Theology
If you missed it, you should check out this interesting discussion for the New Canaan Society between Eric Metaxas (twitter) and Tim Keller. The discussion is in large part about science, creation, evolution, hell, and Rob Bell.
Eric Metaxas and Tim Keller "Fireside Chat" from Brian McGee on Vimeo.
Once you grant the main premise of the Bible—about the surpassing significance of Christ and his salvation—then all the various parts of the Bible make sense. Because of Christ, the ceremonial law is repealed. Because of Christ the church is no longer a nation-state imposing civil penalties. It all falls into place. However, if you reject the idea of Christ as Son of God and Savior, then, of course, the Bible is at best a mish-mash containing some inspiration and wisdom, but most of it would have to be rejected as foolish or erroneous.
Tim Keller - "Old Testament Law & the Charge of Inconsistency"
Here are all of Tim Keller's Redeemer Report articles from 2008 through now. (Source, including many articles by other authors)
Recently was encouraged by Joel Beeke's talk on Richard Sibbes on Entertaining the Holy Spirit in your own soul via the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary podcast. He gives some historical context of Sibbes' life and offers some wonderful quotes and exhortations.
Grab the podcast feed for numerous other encouraging talks from Beeke, David Murray and others. One of my favorite podcasts going.
Wonderful, thoughtful discussion between Scotty Smith (Pastor, Christ Community Church, blog), Greg Thornbury (Union University), and Mike Cosper (Sojourn Music) on good art and bad art. I've been thinking through some of themes they discuss as they relate to some music I've been listening to this year. I'm working on a post on one singer/artist in particular who I think many Christians would hate, but for all the wrong reasons.
Anyway, that post is for another day. Watch this great discussion (via). And by the way, this is the best video thumbnail of my friend Greg Thornbury EVER.
5 Ways Wives Can Encourage Their Husbands | Jared Wilson
When you nitpick and nag, you give mouthpiece to the accuser who wants your husband to know not only does he not have what it takes, he is worthless because of it. So find ways to constructively criticize and help him repent, but more than that, tell him what you like about him, how you find him attractive or admirable, how you respect him or are impressed by him. Outdo him in showing honor (Rom. 12:10).
Coming Together On Culture, Part 1: Theological Issues | Tim Keller
On the surface, the Reformed and evangelical world seems divided between "Cultural Transformationists" and the "Two Kingdoms" views of these things. Transformationists fall into fairly different camps, including the neo-Calvinists who follow Abraham Kuyper, the Christian Right, and the theonomists. Though different in significant ways, they all believe Christians should be about redeeming and changing the culture along Christian lines.
Pencil Does Not Fade | Joe Thorn
A cursory search on the internet shows most people stating as fact, “Writing in pencil will fade over time.” Rather than trust the opinion of some random dude on Yahoo Answers who hasn’t even read an article on the subject, I thought I would ask some people who could give me better direction. So I contacted the National Archives. They were happy to answer my questions quickly and provide helpful references. After a few email exchanges with people who spend their time in historic documents, here is the bottom line for those wondering if writing in pencil will fade.
Graphite pencil is a very stable material. It does not fade in light. It does not bleed in water unless other dyes were added.
Mark Dever - Reading Sibbes Aloud | After purchasing the 7 vol Works of Richard Sibbes I was reminded that Mark Dever, who literally wrote the book on Sibbes, has read aloud a number of Sibbes sermons. A nice idea, and worth checking out.
Read Matisyahu's reasons for shaving his beard & dropping his "Chassidic reggae superstar" look...
This morning I posted a photo of myself on Twitter.
No more Chassidic reggae superstar.
Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.
Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.
- Matisyahu
(via)
On Saturday I had the privilege to speak to a mausoleum full of people who lost and buried loved ones last year at McHenry County Memorial Park. An employee of the cemetery is a family friend, which opened the opportunity to preach for about 20 minutes from the first two Beatitudes.
I wanted to share with you some free music from The Joy Eternal: A Sweet & Bitter Providence (download below) which I found to be very encouraging during my prep week for this event. John Piper readings are featured in these songs, and he says this about the music...
Big truth and beautiful sounds are a powerful combination. The Joy Eternal has touched me both ways. One of my biblical sieves for what is real is the apostolic word 'sorrowful yet always rejoicing.' I hear that in these songs, and they ring true. Beautifully true. May God give them wings.
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I just finished listening to "The Gift of a Crooked Stick: The Life of William Cowper" Part 1 & Part 2 (source) from Dr. Bryan Chapell & the Living Christ Today podcast. Wonderfully done, thought-provoking, meditative, sad, & redemptive. I encourage you to listen. Here's my transcript of the words from Bryan Chapell near the end of Part 2...
What we are, what we shall be, is only a result not of what's in our hands to do, what we can hold on to, what we can claim, but the sole fact that in our weakness, in our lowliness, in our being despicable, Christ alone is all in all. He is our only righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
What that means for you, and for me I suppose, is that when I look at somebody with the frailties and the failures of William Cowper, I begin to rejoice in this: If God could use such a feeble man, if God could use such a crooked stick to draw such wonderfully straight and beautiful lines, then He can use me and you. Despite our frailty and our weakness and our difficulties. I look at William Cowper and I recognize you don't have to have a great reputation or even a great faith, not a spotless record or a shining reputation, not a great past, not even a great future, to be greatly used. William Cowper tells me that the instruments of God's plan do not have to be well suited to that plan to be well used in it. And when I face my failures, when I know I have not done what I should as I should, even find myself despicable, I can say, "But God can still use you. After all, He used William Cowper." It really is a surprising grace, in the worst of spots, the place we least expect it, that God would use such a one. In God's use of this desparing poet, I just learn there's hope for my use by God.
For more on William Cowper: John Piper's 1992 Pastor's Conference biography, Wikipedia, Poets.org.
There be two sorts of people always in the visible church, one that Satan keeps under with false peace, whose life is nothing but a diversion to present contentments, and a running away from God and their own hearts, which they know can speak no good unto them; these speak peace to themselves, but God speaks none. Such have nothing to do with this Scripture, Ps xlii 11; the way for these men to enjoy comfort, is to be soundly troubled. True peace arises from knowing the worst first, and then our freedom from it. It is a miserable peace that riseth from ignorance of evil. The angel 'troubled the waters,' John v. 4, and then it cured those that stepped in. It is Christ's manner to trouble our souls first, and then to come with healing in his wings.
But there is another sort of people, who being drawn out of Satan's kingdom and within the covenant of grace, whom Satan labours to unsettle and disquiet: being the 'god of this world,' 2 Cor. iv. 4, he is vexed to see men in the world, walk above the world. Since he cannot hinder their estate, he will trouble their peace, and damp their spirits, and cut asunder the sinews of all their endeavours. These should take themselves to task as David doth here, and labour to maintain their portion and the glory of a Christian profession.
Richard Sibbes, Vol 1, p 127 | The Soul's Conflict With Itself
Tim Keller is 100 gifts to the Church. Maybe one of the most important is his ability to talk to non-Christians & intellectuals. Here's his hour long talk to the employees at Google on The Meaning of Marriage. How many Christians could talk to this crowd in such a reasonable and inviting way on an issue of decreasing weight in our culture? Wonderful. (HT:JT)
I hope some of you will be able to make Liberate 2012 in February.
Gospel wakefulness means treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly. Treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly is simply the the long way of writing worship.
Worship is the ascribing of the worth to something or someone. In this case, of course, the recipient of this worship is God, the only one worthy of our worship. What happens in gospel wakefulness is that in our brokenness, our sense of self-worth and sufficiency in things other than God gets destroyed, and as the good news of Christ's finished work is applied to us, our affections become reformed, renewed, and revitalized.
Jared Wilson in Gospel Wakefulness, p 77 (bold emphasis mine).
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Joel Beeke & Brian Najapfour in Taking Hold of God: Reformed & Puritan Perspectives on Prayer list what John Calvin (Institutes: book 3, chapter 20) sees as the six (at least) purposes of prayer.
- To fly to God with every need and gain from Him what is lacking in ourselves to live the Christian life
- To learn to desire wholeheartedly only what is right as we place all our petitions before God
- To prepare us to receive God's benefits and responses to to our petitions with humble gratitude
- To meditate on God's kindness to us as we receive what we have asked for
- To instill the proper spirit of delight for God's answers in prayer
- To confirm God's faithful providence so that we may glorify Him and trust in His present help more readily as we witness His regularly answering our prayers
"All of these purposes are designed to foster communion with God so that 'the promises of God should have their way with us.'" (quoting Niesel, Theology of Calvin, 157)
From Taking Hold of God, pg 31-32.
From Jared Wilson's new book, Gospel Wakefulness, here are 11 signs (pgs 72-73) you haven't experienced gospel wakefulness...
Joe Thorn was interviewed by Tim Challies (@Challies) & David Murray (@DavidPMurray). The discussion ran from what it means to be Gospel-Centered to Joe's excellent book, Note To Self.
Gospel wakened people feel swept off their feet by their romancing God. (If you're a man, and this sort of "church as feminine" language bothers you, you will have to get over it. This is how God draws our character. You will have to nail your machismo to the cross and stop thinking you're more of a man than your Groom.) When the power of the gospel saps the power of idols from our veins, when we have really tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we are so smitten we can't help but ditch every back door Johnny we ever messed around with. How pathetic they are! And how pathetic we were for ever giving in to their two-bit come-ons.
A bride joined to her groom forsakes all others. She writes the spiritual equivalent of Dear John letters to her idols. When God's love captivates you, you go around spurning all your other lovers. I call this "blaspheming" your idols.
Blaspheme them. Tell them they have no appeal to you anymore. Tell them you don't need their damage, their pain, their anti-glories. Tell them you have no desires to use and abuse them anymore. Tell them your heart, mind, soul, and strength belong wholly to God now. And then don't speak as a love to them ever again. Sinful relationships must end.
From Jared Wilson's Gospel Wakefulness, p 70, bold emphasis mine.
Tim Keller continues (& concludes) his blog series on Gospel Polemics with "Gospel Polemics, Part 4: Everybody's Rule." Here's a roundup of the first six rules. A blurb from "Everybody's Rule" concerning the evil of ad hominem arguments...
...no one has written more eloquently about this rule than John Newton, in his well-known “Letter on Controversy.” Newton says that first, before you begin to write a single word against an opponent, “and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord's teaching and blessing.” This practice will stir up love for him and “such a disposition will have a good influence upon every page you write.” Later in the letter Newton says, “Be upon your guard against admitting anything personal into the debate. If you think you have been ill treated, you will have an opportunity of showing that you are a disciple of Jesus, who ‘when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not.’ ” It is a great danger to aim to “gain the laugh on your side,” to make your opponent look evil and ridiculous instead of engaging their views with “the compassion due to the souls of men.”
[...]
I would even ask seminaries to consider at least one course in “Polemical Theology” which would not simply list the errors that need to be refuted, but which would teach students how to go about theological dispute in a way that accords with Biblical wisdom and the gospel.
