Generally Good Notes But Bad Text
THE ESV STUDY BIBLE
“The ESV Study Bible” (p.1) is the major book article in this issue.
The Reformation Study Bible, English Standard Version, (1948 pages) was reviewed in the January 30, 2006 Christian News. The jacket of this study Bible said that “No other study Bible gives the reader more assistance in understanding the great doctrines and themes of the Christian faith as found in Scriptures.” A team of fifty scholars worked on the Bible. This study Bible, using the ESV, says that the practice of infant baptism is neither prescribed nor forbidden in the New Testament. This study Bible is open to millennialism.
CN concluded its review:
“While the notes in this ESV Study Bible are generally helpful and most evangelicals and charismatics will appreciate the theology of the editor and contributors, perceptive orthodox Lutherans will have some differences with this ESV Bible. It shows why Lutherans should be promoting the AAT rather than the ESV.”
ELCA’s Lutheran Study Bible, (2112 pages), was reviewed in the March 23, 2009 and May 24, 2010 Christian News. It uses the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The New RSV, like the RSV, is a copyrighted by the National Council of Churches.
The ESV is 91% RSV. CN said that “This new Lutheran Study Bible (LSB) has many helpful notes, a Subject Guide, Charts and Figures, Bible Reading Plan and Maps. More than 70 Lutheran scholars worked on this study Bible”. CN said “Unfortunately the theology of the liberal translators of the RSV is often reflected in the Lutheran Study Bible. Hardly any of them accepted such doctrines as the Virgin Birth of Christ. No truly Lutheran publisher should waste time and money publishing a study Bible based on the RSV, NRSV, or ESV, particularly when there are far more accurate translations which do not use stilted outdated language.” CN’s review shows that ELCA’s Lutheran Study Bible promoted universalism, the J-E-D-P source hypotheses and many other destructive views of the Bible held by the RSV translators. CN concluded that “The new Lutheran Study Bible shows that CN is not out of date when CN opposes the destructive notions of liberal critics. If students are not interested, their professors, who should be teaching them what is going on in the theological world, are at fault. They should be urging their students to read CN and become informed. The CN editor is not living in the past.
CPH’s The Lutheran Study Bible (2428 pages) was reviewed in the November 9 and 16, 2009 CN. The November 16, 2009 CN noted in an article titled “The Lutheran Study Bible – Good Notes – bad Text”:
“What A Contrast” on page one of the November 9 Christian News, is a contrast of the LCMS’s The Lutheran Study Bible with ELCA’s Lutheran Study Bible. Numerous study Bibles are now being published. A recent study Bible based on the NKJV claims to be the study Bible to end all study Bibles. Yet reading of the Bible itself appears to be declining. CN said that on the basis of the notes the LCMS’s The Lutheran Study Bible was the best one volume study Bible available today. CN quoted some of the notes, including notes on homosexuality and living together without being married. However, there is a major similarity between The Lutheran Study Bible and Lutheran Study Bible. Both use a bad text. The Lutheran Study Bible uses the English Standard Version, which is 91% Revised Standard Version copyrighted by the National Council of Churches. Lutheran Study Bible uses the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted by the National Council of Churches. The notes in ELCA’s Lutheran Study Bible are in accord with the liberal theology of the RSV translators. The notes in the LCMS’s The Lutheran Study Bible are not. While there have been some revisions the ESV, RSV, and NRSV use most of the stilted, archaic language of the RSV. The preface of the RSV says: “The Revised Standard Version is not a new translation in the language of today” (ix). The review of the English Standard Version of the Bible in the April 2005 Concordia Journal of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis said: “The text of the English Standard Version ‘feels’ antiquated, if that is the desired outcome. However, the use of archaic English is not helpful…” “The advanced reading level alone makes this translation difficult to read. . .” “outside of an articulate minority, the AAT (Beck) never caught on in the LCMS. Yet, the AAT provides a more readable and understandable translation. . .” Professor John Brug wrote in the Fall, 2006 Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly: (Entire Review reprinted in the January 30, 2006 Christian News). “While the ESV does enjoy some advantage in not introducing as much interpretation into the text, it reads less smoothly than the NIV. It is not that its language is very archaic and hard to understand like the King James, but just that it does not have the natural flow of contemporary English. In many places it sounds quite stilted even to a reader used to the idioms of the King James. Perhaps some of this is due to the fact that the ESV is not a fresh translation but a touch-up of the RSV, done in part to meet the need for a quickly available alternative to the TNIV.” Mark I. Strauss of Bethel Seminary, who has done considerable work with Bible translation revisions wrote in a 35 page document titled “Why the English Standard Version (ESV) Should Not Become the Standard English Version:” “. .. the ESV seems to me to be overly literal- full of archaisms, awkward language, obscure idioms, and irregular word order. . .” See “Schwan Funding the Archaic ESV” reprinted in the issue from the April 6, 2009 CN. The January 5, 2009 CN noted: “Beck’s AAT, together with its various revisions, is the work of confessional Lutheran scholars just like Luther’s translation. The ESV, NIV, RSV, and many other translations are the work of liberals, evangelicals, fundamentalists, charismatics, etc. who come from a vast array of denominations which often deny the Sacraments and other doctrines of Holy Scripture. CN has frequently shown that the theology of these translators is at times reflected in their translations. “CN has been told that the primary reason why CPH would today never use the AAT even though CPH first published the New Testament portion of the AAT in 1963 is because the AAT is now published by Christian News whose editor has never been certified by the LCMS. No book or newspaper published by Christian News is to be mentioned. McCain refuses to have his ESV defending scholars debate the merits of the AAT vs. ESV with scholars who maintain that the AAT is far more accurate and in better modern English. He refuses to publish a survey which includes both the AAT and ESV. However, McCain has what counts. He has the Schwan Foundation and the big money behind him. The CN editor is being accused of going ‘mean spirited’ and not ‘objective’ toward McCain.” Surveys have shown that those who responded to a comparison survey of Beck’s AAT, originally published by CPH, with the RSV and then with the ESV by almost a 90% margin prefer the language and doctrinal accuracy of the AAT with that of the RSV and ESV. CN sent the survey to McCain, the LCMS’s Worship commission, and the editors of The Lutheran Study Bible. Not one of them answered the survey. Did they decline to answer because they would have to admit that the language and doctrine of the AAT is far better than that of the ESV? Were those who were paid to work on The Lutheran Study Bible asked not to respond to the survey? CN asked, but “Mum” is the word from editors of The Lutheran Study Bible. The attitude in the LCMS bureaucracy has long been: “Don’t answer Otten. He’s not certified and does not deserve an answer. He’s not one of us.” Several times CN asked the leaders at CPH if CPH had to pay any royalty to the liberal National Council of Churches for the use of the RSV. “Mum” again is the word. The title page of The Lutheran Study Bible says: “The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.”
The ESV Study Bible: Generally Good Notes But Bad Text. It again shows why Christian scholars should not be wasting their time preparing notes for a Bible based on a bad text, the RSV and ESV.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
CRITICS INVITED TO CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN
Why the Protest? -
What’s the Big Deal?
CRITICS INVITED TO CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 4, January 24, 2011
When a liberal, such as Jesus First leader Charles Mueller, Sr., is invited to speak at one of the schools in the LCMS’s Concordia University system or at an LCMS seminary it hardly causes a stir. It’s a different story when the editor of Christian News is invited.
Years ago the CN editor spoke widely throughout the LCMS, including at some schools in the Concordia University System and a meeting of Lutheran editors and publishers at Concordia Publishing House. The editors wanted the CN independent editor to speak on “Why Christian News?” The editor’s speech is in The Christian News Encyclopedia. The editor told them that Christian News was necessary, if for no other reason, than at the time none of their newspapers were taking a stand vs. abortion. CPH even published a pro-abortion book by a Lutheran Witness contributor.
Then the word went out from the bureaucracy that the editor of Christian News should no longer be invited to speak at LCMS schools and seminaries. No LCMS professor was to write for CN. When the editor spoke at one LCMS seminary, a burning of Christian News took place. Another time when the editor was invited to have dinner with the president of the seminary, the editor’s car was stuffed with toilet paper. The editor took it as a joke but did ask the president if he thought the same thing would happen if Jaroslav Pelikan or Martin Marty were speaking.
The editor’s congregation was suspended several times from the LCMS and then expelled because of the editor‘s report on the theology of some liberal professors. Each time the suspensions and expulsions were overruled by the LCMS’s highest court. Then the bureaucrats worked to get rid of the LCMS’s fair judicial system where evidence was considered and the accused had the right to have his accuser. According to its district president, the editor’s congregation is now under the threat of expulsion because the editor wrote in the June 30, 2003 Christian News that Jesus First and its leader Charles Mueller, Sr. wants the LCMS to be broad enough for pastors who support the ordination of women and the theology of Seminex.
There is nothing secret about the invitation. Some want to know who was responsible. While James Burkee, chair of the faculty was the professor who asked the editor last November if he would be willing to come, Dr. Burkee said the invitation came from CUW President Patrick Ferry.
The editor has always welcomed questions from his toughest critics. All are welcome to come and as time permits after the panel discussion, question the editor. The editor has always been willing to speak with anyone after one of his speeches.
Some have warned the editor not to go alone and face a panel without help.
A New Jersey reader said the invitation was a “Christmas present.” Some conservatives, who oppose Dr. James Burkee’s book on the LCMS to be released by Fortress Press on February 1, 2011, say it may be just a book promotional. CN is selling Power, Politics, and the Missouri Synod, by James Burkee, with an introduction by Martin Marty. However, the invitation came in November, long before CN said it would sell the book. Those seeking information about the editor can check “Seeking Information on Christian News Editor” on pages 13 & 14.
What’s the Big Deal?
CRITICS INVITED TO CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 4, January 24, 2011
When a liberal, such as Jesus First leader Charles Mueller, Sr., is invited to speak at one of the schools in the LCMS’s Concordia University system or at an LCMS seminary it hardly causes a stir. It’s a different story when the editor of Christian News is invited.
Years ago the CN editor spoke widely throughout the LCMS, including at some schools in the Concordia University System and a meeting of Lutheran editors and publishers at Concordia Publishing House. The editors wanted the CN independent editor to speak on “Why Christian News?” The editor’s speech is in The Christian News Encyclopedia. The editor told them that Christian News was necessary, if for no other reason, than at the time none of their newspapers were taking a stand vs. abortion. CPH even published a pro-abortion book by a Lutheran Witness contributor.
Then the word went out from the bureaucracy that the editor of Christian News should no longer be invited to speak at LCMS schools and seminaries. No LCMS professor was to write for CN. When the editor spoke at one LCMS seminary, a burning of Christian News took place. Another time when the editor was invited to have dinner with the president of the seminary, the editor’s car was stuffed with toilet paper. The editor took it as a joke but did ask the president if he thought the same thing would happen if Jaroslav Pelikan or Martin Marty were speaking.
The editor’s congregation was suspended several times from the LCMS and then expelled because of the editor‘s report on the theology of some liberal professors. Each time the suspensions and expulsions were overruled by the LCMS’s highest court. Then the bureaucrats worked to get rid of the LCMS’s fair judicial system where evidence was considered and the accused had the right to have his accuser. According to its district president, the editor’s congregation is now under the threat of expulsion because the editor wrote in the June 30, 2003 Christian News that Jesus First and its leader Charles Mueller, Sr. wants the LCMS to be broad enough for pastors who support the ordination of women and the theology of Seminex.
There is nothing secret about the invitation. Some want to know who was responsible. While James Burkee, chair of the faculty was the professor who asked the editor last November if he would be willing to come, Dr. Burkee said the invitation came from CUW President Patrick Ferry.
The editor has always welcomed questions from his toughest critics. All are welcome to come and as time permits after the panel discussion, question the editor. The editor has always been willing to speak with anyone after one of his speeches.
Some have warned the editor not to go alone and face a panel without help.
A New Jersey reader said the invitation was a “Christmas present.” Some conservatives, who oppose Dr. James Burkee’s book on the LCMS to be released by Fortress Press on February 1, 2011, say it may be just a book promotional. CN is selling Power, Politics, and the Missouri Synod, by James Burkee, with an introduction by Martin Marty. However, the invitation came in November, long before CN said it would sell the book. Those seeking information about the editor can check “Seeking Information on Christian News Editor” on pages 13 & 14.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
IS THE REAL JESUS HISTORICAL
IS THE REAL JESUS HISTORICAL
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 3, January 17, 2011
The January 3, 2011 Washington Times includes a full page advertisement from The Great Courses. The latest catalog from The Great Courses says “Now enjoy brilliant college lectures in your home or car.” It has this testimonial from The Los Angeles Times; “Passionate, erudite, living-legend lecturers.” The latest catalog again promotes courses on The New Testament and “Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication” by Bart Ehrman. It says:
Lost Christianities:
Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication
Professor of Religious Studies Bart D. Ehrman
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New York Times Best-selling Author
Students’ Undergraduate Teaching Award
Bowman and Gordon Gray Award For Excellence in Teaching
Past President of the Society of Biblical Literature
In the first centuries after Christ, there was no “official” New Testament. Early Christians read and fervently followed many more scriptures that new have today.
Relying on these writings, some Christians believed
• that there were 2, 12, or as many as 30 gods;
• that a malicious deity created the world;
• that Christ’s resurrection had nothing to do with salvation;
• that Christ never died at all.
What did these other scriptures say? Do they exist today? How could such ideas ever be considered Christian? If such beliefs were once common, why do they no longer exist? This course by an award-winning teacher and author addresses these fascinating questions with objectivity and rigor.
________________________________________________________________________
“Can We Get A Clear Picture of Jesus from the Gospels?” is the title of a full page advertisement in
the November 22 Human Events, The subtitle is “This richly detailed course covers the four canonical Gospels and the many apocryphal narratives about Jesus of Nazareth. The October 5, 2009 Christian News noted that the “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity.”
The ad in the November 22, 2010 Human Events says:
“The Gospels are almost bewilderingly diverse in the ways they portray Jesus. This course of 36 lectures is about the endlessly fascinating story they tell.
“Jesus and the Gospels covers not just the four familiar Gospels of the New Testament, but also the many other apocryphal narratives and literary works that have contributed to our perceptions of Jesus, Mary, and Christianity. All of these works are encompassed by the word ‘Gospel.’
“Taught by Emory University’s Professor Luke Timothy Johnson (Ph.D., Yale University), a former Benedictine monk and the author of more than 20 books on Jesus and the New Testament, the course approaches the Gospels and our picture of Jesus from a different perspective than the well-known quest for the ‘historical Jesus.’
“What You Will Learn
“After exploring the setting in which traditions about Jesus developed, you will examine how the three Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke differ from the Gospel of John in ways that have tantalized scholars for years.
“You will explore the lost Gospel of ‘Q’ and the wide range of apocryphal Gospels (those not found in the New Testament), including the intriguing infancy Gospels of James and Thomas. In addition, Dr. Johnson explores Gnosticism, a complex series of 2nd-century beliefs, and concludes with a look at how Jesus is understood today, not only by Christians as they worship, but by theologians, historians, and artists.
“Instead of searching for the figure behind the Gospels, Professor Johnson leads you on an investigation of the even more fascinating gift in them. Only after the full range of these literary portrayals has been considered can the question of ‘the real Jesus’ be addressed. And you will find that it may not be answerable in strictly historical terms.
“You explore how the Gospels came to be, how they are related to one another, and how they communicate through their literary structure, plot, character development, themes, and symbolism. After all, it is as literature that the Gospels influenced history. And it is through literature that present-day readers can continue to encounter Jesus.
“About the Great Courses
“We review hundreds of top-rated professors from America’s best colleges and universities each year. From this extraordinary group we choose only those rated highest by panels of our customers. Fewer than 10% of thee world -class scholar-teachers are selected to make The Great Courses.
--------------------------------
“Media Puffs Bart Ehrmann Attacks Bible and Christianity” Editorial in the November 16, 2009 Christian News
Bart Ehrmann, the author of more than 20 books, has been receiving more publicity in the major media than any Christian scholar who accepts and defends the historicity of the Christian faith and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. At one time Ehrmann believed that the Bible was God’s directly revealed word and that Christianity was founded on solid historic fact. Reprinted below from the Fall, 2009 Westminster Theological Journal is a review of Ehrmann’s “Jesus Interrupted.” All confessional Lutheran publications and bloggers should be publishing such responses to Ehrmann. Are they not aware of this skeptic now being puffed by the media? It’s time to stop spending so many hours at the computer and start reading some books and publications to keep up with what is really going on in the theological world. The Westminster Theolog-ical Journal is published twice annually. It is edited by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary. Chest-nut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1918. It is now in its 71st year. The editor has most of the volumes in his library. While he doesn’t find it as helpful as he did during his early years in the pastoral ministry, it still has good reviews like the review of Bart Ehrmann’s Jesus Interrupted. “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity,’ a front page story in the October 5, 2009 CN reported that “The Great Courses” says it features only the top professors in the U.S. Two of the religion courses mentioned in the last catalog of “The Great Courses” are taught by Bart Ehrmann. They are ‘Lost Christianities’ and the Battle over Authentication and “From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity.” Ehrmann undermines Christianity in both. Confessional Lutherans should be responding to what Americans are reading. The following appeared in the April 13, 2009 CN from Newsweek: Dear Lord, Let’s Agree To Disagree. The Bible, theology scholar Bart D. Ehrman writes in his new book "Jesus, Interrupted," is offered as a sacred text in U.S. churches—not as a historical document. But who wrote its 27 books? When were they written? What were its authors trying to do? Pastors and congregants may wish to avoid the crises of faith that these questions provoke, but Ehrman says asking them is the only way to understand the Bible. The Idea: The Bible is full of paradoxes. To make sense of it, you need to know who wrote it (men, not God) and why its stories—particularly the Gospels—contradict each other. The Evidence: Jesus dies on different days in Mark and John. Luke says Jesus, en route to the cross, is calm; Mark says he is distraught. John says he performed miracles to prove his provenance; Matthew says he demurred. Most of the 27 books were written long after Christ's death, and only eight of them were actually written by the people initially credited as authors. When the New Testament became canonical, there were lots of Gospels floating around. Why did some endure but not others? Unclear, Ehrman writes, but it surely reflected contemporary biases. The Bible "did not descend from on high," he writes. "It was created, down here on earth." The Conclusion: Ehrman argues that these subtleties don't squash the possibility of faith. Belief isn't just about doctrine; it can also tell us how to live and love. - Adam B. Kushner Ed. For a response to Ehrman’s denial of Biblical inerrancy, see Christian News, June 9, 2008, p. 20. “Bart Ehrmann: An Unbeliever Who Has A Problem With God” by David Cloud in the June 6, 2009 Christian News said:
Ehrman is a “biblical scholar” who rejected his fundamentalist roots for the deadly wilderness of agnosticism. Today he majors in criticizing the New Testament Christian faith even while pretending to respect it. Because of his unbelief, he has become something of a mainstream media darling. He has been interviewed on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Public Radio, National Geographic, BBC, the Washington Post, CNN, and others. Ehrman claims that a turning point in his path to unbelief was his inability to answer the question of why an Almighty God allows suffering in this world. The Bible answers that question, but Ehrman doesn’t like the answer so he pretends that it is not a good one. The answer is that God made man perfect and placed him in a beautiful paradise, but man was also made with a will that could rebel against God, and that is exactly what he did. God did not create suffering; man did through his rebellion against God’s law. At the same time, God is not only a compassionate God, He is a holy and just God and He punishes infractions of His law. If this were not true, the moral basis of the universe would be destroyed and anarchy would reign (as it does in this present godless world). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and God has punished the world for its sin. At the same time, God has made a way of salvation at great cost to Himself. He sent His eternal Son into the world, born of a virgin, to become incarnate as a sinless man and to die a horrible death on the cross to pay the punishment that sinful man deserves. He rose from the dead and commanded that the gospel be preached to all men, offering eternal salvation to those who repent and believe. God has given men light (John 1:9), but most reject it. That is not God’s fault. There is nothing unrighteous about the God of the Bible, but He is God and He does not have to answer to man. God is justified by those who believe. It is not God who has the problem. It is the Bart Ehrman’s of the world that have the problem, and it is not a problem that will end at the grave. Way Of Life Literature May 29, 2009.
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 3, January 17, 2011
The January 3, 2011 Washington Times includes a full page advertisement from The Great Courses. The latest catalog from The Great Courses says “Now enjoy brilliant college lectures in your home or car.” It has this testimonial from The Los Angeles Times; “Passionate, erudite, living-legend lecturers.” The latest catalog again promotes courses on The New Testament and “Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication” by Bart Ehrman. It says:
Lost Christianities:
Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication
Professor of Religious Studies Bart D. Ehrman
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New York Times Best-selling Author
Students’ Undergraduate Teaching Award
Bowman and Gordon Gray Award For Excellence in Teaching
Past President of the Society of Biblical Literature
In the first centuries after Christ, there was no “official” New Testament. Early Christians read and fervently followed many more scriptures that new have today.
Relying on these writings, some Christians believed
• that there were 2, 12, or as many as 30 gods;
• that a malicious deity created the world;
• that Christ’s resurrection had nothing to do with salvation;
• that Christ never died at all.
What did these other scriptures say? Do they exist today? How could such ideas ever be considered Christian? If such beliefs were once common, why do they no longer exist? This course by an award-winning teacher and author addresses these fascinating questions with objectivity and rigor.
________________________________________________________________________
“Can We Get A Clear Picture of Jesus from the Gospels?” is the title of a full page advertisement in
the November 22 Human Events, The subtitle is “This richly detailed course covers the four canonical Gospels and the many apocryphal narratives about Jesus of Nazareth. The October 5, 2009 Christian News noted that the “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity.”
The ad in the November 22, 2010 Human Events says:
“The Gospels are almost bewilderingly diverse in the ways they portray Jesus. This course of 36 lectures is about the endlessly fascinating story they tell.
“Jesus and the Gospels covers not just the four familiar Gospels of the New Testament, but also the many other apocryphal narratives and literary works that have contributed to our perceptions of Jesus, Mary, and Christianity. All of these works are encompassed by the word ‘Gospel.’
“Taught by Emory University’s Professor Luke Timothy Johnson (Ph.D., Yale University), a former Benedictine monk and the author of more than 20 books on Jesus and the New Testament, the course approaches the Gospels and our picture of Jesus from a different perspective than the well-known quest for the ‘historical Jesus.’
“What You Will Learn
“After exploring the setting in which traditions about Jesus developed, you will examine how the three Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke differ from the Gospel of John in ways that have tantalized scholars for years.
“You will explore the lost Gospel of ‘Q’ and the wide range of apocryphal Gospels (those not found in the New Testament), including the intriguing infancy Gospels of James and Thomas. In addition, Dr. Johnson explores Gnosticism, a complex series of 2nd-century beliefs, and concludes with a look at how Jesus is understood today, not only by Christians as they worship, but by theologians, historians, and artists.
“Instead of searching for the figure behind the Gospels, Professor Johnson leads you on an investigation of the even more fascinating gift in them. Only after the full range of these literary portrayals has been considered can the question of ‘the real Jesus’ be addressed. And you will find that it may not be answerable in strictly historical terms.
“You explore how the Gospels came to be, how they are related to one another, and how they communicate through their literary structure, plot, character development, themes, and symbolism. After all, it is as literature that the Gospels influenced history. And it is through literature that present-day readers can continue to encounter Jesus.
“About the Great Courses
“We review hundreds of top-rated professors from America’s best colleges and universities each year. From this extraordinary group we choose only those rated highest by panels of our customers. Fewer than 10% of thee world -class scholar-teachers are selected to make The Great Courses.
--------------------------------
“Media Puffs Bart Ehrmann Attacks Bible and Christianity” Editorial in the November 16, 2009 Christian News
Bart Ehrmann, the author of more than 20 books, has been receiving more publicity in the major media than any Christian scholar who accepts and defends the historicity of the Christian faith and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. At one time Ehrmann believed that the Bible was God’s directly revealed word and that Christianity was founded on solid historic fact. Reprinted below from the Fall, 2009 Westminster Theological Journal is a review of Ehrmann’s “Jesus Interrupted.” All confessional Lutheran publications and bloggers should be publishing such responses to Ehrmann. Are they not aware of this skeptic now being puffed by the media? It’s time to stop spending so many hours at the computer and start reading some books and publications to keep up with what is really going on in the theological world. The Westminster Theolog-ical Journal is published twice annually. It is edited by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary. Chest-nut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1918. It is now in its 71st year. The editor has most of the volumes in his library. While he doesn’t find it as helpful as he did during his early years in the pastoral ministry, it still has good reviews like the review of Bart Ehrmann’s Jesus Interrupted. “‘Great Courses’ Attack Historic Christianity,’ a front page story in the October 5, 2009 CN reported that “The Great Courses” says it features only the top professors in the U.S. Two of the religion courses mentioned in the last catalog of “The Great Courses” are taught by Bart Ehrmann. They are ‘Lost Christianities’ and the Battle over Authentication and “From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity.” Ehrmann undermines Christianity in both. Confessional Lutherans should be responding to what Americans are reading. The following appeared in the April 13, 2009 CN from Newsweek: Dear Lord, Let’s Agree To Disagree. The Bible, theology scholar Bart D. Ehrman writes in his new book "Jesus, Interrupted," is offered as a sacred text in U.S. churches—not as a historical document. But who wrote its 27 books? When were they written? What were its authors trying to do? Pastors and congregants may wish to avoid the crises of faith that these questions provoke, but Ehrman says asking them is the only way to understand the Bible. The Idea: The Bible is full of paradoxes. To make sense of it, you need to know who wrote it (men, not God) and why its stories—particularly the Gospels—contradict each other. The Evidence: Jesus dies on different days in Mark and John. Luke says Jesus, en route to the cross, is calm; Mark says he is distraught. John says he performed miracles to prove his provenance; Matthew says he demurred. Most of the 27 books were written long after Christ's death, and only eight of them were actually written by the people initially credited as authors. When the New Testament became canonical, there were lots of Gospels floating around. Why did some endure but not others? Unclear, Ehrman writes, but it surely reflected contemporary biases. The Bible "did not descend from on high," he writes. "It was created, down here on earth." The Conclusion: Ehrman argues that these subtleties don't squash the possibility of faith. Belief isn't just about doctrine; it can also tell us how to live and love. - Adam B. Kushner Ed. For a response to Ehrman’s denial of Biblical inerrancy, see Christian News, June 9, 2008, p. 20. “Bart Ehrmann: An Unbeliever Who Has A Problem With God” by David Cloud in the June 6, 2009 Christian News said:
Ehrman is a “biblical scholar” who rejected his fundamentalist roots for the deadly wilderness of agnosticism. Today he majors in criticizing the New Testament Christian faith even while pretending to respect it. Because of his unbelief, he has become something of a mainstream media darling. He has been interviewed on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Public Radio, National Geographic, BBC, the Washington Post, CNN, and others. Ehrman claims that a turning point in his path to unbelief was his inability to answer the question of why an Almighty God allows suffering in this world. The Bible answers that question, but Ehrman doesn’t like the answer so he pretends that it is not a good one. The answer is that God made man perfect and placed him in a beautiful paradise, but man was also made with a will that could rebel against God, and that is exactly what he did. God did not create suffering; man did through his rebellion against God’s law. At the same time, God is not only a compassionate God, He is a holy and just God and He punishes infractions of His law. If this were not true, the moral basis of the universe would be destroyed and anarchy would reign (as it does in this present godless world). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and God has punished the world for its sin. At the same time, God has made a way of salvation at great cost to Himself. He sent His eternal Son into the world, born of a virgin, to become incarnate as a sinless man and to die a horrible death on the cross to pay the punishment that sinful man deserves. He rose from the dead and commanded that the gospel be preached to all men, offering eternal salvation to those who repent and believe. God has given men light (John 1:9), but most reject it. That is not God’s fault. There is nothing unrighteous about the God of the Bible, but He is God and He does not have to answer to man. God is justified by those who believe. It is not God who has the problem. It is the Bart Ehrman’s of the world that have the problem, and it is not a problem that will end at the grave. Way Of Life Literature May 29, 2009.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
YOUR TRUE FRIENDS ARE IN THE LCMS
CN to Captive Nations
YOUR TRUE FRIENDS ARE IN THE LCMS
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 2, January 10, 2011
“Dear friend’s from the former Communist nations, your true friends are in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod” the CN editor said in a sermon during Captive Nations week when members of several Communist nations visited Trinity Lutheran Church, New Haven, Missouri. Ever since the 1963 LWF convention in Helsinki, Finland, some members of Captive Nations looked to Christian News to publicize their plight.
This special issue on Communism and the former captive nations includes “‘There Be Lutherans’. . . in Siberia” reprinted from the LCMS President’s Newsletter in the January, 2011 Reporter of the LCMS. “What the LCMS has to Offer the Former Captive Nations – JESUS FORGIVE YOUR SINS” (p. 1) is a sermon the editor preached in 1994 when students and pastors from Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia were special guests of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Haven. One of them was Vsevolod Lytkin, who is now Bishop of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC).
CN is also reprinting an article (on p. 7) on Communism from the latest issue of the Schwarz Letter of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade which the editor began promoting more that 50 years ago when he first heard Dr. Fred Schwarz at a Christian Anti-Communism Crusade in St. Louis. The editor attended some meetings of supporters of Fred Schwarz and Phyllis Schlafly at the home of Dr. Harry Sammons in Kirkwood, Missouri. Dr. Sammons showed the films My Latvia and J. Edgar Hoover’s Masters of Deceit at Trinity in New Haven. However, he is now one of the residents in the New Haven Care Center the editor visits every Saturday. Last week he still recalled the films.
This special issue on communism has just a fraction of the hundreds of articles CN published on the Captive Nations. Few Christian newspapers during the last 50 years have published more articles opposing communism and supporting the Captive Nations and bringing them the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ than Christian News.
It has long been a strict policy of the LCMS bureaucracy never to mention CN’s long battle vs. Communism and for the Captive Nations and Christians persecuted by communists. The bureaucracy has the same policy when it comes to reporting CN’s long battle vs. theological liberalism, abortion, homosexuality, etc. The “Johnny-Come-Lately’s” are regarded as the real heroes worthy of support and not Christian News. CN was able to supply much of the literature those in captive nations eagerly sought, not because of any financial aid from any foundation or insurance company. They prefer to support the bureaucrats who despise Christian News. Unlike bureaucrats who have their travel expenses paid, no foundation has ever paid CN.
Some of those in the Captive Nations, who wanted Christian News and the kind of literature CN was publishing were surprised that those who were financing other literature they were receiving would not make it financially possible for CN to supply all the material they wanted. They appreciated CN’s stand on so many issues. They found it difficult to understand why the LCMS refused to certify the editor. Major donors want no association with someone the LCMS refuses to certify, the only pastor serving an LCMS congregation who was banned from participating and communing by the LCMS’s new administration at the big LCMS installation service last September. As far as the LCMS bureaucrats, including those at CPH, are concerned, all CN has written about the LCMS’s Battle for the Bible, The Crisis in Christendom, A Twentieth and now Twenty-First Century Reformation and Formula of Concord, Communism and The Captive Nations simply does not exist. All this information, according to the bureaucrats, exists no more than the big lawsuit in Oakland, California exists, even though more than a million dollars of mission money has been used.
Stories and photos in this issue show the stand Trinity New Haven has taken for more that 50 years against Communism and for the persecuted Christians in Communist lands. Note “To Stand With Persecuted Christians”, a resolution the LCMS adopted in 1975 after Trinity submitted it. See the photos on pp. 10ff of pastors from former Communist nations receiving literature at Trinity, New Haven, having meal in the editor’s home and swimming at Camp Trinity. Yet Trinity is the congregation suspended several times from the LCMS and expelled. It is now again under the threat of expulsion from the LCMS as long as it does not get rid of its pastor, the CN editor. Both the Kieshnick and new administration of the LCMS are supporting this absurd ruling of the LCMS. It has absolutely no valid cause. As far as CN knows none of the organized conservatives have protested against the COP ruling vs. Trinity, New Haven. As long as their man was elected, that is all that counts. The COP can continue ruling the LCMS. Christian News has a long history of championing the cause of those both in Church and State who are unjustly persecuted by the bureaucrats. Unfortunately far too many conservatives refuse to speak up when the bureaucrats in the LCMS’s Council of Presidents place a congregation which has for decades opposed communism and defended the Captive Nations, under the threat of expulsion without any scriptural cause.
X X X
Some of the photos on pp. 10-15 show pastors from former communist lands at Trinity, New Haven, in the editor’s home and at Camp Trinity, New Haven. Some of them wanted to finally meet the editor whom the LCMS bureaucracy refused to certify. CN has often said the LCMS’s COP and other groups seeking a delightful economic place for a retreat should use Camp Trinity. They could save thousands of dollars. The Camp was good enough for the pastors from former Communist nations.
YOUR TRUE FRIENDS ARE IN THE LCMS
Christian News, Vol. 49, No. 2, January 10, 2011
“Dear friend’s from the former Communist nations, your true friends are in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod” the CN editor said in a sermon during Captive Nations week when members of several Communist nations visited Trinity Lutheran Church, New Haven, Missouri. Ever since the 1963 LWF convention in Helsinki, Finland, some members of Captive Nations looked to Christian News to publicize their plight.
This special issue on Communism and the former captive nations includes “‘There Be Lutherans’. . . in Siberia” reprinted from the LCMS President’s Newsletter in the January, 2011 Reporter of the LCMS. “What the LCMS has to Offer the Former Captive Nations – JESUS FORGIVE YOUR SINS” (p. 1) is a sermon the editor preached in 1994 when students and pastors from Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia were special guests of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Haven. One of them was Vsevolod Lytkin, who is now Bishop of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC).
CN is also reprinting an article (on p. 7) on Communism from the latest issue of the Schwarz Letter of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade which the editor began promoting more that 50 years ago when he first heard Dr. Fred Schwarz at a Christian Anti-Communism Crusade in St. Louis. The editor attended some meetings of supporters of Fred Schwarz and Phyllis Schlafly at the home of Dr. Harry Sammons in Kirkwood, Missouri. Dr. Sammons showed the films My Latvia and J. Edgar Hoover’s Masters of Deceit at Trinity in New Haven. However, he is now one of the residents in the New Haven Care Center the editor visits every Saturday. Last week he still recalled the films.
This special issue on communism has just a fraction of the hundreds of articles CN published on the Captive Nations. Few Christian newspapers during the last 50 years have published more articles opposing communism and supporting the Captive Nations and bringing them the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ than Christian News.
It has long been a strict policy of the LCMS bureaucracy never to mention CN’s long battle vs. Communism and for the Captive Nations and Christians persecuted by communists. The bureaucracy has the same policy when it comes to reporting CN’s long battle vs. theological liberalism, abortion, homosexuality, etc. The “Johnny-Come-Lately’s” are regarded as the real heroes worthy of support and not Christian News. CN was able to supply much of the literature those in captive nations eagerly sought, not because of any financial aid from any foundation or insurance company. They prefer to support the bureaucrats who despise Christian News. Unlike bureaucrats who have their travel expenses paid, no foundation has ever paid CN.
Some of those in the Captive Nations, who wanted Christian News and the kind of literature CN was publishing were surprised that those who were financing other literature they were receiving would not make it financially possible for CN to supply all the material they wanted. They appreciated CN’s stand on so many issues. They found it difficult to understand why the LCMS refused to certify the editor. Major donors want no association with someone the LCMS refuses to certify, the only pastor serving an LCMS congregation who was banned from participating and communing by the LCMS’s new administration at the big LCMS installation service last September. As far as the LCMS bureaucrats, including those at CPH, are concerned, all CN has written about the LCMS’s Battle for the Bible, The Crisis in Christendom, A Twentieth and now Twenty-First Century Reformation and Formula of Concord, Communism and The Captive Nations simply does not exist. All this information, according to the bureaucrats, exists no more than the big lawsuit in Oakland, California exists, even though more than a million dollars of mission money has been used.
Stories and photos in this issue show the stand Trinity New Haven has taken for more that 50 years against Communism and for the persecuted Christians in Communist lands. Note “To Stand With Persecuted Christians”, a resolution the LCMS adopted in 1975 after Trinity submitted it. See the photos on pp. 10ff of pastors from former Communist nations receiving literature at Trinity, New Haven, having meal in the editor’s home and swimming at Camp Trinity. Yet Trinity is the congregation suspended several times from the LCMS and expelled. It is now again under the threat of expulsion from the LCMS as long as it does not get rid of its pastor, the CN editor. Both the Kieshnick and new administration of the LCMS are supporting this absurd ruling of the LCMS. It has absolutely no valid cause. As far as CN knows none of the organized conservatives have protested against the COP ruling vs. Trinity, New Haven. As long as their man was elected, that is all that counts. The COP can continue ruling the LCMS. Christian News has a long history of championing the cause of those both in Church and State who are unjustly persecuted by the bureaucrats. Unfortunately far too many conservatives refuse to speak up when the bureaucrats in the LCMS’s Council of Presidents place a congregation which has for decades opposed communism and defended the Captive Nations, under the threat of expulsion without any scriptural cause.
X X X
Some of the photos on pp. 10-15 show pastors from former communist lands at Trinity, New Haven, in the editor’s home and at Camp Trinity, New Haven. Some of them wanted to finally meet the editor whom the LCMS bureaucracy refused to certify. CN has often said the LCMS’s COP and other groups seeking a delightful economic place for a retreat should use Camp Trinity. They could save thousands of dollars. The Camp was good enough for the pastors from former Communist nations.
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