September 2nd, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 2528
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Publication year: 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0842355707
ISBN-13: 978-0842355704
I wanted to extend a word of thanks to Laura Bartlett at Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for furnishing me with a review copy of the NLT Study Bible.
In a market that’s flooded with many good bibles, it’s not very often that a particular bible stands out. The folks at Tyndale House Publishers have been hard at work over that past seven years and have produced a fine study bible that is worth taking note of. A team of forty-eight plus scholars and editors including Daniel I. Block of Wheaton College, Tremper Longman III of Westmont College, Douglas J. Moo of Wheaton College, and many others collaborated on this project. The tag line used in much of the promotional material for the NLT Study Bible is, “The Truth Made Clear.” This seems to be something they took to heart throughout the creative process as the study-related features of this bible focus on making the meaning of the text clear and accessible to every reader. Upon release, this bible will be available in multiple formats. The print copies will be available in hardcover, TuTone, & bonded leather. All of these are available indexed or non-indexed. An electronic version will be available on the web at www.nltstudybible.com as well as for 3 popular bible software platforms: LOGOS Bible Software, Pocket Bible, & WORDSearch.
As I mentioned above, “The Truth Made Clear” tag line seems have been taken to heart throughout the making of this bible. There are four key features that I wanted to highlight. I feel that these features will encourage many readers to pursue deeper, more in-depth bible study. They are:
• Maps in book introductions – Many of us are unfamiliar with the geography of the places mentioned in the bible. The maps included in the introduction to each book of the bible help to set the geographic context for the events within each book of the bible.
• Further Reading – Each book and section introduction includes a section called Further Reading. This section gives the reader the opportunity to become acquainted with commentaries and other related works that will allow them to expand their understanding of each book of the bible.
• Word Study System – There are 100 Hebrew and 100 Greek words referenced in the word study system. Each reference includes a Strong’s number for easy reference in a dictionary or concordance. Also, there is a chain-reference link pointing to the next occurrence of the word.
• Person Profiles – Think of these as mini-biographies that will help you to get a quick overview of the life of important biblical personalities and help you to better grasp their place in the overall story of the bible.
I’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the NLT Study Bible. The study notes and articles have enhanced my recent study of the gospel of Mark as part of my daily devotions. Many thanks to the folks at Tyndale for all of their hard work on this study bible. It certainly fills an important gap in the lineup of bibles offered from Tyndale House Publishers. If the NLT is your translation of choice, then you definitely will want to get your own copy of the NLT Study Bible.
You may download a PDF of this review here.
September 2nd, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
I know just about everybody else and their uncle has posted about the latest Biblical Studies Carnival going up. Not wanting to be left out….You can view it here. This Biblical Studies Carnival marks a new milestone for me as I actually got a mention.
Shaun Tabatt, always privy to what Mark Driscoll is up to, provided a link to an Interview With Driscoll in Sydney.
I must admit I do keep try to keep up with the latest and greatest on Mark Driscoll. Truth be told, I’m reading 3 books by Mark Driscoll right now. Thanks to Michael W. Halcomb over at Pisteuomen for hosting the latest installment of Biblical Studies Carnival.
September 2nd, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
Eisenbrauns continues the tradition of back-to-school sales in the month of September by featuring Akkadian and Sumerian reference works. Enjoy savings from 10-30% off on those essential tools for serious scholarly work that you expect to find at Eisenbrauns.
You can see all 39 titles here
September 1st, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
ChristianAudio.com is offering In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon as their free audiobook for the month of September. Use coupon code SEP2008 at checkout. Happy listening!
August 29th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
I came across a couple of books recently that may be of interest to Biblio-Bloggers. Both books examine Christian communication in relation to our expanding repertoire of technical communication. Be sure to give them a look.
August 29th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
I’m currently reading The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies. This quote from chapter 2 made me wonder if my view of God is high enough or big enough. It’s much more convenient for people to maintain the low view of God that is expressed in the first paragraph below. Having a low view of God allows people to have the false perception that God is small, God is controllable, etc. This is a God they can be much more comfortable with. Verses like Exodus 15:11, Deuteronomy 10:17, & others talk about a holy and mighty God. Do people often ignore verses like these because they’re uncomfortable or because taking them seriously would mean they’d have to seriously rethink their understanding of God?
A Low View of God
Many Christians-whether through their own ignorance or as a result of being poorly trained-downplay the holiness of God. God’s name is maligned and blasphemed in the culture around us, and it seems that Christians have increasingly absorbed the world’s understanding of a God who is fun, who exists for our benefit, and who can be the butt of endless Jokes.
When believers do not understand God’s holiness and allow this doctrine to shape their faith, they cannot understand his hatred of all that is sinful and, thus, the need for discernment. God’s holiness lies at the very heart of the need for discernment. Our passion for God’s holiness, our desire to keep ourselves pure from sin, will motivate our practice of discernment. The greater our understanding of God’s holiness, the greater will be our understanding of the importance of discerning truth from error. We will desire to cast off all that is wrong so that we can be unsullied, unspoiled by sin.
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Page 49-50)
August 29th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
All hail the kind postman who dropped the Sept/Oct issue of Biblical Archaeology Review in my mailbox today. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I’ll probably start with the following articles:
- Sound Proof: How Hezekiah’s Tunnelers Met by Hershel Shanks (Pages 50-57; 78)
- The Shattered Crown: The Aleppo Codex, 60 years After the Riots by Yosef Ofer (Pages 38-49)
- Advances in Technology Provide New Approaches to Scrolls (Page 22)
August 28th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
Many of you may not immediately recognize Mark’s name, but I’m willing to bet many of you are familiar with his great site: www.seminarysurvivalguide.com. Be sure to pay Mark’s site a visit and add it to your feed reader. Mark offers a lot of practical advice for current and aspiring seminarians. Mark, thanks again for your willingness to be the latest Biblio-Blogger of the week!
What is the name & URL of your blog? Why’d you choose that?
I was prodded to start Seminary Survival Guide.com because of the really terrible attrition rate both in seminary and in ministry. Only ten percent of those who begin a ministry career stay in it until retirement, and about half of the students who start seminary fail to finish. Some of this is a natural weeding-out process, but many times I’ve seen the dropout come because of unwise living.
My church has several seminary students studying now. I love those guys very much, and I want them to succeed.
Seminary’s important; it gives you necessary skills, and prepares you to think well, but it can’t fully prepare you for on-the-ground reality in the church. If seminary is boot camp, then church is the front line. Seminary Survival Guide is there to share practical wisdom from the trenches of ministry, in hopes that wisdom will protect and encourage you.
The gospel of Christ is the hope of the world. The church is the steward and bearer of the gospel. Pastors who lead the church are therefore the most critically important leaders in the world today. Seminary Survival Guide is my small contribution toward helping these leaders to start well.
So far, the feedback I’ve gotten has been very encouraging.
How’d you get into blogging?
Randy Elrod is an uberblogger, and the convener of the re:create conference, which I attend each year. He’s called “The Blogfather” because of all the people he’s gotten to start blogging. So while I never had a conversation with him about it, it was his enthusiasm and influence that got me first into my personal blog, and then to do Seminary Survival Guide. The power of blogging still amazes me. I’ve had visitors to my blogs from all over the world.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A professor. I love teaching, can’t get enough of it. Philosophy, apologetics, history, humanities, theology, literature….. In 2002, I had an opportunity to start a Ph.D. in philosophy at Marquette, but it was clear to me that it wasn’t God’s time for it, so I set that aside for a while. I keep wondering if the Lord will allow me to come back to that, but I know I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.
Do you have a family?
I am single, and really enjoy it. My parents, sister and brother-in-law live in Florida, and I try to see them whenever I can. I have brilliant, beautiful twin nieces who are twelve and a very smart three year old nephew.
Is Biblical & Theological studies a hobby or a career aspiration?
I’d have to say neither. It’s a career, yes, but also a life. Vocationally, I’m a worship pastor, but I’ve gotten to do a lot of teaching and preaching here, too. I’m particularly passionate about seeing the Bible lived and not just studied. I lead a men’s Bible study group on Monday nights, and I’ve watched those guys really be transformed by their obedience to Christ. (Four of us went on mission to China this past spring.) Also, theological issues come up from time to time. Right now we have a couple of guys in our church who are seriously questioning the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, so I get to meet with them and talk through the whole counsel of scripture on the subject. It’s all part of the life leading the church.
Who’s your favorite author? Recommended books?
Hard question. Here’s a short list:
- William Shakespeare. Othello is my favorite.
- C. S. Lewis. It’s a tie between Surprised by Joy and The Abolition of Man.
- I was a Tolkien fan before it was cool. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings over twenty times, and still find it very instructive on human nature, and character-driven leadership.
- I’m a huge fan of Winston Churchill, and love reading things by and about him.
For ministry: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders is a must-read.
You didn’t ask about my favorite films, but unquestionably, the best movie of all time is Braveheart.
What’s your favorite theological subject / topic?
I’d have to say soteriology, especially justification, adoption, and sanctification. I’ve become very interested in how fully embracing our new identity in Christ becomes a powerful force for sanctification. You can hear a sermon I preached on it here.
On the other end, I am utterly uninterested in eschatology.
What’s your favorite Bible translation?
I use NIV most of the time, much to the dismay of the growing hordes of ESV snobs I keep running into. I know it’s not perfect, but it’s a decent standard translation. We preach from it at my church, mainly because of its accessibility (8th grade reading level). For study I like NASB and ESV.
What’s in your CD and/or MP3 player right now?
Mostly worship music. I run to a high-tempo mix of Hillsongs, Passion and Lincoln Brewster. I also listen to Ravi Zacharias’s radio show via podcast.
Where did you go to school? (undergraduate, graduate, etc.)
I got a Bachelor of Music Education at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida (Go Noles), and earned a M.Div. at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. I also studied philosophy (non-degree) at University of Illinois-Chicago for a year.
What is something interesting that most of your readers don’t know about you?
All my friends know I’m a pianist, but SSG readers might not. I have recorded two albums, both with singer friends of mine. I recorded a Christmas album with my friend LeAnna Grooms, who tragically died of cancer two years later at the age of 32. In 2002, I gave a benefit concert for a local homeless shelter with my friend Chris Terry, who has just an awesome voice. We recorded it, and it made for a pretty nice CD.
What are some research / writing projects you’re interested in pursuing?
My main writing focus right now is to work on Seminary Survival Guide. There are still entire topic areas I haven’t gotten around to addressing. I have a lot to say about emotional health for leaders and churches. I don’t get to write as much as I need or want to, because life in a healthy church keeps you pretty busy. I have four very major projects I have to lead here before the end of the year. I have to practice what I preach, which means sometimes the writing gets put on hold.
August 28th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
This review is a little blast from the past. I wrote this as part of the Old Testament class I took while attending Wheaton College Graduate School back in 2005. Covenant: God’s Purpose; God’s Plan was my first exposure to John Walton’s writing. He presents a nice summary of the concept of covenant as found in the Bible. It’s a quick read that is well worth your time.
Critical Review of Covenant: God’s Purpose; God’s Plan
Covenant: God’s Purpose; God’s Plan is an attempt to push towards an evangelical consensus for the covenant on the grounds of a biblical-theology approach. This being the case, Walton takes great care in citing the works of contemporary and historical theologians who have studied this important topic. In citing these works, he is careful to let the reader know which views he agrees or disagrees with and how they relate to his view. This pattern is repeated throughout the book, specifically in his treatment of the disparate views of the covenant and dispensational theologians. He also takes great care in citing the Biblical passages and at times reflecting on the definitions of the key Hebrew or Greek words found in these passages to build a proper foundation for his ideas. In this study on the purpose of the covenant, Walton hopes that his approach will offer a better understanding of the Israelites and the Bible as well as empower the reader to have a fuller knowledge of God.
The main thrust of this work is that the purpose of the covenant is to reveal God to Israel and to the nations. Certainly, the covenant is redemptive and ultimately soteric in nature, but it is most importantly revelatory. Once God is revealed, he wants to be in relationship with the people he has created. God employs the covenant as the mechanism which drives his agenda of self-revelation and the instrument of his self-revelation is Israel.
Throughout the Bible, we can see God working through his agenda of self-revelation. This agenda is accomplished through covenants. The larger covenant is comprised of two stages, the Old Testament/Covenant and the New Testament/Covenant. These two stages actually break down into four phases. In the Old Testament/Covenant there are the Abrahamic, Mosaic/Sinai and Davidic phases. In the New Testament/Covenant there is the New Covenant phase. There is continuity between these phases in that each phase continues to serve the self-revelatory purpose of God. In each of the phases there are elements of election (Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus). The phases follow in somewhat of a developmental pattern in that each new phase builds on how God revealed himself in the preceding phase. While the New Covenant shares in the characteristics of revelation and election that are seen in the preceding phases of the Old Covenant, it ushers in the something new. This new element is a program of salvation, which will allow God’s people to be in relationship with him.
During the covenant phases, there were certain aspects that were conditional and others that were not. The most important unconditional aspect is that God’s self-revelation continued regardless of the level to which his people kept their part of the covenant. This agenda of self-revelation has come to a close in the New Covenant phase, which is fully realized in the earthly work, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as unfolded in the New Testament canon. The conditional aspects of the covenant had to do with obedience at the initiation of a covenant or with respect to the benefits of a covenant. Without obedience at the outset of a covenant, the covenant would have been terminated. In the case of benefits, a lack of obedience resulted in the enjoyment of the benefits being withdrawn or withheld. However, these conditional aspects do not make the covenant itself conditional. There were also certain signs (circumcision, Sabbath, anointing, communion, baptism/repentance) of the covenant phases that pertained to an individual’s inclusion in the elect, which would obviously affect their potential for the enjoyment of the covenant benefits. However, these outwards signs did not have any particular bearing on which corporate group was elect.
One final important aspect of the covenant that must be touched upon is the idea of the elect, the “people of God”. In the Old Covenant, Israel was God’s instrument of self-revelation. On the one hand God was revealing himself to them and they in turn were chosen for the specific purpose of revealing God to the nations. In the New Covenant, their tenure as the people of God has come to an end as their revelatory role is no longer needed. The Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Under the New Covenant, the definition of the people of God is soteric and it applies to believers who have faith in Jesus Christ. Israel is welcome to participate in this New Covenant if they will respond with faithful belief in Jesus Christ.
There were a number of things that I found most insightful and helpful in this book. I really appreciated Walton’s biblical-theology approach to the topic at hand. He tried to use the best aspects of the other theologians work on the topic of covenant in formulating his own thesis. He also did a good job of using relevant biblical references to support the claims of his thesis. This biblical-theology approach could certainly be employed in investigating many other biblical topics needing further study. There is a wealth of theological insights to be taken away from this work as well. If we hold Walton’s thesis to be true, our whole perspective on the Old Testament will be shifted for the better. If the covenant as played out in the Old Testament deals primarily with God revealing himself and salvation doesn’t show up until the New Covenant phase in the New Testament, the reader of the Old Testament has much more freedom in looking solely for how God is revealing himself throughout the Old Testament. Rather than concentrate on where the soteric elements appear in the covenants of Abraham, Moses or David, we should look for the ways in which God revealed himself to the people at that time. Once we understand how God revealed himself, we should try to seek out what was the proper response to God’s revelation. It will also be important to understand how the people actually responded to God’s revelation and to note what the benefits or consequences were to their response.
The major thing that I found wanting was the neglect of the Adamic and Noachian covenants in this work. In chapter 2, Walton indicates that Genesis 1-11 sets the stage by showing why there was a need for God’s self-revelation through the covenant. In chapter 3, Walton indicates that the Noachian covenant does not contain the element of election and point of contact with the previous covenant that is found in the covenant phases that are a part of Walton’s larger covenant. I would argue that the Adamic and Noachian covenants have a place in the larger covenant. The Adamic covenant cannot have any points of contact with any previous covenants as it is the first. This being the case, this is not a suitable point for its exclusion from the larger covenant. There is most certainly an element of election in the creation narrative. God sets Adam up as his vassal representative on the earth. There are limited stipulations to God’s covenant with Adam. Adam is given charge to be fruitful and subdue the earth. He is also commanded not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Obedience to these stipulations will result in the benefit of life in paradise. Disobedience will result in death. In God’s response to Adam’s disobedience, we can begin to see God’s utter grace in Adam’s breaking of the covenant. God doesn’t destroy Adam and Eve, rather he allows them to continue in their charge of being fruitful and subduing the earth. The major changes are that it will be much more painful, it will be outside the garden, and they will eventually die.
A few chapters later in Genesis, we find the story of Noah. I would contend that the covenant God makes with Noah points back to the covenant he made with Adam on the basis of using the verb הקִים over כָּרַת in reference to the covenant. This is indicative of a covenant that was already in existence and needed to be ratified. (Block, Lecture Notes, P. 176) There is a sense of election in that God chooses Noah and his family from among all the peoples. If Noah chooses obedience to the covenant, he and his family will be spared. If Noah chooses disobedience to this covenant, it would result in the death of him and his family in the pending deluge. As with the story of Adam, we also see the character of God being revealed. He showed grace and mercy to Noah and his family and the animals by providing a means of escape from the coming deluge.
I think there is a strong case for the Adamic and Noachian covenants to be included within the larger definition of covenant. While, they didn’t fit well with Walton’s definition of covenant, they certainly shouldn’t be ignored.
August 28th, 2008 by Shaun Tabatt
Justin Taylor pointed out this New york Times article. The Israel Antiquities Authority has undertaken a project to digitize the Dead Sea Scrolls and make them available over the internet. Between this and the recent project to make Codex Sinaiticus available on-line, the cause of manuscript studies and online collaborative tools is moving forward strongly. This merging of technology and manuscript / Biblical language study is an area near and dear to my heart. Projects like this really get me excited!
