“There is prodigious power in this plainness of presentation. It is the power of actual contact. A plain writer, or speaker, makes the truth and the mind impinge on each other. When the style is plain, the mind of the hearer experiences the sensation of being touched; and this sensation is always impressive, for a …
Spiritual Gifts and Unspiritual Men
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #153 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:31). Paul is now moving into his very famous chapter on love, and the last verse of chapter 12 is …
The Meaning of Blamelessness
Introduction With just a few variations, this chapter is also found in Scripture as Psalm 18. A common feature of ancient Hebrew writing is to conclude an extended narrative with a song, as Deuteronomy does, or as we see with Jacob’s prophecies at the end of Genesis. In this case, we find the narrative of …
Pulpit Smoke
“A certain grand-looking obscurity is often pleasing to some hearers and readers, who suppose that it shows vast learning, or great originality, or immense profundity. To treat subjects in this fashion is no new thing” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 339).
Transparent Style
“The most important property of style is perspicuity. Style is excellent when, like the atmosphere, it shows the thought, but itself is not seen” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 339).
Do All Speak in Tongues?
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #152 “Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” (1 Cor. 12:29–30). Paul is bringing his extended analogy in …
The Glory of Giant Killing
Introduction We have concluded the main narrative of Samuel, and have now come to an a-chronological coda, tying up some loose ends from the David story. The fact that the “appendix” is deliberately thought through can we see in the fact that the coda is a chiasm. That chiasm is straightforward—we have A. deliverance from …
So Don’t Get Too Grammary
“Correct habits may be formed, and right principles comprehended, without books of grammar, but more rapidly and surely with them, provided we use them only as helps, and aim to go deeper than they can carry us” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 328).
The IT Guy
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #151 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:28). When Paul gives a list of spiritual gifts, as …
Yet Another Head Wound
Introduction At the conclusion of chapter 19, hot words were exchanged between the men of Israel and the men of Judah—with the men of Judah being the harsher of the two. This created an opportunity for a demagogue to arise, and history shows us that such opportunities are seldom neglected. The Text: “And there happened …