Who is Purchase, NY?

Quote of the Day

Church people, by and large, are more than willing to avoid major changes regardless of how many people are dying and going to hell around them. We have confused church culture with church calling, believing that the way we “do church” is what Jesus died to save.

---Marty Duren

Seriously...

At least say hi, visitors, even if you don't comment on the topic! I now have StatCounter!

Also, the show at Sunergos tonight was great: Jamie Barnes, Nick Nye, Brooks Ritter (isn't that a cool name?) and... oh, dear. Someone else, but I didn't know him. Sojourn artists represent!

Statements of Faith: Part One

Hillsong's Statement of Faith:

We believe that the Bible is God's Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives.

We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.

We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.

We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the 'new birth' we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.

We believe that in order to live the holy and fruitful lives that God intends for us, we need to be baptised in water and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts, including speaking in tongues.

We believe that God has individually equipped us so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives which is to worship God, fulfil our role in the Church and serve the community in which we live.

We believe that God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and prosperous lives in order to help others more effectively.

We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.

First off, I don't find anything necessarily heretical in this statement of faith. I do, however, see quite a few gaps and places where people could, with good conscience, join themselves to this body while holding to heretical or unorthodox beliefs. The problems:

1. It promulgates, intentionally or not, the dangerous Word-Faith/Prosperity "gospel" with its use of terms associated with that movement: "successful," "prosperous," "achieve," "empower," etc.

2. It over-emphasizes the actions, needs, goals, and choices of humanity, over against the sovereignty and purposes of God.

3. There is no effort to define terms. For instance, what does "God's word" mean? Or "loving" or "holy" or "new birth"? A statement of faith shouldn't have to be encyclopedic, but it should try to ensure that the majority of readers will understand the terms in the way that the authors understood them. This is why I don't think a single creed is sufficient as a body's statement of faith.

4. While brief and pithy, it lacks precision. Does God exist eternally in trinity? It doesn't say. Does our response move God, or does God move our response? Do we salvifically need to be baptized, or only as an expression and symbol of salvation? Must a believer speak in tongues or have a post-conversion experience of the Holy Spirit in order to be truly saved? It dances around these issues, but in the end, doesn't say.

5. It fails to support its assertions with Scripture. 'nuff said.

6. It omits numerous major theological points. Where is the discussion of the sufficiency of Scripture? Sure, it's "applicable," but is it enough? What about the character of God? Or the effects of the Fall on creation? Or the virgin birth, for pete's sake? Or the ascension? Or the authority of Christ? Or the role of the Holy Spirit? Or the nature of salvation?

7. In connection with #4, it leaves room for serious theological error. One could assent to the entire statement of faith and still hold to open theism, for instance, or reject the virgin birth or the bodily resurrection of man (or of Christ, for that matter, since it doesn't say "bodily" or even "from the dead").

I'll continue to look at good and not-so-good statements of faith over the next few days, and try to post something more next week. Tuesday is Liberation day for me, since I have three papers due that day and then nothing else until finals. Hooray!

Who?

Taking an old joke maybe just a little too far in the direction of obscurity...

Prosperity Heresy

I've always thought that the passage about the rich young man who came to Jesus asking how he could have eternal life was the death-knell for prosperity "gospel" preaching, so I was interested to see a preacher on some TBN-like channel shouting at his congregation about it today. I watched for a few minutes to see how he would deal with the words in verses 23-25 about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

First, I thought he did a good job explaining the concept of the "Kingdom of Heaven" to his congregation: that it's God's way of doing things, and that it involves seed (God's incorruptible word), soil (human hearts), a farmer (Christ), and harvesters (believers). All right! I thought. Maybe this guy isn't so bad! That's a pretty good definition, and consistent with the testimony of the Gospels! I guess I can also say that he carefully (well, maybe not SO carefully) worked through the passage, which is always a good technique, however ill-applied in this circumstances. From there, however...

He grossly misinterpreted the rest of the passage, starting with verse 26. The disciples are amazed, he said, because "they ain't broke." Apparently, if they were broke, they would have been excited that it was tough for rich people to inherit the Kingdom! (This to a chorus of "Amens" from the audience.) The real reason they were astonished is that Jesus, in saying that it's hard for rich people to enter the kingdom, was ringing the changes: the Jewish people themselves were caught up hopelessly in the idea that wealth proved God's blessing and poverty proved God's curse. Look at the ministry of Jesus, the classic iconoclast, throughout the Gospels. He continually called into question the accepted ideas of the day about who possessed God's favor -- not necessarily the Pharisees (the religious elite, or as my pastor calls them, "the religious right"), or the wealthy, or the prominent, because they trusted in their wealth or position, but rather the childlike, the poor, and the humble, because they saw their desperate need for God.

Then, he claimed that verse 27 proved that "with man (it) is impossible" for rich people to be saved, "but with God, all things are possible," so everybody should have confidence that God wants them to be rich, since he likes to do things that are impossible for men. Whoa, whoa! What did Jesus just finish telling the rich man? "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow me." To assert that God wants us to be rich based on a verse just millimeters away from Jesus' radical command for a person obsessed with wealth to break free from wealth is not only foolish, it's misleading and irresponsible. Let John Gill explain it:

(God) can so influence and dispose (a man's) mind, as to distribute his riches cheerfully among the poor, and largely, and liberally supply their wants, and even part with all, when necessity requires it: he can change his heart, and cause the desires of his soul to be after true riches of grace and glory; and bring him to see his own spiritual poverty, his need of Christ, and salvation by him; and to deny himself, take up the cross, and follow him, by submitting to his most despised ordinances, and by suffering the loss of all things for his sake; and he can carry him through a thousand snares safe to his kingdom and glory

Then this guy, who as I'm watching the program seems increasingly nutty, goes on to verses 29 and 30, which is where he really gets riled up. Everyone who gives up houses and brother and all that will receive it back a hundredfold in this life, he says, and Praise The Lord!! With persecutions? I'm already being persecuted, and so are you, he says, so tell the Lord to bring on the persecutions, because people are talking about you behind your back anyway, and wouldn't you rather have a hundredfold of money and houses and lands (That you never gave up in the first place because you're so obsessed with them, I thought) in addition to the persecution you're already receiving? I'd rather have money than persecution any day! At this point I got so disgusted that I dove across the couch for the remote and changed the channel.

Oh, man... I hardly know where to start, this is so wrong. *Wading into the fray*

1. The passage says nothing, I repeat, nothing about money. Extrapolating from verses 29-30 that God wants you to have a hundredfold of money you never gave up shows that you may, in fact, be illiterate.

2. Jesus never promises his disciples, or us, worldly prosperity. Ever. Gill interprets this as a sweetening of our enjoyment of the temporal things that we do have, and a metaphor for the "house" of God -- the mother and father and siblings we inherit in Christ. For crying out loud, do a word study of "house" and "land" in the whole of Scripture. They do not refer to a building with four walls, or a tract of geographical territory, but rather to the offspring of Christ (the chosen people), and the Kingdom of God in almost every instance! Duh!

3. Having people gossip about you is absolutely, incontrovertibly not persecution. Read about the violent deaths of believers under Nero and other brutal Roman emperors, and then you'll have a taste of what persecution really means. Or study Darfur, Iran, or China. Or read the biography of Jim Eliot, or learn about the thousands currently in prison for their faith. But to say that you're being persecuted when people talk bad about you is to spit on the testimonies of the millions who have suffered and died for the sake of the name of Christ.

4. The verses in this passage drive the reader inexorably toward the final phrase: "and in the age to come, eternal life." Houses and lands and money will turn to dust, but the believer's true inheritance is eternal life in the age to come!

All this craziness is just a glimpse of the problems with the prosperity "gospel." Don't be suckered into believing this nonsense, nor into believing that it's a true likeness of the Gospel of Christ.

Random Thoughts, Again (Now With Links!)

1. Mike is really tall. And handy to have around when one needs to put a picture into one's profile. And jealous of my laptop.
2. I can sing right in Chris Thile's range when I have a cold.
3. This and the above are declarative sentences.
4. This one isn't, right?
5. No two snowflakes are alike, except in a book of snowflake stamps.
6. I have linked Mike on my blog, but he hasn't reciprocated. What the?
7. Nikki's old blog is still as funny as ever.
8. Afton is a cool name for a girl. Can you tell I'm listening to Nickel Creek?
9. Apparently, some folks from Tassie are confused when first visiting my blog when they discover that it's not all about prayer. Whoops. It USED to be...
10. I'm incredibly glad that the ratted elections are over so the TV can get back to normal and stop showing ads every commercial break with politicians trying to shout each other down. Seriously.
11. I've traveled "heaps," apparently: 30 states and Mexico, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Germany, Belgium, England and Ireland.
12. Hold on, is there someone in Koln, Germany who has looked at my blog? Crazy! I've been there! Don't lurk, worldwide visitors! Comment!

"I'm blogging obsessively," she said.

Link here for Mark Driscoll's excellent advice, on the occasion of Ted Haggard's public sin, that every pastor (and every congregation member, frankly) should read!

Ode to ClustrMaps

Leslie's got folks in Japan and Johannesburg
I haven't got quite so many, I fear.
One who's in London and someone in Louisville --
Where is Phil's Oz hit? My brother's? Oh dear!

Someday quite soon I shall have dots aplenty, friends.
Someday I hope to show red orbs galore!
But till that day I'll have no notoriety.
Please, ClustrMap, I want hits! Give me more!

Not Sure How I Feel About...

The impassibility of God.

It's a classical doctrine that basically says that God the Father is unaffected by passion* (in the old-fashioned way, i.e., suffering), because passion indicates a lack of something -- the church fathers called this a privation. That's just dandy, since Scripture gives us no indication that God needs or lacks anything.

But is God emotionless? People who hold firmly to this doctrine say that when Scripture talks about God as having extremes of emotion -- regret, sorrow, vengefulness, etc. -- it does so metaphorically. But we can't really get around God's wrath at sinners, can we? Or His hatred of evil? So why would we want to get around His sorrow?

I may write more about this as I read farther (or is it further, Dave?) in the book I'm slowly working through -- too slowly, alas, since I have to finish it and 4 or 5 other books by the end of the semester. Argh.

Any thoughts or brilliant insights?




*obviously, when Christ was on earth, He suffered. Duh. But we're talking about the Father, here. Which makes me think of another question: if the Holy Spirit "intercedes for us with groans," does that mean that He suffers or feels sorrow with us? Scripture also speaks of the Holy Spirit as being "grieved" by our sins. Huh. More thought required on this topic, evidently.

Late-night Poetry Jam

We talked about you tonight,

Sat around a crowded table and sorted you out

Put together our few years of experience

And fewer of wisdom with our very small sense

And devised a sure course of action for you

Then wiped the slate and assured each other

That no true rule existed. That we mustn’t box you in

Or make your plans for you, that every circumstance

Is quite different, really, so there’s just

No way of knowing. And we said

Just what our mothers said, that we would

Just Know

When it happened. Wisely we nodded,

Concurring that no two people are just alike

And no two courtships should be, either.

We chafed under our wisdom, though, and we wanted

Nothing more than for you to be the man

At the next table with the very straight nose

And very blue eyes. But that wasn’t you.

Probably that was a good thing, since we spent

The next hour talking about you some more.

Haiku for today

Hangs a matchstick blind

with harsh lines that split the sky --

Pixilated view

(I don't like the word "hangs." Suggestions?)

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!

The Reformation Polka

by Robert Gebel

[Sung to the tune of "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious"]

When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law
While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa.
Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne,
I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

When Tetzel came near Wittenberg, St. Peter's profits soared,
I wrote a little notice for the All Saints' Bull'tin board:
"You cannot purchase merits, for we're justified by grace!
Here's 95 more reasons, Brother Tetzel, in your face!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

They loved my tracts, adored my wit, all were exempleror;
The Pope, however, hauled me up before the Emperor.
"Are these your books? Do you recant?" King Charles did demand,
"I will not change my Diet, Sir, God help me here I stand!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Duke Frederick took the Wise approach, responding to my words,
By knighting "George" as hostage in the Kingdom of the Birds.
Use Brother Martin's model if the languages you seek,
Stay locked inside a castle with your Hebrew and your Greek!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Let's raise our steins and Concord Books while gathered in this place,
And spread the word that 'catholic' is spelled with lower case;
The Word remains unfettered when the Spirit gets his chance,
So come on, Katy, drop your lute, and join us in our dance!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

(Thanks to Nigel at EtIncarnatusEst for this COMPLETELY HILARIOUS MOMENT in my day. Good times... *wipes tears*)

Don't go see Marie Antoinette...

...if you're looking for a documentary-style history of pre-revolutionary France.

...if you hate movies that don't take historical characters "seriously" enough.

...if you are offended by the portrayal of adultery when it really did happen.

...if you need lots of special effects to keep you interested.

...if you are sickened by the sight of a sea of flower-print gowns.


However, DO go see Marie Antoinette...

...if you like Kirsten Dunst.

...if you are interested in character development more than a fast-moving plot.

...if you like cool, indie music.

...if watching harpies make digs at people cracks you up.

...if you want a different perspective on the key players at the end of the French monarchy.

...if you like Sofia Coppola.

...if you think slightly bawdy old grandfather-types are hilarious.

...and finally, if you're not boring.

C.J. Mahaney, People!

C.J. Mahaney has been one of my heroes ever since I saw the interviews on the Together for the Gospel website, oh, probably a year or so ago. There he was in all his glory, sitting with Dr. Mohler, Mark Dever, and Lig Duncan, and I felt like the song, "One of these things is not like the other" should have been playing in the background. Lig Duncan and Al Mohler were in dark suits and conservative ties. But not C.J. He's a bloke, a mensch -- he's just folks, as we would say in the South, totally without theologian airs. I've seen him in a suit twice this week, which is highly unusual, evidenced by the fact that he called suits "an effect of the Fall." On the videos, he was in a button-down with the collar open and a pair of very comfy-looking cargo khakis.

And understand that the T4G videos were somewhat promotional in purpose; in other words, people were supposed to get excited about coming to T4G after watching these impressive leaders of the faith preview the topics they were going to teach on at the conference. But C.J. is so genuinely joyful that he couldn't help falling into gales of laughter at even the most benign comment by one of the other participants. The man laughed so hard that he literally bounced in his formal queen Anne chair. (Oh! Good news! The videos are still available!)

This week, I've had the total joy of getting to hear C.J. teach three times (well, four if you count the audio message on the Song of Solomon that I listened to online), and the privilege of speaking with him in person three times (all too briefly) as well. He is truly a man of humility and a man of the Cross. I've been challenged both by his excellent treatment of Scripture and by his obvious love for the church and for the Lord. The moment that brought tears to my eyes was watching him worship in chapel -- since he was up on the stage during worship, we all got to glimpse his time in God's presence. Even at a stodgy Southern Baptist gathering, he raised his hands, and tipped his head back, and sang with gusto, periodically wiping tears.

I respect his teachings, but admire him as a man of God even more now than before. He laughs quickly and often, cries easily, confesses readily, and eagerly passes the credit for his incredibly successful ministry to his team of elders and ultimately to the Lord. Praise God for this man.

If you've never heard him teach, you are seriously missing out. Check out Southern's website for audio versions of his messages this week, or go to the Sovereign Grace website to download outlines and order CDs, or head to the CBMW website to listen to his (fantastic) messages on sexual intimacy in marriage, and on submission in marriage.

Random Thoughts

Why is the fat guy Lost from getting fatter and not thinner?

Groundhog Day is a great movie! Lines:

Phil: Do you want to throw up here, or you wanna throw up in the car?
Drunk Guy: I think (ulp), both.

Phil (to groundhog): Don't drive angry! Don't drive angry!

Rita: I like to see a man of advancing years throwing caution to the wind. It's inspiring, in a way.
Phil: My years are not advancing as fast as you might think.

Drunk Guy 2: Hey Phil, if we wanted to hit mailboxes we woulda let Ralph drive.

I had my spinal alignment checked today at the women's health fair on campus, and, while I was relieved to discover that I do in fact have a spine, not just a bundle of incredibly tight muscles, I found out that there's a reason my neck has hurt for the last couple of days. Turns out the right side of my neck is 1000% tighter than the left side. Whoops. I also got a little short massage from a really nice massage therapist, and made an appointment for a free (FREE!) consultation, including x-rays, if necessary. They'll also do all the work with my insurance company, even if I need a referral from a "real" doctor in order to get chiropractic work done. OK, so I'm not sure if I buy into all the holistic stuff that goes along with chiropraxis (chiropracty? chiropractice?), but the woman who did my spinal analysis said that the nerves in your upper shoulders and neck are linked to the sinuses, which is probably why I've been congested and sneezy for the last couple days.

I do really love school, but I think sitting at my computer and reading is contributing to my neck tension. Hmmm... you think I could send the bill for my chiropractic work to Dr. Mohler?

What Do You Think?

Some of you may know that I've been considering veganism, mostly for health reasons, but also because I've become more aware of the ickiness (is that a word?) of factory farming. Before anybody starts calling me a hippie or a tree-hugger or something, remember that we've been given the responsibility of caring for God's creation, and that driving our 2.3 kids through the McDonald's drive-through in a gas-guzzling SUV doesn't actually resemble the Biblical picture of filling the Earth and subduing it. ;)

I'm getting closer to a decision about this (pretty major) lifestyle change, but I'd like some input from anyone still patient enough to check this blog. Whether you're against it, in favor of it, think it's unwise, or are uncertain, tell me why. If you're brave, argue the counterpoint as well -- i.e., if you're in favor of veganism or vegetarianism, list a few reasons why, and then a few reasons why a person might be opposed to veganism. No straw men, please! In other words, if you argue against veganism, don't put "because they're idiots and tree-hugging hippies" as your pro-vegan argument! Obviously! (Now, Mike, please put the above phrase in quotations in your comment to show just how clever you are.)

Oh, and if you're vegan or vegetarian, maybe include some advice!

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful opinions.

Tell me, blog friends...

... does it count as schadenfreude, or something else, to thank God that I'm single when a friend goes through a really bad breakup?

The Richness of the Whole Counsel of God

I'm in Old Testament I this semester -- what a fantastic blessing, since I've often struggled with understanding how to apply the OT to my life, or even how to read it faithfully. So how do you do this? Spurgeon said it in regards to preaching, but I think it applies to reading scripture as well. Place it properly in the big picture, and then "make a beeline to the cross."

I've found the following questions helpful (examples from my morning reading [Leviticus 10-18] in parentheses):

1. How does this section of Scripture fit into God's plan to redeem for Himself a people? (Israel is out of Egypt! Now God is shaping them into a people who will stand out from those around them. He is concerned with every detail of their lives -- what they eat, what they wear, their sex lives, their friendships, etc. -- and provides guidance for each step. He also gives them a system to deal with sin.)

2. How does this section of Scripture point to Christ? (Emphasizes the need for Christ! The blood of an animal cannot fully atone for the sins of people. Also emphasizes God's grace in dealing with His people despite their sinfulness, and His forbearance in forgiving them until the time for the Messiah is fulfilled. There are also pictures of Christ: the sacrificial lamb, the intercession of the High Priest, etc., as well as reminders of the life of Christ: Mary and Joseph followed these very guidelines when they brought Jesus to the temple.)

3. What does this section of Scripture say about the Character of God? (He cares for His people in the direst of circumstances, and no detail is too small for His personal direction and care. He is a God of truth and clarity! He will not go back on His word -- He will carry out His promises to His people, and will keep the terms of the covenant even when His people fail.)

4. What element of this section of Scripture can I cherish today as I meditate on God's word? (God's faithfulness! I have been incorporated into God's promises, because I am part of God's people! Christ kept the law for me, since I could not, so my salvation does not depend on holding to these ceremonial laws.)

These questions have been so helpful as I read the "boring" parts of the OT. As Christians, we read all of Scripture in light of its climactic event: the incarnation of Christ.

In Which I Discover Just How Juvenile I Truly Am.

Disturbing moment this afternoon. Turns out that I am completely obsessed with Hugh Laurie, who plays the eponymous main character of my favorite TV program, House.

In case you don't know already (and what on EARTH is the matter with you if you don’t? It’s only been hailed as the best show on television!), House is a medical drama primarily involving a crabby antisocial doctor who bears more than passing resemblance to Sherlock Holmes, both in his brilliance and his drug addiction. Every Tuesday night, Greg House manages to comment on his boss's rack, hit someone with his cane, alienate his only friend (that adorable kid from Dead Poet's Society, all grown up), insult his partners, irreversibly offend his patients, play his Gameboy obsessively, and, somewhere in there, to diagnose and cure a mysterious (and sometimes heretofore unknown) illness that had the rest of the hospital staff totally stymied.

I suspected the obsession during last night's episode, which probably was not but definitely should have been titled (á la Friends) "The One Where House Has To Decide Whether Or Not To Make Out With Sexy Blonde Jailbait." If you'll indulge me, I'll give you insight into my entire thought process during said episode:

On Screen: (House blustering around, comparing autistic child to monkey, making sheep’s-eyes at Jailbait, commenting on Dr. Cuddy's low-cut top, etc., etc.)

Me: Wow. That Dr. House is pretty. Love him. Lots. Wonder if I could get a walk-on role on the show and hide myself in his trailer. He's only 8 years younger than my mother. Huh. But has two sons. Interesting possibility. Would he be more or less attractive with English accent? Stoppit. Must pay attention to show. (10 minutes pass without another thought.) Wow. That Dr. House is pretty. Love him. Lots. (Etc.)

So, you see, this has become a problem. I have a full month to attempt to conquer my addiction, since evidently baseball playoffs will be taking the place of Fox's primetime lineup until the end of October. Augh!