The Pastorals are….well….Pastoral! February 28, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Ministry, Spirituality.add a comment
Today, my journey through the New Testament brought me back to the Pastoral Epistles (1, 2 Timothy and Titus). Whenever I come to these works, I think of the immense debates that surround them. Liberals and conservatives debate on whether these documents were actually written by Paul (I think so….just in case anyone was afraid). The order given to the church concerning elders and deacons are often discussed, along with the controversy over the place of women in the church. Some say that these are “early Catholic” sorts of writings, as they have a hierarchy of church order placed into them. All these things are baggage that we now bring to the text.
As I read through them this morning, though, I realized that they are formulating things that we need. Teaching a church to continually move back to the Scriptures, to avoid foolish controversies and disputes, to look out for those who might be manuiplated in their midst, to remember that God has saved us by grace in Christ, to say no to ungodliness because of Jesus–all these things are ideas that our society needs. To say that a leader needs moral more than skills; to guard against the love of money. Wow, I wonder if the world needs those sorts of ideas as we have now entered into the “economic crisis!” The works are…well…pastoral like they are usually called. Maybe not in the usual sense, but they are documents that we cannot be afraid of reading and writing about, but must instead continue to go back to. If Paul is establishing an order, I think it is much better than the disorder that we have today!
Recapturing the Wonder of the Good News February 26, 2009
Posted by bdennert in School, Spirituality.add a comment
Lately, I have been convicted of how academic my faith has become in many ways. Sometimes, I feel like I learn a lot about the world of the text, the nuances of the text, but not the teaching of the text (or God Himself!). So, I have begun to do something that I have not done for a long time, read large portions of Scripture in single sittings (focusing on the NT). This will help me see how living in the world has changed how I read Scripture as well as also help me to remember what it would like to just read the text…and what the original hearers would do when they would have the whole the document read (can you imagine sitting and hearing Romans read to you…wow!). I read Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians one day, 1 Corinthians another, 2 Corinthians yesterday, and then Romans today. Tormorrow, the Prison Epistles, the day after the Pastoral (working through Pauline). I should have all the NT read by the end of two weeks. It is amazing to see the different nuances of the documents, the arguments made. Many of these documents are focused on unity, confronting Paul’s opponents, and clinging strongly to the gospel. What wonderful grace and truth are found in them. I am thankful for this exercise and want to bring it back as a regular discipline. The Bible is not just what I study and teach, it is what God has given me. Let me be re-captured by the wonder and beauty of it.
Controversies February 24, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Spirituality, Theology and Ministry.1 comment so far
I like to listen to the sermons of Stony Point Reformed Presbyterian Church (http://stonypointweb.com/), as one of our ruling elders attended there before he moved to Naperville. I have enjoyed the sermons immensely, a different sort of style than I get on Sundays. Most of all, though, they challenge and feed my soul. This morning I was listening to a sermon on the end of Titus. When the pastor expounded Titus 3:9, he made a careful, helpful distinction. This verse says that we are to avoid “foolish controversies.” There is a difference between avoid controversies and foolish controversies. The gospel is controversial because it proclaims that we are sinners and proclaims that God has a design for the world different from what it is. Foolish controversies are the minutae sort of debates that we engage in as Christians. As I engage in ministry, I need to ask whether the debates I am having are foolish are part and parcel of the gospel. I think this is part of what it means to be “winesomley Reformed,” in that we believe in the doctrines of the Reformed heritage, but not to the point of engaging in heated debates with Christians who believe other issues. It helps to keep us humble, and it also helps to keep us focused on the gospel and the grace of God. This verse is a verse that every seminary student and budding pastor must remember. Preach the gospel, not afraid of offense but making sure that it is the gospel that is truly doing that and not side issues or implications.
Learning by Teaching Kids February 22, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Ministry, Spirituality, Theology and Ministry.add a comment
So, this past week I helped out with Kids Club on Thursday morning at church (our program for kids while women are at women’s bible study). I did this last year and the year before and miss doing it, usually…sometimes it is nice to have the time back though 
This week, I found out as of 9 o’clock (it begins at 9:30) that not only was I subbing as a needed adult, I actually was supposed to lead this week. Thankfully, it was the story of Zaccheus. Where would I find short people in a room full of kids? As we talked about the story and I told it, I realized that what we always latch onto is what Zaccheus did. He climbed a tree. When the kids talk about him, they know that he was short. However, the amazing part of the story was that Jesus called him, this tax collector, into table fellowship with Him. That is, even though Zaccheus was a sinner, the Savior came for him. And of course, the lifechange in Zaccheus was amzing. Therefore, I tried (probably unsuccessfully) to continue to reiterate to the kids that Jesus showed his love in becoming a friend of someone who had wronged others. Not only are they small…but I figure they could see the love of God for them even when they are mean to their siblings/pets/parents/Sunday School teachers! I doubt it got across to them…but it did get across to me that morning. I am like Zaccheus not in my height but in my sin. However, the Savior calls me out…to have a relationship. Who knew I would learn more from children’s ministry than in my classes
Living in the Bible….Today February 11, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Spirituality.1 comment so far
Today, I spent some time reading through the Damascus Document, one of the documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It appears that this Essene community had no problem applying the teachings (whether they were from the past or in the future) to their lives today. That is, they had no problem treating the Bible as a living document, more than a history but part of the commentary on our lives today. That being said, they might not have used sound interpretative techniques, but you have to respect the fact that they saw the Bible as a living document and also were so situated within the text that they could not help but think that they were in the text. That should be my goal, shouldn’t it–to be immersed in the text with the result that when I think, I think in terms of the Biblical text. That is something that I am really learning this semester, I need to be immersed in the text. However, I don’t have the time to do it. And in some ways, school takes me away fom the text as I spend time in texts that put me into the world of the text but not the text. How I hope to get back into the text one of these days soon….to be totally immersed, to the point where I have no fight not to over-read my current circumstances into the circumstances of the text.
Black as Snow February 10, 2009
Posted by bdennert in Spirituality.add a comment
It’s been a while since I jotted down a thought. Today, as I was walking in the Spring-like weather, I looked around and there are still patches of snow around campus–and this is doubly true of our apartment complexs. Usually, when we think of the spiritual value of snow, we think of the expression “White as Snow” as we have been washed cleaned and made as white as snow. However, today I thought about the remaining snow as a reminder of the Christian life as well. That is, while spring has come in Christ, the resurrection is real and brings salvation to our life now, we still have “snow” remaining in our hearts–and this is truly the ugly snow, the snow that looks like sin! While I am snow, there are big piles of sin that still need to be worked out in my heart and life. In fact, this remaining snow still narrows our parking lot and prohbits a full view when you are trying to turn–it does limit and affect us beyond the eye sore that it is. Therefore, the black snow is a reminder of the Christian life as well.
