May 15, 2012 in
Christian Living, Historical Theology with
Bruce Shelley writes,
“Once the Romans discovered what the Christians were up to they were confronted by the problem of toleration in a more exhasperating form than even the Jews had presented. The Jews, after all, were “a sort of closed corporation, a people set apart from others by the mark of circumcision, who lived and worshiped largely by themselves, and did no active proselyting.” The Christians, on the other hand, were always talking about their Jesus. They were out to make Christians of the entire population of the empire, and the rapidity of their spread showed that this was no idle dream. Not only did they, like the Jews, refuse to worship the emperor as a living god, but they were doing their utmost to convince every subject of the emperor to join them in their refusal. From time to time, then, Christians felt the wrath of the empire and it’s people.” (Church History in Plain Language, 38)
May 13, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, Small Groups with
I have become convinced that the most biblical (and effective) way to understand Christian discipleship is to view it as process-oriented. The Christian life is experienced in a way where we grow in our likeness of Christ by the work of the Spirit progressively, as we continue in the faith. Our relationship with God and followership of Jesus does not jump to teleos (i.e., completion) the minute we say “yes” to salvation.
This is to say that salvation has both past, present, and future dimensions… and to focus on one aspect while ignoring the others is to not consider the “whole council of God.” Redemtion most certainly gives us immediate assurance as we can most certainly celebrate being Justified by our faith in Christ! Yet redemption is also in progress because we don’t yet fully realize our victory over sin completely or our victory over death completely. No, we look forward to consummation!
Continue Reading…
May 13, 2012 in
Biblical Theology, Devotionals, Reviews, Systematic Theology with
God is Love is subtitled, “A Biblical and Systematic Theology.” Right out the gate I am going to state that I am not sure exactly why the author or publisher provided that subtitle. It actually locked me into expecting something that Bray’s book isn’t, and I am glad it isn’t. What it is is a mixture of the two theological disciplines. Bray shows how love is a biblical (canonical!) concept that we can view doctrines systematically through. It would probably be best to understand this book as a mixture rather than either/or… though it is more a systematic theology than true biblical theology.
On the back cover, Timothy George writes that the author “is one of our leading evangelical scholars and teachers.” I want to first state that God is Love is not just for evangelicals. No, I think all Christians can find a lot to appreciate about what Bray does here. Secondly, I think Bray is adequately called a teacher of the church. I was taught when reading this book. And that teaching was both scholarly, theological, as well as doxological (worship inspiring). In other words, it was the perfect blend of deeper theological concepts written in a devotional manner.
So let’s get into the substance of Bray’s work…
Continue Reading…
May 12, 2012 in
Hermeneutics, Secondary Illuminations with
(The following comprises Part Fifteen of the Saturday series on Secondary Illuminations of Scripture.)
The story of Job has encouraged me in the face of losses, traumas, and trials. For the purposes of this series, the book of Job is a useful stopping point for considering how numbers and names may hold secondary illumination significance.
I imagine most of us are familiar with Job’s story of loss—of belongings, children, health, and all truly supportive relationships. One of the first things to note is that some Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament correspond to Job. (E.g., Job 2:12 and Isaiah 52:14-15 or Job 19:13-15, 19-20; 6:27; 16:10-13 and Isaiah 53:3; Psalm 22:6, 12-18.) Job foreshadows the Man of Suffering, Christ, making it all the more apropos that Job’s story might inform how the Bride of Christ is birthed and beautified. I even find a surprising congruence between Job’s obnoxious friends and the gifts of the magi who attended Jesus as a young child. Job’s friends may have actually enriched him through the pain that they caused him. But that is a whole different musing. Here we will focus upon the final outcome. Namely, even as God favors the children of the Man of Suffering, God uniquely favors Job’s children—the children whom Job would yet birth from out of his suffering.
Continue Reading…
May 7, 2012 in
Historical Theology, Leadership Theology, Pastoral Theology, Practical Theology with
Polemics are increasingly avoided these days. This is most likely due to the reality that much “polemical” theology is often done in unloving and prideful ways. Post-moderns hate that.
Yet I don’t think we should so quickly dismiss the role that polemics can play in the life of the church. In Exploring Church History, Howard Vos reminds us that:
“As the Christian movement grew older, errors arose within its ranks—errors that called forth defenders of the faith and that by reaction led to the development of Christian doctrine and the formulation of a New Testament canon. It is significant that in refuting error the Polemicists appealed extensively to New Testament books as the source of true doctrine. Thus they gave impetus to the later official pronouncements on the contents of the New Testament canon. The work of the Polemicists also gave rise to the concept of an orthodox catholic church opposed to heresy.”
Two thoughts:
(1) An orthodox catholic church that is opposed to heresy need not be mean-spirited or arrogant. An orthodox catholic church should properly discern that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). Speak against the heresy, but don’t forget that people are people!
(2) Polemics should be done to first glorify God and, second, to serve the church. Yet while those two purposes exist, and should guide polemics, we need to remember that the world is watching us as we interact with each other as well as those outside the bounds of orthodoxy, if a certain view falls into that category.
May 3, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, Eschatology, Pneumatology, The Vineyard Movement with
In J.I. Packer’s Keep in Step with the Spirit, the Spirit is said to have a specific function in the life of the church. As I’ve been teaching on the Spirit’s work and role in the church, I’m struck by how important and equally amazing it is to have both fellowship with the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14) and to be empowered by and partnered with the the Spirit. Simply amazing. At any rate, Packer notes that the Spirit is relate to:
1. Power – the God-given ability to do what God wants us to do and what, apart from the Spirit, we otherwise could not do.
- Power for hope (Rom. 15:13)
- Power for miracles (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:18-19)
- Power for prayer (Eph. 6:18-19; Rom. 8:26-27)
- Power for praise (Eph. 5:18-19; Phil. 3:3)
- Power for preaching (Acts 4:33)
2. Performance – the impartation and energizing of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:7).
Continue Reading…
May 2, 2012 in
Devotionals, Leadership Theology, The Kingdom of God with
I’m nearly the stage of overload. Last week I had the Society of Vineyard Scholars (SVS). This week I’m teaching on pneumatology at YWAM Northwoods. We’re in the process of packing our house and getting ready to move. Frankly, I can’t wait until the fall… and it’s not even summer yet! So I am aware that I’m going to need to take a day off next week, maybe two. And by “take off,” I mean… completely remove myself from any “work.”
Mark Kate Morse (George Fox Evangelical Seminary) spoke at SVS and said:
“If you can’t take a sabbath you cannot distinguish God from your own activity.”
Whoa. I want to keep a kingdom perspective that’s aware of (and looking for) the work of the Father, so I can bless it and participate in it. So there’s some pain that comes with an awfully terrible (busy!) schedule.
Looking forward to rest…
April 27, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, New Testament, Old Testament, Pastoral Theology, The Kingdom of God, The Vineyard Movement with
For those interested, the paper I am presenting for the annual Society of Vineyard Scholars can be found here.
April 23, 2012 in
Charismatic Theology, Pneumatology, The Vineyard Movement, Why I am "Charismatic" with
I want to take some time exploring some of the main passages that cause me to remain “charismatic.” There are a number of passages that I find extremely convincing toward a Continuationist reading of Scripture, so I’ll take a few posts to work through each of them.
Something should be said regarding the alleged “contradiction” in affirming that the gift of prophecy still functions today and that I hold to the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura (not to be confused with Solo Scriptura). A number of Cessationists have argued that it is impossible to believe that it is impossible to believe there are continued Spirit-inspired revelations while also maintaining that Scripture is both sufficient and that the canon is closed, both hallmark beliefs for Protestants.
Continue Reading…
April 21, 2012 in
Gender Issues, Humor, Leadership Theology, Marriage with
So the week of being an Egalitarian has come to an end. My wife flew safely home and our “roles” seem to be returning to their normal routines… which is a conversation in and of itself. I’ll talk about that in a few moments.
But I was really surprised, this week. The radical “liberalism” that I was sure would creep into my theology… didn’t. Hmm. I am really surprised, because all of my favorite Complementarians constantly warn of this danger. Hmmm. Disappointing… I guess.
I did have an interesting week though. I’m thankful for my wife, and I’m also very thankful that we’re a team.
I’m sure some aren’t catching the “tongue-in-cheek” here, so I want to clarify that this is not the first time I’ve been alone with the children. I’m blessed to have lots of time with them while Dawn participates in missional activities and hangs out with her friends making money (weird!).
So today I realized that while I’m still a soft-complementarian in my understanding of what Scripture teaches, in many ways I’m a functional Egalitarian. Dawn and I are a team. We really don’t break out the “authority” card or even think like that.
Which will probably lead some to conclude that I’m either a poor leader or that “liberalism” has gotten me and I just don’t know it.
Either way I’m glad that my wife is home and I’m glad that I’m a softer Complementarian now!
April 21, 2012 in
Hermeneutics, Secondary Illuminations with
(The following comprises Part Fourteen of the Saturday series on Secondary Illuminations of Scripture.)
Last week we briefly considered Psalm 68:11-13. Psalm 68 is rich in allusions, and those verses hold particular encouragements for women. Now we’ll look at vv. 15-16 in a manner that builds on the encouragements of vv. 11-13. You may decide if I am over-reaching in my use of secondary illumination hermeneutics or if the Scriptures are hereby opened up appropriately. Luke’s blog on the “unconscious” intentions of Bible authors may be helpful in sorting this out (found here).
By way of background, Matthew Henry suggests that Moses’ blessing upon the placement of the ark in Numbers 10:35 is the source of the opening lines of this psalm of rest and victory and that this might indicate that David composed Psalm 68 upon moving the ark into its tent after military rest had come to the nation.[1] This could be significant as we consider v. 16.
Continue Reading…
April 19, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, Small Groups with
Here’s another foundation for small group ministry:
“Cut off from God, the human community can choose to receive or reject God’s gracious offering to restore divine-human community. In rejecting intimacy with God, the human community continues in a state of sin, broken relationships and dying persons. Thus the fragmented human small group will reflect a shallow form of community, immersed in addictive and abusive behavior and continuing in a struggle for control, identity, intimacy and meaning. Humanity tries to approach one another, but the approach is stifled in avoidance because God is not present to define, empower and complete the face-to-face meeting.” (Biblical Foundations for Small Group Ministry: An Integrative Approach)
Small groups that emphasize community with God point us towards the ultimate restoration to come…
April 16, 2012 in
Gender Issues, Humor, Leadership Theology, Marriage with
This week I have the chance to put my theology into practice. Monday through Saturday shall be what I refer to as a “study lab.” It’s a time where my theological views shall be “put to the test.” You see, this week the gender distinctions that many Complementarians declare are ever-so-important have been trumped in my life. Why? Simple: my wife has gone to visit her family for a week. For all practical purposes, I have taken on the role of “mother.”
This is day one of being an Egalitarian
Well, a practical Egalitarian. Perhaps you could call me a theoretical Complementarian who is a functional Egalitarian. I don’t know. I just know that today I became Mr. Mom.
Perhaps you are wondering how my first day of being an Egalitarian went. Thanks for asking. I expected the day to be quite horrible, as I was unsure as to how my children would end up with a day of missing out on gender distinctions. In fact, I was so concerned that I had a back up plan in place: send them to live with a Complementarian family that I know. I also expected to begin doubting the authenticity of Scripture as the liberal agenda would force me to reevaluate how important form criticism was in regards to what we really know about the New Testament. Throughout the day I held my breath for the moment where I would begin to believe that the Documentary Hypothesis for the Pentateuch was clearly fact. Plus, at any moment denial of the gospel was sure to occur! Right?
Continue Reading…
April 14, 2012 in
Hermeneutics, Secondary Illuminations with
(The following comprises Part Thirteen of the Saturday series on Secondary Illuminations of Scripture. Deborah asked that readers consult the the NASB rather than the ESV for this one; it seems the ESV is favoring the LXX over the MT for this Psalm)
I’ve talked much about negative examples of secondary illuminations without providing substantive ostensibly positive examples. I can’t let myself off the hook quite that easily.
Psalm 68 is an important psalm containing loud echoes of its past and future. Most notable of these are (A) the Christological quotation of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8-12 wherein the battle loot of old is now seen as the gifting of the church with leaders who equip the people to operate in God’s graces and (B) Psalm 68’s close inspirational link (Psalm 68:7-8) to the song of Deborah and Barak in Judges 5:4-5. See also Psalm 68:12 and Judges 5:19, 30; Psalm 68:13 and Judges 5:16; Psalm 68:18 and Judges 5:12; Psalm 68:21 and Judges 5:26; Psalm 68:27 and Judges 5:14, 18 and the presence of the chariots so important to Deborah’s story in Psalm 68:17.
Continue Reading…
April 13, 2012 in
Books, Christology with
Everyone and their mother knows about John Stott’s The Cross of Christ. It is certainly one of the best modern works on the Penal Substitutionary perspective on the Atonement and on Christology in general. It simply love that book, and love every single book I have read by Stott. His legacy will last for generations… I hope.
But there is another book on the subject of Christology that I think is really overlooked – The Incomparable Christ.
It’s a medium sized book (264 pp.), but retains the typical John Stott trademark of being a rich combination of scholarly, readable, practical, pastoral, and globally informed. Stott writes that,
“This book, therefore, will be a blend of Scripture and history. We will consider the church’s presentation of Christ and Christ’s influence on the church, against the background of the New Testament in general and the book of Revelation in particular. In this way the biblical portrait of Christ is seen to be normative. He is the authentic Jesus by whom all the fallible human pictures of him must be judged. My hope is that these studies in the Bible and church history will be seen to justify my title, The Imcomparable Christ. There is nobody like him; there never has been, and there never will be.” (p. 18)
Classic John Stott.
April 12, 2012 in
Gender Issues, Hermeneutics with
I generally define myself as a “soft-Complementarian” when it comes to my understanding of how Scripture informs us concerning the issue of women serving in ministry. In a nutshell, I hesitate at seeing Scripture affirming women as Elders (Pastors, Overseers) but do not see a problem with women teaching or preaching within the context of the local church gatherings. I suppose I could even state that I believe that the normative way in which a “senior” church leadership team should exist is by having men as a part of that group. That means that I’m not necessarily opposed to women being “team members” nor that I think this is the way it must always be (hence the use of my word “normative”).
Yet I should say that I’m increasingly aware that I may be either moving closer to Egalitarianism or at least more open to exploring the issue. If you are an Egalitarian, please refrain from recommending all of the wonderful books you own or have written or know will change my life. I probably already own them and I’m not so interested in this subject that I have to figure it out right this second. Thanks though! 
There’s three blogs that I think everyone should take a look at. Two include videos and the third is a decent introduction to the way that trajectory works within certain perspectives concerning hermeneutics. Check them out:
What do you think?
April 11, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, Worship with
Saw this video at Canon Wired. I’ve found liturgy especially fascinating ever since I read through Simon Chan’s Liturgical Theology. I am especially interested in the tension between the spontaneity of the Charismatic Movement and the pre-planned methodology of Liturgy. I’m inclined to believe that the apostle Paul would have argued for a tension between both.
At any rate, despite my complete disagreement with the sprinkling that is called “baptism” in this video, as well as the sprinkling of an infant, it’s a fascinating video to watch in order to learn more about a Reformed liturgy.
What are your thoughts in watching the video?
April 10, 2012 in
Apologetics, Historical Theology, New Testament, Old Testament, Reviews, Scripture, Systematic Theology, Textual Criticism with
There are a lot of books that seek to expose problems in the Bible and many others that seek to defend its truthfulness. My shelves are full of books that address issues related to the historicity and truthfulness of the Bible. But there area lot of people, especially in today’s postmodern culture, who tend to take a rather apathetic approach to these issues. In fact, on more than one occasion I have had friends state that it doesn’t matter much whether or not the events recorded in Scripture actually happened… we just need to take the moral teachings of Jesus and the Bible and see them for what they are.
The natural question, then, is simple: does the history that is presented in the Bible actually matter to the Christian faith? What are we to make of all the current skeptics of the Bible and the advocates for its distrust?
A recent work has taken on this very issue, Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith?, edited by James K. Hoffmeier and Dennis R. Magary. Over twenty scholars contribute well-researched essays that cover a variety of topics, including issues related to Biblical, Systematic, & Historical Theology, the Old & New Testaments, and Biblical Archaeology.
Continue Reading…
April 3, 2012 in
Across the Web, Reviews with
The latest issue of Themelios is out. Lots of excellent articles, essays, and book reviews. Stand outs include:
Check it out!
April 2, 2012 in
Christology, Cultural Engagement, Hermeneutics, New Testament, Textual Criticism with
There are a lot of the benefits to reading Scripture in the original languages. There are also a lot of benefits to studying and understanding the social and cultural contexts that surround the texts in question. Not everyone has the ability to read Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, but most everyone can find resources that will help them understand better the text because they have a better understanding of the cultural context that the text arose within.
I’m not trying to downplay the life-giving nature of Scripture even when it is read at a surface level. What I am implying is that going deeper into Scripture in the hopes of understanding it’s intended meaning requires that we… go deeper! My advocacy for a deeper reading of Scripture comes from the mere fact that I have been sooooo blessed by it. There have been far too many times where I’ve been extremely blessed when I spent a little more time in the text and a little more time consulting good resources in order to have a better grasp on the meaning and purpose of a passage.
I fear that a lot of people read too quickly, and often miss the actual point of certain texts. Thus, the blessing or conviction or challenge often overlooked and we’re left with a less than satisfying understanding of Scripture. Of course, we don’t know it’s less than satisfying, but it is.
Enter Jesus’ proverbial “pimp slap.”
Continue Reading…
March 31, 2012 in
Hermeneutics, Secondary Illuminations with
(The following comprises Part Twelve of the Saturday series on Secondary Illuminations of Scripture.)
I believe that only when our handling of the Living Word grants it both the space to breathe and an environment in which it can retain its shape, will our stewardship be healthy and maximize its power to multiply in sustenance. So I have grown unashamed in my support for secondary illuminations even as I try to learn more about how to be responsible with their hermeneutics.
As I hope I’ve made clear by now, when I indulge in secondary illuminations, I am trying to keep a good handle on the historical and geographical facts and to honor those literal and metaphorical interpretations and spiritual applications which are already broadly recognized for the passages I reference. I would hope that when I present a teaching, those who are leery of my hermeneutical approach would find ample reason to believe that I fully respect the Word and its orthodox intents even if they feel I err on some points in my extrapolations.
Continue Reading…
March 29, 2012 in
Ecclesiology, Small Groups with
I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of the Church. The Church is God’s idea, not ours. It is his solution to many of the world’s problems, since the Church is called to represent and continue Jesus’ ministry, the final and ultimate solution to all problems.
In other words, groups of Jesus followers are one of the ways that God ministers grace to this broken world. And one of the ways that grace is ministered is when small groups of people gather together for the purpose of forming deeper relationships, reading Scripture, praying, and sharing their lives with each other. Small groups are a context wherein the Holy Spirit is able to flow through and empower people to bring peace, comfort, encouragement, and strength to others. It’s a powerful context to be in!
Dr. Gareth Icenogle provides another biblical foundation for small groups when he writes, Continue Reading…
March 28, 2012 in
Christian Living, Christology, Church Planting, Ecclesiology, New Testament with
In preparation for this Sunday, I have been working through portions of Matthew 21. This is the passage dealing with Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple money-changers. Jesus kicked them out of the outer courts and this text is widely known and generally connected to Holy Week.
Anyway, I found a really interesting way of connecting the principles behind Jesus zeal (turning over tables and rebuking money-changers) in the New American Commentary, Matthew, by Craig L. Blomberg:
“Contemporary application becomes even more urgent in view of the nature of the religious corruption in this passage—financial profit at the expense of the disenfranchised of society. How many millions of dollars are poured annually into our church buildings and activities and thereby taken away from the poorest and neediest of our world? Instead of always embarking on costly building campaigns, many churches need to consider planting new congregations, meeting in alternate sites, adding additional times of worship, and transferring active members to dying churches to infuse new life in them.”
What do you think? This sure seems counter-cultural to how many churches approach issues related to building and growing, etc.
March 28, 2012 in
Charismatic Theology, Pneumatology, The Vineyard Movement, Why I am "Charismatic" with
There’s a helpful saying that I’ve heard (and repeated) about the early Pentecostal movement. It states that Pentecostalism “was an experience in search of a theology.” This simply means that since there wasn’t really a “Pentecostal” category prior to the early 20th century, the experience(s) that took place during events like the Azusa Street Revival had to be thought of in newly created theological categories.
Make no mistake, experience is an important part of Charismatic Theology. I’d actually argue that those who make the suggestion that experience shouldn’t play a role in determining the validity of one’s theology are often arguing on the basis of their lack of experience, which is still an argument from experience! For Charismatics, experiencing the presence of the Lord is something that can be tangible and somewhat normative (like I said here and here). For me, one of the reasons why I’m “Charismatic” is because of my experience.
Continue Reading…
March 28, 2012 in
Christology with
“The universe of Paul’s thought revolved around the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Paul’s christology illumined his thought in its entirety, sometimes shedding its light on aspects of his thought that one might have expected would have gone relatively untouched by christology. For instance, who would have expected Paul, in midrashic fashion, to tell his Corinthian listeners that the rock that gave forth water to the Israelites during their period of wilderness wanderings was Christ (1 Cor 10:4)? Here he draws on sapiential ideas about the role of personified Wisdom in Israel… Paul’s view of Christ was so broad that he could conceive of him as being involved in God’s dealings with his people long before he was born and began his earthly ministry. This is apparently because he saw Christ as Wisdom come in the flesh (cf. 1 Cor 1:24), and therefore whatever had been said of Wisdom in early Jewish thought, including its existence in heaven before creation (cf. Prov 8; Sir 24; Wis 7), was now predicated of Christ…” (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 103)
The apostle Paul closed the end of his life writing that he wanted to gain Christ and know him more (Phil. 3:8-11). There’s no doubt that the center of Paul’s universe, and the universe that Paul wrote about and lived in, was Jesus, the Son of God and fulfillment of the OT promises. Paul’s Christology was centered on Jesus, the one whom was to be given all preeminence (Col. 1:18). We can learn a lot from Paul…
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