives in accordance with values and principles that fall a long way short of the values and principles inherent in creation as God intended it. This reconstitution of human nature is something impossible without the grace of God, without everything implied God the Word's living out what it is to be human, and thereby on the one hand showing us what it is to be truly human, and on the other experiencing and overcoming the accumulated power of evil that has manifested itself in human nature and human affairs—ultimately experiencing and overcoming the power of death itself. This reconstitution of our human nature is therefore something beyond our human powers—no self-help will be anywhere near adequate—but on the other hand iti is something that involves the most profound commitment of our human powers; it is not a change in which we will be passively put right—some sort of moral and spiritual surgery—it is a change that requires our utmost cooperation, that calls for truly ascetic struggle.—Andrew Louth in Partakers of the Divine Nature, page 37
New sale at Eisenbrauns
Can you say 50% off on Brill? How about 50% off on Greek or Hebrew texts? Maybe 40% off on The Context of Scripture strikes a chord with you? All those, and more here:
Update: Peter is correct, it is the RSV, not the NRSV in the Greek-English NA 27.
"The Context of Scripture"
Edited by William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr.
Context of Scripture - CS
Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. Paper. English.
ISBN: 9004131051
List Price: $311.00 Your Price: $186.60 (40%)
"A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law - 2 volume set"
Edited by Raymond Westbrook
Handbook of Oriental Studies, Part One: The Ancient Near East
and Middle East - HOSANE / HOSNME 72
Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9004129952
List Price: $472.00 Your Price: $236.00 (50%!)
"Matthew"
by Stanley Hauerwas
Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible - BTCB
Brazos Press, 2006. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1587430959
List Price: $29.99 Your Price: $15.00 (50%)
"1 and 2 Kings"
by Peter J. Leithart
Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible - BTCB
Brazos Press, 2006. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1587431254
List Price: $29.99 Your Price: $15.00 (50%)
"Biblia Sacra Utriusque Testamenti: Editio Hebraica et Graeca"
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart, 1994. Cloth. Greek and Hebrew.
ISBN: 3438052504
List Price: $139.99 Your Price: $70.00 (50%)
"Greek New Testament, updated to include textual
variants from Papyri 98-116 (no dictionary)"
Edited by Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland
American Bible Society, 2002. Cloth. Greek.
ISBN: 3438051109
List Price: $43.99 Your Price: $22.00 (50%)
"Greek New Testament with Dictionary"
by Kurt Aland
United Bible Societies, 1993. Cloth. Greek.
ISBN: 3438051133
List Price: $46.95 Your Price: $23.48 (50%)
"Greek-English New Testament"
Note: this is the NA 27 Greek text with the RSV English NT
Edited by Eberhard Nestle, Barbara Aland, and Kurt Aland
German Bible Society, 2001. Cloth. English and Greek.
ISBN: 3438054086
List Price: $59.99 Your Price: $30.00 (50%)
"Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli,
Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature"
by Marcus Jastrow
Judaica Press, 1996. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1932443207
List Price: $34.95 Your Price: $24.47 (30%)
"A Basic Grammar of Ugaritic Language
with Selected Texts and Glossary"
by Stanislav Segert
University of California Press, 1984. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 0520039998
List Price: $70.00 Your Price: $45.50 (35%)
Update: Peter is correct, it is the RSV, not the NRSV in the Greek-English NA 27.
"The Context of Scripture"
Edited by William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr.
Context of Scripture - CS
Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. Paper. English.
ISBN: 9004131051
List Price: $311.00 Your Price: $186.60 (40%)
"A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law - 2 volume set"
Edited by Raymond Westbrook
Handbook of Oriental Studies, Part One: The Ancient Near East
and Middle East - HOSANE / HOSNME 72
Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9004129952
List Price: $472.00 Your Price: $236.00 (50%!)
"Matthew"
by Stanley Hauerwas
Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible - BTCB
Brazos Press, 2006. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1587430959
List Price: $29.99 Your Price: $15.00 (50%)
"1 and 2 Kings"
by Peter J. Leithart
Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible - BTCB
Brazos Press, 2006. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1587431254
List Price: $29.99 Your Price: $15.00 (50%)
"Biblia Sacra Utriusque Testamenti: Editio Hebraica et Graeca"
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart, 1994. Cloth. Greek and Hebrew.
ISBN: 3438052504
List Price: $139.99 Your Price: $70.00 (50%)
"Greek New Testament, updated to include textual
variants from Papyri 98-116 (no dictionary)"
Edited by Barbara Aland and Kurt Aland
American Bible Society, 2002. Cloth. Greek.
ISBN: 3438051109
List Price: $43.99 Your Price: $22.00 (50%)
"Greek New Testament with Dictionary"
by Kurt Aland
United Bible Societies, 1993. Cloth. Greek.
ISBN: 3438051133
List Price: $46.95 Your Price: $23.48 (50%)
"Greek-English New Testament"
Note: this is the NA 27 Greek text with the RSV English NT
Edited by Eberhard Nestle, Barbara Aland, and Kurt Aland
German Bible Society, 2001. Cloth. English and Greek.
ISBN: 3438054086
List Price: $59.99 Your Price: $30.00 (50%)
"Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli,
Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature"
by Marcus Jastrow
Judaica Press, 1996. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 1932443207
List Price: $34.95 Your Price: $24.47 (30%)
"A Basic Grammar of Ugaritic Language
with Selected Texts and Glossary"
by Stanislav Segert
University of California Press, 1984. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 0520039998
List Price: $70.00 Your Price: $45.50 (35%)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
But I'm trying really hard!
<idle musing>
We got back from Minnesota early this morning. You can see pictures of a hike we took here.
While we were there, I was sitting on a deck and watching a grasshopper. I don't know why, but the grasshopper was trying to climb the wall of the house. He would carefully place each of his six legs and advance up the wall. Each step took about 15-20 seconds. But, every time he got about 2-3 inches up the wall, he would lose his grip and fall to the ground. He did this for quite some time; sometimes he managed to get 4 inches off the ground, but he always fell back down. Once he landed on his back and had a terrible time getting upright. I thought maybe he would give up and hop away, but no! He tried again.
I finally walked away, but he was still trying—he might still be for all I know.
I thought the grasshopper was the perfect parable of how we try to make ourselves holy. We try and try and fall and fail and try again—all in vain. Only Christ can live a holy life and he has promised to do it in us. All we have to do is surrender.
</idle musing>
We got back from Minnesota early this morning. You can see pictures of a hike we took here.
While we were there, I was sitting on a deck and watching a grasshopper. I don't know why, but the grasshopper was trying to climb the wall of the house. He would carefully place each of his six legs and advance up the wall. Each step took about 15-20 seconds. But, every time he got about 2-3 inches up the wall, he would lose his grip and fall to the ground. He did this for quite some time; sometimes he managed to get 4 inches off the ground, but he always fell back down. Once he landed on his back and had a terrible time getting upright. I thought maybe he would give up and hop away, but no! He tried again.
I finally walked away, but he was still trying—he might still be for all I know.
I thought the grasshopper was the perfect parable of how we try to make ourselves holy. We try and try and fall and fail and try again—all in vain. Only Christ can live a holy life and he has promised to do it in us. All we have to do is surrender.
</idle musing>
Friday, September 12, 2008
Vacation
I am leaving for vacation today and will have limited/no Internet access for about 12 days. I was hoping to have some book excerpts to automatically post while I was gone, but it didn't happen :(
Don't expect any action here until October 24. If I do get access, I will try to post.
Don't expect any action here until October 24. If I do get access, I will try to post.
Nuts!
No, really, genuine nuts. let me explain. We have a shag-bark hickory tree in our front yard. It must be about 50 feet tall and it is loaded with hickory nuts. My first thought was that it would be a pain to take care of all the nuts—remembering acorns from days past. But, I checked it out and they are actually edible!
They are quite small (sorry, no picture), but they look and taste like 1/4 sized walnuts. So, instead of dreading the falling nuts, I am harvesting them. I let them sit in our basement in a box for a few days, and the husk comes off nicely, leaving a hickory nut.
They will make a nice snack this winter...if I don't eat them all before that :)
They are quite small (sorry, no picture), but they look and taste like 1/4 sized walnuts. So, instead of dreading the falling nuts, I am harvesting them. I let them sit in our basement in a box for a few days, and the husk comes off nicely, leaving a hickory nut.
They will make a nice snack this winter...if I don't eat them all before that :)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
More on church
Another missionary on furlough and having a hard time with North American versions of church, but he sees glimpses of it:
<idle musing>
Grace Roots has a nice post on the "feelings" of the presence of God that ties in with what David is saying above. Do read that as well.
</idle musing>
Your church is most vibrant when it lives out Spirit-led community. Love, joy, peace, patience. Compassion. That kind of stuff freaks people out. Quite a lot of American churches seem to think the Holy Spirit comes when the music is just right. But I’ve noticed lately a lot of signs that your Spirit waits until the service is over and then starts working while people are drinking coffee in the lobby or chatting in the parking lot. Compassion, again. And breaking down the barriers and isolation.
<idle musing>
Grace Roots has a nice post on the "feelings" of the presence of God that ties in with what David is saying above. Do read that as well.
</idle musing>
Micro-what?
I was looking through an older (1987) book that was damaged and noticed that there was a microfiche of the inscriptions at the back of the book. Does anybody have a microfiche reader anymore?
Just so you know, here is the book. It will show up in the used section later on today, if you are interested.
Just so you know, here is the book. It will show up in the used section later on today, if you are interested.
Assyrian Rulers of the Third and Second Millennia B.C. (to 1115 B.C.)
Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia Assyrian Periods - RIMA 1
by A. K. Grayson
Toronto University Press, 1987
xxi + 355 pages, English
Cloth
ISBN: 0802026052
List Price: $108.00
Your Price: $97.20
www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~GRATHIRD
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