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New Th.M. Scholarships at Western Seminary

March 26, 2013 in Misc with 0 Comments

Exciting things are happening with the Th.M. program at Western Seminary. Last week we announced the new program director, Todd Miles. And this week I get to announce that we have several new scholarships for incoming students. So, if you’ve ever considered an advanced degree in Bible/theology, this is the perfect time to look even closer.

gold money treasure gift

The Scholarships

For students beginning in the 2013/2014 school year, we have 3 scholarships available, each of which will cover 50% of tuition during the first two years of the program. Since most of our Th.M. students finish within two years, this means that for most students, these scholarships will cover half the costs of the program, though they do not cover books, travel, or living expenses.

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The Big Bible Bash: Semifinals

March 25, 2013 in Misc with 2 Comments

We started with sixty-four, but only four books remain in The Big Bible Bash. The last ones standing: Genesis, Romans, Psalms, and John. Now you have to choose between them to see who will be there at the end.

And remember, we’re giving away almost $500 in commentaries and other great books.  All you need to do to enter is participate in the tournament. So cast your votes now! (Update: Voting is now closed)

Tournament Update

With all four 1-seeds winning in the quarterfinals, there were no surprises. But there were two close matches. In the first, two OT powerhouses faced off. (1) Genesis led (2) Isaiah through the entire round, but won with just 63.5% of the vote. The second saw (1) Psalms defeat (3) Acts, one of the more popular NT books, with 65.9%.

In the other two matchups, 1-seeds Romans and John defeated the 7-seeds Philippians and Revelation convincingly (84.1% and 84.9% respectively).

Here is the updated tournament bracket if you would like to see how all of the contests have gone.

The Semifinals

So the semifinal round pits all four 1-seeds against each other. Two from the OT (Psalms and Genesis) against two from the NT (Romans and John). It may not be a surprise to see that these are the four who made it to the end. But it sure will be interesting to see who advances from here!

Cast your votes now. (Update: Voting is now closed.) And remember, every round that you participate in gives you a chance to win some great books!

Flotsam and jetsam (3/25)

March 25, 2013 in Flotsam and jetsam with 0 Comments

Good Reads

  • Give Working Families a Rest: We live in an era of heightened materialism, where getting and spending crowds out the social and the spiritual. That’s the way most of us order our lives and it’s the way governments order our society. They worry about the economy above all else.
  • A Liberal Arts Foundation: There are no guarantees for young people now when it comes to using college to prepare for a job. The world is changing too quickly to make reliable predictions. Assume that you will have many careers, and that you will need to find ways to adapt your talents to the world’s needs. I believe the best place to do that is a liberal arts college.
  • Your Phone vs. Your Heart: Most of us are well aware of the convenience that instant electronic access provides. Less has been said about the costs. Research that my colleagues and I have just completed, to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, suggests that one measurable toll may be on our biological capacity to connect with other people.

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Saturday Morning Fun…Modern Friendship

March 23, 2013 in Humor with 0 Comments

via Ted McCagg

Flotsam and jetsam (3/22)

March 22, 2013 in Flotsam and jetsam with 0 Comments

Good Reads

  • 21 (Mostly) Irrefutably Laws of Multi-cultural Church Leadership: I believe that a picture of heaven on earth in a diverse body of people reconciled by Jesus to God displays the Gospel too beautifully to ignore. Our church is multi-ethnic (I use the term more or less interchangibly with “multi-cultural”) and multi-generational, and it’s all God’s grace. I love seeing diversity every Sunday as I preach God’s Word.
  • The Touch Screen Generation: Young children—even toddlers—are spending more and more time with digital technology. What will it mean for their development?
  • Bigger Than We Think: The doctrine of Creation goes deeper than just explaining how the world began.
  • An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian: When the word “homosexual” is mentioned in the church, we hold our breaths and sit in fear. Most often this word is followed with condemnation, laughter, hatred, or jokes. Rarely do we hear any words of hope. At least we recognize our sin. Does the church as a whole see theirs?

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The Big Bible Bash: Quarterfinals

March 22, 2013 in Misc with 3 Comments

And then there were eight. All of the top seeds are still in the running, but another 2-seed went down. Matthew this time. And two 7-seeds have made surprisingly deep runs in the tournament: Philippians and Revelation.

So heading into the Quarterfinals, there are eight books left: 3 Old Testament books (Genesis, Psalms, and Isaiah) against 5 from the New Testament (Romans, Philippians, Acts, John, Revelation). Cast your votes to see who makes it to the next round. (Update: Voting closed.)

Tournament Update

The Round of 16 featured some pretty close matchups. Some of the 1-seeds experienced their first real challenges. After dominating the first two rounds, Genesis barely got past (4) Hebrews with 60.6% of the vote, and Isaiah won by an even narrower margin (58.7%) against (3) Luke.

The most interesting matchup of the round came when (3) Acts defeated (2) Matthew with 51.4% of the vote, even though Matthew led by a slight margin after the first day of voting.

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It Is Not We Who Can Sustain the Church

March 21, 2013 in Church History, Theology with 0 Comments

It is not we who can sustain the Church, nor was it our forefathers, nor will it be our descendants. It was and is and will be the One who says: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” As it says in Hebrews 13: “Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today, and forever.” And in Revelation 1: “Which was, and is, and is to come.” Verily He is that One, and none other is or can be.

For you and I were not alive thousands of years ago, but the Church was preserved without us, and it was done by the One of whom it says, ‘Who was’, and ‘Yesterday’.

Again, we do not do it in our life-time, for the Church is not upheld by us. For we could not resist the devil in… the sects and other wicked folk. For us, the Church would perish before our very eyes, and we with it (as we daily prove), were it not for that other Man who manifestly upholds the Church and us. This we can lay hold of and feel, even though we are loath to believe it, and we must needs give ourselves to the One of whom it is said, ‘Who is’, and ‘Today’.

Again, we can do nothing to sustain the Church when we are dead. But He will do it of whom it is said, ‘Who is to come’ and ‘Forever’. And what we must needs say of ourselves in this regard is what our forefathers had also to say before us, as the Psalms and other Scriptures testify, and what our descendants will also experience after us, when with us and the whole Church they sing in Psalm 124: “If the Lord himself had not been on our side, when men rose up against us,” and Psalm 60: “O be thou our help in trouble, for vain is the help of man.”

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The Big Bible Bash: Round of 16

March 20, 2013 in Uncategorized with 8 Comments

Sixteen more books have fallen in The Big Bible Bash. And only sixteen remain. Two of our 2-seeds are out, and one of the Gospels has now been eliminated. The tournament has begun to favor NT books, with only 6 OT books remaining. But that includes heavy hitters like Genesis, Isaiah, and Psalms. So this round of voting should prove very interesting. (Update: Voting is now closed.)

The Upsets

All of the number 1 seeds cruised to relatively easy victories in the Round of 32, winning with an average of 90.5% of the vote in their races. But it was a tough day for the 2-seeds. (2) Mark fell to ( 7) Philippians (41.3% vs. 58.7%); and (2) Proverbs fell to (7) Revelation (32.6% to 67.4%). Even (2) Matthew struggled for a while against (7) Exodus, before winning with 61.6%.

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Flotsam and jetsam (3/20)

March 20, 2013 in Flotsam and jetsam with 0 Comments

Good Reads

  • 7 Traits of False Teachers: The existence of the counterfeit is never a good reason for rejecting the genuine. Peter essentially tells us, “Of course there are counterfeit Christians. Of course there are teachers who do the church more harm than good. What else would you expect in this fallen world? Grow up! Don’t be naïve! Don’t miss what’s real simply because you have seen the counterfeit.”
  • Living Well in Ordinary Time: ”The hardest thing in the world is to be where we are,” observes Rowan Williams in his Lent book, Christ on Trial: How the Gospel Unsettles Our Judgment. Enigmatic though it may be, I think Williams’s remark is one worth pondering if we are to negotiate faithfully the current challenges before church and world.
  • A New New Testament: Are you Serious? The council of 19—including two rabbis—examined several ancient writings…and determined which of these worthies deserved a place at the table with original New Testament books. Ten books were selected for this honor, along with two prayers and one song.

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Meet Our New Th.M. Program Director: Todd Miles

March 19, 2013 in Misc with 4 Comments

As I announced last month, my family and I are moving to Wheaton so I can take up a position there. That means we’re looking at a couple of transitions here at Western Seminary, one of which involves our Th.M. program. I’ve been directing the ThM at Western for the last six years, and it’s been an incredible experience. So I’m pleased to announce that Western has selected a new program director for the Th.M., and it’s someone who will do a great job leading the program forward.

Todd Miles has been teaching at Western for 10 years now, focusing mostly on theology, ethics, and hermeneutics. Not only is he well respected by both students and faculty, but he is an outstanding academic supervisor. As program director, I’ve always known that if I assign a student to Todd, that student is going to get quality time and attention at every stage of the program. And students routinely express great appreciation for the time and effort that Todd puts into reading and commenting on their research projects. So, if you’re looking for a Th.M. program with program director who will really invest himself in you, your research, and your future, Todd’s the guy.

To introduce him, I asked Todd to answer a few quick questions about himself and the program.

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