Book Review: Michael Horton's "The Christian Faith"

Note:  Here's the book review of Horton's CF from the last issue of the RBT.

Michael Horton, The Christian Faith:  A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way (Zondervan, 2011):  1052 pp..

What is the best contemporary systematic theology from a Reformed and evangelical perspective on the market today?  In recent years Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, Zondervan 1994) has risen in popularity, particularly among the YRR crowd (Young, Restless, Reformed) and especially for its highly readable and devotional style.  There are significant problems with Grudem, however, not the least of which is his advocacy for non-cessationism.  Many still stand by proven (relatively) “contemporary” works like that of Berkhof.  Into the mix of systematic theologies now comes The Christian Faith by Michael Horton.

Michael Horton is a Reformed minister, scholar, intellectual, and prolific author who is professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Seminary California.  He also serves as editor or Modern Reformation magazine and as a co-host of the influential The White Horse Inn broadcast.  He has been a persistent critic of broad evangelicalism in books like Christless Christianity:  The Alternative Gospel of the American Church (Baker, 2008).  Recently, however, Horton has himself come under scrutiny by some in Reformed circles.  Lane Tipton of Westminster Seminary of Philadelphia, for example, has labeled Horton’s emphasis on the doctrine of Justification, to what he sees as the neglect of the doctrine of Union with Christ, as more “Lutheran” than Reformed.  Even more pointedly, theologian John Frame has offered outspoken criticism of Horton and others (like R. Scott Brown and D. J. Hart), especially for their advocacy of “two kingdom theology,” faulting their distinction between the role of the church and state in civil government and society.  Frame has labeled the views of Horton and others as the “The Escondido Theology” (see his book, The Escondido Theology:  A Reformed Response to Two Kingdom Theology, Whitefield Media, 2011).  Those who read Horton’s work will be particularly keen to notice these areas of controversy.

General Impressions

We might begin with some general impressions of Horton’s work.  Those who expected The Christian Faith to provide a popular and devotional alternative to Grudem will be disappointed.  This is a much more intellectually challenging book to read and understand.  Horton’s work not only presents a systematic theology but a survey of Western and Christian theological and philosophical thought.  It is in many ways a historical as well as a systematic theology.  Horton also places much emphasis on the influence of Western philosophy (Plato, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, etc.) on theological method.  Those without a strong philosophy background will likely struggle with this book.  Horton’s work also reflects his own adaptation of modern philosophical thought, most notably “speech act theory.”

It is also a much more “catholic” work than a purely evangelical one. One might even say that Horton appears more keenly interested in interaction with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, liberal Protestant, and Neo-orthodox theologies and theologians than he is with conservative evangelicals.  The more ecumenical nature and goal of Horton’s work might be indicated by the fact that he introduces the work with The Nicene Creed (p. 11).

Survey of Content

In the introduction, Horton notes that “the goal of theology is to humble us before the triune God of majesty and grace” (p. 13).  He adds that to believe in the God of Scripture requires “an act of apostasy from the assumed creed of our age” (p. 15).  A systematic understanding of the faith is essential for all believers.  It is “like the box top of a jigsaw puzzle, and every believer is a theologian in the sense of putting all the pieces together” (p. 27).  Horton makes clear that this book is not an exercise in “dogmatics,” which provides “a deeper analysis of Christian doctrines” but “a systematic summary” (p. 29).  Finally, he notes that he is writing “from the perspective of a Reformed Christian living in North America” (p. 30).

The Christian Faith is then divided into six major parts and twenty-nine chapters:

Part 1 is “Knowing God:  The Presuppositions of Theology” (pp. 35-222).  This opening is dedicated to epistemology, the doctrine of revelation, and Scripture.

Part 2 is “God Who Lives” (pp. 223-308).  The emphasis here is on the attributes of God and the Trinity. 

Part 3 is “God Who Creates” (pp. 309-445).  In this part the subjects are the decrees of God, creation, providence, anthropology, and the fall.

Part 4 is “God Who Rescues” (pp. 446-550).  This section is devoted to Christology.

Part  5 is “God Who Reigns in Grace” (pp. 551-905).  This part focuses on the ordo salutis and ecclesiology.

And Part 6 is “God Who Reigns in Glory” (pp. 906-990).  This final part, appropriately enough, deals with the doctrine of last things.

The Christian Faith also includes a number of helpful resources and appendices, including a “Glossary” of theological terms (pp. 991-1003), a “Confession Index” (pp. 1047-1048), and a brief “Annotated Bibliography” on various resources, labeling them by levels as “Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced” (pp. 1049-1052).

Dipping in at a few points of interest

Horton’s systematic theology might be generally described as covenantal in method, Calvinistic in soteriology, Presbyterian in ecclesiology, cessationist extraordinary offices and gifts, and amillennial in eschatology.   Such a massive work, tackling such a broad array of subjects, is difficult to analyze, however, in short space with precision.  Rather than offer a micro-analysis of the whole we will instead dip in at a few points of interest:

Scripture and Text

From the perspective of his covenant theology, Horton sees Scripture as the “covenant canon” or “ruling constitution” of Christianity.  On one hand, he affirms what he calls the “verbal-plenary inspiration” of Scripture (p. 160).  On the other hand, he is intent on criticizing what he calls “the docetic temptation” of some fundamentalists, concluding, “it is impossible to treat every word as normative, much less as the direct utterance of God.  Yet the Bible as a whole is God’s inspired script for the drama of redemption” (p. 162).  He notes that both fundamentalist and liberals share in what he holds to be a common error:

In this sense, fundamentalism shares with liberalism a univocal view of divine and human agency, leading the former to undervalue the Bible’s humanity, while the latter interprets the obvious signs of the Bible’s humanity as evidence of its merely natural process (p. 163).       

He is particularly hostile to the view of “mechanical inspiration” as opposed to “organic inspiration” (p. 63), though he does acknowledge that even the Reformers used “the unfortunate language of dictation” (p. 174).

Horton affirms the Hodge/Warfield/Princeton view of inspiration as “the best formulation of inerrancy and challenges caricatures” (p. 176).  He notes that this view of inerrancy is not “attributed to copies” but to “the original autographic text” (p. 177).  He also follows the typical evangelical line by noting that though textual discrepancies remain “they do not affect any point of the church’s faith and practice” (p. 180).  In fact, Horton expresses bold confidence in modern text criticism as “an ongoing enterprise yielding ongoing results” demonstrating that “reconstructing or approximating the content of the original autographs is a viable goal and that, for the most part, it has already achieved this goal” (p. 180).

Horton is particularly keen to defend this inerrancy view against Barthianism (see pp. 181-185), noting that “the inerrancy debate” is “largely a conversation between Old Princeton and Karl Barth (p. 181), while acknowledging that “both positions are quite different from Protestant orthodoxy” (p. 181).  Though admitting that the Hodge/Warfield/Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy “invites legitimate questions and critiques,” Horton  finds its alternatives “less satisfying” (p. 184).  One wishes that Horton might have spent less time analyzing, comparing, and contrasting the contemporary view of inerrancy with Barth and more with Protestant orthodoxy which affirmed the providential preservation of God’s Word in the copies (as in the Puritans, the Westminster Confession, John Owen, etc.).

Creation

As noted above, Horton’s work generally aims at a “catholic” appeal to the broad Christian tradition.  For example, he can approvingly cite and interact with the work of Roman Catholics like A. Dulles on revelation (see pp.  113 ff. ) or J. Ratzinger (i.e., Pope Benedict) on ecclesiology (pp. 720, 736; though note also his critique on pp. 830 ff. ), of Anglicans like C. S. Lewis (e.g., p. 18), Lutherans like D. Bonhoeffer (see pp. 756 ff.), and of the neo-orthodox Reformed lion Karl Barth (cited throughout; according the “Name Index” Barth is second only to John Calvin in the number of references).

There is one segment of the Christian tradition, however to which Horton shows little acceptance and that is to Protestant “fundamentalism.”  In his discussion of the perspicuity of Scripture, for example, Horton observes, “There is a fundamentalist version of Scripture’s perspicuity or clarity that undervalues its humanity, plurality, and richness, treating the Bible as a collection of obvious propositions that require no interpretation.  However, this is not the classic Protestant understanding of Scripture” (pp. 196-197).  He then proceeds to apply this thought to the fundamentalist view of creation:  “For instance, if we seek from Scripture infallible information concerning the age of the earth, we will miss the point of the passages we are citing” (p. 197). Indeed, in his later treatment of the doctrine of creation, Horton explicitly rejects a “fundamentalist” literal, six day view of creation.

In his discussion of the doctrine of creation proper, Horton states:

It will not surprise those who have read thus far that I take the days of creation to be analogical.  That is, they are not literal, twenty-four hour periods, but God’s accommodation to the ordinary pattern of six days of labor and a seventh day of rest, which he created for mankind (p. 381).

The Biblical creation account is neither “a science report” nor “mythological” but “part of a polemic of ‘Yahweh’ versus the idols” (p. 382).  Horton acknowledge his dependence on Meredith Kline and his “framework hypothesis” for his interpretation of the creation narrative (pp. 382 ff.).

Oddly enough, however, when he later discusses the doctrine of the fall, Horton insists on the historicity of Adam:  “Whatever one’s conclusions concerning the process of human origins, Christian theology stands or falls with a historical Adam and a historical fall” (p. 424).  Horton fails to address the contradiction between his rejection of the historicity of the creation narrative and his affirmation of the historicity of Adam.  This is a glaring problem not only with his doctrine of creation but also with his doctrine of sin and the fall.

Salvation

As noted above, Horton has come under fire from some corners for his “Lutheran” view of justification.  Horton clearly gives great and appropriate emphasis to the doctrine of justification, calling it “the chief insight of the Reformation” (p. 622) and “the engine that pulls adoption, new birth, sanctification, and glorification in tow” (p. 708).  In his extended discussion of the ordo salutis, however, Horton also clearly emphasizes the doctrine of union with Christ, disputing a trend in Reformation Pauline scholarship to presuppose “that mystical participation in Christ stands over against a forensic emphasis on Christ’s alien righteousness imputed to believers” (p. 588). 

Ecclesiology

In his discussion of the doctrine of the church, Horton places what has become typical emphasis in his thought on the Word and Sacrament (i.e., preaching and the ordinances) as the primary focus of the church’s ministry.  What some might find noteworthy in the discussion here is the fact that thought Horton makes clear his preference for the Presbyterian model of church polity, he does not believe that Scripture clearly reveals a particular normative form of church government.  Thus polity is a secondary matter for Horton, as evidenced by this approving reference to L. Newbigin:  “Although a valid ministry of Word and sacrament is essential, Newbigin rightly argues that this does not entail a particular form of church government as essential to the very being of the church” (p. 875).  One wonders, however, if such matters are so murky in Scripture, and if they stand a lower level of importance in defining a true church.

Horton does indeed advance the “two kingdom” view of the church in the present age:  “Christ is already a king with his kingdom, but for now this realm is visible chiefly in the public ministry of Word, sacrament, and discipline, and also in the fellowship of the saints as they share their spiritual and material gifts in the body of Christ” (p. 525).  He later adds that the Reformers insisted that “believers must live as citizens of two kingdoms, each with its own distinct sources, ends, and means” (p. 926).  This kind of perspective will not please some in Reformed circles, particularly those with theonomistic leanings.  Baptists, however, who have rarely, if ever, known the experiences of holding sway in the civil and cultural arena may wonder why the fuss.  

With regard to baptism, Horton predictably affirms infant baptism.  On the subject of baptismal mode, though conceding that “immersion does seem more suggestive of begin buried and raised with Christ and of being drawn out of God’s waters of judgment alive,” Horton eventually concludes that immersion, sprinkling, and pouring are all “valid modes” (pp. 792-793).

Conclusion

Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith is a massive and sweeping survey of Christian doctrine.  It is not merely a systematic theology but also a historical and philosophical theology.  The prose is literary and engaging, but the density of the material will likely not make it a “popular” work, like Grudem’s.  Many conservative, Reformed readers will take exception to various positions adopted by Horton (e.g., his rejection of a literal six day account of creation, his conviction that Scripture does not clearly teach a definitive church polity, his “two-kingdom” theology, etc.).  For them, it is not likely to replace Berkhof as a suitable “contemporary” systematic.  Some might wonder at Horton’s persistent efforts to engage with liberal scholarship and non-evangelical and non-Reformed theologies and theologians.  Perhaps the biggest question, then, may be that of audience.  Some will find it too conservative and traditional, while others will find it too liberal and innovative.  The pastor-theologian, however, will, at the least, be stimulated by Horton’s labors, even if he does not always find himself in agreement with his method or conclusions.

Jeffrey T. Riddle, Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Virginia    

CRBC Family Picture

We took this photo of the Christ Reformed Baptist Church family on the steps of the Covenant Lower School following our Lord's Day morning worship yesterday (May 13, 2012).  We are thankful to the Lord for raising up of this little flock over the last two years.

Book Review: "Troubled Journey"

Note:  In last Sunday afternoon's message, I made reference to Faith Cook's Troubled Journey.  Here's the review of the book I wrote a few years ago.

Faith Cook, Troubled Journey:  A Missionary Childhood in War-Torn China (Banner of Truth, 2004):  118 pp..

Faith Cook is a pastor’s wife in England and a gifted author who has produced several useful Christian biographies.  In this brief work, she traces her own memories of growing up as a child of missionary parents to China during the Second World War.  In so doing, Cook writes appreciatively and respectfully about the sacrifices of her parents and other missionaries for the cause of Christ, but she also offers an honest critique of some of the negative consequences this meant for her family and others.  Cook makes this plain from the outset noting in the Preface that “sometimes their zeal was misguided” (p. ix).

Cook’s parents, Stanley and Norah Rowe, served with the China Inland Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor.  She explains that it was Taylor who “had established the regulation that the wives of missionaries should also be missionaries in their own right” (p. 19).  This policy meant “that the married women were expected to give their time principally to their missionary endeavor, and therefore would find little or no opportunity to provide for the educational needs of their children” (pp. 19-20).  Based on a widely held application of Matthew 10:37 which states that disciples are not to place love of family members above loyalty to Christ, many missionaries sacrificed family life for their missionary service.  Cook explains, “Taken in isolation from other Biblical teaching on the responsibilities of family life, these words were used as a rationale for the long separations between children and parents, not only on mission fields, but also in Christian work in the home countries” (p. 20).

As her family served in remote corners of China, Cook explains how they faced various serious illnesses and deprivations, how her infant brother died with dysentery and her mother suffered afterwards with depression, and how her parents’ devotion to ministry often meant that she was left unsupervised and neglected.  She notes, “Many were the ugly sights and sounds that I inadvertently witnessed and heard” as she wandered idle about the village where they lived (p. 28).  Cook also describes the experience of being sent to boarding schools where the treatment of children was not always sensitive and caring.  She sometimes went for years without seeing her siblings and parents.  She also describes the traumatic emergency evacuation of her school from China to India on Christmas Day 1944 on an American DC-3.  She then relates how her family was forced to leave China under communist pressure in the post-war years.

Upon their return to England, the family suffered the tragic loss of another of Cook’s younger brothers in a road accident. Though she expresses respect for her parent’s faith and courage in the loss of their son, she also notes, “In later years, however, I came to see that such fortitude, though admirable, could also act as a cloak for their sorrows and delay that inner healing through faith so needful to them” (p. 95).  She shares a letter that Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, their pastor, sent her parents at that time:  “As we would expect from you, your letter is full of triumphant faith.  But we are not meant to be unnatural, and you are bound to feel the loss and the absence of such a bright spirit very keenly” (p. 95).  Not long, in fact, after this great loss, her parents decided to leave Cook and her older brother in boarding schools in England and return to mission service in Malaysia. She notes that her father’s commitment to mission work “was all consuming:  at times almost obsessive in character” (p. 97).  She adds that to understand her parent’s decision one must realize “the ethos in which it was made.  An immense value was placed on this sort of sacrifice by the Christian community in general and it was viewed as honourable and highly commendable” (p. 97).  She reflects:  “These men and women felt they were offering up to their God their ‘Isaacs’—their most valued possession—as indeed they were; but sadly, the question they did not address was whether God required such sacrifices” (pp. 97-98).

As Cook completes the story of her childhood, she relates the long distance letter writing relationship and infrequent contact she had with her parents throughout her teenage and college years.  She notes that her “unsettled childhood, sheltered school environment, and now the loss of any stable home base” left her “ill-prepared for the cold realities of the adult world” (p. 112).  Despite the hardships, however, Cook also points to the Lord’s gracious provision throughout the experience.  She went on to marry, to become a pastor’s wife, and to raise her own family.  In the conclusion, Cook reflects:  “It had indeed been a troubled journey for both my brother and me, but as I look back over the path I have traveled, I can see now see that despite the undoubted sufferings through which we had both passed—unnecessary sufferings in many respects— God has supported, protected, and added unexpected provisions for our needs along the way.  Even the sufferings themselves have proved to be part of God’s design for my life” (p. 116).

This book would be an excellent gift for the children of missionaries and pastors who might have misgivings about the circumstances of their upbringing.  In fact, it would likely be helpful for anyone who has painful childhood memories.  It would also be an excellent read for those parents now serving in ministry, as they consider the impact their decisions will have upon their families.  Cook’s tone is both respectful and honest.  She rightly challenges the Hudson Taylor inspired view of family sacrifice on the mission field.  There is no reason to believe that the Lord brings the call to mission service and the call to family discipleship into conflict where one must be sacrificed for the other.  Cook also reveals that the real key to resolution of hurtful things from the past is a firm belief in the providential sovereignty and goodness of God.

JTR

The Vision (5/10/12): Am I really a Christian? (Continued)

Am I really a Christian?  Answering Eight Doubts (Continued)

Simplified and Abridged from Thomas Boston

 

Note:  In his spiritual classic “Human Nature In Its Fourfold State,” the Scottish minister Thomas Boston (1676-1732) lists eight “cases” where a true Christian might have spiritual doubts about the authenticity of his faith.  Here is the seventh of the eight doubts:

Seventh Doubt:  I have never read in the Bible or known about a true child of God who was as tempted or as without God as I am.  Since I do not know of any Christian who has ever been in my condition, I can only conclude that I must not be a believer.

Answer:  This doubt comes from ignorance both of the Bible and of the actual experience of Christians.  Those who have this doubt should try speaking with a mature Christian friend or a godly minister.  Doing this has brought peace to some when they realize that their case is not exceptional and that many Christians have had the same struggle.

The Bible provides many examples of Christians suffering with horrible temptations.  The devil tempted Job to blaspheme (Job 1:11; 2:9).  Asaph was tempted to think religion was vain and to throw it off (Psalm 73:13).  Christ himself was tempted to “cast himself down from a pinnacle of the temple” and “to worship the devil” (Matt 4:6-9).  Many Christians have not only been attacked with temptations, but they have even been overcome by them and fallen into gross sin for a time.  Peter denied Christ, and cursed and swore that he did not know him (Mark 14:71).  Some Christians were compelled to blaspheme under persecution by Paul, before he was converted (Acts 26:10-11).

Many Christians can bear witness to their own sad personal experiences in this area.  They have suffered very great temptations which have astonished their spirits, made their bodies tremble, and made them sick to their stomachs.  Satan’s fiery darts can cause great damage.  It takes great diligence to extinguish them or to block them with the shield of faith (Eph 6:16).    Sometimes Satan throws so many fire-balls at our house that all we can do is constantly run back and forth to extinguish them.  We must remember, however, that it is not a sin merely to be tempted.  It is sin only when we consent to the temptation.  If one is tempted to sin but does not consent to the temptation, he can no more be accused of that sin than a chaste man can be charged with fathering a child out of wedlock.

Suppose you go to a mature Christian friend or minister and share your problem, but they say they have never known anyone exactly in your condition.    You still should not think that your case is exceptional.  You certainly should not give up hope!    Even a mature Christian or godly minister cannot know every difficulty a child of God might face.  Some have had struggles known only to God and their own consciences.  Though Scripture provides directions for every condition a believer might be in, it does not exhaustively list every struggle a Christian might face.  Though you cannot find your specific case in the Bible, bring your case to the Bible, and you will find a remedy.  Do not worry with trying to find out if anyone has ever been in your condition.  Strive instead to apply Christ to your condition.  Christ has a remedy for all diseases.  Even if you found a true Christian who was tempted in the same way you are what would that prove?  Your situations would not be exactly the same in every way.  Consider the human face.  In some ways, every human face is the same.  Each has the same features.  At the same time, every face is also different and can be distinguished from all others.

Conclusion:  If you see the marks of Biblical regeneration in your life, you should conclude that you are in the state of grace.  This is true even if you are struggling with temptations that are unique to you (which is not very likely).                       

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Five Duties of Children to Parents

Note:  We continued our Sunday afternoon series on Christian family last Lord's Day at CRBC with a message on The Duties of Children to Parents.  Here are my notes (sorry for the spacing issues in the text [no spaces between some paragraphs, etc.]--for some reason Blogger is not cooperating with my editing changes):

The Duties of Children to Parents

Exodus 20:12

CRBC May 6, 2012

The Christian family series continues:

What are the Biblical duties and obligations of children to parents?

Though there are universal elements in these duties, we are speaking in particular of the duties of those who are Christians toward their parents.

Five Duties of Children to Parents:

1.      Children have the duty of honoring and respecting father and mother.

This is, of course, the essence of the fifth commandment, which has first place in the second table of the law, governing man’s duty to his fellow man.

The principle embedded in this commandment goes beyond familial duties.  As the catechism points out, it “requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.”  It thus calls not only on the disposition of children toward parents, but also employees toward their supervisors, church members to their officers, and citizens to their magistrates.

 

Children are to show this honor in a respectful attitude toward their parents.  They are to speak respectfully to their parents.  One way this is evidences is by using “sir” and “m’am” when addressing parents and other elders.  They are to listen to their parents when they are spoken to by turning in the direction of their parents with an open and receptive posture.  They are not to speak ill publically of their parents or to publically disagree with their parents, though they might certainly seek private entreaty in cases where there might have been injustice or disagreement or need for further understanding.

In the OT, perhaps the premier example of a child dishonoring a parent is the rebellion of Absalom against his father David.  Compare, however, David’s lament at the death of his rebellious son:

KJV 2 Samuel 18:32 And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. 33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

A child can bring a parent great joy or he can break a parent’s heart. 

The basketball coaching legend John Wooden told of visiting a star recruit.  The young man was terribly rude to his parents. In the end Wooden did not offer the young star a scholarship.  His reasoning, “If he could not be respectful to his parents, then he most likely would not be respectful toward me as a coach.”

2.      Children have the duty of obeying father and mother.

In the household codes of the NT, the operative term that is used to describe the appropriate disposition of a child to the parent is obedience:

Ephesians 6:1:  “Children, obey (hupakouo) your parents in the Lord for this is right.”

Colossians 3:20:  “Children, obey your parents in all things:  for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”

Again, it has been rightly said that delayed obedience is disobedience.  This is the problem with the modern disciplinary method of “counting to three.”  It teaches that obedience may be delayed.  We should teach our children from an early age quickly to obey.  As a child grows older, into the teen years, it is not inappropriate for a child respectfully to seek explanation and reasoning on any command they might not understand or need to clarify.  But this should only be done respectfully and with a spirit of, “Yes, I will do what you ask, but I would seek this clarification.”

Note, however, that in Ephesians 6:1 Paul says that this obedience is to be “in the Lord.”  Just as a wife is not called to submit to a husband in unlawful and ungodly actions, so a child is not bound to obey parents in such actions.  Years ago when I worked at a summer boys’ camp, we had a child who through tears told us that his father would ask him to get on his bike and ride to a place to get drugs for him.  He was asking if he had to obey his father in this.  We told him, No, and we told our camp director of this who shared it with the church leaders who had brought this boy to the camp.

Perhaps the most vivid Scriptural picture of a child’s lawful unconditional obedience to a parent is in Genesis 22 when Isaac obeys the command of his father Abraham and is bound to the altar ready to be sacrificed, anticipating the obedience of Christ to the will of his Father on the cross.

3.     Children have the duty of listening to the counsel of father and mother.

It has often been said that one’s parents get wiser and wiser the older you get.

A wise child will realize that he has much to learn from the counsel of his parents.

This is the setting for the entire book of Proverbs which begins, “My son, hear the instructions of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (1:8).

The book of Proverbs generally affirms the wisdom of seeking counselors.  Proverbs 11:14 notes that “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

A wise child will seek the counsel of his parents in his education, vocational calling finances, marriage prospects, etc.  Of course, when he marries a son leaves the household of his mother and father and establishes his own household, seeking the counsel of his wife, even over that of his parents.  Still, even after marriage he can see his parents as valuable resources.  Certainly, in the best circumstances, the parents are to be a spiritual resource and example to children. 

4.     Children have the duty of caring for father and mother in their old age.

The Bible was, of course, written before the days of the social safety net.  The burden of care for aging parents from a Biblical perspective is not the duty of the state but of the children.  We are to do this to the degree that providential circumstances will allow.

Compare some of Paul’s teaching on care for widows:

KJV 1 Timothy 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed. 4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

 He then adds:

KJV 1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

 When you become a parent you realize how much your parents did for you.  In the natural process of time, the tables begin to turn and you may be given opportunity to serve them even as they served you.

5.     Where there have been failure and breaches, children have the duty of understanding and forgiving father and mother.

Part of personal emotional and spiritual maturity is coming to the realization that your parents were not perfect and perhaps did not do all perfectly in your upbringing and yet extending to them forgiveness and grace.

This is certainly not to whitewash the experience of those who went through real abuse.  Sometimes full reconciliation cannot ever be achieved.

But in ordinary circumstances the disposition of children toward parents should be one of grace even in their parent's faults.  Compare:

KJV 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

KJV Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

One of the best examples I have seen of this is in the book Troubled Journey by Faith Cook.  In the book Cook writes about her life as a missionary child in war-torn China, including many of the hardships the family endured as her parents pursued their service along the line of Hudson Taylor’s philosophy that the needs of family had to be sacrificed on the altar of missionary service.  Shortly after the death of one of her brothers, Cook was left in a boarding school while her parents returned to China.

She notes that her father’s commitment to mission work “was all consuming:  at times almost obsessive in character” (p. 97).  She adds that to understand her parent’s decision one must realize “the ethos in which it was made.  An immense value was placed on this sort of sacrifice by the Christian community in general and it was viewed as honourable and highly commendable” (p. 97).  She reflects:  “These men and women felt they were offering up to their God their ‘Isaacs’—their most valued possession—as indeed they were; but sadly, the question they did not address was whether God required such sacrifices” (pp. 97-98).

As Cook completes the story of her childhood, she relates the long distance letter writing relationship and infrequent contact she had with her parents throughout her teenage and college years.  She notes that her “unsettled childhood, sheltered school environment, and now the loss of any stable home base” left her “ill-prepared for the cold realities of the adult world” (p. 112).  Despite the hardships, however, Cook also points to the Lord’s gracious provision throughout the experience.  She went on to marry, to become a pastor’s wife, and to raise her own family.  In the conclusion, Cook reflects:  “It had indeed been a troubled journey for both my brother and me, but as I look back over the path I have traveled, I can see now see that despite the undoubted sufferings through which we had both passed—unnecessary sufferings in many respects— God has supported, protected, and added unexpected provisions for our needs along the way.  Even the sufferings themselves have proved to be part of God’s design for my life” (p. 116).

I think Cooke models here the Biblical attitude of a child to parent.  Not whitewashing or excusing all, but honoring.

Book Review: Jeffrey D. Johnson's "Behind the Bible"

Jeffrey D. Johnson, Behind the Bible:  A Primer on Textual Criticism (Solid Ground Christian Books, 2012):  111 pp..

Behind the Bible is a booklet written by Jeffrey D. Johnson, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Conway, Arkansas which provides a popular overview and introduction to text critical study of the New Testament.  Perhaps a better title would be Behind the New Testament, since the book does not address the text of the Old Testament.  An introduction is provided by Dr. Richard Belcher and a back cover endorsement by apologist James White.

Content:

After the forward by Belcher, the book consists of five chapters:

In chapter one, “A Need for Textual Criticism,” Johnson notes the necessity for some grasp of text critical issues given the modern proliferation of English translations.

Chapter two, “Paleography,” is devoted to “the art and science of dating ancient literature” (p. 25).  A survey is provided of the writing materials used in the production of Biblical texts.

In chapter three, “Textual Faithfulness,” reviews the various “textual families” proposed by modern text criticism.

Chapter four, “Methods of Textual Criticism,” suggests that there have been two fundamental approaches to text criticism:  (1) the documentary method (using one text as the basis); and (2) eclecticism (using many texts as the basis).

In chapter five, “The History of the Greek Text,” the author provides a survey of various editions of the New Testament from ancient to modern times.

The book concludes with a brief appendix (pp. 109-111), “Answering Bart Ehrman.”

Analysis:

The importance of text criticism for the modern church is indeed a significant issue, and I commend Pastor Johnson for addressing this topic in a popular format.  I found the most engaging parts of the book to be the review of the ancient materials and text-making process.  I also appreciated Pastor Johnson’s efforts to provide a survey of modern scholarship that resulted in the modern critical text.

In the end, however, the booklet has some serious shortcomings. I will address these under two headings:  (1) methodological issues; and (2) factual and editorial issues.

First, methodological issues:  Johnson uncritically assumes, without ever proving or demonstrating, the validity of the modern critical text as the best basis for English Bible translations for evangelical Christians.  He assumes, for example, that the goal of text criticism is the recovery of the original “autographs,” and assures the reader that with the modern text we can come “very, very close” in a manner that “does not alter any truth of doctrine” (pp. 19-20).  He assumes various aspects of modern text criticism and passes these along as fact without sufficient discussion, proof, or source citation.

Perhaps most significantly, Johnson does not interact with alternative proposals for understanding text criticism, especially as they have been presented in conservative and Reformed circles.  He does not address the confessional (Westminster and Second London Baptist) Reformed doctrine of the providential preservation of the Scriptures through the apographa (copies).  There is also no discussion of the Majority text championed by Farstad, Hodges, and Pickering or the Byzantine text championed by Robinson.  Johnson also makes no reference to the current seismic shifts that have taken place in contemporary, post-modern, academic New Testament textual criticism which have essentially resulted in the abandonment of  the old “modern” attempts to reconstruct the “original autograph” in favor of a construal of a diversity of “living texts” (D. C. Parker), or how evangelicals might respond to these shifts.  The author appears to have relied on a very limited number of sources.  The factual material in the book appears to be especially dependent on summarizing Harold Greenlee’s Introduction to New Testament Text Criticism, which, though it has been released in a revised edition, was first published in 1964.

Second, factual and editorial issues:  In general, I believe this book might be greatly strengthened if it provided more source documentation for the factual material that it presents.  I ran across a number of statements that appeared to be speculative, confused, or erroneous.  Here are some examples:

1.       On p. 37:  “It is uncertain whether the uncial or minuscule style was used in autographs of the New Testament.  Many scholars believe that Paul’s epistles, as personal letters, were written in minuscule.”

The chart on p. 47, however, points out that the minuscule script was not introduced until the 9^th century, replacing the uncial scripts of the earlier centuries.  What scholars believe Paul’s letters were written in minuscule in the original hand?

2.       On pp. 61-62:  “None of the early church Fathers quoted from the Byzantine text.”

This statement is not factually accurate.  In fact, Johnson himself refers to the work of Harry Sturz on these same pages (footnote 29), who has pointed to Byzantine quotations in the Church Fathers.

3.      On p. 76:  “The first NT book to be written was the epistle of James.”

Though some scholars, Study Bibles, etc. make this suggestion, it remains an unproven and speculative suggestion, not a fact.  No argument is put forward for this assertion or footnote provided for an authoritative source to support this claim.

4.       On p. 78:  The assertion is made that the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were “transmitted and dispersed together throughout the church in one scroll or codex.”

Again, no source is cited for this assertion.  It is a speculation.  Though Luke and Acts share common Lukan authorship, they are, of course, canonically separated by the Gospel of John.

5.       On p. 92:  “The first scripture quotation from a Byzantine text is found in the writings of Chrysostom.”

This is inaccurate.  See again comments above on pp. 61-62.

6.       On p. 92:  “…the Byzantine text was likely the byproduct of the fifty Bibles published by Eusebius for the church at Constantinople in AD 331.”

No source is provided for this assertion. It is an unproven speculation.  In fact, in Codex Sinaiticus:  The World’s Oldest Bible, D. C. Parker suggest that Sinaiticus (hardly a Byzantine text) might have been one of the de luxe Bibles ordered by Constantine.

7.       On p. 105:  Johnson says of Westcott and Hort’s Greek NT:  “Their edition of the Greek text is the basis for the Revised Standard Version.”

Rather than the RSV of 1946/1952 I assume he meant to say the English Revised Version of 1881.

8.       On pp. 106-107, Johnson suggests that the “United Bible Societies” are responsible for both the Nestle-Aland and the UBS modern critical Greek texts of the NT.

Though the contemporary editions of these texts do agree and there is cooperation between the organizations that publish them, this reference confuses the fact that the Nestle-Aland 27^th ed. is produced by the German Bible Society (Deutche Bibelgesellschaft).

In addition to addressing factual problems like those cited above, this book would also profit from some editorial revision.  Though it is brief, there are unnecessary repetitions.  The Ehrman appendix is not adequately developed and might just as well be dropped.  The booklet would be improved if it provided more footnotes and a detailed bibliography.  There are also some writing errors that might be corrected if it is ever reprinted.  For example, the title of Harold Greenlee’s book on p. 22, n. 11 is cited as “Introduction to the New Testament Textual Criticism.”  The “the” should be omitted.  The chapter headings are also confused from chapter 3 forward (sic “chapter 2” p. 53; “chapter 3” p. 66; “chapter 4” p. 75).

Conclusion:

As noted earlier, text criticism is an issue of emerging significance among traditional and Reformed Christians.  The proliferation of modern translations has led many to ponder not merely the translation philosophy that undergirds such translations but also the original language texts upon which they are based.  Unfortunately, Johnson’s work does not demonstrate a firm and reliable grasp of all the historical, factual, and doctrinal issues that are involved in textual study of the New Testament.

Jeffrey T. Riddle, Pastor, Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Virginia

Video: You might be a homeschooler if....

My daughter pointed out this video to us after supper this evening and my kids thought it was pretty funny (and sometimes a little too true):

The Vision (5/3/12): Am I really a Christian? (Continued)

Am I really a Christian?  Answering Eight Doubts (Continued)

Simplified and Abridged from Thomas Boston

Note:  In his spiritual classic “Human Nature In Its Fourfold State,” the Scottish minister Thomas Boston (1676-1732) lists eight “cases” where a true Christian might have spiritual doubts about the authenticity of his faith.  Here is the sixth of the eight doubts:

Sixth Doubt:  My life falls so far short of the standards of the great saints of the Bible and of the excellent Christians that I personally know.  When I look at them, I can hardly stand to look at myself in comparison.  How can I claim even to be in the same family with such saints?

Answer:  We can indeed see a measure of grace and holiness in this life that we should have but cannot ever reach.  This should humble us.  It should also make us press all the more vigorously toward the mark.  The devil wants weak Christians to be tortured by comparing themselves to strong Christians.  To give in to this temptation would be like a child doubting his relationship to his father, because he is not the same height as his older brother.  It is irrational!  There are saints of various sizes in Christ’s family.  Some are fathers; some are young men; and some are little children (1 John 2:13-14).   

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Albert Martin on Crucial Issues in Personal Religion

Image:  Al Martin preaching at Men's Conference at Trinity
Church, Roanoke

Last weekend I and a brother from CRBC enjoyed attending the 2012 Men's Conference at Trinity Church in Roanoke, Virginia.  The folk from Trinity were more than gracious in extending hospitality throughout the weekend.

Pastor Albert Martin preached a series of four messages on Crucial Issues of Personal Saving Religion.  Martin preached vigorously and passionately about the need for personal holiness. The climactic fourth message in the series and its practical challenges on holiness is particularly well worth hearing.

JTR