In The Womb Of The Self

On April 3, 2014 By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

The sort of Christian faith that is conceived in the womb of the self
is quite different from the historic Christian faith.
It is a smaller thing,
shrunken in its ability to understand the world and to stand up in it.
The self is a canvas too narrow, too cramped,
to contain the largeness of Christian truth.
Where the self circumscribes the significance of Christian faith,
good and evil are reduced to a sense of well-being or its absence,
God’s place in the world is reduced to the domain of private consciousness,
his external acts of redemption are trimmed to fit the experience of personal salvation,
his providence in the world diminishes to whatever is necessary to ensure one’s having a good day,
his Word becomes intuition,
and conviction fades into evanescent opinion.
Theology becomes therapy,
and all the telltale symptoms of the therapeutic model of faith begin to surface.
The biblical interest in righteousness is replaced by a search for happiness,
holiness by wholeness,
truth by feeling,
ethics by feeling good about one’s self.
The world shrinks to the range of personal circumstances;
the community of faith shrinks to a circle of personal friends.
The past recedes. The Church recedes. The world recedes.
All that remains is the self.

– David Wells in No Place For Truth

Current

On April 2, 2014 By BrianIn Current Collection

A weekly collection of current news and issues in the church, country, and world.

This week we consider the Christian’s interaction with Hollywood:

Evangelicals and Hollywood Muck – Trevin Wax
Yet now in the 21st century, we are expected to find redeemable qualities in what would only be described by people throughout church history as “filth.” What’s the point in decrying the exploitation of women in strip clubs and mourning the enslavement of men to pornography when we unashamedly watch films that exploit and enslave? I do not claim to have this all figured out. But one thing I know: our pursuit of holiness must be the mark against which our pursuit of cultural engagement is measured. If, like me, you’re conflicted about this issue, maybe it’s because we should be.

And then there is the new movie Noah. Here are three takes – a simple movie review to get the basics, Ken Ham’s thoughts, and the final post which is fascinating, disturbing, and helps make sense of all the oddities in the movie (which I have not seen, and based on everything I have read and heard have no intention of seeing).

Noah: Film Review – Todd McCarthy (The Hollywood Reporter)
Noah will rile some for the complete omission of the name “God” from the dialogue, others for its numerous dramatic fabrications and still more for its heavy-handed ecological doomsday messages, which unmistakably mark it as a product of its time.

Ken Ham: The Unbiblical Noah Is a Fable of a Film – Time
Also, while the extreme wickedness of man was depicted, the real sin displayed in the film was the people’s destruction of the earth. Lost within the film’s extreme environmentalist message is that the actual sins of the preflood people were rebellion against God and man’s inhumanity to man.

Sympathy For the Devil – Brian Mattson
Conservative-minded evangelicals write off the film because of the “liberties” taken with the text of Genesis, while a more liberal-minded group stands in favor of cutting the director some slack. After all, we shouldn’t expect a professed atheist to have the same ideas of “respecting” sacred texts the way a Bible-believer would. Both groups have missed the mark entirely. Aronofsky hasn’t “taken liberties” with anything. The Bible is not his text.

Sermon Songs: Isaiah 6

On April 1, 2014April 18, 2017 By BrianIn Isaiah Hymns1 Comment

Praise to the glorious holy One
By our own sin we are undone
He comes to take our sin away
Then sends us to proclaim His way

– From a sermon on Isaiah 6

Ministry Moment

On March 31, 2014November 13, 2014 By BrianIn Ministry Moments

Here are some good posts on staying fresh in ministry:

40 Best Online Resources on Burnout – David Murray
If what I’m seeing and hearing is representative of our wider culture, we are facing an epidemic of burnout among Christians, and especially among pastors. Here are the 40 best resources on the subject that I’ve collected over the years.

Eight Ways Leaders Make Themselves Vulnerable to Spiritual Attack – Chuck Lawless
New Testament writers warn us again and again about the reality of spiritual attack. The apostle Paul, a leader extraordinaire, challenged believers to wear the full armor of God (Eph. 6:11), being ever aware of the enemy’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). The leader of the church at Jerusalem, James, called followers of Christ to resist the devil (Jms. 4:7). Peter, the leader among Jesus’ apostles, warned against the adversary who seeks someone to devour like a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). It is no wonder, then, Paul reminded the church to choose leaders who are not set up for the devil’s traps (1 Tim. 3:6-7).

A Break Through the Clouds – Tim Bridges
In an uncommon act of love, Calvary Baptist Church allowed my family a solid month of vacation to visit our family and friends in Florida. I think the church saw my shoulders beginning to slump from shovelling snow and wisely prescribed a regimen of medicinal beach sand. The experience was a new one for us. A month to relax, to read, and to reflect. So what did I learn?

Songs of Passion: Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed!

On March 31, 2014March 30, 2024 By BrianIn Sing A Song, Songs to Sing

Christ is risen! Here is a great song to help us celebrate:

Passion Points

On March 29, 2014 By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How to Fill Your Life with Joy – Matt Chandler via Jonathan Parnell (DG)
For years I tried to figure out what’s the best way for me to flourish in my relationship with Christ. And when all is said and done, I learned I needed to fill my life with things that stir my affections for Jesus. And then pay attention and keep away from my heart the things that rob me of my affections, even if those things are morally neutral.

Warm Yourself at the Fires of Meditation – David Mathis (DG)
In meditation, we pause and reflect over his words. We roll them over in our minds and let them ignite our hearts — we “warm ourselves at the fires of meditation.” We pose questions and seek answers. We go deep in God’s revelation, take it into our very souls, and as we are being changed by his truth, we respond to him in prayer.

How to Memorize Entire Books of the Bible – Jemar Tisby
You don’t have to start by memorizing an entire book. Commit to memorizing a single chapter. If you’re like me, you’ll be hooked and want to keep going. And pray that God would bless your efforts. He wants you to know His word.

Where Preferences Go to Die – Trillia Newbell (GC)
I’m convinced many of our problems with the church result from running away from difficult or uncomfortable situations rather than persevering through them. Since we don’t enjoy facing our fears or finding ourselves in challenging circumstances, the thought of escape brings great comfort.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church worshiping our glorious and gracious God!

Good or Bad Theology

On March 27, 2014March 27, 2014 By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

The question at issue, then, is not whether we will have a theology but whether it will be a good or bad one, whether we will become conscious of our thinking process or not, and, more particularly, whether we will learn to bring all of our thoughts into obedience to Christ or not.

– David Wells in No Place For Truth

Current

On March 26, 2014 By BrianIn Current Collection

A weekly collection of current news and issues in the church, country, and world.

World Vision announced they will hire people living in same-sex marriages. The arguments of neutrality on the issue were less than convincing. Two days later (today), they have reversed their decision. Here are some helpful posts in response to their first announcement. Even though they have changed course, the issues involved are still very much worth considering:

The Worldliness in World Vision’s New Hiring Policy – Kevin DeYoung

Two More Thoughts on the World Vision Controversy – Kevin DeYoung

Pointing to Disaster: The Flawed Moral Vision of World Vision – Albert Mohler

On World Vision and the Gospel – Russell Moore

In other news, Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church (I struggle to call it a church) passed away last week. Albert Mohler has some important thoughts on Phelps’ legacy of hate and some implications for the true church today.