Answer here.
Mark Driscoll: A Fundamentalist in Everything but Name?
One of John R. Rice’s grandson just wrote this book:
Andrew Himes. The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family. Seattle: Chiara, 2011.
Himes (b. 1950), who identifies himself as a follower of Jesus but not as a fundamentalist or evangelical, has a provocative perspective on Mark Driscoll (pp. 13–14):
Mark Driscoll is the prominent pastor of Mars Hill Church in a neighborhood near my home in Seattle. I’ve attended Driscoll‘s church several times to listen to his preaching and get a clear sense of his theology, which is identical in almost every respect with older fundamentalists such as John R. Rice, although he adds a twist of Calvinism . . . .
Driscoll does not claim to be a fundamentalist, and many who today willingly accept the label of fundamentalist would not claim him as their sectarian brother. Nonetheless, Driscoll is a fundamentalist in everything but name, and shares virtually all his doctrinal positions and attitudes with any other fundamentalist. [Read more…] about Mark Driscoll: A Fundamentalist in Everything but Name?
Hymns: Modern and Ancient
This hymnal should be available by early next week:
Fred R. Coleman, ed. Hymns: Modern and Ancient. Milwaukee: Heart, 2011.
“These 134 songs from both present day and past hymn writers have been arranged in four-part harmony for local church, congregational singing. This songbook is intended to be a supplement to traditional hymnals.”
Each song also includes guitar chords.
You can view the list of the 134 songs here. It includes some of my favorites:
- Before the Throne of God Above
- How Deep the Father’s Love
- I Will Glory in My Redeemer
- In Christ Alone
- The Gospel Song
- O Church, Arise
- The Power of the Cross
- O Great God
Fred writes in the acknowledgments that his wife, Ruth Coleman, “did the majority of the harmonization of the tunes and all of the Finale typesetting. The concept and the song content were my only contributions; she did all the work and made it a reality.”
Our understanding of God and the gospel affects the quality of our worship through singing, and the quality of what we regularly sing affects our understanding of God and the gospel. These rich hymns engage our affections for the Triune God, and I thank God for them.
Keith Getty on Why Our Musical Understanding Must Go Beyond Contemporary Music
Keith Getty, “Leading Corporate Worship Music,” a workshop at The Gospel Coalition’s national conference on April 13, 2011, 56:30–59:03:
If our musical understanding is built out of only contemporary music, we are to a large degree foolish people for three main reasons:
- We have such a rich history to tap into. The history of hymnody is dominated by some of the greatest composers in history. It is dominated by some of the greatest poets in history. It is dominated by some of the most brilliant theologians crafting liturgy over hundreds of years. It is dominated by some of the most dramatic conversions and historical moments that shaped countries and nations and cultures. For us to turn out backs to that and say that we here in Illinois today in our room know better and don’t need to learn from them is silly. So there is a richness for us to learn from.
(Tim Keller mentions it in his article on worship in Worship by the Book
.) I think there is a sense in which we should have something in our worship services which reminds us that we are part of something that has gone on for centuries. I think it is important for the outsider to see that we’re not a cult. I think it’s important for others to see that we learn from the past.
- I think it’s just good to do some of it sometimes. It’s just good stuff. It’s good to use. . . . There is no way to satisfy everybody’s musical tastes. But we do have a job to feed our congregations. So we start from there and not from musical tastes and know that we’re part of a rich history.
Related: Don Carson’s introductory essay in the above book is available for free as a PDF:
D. A. Carson, “Worship under the Word.” Page 11–63 in Worship by the Book. Edited by D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
Frontline Missions: Dispatches from the Front
Over the past few years, Jenni and I have been deeply moved, encouraged, and challenged by four DVDs produced by Frontline Missions:
For nearly 20 years Frontline Missions International has worked among people in areas of war, persecution, and poverty, primarily in restricted-access countries, seeking to strengthen the Church, give voice to persecuted Christians, and preach and publish the Good News.
Previews
About Dispatches from the Front
Endorsements
Are you afraid to open your eyes and see death and destruction in the world? Dispatches from the Front will open your eyes to the great needs of the lost, enflame your heart to go to the nations, and give you the courage to carry on the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. This is a bold call to action.
–Burk Parsons, pastor, author, editor of Tabletalk magazine [Read more…] about Frontline Missions: Dispatches from the Front
John Owen’s Argument for Definite Atonement
I took a PhD seminar from Graham Cole in spring 2007 entitled “Historical Theology: The Atonement.” I later updated one of my papers for that course, and The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology published it in March in an issue on Puritanism:
“John Owen’s Argument for Definite Atonement in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: A Brief Summary and Evaluation.” The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 14:4 (2010): 60–82.
Here’s the outline:
1. A Summary of Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
1.1. Books 1–2: Arguments for Definite Atonement
1.1.1. The Ends and Means of the Atonement: Teleological Distinctions [Read more…] about John Owen’s Argument for Definite Atonement
Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel on the Sabbath
Here’s another recent book on the Sabbath:
Tom Wells. The Christian and the Sabbath. West Chester, OH: Tom Wells, 2010. 141 pp.
It lines up with Craig Blomberg’s view in Perspectives on the Sabbath: 4 Views and argues primarily against the Reformed view that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath.
Wells suggests that “this controversy has dogged Reformed churches” for two reasons (pp. 109–16):
- Leaning too heavily on creeds
- Undue influence of the OT
Compare chapters 13–14 in Tom Wells and Fred G. Zaspel, New Covenant Theology: Description, Definition, Defense (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2002).
- Ch. 13: Fred Zaspel, “The Sabbath: A Test Case,” pp. 211–37.
- Ch. 14: Tom Wells, “The Sabbath: Some Critical Texts in Paul,” pp. 239–57.
Doug Moo writes the book’s foreword, and D. A. Carson and Tom Nettles endorse it.
(Fred Zaspel authored the recent book on B. B. Warfield’s theology.)
Four Views on the Sabbath
This book came out last month:
Christopher John Donato, ed. Perspectives on the Sabbath: 4 Views. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2011. 420 pp.
The book is superb. It’s an excellent example of how different views use different hermeneutical approaches and theological methods (i.e., the relationship between exegesis, biblical theology, historical theology, systematic theology, and practical theology).
And the debate format allows the authors to have the last word: an author writes an essay, the other three contributors respond, and then the author responds to those responses.
Here’s the table of contents:
Here’s a sampling: [Read more…] about Four Views on the Sabbath