Bob Yarbrough’s Evolving Faith and Crises of Faith

Andy Naselli —  February 11, 2011 — 1 Comment

Steve Hays and James Anderson, eds. Love the Lord with Heart and Mind. 2nd ed. n.p.: n.p., 2009.

Excerpt from the interview with Robert W. Yarbrough (pp. 140–41)

9. Looking back over your life as a Christian, how would you say that your faith has evolved over time? How, if at all, does your lived-in faith differ from when you were younger?

In general, the older I get the more gratifying it becomes to know God through faith in Christ, not least because this enriches immeasurably all other areas of my life. At the same time, the difficulties of loyal service to Christ, to the extent that I may ever approximate it, seem to grow thornier. Jeremiah said the human heart is deceitful and sick [Jer 17:9]. I’m afraid that I become personally ever more acutely conscious of this about myself as time goes by. . . .

11. Since you’ve been a Christian, have you undergone a crisis of faith? If so, how did you work through it? Continue Reading…

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Seven Essential Elements of an Effective Shepherding Ministry

Andy Naselli —  February 10, 2011 — Leave a comment

That’s the title of chapter 9 in this book:

Timothy Z. Witmer. The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2010. 268 pp.

Excerpts (pp. 193–224):

Fail to include one of these elements and the plan will be deficient and likely to falter. . . .

  1. An effective shepherding ministry must be biblical. . . . [U]nless the shepherding ministry is founded on biblical convictions, it is unlikely to survive. . . .
  2. An effective shepherding ministry must be systematic. . . . [T]here must be a plan. If shepherding the flock is something elders are called to do, it is important to have a well-considered strategy to accomplish the task. . . . Continue Reading…
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Getting the Old Princetonians Right

Andy Naselli —  February 9, 2011 — 1 Comment

Books like this are rare:

Paul Kjoss Helseth. “Right Reason” and the Princeton Mind: An Unorthodox Proposal. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2010. 257 pp.

Helseth destroys the fifty-years-old paradigm about the Old Princetonians (esp. Archibald Alexander, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, and J. Gresham Machen) that postconservative evangelicals continue to use today.

I’ve heard John Woodbridge rave about Helseth’s research on the Princetonians many times. Woodbridge initially encouraged Helseth to write this book, and Woodbridge’s foreword sets the historical stage for how unusual and bold this book is.

You can view a PDF of Woodbridge’s foreword (along with endorsements by scholars like John Frame, Roger Nicole, and Steve Nichols) here.

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Warfield the Affectionate Theologian

Andy Naselli —  February 8, 2011 — 3 Comments

The theologian B. B. Warfield was a scholar. One of the best. And he refused to separate theology and spirituality.

I write this in Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology (p. 283, numbering added):

Pitting doctrine against devotion is a false dichotomy because God intends them to go together. They are not mutually exclusive; one without the other is incomplete.

[Note 199] Warfield strikes an outstanding balance in five articles reprinted in his Selected Shorter Writings , 2 vols., ed. J. E. Meeter (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1970, 1973), listed here chronologically:

  1. “Authority, Intellect, Heart,” 2:668–71;
  2. “The Indispensableness of Systematic Theology to the Preacher,” 2:280–8;
  3. “Spiritual Culture in the Theological Seminary,” 2:468–96;
  4. “The Religious Life of Theological Students,” 1:411–25;
  5. “The Purpose of the Seminary,” 1:374–8.

See also Andrew J. B. Cameron and Brian S. Rosner, eds., The Trials of Theology: Becoming a “Proven Worker” in a Dangerous Business (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2010).

Those five articles by B. B. Warfield profoundly influenced me when I was in seminary. Hugely helpful and motivating.

Here’s a sample from “The Religious Life of Theological Students” (1:411–12): Continue Reading…

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Evangelize by Loving Christians

Andy Naselli —  February 7, 2011 — 2 Comments

J. Mack Stiles, Marks of the Messenger: Knowing, Living and Speaking the Gospel (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010), 103–9:

Loving Other Christians and Evangelism

On the eve of his death Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). This is by far the most important command for healthy evangelism. We are to love the church. . . .

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35). . . .

[T]his love must be seen by the world, not just felt by believers. . . .

How odd, one might say, that the best way to demonstrate that Jesus is from the Father and that we are his followers is not through method or technique or apologetics. It’s through loving, unified community among believers. . . . Continue Reading…

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Why John Piper Doesn’t Own a TV

Andy Naselli —  February 4, 2011 — 14 Comments

Sam Storms, “Christian Hedonism: Piper and Edwards on the Pursuit of Joy in God,” in For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper (ed. Sam Storms and Justin Taylor; Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 49–50.

John Piper is known for many things. . . .

Some would likely mention the fact that he’s never owned a television! I vividly remember my first visit to John’s home in 1992. He had invited me to speak at his annual pastor’s conference which, as it turns out, is regularly scheduled during the week following the Super Bowl. Upon arriving at his home after the Sunday service, I told John that I had been looking forward for quite some time to watching the game with him. “Not at my house,” he said. “We don’t have a TV.” After I recovered from the initial shock, John graciously agreed to take me to the home of a church member where I could indulge myself in this annual affair. And yes, John stayed and actually watched the game! Continue Reading…

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God’s in Charge of the Weather

Andy Naselli —  February 2, 2011 — Leave a comment

We’re scheduled to fly today from Greenville to Green Bay via Detroit (for Northland’s Heart Conference), but snowmageddon in the Midwest is canceling and delaying flights.

“God’s in Charge of the Weather” (from J Is for Jesus ) keeps playing in our heads:

God makes the sun shine;
God makes the rain fall.
God’s in charge of the weather.

God makes the thunder;
God makes the lightning.
God’s in charge of the weather.

God can make it wet or dry;
God’s the big boss of the sky.

God makes the sun shine;
God makes the rain fall.
God’s in charge of the weather.

Sometimes adults benefit more from children’s music than children do.

In Systematic Theology
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