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Theological Studies For Pastors And Others

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Between Two Worlds has a great post on how pastors can keep current with theological study. After almost 30 years as a pastor, I can attest to the difficulty with moving forward in this area. Staying up with current works on culture and biblical study is challenging. Finding time for personal reflecction is hard when you have read the passage many times before. The press of daily duties always looms large.

1. Build it into the things you’re already doing. (QT, sermon prep, discipling, etc.)

2. Stop wasting so much time on the internet. (pick just 2 or 3 blogs to read, and look at them once a week; stop wasting time updating your Facebook, Linkedin, and MySpcae pages, etc.)

3. Always have a book nearby. (capture the spare moments)

4. Build time for reading and reflection into your schedule. (you’ll be amazed how much time is freed up if you do #2! But beware, a pastor’s schedule abhors a vacuum, so if you don’t block out the time, something else will fill it in.)

5. Have a plan. (if you aim at nothing you’re sure to hit it.)

6. Read primary sources, not commentary. (you don’t have time to waste on the commentators. Read the Bible and the people who have written important theology. You can do it. You don’t need a PhD to read Luther, Calvin, Augustine, Edwards, Grudem, Frame, etc)

7. Don’t do it alone. (cultivate a theological conversation among your leaders. They will correct your idiosyncrasies and keep you accountable. It will also create a culture of theological seriousness in your church, which will benefit everyone.)

8. Let the Scriptures, not our culture, set the agenda. (Trying to keep up with our culture’s agenda is a chasing after the wind. On the other hand, if the Scriptures set the agenda, you’ll be ready for anything the cultures blows at you.)

9. Church History and Historical Theology are the pastors Cliff Notes to theology. (Other people, smarter than me, have already faced the stuff I face and have figured a lot of things out. I can stand on their shoulders and look like a genius! The cultural package may have changed, but there’s nothing new under the sun.)

Between Two Worlds: How Busy Pastors Can Work Theological Development into Their Schedules.

Peace in the Meltdown

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My friend David has a wonderful post this morning. He points out the fundamental need to trust Christ during the storms of life. It is significant to me that for many, the primary storm they recognize is financial.

“The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” c 1633, by Rembrandt van Rijn.

Mark 4:35-41: “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Therein lies the question for us to ponder: “Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?”

I awoke this morning at 4:00.  I have to be honest with you, I am wondering where the bottom of this financial mess is.  Certainly no one saw this storm coming. I knew a storm was coming, but not this storm.

It seems to me that this is the perfect picture and verse for us to consider at these times.

Turn your eyes to Jesus, the one true rock … and read David’s blog.

A Boomer in the Pew: Falling Stock Markets, $700 Billion Bailouts, and Jesus Christ.

Fireproof – the Movie

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I always like to comment on things happening in American culture and evaluate them from a Christian worldview. While politics has dominated my recent posts, I am not in any danger of becoming a ‘political’ blog. Fireproof was released in theaters recently and is a movie you will want to see. It deals with the type of marital conflicts that I have talked with couples about for years; stress, conflict, values, intimacy, work, etc. Joyfully, it diverges from the typical film describing a marriage with problems and shows how one couple overcomes their difficulties by applying Christian values.

Focus on the Family said:

As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb’s father challenges his son to make a 40-day commitment called, "The Love Dare." Caleb becomes frustrated throughout the process and finally asks his father, "How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?" When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to God. He then faces his toughest job ever: rescuing his wife’s heart.

MovieMinistry.com also had a great review

Firefighter Caleb Holt is willing to sacrifice his life to save strangers from death in burning buildings, but his reluctance to sacrifice anything at all for his wife, Catherine, is tearing their marriage apart. As Caleb struggles with his anger and his addiction to pornography, Catherine is drawn to the romantic advances of a colleague at work. Neither of them seem very interested in saving their marriage, until Caleb’s father steps in and challenges his son to take The Love Dare: forty days of exercises in unconditional love that may or may not change Catherine’s decision to file for divorce, but will certainly change Caleb forever. Fireproof is from the studio that made Facing the Giants.

The NY Times says, It’s a Healthy Marriage of Faith and Filmmaking

An almost all-volunteer cast and crew, including a star who was an ’80s teen heartthrob, and a plot about a firefighter who saves his marriage by turning to God — it hardly sounds like a recipe for box office success, let alone a best-selling book. But that’s what the film “Fireproof” has spawned. The movie features Kirk Cameron, an alumnus of the television show “Growing Pains,” as the firefighter, and it cost just $500,000 to produce. Yet it opened two weekends ago with $6.5 million in ticket sales, good for No. 4 at the box office, just a few spots behind the No. 1 big-budget action thriller "Eagle Eye" and five spots ahead of Spike Lee’s World War II epic, “Miracle at St. Anna.” This past weekend “Fireproof” made $4.1 million more and so far has about $12.5 million total, according to estimates by Media by Numbers, a box office tracking company.

Enjoy the trailer:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5lSu6GkC2k

What Is Your Spiritual Personality

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I am always looking for ways help Christian friends learn more about who they are and how to grow in their relationship with the Lord. This whimsical test from Upper Room is humorous and informative.

My profile:

You are a Sage, characterized by a thinking or head spirituality. You value responsibility, logic, and order. Maybe that’s why you were voted “Most Dependable” by your high school classmates. Structure and organization are important to you. What would the world be like without you? Chaos, that’s what! Your favorite words include should, ought, and be prepared. What makes you feel warm and fuzzy? Like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof it’s tradition! tradition! tradition!

Because you love words, written or spoken, you enjoy a good lecture, serious discussions, and theological reflection. Prayer for you usually is verbal. You thrive on activity and gatherings of people, such as study groups. Sages on retreat likely would fill every day with planned activities, leaving little time for silence or solitude.

We need Sages for your clear thinking and orderly ways. You pay attention to details that others overlook. Sages make contributions to education, publishing, and theology. You often are the ones who feel a duty to serve, give, care, and share with the rest of us.

On the other hand, sometimes you seem unfeeling, too intellectual, or dry. Can you say “dogmatic”? You may need to experience the freedom of breaking a rule or two every now and then. God’s grace covers Sages too, you know!

Spiritual Types Test.

Hermeneutics Quiz

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How do you interpret Scripture? What are the rules you follow to understand what the Bible meant then and how it should be applied today?

These are just two of the questions one asks when learning hermeneutics. This discipline applies to all ancient literature but is under attack by those contemporary philosophers that promote ‘personalizing’ the text. That is, it means whatever it means to you. This is of course the logical extension of post-modernism into the arena of literature.

Biblical interpretation requires higher standards and more rigorous discipline from believers. We are not free to ‘personalize’ a text in this way. Moses, Paul, and Isaiah had something to say and we need to grasp what they meant, not merely what we want.

Scot McKnight  has developed an interactive quiz along with Christianity Today. I suggest you take the test and reflect on what your score means for your personal walk with Christ and your commitment to Scripture.

Take the Quiz.

BTW – I scored 52 which makes me Conservative in my approach to Scripture

The Doctrine of Election

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Inspired by my eldest son and recent posts by my friends Barry and David, I plan to make a series of posts dealing with the Doctrine of Election.

Early in this discussion we must agree on a few items to have a meaningful dialogue.

  1. This is a discussion between believers. A person outside the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ does not have the power or presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives and is incapable of correctly understanding the Bible.
  2. This is a theological inquiry that seeks to discern what the bible teaches. It is not about fairness, goodness, telling other people what to believe, etc. “What does the bible teach about the relationship between God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility or free-will?” That is the question we are pursuing.
  3. There will be limits to our ability to thoroughly articulate sophisticated doctrine. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than mine and I will never be able to comprehend everything about the magnificence of The Father.
  4. We must agree on common vocabulary and eschew pejorative language that sounds good if we are trying to “put them in their place” but does not foster growth and understanding with a brother or sister in Christ. (see #1)
  5. At the end of our dialogues, there will still be disagreements.

Two terms we will have to engage are ‘paradox’ and ‘antinomy.’  Paradox is a a literary device used in story telling. It refers to an apparent contradiction. When Jesus says, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all,” Mark 9:36 NIV, He is using paradox.  Even an immature believer understands the concept.

Antinomy is another matter entirely. It means the mutual incompatibility, real or apparent, of two laws. It is a term used in logic and epistemology. The contradiction is not just apparent, it is profound and irreconcilable.

The issues we face in election are not merely paradoxical. They go deeper than that. They may, in fact, be characterized by antinomy. If the bible presents flatly contradictory viewpoints, from our perspective, it does not mean that God cannot completely resolve the matter based on His superior knowledge.

Enough for now. Tell me why I am right or wrong.

Also, Barry has a great quote from Charles Spurgeon at his blog.

Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Shamed by Charles Spurgeon.

Center for Global Christianity

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This is a great resource. You should check out Todd Johnson’s Center for Global Christianity.

AZ Prop 102 – Marriage = One Man + One Woman

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marriage

Boomer in the Pew has a great article on the upcoming AZ vote on marriage.

On November 4, Arizonans have the opportunity to say YES for marriage by voting YES on Proposition 102. Prop 102 is 20 simple and clear words that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. It’s that simple:

“Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.”

Read the entire article – Arizona Proposition 102.

Not Every Girl Wants to be a Slut

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MTV Video Music Awards host Russell Brand took several digs Sunday night at young stars wearing “purity rings” to pledge their virginity until marriage — and “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks wasn’t having any of it.

The British Brand — who is a celebrity in the U.K. but not well known in the U.S. — made a series of jokes centered on the Jonas Brothers and their rings. At one point, he even pretended he’d stolen a Jonas Brother’s virginity as he held a ring in his hand.

Sparks used her moment on stage to have her say about his constant remarks.

“It’s not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut,” Sparks spat back, the auditorium filling with applause. Sparks, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez are also among the young stars who have vowed to remain chaste.

From FOXNews.com – Jordin Sparks Fires Back at MTV Video Music Awards Host Over Purity Rings.

Fighting the IRS's Ban on Political Endorsements

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It has always been troubling to me that pastor’s had to fear reprisal from the IRS when addressing spiritual topics just because they overlap with political causes.

Boomer has a great article on how one group of pastors is combating the IRS.

Read More Here – Fighting the IRS’s Ban on Political Endorsements.