Earlier this year I wrote a series of posts on “A Theology of Gift-Giving“. The impetus behind creating these posts was twofold. One was to demonstrate the directive theory of drama that I was promoting from Kevin Vanhoozer’s The Drama of Doctrine. The other was to counteract the extremes on both sides of giving gifts that I have experienced, namely, treating gift-giving (particularly for holidays) as carnal and giving gifts in a materialisitc and spoiling manner. I was satisfied by the end product in these posts so I thought that I’d offer them here together since they are conducive to the season at hand. I would love to hear your thoughts on these posts as well as your testimonials of how you go about striking a good balance between the two extremes I mentioned above.

• A Theology of Gift-Giving
• A Theology of Gift-Giving II

Having read so much of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fiction, and having built a semi-substantial secondary source library on Tolkien, I felt it was time to dive into the key piece of work for anyone who is interested in knowing more about Tolkien’s literary and theological rationale for story-making. “On Fairy-Stories” is the fundamental source for understanding the logic behind anything that Tolkien has written. His essay has since served as the authoritative text on what is essential to fantasy literature. I think what’s most revealing and helpful in “On Fairy-Stories” is that you realize that Tolkien didn’t simply spend his whole life creating MiddleEarth just because he had a love for fiction. Only to see a work like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia per se as merely fiction, and thus, all they have to offer and intend to offer is a “story” for pleasure and entertainment falls terribly short of the impetus for their creation and the philosophy of fiction held by their authors.

Tolkien delivered this essay in 1938 at the University of St. Andrews as the keynote speaker for the Andrew Lang Lecture series. He wrote it near the beginning of his creation of The Lord of the Rings, particularly The Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien reflects that the precise timing was “[a]t about the time we had reached Bree, and I had then no more notion than they had of what had become of Gandalf or who Strider was; and I had begun to despair of surviving to find out (31).” In this lecture, he sets out to define what a “fairy-story” is but refuses to try and sum it up in only a matter of one or two sentences. In reality, the entire essay could be considered his definition of what a “fairy-story” is. This is something that he is aware of and hints at when he states, “Faërie cannot be caught in a net of words; for it is one of its qualities to be indescribable, though not imperceptible. It has many ingredients, but analysis will not necessarily discover the secret of the whole. Yet I hope that what I have later to say about the other questions will give some glimpses of my own imperfect vision of it (39).”

The elusiveness of the “fairy-story” for Tolkien is not due to its usage as a broad category in which many sub-genres find their origin. Tolkien shows that any good and true “fairy-story” is one that finds itself in “the Perilous Realm itself, and the air that blows in that country (38).” I will explain what Tolkien means by this statement in subsequent posts on this essay, but for the moment, the basic idea is that a “fairy-story” is one where its adventure occurs in a world of real struggle. A setting that is not only prime for danger and bleakness of hope, but one where the human condition is allowed to be stripped down to its bone and marrow, revealing in vivid scenes and detail what does it mean to live this life, and for Tolkien, it is the human condition set in the context of his Christianity that he potrays in the LOTR. And let me just say, for those who object to the explicit Christian element present in the LOTR, then it is clear those responders have either not read this essay, or have read it, and totally disregarded the framework for his entire philosophy of myth presented in this writing.

“The Perilous Realm” is typically what we regard as the fantasical element to a story such as the LOTR. However, a true “fairy-story” for Tolkien is not defined by whether or not it has “fantasy” type characters such as dragons, hobbits, orcs, and elves. It is the grandness of the scale in which the story takes place. Perhaps this is why in a fantasy novel the conflict is usually centered on things such as the end of the world, the reign of darkness/evil, genocide, and so forth. It is these “Perilous Realms” that provide the receptable for the creation of a story that has the opportunity to portray elements of the human condition and reality with monumental scope. The fact that the “fantasy” genre is naturally conducive to this type of drama reveals why it is so often the form of a true “fairy-story”.

When I hear people say they don’t like movies and books like the LOTR or The Chronicles of Narnia because they think that all of the creatures, characters, and lands are silly, it is clear that they have missed the mark completely. Not that you can’t have a personal preference concerning literary genres, however, to reduce the quality of fantasy simply to its “fantasical” features such as those mentioned completely misunderstands how these “extreme” characteristics of the genre serve the story-telling by creating a context for watchers and readers to have some of the deepest experiences available through literature because of the magnamity of the world in which it takes place and the struggles therein which we identify with in our own lives.  What we tend to fail to recognize is that the “real world” that we believe is so distant from the fantasy world really isn’t that foreign at all.We often regard fantasy literature as escapist reading. However I would contend that it is in fact more real in terms of all of reality than we give it credit. Just think about it for a momement. Dwell upon the grandness of the universe in which our story is set. What about the long list of epic battles and wars that have occurred in world history? Or the attempts at genocide? We’ve succeeded in sending people to outer space. On the spiritual side, we affirm the reality of angels, demons, Satan, the after life, and God, who by the way, are at war with one another which we are a part of as well. We confess that God became man, God died, and God rose again. Pretty fantasical if you ask me?

One of the works I had to read this week for my Reformation Reading Ph. D. Seminar was Zwingli’s An Exposition of the Faith. In it, he briefly sets forth the main tenets of his Reformed theology for the king in order to assure him of Zwingli’s and his stately companions’ orthodoxy and loyalty to a system of theology that would not create rebellion against the government.

At the beginning, he begins with God as Creator and shows how this truth, namely, that all created things find their meaning in the one uncreated being, is the foundation for all Christian theology. As he is closing out this section before he moves on to discuss Christology, he gives a powerfully eloquent summary of the gospel where he names God as Supreme Goodness who in turn gave the supreme gift. That supreme gift, however, is identified as “the most costly of all its treasures, namely itself, . . .” In other words, God as ultimate goodness could not give anything other than the absolute best; therefore, since he is the highest of all treasures, he gave himself, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son of God to be a sacrifice for sins on the cross.

This passage really ministered to me. I hope you are blessed by it and that you read it within the framework of the fact that above all else, the Reformers were about contending for the integrity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These men were truly captured by grace. That’s why I love reading them so much. Everything is so gospel-saturated to the core. Here’s the passage in full:

Therefore when supreme Goodness willed to give the supreme gift, it gave the most costly of all its treasures, namely itself, so that the soul of man which is always seeking that which is greater should not be able to wonder how it is that the sacrifice of angel or man can have sufficient value to avail for all, or how it is possible to put undisputed trust in any creature. Thus the Son of God is given to us as a confirmation of mercy, a pledge of grace, a requital of justice and an example of life, to assure us of the grace of God and to give us the law of true conduct. Who can sufficiently estimate the magnanimity of the divine goodness and mercy? We had merited rejection, and he adopts us as heirs. We had destroyed the way of life, and he has restored it. The divine goodness has so redeemed and restored us that we are full of thanks for his mercy and just and blameless by reason of his atoning sacrifice.

~ taken from The Library of Christian Classics, Zwingli and Bullinger, 250-51.

Last year I was able to promote Andrew Peterson’s first novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Trying at best to overlook my bias for Peterson, I was well-pleased with his story-telling ability outside the context of a song. Likewise, I was supposed to read and review the second installment in his “The WingFeather Saga,” but alas, when I first signed up to be a part of the blog tour, I had not anticipated how busy I would become in the near future. At this point, I haven’t even cracked it open. In all likelihood, I won’t even get a chance to read it until Christmas break. Nevertheless, I can still give it a plug in hopes that you will not wait on me to take part in another great fantasy trilogy with the nice incentive that it is written by a Christian who is grounded in solid orthodoxy and who obviously loves Christ. Here is a brief summary and author bio. At the bottom are links to various sites related to Peterson and the book. Let me know what you think.

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.

Andrew Peterson’s lovable characters create what FantasyBookCritic.com says made Book One “one of the best fantasy novels in a very long time,” and Book Two contains even more thrills, exploring “themes universal in nature, ranging from the classic good versus evil, to the importance of family, and burdens of responsibility.”

Author bio.:

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville , Tennessee .

• Visit the official website for The Wingfeather Saga. This a pretty elaborate site for a book.
• Purchase the book at The Rabbit Room.
• Check out Andrew’s official website.

It was satisfying to see The Lord of the Rings make its way into the Hebrew language. For some reason, it just feels right. These covers are pretty awesome too (HT: Tolkien Society).

For so long now there has been a divide between the Christian academy and the Church. Rather than co-laborers, they have at times worked together more so as co-belligerents. Post-Reformation, theology increasingly became a specialized enterprise resulting in it turning into a compartmentalized discipline rather than retaining its place as the “Queen of the Sciences”. I don’t believe that this was ever the explicit intention of the scholarly community. Like most historical phenomenons, the cause cannot be reduced to a single factor. As I noted in a previous post, the common man is just as much to blame insofar as he has sustained an indifferent attitude towards serious theological engagement in general. Current theological movements (e.g. theological interpretation, biblical theology, and canonical approach) within academia are steadily trying to resolve this rift though their efforts are so new that their fruit has yet to be seen in the every day local church.

When I began reading the “Introduction” to Gerald Bray’s textbook on the history of biblical interpretation, I was moved by his concern over this same matter, and that out of his conviction, he produced this work. In just a few paragraphs, Bray bestows an abundance of wisdom related to the problem of the over-specialization of theology and the distance it creates between the academy and the church. However, it is the prerogative of the church itself to be interested in matters of faith, the Bible, and theology; therefore, the church remains supremely responsible for investigating and contending for its own faith.

Bray opens his Biblical Interpretation: Past & Present centered on this discussion, but narrows it to the topic of hermeneutics and the popularity of its study in the 20th century and on into the 21st century. The problem with its growth both in the academy and in the publishers’ market, however, is that “much of it is inaccessible to non-specialists and confusing to students (7).” In other words, just because more people are interested in studying the Bible doesn’t mean that the church at large is maturing in its knowledge of how to approach Scripture. Based upon Bray’s critique, it seems that what has happened in some circles is that scholars began writing books for one another rather than for the benefit of the practice of God’s people.  Bray continues, “A high percentage of the academic work currently being produced has little bearing on the life of the church, and is remote from the concerns of the average Christian.”

Once again, professional theologians should not be stuck solely with the blame, yet the truth stands that much of their writing, especially in contemporary biblical interpretation, cannot be penetrated apart from acquiring some level of expertise in the matter. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the chasm between the scholarly community and the common church congregation continues to widen as the disciplines grow in sophistication, thereby shutting down the attempts of the 40+ hour-a-week laymen at partaking in these discussions, thus fostering and adding to the already present mood of anti-intellectualism in the body of Christ. Bray recognizes this trend and comments:

At a time when churchgoers want to hear a clear word from God, scholars appear to be confusing issues and muddying the waters of biblical study to the point where even professional theologians find it difficult to follow what they are saying.

When the church is deprived from access to quality higher-Christian education, the result is that pastors and leaders are left to their own, and remain stymied in their own theological world despite their varied levels of effectiveness in the local church. A pastor who is the primary shepherd for a flock of let’s say 200 people doesn’t have the free time to pioneer the usefulness of speech-act theory or the validity of the multi-faceted nature of meaning in Scripture, and therefore, remains dependent upon someone in the academic community to provide him with an accessible aid or textbook on the matter so that he can bring a fuller and more mature hermeneutic to the table that does better justice to the nature of the Bible itself. However, if all the resources that speak on these very pertinent and beneficial issues continue to consist of a vocabulary that requires a specialized dictionary and careful decoding, along with the necessary time to read its total 400 pages, then the pastor will forever pass it and the valuable theology it offers by.

Again Bray sees this as a reality in the relationship between the academy and the church when he writes:

New methods of reading the text are constantly being explored, but with little interest being shown in their long-term viability as principles to guide interpretation. Meanwhile, the preaching and teaching work of the church goes on with less and less input from the world of biblical scholarship. Too often the result is a weak, emotionally based Christianity which has little intellectual content and no staying power.

Bray’s evaluation should not go unheeded by either side. Having held a place inside Christian education for close to a decade, I am more than aware that a large portion of textbooks devoted to a proper reading of Scripture and healthy methods of doing theology are some of the most difficult works I’ve ever had to read. And this comes from someone who is constantly reading in those fields. On the other hand, having grown up in the type of church culture that I did, I believe with all my heart that church leaders in every respect need to wake up to a broader and unavoidable theological world, and begin to take the initiative in seeking out higher Christian education, whether it be in a seminary classroom or in one’s own spare time in his armchair.

Both sides need to come to at least two basic conclusions. First, notwithstanding the place of the local church, the universal body of Christ encompasses all confessing true believers in Christ. As Paul affirms, there is one body, one faith, one Spirit, and one God and Father of all (Eph 4:3-6). When Christian scholarship and the life of the church fail to go hand in hand, then we have compartmentalized the faith to our own detriment. The church will suffer. The Bible is the Church’s book; thus, when it serves primarily as an object of study and exudes obscurity instead of serving as the means to knowing and loving God, its purpose has been betrayed and the body of Christ is cut off from its clear and life-giving light. Second, the everyday churchman must not delude himself into thinking that pure theology is always the simplest formula. Likewise, the professional theologian must not always equate quality scholarship with impenetrable sophistication. In his message to the 2009 Gospel Coalition, D. A. Carson exhorted future scholars to remember “that there are people out there.” In view of God’s infinite nature, surely we shouldn’t expect that what we know of him could be explained, exhausted, and resolved with only a good ol’ boy simplicity. On the other side, in the wisdom and love of God, we shouldn’t believe that in order to do justice to his revealed Word and to  acquire an in depth comprehension of theology, a person is required to read 4 books a week, take 12 years of specialized Christian academic training, and to have written a dissertation that no one can read nor wants to read, except other nerds (I include myself here) within your own discipline who are functioning at that level.

I appreciated Bray’s comments and that he opened his book on the history of biblical interpretation this way. It encourages me all the more to want to take up the torch within my place in Christian history in making sense of Scripture for the sake of the bride of Christ, for the hope of the lost, and for the glory of God. What are your thoughts on this issue?

On July 31, 2009, Dr. Russell Moore interviewed singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson on The Albert Mohler Radio Program/Podcast (HT: Bret Rogers). The topic of their discussion was “Storytelling and a Child’s Imagination“. For those of you who have any interest in either Peterson, stories, family devotions, or theology, then this show is for you.  Part of the purpose of this interview is also to promote the upcoming publication of Peterson’s second installment to his “The Wingfeather Saga” called North! Or Be Eaten. Having read the first book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Peterson is succeeding at “subcreating” a secondary world for both children and adults full of all of the adventurous elements that makes a good story good, notwithstanding the significant Christian worldview in which it is being formed. I am thankful for his commitment to carry on the legacy of the Inklings, particularly that of Lewis and Tolkien.

I won’t give a full commentary on all that the discussion between Moore and Peterson is about because it is fairly brief. However, the topic itself is one that pertains to all people, not simply children. What is the role of story in a Christian’s life, and does it have to be distinctively and explicitly Christian for it to be of value to a believer? Or, can your spiritual condition be impacted for the good by a story, let’s say for instance The Lord of the Rings, that does not pertain directly to the gospel? These are some of the questions that Peterson’s interview touches upon, but one of the most beneficial parts of the interview for me was hearing both Moore and Peterson talk about how they incorporate stories into their family devotion times. They gave me some great ideas as I seek to figure out what a Marsh family devotional time will look like when Wyatt gets older and we have more children. I greatly appreciate Moore’s openness to storytelling and how it can play a significant role in a Christian’s spirituality, especially since he’s one of the leading Southern Baptist theologians, serving as the Dean of the School of Theology at SBTS. Honestly, you’d expect someone in his position to be more reserved on this topic since conservative Southern Baptists are known for upholding a particular way of being “counter-cultural”. I’m encouraged to see that a top-notch theologian is able to see the worth in good music like Peterson’s and the enjoyment of good literature instead of remaining tucked away in his own theological arena.

Check out the interview, and I hope that you glean much from it.

In collaboration with Dr. David Bertch, we have chosen some very exciting works by Francis Schaeffer to read and to discuss for the 2009-2010 school year. The Francis Schaeffer Book Club is going into its fifth year of existence at SWBTS. I am honored to have been a part of it now for all but the first year.

I cannot even begin to tell of how influential reading Schaeffer has been both in the development of my theology and in the practice of my spirituality. It is no wonder he is viewed across the board as a unique and prophetic man of God. And though his audience was primarily the 20th century, his ministry will endure much longer. His relevance continues to be more relevant each and every day in the 21st century as the church and the world head down many of the paths that he foresaw.

We will be meeting in room 114 in the Naylor Student Center at 12noon every Tuesday. Dr. Bertch normally leads the group, but as always, he is unpredictable. He is very quick to pass the torch to one of the other members which creates a setting where varying aspects of Schaeffer and his teachings can be highlighted that would otherwise lie unnoticed.

I’m posting this a little bit late this semester, so unless you were present with us today (Aug. 25), then you will miss out on our first reading which was from Schaeffer’s article “Two Contents, Two Realities” located in the book 25 Basic Bible Studies. We will be finishing our discussion on this work next week.

For the remainder of the semester, we will be reading Genesis in Space and Time. This book will demonstrate how Schaeffer reads Scripture and how he sees its relationship to history, reality, and the nature of man. Schaeffer saw the first book of the Bible as the key to answering modern man’s question about himself and the universe (nothwithstanding their theological context within the canon). What you may not know is that there is actually a second part to Schaeffer’s Genesis which is the book Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History. This work will be our focus for the Spring semester. It continues to unfold Schaeffer’s theology of history and how the biblical book of Joshua is a timeless example of how God loves his people and functions within a covenant relationship with them.

I’m anticipating great things from pouring over these two works for two main reasons. First, we are going to see Schaeffer interact in somewhat of a new light, meaning, directly with the biblical text. Thus we will see his theological method come to light which is something I’m interested in as a Ph. D. student. Also, I’m anxious to see whether or not Schaeffer’s work on Genesis and Joshua could be considered a form of theological interpretation. Second, I’m curious to see how Schaeffer construes a theology of history by means of fleshing out a theology of biblical history. I’ve written on this subject before regarding some things that Schaeffer has said elsewhere, but I’m sure that in these two texts his approach will come out more explicitly and substantially.

Whether or not you are a SWBTS student or not, as long as you can be there in person, you are invited to come and to be a part of the group. If you have any questions about attending, please let me know. I hope most of all that you will give Schaeffer a try even if you are not going to be able to come to our meetings. It is always wise to surround yourself with great men of God, and this would without a doubt include Schaeffer.

As Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

As I read through Martin Luther’s Table Talk, I’m constantly strolling across one gem after another. From his wit to his wisdom, Luther is just as much a mentor as he is the entertainment. I found the section titled, “Of Preachers and Preaching,” chocked full of relevance for the modern day pastor in training or the one who is already at work. I thought that I’d sample some of my favorite portions for you. Hopefully through them, Luther will be a voice of truth for anyone who desires to shepherd a flock or preach the Word of God. Many of his comments find immediate relevance for today’s preachers. Though you don’t have to agree with everything Luther posits, it is still in your best interest to hear him out, for as Philip Melancthon and Justus Jonas testified, “Luther is old enough, and knows how and what to preach (282, #426).”

“I would not have preachers torment their hearers, and detain them with long and tedious preaching, for the delight of hearing vanishes therewith, and the preachers hurt themselves.” ~ pg. 272, #396.

“A preacher ought to remain by the text, and deliver that which he has before him, to the end people may well understand it.” ~ pg. 274, #402

“A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and to fight.” ~ pg. 274, #403

“A preacher should needs know how to make a right difference between sinner, between the impenitent and confident, and the sorrowful and penitent; otherwise the whole Scripture is locked up.” pg. 275, #406

“To speak deliberately and slowly best becomes a preacher; for thereby he may the more effectually and impressively deliver his sermon.” ~ pg. 276, #408

“I would not have preachers in their sermons use Hebrew, Greek, or foreign languages, for in the church we ought to speak as we used to do at home, the plain mother tongue, which every one is acquainted with.” ~ pg. 276, #412

“If I should write of the heavy burden of a godly preacher, which he must carry and endure, as I know by mine own experience, I should scare every man from the office of preaching.” ~ pg. 277, #413

“Preachers must be endued with a great spirit, to serve people in body and soul, in wealth and honour, and yet, nevertheless, suffer and endure the greatest danger and unthankfulness.” ~ pg. 277, #414

“I learn by preaching to know what the world, the flesh, the malice and wickedness of the devil is, all which could not be known before the gospel was revealed and preached.” ~ pg. 281, #425

“Cursed are all preachers that in the church aim at high and hard things, and, neglecting the saving health of the poor unlearned people, seek their own honour and praise, and therewith to please one or two ambitious persons. When I preach, I sink myself deep down. I regard neither Doctors nor Magistrates, of whom are here in this church above forty; but I have an eye to the multitude of young people, children, and servants, of whom are more than two thousand. I preach to those, directing myself to them that have need thereof. Will not the rest hear me?“

“An upright, godly, and true preacher should direct his preaching to the poor, simple sort of people.” ~ pg. 282, #427

“Young divines ought to study Hebrew, to the end they may be able to compare Greek and Hebrew words together, and discern their properties, natures, and strength.” ~ pg. 283, #428

Not the book, but rather the real deal.

As I read one of the persecuted church testimonies in my latest edition of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine, one quote really caught my attention. The story was about three women who were imprisoned for allowing Muslim children to attend their Christian Sunday School program. They served 2 years of a 3 year sentence, and when released, they continued their ministry by constructing a bunker 10 feet underground where they could host their SS in concealment. The VOM articles says, “Children who attend the class wear T-shirts that say, ‘Ready or Not, Jesus will come. I am ready. What about you?‘” Lukas, the husband of one of the women, declared, “In Indonesia Christians have to be extreme or we will turn into ice cream.” What a great word picture and stinging indictment! I’m sure that in comparison to believers such as these, even in my extremest moments, I am closer to ice cream than I am anything else.