The Gospel Coalition

I trust that you, your friends, and your family had a festive and joyous Thanksgiving. Our day started early with the fourth annual New City Turkey Bowl. From 9-11 am every Thanksgiving, about 80-90 spectators and players from our church gather to play some football. We divide up into teams of 10-11 and play a double-elimination touch football tournament. You have no idea how sore I am this morning. I’m getting old.

We then spent most of the afternoon with my very large family. That was fun. It always is. 

When 4:15 pm rolled around though, my two boys and I made sure we were sitting in front of the biggest TV we could find to watch the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Jets. The Cowboys killed them 34-3. Here is a clip from the game which, in my opinion, was the play of the day. Our man, Terence Newman, ”takes it to the house.”

I first read Donald Bloesch’s book Crumbling Foundations (Zondervan, 1984) about 12 years ago. I picked it up again today and started thumbing through it. I have detailed notes on just about every page but on page 19 I found this paragraph underlined and highlighted:

Technology itseld is not an evil–but it certainly poses a continuing and all-pervasive threat to the church because of its alluring temptations. I believe that technology can be harnessed in the service of the gospel, but I recognize that such a venture entails the risk of accomodating the Christian message to technological values. Utility (i.e. practical efficacy and tangible results) rather than fidelity to truth then becomes the criterion for evaluating the program of the church. The gospel is thereby reduced to a product for human consumption, and its capacity to judge human wisdom and achievement is muted.

A wise reminder from Bloesch. We would be naive to think that the medium does not shape the message. As long as we understand the ways in which the medium of technology can effect the message of the gospel, than we can use it wisely–resisting its negative effects. If, on the other hand, we think that it’s all good (i.e. it’s simply a neutral tool that does not impose values) than it will be all bad.

This article by John Seel is a must read. Is the political process really the primary means by which we influence culture? Read John’s article and find out why it’s not.

John has been, for many years, one of Evangelicalism’s most astute cultural analysts. You might remember his book The Evangelical Forfeit that came out in the early 1990′s, or the book he co-edited with Os Guinness entitled No God but God (both of which were instrumental in laying a foundation for how I think about Christ and culture). John has been flying under the radar in recent years but I can only hope that this article resurfaces him in a much needed way at a much needed time. We need your thoughts on culture John. Keep ‘em coming, my friend!

I’ve been making my way through Chuck Colson’s and Nancy Pearcey’s book How Now Shall We Live. It’s been out since 1999 and I’ve had it for a while, but this is the first time I’ve actually made my way through it. It’s excellent. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I was flying back from Memphis today and doing quite a bit of reading and writing on the plane. I came across this short paragraph in Colson’s and Pearcey’s book which caught my attention, not because I hadn’t heard this before, but because they just put it so well. They say:

The world is a spiritual battleground, with two powers contending for the same territory. God’s adversary, Satan, has invaded creation and now attempts to hold it as occupied territory. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God launched a counteroffensive to reclaim his rightful domain, and we are God’s soldiers in that ongoing battle. ‘He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves (Col. 1:13).’ Redeemed, we are armed for the fight to extend that Kingdom and push back the forces of Satan. The fighting may be fierce but we must not lose hope, for what we are waging is essentially a mop-up operation. Because of the resurrection, the war has been won; the victory is assured.

There are so many great lines and paragraphs in this book. It’s long (over 500 pages) but it’s easy to read and remarkably compelling. So read it. You’ll be glad.

In this small article, Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman, answers this question: ”Is the God of the Old Testament the God of the New Testament? Because in the Old Testament God seems to sanction raw violence.”

This is what he says:

The Old Testament contains accounts of one bloody war after another. Christians are often troubled that God is at the center of many of the battles. Perhaps most disturbing of all is the practice of herem, a Hebrew word difficult to translate (often done awkwardly as “things under the ban”). Though hard to translate, herem’s meaning for the native inhabitants of the land is clear: the entire enemy must be killed.

How are we to understand this in light of Jesus’ statement, “But I say, love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44)? It is no wonder that people come to the conclusion that the Old Testament picture of God is closer to Osama bin Laden than to Jesus Christ.

But there is no disconnect here between the Testaments. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the one we read about in the New. He is a God of love as well as a holy God who judges evil people. As we read from Genesis to Revelation, we see not a character change but an unfolding story of God’s great victory over sin, evil, and death. This takes place through mighty acts of justice—that is, again and again, acts of retributive judgment. Goodness and severity go together in this story.

In the Old Testament, we read stories of conflict as God fights evil in the world. The first time God is called a warrior is in Exodus 15, which celebrates God’s rescue of his people from the oppressive Egyptians. Likewise, only because God fought for Israel is Joshua’s victory over the Canaanites possible, and the text makes it clear that the Canaanites must die—not to make room for the Israelites, but because of their sins. In this case, God makes his people his executioners.

Not all of God’s warring activity in the Old Testament, however, is directed toward Israel’s enemies. God also fights against Israel—the most notable instance being the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Lam. 2:1-5).

The Old Testament ends with God’s people back in the land, but living under the dominance of a pagan nation. The last prophets of the Old Testament looked to the future for a return of the divine warrior who would come and destroy their enemies, bringing them back their freedom (Dan. 7; Zech. 14).

After a period of prophetic silence, the New Testament picks up the story. The first voice we hear is that of John the Baptist. He is clearly expecting a violent Messiah, the warrior from heaven who would defeat the Romans and punish disobedient Jewish people (Matt. 3:7-12).

Having heard that Jesus is healing people, exorcising demons, and preaching the Good News, John thinks he may have mistakenly baptized the wrong person (Matt. 11:1-19)!

Of course, John did not err. Jesus is the divine warrior, the one whom the Old Testament expected, but he has heightened and intensified the battle. The goal of warfare has now been elevated, and the weapons for this war have changed. Jesus battles spiritual powers and authorities. He directs Peter to put away the sword (Matt. 26:50-56), because winning this battle involves dying rather than killing.

It is, however, a battle—part of God’s plan of warfare against evil, begun in the Old Testament. The military language used to describe Christ’s redemptive acts (Eph. 4:7-13; Col. 2:13-15) makes this clear.

But this is just the start of Christ’s work. Christ’s victory over Satan is definite but not finally realized. The Book of Revelation describes the return of Christ in the cloud chariot (1:7). He is riding a white horse and leading the armies of heaven. Here the final battle, which includes vultures eating dead bodies, is bloodier than anything in the Old Testament (19:11-21). This is a picture of the final judgment, of which the wars of the Old Testament are a foretaste and a warning.

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s character remains consistent. He is a loving, powerful, holy judge—and warrior against evil—from beginning to end.

Christians are called by God to be both intentional and reflective. This means that we must learn to think Christianly about all things. Christians are those who seek to understand all aspects of life in this world from God’s perspective. I often lament the fact that Christians don’t think as much as they should when it comes to the various arenas of culture. Francis Schaeffer was at his best when he was calling on all Christians to develop a biblical world and life view. This, of course, includes everything: money, politics, music, sports, art, sex, entertainment, film, and so on. How does God want us to think about these things and more? How does God intend for us to engage all of these areas in a God-centered way? Becoming a big-Christian involves God-centered cultural engagement on all levels.

Two days ago I linked you to an article dealing with how to think like a Christian when it comes to competition. Here is an article that deals with a Christian view of entertainment. Entertainment is not something we should be addicted to or avoid. It has its proper place in God’s economy. In fact, it points us to God in very tangible ways. But our world wants us to approach entertainment much differently than God does. Some Christians realize this and so they avoid entertainment all together. This is not what God wants you to do. What he wants us to do is understand and approach entertainment like a Christian. 

Bill Edgar, who teaches apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary (and a real jazz buff), helps us understand the dynamics of entertainment and seeks to help Christians approach it in a God-centered way. I hope you are both challenged and encouraged by what he says.

Considered by many to be the most skilled artist who ever lived, Michelangelo was asked onetime how he was able to take a solid block of Italian marble and carve it into the beautiful statue of David. He said, “That was easy. I just chiseled away everything that did not look like David.” That is what God is doing in the life of every Christian. He is chiseling away everything that does not look like Jesus. This is why the Bible tells us not to despise our Father’s discipline. He corrects us and changes us for our own good. It is God’s discipline that prunes us and makes us more and more holy. I see this happening at my church and in my life and I pray that Christians all over the world will learn more and more how to submit humbly to God’s pruning activity because all of us need to change.

Fathering two very athletic and competitive boys can be challenging (as some of you well know). The passion to win, at times, seems to overpower every other sensibility. So when I play basketball or football with Gabe and Nate I’m always aware of my responsibility to “coach” them with regard to the way they conduct themselves on the field (or court): don’t get cocky, don’t showboat, don’t taunt your opponent, encourage your teammates, play hard but be humble, etc. I really want them to understand that being a Christian effects the way one approaches competition.

Nowhere does the Bible say that the Christian faith is private and partial. On the contrary, the Christian faith is public and pervasive. In other words our faith ought to inform every arena of life. Since we are to “take every thought captive to Christ” we must learn to think Christianly about everything: sex, money, politics, art, entertainment, sports, vocation, etc. We must learn to engage every arena of our culture, every sector of our society, in a uniquely Christian way, for as Abraham Kuyper aptly put it, “There is no square inch of creation in which Christ does not say, ‘It is mine.’” Therefore, we must have “a theology” about every thing under the sun. Seriously! God requires that from us.

I think you’ll find this article by Frank Reich very helpful and distinctively stimulating (that’s right football fans, I said Frank Reich. Remember him? Backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills? He led the Buffalo Bills back from a 30 point deficit in a divisional playoff game against the Houston Oilers back in 1992. He then led the Bills to the Super Bowl that year where they got trounced by none other than my beloved Dallas Cowboys, 52-10. Poor Frank. He’s now a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary and a pastor in South Carolina.) Frank discusses how the passion to compete is a passion that God has given all of us. It ought, therefore, not to be suppressed but harnessed for the glory of God. This little article convinced me to stop saying to Gabe and Nate, “Winning doesn’t matter.” In God’s economy winning does matter. Read the article to see what I mean.

By Faith Magazine, the magazine published by the Presbyterian Church in America (P.C.A) reports that Covenant College was ranked #7 by U.S. News and World Report:

U.S. News & World Report, in its 2008 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” ranks Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, number seven among baccalaureate colleges in the South. This ranking is up from Covenant’s number nine rank in 2007, and represents Covenant’s fifth consecutive year with a position in the top 10 colleges in its field. Covenant College continues to have the fourth highest graduation rate among baccalaureate colleges in the South.

 “We are pleased,” said Covenant College President Niel Nielson, “that the U.S. News & World Report rankings recognize the strength and value of a Covenant College education. Covenant is blessed: we are expecting another year of record enrollment, a new residence hall opened for students this year, and construction is progressing on a new academic building.”

You’ll have to bear with me on Monday mornings from now until the end of football season, I’m afraid. Because it’s been 10-12 years since I’ve seen my beloved Dallas Cowboys play this well on Sunday’s. I’m beginning to think, in the words of ESPN analyst Chris Berman, “They…could…go…all…the…way.”

Anyway, here’s one of the many highlight’s from their convincing win against the New York “football” Giants yesterday (sorry Matt, Steve, Paul and all of my other friends who happen to be Giants fans).  The Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, is “simply marvelous.” Check out this clip.

Let me also give a brief “shout out” to the Miami Heat (I’m afraid you’ll be hearing a lot more about them as well in the coming months) for winning their first game yesterday.