The Parson's Ponderings

Burkean Conservatism

2011-01-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

Through my friend @Markjakubik, I became aware of Professor Stephen Bainbridge of UCLA Law School. I'm enjoying and benefiting from reading his blog. He has a particularly good excerpt that distinguishes a conservative from a libertarian.

Indeed, the irony is that left-liberals who use terms like "wingnuts" and the Objectivists who want to "Go Galt" both want to free the individual from the alleged shackles imposed by those platoons. The latter prefer a society in which the autonomous individual stands naked in the market. The former prefer a nanny state in which the individual is dependent upon the state (except when it comes to abortion and sex, oddly enough). Because the little platoons--family, church, workplaces, and civic organizations--provide alternate centers of power within society that insulate the individual from the raw power of both Leviathan and the market, they don't fit into either camp's vision of the ideal society. In my view, however, they are essential if we are to resist the crushing of civil society beneath the mission-creep of the state and the raw force of the market.

This is the kind of writing we need to help provide the intellectual firepower to counter the ascendancy of what I consider a libertarianism on steroids.

Basketball Dawgs Drawing A Crowd

2011-01-24T16:58:00.000-06:00

UGA is a known as a emphatically football school. But the hardwood Dawgs are drawing fans with their much improved play. My brother and nephew got to see them play in person on Saturday. I'm jealous!

Read all about the Dawgs at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Mike Pence Stands For The Unborn

2011-01-24T16:42:00.000-06:00

Mike Pence may not be a household name. And he may not be the bandwagon choice for the GOP 2012 nomination. But he's my choice.

Read his words at today's March For Life:

“We gather to mark the 38th anniversary of the worst Supreme Court decision since Dred Scott. And we gather today in the shadow of a new pro-life majority on Capitol Hill. And we will keep gathering until Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history where it belongs.

“These are trying times in the life of this nation.

“Our economy is struggling and our national government is awash in a sea of debt.

“Amidst these struggles, some would have us focus our energies on jobs and spending.

"We must not remain silent when great moral battles are being waged. Those who would have us ignore the battle being fought over life have forgotten the lessons of history. As in the days of a house divided, America's darkest moments have come when economic arguments trumped moral principles.

“A nation that will not stand for life will not stand for long.

“You know there can be no lasting prosperity without a moral foundation in law.

“And as to focusing on spending, I agree.

“Let’s start by denying all federal funding for abortion at home and abroad.

“The largest abortion provider in America should not also be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X.

“The time has come to deny any and all federal funding to Planned Parenthood of America.

“Thank you for braving the cold one more time and saying to the heart of our national government, ‘We will fight on for life. We will fight on for the unborn and the brokenhearted.’

“And we will fight on because we know, as Jefferson said, ‘God who gave us life gave us liberty…and God is just and his justice cannot sleep forever.’

“And we know this: We will win this fight because the deepest desire of every mother and father is to protect their child, at any cost, even with the own lives and that truth cannot be erased.

“The American people will make this right. We will restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law. Because every American knows in their heart, this is the greatest nation on earth because we acknowledge the God-given right to liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the unalienable right to life.”

See the story at The Weekly Standard.

Explanation of Legalism and Worldliness

2011-01-12T12:38:00.000-06:00

In this interview, Phil Johnson gives the clearest, most succinct explanation of legalism that I've heard. He also discribes worldliness as the heart matter that it is, slaughtering a few sacred cows along the way.

What Shapes Your Faith?

2010-09-28T15:03:00.002-05:00

A story from USA Today caught my eye. Sunday's article in the Faith & Reason section by Cathy Lynn Grossman reports on the book American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by political scientists Robert Putnam of Harvard and David Campbell of Notre Dame. Their research concludes that American evangelicals believe that most good people will make it Heaven regardless of what the Bible says about Jesus being the only way to the Father.

Grossman says:

They found that on the ultimate religious tolerance questions -- who is saved -- Americans overwhelmingly believe "a good person who is of another religion (than your own) can go to heaven. The group that scored lowest, evangelicals, were still greatly in favor of a wide and generous grace with 83% saying yes to this.

But did they really mean non-Christians, or was this Methodists saying, sure, Lutherans are saved, too? They asked again,adding "even if they are not Christian" and 54% of evangelical protestants on up to 98% of Mormons agreed.

This is a particularly disturbing opinion, if true. One of the things a pastor must continually repeat is the simple premise of the Gospel: Humans are alienated from God by sin. The exclusive cure for sin is the payment made by Christ, His shedding His blood on the cross. The only hope any person has of eternal life is repenting of their sin and coming to Christ by faith alone.

It is particularly frustrating that Christians don't get the fact that God will not "grade on the curve" for their loved one or friend. Just because we love them and see lovable qualities in them doesn't mean the Father will give them a mulligan on the Gospel at the judgment. They will be judged based on their righteousness, or on the imputed righteousness of Christ. If they don't have Christ, they will not gain eternal life. That is why it is critical for every Christian to share the Gospel with those he loves. No Gospel, no Heaven.

Our church's theme is "First Baptist Church Loves Robinson!". The way this church or any individual Christian can best show love is by showing people the way to Christ. Anything less is simply kind-hearted wishful thinking.

There's A Conservative Christian Running For President

2010-09-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

There's a real conservative who is making noises about running for President in 2012. He's visiting Iowa and staying active in the media. This past week, he was one of the keynote speakers at the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit. His name is Mike Pence. He's a leader in the House and is a member from Indiana. He states that he's "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican...in that order." He deserves a good look by everyone interested in conservatism and by every politically active Christian.

The time to fight for our values is in the primaries. Remember Rush's rule: vote for the most conservative Republican in the primaries. We have to pay attention early this cycle and get behind and work for our preferred candidate. The cycle for 2012 begins on November 3rd this year.

Listen to his speech at the Value Voters Summit:

Back In Action and Two Quick Hits

2010-09-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

After neglecting the blog for too many months, I'm back in action. I must admit that my inclination to update and inform didn't go away. But I was seduced by Twitter and Facebook, using those platforms for lots of quick hits. After some time, reflection, and encouragement, I'm going to try to merge all three venues.

Two articles from my morning reading deserve mention. The first is from Dan Burrell. He posted a new article titled Paying The Price When You Take a Stand. Using the recent case of the family who objected to overly-sexual cheers on their six year old's cheer squad, he makes the following observation:

But let’s make something clear — taking a stand will often require you to pay a price and that’s a good thing. Dead leaves and dead fish go with the flow. Taking a stand causes ripples and waves. Turn on a light and watch the cockroaches run for the shadows. Put some salt on ice and watch things start changing. Taking a stand on matters of propriety, morality, philosophy, ethics, values and conduct is going to exact some sort of price at the hands of those whose values are different than yours.

We should expect nothing less.

The entire article is worthy of reading and considering. He makes powerful points of living biblically holy lives without being legalistic prudes.

The other article is on a blog new to me called Sola Sisters. It's a revealing and discerning article on Glenn Beck.

And okay, sure, I knew you were a Mormon. But maybe, I said to myself, he's really a Christian. Maybe he's one of those "cultural Mormons," a Mormon in name only, who doesn't even know about all that kooky Mormon theology. After all, he talks about God and Jesus and salvation and atonement.... Looking back, I'm so ashamed of myself: I should have known better! After all, a large part of what I do is write about cults, and how they use the same terminology that Christians do, only with redefined meanings. Oh, how I wanted to believe.

The rest of the article details the deviant and false gospel beliefs of Mormonism.

A Testimony To God's Terrible and Wonderful Sovereignty

2010-01-21T11:18:00.002-06:00

Patrick Hughes is a living example of God's terrible and wonderful sovereignty. This young man was born blind and crippled. Yet God gifted him with an amazing native musical talent. Watch the report on him and his dad.

New Sermons, MLK, Odds & Ends

2010-01-18T15:48:00.003-06:00

The last two weeks worth of audio have been uploaded to my podcast. There's a player here on the blog that you can use to listen, if you like.

My message last night was on the Christian and racism. I don't think I "nailed" the subject. In fact, I just began to scratch the surface of it. But this has been a journey that started for me ten years or so ago. And it's one that has unfortunately not started for many white Christians. I've been particularly challenged by John Piper's writing on the subject and by his example. Even though most of us have not engaged in overt or conscious hatred of other ethnic groups, the very facts that we have eschewed much consideration of race relations in our churches and that we unconsciously and unwittingly consider "minorities" as other are damning indictments. May God give us the grace to live out our oneness with all our brothers in Christ. I include the link to MLK's Letter From A Birmingham Jail and a video of his I Have A Dream Speech below.

Also, I unashamedly borrow from Dan Phillips' blog the video of Wintley Phipps singing "Amazing Grace". What a blessing this man is to the Church!

Resolved: To Make An Impact For Christ This Year

2010-01-08T13:06:00.001-06:00

I believe in evaluating myself and in setting goals. It’s a healthy practice everyone should cultivate from the beginning of adolescence until their last breath. The New Year is a traditional time to do this. Many people start the off the year with a set of resolutions. “I’m going to lose weight.” “I’m going to learn a new language.” “I’m going to manage my finances better.” All of those are good resolutions.

But what if your resolutions this year included things that were greater than that? What if your resolutions weren’t just about self-actualization and life enhancement? What if your resolutions were God-centered? Let me share three questions with you to get you started. And then let the Lord guide your thinking and praying as you resolve to serve Him this year.

1. How can I serve the family I live with so they will see God’s glory this year?
2. How can I serve through my church so that my brothers and sisters enjoy the presence of Christ and the Gospel advances in our community?
3. How can I surrender my will to God this year so that Christ’s glory blazes brightly to everyone around me?

A Powerful, Poignant Pro-Life Video

2010-01-07T16:17:00.001-06:00

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Get Acquainted With Rand Paul

2009-10-13T11:33:00.002-05:00

Rand Paul is a candidate worthy of your support. Even if, like me, you don't live in Kentucky, you can support him. He will be a great voice for liberty and good sense in the U.S. Senate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2rqCOFtacE&feature=player_embedded

Huckabee on Israel

2009-08-21T10:39:00.001-05:00

Piper on the Value of Literal Translations

2009-08-18T17:58:00.001-05:00

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Sunday Morning Prayer for August 16, 2009

2009-08-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

Prayer for August 16, 2009

Dear Lover, Redeemer, and Friend,

We know that in You dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Everything that God is, all His glory, all His majesty, all His beauty, all His perfection, is displayed in You, Lord Jesus. We worship and prize You above everything and everyone else. We delight in Your presence. We long for Your fellowship.

Father, if we’ve come here for anything else today, please forgive us and correct us.

If we’ve come to be entertained by good music, forgive us and help our souls to be enraptured in You.

If we’ve come to be pleased or to think better of ourselves through a well-presented talk, forgive us and give light to our minds to know You better.

If we’ve come to see and be seen, forgive us and help us to see only Christ and Him crucified.

Give us more of You today, Lord Jesus.

In Your precious name I pray,

Amen.

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Prayer for August 9, 2009

2009-08-09T08:53:00.001-05:00

Prayer for August 9, 2009

Dear Lover Of Our Souls,

May we read your tender heart towards us in the manger of Your birth, in the garden of Your agony, in the cross of Your suffering, in the tomb of Your resurrection, and in the heaven of Your intercession. Deepen in us a sense of our holy relationship to You as spiritual bridegroom and sinners’ friend. You have loved us everlastingly and unchangeably; may we love You as we are loved by You.

If temptation comes to us, give us grace to overcome evil and do what is right.
If we have important decisions to make, give us grace to choose the right way and to refuse the wrong way.
If things go well with us, keep us from all pride and from thinking that we do not need You.
If sorrow and trials come to us, keep us from despair and give us hope in You.

In Jesus’ precious name I pray,

Amen.

(Based on “Christ Is All” in The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975 and from The Plain Man’s Book of Prayers, by William Barclay, p. 10)

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What Age for Marriage?

2009-08-03T13:17:00.002-05:00

My friend Howard Fisher gives a "heads up" on his blog today on Albert Mohler's new article. The money quote from Mohler's article is:

The biblical case for early marriage is even stronger than Regnerus indicates. Our bodies are not evolutionary accidents, and God reveals his intention for humanity through the gifts of sexual maturation, fertility, and sexual desire. As men and women, we are made for marriage. As Christians, those not called to celibacy are called to demonstrate our discipleship through honoring the Creator's intention by directing sexual desire and reproductive capacity into a commitment to marriage. Marriage is the central crucible for accepting and fulfilling the adult responsibilities of work, parenthood, and the full acceptance of mature responsibilities.

Indeed, design reveals purpose. The fact is that young people value their freedom, independence, and opportunity for adventure more than they value obedience to the Lord in matters of sexual expression. Some delay marriage to get their education, and then to get established in their careers and finances. And their parents' generation has encouraged them to do so. And our pulpits have been silent, for the most part, in encouraging young people to marry. Mohler says:

The vast majority of Christians who have gone before us would surely be shocked by the very need for a case to be made for Christian adults to marry. While the New Testament clearly honors the gift of celibacy for the cause of the Gospel, the eight out of ten evangelical young people admitting to sexual intercourse before marriage are clearly making no claim to the gift of celibacy.

It is time for us to boldly teach our people to marry soon if they do not have the gift of celibacy.

Africa

2009-08-03T13:00:00.001-05:00

As always, Dan Phillips discovered a cool video that he posts on his blog today. Enjoy!

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Plans and Prayers

2009-07-01T12:26:00.001-05:00

We all have plans for our lives. Consciously or unconsciously, we have an idea of a timeline with major events or a direction with milestones along the way. But man’s plans don’t always coincide with God’s plans. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 19:21 There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the LORD's counsel—that will stand. Seldom does life turn out the way we expected nor are all the events ones we would have chosen. But our God, who is equally wise and loving, directs our steps in the way that is best for us and for His glory…the way they ought to go.

How can we be sure that we are going with God and that our life-path is right?

First, trust in the truth of God’s Word, His promise. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. God is actively at work in your life, fulfilling His purpose in and through you. God in never working just one purpose in your life; He’s working a thousand purposes. And He knows the impact of the thing He is doing in you that will touch and influence others in your circles of influence, not only through six degrees of separation, but to the furthest degree of separation! Just trust Him to do good to you and through you. Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Second, humbly and consciously submit yourself and your plans to God. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Planning isn’t wrong. In fact, it’s good stewardship. But when we do it with hubris or with confidence in our own abilities or without considering the Lord, it’s sinful and self-centered. James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." So be sensitive to the Lord’s direction and mindful of His superintending control.

Third, pray about your plans, your hopes and dreams. And pray for them! If you’re humbly walking with God, you can have assurance that He is helping you want the right things, the things that please and honor. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. God wants you to ask. He wants to say, “Yes!” So, ask.

Believing The Right Things About God

2009-05-26T17:45:00.001-05:00

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So says the Holy Spirit through the writer to the Hebrews. Exercising faith is central to our Christian life. It’s a defining aspect of being a Christian for Baptists and other Evangelicals. And yet having faith, or believing, is not an end in itself. Rather that faith or belief must be exercised in reference to some object, some person. And it is only useful or praiseworthy when it is exercised towards the Triune God, and most especially towards the Second Person of the Trinity, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible, trust in God is associated with knowing and doing His Word and His will. In other words, the Lord expects us to know certain truths about Him and to live in ways that are consistent with those truths we know about Him. There are definite facts and doctrines that are vital to your being right about God and, therefore, being right with God. In the New Testament, Paul emphasizes the vital nature of right doctrine, or beliefs, about the Lord to the young pastors Timothy and Titus. In his three short letters to them, he mentions it fifteen times. John writes about it his second letter. Jude says that we should “earnestly contend for the faith” in his letter. Jesus rebukes two of the seven churches in Asia for their lack of right doctrine in Revelation chapters two and three. The Lord takes right beliefs, or doctrines, seriously. Are we wiser or more sophisticated or more tolerant than our Lord? We cannot afford to take doctrine lightly or to brush it aside as if it were trivial. We need to consult the Bible in order to know the truth and specific truths.

That’s why some modern Christian books are so troubling. Men and women who are gifted writers but not careful students of the Bible or trained theologians are planting wrong ideas about God into the Body of Christ. I would prefer to think that this is often unintentional. But whether or not it is unintentional, the danger and the damage remain. Sometimes the books are nonfiction, relating personal experiences or devotional impressions. Other times they are fiction, hiding their erroneous teachings behind the fig leaf of artistic license. In either case, their purpose is to change our understanding of who God is and what He is like. Be discerning as you read. Just because it is sold at a Christian bookstore or website doesn’t make it good or right.

Here are some ideas and questions to help you interact with a book as you read it:

A good book should reinforce the authority of Scripture. Does it make experiences, impressions, nature, or anything else as important as the Bible in understanding God or your walk with Him?
A good book should represent God the way He is represented in the Bible. For example, God always refers to Himself as masculine rather than feminine whether He is speaking of Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. And while God is Three in One, each person of the Trinity has specific functions. There is also a hierarchy, or authority and submission relationships, within the Trinity. Does it represent Jesus as the unique God-man and that He is the only One of the Trinity who became man?
A good book should represent the Gospel and salvation the way the Bible presents them. Does it reinforce that Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God or to have forgiveness and everlasting life and that any other way leads to eternal ruin?
A good book should show God to be a God of grace, mercy, and love. Does it cast the Lord in a positive light as active, benevolent, and in control of everything?

My list is not exhaustive. But it is a helpful starting place for us to be discerning. I encourage you to read and to read widely. The Bible and books are your best tools for growth and broadened understanding. Please read with a discerning mind and heart.

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Silly, Shallow "Sermons"

2009-03-06T08:55:00.002-06:00

In the following video clip, Matt Chandler powerfully exposes the shallowness of some so-called preaching or teaching that is popular in evanjellycalism today. He not only reveals the lack of seriousness involved in the preparation, delivery, and consumption of such worldly pottage, he inspires us to something much better.

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God As A Commodity

2009-02-24T15:51:00.002-06:00

Here is an excellent excerpt from Dan Phillip's offering today at Pyromaniacs:

We should unveil the glorious, transcendent majesty of God. We should expose the pathetic, inexcusable, guilty, doomed vulnerability of man. We should set out God's terms of reconciliation, through Christ, because of His work on the Cross. We should call man to immediate and unconditional surrender, by repentant faith.

That's what we should do.

What the church does instead is to try to repackage God, as if he were yesterday's widget, and sell Him as useful. I wish I could say this is seldom done, but you'd know I was lying. I've seen books, I've heard sermons, I've seen ads that present God as the best way to get what we want, to achieve our dreams, and as the ultimate Enabler of our agendas.

Too many times, we unconsciously think of God as someone to bend to our will, someone to achieve our ends for us. What an insufficient view of God! What a short-sighted agenda we have!

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Piper on Obama and Abortion

2009-01-27T08:44:00.001-06:00

John Piper is one of my favorite preacher-theologians. Below is an excerpt from his sermon this past Sunday.

Pray for America

2009-01-21T10:50:00.004-06:00

Here is what an Antichrist looks like:

An antichrist does not necessarily come with anger, threats, and outright persecution. He comes with a smile and smooth words of peace and unity, offering hope...a messianic figure.

This President is enthusiastically in favor of the worst of abominations, homosexuality and abortion. He states on the White House website:

Support for the LGBT Community
"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
Supporting Stem Cell Research: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which will allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.
Reproductive Choice
Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case. Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

We need Christians and pastors whose first inclination is not to be lulled into complacency and good feelings by the pervasive media. It is too easy to be co-opted by wanting to join in the euphoria of the historic election of a black man to the nation's highest office. Many erstwhile Bible-believing pastors are taking a jelly-spined approach because they don't want to be offensive or to lose popularity. God deliver us from such quislings! Now is the time to lift up our voices and spare not! This is not a time to be sanguine or to bury our heads in sand saying, "Our only legitimate work is church work." We are called to be prophets of the righteous and holy God. Standing against sin is an indispensible component of real gospel ministry. Announcing God's displeasure and wrath towards sin is not primarily political, but it is public, powerful, and purposeful.

"Dear Father, grant us repentance as a people for we have chosen a president in our rebellion against You and Your laws. Forgive our sins of idolatry of self and of money. We are wrong, O Lord, in calling evil good and good evil. Lord Jesus, forgive us, your pastors, of loving popularity and men's applause more than we love You and Your truth. Help to have holy boldness and to have godly spirits, too. I ask these things in Your Name. Amen."

The True Gospel

2008-12-25T19:53:00.001-06:00

Star Wars Acapella!

2008-12-25T14:58:00.000-06:00

IS this not the best?!

Global Warming?

2008-12-20T10:43:00.001-06:00

Children Following God's Call

2008-12-15T12:15:00.003-06:00

Jason Janz posts an timely article at SharperIron on God's call to children:

I want to challenge my generation to take a different attitude toward their children than the boomer generation did. I’m afraid that we have learned to shelter our kids from all and any pain. We strive to give them the best educations, opportunities in sports, and plenty of entertainment. But what if God wants our kids to go through painful things? Are we quick to jump in at the first sign of discomfort, pushing against what could be God’s molding hand? Better yet, what intentionally uncomfortable positions have we put our children into for the sake of the kingdom of God? The gospel compels us to live for others, not for ourselves. Do you reach out to the poor? Do your kids embrace the Bible teaching that it is more blessed to give than to receive? What are your plans to make Christmas a time of transformation, turning the hearts of your family from receivers to radical givers? Do your kids have a ministry at their local church? If I fear anything for my kids, it is that they finish school with a strong education but with a passionless Christianity.

Kirk Cameron Interviews John MacArthur On The True Gospel

2008-12-15T09:59:00.002-06:00

I saw these clips on Thabiti Anyabwile's blog today and had to share them with you. My heart rejoiced over the powerful, humble presentation of the pure Gospel! I hope yours will, too.

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Something Else to Cling to

2008-11-30T13:36:00.002-06:00

Since every American should own firearms for sport, protection, and the preservation of liberty, I've included this link to recommend the most useful guns.

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Hold to the Truth!

2008-11-30T13:12:00.002-06:00

Today's dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs is a bold and needed admonition to hold on the truth. We need to saturate our souls with this mindset:

Jesus never gave countenance to the baseborn charity which teaches that it is no injury to a man's nature to believe a lie. Beloved, be firm, be stedfast, be positive. There are certain things which are true; find them out, grapple them to you as with hooks of steel. Buy the truth at any price and sell it at no price.

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Clinging

2008-11-29T10:31:00.001-06:00

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Christless Christianity

2008-11-24T15:39:00.001-06:00

Here is a book I'm eager to read:

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How Great Is Our God

2008-11-21T16:51:00.000-06:00

Just because I love this song...

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Cute Video About Pastors

2008-11-21T13:36:00.000-06:00

This video exaggerates a little...but it's funny anyway.

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John Piper on the Election

2008-11-04T09:43:00.001-06:00

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Health Care: McCain v. Obama

2008-10-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

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Where the Current Crisis Came From

2008-10-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Burning Down the House - Our Economic Crisis | Funny Jokes at JibJab

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Chuck Baldwin Speaks On Abortion

2008-09-24T12:42:00.002-05:00

Chuck Baldwin speaks with passion and forthrightness about abortion. In my opinion he makes a better politically active pastor than a presidential candidate.

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Asian Missions Promo

2008-09-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

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Latin America Missions Promo

2008-09-04T14:45:00.001-05:00

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Alaska Maverick

2008-09-04T13:33:00.001-05:00

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A Mayor Is Sort of Like A Community Organizer...

2008-09-04T13:22:00.001-05:00

She gave me a reason to vote GOP this time!

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Missions Video

2008-09-04T13:18:00.001-05:00

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A Real Choice

2008-08-14T08:58:00.001-05:00

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A Chuck Baldwin Administration

2008-08-14T08:24:00.001-05:00

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Understanding the South

2008-08-04T10:21:00.002-05:00

When many people think of the South, the mental image they see is a caricature. They see racists, rednecks, trailer park trash, and ignorance. Now, most of us native born Southerners will own up to being rednecks. But we resent in the strongest terms being caricatured as unintelligent. (The rest of you are just jealous of our beautiful, slower way of speaking!) The South is a unique cultural region whose society is an intricate tapestry of education, intellect, faith, progress, resilience, shame, and heartache.

We Southerners are proud of our heritage. We have no need of your pity, your scorn, your condescension, or your moralizing. We are aware of our peculiar history with its great moral stain. But that history is more than just its stain. And history is more than the propaganda of 143 years. Mr. Lincoln’s War changed America forever, and in many ways for the worse. Even the freeing of the blacks was not fully realized until a century after his death. In his war, we lost our unique republic and it was replaced by an ideology of empire. And you cannot blame that on the South.

One of the best articles I’ve read recently about the South is on Newsweek’s website. I offer it for your enjoyment. Read Southern Discomfort by Christopher Dickey.

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An American or a Globalist?

2008-07-30T13:56:00.000-05:00

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Rescuing the Federal Budget

2008-07-30T13:22:00.003-05:00

There are only two ways to fix the federal budget deficit over the long term: pursue a less agressive foreign policy and reform the major entitlement programs. The Heritage Foundation opens a discussion on the second way, which is where most of our savings could be realized.

View the entire video

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McCain on Obama and the Troops

2008-07-26T16:45:00.001-05:00

A good McCain video highlighting Obama's "patriotism".

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MSM Loves Obama

2008-07-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

No need for further explaination.

Superficial Christianity

2008-07-19T14:11:00.003-05:00

Carnal Christianity is almost synonymous with contemporary Christianity in America. The church's morals are unremarkably different from those of the society at large. Since morals are an outgrowth of spiritual understanding, one cannot but wonder about the authenticity of a Christian whose affections are world-oriented and flesh-oriented to the degree that we see in today's Church. Phil Johnson at Pyromaniacs does us all a great service by posting excerpts from Spurgeon every weekend. This week's article is
Shallow Conversions;Shallow Religion

Though I rejoice in sudden conversions, I entertain grave suspicions of those suddenly happy people who seem never to have sorrowed over their sin. I am afraid that those who come by their religion so very lightly often lose it quite as lightly. Saul of Tarsus was converted on a sudden, but no man ever went through a greater horror of darkness than he did before Ananias came to him with the words of comfort.

I like deep ploughing. Top-soil skimming is poor work; the tearing of the soil under surface is greatly needed. After all, the most lasting Christians appear to be those who have seen their inward disease to be very deeply seated and loathsome, and after awhile have been led to see the glory of the healing hand of the Lord Jesus as he stretches it out in the gospel.

I am afraid that in much modern religion there is a want of depth on all points; they neither deeply tremble nor greatly rejoice, they neither much despair nor much believe. Oh, beware of pious veneering! Beware of the religion which consists in putting on a thin slice of godliness over a mass of carnality. We must have thorough going work within; the grace which reaches the core, and affects the innermost spirit is the only grace worth having.

Global Warming? Not So Fast, My Friends

2008-07-18T18:04:00.002-05:00

There is no evidence that global warming is a scientific fact, much less that it is man-caused if it exists. A leading scientific organization came out today with a statement that its members have not reached a consensus on the subject.
Change of Heart

An organization representing nearly 50,000 physicists has reversed its stance on climate change. The American Physical Society now says that many of its members no longer believe global warming is caused by humans.

The Society previously declared: "The evidence is incontrovertible. Global warming is occurring." But the Society now says there is no scientific consensus to support that statement: "There is a considerable presence within the scientific community of people who do not agree with the intergovernmental panel on climate change conclusion that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are likely to be primarily responsible for global warming."

Choosing Leaders

2008-07-18T17:37:00.000-05:00

“If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.” —Samuel Adams

Pickens on the Energy Crisis

2008-07-18T09:23:00.002-05:00

Pickens has a vested interest in the wind plan since he is a major investor. But knowing that background, it's still valuable to consider his suggestion. I thnk the inclusion of NG as a transportation fuel has real merit.

Bob Barr on Fiscal Responsibility

2008-07-17T23:13:00.001-05:00

A Path Back To More Constitutional Government

2008-07-17T15:58:00.002-05:00

Real conservatives, libertarians, and constitutionalists are at a loss in this presidential election cycle to effect real, positive change. John McCain is the GOP nominee, but he is no conservative. His record as a senator reflects a flagrant disregard for basic constitutional prinicples. Barack Obama is an ideological leftist. But the Democratic nominee benefits from being somewhat charming and from actually having public speaking skills which his major opponent lacks. He is also a largely unknown quantity with the American people. Thus he has an easier time adapting his public positions on policy to suiting whichever portion of the electorate he wishes to appeal to.

Knowing that we will not have a friend in the White House is discouraging. We could even be tempted to give up hope for steering America back to her roots of limited government and individual liberty. There is something we can do, however. We can hold officeholders accountable for their actions. Edwin Viera, Jr. writes in his article Government Is Not The Problem:

In short, “the government” cannot deprive any American of his rights, because only by acting consistently with those rights, precisely as the Constitution guarantees them, do public officials function as “the government” at all. When any public official steps even a single Angstrom Unit outside of the government’s constitutional boundaries, his actions become lawless and unauthorized, and he ceases to act as or for the government, but instead acts against and in defiance of the government.

Of course, the complaint that “the government is denying us our rights” does contain a modicum of practical insight: namely, that many people in public offices today do increasingly disregard and infringe upon Americans’ rights “under color of law.” However, although these misdeeds may be carried out ostensibly in the name of the law, and supposedly through the procedures of the law, they nonetheless remain in violation of the supreme law. Therefore, notwithstanding that the perpetrators may hold public offices, with respect to such aberrant behavior they are not acting as public officials or in the capacity of “the government” at all.

The essential point and fundamental basis for remedial action is that, under America’s political system, oppression is not and can not be the product of a disembodied generality called “the government” that is somehow above the law because it makes, interprets, and enforces the law. Rather, oppression is always the product of identifiable individual wrongdoers in public office, all of whom are themselves wholly subject to law — whether the law of the Constitution, or the higher law of the Declaration of Independence, or the highest “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” upon which both the Declaration and the Constitution rest. The responsibility for every act of oppression against the American people must be assigned specifically to these individuals, not to the public offices they happen to occupy or to “the government” as an institution.

One solution to the continued usurpations of power by government officials is to prosecute them for their misconduct. Another more practical solution is to vote them out of office. The combination of these two tools, if applied consistently and vigilantly, can steer us back to more constitutional government.

Overview of America

2008-07-16T10:33:00.002-05:00

This series of videos was produced by the John Birch Society. JBS has always stood for liberty and conservatism. However, they have been somewhat discredited by accusations of xenophobia (which I have not personally substantiated) and by their tendency to buy in to conspriacy theories (which I observed several years ago when I was more enamored with them).

This series, however, is a good and simple primer of Americanism and our form of government. I think it would be a good starting point for studies in U.S. government for middle schools, high schools, and community colleges. Notice that I said, "a good starting point". It's a good basis for thought and discussion which should expand and refine the themes.

Gingrich on Gas Prices

2008-07-15T15:11:00.002-05:00

Newt gives the common sense answer to our energy crisis.

Why Vote Third Party?

2008-07-14T16:28:00.001-05:00

Baldwin makes his argument for voting third party.

Chuck Baldwin on the Issues

2008-07-14T16:21:00.003-05:00

This video summarizes the positions of Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party nominee for President. Baldwin is a pastor in Pensacola, FL. Most liberty-minded Christians will feel a kinship to Baldwin and the Constitution Party. But, again, voting for a third party only tends to empower the major party that is less like your own political views.

Bob Barr is the Real Conservative in the Race

2008-07-14T15:26:00.002-05:00

Barr is articulate and consistent in his positions. He is the only real conservative who is running in the general election. Unfortunately, his only real impact will be to deliver the presidency to Barack Obama. The bodes ill for court appointments, a fact that should give all liberty-minded Americans pause. A generation of work towards bringing the courts back in line will be lost. And for that we can blame the GOP Congress and President for the last eight years.

Bob Barr on Fox Business

2008-07-12T14:41:00.002-05:00

Yes, I've found a new toy to play with on my blog and I'm trying it out.

More Than One Way?

2008-07-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

On Time magazine’s website (www.time.com, Christians: No One Path to Salvation, June 23, 2008) David van Biema writes: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

If the Pew survey is representative of the opinions that really exist in the American evangelical church, we are in real trouble as the people of God in this generation. It means that practically, though not officially, we have lost the Gospel as the center of our faith. It also means our churches are filled with professing Christians who are immature in the faith and that not a few of those have never come to saving faith. Paul the apostle says that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and that the Gospel is summed up in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:1 – 4). A majority of evangelicals do not understand that simple, straightforward message or have discounted it.

For most people, knowing and understanding God is primarily an exercise in self-fulfillment or enlightenment. In other words, God is a means of enhancing their lives in a meaningful way. This misses the point of the Gospel entirely. The point of the Gospel is to deal with the problem of sin and reconcile man to his Creator. Many good things happen as a result of overcoming the sin problem. But those good things are ancillary benefits; they are not the purpose of the Gospel.

As Jesus Himself declares, He is the only way to the Father. But many Christians claim to believe that there must be other ways, too. We cannot hold to two contradictory beliefs at the same time. Christ must be true! It is for us to mold our attitudes and beliefs to conform to what He says rather than twisting or abbreviating Him to conform to our beliefs. Believing what Jesus says about being the only way has a consequence. The consequence is evangelism. If we believe that Jesus is the only way, we must get the word out! When the Gospel is central to our faith, we order our lives as a church and as individuals around it.

Real Evangelism

2007-10-03T18:23:00.000-05:00

Evangelism is a subject which is simultaneously celebrated, promoted, programmed, feared, and unpracticed in our churches. Since reading Mark Dever’s book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, I’ve thought about why we in the church have such conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism.

One reason we have conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism is that we believe we are responsible for the results. Of course we pay lip service to the fact that God is ultimately the one who saves and converts people. But in our minds we actually think that if we do it right, people will be saved and if we do it wrong, people won’t be saved. In other words, we think a person being saved depends on our skill or technique or abilities of persuasion. With that thought lurking beneath the surface of our thinking, it’s natural that we are absolutely terrified of evangelizing. We are afraid of trying because we see the possibility of success being very unlikely. We think that we can never gain the knowledge, ability, or confidence to practice evangelism. So we leave it to the professionals. But we keep the guilt for not doing it.

Another reason we have conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism is that we are confused about what evangelism is. We confuse the activities and methods that surround evangelism with evangelism itself. Perhaps we think that inviting someone to church is evangelism. It’s not. Inviting them to church is something that we should do! It may lead to evangelism and salvation. But by itself, it’s not evangelism. It’s a good method we use to expose them to the good news, the gospel. Perhaps we think that helping the poor, the sick, and the less fortunate is evangelism. It’s not. We should do good and help relieve the poor, the sick, and victims of tragedies! These may present opportunities for us to evangelize and even provide us the credibility to evangelize with those we help. But it’s not evangelism. Perhaps we think that telling what Jesus did for us is evangelism. It’s not. It is a testimony of praise to God! It’s a real life example to those we hope to evangelize. But if we give our witness, our testimony, and do not give the Gospel, we have not evangelized.

Evangelism is giving the evangel. The evangel is the Gospel. Any presentation of the Gospel, in order to be complete and adequate, must include the parts that follow. God created us, but we rebelled against His authority. That’s sin. Sin earned us God’s wrath. But God loved us with a perfect love, so much so that He became a man, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood as our substitute in payment for our sin. And God has said that if we repent and turn to Christ in faith, He will forgive us and give us eternal life.

Anyone who knows and believes the Gospel can share the good news. Do you believe it? Will you share it with someone this week?

Taking a Prophetic Stance in the Public Arena

2007-09-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

As I'm sitting here listening to the American Solutions presentation on the internet, I came across a post by Doug Wilson at Blog & Mablog. He posits that we should not align the voice of the church with a political bloc. He writes, in part:

The hook that Loconte uses in his article is the image of the Shadow taking shape and growing in The Lord of the Rings. He says that in our day the shadow is, Sauron-like, the rise of Islamo-fascism. He rightly observes that all kinds of people, who should know better, appear to be unconcerned about this. We ought not to look at total fire-power available. I am willing to bet there was more explosive power in one American bomb than in all the suicide bombs put together. But Mark Steyn has shrewdly observed that suicide bombing is not a potent tactic . . . unless it deployed against a suicide culture.

But Tolkien was wiser than to buy into false dichotomies. Not only was Sauron gathering his forces, but the Shadow was also growing from within. Saruman was one who once stood against evil, and was corrupted in the process. Our oaths of office are frequently wiser than we are. The Constitution has enemies both foreign and domestic. Why is it that those who see the threat of radical Islam frequently cannot see the threat of a secularist American empire? Why is it that those who see the threat of a swollen American empire cannot see the threat of radical Islam? Is it allowable for us to think that the Patriot Act would have had Patrick Henry running to his gun cabinet . . . without praising Hamas as a humanitarian group similar to Rotary? Is it permissible to think that Ahmadinejad is a terrible man without thinking that presidents get to declare war whenever they feel like it?

Read the rest of The Fox News Jesus or the CNN Jesus?

Wisdom and Discernment

2007-09-26T15:12:00.000-05:00

Years after the death of President Calvin Coolidge, this story came to light. In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet, which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back, declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! (Yes, the loan was paid back.)

President Coolidge is an example of the spirit and attitude of a Christian. It’s the attitude of being ready to love and understand, not of being ready to be angry and oppose. And although Silent Cal’s personality may have had something to do with his response to the young burglar, I suspect his faith was the major motivation. But it’s also an attitude of making proper distinctions. He properly distinguished between a sinner motivated by desperation and a sinner motivated by malevolence.

Christians today need to be able to make distinctions, to exercise discernment. Pop Christianity fails to make needed and basic distinctions. Therefore, it makes us simplistic rather than wise. Two prime examples of this simplistic failure are in the areas of judging and forgiveness.

Many Christians and non-Christians quote what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount as if it means we should never say something negative about another person’s belief system or behavior. Nothing could be farther from the truth. (Matthew 7:1 NKJV Judge not, that you be not judged.) Jesus indeed warns us about the type of critical, self-righteous condemning done by religious hypocrites. This kind of judging springs from a proud heart and a sense of being better than others. But we should be able to know when someone is advocating false beliefs or living in a way contrary to God’s Word. As a matter of fact, we should confront them with it. (Galatians 1:8-9 NKJV But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (9) As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Ephesians 5:11 NKJV And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them..)

In the same way, many Christians and non-Christians think the Bible requires believers for forgive everyone for everything all the time. Jesus didn’t teach that. He did teach that we should be patient with others, treat them with kindness and grace, and not take vengeance on them. But forgiveness is reserved for those who repent. (Luke 17:3-4 NKJV Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.") That means the offender must change his mind about what he did and genuinely set forth not to do it again.

The Lord has called His children to be wise, not simple. We need to exercise mature judgment in our relationships and in our stand for truth. Discernment exercised with a kind and humble spirit is a mark of growing in the Lord.

Thoughts on Revival

2007-09-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

I’ve never really cared for the term “revival services”, although I love and appreciate the actual meetings. “Revival services” almost assumes that the evangelist will bring spiritual renewal and increased fervor with him…practically guaranteed. Of course the evangelist himself will tell you that he cannot and does not bring revival. Revival is a gift, a state, an event that only the Lord God can give.

And revival is not primarily about unbelievers being converted. It can often result in men and women and young people receiving Christ. But that’s really just a glorious side benefit. Revival is about God’s people drawing near to Him. It’s about removing the obstacles we’ve allowed to get between our Savior and us. It’s about becoming humble and genuine again. It’s about us being broken over our own vile sinfulness. It’s about ripping our focus away from the temporal and the material and gazing once again on eternity. It’s about the I AM filling our vision, thereby crowding out all priorities of lower order. It’s about Christ’s glory radiantly illuminating our hearts.

In other words, revival is about the holiness of God and about His holiness being applied to our lives, making us holy. Revival is about the sanctification of God’s people. The only way to progress in holiness is by exposure to God’s Word. John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” As we are exposed to God through His Word, the impurities of our lives are surfaced, sanded, and expelled. Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Truth is the agent of conforming us to Christ’s image.

It’s hard work. It’s uncomfortable, even painful, at times. But it is necessary work. Brokenness. Authenticity. Humility. These are not the words associated with pragmatic, market driven Churchianity. But they are words associated with revival…real revival. They require generous doses of Truth.

Developing Routine in Your Life

2007-08-22T15:50:00.000-05:00

For families with school aged children, this week marks the return to normality…or at least routine. Even though the thermometer says that it’s still summer, for all intents and purposes summer and its relaxed (?) schedule are over. Life will go back to its rhythm and schedule. Which isn’t to say that it won’t be busy or hectic. But vacation and leisure are put on hold for a while and our minds turn back to our work and responsibilities.

Routine has become my friend. In fact, without it, I would be less secure and more stressed. I would accomplish less. I would have less discretionary time. I would have more unfinished projects (than I already have!). Routine is a tool I use to help me order my life and fulfill the plan God has given me. Routine even allows me to see the Lord’s goodness. Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: Since God designs and orders life with appropriate cycles and changes, it is desirable that I will imitate Him in bringing order to the cycles of my life.

Spiritual routines can significantly impact your life. But to have any kind of routine, you must first make a few considered judgments…decisions you’ve made ahead of time. First, decide that the Lord Jesus deserves the first and best part of everything you have: time, talent, treasure, intellect, and emotion. And give it to Him. Second, decide that the long term and the eternal will not be sacrificed on the altar of the immediate and the urgent. Third, decide that the Lord’s Day, Sunday, belongs to the Lord. Fourth, decide that since the Lord Jesus thought the church was important enough to die for, you will love it and make it one of the top priorities of your life. And fifth, decide that your family (your spouse and children if you’re married, your parents and siblings if you’re single) takes priority over every other earthly relationship.

With those considered judgments made, you can settle into helpful spiritual routines.
1. Spend time with the Lord at a certain time every day.
2. Spend time with your family every day.
3. Spend time with your family in God’s Word and prayer every day.
4. Spend Sundays in the Lord’s House.
5. Invest your life in the work of the Word.
6. Invest in being equipped for your ministry by your pastor and other spiritual leaders in your church.
7. Invest the Lord’s tithe and your offerings in the work of your church.
8. Invest your time in attending and serving in the ministries of your church.

Spiritual routine leads to steady progress in the spiritual life. As you expose yourself to the Lord’s Word and His Work on a regular basis, He will change you and grow you. And what could be better than becoming what God meant for you to be?

The Bigness of God

2007-08-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

While catching up on my blog reading today, I ran across a post by Bill Bixby. He had an extended quote by Thabiti Anayabwile. Following the link, I read the entire article. What a blessing! What a comfort! What a challenge! For your convenience, here is an extended quote:

Right now, the Cayman Islands are preparing for what could be a category-5 hurricane, Dean. Men are at my house boarding up windows and securing the place.

It's clear to me that when moments like the Minneapolis bridge collapse happen, or category 5 hurricanes come your way, you need to have a rock-ribbed theology featuring the massive and awesome God of the Bible, the God who created the worlds with a word and His Son who rebuked the winds with a word. The same God who rules even over the evil causes of Satan and his minions, and the feeble efforts of men to thwart Him. The Bible's picture of God is that nothing is beyond his control, not even the places where we live (Acts 17:24-26). And "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).

Seems to me that Piper's post is an elaborate statement of Acts 17:27.

Boyd asks, "Where are God's warnings?" I'm left wondering what Pastor Boyd is preaching Sunday to Sunday. Are we not to be watchmen signaling the dangers from the pulpits across the world? And has not the Lord written in the creation itself and on the conscience of all men indicators and warnings that He exists and He is to be worshipped? (Rom. 1:18-32, for example). "So that men are without excuse."

I have the task tomorrow morning, the privilege really, of telling people tomorrow morning how they should think about their lives right now. And it won't be much of a stretch, by God's grace, because we'll be meditating on what we've been meditating on for the entire year of my service here.

God is big, very big. God is glorious and awesome, far more powerful than hurricanes. Life is precious, preciously short. It's short because we are sinners and we sin. Against that sin and sinners, the big, glorious, and awesome God pledges eternal wrath. We won't escape that wrath to come unless we turn from sin to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the exact representation of God's being and the radiance of His glory, who died to atone for the sins of His people, and through whom believers live eternally. Now, repent and believe and be saved. Flee the allurements of this world with its vain philosophy and purchase the Pearl of Great Price, the Prince of Peace, and set your affections on Christ who rules at the Father's right hand.

Tomorrow, I suspect my task will perhaps be easier than it has been to this point. Men who all their lives have been held in bondage to fear of death will be looking squarely at that fear and the reality of death. I can "protect" God's reputation by saying it's not really His fault; men and fallen angels messed up the world. That's true, but only partially true.

God still rules. I can tell the people that the way men messed the world up through sin provoked God to wrath; the disasters of the world are really only one aspect of the outworking of His holy judgment, and not even the infinite outworking. Though God is not in the hurricane, listen for His voice. Listen for His call to repent. And that's the good news to the lost among us tomorrow.

The even better news to the found is God has not purchased your life with the precious blood of His Son in order to waste it! Whether we perish or survive in this hurricane, God will eternally be glorified. Christ has conquered death and the grave, and He will raise us up victorious. Now let goods and kindred go, this moral life also. There is a far superior one awaiting.

Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy

2007-04-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

A few times a year, I'm called on to write a column in our local newspaper. This month happens to be my month. The article below is an adaptation of my theme from Sunday morning's message, Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy. I've copied it here for you.

Why does God allow violent human tragedy to happen? That’s probably close to the top of the short list of questions we ask each other and ourselves when an attack like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombing or a massacre like Columbine High or Virginia Tech takes place. And it’s a perfectly human reaction that we do. But if we never move on from that initial questioning, we betray the basic misunderstanding have about the Lord and about mankind.

Focusing exclusively on the question, “Why did God let it happen?”, shows that we have a basic misunderstanding of God. It’s as if we think it’s God’s job to never let anything bad happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Apparently we think that He exists for our comfort and convenience. In fact, that thinking is exactly backwards. We are not the center and focus of the universe; God is! We exist for His pleasure and His will. Therefore we can’t assign jobs to God at all. And He certainly is not constrained to take on any task that He hasn’t already assigned Himself in Scripture. That doesn’t imply that our Lord is unkind or unconcerned about human tragedy. Not at all! He is deeply moved and compassionate towards the victims and towards those of us left behind to grieve. But the anger and bitterness that questions God’s goodness and love because bad things happen in the world reveals something deeper in the heart of man.

When we dwell on the question, “Why did He let it happen?”, we show we have a basic misunderstanding of mankind: of each of us. In Romans we’re told that there is none righteous and that all have sinned. In Jeremiah we’re told that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Throughout the Bible, the Lord repeatedly warns us to face squarely in the face the reality that in us dwells nothing good. Indeed, we are all marred, stained, and ruined by sin. The truth is that evil is in the hearts of all men. And but for the restraining grace of God in our individual lives, each of us could walk down the path of violence and murder.

We have an answer from the Lord Jesus in responding to these types of human tragedies. In Luke 13:1-3, Jesus tells of a group of worshippers that the dictator of the area had murdered while they were in church! The people couldn’t comprehend how God could allow it to happen. Jesus responded that these poor victims had done nothing to deserve this kind of death in comparison with others. And then He turned the focus. Instead of looking at God and thinking He’s unkind and instead of looking at the victims and thinking they were to blame, Jesus said that we should look at ourselves. Tragedies should always turn us to repentance. Noted author and pastor John Piper says, “The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.”

When we ask, “Why did God let this bad thing happen?”, we should rather ask, “Why does God allow so much good happen to so many people so often?”. That is the question, and the attitude, for dealing with violent human tragedy.

Jesus Is The Truth

2007-04-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

This morning's sermon, "Jesus Is The Truth", is available online at The Parson's Pulpit.

Deep Personal Love

2007-04-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

Put yourself in the sandals of Jesus’ closest followers during those turbulent days of Passover week almost 2000 years ago. Every certainty of your life as you had known it was shattered. The Person you had come to regard as more than merely your teacher, but as your friend and master, had been viciously seized and put to death for the sake of hatred and political expedience. Additionally, you fear that you might be next on the leaders’ hit list. Your personal plans, your religious standing, and your future existence were all in a state of flux. In short, you were dazed, confused, and grieving.

As we look at the scene in John 20, the major players are all acting in a grief-shrouded state of mind. They had forgotten most of Jesus’ teachings. Their memories of the promises and prophecies of Scripture were dim. But even in this emotionally battered condition, Mary, Peter, John, and the other disciples still had two anchors for their storm-tossed hearts. They had deep personal affection for Jesus. And they had deep personal affection for one another. When their knowledge failed them, they still had love. When their hope was nearly abandoned, they still had love. When they were utterly confused and almost bereft of faith, they still had love. Love is what sustained them. Love is what drove them.

Love drove Mary and the other women to the tomb that early Sunday morning to finish the job of tending to Jesus’ body. Love motivated her horror at the empty tomb, thinking that someone had stolen Him away, and love gave speed to her feet as she hurried to tell Peter and John. Love drove the two men to the empty tomb, forgetting the potential danger of being seen openly on the streets of Jerusalem. And love caused them to believe that He was risen. Love made them hope against hope that it was true.

And before the day was out, they each had their love and hope confirmed. The risen Lord Jesus came to them. And their faith was confirmed.

For you and me today, the lessons of that Resurrection morning are many. But what we need to learn from Mary, Peter, and John is that personal love for Christ and for Christ’s people matters most. Knowledge is vital. There is no excuse for Christians being ignorant of God’s Word and His ways. Hope is important. It buoys us along the rough seas of life. But personal love for the Master is the grand distinguishing mark of a real disciple. It anchors your soul when nothing else makes sense.

How’s your love for Jesus?

The Meaning of Easter

2007-04-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Bible says, in Matthew 28:5-6, “But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”” These two simple sentences declare the meaning of Easter in a way that no other words can. With clarity and precision, God speaks to man with a certainty that transforms mere religion into an eternity-altering reality.
First, the angel says that Jesus was crucified. He was dead, buried, his body in a tomb. He shed His perfect, sinless blood in payment of your sins. The debt that you owe to God because of your direct breaking of His laws and of your passive failure to fulfill His desires now has a pay-off. Jesus made that possible on the cross. No amount of good works you do in the future could do that. No amount of heart felt sincerity could do that. Only Jesus could do that.
Second, the angel says that Jesus is risen. He is risen! With the same power that spoke the universe into existence, Jesus took up His life again and broke the chains of death, Hell, and the grave. His resurrection is the living proof of the Father’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. It is the proof that He can give you His life…eternal life…life that begins now and lasts forever. It is proof that He loves you and that nothing will stop Him from rescuing you.
The Resurrection is the meaning of Easter. It not merely the promise of life renewed in nature or even the seasons of life. It is the promise of Life, the spiritual life that your dead soul desperately needs. And it is provided powerfully in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

New Sermons Posted

2007-04-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

I've posted three new sermons at The Parson's Pulpit .

Enjoy.

The Role of the Pastor

2007-03-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about the role of pastors in the local churches. The audience I had in mind while writing it was other pastors. It seems to me that with the resurgence of militant Calvinism and the concurrent emphasis on multiple elders in each congregation that the role of the pastor-teacher, the undershepherd, God's man has been devalued. In Scripture and in experience, I see little evidence for demanding that each congregation have multiple elders, much less that each elder is equal in authority with each of the other elders. With that in mind, I quote my own article.

The pastor is described in the Scripture as a shepherd, elder, overseer, and
steward. These descriptions provide us with the parameters of his character,
responsibility, and authority.

Three criteria should govern the character of the man of God. First, he is an elder. That is, he should be seasoned in the service of the Lord, not new or immature in the ministry. He is to possess the proper seriousness of mind and demeanor that lends itself to the awesome task with which he is charged. It is a call to mature balance. Second, he is called to be blameless. That is, he is to be of sufficient character quality that no major character flaw can be laid to his account. He cannot be sinless for he is
a man still in the flesh and subject to the same temptations and shortcomings as
other believers. However, blamelessness indicates that the pastor is obedient,
humble, and yielded to God to the extent that he is an exemplary role model to
the believers under his charge. Third, he is a leader. That is, he is willing
and ready to step to the front and call others to follow him. He is to be
confident in his gifts and calling, but more confident in the One who called and
enables him.

The Lord lays heavy responsibility upon the shoulders of those
he calls to pastor his flocks. The pastor is described as a shepherd. That
indicates that he has the responsibility to feed, guide, and protect the flock.
He has a primary duty to feed the Word of God to the congregation. He must be
careful to declare the whole counsel of God, both the milk and the meat of the
Scriptures. He is also responsible to guide the church as a whole and believers
as individuals, so that they are equipped for life and ministry. Additionally,
he is charged with protecting the congregation from attacks, both from without
and within. This requires that he be vigilant and alert, and that he be courageous in dealing with wolves. The pastor is also described as an overseer. That indicates that he has the responsibility to provide direction for the entire enterprise of the church and to have charge for the spiritual welfare and development of its members. The pastor is also described as a steward, that is, the manager of the Master’s household.

The Bible sheds much light on the authority that goes along with the responsibilities of fulfilling the office of pastor. He is said to have "the rule", which is governing authority that congregants are admonished to "obey". The requisite authority to carry out his responsibilities is also implied in the titles "overseer" and "steward". The nature of his authority is hierarchal, moral, and spiritual. It is hierarchal in
that he is the chief officer in the chain of command of the local church, under
Christ. It is moral in that he is not to "lord over" those under his authority
by the barking of commands and presenting of demands. Rather, he is to lead and
to compel them by his example and love for them. It is spiritual in that his
exercise of authority should be with an eye to enhancing the church’s and the
individual’s relationship with God.

The role of the pastor requires a man of character who can shoulder responsibility and who can graciously exercise authority. He is the first among equals in the local body. His role demands that he have the skill to work with other leaders and officers and that he have the strength to provide them leadership. He is to be neither a despot nor a doormat. He is to be the willing patriarch of the household over which God places him as leader. In so leading, he will please his Master.

Living in the Present With the Future in Mind

2007-02-21T14:53:00.000-06:00

Hear my recent sermon, Living in the Present With the Future in Mind, by clicking on the link.

Yes. This is a new toy for me and I'm giving it a try! ;)

Foolishness in the Name of Christ?

2006-12-21T10:25:00.000-06:00

Like many of you, I read several blogs. In fact, I read several websites with which I do not totally agree. Three sites that I read and from which I benefit are Slice of Laodicea, Apprising Ministries, and Old Truth. Though I read and benefit from them, I find that they tend to a hyper-critical spirit; therefore I read them with a certain amount of caution. Their strength, however, is that they are alert to the errors and excesses of pragmatic, market-driven churchianity.

In a recent article at Old Truth, Jim Bublitz writes a great article about one of the latest examples of tomfoolery in the name of evangelism. He says:

I have to admit, nothing sets me off quite like this kind of
thing.
I'm talking about the way growth-driven churches irreverently
misrepresent God
as being just another one of the guys (Psalm 50:21). It
doesn't stop there
either; the biblically defined office of pastor usually
gets a downgrade as
well. Any dignity that pastors should have (1 Timothy
3:1-7 and Titus 2:7-8)
becomes expendable for the sake of hip and trendy
relevance.

The "kind of thing" he refers to is this video by Gary Lamb of Ridge Stone Church in Canton, GA. (Let me admit up front that I find rap "music" objectionable on spiritual, aesthetic, and cultural grounds.) The video is foolish and pathetic on at least a couple of levels. First, it trivializes outreach to the lost for church attendance to the level of a Saturday Night Live sketch. No, I'm not humor impaired. I'm fine with jokes, comedy, and generally cutting up in the right context. Second, it sends an unwitting message to the lost that we have a lack of fear, awe, and reverence for God...and it's okay if they do, too.

This is not what Paul had in mind when he said, "it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21) The Spirit's emphasis is always on Christ. And Christ's emphasis is on the Word, even to the extent that He identifies Himself as the Living Word. It is the message of the Cross (His sacrificial, substitutionary death and His resurrection with power and authority) that draws men and women and young people to repentance and faith. A flip approach to advertisement and evangelism cannot produce real conversions because it and those who employ it present an incomplete and misleading gospel.

Music in Worship

2006-12-17T19:50:00.000-06:00

Music is the Message , posted at NeoFundamentalist, gives a great, balanced perspective on the issue of music. For those of us who are not legalists concerning music, this article presents much needed food for thought.

One of the reasons that I wandered away from the fundamentalist movement a few years ago was what I saw as an undue emphasis on music standards. Acceptable music was defined by church leaders in ways that were narrow, subjective, and elitist. The pastor and/or music minister was in the position of being the arbiter of what constituted music acceptable to God. Often, leaders would refer to certain experts who shared their tastes and cultural biases. The leaders and their writings were regarded as authoritative. This approach to church music left me cold and frustrated. Having been taught that the Bible is our only authoritative rule for faith and practice, I naturally chafed under artificial rules imposed by leaders in the area of music. I could find no Scriptural corroboration for their standards and therefore felt they were being unjust in forcing their preferences on the churches. Many pastors and leaders passed off their personal tastes as "thus saith the Lord".

My tastes in music have always been generally broad and eclectic. I like some of most genres of music, with two or three notable exceptions. When I broke free of legalism, I also indulged my tastes in church music. Some I like more and some I like less. But I bought into the comteporary church notion that music is amoral (is that like being an amillenialist?)...or at least I bought into it intellectually. But even during that period of my life, there was a troubled voice of objection in the back of my mind regarding music. I still had lines that I would not cross, but I attributed them to my own prejudices and upbringing.

As I've made the course correction back towards nonlegalistic fundamentalism away from the errors of the market driven church, I am once again convinced that music is the message to a certain degree. Music is a communicative tool, an emotional and intellectual expression that both carries and calls forth moral and spiritual values from listeners.

NeoFundy's article brings some clarity to the discussion and evaluation of music that is appropriate for the churchs and for individual Christians.

Future Men

2006-12-17T14:52:00.000-06:00

On his blog Irrelevant, Greg Linscott quotes from the book Future Men by Doug Wilson:

Music has been one of the chief culprits in the feminization of the
church. Many of the ‘traditional’ hymns of the nineteenth century are romantic,
flowery, and feminine. (I come, after all, to the garden alone, while the dew is
still on the roses.) But the recent rejection of such hymns in favor of
contemporary worship music has been a step further away from a biblical
masculinity. The current emphasis on “feeling worshipful” is frankly
masturbatory, which in men produces a cowardly and effeminate result.
The
fact that the church has largely abandoned the singing of psalms means that the
church has abandoned a songbook that is thoroughly masculine in its lyrics. The
writer of most of the psalms was a warrior, and he knew how to fight the Lord’s
enemies in song. With regard to the music of our psalms and hymns, we must
return to a world of vigorous singing, vibrant anthems, more songs where the
tenor carries the melody, open fifths, and glory. Our problem is not that such
songs do not exist; our problem is that we have forgotten them. And in
forgetting them, we are forgetting our boys. Men need to model such singing for
their sons.

While we should exercise care not to go to the opposite extreme, we would do well to de-feminize our churches. (God is no more pleased with macho than with wimpy). This feminization has shown itself most prominently in church music ministries. Balancing our approach to music both in style and in lyrical content will allow our men to more easily and enthusiastically enter into corporate worship.

Poem for America

2006-12-17T14:42:00.000-06:00

Green Baggins posts a great poem for America by Kipling. Read it here.

May our patriotism always be seasoned by humility and dependence on the Lord.

Worldliness in Contemporary Church

2006-12-12T14:30:00.000-06:00

One of the things about which the Lord has changed my thinking over the last 12 to 18 months is regarding the entire market oriented approach to ministry. John MacArthur states here that worldliness is the major problem in evangelical Christianity:

We keep hearing from evangelical strategists and
savvy church leaders that Christians need to be more tuned into contemporary
culture.
You have no doubt heard the arguments: We need to take the message
out of the bottle. We can’t minister effectively if don’t speak the language of
contemporary counterculture. If we don’t vernacularize the gospel, contextualize
the church, and reimagine Christanity for each succeeding generation,
how can we possibly reach young people? Above all else, we have got to stay in
step with the times.
Those arguments have been stressed to the point that
many evangelicals now seem to think unstylishness is just about the worst
imaginable threat to the expansion of the gospel and the influence of the
church. They don’t really care if they are worldly. They just don’t want to be
thought uncool.

This very mindset of supposed relevance has led many down the path to triviality. Imagine! We trivialize the Almighty Creator of the universe in our zeal to increasingly swell attendance and call it success. May He forgive us and grant us repentance from our headlong rush into "relevant" irreverence.

Books, etc.

2006-07-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

When I previously said that the postings to the blog would come unevenly, I had no idea that it would be almost two months in between entries! But, summertime is a busy time in ministry. So, I'm glad to be back online.

Here is a list of the books I've read over the last three months. I'm providing links so that you can read what others have to say about them. I'll attempt to review some of them over the coming weeks.

Books I've recently read:

Not Like Any Other Book by Peter Masters.
Changed Into His Image by Jim Berg. This is probably the best book I've read in two years. Very helpful in one's personal walk and in discipling others.
Why Men Hate Going To Church by David Murrow.
Healing The Masculine Soul by Gordon Dalbey.
Crushed: The Perilous Journey Called Ministry by Gary Pinion.
Raising A Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis.
Unveiling Islam by Ergun Caner and Emir Caner.
Chosen But Free by Norman Geisler.
The Creative Leader by Ed Young.
Only God by David Ralston. Most inspiring missionary book I've read recently. Bro. Ralston was our pastor at Southside in the late '80s/early '90s.

Books I'm in the process of reading:
Lectures To My Students by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Come Let Us Reason by Norman Geisler and Ronald Brooks.
Set Apart by R. Kent Hughes.

Books on my shelf that are "on deck":
The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman.
The Powell Principles by Oren Harari.
Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences by Norman L. Geisler.
The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort.

Have fun in your reading. I welcome your comments and insight.

A Place to Start

2006-05-29T21:02:00.000-05:00

A place to start

So begins my modest foray into the world of blogging. If this goes like the rest of my life, these ponderings and perusings will come in spurts and floods. Of course it's my intention that they be regular. But more than likely the inspiration will come unevenly and so will the posts.

If I were to describe myself on the theological spectrum, I would choose the label "progressive fundamentalist". I'm a recovering legalist, purpose driven, do-it-the-hard-way Baptist. Now I'm just a progressive fundamental baptist seeking to be balanced and faithful in my understanding and preaching of the Word. If that makes perfect sense to you, you're better at peeling onion layers and reading tea leaves than I am!

If I were to describe myself politically, I would choose the label "conservative". I'm a limited-government, traditional family values, America first conservative. And that frankly means that I'm uncomfortable in the GOP right now because the Beltway Republicans are completely out of touch with me and my values. There are a few, like Sen. Tom Coburn, who still get it. But they are by far the minority.

Well, so goes the introductions. Welcome aboard. I look forward to our virtual walks together as we ponder and peruse faith and values as they relate to church and political life...and whatever other things come up on the radar.