Insecurity and Pastoral Bullies: Secure vs. Insecure Pastors

November 14, 2013 by Andy Naselli

Sam Storms wisely contrasts secure and insecure pastors.

See also reflection 10 in this wisdom-packed post: What I Wish I Had Known or Done: 10 Reflections on Nearly 40 Years of Pastoral Ministry. (And one more: Some Words of Counsel for Pastors.)

What Is the Message of Each Book of the Bible?

November 12, 2013 by Andy Naselli

I’m teaching a course at Bethlehem College & Seminary this fall to second-year seminary students called “New Testament Background and Message.” We are systematically working through the NT, and prior to each time we meet for class the students must summarize the theological message of a NT book in one clear, concise sentence. Then they must briefly unpack that sentence by showing how the book’s themes support that message. (And it takes a lot of work to do that well!)

It frustrates me when books and articles discuss the “theology” of a Bible book by presenting a bucket list of parallel motifs but without showing how they integrate as one coherent theological message. So I was delighted to see that the new NIV Proclamation Bible (ed. Lee Gatiss; cf. publisher page and 40-second video) includes a one-sentence summary of the message of every book of the Bible.

I disagree with many of these one-sentence summaries (which are rather uneven), but it’s still helpful to consider how others articulate the messages. These are from the introduction to each book of the Bible:

Four Views on the Historical Adam

November 7, 2013 by Andy Naselli

This debate-book releases on December 10:

Matthew Barrett and Ardel B. Caneday, eds. Four Views on the Historical Adam. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. 288 pp.

I read an uncorrected proof of the book, so I won’t quote from it. But I’m happy to relay that it’s stimulating (as Counterpoints volumes usually are).

The book has three sections: [Read more…] about Four Views on the Historical Adam