September 2007

(Tim) Since 9-11, things have changed, haven't they? From the moment President Bush reassured us that Islam "is a religion of peace;" or more directly, "Islam is peace;" it was clear where things were headed.

(Tim) Two months ago I put up a post calling churches to show up where babies are being killed in their community or city, speaking up for the little ones being slaughtered there. In that post I promised I would get information to anyone wanting to know how to undertake such a ministry. When several inquired, I dropped the ball. I'm sorry.

This morning, Lucas Weeks (one of those involved in this ministry here at Church of the Good Shepherd) posted the following comment under that previous post. I'm reposting it here assuming some who won't check under the old post will see it here and will take encouragement from Lucas' instructions to begin this witness. Remember that when the Twelve tried to shoo the wee ones away from Jesus, assuming his ministry to adults was too important to mess with kids, He rebuked them: “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)...

(Tim) Under a prior post, two dear friends began a discussion concerning dynamic equivalence, maybe the prevailing method of Bible translation today. Both men have good reason to support this method--Chris Taylor because he's the grandson of one of the pioneers of this technique, Ken Taylor, who wrote the Living Bible; and Michael McMillan who works supporting the publishing arm of Wycliffe Bible Translator's Summer Institute of Linguistics, the largest Bible translation organization in the world.

So I encourage you to click on through to the comments where you'll find Chris and Michael posting their thoughts on this critical matter. (It may take a few hours for them to get their comments posted, so stop back in a little while.) And by the way, if their discussion interests  you and you'd like to learn more, Leland Ryken's, The Word of God in English: Criteria for Excellence in Bible Translation, is a good place to start.

Note from Tim: Under Pastor David Wegener's prior post concerning Rev. Dr. Alister McGrath, Bill R. asked Pastor Wegener for an evaluation of McGrath's $80 volume titled, Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification. Did I mention this work lists for $80?

Rather than bury Pastor Wegener's response in the comments under his post, it seemed good to put it here on the main page with the hope that many more will read it than otherwise might.

Dear Bill R.: Sorry for the delay in responding to your question about McGrath’s book on justification. I have a copy of Iustitia Dei and have studied parts of it. It is one of the few treatments of the history of the doctrine of justification, so maybe that is why people regard it as seminal.

It is a pretty accurate truism of historical theology that justification by faith alone was one doctrine the Reformers recovered from the Scriptures. Yes, you can find comments in a number of earlier authors that would line up with Protestant doctrine, but by and large, it was a key truth that the patristic (including Augustine) and medieval theologians got wrong.

However, I’m not convinced that McGrath is correct on the Reformed teaching on this topic. He tries to pry apart the unity of the Reformers on justification (p. 188). It is easy to do that with Zwingli and Bucer. Neither were so reliable as theologians. But it is more difficult to do that with Calvin and Luther and the evidence McGrath presents can be used against his attempts to pry them apart.

McGrath’s conclusion to the book is much more troubling...

(David) Blair Smith sends a link to this fascinating video of Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy responding to an article critical of his starting quarterback in a postgame press conference. Interestingly, Oklahoma State won the game, but Coach Gundy isn't concerned about that when he talks to the press....

My son Nathan's wrestling coach, Mario Dominguez, is like a second father to his wrestlers. He lives for them, loves them, calls them to serve the Lord and builds them into men by his magnaminity of spirit.