Proclaimer Blog
Book review: different by design
I have just read Carrie Sandom's recently released book Different by Design: God's blueprint for men and women (Christian Focus, 2012) and want to recommend it very warmly. This is a terrific book, written clearly and engagingly and peppered with relevant and often moving anecdotes from Carrie's pastoral experience. It addresses courageously and sensitively the sadly controversial issues of women and men in God's purposes, with deft and careful handling of the critical bible passages. It is balanced throughout, taking great care not to make exaggerated claims and admitting where there is legitimate place for difference, while maintaining a clear line where the bible is clear. Three of the most helpful chapters are entitled, "The implications of God's design for marriage", "The implications of God's design for the church", and "The implications of God's design for the workplace". The book ends with a moving chapter on "The perfection of God's design" in the New Creation. This is a book that church leaders can give to their fellow-elders or church councils and to their pastoral teams, with confidence. There are questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. It could be used for a study course with profit.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
5. Preaching requires a devotion to the truth
Alongside the previous point we see that, as the climax of the personal instructions to Timothy, he is told to watch his life and doctrine as through this means he will be the agent of salvation (1 Tim 4:16). It should be noted that this comes at the end of a section where Paul has used verbs of great intensity to underline what is required of Timothy. He is to be devoted to this public ministry of reading scripture, preaching and teaching. He is to be diligent, giving himself completely to the task and he is to persevere (1 Tim 4:13-16). This commitment to the truth is undergirded at the very end with the stirring call for Timothy to guard the deposit (6:20), such is its value. The preacher must be devoted above all to the word of God.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
4. Preaching must be based on a platform of godly living
One of the distinctive contributions of 1 Timothy is the amount of material devoted to the need for godly living for the church leader and preacher. Not only is it an essential qualification that the church needs to consider in appointing the preacher (1 Tim 3:1-7), but in the ongoing work training in godliness is vital, as witnessed in the teaching to Timothy himself at 1 Tim 4:6-8. The way we live does affect the way we preach and how we are heard.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
3. Preaching requires appropriate gifts but also hard work
The distinctive qualification of the overseer is that he is able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2). Though deacons are required to be capable of holding on to the deep truths of the faith, there is a recognition that without the distinctive gifting of being able to teach they are not able to fulfil the main leadership and preaching role. However, though the overseer/elder needs this gifting, the chief mark which Paul highlights as deserving of respect is that they direct the affairs of the church wisely and work hard, indeed labour, at preaching and teaching (1 Tim 5:17). This is underlined by the quotation from the Old Testament in which the preacher is compared to the ox laboriously treading out the grain (1 Tim 5:18). It may not be a flattering picture for the gifted preacher to be viewed as an ox but the point is that preaching is hard work and deserves all our strength and mental application.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
2. Preaching is based on a clear message about Christ
At 1 Timothy 2:3-7 Paul gives a concise explanation of the way preaching the gospel to the nations/Gentiles flows from a clear doctrinal conviction about the nature of God, the person of Christ and substitutionary atonement. Preaching which does not proceed from these doctrines will always lack conviction and substance.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
1. Preaching flows out of a passion for Christ and the gospel
At various points we see Paul gripped by the message of grace and the wonder of knowing God (1 Timothy 1:15-17; 6:14-16). His praise of God is not strictly speaking required in his argument but the words about God tumble out indicating his passion. Genuine preaching that warms the congregation and causes hearts to burn (Luke 24:32) must come from hearts already on fire for Christ and the gospel. The preacher, like Paul, may need to remind himself of the glory of the gospel of grace as Paul does at 1 Timothy 1:12-15 in order to burn with passion for Christ in the pulpit.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.
Proclaimer Blog
Easter weekend
The office is closed today and Easter Monday for the UK bank holiday weekend. But what a weekend! Every Sunday is a time to remember the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But having a weekend set apart to do that, in particular, is a great joy. For,
He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification (Romans 4.25)
Proclaimer Blog
Refreshing your Hebrew
I am working over my rather inadequate Hebrew with a resource recommended to me by James Robson, who teaches Hebrew at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. It is called Living Biblical Hebrew and is produced by the Biblical Language Center (www.biblicallanguagecenter.
Proclaimer Blog
Learning Greek
If you want to learn Greek, there are lots of resources around. Corey Keating has a list of online resources here. Some of the links are worth following through. I learnt in a class using the classic Elements of New Testament Greek, now updated from the version I used. Truth is, I found this Basics of Biblical Greek workbook by Mounce more useful in its approach (which is more pragmatic than purist). Corey has a long list of many other resources and their various merits or otherwise here. The truth is, however, that the resource I use more than any other, is my Bible software. I use Logos, but other software gives you pretty much the same functionality. It allows me to click through to dictionaries, grammars etc very easily.
The danger, of course, is that such resources can make you lazy. So I still take a Greek Bible to church to read along every now and again (not every week). And when I print out a passage to work on I still print out a Greek column to refer to. To be honest, it's a discipline I find really quite difficult, but ultimately rewarding. Two points are worth emphasising:
- you're studying original languages to help you get to grips with the text better. That doesn't mean that Greek has to make it into your sermons. Our English Bible translations are good; you'd better have a good reason to undermine them in a sermon. And if it's just pride that's making you quote the original or say something like "it's slightly better in the original; let me give you my own translation" – then just STOP IT!
- I'm not sure (unless you're a highly disciplined scholar comfortable with languages) that there's any substitute for learning with someone. Even if it's a pair of you working through a book together, there's value. I'm very grateful for my friend Simon who – back in the day – always did better than me in Greek classes, but we sat next to one another and helped one another along. Cheers, mate!
Proclaimer Blog
Do languages matter….?
Does a preacher need original languages?
This post could go on for a long time. I think the simple answer is "no." Understanding original languages is not a qualification for being able to preach and teach God's people. History tells us that.
The more complex answer is "sort of." Now, at this point I have to nail my colours to the mast. My Greek is basic, but OK. Despite numerous attempts, my Hebrews is non existent. And as for my Aramaic…..
[Which I think kind of answers the question. Not many 'original language' proponents I know have good Aramaic, yet you need it for a couple of books of the BIble].
Anyhow. Sort of. That's my answer. I think there's a sliding scale. At the top of the scale is fluency in Biblical Languages. Great if you can get it. Of course it is. And it is one of the things that a college or seminary education can give you. Good teachers. Time to learn. Etc.
But what if you've only got one biblical language? That's helpful too. I think if you had to choose one, it should probably be NT Greek.
And failing that? I think a knowledge of how Biblical languages work is really, really helpful. For example, there are plenty of tools that will tell me the tense and voice and mood of various words. A basic knowledge of alphabet allows me to look up vocabulary in a dictionary.
And then? Tell your occasional preachers in church, the man who's never learnt a biblical language and never will be able to do, that that's all right. Tell him to have confidence in his English Bible. Tell him to use commentaries wisely. Tell him which ones to use which will help him.
I think the answer to the Biblical language question is "as much as you can manage; but it doesn't make you less of a preacher if you cannot." So, do languages matter. Yes. And no.
And over next few days we'll flag up a few resources we've used and found helpful.