Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Christian Farming for the 21st Century

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
- Genesis 1:28 -

My grandfather sent me this photo. God calls man to subdue the earth and get dominion for God's Glory. Now Christian farmers can do that planting 48 rows at a time.








Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Victory in Jesus: I Heard An Old, Old Story

I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

/Chorus/
Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit"
I then obeyed His blest command and gained the victory

/Chorus/

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory
And I heard about the street of gold beyond the crystal sea
About the angels singing and the old redemption story
Oh and some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory

/Chorus/

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

(The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, 473)

Scriptural Reference:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

Eschatology of Hope: Benchmarking Church Growth and Community Impact for a Christian Future

Benchmarks for Community

Loose collection of thought-fragments on the Christian future . . .
  • Construction of brick-and-mortar churches that aren't going anywhere for a while, i.e., think of Notre Dame de Paris, or Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, but think of them as actually functioning as vibrant churches, instead of being mere landmark or tourist attractions--these brick-and-mortar churches would point to the acts of God in the past as well as the Christian future.
  • Construction of mercy-ministries (predominantly overseen and ran by local churches) with military-like organization and influence/efficacy, e.g., soup-kitchens and rescue missions that provide a segue from homelessness, hunger and poverty, financial and social instability, as well as functioning as a training-ground for developing a professional skillset that in the future might provide a protective-hedge for individuals (and families) from falling back into those vulnerable circumstances.
  • Construction of Christian-mediation groups to assist with legal disputes (outside of courtrooms) between Christians (this work would be only a segue until Christian Law was the law of civic courts). 
  • City-based trans-denominational elders meetings focusing on collaborative/strategic prayer, evangelism, mercy ministry, etc., for shared cultural space. 
  • Closing of abortion-mills, Planned Parenthood facilities, and the like.
  • Closing of Casinos, State Lotteries, etc.
  • Closing of strip-clubs.
  • Closing of wannabe strip-clubs, e.g., restaurants like Hooters, The Tilted-Kilt, etc.
  • Closing of oodles and oodles of Federal, State, and County "Department of whatever-wealth-redistribution-program-comes-to-mind"
What should be added to the list?

Monday, April 28, 2014

LOL: The Other Calvin Talks About the TeeVee!

Reading Notes: Disciplines of a Godly Man, Chapters 14-18, by R. Kent Hughes

Reading Notes for Introduction and Chapters 1-5.

Reading Notes for Chapters 6-9.

Reading Notes for Chapters 10-13.

Chapter 14 – Discipline of Church

  • There is a contemporary problem: doctrine of church is weak, i.e., what the author calls “ecclesiastical hitchhikers” (p. 169) - no meaningful commitment and no meaningful participation.
  • Visible/Invisible Church distinction is real. However, we must have a high view of Visible Church; must have a biblical view of the objectivity of the covenant.
  • “As to why the Church has fallen on such hard times, historians tell us that an overemphasis on the “invisible” Body of Christ by evangelical leaders produced an implicit disregard for the visible Church. However, membership in an invisible Church without participation in its local expression is never contemplated in the New Testament” (p. 170).
  • The author quotes from the Swiss Second Helvetic Confession: “For as there was no salvation outside Noah’s ark when the world perished in the flood; so we believe that there is no certain salvation outside Christ, who offers himself to be enjoyed by the elect in the Church; and hence we teach that those who wish to live ought not to be separated from the true Church of Christ (Chapter 27)” (p. 171).
  • And from the Westminster Confession of Faith: “The visible church . . . out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (Chapter 25.2).
  • Together we are “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). “In the Church we do more than come into each other’s presence—we share membership together” (p. 172).
  • Therefore, be committed to the visible church (cf. p. 175).
  • From the “Food for Thought” section: “What do our attitudes toward church and toward Christ have to do with each other? If the latter is misguided, will the former do any good?” (p. 177)
  • From the “Think About It!” section: “List as many strengths and weaknesses as you see in your church. Now write down the ways you personally are contributing to each of these, and also specific ways you can be part of changing the weaknesses” (p. 177).

Chapter 15 - Discipline of Leadership
  • Biblical leadership consists of (a) character, (b) qualifications, (c) commitment.
  • Author summarizes Biblical teaching on leadership: Biblical leadership is servant-leadership.
  • Looking through the lens of Moses-Joshua narrative, the author lists attributes for leadership:
    • Prayer: the foundation of spiritual leadership; our power comes from God.
    • Vision: one’s vision of God will shape one’s vision for living, i.e., service, leadership, etc.
    • Devotion: “True spiritual leadership is born for devotion and demands to be closeted with God. We cannot name one great leader in the Church who has not made personal worship a top priority. . . . There is no spiritual leadership apart from passionate devotion” (p. 183).
    • Magnanimity: 50 cent word for selflessness/generosity of spirit (see Numbers 11:28-29). “Those who qualify for spiritual leadership are big-hearted, supportive Joshuas to each other and to all those around” (p. 184).
    • Leadership & Faith: “Without exception, great spiritual leaders have a faith that towers above their contemporaries. The grammar of their lives is ‘By faith, by faith, by faith . . .’ (see Hebrews 11)” (p. 185).
    • Leadership & Holy Spirit: “There is no spiritual leadership apart from the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it follows that if we aspire to leadership in the Church, we must be full of the Holy Spirit. Practically, this means that we must continually confess our sins, keep ourselves in God’s Word, and continually submit to God, asking the Spirit to fill us. The telltale sign of this will be that we effervesce Christ (Ephesians 5:17-20). As we walk and serve in the Spirit, the Spirit will ordain us to specific tasks in the Church, and these will be tasks of leadership at all levels, be it waiting tables or heralding the gospel” (p. 186).
    • Expendability: “The transition from Moses to Joshua was like going from poetry to prose. Yet, God did not need Moses. Even Moses was expendable!” (p. 187).
  • “It goes without saying that leadership per se involves many more elements beyond the seven qualities instilled in Joshua. But one thing is sure: leadership must have a dream, a vision, a mental image, a precise goal of what is to be accomplished. Vision is the currency of leadership. A vision or dream must grab the leader, and when it does, it will pull others along. The challenge of leadership is so great today because modern man is dreamless” (p. 187).

Chapter 16 – Discipline of Giving

  • History again and again reveals that men are mastered by their wealth, e.g., see story spanning from 1923 to 1948 (p. 191).
  • How to avoid this? “The grace of giving” (p. 193).
  • “Giving” in the OT (pp. 192-194). All those percentages add up.
  • “Giving in the NT (p. 194-195). “Their [the poor Macedonians] remarkable giving was the result of their first giving themselves to God. It is so simple: when all one has is given to God, giving to others becomes the natural reflex of the soul. . . . This is where grace giving must begin – giving ourselves completely to God. Grace giving cannot exists without this (cf. Romans 12:1)” (p. 195).
  • We are not “clubbed” into giving. We are grateful because Christ gave all for us. We are united to Christ, who gave all, therefore, we bear fruit (grace of giving). The Lord's Service is corporate discipleship that "forms" us; God serves us in the Lord's Service (e.g., called into his presence, our sins are forgiven, washes us in Word, feeds us at Table, sends us out strengthened to get dominion in the world through/by service).

Chapter 17 – Discipline of Witness

  • Witnessing – “average” avenues of everyday person-to-person witness (all can do this regardless of gifting or calling), see p. 202.
  • An example: Andrew brought others to Christ (pp. 203-207). Author's comments on Andrew's ministry were compelling.
  • We need to realize the “value of relationships” – it takes (1) time, (2) effort, (3) emotional investment, etc. See p. 209 for ideas/examples for how to invest in relationships.

Chapter 18 – Discipline of Ministry

  • Disciplined in:
    • Labor: Labor for Christ and Church. “Big hearts, the enlarged hearts that God uses, are laboring hearts which, though weary, will willingly be expended as necessary” (p. 215). See 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and 2 Corinthians 11:27 – laboring night and day; laboring in all types of afflictions--this is persistent labor.
    • To Reach Out: Example of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). You cross barriers, you radically hurdle the conventional barriers of today, etc. Humbly goes after even “least of these.”
    • In Perspective: Learn to look at world through ministry/servant eyes. See spiritual opportunities. Be attentive/sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, e.g., while driving in a car the Spirit lays it upon you to pray for a passing car, etc. So, look for spiritual potential – “part of an eternal drama in which each Christian has a special part to play” (p. 218). What is my calling? What is my perspective? What am I supposed to do? Etc. God has called each of us to participate meaningfully in the Kingdom of Heaven. 


Card of Circumcised Hearts Always the Trump Card

Within the household of God, circumcised foreskins never trump circumcised hearts. If a grazed woodlot is neither good woodlot nor good grazing, the halfway covenant is neither good covenant nor good halfway. The Lutheran priest who promises his baptism or Lord's Supper actually does something, and that something is eternal salvation, is lying through his teeth. Wise souls will run for their lives! (BaylyBlog)

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Shakespeare is My Homeboy

Happy 450th Birthday anniversary to Shakespeare. To celebrate Mashable compiled some of Shakespeare's greatest jabs. "I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed." 

Fire on the Mountain

We say that we would like to be more like God. So be more thrilled with moonlight. And babies. And what makes them. And holding on to one lover until you've both been aged to wine, ready to pour. Holiness is nothing like a building code. Holiness is 80-year-old hands crafting an apple pie for others, again. It is aspen trees in a backlit breeze. It is fire on the mountain.   -- N.D. Wilson (from "God the Merrymaker" from CT, April 2014)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Parenting Like God

We should strive for holiness, but holiness is a flood, not an absence. Are you the kind of parent who can create joys for your children that they never imagined wanting? Does your sun shine, warming the faces of others? Does your rain green the world around you? Do you end your days with anything resembling a sunset? Do you begin with a dawn?   -- N.D. Wilson (from "God the Merrymaker" from CT, April 2014)

China

I've made brief notes before here and here about the growth of Christianity in China. Recently Peter Leithart summarizes an article over at The Telegraph which states China is on course to become 'world's most Christian nation within 15 years.' From the article:
"Mao thought he could eliminate religion. He thought he had accomplished this," Prof Yang said. "It's ironic -- they didn't. They actually failed completely."
Communism writes off (persecutes) religion wholesale. But perhaps in God's providence the evil that is communism is merely a tool that God is using to graze cultural idolatrous woodlots, i.e., a type of pagan clear-cutting; Communism is the "Emerald Ash Borer" of the forest-that-is-paganism. So now the seed of the Gospel can be planted and new Psalm 1- "righteous man" tree farms can be cultivated? Perhaps. What the communists intended for evil the Triune Lord intended for good.

I'm guessing Christian China is singing Psalm 2 with zeal.  
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the 
LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Merrymaker: Divine Glory-Joy Weaving

Our Father wove glory and joy into every layer of this world. He wove in secrets that would tease us into centuries of risk-taking before we could unlock them--flight, glass, electricity, chocolate. He buried gold deep, but scattered sand everywhere. And from the sand came all the wealth of our own age.   -- N.D. Wilson (from "God the Merrymaker" from CT, April 2014)

Easter Sunday

Adam bore the image of God and was man's federal representative. Adam rebelled against God, however, the rebellion-sin did not destroy but only defaced the imago Dei. So now man's nature has been corrupted by the imputation of the ethical disease of sin (Romans 5:12).

God, however, promised that from the seed of the woman a new federal representative and image bearer of God would be sent to restore the defaced imago Dei of the progeny of the First Adam. This "seed" who brings the grace-gift of Salvation-Eternal Life is the Second Adam the God-Man Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45). God has demonstrated in the Second Adam his love in full (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Easter Sunday is a celebration of God's love in full--we celebrate because we know that if having been united to Jesus by the gift of saving faith through the work of the Holy Ghost, and that having gone down with Jesus in his death, so too we shall rise with Jesus in that decisive victory of Resurrection, when the Father proclaimed that Jesus Christ the Son of God was the Salvation-King of fellow-man (Psalm 2; Psalm 110). At the Table of Fellowship Christians gather to partake of Christ's body and blood which are a Testament of a greater covenant, the Covenant of Grace declared in Genesis 3:15; it is the New Covenant by which God is restoring the World to goodness through His Resurrection.

Good Friday

Christians never look to the Cross with fear but rather with hopeful remembrance: Christians believe that the hungry lion-of-death that consumed our Lord is no longer worthy of being feared because God through Jesus Christ has transformed death into a salvation-making carcass so that now out of the eater came forth meat / out of the strong came forth sweetness (Judges 14:14), i.e., out of the cruel-strength that is death comes sweetness. Salvation that came out of the Death of Christ is as sweet to you as is honey. Death is victory-less. Death is sting-less. Christians believe in the death of death in the death of Christ. Christian living is paradoxical, believing death is the consummation of Eternal Life.

On Prose-Poetry

Discussing Herman Melville's literary genius exemplified in the writing of Moby Dick, Robert Alter reflects on how Melville broke through the literary stylistic boundaries of that time while under the influence of the powerful prose of the King James Version of the Bible.
This ambition to turn the language of the novel into prose-poetry is a distinctly American project; there is nothing quite like it in British fiction till the advent of modernism. In saying this, and, indeed, in my general account of the presence of the King James Version in American prose, I do not mean to make any larger claim about the much debated issue of American exceptionalism. There are certainly some characteristics traits of American culture that look distinctive, but they do not necessarily encompass the culture as a whole and they are not necessarily unique. It suffices for my argument that the phenomena I describe are particularly at home in the American settings and  are not readily imaginable elsewhere. In regard to the bold polyphony of Melville's prose that is inseparable from its purposefully poetic character, it should be stressed that there is considerable correspondence between the actual allusions to earlier writers and components of style drawn from them. The single figure of Ahab is compound of literary allusions. He resembles King Ahab not only as evil monarch but in his heroic defiance: King Ahab at the end, bleeding to death, asks to be propped up in his chariot so that he can continue to do battle, just as Melville's Ahab at the end, blinded, his boat splintered, persists in the fierce struggle against his terrible foe ("from hell's heart I stab at thee"). Ahab is also Job, bitterly arguing against what he sees as the skewed moral order of creation, and he is even the blighted generation in the wilderness ("forty years of continual whaling! forty years of privation, and peril, and storm-time! forty years on the pitiless sea!"). At the same time, Ahab is also Milton's Satan and both Macbeth and Lear. What needs to be kept in mind is that Melville summons up for his own novelistic purposes not only the lineaments of these sundry figures but elements of the poetic language in which they are etched in the texts where they originally appear" (Robert Alter, Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible, 65-66).

The Church is the New Israel because Jesus is the New Israel

The gospel writers picture Jesus as retracing the steps of Israel. Reminiscent of Israel, Jesus spent time in Egypt, entered the Jordan (baptism), was tempted in the wilderness, called twelve apostles (like twelve tribes), spoke God's word like Moses (Sermon on the Mount), preached five sermons (compare the Pentateuch) in Matthew, performed mighty deeds of deliverance (sings, wonders, and exorcisms), and confronted imperial powers. Where Israel had failed, Jesus had been a faithful Son. His followers were to take up the task of being God's servant people. He worked with a faithful band of disciples, he taught them about life in what he called "the kingdom of God," and he introduced them to the new covenant that bound them together in forgiveness and love" (Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Israel, 4).

Friday, April 18, 2014

WCF. V. Of Providence - 2-7. Q & A.

Blogging through and answering the questions from G. I. Williamson's The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes for personal review and comprehension.

Prior posts for WCF. I. Of the Holy Scriptures - Sections 1-10.

Prior posts for WCF. II. Of God, And of the Holy Trinity - Sections 1-3.

Prior posts for WCF. III. Of God's Eternal Decree - Sections 1-8.

Prior posts for WCF. IV. Of Creation - Sections 1-2.

Prior post for WCF. V. Of Providence - Sections 1.

WCF. V. Of Providence. Sections 2-7.

1. Name the common objections to the doctrine of absolute sovereignty. 

It is argued that if God is absolutely and exhaustively sovereign, then that means that man is not responsible for his sins.

2. Refute same.

Scripture emphatically teaches that man sins precisely because man wills to do so. Man has genuine free will, however, it is not philosophic "libertarian" free will (because there is no such thing). Man's free will is the free will of a "creature", we have freedom within the confines of a created-thing's opportunity and ability. Precisely because of the Creator-creature distinction, the Triune God, who is infinite, eternal, and immutable, allows man to do as he wills, i.e., desires/intends/chooses, as a means for rendering all that God in his providence has predetermined, i.e., "Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet, by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently" (WCF. V. 2.).

3. Why do the elect sometimes sin so grievously?

For a variety of reasons: as chastisement for former sins; to reveal to the elect the fierceness of sin's power; as illumination contributing to their ongoing sanctification, through revealing and enlightening the elect of deceit hidden in the dark corners of one's own heart; chiefly--to cultivate humility in them, that they might draw nearer to Jesus as the author and finisher of their faith, the Captain of their salvation. Also, falling into grievous sin teaches the elect to be on their guard, to be more watchful, to ensure that they not give Satan so much as a single wooden peg to perch upon within their hearts (seeing that the enemy oftentimes schemes to migrate sinners from lesser to greater sins). Certainly there is a plethora of "sundry other just and holy ends" (WCF. V. 5), but it would be impossible to denote them. We must be content with God's Word alone: Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

4. Why do the reprobate sometimes act better than we might expect them to?

"Because God sometimes enables the conscience of the unbeliever to overrule him" (358). The imago Dei was only defaced by the Fall, therefore, even in unbelievers there are "remnants of their old nature" (tracing back to the sinless nature of Adam). "The conscience still retains some recollection of the law of God which was written there in the beginning (Rom. 2:14-15)" (67).

5. Is it correct to speak of a Christian as both an old and new man?

Absolutely not. A Christian was the "old man" but is now the "new man." There are, however, sinful effects of the nature of the old man that a Christian must be guarded against until his death and consummation of Eternal Life. This is why mortification and quickening of the Spirit is so important for Christian Living.

6. Is a Christian "responsible" for the sin he does under the influence of "the remnants of the old nature"?

Yes. Absolutely. The new man sins, but the source of the sin is not from the new man, but, as said above, the effects of the nature of the old man. "The regenerate man sins, but he cannot give himself to the willful and continual practice of sin: 'For His [God's] seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God' (1 John 3:9)" (66).

8. Explain and harmonize Paul's statements in Romans 7:20 and 7:24.

Romans 7:20, "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Paul traces source of sin to the remnant-effect of former sinful nature.

Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Paul clearly believes he himself is responsible for his own sinful actions.

9. Why is the final section of this chapter of the Confession important? 

The final section is Section 7: "As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof." Here we learn that God's providence in a special way is concerned with God's redemptive aims (cf. Rom. 8:28; Eph. 3:11).

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Reading Notes: The Spreading Flame by F.F. Bruce

Bruce, F.F. The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English. 1958. Reprint. Paternoster Press, 1981.
I have read a handful of books by F.F. Bruce (New Testament History, Acts commentaries), this book was equally good. Also, generally speaking, I appreciate Bruce's straightforward style of writing.
This book traces the growth of the Church from its inception until the 8th century. During this historical survey Bruce time and time again clearly depicts the context for each of the episodes he visits, e.g., the correlation between the Roman peace of Augustus' reign and Paul's words in Galatians 4:4, "when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son" illustrates how the world was both politically and religiously primed for the advent of the gospel (p. 24); the interlocutory Church Orthodox through its Ecumenical Councils vis-à-vis internal heretical pressures (Chapters 25-26, 31-33; particularly Chapter 33, titled Defining the Faith, which discusses the dialogue on the nature and persons of the Trinity between the Orthodox and heretical groups, i.e., Marcionism, the Monarchian schools, Docetism, Sabellianism, etc.).
Bruce's subject matter is separated into three parts, which, I believe, in Bruce’s estimation could be called “The Good, The Bad, and The Slightly Better”: Part I covers the Good of the "The Dawn of Christianity" until the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 1-70); Part II covers the Bad of the "The Growing Day" that rose out of Jerusalem's destruction at the advent and reign of Constantine (AD 70-313); and Part III covers the Slightly Better rising of the "Light in the West" with the English conversion (AD 313-800). In each of these three volumes, Bruce is at his strongest when giving simple descriptions that create a context for understanding the spreading flame of Church History.
In this historical retrospect, descriptions of Christian evangelism and Church growth were particularly compelling, i.e., without being sinfully detached or unemotional Bruce aptly avoids sensationalism in his retelling of Christianity's growth and the positive, liberating, and meaningful change it brought to pagan cultures, e.g., Christian mercy-ministries (pp. 189-190) and Christianization that was cataclysmic for the revision of existent law-code (p. 401). While reading this book I was reminded of David Bentley Hart's thesis in Atheist Delusions, a book "chiefly about the early church" and the revolutionary reality of the "triumph of Christianity." Similarly, Bruce's historical rendering of Church History as the metaphorical “Spreading Flame” plots out in an episodic fashion that same Christian triumph, albeit without the more provocative stylism of contemporary scholars, e.g., Hart, Peter Leithart's Deep Comedy, and Robert Louis Wilken's The Spirit of Early Christian Thought. Compared to said contemporary authors Bruce feels dry and dusty.
As an aside: I would never go to Bruce to resolve a theology question, however, if I am simply trying to understand what the Biblical text says or what actually did occur historically, then he is on the top of my list. Bruce is great for explanation, but Bruce is lousy for implication/application. Also, I know folks have actively debated whether it is best and/or accurate to consider Bruce a "liberal conservative" or a "conservative liberal", but I have to admit that I think that entire debate is tragically flawed. Unfortunately, when the debate is framed like that, it turns the debate into an argument between "kinds" rather than "types". To me that is criminal; Bruce is (in my humble opinion) intrinsically conservative when it comes to the discipline of Biblical Criticism. Why do I say that? Because Bruce first and foremost considered the New Testament documents to be historical, and the historicity of the New Testament and its message is exactly the rub between Biblical conservatives and liberals. The "Postscript" to this book is rather self-revealing of Bruce: he states, "For Part I the main source-book is the New Testament. An evaluation of the historical quality of its contents may be found in my inquiry Are the New Testament Documents Reliable? (first published in 1943)." Bruce continues with the expected scholarly posturing, briefly mentioning the value of Josephus' writings and Roman historian Tacitus, but I would love to read contemporary scholars who could echo Bruce on that first point.
Moving on, a repeated theme in the book is Bruce's contention that “Christianity was organized for catastrophe” (p. 288). Bruce notes:
The story of the Christian Church of the first three centuries is largely a commentary on this [Christ’s promise of triumph to those who persevere]. In the fiercest of tribulations Christianity proved its capacity for survival, and not for mere survival but for actual victory. And the victory was won by spiritual weapons alone. . . . We review the history of Christianity up to the year 313 with no sense of shame, but with a sense that here is something to evoke gratitude and inspire courage. The qualities that triumphed then are the qualities which still transmute disaster into victory (p. 289).
By this bold and epigrammatic statement Bruce points to the fact that Christianity in its beginnings is characterized by the fact that Jesus himself did not mince words regarding the looming opposition the disciples would be faced with. The disciples, however, had been given the promise of triumph, thus, after the complete reversal-and-inversion of the thought-to-be-disaster that was the Cross, all subsequent disasters and even death itself had been debilitated and turned upside down and inside out.
This is a helpful hermeneutic for any Christian Historian who is faced with trying to trace the Spiritual growth of the Invisible Church while at the same time giving proper merit to the growth of the Visible Church. Bruce quotes Dean Inge favorable: “The real history of Christianity is the history of a great spiritual tradition. The only true apostolical succession is the lives of the saints” (161). Thus, during his presentation of Church History post- AD 313, Bruce laments much of history of the Visible Church, nearly chalking some episodes up as none other than secular history. Interestingly, I think Bruce’s personality comes through the clearest at these subtle points where his opinion pokes through his straightforward style, e.g., “Where church leaders were able to exercise political as well as spiritual authority, they did not enjoy any marked immunity from the universally corrupting tendency of power—a tendency which presents an even more displeasing spectacle in Christians than it does in other people, because it clashes so with the first principles of Christianity” (293).
Yet, Bruce is no simpleton. He properly understood that it was impossible (and just plain wrong) to attempt to talk about the Invisible Church without referent to the Visible Church. He says, “But the difficulty of the would-be historian is this: it is relatively easy to trace the fortunes of a visible institution, whereas the course of a great spiritual tradition is much more elusive. And yet, the two are so closely interwoven that it is impossible to treat of the one without constant reference to the other” (p. 161). This made me thing of how there are always two types of network topologies: there are physical topologies (physical/literal telecommunication cable runs, connecting circuits from Point A to Point B) and there are virtual topologies (diagrams the logical/virtual flow of data across/through the interconnections of a physical topology).
After gritting his teeth in Part II, while reflecting on the post-Constantine imperial decline and its co-occurrence with barbarian invasions, Bruce highlights how a Church “organized for catastrophe” once again thrived. The Church took the “handicaps of that kind . . . in its stride, showing once again that it was organized for catastrophe and never revealed its true qualities better than in times of general disaster” (p. 417).

I find Bruce to be helpful. Church History is a messy affair, but this book was a good reminder that Christians should be cautious not to collapse the token of the Visible Church into the Invisible Church or vice-versa, e.g., Bruce says, “but the genuine spirit of Christ is sometimes to be found in unlikely quarters. That, after all, is what we might expect when we consider that Christ Himself was regarded as scarcely orthodox either in belief or in practice by the leaders of His own religious community” (p. 417). A good reminder, indeed.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

LOL: Restraint

"Once you have a cache of consumables, you'll have to show some restraint to avoid increasing your rate of consumption. My first adventure into stockpiling came when I bought what I thought would be a two- to three-year supply of wine. The convenience of having it on hand each time we had a nice meal turned it into a one-year supply. It's easy to use something that is handy, especially when you have a great quantity of it. Like the child who eats the whole shopping bag full of Halloween candy, you may get sick when you realize your cost of living has risen due to the convenience of your stockpile" (John A. Pugsley, The Alpha Strategy, 62).

Behooved by David Bentley Hart with Qualifiers to Protect My Unborn Child

You really must go read this article by David Bentley Hart. If Colbert in the earlier post didn't make you laugh, then this will.

On the one hand, DBH interacts with a critique of his recent book, in which he exposes the "depressingly vapid" cognition of the "indolent secularism of late modern society," while on the other hand, DBH, to put it lightly, will make you laugh. In fact, I told my wife, who is currently pregnant, to read the article, forewarning her that she would fall on the ground with laughter. To which I quickly added, "Just don't hurt the baby!"

Stephen Colbert on Common Core

Laugh your heart out, America!

History of Liturgy

Helpful essay on historiography/liturgical history. From the essay's conclusion:
The point of this tour through liturgical historiography is to demonstrate that what many people typically mean when they speak of the liturgy of “the early church” is actually a historically-contingent sample from a span of about four or five hundred years, beginning with, rather than climaxing in, the fourth century. This sort of observation does not tell us whether a certain liturgical form is good or bad, nor even better or worse, but what it does do is place the entire discussion firmly in the realm of human law, tentative investigation, and, thus eventually, prudential application.
As the saying goes: In Essentials Unity - In Non-Essentials Liberty - In All Things Charity.




Monday, April 14, 2014

The Caboose of Modernity

Next, we should reject postmodernism because it isn't really postmodern. Before awarding the grand prefix post to anything, we should ascertain that it actually is describing something in the rear view mirror. If we look at the foundation stones of modernism, we should quickly identify one of them as being the thought of Darwin — evolution. But why is it that none of these johnnies are saying that they are post-Darwinian? Evolution is a metanarrative, but the only incredulity I can find anywhere is in the discussions of tourists in the parking lot of the Creation Museum. The postmodernists pretend that they are blowing up the foundations when they are actually just painting the eaves a different color.
Excerpt above from recent musing on Postmodernism by Douglas Wilson. Three cheers for that first sentence: "Next, we should reject postmodernism because it isn't really postmodern." I took a degree in Philosophy at university and I remember when I reached the same conclusion during my studies and thought, "Wait, hold the phone. This Postmodern-thing is only the Caboose of a train called Modernity." Not really post-modern, indeed.  All things Pomo collapse under the weight of their own critiques. Postmodernism thinks it is Revolutionary, but all it is doing is "painting the eaves a different color," i.e., Pomo is the child begat by Modernity and now it spends its time, as all little children do, dressing up and playing make-believe. Postmodernism is like the Lutheran who ran away from Rome's idols but in the final analysis only exchanged ready-made idols for the organic idols of bad sacramental theology.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Reading Notes: The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God by John Frame

Frame, John M. The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1987.

This book is great. It was highly enjoyable reading it again front-to-back. On the surface, it is about Christian epistemology—the theology of knowledge, but on another level JMF is clearly trying to stir up our Christian imaginations (I will elaborate later).

In his Preface, JMF says that this book was written as a text for his seminarian course called The Christian Mind, and that his pedagogical approach to the subject “begins with a brief introduction to the Reformed faith, which is followed by a unit on the Word of God, and ends with discussions of apologetics . . . In between those two units—Word of God and problems of apologetics—comes a section on the theology of knowledge . . . which is the subject of this volume” (xv).

Once you strip away all the appendixes, the book's presentation is threefold and straightforward: Part One discusses the objects of knowledge (What do we know?); Part Two discusses the justification of knowledge (What right do we have to believe what we do?); and Part Three discusses the methods of knowledge (How do we obtain knowledge?).

I found this early quote helpful for a high-level understanding of JMF's book: “The knowledge of God [What do we know?] is a human response to God's Word and is justified [What right do we have to believe what we do?] by its conformity thereunto” (4).

Throughout the book the “biblical concept of divine lordship” is a sustained theme, which JMF summarizes with a triad: God's control | authority | personal presence (17). In light of this, in answering the question What do we know? JMF argues that:

Knowledge is under God's control. First, our knowledge of God is always based on revelation. In our coming to know God, it is He who takes the initiative. . . . Furthermore—at least in the postfall context—this revelation is gracious; we do not deserve it, but God gives it as a 'favor' to us as part of His redemptive mercy . . . Thus, the origin of knowledge is trinitarian: The Father knows all and reveals truth to us by the grace of His Son through the work of the Spirit in our hearts. Note how each person of the Trinity is involved in the knowing process . . . Thus it is all of God, all of Grace. We know God because He has first known us as His children” (42).

This knowledge (given to us as a favor of God's redemptive mercy) is subject to God's authority, therefore, it “is inevitably an obedient knowledge,” e.g., “there is a 'circular' relation between knowledge and obedience in Scripture. . . . It is certainly true that if you want to obey God more completely, you must get to know Him; but it is also true that if you want to know God better, you must seek to obey Him more perfectly” (43).

So . . . 

In summary, 'knowledge of God' essentially refers to a person's friendship (or enmity) with God. That friendship presupposes knowledge in other senses—knowledge of facts about God, knowledge of skills in righteous living, and so forth. It therefore involves a covenantal response of the whole person to God in all areas of life, either in obedience or in disobedience. It involves, most focally, a knowledge of God's lordship—of His control, His authority, and His present reality (48).

JMF throughout the book is obviously talking about The Christian Mind, however, he is advocating that theologians must learn to analyze before reacting (30), and that an important element of that process, in light of the biblical concept of divine lordship, is that our our beliefs must cohere with Scripture . . . and if they don't, then Scripture has a “veto-power over beliefs that are inconsistent with its teachings” (128). Regarding the question How do we obtain knowledge?, JMF's conclusion is that Scripture is the ultimate justification of all human knowledge (129).

On the one hand, we need to remember what I quoted earlier, that human knowledge subject to God's authority is inevitably an obedient knowledge, while on the other hand, we must remember JMF's conclusion above, that Scripture is the ultimate justification of human knowledge. If we balance those two thoughts it is obvious that the biblical concept of knowledge is never merely propositional ascent. Therefore, Christian epistemology (the theology of knowledge) is a theology that is defined as “the application of the Word by persons to all areas of life” (81) JMF says this means “A person does not understand Scripture, Scripture tells us, unless he can apply it to new situations, to situations not even envisaged in the original text” (84).

So, according to JMF, if one warrants that theology = application, then there is no dichotomy between meaning and application. In light of this, JMF's subordinate aim makes sense—he is attempting to stir up Christian imaginations because “we shall see that it is arbitrary to insist that theology be written in a formal, academic style. Rather, theologians ought to make broad use of human language—poetry, drama, exclamation, song, parable, symbol—as Scripture does” (85). But why this JMF-insistence that we make broad use of human language? Well, because JMF believes that “On a Christian basis we must say that God made human language for His own purposes, the chief of which was to relate us to himself. Human language is (perhaps even chiefly, or “primarily”) a medium by which we can talk to one another about God” (35). Since JMF believes that “Imagination has much to do with any attempt to do things in a new or different way” (340), it would seem that JMF is urging up-and-coming theologians to “creatively” talk to others and one another about God.

This imaginative way of doing theology made me think of some contemporary authors: Peter J. Leithart (Deep Exegesis), James K. A Smith (Desiring the Kingdom and Imagining the Kingdom), and David Bentley Hart (The Devil and Pierre Gernet: Stories). I especially thought of Hart's work, since in the Author's Apologia he says, “I have written stories and poems all of my life, or at least since fairly early childhood, whereas I conceived an interest in philosophical theology only when, as a young man, I went searching for God; and then, as things turned out, I came to conclude that God is no more likely (and probably a great deal less likely) to be found in theology than in poetry or fiction” (ix).

JMF is a top-shelf theologian. So, obviously I was challenged (even convicted) by a great deal of what he had to say, e.g., his consistent call “to do theology” with an irenic posture. However, I was most edified when he would mention the hindmost perspective of his triadic summary of divine lordship—the presence of God, e.g., “Thus God's lordship is a deeply personal and practical concern. God is not a vague abstract principle or force but a living person who fellowships with His people” (17).

Sunday, April 6, 2014

First Trout of the Year - April 4th, 2014

Fishing with the kids. First trout of the year!



CCRC: Psalm/Song of the Month for April, 2014

At CCRC we are endeavoring to learn/focus on a Psalm or song each month. Psalm 22:11-20 - "Be Not Far Off, for Grief is Near" from the Cantus Christi hymnal is April's song of the month. Below is a meditation for this month's Psalm. 

Psalm/Song of the Month for April, 2014
“Be Not Far Off, for Grief Is Near”
Cantus Christi – 31
Psalm 22:11 – 20


Psalm 22 has become a standard (classic) passage for Christian liturgical use during the Lenten Season; Jesus on the cross, identifying with the Psalmist, recited its opening line (v. 1), "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"(Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)

This psalm begins with the honest question, "Why, God, have you abandoned me?" It ends, however, with the triumphant conclusion (vv. 30-31), "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." Considering the arc of this psalm, one commentator has said, "From the initial cry of cosmic isolation, the poet now engages himself to live ‘for’ or ‘in’ the Lord. The generation to be born shall then proclaim the fidelity of Yahweh to his beloved servant” (Samuel Terrien, The Psalms, 234-235). In this psalm, the poet has aptly described both the emotional and temporal transformation from sorrow/defeat to joy/victory.

Christians see this transformation, firstly, in the Father’s resurrection of Jesus, and, secondly, in the growth of the Church—it is the total Christ, both Jesus Christ and his Body (the Church), who proclaims the fidelity of God the Father to his only begotten Son, the beloved and suffering servant who went to the cross to save the lost.

There are three structurally identifiable divisions in this psalm which build to the concluding remarks in vv. 30-31:
  • vv. 1-11. With intimacy, cf. vv. 1-2, poet introduces theme of lament, however, v. 11 concludes with a cry of hope.
  • vv. 12-23. He describes the "animality" of tormentors, yet, in v. 16, he acknowledges that God is sovereign/cause of his torment. Finally, he instructs those who fear the Lord, i.e., the seed of Jacob, the seed of Israel, to praise the Lord.
  • vv. 24-29. Without an elaborate transition, the psalmist introduces a hymn of praise/thankfulness—the psalmist is “certain of his deliverance or his healing to come” (Terrien, 233).
  • vv. 30-31. Intimacy of vv. 1-2 “transmutes into a future of glory” (Terrien, 230); the future generation will “proclaim the fidelity of Yahweh to his beloved servant.”

The majority of the verses rendered/paraphrased for singing in Be Not Far Off, for Grief is Near are from the second division—the verses move from the (1) cry of hope, (2) to the description of tormentors, and (3) concludes with petition for deliverance.

Meditating on the 22nd Psalm reminds us that in Redemptive History there is no triumph without sorrow, there is no resurrection without crucifixion, and there is no Easter without Good Friday. “The ultimate lament begins with the terror of the void, but it ends with the fervor of the saved” (Terrien, 236). As Habakkuk said, “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: . . . in wrath remember mercy.”

Aids for teaching and meditation:
  • Because we have been adopted by God (cf. Romans 8:15), we have an intimate relationship with the Father. Not in spite of but because Jesus is our mediator, we are able to call out to God with honest intimacy, e.g., "My God, my God . . ."
  • God is Holy (v. 3). God is sovereign over our affliction (v. 15). In our affliction, we appeal to God, but we do so with trust, godly fear, and praise (vv. 20-23).

Below is an interlinear presentation of Psalm 22:11-20 – bold is KJV/English translation and italic is Cantus Christi’s verse rendering/paraphrasing for singing (taken from The Book of Psalms for Singing, 1973).

v. 11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
v. 11 Be not far off, for grief is near, And none to help is found;

v. 12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
v. 12 For bulls of Bashan in their strength Now circle me around.

v. 13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
v. 13 Their lion jaws they open wide, And roar to tear their prey.

v. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
v. 14 My heart is wax, my bones unknit, My life is poured away.

v. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
v. 15 My strength is only broken clay; My mouth and tongue are dry, / For in the very dust of death You there make me to lie.

v. 16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
v. 16 For see how dogs encircle me! On every side there stands / A brotherhood of cruelty; They pierce my feet and hands.

v. 17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
v. 17 My bones are plain for me to count; men see me and they stare.

v. 18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
v. 18 My clothes among them they divide, And gamble for their share.

v. 19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
v. 19 Now hurry, O my Strength to help! Do not be far, O LORD!

v. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
v. 20 But snatch my soul from raging dogs, And spare me from the sword.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Reading Notes: Disciplines of a Godly Man, Chapters 10-13, by R. Kent Hughes


Opening Remarks -- There is an intentional framework for this section on "Character". The author starts by discussing integrity and character in Chapter 10, then in Chapter 11 and 12 he discusses how integrity/character manifests itself by (1) what we say (the tongue) and (2) what we do (our work/deeds). The author concludes by discussing the Discipline of Perseverance in Chapter 13 -- this logically follows because "perseverance" ought to be an attribute if integrity is applied to speech/words and action/deeds.

Chapter 10 - Discipline of Integrity

  • Any realistic survey would reveal that American culture is in big trouble. But the crisis isn't merely a culture problem, it is a people problem.
  • "But the main reason for the integrity crisis is that we humans are fundamentally dishonest. We are congenital liars" (p. 126). The author points to Paul's words in Romans 3:13, "their tongues practice deceit."
  • But "God desires truth in the inward parts." - Psalm 51:6. Take-Away-Point: Don't be deceptive, and don't be self-deceived.
  • Solution: "Integrity is one of the greatest needs of the Church today" (p. 127). So, never (1) cheat/steal/defraud; (2) keep your word; and (3) be a man of principle.
  • Truth-telling is a discipline. We must discipline ourselves to always tell the truth.
  • From the book's "Think About It!" section: "Read through Psalm 15, making a list of every mentioned character trait or personal action that relates to integrity and its companions, truth and honesty. Then go back through the list and indicate how you are doing on each point (poor, fair, varies, consistently obedient, etc.) Now pray for God's help in living out all of this" (p. 133).
Chapter 11 - Discipline of the Tongue
  • Discipline of the tongue is a related fruit of the discipline of integrity.
  • Author cites the "Boxer Rebellion" of 1899 in China as an example of the destructive power of the tongue.
  • So: Do not doubt or underestimate the power of the tongue (cf. p. 137f). The tongue has intrinsic power (James 3:1-4), e.g., the way a rudder controls a ship, and the tongue has destructive and corruptive power (James 3:5-6), e.g., gossip, innuendo, flattery, criticism, and diminishment.
  • "A true text of a man's spirituality is not his ability to speak, as we are apt to think, but rather his ability to bridle his tongue" (p. 142).
  • Therefore: the author recommends that we (1) ask God to discipline your tongue, (2) ask God to cauterize our lips (cf. Isaiah 6:5), (3) ask God to impress this need as an ongoing prayer, (4) strive to memorize Scripture "which teach the proper use of the tongue" (see all the excerpts on the tongue from the Book of Proverbs on pp. 275-278).
Chapter 12 - Discipline of Work
  • Both sloth and overwork are a contemporary epidemic (p. 147).
  • Work matters to God. Christians are called to "Get Dominion" for Jesus. "Men everything about your work must be directed toward Him -- your attitudes, your integrity, your intensity, and your skill" (p. 152). We "Get Dominion" for Jesus by apply excellence to our trade/sill/vocation/calling: "Work that is truly Christian is work well done" (p. 154).
  • Assessment test provided by the author: (1) Do I do my work for the glory of God? (2) Do I honestly work hard? (3) Do I work with enthusiasm? (4) Do I work wholeheartedly? (5) Do I do excellent work?
Chapter 13 - Discipline of Perseverance
  • We must persevere in integrity, persevere in with fruit of integrity in our speech and deeds--in order to do this we must focus on Jesus Christ and overcome obstacles, tribulations, etc.
  • Christians need to cultivate the virtues of hope and joy.
  • "If we focus on the joy that Christ has set before us, we will endure the sufferings of this world and will dismiss any shame incurred in His name as nothing. And we will run the race to His glory" (p. 163).
  • "The discipline of perseverance confronts us to" (p. 164f): (1) Divest. Throw off besetting sin . . . (2) Run. Run our own race, the race God has marked for us . . . (3) Focus. We must focus on Jesus . . . (4) Consider. We must consider Him (Jesus). Our life is to be spent considering how He lived (cf. Hebrews 12:1-3).