HeadTheology

In considering what is really important in the church Newton makes a wonderful point here.

“It is better people should be dissenters or Methodists than heathens.”

‘But Now I See’: The Life of John Newton, p. 337.

“But when zeal spends itself about the less essential matters of forms and names, about points in which the wisest and the best have always differed, I would, if I could, lull it fast asleep.  De he wait till we are all exactly of a mind?  Does He confine His regards, His grace, His presence, within the wall of a party?  Is He the God of the Presbyterians of the Independents only?… And shall zeal presume to come in with its ifs and its buts, and to build up walls of separation?  Yet many true believers are so much under the spirit of self and prejudice that they verily mean to do the Lord’s service by substituting their own commands in the room of His.  And they see no harm in saying, ‘You must think and act as I do, subscribe to my paper, and worship in my way, or else, though I hope the Lord has received you, I think it my duty to keep my distance from you.’”

From ‘But Now I See’: The Life of John Newton, by Josiah Bull

I’ve picked up The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter again partially because I finished another Puritan Paperback (if you don’t know what I am talking about check them out here) and because I am going to start leading a Community Group at my church this fall. I am about a third through it and all I can say is Baxter provides such a warmth and warning to those who would dare lead in the church at all. The warmth comes from a God centeredness, in statements like,

“As you may render him more service, so you may do him more disservice than others. The nearer men stand to God, the greater dishonor hath he by their miscarriages; and more will they be imputed by foolish men to God himself.” (78)

and the warning to live holy lives because people are watching all the more,

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine, and lest you lay such stumbling-blocks before the blind, as may be the occasion of their ruin, lest you unsay with your lives, what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labours.” (63)

I hope in the future to post my favorite quotes from The Reformed Pastor as I did from the The Mortification of Sin.

Today was a good Reformation Day.  Dr. John MacArthur spoke today here at Southern Seminary for the Mullins Lectures.  It can be found here.  Dr. MacArthur basically gave a short lesson through the history of the reformation starting with John Huss.  His emphasis was on the fact that Christ is the Head of the Church, not the pope and even commenting on the problems of the emerging church and how it bears against that doctrine as well.  MacArthur is preaching Wednesday and Thursday at Southern as well.
It is great to know that the Lord continues to give us men like MacArthur, Mohler, Piper, and others (including especially all the profs at Southern Seminary) who continue on the Reformers great love for the supremacy of Christ as shown in Scripture.

Soli Deo Gloria!

“Peace if Possible, Truth at all Cost!” -Martin Luther

Well I am back to Louisville from the Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis on the topic of the Supremacy of Christ in a postmodern world (including the Emergent Church).  All of the talks were great though I must admit I will have to relisten to Carson’s talk on John 17 to understand it better.  The audio should be available for free download from the Desiring God website in a few days.

Especially in Discoll’s and Piper’s talks there was a distinct emphasis on the need to fight for the essentials of the faith.  So during lunch in downtown Minneapolis my friend’s and I were discussing the Emergent Church and its difference with Orthodox Christianity which boiled down to this:

Orthodox Christianity is humble before God and bold before men; whereas the Emergent Church is bold before God and humble before men.

Meaning that Orthodox Christianity accepts God’s demands and communicates those demands to men without compromise while the Emergent Church accepts man’s demands and tells those demands to God over not mattering that they go against Scripture.

There is a good article in Time talking about this.  It has a few SBC seminary profs on there condemning the ‘Prosperity Gospel.’  Even Rick Warren is condemns it and IMonk (aka Michael Spencer) seems to say that Joel Osteen isn’t a Christian or shouldn’t at least be a pastor (which I agree with him).  I sort of wish that the SBC would get a committee together and publish a list of heretical prosperity gospel preachers such as Dollar, Meyers, and Osteen and make sure their books don’t make their way into Lifeway stores, or at least have a section labeled ‘heresy’ where this junk can be easily identified.

There is a documentary showing across the country (unfortunately it is not slated to appear in Louisville) about children in a Pentecostal church and the things being taught them. Growing up in a Pentecostal church I know it can be easy to point and tear their interpretations and methods apart (such as being slain in the spirit) but I want to see the whole film to give it a fair shake. At the website you can view three trailers about the movie.
The website is: www.jesuscampthemovie.com

I feel like I am the only blogger who has not commented on the SBC alcohol resolution and I for one am dang glad they passed it.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy that fermented blessing but hopefully it is just the beginning of laws/resolutions to come.  I am a fan of laws and would like to introduce of my own.  Here are a few of them.

1.  No fast foods
-This reasoning is pretty simple if you have ever seen the documentary ‘Super Size Me.’  Those who say that alcohol is bad all the way around have to admit fast food may not have the social implications that alcohol does but it certainly has physical ones.   It  shouldn’t matter whether some of  us can eat fast food in moderation and still take care of the temple of the holy spirit but since food like this is a problem, aiding to America’s obesity problem (I think it is the 2nd leading cause of death).
2.  Concering Materialism
-This is one in which I am sort of serious.  I think this goes for churches as well as individuals in the church.  I (along with most I figure) am in a constant battle with materialism.  God has said more about money than alcohol so it only makes sense that a resolution be passed concerning this.  When I see a Baptist preacher driving around in a Jag or a Benz (of which I am sure that is rare but nonetheless) it makes me wonder what the heck he did to be able to get that, and more importantly how do I get that.  Did he start preaching like Creflo or Benny or did he just have 40 days of purpose?  And if so I just might start preaching like that to get those things.  So for those who are leaders in the SBC, who we simpleminded seminarians are to follow, can I recommend a few concrete laws to help us out.  Firstly, no one should own a car that looks like it cost more than 30 grand and it can’t be brand new.  Secondly, in reference to the church, no one should pastor or back a church that spends more on their interest for their facilities than they do for missions in a year.

Of course I am basically kidding when I write these things but I hope that you see how easily one extra biblical law can degenerate and be used against anyone but also all of those above things can be used in moderation.  So lets just call it what it is.  SBC alcohol resolution = Phariseeism.

I just got back from ‘South Asia’ and am still reeling a bit from adjusting my sleep to the days here.  It’s a bit like eating ice cream too fast and you get a headache, travel across to the other side of the world too fast and your sleep will be messed up for a few days.

But it seems almost unreal where I was.  Compared to it America seems like paradise.  I have spent time in ‘East Asia’ but this trip has thrown me for a loop seeing so much poverty.  There weren’t a few people sleeping and living on the street ranging from sleeping under nothing, to a tarp, to a shack on the side walk with a concrete wall for the back.  Filthy children and women would come up to the cars we were in while stopped at a red light and knock on the windows and hold out their hands and bring it to their mouth asking for money.  But we were encouraged not to give because they give it to a boss man and do not get what they are given and it only encourages such behaviour.  What is hard is when one will come  up to your taxi in trafic carrying a baby and you know that the child is only being used as a ploy to make others feel guilty to give.  It works well.  The black ever cawing ravens that help clean the city seem to be the unofficial mascot of the city though quite fitting.

Most prayers of mine seem all too self-centered when I demand for things when a believer there when asked what we would like to pray for him he said he would like a roof.  I don’t know all the details like if he has walls but not a roof but it is striking that he did not say he needed a roof but that he would like a roof, like its a luxury.  I am given to materialism so I condemn myself when I say I would need A/C in my Chevy but would like a new Acura.  It is not too hard to see who has a more basic set of priorities.

We also got to visit Mother Theresa’s home for the dying which was literally right next to a Hindu temple.  What is striking though is that most churches in America that I have gone to seem more like that Hindu temple where people worship their $100,000 sound and projection system, 10 million dollar exercise facilities, and climbing walls for the youth.  I hear more about what is being built and installed in churches than the gospel of the death and resurrection of Christ from church members.
But I am back to reality in powder puff land where suffering is having to where brown shoes with a black belt to church, not where a Christian convert loses his wife, children, job and the only job he can get is pulling people on a rickshaw on the street.  These ‘blessings’ that God has given us are ruining us, or perhaps they are not blessings maybe they are gifts from the devil to spoil us and make us fat, soft, and slow in every sense.

Scott Moore has a quick blog that talks about how we often as Christians in America face these harsh facts.

This month at my church is cultivate beauty month. Like most I thought to myself ‘what the heck, how the #$(# do you cultivate beauty?’ And the second question is when does the typical person have time to cultivate beauty once they even knew how to cultivate it?

For the first question I think that depends on the person and their interests and talents (such as photography, music, painting, writing, building, etc…though I certainly don’t think that it is limited to that for I know for me at least a good meal is just as beautiful as as good book though it doesn’t last as long so I guess cooks are included in that list also). But I digress. The second I is easier to answer for the one time during the day that most Americans do for at least a few hours that they could and should give up……….watching TV. I think it is something like 4 hours the average american spends watching TV each day (though that seems a little high). Nevertheless, so along with this month in order to have time to cultivate beauty it is also kill your TV month. (Last year I heard they actually got to smash TV’s at a party after church whereas this year the kids just smashed TV modeled pinatas. I guess that was a pro-pro decision since instead of a real TV having toxins on the inside being smashed a ‘TV’ is smashed and candy falls out.) The website is www.cultivatebeauty.com but it is not up yet quite yet probably since our church got robbed the other night and they took everything, and I’m guessing even the server that had the site on it.

It is sort of ironic I think, but at the end of the month my church is having a film festival were I think as of now they have something like 23 locally made movies submitted. So I guess the plan is give up your TV/movie watching for a month then watch two days of movies to catch back up for the time lost not in front of the TV.

I must note that I have already failed this month for though I am not a rabid basketball fan I did take the time to watch the final four. Which looking back was certainly a waste of time since the last 3 games were pretty boring. But spend the rest of the month with me by killing your TV.