Filed under: Quotes
“Halfway Christianity is the most miserable existence of all. Halfhearted Christians know enough about their sin to feel guilty about themselves, but they haven’t given themselves enough to the Savior to become happy in him. Wholehearted Christianity is happy.”
(Ray Ortlund, Jr.)
See below for a fascinating eavesdrop of a debate among Bible translators of the word “slave”. I’m stoked to see Talbot represented by Dr. Clint Arnold, a personal favorite of mine during my time in seminary. It’s a bit unfortunate that there’s not much variation in the ethnic or gender makeup of the committee. Some diversity would be a tremendous help in doing this kind of work. Grateful nevertheless for scholars who are gifted to be able to translate God’s Word so the church could be nourished and strengthened.
Filed under: Personal
There was an earthquake last night. It was a strange one — not that there are any normal ones, even for a seasoned Californian. But this was different from the others I’ve experienced. For all my out-of-state and international readers who haven’t lived through one yourself, let me describe a conventional one for you. Typically, there is a tremor that after extending itself, gradually tails off into stillness. Or you might also have heard about the rolling or swaying variety. But this was more of a quick body slam — a solitary forceful thud from below followed by nothing but a disoriented mind and bewilderment trying to make sense of what had just happened. I bolted upward in a panic and Tina seemed more startled by me than any seismic activity. A delayed parental instinct finally kicked in and I ran into Silas’ room: he was sound asleep. Hot shot. My parents have been staying over at our place for a week while they get their place renovated and as they had taken over the bed, I ran in to check on them: also sound asleep. Apparently, the crib and mattress are better than I thought. My chance to play hero husband/dad/son was apparently no chance at all. Waking up this morning, Tina told me the quake measured a meager 3.5. Sort of disappointing to tell you the truth. And now you have shared in my shame. Thank you.
This NY Times article argues well why even as an owner of a Kindle and a smartphone, I’d still much rather prefer using my physical Bible rather than an electronic version any day of the week — especially on Sunday morning. In the article, Grossman puts forward the merits of the codex (i.e., physical book form) over e-readers. He isn’t oblivious to the clear advantage of e-reader portability, nor is he some sort of technological prude, but he points to the versatility of the codex that the e-reader has yet to match.
When my pastor asks us to turn to a passage of Scripture during the Sunday morning message, I still think I can flip to 2 Chronicles faster than someone using an iPhone or iPad can. Dare to challenge me? Perhaps it’s the exceptional speed of my nimble fingers or the 4-plus years of seminary education that’s seared the order of Bible books into my otherwise dull mind. Or maybe it’s my subconscious ability to anticipate the passage in advance, a keen prophetic foresight developed by my own fairly unspectacular preaching ministry. Either that or a simple glance at the Sunday program announcing the chapter and verse.
But I really don’t think it’s anything owing to myself. Instead, it’s all about the medium.
E-reader search functionality is clumsy. In the time it takes for you to type out the name of the book, switch over to the numeric keypad, insert the colons and dashes in all the right places (darn you symbols), and hit enter so your device of choice can process the search inquiry, the pastor has finished reading the passage and everyone’s been duly blessed. In the meantime, you’re unedified, cranky, and miserable. Even the scrolling ability of a touch interface doesn’t solve much when you’re dealing a 66-volume book, with multiple chapters in-between.
And call me old-fashioned, but does your svelte iPhone say “reverence” like towing a weighty Bible in hand? I think not — especially if you opt for a big leather-bound one with art-gilt page edges. By the way, cheap Trutone versions with the owner’s name embossed in tacky gold lettering don’t apply here.
All kidding aside, there are other clear pros with the traditional codex form of Bibles, and any kind of book for that matter. Having a sense of spatial progression (a little gray bar at the edge of the screen doesn’t do it for me), the ability to write, takes notes, and doodle (my Microsoft Paint skills aren’t up to par yet), and oh yes, the smell of the printed page are all deal-breakers in the end.
But then again, you probably won’t leave behind or misplace your iPhone/iPad/Kindle at church like I seem to do with my Bible on a monthly basis. Okay forget what I said, use whatever you want.
Filed under: Uncategorized
“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, abd make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.”
(C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Filed under: Quotes
“Run, John, run,” the law commands,
But gives me neither feet nor hands;
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids me fly; it gives me wings.
–John Bunyan
Filed under: Quotes
GRACE = God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense
(HT: Tom Schreiner)
There are thousand cheesy Christian cliches that hardly mean anything at all, and then there’s this one that actually communicates something true and edifying in a memorable way — and 29 years passed before I ever came across it. Sweet.
