Kevin Stilley

Archives for August 2013

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The Meaning of Holiness : Discussion Questions

Topic: The Meaning of Holiness
Speaker: R.C. Sproul
Scripture: Matthew 6:9

Can you define the word “holy”? Is it just a synonym for moral purity?

In the Scriptures there are two basic meanings to the word “holy”. The secondary meaning of holiness is personal righteousness and purity. The primary meaning of the word holy is  – separate, that which is other.  What does it mean to be “other”?

How is God holy?

What makes something a holiday?

What makes something holy? What is the difference between the profane and what is holy?

Can a person become holy?  How?

Why are we frightened by the holiness of God, while at the same time being attracted to it?

The Lord’s Prayer includes a desire that the Lord’s name be treated as holy.  Do you think that modern Christians evidence this commitment to the holiness of God’s name? Is God’s name often treated in a frivolous manner?

Is it possible for people to honor God and at the same time fail to revere His name?

Do you mirror and reflect the character of God to a dying world?

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This is the fifth lecture in the Ligonier teaching series The Holiness of God.

The Ligonier website describes the series as follow,

“The Holiness of God examines the meaning of holiness and why people are both fascinated and terrified by a holy God. This series closely explores God’s character, leading to new insights on sin, justice, and grace. The result is a new awareness of our dependence upon God’s mercy and a discovery of the awesomeness of His majestic holiness. Dr. R.C. Sproul says, “The holiness of God affects every aspect of our lives — economics, politics, athletics, romance — everything with which we are involved.”

Discussion questions and video for the rest of the series can be found at the following links:

  1. The Importance of Holiness
  2. The Trauma of Holiness
  3. Holiness and Justice
  4. The Insanity of Luther
  5. The Meaning of Holiness
  6. The Holiness of Christ

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Related

R.C. Sproul references Rudolf Otto’s book on holiness.  You can get it as an ebook for only 99 cents.

Check out the Ligonier website for additional resources.

Holiness – Select Quotes

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Book Cover | Book Cover | Book Cover | Book Cover | Book Cover

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Actual Stilley Household Conversations

Conversation #1

Me: “Are you going to wear that?”

Son: “Yes.”

Me: “Well, at least comb your hair.”

Son: “Why? We are just going to Wal-Mart.”

I fully expect to someday see his picture on the internet under the heading “The People of Wal-Mart.

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Conversation #2

[Sound of crashing/spilling from upstairs . . . ]

Child 1: “Uh Oh!”

Wife: “What spilled up there?”

Child 2: “Toxic acid and we will all be dead in minutes.”

At least this way I won’t have to worry about seeing pictures of my kids on The People of Wal-Mart.

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Bad Elements?

Book CoverI couldn’t help but smile at this reference to Baptist churches in Rick Riordan’s book The Widower’s Two Step.  Now, now, Mr. Riordan – we’re really not all that scary, are we?

“The Hyde Park neighborhood is not quite as snooty as the name implies.  It’s equal part college kid, aging hippie, and aging yuppie. Its got its share of bad elements — sleazy laundromats, dilapidated student housing, Baptist churches.”

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Good Advice For Young Men?

Twenty-seven years ago at a Baptist Men’s Brotherhood breakfast the featured speakers stood in front of us with his fifteen-year-old son at his side.

“I am going to ask you this morning to do me and my son a great honor; I am going to ask you to speak into his life. Will you share with him out of your own personal experience some of the wisdom you have gained. What is the best advice you can give my son about the way he live’s his life.”

One by one men began to rise and share from their heart.

Many years have gone by but I thought about that morning recently when I read the following list of practical advice put together by H. Jackson Brown, Jr..

  1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

  2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.

  3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

  4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

  5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.

  6. Be generous.

  7. Have a grateful heart.

  8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

  9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.

  10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.

  11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

  12. Commit yourself to quality.

  13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationship with people you love and respect.

  14. Be loyal.

  15. Be honest.

  16. Be a self-starter.

  17. Be decisive even it it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.

  18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.

  19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.

  20. Take good care of those you love.

  21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

I have been thinking about the men who are speaking into my own fifteen-year-old son’s life.  What are they are saying?  All of the items listed above are good, but it seems to have some important things missing.

So, I am standing before you with my fifteen-year-old son beside me.

“I am going to ask you to do me and my son a great honor; I am going to ask you to speak into his life. Will you share with him out of your own personal experience some of the wisdom you have gained. What is the best advice you can give my son about the way he live’s his life.”

Please use the comment section below to share your thoughts.

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In the book Teknon and the Champion Warriors, Brent Sapp recommends the following as informative and thoughtful resources for a father to use with his son. What do you think of his recommendations? [There is at least one that I would never consider.] What would you add to his list?

I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Joshua Harris

Right From Wrong, by Josh McDowell

In the Shadow of the Almighty, by Elisabeth Elliott

Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliott

The Book of Virtues, edited by William Bennett

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

The Moral Compass, edited by William Bennett

Dominion, by Randy Alcorn

Left Behind, by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins

This Present Darkness, by Frank E. Peretti

Piercing the Darkness, by Frank E. Peretti

The Testament, by John Grisham

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Fathers and Sons – select quotes

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Christology bibliography

I believe that the following bibliography for the study of Christology was compiled a few years ago by some of the faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Strongly Recommended Texts:

Denney, J. The Death of Christ. Tyndale,1951; Paternoster, 1997.

Green, J. B., and M. D. Baker. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross. Paternoster, 2000.

Hawthorne, Gerald F., and Ralph P. Martin, eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993

I. H. Marshall, The Origins of New Testament Christology (IVP, 19902)

Reference:

There are important articles on most of the key terms in the four IVP reference volumes: the required Dictionary of Paul and his Letters (DPL), as well as Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (DJG), Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments (DLNTD), and Dictionary of New Testament Background (Consult all 4 volumes, since sometimes a topic is covered in more than one volume). See also the articles in NIDNTT (not quite so up-to-date and patchy) and the more technical articles in TDNT.

Recommended reading

Relevant articles in the four IVP Dictionaries of the New Testament.

R. N. Longenecker (ed.), Contours of Christology in the New Testament (Eerdmans, 2005)

J. R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Leicester; Inter-Varsity Press, 1986).

B. Witherington, III, The Many Faces of the Christ (New York: Crossroad, 1998).

I. Bradley, The Power of Sacrifice (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1995).

M. Casey, From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1991).

A. J. Hultgren, Christ and His Benefits (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988).

L. W. Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003).

B. Witherington, III, The Christology of Jesus (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990).

General
(Books marked with * are introductory.)

The person of Christ

*R. E. Brown, An Introduction to New Testament Christology

R. Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament

G. B. Caird, New Testament Theology

C. C. Caragounis, The Son of Man

M. Casey, Son of Man

M. Casey, From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God

J. H. Charlesworth (ed.), The Messiah

O. Cullmann, The Christology of the New Testament

C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel

J. D. G. Dunn, Christology in the Making SCM

J. D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle

R. H. Fuller, The Foundations of New Testament Christology

J. B. Green & M. Turner, Jesus of Nazareth: Lord and Christ

F. Hahn, The Titles of Jesus in Christology

M. J. Harris, Jesus as God

M. Hengel, The Son of God

M. Hengel, Studies in Early Christology

J. Hick (ed.), The Myth of God Incarnate

M. D. Hooker, The Son of Man in Mark

L. Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ

M. de Jonge, Christology in Context

S. Kim, The Origin of Paul’s Gospel

S. Kim, “The ‘Son of Man’” as the Son of God

W. Kramer, Christ, Lord, Son of God

B. Lindars, Jesus Son of Man

R. N. Longenecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period

R. N. Longenecker (ed.), Contours of Christology in the New Testament

*I. H. Marshall, The Origins of New Testament Christology

I. H. Marshall, Jesus the Saviour: Studies in NT Theology

R. P. Martin. Carmen Christi

*C. F. D. Moule, The Origin of Christology

J. Neusner (et al.), Judaisms and their Messiahs

P. Pokorný, The Genesis of Christology

M. A. Powell and D. R. Bauer, Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology

H. H. Rowdon (ed.), Christ the Lord

P. Satterthwaite (ed.), The Lord’s Anointed

S. S. Smalley, John: Evangelist and Interpreter

V. Taylor, The Person of Jesus in New Testament Teaching

C. Tuckett (ed.), The Messianic Secret

J. Verheyden, The Unity of Luke-Acts

G. Vermes, Jesus the Jew

G. Vos, The Self-Disclosure of Jesus

B. Witherington, III, The Christology of Jesus

*B. Witherington, III, The Many Faces of the Christ

N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God

The work of Christ

C. E. Arnold, Powers of Darkness

R. T. Beckwith and M. J. Selman, Sacrifice in the Bible

W. H. Bellinger, Jr. and W. R. Farmer (ed.), Jesus and the Suffering Servant

I. Bradley, The Power of Sacrifice

R. J. Daly, The Origins of the Christian Doctrine of Sacrifice

J. Denney, The Death of Christ

J. T. Forestell, The Word of Salvation

R. B. Gaffin, Jr, The Centrality of the Resurrection: A Study in Paul’s Soteriology

J. B. Green and M. D. Baker, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross

D. Hill, Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings

A. J. Hultgren, Christ and His Benefits

A. T. Hanson, The Paradox of the Cross in the Thought of St Paul

M. Hengel, The Atonement

M. D. Hooker, Jesus and the Servant

W. Horbury & B. McNeil, Suffering and Martyrdom in the New Testament

R. Leivestad, Christ the Conqueror

B. H. McLean, ‘The absence of an atoning sacrifice in Paul’s soteriology’, NTS 38 (1992), 531-55.

B. H. McLean, The Cursed Christ: Mediterranean Expulsion Rituals and Pauline Soteriology

*I. H. Marshall, The Work of Christ

R. P. Martin, Reconciliation

G. F. Moore, Judaism in the first centuries of the Christian era: The age of the Tannaim

L. Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross

*L. Morris, The Cross in the New Testament

J. I. Packer, Celebrating the Saving Work of God

J. S. Pobee, Persecution and Martyrdom in the Theology of Paul

E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism

T. Smail, One and For All: A Confession of the Cross

D. M. Stanley, Christ’s Resurrrection in Pauline Soteriology

J. R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ

V. Taylor, Jesus and his Sacrifice

V. Taylor, The Atonement in New Testament Teaching

V. Taylor, Forgiveness and Reconciliation

D. E. H. Whiteley, The Theology of St Paul

F. Young, Sacrifice and the Death of Christ

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Christian Worldview book recommendations

What are some of the best books on developing and/or maintaining a Christian Worldview?  Below you will find lists of book recommendations from Michael Craven, Chris Leland, Del Tackett, David Noebel, Chuck Edwards, Ron Nash, Paul Copan and others.

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David Noebel and Chuck Edwards

The following books are some of those recommended in Countering Culture: Arming Yourself to Confront Non-Biblical Worldviews, written by David Noebel and Chuck Edwards.

Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs (John Ankerberg and John Weldon)

See The Gods Fall (Francis Beckwith and Stephen Parrish)

The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview (John Newport)

The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue

Emergence: The Rebirth of the Sacred (David Spangler)

America’s Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Insists that Judeo-Christian Values are Vital for our Nation’s Survival (Daniel Lapin)

Death By Government ( R.J. Rummel)

The Quest For Cosmic Justice (Thomas Sowell)

America’s 30 Years War (Balint Vazsonyi)

The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (D.A. Carson)

Feminism and the Bible: An Introduction to Feminism for Christians (Jack Cottrell)

The Feminist Gospel: The Movement to Unite Feminism with the Church (Mary Kassian)

Grand Illusions: The Legacy of Planned Parenthood (George Grant)

The Death of Truth (Dennis McCallum)

The Menace of Multiculturalism (Alvin Schmidt)

The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially (Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher)

Cloning of the American Mind ( B.K. Eakman)

Life at the bottom: The Worldview that makes the Underclass (Theodore Dalrymple)

Poverty and Wealth: Why Socialism Doesn’t Work (Ronald Nash)

You Can Trust The Communists [to be Communists] (Fred Schwarz)

Postmodern Times (Gene Edward Veith)

The Law (Frederic Bastiat)

The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man (J. Budziszewski)

Cloning of the American Mind: Eradicating Morality Through Education (B.K. Eakman)

In Defense of Natural Law (Robert George)

Clergy In the Classroom: The Religion of Secular Humanism (David Noebel, J.F. Baldwin, and Kevin Bywater)

Democracy and the Renewal of Public Education (Richard John Neuhaus)

Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (Michael Behe)

Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science and Theology (William Dembski)

Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (Michael Denton)

Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong (Jonathan Wells)

By Design: Science and the Search for God (Lary Witham)

Body & Soul: Human Nature and the Crisis in Ethics (J.P. Moreland and Scott Rae)

Clergy in the Classroom: The Religion of Secular Humanism (David Noebel, J.F. Baldwin, and Kevin Bywater)

The Intellectuals Speak Out About God (Roy Varghese)

Thieves of Innocence: Protecting Our children From New Age Teachings and Occult Practices (John Ankerberg, Craig Branch, and John Weldon)

Apologetics in the New Age ( Norman Geisler and David Clark)

Humanist Manifesto I and II (Paul Kurtz)

Humanist Manifesto 2000: A Call for a New Planetary Humanism (Paul Kurtz)

The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels)

Mind Siege: The Battle for Truth in the New Millenium (Tim LaHaye and David Noebel)

Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search For Truth

How Now Shall We Live? (Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey)

Children at Risk: The Battle For the Hearts and Minds of Our Kids (James Dobson and Gary Bauer)

How Should We Then Live? (Francis Schaeffer)

Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (Frank Beckwith and Greg Koukl)

True For You, But Not For Me: Deflating The Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless (Paul Copan)

That’s Just Your Interpretation (Paul Copan)

Moral Darwinism: How We Became Hedonists (Benjamin Wiker)

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Chris Leland

The following books are required reading in the course “Christian Worldview Studies” taught by Dr. Chris Leland at Focus on the Family Institute.

Boa, K. D. (2001). Faith has its reasons: An integrative approach to defending Christianity. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

Colson, C. & Pearcey, N. (1999). How now shall we live? Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Guiness, O. (2000). Time for truth: Living free in a world of lies, hype, & spin. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Co.

Hunter, J. D. (1991). Culture wars. The struggle to define America. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Lewis, C.S. (2001). The Abolition of Man. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins
Publishers, Inc.

Medved, M. (1992). Hollywood vs. America. Popular culture and the war on traditional values. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.

Moreland, J. P. (1997). Love your God with all your mind. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress Publishing Group.

Paine, T. (1989). The age of reason. Lyle Stuart Publishers (paperback ed.).

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

Romanowski, W. D. (2001). Eyes wide open. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

Sanders, J. O. (1994). Spiritual leadership. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishing.

Schaeffer, F. A. (1984). The great evangelical disaster. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Sire, J. W. (2004). The universe next door. A basic worldview catalog (4th ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

White, H. (2006). Postmodernism 101: A first course for the curious Christian. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

The syllabus describes the course as follows – – –

DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this course is to provide academic instruction on the importance of and ability to communicate God’s truth to others in Christian love. In this course, that means exploring the issues of truth, how we arrive at truth, and what we do with truth. In order to accomplish this, one must (1) believe what it is to have an “ultimate purpose in living,” (2) be able to “know” God, and (3) be willing and able to impact the individuals, families and communities around us. A significant part of this evangelistic perspective is better understanding what we believe and why, as well as knowing what the other, prevailing worldviews in society propose and why. Ultimately, we must be fully prepared to give the world an answer to questions about life and death and truth and love and God, or as the Scriptures say, to “know how you should respond to each person” who asks us about such things (Col. 4:6, NAS trans.).

The Christian Worldview Studies course is designed, therefore, to deepen and broaden the student’s understanding of the core presuppositions of the Christian worldview, and to equip them to evaluate those presuppositions in contrast with other, competing worldviews. The goal is to enable students to think more clearly and critically about the ultimate issues of human existence, so that they may live more purposeful lives and participate more constructively in the larger socio-cultural debate.

The study of worldview constitutes a window through which we can view the nature of man and the nature of his conduct. To that extent, it’s as close as we can get to the core reality or truth of who we are and what we do in life. Knowledge of worldviews is commensurate with acquiring a powerful form of wisdom, that most precious of Biblical commodities that characterized the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do …” (1 Chron. 12:32, NAS trans.). Thus are we also charged with the privilege of understanding our times, that we might instruct America, in both love and truth, what we all together need to do.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
1. To further enhance students’ awareness of the preeminence of evangelism.
2. To further enhance the students’ understanding of the Christian worldview, especially as it contrasts with the other predominant worldviews of today.
3. To empower the student to effectively communicate with those whose worldview differs from the Christian perspective, especially regarding one’s understanding of Jesus Christ and the meaning of truth in today’s world.
4. To further enhance the students’ inner spiritual life, Christian character, and love relationship with God and others.

TOPICS:
• Worldviews in Conflict
• The Christian Mind
* Worldview Leadership
• Christian Theism
• Classical Deism
• Atheistic Naturalism
• Pagan Mysticism
• The Postmodern Crisis
• Feminization of worldviews
• Counterfeit Gods
• Communicating Effectively
• Mass Media Influences
• Contemporary Strategies

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Michael Craven

Michael Craven of the Center For Christ and Culture recommends the following books on understanding and developing a Christian Worldview;

Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity

Christ and Culture

The Opening of the Christian Mind: Taking Every Thought Captive to Christ

Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture

How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture

What Is Truth?: A Comparative Study of the Positions of Cornelius Van Til, Francis Schaeffer, Carl F. H. Henry, Donald Bloesch, Millard Erickson

Building a Christian Worldview

Clash Of Orthodoxies: Law Religion & Morality In Crisis

How Now Shall We Live?

Fit Bodies Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don’t Think and What to Do About It

Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth

The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the

Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia–and How It Died

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Paul Copan

The following books are recommended for further reading in the Introduction to How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?: Responding to Objections That Leave Christians Speechless, by Paul Copan.

On Jesus (Douglas Groothuis)

Love Your God With All Your Mind (J.P. Moreland)

Philosophical Foundations for a Chrstian Worldview (J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig)

Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did ( Randy Newman)

The Divine Conspiracy (Dallas Willard)

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Del Tackett

The following books are required reading in the course Cultural Issues In Christian Perspective taught by Dr. Del Tackett and Dr. Chris Leland, at Focus on the Family Institute.

Boa, K.D. & Bowman, R. M. (2001). Faith has its reasons: An integrative approach to defending Christianity. Colorado Spring, CO: NavPress.

Bonhoeffer, D. (1954). Life together. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

Briner, Bob. (1993). Roaring lambs. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Colson, C. (1999). How now shall we live? Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Colson, C. (2003). Being the body. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group.

de Tocqueville, Alexis. (1835). Democracy in America, (Vol 1). (Reprinted by Vintage Books, New York, 1990).

Dobson, J. (2004). Marriage under fire. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, Inc.

Ellis, E. S. (1884). Not yours to give. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates (Reprinted by Conservative Printing, 2003).

Grudem, W. A. (2003). Business for the glory of God: The Bible’s teachings on the moral goodness of business. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Kavanaugh, P. 1996. Spiritual lives of the great composers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Lewis, C. S. (1974). The abolition of man. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancicso.

Minnery, T. (2001). Why you can’t stay silent: A biblical mandate to shape our culture. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishing/Focus on the Family.

Olasky, M. (1999). The American leadership tradition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Pollock, J. (1996). William Wilberforce: A man who changed his times. Mclean, VA: The Trinity Forum.

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Penguin Books.

Schaeffer, F. A. (1984). The great evangelical disaster. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books

Schmidt, Alvin J. (2004). How Christianity changed the world. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Sire, J. W. (2004). The universe next door. A basic worldview catalog. 4th edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Schlossberg, H. (1990). Idols for destruction: The conflict of Christian faith and American culture.Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Sowell, T. (1995). The vision of the anointed: Self-congratulation as a basis for social policy. New York, NY: Basic Books.

White, H. (2006). Postmodernism 101. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Books.

* * *

The syllabus describes the course as follows – – –

DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to deepen and broaden the student’s understanding of the core assumptions of the Christian worldview, and to apply this perspective to critical issues involving the contemporary family, church, and society. The goal is to enable students to think more clearly about the ultimate issues of human existence so that they may live more purposeful lives and participate more constructively in the calling of the Christians as a transformed and transforming community through which God heals individuals, families and societies.

The course focuses on the central issue of our understanding of the existence and nature of God, human beings, and the world around us. The aim is clearer insight into Christ’s ongoing redemptive work centered in the Christians and Christian community as God’s chief agent of societal change. Christ’s work extends beyond the individual to include all of created reality, especially the social aspects of human experience. Students are encouraged to go beyond mere understanding to actual participation in the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.

OBJECTIVES
1. To awaken the student’s spirit, heart and mind toward God and the world which Christ came to restore.
2. To facilitate the understanding and communication of the essential elements of a Christian worldview, as it contrasts with other competing and counterfeit worldviews.
3. To equip students to develop a biblically and theologically informed understanding of the relationship between social institutions and God’s design for social order.
4. To expose the students to new ways of thinking about social institutions, current issues and pathologies and the Christian’s role in effecting transformation in each sphere of life.
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Ronald Nash

Ronald Nash taught a course on Advanced Worldview Analysis at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

Recommended books for Ronald Nash’s class on Advanced Worldview Analysis included:

Ron Nash, The Closing of the American Heart: What’s Really Wrong with America’s Schools, Probe

Ron Nash, Poverty and Wealth: Why Socialism Doesn’t Work, Probe

Nash & Belli, Beyond Liberation Theology, Baker

Ron Nash, Why the Left is Not Right: The Religious Left: Who Are They and What Do They Believe?, Zondervan

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Why Am I Here?

The study Why: 40 Days Pursuing Answers To Life’s Biggest Questions recommends the following books for answering the question, “Why Am I Here?”

To Everyone An Answer: The Case for the Christian Worldview, by Frances Beckwith, William Lane Craig, & J.P. Moreland

Letters From a Skeptic, by Gregory A. Boyd

I’m Glad You Asked, by Ken Boa and Larry Moody

That’s Just Your Interpretation, by Paul Copan

Reasonable Faith, by William Lane Craig

Why I Am A Christian, by Norman Geisler and Paul Hoffman

Give Me An Answer, by Cliffe Knechtle

Pocket Handbook Of Christian Apologetics, by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli

Know Why You Believe, by Paul Little

How To Give Away Your Faith, by Paul Little

Scaling The Secular City, by J.P. Moreland

The Case For Faith, by Lee Strobel The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren

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RELATED BOOKS

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Your Turn

What books would you add to the lists above?  Share your suggested titles in the comment section below.

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Books to Help You Survive College with Your Faith Intact, by Douglas Grouthuis and Sara Geis

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Commenting on Commentaries on the Book of John

Many years ago I worked for John A. Burns in the Wallace Library. I was always impressed by the breadth of his knowledge of theological literature. Twenty-five years ago the Criswell Theological Journal included an article by Burns entitled Commenting On Commentaries on the Book of John. That has been quite awhile ago, but a survey of his recommendations reveals that most of his suggestions have stood the test of time. Below are some of his recommendations that are still in print.

Books that will assist in the literary study of the Fourth Gospel:

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A study aid for the student that does not require facility of New Testament Greek:

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More resources for the study of key words:

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Resources for background information on John:

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Seminal studies in the Gospel According to John:

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Devotional studies in this gospel:

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For those who can find their way through theological divergences:

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Study guides reinforcing the unity of the book:

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And, four commentaries that are “usable by everyone, their cost is not prohibitive, they have verse-by-verse, exposition of the Greek text, and they are not conditioned by severe and unsympathetic methodologies that are destructive to confidence in the Bible”:

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Baptist History – Daniel Akin

Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books on Baptist History. What would you add to his list?

Baker, R.A. A Baptist Source Book. Nashville: Broadman, 1966.

Brackney, William H., ed. Baptist Life and Thought 1600-1980: A Source Book. Valley Forge: Judson, 1983.

Bush, L. Russ, and Tom Nettles, eds. Baptists and the Bible. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999.

Caner, Emir and Ergun Caner. The Sacred Trust: Sketches of the Southern Baptist Convention Presidents. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003.

_______. The Sacred Desk: Presidential Sermons to the Southern Baptist Convention, 1845-2003. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2004.

Cathcart, William. The Baptist Encyclopedia. Reprint. Paris, AK: The Baptist Standard, 1988.

Dockery, David. Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals: The Conversation Continues. Nashville: Broadman, 1993.

Fletcher, Jesse C. The Southern Baptist Convention: A Sesquicentennial History. Nashville: Broadman, 1994.

George, Timothy and David Dockery, eds. Theologians of the Baptist Tradition. rev. ed. Nashville: Broadman, 2001.

Hankins, Barry. Uneasy In Babylon. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2002.

Harper, Keith. Send the Light: Lottie Moon’s Letters and Other Writings. Macon: Mercer, 2002.

_______. Rescue the Perishing: Selected Correspondence of Annie W. Armstrong. Macon: Mercer, 2004.

Leonard, Bill. Dictionary of Baptists in America. Downers Grove: IVP, 1994.

Lumpkin, W.L. Baptist Confessions of Faith. Philadelphia: Judson, 1959.

McBeth Leon. A Sourcebook for Baptist Heritage. Nashville: Broadman, 1990.

_______ . The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness. Nashville: Broadman, 1987.

Nettles, Tom. By His Grace and for His Glory. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1986.

________ . Teaching Truth and Training Hearts. Amityville, NY: Calvary Press, 1998.

Sutton, Jerry. The Baptist Reformation. Nashville: Broadman, 2000.

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Bibliography of Baptist Studies – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

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