Don’t Forget, Americans!

One of my favorite theologians (who had his regrettable errors) had a keen eye for culture and trends long before it became trendy to talk about culture. Robert L. Dabney had this to say about religious liberty. It was prophetic in the 1800s; it’s disturbingly even more likely to be reality today.

The history of human rights is, that their intelligent assertors usually learn the true grounds of them ‘in the furnace of affliction’; that the posterity who inherit these rights hold them for a while, in pride and ignorant prescription; that after a while, when the true logic of the rights has been forgotten, and when some plausible temptation presses them to do so, the next generation discards the precious rights bodily, and goes back to the practice of the old tyranny… You may deem it a strange prophecy, but I predict that the time will come in this once free America when the battle for religious liberty will have to be fought over again, and will probably be lost, because the people are already ignorant of its true basis and conditions.

A Puritan on Prayer

One great point of our mortification lies in this: to have our wills melted into God’s. And it is a great token of spiritual growth when we are not only content but joyful to see our wills crossed that His may be done. When our wills are sacrifices of holy prayer, we many times receive choicer things than we ask expressly. It was a good saying, “God many times grants not what we would in our present prayers, that He may bestow what we would rather have, when we have the prayer more graciously answered than we petitioned.”

We know not what to pray as we ought, but the Spirit helps us out with groans that secretly hint a correction of our wills and spirits in prayer. In great anxieties and pinching troubles, nature dictates strong groans for relief. But sustaining grace and participation of divine holiness, mortification from earthy comforts, excitation of the soul to long for heaven, being gradually wearied from the wormwood breasts of their sublunary, transient and unsatisfying pleasures, and the timing of our heart for the seasons wherein God will time His deliverances — these are sweeter mercies than the immediate return of a prayer for an outward good.

What truly holy person would lose that light of God’s countenance, which he enjoyed by glimpses in a cloudy day, for a little corn and wine?

~ Samuel Lee (Puritan Pastor in the 1600’s).

Good Stuff on Music and Worship

Scott Aniol contributes one helpful article, I think, on the various perspectives of worship music in Taxonomies of Music/Worship Philosophies and a great new tool that pastors and music leaders everywhere will probably appreciate. Check out churchmusicfiles.com.

If one wants to get into an argument or a spirited debate, choose to talk about music. Wherever a person stands on the subject, he or she will find the information in Scott’s article helpful for giving an overview analysis of the current situation in the evangelical/fundamentalist scene.

Thanks, Scott, for the good work.

Going to the FBFI

Well, I’m going.

I’m going back to the village, so to speak, in that I am going to the FBFI National Conference in Schaumberg, Il. I have received numerous messages that that I missed a good opportunity to stand up early last night in an emotionally tricky challenge to the people there about their “effective witness.” Apparently, after confessing that he himself had only led only one person to the Lord in the last two years the speaker then challenged anyone who had led someone to the Lord in the last week to stand up, then the last two weeks, the last month, the last year, etc. and then bam!::: invitation for all those who feel convicted about their ineffective witnessing. Many people came forward. Go figure.

Now, forgive me for boasting, but even by the speaker’s definition of “effective witnessing” (i.e getting a decision), I could have stood in the early rounds. Call me a first or second round pick for the FBFI Effective Witness Team! In fact, I could have stood a couple times! Less than two weeks ago I spoke severely to a tough law officer on the phone, told him he needed to get on his knees, repent, call on Jesus to save, and that I spoke in love but had to go. Hung up. Found out later he immediately got on his knees and called on Jesus. I suppose that’s effective.

But I would not have stood.

I thought “effective witnessing” sometimes started riots. Effective witnessing sometimes gets people angry. Effective witnessing sometimes hardens hearts. Effective witness sometimes leads to conversion. Salvation is of the Lord.

The speaker confessed that he hadn’t led someone to the Lord in several years. By his own standards this is a sign of weakness, yet the FBFI wonders why young men want to go somewhere else. Perhaps, ironically, it’s because there is actually gospel power in other places. A gospel power of sorts that precludes the use of emotional tactics to fill the altar call. By his own standards, the young preachers ought to look to me and my kind of ministry if they want ministries with “effective witnessing.”

But I’m a Calvinist.

Southeast Valley Baptist Church Celebrates 10 Years

It’s fun to go other places to minister. Especially if one’s wife can go with him. That’s exactly what Jennie and I did this weekend. We dropped our kids off in Minneapolis, MN with my brother and family and took a flight to Phoenix, AZ where we, first of all, spend about 36 hours alone celebrating our upcoming 18th anniversary and then drove to Gilbert, AZ to join Joel and Toni Tetreau on Saturday evening. The following day Jennie and I celebrated with Southeast Valley Baptist Church their tenth anniversary. I was honored to be asked to preach the morning worship service. There was an enthused spirit and genuine thanksgiving to their Head. They also had the Heritage Quartet sing in the morning and perform a concert in the afternoon. The gray-haired tenor was in college with Jennie and me. It was a bit disturbing to know that I had gone to college with someone who now has gray hair. Oh, well…..

It’s fun to celebrate mile markers with other congregations. It reminds me that we are just a small hangnail in the glorious Body of Christ. But it’s great to be attached.

Mohler on Homeschooling

This is a pretty good endorsement from the president of a very distinguished seminary.

As president of a seminary and college, I can attest to the fact that questions about the educational aptitude of homeschooled students are now settled. These students can hold their own as compared to students from all other educational backgrounds. One other fact speaks loudly to me concerning their education. Most of the homeschooled students I meet at the college and graduate levels indicate an eager determination to homeschool their own children when that time comes.

Bible Conference @ MSBC

Every year we hear some great teachers on great subjects. We’ve heard Dr. Layton Talbert on Job, Dr. Ken Casillas on Jeremiah, Dr. Dave Burggraff on Christian Ethics. Good stuff. Mostly, we have teachers who specialize in the OT. This year is no different. Dr. Jeremy Farmer is now a missionary on his way to Cambodia, but he is an expert in the Old Testament. The theme for our conference that starts this Sunday morning is “From Creation to the Cross.” I’m looking forward to a blessing.

Since 2004, Jeremy has served on the Bible faculty of Northland International University, teaching courses in biblical languages and Old Testament. He and his family are currently on their way to minister in northeastern Cambodia by planting churches among the unreached Lao and by training national pastors. He holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary. Jeremy is married to Bonnie Ruth (Marshall), and they have four girls. He is a member of Norway Baptist Church (Norway, MI), where he leads worship, teaches Sunday School, and leads in the children’s ministry.

Nickle and Dimed, On (Not) Getting by in America

Part of my reading this year and last has included a real effort to acquaint myself with books that are required reading on the campuses of American secular universities (assuming, of course, that I can read them as a Christian). It’s the way some choose to contextualize without wearing nose-rings and tattoos.

How I find these particular books is rather unscientific. It usually happens by taking note of a comment in another book about an author or book that it is assumed everyone knows about. I then jot the name down on a piece of paper and retain the tidbit of information for a later time when I might have time, money, and opportunity collude conveniently for me to acquire the book that “everyone knows about” but me. Thus, I heard about Barbara Ehrenreich’s book. I think I saw her on TV one time — or mentioned — and she is a flaming liberal and pro-Obama feminist.

Plus Eight minus Gospel: Thoughts on TV “testimonies” like Duggars and Gosselins

Understatement of the year: “We evangelicals are easily impressed.”

There is a thought-provoking article in Christianity Today on the TV sensation Jon & Kate Plus Eight that ought to be considered. I still feel myself to be a foreigner in this country and one of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the celebrity addiction of American Christians.

I was not here long before I realized that it was almost blasphemous to say openly (as I did) that the Duggars are not as helpful a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as thousands of star-struck homeschool moms imagine. Since the Gospel of Jesus Christ saved me from the sub-culture village-like worldliness — yes, worldliness — of the Gothardesque gospel I am particularly sensitive to the potential delusion that “perfect families” cause about the Gospel.

The Duggars and Gosselins appeal to the worldliness of the flesh. Religious people are easily impressed by anything that has the form of godliness even though it may know nothing of the power of godliness. Those who grew up in a religious sub-culture have been indoctrinated to believe that worldliness is anything that is less conservative than they are. They might consider the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons as a cult, but they would never ascribe the word “worldly” to them. After all, their women wear dresses.

Worldliness, however, is “to be like the world.” The world deals with corruption with forms, rules, traditions, and in some extreme cases, with isolation and sectarianism. The hijab-wearing Muslim, the compound-dwelling Mormon, and the Gothardesque home-churched legalist all need to hear the Apostle Paul’s challenging questions to the Colossians about worldliness.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations - “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used) — These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (Colossians 2:20-23).

To make Jon & Kate heroes of the faith for one good decision, the decision not to abort, was to highlight a form of godliness without any real concern about whether there was any power of godliness. However, Jon & Kate could have been Mormon, or JW, or moralistic Americans, or nominal Christians and still have made the decision. And, if one loves money, why not market your “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch,” make money, and appease your conscience (if you have one about these things) by calling it a “testimony”?

The reason the Duggars and the Gosselins show is prospering is because it appeals to the elemental spirits of the world. Worldliness is more than just anything less conservative than you. Worldliness is “do nots” that have an appearance of wisdom but have no power against the indulgence of the flesh.

It didn’t for Jon & Kate. And I know from the testimony of hundreds (as well as my own) that the sub-culture of the Gothardesque gospel is just as powerless.

Jesus

I have just finished reading a great study on the deity of Jesus Christ that has moved me devotionally, stimulated me intellectually, and challenged me spiritually. The book is Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Robert M. Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski. This book was an excellent follow-up read to the book that I read last year by Stephen J. Nichols, Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to The Passion of the Christ which gave a disturbing picture of how much we shape and mold Jesus into the image of our culture.

This book by Bowman and Komoszewski, however, gives an almost exhaustive study on the deity of Jesus. It does what very few books seem to be able to do. It manages to speak to a large audience, both lay readers and scholarly critics. There are some great exegetical insights, many helpful explanations, and up-to-date arguments that are useful to read and know. In order to be readable to the average person they use endnotes (in the back of the book) and not footnotes. I’m personally in favor of footnotes, but I’m assuming the publishers know what is more marketable. Nonetheless, I think everyone from Christian in the pew to Christian in the pulpit would find this book to be a real source of encouragement in the truth of Immanuel.

Most of all, one cannot help but reading it and almost feeling the reality of God with us.

I highly recommend it.

A review by D.A. Carson (HT: Naselli)

Driscollian Drollery and the Déjà-vu of a Reforming Fundamentalist

A number of younger friends (and some men from my church) went to the Gospel Coalition and wrote or talked to me about how much they enjoyed it. But many of them had concerns about Mark Driscoll and asked me to listen to his message and comment on it to them. Since our friend Chris Anderson has practically taken the words out of my mouth in his excellent assessment of the Driscoll phenomenon, I thought I would piggyback off of that and share the open letter I’ve written to my Gospel-loving, soon-to-be-preachers friends.

A “Young and Restless” Response to a Fundamentalist Rant, Part Three

In my original post concerning Pastor Dan Sweatt’s message on the “Young and Restless,” I highlighted four areas that I felt needed to be addressed. I dealt with the first one here, and now I want to address the second problem. This is how I originally worded it on May 13th.

2. There is the stunning non sequitur that the rise of Calvinistic thinking necessarily leads to a battle on the inerrancy of Scripture coupled with a laughable illustration of a question of interpretation on John 3:16 being a proof of disbelief in the inerrancy of Scripture. In addition to this outrageous claim, the illustration itself was a straw man representation of what is said to be the universally accepted way of dealing with the text by Calvinists.