Sunday School

We spent the Summer in Ephesians and are now back in the Westminster Confession of Faith. We just completed Ch. 5 on the Providence of God and will be moving on to Ch 6, Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof.

Women in the Church (WIC)

WIC has asked me to teach the Tuesday morning large group Bible study. Our subject matter is the book of Isaiah. This will carry us through the Fall and into the Spring. Small groups will be using Kathleen Buswell Nielson’s study guide. You can find out more about the WIC schedule here.

Women’s Bible Study

I will also be leading a small group of women on Wednesday mornings here at the church. We will meet in Rm 121 at 8am on Wednesdays. The subject will be a study of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. All women are welcome to join us.

Wednesday Night Elective

After supper on Wednesday nights I will be teaching a class on Islam in Rm 224. We will survey the history and basic beliefs of Islam as well as how to most effectively minister the gospel to those Muslims in our community and around the world. We will begin promptly at 6:15 and end at 7.

Preaching

I am currently scheduled to preach one Sunday morning this Fall and am looking forward to that opportunity and the growth it always brings.

Miscellany…

In addition to these I will continue discipling church members as well as fulfilling my responsibilities at the Presbytery level, helping men prepare for ordination exams among other things. I am also joining the other staff members in writing for the church blog (on the church website) on a rotating basis. Although it will be a busy Fall, please know that we are never too busy to shepherd our membership. We hate to hear people say they didn’t call because they thought we were too busy. If you need us, please let us know how we can minister to you. We do more than teach classes. We want to love you well as best we can using the gifts and means with which God has provided us.

I will update as often as the committee determines each recommendation.

The committee will be taking up Overtures 2, 4, 8, 10, and then 11 will be sent to the committee later from another committee.

A reminder: What are below are the recommendations that the Overtures Committee will make to the entire Assembly. So they are not decided until Thursday afternoon when the committee makes it’s report to the Assembly and the Assembly votes.

The committee is now recessed until either tonight or tomorrow (they hadn’t figured it out before I had to leave). I’ll provide a further update tomorrow re: Overture 11.

Overture 2: negative
Overture 4: affirmative (with perfecting language)
Overture 8: responded with statement (in other words, did not make 59 constitutional, but reminded TEs that WCF 24 and the WSC and WLC are binding).
Overture 10: affirmative, as amended.
Overture 11:

http://www.pcaac.org/2011GeneralAssembly/Overtures.htm

The overtures aren’t usually very long. They begin with “Whereas” statements which form the basis for the overture. They then move to the “Therefore” clause in which the specific request is stated. Sometimes they conclude with a rationale section in which they explain in further detail what is motivating the request.

In my updates I will simply refer to them by number without explaining the substance.

First, approach every book with a healthy skepticism. Make the author establish his or her trustworthiness. We instinctively do this in our personal relationships when it comes to who we trust with our children, or who we do business with. Bring the same healthy caution into the process of selecting who you will allow to influence your beliefs and understanding of Scripture and the Christian faith.

Second, lean on your Christian community. Ask your pastors, elders, and other mature believers to recommend books. Or if you have a particular book in mind, ask them about that title or author. I mentioned in a previous post that here in Nashville we have a wonderful resource in the person of Ralph at Logos.

Third, standing in the bookstore or looking at an Amazon page, start with the front cover and work your way to the back and then move inside. You want to ask some basic questions. Who is this author? Where did he go to school? What did he study there? What does he currently do (besides write books)? Is he associated with a particular Christian tradition? How will that inform his own beliefs and the tone and content of his book? What qualifies him to write on this topic? Who is the publisher? When was the book published? Do any other authors, theologians, or pastors that I know of and respect endorse the book? If it is reasonable to do so, read the front matter (foreword, preface, and introduction). Does anything set off alarm bells?

These three rules aren’t going to suddenly keep you from ever choosing poorly. We all do that from time to time. But the more you apply these rules, the better acquainted you will become with the “players” in the field. You will begin to recognize that some publishers are more trustworthy than others. Some authors are great and others are to be avoided at all costs. You will hone your skills and gain a good instinct.

Be committed to using discernment in choosing what you will read. It’s a diet. And as surely as the food you put in your body will largely determine your physical health, the people (including books) you allow to teach you will have an impact on your spiritual understanding. Choose wisely!

First, if you live in the Nashville area, you have an amazing resource that should not be overlooked: Logos Bookstore. Located in Green Hills just off of Warfield (northeast corner of Warfield and Hillsboro, but back behind the buildings that are right on the corner). Logos has several things going for it. They are preferential to reformed books, so they tend to stock books that even your average Christian bookstore wouldn’t stock. Second, what they don’t have in stock, they can usually get very quickly. Third, they have an uncanny ability to find out-of-print and hard to find books. And finally, they have Ralph. When you have a medical emergency, you put yourself in the hands of a medical professional. When you have a plumbing emergency, you put your home in the hands of a professional plumber. When you have a book emergency, you put yourself in the hands of Ralph. After five years spent reading in the pursuit of a Master of Theology degree, I’ve become quite familiar with many books and authors. But when I need a book recommendation, I go to Ralph. They’re your neighborhood bookstore. Please support them so they don’t go away.

Having said all that, there are, I suspect, some readers that are not local. For your benefit, I have linked all the books I mention or recommend on this site to their respective Amazon.com page. Simply click on the hyperlinked book title in any post to be whisked off to Amazon. In the interest of full disclosure, I have registered as an Amazon Associate, so I get credit for your clicks and more credit for your purchases when you click through from this site. I don’t expect to see much return on this, but I figured if anyone is clicking through, I might as well get credit for it. And it doesn’t cost you anything. But remember: If you are in Nashville, go to Logos!

I hope you find the book recommendations helpful and your reading of these books enriching!

I want to lay this out in two parts. In the first I want to give the reader a bird’s eye view of the Fathers. Nothing detailed, just a quick outline. In the second part I’ll focus more on the writings and suggested resources, selectively describing a given author, work, and their historical context. This second part will be a series of posts.

Where can I find their writings?
Four places…First, each name in the lists below will be a hyperlink that takes you to that work or Father. Most of their writing is available for free online. (Note: The website that hosts most of the writings is a bit awkwardly laid out. When you follow the link from this page, you will find yourself on a page that simply has the Father’s name. To the right of the name will be [above and below] a link to “next”. Us this link to navigate. Or, you will notice on the left of the page a “Table of Contents” style menu that will let you navigate directly. If you can’t read the menu, place your cursor over the border to the right of the menu and click and hold while dragging the bar to the right. Ugh.)

Second, if you prefer to hold a book in your hands, most of these writings are contained in the 38 volume Church Fathers set published by Hendrickson. Christianbooks.com will occasionally put this set on sale for about $300.

Third, if you’re in Nashville, swing by and I’ll happily loan you a volume or two at a time.

Fourth, there is also a wonderful series of books called the Loeb Classical Library that has the The Apostolic Fathers in two volumes. It typically contains better translations. It also has the Greek or Latin on each facing page, which, if you have a background for those languages, is nice. The little red books are the Latin writings and the little green ones are the Greek.

Where do I start?
I recommend you start at the beginning. The Early Fathers are the easiest to read. In particular, consider beginning with the Martyrdom of Polycarp and the Letters of Ignatius. Once you move to the Apologists, consider reading Tertullian first (he’s my favorite Father) and then trying Irenaeus. I would explore the Early Fathers and Apologists quite a bit before progressing to the Theologians. But once there, you can hardly go wrong. John Chrysostom is where I’d start, then move to Athanasius, Basil, and the Gregorys. Have fun!

One Final Note
Although there are exceptions, most of these men were both pastors and theologians. The early church did not so clearly divide these disciplines. We have done so today to our harm. The church needs more pastors who are both pastors and theologians. Pastors without solid theological understanding are the blind leading the blind (however kindly they may lead) and theologians (in the context of the church) who do not understand how doctrine relates to pastoring well are of no use to their parish, being either disinterested in pastoring or harsh in the way they approach it (however “right” they may be).

The Early Church Fathers (Late 1st century to early 2nd century)
As the apostolic age came to an end there were certain men and writings that occupied a prominent place in the church. These men were typically disciples of the apostles, personally acquainted with them and instructed by them. They were also, to the degree that we can correctly identify them, typically pastors or bishops. In the case of the writings (some of the “early church fathers” are not people, but written works), they were well received by the churches and generally known. While they were not elevated to the status of canon, they were nonetheless respected and even used in the churches. Their character tends to be very pastoral, gentle, and encouraging. Some of them are letters (epistles) written from a bishop to another church. Some of them are allegories, and some of them are sort of like text books for the faith, instructing the churches in faith and practice.

• Clement of Rome
• Shepherd of Hermas
• Letters of Ignatius
• Martyrdom of Polycarp
• Papias
• Epistle of Barnabas
• Second Clement
• The Didache
• The Epistle to Diognetus

The Apologists (mid-2nd century to late 3rd century)
As the Church matured, certain men became prominent in the Church because of their writing in defense of the faith. The pagan culture often despised the Church because it rejected the pluralistic outlook of the Mediterranean world. In addition to this, or because of it, there were many misunderstandings about what Christians believed and how they worshiped. The apologists set out to correct this, explaining what the Church believed and why it ought to be believed, clarifying along the way why and how the church worshiped. They also sought to expose the foolishness of the pagan system.

• Hippolytus
• Irenaeus
• Tertullian: Here and Here
• Cyprian
• Aristedes
• Justin Martyr
• Theophilus
• Athenogoras
• Lactantius
• Clement of Alexandria
• Origen

The Theologians (early 4th century to late 6th century)
As persecution lessened and Christianity was eventually adopted by the empire, much of the thought and writing turned from the defense of the faith to the development of doctrine. The men most prominent in this work are often referred to as the Theologians. The bulk of their thought was focused on the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of Christ (Christology), and the nature of the Church and salvation. Their work is largely composed of letters and sermons, sometimes called homilies.

• Athanasius of Alexandria
• Basil of Caesarea
• Gregory of Nazianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• John Chrysostom: Go here and scroll down to the volumes on John Chrysostom’s work. There are 6 volumes.
• Cyril of Alexandria – Go here and scroll down to Cyril (somewhere between a third and a half of the way down the page).
• Augustine: Go here and scroll down to the volumes of Augustine’s work. There are 8 volumes.
• Leo the Great
• Gregory the Great
• John Cassian
• Jerome
• Ambrose
• Hilary of Poitiers

Remember! Stay posted here for occasional “special episodes” highlighting a particular Father or a particular work. Enjoy!

Daniel

I used this commentary to lead a women’s Bible study last year and it was excellent. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed it and found it edifying as well.

Among the features that make it commendable:

• It is one of the few accessible commentaries on Daniel that both rejects a dispensational interpretation and expressly interprets the book with Christ as the interpretive key. If you are more concerned about finding Christ in the Old Testament than trying to figure out the date of Christ second coming, this commentary is definitely for you.
• It is more robust than a typical “small group study guide” and lighter than a technical commentary that might spend 20 pages discussing the origins of the Aramaic portion of the text. This means it is good for both study groups and personal study.
• The focus on the theological (finding Christ) leads to a more pastoral and practical reading of Daniel than is typical of other basic commentaries. This means that as you read, you will often find yourself inspired, comforted, and encouraged.
• Theologically focused commentaries can sometimes suffer from a tendency to ignore the text. Duguid thankfully avoids this. For this reason, this commentary will be helpful to lay Sunday school teachers preparing lessons on Daniel. It will certainly be included in my own sermon preparation when preaching from Daniel.

In the universe of basic commentaries, it can be hard to find one that is so balanced on a book that seems to encourage so much speculation and poor exegesis. I’m glad to be able to recommend this one.

The latter is my intention for readers of the blog. If you click on on the category under the post, who knows what you’ll find (and believe me, wordpress has some strange ideas about what constitutes “similar”). My goal in assigning categories is to help you find similar posts on this blog. So use the global tags at your peril.

EDIT: One more thing, the search field at the bottom left of the page will search this blog as well if you are looking for something in particular.

The Lord’s Day

Who is the author? Dr. Pipa has been a pastor and a theologian. He is the President of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is ordained in the PCA as a teaching elder.

What is the book about? This book explains and defends the biblical doctrine of the Sabbath. Is sabbath observance still required of Christians? Why is it required and how are we to observe it?

Why is this book worth reading? Dr. Pipa does the best job I’ve come across so far of explaining and defending this doctrine biblically and theologically. He is winsome, not legalistic. This issue is very important today since much of the Church on earth has abandoned the observance of the day. So the subject is timely. In short, everything I’m looking for in a book for this series is found in Dr. Pipa’s work.

Brief? In this case it’s a relative term. I wish it were shorter, but it’s not prohibitively long.
Easy to read? Check
Biblically and theologically sound? Check
On an important topic? Check