For the Time Being . . .

NOTE: For regular updates on Tom Ascol’s health condition, please see the comments section of this post.

For the past week or so, I have been wrestling where to go with the blog in writing series as well as keeping up with Blue Collar Theology and the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge (among other things). One of the desires I have is to share with you the journey I have been on that has taken me from a full-time seminary student/part-time 3rd shifter to full absorption into gospel ministry in the local church. All but the last two months of my blogging tenure has been spent in a seminary environment, and as a result, a considerable number of people who read my blog are fellow seminarians who will likely be serving in a ministerial context of some sort. Perhaps my journey, and retelling of some scenes along the way, could be profitable not only for the seminarians who are also making that great leap but also for the churches who would be receiving them.

But due to God’s providence, I have been led to a point where I understand that the place my blog is supposed to go is nowhere. At least not for the time being.

Many of you know already about the situation with Tom Ascol, whom I serve alongside here at Grace Baptist Church. Allow me to give another brief update on his condition. The last couple of nights have afforded Tom greater lengths of sleep time, which has been really good. However, the process has continued to be incredibly painful. The nerves in his body are beginning to regenerate at various parts of his body, and when they do, it is like great jolts of pain shooting to that area. So for instance, at one moment it could be his ankle, then later his hip, and a moment later his arm. It cannot be predicted when or where those jolts of pain come as the nerves regenerate, and so at any moment, things can turn from a moment of rest to restless pain. As I mentioned in the comments of my earlier post, the doctors are giving promising reports, expecting Tom to make a full recovery. But it will take time, and it will demand a change of pace and a season of rest. Please continue to pray for Tom and the Ascol family as I know they are really grateful for your support and prayers.

As you might imagine, Tom will not be able to receive email or phone calls for the immediate future. While I encourage you to comment and share your thoughts and prayers either in the comments here or on Tom’s blog, I do ask on behalf of Tom and the family that calls and emails be left to matters of necessity. I will be receiving all of his email, so I will be sensitive to respond to all matters that merit his (or his family’s) attention. I do ask that, given the circumstances, grace would be afforded to myself and others who will be attempting to administrate these tasks in a timely manner (he receives quite a bit more email than I do!). For all you Facebook users, you can also leave a message on his wall, or perhaps you could catch Tom twittering in the days ahead (though I would not expect him to).

Next Sunday, I will likely be preaching to our people on “God’s Providence and Our Pain” as I think it would be appropriate that we hear from Scripture on what God is doing here and how we can respond in faith to our loving and faithful Lord. If I may ask, please pray for me in the days ahead as well. I will be preaching and teaching 13 times over the next six weeks will be quite demanding, especially for a young novice like myself. Much of that will be a series on the prayers of Paul for the churches he planted–seeking to know what specifically Paul prayed and how prayer impacts church planting. Lord willing, our church will begin the early phases of planting a church about 45 minutes east of where we are located.

Lastly, we are finally at the point of closing on a home here and are expecting to moving in at the end of this week. This is a big praise, but the season of living in suitcases in homes of members has been immensely rewarding and encouraging. I know Nolan will look forward to having his own room!

As a result of all that God is doing here and the circumstances I find myself, (immediate) future blogging plans will be kept to updating you on the situation with Tom’s health and perhaps posting some stuff I have benefited from in my study. I embrace with joy the plans the Lord has for me in serving His people and look forward to allotting the overflow to spill out here. It is a privilege for me to serve God, His church, and our beloved pastor, and I thank you again for remembering us in your prayers.

Five Years

Five years ago today I said “I Do” to my bride in an old worship sanctuary in the church where we first met.  We had grown up just miles apart but were separated in ignorance until we had both graduated college.  Through several twists and turns in the journey, I ended up with a college degree and returning to a town I swore I would never live, doing something I swore I would never do–serving as a youth minister.

But God had other plans.

And I am thrilled that he didn’t allow me to live out mine.  I know that sounds weird, especially given that we live in a day of narcissism and “self-actualization” (spiritualized as Your Best Life Now); but it was beyond my comprehension to ascertain how God was orchestrating each step of my life to a place where my footprints would be in sync with another.  Those were the steps of my soon-to-be wife, Dusti.

I still remember that day distinctly–the incredibly hot temperature, the annoying videographer, and the wonderfully eclectic group of groomsmen who were more idiosyncratic than even myself.  I remember looking into her eyes and saying those solemn words which seemed all to easy to recite were it not for the tears of joy that caused the words to stumble as my voice went to a higher pitch.   Looking out amongst my family and friends, I knew that July 19th would be much more than an anniversary but a day to recall God’s faithfulness and kind providence in giving me a precious bride to love, serve, and honor.

Much has happened in these five years.  We have moved twice, struggled through four years of seminary life, and starting a family together (Nolan turned seven months yesterday!).  During this period of time, I have experienced the grace of an understanding wife who has helped shape me into more of a man of God.  She has supported me as I have sought God’s will for us, even when it has required of her great sacrifice.  I am aware more now than the day I first say “I Do” that the gospel must drive our marriage as we daily believe in Christ and repent of our sins and failures.

My wife normally doesn’t read my blog (except when some of you guys write mean things about me or some controversy potentially gets me in trouble :)), and I suppose that is a good thing.  Blogging tends to bring out a false perception in people.  I mean, how many people blog about the sin in their lives?  But my wife knows them all.  She knows my heart while most people know my words.  She sees me for who I am in the closet while other may see me for what I say via a hyperlink.  Three years of blogging can lead one to think they are somebody.  Five years of marriage leads one to think they are nobody apart from the grace of God.

So this anniversary I rejoice with the wife of my youth for all that is and continues to be as my partner, best friend, lover, and co-laborer for the glory of God.  May the Lord strengthen my affections to love her more deeply and inflame my passion to give myself to her more sacrificially.  When the song of life is over, I pray the sweat on our brow and the joy in our hearts reveal that we danced well!

Please Join Me in Praying for Tom Ascol

NOTE: For regular updates on Tom Ascol’s health condition, please see the comments section of this post.

Many of you know the influence Tom Ascol has had on my life.  For several years now he has been like a father to me in the faith, and most recently Grace Baptist Church, where Tom is senior pastor, called me to serve alongside him in gospel ministry.  Needless to say, being mentored and trained in such a position is something I am most grateful.

About three weeks ago, Tom hurt his back while exercising, which has resulted in numerous visits to the chiropractor and several days of bed rest.  The pain in his back has at times been so severe that he is not able to stand up (last Sunday he preached sitting down).  Then what happened this week is almost unbelievable.

Early Monday morning, the alarm in the Ascol’s home went off because the garage door was up.  With reasonable suspicion that burglars might be around, he called the police who came and inspected the house and property.  The officers informed Tom that a couple of cars were unlocked and advised him to go outside and lock them.  Tom and the officers proceeded out into the stormy weather, and upon reaching for the first vehicle, lightning struck Tom and the vehicle, immediately throwing him on his back.  Paramedics were called in, and all immediate tests revealed that there was no life-threatening issues as a result of the strike (you can read Tom’s recounting and reflections of the night here).

Nearly four days have passed, and I am writing this post to all of you asking for your prayers on behalf of Tom and in particular his health.  While his back is continuing to be an issue, the more eminent concern is the after-effect of the lightning strike on his nerve endings and sensory receptors.  Since Monday evening, Tom has not been able to sleep at night.  At best, he gets 1-2 hours during the day.  The slightest whisper sounds like someone screaming into his ears, and his nerve endings are so inflamed that it is giving him severe headaches and affecting even his digestive system.  Riding down the road at grandpa-like speed is like a roller-coaster ride.

Tomorrow morning (Friday morning), Tom is going to see a neurologist with the hopes of ascertaining what exactly he is experiencing and how long it will last.  A cardiologist this afternoon said that what he is experiencing is very similar to “post traumatic stress syndrome,” and that such inflammation of the nerves is expected to recede in 4-5 days.

Many of you know Tom either through Founders, his blog, or speaking at conferences.  Those of us here at Grace have the privilege of knowing him as pastor and dear friend.  I am asking that you join us in praying for Tom in the coming days and weeks as he recovers, specifically that God would heal those nerve endings, allowing him to sleep and recuperate.  Plans have already been made for August to be a mini-sabbatical for him, and we are praying that God would indeed give him rest and renew his strength.

Thank you for praying for Tom, his family, and God’s providential care during the days to come.  May the God who causes lightning to strike at his will be pleased to cause healing to come to Tom for the glory of His name, the advancement of the gospel, and the good of His people.

For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Psalm 135:5-7

This Thread’s for You (Summer)

I have been incredibly strapped lately and have not blogged much in recent days, so I thought this would perhaps be a good time to do my quarterly (or supposed to be) “this thread’s for you” post.

Basically, I am opening up the blog for you to comment or discuss whatever you would like with me or anyone else who chooses to participate.  Normally I try to keep comments somewhat on topic, but on this post, you choose the topic (Ahem, this would be a great time for those of you who *never* comment to chime in! :)).  I will only moderate if I determine a comment to be inappropriate in an ethical sense (you know what I mean).

So have at it. I look forward to sitting at the P&P round table.  I will be sure to bring the pastel mints and sweet tea. 

Content-Controlling Communication

I have been reading an excellent article by J.I. Packer called “The Gospel–It’s Content and Communication: A Theological Perspective” from volume 2 of the Collected Shorter Writings of J.I. Packer (Serving the People of God).  His first point is that

“the content of the Gospel must always control the method of its communication, and that we must judge the value of the various techniques proposed for use of evangelism by asking how far they can and do succeed in getting the message across” (215).

In a day where people say that “we don’t change the message, just the method,” this is a salient point by Packer.  The message in many ways controls (regulates?) the method of our communication.  For many years we have adopted the pragmatic measurement that if it works, then we must do it.  However, Packer is calling us back to the real question we must be asking, namely whether our method or technique succeeds in honoring the message and faithfully communicates that message across to the hearers.  In other words, faithfulness to the gospel message is what should matter, not pragmatic success of the method.

Does that mean that we do not care about whether the evangelism we practice results in the conversion of sinners?  Of course not.  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and if people are going to be converted, it will not be because of the slickness of our presentation but in the power of God.  It will not be because of the effectiveness of a technique or method but faithfulness to the gospel message that God honors by attending it with His Spirit to give new life to sinners.

This is a good reminder for us today.  We need to seek to be effective communicators of the gospel to reach as many as we can for the glory of Christ, but the way in which we do this is not to seek a new method but an old message and stay faithful to it.  Both old methods and new methods can work contrary to the gospel, and we need to apply the same standard to all that we do in the name of evangelism–that is, are we being faithful in communicating the message of the gospel?

Give Me Your Eyes

Flipping through the radio stations the other day, I came across this song by Brandon Heath called “Give Me Your Eyes.” Although the video is a tribute to September 11, 2001, the lyrics of this song are good for September 12 and everyday God has given us to share the gospel and love of Christ with others. The lyrics are below the video.

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
Theres a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work
He’s buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?

I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Memory Moleskine

I thought I’d post a few pictures of my “memory moleskine” to give a visual of what I mentioned earlier about using the Cashier Moleskine for Scripture memory.  After printing out the pages of Scriptures (which I sectioned off), I cut them to fit within the pages and pasted them onto the moleskin with double-sided tape.  All together, it took me less than an hour to create this little handy notebook in which I will record my review and reflections as well.

If anyone else is doing something like this, let me know, or if anyone else has a better (or more creative) way to practically memorize Scripture, please pass that along.

Below is my four cashier moleskines together: missional, memory, prayer, and GTD (getting things done).

POTW :: faithfulness

View in Flickr (see it LARGE)

I have been asked by a teenager in our church who is entering a photo contest to help her with ideas for the theme of “faithfulness.” It just so happened that, while driving down the coastline of St. Petersburg Monday evening, I took this picture. Three aspects of faithfulness I find here: the setting of the sun, the ebb and flow of the tides, and man’s best friend (no, not my dog). It was good to get out for a little photo excursion this week as I have not been able to do that for a while. A couple of photog tips for anyone interested in shooting the sun:

1. Always underexpose when shooting directly in the sun. It will keep from getting the “bulb” look on the sun and bring out the sky and clouds as well.

2. If possible, use a polarizing filter, especially when taking pictures of the sun with water around. You can opt for darker hues or a nice reflection.

3. Set your aperture to f/10 or higher. Opening up your aperture too much will cause you to loose some of the sharpness of the sky, and with the available light, opening the aperture more than f/10 is not needed (nor the depth of field).

I am amazed by the sheer number of people who have read and more importantly considered my challenge to Scripture memory. Tomorrow, I will try to post some pics of my “memory moleskine” to see what it looks like. The ESV blog picked it up earlier this week which I think helped get the word out. In all, over a dozen websites have plugged it with over 1,000 tuning in. What excites me about this is that such a thing as this is what I hope and pray the Lord will allow me to continue to do–encourage and provoke Christians to faithfulness to Christ, His gospel, His mission, and His Word.

This Sunday evening I will be finishing up my message on “Remember Jesus Christ” focusing on the second part of the passage (2 Tim. 2:9-10). I will also be teaching on missional life in the community.

Oh, and in case you didn’t catch it on my Twitter, I am going Mac this next week. I am considering a conference on Building Bridges: Macs and PCs Together for the Gospel. I hear that Mac users are always demanding a seat at the table, and the PC users are being very anti-ecumenical (you know, the PC guys are fighting for true Computer Identity (CI). I know such a conference would be almost impossible to pull off, but I figured that every computer has a story–and I want to make sure they get a hearing.

Oprah the Pluralist

This is one of many reasons why in seminary I have devoted my studies to critiquing philosophical pluralism and soteriological inclusivism. Oprah’s pluralism is answered by the good intentions of inclusivism (which I disagree with as well), and while academia is responding to John Hick’s Copernican revolution and Clark Pinnock’s “faith principle,” the everyday person is responding to Oprah Winfrey and the neighbor next door.

Again, I don’t endorse the answer or the attitude in which the lady responds to Oprah, but this shows the need for Blue Collar Theology in defense of the faith once for all handed down to the saints.

“No One Can Tell Southern Baptists What to Do”

That’s the comment by Darrell Orman, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, speaking to Christianity Today after the passing of the resolution on regenerate church membership. Tom Ascol’s response:

“That’s a sad reality. Even Jesus can’t tell some Southern Baptists what to do.”

Am I the only who finds it odd that the chairman of a resolutions committee is on record asserting, ‘You can’t tell us what to do!”? Why, pray tell, does the SBC have such a thing as a Resolutions Committee?

[Observation 2]

Incoming President Johnny Hunt, when discussing about purging membership roles, said that “few church members are in worship every single Sunday.” But is that rationale not an indication of the very reason why we need to practice church discipline that we may uphold meaningful church membership? So we have few people attending church every Sunday; ergo, don’t purge the rolls. How would that work if we said, “Few church members believe in tithing, so we don’t need to receive tithes and offerings anymore.” Instead of being predisposed to the biblical standard, have we not placated to the current standard and sought justification for our negligence? I have stated elsewhere and will state again that I am hopeful that Hunt will lead the way and inspire pastors in pursuing integrity in church membership. Let’s pray for him and the churches of the SBC, that our reporting will be a reflection of honesty and our repenting will be a reflection of humility.

[Observation 3]

In their report on messengers at the Annual Meeting of the SBC in Indy, Baptist Press reveals that those under the age of 40 accounted for only 16.22% of those in attendance. That means that more than 4 out of 5 were over the age of 40; nearly 1 in 3 over the age of 60. The 7,277 messengers represented 3,142 churches in the SBC–a denomination with over 44,000 churches. Seven percent of SBC churches were represented in Indy at the annual meeting. Seven percent.

So going back to the first observation about no one telling Southern Baptists what to do. When the SBC bureaucracy wants to legislate a total abstinence position on alcohol regarding church planters, missionary appointments, or denominational servants, remember that no one can tell Southern Baptists what to do. When you hear denominational leaders policing Calvinism in search committees with arbitrary requirements, remember that no one can tell Southern Baptists what to do. And when the increasing number of empty chairs at the annual meeting lead to redoubling efforts for denominational loyalty, remember that no one can tell Southern Baptists what to do.

The Works of William Bridge (PDF)

I have not been able to retrieve information about obtaining The Works of William Bridge in book format, but I have found it available on CD-ROM as well as in PDF format.  Here are the links to Bridge’s Works in PDF:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5

Who Is William Bridge?

[Reformation Heritage Books has graciously provided this biographical and reprint essay on the life and works of John Bunyan. You can find this information and others in the book, Meet the Puritans.]

William Bridge [1600-1670]

William Bridge was a native of Cambridgeshire. He entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1619, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1623 and a master’s degree in 1626, then served for several years as a fellow at the college. While a student at Cambridge, he was greatly influenced by John Rogers’s lectures at Dedham, Essex.

Bridge was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1627. Two years later, he was appointed a lecturer at Saffron Walden, Essex, where he began to show some nonconformist influence, refusing to wear the surplice and hood on the basis that he had not been licensed by a bishop. In 1631, he was licensed and did conform. About that time, he was appointed lecturer at Colchester, Essex, and was also asked to give the Friday lectures at St. George’s Tombland, Norwich. In 1632, he became rector of St. Peter Hungate in Norwich. In 1634, he was brought before the consistory court and temporarily suspended for espousing limited atonement and condemning Arminians. Two years later, the new bishop of Norwich, Matthew Wren, who led a vicious campaign against nonconformity, deprived Bridge. Bridge’s supporters petitioned the king on his behalf, claiming that Wren was undermining the economy. Bridge did not respond to charges made against him, but remained in Norwich until he was excommunicated and ordered away from English soil.

Archbishop Laud wrote to the king, “Mr. Bridge of Norwich rather than he will conform, hath left his Lecture and two Cures, and is gone into Holland.” Charles I responded in the margin, “Let him go: we are well rid of him.”

Bridge settled in Rotterdam by May of 1636, where he succeeded Hugh Peters and began co-pastoring a congregation with John Ward. He renounced his Church of England ordination and was ordained as an Independent by John Ward, whom he in turn ordained. Eventually Ward was deposed in 1639 for opposing Bridge and recycling too many old sermons. Jeremiah Burroughs replaced Ward as Bridge’s co-pastor.

Bridge returned to England in 1641, where he became better known for his Puritan views. In 1642, he was appointed as a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines and proved himself a noted Independent. With Burroughs, Thomas Goodwin, Philip Nye, and Sidrach Simpson, he wrote An Apologetical Narrative to promote Congregational polity and present objections to Presbyterianism.

In 1642, Bridge accepted a position as town preacher at Yarmouth, where he organized an Independent church, and formally became its pastor in the fall of 1643. He labored there until 1662, when he was ejected from the pulpit by the Act of Uniformity.

Bridge was an excellent preacher, able scholar, and prolific writer with a well-furnished library. He arose at 4 a.m. each day to search the Scriptures, confess his sins, and commune with God. He often studied for seventeen hours a day, yet did not become an ivory tower theologian. His parishioners viewed him as a charitable and candid pastor whose ministry helped many people.

Bridge was often called to preach before the Long Parliament and was consulted by Parliament on church-related issues. He was also a prominent member of the Savoy Conference and a well-known writer.

Bridge spent his last years at Yarmouth and Clapham, Surrey, where he preached for an Independent church, which he probably founded. Reportedly, “the people flooded in such numbers to hear him that by 7 a.m. there is no room to be got” (Barker, Puritan Profiles, p. 87). He died in Clapham on March 12, 1671.

The Works of William Bridge [SDG; 5 volumes; 1990].

First published in three volumes in 1649, in two volumes in 1657, and later expanded to include all the writings of Bridge in five volumes in 1845, The Works of William Bridge (reprinted from the 1845 edition) is full of practical Puritan teaching. Topics such as the gospel mystery, the great things of faith, Christ and the covenant, and evangelical repentance are covered with keen insight and pastoral warmth.

Chapters in volume 1 include: “The Great Gospel Mystery of the Saints’ Comfort and Holiness,” “Satan’s Power to Tempt and Christ’s Love to and Care of His People Under Temptation,” “Grace for Grace, or the Overflowings of Christ’s Fullness Received by All Saints,” “The Spiritual Life, and Inbeing of Christ in All Believers,” “Scripture Light the Most Sure Light” (sermons on 2 Peter 1:19 which elicited a response from the Quaker, George Whitehead), and “The Righteous Man’s Habitation in the Time of Plague and Pestilence” (an exposition of Psalm 91 to encourage believers while the plague ravaged London).

Volume 2 includes: “A Lifting up for the Downcast,” “Five Sermons on Faith,” and “The Freeness of the Grace and Love of God to Believers Discovered.”

Volume 3 contains “Christ and the Covenant” (a series of ten sermons taken down by note-takers), “Christ in Travail,” and “Seasonable Truths in Evil Times” (nine sermons preached in the London area, including one that asserts the repression of nonconformists is part of God’s design to test them).

Volume 4 contains “Seventeen Sermons on Various Subjects and Occasions” and “Evangelical Repentance.”

Volume 5 contains “The Sinfulness of Sin and the Fullness of Christ,” “Eight Sermons,” “A Word to the Aged,” “The Wounded Conscience Cured” (asserts the right of subjects to defend themselves and of parliament to declare what the law is), “The Truth of the Times Vindicated” (insists that truth must be defended even as it acknowledges that civil war is the worst form of conflict), “The Loyal Convert” (condemns “service-book men” who do not uphold the Solemn League and Covenant), and “The Doctrine of Justification by Faith Opened.”

A Lifting Up for the Downcast [BTT; 288 pages; 1988]

This book, based on Psalm 42:11, is a collection of thirteen sermons on spiritual depression. It has helped hundreds of God’s people battle discouragement. Bridge addresses the following causes of depression: great sins, weak grace, miscarriage of duties, lack of assurance, temptation, desertion, affliction, and inability to serve. This book is packed with comforting advice showing why believers ought not be discouraged no matter what their condition.

The final sermon, “The Cure of Discouragements by Faith in Jesus Christ,” is worth the price of the book. “Be sure that you do not go to God without Christ, but with Christ in your arms,” Bridge says (p. 276).

A Word to the Aged [SDG; 20 pages; 2003]

In this booklet, William Bridge addresses particular sins to which the elderly are most inclined, such as a complaining spirit, bitterness, and impenitence. Pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ as the remedy for the sins and infirmities of old age, he gives counsel on improving the remaining years of the elderly so that their lives might more glorify the Lord and be pleasing to Him.

Come and Dine

Octavius Winslow [1808-1878] was a great devotional writer, and if you have never checked out his books Morning Thoughts or Evening Thoughts, I highly recommend them. In this morning’s devotion, I read something I found particularly encouraging and thought I’d pass it along to you. Here’s an excerpt:

“God has amply provided for all the needs of the Christian journey. The Lord Jesus being the believer’s Way, all nourishment for the pilgrimage of the saints is laid laid up in Him. All supply of wisdom for the perplexing way, strength for the wearisome way, grace for the perilous way, and sympathy for the trying way, is in Jesus. . . . All the love that is in God’s heart, grace that is in the Spirit’s nature, comfort that is in the Spirit’s tenderness, sanctifying truths, free invitations, and precious promises which cluster in the gospel of Christ, all are thy sacred nourishment provided for the journey to the mount of God. Listen to the voice of Jesus, saying to thee, ‘Come and dine.’”

Octavius Winslow, Morning Thoughts, July 9

Update on the Puritan Reading Challenge

As many of you have noticed, I did not blog anything during the month of June for the Puritan Reading Challenge.  There are numerous reasons for this, not the least of which is my transitioning to a new city, adapting to my new ministry responsibilities, and living out of a suitcase for the past month (my library and all our belongings are still in storage as we await news on a house).  With the annual meeting of the SBC and the National Founders Conference, it seems like I was on the blog a lot this past month when in actuality I have spent relatively little time on the internet.  I regret having missed last month, especially since it was on John Owen and The Mortification of Sin (!), but providence had it that my time and energies would be best spent with whatever extra time getting to know the city and more importantly those who make up Grace Baptist Church.

I trust that you understand my absence in this aspect of my blogging for the past month, and it is my hopes to pick back up with greater focus and discipline for your encouragement and joy in learning from the Puritan divines.  Six months to go in 2008, and with plenty of time to devour some Puritan Paperbacks, this is a good point to refresh our minds and revive our hearts that there would be greater resolve in our study together.

I do sincerely appreciate the encouragement I have received via comments, email, Facebook, and elsewhere, and I hope that those who have perhaps set aside the challenge in recent months will rejoin me (and others) in taking up the Puritan Reading Challenge for the remainder of the year.  The challenge has always been and will continue to be a means to grow in godliness and greater enjoyment in God, not a drudgery or obligation to check off at the end of the month.  With that said, I am gathering my thoughts and energies to use this blog and this challenge for the expressed purpose of provoking others to godliness that we may pant ever harder for the glories of Christ in things.

Carl Trueman on the Reformed Celebrity Culture

Over a year ago, I asked a question it seemed many others were asking as well–”are we creating a Reformed celebrity culture?“  Some of my concerns were stated in this excerpt:

First, I do not want to see the Reformed movement become defined by the conference culture as the Keswick and Fundamentalist movements were.  They were by and large parasitic of the local church and did not emphasize or place priority on the local church.  As a result, both movements died when their celebrities and conferences died.  Second, I don’t want to see these godly men who have become so influential in so many lives become elevated to a celebrity status . . . .

Carl Trueman recently shared similar concerns with both my points: first the absence of the local church on key points, and second, the promotion of personalities and attachments thereunto.  Trueman writes,

Nevertheless, the church is the God-ordained social structure for believers. Like democracy, she may be far from perfect, but she is better than any of the alternatives.  Thus, one test as to whether the new Reformed revival is really a movement of substance and not simply a disparate collection of personality cults is to see whether the church is being built up and strengthened.

And again, regarding the cult of personality:

When does a leader cross the line between promoting the kingdom and promoting himself?  When does a ministry cease to exist for any other reason than providing its leader with a good salary, a flashy car, and a platform for pontification?

I encourage you to read his entire article in which he rejoices in the resurgence of Reformed theology as seen in Collin Hansen’s book Young, Restless, and Reformed while at the same time makes these (and other) important critiques.