Between Two Worlds

Monday, February 25, 2008
2:00 pm Session 1 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Humble Incarnational Ministry
4:00 pm Session 2 – CJ Mahaney – Text & Context: Pastoral Character & Loving People
7:00 pm Session 3 – John Piper - Text: Why I Trust the Scriptures

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
9:00 am Session 4 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy
10:45 am Session 5 – Matt Chandler - Text & Context: Preaching the Gospel in the Center of the Evangelical World

1:00 pm Session 6 – John Piper - Text & Context: How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes my Pulpit Ministry

2:45 pm Session 7 Mark Driscoll - The Ox: Qualifications of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)
4:15 pm Session 8 Matt Chandler - Vision of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)

7:00 pm Session 9 – John Piper - Text: How Do I Distinguish Between Gospel and False Gospel?
9:00 pm Q & A with John Piper

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

10:00 am Session 10 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands
11:20 am Q& A with Jim Gilmore
1:00 pm Session 11 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Preaching Jesus Christ To Pagan Culture
2:15 pm Q & A with Mark Driscoll

Sadly, this is happening more and more to me, and I continue to offer the same challenge: Will someone please show me where, in print, I have said something that is outside of classic, historic orthodoxy. I may not be evangelical, as it’s been defined over the past 150 years, but I’ve never claimed to be an evangelical. But surely Christian orthodoxy is much broader than modern evangelicalism. Was Augustine orthodox? Luther? Aquinas? Hildegard?"

As one who believes that the call of Jesus is to a path of suffering that shuts the door to every form of victim-playing, I am angered by organizers fo the Religious Right who play the victim card and appeal openly to Christian resentment. . . .

Do they not know that those who portray themselves as victims come to perceive themselves as victims and then to paralyze themselves as victims? . . .

But whether "victimization" then or a "war on Christians" now, such tactics of the Religious Right are foolish, ineffective, and downright anti-Christian. The problem is not that these people are theocrats, but that they are sub-Christian. They do not violate the separation of church and state so much as they violate Christian integrity. Factually, it is dead wrong for Christians to portray themselves as a minority, let alone as persecuted. Christians are as close to a majority community as any group in America; what their fellow Christians are facing today in China, North Korea, Burma, and Sudan is real persecution.

Psychologically, victim-playing is dangerous because it represents what Nietzsche called "the politics of the tarantula," a base appeal to resentment. But worst of all, it is spiritually hypocritical, for nothing so contradicts their claim to represent "Christian values" as their refusal to follow the teaching and example of Jesus of Nazareth by playing the victim card and finding an excuse not to love their enemies. Shame, shame, shame on such people; and woe, woe, woe to such tactics.

. . . supporters of school prayer have found themselves on the horns of a dilemma of their own choosing. Insisting on official Christian prayer in such pluralistic settings, they either ignore the diversity and pray as if everyone shared their faith--thus scandalizing those who do not; or they respect the diversity and pray in an inoffensive way that tries to appeal to as many faiths as possible--thus secularizing their own faith while still offending those who reject public prayer of any kind. . . .

The founders' first principles of religious liberty can of course be applied to school prayer in several ways. For example, the golden rule of equal liberty for all could be applied to school prayer as "One in, all in" and respected by praying a different prayer every day of the school month--Christian one day, Jewish the next, Muslim after that, then Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, Scientologist, Wiccan, and so on, until all the faiths in the school are covered. Such a policy would surely lead to chaos and indifference rather than tolerance. . . .

The alternative application of the golden rule would be to say, "One out, all out," and to conclude--I think rightly, for religious even more than constitutional reasons--that public schools are not the place to have official teacher-led prayer, Christian or otherwise. A moment of silence, perhaps; and free to pray alone at any time; and freedom to pray in student-initiated groups after school hours, certainly; but not official prayer in public schools when contemporary levels of the social fact of pluralism mean that the principle of religious liberty for all is contravened. (As all these "equal access" freedoms show, it is a perverse myth that "children are not allowed to pray in public schools.")

TNR investigates. Here's a summary:

What happened? The publication of the article capped three months of intense internal deliberations at the Times over whether to publish the negative piece and its most explosive charge about the affair. It pitted the reporters investigating the story, who believed they had nailed it, against executive editor Bill Keller, who believed they hadn't. It likely cost the paper one investigative reporter, who decided to leave in frustration. And the Times ended up publishing a piece in which the institutional tensions about just what the story should be are palpable.

"From years of friendship, conversation, shared burdens, mutual intercession, and the same vision of our great God, I trust Sam's biblical faithfulness. He brings a keen eye and a wakened soul to God's Word. The overflow for us is fresh insight and strong feeling. I thank God for Sam Storms. My life is sweeter because of the seasoning he brings."
John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis

"Many devotional books lack biblical and theological depth. Storms's work is a striking exception. His meditations on Colossians faithfully communicate the message of the letter so that readers are enriched both biblically and theologically. Moreover, the meaning of Colossians is applied with wisdom and power so that I found myself encouraged, convicted, and challenged. Here is evangelical theology at its best."
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Children always have questions about what it means to be a Christian. Do they need a long, philosophical answer? Not always—and it is simple answers to deep questions that feature in this book. If you have ever wanted to know how to explain the Christian faith to young children in bite-sized chunks then My First Book of Questions will be of great help to you. In 114 profound questions and answers, backed by scripture proofs, best selling author Carine Mackenzie provides an invaluable tool to get you started.

Children want to know what to do. They want to know why they do the things we do. They are full of questions and they need answers. As well as having amazing minds they have souls that need direction and care. The foundations that are laid in their young lives will stand firm in their adult live. With the work of the Holy Spirit these Christian principles and values will be eternal. Life changing values. In a world where basic moral standards are eroded and neglected children need to be taught the firm truths of humility, generosity, truthfulness, purity and respect. In this book are thirty one different values that show us what Jesus Christ is like and how we should behave. Each value has a scripture verse to learn and a brief explanation. You dont need to teach children to do wrong, but you do need to teach them to do right and to trust in the only one who is good, God!

President Nicolas Sarkozy dropped an intellectual bombshell this week: Beginning next fall, he said, every fifth-grader will have to learn the life story of one of the 11,000 French children killed by the Nazis.

"Nothing is more moving, for a child, than the story of a child his own age, who has the same games, the same joys and the same hopes as he, but who, in the dawn of the 1940s, had the bad fortune to be defined as a Jew," Mr. Sarkozy said Wednesday.

Mr. Sarkozy wrapped his plan in the cloak of religion, placing blame for the wars and violence of the last century on an "absence of God."

The Holocaust is already taught in French schools, but some psychiatrists and educators predicted that requiring students to identify with a specific victim could traumatize them.

Secularists accused Mr. Sarkozy, who is already under fire for his frequent praise of God and religion, of subverting the country's iron-clad separation of church and state.

HT: Darrell Bock

My friend, Dr. David Reimer of New College, has just written to tell me of the passing of one of the great evangelical Patristic and Reformation scholars of our time, David F. Wright. David was for many years Senior Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at New College, University of Edinburgh, then became (towards the end of his tenure there) Professor of Patristic and Reformation Christianity, then in his retirement, Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow. He died in Edinburgh, with his beloved wife, Anne Marie, holding his hand as he left Jordan's stormy banks.

Professor Wright inspired awe (and not a little terror) among a generation of postgraduates at New College, who often said of him: "David has read everything, . . . twice!"

An indefatigable editor and powerful voice for Bible-believing scholarship, David's last work was an article on the Great Commission (David Reimer tells me). How fitting.

David was my own PhD supervisor, and I owe him more than I can possibly express in words.

Professor David Wright retired in September, 2003 after almost 40 years of distinguished service to the University of Edinburgh. Born in London and educated in Cambridge where he studied classics and theology, David took up a lectureship in the former Department of Ecclesiastical History in 1964. Promoted to a senior lectureship in 1973, he was awarded a personal chair in Patristic and Reformed Christianity in 1999. The title reflects the breadth of his scholarship and research expertise. A lifelong interest in the career and writings of Augustine is apparent in a range of publications, while his dedication to the traditions of the Reformation has produced notable work on Bucer, Calvin, Knox and Peter Martyr Vermigli. In recent years, these two research foci have been united in work that explores the reception of early church theology in the Reformation, particularly with respect to the doctrine of baptism, a subject on which he has delivered lecture series in several countries. In addition to his own scholarly input, David has established a reputation as an editor of formidable qualities. With an attentiveness to detail, scholarly rigour and linguistic exactitude, he has edited important collections of essays, dictionaries and encyclopaedias, particularly in relation to the history and theology of the Reformed tradition.

Throughout his time in Edinburgh, he has also proved a popular and highly conscientious teacher of students. Attracting doctoral candidates from overseas, particularly the USA, he has proved a successful supervisor to many now in established teaching positions across the world. A Festschrift in his honour was published in 1997.

As an administrator, David has served in many different capacities, not least as Dean of the Faculty of the Divinity (1988-92) and Convener of the Senatus Postgraduate Studies Committee (1981-85). Here again his attention to detail and meticulous preparation were widely appreciated, as was his capacity to chair meetings in a calm, efficient and fair manner. These qualities have also enriched the work of external scholarly bodies and particularly the courts of the Church of Scotland. In 2003-4 he served as Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, the first elder to have held this post.

Since his retiral David’s scholarly work and overseas lecturing commitments have continued. It is hoped that a monograph on the doctrine of baptism will soon appear following his Didsbury Lectures in Manchester. Amidst all this he has completed a sponsored walk for charity, by reaching the top of Mount Sinai earlier this year. We trust that retirement will bring many more years of scholarly activity and vigorous walking, and extend our warmest wishes both to him and to his wife, Anne-Marie.

"Stephen Nichols's account of how Jesus has been perceived throughout American history is long on wisdom and short on tedium. His lively account is especially noteworthy as it explains what the nation's first presidents made of Jesus and how he has been depicted by some of its most popular movie producers. Not the least of the book's many merits is Nichols's ability to sort through the extraordinary mix of cultural nonsense and profound theological insight that make up this story."

"Stephen J. Nichols loves Jesus and he loves America, but he does not love the way that many Americans have repackaged Jesus to conform to their own cultural assumptions. With the learning of a first-rate historian, the spiritual bearings of an orthodox theologian and the passion of a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, Nichols charts his way through the American religious experience from the Puritans to the present. Evangelicals who assume that distorted and undeveloped Christologies are just a problem among theological liberals particularly need to read this book. The real Jesus might have us attend first to a beam in our own eye."

"This is a fascinating historical chronicle of the many different ways we have attempted to 'Americanize' Jesus. But reading it is also an important spiritual exercise. Stephen Nichols points us beyond the distorted images of Jesus that so easily tempt us to the reality of a Savior who is the Lord of the nations."

"I hate to say it, but Nichols is right: 'Too often American evangelicals have settled for a Christology that can be reduced to a bumper sticker.' My hope and prayer for this book is that our leading preachers will read it, learn from Nichols about the profound Christian heritage of reflection on the natures and person of Christ, and work to edify their audiences with meaty biblical preaching about this most important doctrine. I am more optimistic than Nichols about the potential of recent cultural trends to fortify such efforts--especially the recent emphasis on Jesus' concern for the poor. But I applaud Nichols's attempt to take us beyond our own little worlds and help us learn from other people, past and present, about the excellency of Christ."

"Could it be that in their 'personal relationship with Jesus' evangelicals in the United States have gotten the better end of the deal? This is certainly one question that readers can plausibly take away from Stephen Nichols's imaginative and knowledgeable study of evangelical conceptions of Jesus. As he shows, 'having Jesus in my heart' often means reducing the eternal Son of God to the proportions of believers' limited imaginations more than it does being conformed to the image of God revealed in Christ. As somber and difficult as that lesson may be to receive, Nichols packages it in a lively narrative that is sure to entertain even while hitting the reader right between the eyes."

Normally, biographies are written about unusually gifted men. Edwards. Whitefield. Spurgeon. Calvin.

Biographers remind us of exceptional character, extraordinary gifting, and impressive intellects. And I'm grateful to God for these men and the effect of their example on my life.

But at times, reading these biographies is discouraging, rather than edifying, as we are reminded afresh about the difference between the great leaders in church history and our sorry selves.

And though we benefit from the example of these men, most of us cannot relate to them because we’re aware of our average intelligence, average gifting, and our preaching is—not surprisingly—average as well. (Raise your hand if you’re working with that package?)

As I read their biographies I know I should be inspired, but at times I find myself increasingly discouraged (and let me be clear—this is because of my pride). Rather than filled with faith to charge into my day and prepare a sermon, care for God’s people, and preach, I feel a bit hopeless.

And while reading these biographies I also hope my church members never read these books because they could only compare me to this individual and that would prove unfavorable!
What’s a pastor to do? Here is one recommendation.

For pastors like myself with average gifts, Dr. Don Carson has given us a unique biography of the life and ministry of an ordinary pastor—his dad.

B. B. Warfield, The Religious Life of Theological Students (1911)

John Frame, Learning at Jesus’ Feet: A Case for Seminary Training

John Frame, Studying Theology as a Servant of Jesus

Reformed Theological Seminary’s pre-seminary reading list (short version and extended version)

The Ethics and Public Policy Center offers several thought-provoking essays on election 2008. Yuval Levin writes a piece,originally published inNational Review,on Sen. John McCain as an "honor politician," a breed of politico not quite "conservative" in a traditional sense but that's not necessarily, in Levin's view, an entirely bad thing. Levin concludes: "Conservatives should view McCain not as a hostile force, but as a foreign and unfamiliar presence, bearing real potential as well as real risk."]

Even more interesting is Christine Rosen's article on gender politics and the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton. Clinton offers the worst of American feminism, without its more positive claims. Rosen writes:

The political has always been personal for Hillary. It is this eerily seamless merging of the two that leaves some voters unsettled and others impressed with her discipline. In the final primary debate in Los Angeles, she avoided answering a question about her husband's role in the campaign by saying, "I have made it very clear that I want the campaign to stay focused on the issues that I'm concerned about, the kind of future that I want for our country, the work that I have done for all of these years. And that is what the campaign is about." Hillary's choice of language is noteworthy: she talks about "the kind of future I want for our country" rather than what the country needs. This is the language of paternalism, and just as "paternalistic" has become a pejorative term in political parlance, so too, might Hillary's unique brand of maternalism - a stern and instrumental, mommy-knows-best progressivism that has at least had the effect of irrevocably undermining the tenets of difference feminism.

Finally, James Bowman, in an article written for theAmerican Spectator, looks at the utopianism at the core of enthusiasms for the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama.

However much or little one thinks of any (or all) of these politicians, these essays speak to some of the more important underlying issues for Christians, issues neglected entirely by the horserace coverage of MSNBC, Fox News, Air America, and Rush Limbaugh.