Alexander Strauch - Author of Biblical Eldership
00:00:00.000 | - Tell that guy to be quiet.
00:00:02.260 | - Hi, I'm here with my brother Alex.
00:00:05.840 | Alex, can you just introduce yourself?
00:00:08.060 | - Yes, I'm Alexander Strauch,
00:00:09.580 | and I'm a good friend of Gary Kim,
00:00:12.180 | who's an amazing man, and he's got a tremendous product.
00:00:16.700 | - Wow, and Alex, currently where are you serving at?
00:00:19.660 | - I'm at Littleton Bible Chapel in Littleton, Colorado.
00:00:22.620 | I've been there 54 years,
00:00:24.580 | and we have a marvelous congregation.
00:00:27.420 | In 60 years, we've never had a split,
00:00:29.860 | and I think the reason is everyone's committed
00:00:32.380 | to the Jesus principles of humility,
00:00:35.140 | servanthood, brotherhood, and Christ-like love.
00:00:39.260 | We're totally committed to that.
00:00:41.540 | - And is it true?
00:00:43.020 | I heard there is an update to your book, Biblical Eldership.
00:00:46.100 | - Yes, a complete update.
00:00:47.900 | It's 35 years of age.
00:00:49.580 | It needed to be updated.
00:00:50.780 | It's a textbook, and if you have a textbook,
00:00:52.900 | you've gotta keep it up to date.
00:00:54.620 | Plus, I've learned a lot over the years talking to people,
00:00:58.840 | and so I think it's a much better book
00:01:01.860 | than what you have in your hands.
00:01:03.700 | - Okay, and I just had a question, Alex,
00:01:05.900 | about Bible translations.
00:01:08.980 | Why is it important to just have a good Bible translate?
00:01:11.740 | - Well, you know, in the English-speaking world,
00:01:14.140 | we have so many Bibles.
00:01:16.020 | It's actually gotten to the point of being ridiculous.
00:01:18.740 | A serious Bible student wants a serious Bible.
00:01:23.220 | A serious Bible student wants a Bible
00:01:25.580 | that respects the original languages
00:01:29.360 | and wants to carry over the meaning of the original text.
00:01:34.360 | The problem with the many dynamic translations,
00:01:38.240 | which has certain advantages,
00:01:40.160 | is that they try to smooth out the Greek.
00:01:42.920 | They try to put in words like friendship instead of saints,
00:01:46.800 | which are very important words.
00:01:48.680 | And here's a real problem, Gary.
00:01:50.800 | Translations wanted to read nicely,
00:01:53.080 | and so they remove the little words for, therefore.
00:01:58.080 | In the Greek language, these are so important
00:02:01.300 | for development of thought.
00:02:03.980 | So I don't want a Bible that's gonna remove
00:02:07.660 | these important particles, transitional words.
00:02:11.700 | I once asked Dr. S. Lewis Johnson,
00:02:14.140 | one of the great Greek scholars of America,
00:02:17.020 | taught at Dallas Seminary many, many years.
00:02:19.900 | I said to him, "Dr. Johnson, what do you want to tell
00:02:23.140 | "a young man like me starting out?"
00:02:25.760 | He said, "Look for those little particles,
00:02:28.260 | "those little transitional words.
00:02:30.320 | "Then you learn to follow the logic of the apostles.
00:02:34.540 | "You have an accurate translation."
00:02:36.360 | So that's the kind of Bible I want.
00:02:38.760 | - Oh, awesome, thank you.
00:02:40.280 | And you know, Alex, you've been in ministry
00:02:43.080 | for many, many years.
00:02:45.040 | What kind of encouragement would you give believers today
00:02:49.040 | after all these years of ministry?
00:02:50.560 | - I would say be in a good church,
00:02:53.320 | have good Christian friends.
00:02:55.720 | We're in a hostile environment
00:02:57.840 | that I have never seen in my lifetime.
00:03:00.920 | The new secularism hates us,
00:03:03.960 | wants to put us out of business.
00:03:05.740 | Our children are in trouble.
00:03:07.380 | You need good, solid churches, not sleepy churches,
00:03:11.960 | not churches trying to conform,
00:03:13.960 | accommodate themselves to society,
00:03:16.320 | and you need good Christian friends
00:03:18.520 | that together you're sharing the things of God,
00:03:21.600 | upholding one another.
00:03:23.220 | - Alex, thank you, brother.
00:03:25.880 | I love you.
00:03:26.720 | Thanks for being my friend.
00:03:27.560 | - Thank you, dear Gary.