And The Winner Is…

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

It’s been fun hosting my first ever book giveaway contest. I should make the entry question a bit easier next time, but we had 11 contestants. Where else can you get such a good odds at winning?

Okay then, the winner of the Chronological Study Bible (NKJV) by Thomas Nelson Publishers is…..

<drumroll please>

Okay, <keep the drums going> let me first explain the Random.org sequence generator. We had 11 entries, I gave a number to each entrant based on the order in time when they sent me their answers. So the top number will win.

…the winner again is….

…Wendy Domkoski!

She told me she was praying she’d get this. So I’m recruiting her for my personal prayer team now! I’ll contact her and get her snail mail address, and send out her Bible soon.

Thanks again to Kate Etue of Thomas Nelson for providing our prize. Stay tuned for more book giveaways from time to time around here.

UPDATE: The answer is the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:32-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-15).

Against Spiritual Abuse

~ fundyreformed ~ 8 Comments

Spiritual abuse is a sad reality. Churches, pastors, and others can perpetuate it. I’m sure among cults it is common, but unfortunately in many independent Baptist circles, it is too.

I don’t want to say that everyone who claims to have been spiritually hurt this way, really was. Nor do I impugn evil motives on the leaders and churches where this has occurred. All I know is that the results can be painful.

Some of my readers have moved out of a spiritually abusive church. Some aren’t sure if they would classify their past experience as spiritual abuse or not. I’m not sure if I can regarding my story or not, either.

I’m not really trying to define the term here, I just want to talk about the damage that can be done (perhaps unknowingly) by certain forms of fundamentalist Christianity. This post comes out of my recent perusal of some comments at a facebook I joined that is “against abusive churches”. Since it is a closed group, some of the people there felt free to share how they were harmed by their past church experiences. Here is some of what they said:

There was a time when I rebelled against everything the Bible taught because I had a hard time separating stupid “Christians” from the Christ of the Bible.

I dealt with this, too. To the point of questioning the very existence of God.

I haven’t been to church in 2 1/2 years since i left. I guess i am afraid every church will be the same way. I have been having a really hard time putting the past behind me, so I am really glad this group was started, so I can begin to get over everything that has happened.

We have gone to church for years not really liking it nor wanting to go. It is really difficult to get past all this especially when there’s no admission of wrong doing. Good news though! God does know its wrong and he does want to heal your heart….I would encourage you to start looking for a healthy church. There are many out there.

I was out of church for a year or so, too, back before I got married. I had a real hard time figuring out who God was, once I sort of split from my parents’ and church’s rules. Since then I’ve been in a few different churches. I found some I knew I didn’t agree with, and found one that felt like a good fit. It takes time, because you do have a feeling that a church is either going to be too strict or too wishy-washy…very hard to define what is exactly right for you, but I would encourage you to look.

As I read these comments I am saddened in one sense for those involved. On the other hand I am angry at the religious system that could have caused this. I hope fundamentalists take notice. If you stand for what you think is right without a certain element of Christian love, you can produce this. I fear the number of people who have actually dropped out of church and will never return is quite high. How many are innoculated against the true gospel of God’s grace, by graceless carnal manipulation.

This reminds me that I need to continue to post on this kind of topic. For now, let me encourage you to check out churchabuse.com and spiritualabuse.com. These sites seem to have some useful information. And I’m sure I can’t agree with everything on them, but they might be able to help someone recover from spiritual abuse.

I also welcome any of my reader’s thoughts on this point here. Some of us share a similar background, perhaps you can share how youwere able to work through these kinds of issues in your own life.

Chronological Study Bible — Book Giveaway

~ fundyreformed ~ 9 Comments

With the completion of my review for the Chronological Study Bible (NKJV) by Thomas Nelson Publishers, I can now announce my book giveaway. Compliments of Kate Etue, publicist for Thomas Nelson, I was given a second copy of this excellent study Bible.

I will send this copy out to a US resident, who can answer the following question correctly.

Which is the only event from Jesus’ ministry preceding his last week in Jerusalem, that is reported in all four New Testament Gospels?

Only one answer per person. I’ll draw a name from a hat, to decide the winner of this contest. That drawing will take place Tuesday night, so be sure to enter and spread the word.   Update: please enter using this contact form, thanks (so we don’t give away the answer).

“The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV)”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

Chronological Study Bible NKJV, order at Amazon.comAuthor: compilation of several scholars
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 1690
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 0718020685
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV) by Thomas Nelson Publishers, is a very well done study Bible. The hardback book is beautifully designed with color and graphics on every page. In fact, pages without some kind of article or note are few and far between. The Bible is arranged chronologically, which means individual books and the order of groups of books are arranged according to a chronological ordering. Sometimes this is done according to the presumed date a book was written, often it relates to what time period the section describes. In any case, the Chronological Study Bible will always let you know why each section is included where it is.

What makes the book valuable for study are the many discussions of the history, customs and culture of the time period that the Scripture is addressing. Many parallels are drawn between ancient near-eastern culture and the writings of Scripture. Key archaeological finds which often testify to the historical veracity of Scripture are described or even pictured. Time-lines are given for the Biblical events as well as historical events of that same era.

I flipped through every page of this massive volume (1600+ pages), and read or skimmed through each article. It is both fascinating and educational, and brings the Bible alive. Such a view of the historical time-frame of Scripture, however, does bring up some questions. The introduction highlights this fact and explains that this study Bible “takes with equal seriousness the views of traditional, conservative Bible students and those of modern, critical scholarship.” (pg. xi) It doesn’t try to “persuade readers that one particular view is correct”, leaving that for the reader to decide.

This in my mind is the only real drawback of the book. In the main the Chronological Study Bible presents multiple views on various issues (such as the dates for the Exodus), but occasionally the perspective shared is not what I’d agree with. Sometimes the notes state that the Bible borrowed concepts from previous cultures, and the role of inspiration is ignored. See for instance the discussion of Satan on pg. 902. It also presents a consistent egalitarian view regarding the role of women in the church, in the notes on the relevant passages.

Often, however, the historical insights enlighten the text and help the reader better understand what’s going on. There’s a fascinating discussion of the phrase “offspring of vipers” on pg. 1124 which stands as a positive example in this light.

Ultimately, those who are serious Bible scholars will find this resource very helpful. And these kinds of questions do need to be addressed and thought through. For new Christians, an uncritical endorsement of this book may not be best, however. In every other respect this study Bible far exceeded my expectations.

I encourage you to check out the Bible for yourself at chronologicalstudybible.com. You’ll find a preview and other great information on the study Bible there.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Thomas Nelson.

Video for Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: "I’m Holding a Miracle"

~ fundyreformed ~ 5 Comments

Jason French, a member of my church, created this video last year. I remember how greatly moving it was the first time I watched it. This year, in time for today, the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, he has it posted on YouTube.

Take the time today to watch this touching video. There’s no gruesome pictures of mutilation, just a celebration of the glories of life. I hope Christian pro-lifers would propel this video into the top ranks of YouTube videos. Only a few hundred have watched it as of right now.