May 14, 2008
Young, Restless, &...Emergent or Reformed?
Two books appeared in March 2008 that both claimed to address movements that are attracting younger generations of Christians, while shaking up institutions, denominations, and churches along the way. The books are Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists
Christianity Today hosted a great dialog between Hansen and Jones, given the similarities and differences between their books. CT notes:
The books and movements share a number of themes: reaction against entertainment-driven church life, desire for transcendence, rediscovery of tradition, and a need to answer common misconceptions about the movements. Christianity Today invited Hansen and Jones to read each other's books and discuss how the rise of one movement might illuminate aspects of the rise of the other. Are both movements scratching the same itch? Are there internal tensions in one movement that also appear in the other?The interaction consisted of a five-part dialogue:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Check them out.
May 13, 2008
Responsibility, Liberty, and Educational Options
Gregg Harris offers some wise words on Christians and educational options.
"Educational choices have always been a matter of parental responsibility, not of some extra-biblical standard. Every householder should make an informed decision before God. All should research their local schools, public and private and become fully convinced in the way in which he (or she) decides to use his God-given liberty under the Lordship of Christ to bear the best and most abundant fruit he can for the glory of God.....I can honestly say that every option, including home schooling has its problems (as you well know). So, pick your problems, and by the grace of God deal with those problems as they arise."Read the whole thing.
(HT: Challies)
May 12, 2008
Guinness on Albert Mohler Show
Dr. Os Guinness will be discussing The Evangelical Manifesto today on the Albert Mohler Radio Program, which can be freely played or downloaded.
On his blog, Dr. Mohler's explained why he has not signed the Manifesto.
[HT: JT]
May 09, 2008
Os Guinness on Potential Evangelical Manifesto Concerns
I previously expressed my thoughts on the recently published Evangelical Manifesto. I was honored that Dr. Guinness, one of the document's originators, was willing to field a few questions from me on this matter. He permitted me to publish his response, only requesting that I mention these are "hasty responses on a hectic day! Above all we are not out to attack or exclude anyone, but to call for reforms that make us all better followers of Christ. So we hope people will not make knee-jerk reactions, but study, think , and pray."
CHEDIAK: According to this AP article, Focus on the Family's Board of Directors had "myriad concerns about the effort". Any response?
GUINNESS: I have not spoken to Jim Dobson personally, but I know John Huffman has done so. People were asked to sign as individuals, not as representatives of organizations, but he said it was his board that advised him not to sign for the moment. I honestly don’t know the full thinking behind the decision. Remember that we call the signers ‘early signers’ because they are the signers so far. Hundreds of others are already joining us, and we invite all Evangelicals to consider and sign.
CHEDIAK: When you express your desire that we move beyond single-issue politics, are you saying that Christians should be more open to voting for pro-choice candidates if they demonstrate passion and concern for issues like poverty, racism, and the environment?
GUINNESS: Emphatically not, and the Manifesto is blunt about the undiminished fight for life and marriage.
CHEDIAK: Or are you saying that while it is morally advisable to vote pro-life, we should hold pro-life candidates to a higher standard on issues such as poverty, racism, and the environment? Is it both/and?
GUINNESS: One of the ways we have been exploited is that certain politicians have said they were pro-life (or pro-marriage, or pro-school prayer, or whatever), but have done nothing apart from a symbolic vote every so often. With any vote, there is always a raft of policy issues to be considered as well as other issues such as the candidate’s character. We should never vote on a single issue alone – unless 1) the issue is supremely important (which life is), and 2) there is a serious chance of it being resolved or forwarded in the next election cycle (which isn’t usually the case with life).
CHEDIAK: The Manifesto reads, "we Evangelicals wish to stand clear from certain conservative and fundamentalist positions in public life that are widely confused with Evangelicals." Why let others dictate what we can be (publicly) for or against merely by their inappropriately conflating pro-life (or whatever) with evangelicalism?
GUINNESS: Life is not the problem, and you are right that we should not be defined by the world. As I said at the press conference yesterday, the issue is not re-branding or image. It is reality. But the Bible says a lot about the fact that we should so live that the name of God is honored. Thus when the Lord is publicly represented by Pastor Fred Phelps (‘God hates fags’) or by the Reconstructionists, it is not surprising that we are called ‘homophobic,’ ‘theocratic,’ and seeking to impose Christendom.
CHEDIAK: You call on "Those who share our dedication to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed," urging them to work with us to "bring care, peace, justice, and freedom to those millions of our fellow-humans who are now ignored, oppressed, enslaved, or treated as human waste and wasted humans by the established orders in the global world." I agree with this exhortation, but would you acknowledge that our differing worldviews might result in our having widely diverging methods to addressing these problems? For example, socialistic reforms seem to minimize the doctrine of man's depravity. Any thoughts?
GUINNESS: Good point. Francis Schaeffer used to call for our being ‘co-belligerents’ rather than ‘allies’ when it comes to causes we share with people of different faiths, such as atheists against abortion or feminists against pornography. But we always recognize the ultimate inadequacy of their basis for fighting the issue, and when the appropriate moment comes we can be clear about pointing them to Christ. William Wilberforce is a great example – he worked with people of all sorts of spiritual and moral (and immoral) backgrounds, yet led many of them to faith in Christ too.
[HT: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite]
May 08, 2008
My Thoughts on the Evangelical Manifesto
Along with many others, I have read The Evangelical Manifesto with great interest. For the most part, I believe it reads extremely well. It speaks into a major (though sometimes unspoken) issue in our day: the gap between what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus and what secular society thinks of Christ-followers. The recent fast-selling book unChristian
"We repeatedly fail to live up to our high calling, and all too often illustrate the truth of our doctrine of sin. We Evangelicals share the same 'crooked timber of our humanity,' and the full catalog of our sins, failures, and hypocrisies is no secret either to God or to many who know and watch us. Indeed, with many of our prominent figures recently caught in scandal and hypocrisy, our failures often rise up today and shout their contradiction of all we claim to be and say."I think this is healthy, and accurate. We need less swagger and more broken-hearted boldness, so that we can speak humbly and clearly about the evils of our day. I was also very glad for the doctrinal standard it laid out for what it meant to be an evangelical. Namely:
1. The belief that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He is the only name by which we must be saved.
2. Christ was a penal, substitutionary sacrifice for sinners.
3. Radical God-wrought conversion is necessary for Christian faithfulness. (That is, we cannot work our way to God by our own goodness.)
4. The Bible is inspired by God and the supreme authority for our life and thought.
5. Christians must at-once lay hold of Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord.
6. The return of Jesus Christ is our "blessed hope."
I also echoed the concern that evangelicalism be defined theologically and not politically, confessionally and not culturally. And I heartily agree that evangelicals should be known not so much for what we're against as for what we are for; our message (by definition) is one of good news.
So it was with all this as the backdrop that I read of some evangelical leaders being concerned that the Manifesto itself was political -- a veiled, subtle attempt to displace issues like pro-life and the defense of marriage in favor of other matters. I was honored that Dr. Guinness, one of the members of the document's Drafting Committee, was willing to field a few questions from me on this matter. He permitted me to publish his response, only requesting that I mention these are "hasty responses on a hectic day! Above all we are not out to attack or exclude anyone, but to call for reforms that make us all better followers of Christ. So we hope people will not make knee-jerk reactions, but study, think , and pray." The following post is my interview with Dr. Os Guinness.
Related: Marvin Olasky, writer for World Magazine and author of the newly re-released The Tragedy of American Compassion
[HT: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite]
Responding to the Devastation in Myanmar
The latest estimate suggests over 100,000 fatalities from Cyclone Nargis, and the counting continues. To make matters worse, Myanmar's leaders are apparently unwilling, for the time being, to allow humanitarian or medical aid to enter their country. As the delay persists, the death toll is likely rising. In the face of this horrific disaster, John Piper offers six ways to respond:
1. Be softened to the pain nearby.
2. Pray for the followers of Christ in Myanmar.
3. Pray for the millions of unbelievers near the calamity and far from it.
4. Pray for those of us who live in the seeming security and prosperity of America.
5. Give money to replenish the coffers of compassion “since you also are in the body”.
6. Muster a team from your church, and when the doors are open, be ready to go.
Read the whole thing.
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Recent Posts
- Young, Restless, &...Emergent or Reformed?
- Responsibility, Liberty, and Educational Options
- Guinness on Albert Mohler Show
- Os Guinness on Potential Evangelical Manifesto Concerns
- My Thoughts on the Evangelical Manifesto
- Responding to the Devastation in Myanmar
- What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace
- Don't Be A Wimp - The Danger of Helicopter Parents
- An Evangelical Manifesto (on Christians and Politics)
- Come Weary Saints - Now Available