Here are some more words from Carson. My index card is now full, and the process of writing them down is becoming more of a distraction than an opportunity to satisfy my curiousity. Well, here are the new words. Perhaps you can add this list to your array of words, or maybe it is a refresher for you. Once again, the definitions are from dictionary.com.
Tautologous: needless repetition of an idea
Apogee: the highest or most distant point
Unguents: A salve for soothing or healing; an ointment.
Self-abnegation: self-denial or self-sacrifice
Equanimity: mental or emotional stability or composure, esp. under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.
Obduracy: The state or quality of being intractable or hardened
Paschal: of or pertaining to Passover
Paucity: smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness
Preponderance: superiority in weight, power, numbers
Adumbration: to foreshadow; prefigure
Aphorism: a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation
Aporias: the expression of a simulated or real doubt, as about where to begin or what to do or say.
Frescoes: the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture
Progeny: a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal
Nascent: beginning to exist or develop
And thus concludes your grammar lesson for today. I suppose I good lesson always ends in application, so your task is to use four words you did not previously know in a sentence today.
Example: Your equanimity will not be affected by the paucity of your present vocabulary; however, I fear that my emphasis on the importance of increasing your nascent, linguistic range is becoming tautologous.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
My Expanding Vocabulary
D.A. Carson sure has an expansive vocabulary. Even though I had not read very much of him prior to his commentary on John, I realized rather quickly that he has great dexterity with the English language. At times it is rather comical. I have been keeping writing on a notecard all the words Carson uses that of wich I am not familiar. After only 100 pages of keeping track, my notecard is nearly full. Here is a list of some of the words I came across (the definitions supplied are from dictionary.com):
Umbrage: offense; annoyance; displeasure
Ignominy (I have came across this word at least 3 or 4 times): disgrace; dishonor; public contempt
Pettifogging: insignificant; petty;dishonest or unethical in insignificant matters; meanly petty
Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved
Incenses: To cause to be extremely angry; infuriate.
Assize: an edict, ordinance, or enactment made at a session of a legislative assembly
Viticulture: the culture or cultivation of grapevines; grape-growing
Derelication: Not in dictionary (He possibly meant dereliction)
Marauders: Not in dictionary
Putative: commonly regarded as such; reputed; supposed
Groundswell:any surge of support, approval, or enthusiasm, esp. among the general public
Sapiential: containing, exhibiting, or affording wisdom; characterized by wisdom
Animus: strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity
Proleptic: the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.
Castigate: to criticize or reprimand severely
Brigands: A robber or bandit, especially one of an outlaw band
And to think, this is a commentary aimed at "pastors, teachers, and students everywhere"! Granted, a majority of teachers would probably be familar with these words; however, I doubt most seminary students and pastors would fully grasp what Carson was saying without a dictionary near at hand.
With all that said, I don't know if this is more of an indictment against Carson's enigmatic writing style or the general American's ignorance of the wealth of English words.
Umbrage: offense; annoyance; displeasure
Ignominy (I have came across this word at least 3 or 4 times): disgrace; dishonor; public contempt
Pettifogging: insignificant; petty;dishonest or unethical in insignificant matters; meanly petty
Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved
Incenses: To cause to be extremely angry; infuriate.
Assize: an edict, ordinance, or enactment made at a session of a legislative assembly
Viticulture: the culture or cultivation of grapevines; grape-growing
Derelication: Not in dictionary (He possibly meant dereliction)
Marauders: Not in dictionary
Putative: commonly regarded as such; reputed; supposed
Groundswell:any surge of support, approval, or enthusiasm, esp. among the general public
Sapiential: containing, exhibiting, or affording wisdom; characterized by wisdom
Animus: strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity
Proleptic: the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.
Castigate: to criticize or reprimand severely
Brigands: A robber or bandit, especially one of an outlaw band
And to think, this is a commentary aimed at "pastors, teachers, and students everywhere"! Granted, a majority of teachers would probably be familar with these words; however, I doubt most seminary students and pastors would fully grasp what Carson was saying without a dictionary near at hand.
With all that said, I don't know if this is more of an indictment against Carson's enigmatic writing style or the general American's ignorance of the wealth of English words.
What is True Freedom?
D.A. Carson, Research Professor from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, gives a very helpful analysis of freedom in his commentary on John. He writes:
"True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought; and it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us" (350).
How true, and what a clever, pithy statement. It should be disclosed that Carson may have borrowed this material from St. Augustine. No footnotes were given, but my friend seemed to recall reading a similar phrase from the fourth century theologian.
"True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought; and it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us" (350).
How true, and what a clever, pithy statement. It should be disclosed that Carson may have borrowed this material from St. Augustine. No footnotes were given, but my friend seemed to recall reading a similar phrase from the fourth century theologian.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Desiring God's Conference
My father, who is a pastor, and I will be going to the Desiring God Pastor's Conference on February 4-6, 2008. It looks great. The theme this year is the Pastor as Father and Son.
The following is an excerpt of John Piper's welcome:
The theme of the Desiring God 2008 Conference for Pastors is owing most immediately to my father’s death on March 6, 2007. He was a fruitful evangelist. He preached the gospel for over seventy years, if you count the final testimonies in the nursing home. I loved him. I admired him. And I wondered how I might honor him.
The thought came to me: “Make him the subject of your biography at the Conference for Pastors. Tell his story and the impact he had on you.” Then I recalled that Don Carson of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School had lost his father, a Canadian pastor, and was hoping to write a book about him. (In fact, the book is written and will be ready for the conference in February, Lord willing.)
It occurred to me that Don might find it enjoyable to celebrate his own father’s ministry while instructing the rest of us about lessons learned from him and from the Word. Maybe, I thought, we should build the whole conference around the pastor as father and son, that is, the pastor as father of a family and father of a church; and the pastor as son of an earthly father and son of a heavenly Father. I wrote Don and told him my vision. He embraced it and agreed to come.
At that point, the Desiring God staff got excited about doing something totally unusual with this conference, namely, encouraging all the pastors to bring their sons and their fathers. Amazing. We all loved it. So that’s the plan. Come. And if you can, bring your sons and your dad.
Read the whole invitation here.
If you are in the area, please come. No other alive theologians have influenced me more than D.A. Carson and John Piper. The impact they have had in trumpeting the supremacy of Christ and the preciousness of His Word has been incalculable. If money is an issue, Desiring God has generously offered a whatever-you-can-pay policy. If you are unable to attend, please pray that God would richly bless the efforts of the Desiring God staff, and that Pastor, and their sons or fathers, would more fully grasp a passion for the glory of God.
The following is an excerpt of John Piper's welcome:
The theme of the Desiring God 2008 Conference for Pastors is owing most immediately to my father’s death on March 6, 2007. He was a fruitful evangelist. He preached the gospel for over seventy years, if you count the final testimonies in the nursing home. I loved him. I admired him. And I wondered how I might honor him.
The thought came to me: “Make him the subject of your biography at the Conference for Pastors. Tell his story and the impact he had on you.” Then I recalled that Don Carson of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School had lost his father, a Canadian pastor, and was hoping to write a book about him. (In fact, the book is written and will be ready for the conference in February, Lord willing.)
It occurred to me that Don might find it enjoyable to celebrate his own father’s ministry while instructing the rest of us about lessons learned from him and from the Word. Maybe, I thought, we should build the whole conference around the pastor as father and son, that is, the pastor as father of a family and father of a church; and the pastor as son of an earthly father and son of a heavenly Father. I wrote Don and told him my vision. He embraced it and agreed to come.
At that point, the Desiring God staff got excited about doing something totally unusual with this conference, namely, encouraging all the pastors to bring their sons and their fathers. Amazing. We all loved it. So that’s the plan. Come. And if you can, bring your sons and your dad.
Read the whole invitation here.
If you are in the area, please come. No other alive theologians have influenced me more than D.A. Carson and John Piper. The impact they have had in trumpeting the supremacy of Christ and the preciousness of His Word has been incalculable. If money is an issue, Desiring God has generously offered a whatever-you-can-pay policy. If you are unable to attend, please pray that God would richly bless the efforts of the Desiring God staff, and that Pastor, and their sons or fathers, would more fully grasp a passion for the glory of God.
Who is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever?
Barack Obama.
Terence Jeffrey notes: He is so pro-abortion he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons."
Read the whole story here.
This is alarming; even the most hard-hearted politican, one would think, would be in favor of saving babies who have survived such a catastrophe. What an offense against the dignity and value of human life. Moreover, what an offense against God, the author of life, who formed and shaped each baby in his image to give him glory. Where do humans have the right and audacity to take away such a blessing?
HT: JT
Terence Jeffrey notes: He is so pro-abortion he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons."
Read the whole story here.
This is alarming; even the most hard-hearted politican, one would think, would be in favor of saving babies who have survived such a catastrophe. What an offense against the dignity and value of human life. Moreover, what an offense against God, the author of life, who formed and shaped each baby in his image to give him glory. Where do humans have the right and audacity to take away such a blessing?
HT: JT
Judge Not!
I am currently reading through D.A. Carson's Commentary on the Book of John. I am 300 pages in, and it has been an eminently enjoyable read thus far.
John 7:24 reads: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. Giving a helpful note on judgment and discernment of all sorts, he writes:
In an age when Matthew 7:1 ('Do not judge, or you too will be judged') has displaced John 3:16 as the only verse in the Bible the man in the street is likely to know, it is perhaps worth adding that Matthew 7:1 forbids judgmentalism, not moral discernment. By contrast, John 7:24 demands moral and theological discernment in the context of obedient faith (7:17), while excoriating self-righteous legalism and offering no sanction for censorious heresy-hunting (317).
What an apt warning for falling out on either side of the spectrum.
John 7:24 reads: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. Giving a helpful note on judgment and discernment of all sorts, he writes:
In an age when Matthew 7:1 ('Do not judge, or you too will be judged') has displaced John 3:16 as the only verse in the Bible the man in the street is likely to know, it is perhaps worth adding that Matthew 7:1 forbids judgmentalism, not moral discernment. By contrast, John 7:24 demands moral and theological discernment in the context of obedient faith (7:17), while excoriating self-righteous legalism and offering no sanction for censorious heresy-hunting (317).
What an apt warning for falling out on either side of the spectrum.
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