Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Andy Naselli

Defending the Bible Is Like Defending a Lion

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authorityDavid Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Authority (Chicago: IVP, 1958), 41:

The authority of the Scriptures is not a matter to be defended, so much as to be asserted. I address this remark particularly to Conservative Evangelicals. I am reminded of what the great Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said in this connection: “There is no need for you to defend a lion when he is being attacked. All you need to do is to open the gate and let him out.” We need to remind ourselves frequently that it is the preaching and exposition of the Bible that really establish its truth and authority.

Carson on (1) Enjoying God and (2) The Gospel and Deeds of Mercy

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I just uploaded seven MP3s to the D. A. Carson archive. These are from the New Horizon conference held in Northern Ireland on July 18–24, 2009.

He preached a six-part series entitled “Enjoying God”:

  • Part 1: Share Your Master’s Happiness (Matt 25:14-30) | MP3 | 43:01 min. | July 19, 2009
  • Part 2: Rejoice to Suffer for the Name (Acts 5:41) | MP3 | 51:57 min. | July 20, 2009
  • Part 3: He Loved Me and Gave Himself for Me (Gal 2:11-21) | MP3 | 56:33 min. | July 21, 2009
  • Part 4: Rejoice in the Lord Always (Phil 4:4-20) | MP3 | 1:01:47 min. | July 22, 2009
  • Part 5: Joy in the Triumph of Grace in Others (3 John) | MP3 | 1:03:33 min. | July 23, 2009
  • Part 6: The Unqualified Joy of the God-Centered New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21:1-22:5) | MP3 | 58:20 min. | July 24, 2009

And he gave a seminar:

  • Proclaiming the Gospel and Performing Deeds of Mercy | MP3 | 59:14 min. | July 24, 2009

Cf. my summary of a similar lecture: “Carson on the Gospel and Social Action.”

Share Your Master’s Happiness (Matt 25:14-30)

Antinomy

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Is antinomy a good word to describe the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? It depends what you mean by antinomy.

D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil (2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 201n13:

Owing to the popularity of the little book by J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, it has become common to designate the two truths, that God is utterly sovereign and human beings are morally responsible, as an antinomy. [Cf. my summary and outline of Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.] But there is some confusion over the term, and a comment may help.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an antinomy is: (1) “a contradiction in a law, or between two equally binding laws”; (2) “a contradictory law, statute, or principle; an authoritative contradiction”—and here an illustration is drawn from Jeremy Taylor, who in 1649 wrote that certain signs of grace “are direct antinomies to the lusts of the flesh”; (3) “a contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable, or necessary; a paradox; intellectual contrariness”—and this last meaning OED attributes to Kant.

Packer means none of these things. [Read more…] about Antinomy

“Rearing children is like holding a wet bar of soap”

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If you are a parent and regularly drop soap in the shower, this might not be encouraging.

Some fathers exasperate their children by being overly strict and controlling. They need to remember that rearing children is like holding a wet bar of soap—too firm a grasp and it shoots from your hand, too loose a grip and it slides away. A gentle but firm hold keeps you in control.

We cannot begin to estimate the ravages of overstrictness on the evangelical Christian community over the years. I have had occasion in my ministry to bury people who lived virtually all of their seventy years in reaction to the harsh legalism of their upbringing—lost bars no one could manage to pick up. Others were not so tragic. They came to renounce legalism Biblically and theologically, but still wrestled with it emotionally for the rest of their lives.

Why are some fathers overly strict? [1] Many because they are trying to protect their children from an increasingly Philistine culture—and smothering rules seem the best way to accomplish that. [2] Others are simply controlling personalities who use rules, money, friendship, or clout to rule their children’s lives. The Bible, read through their controlling grid, becomes a license to dominate. [3] Still others wrongly understand their faith in terms of Law rather than grace. [4] Some men are overly strict because they are concerned about what others will think. “What will they think if my child goes to this place . . . or wears this clothing . . . or is heard listening to that music?” Not a few preacher’s kids have been catapulted into rebellion because their fathers squeezed their lives to fit their parishioners’ expectations. What a massive sin against one’s children!

–R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man (Wheaton: Crossway, 1991), 48–49. (You can read the context of this quotation by searching on “soap” in Amazon’s “Look Inside!” feature.)

John Piper Small Group Series

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Three more DVD series and corresponding study guides are now available in the John Piper Small Group Series.

1. TULIP: The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation (DVD | Study Guide)

2. Why We Believe the Bible (DVD | Study Guide)

3. What’s the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (DVD | Study Guide)

I recently watched almost all of TULIP and most of Why We Believe the Bible with my parents and siblings, and we thoroughly enjoyed them. The professionally filmed DVDs are superb. Piper teaches from an overhead using transparencies and engagingly interacts with the text of Scripture. Very effective. Great resources.

Six Useful Books on Writing

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Books on writing are even more common than first-year Greek grammars. (I should probably revise that sentence.)

Here are six that I’ve found especially useful. I’d suggest reading them in this order.

1. William Strunk Jr. The Elements of Style. Wth revisions, an introduction, and a chapter on writing by E. B. White. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. 105 pp.

Strunk

I’ve read this slim volume three times with great profit. It’s not perfect (see here and here), but it’s still well worth reading. [Read more…] about Six Useful Books on Writing