I’d take guitar lessons from this person:
I love this commercial (HT: 22 Words):
I should probably just call this feature HT: 22 Words because here is another funny from there:
Pentecostal Gorilla:
The only hope for Cubs fans (and probably Royals fans too):
This from a fun site called Questionable Advice:
Yesterday we looked at the story of Mark, a young seminary student coming back to his home church to set them straight. We wondered “what happened to Mark”. Unfortunately that fictional story is all too real in many church settings.
For our discussion we will be tackling the problem of angry and divisive Calvinists, but truth be told we can make Mark’s sermon topics whatever you desire. In our day and age many may be tempted to drop the C word (Calvinism) as one of those topics bearded Mark picks up. 300 years ago it may have been Arminianism. It doesn’t matter what topic you pick because the problem isn’t as much Mark’s sermon topics as it is a much greater issue. A bigger issue that has replayed itself within different circumstances for centuries.
In the late 1700’s John Newton wrote this to a student in divinity:
Though I am no enemy to the acquisition of useful knowledge, I have seen many instances of young men who have been much hurt by what they expected to reap advantage from. They have gone to the academy humble, peaceable, spiritual, and lively; but have come out self-wise, dogmatically, censorious, and full of a wisdom founded upon the false maxims of the world.[1]
“What happened to Mark?” was a question asked even in Newton’s day.
Is seminary the problem?
Perhaps. I remember as a freshman in seminary many of the warnings that professors gave about the dangers inherent in the nature and rigors of a seminary education. Seminary can have a tendency to train the mind to the neglect of the heart. Helmut Thielicke, in his exceedingly helpful primer, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians suggests this much when he says:
The man who studies theology, and especially he who studies dogmatics, might watch carefully whether he increasingly does not think in the third rather than in the second person…This transition from one to the other level of thought, from a personal relationship with God to a merely technical reference, usually is exactly synchronized with the moment that I no longer can read the word of Holy Scripture as a word to me, but only as the object of exegetical endeavors.[2]
Yes, it is quite possible that what happened to Mark is that he has been ruined by stale-hearted academia. It is possible, indeed quite likely, that Mark has puffed up his brain to the neglect of his soul. Perhaps he has “busied himself daily with divine things, with a cold and impassive heart.”[3] But it is also quite possible that though Mark appears to all to be a man trained by seminary to combat error with a sniper’s poise and an equally cold heart that he is, in actuality, passionate to refute error because he has learned how deadly it can be to the vibrancy of the faith of a local church.
More than likely Mark’s problem is not necessarily a fault of the institution. It’s probably not even the newfound theology that he is embracing. And it may even be quite possible that Mark is not simply a jerk that has gotten a little theology to puff him up. It may be that Mark still loves Jesus just as much as he did before he took his first systematic theology class.
What happened to Mark, then?
Part of God’s calling on my life is to teach students how to read the Bible. Occasionally, I will have some students that desire to learn how to do Bible studies, write sermons, and do other types of ministry. Inevitably, in both these endeavors I find myself consistently telling them to make sure that Jesus is the hero of every text. That is a question I ask of my own preaching and one that I hope to instill in the lives of students that God has entrusted me with.
One of the difficult things in this endeavor is to have a Christ-focus in various Old Testament passages. It can be rather difficult for the beginning Bible reader to discover how exactly Christ is found in Leviticus, the conquest of Canaan or other passages. Even in some New Testament passages it can be easy to apply the imperatives (do this) without first putting on the Jesus lens (indicatives).
Michael Williams’ new book, “How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens” is written to help beginning Bible readers learn how to use a Jesus lens in reading all of the Scriptures. The book covers all 66 books of the Bible in four pages each. Every section has a short summary of the book with a helpful statement of the books major theme. A memory passage is also highlighted as well as a few “hook questions” to give each chapter staying power. Williams also applies the Jesus lens to the books major theme and then dives into a few contemporary implications.
What you are getting with this book is a brief, popular level (though not shallow), introduction to the Bible. This book is written for beginning Bible students with the hopes of “avoiding the dry, data-intensive introduction to the Bible” that most introductions fall into. Here you will get a simple and concise theme for each book and then be shown how the books overall thrust can be read with a Jesus lens.
I figured one of the best places to give the book a trial run would be the book of Job. Here Williams views the theme of the book as being the truth that “God is active in areas and realms beyond our understanding”. In response to this theme, Williams encourages the reader to use the book of Job to “see God at work in our suffering”. When we put on our Jesus lens we see that Christ gives us the “ultimate picture of the righteous sufferer as he accomplishes God’s saving purposes” (71).
How To Use This?
With every book that I read and review I try to determine who would benefit from reading the book. With this particular book I know that the audience will be those that are relatively new to reading the Bible (or perhaps those new to trying to reading it in a Christ-centered way). As I went through this book I tried imagining one of my students that is newer to reading Scripture. How would he use this book? Would it be beneficial? What disciplines would reading through this book cultivate in his walk with Christ?
I picture a new believer opening up his Bible to Job. The only Bible that he has is just a simple pew Bible with very little “helps” inside of it. There is no introduction to his copy of Job, but he did just pick up a copy of this Jesus Lens book. Before he begins reading Job he reads through this book. He learns here that the book of Job is about suffering—and suffering that doesn’t seem to make sense. From the beginning pages he knows that Job will be exhorting him to trust in God even when it seems really dark. He will find—through picking up his Jesus lens—that Christ is not only a model for enduring suffering but is the one by whom we are able to endure suffering and the one in whom suffering is ultimately conquered.
My Take
Part of me really likes this idea. I am in absolute agreement that we should read the Bible “through a Jesus lens”. I also welcome a simple and easy to read introduction to not only this practice but also to books of the Bible. I love being able to hand someone a quick reference that will help them see how to apply a “Jesus lens” to the book of Job, or Nehemiah, or any other book in the Bible. So, part of me loves this idea.
The other part of me is…something. I’m really not certain what word to call it. Disappointed? That’s too strong. Cynical? Yes, but that probably doesn’t apply here. Whatever word you want to call it I question whether this book will actually accomplish what it intends to do. I do not think it is myopic (that means narrow focused) to read everything through a Jesus lens. But what I do think might be myopic is applying the Jesus lens only to the books major theme.
Job has more gospel in it than simply that “God is active in areas and realms beyond our understanding”. There is more to it than that Christ is the ultimate righteous sufferer and that He is in the business of making all things right even when we do not see His hand. I agree with all of this theologically, and I even agree that these truths you can find in Job. But what about what we can learn through Job about Christ-centered counseling? What about the truth that Christ is the instrument by which God’s proclamations in Job 38-41? There is so much more that a Jesus lens enlightens than could be covered in four pages.
So again I’m…still can’t find the word. I love the idea. I love the practice. I even like the simplicity of this book. I just wonder if the fact that each book is only given four pages will be training readers to be a tad too myopic in their reading of Scripture. Does it really train them to read through a Jesus lens or does it train them to read the Bible through a meta-narrative? Both are crucial, but they are different.
Should You Buy It?
If you have been reading the Bible for years and already practice reading the Bible through a Jesus lens you may not find a ton of help here. It’s not really written for you. But you could buy it and give it to a new believer. Even with my reservations I do heartily recommend this book for new Bible readers. Do not attempt to make this book a stand alone or even the definitive book on teaching someone “how to read the Bible through the Jesus lens”.
You can buy the book here. And you really should. Williams is a really good writer and he packs some in depth stuff into a really short section. He does it, though, in a way that is not “heady” but it is written on a popular and very helpful level. You will benefit from the book.
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I received this book free from Zondervan in exchange for a review. This review is also part of a Blog Tour that you can check out here. Read the other reviews because other reviewers focused on other books of Scripture.
“What happened to Mark?” asks one of the bewildered purple-haired saints.
Two years ago Podunk Baptist Church sent a bright, energetic, and humble young man off to the seminary. This little gathering of believers has for over two-centuries housed some of the dearest saints. But Mark was different. Though young and a relatively new believer he stood out because of his marked brilliance, passion, and dedication.
Tears of joy mixed with sadness now watered the out-dated carpet, as Mark was sent off to learn how to be a pastor. Most of the members could still remember that cold September morning when a weird looking kid named Mark had “came forward” as an expression of his new found faith in Jesus. Within a short time these same folk—sitting in their same pews—had affirmed Mark’s call into the gospel ministry.
Seminary was the next logical step. The people at Podunk Baptist assumed that within a few short years they would be visiting Mark at the latest Gospel Conference. (That is if he could maybe spot the pastor and a few congregants some tickets).
Time went by and Podunk Baptist heard less and less of Mark. Finally, two long years later Mark accepts an invitation to come back to Podunk to preach a revival. The community is buzzing, in a way that only a small-town can buzz. Even people that darken the door of the church only on Santa’s birthday are considering coming to see if this kid’s fancy book learnin’ may have a remedy for their hurt.
The church rolls out the red-carpet. (Or rather the darkened mats they bought at Wal-Mart to cover the embarrassing rips created by Deacon Cary’s now infamous communion table moving incident.) These dear saints want to treat their shining star like he deserves. They are certain to be blessed and encouraged in their walk with the Lord. The ladies plan one of their famous pot-lucks. The men shave.
Anticipation causes the week since Mark’s acceptance of their invitation to feel almost as long as his two-year absence. If Mark was this smart, this passionate, and this dedicated two years ago what would he be like now that he has spent two years learning from the finest theologians in the world?
Finally the day arrives. Mark is running a little late, but that’s to be expected by such an important young man. He has little time to chat before the service. It’s go time.
Mark is introduced by the pastor; still the same guy that had shared the gospel with him years ago. After the glowing introduction the now-bearded Mark swags into the pulpit. It only takes a few sentences for Podunk Baptist to realize this is a different Mark than the one they sent away.
And it’s not good.
This revival will not be about the beauties and excellencies of Jesus. It will not be a passionate gospel exposition. This revival meeting will be five nights of Mark setting his old church straight. Each night he will put together a finely crafted sermon filled with three points addressing everything that the church erroneously taught him two years ago. Mark is in the “know” now.
What happened to Mark?