2009-08-18

Phillip Jensen wrote about the troubles with church planting – why people don’t do it. It’s difficult. There is the pain and sweat of evangelism. There is also the animosity towards such efforts within one’s own congregation. The ‘new baby’ gets all the attention, people are sad about having their friends leave to go do this, and so on. There’s also the perceived slights to other churches in the area of planting. But in truth, is anyone doing their job, given how many unbelievers are around? (30 to 1 believer). “It is as if we have turned Christ's great statement (“I will build my church”) on its head, and made it an expression of our self-centred insecurity: “I will build my church—so don't go planting your church.”” Why we don’t plant churches

Hays responds to a questionnaire from a revert to Orthodoxy. i) That the Reformation was ‘late’ is hardly an argument against addressing the corruptions of the church. Moreover, do the Orthodox who think it’s schismatic to break with Rome think Photius was guilty of schism? ii) The Reformers were members of the RC church by virtue of geography. It was the church of western Europe. iii) There are divisions and splits within EO – Orthodoxy forces this through ecumenical councils. The alternative is latitudinarianism – anything goes. Also, if liberalism disproves Protestantism, it disproves RCism and EO. iv) Saying “Protestant worship services did not fill me with a sense of God’s Presence, of mystery and awe” confused the emotional impact of fine art and music with the presence of God. v) To the charge, “Their sermons are intellectual, stressing the exegesis of Scripture and biblical languages…”, this is a bad thing? Because it’s so much better to fill the parishioners ears with allegorical fantasies. Hays sarcastically quips, “That’s the problem with St. Paul. He’s so wordy and Protestant (Acts 19:8-10; 20:7-8). Or take those long, boring speeches by Jesus (Mt 5-7; Jn 14-17). Give me icons and incense.” Twisting the record

People often talk about calling, and this is usually what someone wants after seminary. Rarely do people say, ‘I am called to be a good father.’ But if God is calling you to full time ministry, why is seminary looked at as a necessary evil? If you’re in seminary training for pulpit ministry, you are called, right now, to be a diligent faithful student. It’s your calling, not just part of it. If your foundation is bad, your whole building (i.e. ‘real’ calling) will be off. Your Calling is Now

i) Some interesting stats on scientists and perception in America. Here’s one: “Scientists’ political views are not reflective of the public’s. The majority of scientists self-identified as Democrat and liberal, while only 6 and 9 percent consider themselves Republican and conservative, respectively. That’s at odds with the public perception: 64 percent of the public consider scientists as a whole neither liberal nor conservative in particular.” ii) The article goes on the note that speciation isn’t a problem for the creation model, that normally such changes involved a loss of information, since that’s what natural selection does, and the ‘rapid’ speed of change by which scientists observe new species indicates the diversity of life that we see today is possible given the original created kinds. The speciation we observe never transforms a fish into a lizard, for example, or a lizard into a bird; fish remain fish, lizards remain lizards, and birds remain birds.  iii) Also, “Couples who live together before getting married are more likely to get divorced, discuss divorce, and experience a lower-quality marriage overall, a new study shows.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/07/18/news-to-note-07182009

Creation.com deals with ‘moral’ objections to explanations for Cain’s wife (i.e. she was his sister). They also note the cumulative effect of genetic degeneration over the centuries, which would have been a practical non-factor with Cain and his wife. It wasn’t till the time of Moses that God forbade the Israelites from brother-sister marriage (Lev. 18–20). http://creation.com/cains-wife-explanation-gross-and-disgusting

DeYoung cites Calvin, “We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else.” Calvin goes on to briefly articulate how this is in a variety of things, like strength, acquittal, security, and so on. Christ Alone in All the Clauses of the Creed

Bird points to three new books on the Gospel of Thomas. Gospel of Thomas- Three Recent Books

Challies quotes, “… all our activities on Sunday should reflect the fact that it is "the Lord's day" (over and above the fact that, according to Psalm 118:24, every day is "the day which the Lord has made"). As you would expect, the practical aspects of what this means are very personal and intensely debated. In general, I think it means devoting ourselves to the pursuit of those things that promote the enjoyment of God.” i.e. turn off the TV, etc.  Delight in the Lord's Day

If creation were not true, science would be impossible: “Orderly, mathematical laws of nature that describe the consistent clockwork operation of the universe are exactly what we would expect given that Christ upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). If the universe were really the chance product of a big bang, then why would it obey laws?” “The fact that the human mind is capable of rational thought and that our senses can reliably probe the universe makes sense given that God created the human mind and sensory organs (Genesis 1:27; Proverbs 20:12).” “An absolute, universal moral code by which we have knowledge of right and wrong only makes sense if there is a sovereign God who has created rules for us, and to whom we are accountable.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/au/the-ultimate-proof-of-creation

The meaning of the leftovers, from the feedings of the 5000 and 4000, which were left in for the servers, is that Jesus will take care of His people. When you spend your life for others, your needs will be met (Mark 8:17). It was crazy to be worried about having no food after these miracles. You can’t outgive Jesus. The Loving Meaning of the Leftovers

Burroughs provides seven things for opening the mystery of contentment. i) It may be said of the one contented in the Christian way that he is the most contented and most unsatisfied man in the world. He can be satisfied in any low condition in the world but never satisfied of all the world. It is not enough for him, unlike the carnal mind, to be satisfied in mere outward peace. He must enjoy the God who gives the peace. He must have the God of his preservation, as well as his preservation. ii) Christian contentment comes not so much through addition but through subtraction. iii) The Christian attains contentment no so much by getting rid of the burden but by adding another burden to himself – the burden of his own sin, for the heavier it is, the lighter the burden of affliction is to the heart. iv) It’s not so much removing as changing affliction. Being poor will turn from being natural evil into spiritual benefit. v) It isn’t found by satisfying the wants of the circumstances, but by obeying God and concerning self with the duties in the circumstances. vi) The Christian finds contentment by melting of his will and desires into God's will and desires. vii) Contentment consists not in bringing anything from outside to make my condition more comfortable, but in purging out something that is within. One must put to death the inward evil desires. Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (II)

Engwer posts his comments in response to the allegation of the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, a charge frequently leveraged by critics of Christianity. i) There are different contexts in which people are eyewitnesses – some more amenable to memory. A study on one example in one context doesn’t suffice to establish a conclusion about eyewitness testimony in general. ii) In the NT, we have records written by those who participated at lengths of time in the events in question, not mere passersby. iii) Even in the skeptics example of only 60% being able to identify an attacker in a staged attack on a prof a several weeks after, they still agree the attack happened. People further away may not see as much detail, but the individual isn’t the event. iv) The critic using the technique is relying on eyewitness testimony in citing the case, a testimony which as it turns out relies on other testimony. If one wants to avoid relying on eyewitness testimony because it’s "notoriously unreliable", he’ll have to make a lot of changes in his life. v) The implicit wholesale rejection of eyewitness testimony in the source of the above example is utterly absurd. “Buckhout's own reliance is fatal to his unreliability thesis.” vi) And what qualifies as an ‘outrageous claim’? It seems to be begging the question. vii) The critic wants us to us to believe that 100% of the resurrection witnesses were wrong, including ones who had lived with Jesus for years, claimed to have seen the risen Jesus more than once, thought they spent enough time with Him to eat meals and have conversations, etc. This is hardly parallel to the example. The Alleged Unreliability Of Eyewitness Testimony

Hays notes that Arminians don’t even agree on the definition of choice (and that’s a central plank in their belief-system). Freedom of choice

T-fan notes that one of the worst arguments against sola scriptura is of the form of pointing out doctrinal diversity among those who hold to it as a rule of faith, or questioning where someone, like an early church father, who held sola scripture, found some other doctrine in the scriptures, as if the belief of one individual falsifies sola scriptura! Worst Argument Against Sola Scriptura

Spurgeon reminds us we are witnesses, not ‘original thinkers’: “As we have reminded you before, the original thinker of the Bible is one of whom it is said, "When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own." We are not wishful to emulate him in such originality. We are not sufficient to think anything as from ourselves!” [Spurgeon alludes to John 8, if that’s not clear] Are We Original Thinkers or Witnesses-

Engwer points to Witherington post, an update on the James ossuary. Engwer writes, “'m undecided on the authenticity of the James ossuary. I don't know enough about the relevant evidence. But it does seem likely that the early dismissals of it were premature.” The James Ossuary And Its Implications

Some comments on mormonism by Sholl at Sola Panel. i) The missionaries are warm, friendly, and bilingual in Salt Lake City. ii) They are proud of the persecution they receive, wearing it as a badge, while simultaneously having a bit of ‘prosperity’ thinking going on, as they are doing well in the USA. iii) “They are very keen to try and ‘correct’ the perceived political incorrectness of Joseph Smith. For example, in the movie (which was very professional and schmick), Joseph Smith was the devoted husband of one wife—Emma (even though all the histories tell us he had about 35 wives, many of whom were already married), and he was good friends with African-American people (even though, until 1978, African-American people were considered cursed and an inferior race!)” iv) They say they are recipients of grace, but they are not; indeed, there’s something to calling Mormonism the American form of Islam. v) They appear to want relationships, but their structure and control does not permit this. vi) They are very insistent on the need for ongoing revelation. vii) The key thing I learned from my friends who live in this area was to love your LDS neighbours and missionaries who may knock on your door genuinely. Invite them to read the Bible with you, share the hope that you have and show them what grace really is (1 Pet 3:15). (more points after the jump). What I learned from the Mormons

T-fan notes that a man is saved/justified by faith in Christ alone for salvation. A man who trusts in his works is lost. BUT a man isn’t saved by a perfect understanding of justification – it may be faulty, but he may yet trust in Christ alone. Thus, T-fan notes we do not exclude people based on membership in an apostate church/cult, though that believer ought to experience growth that will lead them out of that apostate church. And though Rome is a false church with a false Gospel, Bibles are by God’s grace available to many Roman Catholics. Same with Mormons. Beware of false teachers, dear reader, and whether you believe your current church is right or wrong in general, trust alone in Christ for salvation (2 Peter 3:17-18). Justification and Faith

Dever reflects on the value of silence in the worship services, in light of a culture of noise addicts. Silence affords reflection, time to pray, take it all in, and so on. “We silence ourselves exactly because God has not kept silent.  We silence ourselves in order to hear God speak in His Word (cf. Deut. 27:9)  We silence ourselves to show our assent to God's charges against us (cf. Ps. 39:9).  We silence ourselves to show respect and obedience and humility and restraint (cf. Zeph. 1:7; I Cor. 14:34; I Tim. 2:12).  We silence ourselves to search our hearts (cf. Ps. 4:4)…  Making silence together builds and unifies the church, witnesses to the majesty of God and tacitly proclaims His greatness to all who hear.”  Making Silence Together by mdever

Trueman, in making the case for church history, notes that some things change, and some things stay the same. This last thing is essential to historical study. It is the very thing rejected by postmoderns, who view everything as conventional, and the work of studying history as projecting the self back in time to seek self-justification. The appropriation of postmodernism by evangelicals is sad because this stabs the very heart of Christianity, which does not begin with us as willing and knowing subjects, but with God and his creation. Universals are not mere conventions. Things like gender distinctions are grounded in the creative mind of God.” We can read the works of the past and find them useful. The universals in reality (God, Christ, his revelation, human nature and sin) remain the same, and thus we can look at real people in real situations in real history and learn from them. For example, note Chrysostom on his congregation: “Most of those who are under authority refuse to treat preachers as their instructors. They rise above the status of disciples and assume that of spectators, sitting in judgment on secular speech-making.” Sound familiar? An awful lot stays the same. Learning from The Pretenders, or The case for church history, Part 3

White points out that William Lane Craig, who has repeatedly said that he sees no difference between Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism, should “know that no Calvinist believes there has ever been any person who has turned in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ who has been turned away.” Yet this is what he says. Craig’s libertarianism is so strong that he reads it into Calvinism, the system he rejects. Every person is a slave to sin. Only God is free. No sinner has turned to Christ who has not been freed from his slavery by the sovereign Spirit of God. Every sinner enabled to turn to Christ is saved. A Fundamental Misunderstanding of Reformed Theology by William Lane Craig

Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, Cambridge trained philosopher of science, “is developing a more fundamental argument for intelligent design that is based not on a single feature like the bacterial flagellum, but rather on a pervasive feature of all living systems. Alongside matter and energy, Dr. Meyer shows that there is a third fundamental entity in the universe needed for life: information.” Hence his new book, Signature in the Cell. Stephen C. Meyer on DNA and Design

For a film which makes no pretence to be a Christian film, 17 Again is remarkably pro-life, pro-straight, pro-marriage, and pro-family. No wonder the critics hated it. 17 Again

Swan points to some material on the Servetus incident. Calvin and Servetus Revisited

Phillips points to an article in the Guardian, which helpfully tells us that "Natural selection," (“a mindless, impersonal, purposeless process”) "Crafted" (“a purposeful, intelligent, personally-guided procedure”) remarkable look-alikes. It’s really not hard to find it unconvincing. Isn't evolution wonderful- — 8 (makeovers)

Hays notes Wesleyans tend to put Wesley on a pedestal. And yet some would discredit Calvinism on account of the Servetus incident. But Wesley was apparently a deadbeat dad and negligent spouse (cf. 1 Tim. 5:8 for some harsh words on that point). So doesn’t that discredit Arminianism on these critics’ grounds? Moreover, Calvin did what he did to a stranger; Wesley to his own family. Putting Wesley on a pedestal

Lewis and Edwards write on humility, and their own self-admiration. Piper notes the depths of their own biblically informed self-knowledge. “Humility senses that humility is a gift beyond our reach. If humility is the product of reaching, then we will instinctively feel proud about our successful reach.” Humiliy is the grace where, if you gaze upon it, it becomes something else. Lewis and Edwards on the Layers of Self-Admiration

Phillips enumerates a variety of common responses to, “What must I do to be saved?”, and notes the capability of many Calvinists to utterly tear them to shreds, while failing to articulate an actual clear answer to the question. He then asks for commentary on the various views, and for answers to the question. Communicating better- what must I do-

Phillips: “See this extensive directory of Christian apologetics web sites.” Really not sorry- apologetics explosion

JT: “If you're looking for a good introductory answer to this question (in 12 pages), here's a helpful presentation by Matt Harmon, delivered at the No Doubt Apologetics Conference in Indianapolis.” How Did We Get Our Bible and Has It Been Changed-

Interesting comment on inductive Bible study here. Two statements describe it:“Sitting with the attitude of a child: "I want to learn what God, my Father, has caused to be written in this passage to make me strong and grow."  Looking with the skill of a detective—I do not want to miss any evidence in my search for what this passage really says, what it means, implies and tells me regarding my behaviour. ” Reflections on Inductive Bible Study, part 1 by Ajith Fernando

Patton gives 16 considerations about entering ministry. 16 Considerations About Entering the Ministry

An Arminian questioned the salvation of some Calvinists on account of their use of biblical invective. Hays pointed to Wesley’s use of invective, to which the Arminian retorted that he wished Hays had quoted Arminius. Hays obliged: “Arminius calls the pope a “pimp,” “pander,” adulterer,” and “false prophet”–as well as the “Antichrist.” Arminius also accuses the pope of using “satanic” instruments” to achieve his aims.” Does this Arminian regard Arminius as a Spirit-filled Christian or not? Arminian Pharisees

Obama is shocked that anyone would image he’d favour death panels. His grandma just died! Phillips sarcastically writes, “As if anyone would have reason to imagine that Obama would favor the death of those were unproductive, or who had become unwanted, inconvenient, or imperfect! As if Obama would think of such ones as "punishment" on those who must care for them! As if Obama would appoint such extremists to positions of oversight!”  Desperate Obama is shocked! Shocked!

Burk notes an article, which reads, ““Health care legislation before Congress would allow a new government-sponsored insurance plan to cover abortions, a decision that would affect millions of women and recast federal policy on the divisive issue…” The article also discusses a book-keeping sophistry intended as a pretense for compromise (all the money the govn’t has comes from taxpayers!) Healthcare Legislation to Fund Abortions

Burk has a moral experiment here, which quite clearly shows the hypocrisy of a culture angry about dog-killings and ambivalent to the murders of 50 million unborn babies. “Only the most morally retrograde culture would be outraged by the former while thinking very little about the latter. God help us.” Michael Vick and Moral Outrage