3 Reasons to Read the Apocrypha

A few days ago Andy Naselli had an interesting post about why it can be profitable to read the Apocrypha. He breaks his argument down into three reasons, which I found to be helpful:

1. Exegetical Value

The Apocrypha is valuable because it sheds light on the history of Second Temple Judaism. Understanding this period is especially important to discern the religious, political, social, and literary context of the New Testament.

2. Cultural Value

The Apocrypha has had a pervasive influence on Western literature and music. Knowledge of the Apocrypha’s content is useful for interpreting works it has inspired spanning from William Shakespeare’s plays to Charles Wesley’s hymn compositions. Dozens of Wesley’s hymns including “Now Thank We All Our God,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” incorporate ideas, phrases, and even whole sections from the Apocrypha (cf. Bruce M. Metzger, “The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979], 1:174).

3. Devotional Value

Christians recognize that it is possible for non-inspired sources to possess devotional value (e.g., books, hymn lyrics, the words of a preacher). The Apocrypha has devotional value in the sense that a generally useful devotional book does. (And it is certainly not completely free from error!)

The life of John Bunyan is a classic example. At a crucial point in his life, Bunyan questioned whether or not he was one of God’s elect, and after a great mental struggle, God used a verse from the Apocrypha to comfort him. Bunyan could not find the reference to what he thought was a Bible verse, and he tried in vain to find it. He wrote in his autobiography Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:

I continued my search for more than a year, but I could not find this text. Then at last, having cast an eye over the Apocryphal books, I found it in Ecclesiasticus 2:10. At first this somewhat daunted me, but because by this time I had more experience of the love and kindness of God, it troubled me less, especially when I considered that though it was not in those texts which we call holy and canonical, it did contain the sum and substance of many of the promises and it was, therefore, my duty to take comfort from it. I bless God for that word; it was for my good. That word still often shines before my face (1966; update, Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press, 2000, p. 45).

Naselli finishes by giving a suggested list of Apocryphal books to start reading.

Thanksgiving History Quiz

Christianity Today has an interesting and short quiz on the history of Thanksgiving.

I got 3 out of 6 right. How did you do?

Update on the Proposed ETS Doctrinal Basis Amendment

Denny Burk explains the results of the ETS vote last week on the proposed amendment to the Society’s doctrinal basis. In short, 130 members were opposed and 47 were in favor of the amendment. Though the proposal was defeated, Burk is encouraged by what he has seen:

Ray and I [Ray Van Neste and Denny Burk co-sponsored the proposal] are realists. We knew over a year ago that our proposal had very little chance of getting the support of a majority of the ETS, much less of the 80 percent super-majority that is required to amend the doctrinal basis. When the Executive Committee (EC) made clear their intentions to oppose our measure last year, we knew that its passage would be highly unlikely. Nevertheless, we pressed forward with our effort because we thought that there would be something to be gained by soldiering on.

First, we believed that if we pushed forward we might be able to spur the EC on to take this matter up for themselves. It was clear on Friday that we had achieved that goal. After the final business meeting, we were assured that the EC would be taking up this issue to see if there is any significant interest among the membership to clarify the ETS’s evangelical commitments. We are grateful for this result and will support the EC’s efforts in this regard going forward.

Second, we thought it would be good and healthy for the Society to debate the matter publicly and for everyone to get their cards out on the table. I have to say that the two sessions of debate and discussion were some of the most stimulating sessions I have ever been to at ETS. To hear the members speak both for and against was highly instructive. I think we have a much better feel for how different members think about things as a result. Moreover, Ray and I were encouraged that so many distinguished members stood to speak in favor of our proposal: Wayne Grudem, Al Mohler, Michael Haykin, John Warwick Montgomery, Robert Saucy, and others. We have the utmost regard for dear brothers who stood to oppose it. ETS needs to be a place where people of good will can debate and disagree without rancor and without fear of recrimination.

Read the whole post for more details.

What’s the Best Way to Open a Candy Wrapper in Church?

This question is not simply limited to a church service. It could apply to a presentation, a board meeting, or any situation in which a silent audience is expected. In such an event, how do you open the plastic wrapper on a peppermint, for example, without causing undue distraction? I see at least four options:

1. Gradually unfurl the wrapper, timing each crinkle to match times of greater volume in the speaker’s presentation.
2. Cough very forcefully and loosen the wrapper all in one motion. You will draw attention to yourself, but it will be directed away from your fumbling hands and may even be mingled with some momentary pity.
3. Bank all your hope on the fleeting short-term memory of those around you and get it over with as quickly as you can.
4. Petition candy companies to wrap their products in cloth.

Which do you prefer? Do you have any other ideas?

Sign Language and the Art of Whoopin’

Thabiti Anyabwile introduces his readers to the traditional African-American style of preaching known as whoopin’. This was really enjoyable to read and watch.

At the Miami Pastors’ Conference, one of the best things to experience is the genuine Christian fellowship and laughter. I laugh there and in Chicago at the New Life conference more than any place on earth. That’s ’cause the bruthas are silly.

This past conference, Ken Jones, Michael Leach, and Anthony Carter grilled a young man about why he feels compelled to whoop. Now whoopin’ is a staple of traditional African-American preaching. If you can’t ‘hoop, you can’t preach. And don’t let Leach fool ya; he’s a ‘hooper :-). Anyway, if you’ve never seen a preacher ‘hoop, it’s better to illustrate than describe. Here’s a video for the uninitiated.

Now what’s new to me in this video is the lady in the corner doing sign language for the hearing impaired. Ever seen a ‘hoop signed??? She’s smooth with it. Check her out as the preacher gets rolling!

My 10 Favorite ETS Vocabulary Words

I just finished my first full day of ETS yesterday. One of the benefits of convening a whole herd of scholars is that it creates a ripe opportunity for hearing very choice vocabulary words. Here are ten of my favorites so far:

1. Deleterious
2. Recidivist
3. Longitudinal
4. Atomistic
5. Foment
6. Gestalt
7. Intelligentsia
8. Soporific
9. Erudition
10. Cogently

You get ten cool points if you guess which ones were uttered by Al Mohler. I’ll give you a hint: you have a 60% chance of being right.

There are Three Types of Bloggers

As best I can tell, there are primarily three types of bloggers:

1. Innovators. These are the really smart and creative folks who have ideas sprouting like dandelions and just pluck one up and give it a puff of digital wind each day.
2. Harvesters. These are the bloggers who drive their combine over the blogosphere every day (or hour) and pass on whatever crops they find to be tasty. Their primary task is pointing to other people’s posts.
3. Personalizers. These are the people who share their lives for anyone who is interested.

I have two observations about these categories:

1. The appeal for each of these types of bloggers is that they save their readers time. The innovator saves the reader from having to think of something creative himself and lets him expend his mental energy critiquing what he reads. The harvester saves the reader search time by giving her a central location to access relevant information. If the harvester is good, the reader may not feel the need to go elsewhere. The personalizer saves the reader from having to call or e-mail to find out what is happening in the blogger’s life. If the reader does not know the blogger personally, he can enjoy following from a distance and commenting when he pleases.
2. Ideally, a blogger should be all three types. This is not a universal necessity, but in general, a blog devoted to innovation should include a dash of harvesting and a dash of personalizing. The same goes for the other two types. Having all three components keeps a blogger interesting (because he doesn’t just repeat what he hears), humble (because he recognizes other people have good ideas), and real (because he doesn’t just sit in front of a computer all day…at least he shouldn’t).

Here’s an Idea for Making Your Sentences More Descriptive

If you would like to catch your reader off guard with a sumptuous portrayal of an event, try explaining sense perceptions in terms of another sense. That is, describe sights in terms of sounds, smells in terms of vision, touch in terms of taste.

Here is an example from C.S. Lewis:

But of course this didn’t prevent Edmund from seeing. Only five minutes later he noticed a dozen crocuses growing round the foot of an old tree — gold and purple and white. Then came a sound even more delicious than the sound of the water. (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, page 132)

Now, everyone knows that sounds aren’t delicious. Or are they? What Lewis has just done is create an alternate sensual universe for his readers to romp around in.

Let’s try this out:

1. The lake looked like a whisper.
2. She pulled a sunset out of the oven.
3. His voice sounded like sweet tea on a summer afternoon.

Can you think of other examples?

Going on a Rhode Trip

Today I’m heading out with the guys from TBI to travel to Providence, Rhode Island for the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). To be quite honest, I am more pumped than a pair of old-school Reeboks. The theme is “Text and Canon.” This will be my first time attending ETS, so I’m not quite sure what to expect.

One of the features of this year’s meeting will be the vote on a proposal by Denny Burk and Ray Van Neste to amend the ETS’s doctrinal statement. Right now, it only includes affirmations of the Trinity and the inerrancy of Scripture, leaving wide room for divergence on other matters. For more information, you can check out Burke’s explanation.

I have a post scheduled to be published for tomorrow since we’ll still be on the road then (it’s about a 22-hour trip). I’m not sure about internet access while we’re there, however. I’ll see what I can do.

Inmate Mails Himself out of Prison

This is so much less impressive than “Escape from Alcatraz,” but I guess it got the job done.

A manhunt is under way in western Germany for a convicted drug dealer who escaped by mailing himself out of jail.

The 42-year-old Turkish citizen – who was serving a seven-year sentence – had been making stationery with other prisoners destined for the shops.

At the end of his shift, the inmate climbed into a cardboard box and was taken out of prison by express courier. His whereabouts are still unknown.

The chief warden of the jail told the BBC this was an embarrassing incident.