Of Faith and Inadequacy

Lexie just sent me this article to read and I think it might be one of the best short articles I've ready in years. Maybe there's nothing groundbreaking in it, but to me, when I first read it, it felt groundbreaking. Here's the intro to get you to go read the actual article:

I am sitting in a tiny Mexican cachina in midtown with a student. It’s a different meeting than the sort I am used to because he is a vocal and self-conscious skeptic of all things Christian. For some reason, he has been attending our Bible studies regularly and wants to meet for lunch. He has been sucking down margaritas for about a half hour now, and he announces that he has a question.

“Why is God hiding?”

“Okay, I’ll bite…why is God hiding?” I say confused.

“I mean, if God wants people to believe in him so badly, why doesn’t he make himself more obvious? Why all the cloak and dagger? Why not just come out of hiding and let everyone know that he is absolutely here?”

He goes on to answer that question better than anyone I think I've ever heard. The article's so short that it doesn't do any good for me to summarize it for you. It'll take you five minutes to read it. Once you do, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

Cruciform Ethics

Hey guys. Long time no talk to. I don't have much time this morning, nor will I have much time in the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to point everyone to this really great series of blog posts I've just found.

They're by Daniel Kirk, a recent Westminster grad who is now teaching (I think) at Fuller Seminary. He's responding to a post by WTS church history prof and academic dean, Dr Carl Trueman, who suggested that the best way for Christians to "win" battles in institutions is to outmaneuver their opponents by using the bureaucratic system to their advantage. Kirk asks us to think about whether or not "playing the system" is what Christ did and would have his people do.

You can read Trueman's post here. The paragraph in question is an aside at the very end of the post, so there's not much need to read the rest of the post.

Here's Kirk's first post and his second.

At first, it was nice just to hear someone stick it to a person with whom I have major disagreements. But after a few minutes of thinking about it and some prayer, I started to get really convicted about how I personally live by the ethics of the world rather than the ethics of the cross. And I have been especially convicted when I think about what strategies I think are the most effective and what strategies I employ when I want to "win" an argument or someone's respect or gain authority.

I miss you guys. I'm not just saying that to end the post either. I'll be in SC for two weeks in the middle of July and I hope I can get together with some of y'all. If not then, then hopefully at the man gathering in the fall.

Top 7

I've been leading a small group of students this year on tues nights. As the year ends up I thought we'd look biographically at people who have inspired other followers of Jesus. Those who God has used, outside the ones listed in scripture, to advance the kingdom. So as we compile the list it seems to be a good question for the council. Who would you include in the list?

Mine
1. Luther
2. Calvin
3. Edwards
4. Augustine
5. Lewis
6. Spurgeon
7. May be Bunyan

Paedobaptism

After the baptism talk we had at our last gathering, I've heard more and more stuff relating to baptism. I haven't gone out of my way very much to read things about it since the topic really doesn't have much bearing on my life right now, but I still have some questions about paedobaptism that I'm hoping some of you who understand it can answer.

The other day in a class at WTS, a professor made a side comment where he said he had a hard time with Presbyterians' view on paedobaptism because it's supposedly welcoming the infant into the covenant family and yet the child cannot come to the family table (communion) until he becomes a member of the church. I had never realized that that was the case in Presbyterian churches. In the Methodist church I grew up in we were always allowed to take communion even before we went through confirmation and joined, and in the Anglican church I went to in Columbia children were allowed to take communion if they were with their parents.

So what's the deal? How can we call what we're doing baptism if it doesn't result in the child having the benefits (I would say communion is one of the most important benefits) of being a member of the covenant family. I'm sure that this incongruity hasn't gone unanswered by Presbyterians, so does anyone know the answer?

Looking forward to hearing from y'all. And also, where are these updates I've been asking for for the last month or two? I want to hear how y'all are doing.

Something to grease the wheels

For all of y'all debating about infant baptism, check this out and then let's see if we can't get this blog back up and going with a little controversy grease.

Is practicing paedo-baptism a sin?

it's greek to me...

Can someone explain the difference between the Greek words for love??? : Agape and Phileo?

Primarily in Jesus's discourse with Peter post resurrection?

Baptism

"This has the potential to open a can of worms..." 1 Dave 7:3

So I know Randy and I have been wrestling with the place and role of baptism as it pertains to not only believers but that of children and their parents as well. I'm in the process of reading several books on the subject and hope to reach some conclusion. How about the rest of you fine upstanding men? Biblically speaking how does your theology of baptism play out in your life?

I fully realize and support this discussion leading into a bigger one on Covenant Theology.

Anyone got any thoughts on...

Christian Zionism?

The question came up today and honestly i've never been asked my opinion on the subject. Believe it or not it's not brought up much in the circles of teenagers i travel in. I had to say that the belief that God has ordained Israel to occupy the area of the globe it presently sits seems a poor reading of the OT.

I've got more to say but would like to hear others thoughts.

Time for some cultural exegesis

Found this full page color add in a local paper. What thoughts come up? What does this say about culture?

What's a Christian's response to it... ?

Speaking of books...

Here's some theological excersise from the youth min world. I received several pamphlets lately pushing this new book. What two things are wrong with the title?