Why All the Homage to Kenny Loggins?

I owe this joke to my good friend Brian.  One day he humorously quipped, “oh, that’s Jesus, I had always wondered why all the pictures of Kenny Loggins.  In case you are unaware of Kenny Loggins here is a comparison:

 

Jesus should obviously sue Kenny Loggins for stealing his look.  Or should he?  According to a newer study by Popular Mechanics Jesus probably looked more like this:

Something tells me we’d be uncomfortable with having pictures of the real Jesus plastered all over our churches.  Justin Taylor provides an interesting article on this; check it out. 

What do you think?  To be honest Jesus not having long hair rocks my world, kind of like finding out that Bing Crosby wasn’t a black guy. 

The Trinitarian Controversy ed. by William Rusch Review

Author: ed. William G. Rusch

Pages: 182pgs

Publisher: Fortress Press

Price: 18.00 or Used for 3.00

Genre: Church History/Theology

Quick Summary:

The Trinity is one of the most difficult doctrines (if not THE most difficult doctrine) to understand in all of Christendom. Issues related to the Godhead dominated early Christian discussion. The Trinitarian Controversy is a volume in the Sources of Early Christian Though series. In this series original sources are brought to light to discuss certain theological issues. In this particular volume the reader gets to hear from Arius, Alexander of Alexandria, Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, and a fair amount of Creeds, Letters, and Canons.

What I Liked:

It is always fun to read the original sources—though undoubtedly some is lost in translation. This series is a great idea, and probably a very difficult task. The introduction to the issue and bibliography is also helpful for further study. I read through this for a church history class and it was somewhat helpful to understand the issues surrounding the Trinitarian debates of the first centuries.

What I Disliked:

This is a pretty difficult read. Reading things from the first five centuries of Christendom is often a difficult task. The Trinity is hard enough to understand; trying to moderately grasp the Trinity and also understand the mind of early Christian thinkers is a difficult task. It’s fun, but it’s tough. But this book is not meant for light study.

Should You Buy It?

If you are a seminary student or studying the Trinity in depth this is a great resource. If you are just casually interested in Trinitarian debates there are probably better places to go to get a summary of early Christian thought.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

30 Days of Book Reviews

For the next 30 days I hope to post one book review per day.  I have so many books on my shelves that I have read and not reviewed, so I hope to knock those down by reviewing 30 books in 30 days.  Stay tuned…

Paul’s Counsel for Carl

Last Friday I asked how you would counsel my friend Carl.  Obviously, Carl is a made up dude.  But I used a familiar group of people to craft his portrait.  The Corinthians.  They were pretty much like Carl if not worse.  And we have the blessing of knowing how Paul addressed him (them). 

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

“Sanctified in Christ Jesus”.  Seriously?!?  Is that how you would begin counseling someone like Carl; remind him that Jesus has already made him holy? 

Such counsel is surprisingly what Paul gives.  He unashamedly applies the gospel to the Corinthians.  Then he throws out praise to God for them in verses 4-9.  He says they have been “given grace”, they were “enriched in him”, and he even went so far as to say, “the testimony of about Christ was confirmed among you”.  Paul ends with confidence that God will sustain the Corinthians “to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Paul is teaching as he is encouraging them.  He wants them to see that God is the one that saves, and God is the one that saves all different types of people not just the Corinthians.  Their fundamental problem is that they have a tiny gospel.  In their mind the gospel is only big enough for the elite, like themselves.  But Paul shows the wideness of the gospel in calling many diverse peoples.

As Paul teaches the Corinthians he teaches me as well. 

I suppose there would be one type of person that would hear what Paul is saying and say, “Duh, once saved always saved.  They made a profession of faith it doesn’t matter how they live for the rest of their life.  God’s will hold them to their decision to accept Christ regardless of whether they endure to the end. ”  I don’t think that squares with the many passages that warn against apostasy and threaten hell if we do not endure to the end.

But Paul’s counsel here does rebuke those like me who struggle with what Richard Sibbes termed, “killing a fly with a mallet”.  I’d probably be pretty quick to dismiss Carl as an unbeliever.  I get the idea that Paul was far more patient with struggling believers.  And I get the idea that I should be too. 

There is more that could be said about this.  But, what do you think?

Review of The Unquenchable Flame by Michael Reeves

Author: Michael Reeves

Pages: 208 pgs

Publisher: B & H Publishing

Price: 10.19

Genre: Church History/Reformation

Quick Summary:

Touted on the back cover as a “remarkably accessible introduction to the [Reformation] historic era” this 208 page book focuses on Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and the Puritans. As these key figures are analyzed the heart of the reformation is uncovered. The book begins by glancing at the pre-history of the Reformation and closes by asking “is the Reformation over?”.

What I Liked:

The Reformation is an interesting time period to study. I have, however, read books that make it seem boring and stale. Thankfully, this book is not in that line. Michael Reeves writes with humor, passion, and insight. He allows the main characters to be who they really were. He does not take pains to gloss over their rough edges or to needlessly exalt them. He allows them to be. And in so doing he points out the heart of the Reformation—the redeeming work of Jesus Christ alone.

There are also little sidebars that help us to take a slice out of these particular time periods and focus on a crucial event or character. These are helpful for seeing the well-rounded landscape of the Reformation. Reeves does a great job of not confining the Reformation to one particular location but showing how it impacted all of Roman Catholic lands.

What I Disliked:

I always greatly dislike footnotes at the end of a chapter. I prefer them at the bottom of the page, or even at the end of the book, but it is laborious to try to find the last page of the chapter ends on every time you want to check the footnote. Other than this minor dislike, there is nothing else I can point to as a dislike worth mentioning.

Should You Buy It?

It is a fun read even for those that have read many books on the Reformation period. Particularly helpful is the chapter on Zwingli (he doesn’t get much press in Reformation books). If this is your first exposure to the Reformation then this is also a great place to start. So, no matter who you are I think this book would be an asset. You can buy it here for only 10.19

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars