Fear and Trembling

I am just about to finish the book Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches , Robert Webber, ed. It’s an interesting read, and a helpful introduction to the theological issues involved. (I expect several upcoming blogs entries on material found in this book.) One of the essays included raises some issues with me: “The Emerging Church and Embodied Theology,” by Doug Pagitt . Pagitt states on p. 137: I hold that a reading of history ought to instruct us to create ways of thought that are useful but temporary. Complex understandings meant for all people, in all places, for all times, are simply not possible. Language, situation, specific issues, and people’s own preferences and insecurity all are involved in any belief system. There is no way to make a statement of substantive belief without these kinds of issues at play. So one must make adjustments, even if they are slight, in order to remain faithful. Let’s focus on “Complex understandings meant for all people, in all places, for ...

At a late show tonight I finally had the chance to see the movie “Amazing Grace” at a theater in Nashville, TN. I had been to busy to see it while it played in my home town. I related my regard for William Wilberforce, the main character of this movie, in an earlier post. He’s one of my heroes, and he has been for a long time. It is a good movie. The scenes of the Sessions of the English Parliament show a vision of their bold-spirited debates. The determination Wilberforce showed in the face of personal illness, fickle public opinion, and betrayal of friends shines through in this movie portrayal. The acting is strong, but not overdone. The cinematography supports the mood and message of this film. I have to agree with the review I read a few months back. The best line in the movie comes from the character of John Newton: “There are only two things I can remember: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great savior.” Amen!

Recent events show the great need our society has for Christian leadership. Oh, for Christian statesmen and pastors and laypeople to “stand in the gap” for the United Sates of America. I think of two people almost immediately, my Mom and my Scoutmaster . (Both of them died at the end of last year.) My Mother was an elementary school teacher for over 25 years. She poured her life into her students, placing the value on them her God had impressed upon her soul. This value is called “self esteem” by some, but the concept Mom would have thought of was dignity . Dignity is the value we place on a person because they are made in God’s image, independent of other factors like social status or race. It is a concept our society much needs to regain because so many of our problems result from its absence. Mom’s calling was to show Christ’s love to the children in her classroom. She joyfully laid hold of these opportunities every school day. My Scoutmaster was an electrician by trade and a Baptis...

The recent shooting at Virginia Tech. brought to mind a passage from a book I read a few years back. Here it is at length: Early in the twentieth century, Baptist evangelists preached through rural Mississippi and Alabama with such effectiveness that moonshiners could no longer sell their whiskey: All their customers were getting converted! In desperation, the whiskey sellers hired two men to murder one of the leading Baptist preachers. Pistols in their hands, the assassins waited in the dark outside a country church where their target was preaching. The evangelist spoke with burning intensity about heaven and hell, his voice ringing out into the night. When everyone had gone, he turned out the church lights and stepped outside. The killers approached him, pistols in hand. But instead of shooting the evangelist, they handed him their guns. “We came here to kill you, but we couldn’t,” they said. “We heard your preaching and we believed it. We’re now on the same side.” That story was tol...

I have noticed through Google Analytics that I have a few readers in Virginia. I wanted you all to know that there are many prayers going up for you from West Tennessee. I also wanted to recommend a book. It is written by Crystal Woodman Miller . She is a survivor of the Columbine High School shooting who would bring a useful perspective. The book title is Marked for Life . Our Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child mailed me a copy last year when my Mother died. It was helpful to me. God bless and keep you.

Good link to an excellent post, courtesy of The World From Our Window : The Logic of Penal Substitution by Al Mohler I join in Packer's and Mohler’s prayer: “We can only pray that this truth will be once again "a distinguishing mark of the world-wide evangelical fraternity."”

Justification may be defined as that act by which unjust sinners are made right in the sight of a just and holy God. The supreme need of unjust persons is righteousness. It is this lack of righteousness that is supplied by Christ on behalf of the believing sinner. Justification by faith alone means justification by the righteousness or merit of Christ alone, not by our goodness or good deeds. - R. C. Sproul in Essential Truths of the Christian Faith My life has been a study in contrasts. I have proven time and time again that I can sin with the best of them. I am in the midst of cleaning up “another fine mess I have got myself into” right now. I often get discouraged as a Christian. I feel that I am not making progress. I know that I often face set backs in some key struggles in my life with sin. I know I sin, and the more I learn about Christ’s requirements, the more aware of each sin I become. Should I despair of my salvation? Should I doubt that Christ has changed my heart? Sometime...

I’ve spent the last few days reading a book from some in the Emergent Church conversation. I’ll identify and comment on this book over the next few weeks, but I did want to record a strong negative impression I have on my first skim of the book. I am becoming convinced that, no matter how strongly they say otherwise, many who identify themselves with emergent deny that propositional truth can be expressed and communicated with words. Of course, they are using words and sentences to explain their views while they are saying words and sentences don't work. This makes their assertions questionable upfront. But the implications of this line of thinking are massive. The gospel is by definition good news. If it’s good news, then it is news. News is made up of facts. Facts are propositions, where we link nouns and verbs with objects to convey information about reality. I hope we are not working ourselves into a mental condition such that we are becoming so mentally allergic to proposition...

Another day, another issue in a long line of issues. First I have to struggle through predestination a few years ago. It’s hard for a Southern Baptist to deal with this one. Next it’s an approach to apologetics that I had not heard of before, pre-suppositional. Norman Geisler and R. C. Sproul , my two favorite authors in college, didn’t take that approach. Still quite sure I don’t accept it myself, so I’ll stick with classical. Next it's theonomy. At least that was easy to decide against; Baptist heritage is nice sometimes. Now it’s a new hermeneutic, a new way of interpreting the Bible. Now I'm supposed to think that any interpretation of the Scripture is just my own interpretation. I’m supposed to buy that anytime I think that I have determined what the Bible actually says, I am as far from what the text says as possible. I’m supposed to get an interpretation of any given passage from what amounts to group consensus on the issue. It sounds like truth by perspective. That’s e...