Get Into My Head

The heat was palpable. Feeling the sun beat upon my head, I quickly surveyed my surrounding in the middle of the campus. Trees dotted the landscape, but concrete structures dominated the scenery. All the pathways encouraged the reflection of sun, increasing the heat about me, distracting me as I struggled to listen:

“But I cannot accept a God who would send people to hell just because they don’t agree
with him,” she persisted. Sitting on the curb near the center of the square, she stared at me intently, trying to grasp an ethereal idea as foreign to her as living the life of an earthworm.

“I understand your point, but I think it is misdirected,” I cautiously replied. Handling the Bible in my hand, seeking out the book of Romans while attempting eye contact, I fumbled when another loud riding-lawn mower passed by in the background—the third in so many minutes.

As a dutiful soldier, I marched on: “Try to get into my head; try to understand where Christianity is coming from. We believe that all mankind fell in Adam: when he sinned we all sinned. So everyone is born a sinner, acting out their rebellious nature. When a Christian says that those who reject Christ are going to hell, we say that because they deserve hell.”

“OK,” she slowly replied.

“It is like our own culture: if someone were a murderer or a traitor, they would be punished. There is no talk of ‘fairness’ and the like: they get what they deserve: death. So all mankind, as Romans 1:18ff. states, already deserve death. God, their Judge, is under no obligation to save anyone.”

Knowing the importance of the Word, I proceeded to read that section of Romans, slowly and deliberately, adding short explanatory statements as needed.

“Interesting: men are without excuse. So God sends missionaries to tell the unbelievers about the possibility of salvation in Christ; He does not just let them be,” she mused out loud.

“Yes—so you see from the Christian worldview, it is not merely men not “agreeing” with God, it is rebellious terrorists rejecting the rule of Law and the Law’s Judge.”

A new look entered her eyes: thoughtfulness. “That makes sense. Let me think about that…you certainly have a different approach than simply smashing my head in with the Bible. You tried to understand my position as well.”

I allowed her into my world, my head. Now I pray the Spirit to enter her heart.

Original Sin vs. Science?

A friend of mine discovered some news you won't find in the mainstream.

A Short Review 10: The Ten Points of Calvinism

Are Five Points Enough? The Ten Points of Calvinism, Dr. Coppes

There seem to be a multitude of books and pamphlets on Calvinism. However, even though many of these treatments are useful and convincing, they do not reach the level of integration between simplicity and depth that characterizes this book.

Calvinism is not an isolated debate over how one is saved, but is part and parcel of a larger understanding—a worldview—of the Bible and God’s creation. Our understanding of the Church, worship, evangelism, the Law and all other aspects of the Christian life are integrated in the Reformed community. Put into this context, the reader is invited to explore this fresh introduction to the Reformed faith.

Recommended by Loraine Boettner and Professor George Knight (of Greenville Seminary), this book is highly praised by respected men of the Reformed world. The book contends that Calvinism, properly understood, involves all of life. Creating ten chapters (each a summary treatment of the major themes of Calvinism), the author ends each section with review questions and a list of helpful readings and advance study books. It is eminently readable, while challenging the reader to interact with the copious assortment of Bible verses and Biblical thought.

These characteristics of the book alone make it a valuable addition to those wanting to learn the Reformed faith or for those wishing to refresh their understanding.

OPC GA Update

Here is a running update from the OPC GA at Dordt College.

PCA GA News

See here for developments on Federal Vision.

Thoughts on Weekly Communion...Controversy

Dear readers,

I am surprised and disturbed.

I am surprised because of the quick responses to this posting. It caught me off guard. Shortly after posting I wanted to tweak the post but assumed (you know what that does!) I would not have many readers. Well, lesson learned! I went ahead after the comments occurred. Just as in my book, I differentiated the radical quotes from others not associated with them. I also qualified the universal statement about the Reformed practice--Strassburg practiced weekly Communion for a little while. Perhaps if someone can document otherwise, then I could modify that statement. As it is, I studied and searched through dozens and dozens of books on this relatively obscure issue. Thus, I can say through my own study that this practice was very rare in the Reformed faith. The famous Calvin quote is analyzed in my book along with other quotes of his that point away from weekly Communion (apparently missing in the works I critique). I would strongly suggest that those quick to debate these summary posts (obviously used to goad the readers to my book :-) should read my book first.

I also clarified my "conservative" position. It does not mean tradition is right; it means the burden of proof is on those against it. One cannot study every practice & doctrine in-depth; thus, many have accepted a few good arguments from well-trained men and left it at that...for now. Frankly, I am surprised anyone who knows me would think otherwise.

I am also disturbed. To think that I misquoted someone has kept my mind running all morning! I purposefully asked ministers with years of experience and godliness to read the manuscript. I even sought out those with differing views (with little to no response).

Perhaps the unintended connection between the author and the other radical quotes caused concern; perhaps the starkness of the quote was shocking; perhaps it was assumed that I had other questionable reasons for the quote. Upon further reflection, it could be that someone would take the third quote as a rationalization for weak sermons. That is not the case.

The context of the quote is the explanation of some benefits of weekly Communion (again, reflected in my paper: "The following quotes, although cautious, also challenge the church to take seriously the benefits and rationales for weekly Communion.") So, some benefits are used to argue for weekly Communion. This is clarified as well in the original post.

Since it was the author himself who pointed this out, I would humbly petition him to check the clarification and lend his opinion. At the end of the day, it is his original intent that I seek.

Peace.

SDG

Thoughts on Weekly Communion...So What?

Why bother talking about the frequency of Communion at all? Here are a few reasons:

"Without the word, the sacrament is merely an empty sign. Without the sacrament, the word is not properly sealed and does not have its full, intended effect. [emphasis added]…neither the preaching of the word nor the observance of the sacrament is superfluous or optional in regular Christian worship (cf. Acts 2:42). Biblical worship includes both."[1]

"Or is Communion more like a meal, a frequent event that is special because of its necessity?…What will we say when our Lord asks us why we deliberately neglected a primary means of grace in most Lord’s Day worship services?…Is it truly good stewardship to hide the Communion cup more Sundays than we use it?"[2]


Other writers do not make such bold claims, but offer their ideas, suggesting some benefits (that are not used to excuse weak sermons):

"On the other hand, even if I fall short and preach do’s and don’ts rather than the gospel, the Lord’s Supper helps to remind the congregation of the gospel basics…"
"...it [weekly Supper] might even contribute toward revival and reformation in lives, families, and in congregations."[3]

Some have used weekly Communion to degrade Communion preparation (LCQ 171ff.)
"Since we have weekly communion, we don't need to warn people about approaching the table in an unworthy manner. It would be awkward and repetitive."

Do you, dear reader, agree with these assertions? If so, why? If not, why? The issue is more involved than simply quoting verses or making theological assertions. That's what I found out when I studied the issue: hard work. My opinion shifted through this in-depth study. And at the end of it all I created a book, Words of Life: The Bible & Weekly Communion.

I urge people to read it. Many who have formulated opinions on the matter (especially those in favor of weekly practice) have taken little time to read up on the issue. In fact, being a conservative Presbyterian my starting position is the historical practice of the church. Thus, the burden of proof is on those against such practices. Weekly Communion has not been universally practiced in the Reformed faith. Period. Those acting on it should do so in dialogue with history not out of some private research that can easily miss illuminating arguments and perspectives.

This is only installment one.
Read on, dear reader.

---

[1] Ibid, 270. These statements were given in a short section on the relation of the Word and Sacrament. At best this is unclear language.

[2] Grover E. Gunn, III, “Weekly Communion,” The Counsel of Chalcedon, December 1986, 20.

[3] Larry Wilson, “On Weekly Communion—Some Pastoral Reflections”, Ordained Servant 14, no. 1, (March 2005): 17, 20 , he continues: "I shouldn’t gloss over this, as if weekly communion somehow excuses failure to preach Christ."

---

Interesting Info

I receive The Week. It is a digest of multiple news sources covering politics to the arts. It is the Reader Digest of the Newspaper and Magazines.

Here is some interesting news from the latest issue (June 1, 2007):

Life-Isn't-Fair Mentality Kills: Those with this sinful attitude are "55 percent more likely to have a heart attack in the next decade."

Gas Price Gouging...By the Government: The typical gas company earns 13 cents/gallons...the government takes 18.4 cents...

Polls May Be Useful: 13% of American Muslims believe that in some circumstances suicide bombing of civilians to defend Islam is justified; 5% expressed a favorable opinion of al Qaida; 27% had "no opinion" of them (Pew Research Center).

In other news:

In Case of Emergency: The Government will survive. You might not. (Presidential Directive, NSPD-51/HSPD-20).

Dry Terror Run: Terrorist test America's ability to respond to threats.

Sadly, after (and before) 911, the American governments (local, state or national) have made very little (zero?) effort to teach (or at least recommend) ways to protect ourselves. Thus, we must (like in days of old) teach ourselves and one another how to survive a broken car, a blizzard or a terrorist attack. That means foodstuff reserves, batteries, flashlights....and even the use of a gun. All of which should be standard in any major event.

But that is for another post.

SDG

When Your Opponents Like What You Say

This is verrrrry interesting....

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The Church's Prophetic Office

When the church speaks, people do not listen.
It used to be different.

Election day sermons thundered from the American pulpit, declaring the duty of the people to their rulers and the duty of the rulers to their people. And each were to submit to God.

And if the leaders were blatantly out of hand, the pulpit would call them on the carpet--just like Jeremiah or John the Baptist. This is sometimes dubbed the churches "prophetic office."

I recently watched about the only show worth watching on "public tv" (channel 12, 5.03.07). The Independence Institute was explaining the new bill that passed in Colorado, gaining more funds from the property tax (mill levy). It was touted as the "Children's Amendment", to help give more money to the schools without a tax increase.

But in Colorado we have been blessed with a little thing called the TABOR Amendment. It limits taxes and demands that any tax increase or tax policy change be brought to the people for a vote. And Colorado's Attorney General's office believes the legislative branch is walking on ice with this bill.

Any prima facia reading of TABOR (as the interview with the Deputy Attorney General pointed out) would come to the same conclusion. DeGrow, the other one interviewed, witnessed a Senator screaming (his words) that this was the "children's amendment" and should be passed.

But the bill itself has no guarantee or explicit language that the monies will go to the schools. And the legislature will not include such. In fact, it frees up money on the state end (1.5 billion in a decade). Money for any use. And, of course, it is a tax-increase without the voter's approval. Two strikes thus far.

And what should a minister say to this?
Governors, Senators and Representative: watch your mouth.

Violations of the Ninth Commandment are no little thing. It is bad enough that most politicians have a reputation of lying; exaggeration of claims and using emotive language ("children's amendment") to hide truth is just as bad as blatant lying.

If church leaders would preach this to their people, maybe, just maybe, they might vote differently next time. But we will never know until the churches themselves are infused with Gospel power and love for God's Law.

SDG

The 9mm Gospel

To understand the Virginia Tech massacre, one must understand sin and redemption.

In the midst of blame-throwing, soul-searching & question-begging on the national scene, such a statement appears unbelievable. But please bear with me.

Guilt is an inescapable condition of sinful man. Thus, in the Old Testament economy the main thrust of the ceremonial law was sin and redemption. The temple, the priesthood and the animal sacrifices portrayed these realities. To assuage a guilty conscience satisfaction had to be rendered. Justification before the tribunal had to be accomplished.

During the Day of Atonement, besides the offerings, a goat was sent free. The sins of the people were placed symbolically upon the creature and it was sent into the wilderness. It was the scapegoat.

Through the centuries peoples and nations have lived with guilt. Before the absolute perfection of God’s moral Law, all men are guilty. They have transgressed the Law in thought, word and deed (Rom. 1:20ff.). Accordingly, they have all sought freedom from such a guilty conscience.
They have sought self-atonement and self-justification. This attempted jail-break from the prison of culpability has taken many forms, but can be narrowed down into two types: masochism and sadism.

Masochism is not merely that narrowly defined sexual sin wherein the person demands self-punishment as a license to sin, it is also broadly conceived as self-punishment to satisfy a guilty conscience. (Rushdooney lists five variations of this in his book, Politics of Guilt and Pity (1978, p.2ff.)).

Sadism is sometimes described as inverted masochism. This approach tries to level the moral playing field by attacking an innocent party. It, too, is a form of self-justification, but through punishing others it justifies its own sin. For instance, “Some parents will both indulge flagrantly and then punish savagely their children as they alternate between a mood of longing for the triumph of self-indulgence and a resentment that anyone can escape the punishment when they cannot” (p.6).

The need for atonement, purity and justification is strong in the minds of sinners. The Christian church must understand this fact in its analysis of itself and the society around it. Man’s basic problem is sin and the accompanying guilt that consumes him. Thus, Christians out of all the world philosophies have the explanation for today’s troubled world.

The 9mm butchering of 32 students & faculty at Virginia Tech was not an unexplainable happenstance, as one popular conservative talk-show opined. Nor was this macabre act a result of a mind that was “ill,” “irrational,” or “confused,” as many other commentators claimed.

No.

The student was only acting out his atonement; his 9mm Gospel.

It is a gospel that would destroy everyone so as to save itself.

It is a gospel of frustration, trying to appease a guilty conscience
through a bloody atonement accomplished in a rain of gunfire.

It is a gospel hemmed in by the man-made strictures of godless men. It believed the lie that truth is relative, that social restrictions and responsibilities are merely the product of man’s ever-changing mind. It bought the lie that this world is a product of chance and whim.

Thus, he concluded that might makes right. Why should the ones with the biggest guns make the rules? Why should the majority be right? Why should other people be free from the sins gnawing at his soul?

In an ever-increasing de-Christianization of America through outright denials of God & the downplay of sin and grace, the fruit of generations of gospel-hatred are maturing. This is not simply a “blame society” observation, but a realization that sin is leavening society to a critical point. The seams are fraying; the buttons are bursting.

And this young man is but one manifestation of rebellion against God. Most likely brought up in a semi-pagan home and feed nihilism and evolutionary thought, he simply acted out the logic of such a system.

He could not live with his guilt and he would not seek justification in Christ alone. So, he sought self-atonement through the bloody sacrifices of others.

Then he realized his sadism was insufficient. To prove his self-autonomy, his control over himself, he murdered himself.

Thus, his 9mm gospel brought him peace in this world. The controlling voices of family, friends and state are shut out forever. But the controlling justice of God is not.

Proverbs 8:36 sets before the world the antithesis between the 9mm gospel & God’s Gospel, Wisdom & foolishness, Life & death:

“But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

To the newscasters, students and professionals, this horrible event is a terrifying peek into the soul of man. It is a peek into their own black rebellious souls. Every man is guilty before God’s tribunal. And many will seek a scapegoat to avoid that tribunal.

Yet, if they renounce their own self-justification and claim Christ’s atonement, their consciences will be assuaged and freedom will ensue. No man is more docile than a guilty man. And no man is more empowered than one with a clear conscience.

If they do not learn the lesson of this wake-up call, the 9mm gospel will spread its bloody hands far and wide across this country. Guilty men will see the failed attempts of less bloody forms of atonement and heed the siren call of redemption through the barrel of a gun.

SDG

Math & God: An Inconvenient Truth 1

This short series will have an apologetic thrust. However, to appreciate it, please watch this video. It is slightly long for those internet impaired. But it should be well worth your wait--especially the ending explanation.

In the next posting, I will begin my comments anew.

A Short Review 9: The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread, Robert Letham

This goal of this book is to bring back the sacramental mystery of the Lord’s Supper. Lamenting the modern Reformed misunderstanding of this ordinance of the Lord, the author concisely and consistently argues for the biblical basis and implication of this doctrine for the life of the Church today. There are four chapters covering the biblical data, the historical misconceptions, the Reformed understanding and the practical outworking of the Supper.

Surprisingly, there are some weak elements in a book that is exceptionally well on all other matters. His writing style is fluid and engaging; his explanation of the various competing views is accurate; he even points out that the Lord’s Supper does not solely rest on the Passover (p. 4). Accordingly, he rejects Paedocommunion. And his defense of John Calvin’s and the Confession’s view of the Supper is excellent. The Lord’s Supper is not a personal recollection of Christ’s suffering, but a real participation of sweet fellowship with Christ: true believers “inwardly, by faith, really and indeed,…spiritually, receive, and feed upon, Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death” (WCF 29.7) (p. 45).

The weakness is not insurmountable: even when presenting his inclination for using a loaf and wine, as well as frequent communion, the author is charitable. His amiableness comes clearly to the fore while he succinctly describes his opinions (he clearly sees the frequency of the Supper as an issue of liberty). The arguments are not forceful or even airtight. Overall, these are tertiary matters without lasting impact in the broader concern of the book.

This introductory book is helpful in many ways, especially its emphasis upon the spirituality of the Supper and its significance in the Church’s vision of God: “The church’s worship is therefore communion with the risen Christ, in company with the angels and the church in heaven.”

A Better (Muslim) Trap

A few weeks back, I met with representatives of the second largest organized religion in the world. These Muslims gave a semi-professional visual & audio presentation. They were clear and succinct, answering questions before I brought them forth.

This was good for me and bad for them.

It was good for me because having these questions answered left more time for my brain to launch a counter-attack. It was bad for them because it left time for my brain to launch a counter-attack.

The primary thrust of their presentation was the claim that Islam means the "middle-way"--it is a system of moderation, neither communal or individualistic, communistic or capitalistic, realist or nominalist--they were right down the middle. And because of this (excessive?) moderation, they wished to meet the Christian audience upon a common ground of brotherhood, peace and love. Polemics were bypassed. Debate was eschewed in favor of a vanilla agreement upon these "universally human ideals".

Yeah, right.

Now, dear reader, you and I have both seen plenty of comedy shows and action thrillers wherein the hero verbally aces the protagonist. He sets up the question (which the audience sees as the obvious logical trap that it is), places the carrot and lures in the intended victim.

SNAP!
The victim is hopelessly caught.

Game. Set. Match.

It always looks easy on TV. I never could pull it off in real life. Or could I..?

I innocently queried the speaker: "In what way is 'brotherhood' a common concept between Muslims & Christians?"

"Well," sagely responded my victi...er the speaker. "we both agree that we are all human."

"Yes," I sagely responded, "but having differing concepts of God, we have differing concepts of man."

"True," the speaker cautiously responded, "but we both have prophets that we follow--in fact we accept Christ as a prophet."

"True," I boldly responded, "but our prophet is not merely a man, but God Himself. Thus, our brotherhood as believers is neither rooted in our common humanity, biology or mere men. It is rooted in the God-Man, Christ Jesus, He who unites those who believe in Him."

(Game.)

Another man jumped in to save the drowning speaker, "We both have 'brotherhood.' So, that is what we have in common."

"Communist believe in the 'brotherhood' of man as well," I calmly replied, "They use the word, but fill it with different content. Just because groups use the same word it does not follow that the same concept is employed."

(Set.)

Wearily, softly and feebly, the speaker finished the friendly debate: "You are correct. Our concepts of brotherhood are different..."

SNAP!
(Match!)

"....but we agree on other things."

"Oh, we can talk about love if you wish..." I smiled, patiently hanging the carrot high.

SDG

Unintended Consequences

If there is no God, then this world is a scary place to live. Without knowledge of everything and every relationship between everything, one cannot have sufficient knowledge to, in absolute confidence, answer anything.

This truth is highlighted in that cliche: "unintended consequences".

And this cliche was amply illustrated in one of my favorite news programs (and I really mean news!), John Stossel's 20/20. In this night's topic, "I Am Worry", he went through the many areas of life that American's live in fear because of exaggerated facts or mis-leading facts. And a number of laws and lawsuits included the nefarious unintended consequences. Safety lids on prescription bottles statistically encouraged open lids for the elderly (who did not want to try that ordeal again!) or sloppy supervision over the medications from parents who thought the bottle to be Johnny-proof. Helmet-wearing laws in Australia produced a noticeable decline in bicycle riding. Which in turn may mean less exercise.

Of course, even without Stossel's report we can see these problems in everyday life. For instance, "sin" taxes do not discourage smoking, rather they drain the smokers income. Or the use of prison time instead of death for murderers. This drains the economy, encamps the same criminals in the same spaces with (now) obvious consequences of rape, expansion of criminal skills and basic isolation from any good influences. The list of socialistic ills could easily be added.

However, if these laws and ideas took the Bible more seriously, then some of these consequences would be more manageable. After all, would not the Creator of the universe and all the consequences that attend it know best? Thus, as our founding fathers attempted to build into our Constitutional system, the government has a limited role. Just as in the Bible.

If we are to avoid the unintended consequences of an ever-increasing regulated economy, amoral politicians and confusion over what laws should be enacted locally or federally, we need the Word of God. The Bible delimits the choice of law because the Creator wrote the laws and the consequences that attend them. He knows what is best.

The unbeliever lives in a chaotic world in which he attempts to impose order. This is why many laws are in flux: the socio-economic leaders have decided the previous leaders impositions were not working. As new variables arise new implications arise. Debates over nature versus nurture or even medical usage and imposition ebb and flow as more information arises. Yet without a consistent framework in which to interpret said facts the answer will never be forthcoming. Man knows least.

If unintended consequences teach us anything, it should teach us that we know very little of the relationships and results of our sciences, economies and policies. It should humble us. It should turn us to the All-Wise Creator who already has the answers for us: His Bible.

SDG

Germany Vacation 5: Deutches Museum

Astounding. Amazing. Awesome.

Well, at least for an ex-engineer. This is the world's largest technology museum: generators, automobiles, ships, bridges, airplanes, clocks, musical instruments, cryptography & computers....just to name a few!

The aerospace section was my favorite:





The time-piece room was spectacular--who would have imagined that clocks could be so colorful!







Only a tech-geek could find 50-year computer technology worthy of a blog notice!





I took a video of my wife using some of the electronic demonstrations...even for a non-techy like her, she thought they were amazing. I had an opportunity to recall all my college training, explaining to her Maxwell's equations and demonstrating the functions of XOR and NOR gates.





The fluid dynamics and construction section included many miniatures, showing how the old bridges were constructed. The detail was incredible.


I thank the Lord of Love for blessing my wife and me with such a vacation!

I hope you enjoyed the pix!

SDG

Germany Vacation 4: Salzburg

The city of salt. Yup, that's what the name means. That is why it was such an important city in the middle ages (1100s) into the early 1800s. The city castle (hohensalzburg) sat upon the hill, a silent sentinel never to be conquered. It finally surrendered, without a fight, to Napoleon.

Here is the castle viewed from the palace grounds in the city.





This is what we had to climb to enter the castle!
The castle was amazing, even more so in some ways than neaushwanstein if only because this was actually used.

Here is the view from the top:




Proof I was truly in Austria!








Pictures from within the amazing castle:

Here are a few gnarly trees:


This is the inside waiting room for the royalty; note the studded ceiling!




It was virtually a small city:

Germany Vacation 3: Augsburg

Luther stayed out at Augsburg. It was a quaint city, even if the paganism makes Luther roll in his grave...





Our friends on the right: Ulrich & Sigrid!



The colorful Germanic domiciles!








Luther was here!!

Germany Vacation 2: Neauschwanstein

That big German word is the name of the famous Cinderella castle, meaning "new-swan-stone"--the primary artistic motif inside the castle.

Now, before you get all excited, I do not have inside pix--they are forbidden.




Here are more awe-inspiring pix!
We walked up the mountain path--about 20 minutes at a good speed. But with such a view who wouldn't want to walk!

It was a beautiful day!!

This is the back end.






The front gate:








It's immensity was staggering! This is on the way up. The right side is what most people see; the left side is the gate.






We also visited the smaller castle down the hill/mountain were prince/king Ludwig grew up, Hohenschwangau.

This castle was beautiful as well, although smaller. As an American, I think any castle is amazing!



It was about a ten minute uphill climb to the top. This is why rich people owned horses...


The view was breath-taking!

Germany Vacation 1

I did not forget!

Here for family and friends are the exciting pictures of Munich, Augsburg & Salzburg.

Enjoy!

You gotta drive in style on the autobahn! (Sorry, it was the company rental...)

It's the Audi TT
She moved so fast in that baby that is was all a blur...






This is where we stayed a few nights.









Here is the famous glockenspeil at Merianplatz, downtown Munchin.

It is a wonderful city to visit, strolling pleasantly around the quaint buildings. We were blessed of God to be able to even afford travel (just myself, Jody's company paid for her part!).

More to come: Augburg (the place of Luther); Salzburg (the place of Mozart); Neauschwanstein!