Torrey Gazette is the combined work of everyday Christians blogging on books, family, art, and theology. So pull up a seat and join us. Family Table rules apply. Shouting is totally acceptable.
"Well, then, have the like faith with regard to Divine Scripture; believe that thy soul is profited by the mere reading, even though thy understanding does not receive the fruit of profiting by these passages. Our inner nature is charmed; its better elements are nourished, the worse weakened and brought to nought." - Origen, Philocalia 12.2
I am not a fan of study bibles, preferring full commentaries, but the FCSB is now on my short list of recommended resources. In a day and age where every theological tradition has a study Bibles, the FCSB brings back to life the original views of the early church and Jewish Rabbis in a resounding and edifying way.
While truth in the form of theology & philosophy is very helpful it is stories that ultimately grab us! In fact it is stories that grab us first as children before we even have the capacity to understand theological treatises. Christians should not shy away from stories but instead embrace them and learn to tell them better!
Much of our post-modern world is very inconsistency in the way its views hold together. People aren't taught to think how economic policy and gay mirage hold together and are connected. That's why you can have "conservative" pundits claim that all they care about is the economy and want to leave the "moral" issues out of politics.
Thanks to the wonderful people at Christian Focus Publications, I have a beautiful review copy of Sam Storms' Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative. In due time a proper review will be out but in the meantime I've decided to blog through important portions of this fine book to get a little more interaction with Storms' theology.
Bible verses in themselves do no persuaded and change minds. They certainly don't alter ingrained theological patterns. It is the interpretation of these verses that define theology and it is these crucial interpretations that are effected by our presuppositions.
Entertaining and ideal for discussing self-control, The Case of the Lost Temper has been read multiple times in our home, with no end in sight!
38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
Unfortunately, most of the time people hear or see the word "apocalypse" today they immediately associate it with some sort of catastrophic, end of the world, event that's portrayed in movies like I Am Legend or the forthcoming Left Behind movie. This is unfortunate considering the menial amount of work required to clarify such confusion.
The month of August was a pretty good book reading month. Buckle up. Get some coffee. Check out these summaries and the full length reviews.
The Reformers did not exhaust the fullness of justification. There is indeed a robustly corporate view of justification that the Reformers–rightly preoccupied with Romish theological abuse–simply did not address explicitly in the 16th century. In this sense, Wright needs to be read and listened to attentively.
13 “All your sons will be taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.
14 “In righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you. - Isaiah 54:13-14 (NASB)
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
The real and genuine Lordship of Jesus Christ provokes a gospel that is rebellious. But not restless. Though painful it is better to be like Calvin: old, worn and faithful.
Yesterday, I tempered myself with a "Church History Saved My Life" post. I threw out a bunch of names, publishing companies, etc. and moved right along. Today I'm going to provide my top books to buy. 'Cept every single one of them will have been written before 1000 CE. Let's get started.
Child tested and approved, appealingly illustrated, and encompassing the story of Christ as told through the prophets – I highly recommend When God says it – He does it!
I've had the privilege to review The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture (Baker Academic) and Why Church History Matters (IVP Academic). Both books were great encouragements and refreshing reminders of why I read so much in the first place.
The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture provides a refreshing looking at the Bible through the eyes of the early church. Graves has provided an outstanding and unintimidating introduction to the expansive and enjoyable world of inspiration and interpretation.
