Jonathan Taylor

The State of Theology

Today is the last day you can order Mark Driscoll's new book on doctrine and get a .pdf / Resurgence t-shirt. Also recently Josh Harris, of I Kissed Dating Goodbye fame, published a book: Dug Down Deep. Both of these books are basic theologies that are marketed to persuade Christians that theology is important / cool. It's vital. Not optional. Worthy goals and from what I understand excellent books.

But what does this say about the state of the church? What does this say about the level of theology found in our local churches? To me it screams rather loudly that we are in serious trouble.

The 17:18 Series - Make Yourself A Copy of the Law

Deuteronomy 17:18 says: 

Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

Rob Wynalda has developed a series of books called Journibles in which one writes his/her own copy of the Scriptures. The idea is to practice what Deut. 17:18 preaches and in so doing to know the Word more intimately.

As one advertisement notes: "Thirty-four hundred years later [than the book of Deut], educators are "discovering" that students that physically write out their notes by hand have a much greater retention rate than simply hearing or visually reading information. Apparently, God knew this to be true of the kings of Israel also. From such understanding came the conception of this series of books."

The books are well made and a great way to start making for yourself a copy of the "law." As far as I know, the only seller is Reformation Heritage Books. Jennifer and I have ordered the Journible for the Gospel of John.

How about you?

Koine Greek Self-Study

I own at least seven translations of the Scriptures and almost as many study Bibles. They are very helpful resources. And yet, I want to learn the original languages.

Now, I'm not implying translations are bad. Many are well done and accurate.

Yet if you've studied any language besides your own, you know something is always lost in a translation. Further, theological positions affect how a translator renders certain phrases.

Thus, I have decided to learn Greek and Hebrew. Not to become a scholar. But so I can more clearly understand what God is saying in his Scriptures.

I chose to start with Greek since Bill Mounce, in my opinion, has made it infinitely easier to learn than Hebrew. But I am probably most excited about Hebrew (for which I will probably resort to a formal online class). The carrot of getting to Hebrew will, I hope, incentivize me to finish Greek.

Finding John Owen

I first heard of the John Owen when I was in school at Bob Jones University. For Christmas in 2001, my soon to be grandparents-in-law bought me his magnum opus: Biblical Theology. However, the language was difficult and after plowing through for a while I gave-up.

Recently, I have rediscovered Owen's work chiefly through his book The Mortification of Sin. And so a great interest in the man and his theology has been revived. Consequently, I have put together a reading list to help me in my exploration. If you have any additions to the list below or comments, please let me know!

Is Sunday really the Sabbath?

Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? In other words, is the fourth commandment still in effect? If so, how ought we to observe it? 

Some brief thoughts...

A Few 2010 Resolutions

The one thing we know about projections, forecasts and the like is that our conception of the future will certainly be wrong. Life is uncertain. And so many things may conspire to thwart our goals. Our resolutions.

Nevertheless, custom requires during this season that we set resolutions for the New Year. Consequently, here are a few goals, which if missed I will at least be the better for the trying:

1. Read the Scriptures through in Chronological order;
2. Pay-off all of my debt (to be debt free);
3. Write at least one blog post a week; 
4. Listen to at least three iTunes University courses; &
5. Learn Greek (defined as completing Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek textbook, workbook, lectures and vocabulary memorization).

Whatever the measurable outcomes which may or may not be achieved, I pray that 2010 will be to the Glory of God Alone.

An Intro to à Brakel's "The Christian's Reasonable Service"

Three Short Book Reviews

For the first time since I began this blog, the number of visitors in one day reached zero. To try and restore a few of the faithful, please find my first post in a month. I hope it is helpful:

Are You a Healthy Church Member?

Finished

Yesterday, I finished reading the whole Bible. It took me two months. I primarily used the ESV on CD (44 discs for the OT and 14 discs for the NT) narrated by Stephen Johnston. 

Reading through the Scriptures in such a short time was amazing. You see themes more clearly and the intricate connections found throughout. At times I was very frustrated not to be able to take more time with a particular verse or passage. But that just reinforced the need to have a detailed Bible study running in parallel. 

So, I've just launched a study of Galatians with Luther and Ryken. And I'm starting the Bible through again. Beginning with Moses.

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination: A Book Review

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination is the most thorough and straightforward explanation and defense of the Doctrines of Grace that I know of. Loraine Boettner graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929. And his book has long intrigued me, though at 440 pages and small print it was daunting.

But during my wife's absence this summer I was able to make my way through this enlightening book. It is well worth your time and effort.

Sola Gratia, Solus Christus

God hates sin. The human race is full of sin; we are born sinful. Thus, a horrible feeling of oppression pervades the soul. The more we learn about God the more we discover our evil.

As we read the Scripture, God convicts us of sin. We become frustrated with our persistent failing to do right. We try hard. But we cannot earn favor with God.

Virtual Seminary

I have always wanted to go to seminary. For whatever reasons I have never been able (so far) to do so. Yet I've found a really close approximation: seminary lectures on iTunes and/or the web.

iTunes has a section called iTunes U where colleges put lectures of their classes. Some do so for paying students so they can earn credit. But many schools also post entire classes for free.

Presently, I have downloaded, Theological Foundations (RTS), Biblical Theology (CTS), Church History (CTS), Systematic Theology I-III (RTS), etc. Elementary Greek and Hebrew are also available. 

And so I have constructed a study plan for myself: begin with Theological Foundations, then take Biblical Theology. Next I plan to take Church History. And finally to listen to Systematic Theology.

I just finished Theological Foundations (RTS/Derek Thomas) and it was marvelous. I read Boettner's The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination as a companion resource and it was life changing.

Education doesn't end upon graduation. And now it is possible to learn for free from some of the best. What about you? When are you going to start?

The Church: Stop Dating & Get Serious

I've recently wondered why the many para-church ministries (Ligonier, Desiring God, etc.) seem to be growing, yet the local church, not so much. Maybe it just doesn't seem cool.

Despite the abundance of sermons / podcasts available, the Scriptures command us to attend a local church. But if I am a regular attender, why should I become a member? And if I am a member, what should I be doing?

I just read two short books that answer these critical questions: Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris and What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti M. Anyabwile. Everyone should take time to read them.

John Calvin 500

500 years ago today Jean Cauvin was born in Noyon, France. Though he is most famous for a system of theology named after him, Calvin was chiefly a preacher, preaching around 10 times every two weeks. His most famous written work is his Institutes of the Christian Religion, which he wrote very early after his conversion - more of a booklet then - and which he expanded throughout his life.

The beliefs of Calvin have been highly debated and they have been frequently maligned. But his emphases on God's grace, providence and sovereignty are truths we would do well to rediscover.

Clinging to the Christian Faith

A dangerous flaw in Christianity today is that the current generation in reaction to those who have forgotten the “why” of our faith has decided it must reinvent the wheel.

Yet to quote Derek Thomas of RTS, the consequence is that “we...[often]...come up with something that is not round.” For the reasoning and/or standards of our fathers is often true, though the justification has been lost. By starting again, we become unhinged. We lose our anchor.

Indeed, the imperative of working out our own faith has devolved into a debilitating intellectual arrogance. God forbid.

Scripture Reading

It seems to me lazy not to read the Bible through regularly. And I have been lazy. While completing the task in a year may be a stretch, I have excused myself for too long. If I can read 50+ books a year, then I can surely read the Scripture through - maybe even in a year!

A Reminder to Church Leaders

I am not a preacher or (professional) teacher. But as a Christian layperson, I have some advice for pastors / teachers: speak plainly.

Review: The Christian & Drinking by Randy Jaeggli

In September 2008, Dr. Randy Jaeggli of the BJU Seminary faculty wrote a book entitled The Christian and Drinking: A Biblical Perspective on Moderation and Abstinence. The book is part of the University's series on "difficult issues." The book was a fair treatment of the subject from a biblical, historical and medical perspective.

The following is a book review - not a position paper. This post (like all other blog posts) is neither my complete thought nor final thinking on the topic.

About Crown Financial Ministries

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