With the school year blossoming anew, students scurrying off to buy lunch boxes, crayons, colored pencils, $300 worth of theology textbooks, one could easily get wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle of the wonderful and enchanting life of education. Yet there is a danger to eduction. G.K. Chesterton gives a warning that is very timely; one could say, timeless…
The moment men begin to care more for education than for religion they begin to care more for ambition than for education. It is no longer a world in which the souls of all are equal before heaven, but a world in which the mind of each is bent on achieving unequal advantage over the other. There begins to be a mere vanity in being educated whether it be self-educated or merely state-educated. Education ought to be a searchlight given to a man to explore everything, but very specially the things most distant from himself. Education tends to be a spotlight; which is centered entirely on himself. Some improvement may be made by turning equally vivid and perhaps vulgar spotlights upon a large number of other people as well. But the only final cure is to turn off the limelight and let him realize the stars.
Our words have the power to heal and the power to destroy. It takes much skill to be able to maintain a good balance in one’s speech of truth and grace. As creatures who are made in the image of God, it is not suprising that our words have such great power. God spoke the world into being, but many times we speak and tear it apart. It is vital that we see our speech as a part of God’s redemptive plan to restore the entire cosmos and especially something so powerful as speech.
Here is a video of Paul Tripp dicussing the power of Words (Rated PG-13)
The Evangelical Theological Society’s annual conference will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center this year, and from the looks of it, will be one worth attending. This years theme is “Text and Canon.” The Tentative Program Schedule can be found HERE.
The four plenary sessions are as follows:
“Old Testament Text” – Peter J. Gentry
“Old Testament Canon” – Stephen G. Dempster
“New Testament Text” – Daniel B. Wallace
“New Testament Canon” – Charles E. Hill
Registration and hotel information can be found HERE
Solomon among the postmoderns is a short book written as an examination of the historical/political/sociological/theoretical phenomena known as “postmodernism,” and its correlation with Solomon’s discourse in the book of Ecclesiastics” ( the phrase, “there is nothing new under the sun” seems quite fitting). What makes Leithart’s book distinct from the plethora of literature already written on the matter is his particular approach to the subject, commenting, “i increasingly found that eschatology is far more central to postmodernism, and to the Christian response to postmodernism, than epistemology” (p.12). Read the rest of this entry »
Brian and Heather Payne were interviewed on the Albert Mohler Radio Show which was guest hosted by Russell Moore. Recently there was an article from the Baptist Press about Heather Payne’s departure from Christian Singing Group, Point of Grace.
Here’s a description of the show.
“Can a Christian mom do everything the world tells them they can and should do? The perfect education, career, and family? Singer Heather Payne recently announced she was leaving Point of Grace to spend more time at home with her family. According to her, much of that decision was motivated by frustration at trying to do everything at once. She and her husband Brian join guest host Russell Moore for a helpful conversation about her own experience and broader implications for churches. “
Maybe you are wondering who the new dean of Boyce College, Denny Burk, really is. I put together some quotes that show his committment to theological scholarship and the training of men and women for the local church.
This quote is from Denny Burk’s post, A New Ministry, concerning his new deanship at Boyce.
“My passion is that we might also see a reformation in Southern Baptist pulpits. In my view, theological educators have a crucial role to play in that reform. I aim for Boyce College to become known as the premier training center for ministers who want to know the word of God and to make it known. Pastoral ministry, student ministry, missions, evangelism, and every other kind of ministry should be rooted in and built upon the Scriptures, and I want Boyce College to be the leader in this kind of ministry preparation.”
“The current rot within Evangelical subculture does not accurately reflect the richness of its theological heritage. Fundamentally, the Evangelical faith is rooted in the solas of the Reformation, which are themselves rooted in the confessions of the ecumenical creeds, which are themselves rooted in the inscripturated apostolic witness to Christ.”
“Evangelicals often fail to see the extent to which they are shaped by their culture. In many cases, Evangelicalism appears to be a subculture, imbibing the spirit of the age and existing quite comfortably alongside it. Many Evangelicals could tell you more about the Republican party platform than they could about the Trinity or Christ’s atonement.”
“The first generation of neo-Evangelicals were theological trailblazers, but the generations that followed have tended to be led by managerial types who are more prone to pragmatism than to theological and devotional rigor. Thus, Evangelicalism has shifted away from its doctrinal distinctives and has increasingly become more of a market brand than a doctrinal flag.”
:If you know me very well, then you know that I’ve struggled with different positions concerning gender roles. I think that the following article is the best treatment I’ve read on the subject. Tim Keller has shown in his preaching and writing to be a theologian of great skill but also one of nuance. If you read anything on the subject, I suggest you read this. Here is a quote to get you interested,
“There is therefore no indication that women in general society need to defer to men. Women can be executives, presidents of banks, or the president of a country”. -Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church
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Women in Ministry
by Tim Keller
Introduction
The Debate in the Church
Redeemer is committed to a high view of Scripture. We believe that, unless the Bible is God’s word to us, we live without any real moral authority. “Right” and “wrong” would then become matters of personal taste or popular opinion. We would not really be able to talk of justice or truth at all, for there is no way to know objective truth.
Today, many people charge that the church and traditional Christianity are oppressive to women, denying them the right to the full use of their gifts in ministry. Many claim additionally that the Bible in general (and Paul in particular) is specifically guilty of this unjust treatment of women. These are extremely serious issues, especially for Redeemer Presbyterian. We are committed to the authority of the Bible and also to the liberation of all Christians to use their gifts in ministry.
The following paper represents many years of reflection, discussion, experimentation and practice. It is not an exegetical paper, studying passages in detail. It will, we hope, serve as a foundational paper for future patterns of women’s ministry in the life of our congregation. Read the rest of this entry »
Solomon among the Postmoderns by Peter Leithart
