Much like God’s Great Creation, I am surprised and increasingly satisfied with the accuracy and focus of Moses Leads the People.
The Intentionality of Catechizing
Churches and households need to take the time to evaluate what discipleship they're doing and how they're doing it. The church isn't called to perform discipleship in "their style" and let the chips fall where they may. No. Churches and households must seek to be servants in their accommodations.
Weekend in Toxaway
Pictures from our weekend at Lake Toxaway, NC!
Addressing the Amillennial Alternative: Chapters 13-15
The coming chapters are no easier as they span the gulf that is the book of Revelation from the amillennial perspective. No book has caused more trouble to Christians throughout the history of the church. What Storms puts forth is not new but certainly a valuable element of his systematic presentation of amillennialism.
Liturgy Series: Part 4 – Music
Like all parts of the liturgy, music is both unavoidable and massively impactful. Whether we like it or not the words and rhythms we sing as a congregation are shaping us into a teleological people (a people facing a certain kingdom). Considering the weight of this proposition we should be increasingly concerned with which kingdom our songs are pointing us.
The Nature of Catechizing
So, Michael Hansen's series opener on liturgy got me to thinking. I'm not committed to a series on catechizing but I am going to let myself explore the topic a little bit in the upcoming weeks. I'd like to start with the general nature of catechizing.
Book Review: The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns
The Bible Tells Me So is a valuable example of hermeneutical criticism with an equally faulty hermeneutic. Enns, alongside the conservative Christians who refuse to commune with him, remains a puzzling example of enlightenment thinking that continues to tell people what the Bible must say and do.
Book Review: God’s Great Creation by David Miles
Our daughter, who is familiar with the creation account, loved the story. Aware of the Heidelberg Catechism’s answers concerning “Adam and Eve in paradise” she instantly recognized the depiction of “our first parents” and their fall and disobedience. Admittedly, she calls it her “coronation book” (thanks Frozen) but God’s Great Creation has been an excellent addendum to our family worship and Biblical education.
There is nothing contained in this volume that is not found in a higher criticism commentary on the book of James. Even the “messianic focus” of the material seems timid in its depth and will prove to be short on insights for those familiar with technical scholarship on James.
Book Review: Tell Me About Prayer
This book is golden!
N.T. Wright & the Centrality of "Story"
Wisdom incarnate (Jesus), spoke in parables and hid the things of the kingdom of God from the wise and revealed them to innocent babes (Luke 10). Again, as the apostles went out into the kingdom of Rome armed with the story of the Gospel their ultimate aim was a subversive one. Everywhere they went they started a riot because of the story they were telling: "Jesus is Lord, not Ceasar." & "You are now citizens of Heaven, not Rome." To us these often serve as empty words on the pages of an ancient text. In the first century these words were telling the story of a conflicting narrative to the story so many inhabited. Moreover, these words were telling the story of the emergence of a new world (the world of the New Adam) and the decaying of an old one (the world of the Old Adam).
Book Review: Girolamo Savonarola
“Yet the question remains: Why include a Roman Catholic in a series of biographies on Reformational heros?”
Addressing the Amillennial Alternative: Chapters 10-12
Well I just keep cranking all along. As of my writing tonight this delightful book is now finished. That said, I have a couple more detailed posts coming before I put forth the effort for a concise and rather limited review.
Weekend Wildness...on our rather tame scale.
Come along; witness the fun!
Liturgy Series: Part 3 – The Call to Worship
When we are called to worship God week in and week out we are reminded that we have been called to be human in a new way, the way of Jesus. One of the clearest ways that this is evidenced is in the fact that Christians come together each week to worship together rather than remaining in their individual lives.
Just Curious, Has Anyone Signed the "Social Contract?"
We have gone so far down the rabbit hole of the Modern nation-state that it is difficult for us to imagine anything (institution, program, or belief) having any weightiness to it unless it is backed (in some way or another) by the government.
Doing What Everyone Else Does, Plus Jesus: A Critique of the "Christian Worldview"
I finished reading James K.A. Smith's book Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation a couple weeks ago. I would have to say that it is the best book I've read this year (so far). The book does a wonderful job at challenging the popular conversations surrounding "Christian Worldview" talk without being over critical while at the same time offering an attractive alternative. Smith argues throughout the book that centering the Christian faith around something like a "worldview" has many pitfalls. Again, it should be noted that Smith is not advocating that we abandon the concept of developing a "Christian Worldview" but suggests that such a center cannot hold.
Expositing, Psalms, and Catechizing
While all of the Scriptures funnel to the ultimate Word of God in Jesus Christ, we must remember that Christ was sent to reveal the Father we had not seen. He is the image of the invisible God. Preaching Christ is to glorify the Father whom He reveals. It is note solely to end at Christ.
What Are the Gospels Trying to Tell Us?
One of the biggest faults and failures of modern churches and modern Christian families has got to be their failure of teaching the story of the Old Testament (on both a macro & a micro level) to their congregants & children. Due to our ignorance of the Old Testament we reduce our readings of the New Testament to an individualistic mining exercise: we search the text for "timeless truths" that will apply to us. The result is often that we are woefully ignorant of what the text is actually SCREAMING at us and consequently miss out on the REAL ways the text necessarily applies to our lives.
Book Review: Jonathan Edwards by Simonetta Carr
Thankfully, Simonetta Carr and Reformation Heritage Books are providing introductory level biographies that are engaging. The latest in their “Christian Biographies For Young Readers” series, Jonathan Edwards focuses on the theological and pastoral giant of the 18th century.