An intro to covenant theology

If you asked me a few years ago what the main/defining characteristic of Reformed theology was I would have said the five doctrines popularly known as TULIP. Those are important. But ask me today and I'd say the main/defining characteristic of Reformed theology is it's understanding of the Covenants. I've been listening to a very helpful intro to covenant theology given by Ligon Duncan in 2002. He explains how it is "the Bible's way of explaining and deepening our understanding of four things." 1) The Atonement 2) Assurance 3) The Sacraments 4) The Continuity of Redemptive History

Listen or download here.

Some of the material is in written form here.

Our national liturgy

Thankfully, there were no patriotic extravaganzas at our church this past Sunday. You know what I mean: giant American flags, patriotic skits, videos and stirring musical medleys. Not that I have a problem with all that, as long as it's not in the church and not on the Sabbath. Granted, our church isn't large enough to mount such a thing, but I hope that even if we were -- we wouldn't. Shannon and I were helping out in the nursery, but by all accounts it was a fairly "ordinary" service of Lord's Day worship. Our minister preached from 1 Corinthians 13, not exactly a traditional July 4 weekend text. Of course, that wasn't the case at many evangelical churches in America. The experience of this blogger was probably typical: standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, but sitting for the reading of God's Word.

Baptist professor David Gushee has an interesting article on his experience this past weekend, and on our fondness for God and country services. He argues that the persistent popularity of these kind of services stems from a hunger in the pews for liturgy. As most Protestant churches have scrapped all remnants of liturgical worship (or never had them to begin with), creeds and confessions have been replaced by the Pledge and "My Country 'Tis of Thee". He writes, "the problem is that the liturgy is national rather than Christian—or national as Christian." He also points out that there's a tendency to use these occasions to idealize the past and demonize the present. I suspect the subtext at some of the July 4th celebrations this past Sunday was "God will bless America as long as such and such a candidate (you can fill in the blank) isn't elected in November."

Read Gushee's article here.

Is there a way to incorporate our national holidays into services of worship? Can patriotism comfortably co-exist with the gospel? Russell Moore discussed those questions with Mark Dever and Stanley Hauerwas on the Albert Mohler program.

Listen here.

A dispatch from the front lines

Here

N.T. Wright on the fourth request

They said a lot of things about Jesus during his lifetime, by no means all complimentary. One particularly juicy phrase sticks out: he was, they said, 'a glutton and a winebibber'. You can just see Jesus' opponents rolling that one round their tongues with relish. But do you know where the phrase comes from? It's actually a quotation from Deuteronomy 21, in which the Israelites are told what to do with a stubborn and rebellious son. The parents are to bring him to the elders of the town, and say 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a winebibber', and they must stone him to death. So there was more to the charge against Jesus than just that he went to too many parties. It was a way of saying: he is being profoundly disloyal to our traditions; he deserves to die.

But Jesus was following the agenda he set out in the Lord's Prayer. He wasn't a rebellious son; he was loyal to the one he called 'Father'. His eating and drinking with his motley collection of friends was a deliberate sign of the Kingdom. His parties weren't simply a matter of cracking open another bottle for the sake of it; and the prayer to the Father for daily bread was part of his wider and deeper agenda.

At the heart of it stood a central biblical symbol of the kingdom: the great festive banquet which God has prepared for his people. This picture goes back to the vision of the land flowing with milk and honey; to the Psalmist, saying 'Thou shalt prepare a table before me, in the presence of my foes'; to the children of Israel, being fed with quails and manna in the wilderness; to prophecies like that of Isaiah, that

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for
all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud over all people;
he will swallow up death for ever.
He will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people
he will take away from all the earth.
(Isaiah 25:6-8)

The banquet, the party, is a sign that God is acting at last, to rescue his people and wipe away all tears from all eyes. Jesus' parties, and his feeding of his followers in the wilderness, were intended, for those with eyes to see, to pick up this whole theme and celebrate it. As so often, the most powerful things Jesus said were in actions, not words.

N.T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer

Grace and truth

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacled) among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

John 1:14-18 (NIV)

Are you captured by the grace and truth of Jesus? Are you dazzled by his glory? Shortly before going to the cross, Jesus prays for his disciples, "Sanctify them by the truth." (John 17:17) and "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory." (John 17:24) Jesus is not the means to truth, he is the exact representation of truth. He didn't come primarily to make it possible for us to escape Hell and live happily ever after in Heaven (although that's a true statement) -- he came primarily to make it possible for us to see and enjoy his glory for endless ages -- "the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Apostle John must have had the Exodus narratives in mind as he wrote his breathtaking presentation of the deity of Jesus in the prologue to his gospel. New Testament scholar D.A. Carson points out that there are six references in John 1:14-18 (the conclusion of the prologue) to Exodus chapters 32-34. "Now show me your glory", Moses asks Yahweh in Exodus 33:18. The LORD does so, but only indirectly, since "no one may see me and live." Even these indirect encounters with the glory of the LORD leave the Israelites terrified of Moses when he returns to them. Try to put yourself in their place. Begin to understand the terror of the Law and the awesomeness of the Lawgiver, then you'll begin to see the magnificent beauty of Christ. He is the greater tabernacle and the greater Moses, the consummation of all things.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Listen to him. Worship him.

You're a Grand Old Flag

Today is Friday, but it's also Independence Day. So in keeping with the occasion, here's Jimmy Cagney singing and dancing his way through a patriotic medley in Warner's 1942 musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. I'll continue my FIFF tribute to Walter Murch next week. Have a safe and happy 4th!

Theological cinema

I've long thought that the films of Woody Allen are among the most "theological" of Hollywood films. Robert Recio agrees, and shares some thoughts on Allen's latest Cassandra's Dream.

Read them here.

Recio's post reminded me of this bit of dialogue from Allen's 1989 classic Crimes and Misdemeanors. In that film it's Martin Landau wrestling with his conscience after having his mistress killed -- and getting away with it.




HT: Heidelblog

Truth and beauty

When reading the confessions that make up the Three Forms of Unity, I'm often struck by the beauty of the language and expression. This is worth noting since I'm reading an English translation of what was originally written in German, French or Latin. In fact, I enjoy reading these more than the Westminster Standards written in the good olde King's English. Some credit must go to the translators, yes, but more must go to the original writers. Here are the first two articles of the Belgic Confession.

Article 1: The Only God
We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God — eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good.

Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God
We know him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse. Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

I love that! The phrases "single and simple spiritual being" and "that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God" speak to my head and my heart (or whatever part of my being it is that takes pleasure in language and expression). I'm already convinced of the truth of the Reformed confessions -- or as I publicly affirmed a few Sundays ago "I do sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do..." -- coming to appreciate their aesthetic beauty is icing on the cake, so to speak.

A staggering statistic from Global Prayer Digest

There are more people in China under the age of 24 than the combined populations of the United States, Russia, Canada, and Australia. This group of over 500,000,000 people will soon be directing this emerging super power. Will they direct it in a positive or a negative way? One of the most important aspects of spreading the gospel is that it can change individuals and entire civilizations if new believers are willing to submit to Christ's direction. Potentially, reaching China's youth can make a huge difference, not only for China, but for the world that they will soon influence.

Continue reading here

Theologically unhinged

A response from New Wineskins to last week's disastrous GA.

Read it here.