Musings of a Snickerdoodle

"Don't confuse the gospel with the effects of the Gospel." writes Trevin Wax. Elsewhere he notes that , "…Christianity is not a scheme of morality, nor a plan for social and political change, and organizations which propose improvements along such lines are only 'tinkering with the problems.   We may be made better men, but before we can face God we must be new men."   So many churches today don't believe that the Gospel, as given in God's Word, is right for today. They think that it needs to be updated to fit our culture.   Wax does a good job of analyzing the various counterfeit gospels of our day: the Therapeutic Gospel, the Activist Gospel, the Churchless Gospel…etc. he shows how many of these take one fact of the Gospel and preach it, mostly disembodied from the other essential truths that make up the Gospel.   These people are, 'missing the mark' of the complete Gospel', which description, ironically, is one of the definitions ...

I took Spanish in high school (a correspondence course) and I must say that I wish that the textbook and workbooks for that class were produced in the same format as this Greek Grammar. Mounce   teaches in a compare/contrast style.   Throughout the book he teaches, or reminds you of, English grammar and then gives you the Greek grammar.   It is at times quite different   from the English equivalent but the contrast actually helps one understand it more.   He will also give you examples of things you will learn later on in the book and tell you not to try to learn them yet since, " They are given just to expose you to the concepts."   I like that as repetition helps things stick in my mind.   Mounce has a little character called 'the professor' who appears throughout the book giving you fun facts about what you are learning, summaries of what you have just learned and more information as well.   Though a bit weird, it proves to be quite hel...

Focusing on Paul's letters, but not on any one of his letters in particular, this book is basically a resource for studying Biblical letters. Harvey delves into proper methods of researching the text, its variants, and the historical background of the time of Paul.   He also gives recommended steps in studying the original Greek and advise as to how it can be presented. I particularly liked Harvey's summary/overview of Paul's teachings throughout his letters.   When dealing with Paul's speaking of the change that takes place at salvation, quoting 2Cor. 5:17, " If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come' he explains , "That statement points to something far greater than a minor shift in belief or behavior; it describes nothing less than a total transfer from one sphere of existence to another."    I also liked his overview of the backgrounds of each place to which Paul wrote his lette...