# The Church today



## arapahoepark (Feb 22, 2016)

So as I have been reading books or articles by modern, so called 'evangelical' scholars, I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with modern Biblical studies. While they certainly may be raging fundamentalists in the academy, and probably Christians, they embrace so much of what would have been considered liberal not too long ago.
Today's church in western civilization seems to be largely torn between, liberal populism and 'the priesthood of scholars' (a phrase borrowed from Guy Waters). Do you think it is true with regard to the latter? Is the state of modern Biblical studies basically dead? Do they contribute anything worthwhile nowadays besides some background material?


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## MW (Feb 22, 2016)

I liken it to Egyptology, which studies the belief in life after death by removing and examining the very things which were supposed to support life after death. In bringing to light the belief of the Egyptians they kill the belief of the Egyptians. Liberal studies of the Bible accomplish much the same.


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## TylerRay (Feb 22, 2016)

Trent,

Can you give some specific examples?

You might find this course of lectures from Michael Barret encouraging. He's a top-notch Biblical scholar, and thoroughly Reformed and conservative: The World of the Bible


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## DMcFadden (Feb 23, 2016)

Trent, I share your lament and resonate with it. In my old life among the Baptists, it was discouraging to interview more than 500 candidates for ordination over three decades and watch the decline in fidelity to Scripture that seemed to ape the teaching in the seminary (newly minted seminary grads often stick closer to what they were taught in school, slavishly repeating what they were taught when appearing before august ordination committees!). 

Many were shocked by the heterodox views of Rob Bell a few years ago (now he is Oprah's advisor and professes not to even attend church). However, interviewing hundreds of his fellow alums convinced me that he was merely a more consistent and more open advocate of the notions being taught (or at least floated and toyed with) in his seminary. Despite a disagreement here or there, I am personally happy that my denomination's schools oppose higher criticism and refuse to knuckle under to the trend among scholars in the evangelical academy.


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## arapahoepark (Feb 23, 2016)

TylerRay said:


> Trent,
> 
> Can you give some specific examples?
> 
> You might find this course of lectures from Michael Barret encouraging. He's a top-notch Biblical scholar, and thoroughly Reformed and conservative: The World of the Bible



Well, you know about Longman. I read some of Instone Brewer on his take on Romans 1, he subscribes to the idea that Paul is talking about those with a heterosexual orientation engaging in homosexual behavior. Perhaps I misread him. But of course he believes the household is no longer in force.
I also just finished reading Michael Bird who I have found so helpful in many other areas waffle on the book of Daniel in his systematic theology. He lambasts dispensational readings of Daniel 9 along with the notion that the anointed one is Christ and his crucifixion saying it is 'about as convincing as vows of fidelity at a Hollywood marriage ceremony." He goes onto say its final form took place during the Maccabbean era and listed 'evangelical' scholars who take this position. Among them was Goldingay. That's like calling Clinton a conservative because Bernie Sanders is even less so.

So while it seems that you can get quite a bit from scholars a lot of the time they really start capitulating to the left.


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## Justified (Feb 23, 2016)

Is it me or modern commentators also more atheological, as well? It seems that, if you read the commentaries of modern commentators and developed a theological system from them, it would be far from coherent, far from Reformed.

PS-- Trent, your voicing many of the concerns that I myself have been thinking about, as well.


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## Jack K (Feb 23, 2016)

The category of "evangelical" is very broad. You will no doubt find many supposed scholars who are departing from truth or who just don't have much depth, especially since modern publishing allows for thousands of Christian books to be published each year. Surely we are wise to be on guard. Surely we also will be saddened when we see people who claim to hold the Bible in high regard fail to do so.

But I also think it is good for us not to allow this to turn us into grumpy complainers. Amid the decay we see in pockets of evangelicalism, there is also wisdom and growth: a renewed respect for Calvinism in the past several decades, a growing discontent with "entertain-me" worship among young people, and a new commitment to missions among the young. Worldwide, we also find a rapidly expanding church in many places outside the First World, and now a conversion rate in the Arab world that we haven't seen in centuries.

I still find more excellent books to read, written from a Reformed perspective, than I have time for, and they cover an unprecedented variety of Christian topics. Yes, I'm frustrated when I look at some of the top sellers that market themselves as Christian works. But I still think we live in a time of enormous blessings.


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