Review: Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT

Genre: Bible
Publisher: Tyndale
Publication Date: September 22, 2009

The Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT, recently released by the folks at Tyndale, is unlike any other Bible I’ve seen. It’s not a study bible. There are no notes in the text of the scriptures (aside from footnotes and cross-references to accompany the New Living Translation text – more on that in a minute). In fact, they went so far as to completely separate the scriptures out from the “Meditations” material, even using different types of paper to distinguish them further. I really appreciate this approach, as what you basically end up with is a nice copy of the NLT with the convenience of some great devotional material housed in the same book.

The meditations are weekly, and they follow the church calendar (Advent through Pentecost, with a calendar available at holybiblemosiac.com to help you follow along). If you’re like me, you likely haven’t had much exposure to the church calendar other than with Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas. As I’ve interacted with the different meditations, I’ve come to really appreciate the decision to link the devotional content with the flow of remembering God’s work in the world. These will likely increase the power of each Christian holiday for readers.

Each weekly meditation includes a piece of artwork reflecting that week’s theme, recommended scripture readings, quotes from historical or modern Christians from across the globe, space to record your own thoughts, as well as a slightly longer meditation from a contemporary Christian. You can see some samples of these meditation online. I’ve read most of the meditations and a large sampling of the quotes. If you’re the type of person who only reads one publisher or author’s books and carry only the flag of your theological camp, you might find yourself frustrated about what was included.

It truly is a “mosaic,” as it includes many different “pieces” of Christianity in an attempt to create a more diverse, beautiful whole. Some will appreciate this approach. Others will not. That’s inevitable when you have a work that includes quotes from John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Pope Paul VI, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, Mark Driscoll, and Brian McLaren under the same umbrella. Also, the editors don’t really include reasoning for why such different theological views could be included.

Personally, I enjoy the approach. I clearly don’t agree with everything included, but I don’t agree with everything Spurgeon said, either, and he’s one of my favorites. I’m challenged by those things I disagree with, and spurred on to dig deeper into the scriptures to crystallize my views on things. Additionally, I’m reminded that we’re all imperfect in our understandings, and sometimes, it’s good to recognize that while many of our Christian brothers and sisters would disagree about things, we are united in Christ. I would just note that the meditations should clearly be read with discernment.

Another potentially divisive move was using the New Living Translation, which is a dynamic equivalence translation. I won’t attempt a review of it here, as many who know much more have done so far better than I could. I’ll just say this: I’ve been utilizing the NLT much more over the past 6 months or so, and I’m growing to appreciate it more and more. It’s not perfect, clearly, and I still prefer the more literal ESV Study Bible for deep study of the word, but for devotional reading, the NLT is quite good in its clarity and readability. Mosaic is clearly designed for devotional-type reading to bring the reader closer to God, and I think the NLT works well for this purpose.

Overall, I really like what Tyndale has done with Mosaic. I hope it will increase believers’ appreciation for the ebb and flow of the Church calendar focused on God. I hope people will be sharpened and challenged by ideas they may not have encountered otherwise and appreciate some of the diversity allowed by our faith while practicing discernment at the same time. I hope the inclusion of the artwork will spark those within the church to express the creativity gifted to man by God. Most of all, I hope it will help people encounter God and drive them to the scriptures he inspired.

- Recommended.

*This Bible was provided for review by Tyndale Publishers.

Q&A: Mosaic Editor and Contributor Jordan Green

The Mosaic NLT Bible from Tyndale released last week. I was lucky enough to get a review copy, and I’ll be publishing my review in the next couple of days. In addition, I was given a certificate for a free copy of Mosaic that can be used at any Christian bookstore or redeemed directly from Tyndale. You still have until tomorrow to enter this contest.

Finally, as part of the extensive blog tour for the Bible, today I am hosting a Q&A with Jordan Green, who served as a project editor and also contributed one of the weekly meditations (Pentacost, Week 7). Sorry it’s a little long, but Jordan gave such good answers, I just couldn’t cut it down.

Jordan is from Portland, Oregon. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Burnside Writers Collective (great site, check it out), an online Christian magazine he co-founded with Donald Miller. Besides editing and writing, Jordan Green has also worked as a courier, a barista at a large coffee purveyor, and as a US Army Counterintelligence Agent, among other things. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Mindy, a daughter who is due in a month, a dog, and two cats.
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Matthew Robbins: What appealed to you most and made you want to get involved in the Mosaic project?

Jordan Green: My favorite subjects in school were always history and English, and this project combined Christian literature and church history so well. The art makes it even better. For modern Evangelicals, it often seems like “art” is Thomas Kinkade, and “history” is C.S. Lewis (nothing against Lewis). The contemporary church doesn’t seem to have much interest in creativity anymore. If you compare our modern worship to old hymns, our modern art to the frescoes in Italy, there’s just no comparison.

Growing up in the American church, Christian history is sometimes seen as “Paul did his ministry, then 1,500 years passed, then the Puritans landed on Plymouth Rock.” Outside of Calvin or Martin Luther, we seem to have very little perspective on the brothers and sisters who came before. And I’m not even talking about how our faith in Asia or Africa, or Eastern Europe. We’re even less aware of Christianity in those areas.

MR: How do you anticipate people responding to a project with this scope of diversity, including quotes from all ranges of the theological spectrum and time periods? How do you answer critics of this approach?

JG: That’s a good question. To be honest, I’m not sure what the criticisms would be. Some might view the project as “emergent” or something, but I don’t see that. I mean, it’s about Church history and art, and features individual meditations on Scripture reading, which seems like the sort of thing happening in Bible studies all over the world every day.

As for the spectrum of theological thought, I don’t think you can view our history without those differences popping up. I mean, they’re in Paul’s letters! From day one, believers were struggling with how to live out their faith through the lens of their cultures. The Corinthians were different from the Romans, who were different from the Colossians, who were different than the Hebrews. Paul wrote to the churches in these cities, addressing concerns specific to that church body, you know?

I’m certainly not saying all faith is relative, but I think within Christianity, even extending to Eastern Orthodox and Catholic faiths, we’re a lot more similar than we think. Even if we don’t agree with someone’s theological stance on, say, pre- or post-millenialism, they might have a perspective on faith we can learn from.

MR: How did you determine the topic for the meditation you contributed? What do you hope people take away from it?

JG: I did mine on the rules in the Old Testament. I wanted to write one that touched on an area I struggle with. Numbers 20 has this bit about Moses bringing forth water from a rock, and he doesn’t follow God’s instructions perfectly. Because of that, God tells Moses he won’t see the Promised Land.

I read that, and the instructions for building the tabernacle, and all the laws, and I think, “Oh my gosh…I would’ve been a disaster back then.” I would’ve been breaking rules left and right. I’m a disorganized person, very scattered. I’m perfectly willing to cut corners to make my life easier, and I’m very forgetful.

So that becomes one of the things I’m most thankful to Jesus for: the fact if I forget one of the laws, or don’t follow things exactly, or even outright break a commandment, I have God’s grace to save me. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I want people who struggle with the same things to read that and say, “Yeah! Thank you, Jesus! I would’ve messed up there, too!” Even if Moses deals with the worldly consequences (not seeing the Promised Land), he still knows God loves him.

MR: Were there any specific meditations you reviewed that really stood out to you? What criteria did you use in evaluating the different meditations?

JG: Beyth Hogue, who was organizing a lot of the project (and wrote a piece herself), would send the meditations to me by number. I didn’t want to see the author names, because I knew some of the people contributing. I’d read the piece, then suggest some improvements. Most of it had to do with writing rather than concepts. Most of the time, I just paid attention to flow. If I found myself wading through a clunky opening sentence, or fading out in the third or fourth paragraphs, I’d mention that, and I’d offer some ways to fix it.

Of the 40 or so meditations I read, there were only two or three I really did not like, and thought needed to be completely rewritten.

There were also only two or three I loved immediately, and sent back saying “This one is perfect as-is.” There was one I just loved, and I learned later it was written by my good friend Penny Carothers, who is the social justice editor at Burnside. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to find that out.

MR: American Christianity seems to be functioning somewhat in isolated bubbles, detached in many ways from historical Christianity and believers across geographical and/or theological boundaries. Mosaic seems to fight against this in some ways. How do you see this project contributing to American Christianity, and what do you hope it will accomplish?

JG: I really hope it contributes in the very ways you mentioned. If we can glean some perspective from our Christian past, or from our brothers and sisters overseas, that would be awesome. Even if it’s just remembering how huge and ancient and awesome our faith is. The modern American church is comprised of beautiful tiles making up the mosaic of God’s creation, and I love the idea of us taking a step back and getting a better glimpse of that work of art as a whole.

Also, I’d like it if the art in this project helped restore creativity to a place of prominence. For all the great attributes the American church emphasizes, like generosity and deep communion with God, I feel like we fall short on art. All art falls short on one hand — even the most beautiful cathedral pales in comparison to the Rocky Mountains — but that doesn’t mean our best effort should be an overwrought painting of a lighthouse with a beam of sun coming through the clouds.

MR: Is there anything else about your involvement in Mosaic you’d like to share?

JG: Well, it was a lot of fun to work on, I’m thankful to David Sanford and Tyndale Publishing for letting me in on it. If I can shamelessly plug (though I don’t get any royalties from it), I think it would make a great gift, and an excellent addition to any library. I mean, I’m guessing we all have plenty of Bibles to spare, but this is unique. Thanks so much for your time, Matthew.
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Thanks to Jordan for taking time to answer some questions about Mosaic and the fine people at Tyndale for helping arrange it.

Interview with Keith Williams – NLT Mosaic Bible

Next Monday, I’ll be participating in a blog tour for Tyndale’s new NLT Mosaic Bible. I wrote a little about it the other day, and I’m currently having a contest to giveaway a free copy of the Bible as well (really good odds of winning at this point). My blog tour stop next Tuesday is a Q&A with Jordan Green, one of the contributors to Mosaic (he wrote the meditation for “Pentecost” Week 7, so if you have any questions you’d like asked, feel free to leave them in the comments.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a sample of this interview with Mosaic’s General Editor, Keith Williams over at The Participatory Bible Study Blog. Visit the blog for more great stuff.

Q: Could you expand on what it means for this Bible to be Christocentric and how you accomplish this through the choice of readings and the layout?

A: This is a great question! There are two primary ways that I hope believers will be able to “encounter Christ” through this Bible. First, they will most certainly encounter Christ through his Word, which is presented on its own without the distraction of other content sharing the page. All of the supplementary content in the front is intended to drive readers back to the Scripture readings, the revealed Word of God. Second, I believe people will be able to encounter Christ through the witness of a community of believers from various times, places, and traditions of the faith. The readings, hymns, prayers, and artwork are all representations of Christ’s work in his people. They are brought together in a way that highlights the fact that Christ is truly present among his people, despite (and perhaps even through) our obvious differences.

Book Review: The [expanded] Bible – New Testatment

Genre: Bible
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 11, 2009

The [expanded] Bibleisn’t really a study Bible, but it seeks to accomplish many of the same things as a study Bible by including alternate translations, literal renderings, comments, and traditional translations right within the text. Including just the New Testament and providing the base text (a modified version of the New Century Version) in bold and all other resources in plain text, this Bible seeks to help people “study the Bible as they read it.”

The Bible is set up nicely. It’s clean, simple, and the presentation is sharp. It’s a little difficult to read just the base text in bold, but that’s to be expected with the way they have the notes right within the text. I tried using it to follow along with one of my pastor’s sermons, and it was pretty difficult. You also wouldn’t want to use this as your Bible for daily reading, but it could function as a solid tool for in-depth study.

I applaud what the people behind this Bible are attempting to do. Any attempt to help people study the Bible in more depth is great in my opinion. My main problem with this Bible is the base text they decided to use: the modified New Century Version (NCV), which is a paraphrase version. Now I will utilize the New Living Translation (NLT) on occasion for devotional reading for its ease of use, but to actually study the Bible, it’s insufficient. The value of these types of “translations” to me, other than devotional reading, is to use it as a commentary, as it’s one person’s interpretation of the text and not really a translation.

You can see this when The [expanded] Bible includes notes with the literal translation. This is typically the way the English Standard Version (ESV) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB) render the text. Sometimes, this shows you how much interpretation they’ve done in the paraphrase version. For example, in Romans 3:21, the NCV renders it, “But now God’s way to make people right with him without the law has been shown to us” when the literal meaning is simply, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (ESV). The emphasis in the literal is on an attribute of God (His righteousness), whereas the NCV makes it sound like Paul is simply referring to a single act. These subtle differences can be very important in places.

Now, like I said, these differences can help illuminate meaning in the text sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to rely on the commentary-type translation. The [expanded] Bible almost has it backwards for me. You should start with the literal rendering and use commentary or a paraphrase to help reveal meaning you may not get from the literal.

The other features (alternate wordings, comments, traditional translations mostly from the King James Version) are all helpful in much the same way. They are tools that can help, but I still think the best way to study the Bible is to use the translation closest to the original text and expand from there.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who prefer a paraphrase translation, but want to make sure their study moves beyond one interpreter’s paraphrase and want the convenience of having the notes right there. For more serious study, though, I think you’re probably better off just using the ESV, NASB, or another word-for-word translation and some good commentaries or Bible study software.

- Neutral.

D.A. Carson on The Doctrine of Inerrancy

D.A. Carson is extremely smart. Here he is talking about the doctrine of inerrancy. Is it essential for all Christians to believe this doctrine?

(Oh, and in case you’re wondering, “Irrefragable” means “impossible to refute.” That D.A. likes his vocabulary.)

HT : Challies

Believe (and Like) What The Bible Says

Excellent post from Kevin DeYoung this morning. Here’s a sample:

Christians should not only believe what the Bible teaches, they should like what the Bible teaches. All Scripture is not just tolerable, but profitable and breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16).The law should be our delight (Psalm 1:2; 119:77; Rom. 7:2). We should love the commandments of God (Psalm 119:47; 1 John 5:3).

This means perfunctory obedience is not the goal. We don’t want to submit to our husbands out of duty, or sacrifice for our wives because we have to do, or refrain from sex because God’s a meanie and he must be listened to, but because we want to. God wants more than begrudging obedience or external conformity, he wants us to delight in the law of God in our inner being. So pay attention not just to your wills, but to your affections…

…The Bible is true and the Bible is good. When we accept its truth without actually liking it, we have only come half way to mature faith. We are like kids saying “I’m sorry” while rolling our eyes, like a husband getting flowers so his wife won’t be ticked, like a lover skimming through a letter from her beloved when she should be cherishing every word and every truth in her heart. Read the Bible. Believe the Bible. Delight in all that it affirms. Anything less is not good for your soul.

Read the whole post. Really good stuff.

Piper on Paraphrase Bible "Translations"

John Piper day here. In his “Ask Pastor John” segment, he discusses his feelings on paraphrase “translations” of the bible, such as Eugene Peterson’s “The Message.” Good distinctions between philosophies of translation.

My takeaway – paraphrases are great tools to have when they call themselves paraphrases, but very dangerous when they claim to be God’s Word.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

God in OT vs. God in NT

John Piper answering the question, “Why was God so harsh on people in the Old Testament and more forgiving in the New Testament?“:

My first reaction to that question is to say, “He wasn’t,” or “He is.” He wasn’t as harsh as you think, and he is more harsh than you think. But that may not be the most helpful thing to say…

…with Jesus has come into the world salvation. “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 3:17). So the window that we have of Jesus in the world is a day of salvation, a day of offering forgiveness, a day of dying for sinners, and a day of holding out his hands and beckoning.

And all that in the Old Testament was preparation to show how wrathful and how just and how true and how glorious God is, and how terrible sin is. And now you’re getting Jesus, who is mercy incarnate, grace incarnate, forgiveness incarnate, open-heartedness incarnate, saying, “This is what is available for you.”

So I think there is an intention that the Old Testament look bleak, sin look horrible, God look just, and that there be much less mercy, proportionate to what you see in the three years of the ministry of Jesus. And that’s intentional. This is what God’s heart is to the world right now. Come!

God in OT vs. God in NT

John Piper answering the question, “Why was God so harsh on people in the Old Testament and more forgiving in the New Testament?“:

My first reaction to that question is to say, “He wasn’t,” or “He is.” He wasn’t as harsh as you think, and he is more harsh than you think. But that may not be the most helpful thing to say…

…with Jesus has come into the world salvation. “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 3:17). So the window that we have of Jesus in the world is a day of salvation, a day of offering forgiveness, a day of dying for sinners, and a day of holding out his hands and beckoning.

And all that in the Old Testament was preparation to show how wrathful and how just and how true and how glorious God is, and how terrible sin is. And now you’re getting Jesus, who is mercy incarnate, grace incarnate, forgiveness incarnate, open-heartedness incarnate, saying, “This is what is available for you.”

So I think there is an intention that the Old Testament look bleak, sin look horrible, God look just, and that there be much less mercy, proportionate to what you see in the three years of the ministry of Jesus. And that’s intentional. This is what God’s heart is to the world right now. Come!

What If Galatians Was Published Today?

What do you think would happen if Paul’s letter to the Galatians was published in, say, Christianity Today this week? How would people react to his comments? The Sacred Sandwich has some humorous, yet pointed, hypothetical responses from readers.

Dear Christianity Today:

In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently? I happen to know some of the people at that church, and they are the most loving, caring people I’ve ever met.

Phyllis Snodgrass; Ann Arbor, MI

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Dear CT:

I’ve seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I’m surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to “mark” certain Christian teachers who don’t agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God’s word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition’s view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God’s love.

Ken Groener; San Diego, CA

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Dear Christianity Today:

The fact that Paul Apostle brags about his public run-in with Peter Cephas, a well-respected leader and brother in Christ, exposes Mr. Apostle for the divisive figure that he has become in the Church today. His diatribe against the Galatian church is just more of the same misguided focus on an antiquated reliance on doctrine instead of love and tolerance. Just look how his hypercritical attitude has cast aspersions on homosexual believers and women elders! The real problem within the Church today is not the lack of doctrinal devotion, as Apostle seems to believe, but in our inability to be transformed by our individual journeys in the Spirit. Evidently, Apostle has failed to detach himself from his legalistic background as a Pharisee, and is unable to let go and experience the genuine love for Christ that is coming from the Galatians who strive to worship God in their own special way.

William Zenby; Richmond, VA

What If Galatians Was Published Today?

What do you think would happen if Paul’s letter to the Galatians was published in, say, Christianity Today this week? How would people react to his comments? The Sacred Sandwich has some humorous, yet pointed, hypothetical responses from readers.

Dear Christianity Today:

In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently? I happen to know some of the people at that church, and they are the most loving, caring people I’ve ever met.

Phyllis Snodgrass; Ann Arbor, MI

————————————————————————–

Dear CT:

I’ve seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I’m surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to “mark” certain Christian teachers who don’t agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God’s word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition’s view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God’s love.

Ken Groener; San Diego, CA

—————————————————————————-

Dear Christianity Today:

The fact that Paul Apostle brags about his public run-in with Peter Cephas, a well-respected leader and brother in Christ, exposes Mr. Apostle for the divisive figure that he has become in the Church today. His diatribe against the Galatian church is just more of the same misguided focus on an antiquated reliance on doctrine instead of love and tolerance. Just look how his hypercritical attitude has cast aspersions on homosexual believers and women elders! The real problem within the Church today is not the lack of doctrinal devotion, as Apostle seems to believe, but in our inability to be transformed by our individual journeys in the Spirit. Evidently, Apostle has failed to detach himself from his legalistic background as a Pharisee, and is unable to let go and experience the genuine love for Christ that is coming from the Galatians who strive to worship God in their own special way.

William Zenby; Richmond, VA

Mark Driscoll on Nightline

ABC’s Nightline did a feature on Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church last night. Not an entirely accurate portrayal (they make him look like all he ever preaches on is sex and hell), but not too bad. Lots of truth about Jesus managed to come through in these 7 minutes. I thank God that Driscoll is willing to stand up for Christ and take the inevitable sniper shots that are sure to come when you’re in the spotlight at all and talking about Jesus.

A sample:

“I preach for a living,” he said. “If you don’t have a critic, then you probably aren’t saying anything.”

And then there are the things he has to say about Jesus — Jesus according to Pastor Mark.

Driscoll calls the mainstream church’s portrayal of Jesus “a hippie-Christ. A neutered and limp-wristed popular sky fairy of popular culture that would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.”

According to Driscoll, Jesus was an outcast who didn’t play by the rules.

“Jesus is typically portrayed as very effeminate guy, kind of long, flowing hair wearing a dress, always smiling, [making] pithy Zen statements that read like fortune cookies at a Chinese restaurant,” he said. “And the truth is that he was a construction worker. He was very controversial and got murdered.”

The image of Jesus as a rebel seems to strike a chord because the Mars Hill Church isn’t just growing by leaps and bounds — which it is — but it’s drawing in people who otherwise didn’t have much interest in organized religion…

…The facilities may be cutting edge and the topics might appear liberal but Driscoll points out that his beliefs are strict. He is a Calvinist, and believes that people’s fates are predetermined.

“I believe that Jesus is God, I believe the Bible is true, I believe people are really going to hell,” he said. “Those things in our culture are seen as crazy.

“If you are not a Christian then you do not have eternal life,” he implored in a sermon, although it’s not all fire and brimstone.

Read the whole article.

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UPDATE: Driscoll has posted a statement about the feature.

I wanted to personally thank the crew at Nightline for the recent feature on Mars Hill, myself, and my family. This interview was one of the first where I felt that the reporter did not write the story and simply show up to get a few photos and quotes to finish it. The crew spent an entire Sunday with me and was very respectful and observant. My wife Grace and I were concerned about giving them access to our home and allowing them to film our children, but things went well and we are thankful. I also want to thank the people of Mars Hill who they noted gave some great interviews and were very thoughtful and focused on Jesus Christ.

Mark Driscoll on Nightline

ABC’s Nightline did a feature on Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church last night. Not an entirely accurate portrayal (they make him look like all he ever preaches on is sex and hell), but not too bad. Lots of truth about Jesus managed to come through in these 7 minutes. I thank God that Driscoll is willing to stand up for Christ and take the inevitable sniper shots that are sure to come when you’re in the spotlight at all and talking about Jesus.

A sample:

“I preach for a living,” he said. “If you don’t have a critic, then you probably aren’t saying anything.”

And then there are the things he has to say about Jesus — Jesus according to Pastor Mark.

Driscoll calls the mainstream church’s portrayal of Jesus “a hippie-Christ. A neutered and limp-wristed popular sky fairy of popular culture that would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.”

According to Driscoll, Jesus was an outcast who didn’t play by the rules.

“Jesus is typically portrayed as very effeminate guy, kind of long, flowing hair wearing a dress, always smiling, [making] pithy Zen statements that read like fortune cookies at a Chinese restaurant,” he said. “And the truth is that he was a construction worker. He was very controversial and got murdered.”

The image of Jesus as a rebel seems to strike a chord because the Mars Hill Church isn’t just growing by leaps and bounds — which it is — but it’s drawing in people who otherwise didn’t have much interest in organized religion…

…The facilities may be cutting edge and the topics might appear liberal but Driscoll points out that his beliefs are strict. He is a Calvinist, and believes that people’s fates are predetermined.

“I believe that Jesus is God, I believe the Bible is true, I believe people are really going to hell,” he said. “Those things in our culture are seen as crazy.

“If you are not a Christian then you do not have eternal life,” he implored in a sermon, although it’s not all fire and brimstone.

Read the whole article.

————————————————

UPDATE: Driscoll has posted a statement about the feature.

I wanted to personally thank the crew at Nightline for the recent feature on Mars Hill, myself, and my family. This interview was one of the first where I felt that the reporter did not write the story and simply show up to get a few photos and quotes to finish it. The crew spent an entire Sunday with me and was very respectful and observant. My wife Grace and I were concerned about giving them access to our home and allowing them to film our children, but things went well and we are thankful. I also want to thank the people of Mars Hill who they noted gave some great interviews and were very thoughtful and focused on Jesus Christ.

2009 Bible Reading Plans

For those of you who might want to start reading through your Bible in 2009, Justin Taylor has a great post linking to many different kinds of reading plans. My favorite is the Through the Bible in a Year Plan, which my wife and I are doing (we started November 1st). Before that, I completed a straight through reading plan, but I would recommend a plan with both Old and New Testament everyday. The ESV Bible has a great list of different plans.

Anyway, I would encourage everyone to find the plan that works for you and stick with it this year. The rewards are plentiful, I promise.

2009 Bible Reading Plans

For those of you who might want to start reading through your Bible in 2009, Justin Taylor has a great post linking to many different kinds of reading plans. My favorite is the Through the Bible in a Year Plan, which my wife and I are doing (we started November 1st). Before that, I completed a straight through reading plan, but I would recommend a plan with both Old and New Testament everyday. The ESV Bible has a great list of different plans.

Anyway, I would encourage everyone to find the plan that works for you and stick with it this year. The rewards are plentiful, I promise.