New Perspective Song

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A year ago, after doing some reading on the New Perspective on Paul (and getting thoroughly confused by it) I wrote a song about it. I’m sure this must be the first song on the New Perspective! I quickly recorded it planning to come back and polish up the words, singing, drums and guitar parts later, but never got round to it. It looks like I’m never going to find the time to finish it properly, so I’ve put it on my music page in its current form for anyone who’s interested to have a listen. Here’s a direct link to the MP3 (its about 3Mb).

It was inspired by the following article by N T Wright:
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_New_Perspectives.htm

It’s not intended as an endorsement of the New Perspective on Paul, but the debate over it has raised some important issues. Is it possible that, like the Thessalonian Jews, we can be vigourous defenders of scriptural orthodoxy while at the same time being blind to what it is actually saying.

The lyrics are below (the first line is a quote from NTW)

Verse 1:
Self appointed guardians of orthodoxy
The only way we see it is the way its always been
Calamity is looming for those who leave the path
But those who stay in the way will have the last laugh

Verse 2:
Don’t arrogantly tell me you’ve found a better way
Thanks to all this extra knowledge scholars have today
Our revelation’s final, tradition’s set in stone
So if you don’t agree with us, you’re out there on your own

Bridge:
How could it be wrong
We’ve known it for so long
When all we try to do
Is stick to what is true

Verse 3:
Those who went before us, we love their memory
They dared to speak their minds and they were charged with heresy
We follow in their footsteps, hang on their every word
To think they could have got wrong has got to be absurd

Chorus:
We need to find a new perspective
Admit that sometimes we’ve been wrong
There are some things that we know for certain
But we’ve still got a lot to learn

My Commentary Recommendations

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To complement my previous post on online commentary recommendations, and my very own commentary database (no longer updated, please visit http://www.bestcommentaries.com), I thought I would provide some recommendations of my own.

I am only planning to recommend commentaries that I have read myself, so don’t expect one for every book of the Bible, and neither am I just going to list every one I have read. I plan to update the recommendations in the future as I have a chance to do some more reading.

New Testament

Old Testament


Commentary Recommendations

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Updated September 2007 to fix broken links

There are a number of websites with lists of recommended commentaries, but not all are that helpful. Here I will post a list of what I believe to be the most useful sets of commentary recommendations on the internet. The recommendations come from an evangelical perspective.

Denver Seminary have recommendations for the Old Testament and New Testament. There are plenty of choices for each book, with some marked out as being specially appropriate.

Parableman – Commentary Recommendations – This is fairly similar to the Denver list, recommending three different “levels” for each book. It is extremely helpful in providing links to thorough reviews of many of the commentaries recommended.

Desiring God also provide a recommendations list on their website. This is great news, as John Piper knows what he is talking about in the area of Biblical exegesis.

For my own recommendations, see here. Brian Le Stourgeon also has a good list available here.

New Blog Software

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I am trying out the Serendipity blogging software, which should make life a bit easier for me in terms of managing my webpage. If all goes well, I will move all the old entries from my existing blog accross to here.

Apologies if you had some problems recently accessing this site. I have been making a number of changes, but all should be finished before too long.

More 2005 Commentaries

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Some more good news about forthcoming commentaries. The NIGTC series is continuing to progress rapidly with 2 Corinthians (Harris) due out soon. John Nolland has finished his manuscript for the volume on Matthew so hopefully that will be appearing before too long.

The NAC series will also take a few more steps towards completion this year with commentaries on Genesis vol 2(Matthews), Psalms vol 2 (Shepherd), Isaiah vol 1 (Walker) and 1 Corinthians (Guthrie) due out this year.

Tom Wright is also preparing commentaries on Philippians and Galatians, although I don’t know what series these will be for.

The Jerry Springer Opera goes ahead

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We’ve all no doubt heard a lot in the media recently about the Jerry Springer Opera that the BBC will be showing this evening despite a deluge of complaints from Christians. I thought I would add a few thoughts of my own to the the debate:

1. Everyone has standards of taste and decency

Many people have been angered that Christians should attempt to stop them watching something that they would genuinely enjoy and not feel at all offended by. But all of us surely have some standards that we would expect the BBC (or in fact any broadcaster) to adhere to. For example, which of the following things would you be happy to see broadcast on BBC2? The list includes some topics that I have heard debated recently on BBC radio.

  • The video of the beheading of Kenneth Bigley
  • A performance of a homophobic hate rap
  • An evangelistic sermon warning that all who don’t accept Jesus will face Hell
  • An anti-Semitic comedy
  • A Creation-Science documentary rejecting evolution as fraudulent and bad science.
  • A hard-core pornographic film

It should also be apparent as you consider this list that the idea that you have to first see something to have an opinion on whether it is suitable for public broadcast is ridiculous. As long as you have reliable information on the contents, then that is enough to allow an informed decision.

2. This program is merely one example of a broadcast that causes offence to Christians.

There are a number of different things that can cause offence to Christians:

  • Blasphemy – particularly the use of the names of God or Jesus as curses, or representing them in degrading or mocking ways.
  • Foul and obscene language, gratuitous violence and explicit sexual content.
  • Misrepresentation or mockery of Christian belief and Christians themselves. (Often by the means of vilifying or belittling those characters who represent them in dramas or comedies)
  • Promotion of ethics and philosophies that are in direct opposition to those of Christianity. (This can include all sorts of things from the encouraging sex outside of marriage to denying the existence of God).

This list is no secret – the BBC schedulers and the Opera’s script writers will have easily deduced that this program would be particularly liable to offend Christians. The BBC’s claim that “the target of the opera’s critique is not Christianity or religious belief” seems either extraordinarily naïve or wilfully ignorant. But let us not pretend that if this one program is not shown that all is now well. It is clear that a large amount of existing broadcast material will offend Christians in some way, even if it is not as repugnant to watch as this particular program.

And let us also readily admit that the church is not, and should not be above criticism. It is one thing to want to avoid hearing blasphemy (which is directed at God), but we should be willing to hear the complaints and accusations of an unbelieving world. The trouble is, it is extremely rare that the opportunity is given for Christians to respond with advocacy of Christian beliefs and ethics. If the BBC could be seen to be giving evangelical Christians a genuine opportunity to speak out, then perhaps the level of complaints would not have been so high for the Jerry Springer Opera.

3. Television shapes thinking and attitudes

In many ways, television is the ultimate propaganda tool. Watching a comedy or drama is not like going to church and hearing a sermon, or hearing a government minister set out his vision of a better society. In the latter cases, we know we are hearing an advocacy of a point of view and we critically evaluate it, but when we are being “entertained” by the television we are often also being educated without necessarily realising it. We are being taught what types of people to laugh at and despise, and what types of people to admire and emulate simply by the way they are portrayed in these programs.

So when people ask “Why don’t you simply not watch it?” they are missing the point. Of course those who complained were not planning to watch it. What they were more concerned about was the type of attitudes it encouraged in its viewers, in particular to derive entertainment from the mocking of God. It is certain that a good number of school children will be watching this (its on at 10 o’clock on a Saturday night), and its humour and language will be repeated round school playgrounds and workplaces around the country in weeks to come.

An analogy may prove helpful here. Imagine an astoundingly insensitive television channel broadcasting a comedy this evening which made a joke of people dying in a tsunami. There would be outrage. The relatives of the dead would consider it insulting and disrespectful. It would hardly matter that they were not going to watch it, or that the target audience were people who weren’t affected by the tragedy.

4. Paying customers have a right to complain

The BBC claims that “We are sensitive to matters of faith and religion in broadcasting”. If this is indeed true then they have no right to criticise license payers for informing them that their broadcasts have caused offence. Upsetting a large portion of your customers is a bad move for every business, but one that monopolies often feel they can get away with. In the UK you choose to pay your license fee to the BBC or you choose to watch no television whatsoever. The BBC apparently feels free to show what it wants because its position is so secure.

But of course, the BBC’s customers include not only Christians but people of many other world views. They have a right to be heard too. But if in this case the BBC is catering to those who enjoy a bit of anti-religious sentiment in their comedy, where is the corresponding programming for Christian viewers which allows Christians in their own (and hopefully more dignified) way to issue challenges of their own to the prevailing attitudes and beliefs of society?

5. “Freedom of expression is both a right and a responsibility”

This point is one made by the BBC themselves in their stock email response to complaints and it is a good one. If people are to be free to say what they want, then they must also be willing to accept their responsibility to be respectful of the feelings and opinions others.

As it happens, this particular program is hardly an issue of freedom of expression as the BBC is not obligated to broadcast any and every item that is made available on film. People can watch this at theatres and I presume that DVDs are available (or will be soon).

The email goes on to say that BBC2 “is there to present challenging work of all sorts”. I wonder if that would include the challenge of the gospel, or would they consider that to be taking “freedom of expression” too far.

I did email the BBC to inform them that I am disappointed with their decision to broadcast the program, but I did not tell them I wanted them to cancel it. Rather, I hope that the result of this controversy will be a more respectful attitude from the BBC towards Christian feelings, not just in deciding what not to show, but actively seeking to find more programs that Christians can enjoy watching. Maybe we can look forward to some evangelistic preaching on BBC2 later this year. Or then again, maybe the BBC will pay a meagre fine to OFCOM and then comission some comedies about Christians who complain about broadcast standards.

2005 Commentary News

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There are lots of exciting new commentaries to look forward to in 2005. Check my commentaries web page for all the details. Here’s the highlights:

  • The Baker Exegetical Commentary series is progressing nicely with Philippians (Silva) and 1 Peter (Jobes) out soon.
  • There will be some more additions to the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series, notably 1 & 2 Corinthians by Craig Keener.
  • The IVPNTC series nears completion with volumes on Mark (Kernaghan) and 2 Peter & Jude (Harvey and Towner). IVP are also rapidly progressing the ACC series, and some of the exisiting volumes will be made available on CD-ROM this year.
  • Bruce Waltke’s second NICOT volume on Proverbs will be published soon
  • Focus on the Bible add a commentary on Matthew by Price, and Tom Wright’s “For Everyone Series” will get Romans.

Sadly no news yet of anything for this year from the NICNT, Pillar or NIGTC series.
It’s also worth pointing out that Wesley Owen have an excellent sale on the WBC and NIVAC series running at the moment.

November Book Reviews

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This has been a busy month for me, not least because I have changed jobs. I now work for NICE (www.nice.com). So I haven’t read as much as I normally would (at least on theology – I have read a lot of programming books).

The Science of God (Alister E. McGrath) 3/5

Alister McGrath is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant minds of modern evangelicalism. His three volume “Scientific Theology” is highly acclaimed as a groundbreaking work bringing together theology with other disciplines (especially the natural sciences). “The Science of God” is the introductory work for those who do not have the time to read all three volumes, but don’t expect a simplified approach. McGrath expects his readers to be familiar with a number of philosophical terms and concepts which can make parts of this book inaccessible to non-specialists. What this book needed was a good editor / co-author to make this volume a bit more approachable. In places it appears that the condensation process has been rushed, with repeated phrases or whole sentences in close proximity apparently missed by the proof-readers. This is a shame, because the book itself offers some profound insights.

The book follows the exact same structure as the full work, with sections on “Nature”, “Reality” and “Theory”. In “Nature”, McGrath shows that it is far from universally agreed what “Nature” actually is. He argues that we not only can, but should approach nature from the Christian perspective of it as “creation”, seeing the Triune God as Creator. If indeed God is Creator, then an atheistic approach to nature will of necessity fall short of achieving an accurate picture of reality. Not that we should refuse to enter into meaningful debate with the wider scientific community – quite the opposite – but not to be afraid to offer a coherent system that rests on different presuppositions. Science has a track record of proposing theories that are later rejected (take the theory of light for example) – we just have no way of predicting what current understandings we have will be shortly proved wrong. So a scientific theology does not and should not expect to always exactly correlate with current theories.

In “Reality”, McGrath reviews various failed attempts to come up with one method of determining truth that can be applied across all disciplines. Sometimes mathematicians or natural scientists have claimed that they have a method of inquiry that is self-evidently correct. But this is not so easily translated to ethics, theology, history and so forth as we might have hoped, and recent mathematical discoveries have found that multiple coherent systems can be found completely independent to one another (for example non-Cartesian geometry). In other words, we have failed to agree on which, if any, propositions can be agreed upon by all rational persons.

He defends his own approach of critical realism, affirming that we can discover reality through scientific and theological methods while acknowledging our own participation in gaining that knowledge. Hence “social constructs” are to be considered “real” and valid terms for describing reality. What’s more he argues that different fields of study require differing but equally valid methods of discovering truth, without the need for a reductionist approach that boils all epistemology down to one technique. This is because of the differing ontological nature of different strands of knowledge, and he argues that this is so within theology as much as (for example) medicine.

Finally, in “Theory”, McGrath explains why theory (or in theology, ‘doctrine’) is necessary, as an attempt to explain reality. We cannot and should not attempt an “undogmatic” Christianity. He discusses the roles of analogies and their suitability for describing doctrines. He defends the category of revelation, arguing that “the central ideas of the Christian faith owe their origins directly or indirectly to God, rather than to unaided human reason”.
This book is by no means a systematic theology, but it proposes the basis for one that interacts with the natural sciences, and the historical developments of doctrines in a meaningful way. McGrath closes by indicating the projects he will be working on next, and while these are still a long way off, they will make fascinating reading.

The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus (John Stott) 4/5

Although this commentary does not cover all three pastoral epistles, Stott uses the introduction to discuss the arguments for and against Pauline authorship for the pastorals as a whole. He does not go into exhaustive detail, but the discussion is fuller than normal for the BST series. As he works through the book, Stott makes his usual comments on apostleship, emphasising the differences between Paul’s unique situation with the church of today. His discussion of gender issues is sensitively handled, and he argues for a creation principle of male “headship” which has varying cultural expressions. He then categorises women teaching alongside men raising their hands and women plaiting their hair – practises that will be appropriate or not in different cultures as expressions of this principle.

As he moves through the letter, Stott draws out the principles for Christian leadership Paul gives both for Timothy specifically and for all leaders in church life. The treatment of the subject of money in chapter six is particularly insightful, discussing simplicity and destitution. The book of Titus brings up many of the same themes again, and Stott describes the book as being about “doctrine and duty” – in the church, the home and the world. He brings out lots of practical application without simply repeating what he said in the commentary on 1 Timothy.

October Book Reviews

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Hebrews: The Radiance of His Glory (John Piper) 5/5

OK, this isn’t a book, but there is more than enough material in these 52 sermons on the book of Hebrews to put together a commentary. Whilst not going through the book as slowly as he is currently going through Romans (170 sermons and counting!), he does not rush through, usually tackling 3-4 verses in each 30-45 minute sermon. And as anyone who has heard Piper before will tell you, this is not dry and academic expository material – Piper is passionate about getting his message across.

The book of Hebrews may seem a surprising book to choose for someone as vocally Calvinist as Piper because of its passages that seem to teach that you can lose your salvation. He deals with this, in my view, brilliantly, demonstrating that the author of Hebrews himself teaches the “perseverance of the saints” elsewhere in the very same book. So believing that the author was not confused, and did not contradict himself, he shows that endurance is the only true sign of a genuine faith (bringing him, not surprisingly, into line with the standard teaching of the Puritans).

The call to persevere in faith flows through the book, with John Piper repeatedly warning about the dangers of drifting in the Christian life. In fact, it would seem that much of the material for his recent (and excellent) book “Don’t waste your life” came from this sermon series.

Also prominent throughout the series is John Piper’s characteristicly honest treatment of the subject of suffering. Everyone experiences suffering in their life, and everyone will one day die. Add to that the fact that many great saints of Bible times and throughout church history have had do endure tremendous suffering and it is a wonder that preachers do not address this subject more often. John Piper doesn’t believe in the “I’ll worry about that when it happens” approach. His heart is for people who are ready and willing to suffer and die for the cause of the gospel, and who know how to make sense of it when it comes in whatever form (whether for the gospel or not).

You will need quite a lot of spare time to work your way through this series, but it will be time well spent. It would be ideal material for listening to on a daily commute. Prepare to be challenged to a seriously radical discipleship.

Power Through Prayer (E M Bounds) 4/5

This is just one of seven books E M Bounds has written on prayer. It is broken up into 20 chapters, each of which are fairly short making it easy to work your way through slowly. The book is directed at preachers and uncompromisingly calls them to put prayer as their top priority. Bounds argues that without prayer, a preaching ministry is useless, even if on the surface of things it seems to have some good qualities or results. The early chapters urge the preacher to spend more time in prayer, drawing repeatedly on the examples of great preachers from church history, demonstrating their own reliance on prayer. He is critical of those who are willing to put much time into studying theology or developing their rhetorical technique while neglecting prayer.

He sees prayer as the key to a successful and Holy Spirit anointed preaching ministry, almost to the point of saying that prayer is the only thing you need to get right – the rest will just follow. You could perhaps criticise him for coming across as legalistic in some places, and anti-intellectual in others but that would be to miss his main point. A preaching ministry is dead without prayer as surely as a human being is dead without oxygen. Don’t think you need to be a preacher to appreciate this book though, its call to prayer is a vital message for all Christians.

Paul For Everyone – Galatians & Thessalonians (N T Wright) 3/5

I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time, as the books of Galatians and Thessalonians contain subjects on which Wright has some unique things to say. Galatians of course brings up the issue of the “New Perspective on Paul”. As expected Wright does not see the book as an attack on teaching that the way for an individual to be saved is by works. Instead, he explains that faith, rather than circumcision is the “badge of membership” of God’s people, and that the issue at stake was God wanting to create a people from all nations rather than by Gentiles having to conform to Jewish law. While rejecting the Lutheran view of the law, Wright describes the law as a “babysitter”, performing a useful function, but no longer required when maturity is reached.

Thessalonians brings up the controversial issues of the rapture and the antichrist. Wright has argued strongly in other publications that the “coming” passages in the gospels are not to be read as prophecies of Christ’s “second coming”. Rather, they are seen as mirroring the Daniel 7 “coming” of the Son of Man to heaven (as opposed to from), or the long awaited return of YHWH and the end of the exile. The passage on the rapture is seen as symbolic language rather than literal. Wright provides good insight into the situation at the church in Thessalonica, linking up with the Acts accounts and demonstrating the relevance of Paul’s comments to them. In 2 Thessalonians, he avoids getting into debate on the identity of a future antichrist, favouring a partial preterist approach (he sees it as being fulfilled in AD70).

The Message of Daniel (Ronald Wallace) 4/5

Any commentary on the book of Daniel is in danger of getting bogged down in argument about dating and authorship and an overwhelming amount of background historical information. Wallace does well to provide a basic overview of the main arguments and necessary history as well as making his own case for Daniel as author without letting the introduction become unmanageably long.

The commentary itself is never far from practical application, particularly due to the parallels with Daniel’s situation for modern Western Christians. Like him, we are trying to live for God in a pagan culture, wondering what aspects of our culture we may accept, and what we ought to stand against. Wallace also draws out lessons from the contrasting attitudes of kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belteshazzar, both received judgement and mercy from God but responded very differently.

Whilst the first part of the book of Daniel is well known and loved, the second part is taken up with some vivid apocalyptic imagery which Christians either tend to skip over quickly or else come up with very fanciful interpretations of which 21st century characters and organisations it is refering to. Wallace takes a balanced approach, briefly explaining the options and drawing out relevant encouragements for us without feeling the need to explicitly determine who the 6th horn on the 4th beast is. He helpfully distinguishes between those prophecies clearly already fulfilled, and those that speak of the “end times”.

The Message of Hosea (Derek Kidner) 4/5

Of all the symbolic actions the Old Testament prophets were required by God to perform, Hosea’s is surely the most emotionally taxing. He married a prostitute, who bore three children, only one of whom was his, and then left him. Hosea then graphically modelled God’s grace and love by buying her back at great cost to be his wife again. Kidner has been careful to help the reader get a good overview of the flow of the book and its historical setting by providing some useful appendices (in fact, it would be nice if some of the other BST volumes could follow suit in this regard).

He breaks the book into two sections – the first being Hosea’s acted out parable of God’s love and then the prophetic message. In both parts, a vision of both the love and holiness of God shine through as the people are confronted for their sin and unfaithfulness yet the deserved judgement to come is not without hope because of God’s amazing grace. In the second part Kidner shows how Hosea consistently reveals their self-sufficiency, half-hearted religion and shallow repentance. The book ends with the amazing grace of God as he offers healing, refreshing and fruitfulness to those who will genuinely repent.

How to Run a Cell Group – Part 4

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The much anticipated fourth meeting in the internationally acclaimed “How to run a Cell Group” series took place earlier this evening. It started in rather dramatic fashion as Wendy entered carrying armfuls of Bibles which she proceeded to throw around the room. Presumably this was meant as some kind of parable or symbolic prophetic action.

The “ice maker” question was posed by Rebekah, asking us what we liked about our jobs and what positive feedback we had received. Catherine was shocked to hear that Neil’s colleagues describe him as “reliable and easy to get on with”. Steve declared that he liked to work with groups of difficult people. I guess that explains why I was invited (come to think of it, why any of us were invited).

Daryl then led us in a time of worship, which was excellent even though we didn’t have the words for the song. We managed admirably although I’m not sure that “Great in batter” is supposed to be in the song. The discussion was on “Gifts”. Heinz helped us to understand how we can encourage others to use their gifts. This not only includes encouraging quiet people to talk but helping those who dominate to be quiet. Graham seemed to know a surprising number of techniques for shutting this type of person up. Steve was able to use one of his suggestions to prevent him from giving any more.

We discussed what we might do for a group social event. Jane and Maresah were very taken with the idea of organising an event for drunken aunties. Jane even went so far as to claim that “everyone is someone’s aunt”. Thankfully, again drawing from his arsenal of techniques for dealing with problem people, Steve got us back on track by with a recap of our 5 core values. In fact, we now have 6 – A,B,C,D,E, and the new one – F. F is for “Finishing on Time”, which we didn’t manage, but seeing as we had done C (claiming to be bus drivers), D (drunken aunties) and E (eating drizzle cake), we concluded that the meeting had been a success.