Theology in the News

Here is a new book I just recieved. From what I have read it seems to be very controversial. From “Christianity is Boring” to “Few People Believe in God Anymore,” there are 145 questions answered in this 361 page book. While I don’t like the title (“Exposing” seems a bit to dismissive of the objections to get a wide audience that is needed) and I don’t like the cover (seem like it was done in the 80s), it looks like a very solid work.

Reviews

“An astonishingly rich plethora of historical facts and common-sense arguments–a summa of persuasive debating points in popular apologetics.” (Peter Kreeft, Boston College )

“Jeffrey Burton Russell is a marvel. An eminent scholar of medieval intellectual history, he has placed his gifts in the service of the gospel, creating in one immensely readable volume an enlightening guide to the Christian experience and a bracing antidote to the follies and willful confusions of our age.” (Carol Zaleski, professor of world religions, Smith College )

“If you thought Christian apologetics was an art last practiced in the third century, Professor Russell’s lively book will convince you that that ancient art of persuasive, reasoned defense is alive and well. Tackling the many misapprehensions and false assumptions about Christianity that routinely circulate in the modern world, Russell counters with thoughtful and thought-provoking data. Researched with a scholar’s attention to accuracy yet written in an accessible style and in a format that facilitates consideration of discrete topics, this book deserves a wide readership among thinking people, Christians and non-Christians, believers and non-believers alike.” (Wendy M. Wright, professor of theology, Creighton University)

“This is Christian apologetics at its best–compelling, readable, convincing and informed. Distortions, myths and lazy assumptions are all challenged. Encyclopedic in scope, all the major questions are considered. From gnosticism to evil, from science to the Trinity, Jeffrey Burton Russell demonstrates exceptional competence and mastery of the literature. What C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianitydid in the 1940s, Jeffrey Burton Russell has done for us. For those seeking and for those who doubt, this is a must-read book.” (Very Rev. Dr. Ian Markham, president and professor of theology, Virginia Theological Seminary)

About the Author
Jeffrey Burton Russell (Ph.D., Emory University) was a history professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1979-1998 where he is now a professor of history, emeritus. He also taught at the University of Mexico, Harvard, University of California in Riverside, Notre Dame, and California State University, Sacramento. Russell has published numerous books and articles on his area of expertise, the history of theology. Early in his academic career, Russell was honored as a Fulbright Fellow, Harvard Junior Fellow, and Guggenheim Fellow.

Get the book here.

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For those of you who, like me, struggle daily not only with sin, but with the “How-Can-I-As-A-Christian-Still-Struggle-With-Sin?” thing, find encouragement in Stedman’s Authentic Christianity (specifically from a section entitled “The Battle Already Won”):

“Since we can live only in one area of relationships of our life at any given moment, it is evident that we can be in a Spirit-controlled area one moment and in a flesh-dominated area the next. This is why we can be a great person to live with one minute (delightful, because we are in the Spirit) and then a moment later some old habit of the flesh reasserts itself and we are right back in our old covenant behavior—harsh, nasty, or cruel. When we become aware of those feelings within, we know we will lose our Christian reputation if we are allowed to show, so we snatch an evangelical veil and hide the fading glory.

But how encouraging to know that the Spirit will never give up the battle! He seeks in a thousand ways to invade each separate relationship of the soul, and gradually He is doing so—sometimes faster, as we yield to him; sometimes very slowly, as we resist and cling to our veils. The more we work and live with the face of Jesus clearly in view, the more quickly we find each area of our life being changed into His likeness” (102-103).

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Robert Bowman and Ken Boa write of the four approaches to apologetics in their extremely helpful work Faith Has its Reasons:

1. Classical – Primary use of reason in defending the faith. Here, rationality is the key. We can come to know about God and his existence through creation and natural revelation. From there we build our case concerning the truthfulness of Christianity. Thomas Aquinas, William Lane Craig, and Norman Geisler are examples of classical apologists.

2. Evidentialist – Emperical in methodology, the evidentialist uses the evidence to point the way to Christianity. Probability is the key for the evidentialist. What is the most probable senerio, for example, to explain the resurrection story. The evidentialist would look at the evidence and build an emperical case for the faith. Joseph Butler and John W. Mongomery would be examples of evidential apologists.

3. Reformed (Presuppositional) – We are to presuppose the authority of God and the authority of Scripture (as God’s word). This presupposition is justified due to the properly basic belief that God is authoritative. In this model, we can have absolute assurance because God’s authority is absolute. John Calvin, Cornelius Van Til, and John Frame would be examples of presuppositional apologists.

4. Fideist – Faith is an intuitive leap that is taken in spite of rationality or the evidence. Faith is blind by definition and by nature. It transcends the things of this world. Therefore, we don’t build a rational or evidential case for Christianity since doing so would destroy the nature of faith. Blaise Pascal and Soren Kierkegaard would be examples of fideist apologists.

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In the recent movie Leaves of Grass, there is a scene with twin brothers, one a Classics professor at Brown University, the other a pot dealer in Oklahoma.  The dealer tells his brother, “I read a article you wrote… about a fella called Heidegger… what I don’t understand about ya’ll… ya’ll hardly ever write about a topic.  I mean, you write about what some other fella wrote about the topic… and some other fella’s gonna come along and on and on.”  At which point the professor brother reluctantly admits, “You’ve very neatly explained academia.”

This review would fall under that description- reviewing what someone wrote about what somebody else said.  And for that, I can understand how some would find this whole enterprise irrelevant.  Nevertheless, having conversations in print with some of the finest theological minds in history is something I find not only interesting, but worth time and effort.

Retrieving Doctrine: Essays in Reformed Theology purports to be an exercise in theological dialogue “in the spirit of collegiality.”  The authors with whom Dr. Oliver Crisp interacts are all long-gone, but their writings still influence Reformed thinkers and churches today.  Dr. Crisp, for his part, is conversant with both modern and classical theologians and seeks to understand the historical context of the ancients while addressing their contribution, or quarrel, with modern theology.  Crisp is logical and precise (for instance using the term ‘Calvinian’ when referring directly to Calvin’s theological writing and ‘Calvinist’ when speaking of the tradition) and therefore a helpful guide to some dense thinkers.  The best praise I can give him is that he made me want to read the original sources more, which I suppose was his aim all along. Continue Reading »

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Darrel Bock’s new book Recovering the Real Lost Gospel is out. I have heard a lot of great things about it.

While some seek so-called lost gospels, Darrell L. Bock suggests the real lost gospel is the one already found in the Bible and reminds everyone of what it means: good news.

Praise for Recovering the Real Lost Gospel

“Darrell Bock is one of the church’s finest New Testament scholars. He has the unique ability to write on both the technical and popular level and presents a biblical theology of the gospel that is clear, robust, and holistic. This is a valuable contribution to helping us rightly understand the greatness of the gospel.”

Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“You are holding in your hands a really rare book–one that goes all the way back to the New Testament in connecting the gospel and the cross with the life of discipleship and the mission of the church in a broken world that needs the message of grace. Darrell Bock is one of our best biblical theologians and is at his best in this new study.”

Timothy George, dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“Recovering the Real Lost Gospel is a welcomed corrective and timely guide for so many individuals and churches who seemingly have lost their way amidst the confusing spirituality and mixed religious messages of our day.”

David S. Dockery, president, Union University

“Bock teaches us the essence of the best news ever told. The gospel is so much more than good advice . . . it is the message of life, hope, grace, and Jesus himself! Get ready to be reminded why it is the best news ever!”

Pete Briscoe, senior pastor, Bent Tree Bible Fellowship (Dallas, Texas)

“Too many Christians think of ‘the Gospel’ as merely the last page of an evangelistic tract. Bock demonstrates with clarity and vision that the gospel is better news than some have dared to hope. Read this book, and let its wisdom drive you to worship and to mission.”

Russell D. Moore, dean, School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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Glenn Beck interviews Eric Metaxas author of the new biography on theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The book has received a great deal of attention. Former first lady Laura Bush disclosed President George W. Bush was reading the book. Barnes and Noble just announced the book as one of their Best Books of 2010. The book is bringing a renewed attention to this important 20th century theologian.

Part One:

Part Two:

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The folks over at christianbook.com are offering Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics at 90% off the regular price. This beats the amazon.com price by over $400.

Here’s a description from the publisher:

Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is, arguably, the most important theological publication of the 20th Century. Reacting against a prevailing Enlightenment project (German Idealism), Barth sought to articulate an expression of Christian belief that nevertheless took seriously, and yet overcame the critique of Christian doctrine brought forth by 19th Century Protestant Liberalism, and the unsatisfactory re-construal of Christianity by rationalism’s close relative, “Natural Theology”.

Most believe he succeeded wildly, and in doing so re-established Theology’s ability to speak positively and confidently about faith, reason, and God in Jesus Christ.Since its publication in the United States the Dogmatics has remained relatively inaccessible to pastors, students, and even many professors due to its cost. Hendrickson Publishers, with its publication of the 14-volume set of the Church Dogmatics, has overcome this obstacle.

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This 398 page new book from IVP Academic looks promising.  Shapers of Christian Orthodoxy is written with a Bible College or Seminary student in mind, but is written in a style to be accessible for any motivated learner.  Here’s the description:

For those evangelicals who are seeking to advance their understanding of how Christianity evolved before the Reformation, this collection of essays offers the means of doing so. The reader will see clearly how Protestantism, indebted to its predecessors, is part of a larger and older continuum of faith.” (D. H. Williams, professor of religion in patristics and historical theology, Baylor University )

Product Description

• Irenaeus
• Tertullian
• Origen
• Athanasius
• The Cappadocians
• Augustine
• Anselm
• Aquinas

The best of evangelical theology has always paid attention to the key thinkers, issues and doctrinal developments in the history of the church. What God has done in the past is key to understanding who we are and how we are to live. The purpose of this volume is threefold: to introduce a selection of key early and medieval theologians, to strengthen the faith of evangelical Christians by helping them to understand the riches of the church’s theological reflection, and to help them learn how to think theologically. These essays offer insightful analysis of and commentary on eight key theologians, from Irenaeus to Aquinas, along with critical assessment of how evangelicals should view and appropriate the insights of these thinkers. The intention of the contributors is to, as Augustine says, cultivate minds “fired by the grace of our creator and savior” so that we might think well and rightly about our good and great God and live in his light.

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1. The Jesus Storybook Bible
2. Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: Trinity
3. Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: Scripture
4. Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: Gospel
5. Read with Me Bible

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1. When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada

2.Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey

3. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

4. If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn

5. How Long, O Lord? by D.A. Carson

6. Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey

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