Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor

In my endeavor not to burn myself out before the school year actually begins, I try to read a biography or something a bit lighter during the summer. This was a book I picked up a while back and knew it would be great simply because D.A. Carson wrote it. It isn't Carson's typical type of work, intensely academic requiring a dictionary at hand throughout, but it was astonishing. Carson wrote this book about his dad, and it is encouraging because his dad was an ordinary pastor, no doubt about it. It rekindled my zeal for the pastoral ministry, as well as reshaping my understanding of the pastoral ministry. I now long to minister dilligently, making the most of my time for the days are indeed evil.

I will mention just two things that stood out to me throughout the book.

One was Tom Carson's amazing work ethic and unwillingness to waste any time He would probably look down on reading a book to "ease the mind" as I did when I read about him. His days began anywhere from 6-7 am and ended around midnight, give or take an hour. He disciplined himself to study 4 hours in preparation for his preaching ministry and pray 30 minutes to an hour each morning before lunch. After lunch he would then give himself to visitation and pastoral duties, such as counseling, evangelism, and caring for those in need. At night he would spend time with the kids and family, yet once they were in bed, he would devote himself to reading theology, studying the biblical languages, journaling, or more study for his sermons. He was dilligent and disciplined, something I am not and needed to be exhorted towards.

The second thing I want to draw your attention to was the way he viewed and practiced church. He was a pastor in Canada and he labored for a long time before the Lord began to swiftly bring in his elect from Canada. Here was a typical Wednesday evening schedule, a direct quote from the book. Tom had asked Don to come preach at the church, and this is what Don encoutered that Wednesday evening:

" I arrived at 7:30... There was half an hour of reverent singing, some of it freshly written hymns and songs. Shortly after 8:00 I began to preach. I finished just before 9:30... I answered questions until 10:00 P.M. Then prayer requests were solicited, and almost all of them had to do with the conversion of people or the spiritual growth of people to whom these believers were bearing witness. We got down on our knees to pray about 10:30 P.M. I was the first to leave, sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 A.M., as I still had some preparation to do for my class at 8:00 A.M. the next morning. The Pastor assured me this was a fairly normal Wednesday evening."

I know what you may be thinking, but is there really anything more important than meeting with God's people and engaging in the worship mentioned above?

Get this book, read it, be encouraged, and if nothing else, you can finally say you read a book by D. A. Carson that you fully understood!

Keep reading, and press on to holiness.

Ryan

Summer Review #2: The Newness of the New Covenant by A. Blake White

Well, this week I finished The Newness of the New Covenant (TNNC) by A. Blake White (aka, "B-Dub"). What is interesting about this book, like last post with Broken Walls, is that I know the author personally--he's okay. I lived with him for a time in college. He was at my wedding and I his. We now sit in class together at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I have seen his study up close and can testify to his diligence and affirm his competence in writing his first book.

So, without further ado:

What is This Book About?

Mr. White's book provides a concise, 57-page (20 pages if you remove the footnotes) framework for understanding New Covenant theology by focusing on "the six major divine-human covenants" (3). One of the most important elements of seeing the big picture of the Biblical story is by understanding the function of covenant in the Bible. One's understanding of the nature of God's covenants is one of the primary factors in determining one's overall theological orientation (Presbyterian, Baptist, Dispensational, etc.). He states, "While covenant should not be considered the center of biblical theology, it is an important theological theme that illustrates at least one significant way in which the Bible's numerous and diverse voices unite with beautiful harmony" (4). From that basis, Blake defines the term "covenant" and then moves on to survey the covenant with creation, with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and finally the New Covenant. Ultimately, "the NT presents Christ as fulfilling all the promises of God in their initial stage" (27), and, "Christ . . . by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, ratified the radically new covenant, which all the other covenants anticipated and foreshadowed" (28). Key New Testament texts from the Gospels, Paul, and Hebrews are examined as evidence for the newness of the New Covenant under Jesus' reign. TNNC argues that one's understanding of the New Covenant "has significant implications for the nature of the church," namely, "the new covenant community, by definition, is a believing community" (56).

This book is a great intro to New Covenant theology. Every one needs a helpful starting point to understanding complex theological issues. TNNC was that for me. Blake is clear and accessible and does not write in an esoteric way. Though his book is not lengthy, it is full of meaty content that will send you to your Bible for hours of study. I guess if you want anything out of your first book, it's that.

Good job, B.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?
Plev

On deck, Part II of Broken Walls.

Summer Review #1: Broken Walls by Kevin D. Kirkland, Part I

I am going to do this post in two parts. I'll get the second one up as soon as I find time.

I recently finished Kevin Kirkland's debut book called Broken Walls: And Those Who are Called to Repair Them. Check out the ad for the book here.

It was a privilege to read this book for a number of reasons, but one in particular stands at the forefront, namely, I personally know Kevin Kirkland. He and I lived in the same town (San Angelo, TX) for about six years where we would occasionally interact. Thus, to some degree I understand and recognize his passion for the subject he addresses. He loves to pour his life into young people--I have seen this first hand! I have heard Kevin speak a number of times and have watched him love and lead students as a youth minister, through various Sunday-night gatherings, overseas missions, and his traveling evangelistic ministry known as Katalyst (see link above). His love for students comes in second only to his passionate zeal for Jesus. Kevin has spent much time overseas, as the book will reveal, and wants nothing less than to see hordes of people come to know Jesus. So, reading his debut book was interesting. I could literally hear his passionate voice in my head as I read. It was really only a matter of time before he wrote a book. Kevin is filled with things to say, and say he did. So, without further ado, let's look at just that.

What is This Book About?
Simply stated: if we do not take the next generation seriously, we are headed for perilous times. Kevin's heart bursts forth with love, passion, sorrow, and determination for today's and tomorrow's young people--and his zeal is quite compelling. There is no doubt that he is operating under the tremendous weight of how sin is destroying our world and how children across the globe suffer as we sit comfortably in our air-conditioned living rooms watching television and waiting on our next meal. Kevin shouts loudly from the pages of Broken Walls (BW) that we need to repent from our pride and selfishness and let Christ guide us into lives of loving sacrifice and service for our children. This book will strike a deep chord for those who know they should simplify their lives for the sake of others. As the idolatries of American culture are exposed one by one, one's use of money, time, energy, vacation, home, etc., will be challenged in light of Christ's great mission to heal the brokenness of our world.

Kevin shares story after story and statistic after statistic that vividly portray the current state of ruin that our children find themselves in. He knows firsthand the death, deception, and misery that millions of children across the world encounter everyday. From holding dying orphans in Kenya to working with passive parents in West Texas, he has come face to face with the physical and spiritual decay that surrounds the next generation. He is deeply broken, and he invites all who read to share his passion for the healing of our youth.
In light of all this, BW is a smooth read and Kevin's heartbeat is accessible to all his readers. He doesn't write as an expert on the matter, but one who is in the trenches wanting to strengthen his fellow soldiers. One can tell that he has spent a lot of time passionately teaching this from group to group. BW will challenge every reader to play his or her part in the task of being a sage for the youth of our day, whether in sending or going or praying.

(In part II, I will discuss my favorite chapters as well as a few more questions I have. For now, here is a discussion of the use of Nehemiah.)

-Use of Nehemiah?
As I write this in the James P. Boyce Centennial Library at Southern Seminary, I am incidentally sitting right in front of a section of Nehemiah commentaries--no lie. I could literally reach behind me and pull one off the shelf. So, having made that cute little introductory comment, here are my thoughts on how Nehemiah was used in Broken Walls:

In the intro, Kevin writes, "The steps that Nehemiah follows for the restoration of his nation are the very keys that I believe God has called us to utilize in the rebuilding of that which the enemy has destroyed in our own land" (p. xv). He also entitles a chapter, "You are Nehemiah" (ch. 16). From this point, he parallels Nehemiah's situation with our own in America and proceeds to offer practical guidance for how we are to repair the brokenness around us. Kevin is making a passionate plea for us to mourn, fast, pray, and act on behalf of the young people in our nation--make no mistake, this is a great end in itself! Yet, I think an important question should be raised about the means to this end: Is this a proper use of Nehemiah? Now, before you think that my question is rigid and uncaring, even pharisaical, consider that I am not attacking Kevin personally, nor his content. I am only offering a critique of his interpretative approach and his use of Nehemiah. I affirm that everything he concludes in his book is helpful and biblical, but the way he derives his conclusions may not serve as the best model of interpreting Scripture. Could there be a way to say the exact same things that Kevin does that is just as passionate, yet preserves the redemptive-historical significance of Nehemiah's (and Israel's) situation? Or, are there better interpretive approaches that can reach the same exhortations yet remain consistent with New Covenant promises given to the church? I answer both in the affirmative. Let me explain the significance of my question: If Nehemiah's story is truly a model for us in our situation, then it is hard not to expect the obsolete promises that are also given to Nehemiah (and ultimately Israel) in his redemptive-historical context. Kevin's use of Nehemiah can inadvertantly set people up with false expectations about how God will respond to our "rebuilding" efforts. Ultimately, my question addresses the very heart of this book: Can we realistically expect the walls to be rebuilt? I will answer that next time, but in this section my point is that we can find guidance for our situation that is just as urgent, yet also faithful to the redemptive-historical context of Christians under New Covenant promises. In the end I find his interpretation a bit too allegorical and detatched from it's context. Though everything he says is on point theologically, I think his overall thesis could be strengthened if his material was more grounded in the New Testament.

For resources that discuss redemptive history, see:
Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan
Bartholomew and Goheen, The Drama of Scripture
William Dumbrell, The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament
Stephen Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty
and, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Overall, I have a lot of agreement with Kevin and I think he did a great job on his first book. I will have more to say in due time, along with my thoughts on my favorite chapters. Good job Kevin.

Till the next episode. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?
Plev