Liturgy and Pulpit Review: New Study Bibles

 

ESV Daily Reading Bible (Through the Bible in 365 Days based on the popular M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan). Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 1405 Pages. Cloth with jacket and ribbon. $29.99. http://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-daily-reading-bible-hccase/ (LHP) Little Rock Scripture Study. Little Rock Catholic Study Bible. Little Rock, AR/Collegeville, MN: Little Rock Scripture Study, a ministry of the Diocese of Little Rock, in partnership with Liturgical Press, 2011. 2632 Pages (plus maps). Cloth with dust cover. $49.95.  www.litpress.org  www.littlerockscripture.org (LP) ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 1984 Pages. Cloth with dustcover. (Other bindings available.) $29.99. www.crossway.org  www.globalstudybible.org   www.esvbible.org  (P) At long last, this is our very first "Liturgy and Pulpit" Review!  We've had Liturgy reviews, Hymnody reviews, Pulpit reviews, Liturgy and Hymnody reviews, and plenty of LHP reviews, and maybe even one Hymnody and Pulpit review, but this is our first L and P!   After doing this for 6+ years, it is nice so have something fresh. Three Bibles intended for more intense study are before us.   The ESV Daily Reading Bible portions the Bible text into 365 daily readings. It follows the M'Cheyne reading plan, which was originally developed by the 19th century Scottish minister Robert Murray M'Cheyne and is still widely used today. Each day in the Daily Reading Bible displays chapters from various books of the Bible, allowing readers to easily work through the assigned passages. Over the course of a year, users will read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and the Psalms twice. Convenient and easy-to-follow, the Daily Reading Bible helps readers encounter the entirety of God's Word on a daily basis. (publisher's website) The ESV is the main English text I use. In the course of my work week, I regularly consult the original Greek and Hebrew (less so the Aramaic portions), and Latin. Often, I need to consult the German and other English translations. I've been wanting a "one year" style ESV Bible to supplement my regular chapel, Sunday, and devotional life. I now have that with the ESV Daily Reading Bible. According to the Publisher's Preface (vii), "Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843) was a Scottish pastor who, despite his short life, had a profound impact on the spiritual state of Scotland through his preaching and personal holiness. He is probably best known, however, for his Bible reading calendar that has become widely used throughout the world." Can you read five pages a day? Reading the Bible in a year is an achievable goal. The ESV Daily Reading Bible can help make 2013 your year to make that happen (or happen again).  We now turn to a Study Bible by and for Roman Catholic Christians.   Open the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible and feel at home with the Word of God. Through accessibly written information and engaging visuals that highlight and clarify significant areas of Scripture, readers will easily gain an understanding of these ancient texts that can be carried into today's world. Using the authorized translation in the New American Bible Revised Edition, this lasting volume is ideal for both personal use and group Bible study. The valuable information in the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible is offered in small notes and inserts that accompany the Bible texts as well as in expanded essays, articles, and graphics. Key symbols help readers quickly identify the type of information they need, such as explanations, definitions, dates, character and author profiles, archaeological insights, personal prayer starters, and insights connecting Scripture and its use in today's church. Colorful maps, timelines, photographs, and charts further enhance the study experience. Longer articles are dedicated to explaining study Bible fundamentals, the Catholic Church's use of the Bible, and the people and places of the biblical world. General Editor: Catherine Upchurch serves as the director of Little Rock Scripture Study. Her work in adult faith formation involves writing, editing, lecturing, leading retreats and days of reflection. She is the editor of A Year of Sundays and an associate editor of The Bible Today, a journal of biblical spirituality. Old Testament Editor: Irene Nowell, OSB, is a Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas. She is an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Theology, has published two books and numerous articles, and is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association. She is also a member of the Committee on Illuminations and Texts for The Saint John's Bible. New Testament Editor: Ronald D. Witherup, SS, is Superior General of the Sulpicians and lives in Paris, France. He holds a doctorate in biblical studies and is the author of numerous books and articles on Scripture. His current interest is in the letters of Saint Paul and the Acts of the Apostles. (http://www.litpress.org/Detail.aspx?ISBN=9780814636480) My paternal grandmother was raised Roman Catholic, as was my grandfather. (My maternal grandparents were, too, but that's a story for another day.) My grandpa Cain passed away before my parents met. He and Grandma Cain were charter members of St. John's Lutheran Church (LCMS) in my home town. I'm the first from that congregation to enter the ministry. Grandma's bookshelf was part of what influenced me in that direction. I inherited many of her books and Bibles, including what passed for Roman Catholic study Bibles back in the day, but none were quite like this. The overal size, format, symbols, coloring, font size and arrangment are pleasing. This volume will encourage many to dig deeper in the inspired Scriptures I must admit disappointment with this Study Bible in two regards. Unfortunately, the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible editors embrace and promote JEDP (inside front cover, passim). Yes, I am calling the orthodoxy of the faith confessed in this volume into question. Did Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy actually happen? JEDP says, "No." Did Moses actually compose/edit them as is self-evident from the narrative of the Penteteuch? JEDP says, "No." That is not acceptable! Roman Catholics are more "progressive" in some circles (e.g., "social justice") than in others. Why bother with Bible study if we're not studying something that is true, or something that is only doubtfully God's Word from the JEDP perspective? My main reason for requesting a review copy of the LRCSB was their own promotional material that implied that the liturgy would be explained within the study Bible. It is (26-32, 2599-2608, e.g., 273, 1151, 2116),  but not nearly to the extent is could be or should be in a study Bible for liturgical Christians.  For those two reasons, I cannot recommend LRCSB beyond use as a tertiary reference book. Here's what I have in mind: A study Bible that goes beyond merely telling you what the Sunday/Festival readings are, one that is a reverse reference chart of sorts, where readers read a passage and find a note telling him/her what Sunday/Festival that portion of Holy Scripture  is read. Readers will note brief articles from a Roman perspective noting the difference in Psalm numbering (1010), Peter's Confession and "Primacy" (2020, 2053) but nothing about his Mother-in-Law (2125) other than the text of Luke 4, and Justification (Romans 4, 2302), Martin Luther, and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, rejected by my church body, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. We close with another English Standard Version study Bible by Crossway. Global Study Bible Product Overview from Crossway on Vimeo.   The ESV Global Study Bible is a one-volume study resource for globally minded Christians everywhere. It has been designed from beginning to end to be highly accessible and value priced for distribution on a global scale. The Global Study Bible features a fresh design, with a wide range of new features. Each book begins with an introduction, followed by a unique, insightful description of the global message of the book. Likewise, a set of new articles by global Christian leaders apply the Bible to global issues, such as the role of government, the nature of the church, world religions, social ethics, and missions and evangelism. The Global Study Bible's notes and maps were adapted from the best-selling ESV Study Bible and contain a wealth of information about the biblical text, history, and geography. With overviews of each Bible book, special facts, and character profiles, the Global Study Bible is a remarkable resource for Christians everywhere who seek to know and understand the truth of the Bible and its global meaning. The Online Global Study Bible (digital retail price $14.99) is available free with your purchase of a print edition. When you register online for your free access, you will also make a second copy available free to another global Christian, wherever the demand is greatest, anywhere in the world. (http://www.globalstudybible.org/bible_description.html) In my opinion, Global Study Bible is most similar to Crossway's ESV Student Study Bible, also adapted from the ESV Study Bible, though slightly thicker, shorter, and less wide in presentation. QBR reviewed the Student version (http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/07/pulpit-review-bibles.html) and the original (http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2011/12/pulpit-review-study-bibles.htm).  Some content was selected from the ESV Study Bible and was re-edited for this specific edition (1980-1983). The Foreword states, "Building on the 768,000 words of the ESV Bible Text, the Global Study Bible provides notes, articles, and other study material comprising an additional 759,000 words of explanation and teaching" (7). Crossway embarked on an ambitious project with their Global Study Bible, one that is also generous, providing a free digital copy for another English speaker/reader worldwide with each purchase. My copy was printed in China. Authors contributing articles on the Global Church are noted on pages 9-10 and 1979-1980. Articles address Christianity and world religions, basic Bible content, and the global historical nature of our faith in Christ. Much of the new volume-specific content is found in the back, pages 1859-1908.  Articles for the Global Church are: God's Global Plan of Salvation The Importance of the Global Church How to Read and Understand the Bible How to Apply the Bible in Daily Life The Reliability and Authority of the Bible The Great Truths of the Bible Mission and Evangelism Major World Religions Biblical Ethics: An Introduction The Value and Dignity of Human Life Marriage and Sexual Morality The Purpose and Role of Government Social Ethics Personal Ethics With so many English Bible translations and study Bibles around, my favorite study Bibles have Lutheran notes or just present the Bible text in a fad-free, honest literal translation. My comments on study Bibles and Bible translations will hopefully save you time, money, and frustration and may well introduce you to a helpful reference for your and your family. The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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LHP Review: Vocation

 

Kraft, Dave. Mistakes Leaders Make. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 121 Pages. Paper. $14.99. http://www.crossway.org/books/mistakes-leaders-make-tpb/ (LHP) Baucham, Voddie, Jr. Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 192 Pages. Paper. $15.99. www.crossway.org (LHP) Veith, Gene Edward and Mary J. Moerbe. Family Vocation: God's Calling in Marriage, Parenting and Childhood. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 253 Pages. Paper. $15.99.  www.crossway.org (LHP)   Getty, Keith and Kristyn Getty. Hymns for the Christian Life. Nashville: GettyMusic, 2012. Audio CD. $13.99. (mp3 download available for $9.99) http://www.gettymusic.com/ (LH) Getty, Keith and Kristyn Getty. Hymns for the Christian Life (Songbook). Nashville: GettyMusic, 2012. 36 Pages. Paper. $11.99. (downloadable version available for $9.99) http://www.gettymusic.com/ (LH) What are your God-given roles in this life?  I am a baptized child of God, a son, a brother, a husband, pastor, headmaster, book reviewer, writer, musician, and a taxpayer, just to name a few. The resources highlighted below focus on various vocations of the Christian life.   You Don't Have to Learn This the Hard Way… Anyone involved in leadership knows that it's tough and mistakes are bound to happen. But some mistakes are more costly than others and can result in the end of effectiveness, the loss of important relationships, and disqualification from ministry. Using the story of a fictitious church team to demonstrate the problems, principles, and practice of finding solutions, leadership expert Dave Kraft uncovers the top 10 critical mistakes leaders make and shows you how to avoid them so you can have ministry and relationships that last. Dave Kraft served with the Navigators for thirty-eight years before becoming a pastor at Mars Hill Church in 2005. Currently Kraft is one of the pastors at Mars Hill Orange County where he coaches the next generation of leaders. He is also a life and leadership coach with Ministry Coaching International (MCI). Kraft's first book, Leaders Who Last, was published in 2010. He and his Wife Susan have been married for 43 years and have four adult children and seven grandchildren. (publisher's website) A follo-up to the author's Leaders Who Last, Dave Kraft examines the other side of the coin this time, how leaders can mess up and how not to. Kraft's ten chapters focus on ten things that could and often do replace Jesus, faith, and proper priorities of Christian leaders under Scripture. The author deals with the inherent sin and idolatry behind each of the false substitutes. This book was worth my time and was a quick read. Crossway also sent us the next two books for your consideration.   It's hard to overestimate the importance of the family, and that of fathers in particular. We've heard it said, "As the family goes, so goes the nation." But it can also be said that "as the father goes, so goes the family." Consequently, Voddie Baucham has set out to teach men how to faithfully shepherd their families. Derived from Baucham's monthly meetings with men in his church, Family Shepherds calls men to accountability for their God-given responsibilities in their homes. Baucham's clear style and practical approach will spur men to protect their marriage, raise kingdom-minded children, value the synergy between church and home, and navigate difficult family dynamics. Family Shepherds is a book for any husband or father looking to lead well, and it will serve as an excellent resource for churches looking to equip the men in their congregations. (publisher's website) I was more uneasy with this book than the one by Kraft and the next one by Veith. I appreciated the focus on men exercising servant leadership in the home, at church, and at work, but I had some basic points of tention other Lutherans readers will likely have.  Bring up discipleship, and Lutherans will quote from Matthew 28. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV) A better, Biblical answer to "How do you make a Christian disciple?" (27) would be "by means of baptizing and by means of teaching." The author's point about "Decisionism" may have been better made by quoting Joshua 24 in context: "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15 ESV) Or, by making reference to Jesus in John 15: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16 ESV) I commend the author and publisher for giving such intentional and positive focus on Christian men. Voddie Baucham Jr. is the preaching pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas. Author of Family Driven Faith and The Ever-Loving Truth, Baucham is also a sought-after preacher and conference speaker. He and his wife, Bridget, live in Texas with their seven children. (publisher's website) I give my highest recommendation to  Family Vocation: God's Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood. Gene Edward Veith Jr. (PhD, University of Oklahoma) is provost and professor of literature at Patrick Henry College and the director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary. He is also a columnist for World magazine and TableTalk, and the author of several noted books on Christianity and culture, including God at Work. Mary J Moerbe (MA, Concordia Theological Seminary) is a professional deaconess in The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, serving as diaconal writer for the Cranach Institute (publisher's website and book back cover).   What does it mean to be called as a husband, a wife, a parent, a child? How does the grace of the gospel impact how we carry out these particular callings? How does God's presence address the struggles that our own family faces? Gene Veith joins forces with his daughter Mary Moerbe to explore these kinds of questions in light of Christian vocation and its applications for family life. They show how the Christian faith is lived out precisely in our ordinary relationships, and how a biblical understanding can equip us to move away from common confusions and dysfunctions to persevere in love. Written with sensitivity and wisdom, Family Vocation addresses the perennial problems and joys of family life and provides a compelling paradigm for creating loving families in the face of cultural pressure. (publisher's website) Tactfully challenging feminism and patriarchy (82), the unfortunate myth of "the one" (41), and encouraging and equipping heads of household to pass on the faith (122, 152) and not passing on their God-given responsibilities (128), Veith and daughter Moerbe clearly teach the Christian Bible doctrine of vocation (11ff, 19-20, 39, passim) for a new day and a larger Christian audience.  Family Vocation grew out of a 2006 conference and will serve as a timely and timeless resource for Christians of every tradition and background, married or single, childless or "abundantly blessed".  I will use it in premarital counseling sessions (e.g., 15ff), pastoral care, and a gift to anyone concerned about restoring the family. This is a book that is well worth the money to buy, the time to read, the shelf space to store, and the effort to teach. Read it and reread it and buy a copy for someone you care about. QBR has happily reviewed previous albums and songbooks by Keith and Kristyn Getty (and their friend and collaborator, Stuart Townend). Their latest collection is a soundtrack of Christian vocation. Gettymusic provided us a copy of their new CD and expanded songbook for review. They write: As we continue to write modern hymns for the church, this collection comes from the challenge to consider not just what we sing on those occasions when we're all together but how the shared lyrics of our faith speak into all the moments in between. Musically, "Hymns for the Christian Life" reflects both the Celtic and American folk traditions, old and new world brought together, just as we lean on the rich legacy of Church music we already have with songs written for the life of the Church today.       -Produced by Charlie Peacock and Ed Cash -Featuring acclaimed artists Ricky Skaggs (Simple Living), Moya Brennan (A Mother's Prayer) and Alison Krauss (on a special duet recording of 'In Christ Alone')  (Getty website) The album has the following twelve tracks: Christ He is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed    Oh, How Good It Is   A Mothers Prayer    Simple Living (A Rich Young Man)     Before You I Kneel (A Workers Prayer)     The Village Reel    The Perfect Wisdom of Our God   Kyrie Eleison   My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness   In Christ Alone   Nothing But the Blood   Holy Spirit (with Gabriels Oboe) A deluxe audio edition (and this songbook) also has three additional hymns/songs: Shout for Joy (The New Hundredth) Gethsemane Echoes of Heaven (Wedding Song) The first track, "Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed," is based on the traditional Christian Easter greeting and response, "Alleluia! Christ is risen!" "He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!" We are considering asking our adult choir to sing it this Easter.  The second track is a modern hymn treatment of Psalm 133 that comforting, encouraging, edifying, and singable.  Mothers will appreciate track 3, including the Irish Lullaby sung in the original (with English translation in the songbook).  Track four's lively tune will give you pause to reconsider the accounts of the rich young ruler and the widow and her mite. LWML groups may find it of interest.  Track five sings vocation from its first phrase to its last, incorporating melodic lines of J. S. Bach's treatment of WACHET AUF.  The sixth track is instrumental fun! I have loved track seven, "The Perfect Wisdom of Our God," since I first heard it sung by co-author Stuart Townend. An unique melody and rhythm in 3/4 give heft to an already pensive, humble, trusting text.  Track 8, a modern Kyrie, is growing on me, yet I still wrestle with the wording of the four stanzas.  I personally sang "My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness," track 9, as a solo at two Thanksgiving services (after our scheduled soloist lost her voice). The joyous, uplifing melody line only adds to the hope and faithful confidence of the hymn text. "In Christ Alone," track 10, is the first Getty-Townend hymn I learned and taught to others. Alison Krauss lends her voice to a duet with Kristyn.  As readers of QBR know, we've been following the "retuned" hymns phenomenon over the last couple of years. No hymn seems to be as popular with modern revivers of old hymn texts (and less commonly, tunes) than "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus," track 11. For Lutheran Christians, context is important. I like thinking of "Nothing But the Blood" as a Eucharistic hymn! The final CD track, "Holy Spirit," deserves a note of its own. The first phrases say, "Holy Spirit, living Breath of God, breath new life into my willing soul;" The part "willing soul" leaves too much room for confusion with regard to conversion and the false teaching of "decision theology," so I propose "sinful soul" as an alternative, more in line with Psalm 51 anyway. I am encouraged by the solid and fresh texts and tunes that have been written for the church by Keith and Kristyn and their friends. Personally, I'd love to hear what they could bring to treatments of Mark 10:47, Luke 2:14, Revelation 5, John 6:68, Psalm 51 (especially verses 10-12), Psalm 116, Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9, John 1:29, and Luke 2:29-32. There are certainly a lot of parables that have not yet been memorably rendered in Christian hymnody. The Gettys were recently evening inspirational entertainment for the 2012 Lutheran Church (LCMS) Extension Fund conference.   I commend all of the above resources, designed to help equip those whom God has called, to be faithful in their callings.     The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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LHP Review: Illuminating Bible Art

 

Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels, and Acts. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2007. 126 Pages. Paper. $14.95. www.litpress.org (LHP) Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Wisdom Books and Prophets. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2008. 112 Pages. Paper. $14.95. www.litpress.org (LHP) Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Historical Books, Letters and Revelation. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2021. 138 Pages. Paper. $14.95. www.litpress.org (LHP) (All three volumes are available as a set.) I am blessed two own the complete set of The Saint John's Bible. We at LHP QBR have devoted time to each of the volumes as they have been released to the public. The idea of a modern hand-written illuminated Bible still staggers my mind. Consider the detail put into this tiny portion of a page: And then there is all of the major and incidental art! Highlighting and explaining the art of The Saint John's Bible is the purpose of her trilogy of reader's guides. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide brings text and illumination together for reflection. This guide opens up the significance of elements in the illuminations, points out recurring visual motifs that connect the stories within and across the volumes, and offers insight into the thought processes and artistic vision behind the planning and execution of the images. (Publisher's website) The red volume highlights the Penteteuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. Green focuses on Wisdom Books and Prophets. Blue guides you through Historical Books and Letters and Revelation. As an illuminated Bible produced for a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastic community and College, readers will not be surprised to hear of the theological preferences, practices, and emphases of that community, including references to Islam alongside Judaism and Christianity (red, 23, 51), liturgy as "work of the people", (red, 37), "legend" as a Bible genre (gree, 7), feminine references to God (green, 10, 48), and emphasis on "experience" (green, 44), and the "harrowing of hell" (green, 100). As a Lutheran, I appreciated the inclusion of the Apocrypha (translated and included by Martin Luther in His German Bible and considered worthy to read, but separated from the inspired Scriptures), but not the NRSV Bible translation. For me, that will remain the long-term "flaw" of  TSJB. Not all of our review journal's readers can afford a $400 coffee table Bible set.  As individual volumes or a $29.95 set, I believe nearly all of our readers could afford and would benefit from these detailed explanations of the Biblical import and artistic intention behind every piece of art in all seven volumes, not to mention the exceptionally creative ways that "missing lines" of Bible text were included on their proper pages. For even more information, visit http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/. The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Noted Review: Bond's Covenanter Historical Fiction Trilogies

 

Bond, Douglas. Crown and Covenant Series (Duncan's War, King's Arrow, Rebel's Keep). Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 2002, 2003, 2004. Pages. 278, 316, 276 Paper. $29.99. www.prpbooks.com (N) Bond, Douglas. Faith and Freedom Trilogy (Guns of Thunder, Guns of the Lion, Guns of Providence). Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 2007, 2008, 2010. 262, 260, 244 Pages. Paper. $32.99. (also available separately) www.prpbooks.com (N)   We've reviewed most of Douglas Bond's books over the course of LHP Quarterly Book Review. Bond is a Calvinist. In these two trilogies, he shows covenanter history from Scotland to the infant United States of America. Duncan and Angus, brothers in a Covenanter family in seventeenth-century Scotland, come of age in the midst of physical and spiritual battles. 3 vols. Young Duncan M'Kethe finds himself caught in the web of Sir James Turner, the former Covenanter turned military leader of the persecutors. Duncan is torn by his hatred of Turner's Dragoons, who have treated his friends cruelly, and his father's instructions to love them. He must be true to Jesus Christ while attempting to rescue his father from enemy hands. Angus, Duncan's younger brother, comes of age, physically and spiritually, as Scottish Covenanters face Highlanders at Drumclog. Covenanters wrestle with Christ's command to love their enemies. Rebel's Keep concludes the Crown & Covenant series with a new, high-intensity adventure. Set in 17th century Scotland, in the midst of the brutal persecutions of King Charles II of England, Rebel's Keep follows the history after Duncan's War and King's Arrow, the first two books in the series, and picks up the historical thread just before the devastating defeat of the Covenanters at Bothwell Brig, 1679. Thereafter the story follows the fortunes of the fictional M'Kethe family, from the point of view of the two younger boys, Angus and Malcolm. (publisher's website) This is fun reading for boys of all ages, including Classical Lutheran school Headmasters. Adult readers will wrestle with the Church/State implications of the series and will gain new insights into the history of Presbyterianism. Lutheran readers will feel at home at times with these brothers and sisters in Christ, yet at other times uneasy when liturgy and the institutional church are criticized. Personally, I appreciated both the skill at arms of the main characters and how it was integrated into their faith, fed by the Scriptures in their own language and the sung metrical Psalter. Generations later, the story resumes in America in the second trilogy. The M'Kethe clan finds itself in pre-Revolutionary War Connecticut weathering a storm of religious and political upheaval. Ian M'Kethe is forced to make a choice against enormous odds in the face of rising conflict between the Colonists and the French with their Indian allies. Ian makes an unlikely friendship with Watookoog, an Indian, and risks everything but gains something he thought he had lost forever.    A knife-edge adventure in the Highlands, in Guns of the Lion Gavin Crookshank finds himself an unwilling conscript of King George II military service. It is the story of a maturing faith emerging out of conflicted loyalties in battles, within and without, wherein the protagonist is forced to kill or be killed in bloody conflict during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 in Scotland. Uncertain who is friend and who is foe, Gavin must learn courage and duty, and how to pitch his hopes on the God alone who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth.   The final installment of the Faith & Freedom trilogy—35 fast-paced chapters on characters embroiled in the developing war of independence with the British. "She'll blow any minute! All hands, abandon ship!" The American Revolution ignites a fire that rallies patriots to fight! Sandy M'Kethe, along with freeman Salem Poor, find themselves enlisted together in George Washington's army. An expert marksman with the longbow, Sandy's skill attracts the attention of the intrepid sea captain John Paul Jones. Sandy and Salem are bound for high-seas adventures. Together, can they navigate the guns of Providence? (publisher's website) During the Revolutionary War, also sometimes called the Presbyterian Parsons' War in England, most Lutherans remained neutral, notable among them being Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. The 1783 Treaty of Paris seemed to assuage their theological and practical concerns about the rebellion and birth of a new nation. This second trilogy is fascinating not only because of the same family's involvement as in the first trilogy, but because of the crossovers the characters have with real-life historical figures and events and the "slice of life" moments involving weapons, tactics, the theological implications of "spying", and new technology like eyeglasses. The Psalter has also been supplemented with godly and faithful New Testament hymns of faith in Christ. Guns of the Lion takes the action back to the Old World, yet Bond ties together all three volumes of this trilogy with purpose. This is a series a teacher could read to her classroom, especially if she has mostly boys like our two-room school does. Or, a (grand)father and son(s) could bond while reading Douglas Bond together. I pray that the example of Douglas Bond may be imitated by Lutherans with similar vocations to bring the adventure stories of Lutheranism to print! The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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LHP Review: Bonhoeffer

 

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Ecumenical, Academic, and Pastoral Work: 1931-1932 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Volume 11). Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012. 612 Pages. Cloth. $60.00. http://store.fortresspress.com/store/product/16969/Ecumenical-Academic-and-Pastoral-Work-1931-1932-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Works-Volume-11 (LHP) Dietrich Bonhoeffer remains a favorite of many Christians, theologians, and pastors around the world, hence Dietric Bonhoeffer Works in the original German and now in English translation.   Personally, I appreciate his work and writing in context. Discipleship is of great value to me. Pastorally, it is of great value to me. I disagree with him vehemently with regard of his rejection of musical harmony (Life Together).  Our most recent review of other volumes in this series (http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/02/lhp-review-bonhoeffer.html) is an attempt an an explanation of how Bonhoeffer's progressive Christian fans have misunderstood what he wrote about "religionless Christianity" for their own purposes and agendas. That review focused on his late work. Volume 11 delves into much earlier work, after he returns from New York. Volume 11 in the sixteen-volume Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works English Edition, Ecumenical, Academic, and Pastoral Work: 1931-1932, provides a comprehensive translation of Bonhoeffer's important writings from 1931 to 1932, with extensive commentary about their historical context and theological significance. This volume covers the significant period of Bonhoeffer's entry into the international ecumenical world and the final months before the beginning of the National Socialist dictatorship. It begins with Bonhoeffer's return to Berlin in June 1931 after his year of study in the United States. In the crucial period that followed, Bonhoeffer continued his preparations for the ministry, began teaching at Berlin University, and became active at international ecumenical meetings. His letters and lectures, however, also document the economic and political turbulence on the European and world stage, and Bonhoeffer directly addresses the growing threat of the Nazi movement and what it portends not only for Germany, but for the world. Several of the documents in this volume, particularly the student notes of his university lecture on "The Nature of the Church" and his lectures on Christian ethics, give important insights into his theology at this point. His ecumenical lectures and reports are significant documents for understanding the ecumenical debates of this period.  (publisher's website) Is there value in this volume for the typical Lutheran parish pastor? Yes, though it is of a more limited value. In 2/3, "The History of Twentieth Century Systematic Theology," the reader gets to see Bonhoeffer's notes as he traced the further development of progressive theology, a theology so "progressive" it thought (and still thinks) it has moved beyond the Bible and Christ. Harnack (203) criticizes Luther for writing too much about Christ! Readers will be reminded that the church body Bonhoeffer served in was a union church (227) that unfortunately served as a model for much of LWF post-WWII-Lutheranism. I was more than uncomfortable with the idea of drafting a new catechism (258), dangerous because of its compromises with the fads and culture of its own time and place, rather than the timeless teaching of Christ. Reading each new volume of Dietrict Bonhoeffer Works is of theological exercise for the reader. Lutherans of my church body will be challenged to exercise their muscles in historical theology, exegetical theology, systematic theology, pastoral practice and homiletics. I'm not sure that the average LCMS pastor will be willing to pay $60.00 for the workout. The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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Received for Review

 

Walther, C. F. W. Translated by Matthew Carver. Walther's Hymnal: Church Hymnbook for Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 440 Pages. Paper. $39.99. https://www.cph.org/p-21601-walthers-hymnal-church-hymnbook-for-evangelical-lutheran-congregations-of-the-unaltered-augsburg-confession.aspx?SearchTerm=walther%27s%20hymnal (LH) Gerhard, Johann. Translated by Richard J. Dinda. Edited with Annotations by Benjamin T. G. Mayes. On the Church (Theological Commonplaces: XXV). St. Louis: Concordia, 2010. 870 Pages. Cloth. $54.99. https://www.cph.org/p-12935-on-the-church-theological-commonplaces.aspx?SearchTerm=gerhard%20church (LHP) Luther, Martin. Translated by Matthew C. Harrison. A Simple Way to Pray (for Peter, the Master Barber). St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 32 Pages. Paper. $1.99. (Bulk discounts available) https://www.cph.org/p-21948-a-simple-way-to-pray.aspx?SearchTerm=simple (LHP) Fisk, Jonathan. Broken: 7 "Christian" Rules That Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible. St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 278 Pages. Paper. $16.99, now on sale for $12.99. https://www.cph.org/p-19471-broken-7-christian-rules-that-every-christian-ought-to-break-as-often-as-possible.aspx?SearchTerm=broken (LHP)

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FW: The False Antithesis: "Not Lutheran but Christian"

 

Consider…   Feed: Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison Posted on: Sunday, December 09, 2012 1:03 PM Author: Rev. Matt Harrison Subject: The False Antithesis: "Not Lutheran but Christian"   Found this over at Walt's World of Religion and Politics. Reminded me of Hamann's razor sharp mind, and that on a topic where postmodern LCMS folks are too often sloppy.  Pastor H.    The Late Great Henry Hamann The False Antithesis: "Not Lutheran but Christian" I veritably believe that no single factor has wrought so much damage in Christian theology, in the field of moral behavior, and in practical church life, as the false antithesis. The use of the antithesis in argument, in the exposition of an idea, in teaching and in sermons, can be very valuable. As striking antithesis cannot easily be forgotten. In recalling it one remembers also the whole argument or context in which it was spoken or in which it appeared. The value of any antithesis, however, is completely dependent upon the question whether it is really an antithesis. Too many popular antitheses are antithetical only in form. Too many antithetical statements that one hears and sees in print are too much like the sentence: That plate is not round, but white. Nothing but confusion, wrong thinking, and damage of various kinds can arise when the antithesis is forced or strained or false, when, in short, there is no antithesis, and when it is no longer a case of: Not this, but that, but of: Both this and that. Of such a kind is the antithesis that concerns us in this short essay. I have heard frequently from fellow pastors, especially from those engaged in home or inner missions, that their job, as they see it is not to make Lutherans of the unchurched or "outsiders" whom they contact, but to make Christians of them. Now, I believe that this sentence is almost wholly wrong, so wrong, in fact, that it amazes me that it could have gained the popularity it has actually achieved. The situation is an excellent example of the power of the antithetical statement, its power for evil as well as for good. The most obvious criticism of the statement before us is that there is no antithesis between the two phrases. A person can surely be a Christian and a Lutheran at the same time. (I suppose all Christian communions would grant this, but the sentence is actually made from the standpoint of the Lutheran faith itself.) This is almost too obvious, and it is perhaps a trifle pedantic to push the sentence to its strictly logical limit. Those who employ it mean rather: We are concerned first and foremost in making Christians of people, not in making Lutherans of them; not Lutherans first of all, but Christians. But is it really possible for a pastor, or any other church worker for that matter, to set up as his goal that he is going to make Christians of people? However laudable in intent, this goal or aim in fact goes beyond the power and ability of man. One might possibly defend it with the Lord's injunction matheteusate panta ta ethne, "make disciples of all nations." We will not quarrel with this text, but it its well to be aware that the goal there set is one which we can never be sure of having reached. In that section of the De Servo Arbitrio where the famous sentence occurs: abscondita est Ecclesia, latent sancti, Luther says that he will grant that the saints mentioned by Erasmus are such, but only by the law or standard of love, not by that of faith. "I do not deny that they are saints," he says, "but it cannot be proved that they are, if any one were to deny it." This uncertainty as to the result of our preaching of the Gospel and of our ministerial labors underlines for us again that our whole life and works as Christians, and as Christian ministers particularly, is a life of faith, only faith, nothing but faith. The words of John the Baptist mark out for all ministers of the Word the humility which should characterize their attitude as well as the limits of their competency: "I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Ministers of the Word can administer the means of grace, and they must learn to do this well and not poorly, but they cannot bring about the salvation of the sinner; that the Lord has kept for Himself. But the sentence with which we are concerned does suggest that to make Christians is as much within the capabilities of men as the making of Lutherans, and that we can know then we have done the one as we can when we can have done the other. But this is simply not true. Lutheranism we can teach and test by appropriate questions and examination procedures, but whether a person is truly a Christian or not, really one with the Lord by faith, this we can never know or test in this life. The sentence implies further: we know that we must do to make Lutherans, and we know what we must do to make Christians, and the second is our real task, not the former. So there is an importance about the one aim not matched by anything so important in the other. There is a plus about making Christians as compared with making Lutherans. This thought leads us to the very heart of both Christianity and Lutheranism and the relation between them. A number of questions must be put the pastor who would defend the statement being examined here. What is there in Lutheranism that is not Christian, falls short of being Christian or goes beyond it? Something there must be, and the defender must know what it is, else he could not make the statement at all. And the question that follows is a very serious one: What is the pastor doing to eliminate the non-Christian element in Lutheranism? Or more seriously still: Why is he content to remain passively in what is partly at least a non-Christian situation without doing anything to right matters? If the pastor is capable in his ministry of eliminating the non-Christian, but Lutheran, elements, then, if he is at all earnest and sincere in his devotion to the Christian faith, he should be actively engaged in eliminating this element in the whole church to which he belongs, not merely in his personal ministry. He should not willingly, without protest, continue in a fellowship which is as such devoted to some Lutheran, but non-Christian activities. The more seriously any Lutheran pastor means the antithesis under attack, the more serious an attack it is on the church to which he belongs, and the more seriously the question arises whether he should continue to be a Lutheran minister at all. A further modification of the antithesis seems to be indicated at this point of the argument, for hardly any of the pastors who use the phrase in point actually see in it a criticism of the Lutheran faith to which they are committed. Their point is rather something like this: only true faith joins to Christ and makes any person a Christian, not an accurate reciting or explanation of the Lutheran catechism. This is very true, but the concern cannot be met by the Lutheran-Christian antithetical sentence. And why not? Two further answers may be given besides those already contained implicitly in the observations made so far. First, it is doubtful whether any Lutheran pastor, brought up as a Lutheran from childhood, as most of us are, and trained in a Lutheran seminary, is likely to give any but a Lutheran witness, his presentation of the Gospel will fall almost inevitably into Lutheran grooves, follow the Lutheran pattern. Secondly, no convinced Lutheran would want to give anything but a Lutheran witness, for Lutheran witness is to him Christian witness. Lutheran witness, if it is really such, is Christian witness; Christian witness, if it is really such, will also be Lutheran witness. The whole point of the Lutheran Confessions is that they are the true response of faith to the Gospel and the Word of God. With this faith and confession we hope to stand in the judgment of the Last Day. There are of course various ways in which a Lutheran witness may be given and many ways in which it may be phrased, but we Lutherans know of no truly Christian witness which would not at the same time be truly a Lutheran witness. A final bright beam of light is thrown on the whole problem which we are investigating by the scriptural teaching of the church and the means of grace. Faith is produced only by the Gospel in Word and Sacraments, the "pure" Word and the "unadulterated" Sacraments. Where false and erroneous and inadequate witness to the Gospel is found alongside the Word and the Sacraments, there the falseness and error and inadequacy are not productive of faith, but a hindrance to it. It is only the truth that is present in any witness given that can be a vehicle of the Holy Spirit. God's grace can save in spite of the error present at any time, but is not powerful and operative in the error as such. No Lutheran doubts that God can beget children through the crusade being conducted these days in various parts of Australia by Billy Graham and his team. But these conversions will not come by means of the false aspects of the witness given -- the neglect of or even contempt of baptism, the emphasis on immediate human decision -- but only through the witness that is undoubtedly given to the grace of God in Christ Jesus and his redemption. If Lutheran witness is Christian witness, then by the promise of God the seed thus sown will not be lost, the word spoken will not return void, but will accomplish what God wills. The Lutheran pastor can have and should have the conviction that his Lutheran and Christian witness has the blessing of God, for it is God's Word and not his own that he is proclaiming. His witness will not lead astray, he will not by a false and inadequate witness put a hindrance or stumbling block in the way of sinners We may re-formulate the idea and the sentence with which we began. The Lutheran pastor should say: "I make Lutherans of the non-churched, the 'outsiders,' hoping that they will become Christian." Or: "I want the unbelievers to become Christians, and that is why I make Lutherans of them." And why not: "Christian, therefore, Lutheran"? ----- H.P. Hamann. May, 1968 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA   View article...

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FW: The most persecuted religion. . .

 

Consider…   Feed: Pastoral Meanderings Posted on: Sunday, December 09, 2012 5:00 AM Author: noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Peters) Subject: The most persecuted religion. . .   From the news: German Chancellor, Angela Merkel recently claimed that Christianity is "the most persecuted religion worldwide". Merkel's comments came at a meeting of the German Protestant Church late Monday in which she emphasized Germany's needed to protect Christian minorities as part of its foreign policy. Merkel, you will recall, is the daughter of a pastor. She also spoke out against strict separation of church and state and said Europe was built on Christian foundations. My comments: No one inside the Church would disagree with Merkel's statement.  Christianity has suddenly become the scape goat for nearly every wrong in society and the world.  All the mountains of good done for the cause of the poor, the care of the sick, the education of all, the aid in natural disaster, the arts and music, the status of women, the advocacy of the poor and oppressed, and the protection of life have gone unnoticed, disregarded, or intentionally ignored.  Instead, every fault or failing of religious people or their leaders has colored every fact, every truth, and every conversation in the public square -- and not only in the West. All this and Christians are the dominant religious group in the world.  All this and a whole heritage and legacy of culture and civilization owe much to Christianity.  All this at a time when terrorists threaten the world over with an extreme violence generally in the name of one religion and that not Christian.  How did we lose the public relations war so quickly and effectively?  We are not talking about controlling politics or culture here.  We are talking about the way the world, especially the media, view Christianity. Someone once said to me that Christianity is far more pervasive in America but its soul is far more deeply entrenched in European history and culture than in the USA.  On the surface, it seems, most Americans claim to be Christian.  In the reality of it all, we seem to have lost our full confidence in our God, in His book, and in His Church.  We are more tentative than ever before.  On the other hand, Christianity looks almost dead in Europe -- at least gauged by attendance at worship -- while it is more deeply embedded within the fabric of their history and identity than here.  I am still mulling this point over and am not sure that I agree but it is something to think about.  To put it in practical terms, Christianity in America is like the Platte River in Nebraska -- a mile wide but only a foot deep.  Christianity in Europe is like a river that runs very deep but is not very wide at all.  What do you think? Anyway, I applaud Merkel for saying out loud what many of us have been thinking for a long time.  It seems proven by the fact that we can mock and tolerate few groups without being attacked -- few groups except, of course, Christians.  We can openly mock, lie, and distort their people and positions all over the media without fear of repercussion.  When that becomes the case, a cause is in trouble.  The problem, however, is that we Christians have allowed this.  It is not so much that others have taken up the cause against us -- folks who in the past were our allies if not one of us entirely.  Rather, it is that we have allowed the media and the secular culture to make it seem that we are not who we say we are, that we are sinister and evil folks who promote and narrow and divisive truth designed to elevate the few at the expense of the many.  Anyone who knows the Gospels will know that this is not the faith of Jesus.  But perhaps we have allowed it to come the predominant image of Christian faith and teaching.  That is as much our own fault as it is the fault of our enemies and the enemies of the Gospel. Now, don't get me wrong -- I am not suggesting that this is merely a PR war or that we need to do all we can to get back in the good graces of the media.  I am saying that no election or political movement is needed or should be used to promote our cause.  We need to speak through our works as well as our words so that the Gospel of Christ and Him crucified is clearly spoken.  We do not need to accommodate culture or adjust to fit the positions prevailing in the public mood.  We need to be authentic and passionate in lips and lives that witness the truth of Him who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Nothing else can stem the tide.... View article...

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FW: “Churches Are Not Plants”

 

Pithy…   Feed: Steadfast Lutherans Posted on: Saturday, December 08, 2012 9:30 AM Author: Todd Wilken Subject: "Churches Are Not Plants"   Here is a great quote from Hermann Sasse apropos of my previous post on confessional subscription. For Luther the Lutheran Church is not the social form of one of the great forms of the Christian religion, which was stamped by the religious experience of a gifted reformer, just as Roman Catholicism for him is not a more and less justifiable form or manifestation of Christendom. Of course, one can also seek to understand the Christian faith in a religio-scientific manner. But in so doing one does not come upon the essence of this faith, the essence of the confession of faith and the essence of the Church in general. Churches are not plants. Therefore there is no morphology of confessions. Neither are churches families, between which one may fix similarities and dissimilarities. The confession, the confession of the faith is not the expression of religious sentiment. Dogmas are not, as Schleiermacher thought, "comprehensions of the pious Christian condition of the heart presented in language." The Lord Christ had no interest in the pious Christian heart of his apostles when he asked: "Who do you say that I am?" From Hermann Sasse, Letters to Lutheran Pastors XXII (1952),  translated by Matthew Harrison. View article...

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