Don’t be impatient with your pastor if he takes a year to go through Romans.
One Puritan preacher spent twenty-five years preaching through the book of Job!
“Joseph Caryl, a member of the Westminster Assembly, published an enormous twelve-volume commentary on the book of Job, an effort that grew out of more than twenty-five years of continually preaching on this single biblical text.”
(From Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality, by Belden Lane).
“A conservative is defined as one who believes in the credibility of Scripture and the edibility of Jonah.”
Peter Kreeft, Boston College
It is always wise to steer clear of speculation and stick with the parameters God has set for our understanding via His revelation. He does not tell us everything, a point sadly missed by too many (see Deut. 29:29; Isa. 55:8,9; I Cor. 13:12).
A helpful perspective can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Skeptical-Believer-Telling-Stories/dp/0970651155/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Again, Dan has some well-chosen quotes to lead off each chapter. Here is one by Samuel Johnson: “The existence of twilight is not an argument against the distinction between night and day.”
Here are a few other things I appreciate from further reading in The Skeptical Believer:
Christianity invites us to a entirely different type of life. Dan does a great job of underscoring the ethical implications of Christianity and how our doubt may involve a whole lot more than just intellectual difficulties.
People who blurb books often say “Chapter 3 is worth the price of the book.” They are obviously wanting to underscore how invaluable that particular section was to them. Well, one of Dan’s chapter titles may be worth the price of the book: “Wanting What You Cannot Have: Certainty as Metaphysical Gluttony.” Noodle on that for a few minutes!
There are some wise reflections on the importance of both story and propositions.
Dan has a wonderful way of taking popular views and turning them on their proverbial head. For example, he argues that it is actually easier to believe when one lives in a skeptical age.
And learn why Satan is our first literary critic!
It is sad how much Christians fight over doctrines which are not essential. We typically call these secondary teachings. From which mode of baptism is biblical to head coverings to predestination, there are all kinds of ways Christians choose to fight amongst themselves.
I came up with a question for those who believe the Bible speaks clearly on one of these non essential doctrines: How do you explain that equally learned and devoted Christians disagree on this issue? Some dodge the force of the question and simply say, “But the Bible clearly teaches God created in six, twenty-four hour days.” At this point I will try to get the person to appreciate that they are saying, even if not explicitly, that the other side is either not as scholarly, not as devoted to God, or perhaps both. If the person does not seem to appreciate these things, my experience has taught me to move on to another subject!
Did you know I wanted to be an interior decorator? Only a few remain interested in fighting with me.
I am grateful to Scot McKnight for bringing my attention to Daniel Taylor’s wonderful book, The Skeptical Believer.
The title is terrific, but I like the subtitle even better: Telling Stories to Your Inner Atheist.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Skeptical-Believer-Telling-Stories/dp/0970651155/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
There are far too many things I like about Dan’s book to do one post, so I am going to do several in the weeks ahead. Those who know me best understand why I would find so much resonance with The Skeptical Believer. You could say I am a “serial doubter.”
Before we embark on Dan’s terrific book, let me say something about its design. Dan’s son, Matthew, designed the book. It is exquisitely and creatively put together. Even though it is beautifully done and almost 400 pages in length, the cost is only $14.95!
*Many Christians feel the compulsion to act like the life of faith is easy and struggle minimal. Dan provides loads of wisdom and breathing room to be more honest with our nagging questions and doubts. And Dan offers humor throughout his book!
*In his inimitable way, Dan does a great job of describing how the old faith v. reason conundrum is bogus. Others have demonstrated this as well, but Dan the literature professor and gifted writer offers us a fresh perspective.
*The Skeptical Believer has one of the best explanations of the power of “story” that I have ever read.
*Daniel Taylor isn’t interested in simply offering witty and well-written words about skepticism. He wants to help us. His section (I won’t tell you the page numbers because I want you to buy the book) on dealing with what he likes to call “clutter” rather than busyness is one of my favorite parts in the first section.
My thought from reading the Psalms today:
We take note of people who we think are impressive. God takes note of us even though we are truly unimpressive!
“O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.”
Ps. 144:3,4
Speculation, rather than relying on God’s revelation, is the very real temptation for all of us. It is fun to bend, twist, imagine, and come up with some new and sexy interpretation of Scripture. Some things in the Bible do involve the struggle of careful interpretation. Many other things are clear, but we just don’t like them. So off we go speculating about other options.
Popular books on “spiritual warfare” contain a great deal of speculation. Here are a few things I found in one such book:
*Demonic Transference
This is a popular belief among several contemporary writers on spiritual warfare. It is not the interpretation you find among the best modern or ancient commentators of Scripture. In fact, noted scholars of Christian missions say it owes more to paganism than Christianity. Here is what I wrote on it for an article I coauthored in the theological journal, Bibliotheca Sacra:
“Though the doctrine of generational transference is widely held, it lacks biblical support. In Ex. 20:4-5 the reference there to ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations’ should be understood as a description of severe judgment in which an individual’s line is cut off, not a transference (demonic or otherwise) of particular sins to the next generation. Actually even the idea of judgment is overshadowed by the grace of God when this formula is repeated elsewhere. Ex. 34:6-7 and Deut. 7:9 demonstrate that God may bring judgment for three or four generations, but His covenant faithfulness extends for a thousand. This promise, coupled with the focus on individual responsibility in Ez. 18:18-22, seems incompatible with the idea of inherited demonic affliction.”
Also, note what is specifically said in the text “of those who hate me” which would not apply to a Christian, and note what is not said: mention of demons.
*Lots of speculation, little revelation
Throughout this book, the author makes many assertions, but gives little or no biblical support. He utilizes the “trust me, I know what I am talking about” approach. When he does cite Scripture as with the “14 spirits” his interpretation is truly unique…not the kind of thing you want anyone saying about the way you handle Scripture!
There are cruel speculations about demons being involved where women have struggles with barrenness, arthritis, etc. Living in a fallen world with a fallen body gets little (I don’t remember any in the book) credit for such challenges.
*The desire for victory makes people vulnerable to spiritual fads.
There is a strong attraction to these kinds of books among those who yearn for much greater victory over their past and present struggles. This vulnerability coupled with a superficial understanding of Christian theology makes for a lethal combination.
*It is not just the Devil!
Our struggle is clearly with demonic powers, but there is also the world and our own sinfulness. Charles Spurgeon said if you took away Satan’s attacks he would still have plenty to battle with his own sin. Paul understood this as well (I Tim. 1:15).
If one looks through the history of the church one will commonly find statements which underscore the ongoing problem of personal sin. Here is John Owen, a Puritan. Owen believed in demons and their ability to discourage believers, but he also appreciated the condition of the human heart: “The man that understands the evil of his own heart, how vile it is, is the only useful, fruitful, and solid believing and obedient person.”
Could too much focus on demons actually be a subtle tactic of Satan’s to get us to believe our problems are mainly external?
*Body, soul, and spirit
Most popular teachers on the Christian life believe we are made up of three parts (=trichotomy), but a word study in the OT and NT reveals that the spirit and the soul are pretty much the same. The three part view is used as justification that we are perfect in our spirit, but fallen in our soul. The more we can realize “who we really are” the less our struggle with sin. Perseverance and struggling in the power of the Holy Spirit (emphases throughout the history of Christianity) tend to get little or no attention from writers of popular books on “spiritual warfare.”
*Citing lots of verses does not mean one is being biblical
Throughout this book we find verses slung out left and right with very little context or explanation.
First, let me say that I know a number of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) graduates who are careful students of the Bible. Among the faithful, I have recently been blessed to meet Jon Davies, the new teaching pastor at Brenham Bible Church. Jon handles the Word with reverence and diligently applies himself in the study. Last, and certainly least, is the fact that I myself am a graduate of DTS. Though I am “agnostic” on certain, secondary doctrines other DTS graduates hold, I remain grateful to God for the indelible impact of both professors and students.
Back to the subject line of this post…That is what I overheard from a theologian who some would say holds to a less than “conservative” position of the Bible.
I was in the bookstore of the seminary where this particular theologian teaches and could not help but eavesdrop on the conversation. The theologian said to her friend, “I was just on vacation and so we went to the church my in-laws attend. A Dallas Seminary guy was preaching. It is amazing how poorly he handled the Scriptures even though he believes in the inerrancy of the Bible. I don’t believe in inerrancy, but I treat the text of the Bible much more carefully than him.”
Holding to inerrancy is no safeguard against handling the Word of God in a sloppy manner. Holding to inerrancy also won’t keep you out of bed with another man’s wife as the evangelical landscape makes painfully clear.
Do you hold to inerrancy? For a few brave souls out there, you may want to declare that you don’t even know what it is, but you have heard it is important!
