The Dude Abides

Distinctive Christian Thinking

2009-02-08T16:58:00.002-06:00

Check out my new blog:

Thinking Christianly

This current blog hasn't really been updated in a while, but I have set this new blog to post regularly beginning Monday.

Let me know what you think.

End of an Era

2008-12-09T17:51:00.004-06:00

It's official, Greg Maddux has retired. See his news conference here.

While tossing a three-hit, 89-pitch shutout at Yankee Stadium in 1997, Greg Maddux was strolling toward the dugout when he was stopped by umpire John Hirschbeck. The mid-inning exchange puzzled then-Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who immediately asked, "What did he say to you?"

After replying, "He told me I'm as good as advertised," Maddux smirked and added, "Isn't that something, Leo? Not only do I have to live up to the expectations of the fans, but now I have to live up to the expectations of the umpires, too."

During a career that included 355 wins and four consecutive National League Cy Young Awards (1992-95), Maddux exceeded the expectations that have been placed on any pitcher and established himself as one of the greatest individuals to stand on a mound.

Progress of Theology in America: Conclusions

2008-11-29T05:14:00.012-06:00

Introductory Posting

Here is a brief summary of each of the writers we have looked at followed by a short conclusion that can be drawn from noticing the progression of theology in America:

John Winthrop (1588-1649), A Model of Christian Charity. The settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were in a unique covenantal relationship with God, very similar to that of ancient

Israel

(having fled from their oppressors, across the water, and into the land)...while there are similarities between their calling to a new land and

Israel

’s calling, the settlers of Massachusetts Bay were still distinct – distinctly American. They are not an extension of

Israel

, but a replacement of it in relationship with God.

Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), The Activity of Faith: or, Abraham’s Imitators. There are Christians deeply rooted in the church, who are unredeemed. Faith cannot be inherited from the previous generation simply by following the routines they have set forth for the society. The new generation believes that their acts are enough to warrant the favor of God. They hope in their baptisms, their church attendance, hearing the Word, or receiving the sacraments. They live in ignorance believing that these will bring salvation… utterly surprised to hear that they won’t. “A faithful man is a fruitful man.” ...believers are then called to follow in the footsteps of Abraham’s faith, not his circumcision.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Personal Narrative. God has produced a great change at the point of conversion. The believer now has a sense of God’s glory and majesty. More and more they come to an inward sense of sweetness, seeing His glory in everything. The believer now fixes his mind God. What was so terrible before is now so sweet. As Edwards states “My experience had not the taught me, as it has done since…the bottomless depths of secret corruption and deceit there was in my heart.” This is original sin. This is the sin nature of humanity. But miraculously there comes a change from the hand of God. Now the believer has a much greater sense of God’s grace. The believer has an abhorrence of his own righteousness. The soul of the Christian receives grace from God and in turn emits the sweet aroma of the Lord. God is now seen as who He is and loved for it.

David Walker (1785-1830), Our Wretchedness in Consequence of the Preachers of the Religion of Jesus Christ. ...the pure religion that was taught by Jesus Christ is scarce to be found. God gave a dispensation of his will to

Israel

America

for breaking its covenantal relationship with God through its social injustices. “Oh Americans! Americans!! I warn you in the name of the Lord to repent and reform, or you are ruined!!!”

William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), The Essence of Christian Religion. There is one great, central truth and principle of Christianity – God purposes to perfect the human soul. God purposes the elevation of men to a diviner being. The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion suited to fulfill the wants of every human being. Man is capable of great things. No longer should he be mired under the weight of original sin as it is not befitting of the rational person.

Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875), Lectures on Revivals of Religion. Calculated planning is essential in order to influence rational people toward God. “Religion is the work of man.” ...all the religion in the world has been produced by revivals. Believers must be rationally appealed to, often in a way so outrageous as to wear them down and break through any barriers they had constructed to the gospel. “A revival of religion is not a miracle…It is a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means.” It is man’s job to go to work promoting religion, not just sit back and rely on God’s sovereignty.

Sarah M. Grimké (1792-1873), Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women. In looking at Genesis, man and woman were clearly created in equality. They are given dominion over the earth and over the animals, yet they are not given dominion over each other. God created us equal and created us as free agents. To God alone, and to no one else, is woman bound in subjection. “All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks and permit us to stand upright on the ground which God designed us to occupy.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), The Divinity School Address. There is much optimism about the human nature. Individuals must find the truth within themselves and not from second hand sources. Respect the perfection of this world, though not as something displaying the sovereignty of God, but rather as perfection in and of itself. Man is the greatest good. Humans should go at life alone. Love God purely, without a mediator or a veil, such as tradition or the Bible.

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The might of truth is in the treatment of disease as well as sin. The discords of the corporeal sense must yield to the harmony of the spiritual sense. The spirit is good and real. Matter, the physical world, is spirit’s opposite. “Christian science rationally explains that all other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter, - faith in the workings, not of the spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to science.” Science is god.

Joseph Smith (1805-1844), King Follett Discourse. God himself was once as we are. That is the great secret. If you could see God right now, he would appear as a man. “Here is eternal life – to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you.” God is just like you and me. He is nothing extraordinary. Everyone can be god.

Horace Bushnell (1802-1876), Christian Nurture. A child is to grow up Christian and never know himself as being otherwise. ...there is a moral incongruity to say to a child that he will reject God and holy principle until he comes to a mature age. In reality, the expectation of the parent will become the expectation of the child. If the expectation is that the child will reject God, then he will. We seem to fancy that there is some moment in which the child becomes a moral agent. Perhaps character is built rather from the environment around a person rather than instilled within them by God at the point of conversion. Our character is determined by our natural environment, not by a supernatural experience.

Conclusions

Many of these writers shared, in very different ways, Winthrop’s vision of the

United States

as a special, city on a hill. But the injustices of American society, from slavery to the treatment of women, raised questions about that ideal and that teaching. Other questions arose leading to the denial of the Trinity, the exaltation of reason and science, and a complete departure from original sin. These writings portray a religion being very much tossed about on the waves of a cultural enlightenment and an increased optimism in the natural ability of human kind. There needs to be a return to some of the concepts present in those first writings. We are to be a city on a hill (but as believers, not as Americans). We are to be a guiding light for a confused culture around us. Rather than being washed out to sea by the waves, we should stand firm on the solid rock of Christ, the gospel, and the scriptures. We are a lighthouse, guiding people home.

Progress of Theology in America: Horace Bushnell

2008-11-28T05:13:00.001-06:00

Introductory Posting

Horace Bushnell (1802-1876), Christian Nurture.

Bushnell, a Congregational minister in Hartford, Connecticut, tried to find creative theological alternatives to strict orthodoxy on the one hand and liberalism shading into Unitarianism on the other. He had original things to say about the nature of religious language and the work of Christ. Christian Nurture, probably his most influential book, defended the growing Sunday school movement against revivalists unfriendly to the idea of gradual growth in faith from early childhood. In his criticisms of individualism and his use of organic metaphors, Bushnell shows the influence of Romantic ideas that he, like Emerson, was getting from Europe (p. 126-127).

A child is to grow up Christian and never know himself as being otherwise. The aim should not be individualistic, that the child grows up in sin, to be converted after he comes to a mature age; but that he is to open on the world as one that is spiritually renewed, not remembering when he went through a technical experience. The argument for this is that there is no absurdity in supposing that children are to grow up in Christ. In fact, there is a moral incongruity to say to a child that he will reject God and holy principle until he comes to a mature age. In reality, the expectation of the parent will become the expectation of the child. If the expectation is that the child will reject God, then he will. “The tendency of all our modern speculations is to an extreme individualism, and we carry our doctrines of free will so far as to make little or nothing of organic laws.” We seem to ignore the organic connection to character. We seem to fancy that there is some moment in which the child becomes a moral agent. Perhaps character is built rather from the environment around a person rather than instilled within them by God at the point of conversion. This is the very idea of Christian education. It begins with nurture. The spirit of the parents shall flow into the mind of the child and beget their own good within him. All Christian parents would like to see their children grow up in piety – the better Christians they are the more they desire it. A pure, separate, individual man, living wholly within, and from himself, is a mere fiction. “All society is organic – the church, state, school, family. And there is spirit within each of these organisms, peculiar to itself, and more or less hostile, more or less favorable to religious character, and to some extent, sovereign over the individual man.” Our character is determined by our natural environment, not by a supernatural experience.

Tomorrow: Conclusions

Progress of Theology in America: Joseph Smith

2008-11-27T05:13:00.002-06:00

Introductory Posting

Joseph Smith (1805-1844), King Follett Discourse.

Joseph Smith grew up amid the religious turmoil of upstate New York in the early nineteenth century. In the late 1820s he began to dictate a translation of a document he claimed to have discovered with angelic help, the Book of Mormon, which described the wanderings of the lost tribes of Israel and the pre-Columbian history of America. Smith soon began to attract converts, who moved first to Ohio, then to Missouri, and then to Nauvoo Illinois, where Smith was murdered by local opponents of the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." He preached this sermon at the funeral of one of his followers, King Follet, in 1844. Many of its themes are no longer emphasized by Mormons, but it shows the theologically radical ideas Smith and others on the frontier sometimes generated (p. 125).

God himself was once as we are. That is the great secret. If you could see God right now, he would appear as a man. “Here is eternal life – to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you.” Essentially you must work your way up, until you attain the resurrection of the dead under your own efforts, just as Christ did, following his father. Know also that the head of the gods called a council of gods and they prepared a plan to create the world. From this realize that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos. The elements have no beginning and no end. God is just like you and me. He is nothing extraordinary. Everyone can be god. He is human in form, ordering from something rather than creating from nothing, through the council of others. It is easy to be God. And this must be so, because as Smith states, “I know more than the world put together.”

Tomorrow: Horace Bushnell

Progress of Theology in America: Mary Baker Eddy

2008-11-26T05:12:00.001-06:00

Introductory Posting

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

Mary Baker grew up in a Congregationalist family in New Hampshire. She suffered chronic ill health and two unhappy marriages before she found a cure for her illness in the nascent Christian healing movement. With the support of her third husband, Asa Eddy, she organized the Christian Science Association, with its many publications and local societies. This selection comes from the preface to her best-known work, Science and Health, the first edition of which was published in 1875 (p.123).

The might of truth is in the treatment of disease as well as sin. The discords of the corporeal sense must yield to the harmony of the spiritual sense. The spirit is good and real. Matter, the physical world, is spirit’s opposite. In seeking truth, we find it in the power of demonstration. This is the demonstration of the healing of disease and sin. Christian healing is the only true way to go. It creates the most health and the best of people. Throughout the ages, sickness has not been eradicated by the doctors who have been fighting it using material remedies. The divine principle of healing is proved in the personal experience of any sincere seeker of truth. “Christian science rationally explains that all other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter, - faith in the workings, not of the spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to science.” Science is god. The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in it did in Jesus’ time, from the operation of divine principle. Before this divine principle, both sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear. These mighty works are not supernatural, but natural. They are the sign that God is with us, holding a divine influence over our lives.

Tomorrow: Joseph Smith

Progress of Theology in America: Ralph Waldo Emerson

2008-11-25T05:11:00.002-06:00

Introductory Posting

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), The Divinity School Address.

Emerson resigned as minister of Second Church in Boston in 1832 and began a long career as America's most famous public lecturer. To the new "transcendentalism" he represented, with its optimism about human nature, its belief that individuals must find the truth within themselves and not at second hand, and its sense of the divinity of the human soul, even Boston Unitarianism seemed too theologically conservative. Emerson delivered this lecture at the Harvard Divinity School in 1838; he was never invited back (p. 121).

There is much optimism about the human nature. Individuals must find the truth within themselves and not from second hand sources. Observe nature. Respect the perfection of this world, though not as something displaying the sovereignty of God, but rather as perfection in and of itself. The world is not the product of manifold power, but of the will, of one mind, and that mind is everywhere. The heart gives assurances that the law is sovereign over all natures. This sentiment is divine and deifying. It makes man illimitable. It corrects the capital mistake of deriving advantages from another, by showing the fountain of all good to be himself. Man is the greatest good. Jesus Christ saw with an open eye the mystery of the soul. He alone in all of history estimated the greatness of man. He saw that God incarnates Himself in man. Yet, every other recording of the events of Jesus’ life have been distorted. Today, men speak of revelation as being completed in the past, as if God were dead. Man needs to be made sensible that he is an infinite soul, always constantly drinking of God. Good seeks good, and evil seeks evil. So by their own choice souls proceed into heaven, or into hell. Humans should go at life alone. Love God purely, without a mediator or a veil, such as tradition or the Bible.

Tomorrow: Mary Baker Eddy

Progress of Theology in America: Sarah M. Grimké

2008-11-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

Introductory Posting

Sarah M. Grimké (1792-1873), Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women.

Born in South Carolina of a slaveholding family, Grimke became a Quaker and a lecturer on abolitionism. She published these letters, written in 1837, partly in response to those who criticized her for, as a woman, engaging in public lecturing (p. 119).

It is impossible that we can fulfill our duties unless we understand them. In looking at Genesis, man and woman were clearly created in equality. Even the general term for ‘man’ is used, referring to man and woman. They are given dominion over the earth and over the animals, yet they are not given dominion over each other. God created us equal and created us as free agents. To God alone, and to no one else, is woman bound in subjection. The superior mind which men wish to claim can hardly be seen in Adam’s ready acquiescence to the request of Eve in the garden. “More true nobility would be manifested by endeavoring to raise the fallen and invigorate the weak, than by keeping woman in subjection.” There is a high calling set before believers which should be followed, rather than wasting efforts on a practice of subjection that is unbiblical. “All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks and permit us to stand upright on the ground which God designed us to occupy.”

Tomorrow: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Progress of Theology in America: Charles Grandison Finney

2008-11-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

Introductory Posting

Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875), Lectures on Revivals of Religion.

Finney grew up in upstate New York, the center of early American revivalism. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister and became the leading advocate of the "new measures" of simple, emotional preaching and the calculated planning of revivals. He published these lectures in 1835, the same year in which he joined the faculty of Oberlin College as Professor of Theology (p. 117).

Calculated planning is essential in order to influence rational people toward God. “Religion is the work of man.” It is man’s duty to obey, but because of his great wickedness, he is reluctant to obey. God has to reach out in order to influence man to obey. Because of this, all the religion in the world has been produced by revivals. God finds it necessary to take advantage of the excitability that exists in man. He finds the need to produce powerful excitements in people before He can lead them to obey. People have “so many things to lead their minds off religion.” By raising the excitement level, these obstacles are able to be overcome. The church is so little enlightened that she will not go to work without a special interest being awakened. Believers must be rationally appealed to, often in a way so outrageous as to wear them down and break through any barriers they had constructed to the gospel. “A revival of religion is not a miracle…It is a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means.” The means affects the result. We are not to sit idly by and hope in the sovereignty of God to same others. We must roll up our sleeves and be strategic about what we do. It is man’s job to go to work promoting religion, not just sit back and rely on God’s sovereignty.

Tomorrow: Sarah M. Grimké

Progress of Theology in America: William Ellery Channing

2008-11-22T05:00:00.003-06:00

Introductory Posting

William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), The Essence of Christian Religion.

Channing served as minister of the Federal Street Church in Boston from 1803 until his death and came to be recognized as the greatest leader of the Unitarians. This sermon, delivered in the winter of 1830-31, shows his moderate Unitarianism in practice - a rational simplicity in theology that still leaves room for reverence for Christ and belief in miracles (p.115).

There is one great, central truth and principle of Christianity – God purposes to perfect the human soul. In the proportion that we pursue this central truth, we are pursued by it. Because of this central truth we are able to comprehend and attain to a living faith. God purposes the elevation of men to a diviner being. The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion suited to fulfill the wants of every human being. What God wills is our perfection “which I understand the freest exercise and perpetual development of our highest powers – strength and brightness of intellect…” Christianity reveals the greatest purpose of God is the moral perfection of man. Man is capable of great things. No longer should he be mired under the weight of original sin as it is not befitting of the rational person. But instead, he should focus on spiritual perfection. He should do so because this religion is not an unintelligible deduction of philosophy, but rather it is sealed by miracles. Miracles are the proofs of a religion which announces the elevation of man to spiritual perfection. “The miracles approve themselves at once to my intellect and my heart.” They are reasonable. Through miracles, all men comprehend the being that is mightier than nature, the mind that is powerful. The mind may ascend to a perfection which nature cannot give. “Christianity, in its miracles and doctrines, is the very character and pledge which I need of this elevation of the human soul.” Miracles are proof that man can rise to more.

Tomorrow: Charles Grandison Finney

Progress of Theology in America: David Walker

2008-11-21T05:00:00.004-06:00

Introductory Posting

David Walker (1785-1830), Our Wretchedness in Consequence of the Preachers of the Religion of Jesus Christ.

Walker was born of a free black mother in North Carolina but moved to Boston, where he became active in Baptist churches and the abolition movement. He published this essay in 1829 (p.114).

Everybody has religion – the Jews, the Mahometans, and even the pagans. But the pure religion that was taught by Jesus Christ is scarce to be found. God gave a dispensation of his will to

Israel

who proceeded to depart from faith through hypocrisy and oppression. He then gave a dispensation to the Europeans, “together with the will of Jesus.” The Europeans are now in violation for having made the African into a piece of merchandise, and even using religion to aid them in the oppressive process. Some then, looking on from outside the culture, might think that the religion being professed is merely a fabrication. But the gospel as preached by Jesus and the Apostles remains the same; it has simply been perverted with the reigning oppression of the Europeans and their descendants. The city on a hill is no longer lovely to behold, but it is now wretched and despised by those looking on from the outside. All other groups of religion (Jews, Mahometans, pagans) extend protection to the professors of their religion. Yet Christians beat the Africans for praying to the God that created them. Destruction will come to

America

for breaking its covenantal relationship with God through its social injustices. Just as the prophets of the Old Testament railed against

Israel

for falling away from the Lord, Walker rails against

America

. “Oh Americans! Americans!! I warn you in the name of the Lord to repent and reform, or you are ruined!!!”

Tomorrow: William Ellery Channing

Progress of Theology in America: Jonathan Edwards

2008-11-20T05:00:00.003-06:00

Introductory Posting

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Personal Narrative.

Edwards remains the greatest theological genius America has produced. As a preacher he led the revival of the 1730s in Northampton, Massachusetts, that prefigured the Great Awakening, and he later wrote the great history and defense of the Awakening itself. As a philosophical theologian, he produced a remarkable synthesis of the new philosophy of Newton and Locke and classical Calvinism. This selection, written in the early 1740s, shows Edwards' characteristic psychological care in analyzing religious experience and his central commitment to the radical sovereignty of God (p. 111).

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty (the fact that He will choose who He will for salvation and reject others) used to seem like such a horrible thing. It did not make any sense and it did not seem fair. But there has come an alteration of experience and of the senses. God has produced a great change at the point of conversion. Now the believer can spend much time in contemplation and meditation on the subject and see the perfect harmony in the sovereignty of God. The believer now has a sense of God’s glory and majesty. More and more they come to an inward sense of sweetness, seeing His glory in everything. The believer now fixes his mind God. What was so terrible before is now so sweet. The feeling of God can cause a person to burst out in song or any such thing because they simply cannot contain themselves. Prior to this state of salvation, the unconverted used to examine himself in all diligence, pursuing holiness under his own strength and by his own means. As Edwards states “My experience had not the taught me, as it has done since…the bottomless depths of secret corruption and deceit there was in my heart.” This is original sin. This is the sin nature of humanity. But miraculously there comes a change from the hand of God. Now the believer has a much greater sense of God’s grace. The believer has an abhorrence of his own righteousness. Any goodness coming from within the self is nauseating. There is now a more full and constant sense of the sovereignty of God. There is more sense of Christ as mediator revealed through the gospel. The soul of the Christian receives grace from God and in turn emits the sweet aroma of the Lord. God is now seen as who He is and loved for it. The believer has affections for God and in turn, affections for others.

Tomorrow: David Walker

Progress of Theology in America: Thomas Hooker

2008-11-19T05:00:00.001-06:00

Introductory Posting

Thomas Hooker (1586-1647), The Activity of Faith: or, Abraham’s Imitators.

Hooker had already been an important figure among English and Dutch Puritans. He became the first minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later one of the leaders in founding settlements in Connecticut. This sermon, published posthumously in 1651, insists that Christian faith - and thus the reception of God's grace - will manifest itself in good works (p.109).

Grace manifests itself in the life of a believer in good works, not vice versa. There are Christians deeply rooted in the church, who are unredeemed. Faith cannot be inherited from the previous generation simply by following the routines they have set forth for the society. The new generation believes that their acts are enough to warrant the favor of God. They hope in their baptisms, their church attendance, hearing the Word, or receiving the sacraments. They live in ignorance believing that these will bring salvation… utterly surprised to hear that they won’t. The faithful of the church are called to action in this matter and not passivity. The faithful need to tell the churched-yet-unsaved of their faults and reprove them. How can you tell who is saved truly and who is not? “A faithful man is a fruitful man.” Faith produces effects. Much like a fire will burn wherever it is, faith cannot be kept a secret. Abraham had this faith prior to his outward circumcision. This made Abraham a “fruitful Christian.” So believers are then called to follow in the footsteps of Abraham’s faith, not his circumcision.

Tomorrow: Jonathan Edwards

Progress of Theology in America

2008-11-18T09:02:00.022-06:00

Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volume 2. By William C. Placher. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1988. 209 pp.

This book is essentially a compilation of Christian writings organized into various periods of church history. Volume 1 covers the early church up through the Reformation, and volume 2, the Reformation to the present day. For a Church History class I wrote a paper interacting with the documents contained in chapter 5 of volume 2 entitled "Theology of the United States." This paper summarized the arguments of each of the excerpts presented in this chapter, tracking the progress of theological thought as it pertained specifically to the role of the United States in the outworking of God's plan. These documents span from 1600-1900 and range from the writings of the founding Puritans to the developers of Mormonism and Christian Science. Though none of these documents are from what we we term the "modern day," there are many prevalent themes that still ring true today. I hope that the summaries presented here offer a clear tracing "Christian" thought in the United States during its formative years.

I will go through each segment of this paper in a series of blog posts and in the concluding post I will summarize what to me seems to be the cause of the differing developments within Christianity in the U.S. and urge a response from the people of God in America. Enjoy.

Before the first settlers in America ever stepped foot on shore, they were already preaching and teaching God’s great plan for and unique relationship with their colony. The settlers soon found that sincere conversions could not be simply passed down to children or legislated by authority. It was not long before America found itself home to a wide diversity of theological teachings. We will discuss in brief a few representative documents stemming from this time period.

John Winthrop (1588-1649), A Model of Christian Charity.

Winthrop, the first governor and historian of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, preached this sermon on board the ship Arbella as the colonists crossed the Atlantic (p.108).

The settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were in a unique covenantal relationship with God, very similar to that of ancient

Israel

(having fled from their oppressors, across the water, and into the land). There is a heavy responsibility on the part of the people to uphold their end of the covenant. The responsibilities of the people were similar to that of

Israel

, in being a light that the rest of the world could look to (“The Lord will be our God” is from Exodus 6:7). Yet this calling was to be lived out in a very New Testament, early church manner (“We shall be as a City upon a hill” from Matthew 5:14). The people were to live in unity, as one body, sharing possessions for the good of others. So while there are similarities between their calling to a new land and

Israel

’s calling, the settlers of Massachusetts Bay were still distinct – distinctly American. They are not an extension of

Israel

, but a replacement of it in relationship with God. Their covenant relationship was unique. God will dwell among them as His own people; “the God of Israel is among us.” Because of this they will see more of God and know more of God than they, or anyone else ever has before. Yet this relationship is not unconditional. God calls for strict performance on the part of the people, or else God will pour out His wrath. This is their end of the bargain, keeping their eyes on their commission and the community, or else God will depart, and their enemies will take notice.

Tommorow: Thomas Hooker

god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything

2008-11-11T07:42:00.012-06:00

god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything. By Christopher Hitchens. New York: Twelve Books, Hachette Book Group, 2007. 307 pp.

In the Spring I wrote a brief review of this book for a Christian journalism class. This month it was published as an online article for "Kindred Spirit" magazine, a publication of Dallas Theological Seminary.

Check out the article here.

Hopefully you find it a different take on modern atheism than what you will see from most Christian authors. Very often when atheists speak we as Christians tend to cover our ears and yell "La la la! I'm not listening!" That description is admittedly somewhat childish yet childish seems to be a good word to me that portrays Christianity's response to its critics. Don't misunderstand me, I am in no way advocating that everything coming from the mouth of modern atheism should be given credence. I often find both their philosophical and scientific arguments lacking (not to say that I have better ones, because my hope is built on faith and not rationalistic proofs, but I digress... a topic for another time). So we cannot take seriously the comments of those outside the faith in regards to Christian doctrine. But one point cannot be ignored: their comments in regards to Christian practice.

Give the article a read and let me know what you think.

I also highly recommend the review of The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, in "Bibliotheca Sacra" (Jan-Mar 2008 edition) written by Dr. Glenn R. Kreider, as well as the follow up Q&A article with "Kindred Spirit."

Love of Benevolence vs. Love of Complacence

2008-10-04T12:33:00.014-05:00

In his Treatise on Grace (and to a lesser extent in Religious Affections), Jonathan Edwards explains the difference between a love of benevolence and a love of complacence.

Love is commonly distinguished into a love of complacence and a love of benevolence. Of these two a love of complacence is first, and is the foundation of the other, if by a love of complacence is meant relishing a sweetness in the qualifications of the beloved...

...That the soul may relish the sweetness and the beauty of a beloved object whether that object is present or absent, whether in possession or not in possession; and this relish is the foundation of love of benevolence, or desire of the good of the beloved. It is the foundation of love or affection to the beloved object when absent; it is the foundation of one's rejoicing in the object when present; and so it is the foundation of everything else that belongs to divine love.

And if this is true, then the main ground of true love to God is the excellency of His own nature and not any benefit we have received or hope to receive by His goodness to us.

Treatise on Grace, p.34

To have a love of benevolence means to love someone for the things they do. In other words you love the gifts that they give, but not necessarily the person itself. As this applies to God, a love of benevolence would be a love that is strictly a love of benefits. You love God because of the job He has provided for you, the family or friends He has placed around you, or the natural abilities He has gifted you with. You enjoy the benefits without thinking deeply about, and finding more excellence in, the Giver of the benefits.

A gratitude for kindness is nothing distinctly Christian. All that is required is a principle of self-love that can be found in any natural, unregenerate, depraved human being. So would you still love God if your house was destroyed? If a friend, child, or spouse died? If you found yourself without the ability to see or to walk? Would you love God simply because He is God and therefore deserves to be loved? This leads us to a love of complacence.

Just as a love of benevolence is to love someone for things they do, a love of complacence is to love someone for the thing that they are; to love them in and of themselves, apart from their actions. To love God because He is God.

A love of complacence is the foundation of any proper love of benevolence toward God (a desire for the good of the beloved, and not simply an appreciation of the good provided). The self-love of benevolence will necessarily point people to that which sweetest to them. But, as Edwards states, "God's perfections must first savor the appetite and be sweet to people... before self-love can have any influence upon them to cause an appetite after the enjoyment of that sweetness" (p.35). It is in that divine taste wherein love of complacence most fundamentally consists, prior to any benevolence that can incline us to God.

Divine love, as it has God for its object, may be thus described: it is the soul's relish of the supreme excellency of the divine nature, inclining the heart to God as the chief good (p.32)

I have tried my best here to present an accurate portrayal of Edward's position. As you ponder the position of Edwards that I have put forward, I encourage you to stay tuned for future blog posts. As great a concept as Edwards has derived (that of love of benevolence and love of complacence) I found myself a little at odds with material, and not quite sold on his definitions. So in some respects, I am still wrestling through whether I completely agree with Edwards or not, and I hope you will join me as I wrestle with my thoughts in a public, steel-cage-like, forum.

(Disagreeing with Edwards? Sniff, sniff... do I detect the smell of heresy? I hope not... but it is scandalous nonetheless).

In God We (still) Trust

2008-10-03T17:58:00.003-05:00

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, on voting for the emergency economic rescue bill:

"But even if we pass this bill today, let's not kid ourselves. We're in the midst of a recession. It's going to be a rough ride, but it will be a whole lot rougher ride if we don't pass this bill. I will say to all of you, when this bill passes today, remember those words 'In God we trust,' because we're going to need his help."

It's good to see that Representative Boehner reads the blog.

Proverbs 18:10-11
The name of the LORD is like a strong tower;
the righteous person runs to it and is set safely on high.
The wealth of a rich person is like a strong city,
and it is like a high wall in his imagination.

History of the Work of Redemption

2008-10-01T07:34:00.003-05:00

The title is a work by Jonathan Edwards, a collection of 30 sermons, that trace God's redemptive plan throughout the course of the Bible and throughout the history of time. When describing the hermeneutical assumptions that Edwards based his work on, Dr. John Hannah states:

"A significant assumption for Edwards in the work is the providence of God is historiography. History, sacred and secular, is a stage upon which a divine redemptive discourse is played. According to Edwards, the generations of mankind on earth did not begin until the Fall and they will continue to the end of the world; the procession of mankind is thus bound by a beginning in the Fall and by an end in the Day of Judgment. Between these two events God is outworking a redemptive drama on the stage of creation. History cannot be understood, according to Edwards, in terms of individuals alone; there is something larger to contend with (nations, societies, churches). History cannot be the story of individuals because that would involve repetition, not progress. Progress is central, but its significance is not progress-for-progress sake (a materialist view); it is a divine act of self-glorification."

I mention this because of an earlier posting on this blog entitled "An End to the Means." In that post I mentioned how progress is not just for progress' sake. We don't advance our technology, our economy, our society simply to be more advanced. But rather, progress, in any area of history, is ultimately working toward a decided end goal: the return of Christ in glory.

I just thought this served as a good reminder of that fact, coming from much smarter men than me.

The Greatness of a Name

2008-09-30T20:02:00.012-05:00

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1)

This was the command that the Lord gave to Noah and his family after the flood. After chapter 10 listing the generations of Noah's sons, we come to chapter 11 and the Tower of Babel.

When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth" (Genesis 11:2-4).

A couple of observations: First notice the people's disobedience to the command of God. Instead of filling the earth, they find a single location to settle in so that they would not be scattered. This was all about their security. They were "safe" if they stayed together. They were "safe" if they stayed in one location. They were "safe" if they could fortify their settlement with a tower. They were "safe" if they would trust in themselves instead of obeying God. The people didn't want to trust God to provide all that He had promised in chapter 9. Their faith was in themselves and their own ability rather than God.

From this, notice the phrase "so that we may make a name for ourselves." The people wanted to advance their name, their reputation, by their own means. Let me ask, who do you know that was at Babel? The Bible doesn't record anyone of any significance. Time has shown that everyone who tried to advance their name apart from the blessing of God failed.

Then we come to chapter 12.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father's household to the land that I will show you. Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great so that you will exemplify divine blessing" (Genesis 12:1-2).

Abram (or Abraham as he is renamed later), now there is a name I bet you remember. Think of how many people in the world today (Christians, Jews, Muslims) know the name of Abraham, not because of Abraham's own efforts or abilities, but because it was the Lord who determined to make him great.

How often today do we trust in our abilities to establish a name and reputation for ourselves in this world? How often do we hope our efforts will bring us greatness? The text tells us, and time has proven, that God and God alone determines the greatness of a name. Trust in God. He is faithful to do all that He has promised. He will make your name great... for His purposes alone.

Be Thou My Vision...
Riches I Seek Not, Nor Man's Empty Praise
Thou Mine Inheritance, Now and Always
Thou and Thou Only, First in My Heart
High King of Heaven My Treasure Thou Art

In God We Trust

2008-09-28T16:43:00.012-05:00

My wife and I are part of that much talked about 'undecided' crowd in regards to the upcoming presidential election. I've heard it referred to as the Reagan Democrats, but I can't really affirm or deny that... mostly because I don't know what that means. All I know is that we just aren't entirely sold on either party. In light of our 'undecidedness' we spent the other night watching the first presidential debate. The number one topic of concern was the economy and the proposed (at the time, but by now official) $700 billion wall-street bailout plan. And I just couldn't help but think: isn't it ironic?

Question after question of "What is your plan to fix the economy?," "What is your opinion of the bailout plan?," and "Where do you differ from your opponent in terms of the economy?" America's financial situation is obviously a big concern for the public and therefore it is pivotal for each candidate to address the problem. But in all the the responses to the declining economy, either from the candidates themselves or from the media covering the story, you never hear the response of "God is in control."

Maybe that isn't the most politically correct response. But isn't it ironic then that this money that we worry about so much, that we desire to accumulate and secure, and that we fear losing so greatly has this little phrase printed on each bill "In God We Trust." It doesn't say "In Government We Trust," "In The Economists We Trust," or "In Reliable and Insured Financial Institutions We Trust." Ok, maybe that last one would be a little long to print and perhaps it isn't as catchy. That's what it really comes down to, it seems. We say "In God We Trust" because it's catchy; it's what we are supposed to say... we don't actually have to believe it.

This comic strip was in the paper today. It's point seems fitting. (If the font comes out too small here, you can check it out in full size).

What is the point of having the trustworthy, sovereign name of God on our currency if we refuse to recognize Him as such and live our lives in fear and financial worry? Here is how scripture treats the topic of trusting in the name of God versus trusting in wealth:

Notice the parallelism. The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the wealth of the rich is a strong city. There is safety to be found in money. But if you think that money can provide a stronghold that cannot be overcome, who's walls cannot be scaled and destroyed, that you are fooling yourself; complete security in money is only in your imagination. True security comes from trusting the Lord. He cannot be overcome and He will not fail. He is good and faithful and He will take care of His children.

Perhaps those statements sound good, but abstract. It is easy to say that we should be trusting in God because it's a biblical concept, it is another thing to practice it when the company decides to make cutbacks, the mortgage payment is due, or the car needs another tank of gas. I know it's hard. Being in seminary right now and only working part time, many of the conversations my wife and I have are centered around our budget and how we aren't meeting it. I worry about taking care of a family. I worry about bringing in enough money and I am constantly trying to devise the best plan to increase our savings account. But ultimately I have to rely on the provision of God. Money will be spent, and possessions will pass away, but "the word of the Lord stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

Let me encourage you that if you find yourself holding onto your wealth as a means of security or fretting over your lack of wealth as a point of weakness and vulnerability, that when these feelings creep in, you would grab hold of a dollar bill, grab hold of the item you are hoping in, and read how it points you to God even as you grasp for it instead of Him

"In God We Trust"

Be Thou My Vision...
Riches I Seek Not, Nor Man's Empty Praise
Thou Mine Inheritance, Now and Always
Thou and Thou Only, First in My Heart
High King of Heaven My Treasure Thou Art

There was an excellent message that I heard the other day that highly influenced this blog posting. If you are interested, you can check out the message here.

In Memory of Faye "Nanny" Wilkerson, 1925-2008

2008-09-27T09:37:00.004-05:00

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28-39

Terrible Times Require Trustworthy Teaching

2008-09-13T16:44:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything on the ol' blog here. The fall semester has begun and classes, work, and church have all taken away the free time I had over the summer in which to blog. I had a few moments free today, so I thought I pass along a short posting.

I know I am interrupting a three part series on "The Prime Church," but I feel this is worth everyone's time and attention. The title of this posting corresponds to the title of a message given at a recent DTS chapel by Dr. Jeffery Bingham. He focuses his attention on some themes I have raised in earlier blog postings, especially the significant need today for sound teaching.

You can check out the message here.

Enjoy.

The Prime Church, the Bride of Christ

2008-08-24T13:03:00.042-05:00

The first scriptural analogy of the Church that we will address is the comparison of the Church to a bride, and Christ to a bridegroom:

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious– not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless... For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great– but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-27,31-32).

As I mentioned in the introductory posting, each of the analogies applied to the church in Scripture speaks at two levels: the conceptual unity of the universal church and the practical outworking of this unity in the local church, the latter flowing from the former. This first analogy of a bride lays the foundation for Christian unity (both in principle and practice): realizing our unity with God. Human sin nature desires nothing but rebellion. The grace of God alone unifies the sinner with the Savior and enables us to practice unity with others. If we ever hope to be a truly Prime Church, it is essential that we grasp (or at the very least appreciate more fully than we do currently) this bride/bridegroom imagery.

But the analogy of marriage no longer carries the weight today that it did in the original context. Today society perverts marriage into something purely romantic, and therefore fleeting and temporary. Don't misunderstand, romance plays a vital role in marriage, but a marriage founded solely on emotional feeling destines itself to crumble. If we interpret the analogy as romantic, then we misinterpret the message of the text. When Paul uses this imagery in Ephesians, he does so in the context of mutual, joyful submission and obedience to one another (see the introduction to this section in 5:15-21). The commitment holds the relationship together. We have no hope of grasping the importance of this marriage imagery as long as we continue to immerse ourselves in the mindset of a culture that has a warped view of the role God intended marriage to play. So, in order to fully understand this analogy, we must separate ourselves from the culture around us and explore the original context of the message: the marriage tradition of the first-century Jews.

Much of what is discussed here was first raised to my attention in a sermon by Brian Fisher, of Grace Bible Church in College Station, TX, entitled "The Church: Bride of Jesus Christ." I highly recommend you take some time to listen to this sermon. It traces the bride/bridegroom analogy beyond these few verses in Ephesians, identifying passages throughout the entire Bible that enlighten us to the commitment of God for His people and for His bride.

The Shiddukhim (or the Match) begins the marriage process. This was a responsibility belonging to the father of the groom, and it portrays God the Father as the initiator of the union process, not us. As much control as we like to think we have over our lives, especially when it comes to choosing who we will marry, we must realize that in our relationship with God He initiates and we respond. God chose us as a match for Himself while we still openly rebelled against Him. Despite our rebellion, God reaches out to humanity with grace and asks us to respond in faith. Grace lays the foundation for any hope of unity.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you (John 15:16).

The Mohar (or the Bride Price) follows the Match. The Father of the groom gave the Mohar to the family of the bride as a statement of the bride’s worth. How much worth do you think you have in the eyes of God? God pays the ultimate price for unity with His bride, giving His one and only Son on the cross. God not only chose us while we rebelled against Him, but He loved us to the point of crucifying His Son to establish a relationship with us. As a pastor of mine would say "Grace is free, but it is not cheap. It is exceedingly expensive." God acts to redeem despite the cost of grace. If we can come to a greater appreciation of this sacrifice on our behalf, we will naturally respond through sacrificing our own lives for others, setting aside our own desires for the betterment of the community, no matter the cost.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed– not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son (Acts 20:28).

The Ketubah (or the Marriage Contract) would be agreed upon by the families once the bride price was paid. They would then seal the agreement with a drink of wine. Jesus broke bread, blessed the cup and drank it at the last supper. Just as we see this marriage imagery providing a deep and rich metaphor for the believer’s relationship with God, the Jewish Passover tradition contains a wealth of symbolism that Christ used to teach His disciples in their final moments together (for more on Passover tradition, visit www.chosenpeople.org, or listen to the sermon "The Messiah and the Passover," given by Mitch Glaser).

And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:27-29).

The bread (or afikomen) taken during the meal was actually in three separate pieces. One piece represented the people, one piece God, and the piece taken between them represented the priest. The tradition calls for the breaking of this middle piece. When Jesus breaks the bread, He asserts His role as our intermediary priest, between us and God, His body broken on our behalf. In a similar fashion, the wine was actually five different representative cups taken throughout the Passover. The third cup of wine, known as the cup of redemption, would be presented after the meal. It served as a reminder of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. This cup Jesus takes and calls His blood. He declares that the blood of His body, the blood of the Passover lamb, will alone atone for sins and save from death.

The Mattan (or the Love Gifts) were voluntary gifts the couple gave to each other beyond the legal aspects of the bride price and the marriage contract. The love gifts given from the groom to the bride specifically reflect the love that God voluntarily gives to us. Beyond the gift of grace, as if it weren’t enough, God continues to bestow blessing on us. This blessing may not always come in the form of material wealth or worldly affluence, as we so often hear in the popular prosperity gospel preaching of today, but it most certainly comes. The following scripture quotation is long, but worth contemplating in its entirety. In fact I would recommend reading the remainder of Ezekiel 16 that follows this quotation to see how we take gifts given to us by God and pervert them to further our own selfish desires.. much like we have done with the gift of marriage.

"Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you," declares the sovereign LORD, "and you became mine. Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the sovereign LORD (Ezekiel 16:8-14).

The Shiluhim (or the Dowry), in addition to the love gifts, were gifts given by the father of the bride to His daughter. Any earthly analogy we use in trying to understand the intricacies of God 's operation, especially in developing relationships with humanity, falls apart at some point. In the analogy, God must fill the role of both the Father of the bride as well as the groom. Think of it this way: He continues to bestow blessing on us from every possible angle. If only we could concern ourselves with the work of blessing others spiritually from every side, then we would no longer need to preach unity.

I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire (2 Peter 1:3-4).

The Kiddushin (or the Betrothal) is the period that begins after the Ketubah. During this time the couple is legally married but there exists a period of separation between them. The bride and groom are set apart with undistracted devotion to one another, living in constant anticipation of their union. We need to live with this anticipation for the return of Christ. We need to look forward to the Nissuin (or the Marriage) and to the future celebration we will experience upon the return of the bridegroom. The quarrels between us today come to nothing in light of our future hope and glory.

There are many dwelling places in my Father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too (John 14:2-3).
You people of this generation, listen to what the LORD says. "Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? Why then do you say, 'We are free to wander. We will not come to you any more?' Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels? Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can even be counted (Jeremiah 2:31-32).
You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but rather, 'I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete (John 3:28-29).

Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7).

There is sooooooo much more that could be said for the bride/bridegroom analogy. It presents such a rich metaphor for God's desire and love for His church. What I hope I have presented here is simply the fact that before we can ever experience unity with each other, we must first realize our complete unity with Christ, both now and forever. Unity with God enables us to practice unity with others. Grace revitalizes our sinful hearts and enables us to live life with hope, expectantly awaiting the return of Christ.

The Prime Church, an Introduction

2008-08-18T09:04:00.028-05:00

Our pastor recently started a three week sermon series on the church, with each week dedicated to one of the three major analogies of the church found in scripture: the church as a building, a body, and a bride. Last semester, my main article for a Christian Journalism class was entitled "The Prime Church" and it dealt with these same three analogies. While the article focused more on the unity of the universal church, the sermon series has been geared toward involvement in the local church, and I really see the latter as a natural outworking of the former. I thought this might present an excellent opportunity to reevaluate the components of my article and synthesize them with the message of each sermon, evaluating how we 'do church' at both the local and universal level.

First, a brief explanation of the title "The Prime Church." This was my attempt at a creative play on words, influenced in large part by my background in mathematics. The title basically combines these two definitions of 'prime':

Prime \ˈprīm\ adjective
First in excellence, quality, or value.
(mathematics) Having no integral factors except itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).

In other words, a church of the highest quality is a church that is indivisible.

Yet today, thousands of different denominations practice Christianity worldwide. The authority of Christ’s teaching doesn't seem as important as our supreme right of choice. In essence, we have Americanized the church by elevating the democratic rights of the individual over the biblical mandate for a unified community. As the world looks on we argue, split churches, and condemn our fellow brothers and sisters simply because they are not of our denomination. How do these actions evidence Christ and His love to the world? If Christians can't even agree on what they believe, or what they practice, then why should anybody else want to believe it?

Over the next three blog posts, I would like to examine these three scriptural analogies of the church (the church as a bride, and Christ the bridegroom; the church as a building, and Christ the cornerstone; the Church as a body, and Christ the head), determining what insight each specific comparison can offer to a prime church.

My approach will be to explain the context from which Paul (through the super intention of the Holy Spirit) developed these metaphors. I believe that the major reason why we as Christians can read through these texts over and over again without really putting them into practice is because when it comes down to it, culturally speaking, we just don't understand the analogies anymore. We can read 'the church is a bride,' but if our culture doesn't practice the biblical model of a marriage of mutual, joyful submission, then we can't gain any benefit from this comparison that we can apply to how we 'do church.' Similarly, misunderstanding the purpose and function of the body, and even (as I'll argue) misunderstanding what it means to be built together into a single building, warps our interpretations of scripture and does nothing to change the state of the church today.

We need to return to the intended meaning of the text. When we do, we will see the clarity and the practicality of Paul's message: We need to realize our unity with God, appreciate our unified heritage as believers, and practice unity with each other, for the sake of Christ.

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me (John 17:20-23).

An End to the Means

2008-08-14T11:27:00.005-05:00

This discussion is a continuation and explanation of a comment made in a previous posting:

In fact, a thriving, distinctively Christian, life of the mind necessitates a proper eschatological focus. This point deserves much greater treatment, and for the sake of space this will be reserved for a future blog posting. Get your popcorn ready.

Well, is your popcorn ready? I'll wait... ready now? Great.

What I mean by "a thriving, distinctively Christian, life of the mind necessitates a proper eschatological focus," is that we can accomplish productive ministry to the world around us only when our motivation focuses on the promise of the future coming kingdom of Christ. A distinctively Christian ministry has at its core not only the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ in His first coming, but also (and just as importantly) the return of Christ in glory. As we attempt to make vital connections to the world around us, thoroughly embracing a proper emphasis on the second coming of Christ will have a radical affect on a world that has no end in sight.

This world stands condemned through sin, yet despite its condemnation, the world operates as though it can save itself through progress. Constantly improving, growing, expanding, advancing. Progress used to be a means to an end, a necessity to solve a problem. While that remains partly true today, most progress is attempted simply for the sake of progress, means for the sake of means, with a nonexistent end point.

The Christian however knows the end the world works towards: the coming kingdom and rule of Jesus Christ. This offers Christians something unique from the world: an assessment by which to judge progress. In light of this glorious end point, and this alone, should we evaluate any attempts at advancing progress in a distinctly Christian manner. For example, should the church begin using contemporary music in the worship service because that is the style of music people listen to now, or because it furthers the name of Jesus of Christ and brings us closer to His return? Or should the church install a coffee bar because the church down the street installed one and we must remain competitive, or because it loves people in a way that reflects and points to the establishment of Christ's authority? Are we aiming for numbers in church attendance or numbers in kingdom attendance?

The answers to these questions may very well be "both." God can certainly use our false motivations to still further His name and His kingdom, but the point of this posting is not to question the resulting outcomes, but rather the motivation itself. With God in control of the results, undoubtedly they will be distinctly Christian. My hope is that our motivations for decision making, our analysis for problem solving, would align with the future results God operates towards and thereby be distinctively Christian.

Progressing simply for the sake of keeping up with the progress around us offers people nothing different from what they can find in the world. The gospel becomes commonplace, just another product trying to compete for attention, instead of something that can radically transform lives. We are in this world, but we are not of it. In order to have meaningful contact in ministry, the gospel has to be lived out in way revolutionary to the world’s standards.

Please hear what I am not saying. I am not saying that ministry should be accomplished by offering people the knowledge of the end as if it was something we could set a date for. Much detriment has been done to this concept of 'looking forward to the future in order to be properly involved in the present' by those who try to predict the ending of the world and motivate people through a false gospel of fear of dread.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone... For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will" (Matthew 24:36,44).

Though we cannot state with certainty the timing of Christ's return, we can state with certainty the nature of His return, and that should influence us to preach, teach, and live out in the present a hope both true and eternal.

For further reading on this matter I recommend The Presence of the Kingdom by Jacques Ellul. Many of the opinions I have expressed here were heavily influenced by this book.

Perhaps a fuller treatment of this work will be presented in a future posting.

Perhaps.

For now, I hope that you have at least begun to question what motivates you to minister to a lost and broken world, and to consider how knowing the ultimate end that the world is working towards should influence the means by which we communicate the gospel.

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne" (Matthew 25:31).

Check out The Presence of the Kingdom on Amazon

Mercy Triumph

2008-08-12T19:08:00.009-05:00

Lyrics taken from "Mercy Triumph"
by Josh Garrels,
on the album Underquiet.

Lord I’ve still got questions

can anything be everything if everything is hollow? or does living has a reason that’s put off until tomorrow?

and now I’m riding round the bends to the bones of the morrow finding sorrow with the joy like the boy who’s been beat slashed torn and warned not to tell the truth and now my soul’s informed and I’m putting it to use, let’s defuse, I wanna defuse the humanistic time bomb compromising truth

buried alive in their scientific proofs

uncouth evolving sayers of sooth have lost their curriculum agenda and proof

for the Love that’s livin’ in me

and for the dreams that nobody sees

and for the broken soul on bended knee

and the God that’s gonna answer him powerfully

you see, you and me, we don’t amount to much

self-centered intellect’s not a power but a crutch,

losin’ touch with God’s reality, takin’ comfort in philosophies, thinkin’ it’s a speciality, sometimes fatality

who’s next on the docket?

have mercy on me

cause I believe He’s the One, the Son, who’s come to set us all free

Show of Faith

2008-08-11T12:06:00.004-05:00

This was the title of an interesting segment on NBC Nightly News from June 23, 2008. Video Courtesy of NBC.

While there have been numerous news segments to survey and comment on the religiosity of Americans, this one stood out to me because of one sentence by Rev. Eugene Rivers (emphasis added):

In some cases, because the American public is not terribly theologically literate, they hold contradictory views because they haven't thought deeply, or been taught deeply, about their faith tradition.

I just thought what a perfect way to summarize that state of faith in our country. We need better thinking. We need better teaching.

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

2008-08-09T19:15:00.053-05:00

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. By Mark Noll. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1994. ix + 274 pp.

"'Which commandment is the most important of all?' Jesus answered, 'The most important is: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:28-30).

Jesus quotes this passage from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Commonly referred to as the Shema, named after the first word שְׁמַע meaning "hear," this commandment is the very heart of Jewish confession and faith. Love, in this context, means more than simply an emotional affection, it refers to an expression of covenant-based life commitment and devotion. When you read this passage, which action do you tend to gravitate towards? Do you focus on genuine affections for God flowing from the seat of your heart, dedicating the entirety of your being found in your soul, serving faithfully with your bodily strength, or making conscious effort for the deep intellectual pursuits of the mind? If you are an evangelical like me, then the sad truth which Mark Noll examines is that while we succeed in exploring and developing the life of the heart, soul, and body, we tend to ignore giving much consideration to the ability of the mind.

The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind (p.3).

As modern evangelicals, we are the product of our past; a past birthed in the revivalism of the mid eighteenth-century and decorated throughout history as primarily an affectional movement. Within this tradition there has existed a dualistic tendency to label a cultivated mind as a hindrance to a heart of faith. The scandalous aspect is that by definition we evangelicals are a community devoted to the Word of God (which reveals Him as the author of nature, as the sustainer of human institutions, and as the source of harmony, creativity, and beauty) and the passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ, yet we have largely neglected intellectual reflection upon the outworking of God's revelation in nature and society. This has lead to a decline in distinctively evangelical critical thinking, and an illness upon the life of the mind. As Noll states the problem:

By "the mind" or "the life of the mind," I am not thinking primarily of theology [or biblical scholarship] as such... I mean more the effort to think like a Christian – to think within a specifically Christian framework – across the whole spectrum of modern learning... but the point is not simply whether evangelicals can learn how to succeed in the modern academy. The much more important matter is what it means to think like a Christian about the nature and workings of the physical world, the character of human social structures like government and the economy, the meaning of the past, the nature of artistic creation, and the circumstances attending our perception of the world outside ourselves. Failure to exercise the mind for Christ in these areas has become acute in the twentieth-century. That failure is the scandal of the evangelical mind (p.6-7).

As a thoroughly trained historian, the overall outline of Noll's work is to handle key moments on the evangelical time line, offering evidence of their impact on evangelicalism and its approach of intellectual pursuits, as well as insight as to how history develops, constantly building on the past and compounding the issues of previous generations, ultimately elucidating why recent evangelicalism finds itself so culturally disinterested.

{Aside}

I must disagree with Noll's analysis on one point: the rise of dispensationalism and its eschatological focus as a major detriment to the evangelical mind at the turn of the twentieth-century. Just as Noll argues that it is not the canons of evangelicalism themselves that have lead to the scandal of the mind, but rather the misapplication of these canons, I would argue that it is not dispensationalism itself that deters Christian intellectualism, but rather a dispensationalism misapplied. In fact, a thriving, distinctively Christian, life of the mind necessitates a proper eschatological focus.

This point deserves much greater treatment, and for the sake of space this will be reserved for a future blog posting. Get your popcorn ready.

Returning to the topic at hand...

Though dedicated largely to a treatment of historical trends and results, particularly focusing on the arenas of science and politics, Noll concludes his sobering presentation of the scandal with a message of hope. The strength of his argument lies in the demonstration of how a focus on the matters of the intellect is not in contradiction with spiritual concerns, but rather it flows from them. The canons that define us as evangelicals, and which have seemingly driven us in a direction against scholarly endeavorer, in actuality form the very remedy which, when applied properly, can steer us back on course.

There exists a scandal greater than the scandal of the evangelical mind and that is the scandal of the cross. As argued, a dedication to the development of the life of the mind is in reality a biblical mandate. Our evangelical dedication to Scripture and unyielding faith in the teachings, actions, and person of Christ, serves as the source from which a distinctly Christian mind can develop. We must take caution, however, in our treatment of the text and the applications we draw from it concerning the life of the mind. For example, when Paul states in Philippians 4:8 "whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things," we need not treat 'these things' as applying to a Christianity in isolation from the culture around it, but rather 'these things' as applying to elements within the culture, in and of themselves created good in the eyes of God, that yearn for Christian involvement and direction to foster proper, God-glorifying, societal development.

The answers to the questions and problems facing Western civilization will come from somewhere. The center of developing such answers to the problems of family and social structures, the problems of economics and politics, and even the problems of the church can be found in our intellectual institutions. The evangelical contribution to these institutions has been largely absent, vacating these arenas to the enemy in favor of 'practical ministry.'

Who among the evangelicals can stand up to the great secular or naturalistic or atheistic scholars on their own terms of scholarship and research? Who among the evangelical scholars is quoted as a normative source by the greatest secular authorities on history or philosophy or psychology or sociology or politics? Does your mode of thinking have the slightest chance of becoming the dominant mode of thinking in the great universities of Europe and America which stamp your entire civilization with their own spirit and ideas? (p.26, as quoted from Charles Malik, The Two Tasks, (Westchester, IL: Cornerstone, 1980), 29-34).

By the end of Noll’s work evangelicals can agree that our responses to society must be improved intellectually. Offering a quotation from scripture or the encouragement of faith as a cure to a societal ill does far less good than spending time in meaningful contemplation of the scriptures, as well as God’s involvement in His creation, and applying that to our everyday work and thought.

This is admittedly a thin line to tread, emphasizing a need for cultural involvement but not to the detriment of heavenly contemplation, and Noll is to be commended for articulating his argument so clearly. I have presented my best attempt at a concise summary of the work (with my own interjections on the subject included as well) but any treatment of such a topic as this in a forum as limited as a blog can never be complete. If I have assumed to much on the part of reader or if I have misspoken in any way, I apologize and I encourage your comments and emails on the matter.

In closing, I leave you with Noll's concluding remarks, as well as a directive from Scripture on which I pray you meditate and contemplate the dedication of your mind for the service and glory of Christ.

To think like a Christian is… to take seriously the sovereignty of God over the world He created, the lordship of Christ over the world He died to redeem, and the power of the Holy Spirit over the world He sustains each and every moment (p. 253).

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice - alive, holy, and pleasing to God - which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God - what is good and well-pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).

Check out The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind on Amazon

About Mark Noll

Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the playing field for the ceremonial first post

2008-08-04T17:21:00.009-05:00

Greetings, and welcome to my blog. To use the popular knife analogy, some people enjoy living on the cutting edge of technology. I prefer to locate on the flat, dull side with all the left over crusty food stuffs from the night before when the dishes were simply left unwashed in the sink. Only recently did I purchase an i-pod for my wife's birthday, we still haven't gotten on board with the whole DVR thing, and since when did mix tapes go out of style? But writing has always been a passion of mine and this blog will hopefully provide a good forum to hone those skills and also stimulate some much needed (in my opinion) theological conversation. So crusty food stuffs away!

The Purpose of this Blog

For those of you who don't recognize it, the title of this blog, "The Dude Abides," comes from the closing line of the movie The Big Lebowski. Nothing particularly edifying stands out in this movie and I definitely do not recommend it as family viewing, but nevertheless it remains one of my favorites from my earlier (i.e. pre-Christ) days. That last line had always stuck with me as just a cool saying but it soon transformed into a quasi life statement based on the words of Jesus in John 15. The evangelist uses the Greek word μενω (translated to remain, stay, or abide) eleven times in this chapter alone. Stated simply: abiding in Christ is the distinctive marker of a Christian.

This brings me to a brief explanation of the subtitle of this blog, "Distinctive Christianity." By in large in the church today as long as you talk about God it doesn't matter what you distinctively believe or conceive about Him, all that matters is that you know the right Christian code words and when to use them. The purpose of this blog is to bring into question some of the language and conceptions that we as Christians have of God so that during each moment of our daily lives we can stop and ask ourselves "Do my thoughts/words/actions/affections accurately reflect a distinctively Christian biblical theology?"

What You can Expect to see Here

On this blog you'll find excerpts from papers I have written (or hope to write someday), fascinating quotes from books I have read or movies that I have seen, worshipful lyrics from old hymns as well as contemporary music, and my overall thoughts and contemplations about life, theology, teaching, mathematics, and the Atlanta Braves. Perhaps I forgot to mention up until this point that I am huge (and by huge I mean HUGE) Atlanta Braves fan. Now that you know you can prepare for random references such as "By the beard of Smoltz!" (to be read in the manner of Will Ferrell as Ron Burgandy in Anchor Man: "By the beard of Zeus!"). I hope that you will find this material intellectually stimulating but also entertaining. I always welcome comments and interactions, and I look forward to some great conversations in the coming years.

My Prayer for You the Reader

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)