Articles from this week (November 25-29)
How do we rekindle a passion for the Word?
https://www.ryleyheppner.com/articles/how-do-we-rekindle-a-passion-for-the-word
Whats the point in praying?
https://www.ryleyheppner.com/articles/whats-the-point-in-praying
Thinking about Bruce Willis and Jesus
https://www.ryleyheppner.com/articles/thinking-about-bruce-willis-and-jesus
“Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology”
Published by Crossway, 2024.
Kevin DeYoung does it again! What a brilliant idea for a book, and so masterfully executed.
“Daily Doctrine” is DeYoung's latest book. Put out by Crossway, it is exactly what it sounds like, a daily dose of doctrine. The book is divided nine sections that fall under nine different theological headings, like Preliminary Considerations, Theology Proper, Christology, Soteriology, etc. Under the nine headings the book is then divided into fifty-two weeks, with each week having five daily devotional size entries that work through content related to a particular heading.
The daily entries are devotional in size (i.e. one to two pages) but not so "devotional" in nature. What I mean is that there are not many stories or illustrations, if that is what you are looking for. That being said, the content is extremely engaging and easy to follow. Even if you are not used to theological type language, for the one and half pages that most of the entries are, DeYoung will undoubtedly hold your attention. Or rather, the Scriptures and the theology of the Scriptures will hold your attention, because each entry is so incredibly full of both.
I have often thought that there should be a daily devotional type book that teaches systematic theology; something that takes readers deeper than the average devotional does, but does in a similar format. Well here it is! And it is so perfectly done.
Whether you are a seasoned theologian, or a Christian looking to be a little more challenged and seasoned, this will be a worthwhile book to grab! I cannot recommend “Daily Doctrine” highly enough. And I cannot wait to get more copies to start handing out to friends, family and congregants.
“The Westminster Study Bible (NRSV Updated Edition): With the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books”
Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2024.
It is hard to summarize all of the things that I am excited about in this new Westminster Study Bible, but let me try.
First, I am excited to see the NRSV translation in another study Bible. Like any good translation, the NRSV is not without its debates and controversies. It has its strengths and weaknesses. Still, I find it to be a solid translation for any 21st Century English Bible reader. Published in 1989, the NRSV was intended to serve both devotional and scholarly needs. It was to be readable to the average person and attentive to manuscript discoveries and advances in scholarship. I have found it to be both of these things.
Of course, the Westminster Study Bible is not simply the NRSV, but the Updated Edition of the NRSV, which makes it even more exciting! As of 2021, the NRSV has done a fresh update of language, translation and important textual notes, improving upon the excellent work done in the 1989 edition. In other words, this is an accurate and modern translation for both reading and studying the Scriptures.
Second, the Westminster Study Bible is simply a fantastic study Bible. It actually happens to be the first study Bible to utilize the NRSV Updated Edition, but even as others undoubtedly follow in its path, it will continue to stand out. The explanatory notes in the bottom third of each page are some of the most consistently helpful notes that I have seen in a study Bible, providing aid for, again, both devotional and scholarly aims. The editors dig into the linguistic, historic and cultural context of the most significant, debated, and perplexing verses, while providing cross-references for each as well.
Along with explanatory notes, each book begins with at least two pages of meaningful introduction, covering the theological purposes of the book, the authorship, date and major issues, and ending with a reading guide. The reading guide is perhaps the most unique part of the introductions, and it is what I expect will be one of the most helpful tools for both new and seasoned Bible readers.
On top of the explanatory notes and the introductions, the Westminster Study Bible ends with a dense index, that includes a catalogue of mini essays on immediately relevant issues, like the Bible and Science, the Bible and Gender and the Bible in public life, as well as a massive reference list to subjects and themes throughout the Scriptures, and finally eleven of the most biblically important geographical maps.
Finally, the inclusion in this Bible of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books, and with study notes, is for me a great thrill. It is no mystery that Judaism and the early church recognized that some of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal writings were valuable. They are included in enough ancient lists of inspired writings, that we know even if they weren’t considered scripture, they were considered helpful to faith formation. As Jerome puts it, even if not canonical, they were edifying. This means that almost certainly the New Testament writers were influenced theologically by these books. And that means that at the very least that they are valuable books for gaining deeper insight into the hearts and minds and actions of the early Christians. So, how exciting to have those resources included in your study Bible and with study notes to better understand them! It is yet another resource that instead of having to go find elsewhere, you have included in your study Bible.
In terms of weaknesses, there are not many. One though would be the very thing I have already counted as a strength. The inclusion of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books could be confusing to evangelical readers who are unacquainted with them. If you are passing this Bible on to a new believer, some conversation and explanation around this would be important.
But apart from that I have only positive things to say about this Bible. I am excited to continue using it, and I completely and sincerely recommend it to anyone looking for a new Study Bible. I expect this will prove to be a valuable resource in the world of Study Bibles for many years to come.
“Come and See: A History of Theology of Mission”
By Glen Scrivener and Justin Schell
Published by Union Publishing, 2022.
The aim of “Come and See” is laid out on page one: “to help you grasp what God is after in the world.” What a beautiful purpose with which to write. And what an amazing purpose to be on the receiving end of, because what Christian does not want or need a biblical reminder of what God is up to in the world?
After a brief introduction Scrivener and Schell set out to meet that purpose. Over the course of twelve chapters and one-hundred-twenty-three pages, they cover an incredible number of topics, all serving that one goal. They examine the doctrine of God and mission, the Old Testament and mission, the New Testament and mission, a history of mission, the influence of the reformation on mission, the church and mission and much more.
Now, if that sounds like a lot of different aspects of mission to cover in one book, it is. Through the years I have found a lot of reward in studying the mission of God and the missionary movements. By my own slow reader standards, I have read a lot of books on mission. Books about the history of mission, books about the Bible and mission and books about the different philosophies of mission. But I have rarely found a book like this one, that puts so many aspects of mission into the same book binding.
Of course, Scrivener and Shell are not able to go into the same kind detail that many of those single aspect books do. For example, they don’t have the space to examine the history of mission in the same detail as Stephen Neill does in a book like, “A History of Christian Missions.” Still, the detail that they are able to go into is beyond impressive, making for an exceptionally well-rounded book.
On top of that, they write in ways that exude experience, knowledge and white-hot passion for the subject at hand, and furthermore for the author of that subject. You cannot read what they write without catching their excitement on every page, for God and His mission.
Whatever you end up paying for “Come and See,” its worth it. You will get your money’s worth simply because of how much solid biblical content on such a variety of aspects of mission is packed into a short book. You will also get your money’s worth because they really do accomplish what they set out to accomplish. When I finally put this book down, I did so with a fresh, overflowing excitement for exactly what God is after in the world.
Another book I recommend to… every Christian (and non).
“The God of the Mundane: Reflections on Ordinary Life for Ordinary People”
By Matthew B. Redmond
Re-Published by Cruciform Press, 2021.
Equally convicting and encouraging.
I will be honest, I did not go into this book expecting too much. I am generally drawn to titles like “Radical,” “Crazy Love,” “Don’t Waste Your Life,” etc. Books that I expect are going to call me to some new and gnarly heights. Not ones that sound like they are aimed at comforting me in my normality. Well, 1) the aim of this book was definitely not to comfort me in my normality, and 2) this was truly the most radical book I have read in a long time.
I can’t remember the last time I finished a book and felt so laid bare, and yet so stoked at the same time. “The God of the Mundane” exposed so much of the unhealthy and ungodly ambition that has lived in me for so long. It also stirred up in me a new excitement for all that God has done and can do through the ordinary activities of my life and through all of the mundanity of my days.
The book is quite perfectly titled. Redmond’s mission in this book is, as the title suggests, is to talk about the God of the Mundane; to talk about how God is concerned with, involved with, and working in the things that take up most of our time on earth. He is not only involved with extraordinary accomplishments, as our ambitions often suggest, but He is also the God of the the diaper changes, the lawn mowings, the friend hangouts, the meal preps and the long drives. He is present and active in the big stuff, and He is right there in the little stuff.
This simple truth was so unbelievably reassuring to me. My sights are most often set on the crazy and the radical. So much so, that at times I forget that God even cares of about the quieter parts of my life, much less is active in them!
All this to say, I loved this book. I will repeatedly read this book. And I highly recommend this book.
My guess is that most of us get to focused at times on the radical and forget how much God cares about the mundane. Because of that, I think this this book will resonate will almost every Christian. And since its only 130 pages, it is accessible to almost every Christian too.
I seem to keep recommending every book I review lately, but I just keep reading books that are worth recommending. This is another one.