In The Word

If you haven’t heard of Derek Webb and/or haven’t listened to The House Show. You must.

If you use Yahoo music check this out.

While browsing the sermon illustrations for “Bible” on bible.org I came across this very helpful excerpt:

Norton Sterret, in How to Understand Your Bible, states very concisely some of the major principles that need to be adhered to when building a theological system from one’s own study of the Bible:

1. Base doctrine on the literal statements of the Bible rather than on the figurative portions.
2. Base doctrine on plain statements rather than on obscure ones.
3. Base doctrine on the didactic (teaching) passages rather than on the historical ones.
4. Base doctrine on all the relevant passages, not on just a few.
5. Do a word study to learn some doctrines.
6. There are doctrines which have no one word in the Bible to describe them.
7. There are passages in which a doctrine is presented but the actual word does not occur.
8. Some doctrines have more than one word to express them.
9. Be sure that each passage is understood through the general principles of interpretation.
10. Be cautious in formulating doctrine by inference.
11. Beware of doctrinal speculation.
12. In forming, holding, and teaching doctrine, emphasize what the Scripture emphasizes.
13. Seek the practical import of the doctrine.

Hans Finzel, Opening the Book, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), p. 318

if you use yahoo check this out. if you dont have yahoo music engine, at least read the lyrics for cryin’ out loud:

Do you see, do you see
All the people sinking down
Dont you care, dont you care
Are you gonna let them drown 

How can you be do numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the jobs done

Oh bless me lord, bless me lord
You know its all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear

But he cries, he weeps, he bleeds
And he cares for you needs
And you just lay back
And keep soaking it in
Oh cant you see its such a sin

cause he brings people to you door
And you turn them away
As you smile and say
God bless you, be at peace
And all heaven just weeps
cause jesus came to you door
Youve left him out on the streets

Open up open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay

Gods calling and youre the one
But like jonah you run
Hes told you to speak
But you keep holding it in
Of cant you see its such a sin

The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just cant fight
cause its asleep in the light
How can you be so dead
When youve been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you cant even get out of bed

Oh, jesus rose from the dead
Come on get out of your bed

How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the jobs done
You close your eyes
And pretend the jobs done

Dont close your eyes
Dont pretend the jobs done
Come away, come away, come away with me my love
Come away, come away, come away with me my love

I’m currently reading “How to Read a Book” By Mortimer J. Alder and so far it’s awesome. I started it with the goal of improving my Bible reading skills, which I’m confident it will, but consequently I think it will impact all of the reading I do. I’m going to try and blog the main ideas as I go so that it may be of use to someone. So here it is:

1. Reading for information vs. Reading for understanding
1. Reading for Information - you understand everything the author is saying and are gaining information from it. E.g. a newspaper
2. Reading for Understanding - you are learning from the text itself. E.g. the Bible
2. The Four Types of Reading
1. Elementary - Focuses on word and sentence structure, the type of reading you learn in elementary school
2. Inspectional - Skimming, Accesssing the main point of the book, getting an overview of the storyline.
1. Skimming
1. Look at the title page or preface
2. Study the Table of Contents
3. Review the index and look at the topics covered
4. Read the publisher’s blurb
5. Look at the pivotal chapters, seek the summary statements of each
6. turn the pages, read a bit and skip a bit, trying to focus in on the important sections
2. Superficial Reading
1. Read the work without seeking to understand everything. When you encounter something you don’t understand just keep reading and focus on getting the main idea of the work. Remember that you will pick up more on the next reading if you are doing one.
3. Anylitical - Thurough reading, the most comprehensive reading you can do given unlimited time.
4. Synoptic - Reading multiple works in comparison

Next Time:  How to Be a Demanding Reader & How to Make a Book your own.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words today at the Leadership meeting.  I’ll try to keep this site updated with tips and comments related to Bible Study. Check out the “Bible Study Resources” link at the top of the page for resources i mentioned at the meeting.

Are you placing your faith in this man? Listen to scholor Dr. Tommyrot expound upon evidence against the existence of a “Richard Dawkins”…prepare to have your world view shattered!