JT continues in his posts on words, citing Goldsworthy’s definition of the Gospel from Acts and the Epistles: that “another true and obedient human being has come on our behalf, that he has lived for us the kind of life we should live but can’t, that he has paid fully the penalty we deserve for the life we do live but shouldn’t”, with all its personal and kingdom implications, is called ‘the word’. There is a discernable pattern in our lives with words – God has holy standards, we fail to measure up to them with regard to the tongue, but Jesus fulfilled all that we failed to do. Our failure to use the tongue as we ought stems from a functional rejection of Christ. Only in looking to Jesus and resting on his atoning provision are we freed to walk and talk his way. Christianity and Words- Part 3
Piper suggests one possible reason why prayers often go unanswered. In Joseph’s case, there was divine timing – he spent 13 years in prison, and it saved his family from starvation. But what if another reason is that God has given a 1 Cor. 12 gift to someone in the church, a gift which is intended to be exercised for your benefit? That God intends to answer your prayer through another person, not in your private prayer room? Piper can’t think of a reason why God would create such a thing as spiritual gifts if this weren’t the case. This has implications for humility and honesty in small groups. He exhorts us to think of the horizontal dimensions of personal breakthroughs, for God didn’t just create a series of individuals who go vertically to God and never take their vertical gifting and bend it out horizontally. The Horizontal Dimension of Personal Breakthroughs
Turk comments on the ‘faith’ vs. ‘science’ dichotomy in which a paper at BioLogos frames things. He points out many ways in which scientific advancements have been helpful. But he notes that science can’t save someone from his own wickedness. And science doesn’t care about the project of the empty tomb. Science is worried about replication what happened at the moment of the start of time and space, without regard for the fact that they run their experiments under the umbrella of time and space. Science can’t decide whether a baby that didn’t receive normal gestation in sex differentiation is a patient needing treatment, a citizen with rights, or a blob of tissue to be discarded. Science had given us some cool stuff, but when it comes to knowing something about us for the sake of telling us about who we are, and why we are here, and whether or not we are valuable? It falls a little flat. Science is like an amazing dog, who can do a lot of stuff when trained right. Science isn’t made to run things. It’s a tool for us to do what God intended – exercise dominion. It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes. When the Dog runs the House
Creationsafaris: The religious beliefs of your doctor might have a lot to do with how soon you exit this world when elderly or infirm. “Atheist or agnostic doctors are almost twice as willing to take decisions that they think will hasten the end of a very sick patient’s life as doctors who are deeply religious, suggests research published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.” A press release from the British Medical Association concluded, “the relationship between doctors’ values and their clinical decision making needs to be acknowledged much more than it is at present.” Atheist Doctors Might Kill You
Beggar’s All responds to a Romanist who says, “When someone puts their stakes on one horse, they need to stick with that horse. One cannot selectively cite a scholar, especially if the scholar is liberal and you are conservative ...” Ironically, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger enthusiastically quoted Joachim Jeremias, the German Lutheran theologian and professor of New Testament studies. However, Ratzinger selectively quotes Jeremias, whose defintion of the people of God is very different than a Romanist: "Now there is no question that if by ekklesia we understand an organization of the kind that developed in a later period, it would be an anachronism to ascribe to Jesus the intention of founding an ekklesia. But that would be to misunderstand the meaning of ekklesia …" When Jesus said, "I will build my church," Jeremias says that "it is more appropriate to translate ekklesia 'people of God' than 'church'." Jesus’ favourite of all images for the new people of God is the comparison of the community of salvation with the eschatological family. This, of course, is the "house church" movement in a nutshell. Called to Confusion
Bird cites Gordon Fee cautioning against extremist approaches to Revelation – be it willful ignorance or overzealous interest. It serves as the ultimate - and marvelous - conclusion to the whole of Scripture. But a lot written on it obscures the meaning. Fee taught a course on Revelation where one term paper option was to analyze the exegesis of Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. Two students independently came to the conclusion that the task was altogether impossible, since there is not a single exegetical moment in Lindsay's entire book. “John himself would surely have found Lindsay's book as 'apocalyptic' as most modern readers do John's.” Gordon Fee on Revelation
Purswell answers, “With all the preaching and writing about the atonement that we see in evangelicalism, isn’t there a danger that the resurrection will get lost?” No, if the cross is handled responsibly. The cross and resurrection are two aspects of a unified whole; without one the other is meaningless. Now one can speak at length on one without mentioning the other, which is well-meaning, but often unnecessary. Scripture does reflect much on the cross in ways that don’t directly apply to the resurrection. For example, Paul’s treatment is heavier on the cross. Here we must recognize Paul’s priority of expounding the implications of Jesus’ sin-bearing death for the spiritual health and nurture of the churches to which he wrote. There is not a hierarchy in redemptive acts. Also, the one ordinance instituted by our Lord to be observed repeatedly among the gathered people of God is designed primarily to picture and call to mind his death for us. In the Lord’s Supper we proclaim Christ’s death until He comes. The resurrection anticipates his return, so the resurrection is in view. But the prime focus is on the atoning death and its benefits. If Christ calls his church to celebrate such a cross-centred ordinance, why are we wrong to give consistent attention to the cross in preaching and teaching and praise? 5- Will paying so much attention to the atonement lead us to make too much of the cross-
9Marks: This looks useful: Reaching Mormons and Muslims. It links to http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/21-church-trends/679-inside-the-insider-movement-and-more as a very helpful biblical analysis and response and caution to recent evangelical efforts in reaching both Mormons and Muslims. It
Here’s a video from Re:Lit on the ‘man crisis’ in a church, and in society. This Church Had a Man Crisis
JT has some resources to help writers. Discussion on Writing Well
Challies really likes Nancy Pearcey’s book Saving Leonardo. Saving Leonardo is, as the subtitle suggests, a call to resist the secular assault on mind, morals, and meaning. The primary assertion: “The only hope lies in a worldview that is rationally defensible, life affirming, and rooted in creation itself.” “The goal of this book is to equip you to detect, decipher, and defeat the monolithic secularism that is spreading rapidly and imposing its values on your family and hometown.” Christians must understand how secularism views truth, and Pearcey demonstrates how empiricism has spawned what we know today as the fact/value split. This divided concept of truth is the most important feature of a secular approach to epistemology and is “the key to unlocking the history of the Western mind.” Here secularism is wrong. Pearcy writes, “Because all things were created by a single divine mind, all truth forms a single, coherent, mutually consistent system. Truth is unified and universal.” Pearcy explores the two paths to secularism: the Enlightenment and Romantic movements. The former relies on reason and the scientific method. The latter relies on story and is fascinated by myth and imagination. Parents can’t protect their children from unbiblical worldviews. They can give them resistance skills. Saving Leonardo
AiG: It is commonly claimed in the popular evolutionary literature that the sea salinity level today is similar to that in cells and, therefore, this is evidence of abiogenesis and evolution. However, scientific literature simply does not provide evidence for the supposition that the salinity level in the oceans gives credence to the abiogenesis theory of life’s origin in the sea. literature simply does not provide evidence for the supposition that the salinity level in the oceans gives credence to the abiogenesis theory of life’s origin in the sea. The reason that sodium chloride is abundant is for the benefit of life as a result of design by the Creator has more credence than the claim that the putative similarity of the salinity of human blood and seawater is evidence that life originated in the sea by abiogenesis. Is the Sodium Chloride Level in the Oceans Evidence for Abiogenesis-
Burk points to an article by Andrew Peterson on poverty. Christians do not take a vow of poverty. Money itself is not the root of all evil. Being poor is not the only way to radically follow Christ. Scripture says, “‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.’ (1 Timothy 6:10) We’re called to keep watch so that we don’t fall in love with money. To be sure, wealth is a heavy burden and isn’t for everyone, just as poverty is a burden and isn’t for everyone. The people of the church are varied in strengths and weaknesses. Money itself isn’t evil. In fact, money can be a great tool for Kingdom work. It’s easy to tout ideals about how wrong it is to be wealthy until you’re on the receiving end of someone’s generosity.” Andrew Peterson on Poverty
DeYoung writes that death is the last enemy, but not the worst. Death must not be feared. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are saved (Prov. 18:10). So even if we are delivered up to our enemies, not a hair shall perish from our head apart from God’s ordaining (Luke 21:18). As Christians we conquer by the word of our testimony, not by clinging to the breath of life (Rev. 12:11). In fact, there is nothing more fundamental to Christianity than the certain faith that death will be gain for us (Phil. 1:21). Jesus did not want his disciples to be afraid of much, but he did want them to be afraid of hell. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” Jesus warned. “Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. “People often talk as if Jesus was above frightening people with scenes of judgment. But such sentiment exposes soft-minded prejudice more than careful exegesis.” Often Jesus warned of the day of judgment (Matt. 11:24; 25:31-46), spoke of condemnation (Matt. 12:37; John 3:18), and described hell in graphic, shocking terms (Matt. 13:49-50; 18:9; Luke 16:24). The list goes on. However sharp the edges, the doctrine of hell is essential for faithful Christian witness. “The belief that there is something worse than death is, to recall John Piper’s imagery, ballast for our ministry boats.” There’s Something Worse Than Death
Genderblog has a post for women. i) The post provides a caution against idleness, and a caution even in multitasking against focusing on the wrong things. “work with willing hands”, “rise while it is yet night”, “she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (Prov 31.13, 15, 27). ii) Integrity is crucial. Do you keep your commitments? Can you be trusted? The heart of her husband trusts in her.” (Prov 31.11). iii) Prov 31.12: “She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” ALL THE DAYS OF HER LIFE. Not just once we get married or find that special guy. ALL THE DAYS OF HER LIFE. This is key to this verse. Women need to watch relationships with men who are not their husbands/ Every word and act and deed and touch must be seen in light of “this man is my brother in Christ”. She Does Him Good (Even Before She Meets Him), Part I
Girltalk: Nicole relates the story of how her parents met – her mom was rather disinterested, and her dad, in his newly converted, youthful zeal, together with a group of friends, decided that God had called them to remain single. Her dad, who only a day before thought he would remain single, on pleading with her mother for a hotdog, was suddenly smitten. God created men to initiate and he created women to respond. Or, as John Ensor also puts it, “His power is in the exclamation [of love]. Yours is in the echo.” When we remember this, things will work right in matters of the heart.
Aomin: A Christian Response to the The New Science of Morality - Part I
Beggar’s All: The best New Testament scholars I've read don't go around saying, "I reject your work because you're liberal". (Though some used to do that.) No, the proper thing to do -- and the thing that is done -- is to look at each item, point-by-point, and interact with it. Best-of-Breed New Testament Scholarship
Engwer comments on the old Romanist argument that praying to Mary is like asking someone in this world to do something for you. i) Prayer to the deceased doesn’t have to involve ‘worship as God’ to be sinful. There is no reason to think the dead hear our prayers. ii) Scripture and early patristic sources condemn attempts to contact the deceased. iii) Engwer links to a number of articles and sources, showing that RC and EO prayers to saints are far different than a discussion with a living person, in which you ask that person to pray for you (e.g. Marian prayers). Praying To Mary Is Problematic, Even If You Don't Think She's God
For those interested: J.P. Holding's Response To The Christian
JT recommends this site as an excellent resource: http://beginningwithmoses.org/
Jeremy Pierce talks about what he hates in worship songs – really worth the read, and utterly gutted of its point if I summarize it. http://firstthings.com/blogs/evangel/2010/08/rant-worship/
Creationsafaris: “The living world is an endless source of wonder and inspiration. There’s an octopus that does a convincing imitation of a flatfish (Science Daily, Live Science), and a red crab species that emerges from its lethargic life around Christmas and migrates miles to the sea by the millions (PhysOrg). There’s a tiny frog that can fit on the tip of a pencil (PhysOrg) and a whale with perfect pitch (Science Daily)… And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the designs in life are getting rave reviews.” Clever Animals Amaze and Inspire
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