Theology

Grace Takes the Breath Away

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Doug Wilson, pastor of Christ Church, author of many books, and prolific blogger at Blog and Mablog writes this tremendous post on Sunday...

Although we are a Christian people, we still have a tendency to hidefrom the sheer goodness of the gospel. One of the ways we have of doing this is to turn the word sinner into a technical theological one, meaning that no one is perfect, and despite this, any one can call on God through Christ. All of which is quite proper and correct.

But let us be more specific. We are gathered here in the name of Jesus Christ. As an assembly this size, we may say that we are not just here under the general term sinners-we are here as adulterers, thieves, liars, blasphemers, procurers of abortions, biters, devourers, Sabbath-breakers, committers of incest, Pharisees, homosexuals, pedophiles, cheats, jerks and creeps. Not only are such biographical items present here, we may safely say this sanctuary is crammed with them.

Now here is the good news. When it comes to receiving you in Jesus Christ, God is absolutely uninterested in whether such things have occurred. If one did not occur, then a bunch of the others did. But God couldn't care less. Let me restate the key phrase that makes this such good news. Through what Jesus has done for us, God is absolutely uninterested in that part of your history.

Grace takes the breath away. As the Corinthians heard it, "Such were some of you." But the safety-minded rush into to make this message safe for religious consumption-such were some of you. And rightly understood, this is quite proper, and so St. Paul himself emphasizes it. But the safety-minded don't emphasize the same way Paul did.

We are God's saints, holy and beloved. As such, we must always remember the ground of this, which is the biography of Jesus Christ, our good news. As for our biographies, every one of them has a host of pretty grimy chapters, which God found to be so boring that He skipped over them. Absolutely uninterested.

(HT: iMonk via BHT)

Evidence of Intelligence

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Here's evidence that humans are the only animals intelligent enough to desire demotion to an evolutionary chain...

Caged and barely clothed, eight men and women monkeyed around for thecrowds Friday in an exhibit labeled "Humans" at the London Zoo.

[...]

Visitors stopped to point and laugh, and several children could be heard asking, "Why are there people in there?"

London Zoo spokeswoman Polly Wills says that's exactly the question the zoo wants to answer.

"Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals ... teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate," Wills said.

[...]

"A lot of people think humans are above other animals," he told The Associated Press. "When they see humans as animals, here, it kind of reminds us that we're not that special."

Read the whole article.

Moore: Fathering the Fatherless

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Russ Moore at Southern Seminary has written a short piece on the adoption of Russian orphans: Russia's Orphans and the Father of the Fatherless.  Russ and his wife Maria have two adopted children from Russia.

Russian national leaders are concerned with foreigners adopting their children and may stop the practice, though it would only encourage institutionalizing orphans.  Russ wants something better because God wants something better.  Here's a portion of the article...

The Russian orphanage where my wife and I found our sons, then Maxim and Sergei, was the most horrifying place I have ever been. Its sights and smells and sounds come back to me every day. But, even more so, before my mind's eye every day are the faces of the children we couldn't adopt. Until now, my hope has been that Christians from America, Canada, Germany, France or somewhere may have adopted them, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If the anti-adoption Russians get their way, I fear that these children will be sentenced to institutions, never to find families.

The plight of Russia’s orphans ought to spur American Christians to prayer and to action -- not only for Russian children but for abandoned children across the globe. What if Southern Baptist pastors encouraged, from the pulpit, families to adopt orphans domestically or from across the sea? What if older, more affluent Southern Baptist couples pooled money for young families who wish to adopt, but cannot afford the seemingly astronomical costs?

Yesterday my now four year-old Benjamin walked up and hugged my leg, saying to me (in the little southern accent he picked up from us): "I'm glad you're my daddy, and I'm glad I'm your son." I have learned more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ from such statements than from all my studies in systematic theology. Before I met these two, I “knew” all about what it means to have a new name in Christ, a new household, a new identity, new brothers and sisters. But I knew so very little about these things.

Church Diversity

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Christianity Today has published an article written by Craig Keener, Larry Osbourne and Mark Driscoll.  It's called "An Army of Ones: Does Diversity in the Church Work?"  It's an interesting article with three sections each by a different author, and then responses by the other two.

Craig Keener is a white minister in a predominantly African American congregation.

Larry Osborne pastors North Coast Church—a ministry that pioneered the use of "video venues" to create multiple congregations distinguished by worship style within a single church.

Mark Driscoll is pastor of Mars Hill Church, a community birthed from a postmodern context now wrestling with issues of diversity as it matures.

Praying for Porn Stars

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Russ Moore notes the rise of porn star memoirs found at our local bookstores and asks us to pray for porn stars.

It would be quite easy to walk past the display of a porn "star's"memoirs at our corner bookstore clucking our tongues in righteous indignation. But instead perhaps we can pray for a multitude of men and women who are someones daughters and sons, and who are those for whom Christ died. Perhaps we can love them enough to pray for the liberating power of the Spirit to show them a Father who values them for more than the aerodynamic abilities of their body parts.

This post resonates with me because yesterday, before reading Russ' post, I was on a bit of a drive along a stretch that includes two strip clubs.  I passed them before, but this time I began to pray for the girls inside who were far removed from God's intention for women and far removed from men who should be protecting them instead of using them for their own selfish pleasures.  I thought of how many were hoping for survival of next month's bills or feeding their kids or making it through college or making it apart from their abusive boyfriend.  I prayed for the men inside who were doing anything but acting as if they were created in God's image, who should be looking out for these women instead of looking at them. 

And I prayed for my own heart so that I will view women as God does.

Thorn: Reforming Evangelism

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Joe_buddha2Great series of posts on "Reforming Evangelism" from Joe Thorn (The Puritan Buddha).

1. Reforming Evangelism

It is unfortunate that we have divorced the evangelist from the theologian in the Southern Baptist context. It is curious that our seminaries divide the Schools of Evangelism from the Schools of Theology. It is disturbing to see that we train our lay people to evangelize without training them in doctrine. It has not always been this way. As recently as 1943 The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now Lifeway Christian Resources) published a book titled, Soul-Winning Doctrines. In this little book J. Clyde Turner lays out doctrines like the atonement, regeneration, repentance, faith, justification, sanctification, and assurance as essential to winning the lost for Christ. Though this was written after the Convention had moved away from its reformed heritage, it’s clear that theology was still valued and seen as a necessary part of proper evangelism. The stock of theology has dropped considerably since. If we are to begin rebuilding our churches through authentic conversions we have to return to a theologically driven methodology.

2. Preparation

Some (us Reformed folk) might wonder how a person can seek God, or be actively involved in spiritual things when God is sovereign in salvation, man is passive in his regeneration, and that the power of God is needed for success - not the work of man. Puritan, and of course biblical, thought is, "Man is passive in regeneration, but before and after regeneration man is active. The convert is passive in regeneration, but not about it." In fact, such "seeking" is not the result of man’s natural interest in spiritual things, but is the result of God’s activity in the individual’s life.

3. Is It Biblical?

While some have wrongly turned the idea of being prepared for the Kingdom into a system that oppresses people, and forces them into long periods of introspection, most of the puritans rejected the idea that a uniform experience should be promoted. While some must go through a more drawn-out process under the law before they are broken, others are prepared, seek and find the kingdom more easily, or more quickly. The point is, no one enters the kingdom apart from being prepared, and this generally is a longer process than most modern evangelism tends to allow for.

4. Practice

If our evangelism needs reform, if the “seeking evangelism” I’ve attempted to explain is valid, then we should consider some practical, concrete responses....The easiest way to say it is: expresses urgency, but be willing to take your time; preach the law and gospel; know what parts of the law, or what blessing of the gospel they most need to hear; share your life with the person you are trying to reach.

5. Diagram

I then ask them to show me where they think they are on the diagram. "Put a mark where you think you are." I am sure it will happen some day, but so far no one has placed himself or herself in the "alive" section when not a Christian. No one has presumed to say/believe he is a Christian after getting the big picture. Some say they are not interested, but in my experience most say they are starting to seek God. I ask them to explain this to me. Talk about it. I always want them to use their own words. So far, I have not told anyone they are going to hell. They have all told me. Each person has shown me where they believe they are, and conclude they are separated from God. We talk about the consequences of this reality.

Starbucks: The Way I See It

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Starbucks_cup_1It looks like some conservative groups are getting all itchy now that Starbucks has started their "The Way I See It" cup quotes.  Baptist Press has run a story today on it. 

What's the issue?  Well, it seems that Starbucks is pushing the homosexual agenda because cup #43 gives a racy quote on homosexuality.  As I read this BP article, I noticed my grande skim 3 pump mocha was being carefully and providentially cradled in cup #43 which reads...

My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long.  I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone.  Don't make that mistake yourself.  Life's too damn short.

- Armistead Maupin, author

Of course BP inserts the word [expletive] for "damn" and blacks it out on their pic of the cup, but their larger concern is what the cup teaches.  But, is the cup and quote meant to teach?  Or simply open doors of conversation?  From the Starbucks website on this campaign...

Starbucks has long been dedicated to creating a unique "third place" between home and work. We also draw on the centuries-old tradition of the coffeehouse as a place to gather, share ideas, and enjoy delicious beverages. We see this program as an extension of the coffeehouse culture – a way to promote open, respectful conversation among a wide variety of individuals.

And they mean wide variety.  Sure this quote is racy from one perspective, but they also entertain quotes from staunch conservatives like Michael Medved and Jonah Goldberg.  So if Starbucks "blatantly pushes the homosexual agenda" on cup #43, what are they pushing on the cups with flame-throwing right wingers?  A conservative agenda?

Given: We will all read from cups that we disagree with.  That's a sure thing.  That's the point, really, to start conversations not push agendas.  And conversations are best started by racy ideas, not bland ones.  By the way, on the cups and on the Starbucks website it even says the quotes don't necessarily reflect the view of Starbucks.

Christians are too good at missing the point, and I'm afraid that's what's happening here.

Don't we look fearful?  We look like we are afraid of the open discussion of ideas.  These quotes are meant to be conversational, and coffee shops are perfect places to list racy quotes worthy of discussion.  We believe that in the world of ideas the redemption Story stands supreme as the best and most beautiful explanation of reality and truth.  We shouldn't fear other ideas out there.

One person quoted in the BP article says,

It's not enough not to go to Starbucks anymore.  You really need to visit your neighborhood Starbucks and ask to see the manager and just say, 'You know, I've gone here a lot and I would love to go here but I have to tell you your company's promotion of something that is against my values prevents me from having coffee here anymore, and I've found alternatives ... You make a great product, but you deserve to know why people aren't buying your product anymore.'

How about instead we enter the conversations of our culture knowing that our Story makes sense of the world like no one else's story or quote.  I think Starbucks has a great idea, and Christians should be thankful for the opportunity to join more discussions on huge and even ultimate issues.

Revelation: Story & Instruction

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As I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon today he said something familiar in an unfamiliar way for me.

All other religions are basically instructions sprinkled with stories to illustrate.  But the Bible, Christianity, is basically a Story sprinked with instruction.

Pastor and Family

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New study on the effects of the pastorship on family life.

While eighty-eight percent of churchgoers oftenexpect pastors' families to be "better than" other families, six out of every ten ministers said their role as a pastor left them with insufficient time for their family, according to the study conducted by Ellison Research of Phoenix, Ariz. for LifeWay Christian Resources.

Reformation 21

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Reformation21This looks really good.  Reformation 21 is the new online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (ACE).  It is edited by Derek Thomas, and he explains the purpose of the e-zine in more detail here.  They explain the purpose of the e-zine as...

Reformation 21 is an online magazine (ezine) created to serve, edify, and educate Christians bypresenting an authoritative reformed perspective, while embracing various denominational positions, on a variety of relevant historic matters, current issues, and thoughtful positions that inform, inspire, and challenge Christians to think and grow biblically." 

They also have a weblog, book reviews, an archive of both new and older writings, and counterpoints that engage a cultural issues.

You can read a list of contributors which includes Alistair Begg, John Piper, Mark Dever, Paul Helm, Sinclair Ferguson, D.A. Carson, Al Mohler, and Jerry Bridges.

 (HT: JT)

Together for the Gospel

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Togethergospel_1There will be a meeting of some of the sharpest minds and most passionate preachers of evangelicalism in Louisville next year.  The "Together for the Gospel" conference is coming.  It runs from April 26-28 and includes a who's who of mostly reformed types.

> Mark Dever is pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C and founder of 9Marks Ministries.
> Ligon Duncan is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS.
> C.J. Mahaney is founding pastor of the church that Joshua Harris now pastors, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD.  C.J. now runs Sovereign Grace Ministries, a church planting movement of reformedish baptistish charismaticish churches.
> Al Mohler is the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.  He also writes the world's longest blog, has a second blog, speaks at like a gozillion places a year, you know the drill.
> John MacArthur is long time pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA and teacher on the Grace to You radio show.  He has written too many books to list.
> John Piper is pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, founder of Desiring God Ministries which includes conferences, articles, books, sermons, curriculum, poetry, devotions, and trained lemurs.
> R.C. Sproul is the teacher of Ligonier Ministries which includes all sorts of valuable resources on philosophy, theology, biblical studies, and Columbo.

Please do yourself a favor and watch a video discussion promoting the conference.  It's really remarkable because you get to see Al Mohler make jokes (yes, he can be funny) and see C.J. Mahaney laugh.  If you have never seen and heard C.J. laugh you are missing out on a lot.  (FYI, Joshua Harris has spent way too much time with C.J. because they laugh exactly the same.  So if they are in the same room, it's really bizarre to hear.)

Am I going?  Dunno.  I've wanted to since I first heard about it a couple of months ago.  But I've heard these guys enough to feel like I can anticipate what they will say.  And if they were reading their response to my previous sentence would be that we always need a refresher on the gospel.  Yeah, I know.

When the President Talks to God

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Bright_eyesBright Eyes (Conor Oberst) was on Leno in May.  The video of his performance is online and I encourage you to watch it.  It's called "When the President Talks to God." 

If you haven't heard or watched it, some of you are about to be seriously offended.  Others of you will be sympathetic to his views.  Still others will like what he says but not be happy with his approach.

Honestly, I couldn't care less to discuss the politics of his ideas.  I'd rather think and talk about how we listen (or not) to what he says.  I'd rather discuss what it means to hear what a person is really saying regardless of the rightness or wrongness of their views.

So watch the video.  The lyrics are available at the above link too (though you won't miss them on the video), and let me know what you think.

Atheist Camp

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Al Mohler makes sure that Christians everywhere will gasp in unison as they hear that in Kentucky there is a camp for kids (7-18) who are nonbelievers.  From Mohler's post...

Here's more from the newspaper's report: Providing a haven for thechildren of nonbelievers is what Camp Quest is all about. As the camp's official T-shirt announces, it's a place that's "beyond belief." More precisely, it claims to be the first summer sleep-away camp in the country for atheist, agnostic and secular humanist children.

I'd like to add my voice and say "So what?"  There are unbelievers out there who are looking for a refuge from God.  Big shock.  Not news to me.

Or could they be trying to escape for a week or two from God's people?  Maybe they are sick of our continual scolding of the culture.  Maybe they are sick of us screaming at them without much grace.  Grace is not just a word in our "gospel presentations" about something God does.  It's also how we are to live in the world, with words and deeds seasoned with grace.  Maybe a little grace on our part would actually make many of these camp-goers thankful for our friendship and not feel the need to take refuge from us.

I'm afraid that plenty of pastors will print out Mohler's post and use it as an illustration of the way our nation is headed to hell.  I'm sure most Christians who read Mohler will sound a hearty "Amen!" and thank God that we aren't miserable sinners like these camp organizers and the parents who send their kids to such a hideous place.  I wish that we were beating our chest and focusing on our own sin instead so that camp-goers will experience grace and not condescension from our lips and blogs.  God help us to be like that.

Reactionary Fundamentalists

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Saw this Village Voice article and had to post one quote...

Alongside the Christian right politicians there are the religiousleaders who function as political organizers. These people are often obscure to the mainstream, but they are a gathering force in right-wing politics. They include such old standbys as Pat Robertson, the ailing Jerry Falwell, and Alabama's feisty Ten Commandments judge, Roy Moore. Among the leading lights:

R. ALBERT MOHLER JR.: President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and guru of reactionary fundamentalists, so well-known for their vicious attacks on women's rights and gays, Mohler is focused on public education, a subject that inflames the political and religious right across the boards. The Republican right long has sought to shut down the federal Department of Education and turn over public education ostensibly to local governments but, more importantly, to churches. Such a course would mean a financial windfall for religious groups.

I don't really want to comment on this other than to say that most evangelicals who read this will call the Village Voice liberal.  Funny, but as an evangelical (though I love Dr. Mohler) I have the same opinion as the bold above.