Summer Reading: Getting the Gospel Right by Cornelis P. Venema

I've been waiting for Dr. Venema's book on the New Perspective for quite some time, and was quite excited to see Getting the Gospel Right in the latest BoT flyer--and my wife could probably testify to my outraged yell when I saw the page count. "This is what we've been waiting for?!?!" 112 pages? Bah.

But at GA, Dr. Venema spoke during the MARS luncheon (very tasty, btw) and said two things that made me feel better about the book. 1. They'd brought some for commissioners to purchase at half-price and 2. This book was sort of a teaser for a longer, less popularly written work to come out in the fall. Yay! So I picked up a copy :) I wouldn't let myself spend any more money on the way home for another novel, so I kept this out of the suitcase so I could finish up the trip with it--figured a popular-level book based on material I've read would be just the thing for 10 pm after a long day of sitting in airports/flying--and it was.

As I said, the material in the book is based on articles that Dr. Venema had written previously (which I found very helpful) and you can probably get the heart of it in the lectures he delivered at Denver's Providence OPC last year (go listen!)

That said--good book. Carefully written and crystal clear in its presentation--both positively and negatively. A great place to start. Or if you've already started, and then let yourself get stale on some of the issues, good way to kick start the ol' gray matter.

Summer Reading: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly

Okay, Midway to Denver--hoped I could make it. Had a bunch of time in the airport before my flight, but I tried to do sermon prep and fuss with papers, so I don't finish it too early into the trip. Was really looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed at all.

In retrospect, I'm not certain this is the best of the Harry Bosch series--but as I read it, I was convinced it was--maybe not the best written, but most effective of the batch to this point. This particular L.A. murder is committed and investigated with the OJ trial and Rodney King case in the back of everyone's mind. The city was portrayed as a tinderbox waiting to burst into flames again--black officers and detectives were used as a PR tool, white/black and in between showed their prejudices, and every character in the book waited for the other shoe to fall--it wasn't a case of if there'd be another riot, just when.

There's a few other aspects I'd like to touch on--and have got 3 or 4 paragraphs waiting to go, but I can't write them without spoilers. This is one to read, folks.

Since I mentioned it below he dealt well with bringing back another character from the previous Bosch novel. An FBI agent that Harry'd clashed with is brought back to work the case with him--Harry now sees him as an ally (and vice versa) and the two quickly work together, allowing Harry to do exactly what needs to be done. Good to see him not fight with every single law enforcement type outside of his circle. Hope that's a trend that continues.

Oh, and the references to the book/movie Blood Work were probably the funniest things I've read from Connelly (not a lot to compare it to--dude's no Parker/early Crais)...a touch heavy handed the 2nd time, but well done.

This is just what you need to get your week started right

...if by right you mean angry, embittered, etc.


Along these lines, A Lamp in the Digital Fog shines on the trailer for the documentary: America: Freedom To Fascism. Stop by the Lamp and drop a comment...maybe if he gets a lot of feedback, tired will post more.

Happy Birthday!

497 years ago today in Nyon, France, a little boy named Jean Cauvin was born. He grew up, was converted to Christ and the gospel of grace--abandoned what was surely to have been a profitable career in law and became a minister. His teachings--merely a recovery of Biblical truth--shaped religious, cultural, and political life in countless nations since that time (even giving birth to that little War for Independence we celebrated last week). His impact was probably heightened by the way we changed his name into something less French sounding, John Calvin. Cauvinist just doesn't have the same ring.

It's quite the understatement to say that this man has been used by God to radically alter my own life. More and more it's not his doctrine--well, at least not the stuff he's famous for--that impacts me. It's his piety, it's his love for God, his heart aflame (think there's a book called that by somebody) because of his fame-making doctrine--that's what draws me. I've been telling people in my church (not sure they believe me yet) if you want answers to your theological questions, read Turretin, or Hodge, or Reymond--Berkhoff, too. But if you want your heart moved, then you read Calvin.

You can see a hint of that in these quotations (I could've killed blogger's disk space by posting everything I wanted to):

. . . I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels.

For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so nothing is taught but what is expedient to know. Therefore we must guard against depriving believers of anything disclosed about predestination in Scripture, lest we seem either wickedly to defraud them of the blessing of their God or to accuse and scoff at the Holy Spirit for having published what it is in any way profitable to suppress.

For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by His fatherly care, that He is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond Him - they will never yield Him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him.

If the Lord himself teaches that the Church will struggle with the burden of countless sinners until the day of judgment, it is obviously futile to look for a Church totally free from faults.

Without Christ, sciences in every department are vain....The man who knows not God is vain, though he should be conversant with every branch of learning. Nay more, we may affirm this too with truth, that these choice gifts of God -- expertness of mind, acuteness of judgment, liberal sciences, and acquaintance with languages, are in a manner profaned in every instance in which they fall to the lot of wicked men.

Doctrine has no power, unless efficacy is imparted to it from above. Christ holds out an example to teachers, not to employ themselves only in sowing the Word, but by mingling prayers with it, to implore the assistance of God, that His blessing may render their labor fruitful.

If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is 'of him' [1 Corinthians 1:30]. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects [Hebrews 2:17] that he might learn to feel our pain [cf. Hebrews 5:2]. If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross [Galatians 3:13]; if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other.

Lord, thank you for your gift of this man, and the work you gave him to do. Soli Deo Gloria.

(picture taken from Reformation Art--great products, btw!)

In Memoriam

Remember 7/7

Summer Reading: Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker

Trunk Music was clearly not going to get me to Midway airport, so I had to do something--wandered around some bookstore in the Denver Airport for awhile, seeing a few things I'd been meaning to buy and a few I added to that list--but all more money than I was willing to fork out at the time. Thankfully, I spied Robert B. Parker's Appaloosa before plunking down full cover price for some hardcover I was mildly interested in. It got me to Midway, and even gave me a few minutes of pre-sleep reading while at GA.

This is Parker's second western novel--he did a western film for TNT (I think), too. While I wouldn't call his previous western, Gunman's Rhapsody (a retelling of the Wyatt Earp/Doc Holiday story) a complete waste of time, I did spend too much time thinking "they got this better in Tombstone." But Parker's been hitting his marks better lately (particularly with Double Play), so I had hope for this.

This was certainly better than Gunman's Rhapsody. And better than, say, Potshot or Perish Twice. This isn't Parker at his best. It's him at his comfortable mediocre.

Basically we have two guns for hire--the veteran gun, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, his junior partner--men who travel from bad town to bad town, hiring on as peace officers, laying down a Draconian law, until the town gets cleaned up. Then they move on to the next town. Hmmm, sound like someone that Kurt Russell and Sam Elliott have played? They get hired on in Appaloosa to do just that.

So Cole and Everett drink a little, shoot a little, be tough, talk in obscure phrases, spend time with women of questionable repute...town gets cleaned up 'cept for one man and his outfit...you can pretty well finish it all from there. There are a couple of twists to the story I hadn't seen a million times--but I'm not a big western guy (tv, film or print), so I can't say for certain how much of a cliché it is.

The most jarring thing about the story to me--and maybe the thing that keeps me from giving it a C+--is the dialogue. I have no problem with historical novels using contemporary language. I recall a handful of writing teachers telling us we had to make a choice when writing historical fiction--modern dialogue or vocab and diction proper to the time. Pick one and stick with it. Parker didn't. He tended towards "Western" sentence structures (think Mal and Jayne in Firefly), with the occasional malapropism thrown in to make sure that Cole sounds uneducated. But he used contemporary jargon, contemporary attitudes. Parker's given himself a reputation for being lax on the research front, and this confirms it for me.

I'll give it a C- because it kept me occupied, didn't feel entirely cheated out of my money, and I liked the horses--even if the metaphor there was heavy handed. (think Spenser coming out of the theater after seeing Empire Strikes Back)

Oh, just noticed on IMDB that Appaloosa's going to be a movie directed by Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen's attached. I could buy him as Cole. Honestly think it'd make a better movie than a book.

Summer Reading: Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but Michael Connelly has become my go-to guy for airplane reading. I'm guessing the way he writes keeps me distracted from what's going on around me (y'know the whole hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles an hour and way too many feet off the ground). I picked up the next two Harry Bosch novels on my list to read to and from GA. I took care of most of Trunk Music by the time we hit Denver--and was able to finish the rest along the way to Chicago.

This was a really good read. Harry's well, Harry. Tough, smart, cynical. His partner, Jerry Edgar, is back and more competent than before. Kizmin Rider is the new teammate--I like her a lot. The new lieutenant, Grace Billets adds a different dynamic to the series--I was tired of the antagonism between Harry and Lt. Pounds.

Of course, Internal Affairs gets in the middle of this--Harry's in hot water with them again. When isn't he? I get that this is a sure-fire way to add drama, but puh-leez, can we please get through a novel without these jokers getting involved?

Given recent discussion over at spensneak about Parker's penchant for bringing characters back time and time again, I thought that one of the strong points of this book was the way that one particular character was brought back into Harry's life. The same person, in a very different set of circumstances, and very clearly changed due to their previous encounter. Handled very well.

The action keeps hopping back and forth between LA and Vegas, with our intrepid detective in the center of it. Rider and Edgar do their share of the work, too. Probably see more good police work out of them than I remember from anyone else Harry worked with up to this point. Hope to see more examples of other good cops in the future.

The twists and turns are delivered well. After you read a few books by Connelly and you know he's going to be pulling fast ones on you, changing the what you're sure is the inevitable conclusion several times--but even knowing that, you can't help but be thrown by them the way he does it. The action scenes play out well, vividly described, but not overburdening in detail.

Ending was quite satisfactory--a very subtle move for ol' Harry. Good to see him do it.

This is the kind of book that Dan brown needs to study before he inflicts another dose of Langdon upon us all.

Summer Reading: Solomon vs. Lord by Paul Levine

Few months back, I'd read Gerald So's post about this romantic comdey-ish novel, put it on my amazon wish list, and let it sit there for while. Finally got around to throwing it in the shopping cart so I could get the free shipping.

Boy, am I ever glad I did that! Paul Levine has got himself a new fan. This was a fun read, very likeable characters, clever writing, and a satisfactory mystery.

Okay, so here's the setup (very minor spoiler): You've got your easy-going, maverick, street smart, fun-loving guy with the unorthodox methods, Steve Solomon (read: David Addison, Sam Malone, Dharma Finklestein); and you've got your uptight, gorgeous, book smart, cultured, plays-by-the-rules gal, Victoria Lord (read: Maddie Hays, Diane Chambers, Greg Montgomery). He's a defense lawyer, she's a prosecutor (at least until she gets fired due to his antics). His name's monosyllabic, hers isn't. Hilarity and attraction ensues. Sure, have seen and read this more times than I can count. And it either works or it doesn't. There is no middle ground. And it does. Wonderfully.

Their chemistry, the back-and-forth, the will-they-or-won't-they fit nicely into the case that they try together. Actually, it's not really a will-they-or-won't-they, it's a when-will-they. Levine tells (occasionally retells) the story by flipping back and forth between either perspective. Again, that's something that works or it doesn't. It worked.

The supporting cast of characters is great as well--Steve's father, the gang of retirees who hang out at the courthouse, Victoria's friend, her fiancé, the models who own the building Steve's office is in, their client...they all fall into the category of "have seen this before," but Levine uses them well--and they don't normally feel like the clichés they could so easily be.

There's one member of the supporting cast who doesn't feel like he came from a paint-by-number mystery: Steve's nephew, Bobby. Don't want to give too much away, but he's a sweet 10-year old boy, with a memory that won't quit, autistic tendencies, the ability to make any name into a dirty anagram, and a loving uncle. Victoria will come to locate the decency of Steve in Bobby--and I have come to center the humanity of the series in Bobby.

The book can feel like a pilot episode for a TV series--and Gerald says there's maybe one in the works. I hope not. I just can't imagine them getting Bobby right--he'll either be cast off, or turned into a Wesley Crusher-esque wunderkind. If they do push ahead--the success or failure of the show will be dependent upon one thing: casting. They get the right Steve and the right Victoria and the show will work. If not, fuhgeddaboutit.

Highly recommended--I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face most of the time I was reading it--and for a book that clocks in just under 600 pages, that's saying something.

Things to Watch

• The Spider-Man 3 trailer (in case you hadn't seen the link yet)
• The Transformer's movie trailer
• Superman: The Movie - in 30 seconds...with Bunnies!
• George Bush singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (who has this much time?)
• Scrubs is probably the funniest thing on TV right now as this sample from episode 2 and these moments from Season 5 demonstrate (I could watch those air band bits repeatedly and still crack up...the audition is priceless)

Thinking on my feet

One of the things my hermeneutics prof drills into us is that we must think on our feet in the pulpit. We don't go in over-burdened with notes/scripts/etc so that we can think on our feet, preach freely.

Well there’s a danger in some of us doing that. Part of the sermon this evening was a consideration of Paul’s exhortation to "Aspire to live quietly." To Have that as an ambition. To Strive for a quiet, normal life. Now as soon as I phrase it that way in my mind, I cannot help but think of the great Reformed theolgian, Warren Zevon. His Greatest Hits CD was entitled A Quiet Normal Life.

His songs are the nothing if not a commentary on the current Evangelical mess:

• "Werewolves of London" is obviously a parable about TV preachers. C’mon think about it...what's he say about them? Little Old Ladies are the victims, "better not let them in," "I'd like to meet his tailor," and the kicker: "His hair was...PERFECT!" (that emphasis comes from Learning to Flinch, the live acoustic album)
• "Johnny Strikes up the Band" is clearly a celebration of CCM and/or a charismatic service
• "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is all about Swaggart and Bakker
• "Looking for the Next Best Thing"—this one’s too easy...think WWJD, FROG, Prayer of Jabez, Purpose-Driven *.*
• lastly, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" has to be an allegory about something...just not sure what. Maybe Ravi Zacharias can tell me...

Now part of that line of thought occurred to me while in preparation, not in the pulpit, so I was able to concentrate very hard on not going off in that direction, but I'll be honest with you…it was tough. And if it had occurred to me while "thinking on my feet", well, I shudder to think what would've happened.


Cake, Warren Zevon…maybe I should give up on seminary and get a job at Rolling Stone?

Laughs for a Brain-Dead Monday

Preached yesterday, which means I'm brain-dead today (I offer as proof, I originally typed "I'm bread today" there). So I really needed these laughs. Brought to you by Frank Caliendo (a.k.a. the only reason to watch MadTV)

Thoughts for a Saturday Evening...

From Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matt. 12:9

Christ having thus silenced the Pharisees, and got clear of them (Mat. 12:9), departed, and went into their synagogue, the synagogue of these Pharisees, in which they presided, and toward which he was going, when they picked this quarrel with him. Note, First, We must take heed lest any thing that occurs in our way to holy ordinances unfit us for, or divert us from our due attendance on them. Let us proceed in the way of our duty, notwithstanding the artifices of Satan, who endeavours, by the perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and many other ways, to ruffle and discompose us. Secondly, We must not, for the sake of private feuds and personal piques, draw back from public worship. Though the Pharisees had thus maliciously cavilled at Christ, yet he went into their synagogue. Satan gains this point, if, by sowing discord among brethren, he prevail to drive them, or any of them, from the synagogue, and the communion of the faithful.

There's nothing in particular driving this--just struck by how alien that kind of thinking is today.

That, and I figure at some point in time, I'll want to dig up that line, and it's easier to search my blog than my hard drive or bookshelves :)

A Little Help for My Friends

Straitgate gets a new server (yay!) and Does it really have value? (yes!)

Donate! Pray for many to do so...

(and this means sovredeemer.org sermons should be coming back!)

GA: A Word About the Action on the Justification Report

Okay, as the Internet is buzzing about our action on the report (and has been before we even officially saw it), and I've received comments and emails wondering about it, I feel compelled to say a little more--for the sake of those who read this, particularly those in my church. I'm hesitant to say much, waiting for our Committee on Christian Ed to put out the final official version of the report with an explanatory preface. But, we've got to give people something to start with. I may keep writing a bit on this later. Polymathis is finding all sorts of interesting things about the word "commend" just by doing Adobe searches through the minutes :)

Anyway, here's a little something written by Guest Blogger Jason Wallace, the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, Salt Lake, my seminary mentor and all-around good guy (my first guest blogger, I think). Without further ado, take it away Jason:

The politics of spin never cease to amaze me. Anyone who wants to think the OPC backed away by "not adopting" the justification report is deluded. People need to look up what adoption means in Robert's Rules before offering opinions.

The whole idea of adoption was based on a misunderstanding of the differences between our standing rules and Robert's Rules. The report was never intended for adoption, and it was only suggested when someone tried to make more of that than was intended. I know of no one who wanted to bind themselves to every single word of the report. Adoption would have created more confusion than clarity. We also did not want to open the report up to endless amendments. This is not the Westminster Confession. It has been recommended in the strongest terms. It was also recommended by the General Assembly today to devote an issue of New Horizons to critiquing the New Perspectives and Federal Vision.

The OPC has spoken, but to many of our critics nothing will satisfy them. They have splintered the church with innuendo, and must now pick apart everything we do to justify themselves. They will seize on this and say, "See, they didn't adopt!" On the other hand, some who desire to promote these heresies may choose to believe they are free to do so. If they do, they will be charged and tried in the courts of the church.

GA: Other Stuff

so where's everything else from the last couple of days? Um, dull, confusing, and maddening...just not up for it right now. Dull is probably not the right word--it's very important stuff, but mind-numbing when you're in the middle of it (a judicial appeal, reworking the funding of our Worldwide Outreach, etc.). I'll get to it. We have quite the full day tomorrow, and little time to do it in.

Prayer would be appreciated.

GA: Justification Report

The GA has just voted (with practically no dissent) to request that our committee on Christian Education distribute the Report of the Committee to Study the Doctrine of Justification, commending it for study. This report will be distributed to seminaries, churches, other denominations, and our website with a prefatory statement to the report explaining the context around the origin of the report, what commending a report means and the statement on Justification adopted by the 71st GA.

The study committee was dismissed with thanks "for their arduous labors"

Soli Deo Gloria!

UPDATE: It occurs to me that I only reported on today's action re: the Justification Report. We did take some action on Saturday, and I was just going to hold off and do it all at once. Well, Polymathis covered all the bases in his post, so I'll just point to it (link will open in a new window). I plan on posting some general reflections on the report/the process in day or so.

Dodging Palos Heights Vice

Yesterday I introduce a pastor to Penguin mints...come to think of it, he's the pastor from the other day's little anecdote. Now I should point out, I don't down these things like crazy--I'm normally an Altoids man...but when it comes to attending series of long meetings, I play it safe. During a dull debate the pastor turns around and pantomimes to me popping a mint in his mouth, so I have someone pass them up 2 rows and he pops one and passes them back.

About 30 min. later he passes a dollar bill back to me and pantomimes some more...so I grab a handful for myself and pass the tin up to him (I brought two half-full tins, so not a problematic thing for me--just have to switch to peppermint from cinnamon).

If my first GA ends with me being accused of selling pep pills, my ecclesiastical career is over. Oh well, at least my breath will be fresh...

GA: The Rest of the Weekend

(links in this post open in new windows...I try to do that generally, but normally fail...didn't here)

Well, as you can see from the report on the OPC site, we didn't finish things up with the justification report--I'll hold off on further comments on that 'til we're done. Again, the report shows the details of the elections and money numbers we saw the rest of Saturday.

Yesterday, I had a very pleasant morning worshipping at a local congregation. Good sermon--reformed preaching always sounds better with a Scottish accent (right Lucy?)--after the service the associate general secretary of our Home Missions Committee (and moderator of GA) spoke about Home Missions--quite encouraging, and then we were treated to a very nice church dinner. It's mostly personal preference, but wow...was so nice to see everyone--men, women, children, teens--dressed for church. Ties (mostly with jackets--and I'm including the young), nice dresses, no jeans, no shorts, no sandals. I know that makes me a narrow, mean, curmudgeon. I'm fine with that.

Then in the evening there was a joint communion service with the six OPC congregations in the area and the commissioners--don't know the number of people there, but pretty sure I've never been in a congregation that large. Great service (tho' the organ was a touch too loud) and a fantastic sermon by Pastor Bill Shishko: Biblical High Churchmanship. I highly recommend listening to it. In fact, for those readers of this blog who happen to be members of my church, while I cannot compel you to listen to it, consider yourself strongly urged by one of those who keeps watch over your soul to do so. Urged not only to listen, but to pray about it, meditate upon it, and consider how it applies to our congregation--and then get back to me (and the rest of the session) with how we might apply what was said.

Ack!

I just said 6/24! Obviously, no offense is meant to my friends/readers who are of the the Framework, Day Age, etc. perspectives.

;-)

GA: Day 4 (part 1)

As I start this we're about 15 minutes or so into the day (am typing this while taking notes on and listening to the presentation), the Committee on Justification is presenting its report. Obviously, this is the hot topic this year, it's the thing the GA will be judged by. No one is going to evaluate this GA by whether or not we're going to agree on a new Directory for Public Worship (we won't)--it's been 20 years already, what's another? Nor will we be evaluated by whether or not we end up with a mechanism to respond to Hurricane Katrina-type natural disaster (we're working on it). No, we will be judged--and the judging has already started by people who couldn't bother to wait for the GA to act before denouncing the OPC (both on the pro and con sides of the controversies).

This is going to be a long and eventful day, I trust. If you're reading this during the day on 6/24, please pray for God's guidance on the Assembly.

UPDATE: coming back from lunch, at this point it does look like there's a good deal of support for the Committee's report. 8-)

GA: Day 3

Perhaps the best way to start this is with a story about a Presbytery meeting I attended a few years ago. A friend of mine came with me, a former PCA Ruling Elder, he was then an OPC licentiate. I don't remember exactly what was being discussed, but I believe it was something like the time of adjournment for the next meeting (6 months away)--and we spent what could've been 15-20 minutes (probably only 10, just seemed like 30) on the issue. My friend leans over to me, huge smile on his face, cackling, "This is soooo OPC."

So today, we have long, meandering, technical debates over what reports we should/should not include in the minutes; how an action that it seemed most people wanted should be given to a committee to take care of; whether or not something that a significant number wanted to go to another committee could be given to a committee in the first place (and that's before we got to wondering if people wanted it to go anywhere at all). I could just see my friend busting a gut and how typically OP it was.

That's not to suggest that everything was the level of beating-your-head-against-a-wall like that. Heard some great reports of what's going on in Foreign Missions--including some moving and poignant discussions of a Missionary that died in the field this year. Home Missions was equally encouraging--the number of non-English language works starting in the US was great to hear in such a supposedly homogenous denomination (tho' politically troubling, I must admit). A lot of what I heard today made me glad to be here, just so I could hear it, be challenged by it, and praise the Lord for it. God is doing some good things through the OPC, and if He sustains her by His grace, they shall continue.

Had other stuff I wanted to say, but it's 1:20 local time here, and in 7 hrs and change we start discussing this little report on justification that you might have heard about. Need to get some shut-eye before that.

Can I go home now?

So I'm taking things easy last night IM'ing with my wife and another GA commissioner (yeah, kinda sad, instead of the usual hundreds of miles separating us, we're hundreds of feet away and we're IM'ing). Wife hasn't had much conversation with anyone over 7, so we're joking around, etc. And that's when I do something dumb.

I say something PG, yet something really only appropriate to say to your wife. And then I look to the top of the window, and YIPE! That's not my wife's window!! I have the strongest desire to just vanish. Change denominations effectively immediately. Think about praying for a power spike that will kill all electronic communications/hard drives/etc. in a 10 mile radius. The pastor smiles at me, reminds me we're OPC, not PCUSA, and drops it (at least temporarily, he'll likely bring it up again from time to time to keep me in line). Then I close his window. Not going to repeat that.

My wife is laughing. I've given a man a good deal of ammunition to use against me. And I feel like I'm back in high school, going through one of those humiliating moments that scar your psyche for life. [sigh]

GA: Day 2

Well, the OPC's running report is here and Pastor Polymathis reported a bit on today, too. Keep an eye on both of those...am sure they'll be more informative.

Today was the day for the Advisory Committees to get their work done. Didn't take too long for mine, had the afternoon and evening to kill. Mostly sat in my room enjoying the AC, reading, doing some sermon prep, re-reading the Justification Report. Relaxing, but dull. Tomorrow should be more eventful :)

btw, this is post 805 here. That's a whole lotta nonsense...hopefully a little good stuff, too.

GA: Day 1

Wow. To say that it's muggy here is an understatement. Give me South Carolina in August any day over this oppression. At least the dorms and the chapel are air conditioned :)

Got off to a late start...computer problems w/the plane just before take off. Thankfully I had a painfully long layover in Denver, so leaving almost an hour late didn't disrupt anything.

Short evening session tonight, elected a new moderator, adopted the docket, etc. Pretty routine stuff. Hope to have something more to say tomorrow.

Baby don't you wanna go...

Six and three is nine
Nine and nine is eighteen
Look there brother baby and see what I've seen
Hidehey
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago

Tomorrow a.m. I will be hurtling east through the skies in a big metal tube at hundreds of miles per hour...hoping that a couple of men will be able to hit their target (just not too hard). (oh well, have Michael Connelly's Trunk Music to keep me company...if we go down, I'll at least be content).

Their target will be Chicago--in case they lyric didn't tip you off--am headed to the OPC's 73rd General Assembly. My guess is that the OPC's home page will have the daily reports up soon, and I'll probably have some up here as well.

Hate leaving home...really I do. I am such the Hobbit at heart. Will be a freakishly long week away from my family. But at least the meetings should be interesting to watch :) (meetings interesting? oy, I am such the geek)

Oh come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago

(and yes, I'm really singing along with Jake and Elwood as I type this)

When Parodies can't keep up...

I recently talked about Kilpatrick's A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat--a nice satirical look at Evangelicalism.

This morning I was reminded of a story from the Sacred Sandwich that I quoted and linked to a couple of months ago, "Jobless Rate for Christian Satirists Skyrockets as Churches Become Parodies on Their Own." Which shows how likely it is that Kilpatrick's book won't get (or need) a sequel.

What reminded me of the second story? This. (Parental Discretion Advised. This page is recommended for mature audiences only. It contains horrible theology and questionable products.)

couple of quick links

• Some "Dos and Don’ts" of Evangelism by Kim Riddlebarger
• June Ordinary Means Podcast: on baptism and the Lord's Supper
• Some good new stuff over at Edwards, Spurgeon, Ryle & Friends

Summer Reading: Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen

There's just no way that I could read this during the school year--but that's not a slam, I just couldn't justify the time. But it's summer, and my brain is mushy. So I grabbed a couple of books just to read--not to think about, mull over, swim in (like Gibson's foray out of SF)--just to read. I'd been wanting to try Hiaasen for awhile, and Skin Tight was the earliest work by him at the library, so figured I'd give it a try.

Glad I did--this was a fun read...dialogue was fairly snappy, some authentically comic situations, characters weren't brilliantly drawn, but well enough. I can see why Dave Barry's novels are (favorably) compared to his, and that's a compliment. Probably a better way to spend a couple of hours than most of the fare at the movies this summer--but with as much lasting quality. Thumbs up.


...speaking of mushy brains: another book I checked out from the library should be arriving by the end of the week from amazon.com--which I was reminded of once I came home. How stupid can I be? Kletois and Norris are kindly uninvited to answer that one in the comments :)

A Big "Thank Yew" to TNT

I know, I know many* of you were hoping you'd get a rest from TV posts 'til September (or beyond)...sorry! TNT's series, The Closer returned this evening with a commercial-free season premier, and I have something to watch again! I don't mind commercials so much--good time to refresh beverages, etc.--but the uninterrupted show helped the urgency of Brenda Leigh Johnson's search for a cop killer. The mystery was decent--the culprit was easy to figure out, but the motive eluded me longer than it should have--but, as with most detective series (print or television), the mystery isn't the important part. It's about the characters. And The Closer shines there.

Brenda's junk-food addiction may have been a cheap way to create a character (think I read Lee Goldberg saying something like that last year), but I think it's become a nice way to display her neurotic-core--her efforts to kick the habit this year should prove entertaining. Kyra Sedgwick's portrayal of the Deputy Chief is really charming and disarming. Can't help but love her--sure, her social skills can make Adrian Monk seem like a people-person--but she makes up for it by getting the job done. Her method of drawing the truth out of people, particularly the final questioning of the suspects (often without them realizing they're being questioned) are always more interesting than the mysteries themselves.

But Brenda's not the only character that draws you in...Detectives Provenza and Flynn are just fun. The background members of her squad: Lt. Tau, Det. Sanchez and Det. Daniels--are really well-played, and while not central add a lot to each scene they're in. J.K. Simmons' Asst. Police Chief Will Pope is possibly my favorite. His role in the stories are incidental at best, but I'm not sure I'd bother watching the show if he wasn't around anymore--perhaps the pending-divorce will give him some more screen time (but I'm so not looking forward to the love triangle they're setting up to go along with that).

It's not the destination, it's the journey--and the people you travel with. And on both of those marks, The Closer more than gets the job done.

*I say "many" mostly out of irony, I know there are only 3 readers of this thing....

...another reason to eat how I want and not how I "should"

from Reuters:

A 440 pound German man discovered that being overweight can be good for your health -- if you get run over by a car.

German police said the extra body mass prevented the 30-year-old man from suffering potentially fatal injuries when a Volkswagen Polo drove over him after he braked suddenly on his bicycle at a crossroads and fell off in front of the car.

"It certainly helped him in this case," said Sven-Marco Claus, a spokesman for police in the western town of Gifhorn on Monday. "Someone smaller would probably not have been so lucky."

(H/T: Clyde Bauman: The Man Behind Mylo)

Ow Ow Ow Ow

Was trying to get a paper jam out of the copier this morning at church and tweaked my back (suddenly I have a great deal of understanding for Mariano's problem in KC a couple weeks ago)...it is getting progressively worse--can't use any of my back at the moment, or even pull or push with my arms.

Silly me forgot to do some calisthenics before attempting to photocopy bulletins.


"...I hope I die before I get old..."

Update: Almost 24 hrs after the humiliating blow dealt by Ricoh, I'm at 85%. Heat, Rest, and Mercy. Quickest turn around from a back injury yet (and it's been a few years since I've had one). Which underlines the small-ness of the tweak. And makes me feel even dumber than I did yesterday :)

He took a duck in the face at two hundred and fifty knots

Restarting William Gibson's Pattern Recognition. Idoru was...okay. And All Tomorrow's Parties didn't quite click for me, so I didn't do the standard bolt for amazon.com/Barnes & Noble when the hardcover came out.

I should have.

I bought the paper back sometime last year, and it sat patiently waiting for me until January. It took less than a page to know that this was his best in a long time--Gaiman says it's his best since he rewrote all the rules in Neuromancer, he might be right. And it took two chapters to convince me that I wanted to live in this book for awhile. But responsibilities loomed larger, so I set it aside.

Felt the liberty to pick it back up this week, and crawled into bed with it twice, fully intent on not sleeping much. But I ended up closing my eyes before turning to page one. Didn't have enough energy to step into the world inhabited by Cayce Pollard and her allergy to fashion.

On impulse, I sat down with it this afternoon, and slipped through three chapters. I should've taken the time to get up and change my playlist--Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisely, BNL and Matchbox 20 don't work well with the intensity and pace of Gibson--but I was enjoying myself too much. Was tempted to send the kids to bed and lock the doors for another 324 pages. But they'd have complained and whined a lot and my wife has a key. So no point in that.

I'm hooked. Probably from this point

She knows, now, absolutely, hearing the white noise that is London, that Damien's theory of jet lag is correct: that her mortal soul is leagues behind her, being reeled in on some ghostly umbilical down the vanished wake of the plane that brought her here, hundreds of thousands of feet above the Atlantic. Souls can't move that quickly, and are left behind, and must be awaited, upon arrival, like lost luggage.

Tho' that just clinched the effect of this:

Five hours' New York jet lag and Cayce Pollard wakes in Camden Town to the dire and ever-circling wolves of disrupted circadian rhythm.

Best first line since

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

I'm a self-professed TV addict, but when you have someone who can use words and ideas like Gibson can, you know that flickering and flashing images (or even fixed images of a graphic novel, etc.) can't compete. No picture is worth a thousand of Gibson's words. The pleasure that you can experience--and re-experience and remember and long for from words tower above the high that can be gotten from anything else. I suspect that's what prompted Nora when she told Harry to "talk hard."

No real point to this...but if you're wondering why I seem extra content over the next couple of days, well, now you know. This is where I am.

In the Spirit of Rob Gordon

All in all, am not a fan of Peter Gabriel. However, "In Your Eyes" is simply one of the finest pop songs ever written. This has to be the definitive version of it:

Only thing that could've improved it was the presence of Lloyd Dobler on stage.

Somewhere, Lane Meyer is plotting a way to kill himself after hearing the song--possibly by hiring Martin Q. Blank.


(H/T: Micah for giving me the link, and SpideyGeek for getting me thinking about it today)

Neither snow nor rain not heat nor gloom of night...

...would be an issue if you never left your house. And with one of these, I just might be tempted to do just that.

Lord's Day Meditation

The special end of the covenant of grace is, the praise of the glory of his grace, Eph. i.6. and the revelation of his unsearchable and manifold wisdom: which divine perfections shine forth with lustre in the gift of a mediator, by whom the sinner is admitted to complete salvation, without any dishonour to the holiness, justice and truth of God. There is also a demonstration of the all-sufficiency of God, by which not only man, but even a sinner, which is more surprising, may be restored to union and communion with God.

--Herman Witsius

Finding God's Will

I know, it seems like all I do is paste quotations anymore, but figured I owed ya a sampling from the Kilpatrick book.

Evangelicals spend much time and energy trying to find what they call "God's will." God's will is defined as something that God wants very much for your life but that he refuses to share with you directly. Evangelicals believe it is their job to figure out what he is thinking through prayer, fasting, Bible reading and watching The O'Reilly Factor.

Finding God's will is like living with a mute and uncooperative spouse who won't reveal what he or she wants and who is becoming more anxious, angry, and sad by the moment. It can take years to fully ascertain God's will for one's life, and even after it has been discovered, one must still carry it out with a level of uncertainty and a persistent suspicion that one id doing one's own will instead of God's will. In evangelical circles, one is not allowed to have a will. If one discovers that one's will still exists, one must ask God in treacly worship songs for one's will to be overcome and obliterated.

Almost as Handy as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

But the last thing that would apply are the word's "Don't Panic" in large, friendly letters on the cover. A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat by Joel Kilpatrick (whom you know from Lark News: A good source for Christian news) is quite the handy guidebook. The premise is fairly straightforward, and can easily be figured out from the title. It's a very funny satirical introduction to the strange North American creature called the "evangelical."

We're told how to recognize Evangelicals in the wild, what kind of fun they have, how they worship (priceless), how they mate, how they educate their young, etc. It also includes a handy glossary of Evangelical Terms--and of course, the words to Footprints and The Legend of the Sand Dollar. Absolute must have's to understand Evangelicals.

As with all satire, there's some parts that really miss--but there are parts that are direct hits. Overall, it's well worth the time worth several chuckles--and the occasionally out-loud laugh.

It's really best to not read this book straight through. The humor wears a bit thin if you do, actually gets grating. Take it in bits and pieces here and there, and it'll stay fresh.

Oh yeah, if you don't appreciate the humor in Credenda/Agenda--skip this. Kilpatrick's satire isn't as sharp (his tongue is more blunt, not serrated), but while it's not the same style, it is the same genre.

(H/T to kletois for pointing out that my original title was garbledygook)

Evangelism Notes

Not sure if anyone will be intersted, but here's the notes we'll be using for Sunday School today on Evangelism. Drawn a lot of this from Will Metzger's Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People, probably the best book on evangelism written in the last century or so.

Principles of Evangelism

Humble Boldness
The Christian is to be bold in his witness, in his evangelism, in his living before God and man; because we proclaim the word of the Almighty God. Yet, we are to be humble—for it is only through the grace of God that we are Christians—it is despite who we are, not because of who we are. Colossians 4:5-6: Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

While 'speaking the truth in love' (Eph. 4:15) must be our objective, this entails commitment. There is more to truth than articulation. Truth demands living and obeying, commitment to Christ and God’s absolute truth. Such a commitment must penetrate and inspire all of our activities, including sometimes asking serious questions, as has been suggested above. The divine model of communication and dialogue is redemptive in nature. The incarnation and death of the Lord Jesus Christ is the outworking of God’s purpose to reconcile men to himself by dealing with their personal sin, which involves the removal of their objective guilt. – Bassam M. Chedid

Principles of Evangelism

The crucial thing to remember in evangelism is the distinction between our responsibility and God’s. Our task is to faithfully present the gospel message by our lives and our lips. Any definition of our task that includes results is confusing our responsibility with God’s prerogative, which is regeneration. Picture a fragile, thin-stemmed wine glass. Now think of a rock the size of a basketball. Imagine lifting that rock and dropping it onto that delicately constructed glass. Shattered. We too will be broken if we try to carry something that only God can carry. We plat and water; God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:5-9). We may reap—but only when God has brought the grain to maturity. – Will Metzger

Will Metzger draws 5 principles for evangelism from the teaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

1. The supreme object of the work of evangelism is to glorify God, not to save souls.
2. The only power that can do this work is the Holy Spirit, not our own strength.
3. The one and only medium through which the Spirit works is the Scriptures; therefore, we "reason out of the Scriptures" like Paul did.
4. These preceding principles give us the true motivation for evangelisms—a zeal for God and a love for others.
5. There is a constant danger of heresy through a false zeal and employment of unscriptural methods.

The Kind of Person God Uses in Evangelism:
Based on studying 2 Corinthians 4-5, Metzger lists the following characteristics of Paul and his ministry:

• Christian service and witness is based on our calling, not just our gifts. We are a new person of character (4:1).
• As Christians, we don’t lose heart in spite of the spiritual blindness of those we care about or temptations from failure in our personal lives. We don’t resort to deception, pragmatism or water down God’s word (4:2).
• We put the truth (Christ is Lord) up front and speak to the conscience, hoping to be both a mirror for others to see themselves and a window through which they can see Christ (4:3-4).
• Our sight comes from the light that has changes us internally, a knowledge revealed, not figured out by us because we’re smarter or better than others (4:5-6)
• God uses us because we are weak; that therefore any “strength” that others see must come from outside us—from Christ. We have given up a self-centered life to pass on life to others (4:7-12)
• Our newfound belief compels us to express it. Witness is not optional (4:13-15).
• We have a different perspective and look at the present in light of the future (transient vs. permanent). Paradoxically, this makes us ore, not less involved in this world. Also, we now see a reason for suffering (4:16-18).
• We now have confidence and energy because of the resurrection of our body, which lies ahead. We don’t put down roots in this world, for even our body is a tent. We’re aliens and God has made us long for eternity. So we live by faith with our one goal of pleasing God. We love him and fear him. But this fear is the affectionate reverence by which children accommodate themselves to the Father’s will (5:1-15).
• We look at people differently—not with the worlds standards but as Jesus saw them. We are driven to love because we have been loved by Christ. We’ve been re-created and given a mission. We are ambassadors representing our King and speaking what he tells us: “be reconciled to God” (5:16-20).
• Christians not only know the gospel message, they implore people to respond (5:21).

Watch Your Language
As we’ve mentioned before, we want to be careful and not use “Christian-ese”—while this is true of evangelizing in general, it is particularly true with cultists and others who share Biblical terminology. Metzger suggests we have prepared a list of definitions to use in these kinds of conversations. We should use synonyms or a short phrase (not using any of the other words in this list). Start with this list: lost; saved; born again; repent; justified; atonement; righteousness; spiritual; holy; sin; salvation; saving faith; redemption; believe; God; gospel; the finished work of Christ on the cross; receiving Christ.

Other Scriptures to Remember:

• 1 Peter 3:15-16 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
• 2 Timothy 2:23-25 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
• James 3:13-17 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Finished it

It's better written than the last book. But, on the whole...humbug. Not sure if it's a convoluted conspiracy tale wrapped up in an excuse to spout off about religion, or a bunch of religious hooey wrapped up in an excuse to write a convoluted conspiracy tale.

Gonna sit on that one a few days, do think I want to write some about this. Hopefully have something sort of different to offer.

Just Shoot Me Now

Langdon stared at the picture, his horror now laced with fear. The image was gruesome and profoundly strange, bringing with it an unsettling sense of déjà vu. A little over a year ago, Langdon had received a photograph of a corpse and a similar request for help. Twenty-four hours later, he had almost lost his life inside Vatican City. This photo was entirely different, and yet something about the scenario felt disquietingly familiar.

I know the feeling.

Actually, Brown's showing a greater degree of subtlety so far than I thought he was capable. Still, the first few chapters are disquietingly familiar--practically carbon copies of Angels & Demons

(don't worry, after I vent my spleen about the aesthetic problems with this thing, I'll hop on to an extended post about Brown and religion....which, y'know, nobody's doing...)

Morning Diversions

• Following Challies's command, I put down my Coke or coffee and took a look at Prosperity Praise. Then I laughed, I cried, I resisted calling and ordering...
• Kim Riddlebarger once again proved that despite having a messed up eschatology, he is likely the most insightful theological blogger around (esp. see his final point).
• Peter David returns the sliver of hope I had for X3, while the headline (don't read further 'cuz of spoilers) from Harry Knowles took away.
• Can't believe I forgot to link this last week.
• Lastly, can't help but notice no one's stepping up to help me out, c'mon people...where's the love?

Permanently Suspended

Seventeen days later, and I'm finished. In my defense, I also had to prepare for a sermon, some bible study lessons, some Sunday School lessons, and 5 tests. No way should this have taken that long. As Chandler Bing once said, "I feel violated. And not in a good way."

There's this thing in literature, sort of a social contract between readers and writers, called the "suspension of disbelief." It's a willingness of a reader or viewer to suspend his or her critical faculties to the extent of ignoring minor inconsistencies so as to enjoy a work of fiction. For example we all agree to accept that a geek who was bitten by a radioactive spider, becomes a super-strong man who can stick to walls and things so we can enjoy the movie/comic. Or we all agree to accept that a mouse making motor noises could propel a toy vehicle. Or that Amber Valletta could be attracted to Kevin James. Or that William Shakespeare was literate. I could go on.

But this book pushes things too far. Just cannot accept pretty much any of it. It's easier to believe that the Red Sox won the World Series within the last decade than it is to accept this plot. I won't go into details...hate spoilers...but this is a mare's nest of a story line.

And the writing, it has all of the panache and creativity of an episode of Hunter during its last year. From the torturous murder at the beginning to the "sexy" and "funny" scene at the end (if it's ever filmed, Stephen J. Cannell's name has to show up on the screen), it was enough to make me pull my hair out.

Here's a sample of the genius that is Dan Brown:

The Vatican switchboard is located in the Ufficio di Communicazione behind the Vatican post office. It is a relatively small room containing an eight-line Corelco 141 switchboard. The office handles over 2,000 calls a day, most routed automatically to the recording information system.

Tonight, the sole communications operator on duty sat quietly sipping a cup of caffeinated tea. He felt proud to be one of only a handful of employees still allowed inside Vatican City tonight.

Do we need any of those things I underlined? This is a throw-away character. Nothing about him matters and he'll not be seen again after the next page.

Towards the end of page 4 thru the top of page 6, we're treated with a large "info drop" telling us everything we're going to need to know about the protagonist. It's like one of those scenes in Asimov where the newbie to the culture is told by a veteran everything about how a spaceship (or whatever) works. Now that's kind of annoying, but at least there are characters interacting...maybe a little development or something. Here, nothing like that. Just the narrator telling us all sorts of nifty things about Langdon. Maddening.

Oh, and my question from day 1? "How did Dan Brown ever convince someone to publish this trite, tripe-filled, self-indulgent, first draft?" Still no idea. None at all.

And yet again contempt has driven me to a rant, not the review I set out to do. Sorry.

On to The Da Vinci Code--maybe you've heard of it.

oh yeah...SOUL PATROL! SOUL PATROL! SOUL PATROL!

I've Had It!

I need a new nick to chat with...for the past, 9 years or so, I've used a nickname I got back in junior high. However, just reading it, you pronounce it wrong...like with many nicknames, it really only works if you know the original. And I'm sick 'n tired of the jokes about me spelling it wrong, and jokes made based on mis-pronouncing it.

So, I need to discard it...just have no idea with what. Am feeling rather unimaginative right now. So, readers (all 6.4 of you), I'm looking for suggestions--some ideas I've had are: Thornwell, ThisGuy, Zaphod, TVsFrank. Not so sure about any of those. Needs to be 10 letters or less. No use of my real name, s'il vous plaît.

A broad road of liberty and joy

A heart that loves the Lord will leap for joy at the prospect of a day with him. Doesn't a child love to have a day with his father? Of course the worldly will loath giving any time to God. The self-absorbed will regret any day spent in his presence. Without love for God such a requirement will seem narrow and a heavy burden. but for the godly it is a broad road of liberty and joy. There is an entire day each week liberated from my ordinary recreations and labours to serve the lover of my soul and to be with him.

--Walter Chantry

By Popular Demand... (updated)

...and for a limited time only:
My sermon on Hebrews 12:18-29 from last week (for those of you new to this InterWeb thingy: left click to listen, right clock to download).

(okay, it wasn't really popular demand, one guy said, "dude, post it. I'd love to listen."

Yeah, that would've helped...

from The Corner:

GENERAL CONSENSUS [Jonah Goldberg]
Around here is that Bush's speech needed a lot more frickn' cowbell.

...a nation without borders, a nation without a viable conservative party, and a nation without enough cowbell.

Daily Dose of Culture

History and art all at once: The Evolution of Dance



(H/T: My sister and those emailing this around her workplace--which I won't identify so the taxpayers supporting it won't get mad)

Security in Truth

The world, the flesh and hell all conspire by glossing falsehood to seduce us to perdition. A covering is spread upon the grave and the pit, and the ways of sin are adorned with all that can please the eye, fascinate the ear or enchant the heart. Our security against these danger is conviction of the truth. The Word of God, which is preeminently the truth, and in which a truth-loving heart will lead us to rest, dissipates the spell reveals the snare and delivers from the lot. It paints life in its true colours, tares the mask from the face of guilt, disrobes the world of its gorgeous drapery and points to Him who is emphatically the way, the truth and the life. All the rays of moral truth ultimately centre in the Cross of the Redeemer; and we never reach the summit of wisdom until we attain that life which is alike the knowledge of the Father and of His Son Jesus Christ. Every one, says the Saviour, that is of the truth heareth My voice. None perish but those who love darkness rather than light. A deceived heart turns them aside.

--James H. Thornwell

Taking the plunge

Did something today I've never done before. I delivered a sermon with less than a full manuscript--far less, mostly talking points. Dr. Carrick at GPTS (and I understand, Dr, Pipa, too) insists upon it, but is gracious to Homiletics I students, and lets us get away with more. Dabney said (paraphrasing) that preaching isn't reading. That those who read sermons, aren't preaching--no matter how well they may read. Dr. Carrick says an integral part of preaching is "thinking on your feet."

So, today, I studied up, and thought on my feet. Slightly more rambling that I would want, definitely longer than I normally go, but on the whole, not bad for a first time. With less than a minute to go, I drop the last page of notes...2 notes to go, I let it drop figuring I can wing it, and realizing that the last 2 things I had to read on that page really wouldn't be helping me...in fact, the two talking points that I thought would lead me into a self-evident conclusion, weren't going to lead me anywhere, so I just leave the paper down there, and try to come up with a conclusion on the fly. Really thinking on my feet, Dr. Carrick!

And unlike every other time I've mentioned feet in the last year or so, there wasn't intense pain involved. Just a lame-o conclusion.

How could I forget to write a conclusion? Hate just leaving ideas hanging in empty space...

Oh well, it went okay (on the whole). A few very kind people from the congregation today said it was helpful (S.D.G.!!!!) But doubt I'll be posting that audio file anywhere for download :) Can only get better, right?

Cleaning up with GREAT pleasure

I'm probably the only one who cares, but it makes me feel very, very good to wipe out a few items from the current book list:

• Gateway to the Middle Ages: Monasticism by Eleanor S. Duckett
• The Baptism of Disciples Alone by Fred Malone
• Guide to Thomas Aquinas by Josef Pieper

only one of those was worth the effort, only one of those was written by an apparently Christian person, and one makes me think of Dorothy Parker's famous line, "This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."

I'll leave it to you to guess which is which.

Nice post

Of course, I sit through Tuesday's debacle (and I'm not referring to McPhee's laughable collapse), and then last night I miss (due to mlbtv feed issues and a family engagement) this gem! Oh well, rubber game's tonight. I'm going to focus on the fact that Wakefield is 4-5, 3.05 in 17 games at Yankee Stadium and ignore the his 8-12 record with a 4.47 ERA in 40 career games vs. the Bombers.

But that's not why I started this post. While reading the YanksBlog wrap-up, I was struck by a couple of sentences:

Roughly as improbable as Schilling saying the words "no comment."

and

Ortiz gets a leaking hit from the Yankees' patented "Shift for Ortiz but when he hits it to the right he's somehow safe" shift.

Succinct, 100% spot-on, and funny. Wish I could write like that.

Literally laughed out lout...

(which I needed to do after watching Vent, reading Malkin and other political blogs)

Tim Challies points to this in today's A La Carte: You Know You're A Homeschooler When...

Started it for the 2nd Time

Gonna finish it, too. Good distraction from studies--and pretty good motivation to get back to work, 'cuz I sure don't want to spend too long in this thing. Here's what I want to know: How did Dan Brown ever convince someone to publish this trite, tripe-filled, self-indulgent, first draft? Much less a sequel? Angels and Demons is just...bad.

I know, I know, I'm in the minority here. H. C. Contra Mundum, etc. Or people are just going to accuse me of not liking Brown 'cuz I'm religious and therefore am against anyone who's next book is going to be full of pot-shots at Christianity. Sorry, no. I assure you, on my Lolita-loving, Tarantino-adoring, Mark Leyner-relishing, Kevin Smith fan-boy honor--this is just poor writing. Ed Wood wouldn't shoot this stuff.

I had a point when I started this...seem to have lost track of it. So pure is my hatred for this. Guess we'll just chalk this one up to a random venting and move along.

Pop Quiz

I'd put this in the comment section below, but then it hit me that probably no one would read that, so...

First thing…a little tip for anyone who does this kind of thing for their own blog…write the page number somewhere! There’s 30 minutes I’m not getting back…

Anyway, the quotation is from L. M. Grensted’s work A Short History of the Doctrine of the Atonement (incidentally, it's a pretty nice piece of work). Luther has built upon Anselm’s work and Melanchthon and others refine and perfect Luther. "It is here that we first find in a developed form the Penal theory of Atonement." And that’s where Grensted gives us that quote. It’s that concept of the Penal Theory of Atonement that underlies the Augsburg Confession, and is fleshed out and refined in the development of Confessional Protestantism.

In that case, not sure it’s fair to say it’s "missing" things like the active obedience of Christ, so much as it is important to note that such a concept isn’t there.

Han Shot First!

Sure, by the end of the day, every geek's blog in the world will be reporting this, so it won't be news to most of you, but I gotta post this.

(patched together from multiple sources, plagiarism and copyright infringement abounding no doubt)

From September 12th to December 31st of this year, in response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

The original Ewok party! The real cantina band!

That sound in the background is Rusty sobbing uncontrollably.

This just in...

(thanks to fodey.com for the paper)

Public Service Announcement

For some reason my boys weren't reminding me about this three times a week (starting in February) this year, so I'd totally forgotten about this:

If we'd dropped the ball on this, maybe you did, too.

Be sure to drop by your local shop!

Research Help...

Do any of my readers have the tapes to the Sproul vs. MacArthur debate on baptism? I listened to it once--right after it was released on tape, what was that '99? (good to have a reminder that winning a debate isn't necc. a sign that you're right) There's a line Sproul uses early on (as I recall) in his presentation that I'd like to use this week for a paper.

Them's Fightin' Words

What I hope to demonstrate is that the hermeneutical error that establishes infant baptism is also found in dispensationalism, modern-day Theonomy, and a normative view of worship that misunderstands and misrepresents the regulative principle.

--Fred Malone,
The Baptism of
Disciples Alone, p. 2

Obviously, there's not a lot there to chew on--nor am I going to retype his evidence for that assertion. Just thought I'd throw that out there for ya'll to chew on.

Pop Quiz Time

Orthodox, Heterodox, or Heresy? Why? You tell me.

Justice demands the punishment of sin. Therefore the attitude of a just God towards the sinner can only be one of wrath. But if the punishment is endured to the uttermost by One who adequately represents the sinner, justice e is satisfied and God's mercy towards the sinner can have free play. The thought is wholly Godward, and that from the assertion of which the early fathers shrank is now boldly proclaimed. By the death of Christ God's attitude towards man is actually changed. Wrath is transformed to love. Mercy is the result of Calvary, or, at least, is freed by the Cross from the necessity of enforcing the stern obligations of justice.

Mail Call

Don't ya love it when you forget you ordered something and it just shows up in your mailbox out of the blue? Yesterday, in addition to the platinum credit card offers (yeeeeah, right) I received the latest DVD from The Apologetics Group, Marks of a Cult: A Biblical Analysis.

As you see from the cover, apparently mathematics is cultic. As a liberal arts kind of guy, I always not-so-secretly suspected that, but it's good to have proof. Sorry Kletois, Scribbles, and Ministerius Tobeus. :)

As with their Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism, the DVD is well made, informative, and just a tad over-produced. They don't spend quite as much time with the graphics and music--or in the uncomfortably long skits--in this DVD. The "Talking Head" experts they had were all top-notch and well used ('tho I think they could've used a little more Dr. White and a little less of a couple of others, but that's just personal preference). Well worth the time to watch--for a good primer on what is a cult, some basic teachings of some of the major cults around us, and some quick Biblical responses.

By the way, for readers in my neck of the woods: inspiration struck me about halfway through watching this yesterday (I was multi-tasking...not shirking too much on the deadline stuff) and our Bible Study voted to watch this starting next week. Giving me a few more hours as I wrap up this term. It's bite-sized enough for the kids who attend to get something out of, and meaty enough for some good discussion for the adults. We will only take 2 weeks on this one, so don't miss out!

Inspired by the Expanding Ones

one of my all time faves:

The Guppy
by Ogden Nash

Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.

Ordinary Means for a Great Day

What then is the first key to a Christian family's spiritual health?...Simply, the first and primary key to your family's spiritual health is a commitment to the weekly public worship services of the church. The most important single commitment you have to make to ensure your family's spiritual well-being is to regular, consistent attendance at public worship.

Sound far-fetched? I'll say it even stronger. I have yet to meet a person for whom it could not be said that all of his problems, personal, marital, familial, or vocational would not be solved by such a commitment. I do not believe that the person for whom this is not true exists. By saying so, I do not minimize the seriousness of the problems that people face. Rather I maximize our confidence in the power of the gospel. So I'll say it again: we do not know of anyone of whom it could not be said, if only he were in worship week in and week out, fifty-two weeks a year, year after year, his problems would be basically solved.

More and more I'm convinced that Terry Johnson is 100% right there. I grow in this confidence weekly, if not daily. I see the positive (and negative) proof in my life and the lives of others. I see people, families, souls destroyed by lack of this commitment; and people, families, and souls built up, restored, and made whole--not to mention holy--by this commitment. [N.B. please note he said "services"--that's plural, that's all of 'em]

It's not the programs, it's not the conferences, special speakers, books, events, CDs...it's not the "WOW! Factor." Nothing zippy or dramatic that brings lasting spiritual growth. It's the ordinary stuff.

Ordinary Means. (not ordinary as in dull, ordinary as in normal) Church attendance; the Word read and preached; baptism; the Lord's Supper; prayer; singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; fellowship and discipline. The routine, the week-in and week-out work of the Church. That's how Christian people, Christian families, Christian disciples are built.

Yesterday was one of those days that underlined this for me. Highlight of the day was something I'd long prayed for: a new family in our church repented of their former Baptist life and had the remainder of their household baptized. In the morning, our pastor preached a decent sermon (not his best, but decent). In the evening, our seminarian gave our pastor some much needed time off to care for himself and a sick family and delivered an okay exhortation (some improvement there...but far to go). Singing of great songs of the faith. Lots of fellowship--the relaxed chit-chatty kind, the encouraging kind, the iron sharpening iron kind. Sadly, no Lord's Supper this week--that would've sealed it as a perfect day--we're still a 1x a month. But hey, we'll get there...

And now, because of that, I have no doubt that I can get through this many deadline/little sleep/many miles of travel/big stress week without a scratch.

Glory to God for the ways he takes care of His own with the ordinary things.

Evangelical Hypocrisy

Tim Challies nails it. A+ Moves to the top of the class (not a big move for Tim, but still, trying to praise the guy...)

UPDATE: link fixed, thanks travelin'fool

Happy April 15th

"A man condemning the income tax because of the annoyance it gives him or the expense it puts him to is merely a dog baring its teeth, and he forfeits the privileges of civilized discourse. But it is permissible to criticize it on other and impersonal grounds. A government, like an individual, spends money for any or all of three reasons: because it needs to, because it wants to, or simply because it has it to spend. The last is much the shabbiest. It is arguable, if not manifest, that a substantial proportion of this great spring flood of billions pouring into the Treasury will in effect get spent for that last shabby reason."

--Nero Wolfe

Q&A Time

On April 14, 1648 the Westminster Assembly of Divines presented its Catechisms to Parliament.

These two documents are some of the best tools for Christian teaching ever produced since the time of the apostles--probably safe to eliminate "some of" there, come to think of it.

Richard Baxter wrote,

If the Westminster Assembly had done nothing more than produce the Shorter Catechism they would be entitled to the everlasting gratitude of the Christian church...next to the Bible, it was probably the best book in the world.

G. I. Williamson concurs

The Shorter Catechism was the final product of the Assembly and-in my judgment at least-its crowning achievement. The Christian church in nearly two thousand years has produced nothing better than this Catechism, and it has few, if any, equals.

Here's an article I wrote in '03 on the subject of catechesis (back when I was capable of doing more than short blogish things)--didn't spend a lot of time on formatting, etc. So it's kinda ugly.

Big Day

Frodo's moved up from T-Ball this year--now in Machine-Pitch ball. Major step. Had an exhibition game Saturday that displayed how much he has to learn this year. First real game was Monday--that didn't go so well, either.

But tonight...Strike Out in the first (couple of foul tips), RBI Double in the 5th, and a Lead-Off Single in the 6th. 2 Runs scored.

Proud Papa doesn't quiet say enough.

At this rate I'll be a Unitarian in May

Tonight I attended a worship service of a cult, then went to a Wesleyan-Arminian institution, to use their Roman Catholic resources (and a couple of neo-orthodox ones, too) to help me write a paper for my Confessional Presbyterian seminary.

lightness

Lighter day...just editing and reading. Tomorrow is reading, studying and writing, tho. So..ack. (soooo grateful that my inlaws just donated a spare coffee pot to us...ol' reliable gave up the ghost today.) But today, it's all about a couple of easily-made deadlines.

In honor of the lightness of the day, here's some funnies:

• 'bout sums it up...
• Yesterday's Pearls before Swine
• Classic Boondocks on the entertainment value of white people part 1 and part 2
• The Problem with Mnemoic Devices

Not a post on the Lord's Day

ooops...got a little distracted by my devotional reading today...Archibald Alexander's Thoughts on Religious Experience and a nap that got a bit out of control this afternoon. Didn't quite get to the whole switching the Day of Rest post like I'd intended. Very sorry.

Ah well, at least I don't have to deal with another firestorm this week :) (feel free to keep the other going).

BTW, the Alexander book is just what I needed to read. Experimental/Experiential (take your pick), thoughtful, great mix of orthodoxy and orthopraxy, Calvinism with shoe leather. Basically, Alexander is looking at the Christian life--conversion, both in childhood or later--what's it really like? What should we see/not see? What's the nature of regeneration? He sees so clearly the danger and weaknesses of religious movements/practices that were still in their nascent form in his day, and sadly we can now see "all grown up." If only the church (both presbyterian and others) had listened...

Congrats to polymathis!

Sounds like a rough couple of days, but very much worth it.

The Lord's Day: Does God Have to Repeat Himself?

The first objection I heard to a Reformed lesson on the Christian Sabbath/The Lord's Day was, "Y'know, the 4^th commandment is the only one of the Ten Commandments not repeated in the New Testament." I've heard it too many times to count in the 9.5 years since. And of all the objections to the observance of the Day of Rest that I encounter, this is the...well, can't think of a polite way to say this, it's the lamest. It's also very odd that this is generally spouted by the same people that are generally pretty worked up about the posting (or lack thereof) of all 10 in public buildings. Wouldn't it be more consistent for them to slip an ellipsis in between "in vain" and "V. Honor" (maybe ellipses don't look good in marble?)? But I digress...

[sidebar: this is why I love the informal nature of blogs, I don't have to run to my thesaurus to come up with a nice way of saying that idea is vacuous and foundationless. I can just call it lame--and I can ramble at will :) ]

I have a two-fold, un-scholarly response to this "objection." There are probably more that could be given, but these work for me.

1. So what? How many of us parents have ever uttered, "How many times have I told you..."? Once was enough for Ward and June Cleaver, shouldn't it be enough for our Heavenly Father? How many times does God have to say something for it to stick?

For that matter, does this rule apply only to the 10 Commandments? Off the top of my head, I don't remember something like, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen 1:28) showing up anywhere after, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ..." [feel free to fill up the comments section with evidence that my memory is faulty...I'll gladly eat those words.]

Instead, why don't we just rest on, "the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Is. 40:8)? And we shouldn't forget, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matt 5:17-18).

2. Bzzzzt! Sorry, thanks for playing. Are you sure you've read the thing? 'Cuz it's all over the place. Especially in those first few books--y'know the ones with all the red letters.

Jesus spent a whole lot of time correcting misapprehensions regarding the Sabbath, did he not? Why spend all that time doing so, if he was just going to eliminate the whole thing in a couple of years? Why would his apostles bother recording these teachings if they were obsolete by the time they set pen to papyrus? Why does he assert his lordship over the day, when it's time is almost gone?

I just stumbled onto this passage by Iain D. Campbell (while looking for something else) that fits perfectly right here.

But over what is Jesus claiming lordship? Over an Old Testament icon which he was intending to demolish? It makes no sense at all to say that the Sabbath was merely an Old Testament provision, one of the shadows and types which were to be done away in Christ. For Jesus to claim sovereignty over the Sabbath implies that the Sabbath remains under his jurisdiction.

It seems to me that we often fail to do justice to this great statement on the lips of Jesus. How can the Sabbath be altogether dispensed with by Jesus if he is Lord over it? Jesus does not say that he was Lord of the Sabbath, but that he is Lord of the Sabbath! If language means anything, then in Mark 2:28, Jesus is implying the permanent nature of the Sabbath as something over which he, as universal and eternal Son of Man has absolute authority. The day is his, as much now as ever. As long as Jesus continues to be Son of man, he continues to be Lord of the Sabbath.

This is no indication, of course, of which day is to be marked out as the Sabbath in the New Testament age. That has to be established on other grounds. But it is a clear indication of the fact that Jesus has not abrogated the Sabbath--he has not cast it into some Old Testament oblivion. The thinking that suggests that the Sabbath is gone cannot be accommodated with the claim the at Jesus makes here. If he is Lord of the Sabbath, then the Sabbath remains.

Jesus claims Lordship over the day, he attacks the legalistic misapplications of the Law by the Pharisees and other hypocrites. But He keeps the Sabbath. And He expects us to do the same.

One more example of presence of the 4^th Commandment in the New Testament, and I'll call this rant done. Hebrews 4:9 tells us, "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." That word translated "Sabbath rest" (sabbatismos) is a nifty little hapax legomenon that shows up in its verb form in the Septuagint, describing observing/keeping the Sabbath. Why use this word, in the middle of a passage about rest where the author had been using katapausis? Dr. Pipa sums it up pretty well:

The uniqueness of the word suggests a deliberate, theological purpose. He selects or coins sabbatismos because, in addition to referring to spiritual rest, it suggests as well an observance of that rest by a "Sabbath keeping." Because the promised rest lies ahead for the New Covenant people, they are to strive to enter the future rest. Yet as they do so, they anticipate it by continuing to keep the Sabbath.

A. W. Pink puts it in starker terms:

Here then is a plain, positive, unequivocal declaration by the Spirit of God. "There remaineth therefore a Sabbath-keeping." Nothing could be simpler, nothing less ambiguous. The striking thing is that this statement occurs in the very epistle whose theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism; written to those addressed as "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling." Therefore, it cannot be gainsaid that Hebrews 4:9 referred directly to the Christian Sabbath. Hence we solemnly and emphatically declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes direct issue with the New Testament Scriptures.

Let's repeat that last sentence one more time for emphasis: "Hence we solemnly and emphatically declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes direct issue with the New Testament Scriptures."

'nuff said.

(sure, there's a whole lot of issues I left untouched on this topic. This one bit of bombastic turgidity can't cover it all...hopefully I'll get to those sometime.)

at my wit's end

Last night I was looking at how much I have to accomplish in the next 26 days, and it freaked me out. I knew it was all coming, but it crystalized for me then.

I honestly expect to fail. I'm not going to get it all done. But will do what I can to prove myself wrong.

The crunch of deadlines, the horribly realistic prediction, and the dread what of comes after that has left me churlish, testy, and irritable at best. (I won't go into the worst)

Expect this blog to pretty much go into a coma for awhile, except on Sundays--I might throw up a Lord's Day reflection or two (as my restrictive legalistic point of view prevents me from doing my homework)*, I have to curtail my online activity greatly. Not greatly. Almost totally. If you need me, pop off an email, I'll get to you sometime.