Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Limited Atonement in the Bible, Doctrine, History, and Ministry

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A concise and helpful new book on a controversial issue:

Lee Gatiss. For Us and For Our Salvation: “Limited Atonement” in the Bible, Doctrine, History, and Ministry. London: Latimer Trust, 2012. 134 pp.

It’s endorsed by J. I. Packer, Carl Trueman, Mark D. Thompson, Alec Motyer, D. A. Carson, Julian Hardyman, Michael S. Horton, and David Instone-Brewer. Here’s what D. A. Carson says about it:

The last thing Lee Gatiss wants to accomplish by this short book is to renew theological conflict characterized by more heat than light. [Read more…] about Limited Atonement in the Bible, Doctrine, History, and Ministry

Preach: Theology Meets Practice

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Two preachers talk shop:

Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert. Preach: Theology Meets Practice.  9Marks. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2012. 212 pp. 27-page sample PDF.

Excerpts:

What expositional preach is and is not (pp. 36–38):

Expositional preaching is preaching in which the main point of the biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached. . . . [Read more…] about Preach: Theology Meets Practice

A Popular Primer on the Church

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Mark Dever. The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. 9Marks. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2012. 16-page sample PDF.

This book is intended as a popular primer on the doctrine of the church, especially for Baptists but also, in so far as the arguments are convincing, for all of those who see Scripture alone to be the sufficient authority for the doctrine and life of the local church.

The book grew out of a chapter I wrote almost a decade ago on the doctrine of the church. [Note 8: Daniel Akin, ed., A Theology for the Church (Nashville: B&H, 2007); see chap. 13, “The Church,” 766–856.] The volume containing that chapter imposed a certain structure that is retained here. (p. xii) [Read more…] about A Popular Primer on the Church

iPad App for Champ Thornton’s God’s Love: A Bible Storybook

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champLast month I interviewed Champ Thornton about his children’s book God’s Love: A Bible Storybook.

Now the book is available as an iPad app.

Features include

  • 120 interactive story pages with text and spoken audio
  • Beautiful illustrations with full pinch and zoom
  • Presentation mode for teachers who want to display the artwork over AirPlay or through a VGA adapter

It’s well-done. [Read more…] about iPad App for Champ Thornton’s God’s Love: A Bible Storybook

The Reason for Sports and a Dispen-sensational Thriller

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I got double-Klucked last week:

  1. Ted Kluck. The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto.  Chicago: Moody, 2009. 154 pp. 13-page sample PDF.
  2. Ted Kluck, Zach Bartels, E. L. Duncan, and Brad Atchison. Beauty and the Mark of the Beast: A Dispensensational Thriller. Lansing, MI: Gut Check, 2012. 173 pp.

Kluck beast

When I saw Ted’s blog post about Beauty and the Mark of the Beast, I thought it was a spoof.

strogbow

It’s not a spoof. Clarification: Ted and company really did write a “dispen-sensational thriller” about Tim Tebow (err, “Ted Strongbow”). The book, however, is a spoof. It’s crazy. [Read more…] about The Reason for Sports and a Dispen-sensational Thriller

22 Mistakes Pastors Make in Practicing Church Discipline

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Jonathan Leeman, “Appendix: Mistakes Pastors Make in Practicing Discipline,” Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus (9Marks; Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 139–40:

Pastors sometimes make the following mistakes regarding formal church discipline.

  1. They fail to teach their congregation what church discipline is and why they should practice it.
  2. They fail to practice meaningful membership, which includes (1) teaching people what membership entails before they join; (2) encouraging casual attenders to join; (3) carefully interviewing everyone who wants to join; (4) giving regular oversight to all the flock; and (5) maintaining an up-to-date membership list that accurately reflects who is present at the weekly gathering. [Read more…] about 22 Mistakes Pastors Make in Practicing Church Discipline

Exegesis, Biblical Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology: What the Categories on My Blog Mean

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This blog is now much better organized:

  • I used to label a blog post with one or more of some 200 categories (e.g., “D. A. Carson,” “Calvinism,” “preaching”).
  • But now I label a post with just one of six categories:
  1. Exegesis. What did authors intend their texts to mean? This includes hermeneutics. (Hermeneutics concerns principles of interpretation, and exegesis applies those principles.)
  2. Biblical Theology. How has God revealed his word historically and organically?
  3. Historical Theology. What have people thought about exegesis and theology?
  4. Systematic Theology. What does the whole Bible teach about certain topics? What is true about God and his universe?
  5. Practical Theology. How should humans respond to God’s revelation? This includes, for example, culture, ethics, evangelism, marriage and family, money, pastoral theology, politics, and worship.
  6. Other. This covers what doesn’t fit in the above categories.

My blog is called “Thoughts on Theology,” so those seem like the right categories. [Read more…] about Exegesis, Biblical Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology: What the Categories on My Blog Mean