Paperman

As much as I like posting about great books, theological doctrines, and big fifty-cent words, it is nice to take a break and post something sweet and humorous :)

Here is a Disney short that I just found this evening.  I really, really liked it and I think you all will as well.

So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I present "Paperman"!!!

Dr. R.C. Sproul & Reformed Theology!

As the month of January draws to a close, I wanted to update all of our blog followers on how things are fairing for the Stanton out in Missouri.  I'm pleased to report that the pastoral internship is going very well and that we have successfully completed our second book; "The Christian Ministry" by Charles Bridges.  It was by far the most comprehensive and practical book of pastoral theology I have ever read and I'm looking forward to reading it again in the years ahead.

That said, I am also very excited about the new book the intern class is beginning.  Transitioning from pastoral theology to distinctly Reformed theology, we will be working our way through R.C. Sproul's book, "What is Reformed Theology?"

So far, we have read up to chapter 4.  I would highly recommend this book to all of you!  For one thing, Dr. Sproul has such a talent for explaining very hard and complex doctrines so very simply.  It really feels as if the whole doctrine is unfolding before your mind's eye as Sproul writes.  God has definitely given him an incredible gift of teaching ability and communication skills!

Dr. Sproul begins the book with an important distinction: what is theology? Is theology different from religion? Dr. Sproul very convincingly argues that there is a night and day difference between the study of religion and the study of theology.

"There is a profound difference between the study of theology and the study of religion.  Historically the study of religion has been subsumed under the headings of anthropology, sociology, or even psychology.  The academic investigation of religion has sought to be grounded in a scientific-empirical method.  The reason for this is quite simple.  Human activity is part of the phenomenal world.  It is activity that is visible, subject to empirical analysis...To state it more simply, the study of religion is chiefly the study of a certain kind of human behavior...The study of theology, on the other hand, is the study of God.  Religion is anthropocentric; theology is theocentric.  The difference between religion and theology is ultimately the difference between God and man." - Dr. R.C. Sproul, "What Is Reformed Theology?", pages 10-11

As Christians, we can and should study the other world religions.  One main reason why is so that we can be equipped to speak accurately when we portray the false ideas and systems of the other beliefs in this world.  But we should never equate this examination of other religions with the study of our God, who alone is the one and only true God, most blessed forever! 

After restoring that important distinction, Dr. Sproul reminds his readers that Reformed theology is unique in that it "applies the doctrine of God relentlessly to all other doctrines, making it the chief control factor in all theology."  Every doctrine that has been marked as being part of the systematic Reformed doctrine is formed in light of the doctrine of who God is and how He has revealed Himself to us.  Predestination, sovereignty, perseverance of the saints, total depravity, limited atonement (or as Sproul likes to call it, Christ's Purposeful Atonement), and the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture all stem from and are built off of the doctrine of God.

One final lesson that I learned from Dr. Sproul which I wanted to share with you all, was the ways in which we make statements about God.  Dr. Sproul taught that there are three ways in which the Church makes declarative statements about God:

1) Way of Negation (via negationis) - Defining something by saying what it is not.  An example of this is the declarative statement that God is infinite.  By this statement, because we are finite, we declare what God is not (God has no end and no beginning) since we cannot express what infinity is positively.  Therefore we make negative assertions (infinite is not....).
2) Way of Affirmation (via affirmatas) - Defining something by making positive assertions.  An example of this is the declaration that God is holy, sovereign, and just.  These are all positive assertions of God's character.
3) Way of Eminence (via eminentia) - Defining or describing God by elevating His communicable attributes (the attributes which He created us to be able to imitate, i.e. justice, mercy, truthfulness) to the ultimate degree.  As an example, we say that God is the perfect expression of truth, love, holiness, and righteousness.

I hope these excerpts from Dr. Sproul's book have been helpful and instructive!  As I mentioned before, I would highly recommend this book both to the new student of Reformed theology, but also to the person who has been in the Reformed camp for many years.  This book will provide a refreshing review and explanation of the doctrines which makes us distinct and biblically sound.  Since we know that the human heart is a factory of idols, pumping out vain imaginations as fast as the day is long, we need to be constantly studying who God is because, as John Calvin said,

"So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods.  But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being He is, and how absolite the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness, will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom, will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy, will be condemned as the most miserable impotence."

"The people who know their God will display strength and take action." - Daniel 11:32

Touring Covenant Theological Seminary!

  Throughout the history of the Church, the methods of training and educating the pastors and leaders of the local church has changed and varied.  During the days of Christ, the Apostles had no classroom.  All of their training was done on the road during their travels throughout Judea.  In the medieval times, monasteries and academies were the primary institutions of theological training.  In Geneva, the Reformer John Calvin formed a precursor to the Protestant seminary in order to train men for the ministry and to prepare missionaries.  The famous colleges of Yale and Harvard were initially formed to prepare men to be ministers in local churches here in America.

With all of this history in mind, I consider it a privilege to tour the seminaries that were and are still engaged in the vital mission to educate and train up the next generation of elders and shepherds for the Reformed churches in America.

On January 18th, Pastor Serven took my fellow pastoral intern, Cody Winton, and I to have a look around his alma mater :)  It was a very enjoyable trip and it also gave me an inside perspective of what exactly goes on in a seminary.   

Here are some pictures of the trip!  Enjoy!

The view of the seminary library from the parking lot

One of my favorite places to be is in a book store!  Especially a seminary bookstore!

 At this bookstore, I was able to purchase several of the books that had been placed on the "Clearance" rack.   Probably the best deal I got was a new, hardcover, undamaged copy of Luther's writings on the Lord's Supper.  This book, in mint condition, only cost $9!  I also managed to find a mint condition copy of Francis Schaeffer's, "A Christian Manifesto".  All in all, I left the bookstore feeling very elated over my new purchases :)

My tour guide and my fellow intern

Student housing!

 I didn't know this at the time, but Covenant Seminary tries to make their student housing very accomodating to families.  There is even a play-structure on the seminary grounds for the children who live with their parents on campus can play on.  It looked a little out of place :)

The Goal of Covenant Theological Seminary

The title page of Pastor Serven's dissertation

Dr. Marcus J. Serven

The original seminary building, dating back to 1956

The library, also containing the PCA Historical Center

The sun was shining right in my eyes (hence my squinting expression :)

I'm very thankful for this opportunity to learn more about church history and the continuing legacy and story of how Christian men have prepared for the ministry!  Lord willing, I will have more chances to explore and tour other famous and significant seminaries in America over the next few years!

This is a fun little poem that fits my house perfectly. We definitely have a Mr. Nobody running around making a bunch of messes :). 

Mr. Nobody

Author: Unknown

Author Unknown

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody

`Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you. See
Are not our boots they all belong
To Mr. Nobody.

Respectable Sins

Yes, you read the title of this post correctly :)  Last Lord's Day, I was loaned this book

 by one of the men at Covenant Family Church.  He wanted me to give him my thoughts about it.  So, I went ahead and wrote up a review of this little book by Dr. Jerry Bridges called, "Respectable Sins; Confronting the Sins We Tolerate".

Joel's Review - January 14th, 2013

The title of this book first caught my attention.  “Respectable sins?” I thought, “I have to read this book!”  This was the first book by the author Dr. Jerry Bridges that has come across my desk, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  However, I can now confidently assert that this book is a fantastic read for any Christian man or woman!  First off, this book passed with flying colors my two basic litmus tests for any Christian book that I read:

1) Does the author possess and write from a worldview that is shaped by the belief of the sovereignty of God?

2) Does the author rely upon Scripture first and foremost as the chief authority, and does the author quote the Scriptures often? 

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Jerry Bridges met and exceeded those two basic tests in his thought-provoking book.  In “Respectable Sins; Confronting the Sins We Tolerate”, Dr. Jerry Bridges asks the probing question, “Are there sins in our life that are not only allowed to remain in our lives unhindered, but have we even ceased to be consider them as being really sinful?”  Dr. Bridges continues by laying out his case that the world always tries to remove the idea of sin from its vocabulary and society.  This shouldn’t surprise us as we know that unsaved men “suppress the truth in unrighteousness”.  But when Christians, men and women who have been given new natures in Christ Jesus our Lord, stop calling sin in our own lives as sin, we have massive problems.  But before Dr. Bridges begins gently applying the surgeon’s knife to our consciences, he lays out the solution; the Gospel.  This is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much!  Dr. Bridges makes the point that the Gospel is for sinners, not just for unbelievers.  So rather than berating ourselves over the sins that we discover have become “respectable” in our eyes, Dr. Bridges instructs us to run to the cross and cast ourselves upon the inexhaustible mercies of God, trusting that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus”.  

After laying out the problem and the solution, Dr. Bridges takes a deep breath and then plunges unreservedly into the sins which are increasingly viewed as more acceptable in the modern evangelical church.  And keep in mind, my Reformed friends, that we are just as susceptible and guilty as our evangelical brothers and sisters in Christ.  Dr. Bridges confronts the sins of anxiety, discontentment, anger, bitterness, resentment, envy, a critical spirit, and selfishness, just to name a few.  In each chapter, he carefully inspects the smaller, more subtle expressions of these sins which often lurk in the lives of Christians.  At the end of the day, Dr. Bridges explains, all of these “respectable sins” come from one root sin: ungodliness.  I really liked how Dr. Bridges developed the idea of ungodliness being a source of all the varied ways in which we still express our sin natures.  He defined ungodliness as “living one’s everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God’s will, or of God’s glory, or of one’s dependence on God.”  Having laid that definition out, Dr. Bridges goes on to make one of the best arguments for the Reformation principle of “Soli Deo Gloria” that I have ever read.  At the end of the day, whether our “respectable sin” happens to be an occasional outburst of anger, selfish behavior, lack of self-control, anxiety, discontentedness, etc., our practicing of that sin demonstrates that we are not concerned first and foremost with bringing God glory and living our life to please Him.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering, “Dr. Bridges sure is making a big deal about small stuff.  Is he advocating perfectionism or something?”  The answer is emphatically no!  Dr. Bridges is first to recognize that perfection is not possible or achievable even as a Christian.  Instead, Dr. Bridges maintains that we are to strive to be more Christ-like and to “make no provision for the flesh”.  This means that we are to confront ALL areas of sin in our life, including the areas that might seem small or acceptable.  Dr. Bridges summed it up best by writing,

  

“When we sin, when we violate the Law of God in any way, be it ever so small in our eyes, we rebel against the sovereign authority and transcendent majesty of God.  To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God.  It is indeed cosmic treason…The damage to God’s glory by our sin is determined not by the severity of our sin but by the value of God’s glory.”   

But thanks be to God that He has sent His Holy Spirit to not only convict us of these “respectable” sins, but also to produce in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness and the blessings of freedom from those sins! 

So, in closing, I would highly recommend this book to Christians of all ages.  I would especially recommend this book to second and third generation Christians (I myself being a second generation believer) as we can often times become complacent in our very moral and law-abiding upbringing.  This book will cause you to recognize just how sinful we still are and, hopefully, motivate you (as it did me) to confess and repent of these “respectable sins”.  As Dr. Bridges said,

“Remember that our progressive sanctification – that is, our putting off sin and putting on Christlikeness – rests on two foundation stones: the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit…Remember, if you are united to Christ, God sees you clothed in His perfect righteousness.  And always look to the Holy Spirit to enable you to deal with the sin in your life and to produce in you the fruit of the Spirit.”

Soli Deo Gloria!