by Joel V Webb | Nov 20, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they
received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see if these teachings were true. – Acts 17:11 (BSB)
I talked about Bible translations in a post a while ago, and highlighted how we have more translations than ever. Our age is blessed with a variety of translations that cover the spectrum of exact word-for-word (ESV,NASB,NRSV), that get the exact language of the original text. We also have more thought-for-thought translations that seek to grasp the expressions of the text, and what was meant to be said, rather than just the exact words (NIV, CSB), and then paraphrases that are more of a restatement of the text to bring it up to modern vernacular and expression (NLT, TLB, MSG). No one translation is perfect, and the best translation is the one that you will actually read. The exception to this statement is “The Passion Translation” which is problematic on many levels, and I warn anyone from using it as the sourcing of the translation is frankly heretical and dangerous.
So what is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), and why another Bible translation?
One of the facts that many people don’t know is the amount of copyright that surrounds most Bible translations. Most major Christian publishing houses are owned by larger, usually non-christian investment business’ and often hold the copyright to certain Bible translations. These copyrights limit the usage and means of Bible translations in published works, that may in some cases require royalty payments to the holder of said copyright. For more of a deep-dive on this read this article from SellingJesus.org.
This is where the Berean Bible translation enters the picture. From the outset the goal was to make a readable translation that is a cross between the KJV (a literal translation), and the NIV (a more thought-for-thought translation), which still remaining faithful to the original languages, and readable to a modern audience. All of this while remaining completely open-source in it’s ownership, allowing for anyone to use it for free without any cost of licensing.
Over the last year I have starting utilizing the BSB more regularly as apart of the translations I use. And as of November 2024, it is my primary Bible translation. I still use the NIV, NLT, NET & the NRSV for deep study. But for my daily reading & preaching, I will be utilizing the BSB.
On my weekly podcast The Pastor’s Call Podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Hill who was one of the primary scholars who worked on the BSB. You can listen to his interview HERE and find our more about the origins, purpose and intent of the translation. As part of interviewing him I was blessed to receive physical review copy of the BSB. It is a beautiful real-leather bible, that is of excellent quality. They use a thicker paper (39 gsm), which makes the experience of using it very tactile and satisfying. The layout is different than what I have seen in other Bibles, and I have appreciated how readable it is. For an intro and more info on bible build terminology, check out this fantastic video HERE. I feel that I will be able to use this Bible for my lifetime and hand it down to my kids. Very high quality.
But it doesn’t stop at the physical Bibles you can purchase. One their website you can download the entire Bible in Word, PDF, Kindle, excel, audio and other digital formats for anything you might use a Bible for! This is a huge help to integrating this Bible translation into the various Church tech that I use. This is unparalleled for a Bible translation to offer this completely for FREE!
All of this being said, I recommend at least checking out the BSB. What they are offering is a quality Bible translation that is easily accessible to everyone, with no cast barriers, especially in the digital realm.
You can find out more about the BSB, and shop for physical Bibles from them at bereanbibles.com
by Joel V Webb | Nov 15, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
A key theme in the literary genre of fantasy fiction is that of enchantment, or being enchanted. It usually has a magical overtone by which someone or something is imbued with special power or qualities that makes them stand out from everything else around them. Almost every magical story has an enchanted forest where the magical, mythological and fanciful creatures reside, and the protagonist usually has to go in order to continue their quest intentionally or by circumstance. It is in these places that is separated by the hum drum of the world around them, and their eyes are open to what is really going on. This is exemplified in the story of Prince Caspian, written by C.S. Lewis. Caspian enters the “dark forest” where we encounters the truth of the creatures of Narnia, and his true purpose is given to him to free the true Narnians from the oppression surrounding them. Caspian’s imagination is enchanted with what is really going on, and he can move forward in clarity to whatever is next, and into his true calling.
We live in a world that has lost all of its enchantment. Materialism, secularism and modernism have stamped out our ability to have almost any imagination. We are only concerned with what is physically in front of us..and outside of that anything doesn’t have much importance. Sure, we make ascent to the existence of a spiritual world that exists, but there is no real practical application to how we live our day to day lives.
A friend of mine put it this way. “We have made a fasutian bargain with technology. We know everything about the physical world, but we have lost the sense and knowledge of our spiritual selves, which makes us human.” I love technology & science. We have all been blessed by the wisdom that God has given humanity to understand the creation, and from that to harness it for the betterment of human living. But in that we have forgotten the truth of the spiritual world. We live as if our Christian faith is an add-on to our lives, that is part of what we do, rather than understanding that our faith is the understanding of everything.
Just as Prince Caspian experienced, we all need to take a little stroll into the enchanted forest, to have our eyes opened to what is really going on. We live in a world, that while made up of physical things, is really a world of spiritual beings and realities that interact via a physical reality. Our imaginations need to be re-enchanted with the worldview of Scripture, to see beyond the near-sighted reality of material existence, and understand that there is more.
But how can we do this? What can pull us out of our material slumber, and enable us to see the light that is above the low clouds of secularism?
One thing that I have found amazingly helpful is the Lord’s Prayer. While often spoken of as just a pattern on how to pray, this prayer is really a deeply Scriptural and theologically rich prayer that realigns our imagination and vision to how Christ desires His people to see the world around us. In this prayer we begin to see and understand that while stuff is going on around us, our call as followers of ‘The Way’ is to subvert our normal human reaction, and to work in a way that points to Christ’s Kingdom that is in, but not of this world. More of this concept can be explored in the book “Liturgy in the Wilderness” by D.J. Marotta.
This is just a small first step, but the first step is usually the biggest one. Christ calls us to look at the world around us in a different way. Not just as a place that exists with power dynamics and limited opportunities for redemption. But rather as a place that is the field of battle of epic proportions of powerful spiritual forces desiring us to image themselves, rather than the Creator of all things. There isn’t a demon under every lampshade, but there are demonic forces that try often to divert us away from our true calling. And in that same thought there are angels that seek to aid us in keeping us true to the One True King, Jesus.
It might sound crazy. But this is the real world that we live in. So let’s take a jaunt into the enchanted forest and begin to see what is really going on.
Further up, and further in.
by Joel V Webb | Nov 13, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
What do you do when everything that you know starts to fall apart?
The reality of this is that it really shows you what your faith is built on.
This question, and the reality of the last statement is really the crux of everything going with the deconstruction movement, especially in my generation. This has really been the fruit of a generation that was brought up, with their faith being built on a shallow foundation of feel good Bible stories, some rules akin to “don’t drink or chew, or go with girls who do”, and a general principle of any difficult questions will be answered at a later time, but then they never really get around to it.
What this mentality has bred is a generation of people who have a deep desire to know truth, and to see justice exacted in the world. But then when the real tough questions have been posed, cracks begin to appear, and what seemed so sure before can’t really withstand the nuance of reality.
This problem is not an intentional thing. In many ways I grew up in a context and tradition that held to this line in certain ways. There was a pathological need for certainty, and every single thing could be answered within one of the books that was published and sold by the organization.
But what eventually happens as it does in any context is you either double down and blind yourself to the problems, or you question everything.
And it is in this place of questioning everything that the foundation of your faith is really shown. Despite many problems that I had in my own life, there was still something there that was grounded in Christ. And as all the junk began to wither and fall away, there was still an anchor to the truth that held me. Not everything from my tradition growing up was problematic. There was a high view of God’s word, and a desire to know and understand it. This has served me well through my life and will for the rest of it, thank God. But other elements of my tradition growing up isn’t good, and I have had to deconstruct those things that were unhealthy, and rebuild based off of the teaching of the apostles and prophets.
So no matter where we are in life, there is always something that needs to crumble. When that happens it really shows what our life and faith is built on. Even from the most toxic of places, a faith grounded in Christ will survive the deconstruction to be rebuilt into the image of Him. But if not, the crumbling will wash away into dust and nothing will remain.
So remain in Christ. Even through the issues and problem of broken humanity, ensure you are grounded on Him. And as things shift and change, you will not be moved, but remade into His glorious image.
by Joel V Webb | Nov 5, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
Why does God judge?
How could a God who is love possibly judge? Can these be reconciled? There are many in the Christian landscape who do not think so, and thus deny a key characteristic of God, His justice.
So what is judgment, what is it’s purpose, and how can these two seemingly opposed sides of justice and love be reconciled?
Part of what the issue is in my mind is a misunderstanding of what the word love is defined as. Our modern world often looks at the concept of love and reduces it down to a feeling. You know, the fluttering in our stomachs when someone flirts with us. The word love is thrown around without any grounding definition, which has led to absurdities like signs saying “love is love”. You cannot define a word by itself, and without an actual meaning then in reality nothing is being said.
Fundamentally the word we say as love can be rightly defined as “willing or intending the best for the other.” This means that even hard or difficult things that seem not nice, if it is in the best interest of the other can fall under the roof of love. Not many people like going to the dentist, especially kids. But it is for their best that they need to go and get checked out. They may not like it, but it is what is best for them, and because their parents love them, they make them go, even if they protest.
Is it any different for God?
God loves each and every single person. He died on the cross for you to have restored relationship with Him, and freedom from sin. That is how much He loves you!
This also means that there are times where hard and difficult things must happen. But those things are not because He does not love us. Rather they are because He loves us they need to happen.
All of the sin, evil and bad things that happen ultimately can be seen as things that are to lead us to repentance. Be that saving faith in Christ, or as things that refine us to become more like Him. Everything we can think of can be encompassed in this reality. Be it the personal evil of an individual, or natural disasters. All of these things are the result of a broken creation in need of redemption, and ultimately God uses them to point us to Him. To show us our need to utterly rely on Him.
So when it comes to judgment, God’s purpose is always love. He’s not an angry God sitting up in the sky with a giant hammer playing a game of cosmic wack-a-mole. Instead, He is a God who loves us dearly, and while the suffering of the judgments and trials we face in this life suck, they are for our repentance. To know Him, and know Him more.
There is no conflict with a God of perfect love, who also judges. It’s just an issue of our perspective.
by Joel V Webb | Oct 31, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
Happy Reformation Day!
Today marks the celebration of the day that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses, which while not desired by Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation.
During his time there were legitimate abuses and problems in the institution of the western church that necessitated reform. From abusive sale of indulgences to priests openly living with concubines. Luther wished to open debate on topics surrounding the sale of indulgences, which kicked off a firestorm of overreaction. While we have mythologized the story of Luther in many ways, the kick off to the reformation was pretty innocuous. He wanted to start a theological discussion surrounding these topics, but the ante kept getting kicked up until a Papal bull anathematizing Luther kicked him out of the church and boom, proto-Lutheranism is born.
But are there downsides to what took place in the Reformation? Unequivocally yes. Since the reformation there have sadly been many departures from orthodox Christian teaching. One of the earliest examples of this during this period would be Zwingli and his downgrading on the view of what the Eucharist is, and whether Christ is present in some way shape or form in it. As someone in the Methodist tradition I hold to a form of real presence where we are partaking of Christ in faith through the bread & wine, and by it we are strengthened by Christ for the Christian life. Sadly the Zwinglian view has infected much of the Protestant church where the sacraments are seen as ordinances, and are just sings of something.
Another unfortunate fruit that has come in certain circles of the Reformation is a tacit rejection of anything that smacks of “tradition”. Often our imaginations for how to be a Christian often only go back so far (maybe the last 50-200 years), but anything beyond that might not be helpful. The problem with this is that when we fail to look to the saints whom shoulders we are standing on, we end up tripping over the same things others during their time did. So many heresies and heterodoxies have cropped back up in the past 150 years that are just rehashed 1st-5th century heresies. But because much of our theological imagination doesn’t go back far, we may fail to see what led to the issue, and even how to deal with it. The patristics (early church fathers) are a wealth of wisdom in spiritual and theological matters. As someone in the Methodist tradition we can look to the Wesleyan quadrilateral where Scripture, Reason, Tradition & Experience help form a consensus, with Scripture as the infallible authority over the other three. Thomas Oden, who was the tip of the spear in something called paleo-orthodoxy calls us to look to the writings of the early church to help guide us. We must walk into the future looking back.
These are top two of the excesses of the reformation that come to my mind. Every movement has it’s problems because we are fallen humans. But I don’t say all of this to downplay the reasons why the reformation needed to happen. While institutions are necessary & important, but they can at times overgrow their bounds and become what hinders the mission of the Gospel if not put back into alignment. And this certainly was the case in my mind when I think of the big picture of what the 16th century church in Europe looked like.
Christ makes it very clear in the Sermon on the Mount, and in other parts of the Gospel that His Kingdom will not look like what we think it will. I do believe that the Church is both visible and invisible. Visible that we can visibly see the buildings, institutions, and people that make it up. Yet also invisible that while there may seem to be many organizations or denominations, those whom partake in the classical Christian consensus of orthodoxy make up the entirety of the Kingdom of God.
So despite some of the problems, I’m happy the reformation happened, and that I am apart of it. The Church must always be focused on Christ, and the spreading of the Gospel. I look forward to doing that with my other Protestant, Roman & Orthodox brothers & sisters as we participate in building God’s Kingdom on earth, waiting to be a people who will welcome the physical arrival of their King.
by Joel V Webb | Oct 18, 2024 | Orthodoxy Matters
We all know that shifting uncomfortable feeling when someone in the
room goes just a bit too far with a joke. That moment of silence when
the tension can be cut with knife, and everyone is darting their eyes
around, looking for some kinds of out.
If there’s one part of the Bible that makes most evangelical
Christians uncomfortable its the imprecatory psalms in the book of
Psalms. To imprecate means to invoke judgment, calamity, or curses on
ones enemy. And sometimes the language can be really stark. An
example of this is Ps. 69:24, “Pour out your wrath on them; let
your fierce anger overtake them.” Wow, that seems pretty harsh for
a God of love!.
This is where we
really need to be careful. A knee-jerk reaction may be to say, “Well,
the God of the Old Testament is just like that, the one we see in the
Gospels is different!” That understanding is Marcionism, which was
a heresy in the early church that has been dealt with. God is the
same, yesterday, today and forever.
So how do we
reconcile or understand this?
One of the issues
that really flattens how we seek to understand Scripture is our
understanding of the spiritual world, and the realities of the
spiritual realm. Most of us don’t know, but many Christians have
imbibed more materialism into our worldviews than we think, even
those in the Charismatic movement. Through Scripture and tradition we
know that there is a lot more going on in the spiritual world than we
give credit for. But when we take that into account, things really
come into focus.
(For an introduction
into the entire area of Biblical studies and theology I highly
recommend Supernatural by
Michael Heiser, and The Lord of Spirits by
Andrew Damick as primers into understanding what goes on in the
spiritual world.)
Once
our spiritual landscape is more fleshed out then we begin to see what
these imprecatory psalms are speaking to. The writer of the Psalms is
not necessarily look to God to strike down his natural enemies (maybe
we can read it that way). They are instead asking for the one true
God to give them victory of the spiritual powers and authorities over
pagan nations that they are facing against.
While
yes God does command the destruction of humans when wickedness is
full (i.e. the flood, the conquest of the Promised Land), there is
always a strong influence of what we can only call demonic activity
that is going on, that has corrupted humanity into doing great evil.
These demonic forces have redirected worship that is due to the true
God, and instead take it for themselves, having the people under them
commit horrid acts.
It
is against these spiritual foes, pagan demonic forces that are coming
against God’s people, seeking to destroy them, or mix them up in
what everyone else is doing.
This
theme continues on through to the New Testament. The Apostle Paul
speaks of our weapons not being natural and physical, but instead
spiritual that can tear down strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4).
So
what does this mean for us today? The people “out there” that we
think are our enemies really aren’t. Those who are not followers of
Christ are not just misguided or lost. They are slaves of demonic
forces that are desiring nothing but the destruction of humanity
because we are image bearers of God. No matter how vile or horrid
they seem, they are ultimately lost and in need of the thing all of
us are in need of. Christ, the savior and King to free them from
death, and their slavery of sin, to become part of His Kingdom and
join the fight in conquering the world with the Gospel.
As
we do that, keeping singing these Psalms, asking Christ to strengthen
you in the fight against the spiritual powers and forces that are
holding those you love captive. And do not fear, love as won! Hell
has been harrowed, and the enemy is in retreat.
Aslan
is on the move.
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