Culture Wars: Is It Really New?

We hear a lot about the so-called 'culture wars' today and a great deal of us think that this is a relatively new thing. The truth is that since God first pronounced judgment on the serpent of old in the Garden, there has been a culture war. From this time there have been two cultures emerging. The first is the culture of the serpent. His culture is that of this world strives for power, popularity, and fame. The second is the culture of 'the seed'. This is the culture that attempts to live unto the glory of God as we patiently look forward the full redemption of His creation and the consummation of all things.

But there is also a culture war, of sorts, within the 'culture of the seed'. What is role of this culture? Are we retreatists who are called to make Christian communities that are apart from the world? Are we called to create monasteries and live in pious huddles? Or are we called to be transformers of culture and have dominion as God has commanded? Are we salt and light in the midst of darkness or are we something else? Something that God has not commanded?

The 20th century hero amongst Presbyterians, JG Machen, spoke to this issue in 1913 at Princeton Theological Seminary. It illustrates that we are not in a new battle; we just have forgotten those who were fighting before our time. Machen said,

In the first place, Christianity may be subordinate to culture. That solution really, though to some extend unconciously, is being favored in a very large and influential portion of the Church today. For the elimination of the supernatural in Christianity- so tremendously common today- really makes Christianity merely natural. Christianity becomes a mere human product, a mere part of human culture... The second solution goes to the opposite extreme. In its efforts to give religion a clear field, it seeks to destroy culture. This solution is better than the first. Instead of indulging in a shallow optimism or deification of humanity, it recognizes the profound evil of the world, and does not shrink form the most heroic remedy... Therefore, it is argued that the culture of this world must be a matter at least of indifferene to the Christian... Are then Christianity and culture in a conflict to be settled only by the destruction of one or the other of the contending forces? A third solution, fotunately, is possible- namely consecration. Instead of destroying the arts and sciences or being indifferent to them, let us cultivate them with all the enthusiasm of the veriest humanist, but at the same time consecrate them to the service of our God.

Puritan Reformed Seminary Graduation

Puritan Reformed Seminary will broadcast their graduation LIVE at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on Friday, May 15th.

You can watch it here. Click Students. Then Graduation. You need to wait a moment as it loads.

I will waive to you all!

Jesus Builds His Church: PRTS Update, May, 2009

As Reformed Christians, we hold the testimony of a sovereign Redeemer who controls and governs all things by the power of His hand. At the same time, we are often people who are discouraged at the state of our churches and the lack of growth that we see in the Reformed community. We wonder, “What are we doing wrong? What would God have us do in order to see biblical church growth?”

In times of discouragement, as well as in times of great encouragement, it is always important to remember that the church is being built, and that Jesus Christ has promised to build her. In the verse preceding this, Jesus tells Peter that he is blessed for confessing Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. This confession would serve as a basis and foundation for the church being built throughout history. Year after year, throughout all of church history, men and women, boys and girls, have confessed this same confession for the saving of their souls and the building of Christ’s church.

The church is also built through conflict. In our minds, conflict is a bad thing, a divisive problem; but Jesus says that conflict will be part of the building materials of His church. This conflict is between the church and “the gates of hell.” There is an offensive as well as a defensive way to read this portion of the text. The imagery is that the church is on the attack against wickedness and sin. This is done through the preaching of the Word, through evangelism, through the church interacting with the culture around her, and through participation in the public sphere. This aspect of the conflict cannot be won by building walls around ourselves or being in a “holy huddle”; we are in battle, and the church that Christ is building is built through conflict. It is a call to arms! How many times has the church of Christ been attacked, only to blossom, grow, and flourish under satanic persecution? How often have the laws of men and the powers and principalities of darkness attempted to suppress the church, only to make her confess more loudly and more clearly? The church is built through conflict!

We also see in this part of Matthew’s gospel that the church is built through “keys.” Jesus uses the terminology of binding and loosing to show that the church has great power and responsibility in discipling her members. This may sound like a strange way to build — through discipline — but that is the way of Christ. Discipline involves more than admonition and excommunication. These are real and biblical aspects to discipline, but they are hardly the whole picture. Discipline begins with disciples, or those who are followers of Christ, discipled by Him. We are under this great church builder, and He is telling us that the church that He is building is one in which His followers are going to be students of Him. They will study His ways, His Word, and His will, and He will build.

So should we be discouraged as Reformed Christians? There are times when we need to bring our confession before Christ and ask Him to make it clearer. There are times when we need to bring our conflicts before Christ and ask Him to make them victorious. There are times when we need to bring the keys before Christ and ask Him to make us better disciples. But be discouraged? No! Jesus Christ promised to build His church and the evidence over the past two thousand years is abundantly clear: He is a faithful builder!

Original Article found here.

The Vomit of the Soul: Christian Confession

Confession is when we confide in a fellow Christian and we share the struggles that have been hindering a greater fellowship with Christ and the Church.

One Puritan said, “Confession is an act of mortification, it is as it were the vomit of the soul; It breeds a dislike of the sweetest morsels when are they are cast up in loathesome ejections. Sin is sweet in commission but bitter in the remembrance. God's children find that their hatred is never more keen and exasperated against sin than in confessing.” (Thomas Manton, 457).

What a vivid description for confession. The vomit of the soul- it is all of the stuff that sin has produced within us and as we confess that to our fellow Christians- we find that we are feeling better and our relationship with Christ is better. As we confess our sins to a confidential and compassionate brother or sister- we are more equipped to hate sin and to fight against sin.

One of Satan's greatest tactics in spiritual warfare is convincing Christians that nobody in all the world shares the same struggles with you. There is this lie that is told that you are in your sin alone and that if you shared it you would be so out of touch with the struggles of everyone else, that it is better to never share it.

This is untrue, of course. Christians struggle with a whole host of sins, and we are called to bring them confidentially and compassionately to a trusted brother, friend, or counselor.

Confess to one another.

What Are Preachers Reading?

Today I went into the 'deacon's office' and noticed a pamphlet from a well-known Christian book publisher called 'Pastor's Bargains: Low Prices for Those on the Front Lines'. I decided to paruse it to see what this publisher is recommending for pastor's to read.

Sad mistake. I believe that the books that pastors read is reflective of the health and well-being of the Church. As pastors we should be reading books about the Scripture and books to deepen our knowledge of Theology. The occasional 'issues' book is to be thrown in as well.

The books that this pamphlet suggested for pastors to read included:

1 Book on a deeper prayer life.
1 Book on the Majestic Nature of Jesus Christ.
3 Sports Biographies
11 Self Help Books
2 Books on 'Success'
1 Leadership Book

That is 10% dealing with Christianity (prayer and Jesus) and 90% dealing with pop-psychology, entertainment, or management issues.

Pray for your pastors. Pray that they are reading books that will benefit the Church of Christ and be used to advance Christ's Kingdom in the earth.

You Are Not A Christian!?

Boice, commenting on Jesus' words about loving each other as evidence of being in Christ:

If people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative that Jesus gave them. [He then quotes Schaeffer] 'And we must not get angry. If people say you do not love other Christians, we must go home, get down on our knees, and ask God whether or not they are right. And if they are, then they have a right to have said what they said.'

Sabbath a'Brakel: Reflection on the Lord's Supper

'Did you receive peace, quietness, hope, assurance, and joy? Did you sweetly cleave to the Lord, doing so while weeping, without much comfort? Or could you entrust it all to the Lord, and did you in love, lean on the beloved, Did the Lord manifest Himself to you in a special manner with extraordinary revelations, or by granting clear and powerful assurance? Reflect upon these and similar matters. Do not deny what you have received; highly esteem the very least thing. If the soul can thus engage itself in quiet meditation, the Lord's Supper will have a sweet aftertaste. One will perceive his failures and his acknowledge the free grace of God, His goodness, and His benevolence. It will be a renewal of friendship, and be as a wedding dinner, treating Jesus to His own dainties, saying, 'Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat His pleasant fruits'. Yes, you may then receive that blessing during reflection which you missed while partaking of the Lord's Supper. (II. 594)