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On June 12, 2023 By In Church

The Future and Female Ordination in the SBC

The Southern Baptist Convention is on the brink of disaster. I pastor a small liturgical Presbyterian congregation in the panhandle of Florida that uses wine during the Lord’s Supper. That fact alone is sufficient to cause great consternation from our SBC friends. Still, I think our practical and theological differences are the kinds of differences that can stir a good conversation around a beer…make that sweet tea.

I love my SBC brethren, but this entire struggle for identity is one they should embrace wholeheartedly. Their future is at stake. SBC ministers must fight for the heart of theological integrity and uphold their commitment to Paul’s distinct vision for only qualified male leaders in the pulpit.

The Southern Baptists I know are committed to doing so, and they should strive for the peace of the convention through stricter definitions and not looser ones. As a former Baptist, I am committed to supporting them in this endeavor, which leads me to my main point: Rick Warren and his tribe must go if the SBC is going to survive.

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (BFM) states unequivocally, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” Some, like JD Greer, argue that the number of female pastors in the SBC is declining. But it is clear that this is a statistical error.

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On June 8, 2023 By In Counseling/Piety

The God of Death and Resurrection

One of the clearest biblical themes is that of death and resurrection. Virtually every single biblical story includes these motifs (sacrifices, meals, covenants, etc.). Whether these moments are actual terminations of human life or whether these are endings or beginnings of human seasons and relationships, these themes pervade the biblical narrative. God loves to kill and make alive. He loves to judge and restore. He loves to see day one end to bring about day two.

Wherever we find ourselves, we can confidently conclude that God is ending and starting new things. We may read of deaths and resurrections near us, but God is still working loudly in the silence of our existential dilemmas. God does not hide in times of chaos, but he shows himself even more clearly. In fact, he gives of himself in such times so that we may receive more of him daily.

Lamentations says that his mercies are new each morning, which means that God constantly makes things alive that were perhaps dead the night before. Circumstances will change and allow you to move forward with more pronounced boldness.

Consider even now how God is transforming the dynamics of life. Things we once took for granted are now things cherished. People who were once a mystery are now benedictions in our lives. God is making something new when we become more attuned to what matters most. This re-prioritization is a newness in our lives. We are finding out that certain things we once idolized were psychological icons that must be put down. God gives and takes away, and he takes away and then gives. He is the God of death and resurrection.

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On June 5, 2023 By In Culture

The Derek Webb Apostasy Culture

I am sure you are hearing about sundry celebrities abandoning the faith. Some say it’s the contradictions in the Bible. Others believe that the sexual revolution is causing people to choose between family members and traditional Christianity. Still, others argue that the allure of wealth leads people to drink from the mammon chalice rather than the eucharist chalice.

Well, let me address only the first quickly by stating that the supposed contradictions in the Bible have been addressed ad infinitum in the last 2,000 years of Church History. Contradictions only exist if someone denies that God is all-powerful and if they deny that the Spirit inspired men to write accounts that preserve the integrity of their humanity and their perspectives on events. Presuppositions shape conclusions.

Assume someone says, “Hey, I can’t believe a man would live in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights. That’s just impossible.” In this case, he is denying that God is all-powerful. After all, if God created the world out of nothing, then for a sea creature to swallow a Hebrew prophet is actually a playground miracle in God’s repertoire.

If someone says, “But the Gospel accounts are different from each other.” In this case, they are denying the humanity of the authors. If these authors wrote identical accounts, then we should be skeptical. But they added their individual perspectives to the narratives, which prove indisputably that we are dealing with a reliable source.

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On June 4, 2023 By In Theology

Meaning in Trinity

When the Church hears the word “God,” they should automatically think Trinity. We don’t want to fall prey to speaking about the Trinity in abstract and philosophical terms. Our liturgy speaks of Father, Son, and Spirit in concrete and relational terms. The Triune God is not Aristotle’s unmoved mover; the Triune God moves. The Triune God is not Islam’s un-relational God; the Triune God relates and loves to be in relationship with His people. The Trinity is an incomprehensible mystery – but it is a mystery of glory and light, not obscurity and darkness – ’tis only the splendor of light hideth thee,’ as the hymn puts it.

In our religiously pluralistic cultural environment, it is important to stress that the Trinity alone is the true God. Lesslie Newbigin once said, “…there is no way to preach Jesus without preaching the Trinity.” The Trinity is not only a doctrine to be believed but a God to be loved. When we see Christ, we see the Father; to adore Christ is to adore the Spirit whom he sent. To be Trinitarian is to simply to be Christian. As Darrell Johnson notes,

“This controversial, mind-stretching doctrine we call “the Trinity” did not emerge out of an ivory-tower think-tank. It emerged out of the life and mission of ordinary congregations.”

It was a comforting and living truth for the early Church, and it is a comforting and living truth for us today. The Trinity is not meant to remain on a 700-page systematic theology; it is intended to be a part of your life and the life of the body. Thinking Trinitarianly has serious consequences for us as a people. The Psalmist tells us that you are what you worship, which means that who we worship shapes the world around us.

Do not be deceived by the world’s cry that relationships are private and that sexual mutilation and transformation are personal decisions without consequence to society. We know that is a lie because the Trinity—the source of all reality–is not private, nor should your relationship with ethics be. You don’t need to find yourself in a tik tok video; you must find God and his people.

The Triune God alone gives meaning; apart from him, we are eternally lost. Let us come and find union in communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Happy Trinity Sunday!

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On June 1, 2023 By In Church

Women Who Play Like Warriors

Pride month kicks in like an avalanche of perversions! And while I am eager to call men back to their roles, I want to spend a little time addressing evangelical women. I believe they are crucial to pushing back against the modern insinuations of our day, which open up platforms for sexual confusion. Women are much more easily seduced by the proliferation of false Gospels and therefore, they need to stand firm.

I address them because they are being duped by sentimental slobbery, and our evangelical churches act as if women want this sentimental slobbery. They are offering messages that have no objectivity. They assume that women have no interest in theology or biblical orthodoxy, and all they want is an avalanche of emotional darts that will penetrate their “silly, teenage hearts.”

When churches and well-known female authors perpetuate this mentality, Christian women will easily be seduced into thinking that Deborah was a biblical abhorrence, that Ruth was too zealous for the covenant, and that grandmother Lois (II Tim. 1:5) was too committed to catechesis. No matter how “Hippie-dippy, Big Love Jesus Type,” you may be, you are not being a faithful follower of Jesus unless you agree that the Bible does not tame women; the Bible sets them free to be image-bearers who dwell in God’s house forever with the strength of a covenantal warrior. This is not a conversation about the role of women; it’s a conversation about who women are in Christ.

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On May 30, 2023 By In Theology

The Devil’s Diet: Kuyperian Press Publication

Absolutely delighted to see this work published and in my hands. This is the fourth publication from Kuyperian Press.

This was the fruit of a lovely conversation with the Rev. Jack Phelps when I was in Anchorage, Alaska. It contains articles by a host of faithful men and, special note, two essays published for the first time by the late and inimitable R.J. Rushdoony.

My deep gratitude to the fastidious Austin C. Brown, whose care and typesetting brought this book to light.

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On May 27, 2023 By In Church

Pentecost 101: A Brief Lesson

Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday! It’s a big deal in our neck of the woods. I have been a vocal apologist for the church calendar for quite a while. The reason for this is not because I think there is salvation in a calendar but because I believe there is salvation in whom the Calendar points to.

For the two of you worried about my enthusiasm to continue this program, don’t worry. I am fully proteinied-up for the next decade. My liturgical muscles won’t atrophy. For those still curious about what I am proposing, let me sketch this out:

We are talking only about Classic Reformational and Lutheran celebrations, including Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. In other words, these are conspicuously Christ-Centered feasts. These feasts exalt the work and name of Jesus. Jesus. More Jesus.

Some may say, “But we celebrate Easter all year long. Why do we have to set time aside to celebrate Pentecost in particular?” While this comment is noble, it is important to note that you can’t always say everything lest you say nothing at all. There is simply no way to celebrate all these events all the time. Hence, the Church has developed a way of commemorating, remembering, and internalizing the life of Jesus throughout the year.

So, what is Pentecost, and how can we celebrate this Feast?

Pentecost means the “fiftieth day” because it is the 50th day after Passover. This was also the Feast of the Harvest. In fact, we can say that Pentecost in Acts 2 is the great fulfillment of all previous Pentecosts. The Old Testament Feasts led us to this fiery moment of redemptive history in the first century. The Great Harvest Feast is now being fulfilled, and God is harvesting the nations. Since Christ is sitting at the Father’s right hand, the nations are being given to Jesus Christ as an inheritance (Ps. 110) through the ministry of the Church.

How can I celebrate this Feast?

Pentecost goes from the 28th of May to the 2nd of December. One way to be liturgically self-conscious is by practicing a few things.

First, you may consider wearing something red this Sunday. Remember the promise of Acts 2 that the Spirit would be poured out like fire. Pentecost is the re-birth of the Church. Red symbolizes the fire that came from heaven and indwelt the Church as they moved from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Secondly, use this time to talk to your children about the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Godhead is often set aside as the forgotten Person of the Trinity, but he should not be. We must remember that Jesus refers to the Spirit as our Comforter (Jn. 14:16). Reading Acts 2 and other passages about the work of the Spirit is a healthy way of bringing recognition to the One who is truly God.

Thirdly, allow this feast, which celebrates the subversion of Babel, to be a reminder that God has made a new humanity through his Spirit. We are no longer a divided ethnos but one new creation of Jews and Gentiles. Live out gospel reconciliation in every possible situation. As Malcolm Guite puts it, “Whose mother tongue is Love in every nation.”

Finally, do not be hopeless in this season. God has not left us orphans. The absence of Jesus’ physical body on earth means his presence at the right hand of the Father in heaven is one of power and might. He rules and reigns by his Spirit, forming a resurrected creation under his reign.

May Your Pentecost be Mighty! Rejoice greatly! The Spirit is among us!

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On May 25, 2023 By In Culture

The Case for Boycotting Target in June

In the 90s, issues like boycotting were largely in the realm of escapist ideologues. If Disney had one gay character or if there was some vague insinuation that the clouds in a Disney classic appeared to be a sexual organ, evangelicals would quickly boycott Disney and argue that if you sent one of your kids to Magic Kingdom, you were destroying their souls and furthermore, compromising the Gospel.

I argued against this on at least a couple of occasions publicly. I made the point that food offered to idols was now clean, and they were free to buy. The financial support of a product, especially entertainment, should not be the determining factor in daily transactions. This was especially clear when their numbers were insignificant. After all, if we took this to its logical conclusion, we would be limited to few public transactions and rely exclusively on intramural bodies to procure our goods since virtually every major item sold is connected to some level of theological obstruction.

When I wrote a synopsis of the Target situation some days ago (link in comments), Pastor Jeff Meyers noted that things have changed at this point dramatically. He observed that “Now we are being lectured to about immorality.” In the last few days, Target has claimed in a public statement that the fear of violence against their workers–which so far includes an overweight man pushing a poster down–has caused them to move their LGBTQ paraphernalia to the back of the store. Of course, their fear is strongly associated with the Bud Light boycott. As you recall Bud Light now has Mulvaney’s buyer remorse. The boy that plays dress-up has damaged their brand and their marketing plot to sell beer dressed in skim milk outfits.

Megan Basham, one of the finest journalists out there has argued conclusively that Target is now employing victimhood strategies. They argue that we are–to use Jerry Bowyers’ language–“violent anti-Tuck vigilantes,” seeking around whom we may devour. But it’s all a facade. They know that they are being blasted for their outrageous queer performance. They are promoting and protecting their favorite customers.

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On May 22, 2023 By In Church

A Theology of Place

I have been pondering the question of place lately–the matter of belonging. Or, we might even say the space of meaning.

This became especially salient when I finished Robert Capon’s notoriously and oddly named book, “An Offering of Uncles: The Priesthood of Adam and the Shape of the World.” The thing about strangely named books is that after a while, they become more endearing. The book was kind of a metaphysical tour through the role of place in the Bible and its unique purpose in shaping our priesthood.

And while Capon delved initially into place as a synonym for his own town and home, he moved into some description of parish life. Parish life is where I think place is most soberly discussed. It’s, in fact, the place where place finds its culmination. It’s the parish, stupid! Not economy. Not even, ultimately, the oikos.

I wish to simply opine on three features of parish life that mark our lives and confirm our place. Again, to quote my favorite gastronomist, Capon:

“Every person I meet has a history which threatens or promises involvement in my history.”

To call somewhere “my place” implies a dance; the intermingling of realities. I think the three features which most confirm place are faces, words, and postures.

Walking into the sanctuary, I am introduced to faces that confirm my place. Faces come with structural dimensions. Faces are architectural. Human smiles provide symmetry to the project, but more, it provides familiarity. To see the smiling faces of little children during a doxology is the kind of ritual that confirm the place. “Yeah, this is my people, my place, my party.” Faces are like living decorations that confirm the reality of place.

Then, there is the exchange of words. In a dialogical worship, words are exchanged like divine currency because husband and wife–Christ and his Bride–are talking. Each back and forth give meaning to each other: “The Lord be with you” “and also with you.”

One word can confirm place. One loud “amen” can seal place. One speech rightly administered and rhetorically delivered can make all things well. And that speech received makes all things new. Don’t take words for granted, even if they are small and a token of the day. Those words threaten involvement in your history and you should be happy with that.

Finally, there are postures. Hands lifted, hands receiving, kneeling, rising, passing, taking, qui magis. Postures are articulations of reality. If everyone kneels and you dare stand, you admit you have no interest in place or that you want to find another one. If you put your hands in a receptive form in a benediction, you confirm place. Not in isolation, mind you. But in togetherness. Places are made in togetherness.

When I meet you in my place, your history will threaten or promise to be in mine. It’s the structure of life. No place, no rationale for life. No place, no salvation.

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On May 19, 2023 By In Scribblings

Harry Reeder and Tim Keller, RIP

I was in the PCA for seven years. It was where I did my pastoral internship and was under the care of Presbytery. Some of the wisest and most precious voices in those early days came from fruitful voices in the denomination.

In two days, the PCA lost two of their most esteemed grandfathers. Our Lord took Rev. Dr. Harry Reeder in a car accident, and today, after a long battle with cancer, Rev. Dr. Tim Keller is now with the Lord (1950-2023).

Both men were committed Christians, Presbyterians, and Churchmen. They were faithful to the end. I give thanks to God for these godly statesmen and what they contributed to the Church.

~~~

O Almighty God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, who by a voice from heaven didst proclaim, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in Jesus the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work which thou didst begin in them may be made perfect unto the day of Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, grant that we, who now serve thee on earth, may at last, together with them, be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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