J. Gresham Machen

I’m reading John Piper’s brief biography of J. Gresham Machen.

Machen, the founder of Westminister Seminary and the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) was a fascinating man.

Machen weathered the Fundamentalist/Modernist clash. Although he loathed the growing influence of liberalism in Protestantism, he was also wary of the Fundamentalist camp.

The reasons Dr. Piper give are fascinating, because the points are among my top qualms of contemporary evangelicalism (especially 1,3,7).

1) the absence of historical perspective;
2) the lack of appreciation of scholarship;
3) the substitution of brief, skeletal creeds for the historic confessions;
4) the lack of concern with precise formulation of Christian doctrine;
5) the pietistic, perfectionist tendencies (i.e., hang ups with smoking);
6) one-sided other-worldliness (i.e., a lack of effort to transform culture); and
7) a penchant for futuristic chiliasm (or: pre-millenialism).

Concerned that fundamentalism was lacked a lot of Gospel truth, he was instead committed to sound doctrine.

He wrote,”Calvinism is not a specific variety of theistic thought, religious experience, [or] evangelical faith; but just the perfect manifestation of these things. The difference between it and other forms of theism, religion, [and] evangelicalism is difference not of kind but of degree ... it does not take its position then by the side of other types of things; it takes its place over all else that claims to be these things, as embodying all that they ought to be.”

Amen!

Source: John Piper, “. Gresham Machen's Response to Modernism” 26 Jan. 1993. Accessed 29 Sept. 2007. Available: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1464_J_Gresham_Machens_Response_to_Modernism/

Discarding a Treasure

There is a table outside the entrance to the school library usually piled with books that have been removed from circulation. The majority are outdated management, science or economics books.

But today while browsing the pile, I stumbled across the Bible. It’s a leatherbound, KJV red-letter version.

I took it, although with some hestiation. My initial thought was, ‘What if I am depriving someone who doesn’t have a Bible.' I relented and took the Book.
I was dishearted to see the Word of God lying in the discard pile. The library shouldn’t be throwing out a perfectly good Bible.

Ironically, just a few days earlier as I was in the library it occured to me once again,that despite the rows of books, only one of them is the authorative Word of God.

RyanDan

Searching for a suitable song for an upcoming presentation, I stumbled across a relatively new music trio called RyanDan. Composed of identical twins from Toronto, they were part of a boy-band pop group at the turn of the millennium.

The group was so unprepared for a record deal (which they got, after walking into the Sony headquarters) they didn’t have a name. The third guy to make up the trio, Ohad Einbender, said “'We were like, who cares? We had no time. We just needed a name before the album was printed.''

Interesting.

As is this comment on their myspace page:

“We reached a point at which the two of us felt that something was missing,” explains Ryan. “Dan and I have always tried to inject a lot of emotion into our singing and we wanted audiences to focus on vocal interpretation rather than on our hair. We decided that it was time to change direction and go back to our roots … to the kind of music we listened to as children.”

The twins, Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, recently decided to return to the music world (their new CD releases in the UK tomorrow) with a decidedly with a more mature Josh Groban-style classical sound.

They are very good – and I hope their music (and indeed style) gains traction in Canada.

Source:

Jordan Michael Smith, “After the squealing” The National Post. 2 Sept. 2006. Accessed 22 Sept. 2007. Available: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/torontomag/story.html?id=98d80699-dc97-485b-bdb6-50c231865a30

Nehemiah’s Prayer

And I said, "O LORD God of heaven,the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful,I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." (Nehamiah 1:4-11 ESV)

Responding with Alacrity

I learned a new word: Alacrity. It means eagerness.

It’s a wonderful reminder that Christians must continue to respond to the gospel with alacrity - with a sense of excitement, awe and purpose. Grace is truly amazing.

Resolved: That I will continue to respond with alacrity at the message of the cross

Colossians 3: 1-4

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. - Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV)

The Gospel

By John Piper

What’s the gospel? I’ll put it in a sentence.

The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. That’s the gospel.

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

The Family Unit

Statistics Canada released a ‘family profile’ today based on data collected in the 2006 Census.

It’s fascinating.

The majority of adults in Canada now (granted adult is anyone 15 years and older) are unmarried. That is they’ve never been married, divorced, separated or widowed.

Also of note. Common-law relationships have soared and the number of one-person households increased 11.8%, more than twice as fast as the 5.3% increase for the total population in private households.

The report noted, “Among lone-parent families, growth between 2001 and 2006 was most rapid for families headed by men. Their number increased 14.6%, more than twice the rate of growth of 6.3% among those headed by women”

Another striking figure: “The households with the slowest growth between 2001 and 2006 were those comprised of couples and children aged 24 years and under; these households edged up only 0.4%.”
Among individuals aged 20 to 24, 60.3% lived at home with their parents in 2006.

These realities certainly pose a challenge for the church.


Source: “Families and Households” Statistics Canada. Release. 12 Sept. 2007. Accessed 12 Sept. 2007. Accessed: http://statcan.ca/Daily/English/070912/d070912a.htm

Six years later

Six years ago today, also a Tuesday, so much changed.

May God continue to heal.

Oh the sermons!

I attended the city’s flagship Anglican Church for morning worship. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant (aside, perhaps, from the incredibly uncomfortable pew). The service was solidly liturgical, which I like. The hymns were well performed by a talented choir and the sanctuary is very beautiful.

But.

And, this is what frustrates me about Anglicanism. The liturgy is incredibly Biblical; richly theological and thought provoking.

The service started with this exhortation from the minister: “Dearly beloved, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor clock them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with a humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by His infinite goodness and mercy…Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace.”

But the sermon! Oh the sermon, or homily, as it was called.

Disastrous. What was said was not necessarily wrong – at least for the most part. But the message was so atheological; so human-centered; so shallow. She (and my heart sank when I found this out!) wandered, but the gist of the message was that faith is a journey and that we will have eternity to figure God out. That while the gospel of Luke may tell us that we must love God before we love family and possessions, this is difficult for us, and so we probably aren’t “there” yet. And that is a good thing, because it wouldn’t be a good thing for us to fully know God’s mind.

Oye.

Shrouded amongst the weeds of nothingness were golden nuggets of truth. But one shouldn’t feel like the ducks I watched before the service, plucking through leaves and twigs looking (often vainly) for nourishment. No. Rather, a sermon is the means by which God’s truth is expounded, whereby His people are fed and edified and He is glorified. I left the service malnourished.

For evening worship I went to a large PAOC church. The music, which included several classic hymns and several exhaustingly repetitive choruses, was emotional, but not overwhelmingly so. (The tissue boxes distributed around the sanctuary made me wonder whether the music was unusually sedate). I was welcomed warmly, the chair was comfy and the lobby offered a stunning view of the countryside. Communion was dignified (interestingly, they use communion wafers, not bread – and the elements are taken at the same time).

But the sermon. Oh the sermon!

It was short and only referenced Scripture. In fact, absolutely no Bible verses were quoted at all in the entire service! The message was that Jesus revealed many things to His disciples over a meal and that communion provides an opportunity for a fresh revelation of God.

Oye.

May God see fit to convict the leaders of these churches to compel them to dig deeper into His word, and expound on His truth, so that His people will be nourished.

Suffocating Heat

The first week has gone relatively well, with the exception of the heat. My building is not air-conditioned, and I’ve truly come to appreciate what ‘suffocating heat’ is like. My room is incredibly stuffy and uncomfortable, which makes sleeping difficult. I read this summer about a heat wave in Detroit in the 1950s so warm that residents took to sleeping in parks. I thought that was an extreme measure – but now I understand why they did!

It is well

A classic Christian hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Canada @ Epcot

A memory I have of visiting Epcot Centre was the movie in the Canada pavilion. I distinctly recall the swelling pride of my country as I watched the film. This morning I watched the new and updated film, which debuted September 1. Hosted by Martin Short, the film was…typically Canadian.

Ironically, for a film that opened by playing on a myth (snow and cold all year round), nearly every stereotype of Canada was part of the film.

Everything that one would expect to see (Niagara Falls, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City, the Bay of Fundy, wildlife, mountains, prairies, Mounties) was in the film.

Winter sports “skating our favourite form of transportation in the winter” and hockey “becoming a professional hockey player is the dream of every Canadian” (?) were highlighted, as well as Canadian culture and diversity (First Nations, new immigrants).

There was, not surprisingly, a soaring bilingual ballad reminiscent of the nationalistic films I remember watching growing up. Sure, it’s sappy (some may say propagandistic), but it’s a wonderful reminder how blessed I am to live in Canada. Praise God for the beauty of His creation! “May He have dominion from sea to sea” (Psalm 72:8).

Resolved Sept. 5

Resolved: To reach out in love through Christ, to be light and salt, to shine vibrantly with the serious, but joyful assurance of the hope of heaven guided by the indwelt Holy Spirit, buttressed by the promised hope in His Word and the knowledge of His promises kept close to the heart, gripped by His mercy and humbled by His grace that He should save a sinner as myself. To walk across the room.

Psalm 39:4,5

O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Psalm 39: 4,5 (ESV)

Relevant Information?

CBS posted an interesting story about binge eating. I'd never heard of such of thing before. Ron Saxen, who wrote a book about his past experiences, said he is a recovering binge eater. Once a model, he ate himself out of his career.

Most interesting for me though, was this paragraph:

"Saxen's first bout with binge eating happened when he was 11. His parents were members of a fundamentalist Christian denomination. His father — who would return home from work late at night — frequently beat him and his two brothers."

Does the fact that his parents were 'members of a fundamentalist Christian denomination' really add anything to the story? The author apparently assumes there to be a correlation between child abuse and fundamentalist Christianity.

Other news articles posted on Mr. Saxen's website don't mention his religious upbringing. I wonder how really relevant the information is.

Peter Hadzipetros, "Binge eating disorder" 30 Aug. 2007. Accessed 1 Sept. 2007. Available: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/health/binge-eating.html

http://www.ronsaxen.com/inthenews.htm