2009-05-25

Hays writes that church unity is defined by union with Christ, responding to a Roman Catholic argument, from some passages in John, that in the Roman church is there a oneness of faith, of worship, and of discipline. Hays points out that the prooftexts largely speak of union with Christ, but more than that, you belong to the one true church, which is defined top down, if you are branches of the same vine, sheep of the same shepherd, members of a body with the same head. It isn’t about belonging to the right sect. Some Prots and some Catholics belong to the true church. Church unity

Manata points out that if, as the Scripturalist asserts, the only way to justify an opinion is to find it in the Bible or deduce it from passages in the Bible, and opinion O is not to be found or deduced, then O is unjustified – and Scripturalists arguments do not rise above opinion. On the Propriety of Asking Scripturalists Whether They Know X, Y, or Z

Chan posts an ER physician, who points to abuses of the Medicaid system by people who have a $300 cell phone, and at the same time there are legitimate medical needs, say, Autistic children with parents who make just enough money not to qualify. “I really wish that President Obama could spend just one day with us in the ER before formalizing his plans for universal health-care. The current government insurance program, Medicaid, is so frequently abused that if we nationalize it, the collapse of the stock market and major banks would be a pleasant memory in comparison.” From the trenches

Phillips observes that like our freedom in Christ, which is not free, for it cost Jesus everything He had to give while we paid nothing, so too is our freedom in Western nations, purchased by the blood of soldiers, albeit the latter is of infinitely lesser worth. Other men died that we could have the freedoms that we do. Pray that more are not honoured by Memorial Day next year. Memorial Day- Kevin DeYoung's thoughts, plus one

Challies continues a summary of The Gospel Coalition. It seeks to be both an organization in the traditional sense, and a grassroots movement of Christians who are committed to the Gospel, in that it aims to bring them together for that Gospel. The Gospel Coalition Network (social site) seeks to facilitate this. It is free for anyone. Four key terms. Participants are pretty much anyone interested. They don’t even need to be Christians. Members are those who can sign the statement of faith, etc. without mental reservation. Groups are members + participants centred around a common theme or geography, and chapters are regional centres for advancing the work of TGC at local/regional levels. What Is The Gospel Coalition- (Part 2)

McKinley is convinced that the way to become all things to all people is to make our churches less culturally specific, not more. The more a church tries to appeal to one culture, the more it alienates those who don’t identify with it. Ironically, one tries to be all things to all people and becomes all things to a very narrow subset. There may be no meeting that isn’t culturally conditioned, but let’s aim to be universally Christian and less geared to a particular age or class as much as we can. Be churches that come together praise God together through song, prayer, preaching, and reading the Word – not for skits, styles, etc. Becoming All Things to A Few People by Michael Mckinley

Mohler argues that the birth control pill represents a moral revolution of incalculable magnitude, in that it fulfilled the quest for liberation of sex from reproduction, allowing much more non-marital sex. Feminists saw the pill as leveling the playing field. Now, the FDA is allowing the morning after pill (plan B) to be sold over the counter to 17 year olds. No one in these circles would dare suggest that “plan A” is not having sex. The judge who authorized this suggested approving it for girls of any age. So following this logic “11-year-old girls will now be 11-year-old women” and able to buy plan B (long before they can drive themselves there). Claiming to be a break from “ideologically driver policies” this decision is just replacing these with another ideology. The NY Times editors simply prefer their ideology. It claims that the pill can now be used safely. Safe from parental supervision, that is. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3666

Swan posts a response by a Reformed Protestant to a Catholic apologist, refuting the latter’s claims about Romanist traditions appearing in the Didache. The Didache- Sippo vs. Algo

Piper quotees Iain Murray how, with all soberness, reminds us that we need the ‘martyr spirit’ in our day – there were people who died not to assent to the teachings of the Roman church – i.e. that the priests share in the work of Christ, and that they are essential to Christ’s presence in the world. We need to also discern between brotherly love and tepid reaction to error. Iain Murray- Is the Reformation Over-

Here’s part of a quote from Ligon Duncan on something well with thinking about, given that hell is often spoken of as a place where God is not: “Hell is eternity in the presence of God without a mediator. Heaven is eternity in the presence of God, with a mediator.” Eternity Without a Mediator

Grant at Solapanel is irritated when people call Timothy timid. The text doesn’t say that (2 Tim. 1:7). Paul was in chains, and all Asia deserted him. It was risky to be associated with him, and Timothy knew this and had seen persecution (2 Tim. 3:11). It’s no surprise that someone might be nervous in this situation – but that doesn’t mean he was timid. By the same personality typing hermeneutic, one should say that Timothy was argumentative. Rather, these were both temptations that he was likely to face under the pressure of persecution and false teaching. Timothy- timid or tough-

Hays writes, “Here are some inspirational thoughts on the meaning of life and death from a secular standpoint. A little something to facilitate the grieving process. An epitaph for the tombstone of an atheist.” He provides a number of quotes. Secular eulogies

Chan links to a post that gives give very materialistic, selfish, short-sighted, hypocritical (after all, the author was born) reasons not to have children – I’d observe that those who argue this way generally seem to support evolution… ironically, by their own standard, their own worldview doesn’t select for procreation or the continuation of their genes. Secular humanism and the value of life

Hays points out that on a counterfactual definition of causation (“Where c and e are two distinct actual events, e causally depends on c if and only if, if c were not to occur e would not occur.”), which should not be rejected by libertarian theists, God is the cause of all sin and evil, regardless of whether you espouse Molinism, Arminianism, or open theism, because if He had not created the world, the moral evil of human history would not have occurred. Yet libertarians accuse Calvinism of making God the ‘cause’ of sin. Why freewill theism makes God the cause of sin

This post has some advice for ministry to men. Avoid therapy models, where men are viewed as insecure and sick, needing therapy, and that men are really (and this is the positive side) driven by an ego that feeds on the esteem of others! Avoid the accountability model, reducing Christianity to the fear of men and establishing rules and boundaries of live, for it does nothing for the motives, and risks perverting Christianity into legalism. Instead, do prayer groups, theological study, and “reality check:” What men need is a constantly refreshed view of Christ, a right perspective. It claims to prevent “men's groups becoming ‘problem’-centered rather than ‘Bible’-centred,” among other things. It appears to very deliberately attempt to identify what is reality in the life of the men, applying Scripture to it. Thoughts on men’s ministry part II (Factotum #11)

Piper gives some counsel on breaking free from an addiction to entertainment. Among the points, immerse yourself in Scripture, pleading with God to open your eyes, share your faith – since a lack of this leads to a surreal view of faith – and think about your death. How Do You Break Free from an Addiction to Entertainment-

Spurgeon on eloquence: “Fine language amuses the ear, as the tinkling of their little bells pleases the continental coach-horses, but it cannot satisfy the soul any more than the aforesaid tintinabulations can supply the place of corn and hay.” He compares the excellence of human speech compared to the simplicity of God’s word as chaff to wheat or dross to gold, dismissing it as being useless in bringing people to Christ. The church, rather, cries out for the Gospel, and not fine speech, but lovers of the word full of the Spirit. He observes that Christ’s way was not one of eloquence. Against Eloquence

Piper and Spurgeon meditate on the value and efficacy of the Gospel preached, that it is good news, to be heralded, declared, proclaimed, and exalted, and it has pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. It Was the Preached Word that Saved Me

Turretinfan responds to someone who tries to deny God’s existence based on a certain view of the psychology of Piranhas… yeah. At any rate, the objector draws a parallel between Piranhas (who he claims are thoroughly unbelieving) and humans, which oddly undercuts the case since most people given assent to divinity, and by parallel, so would Piranhas. Morality and Piranhas

DeYoung gives reasons why Memorial Day is worth remembering. i) Being a soldier is not a sub-Christian activity. Soldiers asking what to do when told to repent are told not to quit but to be honest soldiers (Luke 3). The Centurion is the best example of faith in Israel (Luke 7:9). ii) The life of the soldier can exemplify the highest Christian virtues: courage, daring, service, shrewdness, endurance, hard work, faith, and obedience. iii) The soldier is one of the most common NT metaphors for the Christian life. Soldiering reminds us what it means to follow Christ. iv) Love of country can be good – we have a dual citizenship, with the kingdom of heaven having our full and highest allegiance, and we should love our country with the right proportion. v) On the balance, the US military has been a force for good in the world, overall. Why Memorial Day is Worth Remembering

James MacDonald offers some thoughts on war, the United States, and politics, in point form. Of note, he argues that America has a right/obligation to defend itself and that governments have been ordained by God with the ‘punishment of wrongdoers,’ as one of their highest responsibilities (Romans 13:1-7). He writes that President Obama is naively heading down a very dangerous road thinking that we can reduce terrorist intent through compassionate reason. His error is rooted in a failure to understand the true nature of evil. MacDonald acknowledges that US soldiers can indeed be cruel, but does not believe harsh interrogation tactics are examples of that cruelty. He observes that war requires a brutality – that should not be sensationalized for political gain – that the average citizen is unable to comprehend. Happy Memorial Day !

Adams exhorts Christians to, through diligent study, firm up their faith, that they might not have a weak “i believe because my parents believe” shaky foundation, vulnerable to many things. What Do You Believe, Christian-

Swan points to more dissent in the ranks over the NAB translation, which the Vatican website uses, oddly enough. More illustration of the hypocrisy of decrying Protestantism/sola scriptura for division and bankruptcy of the claims of the unity under the Roman Magisterium. NAB Update