Happy Birthday, John Calvin! July 10, 2009
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John Calvin was born 500 years ago today. While Mr. Calvin is abhorred by some, he is adored by others. I would put myself in the last camp. I remember learning in AP Euro that John Calvin taught the doctrine of predestination and that he condemned a heretic at the stake. What they didn’t teach us was that the heretic condemned would have been condemned by any church at that time. And they did not teach about his focus on the Holy Spirit uniting us with Christ (he has been called the theologian of the Holy Spirit), his interest pastoral effects to not jsut tell peopel what to do but help them follow the Word of God, and his building of a ministry not just upon his name. It is a shame that we often associate doctrine with “Calvinism”–I doubt John Calvin would have ever wanted us to do that. He was Reformed according to Scriptures, not trying to build his own system. He was a team player, rotating preachers in the pulpit and training others. And he had a heart. Having studied him more recently, I see these things to be immensely true.
Thank you, Mr. Calvin for helping me to see the grace of Christ, the sovereignty of God, and fellowship through the Holy Spirit.
A Gem from German…. July 9, 2009
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I was translating an excerpt of Helmut Thielicke’s writing on the parable of the prodigial son. It was longer than I was hoping (usually they are 1-2 pages, this is 3), but I enjoyed it. Why? Read this wrong translation (there might be a few errors and I might have taken some liberty with it, but it’s my best efforts right now:)
“But Jesus wants to show us that he is precisely different and that a complete release should be given to us. “You are in the right,” he says, “you were lost, when you looked on yourself. Then who has not lied, murdered, committed adultery? In whom does that not lie as a lurking thought in the heart? You are in the right, if you acknowledge yourself as lost. But see: now something has happened, which you would have never been able to do in your heart, which is simply prepared for you. Now is the kingdom of God in your midst, now the Father’s home is opened wide. And I—I am the door, I am the way, I am the life, I am the hand of the Father. Who sees me, sees the Father. And what then do you see, if you see me? You see someone who has come to you in the depths, whereas you could not go up to the heavens. You see that God has thus loved the world that he gave into this depth me, his son, that he let it cost something to himself, to help you, that it came through the pain of God, that God must undertake something against himself, in order to deal with your guilt, in order to take the abyss between you and me seriously and, nevertheless span it. You see all that, when you look at me!”
What a gem!
Preaching the Old Testament July 6, 2009
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This Sunday, I preached from the Old Testament, as I did Exodus 15, comparing it to the national anthems of different countries to see what this anthem of Israel would teach us. This was the first time that I did a formal sermon on the OT (I have taught OT many times and also have preached in classes, but never actually with a congregation). This is one area where I have seen the most shift in my perspective. A few years ago, I was so caught up in finding out and being faithful to the “original intent” of the passage that it likely would not have been a Christian sermon. That is, it might not have mentioned Christ! I am sure I did this in some of my early days teaching youth groups. Now, however, I see the dual authorship of Scripture (man and God) and the redemptive trajectory of Scripture as showing that it is not only legitimate to speak of Christ, but it is necessary to do so to be faithful to the truest intent of Scripture. This is not a supersessionist way of thinking that downgrades the Jewish faith as much as one that looks to see that it hopes have been fulfilled in Christ.
I am still exegeiting and seek to locate the meaning of the text within the text and within its original context. However, I am also moving from that context to our context; it is now not just talking to the nation of Israel but to the people of God who are the heirs to the promises of God and the writings of God. Therefore, I explain the text, explain typology, and explain application of this for us today. That is how I approach the OT now. (In some ways, I might have attempted to do this inherently, but now at least I know why I am doing it and can defend it).
How did this work out? I see Exodus 15 as being for the people of God. I see clear typology in that the exodus is a spiritual picture of the cross and the release from slavery to sin. I see us as having a very similar call to respond to what God has done. And in the cross, we see the true reason for why God is faithful to His people even though they stumble and begin complaining right after He has delievered them. I think this is being faithful to the meaning of the text and thinking through how it is going to apply to our lives today. May prayer is that I have been faithful to His purposes in giving us this text!
Independence Day….Dependence Day July 4, 2009
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July 4th. What to think of this day. Thankful for some time to relax and be with friends. But also thankful for both the independence and the dependence in regards to spiritual things today. I am independent, free because of what Christ has done for me. I am no longer a slave to sin. I am no longer alone. But I am also dependent, I am dependent upon Jesus Christ; I need God’s help in everything. So, help me celebrate and live in into the independence….dependently 
Another school post… July 2, 2009
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Another one of the big adjustments at Loyola has been people smoking on campus. There is even a sign in my classroom “No Smoking,” as if people were lighting up in class. Haven’t had that as part of my educational experience. I remember seeing someone smoking at Cedarville once–I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. If I remember right, I talked to them afterwards and found out that they were a visitor. At which point I wondered if it was a “smoke-free” campus…don’t know if that had ever been addressed. That was a fun day.
Yesterday I translated a couple of Bible passages in German to begin using my language skills. It was fun. Of course, I found some places where all the rules of grammar are broken in German. Good reminder that even Germans are flexible.
First Day of School July 1, 2009
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Well, Monday night was my first day of classes at Loyola University Chicago. The first time I have been at a non-evangelical school in 9 years or so. The first time I have been to a really big school. The first time I have been at a Catholic school, though it many ways it seems more like a secular school. So, what was it like?
I was a little surprised to find out that my class was on the 7th floor of a building (Damen Hall, soon to be destroyed as it is affectionally known as the radiator buiding because it looks like a radiator you would have in your home). I have never been to a school that has 7 story buildings. I figured out that the campus does not seem bigger than my other campus, just more condensed (because of the urban setting) and also with bigger buildings in general. I took the escalators up the building to the 7th story (another first). In many ways, the building (I will have most of my classes in a different building) felt more like a high school building than a college building; the classroom with its small desks seemed more like a high school classroom (but I guess Milner had similar desks at Cedarville) and I even saw lockers on the way up the escalators (not sure what for). While the material was not really challenging (German is more review for me), the classroom also had a different sort of feel. Obviously, students are there for different reasons than in college or seminary.
The library was nice; I sat and read by the window by the lake (a definite perk). The professor was nice and has a sense of humor (she is not German, Bulgaria….so it is not like Dr. Schanbel last semester who shows that German’s can have a sense of humor). Other students seemed to have already formed a community, though I met another new student and got to know a couple of returning students as well.
It was a good day, I was nervous getting there but that is more of the newness factor. But I am glad I am there and it will definitely be an experience.
Constantly Trying the New…Or Being in for the Long Haul June 30, 2009
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This weekend, Beth and I hung out with some old friends, showing them our new place (as we have been doing over the past few weeks). They are both teachers so it is enjoyable talking with them because of a similar passion in education, developing persons, and just liking to laugh along with them. Part of what is interesting is that I see the major differences between public education and true Christian education/nurture. I constantly want to ask, “Why is that important to teach them?” when it comes to some issues (like discipline, ethics, behavior), as I constantly want to know what foundation others see for ethics and what is important. We had a conversation about the shift to evaluate students on skills instead of on rote knowledge and my friend mentioned that knowing who Robert E. Lee is is important. I believe so as well, but shouldn’t we ask the question, “Why?” Is it just to make good citizens of this country? Well, how do we define “good”? But that’s another issue than what lead me to think about the conversation.
They mentioned that educational institutions seem to constantly trying some new idea in terms of discipline, curriculum, evaluation, testing, etc. and then change it in two years. Kids never have consistency and we never really know if something is working or not. Instead of trying something for the long haul, we want the quick fix and the new magic formula. That’s true of us as leaders of the church (you can look at a pastor’s shelf and find so many, “Today” books and new ideas, espescially in youth ministry). We aren’t always in it for the long haul (and the congregation functions same way, this isn’t working, so we need a new leader). And this is true of the Christian life. How many books have I started and never finished? How many plans have I made for my daily time of connecting with God and then given up? We are looking for the quick fix and when something does not work after a few days (or it gets difficult), we give it up! I was very convicted of that myself. Instead of the quick fix, we need to apply good things to the long haul. The risk is we might “waste” a number of years of our life. But is it really wasted? And I think that consistency might be better than constant change.
(Side note: the movement away from memorization of knowledge seen in schools is also true in the church. For example, we often stress less and less about memorizing things from the Bible and having an overarching Bible knowledge. The past saw knowledge as a way to be more spiritual. Now it is almost a lack of knowledge is more spiritual. As my friend said, though, there are certain things that you need to know….but applying it to the Bible, you need to know it as it will help you understand and connect with God. It is not in the knowledge that the gain is found, it is in what you do with the knowledge).
Old Friends…Signs of God’s Faithfulness June 27, 2009
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I’m taking a break from my book reviews since my life has been filled with a little less reading these past few days. One of the things I have been able to do over the past few weeks is catch up with a number of old friends and former students. It has been cool to see God’s faithfulness in their lives and in my life as well. I would never have imagined the way that God would be using people in different places of ministry and the like but He is. Further proof that He is in control. I also can see how I have come a long way and how long it has taken me to really get the gospel! It is a great reminder to have patience with people when they do not get the gospel, as it takes time. May God continue to guide me forward and help me see the gospel!
For Us and For Our Salvation June 24, 2009
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I recently read through Stephen Nichols’ book For Us and For Our Salvation. It is essentially a primer on the discussions concerning the person and nature of Jesus Christ in the first five centuries of the church (NT through Chalcedon). It was really a pretty easy read, only 140 pages or so. In my mind, it seems to serve as a good basic background for laypeople who are interested in understanding a little more about the creeds of the church and how they were produced. It is not exactly a groundbreaking or stellar sort of book, but one that I enjoyed reading and reviewing. In my mind, one of the coolest things about the book were its excerpts from some of the early church fathers on these issues, reminding us that we need to read them as well!
In addition, the book served as a great reminder of who Jesus is, fully man and fully God, two natures in one person, begotten of God, not made, and of the same substance with the Father. The fact that the early church had to fight and hammer out this doctrine reminds us of how critical this doctrine truly is. If Jesus is not this, then we are still in our sins, then his death was not able to pay the price for our sins. Theology matters! Why–because salvation is built upon our theology!
On the Reliability of the Old Testament June 23, 2009
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I just finished up dabbling into OT study with Kenneth Kitchen’s On the Reliability of the Old Testament (OROT). In addition to dabbling into the portion of Scripture I spend less time in study (because of my lackluster Hebrew skills), I also dabbled into the discipline of archaeology, as it was more of an archaelogical book than it was a book on textual theory and analyses (though Kitchen does give an overview of OT texts to fit into the archaeological world, at times reading them with new accuracy, particularly the book of Joshua which he says does not point to a total conquest but instead raids on the land). I enjoyed it, as I am on firmer ground in my beliefs about the OT as well as understand how better to use archaeology.
Essentially, it is a response to the growing amount of minimalist scholars who see the OT history as the invention of post-exilic Israel; at first, the Pentateuch was made up with later writings, and now many see the same thing in regards to David, Joshua, etc. These scholars would see the United Kingdom as a mythical golden age. Therefore, Kitchen seeks to show that not only could the OT show reliable traditon and history, but that it makes the most sense to see it as accurate in this regard, as the details fit the culture of when it takes place (and ancient writers did not engage in historical fiction with the accuracy that we expect out of modern day novelists). For example, Deuteronomy is not something that comes later, as the treaty form (as well as view of history) fits better with other documents around the 1200’s BC. Elements of the Abraham story only fit in the second millienium BC, not during the kingdoms of Israel or post-exilic. Something that Kitchen does not allude to much, but which is important to remember, is that just because it contains faithful facts does not mean that the text contains faithful interpretation. That is, the OT gives historical events but gives a theological interpretation of the historical events. The crossing of the “Red Sea” (which does not seem to be our Red Sea but still a significant body of water) is said in the Bible to be the work of God. However, it could have been good luck, etc. In fact, Kitchen brings up a good point, which is that other ancient historical works attribute works of nature to God; we accept the facts and the events but not the interpretation of them. If we apply the same standard to the biblical text, we would at least accept the historicity of it. In some ways, it almost seemed that Kitchen explained miraclous events in light of natural means, though as we know we can believe that God uses the natural means to accomplish His will. Once again, it goes back to interpretation.
On the whole, I gained a new appreciation for archaeology. I knew it was a discipline that is in some ways subjective and speculative, which can lead to crazy theories. The thing I most learned in some ways, though, was that the attempts to disprove the accuracy of the biblical historical books is tied to arguments from silence when we really should expect silence anyway! Many sites are not even closed to being finished excuvated, some could not be examined without an intentional incident (i.e. Jerusalem), and the nature of archaeological texts makes sense of the absence of testifying about the Exodus (no one records a loss!) and the United Kingdom (it rose when other powers were weak and did not have interaction). Where there is silence, one would expect silence; but there are other forms of evidnece. There is evidence of a person named David who started a line and of Israel in the land of Canaan after the time of Joshua, but scholars use other explanations for these texts. Either the authors of these books were way better with details from earlier times than we are–or they are reliable traditions. Of course, you can think these events happened without the hand of God at work…but it seemed that the 19th century skepticism in regards to the OT story needs to be pitched (not the story) because of the fact and just the facts.
