With just 2 & 1/2 weeks until Thanksgiving, time to complete research for papers is quickly slipping away. In particular, if you need articles or books from other libraries, you need to place your requests before Thanksgiving. After that we cannot guarantee you’ll receive the materials before the semester ends. Let us know how we can help you.
VanDrunen, David. A Biblical Case for Natural Law. Acton Institute. 2006. 75p. index. ISBN 978-880595-23-0. Contributed by Michael Farrell, Associate Librarian, RTS-Orlando.
Using Scripture itself, VanDrunen attempts to prove that the Bible does not provide specific instruction for all areas of life. Rather, the Bible points humanity toward “natural law,” a commonly held set of moral guidelines that are known apart from God’s Special Revelation. Well-established in Roman Catholic thought, natural law has its detractors in many Protestant circles. VanDrunen makes the case that natural law is rooted in Biblical teaching and in the thought of Protestant giants such as Calvin and Luther. Basing much of his thought on man’s creation in the Image of God, VanDrunen succinctly exegetes other Scripture relevant to the natural law debate. He carefully explains St. Augustine’s “two kingdom’s theory” which he believes provides the structure in which people can use natural law. VanDrunen would agree with Kuyper that there is not a square inch in the universe over which God does not claim sovereignty. However, unlike some of Kuyper’s followers, Vandrunen would also say that God rules different parts of that universe with different means. God rules his church through the means of grace and most specially the preached Word of God. God in general rules history and the physical universe with natural law. Both the Bible and natural law are divine in origin, both are gifts from God that people must follow in order to “function properly.” When we try to use Scripture when we should be using natural law, we will run into trouble; and when we try to use natural law when we should be using Scripture, we will run into a very similar trouble.
Congratulations to Moses Nickerson and Steve Thompson who each won a Calvin 500th anniversary mug for making book suggestions for the Library. Thanks to the others who participated as well. Several book titles have been ordered based on the suggestions, so everyone will benefit. Don’t the rest of you wish you’d had a shot at those mugs? Until October 2010…
Students in the ARP History class have just read about a controversy in 18th century Scotland around a book, The Marrow of Modern Divinity, concerning the free offer of the Gospel. The book itself is in the library, but Dr. Sinclair Ferguson has given 3 excellent lectures on it that greatly clarify the doctrines in question and make application in our time. Go to www.misterrichardson.com/ferguson.html and scroll down for the links (of course, the rest of his material is wonderful too).
Added note: There is now a Facebook group for ‘Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine’ if you’re interested in a forum to learn more.
Ebenezer & Ralph Erskine
Just a reminder to our students – send us your book purchase selections and/or book reviews soon! Theological 
Libraries Month is coming to a close. On Thursday, Oct. 29 we will show the old but good movie on the life of Martin Luther (creatively titled, ‘Martin Luther’) around 4:00 PM. There is an unsubstantiated rumor that food may be allowed in the library during the movie…
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: ATLA, book reviews, digital media, reading suggestions
I recently came across the work of a fellow librarian – Dr. Mark Herring at Winthrop University – who wrote an article, “Ten Reasons why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library” (click to read). Dr. Herring has also written the book Fool’s Gold, which expounds the same topic at greater length (book is on order – feel free to reserve it if you want to read it when it arrives). Now I realize you’d expect those of us who earn our livings running a library to be book advocates – but Herring points out (in the book in particular) some compelling reasons why dependence on online information can be a perilous choice. I’ve pointed out in orientation sessions and our writing workshop how Google’s so-called relevance ranking is a lot less about relevance than it is about paid-rankings. But Herring develops things in much greater depth – and is engaging to read as well, even if you disagree with him at points.
At the very least, try to read the article. Then perhaps you’ll be stirred to read the book too. Or we can have coffee and you can listen to me rant from my soapbox…
10/15…Here is a follow-on related link to the one above: The Death of the Book?
Come celebrate Theological Libraries Month with us throughout October! (Hey, everyone else gets their month, so why not us?). In order to pique your interest, here are some opportunities for our students:
Free Calvin mugs! Submit a suggestion for a book that you think the Library should purchase (which we don’t already own!), and if we agree, you will be entered in a drawing to win one of 2 lovely and highly coveted Calvin Quincentenary mugs. Goofball suggestions will not qualify, though we do not doubt your creativity.
Book reviews for copies. Submit a review of a book already in our Library published since 2005. The top 3 reviews will receive a coupon worth $5 of free copies in the Library, and the reviews will be posted on this blog. Honorable mentions might show up in Semper. Send book suggestions or book reviews to abrashier ‘at’ rts.edu, or drop them off here in the Library.
Other activities and events may be announced here as the month goes on, so check back for more. A Martin Luther filmfest on the 29th is being considered…
You can still receive a 30-minute individual tutorial. After this week (Sep. 25), just send an email to Ken McMullen to arrange a time that will work for you. The primary focus of the instruction will be on the ATLA journals database.
Add us to your RSS feed at http://rtscharlottelibrary.wordpress.com/feed/ !
We are now taking sign-ups in the Library for individual instruction in our online databases. These 30-minute sessions will primarily focus on the ATLA database, which is the largest and most used. Sessions will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
