April 14, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
April 12, 2010 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger OvertonName: Roger Overton Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com Site:http://ateamblog.com About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (562)
The general assumption in our society is that atheists are those who have rational reasons for disbelief in God. Dr. James Spiegel challenges this assumption in his latest book, The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief. As the title suggests, Spiegel attempts to show that the foundations of atheistic belief are comprised of immorality rather than rational arguments.
In the introduction, Spiegel explains that the purpose of The Making of an Atheist is to present a Christian account of atheism. Based on biblical doctrine, philosophy, and atheist’ own admissions, he proposes that “Atheism is the suppression of truth by wickedness, the cognitive consequence of immorality. In short, it is sin that is the mother of unbelief.” (18)
In the first chapter, Spiegel debunks the most common arguments offered by atheists, consolidating them to the problem of evil and the notion that naturalistic science can account for all of reality. The chapter ends with some insights from atheists that theists would do well to heed, showing that atheists do have something to offers theists.
The biblical explanation of atheism is explored in the second chapter. “We may summarize the biblical diagnosis of atheism as follows. The atheist’s problem is rebellion against the plain truth of God, as clearly revealed in nature. This rebellion is prompted by immorality, which diminishes understanding, and a genuine ignorance results. This is not a loss of intelligence so much as a selective intellectual obtuseness or imperviousness to truths related to God, ethics, and human nature. But the root of this obtuseness is moral in nature. It follows from the biblical diagnosis that the atheists’ arguments are an intellectual ruse masking their rebellion.” (56)
Chapter three considers the psychological context for atheism, focusing on the lack of good fathers in the childhoods of the most well-known atheists. The fourth chapter addresses the “obstinacy of atheism,” explaining how the atheistic worldview is a method for self-deception. The fifth and final chapter contrasts the difficulties of living in an atheistic worldview with the benefits of living in a theistic worldview.
This brief 130 page book is the fruit of years of academic and personal experiences. James Spiegel is very careful with how he frames his premise and arguments, yet his case cuts to the very heart of atheistic belief. Given that the book is primarily addressed to Christians and most readers will be those concerned with evangelism and apologetics, I would have liked Spiegel to offer some guidance on how this explanation of atheism affects evangelism. That said, the biblical diagnosis Spiegel offers is well-grounded and attested common experience.
The Making of an Atheist offers an important account of atheistic belief that ought to be considered by any Christian who wishes to engage in evangelism. James Spiegel successfully shows that the heart of atheism is immorality, masked by rationalizations.
Readers should check out www.themakingofanatheist.com for more information and a discussion questions for the book.
March 25, 2010 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger OvertonName: Roger Overton Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com Site:http://ateamblog.com About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (562)
This is one of the many reasons I love my church.
Jason and Melody Lietzau are leaving to pick up and adopt their special needs daughter with a heart condition today from China. In this video, shot this past Sunday, the couple details how they decided to adopt after a miscarriage and how Melody’s pacemaker played a role in deciding to adopt a child with special needs.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him…”Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
We have demanded that the government become our king to “serve” us like the other nations, and now we will become its servants. Human nature never changes. Thanks be to God that the Bible doesn’t end with 1 Samuel!
March 15, 2010 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger OvertonName: Roger Overton Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com Site:http://ateamblog.com About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (562)
I recently became interested in studying deacon ministry, so I asked around about which books I should read. I was consistently given two titles: The New Testament Deacon by Strauch, and Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road by Timothy J. Keller. Strauch is typically recommended for his biblical exposition of the subject, while Keller is recommended for practical “how to” approach.
Ministries of Mercy is divided into two parts. The first being Principles, the second being Practice. After a brief prologue and a general introduction to various manifestations of neediness around us, Keller supplies seven foundational chapters for Christian mercy in the world. Each chapter focuses on a particular element of the parable of the good Samaritan from Luke 10. Keller addresses responsibilities, motivation, relationships, and wisdom as they relate to mercy. An important theme through these principles is the necessary role of the gospel.
“The only true and enduring motivation for the ministry of mercy is an experience and a grasp of the grace of God in the gospel. If we know we are sinners saved by grace alone, we will be both open and generous to the outcasts and the unlovely.” (p58)
The second part is composed of seven chapters that examine the Christian practice of mercy. Keller addresses the roles families, church and government may play in mercy, though the clear emphasis is on the ministry of the church. This part of the book is all about the details. Page after page is full of statistics, ideas, suggestions, examples, and strategies for meeting every type of need from just about every type of situation.
Ministries of Mercy is immensely valuable, and perhaps the most convicting book I’ve ever read. Keller makes it clear that we’re called to much more than a ten percent tithe or occasionally serving in a ministry we’re comfortable with. And this call isn’t just for official deacons, but every Christian is called to be a minister of mercy in some capacity. The second half of the book was rather boring as it went into many mundane strategy details. Some of the ideas offered are not really practical for most congregations (the ones that aren’t mega churches). However, it’s still helpful to think through these ideas and consider how the same goals might be accomplished. Overall, I consider Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller to be one of those books that should be in most Christians hands, and studied by most Christian leaders.
March 1, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
The Wallstreet Journal has a story about a congregation of Anglicans in D. C. who are moving back to Rome, but retaining some of the “flavor” of their traditional Episcopalian worship. This is made possible by the Roman Catholic church, which recently began to work actively toward providing an official way for Anglican congregations to “return” to Rome without having to give up all of the Anglican style of worship (including much Book of Common Prayer liturgy) that they were used to.
This has been going on for a while now. What makes this WSJ article of special interest is the comments made by the pastor of this congregation, Father Eric Bergman:
…Father Bergman not only predicts a mass movement toward Rome. He believes Anglican Use may mark the beginning of the end of the Reformation. There will be “a flourishing of this throughout the world,” he says. “Wherever there are Anglicans, there will be people who want to enter Holy Mother Church.” As he told a rapt audience at St. Mary’s, “If we look at histories, heresies run themselves out after about 500 years. I believe we are seeing the last gasp of the Reformation in the mainline Protestant groups.”
First, I would be interested to see the raw data that leads Father Bergman to think that heresies run themselves out after 500 years. Arianism, one of the greatest heresies recognized by all three “branches” of Nicene Christianity, hasn’t gone away after 1700 years. In fact, all of the individual “heresies” that Rome would accuse traditional Protestants of accepting had already existed long before the Reformation (Augustine’s teaching on Predestination, as one clear example), which means we’re already well past the 500-year mark.
Besides that, though, Father Bergman’s comments strike me as extremely myopic and rather pig-headed. The mainline Episcopalian church in America hasn’t been a traditional, confessional body for a long time. In that sense, it isn’t even Protestant to begin with, and so its return to Rome can hardly illustrate the end of Protestantism. Moreover, at least 60% of the world’s Christians live outside of America and Britain, so what American Christians are doing is no longer what sets the standard (not to mention the fact that Episcopalians make up a tiny minority of American “Protestants” anyway).
His comments also overlook the fact that a number of recent statistics have shown that, on the whole, the move of most Christians who convert is away from Rome into a Protestant body, not the other way around. And right now Protestantism is exploding in Africa and China, not Catholicism.
In short, Father Berger has taken his limited experience and made some indefensible claims on the basis of it. But those who remain faithful to the Gospel ought never to be worried or troubled, no matter what “current events” seem to be saying, for the Sovereign God of history will not fail to accomplish His purpose of Redemption!
February 15, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
“My approach in this talk is personal. I am going to talk about what has meant the most to me in C. S. Lewis—how he has helped me the most. And as I raise this question, as I have many times over the years, the backdrop of the question becomes increasingly urgent: Why has he been so significant for me, even though he is not Reformed in his doctrine, and could barely be called an evangelical by typical American uses of that word?…”
January 27, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
For the last year and half or so, I’ve been conducting an experiment of sorts. My church uses the NIV for all Scripture reading and preaching. But for the last four years I have used the ESV for all of my personal reading and study. So naturally I bring my ESV with me to church. This means that while my pastor is reading the Scripture text for that day (usually a lengthy passage) in the NIV, I am following along with the ESV. As it turns out, the two translations aren’t substantially all that different, so following along is pretty easy. I have noticed two major differences, however, both of which have caused me to move slowly back toward using the NIV for the majority of my Bible reading.
First, is word order. 90% of the differences between the NIV and ESV can be boiled to down to word order within a sentence. For example, 2 Peter 3:1 in the ESV says:
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder
The NIV renders it like this:
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking
The ESV puts “beloved” at the end of the first sentence, while the NIV puts it up front (using “dear friends” instead). Also, the ESV puts “sincere mind” before “reminder”, while the NIV puts it after (again, using “wholesome thinking” instead).
This verse also gives an example of the second major difference, which is the use of synonymous words or phrases. In this case, “beloved” is substituted for “dear friends” and “sincere mind” for “wholesome thinking.” Another (somewhat amusing) example is Hosea 1:2, which says in the ESV:
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.”
The NIV has it:
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.”
It was actually during the reading of Hosea 1 at church that I first began to prefer the NIV to the ESV. To me, the word “whoredom” is just too archaic and obscure. The NIV translates the passage in a way that does not obscure the meaning of the Hebrew at all, and yet is far more readable than the ESV.
I found this to be the case time and again. Not only did the NIV use words and phrases that were “smoother” and more familiar to my modern English ears, but I often found the word order of sentences to flow better and read easier in the NIV. Again, this was always without sacrificing the meaning of the passage. And thus I began to break out my old NIV for personal devotional time.
Now for the caveats. First, I still like the ESV and I will still continue to use it for my serious study and academic work. The ESV is more or less the “official” English version used at Westminster California, so it will continue to be the default English version for my classes, chapels, and papers. Second, you may have noticed that the NIV used two different words in Hosea 1:2 (”adulterous” and “unfaithfulness”) where the ESV used “whoredom” twice. This is because the ESV makes a conscious effort to translate a given Hebrew or Greek word with the same English word in every instance (unless it’s just grammatically impossible). This makes the ESV great for doing serious study (especially word studies).
But of course, if you have a basic working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, then you don’t really need (or want) your English translation to try to do that work for you. And this brings me to my final reason for returning to the NIV. As part of my seminary training, I am beginning to acquire such a basic knowledge (and the marvelous Bible Works software is a great help!). This frees me to be able to use less “literal” English translations if I want.
But I don’t think that the NIV is dangerous for those without a seminary education. As I hope I have illustrated with a few examples, the differences between the NIV and ESV are not significant enough to pose any problems to the “English-only” reader. More importantly, though, I don’t believe in the anti-tradition model of “private devotions” where a person is encouraged to lock himself in his closet with his Bible and simply let the “naked text” speak to him. I believe that the Bible ought to be read with the historic Reformation churches, which means that a person should be using the historic creeds, confessions and catechisms of the church to guide their Bible reading, as well as good commentaries (which will deal directly with the Hebrew and Greek) and personal interaction with one’s pastor and/or elders. With such safeguards in place, almost any translation of the Bible should be safe!
Now you might be asking, “What is the point of all this rambling?” Well, after the ESV was released and met with huge success in conservative evangelical circles, I began to notice a degree of snobbery toward the NIV. I had never heard the acronym “Nearly Inspired Version” until my first year at Biola (2006), and it was always uttered by (new) ESV users who were criticizing the lack of literal, word-for-word precision in the NIV. But there is no clear-cut solution to the problems posed by translating something from one language into another. Every translation has its difficulties, which is why it is ultimately best to use multiple English translations from across the spectrum of translating philosophies, rather than being tied too closely to only one. Still, the NIV has its strengths in a number of areas, including areas where the ESV is lacking, and it has been used and trusted by many conservative evangelical scholars for over 30 years. For that reason, I’m proud to say that I still read and enjoy the Nearly Inspired Version!
January 15, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
I apologize for the last minute update, but you can watch Westminster Seminary California’s 2010 Conference, “Christ, Kingdom & Culture”, online for FREE! (When the player below says “On Air” just hit Play. See Conference Schedule below).
January 14, 2010 Posted by David NcloseAuthor: David NName: Email: dvnilsen@gmail.com Site:http://reasonfromscripture.blogspot.com About: In 2003 I graduated from high school with no set direction for my life. I spent a year in Iowa before returning to California to attend Junior College. I changed majors 3 times; from Physics to Business to Film (as you can see, no direction). I was a Christian, attending church regularly, but furthering the cause of Christ in this fallen world was not a high priority.
In 2005 I picked up an issue of TableTalk magazine, and I was re-introduced to the work of R. C. Sproul (whom I had read once in high school). Later that year, while taking a biology class with an ardent atheist professor, I picked up a copy of Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator." In the Fall of 2006 I came to Biola University and was introduced to the works of J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds. My fate was sealed.
Just a few years ago, I was passionless. Now I have two passions: Studying the Word of God and engaging in the task of Apologetics. 1 Peter 3:15 exhorts all Christians to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. My goal is to be able to give my answer articulately and powerfully, but even more importantly, in love. There are many purposes for apologetics, but by far the most important is the opening of minds and the softening of hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit. If we don't care about and pray for those with whom we engage in apologetics, we fail to fulfill this purpose. As a wise man once said, "Take a stand for the Truth, but do it in love fool!"
Education Info:--Currently: M.A. in Historical Theology student, Westminster Seminary California
--2008: B.A. in Philosophy, Biola University
--2006: A.A. in Liberal Arts, Palomar CollegeSee Authors Posts (75)
April 14, 2010 Posted by David N
closeAuthor: David N
Name: 
Posted in David's Posts, Theology 
No Comments » 
For the last year and half or so, I’ve been conducting an experiment of sorts. My church uses the NIV for all Scripture reading and preaching. But for the last four years I have used the ESV for all of my personal reading and study. So naturally I bring my ESV with me to church. This means that while my pastor is reading the Scripture text for that day (usually a lengthy passage) in the NIV, I am following along with the ESV. As it turns out, the two translations aren’t substantially all that different, so following along is pretty easy. I have noticed two major differences, however, both of which have caused me to move slowly back toward using the NIV for the majority of my Bible reading.
content rss
Recent Comments