I had a very helpful visit with Dr. Gordon Brown, director of the Ed.D.  program and we were able to discuss various aspects of the schedule, classes, my transcripts, etc.  The campus is beautiful, spacious and well maintained.  If you don’t know the history of CBC, it has been known for many years as a strong training program for missionaries and pastors.  The CIU family campus includes a seminary, the grad school, and a Christian boarding school, Ben Lippen Academy.

I’m still in the application process, but if I get into the program, I’ll be going there in mid-summer for orientation, then going to Chattanooga for my summer residency at Temple and then returning the Columbia for a week of residency there before returning home.

There are a number of reasons (that I will spare you the details) why I hope to complete a Ph.D. degree and an Ed.D. degree during the same time.  One reason is that the program at CIU is highly regarded, is fully accredited, and the focus on leadership in higher education (specificaly adult ed) has always been my ultimate career path.

Of the approximately 45 attendees at the conference, about half of them were from outside the U.S.  Several were from Australia, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Africa, and a variety of European countries and Canada.  The design of the conference was built around reading and rebuttals of academic papers, some of which seemed a bit heady, but most were very relevant and pertinent.

A few sessions dealt with the components and effects of postmodernism in various societies throughout the world, and a few of them dealt with the current and future approaches to dealing with ex-Mormans and ex-Muslims who are coming to Christ in large numbers.

Dr. Michael Cooper was the host (his dissertation was done on the Druids) and he convened a well planned conference which will be long remembered.

On a side note, I was able to photocopy about two dozen academic journal articles from the Trinity Library for use on my PhD dissertation at Temple.

2200 participants attended nearly 100 breakout sessions over 3 days; most sessions were composed of 4 connected 50 minute sessions with a ten minute break in between.  Attendees could stay for the entire series, but most came and went to choose individual sessions of their choice.

The bigger the name, generally the larger the crowd and by extension the larger the room.  The major exception to this “rule” was a presentation by Mark Strauss of Bethel Seminary, San Diego.  Mark did a presentation titled “Why the English Standard Version” should not become the standard English version.”  Attendees included Grudem, Piper, Justin Taylor, and some other Crossway folks.   I suspect that nearly all of us were devoted ESV fans.

Strauss make an extremely strong case for his thesis with well documented support for his conclusions.  The essence of his arguments are posted at www.betterbibles.com  Here is just a sampling of  his 17 part paper:

ESV #2, by Mark Strauss

“Oops” Translations in the ESV

We can start on a more lighthearted note. Occasionally translators will render a text “literally” without realizing the potential for misunderstanding or double meaning. All versions must watch out for this, but literal ones are particularly susceptible. For example, the ESV (following the RSV) originally rendered Gen. 30:35, “But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped …and put them in charge of his sons.”5 It is remarkable that Laban had so much confidence in his goats! This gaffe was pointed out and a second
printing of the ESV corrected it, taking authority away from Laban’s goats: “… and put them in the charge of his sons.” Here are a few more “oops” translations that I have found in the ESV.

“Grinding Together”?!

Luke 17:35 ESV “There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”
Comment: In contemporary English, “grinding together” suggests seductive dancing or something worse. (Perhaps both should have been taken for judgment!) Most versions clarify that this means grinding “grain,” “meal” or “flour” (cf. TNIV, NIV, NLT, HCSB, NET, NRSV, REB, etc.)

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4 I have also gleaned examples from lists produced by others, especially [missionary] translator and linguist Wayne Leman, who blogs about improving Bible versions at http://betterbibles.com. For additional examples see his lists at http://bibletranslation.110mb.com/esvlinks.htm#problems.
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5 I believe it was David Dewey who caught this one and informed the ESV committee.
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Rock badgers are people too!
Prov. 30:26 ESV “the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;”
Comment: In addition to the tortured word order, the ESV’s use of “people” is very strange. We sometimes joke that animals are people too, but surely ants and rock badgers are “creatures” or “species,” not people.

Nice legs!
Ps. 147:10 ESV “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,”
Comment: Taking pleasure in a man’s legs will surely leave readers chuckling. TNIV reads “in the power of human legs”; NET has “by the warrior’s strong legs.”

Such clean teeth!
Amos 4:6
ESV “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities”
Comment: It sounds like God is distributing toothbrushes to the Israelites. The Hebrew idiom means they had nothing to eat. The TNIV reads “I gave you empty stomachs,”; HCSB: “I gave you absolutely nothing to eat.” NET: “I gave you no food to eat.”

Trembling loins?
Psalm 69:23 ESV Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.
Comment: This translation will surely send twitters through the junior high group. Trembling loins sounds like someone has to go to the bathroom.

“Double-tongued” deacons?
1 Tim. 3:8 ESV Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain
Comment: Sounds like a mock “Indian-speak” (with forked-tongue) or some strange alien creature. The Greek is dilogoi (etymologically, “two words/messages”), which means “insincere,” “lacking integrity,” “hypocritical,” or even “two-faced” (NET; GW).

Keep that faith to yourself!
Rom. 14:22 ESV The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.
Comment: The ESV seems to be discouraging believers from sharing their faith. But the word pistis here refers to personal convictions about food and drink, not about saving faith.6
TNIV So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.
REB If you have some firm conviction, keep it between yourself and God.

Showing off the flesh
Gal. 6:12 ESV It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised….
Comment: “A good showing in the flesh” sounds like a bikini contest.

Ruth the mother of Boaz?
Ruth 4:14-15 ESV Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be Renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Comment: The only antecedent to “him” is Boaz. It sounds like Ruth gave birth to her husband Boaz.7

TTP is a program of historic Christian theology (study of God) and apologetics (defending the faith) created with all believers in mind. TTP seeks to give people who may never have the time, ability, or circumstances that allow them to attend full-time seminary the same opportunity to study the rich heritage of Christian truth. Here you will learn theology historically, biblically, and irenically (in a non-combative peaceful/discussion oriented manner). The contents of TTP are created from a broadly evangelical perspective, engaging other traditions in a persuasive yet gracious manner. In short, we seek to help people think theologically by understanding what they believe and why they believe it.

* Why do we think Christ rose from the grave (and does it matter)?

Trinity International University Deerfield, Illinois USA
16-19 October 2008

Trinity International University, in conjunction with the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization Issue Group 16, The Church and New Spiritualities and the Western Institute for Intercultural Studies, announces an international conference on Christianity and new religious movements hosted by the School of Biblical and Religious Studies at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, USA on 16-19 October 2008.

The conference will be a gathering of practitioners and scholars addressing the decline of Christianity in the West and the concomitant growth of new unreached people groups expressed in religions and spiritualities such as modern Paganism, New Age, and other alternative spiritualities. Plenary sessions and parallel workshops will address the topics of the future of religion in the West, the make up of the alternative religious marketplace and approaches in engaging adherents of alternative spiritualities. For more information, contact Dr. Michael T. Cooper, Program Director, Master of Arts in Communication and Culture. Further information and registration arrangements can be found at Sacred Tribes Journal, which includes the plenary and workshop schedule.

The problem is (just in case there are budding prospective post grad students reading) that you have to work on the development of your dissertation sourcing during the entire time that you are taking classes.  The posting on line seems easier than taking classes, but it actually takes quite a bit more time.  For example, most classes require reading, research, and a short paper each week.  But…and big but here, after you post your paper for your cohorts to read, they each critique yours and you critique each of theirs.  That means you read typically 40-50 pages plus appropriate parallel reading, write…rewrite..rewrite..rewrite your paper, and then read and grade 15 more papers with comments (some each day as they are posted).

Other than that, it is great fun and the challenge to your thinking processes by the materials you read, the professors requirements for each task, and the discussion with all of your other class members is really great.  From the exposure to the writing of colleagues, it sharpens your own thinking and the interaction teaches you a lot about the assignment that you didn’t pick up; but others did.

So that’s where all of the time went, I suppose.  I am still trying to attend at least a short conference each month.

Right now I’m looking forward to Ed Stetzer coming to Johnson City for an all-day  Comback Churches seminar on October 2nd.  This guy, Stetzer, travels all over the world during the week, preaches at a huge Nashville area church on Sundays, writes books constantly, does research and helps raise three daughters.  And oh yeah, my point was the guy blogs EVERY DAY with hotlinks, photos, dialogue comments, and the whole works.  Of course, he already has two doctorates and he’s way smarter and younger than me, so I guess that makes a difference.

In the middle of October I plan to attend a Modern Religions, Cults, etc. Conference at Trinity Seminary in Deerfield, although that is not exactly the title of the conference.  Look it up and attend if you can.  It runs from Thurs night to Sunday morning, October 16-19th.

There are numerous stories, anecdotes, confrontations and conflicts involved in this educational process. Fallen man (yes, even the redeemed variety) is constantly kicking against the pricks of foundational Biblical teaching. Our humanistic culture, secular mass media, and our own instincts frequently lead us down the path toward self-destruction and self-justification. Nonetheless, I find my career fulfilling and rewarding in spite of those regularly difficult situations and conversations.

In January of 2008, we launched a formal classroom instructional program called Seminary for All. It is based on the principle espoused by Martin Luther and others during and after the Reformation which we date from October 31, 1517, the date that Luther posted the 95 Theses or ‘issues’ on the church door at Wittenburg. That principle is commonly referred to as the “priesthood of all believers,’ which I believe implies that all Christians are equally responsible to be theologically educated. Sinclair Ferguson, a renowned Scottish preacher who is now pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina said in his comments at the Highland Theological College that “the only reason humans were created was for theological education.”

So last January we adopted a foundational curriculum called The Theology Program that was developed by several Dallas Seminary grads and profs associated with Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas where Chuck Swindoll is the pastor.

In the first term, we offered the course Introduction to Theology which includes a combination of theology survey, philosophy, logic, and worldview instruction. In this fall we plan to offer this course again and the follow up course Bibliology and Hermeneutics for those who have completed the first course or have tested through it. Classes meet in Kingsport and begin the week of August 18th, meeting on either Tuesday or Thursday night for 2 hours. Contact me for interest in registering.