tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75510829657381747422024-03-14T02:01:47.171-06:00Liturgy, Hymnody, and Pulpit Quarterly Book ReviewCritical reviews (by Lutheran pastors and church musicians) of books and other resources for Christian worship, preaching, and church music from a perspective rooted in Holy Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and good common sense. LHP Quarterly Book Review asks, "Is it worth the money to buy, the time to read, the shelf space to store, and the effort to teach?"revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comBlogger2204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-12863533446253744612020-01-25T18:59:00.001-07:002020-01-25T18:59:16.063-07:00Visit Us at Lutheran Book Review<div style="text-align: center;">
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revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-70521410367810807842019-03-07T16:18:00.001-07:002019-03-07T16:18:08.914-07:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkf4pkhfbMPmOOYnmvBOVPwhUoh6utENdnk0Rb6zCMsTOtWmhp-pPiPmSM1zMtkI1mYHecfTCqk5xvwu-cUyZ1gf8ibLYAAKOTQvgqWVWsFBu5e4g6etNokkvQNlurqoXNtFhkhosqVVH/s1600/twisted+stack.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="214" height="320" style="width:2.225in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkf4pkhfbMPmOOYnmvBOVPwhUoh6utENdnk0Rb6zCMsTOtWmhp-pPiPmSM1zMtkI1mYHecfTCqk5xvwu-cUyZ1gf8ibLYAAKOTQvgqWVWsFBu5e4g6etNokkvQNlurqoXNtFhkhosqVVH/s320/twisted+stack.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Thompson, John L., Editor. General Editor Timothy George. Associate General Editor Scott M. Manetsch. <i>Genesis 1-11 (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament I). </i>Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012. 389 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/genesis-1-11-rcs">https://www.ivpress.com/genesis-1-11-rcs</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Cooper, Derek and Martin J. Lohrmann, Editors. General Editor Timothy George. Associate General Editor Scott M. Manetsch. <i>1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament V). </i>Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016. 745 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/1-2-samuel-1-2-kings-1-2-chronicles-rcs"> https://www.ivpress.com/1-2-samuel-1-2-kings-1-2-chronicles-rcs</a></span><br> <br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Selderhuis, Herman, Editor. General Editor Timothy George. Associate General Editor Scott M. Manetsch. <i>Psalms 1-72 (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament VII). </i>Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015. 561 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/psalms-1-72-rcs">https://www.ivpress.com/psalms-1-72-rcs</a></span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Paavola, Daniel E. <i> Grace, Faith, Scripture: Portrait of a Lutheran. </i>St. Louis: Concordia, 2019. 113 Pages. pdf ARC received. <a href="http://www.cph.org/" target="_blank">www.cph.org</a></span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2019/03/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-90254977401948776242019-02-28T16:39:00.000-07:002019-02-28T16:40:00.229-07:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_5Py8YAkE7NnA9fVeJ86yOD7C-W9SRDEUzyJve18jScbawlQxPuieUk0vm6FP89gmhQYhB7jSy_FYPjBfJ01YYKA4KqvtV-nHxLgpz-8lzYhcD9hGOszV9445_WyRd8w7s16uvqEY112/s1600/ColorLutherRose.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_5Py8YAkE7NnA9fVeJ86yOD7C-W9SRDEUzyJve18jScbawlQxPuieUk0vm6FP89gmhQYhB7jSy_FYPjBfJ01YYKA4KqvtV-nHxLgpz-8lzYhcD9hGOszV9445_WyRd8w7s16uvqEY112/s1600/ColorLutherRose.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Keating, Ray. <i>A Discussion Guide for Ray Keating's Warrior Monk, A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel. </i>Manorville: Keating Reports, 2019. 26 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Keating, Ray. <i>Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel (Second Edition. New Epilogue and Author Introduction). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2019. 447 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/"> http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Winter, Lincoln. <i>CATECHETICS: Fixing Confirmation</i>. Wheatland, WY: Lulu Press, 2019. 466 Pages. Preview pdf received. <a href="https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=lincoln+winter&type=" target="_blank"> Paper </a>and <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=linclon+winter&ref=nb_sb_noss_2" target="_blank"> Kindle </a>available March 1, 2019. <a href="https://teachthesethings.wordpress.com/"> https://teachthesethings.wordpress.com/</a> <a href="https://predigtamt.wordpress.com/"> https://predigtamt.wordpress.com/</a> </span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2019/02/received-for-review_28.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-71323580750496689282019-02-14T20:13:00.001-07:002019-02-14T20:13:27.738-07:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="94" style="width:3.3333in;height:.975in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Burgess, John P., Jerry Andrews, and Joseph D. Small. <i>A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving and Ancient Practice</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019. 200 Pages. Advance Reader's Copy. Paper expected to be published at $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/">https://www.ivpress.com/</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Beitler, James E. <i>Seasoned Speech: Rhetoric in the Life of the Church</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019. Advance Reader's Copy. Paper expected to be published at $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/">https://www.ivpress.com/</a></span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Mattes, Mark. Edited by Rick Ritchie. Foreword by John T. Pless. <i>Law and Gospel in Action: Foundations Ethics Church</i>. Irvine: 1517 Publishing. 396 Pages. Paper. $22.95. <a href="https://1517.org/publishing/">https://1517.org/publishing/</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Luther, Martin. Translated by Haroldo Camacho. Foreword by Michael Horton. <i>Martin Luther's Commentary on Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1535): Lecture Notes Transcribed by Students and Presented in Today's English.</i> Irvine: 1517 Publishing. 558 Pages. Paper. $22.95. <a href="https://1517.org/publishing/">https://1517.org/publishing/</a></span> <o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br> Posset, Franz. <i>The Two-Fold Knowledge: Readings on the Knowledge of Self and the Knowledge of God, Selected and Translated from the Works of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (Collected Works Volume 1)</i>. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2018. 152 Pages. Paper. $17.00 (Discounts available.) <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset"> https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"><br> Posset, Franz. <i>Luther's Catholic Christology: According to His Johannine Lectures of 1527 (Collected Works Volume 3)</i>. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2018. 267 Pages. Paper. $29.00 (Discounts available.) <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset">https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset</a></span><br> <br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2019/02/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-1718637844785639412019-01-21T11:22:00.001-07:002019-01-21T11:22:07.318-07:00<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="94" style="width:3.3333in;height:.975in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br> Keating, Ray. </span><i>The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar 2019</i><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">. </span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. Paper. $19.99 <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Realistic-Optimist-List-Calendar-2019/dp/1726842738"> https://smile.amazon.com/Realistic-Optimist-List-Calendar-2019/dp/1726842738</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br> <br> Designed for a need in his own life,</span> <i>The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar 2019</i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">, is the latest release from author Ray Keating. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XB0vq5PQL._SX385_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="248" height="320" style="width:2.5833in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XB0vq5PQL._SX385_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Get organized; make things happen; and get inspired throughout the year with "The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar 2019." It's a tool that makes sense for career, business, education, family, fun and pretty much everything else in life. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">"The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar 2019" offers a simple, systematic combination of long run, weekly and daily TO DO lists that make a real difference in getting things done. For good measure, each page includes a quote from a leader or thinker that in some way reflects being a realistic optimist - providing inspiration, giving pause to think, helping you move ahead, generating a laugh, or eliciting agreement or a roll of the eyes. <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">Ray Keating, who is an author, economist, columnist, website publisher/editor, podcaster, marketer and more, refers to himself as a "realistic optimist." What is that all about? Keating sums it up: "The realistic optimist basically learns from life's ups and downs, while maintaining a hope and confidence in successfully setting out and achieving goals." <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">The use of "to do" lists have made a big difference in helping to organize all aspects of Keating's life - as is the case with countless others. He notes, "I've become far better organized - though far from perfect - with the 'to do' list becoming my main planning, organizing and execution tool. The act of putting together the 'to do' list requires reflection on goals; forces prioritization; allows for being more realistic about time management; and generates serious thought on how to best get things done." But using the "to do" list led him to think about a more effective "to do" list. Keating declares, "My creating 'The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar' was driven by meeting a need in my own life, and it followed with the realization that if I benefit from this, others might as well. I hope this becomes a handy tool in your efforts to set and achieve all sorts of goals." <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">Keating concludes, "The fact that you set goals, think about how to achieve those goals, and choose to seek out and use tools like The Realistic Optimist TO DO List & Calendar mean that you are a realistic optimist. Forge ahead!" <o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This is a desk reference and encourager. Mine is the thickness of the LCMS Annual phonebook and directory with pages in Letter size. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Each page has a 2019 date, a quote, and spaces for your daily TO DO list.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br> After the author's introduction of encouragement, there is an Annual TO DO Goal page. Special monthly pages help you keep on task toward your goals. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Special weekly pages help you keep track of priorities for each week.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br> <b>I, too, am a realistic optimist. Want encouragement to keep on task in 2019? Get organized and make things happen with Ray Keating's <i>The Realistic Optimist TO DO List and Calendar.</i></b></span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/ready-for-2019.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-43015409200206249772018-12-08T10:40:00.000-07:002018-12-08T10:41:31.015-07:00On Christ the Solid Rock<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BRX2TxYLL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="207" height="320" style="width:2.1583in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BRX2TxYLL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Keating, Ray. <i>Shifting Sands (A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. 106 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> As I write this, our #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers are preparing to play the Oregon Ducks (later today) for a chance to be in the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. We usually watch the team all season on BTN or BTN+, helping us feel less homesick for family in Nebraska. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/public/2018-11/fU_kHibQ.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="282" style="width:3.3333in;height:2.9333in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/public/2018-11/fU_kHibQ.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Ray Keating's latest Pastor Stephen Grant adventure is a second short story, Shifting Sands.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">SHIFTING SANDS is the second page-turning short story by award-winning novelist Ray Keating, and the tenth thriller/mystery featuring Pastor Stephen Grant. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Beach volleyball is about fun, sun and sand. But when a big-time tournament arrives on a pier in New York City, danger and international intrigue are added to the mix. Stephen Grant, a former Navy SEAL, onetime CIA operative, and current pastor, is on the scene with his wife, friends and former CIA colleagues. While battles on the volleyball court play out, deadly struggles between good and evil are engaged on and off the sand. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Keating weaves together a fascinating tale of action, faith, humor, terrorism, duty, friendship, conflict, and beach volleyball. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">(Back Cover)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> This short story was a quick read, especially since I was in a volleyball mood following Nebraska's defeat of Kentucky yesterday. Follow all of the action <a href="https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-women/d1/2018">here</a>.<br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Like Pastor Grant, I've been blessed with a brother pastor in my congregation, and like Pastor Grant (88), I'll serve him as liturgical assistant tomorrow at Morning Prayer since it is his Sunday to preach. Our joy is to be at church (86) and bring the Good News through Word and Sacrament (89; We have Divine Service this Wednesday and the next Sunday).</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Plausible international intrigue is a hallmark of the Grant stories. Another is that there are consequences for the actions of our hero and his supporting cast. Grant is a second-career pastor, as one can easily discern from the book blurb. He has a history, forgiven in Christ, including past relationships. He still has to deal with those, yet this is our "Warrior Monk," an honorable man who has the trust of his wife and remains accountable.</span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">This adventure has much to do with pro sand volleyball and a certain daughter of a Saudi Prince. I don't like giving book spoilers in reviews, so let me merely advise you to to pay attention to the action and "kills" off the court in addition to the aces in the sand.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg6SjJdyEqVr10c093JhG4NU1wMyfw_RFyj0PA7ZOG80Op1jKLBgPaZSRtxnsQsRWCt5HGrf9V7eswnvoACQkAnAFKlX1q-F690Muxr2wmuZlnLMuWPnFyQuCvJhhW9sHZrCOr2nIo-8i/s1600/LHP+QBR2.jpeg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="139" style="width:3.3333in;height:1.45in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg6SjJdyEqVr10c093JhG4NU1wMyfw_RFyj0PA7ZOG80Op1jKLBgPaZSRtxnsQsRWCt5HGrf9V7eswnvoACQkAnAFKlX1q-F690Muxr2wmuZlnLMuWPnFyQuCvJhhW9sHZrCOr2nIo-8i/s320/LHP+QBR2.jpeg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> <i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Lutheran Book Review</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> began as <i>Liturgy, Hymnody, and Pulpit Book Review</i> (Inaugural Issue, Advent 2004), itself an offshoot of our Wyoming District worship newsletter, <i>Liturgy and Hymnody</i>. The latter included reviews and recommendations, but began as a way to fulfill the request of our then-District President to ease the transition from <i>The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and Hymnal Supplement 98 </i>to the fruit of <i>The Lutheran Hymnal Project</i>, what we now call <i>Lutheran Service Book.</i> In-District we had much success. All but two congregations adopted <i>LSB</i> within two years. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> This review marks a milestone. For the first time in many years, I have no books waiting on my book review reading list. There are plenty of books waiting to read for fun, and for my vocations as Christian, pastor, headmaster, District Secretary, et al. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Reviews are cross-posted at <a href="http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/">http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/</a> (including archives of our pre-blog pdf years) as well as <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/</a> (and occasionally elsewhere).</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Thanks for reading. Watch this space for future reviews!</span><br> <br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://wyoschool.faith/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the <a href="http://wylcms.org/">Wyoming District</a> of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a> and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/"> Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx"> Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming <i><a href="https://search.cph.org/search#w=lutheran%20service%20book">LSB </a>Hymnal Companio</i>n volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on <a href="https://kfuo.org/">KFUO radio</a>. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/on-christ-solid-rock.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-67481251275675540672018-12-06T15:42:00.001-07:002018-12-06T15:42:52.254-07:00Creed, Confessor, Commentary, and Contending for the Faith<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/files/1517_Store2_787742c1-061f-4c7e-983c-41735131b811_350x.png?v=1520978865"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="128" style="width:3.3333in;height:1.3333in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/files/1517_Store2_787742c1-061f-4c7e-983c-41735131b811_350x.png?v=1520978865"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Gilbert, Richard, F.C.A. <i>The Nicene Creed According to the Scriptures</i>. New Reformation Press. Trifold Pamphlet. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Keith, Scott. <i>Meeting Melanchthon: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Phillip Melanchthon and a Few Examples of His Writing</i>. New Reformation Press. 87 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a> <a href="http://www.1517legacy.com/"> www.1517legacy.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Giertz, Bo. Translated by Bror Erickson. <i>Romans: A Devotional Commentary (Excerpted from the New Testament Devotional Commentaries Series)</i>. New Reformation Press. 97 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a> <a href="http://www.1517legacy.com/"> www.1517legacy.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Locklair, Valerie. <i>Called to Defend: An Apologetics Handbook for the Middle School Student</i>. New Reformation Press. Cloth. 249 Pages. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a></span> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> Controversy abounds online. We at <i>LBR </i>have little desire to wade into the weeds or unnecessarily offend. We have no desire to ignore what is going on, either.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Allow me to provide some background. An endorsement or "like" of a resource by an author or a publisher does not necessarily "like" or endorse everything by that author or publisher. That's not how book reviews work. Similarly, critique or review that "cannot recommend" a resource by a publisher or an author does not necessarily disapprove or "not recommend" resources by the same author or publisher. Again, that's not how book reviews work.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> As a classical Lutheran educator, I teach logic and rhetoric in addition to grammar. We teach people to avoid logical fallacies. Two are worth mentioning here.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Venn-diagram-association-fallacy-01.svg/1024px-Venn-diagram-association-fallacy-01.svg.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="321" height="305" style="width:3.3416in;height:3.175in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Venn-diagram-association-fallacy-01.svg/1024px-Venn-diagram-association-fallacy-01.svg.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">An <b>association fallacy</b> is an informal inductive fallacy of the hasty-generalization or red-herring type and which asserts, by irrelevant association and often by appeal to emotion, that qualities of one thing are inherently qualities of another. Two types of association fallacies are sometimes referred to as <b>guilt by association</b> and <b>honor by association</b>. (wikipedia) Above: An Euler diagram illustrating the association fallacy. Although A is within B and is also within C, not all of B is within C.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">While it is appropriate to note connections between persons and groups, connections are not always as solid as they may initially seem. We owe it to ourselves, those who listen to us, and those we speak about to honor the Eighth Commandment and also be honest and truthful. That does include pointing out public error.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Consider Luther in the Large Catechism on the Eighth Commandment:</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/26232708_10210804508050928_2611026240349886362_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=9b60a63d5ad4168cdd2c33494d1294f4&oe=5CAC941C"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="400" height="300" style="width:4.1666in;height:3.125in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/26232708_10210804508050928_2611026240349886362_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=9b60a63d5ad4168cdd2c33494d1294f4&oe=5CAC941C"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> When a sin is public, especially when a position is "publicly set for in books and proclaimed in all the world," "the rebuke must be public, that everyone may learn to guard against it." </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> If something is truly wrong, we won't need to exaggerate, commit a sin, or commit a logical fallacy to point it out to others, either guilt by association or the slippery slope.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A <b>slippery slope argument</b> (<b>SSA</b>), in logic, critical thinking, political rhetoric, and caselaw, is a consequentialist logical device<sup> </sup>in which a party asserts that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant (usually negative) effect. The core of the slippery slope argument is that a specific decision under debate is likely to result in unintended consequences. The strength of such an argument depends on the warrant, i.e. whether or not one can demonstrate a process that leads to the significant effect. This type of argument is sometimes used as a form of fear mongering, in which the probable consequences of a given action are exaggerated in an attempt to scare the audience. The fallacious sense of "slippery slope" is often used synonymously with continuum fallacy, in that it ignores the possibility of middle ground and assumes a discrete transition from category A to category B. In a non-fallacious sense, including use as a legal principle, a middle-ground possibility is acknowledged, and reasoning is provided for the likelihood of the predicted outcome. (wikipedia)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Instead of falling off a slippery slope, consider the practice of C. F. W. Walther in taking something to its logical conclusion.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> I wrote the following two years ago in a similar review article:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A book, album, or other resource received for review should be considered as both a stand-alone item as well as in context with the confession, practice, and previous works of the author, composer, or artist.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> This title [name] has been criticized online (often by those who had yet to read it) because of the practice of the large congregation of which the author is an Assistant Pastor. This book, if actually read by his brother pastors and congregation members, would call them to repentance with regard to [topic] and toward a more faithful practice consistent with the LCMS. Pr. [name] should be thanked for his brave confession. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">That said, let's get down to business.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> What if there were an Explanation to the Athanasian Creed and Nicene Creed like <i> Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation</i> provides for The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod? This pamphlet is a start for such a project for the Nicene Creed.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/nicene_pamphlet_cover_1024x1024_85f6ac77-c1dd-4212-89d4-e7d3e77f6858_1024x.png?v=1510941356"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="145" height="320" style="width:1.5083in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/nicene_pamphlet_cover_1024x1024_85f6ac77-c1dd-4212-89d4-e7d3e77f6858_1024x.png?v=1510941356"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> A creed is a statement of belief. With regard to the Christian church, one of its primary uses is to maintain and communicate consistent Biblical teachings and understandings. Though not God-inspired, the Nicene Creed was created directly from Scripture itself. It is the direct connection to God's word that gives the creed the clarity that it does and is why it has stood the test of time, acting as a 'north star' regarding what we understand from Scripture, as well as a defense against heresy.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> The Nicene Creed is the only ecumenical creed because it is accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. (The Apostles' and Athanasian creeds are accepted by some but not all of these churches.)</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> This pamphlet is a simple one which breaks down the references from Scripture from which the Nicene Creed is derived, line by line. It is an excellent resource for individuals and churches and study groups to use to discover exactly where the strength of the creed originates, and that it is trusted because it is anchored directly in the word of God.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> We presently offer these pamphlets only in packs and as single free inserts with each of our physical shipments. Pick some up now for yourself, your friends and family, or your church or study group!</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> (Publisher's Website) </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Our congregation studied a version of this document from another source before we knew it was available from this publisher. Unfortunately that version (not this one) was missing "God of God," "Light of Light," and "very God of very God." Even so, using an otherwise identical outline, it was one of our most-appreciated Bible studies of the year. It took us about three Sunday morning sessions to cover the Bible verses and all of the questions. </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> I urge the author, a Fellow in Christian Apologetics (<a href="http://www.apologeticsacademy.edu">http://www.apologeticsacademy.edu</a>), to take this pamphlet and turn it into a "Synodical-style Catechism Explanation" of the Nicene Creed. Recruit others to help with the task. Examine the various versions and translations of this creed from Nicaea to Constantinople (and a little help from the real Saint Nicholas, perhaps).</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Recommended.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> Melanchthon remains a confusing figure to many Lutherans. Some have no idea who he is. Some have no idea what the Augsburg Confession is, much less its Apology (Defense). If I had to summarize the two Lutheran Confessions courses I had at the seminary, they could be described as:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Confessions I: Melanchthon good.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Confessions II: Melanchthon bad. </span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/mel2_1024x.png?v=1510700096"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="321" height="321" style="width:3.3416in;height:3.3416in" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/mel2_1024x.png?v=1510700096"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Most scholars consider Melanchthon to be a Reformation enigma. He, the developer of the Reformation doctrine of forensic justification, is contrarily condemned as a synergist. Known well as the Protestant preceptor of Germany, he was Martin Luther's lifelong friend, colleague, teacher of Greek, and fellow reformer. Upon arriving at Wittenberg, Melanchthon was a theologian neither by trade nor by training. He was a classically trained expert in classical languages, neo-Latin poet, textbook author, Greek scholar, humanist, and above all, an educator.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Though he was offered a doctorate on several occasions, he was not a doctor of theology. Yet his influence on the protestant reformation of the 16th century is profound, both through the Loci Communes (the first Lutheran systematic theology) and the Augsburg Confession both of which came from his pen.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Dr. Scott Keith, who has spent much time studying and translating this great reformer, has written this short biography by way of introduction. Also, Melanchthon speaks for himself in fresh translations of his work.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> (Publisher's Website) </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Dr. Keith provides the Church an accessible mini-biography of the Teacher of the Germans, Philip Schwartzerde, known to us as Melanchthon.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Our Circuit Winkel recently began a study of the Formula of Concord with a review of Bente's Introduction to <i>Concordia Triglotta</i>. By way of introduction, we considered the following:</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The road to the Formula of Concord is complicated. The need for Lutheran unity under the Word of God predates the death of Luther in 1546. Phillip Melanchthon published his first edition of <i>Loci Communes Theologici</i> in 1521. By the 1543 edition, Melanchthon states, "good works are necessary for salvation" and counts three "causes" in salvation, including the human will. Scott Keith notes something that many Lutherans have questioned in the intervening centuries:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div style="margin-left:.5in"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">While Luther was still alive when the 1543 editions were published, he again did not condemn Melanchthon's formulation on conversion but praised the work (16-17).</span><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn1" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""></a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I find no definitive answer why Luther did not call out Melanchthon on this point. The LCMS Lutheran Reformation website<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span>notes no distinctive activities of Luther in 1543. <i>On the Jews and Their Lies</i> was published that year.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Q: What else was Luther doing in 1543?</span><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""></a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Q: Why would Luther have not challenged what we may anachronistically describe as "Decision Theology" in Melanchthon's 1543 <i>Loci</i>?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What follows here are excerpts from, questions about, and comments on the last section of Bente's <i>Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church </i>as originally found in <i>Concordia Triglotta.</i></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Please note the quote from pages 16-17 of Keith's biography of Melanchthon above.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Phillip Melanchthon's followers in the controversies after Luther's death were known as Phillipists. The self-described "authentic" Lutherans were known as the Gnesio Lutherans.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> The same Winkel study document (as quoted above) has two later questions:</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Q: Why does the <i>LSB </i>[<i>Lutheran Service Book</i>] Calendar of Commemorations (xii) mark Melanchthon's birth (16 February) rather than his death?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Q: "Guilt by Association" is considered a "bad argument," but is still used today in some online LCMS controversies. Attempting to discredit a position by attempting to discredit a person or group is notable in ancient and modern politics... Do we as confessional Lutherans demonstrate that "Guilt by Association" is still a "bad argument" by subscribing to the <i>Augsburg Confession</i> despite the <i>Variata</i> and Melanchthon's later compromises and outright errors?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Answers? <i> </i></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <i>LSB </i>does something similar for John the Baptist. His Nativity on 24 June is on the calendar, but not his death/heavenly birthday.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> The second question is thought-provoking, and intentionally so, but it was designed to help the brothers see that the Unaltered Augsburg Confession (as it became known by retronym) was presented as a joint confession (and not a private opinion or confession) at a specific point in time. The Confessors could not predict the adjustments that Melanchthon was willing to make in the Variata that were "misused," shall we say, by non-Lutheran protestants after the Peace of Augsburg in 1555. Charles V allowed "<i>Cuius regio, eius religio"</i> Latin for "Whose realm, his religion", meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Until we get reliable, fuller biographies of Melanchthon, this will serve the church well.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> We turn now to <i>Romans: A Devotional Commentary</i> by Bo Giertz.</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/BOOKWWEB.png?v=1518468880"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="319" height="319" style="width:3.325in;height:3.325in" id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/BOOKWWEB.png?v=1518468880"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Fans of <i>The Hammer of God </i>and <i>With My Own Eyes</i> will enjoy this devotional commentary on Romans from Pastor, Bo Giertz. The beloved 20th-century bishop takes readers through Paul's letter to the Romans; pointing to God's grace in Christ and forgiveness for the sinner at every turn.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Known as the "C.S. Lewis of Sweden," Bo Giertz, unerringly reveals the fountain of good news in every Romans passage. Giertz delivers part commentary by thoroughly dissecting each passage, and part devotional as he keenly directs readers to comforts won for them by Christ crucified in all His saving glory.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> (Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This volume is what it says it is, a devotional commentary, not a full-blown exegetical treatment of this letter by St. Paul and the Holy Spirit. It is a foretaste of a feast to come, a commentary "excerpted from the New Testament Devotional Commentaries Series" that deserves to see its day in print in English. Bror Erickson is to be commended for all of his translation of Giertz. One will hear Christ in this devotional commentary, Justification its theme. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Highly Recommended! </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Also Highly Recommended is a new apologetics handbook by Valerie Locklair.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/FrontWeb_f829cd91-b86a-4197-a4ad-4aab9bc72492.png?v=1520952457"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="319" height="319" style="width:3.325in;height:3.325in" id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1345/7313/products/FrontWeb_f829cd91-b86a-4197-a4ad-4aab9bc72492.png?v=1520952457"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Why do you believe what you believe? Aren't you arrogant for thinking that you're right and everyone else is wrong? Isn't Christianity just a bunch of mythology?</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> These questions won't wait until high school. They won't wait until college, and they definitely won't wait until you decide you're ready to answer them. The world into which you were born is a world at war. The Enemy won't wait until you're ready before he attacks, but thankfully, neither did your Savior. The battle for your soul is complete, and now the Spirit calls you to be a vessel through which He touches a bleeding world.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <b><i>Called to Defend </i></b>provides middle school students with an interdisciplinary introduction to defending the faith. Using subjects of mathematics, computer science, history, and creative writing, students will be taught to defend the faith courageously, humbly, and respectfully. Is it possible to be unapologetically Lutheran and a staunch apologist, even at a young age? In Christ, the answer is a resounding yes, as the Holy Spirit calls, sanctifies, and enlightens us to believe, confess, and defend the faith to a world at war.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">(Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What you want to know is whether this title is, "Is it worth the money to buy, the time to read and study, the shelf space to store, and the effort to teach?" The answer is yes. I would love to add it to the reading list of our accredited classical Lutheran academy when we again have students in grades 6 and up.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The author writes about what she knows. She has been well-educated and it shows. She is doing her part in helping us give the new generation before us a better education than we had. That <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">education is classical, Christian, Lutheran</a>, and devoid of elements that would encourage the crystallization of future snowflakes. </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> One of my college majors was mathematics. I fell in love with the square root of negative one. No, I'm not kidding. See page 103 for the picture of my favorite fractal, the Mandelbrot set. Imagine commandeering the only IBM-compatible computer in a small-town Nebraska high school in about 1989. Now, imagine that machine taking DAYS to draw HALF of that image. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">How is this relevant to math in general and classical Lutheran education in particular? "It's possible to be extremely creative in the application and manipulation of numbers-but the numbers were already there. We didn't invent them. We discovered them. Mathematics cannot explain its own existence. Mathematics can raise interesting questions and pose fascinating thought problems, but it can't enlighten us about its mysterious nature. We wouldn't expect general revelation to reveal this to us-that's the real of special revelation (and, consequently, why all apologetics mus be wholly centered on Christ, the Word incarnate)" (106). </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Well-written by an author passionate about her subject matter and using an outline of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, this book will be a blessing to Lutheran pastors, students, and school and home educators.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We promised to give these offerings of 1517 a fair hearing. I believe that we have done that.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This review (and others published near it in time) was delayed because of family and congregational vocational responsibilities. I apologize for the delay. </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/creed-confessor-commentary-and.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><br clear="all"> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""></a><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn2"> <p class="MsoNormal"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""></a><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn3"> <p class="MsoNormal"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""></a><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-69704978438078188852018-12-06T14:55:00.001-07:002018-12-06T14:55:55.293-07:00Ancient and Reformation Church Fathers: Commentary, Devotions, and Relections<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=320 height=94 style='width:3.3333in;height:.975in' id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Manetsch, Scott M., Editor. Timothy George, General Editor. Scott M. Manetsch, Associate General Editor. <i>1 Corinthians (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, New Testament IXa). </i>Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017. 508 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/1-corinthians-rcs">https://www.ivpress.com/1-corinthians-rcs</a> (P)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>George, Timothy. <i>Reading Scripture with the Reformers</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. 270 Pages. Paper. $18.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/reading-scripture-with-the-reformers">https://www.ivpress.com/reading-scripture-with-the-reformers</a> (P)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Hall, Christopher A. <i>Living Wisely with the Church Fathers</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017. 274 Pages. Paper. $24.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/living-wisely-with-the-church-fathers">https://www.ivpress.com/living-wisely-with-the-church-fathers</a> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007. 294 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-a">https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-a</a> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle B</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. 303 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-b">https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-b</a> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle C</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009. 304 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-c">https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-c</a></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><br>Volumes like the following help modern pastors and Christians avoid the error of temporal ignorance. Consider C. S. Lewis: </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones (Introduction to Athanasius' <i>On the Incarnation</i>). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Hear Chesterton: </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about (Orthodoxy). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Since it has been some time since we reviewed a volume of of <i>Reformation Commentary on Scripture, </i>please review what we said back in 2012 about the Galatians/Ephesians volume (<a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2012/07/pulpit-review-reformation-barnes-and.html">http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2012/07/pulpit-review-reformation-barnes-and.html</a>):</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>We have reviewed volumes of IVP's <i>Ancient Commentary on Scripture</i> for years. Our second book debuts a new IVP commentary series.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div id=mini><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div id=header><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Learn More About the Reformation Commentary on Scripture</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The Reformation Commentary on Scripture follows the ancient practice of biblical commentary in catena, in which the scriptural texts are elucidated by chains of passages collected from the authoritative insights of the church's great exegetes. Each volume will consist of the collected comments and wisdom of the reformers collated around the text of the Bible. Thus, this series will be a unique tool for the spiritual and theological reading of scripture and a vital help for teaching and preaching.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>This series, as Timothy George notes, "is committed to the renewal of the church today through careful study and meditative reflection on the Old and New Testaments, the charter documents of Christianity, read in the context of the worshipping, believing community of faith across the centuries."</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>A Crucial Link for the Contemporary Church</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>With the Reformation Commentary on Scripture you have centralized access to treasure that very few can gather for themselves. The series will introduce you to the great diversity that constituted the Reformation, with commentary from Lutherans, Reformed, Anglican, Anabaptists and even reform-minded Catholics, who all shared a commitment to the faithful exposition of Scripture.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The Reformation Commentary on Scripture provides a crucial link between the contemporary church and the great cloud of witnesses that is the historical church. The biblical insights and rhetorical power of the tradition of the Reformation are here made available as a powerful tool for the church of the twenty-first century. Like never before, believers can feel they are a part of a genuine tradition of renewal as they faithfully approach the Scriptures.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>A Vital Resource for Teaching and Preaching</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>In each volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture the reader will find the biblical text in English, from the English Standard Version (ESV), alongside the insights of the leaders of the Reformation, from the landmark figures such as Luther and Calvin to lesser-known commentators, such as Peter Martyr Vermigli, Johannes Oecompampadius, Martin Bucer, Johannes Brenz, Kaspar Cruciger, Jean Diodati and Kaspar Olevianus. Many of these texts are published in English for the first time.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>We have been aided in the production of this series by the digitalization of original source material. Through use of the Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts, a database managed by Alexander Street Press and comprised of digitized copies of original Reformation era texts, the scholars involved in this project have been able to comb through texts in their original sixteenth century format, in their original languages, and perform digital searches of the documents, facilitating the process of translation, abridgement, annotation and compilation.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Each volume is designed to facilitate a rich research experience for preachers and teachers. Each volume contains a unique introduction written by the volume editor, providing a reliable guide to the history of the period, the unique reception of the canon of the scripture and an orientation to the thinkers featured in the volume. Volumes also contain biographies of figures from the Reformation era, adding an essential reference for students of church history.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>A Team of Scholars Committed to Biblical Renewal</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The editorial team for the Reformation Commentary on Scripture consists of an expert panel of ecumenical and international Reformation scholars. With their specialized expertise, they have judiciously selected biblical commentary from the Latin, German, Dutch, French and English language sources of the Reformation period—being vigilant to include the authoritative comments of many lesser-known figures whose witness has never before been available in English.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>While the principal period for the commentary is the sixteenth century, the volume editors have carefully consulted the writings of some later figures, such as the early Puritans of the seventeenth century. They have also selected from appropriate earlier authors in the pre-Reformation era who displayed a careful concern for the text of scripture and chartered an exegetical course that fed into the Reformation (such as Jean Colet, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Desiderius Erasmus).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>This series is guided by twin commitments to church renewal and scholarly integrity. To that end, under the guidance of Timothy George, series general editor, and Scott M. Manetsch, series associate editor, we have assembled an advisory board and team of volume editors who are actively involved in the life of the church and whose work has been recognized by peers as exhibiting diligence and credibility. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>(Series website) </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The first volume covers both <i>Galatians </i>and <i>Ephesians</i> and is edited by Gerald L. Bray.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2973.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=141 height=199 style='width:1.4666in;height:2.075in' id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2973.jpg"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The gospel of justification by faith alone was discovered afresh by the Reformers in the epistolary turrets of the New Testament: the letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>At the epicenter of the exegetical revolution that rocked the Reformation era was Paul's letter to the Galatians. There Luther, Calvin, Bullinger and scores of others perceived the true gospel of Paul enlightening a situation parallel to their own times--the encroachment of false teachers and apostates upon the true teaching of salvation by grace through faith.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>In Ephesians, the Reformers gravitated to what they understood to be the summit of Paul's vision of salvation in Christ. Finding its source, beyond time, in the electing love of God, the Reformers disseminated the letter's message of temporal hope for Christians living under the duress of persecution.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>For the Reformers, these epistles were living, capsule versions of Paul's letter to the Romans, briefs on the theological vision of the celebrated apostle. Probed and expounded in the commentaries and sermons found in this volume, these letters became the very breath in the lungs of the Reformation movements.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>The range of comment on Galatians and Ephesians here spans Latin, German, French, Dutch and English authors from a variety of streams within the Protestant movement. Especially helpful in this volume is Gerald Bray's editorial presentation of the development of tensions among the Reformers.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>The epistles of Galatians and Ephesians open up a treasure house of ancient wisdom, allowing these faithful Reformation witnesses to speak with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Contents</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Abbreviations</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>General Introduction</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>A Guide to Using This Commentary</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Introduction to Galatians and Ephesians</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Commentary on Galatians</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Commentary on Ephesians</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Appendix</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Map of the Reformation</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Timeline of the Reformation</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Biographical Sketches of Reformation Era Figures</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Bibliography </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Author Index</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Scripture Index</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>(Publisher's website)</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>This new series will focus on the Protestant reformers. I do like the idea. Although this Lutheran is not eager to read more Calvin or Zwingli, I am eager for English-readers who are inclined to reference this series to learn more about the Lutheran Reformation through our contributing commentators.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>Let's let Scripture itself be the judge of who teaches correctly. Over the last year, I've read and reviewed a half dozen study Bibles. They take forever to examine and judge--longer than a trilogy of novels. My pet peeve is when the study Bible notes unapologetically and bold-facedly contradict the clearly and accurately translated Bible text.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>So, let's have at it. Read the ESV translation at the head of each section of Galatians and Ephesians. Then, read all of the commentaries. Read even the ones by names you know and names you don't know. Read the comments by those from your tradition and outside your tradition. Third, honestly say who best said what the Bible said. You may surprise yourself (in a good way). Finally, consult the back of each volume to learn about the commentator (who, when, where, and what they believed about Christ).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>My goal in this review is to get you interested in this series. I pray you would even pick up this first volume. Those behind the project picked a volume on Galatians and Ephesians to go first for a reason. These are great Epistles! Luther's commentary on Galatians is a classic. Galatians is a great introduction to the Gospel and how to avoid getting it wrong. Ephesians is a great blessing when it comes to correctly teaching about election and predestination, grace, worship and music, marriage, parenting, and spiritual warfare. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Any Lutheran who has read the Small Catechism has encountered the Twenty Questions. I am thankful that <i>Lutheran Service Book </i>places them in the hymnal right before the first hymn so that we may more properly and reverently prepare to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, the very forgiveness of our sins in the Sacrament of the Altar. Well, I think Luther is quite sarcastic in his last question, and his use of humor wakes some out of their unrepentant, unserious (or too serious) slumber. We are given to always take the Lord, His Word, and our sin seriously. I also think we take ourselves far too seriously.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'><br>I prefer Luther's antidote to Calvin's:</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Ephesians 5:4</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'> Avoid Sinful Talk</span></b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>Sarcasm Is Ungodly.</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'> John Calvin: Paul goes on to add three more things to his list of evils. It is possible to joke in a good way, but it is very difficult to be witty without becoming sarcastic, and as wit itself carries a sort of affectation that is not at all in keeping with godliness, Paul quite rightly warns us against it. None of these things is consistent with being a Christian. <u>Commentary on Ephesians</u>.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>We report. <b>You decide.</b> <i>Sin boldly.</i></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>As always, we thank the publishers for their generosity in providing complimentary copies of these books for our review. We think they are worth your time and shelf space.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Welcome back to 2018.</span></b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2972.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=222 height=320 style='width:2.3166in;height:3.3333in' id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2972.jpg"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>What's different this time? </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:3-4 ESV). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Reflecting on Paul's summary of the gospel, sixteenth-century biblical commentator, theologian, and Lutheran pastor Tilemann Hesshus wrote, "The central tenet and foundation of our entire religion is that our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification. All of our comfort, salvation and hope rest upon this foundation. From this is derived that greatest comfort concerning the resurrection of the dead and the future life of eternal glory." </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Throughout the church's history, Christians have turned to the epistles of the Apostle Paul in order to understand the essentials of the Christian faith, learn from the challenges faced by early Christians, and discern how to navigate the complexities of following Christ. Among those who gained wisdom from Paul were the Protestant Reformers, who found inspiration and instruction about how to lead the church of their day during a time of significant theological debate, ecclesiastical reform, and spiritual renewal. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>In this volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, Scott Manetsch guides readers through a diversity of Reformation-era commentary on the first of Paul's letters to the Corinthians. Within this volume, readers will encounter familiar voices and discover lesser-known figures from a variety of theological traditions, including Lutherans, Reformed, Radicals, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. Drawing on a variety of resources—including commentaries, sermons, treatises, and confessions—much of which appears here for the first time in English, it provides resources for contemporary preachers, enables scholars to better understand the depth and breadth of Reformation commentary, and helps all Christians cling to the things of first importance.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Scott M. Manetsch (PhD, University of Arizona) is professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the associate general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture and the author of <i>Calvin's Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609</i>. (Publisher's Website)</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>As a Lutheran reader, my first question was, "Who was Tilemann Hesshus?" It took some digging to find the answer. Delays in writing this review also helped answer the question. I began with Concordia Cyclopedia, now online, complete with all of its historic abbreviations:</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=H&word=HESSHUS.TILEMANN"><span class=internaltitle>Hesshus, Tilemann</span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>(Hesshusius; Heshusius; Hesshusen; 1527–88). <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.EV" target="_blank"><i>Ev.</i></a> <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.THEOL" target="_blank"><i>theol.</i></a>; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.EDUC" target="_blank"><i>educ.</i></a> Wittenberg, Oxford, and Paris; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.SUPT" target="_blank"><i>supt.</i></a> Goslar 1553; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.PROF" target="_blank"><i>prof.</i></a> Rostock 1556, expelled for opposing worldliness 1557; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.PROF" target="_blank"><i>prof.</i></a> Heidelberg 1557, deposed 1559 for refusing to subscribe to the Variata (see <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=l&word=LUTHERANCONFESSIONS">Lutheran Confessions, B 1</a>); pastor Magdeburg 1560; deposed 1562 for opposing edict forbidding polemics; active in Wesel, Frankfurt am Main, and Strasbourg; court preacher Neuburg 1565; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.PROF" target="_blank"><i>prof.</i></a> Jena 1569; exiled 1573 by <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=a&word=AUGUST.ELECTOROFSAXONY"><i>Elector August* of Saxony</i></a>; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.BP" target="_blank"><i>bp.</i></a> Samland (peninsula of former <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.E" target="_blank"><i>E</i></a> Prussia) 1573; deposed 1577 on charges of false doctrine in Christology; <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/abbrev.asp?abbrev=ABBR.PROF" target="_blank"><i>prof.</i></a> Helmstedt 1577; helped to deter Brunswick from accepting FC. Works include <i>Vom Ampt und gewalt der Pfarrherr; Adsertio sacrosancti Testamenti Iesu Christi: contra blasphemam Calvinistarum exegesin [Exegesis perspicua et ferme integra controversiae de Sacra Coena];</i> commentaries See also <a href="http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=p&word=PROPST.JAKOB">Propst, Jakob</a>.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>This volume states: </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Tilemann Hesshus (1527-1588). German Lutheran theologican and pastor. Hesshus studied under Philipp Melanchthon but was a staunch Gnesio-Lutheran. With great hestitation--and later regret--he affirmed the Formula of Concord (465).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>I had to pause there. A man who regrets affirming the Formula of Concord? This is not what a confessional Lutheran like me wants to see. We resume...</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Heshuss ardently advocated for church discipline, considering obedience a mark of the church. Unwilling to compromise his strong convictions, especially regarding matters of discipline, Hesshus was regularly embroiled in controversy. He was expelled or pressed to leave Goslar, Rostock, Heidelberg, Bremen, Magdeburg, Wesel, Königsberg and Samland before settling in Helmstedt, where he remained until his death. He wrote numerous polemical tracts concerning ecclesiology, justification, the sacraments and original sin, as well as commentaries on Psalms, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, and 1-2 Timothy, and a postil collection (465). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>This fellow may have some interesting things to say in his commentaries, but he doesn't sound like the kind of pastor a Lutheran seminary or church body would set up as a role model. Hesshus is the find of person we all get frustrated with on Facebook.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'> </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.cph.org/p-29693-chemnitzs-works-volume-10-apology-of-the-book-of-concord.aspx">Volume 10 of Chemnitz's Works</a> also mentions the man. He was supposed to meet with the authors of the Apology of the Book of Concord (a document defending the whole Book of Concord and not included in the Lutheran Confessions), but was a no-show in May 1582. He did appear for an extended meeting in Quedlinburg from December 1582 to January 1583.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Consider in particular Heshuss on Justification by Faith Alone (300-301).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Notable sections of the book include the commentaries on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 through 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Why? It is your opportunity as reader to read what the Scriptures say, and just Reformation teachers on the basis of their own words. Do they agree with the Word? Do they contradict, deny, or attempt to spin the Word? As I'll share later, this is what makes this volume and this set so valuable!</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Since our first review of a volume in this series, I've had much more time to think about the purpose of these Reformation Commentary volumes and use by confessional Lutherans like me and our readers.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Before we get to that, let's spend some time with some ancient church fathers thanks to Cindy Crosby and Christopher A. Hall.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/3557.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=214 height=320 style='width:2.225in;height:3.3333in' id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/3557.jpg"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>"To search the sacred Scripture is very good and most profitable for the soul. For, 'like a tree which is planted near the running waters,' so does the soul watered by sacred Scripture also grow hearty and bear fruit in due season," writes John of Damascus in Orthodox Faith (4.17). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>By helping you to read holy writings with ancient eyes, the church fathers offer you a deep drink from the only water that can give true life. These three guides to prayer and reflection combine excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>There are fifty-two weeks of readings in each volume, following the weekly lectionary cycles A, B or C. You can read through them in order or by thematic interest. Each day you will also find a simple opening and closing prayer drawn from the prayers and hymns of the ancient church. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Come and find the deep nourishment God offers through the insights of this "cloud of witnesses"--the ancient church fathers. (Publisher's Website)</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Volume A appeared in 2007, followed by C in 2009, and B 2011. C has begun with Advent 2018 (and most of 2019). </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Lutheran Service Book</span></i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>'s Three-Year Lectionary is a modified version of the Revised Common Lectionary. Some readings will be different, yet the set will be quite useful for Lutherans! I appreciate it very much personally, beyond my role as reviewer. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Each week has an explanation of the Theme, an opening prayer (an historic collect), Bible Readings, Psalm of response, reflections (commentary selections), and a concluding collect. </span></b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>I have some suggestions for the publisher.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Ancient Christian Devotional</span></i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'> is a three volume set. There is room for one more volume. I recommend that IVP would add a volume for the Historic One-Year Lectionary (See <a href="https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-series">https://www.lcms.org/worship/lectionary-series</a>), used in one version or another in western Christendom for a thousand years. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>The content of these volumes would be absolutely perfect for an IVP devotional app for smartphones and tablets.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Consider using this set as a supplement your CPH PrayNow app/Treasury of Daily Prayer readings. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>Yes. There should be a <i>Reformation Devotional</i> in four volumes. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>We'll encounter more from the IVP <i>Reformation </i>series shortly.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><i>Living Wisely with the Church Fathers</i> completes the set begun with <i>Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, </i>and <i>Worshiping with the Church Fathers.</i></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/8918.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=214 height=320 style='width:2.225in;height:3.3333in' id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/8918.jpg"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>The first centuries of Christianity are like a far country. But despite their foreignness, they hold a treasury of wisdom for living. Early Christians struggled and flourished in a culture that was in love with empire and military power, infatuated with sex and entertainment, tolerant of all gods but hostile to the One. And from this crucible of discipleship they extracted lessons of virtue, faithfulness, and joy in Christ. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Christopher Hall takes us to this distant time, where he interviews Christian leaders around the ancient Mediterranean world, inquiring how to live a good life as a Christ follower. The menu of topics wends its way through wealth and poverty, war and violence, marriage and sexuality, theater and the arena, as well as the harsh realities of persecution and martyrdom. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Gathering around Basil or Chrysostom or Augustine, we are instructed anew in the way of discipleship. And as they grapple with issues surprisingly resonant with our own, this cloud of ancient witnesses both surprises and challenges us in the life of faith. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Christopher A. Hall (PhD, Drew University) is the president of <a href="https://renovare.org/" target="_blank">Renovaré</a>. He is associate editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and his books include <i>Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers</i>, <i>Learning Theology with the Church Fathers</i>, and <i>Worshiping with the Church Fathers</i>.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Hall previously served at Eastern University for over twenty years in several roles, including chancellor, provost, dean of Palmer Seminary, dean of the Templeton Honors College, distinguished professor of theology, and director of academic spiritual formation. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Pennsylvania and have three grown children. (Publisher's Website)</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Chapters cover martyrdom, wealth and poverty, war and military sevice, sex and the dynamics of desire, life as male and female (and the goodness and beauty of marriage), life and death, entertainment, and the well-ordered heart.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Given the prevalence of divorce today, it is instructive that the fathers didn't speak about it much at all in this volume. Since there was no such thing as "no fault divorce" until the 20th Century, a consistent (often unspoken) teaching that "divorce is not an option" is shocking to modern ears. The fathers speak about love, the Word on holy matrimony, forgiveness, self-discipline, and sacrifice. Such are an antidote to divorce. Encouragement toward holiness and not indulging in sinful desires are needed in every time and place. The author's account of a Christian man who struggles with same-sex attraction is a necessary inclusion to help people today understand better the Christian life (172ff).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>The Fathers disagreed. At times they disagreed with one another. And some clearly depart from the Word at times. Each of their words must be normed against the "Word." They are the best examples to us when they reflect the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word. That is when they are truly Christians, little Christs.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>IVP would do well to consider similar volumes to Hall's four for the Reformers. The project may well need more than four volumes. The first in a presumed series, <i>Reading Scripture with the Reformers</i>, is our next subject.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2949.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=213 height=320 style='width:2.2166in;height:3.3333in' id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2949.jpg"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>In <i>Reading Scripture with the Reformers,</i> Timothy George takes readers through the exciting events of the sixteenth century, showing how this dynamic period was instigated by a fresh return to the Scriptures. George immerses us in the world of the Reformation, its continuities with the ancient and medieval church, and its dramatic upheavals and controversies. Most of all, he uncovers the significant way that the Bible shaped the minds and hearts of the reformers.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>This book shows how the key figures of the Reformation read and interpreted Scripture, and how their thought was shaped by what they read. We are invited to see what the church today can learn from the fathers of the Reformation, and how these figures offer a model of reading, praying and living out the Scriptures.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Timothy George is the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and serves as an executive editor at <i>Christianity Today.</i> He is a member of the Southern Baptist-Roman Catholic Conversation Team and has participated in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together initiative. He is the series editor for the Reformation Commentary on Scripture.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>(Publisher's Website)</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>I </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>find the author fair in his treatment of the "reformers" as a whole. I rather like this volume of history.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>There's something about every volume of this kind that rubs me the wrong way. Few see Luther the way Lutherans do. (To be fair, it is probably true that few see Calvin the way Calvinists do, etc.) This was brought up by a paragraph on page 18 that highlighted contributions of each of several reformers and their approach. Not each of the specifically-mentioned contributes are the sole property of the reformer mentioned. Still, it seemed to me that Luther didn't get enough credit there. It was likely the intent of the author to include the reformers to get buy-in from readers so early in the book. He was not trying to offend, but I read the paragraph in a way that another, likely unintended meaning appeared.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>What George includes is certainly good, right, and salutary for the understanding of how the various reformers read Scripture, yet it seems that this volume really would serve best as a volume of introduction to another volume in the series more specifically treating the "how" of how the reformers read Scripture. See the approach of <i>Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers</i> for what I mean. I love history. A volume with this title needs more exegetical theology rather than historical theology. IVP could re-issue this volume with a different title that focuses on its historical approach: <i>Understanding the Context of the Reformers: an Introduction to Reading Scripture with the Reformers.</i> </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=320 height=94 style='width:3.3333in;height:.975in' id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Do I expect to see <i>Reading Scripture with the Reformers</i> joined by future volumes theoretically titled<i> Learning Theology with the Reformers, Worshiping with the Reformers, </i>and <i>Living Wisely with the Reformers</i>? </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Yes. And IVP should publish them. More on that later.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>I do over a caveat. The Reformation church fathers had significant disagreements. Yes, so did the Ancient church fathers, yet the Reformation differences seem more poignant because they are still with us. I am not one who wants to ignore differences, papering over them and "agreeing to disagree."</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>There is, I suppose, a time and a place for what C. S. Lewis called "mere Christianity." Yet he did not propose that that is all there is. Consider this except from early in his book of that same title:</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>We must therefore stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name Christians was first given at Antioch (Acts xi. 26) to "the disciples," to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles. There is no question of its being restricted to those who profited by that teaching as much as they should have. There is no question of its being extended to those who in some refined, spiritual, inward fashion were "far closer to the spirit of Christ" than the less satisfactory of the disciples. The point is not a theological, or moral one. It is only a question of using words so that we can all understand what is being said. When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>I hope no reader will suppose that "mere" Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions — as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>It is true that some people may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerable time, while others feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at. I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait. When you do get into your room you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light: and, of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and paneling.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>In plain language, the question should never be: "Do I like that kind of service?" but "Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here? Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?"</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>When you have reached your own room, be kind to those Who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>If Christianity is the one true faith, and Scripture confesses that it is, and if the Bible is the very Word of God (and not merely a container for a Word of God) and it is, then there will be a point where Christians will disagree with the Bible itself and therefore disagree with one another.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>I do not wish to play a game with the word "interpretation." Either the text means what it says or one simply disagrees with what the text says. That some say the Constitution of the United States is a "living document" is different than what Christians mean by Scripture being living, active, and the Word of God. Both say something specific because the author(s) behind each meant to say something specific. Let's limit that illustration simply to the point at hand.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>Where a Church Father of the Reformation or Ancient variety ignores, disagrees with, deletes, adds to, or contradicts the clear Word of God, the Biblical text, Christians should ignore, mark, and avoid what that person says. The same goes for any modern pastor, professor, hierarch, or layman.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>One could use a set like <i>Reformation Commentary on Scripture</i> and only follow the comments from one's favorite reformer(s). That would be a mistake. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>If Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, Walther, Pieper, Sasse, or any Lutheran living or dead disagrees with the Word, I must hold to the Word. The Lutherans of the first generation quoted from the ancient fathers to show that their "Lutheran" ideas were not new, but historic, found in the mouths and pens of those claimed as fathers by Rome, but most importantly, found in Scripture!</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>I love that volumes of this commentary set print the Bible verses to be commented upon before the commentary. Read it. Don't skip this step. That is our standard, our measure, our "norm." </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>As you read the commentaries, read each commentary without noticing the name of the author. How does the comment measure up to the original, the source, the Word? You may be surprised. When you do notice the author's name, don't let up your guard. Don't give "your guy" slack just because he is a theological ancestor. Give your tradition's historic opponents a fair hearing, yet always give the Word the final say. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>As I said years ago, </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif'>So, let's have at it. Read the ESV translation at the head of each section of Galatians and Ephesians. Then, read all of the commentaries. Read even the ones by names you know and names you don't know. Read the comments by those from your tradition and outside your tradition. Third, <u>honestly say who best said what the Bible said.</u> You may surprise yourself (in a good way). Finally, consult the back of each volume to learn about the commentator (who, when, where, and what they believed about Christ).</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>If our consciences, like Luther's, are to be captive to the Word of God, then they are captive not merely to emotion, experience, personal preference, a false private "revelation", or the whims of a culture. They would and need to be captive to the Word of God. So that is where I still stand. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>Let's go two steps further. IVP has also published two other series related to <i>Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture</i>, <i>Ancient Christian Doctrine</i> (5 volumes), and <i>Ancient Christian Texts</i> (ongoing). My pastoral library is the richer having all or nearly all extant volumes in these companion sets.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>A theoretical <i>Reformation Doctrine</i> set may well need more than five volumes. There would be some risk in publishing it because modern confessional differences are felt more than ancient ones. Still, the set should be attempted. Now may or may not be the time.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>Volumes by individual Reformation church fathers in a theoretical <i>Reformation Texts</i> series should also be published. Here, I counsel IVP to co-publish volumes with denominational publishers so the benefit of having previously untranslated works (and new translations of other significant works) available would be balanced with the risk shared by those who share the confession of the author to be published.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Or, IVP could go with something like <i>Reformation Readings of Paul</i> that provide longer selections from a variety of reformers, showing competing interpretations side by side like Luther and Erasmus on the human will. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br>Does either of these proposed projects have to be done in hardcover or even in print at all? That would be ideal, yet the rules of traditional publishing need not apply. Digital versions for Faithlife/Logos and Amazon/kindle would be sufficient for many. Print-on-demand is another attractive option. The purchaser could choose paperback or hardcover.</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>The future is bright for IVP with so much potential for <i>Reformation Commentary on Scripture</i> and related volumes!</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><br>This review (and others published near it in time) was delayed because of family and congregational vocational responsibilities. I apologize for the delay. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx">Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation">5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><br></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></td></tr></table><p><br><a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/ancient-and-reformation-church-fathers.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p></div>revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-23116970030924990092018-12-06T10:58:00.001-07:002018-12-06T10:58:40.832-07:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-cwsXwCxfseHw_ArTNcfyvWmft9oKhPKQvO5th5gRrDtsVkFNKZRB7jaHWZbsddNBQDkAhb_qmW3Vi-Q501PVrahalsuTzOag3UKweyxoDLAiQ25zUUhjwX1a70s5qHt1K6KS-vjfRN/s1600/specs+test.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-cwsXwCxfseHw_ArTNcfyvWmft9oKhPKQvO5th5gRrDtsVkFNKZRB7jaHWZbsddNBQDkAhb_qmW3Vi-Q501PVrahalsuTzOag3UKweyxoDLAiQ25zUUhjwX1a70s5qHt1K6KS-vjfRN/s1600/specs+test.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Keating, Ray. <i>Shifting Sands (A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. 106 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-70202882182492863332018-12-06T10:20:00.001-07:002018-12-06T10:20:44.404-07:00Faithful Fiction and Comfort under the Cross<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbW8xO_LkeKIm_YniKBekL8gXzLsfZo8_JDZ3eN-JtgXIo-L6vRwZBojwVrkfbgyiYGu-XLrMEtvGWpqGABifh-02CmOuoW3cGuqPIBq0Zqw8x8yiFlfwzcPIg9Mx9iHtyYj9Q95bEsT2/s1600/611px-LutherRose.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="313" style="width:3.3333in;height:3.2583in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbW8xO_LkeKIm_YniKBekL8gXzLsfZo8_JDZ3eN-JtgXIo-L6vRwZBojwVrkfbgyiYGu-XLrMEtvGWpqGABifh-02CmOuoW3cGuqPIBq0Zqw8x8yiFlfwzcPIg9Mx9iHtyYj9Q95bEsT2/s320/611px-LutherRose.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Keating, Ray. <i>Reagan Country (A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. 309 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Keating, Ray. <i>Heroes and Villains (A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. 72 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Arbo, Matthew. Foreword by Karen Swallow Prior. <i>Walking through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling. </i>Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 116 Pages. Paper. $15.99. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/"> www.crossway.org</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> I'm no snowflake. A faithful pastor cannot afford to be. Pastors and Christians face life and death issues frequently. We dare not hide our heads in the sand. We should face the difficult head-on, informed by Scripture, with faith in Christ, supporting one another with prayer and encouragement during cross-bearing.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> The books in this review are different. The first books mentioned are fiction. The final titles are non-fiction. All deal with serious issues deftly thanks to the writing talents of their authors.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> <a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81TFT-BBp6L.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="207" height="320" style="width:2.1583in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81TFT-BBp6L.jpg"></span></a><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71vglMflO6L.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="207" height="320" style="width:2.1583in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71vglMflO6L.jpg"></span></a>Our first novel visits the near-future of tomorrow's headlines. </span><br> <br> <i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Reagan Country</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> is the most-recent full-length novel in Ray Keating's Pastor Stephen Grant series. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Please note the new cover style by the Rev. Tyrel Bramwell.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Could President Ronald Reagan's influence reach into the former "evil empire"? The media refers to a businessman on the rise as "Russia's Reagan." Unfortunately, others seek a return to the old ways, longing for Russia's former "greatness." The dispute becomes deadly. Conflict stretches from the Reagan Presidential Library in California to the White House to a Russian Orthodox monastery to the Kremlin. Stephen Grant, pastor at St. Mary's Lutheran Church on Long Island, a former Navy SEAL and onetime CIA operative, stands at the center of the tumult. He is strengthened by his faith, wife, friends, and former CIA colleagues, and is armed with a Glock and Holy Scripture. Grant is the kind of guy that Reagan would have appreciated. (Back cover)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Those who appreciate President Reagan may see this title and cover while browsing the many new books about our 40th President. Interest in the presidency is high given the contentious 2016 campaign, the recent death of President George H. W. Bush, and our nation's divided politics.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <i>Reagan Country </i>is a story of unexpected adventure. I have come to expect adventure for Rev. Stephen Grant in and beyond St. Mary's Lutheran Church (LCMS), but I did not expect this kind of plot. In an America where a large percentage of college students naiively prefer and/or promote socialism over capitalism, "Russia's Reagan" shows the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the people who had been oppressed by socialism and communism. If only! </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">My favorite part of this novel is the worldview of this eight-novel extended universe. We see everything in the context of pastors (don't forget St. Mary's Assistant) who confess Luther's <i>Small Catechism </i>and the<i> </i>Lutheran Confessions, active in Word and Sacrament ministry to real people, regular reference to Scripture, properly distinguished Law and Gospel, and glimpses into occasions of pastoral care and weekly liturgy (using <i>Lutheran Service Book</i>). Pastor Grant and the whole cast of Keating characters have to live with the consequences of their actions under the forgiveness of Christ. I know of no other author of thrillers that does this.</span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Reflecting on the series to date, one strength is the knowledge and research of the author. He becomes, if he is not already, a subject matter expert on the topic at hand. Reagan. Comic books. Wine. Baseball. Everything comes off as authentic, accurate, and well-informed.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Keating's creativity also avoids the formula of so much fiction in that we are not merely back to the "status quo" at the end of each installment. He develops characters, relationships, and situations in believable, realistic, human ways. We are primed, wanting more. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">And so I rejoice to share with you the coming of Stephen Grant short stories in addition to all the novels to date. </span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvglKa_yCzahmeMXihL2_DxlfL_P5iDU0ADiVJi_Alnda57kzg8io5317RynNnjLio0VRAM3gfRo-6OyRR4gH8CZyThXFL874JuBWEzUfUrpa1ZJ3ejBKVcedtM6VuE6vF5V8A5eH5dET/s820/20181125_115708_Film1.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="240" style="width:3.3333in;height:2.5in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvglKa_yCzahmeMXihL2_DxlfL_P5iDU0ADiVJi_Alnda57kzg8io5317RynNnjLio0VRAM3gfRo-6OyRR4gH8CZyThXFL874JuBWEzUfUrpa1ZJ3ejBKVcedtM6VuE6vF5V8A5eH5dET/s820/20181125_115708_Film1.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Heroes and Villains is the first (of hopefully many) Pastor Stephen Grant short stories. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">As a onetime Navy SEAL, a former CIA operative and a pastor, many people call Stephen Grant a hero. At various times defending the Christian Church and the United States over the years, he has journeyed across the nation and around the world. But now Grant finds himself in an entirely unfamiliar setting – a comic book, science fiction and fantasy convention. But he still joins forces with a unique set of heroes in an attempt to foil a villainous plot against one of the all-time great comic book writers and artists.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Most pastors that I know have extensive libraries. I had the bug early. My comic book library has 10,000 volumes at last count. That covered my main period of collecting from 1986-1996, largely Superman and Batman plus the West Coast Avengers and Silver Surfer. Before superheroes, I read G. I. Joe. Before that, I apparently learned how to read with the help of Bugs Bunny and Uncle Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck, that is.</span><br> <br> <i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Heroes and Villains</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> takes you inside all the drama of a comic convention, including that which only Stephen Grant can help with. It's an enjoyable romp complete with the gritty realism of the Burton Batman films, the camp of the Adam West adventures of the 60's, and the modern humor of LEGO Batman. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">If you know the adventures of the Avengers from the movies or the pages, dream of the day of decent DC films, or love the experience of Comic-Con, <i>Heroes and Villains</i> is the read for you! </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Gun-toting clergymen aren't only found in Wyoming. Keating's novels and short stories prove it with Pastor Stephen Grant and his adventures. May they continue! DC and Marvel are famous for telling stories of worlds like ours, yet different. This is the "multiverse." Somewhere, there is a world like ours where these stories have their own screen adaptations. How I'd love to see Pastor Grant on Netflix!</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I love reading about a fictional Sheriff, Walt Longmire, while living in the region of Wyoming that inspired the fictional town and county in the novels of Craig Johnson. </span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">There is also a second series set in Wyoming, in another fictional town in another fictional county, about a fictional Game Warden, Joe Pickett, in the novels of C. J. Box. I am also a Lutheran pastor. It is an example of the embarrassment of riches that I also get to read about a fictional Lutheran pastor, Rev. Stephen Grant, </span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">through the keyboard and creative mind of Ray Keating. </span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> The cover designer of Keating's recent Stephen Grant titles of LCMS Pastor Tyrel Bramwell. His novel on the historic, Biblical, faithful, and apostolic practice of close(d) communion is called <i>Come In, We Are Closed.</i></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nQDuazcXL.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="200" height="320" style="width:2.0833in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nQDuazcXL.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Many evangelicals are unfamiliar with it, don't understand it, and are often offended when they encounter it, but when it comes to the Lord's Supper the Scriptures clearly teach that Holy Communion is not for anybody and everybody. In this short work of fiction Rev. Tyrel Bramwell recalls the questions he had when he first encountered closed Communion as a young evangelical and the conversations he has had as a pastor, in order to dispel false assumptions and provide the Biblical answers to real misunderstandings.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">It is a challenge to convey theological truth and faithful practice in fiction. The Rev. Tyrel Bramwell does so with theological deftness, pastoral winsomeness, and confessional faithfulness with regard to the challenging topic of Closed Communion. Engaging, humorous, and authentic, Come in, We Are Closed is the helpful tool laypeople and pastors have been praying for to reach those used to Open Communion. This book creatively and conversationally expands the limited number of Bible texts used to explain this faithful biblical practice within a fuller Lutheran confession of a Christian worldview and additional teaching on many other aspects of the Sacrament of the Altar. <i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Come-are-Closed-Tyrel-Bramwell/dp/1717081851">Come in, We Are Closed</a> </i>deals with Jesus' own words and how many react to them with unbelief instead of faith.</span><br> <br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Another of our LCMS friends is Vanessa Rasanen, author of the first book in the <i>Hearts on Guard </i>series<i>, Soldier On</i>. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71XJl-fryqL.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="200" height="320" style="width:2.0833in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71XJl-fryqL.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">He's fighting for his country. She's praying for his safety. When tragedy strikes, can their marriage and faith survive?</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Charlie and Meg Winters are no strangers to the military life and the challenges it brings. But when an IED rips through his convoy killing his friends, the loss proves almost too much to bear.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Meg finds her trust in Christ wavering, and secrets she's been keeping for years drive a wedge between her and her husband.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What if everything Meg believes is a lie?</span></i><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What if Charlie finds out what she's done?</span></i><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Can Meg and Charlie save their marriage or will the horrors of war and the ghosts of their past tear them apart and forever shipwreck her faith?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Soldier-Hearts-Guard-Book-1/dp/1732765200"><i>Soldier On</i></a> is a gripping contemporary women's fiction novel. If you like inspirational stories of faith tested under pressure, then you'll love Vanessa Rasanen's true-to-life novel.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Like the books by Keating and Bramwell above, Rasanen's debut novel is realistic, grounded, and authentic, and delivers true comfort in Christ because it deals with difficult topics in all of their gritty agony. This is Law and Gospel, properly distinguished, applied to life. A military couple deals with their vocations as Lutheran Christians, sinners and saints, complete with Scripture, prayer, Luther's <i>Small Catechism, </i>and church services with <i>Lutheran Service Book.</i></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> I recommend all the fiction titles above because they help the reader deal with difficult topics, like the following nonfiction title, <i>Walking Through Infertility</i>.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433559310.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="209" height="320" style="width:2.175in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433559310.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Walking through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">By</span></i></strong><em><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> Matthew Arbo, </span></em><strong><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Foreword by</span></i></strong><em><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> Karen Swallow Prior </span></em> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">"This book was written to help you see and understand that God is the Giver of life. You are his child. He cares deeply about you. When you hurt, he hurts with you." —from the Introduction</span></em><br> <br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Infertility is the profoundly wounding experience of many couples, often leading to feelings of despair and shame as they grapple with shattered dreams and unanswered questions. But God does not leave them alone in their pain. The Creator and Redeemer of life has not forsaken the infertile, but has called and equipped them to participate in his church, kingdom, and mission.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Overflowing with warmth and sensitivity, this book explores what the Bible says about infertility, helping the church walk alongside couples struggling with infertility and assessing the ethical issues surrounding common fertility treatments and reproductive technologies.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">(Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Among the practical helps of this volume are moral assessments of therapies and treatments recommended to couples (20), the comforting truth that childlessness is not a punitive judgment (41), encouragement toward contentment as a child of God (59), comfort in Christ in the Church, a family (73).</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> I found this title to be of good Christological comfort, by an informed, compassionate author.</span><br> <br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Even so, I found the following two titles to be more specifically theologically and practically helpful for Lutheran Christians. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> <a href="http://emmanuelpress.us/books/he-remembers-the-barren/"><i>He Remembers the Barren</i></a> is a title from Emmanuel Press, now in its Second Edition. It is not just a book for women. <a href="http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/02/lhp-review-pastoral-care.html">See our review of the First Edition</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div id="iframeContent"> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">He Remembers the Barren</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> is a tender conversation with women in the church who wrestle with the issue of barrenness in marriage. Addressing questions frequently asked by those struggling with infertility, Schuermann examines the source of conception, control of our bodies, family planning, and adoption through the lens of the theology of the cross, always pointing the reader to her identity in Christ.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This revised and expanded second edition boldly confesses the author's growing understanding of barrenness and related life issues. With Psalm readings, beloved hymn texts, and prayers at the conclusion of each chapter, <i>He Remembers the Barren</i> resonates on a devotional level that offers comfort not only to those who ache under the cross of barrenness, but to anyone who knows the grief and shame of suffering. It is a valuable resource for family members, friends, pastors, and anyone seeking to better understand and empathize with the childless experience of a loved one. Schuermann gives voice to those who are barren but not broken, drawing the reader away from the temptation to despair and always bringing the focus back to the Gospel and the peace that only Christ can give. (Back cover)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Concordia Publishing has recently released <a href="https://books.cph.org/never-forsaken-miscarriage"> Never Forsaken</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Many women don't talk about miscarriages. They feel a heavy weight of sadness, shame, and fear. And yet, many women close to them - sisters, mothers, friends, coworkers, neighbors - experience the same silent grief.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Author Kathryn Ziegler Weber wants to break the silence about miscarriage. Through vignettes from real women, she and the brave women who shared their stories bring God's Word into reader's unspoken story of grief, providing comfort and reassurance.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div id="iframeContent"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Answering questions like "What if my baby wasn't baptized?" and "Why doesn't my husband understand?", Never Forsaken wiill give comfort to grieving mothers and understanding to those who haven't experienced miscarriage themselves. (Publisher summary)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Even though we've been using <i>LSB </i>for long enough that it is old enough for confirmation classes, I still remember the Janzow translation of Gerhardt's hymn of cross and comfort from <i>LW</i> 423:2, where the Christian is speaking and praying to the Lord: </span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Under burdens of cross-bearing, <br> Though the weight <br> May be great, <br> Yet I'm not despairing. <br> <i>You designed the cross you gave me; </i><br> Thus you know <br> All my woe <br> And how best to save me</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Amen.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> This review (and others published near it in time) was delayed because of family and congregational vocational responsibilities. I apologize for the delay. </span><br> <br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/faithful-fiction-and-comfort-under-cross.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-87211410426663893032018-12-06T10:19:00.001-07:002018-12-06T10:21:17.252-07:00Bernard of Clairvaux and an Expository Commentary for Preachers<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="94" style="width:3.3333in;height:.975in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Posset, Franz. <i>Pater Bernhardus: Martin Luther and Bernard of Clairvaux (Collected Works Volume 2)</i>. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2018. Paper. $47.00 (Discounts available.) <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset">https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume VII, Daniel-Malachi)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 795 Pages. Cloth. $50.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume XI, Ephesians-Philemon)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 567 Pages. Cloth. $40.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume XII, Hebrews-Revelation)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 784 Pages. Cloth. $45.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> The resources presented in this review have in common a respect for the Word of God as the Word of God. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Three volumes of the new <i>ESV Expository Commentary</i> equip a preacher to explain the Word in preaching and teaching. <i>Pater Bernhardus</i> demonstrates the connection between the Reformer himself and one viewed by some as a forerunner of the Reformation. Luther appreciated Bernard's writings, especially his sermons, which clearly present Christ.</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7NCdKNwLKsZoguoMqvAgeFdH98e_UQjZH6353qaKQGASfpRuziC9PjdALCrm6myxmyAN_q_4rLyOYA5clotmJRrJp21qgX7wke1lJIZDqbETvvyGeA9WGm6Hm4M-ezua9Q5jzPrUN9Kp/s1600/FB_IMG_1541040810570.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="400" height="300" style="width:4.1666in;height:3.125in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7NCdKNwLKsZoguoMqvAgeFdH98e_UQjZH6353qaKQGASfpRuziC9PjdALCrm6myxmyAN_q_4rLyOYA5clotmJRrJp21qgX7wke1lJIZDqbETvvyGeA9WGm6Hm4M-ezua9Q5jzPrUN9Kp/s400/FB_IMG_1541040810570.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The publication of the Christian <i>Book of Concord</i> in the 1580 German edition included an appendix, the Catalog of Testimonies, which was not a formal part of the Lutheran Confessions. It is important to Lutherans and has been widely used because it provides additional evidence for the Lutheran position on the doctrine of the two natures in Christ. Scripture passages and quotations from church fathers on the person of Christ are cited, with a special focus on the fact that because of the Incarnation the human nature of Christ shares in the qualities of divinity. Why share quotations from church fathers? It showed that the Lutheran positions on the two natures in Christ and the Sacrament of the Altar were not newly-invented or ahistorical, but Biblical, having been confessed by fathers faithful to the Scriptures centuries before. (Condensed and restated from <a href="http://bookofconcord.org/testimonies.php"> http://bookofconcord.org/testimonies.php</a>)</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Bernhard of Clairvaux is not quoted in the Catalog of Testimonies, but he was well known to Martin Luther through his writings. One notes that Luther was quite familiar with <i>Pater Bernhardus</i>, a theologian Luther respected as he did Augustine.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://pull01-wipf.netdna-ssl.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/395x598/170ec19af00183b5e0368529fc2daa2f/9/7/9781532645907.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="211" height="320" style="width:2.2in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://pull01-wipf.netdna-ssl.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/395x598/170ec19af00183b5e0368529fc2daa2f/9/7/9781532645907.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Franz Posset is a German-American independent church historian and lay theologian in the Catholic Church. He is an internationally recognized ecumenist, specializing in the history and theology of the Renaissance and early Lutheran Reformation. Franz was born in 1945 in Glockelberg in the Bohemian Forest (Sudetenland), and between 1965 and 1970 he was a student of Hans Kung, Josef Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI emeritus), and Walter Kasper (Cardinal). He earned a diploma in Catholic theology at University of Tubingen, and received a PhD in Religious Studies, with his dissertation directed by the late Kenneth Hagen, at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. He was the associate editor of Luther Digest (1993-2012) and is a member of the International Luther Society. Franz is the author of numerous articles and books in English and German including award-winning articles and books: - The first annual Natalie Zemon Davis Prize (Canada) in 2006 for his ""Polyglot Humanism in Germany circa 1520 as Luther's Milieu and Matrix."" - Davidias Prize of the Association of Croatian Writers in 2014 for the book, Marcus Marulus and the Biblia Latina of 1489. - Franz-Delitzsch-Forderpreis (Germany) in 2015 for his ""In Search of an Explanation for the Suffering of the Jews: Johann Reuchlin's Open Letter of 1505."" - The Koenig Prize in Biography of the American Catholic Historical Association in 2016 for the book, Johann Reuchlin (1455-1522): A Theological Biography.(Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">This volume, now included as the second volume of the <i>Collected Works of Franz Posse</i>t, was originally published in 1999 by Cistercian Publications. This 2018 Wipf & Stock edition features a new Introduction by the author and two pages of <i>Corrigenda</i>. Regarding the latter (4), perhaps the very first correction, "p. 6," should be corrected. It appears to refer to second page of the Table of Contents, giving the correct page numbers for 'On Consideration' (353) and 'Triple Feeding' (366) [not "Tripe"]. I do not wish one line in the book distract you from its overall importance. What is the connection between Bernard and Martin Luther? Consider this photo of my copy of the back cover of the 1999 edition:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixO3SKow9ulDHqL5eqJjWJkwekvXedVp3e-sZ43nmak9oSBVdLh5YivwSAVkGHGbIe8oV0-q-lGyk1reSLDHsOSUNzT-RHEVm3-ZXK9vF-qG7JfLHB8nkWOdNvLqUGTeOhfoyf_tCYuI4l/s1600/20181201_105649.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="640" height="480" style="width:6.6666in;height:5.0in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixO3SKow9ulDHqL5eqJjWJkwekvXedVp3e-sZ43nmak9oSBVdLh5YivwSAVkGHGbIe8oV0-q-lGyk1reSLDHsOSUNzT-RHEVm3-ZXK9vF-qG7JfLHB8nkWOdNvLqUGTeOhfoyf_tCYuI4l/s640/20181201_105649.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The cover art of both editions features a photograph of a sculpture of Christ embracing both men. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> This volume is significant in part because a lay Roman Catholic theologian was willing to fairly examine Martin Luther. Posset is also the author of <i>The Real Luther: A Friar at Erfurt and Wittenberg, </i>published by Concordia, a Lutheran publishing house, that of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. His work has always reminded me of that of Fr. Frank Olivier, an Assumptionist Father, who was Professor of Lutheran studies at the Institut Superior d'Etudes Oecumeniques at Paris when his book <i>The Trial of Luther</i> (Concordia, translated by John Tonkin) was published in 1978 and Professor of Theology at the Catholic University in Paris when <i>Luther's Faith: The Cause of the Gospel in the Church </i>(Concordia, translated by John Tonkin) was published in 1982. The latter was a seminary textbook for me. Finding the former was a quest. Both authors are fair-minded and scholarly. All these volumes deserve to share a shelf.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Posset notes that Martin Luther read and quoted Bernard of Clairvaux throughout his life. The "Cistercian Cicero" was a part of Luther's theological formation, homiletical formation, and pastoral formation. This is a book that deserves time to digest, ponder, and absorb as he makes his case that Bernard informed Luther's view of monasticism, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and what C. F. W. Walther would describe as a theology where the Gospel (in its narrow sense) predominates. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Luther will disagree with Father Bernard on "monastic stuff" (to borrow a phrase from Posset), the interpretation of Psalm 90, aspects of Bernard's teaching of Christ as Judge, and when he emphasizes the mother of our Lord more than our Lord.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> This volume will introduce Lutherans to Bernard through Luther and Catholics to Luther via Bernard. Readers may be intrigued enough to read more, whether <i>Luther's Works (American Edition), Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season, </i>or Lane's <i>Bernard of Clairvaux: Theologian of the Cross. </i></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Recommended? Yes. We are also interested in the first and third volumes of the works of Franz Posset as published by Wipf & Stock, <i>The Two-Fold Knowledge: Readings on the Knowledge of Self and the Knowledge of God Selected and Translated from the Works of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (Collected Works Volume 1) </i>and <i>Luther's Catholic Christology According to His Johannine Lectures of 1527 (Collected Works Volume 3).</i></span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPiAwpCyC9eYrXm6d826Rh3QKYt4ea12N6TBupC9wopp9Licbi280Z16eJfzUgKvCLbYVjKsFkZ5zlH2Kjbz0biPxjxtT8G0reKiFYz0jQrA6B0k90-IjQN65LckYa4nHDXeZCrfZakgH/s1600/FB_IMG_1541042239329.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="400" height="272" style="width:4.1666in;height:2.8333in" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPiAwpCyC9eYrXm6d826Rh3QKYt4ea12N6TBupC9wopp9Licbi280Z16eJfzUgKvCLbYVjKsFkZ5zlH2Kjbz0biPxjxtT8G0reKiFYz0jQrA6B0k90-IjQN65LckYa4nHDXeZCrfZakgH/s400/FB_IMG_1541042239329.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Luther is the Bible commentator <i>par excellence</i>, largely because of his pastoral and homiletical approach. He wishes to present Christ. I appreciate good Bible commentaries, in part, because there are so many unhelpful ones from a confessional Lutheran perspective. Far too many push an agenda, practicing eisegesis rather than exegeting the Bible text. The <i>ESV Expository Commentary</i> is new. There are currently only three of the projected twelve volumes in print. They are our other subject in this review.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433546723.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="224" height="320" style="width:2.3333in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433546723.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Designed to strengthen the global church with a widely accessible, theologically sound, and pastorally wise resource for understanding and applying the overarching storyline of the Bible, this commentary series features the full text of the ESV Bible passage by passage, with crisp and theologically rich exposition and application. Editors Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton, and Jay A. Sklar have gathered a team of experienced pastor-theologians to provide a new generation of pastors and other teachers of the Bible around the world with a globally minded commentary series rich in biblical theology and broadly Reformed doctrine, making the message of redemption found in all of Scripture clear and available to all.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Honestly, I cringed a little at the phrase "broadly Reformed doctrine" being a Lutheran, but I find the volumes I've seen so far to be fair and "rich in biblical theology." (Perhaps a small "r"? Either way, the word is preferable to how "protestant" is now (mis)used generally. My concern is more in the realm of future marketing than actual offense.) These three volumes are practical tools for preaching while also being substantive. I want to see the whole set!</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">ESV Expository Commentary: Daniel–Malachi</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Volume 7</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Series edited by</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"> <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/iain-m-duguid/">Iain M. Duguid</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/james-m-hamilton-jr/"> James M. Hamilton Jr.</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/jay-sklar/"> Jay Sklar</a></span></i> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Thirteen contributors explain the shorter Prophetic Books of the Old Testament—Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—with biblical insight and pastoral wisdom, showing readers the hope that is offered even amidst judgment.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Contributors include:</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Mitchell L. Chase</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">George Schwab</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Allan M. Harman</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Michael G. McKelvey</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Max Rogland</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Jay Sklar</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Stephen J. Dempster</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Daniel Timmer</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">David G. Firth</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Jason S. DeRouchie</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Michael Stead</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Anthony R. Petterson</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Eric Ortlund</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">A Major Prophet joins the Twelve so-called Minor Prophets in Volume VII. It features an abundance of tables, a helpful teaching tool for Daniel primarily, but also for Hosea and Jonah. Daniel 12:1-3 was a recent Series B lectionary text. It is here helpfully combined with Daniel 11:2ff. The text is daunting to a preacher. The commentary is quite comprehensive, yet focused and helpful. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The end of the commentary on Jonah is pointed law: "if we are in any way selective in terms of the people to whom we show God's grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness, then we still do not get it. We remain disciples of Jonah, not disciples of Jesus" (421). </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Commentary on Habakkuk 2:2-4 highlights "by faith" as "a life lived in dependence on God" and "faithfulness," "a recognition of God's trustworthiness, even when circumstances are challenging" (545, cf. Hebrews). </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Commentary on Zechariah 6:13 highlights the "conceptual background" of Psalm 110 for interpretation of the Branch, Christ, as Priest. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Commentary on Malachi 3:6-12 fairly shows the "stewardship" sermon of the prophet here, yet places it in the context of no "exact amount" for the NT church.</span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The goal I hope to see in any Old Testament commentary is that of preaching Christ. I was not disappointed. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">ESV Expository Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Volume 11</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Series edited by</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"> <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/iain-m-duguid/">Iain M. Duguid</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/james-m-hamilton-jr/"> James M. Hamilton Jr.</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/jay-sklar/"> Jay Sklar</a>,</span></i><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">With contributions from a team of pastors and scholars, this commentary through 9 of Paul's letters helps students of the Bible to understand how each epistle fits in with the storyline of Scripture and applies today.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Contributors include:</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Benjamin L. Merkle</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Jason C. Meyer</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Alistair I. Wilson</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">David W. Chapman</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Denny Burk</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Alistair I. Wilson</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Highlights in this volume include exposition of Ephesians 2:8-10. It notes that the antecedent of "this" is the whole phrase before. "God not only saves us <i>from </i>our sin; he also saves us <i>for </i>good works. Paul is absolutely clear that good works do not save a person. However, he does maintaining that God calls all believers to a virtuous life" (47, italics original). </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> I would urge reading Colossians 2:12 in conjunction with Romans 6. The commentator's reference to "mode of baptism" notes his bias, yet in saying as much has he does connecting circumcision to baptism as Paul does is more than I have heard from many of his confession.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Regarding 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the commentator notes: "There are difficulties in 1 Thessalonians for the rapture theory" (301). Yes. This is a polite yet clear theological smackdown of a false idea originating in an 1830's Scottish fringe group.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Commentators support morality and ministry as presented in the pastoral epistles.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">ESV Expository Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Volume 12</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Series edited by</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"> <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/iain-m-duguid/">Iain M. Duguid</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/james-m-hamilton-jr/"> James M. Hamilton Jr.</a>, <a href="https://www.crossway.org/authors/jay-sklar/"> Jay Sklar</a></span></i><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Six experienced Bible teachers walk through some of the richest but more challenging books of the New Testament, helping Bible readers understand what they say about Christians' hope for the future.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Contributors include:</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Dennis E. Johnson</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Robert L. Plummer</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">C. Samuel Storms</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Ray Van Neste</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Matthew S. Harmon</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Thomas R. Schreiner</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> (Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I received these three volumes in October. As expository commentaries, they are designed to prepare a pastor for preaching. And so they did. Given the readings in Series B of the Three-Year Lectionary from <i>Lutheran Service Book</i>, the bulk of my attention was given to volume XIII, covering Hebrews through Revelation.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> I then read through the commentary focusing on pericopes past and present:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Hebrews 2:1-13 (14-18)</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Hebrews 3:12-19</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Hebrews 4:1-13 (14-16)</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Revelation 14:6-7</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Revelation 7: (2-8) 9-17</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Hebrews 9: 24-28</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Hebrews 10:11-25</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Jude 20-25</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Revelation 1:4b-8</span></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I had the opportunity to evaluate recent sermons on the first texts on the list on the basis of the scholarship and homiletical insights of volume XIII. I then was able use the volume to better prepare for preaching on the rest.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> When you serve in one congregation for multiple cycles through the lectionary (whether Three-Year or Historic One Year), preachers can feel stagnant or unappreciated. We don't preach for the sake of feedback or praise (Galatians 1), though genuine encouragement for the right reasons and authentic constructive criticism in the right spirit is helpful (Galatians 6:6). That said, since I've been preparing for sermons by reading these commentaries, I've received more positive feedback on my preaching, both those with manuscripts and those without. You're mileage may vary, but I am encouraged.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Historic One-Year Lectionary preachers and Three-Year Lectionary preachers will benefit from all projected volumes every year. Three-Year Lectionary preachers may also note the following:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">VII, Daniel-Malachi: particularly helpful for Holy Week and the Easter Season </span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">XI, Ephesians-Philemon: particularly helpful in Series C (Advent 2018, 2021, etc)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">XII, Hebrews-Revelation: particularly helpful for feasts, festivals, and occasions </span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Individual authors do occasionally show their biases and those of their specific theological tradition. I find respectful presentation of views throughout, in a way that is an improvement upon the commentary of the original ESV Study Bible. (I have yet to see volumes covering Matthew 16 and 1 Corinthians 11, but call me optimistic for now.) The discussion of the Thousand Years (Revelation 20:1-6; pp. 723ff) is illustrative. The author, as do I, has the amillennial view, yet he fairly explains postmillenial and premillenial views. Such an approach allows all sides to deal with 1) the actual text, 2) actual theological positions instead of caricatures, and 3) be confronted with Biblical evidence explained honestly, clearly, and pastorally. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts and minds. This approach helps get preference, opinion, and ego out of the way. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> References include <i>Concordia Commentary</i> in volume XIII. That is positive for me and our readers. There are no known Lutheran contributors to the series that we are aware of (yet). </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Six Old Testament volumes (I through VI) covering Genesis-Ezekiel will join VII, Daniel-Malachi. VIII, IX, and X will cover the New Testament, Matthew-Galatians. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Keep up your Greek and Hebrew work, read Pieper and the Book of Concord, and your most reliable commentaries as you usually do. And then read about the pericope at hand in the <i>ESV Expository Commentary</i>. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Yes, this set would be worth the money to buy, the time to read and study, the shelf space to store, and would be very helpful in preaching and teaching. Recommended!</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhTXvvlYh0fItqIgbkyTqIDtiw5SSt3bMylTmbTlnb5m0YJE68iKpWIrgbC6dK9K4H7FybL83wJB3UJAkb_2-nwMhceJ5KfpYl6Z9ujP2_6QRqEVnd5w2anqAOpEA55jfVAbqPtp9k9lB_qwKEmK8Yil2Dwuh5ZQyoSOrbQno1ul-oCDE7Mc_ul9Kn3qwNMMYVs4ilZdQhdkx-bA99QxBIBXLxZqWynKw=s0-d-e1-ft"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="400" height="210" style="width:4.1666in;height:2.1916in" id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhTXvvlYh0fItqIgbkyTqIDtiw5SSt3bMylTmbTlnb5m0YJE68iKpWIrgbC6dK9K4H7FybL83wJB3UJAkb_2-nwMhceJ5KfpYl6Z9ujP2_6QRqEVnd5w2anqAOpEA55jfVAbqPtp9k9lB_qwKEmK8Yil2Dwuh5ZQyoSOrbQno1ul-oCDE7Mc_ul9Kn3qwNMMYVs4ilZdQhdkx-bA99QxBIBXLxZqWynKw=s0-d-e1-ft"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"> </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://vimeo.com/284426923">ESV Expository Commentary Series</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/crosswaymedia">Crossway</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/"> Vimeo</a>.</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/12/bernard-of-clairvaux-and-expository.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-14089919272568899882018-12-06T10:19:00.000-07:002018-12-06T10:20:30.198-07:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://pull01-wipf.netdna-ssl.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/395x598/170ec19af00183b5e0368529fc2daa2f/9/7/9781532645907.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="211" height="320" style="width:2.2in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://pull01-wipf.netdna-ssl.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/395x598/170ec19af00183b5e0368529fc2daa2f/9/7/9781532645907.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> Posset, Franz. <i>Pater Bernhardus: Martin Luther and Bernard of Clairvaux (Collected Works Volume 2)</i>. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2018. Paper. $47.00 (Discounts available.) <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset">https://wipfandstock.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=posset</a><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/11/received-for-review_20.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-66345273354375980682018-10-19T16:53:00.001-06:002018-10-19T16:53:13.023-06:00Received for Review<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQJ9gAl6Dczdaj5NpddXPi7wk8ho8oWIOGKQ2fHXSaYI3Cb5xd1g_JFmWv7W_Gcvbff37KKaU2BSvvh88qR16u7fZGLKtFWh0fzUekjrkMehYr0x4r1O3XSFyXMddg0JMoUiE1vcDlwbd/s1600/short+stack.jpg"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=320 height=319 style='width:3.3333in;height:3.325in' id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQJ9gAl6Dczdaj5NpddXPi7wk8ho8oWIOGKQ2fHXSaYI3Cb5xd1g_JFmWv7W_Gcvbff37KKaU2BSvvh88qR16u7fZGLKtFWh0fzUekjrkMehYr0x4r1O3XSFyXMddg0JMoUiE1vcDlwbd/s320/short+stack.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br><br><br><br><br>Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume VII, Daniel-Malachi)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 795 Pages. Cloth. $50.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a> <br><br>Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume XI, Ephesians-Philemon)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 567 Pages. Cloth. $40.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a> <br><br>Duguid, Iain M., James M. Hamilton, Jr., and Jay Sklar, Editors. <i>ESV Expository Commentary (Volume XII, Hebrews-Revelation)</i>. Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 784 Pages. Cloth. $45.00. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/">www.crossway.org</a> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table><p><br><a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/10/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p></div>revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-45396160311993358642018-07-30T11:03:00.001-06:002018-07-30T11:03:38.316-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> Arbo, Matthew. Foreword by Karen Swallow Prior. <i>Walking through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling. </i>Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. 116 Pages. Paper. $15.99. <a href="http://www.crossway.org/"> www.crossway.org</a><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/07/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-76624686876267632672018-06-06T12:26:00.001-06:002018-06-06T12:26:03.601-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal">Cressman, Lisa. Foreword by Gregory Heille. <i>Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft. </i>Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2018. 158 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.litpress.org/"> www.litpress.org</a> (UN)<br> <br> Note: Due to time constraints, we are not able to review every unsolicited title we receive. We urge publishers to contact us before submitting unsolicited titles for review.<o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/06/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-59235737671270272042018-05-15T14:14:00.001-06:002018-05-15T14:14:32.619-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="94" style="width:3.3333in;height:.975in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">Gilbert, Richard, F.C.A. <i>The Nicene Creed According to the Scriptures</i>. New Reformation Press. Trifold Pamphlet. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">Locklair, Valerie. <i>Called to Defend: An Apologetics Handbook for the Middle School Student</i>. New Reformation Press. Cloth. 249 Pages. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a> <o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal">Giertz, Bo. Translated by Bror Erickson. <i>Romans: A Devotional Commentary (Excerpted from the New Testament Devotional Commentaries Series)</i>. New Reformation Press. 97 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a> <a href="http://www.1517legacy.com/"> www.1517legacy.com</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Keith, Scott. <i>Meeting Melanchthon: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Phillip Melanchthon and a Few Examples of His Writing</i>. New Reformation Press. 87 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://www.newreformationpress.com/">www.newreformationpress.com</a> <a href="http://www.1517legacy.com/"> www.1517legacy.com</a><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/received-for-review_15.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-81021880069360980122018-05-14T16:16:00.001-06:002018-05-14T16:16:03.202-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQJ9gAl6Dczdaj5NpddXPi7wk8ho8oWIOGKQ2fHXSaYI3Cb5xd1g_JFmWv7W_Gcvbff37KKaU2BSvvh88qR16u7fZGLKtFWh0fzUekjrkMehYr0x4r1O3XSFyXMddg0JMoUiE1vcDlwbd/s1600/short+stack.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="319" style="width:3.3333in;height:3.325in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQJ9gAl6Dczdaj5NpddXPi7wk8ho8oWIOGKQ2fHXSaYI3Cb5xd1g_JFmWv7W_Gcvbff37KKaU2BSvvh88qR16u7fZGLKtFWh0fzUekjrkMehYr0x4r1O3XSFyXMddg0JMoUiE1vcDlwbd/s320/short+stack.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Manetsch, Scott M., Editor. Timothy George, General Editor. Scott M. Manetsch, Associate General Editor. <i>1 Corinthians (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, New Testament IXa). </i>Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017. 508 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/1-corinthians-rcs">https://www.ivpress.com/1-corinthians-rcs</a> (P)</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">George, Timothy. <i>Reading Scripture with the Reformers</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. 270 Pages. Paper. $18.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/reading-scripture-with-the-reformers">https://www.ivpress.com/reading-scripture-with-the-reformers</a> (P)</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hall, Christopher A. <i>Living Wisely with the Church Fathers</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017. 274 Pages. Paper. $24.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/living-wisely-with-the-church-fathers">https://www.ivpress.com/living-wisely-with-the-church-fathers</a> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle A</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007. 294 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-a"> https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-a</a> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle B</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. 303 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-b"> https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-b</a> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Crosby, Cindy, Editor. General Editor Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. <i>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings, Lectionary Cycle C</i>. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009. 304 Pages. Paper. $20.00. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-c"> https://www.ivpress.com/ancient-christian-devotional-lectionary-cycle-c</a></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/received-for-review_14.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-44522666893476671502018-05-08T11:08:00.008-06:002018-05-08T11:09:06.378-06:00Lutheran Book Review: The Cross Proclaimed and Endured<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYdDziSrk6bbB5hioTE9-fxt7TuX6wENH3L7hXy-ihB6FzIcEOYBOQtMp8GdmH7HcMs2hlKy9ZqxFvRvB95UTWjpIZ24spTyEVeqzUc4_Vk-94DPq1GFeZX6D9sC97Vr2hnZ6XdLfucht/s1600/e141ee8aa00d9d32.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYdDziSrk6bbB5hioTE9-fxt7TuX6wENH3L7hXy-ihB6FzIcEOYBOQtMp8GdmH7HcMs2hlKy9ZqxFvRvB95UTWjpIZ24spTyEVeqzUc4_Vk-94DPq1GFeZX6D9sC97Vr2hnZ6XdLfucht/s1600/e141ee8aa00d9d32.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Kellemen, Bob. <i>Counseling under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life. </i>Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2017. Paper. 246 Pages. $19.99. <a href="http://stores.newgrowthpress.com/counseling-under-the-cross/"> http://stores.newgrowthpress.com/counseling-under-the-cross/</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> Selderhuis, Herman. <i>Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography.</i> Wheaton: Crossway, 2017. ADVANCE READER COPY received. Final Cloth edition received. 320 Pages, $35.00. <a href="https://www.crossway.org/books/martin-luther-hcj/">https://www.crossway.org/books/martin-luther-hcj/</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> Six months after 31 October 2017, the Reformation of Martin Luther lives on!</span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> We previous read counseling advice from Bob Kellemen in the brief book on anxiety. </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Now he turns his attention to mining Luther for help in pastoral counseling.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1640/3035/counseling-under-the-cross-thumbnail__78048.1494854709.1280.1280__07742__42543.1520708997.jpg?c=2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="235" height="321" style="width:2.45in;height:3.3416in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1640/3035/counseling-under-the-cross-thumbnail__78048.1494854709.1280.1280__07742__42543.1520708997.jpg?c=2"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Martin Luther was not only a theologian, a writer, and a preacher, he was a pastoral counselor who longed for peace with God. Now, 500 years after he posted his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, his teachings on gospel-centered and cross-focused pastoral care can transform our approach to soul care, and teach us that daring faith in Christ alone can change our life today and give us peace forever.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In <i>Counseling Under the Cross</i>, biblical counselor and noted author Bob Kellemen mines the riches of Luther's letters of spiritual counsel to give readers a new understanding of how Luther engaged in the personal ministry of the gospel. He guides pastors, counselors, lay leaders, and friends toward a deeper understanding of the gospel that will directly impact their personal ministry to others. Through lively vignettes, real-life stories, and direct quotes from Luther, readers will be equipped to apply the gospel to themselves and others, and learn that pastoral care is what every believer does in one-another ministry.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">As one of the most influential figures in Christian history, Luther was not only the father of the Reformation, he was also the father of "gospel-centered counseling." As sons and daughters in the faith, we have much to learn from him. <i>Counseling Under the Cross </i>equips us to apply the gospel richly, relevantly, and robustly to suffering and sin so that we find our hope and help in Christ alone.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Author</span></b><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Bob Kellemen, PhD,<b> </b>is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chair of the Biblical Counseling Department at Crossroads Bible College and the founder and CEO of RPM Ministries. He is the author of many books, including <i>Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life</i>, <i>Gospel-Centered Counseling</i> and <i>Gospel Conversations</i>. Bob and his wife Shirley have two children and two grandchildren.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">(Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Upon receiving <i>Counseling Under the Cross</i>, the author's name seemed familiar. I personally purchased Robert Kellemen's <i>Anxiety: Anatomy and Cure</i>, a booklet that is part of P&R's <i>The Gospel for Real Life Series</i>. It was helpful to me in some recent pastoral counseling cases. New Growth Press gives us a title reminiscent of Tappert's <i>Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel</i>, yet with more guidance for pastors and counselors. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I do disagree with the author's "Tweet-Size Summary" of Chapter 11: "Faith Active in Love: Luther's Methodology of Guiding >> Christian pilgrims progress in their sanctification journey by exercising their heart in the gospel victory narrative by trekking toward the gospel pole of faith active in love." Luther wouldn't speak that way. He would describe sanctification in the language of vocation as he does in Christian Freedom: A Christian is the freest lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, subject to all. The "pilgrim" language is anachronistic to Luther. The author does mention <i>The Freedom of a Christian </i>in the main text of Chapter 11 (199ff), yet with a different emphasis than I would provide as a Lutheran. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Given the objection above, I recommend this title for seminarians and pastors. Consider: "As the title of this book suggests, Martin Luther's counseling is gospel-centered and cross-focused. It is grace-filled and gospel-rich…In a hundred different ways you will see what I saw—Luther richly, relevantly, robustly, relationally applying the gospel to suffering, sin, sanctification, and people's search for peace with God" (3). On pages 12-13 he introduces the helpful concept of <i>Anfectungen, </i>helpfully connecting the term to Luther's own concerns and pastoral care, especially with regard to justification and reconciliation (26). By pages 106 and 107, <i>Anfectungen</i> makes room for faith in Christ. The Gospel predominates in the chart on page 57. A Lutheran would connect the individual to the body of Christ as the author does (91), yet more so to Word and Sacrament of Christ rather than pietism's small groups (91ff). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Luther ended like he began—with Christ's gospel of grace. He sandwiched gospel indicatives around gospel imperatives. When Satan tempts us to despair, we do not look ultimately to our self, but ultimately and always to Christ: "When the devil casts up to us our sin, and declares us worthy of death and hell, we must say: 'I confess that I am worthy of death and hell. What more do you have to say?' 'Then you will be lost forever!' 'Not in the least: for I know One who suffered for me and made satisfaction for my sins, and his name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So long as he shall live, I shall live also' (194).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> We now turn from Luther quoted and applied to today to Luther explained for today in an English translation of a major Danish biography.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433556944.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="218" height="320" style="width:2.2666in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://static.crossway.org/products/big/9781433556944.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Famous for setting in motion the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther is often lifted high as a hero or condemned as a rebel. But underneath it all, he was a man of flesh and blood, with a deep longing to live for God.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This biography by respected Reformation scholar Herman Selderhuis captures Luther in his original context and follows him on his spiritual journey, from childhood through the Reformation to his influential later years. Combining Luther's own words with engaging narrative designed to draw the reader into Luther's world, this spiritual biography brings to life the complex and dynamic personality that forever changed the history of the church.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"> <hr size="3" width="100%" align="center"> </div> <div> <div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://static.crossway.org/authors/small/2210.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://static.crossway.org/authors/small/2210.jpg"></span></a><b>Herman Selderhuis</b> is professor of church history at the Theological University Apeldoorn in the Netherlands and director of Refo500, the international platform focused on raising awareness for projects related to the legacy of the Reformation. He also serves as the director of the Reformation Research Consortium, president of the International Calvin Congress, and curator of research at the John à Lasco Library in Emden, Germany. He is the author or editor of several books, including <i>John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life</i>. (Publisher's Website) </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Crossway provided us with both an Advance Reader Copy and final hardcover of Herman Selderhuis' <i>Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography. </i>We note no significant changes between the two. Endorsements adorn the front pages of the final edition as well as the intended General Index and Scripture Index.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What exactly is a spiritual biography? I understand the term to focus the subject's life in Christ, covering struggle, theology, practice, and consolation. A Calvinist, Selderhuis gives his own spin on the seventeenth century English non-fiction prose genre of an autobiographical narrative that "follows the believer from a state of damnation to a state of grace." Ten chapters follow Luther from child, student, and monk to exegete, theologian, and architect and finally reformer, father, professor, and prophet (9). "This book is translated from the original Dutch version" © 2016 (8).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">"The fear of being lost forever, the fear of God, and his consciousness of sin and guilt led to a zealous study of Scripture in the hope that he [Luther] would find peace and rest" (54). This is well stated. Luther's visit to Rome disappointed him (71). Romans, however, became "the most important book in the new testament for him" (77). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I'm not surprised that it was a Roman Catholic that claimed that Luther didn't nail the 95 Theses to the Church door (100). I am surprised at how trendy it is to doubt this event. This author tends to be more fair and balanced in his assessment of the event in that he allows for 1) an actual "nailing" of Luther's Theses, 2) that the door was truly the public bulletin board, and 3) that a university "beadle" likely did the nailing rather than Luther. That said, I hold to the historicity of Luther nailing the theses himself. There appears to be a correlation (among self-described Lutheran theologians) between belief or doubt in the event's historicity and in belief or doubt in authority and sufficiency of Scripture (see the 2017 documentary film <i>Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World</i>).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For a personal assessment of Luther the man at the time of the Leipzig Disputation by Mosellanus, see 128-129. The initial sentence of Chapter 6 (135) struck me wrong. Yet, I concede that with regard to being and architect and leaving it "to others to build on what he established" I must concede as at least partially true. He wrote his catechisms (230) in part because others did not follow through on his request for them to do the work. Some took up the task of writing new hymns, yet Luther wrote several dozen himself 210).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">That Luther did or did not say the words "Here I stand, I can do no other" (159ff) is less controversial to me than the posting of the 95 Theses. Rome had pushed Luther across a red line. They would not tell him where he erred. They would not allow him to distinguish between what he saw as three groups of books. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The author's account and assessment of Marburg (especially 238-240) is more fair than most from a Lutheran perspective. My favorite remains This Is My Body by Sasse. It all should come down to faith rather than doubt or speculation about what Christ said Himself.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Reform of the Sacrament of the Altar went hand-in-hand with a German translation of the New Testament (170ff). One of my favorite paintings depicts this time in his life, with Luther, his family, and Melanchthon gathered around Luther playing a lute (211). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Professor Luther knew Scripture and how to apply it to life. (251). "Prophet" Luther (Chapter 10) is a bit more jarring picture, even for Lutherans who have heard Walther interpret Revelation's Angel with an Eternal Gospel to proclaim. We Lutherans are far more familiar with the pattern set by Luther in ordaining the first Lutheran bishop: "Luther conducted this ordination but with a transformed ritual that reflected Luther's views of the bishop as a normal minister. Everything else remained the same, as if the bishop carried out his work of supervision, pastorate, and preaching" (297).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This is one of the best recent Luther biographies I've read. I'm still stuck in the middle of the Metaxas volume. It would be nearly impossible for one person to read them all!</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Lutheran Reformation lives on. Our intent was to complete and publish this review by the 500<sup>th</sup> Anniversary of the posting of the 95 Theses, but parish duties intervened. We had twelve deaths in the congregation between our reception of the ARC and the day I write. Reform of the Church, returning to the Word as sole authority for faith and life, and hearing Christ are not activities for merely one quincentennial day, but for our ongoing daily theology, teaching, practice, and pastoral care.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/lutheran-book-review-cross-proclaimed.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-46010884418464792462018-05-08T11:08:00.007-06:002018-05-08T11:08:52.391-06:00Reformation Worship, Dogmatics, and Cicero <div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-odEgxxU9W-izd2fHC1Mg3mufn7iC4e553iFhs2XewmUOcOe-XW6Yi-9E_-Vfmiscus1BR0aD9_q_0ExDUTB6dmy27SYbcMEwwGdA_3UwVQIinLOE0lGgBz-wnw8cGL7WNPEyb7XpMmPu/s1600/LHPlogo.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="174" style="width:3.3333in;height:1.8083in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-odEgxxU9W-izd2fHC1Mg3mufn7iC4e553iFhs2XewmUOcOe-XW6Yi-9E_-Vfmiscus1BR0aD9_q_0ExDUTB6dmy27SYbcMEwwGdA_3UwVQIinLOE0lGgBz-wnw8cGL7WNPEyb7XpMmPu/s320/LHPlogo.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbW8xO_LkeKIm_YniKBekL8gXzLsfZo8_JDZ3eN-JtgXIo-L6vRwZBojwVrkfbgyiYGu-XLrMEtvGWpqGABifh-02CmOuoW3cGuqPIBq0Zqw8x8yiFlfwzcPIg9Mx9iHtyYj9Q95bEsT2/s1600/611px-LutherRose.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="313" style="width:3.3333in;height:3.2583in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbW8xO_LkeKIm_YniKBekL8gXzLsfZo8_JDZ3eN-JtgXIo-L6vRwZBojwVrkfbgyiYGu-XLrMEtvGWpqGABifh-02CmOuoW3cGuqPIBq0Zqw8x8yiFlfwzcPIg9Mx9iHtyYj9Q95bEsT2/s320/611px-LutherRose.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> Gibson, Jonathan and Mark Earngey, Editors. Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson. <i>Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present.</i> Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2018. 688 Pages. Cloth. $69.99. ($34.99 on sale.) <a href="https://newgrowthpress.com/reformation-worship-liturgies-from-the-past-for-the-present/"> https://newgrowthpress.com/reformation-worship-liturgies-from-the-past-for-the-present/</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Beckwith, Carl L. <i>The Holy Trinity (Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics Volume III)</i>. Fort Wayne: The Luther Academy, 2016. 412 Pages. Paper. <a href="http://lutheracademy.com/lutheran-dogmatics/">http://lutheracademy.com/lutheran-dogmatics/</a></span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Springer, Carl P. E. <i>Cicero in Heaven: The Roman Rhetor and Luther's Reformation</i>. Brill, 2017. ebook received for review. Cloth copy also received. $132.00. <a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/9789004355194">http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/9789004355194</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> <b>Liturgy, the Trinity, and Cicero. That's quite a lineup this time.</b></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> Do buy this volume while it is still on sale:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1649/3044/Reformation_Worship_Thumbnail__36664.1517937189.1280.1280__88440__78984.1520709002.jpg?c=2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="235" height="321" style="width:2.45in;height:3.3416in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1649/3044/Reformation_Worship_Thumbnail__36664.1517937189.1280.1280__88440__78984.1520709002.jpg?c=2"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">is an unique volume. I have not seen anything like it except Volume 53 of the American Edition of Luther's Works (<i>Liturgy and Hymns</i>. J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.) or Robert Webber's Complete Library of Christian Worship, Volume II, Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship. Neither of those resources is as compact or comprehensive as that before us by editors Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey. Webber has fewer examples of Reformation liturgies and they are often outlines or excerpts. The translation of <i>LW </i>53 is often at issue. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="https://newgrowthpress.egnyte.com/dl/vDCYxcKvNl">Click here to read a sample of this book.</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Transforming Christian Worship - Twenty-six liturgies, including historical introductions that provide fresh analysis into their origins, are invaluable tools for pastors and worship leaders as they seek to craft public worship services in the great tradition of the early Reformers.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> Christians learn to worship from the generations of God's people who have worshipped before them.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">We sing Psalms, because thousands of years ago, God's people sang them. 500 years ago, the leaders of the Reformation transformed Christian worship with the active participation and understanding of the individual worshiper. Christian worship today is built on this foundation. Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey have made Reformation worship accessible, by compiling the most comprehensive collection of liturgies from that era, newly translated into modern English from the original German, Dutch, French, Latin, and early English.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The structure of the liturgies, language, and rhythm continue to communicate the gospel in Word and Sacrament today. They provide a deep sense of God's call to worship and an appreciation for the Reformers as, first and foremost, men who wanted to help God's people worship. This book will also be of great interest to theological scholars and students who wish to understand early Reformation leaders. A useful tool for individuals, <i>Reformation Worship,</i> can be used as a powerful devotional to guide daily prayer and reflection.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> By providing a connection to the great men of the Reformation, Gibson and Earngey hope that through their work readers will experience what John Calvin described to be the purpose of all church worship: To what end is the preaching of the Word, the Sacraments, the holy congregations themselves, and indeed the whole external government of the church, except that we may be united to God?</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <b>Authors</b></span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Jonathan Gibson (PhD, Cambridge) is ordained in the International Presbyterian Church, UK, and is Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He is co-editor with Mark Earngey of <i>Reformation Worship</i>, contributor to and co-editor with David Gibson of <i>From Heaven He Came and Sought Her,</i> and <i>Covenant Continuity and Fidelity: A Study of Inner-Biblical Allusion and Exegesis in Malachi.</i> He is married to Jacqueline, and they have two children: Benjamin and Leila.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Mark Earngey (DPhil candidate, Oxford) is ordained in the Anglican Church of Australia (Diocese of Sydney) and is is a doctoral candidate in historical theology at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is co-editor with Jonathan Gibson of <i>Reformation Worship</i>. Mark is married to Tanya, and they have three children: Grace, Simeon, and Sophia.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(Publisher's website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Martin Luther is the author featured in <i>RW </i>Chapter 4 (Form of the Mass, 1523; German Mass 1526). Luther's liturgical reform is conservative. He retains what may be done without sin. He highlights both the hearing and preaching of the Word (115-121) and the Sacrament of the Altar (e.g., 124-5). He removes the canon of the Mass and the invocation of the saints. His focus was Christ. Matthias Mangold (xxxivff) provides a new translation of Luther's German Mass and Michael Hunter freshly translates Luther's Form of the Mass (xxxvi). That this was done is commendable, and reminiscent of a proposed "new" edition of <i>AELW </i>53 for which donations were solicited through the Good Shepherd Institute of Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne years ago. (I am told that this may still be in the works. While we Lutherans wait, we have RW as well as <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-6291-Martin-Luther-Hymns-Ballads-Chants-Truth-CD.aspx"> https://www.cph.org/p-6291-Martin-Luther-Hymns-Ballads-Chants-Truth-CD.aspx</a> and <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-30634-the-hymns-of-martin-luther.aspx">https://www.cph.org/p-30634-the-hymns-of-martin-luther.aspx</a>). <i> </i></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">RW </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">is a great service to Lutherans like me and our readers, a chance to double-check the 1965-published translations of the 1523 by Paul Zeller Strodach (revised by Ulrich S. Leupold)<sup> </sup> and the 1526 by Augustus Steimle (also revised by Ulrich S. Leupold). Additionally, musical notation for the 1526 German Mass was done by Joseph Waggoner (xxxvi).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">"In translating the liturgies contained in this book, we have adhered to one basic principle: to provide a translation of liturgical texts that faithfully renders the original meaning, but in the English language and punctuation of the twenty-first century that is easy on the modern eye and ear, and conducive to the modern mind. We have also made some formatting adjustments to headings and rubrics where it was deemed necessary" (xxiii-xxiv).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">LCMS Lutherans used to The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or Lutheran Service Book will immediately see the connection between what congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have as liturgies in the hymnals in their pew racks and what Luther intended. If it were possible for Luther himself to visit us on a Sunday morning, he would note much that would be familiar to him.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Robert Kolb is thanked in the Acknowledgements (xxix) "for feedback on the historical introductions" to Luther's liturgies.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The other liturgies contained in the volume are more Calvinist/Reformed and therefore of less interested to Lutherans. One will note changes in the Book of Common Prayer (for a variety of reasons) between 1549 and 1552 (342) even before the more significant changes of 1559 (the infamous "black rubric," outside the scope of this book).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">LBR asks "Is it worth the money to buy, the time to read, the shelf space to store, and the effort to teach?". Having Martin Luther's two main works of liturgical reform in a 2018 translation is alone reason for our readers (largely Lutheran pastors, musicians, and confessional laypeople) to purchase, use, and treasure this book. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The authors would have Christians today be more intentional about how they worship when they do. "Our greatest need is for worship in Spirit as well as in truth today. But the liturgies here should stimulate us to careful thought, and cause us to ask how we can apply their principles today in a way that echoes their Trinitarian, Christ-centered, biblically informed content, so that our worship, in our place and time, will echo the gospel content and rhythm they exhibit" (xix). Elsewhere they state, "The argument of this book on Reformation worship is irenic. The liturgies collated and presented here are a subtle encouragement for the modern church to reflect critically on how she worships today" (48).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Yes, purchase this book! Save up for it if you need to, but invest in <i>Reformation Worship</i> from New Growth Press.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> And now, the latest volume in an appreciated Lutheran set!</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> I am encouraged that new volumes are once again appearing in the series.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://lutheracademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2015-06-16-at-1.29.08-PM.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="44" style="width:3.3333in;height:.4583in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://lutheracademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2015-06-16-at-1.29.08-PM.png"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <div> <div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <h3><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">A Dogmatics Resource Based Upon the Outline <br> and Thought Pattern of the Lutheran Confessions</span><o:p></o:p></h3> <h3><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">About the Series . . .</span><o:p></o:p></h3> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">"In the fall of 1984, Dr. Robert Preus, the president of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, presented his plans to some of his colleagues for a series to be called Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics. These volumes were to supplement and not replace Francis Pieper's Christian Dogmatics. They were to be directed to pastors, seminary students, and all with an interest in confessional Lutheran theology." From the Preface to Baptism, by David P. Scaer.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">From the General Introduction by Robert D. Preus, General Editor, 1984-95:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">"For some time now those of us in the Lutheran church who have interested ourselves in the Lutheran Confessions, taught from them, and conducted research in these great symbolic writings have recognized the need for a dogmatics resource based upon the outline and thought pattern of the Lutheran Confessions. Such a resource, heretofore available only in Leonard Hutter's little Compendium Locorum Theologicorum, would address theologians of our day with a truly confessional answer to the theological issues we are facing in Christianity and in our Lutheran Zion today. We were in no way interested in replacing as a textbook in our Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Francis Pieper's monumental Christian Dogmatics, which has served students in our church body and others for three generations. Such an endeavor would have been unnecessary and unproductive. The authors of the various monographs in this Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series come at their respective subjects from somewhat different vantage points and backgrounds and personal predilections as they practice dogmatics. It was decided, therefore, to issue a series of dogmatics treatises on the primary articles of faith usually taken up in traditional dogmatics since the sixteenth century . . .</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The volumes making up Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics are not a theology of the Lutheran Confessions; they are rather a series in dogmatics. They differ from other dogmatics books in that they are patterned strictly after the theology of the Book of Concord as they address the issues of today. They follow not only the theology of the Book of Concord, . . . the authors of the present volumes follow the actual pattern of thought (forma et quasi typus . . .) of the Lutheran Confessions. Such a procedure is according to the principle of the Confessions themselves; creeds and confessions are indeed a pattern and norm according to which all other books and writings are to be accepted and judged. This fact will account for the agreement in both doctrine and formulation that the reader will observe within the present entire dogmatics series; the authors bind themselves not only generally to the theology of the Book of Concord, but to its content and terminology (rebus et phrasibus). . . .</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> As a confessional Lutheran dogmatics, the present volume will consciously and scrupulously draw its doctrine from Scripture. All the Confessions, beginning with the creeds and concluding with the Formula of Concord, claim to be and are direct explications of Sacred Scripture. As such, their purpose is never to lead us away from Scripture, nor to summarize the Scriptures in such a way as to make their further study unnecessary. They are written to lead us into the Scriptures….</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The Lutheran Confessions themselves never claim to be the final work on the understanding and exegesis of the Scriptures; we recall Luther's statement on oratio, meditatio, tentatio with its blasts against theological know-it-alls and how often this statement of Luther's was repeated by the post-Reformation theologians in their dogmatics works. The Confessions always lead deeper into the Scriptures, especially as new issues arise in new cultures and succeeding generations which must be faced only with theology drawn from the Scriptures and patterned after the Lutheran Confessions.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> The volumes in this series are dedicated to Francis Pieper, a great confessional Lutheran dogmatician of our church, in the hope and prayer that they will help to achieve what he did so much to accomplish in his day–namely, doctrinal unity and consensus in the doctrine of the Gospel and all its articles among all Lutherans and a firm confessional Lutheran identity so sorely needed in our day."</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> </div> </div> </div> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(Publisher's website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">In the nine months I've lived with Carl Beckwith's Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics volume on The Holy Trinity, my appreciation of the volume has grown. I am thankful that more volumes of this series are soon to be completed and available. I am thankful to have a dogmatics series that is "based on the outline and thought pattern of the Lutheran Confessions. I am also thankful for authors who take the Scriptures seriously as God's Word.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Modernity (1, passim) is a challenge to the confession of the Church. We begin not with a natural knowledge of God or human opinion, but with God's own Word. What Christians confess is grounded in that certainty. The national motto, "In God We Trust," deserves a follow-up question, "Which one?" Unionism and syncretism are grounded in uncertainty. Confessional Lutheran Christians emphasize "God's revelation of Himself in Christ—'All other ground is sinking sand' (TLH 370)" (40). Amen to that!</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Quotable sermon fodder: "If you find that you cannot talk about the Trinity without also talking about baptism, then you will be at home in the thought world of the Fathers and the Lutheran reformers. If you find that you can talk about the Trinity without even mentioning your baptism, then you will be at home in the thought world of the schoolmen" (44 note 11).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Page 64 is rich in quotes. Sasse: " There is, thank God, no specific Lutheran doctrine on the Trinity." "Assigning positive value to a knowledge of God apart from Christ and His cross belongs to scholasticism, not Lutheranism." Schlink: "the doctrine of the Trinity is the basis for all statements of the Lutheran Confessions." Luther: "Therefore he who wants to ascend advantageously to the love and knowledge of God should abandon the human metaphysical rules concerning the knowledge of the divinity and apply himself first to the humanity of Christ. For it is exceedingly godless temerity that, where God has humiliated Himself in order to become recognizable, man seeks for himself another way by following the counsels of his own natural capacity."</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">What is the Lutheran approach to the Trinity? Beckwith asserts: Luther was not a systematic theologian. He did not order his theology according to the norms of his day. He offers no doctrine of God apart from the Trinity. He does not start with the natural knowledge and then proceed to revealed knowledge. It is of no use for a person a "to recognize God in his glory and majesty, unless he also recognizes him in the humility and shame of the cross." Talk of God's power and glory requires talk of God's weakness on the cross. Such talk makes sense only to the person of faith, to the one justified by God and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. God and faith always belong together for Luther (71).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">At Heidelberg, Luther identified two kinds of theologians, the theologian of the cross and the theologian of glory. "The theolgus crucis speaks according to God's self communication in Jesus Christ, which means that God's revelation sets the terms for the discussion—both its possibility and its limits" (90). To better understand why some blame Luther for the evils of modernity, read the Conclusion to Part One (110ff).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Part Two "demonstrates the scriptural identity of the Trinity" (113). "According to the Fathers and the reformers, if we wish to know God, to speak properly about Him and His work on our behalf, we must look to the Scriptures and faithfully expound them" (117). Scholarship and piety find common cause in citing Luther's Psalm 130 hymn: "Though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth; His helping love no limit knows, Our utmost need it soundeth. Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free From all their sin and sorrow" (137, TLH 329:5). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">A full discussion of the Trinity includes theophanies: The Angel of YHWH (143ff). How did the Magi know the Christ child? Read note 7 on page 173 for insights from Gerhard, Chemnitz, and Luther. None of the three allowed for natural knowledge alone. Similarly, the conclusion to Chapter 8 on Father and Son points us to the Word: In this chapter we focused on the more dogmatic and precise presentations of Christ's identity. These texts, like those in the previous chapter, place Christ at the center of our confession of God's scriptural identity. We know the Father only through the Son; we know the Son by the Holy Spirit, whom both the father and the Son send to us. Moreover, the texts in this chapter emphasize again the necessity of the Old Testament for our understanding of the person and work of Christ. God alone determines His identity, and this He providentially preserves for us in His Scriptures. Finally, the New Testament makes clear that God's identity is fully revealed at the cross. It is at this very point that we come to know the glory of God in the crucified Christ, seeing our reconciliation with the Father through the saving work of the Son. This we know, confess, sing, and pray by the power of the Holy Spirit" (216-7).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The baptismal formula is discussed (225ff) in the same chapter on The Holy Spirit that the author takes to task those who would deny the Trinity as biblical (see 241ff). The filioque gets its turn in chapter 11, particularly 248 within 245ff. Would Eastern Orthodoxy object to John 16:7 for the Son's "sending" of the Spirit?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Part three sets for a simple rule: "Scripture both warrants and determines the church's talk about God" (267). The filioque returns on page 297 as Lutheran dogmaticians conclude that distinguishing the persons of the Trinity has to do with the order of the persons and their eternal relationship to one another. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">For a lengthy discussion of Augusitine's rule (323) and the Lutheran addendum (328), see the whole of chapters 14 and 15.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The author concludes his volume with this reflection on modernism and our confession: We live in a world that has a lot to say about God. We have shown throughout this book that whatever a person says about God bears directly on what that person thinks about himself and the world around him. This means at the very least that any discussion of the Trinity involves a whole lot more than a single article of faith. Scripture makes this clear by correlating right knowledge of God with both worship and ethics. Trinity, gospel, worship, and ethics all belong together. We are mistaken if we think that debates on worship and ethics have no bearing on the gospel and the Trinity. Gregory of Nyssa, like Basil, argued that our confession of the Trinity proceeds from our baptismal faith. This faith, Gregory further insisted, mirrors our worship. "It is not natural that worship make war against faith, but as we believe, so we give glory. Now since our faith is in <i>Father and Son and Holy Spirit</i>, faith, worship, and baptism accord with each other" (364, italics in original).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics does not order its theology according to the norms of today. The volumes of the set so far acknowledge the challenges of other confessions and those who doubt God's Word. The timeless outline and though pattern of the Lutheran Confessions provide a framework for confessing the faith anew. Seven volumes are in print. Only six more to go!</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> What has Marcus Tullius Cicero have to do with the Lutheran Reformation?</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/upload/9789004355156.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/upload/9789004355156.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">In <i>Cicero in Heaven</i>, Carl Springer examines the influence of Cicero on Luther and other reformers and discusses the importance of the Reformation for Cicero's continued use, especially in schools, in the following centuries.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Available Previews:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s001">Preliminary Material</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">i–xxi </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s002">Cicero and Christian Latin Eloquence</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">1–54 (54) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s003">"The Real German Cicero"</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">55–100 (46) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s004">Cicero and Wittenberg Education</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">101–144 (44) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s005">"Cicero Refused to Die"</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">145–186 (42) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s006">Lutheranism and Anti-Ciceronianism</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">187–242 (56) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s007">Epilogue</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">243–253 (11) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s008">Works Cited</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">255–282 (28) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> <div> <h5 style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004355194s009">Index of Names</a></span><o:p></o:p></h5> <ul type="disc"> <ul type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1"> <span class="meta-key"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">pp.:</span></span><span class="meta-value"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">283–291 (9) </span></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> </ul> </div> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(Publisher's website) </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Professor at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Professor, Department of English Lang. & Lit. at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, <b>Dr. Carl P. E. Springer</b> earned his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern College and a Master's in Biblical Languages, as well as his Ph.D. in Classics, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Springer is best known for his scholarship on the early Christian Latin poet Sedulius, whose collected works he is in the process of editing, and for his studies of Martin Luther's knowledge and use of the classics. He has also completed a book on Luther's edition of Aesop's fables (Our 2014 Review: <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2014/06/lhp-review-luther.html">http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2014/06/lhp-review-luther.html</a>). Springer has received numerous grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, the American Council on Education, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and others. He has been a Fulbright Research Fellow in Belgium and also was awarded a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to conduct research in Germany.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(<a href="http://media.ctsfw.edu/Person/Details/506">Adapted from http://media.ctsfw.edu/Person/Details/506</a>)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I've been editing a book review journal since December of 2004, served as Headmaster of a classical Lutheran school since April 2009, and yet, there is still something intimidating about Classics. Cicero? Yeah, I had heard "of" him. The way my education was shaped (unlike that of Carl P. E. Springer, cf. Preface; loss of Latin=loss of Cicero, xviii) deprived me of reading much of Cicero at all. This title, of interest to classicists, Lutheran pastors, classical Lutheran educators and home school families, will be of help in reclaiming this Roman rhetor.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Cicero in Heaven</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">is less about the status of Marcus Tullius "Tully" Cicero within the Christian afterlife (though there is some reference to this on 83) and more about the use of Cicero's words, example, and techniques by Martin Luther (57, passim), Phillip Melanchthon (122ff), Johann Sturm (146ff), Johann Sebastian Bach (164ff), and others using existing English translations (Prolegomena, xviii, note 26). Did you know that "Cicero's works were among the first books to be printed, after the Bible" (41)?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Springer notes "a strong, historic tendency within Christianity to oppose the kind of careful, trained eloquence associated with Cicero's name" (1; ). Yet, "A prominent teacher of rhetoric, eventually appointed advisor to Constantine, Lactantius was called <i> Cicero Christianus</i> by Pico della Mirandola because of the graceful elegance of his style, although some of his theological positions were deemed unorthodox" (24). In contrast to an oration in the style of Cicero, the more common Christian practice was a more informal homily. Consider: "Augustine himself preached frequently, without extensive notes, and sometimes even without the biblical text before him" (28). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">"The church, as Luther described it, is…(not a "pen-house," but a "mouth-house"), because it is through speaking to each other in 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs', that the most important work of the church is done, whether it be in the form of praying, teaching, preaching, confession, or worship" (36). Luther knew and appreciated the five traditional categories of rhetoric (<i>inventio, disposition, elocutio, memoria, </i>and<i> pronuntatio</i>; 67). "Luther's style [in Freedom of a Christian] is certainly closer to the hypotactic, periodic style of Cicero's prose than to the clipped sentences and paratactic diction of the Vulgate with which he was so familiar" (72).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Cicero was an influence on the American founders (175ff; as well as Christianity, 247) and many Lutherans in America (181ff), especially C. F. W. Walther, Johann Michael Reu, and Wilhelm Loehe. The latter's book The Pastor mentions rhetoric as important in the essay lead-in to Part Two by a contemporary of Luther. This kind of rhetoric deserves to be restored to a place within seminary preaching courses.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I found the discussion of parrhesia fascinating (89ff), particularly the connection between the word meaning "speaking everything" (95) and how Springer traces it linguistically to the Latin words licentia and fiducia ("confidence," 99) to confession at the time of the Reformation and its connection to the Augsburg Confession (100). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Springer introduces his readers to other topics familiar to his likely readers, including the trivium (112) and the establishment of Christian academic institutions (117ff). Melanchton lectured on Cicero (131ff) and referenced him in his textbooks (134-5), including two books on rhetoric (available on Google Books). "Melanchthon divided the ideal sermon, like an oration, into familiar components: 'exordium, narration, proposition, division into parts, confirmation, refutation, and peroration'" (139 note 98).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Written and delivered from memory or delivered from an outline or notes? See Reu's answer on 186.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I ask the author and my fellow readers: Whether written down or delivered with minimal notes, why could preachers today not use the same outline for a Lutheran sermon?</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Not all were fans, advocates, or practitioners of Cicero's rhetoric ("Cicero in Hell, 221ff). Why? "Latin began now often to be identified closely with Catholicism" (189) and Cicero with it. "Romantic disregard for imitation and the privileging of originality and poetic genius…" (222). Luther's own references to Cicero were not all positive, as the last chapter demonstrates again and again. Lutheran theology has much greater comfort (and delight) with paradox than Cicero (200-1). Matthias Flacius Illyricus was "one of the main contributors to the anti-Ciceronian movement" (209).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">There is much history of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod here (e.g. 240-242). </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Sadly, Cicero has been de-emphasized even where Latin is still taught (242 note 173).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">After reading Cicero in Heaven, I am now convinced that I am the book's intended audience. That gives me much joy. I've been working my way through the Cicero volumes of the Loeb Classical Library while also reading the Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris (250). Also, in a paragraph that "depends heavily on Korcok, Lutheran Education" we read:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">"There is now a small but growing 'classical education movement among denominational Christian educators in America.' Beginning already in 1989 with Douglas Wilson's 'Logos School' in Moscow, Idaho, a modestly impressive number of Christian schools and homeschooling organizations have embraced a curriculum featuring Latin on all levels, focusing on the traditional skills taught in the trivium, often drawing on Dorothy Sayers's 1947 essay 'The Lost Tools of Learning.' Rhetoric, Latin, and Cicero figure prominently in such curricula. Some of the schools, like 'Wittenberg Academy,' are Lutheran in orientation. Whether 'classical Christian education' is a movement that is really 'sweeping America' (as the title of one book describing it suggests) remains to be seen, but the amount and degree of interest in the movement suggests that the final chapter on the faithful and vexed relationship between Cicero and Christianity, however short it may be, may have yet to be written" (253).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">The accreditation of my school was recently renewed by Visitors from the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education. I am a permanent member of that group's Board of Directors. The folks of Wittenberg Academy are among my friends.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">I highly recommend this book, even understanding its significant cost.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">As I write this review, there are no remaining books to read for review at the former location of my "review book pile." There is the possibility of some commentaries and books of Lutheran interest on the horizon. Our goal is to rapidly read, consider, and review any titles as they arrive. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/reformation-worship-dogmatics-and-cicero.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-61106096227809686932018-05-08T11:08:00.005-06:002018-05-08T11:08:38.906-06:00Quick Summaries for April 2018: Preaching to All Ages<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17q92m0tbPy0ybbhsysbAqeSQrAp_brBPGJIVE4F7bMSGMSCQOqIyW5vYWclh1o1inRxSHLEMvJwLqNkVRExgRNuu4rxKFy0xkYyAPeq6j-IQwWW_XosFaWU01Ll4t_hdEy765cH6ygYW/s1600/QS.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="96" style="width:3.3333in;height:1.0in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17q92m0tbPy0ybbhsysbAqeSQrAp_brBPGJIVE4F7bMSGMSCQOqIyW5vYWclh1o1inRxSHLEMvJwLqNkVRExgRNuu4rxKFy0xkYyAPeq6j-IQwWW_XosFaWU01Ll4t_hdEy765cH6ygYW/s320/QS.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Pace, R. Scott. Heath A. Thomas, Editor. <i>Preaching By the Book: Developing and Delivering Text-Driven Sermons (Hobbs College Library). </i>Nashville: B&H Academic/Oklahoma Baptist University, 2018. 123 Pages. Cloth. $19.99. <a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/preaching-by-the-book">http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/preaching-by-the-book</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Bolland, Richard. <i>The Church Is One: Recapturing the Lost Unity Christ Intended for His Church on Earth. </i>CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 17, 2018) 132 Pages. Paper. $6.08. <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Church-One-Recapturing-Christ-Intended/dp/1546625860"> https://smile.amazon.com/Church-One-Recapturing-Christ-Intended/dp/1546625860</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Kennedy, Jared. Illustrated by Trish Mahoney. <i>The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible. </i>Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2017. 314 Pages. Cloth. $29.99. <a href="https://newgrowthpress.com/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible/"> https://newgrowthpress.com/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible/</a></span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Quick Summaries are pithy reviews <br> of releases that cross our desk.</span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">These are reviews for when you don't have all day </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">to decide whether a resource is worth </span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><br> <b><i>your time, money, storage space, or trouble.</i></b></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">+/When this Lutheran book review journal editor requested <i>Preaching by the Book</i>, we knew it would have a Baptist flavor. Chapter 7 on Invitations is as expected, though not overt. (</span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">What of John 15:16? What of Joshua 24 in context? How is "Decision Theology" consistent with Romans 2 or Psalm 51:5? Our human will is not strong enough to "decide." Does Scripture not say that we are dead in sin and enemies of God?</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">What I wanted our readers to know is the state of training in preaching at a place like Oklahoma Baptist University through one volume of the Hobbs College Library (21-volume set, Commendation Page). One volume in a new series, <i>Preaching by the Book</i> focuses on Developing and Delivering Text-Driven Sermons. A graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis or Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne will be used to more theological rigor, more guidance, and a more solid Christological foundation than this book. For example, I have no doubt that the author of this book and its editor know the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It should be more clear and more central to the book. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="https://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/LifeWayChristianResources/9781462773343?$Product$"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/LifeWayChristianResources/9781462773343?$Product$"></span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">All Christian preachers (and their hearers) could benefit from a proper distinction between Law and Gospel. Usually considered a Lutheran distinctive, it shouldn't be. Consider this brief new video summary: [<a href="https://youtu.be/GxVi5qKS3pM">https://youtu.be/GxVi5qKS3pM</a>]. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">This title is concise, usually to the point, and well-written for its intended audience. Reading as an experienced preacher, I can hear specific advice and counsel in the book as helpful for the students it was written for. Reading as a Lutheran, I see different solutions for common problems. Use of an historic lectionary solves my problem of Selecting a Passage (10). Historic vestments solve my problem with how to dress for worship (15). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">The seven-point Process of Sermon Development (18) would greatly benefit from the proper distinction of Law and Gospel. As is, it could lead to a textual and biblical sermon that would leave Jesus out. Such a sermon would not be Christian and would have earned me an F in my homiletics courses. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I appreciated the Investigation chapter's paragraph urging awareness of "historical lapse," both between the events and the record of them as well as that Bible time and today (25). Transitions are important. Don't Grind the Gears (76ff). The advice on visual aids is well taken (87). I would counsel against them as a crutch, would warn about the potential of overuse, and would agree that some could be too distracting, overwhelming, or unhelpful. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">The Conclusion was my favorite part because the concluding passage from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 spoke so clearly about Christ, the true subject of our preaching. Yes, we should carefully discern what theological truth is taught in any passage. We should also look for Christ. <b>Preachers, give your hearers Jesus!</b></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/412OvUiuE3L.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="200" height="320" style="width:2.0833in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/412OvUiuE3L.jpg"></span></a>+The Rev. Richard A. Bolland brings his decades of pastoral experience to his accessible, deep, and hopeful title, <i>The Church Is One: Recapturing the Lost Unity Christ Intended for His Church on Earth</i>. When we confess one holy Christian/catholic and apostolic Church, we do so as a confession of faith, not a description of what we see in fallen world, a valley of the shadow. Bolland points us to Christ and His Word, exemplified by the Foreword of the Rev. Daniel Preus and his reference to John 17:17, where Jesus says, "Your word is truth" (8). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I agree that our creedal confessions should include the word catholic (not <i><u>C</u>atholic</i>). To his discussion (22) I would add what I was taught, that the pre-Luther German word "christlich" was an acceptable translation of the Latin "catholica" and that German-origin Lutherans ended up with "Christian" in English for historical reasons and not only anti-Roman reasons. <i> </i></span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">LBR</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> readers know that we love clarity. Consider page 24: <b>Permit Me To Make My Thesis Clear</b>. Unity in doctrine and practice is divinely intended for the earthly, visible Christian Church. Division and disunity are marks of Satan's activity within the earthly gatherings of God's people. Therefore, any aspect of an institutional church body's activity or behavior that lends itself toward unity in doctrine and practice is Godly, and any aspect of a church body's activity or behavior that lends itself toward division and disunity is of the Devil and results in hindering and obfuscating the Gospel of Christ.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">For the author's definitions of <i>Church, Sect, </i>and <i>Cult</i>, see 42ff. For his helpful description of the difference between fides qua creditor and fides quae creditor, zoom in on 51-52. An illustrative list of the errors of the Roman Church by date is found on pages 57-63. The Lord's Supper and its celebration in a local congregation is often a flash point of conflict and misunderstanding. I appreciate the author's bluntness: "Thus, the Lord's Supper is no place for any kind of division. It is no place for variance of views respecting what the Lord's Supper is and what it accomplishes. It is no place for multiple choice doctrine and it is certainly no place for contradictory practices…" (82)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Speaking of which, catechesis can be a medicine to differences in teaching and practice in our LCMS. Neglecting catechesis has disastrous consequences: "If people wish to join a Lutheran congregation, but retain non-Lutheran doctrine, practice, and worship forms; then this will be the end of the Lutheran character of that congregation" (108).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I agree with the author and Dr. Luther that the use of one translation is beneficial for the Church (128). If I were to re-word one sentence in the book it would be the last sentence of the first full paragraph on 128. Instead of "Officially adopted hymnals would be the sole source of liturgies and hymnody among us." I would say, "Doctrinally pure hymnals would be the sole source of liturgies and hymnody among us." The Lutheran Hymnal of 1941 does not have the same official "adoption" granted to Lutheran Worship (1982) and Lutheran Service Book (2004/2006).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Focusing on The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod yet of benefit to all Christians, <i>The Church Is One</i> points readers to Christ and His Word, faith in His Word instead of unbelief or human innovation, and unity in the Word of Christ. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Recommended!</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">+/ <i> The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible</i>. </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">We do like this title. Our concern is to properly understand our terms. Does "Gospel" mean the whole counsel of God or the good news of the forgiveness of sins as a gift in Christ alone? Or both? Consider how the publisher describes this title. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="s1"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">How do you explain the gospel to toddlers and preschoolers? Often adults are stumped, but Jared Kennedy's focus on the promises of God makes the gospel come alive to the littlest hearts. Through<i> </i>fifty-two Old and New Testament stories, <i>The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible </i>highlights God's perfect promises. Every page pops with bright colors, playful illustrations, fun learning opportunities, and, best of all each story points children to Jesus.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><a href="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1657/3052/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible__30054__40047.1520709006.jpg?c=2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="321" height="301" style="width:3.3416in;height:3.1333in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-uh4v4/images/stencil/1024x1024/products/1657/3052/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible__30054__40047.1520709006.jpg?c=2"></span></a>Kids know the value of a promise. Through the gospel, our good and all-powerful God keeps his word and fulfills his promises to us better than we could have ever thought or imagined! </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">In <i>The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible, </i>author Jared Kennedy traces God's perfect promises through fifty-two Old and New Testament stories, retold in simple and compelling ways with toddlers and preschoolers in mind. Each gospel-centered story highlights God's tale of redemption through Jesus and the unexpected and surprising ways that God's grace and mercy are revealed throughout the Bible. Children will hear the good news of God's love for them clearly expressed in ways that will speak to their young hearts. Brightly colored illustrations highlight the stories and add fun teaching elements of counting, opposites, patterns, and object recognition to keep even the youngest child's attention. Every story also ends with a question that parents and caregivers can use to further reinforce the message.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Through reading this book one chapter at a time to your children—or letting them read it to you!—even the youngest kids will come to know that God's promises are especially for them, and that God always keeps his promises.</span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">(Publisher's Website).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Designed with the "youngest kids" in mind, <i>The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible</i>, by Jared Kennedy and Illustrated by Trish Mahoney, will be appreciated by its intended audience and their parents. Art and design on cover and inside pages is inviting, creative, and edifying. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">The Old Testament is introduced as "Promises Made" in 27 stories, with "Promises Kept" being the overall theme for the remaining New Testament Stories, 52 in all. The stories included are technically paraphrases, which means interpretation and hermeneutics come into play. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Issac's name is reinterpreted as happiness rather than doubt (compare 24 to Genesis 17:17 and 18:12-15). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Repentance is defined as a "turn away" or "TURN AROUND" (187). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Pages 245-27 introduce "communion" as a memorial meal. Lutheran parents would need to reaffirm Jesus' own words:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">26 </span></sup></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." <b><sup>27 </sup></b>And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, <b><sup>28 </sup></b>for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. <b><sup>29 </sup></b>I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I understood the question "Have you ever asked Jesus to forgive you for your sins?" as interpretable in a good way by Lutherans, yet also in a "Decision Theology" way by others (253). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">"Trust" can be a helpful age-appropriate synonym for faith, given further instruction as children grow (277, passim). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">We've reviewed material from the author's congregation before (<a href="http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/03/hymnody-resurgent-kentucky.html">http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/03/hymnody-resurgent-kentucky.html</a>). This story Bible would not be my first choice to recommend to Lutheran parents, yet they could certainly use it in an edifying way for their children.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> <br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/">Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/">Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>, Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/quick-summaries-for-april-2018.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-52410545814816375732018-05-08T11:08:00.003-06:002018-05-08T11:08:27.117-06:00Ancient Christian Texts<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6d32Rg_whsVNjvO7Ut_pEayCvGYeHO9pkPz6XMSRUIuFETQFutPyUpZtE2lns3yumMCsu13D32A88wK-1qHSIY2yrhtkMVPqPAm8PNvPTJvEyUVM1tH3Sl47bLO2HJiQpZMfFZzyCxfP/s1600/ChiRho+triple.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6d32Rg_whsVNjvO7Ut_pEayCvGYeHO9pkPz6XMSRUIuFETQFutPyUpZtE2lns3yumMCsu13D32A88wK-1qHSIY2yrhtkMVPqPAm8PNvPTJvEyUVM1tH3Sl47bLO2HJiQpZMfFZzyCxfP/s1600/ChiRho+triple.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> <br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Jerome. Thomas P. Scheck, Editor. Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, Series Editors. <i>Commentaries on the Twelve Prophets, Volume 2 (Ancient Christian Texts)</i>. Downers Grove: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press, 2017. 412 Pages. Cloth. $60.00/$54.00 on sale. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/commentaries-on-the-twelve-prophets-vol-2">https://www.ivpress.com/commentaries-on-the-twelve-prophets-vol-2</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Eusebius of Caesarea. Jonathan J. Armstrong, Translator. Joel C. Elowsky, Editor. Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, Series Editors. <i>Commentary on Isaiah (Ancient Christian Texts). </i>Downers Grove: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press, 2013. 332 Pages. Cloth. $60.00/$54.00 on sale. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-isaiah">https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-isaiah</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Cyril of Alexandria. David R. Maxwell, Translator. Joel C. Elowsky, Editor. Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, Series Editors. <i>Commentary on John, Volume 1 (Ancient Christian Texts). </i>Downers Grove: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press, 2013. 375 Pages. Cloth. $60.00/$54.00 on sale. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-john-vol-1">https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-john-vol-1</a></span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Cyril of Alexandria. David R. Maxwell, Translator. Joel C. Elowsky, Editor. Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, Series Editors. <i>Commentary on John, Volume 2 (Ancient Christian Texts). </i>Downers Grove: IVP Academic/InterVarsity Press, 2015. 394 Pages. Cloth. $60.00/$54.00 on sale. <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-john-vol-2">https://www.ivpress.com/commentary-on-john-vol-2</a></span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> We return to the IVP Academic Series <i>Ancient Christian Text</i>s for this review.</span><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2917.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="222" height="320" style="width:2.3166in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2917.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Jerome (c. 347-419/20), one of the West's four doctors of the church, was recognized early on as one of the church's foremost translators, commentators, and advocates of Christian asceticism. Skilled in Hebrew and Greek in addition to his native Latin, he was thoroughly familiar with Jewish traditions and brought this expertise to bear on his understanding of the Old Testament. Beginning in 379, Jerome used his considerable linguistic skills to translate Origen's commentaries and, eventually, to translate and comment on Scripture himself. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Jerome began writing commentaries on the twelve minor prophets in 392 while preparing his Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. After completing Nahum, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Habakkuk, he was interrupted in 393 by the Origenist controversy, after which he became a vocal critic of Origen of Alexandria. He finished his commentaries on Jonah and Obadiah in 396. These seven commentaries are available in the ACT volume <i>Commentaries on the Twelve Prophets, Volume 1</i>. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">We reviewed Volume 1 of Jerome's <i>Commentaries on the Twelve Prophets</i> last July: <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2017/07/lutheran-book-review-titles-for-july.html"> http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2017/07/lutheran-book-review-titles-for-july.htm</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">l</a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The Origenist controversy and his commentary on Matthew occupied Jerome's time for the next several years. He finally completed his commentaries on the rest of the twelve prophets in 406. This volume, edited by Thomas Scheck, includes those final five commentaries on Zechariah, Malachi, Hosea, Joel, and Amos.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Throughout these commentaries, Jerome refers frequently to the work of previous commentators, and his spiritual exegesis relies heavily on the exegetical work of Origen - though he acknowledges that "I have not followed them in everything." Jerome hears in these texts God's judgment and mercy not only on Israel but especially on the Christian community. In Amos, for example, he says that "whatever we have said about Judah refers to the church." He wrestles especially with the scandalous message of Hosea, which he refers to as drowning with Pharaoh during the crossing of the Red Sea. But he trusts that "the ways of the Lord are the reading of the Old and New Testament, the understanding of the holy Scriptures."</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">By sharing the wisdom he received from these biblical texts, Jerome's magisterial commentaries help us walk more faithfully in God's ways.</span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">(Publisher's Website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">This 2017 volume includes Jerome's extant commentaries on Zechariah, Malachi, Hosea, Joel, and Amos. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The Volume Editor's Introduction assesses Jerome's exegetical method and most important contributions to biblical studies (xv). Julian criticized Jerome for not being careful enough (xviii). Such criticism was also that of Augustine, who criticized Jerome's "exegesis" (xxxi). Erasmus enters the debate in 1516 (xxxix). Erasmus' influence, including inaugurating a Jerome renaissance that same year, led to the Council of Trent enshrining "Jerome's Latin Vulgate as the authoritative text of the Bible of Roman Catholicism" (xl).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">One of the surprises Christian readers find in some translations of Zechariah 3 is "Jesus the high priest…clothed with filthy garments…" (18) "Joshua" is a more well-known translation here. The Christian application of the text (with contrast) is clear in the final paragraph of commentary on 1-5b (19-20). By chapter 14, Jerome explains 1-2 with help from Josephus and Tacitus (98).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">I appreciate the time and attention given to good footnotes. Note 36 on 119 draws our attention to Erasmus' appeal to Malachi 1:2-5 in his attempt to refute Luther's <i>De servo arbitrio</i>. I stand with Luther and Malachi.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The Lord calling His people is something in common between Hosea 1:10-11 (158) and Hosea 2:16-17 (167). Jerome's explanation of "Baal" is interesting.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The Editor sees Cicero as one of the philosophers (265 note 35) alluded to in Jerome's commentary on Joel 1:4. Quintillian (266 note 41) is referenced on the same verse.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Pages 287ff will give preachers illustration ideas for Joel 28-32a for Pentecost Day.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Readers should note Editor footnote 295 on page 297 with regard to chiliasm. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> <br> The next ACT volume was published in 2013. </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2913.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="222" height="320" style="width:2.3166in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2913.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 260--ca. 340), one of the early church's great polymaths, produced significant works as a historian (<i>Ecclesiastical History</i>), geographer (<i>Onomasticon</i>), philologist, exegete (commentaries on the Psalms and Isaiah), apologist (<i>Preparation for</i> and <i>Demonstration of the Gospel</i>) and theologian. His <i>Commentary on Isaiah</i> is one of his major exegetical works and the earliest extant Christian commentary on the great prophet. Geographically situated between Alexandria and Antioch, Eusebius approached the text giving notable attention to historical detail and possible allegorical interpretation. But above all, employing the <i>anologia fidei</i>, he drew his readers? attention to other passages of Scripture that share a common vocabulary and theological themes, thus allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Here, for the first time in English, Jonathan Armstrong provides readers with a highly serviceable translation of Eusebius's notably difficult Greek text, along with a helpful introduction and notes.</span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">(Publisher's website)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Though Eusebius was not the first Christian commentator on Isaiah, "Eusebius's work is the first Christian commentary on Isaiah to have survived antiquity" (xxvi).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Eusebius brings John 6:46 to bear on Isaiah 6:1 (27). 7:14 is clearly Christological: "But then you, O house of David, after you received a sign of a good omen from the Lord, you appealed to him and named him Emmanuel. For he who has such a surname will procure salvation for you: believe and obey what he commands" (36).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Commentary on 42:15: In speaking of the mountains and hills, he alludes to the rulers of the people, and the grass refers to their sin. He threatens to raze to the ground their vanity and the arrogance of those who rule over them and to dry up their grace. Because these things are said concerning them—that is, the teachings that were once abundantly supplied to them like rivers—he says I will turn into islands. And yet also there will be areas among them that become stagnant for lack of spiritual water, so that they become comparable to marshlands, and he says I will dry up these places (214).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The editor notes a supercessionist tension in Eusebius's exegesis of Chapter 49 (245 note 34).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Preachers will appreciate extensive commentary on Isaiah 52 and 53. Consider the Christology of this comment on 52:13: "But this servant or slave of God, who was 'filled' with all 'wisdom' and understanding, contained the Word of God in himself" (261). Also this on justification in 53:11-12: "For 'the spirit of wisdom and understanding rested on him' in order that the intelligent might be perfected and the worthy might be justified because he justifies them" (265).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The volume editor is LCMS. From <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">www.csl.edu</a>:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Dr. Joel Elowsky is a professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Elowsky has been a faculty member since 2014. He is the director of the Seminary's Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts and also is a researcher for the Center for Early African Christianity at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> His interests and areas of expertise include early church studies, history of exegesis, mission work and African Christianity.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> He earned a Master of Philosophy (2008) and Ph.D. (2009) from Drew University in Madison, N.J. After studying at Westfield House in Cambridge, England, and Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, he transferred to Concordia Seminary, where he received a Master of Divinity (1990) and Master of Sacred Theology (1992). He received a bachelor's degree from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich. (1985).</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> He served as associate professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon (2010-14), as an adjunct professor of religion at Drew University (2000-04); and later as research director of The Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa. (2009-14).</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Elowsky's first call was with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod SELC District as a mission developer in Galloway Township, N.J. (1992-2000). He served as operations manager/research director for Thomas Oden's 29-volume <i>Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture</i> (IVP) from 2000-10, which has been translated into at least seven languages. While serving in that capacity he also served vacancies at Trinity Lutheran Church in Morris Plains, N.J.; Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Montville, N.J.; and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Fairlawn, N.J.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Since 2004 he has been part of the ecumenical group, Evangelicals and Catholics Together. He also has served as a participant in dialogs between evangelicals and the Vatican, delivering a paper there on Scripture and tradition in 2010. He also is a board member of the Chinese Academic Consortium and a member of the International Patristics Society and the Society for Biblical Literature (SBL). He serves as the president of the Institute for Classical Christian Studies, which has ties with Yale University. He also has lectured extensively in Africa as a researcher and lecturer for the Center for Early African Christianity formerly housed at Eastern University and now located at Yale, where he continues to lecture in Africa on behalf of Concordia Seminary.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> He initiated two other publication series: the five-volume <i>Ancient Christian Doctrine </i>and the 14-volume <i>Ancient Christian Texts</i>, as well as the <i>Ancient Christian Devotional</i>.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">He has edited or authored numerous books and articles including:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo1"> <i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">John 1-10 </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">in <i>Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, </i>Vol IVa (InterVarsity Press, 2007)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"> <i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">John 11-21 </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">in <i>Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, </i>Vol IVb (InterVarsity Press, 2007)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo3"> <i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">We Believe in the Holy Spirit </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">in <i>Ancient Christian Doctrine Series, </i>Vol. 4 (InterVarsity Press, 2009)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo4"> <i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity, </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">3 Volumes, 5000 pages. Eds. Angelo DiBerardino, Thomas C. Oden, Joel C. Elowsky, James Hoover (InterVarsity Press, 2014)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo5"> <i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Cyril of Alexandria: Commentary on John, </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Vol II. trans. David Maxwell, ed. Joel Elowsky, <i>Ancient Christian Texts Series </i>(InterVarsity Press, 2012 and 2015)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo6"> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"Exodus in the Fathers" in <i>The Book of Exodus: Composition, Reception and Interpretation</i>. Thomas B. Dozeman, Craig A. Evans and Joel N. Lohr, eds. Part of the Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature Series (Brill, 2014) "Alexandrian Theology and Contemporary African Thought" in <i>A New History of African Christian Thought: From Cape to Cairo</i>, edited by David Ngong (Routledge, 2016)</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Elowsky has finished working on a translation of Athanasius' <i>Letter to Marcellinus, </i>which is published as an e-book with ICCS Press, and also was used in the <i>Africa Study Bible. </i>He is currently working on an <i>Encyclopedia of Early African Christianity </i>to be published by the same publisher, which will be a condensation and selective editing of the larger <i>Encyclopedia of the Early Church </i>with new articles germaine to the African church.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> Elowsky's wife, Joy, plays organ for Seminary chapel services and also assists in conducting the Seminary Chorus. She is an organist at Glendale Lutheran Church in St. Louis. The Elowskys have two sons and a dog named Hubert. When not traveling or teaching, Elowsky likes to spend time sailing in northern Michigan.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Interests:</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Early church studies</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">History of exegesis</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Mission work</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">African Christianity</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Between 2013 and 2015 <i>ACT </i>implemented a slight change in format. Previously, all footnotes for a page were included between double lines that covered the whole bottom of each page. The difference is seen clearly when examining both volumes of Cyril's <i>Commentary on John</i>. The second volume shows the new format: footnotes for each column are listed between double lines for that column.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> <br> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2911.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="222" height="320" style="width:2.3166in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2911.jpg"></span></a><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2912.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="222" height="320" style="width:2.3166in;height:3.3333in" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Products/2912.jpg"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif">It's pretty cool to see another LCMS face alongside St. Cyril!</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"> </span><br> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">From <a href="http://www.csl.edu/"> www.csl.edu</a>:</span><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Dr. David R. Maxwell is the Louis A. Fincke and Anna B. Shine Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> A faculty member since 2004, he also is professor of Systematic Theology. He received his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. (2003); a Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Seminary (1995, 1997); a Master of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis (1995); and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas in Austin (1991). He was ordained at Trinity Lutheran Church in Elkhart, Ind. (2003).</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> At the Seminary, he teaches courses in systematic theology, patristics, history of exegesis and Latin. His primary research interest is the early church, particularly the Christological controversies of the fourth through sixth centuries. He also works in the field of patristic exegesis and recently produced a translation of Cyril of Alexandria's <i>Commentary on John </i>(InterVarsity Press). He is currently working on a translation of Cyril of Alexandria's commentaries on Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Hebrews.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> He has delivered a number of presentations on Lutheran identity, both in the United States and in Indonesia. He plays the organ regularly in church and at the Seminary. In conjunction with playing the organ, he has written on the theological symbolism in the organ music of J.S. Bach, particularly Bach's "Clavierübung III," which is based largely on Luther's catechism hymns.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Interests:</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Christology</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">History of exegesis</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Cyril of Alexandria</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Why read these two volumes from Cyril of Alexandria? Consider this from the General Introduction: </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"It is ironic that our times, which claim to be so fully furnished with historical insight and research methods, have neglected these texts more than scholars in previous centuries who could read them in their original languages. This series provides indisputable evidence of the modern neglect of classic Christian exegesis: it remains a fact that extensive and once authoritative classic commentaries on Scripture still remain untranslated into any modern language. Even in China such a high level of neglect has not befallen classic Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian commentaries (ix).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">The Translator's Introduction reminds us: </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"Cyril's polemics against the Jews are directed primarily against their refusal to believe that Jesus is God by nature" (xviii). Of Luther the same could be said. "Cyril divides the commentary into twelve books [e.g. xxvii], and the books are further divided into chapters…" (xix) "Books 7 and 8 of the commentary have been lost, except for fragments that have been preserved in various catenas on the Gospel of John" (xxi). "….the view that Antioch and Alexandria represent such a sharp dichotomy between two exegetical methods that are fundamentally opposed to each other has largely been discredited" (xxii).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Readers new to ACT will appreciate the Translator's Advice for Reading (xxiv). For example:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Do not skip Cyril's citation of Scripture in an attempt to "get to the point." Cyril's handling of Scripture is the point.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">See Cyril do theology using syllogisms (John 1:9; Read pp. 52-57 to better understand pp. 43-52).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Book Two begins with what we call John 1:29 (75).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Cyril's explanation of 2:19 covers nearly a column and makes reference to Matthew 12:39-40, Psalm 35:11, and Psalm 27:12 (94). His commentary on Nicodemus in 3:1-2 is a worthy illustration of the double-minded man of James 1:8 and Psalm 86:11. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"Nicodemus is quite ready to believe, but since he is overcome by an unhealthy regard for others and does not ignore other people's opinion, he refuses to be forthright and divides his mind in two. He 'cripples' his intention and is weak 'in both knees,' as it is written, [1 Kings 18:21] pressed by the argument of his conscience that he should believe because of the surpassing quality of the miracles but estimating that the loss of his leadership of the people is intolerable since he was a 'leader of the Jews.' Thinking that he can both preserve his reputation with them and secretly be faithful, he makes the darkness of the night a coworker in his scheme, and he comes to Jesus. And by coming in secret, he is convicted of being double-minded" (96). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Remember hearing "The Holy Things for the Holy Ones" from Dr. Nagel in class or the title pages of <i>Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries</i>? Don't miss the phrase in an extended commentary (276-289) on 7:24 (287, 287 note 354).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Between 2013 and 2015 ACT implemented a slight change in format. Previously, all footnotes for a page were included between double lines that covered the whole bottom of each page. The difference is seen clearly when examining both volumes of Cyril's Commentary on John. The second volume shows the new format: footnotes for each column are listed between double lines for that column.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Volume 2 picks up with Book Six/John 8:44. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Cyril finds 9:2-3 a perfect text (22ff) in order to better explain Exodus 20:5-6 (26, known to Lutherans as the Close of the Commandments in the Small Catechism).</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">For notes on the missing Books 7 and 8, see 71, and 72-114. One section in these missing books is 12:3-40 on the Jews. Cyril says, </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"This statement, however, applies not to all [the Jews] but only to the unbelievers. Many of them believed after all" (110-11; cf. Translator's Introduction, both volumes). </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Need a fresh yet ancient sermon illustration for Holy (Maundy) Thursday? See 13:34 (137ff). Easter Season preaching will benefit from reading Cyril on 14:16-17 (178ff), 14:25-26 (197ff), and 15:26 (245ff). Jesus makes Genesis 1:26 clear in 17:6-8 (279). Where would Cyril stand on the filioque? Consider note 158 on 296. Good Friday preachers will welcome reading 350ff on 19:30.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Calvinists will cringe to read Cyril on 20:19-20: </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"Let no one say, 'How did the Lord enter unhindered with his solid physical body when the doors were locked? Rather one should realize that the divinely inspired Evangelist is not speaking of someone like us, but of him who is enthroned with God the Father and who easily accomplishes whatever he wishes…" (364)</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">On 20:21-23, Cyril comments on absolution: </span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"The Spirit bearers forgive sins in two ways, at least as I understand it. They invite to baptism those to whom baptism is due because of the purity of their life and their tested allegiance to the faith, while they hinder and exclude from divine grace those who are not yet worthy. Or another way they forgive and retain sins is that they rebuke the children of the church who are sinning and they forgive those who repent, just as Paul handed over the fornicator in Corinth 'for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit might be saved' and admitted him into fellowship once again 'so that he might not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow,' as he says in his epistles. So when the Spirit of Christ who is in us performs the actions that belong to God alone, how could the Spirit not be by nature God, since he is naturally invested with the glorious honor of the divine nature and has authority over the holy law?" (372). One notes that Luther borrowed from this section in explaining The Office of the Keys.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">I found the concluding paragraph of the commentary (on 21:25, 386) to be linguistically and theologically elegant:</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">"The multitude of the divine signs, he says, is vast, and the catalog of his deeds is clearly innumerable. But these have been taken from many thousands since they are able to bring the most profit to the hearers. Let the one who is teachable and loves instruction not blame the author of this book, he says, if he did not record the rest. Indeed, if every individual accomplishment had been recorded with nothing left out, the immeasurable multitude of books would have filled the world. We maintain that , as it is, the power of the Word has accomplished more than enough. Anyone may see that thousands of miracles were accomplished by our Savior's power. The preachers of the Gospels, however, wrote down the more glorious ones, it seems, and the ones that could strengthen the hearers in an incorruptible faith and give them instruction in morality and doctrine. That is so they might be glorious in the orthodox faith and adorned all over with works that aim at reverence. Then they might greet the heavenly city and be joined to the church of the firstborn and so enter the very kingdom of heaven in Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to God the Father and with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen."</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Consider adding both volumes of Cyril to your commentary library.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">Cyril of Alexandria (ca. 378-444), one of the most brilliant representatives of the Alexandrian theological tradition, is best known for championing the term <i>Theotokos</i> (God-bearer) in opposition to Nestorius of Constantinople. Cyril's great <i>Commentary on John</i>, offered here in the Ancient Christian Texts series in two volumes, predates the Nestorian controversy and focuses its theological firepower against Arianism. The commentary, addressed to catechists, displays Cyril's breathtaking mastery of the full content of the Bible and his painstaking attention to detail as he offers practical teaching for the faithful on the cosmic story of God's salvation.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> David R. Maxwell provides readers with the first completely fresh English translation of the text since the nineteenth century. It rests on Pusey's critical edition of the Greek text and displays Cyril's profound theological interpretation of Scripture and his appeal to the patristic tradition that preceded him. Today's readers will find the commentary an indispensable tool for understanding Cyril's approach to Scripture.</span><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">(Publisher's website) </span> <o:p></o:p></p> </blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif">This review brings us up-to-date on all extant volumes of <i>Ancient Christian Texts</i>. We reviewed all volumes of <i>Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Ancient Christian Dogmatics</i>, and to date, only one volume of <i>Reformation Commentary on Scripture</i>. We hope to review supplemental <i>AC</i> paperbacks, future <i>ACT </i>volumes, and wish to be considered to review volumes of <i>RCS</i>.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><br> <span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times",serif"><br> </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of <a href="http://immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/"> Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming</a>, Headmaster of <a href="http://sheridanmlgs.blogspot.com/"> Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy,</a> a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="http://www.ccle.org/">Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education</a>,Secretary of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, <a href="http://wylcms.org/edu.html">Wyoming District Education Chairman</a>/NLSA Commissioner, and Editor of <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/">Lutheran Book Review</a>. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman and District Evangelism Chairman. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and <a href="http://www.csl.edu/">Concordia Seminary, St. Louis</a>, Rev. Cain is a contributor to <a href="http://www.cph.org/t-lsb.aspx">Lutheran Service Book</a>, <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28066-lutheranism-101-second-edition.aspx"> Lutheranism 101</a>, the forthcoming LSB Hymnal Companion volumes, and is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Make-Congregation-Caring-Church/dp/0758641931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878276&sr=8-1&keywords=five+things+you+can+do+to+make+our+congregation"> 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church</a>. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music. </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/ancient-christian-texts.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-30612666431138919312018-05-08T11:08:00.001-06:002018-05-08T11:08:13.719-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-cwsXwCxfseHw_ArTNcfyvWmft9oKhPKQvO5th5gRrDtsVkFNKZRB7jaHWZbsddNBQDkAhb_qmW3Vi-Q501PVrahalsuTzOag3UKweyxoDLAiQ25zUUhjwX1a70s5qHt1K6KS-vjfRN/s1600/specs+test.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-cwsXwCxfseHw_ArTNcfyvWmft9oKhPKQvO5th5gRrDtsVkFNKZRB7jaHWZbsddNBQDkAhb_qmW3Vi-Q501PVrahalsuTzOag3UKweyxoDLAiQ25zUUhjwX1a70s5qHt1K6KS-vjfRN/s1600/specs+test.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"><br> Keating, Ray. <i>Reagan Country (A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel). </i>Manorville, NY: Keating Reports, 2018. 309 Pages. Paper. Kindle available. <a href="http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com/">http://www.pastorstephengrant.blogspot.com</a>/ (N) </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/05/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-71441600753409831162018-04-05T15:21:00.003-06:002018-04-05T15:21:48.571-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM9Sfhm-dfFbUJNvCAo0dA3ZdDcx7ZbgHcUlkvJYovlAipiiyble7p4IylX0x-YrJgjuLUAJUVJugclZaSvEqQ5IBoEqOROgvfx447b15CFKohV62vfjXbHt4x_wRMijgGCenS67y2R0w/s1600/LHP+Pulpit+logo.jpg"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="281" style="width:3.3333in;height:2.925in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM9Sfhm-dfFbUJNvCAo0dA3ZdDcx7ZbgHcUlkvJYovlAipiiyble7p4IylX0x-YrJgjuLUAJUVJugclZaSvEqQ5IBoEqOROgvfx447b15CFKohV62vfjXbHt4x_wRMijgGCenS67y2R0w/s320/LHP+Pulpit+logo.jpg"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Pace, R. Scott. Heath A. Thomas, Editor. <i>Preaching By the Book: Developing and Delivering Text-Driven Sermons (Hobbs College Library). </i>Nashville: B&H Academic/Oklahoma Baptist University, 2018. 123 Pages. Cloth. $19.99. <a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/preaching-by-the-book">http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/preaching-by-the-book</a><br> <br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/04/received-for-review_4.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-8788081256764624122018-04-05T15:21:00.001-06:002018-04-05T15:21:36.589-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjNMF6dGec10nPFKyMAb6JpcasES_Oqeih-1ImeNEw5F-mOcMpLe1QYDlQQan_OMnPDMk9WE-oexAWrbyykZkbyc_3pjSE4XdakmHvJ-n0Z11u7j9cgepEOz_THtTh55RUwBstf1aVupV/s1600/133px-Simple_Labarum2.svg.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjNMF6dGec10nPFKyMAb6JpcasES_Oqeih-1ImeNEw5F-mOcMpLe1QYDlQQan_OMnPDMk9WE-oexAWrbyykZkbyc_3pjSE4XdakmHvJ-n0Z11u7j9cgepEOz_THtTh55RUwBstf1aVupV/s1600/133px-Simple_Labarum2.svg.png"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> Gibson, Jonathan and Mark Earngey, Editors. Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson. <i>Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present.</i> Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2018. 688 Pages. Cloth. $69.99. ($34.99 on sale.) <a href="https://newgrowthpress.com/reformation-worship-liturgies-from-the-past-for-the-present/"> https://newgrowthpress.com/reformation-worship-liturgies-from-the-past-for-the-present/</a><br> <br> Bolland, Richard. <i>The Church Is One: Recapturing the Lost Unity Christ Intended for His Church on Earth. </i>CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 17, 2018) 132 Pages. Paper. $6.08. <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Church-One-Recapturing-Christ-Intended/dp/1546625860"> https://smile.amazon.com/Church-One-Recapturing-Christ-Intended/dp/1546625860</a><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/04/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551082965738174742.post-74186983388599672102018-03-17T10:31:00.001-06:002018-03-17T10:31:36.350-06:00Received for Review<div class="WordSection1"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s1600/LBR.png"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="320" height="94" style="width:3.3333in;height:.975in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1n3xduRNpjZI6f-xpTOeDKm4fY5ncaTjdUDk72ZtXyHSNPExvL7P6nCeSNp1bujCt2imr1iNZeGGpFyP41Me-WXXvNvou45HEbMvpd0YGb9-oN6wMRw_l_i05YspXypNNGKwaVpTK9UJ/s320/LBR.png"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Kennedy, Jared. Illustrated by Trish Mahoney. <i>The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible. </i>Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2017. 314 Pages. Cloth. $29.99. <a href="https://newgrowthpress.com/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible/"> https://newgrowthpress.com/the-beginners-gospel-story-bible/</a><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><br> <a href="http://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2018/03/received-for-review.html">View article...</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> revpaulcainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16771205236443124884noreply@blogger.com