The Leftest-Leftist

Who is the most consistently liberal voice and the most reliable left-wing vote in the United States Senate? Is it Teddy Kennedy? Is it Madame Hillary? How about Barbara Boxer or Chuckie Schumer? Well, no. According to the National Journal's annual rankings, that dubious honor belongs to John Kerry. The scores are based on voting related to economic, social and foreign policy. It is the fourth time since 1985 that Kerry has been able to claim bragging rights the Leftest-Leftist-of-Them-All.

Leithart.com

Peter Leithart's blog has a new home! The brilliant theologian, pastor, author, and educator has been posting his pastoral reflections, communion exhortations, and sermon notes on his blog for six months or so. Now, he has a much fuller site with a cross-referencing digital index and information on all his books--each of which really is a must-read. You'll want to bookmark this site for regular future reference.

Running with a Purpose

This morning I had a great run in the Fangtastic 5K race. Sponsored by the local NHL franchise here in Nashville, the Predators, the annual event drew more than 1000 runners. It was a cold but very fun jaunt through the hilly streets of downtown Nashville--along the river, past the farmers market, up capitol hill, down historic Second Avenue, and back along Broadway to the arena. I was able to meet my target time--beating my personal best by almost three minutes despite my knee surgery two months ago. Alas, I wasn't able to reach my other goal of placing in the top three in my age group. Oh well, it was a good dry run for the inauguration of the running team Servant Group International has put together in order to raise money for the Classical and Christian schools we have helped to plant in Northern Iraq. If you would like to be a part of this effort--either by running or by sponsoring runners or both, by all means contact Joanna at the King's Meadow office.

Old Testament Resources

Since I have been teaching through the Book of Revelation during the past year, the comment I most often hear is "I never knew how important the Old Testament was to understanding the New Testament. How can I better understand the Law and Prophets so that I can get to the meat of the Gospels and Epistles."

Thankfully, the are innumerable resources available today that can enable the average Christian to better grapple with the details of Scripture--in both the Old and New Testaments. I always recommend that folks start with these resources:

First, the books of Graeme Goldsworthy are very helpful. His Trilogy, now printed together in a single volume from Paternoster Press, includes Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, and The Gospel in Revelation. His According to Plan (IVP) is also valuable as a good introduction to Biblical Theology.

Next, I cannot recommend the books of Peter Leithart more enthusiastically. His introduction to ecclesiology, The Kingdom and the Power (P&R) will change the way you read the Bible. But his introduction to the Old Testament, A House for My Name (Canon), is indispensible.

I have also gained a tremendous amount of help from The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses by Vern S. Poythress (P&R). Here you'll see the Gospel in the whole of the Old Testament Law with uncommon clarity.

Finally, I can't imagine trying to learn the basics of hermaneutics without James Jordan's Through New Eyes (Biblical Horizons). Like most of Jim's other books--from his brilliant Commentary on Judges to his exposition of the Genesis creation accounts, Creation in Six Days--this one will blow your mind and transform your paradigm for Bible reading, study, and interpretation. I have also found his Primeval Saints: Studies in the Patriarchs of Genesis vital in helping me understand the larger themes of the Old Covenant. By the time Canon published the book in paperback a couple of years ago, I had worn out the old manuscript copy I'd somehow obtained more than a decade ago--rereading it time and time again.

Learning how to read the Bible is a life-long process. But I think that you'll find these tools can make that process much more fruitful and enjoyable.