Theology Study at your Finger Tips

Are you someone who is seeking a deeper understanding of the Scriptures?

Did you know that there is actually an abundant source of literature available for one who is searching the Scriptures (the Christian Bible). Whether it is the historicity of the bible and the Church, study of the biblical languages Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, Biblical Theology, Apologetics (defending the claims of the Bible), missiology or Christology, there is so much literature to satisfy your enquiry.

Traditionally, those who desired to study theology would have needed to enrol at a Theological Institution. However, this is beginning to change. Institutions in the U.S., like Covenant Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary have started supplying the public with access to solid theological material, developed through their Master’s degree programs. Access to lectures, readings and discussion forums has been made available.

So, you may be someone who desires a deeper understanding of Jesus through his Scriptures and you want to serve a world in dire need of the Gospel, but you are not in the position to study at a Theological Institution. This describes me. I have been yearning to know the God who rescued me from my sin in Jesus Christ, but I haven’t been in the position to attend formal academic theological study. However, this changed, when Covenant Theological Seminary made their academic units available for free.

Well I have some great news for you. I have placed some links below which will give you access to Covenant and Reformed Theological Seminary’s online study.

Institution	Link
Reformed Theological Seminary Note: Follow the links provided on the RTS webpage for more assistance.	http://itunes.rts.edu/index.html
Covenant Theological Seminary Note: You will need to subscribe with the Seminary, but it is all free.	http://www.worldwide-classroom.com/

I hope this enriches and blesses your walk with Christ. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me at vintagejc@hotmail.com

Bible: Fiction or Nonfiction?

University is an amazing institution where the minds of the future can be shaped and moulded. As a university student, I was exposed to many different types of theories and philosophies. One of those philosophies was post modernism, which is the belief that there is no absolute truth, but there are actually many different truths which are socially constructed. As a student who did not believe in the teachings of the bible, I found this philosophy compelling as it seemed inclusive and tolerant, blowing ‘narrow minded Christians, Muslims, Modernists and so on, out of the water.

My post modernism shaken

Midway through my university studies, I started to question the philosophy of post modernism. My mind dabbled in the possibility of their existing absolute truth and meaning. So, naturally, I asked the question, ‘how can all belief systems (including atheism) be right’ if there is such a thing called absolute truth? Thus, I came across the bible, which teaches that:

• The world was created by one God, who loves us and wants to have a fulfilling relationship with us,
• However, we have all rejected him and now suffer the consequences of death and suffering.
• God became a man named Jesus, lived the perfect life, experienced the turmoils and trails we face, and died on the cross to pay for our rejection,
• Jesus was resurrected and now reigns as King of the universe, and will return to recreate everything, judge the world and save those who trust in him.

Learning these biblical teachings and becoming regenerated by the Holy Spirit, my post modern understandings were shaken and eventually made completely obsolete, as the teachings of the bible were clearly absolute in nature.

How can the world still neglect the bible?

So if the bible is absolute in its teachings, then what place does post modernism have in our society? Strangely, post modernism, and every other counter argument to the bible, continues to thrive even though it’s contradicted by the bible. A driving force against the bible is the notion that the scriptures cannot be trusted as it is an unreliable text, full of historical errors and contradictions. This was one of the hurdles I tackled on my path to Christianity, which I found in the end, a rather facetious counter argument.

The claim that the bible is unreliable text due to the amount of errors and contradictions in it, is a rather laughable counter argument. Biblical textual criticism is the field of study where scholars compare the many New Testament manuscripts dating back to the Early Church period. Most critical biblical scholars are in agreement, that the bible is a reliable historical document which holds absolutely no damaging contractions, as claimed by some. The contradictions that seem to be evident are possible minor changes in words, which have occurred over time.

 

An immensely helpful article was written about five years ago, titled Misanalyzing Text Criticism--Bart Ehrman's'Misquoting Jesus'. This article was authored by two of the world’s most leading textual and biblical scholars, Professor Ben Witherington III and Professor Daniel Wallace. The article is a response to another textual critic named Professor Bart Erhman, who has created a stir with some of his most recent publications, claiming that the bible is a fabrication, full of historical errors. Both Witherington and Wallace expertly dismantle Erhman’s arguements. I recommend you read the article as I will do this field of study a massive disservice if I try.

Where to from here?

After examining the evidence, I came to the conclusion that the bible is God’s word, in perfect agreement within itself and a reliable historical document, detailing the work of God in his creation. I endorse the endeavour of examining the historical and biblical evidence for yourself. To many of us, including myself, can be indifferent, ignorant or hold an incorrect bias to the field of biblical textual criticism, and as a result, completely miss the enormous claims of scripture. Please don’t fall into this trap, as there is a great and loving God who is communicating with us through his scriptures.

So I leave you with this question – are you listening to God? Or, have you closed your ears and minds to God because you are taking someone’s else’s word for it? 

Resource Review: The New Bible Dictionary (3rd Edition)

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Click Here (Koorong) (Amazon)

This book is easy to read, very thorough and extremely perceptive. I have found this book a handy addition to my library.

As an accessible, comprehensive A - Z of Bible terms, place names, books, people and doctrines, the NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY has stood the test of time. It has long been recognized as an essential reference work, now revised and improved for the Bible students of today.

Written by an international team of over 150 scholars, this Third Edition updates key articles, time charts and all bibliographies - revisions that reflect recent developments in biblical studies. Maps, family trees, line drawings, diagrams and charts clarify and expand the text. A vital tool freshly sharpened for contemporary use. 1323 pages, from IVP.

Endorsement:
John Stott says: "I doubt if there is any better value for money today than theNew Bible Dictionary and the New Bible Commentary. As basic books for every thinking Christian's library they are indispensable."

Hardback, IVP Press 1298 pages

Price: Approx. $40 (Koorong)

Price: Approx. $29 (Amazon)

The Resurrection of Jesus (1): It’s all or nothing

Humans are amazing creatures. We are so industrious, diligent and creative. We make giant leaps forward with every year that goes past. According to many leading atheists, so creative are humans that we are even able to invent gods to worship, ways of living and bizarre rituals in religion. In the atheists mind, God is merely a human construct that relies solely on something called ‘faith’, which cannot be substantiated by evidence as it is ‘faith’. So wretched is this worldview, in the atheists opinion, that they have labelled faith ‘a virus’ (see Why God won’t go away). How do you feel about this comment? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

What is ‘faith’?

Faith, in my opinion, is a misunderstood concept. If you take the view of the atheist, then what you are referring to is ‘blind faith’. Faith, according to the Christian bible, comes from the Greek work pisteuõ, which means ‘I trust or I believe’ or ‘I am trusting or I am believing’. To say that you have faith in something means that you have examined or observed some form of evidence or evidences and come to the conclusion that it is trustworthy. Every human on this earth demonstrates faith every day. You might have faith in your spouse, your car, your house and even the chair that is holding you up while you read this article. Atheists have faith in the scientific evidence that, in their mind, proves the non-existence of God, the Muslim has faith that Muhammad accurately scribed down the words of Allah and so on. Faith is based on evidence and blind faith is based on a lack of evidence.

The Christian trust

The Christian faith, or better put, Christians trust is based on a man named Jesus. Christians believe, or trust, that Jesus was God incarnate, who died on the cross and rose three days later to reconcile us back to himself. Over this series, my goal is to examine the historical evidence that points to the reliability of the resurrection of Jesus. The content used in these articles will draw heavily from three books titled ‘The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus’, ‘The Case for the Resurrection’ and ‘The Message of the Resurrection’. Additionally, I will also draw key information and implications for the resurrection from the bible. Before we do this however, we need to address one issue.

Christianity isn’t just another religion!

The common view that all religions are the same and lead to the same path, is an absolute idiotic worldview. Sorry if you hold this view, but after a careful examination of the facts, you will have to conclude that each religion is very unique, and that only one is absolutely correct. Take Jesus words for example:

“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

See, if Jesus is right, then no other religion can be correct except for Christianity. He clearly states that the only way back to God is through him. Additionally, Jesus gave us an amazing sign to prove that he is the one true way to God. This sign, or evidence, is that he will die on a cross and rise again three days later (Matthew 12:40; 26:61; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; John 2:19-21).

It all comes down to this, the death and resurrection of God. The Apostle Paul states in the bible:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17)

The faith, trust or belief, depending on what you want to call it, hangs solely and squarely on the proverbial shoulders of the resurrection. Did Jesus rise from the grave, or is it a huge hoax? If he did, then what does that mean for humanity, and more personally, what does that mean for you? This series is aimed at answering these questions. Please stay posted for the next article in this series as we begin to examine the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

Resource Review: The Cross of Christ

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Last month, we looked at the good old celebration of Valentine’s Day and explored its links to Christianity. Christian’s firmly believe that God is love and that he clearly demonstrated his love by sacrificing his life as a human (Jesus Christ) by dying on a cross for our rebellion. John Stott, who is a world renowned theologian and scholar, writes very pervasively on the implications of Jesus death on the cross. I strongly recommend this book to all audiences, Christian and not.

The universal symbol of the Christian faith is neither a crib nor a manger, but a gruesome cross. Yet many people are unclear about its meaning, and cannot understand why Christ had to die.

In this magisterial and best selling book, John Stott explains the significance of Christ's cross and answers the objections commonly brought against biblical teaching on the atonement.

John Stott's modern classic is as sharp and pertinent as ever it was. It combines an excellent biblical exposition, and a characteristically thoughtful study of Christian belief, with a searching call to the church to live under the cross.

IVP Book, 448 pages
Price: Approx. $10.95 (Koorong)
Price: Approx. $17 (Amazon)

Resource Review: The Daily Audio Bible

If you are anything like me, reading foreign books is a rather difficult task, particularly if you have no prior knowledge of the text. So, do you want to know Jesus but you aren't an  avidreader? Well I have some great news for you. The Daily Audio Bible is an excellent resource, which offers daily bible readings in an audio format so you can listen to them on you IPod, IPhone or any other electronic device that plays MP3's. Below is a short clip detailing some of the great resources available at the Daily Audio Bible:



To access the many resources available at the Daily Audio Bible, please CLICK HERE

Resource Review: The Message of Creation

I have been reading this fascinating book, which I recommend to those who are interested in the overlap of science and theology. It is a heavy book; essentially this book is a commentary thick with bible references and theological jargon. However, it is understandable if you are willing to learn. Personally, I find this book a gem, as David Wilkinson holds degrees in both theology and cosmology (study of the Universe in its totality).

With the eyes of a theologian and a cosmologist, David Wilkinson explores the message of creation in God's Word. Focusing on the beginning, the songs, the fulfilment, the lessons, and the Lord of creation, he brings the texts into lively conversation with contemporary concerns.

Paperback, 304 pages
Price: Approx. $16.95

Resource Review: Know the Truth

“What is truth” (John 18:36-38), asked Pilate to Jesus. I ask you, is there truth and is it fixed and attainable? According to the bible, truth is fixed and attainable. In this excellent book by Bruce Milne, he details the core teaching of the bible. I recommend this book to those who have a basic understanding of the bible and are interested in Christian doctrine.

'You will know the truth,' said Jesus, 'and the truth will set you free.'

Christians have already begun to know God and his truth. This handbook assists in that liberating knowledge, as it opens up the great themes of God's Word and shows how they fit together.

Each chapter deals with one aspect of biblical truth and encourages further study with Scripture references to

look up, questions for discussion, and books for additional reading. The main sections conclude with practical reflection on how the Bible's teaching challenges us and moves us to adore the living God.

This new edition of Bruce Milne's widely appreciated Know the Truth has been extensively revised and updated to ensure its ongoing relevance and value as an excellent introduction to Christian doctrine.

384 pages Hardback
Price: Approx. $9.95