tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57735287868228813212024-03-13T21:54:39.015-06:00The Theological Musings of LudosomnusBook reviews, sermon notes and other miscellaneous content from a Reformed Baptist perspective.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-43618228122764677342013-12-30T23:27:00.001-06:002013-12-30T23:27:09.980-06:00Theologian Trading Cards
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1nugkHgBj2Q/UsJU23DhnBI/AAAAAAAABFQ/S1w9x3rbxF0/s1600/cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1nugkHgBj2Q/UsJU23DhnBI/AAAAAAAABFQ/S1w9x3rbxF0/s320/cards.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>My Amazon review of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Theologian-Trading-Cards-Norman-Jeune/dp/0310328586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388467450&sr=8-1&keywords=theologian+trading+cards">Theologian Trading Cards</a>:</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I really wanted to like this, if only for the novel idea of
theologians in a fun card format, but there are just too many
negative disappointments that I had to give this a one-star (which
more than likely means not many helpful marks. Whatever.)<br />
<br />
<br />
I could initially go into this with the approach of "well, it
didn't have A, or B, or C" (and was my deck missing a Spurgeon
card?) but the fact is the problem seems to go a lot further than
that in that certain categories just, well, aren't broad enough. You
could have had all 300 cards based just on the puritans alone, but
instead it seems like all we get is a skimpy selection of different
eras of the church, and an unfortunately large serving of Eastern
Orthodox and Roman Catholicism (selections it seemed aimed to be more
focused on the favorable ones, with not as much attention on the
torturing, killing and "comfy chair" variety of Roman
Catholics from history - and how is it that Pope Benedict [the one
who you'll recall granted plenary indulgences, you know, the
unscriptural practice that would make most Reformers spin in their
collective graves] manages to make the deck as a very modern figure,
but we don't see any other equally important modern theologians of a
protestant variety like R.C. Sproul or John Macarthur? What floored
me even more was the inclusion of Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx.
In a box labeled "Theologian Trading Cards". Keyword being
"theologian". What the heck?<br />
<br />
<br />
To me it feels like this entire presentation and packaging was a
misnomer, and a more accurate label should have been something like,
"Some theologians cherry-picked from a broad ecumenical swath,
some of debatable significance, some of questionable orthodoxy, and
some notably of distinctly anti-Christian bent Trading Cards".
I'm surprised with some of these wonky characters in the box that he
didn't include an Aimee Semple McPherson card or Fred Phelps. Who
knows.<br />
<br />
<br />
Additionally frustrating was the frequency of finding cards with
no image. Give me a break!!! How often does that happen with sports
cards? "Oooh, trade me for your card with NO PICTURE on it."
That was frustrating enough alone to merit the one star and to have
me considering returning the set to Amazon. If you can't find a
picture for these guys from a Google image search, you do the next
best thing: commission someone to do up a quick drawing based on
what they think the guy likely looked like! For crying out loud, it
doesn't have to be a Rembrandt portrait, just give us a best-guess
sketch of the person. Blank images were a huge, huge disappointment.<br />
<br />
<br />
A final gripe was the packaging, as each 'team' in the box was
tightly bound in hard to remove plastic that I had to dig at with a
knife to get open, and all along I'm wondering, what exactly was the
reason for sealing this entire set, and then within the set itself,
sealing up each team? Did that really matter? I don't collect
sports cards, but is that how they do it when you buy them in box
sets? Do they do that with Pokemon cards or something?<br />
<br />
<br />
Again, I wanted to like this, but even if there had been some
sticks of bubble gum included in the set, the content was just a
little too skewed, imbalanced and not enough.<br />
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-85601741969963502072013-12-23T22:49:00.000-06:002013-12-23T22:49:57.291-06:00“Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo - book reviewMy amazon review of “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo<br />
<br />
I really found this hokey. First, as a confessional Baptist with a love of Christ and
the Scriptures, I'm not doubting the existence of heaven (or even
near-death experiences, for that matter, which I find frequently to
fascinating and illuminating) but this particular work just came
across as stale, contrived and somewhat goofy. I mean it's a sweet
story, but page after page you have to bite your lip at the sheer
maudlin corniness of the narrative and the cringe-worthy theology
(pg. 100. Young Colton describing what he thinks he saw, “And do
you know that Jesus sits right next to God?... Jesus' chair is right
next to his Dad's”, followed by the remark from his father, “that
blew me away. There's no way a four-year old knows that.”) Well,
maybe if your a father who doesn't shepherd your children or read the
Bible to them. But this type of narrative is what punctuates the
book sadly. Odd and debatable descriptions of what little Burpo saw
in heaven followed by the Dad's remarks of surprise or breaking into
tears, etc, etc. This one could really be a painful chore to read.
Again, I love a good NDE account, but this one didn't even qualify.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JVZbFQF5ctg/UrkSYeM__2I/AAAAAAAABE8/KZwbryvTmdE/s1600/burpo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JVZbFQF5ctg/UrkSYeM__2I/AAAAAAAABE8/KZwbryvTmdE/s1600/burpo.png" /></a>Plus here's the other thing. As a Reformed Baptist I hold
strongly to the view of Scriptural inerrancy and the perfect,
completion of God's word. But if you think about it, if the Burpo
boy's accounts are true, then technically, everything about heaven
that he saw and described should, technically, be just as binding as
anything else that the Bible says about heaven, so in a goofy way it
takes the same level as Scripture and Christians should respect this
as a valid description of what to expect of the heavenly realms that
we are bound for, and this just doesn't seem right to me (plus
consider that the Apostle Paul never really talked about or saw fit
to describe heaven himself, as he himself was caught up to third
heaven – 2 Cor. 12:2. Maybe there was a reason for that?) Or,
maybe, just maybe, Burbo's father was just using a little bit of
creative license here in describing some of the things his son
dreamed about during surgery. I find that a little more likely, and
that works for creative fiction, but there is a caution as well
involved in that Burpo should heed the caution of Scripture in what
appears to be largely a creative outlet in adding to God's<span style="font-weight: normal;">
Word (Rev. 22:18-19)</span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-54475144390407474362013-09-29T22:29:00.000-06:002013-09-29T22:29:49.047-06:00'Practice of the Presence of God' by Brother Lawrence
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rrTrcABWY08/Ukj971uB9-I/AAAAAAAABAA/6WQe1qeHC8k/s1600/lawrence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rrTrcABWY08/Ukj971uB9-I/AAAAAAAABAA/6WQe1qeHC8k/s1600/lawrence.jpg" /></a>'Practice of the Presence of God' is a short and insightful work
about walking closer with God written in a series of conversations
and collected letters from Brother Lawrence, it serves to be both
convicting and, at times, questionable. Lawrence's convictions are
powerful and frequently humbling, and there is much to admire and
emulate in seeking the constant, abiding communication with God (“a
heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, or
for His sake, and to love Him only.”) Lawrences passion of that
communion is noble and something to strive to emulate. What I did
find lacking, however, was a Christocentric approach to his
description of communion with God, to the degree that at times
reading this the communication described felt almost like a
modalistic/unitarian exercise, and I found myself longing to hear
Christ referenced just a little bit more anywhere (for instance, at
one point Lawrence says “we know also that we can do all things...”
and I was hoping he was going to lead into “...through Christ who
strengthens us”, but instead he capped the thought as “...with
the grace of GOD”, which is true, but the trinitiaran aspect of
Lawrence's theology just seemed lacking in this work. I wanted more
of the work and inter-mediation of Christ, and I wanted more of the
powerful work of Holy Spirit's sanctification. As it stands, I
believe Christ was mentioned twice and the Holy Spirit once. In any
case, this is a short and lively read and what I'd describe as take
what you can from it but tread carefully.<br />
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-47369222340697480362013-09-05T21:44:00.000-06:002013-09-05T21:44:07.636-06:00
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4f37UgwwPRA/UilOiLFJhYI/AAAAAAAAA_w/PWAMUr-d3lY/s1600/why_johnny_cant_sing_hymns_med.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4f37UgwwPRA/UilOiLFJhYI/AAAAAAAAA_w/PWAMUr-d3lY/s1600/why_johnny_cant_sing_hymns_med.jpeg" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Why-Johnny-Cant-Sing-Hymns/dp/1596381957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378439019&sr=8-1&keywords=why+johnny+can%27t+sing+hymns">'Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns</a>' is a
short, clever and timely work addressing how contemporary influences
have modified the standard regarding music used churches today as the
church moves to embrace a spirit of modernity. I've been bothered by
the contemporary movement's sway in the church </div>
today and the utter
mindless emotionalism most church music seems to have these days so I
appreciated reading Dr. Gordon's thoughts and analysis. I believe he
nails the issue on the head early on describing how previously hymns
would be selected by a criteria of theologically orthodox and
significant lyrics, thoughtful lyrics, and songs well-written in
regards to melody, harmony and form (p.47). Unfortunately today, so
many churches of the seeker-sensitive model, or church intended more
for those who are "not taking it(religion) seriously"
(p.155) and the "music-lite" invariably reflects a church
that also practices "worship lite."<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On p.130 Gordon sets out a thoughtful
consideration of if a hymn would it still exist as Christian verse if
it were not set to music. Personally, I can think of a number of
theologically rich hymns such as "A Mighty Fortress" with
powerful words that, isolated from their music would still have a
very significant message of the glory and magnitude of God. Yet
when I think of a Houston-area mega-church I visited recently I
recall the lyrics to one song that repeated over and over and over
again... "greater things have yet to come and greater things are
still to be done in this city" that, if repeated as verse
without music repeatedly would be just inane (and maddening).
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gordon digs in with an analysis of
contemporary music and the dangers of mindless sentimentality, or
emotion in music for emotion sake, which as he puts it, "reflects
and endorses a trivial culture." From contemporaneity the
after-effect is that anything not contemporary is rendered odd,
quaint, antiquated or outdated, and we're left with trivialized,
simplistic, sappy music reflecting the romanticism and primitivism of
era's like the 60's, with guitar music led by "middle-aged
former hippies unwilling to leave Woodstock." This later point
might be something of a generalization (Gordon does do that through
the book, and to be fair he sometimes does veer into odd tangents,
such as the one on Gillette shavers and landfills(???) on p.107-108)
but I do see his point about music trivialization (and I think I have
listened to the music of a few of those same 'hippies' in a couple
churches that I've been to in recent years.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The biggest negative of this work,
though, is I got to the end of the book, agreeing with most of T.
Gordon's points, but I was left wanting a little more of a take-away,
namely: if the church needs hymns, then what hymnals does the writer
suggest? More specifically, say someone is in a contemporary church,
and they're getting fed up with the maudlin sentimentalism of the
music, and they want to be in a church with more richer, deeper
music, but this is the only church that they have ever knows. Then
what churches actually use hymnals, and how would this person find
them other than just endlessly church-hopping? Any practical
suggestions of where to go to even find that music if a church with
contemporary music is all that you've ever known? Maybe even a hint
or two could have helped, such as some direction to seek out
something like a more reformed, confessionally-centered church
congregation, etc. I think a little direction would have helped,
even if in the form of some suggested denominations or churches in an
appendix) Additionally, there was no real mention of WHAT hymnals
would be considered better or worse than others. I think there was a
passing reference to the Trinity hymnal, but what other hymnals are
there, and how does a layman discern one from another? Again, some
practical suggestions of hymnals, and pros and cons, would have been
of great value. As it stands, there was only one appendix with a
debatable "pop versus classical culture" chart that didn't
help much. I would have liked to see a few more resources to help
direct people in the right direction with music.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
All the same this was an insightful
read and worth checking out if you're hungry for something more
substantial and edifying in church music. Hopefully in a future
edition Dr. Gordon could include a few helpful appendixes.</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-30344015102877913892013-08-15T11:44:00.000-06:002013-08-15T11:44:03.788-06:00An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens: In Which the Religious State of the Different Nations of the World, the Success of Former Undertakings, and the Practicability of Further Undertakings, Are Considered by William Carey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-igmhAwYL9lg/Ug0TOICZEdI/AAAAAAAAA-0/B6eL1B5qZZo/s1600/carey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-igmhAwYL9lg/Ug0TOICZEdI/AAAAAAAAA-0/B6eL1B5qZZo/s1600/carey.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This short work (although the title is
insanely long... why didn't he just call it "Some Thoughts on
Missions"?) was an insightful work about the need and importance
of global evangelism in the Christian church. Carey emphasizes that
the need to preach the gospel to all nations is a command a Christ
and that believers are bound to this responsibility to take the
gospel into the world. Cary uses Scriptural examples from the
apostolic ministry passages in Acts and leads through an overview of
early church history and mission work, up to post-Constantine times
when "popery"(Roman Catholicism) introduced propagation
taking place by force of arms, a strictly non-Scriptural practice,
where, as Carey observes, “the confessors of Christianity needed
conversion as much as the people they ministered to”. Carey then
gives an overview of the reformation of the church, starting in 1369
with Wycliffe teaching Biblical Christianity, and how his teachings
eventually spread through reformers like Huss, Jerome and eventually
through Luther, Calvin, etc, in which the church returned to the
authority of Scripture and Biblical orthodoxy. In the following
centuries persecution Roman persecution followed, and many sought
religious freedom in the new colonies, which eventually leads the
overview of history up to Carey's own time frame (late 18<sup>th</sup>
century).
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Carey also addresses some of the
objections and complaints to global missions, including the barriers
such as distance, language difficulties, concerns of safety within other nations, etc. He remarks on all of these with sound responses,
and while admitting that missions can mean a sacrifice of affluence
and splendor for that of hard work miserable accommodations,
potential punishment and imprisonment, etc. he identifies that for
many it is primarily a love of ease that stands as an inconvenience
to ministry work, and although difficult conditions may be a part of
missions, the obligation of believers is to share the gospel message
with the world. Rightly referred to as the "father of modern
missions", Carey's biography is a fascinating one, and there are
few better to address the topic of missions.</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-76158318248288723552013-08-08T10:10:00.003-06:002013-08-08T10:10:43.086-06:00Two Views of Hell<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRzs8dhYqIw/UgPCurw1lrI/AAAAAAAAA-A/k1uvvBh_Oao/s1600/two.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRzs8dhYqIw/UgPCurw1lrI/AAAAAAAAA-A/k1uvvBh_Oao/s1600/two.png" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>My recent Amazon review of "Two Views of Hell::</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/two-views-of-hell/edward-fudge/9780830822553/pd/82255">"Two Views of Hell"</a> is a
fascinating dialog of two theologians arguing from two different
perspectives of the nature and duration of hell punishment. Robert
Peterson argues from the "traditionalist" view, that hell
as taught in Scripture is that of a conscience, eternal punishment,
whereas Edward Fudge argues for what is called the "annihilation"
view, which is the view that the sinner in hell encounters a final
destruction. I was curious to read this title as, until now all I've
really known about annihilation is from certain fringe voices like
theologian John Stott (as well as certain cults), but never really in
mainstream evangelical Christianity. Fudge does a considerably good
job of arguing for annihilation from the strength of Scripture, and
Peterson offers equally good counter-arguments to Fudge's position.
Both men make strong appeals to Scripture, and church tradition when
relevant, and I found both sides of the argument to be compelling.
Historically I've enjoyed a number of "different
viewpoints"-type of theology books in the
arguments/counter-arguments format, and this particular work on the
topic of hell does a fascinating job of exploring the different views
while being ground in Scripture and not sentimentalism or anything
like that. Both men agree that there is a specific doctrine of hell
as taught in Scripture, but the eternal nature of it can be open to
debate. This is worth checking out.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-5615924719673620642013-07-01T15:15:00.000-06:002013-07-01T15:15:28.957-06:00How many times have you read the Bible?<i>An article I wrote for the local paper:</i><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As a Christian, we believe that the
Bible teaches justification by faith alone through the perfect,
complete work of Christ Jesus, through his death, burial and
resurrection. Through faith in Christ alone the Christian knows and
experiences the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life with
Christ. Being brought into newness of life, it is important for the
believer to grow in their walk with God by constantly being in the
Word. But how many Christians make time for daily Bible reading?
And if asked by an outsider to the faith, "So, if the Bible is
the central book of your faith, how many times have you read it,
cover to cover?", could you give an answer other than just a
shrug and a response of, "Well, I've read a lot of it..."</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Bible is the perfect, inspired word
of God, and as 2 Tim. 3:16 teaches, "All Scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness". The love and study of the
Scriptures should be essential for the believer, and Christians
should strive to read the Bible in its entirety if they haven't.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
"But I never have time. I've got
work, and this, and that, etc." Well, what I'd like to offer
here is a suggestion of how busy people can include daily Bible
reading, that the believer "may be competent, equipped for every
good work" (2 Tim. 3:17)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since so many people are always on the
go, “listening” can be a good option for working through the
Bible. A good step is to invest in a cheap MP3 player (and NOT a
phone, since anything that will ring, beep, chirp, or otherwise
distract you isn't going to help...)
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A cheap, simple MP3 player I've been
happy with is the Philips GoGear Vibe 4 MP3 player. No bells and
whistles, but works fine, and can hold most all of the spoken Bible.
I've seen it around $15-20 online. It comes with ear buds, but if
you don't like those you can pick up a cheap headset at Walmart for
$5.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<img align="BOTTOM" border="0" height="198" name="graphics1" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3svZ9i38hX4/TT3915NotiI/AAAAAAAAAzA/V45J-UnzsjY/s200/gogear.jpg" width="200" />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next step, get a FREE download of the
audio Bible. There are a number of translations available online
free. I'm partial to the ESV translation as I believe it's a sound
translation of the Greek and straight-forward English. You can
download it free from here: http://www.esvaudiobible.com. For those
who like the KJV translation, here's a site to download the MP3's:
http://www.harvesttimechurchoftyler.org/freemp3bible.htm</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There are many other resources, and if
you prefer to skip the download, you could go to a place like LifeWay
and buy the MP3s of the Bible and transfer them to the MP3 player
from your computer that way too.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, download a Bible reading
checklist and print this up, to mark off what you've listened to.
There are plenty of these online, but here's a simple example:
<a href="http://www.marshillchurch.org/files/misc/Bible_Reading_Checklist.pdf">http://www.marshillchurch.org/files/misc/Bible_Reading_Checklist.pdf</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, when you're working around the
house, cooking, gardening, riding your bike, etc, just put on the MP3
player and you're ready to go. If you prefer to listen to the player
while driving, you can get a mini-jack port at the Walmart
electronics department and hook this to your car stereo aux port.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also, as you study the Bible, if you
find passages that you want to understand better or that could use
elaboration, there are many good commentaries. I would recommend
Matthew Henry's Commentary. He was a puritan who wrote a concise
commentary overview of the entire Bible. You can use the commentary
for free here to look up passages:
<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/">http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/</a>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Keep yourself in the Word, and be
blessed with growing in an understanding of God's inspired word.</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-56113614878173749612013-06-23T21:28:00.000-06:002013-06-23T21:28:28.078-06:00“The Family Worship Book” by Terry L. Johnson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TReC7EjHw64/Uce8h_m1QuI/AAAAAAAAA9k/nVpeaiOYViY/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TReC7EjHw64/Uce8h_m1QuI/AAAAAAAAA9k/nVpeaiOYViY/s320/family.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Family Worship Book by Terry
Johnson serves as a good resource for those looking for a more deeper
and substantial time of family worship, going beyond basic devotional
practices and actually digging deeper with example outlines of
worship, Scriptural reading, hymns, prayer, creeds and confessions,
etc. The first few sections introduce what family worship is, why
it's important, and how to get started. After the first few chapters
the book feels like it goes directly into reference-mode, including a
Bible-reading checklist, catechism, and then copious inclusion of
psalter songs and hymns.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And while I'm all for this book and
think that it's an excellent resource for getting started, the
problem becomes that for things such as the sample responsive
readings in the book, you're either left having to get multiple
copies of the same book, or make copies of the pages that you want to
use, and repeatedly in reading this book I found myself wondering,
"so why wouldn't you just get a stack of Trinity Hymnals and use
those for family worship time?" since so much of what this book
includes as reference material is already in the Trinity hymnal
(including the Westminster Confession, the Shorter Catechism and
plenty of responsive readings, etc.) In fact, it seems like HUGE
sections of the book could have been skipped and that Johnson could
have just said "Go and buy a stack of Trinity hymnals for your
family worship time" (a quick Google search for "trinity
hymnal" will find a bunch of sites selling these, around $20
each, in both regular and Baptist flavors, too...) Using individual
hymnals for each family member allows everyone to have their own to
use for singing and catechism, and they can also make notes in their
own copies of favorite hymns, etc.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One other issue I found was the fact
that although this book includes a number of hymns, the songs don't
include the actual musical notation, only the words, and are followed
with comments at the bottom of the song like "All saints old
8.7.8.7.7.7", and speaking as someone with limited musical
skills, that type of notation means nothing to me. It would have
helped tremendously if the hymns included the musical notation as
well, because in that situation if you aren't familiar with the
melody you could at least play out the melody on the piano first if
it's a hymn you don't know.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So those few gripes aside, it's still a
good book for someone new to the idea of family worship who wants to
get started, and there are some excellent ideas to incorporate, but
again, seems like much of this material could have been skipped, and
much more sensibly, simply pick up a few copies of the Trinity hymnal
(enough for each family member) and go that route instead.</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-23608944105431672942013-06-10T10:03:00.001-06:002013-06-10T10:03:54.844-06:00The Importance of Christian Scholarship by J. Gresham MachenHaving been attending the OPC again after a long number of years, I've become something of a Machen junky. I don't agree with him on everything, but so much of what he writes is just spot-on. Here's a review I did for the local paper:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In <i>The Importance of Christian
Scholarship</i>, J. Gresham Machen calls for a revival of learning in
the context of Christian teaching, evangelism and defending the
faith, largely in response to the objections of “modern”,
anti-intellectual evangelical leaders and the insistence that deeper
knowledge is not necessary for faith, and that the gospel is a simple
thing that does not need to be obscured by too much scholarly
research. Machen confronts these alternative opinions by
establishing that scholarship brings order out of confusion and makes
the message shine fourth more clearly. It is “out of a great fund
of Christian learning that the true message springs.” To Machen,
in evangelism it's important that we tell the story of Jesus
“straight and full and plain” and that what many despise today as
“doctrine” the New Testament refers to as “gospel” (one of
the things so refreshing about reading Machen is how relevant his
message is to today, even though he was writing these works in the
1920's...)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Machen teaches that Christian
evangelism isn't just "look at me and my virtues" and "you
can be as happy and wonderful as me if you do this and that",
but explains that people are not saved by a radiant testimony, but by
a preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's only through the gospel
and having this taught clearly and with a solid doctrinal
understanding that the message is put forward through which they can
be saved.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Machen maintains that all objections
and criticisms of the faith are addressed in the New Testament.
Teaching solid Christian doctrine to believers is about giving to
Christian people materials that they can use in both dealing with
avowed skeptics and also when they speak with their families,
friends, students, etc. Christian scholarship and doctrinal richness
empowers Christians to be both strong and fortified in their faith
and to have a scholarly response to objections. Scholarship empowers
the Christian to give credible responses to these questions.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Underlying preaching is Christian
scholarship, necessary to both the preacher and to the man. The
gospel is a simple thing, and while some objections would weigh that
scholarship can obscure the message of the gospel, the opposite is
actually true: scholarship helps the message shine forth more clear.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This work was presented as a series of
lectures by Machen and is available for free from here:
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/53616023/The-Importance-of-Christian-Scholarship-by-J-Gresham-Machen">http://www.scribd.com/doc/53616023/The-Importance-of-Christian-Scholarship-by-J-Gresham-Machen</a>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-11283772227638931022013-05-02T07:55:00.001-06:002013-05-02T07:59:51.685-06:00"Christianity and Liberalism" by J. Gresham Machen<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1TSbCPQ8eiw/UYJwNzLaA6I/AAAAAAAAA7k/4ZLxYQV5Z-g/s1600/machen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1TSbCPQ8eiw/UYJwNzLaA6I/AAAAAAAAA7k/4ZLxYQV5Z-g/s320/machen.jpg" width="207" /></a>J. Gresham's "Christianity and
Liberalism" addresses the topic of heretical, revisionist
teachings and the damaging effect these bring within Christian
churches. By 'liberal' Machen isn't referring to political
liberalism but rather the introduction of revisionist, distorted
views of the Scripture, such as questioning Biblical innerancy and
the historicity of the Scripture. What's remarkable is that Machen
wrote this back in the 1920's, but all of the liberal heresies that
he addresses are just as much alive and well today. It isn't
uncommon to find the pastor at a supposedly "Christian"
church that denies important Biblical truths such as the virgin birth
or even the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I'm reminded of a message
I heard recently from pastor Phil Johnson, in which he rightly
observed that the greatest threat to Christianity today isn't the
raving atheist on the street, but rather the internal corruption of
liberal teachers from within the church itself (the quote comes from
Johnson message on the topic of pastoral shepherding, that's
available <a href="http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=42313173492">here</a>)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Machen draws the clear distinction
between "Christianity" and "liberalism",
identifying there is no such thing as liberal Christianity, but
rather there is orthodox, confessionally-centered Biblical
Christianity, at the core of which is gospel-centered faith in
repentance and belief in the resurrected savior Christ Jesus, and any
supposedly “christian” religious approach that detracts from
that, or throws doubts into the historical claims of the Bible,
particularly those that undermine the fundamental, historical tenants
of Christianity, Machen rightly distinguishes as something other than
Christianity, as another religion.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Machen addresses numerous liberal
arguments made about the historicity of Scripture, miracles,
teachings such as of the "universal fatherhood of God",
attacks on the Pauline epistles, the work and person of Christ, the
importance of doctrinal standards in the church, etc. It's a
fascinating and relevant read for laypeople. Consider Machen's
closing remarks, "There are congregations, even in the present
age of conflict, that are really gathered around the table of the
crucified Lord; there are pastors that are pastors indeed. But such
congregations, in many cities, are difficult to find. Weary with the
conflicts of the world, one goes into the Church to seek refreshment
for the soul. And what does one find? Alas, too often, one finds
only the turmoil of the world. The preacher comes forward, not out of
a secret place of meditation and power, not with the authority of
God's Word permeating his message, not with human wisdom pushed far
into the background by the glory of the Cross, but with human
opinions about the social problems of the hour or easy solutions of
the vast problem of sin. Such is the sermon... Thus the warfare of
the world has entered even into the house of God, And sad indeed is
the heart of the man who has come seeking peace." (p. 179-180)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Reading Machen should spawn good
questions for all Christians, and one should not be afraid to bring
these up with your pastor. Ask the pastor/elders if the church is
confessionally-centered, if it adheres to the historical creeds (such
as the Apostles creed/Nicean creed) and the truths defined therein.
Ask the pastor if the church adheres to the inerrant authority of the
word of God. Ask if the church believes in and teaches the miracles
of Christ, and especially the resurrection. If you don't get clear
answers on any of these, then give careful consideration if you're
actually a part of a Christian church, or instead within a liberal
false-church that actually has no part of the true body of Christ.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Christianity and Liberalism"</b>
is available at most online bookstores, but since it's in the public domain its also
freely available electronically at sites like<a href="http://www.reformed.org/books/chr_and_lib/"> this</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You can also hear a free MP3 recording
of the book here: <a href="http://reformedaudio.org/machen.html">http://reformedaudio.org/machen.html</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For another example of the detrimental
damages done by liberalism in the Christian church, also check out
the recent testimony of a German Christian named Anita Kupferman and
her exposure to “higher critical methodology” in some of German
“theological” schools (her testimony can be read in HeartCry
magazine, available for free <a href="http://www.heartcrymissionary.com/resources/magazine-download/2318-vol">here</a>)</div>
Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-79494459535500979582013-01-28T10:11:00.000-06:002013-01-28T10:16:46.637-06:00Batholomew's Passage<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrzh9_TCRx0/UQajI3FGY0I/AAAAAAAAA7A/oC3joy6VG8s/s1600/bart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrzh9_TCRx0/UQajI3FGY0I/AAAAAAAAA7A/oC3joy6VG8s/s1600/bart.jpg" /></a><i>My review of Batholomew's Passage, a book we read recently during the Christmas season. It's themed around Advent, which I don't get big into (feels too much of works righteousness) but the book was ok:</i><br />
<br />
We read through this as a family during the Christmas season, and while it's a tame adventure story inter-woven with Biblical places and characters, it also tends to feature plentiful eye-rolling sequences that really push the boundaries of plausibility (I realize the author was aiming for a cliff-hanger after each section, but some of these were just ridiculous: avoiding snake pits, nearly being trampled by Romans, fleeing along the top of aqueducts, etc.) Another point of contention would be some of the grimace-worthy bad theology nestled into the story (p.44 - "But the price of freedom is that He(God) has no control over some of the storms and tragedies we face."(!!) That's a wacky Arminianism edging almost into the realm of deism (the kids and I had a good laugh at that part, though). If you celebrate Advent and are looking for a mildly-entertaining yet flawed bit of reading for the kids, this is worth it. Just use a little discretion with some of the wonky theology.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-41282220222207242272013-01-26T23:12:00.000-06:002013-01-26T23:12:18.179-06:00Tim Keller 'Generous Justice'<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RjIXdpTG8m0/UQS2VFQg-4I/AAAAAAAAA6s/iB68jJKeZUw/s1600/keller.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RjIXdpTG8m0/UQS2VFQg-4I/AAAAAAAAA6s/iB68jJKeZUw/s320/keller.png" width="185" /></a>Man, I'm out of date with updates on this blog. Need to get back up to speed.<br />
<br />
Just finished listening to Tim Keller's "Generous Justice" and, initial thought, I much prefer hearing Keller speak and share his ideas rather than someone else talking (the guy narrating the audio sounded to me like Steve Martin). The book was, as I expected, exceptional. Keller carefully lays out a case for the need for a greater outpouring, support and involvement with the poor and disadvantaged in society from a Christian perspective, citing among other places passages from patriarchs like Job and the compassion for the needy that was part of their life.<br />
<br />
The scope and detail of the book was comprehensive, but I would have liked to hear a little more about how compassion is shown to the orphan by means of adoption. I didn't catch much of that in the message, and think the cause of the fatherless has a natural connection to Scripture's frequent example of the theme of adoption (Abraham/Israel, Jesus, and even US!). Minor quarrel - the book was exceptional and heady enough in passages - namely dealing with the philosophical questions of the value of human life from a Scriptural perspective - that the book could almost use a second listen in places. Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-66283838518019665472012-01-27T22:28:00.001-06:002012-01-27T22:28:34.517-06:00John Wycliffe: The Morning Star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvS26eHEY2A/TyN44xELVBI/AAAAAAAAA5w/4i8Dz-5bXEU/s1600/wycliffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvS26eHEY2A/TyN44xELVBI/AAAAAAAAA5w/4i8Dz-5bXEU/s320/wycliffe.jpg" width="240" /></a>My Amazon review of the life of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Wycliffe-The-Morningstar/product-reviews/B001PVT1SA/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R2931EAJTZOF7F">John Wycliffe</a>:</div><br />
Admittedly, the production is a little bit cheesy at times, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this brief overview of the life of John Wycliffe. Principle to this man was the centrality of the Scripture and his radiant faith in Christ, even when standing in situations of his life's peril. There are many valuable lessons that can be brought away from this film, namely Wycliffe's compassion and vigilance for the rights of the poor peasants of 14th century England, his love of teaching his students, as well as the beauty of Wycliffe's love of the Scriptures and his desire to see it translated into English. This is a wonderful piece of history, easy to follow, and ideal for a small group study or a family worship time (the film is very tame, with the only questionable content being a couple dead men following one of the peasant revolts.)<br />
<br />
Side-note (not part of the review): this was my first disk received from <a href="https://puritanpicks.com/subscribe/">Puritan Picks</a>, and I'm really glad to have found this service. Basically it's an alternative to NetFlix, but with good films and theology DVDs (so it's not just the material you find at the local LifeWay, but rather reaching by Sproul, Keller, etc.) I'm looking forward to receiving more from this service.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-73149295184733597242012-01-04T09:58:00.000-06:002012-01-04T09:58:32.650-06:00PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 235I enjoyed the recent Please Convince Me <a href="http://pleaseconvinceme.blogspot.com/2011/12/four-annoying-things-about-tebow.html">podcast</a> (#235), although it was more of one of his side-topics that caught my attention. Jim was discussing some of the Facebook comments about "Wealth and Prosperity" gospel teachers, and made some good points about the manner in which a pastor should be living. With someone in a pastoral role, there is a level of prosperity a pastor should not exceed, as it hurts our testimony and causes a weaker brother to stumble. With new cars, expensive clothing, etc - the question becomes, are we in it for the right reason? Megachurch pastors are frequently living large, and although they might give away thousands, they are making millions,<br />
and are living in a way dramatically larger then they ought to live. These people are the billboard that others will see and use (correctly or falsely) judge the faith. Coming from Jim Wallace, who was a strong non-believer for many years, I think he makes a fair point with this. <br />
If you want a voice with everyone that you want to have a voice with, you can't trot around with bling and hope to convince people who might question your true motives.<br />
Rather, it's how the twelve apostles lived is how we should live, with the understanding that we don't expect things to get easier but to get harder.<br />
<br />
Some of the other topics covered, such as Tebow, didn't really capture my attention, but not being a football fan I guess I just don't follow the hype.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-52351708798241689742011-12-17T22:49:00.001-06:002011-12-17T22:55:08.525-06:00Voddie Baucham - Family Shepherds<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433523698/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1433523698"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=1433523698&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=desuaweco-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=desuaweco-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1433523698" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />(my Amazon review of Voddie's latest book '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433523698/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1433523698">Family Shepherds</a>')</i><br />
<br />
Voddie Baucham’s “Family Shepherds” gives a good amount of really good material for fathers who want to step up in taking the initiative in leading their wives and children spiritually, and while I really enjoyed the various steps offered in the book, and usually enjoy everything I read from Voddie, with this I came away feeling that it didn’t go quite far enough or deep enough.<br />
<br />
Voddie outlines the importance of the role of family shepherd and lays out, among other things, the importance of family worship, the primacy of the marriage relationship, training and discipline of children, as well as regular corporate worship. All of these are great, but so many of these sections seemed superficially breezy without really packing in material that men need to hear. The assumption I had with this book is that shepherding is a responsibility that many men have neglected in recent years, thus the importance of this book was calling and guiding men back to this task. An excellent intention, but so many parts of the book, such as the importance of catechism, left me a little dry, as Voddie speaks of the importance of catechism, but then leaves the section with “do your research to find the best catechism to fit your doctrine.” What? This struck me as a cop-out. Again, in today’s world Dad’s aren’t doing this, so why would he leave this point so open-ended? So, are fathers just supposed to jump onto Google and look up whatever catechism they can find? Rather, instead of skimping, Voddie could have easily jumped into the importance of something like the 1689 London Confession, or the Westminster standards, or any Biblically-solid catechism to help men get started, instead of leaving them dry. I would have loved more here, even as an appendix, with a sage hand pointing to some sound sources to get started.<br />
<br />
Likewise, addressing the importance of singing hymns as a family: an excellent point, yet WHAT hymnals? Why does Voddie leave it to fathers to know what song books to use? Should we just go to Lifeway and pick up a generic “hymnal” on the shelves, just because some of the songs look “Biblical”? Why not offer up some specific examples, such as the Trinity hymnal, and justify it with some of the many reasons that back this a solid, Scripturally-sound hymnal to incorporate? We use, and love, the trinity hymnal, but it’s details like that which would have really served to help point men to the right resources. Our Trinities are a little worn, and I’m always open to find other Biblically-solid hymnal to incorporate, so why couldn't there be more specific examples here?<br />
<br />
I do agree with Voddie’s remarks about the “3-legged stool, and think that is a good outline, but I found his second requirement for church leaders as being “Godly, manly pastors and elders” to be a little bit skimpy in his description. “Manly” elders? Pastor/theologians who come to mind that I greatly appreciate, such as Wayne Grudem and Edmund Clowney, aren’t exactly the model of what I consider “manly”, but rather as examples of well-educated teachers with an extraordinary understanding of the Bible. I think one of the issues I have with this Voddie’s comment on elders, as well as with Grace Family church in general, is the practice of lay-eldership, or men without formal seminary training, serving as elders and teaching. “Manliness” isn’t that big of a concern to me as much as men serving that are “not a novice” (1 Tim. 3:6 - νεόφυτος) if I'm expected to submit myself and my family to their training. Lay elders who work full-time in the market and then are expected to teach on weekends is no different than asking a guy who read a bunch of books on heart surgery to do your triple-bypass. Maybe this sounds harsh, but I don’t believe that deacon-qualified men should serve as elders, and Voddie could have put a little more Scriptural backing into what the Bible really says about the role of an elder, above and beyond just “manliness”.<br />
<br />
The Michael Pearl/pelagianism discussion (p. 116-118) was an entertaining detour. I’m amused (and a little alarmed) by this bearded, knife-throwing arminian, so it was interesting to to read Voddie’s attack on Pearl’s skewed behaviorism model. Voddie was right on spot regarding discipline, and this day and age, there can’t be enough said about the need for Biblically-consistent discipline of children. The extensive references to Cotton Mather’s teaching were a perfect outline to follow, and I really gained a lot from that particular section.<br />
<br />
Family Shepherds is definitely worth the read, but again, it didn’t go far enough for me. Sadly, I was also disappointed that there was virtually NOTHING about the father as the homeschooling leader. This was a notably huge absence, as I firmly believe that one of the family shepherd’s principle responsibilities is to be actively involved in the homeschooling of the children - and I don’t mean necessarily teaching every subject, but rather being extremely well-aware of what the curriculum is, including the worldview of the curriculum and the Biblical orientation it follows, and offering as much support as possible to the mother who labors to educate the children. A family shepherd, on a day off for example, should be completely capable of sitting down, picking up a teachers instruction manual, and jumping right in to be able to help guide and instruct their child, just as competently as the wife does, without excuse. A family shepherd should actively be seeking out ways to incorporate additional education after work, on weekends, etc, whenever possible, with a positive, engaged interest in the love of learning in their children. As a personal aside, I also believe that a family shepherd should be capable of picking up a spatula every now and then, being able to navigate a grocery store, and also change a diaper or two (thousand.) Family shepherds should loathe the Asherim that is television.<br />
<br />
At the close of Family Shepherds, I found that even the resources in the appendix were disappointing, as these “tools” seemed more like copy-and-paste excepts from Grace Family’s weekly bulletin, and felt more like a promotional vehicle for the church, and less of actual family shepherd tools. While I respect all that is put into the Grace Family church bulletins, to me, far more practical that simply seeing the list of family names to pray for would be to see, for instance, how do some of the different families of Grace Family conduct family worship? What are some of the general outlines that they follow? What songs do they use? Any Biblical study material they could recommend? Particular catechism? If (according to the appendix) the officers of Grace Family supposedly call/visit their members once a month, then there should be a wealth and bounty of practical examples to share of family worship framework examples, right? (e.g. “Jim and Tammy” follow this particular model: Jim opens with prayer, their oldest daughter plays a solo hymn on the piano, the oldest son reads a chapter from Old Testament, father then reads a study guide based on the chapter, etc, etc. Another model is the Smith family, that uses this general outline: etc, etc...) Again, this book exists because Dad’s aren’t naturally performing as family shepherds today - so give Dad’s more resources and actual tools and examples to help them! I seriously don’t think Voddie could have overdone it with examples. Pack in more punch, instead of leaving me dry, which is how I felt at the end of reading.<br />
<br />
A side-note on the graphic design, when I took the book out of the Amazon envelope, I was studying the lower middle portion of the book for awhile, as it appeared initially that mold spots were growing on the cover (had the book been damaged at the Amazon factory with moisture?) Apparently that’s the design, but the seeming appearance of mold dots on a smooth paperback cover didn’t make a great initial impression.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-50668604375433349382011-11-16T16:20:00.000-06:002011-11-16T16:20:28.675-06:00Luke 10:25-37 and Richard BaxterI've been reading Richard Baxter's '<a href="http://www.reformed.org/books/baxter/reformed_pastor/?vm=r">The Reformed Pastor</a>' recently, and even from a lay perspective I'm just amazed at the wealth of value in this book. What I find so fascinating is Baxter's focus on the pastor who visits, teaches and knows his congregation on a personal level, which is something so uncommon with so many churches that I've been to. Baxter emphasizes personal catechizing and instructing of the flock, and this particular book addresses not only the many benefits of this approach, but even takes the time to respond to common objections to this approach. Do pastors even do as Baxter suggests, and keep a book with a list of their people, with "notes of their character and necessities?"<br />
<br />
<br />
This could be a misapplication, but I thought of Baxter during the reading of Luke 10:25-37 this weekend on the Lord's day. The text describes the priest that walks past the mortally-injured man, crossing by on the other side so as to avoid personal contact. Is it that much of a stretch to apply that to pastors who teach once a week yet distance themselves from personal contact during the week with laity?<br />
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Baxter also emphasizes to me the problem I see with lay elders leading a church. Our previous church planted a sister congregation, pastored by two non-seminary educated men. And while I do agree there are occasionally rare exceptions of remarkable men who have pastored without seminary (Spurgeon) the bigger problem I see with this model is, these two men both have full-time jobs, a commute, and wives and children to devote time to (in addition to sermon preparation, in addition to the administration of the church.) How on earth could they practice a Richard Baxter-level of attention to the members of their congregation when their days are already packed full? They couldn't, and I think this speaks to the negative aspect of expecting laity to pastor, when it should be the responsibility of a full-time dedicated elder/teacher.<br />
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Baxter has really shaken the pastoral paradigm for me, and I'm really wondering why there isn't more shepherding of church members like this. Maybe there are just no shortage of objections, like "I do not thing that God doth require that we should thus tie ourselves to instruct every person distinctly, and to make our lives a burden and a slavery."Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-44964492765191967002011-10-20T07:44:00.000-06:002011-10-20T07:44:53.586-06:00Billy Sunday<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880621257/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0880621257" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=0880621257&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=desuaweco-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a>We've been reading the biography of evangelist Billy Sunday during our family worship time at night, and it's been an interesting insight into one of the popular "revivalists" during the early part of the 20th century (although, obviously, no one can plan a "revival". Only the Holy Spirit brings a genuine revival in a believer's heart, in God's perfect timing. But all the same, it's good to read about folks like this who make up the tapestry of Christian history). The story is entertaining and lively in describing how Billy was a popular baseball player-turned-evangelist, and how he translated his baseball player flair into his evangelical revivals. Situated in the Prohibition era, the bio describes Billy's crusade against the alcohol industry, having himself struggled with drinking during his time as a baseball player. The description of his mannerisms and methodologies are colorful, describing Billy jumping about on stages and calling folks to follow the "sawdust trail", but his theology can, at times, be lacking (e.g. using a revival tent as a vehicle to encourage men to go off to fight in the first World War?) Likewise, there's a crudeness of some of his message content, often resorting to using goofy slang and childish name-calling, versus simply preaching the message of Christ (Gal. 3:16). Sadly, as the book nears the close we learn that due to Billy (and his wife) spending long times on the road away from his children, leaving them at home in the care of a housekeeper, that ultimately all of his four children died early, with two of his boys sinking into alcohol that ultimately took their lives (sadly ironic, in light of Billy's crusades against liquor). If anything, that's probably the principle message I took away from this text: while evangelism and ministry is important, don't pursue this at the cost of your obligation to shepherding your own family.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-8658471966117147552011-10-09T22:07:00.000-06:002011-10-09T22:07:17.453-06:00What's More Important than a Wedding?Voddie Baucham is right on with the message from Ruth chapter 4 and correcting the false mindset that prioritizes the wedding as more important that marriage itself, instead illustrating how a Christian marriage represents the redemptive model of Christ and his love for his bride, the church. Voddie contrasts the message of modern culture of $25-30k weddings, with weddings also being the culmination or highest-point of a modern relationship, with the story of Ruth and Boaz, a message not of a fairy-tale wedding but rather Boaz as redeemer-kinsman, the obligation and commitment to Levirate marrriage, the genealogy and lineage unfolding to David and subsequently Christ, and the ultimate message of redemption from the book of Ruth. <br />
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<!--Begin SermonAudio Link Button--><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.sermonaudio.com/code_sourcefeatured.asp?reversecolor=FALSE&showoverview=FALSE&flashplayer=TRUE&tiny=FALSE&minimal=FALSE&eventtype=EVENTID&sermonid=7241119264910"></SCRIPT><!--End SermonAudio Link Button-->Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-39059411003051365182011-09-30T21:21:00.000-06:002011-09-30T21:21:39.582-06:00No Room for Personal Vengeance - Voddie Baucham - Romans 12:19-21Here's a link to a recent message by Voddie on Romans 12: 19ff. His message centers on the theme of vengeance and how we are not to repay evil for evil, as the attitude of "avenging ourselves" of a wrong-doing ultimately puts us in the place of God. With vengeance, Christ's death was not enough, and we are insisting on adding another death to Christ's. Rahter, our attitude should be one of compassion for our enemy: "if they are hungry, give them something to eat" rather than seeking revenge.<br />
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It was interesting to me in the message how Voddie did seem to dodge to topic of how it's apparently ok to defend yourself. So while we shouldn't avenge ourselves, there's nothing wrong with shooting and killing someone who breaking into our home? I've got some issues with that. Voddie made an illustration of the veteran who comes home, unable to sleep with the thoughts of people he killed in foreign lands, so I wonder, how is that any different than killing another person in self-defense? More and more I'm seeing defense as something the magistrate provides, and I think he could have gone further with this message to extend Paul's message in Romans 12, of "overcoming evil with good", to include challenging those who are ready and willing to shoot and kill anyone who breaks into their house. I would have also liked to have heard him extend this message into the topic of Christians serving in the military, and if doing so is consistent with Romans 12, but he'd likely be stepping on a few too many toes with that one...<br />
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<!--Begin SermonAudio Link Button--><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.sermonaudio.com/code_sourcefeatured.asp?reversecolor=FALSE&showoverview=FALSE&flashplayer=TRUE&tiny=FALSE&minimal=FALSE&eventtype=EVENTID&sermonid=918112230554"></SCRIPT><!--End SermonAudio Link Button-->Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-66431644130554687992011-09-27T13:52:00.000-06:002011-09-27T13:52:01.985-06:00PaedocommunionAt "<a href="http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/wordoftheday/paedocommunion/">Theological word of the day</a>" (one of my favorite sites) the word of the day is paedocommunion, which "describes the practice of allowing infants or small children to the Lord’s communion table." As someone who personally sees infant baptism as something NOT in Scripture, I've long wondered why Presbyterians and Methodists don't also practice paedocommunion as well, or feeding the elements to babies as well. It wouldn't be any different than infant sprinkling: the baby has no idea what's going on, has no understanding of the nature of sin, and basically an ordinance is incorrectly applied to someone who doesn't understand what's going on. So why don't ALL churches that sprinkle babies also feed the communion bread to those "covenant babies" as well? There's a pretty substantial inconsistency going on there. As a reformed baptist, I believe that the table, and baptism, are ordinances that should NOT be observed by someone until they are at an age of maturity to understand the true meaning of what Christ established in these ordinances. Anything else would be heretical.<br />
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I've wondered: If a church practices paedocommunion, what happens with a parent that is exclusive breast-feeding a child? Would they introduce foods like this when the child is only consuming the mother's milk? Would they be forced to observe this as part of the "sacrament" of the church?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-73374717995368398662011-09-26T10:19:00.002-06:002011-09-26T10:32:29.502-06:002010 Fall Anabaptist Identity Conference<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I was recently listening to a number of messages from the <a href="http://www.victorymusicservices.com/">2010 Fall Anabaptist Identity Conference</a>, which offers a large number of downloadable MP3s. The message that I just listened to was <a href="http://www.victorymusicservices.com/VMS.php?p=Download&d=10152010BelieversBaptismAFundamentalintheSeparationofChurchandState.mp3">Believer's Baptism - A Fundamental in the Separation of Church and State</a>, which prevented a solid Scriptural defense of believer's baptism (although how any paedobapist can profess to defend this practice from Scripture is totally beyond me...)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhow, from the message you see how the Anabaptists draw a strong distinction of church and state (which considering my growing disillusionment with all things political, this is something I'm finding more and more easier to agree with.) And on the topic of a state church, you can't have a true state church without infant baptism, compromising the requirements of membership in order to just bring more people into the church. On church and state, the question is asked: if all society is in the church, then where is the world, of which we are to be separate?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The church is to teach of the intention of making disciples. Who should be baptized? Disciples. We are commanded to teach all nations, a command observed everywhere, and our message is not to change until the end of the age. We should not teach based on assumptions or traditions, but on the Word of God.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Where in Scripture has Christ commanded infant baptism? He hasn't. Scripture says to repent and be baptized. Unless there is genuine repentance, no baptism. Paedobaptists will sometimes misquote Matt. 19:14, of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f9fdff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven", saying that Jesus here is allowing children into the kingdom of heaven via infant baptism. But if this passage is about infant baptism, and the disciples were familiar with this, then why did they object to the children going to Jesus? There is a distinction between "blessing" and "baptism". Additionally, how could they be baptized into the kingdom, if according to v.14 the kingdom already belongs to them?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f9fdff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Paedobaptists also misapply Col. 2:11, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f9fdff;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #001320;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ," in drawing an incorrect association with circumcision and baptism. Water baptism was never intended to replace circumcision, and while circumcision was done by the hands of men, baptism is about internal change, and operation of God alone. And if this parallel is to be drawn, it is notable that Abraham was circumcised AFTER his faith, not before. Additionally, appeals to traditions, in addition to being a fallacy of special pleading, run into a difficulty when you find traditions such as described in the Didache. Are infants really supposed to fast two days prior to baptism?</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #001320;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Believer's baptism is making a covenant before men, and being willing to give up everything (as the early radicals were when they defied the infant baptism traditions of the state church.) Infant baptism, on the other hand, includes sinners by design.</span></span>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-34026036032857489062011-09-19T07:36:00.000-06:002011-09-19T07:36:51.793-06:00Studying Theology as a Servant of Jesus by John M. FrameI received the booklet '<a href="http://www.frame-poythress.org/frame_articles/2000Studying.htm">Studying Theology as a Servant of Jesus</a>' by John M. Frame from RTS and thought it was excellent. I thought this part was especially note-worthy:<br />
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"If you try to minister to people without a solid knowledge of God’s Word and an ability to apply it to human needs, you are worse than a physician who treats people in medical ignorance. Worse, because the consequences can be eternal.<br />
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Thinking as such does not distort or deny the Word of God; sin does. The anti‑intellectual too often focuses on only part of the problem, the depravity of the intellect, minimizing the effects of sin in other areas of life. On the other hand, in doing so he overlooks significant God‑given tools of sanctification and thus loses the full impact of the Word upon him. But one with a fully biblical concept of theology will use all these means to apply the Word to God's people. We should use to the fullest all the tools of learning: linguistics, archaeology, reason, imagination, logic, and so on.<br />
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Through such theology we will become more obedient, and through obedience we will become better theologians. If theology is a confrontation with the living God in His Word, then we dare not bring before Him any less than our best. To do so is sinful complacency, arrogant pride."Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-35709384634010450582011-08-23T21:46:00.003-06:002011-08-23T21:48:09.124-06:00131 Christians Everyone Should Know - Book ReviewReview of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christians-Everyone-Should-Holman-Reference/dp/080549040X?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">131 Christians Everyone Should Know</a> that I just posted over at Amazon.<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=desuaweco-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=080549040X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
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"131 Christians..." really proved to be something of a hit or miss title for me. I started to incorporate it as part of our family worship, but ultimately abandoned it entirely for a number of reasons. First is that most of these biographies, far from being captivating insights into these people's lives, actually reads like a droll, static textbook from a secular college. Even otherwise exciting accounts of people like Hudson Taylor and David Livingston are here presented as somewhat cold and factual, without some of the more exciting episodes or accounts of the miraculous (Taylor in particular, whom I've read a number of biographies of, has some thrilling accounts of God's miraculous provisions, but the 'Christian History' editors decided to leave those out, which is a little bit telling of the ambiguity of their genuine Christian perspective.<br />
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The thing I realized is that this isn't "131 Vibrant, Faithful Christians of a Solid, Biblical Testimony", but rather a breezy overview of 131 folks, some stupendous (Calvin), some not so (Finney), that these editors somehow thought worth of writing dull biographies of. The flavor seems cold on Calvinism, mild on the historic misdeeds of Roman Catholicism, and at times leans favorably towards mystical flavor - which today appeals more to the new agey crowd (and shoppers at Lifeway stores) but not necessarily to me.<br />
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Notably missing, much to the detriment of this book, were Christians like John Owen, Richard Baxter, J. Gresham Manchen, Martyn-Lloyd Jones, Cornelius Van Til, or even missionaries like Amy Carmichael or George Mueller, and yet the book included T.S. Elliot and Billy Sunday? <br />
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Most troubling is the inclusion of Henry VIII, who's section the editors ridiculous titled as "Defender of the Faith" (a title given to Henry by a Pope, mind you.) Henry was a murderous adulterer, with an awful track record and hardly what I'd consider a "Christian" that I "must know". I'm surprised the authors of the book didn't give "Bloody Mary" a chapter with another Papal-approved title such as, "Mary, Darling of Roman Catholicism". The lack of genuine Christian history is really showing here as the authors completely overlooked Lady Jane Grey, Henry VIII's martyred daugher who had a powerful testimony of faithfulness during her short life, and would truly belong in a book about Christians that you should know. This book is genuinely about "Man for All Seasons" bad theological history going on here.<br />
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One star simply because this serves as a mediocre overview of some historical figures throughout church history, but there have been far better biographies written. In fact, much more highly recommended would be John Piper's Christian Biographies at <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/by-title">Desiring God</a>. These are far more energetic, emotional and edifying, unlike what the Christian History editors have presented here. In fact, some comments from Piper on Erasmus really seem to fit the spirit of how the writers presented this "131 Christians" book. These Christian History edits, as with Erasmus, seem to have a "touch of irony, a superior ambiguity", as if "to be dogmatic about the full theology of Christ was to be distasteful, below the best, elite humanist heights." I think Piper nailed it with Erasmus, and the glove fits this stale title as well.<br />
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Skip it, and check out Piper's bios instead.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-69758921632371693462011-08-16T22:08:00.001-06:002011-08-16T22:09:00.245-06:00'Family Driven Faith' by Voddie Baucham<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=desuaweco-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1433528126&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>I just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Driven-Faith-Paperback-Questions/dp/1433528126?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Family Driven Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=desuaweco-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433528126" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Voddie Baucham, a book I actually read most of a few years ago, but I finally got around to finishing. There is a lot to really enjoy from this book, primarily being the theme of calling fathers back to leadership and discipleship of their families and the centrality of family worship in the home. Indeed, it wasn't until at Voddie's church and hearing Don Whitney visit and talk about the importance of family worship as a regular, focused feature of the Christian home, that we started implementing this as well. We've visited with friends who, following dinner and games would welcome us into their family worship, for hymns and Bible study, and its a wonderful blessing (plus it gives you ideas of things to incorporate into your own family worship as well.) <br />
Voddie's focus on this in the book is wonderful, although I wish he could have gone a little bit deeper. To be honest, sadly, I think the idea of worship in the home is such a completely lost concept in mainstream Christianity that a book like this almost needed "baby steps" of how to get started. For instance:<br />
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<ul><li>Catechisms - Which catechisms should be used? Which ones skipped? How much? Which ones are best for which age groups?</li>
<li>Hymns - Which hymnals? which are good, which are worth skipping?</li>
<li>Bible study guides - There are a gazillion to choose from, and I've been blessed by studies like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Questions-Answers-About-Jesus/dp/1857925599?ie=UTF8&tag=desuaweco-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Big Book Of Questions & Answers About Jesus</a> by Sinclair Fergusen, but I'd love to know of others. </li>
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True, Scripture reading is always going to be enough, but like that Ethopian talking to Phillip in the book of Acts, sometimes<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=desuaweco-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1857925599" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> it helps to have someone explain a certain book to you.<br />
Those are the types of things that went through my head while reading Family Driven Faith. For any parent looking to revitalize the home as a place of worship, and to work to cultivate a genuine faith and Biblically-centered worldview with their children, this book is worth checking out.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13068196575763786944noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773528786822881321.post-6777814838469308142011-08-15T14:54:00.001-06:002011-08-15T14:56:18.779-06:00Essential Anabaptist Mennonite Doctrines and PracticesA link to some of the <a href="http://www.anabaptists.org/doctrine.html">Essential Anabaptist Mennonite Doctrines and Practices</a>. While some of it is still hit or miss for me, I think they are one of the few groups that gets it right with <a href="http://www.anabaptists.org/tracts/covertrc.html">head coverings</a>, family and church/state relations, etc.<br />
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