Dr. Maurice Robinson is in ICU, at
Wake Med Hospital, for observation after suffering an apparent heart
attack. He needs to have bypass surgery, but mitigating health
issues will have to improve before that is possible. The doctors are
hopeful that Dr. Robinson will be able to receive the bypass
procedure in the next two to four weeks. Please lift him up in your
prayers.
This information came from the seminary
dean's office. I'll try and keep everyone updated.
7:26
PM
I took this video not 45 minutes ago. It features the most beautiful
double rainbow I have seen in my 58 years on this planet. Our God
is an awesome God.
6:05
PM
This week I asked a few of my students to tell me where they had been on
international mission trips. Here is a partial list:
Costa Rica
South Korea
Myanmar
Israel
Turkey
Jordan
Egypt
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Russia
Guatemala
Argentina
Singapore
Malaysia
India
Holland
Don't wait to graduate to take the
Gospel to the nations. The time to act is NOW. You can sit on the fence
too long. This is the message of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:
The Mock Turtle, in a deep hollow
tone, said: "Sit down, and don't speak a word 'til I've finished."
So they sat down and nobody spoke for some moments. Alice thought to
herself, "I don't see how he can ever finish if he doesn't begin."
Folks, it's time to begin! You can't
finish unless you start. Is it hard? Are you kidding? Nothing's harder.
I've found world missions to be tough, tiring, and (at times)
terrifying. It takes commitment to deny yourself and serve others
sacrificially. Finding and working with the lost in our own community is
a good place to start. But don't stop there. Serve the kingdom
worldwide. It involves time, effort, and money, but nothing can
match it.
12:25
PM
I'm looking for a couple of seminary students to help me do some farm
work next week during semester break. It will require some heavy
lifting. I'll pay you for your time and even serve you a delicious
lunch. Email me at
dblack@sebts.edu if you'd like to help.
12:20
PM
The latest issue of The Reader's Digest has an interesting
article entitled "13 Things Used Car Salesmen Won't Tell You." Here are
"13 Things Your Greek Teachers Won't Tell You":
1. Greek is not the only tool you
need to interpret your New Testament. In fact, it's only one component
in a panoply of a myriad of tools. Get Greek, but don't stop there.
(You'll need, for example, a Hebrew New Testament as well.)
2. Greek is not the Open Sesame of
biblical interpretation. All it does is limit your options. It tells you
what's possible, then the context and other factors kick in to
disambiguate the text.
3. Greek is not superior to other
languages in the world. Don't believe it when you are told that Greek is
more logical than, say, Hebrew. Not true.
4. Greek did not have to be the
language in which God inscripturated New Testament truth because of its
complicated syntax. Truth be told, there's only one reason why the New
Testament was written in Greek and not in another language (say, Latin),
and that is a man named Alexander the Great, whose vision was to conquer
the inhabited world and then unite it through a process known as
Hellenization. To a large degree he succeeded, and therefore the use of
Greek as the common lingua franca throughout the Mediterranean world in
the first century AD should come as no surprise to us today. I emphasize
this point only because there are some today who would seek to resurrect
the notion of "Holy Ghost" Greek. Their view is, in my view, a
demonstrable cul-de-sac.
5. Greek words do not have one
meaning. Yet how many times do we hear in a sermon, "The word in the
Greek means..."? Most Greek words are polysemous, that is, they have
many possible meanings, only one of which is its semantic contribution
to any passage in which it occurs. (In case you were wondering: Reading
all of the meanings of a Greek word into any particular passage in which
it occurs is called "illegitimate totality transfer" by linguists.)
6. Greek is not difficult to learn.
I'll say it again: Greek is not difficult to learn. I like to
tell my students, "Greek is an easy language; it's us Greek teachers who
get in the way." The point is that anyone can learn Greek, even a
poorly-educated surfer from Hawaii. If I can master Greek, anyone can!
7. Greek can be acquired through any
number of means, including most beginning textbooks. Yes, I prefer to
use my own
Learn to Read New Testament Greek in my
classes, but mine is not the only good textbook out there. When I was in
California I taught in an institution that required all of its Greek
teachers to use the same textbook for beginning Greek. I adamantly
opposed that policy. I feel very strongly that teachers should have the
right to use whichever textbook they prefer. Thankfully, the year I left
California to move to North Carolina that policy was reversed, and now
teachers can select their own beginning grammars. (By the way, the
textbook that had been required was mine!)
8. Greek students think they can get
away with falling behind in their studies. Folks, you can't. I tell my
students that it's almost impossible to catch up if you get behind even
one chapter in our textbook. Language study requires discipline and time
management skills perhaps more than any other course of study in school.
9. Greek is fun! At least when it's
taught in a fun way.
10. Greek is good for more than word
studies. In fact, in the past few years I've embarked on a crusade to
get my students to move away from word-bound exegesis. When I was in
seminary I was taught little more than how to do word studies from the
Greek. Hence, I thought I had "used Greek in ministry" if I had
consulted my Wuest, Robertson, Kittle, Brown, Vincent, or Vines. Since
then I've discovered that lexical analysis is the handmaiden and not the
queen of New Testament exegesis. Greek enables us to see how a text is
structured, how it includes rhetorical devices, how syntactical
constructions are often hermeneutical keys, etc.
11. Greek can cause you to lose your
faith. It happened to one famous New Testament professor in the US when
he discovered that there were textual variants in his Greek New
Testament, and it can happen to you. When the text of Scripture becomes
nothing more than "another analyzable datum of linguistic
interpretation" then it loses its power as the Word of God. That's why
I'm so excited about my Greek students at the seminary, most of whom are
eager to place their considerable learning at the feet of Jesus in
humble service to His upside-down kingdom.
12. Greek can be learned in an
informal setting. The truth is that you do not need to take a formal
class in this subject or in any subject for that matter. I know
gobs of homeschoolers who are using my grammar in self-study, many of
whom are also using my
Greek DVDs in the process. If anyone
wants to join the club, let me know and I will send you, gratis, a
pronunciation CD and a handout called "Additional Exercises."
13. Greek is not Greek. In other
words, Modern Greek and Koine Greek are two quite different languages.
So don't expect to be able to order a burrito in Athens just because
you've had me for first year Greek. On the other hand, once you have
mastered Koine Greek it is fairly easy to work backwards (and learn
Classical Greek) and forwards (and learn Modern Greek).
Okay, I'm done. And yes, I'm
exaggerating. Many Greek teachers do in fact tell their students
these things. May their tribe increase!
Now who wants to tackle "13
Things Your Hebrew Teachers Won't Tell You"?
8:21
AM
Currently writing an essay about Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the
attack on Pearl Harbor. A man's man. I'll explain what I mean shortly.
8:18
AM
If you're interested in studying the
LXX,
take note!
8:06
AMFledging
New Testament doctoral students can take heart from
this statistic:
The longest doctoral
program in the nation is the music program at Washington University
in St. Louis, with a median length of 16.3 years, according to the
Chronicle of Higher Education.
Unbelievable. I
completed my doctorate in 3 years, but that was B.C. (before children).
Still, I don't think I could have lasted 13 years. In fact, I KNOW I
couldn't have lasted 13 years.
Pray for Dr Maurice
Robinson. In ICU w apparent heart attack. Will need bypass surgery.
I'm praying! Join me.
8:42
PM
Wednesday shout out to my LXX class.
These are truly the crème de la crème.
Over half of them are going on for the Ph.D. after graduation. Just as
importantly, they have a heart for the nations. To the right stands my
co-persecutor, Robert Cole, a really smart man who married a gal from
Hawaii. We're having more fun than a sack of confused weasels in class!
6:59
PM
Recently I received this email from a DBO reader:
Hey Dave,
I really appreciate your blog.
One of your recent entries got me thinking again
about my own studies in seminary (Dallas and Trinity). I made very
good grades at both places and received a number of awards.
Unfortunately, I constantly battled making these things idols.
I would love to see a post from you on how you
navigated doing good work in undergrad., Talbot, and Basel. How
much did you struggle with making an idol of grades and honors,
etc.? You can't make mediocre grades and go to Basel, so how did
you navigate those choppy waters? And how do you now counsel
students who want to do a Ph.D?
What a great question! For what it's worth, here's my
response:
Modesty is not generally a hallmark of recently
minted doctoral students. The devil tempted Jesus on this very point
but He did not fall to the tempter's wile. There's a huge difference
between being self-confident and confident in God. One fault I think
I succumbed to while in Basel was the snare of perfection. It's okay
to aim at excellence in all we do, but the perfectionist sets goals
that are beyond their ability to perform. Sometimes I would also
delight in criticizing others whose work I found lacking in
excellence rather than encouraging them in positive ways to excel.
It is a characteristic of truly great Christians that their humility
looms larger with the passing years. Maturity is seen when we become
less and less like the pompous and overbearing and more and more
humble and lowly like our Master (Matt. 20:25-27). Humility should
be an ever-increasing quality. I remember one of my seminary
professors once telling his students, "Don't take yourself too
seriously; nobody else does." Those wise words I tried to take to
heart during my doctoral studies (though I often failed!). If I had
to name the most important quality of a doctoral student it is
teachability. It is for us to emulate the humility and meekness of
our Lord in our studies for Him. Above all, I needed to learn how to
be sensitive to the overriding leading of the Holy Spirit in my work
as a scholar. It is clear from the book of Acts that the leaders
whom God uses are always people who are filled with the Spirit and
who refuse to depend upon their own natural abilities. As those who
are seeking academic credentials, we must remember that every
accomplishment is but the effluence of the Holy Spirit through our
weak but yielded lives. As students of Scripture, no one should be
more unselfish and modest than us in the sense that our one goal is
the building up, not of our own careers and reputations, but the
kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Doubtless Jesus had us in mind
when He said, "Those who will be greatest among you will be the
servants of all."
So how do we negotiate the treacherous waters of scholarship? Jesus
said, "Abide in me as I abide in you." Let's abide in our
moment-by-moment relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's live with a
kingdom consciousness and a kingdom focus. Let us grasp the
absolutely catastrophic implications of a proud, haughty attitude
toward others. In my own life I've discovered I simply don't have
the energy or the motivation to worry about much else.
6:42
PM
Lionel Woods
doesn't home school. Good for him. I
used to be an apologist for homeschooling but not anymore. Lionel's
essay is rather long but I encourage you to chew away at it.
6:23
PM
Do you agree with this statement by Mark Driscoll?
In Revelation, Jesus is a
prize-fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and
the commitment to make someone bleed. That is the guy I can worship.
I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot
worship a guy I can beat up.
One pastor
doesn't, and
tells us why. I spend an entire
chapter in
The Jesus Paradigm discussing the
problem of war and, more particularly, the bellicosity one finds among
so many evangelicals today.
There is
much to love about America, and there is also much to criticize.
Rambo-ism is one of them.
6:16
PM
Did you know there's a town named "Biola,
California"?
Here's proof:
6:09
PM
So today was National Coffee Day. Well, I think every day
ought to be National Coffee Day. Being the astute cultural observer he
is, Allan Bevere
opines:
The difference between drinking
store-purchased coffee and freshly roasted coffee is as vast as
eating a home-made-from-scratch pizza and a store-purchased frozen
pizza.
I'm not so
sure. I am quite content to imbibe the store-purchased Kona Coffee my
secretary makes for me daily. "Kona Coffee?" you say. Yep – the best
stuff in the world (other than real Ethiopian coffee). Pardon me for
flaunting my cuppa, but Allan started it.
8:06
PM
Had a wonderful trip to Florida.
I'm sure
our book tables would have rivaled Car Talk's "Shameless Commerce
Division."
My hosts were Dan and Melinda Henry.
I immensely enjoyed staying on their farm near the Alabama border.
Dan is a former president of the
Florida Dental Association and has led over 20 dental mission trips to
Costs Rica (you can read about his mission work
here). Our meetings were held in the
historic
First United Methodist Church in the great American port city
of Pensacola (founded in 1559).
Its nickname "The City of Five Flags"
refers to the five flags that have flown it (Spain, France, Great
Britain, the CSA, and the USA). During Hurricane Ivan in 2004 over
10,000 homes were destroyed in the metro area alone, but you wouldn't
know it today. It is one of the most beautiful downtowns I've ever seen.
On Sunday morning I was honored to speak in the innovative "Icon"
service at First UMC.
Its leader is Geoffrey Lentz (who,
like all wise and good pastors, has a
blog).
Geoff has a Duke M.Div. but that is forgivable.
He is also a former student of my
friend Henry Neufeld, president of
Energion
Publications and publisher of my forthcoming
Why Four Gospels? (2nd edition). Here
is Henry's "tidy" office. Love it!
My thanks to Henry and his wife Jody
for inviting me to the Sunshine State. On Sunday evening they arranged
for me to speak on Ethiopia to a small but very enthusiastic group at
Chumuckla United Methodist Church.
I really missed not having Becky Lynn
with me for this presentation, though we certainly felt her presence in
spirit. Speaking of Becky, her meeting today at Duke Oncology for a
second opinion confirmed our present course of treatment with
Adriamycin. Her blood counts have begun to drop again (nothing new
there) but we're praying they won't bottom out like they did the last
time. I'll keep you updated.
One final thought about this weekend.
As everyone knows, the "mainline" Protestant denominations are in
decline and have been for many years. One of the main reasons for this
decline is purely sociological: as long as there was a cultural
expectation that everybody should belong to a church, mainline
denominations held their own because they provided a culturally
respectable way of being Christian. Once that cultural expectation
waned, however, membership declined. First UMC of Pensacola is an
exception to the rule in that it has been growing rapidly over the past
several years, largely because of its emphasis on the Gospel. This is
good news. To God be the glory.
Wednesday,
September 22
9:40
PM
Fellow bloggers, I leave the house tomorrow morning at 3:00 to catch my
flight to Pensacola via Atlanta. I'll be in that fair city at the kind
invitation of my publisher for a book signing and for several speaking
engagements. If you'd like to see my schedule for the weekend, go
here. Sorry, no more boring posts at the DBO blog until next
Monday.
9:20
PM
Becky has updated the Bethel Hill blog. Read
Family News, September 2010. Makes me
tired just reading it. How God is blessing us!
7:37
PM
Check out the new
press release for Why Four Gospels?
The scheduled release date for the book is October 15, less than a month
away!
7:28
PM
I've always had great respect for Eric Carpenter, and my esteem level
for him has just risen again (see
I've Resigned from Professional Pastoring).
(Okay, he took Greek from me in seminary, but that doesn't count.) Like
all of us, Eric and his family are seeking genuine community in which
the "one anothers" are taken seriously -- a community in which church is
not a solo performance, a place in which each person has a part to play
in harmonious concert with others, a family in which all the members
share in the ownership of the assembly. This is Paul's image of the Body
of Christ -- a place in which my gifts are yours and your gifts are
mine, a community where diversity is not merely tolerated but
celebrated. I recall the Dr. Seuss story called "Too Many Daves." It
tells of a woman named Mrs. McCave who had 23 sons all named "Dave."
When she calls out for Dave, all 23 of her sons come running at the same
time. The story comes alive when Dr. Seuss begins to speculate about all
the silly names Mrs. McCave might have chosen for her sons instead of
naming them all "Dave." His point is that when everyone has the same
name there is chaos, not order.
It is the same in the Body of Christ.
The church could not function if everybody had the same gifts. Each of
us brings to the group a variety of different gifts that together
sustain the Body, and the result is order and not chaos. Every-member
ministry is therefore an integral part of that way we call "faith."
God's kingdom is designed to be a place of spiritual wholeness,
individually and in the community. In my judgment, the external form
does not matter that much as long as there is genuine community where
some persons are not exalted over others. Here in this blog I talk a lot
about my own fellowship, Bethel Hill Baptist Church, and the way it
embodies the love of Christ. It invites us to value the gifts that all
of us bring to our common task of mutual edification. This sense of
community is, of course, the gift of God's grace through Jesus Christ. I
desperately hope that brother Eric experiences something like this in
his new home fellowship. The matter is totally at the disposition of the
Lord. It is a gift of His love, and to receive the gift it is only
necessary to become a spiritual child. This poverty of spirit is what
characterizes Eric's entire post and is one of the many reasons why I
admire him so much. We can all emulate his attitude of complete trust in
the promises of God, a trust that places no confidence whatsoever in our
own human merits. It requires but a moment's reflection to realize that
we all need to have the very same attitude regardless of how or why we
gather on Sunday mornings.
Eric my friend, you have taken a
great step of faith along with that wonderful woman you chose to be your
life partner. Continue to do what is right even if nobody seems to
notice or care. Trust God to work in and through you. Don't ever give up
on your quest for genuine Body life. As long as your ultimate aim is to
please the Lord Jesus, you can rest in His sovereignty. He will provide
for you and your family perhaps in ways you've never dreamed of before.
Three centuries ago a man lost his
job and went home to tell his wife Sophia. Rather than being
disappointed she beamed at him and said, "Now you can write your book!"
He answered, "Yes, but what will we live on while I'm writing?" Sophia
went to a drawer and pulled out a large sack of money. "I've always
known that you were a man of genius," she said. "I knew that some day
you would write an immortal masterpiece. So every week from the money
you gave me I have saved something. Here is enough to live on for one
whole year." The amazed husband went to his study and began writing. His
name was Nathaniel Hawthorne, and his book was The Scarlet Letter.
Eric, it is my prayer that your
commitment to follow your convictions will produce the greatest chapter
yet in the book of your life. To God be the glory.
Monday,
September 20
9:32
PM
It's back to beginning Greek tomorrow, and we're invading the Greek
adjectives this week. (I love them things!) I hold no illusions about
Greek. It is one tough language, perhaps the toughest course one can
take in seminary. I enjoy education, but my faith has never been in
education. I've got a better God than that. I do, however, entertain the
notion that by providing students with language tools they will be
better prepared to negotiate life's challenges Scripturally. Students
need to know that they're paying for more than an education when they
come to seminary. Or a degree. Hopefully they're learning something
about character, self-discipline, time-management, etc. As the Red Queen
explained to Alice, "Here, you see, it takes all the running you
can do, to keep in the same place." That is an entirely accurate picture
of the Greek classroom at times -- working ourselves to a frazzle and
then feeling as though we're running in place. I am not bothered that
this contradiction exists. But I am profoundly bothered to find people
who think they can make progress in any human endeavor without divine
aid. As Jacque Ellul once put it, "Man can't do God's will without God."
My friend, whatever your academic goals, let "him who is able to do
immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine" join you in the work.
8:58
PM
Almost forget to report that the church in Burji just concluded a two
day prayer meeting for our Becky Lynn. Becky was able to call Oshe (our
contact person) today and give him and the church there a fresh update
on her condition. I stand in amazement at the goodness of our God.
8:36
PM
B's treatment at UNC today went exceptionally well -- and fast. We got
home and took a long nap. Then tonight Matt cooked ribs on the grill for
one and all. They were exquisite! Nothing like home-cooked meals.
Oh, and Micah has learned how to ride his bike. Congratulations young
man!
Today I wrote the preface to the second edition of
Why Four Gospels?,
an enjoyable task and one for which I felt some pressure as the book is
scheduled for release in early November or even before that time.
Tomorrow Mr. Lapsley flies back to Dallas and I begin another week of
teaching and writing. Lord willing, I leave for Pensacola on Thursday
morning to speak several times there. It depends, of course, on how
Becky Lynn is doing. Usually her blood doesn't start acting up until a
week after her treatment, but one never knows and has to anticipate her
white count dripping. It's in the Lord's hands, and He knows what He's doing.
Sunday,
September 19
8:15
PM
For some strange reason tonight
I was
reminded of a conversation I had last week with a student during the
9Marks conference on campus. I mentioned to him that when Becky and I
take people with us to Ethiopia we allow them to chose their own
ministries. We don't say, "We're doing VBS and you are to do
such-and-such." No, they pray, seek the Lord, and then tell us what they
sense God is leading them to do. For example, one of my elders (Jason
Evans) has been to Ethiopia with us 4 times. On his first few trips he
taught church leaders. But on this last trip he told us he wanted to
work with the construction team. He ended up being the "paint master" at
the Galana clinic and did a marvelous job. When I told the student this
he was dumbfounded. How, he wondered, could a preacher waste his time
doing something as menial as painting? "That's like seeing my pastor on
a Sunday morning operating the sound system instead of preaching!" he
told me. "Yeah," I thought to myself, "sort of like Jesus washing His
disciples' feet."
In my Greek New Testament
I wrote the following note on Rom. 12:16:
"Do not set your mind
on high things, but associate with the humble" -- or "be
engaged in humble tasks."
The Greek here is a bit
ambiguous. (For you Greek scholars out there, it all depends on whether
one word is masculine or neuter in gender.) Paul either means that we
should be eager to hang out with people whom the world considers
"humble," or else he means that we should be willing to engage in tasks
normally reserved for the lower classes. I tell you, when I see my
gifted pastor (he is an excellent public speaker) engaging in humble
tasks I cannot help but think of my precious Lord Jesus who was eager to
humble Himself for the sake of others.
I love you Jason. Thanks
for being the real deal. Thanks for modeling for us the Scripture and
not just teaching it.
7:45
PMI
enjoyed reading
The Sermon: More Than Just Preaching.
The idea is to allow several gifted persons (not just the pastor) to be
involved in Sunday morning ministry.
Let's stop criticizing inactive people.
Instead, let's prepare them for the work. If you're a pastor, that's
your job. The task of a spiritual leader is to equip members to serve
(Eph. 4:11-12). Then release them into service. Let them handle
everything in the service while you sit with your family in the pews.
Incorporate a time of sharing into your service. Allow those with a
"word" to bring it. And when you do stand up to teach (not "preach" –
see Eph. 4:11 and 1 Tim. 3:2), do so not from the stage (an invention of
the secular theater) but on the people's level lest you give the
impression you are 6 feet above contradiction. A question and answer
period afterwards can be beneficial both to you and your congregation.
There is nothing original in these ideas.
Mutual participation was a hallmark of the early church (1 Cor. 14). It
characterizes our Women's and Men's and Youth Sundays. And rightly so.
Nothing is more foreign to the New Testament pattern of church meetings
than to have the leaders do all the work. We need the strength, the
encouragement, the teaching, the stimuli of every-member ministry.
6:30
PMA DBO
reader on the left coast sends along this note. Check out this resource
when you can.
Dave:
Here's something to check out. It's
www.swiftbible.com - an online concordance. The site is
pretty new, so it supports, so far, only the KJV and a couple of
online Bibles. And boy, is it fast. I typed in the word "love"
and, in less than a second (literally!), it listed every single
place in Scripture where that word occurs - the reference, the
entire verse quoted, with the relevant word highlighted. Fun to
play around with.
Once it gets a few more translations up to speed there, it'll really
be helpful.
Time to throw out our concordances, I guess...
6:15
PMI must
tell you how much I enjoyed being at The Hill this morning. I am
extremely happy to see our youth becoming fully involved in the various
ministries of the church. This morning they helped lead the singing and
give announcements. Way to go guys!
Then it
was Woody's turn to give a report about the recent marriage conference
that 14 of our congregation attended in Woodstock, GA. His concluding
joke had the congregation belly laughing (and had pastor Jason turning
red in the face. Ask him if you want to know why.)
Afterwards Becky was greeted by various and sundry while her dad
(right), who is visiting us from Dallas, watched.
During
the service we honored Ms. Jeanie Rogers for her faithfulness to the
Lord in playing the organ for the past 41 years. As Jason put it, "Each
and every member of Bethel Hill is important," and that's not just a
pious platitude at BHBC.
The
Rondeaus and Johnsons joined Becky and me at Roxboro's wonderful Mexican
restaurant after church for fun, food, and great fellowship. Here
brother Ed Johnson (Ethiopia veteran and experienced grandfather) plays
with Micah and Isaac as we waited for a table that could seat 11.
While we
were sitting around the table someone came up to me and told me an
acquaintance of mine was in the restaurant and, sure enough, who do I
see but my former student Zsolt Sebjan Farkas who had taken beginning
Greek with me 7 years ago. Small world. After spending the last 6 years
in his home country of Hungary he has begun doctoral studies in
theology
under the guidance of my esteemed colleague John Hammett at SEBTS. Here
he is with his wife and son, neither of whom speak English yet but that
will change very soon I'm sure.
Finally,
Becky's dad was able to repair the rocking horse he had built for the
kids and whom we affectionately call "Blackie." In this photo Micah is
trying it out at a fast gallop.
As I type I'm dealing with
one of my patented sinus headaches and expecting the barometer to either
rise or fall rapidly in the next few hours. This evening I've got to
prepare for my classes this week and that includes trying to come up
with a passage in the LXX that will stump my brilliant students. They
are doing a really fine job in the class and I'm so proud of their
eagerness to learn. Ditto for all my other classes. And to think I get
paid for doing this.
8:44
AMI was
reading John 7:15 this morning and I thought of my good friend and
fellow missionary Kevin Brown of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Halfway
through his teaching in Alaba he asked his class, "How much formal
biblical education do you think I have?" Most guessed that he had at
least an M.Div. Actually, brother Kevin is completely self-taught when
it comes to the Bible and theology.
Jesus
had no formal biblical training either. Yet He taught in a compelling
way. "How does this man have such learning when He's never been taught?"
the Jews asked after hearing one of his lessons. Ironically, some of the
most compelling teachers I know have had no formal biblical training.
And some of the worst exegesis is performed by seminary grads. My
friend, you do not need a diploma to teach. Let your words earn their
own authority. The Good News of Jesus Christ welcomes all, regardless of
educational status. All of us, whether educated or not, can emulate
Jesus. He delights in going to the bottom of the ladder. He associates
with the lowly. He fights His way through thorn bushes to find a lost
lamb. In short, with Him, down is up.
8:12
AMHey
there. Don't know how I missed
this review of Why Four Gospels?
See if you enjoy reading it as much as I did! (I am completely
unbiased.)
Saturday,
September 18
8:12
PMMy visit
to Southern Evangelical Seminary confirmed my status as the Alfred P.
Newman of New Testament scholarship, defending, as I did, the completely
indefensible theory called Matthean priority.
I did
so, not so much to argue for any particular order to the Gospels as to
try and make a case for the absolute historicity and apostolicity of the
Fourfold Gospel as preserved to us through the ages. Whether I succeeded
or not will have to be left unanswered. But I sure had a good time
making the effort. My thanks to all who made my stay so wonderfully
enjoyable and to all who turned out to hear a fuddy duddy obscurantist
wax elephant.
As if to
provide icing on the cake, this evening two dear friends from Smyrna
Baptist Church in Dinwiddie, VA, stopped by the farm to bring us our
supper. Ben and Sheila Abernathy have been longtime supporters of the
work in Ethiopia and faithful prayer partners.
They
remind me so much of Cornelius in Acts 10 who "gave generously to those
in need and prayed to God regularly" (Acts 10:2). They drove an hour and
a half just to bless us. What great partners in the Gospel! My friend,
Jesus is a pearl so precious you'd sell everything you have to get it.
He is a wonderful, magnificent, glorious Lord, and He's asking all of us
to join Him in the harvest field. Becky and I are blessed to be bound
together with other believers like the Abernathys in a fellowship that
goes far beyond anything this world can offer. Thank you,
Ben and Sheila.
Tomorrow Becky and I are
planning on attending both Sunday School and the main service at The
Hill. Her strength and blood counts are holding up quite nicely --
thanks to your prayers and the mercy of the Lord Jesus. Monday is back
to the hospital at UNC for round two of her chemo treatments.
5:40
PMBack
from
Charlotte. Great trip. Update later.
You
shouldn’t go to church to hear good sermons, listen to good singing
or network. If you are going to church for any of those reasons you
should stop going today.
Be
sure to read the rest of what Lionel has to say.
11:53
AMBetween
painting jobs I'm pouring over the page proofs for the second edition of
Why Four Gospels? It went out of print
last year but another publisher was kind enough to pick it up. Release
announcement shortly.
Note: You can still
purchase a new copy of the book over at Amazon for only $998.99. A
steal!
11:40
AMPainting
the front porch today. Hope to bring closure to this project!
11:33
AMHonored
to be speaking at
Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte tomorrow night.
Join us if you can at 6:30 and 8:30. My topics are "The Historical
Origins of the Gospels" and "The New Testament Scholar as Fulltime
Missionary."
Wednesday,
September 15
7:50
PMMore
flashcards for my beginning Greek grammar
here.
7:48
PMSome
interesting stats:
The
22 largest seminaries in North America
According to data from The
Association of Theological Schools
in the United States and Canada,
here are the theological schools in
North America with the highest
enrollment. Fuller is the
largest. Southern Baptist Convention
seminaries take up 5 of the top 10
spots.
Casual Name / Full Time
Equivalent Enrollment / Real Name /
Status / Independent,
University-Affiliated, or
College-Affiliated. / Predominate
racial/ethnic identity / State /
Denom
Fuller 1940 Fuller
Theological Seminary ACCRED I W
CA INTER
Southwestern 1477
Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary ACCRED I N TX SBC
Southeastern 1430
Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary ACCRED I W NC SBC
Southern 1364 Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary
ACCRED I W KY SBC
Dallas 1108 Dallas
Theological Seminary ACCRED I W
TX INTER
Gordon-Conwell 1037
Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary ACCRED I W MA INTER
TEDS 908 Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School ACCRED C W IL
EFCA
Asbury 781 Asbury
Theological Seminary ACCRED I W
KY INTER
Golden Gate 772 Golden Gate
Baptist Theological Seminary
ACCRED I W CA SBC
New Orleans 656 New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary
ACCRED I W LA SBC
Bethel 649 Bethel Seminary
of Bethel University ACCRED C W
MN BAPTGC
Talbot 604 Talbot School of
Theology ACCRED U W CA INTER
RTS 584 Reformed Theological
Seminary ACCRED I W MS INTER
Princeton 578 Princeton
Theological Seminary ACCRED I W
NJ PCUSA
Seventh Day Adventist 566
Seventh-day Adventist
Theological Seminary ACCRED U W
MI SDADV
Luther Seminary 548 Luther
Seminary ACCRED I W MN
Duke 517 Duke University
Divinity School ACCRED U W NC
UMC
Denver 479 Denver Seminary
ACCRED I W CO INTER
Ashland 473 Ashland
Theological Seminary ACCRED U W
OH BRCHAO
Candler 458 Candler School
of Theology of Emory University
ACCRED U N GA UMC
Covenant 451 Covenant
Theological Seminary ACCRED I W
MO PCA
Concordia Seminary (MO) 450
Concordia Seminary (MO) ACCRED I
W MO LUTHMS
7:39
PMDid a
lot of personal mentoring on campus this week. To be a good teacher you
have to be a Paul and a Barnabas. Paul teaches, Barnabas
encourages. Paul exhorts, Barnabas loves on. When Paul refused to take
John Mark, Barnabas saw the gold in him, said in effect, "I'm gonna work
with him because I think there's quality in this young man." Later Paul
would see it too: "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is very
helpful to me in my ministry." I know this comparison of mine is
overdone, but I do think that we teachers sometimes focus so much on the
cognitive aspect of teaching that we forget the interpersonal side.
Kindness is such a needed quality in the kingdom. When I was in college
I had a Barnabas in Dr. Harry Sturz, who saw in a young Greek instructor
the potential to make a contribution to the field of New Testament
studies. I honored all of my seminary professors but I admired a handful
of them. Dr. Sturz made me feel like a capable teacher. He had
"busiest man alive" status but he never failed to take time for me. Many
of my own students today are hurting and struggling. They need help with
their Greek and more. They need real encouragement now. If all I
give them is knowledge, they are in grave danger of becoming
intellectual cynics. I am eternally grateful for my profs who didn't sit
passively by when I was struggling. I am compelled by their example to
take action through prayer and service in and out of the classroom.
Students, if you are
struggling, I'll keep an eye out for you. Whatever you may think and
feel, you are not alone.
7:30
PMOur
meeting on Monday went well. Becky will resume her Adriamycin chemo
treatments on Monday. We'll take another whack at it, this time with a
reduced dosage. If it wipes out her immune system again then it looks
like it will be time to consider trials. We continue to be very grateful
for the health care we are receiving and for your support and love.
Meanwhile, Becky manages to carry on with the zest for life and ministry
that have been her greatest gifts to me. She is an example to all who
know her of unconditional love, commitment to service, training by
example, and the will to be self-disciplined. I'm eager to write the
next chapter in our life together.
Monday,
September 13
7:57
AMLast
night Ronnie asked me a very important question. "What is it that keeps
us from having a kingdom mindset?" We talked about the distractions of
TV, football season, pleasure, comfort. I added into the mix: the
church. As long as we continue to tithe to ourselves, as long as we
overlook the fact that the gathering must always lead to the going, as
long as we prioritize our programs and our successful
ministries over making a tangible difference in the world for Christ we
will never have a kingdom mindset. The greatest problem that most
churches face today is not that they aren't doing anything. They do
plenty. The problem is that they're not doing the right thing (Phil.
1:27), preferring soft cushions over Bibles in India. And the greatest
danger most pastors face is not that they aren't doing anything. They're
far too busy! It's that they don't do the essential things. Their
purpose is to equip God's people for works of service. The clear command
of our Lord is to go to the world.
I think it's
vitally important that we stop playing the "Look how great my church is"
game. I know, because I often play it myself. Oh, what a high view of
the church we must have! But we must never view church as an end in
itself: she is a means to an end!
7:42
AMYou've
heard the story about the airline pilot who announced over the intercom,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have good news and I have bad news. The good
news is that we have a tailwind and are making excellent time. The bad
news is that our compass is broken and we have no idea where we're
going."
Today Becky and I have a tremendously important meeting with her UNC
oncologist. It's time to map out the future to the best of human
science's ability. All possibility lies in this: "I am Almighty God."
Whatever the prognosis, I have to tell you that through all of the
bright moments and frustrations of the past year, God's plans for us
have not been less than our hopes but far more. He never
lets us be content with anything short of what perfectly fulfills His
loving purpose. He can be trusted!
Our appointment is at
3:30. I'll give you an update tonight, Lord willing. Ask God to give us
a vibrant witness to everyone we meet today. So many of them are lost.
Sunday,
September 12
8:53
PMThe
phone companies are experts at urging us to "reach out and touch
somebody." Of course, Jesus Christ has been calling His people to do the
very same thing for 2,000 years. Tonight we had the joy of welcoming to
Bradford Hall 3 special people who have chosen to make Christ central in
their lives and relationships. They came to bless us and love on Becky
Lynn. Rachael (left) is a former SEBTS student who now works there as a
faculty secretary. She has been a very special friend to Becky for many
years now.
Tara
(right) is a counseling major at the seminary and plans to take my Greek
1 class in J-term. Ronnie had me for elementary Greek last year and was
one of my constant "110 Award" winners. We chatted, had supper with the
Rondeaus, and took a walk on the farm as it grew dark. Tara fell in love
with "Lil Bit."
Here we're calling
on Ronnie to resolve a translation issue from the Greek of Ephesians 2
(with Caleb's help).
And Miss
Rachael baked the most delicious Waldorf Astoria cake I have ever eaten.
It was a good evening. Our
conversation focused on things of eternal value. Needless to say, Becky
and I were blessed and encouraged by their visit. I just put Becky to
bed, tired after a long but good day. I pray she sleeps well tonight.
She is a very special person, and not just to me. I keep thinking of
Jesus, who allowed and affirmed displays of affection even as He
prepared for the anguish of the cross. I feel like our 3 friends
anointed our heads tonight with special perfume. May God bless them
abundantly for their kindness toward us.
2:25
PMOn
Friday at the conference I met a young man who was surprised that Becky
and I work with non-Baptists in Ethiopia. Let me say it as plainly as I
can: I am committed to serving the Body of Jesus Christ worldwide. We
must learn to love and serve one another in Christ. I am not in denial
about denominationalism. I am a committed Baptist. But I repudiate
sectarianism. I repudiate the hubris that says "I have a corner on
biblical truth." What I believe
about cooperation in the work of the Gospel can be summarized in an
essay I wrote years ago. Speaking about
How We Do Missions, I said that
... we have
intentionally adopted a cooperative model of missions. We will
gladly work with any Christ-centered evangelical church that is
willing to answer Christ’s call to obedience and self-sacrificing
love. We don’t have to see eye-to-eye on secondary issues to work
hand-in-hand. John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace,” once wrote to
a fellow pastor: “What will it profit a man if he gains his cause,
and silences his adversaries, if at the same time he loses that
humble, tender flame of the Spirit in which the Lord delights, and
to which the promise of his presence is made?” We believe that the
whole Body of Christ can and must submit itself its Head, the great
Redeemer of mankind. This is the very heart of Christianity –
disciples of Jesus following Him in obedience and love. In Him we
are all one family in which each member is given a grace gift, a
functional service to carry out for the good of all. We are all
brothers in Christ, members of one spiritual family, parts of one
spiritual Body. However, love must be balanced by biblical knowledge
and discernment, as Paul reminds us (Phil. 1:9). We therefore reject
teaching that emphasizes prosperity and well-being as concomitants
of the Gospel. We also reject the spirit of lovelessness and strife
that characterizes theological fundamentalism. We eschew the “church
marketing” concept and the professionalizing of “the ministry.” We
seek to avoid the pitfalls of missionary paternalism. For us, a lump
in the throat is no excuse for a hole in the head.
Please, my
dear friends, take this to heart. Yes, we can hold to our biblical
convictions (I have many of my own!). But the Gospel does not belong to
"us" alone.
2:02
PMOne more
thought about Matt's message. His topic was the unity that Christ
produces in His church. All of us are equally recipients of God's grace. As he was speaking I
thought about
1 Cor. 1:10, where Paul writes that all of us "should agree." The term
for "agree" may also be rendered "say the same thing." The expression is
found on a first-century gravestone of a married couple, indicating a
harmonious relationship. This does not imply that the husband was a
yes-man or that she was a door stop. Harmony is not unison. Different
people can live together in harmony even though they retain their
freedom to express their own convictions and insights. Aquila and
Priscilla worked together in this manner, and I would like to think that
Becky and I do so as well. At least we travel together frequently -- a
distinctive characteristic of the ministry of Aquila and Priscilla! They
had lived together in Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome; and Becky and I have
lived together in La Mirada, Basel, Oxford, and now Southside Virginia.
Sure, the journey has been bumpy at times, but I wouldn't trade it for
the world.
Last
night, as we celebrated our anniversary, I was reminded of the many
years we have stuck to each other in partnership and marriage, through
times when it was easy to stick together, and when life turned so dark
it was difficult to see any sunshine in our future. And now, as Becky
and I enter the winter of our lives, we do so living, laboring, and
sacrificing together for a cause much larger than both of us. It's a lot
of work, but a lot of fun. I couldn't think of a better way to honor the
Lord Jesus through our marriage than by serving Him together. We
"agree," as Paul would put it -- which is a pretty amazing thing for two
people who couldn't be more different in background, temperament, and
personality.
1:50
PMMatt's
teaching from Acts 15 this morning was a blessing.
At one
point he quoted from Matthew Henry's commentary with reference to the
letter sent from James to the churches. How I wish our churches today,
who gladly proclaim "I am of ___________" (you fill in the blank with
your favorite pastor or Bible teacher's name) would grasp hold of this
truth!
Here is a very
condescending obliging preamble to this decree,
v.
23. There is nothing
in it haughty or assuming, but, (1.) That which intimates the
humility of the apostles, that they join the elders and brethren
in commission with them, the ministers, the ordinary Christians,
whom they had advised with in this case, as they used to do in other
cases. Though never men were so qualified as they were for a
monarchical power and authority in the church, nor had such a
commission as they had, yet their decrees run not, "We, the
apostles, Christ's vicars upon earth, and pastors of all the pastors
of the churches" (as the pope styles himself), "and sole judges in
all matters of faith;" but the apostles, and elders, and
brethren, agree in their orders. Herein they remembered the
instructions their Master gave them (Matt.
xxiii. 8): Be not
you called Rabbi; for you are all brethren. (2.)
Earlier in the service we
sang that great old chorus
Because He Lives. During the last verse
I put my arm around Becky and we both sang triumphantly, with tears
trickling down our cheeks:
And then one day
I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.
Here was grace reaching down to lift us up
to truth. It's amazing how God orchestrated today's service. I wanted to
throw my arms around Becky and say, "It doesn't matter. I understand. Our life
is wonderful. I love you!"
Alas, we were "in church"!
9:55
AMOff to
the greatest fellowship on earth!
9:53
AMThis
morning Micah came over to sit on my lap. "Come on aboard," I said. To
which he replied, "Are you a board?"
Everyone's a comedian around here.
9:01
AMI'm
thrilled that B is feeling strong enough to come to The Hill this
morning, mask in place. Actually, it would take a herd of horses to keep
her on the farm today. She craves the fellowship, plus our Matthew is
teaching from the book of Acts during the service. Twill be a great
time!
8:45
AMA Sunday
morning seems a good time to call attention to my colleague Steve
McKinion's excellent post about the "call" to ministry:
Is
Spurgeon Unhelpful Here? Some great questions are raised
here. In
The Jesus Paradigm I noted:
Unfortunately, we have become caught up in the whirl of
professionalization that characterizes the ministry. There is one
Book, and one Book alone, that can cure us of dangerous deceptions.
Specifically, I am referring to a very basic truth about ministry
that many of us have forgotten – in part or in whole – in the church
today. It is that every child of God is a minister. I am not just
referring to that individual who has felt a “call” to enter “the”
ministry. Everyone who is a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ has
entered the ministry. The Bible knows nothing about a Christian who
is not also a minister (Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14). Another way of
putting this is to say that, according to the Scriptures, there is
no clergy-laity distinction. Again, this may come as a shock and a
surprise to those of us who are accustomed to referring to certain
individuals in the church as a “reverend” or a “clergyman.” The Word
of God knows nothing of a “ministry of the clergy” on the one hand,
and a “ministry of the laity” on the other. The simple truth is that
all of God’s “clergy” are laypeople, and all of God’s “laypeople”
are clergy. This is not to deny the fact that there were
pastors/elders/overseers in the primitive Christian community. There
were pastors, but they were also a part of the laos – the
“people” of God (Phil. 1:1-2). The New Testament knows no separate
existence of pastors apart from the rest of the Christian community.
I think
the distinction between "sacred" and "secular" work is overdone in our
Baptist circles. Recently I met an American believer living overseas in
a Muslim nation who told me about his experience. He had felt a "call"
to "the" ministry, left his successful IT business, went to seminary,
and then relocated to the foreign field as a professional missionary.
Eventually the Lord led him to leave the mission board and begin his own
IT business. Today he considers himself to be a fulltime missionary as
he exercises his God-given skills as a computer expert, hiring local
Muslims and leading them to Christ. Is he "called" to ministry? He would
answer with a resounding Yes!
7:36
AMSo
here's a pic of the honeymooners. I took Becky to the fanciest, most
expensive joint in town. The filet mignon was magnificent.
We
reminisced about what we were doing 34 years ago and had some good
laughs thinking about all the little foul ups and practical jokes done
to us at our wedding
(they had attached several Hawaiian Punch cans to our rear bumper). I'll
never forget that drive to Los Angeles or our honeymoon in Hawaii. How
young and naive we were!
On the
drive to the restaurant last night Becky asked, "What three adjectives
describe you right now?" It was a critical question and I thought
carefully before replying. "Happy." "Blessed." "Grateful." Becky agreed.
Last night two hearts touched, as they had done three and a half decades
before, swamped with happy memories, filled with gratitude toward God.
So there we ate and talked. Committed. Sensitive. Transparent.
Communicating. Still growing. That's intimacy, and the heart knows it.
Saturday,
September 11
5:12
PMHooray!
My Becky Lynn is feeling well enough for me to take her out to dinner
tonight!
2:10
PMSpecial
recommendation: read Andy Bowden's
They Came Knocking and then be prepared
to share your faith with people whom the Lord may bring to your door.
10:54
AMHere's a
fine post from Eric Carpenter:
Thinking About September 11th. That
leads me to ask, "What would happen if we really took our heavenly
citizenship seriously?"
10:24
AMAlmost
forgot. Today is not only our anniversary. So, to all of our brothers
and sisters in Ethiopia, here's wishing you
12 months of love, 52 weeks of joy, 8760
hours of peace, 525600 minutes of patience, and 31536000 seconds of
goodness.
8:48
AMToday
Becky and I are celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary.
During these years we've learned many
lessons.
We've learned to build into each other's
lives, to seek the best for one another, to say "I'm sorry," to keep
climbing even when the odds seemed impossible, to grow in our
Christ-likeness, to pass through valleys and heights that left us
breathless, to stumble and walk again, to know euphoria, relief,
gladness, sorrow, joy, and victory, to commit our lives to serving Jesus
together in a lost world, to hold nothing back -- nothing! -- from each
other, to give and receive love, to need each other, to be connected, to
value and cherish the other for who they are, to give the other
permission to fail, to spot the weeds before they take over, to admit
when we didn't know the answers, to help balance our extremes, to become
totally available to each other, to pursue a healthy ruthlessness with
ourselves, to make our feelings known, and to prepare ourselves for the
anguish of separation.
Jesus has been our model in all these
things. He rejoiced. He wept. He experienced anger. He made His feelings
known. He was responsive to those who sought Him. He protected the weak.
He affirmed displays of affection. He opened His life to pain and death.
We are growing in our marriage primarily because we are learning to walk
and live with Him.
Today I have a perfect right to feel
nothing but sheer unadulterated joy. How good and kind is my God.
Becky Lynn, I want to love you a
thousand times more than I've ever loved you in the past. I want you to
know, without any doubt whatsoever, that you are a higher priority than
career, than comfort, than anything and anyone except Christ, and that
you can count on me to be at your side until that day when we will laugh
off our suffering as "present light affliction."
Happy Anniversary, Darling.
I love you with all my heart.
Dave
Friday,
September 10
11:20
PM
End-of-a-tiring-but-good-day update:
1) The
doc says I've got Tarsal Tibial Syndrome and Plantar Fasciitis in my
right foot. Have no idea what that means. Wait! Google to the rescue!
2)
Becky's slowly but surely regaining her strength. I'm praying she'll be
fit enough for me to take out to a local restaurant (with face mask) for
dinner tomorrow to celebrate our anniversary.
3)
Enjoyed my breakout session at the conference tonight in Appleby Chapel.
I don't know about you, but I never speak without a partial sense of
failure. There was so much more I wanted to say. And I'm sure I could
have nuanced my talk better.
But I
hope my main point came through loud and clear: We're all missionaries,
even if we don't know it yet. A Christian car salesperson is not simply
a salesperson; he or she is God's representative in the showroom to show
car shoppers what God is like. A Christian secretary is not simply a
secretary; he or she is God's representative to show the boss and
everyone else what Jesus looks like. A mature Christian doctor isn't
simply a physician. Those hands that sooth the sick demonstrate how God
responds to sickness and sorrow. Jesus has passed His commission on to
each and every one of us. No exceptions. The Lord throws the ball in our
court and says, "Play the game!" No hocus-pocus involved here. We just
take up our crosses and follow Jesus wherever He leads, whether across
the street or around the world. As my colleague Alvin Reid puts it,
"Life is a mission trip; take it!" Disciple-making isn't a one-time
decision. It's a daily assessment of our willingness to make expensive
decisions, again and again, day after day, for the sake of the Gospel.
The Christian faith is so much more than orthodoxy, as vitally important
as orthodoxy is. It lies in our willingness to walk in the way of Jesus,
engaging in basin ministries that embody kingdom values. God isn't
calling us to force unbelievers into a corner and mash them with our
mental machinery. He is calling us into action. Evangelism, pure and
simple, means loving people until they ask us why.
It is
quite a challenge to shrink that message into an hour. If you didn't
quite get what I was trying to say, please look over the dozens of
essays here at my site or, better, go to the Scriptures themselves.
Being a professor for 33 years has convinced me that there is no
substitute for straightforward Bible teaching in order to produce
healthy Christians. Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." Whether the issue is one of theology or practice,
our starting point must always be "What does the Word of God say?" So to
all who attended my talk this evening, may I challenge you to look at
this issue -- and every issue -- from a Scriptural angle. You will be a
wiser and better Christian as a result.
(By the
way, these pix were taken by a good friend of mine from Raleigh Chinese
Christian Church, Andrew Chang. Andy is finishing his M.Div. at SEBTS
and considering doctoral work when he is done. Thanks Andy for lending
me your photographic skills tonight.)
9:32
AMA few
minutes ago a pastor friend of mine in Houston tweeted:
Just had a fantastic time w/2 Mormon missionaries in
my living room.
7:55
AMHappy
Twentieth Anniversary to the journal Philologia Neotestamentaria!
The latest volume has an extended editorial by its editor Jesús
Peláez called "Veinte años después" (Twenty years on). What a
fascinating story! The volume also includes a complete index of authors
and articles. It's been my joy to have served on the editorial board of
FN since its inception. Ad multos annos!
I add here, for
what it's worth, a list of essays that appeared in FN from my
hand:
"Some
Dissenting Notes on R. Stein's The Synoptic Problem and
Markan 'Errors'." 1:1 (1988) 95-101.
"The Pauline
Love Command: Structure, Style, and Ethics in Romans 12:9-21." 2.3
(1989) 3-22.
"Remarks on the
Translation of Matthew 7:14." 2.4 (1989) 193-195.
"An Overlooked
Stylistic Argument in Favor of Pantes in 1 John 2:20." 5.10
(1992) 205-208.
"Literary
Artistry in the Epistle to the Hebrews." 7.13 (1994) 43-52.
Let me encourage my
fellow students of the New Testament to consider this journal for their
next publication. Articles are accepted in English, Spanish, French,
German, and Italian.
7:41
AMThe
controversy over the Qu'ran demonstrates the need for building
redemptive relationships with others. Here are some thoughts on
witnessing to Muslims based on my personal experience:
protect their dignity
affirm their value as persons
let
your actions speak as loud as your words
become a friend
recognize that some will reject you
look
for opportunities to serve them
allow them to serve you
ask
questions
be
slow to speak
become aware of religious barriers
introduce them to your family
refuse to argue
be
sensitive to signs of receptivity
plead with God for their salvation
love, love, love
Remember
that only the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
He, not you, is the real mid-wife to a newly-born saint. Allow your
Muslim friends to make informed decisions based on an accurate
presentation of Christianity. Effective evangelism always has content.
But it never stops there. It is both "show" and "tell."
Can you
do this? I know you can! On this September 11 weekend, let's pray for
boldness and open doors. Let's believe that God will use the witness of
our serving lifestyles. Let's bathe lost souls in prayer. After all,
isn't that what Christianity is all about?
7:33
AMDear
foot. I hope you enjoy your visit to the doctor today. Please stop
hurting.
Thursday,
September 9
8:32
PMChicken
fried venison for supper tonight, along with creamy mashed potatoes and
green beans. Thanks Liz for a real treat -- one of Mama B's favorites.
After dinner Nate treats the
boys to a ride on Hercules.
Swinging on Nate and
Jessie's vines.
Picking flowers for Mama B.
Love. Peace. Tenderness.
Warmth. Family.
God is good.
6:08
PMWe're
using George Guthrie's
Hebrews commentary in our class this
semester, and for very good reasons. I'm impressed with the author's
exegetical acumen as well as his ability to draw applications from the
text.
This
week we saw how Jesus "destroyed the one who holds the power of death,
that is, the devil" (2:14). Guthrie, quoting from The Art of Dying
by Robert Neale, lists 3 aspects of this fear:
1) We
fear dying because it involves a loss of control over our lives.
2) We
fear incompleteness or failures.
3) We
fear separation from our loved ones.
Guthrie
adds a fourth:
4) We
fear death because it leads to a realm of unfamiliarity.
The good
news is that Jesus has delivered us from all these fears! Our loss of
mastery is compensated by our trust in a sovereign God. Our sense of
incompleteness and failure is balanced by our hope of eternal life. Our
fear of separation is overcome by the knowledge that we will enjoy
relationships with those we have been separated from through death. And
our fear of the unfamiliar is counterbalanced by our certainty that
heaven is a perfect place. Death is not the end for the follower of
Christ. It opens the door to the place of the waiting Father where we
will be given the greatest gift in the universe -- intimacy with our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The
message, surely, is loud and clear. Nothing is taught more firmly or
frequently in the New Testament than the value of an eternal perspective
on life. Paul puts this quite bluntly: "For to me to go on living is
Christ, and to die is gain." The lesson for Dave Black is obvious. I am
incurably proud of my ability to cope. But all that is a façade.
Facing the specter of death has opened a gateway to the grace of God.
The light of the Gospel strips away the devil's lie. He does not have
the power of death. Only God has the power to determine who dies and
when life will end.
Glory be
to God.
5:45
PMJust
surfaced from a deep sleep. Feel exhausted. Hope I'm not getting sick.
Can't afford to right now.
2:06
PMTucked
away in the news is
this story about the first U.S. Army
chaplain to be killed in action since Vietnam. His funeral is today.
Read his story and then say a prayer for his wife and family.
Note:
Chaplain Goetz responds to the attacks on 9/11 in
this editorial. I urge you to read the
entire essay and to take your time while doing so. I was particularly
interested in this quote:
I’m not saying all Muslims believe
this or take this to the same conclusion, but this is the rationale
of the extremist. When they see western society they see beer
commercials and know about dance clubs where unmarried men and women
touch one another and maybe hook up later. They know pornography is
available in stores and the internet for anyone to see and they see
the fashion shows with immodest clothes being advertised as sexy.
They know that the majority of people who get married had
premarital sex. They know about the divorce rates and the abortion
rates and see other social evils that western society has to offer.
Extremist see all that a free society has to offer along with these
moral issues and decide that freedom is not worth it, if that is how
their kids will turn out. The kids from Muslim nations come to
America and turn their back on their beliefs and this is evil to the
devoted Muslim. For many it is better to live with repression and
religious holiness than a society that is free and socially evil.
So, when we advertise freedom to these people and they reject it,
you have a better understanding of why because in their eyes freedom
is associated or synonymous with sinful behavior.
I strongly disagree with their
doctrine and as Americans we repudiate the practice of the
terrorist. Though I disagree with their practice, I do understand
their complaints against western society. Doctrinally, I don’t
agree with their method of receiving forgiveness from sin. I
believe Christ died for my sin and I do not need to become a martyr
for salvation and forgiveness. Because of my conversation on the
night before, I was better able to process and understand the why of
9-11 and it continues to help me understand the on going struggles
in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.
1:46
PMThis
quote by the great A. T. Robertson made me sit up and take notice:
Perhaps those who pity the grammarian do not know
that he finds joy in his task and is sustained by the conviction
that his work is necessary. -- A Grammar of the New Testament in
the Light of Historical Research p. x.
It's hard to imagine me doing anything
else with my life than teaching Greek grammar and trying to put that
into service for King Jesus worldwide.
We simply do not not
know what we are going to get in life. Jesus himself reminded us
that the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) and
calamity comes to all persons righteous and unrighteous (Luke
13:1-5). As followers of Jesus our task is to respond in
faithfulness to everything that comes our way, things we plan for
and things we don't; happenings we are prepared for, and happenings
that are unexpected.
To be a disciple is to know that I am not the master of my fate, nor
the captain of my soul. My fate and my soul lay in the hands of
another who not only sends the rain on everyone, but also has
secured my fate, my destiny, by his cross and resurrection.
Please read that second paragraph again.
And don't miss the delightful line he ends with!
1:16
PMIf
you're going to SBL in Atlanta this year be sure to check out this
Symposium on the Johannine Epistles at
Mercer University. My esteemed colleague Andreas Köstenberger is one of
the speakers.
By the
way, SEBTS is exceptionally strong in the field of Johannine studies.
Budding scholars, you can check out our Ph.D. program
here.
1:12
PMJust had
a fine lunch prepared by Liz. THE topic of discussion: Where can we find
sake surume (dried cuttlefish) and li hing mui (dried and
salted plums) -- my childhood favorites from Hawaii?
12:30
PMToday
I'm prepping for my breakout session at tomorrow's 9 Marks Conference at
SEBTS. If you'd like a sneak preview of my talk, you can take a gander
at
Why Church? and
The Purpose of a Seminary. For more on
the conference go
here.
12:03
PMGood
news! B's blood work is showing signs of improvement. Her white count is
up a smidgen, as are her platelets. She remains fatigued. Looking
forward to pampering her on our anniversary this Saturday.
7:59
AM
Campbell University announces an opening in
New Testament.
7:55
AM
In our LXX class yesterday we were talking about certain
"untranslatable" words (such as the direct object marker eth in
Hebrew). Reminded me of a story. Several years ago, when Paige Patterson
was my seminary president, I went to his office to give him an
autographed copy of my latest book. The title of the work was
Untranslatable Riches from the Greek New Testament. It was a
handsomely produced hardback replete with endorsements on the back by
John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, etc. I would guess the entire tome
consisted of about 350 pages.
The
president was deeply appreciative of the gift as I handed it to him. But
when he looked inside he saw – to his great surprise – 350 blank sheets
of paper. He looked up at me and laughed. (He always appreciated
practical jokes.) My reply was simply, "Well, they're untranslatable,
after all." Then I told him how one of my publishers had agreed to
produce this volume solely for him. He is thus the only person in the
entire universe who can claim possession of my priceless "book" called
Untranslatable Riches from the Greek New Testament.
Odd,
isn't it, how we so easily write and speak about the supposed
"untranslatable" riches in our Greek New Testaments. They are, indeed,
translatable. Yesterday in our Linguistics Seminar we discussed
morphology and how our English versions so often miss the mark when it
comes to reflecting the morphemes in the Greek text. A classic example
is James 1:17, where the NIV ("Every good and perfect gift") completely
overlooks the fact that there are two (not one) Greek words for "gift"
and that both are different. Dosis implies the "act of giving,"
while dorema implies "that which has been given" (= "gift"). One
could therefore render the phrase, I suppose, something like "All good
giving and every perfect gift," or, as we did in the ISV New Testament,
"Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above."
(For more on this rendering, see my essay
Good Giving?) We also discussed
Paul's delightful invention "leaster" in Eph 3:8, which we rendered "the
very least of all the saints" in the ISV. Here Paul uses a
comparative suffix on a superlative adjective!
Takeaways?
1)
Everything you have ever given to another person has actually come
from God through you. Indeed, if I understand James 1:17 correctly,
even the desire or the propensity to be generous is a gift from God, and
therefore we can never claim credit either for the desire to give or for
the actual gift itself!
2) If
Paul could claim to be the "leaster" of all believers worldwide, what
right do I ever have to claim anything less? As we discussed in class,
the kingdom of God is flat. In this kingdom we are all "brothers and
sisters," as Jesus taught us (Matt. 23). The Japanese bow when they meet
each other. The bow is a symbol of respect. You can always tell who is
most revered, for he or she will receive the deeper bow from the others.
In
Godworld (the title of a book I'm currently writing) the bows are
all level. In fact, we are even willing to consider ALL others as more
important than ourselves for the sake of Christ. I have been to meetings
(such as SBL) where I have seen a conversation between a seasoned
scholar and a doctoral student interrupted when a "more important"
person has come along. This is not the way of Christ. And it's not the
way of a person who considers him- or herself to be "the very least of
all God's people."
7:43
AM
Yesterday's chapel message by one of our missionaries was
great. His topic was suffering, and his text was Heb. 11:39. Note, he
said, that the author wrote, "All these were commended for their faith,"
not "for their suffering." He told us, "We have this notion that
persecution is bad. But suffering for Christ is the norm in 80 percent
of the world (China, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, etc.). Then he
asked this pointed question, "Are you tough enough? Are you tough enough
when your Joseph is thrown into prison?" His point was this: Let's not
automatically pray for our Josephs to be released from prison. Maybe God
wants them to stay in prison so that they might deliver others. I need
to view persecution in that light.
7:22
AM
Yesterday I learned that a friend of mine is being
divorced by his wife. She has found intimacy with another man. I am
heartbroken over the situation.
Why do
so many of us – men and women – fail to find true intimacy in marriage?
Why do young people complain that they were never understood by their
father or mother? Why do a son and father speak of a closeness once
possessed but now lost? Why it is it that we find it so difficult to
maintain deep and lasting relationships? Why do we men so often complain
of a lack of close friends? All these questions have been brewing in my
mind of late. Why, in this very blog, do I so often find it difficult to
be transparent and honest? Am I, too, afraid of intimacy?
Right
now Becky is writing the fourth chapter in her spiritual autobiography.
This chapter will deal with her married life, her vocations, her family.
I don't have any idea what she will write about our marriage. But with
Becky I can say that I've found a genuine slice of intimacy in my life.
B has become my friend, my teammate, my partner. There have been
exultant moments and there have been despairing moments, bright sunshine
and stormy interludes. But we are still in love with each other. One of
the greatest gifts Becky has given me is the knowledge of how to love
others – the importance of committing to a relationship, nourishing it,
being willing to give even if it means giving more than I got back. I'm
learning how to be open with my feelings and thoughts. I'm a very rich
man as a result of these lessons I've learned from Becky.
A man I
greatly admire is Robertson McQuilken of Columbia, South Carolina.
Here's a man who knows a thing or two about intimacy. When his wife
developed Alzheimer's, he resigned as president of a college because he
decided that the situation required him to provide fulltime attention to
his wife Muriel. "After all," he told a reporter, "she cared for me for
nearly four decades; now it's my turn." Amazing, isn't it? I'd call that
raising the bar for marriage. It was not easy for him to watch his wife
slide into dementia. He is a role model to me about the joys and pain of
lifelong love.
Marriage, as I've discovered over the past 33 years, never comes at a
discounted rate. You pay full price or nothing at all. Faults, pain,
flaws – Becky and I have seen it all, and, by the grace of our kind God,
we are still together. I’ve begun praying daily for my dear friend. I'm
thankful he came to me and shared his torment. Marriage is a deep
mystery. It is, in fact, terrifying. In it we find forces at work in
ourselves that have never before been fully submitted to our vows and
promises. I hope and pray that the moment will come when my friend and
his wife (the divorce is not yet final) will both experience a rush of
energy to unpack the conflict, bringing resolution to something that
right now seems so shattered. God is able to do this. He can heal a
broken marriage. How I pray that He will.
7:03
AM
Read
More PhD Recommendations. Students
note well: It is perfectly fine, a thing to be encouraged in fact, for
you to publish journal articles before receiving your doctorate.
Please don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Sure, you haven't "arrived
yet," but I've got news for you – none of us has, and that includes
well-published scholars. So I say: Go for it!
Monday,
September 6
8:48
PM
I dare not forget to say thank you to all those who have written us
emails during Becky's hospital stay, emails that have come from Tokyo
and the Bahamas and every place in between it seems, many of them from
complete strangers. We deeply appreciate each one of you.
8:22
PM
Here I am, back home again, jogging through a stack of preparations for
my Tuesday and Wednesday classes at the seminary. Liz has spelled me at
the hospital (enjoy the sofa bed and free crackers, Lizzy Pie!). Becky's
condition is steadily improving and I'm hopeful she will be discharged
tomorrow morning. Maybe I'm just an old-fashioned guy, but I still think
hospitals are good places to get sick in, and I'd much rather have Bec
resting in her own bed. I can tell you, it's good to be back
home again. Here's the view that greeted me when I turned on to our
driveway.
A second cutting of
hay is a huge blessing from the Lord and one we don't take for granted
here. And here's a pic or two of family:
Matt, Liz, and the
boys enjoyed visiting Mama B at UNC:
As did Nate, Jess,
and Nolan (here's Mr. Blue Eyes himself wiggling out of his mask):
And here's a
balloon that says, quite ungrammatically, "Me loves you," the "me"
meaning all of us, honey!
On the drive home
today I was strangely nostalgic, thinking about the heritage I will one
day leave to my children and grandchildren. More than ever, I'm
beginning to realize that the most important lesson for our children
today is the lesson of faith. Not faith in one's job or the economy or
our intellectual attainments. Not faith in all of our human
achievements. But faith in God -- the God who created each one us, who
made everything from absolutely nothing. Faith in the God who has the
power to see everything, who understands our deepest heartaches, who has
all authority, who alone has the power to forgive sins and to restore
broken relationships. Faith in the God who who can keep us from
wallowing in despair and self-pity. Do I have such faith? Sometimes I
feel like a miserable failure in this area of my life. But if I want the
next generation to have such faith I must first possess it, and possess
it in quantity.
Of course, faith is
merely the by-product of knowing God's Word. That's why, I suppose,
Becky is always asking us to read Scripture to her. She seems to
understand what I so often fail to realize -- that to meet successfully
the curve-balls that life tosses at us we need faith in the eternal God,
and this faith comes only by being saturated with His Word. To be honest
with you, tonight I am seeking faith, faith that replaces worry, faith
that my Heavenly Father knows our needs and will supply each and every
one of them, faith that I can overcome the temptations and lure of an
abundance of nice, enjoyable things that make no difference in eternity,
faith in God's promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." I am
groping to find God's supreme will in the midst of my confusion. I am
grasping the rope of faith swinging from His hands, reminding myself of
His words, "Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify me" (Psalm 50:15).
So, God is still on
the throne. Right now He is there with Becky, even though I am not. And
He is with me -- and you too. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Friday,
September 3
9:15
PM
Right now we're off to UNC Hospital. Becky's being admitted. She's
running a fever and I suspect they'll put her on strong antibiotics.
I'll update you when I can.
Trusting Jesus!
Dave
7:44
PM
Now here's a delightful email!
I was looking for something about
another local church today, so I checked on their blog. When I
first started reading, I quickly observed that the “pastors” were
highlighted. I went to BH site, the great one that you do, and
noticed right away that it was about the body. You have small pics
of leaders, and don’t go on and on about them, and it is very
obvious that they do not have center stage on the hill. Yes, they
have leadership roles, but so do some other folks that you have
listed. Great job!!!
(Note: "BH" stands for "Bethel Hill," our
home
church in Roxboro, NC).
6:14
PM
Farm vignettes:
1) Dog patrol.
2) Off to check the mail.
3) The cattle are happy.
4) Front yard soccer game.
Life is good.
6:14
PM
Becky's dad has been sending us old pictures for Becky to use in her
book. Here's one showing the family about to leave for Kenya in their
Land Rover. Isn't it fantastic?
How thankful we are that Mr. Lapsley had the foresight to document their
stay in Africa. These pictures are worth millions to us today. Interested in the
people in this photo? They are all Lapsleys except Becky's cousin (third
from left). Otherwise we have Brad, Betty, Becky, Bonnie, Barbara,
Beverly, Ben, and -- the caboose -- Lisa.
2:08
PM
Quote of the day (Hudson Taylor):
God isn't looking for people of great faith, but for individuals
ready to follow Him.
12:57
PM
Please, churches, heed this warning:
If a gathering of the
church is dependent on the spiritual life and faithfulness of one
man, then that congregation is inherently going to have a weak
spiritual life and faithfulness. You don’t get to shirk your calling
as a Christian by relying on a preacher. You don’t grow in the faith
by watching someone else tell you about growing in the faith. You
can’t blame someone else for “not feeding you”.
12:33
PM
Here's the latest on our Becky Lynn. Her blood counts have not improved,
and the staff at UNC is very concerned. If her platelets drop any lower,
or if she should develop a fever, Becky will be hospitalized
immediately. I will be taking her temperature several times a day and
having her blood drawn daily until we jump this hurdle. The long and
short of it is that Becky has no immune system. The chemo saw to that.
Right now she is resting comfortably in our bedroom, Bible by her side.
So there you have
it. Love you guys and so grateful for your prayers!
Dave
10:58
AM
Don't miss Alvin Reid's latest essay,
What Is a Seminary Professor? I, for
one, think that Alvin is more than qualified to tell the rest of us what
a good seminary prof looks like (sans the snake, of course).
10:50
AM
Markan priority is based partly on the so-called linguistic data. We discussed an example in our
Linguistics Seminar on Wednesday. Notice that Mark's "incorrect" grammar
(he uses the middle voice in Mark 10:20) has been "corrected" by Matthew
and Luke to the active voice.
Of course, this is nothing but
philological voodoo. Arguments like this one fail because they are too
subjective. (1) Perhaps Mark intended a reflexive sense ("All these
things I have kept myself from since I became a young man"). (2)
Perhaps Mark is imitating the language of the LXX (where the middle
voice is used far more frequently than the active in contexts dealing
with the commandments of God). Either way, the internal evidence is far
too subjective to do anything more than perform a corroborating
function. One wonders, then, why these arguments
are still being touted in New Testament studies.
Next week: How morphology helps us to
use Greek in ministry.
10:30
AM
Just took Becky in for her blood work. Should have the results in an
hour or two. What will her white count be?
8:38
AM
As promised, here's an excerpt from chapter 3 of Becky's autobiography:
As part of my preparation for the mission field, I
figured that I needed a husband who was spiritual. What better place to
find such a person than in the Bible Department? At that time, the
Bible Department had the largest number of majors in the College,
followed by the Nursing Department. So I kept my eyes open and began
dating men in the Bible major.
Boy, was I in for a shock! As already written, my
whole thinking and worldview was different from any of my peers, largely
because of my upbringing in Ethiopia, but also because God matured me in
Him so deeply in my high school years. And what I found in these Bible
majors were men who were as spiritually shallow, vain and frivolous as
the rest of civilization!
In November, 1973, I'd had enough. I "met" with the
Lord in my dorm room to discuss the situation. I readily admit that the
communication was one-way; I don't remember a thing He "said," but I
remember well what I said. "Lord, I'd rather go to Ethiopia single than
married to a man to whom I must be a spiritual mother! So, let's just
forget about a husband. That part of the plan is hereby deleted." After
this "conversation" with the Lord, I was so happy and free! A big load
had been lifted from me. Now the road to Ethiopia was wide open!
Little did I know that the Lord was about to
introduce His choice for me...and it would be a Bible major! About 2
weeks later I was standing in line at the cafeteria. It was about 6 pm,
and I was due to be at work at 6:30. (I worked at the college
switchboard; it was the old-fashioned kind with all the cords and
switches!) As I waited in line, I looked toward the door and saw a
tall man helping his blind roommate through the door. "There's your
husband," the Lord said to me, as clear as if He were standing beside me
in person! I thought to myself, "Maybe I should remind Him of our
discussion"; then I answered myself, "No, He knows."
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind of His
word to me, and there was no doubt of my accepting His decision. From
the moment He spoke, I accepted His appointment. As Dave and Rubens came
behind me in line, Dave offered me a chocolate-covered macadamia nut
candy; he had just received a box from his mother in Hawaii. I thought
to myself, "You don't know this, but you are offering this to your
future wife." I ate the nut (Dave's version is that I've been nuts over
him ever since!), moved through the cafeteria line, and sat down at one
of the tables. Dave and Rubens joined me, but our meal together was
short, as I had to be at work soon.
It took Dave 2 years and 8 months to come to the
conclusion that I was meant to be his wife. During that time we "dated"
off and on. Many people said, "When are you two going to get engaged?!"
I wasn't in any hurry. I knew he was taken; we were already engaged on
the Lord's books, and that was good enough for me. Besides, I needed to
finish nursing school.
But my goal for finishing nursing school had now
changed. Marriage trumped Missions, and Obedience trumped Overseas. As
Dave and I talked, it became clear that Dave was not appointed to
mission work; his heart was in education. As a wife, it was my part to
bend to him, not the other way around.
My love for Ethiopia, my interest in mission work,
and my desire to use my gifts and abilities for people less advantaged
remained in me. But I was no longer footloose and fancy free; I was
bound to work alongside another, yoked together. My plans for my life
had to be voluntarily submitted to the life work of the man to whom I
had been appointed.
I completed my bachelor's degree, graduated on a
Saturday in June, 1976, and drove off with my family. Where I came from,
if a woman is not engaged to be married, she is to return to her home
upon graduation. So returning to Dallas with my family was never
questioned. As Dave says, when he watched me go away in that big van,
something happened inside him. He was lost. He phoned our pastor's
wife, Doris Hakes, and 2 days later she sat across from him at lunch and
said, "Don't you know you're 'spose to marry that girl?" With this clear
guidance, he wasted no time! I had figured that he would come to Dallas
in September and we would be married in December....instead, he came to
Dallas in July and we were married 6 weeks later.
On September 11, 1976, the Lord culminated our
marriage at Grace Bible Church in Dallas, Texas. It was the first
afternoon wedding in that church. It was a relatively simple affair. My
sisters served as my bridesmaids, arrayed in a rainbow of colors, and an
assortment of men, including blind Rubens Marshall, served as Dave's
groomsmen. I sewed my wedding dress and my mother made the bridesmaids'
dresses. Dave and his groomsmen wore traditional Hawaii wedding dress of
white shirt and white slacks. I carried a cascading bouquet and Dave had
a maile vine lei draped over his shoulders. As part of our ceremony,
we placed pikake leis around our mothers. For myself, all of this
wedding hoopla was for the benefit of my parents and others who had
supported me over the years; I could not deny them the joy of my wedding
day. As far as I was concerned, just say the magic words to make me his
wife....everything else could be chucked away! The simple African girl
was showing again :)
To this day "Mrs. Black" is my favorite name.
Thursday,
September 2
10:02
PM
Newsflash! Bec's just finished writing chapter 3 of her book My
Spiritual Journey. In it she describes how she and I met and
eventually married. My, my, isn't THAT interesting reading! Warning: I
may post an excerpt tomorrow. In the meantime I couldn't help but post
these two photos, one taken when Becky was a child and their family was
vacationing at Lake Bishoftu, the other taken in 2004 when Becky and I
visited the same place on my first trip to Utopia. For all I know we
could have been in the exact same boat!
8:39
PM
Will Hurricane Earl dump any rain on the Piedmont? I hope not. Nate's
been cutting and baling and still has a couple of fields to go. God
knows.
8:12
PM
Here's a neat picture. It shows Matthew homeschooling the boys this
morning. Brings back tons of memories of Becky and I doing the same. The
generations just keep racing on!
1:39
PM
Dear blogging friends,
During these
challenging days I find myself continually drawn to Jesus and His
upside-down kingdom, where weak is strong and down is up. Thanks be to
God, the kingdom is big enough to include limping pilgrims like myself.
I've tried to put my thoughts into writing in my latest essay at our
home page. It's called
How to Pray for Us. I write as a
husband who is especially grateful for the 34 years (as of this Sept.
11) that God has given Becky and me to enjoy each other's friendship.
And I deeply appreciate the kindness of so many of you who have told us
you are praying for us. Jesus is not powerless. But He never used power
for self-gain. He served at the bottom of the ladder, not at the top.
This means that I should be willing to do the same and never presume
upon His divine authority to advance my own personal agenda. Such is the
gist of my latest essay, which I hope you will find to be an
encouragement as you negotiate the unexpected twists and turns in your
own walk with Jesus.
Peace,
Dave
1:12
PM
Just asked by our student development department to recommend
outstanding students for our Th.M. program. Glad to do it. We've got
dozens of them.
8:02
AM
Wonderful email reminder this morning from a dear friend of ours:
I just read your blog
post from last night. So sorry to hear this news. It shocks us,
but not Him. It saddens us, but it is part of what He is doing. Our
responses to His work may go up and down as His plan unfolds. We
pray that your surrender to Him will continue to be 100% in all
things!
Amen!
7:56
AM
Just a quick program note.
Southern Evangelical Seminary in
Charlotte is hosting me on Friday, Sept. 17. Here's the schedule. Hope
to see some of you there.
6:30pm -
7:45pm - Lecture on the historical origins
of the Gospels.
7:45pm -
8:00pm - Break
8:00pm
- 8:30pm - Q&A dealing with the lecture.
8:30pm -
9:30pm - Report about my mission work in
Africa and the Middle East
7:50
AM
Yesterday, as we went over my essay "New Testament Semitisms" (The Bible Translator 39, pp.
215-223)
in our LXX class (summarized
here), I thought of this quote by
Martin Luther:
Wenn ich jünger wäre, so wollte ich
diese Sprache lernen, denn ohne sie kann man die heilige Schrift
nimmermehr recht verstehen. Denn das neue Testament, obs wol
griechisch geschrieben ist, doch ist es voll von Ebraismis und
hebräischer Art zu reden. Darum haben sie recht gesagt: Die Ebräer
trinken aus der Bornquelle, die Griechen aber aus den Wässerlin, die
aus der Quelle fließen, die Lateinischen aber aus den Pfützen.
If I were
younger I would want to learn this language, because without it one
can never truly understand the Holy Scriptures. For the New
Testament, although it is written in Greek, is full of Hebraisms and
betrays the Hebrew style of writing. Therefore they have rightly
said, the Hebrews drink from the spring, the Greeks out of the small
stream which flows from the spring, but the Latins drink out of the
pools.
—Tischreden
(“Table Talk”), vol. 1, p. 525.
7:42
AM
Today and tomorrow I'm working on the revision of my doctoral
dissertation Paul Apostle of Weakness. I've decided to reissue
the first 6 chapters essentially as I wrote them some 30 years ago. A
seventh chapter will bring the conversation up to date. The original
book was the result of a lot of hard work and not only by me -- Becky
typed it for me on a machine known only to ante-deluvians, a typewriter.
I've discovered that my basic conclusions haven't changed in all these
years. I say this as an encouragement to all of my doctoral students who
are currently in the dissertation phase of their studies. There are 3
things nobody can deny who has endured this phase of their program:
1) It takes longer
than you expected.
2) It requires
greater determination than you figured.
3) It is more
difficult than you anticipated.
What keeps you
going -- and, hopefully, sane -- is hope. Hope that God will use your
paltry words to edify His church. Hope that your new discoveries will
rub off on the world of scholarship. Hope that the thoughts residing in
your head will bless others as they read them in your book. Just
remember: It takes time, lots of it. But I urge you to stay at it. Pay
the price so that others can reap the benefit. If I could do it, anybody
can. And, when you consider the alternative, it's well worth the
investment of time and effort.
7:30
AM
A reader sends along this astute observation from the great
Neutestamentler H. C. D. Moule:
Dave:
Regarding Hebrews' authorship, I thought this was interesting:
"Nor is
any positive answer offered to a question to which, assuredly, no
such answer can be given, the question, namely, of the authorship.
In my opinion, in face of all that I have read to the contrary, it
still seems at least possible that the ultimate author was
St. Paul. All, or very nearly all, the objections to his name which
the phenomena of the Epistle prima facie present, and some
of which lie unquestionably deep, seem to be capable of a
provisional answer if we assume, what is so conceivable, that the
Apostle committed his message and its argument, on purpose, to a
colleague so gifted, mentally and by the Spirit, that he might be
trusted to cast the work into his own style. The well-known remark
of Origen that only God knows who "wrote" the Epistle appears to me
to point (if we look at its context) this way. Origen surely means
by the "writer" what is meant in Romans 16:22. Only, on the
hypothesis, the amanuensis of our Epistle was, for a special purpose
presumably, a Christian prophet in his own right."
From:
Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews by Handley C. G.
Moule (London: Elliot Stock, 1909), pp. v-vi (from the Preface).
Moule
(1841-1920) was Anglican Bishop of Durham (1901-1920) and a prolific
author. He has many commentaries to his credit, as I'm sure you
know.
So, it
sounds like he was at least dancing around the idea that Paul was
the author.
Of course he did. If we take Origen
seriously (and refuse to take his comments out of context), he would
certainly have denied directly Lukan authorship.
Wednesday,
September 1
9:32
PM
Quote of the day (Allan Bevere):
Parishioners need to
know that their pastor is a human being; they don't need to come to
the conclusion that she or he could be a guest on The Jerry
Springer Show.
9:06
PM
Jessie sent us this pic of Mr. Nolan. Isn't he growing? Thank you,
Jessica!
8:45
PM
Received this wonderful email today from our brother Oshe in Burji,
Ethiopia:
I called all Burji
churches for prayer on your situation, All churches joins together
for prayer last Saturday, from each churches 4-5 leader came in
Soyama hall for over night prayer. On Sunday morning when they left
each leader promised to pray continually in their churches until our
God answered our prayer for you.
With 34 churches, this means that over
150 people prayed all night for our Becky Lynn. Amazing!
Below: Some of the church elders in
Burji, clapping and praising God. The melanin-challenged faranji to
the left is none other than Bethel Hill's own Ed Johnson, head of our
construction crew.
8:23
PM
Greetings fellow bloggers! It's been a wild two days since I
last updated this blog. As you know, Bec and I were scheduled to fly to
Dallas tomorrow morning to pay a 5-day visit to her mom and dad. The
trip has been cancelled. Becky's white count has dropped through the
floor (it's now a mere 0.3 and possibly still sinking). Her platelets
are also extremely low. It's the result of the chemo drug she began
taking a week ago today -- Adriamycin. We have decided (in concert with
Becky's medical team at UNC) to stop this therapy immediately. In the
long term this means that the only options available to us are
experimental drugs offered though clinical trials. In the short term
this of course means that Becky will be susceptible to all kinds of
infections. We're praying that she will weather this storm and that her
white count will improve within the next few days. Meanwhile we are in
"extreme caution" mode around the house and taking every precaution to
ward off germs. Poor Becky, she's now "grounded," but at least she's not
in the hospital enjoying reverse isolation!
I received this
news today just as I was coming off of four exceptional classes at
school, including our Ph.D. Linguistics Seminar (which Andy Bowden, who
blogs
here, taught this week). Here's Andy discussing the relevance
of phonology for New Testament studies.
How esoteric can
you get? And here's my tag team partner Bob Cole waxing elephant in our
LXX class about some obscure point of Hebrew grammar as we exegeted
Psalm 1 in both Greek and Hebrew. And I thought I was guilty of
rabbit trails!
I told the LXX
class (in all honesty) that there are only 4 tools I really need for
biblical exegesis: (1) my Greek New Testament, (2) my Hebrew Old
Testament, (3) my Hebrew New Testament, and (4) my Greek Old Testament.
Everything else is a mere supplement to these essential tools!
As for my other
classes this week, Greek 1 is off to a great start, with more than half
of the class getting a perfect 109 on the first quiz (9 extra credit
points were offered). I'm so proud of you guys and gals! And in Hebrews
class we were led in an excellent discussion of the letter's first two
paragraphs, 1:1-4 and 1:5-14. The opening paragraph -- what a
masterpiece of brief but lucid theology! There is a very close
connection between these verses and everything that follows in the book.
The author does not even identity himself, so eager is he to call
attention to the divine authorship of all Scripture. As he sees it,
Christianity brings to every person what every person needs, and all of
it is to found in a Son (not the capital "S"). It is a very
subtle and beautiful treatment of the superiority of Christianity for
those who have eyes to see it and knowledge enough of the New Covenant
to grasp it.
But to end where I
began: the news of Becky's condition hit me in the solar plexus, but at
the same time I've just been reminded by Heb. 1:3 that Christ Himself
holds all things together -- even cancer-ridden patients and their
bedraggled husbands -- by His powerful Word. Praise His name!