Category: Books Page 9 of 19

A reader of this blog noted a few months ago her intent to read the book on which this blog’s title is based. The occasion was my once again defending the ironic intent of the title ‘Somber and Dull’ and noting that it is based upon the main character of Alan Paton’s wonderful 1948 novel Cry, the Beloved Country.

I’m still waiting to hear whether she kept her vow. If she hasn’t, perhaps I can urge her, and you, to move the book somewhere near if not at the top of your ‘to-read’ list. If you need extra incentive, then note the occasion of the death of Nelson Mandela by reading the book that sets the context for understanding the world Mandela sought to change.

Writer Kevin Roose in a helpful NPR story had this to say about the book and its main character, Stephen Kumalo (“…a parson, somber and rather dull no doubt, and his hair was turning white….”):

Kumalo is a quiet, unassuming man who relies on his faith to get him through tough circumstances. And when he finds out that his son has been arrested for the murder of a white activist and is scheduled to be executed, he begins working for reconciliation and justice. It’s a beautiful book – lyrical without being maudlin, lofty but unpretentious – and Paton captures perfectly the difficulty of nonviolent resistance. In one scene, Kumalo, speaking to a farmer who he fears has become too radicalized, says: “I cannot stop you from thinking your thoughts. It is good that a young man has such deep thoughts, but hate no man and desire power over no man.”

The whole piece is worth listening to (or reading), but nothing can surpass the delight and joy of experiencing the book itself.

Do so, and then tell me what you think.

[By the way, if you don’t know why this blog has the strange name it has, and you WANT to know, then read here or here. Or both.]

As one committed to historic Christianity I believe in the verbal inspiration of Scripture – that God so moved the writers that what was written was precisely what he wanted written. But I also believe that what was written, being written by human beings in human language, is to be approached and read in most respects as we would approach and read any other book. We need not apply any special code or method (and we certainly don’t need bibles edited for every possible demographic, but that’s for another post).

Years ago, I read what I thought to be a curiously titled book, Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book. The premise of the book was that though most of us can ‘read’ words on a page, few of us have developed the ability to read for understanding. I found to be extremely helpful on a number of levels.

It struck me as I read it that if any of us were to apply his insights to the simple reading of the Bible we would come away with a good bit more understanding and, perhaps more importantly, far less mis-understanding.

I get giddy when really smart people agree with me. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth is an excellent little book on understanding the Bible written by Douglas Stuart and Gordon Fee. They ask, “How do we learn to do good exegesis? (“Exegesis” is a fancy word for the process of understanding the Bible.) Their answer, among other insights, includes this:

“The key to good exegesis, and therefore to a more intelligent reading of the Bible, is to learn to read the text carefully and to ask the right questions of the text. One of the best things one could do in this regard would be to read Mortimer J. Adler’s How to Read a Book (1940, rev. ed. With Charles Van Doren, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972). Our experience over many years in college and seminary teaching is that many people simply do not know how to read well. To read or study the Bible intelligently demands careful reading, and that includes learning to ask the right questions of the text.”

I still get giddy when I read that. But I’m weird that way.

In the previous post, I mentioned my hesitancy regarding study bibles. Continuing to quote from my response to my friend, I consider the alternatives, if there are any.

But is there an alternative?

A great alternative would be for a publisher to publish the Bible and the notes separately. This would satisfy my concerns. I wish someone would publish a book called “The Reformation Bible Study Companion” or something like that which would print the notes from a study bible in its own stand alone format. This would make the valuable content available but would keep it separate from the text of Scripture itself.

But no one in our modern era has done that. However, in my mind, there is a great alternative. If one was not to buy a study bible, I would recommend this that as a companion to your bible you have at hand a copy of IVP’s New Bible Commentary.          

This is a commentary on the whole bible written by some of the best of conservative evangelical scholars. The editors themselves are worthy of note. Donald Carson, Alec Motyer, Gordon Wenham, and RT France are all trustworthy guides with no axe to grind other than a love for the biblical text. It does use the NIV as its base text, but that is not really a problem as the commentators themselves take the original text into consideration as they comment. 

The only downside is that it is hard to carry with you. Anyone caught carrying this to a bible study would be instantly labeled as one slightly left of normal, whereas carting in a study bible raises no eyebrows. It is strictly a ‘look it up at home’ kind of resource. But at the same time, you have at hand thoughtful reflection on every passage of the bible and not just those the editors of the study bibles think need explication.

So, for what it is worth, my recommendation would be to keep your own bible in hand, and instead of spending $30 on a study bible, spend it on this commentary. If, on the other hand, one wants the more theologically oriented commentary found in a study bible, then buy the one you are looking at, but use it as a reference and not as your primary portal into God’s word.

[There is another resource I’d pick up if I were you. R. C. Sproul’s book Knowing Scripture really is a great tool for learning how to read scripture. I’d recommend you get this as well, regardless of what route you take in study bibles or alternatives.]

Thanks for trusting me enough to ask my opinion.

Randy

I was asked recently by a friend what I thought of his purchasing the ESV Study Bible. If he thought that I had perused and had an informed opinion on this particular study bible, he was wrong. If, though, he imagined that I had an opinion, well, on that score he was not far off. I reproduce my (slightly edited) answer here and in a subsequent post because I think there are some important matters the very existence of study bibles raises.

Several responses come to mind.

1) Since I don’t use a study bible, I’m not a good one to review this one for you. I’ve never held a copy in my hand, never flipped through the pages, never looked directly at any of the notes. So, I have no personal knowledge of it. That said, I can’t imagine where I would quibble with it. I’m sure the comments are sound and trustworthy. I suspect that in the study bible world, you could do much worse.

2) That said, I’m not a big fan of study bibles in general. You may write this off as one of Randy’s many idiosyncrasies, a word which has a lot in common with ‘idiot’ and ‘crazy’, but I think I have some good reasons for my tepid attitude.

a. Study bibles are heavy. Probably not the best reason, but it does play into my thoughts on the matter. People don’t normally spend the money for a study bible and then more money for one to cart around – they cart around the large study bible. There is I suppose the cardio-vascular benefits to consider here, but aside from that, it is something to take into consideration. (Wouldn’t it be great to be able to leave the notes at home and use them only when you needed them? More on that later.)

b. More important reasons for questioning study bibles are these:

i. When studying a text of Scripture, what is the best way to approach a difficult section? The best way is to stare at it, ask questions about it, ponder it, wrestle with it, and think through a few ways of unraveling the puzzle. That is hard, but it is the best way to really chew on scripture and allow scripture to get into our heads and hearts. It’s after wrestling with a text’s possible meanings ourselves, that there is value in consulting what others have said about the text. The major and most weighty problem I have with study bibles is that they encourage laziness in confronting the text. They allow us to too swiftly find an answer, and not just any answer, but, if we are not careful, an answer we consider to be THE answer because RC Sproul (or Charles Ryrie, or whomever) said it.

ii. A subtle but consequent result is that the lines between the text of scripture (fully authoritative) and a given interpretation of that text (not necessarily authoritative) begin to blur because the two occur on the same printed page between covers that are stamped ‘Holy Bible’. This is subtle, I know, but I think it is an issue. Months, years later, we may find ourselves searching for something we read in the Bible, when, in reality, it’s not in the Bible at all – it was in a footnote or a side bar in a study bible we once owned.

These concerns, to me, are weighty and worth your consideration. But I’m not going to condemn anyone for disagreeing with me. And like I said, I think if one is going to get a study bible, this is probably a good choice.

To be continued…

About four or five years ago I was having a conversation about worship with a very sharp and well-informed pastor friend of mine. He wished I and many more would read the book With Reverence and Awe by John R. Muether and D. G. Hart, which I recently did. I was hoping for a thoughtful and reflective consideration of worship. My hopes were not met, I fear.

I was not expecting to find anything that would radically alter my thinking about worship, but I was hoping along the way to find some helpful reflections on the value and place of worship for the contemporary church. While I’m not sure what to call my ‘position’ on worship, I was at one time pretty securely camped out on Muether’s and Hart’s side of the fence. Though my views have shifted (“matured”, I like to think; others may prefer “deteriorated”) I know that these men have something to teach us. But teaching cannot be heard when the tone is set on “attack”.

This is the type of book which garners rave reviews from those already convinced of its premises, but which will persuade no one not already persuaded. Sadly, there is nothing here to engage or to improve those who differ. The logic is often fallacious, and the argument selective. And the combative tone squelches any dialog. The final chapter implies that those who differ tread close to, if they have not already crossed, the line separating the true church from the false. If we don’t agree it is because of the non-confessional and anti-intellectual climate of our day.

Worship, being a human activity, will always be constantly maturing, growing, shifting. The church therefore needs wise and biblical counsel to guide its practice. Muether and Hart might have input if they did not couch their counsel in such ‘you’re bad; we’re good’ terms.

The good ship Worship has long since left Muether’s and Hart’s port and it’s not coming back. Their best contribution would come if they would style themselves as fellow passengers with the rest of us instead of simply screaming at the ship.

As has been noticed, I don’t have much chance to blog these days. The schedule simply does not allow it. I’m sad about that and hope someday to pick the pace up again.

I did, however, want to take a moment to post a couple of notes about books read and being read.

Over twenty-five years ago I read William Manchester’s first two volumes in his biography of Winston Churchill. I reported earlier that I had recently been able to purchase both volumes and was going to reread them.

Then for Christmas I was given the third volume. I was about to skip the first two and read the third, but a friend on Sunday reported that he was re-reading the first two, and so that is what I’ve begun. I’m only 30 pages in, but I am reminded of the depth and interest of Manchester’s writing and of the fascinating subject that Churchill is. When I read some biographies, I get information. When I read Manchester, I get an education.

I’m glad I’m starting over. Reading all three, of course, may be a year-long endeavor!

The other note I wanted to share was one additional bit from Michael Chabon’s Summerland which I mentioned on Monday. His writing in this book at times sparkles. For reasons I can’t fathom, I loved his account of a giant’s temper tantrum. The account runs three pages, which I can’t excerpt here. But a taste:

“He sputtered and raged; he snorted and choked on his own saliva. He threatened punishments and uttered oaths so heinous and foul that even to summarize them here in mildest of terms would curl the very pages of the book you are holding and make your hands and fingertips hum as if they were swarming with bees.”