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Recovering the lost art of reading the biblical languages

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Guest commentary by Melissa Ramos How many scholars in the church can read the biblical languages — and I mean really read them? How many can read them without looking up every other word using Bible software and without lexical helps or other technical assists in a single sentence? Biblical scholars who are able to read biblical Greek and Hebrew in the manner described are becoming an endangered species. I would argue that a fair number of New Testament scholars remain who can read Greek; however, I contend that far fewer Hebrew scholars within the church can read biblical Hebrew or Northwest Semitic inscriptions with robust competence. The study of biblical languages was once required learning for pastors and Christian educators in seminaries for the benefit of a deep study of the Scriptures in service to the church. Yet the enrollments in most seminaries are in a sustained downward drop. Moreover, the shrinking requirements of seminary degrees has in many cases reduced the … [Read more...]

Tagged With: theological education

Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts that Continue to Shape Our World

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Brad S. Gregory HarperOne, 304 pages Reviewed by Renata Eustis The task that historian Brad Gregory undertakes in his new book, “Rebel in the Ranks,” is breathtaking in its sweep: a portrait of Martin Luther and the Reformation he started; an overview of the subsequent reformations and wars that unfolded across Europe; and an analysis of the impact of these on the place of religion in the United States. Equally stunning is his central argument: “The Reformation is a paradox: a religious revolution that led to the secularization of society.” Gregory is clear that this was not the intention of Luther and the other Reformers, but in his view it was an unavoidable consequence once the unifying authority of the Roman Catholic Church was undermined. Gregory writes in a compelling and highly readable style. Readers like myself with limited time for the study of church history will appreciate the story he weaves. Particularly gripping is the account of the wars of religion (or as he … [Read more...]

What’s right about Westminster Presbyterian Church?

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Westminster Presbyterian Church — Jackson, Michigan Westminster Presbyterian Church learned about an unmet need in our community and figured out a way to meet it. When a local nonprofit told us that they were unable to fill requests for toiletries, cleaning products and paper products, we were pretty sure we could meet the need – but knew our small church of less than 100 members couldn’t do it alone. We invited other churches to join us, and together organized a weekly “non-food pantry” to distribute 15 necessary, consumable items that aren’t covered by food stamps. Think of life without deodorant, toilet paper and laundry detergent! Each church or team of churches serves our guests one week each month. All key staff members are volunteers, and funds and products come from churches, community organizations, grants, fundraising and gifts. Jackson Personal Care Ministry recently celebrated its six-year anniversary. We serve an average of 135 households from the county every … [Read more...]

Ministering to the grandchildren of the lost son: Post-Christian lessons from Dutch churches 

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  By most popular North American accounts, the European church is dying. Old, tired and running out of energy. Soon the last generation will turn off the lights. It is also possible to look at the European church as going ahead of us into fresh territory, pioneers of a new age, being the first of the Christian family to face a situation the U.S. will face in a generation or two: that of a post-Christian world. Throughout the history of Christianity, churches have come and gone. Cultures that once were Christianized have put their alliances elsewhere — think of northern Africa. But never before in the history of Christianity has a culture that was Christianized consciously turned its back not just to the church, but to religion and spirituality in general. That is what is happening in Europe right now. The Netherlands is a case in point. According to the 2016 results of “God in the Netherlands,” a decennial sociological report on the state of religion in the Netherlands, … [Read more...]

Ecclesiastes: An Earth Bible Commentary 

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Marie Turner Bloomsbury, 144 pages Reviewed by Susan G. De George In the last several years, growing numbers of congregations have taken up the biblical imperative to heal the earth and protect all God’s children living on it.  Wanting to build such a focus into worship services, pastors find themselves looking for commentaries and hermeneutical material with a creation care bent to help them prepare for sermons. The need for Christian ecological education resources in this area has grown.  Early in the 20th century, one of the go-to collections that pastors could reach for was the five-volume “Earth Bible.” Then, in 2011, the first volume of the Earth Bible Commentary series came out.  Sporadically since then, excellent commentaries on a wide range of individual biblical books have been published as part of this series.  In each of these commentaries, the eco-justice hermeneutic attempts to move beyond merely pointing out ecological themes in Scripture or looking for what … [Read more...]

Bivocational exhaustion blessings

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It started simply enough: I would take a couple of seminary classes and if I liked them, I’d take a couple more. I already had a full-time job as a vice president of finance and operations, was parenting three children who were seven, five and two — plus I was serving on our church’s governing board, was a youth group leader and coached my daughter’s softball team. The timing could not have been better. Thus began my journey toward bivocational ministry and perpetual exhaustion. I continued to work full-time throughout seminary and, obviously, I continued to parent. Eventually I had to give up my church board and youth group work. While I’ve always arranged a jam-packed schedule, seminary taught me to squeeze even more productive time into my days. I became masterful at 4:30 a.m. study sessions. I read textbooks as I commuted to my job downtown (by train — not while driving) and I figured out how to memorize Greek vocabulary words between innings of my son’s baseball games. There … [Read more...]

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