I'm late getting this and the next post up, but wanted to list a few resources I've mentioned or used in preparation for my marriage, divorce, and remarriage sermon material in our "No Easy Answers" series.
First, let me encourage you to visit the GBC website, where my notes for both messages, the audio, and the video links are all available.
I also used research collected by David Instone-Brewer in his volume, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. This is a rather detailed volume, but he has summarized his findings in a more "popular" style book called Divorce and Remarriage in the Church. Others have said reached the same conclusions he did (and I have) and he gives extensive bibliographies for more research as well.
Another approach to divorce, unrepentant sin, and church discipline is taken by Jay Adams. I did not mention this in the message because I would not have had time to present it and deal with it fully. In short, Adams says that when a spouse sins against their marriage partner in a way that strikes at the covenant bond, they should be confronted through the church discipline process. If the spouse fails to repent, and is eventually disciplined out of the church, then the spouse is to be treated as an unbeliever. Since this "unbeliever" has abandoned his or her responsibilities to be a godly marriage partner and departed from the church, they could be divorced for abandoning the marriage. There is much more to the view, and it can be found in Adams' book, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible, but I am uncomfortable with it because it tries to stretch the church discipline process into a divorce mechanism. I believe the position I outlined puts divorce in the proper context and makes such a stretch unnecessary.
Of course, church discipline may come into play when unrepentant sin by a believer leads to the breaking of a marriage covenant, but that is a different issue.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Baptists, Ash Wednesday, and Lent
The title of my post would, in previous years, probably been viewed as either the beginning of a humorous piece, or else a rant against Popes, incense, and human traditions. Neither is going to follow.
I know that recent years have brought a great interest in long-standing Christian traditions and practices that are not mandated in Scripture but have been used through ages as means of devotion to God. Sometimes these means have taken on more value in the minds of many than they should have, as if using the means meant extra grace or favor with God.
Reacting against the traditionalism of Rome, some Protestants, though not all, rejected all forms of devotion and practice, including the celebration of any seasons and holy days. Puritans went the farthest, rejecting Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and any references to the historic church calendar and liturgy. Since Baptists in America grew out of the larger Puritan movement, it is no wonder that we have had a long history of opposition and ignorance toward most of the above. I still have good Baptist pastor friends who will not acknowledge either Christmas or Easter in their pulpits or church life, as a matter of principled resistance to what they see as Roman Catholic traditionalism with trappings of old pagan celebrations.
However, as time passed, most Baptists joined other Protestants and embraced Easter and Christmas celebrations in the 1800s , and eventually added in Good Friday and Palm Sunday. More recently, Advent has been "rediscovered" and used within our circles. But what about Lent?
For those unfamiliar with its meanings, here is a quick primer on the season. Lent begins today, 46 days before Easter. While it is "officially" a 40 day season, the Western Church (Roman Catholics and Protestant denominatons) does not count the Sundays, so it always starts on a Wednesday, and ends on the day before Good Friday. It is a 40 day season that began as a time of fasting. The forty days symbolized the 40 years in the wilderness experienced by Israel awaiting entry to the Promised Land, and the 40 days of Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by the Devil. At the end of those 40 days he faced the greatest temptations. Likewise, the Church was to see itself as facing a great trial as she remembers Jesus moving through his last weeks toward the Cross.
From general fasting, Lent became a time when Christians would "give up" something as a means of expressing devotion, and seeking to focus more fully on what Christ was going to accomplish on the Cross. Growing up as I did in a town heavily populated by Roman Catholics, I got the impression that this was just one more "duty" being imposed by a rigid Church, just like eating only fish on Fridays instead of meat. Many of my friends saw it that way, or as a way of gaining favor to offset sins. But now I understand that it could mean more, even if for many it didn't and doesn't.
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, was often marked by going to church and having ashed put on one's forehead in the sign of a cross, to identify oneself with Christ and this special time of remembrance. The ashes were usually from the burning of palms that had been used the previous year in Palm Sunday services. As you may know, the day before Ash Wednesday (which began the fast) was often called "Fat Tuesday" or in French, Mardi Gras. It would be one last time of indulgence before everyone had to fast and be good. It was also the time for Catholics to "live it up," since they would go to confession afterwards, to be more "holy" during Lent. So what was meant to create devotion became for many a calendar that set a special time for the opposite. But that does not mean we should view the original ideas behind the practice as evil, does it?
Now, many are deciding to revisit this tradition. What should we make of this? Having just preached about principles of liberty in Romans 14, my first response is that whatever we might decide to do to honor Jesus and grow closer to him is a legitimate pursuit, as long as we remember two things.
One is that we do not pursue Jesus by any means that diminishes the Gospel. If we believe that Lent will make us more acceptable to God, especially through self-purification, we diminish the gospel of grace. If we think giving something up for Lent will count for something in God's economy, we are undermining the gospel of grace. If, however, we want to draw closer to our Lord, to concentrate effort in understanding his earthly life, ministry, and suffering through a time focused more on him and involving letting go of certain things for a time, this does not diminish the Gospel, but flows from it.
The second thing to remember is that we do not judge those who see no need for what we choose to practice, and those who choose not to practice do not judge those who decide to observe a special season. Each one is to be convinced in his own mind that this is the best way for him to seek God in this moment.
I know we have some in our Grace Family who are observing Lent (in some cases for the first time). I pray it will be a time when the Lord Jesus becomes even more central to their days, especially as we move closer to Good Friday and Easter. Others have no interest or desire to follow the practice, and I pray that the very same will be true--that Christ will make himself powerfully present in their lives through whatever "normal" pattern of devotion they follow.
For those who would like to consider this issue, the following are some resources I have become aware of:
Ann Voskamp has, on her blog, a free devotional, and also some thoughts about Lenten observance.
Desiring God Ministries has a devotional for Lent from Noel Piper that begins here.
A cautionary note about Lent for Baptists is given by Kevin Mungors here. He follows counsel from Roger Olson that worries about how we might easily fall into past abuses of this and other spiritual practices that are not commanded in Scripture.
UPDATE: I was just made aware of this guide from the Gospel Coalition.
"Let each be convinced in his own mind."
Reacting against the traditionalism of Rome, some Protestants, though not all, rejected all forms of devotion and practice, including the celebration of any seasons and holy days. Puritans went the farthest, rejecting Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and any references to the historic church calendar and liturgy. Since Baptists in America grew out of the larger Puritan movement, it is no wonder that we have had a long history of opposition and ignorance toward most of the above. I still have good Baptist pastor friends who will not acknowledge either Christmas or Easter in their pulpits or church life, as a matter of principled resistance to what they see as Roman Catholic traditionalism with trappings of old pagan celebrations.
However, as time passed, most Baptists joined other Protestants and embraced Easter and Christmas celebrations in the 1800s , and eventually added in Good Friday and Palm Sunday. More recently, Advent has been "rediscovered" and used within our circles. But what about Lent?
For those unfamiliar with its meanings, here is a quick primer on the season. Lent begins today, 46 days before Easter. While it is "officially" a 40 day season, the Western Church (Roman Catholics and Protestant denominatons) does not count the Sundays, so it always starts on a Wednesday, and ends on the day before Good Friday. It is a 40 day season that began as a time of fasting. The forty days symbolized the 40 years in the wilderness experienced by Israel awaiting entry to the Promised Land, and the 40 days of Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by the Devil. At the end of those 40 days he faced the greatest temptations. Likewise, the Church was to see itself as facing a great trial as she remembers Jesus moving through his last weeks toward the Cross.
From general fasting, Lent became a time when Christians would "give up" something as a means of expressing devotion, and seeking to focus more fully on what Christ was going to accomplish on the Cross. Growing up as I did in a town heavily populated by Roman Catholics, I got the impression that this was just one more "duty" being imposed by a rigid Church, just like eating only fish on Fridays instead of meat. Many of my friends saw it that way, or as a way of gaining favor to offset sins. But now I understand that it could mean more, even if for many it didn't and doesn't.
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, was often marked by going to church and having ashed put on one's forehead in the sign of a cross, to identify oneself with Christ and this special time of remembrance. The ashes were usually from the burning of palms that had been used the previous year in Palm Sunday services. As you may know, the day before Ash Wednesday (which began the fast) was often called "Fat Tuesday" or in French, Mardi Gras. It would be one last time of indulgence before everyone had to fast and be good. It was also the time for Catholics to "live it up," since they would go to confession afterwards, to be more "holy" during Lent. So what was meant to create devotion became for many a calendar that set a special time for the opposite. But that does not mean we should view the original ideas behind the practice as evil, does it?
Now, many are deciding to revisit this tradition. What should we make of this? Having just preached about principles of liberty in Romans 14, my first response is that whatever we might decide to do to honor Jesus and grow closer to him is a legitimate pursuit, as long as we remember two things.
One is that we do not pursue Jesus by any means that diminishes the Gospel. If we believe that Lent will make us more acceptable to God, especially through self-purification, we diminish the gospel of grace. If we think giving something up for Lent will count for something in God's economy, we are undermining the gospel of grace. If, however, we want to draw closer to our Lord, to concentrate effort in understanding his earthly life, ministry, and suffering through a time focused more on him and involving letting go of certain things for a time, this does not diminish the Gospel, but flows from it.
The second thing to remember is that we do not judge those who see no need for what we choose to practice, and those who choose not to practice do not judge those who decide to observe a special season. Each one is to be convinced in his own mind that this is the best way for him to seek God in this moment.
I know we have some in our Grace Family who are observing Lent (in some cases for the first time). I pray it will be a time when the Lord Jesus becomes even more central to their days, especially as we move closer to Good Friday and Easter. Others have no interest or desire to follow the practice, and I pray that the very same will be true--that Christ will make himself powerfully present in their lives through whatever "normal" pattern of devotion they follow.
For those who would like to consider this issue, the following are some resources I have become aware of:
Ann Voskamp has, on her blog, a free devotional, and also some thoughts about Lenten observance.
Desiring God Ministries has a devotional for Lent from Noel Piper that begins here.
A cautionary note about Lent for Baptists is given by Kevin Mungors here. He follows counsel from Roger Olson that worries about how we might easily fall into past abuses of this and other spiritual practices that are not commanded in Scripture.
UPDATE: I was just made aware of this guide from the Gospel Coalition.
"Let each be convinced in his own mind."
Monday, February 4, 2013
Follow Up to the "Nine Reasons" Message
Thanks for all the encouragements I received following Sunday's rather different (for me) message on "Nine Reasons Why Answers are Hard to Find and Harder to Share."
In my introduction, I referenced Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman's book unChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters. It was a powerful and disturbing survey of the attitudes people have toward the Evangelical Church generally. If you click on the title above, or use the Amazon widget to the right, you can find out how to purchase it.
In my last point, I referenced a book by a friend of mine, Larry Osborne, entitled Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith. Again, go to the widget to the right or click on this link if you want more information on how to buy it.
Another book I didn't mention but is a worthwhile read on where young evangelical teens are in their understanding of faith and its relevance to life (and I warn you, it isn't a pretty picture) is Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church.
In my introduction, I referenced Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman's book unChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters. It was a powerful and disturbing survey of the attitudes people have toward the Evangelical Church generally. If you click on the title above, or use the Amazon widget to the right, you can find out how to purchase it.
Another book I didn't mention but is a worthwhile read on where young evangelical teens are in their understanding of faith and its relevance to life (and I warn you, it isn't a pretty picture) is Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Resources to Help Understand Pro-Life Issues and Arguments
In trying to narrow down a list of resources, I have opted
to include just a few books and some web links that will take you much further
in this subject. It is certainly not an
exhaustive list; however, these are good resources for understanding,
assisting, and articulating a consistently pro-life view.
Life Training Institute Blog: http://lti-blog.blogspot.com/
Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspectives Ministries: www.epm.org
Two of Randy’s books on the subject:
Focus on the Family has many resources available at www.family.org
Care Net—a network of pro-life pregnancy centers. www.care-net.org
National Right to Life, the oldest “pro-life” advocacy
group www.nrlc.org
Two more books:
The Case for Life:Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, by Scott Klusendorf
Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue, by R. C. Sproul
And here is an amazing apologetic video from Ray Comfort that tackles the issue through a historic perspective. WARNING: This is not for children, and has some disturbing images.
And here is an amazing apologetic video from Ray Comfort that tackles the issue through a historic perspective. WARNING: This is not for children, and has some disturbing images.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Resources on Racial Reconciliation
Since I am no expert, but have just staked out some ground regarding the challenge and choice to pursue racial reconciliation, I figured I better let everyone know about resources that I believe are helpful in this discussion. I'm listing a few books, articles, and links, below. In the Amazon tool to the right, I will seek to put links to the books so that you can get them if you wish. I have also made book titles links to other sites where they are available. I'm not saying every line of every book or article or sermon is something I might say or endorse, but these are very good resources to get us thinking, and hopefully moving.
Books:
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian. by John Piper (you can also order the book or get a free PDF file for download here)
One Race, One Blood, by Charles Ware and Ken Ham, available through Answers in Genesis.
A Credible Witness, by Brenda Salter NcNeil (highly recommended by Dr. Jeff Cook)
One, but Not the Same: God's Diverse Kingdom Come Through Race, Class, and Gender, by Chris Williamson (Pastor Williamson is a Trustee at CU)
Prejudice and the People of God, by A. Charles Ware (president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana)
More than Equals, Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel, by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice (these men have worked to establish a multi-racial church, and Perkins' father is John Perkins, a legendary Christian leader in civil rights).
The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss. Yes, this is a children's book that deals with differences, and was recommended by Jessica Dyson on behalf of her father, and my friend, Greg Dyson.
Web resources:
John Piper, "I Was a Racist." This excerpt from his book, Bloodlines, (listed above) tells of Piper's own story in the journey from boyhood in the racially segregated South to a passion for racial reconciliation.
"Every Race to Reign and Worship," audio sermon by John Piper.
Desiring God Ministries has a number of resources from the Racial Harmony Sunday sermons preached by John Piper.
"What Carlton Banks, Ice Cube, and Denzel Washington Teach Us About Hiring," by Bryan Loritts. I include this as a helpful reflection on what this process needs to consider, especially in church leadership.
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you have never read this, you should. If you are a pastor, it will especially prick the conscience as you ask yourself, "Where would I have been in 1963?" I know where my church, in the North, was in 1968, when Dr. King was shot, and it was not a God-honoring stance.
If you have other good resources to recommend, you can let me know!
Books:
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian. by John Piper (you can also order the book or get a free PDF file for download here)
One Race, One Blood, by Charles Ware and Ken Ham, available through Answers in Genesis.
A Credible Witness, by Brenda Salter NcNeil (highly recommended by Dr. Jeff Cook)
One, but Not the Same: God's Diverse Kingdom Come Through Race, Class, and Gender, by Chris Williamson (Pastor Williamson is a Trustee at CU)
Prejudice and the People of God, by A. Charles Ware (president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana)
More than Equals, Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel, by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice (these men have worked to establish a multi-racial church, and Perkins' father is John Perkins, a legendary Christian leader in civil rights).
The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss. Yes, this is a children's book that deals with differences, and was recommended by Jessica Dyson on behalf of her father, and my friend, Greg Dyson.
Web resources:
John Piper, "I Was a Racist." This excerpt from his book, Bloodlines, (listed above) tells of Piper's own story in the journey from boyhood in the racially segregated South to a passion for racial reconciliation.
"Every Race to Reign and Worship," audio sermon by John Piper.
Desiring God Ministries has a number of resources from the Racial Harmony Sunday sermons preached by John Piper.
"What Carlton Banks, Ice Cube, and Denzel Washington Teach Us About Hiring," by Bryan Loritts. I include this as a helpful reflection on what this process needs to consider, especially in church leadership.
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you have never read this, you should. If you are a pastor, it will especially prick the conscience as you ask yourself, "Where would I have been in 1963?" I know where my church, in the North, was in 1968, when Dr. King was shot, and it was not a God-honoring stance.
If you have other good resources to recommend, you can let me know!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Absence of God
Imagine having a walk with God so sweet that at times you are swept away by a sense of being in his glorious presence and enveloped in his love. Such was the experience of David Brainerd, famous missionary to American Indians in the 18th century. He writes of such ecstasies in his journals.
But just as profound and powerful, in a negative way were times he went through where God was lost to him. Read his journal entry from one of those times.
(Quote taken from a short biographical article from Christianity.com. The fuller article is here.)
But just as profound and powerful, in a negative way were times he went through where God was lost to him. Read his journal entry from one of those times.
"My spiritual conflicts today were unspeakably dreadful, heavier than the mountains and overflowing floods. I seemed enclosed, as it were, in Hell itself; I was deprived of all sense of God, even of the being of a God; and that was my misery. I had no awful apprehensions of God as angry. This was distress, the nearest akin to the damned's torments, that I ever endured; their torment, I am sure, will consist much in a privation (lack) of God, and consequently of all good. This taught me the absolute dependence of a creature upon God the Creator, for every crumb of happiness it enjoys. Oh I feel that, if there is no God, though I might live for ever here, and enjoy not only this but all other worlds, I should be ten thousand times more miserable than a reptile. My soul was in such anguish I could not eat; but felt as I suppose a poor wretch would that is just going to the place of execution."No wonder Brainerd gave his life for the effort to bring the gospel to native peoples who were in danger of such a permanent state. May God grant us both passion for his presence and abhorrence of the sense of his "absence."
(Quote taken from a short biographical article from Christianity.com. The fuller article is here.)
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Happy Epiphany!
I meant to mention this in services today, but forgot to do so in the 9:15 service. Today is Epiphany Sunday on the traditional Church Calendar. This day marks both the end of the 12 Days of Christmas (also a season in the Calendar), and celebrates the arrival of the Magi in response to the appearance of the Star. The word "epiphany" means "appearance" or "revealing" or "manifestation," and the appearance of the star led to the appearance of the Wise Men.
What makes the day worth celebrating is that it reminds us the Messiah was not just King of the Jews, but was truly for all people--the Magi, after all, were all Gentiles. If you want an insight into how they might have known in Persia what this Star meant, read my previous post below.
Since the story in Matthew tells us that the Magi visited a house and a young child in Bethlehem, not a baby, it is most likely that the Magi did not arrive until after the birth, and possibly much later than just 12 days! This is why I liked to put the Wise Men from our manger set on the other side of the room when the kids were small!
In any event, rejoice that the Messiah has come, and that he has come for all people!
What makes the day worth celebrating is that it reminds us the Messiah was not just King of the Jews, but was truly for all people--the Magi, after all, were all Gentiles. If you want an insight into how they might have known in Persia what this Star meant, read my previous post below.
Since the story in Matthew tells us that the Magi visited a house and a young child in Bethlehem, not a baby, it is most likely that the Magi did not arrive until after the birth, and possibly much later than just 12 days! This is why I liked to put the Wise Men from our manger set on the other side of the room when the kids were small!
In any event, rejoice that the Messiah has come, and that he has come for all people!
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