We lost 11-2 to a fine Leslie County team. A good loss for us, because it reminded us of what good competition we have to face. Almost all our errors tonight were correctable, which is good. And pitching is the thing. Believe it.

I agree with Peggy Noonan. Mrs. Clinton will be hard to beat. Beatable, but hard to beat. Bill will be old, and way out of the picture. She is a skillful politician who knows how to appeal to a lot of people who voted for Bush reluctantly.

Baptist Press- the propaganda and promotional arm of the SBC- is now touting young creationsim openly as Baptist orthodoxy. That’s unfortunate. I predict that within five years the Baptist Faith and Message Statement will require an explicit belief in young earth creationism. Write it down and see if I’m right.

Wilson draws a rather crude line in the sand for NT Wright. (PWinn: I am impressed that you understood Reformed Is Not Enough. It made no sense to me at all.)

William Tighe says the Windsor Report shows that N.T. Wright isn’t ready to lead an “Athanasian” resurgence of Anglicans who really believe the faith.

Want some Irony? Barak Obama fundraising for Robert Byrd.

This issue of Larknews continues to prove to me that this little page is spot on and razor sharp with its observations. Read it all…ads included. Hilarious and full of truth.

Will anyone care if I don’t use the word “Destiny” in any sermon titles in the future?

Easter: The Aftermath

Opening Day for the Reds is less than a week away.

I tell you what, Spaniards are a little “touchy-feely” but this takes the cake.

Guys, I received two emails today regarding Landon. Things are not looking good. I’ve pasted the emails below. Please, please pray for him and his family.

****

I just spoke to Rhonda. Landon has been moved into an isolation room. The most recent tests showed that he has a strep infection in several areas of his little body. They are doing tests and scans on his head, spine, stomach and other areas this morning. An infectious disease specialist has been brought in to assess the situation. There will probably be more blood transfusions in the coming days, too.

Brittany is emotionally wasted, and the stress and helplessness are showing on Rhonda for the first time.

****

Just when it seems that things can’t get any worse, they do.

Please keep Landon, Brittany and Rhonda in your prayers tonight.

Sorry, Michael, I thought I had typed “you keep saying over and over that the furore over the whole “federal vision” thing is nothing.” Assuming that statement is more agreeable, this was a typo, not an actual mis-characterization. {:)}

Indeed, Wilson seems to answer many of the objections I’ve heard from Lutherans, both sane and otherwise, and very nearly dovetails with my own views that have slowly emerged as I’ve considered and generally rejected the details of those Lutheran views while acknowledge that modern Evangelical views seem to be even more off the mark.

I’m not sure that they are—or that Wilson is, at least—trying to appropriate Wright et al at all; in fact, I suspect it must be one of the others that drew NPP into the loop, because Wilson seems generally (thought not entirely) disdainful of Wright based on this book and the very few other pages I’ve read.

I’m also not sure that Wilson is up to anything except attempting to be faithful to Scripture, really. He doesn’t seem to have an axe to grind other than to say that modern evangelicalism has drifted to far into individualism and away from a “proper” understanding of God’s covenant with humanity.

I guess it might say more about me than I tend to admit that I found myself nodding as I read the book, and only barely recognized in passing certain points that might be objectionable to some. Then again, most of what I say is objectionable to the same “some,” so I guess I’m just out of the loop.

Kurt, yes, this is what happens when you baptize your babies. {:)}

I’m a Black Russian Terrier.

What kind of dog are you? HT to the Agitator.

Why all the bad language?

I believe the first scene of Othello today was more than enough to offend the fundamentalists in my class. Three gasping highlights:

”...Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is topping your white ewe.”

“Because we come to
do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll
have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;
you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have
coursers for cousins and gennets for germans”

and, of course,”...I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”

Ahh….the Bible and Shakespeare. Nothing like them to offend the decent and the sophisticated among us.

Finally, an IM commenter says that the Christian position on Shiavo is (was) simple: She must be kept alive because we know that God miraculously heals sometimes. The Gospel examples of Jesus healing make it clear that people with terminal diseases are sometimes healed by God. Therefore, we must do all we can to keep everyone alive in hopes of healing. Interesting.

>I know, Michael, that you keep saying over and over that the whole “federal vision” thing is nothing, or less than nothing.

Let me defend myself from yet another PWinn summation of my views. :-) Glad to have you back around.

I’ve never called it “nothing” or “less than nothing.” I have underlined that this isn’t a coherent movement, it’s various representatives have too much diversity to mount much of a coherent challenge. (Differences between Wilson and others would easily fill a volume. They admit this.) I’ve not been real impressed with their ability to explain what it is they are up to beyond emphasizing infant baptism and the “objectivity” of the covenant. I’ve said they are definately going in a Lutheran direction. Josh S likes much of what they say. I don’t find the movement to be particularly important….yet, and their appropriation of N.T. Wright is, while commendable, probably much more incomplete than most “fans” of the Federal Vision realize.

So I’m just not ready to see them as more than a handful of pastors having a conversation inspired by the NPP at this point. I have said that the reaction of the PCA to the Federal Vision guys is way over the top.

I read Wilson’s Reformed Is Not Enough yesterday, and found it fascinating. I’m paying less attention to the appendix in which he disputes N.T.Wright, since it appears to be less well-reasoned than the body of the book and primarily designed to respond to charges against Wilson.

I know, Michael, that you keep saying over and over that the whole “federal vision” thing is nothing, or less than nothing. A tempest in a teapot, even. Still, I found Wilson’s arguments compelling and don’t see in any way how they undermine orthodox theology.

Within the boundaries of classical reformation theology, as defined by the Westminster Confession of Faith, Wilson explains several tensions in Scripture pretty clearly. I won’t go into too much detail unless other people here have read the book, but I found his statements to be consistent internally, with Scripture, and with tradition.

I had done quite a bit of reading on baptism before having my children baptized recently, so I had already, it seems, gone about 80% of the way toward Wilson’s position. I won’t be surprised if a month from now I actually side with Wilson 100%, but I’m letting things steep for now. I’ll read the book again in a week.

Rachel: If that Romans 5 passage refers to human death, as I believe it does, then it doesn’t enter into creation/evolution. I think, as do YEC’ers, that animal death and suffering before the flaws is somewhat problematic when we think of our loving God, but if I can accept eternal human suffering, then I can accept temporal animal suffering, though I don’t have a good explanation.

Matt: I agree. Colson has just as much authority to write on this as all the non-scientist Op-Ed writers do who bash creationism/ID. I do have a science degree, and I am not a Darwinist, though I am an OEC. I can accept Darwinism as a mechanism for minor changes and even some speciation, but not as one for major changes such as legs to wings or for human origins.

I don’t think you can be a Christian without believing ID to some degree, because we believe in a Designer who created everything, even if everything else happened by guided evolution. Unfortunately, the ID movement is so broad that it isn’t able to propose a mechanism for change. Darwinism has the presupposition of naturalistic materialism and can be consistent within that system. Reasons to Believe believes the Bible demonstrates Old Earth Creationism and builds a model based on that. For the most part, ID is restricted to criticizing Darwinism.

I believe Darwinism is scientific, inasmuch as scientists are starting with particular assumptions on the nature of the universe, and applying the scientific method from there. Let me make this interesting: I don’t think Young Earth Creationism is any less scientific than Darwinism. I’m not talking about the Hams and the Hovinds. There are legitimate scientists, not many for sure, who think the Bible teaches a young Earth, and try to work from there. They wouldn’t hold to a lot of what is passed around in popular YE Creationism, such as a canopy theory. I’m not saying I agree with them, but I don’t see how they are any less scientific than scientists who reject any and all supernatural interference in the development of life on Earth. Both have their basic assumptions, and their theories are dependent upon the framework they have chosen.

OBI 17 Lynn Camp 2

Our first victory against a major public school in a while. We have speed, and we used it. The opposing coach complained that we were “humiliating” his team with too many steals.

To quote a favorite film: “There’s no crying in baseball!” -Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own.

Please pray for one of the opposing players, Tommy Hubbard, who was hit in the back of the head with a full speed pitch thrown by his own pitcher, and was knocked out with a serious concussion. He was taken off the field and to a hospital by ambulance. I hope Tommy is going to be OK and return to the field soon.

Also, my wife is having major problems with neck pain ever since she started an exercise routine. Anyone with a knowledge of exercise phsyiology who might answer some questions, feel free to contact me at michael@internetmonk.com.

Noted anthropologist and archeologist Chuck Colson weighs in on the creation-evolution debate.

Together for the Gospel conference – Louisville, Kentucky, April 2006. Ladies, click on the registration button to find out that your are invited, unless you end up being uninvited. Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler, with Piper, Macarthur and Sproul.

From the comments on this post:

Brian said: “Go back to the PDC’s image of reaching “Saddleback Sam”- he’s a upper-class, 30-something white guy with a cell phone. By putting so much emphasis on targeting, we have forgotten the need for diversity in the body of Christ- and that means old and young, rich and poor, black and white, etc. The church is reinforcing culture rather than transcending it to produce God-glorifying unity in the midst of diversity (Gal. 3:28).”

Interesting article in Christianity Today this month that addresses this exact topic, and Bill Hybels says that it was a mistake in his early ministry:

“Willow Creek started in the era when, as the book (United by Faith) noted, the church-growth people were saying “Don’t dissipate any of your energies fighting race issues. Focus everything on evangelism.” It was the homogeneous unit principle of church growth. And I remember as a young pastor thinking, That’s true. I didn’t know whether I wanted to chance alienating people who were seekers, whose eternity was on the line, and who might only come to church one time. I wanted to take away as many obstacles as possible, other than the Cross, to help people focus on the gospel. So now, 30 years later, as I read this book, I recognize that a true biblically functioning community must include being multi-ethnic. My heart beats so fast for that vision today. I marvel at how naive and pragmatic I was 30 years ago.”

I commend Hybels for his honesty on the subject. It would have been easy for him to say that his community just wasn’t that diverse in the early years. But how many current CGM adherents are still reading the material that led Hybels astray? I see it very evident in the picture of “Saddleback Sam.” Reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator, and odds are you are going to end up with a 30 year old white guy.

Advanced scouts from ABC News at Prestonwood Baptist. The quotes from the Ellis family are choice.

(One of the Ellis boys is named ‘Sheridan’. My heart goes out to him. I’m sure it’s a fine, strong name, but it is also the name of the son of Richard and Hyacinth Bucket. Fans of Keeping Up Appearances will understand.)

Richard Balmer likens the megachurch phenomenon to “consumerism run amok.” So I ask this question (-of-the-evening?): is it possible to make a commodity out of the gospel and the Christian life? Now, in one sense, the answer is obvious. Of course we can and we do. Visit a Christian trink-, er, “book” store. CCM. Bibles. Wall plaques. But this isn’t the sense I had in mind. What I was wondering (and I’m struggling to find the words to articulate this) is: can or do we internalize Christianity like we do a product to be purchased or owned? Is what we value in the Christian life what we find is its convenience for us, like single-serving packaging? Are we reducing our fellow believers to “single-serving friends?”

At Stan Gernz’s funeral Dr. Bruce Milne did a superb job of saying what has to be said when a Christian dies and also of saying what has to be said when a prominent Christian theologian dies. Here’s a superb model for all who are called to preach funeral sermons. One of the things that depress me most about current church fads and fashions is the Gospel-lite or the Gospel-less funeral service. Mark Dever says that funerals are Christianity’s home turf. Sermons like this prove that it is so.

Several years ago, when I started to study Shakespeare in earnest, I became interested in I Henry IV (as opposed to II Henry IV). This is, technically, one of Will’s “history” plays, so it seldom sees the light of day. What got my interest was Harold Bloom’s constant comment that Falstaff was the second greatest character Shakespeare ever created (just short of Hamlet,) so I thought I would give it a whirl. I’ve read, studied and reread I Henry IV, and today, just completed taking my AP English class through the play (which is available in the Arkangel audio series.)

It made me very happy to achieve the goal of teaching this play to my students. The students “got it” which was greatly relieving to me. My principal really didn’t want me to detract from the necessary attention we must pay to Othello, Hamlet and Lear. But I was determined to get the play in, and we did it in 7 class days.

I Henry IV is the story of Prince Hal, who rejects the life of a serious prince of Wales and chooses to spend his time drinking and carousing with Falstaff and the crew of the Boar’s Head Tavern. The tension of the play is created by civil war that threatens his father’s kingdom, and the question of whether Hal will decide to become a responsible and valiant young man, or remain a libertine. The young rebel Harry Percy, aka “Hotspur,” provides the contrast of a young man ambitious for the throne, while the fat old knight, Jack Falstaff, is the king of the tavern, the epitiome of the cynical, honor-rejecting life of drinking and petty crime that Hal must reject if he is to grow into a man.

The genius of the play is Shakespeare’s creation of two worlds: the world of the court and the world of the tavern. In each, we see the concerns and distractions of those who live there: war, honor and politics in one. Wine, money and good times in the other. One world is violent, while the other is forgiving. The ways of speaking, thinking and acting are vastly differnent, yet young Hal must move from one to the other. In the end, you realize his years in the taverns were not wasted, but gave him a touch with the common man that will serve him well.

Prince Hal’s father took the crown by violence, deposing the weak, absent Richard II, and now the nobility are in arms against him. Part of Hal’s irresponsible behavior is shame at his father’s reputation, and you can see how the surrogate father of “Falstaff” gives Hal an identity without the baggage of tainted royalty. Yet you can also see that the day will come (as it does in II Henry IV) when the young prince/future king will have to turn the old man and his drinking crew away.

It is a play about growing up. About the wasteful ways of the young. About two worlds that are brought together in war. About the ambitions- petty and noble- of all kinds of men. And in the midst of it, the voice of Falstaff rejects all the notions of honor and morality that others take for granted, creating for himself a “myth” of who he is that honors his greatest value: survival.

We ended our discussion relating the plot to movies: What movies had they seen that created two very different worlds that the protagonist must navigate to become fully reailized? And what films had they seen that showed the necessity of rejecting a corrupting influence in order to fulfill a person’s potential. Good discussion.

Now, on to Othello.

Michael: Well, at least you’re first class. I just get “idiot”, among other descriptive nouns applied.

Bill, Absolute concurence. The snow’s not quite gone yet here and the lakes are still iced over. The driveway’s muddier than can be described as the frost is not yet out of the ground…but Spring’s a big deal to us too.

We’ve not seen green yet, not usually ‘til the first of May. There have been a few moths flying around, a reminder that Spring brings bugs…the “bane of the North”, but that’s why God created Deet & bug screens.

The canoe is hanging in the garage looking forward to a Spring cleaning, we’re strapping our bikes to the back of the truck this weekend and driving up to Fargo & Grand Forks ND to look at Travel Trailers. We may actually be able to be outside this weekend without earmuffs and gloves. My new Nikon is in a new waterproof pack itching to get outside when the first flowers start to appear

Michael: Of course ED is an acronym for a certain medical condition, which may explain things.

Most of the patrons of the bar (I think) live south of the Mason Dixon line, so I don’t know if this time of year affects you in the same way, but it’s hard to express what Spring means to us up here. The snow lingers, but it is losing. We will get snowfalls even into May perhaps, but essentially it’s over. The mud is a drag, but you wouldn’t believe the change in spirit and attitude now. The sun is already up when we wake. The sun is still shining when we get home. The hardier flowers are poking through. The clothing is getting lighter. The land is born again, and in a way, so are we. (Man, that sounds corny, but I’m going to let it stand)

Marketing decisions fascinate me. Who said there is a real need for a lime green Bible?

As best I can tell, no one in the “relevant church” conversation is talking about old people. As someone who is turning into an old person, it seems like a remarkable omission. Where are these young turks going to put the old people? Are the old people supposed to be escorted back to the traditional churches? Will emergent/relevant churches start a “normal” service for old people? Pop culture rides the wave of the interests and fads of the young, and is pushed by the forces that market to the young. How did THAT become the guiding light for the church? It’s very easy to see why some older people want to dig in and fight over changes. They see with some clarity where all this is going. The culture of the church must deal with the surrounding culture, but the process is different for differing factors. For instance, in race relations we should be ahead of the culture. In worship music, we should be pan-cultural. In style and language, we should be specific to the culture of the congregation WITHOUT being slaves to culture itself. We should always be calling Christians away from wars of “preference,” to servanthood and love for one another (so that one group doesn’t oppress another for the sake of style.) And whiners should not run the church. See I Cor 3 for details.

It increasingly appears to me that the relevant church conversation is primarily church planters talking as if they were speaking for congregations. In many instances, they are not. They are talking about the congregations they imagine having. Should be noted. There is a difference in talking to the staff who run our school, and the guy who quits to start his own, but doesn’t exactly have one yet.

Waiting for me in my mailbox this a.m.:

“you’re a first class idiot. good luck explaining your trash to God when you come face to face. get a life”

ed

(Why are guys like this always named Ed?)

David Wayne responds to Donald Sensing’s posting on the “soul” issue.

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition” – 2 Tim 2:24-25a

I wrote some posts and comments early on in this thread, so from those it should be clear where I stand on this, but I found myself unable to continue without getting caught up in the anger. More power to those of you who can. This is a serious issue and deserves discussion. If I had any power to do anything, I would choose differently, but I’ve said my prayers, written my emails, and the rest is in God’s hands. Maybe this is a copout, I don’t know. I believe that Christians should get involved in people and issues around us, but I didn’t see how my writing angry blog posts would help.

I’m not even that upset by the hype. Yes, it seems like everybody is playing politics, but there are a lot of political ramifications to this case, and not just for end-of-life and euthanasia. The executive and legislative branches took on the judiciary in a power struggle and lost. I’ll involve myself with these discussions, but I won’t comment anymore on the feeding tube.

“I loved him as a good Christian man; I look at Johnny as a great Christian,” Simpson told CNN. “I knew him as that. He was a great guy.”

PS – And if Falwell goes next, my money is on the Pope to finish the trifecta (famous people always die in 3’s).

Cinci’s best band is featured in this story. I know there are Over The Rhine fans in the BHT.

Andres Gallaraga, on of the classiest Expos ever, ends his great MLB career

I have to be honest. The pastor in the article I posted earlier is/was a friend of mine from college. He actually co-officiated my wedding with one of my religion professors. But I’ve lost touch with him over the years.

Joel – it certainly gives us pause to think in real world terms instead of theory because it’s happening to someone we know. If I didn’t know him, I would make the assumption that he is a right wing fundamentalist pastor. And he may be but I don’t know how he’s changed since college.

Michael – before you deleted your comment you made reference to Judge Greer being on the outskirts of the church. He may very well have been but I get the impression that he wasn’t to begin with. It was only after he was cast as the embodiment of evil that he withdrew from participation. From the accounts I’ve read he is socially and politically conservative, a Republican, and not just a Christian in name. If so, that will certainly be a fly in the ointment to the Religious Right.

I guess I have a problem with how this was handled (especially since this apparently was given to the media by the church). I struggle with the issue of church discipline if that’s what this qualifies as. I mean, Greer and his family are under death threats (how ironic in a right to life issue), he is villified in the media, he has no doubt lost friends over this, etc.

My worldview has been completely turned upside-down. I don’t even know what to make of this. I feel the same way I did when I saw that picture of Kurt that looked like Home Depot exploded all over him.

Here’s the chapter on NT Wright from MacArthur’s new book. I haven’t read it yet so I’ll hold my comments until I get a chance. I understand Phil Johnson, the writer of this chapter, is a big Spurgeon guy. He wouldn’t happen to be the man who chastised the iMonk a while back would it?

The media is paying attention as churches take up more media to communicate with culture. But in all this creativity, is something essential lost? Who is keeping an eye on the merchandise while we make the store “hip?” Will those who go to “Scum of the earth,” ever be able to relate to any other kind of church? I’m more optimistic than I once was, but I still see a real danger of watering down, editing and omitting the truth of the Gospel in churches that are in a big hurry to be hip.

I was wondering what you folks who are in ministry, especially the pastorate, think about the following story from the St Petersburg Times. Was this the right way to handle this situation (especially mailing the letter to a place where it is sure to be made public)? More »« Less

Verdict overturned because jurors consulted the Bible.

Dennis Prager on Judaism’s “culture of life.”

While I wait for Dave to list me as one of those fundmentalists you should leave for the sake of your mental health (jn), I’ll say this is an excellent post on Anglican worship, and what’s good about it.

I find it quite extraordinary that, with calls for civil disobedience everywhere in evangelicalism over this situation, there are less than 100 protestors out there, and they are of the most ardent Randall Terry variety, even arguing with the Schindler family. I’ve heard calls for marches on Washington. Where are the people? With all the ink spilled, is it possible that America’s Christians are home sulking that, thoroughly horrible, rotten scenario and all, it’s better to live in a nation of laws than they want to admit?

So much of this Red Lake story is being replayed here in Appalachia and Ky. The same drawings, poetry, fasciniation with despair, etc. The same background of poverty and adults who are screwed up. I read it/’see it every day.

Now, I don’t want you to misunderstand me: I have tremendous respect for the pain of my students, but living in a Christian community you can’t deal with it the way the world thinks we should. You have to call these young people to process it and move beyond it into a new identity that they find in the new community. That is where our school often works. Some goth turns into a farmer or a baseball player or just loses the audience because most of his/her peers are no longer interested in playing the game. Wearing black and spikes and chains won’t get much of a reaction here. It’s boring.

I think we have to call kids away from the morbid fascination with their own pain. Pain, alienation, hurt, loss: these are common human experiences. Yours is unique. Sortof. You can’t make it into an idol. It’s not the key to your life. Christ is. In actual fact, it’s part of the human experience that we all have to face. I have so many kids from rotten families that a shooter would be shooting kids just like himself. We have to accept the rotten side of it, and then decide if the pain is going to be our identity. That is what the youth culture teaches, especially in the arts. The pain is your identity. Any rejection is a reason for rage. Everyone must like you or you must hate them. How stupid.

Christ says the pain is your window to the cross. The rejection is your window into the cross, and into the suffering of others. Your healing comes not from demanding justice on your terms, but by accepting and fighting the injustice in yourself, then bringing that to relationships and community. (Note how this young man sought community with Nazi’s, where the common center is racial hatred.) That is why we spend 30 minutes in the middle of the school day, every day, putting Christ at the center of our experience. Not as the reference point for stupid rules, but as the reference point for a new identity, and as the lighthouse in this wrecked world.

I captured this photo of Satan with my new camera.

Guys, would y’all continue to pray for Landon? He was doing much better, but now something else has happened. Here’s the email I received:

Britt’s baby, Landon, seems to have taken a turn for the worse at Texas
Children’s Hospital. I have very little detail, but apparently he now is having
problems with his stomach, too. I will get back to you all ASAP, but for the
mean time, send up more prayers for Peanut. It sounds serious.

Thanks,
Mike

Right now, I would like to type one very angry paragraph, but I am realizing that the people who say the stupid things are the least moved by anything other than their preprogrammed worldview. So instead, I’ll tell you a story. A story that is part of me, and part of why I am not like you. And don’t want to be like you.

Once upon a time, I was an associate minister at a large church. We had friends, good friends, I’ll call Hal and Betty. Hal and Betty had two boys. They got pregnant with a third child. He was born without most of his brain.

I don’t remember a lot of the details here. I know it was terrible and lasted for months. I remember the weeks and months at the hospital. I remember Hal and Betty’s agony about what was the right thing to do for this child they loved. I could feel it tearing away at their marriage and their relationship with their children. Over time, the choices became more terrible, the stress more awful. The child was able to come home, but required constant vigilance and care. Death was certain, but no one knew when. On one occasion, the child stopped breathing at home, and the caretaking parent allowed death to occur. The other parent rushed home and revived the child with extreme measures. They lived through this, and many other things. Eventually, in God’s mercy, the child died.

I remember how the funeral was a mixture of darkness and light. Scriptures of dismay that God let such things happen and scriptures of hope in God. I remember that no one knew what to say. No one knew how to comfort the family. No one knew anything, because the whole journey was so hard and confusing. They loved their child. They wanted to do the right thing. In doing the right thing, almost all the life was sucked out of their home. They divorced. They moved on, and life has been good to them, but they carry this with them always.

I remember that all the ethics classes I had at seminary, and all the Bible studies I’d taught seemed so very pointless. You didn’t know what to pray. You just held their hands and said that you loved them. They made ALL the decisions. I have no idea what they did or did not do in comparison to what could have been done. For all I know, they sustained that child far beyond what it should have lived, or he could be in a hospital somewhere right now if they had done more. I don’t know. And I don’t care. They walked this road and they stand before God with their choices. I deeply respect them because they acted according to what they believed was right.

I respect Hal and Betty even more as I read about the Shiavo situation. They did their best, and they had to bury a son. They made their choices. There was always someone saying they did too much or not enough. Screw them. Screw them all.

To all of you who are appalled that I have continued to ask questions and not camped out with you in your certainties, pray for me. I am weak. My faith is weak. My knowledge is small. The complex world intimidates me. I am not sure what path to walk. I don’t know the hearts and motives of people in the Shiavo case. I hear what they say. I don’t buy conspiracy theories. I can’t imagine what it must be like for any of them. I look at it, and I look at my wife and children. I do not know what the future holds, but I ask God for wisdom, because I have none.

To those of you who can’t believe I haven’t sided with you, those who say that you cannot be a Christian and agree with the courts, those who say a “consistent Christian worldview” has only one outcome here, I want to congenially ask you to do one of two things. Either tell me off and go away, or leave me alone to continue wondering. Job didn’t know what was going on. His friends were experts on everything. God, of course, showed up and said they were idiots. I’ve done the know everything route. Now I am trying something different. So either leave me alone, or drop me from your list of Christians and move on. Ok?

What are you seeing on the Shiavo videotapes?

Michael, I don’t think there’s a satisfactory resolution to your debate over the value of homework without raising the larger question about the value of education itself. Classical notions like a good life, human flourishing as an individual or in society, or spiritual growth (in the sense of ‘spiritual’ that is broader than the Christian one) simply don’t cut it in our contemporary technological society. Education (and by implication homework), must have some practical benefit. Our old friend pragmatism demands that we give an account of what use, what practical end is served by this effort that you are making me expend, to my great displeasure and discomfort, I might add.

I teach philosophy, usually at an introductory level, to college students. This “subject” demands reading, a lot of it very difficult. I am in a constant search for ways to ensure that my students are actually doing the reading. Without reading the texts for themselves, no learning occurs. The reason for this is that my “subject” does not lend itself to formulas, definitions, and doctrines that I can spoonfeed to my students. Yes, I can do this, and to some extent, it is a necessary element of their initiation, but no learning occurs. You learn philosophy by doing philosophy. They have to engage the texts for themselves. Have you ever been jealous of someone who hadn’t yet seen your favorite movie? You would move heaven and earth to not spoil that experience for them. My experience is that most of what passes for education today is simply rattling off “spoilers.” Why? So you can have the answers, of course. So you can pass the test. So you can get good grades. So you can go to college. So you can get a non-manual job and enter the corps of professional careers. So you can make more money than you would otherwise. So you can __________________ (fill in the blank). So you can fit in to the fellowship of your local suburban church.

Learning for the sake of learning is like seeing a good movie for the sake of the experience of how the movie engages you: uplifting, transcendent, provocative, challenging. To be a better person. But being a better person simply isn’t on the radar of pragmatism. Unless it is a means to some further end.

In my Philosophy of Human Nature class, we’ve entered a unit on the existentialists. I’ve had my students reading Dostoyevsky before we engage the philosophers. I love Dostoyevsky. Should be required reading. The Grand Inquisitor is alive and well among us. My Christian students are getting prepared to face radical atheism. My atheist students have now encountered a radical Christianity. I hope that real education breaks out. I hope that my Christian students can face the abyss of nihilism honestly and not blink. I hope that both my Christian and atheist students experience the depth and breadth of a full-orbed atheism that has been articulated by a Christian and are jarred by that paradox. I have hope for them. But I fear most of my students will stand outside the texts, remain untouchable, being occupied with extracting what they “need to know”...to pass.

Our culture is infected with pragmatism. We Christians aren’t immune. Our version of the homework question is: How many hours per week should I read my Bible? What do I need to know to “pass” my Christianity exam? How do I get ahead? What’s in it for me and how do I get the most out of doing x the “Christian” way? Real education will challenge this way of thinking and way of life. In one sense, it might be better to view homework as the goal, not the means to some other end. What goes on in the classroom should instill the student with passion for “homework.” Students should clamor for homework. They should have as much homework as they want. But that’s crazy talk. Freedom is too risky. Never mind.

ENJOY!

From the “Whatever happened to….” file: Bryan Duncan.

New Credenda

Someone is comparing evangelical Christians to Trekkies.

Another example of just how dire things have gotten.

We are having a lively faculty debate about homework. Our principal is increasingly against it. I assign very little, and count it for very little. I grade on essays, projects and tests. I believe that homework is boring, and kids don’t learn much from it. Smart kids hate it, because they learned in class and don’t need 50 examples of practice. Much homework is the product of technology that can now crank out curriculum and worksheets ad nauseum. I believe that 98% of education happens with a teacher, a primary text and a student. In the interaction and conversation in the classroom.

But, otoh, my son is in the math class of a teacher who doesn’t count homework at all. Clay is weak in Math (this is Algebra II) At the end of last week, his grade was calculated from 2 tests, with a grand total of 5 problems. He’s likely to fail this quarter, which is incomprehensible to me, because he is an honor student. But putting so much on tests, and having so few questions, is killing him. It’s a tough call.

I don’t really like basketball. Actually, I’ve known for quite awhile. I absolutely hate the slam dunk. And now I would guess that this boy isn’t crazy about them either.

I don’t get my Louisville- Kentucky game :p Today’s OBI baseball opener appears to be rained out, as we are under a flash flood warning.

The experience of preaching 12 times in 7 days made me reflect on the stamina of men like Wesley and Spurgeon. The adrenalin factor wears me down to the point that I am almost too sick to work today. I did fine on my messages, but yesterday I was so mentally and physically tired I didn’t feel at all myself. I can understand how Spurgeon, weakened by gout, preached himself into an early grave. And Wesley must truly have been a superman. I don’t preach again till next Sunday morning. Pray for me as I rest and recharge my mind.

Is it inappropriate to discuss academic credentials when evaluating books? Am I being “scholastic” if I say that Joel Osteen probably shouldn’t write a book critiquing D.A. Carson? When we are discussing a matter of common knowledge to both parties, academic credentials don’t matter. In some matters, credentials have to yield to experience. A Clay County mechanic may, in fact, know far more than an Oxford Ph.d about deer hunting. But what about first century Judaism? Is an ordinary seminarian with a web site able to critique a Wright or a Sanders? Perhaps in some ways, such as the validity of their applications, etc. But the subject matter at hand seems to make academic credentials a very appropriate part of the discussion. Accusations of Wright fandom aside, the entire problem here comes NOT from an argument over reformation confessions where Johnson may be more the expert for all I know- but from research into second temple Judaism, particularly primary sources, and how this affects our reading of Paul. In that one, academic credentials make a huge difference, and it’s not scholasticism to say so.

And on those whose theology is “dangerous,” it might do us all good to remember what a heretic the patron saint of the bar is when compared to the young Calvinistic Lions we hear from so often. James Townsend has surveyed Lewis’s theology. Check out the whole thing, but especially the sections after Part IV and especially section IVF on salvation. On justification and the atonement, we should be asking “What would Macarthur say?”

minor geek alert here*

For SciFi fans, especially die hards who like the cheesy stuff, it doesn’t get any better than this.

I found this link on Greg Boyd’s site that describes open theism from his view. I’m not advocating his view, but this is a good short intro to the open theist position.

While on my weekly Sunday donut run, before sunrise service this morning, I had some thoughts. Many college students I have been around care little for denominations and really like for denominations to come together to do stuff. One example I always hear is that all the campus Christian organizations should come together for a service every now and then so people can see how Christians love one another and such. Another aspect I see is young people being attracted to non-denominational churches. Not that being non-denominational is a bad thing just they market themselves as not prescribing to someone elses system.
My thought is that universalism in our culture and society has produced this. It does not matter what you believe or if you have sound doctrine. I know very very very few people that pick a church our Christian campus organization on doctrine or theology. Usually they are picked by who has the best music and speakers. So do I just produce the best show in town so that I can give them what I believe is sound doctrine or just keep preaching until they come to me. My teeter totter loves to go up and down.

Happy Easter
As much as it has rained since last night I thought we should have skipped our service today and began working on an ark.

I never do this, but some of you may find this blog post interesting. Maybe I think it’s interesting because it involved my sister, but it’s freaky nonetheless.

Only one more service to go. I extended an invitation for those who want to accept NT Wright as their personal lord and savior. We had several decisions for Wright.

Happy Easter everyone!

Another great Christian theologian goes to await the resurrection in Jesus’ presence – Edmund Clowney. Did you know that for years he was “Eutychus” in Christianity Today?

“The Lord Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!”

re:John Mac Arthur and Tom Wright: I am reading some of NT Wright’s stuff on the resurrection and I find my faith and my joy strengthened with every page. He gets it. He understands what Christ’s glorious resurrection is all about and what our great hope is for beyond this life and he explains and defends it better than anyone writing today. He’s brilliant and he’s godly! Here is a guy who has learning of incredible scope, who has paid the costly dues of academic teaching, research and publishing at the highest level, who writes clear English like few other scholars of that caliber. But above all this here is a guy who clearly loves Jesus and Jesus’ people. Here is the ablest defender of the faith to come along in a long time (and in a world where Da Vinci’s Code is taken seriously by millions that’s a real gift of God!) Here’s a guy who on top of all he does is a faithful pastor of God’s people (wether as a college chaplain or, currently, as Bishop of Durham). For MacArthur to lump him with Warren, etc is preposterous! J Mac can’t seem to speak for ten minutes without saying something silly (eg. wine is Welch’s, YE Creationism, one of the most biased piece of “research” in Charismatic Chaos , etc, etc). His commentaries are little more than fluff. As a scholar he can’t carry Wright’s pencil case. To say that Wright may be a greater threat to the faith than Warren’s pragmatism is, frankly, ... (I’m Canadian and we are programmed to only say nice things so what word should I use? Nice words fail me! Let’s just say “weak”). Please, lurkers Aaron and Tim, please read Wright’s definition of Justification that Michael posted and tell me in what way it falls short of orthodoxy and in what way it poses a threat to the church. I note that this definition was published in the New Dictionary of Theology which was edited by DF Wright (no relation, I think), Sinclair Ferguson and Jim Packer, men of impeccable evangelical and reformed credentials. How did they miss the heresy?

Yesterday I found out an online friend of mine has cancer. Please keep Olivia in your prayers.

A brief history of the wine vs grape juice controversy.

Tim Challies reviews the new Macarthur book, Fool’s Gold, and I’m surprised to see that Tom Wright is brought in as an evangelical fad to be avoided alongside of Rick Warren and John Eldredge.

Fool’s Gold is divided into four sections. In the first John MacArthur provides a call for biblical discernment and examines the devastating consequences of a watered-down message to the church. The second section, entitled “Practicing Discernment in your Local Bookstore” examines four of the latest Christian bestsellers in the light of the Scripture. Nathan Busenitz reviews The Purpose Driven Life, Phil Johnson introduces the New Perspective on Paul through What Saint Paul Really Said, Daniel Gillespie evaluates Wild at Heart and Rick Holland looks at The Revolve New Testament Bible-zine.

Wright is a world class scholar. Even if he is writing for a popular audience, he’s done homework these guys haven’t done. Macarthur and Johnson critiquing Wright is like me critiquing F.F. Bruce. Sure, I can do it, and I may be right from time to time, but a realistic perception of the difference between myself and such a scholar ought to give me “pause.”

If we are examining _____________ in the light of scripture, who would you trust more to understand the text? Wright or Macarthur and/or Johnson? That’s a question, not a joke.

Warren is a prooftexting pragmatic SBC Church growth geek. Eldredge is a Men’s movement, pop psychology wannabe. They sell millions of books to the popular market. How many of those people have read “What Saint Paul Really Said?” OK, someone is upset that Wright thinks justification is more about inclusion than imputation. How does that wind up in a book like this? How is that “Fool’s Gold?” I mean, sheesh, MILLIONS of people lap up teaching from TBN and Osteen that are spiritual poison every day. How does Wright merit more attention than they do?

I commend Macarthur for wanting to be a shepherd. That’s his job, and it is a Biblical calling. I question the inclusion of the foremost scholarly defender of the resurrection in a section on evangelical fads. I continue to believe that Wright is being roasted by people who have little idea what they are cooking.

Macarthur really needs to read “Mere Christianity.” Several times. Especially the parts on why Lewis didn’t write a theology of the atonement or the Lord’s Supper.

See the extended entry for Wright’s definition of Justification (HT to Monergism) and ponder why we need to be protected from this fad.

More »« Less

John Hendryx is linking this N.T. Wright piece on Jesus’ Resurrection and Christian Origins. Great reading.

Yeah….this looks good, but it’s just practice. See you in St. Louis.

A Holy Saturday Meditation I wrote last year.

The Shiavo situation is bringing out the best in Don Sensing. Here’s another excellent and interesting post, this time about the question of the existence of the “soul.”

Baptists really wouldn’t like what he’s saying.

In the midst of all this Terry Shiavo, please allow me to depart from that subject matter for a moment and share some impressions I had last night at my church’s Good Friday service.

Maybe this will sound more like a personal blog entry, and if it is, I’m sorry. I just wanted to voice some of these impressions in a “safe,” public place with theologically-minded people I trust. Very rarely do I get this introspective or this vulnerable. More »« Less

Lord of the Peeps?

Lex Rex, Tom? (jn)

Also Friday, the FBI said a man was arrested in Fairview, N.C., on charges of sending an e-mail threat, allegedly for offering a $250,000 bounty for Michael Schiavo’s death and $50,000 for that of a judge in the case. The FBI did not identify the judge.

Richard Alan Meywes allegedly sent the e-mail Tuesday to two Tampa-area news organizations and the host of a national conservative talk show, the FBI said.

Meywes was taken into custody at his home and charged with murder for hire and with the transmission of interstate threatening communications, the FBI said.

If convicted, Meywes could face up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $500,000, federal prosecutors said.

This means something….I just don’t know what.

Phillip has a great post on the contradictory quandary of the Shiavo situation. Everything isn’t simple. Except for Bill O’Reilly.

Couple of things that are on my mind.

What is it with Bill O’Reilly? How are so many Christian conservatives fans of BOR? I mean, this really puzzles me. He’s not one of “us,” i.e. evangelical Christian. He’s the sort of cultural Catholic that gets Bill Mackinnon fired up.

What really grinds me is that, while the guy is bright, you’d never know it. He’s a ranter. A wiseacre. A smartarse. Is his popularity entirely because he’s a bully in an interview? O’Reilly’s brand of “journalism” is mostly about his populist schtick, ego and swagger. Why is he an honorary evangelical?

In fact, how do evangelicals appoint members of their team? If you are pro-life (BOR’s not), pro-Bush (BOR leans to Bush on some issues, but not all) and anti-gay marriage, do you get the jersey and the hat?

Our family members who watch all these people top off the day with an hour of 700 Club, so I figure between the 700 Club and BOR, someone is going to get pretty angry at some point, and either hurt somebody or wind up in the hospital.

Don’t get me wrong. I agree with a lot of conservative pundits, even if they are basically ranters and clowns. But as a Christian, I find most of them don’t seem to understand Jesus and the Gospel at all, and while that’s not the point of politics in America, it’s also hard to discount entirely when someone is appealing to the church for support.

A Terry Shiavo FAQ for those who who haven’t made up their mind. A lot of information you aren’t hearing is on this page. (HT to One Hand Clapping)

Dave says he can’t sing songs that imply we are unlovable.

I simply don’t believe I’m unlovable. While I accept I’m a sinner, and I praise God for the gift of God given us in Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection, I don’t think any of that means I have to think of myself as worthless. Is that proud, or just honouring God by acknowledging his creation as made in his image, precious to him and worth loving?

Of course, it’s a problem with scriptural imagery, and as usual, comes out of reading propositions in the epistles rather than looking first at Jesus in the Gospels. Take, for example, this oft-quoted, statement:

Ephesians 2:1-7 Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Romans 9:22 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction...

When I look at Jesus, he is not treating people as unlovable. But the love he has for them magnifies HIS grace and mercy, not the “worth” of those who are loved. Ephesians 2 makes that clear. It would be wrong to sing about our “lovability,” but completely right to sing about the love of Christ. Worship should magnify Christ, not attempt to fit our “worthiness” into the picture. Whether calling us “objects of wrath,” prodigal sons, lost sheep, children in need of a father, children of the devil, vessels of mercy or whatever, scripture is centered on the magnificent love of God in His Son. Our worth is completely in relationship to Him, in creation and redemption.

Do some conserv…..uh, fundamentalists (and Calvinists) go too far in magnifying our “unlovliness?” It entirely depends on the context. If the emphasis is the holiness of God, you can’t tell the truth and say we are sorta kinda holy. We’re not. All our righteousness is “filthy rags.” But if we are in Luke 15, we are much loved sons, and the Father delights in us. But as Christians, we would be wise to magnify the Father’s delight in His Son and not just innately in us. We live and find our being/worth in the Trinity. Let’s magnify such a God, and find ourselves in Him.

Michael, don’t look, I’m linking to your nemesis. ;)

Real Live Preacher has the conversation with his daughter that no parent wants to have. It’s the sort of thing a parent doesn’t want to think about. But I resonate with his conclusion. If Kat finds herself there so many years down the road, I hope she’s honest with me too.

I noticed some folks are fans of Farah’s poster. Are you talking about Farrah Fawcett or Joseph Farah, publisher of World Net Daily?

Here’s a picture

He does have a nice smile.

I took more baseball pictures. Batting practice.

Donald Sensing- A UMC pastor and conservative blogger at One Hand Clapping- does not take the predictable consdrvative line on this case.

Read: The Shiavo Great Divide and Pastoring Families of the Hopelessly Ill.

Anyone care to expound on what The Supreme Court- including Justices Scalia and Thomas- did not hear the case yesterday? If we are going to keep up the drumbeat against the “black robed Nazis,” let’s include ‘em all.

Today I listened to one of our seniors- a dedicated, but somewhat fanatical person- explain the Shiavo case to her fellow students. Everything she said about this woman’s medical condition was – as best I can tell- not just wrong, but blatantly exaggerated untruths. Hence will be born the story of this case, and it will become part of the evangelical narrative in America. A tragedy multiplied by its many uses, and no humility in sight, at least from where I sit.

Tommy:

1. Singing: We do a couple of songs. Some are kid’s songs like “I Got The Joy, Joy,” and we’re also teaching some simpler hymns.

2. Word: We have nightly Bible reading from a kid’s Bible story book. I don’t think the Second Commandment forbids illustrated Bibles, so we use one, but it was really hard finding one that wasn’t full of pictures of puppies and kitties. We found one we like, which simply tells the story with pretty low-key pictures. I wanted one that did present Christ’s death and dealt with evil a bit more than being “not nice.” I don’t remember the title off hand, but if you like I can give it to you later when I get home.

3. Prayer: We let our 4 year old pray for who or what he wants to pray for. Sometimes he needs prompting like “What are you thankful for?” or “Do you want to pray for Grandma and Grandpa’s trip?” Then we pray the Lord’s prayer. We explain it to him, but partly we are getting him used to the language of scripture. Our daughter prays along, too, but she is just babbling along.

I got this pattern from an article by J. Ligon Duncan in the CBMW Journal. It has a lot that was specifically Presbyterian, but most of it is useful for all Christians.

A couple other things:

1. Scripture memorization. Our son has several verses memorized, such as Gen 1:1, John 3:16, and Psalm 23:1

2. For the gospel message, I think I Believe In Jesus by John MacArthur is wonderful. It presents the Trinity, Fall, and Redemption in very simple language. Solid theology for the wee ones. There’s a board book and a slightly longer version.

3. We don’t use a catechism yet, but I want to start soon. I’m still thinking through this, as we’re not part of a particular confession, so I’m not sure if I should start with Luther’s Smaller Catechism or what.

Obviously, this will expand and evolve as our kids grow. One thing I want to avoid is being too cutesy with the Gospel. By this I mean things like, “Oh, how cute, she’s praying.” I don’t want them to see worship as a way to get attention.

Hopefully this is helpful. I also am fishing for ideas, so comment away, folks!!