Complete 2016 Ordained Servant Journal (1.9
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OrdainedServant A Journal for Church Officers VOLUME 25, 2016 25th Anniversary Edition Ordained Servant A Journal for Church Officers A publication of the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church ISSN 1525-3503 Volume 25 2016 Editor: Gregory Edward Reynolds • 827 Chestnut Street • Manchester, NH 03104 Telephone: 603-668-3069 • Electronic mail: [email protected] Website: www.opc.org/os.html Ordained Servant is published monthly online (except for combined issues June/July and August/September) (E-ISSN 1931-7115, online edition), and printed annually (ISSN: 1525-3503) after the end of each calendar year, beginning with volume 15 (2006) published in 2007. Ordained Servant was published quarterly in print from 1992 through 2005. All 53 issues are available in our online archives. The editorial board is the Subcommittee on Serial Publications of the Committee on Christian Education. Subscriptions: Copies of the annual printed edition of Ordained Servant are sent to each ordained minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, each organized congregation, and each designated mission work, and are paid for by the Committee. Ordained elders, deacons, and licentiates of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church may receive copies gratis upon request. Ordained Servant is also available to anyone in the U.S. and Canada who wishes to subscribe by remitting $10.00 per year to: Ordained Servant, The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Rd., Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539. Checks should be made out to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, designated for Ordained Servant in the memo line. Institutional subscribers in the US and Canada please remit $15.00 per year. Overseas individual and institutional subscribers please remit $20.00 per year. All remittances should be made payable in U.S. funds. Subscriptions, both paid and gratis, may also be received through our website on the “Publications” page under “Resources” on the top right of the OPC.ORG home page. Submissions: Chosen submissions will be published on the web and possibly chosen for the annual print edition. Please consult “Submissions, Style Guide, and Citations” on our website. Copyright Information: All material in this periodical is subject to U.S. and international copyright laws and may not be reproduced without prior written approval. Please refer to “Submissions, Style Guide, and Citations” at our website once you have received permission. Interested parties are invited to obtain permission to reproduce mate- rial found in this publication by writing to the editor. © Copyright 2016 by the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved. OrdainedServant A JOURNAL FOR CHURCH OFFICERS CONTENTS 5 From the Editor De Jong 57 “Exposing the Darkness, Part 2,” Brian L. ServantThoughts De Jong EDITORIALS 63 “Christ-Shaped Philosophy,” James D. Baird 6 “Reflections on Twenty-five Years of Ordained Servant,” Gregory E. Reynolds ServantWorld 9 “The Bard for Preachers,” Gregory E. Reynolds 67 “Why Shakespeare Matters,” Leland Ryken ServantTruth ServantHistory 13 “Beloved Sons in Whom He Is Well-Pleased,” 73 “The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral,” David B. Garner Darryl G. Hart ServantChurch ServantHumor From the Back Pew 19 “Six Anti-Church Evangelical Trends,” Shane Lems 77 “Lest We Remember,” Eutychus II ServantRealms ServantExchange 22 “Ministers Laboring ‘Out of bounds’,” Allen 79 “Owen Anderson’s Reply to Paul Helseth’s G. Tomlinson Review,” Owen Anderson 28 “The Biblical Case for Ecumenicity,” John 80 “Rejoinder to Owen Anderson,” Paul K. A. Bouwers Helseth ServantLiving ServantReading BOOK REVIEWS 32 “The Path to—and from—Here: Reflections on Sexual Identity Past and Present,” Carl 81 Reason and Faith, by Owen Anderson, Paul Trueman K. Helseth 38 “Living under Foreign Law,” Randy Beck 82 God Is Not One, by Stephen R. Prothero, John R. Muether 43 “Ministry to Those with Same-Sex Attraction and Gender Confusion,” Timothy J. Geiger 84 Puritan Portraits, by J. I. Packer, Gregory E. Reynolds 47 “Exercising Wisdom about ‘All Things’,” Andy Wilson 86 “Suggested Reading on Adoption,” David B. Garner ServantWitness 86 Got Religion? How Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues Can Bring Young People Back, by 52 “Exposing the Darkness, Part 1,” Brian L. Naomi Schaefer Riley, John R. Muether 88 The Triumph of Faith: Why the World Is More of Preaching, by Timothy Keller, Gregory E. Religious Than Ever, by Rodney Stark, John Reynolds R. Muether 115 “Westminster Theology,” review of The 90 I Will Lift My Eyes unto the Hills: Learning Theology of the Westminster Standards, by J. from the Great Prayers of the Old Testament, V. Fesko, Jeffrey C. Waddington by Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Bryan Estelle 118 “Testing Faith,” review of The Testing of God’s 92 Divine Rule Maintained: Anthony Burgess, Sons, by Gregory S. Smith, Sherif Gendy Covenant Theology, and the Place of the Law 120 “Preacher, Take Aim!” review of The Heart Is in Reformed Scholasticism, by Stephen J. the Target, by Murray Capill, A. Craig Troxel Casselli, Ryan M. McGraw 123 “Old Testament Theology,” review of Old 93 From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Testament Theology, Volume One: Israel’s Research, by Michael Kibbe, Ryan M. McGraw Gospel, by John Goldingay, Sherif Gendy 94 Land of Sunlit Ice, by Larry Woiwode, 128 “Some Pluralisms Are More Inclusive Gregory E. Reynolds Than Others,” review of The Twilight of the 95 What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A American Enlightenment, by George M. Defense, by Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, Marsden, Darryl G. Hart and Robert P. George, Joel Carini 132 “Kuyper on Politics and Religion,” review of 97 Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology Abraham Kuyper, Conservatism, and Church for the Church Catholic, edited by Michael and State, by Mark J. Larson, Douglas A. Allen and Scott R. Swain, John V. Fesko Felch 99 Presbytopia: What It Means to Be 134 “Faith, Politics, and the Fall in Thatcher’s Presbyterian, by Ken Golden, Allen C. Britain,” review of God and Mrs. Thatcher, by Tomlinson Eliza Filby, Diane L. Olinger 101 God’s Glory Alone: The Majestic Heart 138 “A Helpful Little Primer on Eschatology?” of Christian Faith and Life, by David review of As You See the Day Approaching, VanDrunen, David A. Booth edited by Theodore G. Van Raalte, Jeffrey C. 103 Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Waddington Struggle for the Soul of Civilization, by Os 141 “How Vosian Is Van Til?” review of In Defense Guinness, William Edgar of the Eschaton, by William D. Dennison, 104 The Holy Spirit, by Christopher R. J. Holmes, edited by James D. Baird, Danny E. Olinger New Studies in Dogmatics, series edited by 146 “Reflections on Biblical Counseling,” review Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain, John V. of Developments in Biblical Counseling, by J. Fesko Cameron Fraser, Andrew H. Selle 106 Encouragement for Today’s Pastors: Help from 151 “Sexuality These Days,” review of The Gospel the Puritans, by Joel R. Beeke and Terry D. and Sexual Orientation, edited by Michael Slachter, Stephen A. Migotsky LeFebvre, and Openness Unhindered, by 108 ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set, Arthur J. Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Stephen J. Fox Tracey 109 The Epistle to the Romans, The New 156 “Brain Changer?” review of i-Minds, by Mari International Greek Testament Commentary K. Swingle, T. David Gordon Series, by Richard N. Longenecker, Jeffrey 159 “The Literati Face the Last Enemy,” review C. Waddington of The Violet Hour, by Katie Roiphe, Gregory E. Reynolds ServantReading 164 “An Unlikely Witness,” review of The Faith of REVIEW ARTICLES Christopher Hitchens, by Larry Alex Taunton, Gregory E. Reynolds 111 “Preaching to the New Athenians,” review From the Editor his is the eleventh annual printed edition of Ordained Servant, Tas we enter our twenty-sixth year of publication in 2017. A quar- ter century of publication is no small accomplishment in the present periodical market. But our little journal owes its existent to our Lord’s gracious work in the hearts of those who serve in his church. The cover picture is the Brewster Meeting House in Brewster, Massachusetts, now a Unitarian Universalist Church. This is a sad reminder of the decline of true Christianity in New England and a goad for our presbytery to continue to plant churches here. From its inception in the 1930s, Professor John Murray promoted planting churches in these spiritually abandoned towns. This is a happy reminder of our Lord’s mission. Once again I would like to thank general secretary Danny Olinger, Alan Strange, and the sub- committee of Darryl Hart, Sid Dyer, and Wallace King for their continued support, encouragement, and counsel. I would also like to thank the many people who make the regular online edition pos- sible: Diane Olinger, Linda Foh, Stephen Pribble, and Andrew Moody, and the many fine writers without whom there would be no journal. Finally, I want to thank Ann Hart for her meticulous edito- rial work, and Jim Scott for his formatting in InDesign of this printed volume. —Gregory Edward Reynolds Amoskeag Presbyterian Church Manchester, New Hampshire Contents: Introducing Ordained Servant, by the Editor Servant Taking Action in Time, by Rev. Thomas E. Tyson How to Get Started, by the Editor Thoughts Taking Heed to the Flock (1), by Dr. P. Y. De Jong The Diaconal Task, by Dr. C. Van Dam The Deacons (from The Ecclesiastical Ordi- Editorials nances), by John Calvin The Forms Here is editor Williamson’s sagacious introduction: Reflections on Twenty- Introducing Ordained Servant five Years of Ordained G. I. Williamson “But to each one of us grace was given accord- Servant ing to the measure of Christ’s gift.… And He Originally published electronically in Ordained Servant Himself gave some to be apostles, some proph- 1 December 2016 ets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the by Gregory E.