Inventory Reduction Sale - April 5 - 16, 2010

Inventory is coming and it's time to clean house.  This is the sale I have a love/hate relationship with.  I hate it because I have to reduce the price on a lot of great books from my department.  I love it because I pick up some great deals myself.  It will start on Monday April 5th and go through Saturday April 17th.  I've got a selection of Word Biblical Commentaries, NICOTs, Ancient Christian Commentaries and plenty of good academic titles priced at up to 50% off.  Many titles are only $5.00 or $10.00.  You just can't beat that.   These books are not used or bargain.  They are new.  They simply have been on my shelf for too long and I need to weed through to reduce inventory.  Also, there will be stuff from all over the store not just the academic end.

Sale starts this Monday.  Come early.  Doors open at 9:00 a.m.  Once the seminary students get wind of it the word spreads fast.

Kevin DeYoung, the Heidelberg Catechism and Gordon Clark

I've been reading Kevin DeYoung's newest book, The Good News We Almost Forgot, on the Heidelberg Catechism.  Kevin says that Lord's Day 10 is his favorite.  Here are questions 27 and 28 which address God's providence:

Q. 27 What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty-- all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand.

Q 28 How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us?

A. We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from his love. All creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.

Here's part of what Kevin wrote for this day:

"I will sometimes ask seminary students being examined for ordination, 'How would the Heidelberg Catechism, particularly Lord's Day 10, help you minister to someone who lost a loved one in Afghanistan or just lost a job?'  I am usually disappointed to hear students who should be affirming the confessions of their denomination shy away from Heidelberg's strong, biblical language about providence.  Like most of us, the students are much more at ease using passive language about God's permissive will or comfortable generalities about God being 'in control' then they are about stating precisely and confidently to those in the midst of suffering 'this has come from God's fatherly hand.'  And yet, that's what the Catechism, and more importantly the Bible teaches."  (59-60)

When I read this I thought of Gordon Clark.  Clark was a Christian philosopher and theologian from roughly the 1930s to the 1970s.  He was unashamedly Calvinist.  Some would say a "hyper-Calvinist."  If Kevin is disappointed to hear students today what would he think of Clark?  Here's what I mean.  In his book Religion, Reason and Revelation Clark quotes Georgia Harkness who was arguing for the necessity of free will in order for people to be held responsible for their actions.  I pick up with the final paragraph of her quote.

"'Some still hold that when the typhoid victim dies from lack of proper sanitation, it happened because it was 'to be.'  There is a good deal of illogical comfort in such a view.  But not many, even of the most rigorous of Calvinists, would now say that if a man gets drunk and shoots his family, it is the will of God that he should do so!'"

Clark responds:

"This quotation [the full quote is a page long] shows clearly the moral motivation behind the theory of free will; but at the same time it shows so much muddle headedness, misstatement of facts, and fallacious innuendo that before the argument proceeds, one preliminary should be put out of the way.  I wish very frankly and pointedly to assert that if a man gets drunk and shoots his family, it was the will of God that he should do so."  (Religion, Reason and Revelation, 220 emphasis mine)

Now before we dial "1-800-Brian McLaren" to report a Calvinist gone wild let me say a few things.  Clark is not providing a script to use when visiting the victim of such a crime.  This is a chapter dealing with God and evil in a book on theology and Clark is calling it as he sees it.  He was not one to allow "feelings" to diminish the truth of Scripture as he understood it.  Clark had no room for statements like "God didn't will this but he did permit it."  For Clark "permission makes no sense when applied to God."  Why not?  He explains:

"It is quite within the range of possibility for a life guard to permit a man to drown.  This permission, however, depends on the fact that the oceans undertow is beyond the guard's control.  If the guard had some giant suction device which he operated so as to engulf the boy, one would call it murder, not permission.  The idea of permission is possible only where there is an independent force, either the boy's force or the ocean's force.  But this is not the situation in the case of God and the universe.  Nothing in the universe can be independent of the Omnipotent Creator, for in him we live and move and have our being."  (ibid 205)  

Of course all of this is only relevant given a Calvinist framework but that's precisely the point.  What I see DeYoung saying is that if we are going to adhere to a catechism that proclaims the providence of God then there should be nothing to shy away from.  Our language will vary in certain contexts (DeYoung's original question is specifically put in the context of pastoral counseling) but the truth remains the same. 

For further reading I suggest John Frame's The Doctrine of God pp. 174-182.   See also D. A. Carson's Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility where he says:

"Similarly, distinctions between permissive will and decretive will appear desperately artificial when applied to an omniscient and omnipotent being; for if this God 'permits' sin, it cannot be unknowingly and unwillingly, and therefore his 'permission' must be granted knowingly and willingly.  Wherein then does this permission differ from decree?"  (214)

My reference to Frame and Carson are not meant to imply that they agree with Clark in every aspect only on the issue of the idea of "permission" as used of God.  Both authors have significant differences or nuances to Clark.  Most notably Frame interacts quite frequently with Clark in his writings.

James K. A. Smith vs. Francis Beckwith

It all started with a review of Francis Beckwith's book Return to Rome by James K. A. Smith.  Here's part of what Smith wrote:

"The path to Rome was a straight shot for an evangelical like Beckwith because he doesn’t see any inconsistency in the core “beliefs” of Rome and evangelicalism (as articulated, for instance, in the Evangelical Theological Society’s doctrinal statement).

But is this because Beckwith has created Rome in his evangelical image? Whose Rome are we talking about here? Which Catholicism? Rome is no monolith—that picture itself is a Protestant myth. Catholicism is chameleon and we constitute, to some extent, our own Romes. Even those who convert to Roman Catholicism, especially North American academics, are always, to some extent, joining the proverbial “church of your choice.”

Beckwith has returned to the Rome of his evangelical dreams: a pure, pristine defender of truth, justice, and—not so surprisingly—the American way. No wonder, then, that he sees no tension between being “both Evangelical and Catholic.” His is an Evangelical Rome. This plays itself out in a curious conversation with his comrade J. P. Moreland. After reading Moreland a passage from an unnamed author who affirms that “the question about truth is the essential question of the Christian faith as such, and in that sense it inevitably has to do with philosophy,” Beckwith asks his colleague: “Guess who wrote this?” After Moreland reels off some favorite Protestant philosophers, Beckwith plays his gotcha: “It’s the Pope!” “He’s one of us!” Moreland replied in exuberance (78).

But somehow, I can’t imagine Benedict XVI on the faculty of Talbot School of Theology any time soon. So what’s going on here? Beckwith’s Pope is like Norman Geisler’s Aquinas: an anonymous evangelical."

Well, Beckwith was not going to remain silent.  He responded on his blog Return to Rome. 

Here's how he started:

"If you want to read how someone from Calvin College can diminish, belittle, and caricature another Christian's heart-felt narrative of his own spiritual journey, read James K. A. Smith's review of Return to Rome. The meanness is palpable. I do not recognize the person Professor Smith describes as me. He is not reviewing the book I wrote. He is, apparently, reviewing the book he wishes I wrote so that it would fit his own philosophical project. In other words, as my New York relatives would say, "Oy vey, does that guy have issues or what?"

And here's how he ended:

"Perhaps, given my own journey and academic life, I should by now have grown accustomed to the scores of insults that have been hurled at me since my return to the Church. But the insults do not usually come from those, like Professor Smith, who pretend to be the lone virtuous custodians of Christianity's lost liturgical kernel. Since becoming a Catholic, I have a better sense of my own smallness. I know that if I died tomorrow, the Church would go on just fine without me. I would not, and should not, be missed. But if Professor Smith were to vanish from this mortal realm, the postmodern, liturgically aware, emergent, anti-modernist, radical orthodoxy Reformed Protestant movement will have lost one third of its intellectual firepower."

Scot McKnight says "there's got to be something more going on here."  No doubt he's right.  I think part of it may stem from the rocky relationship that exists between Smith and what he has termed the "Biola School" (His reference to Talbot School of Theology is where I'm making the connection.  Talbot is part of Biola.)  He explains this in his essay "Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: A Response to the Biola School" in the book Christianity and the Postmodern Turn. 

"I first had inklings of this line when I was on a panel with William Lane Craig where we disagreed rather passionately about perspectivalism in science. The notion of a ‘Biola School’ crystallized for me during a stay at L’Abri in Switzerland, where I presented a series of lectures on postmodernism and church. After repeatedly hearing knee-jerk student reactions that sounded all too familiar, I finally asked—somewhat exasperated—whether this was the ‘Biola School’ of philosophy. When three of the students raising criticisms indicated that they had indeed graduated from Biola, my suspicions were confirmed. . . The ‘Biola School’ is broader than Biola faculty, however; I would also include Douglas Groothuis, for instance, and the Evangelical Philosophical Society in general.” (226 n. 1)

Smith says there is a “contrasting ‘Calvin School’ of Christian philosophy—which is found at Yale and Notre Dame—which is less religiously devoted to analytic philosophy, offers a postfoundationalist epistemology that criticizes foundationalism, tends towards presuppositional apologetics, and adopts a less fundamentalist notion of revelation.” (226 n. 2)

I may be way off here but it seems Beckwith represents in a broad sense the "Biola School" and the question for Smith appears to be "Can any good come from Biola?"

Palm Sunday Begins Holy Week

Today is Palm Sunday which begins Holy Week (All links are to the Catholic Encyclopedia).  One week from today is Easter.  It is the pinnacle of the Christian Liturgical Year.  Let's take a quick look at what comprises Holy Week:

Palm Sunday - This day celebrates the Lord's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Those who greeted him laid palm branches down as he rode in on a donkey. 

Maundy Thursday - This day was always hard for me to remember.  Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum which means commandment.  This is the day Jesus gave a new commandment to his disciples that they should love one another and the day he washed their feet.  Holy Thursday also begins the time period known as the Triduum.  It ends on the evening of Easter Sunday. 

Good Friday - This is the day our Lord was betrayed, crucified and buried.  Catholics will observe the Stations of the Cross often during this time though it can be observed throughout the year. 

Holy Saturday - The day before Easter and the day our Lord rested in the tomb.

Easter - The day our Lord rose from the dead!

For an Orthodox view of Holy Week see The Historical Development of Holy Week Services in the Orthodox/Byzantine Rite. 

Whatever your tradition I hope you maximize the significance of this week. 

Favorite Retail Stories - 2 "Amanda, Tornados and Gift Wrapping"

Here's three more retail stories I thought you might like. 

Amanda knows her stuff

Here’s a story from my co-worker Amanda. I didn’t ask her if I could print this but I don’t think she’ll mind. 

She was talking with a customer when she noticed a gentleman kept looking at her. After a bit she asked him if he needed any help. He said, “No, I’ve just never heard a girl talk about theology before.”

Battle of the Bands and the tornado

A couple of years ago we had a "Battle of the Bands". The bands were playing in the parking lot and it was loud and people were having a great time. Then the clouds started to form and it began to rain. Everyone came inside the store and we let the bands set up and we resumed the contest inside. It was loud but the festivities continued. Then we got word that we were under a tornado warning. We announced that for safety reasons we had to stop the show and have everyone move to the employee break room. Our break room will comfortably hold about 40 people standing room only. Now here’s the problem—there were about 200 people there. Well, we stuffed as many as we could in the break room and the others mingled in the warehouse. No tornado ever showed up for the show but after about 20 minutes we were able to let everyone back in the store and the show picked up where it left off.  No worse for the wear but there was some creative stacking of the used books in the warehouse. 

Why I don’t wrap

We used to do gift wrapping as an added service. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t do gift wrapping well. One day I had a customer ask if I would wrap something for her. I said I would be happy to find someone to help her. She insisted that I would do fine so I wrapped her stuff and sent her on her way. A couple of days later she was in the store and she recognized me. She said “You were the guy that wrapped my books weren’t you?” “Yes, I was.” Then reality hit me. “That’s not your gift is it?” I’ve never wrapped another package since.

In Store Now - Be Still, My Soul

Anything I see by Nancy Guthrie gets my immediate attention. Sit back and let me tell you why. My first exposure to Nancy came when I happened to pick up a copy of her book Holding on to Hope. The year was 2002. It was at a small convention of publishers and they were giving them away. I went back to my room and had some extra time on my hands so I started to read it. Two hours later I was done and I was captured by what the grace of God had done in her life. She and her husband had lost their daughter, Hope, to Zellweger syndrome. Since it was likely any future children would also have the disease her husband had a vasectomy. Nonetheless she became pregnant and the child was diagnosed with Zellwegers before he was even born. They knew the child to be born would die fairly soon after birth. Young Gabriel died one day shy of six months. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose one child not to mention two. Flash forward six months. I was at yet another convention only this time much bigger and I see a woman sitting at a table signing books. I notice the book and realize it's Nancy. I had to meet her. When it came to my turn I stepped up and said “I want to thank. . .” I started to choke up and tears started rolling down my face. I didn’t see it coming. She looked at me and said “Did you . . .” I interrupted her and said “No, no. Nothing like what you’ve gone through.” Her response surprised me. “Your pain is just as real.” She had no idea why I was crying (for that matter neither did I). But those words were of immense comfort coming from her.

I want to tie this to something I read in D. A. Carson’s book How Long, O Lord? which I had read years before any of this.

“One of the major causes of devastating grief and confusion among Christian is that our expectations are false. We do not give the subject of evil and suffering the thought it deserves until we ourselves are confronted with tragedy. If by that point our beliefs—not well thought out but deeply ingrained—are largely out of step with the God who has disclosed himself in the Bible and supremely in Jesus, then the pain from the personal tragedy may be multiplied many times over as we begin to question the very foundation of our faith.” (11)

Now nothing truly prepares you for the death of a child but I have to say that my readings of books like Carson’s, Guthrie’s and others certainly did something to help me put into context the pain of losing my Joshua (who died this past September). I believe God used what I had read to help me through those first days and even today they offer solace. I don’t say any of this to commend my faith but rather God’s sustaining grace and the value in thinking through these issues long before you may have to personally endure them.

My Crossway rep was in today and he gave me a copy of Nancy Guthrie’s newest book Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God’s Purpose and Provision in Suffering. In this book Nancy has assembled 25 various excerpts from classic and contemporary authors on the problem of pain. Nancy picked an excerpt from Carson’s book. Here’s part of it:

“Not long ago in my church, a woman I’ll call Mary experienced a recurrence of cancer. Within a few months it had spread throughout her body, and despite treatments, she was very ill. The people in our church gathered for prayer. And although this is not a church from a charismatic tradition, the prayers throughout the day became more and more enthusiastic.

“Lord, you’ve said you will answer if two or three are in agreement. We have 287 in agreement, and we want you to heal her!” “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We want you to show that you are still the Great Physician!” “Lord, will you not have mercy on her husband and her children?”

“Finally it was my wife’s turn to pray (she who had almost lost her life to cancer twice) and she prayed, “Heavenly Father, we would love it if you would heal Mary. But if is not your will to heal her, teach her to die well. She is going to die anyway, and so if the time is now, teach her to die well. Give her a joy of the Lord. Give her a heritage of godly faith, with one foot firmly planted in heaven, so that her husband and children will be stamped by it, and will look to Christ. We don’t ask that she have any easy time, but ask that she be so full of grace, people will see Christ in her.”

“Well, you could have cut the air with a knife. No longer were there 287 people agreeing in prayer. My wife’s prayer seemed to create a break in the chain. She was letting down her side. We found out afterward that some of Mary’s relatives rather wished my wife would go to heaven first so she would know whereof she was praying! . . . Well-intentioned, but poorly informed brothers and sisters who try to deflect people from thinking about death, or who hold out the constant hope of healing, keep them so occupied with matters in this world that they have neither the time nor the energy to think about the next world. They succeed only in robbing their loved ones of the enormous comfort of the gospel as the step into eternity. Whatever the church does, it should prepare its members to face death and meet God. You cannot live faithfully in this life unless you are ready for the next. You can’t preserve morality or spirituality or doctrinal purity or faithfulness unless you are living in light of eternity.” (113-115)

This book is full of the wisdom of veteran Christians who have walked with God and are by no means strangers to pain and suffering. Other contributors include Philip Yancey, Joni Eareckson Tada, Os Guiness, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Newton, Jerry Bridges and many more. This is a book I know I’m going to love and will be giving away to friends. Thank you, thank you Nancy!

Be Still, My Soul is from Crossway with 176 pages and sells for $12.99.

In Store Now - Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe

Yesterday we received the newest book from Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe.  I know several of my customers have asked every time they were in the store if it had arrived yet.  Well, it's here!  Incidentally, Gerry Breshears was on Prime Time America yesterday talking about the book.  Since the book came out to the floor just before I was leaving from work I didn't have much time to look at it.  But I did notice the chart on page 267 on views of the extent of the atonement.  Listed are five views: "Heresy of 'Christian' Universalism," "Heresy of Contemporary Pelagianism," "Unlimited Atonement," "Limited Atonement," and "Unlimited Limited Atonement."  That last one is not a mistake.  I've seen this from Driscoll before and it has never impressed me.  He says, "Simply, by dying for everyone, Jesus purchased everyone as his possession, and he then applies his forgiveness to the elect--those in Christ--by grace, and applies his wrath to the non-elect--those who reject Christ.  Objectively, Jesus' death was sufficient to save anyone, and, subjectively, only efficient to save those who repent of their sin and trust in him.  This position is called unlimited limited atonement, or modified Calvinism, and arguably is the position that John Calvin himself held as a very able Bible teacher."  (270)  But this is only one observation based on a quick skimming of the book.  I'll spend some more time with it later. 

The catalog description follows:

"Doctrine is the word Christians use to define the truth-claims revealed in Holy Scripture. Of course there is a multitude of churches, church networks, and denominations, each with their own doctrinal statement with many points of disagreement. But while Christians disagree on a number of doctrines, there are key elements that cannot be denied by anyone claiming to be a follower of Jesus."

"In Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe, Driscoll and Breshears teach thirteen of these key elements. This meaty yet readable overview of basic doctrine will help Christians clarify and articulate their beliefs in accordance with the Bible."

Here are few of the reviews:

"I like Doctrine very much. It is a relatively short, clear, and accurate topical summary of biblical teachings, focused on the practical application of doctrine. There is much here to aid readers who have thought in the past that theology was too complicated, uninteresting, or irrelevant. This book is none of those things. It takes off on wings of eagles. It is so important today that believers understand and become committed to all that God's Word says. This book is a wonderful tool to help them do that."
—John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

"I offer my unlimited limited endorsement of Doctrine. It's limited with respect to acknowledging that not everyone needs to agree with every point of doctrine outlined in the book in order to benefit from the fair-minded treatment that Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears give to each of the Christian doctrines examined. In areas where Christians are known to hold differing views, Driscoll and Breshears respectfully outline options before clearly stating their own beliefs. It's unlimited with respect to wholeheartedly embracing the clear ambition of the book. In an age when people, even Christians, place such high personal value on internal experience, we desperately need to look outside ourselves—to the doctrines of the Bible—to truly hear and receive the good news of Jesus Christ."
—James H. Gilmore, author, The Experience Economy and Authenticity

"Christianity is ineradicably doctrinal, and, contrary to popular instincts, doctrine unites, as Paul makes clear in Romans 16:17. The question for church leaders, therefore, is how to communicate Christian doctrine in a clear, faithful, and winsome way. It is therefore a pleasure to commend this book, an excellent primer in basic Christian teaching. It will serve as an introduction for new Christians, a refresher for church members, and a good text for Sunday school classes. Highly recommended."
—Carl R. Trueman, Academic Dean and Vice President, Westminster Theological Seminary

Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and is the author of several books, including Vintage Jesus.

Gerry Breshears is professor of theology and chairman of the division of biblical and theological studies at Western Seminary.

Doctrine is from Crossway with 464 pages and sells for $21.99.

Coming Soon from Crossway - The Bible Story Handbook

John Walton has made a lasting impression on me as a student of Scripture.  One thing he impressed upon me was that we shouldn't be reading the Old Testament to glean moral lessons from David, Abraham, Sarah, Esther etc.  The Old Testament is a revelation of God.  Here's how he explains it in his Genesis commentary:

"Solomon is not offered as a model of setting up an administration (1 Kings 2), Esther is not offered as a model for how to change government policy (Est. 4-7), David is not offered as a model for how to get out of a rough spot (1 Sam 21:10-15)--though each is successful and receives no condemnation for how they conduct themselves.  We must take our lead carefully from what can be determined to be the agenda of the text."  (692)

I know what you're thinking.  "But doesn't the New Testament do this very thing?"  Walton has an answer.

"The fact that the New Testament in  few places (e.g., 1 Cor. 10:6-13; Heb. 11) draws its teaching based on role models does not thereby offer a blanket approval for us to do the same.  We can readily accept the New Testament's interpretation of the role models, but our confidence as a result of recognizing their inspiration does not necessarily make their hermeneutic repeatable."  (ibid 694 n.56)

Now this will, no doubt, open a can of worms and could destine a whole lot of sermons for the trash can.  But I think Walton needs to be heard.  Coming this September from Crossway is a book that John and his wife, Kim, have put together called The Bible Story Handbook: A Resource for Teaching 150 Bible Stories from the Bible.  Here's the catalog description:

"How do Sunday school teachers lead children through the stories of Cain and Abel or Judas’s betrayal in a way that reflects the authority of Scripture? Sunday school curricula often glosses over difficult lessons or focuses too much on characters in Bible stories, neglecting God’s self-revelation in Scripture. John and Kim Walton have created this handbook for 175 150 [I found three different numbers in various places.  I think the 150 is correct.] Bible stories to assist teachers and parents in knowing what each story teaches and how to present it in a God-centered way."

"As they work their way through the Bible, the Waltons examine seven elements in each story: focus, theme, application, place in the Bible, interpretational issues, historical and cultural background, and age-group appropriateness. The Bible Story Handbook includes introductory articles on why we teach the Bible, right and wrong ways to use the Bible, and ends with a two-year teaching plan. Every parent and Sunday school teacher will find this unique resource to be invaluable in teaching children to know and love God."

This may be a book primarily for Sunday school teachers but I think there is something here for all of us to learn from.  The Bible Story Handbook will have 352 pages and sell for $21.99. 

In Store Now - The Good News We Almost Forgot

I'm excited that we finally received Kevin DeYoung's newest book The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism.  Kevin has quickly become one of my favorite writers and I look forward to reading this since my knowledge of the Heidelberg Catechism is minimal.  Here's a couple of paragraphs from the introduction:

"I love the Heidelberg Catechism, not like I love my wife or I love the Bible, but in a deeper way than I love the Chicago Bears and a more eternal way than I love a good deep-dish pizza. 'Love' and 'Catechism' are not two words usually heard together, unless it's something like 'I love that my church doesn't make kids learn catechism anymore.'  Nevertheless, I freely confess I love the Heidelberg Catechism.  I love it because it's old, it's biblical, and it's true.  It's not perfect.  It's not infallible.  It says too little about some subjects and too much about some others.  But it is through and through trustworthy and beautiful, simple and deep.  Most of all I love the Heidelberg Catechism because I love the gospel it expounds and the salvation it proclaims."  (14)

And,

"I have been privileged to have a few books published before this one.  And while I loved working on all of them and trust they all were of some help to the church, none of them warmed my soul and drew me closer to God like this one.  This book may not seem as timely and I doubt royalty sales will cause me to seek out tax-sheltered annuities, but that's not why Christians should write books anyway.  I wrote this book so that others might be drawn into the same gospel ocean that has refreshed me.  The gospel summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism is glorious, its Christ is gracious, its comfort is rich, its Spirit strong, its God sovereign, and its truth timeless.  You can meet Christ here, if you will simply come and see."  (18)

Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from Michigan State University. A graduate of Hope College and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, he serves on the executive team of RCA Integrity, a renewal group within the Reformed Church of America. DeYoung is coauthor of Why We're Not Emergent. He and his wife, Trisha, have four children.

The book is from Moody Publishers with 256 pages and sells for $14.99. 

What is the Future of Publishing?

I found this video at Michael Hyatt's blog (he's the CEO of Thomas Nelson).  You need to watch it all the way through to get the full impact. 

In Store Now - Revelation

Another commentary on Revelation?  Do we really need it?  Of course we could ask this of any commentary but on Revelation it is particularly important.  I did a couple of studies of Revelation years ago but was quickly discouraged by them when I saw they were nothing more than wildly subjective interpretations based on no evidence at all.  Even when I went to Moody and Trinity I avoided discussions of Revelation because I didn't want to get involved in useless discussions of the meaning of 666 or the 144,000.  I didn't realize there was a much saner approach available.  When I saw this new commentary by Joseph L. Mangina I wasn't sure what to expect.  First of all it is a "theological" commentary on the Bible.  My impression of the Brazos Theological Commentaries has been mixed.  Some of them I love while others have been a disappointment.  Such is the case with any series (although to date I've been very happy with the BECNT and Pillar series).  Anyway, I have been skimming this commentary and the more I skim the more I'm impressed with what I see.  This is one of those commentaries that I've put on my "read all the way through" list.  Here's a sample of why I'm so happy with this commentary. 

“Yet when all has been said, it must be admitted that these middle chapters [6-18] remain rough going. Revelation is disconcertingly unsentimental in its portrayal of both God and evil. Indeed, much of the therapeutic force of the Apocalypse may well be to purge us of some of our fantasies concerning God. Rowan Williams writes that if one such fantasy is that of God as the classic Freudian father, ‘an authority figure who could sort out all our problems, who is always there on hand to help us out of situations where we would otherwise have to take responsibility,’ the opposite danger might be that of ‘projecting on to God the characteristics of an idealized mother, always accepting and soothing.’ On the other hand, God the ultimate daddy, endowed with the magical power to make everything right; on the other hand, God the great mommy, accepting us ‘just the way we are.’ It should be evident that both fantasies are grounded in a mixture of fear, self-love and the seemingly infinite human capacity for self-deception."

"The genius of Revelation, we might say, is that it helps to purge us of these and other such fantasies concerning God. God is not whatever we would like him to be. God is God. He is the Creator and Pantokratōr glimpsed in the heavenly worship—power indeed, but not power at human disposal and control—and he is also the Lamb, slaughtered victim-as-victor. If the image of the all-powerful God should free us from our sentimentalism concerning God, the image of the Lamb of God should free us from our fear. If there is a hermeneutic for interpreting the violent passages in Revelation it can be only the cross. ‘How could it be said more clearly,’ writes Jacques Ellul with penetrating insight, ‘that all that is read afterward [i.e., in the judgments of the seals, trumpets, and bowls], all these abominable things, are under the cover, under the signification, under the embrace of the love of the Lamb. And nowhere else. That all is situated in the cross of Jesus Christ, that these texts must not be read in themselves but only by relation to that love which sacrifices for those who hate it.’” (97)

And this,

“The wrath of the Lamb! This is indeed an unexpected twist. That the Father should be wrathful is not a totally unfamiliar idea, especially in the kind of theology where ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ stands between sinful humanity and the Father’s judgment. On this reading, Jesus is the purely passive and human victim who absorbs or deflects the Father’s anger. The problem with this view is the sharp tension it seems to posit between the divine anger and the divine love, as also between the persons of the Trinity. It is much better to say that the divine wrath is the form that God’s love assumes when it encounters resistance on the part of the creature; it is the divine ‘no’ to the plight of humanity in this ‘present evil age’; and so Christ appears on the same side as the Father, as equally the agent of God’s love and his judgment. Jesus Christ is the judge—what conviction could be more fundamental to the whole New Testament witness?—and therefore, inevitably and necessarily, the executor of the wrath and judgment of God.” (106)

This is "theological" commentary at its best.  Do we need another commentary on Revelation?  When they're this well written and with such depth I have to say yes.  Revelation is from Brazos Press with 288 pages and sells for $29.99. 

Joseph Mangina, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, has taught at Wycliffe since 1998. Born and raised in New Jersey, he began his theological studies at Yale Divinity School. Two years of church work in the divided city of Berlin were followed by a return to Yale, where he completed a Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1994. His theological interests run the gamut from ecclesiology, biblical interpretation, Christianity and culture, to ecumenical theology. He serves on the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue commission for Canada.