In some recent conversations, I found that I have a very different approach to Christian ministry than some of the people I was visiting with.  What made the conversation frustrating is that some of the folks I was visiting with were unable to understand where I was coming from.  So, I post these links to some information that has shaped the way I think CHRISTIAN worship services should be conducted.  I emphasize the word “Christian” because I don’t feel that these ideas necessarily pertain to evangelistic services or “revival” meetings, etc.  However, for Sunday morning worship services, I think they are especially valuable.

One note - they are WORSHIP services that we should be planning.  Non-Christians cannot worship; they are not believers.  Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).  So, in planning a CHRISTIAN WORSHIP service, non-believers shouldn’t dictate what we do, or what we don’t do.  They can’t worship, so we don’t plan WORSHIP services for those who can’t participate.  I think a comparison would be changing the rules of any given sport to accommodate people who, for whatever reason, are unwilling or unable to play by the rules.

Without further ado, here are the links:

10 Ways to Improve Your Church’s Worship Services

10 More Ways to Improve Your Church’s Worship Services

A Third 10 Ways to Improve Your Church’s Worship Services

An idea for a Church Covenant - Towards Covenant and Meaningful Membership 

A Statement on Church Discipline 

So, after reading the material on these five pages, people will better understand how I use words like “liturgical worship” and “meaningful membership.”  I hope this stuff will help.

Listening to the Past - Stephen R. Holems

Stephen Holmes, now teaching at St. Andrews University in Scotland, is a Baptist. I mention this because that, in my mind and those of my evangelical friends, makes his arguments for a high view of tradition all the more interesting. Holmes is not Roman Catholic. He is not Eastern Orthodox, or even Anglican or Episcopalian. He is a Baptist – a committed one at that. So, we (Baptists) can read his arguments without the same amount of suspicion that we often have when reading high-church theologian’s arguments for tradition.

As Holmes argues for tradition’s important place in theological method, he does so scripturally and theologically. His book is divided into ten chapters. The first and second chapters serve as introductory essays concerning Holmes’ methodology as well as arguments for why evangelicals, and all Christians for that matter, should look to tradition to shape not merely our theology, but more importantly, how we go about doing theology. The next seven chapters are examples of Holmes’ work and methodology played out with Anselm, Calvin, Barth, and others. The last chapter summarizes his points in a way that also demonstrates the importance of the development of doctrine as something that is scriptural while also ecclesiastical. The Trinity and the Nicene Creed serve as his case(s) in point.

The brilliance of his work is demonstrated in his theological argument for tradition in theology. Arguing from the importance of our own historical locatedness, Holmes shows that our own perspectives, paradigms and cultures should be celebrated in the theological enterprise instead of seeking to overcome such distinctives. Furthermore, as I’ve often mentioned elsewhere, overcoming presuppositions to achieve total objectivity is impossible. Holmes agrees, and demonstrates in his other essays the benefit of other perspectives in understanding theological constructs bequeathed to us by brilliant theologians in the rich history of the Christian Church.

Holmes further builds upon his arguments of historical locatedness by looking to Christ. As many regular readers of this blog well know, I am partial to the Christological imperative as it pertains to theological method – always start with Jesus. Perhaps we can thank Yoder for this recovery. The theological move that Holmes makes in connecting anthropological development and historical locatedness demonstrates his genius as he notes that a failure to give tradition a place in theological method is nothing less than a denial of what it means to be human – which Christ taught us. Hence, not only is tradition necessary to the theological enterprise for biblical, philosophical, and pragmatic reasons, it is also required for those who wish to maintain Christological orthodoxy, and practice the implications of these doctrines in the Christian life.
I have some critiques of the book, though. Holmes, while bringing about a necessary change in the thinking and posture of evangelicals towards tradition, does not adequately locate tradition in a necessarily Christian sphere. Hence, his treatment of how to appropriate the legacy of Nicea is not all that different from how we should allow Thomistic theology to influence the way we approach the sacred text. To be fair, he makes some distinctions, but they are ultimately subjective (for individuals as opposed to the Church), and thus not rooted in orthodoxy, per se. However, these can hardly stand as significant criticisms for Holmes since he comes from a free church background. Given his own historical locatedness, his arguments are merely a by product of his own doing by his own methodology.

Lastly, I regret that this book is not very accessible to those not grounded in a more-or-less formal theological education. I still long for the volume to be written at a more popular level that introduces laymen to the rich heritage we, as Christians, share with those who lived prior to the Reformation. I guess I’ll keep holding my breath…

I’ve been thinking for quite some time about what membership is in a Baptist church.  I guess about 4 years ago I began wondering where the idea of membership developed, often hearing from many, “Membership isn’t in the Bible, therefore it isn’t biblical,” and the like.  These sorts of post-modern quips are to be expected in an age of deconstruction, even though they are on the surface paradoxical at best (hypocritical and blatantly opposed to at worst) the very idea of community so often exalted by the same persons so staunchly against formal church membership.  While I absolutely reject this approach to biblicism (just because it isn’t in the Bible doesn’t make it wrong - take toilets for example), and while I want to give place to the development of doctrine, I do, as a Baptist, long to maintain a biblical basis for as many of the practices our churches have as is possible.  Hence, I recommend to readers Mark Dever’s chapter on church membership in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (review forthcoming).  In addition, I highly recommend that readers take time to read these thoughts on church membership:

 The Local Church: Why You Ought to be a Formal and Active Member of a Local Church (part 1)

 The Local Church: Why You Ought to be a Formal and Active Member of a Local Church (part 2)

But, this isn’t all I want to say. In a recent conversation concerning what meaningful membership entails at our church, someone said mentioned that, basically, membership only gets someone a vote during our annual business meeting - that’s all.  From a pragmatic standpoint, this is largely true.  Non-members can participate in almost every way that members can - in small groups, in evangelism and service, etc. (but they can’t be leaders of officially sanctioned Mosaic stuff).  But, despite this, we are trying to create a culture of membership via our church covenant.  Non-members, though they pragmatically and functionally are not all that different from members, are spiritually quite different.  They are not members.  They aren’t united with us in covenant communion.  They cannot be disciplined, per se.  They are not under the leadership of the pastors.  They are not part of the church.

So, consider these aspects of church membership.  I recognize that the overwhelming majority of Southern Baptist churches (especially the larger ones that I’ve been a part of in the past) don’t treat membership like this.  However, just because they don’t treat membership rightly (biblically) doesn’t mean that formal membership isn’t important, or biblical.  Instead, let us reclaim all that membership is supossed to be so that we can live together in covenant fellowship to the glory of God in the advancement of His kingdom.  Amen, and Amen.

Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers - Christopher A. Hall

Hall’s book was definitely an interesting read.  It was a little different than what I expected.  I was hoping for a look at patristic hermeneutics, which was in the text.  But, Hall organized his book with three main sections: an introduction, mini-biographies of key figures in both Eastern and Western patristic history, and concluding thoughts concerning the patristic history of interpretation.

The mini-biographies are particularly beneficial to those unfamiliar with the great doctors of the Church.  Not only does Hall give readers a brief look at the lives of some early heroes of the faith, but he also helps elucidate the various backgrounds of interpretation for the Fathers.  No one interprets Scripture in a vacuum.  Instead, our various cultural, educational, and family backgrounds form presuppositions that create grids by which we read the Bible.  As Hall provides a tour of the lives of the Fathers, readers are aided in understanding not only how, but also why the Fathers read texts in certain ways.

In fact, this was the best part of the book.  Hall’s critique of modernity in the introductory chapters is what made the book worth reading.  In his conclusion he discusses how modern persons, especially Protestants, can make sense of patristic exegesis.  Hall’s arguments for reclaiming tradition and focusing on the larger narrative of Scripture found a home in my heart.  Furthermore, Hall’s articulation of the Father’s christological interpretation of the Old Testament further resonated with my own position - that Old Testament study should be informed by the revelation of Jesus Christ (i.e. - the New Testament) in some of the same ways that the New Testament is informed by an Old Testament foundation.

All in all, for those looking to start studying the Church Fathers and patristic hermeneutics, Hall’s book is great place to begin.  He avoids technical language, or defines his terms well when he does introduce new vocabulary.  While other volumes would be better for a detailed look at exegetical methods and specific hermeneutics in the Fathers (especially Sanctified Vision), this volume does a magnificent job of demonstrating how one’s worldview and philosophical paradigms contribute to reading and interpreting the Bible.

Father, Son, & Holy Spirit - Bruce Ware

So, I don’t want to be overly critical of this book.  For what it is, the book is great.  But I wanted more.  Numerous individuals have told me how great Bruce Ware is.  I have been impressed by some of his other work.  And, he is a very nice, Christian man who I have enjoyed talking with.  Nonetheless, after reading this book, I was disappointed.

On the bright side, Ware does a great job of giving an elementary introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity.  The subtitle (Relationships, Roles, and Relevance) is where the book is strong.  Rather than focusing on the nature of the Three in One, Ware goes into detail of how the Persons of the Trinity interact with each other.  He also makes strong arguments for related issues on the basis of the Trinitarian relationships (especially the relationships between men and women in the Church and in the family).  Thus, in bringing the Trinity into current controversies, Ware shows that the doctrine is relevant even beyond the doctrine of God.

However, Ware does a poor job of detailing the historical development of Trinitarian theology.  Though he does designate one entire chapter to this subject, far too much material is ignored.  If the relevance of the center of orthodoxy is to be understood by members of the Church.  Twice as many pages should be devoted to the development of this doctrine and its scriptural basis.  Furthermore, Ware should have done a better job explaining why non-Trinitarian theology is heresy - the Christian faith does not work without a Triune God.

Nonetheless, for what it is, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit is a good book for small groups to utilize in introducing the doctrine of the Trinity.