18
May
2012
"I Thank Thee That I Am Not as Other Legalists," Or, How "Freer Than Thou" Became the New "Holier Than Thou"
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Some time ago I was asked in a conversation whether I ever drank beverage alcohol and I replied “No.” Upon hearing my answer, my interlocutor quickly and harshly reprimanded me for being a legalist. Then, after I pressed him for an explanation, he made a calculated shift in tack, donned a look of feigned sympathy,... Read More
16
May
2012
Is the Preface to the King James Version Really an Embarrassment to the KJV-Only Movement?
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The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 essays supporting the ratification of the United States Constitution, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Madison himself is commonly known as the Father of the Constitution. Federal judges, when interpreting the Constitution, frequently appeal to the Federalist Papers as a contemporary account of the intentions of the authors. In a recent Wall Street Journal... Read More
14
May
2012
What about the Framework Interpretation? (Part 1)
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The current popularity of the framework interpretation of the Genesis creation account is largely a result of the work of Reformed scholar Meredith G. Kline. His initial entry was an article in the late 1950s, “Because It Had Not Rained” (Westminster Theological Journal 20 [May 1958]: 145–57). Since Kline’s initial article, other reputable Christian scholars... Read More
13
May
2012
Another View of Logos
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The three main Bible software programs today are Logos, BibleWorks, and Accordance. Logos and BibleWorks are mainly for the PC (though Logos now has a Macintosh version), while Accordance is exclusively a Mac product. BibleWorks and Accordance are commonly known for their emphasis on working with the original languages, while Logos is touted for its... Read More
11
May
2012
Interview with a Transitioning Pastor
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One of the inevitabilities of working in a seminary community is that you’re likely to lose quite a few dear friends over the course of your tenure. It’s not because seminaries require vows of friendlessness, alongside those of poverty and humility. Rather, it’s because seminaries train pastors—reliable folks who pass along what they’ve learned to... Read More
9
May
2012
Marginal Notes in the King James Version
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The King James-only view argues that only the 1611 KJV is the Word of God in English. All other versions or translations are so corrupt that they are not to be used, nor be appealed to as the Word of God. Most KJV-only advocates contend that the printed Greek text from which the KJV was translated, commonly... Read More
7
May
2012
The Latin Vulgate as Background to the Version Debate
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In light of Bill Combs’s recent posts on the King James Version, I thought it might be helpful to look briefly at another Bible translation that dominated Western Christendom for even longer than the King James. From time to time, KJV-only advocates have argued for the superiority of the KJV based on the fact that... Read More
5
May
2012
The Real Indiana Jones
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That’s the title of an interview with Dr. Bryant Wood and Prof. Todd Bolen. Wood was the lecturer for the Seminary’s 2012 Rice Lectures. Bolen was our guide for the Seminary’s Israel Study tour in 2000. The interview discusses how both men got involved in biblical archaeology, what are the important finds, how objects are... Read More
4
May
2012
"Saved, Baptized, and a Member in Good Standing"
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I heard that phrase once a month growing up, and for years never considered the possibility that Baptists would administer the Lord’s Supper any other way. I attend a church today in which I hear much the same thing, but now know that the practice is rarer than I previously imagined. Still, I think it... Read More
2
May
2012
Is the King James Version the Final Authority?
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The King James-only movement suggests that with the coming of the KJV there was no need for further translation work and that the proliferation of modern versions is harmful to the church. Yet the translators of the KJV faced the same objection. They note in their preface, “The Translators to the Reader,” that there was... Read More