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: Missional Musings
“What is especially striking is the way in which the gospel of the kingdom initially spread. It did not spread because of a carefully designed program of evangelism; nor did it start because the early disciples meditated on the Great Commission and felt that they had better obey it to assuage their feelings of guilt. The church did not begin its evangelistic activity because it was terrified about the prospects that faced those who died without hearing about Christ; the Christian movement was not initiated by a band of professional evangelists eager to sign up a public relations firm and get the show on the road. Rather, the gospel spread and the church grew because the sovereign hand of God was in the midst of the community that found itself surrounded by people who were puzzled and intrigued by what they saw happening. The overwhelming impression created by the traditions witnessing to the early evangelistic activity of the disciples is that the Holy Spirit was present in the community, bringing in the reign of God and inspiring the disciples to speak boldly of the mighty acts of salvation that God had wrought through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.” William J. Abraham, The Logic of Evangelism p. 37-38
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: Book Reviews
The author, David Kinnaman outlines the five points he wishes to make with this book:
- The language issue – David wants to be sure that his readers understand the power of language and labeling and therefore will not be referring to “nonbelievers” as “pagans”, “the lost” or “seekers” because that focuses on what they are not and can be demeaning and can undermine our ability as Christians to “see them as human beings and as individuals.” So he settles on the word “outsiders” though he does express his discomfort with this term as well. [I wonder why Jesus called people "snakes" and "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones"? Maybe that kind of harsh language is only reserved for the religious folk.] He also introduces us to the two generational groups that he will be interacting with…the Mosaics (born between 1984 and 2002) and the Busters (born between 1965 and 1983).
- God cares about “outsiders” – good point and should always be at the forefront of all we do as the church! He gives us an interesting fact about the number of those between the ages of 16 and 29…he says there are 24 million of them and nearly 40% are “outsiders” where the Boomers (those aged between 42-60) and the Elders (those aged 61 and up) only have 27% and 23% as “outsiders.” That is an interesting statistic and gives us an idea of the kind of America we are headed for if those numbers don’t change.
- Christianity’s inside image problem – David tells us that this perception issue that he has found among the 16 to 29 year old “outsiders” is not exclusive to them, prominent church leaders share the perceptions. This is not a surprise either given the superficiality of much of American Christianity.
- The size of Christianity in America – According to Barna’s numbers, there is still about 50% of America that goes to church and this is a motivating factor for David and Gabe to write the book, “Look Church! Look, how the world views you.”
- The mirror – David and Gabe hope that this book will produce genuine humility in Christians and thus change their ways. I agree. We should always seek to remove whatever is not profitable for the furtherance of the gospel. So, God please grant it for the sake of your Son and His kingdom. Amen.
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: Book Reviews
I am going to be posting several times on a relatively new book entitled, UNchristian written by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Kinnaman is current president of the Barna Group, the massive Christian research organization founded by George Barna. Gabe served as the vice president of John Maxwell’s INJOY ministries in Atlanta, GA and has now started his own non-profit organization called the Fermi Project which seeks to bring together church and society leaders and social entrepreneurs and innovators in order to make a positive impact on culture. They have come together after three years of thorough research and interviewing of mainly 16-29 year olds to try to determine what this generation “really thinks about Christianity…and why it matters.” I saw this book about 4 months ago in our local bookstore and picked it up and put it down quickly without much interest in the topic. I come to these posts with a bit of a bias. I usually don’t like this kind of thing. I think that we obviously need to be wise and sensitive to those around us and how they percieve us but to write a whole book on it and criticize the Church for how the world percieves us…come on! Sure, there will always be imperfections in the Church and sure that will always be an excuse for people not to consider the real claims of the Church, but really, is that something to spend 3 years “researching” and “interviewing” and then publishing so we could all feel real guilty that our neighbor might think that we are homo-phobs? Anyway, I really am trying to become more sensitive to some things and grow in some areas in my own walk, so I thought I would give the book a try and see…and the three of you who may read these thoughts get to “hear” what I have to say about it. Caveat: just because I got the book in an attempt to be sensitive doesn’t mean that I will be. I really don’t have the desire to be real colorful with all this, it is really just a way for me to express my thoughts on the “page” and grow in my own abilities to express my thoughts. I have added an interview that CNN did with Gabe on the book. Take a look.
Filed under: Sacraments
In Alexander Schmemann’s wonderful book For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy, he touches upon the relation of baptism to exorcism and evil and makes some great applications to today’s “smiling” Churches.
“The exorcisms [in relation to baptism...this was the early church's baptismal liturgy] mean this: to face evil, to acknowledge its reality, to know its power, and to proclaim the power of God to destroy it. The exorcisms announce the forthcoming baptism as an act of victory.
Then the priest turneth the person who is come to baptism to the west, unclad, unshod, and having his hands uplifted, and he says—”Dost thou renounce Satan, and all his angels, and all his works, and all his services, and all his pride?” And the catechumen [candidate for baptism] makes answer, or his sponsor for him, and says, “I do.”
The first act of the Christian life is a renunciation, a challenge. No one can be Christ’s until he has, first, faced evil and then become ready to fight it. How far is this spirit from the way in which we often proclaim, or to use a more modern term, “sell” Christianity today! Is it now usually presented as a comfort, help, release from tensions, a reasonable investment of time, energy and money? One has only to read–be it but once–the topics of the Sunday sermons announced in the Saturday newspapers, or the various syndicated “religious columns,” to get the impression that “religion” is almost invariably presented as salvation from something–fear, frustration, anxiety–but never as the salvation of man and the world. How could we then speak of “fight” when the very set-up of our churches must, by definition, convey the idea of softness, comfort, peace? How can the Church use again the military language, which was its own in the first days, when it still though of itself as militia Christi? One does not see very well where and how “fight” would fit into the weekly bulletin of a suburban parish, among all kids of counseling sessions, bake sales, and “young adult” get-togethers.
And yet it is, indeed, the necessary condition of the next decisive step.
“Dost thou unite thyself unto Christ?” says the priest, when he has turned–has converted–the catechumen to the east.
Then comes the confession of faith, the confession by the catechumen of the faith of the Church, of his acceptance of this faith and obedience to it. And again it is difficult to convince a modern Christian that to be the life of the world, the Church must not “keep smiling” at the world, putting the “All Welcome” signs on teh churches, and adjusting its language to that of the last best seller. The beginning of the Christian life–of the life in the Church–is humility, obedience, and discipline. The last act of preparation for baptism, therefore, is this order:
“Bow down also before Him.” And the Catechumen answers, “I bow down before the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Filed under: Sacraments
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.“ Psalm 8:1-2
I love that passage! A few weeks ago during our worship service, the kids were asked to come to the front to talk about the meaning of Advent. Dick Miller, our Deacon asked the children what kind of kid Jesus wanted them to be? There were all kinds of good answers circulated about and then I heard my very loud 2 year old, Tyler say, “Eat the bread!” I kind of chuckled as I thought of his weekly excitement in partaking of Holy Eucharist. And then as I thought more about his zealous answer, I concluded that he has it right. “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast!” (1Cor 5:7-8) I pray that he never departs from this confession, “Jesus wants us to eat the bread!” (John 6:22-59)
Filed under: Notes on Scripture
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11
Here is an interesting question: What if the Bereans would have come to a different conclusion from Paul regarding their readings of the Old Testament? Who determined who was right? In essence, what determined the orthodoxy of the Bereans? Could it have been their submission to the teaching and interpretations of a man?
I believe the answer to this question goes a long way in seeing the breadth of authority and it not being exclusively tied to that “which is written.”
