Today I read a book called Archaeology and the Bible written by John C. H. Laughlin. I have decided that Laughlin should change the name of his book from Archaeology and the Bible to Archaeology that changes the Bible. That is really what he is proposing in this book. It is obvious that he is a huge supporter of Dever. It seems he also supports the idea that Archaeology and Biblical Studies should be separate disciplines that simply talk together. People should be trained in both disciplines to reach a wider group of people.

He believes that anyone who is entering into professional ministry of the church should be trained in Archaeology, as do I, but the reasons for his belief is staunchly different than mine. Laughlin thinks students of the Bible should be trained in Archaeology because of the “latest evaluation of the history and culture out of which the Bible came” (2000:12). This new evaluation that he speaks of is the idea that recent Archaeological discoveries have essentially proved that the Bible does not contain inerrant history and that sometimes the claims of the Bible must be rejected in view of Archaeological evidence. He is making the claim that if true Biblical students studied Archaeology, and if they are “honest thinkers” (2000:15), they will reject many of the biblical accounts of history.

Laughlin approaches this subject with the idea that in regards to Archaeology and the Bible, sometimes you have to either modify your belief or reject things all together when new evidence arises. He understands that Archaeology is not an exact science and that there are many limitations to it’s usefulness and yet at the same time he tends to always choose the Archaeological evidence over the Biblical account. He claims that Archaeology does not prove or disprove the Bible and on the same page he says that Archaeology makes it “crystal clear” that the bible is not a book of inerrant history or science (2000:15). Apparently Archaeology has something to prove after all!

Archaeology is not an inerrant science. In fact, time and time again Archaeologist have drawn conclusions that have later been proven false. Assumptions are made from little evidence and Archaeology happens to be a human process which is practiced by fallible humans who are bound to mess something up. Laughlin takes this fallible evidence and uses it as if it is exact science to prove (though he wouldn’t use that term) that what the Bible says is incorrect. He warns Christians to not rewrite the history of the Near East to fit their preconceptions of the bible, when he is actually using inconclusive evidence of the past to rewrite the bible to fit his own preconceptions. Isn’t it ironic that he uses this quote from Joseph Callaway “we need to be careful lest we make up in imagination what we lack in knowledge.”

While I disagree with Laughlin on many theological levels, one of my biggest problem with his book is his over-generalized statements of supposed fact that he brings out of no where without proof or any substantial evidence whatsoever. He claims that “it is now known that human beings lived in Palestine over a million years ago in what is called the ‘paleolithic’ period” (2000:33). He doesn’t give any proof or any clue as to where the statement comes from, he simply declares it as fact.

Archaeology and the Bible is a book written for beginners. The history of Archaeology, the description of fieldwork, and the explanation of the different ages of civilization are detailed and helpful to anyone with the desire to learn more about Archaeology. Unfortunately this book is filled with more than a simple overview of the history, methods, and implications of Archaeological discoveries. It comes complete with an agenda set forth by the author to disconnect Biblical truth from Archaeology.

Today I read the book The Stones Cry Out: What Archaeology Reveals About the Truth of the Bible by Randall Price. This is actually an excellent book that I would recommend for any Christian, not just those interested in Archaeology. Even Price admits at the beginning of the book that he is writing to the “nonspecialists”.

Price does an excellent job opening up the mind of the believer to the historical world of Christianity and to the rich beauty of Archaeology within the Christian world. There are several things that have shaped my own view of the Bible simply by reading the book and hearing about several of the Archaeological sites and artifacts that have been found. It’s also increased my desire to learn more.

If you’ve every wondered about discoveries that have been made such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Hittites, the discoveries on the Temple Mound, and so many others then this is a good introductory book to turn to. Price does an excellent job at making Archaeology and the Bible come alive. He relates the discoveries and the material findings in life to so many of the Biblical accounts that it gives a whole new perspective on many of the Biblical stories.

I borrowed this book from someone just to read it for the critical book review that I have to do, but now I will be purchasing a copy of this book for myself. It’s that good, and there are numerous references, maps, and other guides that are also helpful for a greater understanding of the Scripture and for a better knowledge of where we are in Archaeology today.

Ok, thats my commercial for today. To bad I don’t get paid for this…

P.S. Speaking of advertising. In the process of looking up this book, I came across a blog of the same name. Check it out: Stones Cry Out

**UPDATE** While most readers will agree with Price and believe that there is much we can learn from Archaeology to fill in the history that we do not know, his lack of detail about Archaeology itself leaves the reader disappointed and lacking. After reading the book the reader is left with some knowledge of specific Archaeological finds and very little knowledge of Archaeology itself, the fieldwork involved, how it is done, the big names involved, the ages of civilization, the history of it, and the details about Archaeology itself. While prices does claim that he is writing to non-specials, it becomes obvious that this was an understatement. This book does not make a good introduction to Archaeology. However, for those who know some introductory information about the field, the book does make an interesting read for those whose interests lie with Biblical Archaeology.

I’ve just finished reading a book called Through the Storm by Dr. Dan Gerdes. The book is not one that I was familiar with, but it was only 70 pages long and thus I made it through fairly quickly. I am taking a class called pastoral care & counceling which required me to get the book and come up with 5 lesson plans from it. It wasn’t that easy to get a hold of and the seminary had to have Gerdes drop off some of the books himself just so the class would have them. While I am not sure how easy it would be for you to get a copy, this is a book that I think you should read if you have a chance.

Through the Storm is a true story about the life of the author who went through some rough storms in life when him and his wife lost a child. The first chapter begins with the loss of their little boy (Ryan) and then the rest of the book deals with how they felt, what they did, and how God lead them through it all. I didn’t realize what this book was about until I read the first chapter and then when I noticed that the book came with a bookmark that was dedicated to Ryan with his picture on it, my heart was broken and I have to admit I took some time to cry for this family. The power of this book comes not in the story of loss, but in the suprizing story of gain. God was there for Dr. Gerdes and his wife, he lead them through this storm in their life and God used it to bring them closer to Him as they relied on Him fully.

“There are three kinds of people: Those who are in the middle of a storm, those who are emerging from a storm, and those who will soon be in one.”

The truth is, everyone will experience storms in their life. Times of great loss and pain will come to us all and there is no one that is immune to this. If anything, how God worked in the life of this family is a great encouragment to all of us. They experienced the same questions, doubts, pain and sorrow that all of us will experience when we go through struggles in life and this book is a powerful testimony of their reliance on God and evidence of Him guiding them through it all. “He transforms the darkness into morning in our lives, and others will see it and be amazed… Considering what we’ve been through, what’s not to love about God?” - Dan Gerdes

Lord thank you that you carry us through the storms of life! This book also reminds me of what I talked to our teenagers about during our youth service last Wednesday. We discussed Matthew 7:24-27:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” - Matthew 7:24-27 - ESV

There are several interesting things brought out in this passage. The first thing that I found significant is that both houses, regardless of the foundation, experienced storms that brought rain, floods, and winds that beat against them. Jesus never promised that Christians would have a “suffer free” life, he never said it would be easy. Whether your foundation is in Christ or not, you will experience the storms of life. The other thing I found to be significant in this passage is that both men listened, but only one of them took the advise to heart.

The man who hears God’s words and puts them into practice builds a strong foundation and when the storms of life come that man will be able to stand up under it, because he is rooted strongly in Christ. The Bible doesn’t say that the house wasn’t damaged, it just says it didn’t fall. We will experience pain, and hurt and we will be damaged, but in Christ we will not crumble and fall. However, the man who hears God’s words and does not put them into practice has a foundation as weak as sinking sand and when the storms of life come that man will not be able to stand up. He is not only damaged; the Bible says that he will fall and not just any fall, it will be a great fall.

A powerful message that is revealed to us in Scripture and given as evidence in the life of Dr. Gerdes and his family. Scripture always proves true when it comes to real life. Which house will you be when the storms of life come your way?

I’ve been reading an excellent book by Daniel Aken entitled God on Sex. This book deals with many aspects of marriage and God’s plan for marraige which has been an inspiring and insightful book. It is basically a study of God’s ideas on love, intimacy and marriage found in the Song of Solomon. Several times he uses jokes or funny lists to make a point, of which I am sharing one of the lists with you.

Ten observations that Highlight the Difference Between a Man and a Woman!

1. A man will pay $10 for a $5 item he wants. A woman will pay $5 for a $10 item that she doesn’t want (or need.)

2. A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

3. A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

4. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

5. Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

6. Any married man should forget his mistakes; there’s no reason for two people to remember the same things.

7. Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

8. A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.

9. A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

10. There are two times when a man doesn’t understand a woman–before and after marriage.

Kendall and I are doing the pre-marital counseling book “Before you say I do” together. We also have the 5 Love languages and God on Sex that we are reading together as we continue to get ready for March. If there is one thing we are finding out, it is not how similar we are but instead it is how different we are. We think differently, act differently, and have different personalities, and the amazing thing is that those differences don’t clash as much as they come together to make us whole. She makes up for the areas that I lack and vise versa. We are finding out that it is okay for man and woman to be different.