My story is like many who were converted to Christianity in an “Arminian” setting. In those days we were not self-consciously so, we just were because “that’s what the bible says.” I became interested in theology and began reading those who differed with us on the issues of how grace works in the life of the believer. I became a Calvinist…really a neo-baptistic-Calvinist (because I didn’t know anything of Calvin’s doctrine of covenant, sacrament or Church). In this transition, the term sovereignty began to take on very important meanings, the central one being that God predetermined all that would happen. That is what I believed the word sovereignty meant…and I suspect that is what the majority of those in my “Calvinistic” churches believed as well. But that is really not at all what the word means. We should not get our understanding of biblical concepts from modern English dictionaries, but I want to pose a challenge by way of a question using the definition of sovereignty from the American Heritage Dictionary. Here are the four entries for the word sovereignty:
- Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.
- Royal rank, authority, or power.
- Complete independence and self-government.
- A territory existing as an independent state.
It seems that this view of sovereignty has to do with ability not predetermination. The question I want to pose is this, is the picture of God in the bible primarily one of a God who is sovereign in the sense that He will do what he wants to do when and how he wants to do it? Or is it a picture of a God who predetermined every detail before it was to take place?
Think about it.
Filed under: Personal
I wonder if I will become a quarterly blogger…not one blog in 3 months!!! That is pathetic. So, I have established that I am not good at book reviews, seeing that I can’t stay with it long enough to actually review the entire book. Maybe I will just comment from time to time on books that I have already read so that I don’t have to worry about weekly posts. Even though I have not been blogging at all, I have managed to stay quite busy. Our new church plant is going well and we are finally in a public meeting area…a Seventh Day Adventist School in Erie. Our plant originally started in Brighton but due to various circumstances we decided to relocate to Erie. We are loving our meeting space and we are making new contacts. We have begun to meet weekly for prayer which is one of the most exciting things that I have been a part of in my ministry. Whenever God’s people commit themselves to prayer, God does amazing things in them and through them.
I am currently on a vacation with my family in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. We have not been on a family vacation since January of 2003 and we are really enjoying ourselves. Andrew, my 5 year old, is learning how to swim and is doing a great job. Aysia is taking in the beach and the lazy river that circles the multiple pools at our resort. Tyler, is just happy to play in the kiddie pool and isn’t all that impressed with the ocean…I think he doesn’t like the sand. We will be posting some pictures when we return. I will link to them.
I have been doing a lot of reading lately on spiritual gifts and miraculous ministry. I looked at this issue about 3 or 4 years ago in some depth but never came to any conclusions. I have spent a lot more time this go around and still have not come to any definitive answers. I do believe that I have concluded personally that I believe that all the gifts are still present. But where they are to be found in biblical function, I am not as confident. I have also re-engaged my quasi-love affair with theonomy. The topic is fascinating to me and I always find myself coming back to it again and again whenever I consider the social implications of the gospel and the Church’s mission in the world. I am attempting to read through Gary North’s Tools of Dominion as well as re-reading David Chilton’s refutation [Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators] of Ronald Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. I am reading the second edition of Chilton’s book as well as the 20th Anniversary edition of Sider’s book. I believe that the current surge within Emergent groups regarding social theory [ie. Brian MacLaren] as well as the continued publications of Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, and Greg Boyd is the same Anabaptist theology that the Reconstructionists have thoroughly addressed in literally hundreds of books and articles. I would love to see some of these “new” guys deal with the Theonomic argument. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, do a quick search on the terms: Theonomy and Christian Reconstruction [try to read the favorable things as well as the critical and believe me, there is much more critical stuff out there than commendable] and then look at the current books published by the authors listed above on the topic of politics, economy and environment…I just don’t want to take the time to link to everything right now…I am on vacation, remember.
That is enough for now I think. I will try to post a little more often. Feel free to comment or ask questions on any thing I have written.
Filed under: Personal
One of my favorite movies ever was The Big Kahuna. [This is not an advertisement for the film. In areas such as this, one needs to make their own decisions based on your conscience as it is informed by God and His word. - Rom 14 In this particular movie, there is extremely bad language.] I found a clip of my favorite scene from the movie and in fact, it may be my favorite scene from any movie! There is so much to be said about this 5 min. of script…some good and some not so good. But, what a great scene. Bob is the typical, zealous evangelical fundamentalist with a whole lot of naivete swirling around in his little world. Danny Devito’s character (Phil), is a man whose wife has left him and who is facing the real questions of human existence. Another character (not shown in this clip) is actor Kevin Spacey (Larry). These three guys are salesmen working for the same company sent to get the “big sale”…”The Big Kahuna.” The movie takes place almost entirely in one hotel room with a continual dialogue between these three men.
This scene takes place just after Bob and Larry have gotten into a fight over Bob’s continual insistence and forceful presentations of the “gospel” which Larry refuses to find inspiring. Phil then proceeds to give some “advice” to Bob. So here is the scene.
Filed under: Personal
Ten years ago I was a new convert to Christianity, 21 years old and zealous to teach and preach what I believed to be the unadulterated Word of God. I was getting ready to leave my home in Georgia and move to Lattimore, NC to attend bible college…I was to begin in January of 1998. I cannot believe that was 10 years ago. What a journey! I would like to think that I have learned some things along the way (depending on who was commenting on this journey, it might be said I have forgotten more than I have learned). I want to list just a handful of things that I believe I have learned.
1. There is no way around tradition: I began my Christian journey as an ignorant Methodist. The Methodist church baptized me when I was 8 or so…I don’t remember anything about it. I became a purposed and intentional follower of Christ at 16 and was re-baptized in an independent fundamentalist baptist church. But it wasn’t until I was 21 that I really began to study and try to understand my faith. I went to a baptist bible college for three years and thought I was reading the bible “literally.” In my third year of school, I came across Charles H. Spurgeon and Charles Hodge and realized that my views were not universally shared as I had thought. This caused a great deal of vexation. Who was right? How could I know? The beauty and completeness I perceived in the Calvinist tradition drew me away from the narrow fundamentalism of my bible college. I lived and worshiped in the baptistic/neo-puritan strand of Christendom for the next 4 years devouring the 17th century english non-conformist puritans. I thought I was reading the bible as Matthew, Luke, Paul and Peter had intended…I was practicing the ancient faith. Then I was confronted with the actual views of Calvin, Luther and the Reformation. They spoke of sacraments, church fathers, creeds and councils, infant baptism and liturgy. “Not again! Who’s right? How can I know?” After a year or so, I knew I had finally reached my goal, the theology and worship of the early church. Then a thought crossed my mind. A thought so simple a child could understand. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide his church into all truth. Paul said that the church was the “pillar and ground of the truth.” Why was I jumping from Paul, Peter, and Jesus to Calvin and Luther? What about the other 1500 years? Was it really dark in those ages? Had the glory really departed? Was there nothing to offer but a few dissidents fighting the structures of the satanic, anti-christian papacy? And the eastern churches, were they just filled with idolatry and superstition? The fact of the matter is, we all have our accepted interpreters of scripture. Our accepted community outside of which we dare not go. The question is which tradition will we choose? As for me, I know longer fear the church catholic as lived in all ages and all places. I long to know her. It is my family. God help me to pass on the things that have been handed down to me.
2. Christians are sinners: Wow! How long does it take to learn this one. Certainly we know it day one of our Christian lives…it’s built into our beliefs. But when we see it, especially among those we admire most, it can devastate us. I have seen hypocrisy and pride at the highest levels. I have seen a fear of the word of God among those whose power is challenged. I have seen the most deplorable sexual deviance. I have felt the wrenching, doubting, tormenting weight of unbelief and apostasy. I have told God that I wanted nothing to do with him and I wanted him to have nothing to do with me. Christians are sinners! We must look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We will be disappointed. People will fail us. We will be hurt deeply. But we can press on. We can keep our faith. We can glory in weakness that God’s power might be made known.
3. The majority of the Christian life is filled with normal stuff…and it should be: I began my Christian life with a zeal that would have made Judas Maccabees proud. I had no place for fun, leisure, or anything normal. I lived this way for 4 years. I could not go any more. Something had to change. I needed love. I needed companionship. I needed to find me. Chris had died, but not in the way that Jesus talked about…at least I don’t think. My life is much different now. I am not trying to change the world or get all the answers or save the church. I want to do the best I can as a father, husband, minister and friend. That is a huge task and one that I am grossly deficient in and dependent upon God’s grace for. My life is normal. It is filled with normal tasks, normal emotions, normal struggles, and normal desires. I am human being. Christianity doesn’t stop that. I live among other human beings. I need to remember that.
4. Humility is the greatest of all the virtues: I am getting stupider. See, I don’t even know how to properly say what is happening to me. I feel like a complete novice. I sense utter inadequacy in virtually every area of my life. Oh, I have moments of conquering confidence, but then someone comments on one of my sermons, or I snap again at one of my children, or my selfishness chokes out the love for my wife, or a neighbor kid reminds me that I can come across as mean sometimes. I really do need God’s grace. I know that more now sitting at this computer than I have in all my life. I love humble people. I want to be one. God, may it be so.
5. There is not just one will of God for our lives: I used to kill myself over this one. This can be total torture if you seek to live consistent with it. You miss it in one point and you are off track forever. I honestly don’t worry about this much anymore. I pray. I ask God to guide me. And then I do my best to believe that He does. I don’t hear voices. Rarely do I get some strong confirmation. I take what I know from scripture. I try to understand the best I can how others in the history of the church have approached similar issues and I move forward. This makes for a lot less stressful life. There are times when we ought to be persistent in seeking God to the point of “annoying” him as the widow did the unjust judge. But for me, that is not a daily exercise. I have a father who will not give me a stone when I ask for bread, nor will he give me a serpent when I ask for fish. He loves me. That is a wonderful truth and the hardest in all of Christian doctrine to accept.
