So We Speak

Wisdom is one of the key themes of the Bible. Beyond the book of Proverbs, wisdom plays a central role in God's creation and salvation. Paul even calls Jesus the wisdom of God. Dr. Matthew Harmon discusses the role of wisdom in the Bible in his new book, The Wisdom of God: Revealed, Reviled, and Reverberated.

Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He lived through the most tumultuous time in Israel's history and left a personal record of his life and ministry. He prophesied about a time to come when God would remember his people and bring them back into the land. His life and message point us to Jesus. 

Pascal is known for "The Wager," an argument that it's far better to believe in God - whether he exists or not - to run the risk of unbelief. But Pascal had far more to say. Dr. Doug Groothuis discusses his book Beyond the Wager and explains why Pascal is more relevant than ever. 

During Christmas and Easter, our readings are filled with passages from the prophet Isaiah. Although he lived 800 years before Jesus, he described Jesus's life in amazing detail. The book of Isaiah is full of pictures, prophecies, and descriptions of the Messiah. 

We're reflecting on a summer of reading and recommending our favorite reads!

Books mentioned in this episode: 

For most of church history, Song of Songs was among the most popular books to teach, preach, and study. Now it's typically viewed as a book about marriage. Is there more to it? Cole and Terry discuss this poetic masterpiece and explain the ways it teaches us about Christ. 

Ecclesiastes is unlike any other book in the Bible. The wise King Solomon shares his experiences about life under the sun, struggle, vanity, and the purpose of life. Even here, we can see pointers to Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes it's the hardest times that teach us what is most important. In the second half of this episode on The Tower and the Ruin, Dr. Michael Drout opens up about the sorrow behind the book and how Tolkien's stories helped him through. 

J.R.R. Tolkien's work is more than just a great story. Michael Drout's book is part memoir and part scholarship, tracing Tolkien's masterpiece as a work or literature and a work of life. You'll never read Lord of the Rings the same way again. 

What is true freedom? Paul says we have true freedom in Christ, but it comes only through surrender. As Christians, the freest we will ever be is when we are fully submitted to Christ.