So Long And Thanks For All The Fish…

Over the past few weeks I have been weighing up whether or not to keep blogging. The decision has been made, and this blog will be retired. I cannot convey you how much I will miss the community of biblioblogs (and of course some who I will not miss a single iota). It has been a decision I have wrestled with over these past few weeks (maybe months). Time is a big factor and an increasing desire to undertake my ministry vocation with integrity (see Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant for an explanation). Having a young family also means my time away from work is limited. They are of far greater importance than anything else I do.

However, ultimately, as my good friend Simon Clemow reminded me recently the GREAT BISHOP, said in his “Mark For Everyone” Commentary of Mark Mark 9:38-50, “The second thing, within that [that being that discipleship is difficult, and demands sacrifice], is that sometimes what we are asked to give up is not something that is sinful in and of itself…We should be prepared to reject something which is good and God-given – as hands, feet, eyes and [blogging] are! – but which, at the moment at least, is leading us down the wrong path.” (p.127-128). therefore I might best describe this as an act of obedience and personal in nature. You may not agree with it, but I do ask you try to understand and respect it.

A word of thanks to a few people:

Chris Tilling & Jim West – They make a lovely couple and both gave me very good advice in the beginning. Jim Has been especially kind and gracious to me over the course of the past 6 months and although many atatck him, they do so because they fail to understand him.

Brian Fulthorp – He has become a good friend and is a someone who is living faithfully as Minister of God’s Word. We have had some good chats, thank you Brian.

There are other bloggers out there that I appreciate and respect, Bitsy, Mike Aubrey and Jason have all provided a wonderful forum for discussion. Ben Myers is the smartest and best articulated blogger I know. He is passionately ‘of Christ’ and another Aussie voice. To you all, Thank you.

Finally, to Dr Ben Witherington III who was generous enough to provide me with an endorsement – Thank you!

In Douglas Adam’s great book, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, as the Dolphins prepared to depart Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspatial express route, they sang, “So long and thanks for all the fish!” Therefore, in that vein, I bid you farewell, “So long and thanks for all the comments, interaction, and time spent reading my thoughts on a range of issues relating to Scripture, Ministry and the People of God”.

Bill Mounce to Join the Committee for Bible Translation

Thanks to Mike Aubrey for this bit of groundbreaking news! Bill Mounce’s announcement can be read in its entirety HERE.

My first impression was one of shock! How could a member of the ESV translation team join the CBT when their charters appear to be so radically different? However, as Mike points out, Mounce is an translator of high regard. However, in his blog post Mounce provides a clarification/disclaimer as to why he decided to accept the CBT’s invitation and with this I am concerned:

“My biggest concern was the gender language, and the mishandling of the TNIV rollout that has been such a problem, and how that could happen again. You should know that I have been absolutely assured that the gender language is truly on the table for discussion, and since so much of the committee has changed, it is not a forgone conclusion as to how this committee will vote. Without that assurance, I could not have joined.”

I hope and trust that Dr Mounce is not intending to join the CBT so that he may reform it (I have no reason to suspect he does but I have found other ESV supporters to be quite aggressive in their opposition of the TNIV and am therefore wary) This is certainly not in anyway personal, but I hope that both Mounce can learn and develop his skills as a translator (as is mentioned by Mike) while also bringing a fresh/different perspective to the table. It is my hope that the NIV 2011 will remain faithful to most of the gender inclusive decisions made in the TNIV.

Finally I was aware that they had requested two new member to join the CBT. If any one knows of the second I would dearly like to know. I wondered if it might be BW3! Although, another woman on the committee would also be a positive move.

Word Biblical Commentary Series for Logos Review: Part 4

There is a lot I could say about these commentaries in this final post however, I will limit to just a few things:

Firstly, I have used the volumes relating to: The Gospel of Mark, Exodus and Philippians. I am really looking forward to digging around the 3 Volume commentary on the Psalms next year for a series I am planning on Psalms and Prayer. I have yet to come across a bad WBC volume. I may not always agree with the conclusions of the authors but at every point they make me work for my own conclusions. As I have said previously, I think this is the best set of commentaries to own as an electronic edition because  their structure fits well with an electronic, searchable mode like Libronix.

One further benefit I have yet to mention, but saves a lot of time, is what I call, ‘intra-textuality’. That is, the ability to scroll over on highlighted information in Logos and have a short example of the reference appear in a separate window, or, to click on the reference to say BDAG and have the reference open in the book (as along as I own the book). I find this most helpful when a commentator refers to another passage. By using either of these methods I am able to view the reference without having to flick through my Bible and find it. It saves me a lot of time!

Once again, many thanks to Phil Gons for the review copies. I had hoped to be able to offer a special deal for readers but I am unable to get a response from Logos. At this stage all I can say is Logos have really good specials on the entire WBC set from time to time. My advice is that you subscribe to their blog for updates.

Word Biblical Commentary Series for Logos Review: Part 3

This post will deal with using an electronic edition for the first time and what the benefits of such resources to Ministers and Seminary students.

As someone who works between my study at church and my study at home, as much as I love books (and commentaries especially), to carry three or four commentaries between work and home regularly is difficult. Therefore to have one or two of those commentaries packed away (so to speak) on my hard drive is a blessing. One or two electronic commentaries are very handy, especially if I have finished the majority of my exegesis at work and plan to work from home on the next morning. Having the Word Biblical Commentaries as part of my Logos package is helpful because not matter where I am I always have access to a resource which I can check issues relating to the text or its meaning while writing my sermon or assignments. Furthermore, as my study library grows I have less space on my shelves (and with kids less money to purchase book shelves). One final aspect of the Logos Bible software, utilising the Libronix library system, when I copy and paste from the WBC for Logos it automatically includes the reference as a footnote. I am able to choose my referencing style thus allowing me to accommodate my particular seminary’s requirements.

I would also like to speak to a common criticism concerning the use of electronic resources, especially commentaries. Before using these Word Biblical Commentaries I was sceptical about how much I would like using a commentary ‘on my computer’. In all honesty I have been quite surprised ho easy it has been. I have a good screen and am able to read many pages without any problems.  I wouldn’t like having all of my commentaries on my computer however the benefits of one or two full sets is well worth the adjustment required by me to read this we.

Finally if you are interested in purchasing a Logos base package you are able to receive a 25% discount on all base packages. All you need to do is go to the ‘25% off all Logos Base Packages’ on the Scripture, Ministry and People of God header.

Ben Witherington III: The Indelible Image – Book Notice

With thanks to Adrianna Wright of IVP for a review copy of Ben Witherington’s new tome, “The Indelible Image: The Theological and Ethical Thought World of the New Testament“. Alongside James Dunn’s “Beginning from Jerusalem (Christianity in the Making, vol. 2)”, this would be my most awaited/anticipated book of the year. And let me say, after reading the first 100 pages, I am confident it will not disappoint. A much more thorough review will follow, however, at 856 pages this is no small fish and will take me some time to ‘digest’.

Witherington’s agenda has grown out of his understanding that theology and ethics are intertwined throughout the New testament narrative and can not, and should not be isolated in the manner they often have been. His purpose, as he states in the forward, “First of all, I am writing two large academic volumes, but trying to do so in a lively enough manner that almost anyone can read. And I will not be limiting the discussion to “New Testament theology.” I will be talking about both the theologizing and ethicizing of the New Testament writers…Furthermore since context is crucial in dealing with theological and ethical matters, and since what we actually have in the New Testament is not theological or ethical treatises but rather theologizing and ethicizing into specific contexts for specific purposes I have decided by and large not to extract the theology and ethics from the narratives and arguments in the New Testament and cast them upon some sort of Procrustean bed. Instead, I have let the first volume especially be more expositional in character, dealing with theology and ethics as we find them intertwined in contexts offered to us by the individual witnesses.” (p.16)

As stated above, this is the first of two volumes, with the intention this installment will give, “the reader a sampling of doing theology and ethics in the twenty-seven books in the New Testament , honoring them as individual witnesses on these subjects” As Matthew Levering notes on the inside dust jacket, Witherington is fresh from writing a commentary on every New Testament book. While some may claim, in this age of increasing specialization, this is not ideal, it has placed him in the envious position of being aware of the whole New Testament narrative.

A copy of the table of contents can be viewed HERE and endorsements of the volume by leading Pastors and Scholars can be found HERE.

Finally, it is possible that this could be one of Witherington’s most important works. Only time will tell. I am sure over time his conclusions will be accepted and rejected, argued and debated, in the course of scholarly interaction. However, the importance of his approach for Ministers and Seminary students is profound! It seems to me that many in the church consider the field of Biblical Studies as irrelevant to ministry, or heaven forbid the Christian life, because, as Witherington also notes, “All too often….the theology of the New Testament has been divorced from its ethics, leaving as isolated abstractions what are fully integrated, dynamic elements within the New Testament itself. As Witherington stresses, “behavior affects and reinforces or undoes belief.“. I am only 100 or so pages in to the book but already I can tell it will be one that challenges, informs and encourages my own approach to theology and ethics.

Discerning the Road Ahead…

As some of you may have noticed I have been blogging less frequently of late. There are many reasons for this but primarily work and home have been unusually busy. On a very exciting note, I am able to reveal that my wife and I are expecting our another child in April next year. Of course the first trimester has brought the common bouts of morning sickness (incorrectly named but true nonetheless) and contending with other seasonal illness has been a challenge.

I have also been using this down-time to discern the roll of this blog, its importance and necessity in my life. I must admit since I slowed down I have had some time for other important things. Nevertheless, I am seeking to discern whether to continue blogging or not. Parish ministry and family life bring many great time challenges and although I enjoying writing it seems to me that it may not be the best use of my time at this point in my life. The process will continue for a few more weeks I suspect.

Therefore I ask: Why do you blog and why do you invest the time in such a venture? What keeps you blogging despite the demands of ministry, family and life?

Word Biblical Commentary Series for Logos Review: Part 2

Layout and Style of the WBC series.

I have a love hate relationship with commentaries. It seems to me some of the best are also among the worst when it comes to layout and design. When I need to look up  piece of information related to a verse it is often hard to locate the discussion relating to a particular passage. As much as I love the NICNT series I am often frustrated by its ‘grouping’ of verses together and the inability to easily find information relating to either form, structure or setting. Very few commentaries have a design that allows textual, grammatical and commentary to be divided. The Word Biblical Commentary is, in my experience, one of the very few that has such distinctions.

Each pericope includes:

• Translation,
• Textual Notes,
• Form/Structure/Setting,
• Commentary,
• Explanation.

Using Mark 8:27-30 as an example, you will notice I am able to click on each heading and Libronix will take me straight to the verse I am looking for.

Furthermore,  you can see the layout and design of the WBC is brilliant for Logos Bible Software. The ability to go directly to the commentator’s translation, or look up the Form/Structure/Setting of the pericope I am studying is convenient and saves a lot of messing around.

Another great benefit is the ability to click directly on a title within the contents page and be linked directly to the reference. For instance, if I click on “When was Mark Written” I am immediately taken to the referred section in the commentary. Furthermore, when the text is highlighted blue, it indicates that I am able to roll the mouse over the text and the link will appear in a separate text box. This is especially helpful with textual references. It saves me time having to look up the particular reference.

Finally, in my next review I will discuss the benefits of using digital commentaries (alongside hardcopies) for Ministers and Seminary Students? There is a lot said about what might be considered hindrances, however, I have been pleasantly surprised how easy it

Word Biblical Commentary Series for Logos Review: Part 1

As any user of Logos Bible Software will attest, once you begin using Logos the value of the Libronix library management system to ministry or study becomes undefinable. Within weeks of using the Original Languages base package I wondered how I ever managed without it. However, purchasing a base package is just the beginning. It didn’t take me long to discover the joy of purchasing books and being able to download them immediately (certainly a plus living in Australia). My first ever purchase was the ‘Essential IVP Reference Edition’. All of a sudden Logos went from being Bible study software to an electronic library. I had always considered myself to be anti electronic editions of books and would often complain about the difficulty associated with reading books from a screen. However, and it is a big however, there is much more to electronic books and in reality reading from the screen has not been as difficult as I once imagined. Over the past few months I have begun to not only recognise the benefits of using electronic reference books but also have found reading from a screen to be easier than I had imagined. I still purchase books the old-fashioned way and will continue to do so, but the benefit of electronic resources has now become apparent to me and I believe have great benefit to Ministers and Students.

With thanks to Phil Gons of Logos Bible Software for sending though a number of commentaries in the Word Biblical Commentary series to review. These included:

The Gospel of Mark Volumes 1 (1-8) by Robert Guelich & 2 (9-16) by Craig Evans

Exodus by John Durham (who was the great Jim West’s Old Testament professor).

Philippians by Gerald Hawthorne and Ralph P Martin.

The Psalms, volumes 1, 2, and 3.

In the coming days I will be posting a series of “working” reviews. Over the past few months I have been making use of the commentaries in my weekly sermon preparation (alongside hard copies) and have noted some exceptional benefit of electronic resources (especially when it comes to the WBC package).

Witherington on the NIV 2011

Ben Witherington has posted some thoughts on last weeks announcement. I thought he might have been more openly disapointed about the TNIV’s demise but, he is hopeful that the 2011 model will be even better. He also has some nice things to say about Doug Moo.

Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word: A Book Review

Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word:

A Model of Faith and Thought

By Douglas Sweeney, 2009, Inter Varsity press, Downers Grove Illinios

With thanks to Adrianna Wright of IVP Academic for this review copy.

Jonathan Edwards is a character of great reputation, especially to those of us who have spent some time in revivalist denominations. His exploits and discipline are often compared to those of Whitfield and Wesley. His deeds are often presented as the key to Great Awakening like and he is promoted as a model revivalist. However, even though his reputation preceded him, the only story I ever heard told of Edwards related to his famous sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” it seemed to be told by every evangelist who came to town.

Douglas Sweeney has done a fantastic job of chronicling the life of Jonathan Edwards in what I would say is a great primer for anyone wishing to understand the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards. However, what I appreciated mostly about the book was Sweeney’s ability to critique Edwards’ life and methodology in the light of his historical setting. As he says in the first chapter:

“The more I teach Jonathan Edwards to my seminary students the more I realise it is impossible to duplicate his ministry…I have never been so foolish as to think that I could make Edwards clones of the people in my classes, sending them out in periwigs to preach demanding, lengthy sermons, loaded with biblical theology and detailed application, to congregations raised  on Power Point and praise songs…However, I am so compelled by Edwards devotion to the reality of the divine, the divinity of the Bible, and the Bible’s importance for life that I have found myself attempting to make it contagious” (p.21)

It is these opening words that summarise best Sweeney’s approach to Edwards’ life. The book is a realistic portrayal of a passionate and yet flawed human being who took seriously the command of God to “Preach the Word” and as the title suggests Edwards was a model of faith and thought centred around the ministry of the Word.

I was impressed by how much Sweeney managed to pack into the book’s 207 pages. The book includes a timeline of major events in the life and ministry of Edwards, as well as a detailed family history. The most important chapter, in my opinion, is the introduction, in which Sweeney contextualises the world of Edwards for the reader allowing them to understand the narrative in light of Edwards’ context. The book in no way glosses over Edwards’ short comings either (he owned slaves) and his struggles (including his poor health brought about partly by his penchant for working so much). The chapter headings reflect the different stages of Edwards’ life and the development of his ministry:

1)       Study To Shew Thyself Approved

2)       Preach The Word

3)       Search The Scriptures

4)       Try Thy Spirits

5)       With All Thy Mind

6)       As The Waters Cover The Sea

7)       The Word Of The Lord Endureth Forever

Personally I found the book to be a rewarding read that reminded me once again of the great Puritan value of God’s Word as the formative and normative model for ministry. As I mentioned in a previous post, my favourite quote in the book referred to the structure of Edwards’ usual Sunday service and his model of preaching. As I read this paragraph aloud to my wife she laughed and said, “You wish!” I think when you read it you will understand the great divide that exists between his world an ours. Nevertheless, Edwards passion for the ministry of the Word is to be commended and encouraged in today’s minister.

Typical Sunday morning services began with a call to worship (usually based on a Bible passage), then a corporate “prayer of approach,” before the people stood to hear the public reading of the Word…After an Old Testament reading (usually a chapter in length) the minister “gave the sense of the text”, offered a New testament lesson and then explained the text as well. The people sang a metrical psalm. The Pastor led a cooperate prayer of public confession and intercession. Then he preached a massive, exegetical sermon (usually one to two hours in length) After another corporate prayer, often lasting half an hour, the congregation sang another psalm and heard the benediction…Worship services in New England centered attention on the scriptures! (pp.57-58)