Forum 10-04.indd

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM

F A L L 2 0 0 4

Handling the

Bible with Care

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

from the president



he Bible is by all accounts the most important book in Western

civilization. Even people who think it’s a jumble of myths

must still acknowledge that the Bible towers over the cultural

landscape, casting bright shadows over Western art, music, civil

law, politics, education, even the movies. Much of Western

literature is a mystery to readers ignorant of the Bible. I recall that during my

junior year in college at Yale University (my “junior year abroad” from Calvin

College) I was in a literature class with twenty-ﬁ ve or thirty Yale students. The

discussion turned to a line in the poetry of George Herbert, that godly singer of

the English language. The professor pointed to a place where Herbert mentions

“faith, hope, and love, these three” and asked if anybody in class knew the

reference. No hands went up. Nobody knew. And when, adjusting my halo, I

offered author, chapter, and verse, the other members of the class looked at me

as if I had just stated the average gestation period of the three-toed sloth.

During the height of American church membership and church attendance

(the 1950s), one Gallup poll showed that over 80 percent of adult Americans

believed the Bible to be “the revealed Word of God” instead of just “a great

piece of literature.” “Yet,” as Will Herberg reports, “when these same Americans

were asked to give the ‘names of the ﬁ rst four gospels,’ 53 percent could not

name even one.”

I know that readers of the

Forum

can do better. We all understand that the Bible

is the Word of God and will have no authority in the church unless we read it,

sing it, pray it, even perform it. Believing that the word of God has power “to

kill and to make alive,” believing that it can make us not just wise, but “wise for

salvation,” we send our preachers to The Book every week to dig up its treasure

and bring it back to us.

In this issue, wise colleagues help us see into the Bible part of the way down to

its depths.

Grace and peace.

Neal Plantinga

A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM

Providing Theological Leadership

for the Church

Volume 11, Number 3

Fall

2004

REFLECTIONS ON

HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

“Correctly Handling

the Word of Truth”

by Jeffrey A. D. Weima

Inviting the Prophets

Back to Church

by Michael J. Williams

Faculty Interview:

Becoming People of the Book

An Unforgettable Chapel

by Bob Rudesill

Reading the Bible with the Experts

by Lugene Schemper

DEPARTMENTS

Preaching and Worship

. . . . . . . .

Continuing Education

. . . . . . . . .

News

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scripture references are from the

ew Inter

New InterN

national Version.

ew International Version.ew Inter

Cover

hoto location:

Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church

Photo by

aul Stoub

Paul StoubP

The

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum

is published

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum is published Calvin Theological Seminary Forum

in Winter, Spring and Fall editions.

Calvin Theological Seminary, 3233 Burton St. SE,

Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

The

Forum

is available at

www.calvinseminary.edu

Editorial Committee: Lugene Schemper, Editor;

Mariano Avila, John Bolt, Duane Kelderman,

Kathy Smith

Designer: Paul Stoub, Stoub Graphics

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063614

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

3475 MAINWAY, LCD STN 1

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email:

forum@calvinseminary.edu

Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004



   

   

   

  

  



      

      

       



  





The Perspicuity of Scripture

        

    



perspicuity



perspicuityperspicuity



     

    

      

    

     





 



everything



everythingeverything

       

 

        

 

     



    



     





 

    

     

     

     



 



       



     







     



   

  





      



   

   





    



    

 







 

     

    

  

      



       

    

 



   

      



“Correctly Handling the Word of Truth”



The Importance of Careful Interpretation of the Bible

by Jeffrey

A. D. Weima

Professor of New

Testament

▼

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

●

The Bible does contain many

things that are not easy to

understand and consequently

require some serious study.

●

REFLECTIONS

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

The Rapture: A

Biblical teaching?

 

      

      

incorrect

       





     





      





 

      



     

  

 













     

     

 

   





Le Behind

   

Le Behind   Le Behind



       



       

 









Four Approaches to Scripture

Historical

      



historical

 

historical historical









    

      

 

     

  





    





certainly not precede

   



  

ﬁ rst

   

      









 

 

     

comfort



predict









 







        











       



Literary —

   

 

literary

    

literary    literary

     



       

      















     

    



      

      

     



      







     











  





     

 



Grammatical



 



   

grammatical

 

grammatical grammatical

        

      

      





harpa-



rapere,







    

    

     

   

apantesis

  

      

      

 









▼

‘Correctly

Handling...’

●

While this belief in the rapture

is certainly popular, it does not

correctly reﬂ ect the teaching of

Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

●

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

  

apantesis

   

 



      

 













 

   

     











      

       



 

   

apantesis

 





 eological —

    

  

 

theological

   

theological   theological









    



      



       





      



    

       

      



 

     

      

      









Handle with Care

        

    

     

      

  





      

       

    

 

 

      



  







REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

●

It is dangerous to approach

this text merely as a blueprint

to foretell the future without

recognizing its greater goal of

providing pastoral care to a

grieving congregation.

●

Paul’s Missionary Journey to Greece







 





 

weimje@calvinseminary.ed



A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

Classical theological education for contemporary ministry in a global context

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

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  

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       

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        

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       



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

everything

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everythingeverything

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     



       



    

Inviting the Prophets

Back to Church

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

by Michael J.

Williams

Professor of Old

Testament

●

Can you imagine what would

happen today if one of the

Old Testament prophets came

to one of our churches as the

preacher, or even as a visitor?

●

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004





      

      

    



      















see him do







our



ourour

       

     

see





hear



hearhear

    

      

 



      

   







    





  





    





      

       

   





       

    

 







      





community



communitycommunity

      

      

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



 

   



    





   

       



     











eyes to see





ears to hear





 e Prophet and His Message: Reading Old

Testament Prophecy Today



Testament Prophecy TodayTestament Prophecy Today



●

Let’s invite the prophets back

to church and strive to become

more like them as we commu-

nicate the good news of Jesus

Christ to those with eyes to

see as well as ears to hear.

●

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

LS:

      





      

       

     

       



     





RDV:









     

   

      

       





       

     

     

      

       



       



        



HV:



      

      

       

    

     







 



     

 

       



     

  



LS:





     

     





 



DD:

     



  



      



     



  







HV:



      

 



  

   



 



    



RDV:

       



     

       

      

      



 

  

       



      

     



      



      



LS:



Becoming People of the Book

How “biblically literate” are church members today? What can the church do to remain grounded in God’s

Word? Forum editor Lugene Schemper interviewed Robert DeVries, Professor of Church Education;

Dean Deppe, Professor of New Testament; and Howard Vanderwell, a “pastor in residence” at Calvin

 eological Seminary and a consultant with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

 e three of them have a collective total of 65 years of pastoral experience in congregations.

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

Dean

Deppe:

Pastors

should spend

more time

training

their elders,

small group Bible study lead-

ers, and adult education lead-

ers in how to read and inter-

pret and teach the Bible.

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

DD:



      

     

      

     



     

      





RDV:

       

      

     





     

      

      

        

         

      





LS:

      



RDV:





        



         

        













      

      

  

      



DD:

    

      

    

      





LS:

    



RDV:

     

      

       

       





     



       



     





 



       

      





HV:

     

     

  

      

       



    

     



DD:

    

      

      

      







LS:



      

      







HV:

 



       

     

         



     

      





DD:



  

      



      

   

 

 





RDV:



    

     



HV:

      





     



       

         



 



▼

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

Howard

Vanderwell:

We need to

communicate

to people

that this is

the word of

God, and it contains impor-

tant information. The quality

of the reading greatly inﬂ u-

ences how much of the Scrip-

ture we absorb.

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

DD:

  



  

      





 

       

     

     

      



HV:

      

      



     



DD:





      



   

    



     



HV:

     

      







      

       

      

 

      



LS:

      

     



HV:

      

    

      

      

     



     







     

      



    









RDV:







       



▼

People of

the Book

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

rofessor De Vries still refers students to

two articles in the

Calvin Theological

Journal

by J. Marion Snapper, Professor of

Journal by J. Marion Snapper, Professor of Journal

Church Education at Calvin Theologi-

cal

Seminary from 1974 to 1987.

The articles advocate renewal in

programs of Scripture memo-

rization in the church. “The

Dethronement of Memory in

Church Education” (April 1978)

and “Memorization in Church

Education” (April 1981) are

important discussions of

the role of memorization in

the teaching ministry of the

church. The second article in particular lays

down some important guidelines for church

memorization programs, as seen in the fol-

lowing excerpts:

“The argument for memorization must

rest largely on one major assertion: The Word

of God will more eﬀ ectively accomplish its

purpose when committed to memory. The

very act of memorization carries sig-

niﬁ cance for the learner. To memo-

rize something is to make a rath-

er impressive statement about

it because it is such a deliberate

and thoughtful investment of

time and energy.”

“It would seem that the

authority of Scripture is bet-

ter served with exact quota-

tions…. The nature of dialogue

is aﬀ ected by the direct quota-

tion of Scripture. When counseling with other

people or when witnessing to others, I feel

much more eﬀ ective when I can let the Bible

speak for itself—directly. It seems to me that

then the other person senses that he or she

is not confronted with my ideas or my inter-

pretation of the Bible, but with the very Word

of God…. I believe that the Holy Spirit works

more eﬀ ectively when I am able to quote

Scripture with accuracy. The more certainly

something is ﬁ xed in mind and memory the

more likely it is that it will be used.”

“What should be memorized? (1) That

which is memorized should have stood the

test of time. (2) That which is memorized

should be for the learner meaningful learn-

ing of meaningful material. (3) The material

which is to be memorized should be func-

tional material. It should have value for living

the life of faith.”

Professor Snapper continues by oﬀ ering

suggested curriculum guidelines for formu-

lating a program of church memorization.

To view the full text of these articles, visit

www.calvin.edu/library/mrc/snapper.

Memorization in Church Education

Dr. Marion Snapper

Robert

DeVries:

Councils

should regu-

larly ask

themselves as

they make

decisions: “What principles

rise out of Scripture to give us

guidance in this situation?”

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

       















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    





          

      

       







     

      

 







    

         





        



       

       









not



notnot



















       



 









the gospel is true



Most of us have experienced those worship services where everything

comes together in a unique, powerful, Spirit-created moment that

leaves the worshiper full of gratitude and joy. We had one of

those moments in a recent seminary chapel service led by Bob

Rudesill.

Bob is our oldest student at 76 years of age. Bob is hard

to miss. A severe spinal abnormality made him walk very

humped over, though a surgery this summer has straightened

up “the leaning tower of Pisa,” as Bob describes himself. A so -

spoken, humble man, Bob has been taking courses at CTS for

years. He’s not in a degree program. He’s not seeking ordination. But

Bob had a powerful conversion experience (which he talked about in

his chapel message). And ever since Bob became a Christian,

all he has wanted to do is know more about this gracious God

and his Word. So he takes seminary courses — especially in

Bible and theology — quarter a er quarter. He even took the

Hebrew comprehensive — and passed with ﬂ ying colors!

Bob’s meditation ﬁ ts so well in this  issue dedicated

to the Bible that we include it here so that you may also be

blessed by his words.

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

An Unforgettable Chapel

Calvin Theological Seminary Chapel, May 7, 2004

God Is Good: The Robe of Salvation … Isaiah 61:10a

Bob Rudesill

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

REFLECTIONS ON HANDLING THE BIBLE WITH CARE

    







     



     

    

      

      



       













    

   

   

  

    

   

    

   

  

 

        



      



      

       

 





     

 

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











 



 



    

    

    

      

     



    

     

     



      

     

    

    







   







   

  

  



   

       

       

      



        



     



       

      





Zondervan NIV Study Bible,

     



    

     

    

    

      



   

      



    

    

    





  

Zondervan NIV

Study Bible

  





   



      

 



       

      

     



    

    



     

   





   



     



    

NIV Study Bible

   





Reading the Bible with the Experts

by Lugene

Schemper

Theological Librarian





    

   

   

  

    

   

 

        













   

  

  



   

       



  



   

       



Zondervan NIV Study Bible,





   



     



    

NIV Study Bible





C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

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  

 

  

   

 

John

Rottman,





  





   



John Witvliet



   

  

   

    

   









  



   

 

  

 

   

    



     

       

       

      

    



      

    



 

      

   

     

   

    



    

       

      

      



     

    

      

      

    



      

    





   

 

    

   

   

    





    

 

 

   

   

  

   

 

  

 

  

  

  





 



      

 

  



Master of Arts in Worship

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    



   



     



      

     

    

  

       

 

     

 







     





   

     

     

      









    









   

  



PREACHING AND WORSHIP

Center for Excellence in Preaching

Rachel Klompmaker

John Rottman

Annalee Ward

Chicago seminar

Faculty Appointments

John Witvliet

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence at CTS



     





     

      

    



    



     



   

    

  

 

   

 











     

     

    

      

 



      



 



 







 





 









     

       

     

      

       

   

    

 

       

     

       

      

     



 

 

       

      

      

       

 

      



      



“

ost, if not all, seminary graduates

will serve in some kind of team

ministry. Does our education

Mministry. Does our education M

teach them how to function in teams, rather

than independently?”

 



       

       

    

      

 











      

  

    





      

     

      

       

      

      

       

       



    







     







   







    

     





Faculty Learn About Staff Ministry Challenges

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

FORUM • FALL 2004



      



  

   



Searching for Home:

Spirituality for Restless

Souls

   

  

  



 e

Divine Comedy,

 

      

        

    

     



 





 



   

  

 

Gender and

Competition: How Men

and Women Approach

Work and Play

Diﬀ erently

   



   

       

       



     



      

 

No Future Without

Forgiveness,

      

      

  

    

     

  

  



   



    



       

     

       





      

     



continuing.education@calvin.edu



NEWS

2004-2005 Books of the Quarter Link to Educational Events





 



 







 







 

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



Prayer for the Students

Oﬀ ered by Don Byker, Director of Field Education, at Convocation, September 9, 2004

       

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

3233 Burton St. SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Non-proﬁ t org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Grand Rapids, MI

Permit No. 657

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40063614

3475 Mainway, LCD STN 1

Burlington ON L7M 1A9

ALUMNI AWARDS

Each year Calvin Theological Seminary is pleased to honor two alumni who have made signiﬁ cant ministry

contributions in the Kingdom of God and have reﬂ ected positively upon the values and mission of CTS.

You are invited to submit nominations (with brief statement of rationale) by November 30, 2004 to:

Dr. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., President, Calvin Theological Seminary

3233 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546

or via email:

sempres@calvinseminary.edu

The recipients will be honored during the week of the Seminary’s Commencement (May 2005).

A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

Classical theological education for contemporary ministry in a global context