John D. Woodbridge on the King James Bible

An essay by John Woodbridge, available here, was given as an address at the King James Version Festival, hosted by the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union University, in September 2011 It will also appear, along with other papers from the event, in Ray Van Neste (ed.), KJV400: Legacy and Impact (Borderstone Press, forthcoming 2012).

Woodbridge sets something of the historical background to the translation, noting that ‘it was created in a context of genuine turmoil for many Europeans’.

But in line with a number of his own published concerns, he focuses particularly on the specific beliefs of the translators regarding biblical authority, arguing that ‘their understanding of Scriptural authority remained within the central Augustinian tradition of the Western Christian churches’.

The struggle over biblical authority between Roman Catholics and Protestants, he avers, is revealed in the writings of the William Whitaker (1547-95), master of St. John’s College, Cambridge University, who was an Anglican and a Reformed theologian.

In his A Disputation on Holy Scripture (1958), Whitaker identified certain significant traits as constituent elements of his doctrine of Scriptural authority: (1) that Scripture is completely truthful (in line with what Whitaker believed was the central teaching of the western churches); (2) that Scripture’s principal author is God, the Holy Spirit; (3) that Scripture is an infallible rule of faith and practice (in that it contains sufficiently all we need to know about salvation); (4) that Scripture’s original texts were inspired of God (the Greek and Hebrew originals as opposed to, say, the Latin Vulgate); (5) that vernacular translations of the Bible are authoritative to the extent they faithfully reflect the Hebrew and Greek originals inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Woodbridge maintains that ‘the translators shared many of the same perspectives as those of William Whitaker’, showing that they too affirmed the full truthfulness of Scripture, that its principal author was the Holy Spirit, etc.

He ends the essay with a personal note:

‘Personally, one of the great joys in having pursued this study of the translators’ views of biblical authority was to encounter their closing counsel to their readers regarding their love of the Word of God. Their preface ends in an exposition of their heartfelt desire that readers of their translation would love the Word of God. Their comments are genuinely inspirational. Hopefully, they will lead us to treasure God’s Word even more than we may presently do.’

Global Gospel Project

Mark Galli, ‘Making Disciples Today: Christianity Today’s New Global Gospel Project’, Christianity Today (2 December 2011).

Michael Horton, ‘Why We Need Jesus’, Christianity Today (2 December 2011).

Mark Galli announces here a projected five-year enterprise from Christianity Today called the Global Gospel Project, which will have seven emphases:

• Biblical

• Broadly evangelical

• Set in the local church

• God-centered

• Question-driven

• Global

• Joyful

Calling for ‘a full-orbed discipleship of heart, mind, soul, and strength’, Galli promises they will look at ‘a biblically based theology through the lens of the classic creeds, ethics through the Ten Commandments, and spirituality through the Lord's Prayer, as well as the nature of teaching’.

The series begins with a piece by Michael Horton on ‘Why We Need Jesus’. Those familiar with some of Horton’s recent works will not be surprised to hear those chords resounding here too:

‘Biblical faith emphasizes that we cannot ascend to God on our own; rather, the God of the Bible descends down to us.’

‘There is no passable route from us to God. We cannot climb the ladder of mysticism, speculation, or merit. In pride, we try to rise to heaven through reason, but God descends to us in humility and self-sacrificial generosity. We seek the truth within ourselves or in universal laws derived from our moral intuition, but God surprises us – and his name is Jesus.’

Centre for Public Christianity (December 2011)

The latest email newsletter from the Centre for Public Christianity contains links to several video interviews, including one with John Dickson discussing the history of the idea of humility and how it came to be seen as a virtue in the Western World, one with Kevin Vanhoozer on finding reality through theology, and a review of Robert Banks’ recently-published book, And Man Created God.

Anvil 27, 2 (2011)

The latest issue of Anvil is available online (requiring a pain-free registration process), with a set of essays looking at theology from a global perspective.

Editorial

Stephen Bevans

A Theology for the Ephesian Moment

Stephen Bevans writes of what he has learned as he tries to engage in theology from a global perspective – some of the joys and the challenges. He reminds us that not only are all theologies contextual but also that they are all limited. He explains that the problem with contextual theologies is just that – context – but that we have to grapple with this in our diverse world.

Timothy C. Tennent

Theological Translatability in the New Global Context

Timothy Tennent is President of Asbury Seminary in Kentucky with previous mission experience in India. He tells us that theological reflections from the Majority World church need to be a normal part of our theological study in the West and not just an adjunct from exotic climes. This is important because it exposes some of our blind spots and heresies and reminds us of the theological translatability of the gospel on many levels – including the theological.

Atola Longkumer

Witnessing Together: Christian Mission and Global Partnership

Atola Longkumer is from India and teaches at Leonard Theological College in Jabalpur. Her article on partnership deals with the realities and complexities of this vital theme in our global context. For those of us located in the West, or global North, it is good to read how our sisters and brothers from other parts of the world understand partnership and our part in it.

Julia Cameron

John Stott and the Lausanne Movement

John Stott died on the afternoon of 27 July 2011, in the College of St Barnabas, a home for retired clergy, in Surrey. Obituaries appeared in all four leading UK newspapers on 29 July, where he was afforded more space than is given to most cabinet ministers. His global influence can be described only as colossal.

Miroslav Volf

Interview with Miroslav Volf

Rowan Williams

Martyrs’ Memorial, Namugongo

We are very grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for allowing us to use his moving poem on the Ugandan martyrs, which does, after all, restore a proper perspective – that God is God and we are not and that the loving God of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of the loyalty and fealty of people from any and every culture – even if it cost us our life.

Reviews

Andy Naselli on D.A. Carson’s Theological Method

Andrew David Naselli, ‘D.A. Carson’s Theological Method’, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 29, 2 (2011), 245-74.

Andy Naselli has been D.A. Carson’s research assistant since 2006, and is well placed to write this lengthy essay outlining what he sees as Carson’s theological method. The article is a revision of a paper submitted to Kevin J. Vanhoozer in December 2006 for his ‘Advanced Theological Prolegomena’ PhD seminar.

Stephen R. Holmes on Christmas

Stephen R. Holmes, The Politics of Christmas (London: Theos, 2011).

The ever-productive team at Theos have produced another helpful-looking booklet, this one written by Stephen Holmes, on Christmas.

There are more details here, it’s available for download here, and here’s the back cover blurb:

‘Christmas is about spending time with family and friends... at least, that is what the vast majority of us think.

‘Yet, this safe, domestic Christmas was largely an invention of the Victorians. The Christmas stories themselves, as told in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels, are far less peaceful and far more unsettling.

‘Economic exploitation, imperial oppression, social stigma, petty tyranny: all are in the sights of a story in which God himself is born into a poor, vulnerable and somewhat unorthodox family unit.

‘While Christmas must undoubtedly be a time for family and generosity, Stephen Holmes argues, it should also be a moment when we hear and attend to the Bible’s message of justice and freedom for all.’

Lausanne World Pulse (December 2011)

The themed articles in December 2011’s Lausanne World Pulse – the last official issue to be published – are devoted to ‘Early Church Models of Evangelism and Mission’.

Jerry Root

Evangelism and the Early Church

What can we learn from the approaches employed by the early Church to reach others for Christ? Root shares five points: (1) their lives were transformed demonstrably by the love and forgiveness of Christ; (2) their love burned hot for Christ and found obedience to the Great Commission; (3) they made the most of the opportunities before them; (4) they demonstrated great creativity in sharing the gospel; and (5) they were not willing to let fear keep them from telling others about Jesus.

Dion Forster

When You Cannot Preach: A Case for Relational Evangelism

One may be surprised to see how simple, yet different, Jesus’ model of evangelism is when compared to many popular models used today. Dion discusses the importance of relational/friendship evangelism following a pattern of blessing people, building relationships, ministering to needs, and then preaching the gospel.

John Abraham Godson

Prayer in the Early Church

Prayer is one of the foundations upon which the early Church was built. It permeated and undergirded their actions and fellowship. Godson looks at how the early Church prayed, where they prayed, and for what they prayed. According to Godson, the early Church prayed without ceasing, individually, corporately, with the word of God, earnestly, and with thanksgiving.

Dale Schlafer

Ekklesia: A Call to Unity in the Body of Christ

We should be so connected relationally with other followers of the Lord Jesus that the non-believing world thinks we are one, the author writes. Biblical unity has been authorized by our Lord. The question for us is: are we doing it?

Carol Madison

Two New Prayer Tools to Fuel the Prayer Movement

The author shares two resources to expand prayer movements both nationally and internationally. Prayer Connect magazine (with the tagline: ‘Connecting to the Heart of Christ through Prayer’) published its premiere issue in July 2011. Praybook is a website that interfaces with Facebook as a tool to mobilize thousands of people to pray for thousands of ‘friends.’

The Executive Summary is available here, and the full version here.