Early this morning, about 5:00, while all of us were still sound asleep in our beds, the doorbell rang. I've experienced a few knocks at the door in the middle of the night, and there is nothing that will get me out of bed quicker. You just can't hit "snooze" on the doorbell.
Since it was an odd hour to come knocking, I decided to shout through the door instead of just swinging it wide open to see who might be there. When I asked, "who is it?", the voice from outside responded with obscenities. The more I asked him who he was, what he wanted, who he was looking for, the more he piled on the insults and obscenities. And, he kept banging on the door, trying to push it open, and ringing the doorbell.
It was obvious he was drunk, but the scary part was not knowing if he was just a mildly belligerent but basically harmless drunk, or an armed and dangerous, violent drunk. So, I kept the door shut.
One of the first things I told the guy was that if he didn't go away, I would call the police. He said he didn't care and that he was staying. So, I hollered at Robyn to call the police. While we waited for the cops to arrive, which seemed to take a while (Robyn called again to let them know the situation was pretty urgent), I tried to tell our visitor that he was at the wrong house. It was useless; he was convinced he was at the right house and wasn't going anywhere until I let him in. I'm thankful the kids couldn't hear the man, because although their vocabularies would have expanded significantly, it would have been with words not suitable for a pastor's children!
Robyn and the children stayed upstairs. Maggie and Moriah actually slept through the whole episode, but Meredith and Sander were pretty scared. Meredith prayed that the police would come soon, and Sander was shaking all over.
I was very relieved to see two police vehicles drive up yo the house, with their spotlights on (one of my thoughts was actually, "I'm so glad to live in a place where I can trust the police to do the job that needs to be done here."). I watched out the window as the two officers, a man and a woman, talked to the man, put handcuffs on him, frisked him, and led him back to one of the cars. Thankfully, it didn't look like he was armed or meant any harm. After they arrested him, one of the officers talked to me and didn't seem too worried about it. It appears he was just stoned out of his mind and was at the wrong house. His belligerence was because he thought I was giving him a hard time for refusing to open the door.
I couldn't go back to sleep after that, though. In my mind, I don't believe he is going to come back (unless he makes the same mistake twice!). But, I will feel better after a quiet night or two.
When we talked about it with the kids, I said that we should not only give thanks to God that it wasn't a more serious situation, but that we should pray for this man (I also explained that he had drunk too much wine or beer). Sander did pray for him tonight when I put him to bed: "Thank you for the man who knocked-ed on the door last night, thank you that the police camed-ed, and thank you that he drink-ed too much wine"!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thoughts on preaching
Our local newspaper, The Frontiersman, published an article on its website written by a local pastor containing his thoughts on the media's response to the preaching of Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
I had been thinking about this myself a bit, and his article prompted me to leave a response. One of my comments was, how strangely refreshing that a preacher is making news for what he says in the pulpit, not for his scandalous conduct!
The pastor who wrote the article argued that since preaching is an art form, especially African-American preaching, it is sheer ignorance on the part of the media to parse small snippets of his sermons as though they alone actually contain the message he is communicating to his church. If the reporters knew the first thing about sermonizing, he argued, especially in the African-American tradition, they would understand that what Wright has said is not really what the congregation takes away from his sermons.
It was an interesting article, though I disagreed with much of it. The pastor was correct to say that sermons are not lectures. A sermon does aim for the heart; preaching is not merely an intellectual exercise. And, it is true that there is a great art to preaching that goes beyond simply communicating information in a didactic fashion.
If I had more space (I was only allowed 100 words!), I would have included the following thoughts:
First, preaching is all about communicating truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, "by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2). Now, preachers exaggerate to make a point, or even say something shocking in order to drive their message home. Jesus himself did this. He said to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin (Matt. 5:30). He didn't mean this literally, but was communicating the truth of the seriousness of sin.
Truth is the preacher's stock-in-trade. It is a sad thing to hear a preacher making outrageous assertions to evoke an emotional response. Can truth ever be dispensable in this way for a preacher? How can he preach God's truth with integrity if he is not committed to truth in principle?
Secondly, preaching, at least Christian preaching, is the proclamation of a message. Namely, the good news of Christ's death and resurrection to save us from our sins. Political sermons, whether on the left or right, use a sacred instrument for profane (as in, common) purposes. Do we have such a low view of the Kingdom of God, and such a disregard for the urgency of the gospel, that we forfeit preaching Christ in order to advance our agenda for this world? The first Christians turned the world upside down precisely because they preached the glory of the world to come (and that had come in Christ).
I had been thinking about this myself a bit, and his article prompted me to leave a response. One of my comments was, how strangely refreshing that a preacher is making news for what he says in the pulpit, not for his scandalous conduct!
The pastor who wrote the article argued that since preaching is an art form, especially African-American preaching, it is sheer ignorance on the part of the media to parse small snippets of his sermons as though they alone actually contain the message he is communicating to his church. If the reporters knew the first thing about sermonizing, he argued, especially in the African-American tradition, they would understand that what Wright has said is not really what the congregation takes away from his sermons.
It was an interesting article, though I disagreed with much of it. The pastor was correct to say that sermons are not lectures. A sermon does aim for the heart; preaching is not merely an intellectual exercise. And, it is true that there is a great art to preaching that goes beyond simply communicating information in a didactic fashion.
If I had more space (I was only allowed 100 words!), I would have included the following thoughts:
First, preaching is all about communicating truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, "by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2). Now, preachers exaggerate to make a point, or even say something shocking in order to drive their message home. Jesus himself did this. He said to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin (Matt. 5:30). He didn't mean this literally, but was communicating the truth of the seriousness of sin.
Truth is the preacher's stock-in-trade. It is a sad thing to hear a preacher making outrageous assertions to evoke an emotional response. Can truth ever be dispensable in this way for a preacher? How can he preach God's truth with integrity if he is not committed to truth in principle?
Secondly, preaching, at least Christian preaching, is the proclamation of a message. Namely, the good news of Christ's death and resurrection to save us from our sins. Political sermons, whether on the left or right, use a sacred instrument for profane (as in, common) purposes. Do we have such a low view of the Kingdom of God, and such a disregard for the urgency of the gospel, that we forfeit preaching Christ in order to advance our agenda for this world? The first Christians turned the world upside down precisely because they preached the glory of the world to come (and that had come in Christ).
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sad news
Who knows the battles of the heart that rage within a person? We found out yesterday that one of the coaches at the gymnastics school where Meredith and Maggie take lessons was killed the day before. "Coach Jay" was 42 years old, and was by all accounts a great coach and popular with the kids and parents alike. Our children didn't have him as a coach, but knew him since he worked there. I had never met him, but I distinctly remember watching him once listening excitedly as Sander explained to him that once he was four years old, he was going to take gymnastics.
Coach Jay struggled with some serious personal problems. A friend of ours, whose children took lessons from him for years, ministered to him in the midst of his struggles, helping him and speaking to him about the gospel. But he was overcome in the end. He was shot by police officers who went to his house after a call from his father in Florida who was fearful that Jay was suicidal. Apparently, Jay purposely drew their fire in order to be killed.
The whole thing is sad. Yes, God is in control and will bring good out of it. But the only right response to something like this is to do what Jesus did before the tomb of Lazarus, to weep over the evil sin has brought into this world.
Coach Jay struggled with some serious personal problems. A friend of ours, whose children took lessons from him for years, ministered to him in the midst of his struggles, helping him and speaking to him about the gospel. But he was overcome in the end. He was shot by police officers who went to his house after a call from his father in Florida who was fearful that Jay was suicidal. Apparently, Jay purposely drew their fire in order to be killed.
The whole thing is sad. Yes, God is in control and will bring good out of it. But the only right response to something like this is to do what Jesus did before the tomb of Lazarus, to weep over the evil sin has brought into this world.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sinclair Ferguson's reflections on ministry
One of my favorite preachers is Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. Dr. Ferguson is currently the senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina. When I was a student at Westminster in Philadelphia, I was fortunate enough to have him as a professor for one of my classes. The class was a winter term class, which meant that for two or three weeks we met for several hours a day. I don't remember Dr. Ferguson ever consulting a single note during that whole time!
One of the habits I've acquired over the winter is listening to Dr. Ferguson's messages on my mp3 player while I jog at an indoor sports complex down the road from us. His preaching is very powerful and compelling, even recorded. I think he must be one of the more effective Christian communicators of our day.
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ferguson a few years ago while we were both standing in a buffet line for dinner at a Reformation Day service in a Dallas church. He was preaching that evening, and since I had him as a professor, I introduced myself to him and we talked for a little while. Since I was also at that time a great admirer of his preaching and teaching, it was a blessing to be able to talk with him a bit in an informal way.
I recently learned about a talk that Dr. Ferguson gave at a seminary campus recently that is available on iTunes. Rather than a lecture or sermon, this talk was about his reflections on the pastoral ministry at age 60. Much of it is autobiographical. He speaks of how he came to Christ as a teenager in Scotland, his formative years as a believer, the profound influence two ministers had on him (Rev. William Still and Rev. Eric Alexander), the Christian authors who shaped him spiritually (John Calvin, John Owen, and John Murray), and his struggles as an evangelical believer at a very liberal theological school. For me, this very personal account of his life was both fascinating and inspiring. I do hope he writes an autobiography someday.
His reflections on ministry were challenging at a few points. He noted the lack of prayer in today's churches, especially in those churches that are faithful to historic Reformed theology. This is a sad commentary on the state of Reformed churches today, but from my own very limited experience, it seems he's right. We just don't pray as we should.
What Dr. Ferguson had to say about preaching also left an impression on my mind and heart. Since I preach twice a week, and spend many hours each week preparing sermons, I am especially interested to hear what great preachers have to say about preaching. It is his conviction that today's preaching is far too subjective, even in Reformed churches. Much preaching today is like "finding Waldo," in which the primary emphasis is always on finding one's self in the text and seeing how it then speaks to one's own life.
What is needed, he says, is for preaching that so centered upon Jesus Christ, and the Holy Trinity, that the imperatives of God's Word are "propelled" forward into the heart as God is magnified in the preaching. Not that a sermon should be a theological lecture, but that a sermon should so manifest Christ, and so impress him upon the conscience, that the imperatives of God's Word are naturally, as it were, driven into the heart.
I was challenged by this. I felt my own inadequacy as a minister of the gospel, how little I know the Word of God, how lightly Christ rests upon my own heart. I hope to grow to be the sort of preacher that Dr. Ferguson describes (and which, I believe, he also exemplifies).
What most impressed me, I think, of hearing Dr. Ferguson's reflections was his sincerity. I couldn't help but think that this man cares about ministry because he believes the gospel. He has thought deeply about preaching because he really believes in the power of preaching to communicate Christ. He has served Christ as a pastor and teacher because he loves Christ.
I pray that I would serve as a Christian minister for these reasons, too.
One of the habits I've acquired over the winter is listening to Dr. Ferguson's messages on my mp3 player while I jog at an indoor sports complex down the road from us. His preaching is very powerful and compelling, even recorded. I think he must be one of the more effective Christian communicators of our day.
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ferguson a few years ago while we were both standing in a buffet line for dinner at a Reformation Day service in a Dallas church. He was preaching that evening, and since I had him as a professor, I introduced myself to him and we talked for a little while. Since I was also at that time a great admirer of his preaching and teaching, it was a blessing to be able to talk with him a bit in an informal way.
I recently learned about a talk that Dr. Ferguson gave at a seminary campus recently that is available on iTunes. Rather than a lecture or sermon, this talk was about his reflections on the pastoral ministry at age 60. Much of it is autobiographical. He speaks of how he came to Christ as a teenager in Scotland, his formative years as a believer, the profound influence two ministers had on him (Rev. William Still and Rev. Eric Alexander), the Christian authors who shaped him spiritually (John Calvin, John Owen, and John Murray), and his struggles as an evangelical believer at a very liberal theological school. For me, this very personal account of his life was both fascinating and inspiring. I do hope he writes an autobiography someday.
His reflections on ministry were challenging at a few points. He noted the lack of prayer in today's churches, especially in those churches that are faithful to historic Reformed theology. This is a sad commentary on the state of Reformed churches today, but from my own very limited experience, it seems he's right. We just don't pray as we should.
What Dr. Ferguson had to say about preaching also left an impression on my mind and heart. Since I preach twice a week, and spend many hours each week preparing sermons, I am especially interested to hear what great preachers have to say about preaching. It is his conviction that today's preaching is far too subjective, even in Reformed churches. Much preaching today is like "finding Waldo," in which the primary emphasis is always on finding one's self in the text and seeing how it then speaks to one's own life.
What is needed, he says, is for preaching that so centered upon Jesus Christ, and the Holy Trinity, that the imperatives of God's Word are "propelled" forward into the heart as God is magnified in the preaching. Not that a sermon should be a theological lecture, but that a sermon should so manifest Christ, and so impress him upon the conscience, that the imperatives of God's Word are naturally, as it were, driven into the heart.
I was challenged by this. I felt my own inadequacy as a minister of the gospel, how little I know the Word of God, how lightly Christ rests upon my own heart. I hope to grow to be the sort of preacher that Dr. Ferguson describes (and which, I believe, he also exemplifies).
What most impressed me, I think, of hearing Dr. Ferguson's reflections was his sincerity. I couldn't help but think that this man cares about ministry because he believes the gospel. He has thought deeply about preaching because he really believes in the power of preaching to communicate Christ. He has served Christ as a pastor and teacher because he loves Christ.
I pray that I would serve as a Christian minister for these reasons, too.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
He is risen!
Today was our first Easter Sunday in Alaska. It is supposed to springtime, but the temperatures are still in the mid to high 30's. Yet it does feel like winter is over; the snow is nearly gone, and there is abundant sunlight. After the evening service tonight, all the kids in the church were outside running around and playing Frisbee.
I preached this morning on the resurrection from Luke's Gospel. The main point of my sermon was that as Christians, our hope is not just for a better life in this world, but our hope is for resurrection life.
Everything in the Christian faith and life hinges on the historical reality of the empty tomb. If the body of Jesus was there all along, and if his bones are still interred in some tomb in Israel, then everything I do as a pastor is a colossal waste of time. The day it is proven that Jesus was not raised from the dead is the day I stop being a minister of the gospel, because there would be no more gospel and no more point to Christian ministry. Not only that, but if Christ is not raised, everything I believe about God is false. But ever since I've been a Christian, I've never really doubted the reality of the resurrection of Christ. I believe in my heart of hearts that one day it will be revealed to all the world that the stories in the Bible of his resurrection are true. And, I believe in my heart that one day I will also be raised up from the grave.
This evening I preached on God's faithfulness to us despite our unfaithfulness. One of my favorite verses is 2 Timothy 2:13 - "if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." One point I made was that God is faithful to us because he is true to his word and his promises. It is remarkable how there are such profound practical implications of the character of God. It is just because of who God is, that our salvation is secure and we can rest our hearts in his promises to us in Christ.
I preached this morning on the resurrection from Luke's Gospel. The main point of my sermon was that as Christians, our hope is not just for a better life in this world, but our hope is for resurrection life.
Everything in the Christian faith and life hinges on the historical reality of the empty tomb. If the body of Jesus was there all along, and if his bones are still interred in some tomb in Israel, then everything I do as a pastor is a colossal waste of time. The day it is proven that Jesus was not raised from the dead is the day I stop being a minister of the gospel, because there would be no more gospel and no more point to Christian ministry. Not only that, but if Christ is not raised, everything I believe about God is false. But ever since I've been a Christian, I've never really doubted the reality of the resurrection of Christ. I believe in my heart of hearts that one day it will be revealed to all the world that the stories in the Bible of his resurrection are true. And, I believe in my heart that one day I will also be raised up from the grave.
This evening I preached on God's faithfulness to us despite our unfaithfulness. One of my favorite verses is 2 Timothy 2:13 - "if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." One point I made was that God is faithful to us because he is true to his word and his promises. It is remarkable how there are such profound practical implications of the character of God. It is just because of who God is, that our salvation is secure and we can rest our hearts in his promises to us in Christ.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The cost of forgiveness
Since today is Good Friday, we had a worship service at church this evening to remember the suffering and death of Christ. I spoke of the sufferings of Christ, both the physical and mental anguish he experienced, and the spiritual agony he endured in bearing in his soul the wrath of God against sin.
Although I didn't speak of it tonight, I have been thinking how the sufferings of Christ provide us with the true measure of the cost of God's forgiveness of our sins.
I would imagine there are few people in the world, or at least in our society, who don't know that the God of the Bible is a God who forgives. And, I would guess that a good many people are fairly confident that God will forgive their sins. As I heard it was said by someone, "God will forgive me; that's his business."
But I wonder how many people truly understand the price that God paid to get into this business of forgiveness? One might think that God, being God, could simply forgive a person's sin simply by willing to forget it. I do something similar to this practically on a daily basis. When one of my children commit some childish and harmless "sin" against me, like knocking over my water glass, he or she will apologize (sometimes!). And it is no problem for me to forgive them, because I wasn't really offended. In my worst moments, I believe that God looks at my sins in that way. They're pretty minor sins, I tell myself, and surely a God as big as he is cannot be too troubled by them. So, he can easily look past it.
But the cross reveals a different story. God doesn't forgive sin by overlooking it. Rather, sin, in any form or degree, is an offense against God's holy character. And if he is to be God, he must respond in righteous judgment against it. That is why Christ suffered as he did at the cross. The sinless Son of God bore in his body and soul the just judgment of God against sin. Only on the basis of Christ's suffering and death as a substitute for sinners, could God forgive sinners. And when you consider the depth of Christ's suffering, you begin to understand costliness of God's forgiveness.
No matter how much we take it for granted at times, God's forgiveness is valuable beyond measure. It cost him the death of his Son. Show me someone who understands the price Christ paid on the cross to take away his sins, and I'll show you someone who knows the true value of God's forgiveness.
Although I didn't speak of it tonight, I have been thinking how the sufferings of Christ provide us with the true measure of the cost of God's forgiveness of our sins.
I would imagine there are few people in the world, or at least in our society, who don't know that the God of the Bible is a God who forgives. And, I would guess that a good many people are fairly confident that God will forgive their sins. As I heard it was said by someone, "God will forgive me; that's his business."
But I wonder how many people truly understand the price that God paid to get into this business of forgiveness? One might think that God, being God, could simply forgive a person's sin simply by willing to forget it. I do something similar to this practically on a daily basis. When one of my children commit some childish and harmless "sin" against me, like knocking over my water glass, he or she will apologize (sometimes!). And it is no problem for me to forgive them, because I wasn't really offended. In my worst moments, I believe that God looks at my sins in that way. They're pretty minor sins, I tell myself, and surely a God as big as he is cannot be too troubled by them. So, he can easily look past it.
But the cross reveals a different story. God doesn't forgive sin by overlooking it. Rather, sin, in any form or degree, is an offense against God's holy character. And if he is to be God, he must respond in righteous judgment against it. That is why Christ suffered as he did at the cross. The sinless Son of God bore in his body and soul the just judgment of God against sin. Only on the basis of Christ's suffering and death as a substitute for sinners, could God forgive sinners. And when you consider the depth of Christ's suffering, you begin to understand costliness of God's forgiveness.
No matter how much we take it for granted at times, God's forgiveness is valuable beyond measure. It cost him the death of his Son. Show me someone who understands the price Christ paid on the cross to take away his sins, and I'll show you someone who knows the true value of God's forgiveness.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
11 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes, 33 seconds
This is exactly how much time is left before the St. Louis Cardinals start the 2008 season. For the last few years, Robyn and I have followed the Redbirds. It was easier in Oklahoma than here, since some of the games were televised there. And, almost all of the games were on the radio.
Here in Alaska, we'll have to make do with whatever internet coverage we can come up with. But we definitely will be rooting for the Cards this year.
I was a huge Cardinals fan during my high school years, when my family lived in suburban St. Louis. That was in the mid-eighties, when they made it to the World Series twice, and lost both times. Both were bitter losses. In 1985 against the Royals, the Series got away thanks to a terrible, and now legendary, bad call by the ump at first base. In 1987 they lost to the Minnesota Twins. That one also hurt. I was a freshmen in college at the time, and my roommate was a big "Twinkies" fan. Not only did I have to live with the guy after the Series, but one of my fraternity "actives" (who could torment those of us who were "pledges") made me wear a Twins cap on campus the next day. Blatant hazing.
In 2004, the Cards made the World Series again. This time, they were drubbed by the Red Sox in four games. That one was also tough to swallow; they never even showed up to play.
Somehow after I married Robyn, my Cardinals fan-hood rubbed off on her. Now she's a die-hard Redbirds supporter. In 2006, we took a trip together to St. Louis to see the Cards play in their brand-new stadium. They lost that game, but went on that very year to win it all. It was a great experience after the previous disappointments.
I wonder, what's in the cards for the Cards this year? In just 11 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes, and 33 seconds, we'll start to find out. Play ball!
Here in Alaska, we'll have to make do with whatever internet coverage we can come up with. But we definitely will be rooting for the Cards this year.
I was a huge Cardinals fan during my high school years, when my family lived in suburban St. Louis. That was in the mid-eighties, when they made it to the World Series twice, and lost both times. Both were bitter losses. In 1985 against the Royals, the Series got away thanks to a terrible, and now legendary, bad call by the ump at first base. In 1987 they lost to the Minnesota Twins. That one also hurt. I was a freshmen in college at the time, and my roommate was a big "Twinkies" fan. Not only did I have to live with the guy after the Series, but one of my fraternity "actives" (who could torment those of us who were "pledges") made me wear a Twins cap on campus the next day. Blatant hazing.
In 2004, the Cards made the World Series again. This time, they were drubbed by the Red Sox in four games. That one was also tough to swallow; they never even showed up to play.
Somehow after I married Robyn, my Cardinals fan-hood rubbed off on her. Now she's a die-hard Redbirds supporter. In 2006, we took a trip together to St. Louis to see the Cards play in their brand-new stadium. They lost that game, but went on that very year to win it all. It was a great experience after the previous disappointments.
I wonder, what's in the cards for the Cards this year? In just 11 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes, and 33 seconds, we'll start to find out. Play ball!
Monday, March 17, 2008
"No one..."
Our Family Camp speaker this year is an elder by the name of JD Wetterling. He's a former combat fighter pilot who is now an author and speaker. One of the books he's written is called "No one..." Wetterling examines six of Jesus' sayings from the Gospel of John containing that phrase: "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (3:3), "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (6:44), "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6), and so on.
I enjoyed this little book. Wetterling expounds on each of the six "no one" sayings, and in the process clearly and cogently presents the message of the gospel. He doesn't assume any knowledge of Christian doctrine or terminology on the part of the reader, but clearly communicates the truths of the gospel message to anyone open to learn.
The exclusivity of the Christian message is definitely unpopular in today's culture. It seems the greatest problem with Christianity in a post-modern world is its insistence that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. But this is exactly what Jesus himself taught. And those who desire to be faithful to Jesus' own teaching will find it impossible to conform the message of Christ to the spirit of the age. In his book , Wetterling communicates the truth of the gospel in a straightforward but disarming way. He writes as a man of faith, and as one who sincerely desires the reader to share in his faith. In doing so, he sets a good example for Christians. Our message must be clear and unapologetic, but at the same time it must express a sincere concern for the one who listens.
I have sometimes thought that branding Christianity as intolerant is really unfair. After all, Jesus said "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). And the Bible says, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). God's grace excludes no one on the basis of race, gender, intelligence, social standing, or even what sins one has committed. Just as there is an aspect of the gospel that is radically exclusive ("no one comes to the Father except through me"), there is an aspect of the gospel that is radically inclusive: everyone who comes to Christ is accepted by the Father. Maybe another book worthy to be written would be, "Everyone..."?
I enjoyed this little book. Wetterling expounds on each of the six "no one" sayings, and in the process clearly and cogently presents the message of the gospel. He doesn't assume any knowledge of Christian doctrine or terminology on the part of the reader, but clearly communicates the truths of the gospel message to anyone open to learn.
The exclusivity of the Christian message is definitely unpopular in today's culture. It seems the greatest problem with Christianity in a post-modern world is its insistence that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. But this is exactly what Jesus himself taught. And those who desire to be faithful to Jesus' own teaching will find it impossible to conform the message of Christ to the spirit of the age. In his book , Wetterling communicates the truth of the gospel in a straightforward but disarming way. He writes as a man of faith, and as one who sincerely desires the reader to share in his faith. In doing so, he sets a good example for Christians. Our message must be clear and unapologetic, but at the same time it must express a sincere concern for the one who listens.
I have sometimes thought that branding Christianity as intolerant is really unfair. After all, Jesus said "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). And the Bible says, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). God's grace excludes no one on the basis of race, gender, intelligence, social standing, or even what sins one has committed. Just as there is an aspect of the gospel that is radically exclusive ("no one comes to the Father except through me"), there is an aspect of the gospel that is radically inclusive: everyone who comes to Christ is accepted by the Father. Maybe another book worthy to be written would be, "Everyone..."?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Princeton tradition
I just finished reading the second volume of David Calhoun's Princeton Seminary (vol.1, Faith and Learning, 1812 - 1868; vol. 2, The Majestic Testimony, 1869 - 1929). I had started the first volume at least a year ago, and finally finished the entire work last night.
For over a hundred years, the faculty of Princeton remained faithful to the gospel, and steadfastly upheld historic, orthodox Christianity no matter what direction the cultural, ecclesiastical, and scholarly winds were blowing. I was truly inspired by the story. Here are three things about the history of Princeton Seminary that impressed me:
First, the Princeton tradition brought heart and mind together in the service and love of Christ. Before I read the books, I had known something about the high scholarly standards of old Princeton. In the world of Christian thought and theology, Princeton was a leading institution (and the premier seminary for conservative Christianity in the English-speaking world). Her professors were first-rate scholars. But they were also men of tremendous piety and sincere love for Christ. They studied not just to grow in knowledge, but to grow in the knowledge of God.
Reformed theology (the theology of Princeton) need not produce Christians who have knowledge without zeal (if that is the case, the fault lies not with the theology, but with the individual!). The proof of this is that Princeton Seminary, at its finest, produced pastors and missionaries who devoted themselves to prayer and ministry. In the early years, the students of Princeton were at the vanguard of the American missionary movement, both within the United States and abroad.
Secondly, I was struck by what I'll call a deep-seated "confessional consciousness." The theologians of Princeton were committed to orthodox, Reformed, Christian doctrine as it was set down in the Westminster Standards. They were eminently students of the Bible, and true to the Reformation principle that the Word of God in the Scriptures is the final authority for faith and life. But they also believed that the Westminster standards were a faithful summary of the Bible's teaching. And this confessional mooring gave them a theology that was conservative and orthodox, but not narrowly fundamentalist. At times they were criticized for being too liberal, at other times for being too conservative. They were willing to be different from the culture, and to be different from the academic world, because they valued, and were thoroughly grounded in, a system of theology that guided their approach to contemporary cultural and scholarly issues.
Thirdly, I was impressed by how the Princeton teachers were eager to understand the opponents of orthodox Christianity in order to defend the faith. Many of the professors (including Charles Hodge and J. Gresham Machen) studied in Europe under teachers with whom they had deep disagreements. But they knew what these theologians taught, they understood it, and they were able to respond to questionable or false Christian teaching with respect, intellectual honesty, and rigorous scholarship. Though not every Christian is called to be a theologian or scholar, the Princetonians set a fine example for Christians today in first listening to those who differ, and then carefully and thoughtfully addressing their contentions or questions from the perspective of faith.
The men who made up the Princeton tradition were not flawless, of course. Calhoun gives fair criticism here and there, which is right and good. But I put down the book with an huge amount of admiration for the professors and students who made up Old Princeton.
For over a hundred years, the faculty of Princeton remained faithful to the gospel, and steadfastly upheld historic, orthodox Christianity no matter what direction the cultural, ecclesiastical, and scholarly winds were blowing. I was truly inspired by the story. Here are three things about the history of Princeton Seminary that impressed me:
First, the Princeton tradition brought heart and mind together in the service and love of Christ. Before I read the books, I had known something about the high scholarly standards of old Princeton. In the world of Christian thought and theology, Princeton was a leading institution (and the premier seminary for conservative Christianity in the English-speaking world). Her professors were first-rate scholars. But they were also men of tremendous piety and sincere love for Christ. They studied not just to grow in knowledge, but to grow in the knowledge of God.
Reformed theology (the theology of Princeton) need not produce Christians who have knowledge without zeal (if that is the case, the fault lies not with the theology, but with the individual!). The proof of this is that Princeton Seminary, at its finest, produced pastors and missionaries who devoted themselves to prayer and ministry. In the early years, the students of Princeton were at the vanguard of the American missionary movement, both within the United States and abroad.
Secondly, I was struck by what I'll call a deep-seated "confessional consciousness." The theologians of Princeton were committed to orthodox, Reformed, Christian doctrine as it was set down in the Westminster Standards. They were eminently students of the Bible, and true to the Reformation principle that the Word of God in the Scriptures is the final authority for faith and life. But they also believed that the Westminster standards were a faithful summary of the Bible's teaching. And this confessional mooring gave them a theology that was conservative and orthodox, but not narrowly fundamentalist. At times they were criticized for being too liberal, at other times for being too conservative. They were willing to be different from the culture, and to be different from the academic world, because they valued, and were thoroughly grounded in, a system of theology that guided their approach to contemporary cultural and scholarly issues.
Thirdly, I was impressed by how the Princeton teachers were eager to understand the opponents of orthodox Christianity in order to defend the faith. Many of the professors (including Charles Hodge and J. Gresham Machen) studied in Europe under teachers with whom they had deep disagreements. But they knew what these theologians taught, they understood it, and they were able to respond to questionable or false Christian teaching with respect, intellectual honesty, and rigorous scholarship. Though not every Christian is called to be a theologian or scholar, the Princetonians set a fine example for Christians today in first listening to those who differ, and then carefully and thoughtfully addressing their contentions or questions from the perspective of faith.
The men who made up the Princeton tradition were not flawless, of course. Calhoun gives fair criticism here and there, which is right and good. But I put down the book with an huge amount of admiration for the professors and students who made up Old Princeton.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Plodding through the Institutes
Our Calvin's Institutes discussion group met tonight. We are "persevering", you might say, by reading about 50 to 60 pages a month. I wonder what Calvin would think if he was told back in 1559, the year he finished the final version of the Institutes, that in 2008 a group of people would be meeting monthly in Alaska (which he may not have even known existed!) to talk about his work? I'm sure he would have been pleased to know that nearly 500 years later, there are still many who love the truths that he and the other Reformers devoted their lives to proclaiming.
Tonight we talked about providence, original sin, and free-will. I was encouraged to hear one person tell me after the class that she is really enjoying the readings.
This week is "spring break" in Alaska. Evidently all the schools take spring break at the same time. It is really a misnomer, however. With a fresh inch of snow on the ground, and temperatures still in the low-thirties, it should be renamed "mid-winter break"!
Tonight we talked about providence, original sin, and free-will. I was encouraged to hear one person tell me after the class that she is really enjoying the readings.
This week is "spring break" in Alaska. Evidently all the schools take spring break at the same time. It is really a misnomer, however. With a fresh inch of snow on the ground, and temperatures still in the low-thirties, it should be renamed "mid-winter break"!
Monday, March 10, 2008
A good Monday
I usually take Mondays off, and for the last several weeks on Monday I've taken the three older kids ice-skating.
Today we did something different. After making a promise to Meredith many months ago that we would help her set up a hot chocolate stand, and after hearing our promise repeated to us on an almost daily basis, we decided it was time to make good on our word. So, we made some hot chocolate, bought some marshmallows, put up some signs, and presto, Meredith is into the hot cocoa business. At 50 cents a cup, it wasn't a bad deal at all. We had a few customers, enough for Meredith to break even and make a small profit (she had to buy at least a portion of the supplies). The biggest problem was our location. Very few cars travel down our road, so our exposure was quite small. But, the kids enjoyed their first foray into the world of business.
This evening Maggie and I picked up a used freezer that Robyn had found on Craigslist. The man who owned it lived up the road in Houston (which reminds you nothing of the Texas version; it is rural and cold most of the year in Alaska's Houston). I overshot the house on the way there and had to turn around on a driveway down the street. The man who sold us the freezer mentioned that the owner of that house was currently racing the Iditarod.
We got the freezer home and it is sitting in the garage, waiting for us to deposit what will hopefully be a large amount of salmon. Our plan is go "dipnetting" this summer. This is an Alaska form of fishing in which you take a large net and hold it under the water of a river, and wait for the salmon to swim right into it. Depending on the limits, you can easily take home 50 - 100 tasty fish. This is our plan, anyway.
Today we did something different. After making a promise to Meredith many months ago that we would help her set up a hot chocolate stand, and after hearing our promise repeated to us on an almost daily basis, we decided it was time to make good on our word. So, we made some hot chocolate, bought some marshmallows, put up some signs, and presto, Meredith is into the hot cocoa business. At 50 cents a cup, it wasn't a bad deal at all. We had a few customers, enough for Meredith to break even and make a small profit (she had to buy at least a portion of the supplies). The biggest problem was our location. Very few cars travel down our road, so our exposure was quite small. But, the kids enjoyed their first foray into the world of business.
This evening Maggie and I picked up a used freezer that Robyn had found on Craigslist. The man who owned it lived up the road in Houston (which reminds you nothing of the Texas version; it is rural and cold most of the year in Alaska's Houston). I overshot the house on the way there and had to turn around on a driveway down the street. The man who sold us the freezer mentioned that the owner of that house was currently racing the Iditarod.
We got the freezer home and it is sitting in the garage, waiting for us to deposit what will hopefully be a large amount of salmon. Our plan is go "dipnetting" this summer. This is an Alaska form of fishing in which you take a large net and hold it under the water of a river, and wait for the salmon to swim right into it. Depending on the limits, you can easily take home 50 - 100 tasty fish. This is our plan, anyway.
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