Terry Pruitt's Blog

I just finished reading the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. It took me over a year since I was obligated to read other versions and reading certain sections for classes I have been taking. I read all of 1 Samuel through Ecclesiastes twice. I have been reading a chapter in Hebrews one at a time as I go through translating it. One of my first observations is that it is not as smooth in style as the NIV. This is probably because the ESV is much more closely a word for word translation instead of a thought by thought translation. I have used the NIV as my primary translation for over 20 years so the switch my be rough based simply on what I am used to. While I feel the ESV is a reliable translation, there are passages, I'm not sure they got it right. I feel the same about the NIV, but neither are a bad translation. This issue is much more an observation from a student of the Bible rather than a criticism from a foe of either translation. One of the biggest benefi...

Yesterday after church I just hung out. I did nothing but watch TV. Funny thing, I had some weird dreams on issues that had been on my mind quite a bit. I'm guessing that I have been so busy that I just had not been able to process everything going on in my head and heart. God instituted the Sabbath to give us rest. I don't think I have the rest thing down yet, but I want to.

Worship, is it a drama? Is it singing a few songs and a lesson we call a sermon? Is worship about connecting with our emotions or with our intellect? Should the service be full of spontaneity or order? Should it be simple or ornate? What is the place of tradition? As I think through these issues I find myself drawn to diverse parts of traditions and innovations. I love to see the Word of God respected by having an Old Testament lesson, an New Testament lesson and a Psalm. If we read it responsively, that sounds good. But I enjoy innovation of bringing in drama teams and slide projection too. The article in Leadership Journal called Richer Blend written by Bob Kauflin tells a similar urge by the author to combine tradition and innovation. He comes from a charismatic church and so his challenge is to take a spontaneous style of worship and put some structure to it. I am not sure I am in the same place but I have gone to those sorts of churches. I believe my current challenge...

I am studying the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. One of the things that strikes me is the difference between the Wisdom Literature and the rest of the Old Testament. The Books of Moses tell us how God established his covenant with Abraham and then the children of Israel under Moses. The History Books tell use how the Children of Israel did at keeping the covenant. Largely that is a story of God's patience and Israel's seeking to become like the nations they were meant to displace. The Prophets were written to tell the children of Israel how God was going to respond. He sent the northern tribes off to Assyria in exile and the southern tribes to Babylon. The Wisdom Literature has less to do with covenants of God than the other sections. One can think of God establishing and responding to his covenant with his people as a the vertical relationship, with man below and God above. The Wisdom Literature has much more focus on the horizontal, earthly relationships. Th...

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, [1] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's [2] house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. [3] A Rest for the People of God 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefo...

The Idea of Hebrew Poetry By Terry L. Pruitt Introduction Americans dislike poetry, or at least claim that it is inaccessible. However, most parents do recite nursery rhymes to their children. Most children and parents seem to enjoy this ritual. While some of the words are crazy, like a cow jumping over the moon, few people find them inaccessible. Poets are not generally known to make a lot of money, however, when poetry is set to music it becomes a multi-billion dollar industry. Poetry is involved in the stables of these sections of the music industry: sheet music, radio stations, music recording CDs, DVDs of music videos, digital music such as iTunes and live concerts. The American culture does not care much about poetry for poetry sake but embraces poetry with outstretched arms and open wallets when presented with the right social context. In discussing poetry in the Bible, we may find ourselves lacking the right context to use as an excuse for embracing the literary form. ...

Reconciling two concepts or two facts that seem incompatible is common in most academic fields. The classic example in physics is reconciling the fact that light acts like a wave with the contrary fact that light also acts like a particle. Some scholars who study Old Testament (OT) literature however take the approach that ancient writers of the Scriptures used diverse sources and did not reconcile the sources even if they disagree significantly. With this approach, rather than attempting to see how or why two different accounts can be reasonably reconciled, the scholar assumes that one or both of the stories are not entirely true. The stories of Saul's death in 1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1 are two accounts that may be seen as either contradictory or as part of a cohesive single story. The most reasonable way to take the two stories of Saul's death is that the original author intended the audience to understand that the Amalekite was lying about having killed Saul. Some sc...

My wife turned me onto this site. They have MP3 down loads of Psalms chanted. I have only used the site today but I can already recommend it. The site belongs to the Lutheran Liturgical Brotherhood Page, but it is somewhat confusing what the page is called since the name on the title bar of the browswer does not match what is written on the page. So you may called it either "Old Testament Canticles and the Entire Psalter with Antiphons" or "Psalm Tones" . Anther site that gives resources to learn to sing the Psalms from a different approach is called "Psalm Singing - Metrical Psalters and Tunes to Sing Psalms" or again double titled "Psalters" . The first website approaches the Psalms as sung by chanting while the second approaches it by putting the Psalm in the form of a hymn tune. My first exposure to singing Scripture was to sing it as a praise and worship song. So guitars and youth leaders singing Psalm 100 was my first exposure to sing...

Ever notice that a lot of what we read in the Christian media is really about Christian subculture. We do need to know about the rift in the Episcopal church and how churches are using technology. On the other hand, these sorts of topics have replaced real thinking on how we apply the principles taught in the Scripture with dialog about religious trends. Have you noticed that some in the church are really talking about using software marketing style communication. While we should not be against things based on the style, it is often more about style and less about substance. We can be assured there are many blessed exceptions to this rule, but we should be wary of those who seek to tickle our ears for either to benefit their ego or their pocket book. Of course, anything truth discussed with actual substance should transcend style. Use any style of communication that does not alter the message or distract from the message. Where are all our blogs discussing the application of Ro...

Most of us has been jealous at one time or another. If you are reading this blog, that means you have been here on this sod long enough to experience it. A new insight for me from Romans 10:19, " But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, 'I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry'.” (ESV) While jealousy is not a positive attitude, in fact it can be one of the most negative ones, God says he is using it to shape those who are his people. While the Christian must be careful not to sanctify his sin, here is an intriguing concept, God can use my most negative attitudes to draw me to godliness. I can see the godliness and success of others, let that make me jealous, and then I pursue God according to his program of grace and faith and leave my own system of merit on the floor.

Linking to an article on Collide Magazine's website. The discussion is whether the Contemporary Christian Music industry will be viable in the future. It is a good discussion. I always wonder why our best musicians are not focusing on being worship leaders instead of performers. Well, maybe they are. There are a lot of different model of how to have a career in music. A minister of music is different than a worship leader in my book. The worship leader focuses on leading a band that leads the congregation in worship. The music minister coordinates music groups that perform at the church during worship. How do you do church music right? Is a successful music program at a church mean that everyone listens to the most popular music on Christian radio and then imitate those performers in various degrees of proficiency? I'm quoting enough of Collide's article to get you started and a link to finish it out. PREDICTIONS Before we go much further, let’s establish what Ch...

My internship with the presbytery was completed last Saturday. The feeling is happiness. I don't see it as an achievement so much as I got through it. I'm free of the nagging thought that I need to get more done. I have learned about my own limitations, and some strengths that I did not know I had. Coming face to face with these has not been pleasant since my weaknesses loom larger than my strengths in my thoughts and feelings. Some of the information that I needed to hear, I think I was not ready to hear so it took time. That is why God waited to let me know. Perhaps he was telling me all a long but I just was not hearing it. "But we know that God works all things for good to those who love God, to those called according to his purpose."

The problem of evil is not one that is easily solved by the Christian apologist. The blog post is intended to spur on further thinking but does not pretend to solve the problem. Posing the "problem of evil" is not mortal wound to Christian faith, but is a common element that contributes to individual Christians to lose their faith. Rather than hide our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich, Christians should deal with the issue forthright. In some sense the question is really not about simply the "question of evil" but how does one define evil and describe suffering as it corresponds with our world. What is Evil and What is the Nature of Suffering? It is somewhat amusing that Christians from the suburbs who live a relatively safe and prosperous life are the same ones who are bothered the most by the "question of evil". There is an expectation that God of the Bible is also the one who should promise the good life. Christians from these suburb...

Some translations interpret the Greek work σαρκος as being the sin nature. However, my Greek professor Dr. Eager says this is the word just meaning "human effort". It really changes what is meant in Romans 8:1-8. Here is the ESV rightly just translates it as flesh, but simply think flesh as human effort. Life in the Spirit 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6...

Yesterday we talked about people sowing in an organizational church hoping for heavenly rewards. A common experience in life is expectations to be unmet. Because one expects something does not mean it is right, realistic or even agreed upon but all parties. A lot of relationships have unspoken expectations and it can be a source of conflict. Jacob had his wages changed. He worked for seven years expecting to marry the love of his life only to be given her sister in marriage. He also had his wages changed several times after that. Many people who are disillusioned with the organizational church are so because of expectations not being met. Their wages are changed. They expected peace, joy, hope, respect, love, or meaning. What they received was membership, responsibility, obligations, trials, and pain. Of course many experience both because of the earthly and heavenly natures of the church. Disillusionment need not be the end story.

Steve Brown mentioned on his podcast that his Christian parachurch organization will die some day but the church is eternal. He said that Intervarsity, Campus Crusade for Christ, and many fine Christian colleges will die, but the church will live eternally. I agree with him. The church will be around for eternity, but I don't think this inflatable church building will be eternal. Neither will the national cathedral. (By the way, the Darth Gargoyle is from the National Cathedral. ) Most of you will say yes the people are the church and not the building. I would have you consider, that yes the people are the church, but not the denomination. Not the denomination, but neither is the local church government as a human institution. The church is a spiritual corporate body. People who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God all share a common experience of getting what we do NOT deserve, we all share in being a part of the family of God, we all share the indwelling Holy Sp...

Reading is both a pleasure and a time consuming chore for me these days. I have much to read for seminary but that leaves less time to read what I want. I guess the next big book I am hearing about is The Shack . I read both good and bad reviews on it. On the warning away from the book there is this one in By Faith Online . Then Suburban Christian who is a Ph.D. student work veteran of the Christian publishing industry gives a positive review. Neither one feels the author is completely orthodox but the author may be dealing with other issue. I would love to hear other people's opinions.

I remember when I was about 10 year old asking a Sunday School teacher if "Thou Shalt Not Kill" meant animals. She said she did not know. I also remember very clearly someone telling me about the veil between the main section of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Holy of Holies. The teacher said that people tried to break that veil using oxen and other animals so they could know God. The seperation between the God and man was broken when Jesus died on the cross; there was an earth quake that broke that curtain giving mankind access to God I also remember a Vacation Bible School lesson how each one of us is unique and we are not a number. I did not get it. I was being raised in a rural farm community and computers were a novelty, not a force for making the world impersonal to me. Here are three clear communications from a good church with good teachers that simply missed the mark in Bible interpretation, missed the mark on the facts of the Bible and missed the mark on app...

Another in my series on reviewing churches. The Reformed Church of Canberra is a gem. Perhaps in some ways one of the most friendly churches I have ever visited. I ask for the bus number that runs close to their church, they volunteer to have someone pick me up. I come as a visitor, they treat me like an honored guest. I come as a stranger not knowing anyone, I am celebrated as a brother in Christ from a far away land. After church meals are a big part of church life at the Reformed Church of Canberra, at least that is what it seemed to me. I was invited to the home of a warm couple in the church who also invited a family seven to their table. The conversation was lively and diverse. I can't say enough about the hospitality of the church, on a scale of 1 t0 10 with 10 being the best, they are a 10 on hospitality. Pastor Peter led the worship service and preached in a compelling fashion. There was not a disconnect between the music and preaching, instead this was a worship...