Does scholarship "quench the Spirit"?

      "Is not the Gospel a very simple thing, it may be asked, and will not its simplicity be obscure by too much scholarly research?  The objection springs from a false view of what scholarship is; it springs from the notion that scholarship leads a man to be obscure.  Exactly the reverse is the case.  Ignorance is obscure, but scholarship brings order out of confusion, places things in their logical relations, and makes the message shine forth clear.

       There are, indeed, evangelists who are not scholars, but scholarship is necessary to evangelism all the same.  In the first place, though there are evangelists who are not scholars, the greatest evangelists -- like the Apostle Paul and like Martin Luther -- have been scholars.  In the second place, the evangelists who are not scholars are dependent upon scholars to help them get their message straight; it is out of a great underlying fund of Christian learning that true evangelism springs."

- J. Gresham Machen, extract from an address entitled "The Importance of Christian Scholarship" given at the Bible League Meetings in London June, 17, 1932.

Recently Viewed Films I'd Recommend

Here's a couple of evocative films I'd strongly recommend for your viewing pleasure.  First, Make Way for Tomorrow is a 1937 doozie of a film concerning an elderly couple who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents in.  If you're struggling and/or contemplating what to do one day when your parents are too old to earn a living or care for themselves, you should watch this.  Really great.

       

       The other is a "bookumentary" Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl named after the book published a few years ago by N.D. Wilson, and let me just say upfront  for the record, if there was to be one film I'd recommend to someone endeavoring to grasp what exactly "cruciform mirth" is and what my philosophy of the Trinitarian life looks like, it would have to be this film.  It is jam-packed, saturated in cross-shaped joy, through and through. 

       Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl stars Nathan Wilson, the author of the book Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl and is a delightful romp through what it is to cherish, live, and revel in Jesus' World and our part to play in it.  The cinematography is interesting and unique, and Nathan has many wonderful, challenging things to say through it all.  Good form Nathan, Beloved Independent and Gorilla Poet.  Stellar work.

The Enticing Turkish Delight that is Public Ed

Quite a number of years ago I sent this letter below to a brother in Christ concerning the education (discipleship) of Christian children.  He and I had been wrangling about it for some time together, but it had gotten to a boiling point (unfortunately, but Providentially) where he was actually encouraging  people close to him and myself, that were struggling with homeschooling, to simply quit and send their children to State schools. He did this because he believed there was no difference between the two approaches to speak of, and that it was adiaphora, or “things indifferent” that the Bible never addressed.  I firmly disagreed and decided to get it all out there in writing so we could both contemplate this topic clearly and concisely together.

       Why I send this out here on my blog is because I’m still seeing this activity among the evangelical and/or Reformed community and it concerns me deeply.  By this I mean the abandonment of homeschooling and shipping the kids off in the big, orange kipnapper to State schools.  It grieves me everytime I hear of it, and so I’ve been thinking about some way I could perhaps encourage anyone that’s considering such a thing to stop, reconsider, and take it by the Spirit to the Father in prayer.  

       What I came up with is this idea, and so I send this letter I wrote out in that spirit, praying it’ll build up and bless any of you out there who are weary with teaching your children.  I hope it’ll aid you in seeing afresh the vision of discipling your children for Christ and that your drooping sails may be filled with a firm, cool breeze.

      I’ve abridged the letter a bit and taken out the name and some personal, side comments, but the remainder is as I sent it.  It’s pretty straight forward and I didn’t mince any words, so please don’t be alarmed.  It is my belief that we should communicate to those in Christ in serious matters such as this with clear, unambiguous, confronting, grace-filled language.  What is not needed is vague, equivocating little pleasantries that can be understood in any which way so that everyone involved can “feel good” (dreadful phrase) after all is said and done.  That isn’t Christ-centered agape and we truly need to purge that leaven from among Christ’s Household. 

       That said, this is one of those very crucial subjects – the discipleship of our covenant children – and it should never be taken lightly just so we can all “get along” (to where?).  As Jesus told us, “It would be better for a person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” 

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Dear _________ ,

            So here is the heart of the issue/disagreement as closely as I can determine: you believe that a disciple of Christ can send their covenant child to a State school and not be in sin, and that the Word of God does not ostensibly address this issue, thus it is principally in the realm of “Christian liberty” or adiaphora.  Further, in your opinion, there is no evidence – extreme or otherwise – to indicate that the teaching and environment of state schools is so antithetical to the Law of God that a Christian parent would be acting unfaithfully if they exposed their children to such an environment.

            Now, on the other hand, I believe...

In Debt to Your Credit Card

There's a great point (and quite honestly a paradigm shift for me personally) from Henry Hazlitt in his book Economics in One Lesson and it is this: to call a credit card a credit card is fundamentally deceiving, it really should be called a debt card which would then drive home the nature of it's purpose and function much more to it's owners. 

Now, I'd argue that even renaming it would lose it's influence on people's spending over time but, of course, that doesn't mean we shouldn't still do it.

10 Super-duper, For-all-the-kids Picture Books

1)  The Droodles Storybook of Proverbs by Ray Cioni

2)  The Jesus Storybook by Sally Lloyd-Jones

3)  The Giant Leaf by Davy Liu
4)  The Adventures of Harold and  

       the Purple Crayon by C. Johnson

5)  The Relatives Came by C. Rylant

6)  All the "Frog and Toad" books 

       by Arnold Lobel

7)  The Stinky Cheese Man and
      other Fairly Stupid Tales
      by Jon Scienszka and Lane Smith
  8)  The Sleeping Rose by Angela Hunt


9)  Mr. and Mrs. Pig's Evening Out by Mary Rayner
10)  The Ant and the Elephant by Bill Peet

Meditation: Create Silence

Søren Kierkegaard wrote: "The present state of the world and the whole of life is diseased. If I were a doctor and were asked for my advice, I would reply: Create silence! The Word of God cannot be heard in the noisy world of today. And even if it were blazoned forth with all the panoply of noise so that it could be heard in the midst of all the other noise, then it would no longer be the Word of God. Therefore create Silence."

Women as Heads of State?

One of my fundamental intentions for this blog is to focus on lasting, eternal truths and principles found in the Logos for our grid to understand our lives lived out in family, sacred community and civil spheres, and not on the distracting, fleeting, disconnected news and/or events of the world.

         That's why I'd like to post this topic concerning the biblical principles of women as civil rulers and not stumble around with the merits or short-comings of Michele Bachmann, Hillary Clinton, or Sarah Palin.

        Conservative Christians in general believe that a man, and not a woman, should be the covenantal "head" of a particular family, and too, that a man, not a woman, should be the head of any local congregation.  But when it comes to civil or government matters, well, we're all a little bit muddled.  

This idea of women as leaders in our civil institutions is becoming more and more of an issue especially with 2012 fast approaching and the
all-merciful State blessing us once again by allowing us to chose our next President (may IT live forever!).

        Christians need to consider and understand this issue fully from the Scriptures and the best explanation I've found on this topic (and one I fully agree with) is in a concise, clear essay by William Einwetcher, pastor of Immanuel Free Reformed Church in Ephrata, Pennsylvania found  HERE
         Please, if you have the opportunity, set aside some time and read it through slowly.

Church is People

We need to stop saying to one another, "We're going to church" on the Lordsday, and begin saying "We're gathering for worship", and when we meet other Christians for the first time we need to ask them, "Who do you worship with?" and not, "Where do you go to church?".  The Congregation of Christ's redeemed isn't a building, a time, or event; in other words, the Church (people)  isn't "church" (a thing). 

       The New Covenant brought about a substantial change in where God dwells on Earth, and now rather than a stone Temple in Jerusalem, His justified People is/are THE "place" where He dwells by the Spirit.  This is the Family adopted from every nation under Heaven.  We are the Heavenly Temple being built up with stones untouched by human hands (Mark 14.58) who are called to "tabernacle" just as He did (John 1.14) among His unbelieving images bearers until the Master returns.

        So, let me ask you: Is this how you understand reality?  Have you grown dependent on a building, or sermons on the internet to represent Christ in your city?  Do you believe that the Good News of the Son of Man will be heralded by buildings (Old Testament) in your community, or by His living, breathing, mission-driven, Living Stones (New Testament)?  Living Stones dwelling as The Light in even the darkest corners of Creation?

        Scary?  Uh huh.  Radical?  Unfortunately. But like Linus and his blanket we must leave behind types, shadows and our trust in buildings.  We must go farther up and further in the true knowledge of the fulfillment of who His people now are on King Jesus' Earth.

A Homemade Catechism

         I’ve never been completely satisfied with the Bible catechisms I've found for young children (there’s not too many out there quite honestly), and I've thought the Westminster shorter catechism is a bit much for young children, so several years ago, when my oldest was four, I set about crafting one of my own. Most of what you'll see is my own wording and order, but some of the questions I adapted from Joseph Engels catechism from the 1830’s, and I got some ideas from John Cotton’s “Spiritual Milk for American Babes”, and also John Calvin's Church of Geneva Catechism. 
        So what you’re looking at has been tried, honed and rewritten over four+ years with three of my children thus far, and I send it out now because, at least for me and mine, I’ve got it as I want it. I’ve historically started to instruct my children with this catechism starting at age four, but I think much of this could be easily understood by three year olds without much alteration.
         Please feel free to copy it and use it. Improve it, build on it, change it around for your own kids, but in all of it, use it to glorify the one, true, living God and to push His name out into all the Earth!


A Bible Catechism for Young Children

by Corey Ankeny

Question 1: How many gods are there?

Answer: There is only one, true, living God.

Q2:  What is His name?

A:  Yahweh

Q3:  How many persons are in the one, true, living God Yahweh?

A:  Three

Q4:  What are their names?

A:  Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit.

Q5:  How long has Yahweh existed?

A:  Forever.  He has always been.

Q6:  Where is God?

A:  He is everywhere.

Q7:  Where does He live and have His home?

A:  In Heaven above and in His People, the Church, on Earth.