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Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages? with Takamitsu Muraoka

In this episode, Professor Takamitsu Muraoka, who was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1938, narrates his life’s story with an eye on how the biblical languages came to be of such importance to him. Following his conversion and years of academic preparation, he taught at Manchester University and Melbourne University, before becoming Professor of Hebrew at the Leiden University until his retirement. He founded the Dutch-Japanese-Indonesian Dialogue against the background of the Pacific War and is Representative of The Japanese Language Biblical Church in The Netherlands. In 2017, he was awarded the British Academy’s Burkitt Medal for Hebrew Bible studies, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study of Hebrew grammar and syntax and the Septuagint. His many publications include A Syntax of Septuagint Greek,  A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint,  A Grammar of Qumran Aramaic,  A Syntax of Qumran Hebrew, and Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages? 

Learn more about related programs at Wheaton:

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/46OMTHR

B.A. in Classical Languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin: https://bit.ly/3FkLEV4

To hear the podcast click here.

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Studying Apologetics in Strasbourg, France

Craig Parton

A few years ago David Fleming, the executive director of the Lanier Foundation, and Mark Lanier signed an agreement to host annually the John Warwick Montgomery Lecture in Evidential Apologetics. 

Along the way we have become acquainted with the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism, and Human Rights.  One of the instructors for that summer academy is Craig Parton.

To hear David Capes’s podcast with Craig Parton click here.

Who Is Craig Parton? 

Craig Parton lives in California.  He became a Christian in college and developed interest early in apologetics.  He is now a trial lawyer, but he spends a lot of time as the US Director for the International Academy of Apologetics. 

What Is the Apologetics Academy? 

Twenty-six years ago Craig Parton and John W. Montgomery (JWM) started the Apologetics Academy in Strasbourg, France. 

Every year they train around twenty men and women in apologetics, situated in one of the most historic and beautiful European cities. 

The academy lasts about two weeks.  It is intentionally small to in order to facilitate conversation, discussion, questions, and community.  To learn more about the academy: www.apologeticsacademy.eu

The cost for the experience and learning is very reasonable.  Accommodations are included.  Some scholarships are available as well. Look for the brochure on the website for details and registration.

The Annual Lecture at Lanier Library, Houston

This year John Lennox, retired Professor of Mathematics from the University of Oxford, will be giving the John Warwick Montgomery Lecture in Evidential Apologetics. 

His topic will be “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity.”  To hear David Capes’ podcast with Dr. Lennox in 2022 on the topic, click HERE. 

The lecture will be held 21 October 2023.  It will be streamed lived on the Lanier Library’s YouTube channel. And a recorded version will be posted later as well as on the Library website.

More Resources

To watch JWM’s lecture at the Library several years ago, click here.

To hear JWM’s podcast with David Capes (recorded in 2021) click HERE.

You can read a transcript of this podcast here.

For more resources check out these links.

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

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The Jesus Revolution in Nashville

David Capes and Travis Mulder from the Lanier Theological Library recently traveled to Nashville to sit in on a filming session of Don Finto by filmmaker, Terry Benedict, and Gary Glover. 

This filming is part of a project sponsored by friends of Don Finto to commit their former pastor’s life and sermons to film and digital audio. 

During lunch, Terry and Gary sat down with David to talk about the Don Finto Project on The Stone Chapel Podcast.

To hear the podcast click here.

Who are Terry Benedict and Gary Glover? 

Terry is a filmmaker from Los Angeles.  He’s known best for the documentary The Conscientious Objector. This documentary became the basis of the Academy Award winning film Hacksaw Ridge. 

Gary Glover and his wife have been magazine publishers in Nashville for many years.  He has an online company called SongWriting University (www.songwritingu.com). This company allows anyone in the world to be teamed up online with a Nashville songwriter to write a song.

Gary grew up in Nashville and attended Lipscomb College (now Lipscomb University).  This is where he came under the teaching of Don Finto. 

So extraordinary were Finto’s accomplishments that nearly 50 years later, other students of Don have teamed up to commit his life, ideas, and sermons to an archive of resources.

The Jesus Revolution & Don Finto? 

Don Finto was and continues to be one of the most influential pastors of his day.  His church, Belmont Church, is located on Music Row in Nashville. 

In the 1970s, 80s, and 90s he and his congregation experienced the Jesus Revolution in Nashville. This was the same time when pastor Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel experienced this spiritual phenomenon in Southern California.

It’s not too much to say that much of the contemporary Christian movement was birthed at Belmont Church under the leadership of Don Finto. Artists such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith launched their careers there in the heart of Music City. 

Finto’s influence did not stop in America.  He treks all around the world with the gospel message and the heart filled with grace. Even in his 90s, Finto tells people half his age to “finish well.” 

What is the Finto Project? 

The Don Finto Project begins with recording in high definition the ideas and stories of Don Finto “in his own words.”

Students and friends of Finto including Mark Lanier and Gov. Bill Lee (Tennessee) are sharing their insights. In the next phase, Terry Benedict will produce a 90-100 minute documentary on Finto’s life. 

In addition, Don’s sermons and writings are being collected to create an archive about Don’s legacy.  These will be include in an online digital archive available for generations to come.   

You can read a transcript of this podcast here.

For more resources check out these links.

To hear Don Finto’s lecture at the Lanier Library click here.

For a copy of Don Finto’s book, A Handbook for the End Times, click here.

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

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Why the Gospel? with Matthew Bates

Dr. Bates has been on the Stone Chapel Podcasts before to talk about his book Gospel Allegiance.  He has also been on another podcast we do with Wheaton College called “Exegetically Speaking.”

See the notes below for a link to some of his insights on Romans 1:3-4. In this podcast he and David Capes talk about his recent book, Why the Gospel? Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose

Who is Matthew Bates? 

Matthew W. Bates is Professor of Theology at Quincy University. A Protestant who enjoys the challenge of teaching in a Catholic context, Bates holds an M.C.S. from Regent College in biblical studies.

And a PhD from University of Notre Dame  in theology, and New Testament. He is cofounder of the OnScript podcast.

Bates’s books include Salvation by Allegiance Alone, The Gospel Precisely, Gospel Allegiance, and The Birth of the Trinity.  

Why the Gospel? 

Matthew Bates has been deeply invested in the question, what is the gospel?, along with other scholars like N. T. Wright and Scot McKnight. 

But in this book, Dr. Bates is more interested in a prior question: why the gospel?  Why did God give the gospel to the church?  Dr. Bates thinks that if it’s just to deal with our sin problem, then that is not the complete story.

This is what Scot McKnight of Northern Seminary says about the book in his forward:

“Matthew Bates’s Why the Gospel? will help you discover God’s fullest gospel purposes, so that you and others can more thoroughly embrace a lifestyle of loyal discipleship.”

And Lisa Bowens  of Princeton Theological Seminary says,

“In Why the Gospel?, Matthew Bates seeks to demonstrate that the kingship of Christ is central to the gospel and is the reason for the gospel… The underlying aim of the book is apropos for this historic moment in the church—it challenges the reader to think again about what the gospel is and why the gospel matters for our time. A provocative read.”

Some great insights are coming your way in this book and podcast.  Thanks for listening.

To hear the podcast click here.

More resources

Here’s a link to Dr Capes and Dr Bates discussion on Romans. Click here.

For the OnScript Podcast click here.

You can read a transcript of this podcast by clicking here.

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

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Jesus among the Gods with Mike Bird

To hear the podcast click here.

David Capes and Michael Bird have been friends for many years.  And they share some common academic interests.  Recently, Mike released an important new book.  He joined David Capes from his home in Australia to talk about it on the Stone Chapel Podcasts.

Who is Michael Bird? 

Michael (Mike) Bird is a New Testament scholar, an Anglican priest, and he is Deputy Principal at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. 

He loves the Bible and takes delight in calling himself a Bible nerd.  Mike has a wonderful sense of humor, and he knows more about American politics than most Americans. 

He loves tennis, and he hates coffee.  Mike is the author of lots of books.  You can find many of them at the Lanier Theological Library.

Jesus among the Gods

Jesus among the Gods: Early Christology in the Greco-Roman World (Baylor University Press, 2022) is one of Michael’s newest books. 

He dedicated it to David for the years of friendship and his contributions to Christology. 

In the book Mike looks at the question: what does it mean to call Jesus “God” or “god”?  That may seem self-evident 2000 later, but the question is more complex. 

Bart Ehrman’s work encouraged Mike to look into this question. What he found is a spectrum of divinity from unbegotten and absolute gods. To begotten gods, who were often people elevated to some divine status or deity, like Caesar or Heracles. 

So did this way of thinking influence early Christians as they were struggling to express the significance of Jesus?

More topics in the discussion

The conversation weaves through a number of topics including whether monotheism is a term that is useful or should it be retired.

And the depth of Hellenistic culture in the Bible, and the unlikely prospects that Judaism and Hellenism are petitioned off and did not influence one another. 

The book is fascinating and a must read for anyone interested in understanding the earliest Jesus communities. 

Jesus among the God endorsed by Capes

David Capes endorsed the book before he knew Michael was going to dedicate it to him:

With his characteristic good humor and judicious attention to detail, Michael Bird pushes the conversation regarding early Christologies in new and constructive directions. 

Having an ear attuned to both Jewish and Greco-Roman voices, Bird offers a straightforward taxonomy of what constituted ‘divinity’ in the ancient world and makes a serious case that elements of early Christologies are inherently ontological.

David B. Capes, Director, Lanier Theological Library

Additional Resources

You can watch Michael Bird’s lecture, An Invasive Story: Paul’s Theology Between Messianic Event and Salvation History at the Lanier Theological Library in 2016 by clicking here.

To learn more about Michael Bird click here.

For a transcript of this podcast, click here.

More resources

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics? Just click here.

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library by clicking here.

To hear the podcast click here.