Jeffrey Niehaus on War, Covenant, Hearts
Just a quick note here, quoting from Jeffrey J. Niehaus' essay, "The Warrior and His God: The Covenant Foundation of History and Geography," in A.R. Millard, J.K. Hoffmeier, and David W. Baker, Faith, Tradition, and History: Old Testament Historiography in Its Near Eastern Context.
Niehaus teaches Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and I found the conclusion to his essay fascinating.
To quote (p. 312):
"It becomes obvious that certain war practices and theological assertions were common to Assyria and Israel--and indeed I suggest, throughout the ancient Near East. In both cases the king or leader marched at the command of his god. He always proceeded with the help of his god, because (supposedly) a trusting relationship existed between them. One way in which a god might, and often did, help his elect king in battle was to interfere with the 'heart' or the psyche of the enemy, so as to work his defeat."
In the New Testament Paul uses military imagery to depict the spiritual warfare with which Christians are to engage. Instead of following the spirit of the age, and "de-militarizing" the language of the New Testament (and indeed of the Old Testament too), why not simply trust that such language might be there for a reason? God is indeed involved in "battle"--and Christians are to put on various bits of "armor" (Ephesians 6) to enable them to resist the evil one, and to advance God's purposes. We engage in battle too--but always through being in Christ. As Christians we proclaim the gospel, trusting and praying that the gospel itself is the power of God to "interfere" with the hearts of listeners. We are engaged in sharing the gospel in order to "defeat" the non-Christian--but it is a defeat which inextricably is followed by the "victory"/resurrection of the new person, whose heart has been changed by the power of the gospel.
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- Published: 10 February 2014 10 February 2014
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Using Tyndale House Library from a Distance!
Friends:
The library at Tyndale House (Cambridge) is accessible to you at a distance. Tyndale House is one of the finest biblical studies libraries in the world. You can access their resources through their scanning service (which is not costly).
Here are two You Tube links to help you get started:
Enjoy!
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- Published: 03 February 2014 03 February 2014
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Joseph Sobran on Reading Old Books
Joseph Sobran was a superb writer. Here is a short essay by him on the reading of Old Books.
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- Published: 23 October 2013 23 October 2013
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C.S. Lewis and Augustine School: Why C.S. Lewis Matters for Augustine School
On August 22, 2013, I had the privilege of giving the Fall Convocation Address at Augustine School here in Jackson, Tennessee. The address is attached below. Enjoy!
This convocation address has now also been published at the inimitable Winston Elliott's site, TIC. You can click here to go to the site.
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- Published: 23 August 2013 23 August 2013
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Augustine, Modernity, and the Recovery of True Education
I enjoy my association with the folks over at The Imaginative Conservative. They have been kind enough to republish my essay, "Augustine, Modernity, and the Recovery of True Education." It can be accessed here. The folks at TIC publish a plethora of good material--both new and old. May their tribe increase! My essay originally appeared in the British journal, Churchman (Winter 2009).
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- Published: 06 April 2013 06 April 2013
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The Recovery of the Liberal Arts
The good folks at The Imaginative Conservative have kindly republished an essay I wrote, "The Recovery of the Liberal Arts." I originally published this essay in Houston Baptist University's wonderful journal, The City.
To my students in particular: I recommend you put The Imaginative Conservative on your Google Reader, or whatever you use to see what is being published out there on the web. They publish some wonderful material--both current and older material.
The link to my essay can be found here.
The link to all of the essays I have written for The Imaginative Conservative can be found here.
I hope you enjoy!
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- Category: Recommended Reading Recommended Reading
- Published: 11 March 2013 11 March 2013
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