On Writing

At the beginning of July, I became the first research professor that Central Seminary has ever employed. The transition from the presidency to the research professorship took a few months, but now I seem to be getting settled into a new routine. Frankly, I love what I’m doing.

During the years that I was president of the seminary, I continued to teach a full course load. That has not changed—I am still in the classroom and get to experience plenty of contact with students. When I get hungry for more, I park in a chair out in the hall and pretend to read. Almost invariably, one or more students will stop by for good conversation.

The administrative duties, however, have been taken away. In their place, I have been granted the opportunity to devote my time to research and writing. The terms of this arrangement are pretty flexible. I can work at home with minimal interruptions when I need to focus on writing. I can even work from a remote location if I wish. One of my doctoral advisers used to do some of his best work from a “writing shack” in the north woods, and I am giving serious consideration to that alternative.

This week I have been devoting myself to final edits on a book for Regular Baptist Press. The title has not been decided yet (titles typically belong to the publisher and not the author). The volume, however, is an overview of Baptist distinctives and polity.

This is the first time I’ve worked with Regular Baptist Press. Having worked with several other publishers, I have some standard of comparison. Regular Baptist Press is as helpful and easy to work with as any of them. While it has published few new volumes for several years, RBP was recently tasked with producing books that will promote the distinctive position of Regular Baptists. Consequently, RBP was looking for a book on Baptist polity and distinctives at the same time that I was beginning to write one.

Originally, I had planned a rather short volume devoting one chapter to each of six distinctives. These include the absolute authority of the New Testament in all matters of church faith and order, believer immersion, pure church membership, individual Christian responsibility (including both the priesthood and soul liberty of the believer), congregational polity (I argue that New Testament churches are governed by congregations, led by pastors, and served by deacons), and the separation of church and state. These chapters, together with an appendix on baptismal regeneration, would comprise a volume of about 60,000 words.

Then I learned that Regular Baptist Press wanted something closer to 100,000 words. Consequently, the appendix on baptismal regeneration was expanded into a chapter. Other chapters were also added that dealt with inter-church cooperation, church councils, Landmarkism, and planting new churches.

As the project nears completion, I can already see ways in which it needs to be strengthened. Some of those ways will take a bit of time to pursue, and I hope that Regular Baptist Press will allow me to do a second edition after a few years. By that time, I am sure that reviewers and critics will also have offered suggestions for improvement.

Along with the book on Baptist distinctives, I have also had the privilege of editing another volume that should appear within the next couple of months. Entitled Heart, Soul, Might: Meditations on Knowing and Loving God, this book is a collection of devotional writings (essays and poems) by the faculty of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. It is being published through Central Seminary Press so that we can distribute the book for the lowest possible cost. We have even discussed the possibility of releasing the book in one or more electronic formats free of charge. Our goal is simply for Heart, Soul, Might to be a blessing to God’s people and Christ’s church.

Perhaps this is the point at which to say something about my philosophy of publication. First, I am more interested in writing materials for church members, pastors, and ministry students than I am in writing for scholars. Second, I would really like to use my research professorship as a catalyst for getting other fundamentalist scholars into print. In other words, I see more value in working as an editor and contributor than in writing solo volumes (though I hope to do plenty of that, too). Fundamentalists really do have useful things to say. I hope to provide a venue through which their voices can be heard.

There is no shortage of potential projects for the future. One is already partly written. Last fall, I was asked to deliver a series of lectures on the development and current status of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. I was also tasked to present a lecture on secondary separation at the Evangelical Theological Society in November. All of these presentations exist in written form, and I believe that they will constitute the core of a book on fundamentalism and evangelicalism. The question is whether I want to round out the book with additional essays of my own, or whether it would be better to collaborate with colleagues who might wish to contribute their perspectives. I would prefer a collaborative volume, but finding responsible authors who will address the right topics to make the book an integrated work could be challenging.

Two other collaborative projects are on the drawing board. One is a history of Baptist fundamentalism in the North, focusing mainly on Regular Baptists and Conservative Baptists. A publisher has indicated interest and a colleague has already done significant work on parts of the story. The question is whether enough interest exists to justify making a priority of this work.

The other collaborative project is a commentary on Hebrews, in which I will play the lesser role. A senior colleague has been laying the groundwork for this volume for some years. He and I share an interest in Hebrews and we have drawn many of the same conclusions about the text. I think that his ideas need to be published, and I am eager to work on the project with him in order to make that happen. I would like to see another commentary on Acts follow the one on Hebrews.

Another goal is to produce a series of smaller volumes that will help ordinary Christians think about biblical and theological topics as well as moral and practical issues. These discussions would be something like the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” series, or the “For Dummies” books—only I would prefer to find a series label that is a bit less demeaning. The title “Very Short Introduction” has been taken, so I’ll have to come up with something else. Potential sample topics may include (in no particular order):

• Worldliness
• Environmentalism
• Sex and Marriage
• Fantastic Literature
• Legalism
• Political Involvement
• Social Justice
• Biblical Interpretation
• The Gospel
• Justification
• The Trinity
• Prayer

How much of this will actually happen? That depends partly on how long the Lord allows me to function as a research professor. If the job lasts long enough, I would also like to do book-length discussions of Christian conservatism, of Christian affections, and of my positive vision for a worthwhile fundamentalism. There is one full-scale, scholarly discussion that I would like to produce: a sustained investigation of ecclesiastical fellowship and separation. Such a work does not presently exist. That book, however, is years away.

At some point in this conversation, I have moved from reporting to dreaming. Perhaps I have been unwise—I might better have played my cards closer to my chest. No doubt, I shall look awfully foolish when somebody tallies up the number of these projects that never were completed. Still, it does not hurt to dream. Dreaming in public even gives other interested parties the opportunity to help shape the dreams as they become concrete plans. As the Lord allows, I hope to tackle one project at a time and see what He allows to be accomplished.

On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity
John Milton (1608–1674)

I
This is the Month, and this the happy morn
Wherein the Son of Heav’ns eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing,
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.

II
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,
Wherwith he wont at Heav’ns high Councel-Table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside; and here with us to be,
Forsook the Courts of everlasting Day,
And chose with us a darksom House of mortal Clay.

III
Say Heav’nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God?
Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein,
To welcom him to this his new abode,
Now while the Heav’n by the Suns team untrod,
Hath took no print of the approching light,
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?

IV
See how from far upon the Eastern rode
The Star-led Wisards haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first, thy Lord to greet,
And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire,
From out his secret Altar toucht with hallow’d fire.