The Gospel Coalition

Suffering, karma, and the gospel:

My default position is to believe in karma.  It gives me hope that I may do something to end this agony.  Sort of.  Actually, it gives me no hope, because if I have any clarity about myself and my heart and my behavior, I know I will never do what it takes or believe seriously enough to reverse the suffering.

The Gospel gives me better hope.  My hope is that just as I experience the sufferings of Christ so I will know his comfort — and be able to serve others in their suffering.

A review from a book by Amy Wax (no relation, as far as I know) about wrong remedies for racism:

There is a school of thought in America which argues that the government must be the main force that provides help to the black community. This shibboleth is predicated upon another one: that such government efforts will make a serious difference in disparities between blacks and whites. Amy Wax not only argues that such efforts have failed, she also suggests that such efforts cannot bring equality, and therefore must be abandoned. Wax identifies the illusion that mars American thinking on this subject as the myth of reverse causation—that if racism was the cause of a problem, then eliminating racism will solve it. If only this were true. But it isn’t true: racism can set in motion cultural patterns that take on a life of their own.

A possible solution to the Bermuda Triangle mystery:

Step aside outer space aliens, time anomalies, submerged giant Atlantean pyramids and bizarre meteorological phenomena … the “Triangle” simply suffers from an acute case of gas.

Natural gas—the kind that heats ovens and boils water—specifically methane, is the culprit behind the mysterious disappearances and loss of water and air craft.

Ed Stetzer is in the middle of a series on cultural engagement, and he points to the way that two camps within evangelicalism are using terms differently:

Part of what makes this issue of contextualization difficult is that some leaders aren’t even comfortable with the idea of “engaging culture.” Some well-known pastors argue that the church must not only maintain its own distinct culture (a good thing), but be completely separate from the culture around it (an impossible and even unhelpful thing).

Notes on two books I have read recently:

The Gospel for Muslims:
An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence
Thabiti Anyabwile
Moody, 2010
My Rating: ****

Former Muslim turned Baptist pastor Thabiti Anyabwile believes too many Christians feel they need a special technique for evangelizing Muslims, when what they really need is more confidence in the power of the gospel. Accordingly, Anyabwile first explains the basic gospel message, then turns to practical ways to witness effectively. He recounts his own story of conversion as well as numerous debates with other Muslims. The proposal relies on the Spirit working through Christian hospitality, Bible teaching, and our willingness to suffer persecution.

The Good News We Almost Forgot:
Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism
Kevin DeYoung
Moody, 2010
My Rating: ****

Catechisms may be making a comeback, and Kevin DeYoung’s new book demonstrates why. It is a collection of pastoral reflections on the Heidelberg Catechism. Working within the framework of guilt, grace, and gratitude, DeYoung takes readers on a journey through the basics of Christian theology in 52 weeks. It’s like theology “from concentrate,” only the truths here will make your heart soar. Not everyone will agree with all the affirmations of this catechism (and DeYoung doesn’t either), but this book is an accessible introduction to the fundamental truths of Christianity.

(These reviews first appeared in Christianity Today, June 2010.)

Ross Douthat’s tepid defense of marriage:

We don’t keep ideals around for fun, or because everyone agrees with them.  We argue for them because they’re true - regardless of whether they’ve been instantiated in most places and times.  The more transcendental your ideals, we might say, the more practical our politics.  If the ideal is true, then we ought to get to the business of figuring out how to take incremental steps toward it.

The death of the phone call. (This explains why I’d rather receive a text message than a voice mail.):

This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social-network messaging. And we don’t just have more options than we used to. We have better ones: These new forms of communication have exposed the fact that the voice call is badly designed. It deserves to die. (HT - Z)

Tony Reinke on writing backwards:

One way to add creativity to your writing (or preaching) is by writing backwards. Not like I have done in the title of this post, but by writing backwards in the linear development of your thoughts.

We naturally develop thoughts from left to right and from top to bottom so it requires a little practice to train you brain to write from the bottom up, from the close to the start, from the main point to the supporting arguments, from the punch-line to the background. But it’s worth a try.

Mark D. Roberts on becoming a peacemaker:

Once again I want to address a very practical question, the kind of query I get from people who want to take God’s truth and live it out in their daily lives. So here’s a question that I can imagine being asked by such a person: “Mark, there are so many ways to be involved in God’s peacemaking work that I feel overwhelmed. I don’t even know where to start. I care about so many different issues. What should I do to begin living as a peacemaker?”

Windows 7 gets it right. Taking a cue from Apple, Microsoft has finally figured out that the proposed solutions offered through daily updates were slowing down the computer’s speed.

When Vista first came out, I thought it would be an improvement over XP. The new operating system looked and felt great.

But the updates drove me nuts. Boot up your computer in the morning and you’d suffer a slow wait as your hard drive “cooked” in the background. Updates loading… reinstallations… time to reboot. Sheesh! The updates were supposed to increase the health of my computer, but instead they became a source of constant frustration.

Sometimes, we face the same trouble in our walk with Christ. When we first come to faith, we are overwhelmed by the grace of God proclaimed to us in the gospel. The gospel is our new operating system, and a life of spiritual productivity follows our being justified by faith.

Over time, however, we revert back to a Law-centered life. Perhaps it’s what we hear in church, from other Christians, or in pop evangelicalism. The Law comes back like the Updates on my Vista computer. We may have started with the gospel as our operating system, but we think we need Law updates in order to make life smoother.

Unfortunately, spiritual productivity slows and frustration builds. Going back to the Law bogs us down and causes us to question our devotion and assurance. Just like we want to yell at our computer and say, “What’s wrong with you?” when it’s moving at a snail’s pace, we pull our hair out when we see our lack of spiritual progress and say, “Something must be wrong with me!”

Slowly but surely, the gospel that we began with – that glorious truth that Christ loved us and gave himself for us – is bogged down in updates that aren’t grounded in that message. So we think: Yes, the gospel is the operating system, but now the updates are where it’s at.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the Law. It’s a good gift from God that shows us the heart of God and reveals our need for salvation. But the Law is not a daily supplement to grace.

Too many times we think: Of course, we are saved by grace, but… That “but” is deadly. It indicates that we think something other than grace will bring life transformation. It doesn’t matter what good activity you put after that “but” (now you need to tithe, now you need to give up this or that, now you need to evangelize). The “but now” bogs the operating system down in updates.

Life transformation doesn’t follow “but”; it follows “so now”. You are saved by grace, so now you are free to live for God in this way or that. Life change is grounded in the gospel alone, not in the Law’s updates.

The Christian life will never run the way it is supposed to if Law is the fuel. The gospel alone has to be the engine. All our good works must flow from sheer gratitude, not an updates-based system that keeps telling me to reboot and start again.

The ethics of reality in Inception:

Christians often speak out against what they perceive as the “postmodern” view that reality is entirely subjective, that all truths are relative to the individual. While it is true that these are important issues for Christian’s to consider, Inception reminds us of another aspect of total relativism: because we live in a world with other people, it does matter what is real and what is true, because our lives and actions affect those around us.

America captured in color, 1939-1943:

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations.

Ed Stetzer on future trends in evangelicalism:

I find it interesting that two of the most newsworthy movements in the church from this first decade of the millennium were the emerging church movement and the new Reformed movement. While they had plenty of differences between them, one thing they shared in common was this: they were both seeking a better gospel.

What should you do when you get a nasty letter from a church member?

Obviously, leaders do not lead by people-pleasing. And anonymous letters make for good practice at trash can basketball. However, nastygrams from members willing to put their names on them deserve a response. Here are four options.

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about the need for Christians to maintain a distinct vocabulary in keeping with our distinctive nature as the people of God. Shortly thereafter, I began a summer series with my small group in which we explored ten important words in the Christian’s vocabulary. Assisting me in my teaching is an excellent resource from Michael Kelley.

Michael’s newest Bible study for LifeWay’s Threads Bible study curriculum is called Holy Vocabulary: Rescuing the Language of Faith. The concept behind this series is that Christians must reclaim our particular vocabulary. We overuse some words to the point that we empty them of meaning (“love”, “saved”, etc.). Other words suffer from lack of appropriate attention (“propitiation”, “sanctify”, etc.). Michael’s study serves to introduce (or reintroduce) these important words – not so we can check off the boxes on a vocab quiz, but so that we are drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ.

Holy Vocabulary is a seven-week small group study. Each week includes five words; so by the end, the participant is introduced to 35 biblical words. What’s more, Michael has organized these words into theological categories, thus shaping  the course into a creative introduction to systematic theology.

Strengths

There are some great quotes in this book:

• Christianity is not a crutch for the weak; it’s a stretcher for the dead.
• Grace doesn’t license us for immorality; it teaches us godliness.
• Without propitiation, God is against us. With Jesus, He’s not only with us, He’s for us.

I also love how Michael shows how Jesus fits into the picture of theology. Everything about this study is centered on Christ. Even as Michael chooses to expound and explain some words that are difficult (and others that are so common that you might overlook them), he stays tethered to the cross and its centrality to Christianity.

One other strength: Michael is a terrific writer. The writing style is helpful for teachers who want to get across important biblical concepts in a down-to-earth way. In all, it’s a superb introduction to systematic theology.

Weaknesses

I have only one quibble with this series. Michael doesn’t let us in on his reasoning for choosing the words he does.

For example, in discussing salvation, Michael expounds on “propitiation,” but he doesn’t give a section to “justification.” I would argue that justification is the more important biblical word (of which propitiation is an appropriate subset). To be fair, the concept of justification is present in the series; it’s just that it doesn’t receive the prominence it deserves. Likewise, words like “Trinity” and “imputation” are passed over while words like “amen” and “filled” are given entire sections.

I understand the challenge of limiting the series to 35 words. I’m not sure how I’d go about putting together that list myself. Still, there are a couple of examples where I think words could have been traded.

Recommendation

As a small group leader, I recommend that you not limit your teaching to this seven-week course. Michael’s material is filled with biblical insight and great discussion questions. Let the curriculum be your base, but don’t be constrained by the format. Five words a week may be a little tough to cover in a 45-minute small group setting. If you have the time, go for it. If you’re pressed for time, you might buy everyone in your group one of the books and have them read through the upcoming lesson at home and prepare for group discussion.

In all, this is a very helpful resource. If you’re looking for solid theology in a creative package, you’ve found it. Holy Vocabulary is faithful to Scripture and current to our cultural setting. It’s by far one of the best Threads Bible studies that I’ve come across. You won’t be disappointed.

Peggy Noonan on the loss of the American Dream:

The biggest political change in my lifetime is that Americans no longer assume that their children will have it better than they did. This is a huge break with the past, with assumptions and traditions that shaped us.

Mixed reactions in Denver to Tim Tebow’s faith:

Michelle Olson calls herself the anti-Tebow. She is a diehard Broncos fan but has no love in her heart for its limelight-stealing sensation, rookie quarterback and evangelical everyman Tim Tebow.

Should pastors separate the Christian wedding ceremony from the civil rite?

Some leaders have already declared their preference for more clearly differentiating between civil and religious marriage, citing practices in other nations, particularly France. I surveyed four experienced pastors for a new feature, TGC Asks: Should pastors separate the Christian wedding ceremony from the civil rite?

Luther on preaching:

If you look more at the pastor than at God; if you do not see God’s person but merely gape to see whether the pastor is learned and skilled . . . then you have already become half a Jacob. For a poor speaker may speak the Word of God just as well as he who is endowed with eloquence. A father speaks the Word of God as well as God does, and your neighbor speaks it as well as the angel Gabriel. There is no difference between the Word when uttered by a schoolboy and when uttered by the angel Gabriel; they vary only in rhetorical ability.

Grant, O my God,
that I may know you,
love you and rejoice in you;
and if in this life I cannot do these things fully,
grant that I may at the least progress in them from day to day,
for Christ’s sake. Amen.

- Anselm of Canterbury, 1033-1109 A.D.

Jonathan Edwards:

The multitude of drops, from which the light of the sun is so beautifully reflected, signify the same with the multitude of the drops of dew, that reflect the light of the sun in a morning…

They are all God’s jewels; and as they are all in heaven, each one by its reflection is a little star, and so do more fitly represent the saints than the drops of dew. These drops are all from heaven, as the saints are born from above; they are all from the dissolving cloud. So the saints are the children of Christ; they receive their new nature from him, and by his death they are from the womb of the cloud, the church.

The saints are born of the church that is in travail with them, enduring great labors, and sufferings, and cruel persecutions; so these jewels of God are out of the dissolving cloud. These drops receive and reflect the light of the sun just breaking forth, and shining out of the cloud that had been till now darkened, and hid, and covered with thick clouds.

1. The gavel falls on marriage: the Proposition 8 Decision

2. Blogger Nicole Petrino-Salter asked various professionals in the Christian publishing industry about five things they would change. Read the answers she’s collected so far. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

3. Charles Halton has recently penned an interesting blog on biblical authorship, plagiarism and authority. Then John Meade and Jim Hamilton added some critical comments, and the ensuing discussion is worth a look. (HT: Josh)

4. Christopher Hitchens on his battle with cancer: “In whatever kind of a ‘race’ life may be, I have very abruptly become a finalist.”

5. How Gettysburg changed our country from “the United States are…” to “the United States is…”

6. The Awesome-ness driven church

7. One more letter to Anne Rice. This one’s from Karen Spears Zacharias.