Teacher to Teacher, October 2008

What’s New? . . . cont. AduLT TRAdE Essential Virtues: Marks of the Christ-Centered Life by Jim Berg—The first chapter of 2 Peter lists the virtues of a Christlike believer— knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Explore the meaning and importance of each core virtue and learn to cultivate these qualities while avoiding worldliness, rebellion, and spiritual apathy. Clear application and heart-searching questions encourage inner growth that results in spiritual commitment, courage, and compassion; includes study guide and leader’s guide; 288 pages (257311, $19.95) Upright Downtime: Making Wise Choices About Entertainment by Brian Hand—Living in a society that pursues and worships pleasure, believers today often struggle with a right view of entertainment. How much time should entertainment consume? What types of entertainment may a Christian enjoy? Some in the world simply withdraw from all forms of entertainment while others refuse to admit any need for moral restraint. Ecclesiastes shows that both philosophies have existed at least since Solomon’s day. How should a believer react to these extremes? 116 pages (257527, $9.95) • All mankind has also fallen into sin and is therefore depraved (Romans 3:10ff). This means that even “the good guys” are “bad guys”; that even the side we favor, for whatever reason, is capable of making wrong decisions and acting in sinful ways. So the dispensationalist cannot assume that Israel is always right in its treatment of the Palestinians or in any other issue. The Palestinian Christian, similarly, cannot assume that the Palestinian leadership is always right. • Sin should be identified, condemned, and repented of. When God sent prophets to condemn the sins of peoples, He did not exempt Israel, His covenant nation, from criticism. There was a whole book devoted to criticism of Edom (Obadiah); there were two criticizing Assyria (Jonah and Nahum); and portions of prophetic books condemned several other countries and cultures (Babylon, Moab, Philistia, Tyre, and others; see, e.g., Amos 1−2); but Israel received the most attention for criticism, and the intensity of that criticism was often far greater than that leveled at “the heathen” (e.g., Ezekiel 16, 20). Even the premillennialist Israelophile, then, must admit that modern Israel can err and that when it does, it should be criticized. • It is commonly asserted by premillennialists that “there will be no peace in the Middle East until the Prince of Peace arrives to set up His kingdom.” While I think that statement may well be true, I do not find the Bible teaching it unambiguously. It is certainly true that the peace Christ’s Kingdom brings will be truer and more lasting than any other peace, but I will observe that there has been peace in the Middle East occasionally, though not much since Israel’s reconstitution in 1948. All Christians—even those who do not expect a future political Millennial Kingdom—should agree, though, that only a change of heart empowered by the Holy Spirit through His work of regeneration can yield the spiritual fruit of peace (Galatians 5:22) that is necessary to bring genuine peace to any people or region. So how do we evaluate events in the Middle East? I would discourage trying to find a prophetic meaning behind every headline, for two reasons: (1) as noted earlier, prophetic material is notoriously and intentionally difficult to interpret, and (2) for this reason, previous attempts have not been all that successful. Perhaps we should evaluate events in the Middle East the way we evaluate events anywhere else: • Hold them up to the light of Scripture. • Hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). • Condemn and encourage repentance of that which is evil. • Seek the salvation of the lost and the discipleship of God’s people. • Patiently trust God to work out His will for His glory in His own good time. Dan Olinger is chairman of the Division of Bible at Bob Jones University. JOuRNEYFORTH CHRISTIAN FICTION, YOUNG ADULT What About Cimmaron? by Lauraine Snelling —Sarah loves living in the pristine Toutle Valley with her parents, her sister Kathy, and her horse, Cimmaron. They are all used to occasional tremors from nearby Mount Saint Helens. When the volcano erupts, Sarah’s family is forced to evacuate, leaving behind their house, their chickens, their cows—and Cimmaron. Sarah wonders why God lets the volcano erupt. God doesn’t seem to answer her prayers, so she decides to solve the problem and somehow get back into Toutle Valley to save Cimmaron. (258004, $8.99) (Prices are subject to change without notice.) The 2008 Textbook Catalog and Order Form— They include Press materials and textbooks. For more information, call 1.800.845.5731 or write to BJU Press, Greenville, SC 29614. Sign up at bjupress.com/ enews/ to receive an e-mail announcement each time a new edition of Teacher to Teacher is available for viewing. page 10 Teacher to Teacher | October 2008 http://www.bjupress.com/product/257311 http://www.bjupress.com/product/257311 http://www.bjupress.com/product/257527 http://www.bjupress.com/product/257527 http://www.bjupress.com/product/258004 http://www.bjupress.com/enews/ http://www.bjupress.com/ http://www.bjupress.com/enews/ http://www.bjupress.com/enews/

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