Dever Quote

Having grown up in the buckle of the Bible belt and spending a semester of college traveling around the state of Texas sharing the gospel on different college campuses, I have often deplored the current state of cultural Christianity in the south.
Recently, while listening to one of the 9Marks interviews (A Round table Discussion on the Church with Mark Dever, Matt Schmucker, Greg Gilbert, and Paul Alexander), I was struck by something said by Mark Dever. When asked if he is encouraged by the church today, he said the following:

"I think I genuinely see signs of increasing faithfulness in churches. And in a funny way, I think the secularization of our culture that the Christian right so laments, may be in God's strange left hand of providence, a way of driving the church to faithfulness, to greater faithfulness. As the incentives for nominal Christianity wear out, the real thing comes back. And its just a glory to behold, and that's what sinners need."

Well said! The increasingly post-Christian state of America is in some ways a reason for celebration, or at least hope. Unless our culture shifts once again, Christianity will become less and less cultural, and we can rejoice in that as a means of purification for Christ's church.

Gender-Related Reading

Chris Cowan, over at the CBMW blog, has recommended some summer reading on biblical manhood and womanhood. Here is part I and here is part II.

Jay Adams on Church Discipline

Church discipline is not a popular concept today. Numbers from the recent SBC convention show this clearly to be true: 16 million members with only 6 million of those members in weekly attendance on Sundays last year. This is unfortunate to say the least. That means there are 10 million people out there representing a distorted view of Christ and his church to a watching world. That also means that there are many elders that will be held accountable on judgment day for many, many people whom they have never even met (Heb 13.17)! That also means that many of those 10 million probably have some false assurance of salvation "because they are members of so and so Baptist church."

The church growth movement (whether seeker-sensitive or emerging) would have us lower the wall of separation between Christians and non-Christians. For example, Frost & Hirsch in "The Shaping the Things to Come" propose a 'centered set' rather than a 'bounded set' when it comes to church membership (which is bound up with church discipline). The bounded set is the out-dated 'attractional' approach of having clearly delineated boundaries for membership. What is needed, they say, is an incarnational approach for today's post-modern world. They write, "a centered set is defined by its core values, and people are not seen as in or out, but as closer or further away from the center" (47). . . . In bounded-set churches all sorts of criteria are determined for the acceptance of rejection of prospective members. . . . In a centered-set church it is recognized that we are all sinners, all struggling to be the best people we can be. But we also believe that the closer one gets to the center (Christ), the more Christlike one's behavior should become. . . . No one is considered unworthy of belonging because they happen to be addicted to tobacco, or because they're not married to their live-in partner. Belonging is a key value" (48-49). This mindset is popular today. "Its not about who's in or out, but where we are at in relation to Jesus."

This is wrong-headed on a number or fronts, not least of which is church discipline. If we truly believe in church discipline and a regenerate church membership, then if anything we will raise the wall between members and non-members. The need of the day is pastors not driven by "becoming all things to all people," but by the fact that one day they will stand before Christ and give an account for those sheep under his care.

To this end I want to recommend a great resource: "Handbook of Church Discipline: A Right and Privilege of Every Church Member" by Jay Adams. Jay Adams has been a gift to the church, known mostly for being the father of nouthetic counseling. This book is a great read for any Christian. Elders and aspiring elders especially would benefit, but it is just as important to inform the congregation of their duty to practice discipline on a regular basis. Adams helpfully covers preventive disciple, then covers 5 steps in corrective church discipline:

1. Self Discipline

2. One on One

3. One or Two Others

4a. The Church (leaders)

4b. The Church (whole body)

5. The World

So buy, read, share and implement church discipline for the reclamation of sinners, the purity of the church, and the glory of Christ.

Good Lookin' Out: What is a Healthy Church Member

Many Christians try to live lone ranger Christian lives, and miss God's intention for the centrality of the local church in the believer's lives. That is why I am very excited about this new book. It is written by Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman. Alicia and I will give many copies of this book away. It is a book that every Christian will benefit from and pastors will especially want to have many copies available for their congregation. Dever's "What is a Healthy Church" would go along great with "What is a Healthy Church Member?"

Here are the contents:

Foreword by Mark Dever
Introduction
1. A Healthy Church Member Is an Expositional Listener
2. A Healthy Church Member Is a Biblical Theologian
3. A Healthy Church Member Is Gospel Saturated
4. A Healthy Church Member Is Genuinely Converted
5. A Healthy Church Member Is a Biblical Evangelist
6. A Healthy Church Member Is a Committed Member
7. A Healthy Church Member Seeks Discipline
8. A Healthy Church Member Is a Growing Disciple
9. A Healthy Church Member Is a Humble Follower
10. A Healthy Church Member Is a Prayer Warrior
A Final Word
Appendix: A Typical Covenant of a Healthy Church

Here is the Series Preface, Intro, and Chapter 1. Here is a review of the book.

(Props: JT)

I just finished the recent bio on Cornelius Van Til (a militant Calvinist to say the least) by John Muether, and wanted to post this quote by Van Til, in light of my recent post on Calvinism:

"It is not the five points. It is rather the measure of consistency with which it applies all the doctrines of Chritianity." (234)

Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against.

--Valley of Vision (143)

Schreiner Lectures on Perseverance

In May, Dr. Schreiner gave the 2008 Oak Hill School of Theology lectures. His topic was "The Nature of Warnings in New Testament Theology. Here is the audio:

How to understand the warnings in scripture
Persevering in faith is not perfection
Persevering in faith is not works-righteousness
Faith and assurance

Believer's baptism
Question time

Lessons From Flawed Saints

A couple of new biographies (one on A. W. Tozer by Tony Dorsett, and one on George Eldon Ladd by John A. D'Elia ) show that God uses imperfect people to expand his Kingdom and glorify himself. Tozer, known for his piety and devotion to God, seemed to neglect his family. G.E. Ladd who largely followed Vos in popularizing inaugurated eschatology, is known for destroying classic dispensationalism and bringing dispensationalism and covenant theology closer together (see this book). His desire to be pleasing in the eyes of both the evangelical world and the academy led to "depression, bitterness, and alcoholism."

From Tim Challies (on A.W. Tozer):

Tozer was a man who loved Scripture and loved nothing more than preaching its truths to all who would listen. “A.W. Tozer heralded biblical truth. He loved the Bible and unflinchingly preached what he believed people needed to hear, regardless of what they wanted.” Yet he was a man who neglected the mission field in his home. “On and off over the years, Aiden exercised his role as head of the family by encouraging times of family devotions. These never lasted more than a few weeks. As one son explained, the children just did not want it and they were seldom all together for extended periods in any case.”
Tozer was a man who dedicated himself to reading, study and prayer and who delighted to be in the presence of God. “There is no way to measure the hours he spent in a typical day or week reading books and wrestling with ideas, but it was substantial. In a similar vein, we know that he increasingly devoted many hours each week praying, meditating on Scripture, and seeking deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ. During the 1930s Tozer read voraciously, and he also developed a magnificent obsession to be in Christ’s presence- just to worship Him and to be with Him.” Yet he was a man who was emotionally and spiritually distant from his own wife. “By early 1928 the Tozers had a routine. Aiden found his fulfillment in reading, preparing sermons, preaching, and weaving travel into his demanding and exciting schedule, while Ada learned to cope. She dutifully washed, ironed, cooked, and cared for the little ones, and developed the art of shoving her pain deep down inside. Most of the time she pretended there was no hurt, but when it erupted, she usually blamed herself for not being godly enough to conquer her longing for intimacy from an emotionally aloof husband.”
These strange inconsistencies abound. Tozer saw his wife’s gifts for hospitality and encouraged her in them; yet he disliked having visitors in his own home. He preached about the necessity of Christian fellowship within the family of Christ; yet he refused to allow his family or his wife’s family to visit their home. For every laudable area of his life there seemed to exist an equal and opposite error. This study in opposites leaves for a fascinating picture of a man who was used so greatly by God, even while his life had such obvious sin.

From Sean Lucas (on Tozer):

And yet, Dorsett exposes a fundamental contradiction in Tozer's character that raises all sorts of questions about holy zeal and its effect on the whole of life. The contradiction could be summed up: how did Tozer reconcile his passionate longing for communion with the Triune God with his failure to love passionately his wife and children? Perhaps the most damning statement in the book was from his wife, after she remarried subsequent to his death: "I have never been happier in my life," Ada Ceclia Tozer Odam observed, "Aiden [Tozer] loved Jesus Christ, but Leonard Odam loves me" (160). Now, certainly all human beings have flaws; that is not the point here. Rather, the point that Dorsett failed to explore adequately is how Tozer reconciled his pursuit of God with his failure to pursue his wife. This reconciliation--or failure to reconcile--should have raised questions about Tozer's mystic approach and prophetic denunciation of the church and nuanced the value of his teaching on the Christian life. After all, if his piety could spend several hours in prayer and also rationalize his failure at home, then it should raise questions about his approach to piety.

From Oxford University Press (on George Ladd):

Ladd's main focus, however, was to create a work of scholarship from an evangelical perspective that the broader academic world would accept. When he was unsuccessful in this effort, he descended into depression, bitterness, and alcoholism. But Ladd played an important part in opening doors for later generations of evangelical scholars, both by validating and using critical methods in his own scholarly work, and also by entering into dialogue with theologians and theologies outside the evangelical world.

One of the reviews of the Ladd bio was by Marianne Meye Thompson, who now serves as George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. She wrote, "although he wrote extensively of the presence of the kingdom, he struggled to taste its fruits in his own life." That is sad, and scary. These recent biographies should break our hearts, point us to Christ, and spur us on to finish well. May we never claim to love Christ, yet fail to cherish our wives and children. We honor Christ by loving our wives. May we also be much more consumed with pleasing God, than peers. Christ's 'opinion' is the only one that will matter at the end of the day, and we should live in light of this reality.


(HT: JT & TheoSource)

Calvinism: More Than 5 Points

I will never forget Easter break of 2004. I was a zealous evangelist and there were several Calvinists infesting the Baptist Student Ministry at my college, and this was a hindrance to evangelism in my eyes. If God predestined people to be saved, I didn’t see why anyone should share the gospel. I was finally tired of these guys and their ideas, so I set out to refute the doctrines of grace during the long weekend. I printed out several articles promoting both sides and placed them on each side of my Bible and went to work. My attempted refutation was unsuccessful and my life was forever changed. My view of God was drastically reformed. He became…God.
This obviously had huge ramifications for me, as it has for many (hence, the caged stage). It is a worldview shift. Calvinism is more than 5 points; it’s a way of the viewing the world. As J.I. Packer wrote,

“Calvinism is a whole world-view, stemming from a clear vision of God as the whole world’s Maker and King. Calvinism is the consistent endeavor to acknowledge the Creator as the Lord, working all things after the counsel of His will. Calvinism is a theocentric way of thinking about all life under the direction and control of God’s own Word. Calvinism, in other words, is the theology of the Bible viewed from the perspective of the Bible – the God-centered outlook which sees the Creator as the source, and means, and end, of everything that is, both in nature and in grace. . . . And Calvinism is a unified philosophy of history which sees the whole diversity of processes and events that take place in God’s world as no more, and no less, than the outworking of His great preordained plan for His creatures and His church. The five points assert no more than that God is sovereign in saving the individual, but Calvinism, as such, is concerned with the much broader assertion that His is sovereign everywhere.”

This is why you will often hear Calvinists ask if a certain author is Reformed or not. Its not that we only want to read from a thinker who believes in election or depravity, but that we will share the same view of life. Calvinism has a preserving effect. It brings with it certain views about Scripture, conversion, evangelism, God, man, marriage, history, and suffering. The Calvinist will have a high regard for Scripture, and bow to the authority of God’s Word. He will be amazed by the grace of God in the gospel, knowing that even his own faith and repentance are gifts from God. The Calvinist remains faithful to Scripture, not what works, in evangelism, understanding that no matter how diligently he plants and waters, God must give the growth. He understands that God is the God of aseity, that is, he is independent and self-sufficient, not needing anything from anyone. The Calvinist knows man to be a created being, owing all that he is to his sovereign creator. The Calvinist is aware of the deep depravity of the human race. He understands the effective love of Christ and feels the weight of his call to love his wife in this manner. Calvinists are usually complementarian as well. He understands history to simply be God at work. To study history is to study providence. Knowing that God meticulously controls the details of history helps the Calvinist sleep at night. The Kingdom of God will prevail and triumph, and our security is bound up with this fact. When death and suffering meet the Calvinist, he understands that every trial comes from the hand of a gracious God who knows what is best and always does right. All of the sudden the flat tire or the difficult boss is viewed from a different perspective: gifts from God to conform us to the image of his Son for our joy and his glory. Simply put, as Warfield said, Calvinism is “Christianity come to its own.” He also writes:

“When religion comes fully to its rights in our thinking, and feeling, and doing, then shall we be truly Calvinistic. This is why those who have caught a glimpse of these things, love with passion what men call ‘Calvinism,’ sometimes with an air of contempt; and why they cling to it with enthusiasm. It is not merely the hope of true religion in the world: it is true religion in the world – as far as true religion is in the world at all.”

The generous people at Desiring God have made available John Piper’s TULIP seminar.
Here you can find the video, audio, and seminar notes. Other resources are:

Easy Chairs Hard Words by Douglas Wilson

The 5 Points of Calvinism

Amazing Grace DVD

Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by Packer

What We Believe About the 5 Points of Calvinism by John Piper

Wright

"God's plan, to rule his world through obedient humanity, has come true in the Messiah, Jesus. That which was purposed in Genesis 1 and 2, the wise rule of creation by the obedient human beings, was lost in Genesis 3, when rebellion jeopardised the divine intention, and the ground brought forth thorns and thistles. The Messiah, however, has now been installed as the one through whom God is doing what he intended to do, first through humanity and then through Israel. Paul's Adam-christology is basically an Israel-christology, and is predicated identification of Jesus as Messiah, in virtue of his resurrection."

-N.T. Wright, The Climax of the Covenant, 29.

How to Waste Your Theological Education

Here are 45 suggestions.

(Props: J Leeman)