The Unformed Conscience of Evangelicalism – J. Daryl Charles

By far, Charles’ book was the best that I read for my Christian Ethics class. I encourage everyone to read it, and do so quickly. It isn’t a difficult book to work through, but it is academically beneficial, and a real character shaper. I’ll be quite brief in this synopsis, but the link to the full review I’ve written is one paper that I’d advise people to take 10 minutes to read. This book really is great. The Unformed Conscience is also a great primer for those interested in how to interact with moral, ethical issues on a level beyond the issues themselves, but also with respect to various world views and paradigms of thought. Thus, after we lay a Christian worldview for people, they can actually engage the culture meaningfully. In terms of assessing the current situation in the Church, Charles strongly argues a point on which is tied directly to the subtitle of his book: “Recovering the Church’s Moral Vision.”  I entirely agree with him on this - that Christian morality and character development are lacking among evangelicals today is often directly linked to a lack of academic, theological and doctrinal training in the local church. I’ll leave that for you to ponder as you hopefully click the link below to read the full review, if you want to learn more about what I, and Charles, mean.

“An Analysis of J. Daryl Charles’s The Unformed Conscience of Evangelicalism“

At the Lighting of the Lamps – John A. McGuckin

Theology meets worship.  If anyone wants to see liturgical theology in action, this is a great place to start.  The Fathers were brilliant at using theology and doctrine to turn the hearts of people to Christ in worship.  Their focus on Jesus seemed to inevitabily result in the worship of the One, True, Triune, Living God.  This collection of hymns in both the original language (either Greek or Latin) as well as an English translation will show you how this happened.  Oh, that we would be as God-centered in our praise and worship today as they were then!  Though a completely different style of worship, it is easy to see from reading this quick, short book, how we can see a revival or Trinitarian, liturgical theology and worship today.  I read it months ago, and have reflected often upon these hymns.  This will also be a great supplement to a quiet time if you’re looking for something to pick up, especially if you’re looking to become acquainted with the practices of worship in Early Christianity.  And, there are tons of copies available online for less than $1.

We’ve been back in the country for two weeks now.  I’ve driven all over Texas and Oklahoma (San Antonio to Ft. Worth, then Dallas, then Oklahoma City, then Dallas, then College Station, then Houston, then Boerne, then Ft. Worth – about to go to College Station, then back through Dallas on our way to Oklahoma, so we can unload some things before we come back through Ft. Worth on our way to Eldorado, then San Antonio, Ft. Worth once again, then we’re home, but only in time for me to pack before I head back to the other side of the world – summer studies at Oxford).  If we’ll be anywhere near you, let us know – we’re looking forward to catching up with everyone and sharing our experiences with those interested in listening.
I’m fairly certain that we’ve fully re-entered the western world, and experienced most of the difficulties therein, but I still have yet to brave Wal-Mart, mostly due to lack of time than anything else.  I’ve spent the last two weeks thinking really hard about something important I could say after reflecting more about our time in China, but only a few important thoughts come forward, and I’m saving those for later.  Thus, for now, I’ll just sort of share a few random things, stream of conscious style.
I was really quite nervous about re-entry.  I’ve heard the horror stories of others, and I know my own personality, that historically I’ve often excused a lack of love, kindness, and gentleness while being unnecessarily harsh as merely “prophetic.”  Having experienced the things we did in Vietnam and China and having seen what poverty really looks like, I was worried that I might fly off the handle.  But, after sharing these concerns with some of you, requesting your prayers, I am happy to praise God with you that He does, indeed, answer prayer.  He heard our requests, and made the whole re-entry process go so much more smoothly than we anticipated.
I credit this largely to Divine providence.  As only He could have seen fit, 2 days after we arrived back in the US, I was in Dallas preparing for a wedding.  It was great to see friends there who understand life overseas, at least more than others completely unaware of the difficulties pioneer missionaries face living in rural, frontier areas where there is no salt or light other than ourselves.  I am especially thankful that the Invisible Hand guided us so carefully during this time.  The Father saw fit to use this time to work hard on my character – seeking to conform me more into the image of His Son, by His Spirit.  I was, during the first week or so after returning, in a little bit of a funk, almost a depression, for no apparent reason.  That is to say, I cannot identify, even after the fact, any reason that I was upset, frustrated, etc., except that I was becoming frustrated that I was depressed and couldn’t figure out why!  I wanted to be by myself, take some time to read, and prolong the re-entry process.  But, the all-wise God saw fit that my calendar be arranged such that I needed to be in very public situations quite regularly, which I believe was for my good, and ultimately quite beneficial in that re-entry could have taken a lot longer, and been quite a bit more difficult for us, and me in particular, were it not for the wonderful celebration of the marriage of Travis and Kristina Baucom, followed the very next week by another – my brother-in-law Andrew Anderson and his new wife Summer.
So, thanks be to God for good friends, great parties, and His great faithfulness towards His beloved.

The Lord and His Prayer – N.T. Wright

N.T. Wright is for orthodox Christianity what John Piper is for reformed Baptists.  This volume is the very best of when academic scholarship meets devotional writing for the Church.  It began as a series of lectures Wright gave at a church in the UK during a special focus on prayer.  In this book, as he did for the lectures from which the book is derived, Wright breaks down the Lord’s prayer into its natural segments and exposits them uniquely.  I’ve listened to literally dozens of sermons on the Lord’s prayer, and read quite a few books on prayer in general, and a handful of books on the Lord’s prayer specifically, but I’ve never been touched by the Spirit in the ways I was while reading Wright’s short book.  God has truly raised up a servant for His church in Wright.  His ability to summarize the background of the New Testament times is beyond brilliant – he does it quickly, meaningfully, and in such way that it is enlightening and encouraging.  Most insightful were the elucidations regarding what it means to call God “Father” (chapter 1).

I have a greater appreciation for the pattern of prayer Christ has outlined for us, and a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the prayer itself – succinct, yet sufficient.   Best of all, I found N.T. Wright’s exhortations to prayer challenging, while also reasonable; mystical (focusing on constant communion with God [prayer without ceasing 1 Thes. 5:17]) and intercessory (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done).  Pick this one up if you see it in a bookstore – it’s worth at least twice what you’ll pay.  A chapter a day will greatly enhance your devotional life.

I try not to piggy back on other people’s original blog posts too often, but this was too good to pass up (HT: Mere Christians). Watch the video clips to see how the exact same data taken from a film can be framed differently than intended, not only by the actors, but by the director and the screenplay writer, creating an entirely different “movie.”

“Something’s not quite right?” That’s the understatement of the year. Here are the links to the videos:

Mary Poppins

The Matrix

The Goonies

Top Gun

Sleepless in Seatle

The Shining

These illustrate far more than one might realize. If you think theological education is a waste of time, consider that in many parts of the planet, large segments of what claims to be Christianity and the Church have radically reinterpreted the data in the Scriptures to paint a picture radically different than that intended by the authors (the Apostles) or the director/screenplay writer (God). This necessitates the rule of faith, as Irenaeus articulated, and orthodox creeds (Apostles, Nicene, Chalcedon) to serve as hermeneutical boundaries, especially concerning the foundational elements of our common faith (the Trinity, the full humanity & full deity of Christ, justification by grace through faith, the depravity/lostness of man, etc.) He taught that the Scriptures contain teachings in tidbits like stones from a mosaic, so that when properly arranged form a picture of a beautiful, just, reigning king. However, the same stones, when not arranged properly, form a picture of an evil wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Examples of misinterpretation abound. One in the West is neo-Arianism on TBN, another foreign to many is the Eastern Lightening cult in China (who believe that Jesus was reincarnated into a 13 year old girl). I could go on and on here, sadly, but the point remains – theological education teaches people how to interpret the scriptures Christianly and correctly, preventing the heresies which damn by ensuring that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom that are proclaimed, not some other message not intended by the Holy Spirit. God preserves His word through the Church, via the ministry of teaching. Let us hold in high regard this precious ministry.

Theological hermeneutics and narrative theology are of the utmost import to be imparted to our disciples. The data should only be interpreted in so far as it stays faithful to the larger story God is trying to tell. Otherwise, Scary Mary or Maverick and Ice Man’s homosexual relationship will be the least of our concerns.

Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law - J. Budziszewski

When I first found out that I was going to get to real this book on natural law, I was excited. There are quite a few other areas of academic theology that I care about a lot more than ethics, but natural law is an exception because of how it relates to evangelism, both in the West and abroad. This volume answers some questions that I’ve had, and raises quite a few others that I had not previously considered. However, unless someone wants to understand the social and ethical implications of natural law and the political ramifications and consequences of attempting government or theology without it, I’d let this book pass. It’s not that it isn’t a good book, far from it. This is the best survey, primer volume on natural law on the market today! Budziszewski has does a marvelous job of bringing academic theology down to a level that everyone can take in and appreciate without dumbing things down to a level in which there isn’t any meat on the table! But, it does require some hard work and perseverance in reading, and it might be boring if someone isn’t interested in natural law as it pertains to political theology. There are lots of other good books out there to read. If ethics aren’t your area of interest, maybe you can just read my extended review, “An analysis of J. Budziszewski’s Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law.”

Sorry I haven’t written much recently - more to come as soon as I finish this paper I’m working on, and take my final exam.  I hope to opine concerning Dr. Francis Beckwith’s rejoining the Roman Catholic Communion soon.  I hope my thoughts will be though provoking.  In the meantime, here are some things others may have missed.

Dr. Kyle Roberts eulogizes the passes of a mentor, and one of my heroes, Dr. Robert Webber of Wheaton. (HT: Kyle Roberts)
On the value of a complementarian wife.  Maybe if we treated women with this much respect, our actions would speak louder than our words, and people would actually believe us when we talk about the value of real motherhood. (HT: Scriptorium Daily)

Interesting thoughts on home schooling and the SBC with regard to a resolution coming to San Antonio. (HT: SBC Outpost)

Finally, some humor.  Thanks to the guys over at Reformation 21, some thoughts on the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s view of baptism.  Wow, SBTS.  That’s a change.  I, like them, was shocked. (HT: Reformation 21)

So, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get to stay here in China forever.  In a couple weeks, we will be back in the States and over jet lag, running full steam ahead - two back-to-back weddings, travel all over Texas, Oklahoma, and maybe even Louisiana, not to mention conferences, school classes, and, of course, fund-raising.  Having heard some of the stories concerning the difficulties of re-entry, I’m a little nervous, especially since we’ve never lived overseas before, thus, we’ve never “re-entered.”  Also, I know myself well enough that I can imagine I will be frustrated with much of what I am guessing I will encounter.  Please be praying for our family as we prepare to enter a new season of life, and a new dimension of training and preparation for our long term goals.

Our schedule is already filling up rather quickly.  If you’d like, please send us an e-mail so that we can make sure to see everyone who wants to meet with us.  We don’t want to leave anyone out if we don’t have to.  We’re truly looking forward to reconnecting with our friends and seeing what God has been doing in your lives, as well as sharing what He has done in ours.

Spiritual Leadership – J. Oswald Sanders
It’s easy to understand why this book has so quickly become a classic, and is required reading in many organizations. All of the guys in the group over here read it together and discussed our thoughts concerning the readings on a weekly basis. Sanders’ work originated as a series (of lectures given at annual conferences of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. His missionary, evangelistic zeal covers the pages of each chapter, and his insights are tremendously challenging, yet not so overly conceptual in nature that he fails to advise readers as to practical application.

(more…)