"Reaching Out without Dumbing Down," by Martha Dawn

A few months ago I bought several books on worship, and am still trying to work my way through them. I haven't gotten very far, but I did finally finish one - "Reaching Out without Dumbing Down," by Marva Dawn.

The title nicely captures the essence of Dawn's plea. She urges churches to carefully consider their worship practices in light of pervasive cultural factors without the church, and idolatrous tendencies within the church, that threaten to mute the church's ability to bear witness to the truth of God in her worship. The less self-reflective the church becomes about her worship, the more likely her worship will conform to the values and norms of the world. Not only will the church fail to honor her Lord in this way, but she will have nothing of true value to offer the world around her.

One point I found particularly helpful was Dawn's emphasis on the role of worship in building Christian character. The worship practice of the church will have a tremendous influence on the thoughts and lives of Christians over time. This is a perspective that I think is extremely important to bear in mind when Christians discuss (or sometimes, argue about!) worship. Worship is far more than our experience of it (as Dawn reminds us, it is ultimately about God, who is both the subject and object of worship), but it has a large part to play in forming our character as Christians. Dawn discusses all the implications this has for the content of worship.

While Dawn at times tries to rise above the "traditional" vs. "contemporary" debate in the church's worship wars, in my mind her book unquestionably makes a strong argument for worship practices that are usually considered "traditional." Whenever the church overly accommodates herself to the prevailing culture, which appears to be the major problem with many contemporary worship practices, she becomes unable to create a genuine Christian counter-culture that preserves the weightiness and majesty of God, that fosters genuine community, and that forms godly character.

The one weakness of the book that came to my mind is also a strength. Dawn rarely cites Scripture to support her thesis. She quotes at length the studies of other sociologists, philosophers, and theologians, but hardly ever directly appeals to Scripture. However, her analysis is not thereby undermined. Rather, this perspective that is really based more on observation than exegesis, serves to complement well principles of worship that are taken directly from Scripture. In other words, Dawn's book affirms from empirical study the importance of being faithful to those principles of true worship that God has revealed in his Word.

Troubling news

One of the elders of our church, Dr. Bob Martin (or "Dr. Bob", as he likes to be called), just found out this week that he has advanced prostate cancer. He's looking at surgery next month, and other possible treatments yet to be determined.

It was a shock to Dr. Bob, and a shock to all of us. It is at times like this that the twin truths of God's goodness and sovereignty become especially precious. By faith we know that Dr. Bob's life is in the hands of his faithful Redeemer (John 10:28). This bad news, too, is part of the mysterious but glorious plan of the One who "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11).

As I write this, I am reminded of something I heard on the radio the other day. A talk-show host was interviewing a professor who had written a book on chance and the nature of randomness. This talk-show host is Jewish and believes in God. However, he said he had no problem believing that some things happen more or less purely by chance. In fact, he said, if something terrible happens to you, it could have happened outside the will of God.

I wonder, what kind of comfort does that "God" offer to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer? None that I can think of. Thankfully, God is in control of all things, and while we cannot know why he allows tragedies, we do know - by faith - that he works out all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). This God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the God of all comfort who invests our suffering with meaning, and has a redemptive purpose for us even in affliction.

King Salmon 9, Johnsons 0

That's the final score this summer after nine tries at landing a King salmon; we came home empty-handed each time.

This was our first summer to be able to fish as Alaska residents, which means it became affordable to buy the necessary license and king salmon permit (you actually have to but a separate "tag" for the privilege of fishing for a King). I've done a little fishing here and there in the past, but what was most surprising for me about fishing in Alaska is how much it revolves around the salmon runs. The Kings are the biggest, and according to some Alaskans, the tastiest (though the most-coveted salmon for eating are Copper River Reds). They also "run" first, coming out of the ocean and beginning their final swim inland to spawn and die.

When the Kings started coming in, we bought a rod and reel, and some tackle and bait, and spent a Monday trying our hand at Alaska fishing. We had no bites and saw no fish, but it was our first try so it didn't matter too much.

As the weeks went by, we (or sometimes just me) tried other spots, again with no success. In fact, we still hadn't even seen an actual flesh-and-blood King. As far as we could tell, it was a mythical creature of Alaskan lore, something like the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch.

But on another Monday, we went to Ship Creek in downtown Achorage and actually witnessed King salmon being caught. What a sight! My past fishing has mostly been for Rainbow Trout. But even a large Rainbow looks like a minnow compared to a King, which average (I would guess) 3 - 4 feet long and 30 - 40 pounds each. It was a thrill to see these monsters coming out of the water. I wanted to catch one!

Our best chance was last Monday night. The word was Montana Creek was "hot" (news of a productive fishing spot spreads quickly among Alaskans). While friends from church graciously watched the two older girls, Robyn and I drove up to Montana Creek with Sander and Moriah, hopeful that this might be our time.

I've never had a fishing experience like that before. There were dozens and dozens of Kings swimming just feet away in the clear water. Every so often one would splash the surface, or jump out of the water entirely. And the anglers were standing side by side, concentrated next to one hole in particular where the fish were thick. Every minute or so someone shouted, "Fish on!", and the fight began. Sometimes they landed the fish, but more often the fish cut loose, or they were "foul-snagged" which meant they had to be let go (in fact, many of the fish swimming below had brightly-colored lures still attached to them).

After an hour or so of casting near the most productive spot, I got a hit. The pole arched, the fish pulled hard, and I started pulling back and reeling it in. Some of the more experienced anglers coached me along the way: "Keep your pole up!", "Pull up and then reel down!", "Point the pole toward the beach!", and so on. Two helpful guys even fixed my reel with the fish still on, since the arm that reels in the line had come loose (I made a mental note then: "Next time, do NOT buy the cheapest rod and reel Wal-Mart sells.").

But just as the fish was about to be netted (thanks to another friendly fisherman), it cut loose and was gone. He told me that it was snagged, so I would have had to let it go anyway. But the fight was still a lot of fun.

Robyn and I had a couple of more fish bite after that, but none that stayed on more than a few seconds. Midnight struck, and the fishing was officially over. So, we came back home sans salmon one more time. But at least now we have some fish stories to tell. And that means we've become a little more Alaskan over the summer!

Family visit from Montana

A couple of weeks ago, my parents, along with my aunt and uncle, made the long trek up the Alaska Highway to visit us. They camped in a pop-up trailer along the way, and survived mosquitoes and $7-a-gallon Canadian gas for the privilege of saying they have done the "Al-can."

At least during their time with us, they got to sleep in real bedrooms, take hot showers, and not worry about putting down the camper every morning.

We packed in quite a bit during their stay here. On Sunday night, our family drove up to meet them at Denali National Park, where they had arrived after driving down from Fairbanks. It rained on and off all day Monday, which is par for the course for Denali. But, we were able to get in some hiking in the park. Here is Dad and Sander walking on a trail next to Savage Creek.




One of the highlights was getting to see "Arctic Thunder," a bi-annual air show held at nearby Elmendorf Air Force base. Here are my parents, and Michael and Maryan, standing in front of one of the many jets on display at the air show. After a week of living together in the car and the camper, they're still all smiles!



Not everyone enjoyed the loud jets. This is what Sander looked like most of the time.



The FedEx plane was a huge hit with the kids. It made such an impression on Sander that he can now spot a FedEx vehicle from miles away. The other day I was driving him and his friend Christian around, and suddenly Sander screamed, "FedEx"!! I looked around and about 3 blocks away a small FedEx van was driving down the road. When Christian asked, "What is FedEx?," Sander said with confidence, "It's an airplane."



Speaking of Sander, this is a picture of him after long day away a few weeks ago. Despite what it looks like, he hasn't converted to Islam! This is where I left him for a minute to keep unloading the car, and this is where he decided to take a nap.

From Geneva to Rome?

Friends of ours in Oklahoma, whose friendship we greatly appreciated then, and still treasure today, shocked us recently with the news that they had converted to Roman Catholicism.

They had worshiped at the church I served in Norman, and, like most people who find their way to OPC churches, were card-carrying Protestants and Calvinists. So the news of their new ecclesiastical commitment was surprising, to say the least.

Now, I was sure as soon as I heard of it that their decision was well-thought out. Neal is a thinker, very articulate, and well-read theologically. In fact, he teaches philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. So, I knew it couldn't be the case that they left the Protestant faith on a whim, or for some flimsy reason.

But this meant I was very curious to know what were the reasons that compelled Neal to lead his family into the Roman Catholic Church. So I've been reading his blog, in which he details the theological journey that led him Rome-ward. And, I've asked him many questions by e-mail (to which he usually responds the next day with an e-mail twice as long as mine! I thought pastors were the ones who are supposed to be loquacious!).

This has been a learning experience for me. I have to admit that I really don't know a whole lot about Roman Catholic theology. At seminary, I was immersed in the Reformed tradition (and rightly so, since it is a Reformed seminary!). The emphasis there was not to highlight what separates the Protestants from the Catholics, or the conservatives from the liberals, though obviously due attention was paid to those concerns. Rather, the emphasis was on positive instruction in biblical exegesis, apologetics, and systematic theology. All of this came from a distinctively Protestant and Reformed perspective, of course, but that perspective was given not so much in contradistinction to Catholic theology, but as the faithful and true expression of the teaching of Scripture.

Now, as a result of my interaction with Neal, I have been doing some deeper thinking about some of the tenets of Protestant theology that I have in some ways taken as a matter of course. To be sure, I am still deeply committed to the system of doctrine expressed in the Reformed confessions of faith. In my heart and my mind, when it comes to such things as justification by faith alone, sola scriptura, and other doctrines, I am convinced as ever the Reformers got it right.

At the same time, hearing a former Calvinist and now Catholic give his reasons for doubting these teachings has prompted me to try and understand better the biblical principles undergirding the system of doctrine expressed by the Reformed faith. What is at stake in our understanding of justification? What was the principle that led the Reformers to insist upon the doctrine of sola scriptura? What is the nature of Christ's church?

I do believe our friends are true Christians, and they believe the same about us. At the same time, there are some significant differences between Catholics and Protestants that cannot simply be brushed aside by good will. And, when the issue at hand is nothing less than understanding the Christian faith, which alone can save sinners from sin and death, the pursuit of truth demands honest discussion.

A general update, and some pictures

The days are long, literally and figuratively. The sun is out for all of our waking hours, and even in the middle of the "night", it looks like dusk. And we are staying busy with all the usual activities - church, school, breaking up quarrels, etc. One activity we've added recently is trying to bag a "king". As in a King Salmon, the highly-coveted fish that "run" up the rivers this time of year to their spawning grounds. Kings are the, well, king of the salmon - big and tasty. And, from what we're told, they can be tough to land if you actually hook one. Not that we would know anything about that. We've been out twice so far and haven't had so much as a nibble. But, we'll keep trying. We can't be true Alaskans until we've gotten our king.

It's been a while since I've posted some pictures. Here are a few snapshots from the Johnson family over the past couple of weeks:



We had a church bowling night last night. Sander is showing off his form.



Gumpa gave Meredith and Maggie each a birdhouse kit. We put them together yesterday, and hung them up in the backyard.



Meredith next to her birdhouse.



Moriah and her "buddy".



Moriah is showing her walking skills.

Loving discipline, or child abuse?

Our parenting methods would make us criminals in some countries. According to the Economist, there is a growing consensus in some parts of the world (especially Europe) that any sort of physical discipline of a child is abuse, and ought therefore to be illegal. In fact 18 European nations have already banned all forms of corporal punishment. A pan-European body, the Council of Europe, is aggressively seeking to end spanking as part of its mission to promote civil liberties. And the United Nations is pursuing a campaign to outlaw all corporal punishment, worldwide, by 2009.

Though the Economist considers this latter effort a typical bit of "Utopian dottiness" from the UN, and "wildly unrealistic," the fact is much of the Western world is moving in a direction to ban, or at least stigmatize, corporal punishment. The premise of the movement is that there is no fundamental distinction between corrective physical punishment, and child abuse. Both are immoral acts of violence that are just on different ends of the same scale.

But there is a difference in kind, not just in degree. Common sense teaches that a slap on the wrist or a spanking on the bottom is fundamentally a different creature than a blow to the stomach or head. The former is the controlled meeting out of a dose of mild pain, the latter a cruel and dehumanizing assault. A spanking (quaintly referred to as "smacking" by the Economist) is for correction for the child's own good or safety; abuse is the expression of an angry and even hateful heart whose purpose is only to hurt.

The Scriptures sanction spanking: "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die" (Proverbs 23:13). The Bible's view of discipline in general, whether a parent's discipline of his child, or God's discipline of his people, is that it serves redemptive purposes. For the child whose parents lovingly discipline him with controlled measures appropriate to his age, it is so that "he will not die," so that folly will be driven from him (22:15), and so that his soul will be saved from Sheol (23:14). For the child of God who endures God's discipline, he will enjoy "the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

The point is that corporal discipline is one means that God has given us as parents to lead them in the paths of righteousness and life. It must always be accompanied by love, and by the communication of God's forgiveness for us in Christ. By itself, spanking may correct behavior. But mere behavior modification is not God's purpose for spanking. Rather, the rod is to help a child come to understand, and embrace, the grace of God in the gospel. This is why it is imperative for parents to hug and pray with their children after spanking them.

Sadly, this is just the sort of view of spanking that is increasingly considered odd. The Economist notes that a "pro-smacking" (who would want to be called that?!) lobby in New Zealand did not win much support because "their religious rhetoric - talk of loving corrections, followed by prayers - sounded weird." In my view, it is lumping spanking with child abuse that sounds pretty weird.

In any case, the article noted that the U.S. is something of a hold-out in this matter of spanking (no doubt due to the still-sizable presence of weird religious types). So, we are not outlaws, at least not for the present.