Dead Theologians' Society

How Free is Free?

2010-06-12T11:21:00.004-06:00

John Piper did an excellent (or, if you disagree, at least thought-provoking) job of articulating what is really at stake in this discussion: advocates of the "free will" of man are really out to establish the absolute autonomy of the creature.

Listen to E.M. Bounds' bio for free

2010-05-17T12:00:00.004-06:00

This month's free download from Christianaudio is the biography of E.M. Bounds. Take a minute to pick one up ad give it a listen! A number of other biographies are on sale as well.

He cannot love you more!

2010-05-03T08:21:00.003-06:00

Here is an excerpt from this morning's Grace Gems devotional:

The Lord cares for His children!

He knows our needs--and has promised to supply them.
He knows our foes--and will deliver us from them.
He knows our fears--and will make us ashamed of them.

All creatures and things are in His hand, and at His disposal; all circumstances are under His absolute control. He . . .
directs the angel,
feeds the sparrow,
curbs the devil, and
manages the tempest!

He is your Father--and His love to you is infinite. You are His delight--His dear child. Will He neglect you? Impossible! Cast then your cares upon Him. Tell out all your desires, fears, and troubles to Him; let Him know everything; keep nothing back. And then in the confidence of faith, expect Him to fulfill His Word, and act a Parent's part.

Bless Him for all He has given, for all He has promised. Plead with Him for all you may need. But never for one moment, or under any circumstances, distrust Him! He cannot love you more! He is your ever present help. He will rejoice over you to do you good, with His whole heart, and with His whole soul.

- James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit"

I'm Sorry, Mom

2010-05-02T08:21:00.000-06:00

Eternity

2010-04-26T07:03:00.001-06:00

From this morning's Grace Gems Puritan devotional:

"It is this eternality and perpetuity, which completes the happiness of the inhabitants of heaven; the least suspicion of an end--would intermingle itself with all their enjoyments, and embitter them; for the greater the happiness, the greater the anxiety at the expectation of losing it. But oh, how transporting for the saints on high, to look forward through the succession of eternal ages, with an assurance that they shall be happy through them all, and that they shall feel no change--but from glory unto glory!

"On the other hand, this is the bitterest ingredient in the 'cup of divine displeasure' in the future state--that the misery is eternal! Oh, with what horror does that despairing cry, "Forever! Forever! Forever!" echo through the vaults of hell!

"And now, need I offer anything further to convince you of the superior importance of invisible and eternal things--to visible and temporary things? Can you need any arguments to convince you that an eternity of the most perfect happiness--is rather to be chosen than a few years of sordid, unsatisfying sinful pleasures?"
- Samuel Davies

Come Thou Fount

2010-04-03T12:16:00.001-06:00

We don't often hear the entire hymn, and it is powerful:

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Practice Your Division

2010-03-22T07:44:00.002-06:00

A father recently visited his daughter's second-grade class at school, and saw something that troubled him deeply. The teacher was quizzing the students on their addition facts. When the teacher asked the class, "What is two plus two?" Some of the students responded "four," others "three," and still others had no idea.

The father was incensed! But . . .

He wasn't angry that many in the class didn't know the correct answer. He was angry - furious - that the teacher would present material that divided the class. How dare that teacher create a divisive spirit among those innocent children!

He spoke to the school administrators, addressed the PTA, started petitions and awareness campaigns, and finally gained the attention of the DOE, where he found an attentive audience. Through his hard work and passion, the father succeeded in having math class banned from schools.

Now . . . remove the word "math" from my clumsy little parable, and substitute "doctrine".

People are incensed at the presentation of doctrine. Pastors are shamed into silence or at best ambiguity. Why? Because doctrine divides.

Yes, doctrine divides. But . . . it is supposed to (e.g., Titus 1:9). It is supposed to divide the true from the false. And that is not a Pauline novelty -- that is a core of Jesus' teaching in the Gospels. In fact, the ultimate division is coming (think: wheat from tares, sheep from goats).

While we need to take great pains that our delivery is not off-putting, isofar as we can, we must nevertheless pursue the highest possible standards of quality, veracity, and effectiveness in our preaching of doctrine. We must "speak the truth in love," but we must never forget that we must speak the truth.

Science bids farewell to Fred Flintstone

2010-02-24T09:09:00.002-07:00

Just read this transcript from Today's Creation Moment. One of the most pernicious evolutionary infiltrates in the church would have to be the notion of "prehistoric people". When we read the Old Testament we tend to picture primeval caravans of near-savages (Christopher Hitchens certainly clings to this sort of prejudice!) But science tells a far different story:

"Cavemen. The very word conjures images of bear skin clothing, wooden clubs and perhaps some simple stone tools. We think of the cavemen themselves as part ape and certainly less than modern humans. All of these images help make human evolution look more plausible.

However, in China there are some 20 million people living in caves. The caves there are easily carved in the silty soil of the Western regions of the Yellow River. The caves are generally 10 to 13 feet wide and can extend as far as 25 feet back into the hillside. Sometimes the caves are connected to one another, creating a larger place to live. Many of the people who live in these caves would not think of moving out of them. Caves are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and they are fireproof. These caves include flues for venting the exhaust from cooking fires. But these caves are not primitive dwellings by any stretch of the imagination. They feature plumbing, electrical wiring and even cable television! Except for windows, some of these cave homes are as modern as anything you’ll see in the rest of the developing world.

Throughout the ages, people have taken shelter in caves and even set up housekeeping in them. The fact that they lived in caves does not make them primitive at all."

Abstinence Ed Works

2010-02-13T17:03:00.004-07:00

In a recent issue of TIME (Feb 15, 2010, p. 15) , #9 of the "10 Essential Stories" reports:

"According to a study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, abstinence-only sex-education programs proved more effective in encouraging teens to delay having sex than more comprehensive school programs that include information about safe sex and contraceptive options."

Well, duh.

God is Always Good.

2010-02-11T08:34:00.006-07:00

One year ago our daughter was dying. We didn't know it. For weeks she grew more and more lethargic, while other symptoms which we recognize only in hindsight began to present themselves. We took her to the doctor for testing, and he called us a few hours later: her blood sugar was well over 600 (normal is around 100). We needed to get her to the emergency room at Children's Medical in Salt Lake City immediately.

Twenty-four hours later she had been hooked up to IVs, pumped full of medications, and finally she was stabilized and on the road to recovery. And she was a Type I diabetic. Our little 2-year-old would be getting 5-6 injections of insulin, or more, every day for the rest of her life.

And here is where theology kicks in. As I reflect on that time, I recognize that God was not standing by, helplessly wringing His hands as He watched her pancreas shut down. God's Providence was clear through the entire process. God's Providence was clear in the way my wife's heart was unsettled, and perceived danger in ambiguous symptoms. It was clear in the speedy, decisive test results and diagnosis. His watch-care was glorious, dazzling, in the way our daughter's body responded to treatment. His grace has been so clear in watching our 2 (now 3)-year-old enduring the constant needles.

AND . . . this is so very important . . . His Providence, His glorious will, was active and real and decisive when that little malfunction in Alison's body triggered the reaction that put her in the hospital. God gave her a perceptive mother. God gave her a caring, experienced doctor. AND God gave her diabetes (Isaiah 46:9-10, Psalm 33:8-11). That is not an accusation. It is worship.

God is sovereign. Period. Whether Alison's medical condition stems from God's permission or His intervention, this is part of the Potter's grand design for her life and ours. And He is no less loving, no less merciful, and no less good, after the diagnosis than He was before. He is God. He is glorious. And the difficult and distressing times are no less His tools because we finite human beings struggle to understand them.

"But now, O Lord, You are our Father.

We are the clay, and you our Potter;

And all of us are the work of your hand."

Isaiah 64:8

Thank you, Lord, for Alison. And thank you, Lord, for Alison's diabetes.

Back in the Saddle

2010-02-11T08:25:00.003-07:00

Some time ago I felt it best to shut down the blog. Today I HAD to pry open the door, pull the dustcloths off the furniture, and let the sun in . . . at least for a little while. I'll be back in a minute to do some splaining.

The Emperor Goes Soul-Winning

2009-09-16T14:22:00.002-06:00

or, "Why in the world is this guy bragging about THAT?"

Here is a quote from a prominent church's website, touting their pastor's career stats as his bona fides:

"Before becoming the pastor of the [church name], [pastor] served as the youth pastor. Under his leadership, the [church] teenagers have been used by the Lord to see over 260,000 people won to Christ, with over 30,000 of those following the Lord in baptism."

In other words, just over 1 in 10 of these supposed converts actually demonstrated obedience to God. Why in the world is this guy touting this statistic? All it proves is that either (a) God is really bad at follow-up, or (b) this pastor has no CLUE about the Gospel.

Hilarious

2009-08-29T11:25:00.000-06:00

Check out the funniest guys since Victor Borge:

Why "Wronger" Should Be a Word

2009-08-15T08:56:00.002-06:00

Reading Charles Ryrie's Basic Theology in preparation for a Sunday school lesson, and came across a phrase that was so wrong that it begs a new, more intensive word: there's wrong, but then there is wronger. Now, I'm not knocking Ryrie or his book, as a whole. But this particular claim was pretty far off the beam:

"Historically, this consideration has been labeled the ordo salutis, or way of salvation, and it attempts to arrange in logical order (not temporal order) these activities involved in applying salvation to the individual. But like the question of the order of the decrees in lapsarianism, the ordo salutis in reality contributes little of substance."
- Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology : A Popular Systemic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1999), 374.

Au contraire, mon ami. There is a universe of difference between a soteriology that begins with faith, and one that begins with regeneration. One is synergistic; one monergistic -- and that is two totally different gospels at the core. In fact, I would argue that the ordo salutis is one of the watershed issues of the whole debate!

True Courage

2009-08-12T09:56:00.002-06:00

Studying for Sunday's sermon, from Ruth 1. Alexander MacLaren captures Ruth's character beautifully:

Put the sweet figure of the Moabitess beside the heroes of the Book of Judges , and we feel the contrast. But is there anything in its pages more truly heroic than her deed, as she turned her back on the blue hills of Moab, and chose the joyless lot of the widowed companion of a widow aged and poor, in a land of strangers, the enemies of her country and its gods? It is easier far to rush on the spears of the foe, amid the whirl and excitement of battle, than to choose with open eyes so dreary a lifelong path. The gentleness of a true woman covers a courage of the patient, silent sort, which, in its meek steadfastness, is nobler than the contempt of personal danger, which is vulgarly called bravery. It is harder to endure than to strike. The supreme type of heroic, as of all, virtue is Jesus Christ, whose gentleness was the velvet glove on the iron hand of an inflexible will. Of that best kind of heroes there are few brighter examples, even in the annals of the Church which numbers its virgin martyrs by the score, than this sweet figure of Ruth, as the eager vow comes from her young lips, which had already tasted sorrow, and were ready to drink its bitterest cup at the call of duty. She may well teach us to rectify our judgments, and to recognise the quiet heroism of many a modest life of uncomplaining suffering. Her example has a special message to women, and exhorts them to see to it that, in the cultivation of the so-called womanly excellence of gentleness, they do not let it run into weakness, nor, on the other hand, aim at strength, to the loss of meekness. The yielding birch-tree, the ‘lady of the woods,’ bends in all its elastic branches and tossing ringlets of foliage to the wind; but it stands upright after storms that level oaks and pines. God’s strength is gentle strength, and ours is likest His when it is meek and lowly, like that of the ‘strong Son of God.’

- Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of the Holy Scripture (DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH, 1 SAMUEL, 2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, AND 2 KINGS Chapters I to VII), 130.

Stealth Mysticism

2009-08-12T08:48:00.007-06:00

There is a widely-accepted rule in hermeneutics called the Law of (or the Principle of) First Mention. I remember hearing about it in church when I was growing up, indeed hearing entire sermons based on a "truth" derived by the First-Mention Principle. I don't remember hearing it taught in the first Bible college I attended because they, somewhat tellingly, did not even OFFER hermeneutics (the last thing a hireling needs is someone being taught shepherding skills!). I was, however, taught this principle in a hermeneutics class in the second Bible college I attended.

But the more I reflected on it, this Principle of First Mention is a serious fallacy. Think about it: if the key to interpreting any person, place, thing, or idea in Scripture is to be found in its first appearance, this is the opposite of progressive revelation. The key to understanding redemption, for example, is not Genesis 3:15; it is the full exposition in Paul's writings. If the key to understanding lions is the first mention of a lion in the Bible, what exactly are we to learn from Genesis 49:9

“Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?"

Are we to, upon later learning that Christ is the lion of Judah, teach that He had made sin and death His prey, and, let's see . . . He crouches, He lies down, so that refers to His resting after completing His work . . .

Oh, the sermons we could write. Oh, the ears we could tickle. The only problem is that NONE of that is in the Text! And the Principle is shown to be a quiet, stealthy infiltration, an unguarded back-door through which allegorizing and spiritualizing creeps in.

I'd be interested to learn the provenance of this First-Mention Principle. Who came up with this idea? Were they prone to spiritualizing the Text in other ways?

And are there other fallacies lurking in the methods we employ to prepare the weekly meal for His flock?

Who Cares?

2009-07-10T08:22:00.002-06:00

Came across a new religious phenomenon today. From Wikipedia:

"Apatheism (a portmanteau of apathy and theism/atheism), also known as pragmatic or critically as practical atheism, is acting with apathy, disregard, or lack of interest towards belief, or lack of belief in a deity. Apatheism describes the manner of acting towards a belief or lack of a belief in a deity; so applies to both theism and atheism. An apatheist is also someone who is not interested in accepting or denying any claims that gods exist or do not exist. In other words, an apatheist is someone who considers the question of the existence of gods as neither meaningful nor relevant to his or her life."

And from apatheist.tribe.net:

"Every religion has dogma, and insists that their particular version answers the question of whether one or more gods exist. Apatheists insist that the question itself is irrelavent.

"If you get frustrated trying to decide if you're really an Atheist or an Agnostic, or a member of any other religion, and also realize that, in your day to day existence, it doesn't really MATTER which religion you belong to, then you might be an Apatheist!"

More commentary later.

More Texts to Avoid

2009-07-09T12:59:00.004-06:00

Haven't done one of these for a very long time, so I thought I'd bring this text back to your attention. Here is a text you definitely want to avoid, if you want to remain comfortably Arminian:

1 Corinthians 1:22-31
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,
29 so that no man may boast before God.
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Hear, Hear!

2009-07-04T10:25:00.001-06:00

I know it's old news, but it still stirs me.

The Ultimate Counseling Technique

2009-06-16T09:23:00.001-06:00

Theology Matters, Indeed!

2009-06-13T11:20:00.002-06:00

As James White is fond of pointing out, "theology matters". Our theology, particularly our soteriology, will drive the way we evangelize. It will dictate the form our apologetics will take. From Spurgon:

"Other forces, more mighty, but not so visible, have been employed to promote the sway of Jesus. Never has he invoked the secular arm, he has left that to Antichrist, and the seed thereof. No demand has been made by him upon human governments to patronize or enforce Christianity. On the contrary, wherever governments have patronized Christianity at all, they have either killed it, or else the infinite mercy of God alone has preserved it from extinction. Jesus would not have the unbeliever fined, or imprisoned, or cut off from the rights of citizenship; he would not allow any one of his disciples to lift a finger to harm the vilest blasphemer, or touch one hair of an atheist’s head. He would have men won to himself by no sword but that of the Spirit, and bound to him by no bands but those of love. Never, never, in the church of God has a true conversion been wrought by the use of carnal means, the Lord will not so far approve of the power of the flesh. You do not find the Lord calling in the pomp and prestige of worldly men to promote his kingdom, or see him arguing with philosophers that they might sanction his teaching. I know that Christian ministers do this, and I am sorry they do. I see them talking their places in the Hall of Science to debate with the men of boastful wisdom; they claim to have achieved great mental victories there, and I will not question their claim, but spiritual triumphs I fear they will never win in this way. They have answered one set of arguments, and another set have been invented the next day; the task is endless; to answer the allegations of infidelity is as fruitless as to reason with the waves of the sea, so far as soul-saving is concerned. This is not the way of quickening, converting, and sanctifying the souls of men. Not as a book of science wilt thou triumph, O Bible, though thine every word is wisdom’s self! Not as a
great philosopher wilt thou conquer, O Man of Nazareth, though thou art indeed the possessor of all knowledge; but as the Savior of men and the Son of God shall thy kingdom come!"

Context - Context - Context

2009-06-13T10:20:00.003-06:00

"The Bible ought to be treated in the reading of it as any other book is treated, only with much more of reverential regard. Suppose that Milton’s “Paradise Lost “were used as a text-book, and that its general mode of usage were to take separate lines disconnected from the rest of the great poem, and consider them as positive statements, and suitable topics of meditation; it would he a dangerous experiment, the great poet might well stir in his grave at the proposal.
"Such a mode of study reminds me of the Grecian student, who, when he had a house to sell, carried a brick about the streets to show what kind of a house it was. The Bible ought not to be torn limb from limb, and its joints hung up like meat in the shambles. Beyond all other books it will bear dissection, for it is vital in every sentence and word. Since it is a mosaic of priceless gems, you will be enriched even if you extract a jewel here and there, but to behold its divine beauty you must contemplate the mosaic as a whole. No idea of the magnificent design of the entire Scriptures can enter the human mind by reading it in detached portions, especially if those separated passages are interpreted without reference to the run of the writer’s thoughts. Let Scripture be read according to the rules of common sense, and that will necessitate our reading through a book and following its train of thought. Thus shall we be likely to arrive at the mind of the Holy Spirit."
- C. H. Spurgeon
"The Gentleness of Jesus"

Classic

2009-05-28T15:10:00.000-06:00

Hilarious, as always.

He Didn't Sweatt the Details

2009-05-28T14:19:00.002-06:00

I finally got around to seeing what all the kerfuffle was about (and to finding an opportunity to use the word "kerfuffle").

Last month, at a regional FBFI conference, Pastor Dan Sweatt of Berean Baptist Church ranted (one could hardly call it "preaching") about the mass defection of young preachers from the ranks of fundamentalism (read: fundamentalist circles approved by the IFB pantheon) toward conservative evangelicalism as represented by men like MacArthur, Piper, et al.

This message was particularly significant to me, as I was reared in fundmentalist, independent Baptist circles. And I, too, have begun to identify more with the preaching ministries of John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, and others. I made the move because fundamentalism absolutely refuses to police itself. Fundamentalism, as a movement, has no problem with shepherds who have mutton on their breath. At the same time, in MacArthur, James Kennedy, et al I sensed a love and compassion for people and a commitment to careful expository preaching -- something else sadly lacking in those hailed as heroes of fundamentalism. So, it sounded like Sweatt was going to tell my story.

And he did, though not, I would guess, in the way he intended to. His talk (I refuse to call it a sermon) consisted of a heterogeneous blend of personal anecdotes (of which he was the hero, or into which he somehow inserted himself regardless of the point of the story), quick head-bobs at prooftexts, fawning devotion to men that he SHOULD identify as hirelings but instead venerates, and red-faced invectives against other Christian leaders.

And, of course, he manages to work in some Calvin-bashing as well. Good times.

Here's a news flash for ya, Dan-o -- that is EXACTLY why I fled your camp, never EVER to return. You represented, on that platform, everything that is wrong with fundamentalism, everything that drives thinking people away. Everything from your mistreatment of Scripture, to your gross misrepresentation of Calvinism, to your internally inconsistent critiques of anyone who falls outside your self-erected boundaries of orthopraxy -- all of this drives us away. In a nutshell, we're leaving fundamentalism because the guys being allowed to drive fundamentalism are jerks.

I'm not going to bother with an item-by-item reply to the nonsense that was belched out at that conference. Others have devoted time to that task. For a detailed (and much more level-headed) rebuttal of Sweatt's offal, see this article from Central Seminary's Kevin Bauder (HT: John Piper).

But the bottom line, for me, is this: until fundamentalism does a better job of repudiating this sort of behavior, my prayer is that more and more young preachers leave. I am GLAD to hear of empires crumbling, of indoctrination centers closing. It's a GOOD sign. Until fundamentalism discovers a love for real expository preaching and a hatred of eisogetic spleen-venting, until fundamentalism discovers a love for people and a hatred for numbers-oriented pragmatism, until fundamentalism discovers that holiness is defined by Christ-likeness, not activity . . . then the best thing for the body of Christ would be for fundamentalism to continue to shrink into irrelevance.

And, if you're going to interact with any theological discussion, Danny Boy, you need to stop playing for cheap amens and Sweatt the details before you speak.

Credit to the Unaccredited

2009-05-20T12:35:00.002-06:00

As I watch this bailout debacle unfold, partcularly with regard to the automakers, I realize something: this is why so many Christian schools were absolutely right to fear accreditation. Just ask 25% of Chrysler's dealers who are fighting for their lives -- some of whom are being threatened with closure despite successful, profitable sales records.

Balanced Soteriology

2009-05-20T08:27:00.002-06:00

Came across this quote from Spurgeon in studying for Sunday. Yet another evidence that expository preaching brings a unique balance that will be lacking in topical "preaching":

"Our conviction is, that Arminian theology, to a great extent, makes God to be less than he is. The professors of that system have come to receive its doctrines, because they have not a clear
understanding either of the omnipotence, the immutability, or the sovereignty of God. They seem always to put the question, “What ought God to do to man who is his creature?” We hold that that is a question that is never to be put, for it infringes the sovereignty of God, who has absolute right to do just as he wills. They ask the question, “What will God do with his promises, if man change his habit or his life?” We consider that to be a question not to be put. Whatever man doeth, God remaineth the same and abideth faithful, though even we should not believe him. They put the question,’ What will be done for men who resist God’s grace, if in the
struggle man’s will should be triumphant over the mercy of God?” We never put that question: we think it blasphemous. We believe God to be omnipotent, and when he comes to strive with the soul of man, none can stay his hand. He breaks the iron sinew, and dashes the adamantine heart to shivers, and ruleth in the heart of man as surely as in the army of the skies.
A right clear apprehension of the character of God we believe would put an end to the Arminian mistake.
We think, too, that ultra-calvinism, which goes vastly beyond what the authoritative teaching of Christ, or the enlightened ministry of Calvin could warrant, gets some of its support from a wrong view of God. To the ultra-calvinist his absolute sovereignty is delightfully conspicuous. He is awe-stricken with the great and glorious attributes of the Most High. His omnipotence appals him, and his sovereignty astonishes him, and he at once submits as if by a stern necessity to the will of God. He, however, too much forgets, that God is love. He does not make prominent enough the benevolent character of the Divine Being. He annuls to some extent the fact, that while God is not amenable to anything external from himself, yet his own attributes are so blessedly in harmony, that his sovereignty never inflicted a punishment which was not just, nor did it even bestow a mercy until justice had first been satisfied. To see the holiness, the love, the justice, the faithfulness, the immutability, the omnipotence and the sovereignty of God, all shining like a bright corona of eternal and ineffable light, this has never been given perfectly to any human being, and inasmuch as we have not seen all these, as we hope yet to see them, our faulty vision has been the ground of divers mistakes. Hence hath
arisen many of the heresies which vex the Church of Christ.
Now, my brethren, I would have you this morning look at the way in which our Lord Jesus Christ regards God: — “Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” If you and I cannot know the Almighty to perfection, because of His greatness and of our shallowness, nevertheless let us try to apprehend these two claims upon our adoration, in which we owe to God the reverence of
children, and the homage of subjects."

I Can't Wait!

2009-05-13T13:31:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I know it's been a while since I've shouldered my way onto the Tokyo commuter train that is the blogosphere, but I got an email today that warrants a quick post:

My very-most-favoritest Christian musicians have released a new CD. Be sure to listen to clips and order one of these for your music library. Check them out here.

Why We Must Preach Repentance

2009-04-16T10:31:00.001-06:00

Came across an illustration of why we MUST abandon the ear-tickling topical preaching that is so popular.

Some years ago a fearful railroad wreck took a dreadful toll of life and limb in an eastern state. A train, loaded with young people returning from school, was stalled on a suburban track because of what is known as a "hot-box." The limited was soon due, but a flagman was sent back to warn the engineer in order to avert a rear-end collision. Thinking all was well, the crowd laughed and chatted while the train-hands worked on in fancied security. Suddenly the whistle of the limited was heard and on came the heavy train and crashed into the local, with horrible effect.

The engineer of the limited saved his own life by jumping, and some days afterwards was hailed into court to account for his part in the calamity. And now a curious discrepancy in testimony occurred. He was asked, "Did you not see the flagman warning you to stop?"

He replied, "I saw him, but he waved a yellow flag. I took it for granted all was well, and so went on, though slowing down."

The flagman was called, "What flag did you wave?"

"A red flag, but he went by me like a shot."

"Are you sure it was red?"

"Absolutely."

Both insisted on the correctness of their testimony, and it was demonstrated that neither was color-blind. Finally the man was asked to produce the flag itself as evidence. After some delay he was able to do so, and then the mystery was explained. It had been red, but it had been exposed to the weather so long that all the red was bleached out, and it was but a dirty yellow!

Oh, the lives eternally wrecked by the yellow gospels of the day -- the bloodless theories of unregenerate men that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward road!

H.A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press, 1945, Page 62-63.

Cure for Mondays

2009-03-30T08:05:00.001-06:00

The brilliant delivery of Fry & Laurie:

Someone Missed the Memo

2009-03-26T12:10:00.002-06:00

Hey! I thought Dispensationalism was invented in the early 1900s by men like Darby and Scofield. What is John Wesley doing talking about it?

Our Lord, secondly, declares that he which is least in the kingdom of God (in that kingdom which he came to set upon earth, and which the violent now began to take by force), is greater than he—not a greater prophet, as some have interpreted the word, for this is palpably false in fact; but greater in the grace of God and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we cannot measure the privileges of real Christians, by those formerly given to the Jews. Their “ministration” (or dispensation) we allow “was glorious,” but ours “exceeds in glory.” So that whosoever would bring down the Christian dispensation to the Jewish standard, whosoever gleans up the examples of weakness recorded in the Law and the prophets, and thence infers that they who have “put on Christ” are endued with no greater strength, doth greatly err, neither “knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”
- Heritage of Great Evangelical Teaching : Featuring the Best of Martin Luther, John Wesley, Dwight L. Moody, C.H. Spurgeon and Others. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1996).

Whence our power?

2009-03-17T10:27:00.000-06:00

“O, man! learn from the precept what you ought to do; learn from correction, that it is your own fault you have not the power; and learn in prayer, whence it is that you may receive the power.”

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II, v, 4.

What About "Good People"?

2009-03-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

"If every soul is subject to such abominations as the apostle boldly declares, we surely see what would happen if the Lord were to permit human lust to wander according to its own inclination. No mad beast would rage as unrestrainedly; no river, however swift and violent, burst so madly into flood. In his elect the Lord cures these diseases in a way that we shall soon explain. Others he merely restrains by throwing a bridle over them only that they may not break loose, inasmuch as he foresees their control to be expedient to preserve all that is. Hence some are restrained by shame from breaking out into many kinds of foulness, others by the fear of the law-even though they do not, for the most part, hide their impurity. Still others, because they consider an honest manner of life profitable, in some measure aspire to it. Others rise above the common lot, in order by their excellence to keep the rest obedient to them. Thus God by his providence bridles perversity of nature, that it may not break forth into action; but he does not purge it within."

Calvin, Institutes, II,iii,3

Superman flies above the recession

2009-02-27T09:59:00.006-07:00

The last thing I would ever want to do is to downplay the serious financial difficulties that many people are experiencing today. But one has to wonder if the situation is as bad as we are being led to believe when reading articles such as this one, from Fox News:

"Action Comics #1," published in June 1938, is considered to be the world's most valuable comic book and valued at an estimated $126,000.
"It's the Holy Grail of comic books," comic expert Stephen Fishler, who created the 10-point grading scale used to evaluate comic books, told Reuters.
"This is the one that started it all. There was no such thing as a super hero before it. No flying man. Comics weren't even that popular. It's the single most important event in comic book history," he said.
Only 100 copies of the No. 1 edition are known to exist and those in "fine" condition are worth about $126,000, he said, but this one could sell for several times that.
Bidding for the comic book begins at $1 and is sure to go up, up and away.
The owner, who has not been identified, bought the comic in 1950 when he was 9-years-old after begging his father for 35 cents.
"Lots of kids bought comic books in the '50s, but almost all of them eventually tossed them out," Fishler told Reuters. "This guy understood its value and took good care of it — that almost never happens either."
Fishler and Vincent Zurzolo, co-owners of Metropolis Collectibles, will offer the comic on their Web site for two weeks beginning Friday.

I truly wonder how much the fear-mongering of the media has worsened the recession by heightening concerns and causing people to further reduce spending.

How to Survive the Ministry

2009-02-22T08:38:00.002-07:00

Pastor Lon Solomon of McLean Bible Church presented this important message at a recent leadership conference. This is a MUST-HEAR.

Fascinating

2009-02-11T08:21:00.003-07:00

Since we're right in the middle of the medical diagnostics ordeal with our youngest daughter, I throught this news item was especially fascinating. (Pardon any lead-in commercials. The news story is worth the wait.)

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Another FREE Resource

2009-02-11T08:09:00.002-07:00

This morning I was thrilled to discover another free resource (HT:John Piper). Jonathan Edwards was one of the greatest theologians in American history as well as the greatest philosopher America has produced. Yale has made the complete works of Jonathan Edwards available to the public in a searchable online format. Be sure to bookmart this link and add it to your Bible Study Favorites!

Calvin on the Blessed Trinity

2009-01-30T07:28:00.003-07:00

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Calvin had to face those who employed faux piety to denounce the Trinity by objecting to words not found in the Bible (a term, I like to point out to them, not found in the Scriptures).

"Now, although the heretics rail at the word 'person,' or certain squeamish men cry out against admitting a term fashioned by the human mind, they cannot shake our conviction that three are spoken of, each of which is entirely God, yet that there is not more than one God. What wickedness, then, it is to disapprove of words that explain nothing else than what is attested and sealed by Scripture!
". . . we ought to seek from Scripture a sure rule for both thinking and speaking, to which both the thoughts of our minds and the words of our mouths should be conformed. But what prevents us from explaining in clearer words those matters in Scripture which perplex and hinder our understanding, yet which conscientiously and faithfully serve the truth of Scripture itself, and are made use of sparingly and modestly and on due occasion? There are quite enough examples of this sort of thing. What is to be said, moreover, when it has been proved that the church is utterly compelled to make use of the words 'Trinity' and 'Persons'? If anyone, then, finds fault with the novelty of the words, does he not deserve to be judged as bearing the light of truth unworthily, since he is finding fault only with what renders the truth plain and clear?"
Institutes, 1.13.3

Calvin on Scripture

2009-01-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

"Just as old or bleary-eyed men and those with weak vision, if you thrust before them a most beautiful volume, even if they recognize it to be some sort of writing, yet can scarcely construe two words, but with the aid of spectacles will begin to read distinctly; so Scripture, gathering up the otherwise confused knowledge of God in our minds, having dispersed our dullness, clearly shows us the true God. This, therefore, is a special gift, where God, to instruct the church, not merely uses mute teachers but also opens His own most hallowed lips. Not only does He teach the elect to look upon a god, but also shows Himself as the God upon whom they are to look. He has from the beginning maintained this plan for His Church, so that besides these common proofs He also put forth His Word, which is a more direct and more certain mark whereby He is to be recognized." Institutes, 1.6.1

Boom or Fizzle?

2009-01-13T10:53:00.007-07:00

Since this book was written for kids, I want to present two perspectives: mine as an adult reader and parent; and then my kids'.

This book takes me back to my childhood. Specifically, to the part where my mother says, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Sorry, Mom, but this book was just dreadful.

This book just didn't work for me. In fact, I was almost ready to pack it in by the end of the first chapter. A plot twist on page 1 of chapter 2 pulled me back in, but the plot developments--mostly implausible and jarring to the narrative--weren't enough to sustain any real interest. The book never really seemed to decide on a voice: was this Andy Griffith or Lemony Snicket? Mark Twain or Roald Dahl? The nostalgia is so delightful that the comic fantasy doesn't fit. For me, the humor misses more than it hits.

A couple of theological elements bothered me, although they were incidental to the plot. The biggest problem I found was a plug for ecumenism on p. 67: ". . . in Boomtown one's religious affiliation never interfered with the more important duty of working closely with fellow citizens."

With that said, I want to be fair: this book wasn't written for me; it was written for my kids. So, I had my two oldest boys (both avid readers) read the book and prepare their firt book reviews a la book reports. In short, my boys loved this book as much as I hated it.

My thirteen-year-old wrote:

"It is very funny, especially the story about the church's twenty-four pastors, one of whom fell into an open case of nitroglycerine [Note from dad: should I be worried here?] The town founder, Chang, made hand grenades. Also, the Stickville Slugs with their forty-year losing streak -- that was also funny. This is a good book to read."

My ten-year-old wrote:

"Welcome to Boomtown, Washington, with barbers that you don't want to make mad, and a church where the search committee is on their 25th pastor. The last 24 died in accidents including snake bites, nitroglycerine cases, and flash floods. I think this book is hilarious!!"

So, there you have it. Boomtown: kid-tested, daddy disapproved. Maybe I need to unclench; maybe my kids need to spend more time reading Dickens and Hawthorne. Here's a preview of the book. You decide.

The Other Side of God

2009-01-09T08:23:00.002-07:00

For my daily Bible currently I am reading in Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and Matthew. This morning, that produced an interesting effect. In Genesis I read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Then, in Psalms, I read:

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness. (Psalm 9:5-8, ESV)

We must never tell of God's love in isolation from His righteousness. We must never slip into a half-gospel that knows nothing of sin, judgment, and the need for the bowed knee of repentance.

Another Evidence for God

2009-01-07T10:30:00.002-07:00

Reading through Calvin's Institutes this year, and came across this:

"The miserable ruin, into which the rebellion of the first man cast us, especially compels us to look upward. Thus, not only will we, in fasting and hungering, seek thence what we lack; but, in being aroused by fear, we shall learn humility. or, as a veritable world of miseries is to be found in mankind, and we are thereby despoiled of divine raiment, our shameful nakedness exposes a teeming horde of infamies. Each of us must, then, be so stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness as to attain at least some knowledge of God. "Thus, from the feeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and-what is more-depravity and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone."

Whenever lost man recognizes in himself some lack, some defect, is this not evidence of their innate knowledge of God -- of Romans 1 in action! Against whom (Whom!) are they making the comparison when they recognize the lack?

Your OTHER Reading Plan for 2009

2009-01-02T07:41:00.003-07:00

With 2009 being the 500th birthday of John Calvin, I thought it would be a great idea to read through the Institutes again. Lo and behold, Princeton has obliged with an online plan to read through this masterpiece systematically in one year. Here's the link to the program. I would particularly recommend this to those who have bought into any of the silly caricatures of Calvinism that are circulating today. If Dave Hunt had actually, um, read Calvin's Institutes beyond searching for quotes that could be yanked out of context, What Love is This would never have been written.

Here's a sample from today's reading. How relevant is this?

"For ungodly men have so far prevailed that Christ's truth, even if it is not driven away scattered and destroyed, still lies hidden, buried and inglorious. The poor little church has either been wasted with cruel slaughter or banished into exile, or so overwhelmed by threats and fears that it dare not even open its mouth. And yet, with their usual rage and madness, the ungodly continue to batter a wall already toppling and to complete the ruin toward which they have been striving. Meanwhile no one comes forward to defend the church against such furies. But any who wish to appear as greatly favoring truth feel that they should pardon the error and imprudence of ignorant men. For so speak moderate men, calling error and imprudence what they know is the most certain truth of God; calling untutored men those whose intelligence was not so despicable to Christ as to prevent him for bestowing upon them the mysteries of his heavenly wisdom! So ashamed are they all of the gospel!"

Happy reading!

Perfect Moments

2008-12-13T18:23:00.003-07:00

Sitting here studying for my sermon, watching a crackling fire in the fireplace, with snow on the mountains outside, and listening to Karen Carpenter singing "I'll Be Home for Christmas".

Thank you, Lord.

How Firm a Foundation!

2008-11-30T08:35:00.004-07:00

Listened to a powerful sermon on "The Reliability of the Bible," preached by Lon Solomon of McLean Bible Church this morning. Definitely worth your time! Click here to listen.

A Little Light(ling) Reading

2008-11-26T15:25:00.008-07:00

As a parent with small (and medium and large) children, I'm always on the prowl for good books for the kids. And by good I do not mean "NEA Approved". I want something that will not only hold their attention but fire their imaginations and, most importantly, establish them in Scriptural principles. R. C. Sproul's The Lightlings fits the bill.

I wasn't really surprised, mind you. Sproul's other children's books, in audio format, are already some of my kids' favorite bedtime listening. But as much as my children love the books, I love them even more.

The Lightlings is the story of the Fall (Gen. 3:1-15), retold in a fantasy millieu for kids. The story of the lightlings, special creation of the King With No Shadow, presents the truth about man's rebellion, guilt, and redemption in a way that gives parents some priceless teachable moments. There is even a teaching guide at the end of the book.

With that said, this is a children's story, not a theological text (although many of those are also available from Ligonier ministries as well). As such, this story is designed to teach a small set of principles -- and it does so powerfully -- but the details will not stand up to nitpicking. But, then, it's not supposed to.

Accompanying Dr. Sproul's words are some of the most beautiful illustrations I have seen in a children's book in awhile. So many times good books are accompanied by mediocre illustrations, leaving our children with a handicapped aesthetic sense. Not so with The Lightlings.

Oh, yes, and there's a bonus. This is also the very best book for any Christian parents or grandparents who want to teach little ones not to be afraid of the dark.

Pick up a copy of The Lightlings for your kids or grandkids. It's not only a beautiful story, beautifully illustrated; it helps you to teach your little ones about the MOST beautiful story ever told.

$25 Holy Land Tour

2008-11-26T14:33:00.004-07:00

There is a great new book from Thomas Nelson publishers that you really want to add to your home or pastoral library. Reflections of God’s Holy Land is a combination travelogue, Bible backgrounds commentary, devotional, and coffee table book, that surrounds you in the sights, sounds and smells of the lands of the Bible.

Each of the almost forty articles features a gorgeous cover photo, followed by an informative “Did You Know” section supplied by a skilled tour guide, and “Reflections” by the authors, who share their devotional thoughts in a warm, personal style.

The writing style strikes a perfect balance: transitioning from the historical information to the intimate devotional thoughts is never jarring. And it is a compelling style. From the very beginning I was captivated: as in her introduction Eva described reaching out her hand to touch what may have been soot from Joshua’s fire at Hazor I could feel the coolness of the stone.

The centerpiece of the book is the gorgeous photography. There is none of the dry, matter-of-fact images from far too many textbooks. These pictures are alive. The colors are vibrant and the composition draws you into every scene. Particularly exciting for me were the pictures of some of the animals that are mentioned in the Bible, such as rock coneys, and wild goats at En-Gedi.

Pastors will find the background information to be extraordinarily profitable. Reading the historical vignettes while looking at the actual locales will enrich your sermons and lessons, as you are now able to picture the places you are seeking to describe. And everyone will appreciate the quiet moments of reflection that the authors allow us to share.

Get this book. Integrate it into your sermon and lesson prep. Make it a part of your daily quiet times. It will be money – and time – well-spent.

Trustworthy.

2008-11-20T09:03:00.001-07:00

"After a survey of the alleged errors and discrepancies, including not only the typical ones just mentioned, but also many others, we assert, without fear of successful contradiction, that no one of these is real. As Christians we call this book the "Holy Bible." But if it were only a relatively good book, setting forth many valuable moral and spiritual truths, but also containing many things which are not true, we would then have no right to apply to it the adjective "holy." It would then be on a level with other books, and would differ from them not in kind but only in degree.

"But how different is our attitude toward it when we approach it as the very word of God, an inspired, infallible rule of faith and practice! How readily we accept its statements of fact and bow before its enunciations of duty! How instinctively we tremble before its threatenings, and rest upon its promises! As we proclaim the word of life from the pulpit, or in the classroom; as we attempt to give comfort at some bed of sickness, or in a bereaved home; or as we see our fellow men struggling against temptation or weighed down with care, and would give them encouragement and hope for this world and the next, how thankful we then are for a fully trustworthy Bible! In such cases we want to know that we have not merely something that is probable or plausible, but something that is sure."

- Lorraine Boettner, The Inspiration of Scripture

Where Have You Gone, B.B. Warfield?

2008-11-20T08:38:00.004-07:00

In light of a recent program on the PBS series Nova, purporting to reveal "The Bible's Buried Secrets" (giggle), I have now postulated a new theory of Brownian motion (DAN Brown, that is). My theory goes like this:

Debunked theories have a tendency to move

from obscure to cutting-edge

in direct proportion to the desperation of the antitheist.

About 8 minutes into the program "scholarship" (which apparently speaks with one unified voice now--take that, Hegel!) presented the "new" (are you serious?!?) approach called the documentary theory. More on the fallacies of the JEDP theory later; but for now, I am just amazed at the sloppy, one-sided, intellectually dishonest propaganda that is being foisted on the public, on the taxpayer's dime. Of course, since they are interested in serving the public trust, I am sure that they would be more than willing to give equal time to, say, James White, Norman Geisler, or Dan Wallace.

Yeah, right. And Whoopi Goldberg will host it.

Without His Cross

2008-11-19T13:17:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the 21st Century . . . There's Just One Catch

2008-11-13T09:12:00.004-07:00

HealthDay is now reporting on a study from the November issue of Psychological Science, in which it was found that teenagers' level of self-confidence has "crossed into overconfidence. Teens today possess an unrealistic self-image, with many respondents, for example, rating themselves as A-students, even when they are not making As. And just who is to blame for this?

"These kids didn't raise themselves, they got these ideas from somewhere," Twenge said. With Mom and Dad handing out endless praise, kids today readily believe they are somehow superior, she said. And teachers aren't blameless, either: According to Twenge, research shows that high school teachers now give out an "A" grade more easily than their counterparts did in the 1970s, even though today's high school students report doing less homework than students from that era.

The tragedy is that this backfires when these over-inflated egos encounter the rocky shoals of real-life. Employers now have to constantly pour incentives and perks on mediocre employees, just to keep them around. But I would make one tweak to Twenge's conclusions, courtesy of Biblical theology:

This "gimme now" mentality is not a result of indulgent parenting. It is a natural state. We are all born depraved sinners. By pouring the treacle of the self-esteem gurus into their kids, all these parents have done is provide high-octane fuel for their little sinners. If these parents and teachers were fulfilling their proper role of providing discipline and instruction as well as nurture and encouragement, the proper checks would be in place and these kids would grow into balanced adults. Instead, when the parents and teachers strive so hard to be friends, the brakes are gone, and these kids are totally unable to conduct themselves in adult society.

Which, by the way, is why adult society is soon to be a thing of the past. This is why the main objection to McCain was that he was old.

Shades of Logan's Run.

Take Heed

2008-10-30T09:42:00.002-06:00

Let this message pierce your heart.

Douglas Wilson on Pop "Culture"

2008-10-10T11:20:00.002-06:00

Check out this video by Douglas Wilson . . . and THINK ABOUT IT.

Good Bad Language?

2008-09-26T07:50:00.005-06:00

So, what about the trendy use of off-color, edgy, explicit, scatalogical, even obscene and arguably profane language in the pulpit (here is a somewhat safe example -- I could link to far worse clips)? Advocates argue, as in this clip, that the Bible uses this sort of strong language, therefore it is okay for us to use it in the pulpit.

There's just one important difference I'd like to point out: whenever this sort of strong language is employed in the Bible . . . . nobody laughs.

Big difference.

Jesus came "to seek and save that which was lost". While I completely agree that God has a sense of humor I rather think Mark needs to take a second look at Jesus' use of humor, sans the deconstructionist, post-mod, eisogetical glasses.

Coming Waaaaaay Out

2008-09-22T08:49:00.010-06:00

Okay, the news "came out" recently, and has been burning up the grapevine for a few days now, so I doubt that anyone will be shocked to hear that Ray Boltz is gay. For the record I've taken a deep pull of the same cocktail of sadness, disappointment, concern, shock, confusion, and indignation as everyone else -- well, okay, maybe I just sipped, since I'm one of those old curmudgeons who thinks Christian pop is kitsch at best, a complete oxymoron at worst. But I admit that even I felt the emotional impact of songs like "Thank You" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb".

My point, though, and I do have one, is more about the typical imbalance we have seen in the reaction to the news. As soon as I read the story the first time I could hear the wheels of the boycott-o-matic cranking up. Sure enough, as soon as the knee-jerk conservatives caught a whiff of scandal in the breeze they started their spiritual heimlich (and, as is usually the case, ejected more baby than bathwater). I say this not to disparage conservatives -- I are one -- but to decry the standard knee-jerk, reactionary, often ill-considered, scorched-earth response. Maybe if blogs came with a waiting period . . .

Anyhoo, I'm not saying we should run out and buy his next album en masse, in the highly-touted but completely misguided spirit of mutual Christian support (really nothing more than sanctified consumerism and back-door ecumenism). For one thing, in reading his "testimony" in recent interviews there is no compelling reason to take his word that he is in fact a believer, so we might do with a more moderate level of credulity to begin with. Fans of the Fallwellian half-gospel that is so popular in areas where "Baptist" is the default denomination may take umbrage at that suggestion (after all, if he prayed a prayer he's in, right?) but Biblical data is on my side on this one.

So, no, we don't continue to buy his albums and throng his concerts in some smarmy show of love-over-discernment. But that's not where the loppers are currently poised to snip. The hue and cry that has been raised is, "stop singing any of his songs". And while there may for some be a painful connection with some of those songs to a fallen hero (next time pick a hero who has already finished the race -- may I suggest Adoniram Judson or C. H. Spurgeon), there is another question that begs to be asked:

Did Ray Boltz' admission of his sinful proclivities change true statements into false ones? Did songs he covered that proclaimed truth suddenly cease to be true? Again, for some, "Thank You" is a Ray Boltz song; and for their sake should not be sung because of the painful connections to Boltz' sin. But for most it is not a Ray Boltz song. Set aside for the moment the larger debate over whether this sort of music should be sung by Christians at all, and focus on this specific question. Did the fact of Boltz' sin make the song de facto inappropriate?

I would argue that we need to rethink the scorched earth, knee-jerk reactions that Christians often have to these issues, in favor of more careful reflection on the issues and a more measured and thoughtful response. Christians are, after all, to be a thoughtful people (e.g., Isa. 1:18)

AND, since we are also to be a discerning people we need to recognize that homosexuality is a sin, no matter who commits it.

AND, since we are also to be a compassionate people, let's be sure that in our rush to denounce we do not forget to pray that God would grant Ray Boltz repentance and draw him to the only One Who can give him the love that he obviously is desperately seeking.

A Modern Parable

2008-08-22T08:36:00.003-06:00

Just saw this headline from Foxnews.com. Here's the byline:

Bangladesh police say a crocodile killed and ate a 25-year-old after he waded into a pond next to a shrine in an attempt to receive the animal’s blessing, news.com.au reported Friday.

So it is with false religion. What happened physically to this man happens spiritually to all who seek the blessing of false gods -- whether in Bangladesh or Salt Lake City. Tragic.

Why Expository Preaching?

2008-08-19T10:18:00.001-06:00

Just read a great post on a touching new blog. Why is expository preaching important? Check out one pastor's story here.

Worth Your Time

2008-07-21T10:14:00.002-06:00

This is a lengthy video, but well worth your time. Evan Sayet has some very insightful comments in this Heritage Foundation speech.

A Probing Statement

2008-07-15T08:33:00.003-06:00

James White made a statement here that caused me to stop everything else and reflect on his challenge: many Christians today have fallen into paganism. Much of Christianity today is paganism. Why? Because the essence of paganism is worshipping a God you do not know or understand.

An excellent challenge. I think further evidence would be the way Bible verses are used as magical incantations -- words designed to have metaphysical impact, yet whose meaning is stripped away by the words being ripped from their context.

What a terrifying, yet inescapable, thought.

Love, American Style

2008-07-02T09:26:00.002-06:00

Here is a great interview with Pastor Mark Gungor on the subject of marriage. He has a lot of great insights into the subject, and isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. Not saying I agree with 100% of what he says in his lectures, but he has a LOT to offer--not the least of which is challenging the way many churches seem to have bought into the world's way of doing this.

For more from Mark, check out the video here, as well as Mark's site.

Pineapple Trees

2008-06-20T08:54:00.009-06:00

As I watched the YouTube clips of Todd Bentley's hijinks I was reminded of pineapple trees. As a young boy growing up in Hawaii I used to love to sneak into the neighbors' yard and pick beautiful, ripe pineapples from the low-hanging branches of the trees.

Wait a minute, you say, there's something wrong with your claim: pineapples don't grow on trees!

Ah, but what if I were to take you to a man's back yard and show you a pineapple tree? Would that change your belief? Would you suddenly say, "Oh, well I guess pineapples do grow on trees!" OR would you (I hope) say, "Something unnatural is going on here--pineapples don't grow on trees naturally."

What if I then sought to convince you by showing you an orchard of pineapple trees? How many pineapple trees would it take to convince you that the nature of pineapples had changed?

I would hope the answer is obvious to you: NO number of "pineapple trees" is sufficient, because pineapples don't spontaneously change their essential nature. Pineapples don't grow on trees, and a pineapple orchard is just a sham on a larger scale. In fact, if you examine those "pineapple trees" closely, you would spot the duct tape pretty quickly.

So with the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly describes the fruit of the Spirit; and Scripture does not include loss of control, gibberish and noise, chaos, violence, or human self-aggrandizement in the catalog. In fact, those characteristics are present in other descriptions--those of the demon-possessed.

So many, so tragically many Christians today are drunk on a cocktail of equal parts Biblical illiteracy, gullibility, and 100-proof tolerance that they can't recognize a fraud as obvious as the Lakeland "pineapple trees". What's worse is that those aren't pineapples taped to that tree; pineapples aren't deadly.

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

- Matthew 7:15-23 (NASB)

Begging the Question

2008-05-30T10:12:00.004-06:00

Okay, time to squeeze in a post:

As I mentioned earlier, every argument has to stand on two legs: it must be true and it must be valid. The Gospel is already a foolishness in the eyes of the unsaved (as foolish as, say, spending 120 years building a landlocked boat?); we don't ever want our inept handling of It to be an excuse for the lost to reject it.

One prominent example of really bad reasoning -- in fact, a prevalent one -- is the fallacy of begging the question. This happens when we assume our conclusion in our premises. I'm going to give an example that I encountered recently, but as I do so please remember the difference between TRUE and VALID. I am pointing out that the argument is INVALID, that the author is begging the question. I am not saying his argument is untrue--that is a separate issue entirely.

Here is the substance of the argument: the modern translations of the Bible are to be rejected because they (or, in some forms of the argument, their underlying texts) contain deletions or changes from the correct text.

Do you see how this is begging the question? How do we know the King James Version (or its underlying texts) is "the" Word of God for English-speaking people today? Because it does not contain deletions or changes. How do we know that the more-modern translations do contain deletions or changes? Because they do not contain words found in the King James, or they contain different words. It's begging the question; it's arguing in a circle. The fact is, modern translations contain differences. Whether or not they are deletions is a factual question that cannot be answered by arbitrary declarations.

Slipshod arguments such as these do nothing but swell one's ranks with the gullible. And it is unfortunate, since this opens a grand masterpiece of the translators' art to ridicule when it is not the King James Version that is ridiculous -- it is the sloppy thinking of a (thankfully) few.

I Can't Wait

2008-05-21T09:08:00.002-06:00

It looks like the people who gave us "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants" have done it again! Check out the trailer for Fireproof.

That Time of Year Again . . .

2008-05-15T10:11:00.002-06:00

As homeschoolers my wife and I are gearing up now for next year -- evaluating curricula, compiling booklists for each child, and, most importantly . . . hitting you-know-where for deals!

Maybe It's Our Approach

2008-05-06T08:55:00.005-06:00

My brother-in-law sent me this vintage Prohibition poster. Now I'm not one for changing how we do church. I'm not by any means a fan of the seeker-sensitive group. But just maaaaaybe the way we've approached the world is not the wisest, most winsome approach at times.

Back to Back to Basics

2008-05-04T08:40:00.009-06:00

Picking up where I left off earlier, one of the most needed areas in Christianity is a tune-up in our thinking skills. This became apparent once again as I read several Christian non-fiction books recently.

A thorough introduction (is that an oxymoron?) to principles of logic would help preachers avoid some of the interpretive fallacies into which they are oft prone to fall. It would strengthen the apologetics skills of the men and women who go into the frontlines of the secular workplace every day. And it would put a much-needed end to some of the wacky non-issues that burn up so much pulpit time. A great little primer on the subject is Norman Geisler's Come Let Us Reason.

I think a good place to start is by recognizing that every argument must stand on two legs: it must be both true and valid. Absent one of those two legs it does not stand. Let's start with a standard argument (syllogism) as an illustration:

If it is raining, the street outside is wet. (major premise)
It is raining. (minor premise)
Therefore, the street outside is wet. (conclusion)

It must be true. That is, the premises must conform to reality. For example, if I claim that it is raining outside and it is not, in fact, raining outside, then the argument fails.
It must also be valid. That is, the premises must be free of fallacies, of errors in the way we have reasoned. For example, let's re-cast the illustration this way:

If it is raining, the street outside is wet.
The street outside is wet.
Therefore, it is raining.

This argument doesn't stand. Why not? Isn't it saying the same thing as the first illustration? No -- there are a lot of reasons that the street could be wet. Perhaps someone's sprinklers are running; perhaps I've just chased my sons around with my Super Soaker. This is a fallacy called "affirming the consequent". We've switched the "if" and the "then" and twisted the argument out of shape. And once again the argument fails.

This isn't hair-splitting. This is a fallacy that popped up a number of times in the arguments of several Christian books I recently read. And when you are witnessing or defending the faith in the workplace or preaching a sermon, that is the WORST time for the sloppy thinking that too often discredits the Truth by presenting it as an irrational thing.

Tighten up your thinking, Ambassador.

So Much for Appearances

2008-05-02T10:40:00.002-06:00

So I'm typing my notes for Sunday morning's sermon and listening to my new Paul Potts CD in the background. If you're not familiar with that name, check out the video below. THIS is why you don't judge people by their outward appearance!

Facing the Freedom

2008-04-29T11:41:00.002-06:00

It is often easier for someone brought up in conservative circles to follow Biblical principles that will paint them as right-wing, hard-nosed, etc, than it is to follow Biblical principles that will paint them as more liberal. Yet it would be just as much a matter of COMPROMISE to abandon Biblical teachings or, in "doubtful things," to violate your conscience, for the sake of being thought more conservative.

Charles Hodge wrote:

"It is often necessary to assert our Christian liberty at the expense of incurring censure, and offending even good men, in order that right principles of duty may be preserved. Our Savior consented to be regarded as a Sabbath-breaker, and even a 'wine bibber and a friend of publicans and sinners'; but wisdom was justified of her children." Hodge, Romans, 429-430

Just Thinking.

2008-04-27T08:47:00.002-06:00

One of the great ironies in fundarnmentalism is the way their anti-intellectualism drives them to found Bible colleges.

Piper on the Rebellion of Nudity

2008-04-27T07:36:00.001-06:00

John Piper has written an excellent post on clothing. Here is an excerpt:

"Negatively, he is saying, You are not what you were and you are not what you ought to be. The chasm between what you are and what you ought to be is huge. Covering yourself with clothing is a right response to this—not to conceal it, but to confess it. Henceforth, you shall wear clothing, not to conceal that you are not what you should be, but to confess that you are not what you should be.
One practical implication of this is that public nudity today is not a return to innocence but rebellion against moral reality. God ordains clothes to witness to the glory we have lost, and it is added rebellion to throw them off.
And for those who rebel in the other direction and make clothes themselves a means of power and prestige and attention getting, God’s answer is not a return to nudity but a return to simplicity (1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:4-5). Clothes are not meant to make people think about what is under them. Clothes are meant to direct attention to what is not under them: merciful hands that serve others in the name of Christ, beautiful feet that carry the gospel where it is needed, and the brightness of a face that has beheld the glory of Jesus. "

Back to Basics

2008-04-24T08:57:00.003-06:00

Wow! It has been a while since my last post! Oh, well. Such is the hectic life of the bi-vocational pastor.

One of the areas that has occupied my time lately has been studying the arguments, from both sides of the aisle, pertaining to a particular issue in the area of bibliology. It is troubling that so much pulpit time and study time is wasted on an issue that is little more than what Augustine called "stirring up billows in a ladle".

Now, I'm going to take the high road here: I'm not going to discuss -- or even identify -- the particular issue. I think it would be far more useful to hone our basic thinking skills instead, for if more people would apply principles of sound reasoning (or, if you prefer, discernment) this sort of issue would never see the light of day.

The first objection that inevitably arises is, "Well, I have the Bible [or the Holy Spirit], I don't need man's logic or reason." And that sort of thinking is the root of the problem: logic and sound reasoning is not incompatible with the Bible, nor is it in competition with the Bible or the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, even the most vitriolic opponent of "human reasoning" employs that same reasoning in telling us why we don't need human reasoning.

The laws of logic (more on these later) are a part of the fabric of God's created order. You cannot deny their existence any more than you can deny the existence of gravity, thermodynamics, magnetism, et al. Indeed they are more fundamental even than these, for it is conceivable that God could have chosen to create a universe without gravity; but it is inconceivable that He could have chosen to create a universe without the laws of logic (for example, how would He create a universe in which the law of noncontradiction did not exist?).

The conflict in issues such as the one I was forced to address recently is not essentially one of those who employ logic and reason vs. those who do not; it is a conflict between those who employ logic and reason well and those who apply it badly.

Voices of Praise

2008-04-02T10:52:00.005-06:00

This week we kicked off our first Sunday night service at the church (I will pause while indignant fundarnmentalists harumph that we didn't have one, and emergentistas harumph that we do). Our special guests were the Voices of Praise travelling choir from Frontier School of the Bible. The young people ministered in a powerful way, and our church was greatly blessed. As a pastor I am unspeakably thankful for the impact these young people had.

But it wasn't supposed to be that way.

Sunday night services aren't supposed to work. Nobody will show up. And those that do will get burned out fast and start to look at church as a drudgery. At least, that's what we hear. What I found as I began talking to the church about starting a Sunday night service was that the biggest obstacle to having it was the fact that we just knew that it wouldn't work.

But it did. People actually showed up. And they were edified. And God was magnified.

So, when did the Lord's Day become the Lord's hour-and-a-half? "I'm sorry, Lord. But the NFL has bought out your franchise. You can have Sunday morning, but be sure you have everything over and cleaned up by noon or we'll have to raise your rent."

Texts to Avoid

2008-04-01T10:12:00.003-06:00

Another text that you need to avoid if you wish to remain comfortably ensconced in the man-centered un-gospel of Arminianism:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NASB)
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,
29 so that no man may boast before God.
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T11:53:00.001-06:00

Feeling the Zap

2008-03-13T10:35:00.003-06:00

Fellow Pastors: Buy this book!

"What I feel at any given time is not the measure either of the truth itself, nor of its work. A good chef can prepare succulent dishes even when his own nose may be stuffed up and he has no ability to smell the savory odors nor taste the dishes himself. Beethoven still composed and arranged brilliantly after losing his hearing. David was instructed not to number the people lest he see them to be few in number compared to his enemies, and hesitate to wage war as God might require. So it is with us. If we measure our preaching's fire power on the numbering and qualifying of our own chills, goose bumps, glory buzzes -- or whatever else it is we think signals to us that God is at work -- we will be timid, ill-prepared and faithless when such feelings are nowhere to be found."

- Reid Ferguson, The Little Book Of ... Things You Should Know About Ministry, p. 43

Behold Your God

2008-03-12T08:41:00.001-06:00

"For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate {it} with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good. There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish {In their} discipline of delusion--their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men.

But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation."

Jeremiah 10:3-10

God is So Good

2008-03-07T12:54:00.006-07:00

I want to commend to you

God is So Good, the ministry of John Bishop. If you are not familiar with the Bishops' story be sure to pick up a copy of the DVD from their online store, or stop by John's page at sermonaudio.com and listen to some of his sermons. If you are battling discouragement, health issues, or any of the "thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" then give this man your undivided attention. I don't have evangelists in to speak at Grace Bible (there's a discussion all its own!) but I cannot wait to introduce John Bishop to the church family.

Another Important Tool

2008-03-06T11:22:00.003-07:00

Time out for a very serious issue: one of the most important tools for the pastor is a great cup of coffee. For all of you road warriors who are still searching for the perfect coffee mug: spill-proof, well-insulated, and actually built to fit into your cupholders, look no further than this beauty.

Sing to Myself a New Song

2008-02-29T08:20:00.002-07:00

Douglas Wilson has a tremendous article on sacred music in his blog today. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite. Be sure to stop here and read the entire post.

"As we sing, certain characteristics should be obvious to all who hear the singing. Our congregational singing should have at least the following characteristics. First, it should be reverent. The flippancy with which some address God is truly frightening. "The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name -- He is holy" (Ps. 99:1-3). We should note the KJV translation of awesome -- terrible. Moreover, this requirement to be God-fearing was not an Old Covenant thing -- notice Paul's teaching in Philippians, which is to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (2:12). Do not sing to the Lord with your mind somewhere else, or while entertaining various jolly thoughts. Worship of God needs to be acceptable, which means it must be offered in reverance and godly fear. This is because God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29)."

Amen!

James White on the Trinity

2008-02-26T07:38:00.002-07:00

Watched this great clip on the Trinity from James White's blog this morning. He gives a thorough yet simple (as simple as a discussion of the Trinity can get, anyway) explanation of the unique Christian doctrine of the Trinity, over against the charicature held by Muslims.

Real, Old-School Calvinism

2008-02-26T06:55:00.002-07:00

Teaching through 1 & 2 Thessalonians & found this insight by Warren Wiersbe. It's amazing how verse-by-verse, expository preaching will keep you in balance.

"But election and evangelism go together. The person who says, 'God will save those He wants to save and He doesn’t need my help!' understands neither election nor evangelism. In the Bible, election always involves responsibility. God chose Israel and made them an elect nation so that they might witness to the Gentiles.
"In the same way, God has chosen the church that we might be witnesses today. The fact that we are God’s elect people does not excuse us from the task of evangelism. On the contrary, the doctrine of election is one of the greatest encouragements to evangelism."

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), 1 Th 1:8.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do! (But Which One?)

2008-02-18T09:55:00.005-07:00

2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

I was reflecting this morning on some past experiences and this verse came to mind. One of the warning signs when you step into any ministry--whether joining a church, visiting another ministry, listening to an evangelist or special speaker, or signing on to work with a church or para-church ministry--there is a warning sign you need to watch for. Over the years I have learned how to spot it. Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way. Several times.

If the people involved in that ministry are driven even a little bit by fear of the man in charge, you need to run--don't walk--away from there. I don't care how many gazillion people they've seen saved and baptized, how many missionaries they support, how many attend their services, etc etc ad nauseam. If you see people freely sharing ideas until they're in the leader's presence, at which time they immediately shut down, get out now. If a man's name is all it takes to win an argument ("Well, Dr. So-and-so would/would not like that.") turn your knees to the breeze. That fear is unhealthy. It is a sign that God is only in control insofar as that man allows Him to be.

It won't seem all that bad at first. That's the nature of a honeymoon. You'll find ways to rationalize things that you see that bother you deep down. Don't do it. Leave now. Get out. Don't even stop to collect your red Swingline stapler from your desk. There's something wrong. Respect for a Godly man doesn't make people clam up. It doesn't produce forced conformity in nonessentials. That's fear. And it's not of God. There's something seriously wrong -- get out before you get hurt.

Pragmatism is another warning sign. I may post on that later, but only if it will get me more readers.

Words Matter as a Matter of Fact

2008-02-18T09:33:00.004-07:00

Greg Koukl is one of my very most favoritest apologists. In this clip he makes an important point about the word faith. This is more than just semantic hair-splitting: if you watched the recent debate between the theist Dinesh D'Souza and atheist Christopher Hitchens you saw the normally brilliant D'Souza acquit himself magnificently UNTIL he sold the farm - for no good reason - on the meaning of faith. Watch this clip from Greg Koukl:

Another Tool for the Do-It-All Pastor

2008-02-13T18:30:00.003-07:00

Just starting to lay the groundwork for an areawide visitation "campaign" for the church. Basically it's just a systematic invitation for everyone in the area. Since I am the design staff I am always on the prowl for tools to help with both inspiration and implementation. Found this one today, and it has already paid for itself! It is a 3-volume set of books to help with color scheme, typefaces, and overall design. Be sure to check it out!

Clash of the Titans

2008-02-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I have long admired Dinesh D'souza as an articulate, reasonable spokesman for conservatism. I find him doubly admirable as a champion of Christianity. Here he is skillfully debating the ever-bucolic Christopher Hitchens at King's College.

Welcome to Reality. We Hope You Enjoy Your Visit.

2008-02-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

Forget the DOW and NASDAQ. Western civilization hit a new low today, as reported in the London Daily Mail. In an article titled "Challenge Churchill!" the results of a recent poll revealed that one in four Britons polled believe that Winston Churchill was a fictional character. Other "fictional" characters included Richard the Lionheart, Sir Walter Raleigh, Charles Dickens and Cleopatra. On the other hand, the respondents knew that Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers, and Sherlock Holmes were real.

Of course, in a postmodern society, who's to say?

Another case for a bulging toolbox

2008-02-03T13:36:00.001-07:00

I have mentioned before that as a pastor, pressed for time yet convinced of the necessity of careful study, I have found Logos Bible Software to be invaluable. Here is another witness to the powerful tools available through Logos: Professor William Varner of the Master's Seminary has written a review of Logos, available here. Even if the price tag were twice as much as it is, you would not regret adding this powerful tool to your library.

The Bible vs. the Qur'an

2008-02-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Came across an article by Dr. James White comparing the textual arguments for the reliability of the Bible vs. that of the Qur'an. This issue hits close to home, as the arguments for the Book of Mormon are closely parallel to those advanced for the Qur'an. Here's the précis of Dr. White's article:

"As Christians encounter Islamic apologetics the topic quickly turns to ultimate sources of authority. Muslims are taught that the Bible is untrustworthy, and many believe that its text has been altered. In reality it is the Qur’an that suffers in comparison with the Bible on the issue of textual study and purity. Christians believe that the more the Bible’s history is studied, the more certain its text becomes. Christians encourage textual study and discovery of new manuscripts, while Muslims show little interest in researching the history of their own scriptures, preferring the traditional belief that the Qur’an is perfect in its current state. Often believers are stymied by attacks on the text of the Bible because of their misunderstanding of the history of the transmission of the text of Scripture. Christians need to be able to defend the integrity of the biblical text and to use the sharp contrast between the scriptures of the two faiths as a means of presenting the truth about Jesus Christ."

The entire article is available from the Christian Research Journal, at this link. Here's to thoughtful Christianity!

Following God for the Wrong Reasons

2008-01-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a challenge from Pastor E. Dewey Smith:

Lead, Kindly Light

2008-01-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

As I struggle with temptations to slip into a pragmatic, man-centered approach to ministry--one which asks questions like:

"How can I convince people to come back to church week after week?"

"How can I get people saved?"

"How can I make people love the Bible?"

"How can I make people grow in the Lord?"

I think of the words of the old hymn, written by a man whose conscience had been smitten upon an awareness of his own self-reliance:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;

I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,

Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.

O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,

And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I

Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,

Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.

To rest forever after earthly strife

In the calm light of everlasting life.

Perhaps this hymn strikes home because I am studying 1 Thess. 1:5, and recognizing how it is not my words that are effectual, but the Word of God accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit. Keep your methods. Keep your schedules and plans and conniving sciences of manipulation. Give me Christ, lifted up in the pages of Scripture. And let Him have His way.

Behold the God-Man!

2008-01-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

If you've never read J. C. Philpot (1802-1869), here is a sample to whet your appetite:

"We must never, even in thought, separate the human nature of our adorable Redeemer from his divine. Even when his sacred body lay in the grave, and was thus for a small space of time severed from his pure and holy soul by death and the tomb, there was no separation of the two natures, for his human soul, after he had once become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin, never was parted from his Deity, but went into paradise in indissoluble union with it. It is a fundamental article of our most holy faith that the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ had no existence independent of his divine. In the Virgin's womb, in the lowly manger, in the lonely wilderness, on the holy mount of transfiguration, in the gloomy garden of Gethsemane, in Pilate's judgment hall, on the cross, and in the tomb, Jesus was still Immanuel, God with us. And so ineffably close and intimate is the conjunction of the human nature with the divine, that the actings of each nature, though separable, cannot and must not be separated from each other. Thus, the human hands of Jesus broke the seven loaves and the fish; but it was God-man who multiplied them so as to feed therewith four thousand men, besides women and children. The human feet of Jesus walked on the sea of Galilee; but it was the Son of God who walked on the waves to the ship. The human lips of Jesus uttered those words which are "spirit and life" (John 6:63), but it was the Son of the living God who spoke them (John 6:69). The human hands and feet of Jesus were nailed to the cross; but the blood shed by them was indeed divine, for all the virtue and validity of Deity were stamped upon it (Acts 20:28)."

- J. C. Philpot, Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers (Joseph Kreifels).

Living by Lists 2

2008-01-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Listen as Paul Washer articulates the difference between legalism - living by lists - and Christlikeness:

Spurgeon at the Bat

2008-01-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

How I wish that we had more men like Spurgeon in charge of our Bible colleges & seminaries: men who do not allow a young buck's profession of a call to ministry to trump objective, Scriptural qualifications. In his Lectures to My Students (vol. 1, Lecture 2) he says:

"We never tried to make a minister, and should fail if we did; we receive none into the College but those who profess to be ministers already. It would be nearer the truth if they called me a parson killer, for a goodly number of beginners have received their quietus from me; and I have the fullest ease of conscience in reflecting upon what I have so done. It has always been a hard task for me to discourage a hopeful young brother who has applied for admission to the College. My heart has always leaned to the kindest side, but duty to the churches has compelled me to judge with severe discrimination."

Daddy or his Toys?

2008-01-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a heart-rending illustration from Christensen's Don't Waste Your Time in Worship:

"A father whose home had been made unspeakably happy with the presence of a little, curly-haired daughter found the tiresome toil of succeeding days tansformed into a labor of love. His earnings were modest, but each homecoming was made a joy, for he knew someone awaited his arrival at home. The first glimpse of the cottage revealed an expectant face at the window--a little nose pressed flat against the glass. One day, he received a modest bonus from his employer. Now he would buy some toys that he had longed, desired, his only child to enjoy. How happy the child was also--in fact, her supper was forgotten and her bedtime delayed. But imagine the father's disappointment upon his arrival the next evening--no baby face at the window. What had happened? Was the baby sick? He ran to the house, threw open the door, then heaved a sigh of relief as he saw her sitting on the dining-room floor, humming a tuneless melody to herself, contentedly playing with her toys, but unmindful that her father had just come home.
"That is just like many men and women today who, occupied with their treasures, forget the Giver of the gifts." (pp. 48-49)

Living by Lists

2008-01-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

There is something very . . . convenient . . . about the way legalists define legalism. When I was growing up in a very legalistic church I was told repeatedly that legalism was teaching salvation by works. Recently I came across a book in which legalism was being defended by cherry-picking definitions from more or less obscure sources. Not surprisingly the author of this book is a part of an institution that is known far and wide for maintaining some very bizarre rules governing behavior and appearance. As Chesterton put it, there is something "purely acoustic" in this sort of selective definition.

Here is the definition of legalism that appears in Webster's dictionary:

———————
le•gal•ism \ˈlē-gə-ˌli-zəm\ n
1928
1 : strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code 〈the institutionalized legalism that restricts free choice〉
2 : a legal term or rule
- (Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003.)
———————

Dictionary.com has compiled this definition:

le·gal·ism /ˈligəˌlɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lee-guh-liz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, esp. to the letter rather than the spirit.
2. Theology.
a. the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works.
b. the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws.
3. (initial capital letter) (in Chinese philosophy) the principles and practices of a school of political theorists advocating strict legal control over all activities, a system of rewards and punishments uniform for all classes, and an absolute monarchy.
[Origin: 1830–40; legal + -ism]

In one sense, then, the word carries the idea that "salvation is gained through good works"; however that is not the extent--nor, I would argue, the most insidious form--of legalism. And by limiting the definition in this way, legalists have given themselves a free pass for their works-based brand of Christianity, all the while bearing more resemblance to those who called for the crucifixion of the very Christ they profess to serve (and do serve, in their mind).

The far-more-prevalent form of legalism is the more widespread use of the term: "the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws". These are the modern offspring of the Judaizers whose accretions of external observances as an end in themselves prompted the writing of the epistle to the Galatians: those for whom particular appearances and behaviors are guarantors of spirituality; those who have entire lists of expectations in these areas that are founded on inference from the Scripture rather than Scripture Itself. But so long as they can convince us that legalism is restricted to requiring these works before salvation, rather than after, they are allowed to roam freely--snacking on the occasional sheep for sustenance.

Don't dismiss this as frustrated venting. There is a great HIDDEN danger in redefining away real legalism. Paul spells it out in Colossians:

"20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." Col. 2:20-23, NASB

The last phrase struck me like a thunderbolt. All of these lists, these observances, appear to suffice, but they "are of no value against fleshly indulgence." This strikes close to home for me, as I am still reeling from the news that a missionary pastor whom I respected has been forced to come back from the field in disgrace. So prevalent is the problem that caused his departure from the ministry that I don't have to articulate it--you knew what it was the moment I said he had come back from the field. Why is fundamentalism so fraught with these failings? I would argue that it is because we are living by lists that have supplanted the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. There is far too much evidence mounting up to deny this: as long as we have lists, we don't need the Holy Spirit. We don't have to wrestle with Scripture when our pastor will oblige us with an ex cathedra proclamation as to whether something is right or wrong.

More on this later. But for now, just think about it. Please.

Against the Watered-Down Gospel

2008-01-07T09:24:00.001-07:00

An excellent sermon! Give this one a listen!

The Hope of Helpful Resources

2008-01-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I'm starting a new Sunday school series, teaching verse-by-verse through the Thessalonian epistles. I'm always on the prowl for new resources to strengthen my understanding (and, thus, exposition) of the Scriptures, so I try to purchase one or two commentaries by authors with whom I am unfamiliar whenever I start a series like this, to see what I'm missing. I had heard of Dr. Mal Couch of Tydale Theological Seminary before, and have his book on dispensational hermeneutics; but The Hope of Christ's Return is the first of his commentaries that I have tried.

The introductory material alone is worth the price of the commentary. Dr. Couch balances in-depth background information with highlights of the doctrinal issues (particularly dispensationalism and eschatology) and why they are important. All of this is done in a clear, straightforward, didactic writing style. I am looking forward to using this commentary in my studies, and will definitely be including Dr. Couch on my list of must-haves for future series. If you haven't already, I heartily recommend that you give his stuff a try.

Spurgeon on Expository Preaching

2008-01-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

"A judicious critic would probably complain that many sermons are deficient in solid instruction, Biblical exposition, and Scriptural argument; they are flashy, rather than fleshy; clever, rather than solid; entertaining, rather than impressive. He would point to rhetorical discourses in which doctrine is barely discernible, and brilliant harangues from which no food for the soul could ever be extracted. Having done this, he would probably propose that homilies should flow out of texts, and should consist of a clear explanation and an earnest enforcement of the truths which the texts distinctly teach. Expository preaching he would advocate as the great need of the day, its best protection against rising errors, and its surest means of spiritual edification."
- Commenting and Commentaries, p. v

The Eye-Candy Church

2008-01-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Had a thought hit me this morning: In the New Testament the Church is the Bride of Christ. In American Christianity, the Church is Angelina Jolie--smokin' hot but shallow and flighty. We have gorgeous facades, all the latest in buildings, creature comforts, music (as artificially enhanced as, well, Angelina Jolie). But while she (we're talking about the Church again, now) may look drop-dead gorgeous on the outside, where is the commitment to her Groom? We're so embarrassed by Him that we've tried to pretend we're married to someone else. Our Groom "has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Is. 53:2). So, what do we do? We pull a Brad Pitt mask over Him, to try to cover that unsightly marring; and dress Him in an Armani suit because those blood-stains just won't do in the social circles to which we aspire.

The jesus (little "j") of Joel Osteen, Bobbie Schuller, and Billy Graham (before you get mad, watch this) is a jesus who has been sanitized for worldling consumption. Here's an idea: let's speak of our Groom the way a loving, faithful Bride enraptured by her great Love would, instead of apologizing that He is not socially graceful. Let's present the pierced, bleeding, dying Savior to the world without shame. And while we're at it, we should point out to the scandalized worldling that, "Hey, He was wounded for YOUR transgressions. Those scars are BEAUTIFUL!"

Or, we could just continue our advanced studies in the Gomer School of Marital Fidelity.

Gatorade for the Soul

2008-01-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

This is why I love good Southern Gospel quartet singing. They have a way of singing about heaven that can lift me out of the darkest day and fix my eyes on home. Enjoy.

Charlotte Bronte on The Call

2008-01-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

I came across a beautiful description of the call to the ministry, in a most unexpected place. In Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre there is a moment when a parish priest, St. John Rivers, is expressing his passion for missionary work to Jane:

"A year ago, I was myself intensely miserable, because I thought I had made a mistake in entering the ministry: its uniform duties wearied me to death. I burnt for the more active life of the world-for the more exciting toils of a literary career-for the destiny of an artist, author, orator; anything rather than that or a priest: yes, the heart of a politician, of a soldier, of a votary of glory, a lover of renown, a luster after power, beat under my curate’s surplice. I considered: my life was so wretched, it must be changed, or I must die. After a season of darkness and struggling, light broke and relief fell: my cramped existence all at once spread out to a plain without bounds-my powers heard a call from heaven to rise, gather their full strength, spread their wings, and mount beyond ken. God had an errand for me; to bear which afar, to deliver it well, skill and strength, courage and eloquence, the best qualifications of soldier, statesman, and orator, were all needed: for these all centre in the good missionary.
A missionary I resolved to be. From that moment my state of mind changed; the fetters dissolved and dropped from every faculty, leaving nothing of bondage but its galling soreness-which time only can heal."

Been there.