Dr. Jones and Mark Driscoll

January 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Dr. Peter Jones, who was just at our church for our annual Christianity and Culture conference, recently gave an excellent lecture at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. His lecture was called Pastoring in Today’s Zeitgeist, and it can be found here.

While listening to Jones I saw Mark Driscoll’s book, Vintage Jesus, will be published at the end of February. Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill Church - and some may consider him the shock-jock of Reformed Christianity. The book, I’m sure, promises to be excellent - and shocking.

Here’s one of the opening paragraphs:

Roughly two thousand years ago, Jesus was born in a dumpy, rural,
hick town, not unlike those today where guys change their own oil,
think pro wrestling is real, find women who chew tobacco sexy, and
eat a lot of Hot Pockets with their uncle-daddy. Jesus’ mom was a poor,
unwed teenage girl who was mocked for claiming she conceived via the
Holy Spirit. Most people thought she concocted a crazy story to cover
the “fact” she was knocking boots with some guy in the backseat of a
car at the prom. Jesus was adopted by a simple carpenter named Joseph
and spent the first thirty years of his life in obscurity, swinging a hammer
with his dad.

If you’re offended, keep in mind the book is endorsed by some folks you probably would be careful not to offend.

J.I. Packer, a theological heavyweight says, “This book reveals Mark Driscoll as a highly powerful, colorful, down-to-earth catechist, targeting teens and twenty-somethings with the old, old story told in modern street-cred style. And Professor Breshears ballasts a sometimes lurid but consistently vivid presentation of basic truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

And, Matt Lindland, an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling and top-ranked mixed martial arts fighter says, “This book presents an honest view of Jesus without giving in to the pressure to soften him up. I had to grapple with the real vintage Jesus. This is a Savior worth fighting for.”

I wouldn’t want to offend either of those guys.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Books, Church and Culture 

A Common Word Between Christians and Muslims?

January 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Recently, a number of leading Muslim and Christian leaders began a discussion together looking for unity based on the common ground both faiths share of “loving God and loving neighbor.” These exchanges have been called A Common Word.

Today, John Piper issued an excellent response to this dialog expressing profound disappointment with the Christians who have affirmed this common ground. Piper’s response is well worth listening to.

In reading through some of the “Common Word” documents, it seems more and more clear to me that the greatest threat Islam brings to Christianity is not violence, but peace… the kind of peace that denies the absolute uniqueness of Christ as mankind’s only hope of salvation. While it is certainly right for us to call for and pray for and hope for peace, we do not embrace peace at all costs.

Rick Phillips’ comments are particularly helpful:

I suppose that a survey of the history of religion and war would show that in times of great violence there is usually an impulse to downplay important religious differences so as to soften inter-religious anger and hatred. But it is always distressing to see Christians so willing to downplay the most central and vital aspects of our faith in pursuit of some “higher” end. I am sure that the signatories of the Christian response mean well. But for Christians there must never be a higher end that the glory of God as revealed in his Word and the spread of the biblical gospel with clarity, love, and courage. At the very moment when increasing numbers of people have concluded that “all religions believe the same thing,” the very worst thing Christians could do — the least loving and ultimately the least peaceful — is to foster the idea that one’s understanding of God need not embrace Jesus Christ as the unique revelation of God and as the Savior-Son God has sent as the only hope for a sinful world.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture, Theology 

Peter Jones Interview

January 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

In light of our Christianity and Culture conference Pagan America coming up this weekend, Dr. Peter Jones was interviewed Friday on the Calling for Truth radio program (South Carolina).

You can listen to the interview at their website - just click here.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture, Theology 

More on Pullman and “The Golden Compass” (much more, actually)

December 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Several years ago I came across a brochure in a bookstore advertising Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. The brochure took the form of a study guide, and asked questions like, “What is the author’s view of sin?” or “What is the author’s view of the church?”

For something advertising a series of science-fiction children’s books, this was fascinating.

So I bought the books and read them.

What I found, of course, was a very well told story that ultimately serves as a (ill-reasoned) polemic against Christianity in general, and the Christian God in particular. Perhaps most fascinating of all I discovered these unapologetically anti-Christian books at the same time that Harry Potter was taking a real beating from many evangelicals, yet I never heard a word about Pullman.

Having read these books, it seems to me that the real danger is not that Pullman wants to kill God off. His depiction of God as a weak, corrupt, decaying old man is quite ridiculous. Perhaps I’m naive, but no reasonable person, whether Christian or atheist, will put any stock in Pullman’s description of who he thinks God actually is. We must remember, this God that Pullman so desperately wants to kill off is the same God he doesn’t believe in. If Pullman himself doesn’t believe in the God that he is describing, neither will his readers. Although he tries, Pullman has nothing substantial to say about God himself. As I said in my previous post, the God Pullman kills off and so hates is certainly not the God of the Bible.

The real danger is that Pullman wants to liberate mankind from every authority, and in particular, from the authority of God. This is a dangerous idea. This is the temptation of all temptations. This is where Pullman will find resonance with sinful man. In our sinful nature we are bent, not on destroying God, but on replacing his rightful reign with our own rebellious reign. This is the temptation Adam and Eve fell into. And the power of this temptation cannot be underestimated. Pullman writes with the goal of liberating mankind from all divinely imposed constraints. Pullman writes for freedom from God.

Ultimately, Pullman’s desire to liberate man from the reign of God will inevitably lead to a the reign of a truly harsh and ultimately deadly taskmaster, sin.

John 8:31-36 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Romans 6:17-23 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For more on the idea of human freedom in Pullman’s books, see my paper, Original Sin, Human Freedom, and His Dark Materials.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Books, Church and Culture 

What to Make of Pullman and “The Golden Compass”

December 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment

There’s been a lot of talk and warnings about the upcoming movie, “The Golden Compass,” based on Phillip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy. Some are calling for boycots. I, however, tend to agree with what Carl Truemen says at the Reformation 21 Blog.

So I say, read what Pullman writes, go see the movie, don’t feel guilty if you even enjoy them for the fantasy stories that they are. Pullman’s a good storyteller. I found myself enjoying the books even as I loathed Pullman’s ideas about God. And I believe I was able to do this because it’s not hard to distinguish the serious errors in Pullman’s thinking.

If God is who Pullman thinks he is, a decrepit, useless, power-hungry old man, then maybe he does deserve to go, as Pullman so clearly suggests. Far be it from me to defend a God who is less than glorious and good. But I know the truth about God is quite the opposite. As the Psalmist says,

Psalm 145:8-16  The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.  The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Ultimately, the God Pullman so viciously attacks is not the God that I so gladly worship. So… enjoy the show.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture 

Assurance and the Gospel: A Post in Celebration of Reformation Day

October 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment

It’s no coincidence that Reformation Day, the day Martin Luther posted his 95 theses, falls on All Hallows Eve. Luther’s 95 theses was a protest primarily against the Catholic Church’s system of indulgences, and there were few bigger days for indulgences than All Saints Day itself. On this day faithful pilgrims would visit the relics of the saints in hopes of earning an indulgence (remission from purgatory) for loved ones in purgatory. Even today the Catholic Church promises special indulgences in connection with All Saints Day.

At the heart of the indulgence debate was the question of who could ultimately forgive sin. Could a person buy a letter of forgiveness from the pope (an indulgence) and then be certain of forgiveness? Luther said this idea was “madness” (theses 75). He instead insisted, “We say, on the contrary, that papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as guilt is concerned” (theses 76). Ultimately, Luther argued that the practice of issuing indulgences for the forgiveness of sins deceives the people (theses 24) and any assurance of salvation by a letter of pardon is vain, “even though the pope himself were to stake his soul upon it” (theses 52).

Although the Protestant Reformation sprang from a number of people, ideas, and movements, Luther’s posting of the 95 theses is considered its beginning. In reading through his theses it is obvious that nothing less than the gospel of Christ was at stake, and in the years following the true, biblical gospel was once again made plain to the masses. Thankfully, the Reformation reminded Christians once again of the supremacy of Christ, the true nature of saving faith, the glory of Christ’s righteousness imputed to the believer, and the sovereignty of God over all of life. Eventually, “after darkness, light” came to be the slogan that represented the recovery of the great Reformation truths.

Time, however, can dim even the greatest of lights.

Today, even among many evangelical churches, assurance of faith is too frequently peddled to the masses in the guise of a gospel that is just as inadequate as the gospel Luther struggled against. Too often the gospel is promoted as a pathway to wholeness, and not forgiveness. Too often the gospel is marketed as a product to be purchased, when it is in reality a truth to be obeyed. Too often people are urged to merely have faith, while Christ, the proper object of true faith, is ignored. Too often God is presented as a helpless, would-be guest knocking on the doors of our hearts, when he is actually the sovereign Lord and Judge over all. Too often the cross is presented merely as an example of love, and not as the place where both God’s mercy and justice meet. Too often the gospel is viewed as a means to wealth and happiness, and not as a call to holiness. Too often the gospel is grounded on our works, and not on the finished work of Christ.

Today you need not buy an indulgence to receive false assurance, you need only believe any number of the false gospels available. Another Reformation, another recovery of the biblical gospel, the old gospel, is desperately needed. J.I. Packer describes the “old” gospel of the reformers in the following way, “It was always and essentially a proclamation of Divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its center of reference was unambiguously God.”

On this Reformation Day, pray that the biblical gospel, the old gospel, would be recovered. And after you’ve prayed – proclaim!

Ephesians 2:1-10 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

Note: This blog post is part of a Reformation Day symposium sponsored by challies.com. Be sure to check out all of the Reformation Day blogging there!

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture, Theology 

Pray for Zimbabwe

October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Lacey and I have friends from Zimbabwe - a country in a desperate situation largely due to an unjust government. Please pray for the people of this country, the witness of the church in Zimbabwe in these difficult times, and for both mercy and justice. Below is their most recent email update describing their situation…

Dearest Friends and Family,

 

Well it has been two long months since our last news to you all on what has been happening in Zimbabwe and we apologize for the silence. The last two months here have probably been two of the worst economically that we have ever seen. We have literally watched a nation already struggling, been dealt the final blows. The most frightening thing about this, is that these ‘blows’ have been dealt by non other than our own government! In every other nation it seems that the president and his cabinet and other officials spend their time trying to avoid national disasters and crises, but in Zimbabwe it seems that these are the very people who spend their time creating them! We could not even begin to describe to you what we have seen and heard of taking place within our nation in the last few months. I dare say that there probably is not even one Zimbabwean who has not been affected by the situation.

 

I believe that Zimbabweans no longer understand or know what a normal lifestyle looks like anymore. Our water is extremely short especially in Matableleland (the region in which we live) and we are now down to about 12 hours of water from a tap (faucet) in every four days. The rest of the time we are taking water from containers or boreholes (underground water). People who live in the high density suburbs of our city have bowsers that are allocated to their areas. People may then line up sometimes for hours on end and get a maximum of 20 liters (5 gallons) of water per household per day! Schools are having to buy water in bowsers in order to keep their plumbing systems going and to try and maintain some form of hygiene. This has affected our public health dramatically and already we are having very severe outbreaks of Diahorea and gastric problems of huge proportions.

 

Food is still chronically short. Vegetables and some locally produced fruit is still readily available but the two main staple foods, mealie meal (ground corn) and bread are hard to come by, even on the black market. The other basic commodities are non existent and probably 80% of our supermarkets may well be closed within the next two weeks. Many families now need to travel out of the country on average once a month or more to buy even the very basics such as flour, oil, sugar, bread etc. While there still remain the vast majority of people who are unable to make trips out of the country and have to manage on what they can find.

 

About 10 days ago all the butcheries were told that they would get their slaughter house licenses back. People were jubilant, until they got them back with a list of regulations that go something along the lines of:

  • You will be paid out at Z$ 360 000/kg for the beast you slaughter and you can buy it back at Z$580 000/kg.
  • You may send you animals in for slaughter and 1% of all you slaughter will be given to the army.
  • 30% of all you slaughter will be sold to government -at cost.
  • The balance of meat that you remain with is then to be shared between X, Yand Z butcheries.

 

How does a business survive that? Hence there is still no meat on
the shelves….

 

Petrol and Diesel can only be found on the black market now and it has to be paid in foreign currency. Since the governments ‘price freeze’ three months ago fuel has gone from an average of 90c (US) a liter to $1.20 /liter. So much for controlling inflation!! At the beginning of September the Zim dollar was about Z$150 000: US$1. Today the rate was Z$500 000:US$1 and the rate is still climbing…….they are estimating that it will be up to $700 000:1 by the end of this week.

 

The government is in the process of passing a “indiginisation bill”. In this bill they are stating that every foreign or non black owned company has to relinquish 51% of it’s share holding to a local non white Zimbabwean. If they refuse to do this it seems that there business will be taken over much like the commercial farms were, and still are.

 

Even as I write this, there have been more farm invasions and more productive commercial farmers have been forcibly removed from their farms in the last few days.This week 10 commercial farmers were taken to court for growing crops on their land?!! What a time we are living in. Chaos is the only word that I have to describe it.

 

In the last two weeks I was able to read an updated report on Zimbabwe and quite honestly the statistics are frightening. Not only are we top of the charts for the highest inflation in the world (approximately 15000% per annum) the next highest in the world is Myanmar(Burma) at 70% and Iraq 40% , we have the fastest declining economy, the lowest life expectancy thanks to HIV/Aids, poverty and lack of even basic medical assistance. The highest child mortality rate (which has doubled since 1985), but also one of the highest and greatest needs for food aid in the world. The list goes on and on. Do you know that Zimbabwe has a higher death rate than Darfor? But we are neither at war or have a drought, and all of this could have been prevented.

 

When people come to Zimbabwe they do not see child soldiers, or children with kwashiorkor bellies, we have no car bombs and people are not being shot dead on the streets, blown up by land-mines, or raped. But they are simply fading away. The combined impact of HIV/Aids, poverty, lack of even the most basic medical assistance and food shortages is taking a huge humanitarian toll on the people of Zimbabwe. The only evidence that there is are of the headstones and number of fresh graves that are being dug on a daily basis in our cemeteries. Many of them are very young people, some who have had no chance at life at all…..3500 people die in Zimbabwe every week totaling 600 000 people since 2003. A very frightening statistic considering that Darfor even with all its trouble has 400 000 people die in the same period. What a very sad and drastic state our nation is in.

 

For C. and I, life has continued on. It has certainly not been fun, in fact quite simply life here is pretty stressful right now. But knowing that this is where God has called us is a great comfort and God has really continued to provide our every need. We feel quite overwhelmed by the vast sea of need and desperation that we see around us on a daily basis. But what a joy to know that we stand here and are able to be a part of the greatest hope that we can give people and the most important hope of showing people Christ and the hope that He gives. Pray that we would be bold in proclaiming this truth and training others to do the same.

 

Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support. To know that you stand with us means more to us that you may ever know. We look forward to hearing all your news and please keep in touch.

 

Standing Firm In The Arms of Our Everlasting Father,

 

M.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture, Missions 

Michael Horton to appear on CBS’s 60 Minutes

October 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Michael Horton will be appearing on the Sunday, October 14th airing of 60 Minutes (7 p.m), commenting on the popular televangelist Joel Osteen. So, set your recorders and watch when you return from evening worship!

For more information, see the White Horse Inn website.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture 

The Good Old Days?

October 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Often times I find myself thinking that in years past, the world was a better, more civil place… A place more hospitable to the gospel and the Christian faith. As I’ve been slowly reading through the 2 volume biography of George Whitefield by Arnold Dallimore, this mindset has largely persisted within me, causing me to think things like, “If only our age was similar to Whitefield’s age (mid 1700’s), then maybe we would also see such significant revival and renewal.” Whitefield was the instrument of the conversion of untold thousands, and frequently preached to many thousands daily.

Reading last night, however, my eyes were finally opened to see the truth that Whitefield’s age and our own age are far more similar than I generally perceive. As Whitefield began his preaching career, both England and America were in serious spiritual decline. One of the very tangible ways this evidenced itself in Whitefield’s life was the simple fact that he constantly faced persecution and threats, both from the world and from the established church.

In 1742 Whitefield found himself preaching one Monday at an annual carnival in London. As he preached, many were indeed cut to the heart, but others hated Whitefield’s preaching. Whitefield writes, “I was honoured with having a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs and pieces of dead cats thrown at me… My soul was indeed among lions.” One man got on another man’s shoulders and attempted to slash Whitefield with a whip while he was in his pulpit. The next day Whitefield ventured out again to preach and a man tried to stab him. The next day Whitefield went out to preach again and he writes, “After they found that pelting, noise and threatenings would not do, one of the merry Andrews got up into a tree very near the pulpit, and shamefully exposed his nakedness….”

Having read this I finally understood that there really is no such thing as “the good old days” when it comes to the Christian faith. Often, the greatest revivals and spiritual awakenings took place when society was at its most depraved (as in Whitefield’s day) - and the greatest times of spiritual apathy occurred when society was most civil.

Ultimately, what I realized last night while reading about Whitefield was that there truly is no excuse for working and praying and preaching and teaching and living to the end that the gospel advance in profound ways throughout our own land. I may be tempted to think, “If only we lived in the good old days, then we’d see some real evangelism and growth,” but that way of thinking is at best an error and most likely a sin.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Books, Church and Culture, Missions 

Good Worship + Good Theology

August 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment

While in seminary a friend of mine visited a church he was considering attending. He liked the church, but he said the worship songs were almost too theological for him to really worship. I understood what he meant - although I didn’t fully agree with him. When we worship most Christians rightly want an emotional experience. We want to express our love and adoration to God in song with simplicity and beauty. Worship need not be the place for a complex theological treatise - but certainly it has to be a place for rich theology.

When John sees four creatures worshiping in heaven, he records their incredibly simple praise in Revelation, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (4:8). Not only is their praise simple, they never cease saying it. That is, they repeat the same praise over and over again. Although many would criticize contemporary worship music for being too repetitive and simple, this generally is not a valid criticism.

Must our worship music be stripped down or devoid of theological content to be truly engaging and truly worshipful? Certainly not. Although simple, the creature’s worship in Revelation is abundantly rich in theological content. In their song, simple as it is, they proclaim the praises of a preeminent God, holy to the extreme, eternal, powerful, the rightful Lord over all of creation, who will come again to bring his judgment. Good worship, true worship, must be theologically rich!

Here’s an analogy. I don’t know a lot about computers. I couldn’t begin to tell you what most of the specs on a computer package mean. I’m told that the computer in my study is top of the line - but that’s about all I know about it. On the other hand, the gentleman who picked out that computer knows almost everything about it. He knows the specs, he knows it’s performance ratings and capabilities, etc. The question is, “Who is better equipped to sing the praises of the computer?” The one who knows it best, of course.

Lately, I’ve been thankful for a new wave of theologically rich worship music that maintains the sort of simplicity and beauty that is conducive to true worship. There are many new songs that have been written by those who know their theological “specs,” and thus know their God. Please allow me to point you to a few of these resources. Maybe you have some others to add.

1) Reformed University Fellowship (RUF): RUF is the college ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America. Some involved in this ministry have rewritten new music for many old hymns. In my opinion some of the music is an improvement, and some not over the traditional tunes. But the truly great thing is that many truly great hymns that have been forgotten are now being remembered. Their hymnbook can be found here.

2) Sandra McCracken: Sandra has written new music for a number of old hymns as well. Her album The Builder and the Architect is full of great stuff. She has also written some lyrics for worship music.

3) Getty Music: Here you’ll find some wonderful new original hymns. Check out O Church Arise.

Posted by Aaron | Filed Under Blog, Church and Culture, Theology 

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