A New Journal

While at the Tyndale Fellowship OT Study group I learned about this publication - The Journal of Theological Interpretation. It is new to me, although started publishing, twice annually, in 2007.

There is web information here.

Kevin Vanhoozer, one of the Editorial Board writes,
“The Journal of Theological Interpretation is a most welcome addition to a development that is as much Renaissance as Reformation: a recovery of ways of reading the Bible that, while not dismissing historical and literary concerns, go on to engage the word of God and thus to tear down the iron curtain that has for too long separated biblical studies and systematic theology. First a commentary series, then a Dictionary, and now a Journal. A three-stranded cord is not easily broken: the contemporary move towards the theological interpretation of the Bible is alive and well.”

The first copy I have is vol 5, no 1. This looks like being a very useful addition to our biblical studies tools, a good reminder of the need for our interpretation of Scripture to engage with theology at some point. So, well worth looking out for.

Embracing The Trinity

Here's another book I brought home from Cambridge (and for the avoidance of doubt, I didn't already have a copy of this one!)

Fred Sanders 'Embracing The Trinity' is on the whole a good book, if not especially easy to read. At least it is a timely reminder to Evangelicals of our Trinitarian roots and a need to have Trinitarian thinking well embedded in our theology and practice of Christian living.

Sanders writes that the Trinity isn't for anything, the Trinity is God. (page 61). So, even to ask, 'What is the Trinity for?' is to misunderstand what God is revealing of himself when he reveals his Trinitarian nature to us.

The best chapter is chapter 4 'The Shape of the Gospel'. In this long chapter Sanders clearly relates the Trinity to all of the Gospel in a most helpful way. On p. 136-141 writing of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel Sanders uses the phrase 'the Holy Spirit puts us in our place'. This is not used to demean but to teach us that the Holy Spirit, by his powerful indwelling work, places us within the Gospel story.

One final point, writing (page 113) on the depth of the Gospel and of '"head" Christians who mistakenly believe that being "theologically correct" is the sum and substance of Christian living.' and quoting Henry Scougal we read:
Scougal indicts, I consider these "orthodox notions" believers to be the nearest to the real thing, but for that reason they are probably the most thoroughly trapped. If you tell one of these top-heavy believers that they are missing out on the reality of salvation, they will immediately make room in their intellectual systerm for a doctrine about "the reality of salvation." They earnestly seek to embrace all God's truth, but if you tell them they are missing the power of godliness, they will buy (or write) a book about it. dp a Bible study about it, or in some other way try to put together a proper doctine about it.

Indeed!

On the whole a good book. Not to be recommended to young Christians or those without some theological background or interest.

Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference

On Monday eveing, the 14th Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference opens. The theme this year is sanctification and the programme includes papers by Oliver O'Donovan, Bruce McCormack, Michael Horton and Henri Blocher, and others.

I recently received the following note from Rutherford House:

If you can't join us for the entire 2011 Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference, we hope you will join us for a free evening session with
                                     Professor Ivor Davidson (University of St Andrews).
Prof Davidson will be presenting a paper on 'Gospel Holiness' for our conference theme: The Doctrine of Sanctification. Tuesday 30 August 2011, 7:00pm, Martin Hall - New College
RSVP to Rachel Ehorn at rehorn@rutherfordhouse.org.uk to reserve your spot!

There is still room to join us at New College this August for the Dogmatics Conference. This year’s theme is sanctification, and we are again privileged to have some top class speakers joining us. Speakers include Oliver O'Donovan, Michael Horton, Bruce McCormack, Ivor Davidson, Henri Blocher, Derek Tidball, Richard Lints, Julie Canlis, Grant MacAskill and Kelly Kapic. The cost for the conference is £80.
Register through our website and we look forward to seeing you there!

If you haven't registered, why not join us for what I expect will be a really good conference this year.

A Review in Life and Work

In the September Life and Work my review of Stephen Kuhrt's book 'Tom Wright for Everyone' was published. I know that there are constraints of space in L&W, however some of the editorial changes left the review making less than obvious sense. Here is a copy of my review as submitted. (see my earlier post here)

Tom Wright for Everyone:
Putting the theology of N. T. Wright into practice in the local Church
Stephen Kuhrt
SPCK: 2011
xiv+108 pages
Biblography 20 pages; Notes 11 pages; Indices 7 pages

It is surely too soon for a thorough review of the theology of NT Wright, not least since we still await some crucial elements of that theology to be published. However, Stephen Kuhrt does great service both to NT Wright, and to the church in this brief volume.

An opening chapter helpfully reviews the career of NT Wright as scholar, theologian and Churchman. This is followed by a chapter outlining Kuhrt’s own story and his interest in NT Wright. In this chapter Kuhrt, writing from an evangelical Anglican tradition Kuhrt poses some thoughtful questions to that evangelical tradition which still await an answer. Of course, he goes on to suggest the NT Wright does begin to offer an answer to these questions. This chapter should not be passed over by readers of Life and Work, as the questions raised by Kuhrt reflect questions that need to be asked and answered by an evangelical reformed/Presbyterian tradition just as much as by evangelicals within the Anglican tradition.

The central chapter of the book somewhat optimistically offers ‘A summary of the theology of N. T. Wright’. A seemingly impossible task which is well attempted by Kuhrt, using the device of taking 39 words or phrases around which key elements of Wright’s theology can be gathered. As good as this chapter is it should not be a substitute for reading Wright, his work on Christian hope, Jesus and the Kingdom, Paul and Gospel especially. In Kuhrt’s brief concluding summary we read of Wright’s proposal that,
In its reading of the New Testament, the Christian Church needs to shed the dualist lens introduced by the Gnostics … the recovery of a properly Jewish theology of creation that will enable us to understand Jesus as coming to inaugurate that new creation and renew the world rather than destroy it. … the Church’s role is to live within the story of Scripture, demonstrating, by word and deed, radical and Spirit-filled signs of the resurrection life that Jesus Christ has come to bring. (page 64)

Stephen Kuhrt has been vicar at a Church of England congregation in New Malden since 2007. The exciting conclusion to this volume is his account of the impact of Wright’s theology upon the life and ministry of this congregation. In three chapters Kuhrt gives accounts of changes in pastoral work, mission activity, worship and sacramental ministry, development of Christian character and the involvement of the people of God in active service. While some parts of this will be familiar to readers of Life and Work, using Wright, Kuhrt gives a deep biblical and theological foundation for these revisions of the life and ministry of a congregation. In his concluding chapters Kuhrt writes wisely and sensitively about both the ministry of women and responding to the challenge of homosexuality and these passages I hope will prove very helpful within our present situation.

Kuhrt writes well, this is a short and easily read book. Writing as an evangelical Kuhrt brings a great challenge from the theology of NT Wright to all evangelicals. If you don’t like his answers you at least have to answer his questions. For non evangelicals I think Kuhrt’s book demonstrates the vitality of evangelical theology and practice when it is radically committed to being biblical rather than entrenched in a nineteenth century form of a sixteenth century tradition! While commending this book most warmly I would nevertheless more warmly commend a long and detailed engagement with Tom Wright (and am sure that Stephen Kuhrt would agree with this).

Compassionate Convictions

On Saturday it was 2 years since the release, on compassionate grounds, of Abdelbasset al Megrahi, the only person so far convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.

I posted earlier on this in 2009, here and here.

I hope all Christians have strong convictions about compassion. Has al Megrahi survived longer than expected - yes. By what measure of compassion does this disappoint us?

Given the information available to the Scottish Government at the time I remain convinced they were right to release al Megrahi. And if similar circumstance arise in future I hope similar compassion will be shown.

Our society is judged by the way we treat our convits, and also by the values of our convictions. Better to be judged for compassion than a lack of compassion.

A Theologian's Memoir

Before going off to Cambridge in early July I read Stanley Hauerwas' Hannah's Child: A Theologian's Memoir. This is the first book by Hauerwas I've read and it won't be the last.

This memoir is more of a theological reflection upon his story than what we would know by the literary genre of biography. Here are some passages I noted on the way through.

p. 52 writing about our use of language to talk about God
our language about God is necessarily analogical, which means that theology has the task of helping the church not say more about God than needs to be said.
In Jan 1999 I heard Jim Packer speaking about analogical use of language, and that he preferred this description to allegorical language. Of especial interest in the Hauerwas quote is the notion of not saying more about God than needs to be said. Reformed theologians have often been accused of this, no sense of mystery and a great desire to explain everything. These are temptations we need to resist.

p. 59 on the task of theology
The presumption of many scholars at the time was that the task of theology was to make the language of the faith amenable to standards set by the world. ... From my perspective, if the language was not true, then you ought to give it up. I thought the crucial question was not whether Christianity could be made amendable to the world, but could the world be made amenable to what Christians believe?
Well said. Too often we are asked to change the faith, to change our understanding of God and his gospel to make it fit in with what the world likes and wants. This must be resisted - I hope many in the Church of Scotland wake up to this point!

p. 158 on creation
That something had to start it all is not what Christians mean by creation. Creation is not "back there", though there is a "back there" character to creation. Rather, creation names God's continuing action, God's unrelenting desire for us to want  to be loved by that love manifest in Christ's life, death and resurrection.
Not only back there, but not less than back there. If the first article of the Creed is not true we are adrift in a universe without purpose or future.

All in all a good book which I warmly commend. If you've read Hauerwas, where should I start?

The Bible's Central Story

Here's another book; yes, I got this one at Tyndale (and no I don't already have a copy) and yes, I read it already.

Chris Wright Salvation Belongs to our God is a book that used Rev 7:9-10 as the key to open the big story of the bible, or perhaps the big story of God's mission.

This is an excellent book and I would commend it to any Christian who is willing to do some serious thinking and bible reading to understand better the salvation that belongs to our God.

Chris Wright offers, in chapter 1, a very helpful overview of the use of 'salvation' words in both OT and NT, leaving us with a much bigger view of salvation than merely 'the forgiveness of my sins', although salvation is not less than this it is much more.

Salvation is then set in the context of God's unique identity, his covenant blessing and story and our experience of salvation.

The longest chapter in the book is on Salvation and the sovereignty of God, this is a chapter that will repay serious study and re reading. Wright sets all the nations under the sovereignty of God and therefore in need of the message of God's salvation. Wright tackles the question of the destiny of the unevangelised by asking 'do we need to know of God's salvation and our part in it before God can save us?' I would rephrase - are we saved by the knowledge of salvation or by the work of Christ on the cross? If the latter then how does this impact our thinking about those who have never heard the gospel? Clearly a sovereign God can choose to save anyone, even if they have not heard the gospel. This however does not reduce the urgency of our need to tell the world of God's salvation.

Once again, thanks to Chris Wright for this helpful and timely book.

Another book on prayer

I picked up this book at Keswick by Philip Jensen and Tony Payne Prayer and the Voice of God. Their earlier book Guidance and the Voice of God (or as I heard Jensen refer to it 'The Last Word on God's Guidance: Revised Edition') is an excellent book and well worth looking out for. I think I've loaned my copy to someone and it hasn't found it's way home yet!

This book on prayer is ok, I wouldn't commend it but wouldn't be worried if I saw someone reading it.

I haven't done the word count (I'm not that sad) but on reading the book the impression is that the word 'sin' appears almost as frequently as the word 'prayer'. I live daily with the reality of sin in my own life, I know that sin is a cause of prayerlessness, but the constant repitition of this theme is discouraging. If it had been mentioned clearly and powerfully once that would be more effective, in my opinion.

The highlights of the book are chapters 4 and 5.
Chapter 4 - Why we don't pray:
1) we have false views of God - he doesn't want to answer prayer;
2) there are things in our life we believe God can't do anything about;
3) we doubt God's goodness, generosity;
4) we don't beleive we are praying in the right way.
Chapter 5 - How to pray:
1) as dependent sons (those who inherit the Father's blessing);
2) by the Spirit;
3) through the Son;
4) to the Father;
5) with thanksgiving.

A few study or sermon series on prayer in there.

A Better Answer

At 7pm this evening, and through this week, I will be joining with others using the Evangelical Alliance call to prayer in response to riots in England - call to prayer.

This time of rioting and violence seems to have started on Friday last week, see bbc news, when violence broke out during, or near the end, of a protest, which had been peaceful following the death on Thursday of Mr Mark Duggan. As a community we need to find a better answer.

Poverty is not an excuse for violence
If it is claimed that there is poverty in our land, this cannot be denied, some parts of London are 300 times wealthier than others. Poverty is an offence in our socieity which should be robustly addressed, but poverty will never be an excuse for violence.

Injustice is not an excuse for violence
The original protesters were calling for justice following the shooting of Mr Duggan. The cause of justice will never be served by violence. The bereaved family of Mr Duggan will not be comforted to know that other families have been bereaved, that homes and shops have been looted and burned.

Violence is always the wrong answer
The most commonly called for response on radio phone in's or social media sites is for state sponsored violence against the rioters. To respond with violence will only reinforce the perception that violence works. We may succeed in restoring order to the street for a while with water cannon and other violent means, but we will not resolve the underlying issues. There is a myth of 'peace' following violence which we need to lay bear. 'The fight back' (David Cameron's phrase) is the wrong phrase, implying the wrong answer.

There is a better way. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Love others first, without thought of self-benefit. Humility promotes justice. Passive, non-violent protest is always better. The way to fix what is wrong with our society is to build new communities.

I hope that all Christians will unite in prayer for our communities in these days; may God have mercy upon us all.

Holy Spirit Questions

At Cambridge I bought a few IVP books, this one is a Apollos book by Graham A Cole Engaging With The Holy Spirit.

Originally delivered as the Oak Hall annual theology lectures 2006, this short book takes six questions about the Holy Spirit, one each chapter.

The best thing about this book is Graham's clear method of study. Each chapter follows the same outline:
the witness of previous generations of scholars is reviewed;
then the biblical testimony is explored;
then a theological reflection is offered, 'the import of the issue for Christian life and ministry today' (page 31).
This is a good book and I would commend it to anyone. I found Graham's chapter on 'Ought we to pray to the Holy Spirit' most helpful in that it opened up a topic that often needs addressing. Graham concludes that Christians may pray to the Holy Spirit but are under no obligation to pray to the Holy Spirit. We are under obligation to pray to the Father, and to the Son, but not to the Holy Spirit - although we may if so led.

Operation World

At Keswick this year I got a copy of the new, 7th edition, of Operation World. So my old 6th edition has now entered its rest, or it recycling!

I think every Christian should have a copy and use this resource regularly to pray for the world.

You can purchase copies of the book at the web site - here.

In using the book I am repeatedly saddened by the church statistics given. For example:
Japan - 1.54% Christian; Denominations - 2 Orthodox; 1 Catholic; 1 Anglican; 155 Protestant and 37 Independent
Malawi - 76% Christian; Denominations - 1 Orthodox; 1 Catholic; 1 Anglican; 62 Protestant and 331 Independent

Now I know that we would want to count Anglican as Protestant, but that only makes things worse. How can we not be ashamed of this division and disunity between Protestants. And just in case you think the UK is any better
UK - 59% Christian; Denominations - 20 Orthodox; 6 Catholic; 4 Anglican; 194 Protestant and 279 Independent.
This is not a complaint against Operation World, rather with thanks for making this information available a call to prayer and work for greater Protestant unity and an end to making new denominations!

Another word on the last word

This is my second post on Brian McLaren's book The Last Word and the Word After That - see earlier here.

I finished the book in June before going to Cambridge, but haven't had time to post further since then, until now!

I find the narrative style of this book and others in the New Kind of Christian Trilogy both engaging and frustrating. It is an easy to read kind of book, even if the characters are one dimensional serving clearly defined narrative roles. I continually want to say things like, 'Yes, I know some evangelicals have treated people badly, but we aren't all like this'. See McLaren presentation of Dan's treatment by the church leadership and Jess' experience at Campus fellowship in chapter 4. You can't dismiss evangelical Christianity by picking on its worst examples and tarring the whole with that brush!

I do like and appreciate McLaren's questions and challenges, see earlier post.

I really liked the exchange on pages 178-179
[Neil tells Dan] "Truth be told, these are the people I know with."
"'Know with'?" I [Dan] asked.
"Haven't you noticed how learning and knowing are ultimately communal experiences, social experiences?" he [Neil] asked in reply.

Yes, I give thanks to God for communities in which I have learned and in which I continue to learn.

A last word then. I'm not sure what this book actually concludes about hell. I think McLaren seems to suggests that whether you believe in hell or don't doesn't really matter so long as you don't make hell the main thing in your scheme of Christian doctrine. I suspect that if you began in a different place from this narrative, let's say a consideration of justice, you might end up with a different answer.
I'm hoping to read Rob Bell's book Love Wins sometime soon so no doubt will have further to post on this in future.

Tyndale House and Fellowship

First week in July I was at the Tyndale Fellowship Old Testament Study Group, two days studying Deuteronomy with 30-40 other evangelical scholars.

This was my first time at Tyndale and first time in Cambridge - I really enjoyed both.

I bought Tom Noble's book on the history of Tyndale Research for the Academy and the Church Tyndale House and Fellowship The First Sixty Years. I enjoyed this book and it is good to commend a book by a friend of St Ninians Stranraer.

The principle that led to establishing Tyndale House and Fellowship was good and remains sound today - there is a need for evangelicals to engage in rigourous biblical studies. It is good that those associated with Tyndale House over the years: e.g. FF Bruce, Howard Marshall, Jim Packer and David Wright (to name just a few) have all demonstrated in first rate scholarly work that it is possible to combine a submission to Scripture as God's word with an academic engagement with biblical studies, and other disciplines.
It is too easy for evangelials to retreat into church history or systematic theology and abandon academic study of the bible, but this must not be allowed to happen.

The work of Tyndale House, the Tyndale Fellowship is of great value to the church and should be supported by all who love the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ who made himself known in his word.

John Stott 1921-2011

Last Wednesday at the evening celebration at Keswick we were told of the death that afternoon of John Stott. I'm not posting a full tribute to John, I never met him and never heard him preach or teach. For tributes see here - at the All Soul's web site; here - LICC web site; or here - Langham Partnership International web site.

In my opinion John Stott has been the most significant evangelical leader of the twentieth century and I want to offer a few comments of thanks for his ministry.

John Stott: a careful bible student - John Stott's contributions to the Bible Speaks Today series should be well known and well used by preachers and bible teachers. They display a slow and careful reading of the text of Scripture, set in its context and then applied to our lives today. Stott regularly pursues words through lexical study and concordance study to bring a full and clear sense of the word into his exposition of the passage.

John Stott: a reader of our culture - John Stott promoted double listening, a listening to the Bible as God's word and also a listening to the world, the culture so that the preacher might speak God's word into their culture with precision and power. The Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other is a lesson we need to learn.

John Stott: passionate about mission - all his life John Stott served in the church, but he cared not only for the church but for the world. His influence in the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC), his work with the Langham Partnership and the Lausanne Congress display a care for all people, in all places to hear the good news of Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

John Stott: a faithful church servant - John Stott served in the church and was committed to the denomination into which God called him. He courageously, and wisely, stood up against calls to separate from the CofE and so encouraged others to continue to serve within such denominations.

John Stott: the evangelical leader - I think my favourite book of Stott's is Evangelical Truth, Stott accurately describes the evangelical heritage of the CofE, and with necessary changes also the CofS! Sub titles 'A personal plea for unity' Stott writes:
Today, however, many of us evangelical Christians acquiesce too readily in our pathological tendency to fragment. We take refuge in our convictions about the invisible unity of the church, as if its visible manifestation did not matter. In consequence, the devil has been hugely successful in his old strategy to 'divide and conquer'. Our disunity remains a major hindrance to our evangelism. (page 141)
O for a leader to speak these words with power into the lives of evangelicals in our day.

It is good for us to give thanks to God for such servants as John Stott has been among us. But we will best remember John Stott by our faithfully serving the same Lord as he served in all his ministry and life.