Dec 2008
Transcendent Leadership Prinicples
31/December/2008 10:41 Filed in: Weekly Column
This week’s column continues the reflections on two books we reviewed earlier this month. The first book was “Quitting Church, Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do About It,” by Julia Duin, the Religious Editor for the Washington Times. The second book is “Christless Christianity, The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” written by Michael Horton, Professor at Westminster Seminary California and host of the “White Horse Inn” radio broadcast.
As another year rushes to a close, perhaps it would be appropriate to summarize the essence of what we have been trying to focus upon, as it relates to the true orthodox (traditional) historical, Protestant (stemming from the Reformation), Christian, gospel (Good News). From our research capacity, it is our belief that readers, especially those on the Internet, have or do not hear regularly enough, a comprehensive proclamation of human redemption before the Almighty and Holy God. A distilled substance of that gospel proclamation follows.
Before time began, not all that long ago, God, the Triune Unity in Diversity, created the universe and planet earth out of nothing (ex nihilo). Before time began, God’s understanding of this triune universe (time, space, and matter) would require a specific Godly intervention into that continuum in which to redeem not only creation, but fallen humanity, created in His Image, whom He would soon create out of the dust of the ground.
That redemption would follow a covenant of grace from the introduction of human sin, in the God created good garden in Eden, throughout unfolding history, climaxing with an eternal judgment of humanity at the end of this present age. This present age is a now fallen, but visual and spiritual foretaste of that eternal state of recreated perfection.
Approximately two thousand years ago, a baby born in Bethlehem, named Jesus, became God incarnate through the Immaculate Conception in a Jewish virgin by the name of Mary in the linage of King David, maintaining the prophetic Biblical Messianic lineage. This birth is celebrated in the world as Christmas, but there is no Biblical reason to celebrate that birth, hence it is an extra biblical holiday similar to the Jewish Chanukah, a miraculous festival of light, coming and being maintained in a spiritually dark world.
Jesus lived approximately thirty-three years as the totally human - totally God, sinless man. In the fullness of time, He offered himself as the propitiatory sacrificial Passover lamb, for the sins of all humanity, being crucified on a cross. He was buried for three days, under Roman guard. On the morning of the third day He was resurrected from death, as the First Fruit of that coming eternal restored kingdom. In due time showing himself to many, He visibly ascended to a place known as heaven to rule and reign at the right hand of His eternal Father. From there he will return at the end of this age to complete that redemption of those who through faith alone, have accepted His invitation to be come the legally adopted children of God. By that atoning sacrifice alone, not by any works of righteousness on their part, are people saved from the holy eternal wrath of God’s judgment to come.
Since His ascension, the covenantal lineage has rested within the auspices of what is historically known as the catholic (meaning universal) church, but it does include those from times prior to the crucifixion of Christ according to that same faith alone covenant of grace. Those people looked forward by faith alone to that coming Messianic event, the church looks backward in time.
The church was and is extended by the preaching (proclamation) of the Gospel by the Word of God (the Bible) of this faithful Good News and by the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. Communion is also known as the Lord’s Supper and the Eucharist in various divisions of the Christian world and unites all Christians, That communion brings the first fruits of unity and diversity into a timeless Church Triumphant.
By what is generally known as word and sacrament, the power associated with saving faith is preserved by this mysterious and miraculous wonder of God descending to redeem human personalities for His own, from outside of time, into all creation and all time. That salvation comes about by the will of God alone and not by human measures or wishful thinking.
We proclaim these words on a regular basis because as fallen, but redeemed creatures we cannot otherwise comprehend the true wonder of God’s grace. Those who think that this gospel presentation and use of communion are powerless memorials to a past reality fully do not understand either the gravity of human total depravity, or the condescendence of God’s true grace. They ignore this true reality at their present and eternal peril.
Read More...
As another year rushes to a close, perhaps it would be appropriate to summarize the essence of what we have been trying to focus upon, as it relates to the true orthodox (traditional) historical, Protestant (stemming from the Reformation), Christian, gospel (Good News). From our research capacity, it is our belief that readers, especially those on the Internet, have or do not hear regularly enough, a comprehensive proclamation of human redemption before the Almighty and Holy God. A distilled substance of that gospel proclamation follows.
Before time began, not all that long ago, God, the Triune Unity in Diversity, created the universe and planet earth out of nothing (ex nihilo). Before time began, God’s understanding of this triune universe (time, space, and matter) would require a specific Godly intervention into that continuum in which to redeem not only creation, but fallen humanity, created in His Image, whom He would soon create out of the dust of the ground.
That redemption would follow a covenant of grace from the introduction of human sin, in the God created good garden in Eden, throughout unfolding history, climaxing with an eternal judgment of humanity at the end of this present age. This present age is a now fallen, but visual and spiritual foretaste of that eternal state of recreated perfection.
Approximately two thousand years ago, a baby born in Bethlehem, named Jesus, became God incarnate through the Immaculate Conception in a Jewish virgin by the name of Mary in the linage of King David, maintaining the prophetic Biblical Messianic lineage. This birth is celebrated in the world as Christmas, but there is no Biblical reason to celebrate that birth, hence it is an extra biblical holiday similar to the Jewish Chanukah, a miraculous festival of light, coming and being maintained in a spiritually dark world.
Jesus lived approximately thirty-three years as the totally human - totally God, sinless man. In the fullness of time, He offered himself as the propitiatory sacrificial Passover lamb, for the sins of all humanity, being crucified on a cross. He was buried for three days, under Roman guard. On the morning of the third day He was resurrected from death, as the First Fruit of that coming eternal restored kingdom. In due time showing himself to many, He visibly ascended to a place known as heaven to rule and reign at the right hand of His eternal Father. From there he will return at the end of this age to complete that redemption of those who through faith alone, have accepted His invitation to be come the legally adopted children of God. By that atoning sacrifice alone, not by any works of righteousness on their part, are people saved from the holy eternal wrath of God’s judgment to come.
Since His ascension, the covenantal lineage has rested within the auspices of what is historically known as the catholic (meaning universal) church, but it does include those from times prior to the crucifixion of Christ according to that same faith alone covenant of grace. Those people looked forward by faith alone to that coming Messianic event, the church looks backward in time.
The church was and is extended by the preaching (proclamation) of the Gospel by the Word of God (the Bible) of this faithful Good News and by the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. Communion is also known as the Lord’s Supper and the Eucharist in various divisions of the Christian world and unites all Christians, That communion brings the first fruits of unity and diversity into a timeless Church Triumphant.
By what is generally known as word and sacrament, the power associated with saving faith is preserved by this mysterious and miraculous wonder of God descending to redeem human personalities for His own, from outside of time, into all creation and all time. That salvation comes about by the will of God alone and not by human measures or wishful thinking.
We proclaim these words on a regular basis because as fallen, but redeemed creatures we cannot otherwise comprehend the true wonder of God’s grace. Those who think that this gospel presentation and use of communion are powerless memorials to a past reality fully do not understand either the gravity of human total depravity, or the condescendence of God’s true grace. They ignore this true reality at their present and eternal peril.
Read More...
Merry Christmas is not just Personal Peace and Affluence
24/December/2008 08:24 Filed in: Weekly Column
Today, when we wish you a Merry Christmas the general underlying meanings from the culture are essentially, “We wish you in this season and throughout the year personal peace and affluence.”
Not all that well known in the world and in the church is the concept of a worldview of only “personal peace and affluence” was a construct of the late Francis Schaeffer, probably the best, well known Christian theologian and apologist of the last half of the 20th century. Schaeffer was the founder of L’Abri, a Christian community in Switzerland.
It was Schaeffer’s contention that the prime worldview operating in the world in his life was based upon those presuppositions of personal peace and personal affluence. If you look at our current economic stupendous changes, what you see is that these two presuppositions are no longer working as well as they once did.
Therefore, the world economic crisis has at its core a philosophical malady, which has shown symptoms related to housing, energy, and finance. We may concoct all sorts of remedies or prescriptions to treat what we believe is wrong, but true economic health cannot be restored without making alterations to the worldview that personal peace and affluence is not just the highest calling of mankind, but really is an unworkable or lasting way to run a culture or human civilization.
Personal peace and affluence were indeed the operational paradigms of culture in Schaeffer’s era of the late 70s and 80s, Now, another couple of decades down that highway means, contrary to what you might be hearing spun by those who owe their entire position to these paradigms, the problems are going to continue into the future until they are replaced, by both more pragmatic, and philosophically different ways of looking at the functions of human society.
If those new paradigms continue to be only individually and materially oriented, it is going to be a very dark time for human culture for a very long time.
Read More...
Not all that well known in the world and in the church is the concept of a worldview of only “personal peace and affluence” was a construct of the late Francis Schaeffer, probably the best, well known Christian theologian and apologist of the last half of the 20th century. Schaeffer was the founder of L’Abri, a Christian community in Switzerland.
It was Schaeffer’s contention that the prime worldview operating in the world in his life was based upon those presuppositions of personal peace and personal affluence. If you look at our current economic stupendous changes, what you see is that these two presuppositions are no longer working as well as they once did.
Therefore, the world economic crisis has at its core a philosophical malady, which has shown symptoms related to housing, energy, and finance. We may concoct all sorts of remedies or prescriptions to treat what we believe is wrong, but true economic health cannot be restored without making alterations to the worldview that personal peace and affluence is not just the highest calling of mankind, but really is an unworkable or lasting way to run a culture or human civilization.
Personal peace and affluence were indeed the operational paradigms of culture in Schaeffer’s era of the late 70s and 80s, Now, another couple of decades down that highway means, contrary to what you might be hearing spun by those who owe their entire position to these paradigms, the problems are going to continue into the future until they are replaced, by both more pragmatic, and philosophically different ways of looking at the functions of human society.
If those new paradigms continue to be only individually and materially oriented, it is going to be a very dark time for human culture for a very long time.
Read More...
The American Church, striving for failure
17/December/2008 08:16 Filed in: Weekly Column
One of the fundamental operational precepts of human activity early in this century is power in sincerity. As long as you are sincere in your beliefs and actions everything is going to work out just fine, not only in the near term, but in the long run as well. This sincerity however, never acknowledges the possibility of being sincerely wrong. It is thought by truly sincere advocates that the truth of being sincerely wrong is not a possibility.
Two books we have reviewed earlier this week seem to provide pretty damning proof that there is something sincerely wrong with the American church. So far everyone is so busy striving with the bailouts, meltdowns, the freezing global warming winter, and a whole host of other aspects of stupendous change, to look seriously at those failures and work toward constructive solutions, that may not accommodate our sincerity, but still are verified by absolute truths.
The first book was “Quitting Church, Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do About It,” by Julia Duin, the Religious Editor for the Washington Times. Our review is found here. The second book is “Christless Christianity, The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” written by Michael Horton, Professor at Westminster Seminary California and host of the “White Horse Inn” radio broadcast. The second review is found here.
One of my least favorite Bible verses is found in Psalm 46:10; Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth NIV. The NKJV has it as “be still.” In the larger context the whole of this Psalm pretty much describes what is now happening as our world evolves into this new world order of unforeseen chaos.
As we discussed last week there is increasing anxiety (sincere striving) noise about what is happening to all our toys. We are too early into this to have it really affect our present toys, but the future of ever increasing toys, at least for the short term is beginning to look rather bleak. Since the whole world economy functions greatly on toy manufacturing, distribution, and sales this recession/depression could produce some very yet unknown consequences.
It is my hope, and that also perhaps of Duin and Horton, that some of these consequences will create opportunities for the Christian church to again become a beacon of temporal and eternal truth in a very dark world. In Christianity alone, does anyone find the truth that answers life’s truly important questions. Those indicatives, at least in Christianity, are the basis of Absolute Truth, no other religion, philosophy, or worldview can provide answers anywhere close to the consistency of these principles.
Read More...
Two books we have reviewed earlier this week seem to provide pretty damning proof that there is something sincerely wrong with the American church. So far everyone is so busy striving with the bailouts, meltdowns, the freezing global warming winter, and a whole host of other aspects of stupendous change, to look seriously at those failures and work toward constructive solutions, that may not accommodate our sincerity, but still are verified by absolute truths.
The first book was “Quitting Church, Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do About It,” by Julia Duin, the Religious Editor for the Washington Times. Our review is found here. The second book is “Christless Christianity, The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” written by Michael Horton, Professor at Westminster Seminary California and host of the “White Horse Inn” radio broadcast. The second review is found here.
One of my least favorite Bible verses is found in Psalm 46:10; Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth NIV. The NKJV has it as “be still.” In the larger context the whole of this Psalm pretty much describes what is now happening as our world evolves into this new world order of unforeseen chaos.
As we discussed last week there is increasing anxiety (sincere striving) noise about what is happening to all our toys. We are too early into this to have it really affect our present toys, but the future of ever increasing toys, at least for the short term is beginning to look rather bleak. Since the whole world economy functions greatly on toy manufacturing, distribution, and sales this recession/depression could produce some very yet unknown consequences.
It is my hope, and that also perhaps of Duin and Horton, that some of these consequences will create opportunities for the Christian church to again become a beacon of temporal and eternal truth in a very dark world. In Christianity alone, does anyone find the truth that answers life’s truly important questions. Those indicatives, at least in Christianity, are the basis of Absolute Truth, no other religion, philosophy, or worldview can provide answers anywhere close to the consistency of these principles.
Read More...
God’s natural transcendence: common and specific
10/December/2008 13:07 Filed in: Weekly Column
Contrary to what you may have heard in church, sound Bible exposition requires a young earth. Your pastor may say that the age of the earth really doesn’t matter as long as you have Jesus and the cross, but that is really a logical argument from ignorance, because if the creation story is not essentially a story of somewhat literal days, and instead is gapped, or evolved into millions and billions of years, the whole Bible logically becomes a book of fables and myths.
There are a rapidly growing number of creation scientists on this earth who believe the Bible as written. Sadly there are very few theologians and pastors to which this “debate” makes a difference. Furthermore, as in the recent movie “Expelled”, which stars a Jewish Ben Stein, these creation scientists are being kicked out of their professions, not because they are so much Bible thumpers, but because they promote a view called “Intelligent Design.”
So where did these scientists learn their wild, primitive, knuckle dragging, unenlightened theology?
They learned it from the transcendent nature of their work in the natural or common field of science in which they had chosen to study. Not only is creation too complex to have happened by chance, evolution by it’s core presupposition denies the truth of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, except for quantum leaps of faith and complexity, to bring us miraculously to this ancient but present completely natural state.
In the quest of where did I come from and what is my destiny, Intelligent Design is no better than evolution in answering these questions. However, theologians and pastors for some reason think this is an intelligent response to the problems that are facing this world. I suppose the logic goes, “If people believe in a Designer, they will search for Him and they will find Him in Jesus in the Bible and church, then they will ask Jesus into their heart and will be saved, and the world will be a better place.”
This of course assumes the evolutionary presupposition that we are all good people evolving to a higher level of good consciousness, and denies the reality of another Bible Genesis theological principle and that is sin, in the form of Total Depravity. This is best codified in the words of Julie Andrews from a song in the “Sound of Music,” “Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could, so somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.”
Thus we have the prime theological construct of all human religion, whichever handle you choose to place the spin, including the religion of evolution. “I am good, and I am getting better, but I’m not too sure about you.” (Because in my worldview I am superior to you)
Read More...
There are a rapidly growing number of creation scientists on this earth who believe the Bible as written. Sadly there are very few theologians and pastors to which this “debate” makes a difference. Furthermore, as in the recent movie “Expelled”, which stars a Jewish Ben Stein, these creation scientists are being kicked out of their professions, not because they are so much Bible thumpers, but because they promote a view called “Intelligent Design.”
So where did these scientists learn their wild, primitive, knuckle dragging, unenlightened theology?
They learned it from the transcendent nature of their work in the natural or common field of science in which they had chosen to study. Not only is creation too complex to have happened by chance, evolution by it’s core presupposition denies the truth of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, except for quantum leaps of faith and complexity, to bring us miraculously to this ancient but present completely natural state.
In the quest of where did I come from and what is my destiny, Intelligent Design is no better than evolution in answering these questions. However, theologians and pastors for some reason think this is an intelligent response to the problems that are facing this world. I suppose the logic goes, “If people believe in a Designer, they will search for Him and they will find Him in Jesus in the Bible and church, then they will ask Jesus into their heart and will be saved, and the world will be a better place.”
This of course assumes the evolutionary presupposition that we are all good people evolving to a higher level of good consciousness, and denies the reality of another Bible Genesis theological principle and that is sin, in the form of Total Depravity. This is best codified in the words of Julie Andrews from a song in the “Sound of Music,” “Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could, so somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.”
Thus we have the prime theological construct of all human religion, whichever handle you choose to place the spin, including the religion of evolution. “I am good, and I am getting better, but I’m not too sure about you.” (Because in my worldview I am superior to you)
Read More...
Common Grace Avenue
03/December/2008 08:02 Filed in: Weekly Column
Few people, either in the print media or on the Internet have written more, for a longer period of time on the subject of stupendous change than yours truly. Surely there are those who have forecast a financial collapse, or pending judgments of God, global warming disasters, or a whole host of other pet topics, but writing about general stupendous change and somewhat reasonable options after the happening are quite rare.
Well, a stupendous financial crisis is upon us and it’s ramifications are now being stupendously felt in various ways not only in the United States, but all over the world. Words such as bailout, depression, deflation, meltdown, and many others are now becoming part of almost everyone’s conversations.
We hear a lot about Wall Street, normally contrasted with Main Street, but it is going to be a very long time, if ever, before either are back to what we once called normal, or secure. So what then, how do we move forward in some sort of consistent basis, while all around seems to be fighting continued and impending chaos?
For our part, we will ask you to move your thoughts to Common Grace Avenue here at Wonder Springs. Common Grace Ave will attempt to take the failed or depressed paradigms and apply common grace attributes gathered from nature to inject not only some hope but some practical absolutes by which a revitalized economic and enterprise structures can develop.
President elect Obama has now named his economic team and for the most part they are closely related to the Bush advisors, if not the Clinton era instigators of this current financial calamity. So on the ocean of non-energetic debt capital there will be just a new group of Titanic passengers rearranging the deck chairs. We say passengers because, not only do they look like they do not know what they are doing, in a somewhat professional way, they freely admit that truth. The last I heard, we have given them about eight trillion dollars to see what they can do, and a blank check to print more money if need be.
Having said that, the truth behind these appointments is that there really was no other sensible alternative. Our generation long bubble of continued economic growth fueled by cheap, essentially free, debt and deficit spending, solely on consumer material goods, has basically made extinct, any opposition species.
Read More...
Well, a stupendous financial crisis is upon us and it’s ramifications are now being stupendously felt in various ways not only in the United States, but all over the world. Words such as bailout, depression, deflation, meltdown, and many others are now becoming part of almost everyone’s conversations.
We hear a lot about Wall Street, normally contrasted with Main Street, but it is going to be a very long time, if ever, before either are back to what we once called normal, or secure. So what then, how do we move forward in some sort of consistent basis, while all around seems to be fighting continued and impending chaos?
For our part, we will ask you to move your thoughts to Common Grace Avenue here at Wonder Springs. Common Grace Ave will attempt to take the failed or depressed paradigms and apply common grace attributes gathered from nature to inject not only some hope but some practical absolutes by which a revitalized economic and enterprise structures can develop.
President elect Obama has now named his economic team and for the most part they are closely related to the Bush advisors, if not the Clinton era instigators of this current financial calamity. So on the ocean of non-energetic debt capital there will be just a new group of Titanic passengers rearranging the deck chairs. We say passengers because, not only do they look like they do not know what they are doing, in a somewhat professional way, they freely admit that truth. The last I heard, we have given them about eight trillion dollars to see what they can do, and a blank check to print more money if need be.
Having said that, the truth behind these appointments is that there really was no other sensible alternative. Our generation long bubble of continued economic growth fueled by cheap, essentially free, debt and deficit spending, solely on consumer material goods, has basically made extinct, any opposition species.
Read More...