Off The Wire

Oh...And

2006-10-26T20:40:00.000-04:00

One last reason, I can have several other pages imbedded in my blog. Very nice for folks like me who like free sites to host their thoughts. Check out my “About” section and “Resources.”

I'm Done With Blogger...Sorta

2006-10-26T20:38:00.000-04:00

A long hiatus from blogging due to personal life changes. Found out that my wife and I are expecting our first child. Started a new job with a phenomenal company. Bought a house. Decided to stay and work on my PhD (apologies to Kevin, Matthew, and Harold - keep in touch because I still want to plant a church, revitalize a church, etc). Went through three weeks of training. Have been reading several books on pluralism (Hick, Tillich, Kung, Knitter) for a paper I am writing on the subject - granted this does not count as a life change (for all who were sweating), but just a time commitment.

The title for this post is due to my leaving Blogger to go to WordPress. Several reasons:
1. I am able to keep up with replies easier - as are readers so dialogues can be encouraged.
2. The categorization can be tracked easily with WordPress for those who would like to peruse by subject.
3. I need something I can write on while on lunch at work - I use a program called MacJournal right now. It’s a great program, but the version I use is not the updated one that can post to WordPress. So I will just do it from the Internet site. I know, you could post from Blogger, but a) I never figured it out, b) it is easier to do with WordPress, and c) I am running out of reasons so I figured if I could get more words down it would look more thought out than it is really is!
4. I wanted to...
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Okay, so I ran out. My hope is that the new site will encourage discussion. Check back often. My project right now is to categorize everything, but I still have a way to go as you will see. You can still access this site, as I will keep it up for folks to find articles when googling. If anyone has any ideas on CSS design I would greatly appreciate it...as I would like to customize my site some more.

My New Home: http://offthewire.wordpress.com

Are You Guilty of This?

2006-09-26T09:50:00.000-04:00

Wondering How Much CEO's of Christian Organizations Make?

2006-09-22T07:11:00.000-04:00

Mike Sense looked through Forbes 200 Largest Charities database and found this startling information. Read his post, Non Profit? For Forbes’ list you can go here.

[HT: Common Grounds]

The Whole Glory of God: Imputation (Part 2)

2006-09-19T06:24:00.000-04:00

The last session of Piper’s time in Seattle is now available...here.

The Whole Glory of God: Imputation

2006-09-06T14:18:00.000-04:00

Session Three of John Piper’s time at the Reformission Conference at Mars Hill Church in Seattle is now up.

Postmodernity

2006-08-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

Rushdoony gives a concise and helpful parsing of the postmodernism we live in today. It is easy to think that “postmodernism” is such a fancy and obtuse word that the “run-of-the-mill” Christian can’t possibly begin to understand his times. This article is a step at understanding your times in order to apply the cornerstone of the Gospel - so that uncertainty and foolhardy hubris doesn’t get the best of you.

Of particular notice is Rushdoony’s connection between the uncertainty offered by postmodernism and the health-wealth-prosperity blasphemies. Since people have become lazy in reading to rightly understand the Bible, they have slipped into a pit of despair. As a result, they have nothing to offer except some happy-go-lucky superficiality they pass off as Christianity.

In the end, consistent postmodernists will have to sit in the corner and drool or live like hell because there is no meaning. However, most postmoderns aren’t consistent, so they talk about how everyone is right and let’s stop fighting. Lah-tee-dah. Don’t talk to me about how postmodernism will answer my questions, because in the end it is nothing but a cover-up for sin. It loses itself in an ocean of relativity because it has not done the hard work of thinking and critiquing. We have become so enamored with who got kicked off the island on the latest “reality“ show than what is happening in reality!

Quotation:
In the final analysis, postmoderns insist that two plus two can equal five. It's a valid interpretation for certain groups, and you should not condemn them. Do they say this with certainty? If so, then they practically operate as if two plus two equals four. There is no reason to assume that simply because there are a multiplicity of beliefs that this somehow justifies pluralism. It rather demonstrates man's sinful creativity to cover himself in diverse philosophical disguises.

Please at least skim the article to be aware of the issues that postmodernism is built upon. Do yourself a favor: get a cup of joe in your local coffee shop, think about why someone would want to say that all beliefs are right, and talk to your neighbor as to why he thinks that all rivers lead to the same ocean.

The Whole Glory of God {Part 2}

2006-08-30T13:40:00.000-04:00

Here is the second installment of John Piper’s series at the Reformission Conference in Seattle, WA in 2004.

Distinct Personality of the Spirit

2006-08-25T11:29:00.000-04:00

The above title comes from a section in John Frame’s Doctrine of God. This book is highly worth the money (would that be considered a pun?)...Anyway, the data I am going to share here comes mostly from that and I want to offer some more info you can go to in order to understand the third person of the Trinity.

First of all, there is no necessary contradiction between saying that God is Three in One. The way the church fathers articulated it was: One essence, Three persons. As goodwillhiking mentioned in one of his comments, “It is good to live with mystery.”

With regards to mystery, it is right to say you live with the mystery as long as it is prescribed in Scripture. For example, I have spoken with several people that say they are comfortable living with contradictions. You shouldn’t be comfortable with contradictions. A contradiction is “logical incompatibility between two or more propositions” (acc. to Wikipedia). This is not the case with saying one essence, three persons.

With that said, now for the Holy Spirit. Frame: “We are often inclined to equate ‘spirit’ with the nonmaterial realm, so that it amounts to a force that animates matter. But spirits in Scripture, human as well as divine, are persons, not impersonal forces” (p. 691).

Also:

“The power of God is never impersonal. It is a power directed by God’s intelligent plan to accomplish his purposes...The Spirit has a ‘mind’ (Rom 8.27). Often it is quite impossible to substitute power for spirit (see, e.g. Acts 10.38; Rom 15.13; 1Cor 2.4). The Holy Spirit is not a mere power; he is the personal bearer of divine power” (italics original; 691)

Friday Foto

2006-08-25T08:56:00.000-04:00

East & West

Taken in Lebanon this summer.

Islam: Religion of Peace

2006-08-24T06:51:00.000-04:00

Is this true? Kim Riddlebarger points to this article and claims otherwise. I have oft raised the question as it seems that the Muslim you meet next door is friendly enough for our culture to say, “If it works for them...” But I have constantly been thinking, are these Muslims consistent with their teaching? If an imam tells them that it is righteous to kill, and they do not kill, can we legitimately say that Islam is a religion of peace? Here is a great excerpt from Riddlebarger’s post:

The irony is that twenty years ago this threat was not even on the radar. Who would have thought that American evangelicalism would become so doctrinally wimpy as to be helpless against Islamic growth and ideology? Seeker-centered worship and vapid felt-need oriented preaching are quickly exposed for what they are in the face of a threat like Islamic expansion. Islam is growing and expanding in most communities in the United States, probably yours. And what are you doing about it?

After traveling to the Middle East, I can say that all Muslims are not terrorists. It is foolish to think so. That would be like assuming everyone who goes to church in the United States is a Christ-follower. Just because people who call themselves Christians aren’t living consistently with Christ’s teaching, does this mean we make value judgments on the religion? No. We point to the teachings and show the person that he is inconsistent and he should get his knee bowed to Jesus’ lordship. How long will it take until the imams do the same with their inconsistent parishioners?

The Whole Glory of God (Part 1)

2006-08-22T21:59:00.000-04:00

This audio of John Piper has just been put up by The Resurgence from a conference they had back in 2004 for church planters. I was able to go and was thoroughly blessed by the Reformission group (affiliated with Acts 29 - a church planter’s network affiliated with Mars Hill Church in Seattle). This is Part 1 of (I believe three sermons that were preached at the conference). It was at this conference that much was confirmed in my appreciation for Mark Driscoll and the Mars Hill group. May you be as blessed as I was.

Could You Write a Letter Like This?

2006-08-19T14:10:00.000-04:00

Adoniram Judson wrote a letter to Ann Hasseltine's parents asking for her hand in marriage. He knew that he was going to Burma and did not make false promises:

"I have now to ask whether you can consnt to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this for the sake of Him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness, brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?" (taken from The Three Mrs. Judsons, p. 8).

The Third Person in the Trinity: Scriptural Data [2]

2006-08-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

Lk 3.22 - the three distinct persons of the Trinity represented (voice, dove, Son)

1 Cor 6.19 - a temple of the Holy Spirit...would this be idolatry of the Holy Spirit if he were not God. In other words, Paul would be encouraging us to be temples to an idol!

Heb 3.7 - The Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear his voice...” This is citing the Old Testament reference to Psa 95.9-11. In these verses YHWH makes it explicit that they sinned against him. This is YHWH speaking and the preacher of Hebrews says it is the Holy Spirit. (see also Heb 4.6-7)

Heb 10.15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16         “This is the covenant that I will make with them
                after those days, declares the Lord:
                I will put my laws on their hearts,
                and write them on their minds,”
17   then he adds,
         “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Is this a mere slip of words? Doubtful. This is cited from Jer 31. The Lord speaks of a New Covenant that he will ratify and make effective by giving new hearts. This is done by God. The preacher of Hebrews makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is God in v.17 when he attributes remembering their sins and lawless deeds no more to the Holy Spirit’s activity. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is called “he.” I will discuss this aspect of spirit being equivalent to personhood in the next post.

Friday Foto

2006-08-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

Ascension & Parousia

When I looked at this picture, I couldn’t decide whether it was of Christ’s ascension or his return. I then remembered the angel asking the disciples:
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1.11).

I had put it in b&w but the orange glow doesn’t come off like in color.

The Third Person in the Trinity: Scriptural Data

2006-08-17T13:28:00.000-04:00

I was contacted by someone in close proximity of the leadership of a group that I tagged as a group to stay away from (here). I was very appreciative for the e-mail - both for its humility and desire to explain the position of Pastor John’s House group.

I don’t carry on ongoing one-on-on correspondence with females who are not my wife. And I thought it best to respond to this person’s questions by addressing my readers so they are able to understand the third person of the Trinity better.

The e-mailer said:

“For some reason, I have been thinking about the Trinity a lot this week... just how it seems to me to have such clearly pagan roots. And I was thinking about Paul's letters. I just recently noticed for the first time that all of them start off with something like, "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." It seems like if the Spirit was a person equal to Jesus and the Father that Paul wouldn't have dared to leave Him out. What do you think?” (original emphasis).

As regards pagan roots, the same has been said of the Christians’ claim that Jesus is divine. Christians, however, submit to the Scriptures. So what do the Scriptures say about the Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Here are some scriptural attestations to the Holy Spirit’s person and equivalency to the Father and Son with some thoughts by your truly:

Acts 5.3 - Ananias & Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit (who is God). Note that Peter tells them that they have lied to God in v.4, while in v.3 he tells them they lied to the Holy Spirit

Mt 28.18-20 - The Name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just as this Trinitarian formula has been one of the texts used to explain Jesus’ divinity, so it is used for the 3rd person of the Trinity. Note the use of the singular word “Name” of God...not names (highlighting their unity as God)

Jn 14.16 - A Helper of the same kind. The Greek word used here is ἄλλος , which means “another of the same kind” whereas the Greek word ἕτερος means “another of a different kind” (see Mt 6.24)

More to come...

A Technological Messiah

2006-08-10T16:51:00.000-04:00

I believe you will have to concede that what ails us, what causes us the most misery and pain - at both cultural and personal levels - has nothing to do with the sort of information made accessible by computers. The computer and its information cannot answer any of the fundamental questions we need to address to make our lives more meaningful and humane. The computer cannot provide an organizing moral framework. It cannot tell us what questions are worth asking. It cannot provide a means of understanding why we are here or why we fight each other or why decency eludes us so often, especially when we need it the most. The computer is, in a sense, a magnificent toy that distracts us from facing what we most needed to confront - spiritual emptiness, knowledge of ourselves, usable conceptions of the past and future. Does one blame the computer for this? Of course not. It is, after all, only a machine. But it is presented to us, with trumpets blaring...as a technological messiah.

[Added emphasis; Full Article: Neil Postman, German Informatics Society, 11 Oct 90, Stuttgart]

When Google Can't Find What You're Searching For

2006-08-10T08:44:00.000-04:00

The computer, as we know, has a quality of universality, not only because its uses are almost infinitely various but also because computers are commonly integrated into the structure of other machines. Therefore it would be fatuous of me to warn against every conceivable use of a computer. But there is no denying that the most prominent uses of computers have to do with
information. When people talk about "information sciences," they are talking about computers - how to store information, how to retrieve information, how to organize information. The computer is an answer to the questions, how can I get more information, faster, and in a more usable form? These would appear to be reasonable questions. But now I should like to put some other questions to you that seem to me more reasonable. Did Iraq invade Kuwait because of a lack of information?
If a hideous war should ensue between Iraq and the U. S., will it happen because of a lack of information? If children die of starvation in Ethiopia, does it occur because of a lack of information? Does racism in South Africa exist because of a lack of information? If criminals roam the streets of New York City, do they do so because of a lack of information?...

[Full Article: Neil Postman, German Informatics Society, 11 Oct 90, Stuttgart]

Bibliophile

2006-08-07T16:17:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by Sir Cawley. Here are my answers. While I have received these things on e-mail at times, I thought this one was worthy to take the time to fill out. Reading others’ suggestions has added to my WishList (birthday coming up 8.27 by the way) and I am helped by the different offerings of books.

1. One book that changed your life: Let the Nations Be Glad! - John Piper (first book I read by him and it resonated with so much that I couldn’t articulate before)

2. One book that you've read more than once: The Bible - God & His Inspired Authors (not trying to be overly pious here...I just don’t read books more than once. If I had more time I might. There are just so many, I want to try and read as many as I can. I am sure there are plenty that want to debate as to why I should read a book more than once...I think I know. Time - and I’m a slow reader!)

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The End for Which God Created the World - Jonathan Edwards

4. One book that made you laugh: Christianity & Liberalism - JG Machen (the way he puts his finger on the pulse of the problem and the parallels with today’s post-modernism are uncanny)

5. One book that made you cry: Return of the King - JRR Tolkien (I love Sam’s devotion to Frodo)

6. One book you wish had been written: I have an idea for one that you may be seeing in the future...can’t give it away. Sorry.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Charismatic Chaos - John MacArthur (Strawman arguments and extemely divisive. Not that divisiveness is always bad, just that to divid over a misunderstood position is.)

8. One book you're currently reading: Van Til’s Apologetic - Greg Bahnsen (Loving it...this book will be marked as a turning point in my life. I love apologetics, and Bahnsen’s parsing of VanTil is not only helpful, but VanTil’s excerpts are very worshipful and convicting.)

9. One book you've been meaning to read: How to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler (Touted as the first book everyone should read...slowly.)

10. Tag 28 others:Van Diesel, Josh Harris, Griffiths, JT, Andreas Kostenberger, Alex Chediak, GoodWillHiking, Cutch, Reid Monaghan, 3ABC Elders (all 4 of you!), Ben Witherington, Matthew Hall, Owen Strachan, Al Mohler, Matthew Molesky, Michael Haykin, Oren Martin, John Majors, Brian Lund, Kevin Figgins, Hugh Hewitt, Jason Kovacs, William Dembski, John Armstrong, Scot McKnight, and Ardel Caneday (although I know folks won’t all respond, I thought it would be edifying to see what all these folks suggest by way of books to read for development in our lives...let’s see what happens. Tag as many as you’d like, although the original directions said 5.)

"Informing Ourselves to Death"

2006-08-04T15:35:00.000-04:00

The problem with our society is not lack of information (as we saw in the last post), it is lack of moral fiber. We have way more information than we can integrate...so we trust bucket loads of information with no way to assimilate it into our worldview. Why? We have no anchor that holds within the veil of naivete.

Some more juicy quotes from Neil Postman, German Informatics Society, 11 Oct 90, Stuttgart

“[George Orwell] remarked that the average person today is about as naive as was the average person in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages people believed in the authority of their religion, no matter what. Today, we
believe in the authority of our science, no matter what...

The world in which we live is very nearly incomprehensible to most of us. There is almost no fact - whether actual or imagined - that will surprise us for very long, since we have no comprehensive and consistent picture of the world
which would make the fact appear as an unacceptable contradiction. We
believe because there is no reason not to believe. No social, political, historical, metaphysical, logical or spiritual reason...

The point is that, in a world without spiritual or intellectual order, nothing is unbelievable; nothing is predictable, and therefore, nothing comes as a particular surprise...

There is no consistent, integrated conception of the world which serves as the foundation on which our edifice of belief rests. And therefore, in a sense, we are more naive than those of the Middle Ages, and more frightened, for we
can be made to believe almost anything...”

Friday Foto

2006-08-04T09:06:00.000-04:00

This is a monument in the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. The museum has just opened and I would highly recommend going if you have about 6-8 hours. Make a day out of it. I was extremely sobered by the history and film footage.

My Flickr Page

More sweet Friday Fotos.

Neil Postman on Technology

2006-08-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

My friend, Greg Gilbert, is guest blogging at Between Two Worlds this week and he asks some questions regarding theology and technology. Yesterday I read a great transcription of a talk Neil Postman gave to the German Informatics Society in 1990. For those of you not familiar with Neil Postman, he wrote a stellar book called Entertaining Ourselves to Death - which is a look at how entertainment has impoverished our thinking. This talk is related to this book as it is entitled, “Informing Ourselves to Death.”

An acquaintance of mine, Josh Sowin, peaked my interest in Postman by his numerous posts on him. You can find those here.

I have included some stirring quotes that capture the essence of what Postman spoke about.

Neil Postman, German Informatics Society, 11 Oct 90, Stuttgart

“Anyone who has studied the history of technology knows that
technological change is always a Faustian bargain: Technology giveth
and technology taketh away, and not always in equal measure. A new
technology sometimes creates more than it destroys. Sometimes, it
destroys more than it creates. But it is never one-sided.

The invention of the printing press is an excellent example. Printing
fostered the modern idea of individuality but it destroyed the
medieval sense of community and social integration. Printing created
prose but made poetry into an exotic and elitist form of expression.
Printing made modern science possible but transformed religious
sensibility into an exercise in superstition. Printing assisted in
the growth of the nation-state but, in so doing, made patriotism into
a sordid if not a murderous emotion.”

Thoughts on technology??

The Message of the Gospel [2]

2006-08-02T11:19:00.001-04:00

This is the second half of what I posted re: the message of the Gospel. As I said before, this is Packer’s take on the message. I wanted to finish the second half so I can post on some other things re: evangelism and misc. So here are the last two taken from his mini opus. Forgive me for the bad spacing...

3. It is a message about Christ (64-65).
a. We must not present the Person of Christ apart from His saving work.
- It is sometimes said that it is the presentation of Christ’s Person, rather than of doctrines about Him, that draws sinners to His feet. It is true that it is the living Christ who saves, and that a theory of the atonement, however orthodox, is no substitute. When this remark is made, however, what is usually being suggested is that doctrinal instruction is dispensable in evangelistic preaching, and that all the evangelist need do is paint a vivid word-picture of the Man of Galilee who went about doing good, and then assure his hearers that this Jesus is still alive to help them in their troubles. But such a message could hardly be called the gospel. It would, in reality, be a mere conundrum, serving only to mystify. Who was this Jesus? we should ask; and what is His position now? Such preaching would raise these questions while concealing the answers. And thus it would completely baffle the thoughtful listener (64).
b. We must not present the saving work of Christ apart from His Person.
- We must not in presenting the gospel isolate the cross and its benefits from the Christ whose cross it was (66).
- The gospel is not, ‘believe that Christ died for everybody’s sins, and therefore for yours,’ any more than it is, ‘believe that Christ died only for certain people’s sins, and so perhaps not for yours.’ The gospel is, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sins, and now offers to Himself as your Saviour’ (69).

4. A summons to faith and repentance (70-71).
- It needs to be said that faith is not a mere optimistic feeling, any more than repentance is a mere regretful or remorseful feeling. Faith and repentance are both acts, and acts of the whole man. Faith is more than just credence; faith is essentially the casting and resting oneself and one’s confidence on the promises of mercy which Christ has given to sinners, and on the Christ who gave those promises. Equally, repentance is more than just sorrow for the past; repentance is a change of mind and heart, a new life of denying self and serving the Saviour as king in self’s place. Mere credence without trusting , and mere remorse, without turning, do not save. ‘The devils also believe, and tremble.’ ‘ The sorrow of the world worketh death.’
a. The demand is for faith as well as for repentance.
- If there is to be faith, however, there most be a foundation of knowledge: a man must know Christ, and of His cross, and of His promises, before saving faith becomes a possibility for him (71).
b. The demand is for repentance as well as faith:
- Knowledge of the gospel, and orthodox belief of it, is no substitute for repentance (72).
- Where there is no clear knowledge, and hence no realistic recognition of the real claims that Christ makes, there can be no repentance, and therefore no salvation (73)

The Message of the Gospel [1]

2006-08-02T08:49:00.000-04:00

Too many discussions of evangelism begin by assuming people know what the message of the gospel is and focus on how to do it. In too many circles the Gospel is merely “The kingdom of God.” What kind of message is that!?!? Someone might say, we are to take part in this kingdom. The evangel is how one becomes a part of that kingdom. This is what I will share in these next two posts. These four points come directly from JI Packer’s Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God. I don’t want to take credit where it is due somewhere else. Get the book and enjoy - the italicized portion contained in each point is a quote from Packer’s book. Hopefully this will whet your appetite for thinking through what the Gospel is...then what evangelism is.

1. It is a message about God.
-The gospel starts by teaching us that we, as creatures, are absolutely dependent on God, and that He, as Creator, has an absolute claim on us (58).

2. It is a message about sin.
-What we have to grasp, then, is that the bad conscience of the natural man is not all the same thing as conviction of sin. It does not, therefore, follow that a man is convicted of sin when he is distressed about his weaknesses and the wrong things he has done. It is not conviction of sin just to feel miserable about yourself and your failures and your inadequacy to meet life’s demands. Nor would it be saving faith is a man in that condition called on the Lord Jesus Christ just to soothe him, and cheer him up, and make him feel confident again. Nor should we be preaching the gospel (thought we might imagine we were) is all that we did was to present Christ in terms of a man’s felt wants. (‘Are you happy? Are you satisfied? Do you want peace of mind? Do you feel that you have failed? Are you fed up with yourself? Do you want a friend? Then come to Christ; He will meet your every need...’ – as if the Lord Jesus Christ were to be thought of as a fairy godmother, or a super-psychiatrist.) No; we have to go deeper than this. To preach sin means, not to make capital out of people’s felt frailties (the brainwasher’s trick), but to measure their lives by the holy law of God. To be convicted of sin means, not just to feel that one is an all-around flop, but to realize that one has offended God, and flouted His authority, and defied Him, and gone against Him, and put oneself in the wrong with Him. To preach Christ means to set Him forth as the One who through His cross sets men right with God again. To put faith in Christ means relying on Him, and Him alone, to restore us to God’s fellowship and favour (60-61).

-The Christ who is depicted and desired merely to make the lot of life’s casualties easier by supplying them with aids and comforts is not the real Christ, but a misrepresented and misconceived Christ – in effect, an imaginary Christ. And if we taught people to look to an imaginary Christ, we should have no grounds for expecting that they would find a real salvation (61-62).

Denial and DaVinci

2006-07-31T13:04:00.000-04:00

I listened to a talk (download here) this morning regarding how Christians ought to think about The DaVinci Code. Some of you may this is old news and we need to move on with other issues since the movie has proven to be a disappointment (on several levels).

However, in the talk something was mentioned that stuck in my mind. It is something I mentioned while teaching Sunday School yesterday on evangelism. It relates with Romans 1.18-25. As promised I will be posting on how to “do” evangelism.

Consider this my first post on the topic.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that men, in their unrighteousness suppress what they know to be true. That is, the myriad of discussions I have had with people who deny that God exists are suppressing the truth that they have ingrained in them (and which is easily perceived in the world). The issue for the Christian is not merely trying to show a non-believer that God exists, it is digging deeper into the person’s life and asking what the reason for their suppression of the truth.

When we have dialogues with people they are not coming to the conversation with a blank slate ready to be convinced. No, they are coming with a childhood where the youth pastor was jerk, church folk unrighteously judged, abuse, etc. In other words, these friends we are talking with have a myriad of reasons they don’t want to believe in God. Rather than press into God they foolishly blame him for sin in their life or in other’s lives. It’s easier that way.

By denying the existence of God I have no King who demands my joyful obedience. I can also seem pretty righteous because I’m not like “them.” I can feel intellectually superior because I don’t need the projection of religion (as Freud called it) or a crutch (as Mark penned).

Humans, by nature, are worshipers. The question is what does one worship. Paul tells us that the unrighteous “exchanged” worship of God for worship of another. He says creature. We should not interpret that as merely snakes, birds, elephants...we should also leave room for human beings.

This human worship is expressed either in falling over to touch the arm of a rock star. Or it’s expressed in watching every word and action so people affirm your social graces. Or it’s expressed in having all the right hand gestures when preaching. Or it’s expressed in how many people visit your blog. Okay, enough public confession.

My point comes to what was said in the DaVinci talk. The reason why The DaVinci Code has been so popular is due to the fact that worshipers will grasp for anything that gives the least bit of promise to free them from obedience to their Maker. Betrand Russell made the erroneous claim that it was not clear enough that God existed - from the facts on the ground. This is what Proverbs calls foolishness. It is like denying that air exists. More than this, it is rebellion.

The reason why The DaVinci Code (and future polemics against Christianity will) flourish is because humans will reach out in the dark for any tom-foolery that will enable them to worship themselves. It has been shown that so much of the blasphemies in The DaVinci Code have no ground to stand on, but people will still tout the claims as true. Skepticism seems so righteous to the fool.

Next post will be delving into how we can press the legitimacy and truth of Christianity’s claims into the questions and conscience of our friends.

[Disclaimer: I have seen the movie. I am not against reading the book. We need,however, to think critically and respond lovingly to honest questions.]

Feeling Hard Pressed and Downcast?

2006-07-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

I just listened to this message from Matt Chandler from the Resurgence web site. I would recommend you listen if you are going through a dark night of the soul. If you have given into self-pity and isolation and worry...listen to this dear pastor, and aspiring elder. It will be good for your soul to remind you that ministry is not about you and your ministry. We follow our rejected and murdered Messiah.

Download Here

[Note: If you have a conviction about the word “freaking” that you can’t get around, don’t listen.]

The Funniest Podcast I Have Seen To Date

2006-07-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

My friends Rhett & Link (see "friends" link on left bar) have a podcast that never has ceased to get me laughing...hard! This foto you see here is from their debate depicted as a caribou and flower as to whether one should use a debit/credit card vs. cash. You can subscribe to their podcast here and visit their web site here . Tell ‘em Wireman sent ya.

To see Dr Mohler take on Rhett in a battle of wits (“Go Fish,” “Tic-Tac-Toe,” and “Hangman”) go here. This could easily have been a separate post on why I love my school. It is a gift from God to have a man of Dr Mohler’s caliber act silly for a laugh. May God grant more of us the humility that is displayed in these acts of humor...

Positive Reinforcement

2006-07-26T15:41:00.001-04:00

I have been treating the topic of evangelism lately. Some critiques have been pretty harsh as I look at evangelicalism (and liberalism) and see a disregard for true teaching of the evangel (the good message). Evangelism is near to my heart as I spent about 6 years working alongside Campus Crusade for Christ - an intensely evangelistic group. I participated in everything from surveys to handing out Freshman Survival Kits (boxes that had college novelties and a Bible and More Than a Carpenter).

My thinking throughout college was, “How can someone be a Christian and not want to tell others?” I listened to folks who reasoned away any kind of proclamation of the truth of Christianity for fear of man. I watched Christians try rather absurd methods of “reaching” people with the Good News. ((For those of you who wonder, you need to know that having a Christian band play in the quad of campus will not do anything to move someone to conversion. More so, after several observations, it is doubtful that after hearing the band, those that stick around will find it normal or winsome to have some middle-aged man give a 30-minute talk on why you need Jesus. Even if the talk seems to be relevant to college life, a talk on how to win friends and influence people will do neither when Jesus is relegated to someone who is supposed to help me become the person God made me to be...Finish Rant))

I am going to try and offer some positive alternatives to the traditional “evangelistic” meeting. I have been reading Packer’s life-changing work, Questioning Evangelism, and listened to several sermons on the topic. While my own view of evangelism is getting challenged and honed, I want to bounce ideas off you with the hope that you will sharpen my thoughts...Okay?

This has just been a prelude for where I am heading to give you a heads up...heady?

Friday Foto

2006-07-21T07:36:00.000-04:00

Athenia

Rich Man from Corinth

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them (Psa 115)

This verse should bring new significance to those of us who live in a culture where our idols are not molded like these statues and erected in the middle of our cities. Numerous stories had to made up about them. Why? Because they didn’t exist. They never broke in space and time to reveal themselves. The gods that were refuted in Acts 17 were licentious, impotent statues. They were more like our present-day soap opera stars. Drama and no fiber.

No our gods - money, success, etc - are served everyday when people commit suicide in their cars. They turn on the radio, zombie into their cubicle, sit down, and drone...Life isn’t supposed to be like this. Life consists of more than what we have. May we not become like our idols, but be alive.

Why I Love My Church...[2]

2006-07-18T08:52:00.000-04:00

That’s right, I am now on part 2 although I already wrote part 3. Why? I forgot that I had not written part 2 yet and had went right on with 3. When counting, it is always important to remember to follow 1 with 2 and that going from 1 to 3 is right out. This rule is especially true when using holy hand grenades.

In any case, this shalt be the second installment of “Why I Love My Church...“

On Wednesday, July 5th I was invited by the elders at my church to their meeting. While I am the Deacon of the Website for the church, they wanted to get an update on my progress and plans for the website. But this is not why I love my church (though I could make it one if I need another one).

The reason I love my church is because after spending an hour with me getting an ear full of ideas and plans for the website, they proceeded to spend another hour asking about my life and desire to minister. If the Lord wills, I will graduate in May of next year with a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Seminary. The elders are meeting with each person who is in their final year of their degree. They want to find out: how you came to know Jesus, how you came to desire to be an elder, and what your future plans are.

Not only did they want to know about me, but they want to know how they could help me in this final year to prepare for ministry. So many churches send their aspiring elders off to seminary to get trained for the ministry. While the seminary has a key role in the theological training of future pastors, it cannot (and should not) be the only voice speaking into the future minister’s life. Rather, Paul told Timothy to watch his life and doctrine. Doctrine is something that is easily measurable with an essay or multiple-choice exam. Life, however, requires a little more energy and vulnerability that not many churches are willing to exert...nor future pastors.

This is meeting with aspiring elders is something new at 3ABC, but it is a start. I was so encouraged by our meeting. There was nothing formal about it. Indeed, it was just talking and bouncing questions off each other and clarifying my call and ways that I would like them to speak truth in my life. The beauty of this is that there must be a balance between formal and informal interaction.

Oh that more churches would take the call to rebuke, encourage, and help the aspiring elders in their church! May the Church be strengthened by intentional elders who lead and pry into the lives of men who can fake spirituality on the academic level, but can fool no one who knows them.

My Attempt at a Friday Foto

2006-07-14T08:23:00.000-04:00

Unmovable Movable Pillars

This was taken in Palmyra. The name for the foto comes from the demonstration our guide gave us (not to mention the play on words from classical apologetics). He took a spoon, lodged it at the bottom of the pillar and pushed on the pillar. The spoon moved, showing movement in the pillar.

I also uploaded some more fotos to my flickr page. The new ones are under the Ba’albek & Palmyra set (you will find that on the right sidebar). I would have made a separate set, but I have the free flickr account and am only allowed three sets. Oh, the bane of saving money...Rather, not having it.

See also joethorn, Steve McCoy, Alex Forrest, and Kevin Cawley.

Why I Love My Church...[3]

2006-07-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

With all the talk of being “missional,” the elders at my church are discussing and critiquing this phenomenon of jargon. It has been helpful and I am looking forward to more posts. I was particularly challenged by Kaiser Keisling’s post this morning. Here’s an excerpt:

This leads to one of my questions about the “missional” folks. The pursuit for the indigenous culture sounds like a quest to identify some native, unique, previously unknown culture (like the noble savage) that if we can study and imitate, then we can make ready for conversion. Well, this could be good at many levels, but it can be bad at many levels. What I see of many “missional” folks is that they have identified the “indigenous” culture of their 20-30 something contemporaries and adopted it. Is indigenous culture defined by a geographical boundary or really the same old homogeneous-unit principle? From my vantage point, the missional quest for an indigenous culture is really grandpa’s homogeneous-unit principle with more facial hair and more expensive coffee. (Disclaimer: I think the more facial hair and good coffee one can muster the better.)

I haven’t given this lots of thought, but my intuition has always been be well aware of the culture and to do as little as possible to offend the culture, but within the church to develop a culture that is as transcultural as possible through simplicity, timelessness, and thoughtfulness thereby allowing the beauty, truth and power of the gospel to be displayed in all its slendor. In short, it is a Tiffanys approach that I am after I guess. I think in the end that a gift from Tiffanys would be welcome in any culture — how about Linden, Texas?
Thoughts?

Hasselhoff Love

2006-07-12T10:53:00.000-04:00

I couldn’t resist! A little humor for the midday hump. This is in honor of Mr Kevin Cawley, who is a huge Hasselhoff fan.

A Gnu Kind of Gnostic

2006-07-12T08:37:00.000-04:00

I was chatting with a friend of mine and he made the stellar observation that liberalism is a neo-gnosticism. That is, when you talk with someone who does not believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures nor in the physical resurrection of Jesus nor in the actual sinfulness of humanity you are talking with someone who believes he has gained a special kind of knowledge unbeknownst to the simpletons who believe the Bible.

“What is Hell?” you might ask. They might reply, “It was a social construct of the Ancient Near East that was used to explain justice and keep people in moral line.”

“Where did you get that from? It seems to be written all over the pages of my Bible...”

“Well, you see, after much study of the ANE we now know the general consensus of the various cultures. The Jewish and Christian concept of Hell was just like the culture around them...otherwise known as Sheol or Hades. Scholars agree that we should not take it as a real place with real suffering.”

What just happened? The answer was backed by scholars and a milieu of verbiage. When broken down into its parts, it really is nothing more than a ballooned argument (it looks big and imposing, but has no substance). Beware, friend, when you encounter folks who know more than their britches can hold and when they get done there ain’t boots high enough for the refuse that you’ll be wading through.

Rather than being enamored by fine sounding arguments that have the appearance of godliness, we need to be convicted to know the Bible better. The answer is not necessarily studying Dr. _______ from ________ who says that your reading is fallacious.

With the augmentation of our culture who lives as though man were the center and this gnu kind of gnosticism*, those who claim to be Christians are going to be sifted. How much greater is Paul’s admonition to his spiritual son, Timothy:

2Tim. 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

* Gnosticism was a sect of Christianity that taught there was secret knowledge that could only be gained by various kinds of rituals and membership in the group.

Evangelical Confession Booths

2006-07-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

A heart-probing article by Jonathan Dodson, subtitled: “Why Many Christian Accountability Groups Don’t Work.” His article starts out:

Put ten bucks in the jar. When I recall some of the popular discipleship disciplines I espoused
and practiced in college, I shudder. Did I really think that they were biblical or even helpful? If
one of the guys I was discipling caved into a particular sin he was “being held accountable” for, he had to put ten bucks in the jar. Sometimes the accumulated cash was put in the offering, other times it was used to celebrate “not sinning” over dinner. Somehow, this practice was supposed to motivate holy living.

[HT: Pilgrim in Progress]

What's Wrong With This?

2006-07-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

“Just give people the Gospel. Theology won’t save them.”

While I understand the sentiment of making a certain system of doctrine the foundation for justification as bad, I balk at the thought that you can give someone the Gospel without giving them theology. In other words, the Good News is good because it makes an anthropological claim about the sinfulness of man. It makes soteriological claim by explaining that faith in Jesus is what saves. And, yes, it makes a theological claim that Jesus is God. It makes a whole slew of theological claims...The question is: Is there an essential doctrine implicit in the Gospel that must be believed to be saved? Yes.

It is called a theology that is biblical. In other words, when God is defined and Jesus and salvation (essentially, the Gospel) there is a specific teaching about all these that teach a certain theology.

The problem with heretics is that they want to say that people should believe in Jesus, and then they define Jesus in any way they choose (other than being informed from the Scripture). Does this sound too harsh? It might be harsh, but I don’t think “too” is warranted. After all, we are talking about eternal issues.

Jesus is a historical figure who performed historical acts - perfect obedience, healings, redemption, resurrection, intercession, etc. Liberalism wants to paint a face on Jesus that he just can’t wear. He is not a banner for universal human relief from physical suffering. He is not merely a good model of how to win friends and influence people.

If you give someone the Gospel, you are going to give them a theology. You had better make it right.

Sow What!?!?

2006-07-10T15:11:00.000-04:00

’Southern Baptists are a harvest-oriented denomination living in an unseeded generation“ (Dr Chuck Kelley as quoted in Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism, 174).

Have the SBC focused so much on the harvesting that they have forgotten that the parable speaks of a man going out to the field with seed to sow? Kelley seems to hit this one on the head. It seems that if you keep harvesting, you’re going to eventually mill weeds. What ever happened to the hard work of tilling and sowing. Has it been relegated to our predecessors? Have we forgotten the faith it takes to share the Gospel and not see fruit so that those who come after us can harvest? More than this, has the evangelical movement put so much emphasis on numbers that we have forgotten that people are the object of our affections? We speak of ”winning people to Christ;“ have people become nothing more than trophies on the shelf of pride? As they collect dust, have we prayed for them that might receive the Word and multiply their lives...or have we been content with their dust?

Health, Wealth, Prosperity, and the Gawdy Gospel

2006-07-10T06:24:00.000-04:00

Last week it struck me that much of the illness that we see in evangelicalism is due to this lack of teaching all peoples everything that Jesus commanded. As I mentioned earlier, the preaching of Whitfield and Edwards is far away from filling out a card indicating that you “made a decision.”

I have no qualms with large group meetings. People decided to come and listen and ponder what is spoken. (Don’t worry, I will mention more on door-to-door issues). But for the sake of numbers and a feeling of accomplishing what we have been “called” to do, the message of repentance and solid faith in Jesus was neglected. Sure, we would like to put the tally up at a campaign that says 1,003 people prayed to receive Christ. But what kind of message did they receive? Insurance from Hell (definite play on words here), make me happy (meaning: I am still god and this message is meant to serve my needs), legalism (pat me on the back, I’m in the religious nut club!)...Or did they hear the robust message of God in the flesh, perfectly obedient, was crucified as a substitute, and risen for my justification?

The latter will produce a disciple. The former will feed an idolator.

The title of this post comes from my ponderings on the relationship between the stripped down gospel of revivalism and big tent meetings and that which we see in the health, wealth, prosperity (HWP) movement. What is the relationship? Well, both exalt the person as being the aim of the message. Secondly, if you do not have a robust theology that informs your decisions to follow Jesus, then you will fall back into your old way of thinking (not having your mind conformed; Rom 12.1-2). You will not be fighting resident sin, but will float along in the ocean like an empty bottle. What you need is an anchor to hold you firm.

Thirdly, in the HWP there is no thought of Jesus telling you to deny yourself and take up your death-knell. There is no call to sell all you have. There is no call to hate family, lands, prestige...Instead, coliseums are filled to capacity where the lion of the demanding Gospel is tamed and the ears are tickled with sugar plum dreams. “God wants you to be rich and healthy!” are the cries. But the soul needs a foundation to stand on when they just lost their job and their children are starving and their marriage is on the rocks and they just got diagnosed with a terminal illness. They won’t get that in a false hope of earthly treasures...Nor will they be comforted by the slogan, “Think positive.” What is needed is the Gospel. Does the health, wealth, prosperity movement know the gospel? Or has it dressed up a puppet in the garb of bigger barns and earthly crowns?

Dr Powlison's Health Improved

2006-07-07T11:56:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have been concerned and praying for Dr Powlison, he is getting better. From Jollyblogger

He said that for five years he had been living with an undiagnosed sleep disorder. He was never able to enter deep sleep. Now that he has been properly diagnosed and is being treated he is starting to feel like his old self again. He mentioned that one of the great things about this is that, for five years he has been pulling back from involvement and activity and now he is in a place where he can begin thinking, praying and strategizing about where to plug back into activities.

[HT: Alex Chediak]

My Attempt at a Friday Foto

2006-07-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

Headless Aristocrats

This is my attempt at contributing to the Friday Foto clan. I am novice (as you can tell), but I am learning how to take better pics. I am taking an online class for free on how to take better fotos. If interested, join me by checking out morguefile . In the meantime, check out my flickr site.

I took this at ancient Corinth this summer...

Also check out Joe Thorn's "Thousand Words" as well as Kevin Cawley's "Fat Kid Trying to Play with the Skinny Kids".

Lest Anyone Think...

2006-07-07T10:37:00.000-04:00

My past post could have caused a little upset stomachs amongst those that know me. Has Matt gone off the deep end? Is he smelling the tulips in left field? What’s the deal, is evangelism something the once-aflame evangelist has shelved?

The answer to these questions and more are: Probably. Sometimes. No. In that order (though they’re up for amendments).

What I am trying to do is question the mass model of evangelism that has seemed to gain the Christian public’s eye. I fear that we have opted for the market-style evangelism and left the New Testament model out to dry. The open-air style of preaching in Whitfield’s day has become a stripped down version - where Jesus is a slogan and grace is cheap.

The Gospel has been relegated to another step in the personalized version of the 12-step program to the newer, better you. You can believe in Jesus and live like hell the rest of the week...but as long as you believe in Jesus. We’ve forgotten that he is King of kings and Lord of lords. What does a king do? Rule. What does a lord do? Lord. The call to follow Christ is not just a “fix my problems” acceptation. Rather, it is a call to pick up the cross and follow.

More than this...the Great Commission is a command to go and make disciples of all nations, not merely converts. The Gospel has been morphed into a get your bills paid, get your illnesses healed, get your life in order. Instead, it must be explained that it is call to follow where the Master leads.

I will write a little more on this later, but many of our ills that we find in commercialized evangelicalism is due to this stripped down Gospel. We take up the Gospel and dress it in the regal and beauty of who Jesus is. Any religious person can add Christianity to his bag of goodies...it is the Christ of the Bible that will have no other gods before him. This is the Christ that we must preach!

Evangelism: Big Stats, What Kind of Fruit?

2006-07-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

In 1972, Campus Crusade for Christ had a huge evangelistic conference in Dallas, TX called Explo ‘72. Attendees were equipped and sent home with the vision of sharing the Gospel with every person in the United States of America by 1976. Though it did not happen, the campaign did “reach” millions with the Gospel.

Phase One of the project was to wear buttons and have billboards and newspaper advertisements that read: “I Found It!” (’it’ meaning eternal life). Phase Two involved trained volunteers making millions of evangelistic telephone calls. Those who prayed with the volunteers, were “visited by the volunteers, given follow-up literature, and encouraged to join a Bible study group in their neighborhood.”

By the end of 1976, 6.5 million people had been contacted, and 536,824 people had indicated they trusted Christ for salvation (60,000 of those joining the neighborhood Bible study group). It was estimated that 50 million people saw the television special that went along with the campaign! Amazing stats...seemed quite effective at “reaching” the United States with the Gospel.

“Though the campaign’s statistics seemed, good, the campaign drew criticism from experts on church growth. Win Arn noted that few of the converts actually joined local churches. For example, in Edmonton, Canada, 1,700 workers from 63 participating churches recorded 1,009 decisions for Christ. Only 250 of those people actually attended one Bible study, and not a single person became a church member as a result of the campaign. In Indianapolis 823 volunteer made 28,976 telephone calls. These calls produced 1,665 decisions for Christ. However, only 242 attended a Bible study, and only 55 became church members. Of these, 23 were transfers from another church. Therefore, the net gain in membership in area churches was 32” (John Mark Terry, Evangelism: A Concise History, 189-190).

Photos of a Temple to Ba'al

2006-07-05T15:12:00.000-04:00

While on my trip to the Middle East, we went to Ba’albek, Lebanon. This is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the world. It is a massive center with three temples: Ba’al (converted to a temple to Jupiter after the Romans took control of the area), Bacchus (Phoenician god of fertility), and Venus. Check out my photos of this site here. Also peruse the other albums as I added more photos to them (since they pertain to those respective subjects). You can also subscribe to my flickr account to see when I update it. I spent a little more time making comments on the photos in hopes that it will help with your study of archaeology and biblical history. For more information go to this site.

Movie on Wilberforce

2006-07-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

Walden Media will be bringing the life of English abolitionist, William Wilberforce, to the big screen. Check it out here. It’s called Amazing Grace.

[HT: SBC Outpost]

A Criticism of Evangelism Answered

2006-07-04T15:48:00.000-04:00

A couple months ago I posted on why I love my church. An Anonymous commenter said this:

I live on the 1700 block of S. Third St. and your "progressive" church has never even tried to reach my building. maybe you should spend less time blogging and more time reaching your community, but wait, isn't that why you went there in the first place?

While I am disturbed on one level (the attitude and anonymity of the commenter) I am more bothered by the fact that the critique went un-defined and without a positive way we might grow in evangelism. [Sidenote: If you want to comment on this blog, have the integrity to stand behind what you say. In the meantime, read this post.] My hope is that Anonymous will read this response (which is the beginning of my reply to him).

Firstly, what does it mean to "reach" a building or a person? I think I have in mind what he means: doing some kind of outreach that would entail knocking on doors, doing a survey, trying to share some points about how someone might go about becoming a Christian. While this might work (by the way, there was a group of folks that went out in the neighborhood to do some surveys and such a year or so ago), I think we should critique the method. Very seldom does this method work. At least in a biblical sense. People may hear the Gospel and be called to respond, but is there evidence that this person is truly saved (i.e. attending church, fellowshipping with other Christians, having a hunger for the Bible, etc)? If we want to build up our confidence (and sometimes, pride) then it might just work at doing that.

I have been involved in such evangelistic "campaigns" and have to say, there is little lasting fruit. We can give ourselves a pat on the back and claim that we are persecuted for the sake of Christ. But is this actually why people don't come to church as a result of this method? To some degree, granted, but most of the time it’s due to the method. Imagine your in your apartment vacuuming the carpet and there’s a ring at the door. Turning off the vacuum and going to the door, you see a person (or two or five) standing there with big grins on their faces.

"Hello, my name is Matthew Wireman. I am a member of Third Avenue Baptist Church up the street. We are going door to door and asking people if we can talk to them about the most important thing in our lives. Would you mind if we chatted with you?" How strange! Really. Think about it. How strange is it when a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness does this? How upset do we get (as Christians, mind you, who are supposed to love our neighbor and not ridicule)? I don't know about you, but my day has been interrupted for the sake of some stranger coming to my door and wanting to talk to me about eternal matters. How surprised should we be when people frown, close the door, and then tell their neighbor how ridiculous the whole ordeal was...how Christians don't have a clue? This, in my estimation, is not reaching someone.

Secondly, Anonymous recommended that I spend less time blogging and more time reaching my community. It is interesting that he is being reached by reading this blog, isn't it? Or is just me that sees the irony? Not to mention the other folks I have dialogued with from California to Connecticut via this "trivial tool"? I would be slow to speak about blogging not being a means to reach both your immediate context and one that is thousands of miles away.

I will write some more regarding a critique of the traditional door-to-door model of evangelism. I want to think through some more what it would look like to invest time in relationships and genuinely care about someone's eternal destiny, rather than the numbers of people I have talked to (and unintentionally turned away).

A Thought on Evangelism and Church Structure

2006-07-03T11:45:00.000-04:00

“If we really want to reach people for Christ by developing quality relationships with lost people, we will have to rethink the schedules of our church organizations. Our church schedules can easily prevent us from being the church as we invest time going to multiple meetings at the church building. We too easily create systems that do not support evangelism. Evaluate whether your church’s systems and startegies are supporting those who are willing to share their faith or keeping them excessively busy to they have no time to share.
“Coaching a Little League team may be the most spiritual activity in a Christian man’s week. Participating in a PTO may be a great service to the kingdom in a mother’s week” (Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism, pp.119-200).

In a culture where productivity is of utmost importance, many churches have opted for the big evangelistic event. They have forsaken the hard, emotional work of getting involved in people’s live - opting for the hard, superficial work of planning and marketing. Since people are impressed with numbers, rather than true conversions, invite-your-friend Sunday has taken precedence.

What a beautiful thing to have your friend invite you into their life and social circles. That’s when you know you have incarnated the Gospel for them. Anyone can organize a big event. It takes a patient, Spirit-filled Christian to love and care for someone who does not know Jesus yet.

FREE Songs

2006-06-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

Well, they got what they might have been aiming for...a little publicity (though it was not stated) and a lot of love for their new worship CD - Valley of Vision - that will be released in August. I am so thankful for the Sovereign Grace Ministry. You can get two free songs here:

The Precious Blood
By Your Wounds (for this one you will need a promotional code of FREEDOWNLOAD)

The promotion ends July 13th.

Conceived Without Sin??

2006-06-29T08:23:00.000-04:00

Below are three links to a topic that Scot McKnight treated a while ago that I thought would be good for folks to read. DO NOT COMMENT HERE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ ALL THREE POSTS! I think they are very helpful and should give us good reason to deny the immaculate conception as espoused by the Roman Catholic Church.

Immaculate Conception 1
Immaculate Conception 2
Was Mary Sinless?

An excerpt from McKnight’s 3rd post. He cites Joel Marcus’s Anchor commentary on Mark. And summarizes:

Here’s Marcus’s outline:
1. Jesus’ relatives (3:20-21) 
2. Charge of demonic agency (3:22-26) 
3. Parable of Strong Man (3:27) 
2′. Charge of demonic agency (3:28-30) 
1′. Jesus’ relatives (3:31-35).

In Marcus’ sandwiching theory, Jesus’ relatives surround the demonic stuff at the core of this passage. The whole is concerned with the “ineradicable division and fierce enmity between him and the demonic forces that hold the human race in thrall and blind to its true good” (279).
Now what is important here is that 3:20-21 is about Jesus’ relatives, including Mary. The Greek hoi par’ autou means, literally, “those from beside him” and scholars today agree that this means relatives, the relatives who decide to leave Nazareth at 3:20-21 and show up in Capernaum at 3:31. Meaning, mother, brothers and sisters. That expression is found with “relatives” as the meaning also at Prov 31:21; Susanna 33; Josephus, Ant. 1.193. This expression cannot refer to “disciples” (the other possible meaning) since in 3:20 we have the disciples; they are in the house with Jesus; the “family” is outside the house and coming to the house to seize him. Nor is the crowd, for they too are mentioned in 3:20. So, we have relatives, family members.
Here’s the text:
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
Now if the family members are the same as those in 3:31, then we have family members — Mary, brothers — who think Jesus is “out of his mind.” This term, also, is not really up for debate for the context is not positive about them. They think Jesus’ behaviors down in Capernaum are rowdy and damaging to reputation. We can explain this in any number of ways, and some of them quite commendable, but when we are done, we have Mary and the “brothers” thinking Jesus is out of his mind. I do not think this is a standpoint of faith, but one of unfaith, of failure within faith, of a challenge on the part of Mary to see just how it is that God will do what she said in the Magnificat, to see how God will actually bring[s] about the shadowy side of Simeon’s sword. Her response to his work here is not positive; she thinks what he is doing is not the way God wants his will to be done.
We can push this further. If we say Mary is sinless and we say Jesus is sinless, and if we say Jesus always does the will of God, then Mary’s desire to get Jesus to come outside and to go home would [be] an act contrary to what Jesus thought God’s will was. That, if we define sin as anything contrary to the will of God now made known in Jesus, would be an act of sin.
There are reasons, then, to conclude that this act by Mary is against the will of God.
Personally, I think she quickly adjusted to Jesus’ words. But I think her first response is not that of faith. (bold added by Wireman)

Some More Photos of My Trip to the Middle East

2006-06-28T17:17:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have enjoyed the fotos I have put up, you can go here to view some more from someone who was in my group. There are definitely some beautiful shots of the scenery...and a few of me mooching some chips off one somebody. Enjoy.

Queen of the Sciences

2006-06-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

That is, theology. It used to be that theologians were sought after to answer questions of how’s and why’s and whozit’s and whatzit’s...but our society has bought into the notion that theology is not a real knowledge. Unlike mathematics and the hard sciences, theology is merely a belief system. However, this ‘two-sphere’ approach to life is fallacious. It misses the fact that one’s religious system pervades their view of the hard sciences.

Francis Beckwith writes why theology and politics must convene to have a full-orbed view of the world. It is not imposition of beliefs. Rather, it is exposition of truth. Check this out:

“While campaigning for the US presidency in 2004, Senator Kerry said that he believes that human life begins at conception, though he claimed that this belief should not be reflected in our laws. If the Senator had said something similar about another issue, such as spousal abuse, we would think his comments incoherent. So, let us imagine that Senator Kerry had said he believes that spousal abuse is wrong, but that this belief is his own private, personal one, and for that reason, it would be wrong for him to extend that belief through the law to others who may be members of religious traditions that encourage, or at least permit, spousal abuse. If Senator Kerry had made that claim, we would know immediately that he does not grasp what it means to say that an act is wrong. Why then do many of our fellow citizens not see the same incoherency when political leaders like Senator Kerry apply this reasoning to the question of abortion?” (italics original; Francis Beckwith, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, Vol 20, 462).

And another:

“Precisely because these jurists are theologically serious, they are unlikely to use the power of their office to engage in the sort of judicial usurpation of legislative, state, and executive powers that has marked the record of their liberal counterparts.” (Ibid., 467)

In other words, the legislation that is being passed down by more liberal “interpreters“ of the law are actually religious/philosophical beliefs about the world. What is ironic is that religion is supposed to be absent from a judge’s ruling - ”religious” being that which answers “What is man?” - but the philosophical presuppositions seek to answer that very question in the name of “fact.” After all, doesn’t the person who approves abortion have an answer handy when asked, “What is man?” Sure they do. Part of their answer is: “It isn’t an embryo.”

Of particular interest is page 469-470. This is a thought-demanding article and I am thankful to my friend, Weyland, who passed it along to me. Get the full article here. May the queen be re-throned; as God’s revelation is our only hope for understanding the twisted world in which we live.

Quick Sanctification?

2006-06-27T16:40:00.000-04:00

Is. 41:16 And you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

Deut. 13:1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil* from your midst.

YHWH had redeemed the slaves of Egypt and called them to be separate people, his own possession. They were about the enter a land that was not in their possession and were called to take it as their inheritance from God. The Lord wanted Isaiah 41:16 to be true of this people. He wanted to display the power of his hand and the glory of his countenance to his creation that had rebelled against him.

Not only was there pressure from the outside to conform to the world around them, but also within their camp would arise wolves who would tempt them to serve other gods. Why? Surely these false prophets wanted the people to go after false gods, but what was God doing in allowing for these evil men to open their mouths and entice his chosen ones? He was testing them, to know whether they loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (the first great commandment).

Quick Sanctification
What was the prescription? Quick sanctification. They were not supposed to squabble with these false prophets. They weren’t supposed to go through a troubleshooting map to see what they were supposed to do in relation to divine justice. They were supposed to stone this person immediately. This was someone’s son or daughter. Someone’s husband or wife. Someone’s Daddy or Mommy. Why such cruelty?

The better question lies in what you are attributing as cruel. Are you calling the stoning cruel? Be careful. The Lord’s justice is swift and pure and unsearchable. Yet this justice should be easily seen by a lover of God. God is the most precious thing in our lives. He has redeemed us from the curse of death and given us his Spirit abundantly. He has promised us eternal life and joy for the rest of our days (eternity) in his presence. Now the real cruelty lies in the fact that a false prophet is trying to draw people away from everlasting joy for the folly of bowing knees to metal and wood. These were meant for our our good but can be our demise. Our own foolishness that casts the image will be the very reason we forsake the cake for the sake of dung. We go to bite into our forkful of joy and found out it is excrement.

We must be killing sin or sin will be killing us - Romans 8:13 (per John Owen). We do not dally with the very thing that will kill us. Who would let their daughter play with a convicted child molester? It is folly! Put to death...purge the evil from your presence. Or the Lord will vomit you into the fires of eternal torture.

The Bane of Open-Mindedness

2006-06-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

        The law of the Lord is perfect,
        reviving the soul;
        the testimony of the Lord is sure,
        making wise the simple (Psa 19.7)

The Hebrew word translated “simple” in this verse comes from a root that describes an open door. The Old Testament saints viewed a simple-minded person as having an open door in the intellect. Did you ever hear somebody say, “I’m open-minded”? An Old Testament Jew would say, “Close it.” In their way of thinking, a simpleton was someone who was literally open-minded - unable to keep anything in or out. The same Hebrew term is used often in the Proverbs to identify the naive person, the undiscerning, nondiscriminating, inexperienced, and uninformed fool. According to the psalmist, then, Scripture - the sure, reliable, trustworthy, unwavering testimony from God about Himself - comes to the one who is simple and makes that one wise. (John MacArthur, Counseling, 207).

Does Poverty in the USA Eliminate Action Elsewhere?

2006-06-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

One more thing to add:

Someone may protest that we dare not go somewhere to stop a tyrannical ruler when thousands of people are starving here in the USA. I’m not so sure I buy this logic. Should we only take part in universal campaigns against wrong when the house is in order? When would that be? We better lock up our ports and hold off on international travel, then, so that we can focus our attention to our problems here.

Thoughts? Rebuttals? Rebukes?

A Political Rant

2006-06-15T23:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, more of a question. I like to throw out some political stuff every now and then because I figure by doing so I can:
1) Learn more humility by revealing my inability to discuss such matters
2) Get some feedback from others to see where my thinking is off
3) Hopefully get at some essential issue to theology and its place in this matter
4) Learn more humility

I was listening to Anderson Cooper tonight as he interviewed a Republican from Georgia (not very articulate, but passionate) and Kucinich from Ohio. Kucinich made a pretty good point in the fact that Iraq made no attack on the United States. Therefore, according to international law, the USA should not have initiated war with Iraq.

With that said, my question has to do with the fact that don’t we (as an able-bodied people) have some obligation to right wrongs in other countries. That is, it is a known fact that Saddam Hussein was tyrannical and torturous to his own people. A horrible dictator. It reminds me of Nazi Germany in many ways. They were exterminating people within their own political boundaries. World governments were criticized for not doing something earlier than they had.

Does this not fit the same mold? Some may say: Why not go after North Korea? Why not a number of other countries? The United States just wants oil?

First, the third question delves into the area of motives. Who are you to judge a man’s motives. You have to deal with what is actually done and said. It is thin rationale, indeed, to say that you “know” that the reason for x is based on someone’s motive (when that has not been stated...ever). Second, who is to say that other countries will not be held accountable by the other world governments. Third, granted, I do not like the fact that the troops in the Middle East are predominantly from the USA. But does the fact that a few countries are pushing this ahead preclude the necessity of those with the means to do something about it?

Some More Fotos From Damascus

2006-06-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of my favorite places I visited in Damascus...

PS - I think I am becoming a flickr fan. Please feel free to leave comments!

Fotos from Damascus

2006-06-14T14:15:00.000-04:00

I just uploaded some fotos from my trip to the Middle East. I will try to post updates in chronological order. For now visit my Damascus Album and I will be posting more when I get time. Feel free to make comments on my flickr site.

Why Mormonism Fails

2006-06-14T14:11:00.000-04:00

Here is a document from a friend of mine that you can download that asks 50 questions for the next Mormon that knocks on your door.

Mormonism is dangerous not only because it is wrong, but because it is deceptive. Claiming the name of Jesus in your title and passing yourself off as a “Christian” group is wicked.

New Jonathan Edwards Center Blog

2006-06-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Check it out

Also check out their website.

Ungrateful Expatriates

2006-06-08T08:09:00.000-04:00

For the record, these reflections aren’t necessarily reflections on individuals in the group I went with; but they are reflections from the empty spaces in my head. Observations I made and further thoughts regarding life experience in general will contribute to some of these reflections. Others will be directly related to the trip (these I believe will be obvious).

When you first travel overseas and fall in love with a culture you begin to degrade the culture and place that formed you as a person. That is, one of the things I loved in Syria and Lebanon was the amazing hospitality of the folks we met. Knowing us for a few minutes, the locals offered us into their homes and offered tea. Not many people in the States would do this.

However when we travel overseas we shouldn’t quickly buy into our romanticized vision of the way things are. For instance, while the people are hospitable there are plenty of other walls to relationship that are present. Don’t speak wrongly of the government. While my time on an interpersonal level was limited, I know that if I had spent a couple of weeks in the countries I enjoyed I would soon find issues that I would change.

The United States has definitely got its issues, but I will take them over any other country at this point. The freedom of speech and ability to move up a socio-economic ladder make it more palatable than others I have known in my short existence.

Interpersonal Communication

2006-06-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

A word from Joe Thorn:

Here’s a piece of advice for Christian bloggers. Please stop trying to be the theological version of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et al. Regardless of the merits of their arguments, the attitude of such political pundits kills any real ability to communicate with people who may think differently. Persuasion generally does not result. I understand it in the political world. It’s the world for crying out loud. Pride and arrogance are values. But in the church, I find the approach nauseating, and all together unlike our Savior.

I found this the case while dialoguing with those who think substantially different than myself. As some of you know, I can get worked up about certain things - and have to apologize sometimes when my zeal becomes sin.

When I spoke with those from other seminaries I thought about the purpose of my trip. I wanted to learn from the locations and from the people. Listening was difficult as some arguments seemed to be weak. But I listened nonetheless. As I have experienced in the blogosphere, it is too easy to blast someone who says something you think is totally unfounded on the Scriptures. But blasting someone for the sake of truth does not justify the wicked use of words. Truth without humility fails to be truth. Instead, it becomes a justification for pride. It becomes the wedge in the door of our minds to defecating speech.

He's Back!!

2006-06-06T10:28:00.000-04:00

“The best part about traveling is coming home.“ Someone said this on the trip the night before leaving Greece and I have to agree. It is good to be home. Seeing my wife has been the highlight of being home. A good cup of coffee this morning with blueberry breakfast cake and good conversation, what more could you ask for?

I got in last night a little after 10pm. Slept like a baby, as I didn’t do so on the flight from Athens to Paris to Atlanta.

Cut my hair (although I am thin up top, there is plenty of wild growth around the edges), took a second shower to get the traveling film off my body, a second load of laundry is washing, papers are sorted and books are calling me to be read. (I start classes in a couple of weeks.)

Thank you to the faithful who have checked in while I was gone. Blogging was not as easy as I had thought while overseas. Internet wasn’t always available and when it was I was beat up by all the traveling we were doing. We stayed in a new place almost every night. Needless to say, I have plenty to reflect on. Three weeks in the Middle East, visiting archaeological digs and dialoguing with folks of many different persuasions makes for good thoughts. I will be posting thoughts and fotos as I get the time. (The trick will be to label all this stuff.)

Again, it is good to be home!

2006-05-26T09:57:00.000-04:00

The Gulf of Aqaba

We have just landed on the Gulf of Aqaba this afternoon. It is a nice solace from what we did this morning. We got up at 1:30am, hopped on a bus, hopped on a camel, rode up 2/3 the way up Mt Sinai (aka Mt Horeb), hiked up the rest of the way, and watched the sun rise over the mountains. Spectacular.

This Sinai peninsula is beautiful. When we think of Israel wandering through the wilderness, you should think of dry rocks. It’s not exactly what you would think of as “desert” (although it could be classified as that) and it’s not exactly mountains...morph the two and you get “wilderness.” It makes it even more amazing that the Israelites shoes did not where out and they did not cease to have bread and water. Have 100 degree weather beating on you and sustenance takes a whole new meaning.

We also went to St Katherine’s Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery which housed the Codex Sinaiticus. It was removed from there and taken to Russia, not to be returned.

2006-05-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

Alive and Well...in Jordan

That's right, I am in the country of Jordan and the call to prayer has just sounded. I didn't think it was possible to take so many pictures. And I loathe the fact that I am not a good photographer like van.diesel. We just rode about 6 hours from Syria into Jordan. We stayed in the beautiful city of Palmyra last night (I believe it was my favorite place on the trip so far).

We were in Damascus. And while it is touted to be the "oldest continuously inhabited city in the world" by locals, I found out that Antioch makes the same claim! In any case, I wish I would have more money to buy all the things that I am seeing. We went to Crak de Chevallierres, which is a castle constructed by the Crusaders in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is amazing. Although I took tons of pics, I also got hit with some kind of 24-hour virus and was not able to enjoy it to the full. I was laid up for pretty much the whole day. I made myself get out of the bus for my childhood love of castles. I used to spend hours drawing them and planning secret passageways and elaborate drawbridges.

I can't wait to post pics. I did not bring my computer as I figured it would be more of a hastle. And, the program is keeping us pretty busy. At the border today, the patrol officer invited me to sit in his office and chat while we waited for our passports to get stamped. Very friendly fellow. After some small talk, I asked him what the people of Jordan thought of North Americans. I was grateful for his honesty. I am starting to understand a little of what other countries see when they see our government and way of doing things. I will write more on this later - as I have time to develop thoughts and articulate them a little more. For the time being, I am even more convinced that there are many sides to a story.

In case you're wondering, the currency here is the dinar (1 US = .7 Jordanian dinar).

Correction: The above city should read “Aleppo” and not “Antioch”.

2006-05-15T08:42:00.000-04:00

Happy and Sad

Some of you are aware of this already, but I wanted to let others know that I am on my way to the Middle East to travel with what is called the Middle East Travel Seminar (METS). It is a three week trip where I will travel with seminarians from other schools to travel throughout the Middle East, visiting archaeological sites and exchanging ideas regarding the church, the Bible, and Christianity. I feel extremely blessed to be able to be on this trip and plan on blogging about my time over the next few weeks. I don't think I'll be able to post pictures, but if I can, I will.

We leave tonight for Damascus - one of the oldest cities in the world. Rich with biblical significance, this will be an opportunity to see and smell the city.

My prayer is that I will grow in my understanding the biblical story so as to help the people God entrusts to my care as a pastor. Please pray for my wife and me as we will be apart for these three weeks. We thought we got all our crying out on Friday night, but found we had more tears on Saturday morning when I flew out to ATL for briefing time. Please pray we would love Jesus more, trust him more, and grow stronger in our marriage and devotion to God.

One thought I want to share already is the fact that although it is beneficial to visit the biblical sites, the New Covenant floors us with the truth that the temple of God dwells in those who have built there life on the chief cornerstone - Jesus Christ. He holds us together by the word of his power. While I will definitely be blessed with my time with others and seeing the sites, as a Christian pilgrimmage is no longer "necessary" in the sense that it is a discipline we must complete. This is the beauty of the fact that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us - "tabernacling" among us. We rejoice in the fact that the Temple is now the people of God. Wherever they go, they take the sweet fragrance of Christ with them. Pilgrimmage is not a spiritual discipline. Yes, it is a blessing to visit. But tranfers of grace do not accumulate in my storehouse of faith. I may touch the Wailing Wall, and may even pray there. But God will not hear my prayers any better there than he did this morning when I was eating breakfast in the hotel.

On Second Thought...

2006-05-12T09:35:00.000-04:00

After further reading of the below web site, I have decided to tell everyone to stay away from John Clark’s teaching. He denies the Trinity (go to April 20, 2004 conversation). He denies that the Holy Spirit is a person. Here is a brief survey over the past 5 minutes:

- You can lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5.3)
- You can resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7.51)
- The Holy Spirit comforts (Acts 9.31)
- The Spirit speaks (Jn 16.13; Acts 10.19; 20.22)
- How does one explain the presence of all three distinct persons of the Trinity at Jesus' baptism (Mt 3.16-17)?
- How does one explain being baptized in three distinct names (Mt 28.18-20)?

Clark falls into a serious error by trying to make up his own interpretation of the Scriptures and passing them off as what the Bible teaches. Heresies start this way, and this is another example of this.

Granted, the Holy Spirit is spoken of in abstract, "spiritual" ways. But he is a person. To say that he is only the Spirit of God fails to take into account the whole teaching of Scripture!

It is not just that he denies the Trinity, it is his entire foundation for his denomination. He claims to strip away all the past interpretations and find the true religion of Jesus. Dangerous! While I think his intention is good, in the end it will ruin many. How can anyone be sure they have interpreted something right until they pass it by John Clark to see if that is what was really meant in the Bible. If one doesn’t have to double-check one’s own interpretation, then everyone can do what they see fit in their own eyes (remind you of Judges?).

Hermeneutical Principle:
In a good desire to put things together in our minds, we oftentimes make words very technical. For example, Clark says that the Spirit is only a spirit and not a person. This is setting up a false dichotomy. Indeed, it drives a wedge between spirit and person. This is a serious fault. Don't try to scour through the Bible and see a word and impute to that word the same meaning you understood from another context. That is, when you see the word "righteous" it does not always mean "finally justified" before God. It can mean "good" "pure" "just" etc. But don't make words so technical. Words must be read in their context!

Does anyone else have thoughts out there after perusing his web site?

Be Careful With Your Words...Christian

2006-05-12T09:17:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to a rather disturbing web site. They call themselves non-Christian followers of Jesus. While I understand what they are trying to get at, I think it is confusing and the wrong antidote.

The Problem
John Clark sees the problem to be religion (which is a dirty word for him). Indeed, he cites the Roman Catholic church as the purest form of religion. He teaches: “Jesus showed me that He didn't come to start "Christianity" at all. He came to set men free from sin, sickness, and death. The vibrant faith depicted in the book of Acts is not a record of the beginning of Christianity. Christianity is that religion which came later and perverted the spiritual life which is depicted in the book of Acts.”

I would be interested to hear what he thinks the book of Acts teaches!

The Solution?
I see a growing trend for CHRISTIANS (call yourself what you will) to shake the skin that they were born in. Jesus came to set men free. He did so by demonstrating his power as a testimony to who he is. More than this, he taught doctrine. He wasn’t some relational Dr Phil for the Middle East. He is God in the flesh and he taught what one must believe to be saved. It is not enough to say, “Jesus is Lord.” You must define who “Jesus” is and what “Lord” and what “is” is (for my Catholic and Lutheran friends out there).

This is merely a preliminary rant on the ridiculousness of many CHRISTIANS to try and say, “I just follow the Jesus of the Bible.” This is short-sighted and egotistical. Let’s face it, hardly anyone has an original thought in his head. We stand on the shoulders of great ancestors who laid down doctrines. I wonder if John Clark would affirm the Apostle’s Creed. If not, then what does he believe. The moment he tries to answer that question, he should see that he can’t open his mouth without uttering doctrine!

Some Thoughts on Hebrews 1

2006-05-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

I am starting a college Bible study tonight (we actually started last week, but spent the time on how to properly read the Bible) on the book of Hebrews and wanted to share a couple tidbits I found interesting.

I just got done translating the passage and found an interesting link between vv. 2, 4, and 14. In each of these verses the word for “inherit” (or a cognate) is present.

1. The Son is the “heir” of all things. A reference to Psa 2 will be made later that explicates this some more. For the time being, the Son is the heir of all things. He does not inherit some things. Nor does he inherit many things. All things belong to him. They are rightfully his.

2. How does this happen? Jesus is given a name that is far superior to that of the angels (v. 4). He was given his rightful seat of power at the right hand of the Almighty because he “inherited” the name given him by the Father (see Phil 2.9). From eternity past, God the Father had ordained that the Son, who created all things, receive all things.

3. By virtue of the Son receiving all things, he has also inherited men. Not only this, but those who recognize the sovereignty that the Son has are being groomed to “inherit” salvation. This gives new light to the Doxology: Praise God from whom all blessings flow...The Father has given to the Son what is rightfully his and we have been given what is rightfully...HIS.

Did I just totally mess up my parallelism I saw in the text? Not really. You see, that is the shocker. The essence of salvation is that we were saved from something and for something. That means that there was nothing that we could do to inherit salvation. It was won by the finished work of Christ...He sat down and received all things. We receive all things from his hand.

There is a nasty rumor going around that part of being saved is earning salvation by our obedience. The problem is that it misses the point of what salvation is. If we could earn this gift, then how can it possibly be salvation. The picture in the Bible is painted by a dark brush, indeed, when it comes to the plight of man. If man could prove his worth to God, then saving would be superfluous. The very nature of salvation points to the reality of dire straits...hopelessness...and inability.

The works we are meant to walk in are the result of this faith...more on this later.

Movin' On Up

2006-05-10T15:56:00.000-04:00

While at the T4G Conference, I was able to meet a couple of fellows that I had only known via the blogosphere. They have both moved from blogs I read to friends.

Kevin Cawley is studying for a ThM at Regent College in Vancouver. He is working on Barth’s theology as the underpinning for ecclesiology. (If that’s not right, Kevin, let me know...that’s all I could remember). He wants to pastor once he’s finished with his degree and has a heart for reaching the culture in its own language without leaving out the fiber of good theology.

Joe Thorn has planted a church in a community outside Chicago. He has a vision for reaching the culture with the Gospel without compromising. He has an eye for photography...his writing is somewhat devotional and thought-provoking.

Reinvinting Jesus: What the DaVinci Code and Other Novel Speculations Don't Tell You

2006-05-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

The Theology Program: Converse with the Scholars offers this resource for June 9. I just found this podcast on my recent surfing expeditions. It looks like a great resource. The web site I am going to link to has a slew of theological resources (John Frame, Mark Noll, JP Moreland, etc) Check it out. The Theology Program

DaVinci Debate

2006-05-09T09:21:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night (5.10) at 8pm (CDT) there will be an open, live debate on the Total Living Network regarding the DaVinci Code. Check it out.

[HT: JesusCreed]

Davinciarity

2006-05-08T09:04:00.000-04:00

Okay. Some folks are probably tired of hearing about DaVinci Code stuff. But for those who would like to hear a great podcast on DaVinci I want to highly recommend you download this audio file from Nuclearity. Hugh Duncan gives his first installment. Check it out:

Fact! The DaVinci Code Part 1

You're Are Serious About The Word "Every," Aren't You?

2006-05-06T12:50:00.000-04:00

Yet more reflections:

8) Genealogies solidify the fact that people are important in the work of God. Rather than life being a mere transcendental chess match, the Bible tediously draws out the fact that God is involved in people’s lives. Can you imagine living your life and people forgetting about you the next day? The fact is that man has been endowed with the image of God and has been given the responsibility and joy of being God’s representatives on earth.

9) People are important to know because it will affect how you read all of the Scriptures. Imagine skipping over what’s called the Table of Nations in Gen 10. You would never have seen that each one of the children of Noah will be brought back at the Last Day when God gathers all peoples together. As seen in Isaiah 66.18-21, people from Put, Lud, Javan, etc will be brought back to the mountain of the Lord to worship before him (fulfilled in the Revelation to John). Each one of the sons has representatives at the throne of God because of God’s activity to unite all peoples under him! Of course, that would have been missed if tedious passages are relegated to scholars only.

10) Working through “boring” texts also builds the discipline of perseverance. Yes, it is tedious to read that so-and-so was the son of so-and-so and he had so-and-so and lived so many years. But going to work at 8 in the morning and staying until 5 in the evening and feeling like you didn’t accomplish a single thing is tedious too. Discipline in the Scriptures produce discipline in living. Life is full of mundane things...but it is when you press through the mundane that the glorious seem that much more spectacular.

My hope is that these ten reasons have been food for thought and encouragement to press through what seems to be merely nominal. The Scriptures will, in fact, make you wise - not only in their teaching, but in the discipline they require.

Really...Every Single Word??

2006-05-05T15:28:00.000-04:00

Here are three more reasons why every word is profitable...

5) There is also another caution that should be heeded when reading the OT law, census, genealogies. I have read through a Bible reading plan for the past few years and found that my nourishment in the Scriptures waned when I was working through such texts. I toyed around with not reading them at all...but decided that I needed to work through these hard texts because they were in there for a reason. I will say, read the census materials, but meditate on an epistle even longer. This is not a contradiction because you need to know (at least to some degree) whose son David is and whose son Samson is. But, by virtue of progressive revelation, these important concepts are put together by the prophets of the OT, the Gospel accounts, and the epistles.
6) Gems are found in the mundane. It may be a little late for this, but look at the genealogy in 1Chron 4. Tucked away in that is the life of Jabez. If you had decided to skip over the genealogies, then you would have missed it. Maybe you did skip it and missed your chance at a bestseller (bracelets, journals, student study kits, and all!).
7) And yes, I still hold that large portions of Scripture should be read in corporate services - even genealogies. It builds within people patience that pop culture and Best Buy certainly doesn’t foster. It affirms the fact that the Scriptures can and will make you wise. Rather than only reading the “good parts” while blah-blah-blahing the minutia, working through the difficult presses home that we need to be submitted to the Word of God. We should not dictate what is profitable and what deserves out time.

Is Every Word Inspired and Useful?

2006-05-05T11:55:00.000-04:00

I could be trite and say, “Yes, because the Bible says so.” However, I want to come at this question from another perspective. While the proposed answer wouldn’t be wrong, practically we need to seriously consider whether we believe that the words in the Bible are for our benefit.

Sure, we can speak in the abstract all day, but do we really believe that Number 26 is a chapter that we should read?After all, it is a census of the new generation entering the land of promise. How spiritually upbuilding can that be? At the risk of being called a Fundamentalist nut-job (which probably wouldn’t be the first time!) I am going to explain why we should read every page of the Bible. Someone implied that reading levitical law codes and censuses from the OT would be ridiculous. Here is my attempt to reply:

1) Genealogies in the OT benefit the Christian by showing its historical reliability. Rather, as people are shown to be in a line of descendants, their historical veracity is secured.
2) Related to the above: Unlike other religious books, stories in the Bible are not based in some ambiguous setting. If you read the Bhagavad Gita, you will see that there is no solid grounding in years and historical figures. However, we know that in the year that King Uzziah died (~739 BC) Isaiah saw the Lord. King Uzziah was a real man who lived in our physical world.
3) “Boring” genealogies also strengthen the fact that the accounts are not embellishments of reality. Sure, there are certain genres of biblical literature that seem grandiose (i.e. apocalyptic), but this does not preclude their truthfulness.
4) Levitical laws should be read privately and publicly. HOWEVER, I understand my reader’s sensitivity to this. When they are read, they must never be pulled from their immediate context. Nor should they be read without history in mind. The Christian reads the OT through the lens of Jesus fulfilling the law and the prophets. Leviticus is a very devotional book that has been relegated, too many times, to “I don’t need to read that! I live in the 21st century under the New Covenant.” While the latter is true, the former implication is not. Actually it heightens the necessity of reading the OT! In order to understand where you are, you need to know where others have been. What’s more, in order to understand the magnificence of Christ accomplished on our behalf, we must know what he fulfilled in his life. Thus, reading about clean/unclean laws should humble us that we do not live in such a time. Instead of crying out, “Unclean! Unclean!” in the streets and being forsaken by our family, Christ was forsaken (Mt 27.46) and he was made sin for us (2Cor 5.21). The beauty of the work of Christ on behalf of God-haters is magnified in light of the OT requirements.

Challies Reviews Misquoting Jesus

2006-05-03T11:25:00.000-04:00

Check it out.

An Old Exhortation to the Post-Modern

2006-05-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

When it is once admitted that a body of facts lies at the basis of the Christian religion, the efforts which past generations have made toward the classification of the facts will have to be treated with respect. In no branch of science would there be any real advance if every generation started fresh with no dependence upon what past generations have achieved. Yet in theology, vituperation of the past seems to be thought essential to progress. And upon what base slanders the vituperation is based! After listening to modern tirades against the great creeds of the Church, one receives rather a shock when one turns to the Westminster Confession, for example, or to that tenderest and most theological of books, the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ of John Bunyan, and discovers that in doing so one has turned from shallow modern phrases to a ‘dead orthodoxy’ that is pulsating with life in every word. In such orthodoxy there is life enough to set the whole world aglow with Christian love. [J.G. Machen, Christianity & Liberalism]

On Women Deacons

2006-04-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

The issue of whether women can serve as deacons is hot topic amongst folks. Andreas Kostenberger gives his thoughts and argument for women serving the church as deacons as seen in 1Tim 3.11.

Here is why he says "women deacons" is more likely:
        •        The absence of qualifications for overseers’ wives: why would Paul give qualifications for deacons’ wives but not for overseers’ wives?
        •        the phrase “in the same way” in 1 Tim. 3:11 most likely indicates a transition from one office to another, as it does in 1 Tim. 3:8 (from elders to deacons);
        •        the parallel sentence structure and similar characteristics in vv. 8 and 11 (including the lack of article before “women”) also suggest two distinct but related offices;
        •        the absence of qualifiers such as “their” in the Greek: note that “their” is added, e.g., in the NIV, suggesting that the translators felt this is needed in English.

Since being a deacon does not involve teaching or ruling, women as well as men are eligible to serve in this capacity...Many conservative churches are hesitant to appoint women deacons because deacons often have a governing role. They fear that having women deacons may suggest theological liberalism, since Scripture does not permit women to serve in governing positions (see esp. 1 Tim. 2:12; 5:17). However, the problem here is not women deacons but the unbiblical understanding of the role of deacon.

Pants So Tight Your Feet Are Blue?

2006-04-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

My wife and I subscribe to Biblical Health Daily, which is a daily newsletter from the people at MakersDiet.com. A week ago or so the newsletter said this (FYI):

How to Get Sick: Wear Tight Underclothing
Keeping your lymph system healthy is crucial when it comes to fighting off disease. Your lymph nodes are the first line of defense against toxins, viruses, and bacteria.
Wearing tight underclothing can compress or block lymph nodes, which may stop the lymph system from properly cleansing itself. It is conceivable that this may help contribute to the development or proliferation of cancer in the body.
Choose loose-fitting underclothing in breathable, natural cotton. Your body will thank you for it, and not just because it will help you stay healthy. Lightweight, natural fibers will keep you cool and comfortable too.

Primal Urges

2006-04-22T10:26:00.000-04:00

This is now my favorite commercial.

[HT: Matthew Molesky]

Origin of the Terms "Emerging" and "Emergent" Church (Part II)

2006-04-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

Dan Kimball has the second installment of his historical analysis. This time with a snazzy book from 1981 called...The Emergent Church.

Intelligent Design Under Fire

2006-04-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

If you’re anywhere near La Mirada, CA on May 12 you must go to this event. ID scientists Michael Behe, Guillermo Gonzalez, Steve Meyer, Paul Nelson, Jonathan Wells will be grilled by skeptics regarding Intelligent Design at Biola University.

[HT: Intelligent Design the Future]

Update: Skeptics will include those from all over, the grilling will take place at Biola.

Raising Family in the Community of Believers...

2006-04-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

The elders at Third Avenue have been blogging about how the church supports the parent in their role as parents. That is, how does one interact (and possibly correct) a child who is not yours when something happens right before your eyes? What does submission and obedience look like from a child? How does community function in this endeavor? And in his inaugural post as an elder, Sir Bruce Keisling offers up a good grid by which to think through first.

New Template

2006-04-20T22:38:00.000-04:00

As you can tell, I have moved from the dark side to the light. I was encouraged to change the colors so as to be easier to read and so as to not be too depressing. Anyway, I will be tooling around with it some more because I want to have the sidebar be a different color, but I can’t figure out how to do that. Any help would be much appreciated. Feel free to look at my source page and let me know what I can do. Also, let me know if you like this template better...What would make it better?

The Uber Da Vinci Resource Page

2006-04-20T17:53:00.000-04:00

Any additions can be found in the Comments section.

Articles-Posts-Etc
Deciphering the DaVinci Code [Al Mohler]
The DaVinci Code [David Griffiths]
Dabears, Dabulls, Daaaaavinci [D. Griffiths]
Hays On Da Vinci Code [Mark Goodacre]
Not InDavincible [J.P. Holding]
The Da Vinci Code: Of Magdalene, Gnostics, the Goddess and the Grail [Leadership U]
Dismantling The Da Vinci Code [Sandra Miesel]
Crash Goes The Da Vinci Code [Ron Rhodes]
Christ: The Man Who is God [Alan Scholes]
Breaking The Da Vinci Code [Carl Hansen]
Debunking The Da Vinci Code [Elizabeth Lev]
The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code [Carl Olson]
Da Vinci's Secret Christian Message [Interview w/Giuseppe Fornari]
Screwtape on The Da Vinci Code [Eric Metaxas]
Debunking Dan Brown's "Fact Based Fiction" [James White]
Planet envoy Critique of The Da Vinci Code [Carl Olson (Pt. 1)]
Planet envoy Critique of The Da Vinci Code [Carl Olson (Pt. 2)]
Jesus, Mary and Dud Vinci [Carl Olson]
The DaVinci Code [Amy Welborn]
Dismantling the DaVinci Code [Sandra Miesel]
Crash Goes The Da Vinci Code [Ron Rhodes]
Was Jesus Married? [Darrell Bock]
Mary, Mary, Extraordinary [Ben Witherington III]
Why the 'Lost Gospels' Lost Out [Ben Witherington III]
Cracking The Da Vinci Code [Brian Bethune]
The Code vs. History [Brian Bethune]
Book Review [Craig Blomberg]
The Da Vinci Code, Corrected [Craig Keener]
Weblog: Time Goes Gnostic [Rob Moll]
The Good News of Da Vinci [Darrell Bock]
Breaking The Da Vinci Code [Collin Hansen]
Thanks, Da Vinci Code [Chris Armstrong]
The Da Vinci Code and the Scriptures [Darryl DelHousaye]
Shaking the Foundations of Christianity

Books
The Da Vinci Hoax [Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel]
Breaking the Da Vinci Code [Darrell Bock]
De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code [Amy Welborn]
The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel [Richard Abanes]
Rejecting the Da Vinci Code: How a Blasphemous Novel Brutally Attacks Our Lord and the Catholic Church
The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code [Sharan Newman]
Da Vinci Code Decoded: The Truth Behind the New York Times #1 Bestseller [Martin Lunn]
Beyond Da Vinci [Greg Jones]
The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction [Hank Hanegraaff & Paul Maier]
Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker [James Garlow]

Evangelistic Ideas
Study Guide for The Da Vinci Code: A Quet for Answers [Josh McDowell (.pdf)]
Da Vinci Quest Ministry Ideas [.pdf]
Debunking The Da Vinci Code

Blogs
Jesus and Da Vinci: Who Was Jesus, Really?
The Life: The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code Discussed
Challenging Da Vinci

Audio
There's Something About Mary [James White (3 audio sermons)]
What About That Other Bible? [Erwin Lutzer (3 audio sermons)]
Deciphering the Da Vinci Code: A Symposium [Darrell Bock, et al.]
Exploring The Da Vinci Code [Mike Licona]
The Da Vinci Code: Was There a Plan to Suppress "Secret" Gospels? [Craig Blomberg (Part 1)]
The Da Vinci Code: Was There a Plan to Suppress "Secret" Gospels? [Craig Blomberg (Part 2)]

Related Topics
Holy Blood, Holy Grail Book Review [Michael Baigent, et al.]
Mighty Mithraic Madness [J.P. Holding]
Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Religions [Ron Nash]
Easter: Myth, Hallucination, or History? [Edwin Yamauchi]
Did Hinduism Influence the Christian Faith? [J.P. Holding]
Cracking the Bible Code [William Dembski]

Origin of the Terms "Emerging" and "Emergent" Church

2006-04-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

Dan Kimball explains the roots of the Emerging movement and where the Emergent movement is distinct...Here.

Fitting In vs. Being Despised

2006-04-20T11:17:00.000-04:00

So many Christians try to get in where they don’t fit in. Some have labeled themselves “post-evangelicals” because they see something they don’t like and don’t know what they do like - that is, know what they stand for in many cases. Here is a thought-probing article on integrity for a Christian as he engages the culture.

EXCERPT:
Part of the good news of the Kingdom is that we’ll suffer for the Name. Remember, Jesus endured the Cross for the joy set before Him. Paul craved sharing in the sufferings of Christ and repeatedly urged his letter readers to share and glory in his and their sufferings. It’s not that these grad student experts in impression management think they only want the benefits of the good news. Rather, they don’t believe that one of the benefits of the good news is being freed from the storyline of worldly respect.

How Many Darwinists Does It Take to Screw In a Lightbulb?

2006-04-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

A bit of Thursday morning humor over at Cartago Delenda Est: The Great Debate

[HT: Uncommon Descent]

The DaVinci Resource Page [Version 1.1]

2006-04-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

The DaVinci Resource Page

2006-04-13T10:56:00.000-04:00

I have compiled a list of articles, reviews, etc. that will be helpful in preparing to give a defense for the reason you think the DaVinci Code is bunk. Not to sound too mean. I plan on watching this thing so that I can engage with the what is being said about it. I will wait for it in the $1 theatre or the DVD. If there are other resources you think should be linked...let me know. This is a work in progress:

Articles-Posts-Etc
Decoding The DaVinci Code [NT Wright]
Deciphering the DaVinci Code [A. Mohler]
"The DaVinci Code" [D. Griffiths]
Dabears, Dabulls, Daaaaavinci [D. Griffiths]
Hays On da Vinci Code [M. Goodacre]
Not InDavincible [J. Holding]
The Da Vinci Code: Of Magdalene, Gnostics, the Goddedd and the Grail [Leadership U]
Deciphering the Da Vinci Code: A Symposium [D. Bock (audio)]
Dismantling The Da Vinci Code [S. Miesel]
Crash Goes The Da Vinci Code [R. Rhodes]
Christ: The Man Who is God [A. Scholes]
Breaking The Da Vinci Code [C. Hansen]
Debunking The Da Vinci Code [E. Lev]
The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code [C. Olson]
Da Vinci's Secret Christian Message [Interview w/Giuseppe Fornari]
Screwtape on The Da Vinci Code [E. Metaxas]

Books
The Da Vinci Hoax [C. Olson and S. Miesel]
Breaking the Da Vinci Code [D. Bock]
De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code [A. Welborn]
The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel [R. Abanes]
Rejecting the Da Vinci Code: How a Blasphemous Novel Brutally Attacks Our Lord and the Catholic Church
The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code [S. Newman]
Da Vinci Code Decoded: The Truth Behind the New York Times #1 Bestseller [M. Lunn]
Beyond Da Vinci [G. Jones]

Evangelistic Ideas
Study Guide for The Da Vinci Code: A Quet for Answers [J. McDowell (.pdf)]
Da Vinci Quest Ministry Ideas [.pdf]

Blogs
Jesus and Da Vinci: Who Was Jesus, Really?
A Slew of Other Articles
The Da Vinci Code Discussed

Audio
There's Something About Mary [J. White (3 audio sermons)]
What About That Other Bible? [E. Lutzer (3 audio sermons)]

Is All Scripture Inspired?

2006-04-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

Phil Siefkes has a good post about reading Scripture in public. It is a discipline that is being neglected in more and more churches...not to mention lengthy passages.

EXCERPT:
So what should we do with those lengthier, "less exciting" passages of Scripture? I would suggest we simply read them out loud for all to hear. Let us not shy away from such passages. People need the discipline of listening to God's Word being read. Some people need to hear someone else read the Bible because they don't read well themselves. Some people need to hear the public reading of the Bible to learn the appropriate pronunciation of Biblical terms, names, cities, etc...
Never blah, blah, blah from the pulpit. ALL Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching, convicting of wrong, setting upright again, and training in righteousness. Read the entire passage. It is God's Word.

I would add:
1) When you read publicly, read with conviction. After all, it is God’s word.
2) Read the passage beforehand so as not to stumble over difficult words.
3) Find the main thrust of the passage and place emphasis there.
4) Pray and ask God to bless his people as a result of your reading of his Word.

Any other ideas on how to make the public reading of the Word a blessing to those who hear??

[HT: ESV Blog]

Why I Love My Church...

2006-04-12T07:36:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, my wife and I joined Third Avenue last August and have been exceedingly blessed. When I share the reasons why we joined 3ABC it is not to say that other churches don’t have these qualities. I know there are and I pray that there will be more...I am merely giving thanks to God publicly for his grace in our lives in hopes that it will be for your edification.

One of the main reasons that we joined Third has to do with the fact that they are bloggers. This may sound strange, but it is a blogging church because it is a progressive church.

Now it is not progressive in the traditional sense (yes, the contrast and play on ideas is intended). In fact, if you attend any Sunday morning you will think that it is anything but progressive...That is until you hear the preacher; until you talk with people afterwards; until you check out the website.

One of the main problems with congregations now is the denigration or abandonment of a robust theology for the sake of “reaching” the lost. I venture to say that the lost do not need to be entertained as much as they want to hear rock-solid Truth. Justification by faith, propitiation, expiation, sanctification, etc have been left in the annals of archaism and fluffy faith has taken their place.

Community is not something that can be taught, it must be the overflow of the theology that is affirmed (more on this later). At Third my faith is nurtured by friends like Jeremy Yong, Kevin Cuthbertson, Joshua Morrell, Joshua Vincent, Greg Gilbert, Aaron Menikoff, Keith Goad, Jonathan Leeman, et al.

Now that I have posted this and have affiliated myself with Third, I feel an extra burden to represent my family well. I am thinking of future posts I have and feel the weight of being honest, open, and Christ-like. Not that I wasn’t aiming at doing this before, but when people know that you go to a certain church, what you say and do reflects not only upon yourself but on your church.

A Long-Time Coming

2006-04-11T18:55:00.000-04:00

My wife and I joined Third Avenue Baptist Church in August of last year. We love this congregation of Christ-followers and look forward to each Sunday and Wednesday we get to spend together. They are our family and we are thankful.

I must admit, I was a little convicted that Matthew Hall posted on our church’s website before I did. I have been meaning to for a while, but have been waiting for it to be 100% operational. We have been working with a website designer and want to have a separate page for the blog...which brings me to this post.

The elders at Third Avenue are blogging (and have been doing so for a couple months now). It is a fine blog that deals with culture, ecclesiology, politics, and fashion. I have enjoyed the reads thus far and check it quite often. Hopefully we’ll get an RSS feed before too long...be looking for that!

I am sure that I will lose readers because of Third’s blog - they are much better than me at it I promise you. But to the faithful, thanks for sticking with me.

The Case for the Resurrection

2006-04-11T16:09:00.000-04:00

Over at the LTI Blog, they have a quick post on some points you can brush up on in order to share your faith in the coming week with those who doubt the Resurrection of Jesus.

Its five points are summarized as such:
(A) Christian resurrection differs radically from Greek thought about the afterlife.
(B) Christian resurrection builds on Jewish traditions, but differs from them.
(C) Christian resurrection differs significantly from the dying and rising Gods (cyclical) of ancient mystery religions.
(D) Christian resurrection differs from the alleged resurrection stories about Alexander the Great.
(E) Even if the NT accounts of resurrection were similar to a given ancient legend that alone would not prove them wrong.
EXCERPT:The minimal facts generally accepted by a majority of both liberal and conservative scholars include: 1) Jesus died due to crucifixion. 2) Jesus was buried. 3) The disciples despaired after the crucifixion. 4) Jesus’ tomb was found empty. 5) The disciples had real experiences that convinced them of a risen Jesus. 6) As a result of these real experiences, the disciples were completely transformed. 7) The disciples proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus early, in the very city where he was crucified. 8 ) The early gospel message centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus. 9) Paul and James—initially skeptics—become Christians based on what they thought were real experiences of the resurrected Jesus. Given the majority of scholars accept these minimal facts, it’s difficult to see why the question of origins is even relevant. The better question is, “Given these facts—all with multiple attestation—what’s the best explanation for them?”

Witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses

2006-04-11T16:04:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine has published a tract to share with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Check it out here. It’s called: “Who’s Knocking At Your Door?”

Spanking

2006-04-11T14:18:00.000-04:00

One of the things I love about the blogosphere is the interconnectedness of information. One of my friends from The Bethlehem Institute, David Griffiths, has summarized an article I have been meaning to for weeks. Paul Wegner wrote an article for the latest JETS on spanking. As many of you know I had a series of posts on this past October (links below) and want to continue to tweak my understanding. In the mean time check out David’s On Spanking: Quotes and Comments.

Before you go there, though, I want to make a couple comments: Levels one and two should be switched...Information should be imparted before it is encouraged. Also, I did not understand what Wegner was saying from Dave’s summary until I supplied a definition of “physical harm”. I think, in order for the stages to work effectively that Wegner is saying that “physical harm” means lasting physical impairment (i.e. cutting off a hand). Does this make sense in light of the eight stages?

I enjoyed this quote from the article: “"The purpose of discipline is remedial with the hope of saving the child's life from an early demise due to rebellion.” So many times people think of discipline as only spanking and as negative. I am thankful for Wegner’s showing that nurture and admonition are more than spanking...Even when it comes to corporal punishment, the quote above must be remembered.

My Previous Posts:
Before I Continue
Soft Bottoms Lead to Hard Hearts {1}
Soft Bottoms Lead to Hard Hearts {2}
A Temper to the Rod
The Child and Folly
Loving By Hurting
Parents Carry God's Rod
The Discipline of the Lord
Closing Remarks...from Jonathan Edwards

Applied Calvinism

2006-04-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

Chris Ortiz offers a needed reminder to seminarians and anyone else who might love to live in the abstract world. We must constantly seek out ways to make theology applicable and show why it is important. Otherwise, Christians who want to make a difference in their communities will sacrifice good Bible teaching for the sake of doing something.

EXCERPT:
It is a serious mistake to see theology as an academic exercise. The word theology means God's word; it begins with the presupposition that Scripture is the word of God, and the duty of the theologian is to understand it and to apply it to every area of life and thought.

Theology belongs in the pulpit, the school, the work-place, the family, and everywhere. Society as a whole is weakened when theology is neglected. Without a systematic application of theology, too often people approach the Bible with a smorgasbord mentality, picking and choosing that which pleases them.... For me theology means the total mandate of God through His word. What I have written only scratches the surface; it is an introduction to the subject, and it is written to move men to faith and action.
(R.J. Rushdoony, Systematic Theology, Vol. I, p.xv, xvi)...

Herein lieth the purpose for Christian Reconstruction: applied Calvinism. It's the recognition that since God is wholly other, and superintends all things through creation and providence, then we are dependent upon His infallible revelation as creatures a part and distinct from His eternal being. And, knowing that the primary intent of His written revelation is to teach us "what we are to believe about Him, and what it is He requires us to do" (WCF Larger Catechism, Q.6), then we must move beyond abstract discussions of His anomalies and move ourselves to Christian action. We have spent much time on the first aspect of the catechism in determining what we believe about Him. Now let us discuss what it is He requires us to do.
[Full Article]

Hugh Hefner's Legacy

2006-04-07T14:58:00.000-04:00

CawleyBlog points to a good article in the Wall Street Journal on the life and coaxing of Hefner. Check it out here.

EXCERPT:
One might have thought that the woman, in life, had enough trouble with users and operators. But of course Hef, an exploiter to the end, doesn't see himself that way, and what's clear from all his legacy projects is that he wants to be remembered as anything other than what he is. We're to think of him as Hugh Hefner, social philosopher and cultural revolutionary. Hugh Hefner, entrepreneur and Charity Events Man of the Year. Hugh Hefner, friend of Marilyn. Hugh Hefner, luckiest cat on the planet. Anything, please, but the truth about Hugh Hefner, pornographer.

[...]

One hesitates to speak harshly of an old man, who somewhere along the way must have done a few worthwhile things. But as to the public legacy of Hugh Hefner, he should have no illusions. All of us have our share of faults and sins to account for. But the lowest of vices and "strangest secret of hell," as G.K. Chesterton called it, is the desire to pervert others, to coax and corrupt them and drag them down with you. And any man who at the age of 80 has that to answer for is by no stretch the luckiest cat on the planet.(full article)

Left Behind Video Game...Buy It Before It Flies Away

2006-04-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

“In one cataclysmic moment, millions disappear.” So the title to the new Left Behind video game goes. I don’t hold to a pre-tribulation rapture. As I was writing my paper on Revelation this semester, I was amazed at how much people want to cling to a pre-trib rapture view. One of the commentaries I read said something to the effect, “Although Revelation does not talk about a rapture, we know that Paul does so we should chapter 20 in this light.” What!?!? I will share more on my paper later as I think it has helped me in my view of Rev. In any case, check out the link to the video game and drop your jaw...

The Gospel and Two Thieves

2006-04-07T08:44:00.000-04:00

        Tertullian said that there are two thieves alongside the Gospel of Christ’s Grace. The thief of legalism threatens to steal the grace of the Gospel and the thief of relativism threatens to steal the truth of the Gospel.
        Legalism devalues the grace poured out on the Cross and the fact that all was accomplished on the Cross. Relativism waters down the gruesomeness of the justice poured out on Jesus for our sin. They say that God accepts us just the way we are.
        The Gospel says, “because I am accepted I will obey.” Better, “because I have been given a new heart, how can I not want to obey.” There is an inner-reality that is worked out in the life of the believer that works itself out through love and good deeds. The true Christian knows that whatever he does, he will not merit the acceptance he has in Christ. However, he also knows that “children obey your parents” is not just a helpful admonition, but a command. We, as children, are born unto a living hope as it manifests itself through obedience. It is not the root, but the fruit of the seed sown in the soil. Christ’s work is the root and our working is the fruit.
        There is a great article by Tim Keller that deals with this topic as it relates to the Gospel in the postmodern culture. Here is a quote from it that was especially impacting:

The gospel produces a unique blend of humility and boldness/joy in the convert. If you preach just a demanding God, the listener will have "low self-esteem"; if you preach just an all-loving God, the listener will have higher self-esteem. But the gospel produces something beyond both of those. The gospel says: I am so lost Jesus had to die to save me. But I am so loved that Jesus was glad to die to save me. That changes the very basis of my identity--it transforms me from the root. Legalistic churches reform people's behavior through social coercion, but the people stay radically insecure and hyper-critical. They don't achieve the new inner peace that the grace of God brings. The more relativistic churches give members some self-esteem and the veneer of peace but in the end that is superficial too. The result, Archibald Alexander said, is like trying to put a signet ring on the wax to seal a letter, but without any heat! Either the ring will affect the surface of the wax only or break it into pieces. You need heat to permanently change the wax into the likeness of the ring. So without the Holy Spirit working through the gospel, radically humbling and radically exalting us and changing them from the inside out, the religion either of the hard or soft variety will not avail.

Hypocrisy of the Modern World

2006-04-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

"The special mark of the modern world is not that it is sceptical, but that it is dogmatic without knowing it. It says, in mockery of old devotees, that they believed without knowing why they believed. But the moderns believe without knowing what they believe - and without even knowing that they do believe it. Their freedom consists in first freely assuming a creed, and then freely forgetting that they are assuming it." -G.K. Chesterton