Read the Bible for Life

In light of the current sermon series at Church of the Saviour, I thought George Guthrie's new book could be of interest to many of you.

Reading the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding and Living God's Word

From Publisher's Weekly:

As a Bible scholar at Union University, one of the oldest American universities in the Southern Baptist tradition, Guthrie has tracked the decline in biblical literacy with consternation. With earlier books (The Structure of Hebrews and Biblical Greek Exegesis) best suited for academia, Guthrie has switched gears to produce a reader-friendly, digestible, biblical literacy study program that includes this book as well as a participant's workbook, study leader's CD-ROM, and three DVDs for group use. Anyone touched by the English language or Western culture, argues Guthrie, should be conversant in biblical literature. Through informal kitchen-table conversations with evangelical scholars, Guthrie guides the reader through a study of historical context, differences in Bible translations, varieties of literary genres, and finally a heartfelt devotional on how to read the Bible in a postmodern world.

Carl Trueman at Eastern University

Our friend Carl Trueman will be speaking at Eastern University this afternoon at 3:00. His topic will be "The Reformed View of Life and Learning."

The Public Forum is a lecture that is open to the entire Eastern University community and surrounding communities. The public forum is a time to nurture community, as well as intellectual and spiritual development. The forum consists of a lecture and question and answer period.

The event is being held at McInnis Auditorium. If you are able, I would encourage you to attend.

Christ in the Old Testament...

The Gospel Coalition has launched what looks like a helpful new site: Preaching Christ from the Old Testament.

But don't let the title fool you. It seems to me that all believers, not just preachers, will benefit from these resources.

Sunday's Sermon

Sunday's sermon was part 4 in our current series: God's Great Story. It is entitled "The Law-Giving God" and is an overview of Exodus 20-Deuteronomy. You can listen to or download it HERE.

Do Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship the same God?

Check out the latest edition of the White Horse Inn.

What is the relationship between Christianity and other “Abrahamic faith traditions”? Is Abraham really the father of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and if so, does this mean that each of these religions are legitimate ways to God? What are we to do with Abraham himself and with the other Old Testament patriarchs? Since they didn’t have explicit faith in Christ, how can Jesus be the only way of salvation? White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it!

Taking "self-regard up to eleven"

I was listening to Bad Company and Pink Floyd yesterday and grieving that rock-n-roll is dead. Pop music is a wasteland of bad taste and even worse music (or is it the other way around?). Who could have watched the Black Eyed Peas at this year's Super Bowl and not missed the Who's somewhat off key performance of a year ago? But, I digress. What turns so many of us off about the modern music scene is the insufferable self-importance of the artists (it hurts to use that word). But is this any worse than my own insufferable self-importance? Granted, I'm a bit more subtle than Lady Gaga but sinful none-the-less.

Carl Trueman weighs in on modern pop and our all too common self-regard.

Neil Strauss has a fascinating article over at the WSJ about the number of top pop stars who think that their careers are specially anointed by God as part of his higher purposes. I guess it is indicative of the overall decline in rock music over the years: when I was young, graffiti declared that Clapton was God, not simply used by him to accomplish the world's destiny.

Despising the modern pop scene, and having more important things to do on Sunday evening, I did not see the Grammys, though I was struck yesterday when I saw a clip of this ghastly Lady Gaga person (she with the central role in God's cosmic plan: see Strauss above) being carried on to stage in one of those plastic pods that were apparently left over from the set of This is Spinal Tap. I laughed at the latter; indeed, I laughed at the former -- until the portentous arty commentary indicated that LG was making an artistic statement, not sending up the inane self-importance of the pop establishment. Indeed, looks like she had very much taken self-regard it up to eleven, as they say.

Yet vacuous pop stars are soft targets when it comes to mocking the theologising of self-importance. They look and sound ridiculous because we can all hear what they say, see what they wear (`You'd be beaten up in Chingford is you showed up dressed like that!!'), and smirk at their assumption that, because they can entertain, what they have to say about everything is somehow important, unique, and, indeed, coherent. My guess, however, is that more than a few of us in the church also fall for the `God has a special purpose for my life' line. This is often simply a way of saying `I believe myself to be uniquely important and indispensable.' Actually, we are not; none of us are. There is always somebody else who could do our jobs better; and let us not kid ourselves -- there is probably somebody else who could have married our spouse and made them just as happy, if not more so. God's love for us is exceptional, not because we are unique, but because we are not so; not because he needs us; but because he does not need us at all. [emphasis mine]

God calls us all by name; he cares for us. But make no mistake: he could quite easily do without us. Just as, frankly, we could quite easily do without some skinny bleached bimbo in a sequined dress jumping our of a plastic carton and giving us the definitive statement on gay rights, global warming, and, y'know, isn't it all that other stuff, yeah?

The Gospel answer to pornography...

Soon to be released...

The Use of Daniel in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and in the Revelation of St. John by Greg Beale.
Okay, so it probably won't sell as many copies as Your Best Life Now. But Dr. Beale is one of the better scholars to read when it comes to understanding the New Testament's use of the Old Testament. What is more, Beale is particularly skillful in dealing with apocalyptic texts of Scripture. Given the fact that the visions and prophecies of Daniel are routinely misinterpreted and misapplied by leading evangelicals, this new volume promises to fill an important need.

Eternal God: A Study of God Without Time by Paul Helm
"Paul Helm presents a new, expanded edition of his much praised 1988 book Eternal God, which defends the view that God exists in timeless eternity. This is the classical Christian view of God, but it is claimed by many theologians and philosophers of religion to be incoherent. Paul Helm rebuts the charge of incoherence, arguing that divine timelessness is grounded in the idea of God as creator, and that this alone makes possible a proper account of divine omniscience."

The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. Carson
"We live in a culture obsessed with the idea of "tolerance." Any viewpoint must be accepted —unless it rejects other viewpoints — and whoever is most earnest wins. This idea of tolerance must be thoughtfully challenged, argues D. A. Carson, both for the good of the church and for the good of the broader culture. Otherwise, poorly defined tolerance drifts ironically toward true intolerance."

Chester County

Carl don't know football...

I love reading Carl Trueman. He makes me laugh. He makes me think. But it is clear that my project to 'Americanize' him are failing badly. Carl's latest post at Ref21 betrays a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the game of football (and by "football" I mean the real sport played by large men, not the game with skinny guys kicking a round ball back and forth).

That said, Carl still comes up with great lines like, "trousering too much dosh." I have no idea what that means but it is deliciously British.

However, after Carl's near unforgivable slandering of football he proceeds to tamper around with my heart a bit. I hate when he does that...

Why the obsession with the commercials? Yes, some of them are funny; but is it not sad that it appears that the cleverest minds, and so much money, are focused on such things? And that the population spend so much time talking about them? Do these people have no lives? No homes and families to go to? We worry (or at least some of us still do) about explicit violence and pornography on television -- but what about the pornography of acquisition, the million brain-changing signals from the flat screen in the corner that tell us that we are what we buy, and that happiness is just one or two purchases away?

Finally, how many Christians would never turn out for a Sunday evening worship service because they had their fix on Sunday mornings, but would rearrange all manner of things to make sure they could see the Superbowl? Watching overpaid spandex-clad blimps playing catch, then running for, oh my, at least 5 seconds and six yards before taking a five minute breather, and as a result trousering too much dosh -- or meeting with the living God who gave his Son for us, hearing his word proclaimed, and humbly bowing before him in adoration -- not much of a choice is it, really? The spandex and hilarious commercials win every time.

Love and the Ten Commandments...

This Sunday I am preaching on the subject of God as the Giver of the law. In studying, I ran across a helpful restatement of the 10 Commandments by D.L. Moody.

1. Love to God will admit no other gods.
2. Love resents everything that debases its object by representing it by an image.
3. Love to God never will dishonour His name.
4. Love to God will reverence His day.
5. Love of parents makes one honour them.
6. Hate, not love, is a murderer.
7. Lust, not love, commites adultery.
8. Love will give, but never steal.
9. Love will not slander or lie.
10. Love's eye is not covetous.

Sunday's Sermon

Last Sunday's sermon was part 3 in our series entitled God's Great Story. It is entitled "The Covenant God" and is taken from Genesis chapters 12, 15, 17, and 22. You can listen to or download it HERE.

"Doctrine is doxological"

Recently, Carl Trueman was interviewed by Michael Reeves on the subject of doctrine. Take time to give it a listen HERE.

I think as Christians we are exhorted by Paul to study the Scriptures, to pay heed to the form of sound words that is being passed on. So, clearly Paul understands the Christian faith to have a strong doctrinal component. I think when doctrine is correctly taught and correctly understood, it should terminate in doxology. Hearing the great truths of God proclaimed Sunday by Sunday, reflecting upon them as we hear the Bible read, or as we read it for ourselves, should ultimately drive us to our knees. Doctrine tells us who God is and who we are in his presence, and that has a most practical result: worship. The early church doctrine is in some ways is the development of the the early church's reflection on the cry of praise: "Jesus is Lord;" a reflection upon the baptismal formula of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, doctrine is doxological.

- Carl Trueman from his interview with Michael Reeves

Non-Negotiables...

When shall these things come to pass?

According to Harold Camping, Jesus will rapture his church on May 21, 2011. That event, according to premillinial dispensationalists will touch off a seven year Great Tribulation which will be followed by the return of Christ and his 1,000 year earthly reign. Many who have thankfully tuned out the foolishness of Mr. Camping have nevertheless fallen prey to "newspaper eschatology" - the practice of reading biblical prophecy into current events. This became especially popular among evangelicals in the 1970's with the popularity of men like Hal Lindsay and his Late Great Planet Earth. But is this a proper way to read biblical prophecy?

Old Testament scholar Richard Pratt wrote an outstanding article in 1993 addressing this very issue. Are we able to observe current events and make accurate predictions concerning the last days?

Pratt writes:

The last half of our century has witnessed an explosion of interest in what biblical prophecies say about our future. Record sales of Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth (3 million), and John Walvoord’s Armageddon: Oil and the Middle East Crisis (1.4 million),1 indicate that many English speaking evangelicals read the Bible to find out what will happen in the future and how current events fit within that chronological framework.

Recent events have only encouraged enthusiasm for this hermeneutic. Moral decay in western culture has raised fears of cataclysmic divine retribution. Political troubles in various parts of the world have been interpreted as the initial stages of history’s grand finale. As a result, evangelicals have developed nothing less than a monomania in the interpretation of biblical prophecy. More than anything else, they try to discover God’s plan for the future and what role events today play within that divine program.

Our study will challenge this widespread hermeneutical orientation by exploring the role of historical contingencies intervening between Old Testament predictions and their fulfillments. As we will see, events taking place after predictions often directed the course of history in ways not anticipated by prophetic announcements. Sometimes future events conformed to a prophet’s words; sometimes they did not. For this reason, neither prophets nor their listeners knew precisely what eventualities to expect. If this proposal is correct, it indicates that the emphasis of many contemporary interpreters is misplaced, and that we must find other hermeneutical interests in biblical prophecy.

Read the entire article HERE.

And the hits just keep on comin...

Yet another little problem for Planned Parenthood. This time it is a clinic in Virginia that is extending its benevolence to a pimp and his "girls."

Don't have faith in your good works

There is always a danger that when we begin to see fruit in our lives, we’ll subtly begin to rely on that fruit for our salvation, instead of on Christ. Guard against that temptation, Christian. Realize that the fruit you bear is merely that — the fruit of a tree already made good by God’s grace in Christ. To rely on your own Christian fruit to secure God’s favor is ultimately to shift your faith from Jesus to yourself. And that is no salvation at all.

Greg Gilbert from What is the Gospel?

Our doctrine of Scripture matters...a lot

Peter Kreeft (Roman Catholic):

Most Protestants reject all Catholic doctrines they cannot find explicitly in Scripture–for example, Mary’s Assumption into heaven–because they believe sola scriptura: that Scripture alone is the infallible authority. This is the fundamental reason behind all the differences between Protestant and Catholic theology. (Catholic Christianity, 20).

Gary Dorrien (Liberal Protestant):

The essential idea of liberal theology is that all claims to truth, in theology as in other disciplines, must be made on the basis of reason and experience, not by appeal to external authority. Christian scripture may be recognized as spiritually authoritative within Christian experience, but its word does not settle or establish truth claims about matters of fact. (The Making of American Liberal Theology: Idealism, Realism, and Modernity, 1900-1950, 1)

Michael Horton (Evangelical Protestant):

Ultimate authority always resides outside the self and even outside the church, as both are always hearers of the Word and receivers of its judgment and justification. The church is commissioned to deliver this Word (a ministerial office), not to possess or rule it (a magisterial office). Thus, the authority is always transcendent. Even when it comes near us, it is never our own word that we hear (Ro. 10:6-13, 17). (The Christian Faith, 194)

HT: Kevin DeYoung

John Piper on Abortion...

More selective outrage from pro-abortionists...

It seems that Ms. magazine has a problem with the reason some babies are aborted in India. That's right, that paragon of feminist empowerment has an issue with "the why" behind abortions in another country. You see, it is rather in vogue these days for Indians to kill female babies, er remove fetal material not possessing a y chromosome. Anyway, it seems rather odd that pro-abortion fanatics like the folks at Ms. would be troubled at the reasons offered for some abortions in India when they have fought so hard to have the right to abort babies for no reason at all.

Al Mohler comments:

Their feminist ideology does not even allow them to acknowledge that sex-selection abortions are perfectly legal in the United States, and that feminists have insisted that any woman has a right to an abortion at any time for any reason or for no stated reason at all. The pro-abortion ideology is so extreme that any opposition to the targeting of girls by sex-selection abortion is undermined by the movement’s enthusiasm for unfettered abortion rights.

The moral bankruptcy of their situation is revealed by the tepid language employed in the article and the lack of moral outrage. But how can Ms. muster any genuine outrage about sex-selection abortions in India when it has demanded unfettered abortion access in our own country? It cannot, and it does not. This monumental tragedy is described only as “the problem.”

The moral collapse of their position is seen in the fact that this murderous rampage against female babies cannot be described in the language moral sanity demands. The only morally sane response to this tragedy is outrage against the killing of all babies — followed by the affirmation of the sanctity and dignity of every human life.

We can only pray that embarrassment over this article might force some readers of Ms. magazine to rethink the entire question, for, as tepidly expressed in the closing words of the article, “People need to feel the magnitude of the problem.”

Read the entire article HERE.

Planned Parenthood: Fighting for women's rights...

From Denny Burk:

Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Their business is death, and their abortion mills are a moral outrage. Lila Rose’s “Live Action” group has released more than a dozen hidden camera videos from ten states that show the alarming trend of illegal Planned Parenthood activity: cover-up of sexual abuse of minors, the skirting of parental consent laws, citing unscientific and fabricated medical information to convince women to have abortions, and Planned Parenthood’s willingness to accept donations earmarked to abort African-American babies.

The video above shows a Planned Parenthood manager in New Jersey coaching a man and a woman posing as sex traffickers how to secure secret abortions, STD testing, and contraception for their female underage sex slaves, and make their whole operation “look as legit as possible.”

Is anyone surprised that Planned Parenthood covers up the abuse of the young girls it claims to serve? They have a financial interest in hiding the abusers from the light of day. Why should we expect anything less from those who make their living destroying innocent human lives? Lila Rose is right:

“Time and time again, Planned Parenthood has sent young girls back into the arms of their abusers. They don’t deserve a dime of the hundreds of millions they receive in federal funding from taxpayers. Congress must cease funding and the Department of Justice should investigate this corrupt organization immediately.”

Adam matters... a lot

Specifically, it matters that Adam was a genuinely historical figure.

On Sunday I preached a message dealing with Genesis chapters two and three. One of the things that becomes quite clear is that Adam and the fall are, indeed must be historical realities. This is confirmed by Paul in Romans five. If Adam and the fall are mere metaphors then the gospel itself must be reformulated.

Little wonder then why liberal Bible scholars and emergent's like Brian McLaren who deny the historicity of the fall also diminish Christ and His cross. They deny the atonement because if there was no fall then there need be no sacrifice for sins.

H. Richard Niebuhr's summation of liberal protestantism still rings true:

"A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."

Check out this helpful article on the importance of Adam to Paul's epistle to the Romans.

Reverberation...

What do you most want in a church? from 9Marks on Vimeo.

"Reverberation," Jonathan Leeman from 9Marks on Vimeo.

Living on the Margins...

It seems inevitable that organizations will become either more narrow and sectarian or more mainstream and secular, which will lead to fundamental realignments within the evangelical world. Those institutions that cherish their place at the cultural table will have to accept the legitimacy of homosexual relationships and to abandon a fully Pauline gospel of salvation predicated on a historical Adam. Those institutions wishing to maintain a traditional orthodoxy on these points will have to accept their status as marginal figures in the broader world, objects of scorn and not serious contributors to the public square...

It is likely that the coming cultural storms will be best weathered by evangelical organizations and institutions with more precisely defined doctrinal statements, particularly statements that are close to, or identical with, historic creeds and confessions. The last one hundred years of evangelicalism has shown that minimal doctrinal bases do not provide real resistance to heterodoxy and the downgrading of doctrine. Of course, no creed can safeguard orthodoxy alone; fidelity and integrity on the part of leaders and gatekeepers are also required. But without a strong and complete doctrinal confession, gatekeeping becomes nearly impossible, even for well-intentioned and faithful leaders. [emphasis mine]

Carl Trueman from The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

"Their bio-ideology of genocide"

"Over the years, millions of our African-American children—destroyed by the practice of abortion. No racist, no Klu Klux Klansman, no Nazi could have come up with a more effective way of carrying out their bio-ideology of genocide against blacks than what has happened here. And I think that those groups that push abortion, especially in minority communities and poor communities are responsible for it."

- Robert George from an interview with Al Mohler

Sunday's Sermon

This week's message was part 2 in our current series God's Great Story. It is entitled "The Saving God" and is based upon Genesis chapters 2 and 3. You can listen to or download it HERE.

Discerning Lewis

Read C.S. Lewis. You will surely benefit from him. I remember reading Mere Christianity for the first time. It is a classic for good reason. However, we must be careful that in our reading of Lewis we read discerningly. This is particularly true of Mere Christianity. It reveals that Lewis was, shall we say, less than orthodox on some important doctrines. I am not calling Lewis a heretic. I have an abiding appreciation for him and his work. But there is far more to biblical Christianity than is reflected in Mere Christianity.

Thanks to Kevin DeYoung for his post "Cautions for Mere Christianity."

Let me highlight two significant problems.

Atonement, But How?

The first caution to raise concerns Lewis’ view of the atonement. Lewis believed Jesus died on the cross for sin, but he didn’t think it was important to understand the particulars of what Christ accomplished on the cross.

Now before I became a Christian I was under the impression that the first thing Christians had to believe was one particular theory as to what the point of this dying was. According to that theory God wanted to punish men for having deserted and joined the Great Rebel, but Christ volunteered to be punished instead, and so God let us off. Now I admit that even this theory does not seem quite so immoral and silly as it used to; but that is not the point I want to make. What I came to see later on was that neither this theory nor an other is Christianity. The central belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to how it did this are another matter: A good many different theories have been held as to how it works; what all Christians are agreed on is that it does work. (57-58 [pagination varies by edition)

Later Lewis says that “Christ was killed for us” and “His death has washed out our sins” but “any theories we build up as to how Christ’s death did all this are, in my view, quite secondary” (59). This impatience of careful thinking about the atonement is bad enough, but then Lewis goes on to make clear that he rejects the understanding of the atonement evangelicals (and the Bible I would say) find most central and most glorious.

The one most people have heard is the one I mentioned before–the one about our being let off because Christ had volunteered to bear a punishment instead of us. Now on the face of it that is a very silly theory. If God was prepared to let us off, why on earth did He not do so? And what possible point could there be in punishing an innocent person? None at all that I can see, if you are thinking of punishment in the police-court sense. On the the other hand, if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not. (59)

Pay careful attention to what Lewis says in that paragraph. He does believe in a substitutionary theory of the atonement, but he rejects penal substitution. He admits that penal substitution is not quite as silly as it once sounded, but he still does not accept it. Instead, he argues that Christ pays a debt (which is true), but not as a punishment for our sakes.

Lewis’ theology of the atonement is confusing (see for example this helpful Touchstone article), but I would argue his view is more like Christus victor or ransom to Satan than penal substitution. Aslan’s death, you may recall, was a sacrifice to the Witch and was explained rather ambiguously as “deeper magic.” This is not the place to defend the critical importance of penal substitution. My point is simply that Lewis does not teach it in Mere Christianity, and in fact undermines it.

An Early Inclusivist

The second problem with Mere Christianity is Lewis’ inclusivism. Evangelicals believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Further, they believe that conscious faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation (assuming we are talking about sentient beings; all Christians allow that infants and the mentally disabled may be in a different category). Lewis, by contrast, believed in what we might roughly call “anonymous Christians.” That is, people may be saved through Christ without putting explicit faith in Christ.

There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are so strongly attracted by Him that they are His in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand. There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain other points. (178)

No matter how much we may like Lewis, this is simply a profound misunderstanding of the Spirit’s mission (and a rejection of John 14:6). The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to Christ by taking what is his–his teaching, the truth about his death and resurrection–and making it known. The Spirit does not work indiscriminately without the revelation of Christ in view. Arguably, the Holy Spirit’s most important work is to glorify Christ, and he does not do this apart from shining the spotlight on Christ for the elect to see and savor. Again, we see the inclusivist Lewis at the end on Narnia where Emeth, a worshiper of Tash, is accepted by Aslan for following him all along without knowing it.

Sunday's Sermon

On Sunday I launched a new series of messages entitled God's Great Story.

From beginning to end the Bible tells one story, God’s great story. It is the story of God’s glorious work of redeeming a people through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story includes creation, human sin, the fall of all creation, God’s covenant with his people, the redemptive work of Jesus, and the coming new creation. It is the story that shapes all of history and defines our lives.

This 14 week series of messages will take a bird's eye view of the entire Bible. Specifically these messages will seek to magnify God's redemptive work in Christ through the unfolding of redemptive history.

The first message is entitled The Creator God and covers Genesis chapters one and two. You can download or listen to it HERE.

Orwell on Political Speech...

In light of recent statements made from political leaders celebrating the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade...

“Political language … is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
- George Orwell

What Your Children May Be Watching...

Have you heard about MTV's latest foray into limit testing? They have begun airing a new drama called "Skins" which puts on display a wide array of teen pathologies. Included in this, not surprisingly, are depictions of sexual activity. Controversy is nothing new for MTV. I was in 8th grade when they launched. Back then parents were shocked by Ozzy Osborne and Prince videos. Over the years however, Music Television has been airing less music and more sex. The ratings have also declined in recent years. But the executives at MTV may have found a way to resurrect their brand. And that brings us back to "Skins." The problem? It is certainly not that MTV execs have had a sudden attack of decency. Rather, there are some who are raising the possibility that MTV may have violated child pornography laws.

Al Mohler weighs in:

The sex acts portrayed on “Skins” pretty much cover the waterfront of modern sexuality. There is no question that MTV will draw an audience. The big question confronted by the network is whether the show will draw child pornography charges as well.

David Carr, author of “The Media Equation” column at the Times, explained that “the series is meant to provoke.” He suggests, plausibly enough, that MTV executives did not “set out to make child pornography,” but they clearly did not set out not to make child pornography, either.

Evidently, the concerns are rather urgent at MTV’s headquarters. As Brian Stelter reported last week:

It is unclear when MTV first realized that the show may be vulnerable to child pornography charges. On Tuesday, a flurry of meetings took place at the network’s headquarters in New York, according to an executive who attended some of the meetings and spoke only on the condition of anonymity. In one of the meetings, the executives wondered aloud who could possibly face criminal prosecution and jail time if the episodes were broadcast without changes.

It should tell you just about everything you need to know that MTV executives “wondered aloud” if they might do jail time for child pornography by broadcasting the series. Have you ever worried about that at your office or place of work?

Read the entire article HERE.

The Pastor and Criticism

C.J. Mahaney has begun a series of posts addressing how the pastor ought to respond to criticism. In his first post, Mahaney gratefully acknowleges the tremendous gift of having pastored a grateful congregation for 27 years. But even having received what is probably an atypical amount of encouragement he still has learned much from being criticized.

In every church there will be those who are not particularly grateful, who normally communicate with you only in the form of criticism. And to some degree this is the norm for every pastor.

If you are a pastor you will be criticized. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually you will feel the sharp sting of critique.

Those within your church may criticize you, those who leave the church may criticize you, and even complete strangers may criticize you. The criticism will come from enemies and from friends. Some of the criticism will be true, some of it will be false, and some may be outright malicious. But it’s coming—if it hasn’t already arrived.

And there are many reasons why we can expect criticism:

•A pastor can expect criticism because of his own sin, which will inevitably be present in his heart and service, no matter how mature or well meaning he is (James 3:2).
•A pastor can expect criticism because there are limitations to his gifting, meaning there will always be weaknesses in his leadership.
•A pastor can expect criticism because we often preach below-average sermons. (After one sermon, a guy asked me, “So where do you work during the week?” My sermon apparently gave him the impression that preaching wasn’t my vocation.)
•A pastor can expect criticism because people can be proud and ungrateful.
•A pastor can expect criticism because, well, it is a sinful and fallen world.

But we as pastors often forget one more important reason:

•A pastor can expect criticism because it is part of God’s sanctification process—a tool that he uses to reveal idols and accelerate the pastor’s growth in humility.

Read the entire post HERE.

The Supreme Court, Kermit Gosnell, and Roe's "fine print"

Justin Taylor links to an important article by Clarke Forsythe in The Weekly Standard. Forsythe demonstrates the connection between the Supreme Court's actions in Roe v. Wade and the "house of horrors" which was Kermit Gosnell's abortion mill in Philadelphia.

Can we honestly claim any longer that there is no direct connection between the people we elect, the policies they enact (and judges they appoint) and the devestating evil of abortion?

"All things to all men"

Kevin Bauder has written a helpful article on an oft misunderstood passage of Scripture. It is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The line that is routinely misinterpreted is from verse 22 which concerns becoming "all things to all men." Unfortunately these words are often used as a pretext for behaving like the world in order to "reach them." But this verse is not a call for us to imitate the people around us in order to evangelize them.

Dr. Bauder demonstrates clearly that Paul's words have a very specific application - that we avoid doing anything that would unnecessarily offend those around us. So, for the one who is offended by meat sacrificed to idols, Paul will not eat meat. For the one who is not offended by meat sacrificed to idols Paul will eat for "an idol is nothing."

Read Dr. Bauder's article HERE.

So there it is folks. Context is king. Let us not use Paul's words to justify silliness or worse in evangelism.

This picture demands a caption...

Speaking Truth to Power

Al Mohler weighs in on the President's troubling celebration of the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

As he concluded his brief statement, the President said: “And on this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

That paragraph is just a recitation of the feminist argument that was enshrined in Roe v. Wade — that women, no more than men, should be encumbered by the professional and personal limitations required by a pregnancy. That logic is enshrined as orthodoxy within the Democratic Party, and President Obama is one of its most ardent defenders.

Ever since Barack Obama emerged on the national political scene, he has been promoted and protected by a corps of preachers and religious leaders who have tried their best to explain that he is not so pro-abortion as he seems. Nevertheless, his record is all too clear — as is this most recent statement. There was not one expression of abortion as a national tragedy, even as a report recently indicated that almost 60 percent of all pregnancies among African American women in New York City end in abortion.

Read the entire post HERE.

Will our leaders stand for life?

I stay away from partisan politics on this blog and in my preaching. However, I have not and will not shy away from addressing abortion. I will also not shy away from the connection between who we elect for public office and abortion policy. The following is from a statement from President Obama on the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade:

Today marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, and affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.

I am committed to protecting this constitutional right. I also remain committed to policies, initiatives, and programs that help prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption.

And on this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.

I am left a bit speechless. I know this is not a new view from our President but I am shocked at the lack of moral clarity displayed in that statement. All of us, including (especially?) our leaders must have the moral clarity to oppose, not champion such an unmitigated evil.



HT: Justin Taylor

A Bitter Anniversary: Roe v. Wade at 38

Justin Taylor has some excellent, albeit disturbing posts concerning abortion:

This is Abortion

The abortion industry thrives on remaining in the dark, behind closed and (usually) sanitized doors.

The following video is very graphic, but it depicts the reality that is happening in our neighborhoods, at the rate in the U.S. of:

•1.37 million unborn children killed every year.
•3,700 unborn children killed every day.
•1 unborn child killed every 23 seconds.
When you stop to realize that the US only accounts for 3% of abortions worldwide, you realize that there is a relentless global slaughter underway. May God exercise both his mercy and judgment, and may Christ return quickly.

Pro-Life Aplogetics for the Next Generation

A helpful post from Scott Klusendorf on four ways Christian leaders can help the next generation think clearly about the most pressing moral issue of our day:

1.Clarify the nature of moral reasoning.
2.Clarify the one question that really matters.
3.Clarify the scientific and philosophic case for life.
4.Clarify the path to forgiveness.
Read the whole thing.

"My Embryo Your Eyes Saw"
Bruce Waltke’s translation of Psalm 139:16.

An Interview with Robert George on Roe v. Wade

"Truth stands up to the storms of experience"

Michael Horton on his outstanding book A Place for Weakness:



I reviewed A Place for Weakness for the the Gospel Coalition. Check it out HERE.

A Theology for Pilgrims

Michael Horton's long anticipated systematic theology is now available. Very stoked!

Connecting the dots

Well, it will not be surprising if the national media conveniently neglects the unholy and very clear nexus between pro-choice politicians, local bureaucrats, and monsters like Kermit Gosnell.

Michelle Malkin writes:

In the City of Brotherly Love, hundreds of babies were murdered by a scissors-wielding monster over four decades. Whistleblowers informed public officials at all levels of the wanton killings of innocent life. But a parade of government health bureaucrats and advocates protecting the abortion racket looked the other way —until, that is, a Philadelphia grand jury finally exposed the infanticide factory run by abortionist Kermit B. Gosnell, M.D., and a crew of unlicensed, untrained butchers masquerading as noble providers of women’s “choice.” Prosecutors charged Gosnell and his death squad with multiple counts of murder, infanticide, conspiracy, abuse of corpse, theft, and other offenses...

Already, left-wing journalists and activists have rushed to explain that these abortion atrocities ignored for four decades by abortion radicals and rationalizers are not really about abortion. A Time magazine writer argued that the Philadelphia Horror was “about poverty, not Roe v. Wade.” A University of Minnesota professor declared: “This is not about abortion.”

But the grand jury itself pointed out that loosened oversight of abortion clinics enacted under pro-choice former GOP governor Tom Ridge enabled Gosnell’s criminal enterprise — and led to the heartless execution of hundreds of babies. Mass murder got a pass in the name of expanding “access” and appeasing abortion lobbyists.

As the report made clear: “With the change of administration from [pro-life Democratic] Gov. Casey to Gov. Ridge,” government health officials “concluded that inspections would be ‘putting a barrier up to women’ seeking abortions. Better to leave clinics to do as they pleased, even though, as Gosnell proved, that meant both women and babies would pay.”

Deadly indifference to protecting life isn’t tangential to the abortion industry’s existence — it’s at the core of it. The Philadelphia Horror is no anomaly. It’s the logical, bloodcurdling consequence of an evil, eugenics-rooted enterprise wrapped in feminist clothing.

Yes, it does matter who we vote for. It does matter if the men and women we vote for are pro-life or not. They write and enforce policy that either increases or decreases the numbers of abortions. Let us not kid ourselves any more that we can support pro-abortion politicians with a clear conscience. When a politician publicly supports and even champions the death dealers like NARAL and Planned Parenthood, the reverberations are devastating.

COS This Week

Check out the weekly newsletter for Church of the Saviour HERE.

Understanding Roe v. Wade

When you get a chance, take time to read Francis Beckwith's excellent explanation of Roe v. Wade and America's abortions laws.

Abortion and Pastoral Responsibility

If you lack the conviction or the courage to stand up and say to your church, who you are accountable to lead, “It is wrong to kill unborn babies, God hates it and God will judge it,” then you should not be a pastor. If you don’t have the guts to say “These are children—we must stop killing them” then you need to do something that doesn’t even pretend to take on a biblical and prophetic mantle.

- Randy Alcorn

HT: Justin Taylor

Answering Ehrman

Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar who rejects most of the New Testament, is, ironically enough, a graduate of both Moody and Wheaton. He is also the go-to guy for the media when they are looking for a "Christian" to bash Christianity. Ehrman's books sell well and many nice church-going folks have seen their faith devestated by his arguments. Now, a helpful website has been established to answer Ehrman's charges.

Also, if you would like to go deeper, check out the outstanding The Heresy of Orthodoxy which dismantles Ehrman's foundational assumptions.

"Abortion is About God"

For the excellent book For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, Justin Taylor composed a chapter on the great work John Piper has done in properly framing abortion as a theological as well as ethical issue.

Taylor writes:

Evangelicalism—in the Reformed camp or elsewhere—is not exactly overflowing with models of how to preach exegetically faithful, powerfully prophetic, culture-engaging, hope-giving, gospel-centered sermons on the politically charged and personally painful topic of abortion. But for the past twenty years John Piper has been doing just that. In this chapter I want to survey Piper’s sermons and writings on abortion as an encouragement and a model for preachers—and all believers—to honor God and defend the defenseless by proclaiming God’s Word and engaging the world on the issue of abortion.

In order to let Piper speak as much as possible, I’ll quote and paraphrase him extensively in what follows. I begin with a bit of biographical overview, sketching Piper’s development as a pro-life pastor. I’ll then attempt to summarize the main exegetical arguments in his pro-life sermons, since expositional preaching on abortion is a challenge. Finally, I will suggest some application lessons that pastors can learn from Piper’s pro-life preaching.

Read the entire chapter HERE.

Check out Piper's sermons on abortion HERE.

HT: Justin Taylor

"How's the embryo?"

James Lankford (R-OK) is a friend from my youth ministry days in Oklahoma. James is an intelligent and passionate man. I am very glad that he is a representing his state in the US House of Representatives. May his voice be multiplied!

Al Mohler on the "deadly logic of abortion"

Al Mohler addresses two of the most recent (but not uncommon) horrors coming out of the abortion industry. The bottom line is that once the legality of abortion is accepted, it is difficult to provide a reason why any abortion for any reason ought not be provided. Abortion also makes arguments against infanticide less credible. Barely inside the womb? Barely outside the womb? What's the big deal? After all, should a matter of mere inches deny a woman's right to control her own destiny?

Mohler writes:

These two cases illustrate the pattern of moral confusion found among the public. News of the “house of horrors” in Pennsylvania brings prompt moral outrage, and understandably so. But is the abortion clinic on the corner, established for the purpose of killing unborn children, any less a house of horrors?

The couple in Australia openly admitted aborting their twin boys because they want a daughter. Millions around the world seem outraged by their decision, but having accepted the basic logic of abortion, they are hard-pressed to define when any abortion demanded by a woman might be unjustified and thus illegal.

The Christian revulsion over abortion and the destruction of human life is based in the knowledge that God is the Author of all life and of every life, without exception. Abortion is the business of death, and it is the great wound that runs through the nation’s conscience. These shocking accounts may sear their way into the nation’s collective conscience, but unless the basic logic of abortion rights is overturned, such accounts will erupt again and again.

Once we buy into the logic of abortion, there is no end to the trail of tears. In the case of the Australian couple, a professor of medicine commented that they should be able to select the gender of their baby after aborting the twin boys. “I can’t see how it could possibly hurt anyone,” he said.

What about the twins?

Read the entire article HERE.

Tenth Anniversary of a great hymn...

New Sermon Series...

From beginning to end the Bible tells one story, God’s Great Story. It is the story of God’s glorious work of redeeming a people through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story includes creation, human sin, the fall of all creation, God’s covenant with his people, the redemptive work of Jesus, and the coming new creation. It is the story that shapes all of history and defines our lives.

The idea for this series was sparked by D.A. Carson’s The God Who Is There. I owe the outline of the series to Dr. Carson’s wonderful book. I am also indebted to such books as According to Plan by Graham Goldsworthy, God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts, and God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment by James Hamilton.

Recommended Reading:

What Does God Want Of Us Anyway?
By Mark Dever
“Dever examines the general narrative of God's Word to answer the question, "What does God wants of us anyway?" Readers looking for a panoramic view of Scripture will be reminded of the faithful, persistent love of God and find themselves drawn into a broader, but deeper, understanding of the maker and keeper of promises.”

What is the Gospel
By Greg Gilbert
“Beginning with Paul's systematic presentation of the gospel in Romans and moving through the sermons in Acts, Gilbert argues that the central structure of the gospel consists of four main subjects: God, man, Christ, and a response. The book carefully examines each and then explores the effects the gospel can have in individuals, churches, and the world. Both Christian and non-Christian readers will gain a clearer understanding of the gospel in this valuable resource.”

The Great Work of the Gospel
By John Ensor
“Forgiveness is God's Great Work because sin is the greatest of problems, the cross is the most excellent of solutions, and grace produces the most extreme changes. It is all-inclusive and everlasting. In this book, John Ensor helps us grasp the reality and human experience of God’s ongoing, outworking, wonderful grace.”

Living the Cross-Centered Life
By C.J. Mahaney
“This book is packed with powerful truth that will grip your heart, clear your mind, and invigorate your soul. Chapters include "Breaking the Rules of Legalism," "The Cross Centered Day," and "Assurance and Joy." Get ready to behold a breathtaking view of what God intends to accomplish in and through you every day.”

* Recommended books will be available for purchase at COS on 1/23 & 1/30.

"House of Horrors" in West Philly

Abortion is an unmitigated evil. What is more, it is self-evidently wrong. We simply "can't not know" that abortion is wrong. It is a monumental wrong. It is not like other wrongs. It is the slaughter of the most vulnerable among us.

And now a genuine house of horrors has been discovered in my own city. Of course, this is nothing new. This child-killer's crimes had been known for some time. But as is often the case, the crimes committed in abortion clinics are often ignored for political reasons.

A doctor who gave abortions to minorities, immigrants and poor women in a "house of horrors" clinic was charged with eight counts of murder in the deaths of a patient and seven babies who were born alive and then killed with scissors, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, made millions of dollars over 30 years, performing as many illegal, late-term abortions as he could, prosecutors said. State regulators ignored complaints about him and failed to inspect his clinic since 1993, but no charges were warranted against them given time limits and existing law, District Attorney Seth Williams said. Nine of Gosnell's employees also were charged.

Gosnell "induced labor, forced the live birth of viable babies in the sixth, seventh, eighth month of pregnancy and then killed those babies by cutting into the back of the neck with scissors and severing their spinal cord," Williams said.

Patients were subjected to squalid and barbaric conditions at Gosnell's Women's Medical Society, where Gosnell performed dozens of abortions a day, prosecutors said. He mostly worked overnight hours after his untrained staff administered drugs to induce labor during the day, they said.

Early last year, authorities went to investigate drug-related complaints at the clinic and stumbled on what Williams called a "house of horrors."

Bags and bottles holding aborted fetuses "were scattered throughout the building," Williams said. "There were jars, lining shelves, with severed feet that he kept for no medical purpose."

The clinic was shut down and Gosnell's medical license was suspended after the raid.

Gosnell and four workers were charged with murder, while five others were charged with controlled drug violations and other crimes. None of the employees had any medical training, and one, a high school student, performed intravenous anesthesia with potentially lethal narcotics, Williams said.

Read the entire story HERE.

We have elected men and women who champion this grotesque procedure. We have empowered politicians who promise to keep this offensive evil legally protected. We have championed politicians who publicly encourage abortionist groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood. It is a scandal.

Sunday's Sermons

On Sunday morning we were blessed to have Michael Oh in the COS pulpit. He preached an outstanding message entitled "The Individual's Suffering and the Salvation of the World." It was taken from Psalm 22.

On Sunday evening I preached a message entitled "Evil, Disaster, and the Justice of God." It was taken from Luke 13:1-5.

You can listen to or download both messages HERE.

The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

Moody Press recently commissioned Carl Trueman to write an ebook which is entitled The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. Carl was kind enough to allow me to read an advance copy some months ago. I read it again this weekend. I know I get excited about books. But this one really is a must. I'm serious people.

Dr. Trueman identifies evangelicalism's vague doctrinal boundaries (and its attendant unwillingness to exclude anyone who violates even those merest of boundaries) as the true scandal within the movement.

A movement that cannot or will not draw boundaries, or that allows the modern cultural fear of exclusion to set its theological agenda, is doomed to lose its doctrinal identity.

He warns about the trend within evangelicalism toward making "conversation" an end rather than agreement on biblical orthodoxy.

[When] conversation rather than content becomes what is truly important, something critical is lost. Thus, as theology becomes a "conversation," traditional notions of truth face the danger of assuming less importance than mere aesthetics or modes of discourse. Indeed, doctrinal indifferentism can creep forward in a way that ends only with the sidelining or even repudiation of orthodoxy in any meaningful sense.

The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind is an important book. It is brief and highly readable. Carl provides a clear and convincing call for evangelicals to soberly consider our future in light of our troubling present. This is especially important for those of us who are a part of churches that are non-denominational or which have rather minimal statements of faith. Highly recommended.

The Moral Incoherance of Abortion

From John Piper:

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

The pastor and notoriety...

"Notoriety can be gained at once by just being singular, and setting up to know better than those around you. Everybody will talk about you at once, and you can impress yourself upon their memories by saying something very cutting and impudent, and as nearly blasphemous as you dare to make it. But is this a noble ambition? Can this be the course of a man of God?

"We think not. Perish the popularity which comes by any doctrine but the truth, or by any means but that of solemn, earnest well-doing! Empty sensationalism perishes like the green herb, and heresy dies like a noxious weed; but the faithful preacher of the word shall be had in everlasting remembrance."

- Charles Spurgeon