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On April 6, 2024 By In Culture

Machen’s Educational Prophecies

Machen was the kind of prescient prophet who saw and interpreted the times. He was a time reader whose tea leaves consisted of cultural analysis steeped in a tasty and unadulterated biblical vision. It’s one thing to call things as we see them, but it’s another to look ahead and see where they are going. He observed in “Education, Christianity, and the State,”

“I can see little consistency in a type of Christian activity which preaches the Gospel on the street corners and at the ends of the Earth, but neglects the children of the covenant by abandoning them to a cold and unbelieving secularism.”

The 20th-century Princetonian argued that there was an evangelistic zeal that pushed the claims of Jesus to the public sphere but then pushed the pagan sphere to our homes through the means of our children.

But the Christian ideal is to prepare and send out. It is not to allow secular voices to transmit them to their newly minted human voicepieces.

Covenant children require Christian education because our zeal needs to be matched outside and inside our homes. We train within to push our gardens without. We do not bring sterile materialism into our homes through the indoctrination of our offspring.

This form of inconsistency pushes our children to be the very ones to whom we will direct our evangelism later on. They will eventually find themselves antagonizing their fathers’ message. But there is a better way. Listen to Machen.

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On November 29, 2018 By In Culture, Family and Children

Today’s Student Ministry Answers Yesterday’s Questions

Over the past dozen years of working with high school and college students as a pastor and teacher, I’ve seen lots of people make a case for the Christian faith to young people. The rap isn’t all bad, to be clear. There is much to commend and, even in those areas of ineptitude, grace abounds, the Spirit draws straight lines with crooked sticks, etc.

However, at the risk of sounding like a young foggie, there is a manner of student ministry that is as common as it is destructive. I don’t even have to describe it in great detail for you to know what I’m talking about—it’s goofy, it’s gaudy, it encourages students to put live goldfishes in their mouths.

It has to be noted that this really did “work” for a season. In the 80’s and 90’s, there were real incentives to being a Christian, you got some social capital out of going to church—heck, you’d probably even get a spouse! There was a feeling, though, that church might not want you. It was formal, you were casual; it was serious, you yucked it up on the weekends; it was pure, you were sinful. There was an assumption that the living room of the church was essentially good, the problem was that the front door was imposing and the foyer was daunting.

In that context, the less formal, serious, or otherwise fastidious the speaker was, the more likely the listener was to feel accepted, welcomed, at home. So, I don’t want to impute bad motives to those I’m criticizing. Perhaps they too find their means unseemly, but it’s all towards a good end. Here’s the thing, though: the reasons people aren’t Christian today are different than the reasons they weren’t 30 years ago.

Maybe this story will help: several months ago, I had a conversation about faith with a very thoughtful sophomore in college. He brought up issues surrounding traditional Christian teaching on sexuality. He politely but firmly told me that he found the ethic I described—the one held by Augustine, his grandmother, and Barack Obama during his first term—regressive, oppressive, and otherwise morally bankrupt. This conversation isn’t unique at all. Indeed, even when it doesn’t happen explicitly, it’s no doubt happening implicitly every time we share our faith in the Modern West.

That episode illustrates this important but overlooked point. Today, people stay home on Sunday not because they view themselves as deficient, but because they view the church as deficient. I’d argue that seeing how many marshmallows one could stuff in their mouths never provided a compelling motive for students to stay in the church, but today it can’t even get them to come in the first place. We thus needlessly beclown ourselves in front of young people to our own peril.

There is good news: the Christian faith is inherently deep, it really does provide a credible, serious explanation for reality. Before it gave us lime green shirts that ripped off the Sprite logo to say “Spirit,” it gave us the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We don’t need to lower the bar of formality to become welcoming. Rather, we need to raise the bar of thoughtfulness to become relevant, credible witnesses to the slain lamb who has begun his reign.

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On November 26, 2018 By In Podcast

Episode 43, Interview with the President of New College Franklin, Greg Wilbur, KC Podcast

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In this episode, Pastor Uri Brito speaks with the president of New College Franklin in Tennessee. New College is a classical college where students enter into the great conversation through the great works of western history and the significant philosophical questions of our day. Pastor Brito inquires about the uniqueness of New College in the modern educational environment as well as the kind of human beings this educational model produces in the workplace and in the church.

Resources:

Greg Wilbur’s Music

Greg’s Twitter Account

The Pedagogy of New College Franklin

Augustine’s Confessions: New Translation by Sarah Ruden

Intro and Outro Music by George Reed

 

 

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On August 9, 2017 By In Interviews, Podcast

The Life of J.R.R. Tolkien

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In this interview, Pastor Uri Brito discusses the life and legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien with Pastor Mark Horne.

Pastor Horne is the author of J.R.R. Tolkien of Christian Encounters, a series of biographies from Thomas Nelson Publishers, highlights important lives from all ages and areas of the Church.

“When Tolkien becomes famous he’s almost too old,” says Horne, who has written about Tolkien’s little known early life and career.

Born in South Africa and growing up in Great Britain, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Ronald as he was known, led a young life filled with uncertainty and instability. His was not a storybook childhood- his father died when Ronald was three years old, and his mother died just before he reached adolescence. Left under the guardianship of his mother’s friend and priest, Ronald forged his closest relationships with friends who shared his love for literature and languages.

As Tolkien grew older, married, served as a soldier, and became a well-respected Oxford professor publishing weighty works on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, the Christian faith that his mother had instilled in him continued as an intrinsic element of his creative imagination and his everyday life.

It was through The Hobbit and the three-volume The Lord of the Rings that Tolkien became a literary giant throughout the world. In his fiction, which earned him the informal title of “the father of modern fantasy literature,” Tolkien presents readers with a vision of freedom- nothing preachy- that a strong, unequivocal faith can transmit.

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On December 20, 2016 By In Theology, Worship

10 Questions Preachers Should Ask Before Sunday Morning

I have been a pastor for almost a decade. I spend between 12-15 hours each week thinking, researching, and writing before I deliver the first words in my Sunday sermon.a The process of writing my sermon goes through a lengthy journey each week. I contemplate several questions from Monday to Friday which force me to edit and re-edit my manuscript. There is no perfect sermon, but a sermon that goes through revisions and asks import questions has a much better chance of communicating with clarity than the self-assured preacher who engages the sermonic task with nothing more than academic lenses.

I have compiled a list of ten questions I ask myself each week at some point or another.

Question #1: Is this language clear? When you write a manuscript ( as I do) you have an opportunity to carefully consider the language you use. I make a habit of reading my sermon out loud which leads me to realize that certain phrases do not convey the idea clearly. A well-written sermon does not necessarily mean a well-delivered sermon. Reading my sermons out loud causes me to re-write and look for other ways to explain a concept or application more clearly.

Question #2: Is there a need to use high theological language in this sermon? Seminary graduates are often tempted to use the best of their training in the wrong environment. People are not listening to you to hear your theological acumen. I am well aware that some in the congregation would be entirely comfortable with words like perichoresis and Arianism. I am not opposed to using high theological discourse. Words like atonement, justification, sanctification are biblical and need to be defined. But extra-biblical terms and ideologies should be employed sparingly. Much of this can be dealt in a Sunday School class or other environments. High theological language needs to be used with great care, and I think it needs to be avoided as much as possible in the Sunday sermon.

Question #3: Can I make this sermon even shorter? As I read my sermons each week, I find that I can cut a paragraph or two easily, or depending on how long you preach, perhaps an entire page. This is an important lesson for new preachers: not everything needs to be said. Shorter sermons–which I strongly advocateb–force you to say what’s important and keep some of your research in the footnotes where it belongs. Preachers need to learn what to prioritize in a sermon so as not to unload unnecessary information on their parishioners. (more…)

  1. Thankful for great interactions before this article was published. It helped sharpen my points  (back)
  2. By this I mean sermons no longer than 30 minutes  (back)

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On May 5, 2016 By In Theology

The House and the Ascension

Long ago, our Father in Heaven had a plan. His plan was to create the world as a theater to display his glory. The world was to be a house that reflected his name. The Shekinah glory was to remain there forever. And through many dangers, toils, and snares, the house was little by little losing the purpose the builder had for it.

It would appear that God’s building project had become an abysmal failure. But God’s construction plans are not like our building projects. His ways are not our ways. He had a plan. He had a restoration project. He was going to restore, rebuild, and reclaim his own house. This time, the house was not going to be built on spiritual adultery or religious idolatry. It would be on the Rock, which is Christ. The builders rejected him, but the new humanity composed of men and women, and children united to the Rock, will no longer deny him.

In the life of Jesus, the foundation was poured on the earth. In his death, the wall and roof were placed to cover the world and give it shade. In his resurrection, fresh, clean water is available. Come and drink of the river that never runs dry. But there is one part of this earthly construction that is missing. There is a foundation, a roof to protect you from the storms, running water to shower and be replenished, but now we need to turn it on. We need electricity! We need the power to turn the refrigerator, stove, microwave, air conditioner, heater, fan, laptops, cell phones, etc. We need to activate the house so that everyone can live with a purpose. I propose that the Ascension of Jesus is that singular event in history that gives life to everything; that sets everything into motion. It is the electricity that the Church needs to disciple the nations.

Without the Ascension, we are living in an almost finished property. The Ascension means that the house/world is ready to be inhabited once and for all. The power is on. We can now move in together as a Church and take care of it. The workers can all go home. Our only task is now maintaining the house. Now, this house is the world. And the world is a big place. It needs to be energized by the Ascension. The Ascension is God’s way of saying: “My Son’s work is done! Now it’s your turn!” (more…)

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On March 4, 2016 By In Politics, Theology

Andy Stanley’s Big Frustration with Little Churches

Post by Uri Brito and Dustin Messer

In a recent sermon, Andy Stanley made the staggering observation:

When I hear adults say, ‘Well I don’t like a big church, I like about 200, I want to be able to know everybody,’ I say, ‘You are so stinking selfish. You care nothing about the next generation. All you care about is you and your five friends. You don’t care about your kids…anybody else’s kids.’ You’re like, ‘What’s up?’ I’m saying if you don’t go to a church large enough where you can have enough Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers to separate them so they can have small groups and grow up the local church, you are a selfish adult. Get over it. Find yourself a big old church where your kids can connect with a bunch of people and grow up and love the local church.

Stanley has since apologized in the way modern preachers apologize: via twitter. 

While we take him at his word (or tweet, as the case may be), this was not simply a slip of the tongue. While he may be sorry for the way in which he communicated the message—even sorry for a specific sentiment in the message—one can’t fake the sort of passion exhibited by Stanley as he described his antipathy for small churches. Again, we believe he’s genuinely sorry we’re offended, but Stanley clearly has heartfelt feelings about non-megachurches (microchurches?) that didn’t begin or end with the sermon in question. Below are three reasons we feel such a sentiment is harmful: (more…)

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On December 28, 2015 By In Books, Culture, Family and Children

Are Christian Schools Necessary?

I’ve mentioned my appreciation for the work of Nicholas Wolterstorff before. Even in those times when I’m not completely persuaded by his argument, I find his reasoning  to be incredibly stimulating and helpful. The below excerpt comes amid a discussion on the question, “are Christian schools necessary?” In offering an affirmative answer, Wolterstorff gives a splendid discourse on the logical implication of the Christian world-and-life-view vis-à-vis education. For book length discussions in this vein, I’d highly recommend Norman Dejong’s classic Education in the Truth, the collection of essays by Berkhof and Van Til Foundations of Christian Education, Desiring the Kingdom by James K.A. Smith, Donovan Graham’s Teaching Redemptively, and of course Wolterstorff himself, starting here:

“Christian parents, in directing the education of their child, will seek to train the child to live the Christian way of life as a member of the Christian community in the midst of human society[i]. The children of Christian parents are already members of the household of faith, they are immature members. It is the duty and responsibility of Christian parents to bring their membership to maturity.

It should be noticed that the primary aim of the education that Christian parents give their child is a positive one—preparing the child to do something in society. The primary aim is not a negative one—secluding and isolating the children from society, quarantining them against infection. The Christian view of faith, life, and society justifies no such fearful and apprehensive negativism.

Thus, the question as to whether the Christians should maintain separate Christian day-schools will have to be wholly determined by their judgment as to whether the public schools, plus their homes and churches, are adequate instruments for that end. There can be little doubt that homes and churches together are adequate instruments for teaching children the proper devotional practices and the proper theological beliefs; one scarcely needs separate day-schools for that. But the question is whether homes and churches plus the public school are adequate instruments for training children to live the whole Christian way of life.

How could the public school supply what Christians must demand of the school to which they send their children? For, to repeat, the public school must be affirmatively impartial in its educational policies and practices. It cannot with propriety undertake to be a training ground for the Christian way of life. It cannot rightfully, in our religiously diverse society, systematically inculcate Christian standards for the assessment of art and literature, Christian economic and political principles, the Christian understanding of work, the Christian view of nature, the Christian understanding of the source of evil in human affairs. Yet exactly these things—and many others of the same sort—are what the Christian wants inculcated in the child, for the inculcation of such things is indispensable to training the child to live the whole Christian way of life.

It cannot be overlooked that the gospel speaks to our this-worldly secular existence as well as to our other-worldly existence. I think it is difficult, therefore, to avoid the conclusion that Christians need Christian schools for the education of their children. And once more—they do not need them to teach children the Christian way of worship; they need them to teach children the Christian way of life.”

[i] Wolterstorff, Nicholas, Gloria G. Stronks, and Clarence W. Joldersma. Educating for Life: Reflections on Christian Teaching and Learning. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2002. Pg. 203-204

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On December 2, 2015 By In Scribblings

Education or Propaganda?

Last summer in a talk entitled “The Harmony of Contemplation,” author and educator Tracy Lee Simmons briefly contrasted the educated mind with the propagandized mind: “[What is] the difference between the educated and the propagandized mind? The one is prompted to think, the other is anesthetized to thought. The one is given the greatest questions, the other is supplied with canned answers. The one seeks a measured and rational view of oneself and others, the other can be lulled into satisfaction with caricatures.”

As our children grow, we parents are often faced with questions that baffle us, stump us, and ultimately, humble us. As this occurs, remembering Mr. Simmons’ three comparisons can help us educate our children as opposed to merely propagandizing them. (more…)

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On April 4, 2015 By In Theology

What Happens the Day Before Easter?

The Passion Week provides vast theological emotions for the people of God. Palm Sunday commences with the entrance of a divine King riding on a donkey. He comes in ancient royal transportation. The royal procession concludes with a Crucified Messiah exalted on a tree.

The Church also celebrates Maundy Thursday as our Messiah provides a new commandment to love one another just as He loved us. We then proceed to sing of the anguish of that Good Friday as our blessed Lord is humiliated by soldiers and scolded by the unsavory words of the religious leaders of the day. As he walks to the Mount his pain testifies to Paul’s words that he suffered even to the point of death. But hidden in this glaringly distasteful mixture of blood, vinegar, and bruised flesh is the calmness of the day after our Lord’s crucifixion.

After fulfilling the great Davidic promise in Psalm 22, our Lord rests from his labors in the tomb. Whatever may have happened in those days prior to his resurrection, we know that Christ’s work was finished.

The Church calls this day Blessed Sabbath or more commonly, Holy Saturday. On this day our Lord reposed (rested) from his accomplishments. Many throughout history also believe that Holy Saturday is a fulfillment of Moses’ words:

God blessed the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day of rest, on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works . . .(Gen. 2:2)

The Church links this day with the creation account. On day seven Yahweh rested and enjoyed the fruit of his creation. Jesus Christ also rested in the rest given to him by the Father and enjoyed the fruits of the New Creation he began to establish and would be brought to light on the next day.

As Alexander Schmemann observed:

Now Christ, the Son of God through whom all things were created, has come to restore man to communion with God. He thereby completes creation. All things are again as they should be. His mission is consummated. On the Blessed Sabbath He rests from all His works.

Holy Saturday is a day of rest for God’s people; a foretaste of the true Rest that comes in the Risen Christ. The calmness of Holy Saturday makes room for the explosion of Easter Sunday. On this day, we remember that the darkness of the grave and the resting of the Son were only temporary for when a New Creation bursts into the scene the risen Lord of glory cannot contain his joy, and so he gives it to us.

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