Kuyperian Commentary

On March 10, 2022 By Bill Smith In Theology, Worship 1

Holy Worship: Psalm 99

Contemplation of God’s holiness can be terrifying. When we meditate on the blazing purity, the uncompromised integrity, the sinlessness of an all-powerful God who is also the judge of the earth, seeing our impure selves in the light of his presence is frightening. We read and, in some small measure, can identify with the story of Isaiah in the Temple, who, seeing YHWH enthroned and hearing the seraphim crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” proclaimed his desperate grief at his undone-ness because of his impurity (Isa 6.1-7).

God’s holiness is dangerous; so dangerous that during the time before Christ, he kept his people from it through distance and a veil. His purity destroys all impurity. It would seem that his holiness would not be an encouragement to worship, to draw near to him, but rather a reason not to do so. Who wants to be shamed and then destroyed? Yet there is something attractive to us about God’s holiness; something that draws us in like a moth to a flame; something so beautiful about it that, despite the pain we experience through seeing our deep impurities and dissatisfactions it reveals about us, we are drawn to it.

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On March 7, 2022 By Uri Brito In Culture Like

Abraham Kuyper, Gary North, and the Calvinistic Worldview

Gary North’s recent passing reminded me of the enormous capacity of certain men to produce so much in a lifetime. Of course, men can be productive beings on many fronts, but that productivity often stems from foundational theological stimuli that allow him to conform his thoughts after it. If such roots are stable and coherent, they can provide a rich motivation for creativity and exegetical application. Furthermore, if that foundation is comprehensive, one can articulate a host of themes like economics, politics, history, etc. Gary North’s legacy was the Calvinistic legacy which saw no part of human endeavor unworthy of exploration. He turned every stone and system and hurled his inimitable mind into it, seeking to unearth its treasures and nurture fields yet uncultivated.

While tracing the roots of such prolific Calvinism goes back to the man himself–an astounding Genevan pastor in the 16^th century, no one has done more to cultivate the Genevan theologian than the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper asserted that Calvinism provided the rationale for the cultivation of Christendom, unlike any other system.

For Kuyper, Calvinism is the most astute form of biblical Christianity. Further, Calvinism is the only sustainable ideology that meticulously undid the sacerdotalism of the Church, but more than that, it “unveiled again to fullest view the glories of the Cross.”[1]

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On March 3, 2022 By Bill Smith In Culture, Politics, Theology, Wisdom 1

Live Not By Lies

“I don’t trust the media. I don’t trust our political leaders. I don’t trust foreign governments. I don’t trust my own government. I don’t trust the mob. I trust almost no one at this point and that’s not because I want to be this way. It’s just because I’ve been paying attention.”[1] This is the lament of Matt Walsh regarding our current cultural environment. Who can blame him? It is quite difficult not to be cynical when government officials along with their allies in much of the media are using the language playbook of 1984. Reversals on positions (at least with words) happen so fast that your brain is disoriented with a type of cognitive whiplash. The conspiracy theorists that we once believed were insane have become the prophets of culture. The difference between many conspiracy theories and the news of the day is about six months. We live by lies at the highest levels of our society, and it is destroying us.

Solomon told us it would. God hates a “lying tongue” and a “false witness who breathes out lies” (Pr 6.17, 19). With the smorgasbord of sins to put in his seven-fold list, Solomon includes two forms of lying. God must really hate lying.

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On March 2, 2022 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Proud Eyes

Solomon instructs his princely son in Proverbs so that he might complete the mission of dominion given to man; namely, to form and fill the world that God gave to the stewardship of man (see Gen 1.28; Ps 115.16). This will take wisdom, the ability to see how everything should relate, and the skill to put everything in right relationship. This wisdom begins and matures in the fear of Yahweh, loving Yahweh and his discipline and zealously guarding his instruction. As the son submits to Yahweh, the mission will progress; the world will grow and come together to reach its intended purpose. If the son rebels, rejecting the wisdom of the Father, he will reap chaos and destruction, not only for himself but for the world. Adam’s story is a clear picture of this.

The seven-fold structure of the abominations in Proverbs 6.16-19 fit this theme of world-building, echoing the structure of the original week of history. However, Solomon is instructing by the contrary. If you want to know how to de-create the world, then these seven abominations will tell you. These are the sins the son must avoid.

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On February 24, 2022 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

A Healthy Appetite

In the beginning, God made us hungry. Some of the first words spoken to man were the joyful declaration of the gift of food from a loving Father: “Behold! I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food” (Ge 1.29). Our need for food is not a flaw in our design but a glorious feature. Food and our appetite for it are ever-present witnesses of our creatureliness and dependence upon our Creator. Through food, God doesn’t merely sustain our lives but gives us abundant life. Food is given for us to enjoy; not merely the myriads of tastes and textures, but because through food we have communion with God himself.

The ordination of food as communion began at the Tree of life, continued through the worship feasts of Israel (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, New Moon, Sabbath), and is experienced now at the Lord’s Supper. History comes to an end in a feast with God. Food and drink, being a part of creation, are good. Anyone who teaches you that any food or any drink is off-limits for proper use is teaching you a demonic doctrine. Everything created by God is good and nothing to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1Tm 4.1-5).

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On February 21, 2022 By Uri Brito In Culture Like

The Case for Dirt

My adventurous wife gave the boys a Christmas gift in 2020 they will never forget. When it was delivered and unloaded in our backyard, the trucker asked me casually, “So, are you doing some sodding work in the backyard?” And I casually answered him, “No, this was our Christmas gift to my boys!” With an elongated mouth stretch that I haven’t seen since Ace Ventura in 1994, he exclaimed: “You bought your children dirt for Christmas?!” So, then I took the next 30 minutes to give him a theology of dirt starting in Genesis and leading to the dirt of the New Creation. And then, I signed an autograph of my Jonah commentary with a note, “Find land, son!”

Everything is true, except the latter part. There wasn’t much time to elaborate on the claim that dirt theology is essential to a healthy biblical theology. But still, the whole thing rings true. Man, made from dirt, shall return to dirt. And such dirt will be reconstituted to used gloriously in the New Heavens and Earth. Dirt is good. Man as a symbolic human exerts a dirt-like function in the world. He offers himself as that which can be used as the environment for growth and nurture.

It’s safe to say there hasn’t been a more creative $200 spent in our household. In the two years we have had the dirt mound, the thing has been excavated, used as mud pies, used as a hiding place, functioned as the headquarters for sword fights, and more. And, it’s not merely a manly thing. We had about 20 in our house yesterday for Lord’s Day dinner and several little girls enjoyed treating the mound place like a little garden and exploration site. I probably should have told them that the Garden was on a mountain. But I am not sure they were ready for such theologizing. The whole thing was comical and fun to behold.

I also find the entire endeavor something of a paradigm to consider. In an age of insiders, be an outsider. Play with dirt. Amuse yourself to death, which incidentally is a place of dirt. Man is primarily a ground creature made to dwell among creatures. The more grounded he is, the more satisfied he is with his accomplishments and calling. He names animals in the Garden as a sign that he rules over dirt and where animals trod.

Dirt is the stuff of life. It’s where little men begin to mold civilization and create new plans to destroy darkness. It’s the hill they live and die on, and it’s the headquarters for strategic Christianizing. While some may say, “it’s just dirt,” we say, “the dirt is just!” Kingdoms begin here, especially when they are ruled by little covenant princes.

On February 17, 2022 By Bill Smith In Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Men, Wisdom Like

Resisting Harlot Folly

Fighting sexual temptation has never been easy. There have been times in which societies such as ours helped by having and enforcing laws discouraging sexual deviancy. There were also general cultural mores that disparaged sexual immorality so great social shame was the lot of the sexually deviant. Temptations didn’t disappear, but cultural pressure at least encouraged restraint.

Studying history, you will see that these societies were few and far between. Our present Western culture is probably more in line with the way many cultures have treated sexual relations; that is, there are few cultural guards that help us with temptation. The lack of cultural sexual restraint that has ingrained itself over the past century or two combined with present-day technology has only increased temptations. I don’t think that we can say, “It is more difficult for us than it ever has been,” but the force of the battle is growing. None of this, of course, is an excuse for sexual sin. In fact, it is a call to arm ourselves all the more with the appropriate discipline to fight an enemy that is growing in strength. We must match our enemies’ strength with greater strength.

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On February 13, 2022 By Uri Brito In Culture Like

The McDonaldization of Worship

Sociologist George Ritzer coined the term “McDonaldization,” to refer to the principles of the fast-food market applied to society at large. When used for the church’s life, it means that church life is a privatized, quick-fix faith rather than discipleship or apprenticeship in the Christian community. As a result, it diminishes the significance of long obedience in the right direction.

Church comes packaged for fast consumption. You sit down on Sunday morning with your latte purchased at the coffee shop, usually at the entrance, and then you consume the service like a theater with your buttered popcorn and extra-extra-sized soda.

We have industrialized church to make us feel at ease with the experience of worship; our live-streamed service is so live that as long as you keep tithing, we are perfectly ok with you staying at home on Sundays. So, sit for 45 minutes, make business contacts to extend your professional career, and leave your faith at the exit door. Then, see you at the buffet for lunch!

Nothing in this model resembles, approaches, or nears a robust biblical faith, whether phrased with the rationale of evangelism or Gospel-centeredness.

We are to taste and see that Jesus is good, which means worship is not a fast consumption, but the hard work of making melody in our hearts to Christ and one another, of listening and repenting, of grieving our sins and exalting in our Savior. All of this demands the loyalty of men and women at all baptized stages of life to taste and see Jesus, not as a consumer, but a called inheritor of grace.

The McDonaldization of the Church is an abomination, and woe are we if we allow that philosophy to be seen as normal or if we act indifferent to such things. Christians are slow eaters: we allow the Word to enter and chew on it day and night. We taste and see that the Lord is good, which means we experience and objectively acknowledge that God is who he says he is and will not be mocked.

If Jesus is truly all-glorious above, then the saint must be all-enthralled below. So come, let us worship and give of ourselves—body and soul—before the throne of God for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever

On February 10, 2022 By Uri Brito In Theology, Wisdom Like

Episode 98, The Legacy and Stories of Rev. Dr. Gregg Strawbridge

Welcome to Kuyperian Commentary, this is episode 98. I am host Uri Brito.

The Rev. Dr. Gregg Strawbridge died a couple of weeks ago. Those of us who knew him well have mourned profusely these last 14 days. We have lost a friend, a mentor, and a titan of the Christian faith. His presence in the CREC was palpable every time we met. He was kind, gracious, studious, a Presbyterian of high caliber, a churchman with unspeakable talent, a pastor with theological and pastoral inclinations which made him a remarkable gem in every way.

When we were in Lancaster, PA last week, we had the opportunity to gather, remember, grieve and laugh over Gregg’s stories. A gracious host provided the second floor filled with several fine beer taps and we told stories and rejoiced in the life of our brother.

I thought I would bring some of the men who were trained directly by Gregg Strawbridge to join me for this episode and do a bit of the story-telling bit from a perspective of folks who spent enormous time with him and who now shepherd their own flocks as a result of the Gregg Strawbridge School of Theology.

On February 10, 2022 By Bill Smith In Men, Wisdom Like

The Tactics of Harlot Folly

One obvious truth about Harlot Folly in Proverbs is that she is a woman. She is an “evil woman” (Pr 6.24). She is the inverse of Lady Wisdom, who is also a woman. Harlot Folly is not “all women,” but she is a woman. Whatever secondary applications we make or whatever metaphors we explore (and there are many), Solomon is writing to his son, a man, about a certain type of woman to avoid.

I belabor this point because there are cultural mindsets that have become practically unquestioned assumptions that being a woman per se is original righteousness. As Feminism has grown and helped spawn intersectionality, anything a woman does, even if appearing to be wrong, is not her fault. She did not sin. She is always innocent. She is an all-powerful yet impotent moral agent whose actions are controlled by entrenched patriarchalism. She is not responsible. She is not to blame. #MeToo.

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