Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Kevin DeYoung

The Church’s Mission

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I read this book several months ago, and I’ve enjoyed subsequent discussions about it:

Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011.

Here’s how D. A. Carson recommends it:

Among the many books that have recently appeared on mission, this is the best one if you are looking for sensible definitions, clear thinking, readable writing, and the ability to handle the Bible in more than proof-texting ways. I pray that God will use it to bring many to a renewed grasp of what the gospel is and how that gospel relates, on the one hand, to biblical theology and, on the other, to what we are called to do.

Ed Stetzer’s Themelios review is critical, but I generally agree with DeYoung and Gilbert on this one.

Related:

1. TGC discussion (11:43)

2. Desiring God interview with Scott Anderson (1:44:55)

3. 9 Marks interviews with Mark Dever

4. Crossway blog interview

5. Review by John Starke

6. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, “Some Answers to Some Nagging Questions”

7. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, “One More Time on Good Works and the Mission of the Church”

8. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, “A Response to Ed Stetzer’s Review of ‘What Is the Mission of the Church?’”

9. Justin Taylor, “Responding to Stetzer and Critics on the Mission of the Church”

10. Kevin DeYoung, “The Mission of the Church in Living Color”

11. Collin Hansen, “Mission Critical”

Cautions about How We Emphasize Social Justice

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Watch Kevin DeYoung in this video in three particular places:

  1. 31:31–34:55
  2. 40:50–43:50
  3. 55:12–57:39

(This is from a panel discussion at TGC’s national conference in April 2011.)

Related:

  1. Kevin DeYoung, “Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time?”
  2. Kevin DeYoung, “Getting to the Root of Radical: A Review and Response”
  3. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission

What do cessationists and continuationists have in common?

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Kevin DeYoung, The Holy Spirit (The Gospel Coalition Booklets; Wheaton: Crossway, 2011), pp. 21–22:

Those Controversial Gifts

I would be remiss in talking about spiritual gifts if I didn’t say something about the debate over the “miraculous gifts.” On the one side are cessationists, who claim that some of the gifts, such as tongues and prophecy, ceased after the apostolic age. They contend:

  1. The miraculous gifts were needed only as authenticating signs for the initial establishing of the gospel and the church.
  2. First Corinthians 13:8–10 says that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will cease “when the perfect comes.” A minority of cessationists contends that the “perfect” came with the completion of the Bible.
  3. Revelatory gifts such as tongues and prophecy undermine the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
  4. The miraculous gifts we see today are not analogous to the gifts exercised in the New Testament.

On the other side are continuationists, who claim that all the gifts are available today. They argue:

  1. Without a clear word to the contrary, we should assume all the gifts are still in effect and earnestly desire them (1 Cor. 14:1).
  2. The “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13 refers to the return of Christ, not to the close of the canon (and, it must be pointed out, many cessationists accept this exegesis, too, but draw different conclusions).
  3. Revelatory gifts do not have the same authority as Scripture. They must always be tested.
  4. Whether or not the gifts are identical with the first century, we should welcome the Spirit’s work in our midst.

I believe both sides have come to see that they agree on more than they once thought. They agree that: [Read more…] about What do cessationists and continuationists have in common?

Crusty Christians vs. Hugging Theologians

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“The Crust and the Core” is the clever epilogue to this book (pp. 241–44):

Kevin DeYoung. The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. Chicago: Moody, 2010. 252 pp.

Excerpts:

This has been a book about theology, about knowing theology and loving theology. But if we’ve really paid attention to the Heidelberg Catechism, this should also be a book about warmhearted experiential faith. In fact, knowing and loving theological truth is what produces the warmhearted experiential faith.

Sadly, too many Christians are asked to choose between theology and experience, between head and heart, between having convictions and being kind. These are false dichotomies . . . . We ought to be hugging theologians . . . . [W]e need to have a theological core without being theologically crusty. . . . [Read more…] about Crusty Christians vs. Hugging Theologians

Don’t Call It a Comeback

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This book comes out at the end of the month:

Kevin DeYoung, ed. Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Same Faith for a New Day. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011.

My chapter in the book is entitled “Scripture: How the Bible is a Book Like No Other” (pp. 59–69).

Update on February 14, 2011: Crossway gave me permission to upload a PDF of my chapter for personal use only.

Kevin recently asked me to briefly answer this question: “What do you see as the biggest threat to the authority of the Scriptures among evangelicals today?” Answer here.