May 2025 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. Jim Campbell begins his article “A Call to Read The Sum of Saving Knowledge” with an observation: “Many in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church have probably never heard of The Sum of Saving Knowledge, and perhaps fewer have studied it and thought deeply about what it has to say.” In the past, however, it has been beloved in the Reformed church for its practical usefulness and beauty. Hence, Campbell’s call for renewed appreciation in our churches.

Part 3 of Going Peopleless, in which I explore the benefits and liabilities of AI, will appear in the June-July issue of OS Online.

Danny Olinger continues the series “Jesus, Stab Me in the Heart! Flannery O’Connor at 100” with an analysis of the O’Connor short story “The River.” Each month Olinger will be reflecting on a sample of O’Connor’s short stories (I recommend O’Connor: Collected Works, The Library of America, 1988). O’Connor is unique among the greatest fiction writers of the twentieth century. “O’Connor’s one overarching theme is Jesus Christ and the scandal of the Christian religion.”[1]

Gordon Cook reviews Grace: A Model for Grieving, a Five-Step Guide for Healing after Loss, by Kay Towns. It is a good example of how we can benefit from the work of those who are not necessarily Christians. We can learn much in various disciplines from those who, in God’s Providence, have developed expertise in certain areas of knowledge. The review of Kay Towns is an example of how retired hospital chaplain Gordon Cook discerningly assesses the value of such a work.

David Koenig brings his exegetical abilities to his review of Union with the Resurrected Christ: Eschatological New Creation and New Testament Biblical Theology, by G. K. Beale. Because Beale is appreciated in our circles, Koenig found it hard to find fault with Beale’s latest offering.

Darryl Hart reviews a fascinating new book by Bruce Gordon—The Bible: A Global History. Hart commends this book as “a book that deserves to be used not simply for the delight of reading but also as a reference for tracing how the Bible came from Moses on Mt. Sinai to an app on our cell phones.”

Our poem this month, by John Donne (1572–1631), “A Hymn to God the Father,” was most likely meant to be a hymn. It is made up of three sestets (six line stanzas) in an ABABAB rhyme pattern. Donne laments the enormity of his sin in all of its awful complexity, but he ends by trusting the greater extent and reach of God’s forgiveness in the finished work of Christ.  

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

FROM THE ARCHIVES “BIBLE”
https://opc.org/OS/pdf/Subject_Index.pdf

• “Incarnation, Inspiration, and Pneumatology: A Reformed Incarnational Analogy.” (Lane G. Tipton) 17 (2008): 85–90.
• “The Public Reading of Scripture in Worship: A Biblical Model for the Lord’s Day.” (Glen J. Clary) 22 (2013): 17–21.
• “The Rhythms of the Christian Life in Bible Reading, Prayer, and Poetry” (Gregory Edward Reynolds) 22 (2013):109–11.
• “Who Reads Scripture?” (Gregory Edward Reynolds) 22 (2013): 9–12.
• “Paul, the Apostle of Gender-Inclusive Translation?” (James W. Scott) 10:1 (Jan. 2001): 20–22.
• “Should We Still Use the KJV Today: A Review Article.” (G. I. Williamson) 6:4 (Oct. 1997): 99.
• “The King James Version in the Church: Past, Present, and Future.” (Leland Ryken) 20 (2011): 41–46.

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God-glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders, and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high-quality editorials, articles, and book reviews, we will endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic, confessional Presbyterianism.

[1] Danny Olinger, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Ordained Servant Online (March 2025), https://opc.org/os.html?article_id=1171.