Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Logos Bible Software

Tom Schreiner’s Foreword

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Here is Tom Schreiner’s foreword to Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology.

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I became a Christian when I was seventeen years old, and the first theology I knew was Keswick theology. I read many books and heard numerous sermons that exhorted me to “let go and let God,” to live the victorious Christian life, to surrender absolutely and completely to the Lord, to live in unbroken victory for significant periods of time, to live as a spiritual Christian instead of a carnal Christian. I read Hannah Whitall Smith, Charles Trumbull, Andrew Murray, Watchmen Nee, Major Ian Thomas, John Hunter, etc. My youth pastor, who discipled me and taught me the rudiments of the Christian faith, gave a steady diet of Keswick teaching as well. When I attended seminary, at my youth pastor’s suggestion, I attended a church that promulgated Keswick theology because I was convinced that those who did not share such a theology were less biblical.

Let me be quick to say how much I learned from Keswick theology. It upholds the Scriptures as the authoritative and inerrant word of God. It highlights the majesty and beauty of Christ. It embraces and rejoices in orthodox Christian theology. Most important, it takes the Holy Spirit seriously. Christians can and should live in a way that pleases God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a theological cipher; his presence is vital and energizing so that believers can triumph over the flesh.
[Read more…] about Tom Schreiner’s Foreword

Keswick Endorsements

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Here are twenty-one endorsements for Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology.

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Forty years ago, as a brand new Christian, I devoured Keswick theology, which had great appeal to me as a vibrant and dynamic faith. I wrote “Let go and let God” inside my Bible. But the more I studied Scripture and looked at my own life, the more I saw that much of this theology didn’t ring true. As a former insider, I found Andy Naselli’s critique to be fair, accurate, theologically sound, and biblically persuasive. Andy’s book offers the bonus of serving as an insightful study of the doctrine of sanctification. I highly recommend it.

Randy Alcorn
Founder and Director of Eternal Perspective Ministries
Sandy, Oregon

This book packs an extraordinary amount of useful summary, critical analysis, and pastoral reflection into short compass. One does not have to agree with every opinion to recognize that this is a comprehensive and penetrating analysis of Keswick theology down to 1920. The book will do the most good, however, if it encourages readers in a more faithful way to pursue that holiness without which we will not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

D. A. Carson
Research Professor of New Testament
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Deerfield, Illinois

[Read more…] about Keswick Endorsements

Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology

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That’s the title of my first solo book.

The publisher is Lexham Press, which is a division of Faithlife. (Logos Bible Software is also a division of Faithlife.)

You can read the book’s front matter in this 31-page PDF, which includes twenty-one endorsements, the table of contents, Tom Schreiner’s foreword, and my preface.

From the preface:

This book’s thesis is simple: Keswick theology is not biblically sound. It demonstrates this by answering three basic questions:

  1. Where did Keswick theology come from (chap. 2)?
  2. What exactly is it (chap. 3)?
  3. And why is this second-blessing theology not a blessing (chap. 4)?

If you’ve encountered some aspect of second-blessing theology, you’ll be fascinated to see how it fits in the story in chapters 2–3. And you’ll be challenged to consider its serious flaws in chapter 4. My goal is not to make you an arrogant know-it-all who pugnaciously goes on a second-blessing witch-hunt. My goal is to edify you by warning and equipping you. I’ll consider this book a success if it helps you understand second-blessing theology better, see why it’s not a blessing at all, and follow a better—more biblical—way in your Christian walk.

Related:

  1. Keswick Theology (March 24, 2008)
  2. Other posts on Logos Bible Software
  3. Interview on Keswick Theology (with Kevin DeYoung)
  4. Endorsements
  5. Tom Schreiner’s Foreword
  6. Preface
  7. Lectures on Keswick Theology
  8. Interview on Keswick Theology (with Alex Chediak)
  9. Will your book be available in print?
  10. Four guest posts on Kevin DeYoung’s blog:
    1. Pietistic Goofiness
    2. What Do You Do When a Good Hymn Goes Bad?
    3. Two Clarifications about Keswick Theology
    4. Hannah Whitall Smith’s Unhappy Life
  11. Three Recent Interviews
  12. “Why ‘Let Go and Let God’ Is a Bad Idea,” Tabletalk (August 2011): 74–75.

Update on 8/23/2017: My latest book attempts to survey and analyze “let go and let God” theology more accessibly:

No Quick Fix

https://andynaselli.com/keswick-theology

Tyndale Commentaries

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Less than one week remains before Logos Bible Software releases the Tyndale Commentaries, a 49-volume series that covers the OT and NT. The pre-pub price is $179.95, which is about $3.67 per volume, and it will go up after the product ships.

I own print copies of all the NT volumes and several OT volumes, but I’m planning to get the Logos version because using Libronix is far more efficient than using print books. I’ve argued this in some previous reviews:
Related: Logos is offering discounts on new base package purchases and upgrades for Logos 4 through the end of the month.

Logos 4

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My favorite Bible software just got better: Logos Bible Software 4.0 launches today!

If you already use the Libronix Digital Library System, then you’ve probably been using Logos 3. How does Logos 4 improve Logos 3? To name just three …

  1. It syncs with iPhones. If you use a Logos 4 base package (Windows or Mac), you can access most of the your books on your iPhone at no additional charge.
  2. It’s more efficient. It’s more intuitive; it’s much faster (as in Google-search fast); and it can accommodate multiple monitors.
  3. It’s better looking. Here’s a sample screen shot (click to enlarge):

screen

Learn more at Logos.com/4 and the Logos blog. Then if you have more questions (e.g., about upgrading), comment on the Logos blog or contact Logos by email or phone.

Note: There’s one notable hitch in the transition from Logos 3 to Logos 4. If you’ve marked up your books in Logos 3 (e.g., adding notes or highlighting), then those markings will not transfer to Logos 4 right away. But Bob Pritchett, President of Logos Bible Software, assured me last week that markings will transfer from Logos 3 to Logos 4 in about two weeks. New markings in Logos 4 will integrate with old markings in Logos 3. (Logos 3 and Logos 4 can run side by side without any issues.)