Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

12 Terms for How Christians Participate with Christ

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Lars Kierspel, Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul (Kregel Charts of the Bible; Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2012), 167:

union

(This is from a helpful book of charts. It’s endorsed by Stan Porter, Mark Seifrid, John Polhill, and others.)

Related:

  1. The most comprehensive online bibliography on union with Christ that I’m aware of
  2. The most comprehensive book on union with Christ = Constantine R. Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012). Though one might quibble with some of the use-labels Campbell applies to prepositions in particular passages, the overall theological method and synthesis is robust.

Jim Hamilton’s Motivating Exhortation to Do Biblical Theology

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I’ve read the end of this chapter by Jim Hamilton several times because it motivates me to do biblical theology:

James M. Hamilton Jr. “Biblical Theology and Preaching.” Pages 193–218 in Text Driven Preaching: God’s Word at the Heart of Every Sermon. Edited by Daniel L. Akin, David L. Allen, and Ned L. Mathews. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2010.

For example:

HOW DO I DO BIBLICAL THEOLOGY?

The kind of biblical theology advocated here has been described as reflection upon the results of the exegesis of particular passages in light of the whole canon. Another way to say it is that biblical theology is exegesis of a particular passage in its canonical context. This means that, in order to do biblical theology, we must [Read more…] about Jim Hamilton’s Motivating Exhortation to Do Biblical Theology

Administration : Faculty :: Shaft : Tip of the Spear

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abellIn a recent chapel message at Bethlehem College & Seminary, Jason Abell explains why administration is important.

Jason is BCS’s Vice President for Administration. I am so encouraged by this message and by the interaction I’ve had with Jason and others at BCS. (I’m eager to join the team in several months.)

I’ve witnessed some situations where the relationship between a school’s faculty and administration is unhealthy. Not good.

Jason closes with a provocative analogy that I hadn’t heard someone (let alone an administrator) apply to administration and faculty before:

administration : faculty :: shaft : tip of the spear

That is, [Read more…] about Administration : Faculty :: Shaft : Tip of the Spear

How to Listen on Double Speed with an iPhone or iPod

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I listen to a lot of audiobooks, lectures, and sermons on my iPhone. And I almost always listen on double speed. Here’s how to do it on an iPhone or iPod.

1. Import the audio into iTunes.

You can do this by simply dragging and dropping (i.e., copying) an audio file (like an MP3 file) into an iTunes playlist.

2. Change the “Media Kind” from “Music” to “Audiobook” in iTunes.

  1. Click to enlarge
    Click to enlarge

    Right-click the track(s) in iTunes.

  2. Select “Get Info.”
  3. Select the “Options” tab.
  4. Next to “Media Kind,” change the category from “Music” to “Audiobook.”
  5. Select “OK.” [Read more…] about How to Listen on Double Speed with an iPhone or iPod

Don Whitney: How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian?

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Perhaps this book has flown under your radar. I just read it for the first time last month shortly after learning about it, and I’m surprised that I don’t recall hearing others recommend it before.

Donald S. Whitney. How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian? What the Bible Says about Assurance of Salvation. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1994. 153 pp.

Here’s an extended outline of the book (not including the application questions at the end of each chapter): [Read more…] about Don Whitney: How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian?

Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels

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CCCI read this book three months ago, but I’ve been waiting to highlight it because I wanted to see what my wife thinks of it:

J. Wallace Warner. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook, 2013.

Jenni recently listened to the audiobook, and we agree:

  1. This is an edifying book with a creative, engaging angle.
  2. The first half is far more engaging than the second half. (I carefully read the first half but ended up skimming the second half.)

We enjoy listening to detective stories (e.g., here and here), and Warner fills the first half of the book with interesting stories that illustrate how to investigate what other people claim to be true.

The author has been a detective for nearly 25 years, and he earned a master’s degree in theology from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

What initially caught my eye are the glowing endorsements from people like Greg Koukl and J. P. Moreland and the foreword by Lee Strobel. [Read more…] about Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels

Carson on Presuppositional vs. Evidentialist Apologetics

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gaggingD. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism  (Fifteenth Anniversary Edition; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 184–88:

[P]artly under the impact of postmodernism, the various “schools” of Christian apologetics have an opportunity to draw closer together than they have usually been in the past.

At the risk of oversimplification, let us restrict ourselves to presuppositionalism, rational presuppositionalism, and evidentialism. All three labels are loaded, and various proponents mean slightly different things by them. Moreover there is a tendency, especially among more popular writers, to caricature the other positions. Thus:

(1) The presuppositionalist may charge the evidentialist with superficiality. You can line up evidence to support the truth of Christianity until you have exhausted yourself by your efforts, but no amount of evidence is sufficient to compel belief. Did not Jesus himself say that even if someone came back from the dead, they would not believe? Evidentialism simply does not understand the implications of human finitude or the profound noetic effects of the Fall—and both limitations are exacerbated by postmodernism. [Read more…] about Carson on Presuppositional vs. Evidentialist Apologetics

Follow-up on That Encouraging Word for Mothers of Young Children

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Last week I posted “An Encouraging Word for Mothers of Young Children.”

It generated some friendly push-back in the comments as well as on some other blogs (e.g., Jim Hamilton’s wife, Jill, responds here).

I agree with Jill.

But I wonder if some who read those quotes by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Don Carson may be missing the main (encouraging!) point: mothers with young children generally have less time for the type of Bible reading and study than they would have without young children. And that’s OK because God’s calling of wife and motherhood is high. That’s an encouraging thought, especially to mothers who are frustrated and/or bear a weight of unnecessary guilt. Those are the types of mothers of young children that this should encourage. [Read more…] about Follow-up on That Encouraging Word for Mothers of Young Children