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…)
Nov 26, 2021 | Theology
I try not to get into politics here, but it’s hard to avoided in the current political and cultural climate, so sometimes in must be addressed, thus Brandon and Christianity.
Some of you may hear faint echoes of a famous saying by Tertullian in my title, one of the more well-known church fathers (155-220), and a tenacious early apologists for the Christian faith. In the context of fighting the paganism of his day he made the statement, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” The connection to my thoughts on this issue to that saying and what he meant in his context would take many blog posts, so you’ll have to trust me. That name, as most know, has come to represent more than a name. What should Christians think about all this, given the impetus behind it is a vulgar phrase directed to the current occupant of the White House, and more importantly, everything he represents? I thought the answer was obvious until I went to church Sunday, and learned that our pastor and elders don’t quite see things the same way I do. I will quote a portion of an insert in the bulletin about “Honoring God and Governing Authorities”: (more…)
Nov 18, 2021 | Theology
At my other blog I’ve been writing through the Bible the last seven plus years, from Genesis to Revelation (that might sound familiar to you hard core Genesis fans), and have made it to Revelation 4. I thought I’d share here a version of a post I did there about my initial encounter with that chapter because the way I approached it had apologetic implications.
Before I got to Revelation I knew it is way beyond my ability to interpret the strange language and bizarre images we find there. So as I make my way through I decided to read a couple books to help me out, with whatever resources I can find online. One of those books is called Triumph of the Lamb by Dennis E. Johnson. What stood out in what he says seems to me the point of Revelation. It is not that we are to understand everything, not to try to make sense of every detail. That isn’t possible for us, and wasn’t even possible for the ancient Jews who were steeped in apocalyptic literature. The objective, I believe, of God’s revelation to us in Revelation is to induce in us an awe in one so inconceivably great as our Creator God, who is also the sovereign ruler over all reality, spiritual and material. The other which flows from this, is to trust in him beyond our seeing and perceiving and understanding. I’ve quoted Isaiah (26:3) many times in this regard, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Perfect peace is of course impossible in this life in a fallen world, in a fallen body, lived among fallen people, but we can all get closer to perfect. The Book of Revelation will help us do that. (more…)
Oct 29, 2021 | Theology
Last week my son and I went to see the Christian band Mercy Me. Even though I’m not really a fan of the band, nor do I listen to Christian contemporary music (I don’t listen to much of any kind of music anymore), it was an enjoyable concert. It was held at the arena where I understand the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightening play ice hockey (there were plenty of banners), and while it wasn’t packed, it was a substantial crowd. For a Christian band that’s been around for 27 years, I was impressed. The production, sound, and musicianship was impressive, and lead singer, Bart Millard, has a powerful voice and a winsome demeanor. His life was the inspiration for a hit movie staring Dennis Quaid called I Can Only Imagine, the name of a song he wrote after his father died. He is also clearly in love with Jesus, and the reason I write about it has to do with that. (more…)
Oct 15, 2021 | Theology
God has revealed himself to us in creation, Scripture, and Christ. My first thought experiment post was on creation, and my second on Scripture. Now we come to the ultimate thought experiment, Jesus Christ, the Jesus who was from Nazareth who claimed to be Israel’s long awaited (400 years!) Messiah, and the Savior of the world. Here is our thought experiment: try to make sense of reality without Jesus. One time atheist C.S. Lewis tried and realized the futility of such an exercise. He came to this conclusion:
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.
That’s what Jesus does, he makes sense of everything, all the puzzle pieces that puzzle us can now fit into the biggest of big pictures. Without him, all you have is the pieces, and they will never fit together because there is no universal (big picture) into which the particulars (the puzzle pieces) fit. Speaking of Russia in 1939, Winston Churchill’s description fits life without Christ perfectly: It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. (more…)
Sep 25, 2021 | Theology
In a previous post I mentioned that most mornings as I pray I thank God for his revelation in creation, Scripture, and Christ. I suggested a thought experiment that encourages us to see God’s invisible qualities as we encounter creation every day, his eternal power and divine nature in everything. As we see the invisible God made visible in creation, we are driven to God’s further revelation of himself in Scripture, in our Bibles. As I’ve delved deeper into Scripture over the years, I’ve come to see God’s revelation of himself in the text of his word as even more amazing than his revelation in creation, and that is saying something. I used this phrase speaking creation: “The beauty, majesty, the improbable incomprehensible preposterous complexity of it all.” I suggested it should always and often leave us dumbfounded. I’ve come to feel this way about the Bible; it continually blows my mind. You would think that after 43(!) years as a Christian who has engaged the Bible almost daily that I might be a bit tired of it, you know, the same thing over and over and over. Nope! I find, literally every day, amazement on every page. It’s almost as if this book that claims to be the word of the invisible God who created the universe is as infinite and boundless and profound as its author! It is. The deeper I go, the more I realize . . . there is no bottom! Could any other merely human writing endure such scrutiny, and criticism, and passion for thousands of years, and convince millions, even billions of people, that it is divine? (more…)
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