Coming soon

I am still working through the massive biography of Bonhoeffer (it is pretty dry in places) but I also have a new book on the way that I have been very interested in for some time, David Platt’s Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. I am increasingly convinced that the affluence and culture of America, long assumed to be a wonderful blessing, has in many ways been a great impediment to the Gospel proclamation and Christian discipleship. This book seems right up my alley in that respect.

I am curious just how radical Platt is willing to go in this book. It can be hard even when you recognize the underlying problem to see it outside of the cultural boundaries that we have built around the church for centuries. Is it somewhat radical like Jim Belcher’s Deep Church which left one foot firmly planted in the traditional church culture or is it really radical? Being radical to some people means modifying the order of service or not wearing a tie when you deliver a sermon. Real radicalism is more die to yourself, take up your cross kind of stuff.

The book is highly acclaimed in the church, especially among some corners of the Southern Baptist Convention but I will of course reserve judgment. I think anything that stirs the pot and makes people step back and ask hard questions is valuable. I am concerned that if it is as popular as it seems to be, can it be as radical as it purports to be? We will find out!

Fun at Family Camp

As I mentioned in my last post we were at Family Camp last weekend at Bair Lake Bible Camp in Jones, Michigan. Yes all ten of us shared a fairly small cabin and slept in bunk beds! Bair Lake is located in the southwest corner of Michigan and is technically a Plymouth Brethren camp but it is first and foremost a Christian camp and Christians from all evangelical denominational backgrounds and traditions would be comfortable there.

We had a fantastic time although we were pretty tired and getting cranky by Monday morning. My compliments go out to Bob Tissot and the staff at Bair Lake. It is a tough thing to plan for I am sure because you have all sorts of families with different dynamics. There were several other couples who had a small children and there were families where all of the kids were older. Some families had extended members including some elderly grandparents. I can’t imagine the logistics of trying to plan a wide enough variety of activities so that everyone had something to do but we never lacked for activities.

I spent more time with my kids just doing fun stuff than I have in a long time and we enjoyed the activities. I wasn’t a big fan of the group chapel time which I found pretty forgettable (and we skipped the last few) but otherwise we had few complaints. The food was good, there were lots of activities and the weather was fantastic! Upper 60’s is a bit chilly for swimming but it made for nice sleeping weather and it was way better than being really hot since we were outside most of the time. I really enjoyed it and am seriously considering going again next year if we can swing it financially. If you live in the Midwest, especially near Michigan, and are looking for a fun and affordable get-away with your family or looking for a summer camp for your kids (there are also men's retreats, women's retreats, etc.), you should definitely check out Bair Lake!

(You can also check out Bair Lake's Facebook page!)

Back Home

Got back from family camp at Bair Lake Bible Camp a little bit ago, will have some thoughts to share. I haven't moderated any comments since Friday afternoon, so if you posted something I should have them posted later today.

Sober Words from Isaiah

Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
“When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause. (Isaiah 1: 10-17)

Best of the week entry 4

Is kind of old but is an interesting take on Calvin and the American Revolution. Titled John Calvin Taught Rebellion to Tyrants is DISOBEDIENCE to God, it is an interesting look at the idea of human authority from a non-American theological position. Take a look and I would be interested in what my Calvin scholar friends think of this.

Best of the week entry 3

Very interesting post on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his vision for religionless Christianity. Check out Bonhoeffer and “Religionless Christianity”

Best of the week entry 2

A wonderful and heart-wrenching post from a husband and wife facing terminal cancer with their eyes firmly on Jesus. Read Dave Black's How To Pray For Us. Here is a snippet.

So Jesus can be trusted. We can rely on His good judgment when it comes to our health. The only thing we can never justify is disobedience to His commands.

So as you pray for Becky do not pray primarily or even exclusively for her cancer to be healed. Pray that we will remain obedient, trusting, and joyful in the valley. Ask God to help us to follow our upside-down Messiah who upset the political status quo so much so that he got the Roman electric chair. Pray that Becky and I would never forget that, in the kingdom of God, down is up and that it is indeed God's kingdom we are serving, and not our own, until that day when we will stand, side by side, brother and sister, in His presence.

Oh that I would exhibit the same Christ-focus in my own life in the face of much smaller trials.

Best of the week entry 1

Mark at Called Out In Kansas has a great, heartfelt post on the real difficulties in community: Community is Hard Work.

I talk plenty about community. I long for community. I love relationships and desire to develop relationships in Christ.

….sometimes.

You see, I find that my flesh gets in the way of my experience of community, because I am either selfish, and don’t want to share those I am close to with others, or I am afraid to reach out for fear of rejection, or I would just rather be alone and not mess with other people. I know, it sounds awful, and it is.

Like Mark I often talk about community and we both know it is eminently Biblical but it can be difficult for a culture like ours that cherishes religious ritual and self-interest. Biblical community is hard work, far harder than anonymously showing up at "church", putting on your Sunday best and a smile and then going home.

Church is easy. Community is hard.

What does the unbelieving world see?

It is without question that one of the most powerful witnesses that Christians have is not sermons in a church on Sunday, it is the life of regular Christians living faithful lives in obedience to God. People should know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35).

What do you think? What does the unbelieving world see when it looks at the gathering of the church? Does it hate us for standing up for the Gospel or for our triumphalism? Do you think the world looks at Christians and marvels at how we love one another? Does it even see us loving one another?

Preaching the Word is not just for pastors

So what has me on this kick again? Something I read this morning from John MacArthur in his commentary on 2 Timothy 4: 1-5, a section every preacher is familiar with. Here is the passage in question:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4: 1-5)

Amen to that!

Unfortunately, this is one of the most misapplied passages of Scripture in the Bible. Misapplied in the sense of being seen as applying primarily or even exclusively to pastors. At this time, Timothy was not a “pastor” in the sense we assume. He was not hired after an extensive search by a pastor search committee. He didn’t go to seminary. As best I can tell, he didn’t serve in one local church in a given town at the exclusion of any other local gathering of Christians. He was travelling all the time and was more of an itinerant preacher, an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5). If anything he was an assistant to Paul, a noble task but he was constantly coming and going.

I have no problems at applying Paul’s exhortations to Timothy to modern believers. The words of Paul are specific to Timothy but his exhortations are universally sound for all believers. The problem comes when we take directives applied to Timothy and apply them selectively to certain men today. If we are going to take Paul’s exhortations to Timothy and apply them in a contemporary setting (which is OK) we cannot apply them selectively based on a cultural assumption of what Paul was writing about and who Timothy was. That is apparently what MacArthur (and many, many other commentators) is doing.

Although directed first of all to Timothy, Paul’s commission in 2 Timothy 4:1–5 applies to every minister of the gospel in every age, every place, and every circumstance. In a broader way it can be applied to every faithful believer, because it is essential for every congregation to know and understand this charge. Churches are responsible, under God and with God, to hold their pastors accountable to these divine precepts.

The role of the preacher in Christ’s church is vital, and God has ordained that His people be taught and shepherded by Spirit-gifted, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered men. The spiritual life and faithfulness of a congregation always is closely related to the spiritual life and faithfulness of its pastor.

This is where things get a little dicey. As near as I can tell, Timothy was not a pastor in the traditional sense anywhere. Wikipedia (always a reliable source!) says: According to later tradition, Paul ordained Timothy as bishop of Ephesus in the year 65, where he served for 15 years. That may or may not be true but there doesn’t appear to be any Scriptural basis to place Timothy as a pastor or even permanent elder in any local churches from what we read in Acts, Paul’s letters to Timothy or anywhere else Timothy is mentioned. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he urges Timothy to stay in Ephesus to counter the false teachers, something that would not have been necessary if he was the elder there (unless you think Timothy was considering a “call” to move to a bigger church that would pay him more and Paul was urging him to stay put).

In taking Paul’s letters to Timothy as applying primarily to pastors, we find a serious problem. As MacArthur tries to explain it, these passages are exhortations for “ministers”, i.e. specially ordained people in the church. The only way this is applied to “regular” church members is to make sure that their pastor is properly preaching each week.

This is why it is dangerous to assume stuff. We assume Timothy was a pastor and we assume that Paul was giving him advice in that role that should apply to pastors (and only pastors). All of this in spite of any evidence that these exhortations were limited to a certain class of Christians (pastors) and if they were aimed at pastors, we see nothing to indicate that Timothy was in that role! I won’t even get into the point that “preaching the Word” does not equal “delivering a sermon each week”.

One final point that sticks in my craw is this statement:

The spiritual life and faithfulness of a congregation always is closely related to the spiritual life and faithfulness of its pastor.

I will make a blunt and blanket statement here (now THAT is unusual). If a gathering of the church is dependent on the spiritual life and faithfulness of one man, then that congregation is inherently going to have a weak spiritual life and faithfulness. You don’t get to shirk your calling as a Christian by relying on a preacher. You don’t grow in the faith by watching someone else tell you about growing in the faith. You can’t blame someone else for “not feeding you”.

Being prepared to preach the Word, in season and out of season, is the responsibility and privilege of all Christians. It is antithetical to the witness of Scripture to restrict something so basic as proclaiming the Good News of Christ to a tiny minority in the church. As a believer in Jesus Christ, bought by His blood and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, I have the same responsibility to declare Christ to the world as Timothy or Paul. If you are His disciples, you have that same responsibility as well. Don’t let anyone tell you that your responsibility is restricted to sitting in your pew and listening to someone else.

Weird

So I got this email notification earlier today:

Mormon Church News (@mormon_news) is now following your tweets (@ArthurSido) on Twitter.

Are they watching me? Am I on some sort of list?

Who defines the church?

Pop Quiz!

Where did the following definition of a legitimate church come from?

Those criteria include that it has a recognized creed and form of worship; a formal code of doctrine and discipline; a membership not associated with any other church or denomination; ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies; and holds regular religious services.

Think about it for a second.

Our Lord? Nope.

The apostle Paul? Nope.

Peter? Nope.

That definition comes from the Internal Revenue Service. I saw this linked from a post by Kevin DeYoung yesterday and it apparently shows that the IRS has a better understanding of the church than many Christians.

Are you kidding me? Creed, doctrine, discipline, membership, ordained ministers, regular religious services–that’s the most impressive display to come from tax collectors since wee Zacchaeus climbed in that sycamore tree.

While we don’t want to leave the defining of “church” to the IRS, and it appears there is wiggle room with their 14 criteria, it is nevertheless instructive to see that the world sometimes understands what a church is supposed to be better than the Christians do.

Zing! Or perhaps not. I will certainly affirm that the IRS and the Federal government as a whole has the right to determine the tax status of any organization and if it defines a “church” as it does above, so be it. I am not really in favor of local church organizations seeking tax favored status from Caesar and this is partly why but that is a discussion for another day. Let’s look at the definition of a “church” from the IRS that Kevin seems so enamored with.

a recognized creed: If by recognized creed you mean Jesus is Lord, then amen! If recognized creed means adherence to one of the historical creeds of the Protestant reformation or some other formally codified listing of doctrinal stances, those are absent from Scripture. I think any gathering will naturally come to this point but it is hardly the defining characteristic of a valid expression of the church.

form of worship: I don’t think it is self-apparent that early Christian gatherings were “worship services” in any sense that we use that phrase today and certainly there was no order of worship or liturgy anywhere in Scripture. Not only is a rigid order of worship absent, it in fact it seems evident that in places like 1 Corinthians 14 that the expectation was that the meetings would be open and participatory. Paul’s caution in 1 Corinthians 14 is not a call to adopt a liturgy but rather a caution to keep things orderly while the brothers are praying or bringing a lesson or a revelation. It is more “take turns” than it is “follow this bulletin”

a formal code of doctrine and discipline: A formal code of doctrine? See above about the creeds. Somehow the early church functioned without the Three Forms of Unity or systematic theology texts. As far as discipline, discipline was something that involved disfellowship for an unrepentant sinner (1 Cor 5) and when a brother had to be confronted, it was the offending party who went to him and only at the end of the process did he bring the elders with him or go before the church with the problem. It was not an "pastor as enforcer" model.

a membership not associated with any other church: Well, since “church membership” in the way we are speaking of here, i.e. a formal membership declaration that I am part of this church and divided therefore from all other local bodies of believers, is found nowhere in Scripture (something even vocal advocates of church membership will admit), I don’t see how the presence or absence of that has any bearing on the legitimacy of a local church.

ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies: This is perhaps the least supportable of the criteria. The presence of a professional religious leader, someone who has competed the prescribed studies (i.e. seminary) is so foreign to Scripture that it boggles the mind that anyone thinks this is a valid criteria of a legitimate church. No doubt the apostles were literate men, at least it appears that way, and some of them (namely Paul who studied under Gamaliel, Acts 22:3) had formal education but none of them had anything like a seminary education with classes on how to exegete passages and prepare and deliver a sermon.

holds regular religious services: If by “regular religious services” you mean that the church lived their lives together, daily sharing meals (Acts 2:46) I guess I am OK with that but that of course is not what the IRS means. Rather this means regularly scheduled gatherings where people come to observe a religious ceremony. Again, not in Scripture. The church as we see it described in the earliest days functioned as a family and a community, not a club for like-minded people to get together once a week.

In total, what the IRS is describing is a cultural feature of Western civilization that is valid for all sorts of organizations. In other words, this definition would hold true for a traditional Christian “church” whether Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant. It would hold true for a mormon church or Seventh Day Adventist church. In fact this definition of "church" is so vague and so antithetical to Scripture that we should be concered where our defintion matches it. If we can describe our church the same way a Muslim can, isn't that cause for concern rather than celebration?

Kevin DeYoung finds in instructive that the IRS understands the church better than Christians. I find it instructive that Kevin finds so much affinity for a secular definition of “church” that is unsupportable in Scripture.