There is a very good interview with Tim Keller about several subjects in Christianity and religion in general. I wanted to focus on just one here: marketability.
You reject marketing apologetics like, “Christianity is better than the alternatives, so choose Christianity.” Why?
Marketing is about felt needs. You find the need and then you say Christianity will meet that need. You have to adapt to people’s questions. And if people are asking a question, you want to show how Jesus is the answer. But at a certain point, you have to go past their question to the other things that Christianity says. Otherwise you’re just scratching where they itch. So marketing is showing how Christianity meets the need, and I think the gospel is showing how Christianity is the truth.
Walter Brueggemann was a Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. A graduate of Elmhurst College, Professor Brueggemann went on to study at the Eden Theological Seminary, receiving his Doctorate of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from St. Louis University. He has devoted his life to a passionate exploration of Old Testament theology. An unequaled passion for his subject has resulted in the publication of more than 58 books and hundreds of articles. My introduction to Dr. Brueggemann was through a course I took on Old Testament Poetry, for which my teacher, Dr. Joe Martin (who studied under Brueggemann), used The Message of the Psalms.
Click here to listen to No Resolution - No Peaceas delivered by Lennox Abrigo, Apr 28th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
Lennox’s thesis is that personal relationships are destroyed by fear and immorality, and built up by peace and family. Society is based upon personal relationships, therefore it is necessary for the benefit of us all that our personal relationships are “working”.
He notes the accepting air of society around our initial human ungodly and sinful state. This only enhances people’s ability to sustain their injustice and replacement of moral values to the detriment of order and chaos.
Click here to listen to Anabaptists/The Radical Reformers as delivered by Kent Ross, Apr 28th 2008, in Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by John Obelenus
Anabaptist, lit. to baptize again, refers to anyone outside the norm.
Heresy - “the minority opinion which those of the majority opinion have the power to suppress”
Kent tells us a story to warn us from letting tradition define our scriptural understanding. He asked his Ph.D professor at North Park Seminary where in the New Testament the Trinity is defined. The response was that New Testament scholarship is on your (Kent’s) side. But the councils have given us greater understanding.
He again warns us to take a look at our people in our own time, with divisions over women in ministry, baptism as essential, conscientious objection, historicism, futurism.
I had no idea what to post today because I had quite a few things floating around in my head and then I read this particular article. I find the information to be very thought provoking and I want to share this article and perhaps spur on some discussion about the topic.
http://www.bibletexts.com/glossary/heresy.htm
The article is about Heresy and how the original Greek was used and how the word is used now. The Greek word hairesis (that would be the Erasmian pronunciation guys, sorry) was originally used to denote factions or even denominations. The article goes through some of the implications of this and gives a few entries from dictionaries and encyclopedias.
On March 4th Dr. Tim Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York City), delivered a wonderful talk at the University of California at Berkeley in which he defended the Christian notion of exclusivity. In our day it is frequently asserted that no religion has “the truth” to the exclusion of any other religion. We are often told that we are arrogant if we believe that we are right on any point of doctrine. This becomes a real problem for us as Christians who are committed to the following statements of Scripture.
John 14.6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
I’ve always been curious about the topic of salvation and how a lot of people see it. As far as I can tell, there seem to be two camps; (1) salvation is treated as a line, or (2) salvation is treated as a direction. The “Line” camp says once you’re over the line, you are all set. (I’m ignoring the fact about once-saved-always-saved or not, in either case, if you stay over the line, you are fine). The inherent problems with the “Line” are two-fold; (1) where it the line, and (2) what exactly do I have to do to get over the line? And that last question is really the straw that breaks the camel’s back for me. It seems to betray every aspect about Jesus that is in the Scripture. Jesus sought the closest relationship with God, not to get over a “Line” with God. He did his “utmost for His Highest” as the devotional book goes.
I was reading through Matthew yesterday and I stumbled across chapter 9 verses 36 through 38.
Seeing the people, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a sheperd. Then He said to his disciples, ” The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
In the 18th century, there was a philosopher named Immanuel Kant. In short, he came up with the idea that the “ends justify the means”. Whatever you need, or want, or think should happen - is the ends. And whatever you need to do to get it is the means. This thought has had the most profound impact on civilization ever since. When used inappropriately, you can justify any action. Often times we come to our faith in this very way.
The subject of the purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has been raised earlier on this blog, but I’d be interested in discussing it further.
Ephesians 4:7-12 explains the reasons why the gifts were first given.
“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned
it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”
… It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”