Check out the new book reviews at The Booked Blog.

Gospel Coalition

The Gospel Coalition website is now up and running. Peep it.

Sermon Jams

Here is a great idea: Take sermons by John Piper, Alistair Begg, Ravi Zacharias and more, and back them with a nice beat for some easy listening. Check it out here.

Major Book Sale

Next Wednesday (6/27) and Thursday (6/28), the online Desiring God bookstore is selling every book they have for $5, no limits. I love those folks. Take advantage!

Piper Conference and Carson on the Gospel

Registration for the 2007 Desiring God National Conference is now open. It is called 'Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints.' The speakers are John Piper, John MacArthur, Randy Alcorn, Jerry Bridges, and Helen Roseveare. I can't make it but I am sure this will be a great conference. These men have remained faithful to Christ with unswerving commitment to his Word for the entirety of their ministries. All too many compromise with age, as this poor example from Mr. Graham shows (video starts at 1:18). Here is John Piper's invitation.

Also, the Resurgence has posted Don Carson's first sermon from the Gospel Coalition conference.

King Jesus

T.D. Alexander has written a very helpful little book (168 pp) called 'The Servant King' which traces the development of the portrait of the Messiah through the Old and New Testaments. He begins in Genesis 3 where God promises that he will bruise the serpent's head through the woman's seed. He traces the seed (family line) through Genesis. Adam starts as God's image (representative who is to have dominion) tracing through to Seth, to Noah (a new Adam) to Abraham to Judah to Perez. The book of Genesis anticipates a future king from the line of Judah, establishing a monarchy through whom the nations will be blessed. God is faithful to preserve this seed, the royal dynasty which come to fulfillment partially in David, the son of Jesse. The promise of a Davidic dynasty runs through the rest of the Old Testament. There is much anticipation, as Israel awaits the righteous king through whom God will bless the nations. It is incredibly significant that the book of Matthew begins with "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Genealogies are incredibly significant. Matthew seeks to show that this Christ (not Jesus' last name, but 'Anointed One') is the king that Israel has been waiting for, the last Adam and true seed of Abraham and David's greater Son. The kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus! All authority has been given to him, and we owe him our allegiance. What a beautiful picture. Alexander's book is simple, but filled with biblical insight.

For additional studies in Biblical Theology, see Goldsworthy's 'Gospel and Kingdom', Roberts' 'God's Big Picture', Goheen's 'The Drama of Scripture', and Dempster's 'Dominion and Dynasty. or this list of helpful books.'

Piper on Justification

Piper has finished his response to N.T. Wright, and the book should be published around November. I am anxious to read this one, as I am curious as to what's so dangerous about Wright's theology (post-Barnett). Here is an edifying excerpt. I was excited to read the emphasis on union with Christ.

Summer Reading

Friday, I finished my Intro to Missiology J-term so now I get to move on to some reading of my own. I am pretty stoked. My list is pretty ambitious but I am off to a good start and if I don't make it, oh well. Here's the plan:

Priority:

[Finish] Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen

[Finish] The Gospel of the Kingdom by G.E. Ladd

The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God by John Frame

When the Kings Come Marching In by Richard Mouw

The Servant King by T.D. Alexander

Van Til's Apologetic by Greg Bahnsen

The Mission of God by Christopher Wright

Creation Regained by Al Wolters

If the Lord wills:

What Saint Paul Really Said by N.T. Wright

Looking at Philosophy by Donald Palmer

The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright

[Not Shown] God's Saving Righteousness by Michael F. Bird

Keep an eye on the Booked Blog.

Douglas Wilson Debate

I am a fan of Douglas Wilson, at least his stuff on marriage and Calvinism (although he did make me feel like less of a man because I don't have a beard in his book 'Federal Husband'). I don't agree with much else probably, but he is a great writer. I am especially eager about reading his book on satire and its biblical justification. Christianity Today recently hosted a brief 6 part debate between Wilson and Christopher Hitchens over the topic "Is Christianity Good for the World?". You can check it out here. Here are a couple of excerpts:

"First, the confusions. The point of citing Psalm 14:1 was not to infer that I thought you were "dumb." In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, folly is a moral question, not a matter of intelligence. I am quite prepared to cheerfully grant (and not for the sake of the argument) that you are my intellectual superior. But our discussion is not about who has more horsepower under his intellectual hood—the point of discussion is whether your superior car is on the right road. A fast car can be a real detriment on a dark night when the bridge is out. And you insist on continuing to wear the sunglasses of atheism."

"Actually, I believe I can present evidence for what I know. But evidence comes to us like food, and that is why we say grace over it. And we are supposed to eat it, not push it around on the plate—and if we don't give thanks, it never tastes right. But here is some evidence for you, in no particular order. The engineering that went into ankles. The taste of beer. That Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, just like he said. A woman's neck. Bees fooling around in the flower bed. The ability of acorns to manufacture enormous oaks out of stuff they find in the air and dirt. Forgiveness of sin. Storms out of the North, the kind with lightning. Joyous laughter (diaphragm spasms to the atheistic materialist). The ocean at night with a full moon. Delta blues. The peacock that lives in my yard. Sunrise, in color. Baptizing babies. The pleasure of sneezing. Eye contact. Having your feet removed from the miry clay, and established forever on the rock. You may say none of this tastes right to you. But suppose you were to bow your head and say grace over all of it. Try it that way."

One Year

Today Alicia and I celebrate a year. She has been phenomenal, amazing me everyday with her selfless love and Christ-likeness. We have grown so much this year, and are continuing to strive to keep the gospel at the center of our marriage. I still rejoice to say, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord!"

Art & Animals in the Ville

Today, I took Alicia to Glassworks, the 21C Museum, and the zoo. All three are worth checking out if you are in the area. You can take a Glassworks tour for $4 (I think) where they do some crazy stuff with glass. We are not much into art, but still enjoy museums occasionally. We mostly mock what passes for art in postmodernity. Its no longer who has the most talent, but who can be the most clever, or just plain sick. The zoo has lots of babies this year, and the gorillas seemed to be overly aggressive. We just happened to show up during the feeding of the green mamba (pics here). The photos below are at the 21C of Alicia and text rain and me with a shy rabbit. I think he had a previous encounter with Plevan (only those who have lived with Plev will appreciate that).

Peep the Booked Blog with new reviews by me, D, and Plev.