Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Practical Theology

Ben Witherington: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” is “not good theology”

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“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b).

The daughters of two well-known theologians recently died, and both theologians publicly reflected on the tragic events. One is an Arminian, and one is a Calvinist:

  1. Ben Witherington (an Arminian), “What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies: Walking the Way of Grace in the Midst of My Grief” (April 11, 2012)
  2. Fred Zaspel (a Calvinist), “Reflections on the Loss of Our Daughter” (November 13, 2013)

(HT: Tony Reinke)

Losing a daughter in the prime of her life must be unimaginably painful! But my jaw dropped when I read what Ben Witherington asserts about Job 1:21 (bullet points added):

[Read more…] about Ben Witherington: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” is “not good theology”

Live Like a Narnian

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rigneyThis book releases this week in time for the Desiring God national conference on C. S. Lewis this weekend:

Joe Rigney. Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis’ Chronicles. Minneapolis: Eyes & Pen, 2013. 182 pp. (Available in Kindle.)

Joe is scheduled to speak on the topic of this book tomorrow at the DG conference.

My endorsement: [Read more…] about Live Like a Narnian

How Should Parents Discipline Their Children? Is Spanking Wrong?

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I contributed this article to the latest issue of Southern Seminary’s Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Training Children for Their Good.” The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry 3.2 (2013): 48–64.

The article addresses parental discipline. This is a lightly edited manuscript from a sermon I preached on June 3, 2012.

Here’s the outline:

1. Seven Propositions about Discipline from Hebrews 12:4–11

      1. God disciplines his children (Heb 12:5–7, 10).
      2. God disciplines all his children (Heb 12:6, 8).
      3. God disciplines only his children (Heb 12:6–8).
      4. Discipline is training: God disciplines his children for their good (Heb 12:10–11).
      5. Discipline seems unpleasant and painful (Heb 12:11).
      6. God’s children should endure God’s discipline (Heb 12:5, 7, 9).
      7. God’s disciplining his children compares to human parents’ disciplining their children (Heb 12:5, 7–10).

2. Levels of Discipline in the Book of Proverbs

The above table is from Paul D. Wegner, Catherine Wegner, and Kimberlee Herman, Wise Parenting: Guidelines from the Book of Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2009), 32.
      • Level 1. Teach
      • Level 2. Warn
      • Leve 3. Enforce
        • Does “the rod” represent discipline but exclude physical discipline (Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13–14; 29:15)?
        • Is spanking a form of physical and psychological child abuse?
        • Do the proverbs about using the rod refer to young men rather than children?
        • Is spanking an obsolete part of the Mosaic law-covenant in the Old Testament?
        • Is spanking antithetical to the gospel?

3. Concluding Application

      1. Pray for your children.
      2. Evangelize your children.
      3. Use multiple levels of discipline.
      4. Love your children, and tell them and show them that you love them.
      5. Beware of two extremes: (a) not disciplining and (b) over-disciplining.
      6. Fathers, take the lead in discipline.
      7. Learn how to discipline each of your children most effectively.
      8. Distinguish between family rules and the Bible.
      9. Be humble about parental discipline; don’t be proud and judgmental.
      10. Persevere with a long-term view that trusts God’s word.

4. Recommended Resources

Related:

  1. Endnote 8 in the article: I preached on Hebrews 12:3–17 on March 3, 2013 to Sovereign Grace Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and I only briefly mentioned parental discipline because that is not the passage’s primary point.
  2. Ask Pastor John: “How Do I Know If I’m Being Disciplined by God?”