Sermon Recap for October 20 2024

 Good morning! Here is yesterday's sermon.

Sermon Addendum for October 16 2024

 We continue on in our sermon series in 1 John. There's not enough space in a sermon or this blog to cover all the details of the Johannine Letters. I would recommend you pick up Letters to the Church by Karen Jobes for some of those background pieces of information.

An important part of the background material on any letters in the New Testament is who wrote it. When you look at the letters of John, there are several theories of authorship related to these three short books. First, you should take note that, unlike the Pauline Letters, John's letters carry absolutely zero authorship claims. The closest you get is that 2 and 3 John claim to be written by "The Elder," but this is a title and not a name.

Our options for authorship are the traditional view that John the Apostle, author of the Gospel of John, wrote these letters. He's not named in named as the author of any of these letters, but longstanding church traditions identify him as the author. We, of course, cannot prove it. This tradition is generally held, it does not really have any significant counter-evidence. It's more a matter of questioning whether or not the lack of evidence is enough to drive us to a different view.

The second view, which does have a fairly solid following, is that there is another early church leader named John who wrote the letters, but he's not the same guy as the Apostle John. This theory separates "John the Apostle" from "John the Elder."

This comes from a comparison of grammar and vocabulary between the Gospel and the letters. Some scholars interpret the differences between 1 John and 2/3 John as showing that the author of the first letter is not the author of the other 2. 

The last viewpoint of significance is that the letters are written much later, after the 1st century, and attributed to John by a group of disciples who trace their heritage back to John. That holds sway in some academic circles, but there are some manuscripts of these letters that do not allow them to be composed much later than 150 AD. 

Why does the authorship matter?

Well, 1 John starts off talking about being an eyewitness to Jesus. If John the Apostle wrote it, he's an eyewitness to Jesus and many other things. If it's written by an anonymous group some fifty years later, that's another matter entirely.

The authorship issues also connect with date issues: when are 1, 2, and 3 John written? They are probably not written in the same year as each other, though 2 and 3 have some similarities that suggest they were written close together.

The timing of the writing then helps us understand what issues may have prompted John to write. It also tells us whether he's writing to churches that possibly have written Gospels of Matthew, Mark, or Luke in hand, or maybe have received letters from Paul.

Information like this does not dictate the meaning of the text, but it helps us as we strive to understand what's happening in the text.

Book: Nobody's Mother by Sandra Glahn, Ph.D

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Nobody's Mother by Sandra Glahn. Dr. Glahn is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. 

Nobody's Mother started off when Glahn was studying deeply in 1 Timothy, especially the passage in 1 Timothy 2:12 about women being "saved through childbirth." As it does for many of us, that line just hit her as odd.

So, she did the logical thing: dug into an extended study of Ephesus, Artemis of the Ephesians, and how all of the cultural factors weigh on Paul's writing to Timothy.

I mean, that's the logical choice to make when you do not understand something: get the information you need to understand it better. Fortunately, going forward, you or I can grab a copy of Nobody's Mother from Amazon (or direct from IVP) to do our in-depth study. That way we only have to have one footnote instead of multitudes.

Glahn's work in Nobody's Mother points the reader to the cultural climate of Ephesus in the 1st Century. She starts by correcting a commonly-held misconception, that "Artemis of the Ephesians" from the New Testament era was likely a fertility goddess. Instead, the evidence shows that Artemis, also called Diana, was more the goddess of the hunt and an advocate for birthing mothers and virgins. (How the Greeks thought "both" here is something developed in the book, and takes a few pages.)

The evidence cited includes non-biblical writings from the era, inscriptions in the archaeological remains of Ephesus, and examinations of architecture and art. Glahn also notes when the "Artemis as fertility goddess" ideas first seem to appear in the historical sources, and notes that this occurs more than a hundred years after Paul wrote.

She then builds an excellent case for how to understand Paul's intent as he wrote Timothy, with some notes that can expand our understanding of much of the New Testament.

Why do I think this book, overall, is helpful?

First, Glahn writes from the assumption that the Bible is right and that we must work to understand the Scripture rather than discard those parts we find hard to grasp. Too many times, a weird passage like 1 Timothy 2:12 will simply be explained away, rather than examined and given a clear light on its original perspective. That's one of the critical steps in biblical interpretation.

Second, Glahn has worked to dig into major recent scholarship on Ephesus and Artemis. One thing that is hard to admit, but does happen, is that many of our "interpretative helps" for the Bible are not new and also not old enough. Rather, they came into common usage between the 17th and 19th century, and have since been repeated to the point of being unquestioned tradition. Artemis as "fertility goddess" is one of those, much like the oft-repeated (and completely wrong) "needle-eye door" understanding of Jesus' teaching about wealth. Someone picked it up, it got passed on, and now to question it will drive some people batty.

But those things which are not definitively in the text should be questioned. The assumptions we make about the culture surrounding the text should be questioned, and we have to realize that newer research can overturn older ideas in history as much as in chemistry or physics.

Do yourself a favor: pick up a copy of this book and stretch yourself a bit in your learning about the background of the Bible. Then, get your pastor/main Bible study teacher a copy, too, and talk about it. Talk about what you aren't sure about, ask a few good questions and go into detail. It can help a lot.

Sermon Recap for October 13 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Here is the sermon from yesterday.

Sermon Recap for October 6 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Smokey and the Bandit Day 2024

 It's October 4, 2024. Which means in the United States, it's 10-4!

Why would anybody care? In truth, probably nobody really does. 

It's just fun nonsense.

And every now and then, a bit of fun nonsense is a great idea. Pulling it from popular culture is certainly a disposable thing, but, again, what's the harm in some disposable nonsense?

The real "life thought" for the day is this:

When is the last time you laughed because you were relaxed and having fun?

Not because you were intoxicated or because you just couldn't figure out how else to respond, but you just, rather spontaneously, laughed. Even a little?

Maybe find those things that are part of your personal and family culture that help you lighten up and laugh. 

You'll probably feel better.

Sermon Addendum: Letters of John

So, I just didn't really finish strong on Psalm PSeptember 2024 with additional sermon information. You know what they say: you can't win them all. And I'm a Razorback fan, so sometimes not only can I not win them, I can't close out good starts well, either.

We're going to move forward, though, instead of dwelling on past mistakes, let's go make some new mistakes!

Our next two months of sermons will come from the Letters of John in the New Testament. These three books, labeled I John, II John, and III John (or 1, 2, and 3 John, depending on your Bible printer!) are traditionally ascribed to John the Apostle, but there will be some discussion of that later.

Instead, what I want to do here is give you some resources to look at, partly as a glimpse toward sermon production. I know I've covered some those ideas before on this blog, but let's face it: it's been a while and you probably didn't read those posts anyway.

The first resource for a sermon is the only one that is absolutely critical: you've got to have a Bible. You can't preach without a Bible. And preferably a Bible in your own language, because that's the language you will preach in and your hearers will listen in! Fortunately, gone are the days, at least in most Christian traditions, where the Scripture was read in Latin, the sermon (or homily) was delivered in Latin, and the non-Latin speaking churchgoers just had to hope it was okay.

On Bibles, I like using a more "formal" type of translation. For years, I used the New American Standard Bible translation, the 1995 Update. Then I decided to be a good Southern Baptist and use the very nice Christian Standard Bible translation (2013 version) that Lifeway gave me. Both the NASB95 and the CSB are good translations. The CSB is a little less "formal" than the NASB, and what that means is the English is more like how we talk and a little less like the Greek odd structures. 

These days, I use the NET Bible translation, the most recent print version in their "Full Notes Edition." I like the methodology and such. 

That's always the first thing for a sermon: Bible. If you don't have one handy, preach only what you have correctly memorized. If you're not sure you have the verse right, don't preach it.

Second resource: I'm using my Tyndale House Greek New Testament. I'm happy to be back preaching in the New Testament because I can do some of my own language work. I won't preach "my translation" because I am not good enough with Greek to correct Bible translators, but I am good enough that it helps me understand better. And I can see what is going on underneath the English. This resource couples with the Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek (GE for quick reference) and the third edition of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (BDAG for short). Along with the occasional glance at a reference grammar like Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.

(This helps me understand some of the differences in 1 John 1:1 between translations. More on that, probably next week.)

Third resource stack is the commentary stack. Commentaries come in several "profiles," from technical to devotional. The technical ones do a lot with grammar and historical studies; the devotional ones do a lot with "what it means for us now." Most commentaries do all of the above, but the mix is what defines the profile.

Commentaries also come with different assumptions. Some, like the New American Commentary/Christian Standard Commentary series assume most of the traditional understandings of the text, like John the Apostle being the author, etc., are true and should only be abandoned if there is an abundance of indisputable evidence. Others, like the Word Biblical Commentary Series, tend to go the other way: assume the tradition is not valid unless you can prove it.

There are others that note specific aspects of the text. These look at ideas like "socio-rhetorical" issues or "discourse analysis" issues. Either one helps you look at the text a little differently than just as normal English writing on a page. After all, the original was not mass-printed English writing in a book.

It was hand-written by a person in a culture, place, time, and situation. The more we learn about those, the better we might understand what was meant in the writing!

Commentaries that I will use for 1-3 John sermons? Here's a list:

I, II, III John: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament) by Martin M. Culy.

1-3 John (Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament) by Robert Plummer and E. Roderick Elledge.

1, 2, 3 John: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (vol. 38, New American Commentary) by Daniel L. Akin.

An Exegetical Summary of 1, 2, and 3 John by John L. Anderson.

Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Titus, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John by Ben Witherington.

1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Karen H. Jobes.

There will be others--I'll consult with my Ancient Christian Commentary volume that covers these books as well as a few other options, but those ar the starting points.

That is how the sermon series starts: a lot of background learning as well as consulting with others who God has blessed us with, others who can help me understand the text of the Word of God.

Why so many books?

 If you have ever been in my study at church or in our house, one thing you will probably notice is a *lot* of books. And the visible books are outnumbered by the invisible books: there are some print books in boxes, but then there are thousands in either my Logos Bible Software digital library or on our Amazon Kindle accounts.

So, why? Do we display a lot of books to show off our wealth? No, though I do admit that we have spent a lot of our income over the years on books. If we had a building-related disaster, our insurance won't quite replace them all. Probably it wouldn't get to halfway if we also needed to use insurance money to replace other things like....clothes and furniture.

But we're not trying to show off wealth. If we were, we'd have fancier bookshelves and probably a better organizational scheme. I admit there's wealth there, and compared to what some people are able to have, we're definitely blessed.

Is it about showing off knowledge? I have been accused of filling my church study with books as a way of looking down my nose at people because I think I'm smarter than they are. After all, look at all the books! I must be smart.

It's actually the exact opposite: the preacher and teacher who could have many books but chooses not to have them is claiming that he already knows more than enough. I've known preachers who said, "I just have my Bible and a couple of (books by favorite author), I don't need much else." 

That's great for those guys--but I'm not that smart. I don't remember all the nuances of Greek language or the archaeology of Ephesus. It's not easy to remember some of the theological concepts or better ways to address specific problems in a church, a family, a personal life.

That's why so many books: not because we know so much but because we know so little. Right now, if I need it, I can pull a book off the shelf that guides me in neurodivergent education or one in basic mechanical repair. Give me 20 minutes, I can help you with math from Algebra to Calculus, American History, and Ann can help you with Grammar. (There are not enough grammar books in the world for it to make sense to me.)

We can help you with organizational design, financial management, or communication skills.

Why?

Not because we know so much. 

Because we have books.

Having books is a luxury in many parts of the world, and many eras of history--in fact, I have a book on that--but for many Americans, having or not having books is a choice. If you can make a choice between books or no books---choose books.

Oh, and yes, I have a lot of digital books but we try to get crucial books in print. While you may need a second edition to correct errors in a print book, it's hard to change it accidentally.

Sermon Recap for September 29 2024

 And with this sermon, Psalm PSeptember 2024 comes to a close. Next year, we'll press further ahead with it!

Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Sermon Recap for September 22 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

One observation: we do a Bible study on Sunday nights that right now is in Ephesians. But we don't do video of it, because it just works better being able to be untaped--nobody is worrying about buttons or even about saying wrong/crazy things. Same principle holds on Wednesday nights.

Sermon Recap for September 8 2024

Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Book: 10 Great Ideas from Church History

10 Great Ideas from Church History, by Mark Shaw, is an older book. It was published by Intervarsity Press back in 1997, which makes it “older” in modern terms of books. It’s not old like a “classic,” it’s simply been around for more than 2 decades.

Which, generally, is going to get this book circulated to the bottom of the stack as “out-of-date” and “not relevant.” This would be a shame. First of all, there’s some useful history to learn here no matter whether the ideas are out-of-date or not. We need to do better learning from our history rather than dismissing it as “not relevant.”

Back on track from the historian diatribe: Shaw presents historical examples (10 of them!) of ways that God has worked in churches in the past. Each of the examples are chosen from church events beginning with the Reformation, though he does refer to earlier times at moments throughout the book.

Shaw presents a counter to the idea that our best ideas must come from current events or the waves of popular culture. Rather, his overall premise is that we can find the wisdom we need in the ways God has worked in the past, in the wisdom that those who have gone before us have uncovered.

I would suggest that he’s right in this, though we often need to see how such crucial ideas as missions and discipleship and social action work forward into today. After all, while William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect (such as Hannah More and Granville Sharp) were effective in abolishing slavery in the British Empire, that was a unique political entity. Today, one can see the benefit of the overall principles suggested by Shaw from Wilberforce’s action, but must find an application in a different sort of democracy.

Shaw does not fail to note some of the shortcomings of his exemplars. The ten ideas brought forward are not suggested because their originators were perfect but rather because these represent timeless needs of the church.

The idea that one should look at the past as well as the present is one of value. Christianity is rooted, after all, in historical reality and the unchanging nature of Almighty God. God has provided answers in the past, and God has not spoken only to our current generation of Christians. There is much to learn from what has been before. 

A student of church history and of ministry would learn a great deal by considering Shaw’s point. There is value in seeing how Christians have grown in truth, holiness, unity, and more throughout the 20 centuries Christianity has been in practice. The discussion questions are also valuable, and this would make a great group discussion starter for a group inside a church or for a group of pastors.

Sermon Recap for September 1 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

This week started Psalm September (PsalmPseptember) 2024. I started the habit of using Psalms as a pivot in the sermon calendar a few years ago because I have a tendency to let sermon series run on, worse than I let sentences run on. By anchoring a point in the calendar to say "this goes here" is very helpful in building out that preaching plan. It doesn't stop me from preaching Psalms at other points, but also breaks up any extended theological diatribes. 

This year, we're starting at Psalm 46. 

Now, there's a good musical adaption of Psalm 46:

Sermon Addendum for 1 Samuel 14

This past Sunday, I wrapped up preaching on 1 Samuel (for this year). A section I skipped over was 1 Samuel 14, which is the story of Jonathan, the son of Saul, going to pick a fight with the Philistines with just his armor-bearer.

What makes this story relevant is that Saul had violated God's instruction in 1 Samuel 13 because Saul was afraid the army was deserting him and the Philistines would mop the valley floor with what he had left. So, Saul broke God's law by offering the burnt offerings to consecrate the warriors and seek God's favor in battle. Samuel arrived and rebuked Saul, and this is one of the early steps in Saul's decline as a king. 

His fear, though, is shown to be misplaced. Jonathan and his armor-bearer climb over to the Philistines, start the battle, and the people of Israel win a significant victory. In truth, the only downside of the whole situation is when Saul vows that no one should eat or drink until the battle is won. He makes this vow, pronouncing a curse on anyone who violates it!

Naturally, you cannot see everything that is happening, nor can you get the word of your vows all around the battlefield. Jonathan, who started the battle, gets hungry as he chases Philistines and comes across some honey. He eats a bit, gets his energy renewed...just in time to hear that his father has cursed those who did such a thing!

Further, after the battle, the warriors are so hungry they are eating unclean meat from animals in the aftermath of the battle. Saul does have the good sense to get involved and make sure the meat is properly served kosher so that they do not bring more judgment from God.

Then, Saul finds out that Jonathan has eaten during the battle and plans to put him to death...but the rest of the army stops him. It is, after all, hard to execute the hero.

What is relevant here?

First: sometimes our fears feel very real, but they are less than we think. Saul feared losing the battle, and that fear drove him to disobedience. Jonathan proves this fear was wrong--even though it was grounded in logic and normal situations, it was not quite as bad as Saul thought.

Second: vows that you make before the Lord God should only include yourself. You ought not vow that others will do something. That's not in your rights, even if it is within your power to try and enforce compliance.

Third: bad vows should be abandoned. Seriously: Jephthah in Judges and Saul here show us that rash vows are destructive. Destructive to trust, destructive to faith, destructive to lives.

There's a whole sermon there, but something to keep in mind: through all of this, following God's commands would have made it simpler. And trusting God's promises to deliver would have alleviated a great deal of stress.

That's a lesson worth remembering.

Sermon Recap for August 25 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

This Sunday wrapped up the short series I was doing in 1 Samuel. I wanted to go through some of Saul's introductory material. I didn't want to dig through all of the 1 and 2 Samuel and track the history of Israel's move into monarchy completely. 

Next week, it's Psalm Pseptember time.

Sermon Recap for August 18 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/

Sermon Recap for August 11 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Sermon Extension: Lord's Supper Thoughts August 2024

This week's sermon wasn't really one that I think there are details or rabbit trails that had to be left aside to stay on track. Instead, we were observing the Lord's Supper. Rather than rehash the details, instead I would point you here to different types of sermons.

Some sermons are meant to push ahead and plow new ground. By that, not new Scripture, but rather introduce new concepts to the congregation. The way I understand preaching, that comes in helping people see the connection between the timeless truth of the text and a current application of that timeless truth. A good example would be revisiting the truth of James 1:27 about caring for orphans, connecting that application to the idea that we ought to be personally involved in such things, and showing a new pathway to meet needs for orphans in the community. It's a timeless truth connecting to a "new" application.

(After all, there's not 'new' truth in the text. There may be truths that we haven't talked much about or have overlooked, but it's all been there since the beginning.)

Some sermons are meant to push hard against a known problem, revisiting a well-known truth and a well-known application, but seeing that the congregation just, well, is not doing what the text says to do. An example would be found in the timeless truth that God's love is for all people and that eternity sees "every tribe, tongue, and nation" gathered around the throne in worship, which then helps us to see that judging some races as "not as good as us" is sinful. If racism is cropping back up, the sermons that push back are coming up again. It's a reminder, perhaps a rebuke.

Other times, though, the reminder sermon is more encouraging. The well-known truth is that God loves you and will never leave you alone. The application of this timeless truth is to trust in God as everything else goes crazy, and that we should be there to encourage and support one another. As plants close and jobs disappear, as chaos develops around us, that's easy to forget. So we need that reminder.

Lord's Supper Sundays hit another reminder: a time for reflection, a time for remembering all that has gone before us. A time for remembering that we are not the only Christians nor even the first Christians! Instead, we can remember that we are part of two thousand years of the work of God in this world.

And that's more what the focus was: a bit more introspective and contemplative. Now, whether or not it came out that way is another story! But that was the goal--every sermon seeks to accomplish a purpose. Communicating the basics of the Gospel should always be part of the goal: that Jesus died, Jesus rose, Jesus ascended, Jesus is coming back. There are, however, additional purposes.

One thing I've seen some preachers talk about is the value of doing a feedback group of mature church members, but I've so far not found a good way to approach that.

Sermon Recap: August 5 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Book: Who God Is: Meditations on the Character of Our God

 

I'll open this with the lie preachers consistently tell: "I'll be brief."

Now to see if I can deliver while I talk about Ben Witherington III's Who God Is: Meditations on the Character of Our God.

This is a small book, published in 2020. You can get it on Kindle or in a pocket-sized hardcover that comes in around 100 pages.

Witherington's stated goal is to address the nouns used in Scripture to identify God. The introduction points out that many of our studies of God are based on the adjectives used to describe Him in Scripture: all-powerful, all-knowing, etc., or on words that capture what He has done: Redeemer, Creator.

He wanted to put forward a short look at the who God says He is. 

You get this short book. There are six chapters, five of them addressing a specific word: Love, Light, Life, Spirit, (you thought he'd alliterate, didn't you?) and One. The concluding chapter addresses God's character overall. 

The first chapter, God is Love, is longer than the others, but in it Witherington has provided a good deal of background that helps the other chapters run a touch shorter. 

It is a good devotional read. My own theological views hold more strongly to the idea of "eternal security" than Witherington does, so there are a few spaces I would take issue with. 

However, we all grow better by being challenged from time-to-time, so I think it's not a bad thing for us to read people outside of our traditions. And much of what Witherington has presented here is a good reminder of the love and grace of our God.

So go visit your favorite book shop and get a copy of this one.

Sermon Recap for July 28 2024

 Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP  https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

Sermon Recap for July 21 2024

Another week, another sermon. We're still working through Ephesians on Sunday nights, but that's a discussion group and it does not video well. Plus, knowing there's a camera on can be dampening to folks who are reserved in expressing their thoughts. And I want to encourage better participation in that discussion. 

Here is what you’ll find: there is an audio player with the sermon audios built-in to it, just click to find the one you want. You’ll also find the embedded YouTube videos of each sermon.

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP https://bit.ly/3WnLNR2

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

The video is linked on my personal YouTube Page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93

Sermons are stockpiled here: http://www.doughibbard.com/search/label/Sermons

So, playing with technology, I made a QR code for the audible link: 

If you scan that, you should go straight to the sermon feed page.

Book: Worship in an Age of Anxiety

 

This week, I'm wrapping up reading J. Michael Jordan's Worship in an Age of Anxiety. This isn't an assigned review, but a book I've had on hand for a month or two and wanted to read for personal growth.

It's part of a series from IVP called on the Dynamics of Christian Worship. There are six entries in the series, this being the most recent. Jordan is a Wesleyan Pastor and the Dean of the Chapel at Houghton College. That makes his primary work with college-age students, though he also works pastorally with his church and the community he lives in.

The "age of anxiety" reference in the title launches from W. H. Auden's poem "The Age of Anxiety," which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Auden's poem is worth reading; it deals with seeking meaning in the industrialized world. However, we're not going to look at the poem here. I'm not great with poetry reviews--my high school English grades show that to be very true.

Instead, I want to point you to this book. Jordan opens with a good description and discussion of what anxiety looks like. As well as any other book I've read that tries to bridge the gap between the more academic concepts of mental health and the popular level of mental health discussions (without dipping into the social media definitions which are almost always wrong), he provides an overview of what "anxiety" is in contrast to "worry" or "stress." The intro chapters alone were worth the time.

From there, we are treated to an examination of the deliberate uses of 'anxiety' in evangelical worship through the past couple of centuries. This includes reflecting on the practices of revivalists in the 19th century. Jordan does not pass judgment on those methods, but simply notes their usage.

Jordan then presents some basics of how anxiety can dreep into the methods and understandings of worship planning now. He suggests that evangelical circles would benefit from the grounding of historic liturgical practices, though noting the need to ensure they are presented in a way congruent with the theology that evangelicals embrace. 

In all, I'm finding this read a good challenge in how we think about worship and the value of alleviating the anxiety that comes in the door, rather than simply acting as if it does not exist.

Which is, I think, the bigger and more useful lesson here: do not ignore the reality of the people who have come to worship. Folks come in with anxieties, even as they are more current-era anxieties that rise higher on the classic "hierarchy of needs" than food and shelter. These anxieties are more nebulous and, therefore, harder to both measure and address. They are not any less real, though.

And drawing near to God in honest, church-wide worship must not ignore them, even as it is the keystone in helping to address them.

Sermon Recap for July 14 2024

 Good morning! After being at Praiseworks Arkansas last week, I'm back. 

Here is yesterday's sermon, where I am proud of myself for not making any "have fun stormin' the castle" references even though it was Bastille Day. Given that a bystander was killed during an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, it just felt wrong to try and make jokes about revolutions and such.

Believe me, Billy Crystal as Miracle Max is always funny. It just wasn't the time for it.

We continued in our series in 1 Samuel with 1 Samuel 3.

You can "subscribe" to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBGluSoaJgYn6PbIklwKaw

And to the audio here: 

If you’d like, you can subscribe to the audio feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DougHibbardPodcast

Audible Link is here: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Doug-Hibbard-Sermons-and-Thoughts/B08JJND2RP

Spotify is here: https://doughibbard.libsyn.com/spotify

Sermon Recap for July 7 2024

 I'm headed to Praiseworks with our youth this week, so the rest of the blog schedule may go "splat." However, here's the sermon from yesterday:

Fourth of July

 Okay, first of all:

The Continental Congress voted to declare independence on July 2nd. However, the long-standing convention is to remember and celebrate the 4th, when the Declaration of Independence itself was ready for its first readings and signatures. Not everybody signed that day.

And, honestly, not everybody received their independence that day. We've been slowly in-progress ever since to see true liberty and justice for all in this nation. I think one can make a strong case that philosophical influence from where we started in 1776 has enabled progress, however slow it is, in a way that would not have happened otherwise. I also think that influence spans national boundaries and the philosophical development in the US leads to other nations having thinkers who say, "Okay, but why stop there?"

Also worth noting: yes, there are historical examples of cultures where tribes, cities, or small regions saw better equality than the US sees now. Factors to compare: size of population, size of territory, and diversity of population. It is pretty uncommon to see cultures where a diversity of origins results in a unified nation with equality for all. Again, we're not there yet here but that is the goal: to fulfill the promise of America, that is what we must become. So, yes, there was once a remote village that was idyllic and perfect. We're trying to be a whole nation. It's harder than it looks.

All that context being noted, here is the Declaration of Independence, as found in the National Archives: 

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.—Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

  He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

  He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

  He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. 

  He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. 

  He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

  He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

  He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

  He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

  He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

  He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

  He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

  He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

  He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

  For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

  For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

  For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

  For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: 

  For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

  For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

  For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

  For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

  For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

  He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

  He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

  He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

  He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. 

  He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Sermon Addendum for June 30 2024

 What got left out of the sermon this past Sunday?

Lots of things:

First, background on 1 Samuel: It's a long work, and as best can be told, our 1 and 2 Samuel were 1 work, divided at the "this scroll is too big" line. We do not know who wrote it, but it covers too long of an era to likely have a single author. At the very least, the author works from records passed forward to his time frame. (Yes, given the source culture it is reasonable to assume a male author.) Some traditions put everything from 1 Samuel through the end of 2 Kings as compiled in their final form by one author working from the official court records of Israel, then Israel and Judah. 

We do see him anticipate the installation of kings over Israel as well as the inauguration of the Temple. The references to both of these institutions at the beginning suggest that the author is familiar with them, and some scholars think the authorship fits post-Exile, meaning he's perhaps even pining for them.

Speaking of things being "post-Exile," it's a good time to remind you of the general outline of Old Testament History:

You start with: Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. 

Then you take the people into the Promised Land with Joshua, have the time of the Judges and Ruth.

After which comes the United Kingdom, Israel, has three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon, and it falls apart into two kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom is called "Israel" and has all bad kings. The Southern Kingdom is called "Judah" and some good, but mostly bad, kings. Israel is destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC, Judah is destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BC. 

The destructions resulted in exile and resettlement, but under the Medo-Persian Empire, the Israelites return to the land under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.

1 Samuel covers the development from the Judges to the United Monarchy.

Second, textual info in 1 Samuel: 1 and 2 Samuel pose some of the bigger challenges in Old Testament textual criticism--that is, the science of discerning the original document from the extant sources. I'm not an expert in the field, so we won't really delve into it. I would recommend a good technical commentary on 1 & 2 Samuel to help examine what is happening here. There are some significant differences that will come up between the Masoretic Text (the Hebrew text most English Bibles are based on), the Septuagint (the Greek text made around 200 BC), and the Dead Sea Scrolls (both their Hebrew and other language versions of this text). 

The main points of doctrine and even of history are the same, but some of the details develop a bit differently.

Finally, left out of Sunday's sermon was a strong critique of a society that valued women primarily for childbirth. Why? While it may seem appropriate to note that women should not be limited to only one future and not be counted worthwhile without meeting that one target, it's not present in this text. We do not see anyone say to Hannah: "No, you are valid and worthwhile without children and everyone needs to straighten up."

Instead, we see God answer her prayer. Over the course of all Scripture, I think we can see the critique of the "moms are better than anything else" point of view, but it's not here. We should be careful not to press a viewpoint into the text if it is not there.

On top of that: where does the situation go, if Hannah is not used by God to bring Samuel into this world? What happens then?

Also left out, because I would not likely have chased it anyway: the attempt to read this narrative downward from the definite work of God to it being just another "hero story" like many ancient cultures, beginning with the "heroic birth" of the special child. First, I think that downplays the uniqueness of the Bible. Second, arguably, the "hero" of 1-2 Samuel is David. Samuel, Saul, Hannah, Eli, are all part of the setup. I don't buy it, but my presupposition is that the text of the Bible says what the truthful God wants it to say. Interpretations that start from a perspective of "God's not particular about being honest" are outside what I will consider, normally.

Books: Why read?

I know, I know, I'm doing two things today that are a bit...wrong.

First, I'm going to use a blog post to encourage you to read materials that are longer than blogposts.

Second, I'm going to use the Internet and electronic communications to encourage you to read "dead-tree" books. 

You are correct: there's a bit of hypocrisy going on here. Log off, go read a book for an hour and then come back and tell me.

First, why read long form? After all, there are plenty of soundbites, short posts, even the news is broken down into fairly short stories. 

Realize this: I'm not saying you should never read shorter things. A newspaper article. A Twitter thread. Your friend's Facebook post about their trip to Aruba and Jamaica. However, your attention span and mental processing becomes tuned to the average what you normally read.

So if you normally are reading news articles and then sprinkling that with Tweets, telegraphs, or bumper stickers, your abilities will stretch as far as that requires. Much like your biceps may become excellent at picking up 12 pounds if you pick up 12 pounds every day, but struggle with 20, if you read 5-minute snippets daily, you'll be good at 5 minutes. 

And multiple "reps" are more about toning than about building up--reading 12 5-minute items (or worse, 60 1-minutes!) does not have the same mental strengthening effect that reading 1 30-minute item would have. In truth, it helps your brain learn to shallow switch back and forth through many things, and you do not learn to discern what matters are important and what matters are not--everything bounces through so quickly you miss that understanding. 

Neil Postman hits on this very well in Amusing Ourselves to Death. It's a book worth reading ;)

Want a quick test for whether or not you are sliding into that trap? How do you feel when the news puts too many murders, wars, and disasters between you and the sports and culture events? Are you hitting the website looking for Taylor Swift and annoyed to see Ukraine in the way? You might be trending toward a problem. Oh, and if you always avoid news sites so that you can always miss the "bad stuff," you have probably gone even farther.

Reading long-form helps train your brain to discern what is, and is not important. Further, it helps you distill information as you read it. I have (and like!) some of the shortened versions of books. I have a *lot* from Optimize.me that takes some of the bigger books in productivity, etc., and distills them into 6 pages (3, front and back). It's a speedy way to consume information, but it does not help you retain it better. And, you're assuming the distiller got the right parts. Basically, the TL;DR helps of the current era are just like the Cliff's Notes they're patterned after: better than nothing but often like taking a prime steak and grinding it up to make a quick hamburger. You're losing a lot.

So make the time to read long-form.

Second, make the effort to amass, and read, actual printed books. Yes, get a Kindle. Read on e-ink. Get Logos Bible Software, read/research through those tools. For that matter, get all the books digitized and uploaded in PDFs so that researchers throughout the years can access them. (I mean, seriously, let's get old newspaper archives digitized from microfilm and accessible; there is equipment for that and student workers who need hours and digital tools to help with it. There is no reason to limit historical research to those wealthy enough to travel to large libraries and spend all day reading microfiche.)

But at the same time, you should still acquire and read the printed word. Why? Well, take this blog as an example. It's digital. I can go back and edit it at any time. And, sure, if you know how to parse the metadata, you can see whether or not I backdated that prediction of a Trump win in 2016 (I did NOT make any predictions) or if I added a post or even use Wayback to, perhaps, find one I deleted. 

If you don't, though, or if the other tools do not support seeing behind-the-curtain, what do you do when someone is changing the information? How do you even know?

This is why I would argue for digitization of historical materials, like newspapers and such, through PDFs. These are not impossible to change, but they are harder to change.

Plus, it's far easier to see the footnotes, the references, the linking between information. 

Generally, for me, if I am looking at non-fiction material, I would rather have several editions of a print book than an evolving e-book or website without a chain of reference of what changed and when. Additionally, yes, it costs more to create the print book. Which should result in a stronger effort to get it right.

There are some notable exceptions--at least 4 biographies I've seen in the last decade or so were not only shaded by political and theological agenda, but also missed important points of accuracy. This happens when the author does not bother to engage the primary sources himself.

(Which he could have done without visiting the relevant archives if those sources had been digitized, but they are not. And he did not.)

Now, fiction, generally, I'm more okay with digital but even then, you want books with reference copies available in print. Many of the great works of literature are fiction, after all--can you imagine if you could not determine the original text of 1984 or A Handmaid's Tale? Or Moby Dick? You could do a find and replace and make the whole thing about Moby Duck.

It's always better to read than to not read, but I think you would do well to make sure most of your reading is long-form and at least some of it is coming from printed, dead-tree books. 

PS: Audiobooks? Yes, if you are constantly on the go and can listen, do so. If at all possible, find a way to make space in your life to also read with your eyes if physically able. Again, read what you can, some approaches are better than others but even a cheeseburger has more nutrition than a cardboard box. 

Sermon Recap for June 30 2024

 Here is yesterday's sermon from 1 Samuel 1.

Historical Thinking: "What is History?"

 As we get started down this rabbit trail of “Historical Thinking,” the first thing I’d like to work through is a question: “What is history?” 

Why? Because too many people come back with “I don’t like history” as their response to the idea of studying, learning, or reading anything about history. Now, some folks will probably still never like history. And certainly, not everyone is going to vibe on the academic discipline of history, but history as a whole can be very enjoyable even without perfectly spelled footnotes!

First, let’s dismiss some wrong definitions of history. History is not just a collection of dates. While it is necessary to keep up with what happened when—I read once that a key factor in history is knowing some things happened before other things—your school-aged history tests of just memorizing and reciting dates is not really history. It’s facts.

Second, “history” comes from a Greek word “ ‘istoria” and has nothing to do with the gender pronoun. It’s not “his story” in place of “her story.” Sometimes it’s presented as such—and it’s sometimes presented that we need a “her story” to counterbalance “his.” Folks, it’s all “history.” Because the word doesn’t break down into a pronoun.

Third, a corollary on the second point: I firmly believe that history involves the work of God in the world. Fully and completely. But it’s not “His story,” either. He gave us His story—has garden-based bookends, Creation, fall, redemption, REDEEMER, redeemed. That’s not the same. Neither is it appropriate to apply to God all the causation in history, though that’s another matter but we’ll hit it here: God is sovereign. Historical causation can be viewed as understanding how God did it, but we do not drop back to “Well, it happened because God did it, moving on….” 

Apply that to something as simple as World War II: I’ll take miraculous intervention helping the Allies overthrow the Nazis. But a “all that matters is God did it” view means that God caused the Nazis. I don’t think that lines up with theology, how about you?

Another thing that is not “history” are the memory triggers we use, like statues or single items in museums. Those help us remember history, but without “history” it’s just a guy on a horse. Who is he? Why did we put up his statue? 

You need to know that.

So what is “history”? 

For our purposes here, “history” is the recorded story we tell to understand the past. That’s my combination of several pieces of definition from around the academic world. It is not just a record of events, but the interpretation and collation of the facts surrounding them. This is why history, at times, needs to be reconsidered. For example, throughout the 1950s-1970s, much of the story about events in the American space program focused on the astronauts and the “high profile” lead scientists, like von Braun. Recently, though, the lens has widened to show that men and women, including Black women, were always in the picture. The story we need tell needs to be told better.

Or, as we look longer into the past, we have long heard the popular tale that Columbus proved the Earth was round. Yet clearly understanding history shows that this story was told without regard to the facts: it was a widely known fact that the Earth was round. The initial story was more focused on “heroic development” of America at the time.

History is the story we tell about the facts—it cannot exclude the facts but instead explains them, interrogates them (asks questions, seeks understanding), and puts together a mostly cohesive narrative about them. That narrative is recorded, shared, and then open to debate and discussion. Perspectives affect our creation of history as well as our understanding, but the facts remain the same. 

That’s why history remains an open discussion. Some things are fairly plainly settled, but new information should lead to re-evaluation of the story, correction of errors, and plainer dealing with what has gone on before now. History does change, because we understand the story better. The facts remain the same, and that’s the key.

Sermon Addendum June 23rd 2024

 Sermon Addendum June 23rd 2024

(Keep in mind, the date is for the sermon, not the post :) )

This past Sunday, I wrapped up the sermon series in Acts that I’ve been doing for several months. There wasn’t enough time to get all the way through Acts, and when it comes to Acts you either need about 2 years or you have to leave something out. After all, one of my “want but am not spending the money” book purchases is Craig Keener’s four volume commentary on Acts. We do Acts a disservice if we only read it as one-off actions stories.

So, what’s going on in Acts 15?

First, it’s the justification for what is called in church history The Conciliar Movement. At least, one of my textbooks used that label. Most of what we deem standard (orthodox) Christian doctrine is born from bodies of church leaders in the 2nd-5th Centuries AD gathering and establish what Scripture means, how Christianity understands the truths contained in the Word. For example, our understanding of God in Three Persons, the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was defined by the Councils of the Early Church. It is drawn from Scripture’s revelation of the nature of God, but there is a lot of Bible about God.

And the idea that a group of wise Jesus-followers can make plain what Scripture means starts here in Acts 15, where Peter, Paul, James, Barnabas, and others gathered to sort out how the Old Testament Law needed to be applied on the current church.

Second, we see some basic guidelines on how the Old Testament Law needs to be applied on the current church! Note the nature of the four instructions passed on to the Gentiles. As we look at the expectations given to the people, these were about clear worship (abstaining from idols); clear lifestyle (abstaining from sexual immorality); and clear fellowship (avoiding foods that would have re-divided Jew and Gentile). And the last one we see some development through later years under Paul’s authority as he mitigates that command somewhat. (He never backs up from avoiding idolatry and immorality.) As we examine the traditions and expectations of years gone by, our questions could rightly come back to these: are we clearly worshiping only Jesus? Are we honoring God with our lifestyle? Are we strengthening our fellowship with one another or being self-absorbed?

Third thing that we see here is some of the leadership of the church in Jerusalem. We see James, and we know it is not James Zebedee, as he died earlier in Acts (Acts 12). So it’s another James. Usually we connect him to James the (half-)brother of Jesus, and author of the Biblical book of James. We see Peter, we see Paul, we see Barnabas. Both the primacy of James as spokesman and the equality of all to share their views are important here.

Finally, Acts 15 wraps up with perhaps one of the sadder moments in the flow of the story of the early Christians. Paul and Barnabas have a sharp disagreement, sharp enough that they no longer work together. The text’s statement of “they parted company” implies something deeper than a “well, agree to disagree, see you later,” moment but more of a “Nope, we’re done” kind of event. Tragically, we sometimes go down that path: it is okay to have a disagreement, but strive to keep it from causing you to “part company.” That’s an important idea to keep in mind, that we can disagree. We can even decide that we are not going to work with someone because our approaches are too different. But preferences and styles should never drive us apart in our relationships.

Books: What I'm Reading

Rather than a book review this time, I would like to hit a rundown of some of the things I am currently reading. I would not automatically endorse everything in all of these...but they should be useful reading anyway!

Fiction:

1. I'm rereading Timothy Zahn's Thrawn and Thrawn: Ascendancy trilogies during wind-down time in the evening. It's a good relaxation moment.

2. Before that I read the Michael Crichton/James Patterson work Eruption. It's not as awesome as Jurassic Park, but it's still good :)

Non-Fiction Devotional:

1. I'm working through Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart and the accompanying work by Jan Johnson Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice. Thought-provoking.

2. Ryan Holiday's latest in the Stoic Virtues series: Right Thing, Right Now. I like this series, even though I might not always agree with all of Holiday's philosophical ideas, this is a good series.

3. Jesus Every Day: A Journey through the Bible in One Year by Mary DeMuth, which is a great opener with a short Bible passage and devotional.

Non-Fiction Learning:

1. The Battle of Brandy Station which is about the largest cavalry battle in North America. It occurred in the Civil War, shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg. It's by Eric J. Wittenberg, who also wrote a good book about John Buford during Gettysburg.

2. Ownership: The Evangelical Legacy of Slavery in Edwards, Wesley, and Whitfield by Sean McGever. Why? because.

That's the current spread of reading outside of the dissertation work.

Doug

Sermon Recap for June 23 2024

 Good afternoon!

It's time for the sermon recap for yesterday. The morning sermon was the last one in our series on Acts. We've wrapped up that one and we're moving on to 1 Samuel next week.

Historical Thinking for June 18 2024

 So, one of the things that has me struggling with blogging for the last, oh, 3 or 4 years is that I am supposed to be writing a dissertation. I feel bad to blog when I should write for assignments. Except these days the dissertation is a bit stymied. It’s not so much writer’s block as it is…doldrums. I’m just stating and restating the same things and that is getting me nowhere. I’m also now past the deadline/time-limit and living on appeal.

But one lesson learned from the mechanical world is that sometimes, one must prime the pump. You have to put in a little bit to get a lot out, and since the blog is worth exactly what you are paying for it, I decided it’s a good place to write with a little less formality. Hopefully that gets my brain going to get the other, “proper” writing going. It’s not that I intend to be less precise or spell worse—if I represent something as factual, I intend to show where I got that fact from.

Academic history writing, though, is expected to be dispassionate, third-person, non-prescriptive, and generally lacking in empathy or judgment. As I write about racism and misogyny in late nineteenth century America, I’m not supposed to sound agitated by the people who cloaked that in religious language. 

Except I’m quite agitated by it. It was wrong. It remains wrong that we have never really corrected for the embedding of these attitudes in many of our religious systems to this day. There’s just some agitation to be shared.

Although I do not want to only rant here, but I do want to have a way to talk about where we have been and how that, in turn, drives certain emotional responses. It is good and right and fitting to have emotional responses to history. 

Which is the main point for Historical Thinking today: it is not only acceptable to have feelings about the past, it is right and fitting to have feelings about the past. In the course of those feelings, you cannot ignore the facts or be unwilling to learn new ones. There may be a whole new set of emotional responses to deal with after learning new facts, but thtat is just the way it goes sometimes.

You see, history is not just the facts of what has happened, it is more accurately our understanding of the facts. Not just whether or not the United States declared independence from England, but why they did, when they did, and what difference it made. And our emotional response is part of that. The facts—like the approval of the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, or the final end of the Revolutionary War (which started in 1775) in 1783—are part of that understanding. Neither fact should affect an American’s emotional attachment to July 4th as our Independence Day. It’s the mutually-agreed upon celebration of all those facts at once.

Most weeks, then, I’ll post a bit of something about the past and how we think about the past. Maybe it will be something that provokes some thought. Maybe it will be something that you find boring. All of it will be from things I have learned or am learning in working in history.

Book: Matthew through Old Testament Eyes

 

In the ever-growing intermittency of my blog writing, I have another book to talk about today. It is Matthew through Old Testament Eyes, the next entry in the Through Old Testament Eyes commentary series. Which, hopefully, will end up encompassing most of the New Testament. I would not expect OT commentaries, although a "Pentateuch through Post-Exilic Eyes" type of commentary might be intriguing.

First, the series: the idea here is to examine specifically how Old Testament thoughts informed the writing of portions of the New Testament. Not merely the "big idea" concept of "There is a God, He made the world," but rather the finer details like how the Beatitudes are informed by passages like Psalm 1. There are entries, so far, on the Gospels of John and Mark, and on the book of Revelation. (No, it's not "Revelations" through Old Testament Eyes, either. It's always singular.)

This entry to the series is on the Gospel of Matthew, and therefore draws the appropriate name of Matthew through Old Testament Eyes. It is a paperback, 390 pages, published by Kregel Academic with a list price of around $31. Endorsement blurbs include Lynn Cohick from Houston Theological Seminary and Michael F. Bird from Ridley College.

David Capes, author, is the Executive Director of the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, a place that my daughters have been to but I have not. I will try not to hold that jealousy against him in this review. He holds a PhD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary nad been involved in many scholarly works on the New Testament in his thirty-plus years of academic work.

On to the content: 

This is a generally academic commentary, more fit for the in-depth study of Scripture than for basic devotional use. It is not a deeply technical one requiring knowledge of Greek or Hebrew (the Hebrew would be relevant because of the OT references). It is broken down by sections of Matthew, with some areas detailing verse-by-verse but usually covering a couple of verses per comment. 

As an example, the commentary on Matthew 18:21-22 caught my attention. Most Christians are familiar with Peter's question about how many times he should forgive his brother--it even made one of the earlier VeggieTales episodes--and we have sermons on it, debates about it. It was not until this commentary that I even considered a connection to Genesis 4:23-24 about Lamech's boast. 

This is a good insight. And representative of the types of help this commentary will bring. The introductory material, covering background, etc., of Matthew is brief. It will hit the highlights but if you are needing details on authorship debates, date of writing, etc., you will need an additional source.

In all, this is a good addition to the Matthew shelf. This will broaden your understanding of how Matthew's original audience heard what he said.