Vacation and New Site

While on vacation I set up a new blog. http://treeandtheseed.com/

New Phase of American Church History

"American Protestantism entered a new phase during Nevin's lifetime. It is not an overstatement or caricature to say that, no longer regulated by the state and no longer administered by ordained officers, Protestant Christianity in the United States became a religion of the people, by the people, for the people"  (D.G. Hart, John Williamson Nevin, 26).

High-Church Calvinist

"[John Williamson] Nevin recognized that, without the nurture of the institutional church through its worship and pastoral care, Calvinist theology would not survive as a vibrant expression of the Christian religion. For that reason, Nevin deserves the nickname "high-church Calvinist"" (D.G. Hart, John Williamson Nevin, 13).

Economic Reality and Stewardship

"[Dabney] urged young Southerners to remember certain unchangeable principles that formed his theological response to the economic realities of the new South -- in particular, the principle that God was the true owner of all property and wealth; humans simply used property as stewards. Dabney taught that God's Word outlined three appropriate purposes for wealth: personal sustenance, family need, and insurance against the future. Wealth was certainly not to be used in "superfluities" or on luxuries, which only produced a worldly conformity, led others to covet, and ruined one's own character. Such unproductive consumption was a "waste and perversion of a trust that should have been sacred to noble and blessed ends." Instead, excess wealth was to be used for evangelism and other ministries, for "every ignorant, degraded man who is enlightened and sanctified becomes at once a useful producer of material wealth, for he is rendered an industrious citizen. And every heathen community that is evangelized becomes a recipient and a producer of the wealth of peaceful commerce."" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 189).

Warning to Not Plunge Into Error

"On the atonement, Dabney claimed that the Westminster Confession did not take a position on the order of decrees -- the long-standing debate among Calvinists over infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism. Indeed, he held that "if we impute our sequences to God, we plunge into error. The most we can comprehend is that God, in entertaining from eternity one part of this contemporaneous purpose, has regard to a state of facts as to that part destined by him to result from his same purpose as to other parts of his moral government"" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 141-142).

Loss of Influence

"While Dabney was able to hold the line against any form of racial reconciliation, he was not as successful in his battle against fraternal relations with the Northern church -- in 1882, New South Presbyterians within the PCUS repudiated his position. This battle against the Northern church did more to damage his reputation than any other action, and would ultimately be the impetus that relegated Dabney to the margins, both ecclesiastically in his loss of influence within his church and geographically in his "exile" to Texas" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 135-136),

Preserving Southern Identity

"[Post- Civil War] The issues at home were pressing and demanded Dabney's energies. While the North had gained the upper hand politically through the force of arms, Dabney sought to maintain a distinctive Southern civilization . . . by strengthening the Southern institutions that remained. . . . It was primarily in the PCUS [Presbyterian Church in the United States, i.e. the Southern Presbyterian Church], not in monuments or Confederate Day speeches, that Dabney sought to preserve Southern identity" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 134-135).

American Maybe

"While before the war [Dabney] had been Virginian first, American second, after the war Dabney was Virginian first, Southerner second, and American maybe" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 130).

Dabney the Biographer

"Because he had already memorialized Stonewall Jackson in a powerful sermon after the general's death in 1863, and because he was both a relative and a former member of Jackson's staff, Mary Anna Jackson asked Dabney to write a biography of the Confederate chieftain. Dabney spent the rest of the war on his Life of Jackson -- researching the battles, visiting Mrs. Jackson, securing Jackson's remaining papers, and writing the manuscript. The resulting biography was Dabney's longest-standing literary monument and one of his chief glories" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 128).

Chief of Staff

"Dabney was interested in seeking another tour in the army as a chaplain and had been old by General D.H. Hill, a fellow Presbyterian, that he could have a position in his division. In the meantime, Stonewall Jackson had sent his wife away from Winchester to stay with her cousin, Dabney's wife, Lavinia, at Farmville. Jackson, as a result of his wife's intercession, offered Dabney the position of chief of staff of the Second Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 115).

Honor

"It is important to notice themes of honor and patriotism in Dabney's declaration of war [i.e. the Civil War]. He had advocated peace until it was no longer a 'virtue,' until the edge of 'dishonor' was reached" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 109).

Penal Substitution and Divine Providence

"Dabney believed that this "penal substitutionary theory" of the atonement was the keystone of Christianity. 'There is scarcely a leading head of divinity which is not changed or perverted as a logical consequence of this denial of penal substitution consistently carried out,' Dabney taught. Forsake the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement and other key doctrines were sure to go: God's distributive justice; God's immutability; the doctrines of adoption and perseverance; and the church's teaching on the eternal punishment of the reprobate. Most important, however, was what the denial of the penal theory of the atonement would do to the doctrine of providence. If there was no special providence in Christ's sufferings, then the problem of evil would forever remain an 'insoluble mystery.' Such an idea was unthinkable to Dabney. The scoffers against Christianity would have his objections answered in 'our doctrine of redemption through Christ's substitution, and nowhere else.' God permitted evil in the world and suffered with that world in order to demonstrate his glory through the cross-work of Jesus. Dabney exclaimed exultantly, 'The Messiah is our complete theodicy!' Divine providence was saved through the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 91-92).

Dabney on the WCF

"In an essay commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, Dabney compared the Westminster Confession to an arch in which "the removal of any one [stone] loosens all the rest and endangers the fall of the whole." In the same way, the Westminster Standards were an organic whole; to deny one part was to do harm to the rest of the system. "It is for this reason," Dabney wrote, "that the Confession will need no amendment until the Bible needs to be amended." Strict adherence to an unchanging creed was the way to maintain orthodoxy in the South" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 86).

Dabney's Vision of Seminary: Theological and Intellectual Bootcamp (without "practical training in parochial duties")

"[Dabney] thought that seminary training should be instructed to intellectual labor and "thorough mental culture." If ministers were to gain pastoral skills, such training would have to occur "under the pressure of pastoral responsibilities," not in the seminary classroom" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 77).

Presbyterian Education

"Dabney believed that Union Seminary was a necessary bulwark against the concentration of power in a single institution, such as Princeton Theological Seminary. "Suppose that such an institution [were] training all or nearly all the ministers of our church, and consequently becoming the fountain of literary and theological opinion for the whole church," Dabney wrote. "The result would be most un-Presbyterian and dangerous, even while this school remained orthodox." And if this school were to begin to teach heresy, such an institution "might spread its poison unresisted through the whole body." Hence, Union Seminary was vitally necessary and deserved the support of the Synods of Virginia and North Carolina" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 64).

Dabney As Preacher

"The common threads in all of these contemporary appraisals of Dabney's preaching were his pulpit intensity, his lack of polished oratory, and his didacticism. And an examination of the extant sermons demonstrates that these appraisals were fair and accurate. These sermons indicate that the majority of Dabney's preaching generally shifted back and forth between passionate and direct evangelistic appeals to unrepentant sinners to come to Christ, and doctrinal sermons on points related to soteriology" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 51).

Shortened Civil War Career

"Dabney suffered from camp fever once again, a sickness 'which brought me to death's door.' The illness forced him to resign his commission, which Jackson accepted with 'great reluctance' . . . In summary, Dabney's career as a Civil War chaplain and soldier is difficult to assess with accuracy because he did not participate long enough in either office to be noticed" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 117).

Government

"From [John] Randolph and [John C.] Calhoun, Dabney learned that, while God himself had ordained human government, human sinfulness also made government a necessity" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 29).

History Learnt

"What [Robert] Dabney desired above all else was that the past be remembered and given its due weight in contemporary discussions. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" not only was the biblical motto placed on Dabney's tombstone in the Union Seminary cemetery in Farmville, Virginia, but also was Dabney's policy for New South Presbyterians. What was necessary, Dabney claimed, was the rising generation to learn the history of the past truly"" (Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney, 21).

Spiritual Calling

"Apropos of Berlin's emphasis on the professionalization of the ministry, Hodge clearly differed in his view of the task of the pastorate. Whereas the new model focused on the minister's sociological mission, Hodge and his fellow Princetonians maintained the traditional view of the ministry as a spiritual calling and not a profession" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 109).

Athens vs. Berlin

"Hodge's astonishment at the preparation and practice of German pastors brings into focus perhaps the most significant impact of his European sojourn [Hodge's two year hiatus, 1826-1827, to Europe for additional theological studies] . He witnessed firsthand the radical differences between Princeton as an exemplar of the traditional Athens model of theological education in America and the new German model that emerged in the early nineteenth century. . . .

"Berlin replaced Athens' paideia with two distinct and potentially disparate functions: "Wissenschaft or orderly, disciplined critical research" on the one hand and "professional" education for the ministry on the other. Such a paradigm shift signaled the emergence of scholarly research as virtually an end in itself instead of a means to shape the spiritual life of the student. The only degree that Berlin offered, for example, was the doctorate. Instead of studying texts that exemplified a received and authoritative body of truth, the new curriculum treated all knowledge not as something fixed and established but as in the process of being developed. The operative term describing Wissenschaft was critical. Authority as something absolute and unchanging gave way to authority as the product of continuing research" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 105-107).

Princeton & Paideia

"Another influential element in establishing Hodge's lifelong practices came through his three years at Princeton Seminary. This influence resulted from the charter of the school, "Plan of the Seminary," which mandated in detail not only the theological identity of the school, but also how it would in turn mold the lives of its students. The Plan, a remarkably detailed charter, consisted of eight articles outlining structure and governance, role of faculty, curriculum, and character and piety of students....

"Even a casual perusal of the Plan reveals the seriousness with which Princetonians undertook their mission. The Plan proved consistent with the college and seminary's New Side heritage. Princeton therefore exemplified what David H. Kelsey has called the "Athens" model of theological education. The Athens approach, the oldest ideal of education in Christianity, held paideia, instruction, to include not only teaching theological content but also "culturing the soul." "Schooling as character formation" stood foremost in pastoral training" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 50 & 53).

Charles Hodge by W. Andrew Hoffecker

Good video. Great book.

Charles Hodge

"The thesis of this study is that Charles Hodge manifested the attributes associated with Calvinistic confessionalism (strong adherence to creedal religion, liturgical forms, and corporate worship) as well as the characteristics of evangelical pietism (the necessity of vital religion marked by conversion, moral activism, and individual pious practices)" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 32).

"While the term New Side--Old Side Presbyterian might seem a contradiction if not an impossibility in principle, Charles Hodge managed to exhibit the best that each faction could offer in its heyday. Unabashed in his enthusiasm for sound orthodoxy coupled with Reformed piety, as churchman, theologian, controversialist, and writer on all matters of interest, he lived and worked as one of the nineteenth century's most influential Presbyterians" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 360).

American Presbyterianism: Old Side - New Side

"The Hodge family had a history of pietist activity within the church. They remained active in Second Church through successive generations down to Charles's elder brother Dr. Hugh Lenox Hodge, who served as ruling elder. Thus Hodge grew up an heir of evangelical piety, familiar with its religious enthusiasm and activism. Hodge, however, also recounted other practices reflecting that in addition to pietism, his family retained important elements of Old Side confessionalism, an alternative and somewhat antagonistic expression of religious experience from that of New Side evangelicalism. Confessionalist Presbyterians, like their counterparts in Lutheran and Episcopalian denominations, explained religious experience primarily in terms of doctrinal faithfulness to church confessions and participation in the sacraments and corporate worship over against revivalist-inspired piety that characterized the Great Awakening. They stressed catechetical instruction and participation in congregational life under careful oversight of the clergy, which stood in contrast to the privatism and individualism of revivalism. Charles Hodge's theological perspective and deepest religious convictions as well as his teaching, publishing, and participation in denominational affairs mirrored his family's background in the internecine quarrels of these two rival traditions that competed in forming the identity of American Presbyterianism from mid- to late eighteenth century" (W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge, 31).

Harmony

"The conductor of a great symphony orchestra was once asked which was the most difficult instrument to play. 'The second violin,' he answered. 'I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play second violin with enthusiasm--that is a problem. And if we have no second violin, we have no harmony'" (Kent & Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, 46).

New Music: Die Old by Mantric

Die Old

Artists all around. Work so hard to avoid happiness.

Oh, how deep you sound. But I'm not impressed.

What's so wise about narcissistic whimpering, nihilistic failure?

It sure beats me.

But you won't wipe this smile off my face.

I'll think of sun when days are cloudy.

I'll squeeze as much joy out of every given day

that I am man for, don't get in my way.

'Cause you won't wipe this smile off my face.

Won't close my eyes to the deeds of cruelty.

But what I'll choose to embrace is beauty.

And I'll stick to my plan – to die old with a smile upon my lips.

Hard Work is Fun Work

"Henry W. Coray, one of Machen's students at Princeton and Westminster, recalled that Machen often said, 'Boys, there are two things wrong with this institution: you're not working hard enough and you're not having enough fun.' 'You can't be a good theologian,' another oft-repeated admonition, 'unless your a good stunter'" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 187).

On Teaching

"'Modern pedagogy has emancipated us, whether we be in the pulpit or in the professor's chair or in the pew, from anything so irksome as earnest labour in the acquisition of knowledge.' [Machen] then refers to the ascendancy of methodology, observing, 'It never seems to occur to many modern teachers that the primary business of the teacher is to study the subject that he is going to teach. Instead of studying the subject that he is going to teach, he studies 'education'; a knowledge of the methodology of teaching takes the place of the particular branch of literature, history, or science to which a man has devoted his life'" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 179).

The Life of Faith

"Playing off of the New Testament analogy of the new birth, Machen points out that in birth one is passive, not contributing at all. He then adds, 'But birth is followed by life: and though a man is not active in his birth he is active in the life that follows" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 113).

Christ: The Object of Faith

"Justification by faith is consequently crucial because it gets to the heart of saving faith. Machen puts the matter this way: 'The efficacy of faith, then, depends not on the faith itself, considered as a psychological phenomenon, but upon the object of the faith, namely Christ" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 111).

Doctrine the Foundation and Ground of Lifestyle

"Contrary to the liberal point of view, which holds that Christianity is a lifestyle, Machen argues that Christianity is a doctrine. He nuances his views by adding that it is, indeed, also a lifestyle, but quickly adds that it is one founded on and necessarily preceded by doctrine" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 89).

Meaningful

"Is Christianity a true religion, in accordance with the facts of history, and therefore, because of that truthfulness, meaningful? Or does it become real and meaningful as it is borne out by experience?" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 83).

Succinct and Compelling

"These two books [Christianity and Liberalism and What Is Faith?] accomplish far more than a response to liberalism, as they offer succinct and compelling presentation of the Christian view of the Bible, Christ, God, humanity, salvation, and faith" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 79).

"[Examining 1 Corinthians 15 in The Origins of Paul's Religion] Machen captures the essence of Paul's summary of the gospel in the early verses of that chapter when he write, "'Christ died' -- that is history; 'Christ died for our sins' -- that is doctrine. Without these two elements, joined in absolutely indissoluble union, there is no Christianity." The work of Christ in history provides the only sure basis for salvation, the truth which the church has been called to bear witness" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 89-90).

Mother Wit

"Certainly if a man is to be scholar and a teacher he cannot investigate too much" (Cited from a letter by Machen's mother to her son in Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 34).

Upbringing

". . . a faint picture emerges of Machen's childhood, a blend of seriousness and high culture and laughter and pranks. And at the center of this upbringing was the Bible, the Shorter Catechism, and The Pilgrim's Progress, all poured into the lives of the Machen boys by their mother" (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 25-26).

A CREC (Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches) Response to the Obergefell Decision

A CREC Declaration | June 28, 2015 from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

You can view the statement on the website for the CREC:

http://crechurches.org/documents/statements/2015-Obergefell.php 

 

It is also permanently linked from the Documents page, under the Statements heading:

http://crechurches.org/documents/#statements 

 

Please note that a number of the phrases are drawn from the CREC memorial on "Homosexuality", which you can view on at Christ Covenant Reformed Church's website:

http://ccrchurch.org/#/about-us/memorials

Pray for the Church of Christ in the United States. May we repose in Christ and remain faithful to our Lord. Please consider these words of encouragement, from a book on prayer, by James Beeke and Joel Beeke.

It is easy to focus on the mountains surrounding us: mountains of unbelief, worldly enticements, wrong doctrinal statements and balance, and our own poor understandings and abilities. But we are also called to focus upon who God is in Christ -- One who is greater than all these mountains.

Focus upon who God is in Christ, and may "The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee" (Psalm 20:1).

Church of Christ

"The Church of our text [Matt. 16:18] is made up of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, of all who are really holy and converted people. . . . The members of this Church do not all worship God in the same way, or use the same form of government. Some of them are governed by bishops and some of them by elders. Some of them use a prayer-book when they meet for public worship and some of them use none. The thirty-fourth Article of the Church of England most wisely declares, "It is not necessary that ceremonies should be in all places one and alike." But the members of this Church all come to one throne of grace. They all worship with one heart. They are all led by one Spirit. They are all really and truly holy. They can all say 'Alleluia,' and they can all reply, 'Amen'" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 217).

Vivid Symbols

"All these ceremonial regulations, whether of food, of clothing, of agriculture, of sacrifices, were not ends in themselves, possessing intrinsic merit, but were vivid symbols of the fact that Israel was a holy nation, belonging to Jehovah, dedicated to holiness of life, to faith, and obedience, and called to exhibit the character of God here on earth" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, 17).

"How sad it was that the Jewish hierarchy, together with many of the people of Israel, looked upon their external separation from the Gentiles as ends in themselves and as guarantees of divine favor rather than as symbols of the spiritual relationship and condition which God requires of those who are His sons and daughters! (19)

Beware

"I want you to beware of presumption. Do not abuse God's mercy and compassion. Do not continue in sin, I beseech you, and think you can repent, and believe, and be saved, just when you like, when you please, when you will, and when you choose. I would always set before you an open door. I would always say, "While there is life there is hope." But if you would be wise, put nothing off that concerns your soul" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 187).

Active Membership

"Each mature Christian has, of course, the responsibility to 'test all things.' But Christian truth is a corporate possession. The church is the context within which we should expect to have wrong ideas gently corrected and right ones gently suggested, and where we in turn may contribute to the same activities. This will mean active membership in a local church and perhaps a variety of Christian groups; it should also involve careful listening to Christians of other backgrounds and periods of history" (N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, vol. 12, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris,  43).

Mighty To Save

"This is the main doctrine to be gathered from the history of the penitent thief [see Luke 23:39-43]. It teaches us that which ought to be music in the ears of all who hear it -- it teaches us that Jesus Christ is "mighty to save" (Isa. 63:1)" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 182).

Israel's Separation Unto the Lord

"The central blessing of the Lord to the children of Israel was not a superior biological inheritance, nor a better national home, nor any material blessing at all; it was a unique knowledge of God Himself. This knowledge rested upon the self-disclosure of God to Israel. . . . All of Israel's differences from her national neighbors were, therefore, the results of, or symbols of, her spiritual separation unto the Lord; the fact that Israel alone was God's peculiar and special treasure, His covenant people" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, 7 & 9).

Question

J.C. Ryle encourage Christians to look at the example of Moses; see Hebrews 11:24-26. "Such were the things that Moses refused--rank, pleasure, riches, all three at once" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 138).

Ryle asks, "Are you willing to give up anything which keeps you back from God?" (144)

The Way of Faith and Holiness

"The Old Testament is entirely clear, therefore, that always and ever there has been but one way to become God's child, to be acceptable to Him, and to enter into a covenant relationship with Him. That way is the way of faith and holiness" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, 6).

Our Sense of Salvation

"Inconsistency of life is utterly destructive of peace of conscience. . . . I bless God that our salvation in no wise depends on our own works. By grace we are saved -- not by works of righteousness -- through faith - without the deeds of the law. But I never would have any believer for a moment forget that our SENSE of salvation depends much on the manner of our living. Inconsistency will dim our eyes, and bring clouds between us and the sun. The sun is the same behind the clouds, but you will not be able to see its brightness or enjoy its warmth, and your soul will be gloomy and cold. It is the path of the well doing that the day-spring of assurance will visit you, and shine down upon your heart" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 121-122).

Christ the Center

"There is one more thing which is absolutely essential to growth in grace -- and that is regular and habitual communion with the Lord Jesus" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 94).

Covenantal Continuity

"Scripture tells us that just before the exodus the children of Israel "sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage" [Ex. 2:23]. The Word of God represents the kindness of the Lord in taking Israel out of Egypt and establishing them as His covenant people in Canaan as a fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob [Ex. 6:4-8]. This statement is very significant, for it indicates the nature of the various covenants which God made with Noah, with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, with Moses, and with Christians through Christ; that is, there is a certain continuity from one covenant to the other" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, 5).

Growth in Grace: Private and Public Means of Grace

"One thing essential to growth in grace is diligence in the use of private means of grace. . . . private prayer, private reading of the Scriptures, and private meditation and self-examination. . . . Another thing which is essential to growth in grace is carefulness in the use of public means of grace. . . . the ordinances of regular Sunday worship, the uniting with God's people in common prayer and praise, the preaching of the Word, and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 92).

Major Thesis

"Since this book deals not only with the Scriptural principles, but also with their application to current ethical problems, there may be some who disagree with the author. . . . But let any minor disagreement be seen in the light of the major thesis -- that the faith of a Christian must express itself in a life that is different because it is ordered according to the Word of God" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, xiv).

Gotta Fight, Fight, Fight

"The principle fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh, and the devil" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 53).

Holy?

"I do not ask whether you attend your church regularly -- whether you have been baptized, and received the Lord's Supper -- whether you have the name of Christian -- I ask something more than all this: Are you holy, or are you not?" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 45).

To Say and To Do

"This book meets a great need in Christendom at large. In a day when Christian faith is thought of pretty much in terms of verbal commitments and generalities, it calls Christian professors to a walk that fits our creeds. To be a Christian is not only to say, but to do" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, xiii).

Breaks the Power of Sin

"Jesus is a complete Saviour. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer's sin, He does more -- He breaks its power. (1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 12:10)" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 41).

Nonconformity

"Being nonconformed to the world is not a matter of rejecting science and inventions, nor is it the maintenance of a cultural status quo, nor is it difference for its own sake. One cannot be nonconformed to the world by adopting a few symbols of nonconformity while remaining carnal and unspiritual in heart. Nonconformity to the world is the natural outcome of having been born again and of being alert to the spiritual issues which confront Christian living in a given culture" (John C. Wenger, Separated unto God, ix).

Close to God

"If there is any point on which God's holiest saints agree it is this: that they see more, and know more, and feel more, and do more, and repent more, and believe more, as they get on in spiritual life, and in proportion to the closeness of their walk with God" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 20).

Evidence

"The Spirit never lies dormant and idle within the soul: He always makes His presence known by the fruit He causes to be borne in heart, character, and life" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 18).

Vital Union > Mere Formal Union

"Sanctification, then, is the invariable result of that vital union with Christ which true faith gives to a Christian. . . . The union with Christ which produces no effect on heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God. The faith which has not a sanctifying influence on the character is no better than the faith of devils. It is a "dead faith, because it is alone." It is not the gift of God. It is not the faith of God's elect. In short, where there is no sanctification of life, there is no real faith in Christ" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 17).

Sanctification

"Sanctification is that inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer. He not only washes him from his sins in His own blood, but He also separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in his heart, and makes him practically godly in life. The instrument by which the Spirit effects this work is generally the Word of God, though He sometimes uses afflictions and providential visitations "with-out the Word." (1 Peter 3:1) The subject of this work of Christ by His Spirit is called in Scripture a "sanctified" man." (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 17).

How Much Christ Has Done For Us

"Once taught to live the life of faith in Jesus, and abiding in Him, we shall bear more fruit, shall find ourselves more strong for duty, more patient in trial, more watchful over our poor weak hearts, and more like our Master in all our little daily ways. Just in proportion as we realize how much Christ has done for us, shall we labour to do much for Christ" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 14).

Power

"Prayer precedes power" (Dwight L. Moody from sermon "The Prayers of the Bible").

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate!

"Our research shows that these types of nonhuman changes failed [i.e. team restructuring, tweaking a performance management system, etc.] more often than they succeed. That's because the real problem never was in the process, system, or structure--it was in employee behavior. The key to real change lies not in implementing a new process, but in getting people to hold one another accountable to the process. And that requires Crucial Conversations skills" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 13).

Prayer

"The Apostle James tells us that the prophet Elijah was a man 'subject to like passions as we are.' I am thankful that those men and women who were so mighty in prayer were just like us" (Dwight L. Moody from sermon "The Prayers of the Bible").

imago Dei

As image-bearer of God, man possesses the possibility both to create something beautiful, and to delight in it.
     -- Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism

Getting Heard

"People who routinely hold crucial conversations and hole them well are able to express controversial and even risky opinions in a way that gets heard. Their bosses, peers, and direct reports listen without becoming defensive or angry" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 10).

Lit: Knowledge & Art Form

"Literature is a form of knowledge, but it is also an art form--the creation of technique and beauty for the sake of entertainment and aesthetic delight" (Leland Ryken, Thinking Christianly About Literature from The Christian Imagination, 25).

Pregnant

"Like a woman who cannot be a little pregnant, an argument cannot be partly valid or invalid but must be completely one or the other" (Louis P. Pojman, Philosophy, 15).

Conversation as Power-Source

"Our research has shown that strong relationships, careers, organizations, and communities all draw from the same source of power--the ability to talk openly about high-stakes, emotional, controversial topics" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 9).

Begin with Reality, Return to Reality

"Literature takes reality and human experience as its starting point, transforms it by means of the imagination, and sends readers back to life with renewed understanding of it and zest for it because of their excursions into a purely imaginary realm" (Leland Ryken, Thinking Christianly About Literature from The Christian Imagination, 24).

Where's a chill pill when you need it?

"When conversations turn from routine to crucial, we're often in trouble. . . . Two tiny organs seated neatly atop your kidneys pump adrenaline into your bloodstream. You don't choose to do this. Your adrenal glands do it, and then you have to live with it. . . . The issue at hand, the other person, and a brain that's drunk on adrenaline and almost incapable of rational thought. It's little wonder that we often say and do things that make perfect sense in the moment, but later on seem, well, stupid" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 5).

Respecter of Language

"Literature consists of words, first of all. Yet when Christians talk about literature, it would be easy to get the impression that literature consists of ideas. It does not. . . . A proper respect for language is a prerequisite to producing and understanding literature" (Leland Ryken, Thinking Christianly About Literature from The Christian Imagination, 24).

"Won't Back Down" - Tom Petty

"Despite the importance of crucial conversations, we often back away from them because we fear we'll make matters worse. We've become masters at avoiding tough conversations" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 3).

Enlarged Reality

"Literature enlarges our world of experience to include both more of the physical world and things not yet imagined, giving the "actual world" a "new dimension of depth" (C.S. Lewis, Of Other Worlds, 29)" (Donald T. Williams, Christian Poetics, Past and Present from The Christian Imagination, 17).

Crucial Day-to-Day Conversations

"The crucial conversations we're referring to are interactions that happen to everyone. They're the day-to-day conversations that affect your life" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, 1.

Necessary Discernment

"In the real world after the fall, as in the literary worlds which represent it, good and evil are so intertwined that the responsibility of discernment cannot be realistically avoided" (Donald T. Williams, Christian Poetics, Past and Present from The Christian Imagination, 13).

Problems with Disagreement

"The root cause of many--if not most--human problems lies in how people behave when others disagree with them about high-stakes, emotional issues" (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switlzer, Crucial Conversations, xiii).

Literature as Creation

"Here, then, is finally a profoundly Christian understanding of literature which does not merely salvage it for Christian use but finds the very ground of its being in explicitly Christian doctrine: creation, the imago Dei, the "cultural mandate" to subdue the earth" (Donald T. Williams, Christian Poetics, Past and Present from The Christian Imagination, 11).

Clear As Mud

"One of the tasks of philosophy is clarifying concepts" (Louis P. Pojman, Philosophy, 3).

Kudos for My Generation (Keep on ignoring the captains at the helm of the Mainline Titantic!)

Excerpt below is from an article you gotta go read.

First, it’s quite common to hear from former evangelicals now within the Mainline Protestant tradition that if evangelicals, with their persistently conservative theology, would only liberalize on such issues as biblical authority and sexual ethics—they’d find a newfound opportunity for cultural influence and increased opportunity to “reach the next generation.” The problem, however, is that the statistical evidence suggests just the opposite: It’s the liberalizing trends of American life that work to calcify vibrant, growing, and orthodox belief. The report indicates that a nominal, religious middle is simply dropping out altogether. The almost-Christianity of liberal Christianity is proving, in the long run, to not be Christianity at all. Either failing to grow or literally dying out, Mainline liberalism offers little as far as attractional gravitas once it surrenders core doctrinal beliefs to progressivism. If anything is clear from the Pew report, it’s that evangelicals should, once and for all, ignore the captains at the helm of the Mainline Titanic.

 Again, this only reinforces Carl Trueman's recent comments. "For Christians to continue to protest the world in the public square, they need first to be deeply and seriously grounded in the historic, doctrinal, and elaborate Christian faith."

How will evangelical Christians survive? How will Liberalism be overthrown? It's easy. Merely hold fast and earnestly contend for the faith handed down.

Beowulf and Wyrd

"That his work cannot now be read at all without trouble, nor understood and valued in detail without sustained effort, is due under God to wyrd [fate/personal destiny], the doom of men to live briefly in a world where all withers and is forgotten. The English language has changed -- but not necessarily improved! -- in a thousand years. Wyrd has swept away to oblivion nearly all its kin; but Beowulf survives: for a time, for as long as learning keeps any honour in its land. And how long will that be? God ana wat" [God alone knows.] (J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, 275).

A Clear Token

"The chief of those Geatish men had accomplished all his proud vaunt before the East Danes, and had healed, moreover, all the woe and the tormenting sorrow that they had erewhile suffered and must of necessity endure, no little bitterness. Of this a clear token it was when that warrior bold had set the hand, the arm and shoulder, beneath the widespread roof -- there was Grendel's clutching limb entire" (J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, 36).

Samson

Vivid excerpt from John Milton's Samson Agonistes.

My self, my Sepulcher, a moving Grave,
Buried, yet not exempt
By privilege of death and burial
From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs,
But made hereby obnoxious more
To all the miseries of life,
Life in captivity
Among inhuman foes.
But who are these? for with joint pace I hear
The tread of many feet stearing this way;
Perhaps my enemies who come to stare
At my affliction, and perhaps to insult,
Thir daily practice to afflict me more.

"Seriously grounded in the historic, doctrinal, and elaborate Christian faith."

Carl Trueman, over at First Things, reflects on how then shall the Church protest. Trueman's concluding thoughts.

Churches which are doctrine-lite, or which define themselves with a ten or twelve point doctrinal statement, or which portray themselves as a nice, fun supplement to the more important things of life, are rather like the little pig who built his house of straw. When the wolf blows, the house will simply vanish in the wind. For Christians to continue to protest the world in the public square, they need first to be deeply and seriously grounded in the historic, doctrinal, and elaborate Christian faith. A faith built on Wikipedia articles or reducible to 140 characters points to no lasting city.

Negative Imagery

"From Genesis to Jesus, from prophets to Paul, Bible writers sprinkle thorn imagery throughout Scripture to emphasize their message of punishment, worthlessness, and nonproductivity" (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 865).

The Alphabet Soup of Sin

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XV, Section V. "Men ought not to content themselves with general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavor to repent his particular sins, particularly."

Confession of sin begins with the sin that is in you. Confession of sin begins when you take a plain account of your own life. There is a saying, "You cannot manage what you cannot measure." This is true in business, marketing, sales, but it is also true of spiritual things. How do you know what sins need to be confessed unless you are actively identifying and measuring where the sin is in your own life?

The tragedy is that oftentimes we are too lazy to take a plain account of our sin. How can you set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3:2) if you are too lazy to know what earthy things, i.e., sins, have your affections wrapped around their sticky fingers? Oftentimes we don't confess sins because we're just too plumb lazy.

The Devil, methinks, rejoices over this type of laziness. Why do I think that? Well, because oftentimes if we lazily handle our own life it is because we are too busy attempting to handle the lives of other folks, e.g. we spend our time pointing out how other folks have this or that "sin" issue that they need to attend to. Sin is the alphabet soup that fallen man swims in. What we need is some wisdom by way of a cliche saying: "To begin, mind your own sinful P's and Q's" (Matthew 7:1-5). Confession of sin begins with the sin that is in you.

Blessing and Order

"Marriage was designed by God to bring blessing and order to his creation. Together with the creation ordinances of work and Sabbath rest, marriage would provide a rhythm to life. Therefore, we must affirm that he ordained foundational principles not only for the natural order but also for the moral order of creation" (Timothy Z. Witmer, The Shepherd Leader At Home, 19).

So . . . Get Fueled!

"The health and wholeness of our human relationships find their source in the wholeness of our relationship with the Lord through Jesus. I might add that strength, wisdom, and love for others are fueled by the vitality of our life in the Lord" (Timothy Z. Witmer, The Shepherd Leader At Home, 19).

Good News

"The gospel is the proclamation of good tidings, good tidings from God, good tidings of what God has done, good tidings of what he has promised to do. the passion of missions is quenched when we lose sight of the grandeur of the evangel" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 59).

Liturgical Man and Woman

For many churches, the question will come down to this: If men and women are interchangeable in the garden-sanctuary, why not elsewhere? If the sexes are interchangeable at the center of life, in the liturgy, why aren't they interchangeable everywhere?

Concluding question from a recent post by Peter J. Leithart.

Exclusive Function of Scripture

"Unless we believe that revelation is still in process as it was in the days of the prophets, in the days of our Lord, and in the days of the apostles subsequent to the Lord's ascension, then Scripture occupies for us an exclusive place and performs an exclusive function as the only extant mode of revelation. . . . This is what the finality of Scripture means for us; it is the only extant revelatory Word of God" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 19).

Inspiration of Words

"The inspiration of Scripture involves verbal inspiration. If it did not carry with it the inspiration of words, it would not be inspiration at all. Words are the media of communication" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 14).

Why Worship Must Be in Spirit and in Truth

"Without regeneration, the most glorious church service ever conducted is rank superstition, and God hates it" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 180).

Muck Boots As Vestments

"... our discussion of clerical garb should always start with the muck boots" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 178).

Life Is Messy

"There are plenty of born again people who wouldn't call it that, and there are plenty of evangelicals who need to get saved. Life is messy" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 176).

Only Two Types of People

"Everyone who is over fifty is very certain to discover within fifty or so years whether he or she is a sheep or a goat, a wheat or a tare, trusting in Jesus or deluded by the devil" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 163).

Baptism

"Baptism is the sign and seal of that which it represents, and one of the things it represents (and thereby signs, seals, and confers) is regeneration. It does this for all worthy receivers, who are identified as such by their evangelical faith. That faith may not appear for many years after an infant is baptized, which is just fine by the Westminster divines, who maintain that the efficacy of baptism is not at all duct-taped to the time of its administration" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 161).

Death - Gift

"Once converted, everything that used to be "law" is now gift, it is now grace. This includes the grace of dying. The privilege of participating in the cross of Jesus is a privilege, it is a gift. Mortification is grace, it is gift, it is goodness. Mortification is a great kindness (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 144).

Even A "Churched-Up" Reprobate Is Still A Reprobate

"But the natural man, the unconverted man, the unregenerate man, is the same kind of man whether he is inside the covenant or outside it, with the difference that reprobates inside the covenant have greater condemnation" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 143).

Let the Word of God Serve This Generation and This Hour

"Let us learn from our tradition, let us prize our heritage, let us enter into other men's labours; but let us also know that it is not the tradition of the past, not a precious heritage, and not the labours of the fathers, that are to serve this generation and this hour, but the Word of the living and abiding God deposited for us in Holy Scripture, and this Word as ministered by the church" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 22).

Derived Stability

"But the world is only stable because there is no foundation for stability within it. But once you introduce the Words of God, how gloriously stable it becomes! (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 139)

An Excellent Point

"...to reconstruct the gospel so that it will be relevant. This is the capital sin of our generation. . . . But the question for us is: how are we, holding to the sufficiency and finality of Scripture, going to meet the secularism, or whatever else the attitude may be, of this modern man? Here, I believe, we have too often made the mistake of not taking seriously the doctrine we profess. If Scripture is the inscripturated revelation of the gospel and of God's mind and will, if it is the only revelation of this character that we possess, then it is this revelation in all its fulness, richness, wisdom, and power that must be applied to man in whatever religious, moral, mental situation he is to be found" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 21).

Fixed Point

"There can only be one fixed point in the created world, and that is the Word of God" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 137).

Total Dependence

"Our dependence upon Scripture is total. . . . Thus when the church or any of its spokesmen fails to accord to Scripture this eminence, and fails to make it the only rule of faith and life, then the kind of affront offered to Father, Son and Holy Spirit is that of substituting the wisdom of man for the wisdom of God, and human invention for divine institution" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 20).

Do Not Read Hearts... Read the "Story"

"It is not possible for us to read hearts (Luke 8:17), and we ought not to act as though we can. . . . But from these important truths many have concluded (erroneously) that it is not possible for us to read the story we are in. But that is a different thing entirely. . . . We must evaluate the spiritual conditions of those around us, and it is essential for pastors to know how to do this properly" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 125).

Boneyard World. Resurrection World.

"But let us never preach the doctrine of total depravity without also declaring there has been a great earthquake, and that an angel of the Lord has rolled away the stone in front of that imposing doctrine. 'Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more' (2 Cor. 5:16). This is crazy talk, I know. but it is also biblical talk. This whole world, since the sin of Adam, has been nothing but one, vast, pole-to-pole boneyard. Whatever would Jesus do in a world like that? What could He possible do that could transform a world like that? The gospel reply is that He could come back from the dead in it. . . . The sacramental history of the church has consisted of large numbers of people making the same mistake that the Jews here made [see John 8]. Something is given that is wild and heavenly, and we expend all our energies to make it domesticated and earthly. We take the lion of the tribe of Judah--from the upland savannahs of Heaven--and turn it into a tabby cat to keep the bishop's chair warm for him" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 110, 113).

Finality Means This

"This is what the finality of Scripture means for us; it is the only extant revelatory Word of God" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 19).

Criteria to Assess the Infallibility of Scripture

"Unless we assess infallibility in the light of the data with which Scripture provides us, we shall be liable to judge infallibility by criteria to which Scripture does not conform. this is one of the most effective ways of undermining biblical infallibility" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 14).

Both/And - Corporate/Individual

"If our thinking about regeneration begins and ends with the individual, we will drastically misunderstand the nature of God's work in the world. If it never gets down to the individual level, the confusion is just as bad" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 106).

"...Scripture is not a dead word but the living and abiding speech of the Holy Spirit."

"There is one clause in this formulation sometimes misunderstood and mis-applied. It is the clause 'the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture'. This does not refer to the internal testimony of 'the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts'. With this the [Westminster] Confession had dealt in section v, which is concerned with the agency by which 'our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority', of Scripture are induced. But in section x the Confession is dealing with the Scripture as canon, and uses the expression 'the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture' to remind us that Scripture is not a dead word but the living and abiding speech of the Holy Spirit" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 16-17).

Uniqueness of Scripture

"Of course, the Scripture is not God and to give Scripture the place of God would be idolatry. Of course, Christ is Christianity and saving relation to him as Lord and Saviour is the only hope of lost men. But the absolute uniqueness of Scripture is not impaired. Scripture is unique, not because it takes the place of God, nor the place of Chrsit, but because of its relationship to God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 12).

Corporate and Cosmic Regeneration, and Individual Regeneration

"Our father Adam plunged us into a condition of death. Jesus entered into that Adamic death, and was born again from that death. The apostle Paul quotes the second Psalm ("Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee") and applies it to the resurrection (Acts 13:33). Because Jesus was born again from the dead, everything else can be born again from the dead. . . . Without the resurrection, without the transformation of the heavens and earth, without the reconstitution of the new Israel, there is no such thing as individual regeneration. We do not say that corporate regeneration makes individual regeneration superfluous, but rather we say that corporate and cosmic regeneration makes individual regeneration both possible and mandatory. The world has been reconciled to God through Christ. Therefore, Paul presses the point. Be therefore reconciled" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 104-105).

WCF. VII. Of God's Covenant with Man - 2-3. 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 posts for WCF. V. Of Providence - Sections 1-7.

Prior posts for WCF. VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof - Sections 1-6.

Prior post for WCF. VII. of God's Covenant with Man - Section 1.

WCF. VII. Of God's Covenant with Man.

Sections 2-3.

1. Why is it proper to speak of the "covenant of works" as a biblical teaching though it is not technically designated as such in Scripture?

It is proper because it is clearly implied in Genesis 2:17, as well as the hypothetical situation raised by Paul in Galatians 3:12, that man in Eden had "the alternative of obedience and life, or disobedience and death" (84).

2. What reasons are given by those who object to speaking of a covenant of works?

It is generally objected for two reasons: first, that it is not formally stated in Scripture (in a syntactical sense), and, second, that this erroneously suggest that the work's of a man would merit (read: necessitate) the blessings of God.

3. What answers may be given to these arguments?

The first argument is not convincing because a great deal of orthodox Christian belief is not "formally stated in Scripture", e.g., the doctrine of the Trinity. The second argument is not convincing because the "Confession carefully guards against the very danger that is being warned about" (84); the terminology of the former covenant (covenant of works) is used to distinguish it from the latter covenant (covenant of grace). Both covenants were sovereignly imposed by God, but the conditions in the former were the obedient works of man, but the latter is not a covenant between God and man, it is a covenant between the persons of the Godhead (a covenant between mutual parties, oftentimes called a parity covenant).

4. What merit has this designation (covenant of works)?

As stated above, the obedient works of man were the conditions (means for) the gracious provisions (covenantal promises).

5. What is meant by saying that the covenant was sovereignly imposed?

God consults Himself and nothing else.

6. State the Arminian conception of the condition of the covenant of grace.

The Arminian conception of the condition of the covenant of grace teaches that Jesus died for all men, i.e., "procured their removal from the covenant of works and introduced them into the provisions of the covenant of grace." In this new arena, salvation is made possible... man can attain eternal life on a "new and easier basis than that of the covenant of works." Why put it that way? Because, according to the former covenant, God required absolute, perfect obedience, but now God requires an abridged version of obedience--faith, repentance, and evangelical obedience. Like the former covenant, rewards and provisions are conferred upon the basis of man's works, but only because Jesus has made this a possibility. Note: salvation according to the Arminian conception is not really a gift of a parity covenant of grace between the persons of the Godhead.

7. State the Reformed conception of the condition of the covenant of grace.

The Reformed conception is that all of the conditions of the parity covenant of grace between the persons of the Godhead are fulfilled explicitly and solely by God! Thus, "the life and salvation offered sinners in the Reformed version of the gospel is actual, because it depends upon God alone not only for the end to be attained, but also for the creation of those attitudes and actions in us that are necessary for receiving of that end" (85). The conditions of the covenant of grace are "conditional only in the sense that it depends upon certain effects of the work of the holy Spirit in the hearts of God's elect," i.e., regeneration, sanctification, etc.

Note the key difference between the two: the Arminian conception of God's plan of salvation for man is merely a possibility, while the Reformed conception of God's plan of salvation for man is an actuality.

Scripture's Self Witness

"On the question of warrant for the proposition that Scripture is infallible, what are we to say? The only ground is the witness of Scripture to itself, to its own origin, character, and authority" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 10).

The Beginning of the Cure

"The regeneration that happens in conversion is a fundamental change, but not an exhaustive one" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 96).

Eternity As Vantage Point

"This vantage of eternity (and only this) gives us genuine perspective of our lives. We may affirm other doctrinal truths alongside this one, but we may never mute or diminish the absolute necessity of the new birth for every son or daughter of Adam. If we lose that battle, we lose the war" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 88).

"This Atmosphere of Moral Fear" Created by the Condemning and All-Destroying Moralism of Progressive Social Justice

R.R. Reno in First Things (March, 2015), again.

Recently, the Mount Holyoke College women's-studies department reported that it will not longer stage an annual performance of The Vagina Monologues, having felt its feminism outflanked by the exclusion of "women" who lack the body part so prominently put forward by the play. The transgendered will feel oppressed! All withers before the condemning and all-destroying moralism of progressives social justice.

It Is About People

"But the antithesis is not a theological form of A and not A. It is not the contrast between right and wrong. it is not between righteousness and unrighteousness. The antithesis divides people--the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. We are talking about billions of personal names--mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, and daughters" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 87).

Conviction and Loyalty

Insights by R.R. Reno in First Things (March, 2015).

Old-fashioned Marxists read deeply in philosophy and history. an earlier generation of progressives cared about literature. Irving Howe was wrong about political economy, but he knew things. That's not true of today's progressives. They're intelligent and in many respects well trained. But they're de-cultured. And cultural illiterates, however powerful they become, cannot lead. They can only bribe, seduce, intimidate, and coerce.

Great Books and classical education are largely Christian projects in America today. Christian colleges are the institutions most likely to encourage a sustained engagement with Western history, literature, and philosophy. To have an influential and lasting say in the living future, one must have a deep knowledge and love of what one has inherited. That's something that can't be transmitted through TED talks. The authority that comes with cultural literacy won't be superseded by brain science. Which is why we're far more likely to shape the future of the West than are de-cultured secular progressives.

. . .

As radical Islam so clearly shows, the global future we face involves conflicts with convictions, not race, class or gender. This is not a future that secular progressives are well equipped to face. . . . As a result, we cannot count on the de-cultured elites of the West to defend Western culture. (European populists are coming to recognize this.) At the same time, non-Westerners see Western progressivism less as a rival for men's souls than as an attack on all cultures of conviction, including their own. It is paradoxical that today's Western imperialism denies its loyalty to the West, posing instead as a globalized benevolence and universal dispenser of justice.

 We need a global culture of truth, in which conviction and loyalty have scope for their full expression. But this same culture needs to encourage peace. Here we have a great advantage. We have a humility born of our knowledge that original sin limits our grasp of truth and taints our motives for public engagement. The commandment to love our neighbors nurtures civility.

Grace and Grace and Grace . . .

"So what is the relationship of grace to hard, moral effort? Well, hard, moral effort is grace. It is not every grace, but it is a true grace. It is a gift of God, lest any should boast" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 85).

Word and Spirit

"God has not left us to our own resources in the study of his Word. There is the never-failing promise and the ever-present ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is the author of the Word and it is his peculiar prerogative to illumine the Scriptures and to seal its truth upon our hearts" (John Murray, Collected Works, Vol. 1, 8).

A Truth Folks Often Forget

"One does not need an advanced degree--even a high-school degree--to be a good husband and father."   R.R. Reno in First Things (March, 2015).

The Good, and The Bad... Made Manifest

"I have said earlier in these discussions that the works of the flesh are manifest (Gal. 5:19). We know that the works of righteousness are also manifest (John 3:21). All this is simply to say that midnight and high noon are not that difficult to tell apart" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 72).

Word of God

"We do well to peruse our great catechisms and creeds and textbooks and not be carried away by the pedagogical mush to which we are in these days subjected. But if we rely upon such a reservoir of knowledge we are in a dangerous and slippery position. Thought and life are too complex to be adequately met by any such reservoir. The means God has provided for every exigency that may arise the Word of God itself" (John Murray, Collected Writings, Vol. 1, 7).

Honored World

"When the eternal Word of God became a man, He thereby honored the material world and did so in a very permanent way" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 64).

Systematic Theology

"Systematic theology is nothing less than remembering what you read in other passages while you are reading this passage" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 53).

Like Heat from A Stove

"Worldview thinking radiated from him [G.K. Chesterton] like heat from a stove. That is what systematic thinking should look like, but it hardly ever does" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 53).

A Summation of Christian Preaching

Hope thou in God (Psalm 42:11).

Against (Certain Forms) of Tidiness

"In order to speak as the Bible speaks, we must get more comfortable with biblical paradox and less comfortable with the tidiness of our own systems" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 49).\

See Ezekiel 37:11

"Converting unconverted covenant members is something that God specializes in, and we need to be careful not to resist His work by claiming it is somehow unnecessary" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 48).

Conversions and That Which Is Greater Than Conversions Summed

"The church is nothing without individual conversions, but the church is not nothing but individual conversions. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 47).

Assume the Center

"The new life has political results but is not achieved by political means, which, incidentally, includes ecclesiastical politics. The experience of the new life will always, of necessity, be at the very center of God's work in the work, because that is what He is doing here" (Douglas Wilson, Against the Church, 43).

Open Doors

"The most hopeful things in humanity to-day are its restlessness, its intensity, its disgust. These are open doors for the Christian preacher. Corinthian habits, Corinthian words, and all the restlessness of the city, it matters not how it is manifested, create the open door for the evangel of Jesus Christ. What is the Gospel for the corrupt city? The Cross and Resurrection, and none other" (G. Campbell Morgan, The Acts of the Apostles, 434).

Private Prayer, Again

"Private prayer, lastly, is also the path to a proven shelter, a haven of rest, a mighty fortress, a rock of defense for present adversities and an unknown future. Prayer is a refuge from the storms of life. This is why Satan fears and hates private prayer and will fight with every possible device and argument to keep you from prayer" (James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life, 12).

Private Prayer

"Jesus underscores our need to be alone with God [see Matthew 6:6].... as friends love to share treasured secrets, so the Lord loves to share secrets of His truth, His Triune Person, His kingdom, and His love with believers. Through His Spirit He uncovers scriptural truth more deeply in the soul by means of private prayer. It is between the closest friends that the most is shared: 'The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant' (Ps. 25:14)" (James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life, 11).

Prayer: True Faith Active In Your Life

"Prayer requires faith: believing in God, trusting in God, and placing our expectations in God.... Do you exercise faith in Christ when you pray (John 14:1)? Do you trust in His person and mediatorial work, looking for Him to meet all your needs as your Prophet, Priest, and King? Do you rest in His natures, states, and benefits as inseparable from your salvation? Are you concerned for the cause of Christ's kingdom, the promotion of His Name and His truth, that these may shape your own desires and purposes, and consume your time and energy? God's will becomes primary and your will becomes secondary when true faith is active in your life. A living faith will generate heartfelt desires to be conformed to His will" (James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life, 7-8).

Problem with Prayer Life

"[One problem] in Christians' prayer lives is when we spend more time preparing to come to Christ than in actually coming to Him" (James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life, 6).

Praying in the Name of Christ

"Jesus taught us, 'Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name' (John 16:24). To pray in Christ's name is to take refuge in Him as God's beloved Son -- the One whom the Father delights to hear and to honor. Praying in Jesus' name includes confessing who is truly God and Master in my life" (James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke, Developing a Healthy Prayer Life, 5).

Unveil Christ, Conceal Self

"A preacher cannot bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. He must aim to unveil Christ and conceal himself'" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 154).

Work Hard To Preach Simply

"A fool can preach like a genius, but it takes a genius to preach simply. And by genius, I don't mean that some people have an innate ability to make the profound simple. Genius is usually the end-result of extremely hard work" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 146).

Danger of Over-Complicated Sermons

"However, in many circles, especially perhaps in some Reformed churches, we may be in danger of over-complicating sermons. By over-complicating sermons I mean... Too much logic, not enough likes: Just read the Gospels and ask yourself if you are like picture-painting Jesus or philosophical Plato. Yes, we need logic. But we also need 'likes' (e.g. the kingdom of heaven is like...) and stories (e.g. there was a rich man...)" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 145).

Keep It Short But Sweet

"Very few people will complain if a sermon is shorter than expected" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 141).

Christ-Centered Application

"And so I close this chapter with an appeal for more Christ-centered application. In a sense, this is the most important point in this chapter because only Christ-centered application will deliver us from mere moralizing and latent legalism" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 117).

Get Concrete

"It is not enough just to draw a general principle out of a passage ('you should be holy'). The general principle must be pointed to specific, concrete, everyday situations by asking 'How? Where? When?'"  (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 115).

Application, Again

"While focused on that particular preaching passage, preachers must also ensure that their application is consistent with the rest of Scripture" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 110).

Foundation for Application

"The faithful preacher bases his application not on anecdotes or inspiring stories, but on God's Word, and on that particular preaching passage" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 109).

Application and Change

"'Application is the ... process by which preachers make scriptural truths so pertinent to members of their congregations that they not only understand how these truths should effect changes in their lives but also feel obligated and perhaps even eager to implement those changes'" (David Murray quoting Jay Adams in How Sermons Work, 107).

Sermonizing and Sermon Structuring for Spiritual Good

"Sermon material should be organized throughout with a spiritual intent -- with the aim of doing spiritual good" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 92).

What Haddon W. Robinson Called "Big Idea Preaching"

"Whether the theme and points are stated at the beginning of a sermon or not, the theme and points should be crystal clear in the preacher's mind. It is especially important to work on a clear, comprehensive, concise sentence that presents the sermon theme" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 89).

Skeleton-Structure in Hiding

"Sermon structures ought to be as simple as possible, with as few divisions as possible.... While arguing for striking and memorable structure, we must still remember that the purpose of any skeleton is to support the body, and keep itself largely out of view" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 87, 89).

Seeking Structure

"In sermon preparation, the preacher should be constantly seeking a structure" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 86).

Secure It

"Just as a tree has roots to place and secure the tree in the ground, so a sermon must have an introduction to place and secure it in the minds of the congregation" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 83).

Something To Attend To!

"'What is the best way', asked a young preacher of an older one, 'to get the attention of the congregation?' 'Give 'em something to attend to,' was the gruff reply" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 77).

The best way, indeed.

Introductions That Pave The Way

"The introduction should pave the way for the sermon, not repeat it" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 75).

Challenge of Challenges for Sir Speaks Alot

"To avoid wearying people and unbalancing the sermon, an introduction should contain only one main thought" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 74).

Structure!

"As 'God is not the author of confusion' but of order and structure, any sermon that claims to set forth God should be made in his image, i.e. with order and structure. Sermon structure and order will also help the preacher to preach and the hearers to hear, as they are both made in the image of God" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 71).

Sermonic Variety

"An awareness of the various kinds of sermon that may be preached challenges the preacher to vary his style and content, and so prevent monotonous sameness" (David Murray, How Sermons Work, 59).