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On November 30, 2015 By In Culture, Theology

Following Rob Bell: The Edges of Faith and the Center of the Zeitgeist

UPDATE: My friend Uri Brito and I had a conversation about the impetus behind (and reaction to) this post here.

Several days ago, Kent Dobson, successor at Rob Bell’s famous Mars Hill Bible Church, stepped down as teaching pastor. He opened his announcement/sermon by reading the Scriptural story which gives name to the church, the account at Mars Hill. Dobson says when he first came to Mars Hill, he was animated by Paul’s example of cultural engagement. Paul quoted the poets of the people; he spoke their language. Dobson said he understood Paul to be preaching a traditional gospel message but using different, more relevant, packaging.

Likewise, he said the church was meant to have the same gospel but deliver the message in a more hip way. Specifically, he wanted a “cool church” with “cooler shoes” than the traditional church down the road. However, Dobson said he not only began to question the packaging of traditional “church,” but also the message – the gospel. To fully understand his evolution he says, “you’ll have to read my memoirs.” The CliffsNotes version, for those of us who can’t wait, goes thusly:

“I have always been and I’m still drawn to the very edges of religion and faith and God. I’ve said a few times that I don’t even know if we know what we mean by God anymore. That’s the edges of faith. That’s the thing that pulls me. I’m not really drawn to the center. I’m not drawn to the orthodox or the mainstream or the status quo… I’m always wandering out to the edge and beyond.”

If you don’t have time to watch the whole sermon, just picture Portlandia doing a Dane Cook spoof. Slouched in his flannel shirt, he swivels on his chair as he muses about his restlessness, his angst, and his exploration into the unknown. I don’t know how he actually came off in the room, in the moment. But watching from a distance, he seemed like a romantic vagabond, a sensitive soul longing for a home he’s never known—perhaps like Huckleberry Finn if Huck were super into Spiced Chai Lattes and self-indulgent journaling.

(more…)

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On November 4, 2015 By In Books, Culture, Theology

On the Mount, for the World: Ethics in the Kingdom of God


William Edgar’s contribution to Resurrection and Eschatology deals with the view of culture espoused by Geerhardus Vos. In describing the Vosian view of culture, Edgar shows the differences that exist between the Reformed and the Anabaptists vis-à-vis the kingdom of God. Edgar does this masterfully by contrasting the Reformed reading of the Sermon on the Mount with that of Richard B. Hays in The Moral Vision of the New Testament—arguably the most influential work on ethics written in the past 50 years. Says Edgar:    

“Contrary to Hays’s radical view, the point of the Sermon on the Mount is not to set up a special ethic for the church, but to proclaim a new world order, one where the kingdom of God has come, one where the blessedness of its members is for now, not just later. True enough, the sermon tells us about God’s radical love in Christ, a love that forgives enemies and gives good gifts to its children. But the sermon is neither ascetic nor revolutionary. There is no section of life to which it does not speak. The key to the sermon is Matthew 5:17, in which Jesus proclaims he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. His teaching explains the full extent of God’s law, and puts an end to casuistry.

(more…)

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On October 26, 2015 By In Scribblings

“Bless my Soul, People were Getting Baptized!” Newbigin on his Life and Mission

Newbigin

I once heard Greg Thompson at Trinity Presbyterian Church say something to the effect, “every time I think I have an original idea, I always find that Lesslie Newbigin beat me to it.” I resonate with Greg’s sentiment. Often, his ideas have so assimilated in my mind and soul I forget their origin. I go to Newbigin again and again to be challenged, confronted, and shaped.

Below is a rare interview with the good Bishop. By the end, you’ll get a taste for what animates him. In Newbigin’s estimation, the gospel isn’t just a private affair of the heart. Rather, it is public truth. It’s about this world, the real world, the one which Christ is redeeming. I find the best entryways into Newbigin’s work to be Truth to Tell, Foolishness to the Greeks, and Geoffrey Wainwright’s definitive biography, Lesslie Newbigin: A Theological Life.

Watch and enjoy!

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On October 24, 2015 By In Books, Family and Children, Theology

The Benefits of Growing up in a Tradition

GlasgowCathedralHDR

 

In the book Philosophers Who Believe, Nicholas Wolterstorff offers a beautiful account of his spiritual journey. While I was deeply moved by his whole story, I was particularly impressed by his appreciation for the Reformed tradition in which he was reared:

“The grace that shaped my life came not in the form of episodes culminating in a private experience of conversion but, first of all, in the form of being inducted into a public tradition of the Christian church…. My induction into the tradition, through words and silences, ritual and architecture, implanted in me an interpretation of reality—a fundamental hermeneutic. Nobody offered ‘evidences’ for the truth of the Christian gospel; nobody offered ‘proofs’ for the inspiration of the Scriptures; nobody suggested that Christianity was the best explanation of one thing or another. Evidentialists were nowhere in sight! The gospel was report, not explanation. And nobody reflected on what we as ‘modern men’ can and should believe in all this. The schema of sin, salvation and gratitude was set before us, the details were explained; and we were exhorted to live this truth. The modern world was not ignored, but was interpreted in the light of this truth rather than this truth being interpreted in the light of that world.”

Wolterstorff then goes on to say that this tradition was thoroughly and completely biblical:

“The piety in which I was reared was a piety centered on the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament together. Centered not on experience, and not on the liturgy, but on the Bible; for those themselves were seen as shaped by the Bible. Christian experience was the experience of appropriating the Bible, the experience of allowing the Bible to shape one’s imagination and emotion and perception and interpretation and action. And the liturgy was grounded and focused on the Bible: in the sermon the minister spoke the Word of God to us on the basis of the Bible; in the sacraments, celebrated on the authority of the Bible, the very God revealed in the Bible united us to Christ. So this was the Holy Book. Here one learned what God had done and said, in creation and for our salvation. In meditating on it and in hearing it expounded one heard God speak to one today.”

I always enjoy reading Wolterstorff, especially his work on education. This story, however, gave me new appreciation for the man, for the tradition which shaped him, and for the grace of God which sustains such traditions in an increasingly individualistic age.

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On October 23, 2015 By In Scribblings

Preserving the Common, Producing Difference: Neo-Calvinism and the Cultural Turn in the Humanities

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kuyper

In March of last year, the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto invited Ryan C. McIlhenny to deliver a lecture entitled Preserving the Common, Producing Difference: Neo-Calvinism and the Cultural Turn in the Humanities. McIlhenny, Associate Professor of History and Humanities at Providence Christian College, is the editor of the extremely helpful volume Kingdoms Apart: Engaging the Two Kingdoms Perspective. His lecture, like his work generally, is worthy of attention. More than offering a critique of Two Kingdoms Theology, McIhenny defends the idea of a distinctively Christian education, showing just what is at stake in the “Christ and culture” debates. Below is the lecture itself, preceded by the abstract.

“A crucial element often missing in the contemporary discussions about Christ and culture is a robust definition of culture. This address offers an updated definition that evaluates traditional evangelical understandings on the topic with contemporary cultural studies and critical theory. Culture, as I propose, is the purely phenomenal identity that springs from human interaction with the created order. Such a definition affirms the common and shared/undifferentiated activities of both Christians and non-Christians that, nonetheless, produce different cultures, preserving the neo-Calvinist emphasis on structure and direction.”

 

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On October 21, 2015 By In Scribblings

Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ’s Continuing Incarnation

 

A couple of friends recently chastised me via Facebook for having not yet read Gerrit Dawson’s Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ’s Continuing Incarnation. Based on their high praise, I set aside a couple of afternoons to read the book, and I’m very thankful I did! Honestly, it’d be hard to overstate how helped I was by Dawson’s application of Jesus’ ascension to every area of life. If you don’t have time to read the book, or you simply want to hear the thesis before diving in, take an hour to watch Dawson interact with the subject. It turns out, Dawson is not only a thoughtful, nuanced theologian, he’s also a wonderful teacher!

 

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On October 20, 2015 By In Books, Culture, Theology, Wisdom

The Redemption of Friendship

 

I’m always happy to read a book on friendship (just this year, I was immensely helped by Wesley Hill’s wonderful new book on the subject). However, it’s especially fun to read a book on friendship written by a really good friend (it’s like reading a book on blood draining by your favorite butcher!). In Friendship Redeemed, my comrade Adam Holland has written a fine work on a subject that desperately needs more thoughtful reflection. I think anyone who picks up the book will take away a number of very helpful insights. Particularly, the book will give you (1) a lens through which to view friendship, (2) examples of what redeemed friendship looks like, and (3) practical tips for living out redeemed friendship.

To begin with, Holland offers a lens through which to view friendship:

“Fixing our relationships with one another is not going to be resolved by a 10-step program or adding just a couple things. Living in this new humanity calls for a person to put on a new pair of glasses, through which he will look and see the world.”

The first chapter is simply an examination of friendship through the lens of the biblical story: creation, fall, redemption. We were created to have friends:

 “Mankind was created in the image of the triune God. We were created to live in harmony or perfect unity with one another.”

Holland doesn’t just start in the beginning, he starts before the beginning, grounding our friendship in the triune nature of God. Of course, he quickly shows how that communal nature of man is broken:

 “Man learns how to interact with one another through how they interact and relate to God. Once man sins by refusing to listen and obey the word of God, it then impacts man’s relationship with one another.” He then goes onto say, “When our vertical relationship with the Lord is not right, it has ramifications into our horizontal relationships with one another.”

As you might guess by the title, the rest of the book shows how friendship is being redeemed under Christ’s reign. Perhaps the whole book is best captured in the following sentence, “Christ’s death makes reconciliation possible not only with God, but also with one another.” For Holland, the biblical story isn’t simply head knowledge, something to be tucked away for Bible-trivia night. No, the gospel changes things, it redeems. At the end of the book, you’ll see how the biblical story invites you to participate, to pick up the script of the gospel and engage in the drama of redemption.

The second thing you’ll take away from the book are examples of what friendship actually looks like. Particularly, you’ll see what friendships looks like in the life of Paul. Holland justifies his use of examples in the following way:

 “If we truly want to fix our relationships and have our relationships fulfill their intended purpose, we need an example in which to look.  The famous agrarian and short story writer Wendell Berry once said, ‘It is not from ourselves that we learn to be better than we are.’  We need an example to demonstrate to us how to live. Imagine that you never saw a football game in your entire life. It would not be likely that you would ever become a football player. Imagine now that you had Peyton Manning come teach you about football and train you how to play the game. The chances of you growing in your knowledge and ability to play football would increase dramatically.”

In my mind, this is where the book really pays off! Many who grew up in evangelical circles have been burned by “exemplar” models of preaching. We were taught to identify with the hero of a given story, and left church knowing we were supposed to “try harder,” but not really knowing how. In reaction, the current emphasis is (rightly!) to see Jesus as the hero of every story. Once we understand that Christ is the “better David,” we’re then motivated to obey out of love and gratitude, not out of a folksy “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality.

While this is all well and good, we must not become more biblical than the Bible. Or, as my mom might say, we shouldn’t be “too smart for our own britches.” The Bible is full of fallen, yet worthy characters who we are called to emulate (just read Hebrews 11!).

It’s not easy to apply character studies in a Christocentric way, yet that’s exactly what Holland does! From Tychicus, to Onesimus, to John Mark, to Epaphras, to Luke, to Demas, Holland shows how Paul’s various friendships can serve as a model, an example of how to live out gospel-centered friendship.

Lastly, you will take away various “tips” on how to live out redeemed friendships. While I didn’t do a verse count, I suspect there were more references from Proverbs than any other book. In fact, the whole book has a “proverbial” feel to it. Said differently, it drips with wisdom. As one example, take the theme of vulnerability. Below are three passages related to vulnerability which will give you a taste for the practical flavor of the whole book:

“Forgiveness within our friendships is not about righting the wrong, but it is about lavishly pouring out the love of Christ, even when it is at our own expense.”

“In Paul’s list here of his friends, he has two friends now that have abandoned him. How can you tell whether one of your friends is going to be a John Mark (a friend that leaves and comes back) or a Demas (a friend that leaves you and never returns)? You can’t! So, should we shut the door on any friendship in fear that they may abandon us or hurt us? No! Paul models for us how living on the other side of the cross calls for believers to take risks with others. Sometimes you are going to get hurt.”

“Paul’s life and ministry are a testimony to others willing to take a risk on him. Paul went from killing Christians to being one. I imagine that Christians were not lining up to have him over for dinner shortly after his conversion. Rather than being safe, take risks for the sake of the gospel. Rather than leaving the church because you have been hurt, stay and be an agent of change. You may get hurt along the way, but the joy of seeing others transformed will far outweigh any pain that you may receive.”

In the end, Holland has written a fresh, readable, biblical, winsome book on friendship. While I’d recommend it to anyone, I especially think it’d be useful in a small group setting.

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On October 16, 2015 By In Books, Culture, Interviews, Politics, Theology

Sandlin on Christian Culture

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ccl

I’ve highlighted the work of P. Andrew Sandlin, president of the Center for Cultural Leadership, before.  I find Dr. Sandlin to be one of the most articulate, compelling, and capable defenders of a uniquely Christian cultural engagement. Dr. Sandlin calls the interview below “the most wide-ranging” he’s done. From revivalism, to environmentalism, to the health and wealth gospel, Dr. Sandlin sets a great example of how to apply the Christian worldview. As someone in education, I especially appreciated his comment that, historically, there’s never been a distinctly Christian culture without a serious focus on Christian education. Hopefully, after listening to the interview, you’ll want to dig deeper into his work. If that’s the case, I highly recommend his book Christian Culture: An Introduction (which John Frame calls “biblical, accurate, insightful, and concise.”).

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On July 29, 2015 By In Scribblings

Humanity and Disipleship: A Major Theme in John Stott’s Preaching

Stott

“Some are indeed called to be missionaries, evangelists or pastors, and others to the great professions of law, education, medicine and the social sciences. But others are called to commerce, to industry and farming, to accountancy and banking . . . In all these spheres, and many others besides, it is possible for Christians to interpret their life work Christianly, and to see it neither as a necessary evil (necessary, that is, for survival), nor even as a useful place in which to evangelize . . . but as their Christian vocation, as the way Christ has called them to spend their lives in his service.”

“The astonishing paradox of Christ’s teaching and of Christian experience is this: if we lose ourselves in following Christ, we actually find ourselves. True self-denial is self-discovery. To live for ourselves is insanity and suicide; to live for God and for man is wisdom and life indeed. We do not begin to find ourselves until we have become willing to lose ourselves in the service of Christ and of our fellows.” -John Stott

In John Stott’s extensive pulpit-ministry, he had many themes, emphases, and hobby horses. In listening to old Stott sermons, one theme that stands out is that of “discipleship as humane living.” No matter the text, Stott was always quick to show that the given application won’t make you more “celestial,” but more “human.” Again and again, I find in Stott’s sermons an invitation to become more fully alive as a living, breathing, person. This emphasis can be best seen in his “The Integrated Christian” series. Here, Stott shows how discipleship (or what he calls “integrity”) is essentially becoming a more whole human being. Discipleship, says Stott, is the process of integrating the head, emotions, and will. In other words, a healthy Christian is a healthy human, and vice versa. I would strongly encourage you to listen to all three sermons (below), but the first is especially indispensable. For a book-length exploration of the theme, see Hans Bayer’s (wonderful!) A Theology of Mark: The Dynamic between Christology and Authentic Discipleship.

The Integrated Mind:

http://www.allsouls.org/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=51728&file_id=53916

The Integrated Emotions:

http://www.allsouls.org/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=51729&file_id=58443

The Integrated Will:

http://www.allsouls.org/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=51730&file_id=56074

As a bonus, here’s Stott’s “Called to full humanity,” which likewise captures the “human” element of discipleship:

http://www.allsouls.org/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=51875&file_id=58516

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On July 25, 2015 By In Politics

Celebrating the Sabbath: A Weekly Feast

sabbath

Yesterday, my pastor and I had a lengthy discussion regarding Sabbath observance. The subject was brought up, in part, because Bill will be preaching this Sunday on a passage which includes “So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (MK 2:28) What does it mean for Jesus to lord over the Sabbath? How does Sabbath observance encourage and mature God’s people week after week? While Bill gave a number of deeply satisfying answers, I found myself only able to offer a few relatively shallow tips: “avoid TV” I said at my peeking moment.  Coming home, I picked up Stuart Bryan’s The Taste of Sabbath: How to Delight in God’s Rest and finished it before dinner. Exegetically careful, pastorally wise, and deeply convicting, Bryan paints a picture of the Sabbath which is as beautiful as it is compelling. On the Sabbath itself, Bryan says:

“…the Sabbath expressed God’s desire for man’s rest and refreshment: for liberty, joy, health, fullness, happiness, growth. Consequently, the things done on the Sabbath should be thing that promote life, promote well being, and advance the joy and happiness of men while upholding the honor and worship of God. The Sabbath was created for the benefit of man and, consequently, served a subservient role to man’s wellbeing.[i]”

Perhaps the most helpful chapter in the book is the last, which gets into more practical matters. Now, you’d expect the “practical” chapter in a book on Sabbath to include list of “don’ts.” At least that’s where my mind immediately goes: “what can’t I do on Sundays?” Actually, Bryan begins by listing what one “gets” to do on the Sabbath; namely, rest, feast, and celebrate. While I encourage you to purchase and read the whole book (which won’t take more than an hour or two), the passage below gets to the heart of Bryan’s argument:

“This orientation of joy and gratitude helps us face the Lord’s Day aright. Rather than focus on what we cannot do on the Lord’s Day—which was one of the distortions of the Pharisees—Jesus’ conduct focuses on what we get to do. ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ We get to rest, we get to worship, we get to fellowship, we get to show mercy, we get to study the Word, we get to refresh our souls. Glory to God.

Look around at our culture. Look how harried and distracted people are. Look how busy and hamster-like people are. Look at who benefits the most from violating the Lord’s Day, from unceasing labor—business owners and tax collectors. And in observing all this, observe the glory of Sabbath, the glory of the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day teaches us to rest; teaches us where prosperity comes from; teaches us where sanctification comes from. All these things come from the hand of God. So let us rest and watch Him work on our behalf. Remember Isaiah’s promise to those who call the Sabbath a delight:

Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Is. 58:14)

Our fundamental attitude individually toward the Lord’s Day must be one of feasting, delight, liberation, and joy. And this is where our focus as communities should be as well. What should the Lord’s Day look like? Again, what did the life of our Lord look like on this day? Prioritization of worship, devotion to teaching and fellowship with the people of God, participation in feasting and assisting others—the very things that the institution of the Sabbath was given to cultivate and protect from the beginning. So these are the types of things that should characterize us. And so what should our Lord’s Day look like? Rest, worship, instruction, feasting, fellowship, mercy. These are our priorities; these are the things that characterize a typical Sabbath day.

Once we get this right, we’re in a position to answer other related questions—should I work on the Lord’s Day? If so, under what circumstances? Should I engage in organized sports? Should I patronize businesses? These are all important questions that need answers. But if we jump to these types of questions without getting the heart of the Lord’s Day first—feasting, delight, liberation, worship, joy—then we will become nothing more than modern day Pharisees. The Lord’s Day should be the best day of the week. ‘Huh?’ Run myself ragged on the Lord’s Day? No thanks—I’d rather drive my clunker, feast with my family, and study God’s Word.’ And so, in our families, let us consider how to make the Lord’s Day the best day of the week. Let us break out the fine china; fix the best food; drag out the sweets; open a bottle of good wine; invite friends and family; read and study and enjoy the Word of God together; and pray corporately with joy. The Lord’s Day should be the best day of the week. So we should consider how to make it so given the ages of our children and the opportunities the Lord has placed before us. And when we face some decision about what to do on the Lord’s Day, we need to ask ourselves, is this thing that we are considering accentuating the feast or pulling us away from it?[ii]”

[i] Bryan, Stuart: The Taste of Sabbath: How to Delight in God’s Rest, Pg. 58

[ii] Ibid., 105-106

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