Recently on Twitter, a Ph.D. student at a Southern Baptist seminary threw shade at Voddie Baucham’s upcoming book Fault Lines for many flaws such as “commitment to innuendo,” riling up a “populist mob,” and lacking integrity. He went so far as to criticize Baucham and his publisher for misspelling J.D. Greear’s name and “linking to […]
2 Peter 1 in the Legacy Standard Bible
With the full text of the LSB New Testament now available, we have an opportunity for the first time to look through how the translation handles one of the catholic (general) epistles. I’ve sought to explain every change in 2 Peter 1 in this post. LSB NASB 1995 head Growth in Christian Virtue Precious and […]
Extrabiblical Revelation: Being Chained to the Ocean Floor (repost)
Here’s a repost from August of 2018, back in the infancy of Things Above Us, that we think might encourage you today. Here in the DFW area, much has been made lately concerning Matt Chandler of The Village Church having encouraged his congregation(s) to seek extrabiblical revelation in the form of visual images. I thought […]
Accordance-fu(n) with the Legacy Standard Bible
This post is edited from its original version. See comment from Rick Mansfield below. The Legacy Standard Bible app for iOS and Android is out, but it’s not exactly a standalone app. It’s really a repackaged version of Accordance 13. If you’ve already purchased Accordance, you can go to their web page and “purchase” the […]
Manga Messiah (children’s book review)
Manga Messiah is the first to be published in a series of manga books that covers the narrative biblical canon. Manga Messiah in particular is a harmonization of the Gospels, starting with the birth story in Luke and ending with Acts 1:8, John 20:30; 21:25. The other books in the series are Manga Mutiny, Manga Melech (“king” […]
The Church History ABCs (children’s book review)
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters—men and women from across the centuries and from all over the globe—reflects the breadth of […]
Psalm 46 in the LSB vs. NASB 1995
Last week, Three Sixteen Publishing posted the text of Psalm 46 in the Legacy Standard Bible. As we did with Psalm 37 earlier, here’s a verse-by-verse comparison with its NASB 1995 predecessor. I’ve also added some small commentary below. LSB NASB 1995 0 God Is Our Refuge and Strength For the choir director. | Of […]
Psalm 37 in the LSB vs. NASB 1995
The LSB website recently posted its translation of Psalm 37. I’ve typed it out here and marked differences with its NASB 1995 basis. LSB NASB 1995 1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward doers of unrighteousness. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will […]
Soul (movie review)
Though originally intended for theatrical release, Disney/Pixar’s Soul was released on Disney+ on Christmas last year given the present pandemic. Christians may rightly already be skeptical just by virtue of the film’s title and its dealing with souls. Weird metaphysics are to be expected, but there’s also a skewed sense of justice that’s worth examining […]
Philippians in the Legacy Standard Bible: Instances of “Think”
In case you’ve been hiding under the sky☘, a team from The Master’s University and Seminary is working on the Legacy Standard Bible, an update to the much-beloved NASB 1995. They recently released a PDF containing the entire text of Philippians, and I’ve made the time to note all of the differences from its predecessor. […]
Justification, Mercy, and Propitiation
I should probably get back to working on the book manuscript I wrote. Back in May, I posted an excerpt called “The Need for Justification.” This is the portion that follows. Just and Merciful But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God (being testified by the Law and the Prophets) has been made […]
Socially Responsible Investing Choices, part 3 — Conscience, China, and Putting it Together
In part 1 of this series, I discussed the concept of ESG investing from a secular standpoint and evaluated the screening of GuideStone Funds, the Southern Baptist Convention financial services arm. In part 2, I evaluated three more Christian providers of investment funds and discussed the dollar value of ESG investing. Here in part 3, […]
Socially Responsible Investing Choices, part 2 — More Alternatives and Dollar Value
In part 1, we discussed secular “ESG” investing choices and did an overview of GuideStone’s negative investment screening. In this post, we’ll look at some firms that claim positive screening and consider whether these are worthwhile for the individual investor. We’ll then consider the costs of such fund choices and whether they are worth their fees. […]
Socially Responsible Investing Choices, part 1 — Secular “ESG” and GuideStone Funds
Every so often, the advertisements on my social media feeds become heavily saturated with “socially responsible” or “ESG” investing products. There are also get plenty of “non-responsible” investing products and perhaps even a few overtly “sinful” investing products such as VICE (alcohol, tobacco, gambling, etc.) and TOKE (cannabis!). Lots of us are going to be […]
LSB, NASB 2020, NASB 1995: Three-Way Comparisons in Psalm 65 and Mark 4
With the recent release of the LSB text of Psalm 65, we now have an opportunity to examine the LSB’s handling of an Old Testament passage in addition to the earlier release of the entire Gospel of Mark. Psalm 65 Within Psalm 65, a line-by-line glance through the highlights reveals that only a handful of […]
Legacy Standard Bible Gospel of Mark: Initial Observations
Wake up and smell the coffee. Wait, does John MacArthur drink coffee? Wake up and smell the…uh…Postum? Are the rest of you drinking Postum? There’s a new Bible translation coming, and it’s looking really promising. Unfortunately, the only major engagement the Legacy Standard Bible is getting from social media is from King James onlyists. Can we […]
NASB 2020 Review, Part 2 — Direct Comparisons in John, Hebrews, and Psalms
In part 1 of this NASB 2020 review, I dove a bit into major passages concerning gender, the Greek term doulos (slave), and the Hebrew term hesed, which is mostly translated as “lovingkindness” in the NASB 1995. In the time between part 1 and now, my wife gave birth to our fourth child (hence the delay) and the […]
NASB 2020 Review (and GIVEAWAY!), part 1 — Gender, Slaves, and Lovingkindness
I now have two copies of the recently released NASB 2020. I’ll give you a short preview of the physical editions, and then we’ll dig into the translation. The Lockman Foundation is selling two primary offerings: the Large Print Ultrathin edition and the Giant Print edition. I initially made the mistake of ordering the Giant […]
Book Review — The Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn Schiess
Think for a moment upon the things that have influenced your politics and the things that influence your politics in your daily and weekly routine. You read The New York Times every morning over breakfast and shriek with joy at the latest column from Maureen Dowd. Over lunch, you read Christianity Today. After dinner, you […]
What Can the Church Learn From the Pop Culture Woke War?
Lately, I’ve taken a strange liking to some commentators who decry the ever-increasing wokeness of popular art. They believe that this wokeness is destroying longstanding entertainment franchises and even the comic book industry as a whole. As it turns out, worldview-concerned Christians with young children aren’t the only ones noticing and speaking out. Scripture is sufficient for us to respond as the church within our own walls, but I believe what we’re seeing in popular art provides a helpful cautionary tale.