signs you may be a fundamentalist

I stole this from Virgil Vaduva ... and I'm not ashamed, does that make me a fundamentalist?



You might be a fundamentalist if...

• ...you think the earth is 6,000 years old
• ...you think Democrats are bad people
• ...you think environmentalists worship the earth
• ...you think God spoke in Elizabethan English
• ...you think everyone except your group/denomination are heretics
• ...you think the Bible teaches capital punishment
• ...you think the Bible teaches the right to bear arms
• ...you think the "Left Behind Series" is serious Bible study
• ...you think America was/is a Christian nation
• ...you expect to disappear in a rapture any day now
• ...you think most poor people are lazy
• ...James Dobson is your hero
• ...the only books you've read on opposing viewpoints are written by authors you agree with
• ...you think allowing homosexuals to marry will end civilization as we know it
• ...you think evolution is a plot from the devil
• ...you think "narrow path" is synonymous with "narrow mind"
• ...you think "the simplicity that is in Christ" means that all of the themes in Scripture can be understood by Forrest Gump
• ...you don't know how to explain the director of The Passion of the Christ being drunk and getting arrested
• ...you're afraid to buy sparkling cider because it looks like wine
• ...you can't admit that the water Jesus turned into wine might have been alcoholic, and that people might have gotten intoxicated from drinking it
• ...you think most natural disasters are a judgment from god
• ...you don't know how Christianity survived so long without your denomination
• ...you think the main point of higher education's is to convince you the bible is wrong
• ...you think that only Christians can glorify god
• ...you divide everything into two categories: "Christian" and "secular"
• ...four letter words make you more uncomfortable than malicious intent
• ...you think that a one-world currency will lead to the rapture, but you still try to convince everyone to stay away from a one world currency
• ...you think the gospel hasn't been preached unless an altar call was issued
• ...you think all Catholics are hell-bound
• ...you think two homosexuals living in a committed caring relationship are more sinful than jailing people indefinitely without charges or a trial or bombing the hell out of villages.
• ...you think promiscuous homosexuals are ruining the world, but will cut off your right arm to keep them from being able to commit to each other and be monogamous
• ...you actually think it's a GOOD thing that your pastor is uneducated
• ...you think if you don't have your morning devotions, you're day will inevitably be bad
• ...you think Jesus was white, and have never considered that he may have more closely resembled the look of what you consider to be "a terrorist"
• ...you'll take a bumbling Christian for president any day over someone more qualified
• ...you're pretty sure the four spiritual laws are in the Bible
• ...you are afraid of science, especially biologists and geneticists
• ...you are also afraid of gay people, pro-choice people, Arabs, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, anybody wearing a head scarf, anyone with a red dot or an ash spot on their forehead, blacks who live in the ghetto, immigrants, illegal aliens, Mexicans (by which you mean anyone who speaks Spanish no matter where they are from), liberals, ...
• ...you must keep your children away from all of the above
• ..."Christian values" means anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality. Period. It does not mean dignity, health care, job training, racial reconciliation, relief of poverty, justice, or mercy.
• ...you believe God would be pleased if Israel were to nuke all her neighbors
• ...when someone asks you how you are, you reply "blessed"
• ...you're afraid to use the word "lucky" because it comes from "Lucifer"
• ...You are sure Jesus is coming in 1980...1988...2000...2008...2012
• ...you think the world council of churches got together with the UN & invented global warming
• ...on Halloween, you turn out all the lights and pray for the heathen neighborhood children
• ...you think "Leave it to Beaver" and "The Andy Griffith Show" depict real life in America in the 1950s
• ...you think, "smile, Jesus loves you,” is a valid cure for depression
• ...you think that "pray for your leaders" means to pray that they become republican
• ...you repeat and believe without question every story you hear about a miracle happening in your church, but you have never seen one...even though you've been attending and involved for 20 years
• ...you think that every man of faith down through the centuries would have loved to have had the opportunity you have to be a part of your denomination
• ...you actually believe the FAA doesn't allow both a pilot and a co-pilot to be Christians in case the rapture happens
• ...you tithe 10% of your income to your church, but look the other way every time you see a beggar
• ...you have perfected the art of gossiping through prayer requests
• ...you have at some point owned an "in case of rapture..." bumper sticker, and you don't feel like the biggest moron in the world
• ...your definition of how long a "generation" is keeps changing
• ...too many sixes in a number makes you nervous
• ...you don't understand why everyone can't see the truths in the bible as clearly as you can
• ...you use the phrases "Lord Jesus" and "Lord God" in your prayers like they're commas and the word "just" in replace of "um"
• ...you don't think Obama is the anti-Christ, but you think he's a great example of how the anti-Christ will deceive the masses and rise to power so quickly
• ...your pastor wears mainly Hawaiian shirts in the pulpit, but your church is nowhere near Hawaii
• ...you regularly feel guilty about not having Christian bumper stickers on your car
• ...you believe that most people who have left your church have walked away from god, whether they are going to another church or not
• ...stories about “disappearing hitchhikers” make you cry instead of laugh
• ...you pastor has told your church about a team of scientists drilling into the earth in Siberia who drilled so far that they heard the screams of what sounded like "millions of people" suffering. This story sounds reasonable to you.

Technorati Tags: humor

dismemberment

“By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ. This is my identity. This is our identity. . . . If the church is the body of Christ, then we should not live as disembodied Christians.”

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church

HT:FE

Technorati Tags: community, ecclesiology

fruitiness

By RC Sproul ...

By grace, God offers the righteousness of Christ to all who put their trust in Him. For all who believe, all who have faith in Him, the merit of Christ is reckoned to their account.

Does this exclude good works in the life of the believer? By no means. Our justification is always unto good works. Though no merit ever proceeds from our works, either those done before our conversion or those done afterward, good works are a necessary fruit of true faith.

"Necessary fruit?" Yes, necessary. Good works are not necessary for us to earn our justification. They are never the ground of our justification. They are necessary in a more restricted sense. They are necessary corollaries to true faith. If a person claims to have faith yet brings forth no fruit of obedience whatsoever, it is proof positive that the claim to faith is a false claim. True faith inevitably and necessarily bears fruit. The absence of fruit indicates the absence of faith.

We are not justified by the fruit of our faith. We are justified by the fruit of Christ's merit. We receive His merit only by faith, but it is only by true faith that we receive His merit. And all true faith yields true fruit.

Coram Deo: Prayerfully examine your faith and spiritual fruit.

Galatians 5:22-25: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

temptation

Oh, The Temptation.

in honor

In honor of the Jewish New Year ... the red, bold text is the key word emphasized by the speaker ...

I should buy two tickets for her concert?--meaning:, "After what she did to me?"
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--meaning: "What, you're giving me a lesson in ethics?"
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--meaning: I wouldn't go even if she were giving out free passes!
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--meaning: I'm having enough trouble deciding whether it's worth one.
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--She should be giving out free passes, or the hall will be empty.
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--Did she buy tickets to our daughter's recital?
I should buy two tickets for her concert?--You mean, they call what she does a "concert"?

Technorati Tags: humor

a worldly kingdom

Mike Clawson thinks we need healthcare reform. I agree with him. However, we disagree partly on why we need reform and we disagree almost completely on the solution. Clawson thinks Obama's plan does not go "nearly far enough". In addition, Clawson is among many Christians on that side of the issue who use Christian buzz phrases to support why the government should do more, e.g., "do unto the least of these" (Mt 25.31ff).

I like Hannah Taylor's response:

Completely can't agree with you on this point. Sorry.

1) People dying is *not* a moral issue. Everybody, save Enoch and Elijah, that has lived has died or will die until Christ's return. People being *killed* is a moral issue; people allowing others to die out of a lack of love for their neighbors (like the rich man with Lazarus) is a moral issue.
2) The government is not meant to police all moral issues. The government obviously cannot make me love the Lord with all my heart, for instance. Romans 13 indicates that the Lord uses government to "praise the good" and as "an avenger" to "bring wrath upon the one who practices evil." Trying to use the government to fix all the wrongs in the world is not only futile but idolatry, attempting to replace the One we should truly have our hope in with His creation.
3) Finally, Christians should want to "do something"; the poor will always be with us, and we should care for them. You'd rather pay taxes than contribute directly?

I fail to see the support for Christians trying to implement the Kingdom through worldly governments.

Technorati Tags: current events, politics

missing mac ads

Technorati Tags: humor, technical

The Church and Social Action: Food for Thought

The below is copied in it's entirety from Pete Cockrell. I find it timely given the current push from liberal believers to confuse the message of the Gospel.

From Missions Mandate; a rather excellent site dedicated to world mission.

The relationship between the church and social action can be a complicated issue. Recently, three people have provided their perspectives on this issue that would be helpful in establishing a biblical philosophy.

Mark Snoeberger, Professor of Systematic Theology at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, in his series on the reasons for the continued existence of fundamentalism, provides clarification regarding the belief that the church has no social mandate.
Individual Christians can be neighborly and be involved in social action, but ...

the institutional church must resist adopting a programmatic social agenda as an end. The church has no responsibility to rescue babies from abortion (though its members may do so), no responsibility to build hospitals (though its members may do so), no responsibility to provide medical or dental services (though doctors and dentists within its membership may do so), etc…

In view of the extraordinary pressure exerted by culture for the church to become a social organization, it behooves us who are in church leadership to regularly remind the church that their responsibility to “those without” is not to transform their culture, but to evangelize them. May God help us to that end.

Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., did a recent workshop at the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s conference on “The Pastor and the Community: 35 somewhat overlapping statements as a pastor to pastors concerning the topic of the congregation’s responsibility for its wider community.” To give you a taste of what is included, here’s a few of the statements:

“We should have more passion for and compassion for God than for people”

“The Gospel’s main thrust is not the renewal of the fallen structures of this world, but rather the creation of a new community composed of those purchased by the blood of the Lamb”

“Scripture gives us no hope that society will be broadly and permanently transformed by the preaching of the Gospel.”

“Individual conversions can have profound effects for good on people, not only in eternity, but in this life, too.”

“We should have a desire to see non-Christians know the common blessings of God’s kindness in providence (e.g., food, water, family relations, jobs, good government, justice).”

“We should never mistake social action or mercy ministries (e.g., caring for the poor, soup kitchens, etc.) for evangelism (though it may be a means to it).”

“We must ask ourselves and others whether or not we are more excited by and about the Gospel, or other, secondary issues, and if others perceive this in our ministry”

“We must beware the popular “share the Gospel, and if necessary use words” mindset.”

Matt Harmon, Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Grace Theological Seminary, recently taught a 2-day course on the Kingdom of God and Social Justice, concluding the class by stating “Ten Theses for Further Discussion” that he shared in a 2 part series on his blog.
All ten theses are helpful starting points for discussion, but I think one that is often overlooked is:

We must recognize that evangelical engagement with these issues will take different forms within different political, cultural and social contexts. While it is increasingly popular to champion individuals like Abraham Kuyper and the goal of transforming culture, large numbers of believers simply do not have that option available.

Believers in the Middle East and parts of Asia (just to name a few) have little or no access to the various institutions of a culture to effect transformation. Believers in the United States, by contrast, often do. Thus a one size fits all approach to this issue simply cannot and does not work.

Read the ten items - Part 1 and Part 2 – as well as this follow-up post by Harmon on the topic “Should Evangelicals Use the Term Social Justice?“, which includes this example of the immense breadth in the use of the term “social justice”.

Update: Patrick Schreiner, seminary student at Southern BTS, posted a helpful quote on the topic of “social justice” from Marvin Olasky.

Technorati Tags: current events, evangelism, missional

pick two

Chris Lyons writes regarding economic choices involved in the health care debate ...

[W]hen President Obama gets up and promises that he will 1) Improve the quality of healthcare for those who already have insurance; 2) Lower its costs; and 3) Increase the supply (by insuring everyone), he is making the economic equivalent promise of repealing the laws of gravity. In this case, when he makes such promises, he is either a fool or (as the lone voice of reason cried out during his speech) a liar.

Technorati Tags: current events, politics

global warming

Remember before the healthcare crisis the big issue from the left was global warming ... well, just to remind ourselves, all that we were told about that didn't quite measure up ... I suspect the same regarding healthcare ...

Technorati Tags: current events

pastoral perspective

John Piper's excellent pastoral perspective on the "sin and the sinner" ... specifically homosexuality ...

[We] say what the world, by and large, will not believe, namely, that it is possible to describe homosexual behavior as sinful, perverse, abnormal, and destructive to persons and culture while at the same time being willing to lay down our lives in love for homosexual persons. In fact, we say something even more radical and unbelievable to the world, namely, that you must believe homosexual behavior is sin and harmful in order to love homosexual persons. Because God tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:6, “[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” If you deny the truth that homosexual behavior is sin, but instead approve of it or rejoice in it, what you bring to the homosexual person will not be love—no matter how affirming, kind, or tolerant. Our aim is the biblical combination of conviction God’s truth and compassion for God’s creation.

Technorati Tags: homosexuality

more on health care

Yep ... even children are against health care ...

Technorati Tags: current events, humor

amillennialism justified

I know this isn't good logic but sometimes I feel more right about a conclusion if I feel believe I'm in the company of others that I respect. I found the below by Jason Robertson regarding amillennialism and felt somehow comforted ... I didn't realize there were that many ammillennialists out there. The below is from Robertson.

What Amillennialism Is Not:

• It does not deny the existence of a "millennium."
• It is not a product of either a particular Protestant denomination or a product of Roman Catholicism.
• It does not require one to be a pedobaptist or immersionist.
• It does not require one to be a Calvinist or Arminian
• It does not require one to be a Covenant theologian or anti-covenant theologian.
• It is not liberalism.
• It is not as divided as Premillennialism.
• It does not symbolize everything in the Bible.
• It does not have a non-literal understanding of the Bible.
• It is not the materialistic view of the millennium as held by all Premillennialists.
• It does not hold to a literal "golden age" on earth like the many Postmillennialists.
• It is not "replacement theology."
• It is not anti-semetic.

What Amillennialism Is:

• It follows a “grammatical-historical” literal interpretation of the Scriptures.
• It looks at the Bible as a unit which contains no contradictions.
• It believes there is no “gap” in Daniel’s prophecy of Seventy Weeks, but that it was fulfilled with the desolation of the Temple and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman army in 70 A.D. (as the Tribulation judgment against non-believing Israel).
• It agrees with evangelical preterism that the prophecies concerning the nation Israel have been historically fulfilled, for the most part, and all remaining prophecies concerning Israel will be fulfilled in the church which has always been the “Israel of God.” (Eph. 1:23; Galatians 6:6)
• It believes explicitly in the millennium of Revelation 20.
• It interprets the one thousand year period mentioned only in Rev. 20 as a complete period of time, the length of which is only known by God. (Such symbolism is hermeneutically consistent with Psalm 50:10 and 1Chron. 16:15).
• It believes the millennial kingdom of Christ began with His incarnation and will consummate at His Second Coming.
• It could better be called a “Realized Millennium.”
• It believes that the millennium is the literally the spiritual reign of Christ on earth in the kingdom of His church and in the saints in heaven.
• It believes entrance to the on-going millennium is gained solely through the new birth, and that John refers to this as the first resurrection in Revelation 20:6 (supported by Eph. 2:1,5,6 and Colossians 2:13 and 3:1.)
• It believes that every person who is born again immediately becomes a child of the King and immediately begins an eternal reign with that King, and that the present phase of that reign is a mere foretaste of what lies beyond the Second Coming.
• It believes that Satan has only such power as God permits and must bow to the authority of the Gospel as a bound and defeated foe because of the Cross, unable to stop the spread of the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the world (Revelation 20:3).
• It believes that although he cannot prevail against the Church, Satan still goes about as a roaring lion tempting, defying, deceiving, until Christ shall put him down finally at His Second Coming.
• It believes that good and evil will exist side by side until the harvest, which Jesus said will be the end of the world (Matt. 13:39).
• It believes that Satan will be allowed to mount one final climactic antichrist rebellion and apostasy just before the Second Coming (Revelation 16:14; 20:7,8).
• It believes in only one first resurrection and only one last trump.
• It believes the Second Coming of Christ to be a literal, visible, bodily coming.
• It believes that at the Second Coming all the saints, living and dead, will be raptured to meet the Lord in the air, given new spiritual bodies, and then escort their King to the earth.
• It believes that the millennium will end with the Second Coming of Christ followed by the judgments of the living and the dead, saved and lost (Matt. 13:24-30; 47-53) and the creation of a new heaven and earth.
• It views the Second Coming as the consummation of the Redemption story prior to everlasting glory on the New Earth.

History of Amillennialism:

Dr. John Walvoord, a dispensational premillennialist, admitted, “Reformed eschatology has been predominantly amillennial. Most if not all of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation were amillennial in their eschatology, following the teachings of Augustine.” (Bibliotheca Sacra, Jan.-Mar., 1951)

Dr. Louis Berkof said, “The name is indeed new, but the view to which it is applied is as old as Christianity.” Since the second century it has “been the view most widely accepted, is the only view that is either expressed or implied in the great historical Confessions of the Church, and has always been the prevalent view in Reformed circles.” (Systematic Theology, p. 708)

Just to name a few Amillenarians and a couple of the many like-minded Postmillers:

Jay Adams
Oswald Allis
Augustine of Hippo
Richard Barcellos
Herman Bavinck
G. K. Beale
Louis Berkhof
G. C. Berkouwer
James P. Boyce
John Calvin
B. H. Carroll
Everett I Carver
Adam Clark
William Cox
John L. Dagg
Mark Dever
J. Ligon Duncan III
David Engelsma
Eusebius of Caesarea
Sinclair Ferguson
John Frame
Richard Gaffin, Jr.
William Grier
Henry Halley
Floyd Hamilton
Hank Hanegraaff
William Hendriksen
Charles Hill
Herschel Hobbs
Anthony Hoekema
Michael Horton
Lee Irons
Dennis Johnson
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Tim Keller
Simon Kistemaker
Meredith Kline
Abraham Kuyper
Martin Luther
C. J. Mahaney
William Masselink
Phillip Mauro
Edward McDowell
Melancthon
Leon Morris
Edgar Mullins
George L. Murray
Iain Murray
John Murray
J. I. Packer
Albertus Pieters
A. W. Pink
Vern S. Poythress
Richard Pratt
Robert S. Rayburn
Herman Ridderbos
Kim Riddlebarger
Jason E. Robertson
O. Palmer Robertson
William Rutgers
L. R. Shelton
Sam Storms
Robert Strimple
Augustus H. Strong
Ray Summers
Cornelius Van Til
Cornelis Venema
Geerhardus Vos
Samuel Waldron
Bruce Waltke
B. B. Warfield
James White
Knox White
Martin Wyngaarden
E. J. Young
Huldrych Zwingli

Council of Ephesus, 431
Confession of the Evangelical Free Church of Geneva, 1848
The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647
The London Baptist Confession, 1689
The New Hampshire Baptist Confession, 1833
Confession of the Free-Will Baptist, 1834
The Augsburg Confession

And I'll add the ever popular blogger Justin Taylor.

Technorati Tags: eschatology

a postmodern watershed

Here's how a watershed point works. It starts with a subtle and even arguable difference ... and in this case, some good counter balance to some of the error on the other side. But, as the case continues to slide down the slippery slope, it stops being a counterbalance to adjust to the correct middle ground, it becomes error equal or greater that which it was intended to address.

In the Shaping of Things to Come, p49-50, authors Frost and Hirsch see everyone as equally fallen and therefore emphasize our common journey rather than our need for conversion. I get that. But then Pip Piper (Emerging Churches, p131) takes it a step further with, "Evangelism or mission for me is no longer persuading people to believe what I believe. ... It is more about shared experiences and encounters. It is about walking the journey of life and faith together, each distinct to his or her own tradition and culture but with the possibility of encountering God and truth from one another."

Dave Tomlinson continues the slide in The Post Evangelical, p138, with; "The world is not a place where Christians are over there on the right and non-Christians are on the left, with evangelism being the task of moving people from one side to the other." Huh?

And then bottom is hit with Steve Chalke in The Lost Message of Jesus, pp147-152, explaining that Jesus wasn't telling Nicodemus (John 3.1-21) to make a reversal, He was telling Nicodemus to continue on the journey he was already on. The important thing to Chalke is that we are heading in Jesus' direction.

As the kid's today say, "Fail".

more challies

Wow! Tim Challies continues a great series of posts over at Ligonier Blog.

Study the excerpts from the apostle Paul that accompany this reading. Does this sound like a man who believed the law of God has no place in the Christian life? Read Paul's writings carefully and you will find a man whose heart longed for the law of God as much as David's.

The law drives us to the gospel. The gospel saves us from the curse of the law, but in turn directs us back to the law to search its spirit. The law of God is still a lamp to our feet. Without it we stumble and trip and grope in darkness.

For the Christian, the greatest benefit of the law of God is its revelatory character. The law reveals to us the Lawgiver. It teaches us what is pleasing in His sight. We need to seek the law of God--to pant after it--and to delight in it. Anything less is an offense against the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Coram Deo: Pray this prayer: "Thank You for Your law, which is a lamp to my feet. Give me a heart that longs for and delights in Your law."

Romans 7:8: "But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead."

Romans 7:12: "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."

Romans 7:22: "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man."

obamacare

At the time of this post, >200,000 people watched this.



And <50,000 watched the rebuttal created by the same people.



I think that fact speaks in part about the people buying what the government is selling ... not enough thinking and/or penetration of the detail.

Technorati Tags: current events

our great pursuit

Great post by R.C. Sproul by Tim Challies.

Albert Einstein was once asked by a student, "Dr. Einstein, how many feet are there in a mile?" To the utter astonishment of the student, Einstein replied, "I don't know."

The student was sure the great professor was joking. Surely Einstein would know a simple fact that every schoolchild is required to memorize. But Einstein wasn't joking. When the student pressed for an explanation of this gap in Einstein's knowledge, he declared, "I make it a rule not to clutter my mind with simple information that I can find in a book in five minutes." Einstein was not interested in trivial data. His passion was to explore the deep things of the universe. His passion for mathematical and physical truth made him a pivotal fixture in modern world history.

We are called to similar passion, a passion to know God. A thirst for the knowledge of God should drive us to drink deeply at the fountain of Scripture. We are equipped with more than enough unholy passions. Our appetite for lesser things at times threatens to consume us. Yet few of us are in danger of being consumed by a passion for God. The Scripture says of Jesus that zeal for His Father's house consumed Him. In His humanity, Jesus was a man of passion. He was neither hostile nor indifferent toward the knowledge of His Father. He was a man driven in His pursuit of God.

Coram Deo: Are you driven by an undying passion in your pursuit for God? If not, ask Him to rekindle your desire.

Psalm 42:2: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"

Psalm 143:6: "I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land."

Isaiah 55:1: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

healthcare truth

I still wonder what Obamacare is intended to resolve and why so many, especially Christians, have jumped on that bandwagon. Bottom line, I don't know what the truth is regarding the so called crisis. I read this today and since it matches my bias, I'm going with it.

Nearly nine out of 10 Americans say they have coverage -- and large majorities of them are happy with it. Of the 46 million uninsured, 9.7 million are not U.S. citizens; 17.6 million have annual incomes of more than $50,000; and 14 million already qualify for Medicaid or other programs. That leaves less than five million people truly uncovered out of a population of 307 million.

This health care "crisis" feels not unlike the global warming crisis. Yes there are real issues out there and yes it's clear the body of Christ is not behaving as such. But I fail to see how government is the solution and I fail to see the issue as portrayed by those trying to sway me.

humility

“Humility agrees and is glad that everything we have is a free gift of God, and that this severs the root of boasting in our distinctives. Whatever talents, whatever intelligence, what ever skills, whatever gifts, whatever looks, whatever pedigree, whatever possessions, whatever wit, whatever influence you have, put away all pride because it is a gift, and put away all despair because it is a gift from God.”

- John Piper, Greatness, Humility, Servanthood

HT:JH

healthcare

I like Phil Wyman's perspective on the health care debate.

I am not sure if the current bill offers more problems than answers, but I want the debate to continue in order to find out. Unfortunately most of the voices I am hearing now are demonizing the other side - from the highest positions on down there are clowns to the left, and jokers to the right. So here I am, stuck in the middle. Anyone else out there stuck in the middle with me?

Mike Clawson sees conservatives demonizing while I see this as true on both sides and so I'm not sure what the value of mentioning that is. And Mike frustrated me a bit by providing what I see as far too simplistic sound bites rather handling the real issues. In his defense, this was a short facebook blurb ... he wrote that he "is confused by the conservative mindset. So when we are starting unprovoked wars or denying civil liberties, the government can do no wrong, and to suggest otherwise is unpatriotic? But when we are trying to make health care accessible for millions of the least of these, the government is an inefficient bureaucracy that can do nothing right?"

In contrast, Kent Leslie tries to identify the issues. He, like I, see that it is not really about Obamacare per sé. That is:

The healthcare debate in the United States comes from two debates that conservatives and progressives are having with one another:

- Is healthcare a right?
- Is it best provided by the government?

There are exceptions, but primarily conservatives say no to both, and progressives say yes to both.

Then after a long civics lesson and a very polite smack-down directed at both sides, he makes this outstanding conclusion:

Healthcare is the responsibility of every follower of Christ Jesus. If everyone isn’t receiving it, we need to change things so that they can. Whether it’s a right or not is moot. Whether we should handle it directly, or indirectly through our government, is I think determined by matters of practicality—if you can do it yourself more practically than the government can, by all means do it. Otherwise I believe the practical thing involves voting in a plan that will help rich and poor alike, employed and unemployed alike. I don’t care if you call it socialism. I call it Christian.

For me personally, I think there is a better way than a government solution but in the end, it should be clear that the Christians of this great country are not following the same Spirit. Our focus is on how the other guy's plan won't work and neither side seems willing to lay down their agenda to follow God ... people are hurting and we aren't healing.

As Jeff Goins puts it, "I think that we Christians in America have all sold ourselves short by aligning ourselves with the political left or right." We need to align with the Kingdom of God ...

Technorati Tags: current events

direction setting

HT:MC

Technorati Tags: humor

gorilla collins

Technorati Tags: humor, music

religions that lead to god

Hey - a good one from DJP ...

Do all religions lead to God? ...

In this sermon, Reymond revisited the verse that featured very conspicuously in how the Lord saved me: John 14:6.

Reymond stressed Jesus' exact words: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Other religions will bring you to God. ... Every practitioner of every religion created by man and/or demon will, by that religion, be brought to God.

But none of those religions will bring us to God as "Father"!

They will bring us to God as Judge. They would bring you and me, clothed in the unspeakably filthy rags of our human works (Isaiah 64:6), without excuse, hopeless, guilty and doomed (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36; Acts 17:31; Romans 1:20, 32; 2:16; Revelation 20:11-15), falling continually and infinitely short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

The only way to God as Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Born again by the sovereign grace of God (John 1:12-13), adopted as sons of God through Christ (Ephesians 1:7), blessed with the spirit of adoption whereby we can cry out "Abba! Father" (Romans 8:15), which the Spirit of God's own Son in our hearts (Galatians 4:6).

All religions lead to God — for damning judgment.

Only through Jesus Christ can we approach God as Father.

In the comments DS nicely adds reference to John 8.39-44.

more piper homosexuality

I need to stop beating this drum but as I read Ray Ortlund's post this morning I was once again reminded of the foolish reactions I've seen on the internet to John Piper's comment regarding the Minneapolis tornado and homosexuality. First here's Ortlund's post ...

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” Luke 18:11-12

What was wrong with the Pharisee?

There was a lot right with him. He really didn’t do those bad things. He really did those good things. And he gave glory to God for it all: "God, I thank you . . . ."

So, what was wrong with him? Just this. He sincerely believed he was “not like other men.”

Thank God I’m not like that Pharisee!

I appreciate Ortlund's self-directed sarcasm.

The connection to Piper? Well some see Piper as being the Pharisee and pointing out the error in others. I think that is their guilt speaking rather than sound analysis.

Let's see what Piper said.

Let me venture an interpretation of this Providence with some biblical warrant.

Sounds like, "this may not be reason but it could be." And it sounds like, "I don't want to just pull this out of the air, there may be some, although not conclusive, Biblical support." Why are the antagonists reading this otherwise? I can only assume because of the pharisaical junk in their hearts.

In the end Piper concludes:

The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. ... Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.

First, the warning is to them and us. Yet the antagonists only see him railing against others. Interesting. Second, the antagonists find the behavior by God inconsistent with God. Oddly it is fully consistent with the Bible (just may be misapplied). So I find it revealing that these folks have invented a god not of the Bible. Finally, because these folks are bent on affirming sin rather than repenting from it, the interpret every call to repent as fear mongering. They then struggle with Piper's concept of God. Again reinforcing their invention of a god other than that of the Bible. In Piper's clarification, he acknowledges a God who is in control of all things and who uses all things to his glory. Piper references a post he made some time ago regarding his bout with cancer. In that he wrote that it was ...

... a gentle but firm warning to me and all of us: Turn from every approval of sin in your life. Turn from the justification and promotion of any behaviors in your life that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great biblical heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from your inveterate bent to distort the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform you and all other sinners.

Piper's thoughts seem very consistent with Luke 13.4-5. He is clearly not looking at the fault in others but is taking everything as God pointing to our need to repent and to follow him ... in all things. Now you may disagree with Piper's view on the sovereignty of God and you may disagree with his analysis of the tornado event relating to the ELCA. But please, get off the high horse of saying he is a fear monger and that he serves some distorted version of God.

denomination allows drunken clergy

It was just a matter of time ...

Denomination Votes to Allow Drunken Clergy

Hot on the heels of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s decision to allow the appointment of non-celibate gays to the clergy, another prominent Christian denomination has decided this week to allow practicing drunkards in the pulpit.

...

“Bottom line, this is a heart issue,” added Lutowski. “Okay, it’s a liver issue, too, but it’s mostly a heart issue. It’s time to quit acting like pharisaical tee-totalers who are hung up on judgmental prooftexts and start showing some Christian love to our drunken brethren who want nothing more than to give out sloppy back slaps and shout, ‘I love you, man!’ to an unsaved stranger. If getting sloshed is so wrong, how come Jesus changed water into wine and jump-started the first Christian drinking party two thousand years ago?”

Read the rest ...

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church, homosexuality, humor

debased minds

As postmodern innovators build on a false notion of love, their redefined definition of God, and a works based means toward salvation, I couldn't help but think of God's truth (Rom 1.24-31) as I listened ... these folks have absolutely lost sight of what true grace and mercy is and have subsequently embraced their own fallenness.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church, homosexuality

holy spirit needed

"An abundance of knowledge without the anointing of the Holy Spirit is barren of life." ~ Ron Allen, FaceBook

the target of the cross

There are two key consequences of the cross. One on God, penal substitution, i.e., Jesus satisfies God's wrath (Rom 3.25-26; Gal 3.13; 2 Cor 5.21). The other on Satan, Christus Victor, i.e., Jesus defeats the Devil (Col 2.15; Heb 2.14-15; 1 John 3.8). Secondarily (and this must be kept secondary), on us. This also manifests in two ways. The primary of these is moral influence, i.e., Jesus shows God's love to us (1 John 3.16; 4.7-12; Rom 5.8). It is this that motivates to love him back. Then, to a lesser degree, moral example, i.e., Jesus shows us how to love and trust God (1 Pet 2.21). On the cross we see how to love and trust God even in our darkest hour. In regard to us, we must take care to not make ourselves the primary object of the cross.

At the same time, all of this should be kept in mind - especially by those of us that embrace penal substitution. In our modern culture it is too easy to think only in those terms. We must remember that penal substitution is a relatively new construct. The early church focus was Christus Victor. In that sense, the postmodern innovator has done well to challenge our thinking. Unfortunately, with this, as with so much else, the pendulum is swung by them too far and in this matter, toward the secondary, i.e., the focus on us and for some, more sadly, the focus on the lesser point relative to us, i.e., Christ as a moral example (which he no doubt is).

Regarding penal substitution, we must remember that it is a bit limited in it's application. Only when we combine this with Christus Victor do we get the clearer picture of the implications of the cross in regard to the church and creation. And so while I often defend/promote penal substitution, I wanted to go on record to say I have often erred by not advocating all aspects of the cross.

the truth

"Once a man makes the conversion of sinners his prime design and all-consuming end, he is exceedingly apt to adopt a wrong course. Instead of striving to preach the Truth in all its purity, he will tone it down so as to make it more palatable to the unregenerate." —A. W. Pink

HT:The Bororean

I think that's true but with the current swell of postmodern innovators/christian universalists, the opposite seems to be more common. That is, once a man determines that all are saved or that we are only "broken", then Truth is referred to as fear mongering and it is therefore toned down to make it more palatable to the unregenerate.

Technorati Tags: evangelism

being negative

Some are bent out of shape regarding John Piper's comments around the recent tornado in Minneapolis and the decision of the ELCA to propagate sin. Others are supportive of Piper. Me, I lean slightly negative toward what he said. Those that got bent out of shape, pulled the typical fear-monger tactic of accusing the other side of being a fear-monger ... what a silly and ignorant argument. To quote one, "the God Piper lives with, one who is always ready to strike the moment John does something wrong. In contributing to a culture of fear, Piper has inadvertently revealed the culture he himself lives in." This not only demonstrates absolute ignorance of what Piper was trying to say, but it (1) reveals a critic who is quick to misrepresent the body of work of an individual and (2) speaks volumes about this person's misunderstanding of God.

Interestingly, our small group study this past week was 2 Cor 12-17. Verse 14-15 really caught my eye. If we allow him to leads us, we will be the fragrance of the knowledge of him and to those being saved, it is the aroma of Christ ... but to those that are perishing, it is the aroma of death. The post-modern innovator would have us join them in their concocted image a false God based on a false notion of love. The Biblical truth is that same Christ who is life to some is repugnant to others. While it's true many of us need to work to strip our junk from our witness, it is also a false notion to think that truth will never sting.

J.C. Ryle wrote on Mk 6.14-29 (HT:CIC):

Let it never surprise us when we hear of faithful ministers of the Gospel being spoken against, hated and reviled. Let us rather remember that they are ordained to bear witness against sin, the world and the devil, and that if they are faithful they cannot help giving offense. It is no disgrace to a minister's character to be disliked by the wicked and ungodly. It is no real honor to a minister to be thought well of by everybody. Those words of our Lord are not considered enough - "Woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26).

As faithful ministers, we ought be nervous if the world only sees us as friends. Kingdom living will demand a reaction. At times it will be repentance and redemption, at other times rejection. But a reaction nonetheless ... and either way, one could say a violent one. This doesn't have to be fearful as these postmodern innovators suppose. This can be loving and kind - if done as servants. Remember, to these folks, if permission isn't given to sin, they see no other option, it must be shame. They flat miss the point of grace and mercy in repentance and truth.

Related to this, we should be reminded that even after the cross, the church retained a healthy fear of sin and a healthy fear (but a different kind) of the Lord (1 Cor 11.27-32). See more here.

And so I say again, my "gut" isn't keen about Piper's post, but the responses from some have revealed the world to which Christ came to redeem and they seem proud to reside in sin.

love

"The cross is only an act of love it if solves a real problem." ~ Michael Wittmer, Don't Stop Believing

I'm not one that thinks the cross is only about penal substitution. And certainly quite a stretch is made when applying some Scripture I've seen cited as support. At the same time I've found those denying penal substitution have not adequately refuted it as one of the facets of the cross and have left large holes (if not heresy) in their thinking sans-penal substitution.

totalitarianism

When I read stuff like this I wonder how people could be as naive as this. The latter seem to think that out of control (or should I say over controlling) government is somehow unique to folks like Bush as opposed to those promising bigger government (whom they vote for).

the empty tomb

“When Jesus Christ rose from the dead that first Easter Sunday, a new epoch in redemptive history dawned. The empty tomb was the first concrete sign that the new creation had begun.”

- Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillenialism

HT:FE

healing

What's your reaction and what do you think it says about you? Is it good?

Technorati Tags: healing

bb blues boys tune

Technorati Tags: music

parent teacher conference

From Nakedpastor ...

Technorati Tags: humor

faith and works

"For as faith justifies a person, so works justify faith." ~ Francis Turretin

Technorati Tags: faith

kog and the church

"Our restless discontent should not be over the distance between ourselves and the first century Church but over the distance between ourselves and the Kingdom of God to which the Church then and now is the witness." - R.J. Neuhaus

HT:Alan Hirsch via Facebook

Technorati Tags: ecclesiology, Kingdom of God

ooh-hoo-hoo ... char-lie

This is bouncing around the net and I feel compelled to be part of that ...

The original ...



The remix ...

Technorati Tags: humor

NIV from antichrist

Well ... I don't like the NIV either ...

Technorati Tags: Scripture

bringing and keeping faith

John Piper:

To guarantee that this covenant [re: Jer 31.31-34] will not fail, Christ takes the initiative to create the faith and secure the faithfulness of his people. He brings a new-covenant people into being by writing the law not just in stone, bot on the heart. In contrast with the :letter" on stone, he says "the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3.6). "When we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2.5). This is the spiritual life that enables us to see and believe in the glory of Christ. This miracle creates the new-covenant people. It is sure and certain because Christ bought it with his own blood.

And the miracle is not only the creation of our faith, but the securing of our faithfulness. "I will make with them an everlasting covenant ... I will put the fear of me in hearts, that they may not turn from me" (Jer 32.40). When Christ died, he secured for his people not only new hearts but new security. He will not let them turn from him. He will keep them. They will persevere. The blood of the covenant guarantees it.

leadership

From Bob Hyatt on Facebook today ... "'No one will give me the opportunity to lead!' What a silly statement."

xtranormal

Thanks to Kevin DeYoung for introducing me to xtranormal video ... I like these representing a Calvinist and an Arminian approach to witnessing ...

Technorati Tags: Calvinism, evangelism

the problem of evil

“To people wrestling with the problem of evil: God didn’t come to explain evil; he came to utterly destroy it.” ~ Trevin Wax

Technorati Tags: evil

i'm gullable

Jeremy Pierce posts 10 myths, most of which he once believed. Me too ...

You'll get cramps if you eat before swimming.

You only use 10% of your brain.

The Bible says that Hebrew high priest would have a rope tied around him with bells when he went into the Holy of Holies so that the other priests could pull him out if the bells stopped jingling.

Eric Clapton once said that Phil Keaggy is the best guitarist in the world.

Gum remains in your stomach or intestines for years if you swallow it.

The Great Wall of China is the only structure created by humans visible from space.

Hair and fingernails continue to grow after you die.

Water flushes down toilets in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Led Zeppelin put backward Satanic messages in Stairway to Heaven.

The number of people alive today is greater than the number who have ever died.

Sadly, I bought into half of these ... I guess that cause I was only using 10% of my brain.

god's great love

I thank God for His GREAT love. And I thank Him for the many wonderful ways in which He reveals this. Today I read some more of Piper's Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. In chapter 11 he writes:

Justification is not merely the cancellation of my unrighteousness. It is also the imputation of Christ's righteousness to me. I do not have a righteousness that commends me to God. My claim before God is this: "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes from through faith in Christ" (Phil 3.9).

This is Christ's righteousness. It is imputed to me. That means Christ fulfilled all righteousness perfectly; and then that righteousness was reckoned to be mine, when I trusted in him. I was counted righteous. God looked on Christ's perfect righteousness, and he declared me to be righteous with the righteousness of Christ.

The demands of God for entrance into eternal life are not merely that our unrighteousness be canceled, but that our perfect righteousness be established.

Thank God for His mercy and grace to have saved such an undeserving sinner as I. Jesus Christ is the great and awesome servant King.

willingness

"Unbelief says, 'Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us.' Faith says, 'Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!' With our feet on the ground, and our head cool, but with our heart ablaze with the love of God, we walk out in this fullness of the Spirit, if we will yield and obey. God wants to work through you!"

A. W. Tozer, The Counselor, page 116.

HT:RO

piper, homosexuals, and the tornado

I've read a lot about John Piper and his comments regarding the recent tornado in Minneapolis. Of those I've read, B.C. McWhite comes closest to my thoughts on Piper's comments and so I credit him and copy most of his blog post. I should also add that most of what I read (one example) from others flat misrepresent Piper and then move into their own brand of what they accuse Piper of.

1. The statement of biblical truth

Piper is absolutely correct in his stance on homosexuality as being contrary to God’s design for human sexuality, as well as his stance on the grave danger of condoning sin in the name of God. He writes, “Official church pronouncements that condone the very sins that keep people out of the kingdom of God are evil. They dishonor God, contradict Scripture, and implicitly promote damnation where salvation is freely offered.” Without a doubt, he is correct here. What the ELCA is doing is deeply evil because they are condoning something God condemns while claiming that the love of God justifies their actions, as though ‘love’ entails the unquestioning approval of any lifestyle a person happens to find appealing. Here I cannot fault Piper’s strong words.

2. The wisdom of publicly interpreting providence

This is where I thought Piper began to go off the tracks. It is one thing to affirm that God hates sin and to affirm that God governs everything in his creation, including weather and the tornado in south Minneapolis in particular. It is quite another thing to suggest that God sent a tornado into downtown Minneapolis to warn the ELCA against their initiatives. To be fair, Piper exhibits some caution when he writes, “Let me venture an interpretation of this Providence with some biblical warrant.” In other words, he’s not claiming that this is what God is surely doing (a la Pat Robertson post-9/11). Rather he seems to be offering a suggestion as a means to spark reflection. Moreover, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad idea to offer tentative interpretations of providence. We all do it all the time, don’t we? Think: “I think God was probably showing me through this…,” or “Clearly, God was letting me know through this that…,” or “I know that God was trying to tell me through this that….”

Nevertheless, conclusions about what God is doing in his direction of the natural world when He himself has not given an explanation for the events (as he often has done in the history of redemption) must always remain very, very tentative and represent a very dangerous undertaking because one might publicly ascribe to God thoughts and motives that are not necessarily accurate. That’s a big wager. Even if I had made the connection Piper made between the tornado and the ELCA, I think the extent to which I would have made it public would have been saying to my wife, “I wonder if God was….”

3. Awareness of public perception

Should believers tremble to make statements that they know will be unpopular among the general public? Absolutely not. We must obey God rather than men. Should believers soft-peddle to seekers and people who are interested in Jesus but not interested in the hate-mongering that too often has characterized evangelical social and political dialogue? Not at all. We should expect our beliefs to cause consternation and stumbling. Nevertheless, I think there is a place to recognize that we, as evangelicals, have done ourselves no favors in terms of making it clear that we believe homosexuality to be contrary to God’s design for human sexuality and therefore sin and yet we believe far more ardently that those who have chosen homosexual lifestyles bear the Imago Dei, are no worse sinners than we, are not more deeply in need of saving, reconciling grace than we, and ought to receive our love and care just as fervently as any other person we encounter even as we call them to repent and trust in Christ.

Piper should have been more aware, in my opinion, that to the watching world his comments will sound identical (though they are surely not) to Pat Robertson’s unbelievably self-righteous and irresponsible remarks after 9/11. It’s not Piper’s fault that his remarks will be received that way. But it’s where we live, and I believe Piper’s remarks will make it even more difficult to win homosexuals to Christ because he has planted unnecessary stumbling blocks that have nothing to do with the gospel of Christ crucified for sinners.

To put it another way: Why this sin? If the ELCA was considering passing a resolution that allowed ordination for pastors who live in lavish houses and desire to live in comfortable affluence I highly doubt anyone would have made the tornado/ELCA connection even though the Bible speaks far more fiercely and frequently against those who desire to be rich than it does those who choose homosexuality.

That’s my two pennies.

For the record, this may now be the second thing I disagree with Piper on.

Update: Piper offers some clarifying remarks ... I take no issue with them.

Update 2: Others demonstrate an absolute failure to understand fundamental theological differences, get mad at Piper, and think their sound bites (e.g., "a theology that contributes to fear") will convince others that their side of the difference is correct. This harkens back to my point on emotionalism rather than intelligent discussion..

emotionalize

As Scooby says, "ruh roh". Greenpeace, among other dance tactics, now says that sometimes, "we have to emotionalize issues." Forget about my disagreement with the global warming thinkers, I find this an all too common approach from leaders on all sides of all issues. And what's most concerning is that it works.

Technorati Tags: current events

being a christian

". . . the whole object of being a Christian is that you may know the love of Jesus Christ, his personal love to you; that he may tell you in unmistakable language that he loves you, that he has given himself for you, that he has loved you with 'an everlasting love.' He does this through the Holy Spirit; he 'seals' all his statements to you through the Spirit. . . . You believe it because it is in the Word; but there is more than that; he will tell you this directly as a great secret. The Spirit gives manifestations of the Son of God to his own, to his beloved, to those for whom he has gladly died and given himself."

D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 7.1-8.4, page 61.

HT:RO

frankenstein

Nearly 15 minutes of Frankenstein (live in Japan) ... it doesn't get much better ... well, ok it would be better if it was in one video ....

Technorati Tags: music

marvel

“How amazing that God in Christ should do all this; that the Most High, the Most Holy should be the All Loving too; that the ineffable Majesty should stoop to take upon himself our flesh, subject to hunger and cold, death and desperation. We see him lying in the feedbox of a donkey, laboring in a carpenter’s shop, dying a derelict under the sins of the world. The gospel is not so much a miracle as a marvel, and every line is suffused with wonder.”

—Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

HT:TR

hey jimi

Gotthard playing Hey Jimi in 2000 ...

Technorati Tags: music

permission v. shame

Among the many wrong minded things espoused by JB, he recently posted on permission to have sex. He described what he thought was a picture of a healthy environment for growing up in regard to sex. He boasted that in that family environment there was no shame. There was only the sense of value. I noticed that did not mention boundaries nor a basis for the value that was instilled. This could have been an omission but then he asks the following question (with the almost mandatory postmodern verbiage) ... "So what resonates with you? Did you grow up with permission or shame?"

This causes me to once again reflect on the false dichotomy imposed by our postmodern friends. The implication from JB is that where there are boundaries there is shame and that this is often sourced through the Church (i.e., doctrine). He even states, "My church took the traditional perspective of no sex before marriage and shamed people who did." But in that he doesn't note that the first part would be Biblical while the second would not. The more I read of JB the more I find someone who is wounded and rather than returning to the true love of Christ who enables freedom in obedience embraces a world without God's rule under a false notion of what love truly is.

JB tells one commenter who rightly reads his post that his is false conclusion and states that he will not respond to the questions raised. But another commenter who JB doesn't bother to correct reads he properly ... "My parents were pretty open about sex, and I was raised without church, so no real source for shame. It can't be the only reason I'm ambi-sexual, but it feels pretty natural to me to choose my partners based on things other than gender." Notice the Church and boundaries are seen as the source of shame ... and note the pride in the resulting multiple sexual relations with both genders.

Folks, we need to fight this error. We can hold to both Truth and Love. In fact, I would proffer that without true Truth there can be no true Love. Shame is never the result of this. If done by the Spirit, the result is either rebellion or freedom. Often those in rebellion confuse that with shame but ...

Technorati Tags: sexuality

rap v. rock

Percussion Instrument for Rap




Percussion Instrument for Rock



Thanks Guitar.Today ...

Technorati Tags: music

no stairway

Almost a year later and I still think Doug Pagitt has out thought himself ...

Todd: Doug, I’m a good Buddist. Do I get to go to Heaven or Hell?
Doug: No, it’s not called systematic theology. It’s called you restating it.
Todd: Doug, I am a good Buddhist. Where do I go when I die?
[silent pause]
Doug: You, you know this is not an interesting conversation for me. Is this what we’re gonna do? You’re gonna… Your gonna put together false little dichotomies and then ask me to answer one sentence and then interrupt my answers?
Todd: I don’t know what’s hard about the question. I am a good Buddhist, where do I go when I die?
Doug: Well you probably go to the funeral home, but depending on where you’re being born if that’s what you’re talking about.
Todd: No, pastor. I’m a good Buddhist. Where do I go when I die?
Doug: [laugh] Ok. This is not.. This is just not an interesting or helpful conversation for me to be part of. So if that’s what we’re doing uh, in this conversation, then uhm… It’s.. it. Because what – what you’re asking in this - in this kind of question has to do with a place. Are you suggesting to me that Heaven is actually a place? When you say where do I go, you’re suggesting to me that the reign of God, that the place of God is an.. is an individual PLACE that you go? Is that what you’re suggesting?
Todd: Yes, sir.
Doug: Where, where is that place?
Todd: It’s called heaven.
Doug: Where is it?
Todd: We don’t know where it is exactly right now.
Doug: Then why would you ask a question, “where do I go?”

I didn't really intend to re-raise this but I was driven to find something to go along with this classic clip ...

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church

in and out

“All of our personal problems and church problems come because we don’t come continually back to the gospel to work it in and live it out.”

- Timothy Keller, “Being the Church in Our Culture”

HT:FE

our works

Michael Wittmer wisely writes;

The Reformers saw Augustine's emphasis on our depravity and raised it. They taught that meritorious works are not only impossible without grace, but they are impossible period. Our sinful wills corrupt everything we do, so even our best efforts require the forgiveness of Christ. Lutherans declared that "even thought they are still impure and imperfect," yet "the good works of believers are pleasing and acceptable to God ... for the sake of the Lord Christ through faith, because the person is acceptable to God."

John Calvin called this our "double acceptance ... before God," by which God accepts both our person and our works through the blood of his Son. Just as God forgives our sinful person by covering us with the righteousness of Christ, so he forgives our sinful works in the same way.

True to the thinking of postmodern innovators, faith without works is dead (James 2). Saying we have right doctrine is empty if not played out in right practice. But contrary to postmodern innovators, good works not done as servants of Christ are as filthy rags (Isa 64.6).

Paul desired nothing more than to be known as a servant of Christ - a steward of a great mystery (1 Cor 4.1-2). He wanted nothing to do with human judgements based on either works or doctrine (1 Cor 4). His life was to be a fool for Christ (1 Cor 4.10). The Kingdom of God is not just talk - it is power. Here the postmodern innovators have it right. But it is a power based on Truth. There is no work done outside of Christ (e.g., recognizing Ramadan) that is of any worth.

As John Piper asks:

Do we do our good deeds in joyful dependence on God with a view to making known his supreme worth? Do we fulfill the overarching command to serve people "by the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 4.11)? ... Without Christ-exalting faith, our deeds will signify nothing but rebellion.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church

things that make me scratch my head

Under "things that make me scratch my head" ... today on Facebook ...

Brian D. McLaren Hey, friends - another quick update. I'm going to be observing the fast of Ramadan with some Muslim friends, beginning in about a week.

Susan Tittmar ... A fabulous idea. May you meet Christ more fully in your experience of their own spirituality.

Kristi Shirley Kernal ... Thank you, Brian for your courage to obey God and care more about what HE thinks than what people think. Can't wait to read about it.

I almost don't even want to hear the rationale ... but I couldn't resist ... I went to Brian's blog ... urgh ...

First he imagines that sharing Ramadan is like Jesus overcoming religious prejudice and learning from (and being inspired by) a Syrophonecian woman (Matthew 15:21 ff, Mark 7:24 ff). Uh, yeah, He overcame prejudice to demonstrate the Gospel ... not that He would learn and be inspired. McLaren seeks to "learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers."

McLaren then lists common commitments:

We, as Christians, humbly seek to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan as a God-honoring expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness. Each of us will have at least one Muslim friend who will serve as our partner in the fast. These friends welcome us in the same spirit of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness.

Pardon my confusion but I do not understand that we share the same spirit.

We will seek to avoid being disrespectful or unfaithful to our own faith tradition in our desire to be respectful to the faith tradition of our friends. For example, since the Bible teaches us the importance of fasting and being generous to the poor, we can participate as Christians in fidelity to the Bible as our Muslim friends do so in fidelity to the Quran.

No, we have opposing objectives in mind. We seek to humbly serve Christ. They do not. Again, postmodern innovators focus on works and thereby confuse the crux of our salvation and the need of the world.


Update: the facebook brain trust continues (to prove my point) .... the following comments are from McLaren's supporters [emphasis is mine]:

Bob Melone ... Thanks ... for reminding us that a life of faith is not about 'obeying' God, it's about experiencing the presence of God, with those seeking after the things of God [ah but this is with Muslims?]!

Tracy Pace ... other religions have as much to offer as my own in terms of spirituality and service. Jesus never meant for any of us to worship him as the one and only - that came much later ...

Robert G Bob Pearson ... GOD = Allah, same same, no difference, same source in Abraham. A spiritual practice that brings you both closer to God and closer to other people cannot be questioned as a heresy.

Annie Haden Mehlhoff ... McClaren's participation in Ramadan is very similar to what Jesus did with his neighbors ... Jesus is a mediator between humanity and God, but that doesn't mean he is the only one. ... I just suggest that perhaps you listen to those other faiths. I think you'll find Jesus in them as much as Christianity.

Update 2 ... Tracy Pace couldn't help but to continue to reinforce my issue with postmodern innovators ... she speaks on ... "Men clearly had a huge political hand in the formation of the christian religions, and of the documents which came to be our Bible, which I don't see any evidence in the scriptures for Jesus having planned."

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he loves me

Yet He loves me. Jesus Christ gave Himself to demonstrate His love for me. He loves me. He gave Himself for me (Gal 2.20; Eph 5.2, 23).

jordan

Because a little Buckethead just isn't enough ...

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prototype #1

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love

Do we love God enough to love someone like that?

the starfish

As a man walked a desolate beach one cold, gray morning he began to see another figure, far in the distance. Slowly the two approached each other, and he could make out a local native who kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he hurled things into the ocean. As the distance between them continued to narrow, the man could see that the native was picking up starfish that had been washed upon the beach and, one at a time, was throwing them back into the water. Puzzled, the man approached the native and asked what he was doing.

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"But there must be thousands of starfish on this beach," the man replied. "You can't possibly get to all of them. There are just too many. And this same thing is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"

god's love

Christ's sacrifice on the cross is not a response to our worth, it is the overflow of his infinite worth.

John Piper writes, "... divine love is in the end: a passion to enthrall undeserving sinners, at great cost, with what will make us supremely happy forever, namely, his infinite beauty." According to the riches of God's grace we have redemption and forgiveness (Eph 1.7). His eternal life was given to us even while we were still sinners (Rom 5.7-8; John 3.16).

suffering

Interestingly, Jesus, who never committed sin or spoke deceit (1 Pet 2.22), learned obedience and was made perfect through suffering (Heb 5.8; 2.10).

church revenue

The Vatican discovers new sources of revenue ... from the Sacred Sandwich ...

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submitting to god

What God purposed for Jesus on the Cross (2 Tim 1.9; Isa 53.10), Jesus willingly submitted to (Eph 3.2).

justification

To correctly assess the benefit of justification, people must lift up their minds to the judgment seat of God and put themselves in his presence...But when they put themselves before the face of God and examine themselves in the mirror of his holy law, all their conceit collapses, all self-confidence melts, and there is room left only for the prayer: "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you" (Job 4:17-29; 9:2; 15:14-16; Ps. 143:2; cf. 130:3), and their only comfort is that "there is forgiveness before you, so that you may be revered" (Ps. 130:4).

(Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics Vol. 4, p. 204-5)