So, if you’ve been hinding in a cave, or living under a rock, you may be unaware of the recent ongoings within the SBC with regard to the IMB and its new policies on baptism and tongues. You’ll have to do your own homework to catch up on that.

However, on Tuesday at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), during chapel Rev. Dwight McKissic preached on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues. SWBTS has decided not to make the sermon available on its website.

Read more on it here at Ethics Daily.

The entire sermon transcript is available here.

The seminary’s press release is available here.

An open letter to Dr. Paige Patterson, President of SWBTS, is available here.

This post marks the beginning of a series I’ll do on charismatic gifts and hermeneutics.

Make sure to read up on the most recent developments concerning the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) and their truce/cease-fire in Uganda.

For those of you who are not familiar, take some time and go to Invisible Children. This site is well designed, highly informative, and well worth your time.

Archbishop of Canterbury on Homosexuality

The archbishop of Canterbury has told homosexuals that they need to change their behaviour if they are to be welcomed into the church, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Rowan Williams has distanced himself from his one-time liberal support of gay relationships and stressed that the tradition and teaching of the Church has in no way been altered by the Anglican Communion’s consecration of its first openly homosexual bishop.

The declaration by the archbishop - rebutting the idea that homosexuals should be included in the church unconditionally - marks a significant development in the church’s crisis over homosexuals. According to liberal and homosexual campaigners, it confirmed their fears that the archbishop has become increasingly conservative - and sparked accusations that he has performed an “astonishing” U-turn over the homosexual issue.

(HT: alastair.adversaria)

Think About It: Which Is The Real Thing?

VS.

(HT: Slice of Laodicea)

The Only Wise God – William Lane Craig

This is the best philosophical theology book I’ve read this year. My interest in Molinism began last fall as a radical middle position between the sovereignty of God in Calvinism and the free agency of man within the Arminian system. After reading a number of academic articles, my friend Brad Smith recommended this book. I found it very readable. In fact, one of the reasons I like it so much is that I can recommend it with confidence to anyone who is interested in theological epistemology. Anyone who is willing to think hard and concentrate for 15 minutes at a time can make it through this book. I also appreciated the brief chapters which are further broken up making it easy to digest piece by piece.

I found this articulation of Middle Knowledge very helpful not only in defining terms, but also in practically using them in theological dialogue. Dr. Craig’s volume will serve as an introduction into Molinism. The book covers the issue holistically, touching on most subjects it affects, but does not do so in depth on each topic. However, I found Dr. Craig’s arguments quite convincing, and helpful in explaining the compatibility of Reformed Theology and elements of Arminianism. I could post ten articles on this topic, but I won’t. Nonetheless, if anyone would like to discuss this book, please contact me (make sure you read it first).

God, Freedom, and Evil – Alvin Plantinga

While I benefited from this book on philosophical theology, I did not find it nearly as enjoyable as The Only Wise God. The book is divided into two separate parts: the first concerning Molinism and overcoming objections to the doctrine of Middle Knowledge, the second concerning natural theology, with emphasis on the ontological argument.

The first half of the book delves much more in depth of specific issue concerning Molinism and its objections. However, I found the books technical style readable, but not reader-friendly (enjoyable). Furthermore, I highly doubt that I employ what I gleaned from this book in conversations with anyone besides well trained philosophical theologians. Nonetheless, my reading of Dr. Plantinga has further strengthened my conviction that Middle Knowledge is the epistemological key to understanding the Soteriological debate between Calvinists and Arminians.

In the second half of the book, Plantinga discusses an area of philosophical theology of which I am not very well read. Thus, I have no framework by which to evaluate the information contained therein. Natural theology is not the particular area of interest I have within the discipline of Philosophical Theology. However, the ontological argument, having been a topic of discussion for practically the entirety of philosophical history, is something that I should be more familiar with. I commend this book to anyone with an interest in Natural Theology.

Make sure you check out the following:

Dr. Scot McKnight on Calvinism - interesting.

Dr. Jim West on Fat Christians.

Some guy I don’t know on Bad Criticism of N.T. Wright - right on the money!

Joe Thorn on Top Ten books on Personal Piety - excellent.

With regard to the last one, we need to be reading more from this category. This is where the character of Christ is formed in us, and this is the hope of glory. Herein lies the secret of Orthopathy. Orthodoxy and orthpraxy are important, but not all there is. Genuine Spiritual Formation.

I just seem to be on cloud 9 these days. Ever since visiting this website, I just feel invincible. Whenever I’m down, I just watch the video and then I feel all better.

What’s even better is that I realized how much time this is going to save me. Instead of meeting with people to pastor and encourage them, now I can tell them to enter their name and it will do the same for them!

They should have invented this a long time ago…

www.ben.arbour.youaremighty.com

(HT: proecclesia)

More thoughts on the Sabbath –

The Old Testament festivals were a time of relaxation, often in addition to the mandated weekly “One in Seven” Sabbath. These were the times when God commanded that the fat portions be eaten, and other seemingly incorrect instructions. We should remember that, at least sometimes, God’s ways are not our ways. Can we all at least agree to try to do it God’s way? Let’s try to get away from extreme legalism.

Let’s just see how serious it is to God that we observe the Sabbath (which means resting, relaxing and playing as a means of worship). “But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 15:30-36, KJV)

It is clear that failure to observe the Sabbath is a sin that results in apostasy. God killed this man who was working. In essence, as Matt Chandler puts it, God says, “Party, or I’ll kill you.” (HT: Missionsblog.com)

Pentecostal –

Okay, Ben, now you’ve truly lost it. We’ve listened to you clarify the first four terms, but how in the world are you going to explain away all the garbage associated with Pentecostalism? I’m about to spell it out for you.

I’m not talking about the extreme charismatic movement taking place all over the world right now. There is a big difference between being charismatic and being a charis-maniac. I identify myself theologically with the former. This is of the utmost import – theologically means that I’ve actually thought about this. Unlike some parts of the Body who think doctrine is stupid, I actually came to these conclusions through academic means. I do believe, from biblical exegesis and study of church history, that the gifts of the Spirit are for today, and all days until Christ returns.

But this is not the main focus of my use of the term “Pentecostal” in this blog. I use this biblical word to identify a theology of experience. It is not enough for Christians to know academically the truths of God. We must know experientially. There are lots of people who know all about God, but they do not actually know HIM, and thus are not born again. This is the “Orthopathy” part of the sub-title. Remember Isaiah’s prophecy, “This people draw near to me with the words, but their hearts are far from me?” I think Jesus’ command was not just to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless alone. It encompassed more than that. We are supposed to actually care about these people. If we don’t have the compassion of Christ for these people, we’ve missed out on the “heart” of Christianity.

The Old Methodists did a great job of incorporating experience into their theology. method. We should remember that we are called to bear much fruit and this brings glory to God. Thus, if we are called to glorify God, we are called to bear fruit. If we’re not, we should examine our ways. This is (though tremendously oversimplified) a correct appropriation of experience (along with Scripture, culture, and tradition) in theological method. In this manner, I am happy to typify my theology as “Pentecostal.”

Post-Modern –

This one could be the most deceiving classification of this blog. I am not actually an advocate of post-modernism. But, it’s a popular word right now, and I use it occasionally because I identify with many of the practices behind this thinking, though I wholeheartedly divorce myself from the philosophical beliefs of both modernity and post-modernity. I advocate Pre-Modernism, which decentralizes the role of individual thinking and incorporates a highly value of tradition and authority. However, the more that I read of the Post-Modern movement (i.e. - Emergent Church), I find myself in agreement with many of the things that they want to do. Among some of these are concern about social injustices, reworking the styles of worship in our local churches, and a return to ancient practices of the church.

Another attractive element of the Post-Modern movement is a desire for unity in the church. An ecumenical heart is, I believe, central to the Christian faith. Many people who identify themselves as Post-Modernists, to their credit, seek to identify with people based on commonalities instead of dividing with them based on differences. This is the manifestation of Holy Spirit unity. This does not, however, mean that there is never a time to divide. Nonetheless, a divisive, critical spirit is contrary to the prayer of Jesus in John 17. Where the Emergent movement gets it wrong (in my opinion) is that they don’t take a stand for anything. According to some, there are no real absolutes in orthodox theology. I imagine that this will work itself out over the next decade or so as this movement looks deeper into the Ancient church and the creeds which they value.

I also find a strong desire for genuine community among the Post-Modern movement of the church. This also will entail a rejection of the over-importance of the individual as this paradigm is strengthened. I mean to say, in Christianity, the community is not expected to suffer for the sake of the individual, but rather the individual suffers for the sake of the community. The theological problems within the emergent movement stem from an immature appropriation of this concept. However, community is essential to real spiritual formation in the lives of the saints. Community is the means of grace ordained by God through which He conforms people into the image of His Son. More on this in the future.