Episodios

  • Year 3

    Year 3
    Apr 25 2024

    Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Except I have not been reviewing any books for nearly two months now.

    Have I quit the podcast? No. I am still looking forward to the 100th episode of Reading and Readers. I have a special book in mind for that one. So if I do end this podcast, and I don't have any intention of doing so, I would definitely do it after the 100th episode.

    Why the delay? I used to do a book review every two weeks. That was a crazy pace. I could sustain that pace until my responsibilities elsewhere -- in the office, church and home -- increased. I found myself having to read more books but not books I would later review.

    So I have decided to take the podcast slow. Instead of a sprint, or a jog, it will be stroll or a walk. I will still be downloading the monthly free books from Logos. I will still be on the look out for good books.

    If I see a must-read book, I will read it. If it is a must-share book, then I will review and share my thoughts with everyone.

    This was not how I expected to celebrate the Reading and Reader's third year. However, I am hopeful that once things settle down, I will get back to reading and reviewing Christian books for you. Thank you for your support. Until next time, bye!

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    5 m
  • Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer

    Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer
    Feb 25 2024
    Today's book could be the most important book of the year. Hopefully not the decade. Because I would really hate to talk about Critical Theory again. If everybody in the world read today's book, we would never have to talk about it ever again. Hi, my name is Terence and I’m your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review “Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology - Implications for the Church and Society” by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer. 582 pages. Published by Harvest House Publishers in October 2023. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD21.99 and in Logos for USD16.49. But I got it in Logos for the low low price of USD6.99 because every month I eagerly wait for Logos' free and deeply discounted books. Eagerly AwaitedThis book came up. And there is no other book that I have more eagerly waited for than a Neil Shenvi book on Critical Theory. I first knew of Shenvi from Voddie Baucham’s “Fault Lines”, a book on Critical Race Theory that I reviewed in Episode 9. From Voddie Baucham's book, I found myself in Neil Shenvi’s website and was floored by the thorough analysis of the many many Critical Theory books he reads. I knew then that if Shenvi ever decided to compile his knowledge into a book, I must read it. As good as anyone's articles, interviews and seminars are, the best way to make a case is through a well-written book. But there is another author to today's book. Pat Sawyer. Sawyer was in the banking industry for 17 years before he took a PhD in educational and cultural studies. He wrote a dissertation on social justice. It seems that the fusion of these two men, Shenvi and Sawyer, has released an incredible amount of energy. Their combined powers of observation, subject expertise, analytical skills and commitment to the Christian faith has made them, I would say, very dangerous men. Just as the emperor who wears no clothes can no longer walk around naked after a child tells the truth, so the reader can no longer be complacent or be outraged under false premises after Shenvi and Sawyer tell the truth on Critical Theory. Critical Dilemma is divided into three parts.Part 1: Understanding Part 2: Critiquing Part 3: EngagingUnderstanding Critical TheoryThe book begins with an honest painful look at Slavery and Jim Crow. This disarms the Social Justice Warrior. Here is outrage over slavery and Jim Crow. This disarms the Christian Culture Warrior. Shenvi, why are you opening old wounds? Sawyer, why are you taking the enemies talking points? By starting with these "Shadows of the Past", the authors establish their credentials as unflinching truth tellers. When people are ignorant of history, they are vulnerable. When good people hear of the victims, they want to right those wrongs. Why is Critical Theory so effective in channeling this righteous anger through the government, schools, churches and families? That question is answered in Part 1.Later, the authors challenge the reader to say they do not go far enough. Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Social Justice Warriors. But not in the way you may think, I will explain more later.Know Them In Their Most Plausible and Persuasive FormThe authors take Critical Theory seriously. They don't caricature it. No strawman here. Not trying to score points with the groupies. They went through the Critical Theory literature to know what it says and have made a sincere attempt to present it to us.How do we know it's sincere? They quote extensively the main proponents of Critical Theory.They state up front that some of these guys would deny being members of Critical Theory. Shenvi and Sawyer refuse to get into a fight over labels. The key is to discuss ideas. And they show through those extensive quotes that if it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, at the very least, it's in the bird family.They explain all this without imputing motives. They have a chapter titled, "Positive Insights" that lists positive aspects of Critical Theory. We need to properly understand the appeal of Critical Theory in order to make a proper critique over it.Why do they make such a great effort? John Mills puts it well. He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side; if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion…Nor is it enough that he should hear the arguments of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into real contact with his own mind. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do their very utmost for them. He must know them in their most plausible and persuasive ...
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    28 m
  • The Spirit of Grace by Alister McGrath

    The Spirit of Grace by Alister McGrath
    Jan 28 2024
    I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.The Apostles Creed. What does it mean? Hi, my name is Terence and I’m your host for Reading and Readers. Today I review “The Spirit of Grace” by Alister McGrath. 128 pages. Published by SPCK Publishing in Dec 2014. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD9.99 and for free in Logos in January. Scientist and TheologianMcGrath graduated with a first class honours in Chemistry at Oxford, then a doctorate in molecular biophysics, a first class honours in theology, and just to make the rest of us feel small and tiny, he went on to two more doctorates in theology, and intellectual history.I see here he has a long history as a Professor of Theology in Oxford, London, then back to Oxford as the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion in 2014. In 2022, he stepped down from this endowed chair, and is now the Senior Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford. McGrath has written many books. There are many interesting titles here that I want more time to talk about them. So I'll do that at the end of this review. Let’s look at today’s book, "The Spirit of Grace". The Title Under-Promises (Or The Book Over-Delivers)When I picked up this book, I thought I knew what it would be about. The title says, “The Spirit of Grace”, so the book must be all about... the Holy Spirit. To my surprise, it was not. This is actually the fourth book in a series. The series is designed to explain Christian creeds and Book 4 covers this part of the Apostles Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,The rest of it: “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” will be covered in Book 5, “The Christian Life and Hope.” This is great. I don’t mind reading another book on the Holy Spirit but I haven't read a book on the Apostles Creed. But McGrath surprises me once again by giving more than expected. Let me read the chapter headings and we'll see if you were paying attention.Chapter 1: The Holy Spirit: The giver of lifeChapter 2: Humanity: the climax of God’s creationChapter 3: Grace: the gift of a courteous GodChapter 4: Church: the communion of saintsChapter 5: One holy catholic and apostolic ChurchThe Apostles Creed doesn’t say anything about humanity. Yet, McGrath wisely notes: If we are to understand the important place of spirituality in the Christian faith, we need to grasp both the idea that humanity has been created in order to relate to God and the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling and sustaining that relationship.If I was assigned to write a book on the Apostles Creed, I would just do what I was told. There are four lines for this book? Then I'll have four chapters. But McGrath has a higher level objective. He wants to explain the Christian belief to everyone, to describe the heart of the faith. If we need biblical anthropology, if we need to know what the Bible says about us, to understand Christianity he gives it to us. Before we delve into a few chapters as examples, I just want to say that this book provoked many thoughts. Which at first I thought was strange because it's not as if I am encountering something new, a new concept. I know the Apostles Creed. When I go back to my hometown, the church I go to would in every Sunday service flash up the Apostles Creed for the congregation to read together. I know the theology behind the Apostles Creed, having read books on the different elements of it: the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, the church. So why has McGrath's book been so stimulating? And I concluded it's because the truth he speaks of is timely and timeless, it applies to what is important in our lives. When I'm guided by an able guide as McGrath, my latent thoughts, my worries and concerns, hopes and dreams, engage with the truth. Let me share what I mean.Holy Tensions ResolvedIn Chapter 1 on the Holy Spirit, McGrath describes the experiential approach emphasised within the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. He writes: An emphasis on the experience of the Spirit can be argued to represent a welcome move away from very bookish or intellectual ways of thinking about the Christian faith. Why should those who cannot read, or who find abstract reasoning difficult, be disadvantaged in matters of faith? The Holy Spirit is the great leveller, making the rich experience of the living God available ...
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    32 m
  • The Legacy of John Calvin by David W. Hall

    The Legacy of John Calvin by David W. Hall
    Jan 14 2024
    Everyone knows John Calvin was a great theologian but did you know he was more than a theologian? Do you know how he has influenced our schools, governments and our very way of life? Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review "The Legacy of John Calvin" by David Hall. 112 pages. Published by P&R Publishing in June 2008. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD7.99 and available in Logos for free! Free for January.Who is David Hall? This is what Amazon says:Dr. David W. Hall has served as the Senior Pastor of the historic Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Powder Springs, Georgia since 2003. Is he qualified to write on John Calvin? Amazon continues to say:In addition to his work as Executive Director of Calvin500, his Calvin500 series contains the following works: The Legacy of John Calvin, Calvin in the Public Square, Calvin and Commerce, Preaching Like Calvin, Calvin and Culture, Tributes to John Calvin, and Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes.Having written so many books on Calvin, we are confident that if anyone could write an authoritative book on John Calvin, David Hall would be the guy. Or he could have written so many books on Calvin that everywhere he goes he sees John Calvin.The book is divided into three parts. Part 1: Ten Ways Modern Culture is Different because of John Calvin Part 2: John Calvin: A Life Worth Knowing Part 3: Tributes: Measuring a Man after Many GenerationsPart 1Let me start with Part 1.Listeners to this podcast, should be somewhat familiar with John Calvin. You know him as the theologian. The guy who wrote The Institutes, the bedrock of the Systematic Theology. Other than writing theology, what else did he do? Got nothing? Here are some of the ways your life is all the better because of John Calvin. Did you go to school? That's thanks to Calvin. In Geneva, Calvin set up the free public school and seminary and, according to a historian quoted in this book, these became "the forerunners of modern public education."Do you know volunteer societies? They might have helped you or someone you know. That's thanks to Calvin and his deacons who cared for orphans, the elderly and the sick. I quote: This ecclesiastical institution was a precursor to the voluntary societies of the 19th and 20th centuries in the West.Do you know what is a Senate? Senators are in the Senate. They have a seat in government. Calvin and other commentators studied the Bible. They studied how Jethro advised Moses on how to govern a nation. Calvin concluded that what worked for Moses and Israel would work for John Calvin and Geneva. Thus, the Senate was established in Geneva. This idea then reached America. As Hall says, "With this idea [of limited government], Calvin altered the trajectory of governance."In the chapter titled, "Decentralised Politics: The Republic", we have a lot more to thank John Calvin. I quote: Many ideas that began with Calvin’s reformation in Geneva and later became part of the fabric of America were cultivated and crossbred in the seventeenth-century. Customs now taken for granted, like freedom of speech, assembly, and dissent, were extended as Calvin’s Dutch, British, and Scottish disciples refined these ideas.With this illustrious list of contributions to modern culture, I was surprised that we don't have John Calvin to thank for slice bread. Part 2In Part 2, we have a short biography of Calvin divided into four sections: Calvin's Life, Calvin's Friendships, Calvin's Death and Epilogue.If you are yet to be persuaded on the giant who is John Calvin, David Hall quotes 19th century Harvard historian George Bancroft who: traced the living legacy of Calvin among the Plymouth pilgrims, the Huguenot settlers of South Carolina, and the Dutch colonists in Manhattan, concluding: "He that will not honour the memory and respect the influence of Calvin knows but little of the origin of American liberty." Later we read that the world-renowned German historian Leopold von Ranke reached the conclusion that, "John Calvin was virtually the founder of America." A French man founded America? How did he do that? Well, we hope to find out in this biography.Hall gives a standard portrait of Calvin. His early life, how his father sent him to study law because that's where the money was, then a thunderclap. The Reformation happened. Calvin left France and eventually arrived in Geneva. He didn't want to stay in Geneva but he was spiritually bullied by William Karel to stay. So he stayed. Then he refused to offer communion to some people (he had good reasons not to) and the City Council exiled Calvin. But three years later, those who opposed Calvin fell away, and Geneva insisted Calvin return to continue the good work he did there. So he did. He famously preached exactly where he left off three years ago.We read how he helped to build up the church, the city, the public school and seminary, the printers, the economy ...
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    26 m
  • Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to Holy Land Theology by Gary M. Burge

    Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to Holy Land Theology by Gary M. Burge
    Jan 7 2024
    It's a nightmare that never ends. A nightmare of rape, murder, of unspeakable evil to the young, to the old, to pregnant women and babies. A nightmare that is all too real. What does the Bible say about the Israel-Palestine conflict? Or more specifically, what does the New Testament say about the Christian's posture towards the Holy Land?Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review "Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to 'Holy Land' Theology" by Gary M. Burge. 168 pages, published by Baker Academic in April 2010. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD15.99 and was USD3.99 last month, December, in Logos.Theologian Writing on the LandBurge is a New Testament scholar who has written, amongst many of his works, extensive commentaries on the Gospel of John and the Epistles of John. I have reviewed his commentary on the Letters of John from the NIV Application Commentary series. So from there I know what to expect of his views on modern day Israel. If you don't know them, you will certainly know them by the end this review.This book was published in 2010, but it might as well have been published today. The conflict in Israel-Palestine is still ongoing. The Jewish people and the Palestinians are still making exclusive claims to the land.In his introduction, Burge writes: This book asks how Christians should understand these competing land claims. Given our theological framework, what is the relationship between land and theology in the New Testament? What did Jesus and the New Testament writers think about the territorial claims of ancient Israel? Did they retain the view of the sanctity of Jerusalem and its Temple? Were they rethinking the relationship between faith and locale? Or were they confident that a sacred place was still to be held for believers?Old Testament in BriefBurge starts the book, in the Old Testament, in the time when God promises Abraham, "To your descendants I give this land..." This land, this promise, Burge charts the relationship of the children of Abraham to the land, from the Promise to the Conquest, from the Warning of Exile to the Return from Exile. We see that the Old Testament doesn't portray the Holy Land as prime real estate. Burge writes: While it will be a good land, it will not be an easy land. This will be a land that demands faith. Far from being paradise, this is a land that will hone a people. For instance, without a central river system, agriculture must rely on God, who supplies the land with water through rainfall. Culturally the land will not be empty but will be filled with Canaanites (and others) who will tempt Israel to compromise its unique commitment to God. And politically, armies moving from Egypt to Mesopotamia will run through this land as if it were a highway and Israel will be forced to decide whether its security will be found in local treaties and alliances or in God, who promises to sustain its welfare.Throughout the book, Burge makes his points from Scripture. For example, I quote: Before Israel enters the land under Joshua’s leadership, Deuteronomy records Moses’ final words of encouragement and warning to the people. (Deuteronomy 4:25-27) When you have had children and children’s children, and become complacent in the land, if you act corruptly by making an idol in the form of anything, thus doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, and provoking him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy; you will not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples; only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will lead you. Burge comments:The severity of these words is stunning. This land is not simply a gift the giver has forgotten. It is a gift that has expectations for covenant holiness and justice. God is watching this land. He has personal expectations for this land. It is a land that should evoke memories of his own holiness.Diaspora JewsBurge covers the whole Old Testament in one chapter. Before he goes into the New Testament, Burge describes the world of the Diaspora Jews through the writings of Philo and Josephus. What happened during this time? For one thing:More Jews were living outside the holy Land than they were living in it. And this brought major implications to Jewish thinking and perspective.What surprised me is that the Jewish people, before Christians came to the scene, were already moving the theological focus away from the land.The Jews who were born outside of Israel, who married, did business and made a life outside, were still Jews in their customs and relationships. They were still making pilgrimages to Jerusalem, still paying the Temple tax and many wanted to be buried in the Holy Land, but many did not believe that to be a good Jew meant to rebel ...
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    32 m
  • Saint Augustine: Four Anti-Pelagian Writings

    Saint Augustine: Four Anti-Pelagian Writings
    Dec 31 2023
    A theologian writes a critical response to a popular teaching. He destroys it. The teaching and teacher are irredeemably branded as heresy and heretic. Augustine vs. Pelagius, the battle of the ages. Today I read what nobody else wants to read to find out was Saint Augustine correct? Is Pelagianism a heresy and Pelagius a heretic?"Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review "Saint Augustine: Four Anti-Pelagian Writings" translated by John Mourant and William Collinge. 372 pages, published by The Catholic University of America Press in January 1992. It's available in Amazon for USD42.24 (as of the date of recording) and in Logos for USD30.99. Pelagius Was Not A Heretic"Pelagius was not a heretic. The church has gotten him wrong." This was news to me. When I first started reading theology, I learnt that Pelagius taught that man, by nature, is able to live completely sinless lives and that this was heresy. And the man who succeeded in destroying this heresy is a hero of the church, the same man who wrote Confessions and City of God, Saint Augustine of Hippo.So I was surprised to hear that heretic Pelagius was misunderstood and great man Augustine wrote a hit job on him. I have no skin in the game, if Pelagius was truly innocent of the charges, then let justice be done. I began by reading Pelagius in his own words. I found Pelagius' Letter to Demetrias, which is available for free online. And I was shocked! Let me read from that letter:Nor is there any reason why it is made difficult for us to do good other than that long habit of doing wrong which has infected us from childhood and corrupted us little by little over many years and ever after holds us in bondage and slavery to itself, so that it seems somehow to have acquired the force of nature. We now find ourselves being resisted and opposed by all that long period in which we were carelessly instructed, that is, educated in evil, in which we even strove to be evil, since, to add to the other incentives to evil, innocence itself was held to be folly.Pelagius does not believe that we inherit the sinful nature from Adam, but instead we copied what we see around us. In short, Pelagius does not believe in, what we know today as, Original Sin, an idea we have Augustine to thank for. Augustine was right to condemn it! Without reading Augustine, I already know I am against Pelagianism. Someone might say that's because I have already been corrupted little by little over many years by Augustine. In response, I concede that the books I read favour Augustine, but I truly believe my convictions come directly from the Bible. I could leave it as that. Sustaining my position on biblical grounds. But since the discussion is on two separate but related questions: Is Pelagianism a heresy? Is Pelagius a heretic? If we want to properly answer these questions, we should read the man who was instrumental in the condemnation. We should read Augustine's own words and not what other people said he said. We need the primary source. Read The Primary SourceI searched and bought a translation of Saint Augustine: Four Anti-Pelagian Writings. I hope to find out answers to a few questions like: What did Augustine understand of Pelagianism? Was he fair in his criticism? Did Augustine respond with biblical truth or philosophical arguments or did he just rile up religious fervour?Most, if not all, of the answers to those questions can be found in the first two writings collected in the book. They are On Nature and Grace and On the Proceedings of Pelagius. They were written in 415-416AD, shortly after Pelagius went to court. These are hot off the press responses from Augustine on the events of the day.The other two are shorter and written much later. The titles are On the Predestination of the Saints and On the Gift of Perseverance. These were not written to address Pelagianism directly but they are here because Augustine is dealing with a related problem.Working Out Theology is Not Neat and TidyThe first thing that struck me was how messy everything was. Let me explain. Any good book on Systematic Theology will say this is what Augustine believed, this is what Pelagius believed. If the book had a bit more space to spare, they quote a sentence, a paragraph from Augustine and/or Pelagius. Everything is neat and tidy.When you read this book, it's not. Here, you see Augustine trying to get a handle on Pelagius. "Did he really say what he said?" Christian leaders are pestering Augustine to respond to Pelagius' teaching. Augustine is reluctant to go after the man but is compelled to go against the teaching.Listen to this. The love we have for him [Pelagius] now is different from the love we had for him formerly; then we loved him as one who seemed to be of the true faith, whereas we now love him in order that, by the mercy of God, he may be set free from those antagonistic views which he is said to hold ...
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    36 m
  • Year End Reflection 2023

    Year End Reflection 2023
    Dec 31 2023
    RR90 Long Term ReflectionHi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Except today, I don't review a book. Instead I do my annual Year End Reflection where I look back and consider what are the books that have, thus far, made a lasting impression on me. This year, unlike previous years, I did not give myself much opportunity to reflect or to practise what I read. Having said that, I was surprised by how much the printed word has managed to make an imprint on me. Like a gardener who neglected his garden which is now overrun with weeds, I found to my delight that in some corners, seeds have survived and grown and bear fruit.As I look back at all the books I have reviewed in this podcast, there were a few titles that come to mind over and over again. In brief, in order of appearance in the podcast, these are the seven books read in the past that was meaningful to me this year:Episode 7: Providence by John Piper. When I have conversations with anyone on the sovereignty of God, I try to recall as much as I can from Piper's brilliant exposition. He left me utterly convinced of God's Providence in every part of creation. And most wonderful of all is this truth is not just a talking point I use in conversations but it has shaped my spiritual posture towards God, always rejoicing, always trusting. Providence is a thick book, 752 pages. I thank God that I read this big book earlier because I don't think I would have the mental, emotional, spiritual strength to lift this book this year. But because I did, it has laid a strong foundation for how to receive God's Truth, to rejoice in it and to rely on the wonderful providence of God. Episode 17: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit by Chris Wright. I don't know whether this would offend Chris or make him smile, but the one thing I remember from his book is from his introduction, on how John Stott would every morning pray the Fruit of the Holy Spirit and how Stott was considered by many to be the most Christ-like person they know. I do pray the Fruit of the Spirit, but not everyday, only when I face trials. I also remember how after finishing the book, how I wished to be more Christ-like. I have made pretty bad decisions, and I own those bad decisions, but where I have made good decisions, it is out of this desire to be more Christ-like, and I thank the Holy Spirit for this.Episode 25: Death of Porn by Ray Ortlund. A book that has given me some anguish, often despair, and after some preaching to myself, that despair turns to repentance. Two insights that have continued to guide my thoughts. First is when we look for porn, what we are really looking for is Jesus. I was shocked how Ortlund put porn and Jesus in the same sentence. I'm still shocked. It reveals our desperate futility for something that can only be found in Christ. The second insight is we make a budget for sin. I never thought about it as a budget. If I do this and that for God, then surely all the good I do will offset the little sin I do here. It's a lie I tell myself and Ortlund exposes it. Episode 30: Sunsets: Reflections on Life's Final Journey by Deborah Howard. The author is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She takes care of people who are going to die soon. Death is an icky subject. It's taboo. But the reality is people around me have died, some this year. The people around me will die, maybe sooner than expected, maybe suddenly, maybe it's me. Howard has helped me process dying, death and life after death. Since everyone dies, this book should be required reading for all.Episode 33: God, Technology and Christian Life by Tony Reinke. These are early days of drone warfare. Soldiers can work from home to kill the enemy in a far away land. That is if they can keep their jobs after A.I. has taken everyone else's jobs. It is easy to get carried away by the headlines. In Reinke's book, he reminds me that when everything is changing, everything is still the same. God is still in control. He never lost it. And so every exuberance, every anxiety must be tempered by the truth that God is over all, including technology. My Christian life is all the better for this truth. Better than the latest Apple, Google or Facebook product is the firm knowledge that God is over all. Episode 42: Theology of Reconciliation by Ruth Khoury Mansour. I bought this book because it was written by a Palestinian Christian on reconciliation. It's a monograph, so I paid for a research thesis. Every research thesis I read is dry as dust. But because of the subject matter and her writing style, through her literature review and methodology, analysis and conclusion, I managed to get a picture of life as a Baptist in Palestine, living amidst conflict, Israelis vs. Palestinians, Muslims vs. Christians, Baptists vs. other Baptists. With the kidnapping, war and airstrikes constantly in the news, I wonder how are my Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ. ...
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    15 m
  • After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles by Bryan Litfin

    After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles by Bryan Litfin
    Dec 10 2023
    Every good book or movie or TV series ends with closure for the characters. After so many years, Rachel and Ross finally got together. After so many doubts, Chandler finally accepts he is going to be a father. But the Bible does not give us such closures. What happened to Peter? He just disappears halfway through Acts. What happens to Paul? We left him in house arrest. We expect to turn the page to find out what happens next and it just ends like a canceled Netflix series. Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review "After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles" by Bryan Litfin. 200 pages, published by Moody Publishers in January 2015. USD9.99 via Amazon Kindle. It was available for free via Logos for November.AuthorAccording to bryanlitfin.com: Bryan Litfin is a professor in the School of Divinity at Liberty University. Previously, he was Head of Strategy and Advancement at Clapham School, after serving for 16 years as Professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and 3 years as an editor and writer at Moody Publishers. He is the author of Constantine’s Empire Series (Revell, 2020-2022), the Chiveis Trilogy, Wisdom from the Ancients (Harvest House Publishers, 2022), Early Christian Martyr Stories (Baker, 2014), After Acts (Moody, 2015), and Getting To Know the Church Fathers (Brazos, 2007), as well as several scholarly articles and essays.This is a surprise! He writes novels. He is a storyteller. And I'll come to why this is such a surprise at the end of this review. What is not surprising is he is a scholar, a professor of theology with an interest in the early church. In the book, he casually refers to Eusebius, Irenaeus and Jerome. He picks out the best bits from the Acts of Peter, Proto-Gospel of James, the Gospel of Thomas and more. He is familiar with early church writings and it shows.And that expertise is critical for us to figure out what happened after Acts. The Book of Acts closes with Paul under house arrest. If the Bible was submitted to a publisher, the publisher would reject it: "Great story, but you gotta fix the ending". Well, in God's infinite wisdom we get the Bible as it is but that has not stopped others from writing to finish the story of Peter, Paul and others. Some of these stories read like fan fiction or some kind of fantasy, alternate history. But is there a kernel of truth in them? Litfin goes through the Bible, archaeology and extra-Biblical sources to tell us not only what likely happened but why he is convinced. He even gives us a report card at the end of every chapter. A for almost certainly true. F for almost certainly false.PeterI started the episode by asking what happened to Peter. Litfin tells us. First, he explains who is Peter, what he did, what he wrote, and why he is important. Tradition has it that he was crucified upside down. You may have heard the reason was because he found himself unworthy to be crucified the same way Jesus was.Litfin writes:Peter may well have been crucified upside down, for the Romans were known to do this. Since the martyrdom story in the Acts of Peter was already developing in the early second century, it might have been recording an actual eyewitness remembrance. However, the victims of Roman crucifixion were not given the chance to make requests about the method of their impalement. The intent was to shame them in a grotesque way, not accomodate their wishes. Therefore, the upside-down crucifixion of Peter is historically plausible, though not for any spiritual reasons. Now that we know what happened to Peter, this should give us enough closure on the character, on the man. But there is more!He tells us the story of how the Apostle Peter's bones were discovered! Although Litfin cautions us that it is still an open question, yet the sequence of events he describes, the forensic analysis done, shows that it is possible, it is possible that we have recovered the bones of the Apostle Peter. Huh! In the report card, on the event that Peter died by crucifixion, Litfin gives it an A-. On whether his bones were recovered, Litfin gives it a B. ThomasLet's look at another disciple's story. This one is of personal interest to me because many years ago, I went on a church mission trip to India. It was an eye-opening trip that has helped form many of my convictions. I saw people hungry for the gospel, coming for prayer and a demonstrating sincere desire to worship and obey God. Our host brought us to a hill where the apostle Thomas was memorialised because according to tradition the apostle Thomas went to India to spread the Gospel. So we went to this hill and to us it was a sight-seeing trip, but to the people around us, it was a spiritual pilgrimage. I vaguely recall the pictures on the walls describing the miracles performed by Thomas. I visited the cave where he died and later the tomb where his bones are kept. I remember not...
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