Monthly Archive for June, 2009

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Mike Wittmer on N.T. Wright and the What it Means to be Protestant

Published on June 25, 2009 in Doctrine, New Perspective on Paul and Soteriology. 3 Comments

At a minimum – - be aware that there is a major discussion taking place today in the church about the doctrine of justification.  The parties include those who defend a traditional reformed understanding of the doctrine of salvation and others who espouse what is often called the New Perspective on Paul.

One of the decisions I have made with my blog over time is to target the people in my church.  I avoid getting into doctrinal discussions that are unnecessarily esoteric or difficult to follow.  Of course, I am not a pastor who believes we should preach “down” to our people.  And, I do believe that people in our churches need to be aware of significant doctrinal developments.

So, for those willing to stretch their thinking, go over to Mike Wittmer’s blog and read his post on N.T. Wright’s latest book (Click here).

Again, be aware that there is a major discussion underway in the Evangelical church about the doctrine of justification.  Since the Reformation, the Protestant definition of “justification” has been a legal declaration by God that those who believe are righteous.  But, N.T. Wright and others are calling into question the Reformer’s understanding of the doctrine of justification.  Which leads Wittmer to ask, “If someone adopts a different doctrinal understanding . . . should they still consider themselves Protestant?”

This is arguably the most important doctrinal discussion taking place right now in the English speaking world.  (Agreed?)

I would acknowledge that I have not studied this enough to write with real clarity about it.  I welcome comments from those who will help others understand more clearly the nature of the debate.

Learn to Run Faster and Get Better at Life — With Made to Stick

Published on June 25, 2009 in Preaching and Recommended Reading. 4 Comments

Communication skills in life, are like speed in sports.  Speed won’t guarantee that you are a good athlete.  But, if you have speed, you will be better at every sport.  Being a good communicator won’t guarantee that you are good at life, but if you are a good communicator, you will be helped in every area of life.

Learning to be a more effective communicator will make you a better: teacher, friend, parent, child, employee, boss spouse . . . 

Again: being fast won’t make you King (Lebron) James.  But, run faster and you’ll get up and down the floor faster.  Good communication skills won’t guarantee you are good at any area of life, but you’ll get to more loose balls, wherever you play in life.

Agreed?

The bad news for those who want to be good at sports is that there isn’t much you can do to improve your speed.  Speaking as one who runs about as well as an elm tree, I can say from experience, “Either you have it your don’t.”

The good news is, you can improve your communication skills.  And, if you learn to be a better communicator, then you will be better at every area of life.  Which is to say, I recommend, Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

Some of my sisters teach.  If they read this book, they’ll be better teachers.  A lot of my friends preach.  This one will help them.  All of the people I know communicate.  For those willing to read, this book would make them better communicators, and so a little better in every area.

Gossip Affects Your Spiritual Waistline

Published on June 24, 2009 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Proverbs. 12 Comments

There for a while I was on a kick lately of eating chocolate toffee almond nuggets: creamy and sweet.

Unfortunately, when I ate those choice chocolates, I hadn’t seen the last of them. After they have tasted great, they show up just above my belt. As good as they are, they are not worth the calories. When I eat a chocolate, I give it a free pass to head for my stomach and out into my body.

That says, Proverbs is how gossip is.

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts (Proverbs 18:8).”

So, important is this Proverb, that it is repeated verbatim later in Proverbs 26:22.

Bits of gossip are like chocolate nuggets: smooth and creamy, they melt in your mouth: it tastes good to be in the loop; it is sweet to hear someone else notice the same weaknesses in another that have frustrated you; it feels spiritual to ask for prayer – - gossip and grumbling and complaining are a tempting treat.

But, remember this. As sweet as those gossip nuggets may taste, snacking on them is not the end. Words of gossip accumulate on our spiritual waistlines. They shape the inmost part of our being. Gossip muddies our windshields so that everything looks dirty.

The next time you are tempted to take the tinfoil off a piece of gossip and pop it in your mouth. Think again. Words of gossip go down to our innermost being.

If You’re Considering a Kindle, Take the Kindle Quiz

Published on June 21, 2009 in Kindle. 5 Comments

I have had a Kindle since March 11.  Since, then I’ve been analyzing whether or not I would recommend it.  If you would like the current distillation of my thinking, then . . .

Take the Kindle Quiz.

Is It Really That Important That You’re A Little Taller Than the Ant Standing Next to You?

Published on June 20, 2009 in Forgiveness. 2 Comments

Trevin Wax has a quote from Unpacking Forgiveness (complete with a graphic):

If we begin to get a glimpse of the vast glory of God, we will realize that many of our conflicts are like two ants arguing about which is taller while standing in front of Mount Everest. . .

If you are currently involved in some sort of conflict – - ask yourself, “Is it really that important that you prove that you’re a little bit taller than the ant next to you?”

Read the whole thing here.

A LLoyd-Jones Observation on How to Drive People (Men Especially) Away

Published on June 20, 2009 in Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Quotes and Romans. 0 Comments

Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Romans, Vol. 1, 252):

It is an interesting thing that there are men, especially, who prefer a message when it does hit them and hurt them, and the one thing they cannot abide is sentimentality.  Give them something strong, even severe, and, though it hurts, they know it is right, and they will listen to it.  But if you once give them the idea that you are getting at them, and trying to influence them by certain methods and a certain psychological approach, they will not even come and put themselves under the possibility of being affected.

Motivation for Obedience

Published on June 19, 2009 in Quotes. 2 Comments

John Stott in an appendix with the title, “Reflections of an Octogenarian, 27 April 2001”:

. . . Let me share with you a conviction about obedience.  John 14:21 is one of my favorite verses.  Here are the words of Jesus: “Whoever has my commandments and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

The verse ends with a particularly precious promise: “I will show myself to him (or her)”, or “I will manifest myself to him.”  Is this just what we are longing for, namely a clearer vision of Christ?  . . .

But this promise of Jesus is conditional.  He reveals himself only to his lovers.  And who are his lovers?  Not those who make loud protestations of love, and then go out like Peter to deny him.  Not those who sing rather sentimental songs “Jesus, I love you.”  (It is all right to sing them too, but they do not prove anything.)  No, those who truly love the Lord Jesus are those who obey his commandments.

To sum up, the test of love is obedience, and the reward of love is a self-manifestation of Christ.

In, The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor, by John Stott.

One King From the White House, But Only One

Published on June 18, 2009 in Missions and Recommended Reading. 0 Comments

Scattered thoughts regarding Mark Noll’s latest book.

How does the American church fit into the picture of global humanity?  The goal of The New Shape of World Christianity is to speak to that question.  The center of Noll’s argument is that, “American Christianity is important for the world primarily because the world is coming more and more to look like America (189).”

From there, he asserts how American churches can better participate in the universal body of Christ:

For American churches to participate in the universal body of Christ in ways that reflect the deepest realities of that body, it will be necessary to discard two false notions—both Western paternal benevolence which the instinct is to think that unless Americans do it, it will not get done, and also Western hegemonic imperialism whereby all the evils of the world are laid at the feet of American-dominated multinationals or missions agencies.  Once those delusions are set aside, practices of partnership drawing on genuine Christian realities may flourish.

(hegemonic means, “the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group”; I looked it up).

And, he concludes with a moving biblical picture:

Immediately after describing the Light at the center, the passage moves on to the effects of God’s saving works for the world as a whole: “The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” (Rev 21:22-24 NRSV).

The division of divine fulfillment picks up Isaiah’s theme about the kings of the earth even as it speaks graphically about the universal outreach of the gospel.  The passage also hints at the sanctification of the world’s diverse cultures.  The kings—or, we might expand, the cultures of the world—with their glory will enter the heavenly city.  For Americans who read this stirring account of the fulfillment to which the whole world points, it should be enough to imagine that one of those ‘kings’ will come from the White House, but only one.

This is an important book, a good book to read this summer to understand what is going on with the Gospel in the world.

How is Your Joy Index?

Published on June 17, 2009 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Church. 2 Comments

How would you rate your joy? Is your joy index high or low?

Jesus is the foundation of all joy. But, the New Testament also teaches that joy is closely connected to church based relationships. Paul often related his joy index to his relationship with other believers. For example,

Paul encouraged the Philippians to complete his joy by being unified.

He wrote to the Christians in Rome that he was “full of joy” over them.

Paul thanked God for the joy that the Thessalonians gave him and even told them that they were his glory and joy.

Paul wrote to Timothy that he longed to see him so that he would be filled with joy.

And Paul complimented Philemon because he had given Paul great joy.

The Apostle John said, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 4)."

If your joy index is low, one of your first steps should be to work harder at connecting with people in a local church. Invite someone over. Join a small group. Meet for coffee. You can find time. Busy schedules that don’t allow us to share one another’s lives rob us of joy.

Missions and the Book of Romans

Published on June 15, 2009 in Chris Brauns Radio Spots and Romans. 3 Comments

I am preparing to begin this Fall a new series on the book of Romans. That means right now I am immersed in Romans. I am soaking in Romans and about Romans nearly every day.

One of the things that has struck me most in studying Romans this time around is that missions flows out of the book. To be sure, Romans is an intensely theological book in which Paul argues that the Gospel is by faith alone. In the Gospel, Paul writes, a righteousness from God is revealed that is by faith from first to last (1:16,17). Therefore (8:1), there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans is at its core a theological argument. But, from the theological center of Romans comes a missiological application. Because of the nature of the Gospel, Paul says, “I am not ashamed of it.” In other words, he is willing to evangelize across the street and around the world. Already by 1:14 he writes, “I am under obligation both to go to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.” Indeed, part of the reason that Paul wrote Romans was because he believed God was calling him to go to Spain. Romans is in part a missionary support letter.

If you are someone who loves the Gospel and loves doctrine, in light of Romans, let me ask, “How are you doing with missions?” It is one thing to be energized by listening to sermons and to do intense theological study. (I thrive on that myself). But, the book of Romans reminds us that if we really get the Gospel, then we will be zealous about sharing it with other people across the street and to the far ends of the earth: From Toledo to Togo, from Toronto to Timbuktu, from Terra Haute to Tokyo.