Danny Akin Tells the Story of Bill Wallace

To hear the story of the missionary Doctor, Bill Wallace, who was martyred in China in 1951, go to the SEBTS chapel webpage and download the sermon “Jesus Is Everything to Me” on Philippians 1:21 preached by Dr. Danny Akin on October 30, 2007.

Highly recommended.

Don’t waste your life.

Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God: Salvation History in Song

Have you ever wondered if there’s a Christmas album that presents salvation history in song?

If that’s what you’re looking for, look no further. Last Christmas a friend gave us Andrew Peterson’s album, Behold the Lamb of God. This CD is practically a biblical theology in verse. The contents of the album are as follows:

“Behold the Lamb of God” (2004)

 

1. “Gather ‘Round, Ye Children, Come” lyrics

 

This tune echoes the biblical call to parents to pass the mighty deeds of the Lord on to the coming generations. You can see a video of it being done live here.

 

2. “Passover Us” lyrics

 

This song recounts the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh and celebrate’s the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

 

3. “So Long, Moses” lyrics

 

This psalm walks the listener through the story if Israel taking the land and looking for a king. Joshua, Judges, Saul, David, and then the longing for another David.

 

4. “Deliver Us ” lyrics

 

Derek Webb sings this mournful lament of the bondage of sin from the perspective of a member of the old covenant remnant, longing for the coming of the Messiah. Watch a live performance here.

 

5. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

 

Watch a live performance of this one here.

 

6. “Matthew’s Begats ” lyrics

 

This is one of the most clever songs I’ve ever heard. The lyrics are, no kidding, Matthew’s genealogy! This one has an upbeat, lively sound, so much so that when we were first listening to it, our 3 year old son referred to it as “the fun song,” and he wanted to hear it over and over again. You can see it live here.

 

7. “It Came to Pass” lyrics

 

At long last, the king came. And in such an unexpected way! This one sings the birth of the babe in Bethlehem. Watch a live performance here.

 

8. “Labor of Love” lyrics

 

This was no sanitized birth, and this song captures both the agony of the curse on childbirth and the joy of the deliverer come at last. You can here it here.

 

9. “The Holly and the Ivy”

 

10. “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” lyrics

 

11. “Behold the Lamb of God” lyrics

 

12. “The Theme Of My Song/Reprise”

You can check out Andrew Peterson’s blog, where he has many of these videos linked. Enjoy!

John Barclay’s Response to N. T. Wright and the Paul and Empire Coalition

Anyone interested in Pauline Theology will want to read Lee Irons’s notes on John Barclay’s presentation at SBL.

Barclay presents a searching response to Wright’s argument that Paul is speaking directly against the Roman Imperial Cult.

Those interested in these discussions will also want to watch for Denny Burk’s forthcoming essay in JETS.

Lee Irons presents a summary of Barclay’s presentation in three parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And you can download the audio from both presentations, as well as the response and brief rejoinders, here:

Part 1

Part 2

HT: Justin Taylor

A Trophy of Grace Proclaims the Gospel

In the mercy and providence of God, my younger brother, David, became a Christian in March of this year. He has an insightful account of what happened in his brain as the Lord drew him, and there’s a lot of other good stuff on his blog, too.

By the way, note that I referred to him as my “younger” brother not my “little” brother. Since he grew to be almost 6 feet 7 inches tall, he’s bigger than I am! Thus explaining his blog address, http://bigham.wordpress.com, as well.

I Praise God for his mercy to our family!

Trevin Wax Interviews N. T. Wright

From an email that I’m grateful to have had forwarded to me:

I thought you guys might be interested in the latest Said at Southern interview. Trevin Wax has recorded an interview with NT Wright for the Said at Southern podcast. You can listen to the Mp3 Interview or read the full transcript. Topics covered include Wright’s views on justification, the new perspective on Paul, and penal substitution. He also discusses his critics and John Piper’s new book The Future of Justification.

Free Christian Audio Book of the Month: Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections

If you have never read Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections, here’s your chance to download the audio book for free. The folks at ChristianAudio write:

Use the coupon code: NOV2007 to receive the download format of Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections for free.  Simply add the download format of this product to your cart and enter the coupon code when prompted.

The Religious Affections is quite possibly one of the most important books ever written by America’s greatest theologian. Among the questions asked is, “What is the nature of true religion?” “What are the signs of a true revival?” and “How is the heart changed?” Edwards used his pulpit and his leadership of the Great Awakening to pen one of the most challenging and inquisitive books ever written.

Our Price: $0.00
List Price: $28.98

Local Church Seminar Audio Available

Baptist Church of the Redeemer recently hosted a seminar on The Local Church: God’s Program for Evangelism and Discipleship.

Thanks to the labors of some good brothers, the audio is available for the two sessions:

Session I: What Is The Church?

Session II: How Does the Church Militant Wage Her War?

Piper’s ETS talk on Justification

The audio of John Piper’s message on Justification at ETS is available, as well as the transcript and the video.

May this push us all to closer attention to the text!

HT: JT

The Future of Justification: John Piper’s Response to N. T. Wright

N. T. Wright is perhaps the most influential clergyman in the United Kingdom, and John Piper is perhaps even more influential here in the United States.

And the two have crossed swords.

This might be the most significant pastoral interchange of our time.

In the Acknowledgments Piper relates that he sent the first draft of the book to Wright, and that Wright sent back an 11,000 word response! Piper’s The Future of Justification gives us Piper’s response to N. T. Wright’s views on justification, and Piper recounts that the book is twice as long as it was before he received Wright’s interaction.

This is an important book. We can thank John Piper for teaching us how to engage in controversy, and we can thank Crossway for publishing a series of books that contend for the heart of the gospel: John Piper, The Future of Justification, Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach, Pierced for Our Transgressions, and Brian Vickers, Jesus’ Blood and Righteousness.

Last night Piper gave a great address here at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. The address made me want to read this book closely, but even more it made me want to read the Greek New Testament closely. May this book so inspire you, too.

November-December 9Marks eJournal

Fascinating discussion on the church’s role in the world here.

Subscribe here.

My recommendation of the new Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament here.