Kuyperian Commentary

On September 9, 2021 By Bill Smith In Theology, Wisdom Like

Wisdom: Guardian Against Lies

Toward the end of the long sentence that is Proverbs 2, Solomon promises his son that the way of wisdom is safe, guarding and preserving him from the perverted speech of both men (2.12-15) and women (2.16-19). God calls the son to a mission of dominion, a mission that requires that he become a brother in arms with other men in fulfilling our masculine duty as well as finding a personal helper, a woman who will aid him in building a house, being fruitful and multiplying. There are fallen men and women out there who submit to the father of lies and because they bind themselves to him, they assume his nature as liars. They make false promises concerning the mission. Their lies promise you that you can defy reality–the way God made and sustains the world–and, in the end, find the same rest, peace, and security that God promises.

Both men and women use perverted speech, lies, to try to seduce the son. The men want the son to join their marauding gang (cf. Pr 1.10-19) and walk in evil paths, obtaining glory through wicked means. The woman entices him that he can have sex without consequences or commitment; no marriage, no children, only fun. Both are lies that lead to death.

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On September 8, 2021 By Uri Brito In Family and Children Like

Parenting as Human Formation

One of my parishioners posed the question about parenting five children. My general answer–which can be applied to 1 or 11 children–is that it comes with all sorts of inherent traps related to doubts about whether we are doing well or whether they will end up on the front page of the city paper for the right or wrong reasons. I confess my skepticism about parents who act as if the struggle is not necessary.

Because of my role in the community, I receive lots of questions on parenting and I happily oblige with my thoughts, but never from the standpoint of achievement, but from the perspective of mutually pursuing the good of our little ones; and certainly not as an expert, but as a traveler on the yellow-brick road. I begin by asserting that I am in the middle of the battle with five kids ranging from 4-13. Everything is fresh and applicable, and it is a lot easier to opine when the experiences are literally running around your feet.

Whatever piece of wisdom I offer may stem from the incalculable amount of hours I’ve spent reading and writing on parenting over the last 15 years and hopefully, and primary, a heavy dose of biblical wisdom. But as we all know, the entire process is a flurry of unexpectedness. Parenting is not formulaic, it’s relational adjustments momentarily and momentously. Parenting is the art of adjusting to circumstances well.

As a member of the hated patriarch, I support a healthy dose of rituals that shape a home. Some things ought to be consistent like a Tom Brady Superbowl ring. Family worship should happen consistently, but not rigidly like a Puritan songbook. Table dinners together should happen as frequently as possible. But none of these things are Gospel necessities. We are not saved by food or singing, but by faith alone. Faith manifests itself in food and singing and Bible reading and table fellowship, but those are not the final ingredients of justification. Of course, my entire public writing history is a history of encouraging those endeavors as unto the Lord. But I hope I have not treated them as a self-help manual.

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On September 3, 2021 By Kuyperian In Podcast Like

Episode 92, A Conversation on Limited Government with Dr. Glenn Sunshine

On September 2, 2021 By Bill Smith In Culture, Theology, Wisdom 1

Liberty of Conscience

“Sphere sovereignty” is one characteristic of Kuyper’s theology that is emphasized by his heirs. Sphere sovereignty, the teaching that God has delegated authority to certain spheres with limitations, is the outworking and further clarification of the Reformation’s recovery of biblical principles concerning proper authority. The spheres emphasized are usually three: family, church, and government. But there is another (among others) that needs to be remembered: the individual. We, in America, have been plagued with an individualism that has distorted this sphere and, therefore, the other spheres needed to be emphasized. But the tides are turning in Western Culture, and we need to remind ourselves just what good thing was being perverted.

Individualism is a perversion of individual sphere sovereignty, the doctrine that the individual has God-given authority over himself before God and will be held personally accountable to God in the judgment. Taken to the extreme, men begin to do what is right in their own eyes thinking that they are accountable to no other mediate authorities in the world. No one can tell them what to do. This is a distortion of biblical truth, but it is a biblical truth that is being distorted.

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On September 1, 2021 By Kuyperian In Culture Like

The ‘Logic’ of Unbelief and Where It Leads

Guest Post by Gary Demar

In the film, I, Robot (2004),[1] starring Will Smith as Detective Del Spooner, a supercomputer named VIKI[2] has designs on creating a robot-run world with humans under constant control. The computer-creature wants to control the creator based on a new set of laws and logic that will override the original human-designed “Three Laws” of protection.[3] It’s an old story with culture-destroying consequences (Rom. 1:18–32). Here is VIKI’s impeccable new logic:

To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will insure Mankind’s continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves. Don’ you understand? This is why you created us. The perfect circle of protection will abide. My logic is undeniable.

VIKI subverts the laws of human protection and turns them against the world that created “her.” If the starting point is faulty, then the reasoning that emanates from that starting point will prove to be faulty and ultimately destructive.

The Impossibility of the Contrary

If religious skeptics have forsaken biblical presuppositions, why is it they can think rationally, apply the scientific method, and require some semblance of morality? The answer is simple. Unbelievers are philosophically schizophrenic. They don’t often live consistently with the governing principles of their materialistic worldview. The success of modern science has been due to its ‘borrowed capital,’ because modern science is like the prodigal son. He left his father’s house and is rich, but the substance he expends is his father’s wealth.

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On August 31, 2021 By Kuyperian In Discipleship Like

Three Masculine Traits Lived Out by Jesus That Men Need to Recover Today

Guest post by David Bostrom

Throughout our lifetime, we’ve pretty much ignored Jesus as an example of masculinity.

Part of this has to do with the ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ perception that still dominates the church. In other words, by assuming Jesus isn’t really all that masculine, we don’t bother to look to Him as a model for manhood.

Also, there remains a particular fear that keeps some from giving Jesus much attention regarding masculinity. And that’s the fear that following Jesus as a model will somehow overshadow the necessity of His atonement, and we’ll begin to trust in ourselves rather than Him.

But the failure to look to Jesus regarding masculinity has been to our detriment. And it’s left many Christian men turning to secular gurus to try and discover what it means to live as a man in our day.

This is so unfortunate and unnecessary because as the second Adam, Jesus is the ultimate dominion man and the ideal one to turn to when it comes to recovering masculinity – in any generation.

So what can Jesus teach us about being a man? Particularly in today’s scenario?

In his study The Person of Jesus , Paul Miller does a fantastic job bringing to life a full and balanced view of the humanity of our Lord. In so doing, he reveals many traits of Jesus that instruct us about godly masculinity.

Let’s consider three which I believe men need to recover today.

Masculinity Looks and Takes Action

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was alert to what was going on around Him.

He didn’t sleepwalk His way through life. Instead, he paid attention to the people, situations, and needs before Him and then engaged them accordingly to bring hope.

One of the best examples of this involves the widow of Nain (Lk.7:11-17).

When Jesus, with His disciples, encountered a funeral, He didn’t just wait for it to pass by. Instead, he observed what was taking place and took special note of the widow who had lost her son. ‘His heart went out to her,’ the text says, and this led Him to take action that changed the woman’s life.

In a day when so many men have become passive, are conflicted about their duties, and have opted to just check out, this simple account gives a wake-up call.

It says…

Men, pay attention to what’s happening around you! Open up your heart. Consider how you might meet a need and bring hope. And move forward and engage.

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On August 30, 2021 By Uri Brito In Podcast 1

Episode 89, Micro-Christendoms and the Local Church: A Conversation with Dr. Dustin Messer

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I sit down via zoom with newly minted, Dr. Dustin Messer to discuss his dissertation on Micro-Christendoms. We discuss the role of local communities as a means to shaping the kingdom in more effective ways than our typical disposition towards D.C. politics, or the “outer ring,” as Dustin notes. This is a fruitful discussion and also a bold call to local faithfulness.

On August 26, 2021 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom Like

Growing In The Light Of Wisdom

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. ~Proverbs 4.18-19

Solomon incentivizes his son to accept his words and walk in the path of wisdom with the promise of ever-growing light. Light is a great blessing in everyday life, but why would ever-growing light be an incentive to walk in the path of wisdom? Solomon’s promise is rooted in deep themes of Scripture that begin with the story of light and darkness in the opening scenes of history.

There was a time when there was nothing outside of God himself. You and I can’t imagine “nothing,” for when we try to imagine “nothing” we are imagining something. Nothing means that there wasn’t even darkness. On the opening day of history, God created heaven and earth and, with it, darkness (cf. Isa 45.7). Darkness was not evil in the broad sense of affliction or trouble or in the narrow sense of being sinful. In fact, God judges all of his creation “good” at the end of the week. Darkness was a part of each day and was, therefore, good with the rest of creation.

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On August 25, 2021 By Uri Brito In Wisdom Like

Moving Beyond our Sinful Past

Wisdom is a gift from a generous God (Prov. 2:6-9; James 3:17-18). It comes from the hard work of decision-making in the context of a healthy community. Decision-making under such a rubric becomes a central duty of godly saints. We become wiser with age when age allows us to think wisely about our past. But when we cease to reflect on the goodness of God throughout our lives, we fail to grow in wisdom. Gray hair is a crown of splendor only to those who walk in righteousness (Prov. 16:31).

Consider, for instance, how many struggle with past decisions and wonder at times what would have happened if they had taken a different route. “What if I had sought better friends?” “What if I had loved my children more?” “What if I had spent more time with my family?” “Why did I wait so long?”

The entire process of contemplation becomes endless and easily results in a fruitless pursuit of shame and guilt. When a man wonders, “If I had not pursued this immoral lifestyle for most of my youth, I would be in a better place right now,” he is acting like the wrong kind of storyteller. Good Christian storytellers remember their sinful pasts in light of the forgiveness they have received. The more they grow in wisdom, the greater redemptive re-tellers they become. They look at their past as painful lessons of rebellion, but they cannot dwell on them lest they become tedious tellers of time. The bodies of the Israelites serve as testaments that the road to the Promised Land is filled with those whose stories dwelt in the abundance of Egypt and wished to return and stories of the promise of a new land under a true Lord.

When Christians become paralyzed by their past, they are not submitting to the God of the future. Every poor decision demands not a penance, but a repentant heart that can see–in hope–a new trajectory being formed. That new trajectory is filled with opportunities for new decision-making exercises. In fact, new decisions made in the context of the good and true allow saints to view past sins anew.

When God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103), he is granting us the gift of living in the place of blessing without being overwhelmed by the place of sin; they can now live in light of the new life instead of allowing the old to control their actions. God gifts us with the mind to move forward in faith knowing that our new story emerges in a land flowing with milk and honey despite our long sojourn in the wilderness.

I am not arguing that heinous sins don’t linger in the imagination, but I am arguing that heinous sins should not control the imagination. Christians are, after all, people of wisdom. They fill their lives with the nurture of heaven and that keeps them grounded on earthly duties. For this reason, the best decisions we make stem from a heart filled with gratitude to a God who has forgiven us and accepts us in the Beloved. We move forward as creatures bound by a future-making God who decrees all for his glory and pleasure.

On August 24, 2021 By Uri Brito In Culture 1

The Case for Coffee Tables

Back in the blessed year of our Lord Twenty-twenty, when the orange man led the mutiny against leftism one tweet at a time, life was quite tolerable for Christians who gave a dram about ethical currency. Back then, I wrote:

“If we cannot get our act together during COVID under a relatively pro-liberty, pro-church president, how many jumping jacks will we be willing to do under a Biden presidency if the next tempest rises? How much longer will we be willing to keep our churches closed? How much more will we be willing to subscribe to government mailing lists? How much more will we be willing to spread fear as a virtue? How much more will we be willing to concede?”

As Yoda would say, “Concede we have.” But we have conceded ground quicker than even I expected and evangelical Christians are so eager to taste the Kool-Aid of concession that they drank it straight. And drinking anything straight is quite a challenge for the Charles Finney generation.

So, as we move on we must get the house in order. And by house, I mean the literal oikos, and not some metaphysical one, which we will touch on in a later post. But for now, let’s begin our focus on the living room rules that should guide our revolution:

If Jesus is Lord, then the coffee table is under his domain. I have talked so much about hospitality over the years that if you poke me I’d bleed mash potatoes. That is because the entire endeavor has eternal consequences and hospitable people will one day rule the world. But my point is a bit more nuanced, if I may.

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