An Invitation to Dialogue
Lord and Saviour, true and kind,
Be the master of my mind:
Bless and guide and strengthen still
All my powers of thought and will.
While I ply the scholar’s task,
Jesus Christ, be near I ask:
Help the memory, clear the brain,
Knowledge still to seek and gain
Bishop Hadley Moule
(1842-1920)
Dear Lovers of God’s Word:
Welcome to my first website, one that is devoted to discussing my recently published work, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb, How to Read the Book of Revelation (Joplin, MO: College Press, 2006; Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Study Software, 2006).
The purpose of this site is to foster dialogue. Two or three years ago a friend of mine and I were talking about the importance of writing up the results of our studies. I had resisted doing so for many years. During that conversation he managed to knock down every argument I offered for not writing. A statement he made had a profound impact: “Bob, you need to realize that writing is dialogue; it allows us to enter into a discussion on a subject with others who are desiring to grow in grace and truth.†With the publication of the book in print and electronic forms, I want to promote dialogue. In creating this website, my goal is the same. I welcome questions and reflections from you as a result of your reading my book. If you participate in this venture, my prayer is that we learn from one another.
I take a risk in inviting you along on this journey via this avenue of websites and blogs. Over the years when preaching and teaching on the subject of Revelation (and other books of Scripture where Christ’s final coming is discussed), I have learned that the topic attracts all kinds of participants. Some are good thinkers, while others are plain weird. (On more than one occasion, I have been put in the latter category by some because of my conclusions!) Scripture is trustworthy and true; the same cannot always be said about our conclusions. Thus I want to grow in my understanding of God’s Word. You do too or else you would not be taking the time to visit this site.
Accordingly, let me set forth some ground rules, so to speak, and as well as some promises that I hope I can fulfill, Lord willing. Some guidelines:
First, I do not want to engage in harsh debate. The spirit of this site will be marked by humility and gentleness in responding to your questions and reflecting on your observations. I want to model Matt. 7:12
Second, building on the first, no personal or slanderous attacks will be permitted, either against me or against other participants.
At this point, those are the guidelines I want us to follow. They are simple and will help us grow in Christ. Perhaps as situations arise, others may need to be followed.
With God’s help I promise the following:
First, I will attempt to be regular in updating this site. My goal is to post something new every one to two weeks. Sometimes the posting may be some reflections I have on studying Scripture, while other times I will respond to questions and your own reflections. I will try to respond to the questions and reflections that I feel will be most productive for us to pursue. If I am going to be away from the site for more than a week due to my responsibilities as a professor, dean, or guest preaching and teaching, I will let you know.
Second, periodically I will be updating you on the research and writing that I am doing on the second volume, tentatively entitled Revelation’s Rhapsody: Living Out the Lyrics of the Lamb, How to Apply the Book of Revelation.
Third, from time-to-time, I will share with you other websites, resources (both oral and written), and some sermons and lessons that I have been delivering. Sometimes these may be in form of an essay or outline, while at times, I will post sermons for you to listen to. (Please feel free to share with me and the others who visit this site resources you have found helpful.)
Fourth, you can find links to purchase the book on the Writings page.
One more observation: some of the material I will post will be designated as copyright pending. Please honor this in what you do with the material.
Finally, you read Bishop Moule’s prayer at the beginning of this letter. It is one that I had with me throughout the writing of the book. May God use this site to help us be a partial answer to the desire of this profound scholar who could speak and write for ordinary people.
A second finally . . . I am indebted to Michael Gowin, a colleague of mine who teaches at Lincoln Christian College, for helping me get the website up and going. He will be helping in the maintenance of it. Shane Wood, my current research assistant, will aid me in editing questions, responding to them, etc.
Welcome to the journey. Let’s see where God takes us as we have heart-to-heart and mind-to-mind conversations.
Bob Lowery
