Books

Lunde, Jonathan. Following Jesus, the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.

Jonathan Lunde expounds the biblical covenants, the Christian’s relation to the law, the Kingdom of God, and Christology in the service of laying the foundations for faithful Christian living. The themes that Lunde has selected to form the theological basis of this work are ones that theologians and biblical scholars have long recognized as among the most important in Scripture. Sadly very few lay-level books have approached these themes. Lunde’s work nicely fills this gap. What is more, despite the complexity and disagreements that surround these issues, Lunde, for the most part, arrives at what I believe to be the best interpretation. For instance, though he believes all of the biblical covenants are grounded in grace, he also recognizes that the Mosaic covenant differs from the others by providing stipulations with blessings and curses. The others are gift covenants. Lunde also does a good job handling the issue of the law’s relation to the believer and noting both the continuities and the discontinuities involved.

Throughout the whole, Lunde makes applications to the Christian life. He structures the book around three questions: (1) "Why should I be concerned to obey all of Jesus’ commands if I have been saved by grace?" (2) "What is it that Jesus demands of his disciples?" (3) How can the disciple obey Jesus’ high demand while experiencing his ‘yoke’ as ‘light’ and ‘easy’?"

In answer to his first question Lunde expounds the biblical covenants. He notes that they are all grounded in grace, that certain of the covenants are unconditional in nature, and yet that all the covenants maintain expectations for both parties. Thus even though Jesus has fulfilled the new covenant’s requirements, this does not relieve the Christian of his duties toward God. In answer to the second question Lunde primarily expounds the law as it had been transformed by the arrival of Jesus. He notes that while Jesus has fulfilled the law, the expectations on believers are now higher, not lower. In answer to the third question, Lunde focuses on the enabling grace given to believers in the new covenant.

Overall, Lunde does an excellent job of maintaining a grace focus and recognizing the responsibilities that are vital to Christian discipleship. As with any book, a few weaknesses do emerge. I’m not convinced of the idea that Genesis presents two Abrahamic covenants, one conditional and one unconditional. Nor was I convinced by his argument that the servant in Isaiah 53 is first Israel and then ultimately Christ; furthermore, this lengthy digression didn’t advance the point he was making in that section of the book. Finally, some of his mission talk, though brief, seemed loose.

The strengths of this work far outweigh its weaknesses. It deserves a wide reading since it will both inform lay readers of important but neglected aspects of biblical teaching while at the same time relating practically to their daily Christian walk.

Tripp, Paul David. What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.

The strength of this book is that it offers no secrets to a happy marriage. Tripp instead presents basic biblical teaching about sanctification and applies it to marriage. Tripp is correct to present sanctification as something at which Christians must work, but he also rightly highlights the grace of God as that which enables Christians to progress in sanctification. If there is a weakness it is Tripp’s tendency to repeat himself. Sometimes this reinforces points; other times it does not seem as effective.

Forsythe, Clarke D. Politics for the Greatest Good: The Case for Prudence in the Public Square. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009.

The first chapter bears the weight of the subtitle. It is there that a case is argued philosophically/theologically for the role of prudence in politics. This is followed by three chapters of example: American founders, Wilberforce, and Lincoln. Chapter 5 responds to Colin Harte’s Changing Unjust Laws Justly, a book that stands in direct opposition to Forsythe’s proposal. The final two chapters apply his insights to abortion and related issues. I found the first chapter the most interesting (and convincing) and wish he had taken more space to make the argument he made there.

Aniol, Scott. Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World. Religious Affections Ministries, 2010.

Though he is swimming against the flow in many areas, I believe Scott is absolutely correct on his main points. His treatment of the sufficiency of Scripture is especially well done. He corrects some common misapprehensions about the doctrine that have become popular despite lacking biblical support, let alone a informed understanding of the doctrine’s history. His chapter on evaluating musical communication also provides an excellent paradigm that works not only for making music choices but also for guiding choices in every area of the Christian life. I also find myself inclined toward his view that beauty is not simply subjective, but that was one part of the book where I desired more argumentation. I look forward to reading Scott’s larger book as well as Roger Scruton’s book on beauty. In all, this is an edifying book on a controversial topic because it generates more light than heat. Even if there were no controversy (and may that be so in the future), Scott’s book would remain a useful guide for applying the Scripture to music, worship, and life.

Carson, D. A. Christ and Culture Revisited. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.

Niebuhr’s typology is reductionistic: this is Carson’s primary point in Christ and Culture Revisited. Since most of Niebuhr’s types are grounded in some part of revelation, Carson argues that it is wrong to force people to choose between them. Rather, insofar as they are biblical, each type contributes to an overall biblical view. Carson also critiques several other approaches to the Christianity and culture debate and addresses related issues like democracy or church and state relations at greater depth. Again in these discussions Carson’s goal seems to be to combat reductionisms.

Two critiques: In his final chapter Carson lists "fundamentalism" as one response to culture. However, the fundamentalism he described sounded to my ears more like a certain strand of evangelicalism. Some fundamentalists may have fit in that category, but many others would better fit in some of the other options listed in that chapter. Since both fundamentalism and evangelicalism are "big tent" movements, neither is monolithic on these issues.

More significantly, as much as I benefited from Carson’s incisive critiques, I think the book would have benefited from a positive vision. This appeared at places, but it was never brought together. As a result Carson’s careful critiques could lead merely to the conclusion that this situation is complex and multifaceted.

Neither of these critiques vitiate the real value of the book. The reductionisms that Carson combats need combatting. His careful discussions of the biblical storyline, democracy, church and state, postmodernism, etc. are tremendously helpful.

Hiebert, Paul G. The Gospel in Human Contexts: Anthropological Explorations for Contemporary Missions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009.

This book provides an introductory-level view to contextualization and anthropology. It is helpful when read discerningly. Negatively, it seemed to be a collection of articles without a unifying argument.

Wickham, Chris. The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000. New York: Viking, 2009.

Wickham’s work on the early middle ages does an excellent job of presenting the reader with the political, cultural, and religious history of the period. He covers a wide geographical range that includes the Middle East and North Africa. At the beginning of the book he does an excellent job of showing the continuities and discontinuities that existed after the Roman Empire. In many ways culture did not drastically change since the barbarians were Romanized, but politically the state fragmented and the tax and trade structure fell apart, which did affect aspects of culture such as architecture. Wickham’s coverage of religion, especially the iconoclastic controversy, was also well done. His weakness, as others have pointed out, is a large amount of detail with little summarization that attempts to bring things together. Though this is, in his view, a strength that maintains the purity of the history, it does make it difficult to retain all the information provided.

McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

According to the cover the Washington Post Book World declared The Battle Cry of Freedom, "The finest single volume on the [Civil] war and its background." This strikes me as an accurate assessment. McPherson covered equally well the political, cultural, and military aspects of this decisive period in American history.

Saucy, Robert L. The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993.

The title of this work may obscure the extent of what Saucy covers in this book. The first chapter does deal with the differences between dispensational theologies and between dispensational and non-dispensational theologies. But the rest of the book is not so much a cumulative case as studies of key biblical issues from Saucy’s dispensational perspective. One part of the book looks at several of the biblical covenants as well as the theme of the kingdom in Scripture. Another part of the book examines aspects of ecclesiology. The final section of the book looks at the purpose of Israel in God’s plan, prophecies about Israel in the OT and NT, and the fulfillment of those prophecies. A book that covers this range is difficult to summarize. Suffice it to say that I found the book full of exegetical and theological insights and that I took more notes from this book than any other that I’ve recently read.

Budziszewski, J. Evangelicals in the Public Square: Four Formative Voices on Political Thought and Action. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006.

Budziszewski here provides a review of four evangelical thinkers (Henry, Kuyper, Schaeffer, and Yoder) with the conclusion that natural law theory is the missing element of Evangelical political interaction. I’m not convinced of the thesis, but Budziszewski is always enjoyable to read, and I found myself gleaning a good amount of helpful information along the way.

Chapell, Bryan. Why Do We Baptize Infants? Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2006.

Foundational to Chapell’s argument for infant baptism is an equation between the Abrahamic covenant and the Covenant of Grace (interestingly, Chapell did not use the Covenant of Grace language, but his argument ran along the same lines in that he concluded that believers are under the Abrahamic covenant). While Christians today participate in many aspects of the Abrahamic covenant, and while we can truly be called sons of Abraham, it does not follow that the Abrahamic covenant in its entirety is our covenant or is equated to a Covenant of Grace. The Abrahamic covenant includes national aspects that relate to the nation of Israel and not to the church. It seems patent, then, that the Abrahamic covenant in its entirety is not applicable to the church.

This being so, Chappell cannot assume, as he does, that baptism replaces circumcision as the covenant sign of a Covenant of Grace. This misunderstands the movement from a national covenant that included a mixture of regenerate and unregenerate people within the same covenant to the new covenant which is not a national covenant but is a covenant for the regenerate alone. Thus the NT brings about the end of circumcision while not ever equating it with baptism.

The best treatment of these issues that I’ve read is Stephen J. Wellum, "Relationship between the Covenants,” in Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ , ed. Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn Wright (Nashville: B&H, 2007), 154-55. [This chapter is available for free here.]

Owen, John. The Works of John Owen: Volume VI [Temptation and Sin]. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1967.

The first book bound in this volume, "The Mortification of Sin in Believers," is probably the best book written on how to war war against sin. It is worthy of being read often. The other books bound with it, "Of Temptation," "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers," and "A Practical Exposition upon Psalm CXXX," do not rise to the same level, but they too are worth reading. The latter, on one of my favorite Psalms, is a classic Puritan exposition, moving form detailed work on the words of the passage in Hebrew through to doctrine and practical application given at length under multiple subheadings.

Articles

Grudem, Wayne. "Pleasing God by Our Obedience: A Neglected New Testament Teaching." In For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper. Edited by Sam Storms and Justin Taylor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.

Grudem says, "This topic seems important to me because I think that evangelicals today are generally afraid of teaching about ‘pleasing God by obedience,’ for fear of sounding as if they disagree with justification by faith alone. But when the need to please God by obedience is neglected, we have millions of Christians in our churches who fail to see the importance of obedience in their daily lives" (273). Grudem surveys the NT to show that pleasing God by obedience is a significant theme in the NT and that it is not contradictory to justification by faith alone. He rightly argues that sanctification, unlike justification, involves not only God’s enabling grace but also our working. Grudem demonstrates from the NT that our obedience pleases God and our disobedience displeases him (though displeasure and discipline do not remove God’s love for his children). Grudem faithfully captures the full balance of the NT’s teaching by noting that obedience to God brings great blessing but also may lead us down paths of suffering.

Kuyper, Abraham. "Calvinism and Politics." In Lectures on Calvinism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1931.

In this lecture Kuyper expounds his view of sphere sovereignty. The government, social institutions, and the church each gain their authority directly from God and therefore government should not seek to usurp the rights of society or church. It does police the boundaries between the various spheres. Kuyper’s view of sphere sovereignty commits him to the ideal of a free church. He also condemns earlier Calvinists for advocating state-enforced adherence to their confession. Kuyper’s theorizing is interesting, but he does not seem to have firm exegetical support for his major concepts.

Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott, "Public Theology, Society, and America." In The Theology of Jonathan Edwards. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Helpfully outlines Edwards view of the roles of government (1. "secure property," 2. "protect citizens’ rights," 3. "maintain order," 4. "ensure justice," 5. "national defense," 6. "make good laws against immorality," 7. "help the poor," 8. give "support to true religion."), his views of good and bad patriotism, and his views on slavery, the slave trade, and race

Books

Gordon, T. David. Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010.

In this slim book Gordon challenges the idea that worship music styles are merely a matter of preference or taste. It astounds him that an aspect of the worship of God can be dismissed as insignificant or unimportant—something not likely to be said about the way the Lord’s Supper is observed. Gordon is as much concerned about the lack of thoughtful, theological discussion about the wide-ranging changes in Christian worship as he is about the changes themselves.

At the core of Gordon’s argument is the contention that aesthetics are not relative, that form shapes content, and that non-verbal messages often accompany our words. Given these contentions, Gordon argues that Christians must ask what popular musical aesthetics, forms, and meta-messages communicate. Is their communication consistent with or at odds with the Christian message.

Gordon finds pop music culture to be focused on contemporaneity. He finds it commercialized, sentimental, casual, and youth focused. These values are at odds with Christianity. Christianity ought to value tradition and history (which is different from moribund traditionalism). It places a higher value on the wisdom of elders than on youth. It fosters deep sentiments, but it is not sentimental. Christians ought to be reverent, not casual, in their approach to God. He finds pop music too trivial a medium for the worship of the true God.

Gordon does not argue that such music is sinful or unlawful for the church to use (though with certain styles of music, I think such a case could be made). He simply argues that lawful is not enough.

Gordon advocates a recovery of traditional hymn-singing. This does not mean that he wants to sing only old songs. Traditional or sacred music is still being composed in the present. But he does wish the church to make full use of the heritage bequeathed to it. Gordon recognizes that such a recovery cannot happen in a day. It will take time. But for the richness of the church’s hymn tradition to be recovered, at the very least the conversation that Gordon has started must continue. The style of worship music cannot be dismissed as unworthy of discussion, as being merely a matter of taste.

Morgan, Jill. A Man of the Word: The Life of G. Campbell Morgan. 1951. Reprinted, Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock, 2003.

This book did not have the same mind-shaping influence on me that I know it has had on others before me. I wonder if this is because those people have taken their insights and worked them into our church life so that what were insights to them is simply my normal experience of church life and pastoral ministry. The book did give me a greater appreciation for ministry and the religious situation at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century.

Jones, Paul S. What is Worship Music? Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010.

In this brief book Paul Jones answers his title question in three parts: worship music is praise, worship music is prayer, and worship music is proclamation. In each of these parts Jones grounds his discussion in Scripture, amply illustrates it from church history, and provides practical applications.

A few examples will exhibit Jones’s careful, biblical approach. In his section on worship music as praise, he notes that churches don’t have the option of neglecting the Psalms in their worship since the New Testament commands the singing of Psalms (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Jones rejects exclusive psalmody, however, on the grounds that such an approach "would be missing our acknowledgement of and gratitude for Christ’s redemption and his fulfillment of Old Testament promises" (11-12).

In the section on worship music as prayer, Jones contrasts this approach to worship music with the common contemporary tendency to treat worship music as performance. Worshippers do not respond to prayer with applause, yet this is a common response in contemporary worship services to musical performances. These churches often look at their music ministry as a way to attract the lost so that the sermon will have a chance to gain a hearing or as necessary to retain the young people of the church. Jones argues that all these approaches to music stand at variance with treating worship music as prayer.

In the section on music as proclamation Jones presents several passages that teach that music should teach (Col. 3:16; Ps. 60; 119:171-72, 174-75), several examples from church history, and the practical conclusion that "many of the same criteria used to define great preaching and teaching can be employed to define great church music" (36).

Jones has managed, with lucid brevity, to write a Scripture-infused, historically aware, practically wise book that will benefit churches and Christians who take it up and read.

Williamson, Paul R. Sealed with an Oath: Covenant in God’s Unfolding Purpose. New Studies in Biblical Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2007.

Williamson wrote an excellent work on the covenants in Scripture. He begins with a discussion of the concept of covenant in biblical and theological scholarship. He (rightly in my view) discounts the concept of an overarching covenant of grace. This approach flattens out the diverse covenants of Scripture. It is therefore better to speak of one "unfolding purpose" of God worked out through the various covenants. Williamson also argues against a covenant with creation or Adam. The biblical covenants begin with Noah. Williamson’s treatment of the Noahic covenant, an often neglected covenant, is excellent. He also provides a helpful treatment of the New covenant, which he sees as replacing the Mosaic covenant. To this point I have remained unconvinced by his thesis that Genesis 15 and 17 represent two Abrahamic covenants, one conditional and one unconditional. I also am unconvinced by his mild supercessionism. Disagreements aside, this is a major contribution to the discussion of the biblical covenants and one to which I’ll turn often in the future.

Niane, D. T. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Translated by G. D. Pickett. Harlow, Essex, England: Longman, 1965.

Forster, Greg. The Contested Public Square: The Crisis of Christianity and Politics. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2008.

Greg Forster’s The Contested Public Square is a readable, informative, and engaging history of Christian political thought. Far from an academic treatise, Forster recognizes that the moral consensus which Western nations have shared for fifteen hundred years has come apart, leading to a political crisis. He believes that "the first step to finding an answer [to this crisis] is understanding the question. We are going to have to do a better job of understanding the real nature of the crisis. If we do achieve that insight, we still might not succeed; but if we do not even try to achieve it, we will have lost before we even begin. That is what has driven me to write this book" (249).

Forster begins his work with the first centuries of the church, detours to take into account the influence of Greek philosophies, and then moves through Western history to the present. In the patristic era Christian apologists argued against state persecution of Christianity, but Christians had not real theology or philosophy of political involvement. Christian thinkers tended to argue against government and military participation because of the religious compromise it involved. But with the Christianization of the Roman Empire, Christians needed to develop a political theology. As in so many areas of theology, Augustine proved most influential (Forster points especially to book 19 of the City of God). Augustine first made use of the idea of natural law that developed into a political theory in the middle ages and persisted on to the time of Locke where it became a foundational element in his case for religious toleration and liberal democracy. Even in medieval Europe the seeds for Locke’s approach existed in the belief that natural law, with its concern for temporal goods, provided the foundation for civil law whereas the Bible and the Church concerned itself with spiritual goods. Yet because a shared morality, based on a shared religion, is necessary for the temporal good of society, the state enforced religious uniformity in the middle ages. The Reformation shattered this uniformity. Because of the continued belief in the necessity of a shared religion, the Reformation set off a series of religious persecutions and wars. One attempt to settle the problem was to permit the prince to choose the religion of his nation. But in nations, such as England, where the religious positions of the monarchs shifted between Catholicism and Protestantism, religious conflict was only exacerbated. Enter John Locke. In his early years Locke favored strictly enforced religious conformity to ensure public tranquility. But on a diplomatic mission to Cleves, a city in Germany which, due to some strange political circumstances, allowed religious toleration, Locke’s views were radically transformed. He saw that toleration had removed religion from the political equation and led to public tranquility among adherents to different religion. Public virtue was not threatened because natural law undergirded a shared morality despite religious differences. Locke’s views led to the advent of religious toleration, even religious freedom, and liberal democracy. But in the twentieth century liberal democracy entered a crisis as political theorists denied the natural law foundations Locke’s position and sought to replace them with something else: tradition (Edmund Burke and conservatism) and the maximization of human happiness (John Stuart Mill and utilitarianism) being the chief alternatives discussed by Forster. As philosophical and religious diversity increases, shared morality is fragmenting. Without a shared religion, a shared morality has shattered. And yet it is impossible at this juncture to return to a shared religion for each political community. Forster concludes, "All paths now lead to danger. If we wish to preserve religious freedom, we must somehow find a way to build social consensus around moral laws that politics requires without going back to dependence upon a shared religion." How is this to be done; is it even possible? Forster concludes, "I do not know the answer to this crisis" (249).

The lack of an answer to this intractable problem does not eviscerate that value of Forster’s work. He set about not to answer the question but to providing the necessary background to understand it. In this he succeeded admirably. My one complaint with the book is that there were various points where I desired greater documentation. That aside, I found this one of the most illuminating books that I have read.

Articles

Johnson, Jr., S. Lewis. “Paul and ‘The Israel of God’: An Exegetical and Eschatological Case-Study.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.

This is the best treatment of Galatians 6:16 that I’ve read. Johnson surveys the various proposals regarding this verse from the grammatical, syntactical, contextual, and theological perspectives. He concludes (along with the consensus of recent scholarship) that the Israel of God refers to Christian Jews. He also demonstrates the possibility of an eschatological aspect to Paul’s discourse at this point.

Johnson, Elliott E. “Apocalyptic Genre in Literal Interpretation.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

A helpful essay on how to interpret the portions of Scripture assigned to the apocalyptic genre. In addition to positive suggestions, Johnson cautions against divorcing the genre from application to real people and events and against the over-use of appeals to mythological comparisons.

Walvoord, John F. “The Theological Significance of Revelation 20:1-6.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

Includes a helpful discussion of the "first resurrection."

Merrill, Eugene H. “Daniel as a Contribution to Kingdom Theology.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

The essay opens with a convincing argument that kingdom serves as a center of the Bible’s theology, and that its seedbed is Genesis 1:26-28. Merrill then focuses in on this theme in Daniel. The latter part of the essay does a good job of providing a historical survey and an interpretational survey of Daniel and his times. But the theological synthesis was thin.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. "Law and Grace: Two Dangers to Avoid," The Banner of Truth (Oct. 2011).

The two dangers that Lloyd-Jones warns are antinomianism, that the Law has no abiding value in the present age, and a vacillation between law and grace, that is, a mentality that seeks to regain God’s grace after disobedience. Both of these are deadly to the Christian. Attempts to work oneself back into the favor of God are disastrous for Christian living, but the law nonetheless retains its role of convicting the lost and providing a guide for believers.

Awabdy, Mark A. "Green Eggs and Shawarma: Reinterpreting the Bible, Reforming Mission, with Leviticus’ גר as a Test Case," Asbury Journal 66, no. 1 (2011): 31-45.

The test case takes up most of the article with very brief (and rather unhelpful) thoughts about mission and interpretation at the beginning and end. The overall thrust of the test case was that the גר in Leviticus were foreigners who had moved to Israel and become Yahweh-worshippers. They were therefore bound by much of the law, but they also received exceptions to certain laws due to their ancestry (e.g., not required to observe the feast of booths) or poorer status (e.g., having to do with the slaughter and eating of certain animals).

Steinmann, Andrew E. “Night and Day, Evening and Morning.” Bible Translator 62, no. 3 (2011): 145-150.

Steinmann reasserts against C. John Collins that "evening and morning" in Genesis 1 forms a merism for "a day." Collins argues that evening and morning highlight the time of rest between each day. This is part of his argument for an ongoing seventh day and a non-literal view of the days. In this article Steinmann demonstrates that complex merisms, like "And there was evening and there was morning" do exist. He also answers some quibbles, such as the claim that translating "and there was evening and there was morning, one day" removes the idea of sequence by inserting a cardinal number in a series marked off with ordinals. In Steinman’s approach the day is defined as being a solar day in Genesis 1:5. Evening precedes morning because the Hebrew day began in the evening.

Beale, G. K. "The Old Testament Background of the ‘Last Hour’ in 1 John 2, 18," Biblica, 92.2 (2011): 231-254

Argues that John is alluding to the Old Greek translation of Daniel 8:17,19;10:14;11:35,40;12:1. In Beale’s interpretation this involves an already-not-yet interpretation in which the church is eschatological Israel.

Noel K. Weeks, "Cosmology in Historical Context," Westminster Theological Journal 68.2 (2006): 283-93.

Weeks provides convincing arguments against attempts to say that the Israelites believed that the earth was a disk of land built over waters and topped with a solid dome. He shows problems in the basic assumptions, problems in relation to the available data from Palestine about what people believed, problems with appealing to sources like Enuma Elish if one holds an early date for Genesis, problems of using poetic descriptions of creation to construct the physical model of the universe which the Israelites allegedly held. In terms of assumptions, Weeks makes the insightful comment that it is often thought that interpreting Genesis in light of ANE cosmology is more historical that interpreting the text without reference to it; but, Weeks notes, the same interpreters wish to divide the cosmology (which they discard in favor of modern cosmology) from the theology (which the wish to hold as valid)—a very unhistorical position to take in regards to a world that held cosmological and theological together. Weeks article exposes the flimsy basis on which recent the recent claims of what Israelite cosmology must be like stand.

Steinmann, Andrew E. אחד As and Ordinal Number and the Meaning of Genesis 1:5, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 45.4 (Dec 2006): 577-84.

Steinman argues for the translation: "God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening and there was a morning: one day." Grammatical arguments for translating אחד as an ordinal have not investigated the particular situations in which this is acceptable. He sees this translation as indicating solar days in the creation week.

Kamell, M. J. "The Implications of Grace for the Ethics of James," Biblica 94.2 (2011): 274-87.

She argues that James is not an ethical book cut off from theology but that his ethics are instead grounded in theology, which is especially apparent in chapter 1. The difference between Paul and James is not that the former is theological and the later ethical but that James writes in a wisdom style that presents theology differently from Paul.

McLean, John A. "The Chronology of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11," Bibliotheca Sacra 168 (Oct-Dec 2011): 460-71.

He argues that the two witnesses are chronologically located in the latter half of the tribulation. He believes that arguments that place them in the first half are based on assumptions that are not stated in the text or on misplaced concerns about perceived conflicts with the events described in chapter 11 and the events in the latter half of the tribulation. He argues that Revelation 11 is an interlude that provides a preview of the latter part of the tribulation from an alternate perspective.

Malone, Andrew S. “Distinguishing the Angel of the Lord.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 21, no. 3 (2011): 297-314.

Malone critiques and earlier BBR article in which the author argued for that the Angel of the Lord is the representative of Yahweh rather than identified with Yahweh. Malone says that this article failed to prove its point. It sought to prove, (1) that the Angel of the Lord speaks as Yahweh and (2) that the Angel of the Lord is distinct from Yahweh. Malone said that the earlier article proved the former point but its arguments for the latter were weak. Thus the article tended to support the identity view.

Hess, Richard S. “The Seventy-Sevens of Daniel 9: A Timetable for the Future?” Bulletin for Biblical Research 21, no. 3 (2011): 315-330.

Hess begins by surveying historical, dispensational, and other modern interpretations. He agrees with the early church and the dispensationalists that the sixty-nine weeks end in the time of Christ and with the dispensationalists that the final week is in the future. But he disagrees with dispensationalists that these years can be calculated precisely. He notes that the Bible tends to divide human history into segments of 400 to 500 years. It places 427 years between Noah and Abram, 400 years between Abram and the Exodus, 480 years from the exodus to Solomon’s temple, and (though not explicitly this time), around 480 years between the construction of the first temple and events of the exile. Hess says of 1 Kings 6:1 and the dating of Solomon’s temple, "The number, no more intended as a precise number of years than the 400 of Gen 15:13, implicitly represents 12 generations of 40 years each. It describes an ideal and complete number of years that suggests that the construction of the temple began at precisely the correct time in Israel’s history." With Daniel, therefore, there is an epoch of 483 to 490 years (depending on whether the 70th week is placed in the future or not). He says, here "historic premillennialism finds its natural interpretation of Daniel and his future: a time connected with Jesus’ return but not tied to one precise scheme of years." But this seems to come at a high cost. At stake is not merely the debated 70 sevens of Daniel but a whole host of chronological indicators in Scripture. On what basis are they swept away as non-historical? This seems to move toward an approach to Scripture in which its theological truths are valued but its historicity is relativized.

Keener, Craig S. “Otho: A Targeted Comparison of Suetonius’ Biography and Tacitus’ History, with implications for the Gospels’ Historical Reliability,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 21 (3, 2011): 331ff.

Some scholars claim that in the ancient world the line between fiction and history was thin in biographies (thus casting doubt on the historical reliability of the gospels). Keener argues that this is not so, especially in biographies written shortly after the death of the subject. He compares Plutarch, Suetonius, and Tacitus on Otho as a test case and is able to show a great deal of agreement, which reflects reliance on historical sources in composition rather than the free play of imagination to be expected if biographies were more novelistic in nature.

Kaiser, Walter C. "Israel as the People of God." The People of God: Essays on the Beleivers’ Church. Edited by Paul Badsen and David S. Dockery. Nashville: Broadman, 1991.

Kaiser argues that the church and Israel are distinct entities but that both together form the united people of God. He discusses Galatians 6, Romans 9, 11, and Acts 15 in making his case that the church is not Israel, that ethnic Israel still has a future, and that the two are nonetheless still the unified people of God.

Toussaint, Stanley D. “The Kingdom in Matthew’s Gospel.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

Toussaint’s essay has some helpful material about the importance of Gen. 1:26-28 to the kingdom idea in biblical theology, and he has a good defense of the earthly nature of the kingdom (I would add, in its consummation). I found his defense of the idea every occurrence of kingdom in Matthew refers to the future Millennial kingdom lacking. He asserts this possibility more than he argues for its probability.

Martin, John A. “Dispensational Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount.” In Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

Martin’s goal is to demonstrate that dispensationalists are not locked into one single approach to understanding the Sermon on the Mount (namely, the view that it provides a future kingdom ethic). He believes, with most evangelicals, that the sermon provides an ethic for believers in the present day.

Books

Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man. HarperSanFrancisco, 1947.

A natural law argument against reducing all value judgments to mere personal sensations. Lewis argues for the necessity of a natural law by showing the impossibility of functioning without one.

VanDrunen, David. A Biblical Case for Natural Law. Studies in Christian Social Ethics and Economics. Edited by Anthony B. Bradley. Grand Rapids: Acton Institute, n. d.

VanDrunen argues successfully for the existence of natural law. His deployment of the concept with in a Klineian two-kingdoms model is on shakier ground. For instance the Noahic covenant is about making space for the other redemptive covenants to be worked out (see esp. Jer. 33:20-21); it is a covenant also instituted in connection with a sacrifice of atonement. It is thus not a covenant about making space for a common kingdom. VanDrunen also seems to equivocate between biblical kingdom language and the way kingdom language is used in the history of theology. This is especially problematic because VanDrunen ends up connecting theological kingdom language to the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants whereas in the Bible the kingdom of God is most closely connected with the Davidic covenant, a covenant that gets very little attention from VanDrunen.

Van Drunen’s hope that natural law can provide the basis for common morality is also on shakier ground that his argument for the existence of natural law. Attempts to reason from natural law apart from explicit Scripture are often unconvincing. This is even further exacerbated by the prevailing religious pluralism in which there are real competing value systems at work in a society. Though the Fall has not eradicated mankind’s sense of the law, it has so distorted it that competing systems are now in place. Finally, secularists and/or pluralists are no more inclined to concede to natural law than they are to concede to Scripture.

Watson, Thomas. The Godly Man’s Picture. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth.

Watson begins by challenging his readers to self-examination about their conversion, helpfully sketches out in concrete terms what a godly life is, and concludes with comfort for believers who recognize their failure to measure up. Excellent.

Lewis, C. S. That Hideous Strength. New York: Collier, 1946.

This, the last of Lewis’ Space Trilogy, is the hardest to get into on first read. The characters seem to be entirely different, the setting is earth, and the action is minimal. In fact the first hundred pages seem to be about the debates of college professors about trivial college matters. But rereading shows this book to be the one of the three with the greatest depth. Lewis is working on many different levels (pay attention to weather and lighting). Also reading Lewis’ essay “The Inner Ring” and his book The Abolition of Man will prepare readers for many of the themes of That Hideous Strength. Brushing up on Arthurian legends won’t hurt either, though the book works fine standing on its own.

Articles

Wenkel, David. “The Logic and Exegesis behind Calvin’s Doctrine of the Internal Witness of the Holy Spirit to the Authority of Scripture.” Puritan Reformed Journal 3, no. 2 (July 2011): 98-108.

Overly, Paul. “Some Thoughts on the Meaning of Music from a Christian World View.” In Barrett, Michael P. V. The Beauty of Holiness: A Guide to Biblical Worship. Greenville, SC: Ambassador, 2006.

Argues that Christians need to evaluate music according to its culturally assigned meaning as well as according to its formal elements, which contribute to its meaning.

Beall, Todd S. “Contemporary Hermeneutical Approaches to Genesis 1-11.” In Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth. Edited by Terry Mortenson and Thane H. Ury. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2008.

A good evaluation of non-literal approaches to Genesis 1-11.

Averbeck, Richard E. “The Sumerian Historiographic Tradition and Its Implications for Genesis 1-11.” In Faith, Tradition, and History: Old Testament Historiography in Its Near Eastern Context. Edited by A. R. Millard, J. K. Hoffmeier, D. W. Baker. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1994.

Helm, Paul. “Review of God Without Parts: Simplicity and the Metaphysics of Divine Absoluteness by James E. Dolezal.”

Favorable review of a 2011 WTS dissertation that defends divine simplicity against modern philosophical detractors.

Hall, Gregory V. “Applying a New Perspective Understanding to Romans 2:12-16,” Ashland Theological Journal (2010): 31-39.

Summarized New Perspective approaches to this passage but did not advance beyond what anyone would gather simply by reading Dunn or Wright’s commentaries on this passage.

Barnes, Peter. “Prayer: Some Suggestions,” Banner of Truth (Aug-Sep 2011): 1-3.

Eagleman, David. “The Brain on Trial.” The Atlantic, August 2011.

An argument that reduces (almost?) all human behavior to brain functioning beyond the scope of any individual will and the suggested legal ramifications to such a view.

Gruenke, Jennifer, and Justin D. Barnard. “Don’t Put the Brain on Trial.” Public Discourse, October 4, 2011.

An argument that the scientific claims in Eagleman’s article were overstated and that the current legal system is already prepared to handle the extreme kinds of cases discussed by Eagelman.

Frame, John. “Review of David Van Drunen, A Biblical Case for Natural Law (Grand Rapids: Acton Institute, no date).”

Affirms the concept of natural law but takes issue with the exegetical arguments VanDrunen uses to establish his two kingdom’s approach.

Helm, Paul. “Natural Law and Common Grace.” Helm’s Deep, November 1, 2008.

Helm argues that natural law and common grace are aimed at affirming the same thing. Only by the confusing of Counter-Reformation teaching with medieval teaching do they end up opposed.

Saucy, Mark R. “Canon as Tradition: The New Covenant and the Hermeneutical Question.” Themelios 36, no. 2 (2011).

An argument against D. H. Williams and others who seem to give patristic tradition some level of authority in doctrinal formation. Saucy argues that the fathers are not sufficient guides for right interpretation because they fail to appreciate the canon’s emphasis on the new covenant as a necessary hermeneutical guide.

Ward, Wayne E. “The Worship of the Church.” In The People of God: Essays on the Believers’ Church. Edited by Paul Basden and David S. Dockery. Nashville: Broadman, 1991.

Hiestand, Gerald. “Augustine and the Justification Debates: Appropriating Augustine’s Doctrine of Culpability.” Trinity Journal 28, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 115-139.

An argument in favor of Augustine’s doctrine of justification over against that of Calvin, Hodge, and others in the Reformation tradition. He favors Augustine’s view that justification is equivalent to regeneration (there is a real, essential change rather than only a forensic change in justification). He ties this to the fact that Augustine more consistently held to a realist view of why people are culpable before God rather than a view that moves toward placing greater stress on the imputation of Adam’s sin forensically. Michael Horton’s Covenant and Salvation provides a more traditional Reformation view of justification that does not neglect its connection to transformation.

Walters, Stanley D. “Reading Samuel to Hear God,” Calvin Theological Journal 37 (2002): 62-81.

A helpful article that deals with Samuel’s canonical location and with its structure.

Books

Lewis, C. S. Perelandra.

• An enjoyable and insightful read about temptation and much, much more.

Metaxas, Eric. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. [Audio book]

• The book has been criticized by Bonhoeffer scholars for trying to make Bonhoeffer too much of an evangelical. This is probably a valid criticism. But Mexaxes likely got the broad outlines of the story correct, and he is a masterful storyteller. For a free audio-book, not bad.

O’Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh . New York: Scholastic, 1971.

• Never read this one as a child. Enjoyed it.

Stevenson, Robert Louis, The Black Arrow.

• I really enjoyed this book as a boy and had fun revisiting it with my wife.

Articles

Bolt, John. “Grand Rapids Between Kampen and Amsterdam: Herman Bavinck’s Reception and Influence in North America.” Calvin Theological Journal 38 (2003): 263-280.

• An interesting article that deals with Bavinck’s separatist heritage and with its effects on the present-day theological location of Calvin Theological Seminary.

Stek, John. “A New Theology of Baptism? Baptism: A Sign of Grace or of Judgment?” Calvin Theological Journal (1966):69-73.

• An early, positive review of Kline’s defense of paedobaptism. Kline’s view’s have most recently been expounded in J. V. Fesko’s new book on baptism.

Bauder’s articles on Fundamentalism

• The articles on Second Premise Arguments,  Assessing Worldliness, and Together (only?) for the Gospel were standouts in the series.

Bell, Theo. “Calvin and Luther on Bernard of Clairvaux.” Calvin Theological Journal 34, no. 2 (November 1, 1999): 370-395.

• Despite a number of errors on Bernard’s part, Calvin saw Bernard as a preserver of true doctrine in the middle ages and a demonstration that Calvin was not an innovator.

Wright, N. T. “Justification: Yesterday, Today, and Forever.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 54, no. 1 (March 2011): 49-63.

• Wright needs to stop two things: claiming that he stands in the true spirit of the Reformation because Scripture, not tradition, determines his viewpoint and misrepresenting and then distancing himself from the Reformer’s teaching on justification. The Reformers gave tradition an important, if ancillary and non-authoritative, role in their theologizing. If Wright paid it more heed, perhaps he would avoid mis-representing what the Reformers actually taught about justification. At various points, if I read him charitably, it seems that Wright may be approaching aspects of the Reformation doctrine of justification. But he insists that the Reformers are wrong. Should I take him at his word or insist on reading him more charitably than he reads the Reformers?

Schreiner, Thomas R. “Justification: The Saving Righteousness of God in Christ.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 54, no. 1 (March 2011): 19-34.

• Excellent exposition. Clear. Biblical.

Akin, Daniel L. “Bernard of Clairvaux : evangelical of the 12th century (an analysis of his soteriology).” Criswell Theological Review 4 (March 1, 1990): 327-350.

• Highlights “evangelical” aspects of Bernard’s soteriology. It’s probably too much to call him an evangelical, but the continuities show why the Reformers liked Bernard.

Manetsch, Scott M. “Is The Reformation Over John Calvin Roman Catholicism And Contemporary Ecumenical Conversations.” Themelios 36, no. 2 (2011): 185-202.

• An excellent and needed article about the continuing errors in the Roman church that Protestants must protest. See also his helpful critique of Noll’s book, “Is the Reformation Over?”

Peckham, John C. “Intrinsic Canonicity and the Inadequacy of the Community Approach to Canon-Determination.” Themelios 36, no. 2 (2011): 2-3-15.

• An excellent response to the canon theories of men like Lee Martin McDonald and Craig Allert. See also John C. Peckham, “The Canon and Biblical Authority: A Comparison of Two Models of Canonicity,” TrinJ 28, no. 2 (Fall 2007) 228-49.

Since I posted recently on the NIGTC set, I thought I’d put some comments up about the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Overall I like this set. These commentaries are laid out nicely. The shaded section at the beginning of each pericope orients the reader to the flow of the passage. Often, after the verse by verse comments there is a shaded section that summarizes the pericope. These shaded sections help keep the commentary from becoming atomistic. I’m also very pleased that the Greek is printed in Greek font and not merely transliterated.

Here are my thoughts on the individual volumes.

Turner, Matthew – It’s nice to have a volume on Matthew by a Progressive Dispensationalist, especially in light of key eschatological passages like the Olivet Discourse. However, his comments seem exceedingly brief in many places. Perhaps I need to use Turner more, but right now I’m not sure this was the best purchase.

Stein, Mark – This may be a fine commentary, but I’ve not looked into it because I feel as though I have Mark well-covered between Edwards (PNTC), France (NIGTC), Cranfield, Hiebert, and Lane (NICNT). [Note: I just read the RBL Review of Stein’s work; it didn’t incline me toward purchase.]

Bock, Luke –Bock’s 2 volume work is massive. He defends the historicity of Luke and interacts with the Jesus seminar. He deals with the synoptic problem. He includes helpful text critical notes. The commentary proper provides verse-by-verse exegesis, and Bock often helpfully surveys and adjudicates various interpretations. He is not as helpful when it comes to tracing the flow of thought or literary themes of the passage in light of the rest of the book. Nor does this commentary consistently bring out the major theological themes of Luke. Joel Green’s NICNT contribution, though not as conservative as Bock, does a better job on those points. Nonetheless, Bock is invaluable and I’m glad I own these volumes.

Köstenberger, John –I like Köstenberger, and his commentary is not bad. But after reading Morris (NICNT), Carson (PNTC), and Ridderbos, I don’t sense that he is adding anything. He’s in many ways similar to Carson, but Carson packs more in. For this reason, I’ve not bought this volume.

Bock, Acts –This volume is okay. Once again it is light on literary approaches and theology. The notes are moderately helpful, but the lack of synthesis makes this commentary not all I was hoping it would be. Peterson’s contribution to the Pillar series looks to be a fine commentary on about the same level, and in addition to solidly explaining the text it is very strong on synthesis and theology. I prefer Peterson to Bock.

Schreiner, Romans – Douglas Moo has written the finest commentary on Romans (NICNT), but I’m also glad to own Schreiner’s Romans commentary. Schreiner does a good job of tracing Paul’s flow of thought and of explaining Paul’s meaning. Well worth owning. [Do note that in Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ, 205ff., Schreiner humbly corrects some of his interpretations in the Romans commentary]

Garland, 1 Corinthians – I’ve found every commentary by Garland to be helpful. More recent than Fee (NICNT) and more manageable than Thiselton (NIGTC), I’m very glad I own this volume.

Silva, Philippians – I’d rank commentaries on Philippians: Fee (NICNT), O’Brien (NIGTC), Silva (BECNT) [I’ve not looked at the recent PNTC contribution yet]. Silva does a good job showing how the book fits together. I’m glad to own this volume.

McCartney, James – This is newly out, and I hear good things about it. It’s on my look into getting list.

Jobes, 1 Peter – I’ve read good things about Jobes’ commentary, and I’ve found it moderately useful when I’ve used it. But I already have Schreiner (NAC), Grudem (TNTC), Hiebert, Achtemeier (Hermenia), Stibbs (TNTC), Davids (NICNT), and a number of older works. So I’ve not felt a Jobes necessary purchase. (I would rank Schreiner, Grudem and Achtemeier among the most helpful commentaries on 1 Peter. Achtemeier is liberal, but his comments on the Greek are helpful.)

Green, Gene,  Jude & 2 Peter – I’ve not spent a whole lot of time with this volume, but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen. But having Schreiner (NAC), Bauckham (WBC), Hiebert, and Michael Green (TNTC), this isn’t a priority purchase for me.

Yarbrough, 1-3 John – This looks to be an excellent commentary on the Johannine epistles. It looks as though between Yarbrough and Carson’s forthcoming NIGTC volume, these epistles will be well covered. This volume is high on my to-get list.

Osborne, Revelation – This is my favorite Revelation commentary. Osborne writes from a premillennial perspective and carefully exegetes the book. His section on the theology of Revelation is also very helpful.

A friend recently asked for my evaluation of the New International Greek Testament Commentary. Below is my reply. I hope it’s helpful.

John Nolland, Matthew – Every time I looked at this commentary, it seemed as though he was spending more time doing redaction criticism than actually explaining the text. I don’t own and I don’t plan to buy.

R. T. France, Mark – This is a good, detailed exegetical commentary on Mark (though take note of the preterist eschatology in the Olivet Discourse). I own it and find it helpful.

I. Howard Marshall, Luke – This is a decent Luke commentary, but I would rank Bock’s 2 volume BECNT and Green’s NICNT volume above it. I do own it and consult it, however.

Anthony Thiselton, 1 Corinthians – This is a massive commentary on 1 Corinthians. There’s so much that it’s a bit overwhelming. Fee (NICNT) and Garland (BECNT) are much more useful for studying large chunks (like chapters). But if you’re going to do some detailed exegesis, this volume will be helpful. I own.

Murray Harris, 2 Corinthians – This is a superb 2 Corinthians commentary. Worth having. I own it.

F. F. Bruce, Galatians – Like most of Bruce’s work, this is a solid commentary. I own it. But there are a number of newer commentaries on Galatians that are in the pipeline that, I think, will surpass this one. I think Carson and Moo are both working on Galatians commentaries for the PNTC and BECNT sets, respectively.

Peter T. O’Brien, Philippians – This is one of the best commentaries on Philippians. It’s a hard call between O’Brien and Fee (NICNT). This is worth having. I own.

George Knight, Pastoral Epistles – Knight is more conservative than some of these other contributors, but his volume is older and thinner. I wish I could recommend him, but I’d go for Mounce (WBC), Towner (NICNT), and Marshall (ICC) before Knight. I’ve found when I use these Knight doesn’t add anything. I don’t own and don’t plan to buy.

Paul Ellingworth, Hebrews – A detailed, helpful commentary, if a bit atomisitc. Still worth having. I own.

Peter Davids, James – I’m not a fan of Davids’ commentaries. I’d go for Moo (PNTC) and the new BECNT commentary on James by McCartney before getting this one. I don’t own and don’t plan to get.

Greg Beale, Revelation – This is the commentary on Revelation from an Amillennial perspective. I don’t own, and I’m debating on whether I need an Amill commentary on Revelation. Maybe, if I’m going to teach eschatology and won’t have a library with it nearby. But other than that, I’m not planning to get.

Mark has continued our dialogue about electronic resources over on his blog, making this round 4 in his scheme of posting.

Response to Mark’s Pros

Cost

The IVP Essential Reference Collection at $80 is a good deal. In fact, it’s a better deal than is currently available. But, the IVP Essential Reference Collection is also a stronger set than many offered; I’m not sure this is representative.

In my personal experience, I’ve never found an electronic set that comes ahead of what I’ve been able to get in print through used booksellers. Here’s how I compare prices. (1) I remove the books from the set that I’m not interested in. (2) I remove the books from that set that I already own. (3) I’d see what the used prices are for the remaining books. I then compare what I’d need to spend to get the books I want in hardback with the electronic pricing. After doing this, I typically find it cheaper to get physical copies of the books.

Part of the cost problem is that electronic books are almost always bought new. There are discounts available, but I typically find buying books used cheaper than buying electronic books new.

Another advantage to buying hard copies is the ability to piece together sets over time. This means that someone with a small book budget can slowly build a quality library.

Convenience

This is often a benefit. Yet there are also some convenience trade-offs. It’s far easier to browse a physical book. If I want to get an overview of a chapter before reading it, I find it easier to flip through a paper book than through an electronic book. I also find it easier to keep a physical book with me for spontaneous reading opportunities. I’m less likely to pull out my tablet for such things (though more likely than when I had a laptop). Of course, a Kindle would be as handy as a physical book for such opportunities.

Portability

This is certainly a benefit to electronic books. But it doesn’t make buying electronic books a no brainer. The pro of portability needs to be weighed against the cons. For a traveling evangelist the benefit of portability will probably outweigh the cons. For those not continually on the move, the cons are still significant.

Searchability

I typically do remember where to find things in what I read (an advantage of print media), but I’m not without the benefits of searchability. If I need to search a book I own, I can typically do so via Google Books.

Quality

I would dispute this point more strenuously than the others. I’m not convinced that buying the Gold package from Logos is the best way for a student to develop his library.

The Logos package is a huge mixed bag. Do I really want Weirsbe’s “Be Series"? No. Do I want the NAC and NIGTC sets? Some of the volumes from each. I’d advice younger ministerial students to start talking with grad students about what books to buy.

A student who carefully puts together a print library with the advice of professors and more advanced students is likely to have a library of more consistently quality than a student who relies on buying various software packages (though a student who wished to go electronic could also have a consistently good library by being selective on what he installs from each package).

Pros for Print Books / Cons for Electronic Books

Cost

I know Mark listed this as a benefit of electronic books, but in my experience, I’ve been able to procure print books at better prices than their electronic counterparts.

Technology

The technology of the codex is quite remarkable.

The data held within a codex is easily accessible. Unlike the scroll that preceded it, the codex is easily scanned, and the reader can move easily from one part of the codex to another. It’s much more difficult to flip though the pages in a Kindle. Even in Logos, unless one is using a large screen, it is difficult to do an initial scan of a chapter.

The codex form factor is optimally designed for reading. The form factor of a laptop (let alone a desktop) isn’t optimal for long reading. The form factor of a tablet is better, though tablets are still a good deal heavier than most codices. Many people have found it far easier to read from the printed page rather than from a typical monitor.

The codex is portable. True, a library of codices are not portable. But a codex (presuming it’s not a large reference work) can be carried almost anywhere. A laptop or tablet isn’t as portable. They’re typically bulkier and heavier. I do acknowledge, however, that a Kindle does maintain the same portability as a codex (and more, since multiple books can be carried on a Kindle).

The codex works well with at least some people’s methods of personal data retrieval. Often I can scan over the books on my bookshelves, recall which book has the information I need, and find that information based on the place in the book (something to do with the thickness of pages on each side of the spread) and the location on the page.

I much prefer this method of data recovery, which involves actually reading and remembering to the acquiring to what may amount mining an electronic database that is rarely actually read. If electronic books are often searched but rarely actually read in their entirety, then the shift from print to electronic media will be pernicious. Some forms of electronic books would be more prone to this than others. For instance, the Kindle is designed for people to read rather than to mine books.

Electronic books have made some great advances, and the various electronic platforms each have various benefits over each other and over the printed book. Nonetheless, the codex is an amazing technological achievement that should not be underappreciated.

Standards

One of the primary reasons I haven’t invested in an electronic library is the lack of standards. A long time ago it looked as thought the STEP format which was interoperable between programs like WordSearch and QuickVerse would be a safe bet because a number of Bible programs were using the same format. Logos now dominates the market. But who will dominate the market in 50 years? In the broader electronic book market, is the Kindle going to dominate? Will that format remain proprietary to Amazon? Will Epub become the standard e-book format? Or will a something else become standard? What happens to books when the software or device used to read them ceases to be developed? Until the standards issue is sorted out, I’m not convinced that I ought to spend thousands of dollars for electronic books.