Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Con Campbell’s Video Series on Paul

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I recently purchased and watched Con Campbell’s seven episodes in his video series In Pursuit of Paul the Apostle.

Here’s a one-minute preview:

New Testament scholars know of Con as an expert on the ancient Greek language. He’s also skilled at presenting the historical-cultural context of the New Testament in an interesting and accessible way.

I look forward to his forthcoming videos series on Peter (2018) and John (2019).

(I just returned home from a trip to Israel, and I enjoyed visiting several of the sites Con features in these videos.)

Eureka! Discovering Gold in God’s Word

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That was the title of a conference Bethlehem College & Seminary hosted last month. It featured new books on how to read the Bible by three of our professors.

Here are the five videos from the conference (three talks, two Q&As): [Read more…] about Eureka! Discovering Gold in God’s Word

The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation by Bryan Garner

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I recently finished micro-reading this mammoth reference book:

Bryan A. Garner. The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation. Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016. xxvii + 583 pp.

You can survey the contents using Amazon’s “look inside” feature.

Here are three thoughts I had while reading the book: [Read more…] about The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation by Bryan Garner

How Should You Pronounce J. Gresham Machen’s Middle Name?

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John Gresham Machen (1881–1937) is a famous NT scholar who departed the theologically liberal Princeton Seminary and took the lead in forming Westminster Theological Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

People often mispronounce Machen’s middle name:

  • Incorrect: GRESH-ahm
  • Correct: GRESS-ahm

Support:

  • Ned Stonehouse’s biography of Machen explains, “The name J. Gresham Machen, and especially the maternal family name Gresham, is frequently mispronounced. At the request of the publisher of The Literary Digest, Machen wrote at some length on the subject, and on the background of this information the magazine in its issue of July 14, 1934 carried the following key over the name of the lexicographer Frank H. Vizetelly: ‘gress’ am, not gresh’ am; may’ chen, not may’ ken.’ The chief pitfall in the pronouncing of the name, as Machen said, is in the drawing of the ‘s‘ and ‘h’ together in Gresham. The ‘h’ is silent as in ‘Markham’ or Badham’” (p. 511).
  • William Edgar and Scott Oliphint, two current Westminster professors, edited a book in which they write, “John Gresham (pronounced ‘Gressam’)” (p. 2:435).

Related: John Piper engagingly tells Machen’s story:

No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful

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My latest book attempts to survey and analyze “let go and let God” theology:

No Quick Fix

Andrew David Naselli. No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2017. xi + 123 pp.

(The book’s “Acknowledgments” page should mention three Faithlife employees: Elliot Ritzema for shepherding the book through the editorial process, Bryan Hintz for designing the clever cover, and my friend Mark Ward for writing the title’s black letters by hand.) [Read more…] about No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful

The Gospels: Photo Companion to the Bible

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Five years ago I recommended Todd Bolen’s Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.

This month Todd Bolen and his team have added to that collection with The Gospels: Photo Companion to the Bible. (There is a sale through August 21.)

Here’s a 5-minute video introduction:

For over a decade Todd Bolen lived in Israel while he taught the Israel Bible Extension for The Master’s College. Many evangelical books feature his photos of Israel. Todd is now professor of biblical studies at The Master’s College in Southern California. He wrote the notes on 2 Kings in the study Bible I coedited, and he wrote the chapter on 1–2 Chronicles in the OT survey my colleague Jason DeRouchie edited. His pictures fill DeRouchie’s OT survey—nearly 300 of them.

Update on 2/19/2019: Todd Bolen just released an impressive collection of photos on Acts.