Going to Seminary

Thanks to a 2008 California law the Open Educational Resources Center for California now provides over 400 open textbooks to the public.

The site was intended for California’s community-college faulty and staff members, but it is open for anyone to use. As the number of visitors to the site grows to a significant level they will begin adding forums.

Four hundred is a relatively small number when we’re talking about textbooks, but this is only the beginning of a large push to make education available and affordable to larger audiences.

Jack was frustrated as he stared at his laptop screen. He was on an annual personal retreat planning his twelfth year as senior pastor at Christ Community Church.

The screen showed all his learning activities from the year before – the conferences, seminars, and classes he had attended; the books he had read; the sermons he had studied; and the leadership groups he had joined. He was passionate about learning and kept himself accountable by compiling and checking this list each year during his retreat.

But this year he was not satisfied just having a list – he wanted to know if it was the right list. God was stirring his heart about fresh ministry horizons, and he knew he wasn’t prepared. Shouldn’t he be matching his learning to his future journey? All the items on the list had been helpful to him, but had they been strategic?

For instance, the books he read were chosen more by accident than by planning – he overheard someone talking about one and happened to see another advertised online. Could other books have been more helpful? And one of the conferences he attended was more out of habit than for ministry development.

Jack thought to himself, “I need to get a better handle on my learning choices.”

Can you relate to Jack? If you are reading this article, you are probably a leader with a long list of completed seminars, conferences, books, and courses. The continuing education possibilities for leaders today are endless – and that is the problem. A busy leader may be tempted to choose learning based on opportunity, schedule, and cost rather than according to personal development needs.

I call this “shotgun learning.” It may have worked well a generation ago when you could choose a seminary program, seminar, or conference simply because it fit your schedule or your pocketbook. You could always count on stumbling across information somewhere that was helpful to you. Today, your choices are too many and your time is too valuable to make “shotgun learning” decisions. A better way is to develop a learning focus based on your ministry development needs.

But how do you do that?

A “Personal Learning Plan” can guide you to make strategic learning choices and serve as a tool to evaluate their usefulness later. The effectiveness of your plan depends on how well you tie your learning to your calling. Here are four steps to help you get started:

Step 1: Rediscover your ministry horizon
How is God stretching you? What do you see on the horizon of your journey with God? How is your call unfolding? What is the direction of the faith steps God is asking you to take?

No matter how long you have been in ministry, God has a ministry horizon for you – future ways he wants to stretch you and use you. Sometimes leaders make the mistake of connecting all of their strategic planning to their current ministry position, causing them to lose touch with their personal calling. They forget that their calling is a journey of experiencing God that is greater and lasts longer than any ministry position.

Step 2: Conduct a personal assessment
Assessing the gap between where you are now and the future ministry horizon you envision is important. Yet it may be the most difficult step, since personal assessment can be so easily influenced by denial and self-deception.

Daniel Goleman defines “emotional intelligence” as “the ability to know yourself.” Spiritual leaders develop emotional intelligence through the discipline of personal and spiritual reflection, through the practice of journaling, and through relational channels of accountability and feedback.

Honest personal assessment is most difficult for the leader not yet free to be that unique person God designed and shaped. Trying to be someone you are not, even after years in ministry, can keep you in denial about the “real you” God wants to develop. Rediscover your personal ministry horizon and honestly assess how prepared you are for the challenge. Then think about the ministry competencies that need further development.

Step 3: Identify priority learning pathways
Once you rediscover your ministry horizon and honestly assess your starting point, you are ready to identify priority learning pathways. These learning pathways will guide your personal ministry development in the direction of your calling.

Keeping the number of pathways to three of four at a time will help you focus your learning. Once you are pleased with your development in one area, you can replace that pathway with another.

For instance, Jack saw on his ministry horizon a greater emphasis on mentoring future leaders. Yet his tendency to be emotionally distant made close, authentic relationships difficult. One of three priority learning pathways he chose was “to learn how to authentically express my feelings in community.”

Step 4: Consider the resources available to support you
With his learning pathways identified, Jack saw with “new eyes” the learning resources available to him. He immediately thought of books, conferences, study programs, and learning clusters with other leaders that could help him develop. Choosing resources became much easier with his learning pathways identified first. Now he could get a better handle on his learning choices!

Jack opened a new file on his laptop and smiled as he typed at the top “Personal Learning Plan.”

This article is adapted from the Rockbridge Seminary course “Developing the Focused Life.”

Today’s guest post is by Dr. Sam Simmons. Dr. Simmons is co-founder and vice president for learning design at Rockbridge Seminary. ©Copyright 2010. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We were fortunate enough to get a Google Wave invite yesterday. And, we have so few friends that were interested in Wave we didn’t give all our “nominations” (read invites) away yet.

If you would like to get nominated for a Google Wave account post your crazy idea for how it could be used in ministry. Then be sure to vote on the ideas you like the best by replying to that person’s comment. The winner will be nominated for a Wave account.

If you’re asking what Wave is:

NIC on the Old and New Testament

My first real introduction to the New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (NIC)  was in Dr. Kistamaker’s class on the Epistle to the Hebrews. The assigned reading for the class was, compared to my others, quite light. We were to read Hebrews, FF Bruce’s Epistle to the Hebrews from the NIC, and one other commentary. I thoroughly enjoyed Bruce’s commentary as it was very approachable, yet technical when it needed to be. Over the course of my seminary days I added a few more NIC volumes to my library, and was always happy with the addition.

The NIC Goes Digital

Bible software users have long awaited the day when the NIC would be made available digitally. A few months ago Logos Bible Software announced that they were bringing NIC to the Logos format. The production process has been completed and the set is scheduled to ship on 10/15/09 (note – If you place your order before the 15th, you can lock in the pre-pub rate, which is more than $800 off retail).

I managed to get my hands on an advance copy and wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with you.

NIC Overview

If you’ve been around Going to Seminary for any length of time, you know that I went to Reformed Theological Seminary. The main reason I went to RTS was that I wanted to go to a seminary where, for the most part, I could simply trust my professors. Sure, there are some people who go to seminaries outside their tradition and belief structure in order to challenge themselves… I wasn’t one of those people. I’m the kind of guy who just wants to sit down and not have to worry too much about “should I believe what my professor is saying?”

The same is true for commentaries. Sure, I like to have commentaries in my library that I might not necessarily agree with, but I also like to have commentaries that I know I can generally trust. As a conservative,  protestant, evangelical, the NIC is just that kind of commentary. With authors like Fee, Bruce, Moo, Longman, Waltke, and others, the NIC sets me at ease before I even crack open a book.  Backing this up is the mass of support behind the series. Reading the recommendations on Logos’ product page reassures me that, indeed, this is a series that is right up my ally. Along with this it is good to note that 29 of the 40 commentaries from the NIC are listed on the BestCommentaries.com “best” list.

The books of the NIC all include an introductory section that pay excellent attention to the authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology of each book. After this, each book of the NIC will offer a verse-by-verse commentary. Now, this last point might seem like a “duh” kind of thing… but how often have you opened a commentary to a difficult verse, only to find no entry? What kind of help is that? Not with the NIC, every verse is dealt with.

If there was one critique I’d offer of the NIC, it is the decision to transliterate the Greek and Hebrew. The fact of the matter is that you either know the languages, or you don’t. Transliteration isn’t much of a help for people who don’t know the original language, because even if you can pronounce it, you still don’t know what it is. And if you do know the languages, then odds are you’re not a fan of transliteration. Also, with regards to the digital version, while Logos often can understand the transliteration and, when you double click a transliterated word it will open a lexicon, occasionally I found that Logos had trouble with the transliterated version. Thankfully I have Greek and Hebrew Bibles in my library, so when really needed to get to the original language, I was able to via the Bible text.

40 books in your backpack

One thing I noticed about my print edition of Bruce’s commentary was its size. It wasn’t the biggest book I’ve ever had, but with my laptop, ESV, Bruce, and my lunch in my bag for class, my bag was heavy to say the least. Not to mention I had no room for anything else! That’s what I love about having the NIC in Logos. Now I can carry all 23,832 pages with me all the time with no added weight.

Think about it. Just carrying two or three of these commentaries would fill a bag. Granted, how often do you need to have an entire commentary set with you? Not too often. But isn’t it nice to know it is there if you want it? No matter if you’re sitting in class or at the coffee shop, it is always nice to know that you can instantly look up a verse or reference in a high quality commentary.

Links, Languages, and Library

Links
Having the NIC in Logos is so much better than having it in print. Granted, from time to time I like the feel of a book in my hand, but when it comes to studying God’s word, there is a lot to be said about the efficiency Bible software provides.

To begin with, the NIC is linked to a number of other resources within your Logos library. In particular, the Bible. When I’m studying a passage I can have both the text and the commentary open. As I move through the scripture, the commentary tracks with me. Not only that, but every scripture reverence in the NIC is tagged and, when I hover over it with my mouse, the text will be revealed. This feature alone is worth the price of admission!

Think about it–how often do you actually take the time to look of the scripture references that an author puts into his book? I said be honest! Me, I’d say occasionally at best. But the author put them there for a reason, right? With the NIC in Logos, to see the reference, all you have to do is mouse over the verse and there it is.

Language
Along with interacting with the Scripture, the NIC also delves into the original language. As I mentioned previously, the NIC’s decision to transliterate leaves me a little wanting. While reading the transliteration is easy enough, in order to really interact with the original language that the commentary addresses, I find myself going to my original language text to be the base for my searches and study. If there was one thing I’d change about NIC, this would be it.

Library
One of the many beauties of having the NIC for Logos is that I literally have a library at my fingertips. While you can buy the NIC as a stand alone product, the great thing about Logos is that you can actually have an entire theological library with you as well. This is extremely helpful when you want to explore outside the NIC. With just a click of the mouse you can open theological dictionaries, lexicons, and hundreds of other resources to study and passage or subject addressed by the NIC.

Finally footnotes

One of the things I really like about NIC is the footnotes. The first reason I like them is because I despise end notes. I hate having to flip to the back of a book to find out this hidden knowledge that wasn’t quite right for inclusion in the text itself. Footnotes make it much easier to engage when I looking for the deeper nugget of information.  The second reason I really like the NIC footnotes gets back to something I mentioned earlier. The NIC is a very approachable commentary that gets technical when it has to. This often occurs in the footnotes.

The NIC in Logos increases my love of footnotes by providing them as I’m reading with a very simple mouseover. Simply hovering over the footnote gives me a pop-up window with the entire footnote right there. This is so wonderful as it allows me to stay right on track with my reading. No need to look down at the bottom of the page, only to have to then try and find my place back in the text after I’m finished with the footnote. Now I can mouseover, read the footnote, and keep on trucking!

Conclusion

The NIC is an amazing scholarly, protestant, evangelical, commentary series. It gives verse-by-verse commentary on almost every book of the Bible, including immensely helpful introductory information. The only thing better than the commentary series itself is being able to have the entire thing with you, on you laptop, wherever you go. The NIC for Logos is a great resource that every seminarian should consider.

NOTE: If you’ve followed my life on this blog, you know that I now work for Logos. That in no way changes the fact that the NIC in Logos is sweet and that you could totally consider buying it!

Gordon, T. David. Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009. 108 pp. $9.99.

Homiletics will only get us so far.  Something more is necessary in order for an average preacher to rise above his peers and become a great one.  This book is Dr. T. David Gordon’s attempt to locate that “x-factor.”  I had the pleasure of taking Greek with Gordon at Grove City College in the fall of 2004, and this book is a reflection of his teaching style.  His brutal honesty comes off as winsome, even entertaining.  And his argument is persuasive.

I can safely recommend this book to seminary students for two reasons.  First, they’re probably not preaching yet (at least not on a regular basis), so they can accept Gordon’s criticism of the general quality of preaching today without offense.  Second, the subject matter makes itself suitable as secondary reading for homiletics curricula.  Preaching style is not addressed from a technical standpoint.  Rather, Gordon, who teaches media ecology as well as religion, comments that cultural changes in the West have moved society (including preachers) away from word-based media and toward picture-based media.  As a result, preachers do not know how to appreciate good writing.

The author is essentially saying that Johnny can’t preach because he also can neither read nor write.  After painting the problem as such, Gordon goes on the suggest the obvious solution: preachers should cultivate an appreciation for both practices.  I found myself able to resonate with these suggestions.  I know that I do not read enough literature.  I also know that most of what I do read is not literature, but some form of technical writing (theological or otherwise).  Gordon makes it clear that reading something for understanding is vastly different than reading something for enjoyment.  So “cultivating an appreciation” for reading means finding a style whose form you can appreciate as much as its message and taking the time to read it for enjoyment.

Writing is more or less a matter of practice.  But how much practice does a person get on average today versus 50 years ago?  When was the last time you wrote something that wasn’t an e-mail, or a required paper for class?  If we will be writing sermons, then we should enjoy writing.  This book provoked me to consider taking up paper correspondence again, just to get the practice in writing something more formal than e-mail.  I haven’t done this yet.

Is this all common sense?  Is Gordon just making a lot of noise to say something that people intuitively know?  Perhaps.  But for me, even if I didn’t learn much that was new, there was a payoff to having these thoughts moved from the back of my mind to the front.  One such payoff has been that, now more than ever, I consider all of the writing I do (required or otherwise) as service to the Church.  This is not to say that it’s a gift to the Church (as if the Church should be grateful I’m writing!).  But it is a service to the extent I might come out on the other end a better preacher.  The same goes for reading such a breadth of literature that I become more able to express myself in writing.  We learn to talk by listening to our parents.  We learn to write (sermons) by reading literature.

I said earlier that preaching is not addressed from a technical standpoint in this book.  That’s really only half-true.  The book actually contains a chapter-length parenthesis in which Gordon considers the content of a good sermon.  I imagine the author included this chapter because he sees good sermon content so rarely that he felt not saying anything on the subject would be unhelpful.  Suffice it to say that, while the chapter seems like somewhat of an extended parenthesis, I agree with Gordon’s point here as well.  Sermon’s should be Christ-centered.

In the end, as preachers, we are ministers of God’s Word.  This means that, despite the broader culture’s drift to image-based media, what we do is inherently word-based.  We need to own that, and do everything we can to cultivate our enjoyment of all kinds of literature (including Holy Scripture).  Finally, we ought to pray that we can be used to pass the enjoyment on to those who hear our sermons.  We’re not just giving people information during our sermons.  We’re teaching them to read the Bible.  Ultimately, though, we’re provoking their hearts and ours to worship.  We need to craft our sermons in such a way that they can carry that weight.  If Johnny learns to do that, then Johnny has learned how to preach.

I work at the bookstore at the Orlando campus of Reformed Theological Seminary, and we’ve been slowly experimenting with using Twitter as a way to send out notices about promotions and sales.  We’re slowly building up our number of followers, and we’ve started to garner some business with it.

Aside from RTS and Westminster Bookstore, I’ve had trouble finding any other stores that actively use Twitter.  A whole bunch of publishers have started using it, like Zondervan and IVP.  But if you know of any seminary bookstores that do, please leave a comment with a link.  I’d appreciate it!

There is a book at the RTS Orlando Bookstore called Rural Evangelism: Catching the Vision. I haven’t read it yet, though I want to. The author’s intention is basically to help rural congregations avoid stagnation and decline by engaging in evangelism methods tailored to the rural context they find themselves in.

Christians in rural settings have some unique challenges that Christians in urban settings might not face. For example, most churches in rural areas belong to mainline denominations and are aging and dying (literally and spiritually). It is very difficult to find a gospel-centered church within a reasonable distance. Some of my extended family lives in very rural areas of southwestern Ontario and face this challenge.  Also, for those who are part of healthy churches in rural areas, it is very difficult to grow the church through evangelism because there is both a much smaller population to draw from and a steady decline in population as people migrate to the cities.

Though I haven’t read the book and don’t know of its worth, I’m glad to see that there is at least someone out there thinking through the challenges local churches in rural areas face. While there is good reason to focus on urban churches, as we do today, we need to make sure it doesn’t become an either/or. Rural areas may be becoming depopulated, but the need and the mission of the Church remains. Earlier, when I considered the call to pastoral ministry, I often imagined myself ministering in a rural setting. Still today, when driving through the countryside or even seeing a picture of a rural church building, the issue comes to mind.

Anyway, these were just a few thoughts I wanted to jot down. What do you think? Have you ever considered or engaged in ministry in a rural context?  What are the challenges and obstacles?

Confession

I have a confession to make. One year ago, I hated the concept of digital print media and swore I would never “cave-in” to the latest “trend” in books; i.e., Logos. My how times have changed! Over the course of this past year, I have come to see the upside and the stewardship that is Logos Bible Software. I have moved up from the Logos Scholars Library to the Logos Scholar’s Library: Gold and continue to be blown away by what an excellent resource I have at my fingertips.

Installation

The installation is very easy. However, remaining true to form, I found a way to make it difficult! Actually, the problem was not me or the software as much as it was the age of my computer. I tried to download the Gold edition from a DVD only to get stuck at about the 10 minute mark. I literally spent 2 hours on the phone with customer service going through every trouble shooting method they could think of only to be told that we I probably need the CD’s instead of the DVD.

Nevertheless, this is to your advantage for a couple of reasons. First, if your computer or laptop is more than a couple of years old, purchase the CD’s. They are the same cost as the DVD’s but will load much faster on an older computer than the DVD because of its multiple layers.

Second, customer service at Logos is truly second to none. In both instances (read my review on Scholar’s Library), they were patient and kind and extremely helpful. We got to joking around about the problem and was even able to share testimonies with one another while waiting for the program to run its checks.

Usability

I do not get into the technical jargon when it comes to the interfaces and what-not of a computer software program. I only want to know one thing. Can I simply download and begin using or do I need, as we called it in the military, a block of instruction?

I have found Logos to be one of the easiest Bible software programs to use without first sitting through a bunch of training videos. As soon as the software was downloaded to my computer, I was able to begin checking everything out with no problems. That is very important to me since I truly do not have the time to meticulously learn all of the features.

Now, I realize that a block of instruction will only help the user to become familiar with all the various components and features of Logos, but not everyone has time to sit through tutorial videos let alone attend a class on how to use a particular Bible software program. However, because I am writing a review, I “researched” the tutorials and found them to be extremely beneficial. You do not have to sit for hours on end to learn how to use this software. There are a ton of videos you can watch on an as needed basis in order to increase your information and decrease the time it takes to get that information.

Perhaps one of the greatest features is the ability to search your entire library for one subject, hit return, and see which of your books mention that subject. Imagine the time saved from going to your library or the Internet and looking up all the books!

Content

Ok, the main thrust of the Logos Scholar’s Library: Gold is that it is truly the most cost efficient way to build a quality library quickly. The Gold edition contains more than 700 titles—which includes sets of books so that a commentary set may contain 12 of those titles. Allow me to share the importance of this. I currently own about 2,000 books in my personal library. I have moved four times in the past four years. Obviously, my library was not always at 2,000—it has grown considerably in these past four years. Every time my family has moved, the first thing that had to be done was to pack up the books because they take up the most boxes and space. At one point, I had over 100 boxes of various sizes of books moving into a third floor apartment!

With that picture in your mind, imagine being able to carry 700 books in something as small as a compact disc but no bigger than a CPU. Next, think of how many bookshelves 700 books take up. I will give you a hint–think one decent sized wall. It is obvious to see how having digitized books can only help. This is not too mention how much your back will thank you let alone how much your spouse will thank you for giving her part of the house back!

Another nice feature is the ability to study the original languages and do some solid exegetical work before looking through all of those commentaries and other resources. For many, this is the most important function when it comes to making a choice regarding Bible software. Logos can easily stand toe-to-toe with any other software when it comes to diagramming and studying the original languages.

If you are going to work on a sermon, simply type in a passage and you bring up commentaries (turned to the exact pages you need), parallel passages, key words found in the passage, sermons from SermonCentral.com and even power point presentations (if any exist). You can also get a list of hymns and worship music that are based from the passage as well as a list of all of the topics that can be discussed. In other words, this could be your one-stop shop for your sermon preparation.

Counting the Cost

At a price of $1,379.95, this product will clearly set you back a nice chunk of money. But, before you freak out over the sticker price, you need to keep in mind a few things. First, Logos offers payment plans for their more expensive products. They are able to work with everyone to make their product as affordable as possible. Perhaps, you can’t afford to start with Gold, but you really want to work with the original languages. You can purchase their original languages library and begin to build your very own library from there.

Second, Logos offers generous discounts to any degree seeking student, faculty or staff member as well as various other discounts throughout the year. Also, Logos is offering Going to Seminary readers a generous 25% discount on any of the base packages by using the coupon code GOINGTOSEMINARY. This, in addition to the payment plan, brings the total for Gold, their absolute largest package, to just under $1,035.00—that is only $36.00 more than their silver library!

Third, the inclusion of just two commentary series, the New American Commentary and the New International Greek New Testament Commentary, practically pays for itself. What is more, you still have over 650 other resources! The bottom line is you are receiving over $11,700 worth of print books for about 90% of the price!

Finally, I have found that because I now have duplicated copies (in print and Logos), I am able to sell (or give away) my print editions. This also helps to offset the cost of software. Some books I want to keep in print and therefore I do. However, my resource books, like commentaries, sell nicely and have would have already made a couple of the monthly payments for me.

Storms, Sam. More Precious than Gold: 50 Daily Meditations on the Psalms. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009. 282 pp. $15.99.

Sam Storms, founder of Enjoying God Ministries, has become in recent years an instrument used by God to show us His glory through the discipline of meditating on Scripture. In this volume, Storms focuses in on the Book of Psalms. In the preface, he calls the Psalter the “first among equals” in regards to the 66 books of the Bible.

In the Psalter, you can find just about every emotion imaginable from anger to apathy and hatred to hurt. This is why the Book of Psalms is perhaps the most beloved book of the entire Bible (generally speaking) among Christians.

This book of 50 meditations is breaks down the five books found within the Book of Psalms into six parts—book one is split between parts one and two. Obviously, not every Psalm is used in this meditation. I assume that if they were, the book would be more than a one year meditation on Psalms.

Also, not every Psalm that is used is treated like one might think. For example, it would be easy to camp in Psalm 119 for an entire week or even part of the book. However, Storms only offers one day to the longest chapter in of any book found in the Bible. On the other hand, Psalm 1:1-3 receives two days.

Through all 50 meditations, Sam Storms offers one common thread—the glory of God experience through His word. If you have read his previous meditative works (The Hope of Glory and To the One Who Conquers, then I do not need to tell you that this book of meditations should be on your shelf. If you have never read any of the meditations by Sam Storms you have been missing out on one of the great meditative writers of our generation.

Fitzpatrick, Elyse M. Comforts from the Cross: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009. 146 pp. $14.99.

Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, head of Women Helping Women Ministries, holds a masters in biblical counseling from Trinity Theological School. She wrote this book of meditations in order to help us to truly celebrate the gospel each and every day for a month. This may seem silly, but if the truth were told, I bet more often than not Christians do not celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, I often fall into this category more than I care to admit.

Fitzpatrick has written a month’s worth of devotional material to help keep you focused on the most important matter in one’s life: the saving truth of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that is the gospel. In a style that I would describe as motherly, she sets out to show the centrality of the gospel and the joy found therein.

Brad Bigney, from his blurb on the back of the book, says, “The church today, particularly in America, has been languishing in selfish, impotent, shallow immaturity—barely able to survive, let alone thrive and make an impact on our culture.” Need I say more? This month long set of devotions will quicken your heart to love Christ for what He has done for you on the cross. In addition, you will be challenged—through your own joy in the gospel—to share it with others. If you struggle to find joy in the gospel, allow Elyse Fitzpatrick to help you. If you do not struggle, chances are you know someone who does; this book would make a perfect gift.

Barrs, Jerram. Through His Eyes: God’s Perspective on Women in the Bible. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009. 352 pp. $19.99.

With all the discussion today regarding a woman’s roll in the church and whether or not she is obligated to stay at home with the children, we often lose sight of her most important roll—the seed bearer of the Savior. Jerram Barrs, the founder of the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary, presents a biblical theology of how God views and treats women in the Bible.

He begins with Eve and ends with the church, the Bride of Christ. He discusses Sarah, who even though she laughed and doubted God, is the mother of all who believe. He shows how Naomi and Ruth were not only a picture of godliness but also of redemption. He shares the tragedy of Tamar and the delightful duty of Esther. He concludes the Old Testament study of women by looking at the Proverbs 31 woman.

In the New Testament, he describes Mary, Jesus’ mother, in all of her glory. (Yes, it is a glorious thing to be able to say you carried, birthed, and nursed the Savior of the world.) We get a description of the woman of Samaria at the well and how she was loved by God even though she was disgraced in her own land. He concludes with a look at the honor a woman has when she is married. To be called a bride is one thing, but to be called a bride in the context of the church offers quite a different understanding of what it means to be a bride.

What puts this book over the top for me, is the study questions at the end of each chapter.  These discussion questions offer a deep look into one’s heart regarding how one really views woman.  Even better, you are challenged upon the authority of Scripture to (in most cases) rethink your views on how God sees women.  This is true whether you are a man or a woman.  I could see this book being an awesome (I do not use this term lightly) tool for a women’s book study.

Barrs states from the outset that he is not going to discuss the restrictive passages that have been argued about for centuries (see 1 Cor. 11; 1 Cor. 14; and 1 Tim 2). He succeeds in doing just that. What Jerram Barrs has done is offered up a book that is a must read for every man and woman. This book will empower women to see themselves as God sees them and challenge men to treat women “as Christ loved the church.”