Dive In: Digital Tools

This is our last regular entry of Dive-In, although I will probably publish additions intermittently. We’ve studied 16 units together and, although there is much more that can be discussed, it’s time to move on.

Today I want to tell you about the computer program I use. There are many other excellent programs and I’m not trying to push this one. But in the telling, I hope you can see some of the benefits of computerized studies.

I use Bible Navigator, which is a first-cousin to Bible Explorer. There are several levels, of course, and I am annoyed with most computer programs because they bundle a lot of things that are outside copyright and therefore free to anyone. The book count is bloated by the old-and-free. Bible Navigator is no exception.

So don’t be blown away by the number of books you get if you choose a particular program. Instead, look carefully at what you will use. You won’t use a lot of the books.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

Have several Bible translations so that you can compare. Right now, when I read, I usually have open three: NIV, NRSV, and NASB. The NASB is open because it is linked to a Strong’s Concordance so I can easily do a word search. But you don’t need 20 obscure translations that you’ll seldom use.

Other Bible translations that are helpful are KJV and NKJV. I also like the NLT and the Message, for a change of pace. The Holman Bible is pretty good, too. You may have translations you use a lot and you’ll want those in your Bible studies package.

Plan on buying a commentary for your computer program. The included commentaries are usually o-l-d and, although somewhat insightful, often inadequate on their own. Don’t rely on Matthew Henry alone. Frequently the old commentaries blended preaching and scholarly work, coming with a bias that suppresses some insights while over-emphasizing others. Some of the old commentaries by Calvin and Luther are helpful.

A newer (and sometimes free) commentary that I like is the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown. But the best are the ones you have to buy. Don’t plan on buying an entire set at once. Buy a single-book commentary on the book you’re studying or teaching right now. Be patient. You’ll build a good library. I wrote about some commentary suggestions a few weeks ago.

Devotionals are often packed into the program package. If it includes one you want to read daily, then grab that. Often they pack in many devotionals that aren’t read. I have Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest in Bible Navigator, but know it’s available in more modern text online. So I wouldn’t pay for that devotional.

Be sure you have a good dictionary and atlas. We discussed those topics recently. Also, a Strong’s Concordance is vital. Usually several word study books are included and you need at least one concordance. Vine’s Expository Dictionaries (both Old Testament and New) are helpful. Get a Nave’s Topical Bible. That will greatly help your studies over the years.

Those are the basics. Often you can pick up literature from online sources and don’t need to buy those for your biblical studies. As you discover a church leader or writer, first check sources online, like CCEL, to see what’s available.

For example, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs can be located on the internet, so don’t spend extra to get that in a computer program.

Those are my basic suggestions. I’d like to hear what program or online resources you use and what you like about them. Do you recommend them? I’d like to know more about you have found and like.

Friday Five: Witnesses

About witnesses…..

Make known among the nations what he has done.

1 Chron 16:8

You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,

Isaiah 43:10

So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Mark 5:20

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses

Acts 1:8

They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.

Rev 12:11

Learning from Justin Martyr

Justin Martyr is the most famous of second-century apologists, writing spirited letters defending the faith. He debated many philosophers and probably died after one, soundly defeated in a dispute, turned Justin in to the Roman authorities.

Justin Martyr was monumental in helping explain Christianity to unbelievers in the 2^nd century Roman Empire. Misunderstandings were clarified, practices accounted for, beliefs made clear. His courage and stout commitment were inspiring.

What can we learn from these early defenders of the faith? Here are some possibilities:

• We must learn to speak Latin for debating and study Greek philosophers. Justin was highly skilled in both and we should return to his disciplines.

• Debate must be taken seriously. Surely Justin was called, whereas I feel no similar call to debate, apologetics or martyrdom.

• There is no need to defend the faith today. Justin did a superb job and we’ll send people to his writings to get them straightened out.

• There is no need to defend the faith today. People no longer accept logical explanations such as Justin used in his debates. They are into feelings, not rationality today. Apologetics is dead, or dying.

What do you think?

Justin’s genius was in defending Christianity using well-known philosophical terms. He showed the rationality of the new belief, and why there was no need to fear it as a corrupting factor in society. He used the terminology and understanding of his day to make Christianity understood.

Can we do the same in our culture? When some media groups compare Christians to terrorist groups, when some politicians label committed Christians as dangerous, we must explain and defend as Justin did – in understandable language.

We won’t debate in Latin or write about Greek philosophies. But we can use many platforms – from the internet to newspaper letters – to explain the basis of our faith in clear terms. If you’re a blogger, blog with zest to reveal the grace of Jesus. If you’re a musician, write songs that will witness to God’s mercy and power. An artist can reveal eternity with a pencil and brush. And a friend, over coffee, can make known the mysteries of the universe.

Our duty, like Justin’s, is to witness to God in ways that others can understand.

The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

Acts 22:14-15

“Christians are no different from the rest in their own nationality, language or customs…they fulfill all their duties as citizens, but they suffer as foreigners. They obey all laws, but they live at a level higher than that required by law. They love all, but all persecute them.”

To Diognetus (a letter from an unknown 2^nd century apologist)

Bridging

I’d probably be baking a lot more chocolate chip cookies if I lived in the second century. It was illegal in those days to be a Christian, but persecution mostly depended on local circumstances. If you were reported, you were arrested. Otherwise, you could fly under the radar for the most part. It was the original “don’t ask, don’t tell” philosophy.

Most Christians who were arrested and sometimes martyred were turned in by someone they knew. So it was good to be on friendly terms with your neighbors.

Christian beliefs were grossly misunderstood. Imagine that.

Followers of Jesus were condemned for such things as:

• Cannibalism.
• Incest.
• Ignorance.
  
• Being ridiculous.
  
• Encouraging anti-social behavior.
• Following a criminal.

Christians were forced to explain their faith in terms that made sense to a pagan culture. How could they answer some ridiculous rumors and explain some mysterious practices?

It was into this stew of misconceptions that a special group of people, the apologists, began their work. (An apologist is one who defends. )

The value of those early apologists was to find a bridge between the culture and Christian life.

These early Christians wrestled with issues not so different from our own. They were misunderstood, mistrusted, misquoted.

Tomorrow: what we can learn

Inkblots of definition

It’s the Rorschach inkblot test of Bible studies and I usually squirm when the question pops up from a Cheshire-grinning teacher.

“Who are you?”

I figured out early not to answer with my name. That just revealed my shallowness and self-centeredness. If I could think quick enough to stammer out, “Daughter of the King,” that usually was accepted as proper unless the teacher had spiritual gifts in mind. Then I should have answered with “servant” or “leader.” Or maybe I should have answered that I was a daughter, wife, mother, sister because relationships should define who I am. Or maybe they shouldn’t define who I am. I forget.

The whole thing gave me headaches and I avoided the question for years.

But it is a good question, when separated from expectations, and I come back to it. Who am I?

If it weren’t for the yearnings, I’d say that we can look at God’s nature and see who we are in what he is not. We are not pure or righteous or loving or truth or compassionate or eternal or powerful. I could answer “Who am I?” by saying I am nothing like God.

But we long for what we are not. And that ache, not for what we are, but what we are not, often brings us to God’s throne.

Who am I? I am in a storm, with the wind screaming and the clouds boiling black, when God pulls me out. I am flat on my back with the wall collapsing above me when God whisks me away. I am soaked in bitterness and selfishness when God blasts me clean.

Casting Crowns tackles the same question in their song of the same name, twisting their way to a reasonable conclusion.

Who am I? Their answer: I am His.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Jer 31:3

Dive In: Location, location, location

Tension crackles as Isaac follows his father up the mountain, the wood creaking in a bundle on his back. The story may be familiar, a father keeping his commitments and a son obeying his father.

In fact, the location is vital. Abraham took his son to Moriah, to a mountain where God told him to go. Although we don’t know precisely where the sacrifice scene unfolded, we know that it was on the mountain where Jerusalem would later sit.

In other words, a father kept his commitments and a son obeyed his father very near to where Jesus would someday be sacrificed.

A good atlas is invaluable in studying biblical texts. I was once geographically illiterate and had no idea where Jesus walked the earth or where Moses took the tables of stone from God.

It’s a good idea to notice the location of each narrative, and when the location changes. Place names sometimes change over the centuries, but locations do not. Seeing what happened in certain locations helps unveil some of the meaning of the story.

Bethlehem, for example, is a town besieged by evil over most of its history. There are two atrocious stories at the end of Judges involving murder and idolatry, Both have a strong connection to Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem Trilogy closes with the book of Ruth, where the City of Bread provides redemption. And, of course, we see the redemption of Bethlehem in serving as the birth place of Jesus.

Places matter and when they’re listed in a biblical text, we need to locate and pay attention.

Some study Bibles have a set of maps included in the back. Those can be helpful but if you’d like a more extensive and detailed set, here are some suggestions:

The Carta Bible Atlas. Aharoni, Yohanan, Michael Avi-Yonah, Anson F. Rainey and Zeev Safrai, eds. (Older editions are known as the MacMillan Bible Atlas)

Holman Bible Atlas. Brisco, Thomas V. Cleave, Richard.

The Holy Land Satellite Atlas

The Carta Bible Atlas includes lengthy descriptions of biblical scenes as well as very detailed maps. Be aware that the authors are historically and geographically accurate but not coming from a position of faith. This book is like eating fish: take the meat and leave the bones.

The Holman Bible Atlas is a good alternative. It is a beautiful book with chapters of historical background laced between the many maps.

The Satellite Atlas has beautiful images shot from, well, satellites.

As you dive into texts, train your eye to notice the location and take the time to find it on a map. You may find more in meaning than you ever expected.