Yesterday I switched my blog reader from Bloglines to Google Reader. (If you don’t use a blog reader or aren’t certain what one is, perhaps you’d find my short tutorial on blogs to be helpful.)

Four of my friends and former seminary classmates in Greenville just persuaded me. (They also happen to be bloggers: Brian Collins, Phil Gons, Matt Hoskinson, and Mark Ward.) After a day using Google Reader, I’m sold (though it took a little work to figure out how to set it up for maximum efficiency). The shortcuts are great, especially hitting the j-key to advance immediately from blog post to blog post.

Kudos to Google for another free first-class product.

Google : Internet :: kudzu : southeastern United States

It’s finally up and running: www.TheGospelCoalition.org.

Here are a few features to check out:

Resources: This links to audio, visual, and written resources by TGC council members. For example, check out the resources for D. A. Carson and Mike Bullmore.
Themelios: The first new issue is available as a 103-page PDF.
2009 Conference: This includes speakers, topics, and dates for The Gospel Coalition’s 2009 national conference.
About: This includes descriptions of TGC council members.

More updates are forthcoming, including a series of video interviews.

I recently reviewed Carl R. Trueman’s Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen-Calvinism (Scotland: Mentor, 2008). (You may read the front front matter and introduction here.) This second volume of his collected essays follows in the train of his first: Wages of Spin: Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism (Scotland: Mentor, 2004). It’s typical Trueman: provocative, humorous, wry, clever, witty, engaging, thought-provoking, delightful, entertaining.

I didn’t have space in my review to share pithy quotes from Trueman’s twenty short essays in the volume, so I’ll share some here:

Kevin Bauder just finished another thoughtful series of short essays: “Baptist Church Cooperation.”

Note: Central Seminary emails these essays every Friday afternoon. You can join the mailing list (as well as access the archives) here.

Here are links to a couple sermons I recently preached:

“Pray For Those In Authority (1 Tim 2:1-8)” (6-22-08)
MP3 (48:13) | outline
“Does God Have Two Wills? Does He Want All People To Be Saved In One Sense And Not Want All People To Be Saved In Another Sense? (1 Tim 2:4)” (6-29-08)
MP3 (45:26) | outline

The first is expositional, the second more theological (and heavily indebted to John Frame’s The Doctrine of God and John Piper’s “Are There Two Wills in God?”).

Two and a half years ago, John Piper wrote a moving article entitled “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” I’m now observing one of my best friends, Matt Hoskinson, evidence God’s grace in yet another way—this time by modeling Piper’s wise advice. Check out Matt’s letter that Danny Brooks read to Heritage Bible Church this morning.

(Matt is the tallest one in the pic below.)

Here’s a mid-year update for family and friends on some recent changes in the Naselli home. (I’ve lost track of whom I’ve told what at this transitional time, so this post should fill in the gaps!) God has been so good to us—far better than we deserve!

1. Family

1.1. Kara Marie!

We are grateful to God to announce the birth of our first child: Kara Marie Naselli! She was born on June 8, 2008. (Click here to view a PDF of our birth announcement.) She’s healthy and beautiful! We are so joyful and grateful. (More details and pictures are available on our password-protected family blog.)

1.2. Jenni

Jenni is now a stay-at-home Mom! She has yearned to have her very own children since she was a little girl. She babysat all through high school and college, earned a degree in Early Childhood Education, and then taught young children full-time until three days before Kara Marie was born. She’s been taking care of children belonging to other people for about thirteen years, and she has unselfishly served me by teaching full-time for the first four years of our marriage. She is eager to rear her own children, and I’m so thrilled that she is realizing her godly ambition for the high calling of wife and motherhood! I thank God for my wife.

1.3. CrossWay

We are getting more connected at CrossWay Community Church, a deliberately gospel-centered assembly. We hope to join a care group shortly. I’ve especially enjoyed being part of Mike Bullmore’s “ministry trajectory group” that meets monthly in his home; his humble wisdom is so edifying.

2. School

2.1. Completed

By God’s grace I’ve completed my coursework that I began in August 2006! So I’ve completed all of the requirements for languages and classes for Trinity’s PhD program, which has been rigorous, enlightening, and edifying.

2.2. Remaining

Next up are comprehensive exams and a dissertation.

I hope to take my comps in the fall. This consists of a four-day battery of exams covering the spectrum of NT exegesis and theology, including sight-reading the Greek NT and correlating the NT’s historical and literary context with exegesis, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology, with a bit more weight placed on my corpus (Paul’s letters). Who is adequate for these things?! This is probably the most daunting and humbling part of the PhD program!
The dissertation process begins with a “dissertation proposal hearing,” which I hope to have at the beginning of 2009. Once the project is approved, I become a PhD “candidate.” After writing the long paper, I must successfully pass a “dissertation defense.”

3. Work/Ministry

3.1. Yarbrough, Greek, Trinity Journal

I’m no longer serving as Robert Yarbrough’s teaching assistant (that was only a two-year arrangement) nor teaching Greek as part-time faculty. I will, however, continue on the editorial board for Trinity Journal (edited by Robert Yarbrough).

3.2. Carson

I’m still serving as D. A. Carson’s part-time research assistant (I started in August 2006), but the exciting news is that beginning August 4, I will serve as DAC’s first full-time research assistant! This is a long story, but the short version is that the Lord has provided for this job for at least the first year through some generous donors. Ideally, this will be at least a two-year arrangement if funding is available. I’m so grateful to serve the church by serving DAC, leveraging his astonishing productivity just a bit more.

3.3. Themelios

I’ve been serving as administrator and interim managing editor for Themelios since March 2008, and I’ll continue serving as administrator while working full-time for DAC, who is the journal’s new editor. The first issue has been ready for publication since May, and it will be published online with the imminent launch of the new website for The Gospel Coalition. [Update: The first issue is available as a PDF.]

3.4. Editing and Writing

I’ve been doing a bit of part-time copy-editing and working on projects, articles, and reviews. The most time-consuming project at present is editing an abridgment of D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo’s 781-page An Introduction to the New Testament (a project for Zondervan, independent from my work for DAC).

3.5. Scholarship

I’m so grateful to receive the Hansen Fellowship in 2008–09. This may involve a small amount of work for the Henry Center during the school year.

3.6. Preaching

A church about eighty minutes away is without a preaching pastor, and I and three other friends recently began serving as an interim preaching team. (None of us could commit to serving as the sole interim preaching pastor, so we proposed this alternative.) We are currently preaching through 1 Timothy, and the general rhythm is that each of us preaches twice every eight Sundays (two weeks on, six weeks off) until the church finds a pastor.

Kara in Andy's hands

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; / For His loving-kindness is everlasting” (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1; cf. 106:1; 2 Chronicles 7:3; Ezra 3:11).
We would be grateful for your prayers, namely, that we would be good stewards of God’s varied grace, serving with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:10).

Bringing Kara home from the hospital

Here’s a convicting excerpt (pp. 173–74) from John Piper’s “Faith in Future Grace vs. Impatience” (chapter 13 in Future Grace): Continue Reading »

Mark Dever just posted this short article on the 9Marks blog: “Mark Dever doesn’t practice separation”?

He concludes:

To sum it up, I want my separation from the world to be more pronounced than my separation from other Christians. Does this make sense?

Paul’s argument in Gal 5:1–12 defends Christian liberty over a distinctive Jewish practice: circumcision. Note Paul’s logic in v. 11:

Ἐγὼ δέ, ἀδελφοί, εἰ περιτομὴν ἔτι κηρύσσω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι; ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ.

Now, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed (NET).

Adding circumcision to the gospel removed “the offense of the cross,” which is essential to the gospel.

Questions for reflection:

How does our culture remove “the offense of the cross” (e.g., through mainstream media)?
How do Christians remove “the offense of the cross” (e.g., through writings, sermons, ministry philosophies)?
How might I remove “the offense of the cross” when I communicate with (1) non-Christians, (2) other Christians, and (3) myself?

See here. Piper’s attitude is commendable.

On a related note, I enjoyed observing him and interacting a bit last week at the annual pastor’s colloquium for The Gospel Coalition. The man is passionate about guarding and advancing the gospel, and for that I gratefully thank God!

The latest 9Marks interview by Mark Dever is now available: “Fundamentalism and Separation with Mark Minnick: Pastor and Bob Jones University professor Mark Minnick presents the case for the Fundamentalist doctrine of separation.”

Constantine R. Campbell, Verbal Aspect and Non-Indicative Verbs: Further Soundings in the Greek of the New Testament (ed. D. A. Carson; Studies in Biblical Greek 15; New York: Lang, 2008), xiv + 155 pp.

Carson writes in the series editor’s preface,

One of the self-imposed limitations of Dr Campbell’s earlier volume in this series, Verbal Aspect, the Indicative Mood, and Narrative: Soundings in the Greek of the New Testament, was the restriction of the analysis to verbs in the indicative mood found in narrative settings. The book you now hold in your hand plugs part of that gap: Dr Campbell now does for the non-indicative verbs what he earlier did for the indicative. His approach is similar: judicious soundings, careful examination of the context, thoughtful translation—all couched in highly readable prose. The two volumes belong together, and together they establish one of the most credible (and certainly accessible) analyses of verbal aspect in the Greek of the New Testament. The issues are complex and frequently subtle, so inevitably grammarians will differ in their assessments of some elements of Dr Campbell’s presentation. Nevertheless this contribution is strong evidence (if more evidence is needed) that verbal aspect theory has come of age and cannot responsibly be ignored by New Testament scholars (pp. xi–xii).

Endorsements on the back cover are by Peter T. O’Brien (Campbell’s colleague at Moore Theological College) and Rodney J. Decker.

Related (but not available yet online) is my attempt at a primer on the subject: Andrew David Naselli, “A Brief Introduction to Verbal Aspect Theory in New Testament Greek,” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 12 (2007): 17–28.

My pastor, Dr. Mike Bullmore, is currently preaching through 1 Corinthians, and this morning he finished a sensitive, insightful, pastorally wise exposition of chapter 7.

Marriage in God’s World (April 13, 2008)
A Oneness That Glorifies God (1 Cor 7:1–7) (April 20, 2008)
Glorifying God in Challenging Marital Situations (1 Cor 7:8–16, 39–40) (April 27, 2008)
To Marry or Not to Marry: Singleness and the Glory of God (Part 1) (May 4, 2008)
To Marry or Not to Marry (Part 2) (May 18, 2008)

Today’s sermon (#5 above) is particularly outstanding. Its target audience is older teenagers and their parents, but it is especially applicable to singles in their 20s, 30s, 40s, etc. Bullmore gives two reminders followed by five statements summarizing biblical priorities in preparing for marriage. Highly recommended!

Mike Bullmore’s preaching is like a combination of John Piper and C. J. Mahaney! More of his MP3s are available here, here, and here.

My good friend Phil Gons was sitting just a couple rows directly behind home plate in Seattle on May 8 for the Mariners-Rangers game when 6′ 8” Richie Sexson charged the mound and the benches cleared. If all you saw was a replay of the pitch prior to his charging the mound, you might wonder why he did that; the fastball was right down the middle (although eye level). This video at MLB.com serves as a good lesson in biblical hermeneutics: context, context, context!

On April 24, 2008, Dr. Doug Sweeney and Collin Hansen discussed Hansen’s Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008). An MP3 of this discussion, sponsored by the Henry Center, is now available from the Henry Center’s media archive (MP3 | video).

I reviewed Hansen’s book in March for the forthcoming issue of Themelios (more on that later). Highly recommended!

Dale Pritchett, Senior Vice President of Logos Bible Software, argues in “Logos in the Classroom” (PDF | MP3) that Bible colleges and seminaries are on the threshold of transitioning from print resources to electronic ones. This parallels other technological advances, e.g., from slide rule to calculator to computer or from records to cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s.

Here are some excerpts:

“Last year Logos sold more than 5.2 million digital books. We have 9,000 books now available, and our goal is to release 2,000 additional titles every year.”
“We are, in reality, an extension—in some cases a replacement—for the bricks and mortar Bible college or seminary library. We have become the world’s largest producer of digital Bibles and academic Bible reference works. We have become an affordable alternative for standard, unabridged books representing more than 100 different publishers. We have become the tool of choice for writers and researchers. . . . We’re a useful resource for distance education and remote campuses. We’re a supplement for classroom demonstration. We are a fully linked, interactive seminary library on a notebook computer. We are, in short, the future today. And we’re totally digital right now. And that’s a good thing because the digital revolution is almost 30 years old.”

Cf. my two reviews of Logos products:

HT: Phil Gons

I just discovered this accessible pair of articles by a couple evangelical scholars who used to teach NT together at Aberdeen:

P. J. Williams, “Modern Old Testament Study“

Simon Gathercole, “Modern New Testament Study“

Related: See Mark Dever’s interview “The New Perspective on Paul with Simon Gathercole and Peter Williams” (MP3).

Baker just published a collection of essays by theological heavyweights:

McCormack, Bruce L., ed. Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008.

Here are the contributors (corresponding to their chapter number):

David F. Wright
N. T. Wright
D. A. Carson
Paul Helm
Oliver D. Crisp
John Webster
Henri A. Blocher
Pierre Berthoud
Stephen N. Williams
Bruce L. McCormack
Donald Macleod

Check out the Table of Contents in this ten-page PDF of the front matter and preface.

D. A. Carson’s essay “The Wrath of God” (pp. 37–63) is a must-read. Here’s just the skeleton of his argument:

All of the MP3s for the general sessions and panel discussions are now available for free downloads. Brief bios of the speakers are available here.

I’d recommend listening to these in order: