Linkstorm - Blogs and Resources

We are incredibly blessed to live in modern times. The amount of biblical resources available to us are beyond comparison with previous generations, but this can cause problems. There's helpful biblical information out there, but how can we find it among all the less useful websites? I thought it would be helpful to list out some of the more useful biblical resources as well as blogs out there in the web.

Sermon - God's Consistent Character

See God's consistent character revealed through the prophet Nahum.

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/2793590

Here's a handout on the Councils of Ephesus, Robbers', and Chalcedon that the youth group went through recently. Credit and thanks go to Dr. Steven Hallam for his class slides on the topic.

_____________________________________

The Councils of Ephesus (431), Robbers’ (449); and Chalcedon (451 A.D.)

The Issue

·         Was Mary the Θεοτόκος? (theotokos) - i.e. the mother of God?

o   Was Christ always divine, or was He human and became divine?

·         The combatants:

o   Cyril of Alexandria

o   Bishop Nestorius of Constantinople

The Council of Nicea - Handout

Here's a handout on the Council of Nicea that the youth group went through recently. Credit and thanks go to Dr. Steven Hallam for his class slides on the topic.

________________________________________________________

The Council of Nicea

The First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (325 A.D.)

·         Called by Emperor Constantine

                                                              i.      Question: Is Christ equal with God?

·         The issue began between Alexander and Arius both of Alexandria

                                                              i.      Alexander was a bishop

                                                            ii.      Arius was a presbyter, elder

New Semester

So obviously being between semesters, there haven't been too many assignments to post. That will be changing very soon! This year my posts will be revolving around relationships and modern ethical dilemmas. Time permitting I'll also being doing book reviews for things I've read outside of class this year. Let me know which one you want first.

                        

Sermon - Fishing for the Heart of God

Is God grump and angry in the Old Testament? Isn't the story of Jonah just about a fish? No and no! Take a look at the story of Jonah and go beyond the story of fish, and find the heart of God.

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/2750684

Jonah’s Tale of a Whale

It's a fishy week here at the Desert Seminary. I'll be posting my sermon on Jonah once it's available. For now, here is a paper on the historicity and importance of Jonah.

Jonah’s Tale of a Whale

Fishing tales are always viewed as suspect. Every time the story is retold, the details seem to be more and more exaggerated. Within the Old Testament, Jonah is sometimes viewed as such a ‘whale of a tale’.[1] Despite these claims, Jonah can and does stand the test of historicity. While one must accept supernatural miracles, as in the fish or whale, the surrounding facts are not only substantiated as true, but also give greater insight into the book. Reading Jonah as a parable not only ignores facts, but also lessens the appreciation for the message of the book. This paper will show that Jonah contains the most impactful message when understood in a literal and historical context.

Reference- Early Church Figures

Here's a reference sheet I've been working on for important people throughout early church history. Most of my information I've gotten from Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity. Its long but hopefully helpful.

Book Review - Evangelicals and Tradition

Evangelicals and Tradition

Introduction

Can the church exist without tradition? This is the fundamental question in D.H. Williams’ work, Evangelicals and Tradition. According to Williams, the Protestant rejection of tradition is not only ignorant, since the sola statements of the Reformation are a tradition,[1] but also dangerous. Tradition to Williams is the guide, the rule by which we can evaluate the Christian life. Even if flawed, Williams work is sure to force careful consideration of how one practices faith and tradition.

Where does Mark end?

THE ENDING OF MARK

The end of Mark presents an interesting dilemma for the biblical textual critic. Looking at chapter 16, most modern bibles have footnotes, brackets, and markings trying to help the reader understand that the ending of the book is in question. Mark 16:9-20 forms the verses in question. The shorter ending at verse eight, supported by a respected few manuscripts, is thrust into contention with later more numerous manuscripts[1] with a longer ending. While there are many divergent views, the facts lead to only one conclusion. Mark canonically ends in verse eight and all following verses are non-canonical additions.

Sermon - Unshakable Worth

Do you feel like you have no qualities that make you desirable? Do you feel unlovable? Focus on how God views you and not how the world wants you to view yourself. Romans 5:6-11.

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/2723034

Up, Up, and Away!

My blog is now officially up and running! *Whew*

The goal for the site is to be a place where I can post assignments and papers I've had to do for seminary that might be of interest to others. Since the content will be driven by my classes expect to see specific topics covered consistently for a few months, then dropped and newer topics starting to be covered.

Posts that should be coming up in the next few weeks are: Early Church Figures, a book review of "Evangelicals and Tradition", and a look at the ending of Mark. Please feel free to send comments or suggestions on either a post or the site in general to me at briankps@hotmail.com. I always appreciate feedback.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed day!

Discussion - Do we have a Closed Canon?

We had a debate in my church history class a few weeks ago. The question ran something like this: "Paul wrote letters to churches that have been lost, i.e. Third Corinthians or The Letter to the Church of Laodocea. If one of these letters were to be recovered, are they to be added to the Bible?" Brian's paraphrase understanding of the question is, do we believe in a closed canon of Scripture or can the right book still make it in?

Book Review - The Lost History of Christianity

The Lost History of Christianity

Book Review - Constantine's Bible

Another project I'm working on is putting up book reviews. These are works that I've read for fun or for a class and that I think may be of worth talking about.

Constantine's Bible

Sermon - Abiding in Christ

This sermon is actually a portion of my final for BI501: Biblical Interpretation, at Phoenix Seminary. Its an examination of John 15:1-11 and the Parable of the Branches. I hope to eventually upload the actual paper as its a fascinating and often misunderstood passage. To truly grasp the message you must look at the context in the book of John, as well as the historic context of the timing of the message by Christ. For now though, here is my sermon on the passage.

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/2622077

Sermon - The Christian Identity

Here's my first ever sermon, delivered on 1 Peter 4:1-11. Its about who we were, and who we are now in Christ.

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/2486824

Intro Presentations pt.3 - The Dead Sea Scrolls

Here is the last of the presentations. This was the first one I delivered, so the handout was in bullet form rather than paragraph form. Hopefully it still has useful information for the curious out there.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Significance

∞      Gave a look into the life of the Essenes sect of Judaism

∞      Scrolls hidden during First Jewish Revolt circa 66-70 C.E.

∞      Oldest surviving manuscripts of the OT

o   Gave great support for the accuracy of the Masoretic Text (MT)

o   Only 13 significant variances between the two in Isaiah[1]

∞      All books of the OT canon are present in some form except Esther[2]

∞      A complete copy of Isaiah, 1QIsa^a, dates back to 100 B.C.E.

o   Previous complete books dated only to 895 C.E. from Cairo[3]

∞      Non-canonical books include: Enoch, Jubilees, Manual of Discipline, War Scroll

Intro Presentations pt.2 - The Council of Jamnia

Here's the second presentation on the Council of Jamnia. I will add a brief note that for all of these I was talking along with the handout. Without me talking they flow alright, but are at times disjointed, I apologize for that.

The Council of Jamnia

Key Terms

·         Great Beth Din: The high judicial court, Sanhedrin, of Israel consisting of 71 judges

·         Beth Din: A lesser court of Sanhedrin consisting of only 23 judges

·         Birkath Hammini: Curse against heretics

·         Yavneh, Jabneh, Yavne, Javneh: Jamnia

Location

Jamnia is located near the coast of Palestine south of Jaffa and is still inhabited.[1] A primarily gentile settlement until the Hasmonean period, Jamnia gained a substantial Jewish population only around 70 A.D.  Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, before the fall of Jerusalem, sought and was granted permission by Vespasian to move and found a rabbinic school at Jamnia. For sixty years, 70-130 A.D., the city housed a rabbinic school as well as Beth Din[2] and twice the Great Beth Din, first in 70 A.D. then again in 116[3].

Intro Presentations pt.1 - Translation Theories and Methodologies

Here's the first of three presentations I've given this semester on various extra-biblical topics. This one revolves around how we translate texts. Enjoy.

Translation Theories and Methodologies

Key Terms

·         Formal-equivalence - Word for word translation. Examples: NASB, KJV, and ESV

·         Dynamic-equivalence - Thought for thought translation. “If a free translation evokes the same response from its readers as the original did on the readers when the book was first circulated, it has accomplished its purpose[1]” Examples: NIV, TNIV and NLT

·         Paraphrase - Extreme version of the Dynamic-equivalence technique wherein the original text becomes a suggestion rather than a rule. Examples: MES and LB