Emergent Automobile Design?

If the auto industry built cars like Emergents “do” theology, might we all be driving something like this?

Ancient Future?

Simple Arguments

I have listened to a series of debates in the last few days, and have noticed that most of these types of discussion really don’t seem to accomplish much. Watching the aftermath of the debate in various posts indicates that both sides are simply reinforced in their position. I wonder how many are moved from their specific theological view?

My belief in the simplicity that is Christ means that I try to keep faith and life in Christ on the simple side. One of the reasons that I don’t self-identify as a committed Calvinist is that I still have problems with a lot of that system, even though there is much that I agree with. I have recently read a book on Calvinism vs. Arminianism, and the exercise left me tense. I found a lot to agree with on both sides, and found things on both side that just left me scratching my head.

Maybe its just my desire for simplicity in all areas of my life that make me want to keep faith in Christ simple. I tend to gravitate toward those types of passages in Scripture, where faith is plain and simple and Christ is most clearly portrayed as being “for me”. By that I mean, the message God speaks that clearly shows what is true about me because of Christ, what He has accomplished on my behalf.

I am not saying that Calvinism is not a worthwhile study, and I have benefited greatly in the past by reading the writings of committed Calvinists. But I am simply not willing to be primarily identified as a “Calvinist”. I don’t make a habit of introducing myself in that manner, but rather simply as a Christian.

Unfortunately though, even that word though needs to be explained today. With all of the ‘ists’ & ‘isms’ out there, saying that your a Christian is usually not enough. The conversation often moves to what church I attend, and when I say it is a small Bible church the box is almost complete in the questioner’s mind. Most just ask because they want to know if I belong to a cult, or am a regular christian like they are. Time usually reveals that I am not like them, because most of the people I work with are denominational Christians who hold their Christianity like they hold their nationality.

I try to speak of Christ and Him crucified, and stick to the simplicity of faith in Christ with those the Lord sends in my direction. I tend to take a rather simplistic view of the Bible, and explain that God has spoken plainly and clearly, and that His Word can be understood even by small children. Most of what I read on-line and in books seems to be overly complicated and lead people away from Christ rather than toward Him.

So I wonder about the value of debates and forums. I have some questions that I need to ask if I can find some Calvinists who will answer on a level that I can understand, but hesitate even asking the questions for fear of being sucked into an argument. I can see the need to defend the faith against false teachers, and against the incursion of liberalism and other destructive heresies that have invaded the church today. I have done my share of arguing in the recent past, and recognize the need to speak the truth when people are actively seeking to undermine the authority of Scripture. But I wonder if anyone is really listening?

Just my musings for the day, as I look for a place to ask my critically important life altering questions to a knowledgeable Calvinist who can answer in less than 10,000 words …

Peace.

Understanding The Bible

Last Wednesday night, our leader in our study on the life of Christ made a great point about the historical / grammatical method of interpretation. It is the method that I have used since my conversion, adding a dose of “plain reading” method for good measure. Cliff, the man whom the Lord used to lead me to Him, was a good teacher in this regard. In addition to drilling into my brain the importance of measuring everything by the Bible, he also lead me to an understanding of how to read it with understanding, what it means to take thing literally, and why we trust the Word in the first place. So I offer some of those things here in the hope that others will let the Bible speak for itself.

Reading for Understanding

I have always been a propontent of recreational reading of scripture, as well as careful study during devotional times. The important thing is just being regular in your reading, praying along with your reading, and paying attention to context. Most of the Bible is not diffcult to understand. God did not speak in such a way to hide His intentions from His children, except in those places where He clearly says the meaning is hidden from someone or maybe in some of the prophesy literature found in the text. In general, if you read a translation in your native language with a prayerful heart, asking God to open the Word to your mind, and pay attention to the context, you will understand.

What ‘Literal’ means

Taking the Bible literally means that we read it according to the style of literature employed in a particular passage. Poetry is read as such. Prophesy is handled differently that history. There is a sense in which we take things as they are written, according to the “plain reading” of the text. All that really means is that we approach the text without persuppositions about what it is supposed to say, as much as humanly possible, and let the normal sense of the words mean what a common understanding of the word would be. “Is” means “is”. “All” usually means “all”. If the plain reading leads to an obvious meaning, then we don’t have to look around for another meaning.

A case in point is Genesis 1, and the word “day”. If you simple read the text, you see day used with evening and morning, and then numbered first, then second, and so on. The plain reading should lead you to understand this as being literal days, in the same way that you understand that today is Wednesday, and it began at midnight and ends at 11:59 PM tonight. There is no reason to conclude from the text that this means anything other than a day as we know it. I know I will get an argument from some on that, but I contend that their lack of understanding on this matter comes from their desire to inject evolutionary thought into the Bible. That is a topic for another day, and I do not mean one million years from now.

I use this as only one example of the plain reading method. The point is, try reading the Word in its plain sense, using the historical/grammatical method, and you will be in good shape. God grants understanding to His people, and wants you to know His Word and grow spiritually by reading it and understanding it. It is not that difficult as some would suggest.

Why I trust God

Lastly, I believe that this method of reading builds trust in the God who chose to reveal Himself in the written word. The Bible was here before I arrived, and unless the Lord tarries, it will be here long after I am gone. I trust the Bible because I trust God. He says it is His Word to His children, He promises that it can be trusted, Jesus is the living Word, and this Word is still alive. My life changed because of this Word God spoke through His chosen men.

No matter what sinful men may say about the Bible, no matter what methods they use or systems they invent to try and discredit the Bible and Christianity, I will still take God at His Word. God’s Word has never let me down in any arena of life, and it never will.

Trust God, take Him at His Word, and see for yourself if he doesn’t change your life.

Peace.

A Message from Todd Wilken

The following message is reprinted from The Wittenberg Trail site, and is from Todd Wilken, former host of Issues, Etc. These are words we all need to hear, as we pray for those who have been afflicted because of their stand for the Gospel.
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When I was on the air, I often joked about retreating each night to the “Wilken Compound” and closing the gate. Radio can be an isolating profession. I would even say in jest, “I have no friends.” I was wrong. In fact, the first thing Jeff said to me as the International Center’s doors closed behind us on Holy Tuesday morning was, “Now we’ll find out who our friends really are.” We have.

“Thank you” seems to fall short. “Thanks be to God” is better. In the days to come, we will need all the friends we can get. We’ll always have one. His enemies called Him “the Friend of sinners.” To that I can testify. “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.”

The first person I called on that holy Tuesday morning was not my wife. The first person I called on that morning was my Pastor. I love my wife (I called her next). My wife is my best friend in the world. But that morning I didn’t need a friend; I needed a pastor.

Our Church needs a faithful pastor too.

If you want to carry on the legacy of Issues, Etc., you already know what to do: Pastors, go to the pulpit and the altar, be faithful to God’s Word and the Lutheran Confession in everything you preach, teach and practice. Preach Christ crucified for sinners.

People of God, require your pastors to do nothing less and nothing more than that. Hear the Word, trust Jesus, live for your neighbor.

Everyone, when decisions are required (be they congregational, district or synodical), remember: You need a faithful pastor, and so does your Church. I keep hearing in my head those words from Hebrews: “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” This is so true. This story has no martyrs; no one has died. This story has no sacrificial lambs; no blood has been shed.

The only story I’m interested in telling is the story of the one Martyr, the story of the Lamb of God. That story has all the death and blood I will ever need.

The writer to the Hebrews also asks a question:

The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?
What can man do to me? What can man do to you?

The answer to that question is seen just inside the threshold of the hollow tomb; it is heard in the frightened voices of the women who saw Him alive again; it is written in the blood of the true martyrs mingled with the blood of their Savior.

What can man do to me? Nothing; Christ is risen.

Wir sind alle Bettler,

Todd Wilken

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Persecution comes in many forms. Some of our brothers and sisters worldwide are shedding their blood for the cause of Christ. Others lose their jobs and have radio programs cancelled. News of persecution for the cause of Christ, for those who take their stand in defense and proclamation of the Gospel, should cause all who live lives untouched by such pain to pray for those who are being persecuted, and to steel our minds and hearts for the persecution that will one day be ours.

The Joy of Singing Together

Singspiration

Before we left the house this morning, my wife reminded me that the leaders of our church scheduled a time of singing before the main worship activity. This is a time for singing while people are gathering together, and the songs are picked randomly by the group. The pastor usually takes the lead, and after the first song hands are quickly raised, allowing the next person to suggest a song. This process continues for about 15 minutes until the time for the main worship has arrived.

We sing from a hymnal which contains a mix of traditional hymns and gospel songs. Most are familiar, but every now and then I am challenged by the tune. I noticed this morning that the subject of the message was going to be the resurrection, and the choice of songs offered by the group focused mainly on that theme. It is a great time of worship, and everyone gets involved in the fun.

“Singspiration”, as we call it, is just an old-fashioned good time. There is nothing so sweet as fellowship in song with your brothers and sisters. And it is interesting to see what songs are special to other people. We all have our favorites, but part of the fun is just keeping your hand down and submitting to others choices. This is an example of the “one another” aspect of church life that gives every part of the body a chance to minister to someone else, even if its just the simple act of choosing a song.

That last song we sang before the main worship was “Our God Reigns”. I have included some of the lyrics here for your encouragement. My prayer is that the words of this song prove as uplifting to you as they were to me as we sang together this morning.

How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him,
Who brings good news, good news;
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.
Our God Reigns!  Our God Reigns!

He had no stately form, He had no majesty
That we should be drawn to Him.
He was despised and we took no account of Him.
Yet now He reigns, with the Most High.

It was our sin and guilt that bruised and wounded Him.
It was our sin that brought Him down.
When we like sheep had gone astray our Shepherd came,
And on His shoulders He bore our shame.

Meek as a lamb, that’s led out to the slaughterhouse,
Dumb as a sheep, before it’s shearer;
His life ran down upon the ground like pouring rain,
That we might be born-again!

Out from the tomb He came with grace and majesty;
He is alive, He is alive!
God loves us so, see here His hands, His feet, His side;
And yes, we know, He is alive!

Chorus
Our God reigns!   Hallelujah, Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!   Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!   Hallelujah, Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!   Our God reigns!

Peace.

Galatians & The Gospel

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-9

Contrary to the opinion of the day, there is only one Gospel. God, writing through Paul to the Galatian church, makes it clear that any other Gospel than the one preached by Paul is not good news at all. God marveled that they were turning away “so soon” from Him.

Turning toward another gospel, away from Christ, is serious business. It can happen not only in liberal churches or emerging churches, but fundamental Bible churches as well. Anytime we, as individuals or a group, turn away from the Gospel we are turning away from God Himself. We are, in essence, rejecting God and rejecting Christ. He has made it clear in His word that there is only one way to God the Father, and that way is only through His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea then to make sure that you knew exactly what this Gospel is? And how then should you react to people who say that the Gospel is something other than what Paul preached? Paul, and the rest of the apostles, preached a message that is perfectly consistent with the message that Jesus preached: repent and obey.

It really isn’t all that complicated. Repentance is turning 180 degrees from your sin and toward God, embracing the free gift of salvation with the empty hands of faith, believing what God has said about you, your sin, its consequences, and the solution for your sin. Obedience is walking in faith, living a life of repentance and reconciliation with God and men, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, consistent with God’s Word. There are many passages that speak of the way to salvation from a “how to” stand point. One that comes to mind quickly is Romans 10:9 & 10:

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Being saved is the point of the Gospel, and salvation comes in three senses: Have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. Saved from what? The penalty, power, and ultimately the presence of sin. The Word of God is chocked full of instruction and comforting passages just waiting for you to explore. There is much to say on this subject, and quite frankly, it would take a life time of study to even attempt to cover all that needs to be said. Suffice it to say that anyone who desires to find out what God has really said about Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and being reconciled to Him needs to get their information from the Word of God, not the word of fallen men who claim to speak for the church.

The danger of turning away from God is the loss of the Gospel. It happens as Emergents deconstruct the Bible and unhitch themselves from the Living God, and it happens in fundamentalist churches who establish a system of rules that would make the Pharisees proud. Both are performance based systems at their core, both have abandoned the Gospel of Christ, both have turned away from the Living God to a god of their own making.

Before you follow down the same road, you owe it to yourself to make sure that your Gospel is the same that Jesus and Paul preached, and that it is applicable to all people in all time periods. Not just to young people sitting on couches and meditating, or to those who are able to jump through the hoops or pass your litmus test.

There is only one Gospel, and only one litmus test for the Gospel. Do you believe in the same Jesus who has been revealed to us in the pages of Scripture? Are you trusting in Him alone for your salvation from your sin?

Following the wrong Jesus and believing a false gospel will have eternal consequences.

Why Emergents Don’t Understand Fundamentalists

In the process of working my way through Tony Jones’ new book here, I have been reading blogs, other books about the emerging church, listening to radio interviews, and doing some basic research into the movement. All of this brain activity has me thinking about this topic often when it is quiet, like driving to and from work.

Tonight, on the way home, I decided to listen again to John MacArthur’s CD on the Emerging church. He makes some really good points in that interview, and one in particular that I think a lot of people miss.

It seems to me that Emergents don’t understand fundamentalists (or anyone who actually believes that the Bible can be understood plainly) because they fail to realize that most basic Christians simply start to answer the questions of life right at the Word of God. The Bible is the starting point for most of the people I know. Most of us did not go to seminary, and spend most of our time working and living our lives trying our best to raise our families.

My patient wife understands this perfectly. She is the most balanced person I know. She is even keeled, compassionate, warm and friendly, into her relationships, working hard to make a nice home for us, and doesn’t really have time for a whole lot of nonsense. When I hear something that just doesn’t make sense to me, or read some strange doctrine in a book, I will often run it by her to get her take on the matter. She is the equivalent of the proverbial “Will it play in Peoria?” test. Usually, she is right. Her answers are often swift and firm, and I appreciate that. It gives me a sense of clarity, and I am not ashamed to say that she is better at I am at sifting out the nonsense from an argument.

She is one of those people who starts with the Bible. I am too. So is our pastor, and most of the people I know at our church. We didn’t arrive at our doctrines of belief system by studying the great minds of our day, or days gone by. We study the Greatest Mind of All, Our Glorious Lord who gave us a Revelation with which we must come to terms.

Its not that people in universities are not smart. We recognize that. Its not that we don’t have time to read them either. A lot of us do spend that time. But when you hang around ordinary people most of the time, a lot of that stuff is just static. When the rubber meets the road, and people are dealing with real problems, I have found that they want real answers. Clear answers. They want to be abel to go to a specific passage and find what they are looking for. Not a proof text, but the truth. Something outside themselves, outside of “expert opinion”, outside of the seminary.

When I sit down to read God’s Word, I find great peace and joy in knowing that I am reading exactly what God wants me to know, and that His Word contains all I need for “life and godliness”. I find it comforting that God has spoken to us this way, through His Son Jesus, and through godly men. I have in my hands a resource that people in the past did not enjoy, and I am grateful for the sacrifices of life and liberty that allow God to speak through the Word to me.

And I am glad that Cliff, the man who God used to lead me to Him, instructed me to check everything I heard against the Bible. That little piece of advice has saved me countless heartaches, I am sure of it. That is where faith begins, through the reading of Scripture, taking it into your heart and mind, allowing it to cleanse what needs to be cleaned, and feeding those muscles of faith.

So you see, foundationalists (fundamentalists) and others like us begin with the Word of God. I don’t believe that the emerging church does that. They may use the Bible where it meets their need, or fits their purposes, but I don’t think they begin there. I don’t see it in any of their writings. In fact, all I see is criticism of scripture manifest in doubt, critique, deconstruction, and prooftexting.

I don’t think they have ever been trained in reading the Bible objectively, studying the Word of God using the historical/grammatical method, or finding application that trancends culture. I may be wrong, but I don’t see it in what I have read of their writing so far. It seems to me that they reject those methods as quaint and foolish, for the simpleminded snake-handlers among us.

I think that the emergents have something to offer in their challenge to make “doing church” a more interactive experience. I also think that some of their criticism of the CGM is valid, albeit a bit over the top at times. And I think they might be on to something in addressing the reasons why young people won’t come to a church.

If we all could just get them to start with the Bible, they might have something even better to offer the church and to God.

Peace.

Deconstruction of a Comment Box Reply - Emergent Style

In response to my post Steve Rowe said the following: (I have divided it up into section to make it easier to follow)

Introduction: “Look I loved the show but let’s not idealize it. Todd and co. were excellent advocates for traditional liturgical reformation Christianity and they will be missed and KFUO appears to have treated them extremely shabbily.”

1. “That being said their one sided defense of the most narrow and reactionary elements in the “Creation Science” undermined their witness to a lot thoughtful non-christens,”
 
2. “they had an annoying habit caricaturizing Armenian and dispensational doctrine during there “Evangelical Proof Text” segments and likely turned off a lot of conventional evangelicals who would otherwise have be sympathetic to the more liturgical approach to worship advocated by the LCMS.”
 
3. “Most damming as far as I am concerned they allowed John Warwick Montgomery make the most outrageous statements about Islam without comment or challenge gleefully replaying them during there “sound bite of the week” segment.”

4. “In short Issues Ect represented the best and the worst of the LCMS: intelligent, orthodox and cherishing tradition but also clannish, painfully conservative and I am afraid sometime intolerant.”

Conclusion: “Lets pray that Todd and Jeff land on their feet (I am sure they will they are talented men) and what ever show replaces them keeps the intelligent confessional Lutheran core of the old show but also open itself up more to the best of the larger christen community.”

Here is an explanation of CGM / emergent argumentation:

First, I’ll say something nice in an effort to make you comfortable, and try to establish a common bond where we both know none exists.
Next, I’ll launch into my criticism of orthodox Christianity, and make three points from my Emergent Playbook.
Lastly, I will conclude my remarks with a left handed compliment of sorts, just to show you that I am not a bad guy.

I will address his points when I have more time, but I just wanted to point out that I have seen this type of argument before, and all it amounts to is kicking someone when they are down. Not a very Christian response if you ask me.

Folks, the Warrenites, the Emergents, and the Academy are all aligned against orthodox Christianity. They are attacking the faith delivered once for all to the saints at the points of the trustworthiness of Scripture, the ecclesiology of the church, and the exclusivity of the Gospel. They will not stop.

The removal of Issues Etc is just one example of what happens when people sit idly by and do not work actively to defend the faith. Responses like this one are typical of those on the left, and it is high time that the true believers wake up to their methods. Silence is not an option.

More Thoughts on Issues, Etc

From an outsider (me):

I don’t know how many Lutherans realize this, but if the LCMS leadership has been infected by the CGM virus, there is little that can be done to prevent the slide toward an emergent methodology. It may end up being a little more tame than some of the stuff being done in “post-evangelical” circles, but the underlying philosophy, and the acceptance of it by the leadership, dictates that the opposition be purged and dissension is not tolerated. Ever.

Francis Schaffer predicted this in the 1960’s & 1970’s, and it has come to pass. Evangelicalism has been hopelessly ruined because of it. The Lutheran’s may have thought that they were immune, but they were just behind the curve by a couple of decades.

What I heard on the Morning Show the other day from the Synod Pres. sent chills up my spine. If you didn’t know what you were listening to, or who was speaking, it could have been an interview with Rick Warren. He even talked about getting people (unbelievers) to come into the church through the “side door”, and assimilating them into the life of the congregation. Sorry, but that is right out of the CGM playbook.

Lutherans need to educate themselves on what it is that they are dealing with, and read the books from those who have written and spoken out against the CGM and the Purpose Driven Church / Life pogrom, and include works from those who have dealt with this problem on a philosophical level.

The CGM theology comes from their distinctive and unique views on church practice, coupled with an unhealthy dislike for propositional truth, and a disarmament of the sheep accomplished by removing the Word of God from the hands of the people. I saw it when my wife and I were looking for a church, and checked out a few LCMS churches in our area. (We didn’t like what we saw)

This is about more than screens and praise choruses. That is all fluff to distract the faithful. If you are arguing about that, you will miss the bigger picture, and the poison that comes in the back door. Chances are, your pastor has already read the requisite books.( I think I heard that somewhere on the radio, but I can’t remember where just now…)  Look at his library and see for yourself. (If it’s “her” library, its already too late.)

Fore warned is fore armed. The cancellation of Issues Etc may turn out to be the tipping point, IF men rise up and contend for the faith delivered once for all to the saints. If not, the Reformation may ultimately be seen by many as just a flash in the pan, if the Lord tarries.

Peace.

Toughts on the Cancellation of Issues, Etc.

I was stunned yesterday to learn that the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod pulled the plug on the popular radio show Issues, Etc. I have been an Internet listener for a couple of years now, and the wealth of information that they provided, along with a clear proclamation of the Gospel was sorely needed.

I learned a great deal about confessional Lutheranism, and Luther himself from the show. I heard great guests, good apologetics, and excellent commentary on the issues of our day. I didn’t always agree with what I heard, but I appreciated their ministry to the Christian community at large.

The summary dismissal of the host and producer, the removal of the archives, and the non-communication from the LCMS has all the marks of a Church Growth Movement, specifically the Purpose Driven Church, methodology of dealing with dissension. It is a horrible thing to do to people, treating them this way.

The leaders of the LCMS who are responsible for this decision should be ashamed of themselves. This is how the world treats its own, not the church. Where is the compassion, where is the care and concern for the wives and the children of these two men, Todd Wilken and Jeff Schwartz?

Those in the LCMS that are responsible have just given the emergent church a prime example of how the institutional church acts, how it shoots it’s own, and they will use it as a recruiting tool. Soon, the LCMS will be taken over by the CGM forces that are gaining leadership positions within the flock. These men have opened the door to a church split, and to great pain and suffering among the flock.

They might think they are right in doing church according to their own vision. I hope they are pleased with themselves, and like what they see when they are finished. The question is; Is God pleased with them?

I wonder. I doubt it.

There is no peace for me today.