Against humanism

Dr. James Jordan is the pastor of the Reconstructionist Church in Tyler, Texas. Hij heeft een graad in vergelijkende literatuur en in theologie(1967) van het Westminster Theologisch Seminarie (1980). Hij is de oprichter en directeur van Biblical Horizons, een Christelijke denktank en onderzoeksinstituut. Op deze website vindt u al zijn nieuwsbrieven, waaronder een serie over Bijbelse Chronologie. Een van zijn nieuwsbrieven gaat over Halloween als een van oorsprong uitgesproken christelijke feestdag.

Hij is de auteur van verschillende boeken: 

• The Law of the Covenant - an Exposition of Exodus 21-23, 1984
  How relevant are the laws of the Old Testament for today? God said that Israel was to be a light to the nations (Hebrews 42:6). That someday all nations would come to Jerusalem to receive the Law (Micah 4:2). That in His Law, "every transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense" (Hebrews 2:2). That all peoples would marvel at the wisdom and justice of Israel's laws (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). Yet, with the change from the Old to the New Covenant, there are clearly changes in the Law, "for when the priesthood changes, there must also take place a change of law" (Hebrews 7:12). How, then, are we to approach the many laws found in the Old Testament? Some of them are obviously superior to our modern law today (such as restitution instead of imprisonment for theft.) Some of them have obviously been superseded in Christ (such as the sacrificial system). Some of them seem overly harsh (such as the death penalty for "cursing" parents). Some of them seem weird and strange (such as the prohibition on boiling a kid in its mother's milk).
  In this book, Mr. Jordan provides four introductory chapters of the nature of Biblical law, on the redemptive historical context in which the law was first written, and on the overall changes in the law system which the New Covenant brings. Then, moving to the concrete, Mr. Jordan provides the first truly in-depth commentary on the case laws of Exodus 21-23, the Book of the Covenant. The laws are taken up one at a time. In each case, the question is asked, "What did this law mean to the people of the Old Testament age?" Then the question is asked, "What relevance might this law have for the Christian faith today?" Finally, the question is asked, "How does this law shed light on the work of Jesus Christ, of whom all Scripture speaks? That is, how can we preach Christ from this law?"
  In his preface, Mr. Jordan states that he has not tried to say the last word on these chapters of Scripture, but that he has tried to say a first word, and to challenge the Church to look further into these verses to find the wisdom for today
• Judges: A Practical and Theological Commentary
  Originally subtitled God's War Against Humanism, in this book, Rev. Jordan examines the stories within the book of Judges, unpacking the material and answering questions as to their theological and practical meaning. Organizing the book into a series of cycles, he demonstrates that God commands to his people to do certain things, and their obediance (or disobediance) is evaluated and blessed (or judged). These stories reveal much about human nature, and also much about the work of Christ and His Church. Jordan demonstrates again and again that God really is in control. If you're pessimistic about what the future holds, you really ought to read this book! It's incredibly encouraging.
• Primeval Saints - The Patriachs of Genesis
  James Jordan reveals the fascinating weave of lives that bind together the heroes and villains of Genesis, as they progressively image and reverse one another in an ascending narrative of action, a narrative all too commonly broken apart or missed. These heroes of the city of God-Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and others-come to flesh and blood in ways that undo our normal assumptions. In stark contrast to the selfish heroism of pagan literature, the heroism of Genesis triumphs by breaking all the standard rules. Jordan inverts so many of the traditional negative judgments against these patriarchs' alleged weakness and "sins" of deception, struggle, and tyranny that they stand forth as heroes rather than scoundrels. And yet this book is not just about the heroes of Genesis. Throughout, Jordan draws a picture of how Christian culture should be imagined and lived in our own day, from creativity and work to tyranny and freedom
  
• Sociology of the church - Essays in Reconstruction
  This book is a discussion of one of the major problems facing conservative protestantism today: how churches should relate to one another and to a secular world. Evangelical literature frequently addresses individual Christians and how they should face the world, but there is very little written on how conservative churches should function. Indeed, it sometimes seems that the more conservative a church is-whether Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Bible Church, or any other-the more isolated and "sectarian" it tends to be. What is needed is for Bible-believing churches, not just Christian individuals, to join hands and stand together against the forces of secular humanism, compromise, and religious liberalism.
  But how can such practical unity come about? How can institutional churches with differing theologies, practices, and traditions, learn to cooperate in any real sense? Only by careful thinking and searching of Scripture. The essays in this book wrestle with these problems throughout. Rev. Jordan discusses how the churches should relate to one another, to the state, and to the world. Throughout, Jordan insists that our society will not be restored to righteousness until the church shapes herself up, for "judgment begins at the house of God."
  Strictly conservative and orthodox, these essays reflect the author's committment to the full inerrancy and authority of the bible over every area of life. 
  Klik hier</a> voor hoofdstuk 8 over `Christian Zionism and Messianic Judaism`
• Through New Eyes - Developing a Biblical View of the World
  Idolatry. It's been a problem with man for a long time. And, as witnessed by the first two commandments delivered to Moses on Sinai, God is serious about confronting it.
  According to Dr. Herbert Schlossberg in his best-selling book, Idols for Destruction, all idols fall into two general categories: Idols of nature and Idols of history. Picking up where Dr. Schlossberg leaves off, James Jordan believes that since idolatry stands between God and His people, Christians must have a Biblical view of nature, and a biblical view of history.
  Through New Eyes demonstrates that nature was designed and created as a revelation of God. Only if we allow nature to point us to the Creator can we avoid idolatry. Jordan discusses the design of the world as a whole—as well as rocks, stars, plants, animals, and humanity—demonstrating how it shows forth the nature of the Creator.
  History is also designed and managed by God. Jordan discusses the Biblical view of history, exhibiting that God superintends history so that events of the past shed light on events of the future. "Only with such an understanding of history," contends Jordan, "can we draw legitimate analogies from the Bible to our time.
  Through New Eyes sets forth the Biblical understanding of the world, and then traces the development of that world through the successive "covenants" of the Bible—each new covenant transforming the previous one, bringing forth a "new world." Each of these "worlds" was given a symbolic model appropriate to the times: the Tabernacle for Moses, the Temple for David, and so forth. By a study of these models, and of the societies they represented, Jordan is able to set forth the Biblical view of the world and of historical change and progress, and make relevant and important applications to the present day
• Covenant Sequence in Leviticus & Deuteronomy 1989
  In this path-breaking study, Jordan investigates the literary and theological structure of the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. He shows that the organization of these two books, far from being random, is intimately related to the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. The sacrifices and laws of uncleanness in Leviticus, for instance, form an extended commentary on the creation and fall of man, while the law section of Deuteronomy is a commentary on the Ten Commandments. A separate study of Leviticus 19 finds that chapter to consist of seventy laws, carefully arranged in a theological pattern. Presented as outline studies, these essays are both an important contribution to the ongoing discussion of the covenant, and also useful Bible study aids for any serious Bible student.
  
• Pig Out? 25 Reasons Why Christians May Eat Pork
  People think that if they eat right, take vitamins, and exercise, they will live forever.Christians
  have discovered a new way to misinterpret the Bible: studying the laws of Leviticus as if they were a code of diet and health. There is no biblical foundation for the teaching that Christians should keep the "Mosaic dietary laws." The Bible makes it clear that from Noah to Moses, believers were free to eat any kind of animal meat they chose. A careful study of the dietary laws shows that they were given for sacramental and symbolic reasons, not for reasons of health. James Jordan has studied this question intensively for several years. Here he presents the fruit of the research that went into his 500 page Studies in Food and Faith . He shows that eating pork is a sign that the gospel has gone to all the world.

• Creation six days, A Defense of the Traditional Reading of Genesis One, 1999
  This book offers an exegetical, literary, and theological defense of the traditional interpretation of the Genesis account of six-day creation. It is primarily designed to answer any approach to the text of Genesis, such as the increasingly popular Framework Hypothesis, that pits the text's literary features against its historical and narrative sense.
  Beyond his exegetical critique of several prominent positions, Jordan offers a constructive reading of the early parts of Genesis and also seeks to uncover the assumptions which attract people to the Framework interpretation and similar views. The explanation, he says, lies in the acceptance of many of the questionable assumptions of modern science on the part of most Christians today, coupled with the pervasiveness of a Gnostic or non-historical attitude toward the Christian faith.
  Voor een review van Andrew Kulikovsky, zie Creation </a>Creation in 6 days

James Jordan heeft ook verschillende boeken geschreven over liturgie:

• Theses on Worship, Notes Toward the Reformation of Worship 
  Evangelicalism today is in a liturgical quandary. Some believe that the essence of worship is teaching. For others the essence is praise. Yet others are interested in recovering the Lord's Supper as central. But the worship God appoints in the Bible is far more than all of these. Biblical worship is God's renewing the covenant with His people.
  On the Lord's Day, the Day of the Lord, God comes to His people to renew His covenant with them. God renews His covenant by sacrifice, and so worship is sacrificial: We are united to Christ and become living sacrifices. A study of the covenant renewing events in the Bible can teach us about the order of worship, and we find the same patterns in the sacrificial service of Israel. Such patterns should instruct us as we offer our sacrifices of praise.
  In this stimulating book, Reformed liturgical scholar James B. Jordan boldly attacks both many contemporary trends and certain hoary traditions of evangelical worship. Jordan calls for a return to the careful study of what the whole Bible says about worship, and particularly of what the Bible says about covenant renewal. Perhaps Jordan's most controversial point is his insistence that worship is private time between Christ and His bride, and should not be confused with evangelism
  Klik hier voor een review van Timothy J. Worrell

• Liturgical Nestorianism and the regulative principle- Een kritische beschouwing over "Aanbidding in de tegenwoordigheid van God".
  The ancient Nestorians believed that Jesus and God were two actual persons in one body. The "man" Jesus was totally the slave of the Second Person of the Godhead. This heresy was rejected by the Church, which maintains that in Christ there are two natures (man and God), but only one personality.
  Biblical Christianity says that God created human beings good, and has glorified fallen humanity in Christ. God wants us to act out of our freedom when we worship Him, responding to His loving initiatives. God does, of course, tell us what He wants us to do, and He guides us in worship; but we are not mere slaves who do nothing more than parrot the Bible back to God in worship. We hear, receive, digest, and meditate on God's Word, and then interact with Him in worship.
  In this book, Reformed liturgiologist James B. Jordan critiques what he calls "liturgical minimalism," the idea that God will be enraged if we dare do anything in worship other than what is explicitly prescribed in some New testament text. Jordan shows that such a philosophy is impossible to implement and contradicts both the clear teaching of Scripture and the logic of the Christian religion. Major topics include: six fundamental approaches to worship, the "regulative principle of worship," exclusive psalmody, and the rejection of musical instruments in worship.
  Klik hier voor een review van Richard Bacon.

• The Liturgy Trap- The Bible Versus Mere Tradition in Worship</a> 
  Nowadays we hear all too often that someone or other has decided to leave the Evangelical Christian faith and to join the Church of Rome, or Eastern Orthodoxy, or High Anglicanism. The lure is liturgy and tradition, and since the Evangelical and Reformed churches so often have such poor worship, it is not hard to understand the pull exercised by those churches that have a heritage of formality, sobriety, and beauty.
  But the cure is far worse than the disease. The answer to the weaknesses of Evangelicalism is not a turn toward the fallacies and errors of Rome, Orthodoxy, and Anglo-Catholicism, but a return to Biblical patterns of worship.
  Just as there is true and false doctrine, so there are true and false worship patterns. In this book, James B. Jordan sorts out the true and false in the area of worship practice, discussing the cult of the saints, the veneration of icons, apostolic succession, virginity and celibacy, the presence of Christ at His Supper, and the doctrine of tradition
  Voor een review van Greg L. Price, kik hier

Zie ook een overzicht bij Goodreads en Amazon en Exodusbooks.
A person called Uri also has many reviews on James Jordan.