Tried With Fire

This quote is from Dorothy L. Sayer's essay Are Women Human? "When the pioneers of university training for women demanded that women should be admitted to the universities, the cry went up at once: "Why should women want to know about Aristotle?" The answer is NOT that all women would be the better for knowing about Aristotle… but simply: "What women want as a class is irrelevant. I want to know about Aristotle. It is true that most women care nothing about him, and a great many male undergraduates turn pale and faint at the thought of him - but I, eccentric individual that I am, do want to know about Aristotle, and I submit that there is nothing in my shape or bodily functions which need prevent my knowing about him."" 1 Academia isn't what it used to be in Sayers' day, but it's taken time for women to overcome this sort of prejudice. In The Disappearing Spoon , Sam Kean tells the story of Maria Goeppert-Mayer who won the Nobel Priz...

I read Prelude to Philosophy several years ago. At that time, the Trinity wasn't on my radar, probably not on many people's radar which reveals how low the doctrine was on the totem pole. One of the good outcomes of the Trinity debate is that it is getting us thinking about how we do theology. Author Mark Foreman uses the Trinity as an examples of how sound thinking AKA philosophy helps theological understanding. "Another way philosophy aids theology is in helping Christians to draw out and express important theological concepts. For example, a cardinal belief for Christians is the doctrine of the Trinity: God in three persons. It is often surprising to many Christians to find out that not only is the word trinity not located in the Bible, but there is not even a straightforward, clear statement of the doctrine. This does not mean the doctrine is not in Scripture, for it can be inferred through bringing together a number of passages However, the main problem is that t...

The following is an excerpt from the 3rd chapter of The Rise and Fall of the Complementarian Doctrine of the Trinity . This chapter examines how evangelicals "do" theology? Somewhere along the way, this methodology led a large number of very intelligent theologians down a path contrary to the historic Christian church. How was this possible? Kevin Giles examines this by taking a look at the presuppositions in Grudem's Systematic Theology. Grudem says he works from two presuppositions: that the Bible is true, and that it is, in fact, our only absolute standard of truth. that the God who is spoken of in the Bible exists, and he is who the Bible says he is, the creator of heaven and earth and all things in them. The possibility that other presuppositions may impinge on his interpretation and systematizing of Scripture and on his theological conclusions is not seen as a possibility. The implication is that if you affirm that the Bible is inerrant you will be able ...

I took one history class as an elective in college, 1st semester American history. I sometimes rolled out of bed just in time to slide into the back of the auditorium. It seemed completely impractical at the time, and I couldn't wait to get past all these boring requirements so I could move on to what really mattered. But if you look at my reading stack today, a good chunk of those books are history. Why the change? My about-face was sparked at the 2012 Ligonier Conference on The Christian Mind. Dr. Robert Godfrey gave a brief overview of American Christianity, tracing the trends and movements to where we are today. One of those trends is that we have stopped thinking about how we think. This intrigued me because I had recently gone through a major shift in my theology. I came home and began to trace the genealogy of what I used to believe. I had been influenced by teachers who had someone influence them, who had someone influence them... But who were these people? This wasn...

I am posting at Out of the Ordinary today: "It is no good telling the bereaved mother that Christ still loves and cares for her if she has only been taught to think of Christ in terms of how he works on her own feelings and in her own experiences. She needs to be able to see that God is much greater than her experience of him; she needs to know that, whatever her current feelings of anguish and despair, God is trustworthy and loving; and she needs to know that assurance is not necessarily about emotional highs but about knowing that God is faithful even though the whole world appears to be falling apart around her..."   Carl Trueman She needs to be able to see that God is much greater than her experience of him... This passage by Carl Trueman hits close to home. I was not a bereaved mother but a heartbroken wife wondering where God was when my husband walked out the door. I would never have owned it at the time, but God was pretty much the God of my experience...

This is a repost, but given the latest news, it's worth the reminder: Worry is one of my besetting sins. It can cover a wide range of subjects - immediate family concerns, the election in less than 2 weeks, or what's really happening in Tehran. I begin to worry because I don't like unknowns, and I don't like feeling out of control. To compensate, I often try to keep tabs on all the possible variables that could affect the outcome,  deluding  flattering myself into thinking that I can at least be mentally prepared for what could occur. But this is cold comfort. There are too many factors beyond my scope, and as I consider what is outside of my control, the needle on the worry meter goes up. I have a less-than-robust background in the absolute sovereignty of God, so I could use that as an excuse. But even wholeheartedly embracing that doctrine, my thoughts of God are often "too human", as if He who sits in the heavens "laughs nervously and wrings Hi...

I'm posting at Out of the Ordinary today: "I can't imaging going through [fill in the blank] if I wasn't a Christian." Your answer for the blank may have been different from mine, but I think we would agree that we would not want to face trials or even an ordinary day without Christ. But what does that really mean when push comes to shove? What difference does it make being a Christian? Does being a Christian mean I won't have any problems? Do I truly get my "best life now?" If being a Christian doesn't give me an automatic out from hardship, does God still love me? Is He with me? How do I know this? Is it a feeling of emotional well-being? But what if I feel nothing? You may be thinking, "Enough of the questions already." You may be answering my questions in your head. But what are your answers and, more importantly, what is the source of those answers? Read more of the post here.

I am posting at Out of the Ordinary today: When I was a child, there were times when I would lie awake at night and think about God after my parents tucked me into bed. I knew a little about Him from Bible stories and Sunday school, but I still wondered what He was really like. Having been taught that God was already  there  before Genesis 1:1, I imagined going back in time just prior to Creation or traveling into deep space to find Him. Needless to say, it was more than my young mind could handle. God was so completely  other  that I felt very small, not just in age but in significance. Well, I had a similar feeling of smallness this past Sunday... Read the rest of the post here.

I'm going to jump on the 2015 book list bandwagon. The books are listed in the order they were read/listened: C.H. Spurgeon's Autobiography: The Early Years  (audiobook read by Robert Whitfield) - Spurgeon is my favorite dead theologian, and I loved hearing about his conversion and struggles to come to faith. My favorite line is "My mother said to me, one day, “Ah, Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist.” I could not resist the temptation to reply, “Ah, mother ! the Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought.”" The Democratization of American Christianity  by Nathan O. Hatch - A very interesting look at how the mindset of American Christianity was shaped by our culture. The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology  by Pascal Denault - I am indebted to R.C. Sproul for opening up the beauty of Covenant Theology to...

Openness Unhindered is the latest book by Rosaria Butterfield, the author of S ecret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert . If you haven't read her first book, read it. It's a testimony to the present and active power of the gospel. Her second book, however, is less focused about her journey to Christ and more on what the Bible has to say about our identity (specifically sexual identity), temptation, repentance, and living our lives unto God. I'm only halfway through Openness Unhindered , and it is excellent so far. Here are a few quotes that jumped off the page: It is not the absence of sin that makes you a believer. It is the presence of Christ in the midst of your struggle that commends the believer and sets you apart in the world. Real conversion gives you Christ's company as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. (pg. 8) If I create an identity carved out of my person pain, even one caused by the sins of my flesh, I will forever struggle in a separa...

Over the years, we've studied some very interesting topics in Sunday school. We learned about eschatology, the law's relationship to the believer, the Protestant versus Roman Catholic view of justification, and creation, to name a few. These subjects also had something in common - differing biblical interpretation which resulted in disagreement among Christians. Given the opposing viewpoints, the teacher was very careful to use primary sources. This would prevent any misrepresentation and allow each camp to speak for itself. Although he probably needed to read material with which he disagreed, this demonstrated his intellectual integrity and the desire to provide accurate information to the class. For example, I had heard from someone somewhere in the past that the Roman Catholic view of justification is "justification by works." Our teacher pointed out that this statement is incorrect. Rome would agree with justification by faith and the need for meritorious work...

I was a fan of Dorothy L. Sayers ever since PBS broadcasted the Lord Peter Wimsey series starring Ian Carmichael back in the 70's. I've read and reread her mystery novels, but little did I know that she was also a writer of theology.  Here are a few stellar quotes from A Matter of Eternity , a collection of Sayers' writings: To complain that man measures God by his own experience is a waste of time; man measures everything by his own experience; he has no other yardstick. A loose and sentimental theology begets loose and sentimental art forms. We cannot after all, have it both ways. If all truths are period products, then our own standards offer no secure basis for passing judgement on those of former ages; if any truths have claims on universality, then every claim, old or new, requires to be examined on its merits.  The proper question to be asked about any creed is not, "Is it pleasant?" but, "Is it true?" What is repugnant to every huma...

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  Romans 8:4 Pastor Ryan spoke yesterday on Romans 8:1-4.  The whole sermon was great, but this point stuck with me.  From my notes: In verse 2, God has set us free from the law of sin and death, and yet verse 4, implies a responsibility on our part to walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Is Paul making a contradiction between verse 2 between verse 4? No, because this is descriptive not prescriptive . Paul is describing what the believer look...

It's my turn to post at Out of the Ordinary : Worry is one of my besetting sins. It can cover a wide range of subjects - immediate family concerns, the election in less than 2 weeks, or what's really happening in Tehran. I begin to worry because I don't like unknowns, and I don't like feeling out of control. To compensate, I often try to keep tabs on all the possible variables that could affect the outcome,  deluding  flattering myself into thinking that I can at least be mentally prepared for what could occur. But this is cold comfort.  Read more ....

 I just started reading A Little Book for New Theologians by Kelly M. Kapic.  I was interested because he addresses the false dichotomy between theology and living. This idea of "either-or" not "both-and" is alive and well and something I have been trying to dispel from my own life. On one side of the aisle is the life of the mind - how we think and what we think upon. On the opposite side are our feelings, experiences, and daily living. We can see the good on either side, but we often lean one way and perhaps minimize the other. Sometimes we think the subjective is "real life". Sure it helps to read the Bible to get an emotional boost, but what good is theology in the day-to-day grind? Conversely we can get engrossed in the intricacies of what we believe without bearing any fruit of sanctification.But regardless of which way we list, we're all theologians. Any time we speak about God, we are engaged in theology.So according to the author, it beho...

It is no good telling the bereaved mother that Christ still loves and cares for her if she has only been taught to think of Christ in terms of how he works on her own feelings and in her own experiences. She needs to be able to see that God is much greater than her experience of him; she needs to know that, whatever her current feelings of anguish and despair, God is trustworthy and loving; and she needs to know that assurance is not necessarily about emotional highs but about knowing that God is faithful even though the whole world appears to be falling apart around her. Such will only be possible if the theological environment in which she lives and worships teaches her to understand Christ above all in terms of his historical work of redemption for the people of God; and that will only come about when the emphasis in preaching focuses not on ourselves but on the Christ of the Bible. Setting Christ above all in the context of biblical history rather than our own experience will pr...

There's no place like Rome, there's no place like Rome... When I read this section in Reformation , my first thought was the latest evangelical fad of dabbling with Roman Catholic or Eastern mysticism. Maybe I'm wrong, but you can judge for yourself: Where I differ from these gurus is in my analysis of the human condition and nature of salvation. If we were to agree with them in seeing human beings as always searching for God, as having an innate spirituality which leads them to yearn for deeper and more authentic spiritual experiences, then we would regard the current interest in alternative religions as a positive sign and see our own task as presenting to the spiritual consumer our own product, Christianity, as a more adequate means of fulfilling the so-called "felt needs" of individuals. If, however, in line with the biblical, historic Christianity, supremely that of the Reformers, we regard human beings as sinful and turned inwards towards self, then w...

ht: Effectual Grace

I don't have much time for a long post as there's a pile of work almost as big as the pile of leaves in the yard. But... We had a wonderful with family over Thanksgiving.  It was relaxing visit with tons of good food. I always seem to get back in touch with my Chinese stomach when I go home. We were able to meet Vicki ( A Good Finish ) on the way up. On the way home, we were able to say "hi" to a brother from our church who is working as Santa at the Christiana Mall . However as much as I love my family, it's good to be home. It was good to sleep in my own bed, pet the bunnies, sort through the emails, and catch up with the blogsphere. I'm looking forward to seeing some of my church family tomorrow night and on Sunday morning. I realize more than ever the theological differences with my family over some pretty basic doctrines. On the one hand, I'm oh so very thankful they are believers, but my love for them and for biblical truth wouldn't be wo...

This is one of the books I brought home. (I was surprised to find my name in the front cover. I must have bought the book during my undergraduate years when I was briefly exposed to reformed theology.) I'm terrible about picking up books and not finishing the ones I've started, but I think this book will clarify some issues about rightly understanding and interpreting scripture. On Sunday, we went to the church where my parents meet. It is the same group that started out as a house church, only it's larger now and they no longer meet in a home. A visiting missionary pilot was asked to speak. Without going into the gory details, he used some verses from one of the gospels and then launched into his personal interpretation of it in relation to his experience. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I don't think this brother was deliberately trying to deceive, but it sounded like it was out in left field and in contradiction to other scripture. Sadly, there were choruses of...