Here is the link to a sermon that Edward Donnelly preached at the 2009 Missionary Rally in Northern Ireland. The text was Galatians 6:12-16 and the title, “The Cross and Missions.”
Ed Stetzer points out the introduction of President Obama’s speech at his first state dinner. You can read the post here. Far from sounding like a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, President Obama sounded like a religious pluralist of the highest caliber. Stetzer carefully notes the significance of the Presidents use of the word “first” to describe his appreciation for diverse religious practices. Stetzer writes:
Regardless of whether you like President Obama or not, it seems like “news” to me that the President would make these his first words at his first state dinner. It seems news to me that he would mention his celebration of major religious events in two religions. Regardless of whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or independent, I cannot picture JFK or Ronald Reagan doing such a thing in their day– and President Obama points out that he was the “first” to do these things in the White House.
The only reason this is worth calling attention to is the fact that our President claims to be a Christian. If he were not, it would be insignificant. When someone claims to follow Christ, they are opposed to any false religion that opposes the exclusivity of the Person and work of Christ. Jesus Himself said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and He who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” There is no neutrality, no matter the present temperature of religion in America.
We were able to talk with Dr. Vern S. Poythress recently about his newly released book In the Beginning Was the Word: Language, a God Centered-Approach. This was an important interview because we had the opportunity to ask Dr. Poythress several questions that are often raised by those who are skeptical of Tri-perspectivalism as a hermenuetical principle. I would consider myself to be one such skeptic. While this is the case, I thoughtDr. Poythress made many interesting and helpful points, and provided very thoughtful and carefully balanced answers to the questions raised. I think you will benefit from listening to the intervie and reading the book. You can listen here.
Here is a very thoughtful and carefully worded post by Alistair Begg concerning the Manhattan Declaration. I could not agree more!
Last year I linked to an article that explains the self-righteousness bound up in the environmental movement. I like to call this form of religion, “Environmental Pharisaism.” You can find the original post here.
I am waiting for someone to explain to me why certain environmentalists argue that it is wrong to kill animals for food, but not plants. Are plants any less valuable than animals? Why do some environmentalists apply this particular hierarchy to living things? Well, for one, if you place the same criterion on plants as you do on animals, then what would you be able to eat to survive? To be consistent with their belief system, these environmentalists would have to consistently reverse the order of intrinsic value to make mankind (image bearers of God) less valuable than animals and plants. The inevitable outcome of this system–were it consistent–is cannibalism. Either you accept what God has designed in creation and declared in His word, as the hierarchical order of living things, or you reverse that order completely. Paul explains, in Romans 1, that fallen men “worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator.”
So, do living things with blood have more intrinsic value than living things without blood? Actually, the Biblical answer is and emphatic “Yes!” Those creatures that God has created to have life in the blood, do have more intrinsic value than those without. The remarkable thing is that the same God who created the animals and their respective order of importance, also tells us that He has given us all plants and all animals for food (Gen. 9:3-4). So, it is a matter of authority, not speculation or perception. We must be renewed in our minds in regard to all matters of life. Is it wrong to recklessly go about destroying creation? Yes, because God is a God of order. But it is sinful to set our own spectrum of priority with regard to living creatures, and abandon the biblical order. Let us learn to pour over the Scriptures so that we see things as God sees them, and not adopt a worldview created by sinful men.
The Manhattan Declaration is a document that should be given the most serious consideration by all professing Christians. When a group influential religious leaders initiate a movement that would help raise opposition against legalized abortion, homosexual rights, and religious intolerance we should be willing to listen and consider joining in. But, there are other factors that should be weighed carefully in regard to the language, associations, and significance of the document. While there are certainly powerful arguments in favor of supporting the signing of the document, there are theologically driven arguments that should make us stop and think whether or not there is better route. I would personally like to see individuals who care deeply about these issues voice their opinion in a non-ecumenical consortium to bring about change. Why not encourage concerned American (who happen to be be Protestant, Eastern Orthoox and Roman Catholic) to join forces with any other concerned Americans to initiate “Centers for Civil Righteousness?” Why not join forces on a non-eccleciastical, non-ecumenical endeavor to promote ethical reform in America? Why muddy the waters of the Gospel with ethical unanimity on these three issues?
The H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies has provided us with this amazing website full of free online resources. They have organized and linked an enormous number of important historical Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Anabaptist, Arminian-Remonstrant, and Socinian-Unitarian works, as well as many other secondary sources for serious theological studies. This is the most comprehensive collection of free online PDF theological resources. It will be, without a doubt, a massively important site for those interested in pre-20th Century studies. The foolish man will ignore such treasures, but the wise man will search through them diligently!
There is an interesting post over at J.O.B.’s Journal on the teaching of Calvin and the Puritans on the continuation/cessation of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit. You can read it here.
This year’s ETS national meeting took place in New Orleans. The key topic was ethics. If you have never been to an ETS meeting you need to go at least once. With over 550 presenters on as many topics, one can go with intent to research or satisfy informed interest and walk away with something. The problem I find writing on an event like this is the coverage is very narrow and specific, but here are a few highlights.
Kelly M. Kapic had a great presentation Living in God’s Gifts: Generosity and the Cross. Kapic’s paper was a preview of an upcoming project on getting theology from the internal life out into the world. Author Ken Stuart continued the discussion of Calvinism and Antinomianism, the fruit of which should be published (IVP) early next year. Bruce Waltke, Willem VanGemeren and C. Hassell Bullock presented the shape of modern studies in Hebrew poetry: outstanding. Matt Jenson, Joanne Jung, and Benjamin Shin presented the fruit of a year-long project on theological imperatives for diversity. Joanne’s studies are rooted in English Puritanism (Baxter) so look for her contributions and conclusions in the area of spiritual theology. John Coe of the Talbot School moderated the session on spiritual formation and sanctification with a goal of challenging conventional views of pragmatic spirituality and the indwelling of the Spirit. Not to mention Bruce Ware’s lengthy but well digested key note speech on Christ’s impeccability delivered at the ETS banquet. It truly was an immovable feast.
In case you have not seen it, there is a review of Iain Murray’s Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace over at Reformation21. You can find the book here. Additionally, our friends at Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing have just released three new volumes that you should check out: The first is Small Things, Big Things: Inspiring Stories of Everyday Grace by Dr. Michael Milton who is president of the RTS campuses in Charlotte and Orlando. The second and third volumes are additions to the Explorations in Biblical Theology series edited by Robert Peterson of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. The second title is Our Secure Salvation: Preservation and Apostacy by Robert Peterson, which can be found here, and the final title is The Elder: Today’s Ministry Rooted in All of Scripture, which can be found here, by Cornelis Van Dam, professor of Old Testament at Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Ontario.
Justin Taylor points out that it was 136 years ago today that Horatio Spafford lost his four daughters in the shipwreck of the steamship Ville du Havre. It was this event that led Spafford to write It is Well With My Soul.
For those of you who love Apologetics (and I believe that every Christian should love Apologetics), you will enjoy listening to our latest interview with Dr. Scott Oliphint. Dr. Oliphint is the Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and is the author of Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology. You can listen to and download the interview here.
Rowland Ward, author of God and Adam and co-author of Scripture and Worship, has a number of useful articles on his church website. Below you will find a series of articles on Covenant Theology.
Law and Righteousness in Scripture and Confession
Review: The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant
Covenant and Justification #1
Covenant and Justification #2
Covenant and Justification #3
Creation and Covenant
God’s Covenant Unfolded: Creation to New Creation
Here is a list of the categories in which the rest of the articles can be found.
Jim O’Brien, one of the contributors here at Feeding on Christ, has a new blog, J.O.B.’s Journal. He has already begun a series of posts on the theology of Thomas Manton, as well as a series on Puritan Preaching. I think you will find Jim’s blog to be an extremely useful source to deepen your knowledge of Puritan theology and spirituality, without having to wade through laborious sentences. Jim knows the Puritans better than most, and has quite a remarkable ability to articulate those things that are most helpful. Here is an interview we had with Jim on Christ the Center, concerning Puritan theology.
I just completed reading through Iain Duguid’s volume on Daniel in the Reformed Expository Commentary series as part of my personal worship. You can find the book here. Duguid embodies what I consider to be the ideal preacher and commentator. The series is excellent on the whole and Duguid may be the best of the contributors. His treatment of Daniel is both redemptive historical and applicatory. There is no pitting the one over against the other.
Discussing trials which Christians face in this fallen world, Duguid says,
In the same way, our heavenly Father brings trials into our lives and exposes our brokenness in a variety of ways for exactly the right period of time. He knows what challenges are necessary to move his work forward in our hearts, and for how long they need to be applied (p. 217).
He notes further,
The day is coming when Jesus Christ will ride out to conquer and to recreate, a day when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ (Rev. 11:15). In the meantime, our task as martyrs is simply to testify to the Lord’s greatness and grace by our words and by our sufferings (p. 223).
There is much spiritual food in this commentary. One can find similarly useful instruction in his other books which can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here. I am so thankful that the Lord has gifted his church with godly and learned (though fallible) pastors and teachers.
Following the theme of the last post, I thought I would post another quotation from Vos on the relationship between Union with Christ and Justification. Same book Shorter Writings, same article Doctrine Of The Covenant In Reformed Theology, but different page – 256. This, I think, is a much overlooked section in Vos’s writing. I’ll let him speak for himself:
“The Christian knows that he is a party in God’s covenant and as such he has all things and spans at any one moment the whole orbit of grace, both in time and for eternity. By faith he is a member of the covenant, and that faith has a wide outlook, a comprehensive character, which not only points to justification but also to all the benefits which are his in Christ. Whereas the Lutheran tends to view faith one-sidedly – only in its connection with justification – for the Reformed Christian it is saving faith in all the magnitude of the word. According to the Lutheran, the Holy Spirit first generates faith in the sinner who temporarily still remains outside of union with Christ; then justification follows faith and only the, in turn doe the mystical union with the Mediator take place. Everything depends on this justification, which s losable, so that the believer only gets to see a little of the glory of grace and lives for the day, so to speak. The covenant outlook is the reverse. One is first united to Christ, the Mediator of the covenant, by a mystical union, which finds its conscious recognition in faith. By this union with Christ all that is in Christ is simultaneously given. Faith embraces all this too; it not only grasps the instantaneous justification, but lyad hold of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King, as his rich and full Messiah. … Therefore faith may not be confined within the limited circle of one piece of the truth and its gaze fixed on that all the time; it must have in view, freely and broadly, the whole plan of salvation.”
Vos notes the pastoral implications of this position are that “The Lutheran lives as a child who enjoys his father’s smile for the moment; the Reformed believer lives as a man, in whose consciousness the eternal glory of God throws its radiance” (Vos, Shorter Writings, 256).
I was recently pointed to Vos’s Shorter Writings and some of the articles contained therein. The quotation below is taken from the chater “Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology” which begins on page 234 of the Shorter Writings.
“The law holds an essentially different place for the Lutherans than for the Reformed. Theoretically both agree in the threefold use of the law … (i.e (1) the law as the rule of civl righteousness; (2) the law as a pedagogue leading to Christ; (3) the law as a rule of life for the regenerate). The difference lies in the fact that the Lutherans ony relate this thid use of the law to the remnants of the old nature of the believer, while the Reformed relate it to the new man, who finds in the law a positive rule of life. This difference comes to light especially in practice. In the Reformed chruches the law is read every Sunday, a usage with which Lutherans apparently are not familiar. It is treated extensively in the Heidelberg Catechism and in Calvin’s Genevan Catechism under the heading of gratitude. Lutheran catechisms deal with the commandments at the beginning; that is to say, the law is considered chiefly as the means to arouse repentance, as pedagogue leading to Christ. The Reformed use it for the same purpose, but its highest and abiding purpose lies elsewhere for them. With reference to man’s knowledge of his misery, the Heidelberg Catechism refers to the law of God only to summarize its main teaching (Q.4) and not to to treat the separate commandments. Only under the teaching on gratitude is each commandment dealt with separately. (Vos, footnote 9, p 255)
Vos clearly differentiates two traditions here, two different trajectories and two different perspectives on the law. For the Lutheran the primary use is as a pedagogue, to arouse repentance. The Reformed (Vos cites both Heidelberg and Calvin) also views it as such, but primarily sees the law from a perspective of redemption, or to use Vos’s language “gratitude”.
To me, there are three clear manifestations of this more Lutheran perspective in the church today (I speak of “Reformed” and “Presbyterian” churches). First a general degrading of the law in the eyes of the average Chrsistian. For many it seems that law is “something that drove me (past tense) to Christ, but now I am under grace”. The problems here are obvious. The second problem is that of preaching: if the pedagogical use of the law is at the forefront of preaching, then the law will rarely be presented in any other way. The message from the puplit will be deficient. It will always say “The Law drives you to Christ, the Law drives you to Christ!” This message, though welcome and central (and perhaps we could wish we heard it more often!), is not the whole picture – for Christ himself stated that commandment-keeping was a necessary demonstration of one’s love for Christ. And for Paul, huge chunks of his epistles are given over to the imperatives of the faith. It seems that this must be reflected in our preaching. The third problem is found in those churches that actually read the law weekly - which practice I would support. How many churches that read the law, immediately follow it with a corporate confession of sin or prayer of confession (again, another practice which is suitable for corporate worship)? I wonder how many churches read the law from a perspective of gratitude and look to it to refresh and instruct the believer in holy living? I’m guessing, but I would think very few.
Perhaps these three factors (I’m sure there are more) contribute to the widespread apathy towards the Law of God. Vos certainly saw the “highest and abiding purpose” of the law as resting in a response to redemption. So too does the Westminster Confession of Faith. Examine the treatment of the “Of Law of God” and its position in the Confession: after “Of Christ the Mediator” (Ch 8), after the doctrines “Of Effectual Calling” (Ch 10), after “Of Justification” (Ch11), after “Of Repentance Unto Life” (Ch 15) and after “Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation”. Not only its position in the confession, but the chapter’s content also demonstrates this point. Chapter 19:6 of the Confession places the third use of the law in the place of pre-eminence before the pedagogical use.
I’m not advocating an “either … or” position on the law, nor is Vos or the Confession. But the reality of the situation seems that we have slipped, or are slipping into a Lutheran perspective on the Law of God.
The Bible is surprisingly straightforward about the weaknesses and sins of the people of God. While some who claim to be in the Puritan tradition can tend toward a practical perfectionism, there were many Puritans who noted the weaknesses and falls of the men and women in Scripture as examples of a common Christian experience. Thomas Brooks, in his marvelous work The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, relays a story told by Bernard of Clairvaux: “I have known a good old man,” said Bernard, “who when he had heard of any that had committed some notorious offense was used to saying to himself, ‘He fell today, so may I tomorrow.’”1 Brooks continued, “Now the reason why humble souls do keep up in themselves a holy fear of falling, is, because this is the best means to keep them from falling…Peter presumes and falls, Matt. 26.”2
In his work A Glimpse of Christ, Robert Dingley, commenting on Proverbs 24:16 noted that when Solomon says, “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,” he is intimating two things. First, a righteous man may, and often will, fall. The number seven being the number of perfection, he may fall repeatedly. But, secondly, the fact that he falls again after the first time means that he has been restored at some point. You cannot fall unless you are restored and lifted to a place of grace. This gives the wavering Christian great hope. We are not like those who despair. But “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
Simon Peter becomes the principle example of this sevenfold falling and restoration. Peter denied Jesus in the hour of His sufferings. Peter was foolishly self-confident in regard to his own spiritual strength when Jesus foretold his denial. Peter opposed God when the Lord told him, in a vision, to kill and eat both clean and unclean animals. It took three times of seeing the same vision before Peter accepted the words of the Lord. Even after seeing this vision, indicating that Gentiles and Jews were both clean in Christ Jesus, Peter still fell into legalism in Galatia and had to be rebuked. This last act was the worst because it regarded the doctrine of the Gospel and it was the error of an apostle of Jesus Christ. If it could happen to Peter, it could happen to me. If it could happen to Peter, it could happen to you. Remember those words, “He fell today, so may I tomorrow.” Even more importantly, remember the words of the apostle Paul, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest hie fall.”
Andrew Peterson put’s the Christian experience so well in his song The Chasing Song, “Well I realize that falling down ain’t graceful, but I thank the Lord that falling’s full of grace; cause sometimes I take my eyes off Jesus and you know that’s all it takes. Well I wish that I could say that at the close of every day, I was happy with the way that I’m behaving… ” We must never become self-confident in our spiritual state. We must beware of pride. “Pride goes before a fall.” The Westminster Divines express this so well in chapter 18.4 of the Confession of Faith. There they note:
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never so utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
So let us watch and pray let we enter into temptation, but let us remember that if we are in Christ, when we fall He will sustain us and we will rise again.
1. Thomas Brooks The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Brooks (London: Printed for L.B. Seeley and Sons, 1824) p. 29
2. Ibid., pp. 29-30
You will also want to listen to Eric Alexander’s series of sermons on The Life of Simon Peter, and read Hugh Martin’s Simon Peter.
There continues to be a diversity of opinion in the Christian church in general, and in the Reformed church specificially, as to whether Christians should watch anything other than G to PG-13 rated movies. John Frame wrote a very helpful book a few years ago, titled Theology at the Movies, in which he considers the question, Should Christian’s Go To Movies? The answer he gives is well thought out and quite persuasive. Frame tackles some of the typical arguments raised by certain Christians who say that a believer should never watch movies with sex, bad language or extreme violence in them. His conclusion might surprise some. He writes:
Sex, foul language, and violence are incidental elements in film, but the non-Christian world-and-life-view is often at its core. That world-view does more damage in society than any cinematic portrayals of sex, violence, and ungodly speech. Indeed, that world-view is what makes the sex, violence, and language in movies unwholesome, in contrast with biblical depictions of such things.
But again, perspective is in order. Non-Christian philosophy has dominated the arts and general culture for the last three centuries. To avoid exposure to non-Christian world-views and values, we would have to avoid exposure to Mozart and Beethoven, Emerson and Thoreau, Hume and Kant, Paine and Jefferson, D. W. Griffith and Charlie Chaplin, and so on, not to mention Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides, Cicero, and other ancients. We tend to discount older exponents of non-Christian values, viewing them with the halo that comes with long cultural acceptance. For that reason, these older thinkers are often more dangerous than those which are more contemporary and more obviously anti-Christian. Indeed, for similar reasons, we must beware of G-rated films as much as of R- and X-rated films. Yes, let us limit our exposure to all of these influences; but not to the extent of leaving the world, or to the extent of becoming ignorant of Satan’s devices.
I have certainly not done justice to the entirety of Frame’s arguments by simply quoting this one paragraph. I am sure you will find the entire chapter to be thought provoking.
Michael Horton has received some flak recently for endorsing Scott Hahn’s latest book. You can read his response here. Disagree if you must regarding the efficacy of these kinds of endorsements, but Horton certainly gave a helpful (and truthful) endorsement while still hedging against any notions that he is a latent Catholic.
It is a great blessing to have so many faithful ministers in the Presbytery of which I am a member. One such minister is Neil Stewart. Neil is the pastor of Kirk of the Isles (PCA) in Savannah, GA, one of the closest churches in proximity to New Covenant Presbyterian Church. Neil is originally from Northern Ireland. He was a medical doctor who the Lord called into the Gospel ministry (like Martin Lloyd-Jones). Neil is a fine preacher. I hope you will take the time to listen to some of his sermons listed below:
THE SOLAS OF THE REFORMATION
The Solas Of The Reformation: Sola Scriptura Part 1
The Solas Of The Reformation: Sola Scriptura Part 2
The Solas Of The Reformation: Sola Gratia
The Solas Of The Reformation: Sola Fide
The Solas Of The Reformation: Solus Christus
GENESIS
Put Dat Devil Down (2) (Genesis 3:14-15)
Put Dat Devil Down (3) (Genesis 3:14-15)
Consequences, Consequences (Genesis 3:16-24)
Abel To Worship (Genesis 4:1-15)
Family Trees (Genesis 4:16-26)
Doing The Walk Of Life (Genesis 5)
Why The Flood – Genesis 6:1- 8
A Prelude To Judgment (Genesis 6:9-7:5)
A New Day, A New World – Genesis 8
The Power Of Family (Genesis 10)
A Tower Of Confusion (Genesis 11)
The Chosen Family (Genesis 11:10 To 32)
The Rise And Fall Of Faith (Genesis 12)
Back On LIne With God (Genesis 13)
Overcoming By Faith (Genesis 14)
Too Good To Be True (Genesis 15)
Lord Of The Manor – Genesis 18
The Day Of Reckoning (Genesis 19)
Living In The Light Of Judgment (Genesis 19)
Everlasting Faithfulness (Genesis 21)
Joel R. Beeke, president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI, has provided the church with a well-researched and beautifully written introduction to Calvinism which can be obtained here. The genius of this book is that it goes beyond the typical introduction to the Reformed faith with its focus on the TULIP by stressing that Calvinism is a comprehensive world and life view. TULIP does come in for a thorough exposition, but it is placed within its proper setting like a beautiful translucent diamond set against the backdrop of black velvet.
Dr. Beeke is the primary author of Living for God’s Glory, but he is by no means its only author. He has brought other men on board to contribute in areas where they have experience and expertise. The other writers involved in the production of this book include James Grier, Michael Haykin, Derek Thomas, Ray Lanning, Robert Oliver, Ray Pennings, Nelson Kloosterman, and Sinclair Ferguson. These men provide the church with an intellectually stimulating and spiritually enlivening account of experimental (read “experiential”) Calvinism at its most sober and winsome best (which is no mean feat in itself).
Living for God’s Glory comes to us with six sections: Calvinism in history, Calvinism in the mind, Calvinism in the heart, Calvinism in the church, Calvinism in practice, and Calvinism’s goal. The first section surveys the Reformational origins of the Calvinistic faith and its creedal basis. Readers are reminded of the medieval Roman Catholic context in which Prostestantism arose and it is noted that while John Calvin is perhaps the most significant of the Protestant Reformers in the Reformed wing of the Reformation, he is by no means the only contributor to the movement. Beeke then discusses the growth of Calvinism and its differences with Lutheranism and he explores its position within the church today. The second chapter within the first section gives brief summaries of several “living” Reformed confessions and catechisms indicating the vital importance that Calvinist denominations have attached to a clear and forthright articulation of the faith.
In the second section on Calvinism in the mind, the genius of Calvinism is highlighted with its emphasis on the sovereignty of God and it is well stated that Calvinism is Christianity at its best and most comprehensive. It is in this section that the TULIP is given its appropriate exposition along with a discussion of the five “solas.” This section is brought to a helpful conclusion with a consideration of Philosophical Calvinism. The section on Calvinism in the heart focuses on the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the life of sanctification. We learn here that Calvinistic piety is profoundly rooted in the believer’s mystical union with Christ, has a double bond with the Spirit and faith and involves justification and sanctification.
The Calvinism in the church section was extremely fascinating with its unfolding of what Calvinism has meant for the Reformation of the church. Here we find that the heart of the Reformation of the church was the return to the centrality of the preached Word. That Word is not only explained but also specifically applied to different types of hearers. In this way the Spirit aims the Word at the head and heart of those who hear it proclaimed. Especially useful here is the chapter on Calvin’s evangelism where several caricatures are debunked. The most pernicious is that Calvin was not in any way interested in evangelism or missions. The Puritan approach to evangelism through pulpit proclamation is explicated with clarity and cogency.
Calvinism in practice offers a pointed reminder that Christianity, while anchored in the corporate worship of the church, is not and ought not to be limited to what goes on within the four walls of a church building for a few hours on Sunday. The Puritans would have scoffed at such an idea. We are reminded that Calvinism offers a theology for all of life, including marriage, family life, work, politics, and ethics. The closing chapter points us to the doxological character of Calvinism which is reflected in its biblical teaching, its singing, and in its Christian experience.
Each chapter has thought-provoking questions and endnotes for those who want to track down references and tackle further reading. There are no surprises here. This is a solid “meat and potatoes” introduction to the Reformed faith. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading of this book. My only criticism is that there is no discussion at all of the redemptive-historical or biblical theological contribution to the richness of Calvinism. This is all the more surprising since the redemptive-historical approach was adumbrated by such Puritan stalwarts as John Owen and Jonathan Edwards. While some may want to pit Puritanism or experimental Calvinism against redemptive-historical theology, this is neither necessary nor wise. It is not necessary as I have already noted that the Puritans and the Reformed at their best were sensitive to themes in Scripture and theology that would later be developed by the likes of Geerhardus Vos. Covenant theology itself is but biblical theology at its best. And it is not wise to pit a proper view of Christian experience against redemptive history. After all, redemptive history is the ground of our appropriation of grace and if an individual does not actually experience salvation, then he or she is merely playing the game of Christianity or church. To ask which of these, redemptive-history or Christian experience, is more important is like asking which arm or leg is more important, the right or the left! Quite frankly we need both. Perhaps if another edition of Living for God’s Glory is produced it can bring out the necessity of the redemptive-historical for practical Christian experience. This concern aside, this is the book to give unbelievers and friends and family, who may be believers, but who wonder why we are all so overwhelmed with God’s glorious beauty and sovereignty. Joel Beeke has given us further evidence that Calvinism is Christianity come into its own.
It is hard to come to terms with the fact that most people in the American church today have not read the Pilgrim’s Progress. What has been the second best selling book in human history is sadly receiving less and less attention. It is a tragedy that such a marvelous work should be forgotten. Derek Thomas gave a special series of lectures in which he took one passage of Scripture and coupled it with one chapter from the book. You can find the series here.
This past summer Derek Thomas preached a series of sermons on Romans 8. You can listen to them here. If you have not listened to Dr. Thomas’ sermons you are missing out on a great blessing.
Christ the Center recently interviewed James Dolezal, a Ph.D. student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA and regular guest panelist on the show. James came on to discuss the subject of the Anabaptist and the Reformation, particularly as it related to the issue of Reformed Baptist Confessional Theology. While almost all the contributors on Christ the Center and Feeding on Christ are paedo-baptists (I prefer “oiko-baptists”), we warmly welcome James to give such a fine defense of the credo-baptist position.
This is a very interesting analysis of the video below:
What do you think?
BTW, The church in the video is Redeemer NYC.
I’m not sure what to make of these videos for the Exponential Conference, but they are funny–especially the third one:
This is a very creative post!
HT: @darrinpatrick
Wes White has done a great service of gathering links to many theological works with which every Reformed minister should be familiar. Wes explains the nature of the list below:
“Most of these works are from the continent, with a few exceptions. I have focused on these works because others have done a good job cataloging and making available Puritan literature on the web. All works are in English unless otherwise noted.
Some of the works are on Gallica, the online library of the French national library. For the Gallica documents, select “télécharger,” then press “OK” on the next page, and then right click on “en cliquant ici.” Save the document.” (more…)
It’s time for another list of top Christ the Center episodes. Here are the top five from last November and last month.
Today is Martin Bucer’s 518th birthday. Bucer was the peacemaking Reformer, trying to bridge the gap between the strong positions of Luther, on one hand, and Zwingli, on the other. You can read more about him here. For those of you who like to read early 16th Century printings in Old English, here is Bucer’s work on Matthew 18:7, ‘Woe to the world because of offenses.”
HT: Josh Espinosa
Is the imputation of Christ’s righteousness a logical doctrine in the Christian system of salvation? Paul Helm explains the logic of it here.
J. Gresham Machen wrote:
“The Sermon on the Mount, like all the rest of the New Testament, really leads a man straight to the foot of the cross.”
From: J. Gresham Machen, Christianity And Liberalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1923), 38.
In the near future, all of us at Reformed Forum would like to host a question and answer episode of Christ the Center. I’ve set up a Google Voice account so we can now accept your calls. If you have a question related to reformed theology, please call 440-97-FORUM (440-973-6786) to leave us a voicemail. If you wouldn’t mind, we ask that you leave your name and tell us where you’re from. We always enjoy the questions listeners post in the chat room during the live broadcasts. How many books is Jeff currently reviewing? (>40) What color is Nick’s bishop hat? (pearly white) Anything goes (well, almost anything). Send us your questions and we’ll get to them on air.
We have been looking at the exegesis of Puritan William Fenner (1600 – 1640). His method is remarkably straight forward. Fenner takes key passages and develops his message according to the immediate context with occasional support from similar texts. Scripture interprets scripture. We have been comparing his use of the Textus Receptus with the NA27, arguably the standard academic text today (also the LXX & SBH). As our study progresses one thing is clear: Fenner knows his stuff. He is doing more than simply giving doctrinal expositions based on a proof text. He is not making assertions from simple concordance studies. This is not enough to overthrow conventional wisdom that deems pre-modern exegesis quaint and unscientific. But we’re getting there.
The Dutie of Reprovers, and Persons Reproved is a sermon based on Prov. 29:1. This verse can be read two ways, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. The other reading is He that reproveth another, and hardeneth… Most everyone including Fenner takes the first reading to be correct. But Fenner presents each reading to his audience as an opportunity to derail hypocrites and Pharisees and defend the Lord who doth not destroy man willingly.
If a minister says Fenner, or any Christian, cannot exhort others in grace, wisdom, compassion, it risks judgment (Rom. 2:1). Admonishing someone else for sin and faults incurs the same guilt and both will face judgment. On the other hand the “wicked” hate reproof and the reprover, Isa. 29:21. Fenner’s diatribe cuts through the hard-hearted tension too common in interpersonal-relationships:
“A man cannot reprove his brother for his sinne, but it is a thousand to one if he cannot: all mens eyes are upon him, and they look strictly and straightly, as if anything in the world would be amisse, they will be sure to mark it, and to make more of it, to make mountains of Mole-hills. When the blind man did but find fault with the Pharisees, and reprove them a little for persecuting of Christ, what say they? Art thou altogether conceived and born in sin, and wilt thou teach us? John 9:34. […] If we mean to reprove another, let us labour to be unblameable, to be Godly and holy, to reform our own wayes … lest God be dishonoured.” (Fenner, 1657, 126)
Van Til is often [completely] misunderstood regarding his teaching on brute facts. For those unfamiliar with Van Til, a brute fact is one that is completely uninterpreted. It is a piece of “data” that exists “out there” and “on its own” without being interpreted by any mind whatsoever. Van Til gets the idea and the term from British absolute idealism and he clearly rejects the possibility of such a thing. But many readers misunderstand the reason for rejecting brute facts.
The postmodernist wants to reject the existence of brute facts by saying that all facts are interpreted by subjects who exist in a socio-cultural milieu. Therefore, we can never access “objective” truth because there are no brute facts. All our knowledge is colored by our socio-cultural situation. Van Til’s point in rejecting brute facts is not that human subjects are bound by culture and are therefore unable to interpret facts without bias, but that God is the all-knower. The self-sufficient Triune God knows all facts and pre-interprets them. Therefore we can never come to any fact without approaching it as one that is already known and has been interpreted by the all-knowing Triune God.
On page 101 of his book The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity, Carl Raschke speaks of Van Til’s as a transitional theology on its way toward postmodernism. This is a terrible case of misreading a theologian – using a gross misrepresentation for one’s own doctrinal wiles. Our task as human knowers is to reinterpret the facts, thinking God’s thoughts after him on a created level. We think analogically as our knowledge is firmly planted on the one who knows all things. As such we are not hopelessly trapped within our socio-cultural context, but can escape that context because God has clearly revealed himself and that he is the reference point for all knowledge. Perhaps readers are interpreting Van Til according to their own postmodern inclinations.
Grace PCA in Douglasville, GA recently posted the link to some lectures given by Dr. Paul Jones on the Music of the Reformation. You can listen to them here. You really should check them out it you get a chance. When I was at Tenth Presbyterian I got to know Paul and, needless to say, was impressed with the excellence with which he carried out his work. You will certainly benefit from these lectures.
With the holiday season soon approaching, publishing houses are eager to release new tomes to engage our minds afresh. Three new volumes I wish to bring to your attention are these:
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing has just released the latest addition to the The Westminster Assembly and the Reformed Faith (Carl Trueman, series editor) in Robert Letham’s The Wesminster Assembly: Reading Its Theology in Historical Context. Dr. Letham, whom I have had the privilege studying under at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, brings the historical setting of the assembly to life with this 400 page book. We can only benefit from such familiarity with the historical, theological, and political contexts in which the Westminster Standards were formulated. The book is available here. The companion volumes in the series can be found here and here.
Vern Sheridan Poythress, professor of mine and friend indeed, has authored a new book on a Christian approac
h to language entitled In the Beginning Was the Word: Language: A God-Centered Approach published by Crossway. Poythress addresses the Trinitarian basis of language and deals with some of the contemporary challenges to the ability of language to communicate clearly and to refer to something beyond itself. You can find the book here.
Finally, just in case you may have forgotten that this year marks the 500th birthday of John Calvin, let me just remind you of that fact. David Hall and Matthew Burton have co-authored the latest in the Calvin 500 Series (David Hall, series editor) entitled Calvin and Commerce: The Transforming Power of Calvinism in Market Economies published by P&R. The thesis of the book is sure to create discussion. You can find the book here.
Happy reading. Remember, reading is fundamental.
In his second epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul instructed his young protegee with some important departing counsel: “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2).” Since I have been the beneficiary of so many faithful teachers and mentors I realize how significant such mentoring is to the development of a minister of the Gospel. Someone once said, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” I think it is equally fair to say, “Behind every great minister is a great minister.” William Still was one such man. It has been suggested that no one influenced more ministers in Scotland during the 20th Century than the Rev. Still. Eric Alexander is another. such minister. I have personally benefited greatly from conversations with Rev. Alexander and from listening to his sermons and lectures. There was, however, someone who influenced both William Still and Eric Alexander–the Rev. William Fitch. I recently discovered several of his sermons online. You can listen to them here. May God continue to raise up a generation of faithful Gospel ministers who will commit the things they have learned to faithful men who will teach others.
On October 17 Rev. Edward Donnelly preached three messages on the Mystery of the Kingdom at the 2009 Reformation Society of Pittsburgh Conference. You can watch all three lectures here. You can watch the first video below:
Mystery of the Kingdom: “The Kingdom in the Old Testament”, Part 1 from RPTS on Vimeo.
Our last post looked at some of Bavinck’s opening words on regeneration. Self-awareness and self-improvement are to the spiritual life the first mile of a thousand. And, as far as east is from west, everyone has a little different idea of what the new birth is.
Tim Challies has announced a new blog that he will manage for the Gospel Coalition website. This one looks extremely useful for ministers of the Gospel seeking to minister the historic truths of Scripture in the cultural milieu of the modern world in they find themselves laboring. Tim will be reading and reviewing every hardback, non-fiction book that makes it on the New York Times Bestseller list. He explains:
A few months ago I found a site that provides archived lists of all the New York Times bestselling books from 1950 to the present. I began browsing through the list and was struck by the great diversity in the books that make their way onto the list. They really do run the gamut, touching on every genre, covering the spectrum from left to right, from Christian to atheist, from one extreme to the other. I found myself wishing that I had been able to read more of these books over the years. What a well-rounded, interesting view of culture and worldview they would give me. To read these books from any given period, whether the 50’s or 60’s or today would be to learn something about the culture. It would be a snapshot of the people, of what they are thinking about, of what they are learning, of whom they are learning it from.
From there I began to wonder if it would be possible to read all of the bestsellers over the course of a period of time. I began to run through the archives, trying to figure out how the list works, how many books are added, how long they remain there, and so on. When I had done the quantifying and qualifying I realized that I could probably read all of the bestsellers for a year and do so without completely neglecting all of my other responsibilities in life. When I did the math I found that all of the words in all of those books would probably come in at somewhere around 10 Million Words.
You can see where this is going. In 2010 I intend to read all of the New York Times bestsellers. I will qualify this by saying that I’ll be reading all of the hardcover, non-fiction bestsellers. Fiction has little appeal to me and does not offer as valuable a snapshot of the culture as does non-fiction; the softcovers have generally already been released as hardcovers. So it made sense for me to focus on just that one list. There are fifteen books on the list and it is updated once weekly. On average there are three or four books added each week. Some weeks there are as few as one new one added or as many as seven. In any case, I am going to attempt to read them all. My intention in all of this is to find in those books lessons on culture and worldview.
Here is the link to an outstanding article that Al Martin wrote for the September 2007 issue of Tabletalk magazine. Especially sobering is the following thought:
Of supreme importance is personal integrity. Perhaps no text of Scripture captures more succinctly yet comprehensively how this is to be maintained than Acts 24:16. Paul said to Felix: “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” This text reveals that at the heart of integrity is the determination to live comfortably in the presence of God with a non-accusing conscience. In the secret chambers of our thoughts, the murky waters of our motives, in our imaginations and fantasies, to maintain a conscience void of offense. It is to come away from any time before our computers or our TVs with a healthy and uncondemned conscience. If conscience has been violated it is to run quickly to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness. It is to resolve with the psalmist: “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless” (Psalm 101:2–3). Such a man is no stranger to the ruthless excising of the offending eye and the merciless amputation of the offending hand. Anything that bloodies his conscience and disturbs his comfortable walk with God must go at any cost short of adding sin to sin.
My friend David Strain recently wrote a post with some very important counsel to ministerial candidates. You can read it here.
There are certain theologians who have such a remarkable grasp on the biblical theological themes of Scripture that each and every new work is eagerly anticipated and joyfully welcomed. O. Palmer Robertson is one such theologian. With the release of his newest publication, God’s People in the Wilderness: The Church in Hebrews, Robertson has produced a succinct yet substantive treatment of the significance of the wilderness theme in the book of Hebrews, and specifically with regard to the New Testament church. (more…)
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