Dec 25, 2021 | Theology
No, it wasn’t Bethlehem and Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus and a manger, shepherds keeping watch by night, a choir of angels, a bright star or wise men from the east. Actually, that first Christmas was the fulfillment of something that came way before that, and if you want to know the true meaning of Christmas you have to start there, when Christmas became necessary. I’m talking about the story of Adam and Eve told in Genesis 3, and something we call “the fall.” That is where the first Christmas really happened. You’ll remember that the serpent deluded Eve into thinking being like God might be a good thing, and Adam the solid leader he wasn’t, went along with it. Bad move. At once they realized they were naked, and did what human beings have done ever since, sewed fig leaves together to try to cover their nakedness. No, people don’t use fig leaves anymore, but they do the same thing; with their own works they try to cover their nakedness, sin and death. That is no more effective then Adam and Eve’s effort. Human religion is futility in action. Then we get a picture into Christmas, and what was in effect the first Christmas: God promises, and we can take it to the eternal bank: (more…)
Dec 24, 2021 | Theology
In my previous post on the dysfunction that was much of Mars Hill church, I focused on The Church being full of sinners, saved sinners, but sinners nonetheless. So to be surprised when “stuff” happens, and sinners act like sinners, is silly. Even a cursory look through the New Testament makes it apparent that perfection isn’t in the cards for Christians, even though in the 19th century and part of the 20th there were perfectionist movements in the church that claimed just that. This was such an influential movement, as hard as that is to believe today, that the great Reformed theologian B.B. Warfield saw the need to write a substantial book on it called, Studies in Perfectionism. In fact, when I became a Christian in 1978 the idea was still such an influence in the church, even if not taught outright, that when I discovered his book in the mid-1980s it felt like a life saver. Fundamentalist Christianity, a version of which I was born-again into, has always had a tendency toward works righteousness, which was a burden I could not bear. (more…)
Dec 19, 2021 | Theology
If you’re unfamiliar with Mars Hill, I’m not referring to the place in Athens where Paul debated the philosophers in Acts 17. There, Paul made his case for Christianity to the philosophers in a place called the Areopagus, but it was also known as Mars Hill, thus its importance as a phrase implying taking a stand for the Christian faith. In the 21st century the phrase also came to be associated with a church in Seattle led by controversial pastor Mark Driscoll. Mars Hill was a phenomenon in the first decade or so of the century. The church grew, sprouted many campuses, and had an impact far and wide, driven by the intense and entertaining preacher who led it. Driscoll was also part of a movement called “Young, Restless, and Reformed,” and associated with the likes of Tim Keller, John Piper, and The Gospel Coalition, although his theology was all over the place. Behind all the growth and success, though, were problems that would eventually lead to the church’s demise, and Driscoll walking away from his crumbling empire in 2014. I didn’t know the half of it. (more…)
Dec 12, 2021 | Uncategorized
I recently read the sad story of a healthy young (to me) doctor from Canada, a cardiologist, Dr. Sohrab Lutchmedial, who died suddenly in his sleep at 52 years of age. What made this newsworthy, specifically in the conservative media, was that he was a vocal advocate of the jab (the COVID so-called vaccine), and mocked via social media those who refused to take it. He had gotten his third (booster) jab three weeks before his sudden, and shocking to those who knew him, death. He said back in July on something called Twitter, that for those who wouldn’t get the shot “for selfish reasons,” that he wouldn’t “cry at their funeral.” I’m not writing this post to mock the man because the theme of my life is, there but for the grace of God . . . . I only write about it because he and those like him are an object lesson, in his case about hubris, humility, and modern medicine. (more…)
Dec 9, 2021 | Explanatory Power
I’m not sure there is anything more annoying then a pesky fly, other than maybe a pesky mosquito. Recently one of those pesky flies somehow made its way into my office, and didn’t want to leave. Eventually, swatting it withy my hand wasn’t going to dissuade it from bothering me, so I pulled out the big stick, a rolled up newspaper. Numerous times as it landed I did my best to anticipate it’s next move, and slammed the newspaper where it was no longer. Finally I got it, but not completely. The injured fly did everything it could to flee from impending doom, but eventually the newspaper was too much, and it left the land of the living. I felt bad. I’d just taken a life, albeit an annoying one. It got me thinking of a conversation I had with a friend some time ago who asked me an unexpected question: Are you afraid of dying? Well, yes, I am, as a matter of fact. His response was stark: I’m not. I’ve wondered about that encounter ever since, and it came back to me as I watched the fly struggle for existence. (more…)
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