People You Have Probably Never Heard Of But Should: Paul Gerhardt

Mike Leake

Paul Gerhardt was born in 1607 in Germany.  He enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in 1628 and graduated in 1642.  Though his schooling was to make him a pastor he was not immediately placed into a pastorate.  The Thirty Years War caused a great amount of tumult and difficulty during this time.  Finally in 1651 he was appointed as the new Probst at Mittenwalde.  (Ask me where Mittenwalde is, and I’ll point you to Wikipedia).  Here he was married and had children.  He also began writing hymns. 

In 1657 he and his family moved to Berlin.  Here in Berlin there was a heated debate between the Reformed church and the Lutheran church.  Gerhardt himself was Lutheran and a model voice in the debates of his time.  Though during his life he was probably most remembered as a pastor and for his work in these counsels to try to bring unity, it is his hymn writing that has struck a chord with me.

Why You Should Know Him:

Very little is left of Gerhardt’s sermons and we know next to nothing of his posterity.  Yet, the Lord has seen fit to preserve many hymns of Gerhardt.  I am sure that if given the time and the research there would be a few things that I would disagree with Gerhardt on.  (His somewhat sissy looking mustache is one of them).  But these hymns are rich.  They bear the mark of “A theologian experienced in the sieve of Satan”. 

Gerhardt’s hymns show a man that is well acquainted with sorrow and yet a man that has drawn from the deep well of Jesus.  He is at times broken and confused but ever trusting in the redemption to be brought to him.  His trust in Christ makes Gerhardt somebody worthy of reading. 

Sample:

A couple of days ago I posted Give to the Winds Thy Fears.  (That song has been remade by Jars of Clay and is available for your viewing at the end of this post. 

Here are a few stanzas from various poems that I found refreshing:

From Say With What Salutations?

From Why Without, Then, Art Thou Staying?

From Christian Devotion to God’s Will:

Further Reading:

There is a compilation of many of his hymns available for free at Google. 
Also available is a lengthy biography on Gerhardt and his influential hymn writing.
There have been a few more biographies written on Gerhardt, but the two free links above will suffice for a helpful introduction to Gerhardt. 

This is from Jars of Clay:

A Response to @RevKevDeyoung Hiding Above the Fray

Mike Leake

I missed a post by Kevin DeYoung a couple of days ago.  In this post he decries those that…

“claim to transcend old polarities. The ones that always claim to be above all the silly nonsense that used to drag us down. The ones that keep their noses clean by putting them high into air. The ones that are never dirty enough for the trenches.”

He freely admits that he has no desire to “turn every skirmish into a war” but there are battles that need to be fought and won.  It’s cowardice to take to higher ground when there is a legitimate battle going on down below. 

I’ve written a fair amount in the past about being slow to engage in controversy.  Yet, I also identify with what DeYoung is saying here.  If I am reading him correctly he is saying much the same that Richard Sibbes said 400 years ago:

And yet often we see a false spirit in those that call for moderation.  Their doing so is but to carry their own projects with greater strength; and if they prevail they will hardly show that moderation to others which they now call for from others.  And there is a proud kind of moderation likewise, when men will take upon them to censure both parties, as if they were wiser than both, although, if the spirit be right, an onlooker may see more than those that are in conflict.  (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, 30)

If there is a legitimate battle that needs to be fought then the gospel demands that we suit up and contend for the faith.  The problem is we often take swords into an arm wrestling match.  It takes wisdom to discern when there is a legitimate high-road and when silence is the best course.  It takes wisdom to know if the battle is yours.  And it takes wisdom to know what if you should bring a knife, a smile, or a grenade. 

One Critique

I do think that DeYoung takes this a little far when he says, “I am skeptical of those whose first instinct in the midst of theological, political, or cultural controversy is to plead with everyone that there doesn’t have to be a controversy.”  There will be many that are wired in a similar way to Kevin that will give hearty amen’s to this sentiment.  Some are wired to have a first instinct of “fight”.  They will err on the side of getting in fights that they shouldn’t. 

But then again there are also those that could say something very similar to DeYoung but from a different perspective.  John Newton often spoke of controversies and distinctions being against his nature.  His disposition probably would have been similar to what DeYoung responds to with skepticism.  Consider his posture with regards to Andrew Fuller’s newest book which was causing great controversies. 

Indeed it costs me but little self-denial to decline books of controversy, which though well written and even upon important points, seldom (I fear) are very useful.  Especially when the opponents are known and avowed, and the debate is not merely about sentiments, but Mr. A is engaged against Mr. B.  Then it is fighting not merely for truth but for victory; and they usually push each other to extremes.  Whereas if they would explain and qualify there is perhaps a [common ground] in which they might meet at once and be at peace.  (From Wise Counsel, 217)

Newton was skeptical of those whose first instinct was to do battle.  His natural instinct was to “flight”.  And it is no accident that one of the great questions of Newton’s life is that there were controversies that he probably should have engaged in but did not.  Whereas those whose first instinct is to fight will err in getting into fights they shouldn’t, those like Newton will err in taking the “high ground” when they ought to get in the trenches and do battle. 

Yet, I don’t think the error is in “first instincts” but in the actual response (or non-response) to controversies.  At the end of the day those that are wired to be quick to battle will probably look at those like Newton and wonder, “Why isn’t this nancy-boy joining the fight”.  And those that are wired like Newton will look at those that are engaged in many controversies and wonder why they are not more marked by a peaceful and loving spirit.  It would do us well to consider the disposition of our brothers and sisters in Christ and do battle with our own disposition well before we graciously do battle with theirs. 

Notes from T4G: Three Errors in a Churches Display

Mike Leake

These may seem a little late in coming since I attended T4G at the beginning of April.  It is, however, deliberate that I have waited a month to post these.  I wanted to wait a few weeks and let the conference high wane and then look back over my notes and see what really stuck. 

One of my favorite messages at T4G was the one given by Mark Dever.  He is one of those unique pastors that will say something only in passing that could potentially spark an entire book.  I have several one-liners like this scattered throughout my notes that Dever just kind of added as side-notes to his message. 

I am not confident that I titled this correctly.  Towards the end of his message Dever listed three common errors of churches in the way that they present their church.  The church is to be the display of God’s glory and character.  What Dever listed here are three common errors of display:

  1. To present a church without holiness.  It can be really tempting to want to present the church as tolerant and accepting of all types of sinners—even those that are unrepentant.  Yet, our motivation must be the love of God that is contrary to this world.  If anyone knows Mark Dever this one comes as no surprise.  It is the next two that I was glad Dever emphasized…
  2. To present a church without suffering.  True Christianity calls us to suffering and not away from it.  Dever rightly denounced the health and wealth gospel, and then challenged those of us in attendance to consider if we ourselves are selling a soft prosperity gospel.  He then said, “If you want to get a lot of fake Christians in your church, tell them that picking up the cross daily is for those who order Extra Large when they order their spiritual meal.”
  3. To present a church without love.  One of the most provocative things Dever said here is that he often tells young guys that like to read the Puritans that if they refuse to get up early to help a 90-year old guy get to church perhaps they aren’t Christians.  A church without love will attract theological accountants.  I found this part especially helpful.  Many (undoubtedly those who view it from a distance) would accuse the church Dever pastors of being unloving.  But Dever made a great argument that a community of true biblical love is both repellent and attractive. 

Dever’s entire message (False Conversions: The Suicide of the Church) is worthy of watching and reflecting upon.  You can do so here:

Battling Seduction From Your Window Instead of On the Streets

Mike Leake

“For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice…”  Proverbs 7:6

I do not believe that it is an accident that Solomon’s advice comes from the window instead of on the streets.  Yesterday I noted from Proverbs 7 the path of seduction.  I also noted that if you find yourself on this path, according to the Proverbs, there is great likelihood that you will end up gutted like a deer in a tree.  That is because the battle against seduction is often won from the window instead of on the streets. 

Though we can find help by looking at 7:11-23 it is not in those verses that the advice is found.  These verses really only tell the story of seduction.  The preceding and concluding verses is where Solomon gives advice.  This story of seduction began before this guy even met up with the seductive woman.  Solomon says here, “Do you want to see an idiot?  It’s that guy that walks next to the harlots house.”

The Idiot’s Cover

My guess is that somewhere along the way this guy has figured out how to “stumble onto” this seduction.  If somebody questioned this guy he could probably say, “she came onto me, yeah I should have said no, but she made it really hard to say no”.  He would be able to give one of those speeches that athletes give when they screw up.  “I would like to formally apologize to the Super Awesome Football Team and all her fans for my foolish actions.  I was wrong.  I made a wrong decision in the heat of the moment and I am sorry for the pain that my actions have caused.  I want to reassure you that this is not who I am.  This is not me.  I made a bad choice.  Please forgive me”. 

All is forgotten.  Homeboy starts catching footballs again, juking out linebackers, and he’s back on the cover of Sports Illustrated even though he shattered a few families just months ago.  And it’s all well and good because we know that we make mistakes and this was just a silly decision he made in the heat of the moment. 

Why “Heat of the Moment” Reveals Character

I have counseled high school students that are devastated and surprised that they messed up in the heat of the moment.  They are shocked that they ended up having sex when all they did was share a sleeping bag together.  But the truth is you can do a gazillion Bible studies on purity and sign your name to a True Love Waits card more times than Justin Bieber has signed posters for 13 year old girls, but if you are a straight dude with a heartbeat sleeping next to a real girl that isn’t your sister there is a pretty good chance you will end up having some form of inappropriate sex.

Then they explain, this isn’t me, man!  You know I studied all about purity.  You know I’ve got my True Love Waits ring.  The problem is, this is you, and you know it.  What happens in the heat of the moment wouldn’t have had the opportunity to happen if you hadn’t planned the night alone in her parents basement.  Yes there is redemption for you and forgiveness and healing, but usually not until you acknowledge that it was you in that sleeping bag. 

That “heat of the moment” actually reveals the battle that waged before you even were on the street.  If you end up alone in the basement, next to a girl in a sleeping bag, or walking outside a brothel, your having been strung up like a deer in some girls dad’s backyard was set in motion long before the “heat of the moment”.  The “heat of the moment” only reveals whether or not you did battle when looking from your window. 

The Battle Isn’t What You Might Think

Though I think True Love Waits has an important place within the church and it is well worth our time to study purity, these are not the primary weapons to be used in this battle.  Solomon calls it “wisdom”.  Those living on the other side of the Cross call it the gospel. 

Unless Christ is precious in your heart you will continue to “stumble on” to the path of seduction.  You will wage a mock war against lust and feel like a victim whenever the harlot ensnares you.  You’ll follow all the rules and set all the guards up to keep you away from these things.  (These are wise.  These are good).  But chances are—especially in our sex-crazed society—you are going to get a Victoria’s Secret catalog in the mail, a night alone in a hotel room, or a legitimate seduction that you weren’t even close to pursuing.  Unless you have already done battle “from the window” your probably a dead man. 

How do you do battle “from the window”?  You grow in your affections for Jesus.  You grow in your satisfaction in Jesus.  When your identity is shaped by Him then the harlot’s ploy rings hollow.  When Christ is seen as more valuable than anything else her tricks lose their luster.  When you live in light her empty promise of darkness seems foolish.  It is going to take something bigger than your affection for God to seduce you away from light into darkness.  The more that affection grows the less likely the seduction will prosper. 

Yes, you make yourself aware of the damning consequences of the harlot.  Yes, you acquaint yourself with her seductive patterns.  Yes, you become convinced that the cheeseburger stand away from her house sells just as good of burgers as the one next to her house.  But the best way to battle from the window is by falling more deeply in love with Jesus and the gifts He has already bestowed instead of fixing your eyes on the forbidden.