Papers by Matthew Vaughan
Reviews 96 linguistic communities emphasizing cross-cultural mission, heterogeneous worship, and ... more Reviews 96 linguistic communities emphasizing cross-cultural mission, heterogeneous worship, and differences that both enable and reflect linguistic transformation. Consequently the final part of the book is dedicated to case study examples of how four churches have become transformed communities reflecting those the authors envision. The book closes with a four-page bibliography. ETT is a beautifully written book which brings together two authors and their areas of expertise to discuss thoughtfully the significant language issues for individuals and the church. At first I was surprised by its brevity, given the breadth and depth of potential issues in a biblical vision for language in society, but this is perhaps one of the book's strengths, since in recent years I have concluded that is usually better to leave your readers wanting more than to overburden them with too much detail. Such is the case here. Although the treatment of topics is somewhat uneven (two chapters are each fifteen pages long, for example, while most are only seven to eight pages in length), in those chapters where the authors do elaborate on their views, they offer many good, rich insights. Another strength of the book is that Pasquale and Bierma do not shy away from difficult topics, like language and immigration, and they challenge readers to think outside the box and imagine what the implications of truly having a biblical vision of language might be for them and their churches. ETT also seems to be written largely with a lay audience in mind, so it would be relatively easy for someone in your church to read and be impacted by, especially if they are American. Yet for readers of other countries and nationalities, the American focus may distract them.-. From an academic perspective, though, I believe ETT has some weaknesses. I was disappointed, for example, that the authors do not expand very much on the "society" of their subtitle, except perhaps in relation to the church. The brief introductions to applied linguistic issues are accurate and helpful, but may often oversimplify things. One example on pages 44-45 is where the authors introduce reasons for promoting childhood second language acquisition, referencing some literature on topics such as the critical period. The arguments for and against such issues are complex, and the authors' summary is simplistic here. The good thing is that they introduce readers to the topics and provide further references, yet the challenging part is that they seem to downplay the complexity and to discount potential issues that might detract from their argument. Another example occurs when Pasquale and Bierma overstate the challenges of Bible translation, even though they make clear that "any translation... done by skilled and knowledgeable translators is... adequate for conveying the basic message of the Bible" (55). True, we could all benefit from a knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, but we are also blessed with many wonderful Bible translations (particularly in English) and the Holy Spirit to teach and guide readers in understanding and applying their linguistic properties, whatever translation they use. Finally, while I agree that we should welcome foreigners' culture and language, I was reminded of how the Israelites went about this, and Nehemiah's response in chapter 13 of his book certainly appears to challenge the view the authors present in chapter 3. Despite these observations, in my own research on Christian views of language and their applications, I have located seven main biblical themes, namely creativity, understanding, communication, community, sin, diversity, and redemption. 15 Though independent of Every Tribe and Tongue, I was delighted to conclude that Pasquale and Bierma similarly identify and address each of these themes, though to varying extents. I thus heartily recommend this slim volume and will be using it as one of the textbooks in my Introduction to Language and Linguistics course.
Harris did a rather helpful job of presenting articles on the historical backgrounds and theologi... more Harris did a rather helpful job of presenting articles on the historical backgrounds and theological foundations of schools of preaching-mostly from the Firm Foundation and the Gospel Advocate. This volume is the result of his M.A. Thesis at Abilene Christian University. I wish to express my thanks to Dr. Harris (who now serves as the Dean of Graduate Studies at Sunset Bible Institute) for having read and responded to an early draft of this essay; his insights and clarifications made this a better piece. 3 See the appendix for a listing of some of the more prominent schools of preaching: their names, locations, and the length of their operation. 4 Jim Harris, Schools of Preaching, 36, noted over 5,000 graduates by the mid 1980s alone. That number has, to be sure, grown exponentially. Sunset claims that over 30,000 people are currently studying with their materials. See their "30,000? Really?" at content&task=view&id=436&Itemid=259 (accessed 14 November 2012).
QUARTERLY 27:25 ("his blood be on our heads") within the whole gospel and the question of what it... more QUARTERLY 27:25 ("his blood be on our heads") within the whole gospel and the question of what it means to love one's enemies. Though I am uncertain about his conclusions about openness to dialogue with enemies in the former case, I find his argument that many (the crowds, religious leaders, Roman officials, disciples) share responsibility for Jesus' death as an important proviso in the crowd's asking for Jesus' death. It seems only the women at the cross escape guilt. Nolland's work gives us much to consider. I would add that the hint at the end of Gurtner's essay about the gospel's presentation of Jesus as prophet may also prove helpful in the discussion of anti-Semitism, an issue I have had under consideration for a while and hope to find raised more often in the discussion of the anti-Semitism in this gospel. That said, it appears that this volume is destined mainly to rest on shelves in libraries and perhaps among the books of the rare scholar with money to buy most of the latest works of Matthean scholarship. The fact that mostly scholars and graduate students will refer to a particular essay in this book for their own work does not mean the book has no value, but it seems unfortunate coming from a publisher that aims for a broader readership among educated Christians.
This essay has to do with the burgeoning field of Christian theologies of non-Christian religions... more This essay has to do with the burgeoning field of Christian theologies of non-Christian religions.1 I hope to put discussions of theologies of religions (and, to a lesser extent, comparative theology and interreligious dialogue) into conversation with the theologies of the Churches of Christ as I, as a lifelong member, understand them. I will argue that Churches of Christ have a number of theological resources from which to frame a rationale for, and structure the components of, a robust theology of religions—one that is unique as a Restoration tradition and that speaks to the larger Christian community. In writing this essay to academic and church leaders from within the StoneCampbell Movement (SCM), particularly Churches of Christ, I hope to accomplish three equally difficult (and admittedly lofty) tasks. The first task is simply to do theology, continuing the process of collective reflection in Churches of Christ about non-Christian religions.2 My second, and most pressing, task ...
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Papers by Matthew Vaughan