Does it Cost anything?

I have been thinking about Luke 9 over the last few weeks. In particular Jesus’ statement that his disciples must take up their crosses and follow Him. This implies that there is a real cost to following Jesus. It is not something that a person can merely add to their lives like taking up a hobby or joining a club.

I wonder how many of us who profess to follow Christ have actually lost something significant as a result. It scares me to think that we could have students who go through our youth ministry whom we lift up as examples of doing what is right and yet being a Christian never really cost them anything significant. I think it is quite possible that someone could grow up in a so-called Christian home, go to Bible College and Seminary always seeming to make the right moral choices and yet never have to make a decision that cost them anything. Would we not hold up such a moral man as an example for all? Is it not likely that he could become a pastor or an elder?

Should we then, be so surprised when we see men disqualifying themselves from pastoral ministry because of financial or sexual greed? It seems that so many of us have grown up in a life of relative ease. It would appear that pastoral ministry is more of a career track than a calling for many men. If someone has never, for the sake of Jesus Christ, had to make a decision that cost him something, there is no reason to think that they will upon entering pastoral ministry.

I fear we do our students a great disservice when we try to shield and shelter them from taking the hard road, the road that involves great cost and sacrifice. I think this is the same road that has a narrow gate (Mat. 7:13-14).

Perhaps we fear that they will abandon the faith if pushed too hard to make difficult decisions. But it would seem that Scripture would take the perspective that such people never were God’s children at all. Maybe they are just deceived. Maybe you are too.

Who is my Enemy?

I came across this recently and thought I might share it:

I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this fellow who looked like he was ready to jump off. So, I thought I'd try to stall him until the authorities showed up. "Don't jump!" I said. "Why not?" he said. "Nobody loves me."

"God loves you," I said. "You believe in God, don't you?"

"Yes, I believe in God," he said.

"Good," I said. "Are you Christian or Jewish?"

"Christian," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Protestant or Catholic?"

"Neither," he said.

"What then?" I said.

"Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Independent Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

"Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "New Evangelical/Moderate Independent Baptist or Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Lose-Your-Salvation Arminian Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Historical Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or For Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Strict Separation of Church and State Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Anti-Disney Boycott Pro-Choice Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "KJV Only Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Modern Versions Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist" he said.

"Auugghh!!! You heretic! What is this world coming to?" I said.

And then I pushed him over.

I think theological divisions are important. Sometimes it divides the wheat from the chaff. Those who know me know my passion for making sure we believe rightly. At the same time, we really must analyze if it honors Jesus to lose friendships over some things like eschatological systems or differing practices of Christian liberty.

Good Audiobook Download

Hey,

You can download Donald Whitney's book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian life free of charge this month from christianaudio.com. They will sometimes put up excellent books for free. This is one of those times. Might be good to download for your iPod!

HT: Challies

Some suggestions for students

I have been thinking about this post for quite a while now (i.e. years). Most of these suggestions have Bible college or Seminary students in mind, but a great deal of it really applies to students in general or perhaps even Christians in general. I decided to wait a few months until after I graduated to post it on the blog. These thoughts are the fruit of my experience, and I hope that they will be helpful to you. I do not see this as being anywhere near complete, just a start. They are not in any particular order.

1.Cultivate Humility – this is actually 1-10. You are going to learn a lot of things that most other Christians do not know. Remember knowledge puffs up. This is not something that could happen, but something that does happen. It is a side effect of gaining knowledge. You must apply what you have learned to your own life. Learn to be a better repenter. Know that any sin makes you deserving of Hell, so sins that you do not struggle with are not any more damning than the ones that you struggle with. Yes, you do struggle with a whole lot of sin. Whenever you find yourself having a hard time finding sin to repent of, you can be pretty sure that the venom of pride has already blinded you and made you forget that you could ever see. (Humility is not the smarmy “I am nothing” comments or trying to verbally put yourself down all the time when you. I have found that it is usually the most arrogant people of all who do this. True humility is: “not thinking more highly of yourselves than you ought.” This simply means you are a sinner and so is everyone else. You don’t have everything figured out and you never will. The only hope any of us have is by desperately praying for and clinging to God’s grace.)

11.Prayer and Bible study – This is really inseparable from cultivating humility. You cannot really rank them above or below one another. They go hand in hand. You cannot have authentic humility without these things, but you cannot do these things well without authentic humility.

12. Do not be beholden to any one man – This is rampant in seminaries and Bible colleges. A student becomes convinced that a certain pastor, professor, or theologian really “does it right” and they stop critically evaluating the things they do or say. This will be a challenge because you will have favorite professors who you really appreciate. They, however, are just like the rest of us. They are just men and are just as prone to mistakes as you or I. Being a follower of anyone but Jesus is like following a compass that is only a few degrees off. The first few miles will be indistinguishable from the right direction, but over time you will not only mimic the things they do right, but you will also mimic their mistakes as well.

13.Do not be a follower of a theological system – systems are nice because they package things neatly for us to understand and to apply. However, they have a tendency to cause us to read our systems back into the Bible. So instead of reading our Bibles, we read our systems. This is often results in self-righteousness and poor interpretation of passages because we feel that we have to make them fit our systems. Examples include Arminianism, Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Covenentalism, The Westminster Confesssion, the Canons of Dort, etc… Study your BIBLE not the system.

14.Do not put off ministry until you graduate – James says you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Remember, you are not guaranteed tomorrow. You have not been promised that you will finish school. Make it a point to be a vital part of the local church you join.

15.Hard work is more important than grades – if you did your best and used your time wisely then you do not have anything to worry about. The goal is not to make all A’s but to learn the material the best that you are able. If that means that you are not able to get into the Ph.D. program, so be it. Maybe it is not God’s will that you be in the Ph.D. program anyway. It is certainly not God’s will that you sinfully cut corners to get good grades.

16.People are more important than grades – Sometimes it may be sinful for you to make an A in a class because it means that you had to sacrifice something more important to do it. An A is no assurance of an eternal reward. If someone comes to you for help and you unnecessarily cut them short because you have to study for a test, you may be committing a serious offense against God.

17.Studying is very important – this is obvious; otherwise you are wasting your time going to school. You are accountable to God for what you have been given, use it wisely.
18. Take the hard classes – Hopefully you are not going to school just to get a degree, hopefully you are going because you want to get the tools you need to be best equipped during ministry. Take the hard classes because they will teach you the most about the subject matter and about yourself. God will hold us accountable for how we used the opportunities he gave us. Who wants a pastor or counselor or missionary who took the easiest classes just so that they could have an easy semester? I want a pastor who worked hard so that he could be well prepared to serve the flock!

19.Cultivate love – Paul says that you can have all the knowledge in the world, and if you do not have love, then it is all for nothing. Guard against becoming like the church in Revelation that lost its first love. You will probably find that the less you interact with people who can do nothing for you, the less you will love.

20.Discipleship, Discipleship, Discipleship – Be a disciple and a discipler. Teach and be taught. Teach younger believers, and be taught by more mature ones. This is Christ’s model of how the church should function.

21.Don’t play politics - Build relationships with people because of what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. Unfortunately there are a lot of egos out there who respond quickly to idol worship and flattery. Jude has some strong words for those who show favoritism to gain advantage.

22.Resist the tendency to want to speak in absolute terms when not appropriate - If you are going to say something like, “The Bible never says…” or “The Bible always uses this word to mean…” you had better make very sure that you are right. A quote from your favorite preacher is insufficient.

23.Use primary sources - Trace the information to its source, don’t just go based off of what someone else told you. You will be amazed at how often people get their facts wrong even in published material.

Christians and Politics

I have been thinking about this post for quite some time. Over the last few months I have noticed the significant number of Christians who are planning on voting for Obama. As a Christian, I do not think Republicans or Democrats represent my (hopefully biblical) values particularly well. As I watch the process leading up to Election Day I am regularly reminded of human depravity. Lies, slander, flattery, hate, sinful anger, selfishness, greed, and pride among others are all put on display for the American people and the world. One thing I have not seen is love. I have not seen any candidate express love for his opponent as Christ said we should love our enemies. Sound a bit too "pie in the sky"? Could someone do that and really win the election? You bet. Why? Because this is God's world and not man's. Because God puts every king, president, prime minister, and dictator in place.
So, from that angle, I am not particularly concerned about who will win the election. God will be glorified. What does concern me, however, is that I have brothers and sisters in Christ who are voting to support the most radically pro-abortion democratic candidate in history. What I cannot get through my mind is "Why?" Their arguments generally take a few different directions:

1. There are other issues besides abortion.
- Yep, you are right on this one; at least to a point. There are issues like the war in Iraq, the economy, the environment, poverty, our position in the world, oil, the war on terror, and others. But a sheer variety does not mean equality. Some issues are more important than others. Yes, we can say that as Christians! We are not moral relativists. You chopping down a tree in the back yard does not equate to stabbing someone in a dark alley. Having to pay higher taxes is not the same as drowning your spouse. Do you shudder at such comparisons? Then why try to argue that environmental issues are just as important as abortion? Or that the economy needs some strong leader so that it can be stimulated more than we need a leader who is opposed to infanticide (yep, infanticide. Not only abortions within the womb, but children who survive failed abortions who are left to die. )

2. We are not going to win the abortion debate
- I think you are wrong; but even if we know we cannot win, does that mean that we should not fight? It seems that Jesus calls us to fight for those who are broken and beaten down by society, and who more than aborted babies fit this description? Sometimes you fight for what is right knowing that you are going to get beat up for it. If you see a gang beating up on an old man, do you say, "never mind...he is probably dead anyway, so why bother?" Perhaps you do... perhaps that is the problem.
Do you not believe there was a time in American history when it seemed that fighting ethnic slavery was a lost cause? It was not.
Some of our modern heroes of the faith have been Christians who stood up to the Nazis and protect the Jews and lost their lives in the process. I expect there was a time when they looked all around them and said, "We will never win against such insurmountable odds" But they fought for righteousness anyway and rejected cowardice. We must do the same.

3. I don't want to be a Pat Robertson kind of Republican
- Me neither. But what does that have to do with anything? I mean, really? Yes, much of the secular world does see Christians as always voting in lock step with the Republican Party and unfortunately in many ways that is true. The Republican Party has often had more effect on evangelicals than evangelicals on the Republican Party. Too many of us reflect more of Rush Limbaugh than Jesus Christ. We have compromised our ethics so that we can get Republicans in office.
But, 'o physician, are you not doing the same by supporting the Democrats? And, I might add, to a much greater degree.
We should be known as issue voters instead of party voters. And I would say unabashedly that the elimination of abortion should be at the top of those issues. It is a bigger issue than Iraq (want to compare death toll anyone?) or the environment or the economy. Examine yourself to see if there is not some pride behind your support of this party platform.

Some other concerns about Obama:

- Rhetoric - This man is a master. But we must remember that rhetoric is really just a veneer. It doesn't tell us much about content or character.

- Religious language - Perhaps this is one of the reasons evangelicals have felt comfortable supporting him when they probably would not support someone like Hillary. Obama freely sprinkles his speeches with references to his faith his god and Scripture verses. This is probably more of a condemnation of evangelicals than Obama. It shows how quickly we will buy into a veneer of spirituality that lacks content. This is possibly because so many of our churches and relationships with other Christians function exactly the same way. They have a veneer of spirituality but lack substance. Most of the times that I have heard Obama speak of Scripture, he used the passages completely out of context. But instead of outrage, we respond with "Hey, he quoted Scripture!"

I urge you to vote, but I also urge you to vote for someone who does not support killing children.

Backpacking at Looking Glass Rock

I was able to go backpacking at Looking Glass Rock on Friday and Saturday. We hiked up on Friday night. The next morning we fixed eggs and bacon on the cliff face. The view was really beautiful. We had about a 180 degree panorama overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains. Temperatures were ideal, and although we had a few brief showers early in the morning on Saturday, they really did not hinder us.
We did some hiking around on Saturday along some of the side trails through the dense rhododendron growth. Really is a neat place to go.


Here is a panorama that I stitched together. It really does not do justice to the view though! It is actually a lot wider. What an awesome, creative God we serve!

Jesus, I my Cross

This song has had a profound influence on me. I first heard it at Grace Community Church in the Crossroads college ministry there while I was at The Master's Seminary. For whatever reason (I could offer a few...) it does not seem to have caught on in the broader CCM scene. I found the words to it here. You can download an MP3 of someone singing the first and last stanzas. Also, the Resolved Conference is selling a CD with it on there. It reminds me a bit of Bonhoffer.
Here you go. Hope it is as edifying to you as it has been to me. Virtually every line is powerful:

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

2. Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

3. Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

5. Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

6. Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

© 2001 Bill Moore Music.

Abortion and the Nazis

Lets face it. The pro-life movement has pretty much won the argument that an unborn fetus is indeed a live human child (Notice that I did not say that we have won the abortion argument yet. I will discuss the important distinction in a moment). A fetus looks like a child, it acts like a child, if the mother has a C-section and delivers the fetus it is a child. Nothing abnormally spectacular happens biologically to the fetus by lifting it 8 inches out of the mother's womb that suddenly transforms it into a real human from a nonliving glob of cells.
Even the laws of our land recognize that it is a child. If a pregnant mother is murdered, her attacker is charged with double murder (that of the mother and the child). It seems that you would have to suspend all reason to believe that an unborn fetus is not a child.
So why haven't we won? The argument has shifted to far more dangerous ground. Today, many of those who are in favor of allowing abortion are saying the central issue is one of choice; that a pregnant woman should be able to decide if she wants to become a mother. Some evenly openly recognize that the fetus is alive.
So the discussion has shifted from "what is life?" to "what is life worth?" A very subtle change. Why is this dangerous? Because we are talking about dramatically different philosophical systems. When people start asking questions about the cost of killing children being worth the price of freedom they have changed their very foundations. I do not intend to sound reactionary, but these are the same foundations that Nazi eugenics were built upon. The Nazis wanted to eliminate the "undesirable" elements of their society to create a master race. According to them, there were some lives that were worth eliminating so that others could have a better life. Sound familiar? So goes the abortion argument many times today.
Now, of course, we are not quite to the point of full blown Nazi eugenics. But, our society has bought into the very same philosophical foundations that the Nazis held concerning life. We must be aware of these things and fight tooth and nail against them.

Doctrinal purity and love

David Alan Black posted this profound statement on his blog:

"There is, I fear, a kind of Christianity that delights in being harsh and almost brutal. Strength is present, and so is doctrinal purity, but there is no tact or compassion. No one ever lived a holier life than Jesus, yet our Great High Priest is full of sympathy, mercy, and grace. He bears with us without getting irritated or annoyed. His very patience and understanding woo us back to the right path. With Christ we are always safe."

How true! I would even go a step further and say that those who lack love but have "doctrinal purity" in fact have no true doctrinal purity at all. They love God, but they do not love their neighbor. Perhaps purity only to the extent that the Pharisees' doctrines were pure.

God help us that our faith would be like Jesus!

God is the Gospel - John Piper

"Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God"
"The highest, best decisive good benefit in the Gospel is the glory of God for our everlasting enjoyment"

1. What is the relationship between God is the Gospel and the glory of God?

• God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him (Phil 1:20-21)
• Can I lose everything and count it gain?

2. What is the relationship between God is the Gospel and the love of God?

• John 11:1
• This passage is about love - Jesus loved Lazarus and the sisters
• He let Lazarus die because he loved him
• How?
• v. 4 - for the glory of God so that the Son may be glorified
• It is not His making much of us, but to enable us to enjoy Him forever.

3. How does God is the Gospel related to your conversion?

• 2 Cor. 4:4-6
• v. 6 referring back to Creation
• This is conversion
• To be saved is to see/desire God's glory

4. What does God is the Gospel have to do with the Gospel when it is preached rightly?

• 5 Elements of the Gospel
• 1. Event - 1 Cor. 15:3
• The Historical event of Jesus Death and Ressurection
• 2. Achievement of His death outside of you
• The wrath of God absorbed for all elect
• Sins covered (Col 2:13)
• Righteousness provided or consummated
  
• Purchase of Eternal life
• 3. Free offer
• 4. Application of this in your experience
• If it only happens to others and not to you, then no forgiveness for you
• Who cares about being forgiven?
• So many care for the wrong reason
• The best reason is "Because I want God"
• this is far more than no more Hell
• Reconciliation - Romans 5:11
• Forgiveness
• Justification - Romans 5:1-2
• Eternal life - John 17:3

5. How does God is the Gospel relate to Salt and Light?

• Matthew 5
• You don't have to be born again to want to be wealthy - This is not the Gospel, it is evil
• The salt of the earth are people who are so satisfied with their joy in heaven that they willingly endure pain

6. How does God is the Gospel relate to Evangelism

• The Holy Spirit can work in you to quicken and awake
• Natural revelation can be used by God to acknowledge some aspect of the Gospel overlap
• Illustrations
• Nobody goes to the Grand Canyon to increase their self esteem so that they can fee small.
• This is because deeply written on the human soul is that we were made to make much of God and not ourselves
• Cartoon- Arlo and Janis
• "Ever notice that the best moments make you feel insignificant?
• Nature Valley Granola bars - Fruit and Nut Ad
• Two people at the top of a mountain looking out over the view
• says, "You've never felt more alive, you've never felt so insignificant"
• Jonathan Edwards - "The redeemed have all their objective good in God..."
  

It will cost you everything - Steve Lawson - Luke 14:25-35

02/18/07

- Example of Scholarship for football that cost him everything. He got everything for free, but worked himself to the bone.

• v. 25 - Large crowds were following Him
• Easy to fit anonymously into the crowd
• He turned around to those who followed him
• Calls for total commitment of their souls
  
• Disciple - true believer in Jesus Christ
• Matt 28:19
  
• v. 26 - A Supreme Devotion
• Must love him more than anyone else in life
• "if anyone" - no exceptions
• "comes to me"
• setting the terms
• hating those whom have loved you the most
• Hebrew figure of speech that is a hyperbole
• You must love Christ so much more than the things of the world that it looks like hate
• The issue is who you love the most
• v. 27 - A Self Denial
• Emphasis on "his own"
• "and come after me"
• It would have been very clear what he was talking about to those in Palestine
• Carrying the crossbar was an indication of submission
  
• We must stand before a Holy God and agree that we are all sinners
• To carry one's cross is to make an open statement to the world that you are under submission to God
• We cannot follow Christ and love anything else more than Christ
  
• v. 28-32 - A sober calculation
• 2 parables
• v. 28-30 - Building a tower - "count the cost"
  
• count the cost before you build
• otherwise you will be mocked
  
• v. 31 - A king going to war
• 2 competing kingdoms
• The greater king is Jesus
• You need to settle terms of peace
• v. 33 - Total Commitment is the Bottom line
• You must give up all your possessions
• You must transfer all that you have to all that is His. Your stuff is now His stuff
• v. 34-35 - A Searching Examination
• Fake salt is useless
  

Isaiah 53 - The Suffering Servant - C.J. Mahaney

02/18/07

Clearly the servant is Jesus Christ with numerous attestations from the New Testament

1. Appearance

• v. 1-3 - "Suffering observed and misunderstood"
• v. 1 - who has believed?
• none of us; we are like v. 3 - we esteemed him not
• v. 2 - an unpromising person
• Background is unimpressive
  
• Physical appearance is unimpressive - plain
  
• v. 3 - Rejected

2. v. 4-6 - Reality

• Transition from human expectation to Divine Revelation
• Suffered for us because of our sin, and as our substitute
• Numerous references to "He", "our", and "us"
• 10x "our," "we," or "us" is used
• this emphasizes our role
• He suffered on our behalf
• He suffered because of us
• Isaiah recognizes our tendency to say, "I didn't do it" so he makes numerous references to our wickedness and sinfulness
  
• Suffered as our substitute
• "borne," "carried," "wounded," "crushed," "chastisement," "stripes."
• General feeling on the street was that he was smitten by God
• This is true, but it was not because of his sin, but for theirs and ours

3. v. 10 - Significance

• uniquely reveals the father's love for sinners like us
• "we all walk around with his nails in our pockets"
  
• Ultimately God the Father killed Jesus
• This passage reveals the plan before time
• It demonstrates the love of God the Father
• He crushed Him in order to convince you of his love
• "The Cross is the measure of God's love"
• What more could he have done?
  

Luke 18:9-14 - John MacArthur - 02/17/07

• Old Testament Justification
• Job 2 - How can a man be righteous before God?
• Job 25:4
• Psalm 143:2 - No man living is righteous
• Isaiah 53:11 - Righteous one will make many righteous

• The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
• Pharisee asks for nothing because he did not see that he needed anything
• Tax collector was justified because he saw that he was not worthy
• Either you trust in yourself or you don't
• Pharisee's prayer was to himself
• it would have been out loud so that others could hear
• unabashed confession of his own achievement
• lacks praise to God, he wants nothing from God, he just wants everyone to hear how holy he is, especially compared to the others

• Tax Collector
• knows that he has no right to be in that area
• unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven
• because he knows his sinfulness
  
• Beating his chest
• this never appears in the Old Testament
• Only appears 2x in the New Testament
• Here and at the crucifixion
  
• Rarely do men do this
• gesture of extreme sorrow and anguish
• "It takes something of the magnitude of Golgotha for men to do this"
• Calls attention to the wretchedness of his own heart
• Faith is implied here
• He knew God's holiness
• He knew that God was merciful to those who ask
  
• Pleading that God would accept the sacrifice given that day

• In one moment Jesus pronounces a wicked sinner as justified without any works, time lapse, etc... It comes as a result of genuine repentance
• imputed righteousness
  

More Resolved...1 Cor 1:20-31 John MacArthur

Why are we ashamed of the Gospel? (02/17/07)

• v. 18 - perishing
• v. 21 - saved
• Shameful sentence of the Cross
• Shameful message of the Cross
• Jews seeking wonders in the sky
• Gentiles seeking someone who is not executed (to follow an executed man was unthinkable

• Shameful simplicity of the Cross
• Shameful society of the Cross
• not many of noble birth or highly educated or highly esteemed by society in the Church

• Shameful sovereignty of the Cross
• v. 21 God was well pleased to save those who would beleive
  

Killing the Homeless for Sport

Apparently there has been a significant increase in the number of homeless people who have been killed...for fun. Kids as young as 10 who take delight in murdering those who have no place to lay their head. Utterly disgusting!
I don't think our society is as far removed from the Colosseum-style entertainment as we might like to think.

Benny Hinn Music Video

I thought this was pretty funny. Perhaps they should play this song at one of Benny Hinn's crusades instead of Christian ones, it might be more accurate.

The Unrivaled Supremacy of Jesus Christ - Hebrews 1:1-4 by Steve Lawson - 02/17/07

1. (v. 1) Superior in His proclamation

2. (v. 2b) Superior in His possessions

• Jesus will inherit everything

3. (v. 2c) Superior in His power

4. (v. 3a-b) Superior in His person

• nobody else in His class; He is the One and Only
• Only someone who is fully God could pay for our sin. (Explanation: This is because God had to pour out his infinite wrath against sin. Only an infinite God could take in infinite wrath upon himself. Finite beings are not capable of this.

5. (v. 3c) Superior in His Preservation

• He upholds the whole universe

6. (v. 3d-e) Superior in His Pardon

• He died for what we could never do for ourselves

7. (v. 3e-4) Superior in His Position

• Above the angels at the place of highest honor
• "sat down" indicates perfection of the sacrifice and that it is finished - that nothing else is necessary to be done.
  
• This position also indicates exaltation

Sinners in the Nail Pierced Hands of an Angry God - Rick Holland 2-16-07

Text: Romans 5:6-11
Subtitle: "What is so great about the Gospel?"

1. The Gospel satisfies the greatest need (v. 6)

• v. 6 - If you ever think you have done anything that earns God's love, you will never be secure in it.

2. The Gospel demonstrates the greatest love (v. 7-8)

3. The Gospel extinguishes the greatest threat (v. 9)

• blood - referring back to Old Testament sacrifices
• Wrath of God - sentenced to eternal judgement in Hell
• There is no true Christianity without resolving God's righteous wrath

4. The Gospel mediates through the greatest conflict (v. 10)

5. The Gospel produces the greatest response (v. 11)

Notes from the Resolved Conference

Over the next few days, I will post my notes from each of the sermons at Resolved...

Resolved Conference

Just got back from the Resolved Conference in Long Beach. It was great. Tim Challies has summaries of every speaker's sermon and you can check out the Resolved website for pictures of the event

Uh, yea, its REAL COLD

It's so cold right now that this weatherman took boiling water, threw it up in the air and made snow.

Free Legal Music for College Students

Ruckus has free music for you to download (legally) if you are a college student. You can't transfer it to a iPod or other device, but it is still nice to be able to listen to whole CDs for free. I listened to Casting Crowns' Lifesong CD. I really like "Stained Glass Masquerade." They have a decent collection of Christian music including some that might surprise you.
It appears that you can download a few videos as well, but I haven't messed with that too much so I don't know if you have to upgrade your status (i.e. pay $$) so that you can use video.
Apparently the way they plan to make money off of this is when you graduate from college in order for you to keep the music you will have to pay a monthly fee similar to the way Napster works.

Mediocrity and Grace

I think, as Americans, we tend to settle for spiritual mediocrity because of our individuality, lack of faith and taking grace for granted.

Here is what I mean (and have experienced in my own life):

We can achieve, as Christians, a certain amount of spiritual growth by either weak faith or inconsistent faith. We are not forced to change our lives too much because we are not actively persecuted by any significant organizations in our culture. By this I mean that the chances are very low that we will die for our faith (or even that we would lose our jobs). We are not forced by any external forces to be utterly dependent upon God to get by in life as a believer in China or an Islamic nation might be.

For this reason our thinking tends to take this approach: "God's commands are high and holy and he is entirely transcendent," "I am sinful and not like Him," "I cannot possibly hope to obey God perfectly," "God's grace takes over where I fail" therefore, "I am ok"

I think this line of thinking is flawed because it relies on our own strength and ignores the power of God that comes as a result of the resurrection. Perhaps our thinking should be more like: "God's commands are high and holy and he is entirely transcendent," "I am sinful and not like Him," "I cannot possibly hope to obey God perfectly by myself," "but that is what he calls me to do," therefore "I desperately need the empowering ability that comes from God," therefore "I must ask Him in faith to give it to me" because "God gives me the power and the ability to accomplish his will" "I know that even though I can have this empowerment, because of my sinful rebellion I will still fail to be obedient. But this is not because I was not able to be obedient, but because I chose disobedience over obedience." therefore, "I am immensely thankful that the cross also provides grace to me to cover my disobedience."

I think there are two differences in the second line of thinking from the first one. The second includes supernatural empowerment and changes inability to disobedience. Our problem, if we are Christians, is not that we are unable to keep God's commands, but that we choose not to.

I think this would be an important change in our thinking that would make us more dependent on God and help us to better recognize our sinfulness.

It changes our thinking at the critical point. That is, when we recognize our inability. We either decide that we can do it on our own and expect that God will only hold us accountable for what we can accomplish, or we cast ourselves entirely in the hands of God in faith and expect God to accomplish great things in us.

Dealing with Guilt from Sexual Sin

John Piper has a good article on how to overcome the mentality of defeat when struggling with sexual sin.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Ben Stein on Borat

Ben Stein, the comedian, actor (Ferris Bueller's day off, etc...), game show host (Win Ben Stein's Money) is also a political and cultural guru. He writes an interesting article (being Jewish himself) on the racist, anti-Semite, and anti-Christian sentiments present in the movie.

HT: Pearcey Report

Johnny Cash's Music Video "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

Russell Moore has a short but great article on this new music video that has been put out based off of Johnny Cash's (who is now dead) newest album. As he notes it is really eerie seeing the "who's who" of the MTV culture mouthing the words of coming judgment sung by a dead man. Perhaps there are Baalams even today. Or maybe its just a Romans 3:18 thing.

According to one commenter these are the people in the video: Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Kriss Kristoferson, Flea, Chris Rock, Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss, Sheryl Crow, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee, Dave Grahan, Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone, Bono, Anthony Kiedis, Travis Barker, Lisa Marie Presley, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Depp, Whoopi Goldberg, Dusty Hill, Owen Wilson

The "List Mentality" and the "Looser Life"

Francis Schaeffer put it into words so well:

I was impressed by this one Saturday night at L’Abri, when we were having one of our discussion times. On that particular night everybody present was a Christian, many of them from groups in countries where “lists” had been very much accentuated. They began to talk against the use of taboos, and at first, as I listened to them, I rather agreed with the direction they were going. But as I listened further to this conversation, and as they spoke against the taboos in their own countries, it became quite clear to me that what they really wanted was merely to be able to do the things which the taboos were against. What they really wanted was a more lax Christian life. But we must see that in giving up such lists, in feeling the limitation of the “list” mentality, we must not do this merely in order to be able to live a looser life: it must be for something deeper. So I think both sides of this discussion can be right and both sides can be wrong. We do not come to true spirituality or the true Christian life merely by keeping a list, but neither do we come to it merely by rejecting the list and then shrugging our shoulders and living a looser life.

- Francis A. Schaeffer True Spirituality

Why is it that often we find that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses seem to be Christians?

In the past 50 years there has been a movement called "ecumenism" that has tried to unify those groups that call themselves Christians. In more conservative circles this has mostly been unifying evangelicals, Roman Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox. In many ways this movement has been spearheaded by the Vatican.
There has also been a broader movement that includes theological liberals, cults, universalists, and even Muslims (in fact the Vatican under Pope John Paul seemed to be open to the inclusion of Muslims).
These movements desire to emphasize commonalities. The more conservative ecumenism (please understand that the word ecumenism has a tremendously broad range of meaning, both positive and negative) emphasizes that they all believe in the God-Man Jesus Christ and hold him in common. They would say that those who do likewise will go to heaven. The more theologically liberal movement would say the same for a belief in a single God.
You might expect the theological liberals to go that direction because of their de-emphasis on doctrine, but why do the conservative groups do this?
I think there are a number of reasons, but I will address one in particular. As we try not to be conformed to the world, we also seek to make friendships with those who are like us. Often, conservative evangelicals and conservative Roman Catholics will find themselves on the same side of numerous arguments (abortion, morality, importance of Biblical truth, exclusivity of Christ, etc...). As we rub shoulders with other "Christian" groups we may find that we agree on more than we disagree and the tendency will be to minimize differences and lock arms to pursue a common cause. Unfortunately, the differences we minimize make an eternal difference. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics disagree with Evangelicals on how someone is saved. For evangelicals to overlook this doctrine and include these groups as genuine brothers and sisters in Christ is to give up the doctrine entirely. Justification must be either by faith alone or faith plus good works. It cannot be both. If we say it is both, then it must be by faith+works. Either we can earn our good standing before God or we are absolutely incapable of doing it and our righteousness is like filthy rags. But I digress...
I think the thing we must keep in mind is that Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox have incredibly similar worldviews to evangelicals. These worldviews result in them thinking and acting very similarly to evangelicals. I myself have read the writings of many Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox and have a great appreciation for the insight that they have on a number of issues. Some have even challenged me in my faith. I often praise God for their brilliance. But, as we well know, acting similarly, thinking similarly, or having the same passions does not indicate true, saving faith. This is evidenced in our congregations which are filled with people who have a Christian worldview but who sadly will spend eternity in Hell because they do not have saving faith. Let's let biblical doctrine determine who our brothers and sisters are, that's what Jesus would do.

This is disgusting

It seems that the recent successes in marketing to Christian audiences has been incredibly profitable. So, there is now a Left Behind Video Game.

This is wrong on so many levels.

And yes, I did gently confront them and gave a chance for them to respond (no response returned) before I posted...

Candidate for Ministry

S.M. Hutchens' well said comment:

...I regard [the following] as a great evil: that a man should be forced, as he is in most churches, to put himself forward as a candidate for the ministry, which always constrains him, in ways more and less subtle, to lie about himself.

It is rather the church itself that should, knowing its own sons, judge him worthy, raise him up, and call him--supporting him wholly in his training--so that his task would not be to present himself for a job interview, credentials in hand, but examine and submit himself, thus beginning his time of call engaged in an exercise of cleansing and clarifying truth rather than the burden of what the tender conscience knows to be a degrading falsehood.

What if His people prayed...?

Tim Challies points out that watching television is now the third most common human activity after work and sleep according to this.

He also says convictingly, "Imagine if we prayed as much as we watch T.V." Wow, I could only imagine...

Holocaust (Denial) Conference in Iran should not be dismissed

Iran is hosting a conference that says it is seeking to understand the Holocaust. Interestingly, they appear to have only invited anti-Semites who deny the Holocaust. Of course these people are crazy, but the fact that this conference is sponsored by a nation and not just some wacko fringe group should cause us to be on the alert against it.
Fascism is back and is a spiritual movement, and not at all a Christian one (though some of them hid behind Christianity to commit their atrocities).

This is wicked and we should not ignore it.

Killer's wife salutes Amish mercy

I think this might be what Jesus had in mind when he said love your enemies. Praise God for turning the world on its head!

Brian McLaren speaks at a church pastored by an openly homosexual man

Here is the announcement from the Church website

Here is a thoughtful post on it

I know that some might say that his speaking at this church does not necessarily mean he is endorsing it's practices, however, two considerations must be made:

1) Brian has previously made comments that indicate that he is at least hesitant toward calling homosexuality a sin if not open to it being a legitimate "alternative lifestyle"
2) If you are going to speak at a place that brazenly flaunts its sinfulness and calls itself Christian, you should at least have the character to boldly confront the sin when you are given the platform. It appears that McLaren did not do this.

Mark Dever on Contextualizing the Gospel

Very true:

"Of course contextualization always takes place, whether acknowledged or unacknowledged. To acknowledge it is better, because then we are more self-aware of choices we're making, and we are also better able to be examined by others on those choices. Such awareness of our contextualizing also encourages humility, and hinders us from claiming alone to be the "I am of Christ" kind of party that Paul warned the Corinthians about."

Read the rest here

Dating

Josh Harris refers to some good articles on dating here.
Hope you find them helpful!

A Review of the Brian McLaren Interview

I have tried very hard to be as fair as possible in responding to this interview. If at any point you believe I have misrepresented/misinterpreted or misunderstood Brian McLaren please let me know specifically how and where. Also feel free to contact me if you need further clarification or more information about anything!

Thanks,
J.M. McCallum

Brian McLaren and Leif Hansen are both supporters of the Emerging Church Movement. While there are some who are part of the movement who strongly disagree with him, McLaren could be called the “popularizer” of the emerging church movement.

In the interview, I have two points of serious concern. The most serious one is in trying to re-define or get rid of the doctrine of eternal Hell, they also totally redefine the sin and what happened on the Cross! Obviously this is really important because it is central to our salvation!

Redefine Sin… The Bible defines sin as being an offense against God even if it is also a sin against ourselves and/or others (Gen 20:6; Ps 51:4; Jer 14:7, 20; 16:10; Is 42:24; 1 Sam 12:13, 23; Luke 15:18). However McLaren wants to redefine it so that it is only wrong because of what it does to us and to others.

Redefine the Cross of Christ… The Bible teaches us that the atonement (the work of Christ on the Cross) is the payment for the penalty of our sins (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10) by becoming our substitute. Jesus took on himself the punishment that we deserve (the theological term used for this is "penal-substitution"). If there is no payment for our sins, then God is unjust in forgiving them (Rom 3:25-26). The Cross also gives us the example of love (1 John 4:10-11) and how we should treat others (Phil 2), but this is not the primary purpose of the Cross. The primary purpose of the cross is to reconcile sinful man to God (Eph 2:16; Col 1:20).
You may be able to see what they are doing here. If sin is no longer an offense against God, then the Cross does not have to pay the penalty for sin. Instead, McLaren makes it into only a model for us of how to love other people sacrificially. If it is only a model for us, then it is not necessary to put your faith in Christ (who paid that penalty) to be saved so long as you are following that model He gave; even if you do so unknowingly. Also, if sin is not primarily rebellion against God, then God is unjust if he punishes non-Christians in Hell for eternity. He becomes an angry father who wants to kill his children for being mean to each other.

McLaren's illustration of God as the Angry Father who wants to kill his kids
To make his point about Hell and God not being a god of wrath and vengeance (in direct contradiction to Ps 94:1 and Heb 10:29-31), McLaren uses a very vivid illustration of a Father who wants to kill his son because he has been mean to his brother. He compares the Father to God wanting to send people to Hell because they have sinned. There are a number of problems with this illustration:
McLaren makes the same error he has made before by putting man in the position of God. The reason we cringe in thinking that he would kill his son is not because all punishment is wrong, but because the father would be asserting himself in a role reserved for God. It would be wrong for the father to kill his son because he is not God. Also, although the son sinned against his father by disobeying him, he primarily sinned against God because it is God who gives the father the authority he has and because the son breaks the direct commandments of God (Eph 6:2-3; Col 3:20).
Sin is infinite rebellion against God, therefore it must be punished infinitely.
It is not that, as McLaren says, God wants to kill everybody, but that God cannot be holy and just and at the same time overlook sin. The Cross is the way God does two apparently contradictory things. First he remains perfectly holy and just by fully punishing sin, and at the same time he shows his incredible love and forgiveness by taking that sin on himself so that we could be saved.

The other problem that is the foundation for McLaren's heresy is that virtually every he makes an argument, it is filled with "logical fallacies". All this means is that what they say either contradicts itself or they come to unfounded conclusions based on the evidence.
He repeatedly talks about how people criticize him unfairly, call him names, and take what he says out of context. However, he does this very thing repeatedly (characterizing "Westminster Confessionalists" as "Hard-Core Calvinists" and being an extreme and arrogant group, those who hold to a doctrine of Hell as being ignorant and unthinking, calling those who disagree with him "raving fundamentalists", mischaracterizing those who take the Bible as it was written as being strict "literalists" who do not consider the historical setting, etc…)
He manipulates your emotions by using the illustration of a God who would send people to Hell as being like a father who wants to kill his son because he disobeyed him.
Notice how he uses verses as a springboard for what he wants to say, but does not really focus on explaining the meaning of the verses. He just uses them to support what he is trying to convince you of.

In summation, Brian has been someone who introduces people to the emerging church through his writings. Among those people I have spoken with in the movement, he is widely read. However, this interview should alert his readership that there is more to him than he may disclose in his books. He seems to be moving more and more towards theological liberalism which neither resembles the faith of the writers of the New Testament nor that of Jesus himself. My dear brothers and sisters, let’s be very cautious what we put before our eyes or draw into our minds!

I may post in more detail tomorrow…

A Candid Interview with Brian McLaren

I post this mostly because McLaren appears to be (at least as I have observed) the "popular" figure for a particular movement within evangelicalism called the "emerging church." I know he does not represent the views of all (and probably not most) of the folks in that movement.

My concern is that he seems to be writing the books that most people in the movement are reading. As Scot McKnight wisely noted, just because a lot of people are reading him it does not mean that they agree with him. I totally agree. However, we must be careful what we digest. The old saying, "you are what you eat" has significance to spiritual things as well.

There are godly men doing great things in the emerging church movement. Just as we should not throw out the whole lot because of a few bad apples, so also we should not eat all the apples because we like the brand.

All that to say this: We need to at least be aware of the theology of the guys we are reading...and that goes for anyone. Everyone has theological underpinnings/presuppositions for the things they say and do. If you know McLaren's theological views, I think you will see how so much of it comes out very, very subtlety in his writing.

Here is the first podcast interview

Here is the second podcast interview

If you don't want to listen to the whole thing, you should definitely listen to the second one because that is where he is very frank with his beliefs. He compares Jesus coming to earth to die for our sins with divine child abuse and rejects a belief in eternal punishment in Hell. Both of which are foundational to the Gospel.

These are from bleedingpurple Podcast
I have genuinely tried to have an open and honest conversation with Leif (owner of bleedingpurple) about these things, but have only talked in circles. Eventually he stopped responding to me.

I have tried to be fair and honest here. As always, I would be more than happy to discuss anything about this post with you.
Or, if you have some questions that this interview raised for you, perhaps I can help answer them.

Tomorrow I might post my response to some of the things McLaren said.

Why do Guys like Dangerous Animals?

Check out this thought provoking post by Russel Moore. This one is the third in a series of 3, but it sums everything up rather nicely.

Praise the Lord for Endnote!

I just finished my paper for Greek on Ephesians 4:7-16! It was long an difficult, but fun. I have to say, one thing that really made a difference on this paper was Endnote. I have been taught 3 or 4 different citation styles over the years (MLA, Chicago, Turabian...) and never mastered any of them. But Endnote makes it incredibly easy. You just look up the resource online and it will put it in the proper format for you. It even does footnotes (a particularly horrible result of the fall)! You can get a free, fully functional (for 30 days) demo on their website...which is great if you only have one paper to write. Otherwise, if you are a student, you can get the student edition (which, best I can tell, is exactly the same as the other) from Buy.com (with Google Checkout) for $77.27.

And, no, I'm not getting any kickback from Endnote, but I know many of you who are students are writing papers as the semester closes and I thought the demo might work perfectly for you.

What about the Man on the Island who never hears the Gospel?

Since this is a question that has come up several times in our High School Theology Class, I thought I would post a very well thought out answer to the question here .

John Piper and John MacArthur break into the Contemporary Christian Music

Not really, but these spoofs are pretty funny:

Piper and Michael Jackson "I'm Bad"
John MacArthur Raps

HT B2W

Greek Help

This website gives you parsings and translations for any NT passage. Very helpful!

HT DB

A Christian Conversation on the Emerging Church

I think this is a good model of how a conversation about very important theological issues should take place among Christians who disagree (Concerning the Emerging Church Movement):

Scot McKnight (who would be considered part of the Emerging Church Movement) on "What is the Emerging Church?" (you will have to scroll down a little to open up the pdf)

Also a well-researched and fair critique of the Emerging Church Movement by Brett Kunkle. He seems to have worked really hard to get a grasp on the movement and to be fair. He also makes some very valid points that need to be heeded.

The thing I appreciate about these guys is that they seem to genuinely desire to understand both sides clearly rather than to just use the other side as a punching bag.

HT B2W

A future FightClub?

This is really helpful to understanding my last post. It talks about the results of non-existent (or virtually non-existent) fathers on their sons (and somehow he relates FightClub very well to it).

37% of births out of wedlock

Wow. 37% of births in the US are out of wedlock (born to a mother who is unmarried) according to the Associated Press. This, even as teen pregnancies are decreasing.

Think about how dramatically different the world will be when nearly 2 out of 5 of your friends may have virtually no relationship with their father. In the near future we will be ministering to a dramatically different world. Let's pray for them (and us) now!

Writing for real people

theologyspeak vs. studentspeak. Why writing (and speaking) must be done for real people instead of being a rhetorical skyscraper. In other words, nobody cares what you know (or think you know) unless you can help them understand as well.

Counseling...how can I do it right?

Recently, I have found a renewed appreciation for Biblical Counseling. I am currently in the process of reading some of the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation books (CCEF). In fact our Senior Guys are really enjoying and being challenged by When People are Big and God is Small. Some other good ones are War of Words, Speaking the Truth in Love, and Instruments in the Redeemer's hands.
If you haven't read any of these books before, I would start with Instruments in the Redeemer's hands. It is a great introduction.

Trade CD's for under $2

www.lala.com

The way it works is you list the CDs you dont want (As does everyone else). Then you list the CDs you want (as does everyone else). Then, if one you want matches up with one someone else does not want, then they will ship it to you (And you to them). I have received a bunch of CDs that I want (generally not the new releases) and gotten rid of a bunch of the ones I dont want...it works well.

Getting our priorities straight...

"...all the calls to "reclaim America for Christ" leave me cold. Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ. When Christ is exalted in His church, when He is loved and revered and cherished with passion by those who bear His Name--in other words, when the church starts living like the church--then His body cannot help but make an impact on culture."
TOM ASCOL

Is Hip-Hop beyond redemption?

Can the genre of Hip-Hop glorify God, or is it beyond redemption? The answer might surprise you.

HT B2W

Joel Osteen's "Your Best Life Now...the Game"

If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny. Here it is on Amazon.

This one isn't real however, even if "Faith never tasted so Minty Fresh!"

HT Challies

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy is essentially a book on Christian worldview, something desperately needed in our generation. The book is divided into 4 sections. The first explains the problem (Christians who separate their spiritual life from the rest of reality) and its solution, the second offers an apologetic against competing worldviews, the third gives a history of how Christianity ended up the way it did, and the fourth section explains how we should live in light of these truths. This was one of those books that makes you evaluate some of your assumptions and perhaps the way you think about your world. One of the things I really appreciate, and think she does well, is to give the reader a comprehensive view of Christianity. That is, to show how every aspect of our lives is somehow tied to what we believe about God. Something else that I like is how she challenges us not to simply adopt a particular world system, but to encourage Christians to offer a Biblical alternative. For example, that Christians should develop an economic or political system that we can offer as alternatives to the failing systems of our day.
Pearcy's book has reminded me that Christianity is not just the right way of doing things, it also works the best in the long run. Perhaps I will do a post on this topic at a later date

Business for the Glory of God: The Bible's Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business

Wayne Grudem has produced an excellent work on a topic that is somewhat overlooked in modern evangelical circles. I don't think this is done purposefully, but is seems that we have largely forgotten the puritan belief in ministry in all parts of life.
Grudem does not discuss, as I first expected, the fact that business can be used as a missionary enterprise. Instead, he discusses how business itself is morally good! I must admit I was somewhat skeptical at first. I feared that it would be more of a political statement than a theological one. I was happily surprised with this very short little book.
Grudem discusses several of the central issues in business such as money, competition, inequality of possessions, as well as others. He shows how these things, which we usually consider at best morally neutral, are actually good and bring glory to God. Grudem makes some of his points based on man being made in the image of God, and therefore man should imitate some of God's attributes in business. I am always hesitant to embrace these kinds of arguments because so many bad theological arguments have been made based on the same kind of thought. At this point in my life, I simply do not have enough of an understanding of the doctrinal issues surrounding the image of God to say that I agree or disagree with Grudem here.
Perhaps the most shocking of Grudem's statements is that business is the only long-term way to end poverty! After reading what he has to say, however, I think I agree with him.
This great book introduces the reader to a moral understanding of business. It is short enough to be read in an afternoon (under 100 pages), and is easy to read because Grudem does not indulge in dense theological language. I really appreciate how he makes theology so explicitly practical!

Evangelicalism Divided

Evangelicalism Divided by Ian Murray chronicles the evangelical movement's reaction to liberalism in the US and Britain. He seeks to show the mistakes evangelicals made by trying to earn academic credibility. He recreates this history with excellence. It is clear that he has researched this topic thoroughly as shown by his extensive and detailed footnotes. While he is rightly critical of the failures of the new evangelicalism, he does not embrace fundamentalism either. Perhaps this is what I appreciate most about his writing. He seems to present a well thought through and balanced view. He points out that neither the worldly evangelical nor the fundamentalist positions are biblical, instead we must resist the tendency to swing the pendulum back the other direction. He spends a fair amount of time emphasizing the need to return to a Biblical understanding of the Church's relationship to the world.
Obviously, it is somewhat beyond the scope of his book, but I would like to see him go into more detail in this area. By reading this book, I have gained a better understanding of the ideas and philosophies that have so influenced our modern Christian culture.