Today in Blogworld 8.23.12

Mike Leake

Hospitality Outside the Church Matters

Last week I linked to an article about hospitality in the church.  Now at J.D. Greear’s blog we are encouraged to think about hospitality outside the church. 

Femininity: June Clever, Clair Huxtable, or the Valiant Woman?

I found this at DG a very interesting piece. 

When Tradition Trumps Truth

We’re all prone to it.  David Crabb encourages us to repent of loving our forms and traditions more than loving Christ and His truth.

50 Rules for Dad’s of Daughters

This is heartwarming, encouraging, and convicting.  If you’re a dad of a girl or might be someday you need to read this.  Even if you’re the wife (or might be the wife) of a dad someday read this and know how to pray/prepare for the man in your life.  (HT: David Murray)

My poor children.  I’m pretty sure I am this dad:

My Biggest Problem With the SBCToday Critique of The Gospel Project

Mike Leake 7 Comments

It could easily be argued that the Conservative Resurgence was a battle for the Bible.  We fought hard to ensure that Southern Baptists would continue to be a “people of the book”. Through those tumultuous years Baptists displayed that we believe in the inerrancy of Scripture and the sufficiency of Scripture. 

Fast forward to the year 2012. 

Calvinism and Traditionalism is all the talk within the SBC.  The Gospel Project curriculum from Lifeway has been one prominent locale for this battle to wage.  And that is my biggest problem with the SBCToday critiques, thus far, concerning The Gospel Project; it’s more about whether or not it’s written by those with Calvinistic convictions than if its biblical. 

As noted in an article yesterday the first substantive critique from Pastor Ralph Green is filled with logical fallacies.  What bothers me most about that is not the existence of logical fallacies but the prominence of the genetic fallacy.  The genetic fallacy is “committed when an idea is either accepted or rejected because of its source, rather than its merit.” 

The center of the argument so far has been that more non-Southern Baptist theologians (often Reformed) have been quoted instead of Southern Baptist theologians that are not Reformed.  Therefore, the material is Calvinistic and ought to be rejected by Southern Baptists that are not Calvinist. 

It has yet to be considered whether or not what John Piper says in a quote is biblically correct.  Or whether Matt Chandler is proclaiming the gospel and biblical truth.  Or if at this point Francis Schaeffer absolutely nails it.  No, what has been considered is whether or not they are Reformed.  And that bothers  me because it means that we are no longer “a people of the book” because our criteria for accepting or rejecting an argument appears to no longer be the Scriptures but a particular theological leaning.

If you go through the Gospel Project and honestly find that it is not biblically accurate or biblically dangerous then by all means lets reject it.  But if it proclaims biblical truth, exalts Christ, and promotes a solid biblical theology let us embrace it even if we don’t agree with every jot and tittle of the theology of every contributor and person quoted. 

Are we a “people of the book” or a people that are more concerned about someone being Baptist than biblical?   

Today in Blogworld 8.22.12

Mike Leake

Serving People with Mental Illness

Thabiti Anyabwile links to a couple of videos and articles on helping people with mental illness.  These are worth your time to read and watch. 

Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical Middle Way?

Dr. Wellum and Dr. Gentry’s new book Kingdom through Covenant has caused a little stir in the evangelical world (primarily the Reformed slice of it).  I bought the book yesterday and hope to read it as soon as I can.  Here is an interesting interview that Matt Smethurst conducted with the authors.  (This one on JT’s site is worth reading too). 

Are We Together?

I feel like I’m only suggesting books today, but there are quite a few good ones that are releasing.  Read Tim Challies short review of Sproul’s newest book, Are We Together, on the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestant theology.  There is a video worth watching too.  You can buy the book here. 

A Few Sweet E-Reader Deals:

Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul only $2.99
Godspeed: Making Christ’s Mission Your Own by Britt Merrick only $2.99
Perfecting Ourselves to Death by Richard Winter only $2.99
Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer only $1.99

Dr. Page and Dr. Mohler talk Calvinism at a recent SBTS chapel.  I’d love to watch this at some point today:

What Should Declining Shepherds Do?

Mike Leake 2 Comments

In 1800 John Newton felt his body failing him.  He was almost blind, he was becoming increasingly deaf, and his mind was not as sharp as it had been.  He wrote what he thought would be his last letter to his good friend William Bull.  In the letter he asks for Bull to pray for him, saying:

I have known good men in advanced life garrulous, peevish, self-important, with some symptoms of jealousy, and perhaps envy, towards those who are upon the increase while they feel themselves decreasing. 

Newton also had hoped that once the Lord had clearly “laid him aside” that he would graciously remove himself and rejoice at others that are beginning ministry.  Though never garrulous, peevish, or any of those other loathsome vices it does appear that Newton had a difficult time stepping aside. 

In 1804 he absolutely botched the wedding of his Bull’s son Thomas.  He had to stop and start over several times.  Even on occasion having to ask the congregation what he was supposed to do next.  Yet even up until 1806 he was still preaching though everyone seemed to be encouraging him against it. 

Newton kept a very strong opinion that he could still deliver sermons.  “I cannot stop.  What! Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?”  But clearly he couldn’t still preach.  As William Bull noted, “Everybody else shakes his head and laments that he preaches at all…His understanding is in ruins, yet its very ruins are precious”. 

The old African blasphemer wanted to glorify God with every day of his life.  Even though he could barely see or even remember much he knew two things, “That I am a great sinner and Christ is a great savior”.  He desired to be a fool for Christ until the day that he died.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to take from this little historical tidbit.  Part of me wants to say that we ought to follow Newton in being absolutely spent for the glory of God.  Even if we stumble and bumble through sermons because our mind and our eyes are shot if we are desiring to glorify Christ then he’ll use broken and weak vessels. 

But the other part of me thinks that Newton should have stepped down and that he wasn’t being a very good shepherd.  If a shepherds hands are so feeble that he can barely feed his flock wouldn’t it be loving to give way to a more apt shepherd?  Is it possible that sometimes the most God glorifying thing we can do is step down and let another take our place? 

What do you think?