• Pray before, during, and after conversations
• Listen
• Be humble
• Have an open mind
• Don’t interrupt
• Think before you speak
• Squash your insecurities
• Avoid defensiveness
• Realize your need to be right is wrong
• Know that you could be mistaken, misinformed, or simply ignorant on some topics
• Seek to understand
• Ask many questions
• Become skilled at articulating your own convictions
• Assume the best of conversation partners
• Recognize when to stop
• Have a Bible handy
• Take care with your tone of voice (both in-person and especially in writing)
• Remember that if we do not love each other, we do not love God (1 John 4:7-8).

I’ve had some fantastic discussions lately with friends and acquaintances around theology. Over the past few days I’ve been able to really dig into difficult topics like defining the Gospel, the doctrine of Justification by Faith, and the peace teachings of Jesus.

It’s become readily apparent that these conversations are incredibly important for everyone involved. Not only does speaking about the Bible and God ignite interest and promote learning of new things, it also helps to ensure that we are not reading the Scriptures in a “vacuum.” (more…)

Our culture is obsessed with busyness. The more and more I live and work here in the United States, the more apparent this becomes. A “strong work ethic” means basically working yourself to death. It seems that in many places it’s just expected that you’ll be sacrificing friends and family when you enter “the real world.” Perhaps we save enough to pay for our kids’ college education, but I’m not sure we’ve counted the cost of losing precious time with them. Maybe we can afford that TV and even a bit of travel with our spouse, but we’ve lost everyday connections.

And God forbid you take a break and have fun once in a while. As a society we’ve developed a sense of guilt over taking vacations, asking for time off, etc. To balance work with rest seems to be received as lazy by many.

Why? None of this is necessary, unless you buy into the rest of the lies American culture tells you about what an “acceptable” standard of living is and what you have to do to get there.

Going deeper: being busy all the time is also another way to avoid conflict, live in denial, and keep yourself from becoming vulnerable to other people.

A life marked by constant busyness, with no rhythm of rest, is a sure way to love people less.

It seems like we Christians are some of the worst at this too. We expect our clergy to be on the clock 24/7 and bury ourselves in programs “for the Kingdom.” The destructive effects of this on our ministries and families is painfully obvious…just do some research on “pastor burnout.”

Shauna Niequist posts over at the Storyline blog:

Today, I want to communicate to my kids, through my words and my actions, that we don’t always have to be hustling, plates don’t always have to be spinning, balls don’t always have to be in the air.

Me too.

You have two options today.

Option Number One: act as if you believe what you say you believe. Press into the truth and your values. Commit. It’s difficult, maybe the most difficult thing you ever do. I try and fail, daily…but this is what perseverance is about.

I’m convinced that trying and failing is better than the alternative.

Option Number Two: Keep talking about and dressing up like and reading up on what you believe, but don’t actually do anything. Look, if you live like this, I don’t think you really believe what you think you believe. You certainly don’t value it, and you won’t ever live in light of the truth if you don’t pursue the truth. You’ve given up.

For those of us that claim the name Christ, this means–at the most basic level–really believing that he is the end-all, be-all, ultimate prize of life. It means living like he is God and that God is love. It means returning to and sharing this Love when you’re elated, happy, excited, angry, stretched-thin, left out, exhausted, crushed, or just plain busy. It means saying yes to crazy things, and no to perfectly sensible things. It means Truth over safety.

You have two options today. Press in or give up.

There was a time when many in the Church objected to the laity simply watching a special class of people “performing” worship. After all, liturgy means “the work of the people.” The movement that emerged from this framework has paradoxically created a culture where pro-level musicianship is a practical requirement in order to be seen as appealing.

The last time you participated in corporate worship service, could you hear yourself singing? Could you hear your neighbor singing? The answer for me is often “no.” If not to hear the sounds created, why sing? Respectfully, why not simply think the songs to yourself?

Even when people are engaged in singing the songs of faith, we too often limit role of the congregation to that portion of the service. Where can we facilitate response via corporate prayers, recitation of Scripture, and even silent reflection? Those of us in mainstream Evangelicalism must realize the power of worship for spiritual formation, and that the biblical model is participatory. We  miss out when we perform in front of people, instead of lovingly leading them to engage alongside us.

Worship is something we do, not something we watch.

I woke today to the news that Christian author and thinker Brennan Manning has died.

From his official website:

It is with mixed emotions that we must tell you that on Friday April 12, 2013, our Brother Brennan passed away.
(more…)

Church should be an analog oasis in the midst of a digital desert. A community and place where one can rest from the demands of Facebook likes, instant at-replies, and false-front Instagram lives. Where not everything is designed to sell something via spectacle. The values of our culture are skimming the information overflow, pixel-perfect check-ins, and sensory bombardment. We know that this produces materialism, shorter attention spans, and a culture of shallowness.

Maybe we need a place where can take a break from it all…where we can leave our phones at the door, and drink deeply of Living Water without the distraction of a social stream. Maybe we need silence and renewal of communal contemplation in our shared worship experience. Perhaps a thoughtful, theologically-meaningful engagement of the senses is called for over the brute-force light and sound often hurled at us with all the subtlety of the stereotypical steam engine.

Perhaps this kind of “disconnected” worship could actually allow for a deeper communion with God, and with each other. We could begin to look beyond the over-saturated internet persona of our brothers and sisters, and better bear with one another as we strive toward perfect union with Christ.

I’ve noticed that many Christians are quick to quote the Founding Fathers of the United States. Many look to these wise men for guidance today on how to best establish government…the idea is that if we get too far off base from what these men intended, we’re losing touch with our heritage, our roots, even what our nation was created to be.  Knowledge of these men is essential for correctly interpreting and applying our Constitution as a rule of life. There are no shortage of Christians who passionately affirm the vital importance of understanding the Founding Fathers in order to fully appreciate the history of America, accurately assess its present situation, and effectively discern positive paths into the future.

Astoundingly, however, few that I come in contact with have anything but the most rudimentary knowledge of the Church Fathers…those theological giants that built upon the foundation of the Apostle’s work in the establishment of the organized community of faith. How is it that we can ascribe so much importance to the thoughts of a few men (some Christian, some not) regarding the establishment of a secular government, but can all but dismiss the teachings of those that preserved, defended, and developed Apostolic doctrine for the Undivided Church?

It is possible for governments to stray from their original design and actually get better…but not the Church. Governments are designed by men (used by God, yes, but designed by men) whereas the Church is the Bride of Christ. The Church is a not an organization created by men, but rather a people chosen by God. Her order and doctrines are founded on the very teachings of Jesus, given to his Apostles, and preserved in Holy Scripture.

What better way to discern the original design of the Church (and the right interpretations and applications of her constitutional document, the Bible) than examine the teachings of earliest leaders in the Church and those close to them?

The ESV Study Bible from Crossway is my tried and true companion for delving into Scripture. This review explains why.

The English Standard Version
First, the basics on the translation used. The English Standard Version is a revision of the classic Revised Standard Version (RSV), which itself was an attempt to update the language of the venerable King James Version. The RSV updated most of the language, but kept the “Thee’s” and “Thou’s” for addressing the person of God. The ESV removed the remaining archaic language and changed just a few elements of style in certain places, however it remains remarkably similar to the RSV.

Like the the RSV, the translation philosophy is an “essentially literal” one. That means that when possible, the text is translated word-for-word into English from the original languages. Sometimes a word-for-word translation into English wouldn’t make sense, so in these cases the translators take a freer approach to convey what they perceive to be the plain meaning of the text. In keeping the the King James tradition, classic phrases like “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23) are for the most part retained and only slightly updated from the KJV/RSV. Key theological terms like “propitiation,” and “justification” are also present in this translation.

The issue of gender-neutral language has come up quite a bit in regards to the ESV. I think the editors chose a sensible approach, and–although not perfect–it generally produces both an accurate and understandable rendering. From the preface of the ESV:

“In the area of gender language, the goal of the ESV is to render literally what is in the original. For example, “anyone” replaces “any man” where there is no word corresponding to “man” in the original languages, and “people” rather than “men” is regularly used where the original languages refer to both men and women. But the words “man” and “men” are retained where a male meaning component is part of the original Greek or Hebrew. Likewise, the word “man” has been retained where the original text intends to convey a clear contrast between “God” on the one hand and “man” on the other hand, with “man” being used in the collective sense of the whole human race.”

For more on the ESV translation see Why I Chose the ESV

Notes, Study Articles, and Features
I personally find the Old Testament to be particularly difficult to understand, and I find myself consulting the the notes in the ESV Study Bible often in order to gain clarity on a particular cultural issue or a passage has me theologically stuck. The maps help me to understand the geographic context, and the diagrams of Old Testament structures like the Tabernacle and the Temple are absolutely fantastic. Of course the notes are equally helpful the New Testament as well when it comes to difficult passages in the Gospels and Paul’s letters.

Clearly, the notes and study articles are what make any “study bible” unique. The comprehensive nature of the study notes and the many articles in the ESV Study Bible is simply unparalleled. The 20,000 exegetical notes provide key insights into understanding the text in its theological and cultural context. They are lucidly written and for the most part very accessible to the layperson. In addition to these comprehensive notes, 50 study articles examine Christian ethics, basic theology, the basis for biblical authority and more. Taken together, these articles make up a small library themselves! Combined with the detailed maps and diagrams, as well the standard ESV cross-references (which are themselves a fantastic resource for study), and you’ve got one of the most power resources studying and understanding the Bible today.

Theological and Denominational Bias
While the ESV editors did make some effort to adhere to the “classical” Christian viewpoint and are not affiliated with any one denomination, some bias is clear in both the notes and the articles on Christian ethics. The article on Christian pacifism, for instance, represents the viewpoint without addressing the best arguments (in my opinion) and concludes that Just War Theory is the most correct solution. When it comes to the issue of ordaining women to ministry, the same thing applies–although the article does detail both positions, it clearly comes down on the side of men’s only ordination. On some of these issues that are not foundational to the Christian faith, I wish the writers had left more to the reader to decide based on the merits of the arguments themselves, without necessarily forming an explicit conclusion. It is also fair to say that the notes and articles are written from a evangelical, Protestant point of view, with certain Reformed or Calvinistic leanings. Although I am not a Calvinist, I do not find the articles on the doctrine of election, etc to be overbearing. Despite these small issue of bias, the information in the articles and notes is overwhelmingly useful, and the scholarship is top notch.

Many Editions
Another thing I love about the ESV Study Bible is the wide variety of editions available, from a fantastic Digital Ebook version (available on Kindle, etc), to the standard hardback (the one I own) to nice genuine leather, to the new, smaller, personal-size edition. The totally online version is super-nice, as well.

Conclusion
Over the years this affordable, single-volume work has become my most-used resource when it comes to understanding the Biblical text. Obviously, no single source should be your sole reference, but if you can only buy one book right now, or are just beginning to build your theology library, the ESV Study Bible is a great tome to start with. I think it would also be fantastic gift for occasions like confirmation, baptism, and ordination.

Get it on Amazon.