pursuing faithfulness to the Word of God and fullness of the Spirit of God
Archive for August, 2005
Book Review – Luke for Everyone (Tom Wright)
Aug 29th
Tom Wright has been churning out new volumes of the “For Everyone” series at an impressive rate. The series features his own translation of the New Testament, broken into chunks of around 10 verses followed by a page or two of comments. The series is aimed at a broad readership, and most sections of comments are begun with an anecdote. Luke is covered in one relatively thick volume (about 300 pages). As usual key words are highlighted in bold, and defined in a glossary at the back.
The gospels are of course one of Wright’s acknowledged areas of expertise, and many of the themes he develops in “Jesus and the Victory of God” may be found in layman’s terms here. As you might expect, there are plenty of pieces of historical information to help us truly appreciate the culture of the day, and the impact that Jesus’ words would have had on his original audience.
Wright’s typical emphases on the Temple, Exodus and Exile can be detected throughout. He also may surprise new readers with his interpretation of the parables traditionally thought to be about the “second coming” and the “end times”. In Wright’s view, they describe the destruction of the temple in AD70 and the vindication that this event brought to Jesus, although they are not without contemporary relevance.
This is not however a merely academic analysis brought to a wider audience. The comments often encourage practical response and application as well as encourage Christians to think more deeply about how their faith should be put into action. The book ends with some themes from Wright’s “Resurrection of the Son of God”, describing what the Christian understanding of the significance and future hope or resurrection is all about.
This book will prove useful to those wanting a fresh look at the gospel of Luke from an evangelical historian’s perspective. It’s format lends itself to being used for daily devotions. It will get you thinking again about the meaning of Jesus’ parables, and brings a deeper understanding of the significance of Jesus’ message. Throughout it respects Luke as a first class historian in his own right, and seeks to interpret the way he has organised the material in the gospel.
Book Review – The Teacher’s Notebook (Mark Stibbe)
Aug 28th
This book is a part of a series of short paperbacks on each of the five “Ephesians 4 ministries”. The books seek to define each ministry, as well as discuss the principles behind it and including practical advice. Mark Stibbe is an ideal candidate for this volume as he is a gifted Bible teacher. He also has a very accessible and readable style.
The series is from a charismatic perspective, and as Stibbe acknowledges, the gift of teaching is perhaps a neglected one in charismatic circles, due to our eagerness to stress those of prophecy or apostleship. The book has five chapters, the first of which introduces and defines the gift of teaching. He stresses that it should be Biblically based, but with the charismatic dimension of being ‘revelatory’. He very briefly defends his position on women teaching (they can) without being antagonistic to those of a different persuasion. He also attempts to distinguish ‘teaching’ (to Christians) from ‘preaching’ (to non-Christians).
Chapter 2 sets out Jesus as the ultimate teacher. This helpful chapter draws out numerous lessons from not only Jesus’ teaching technique, but also his devotional life with the Father. The third chapter deals with ‘power’ and focusses on the dimension of the Spirit in the Bible teacher’s life.
The fourth chapter deals with the Bible, and how the teacher needs to know it, study it, and most importantly know the author of it. It includes some practical advice on using Bible study tools, and Mark Stibbe cleverly includes an study of Matt 13:52 both as an example of how to study a passage and to provide extra material on the gift of teaching.
The final chapter deals with preparing the sermon, using the analogy of preparing a meal. It is not overly prescriptive on what a good sermon should contain, but using principles of simplicity, structure and seasoning, he provides some clear and helpful guidelines.
Each chapter ends with some application questions, mainly geared towards those who are exercising some form of teaching ministry. The conclusion also includes a challenge to charismatic churches to put the same effort into training teachers as they do into other ministries. The book is refreshingly different from many non-charismatic books on teaching, which can solely focus on exegetical skills, presentation style and preparation technique. It is a call for teachers who know their God and know their Bible. Its by no means a comprehensive book, but recommended reading for anyone interested in this ministry.
Book Review – Restoring the Kingdom (Andrew Walker)
Aug 28th
This is actually the second time I have read this book, and for someone who’s church background includes considerable Restorationist influence, it is a fascinating read. Those who have not had much contact with Restorationism may not find it quite so interesting. Dr Andrew Walker writes as a sociologist and a Russian Orthodox Christian. He is not a charismatic evangelical as Restorationists are, but he does write sympathetically and is very fair even when dealing with and making criticisms of the movement.
It is now in its fourth edition, which has been expanded to include accounts of what the author believes to be the decline of Restorationism (p23: “They did not merely slow down: they settled into a regular church life and a principled charismatic evangelicalism”). For those not initiated, Restorationism is the name he gives to a broad range of apostolic house churches that grew significantly during the 80s in Britain. These include Pioneer, Ichthus, New Frontiers, Covenant Ministries and others. They held strongly to a vision of an end times move of the Spirit to restore the church to its New Testament pattern including restoring values of apostleship, discipleship, shepherding, theocracy, a pentecostal doctrine of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and a non-denominational approach.
Walker provides a number of chapters on the historical influences, focussing particularly on key leaders such as Arthur Wallis, Bryn Jones, David Tomlinson, John Noble and how they came to work together as a team of apostles. He discusses the input of the American “Fort Lauderdale Five” including Ern Baxter, and how tensions with them emerged. More than that, he delves back to find the ‘roots’ of Restorationism in Brethren, Pentecostal and even Catholic Apostolic churches.
He detects that at some point Restorationism as a movement came to separate into two distinct streams which he calls R1 and R2 (R1 being the more conservative and pure version of Restorationism), citing the law-grace issue as being one of the divisive issues (not so much theology as emphasis being the problem).
A few more chapters are devoted to the doctrinal distinctives of Restorationism. He particularly highlights the belief that the ‘new wine’ needed ‘new wineskins’ (i.e. new churches rather than simply reforming existing denominations). He suspects that sociologically Restorationism is a sect on its way to becoming just another denomination. The subjects of ‘shepherding’ or ‘covering’ and tithing open the door for him to examine some of the criticisms of the movement.
He acknowledges that it is a ‘radical’ movement, and that some of the allegations of heavy-handed authoritarianism are deserved. But he also indicates that many of the critics of Restorationism were guilty of bitterness, jealousy and even hypocrisy. In short, the movement was certainly not without its faults, but was not quite the devil that some made it out to be.
Of great interest to me was the discussion of the decline of Restorationism. R2 has all but disappeared, but R1 has survived in modified form, principally in movements like New Frontiers. He detects new features such as emphasis on big churches and even flirtations with the prosperity gospel. He also notes the decline of emphasis on issues such as shepherding. There is even a good relationship now with the denominational churches, although the belief in apostolic ministry remains strong.
What are those of us who are “Restorationist” to make of this book? It is humbling and enlightening. Is there still a vision of what the church should be? Are we still passionate about demonstrating the kingdom of God? Or are we now a bit embarrassed about our naïve enthusiasm and optimism? Perhaps reading this book will drive us back to the Bible and back to our knees in prayer, asking God to impress his own agenda for the church afresh onto our hearts.
Am I still a Restorationist?
Aug 27th
I have just returned from a week’s visit to Scotland, which gave me the opportunity to read a couple of books I bought at New Wine this year (reviews to follow shortly). The first was one I had read before but wanted to re-read in light of having joined a New Frontiers church since. “Restoring the Kingdom”, by Andrew Walker, tracks the history of Restorationism.
Note: if you have not heard of Restorationism before, please note that it has been used to describe a wide variety of teachings. I am referring to the British house-church movement of the 80s epitomised by the teachings of Arthur Wallis
The book is of great interest to me, as I was brought up in an independent Baptist church that was extremely Restorationist (at the time – it is nothing of the sort now). The pastor Stanley Jebb had previously worked with Denis Clarke, and Ern Baxter provided what was known as “covering” for the church and regularly visited. The church itself became known as a centre of restoration and many leading restorationists would come to speak. We even ran a Bible week called “Anglia Bible Week” for four years, which ran along similar lines to the Dales and Downs Bible Weeks.
At the present time I am in a New Frontiers church, which is one of the few strands of Restorationism that is still alive and well, although some of the emphases have changed and the name “Restorationist” is almost never used. My pastor, Martyn Dunsford is even listed on the first page of the book as being one of Andrew Walker’s sources, and his own background includes working with Bryn Jones. Again though, most people in our church probably don’t know what being “restorationist” is, even though many of the core values are still alive and well.
Reading the book has got me thinking about the whole Restorationist vision. So many of the original values are ones that I still hold dearly myself. It is true that many leaders lost that vision, and even those who have continued have modified it somewhat. Andrew Walker viewed the Dales Bible Weeks as crucial in passing the vision over to the people (and indeed recruiting new adherents), but with the closure of Stoneleigh Bible week, do church members even know what the vision is any more? Are we content to simply find a church whose worship and sermons are to our taste, or are we driven by a vision of what the bride of Christ could and should be?
It would seem that even the concept of there being a “New Testament model” of church life is decidedly out of fashion these days. It is viewed as arrogant, and out of touch with church history. And perhaps too much has been deduced from shaky exegetical foundations. But I am convinced that in the Scriptures we have the blueprints for something altogether more glorious than many have realised.
Book Review – The Pillar Commentary on Thessalonians (Gene Green)
Aug 12th
This latest addition to the Pillar series of commentaries is reminiscent of O’Brien’s Pillar Commentary on Ephesians in that it has a long introduction (75 pages), which includes a critique of the rhetorical analysis approach to the epistles and defends Pauline authorship. He also explains why he is not convinced by arguments placing 2 Thessalonians before 1 (contra Wanamaker).
However, the bulk of the introduction is spent providing historical background on the city of Thessalonica and tying in the Acts accounts of how the gospel came to that city. Green goes right back to tell the story of how the Romans came to take the region of Macedonia from the Greeks and lists the various uprisings that the Romans crushed. There is also a good deal of information about the religious beliefs and practices of the time.
While it is all interesting, I couldn’t help feeling that some of this material would have been more suited to a New Testament background reference book, or at least interspersed in the commentary as excursuses. However, Green believes that the historical background is key to interpreting the letter, and he does particularly well at highlighting the reasons why the gospel was so badly received when it first arrived in Thessalonica.
The opening chapters of 1 Thessalonians in particular are closely tied in to both Paul and the Thessalonians’ historical and geographical situation. Green fills in the details from Acts, as well as making regular quotations from ancient documents to illustrate his points. Like Edward’s Pillar commentary on Mark, quotes from first century documents are regularly found, while interaction with other commentators is generally left to the footnotes.
The section on the second coming is handled in a level-headed manner, careful not to draw out more than the text says (as is the section on the man of lawlessness in 2 Thess 2). He does not particularly attempt to synthesize with prophetic passages from Revelation, the Gospels or the Old Testament, and only makes the briefest of comments to dismiss some fanciful interpretations of the rapture.
The historical background established in the introduction proves helpful as he seeks to interpret the commands concerning idleness in terms of the patron-client system that was operating in those days. The idle are understood as those who are “disorderly” and are remaining as clients. They are counselled to get out of local politics and live a quiet life, which contrasts with the more common understanding of this passage as being simply a critique of laziness.
I found this to be a worthy addition to the excellent Pillar series, which will serve evangelicals who want to dig deeper into the meaning of the text, but don’t necessarily require great elaboration on contemporary application. As with the other volumes in the Pillar series, the comments are based on the NIV text, while feeling free to question some of the translators decisions, but maintaining a reverent attitude to Scripture throughout.
My New Testament Commentaries
Aug 11th
Finally this month, I completed my desire to buy an intermediate / advanced level commentary on each New Testament book. On the whole I think I have selected the most appropriate one, although there are still a few others I would like to get. My friend Graeme asked me if I would list them on my blog, so here they are, along with my ideas of what I might supplement the collection with. Visit my commentaries page if you want Amazon and publisher’s links for these books.
Matthew – D A Carson (Expositors Bible Commentary) and R T France (New International Commentary).
Mark- James Edwards (Pillar New Testament Commentary) and R T France (New International Greek Testament Commentary).
Luke - Robert Stein (New American Commentary) and Darrell Bock (Baker Exegetical Commentary).
John – D A Carson (PNTC) and Andreas Kostenberger (BEC).
Acts – F F Bruce (NICNT) and Darrell Bock (BEC)
Romans – Douglas Moo (NICNT) and Tom Schreiner (BEC).
1 Corinthians – Gordon Fee (NICNT). Thiselton (NIGTC) is supposed to be good too.
2 Corinthians – Ralph Martin (Word Biblical Commentary) and Murray Harris (NIGTC).
Galatians – Richard Longenecker (WBC). Supposedly Don Carson is writing a commentary on this for the Pillar series, which I plan to get when it is published.
Ephesians – Peter O’Brien (PNTC). I’ll probably also get Lincoln (WBC) if Wesley Owen do the £13 deal again.
Philippians – Gordon Fee (NICNT) and Moises Silva (BEC).
Colossians & Philemon – Peter O’Brien (WBC) and Douglas Moo (PNTC)
Thessalonians – Gene Green (PNTC) and Gordon Fee (NICNT)
Pastorals – Mounce (WBC) and Philip Towner (NICNT).
Hebrews – Lane (WBC). Looking forward to O’Brien (PNTC) and Carson’s (BEC) offerings on this book in future years.
James – Douglas Moo (PNTC) and Craig Blomberg & Mariam Kammel (ZEC)
1 Peter – Thomas Schreiner (NAC) and Karen Jobes (BEC)
2 Peter & Jude – Schreiner (NAC) and Peter Davids (PNTC)
1-3 John – Colin Kruse (PNTC). There is another one that Carson (NIGTC) is supposedly working on.
Revelation – Osborne (BEC) and Beale (NIGTC)
The Message of Exodus (Alec Motyer)
Aug 6th
This recent addition to the BST series is another from the respected commentator Alec Motyer. Although, in keeping with the series, this volume does not attempt to be a commentary, it would appear that Motyer would quite like to have written one anyway. The normal flow of the book, which considers the Christian relevance of the message of Exodus is interrupted with regular “Notes” sections (in addition to the standard footnotes), which relate specifically to individual verses, and are much more like the material found in a standard commentary. This can make it a bit disjointed for those reading cover to cover, but will be helpful to those who approach the book as a reference.
The main sections of commentary deal with Exodus in moderately sized chunks, drawing out the main theological and practical lessons found there. The book is of course understood in the light of the New Testament, and while Motyer expresses caution about spiritualising interpretation of the closing chapters of the book, generally he is in agreement with the main points that older commentators have detected. Christians are understood as priests under the great high priest Jesus.
The notes sections are more technical, and often refer to the Hebrew, which is always transliterated. Only selected verses are covered in this way, and it also allows extra space for Motyer to highlight the chiastic structures he finds throughout the book. While he does not make a full case against the documentary hypothesis, he takes regular opportunities to show why he feels it is unfounded.
Different portions of Exodus are covered at different speeds, with two thirds of the commentary covering the first 20 chapters of Exodus. Motyer is concerned to highlight aspects of Yahweh’s self-revelation throughout the book, and also to parallel the experience of the Israelites with our own – for example the struggles we face through life are like the wilderness experience.
Many theologically controversial issues are touched upon through the course of the book. For example, issues of free will and God’s sovereignty, the ongoing place of the Ten Commandments in Christian life, what to make of some of the severe punishments meted out, and God’s changing his mind. Motyer’s comments are usually balanced and instructive, without offering full treatments of these subjects.
Overall it is a bit more heavy-going than other BST volumes to read cover to cover, and perhaps Motyer’s work would have been better suited to a more intermediate level commentary series. Having said that, there is a broad range of helpful and practical material here that will benefit those who want fresh insight and deeper understanding of the book of Exodus. As with all BST volumes, the author’s deep reverence for God and respect for his word is evident throughout, alongside a pastoral heart for the readers.
New Wine 2005
Aug 5th
Last week I spent at New Wine. The week was spoiled somewhat by a catalogue of health issues which started before I left and continued until after I got back, one thing after another. It all meant that I was simply not able to go to as many sessions as I normally would. So it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as I had hoped, but there was still some good stuff.
One of the highlights of the week was Simon Downing’s morning series on Hope from the book of Ezekiel, which was excellent. If anything he tried to cram a bit much in, but it was really good teaching on both a subject and a book of the Bible that are not often covered. Of the seminars, I enjoyed Alan Storkey’s two Jesus and Politics talks, but I didn’t buy his book, as I feel that I have already read a lot of N T Wright saying much the same things about the political message of Jesus’ ministry.
The most inspiring evening meeting was hearing Simon Guillebout whose message was a simple reminder of the urgency of the gospel – “Jesus is coming, no one knows when, are you ready?” It was one of two occasions I visited “Venue 2″ which I guess was the slightly more trendy (or perhaps “emerging”) venue. Like previous years there were some tables on the fringes, but this year saw the addition of a licensed bar. I’m not sure why this was desirable or necessary really. Its one thing to ensure people aren’t unduly uncomfortable, but this seems to be a big step in the direction of turning worship into a spectator sport. I hope this doesn’t become the latest must have feature of regular church services.
Forthcoming Commentaries
Aug 27th
Posted by Mark Heath in Commentaries
1 comment
Jeremy Pierce has a fantastic post on forthcoming commentaries. This details who is down to write missing or replacement volumes for a large number of excellent commentary series. It has also been slowly developing into the authoratitive resource on forthcoming commentaries as various people have posted ammendments and additions to his list. A word of warning though – reading it does feel a bit like sneaking a look at your Christmas presents before the big day arrives, and some of the volumes listed could be many years before publishing (so don’t get too excited).
While you’re over at his site, check out the first of his in depth looks at the commentaries available for individual books – Zephaniah. I’m looking forward to reading more of these in the coming months.