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On January 28, 2020 By In Worship

Can I Pray Like The Psalmist?

Guest Post by Rob Noland


“Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, LORD, proclaiming Thanksgiving aloud and telling all your wondrous deeds.”- Psalm 26:2-7 

There is a stream running through the Psalms that I have often found difficult to swim in, and I suspect that I am not alone (especially among reformed folks). How can a desperate sinner like me pray and sing about his righteousness before God? How can I say, “you have tested me and will find nothing” (Psalm 17:3) or, “I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.” (Psalm 119:101-102)?

I tell my wife every day that I love her. Of course, I don’t love her perfectly. My love is a needy kind of love that never arises to the perfection of Christ’s love for the church. But I don’t rise up every morning and confess my lack of love for her. How would she feel if I always told her how little I loved her? There are some days that I just feel like shouting from the balcony of our apartment, “I love Amber Noland!” Of course, that would not turn out to be a very practical way of loving her, because it would embarrass her terribly. But there would not be any hypocrisy to it. It would not be appropriate for someone to take me aside and say, “You know, you really shouldn’t say that you love your wife, because you don’t love her perfectly.”

There is also a place in my marriage for me to proclaim my love for her in a different way. I can say to her something like, “Search my internet history, you will find nothing,” or “There hasn’t been a single time this week that I’ve held my gaze on another woman.” She knows very well that this hasn’t always been the case with me, so there are times when she really needs that kind of assurance. Proclaiming my faithfulness to her is an act of love.

I would suggest that the difficulty comes from a certain posture that is right and good in confession, but not normative for praise. The mistaken idea is that we can only ever confess our lack of love for the LORD. Further, we must always come before the LORD and say, “I have not loved you as I ought,” “I have despised your word,” “I have hated your statutes.” We cannot proclaim our obedience to the LORD, even in thankfulness for God’s grace to us, because that would amount to self-righteous boasting.

What I am saying is, our love for the LORD is expressed through our obedience to him. It is appropriate in some contexts to proclaim our love for the LORD by proclaiming our obedience to his word—not out of an expression of self-righteous boasting. It is the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us that enables our obedience, and his work on our behalf that enables us to walk boldly into his holy place. And, of course, we need to regularly confess our lack of love for the LORD, just as sometimes I need to confess to my wife that I have not loved her well. But after we come to the LORD in confession and receive forgiveness, we praise him. It is not self-righteous to praise the LORD. Let all the earth praise the LORD.

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On January 27, 2020 By In Family and Children, Politics

Men on the Edge: The Inevitability of Male Leadership

Guest post by Aaron Siver

Our present circumstances under the cultural sway have brought a radically egalitarian influence to bear upon all sectors of society, including the church. Much of the efficacy of egalitarianism comes not so much from any conscious effort on the part of ideologically possessed individuals or interest groups—though there is that—but from systemically deforming tendencies inherent in our culture for a variety of reasons. These have a propensity to neutralize or obscure the significance of constitutive differences between males and females as demographic groups.

It would be grievous negligence, a failure to faithfully shepherd and oversee the flock if elders were to refrain from declaring the whole counsel of God. Particular attention should be given to this point. The watchmen ought to possess the competence to see the threat unambiguously and the courage to blow the trumpet resoundingly.

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On December 3, 2019 By In Theology

Ends of the Incarnation

A Guest Post from Dr. Scott Swain

Christmas (along with Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost) is one of five “evangelical feast days” that celebrate key moments in the Son of God’s saving mission.

On these days, the church turns its attention in a special way to the redemptive-historical events that mark “the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10): the time that realizes God’s saving purpose and therefore that decisively determines all other times for the people of God (Rom 6; Col 2:9-10; 3:1-4). As we approach Christmas, it is worth reflecting upon the incarnation, the first epochal moment in the saving mission of the Son of God. 

Reflecting theologically on the incarnation requires that we consider three topics: (1) the uniqueness of the incarnation in relation to other historical events, (2) the nature of the incarnation, and (3) ends of the incarnation. Following some brief comments on the first two topics, I will focus a bit more fully on the third. 

The uniqueness of the incarnation
Although the incarnation fulfills various Old Testament promises and prophecies, most notably those related to the Davidic Covenant, the incarnation does not follow from prior historical antecedents. The incarnation is a “new thing,” an event that exists in a class by itself. The incarnation is a mystery, once hidden but now revealed: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16). 

For this reason, it is (strictly speaking) improper to classify under the label of “incarnation” any events or activities that happened before or after the coming of the Son of God in the flesh (see Todd Billings’s excellent discussion of this point). In a proper sense, there is and only ever will be one incarnation: the incarnation of the Son of God. Though the incarnation opens up new ways of seeing and acting in the world (see Luke 1:46-55), Christmas is not the occasion for launching an “incarnational” social program. Christmas is the glad announcement that God’s saving program has begun in the incarnation and it is the announcement that God’s saving program will be consummated when the incarnate one returns (Heb 9:26, 28). 

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On November 27, 2019 By In Family and Children

Disagreeing and Engaging during Thanksgiving

The New York Times ran an opinion piece recently about the chaos that is sure to come in Thanksgiving tables around America. The writer observed that since the Trump victory in 2016, the nation has become more polarized than ever before (surely a naive assessment of history; as of yet, I have not beheaded anyone nor am I aware of recent beheadings due to disagreements; see Vikings and history in general).

I will have little disagreement with my family this Thanksgiving. We all share a basic sense of morality, a biblical imperative to love one another, and a host of experiences that validate our perspectives. Still, our ideas and experiences are unique to us; shaped by our academic or sociological backgrounds so that even in agreeable environments healthy debates can take place and new knowledge can be gained.

In some families, however, there will be radical differences on issues ranging from child-rearing to the role of government in society. Dr. Karin Tamerius observes that this process does not have to ruin Thanksgiving for everyone. You can actually learn how to have a productive conversation with someone with whom you disagree. Tamerius says the following are good starting points:

1. Ask open-ended, genuinely curious, nonjudgmental questions.

2. Listen to what people you disagree with say and deepen your understanding with follow-up inquiries.

3. Reflect back their perspective by summarizing their answers and noting underlying emotions.

4. Agree before disagreeing by naming ways in which you agree with their point of view.

5. Share your perspective by telling a story about a personal experience.

I would alter the fifth step by affirming your starting point and presupposition. While the personal narrative can be effective it ought not to replace the authority structure you follow in building your ethical standards. Of course, stating your authority (in my case, the biblical norm) will likely lead to further conversations about what makes one authority superior to another.

The principle here is: Don’t waste an exchange of ideas. Make Thanksgiving great again by engaging rightly and respectfully.

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On October 29, 2019 By In Theology

C.S. Lewis and the “threat” to the Reformation

I was in a friendly conversation with a fellow pastor some years ago. The tone changed rather quickly when I spoke positively about C.S. Lewis. In his perspective, Lewis was a dangerous writer who could lead people away from the safety of Reformed confessionalism.

Suddenly, in his eyes, I had gone from a faithful Reformed pastor to someone compromising my orthodoxy. The experience was so shocking and his tone so harsh that I kindly asked if we could continue this conversation another time and left. I knew nothing fruitful would come from that chat. Of course, we never continued that talk and I am frankly grateful. Such reactions stem from an over-reactionary perspective of theology. The idea is that we must be glued to our Reformed forefathers and read nothing else outside our tradition for fear that it might damage our pure ideas of interpretation.

As we approach Reformation Day, I find myself more and more grateful to God to those within and without my particular tradition. Those of us in the Reformational camp have a greater responsibility to provide a framework that is more whole, more catholic, and more complete than other traditions. After all, we produced the Puritans, Bavinck, Kuyper, Van Til, Bahnsen and Sproul. From the Reformation stemmed this gigantic sense that everything in the world is Christ’s and we are in him which means we seek to bring Christ to everything.

The idea that Lewis’ peculiar views on the imprecatory Psalms, for instance, would be a threat to the Reformation is absolutely bizarre. I could easily find peculiarities in Luther. However, the idea that Lewis’ genius would contribute to a more robust Reformation is precisely the kind of world we need to embrace. If the modern Reformed man or woman lives in fear that such and such an author or thinker will remove us from the Reformation, then we have adopted a very narrow view of the Reformation. We have failed to see precisely Calvin’s vision for the church, the Puritan’s vision for the world, and Kuyper’s vision for the culture.

So then, read broadly, hold on to your convictions closely, explore Christendom unashamedly and go to Narnia often. To be Reformed is to be unafraid; it is to know God and to know self.

Solus Christus!

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On October 2, 2019 By In Podcast

Episode 67, The Lost Supper with Dr. Matt Colvin

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:16 — 28.7MB)

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Conversations about the Lord’s Supper quickly delve into metaphysical categories like accidents and substance. But what if the institution of the Supper is rooted in the Passover meal? and what if Jesus’ words This is My Body was not something unique to the hearers, but rather a fulfillment of an ancient practice? These and other questions are discussed in this episode.

Dr. Matt Colvin’s book, The Lost Supper

Matt’s blog, Colvinism

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On September 3, 2019 By In Family and Children

The Marital Cup

Guest Post by Elizabeth Barros

Guest Spot By Elizabeth de Barros

Like handblown glass, delicate in construction but strong in substance, the marriage covenant is a cup that holds the vintage of years gone by, blessed and preserved by God.

While love is as strong as death, marriage is fragile if only for the fact that two fallen people, a man and a woman brought together as one, commit to an exclusive bond for the rest of their days, come what may. Knowing that a covenant designed by God has His backing brings much-needed assurance.

But no marriage is unlike the first, where the culprit of sin creeps in to take its toll. The effects of Adam and Eve’s fall were felt at close range — firstborn son murdered the second-born, with God presiding as Witness and Judge. I imagine that as parents, partners, and lovers, they fell into each other’s arms that night searching for consolation from an unbearable wound, aware that bitter herbs change the taste of things.

What keeps a marriage? Sustains it through life’s cares, trials, disappointments, and woes? Certainly not the froth left over from an elaborate wedding day. As exciting and wonderful the fanfare, formal attire, rich foods, lavish gifts, and honeymoon can be, eventually, helium dissipates, styles change, china breaks and pictures fade. Something stronger is needed when storm clouds gather.

Apart from inviting family and friends to witness the ceremony and share in the festivities, what compels a man and a woman to stand before a crowd and declare that they will promise to stay together “…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part”?

The nearness of God.

But our culture trends toward having the greater focus be on the wedding event — the more outlandish the better — a raucous party with all the trappings. Whether the bride and groom are suspended from bungee cords, or the ceremony is staged in the Nairobi desert or videotaped underwater, it’s all but forgotten that when vows are exchanged, God is the unseen Officiate. Even Christians need reminding of this. In a day when selfishness and “freedom of choice” permeates our thinking on every level, we’re not immune to being lured away, abandoning all reason for the sake of pleasure and the pursuit of happiness.

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On July 31, 2019 By In Books

Shire Eschatology

Note: If any part of this spoils The Lord of the Rings for you, it’s your own fault.

As I recently finished listening to Rob Inglis’s excellent narration of  J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King, I was struck, once again, by the profound beauty of the ending.  I must admit, however, that the first time I reached the part of the story where the ring was destroyed, I stopped and quickly counted the pages that were left.  How could Tolkien need this many more pages to wrap up the story? As I read on, I was gratified to read about events that struck the right chord of blessed finality–friends reunited, a coronation, a wedding, and a wedding announcement. Sam Gamgee asked of Gandalf, whom he had previously thought dead, “Is everything sad going to become untrue?” I expected the answer to be a simple “yes,” but I was mistaken.

Here we get to the part of the story that Peter Jackson either did not understand, did not have time for, or did not want to test his audience’s patience with when he adapted The Return of the King for the film (I suspect a mixture of all three).  I’m speaking of the scouring of the Shire.  For those of you who are unfamiliar (probably those of you who, sadly, only watched the movie), the hobbits returned to the Shire to find it languishing under tyranny and befouled by the works of Mordor. “Sharkie,” who was actually a greatly-weakened Saruman, had set up shop in Bag End and brought in “ruffians” to tyrannize the hobbits and tear up the countryside. Saruman was a disgraced and de-staffed wizard, a serpent who, as Gandalf said, had one fang left, which was his voice.  He used his voice to influence others to destroy the peace of the Shire. Under his corrupting influence, the ruffians, and even a few bad hobbits had torn down the party tree and replaced many of the hobbit holes with squalid brick huts. They had taken over the “Shiriffs” and were imprisoning any hobbits who dared to resist their regime. Tolkien described seeing the desolation of Bag End as the saddest part of all of Sam’s journeys, worse than Mordor. But the four returning hobbits, fresh from their victories, had reached the necessary level of maturity that enabled them to fight the evil in their land. They lead a revolt in which they deposed Saruman and threw out the ruffians. They then spent years repairing the damage and building up the Shire to its former glory.

Now, I want to be cautious here. Tolkien was clear that he was not intending anything he wrote to be a spiritual allegory.  Frodo was not the messiah. The ring did not represent “sin” or “evil” or “death.” Saruman did not directly represent a weakened Satan who still had power in his voice.  That was not Tolkien’s point. And yet, to the extent that Tolkien wrote something true (which I believe he did), the parallels are inescapable. The moment the ring fell into Orodruin, Sauron’s kingdom was finished. Just so, the moment Christ rose from the dead, Satan’s kingdom was no more. After such a triumph, it is rather anti-climactic that the world continues to bring forth famine, disease, and death in abundance. We are now, eschatologically, at the part of the redemptive story where the hobbits had to reckon with what’s happened to their beloved Shire. The hobbits seemed to be far away from the King, but they had to announce his kingdom, proclaim his triumph, and deal with those who did not recognize his kingship. Perhaps, if we were writing the redemption story, we would end it with the empty tomb, or the day of Pentecost. That might seem like a better story to the Peter Jacksons among us, but it is not God’s story. That story would leave out the Church. While the bride is still beset, the story is not over. We are the hobbits, seemingly the weakest of all peoples, whose blessed job it is to announce the return of the King.

Rob Noland grew up attending Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida. He received his bachelor’s from New Saint Andrews College and his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He and his wife, Amber, attend a PCA church in Atlanta, GA where he works as a lawyer.

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On July 5, 2019 By In Podcast, Politics

Episode 63, Doing Theology in a Twitter Age

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:23 — 35.0MB)

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Uri and Dustin team up once more to talk about the role of theology in a Twitter age. They focus on the good, the bad and the ugly of theologizing in a day of little patience and excessive opinations. They delve into some personal habits on-line as well as offer good advice on how to do theology that attracts rather than repels.

Music from Smith Leithart. You can find Smith’s music here.

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On June 21, 2019 By In Podcast

Episode 62, KC Podcast: The Future of Classical Education

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:51 — 40.2MB)

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Four Kuyperians walk into a bar.

Close enough.

Four KC contributors attended the 2019 ACCS Conference in Atlanta, GA. On this episode, filled with humorous teaching stories, they discuss the impact and lessons learned from the conference and the future of classical education. Anyone who teaches or whose children attend a classical school need to listen to this episode.

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