Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Should Churches Require All Members to Affirm Pretrib and Premil Views?

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Short answer: No.

Longer answer: I tried to unpack this in a radio interview on 7/14/2009: Are Millennial Views Essential? I had recently highlighted (1) Tom Schreiner’s move from an amillennial to a premillennial position and (2) Mark Dever’s argument that it’s a sin to sever cooperation with other believers over certain types of eschatological issues.

Even longer answer: Peter Hubbard, teaching pastor of North Hills Community Church in Taylors, South Carolina, wisely walked his church through this issue in September 2009. [Read more…] about Should Churches Require All Members to Affirm Pretrib and Premil Views?

Why You Should Not Be Dogmatic about All of Your Convictions: Lloyd-Jones on Silk Stockings, Baths, Radios, and More

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David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one of the greatest English preachers of the twentieth century, and I esteem him highly.

But when he was 24 years old, he shared some convictions (i.e., firmly held opinions) in March 1924 in a way that I suspect he later regretted. This is instructive for the rest of us.

New Dispatches from the Front DVD: The Power of His Rising

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The newest film in the Dispatches from the Front series is episode 6: The Power of His Rising .

Trailer:

I love these DVDs because they widen my limited perspective on how God is working right now in other places in the world.

My family watched episode 6 a few weeks ago and loved it. It focuses on how a Christian family from South Carolina is spreading the gospel in a “closed” country in South Asia, gaining access with their business skills to operate an excellent coffee shop. Ingenious. [Read more…] about New Dispatches from the Front DVD: The Power of His Rising

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?