J. Todd Billings

A beautiful work of rubber-meets-the-road theology by an apparently gifted scholar. I love the way he relates doctrines like divine impassibility, concursus (a new one for me--over against deistic and fatalistic or monocausal approaches to God's relationship to suffering, as well as open theism), and above all, union with Christ to
his experience with incurable cancer. Also some good material on intercessory prayer and theodicy in general. Definitely a gift to the church. I'll want to get my own copy so I can mark it up.… (altro)

J. Todd Billings is a theology professor who in 2013, while in his late 30's, was diagnosed with an incurable cancer. Rejoicing in Lament is a book that describes his journey with cancer in the first years since his diagnosis. More than merely describing his journey, Billings offer a distinctly Christian reflection on faith and cancer from a robustly Reformed vantage point.

Disclaimer: While in seminary I studied systematic theology with Dr. Billings. I have read two of his previous books and was given a complimentary copy from the publisher. I did read other reviews of this book prior to my reading it however I did listen to his appearance on Mortification of Spin, the podcast of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.

As noted in the disclaimer I did not read any previous reviews of this book, although I understand there were a number of favorable reviews and I would refer you to one of those for a more comprehensive treatment. I would just like to make a few comments on several things that stood out to me as I read it.

First, Billings' reflections, on God and cancer, are consistently, even persistently, Trinitarian. Billings never lets go of the fact that God is Triune. He continually brings to mind that God is Father, Son and Spirit, always. When so much of contemporary, dare I say generic, Evangelical Christianity is addressed primarily to the Son, secondarily to the Father, and, only perhaps inclusive of the Spirit, it is a real strength of Billings' thinking and writing here that God is always Triune.

Secondly, Billings also is always mindful of the fact that, for the Christian, union with Christ is an ordinary state of affairs. (Union with Christ is both the title and subject of a previous book by Billings, one which I have not read.) Among other things this means that for Billings, even in the face of an incurable cancer, one that struck him at a much younger age than the "average" person with the same diagnosis, there is never a part of his cancer journey that occurs separate from his Savior. Even at the depths of his initial treatment, which included a stem cell transplant, he knew, based on the promises God gives through his word, that his faithful Savior and Lord, Jesus, was with him.

And lastly, for purposes of my review, there was a certain tone of voice that permeated Billings' writing that made his thoughts easily and practically accessible. As someone who serves as a pastor I found that there was much in Billings' writing to help me understand people in my own congregation struggling with serious illness and other life situations that can seem to have no end and then respond to them in ways that are not trite but both empathetic and genuinely pastoral.

These are but a few of the many strengths of this particular book, and I highly commend it.… (altro)

The presence of John Calvin looms large over the Protestant Reformation. This was true during the 16th century in which he lived, and it remains true today. In Calvin’s Theology and its Reception: Disputes, Developments and New Possibilities editors J. Todd Billings and I. John Hesselink have gathered ten essays that consider ways in which aspects of Calvin’s theology were received and understood during both the early Reformation and more recently in history. The essays are paired by topic, with an essay on the early influence of Calvin, in the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by as essay that considers his influence on the same topic in the 18th through 21st centuries. The topics addresssed are Scripture and Revelation; Union with Christ; Election; the Lord’s Supper; and Church and Society.

The authors are all scholars who teach, or have taught, on seminary faculties. While they have written serious essays that draw from extensive references I felt that the work collected here does have relevant application for those serving in pastoral ministry. I believe that the first four topics all touch on issues that powerfully shape faith and worship today. God’s people who are gathered for worship need to understand scripture and revelation so that they allow the Bible to speak vibrantly and authoritatively into their lives. They need to know how closely believers are joined by faith to Christ and how this is the result of God’s gracious mercy in choosing them. They need to appreciate the distinctive way in which Calvin understood the Lord’s Supper so that they may be well-nourished when they come to feast at His table.

Here is one example, from Michael Horton’s essay on the modern reception of Calvin’s understanding of what it means to have union with Christ. Summarizing Calvin, he writes, “Justified once for all through faith by a righteousness that is external (alien) to us, we are nevertheless united to Christ by an inseparable communion so that, in spite of our weaknesses, we will always seek our salvation in him.” (90) The implication then, Horton says, is this: “So when we consider ourselves, there is nothing but despair; when we consider ourselves in Christ, there is faith, which brings hope and love in its train. In the gospel, God calls forth a new world of which Christ is the sun and we are drawn into his orbit.” (90; italics Horton) In our day, when it seems that we are constantly being pulled to worship other gods, I appreciate the clear way in which both Calvin and Horton articulate the bonds that hold believers to Christ.

In sum, Billings and Hesselink, who each authored one essay in this collection, and their collaborators, shine new light on issues that weren’t simply resolved once-and-for-all because Calvin wrote about them nearly 500 years ago. These essays help us to understand how Calvin’s work was perceived in its day, and how it can be reexamined to teach and strengthen the church today.

Disclaimer: I studied under two of the authors, J. Todd Billings and Sue A. Rozeboom, while I was at Western Theological Seminary.… (altro)

The second-to-last section of the Gospel of John is a discussion between Jesus and Peter. They have a bit of back-and-forth conversation, with Jesus asking Peter if he, Peter, loves him, to which Peter offers a heartfelt, “You know that I love you.” This exchange happens three times, with Jesus’ response to Peter’s affirmation of love being, “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” One of the things happening here is that Jesus is highlighting the importance of the task being given to Peter of providing ongoing care for Jesus disciples.

The task of “feeding God’s sheep” remains among the primary responsibilities of those in pastoral ministry today, and the food that God has given for the task is his word, as contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In The Word of God for the People of God: an entryway to the theological interpretation of scripture, J. Todd Billings provides those who would teach and preach God’s word with an understanding of their own particular entry-point as they open their Bible and he gives them some things to be mindful of as they study, so that they can bring the fullest possible understanding to those in their care.

(Disclaimer: I studied systematic theology with Prof. Billings, where he taught several of the concepts he writes of in this book.)

Billings is well aware of the many different ways people approach the Bible, recognizing that the point of entry often shapes what is found and how it is used. The goal of his book is “to introduce readers to the practice of interpreting Scripture in the context of the triune activity of God, the God who uses Scripture to reshape the church into Christ’s image by the Spirit’s power.” (xiii) He believes that Scripture should be approached in an integrated manner in order to best hear and follow “God’s powerful and transforming word…a word that is not under our control.” Ministry leaders are not called to read the Bible as “religious managers or religious customer service agents. They are called to read the Bible as disciples of Jesus Christ.” (xvii) To which I respond with a hearty “Amen!”

In six chapters Billings explores basic issues to understanding one’s entry point to the Bible. Chapter one considers the importance of reading scripture as part of the essential task of theology, i.e. “Faith seeking understanding.” Chapter two gives an overview of the place of historical and biblical criticism in reading scripture carefully. Chapter three addresses basic questions regarding the nature of scripture and its source. Chapter four considers the importance of understanding one’s own context as they study scripture, while chapter five highlights the importance of looking back to see what other students throughout church history have gleaned from the same texts being studied today. And chapter six concludes with a consideration of the interpretation of scripture within the practice of Christian faith, with one eye on the essential role of a Trinitarian outlook to the expression of faith.

This book is filled, from beginning to end, with valuable wisdom for the biblical student, teacher and preacher. It is written for an audience that has a working familiarity with the vocabulary of theological studies but the points that Billings articulates can, and should, all be developed for teaching within congregations.

One example has to do with how we understand scripture to be received. One of the decisions we make concerning scripture, which is critical in how we read and apply it, is its source. “Either revelation is grounded in inherent, universal human capacities or in the particularity of God’s action with Israel and in Jesus Christ.” (74, italics authors) We may or may not consciously consider these questions but our answers to them give powerful shape to what we receive from scripture.

With the first option we may view Scripture as something that was written by a diverse group of people and collected by another group of people, each imposing their own particular biases on their task. As we read it from this point we are free to take and keep what we want and to discard that which we feel is no longer relevant.

But if we take the second option then we recognize that while what we have received as Scripture may have come through human hands, it is inspired by a divine source. In receiving revelation this way “Christians enter into a world that they did not create.” (80) As a result of Scripture coming from God’s particular action, “Believers in Jesus Christ do not “own” the truth as much as they are owned by the one who is the truth.” (82) To borrow from Robert Frost, our decision regarding the source of revelation of Scripture “makes all the difference.”

A theme that runs through the entire book is the work of the Trinity in the reading of Scripture and the living of Christian faith. That may seem to be a “no-brainer,” given that virtually all orthodox Christians in the world believe in the triune nature of God, beliefs that are clearly stated in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, as well as the confessional statements of many denominations and individual congregations. But in practice we often worship and serve a somewhat generic God and/or Jesus, paying little heed to the person of the Spirit or the intimate interconnectedness of Father, Son and Spirit in every activity that God is involved in. In the final chapter Billings emphasizes that anything less than Trinitarian reading and practice will leave large holes in what we know of God and the ways in which we serve him.

Billings does an excellent job of advocating for a heightened articulation of the Trinity as we read, teach and preach the word of God, saying, “The Bible is the instrument of the triune God to shape believers into the image of Christ, in word and deed, by the power of the Spirit, transforming a sinful and alienated people into children of a loving Father.” (199) In The Word of God for the People of God Billings graciously invites and guides all Christians into a rich and transforming encounter with God’s word, to God’s eternal glory.… (altro)