Kevin DeYoung's Blog, page 162
October 11, 2011
1000th Post
Do you remember as a kid watching the Cosby Show (or, insert a relevant sitcom of your choice here) and about once a year they'd do a "best of" montage episode? It would usually involve Cliff and the kids reminiscing about all the whimsical events in their family's history. I'm sure it was a cheap and easy way for the NBC to crank out another new episode, even if "new" meant splicing together the best scenes from the past. Still, I always liked those shows and enjoyed laughing at the same things for a second time.
In the spirit of such classic montages, I offer this blogging trip down memory lane.
According to Word Press this is my 1000th blog post. I thought it might be interesting (and easier than writing a new episode) to take a look at the most popular posts since I started blogging almost three years ago.
Top Ten Blog Posts
Here are the posts with the most pageviews.
1. My review of Rob Bell's Love Wins. No surprise this has been the most popular post (or unpopular as the case may be).
2. After the Rob Bell story (and Justin Taylor's post) starting going viral, I wrote this piece on the Bell Brouhaha.
3. Have you ever felt overwhelmed as a parent? I have. So I wrote Parenting 001. This is one of the posts I most enjoyed writing.
4. Yes, there is one more Rob Bell post in the top ten. To Hell With Hell is what I wrote when the video first went public.
5. I have tremendous respect and appreciation for David Platt. He is incredibly humble, earnest, and sincere brother. I am glad I could do this back and forth with him on Getting to the Root of Radical.
6. I'm not sure who would have read Cautions for Mere Christianity were it not for John Piper's tweet about it.
7. This brief post, There Never Was Such Another, included a moving excerpt about Charles Hodge's love for his wife.
8. Posts on patriotism, church, and the military are always bound to generate interest, as I found when I wrote Thinking Theologically About Memorial Day.
9. I wrote Play the Man to weigh in on some controversial comments about effeminate worship leaders.
10. I thought themes in The Hole in Our Holiness was so important I decided to write a book on it.
Honorable Mentions
There are two posts that made the Top Ten, but because they are a little different, I'll mention them here instead. Jason Helopolous' article on Good Reasons for Moving On was a great article and garnered more traffic than 993 of my posts. My recent post on Reasons for the ESV also made the top ten, but I mention it here because it wasn't a post as much as a link to my booklet on the ESV.
Top Ten Monday Morning Humor
And what would a blog retrospective be without a look at laughter. Here are the posts you seem to think are the funniest, cleverest, and bestest.
1. Words we say wrong (very clever)
2. Animals saying funny things (the British accents just seal the deal)
3. Lutheran Airlines (Garrison Keillor eat your heart out)
4. Bill Cosby trying to understand a lady from South Carolina (Cosby is a master at strange interviews)
5. Julian Smith's uMove (this guy is consistently clean, funny, and odd)
6. Julian Smith's "I'm Reading a Book" (I've probably watched this a hundred times)
7. Jimpressions (extremely impressive)
8. Mouse bench presses mousetrap (my kids' favorite)
9. We all have our personal El Guapos (homiletical gold right there)
10. Swagger Wagon (this guy was funny in the Sonic commercials too)
October 10, 2011
Monday Morning Humor
Actually, some pretty good advice here for worship leaders.
(The third suggestion is for my friend, Pastor Jeff Brinkman. Let the reader understand.)
October 8, 2011
Christian Publishing in Black and White
The books on top were published 2006-2009. The ones on the bottom 2010-2011. I hope mauve is not up next.
October 7, 2011
The Villain With a Thousand Faces
Theodore Dalrymple is one of my favorite writers. He's a retired British physician who often worked in inner-city hospitals and prisons. Given these settings, he saw and heard a lot of nasty stuff over the years. In one of his essays he talks about how he used to believe people were basically good (Dalrymple's not a Christian). He had been to countries where dictators ruled and people were massacred, but he thought unless you have these tyrants widespread evil was impossible. He gradually changed his mind after hearing countless stories of the horrible things his patients had experienced and done. "Perhaps the most alarming feature of this low-level but endemic evil, the one that brings it close to the conception of original sin, is that it is unforced and spontaneous. No one requires people to commit it."
Dalrymple says in a dictatorship you can understand people doing bad things to protect themselves. But in a free country like Britain no one forces you to be wicked. In fact, oftentimes you'll be punished if you do evil. And yet people freely choose to what is evil. "Never again," he writes, "will I be tempted to believe in the fundamental goodness of man, or that evil is something exceptional or alien to human nature" (Our Culture, What's Left of It, 7-8).
Sin is in every human heart. It is the villain with a thousand faces. It's the man who gets a woman pregnant and leaves town. It's also the reputable family man who cuts down his wife and ignores his kids. It's the mean-spirited woman who talks bad about everyone, but it's also the sweet lady who never says an unkind word but harbors all kind of resentment and grudges. It's the kid who swears at his parents and blows off everyone who tries to help. It's also the kid who gets straight A's, keeps curfew, and smiles at church, but is one enormous bundle of pride and self-righteousness.
Sin is lust and greed and murder. But sin is also impatience, petty self-absorption, and the need to control everyone and everything. Sin is hating yourself because in your pride you want to be the most beautiful, the most intelligent, and the most athletic. Sin is being disgusted with all the judgmental people in the world that you enjoy judging. Sin is the self-importance we feel in our intellectual snobbery at those who are not as enlightened as we are, and in our aesthetic snobbery at those who don't appreciate the fine things we appreciate.
Sin is preaching and serving and being a good Christian because others will notice and think well of us for it. Sin is talking about other people's faults more than praying for them. Sin is refusing to give one inch of mercy to those who hurt us, even when we have been given miles of mercy in Jesus. Sin is loving people to be liked by them and helping people so we can be applauded by them. Sin is the laziness that we call a short attention span, the fear of man that we call anxiety, and the ignoring of God that we call busyness.
We desperately need the word "sin" in our vocabulary. When a famous politician or athlete sins the mea culpa is almost always in the language of "I'm sorry to have disappointed so many people." Or, "I regret my error in judgment." Or, "I admit this has been a struggle for me and I am seeking help." Rarely, does anyone say "I sinned. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Even as Christians we find ways to avoid the word sin. We will speak of our imperfections, our flaws, our inadequacies, our dysfunctions, our weaknesses, our insecurities, and our growth edges. But how often do we call sin "sin"?
The Bible says sin is the problem in the world. We are rebellious traitors disloyal to our King. We are ungrateful creatures thumbing our noses at the Creator. We are foolish lovers going after other people and things that don't satisfy. We have polluted hearts that like what is bad and don't like what is good, corrupted hearts that seek the glory of self instead of God. Sin is the besetting sin of us all.
Except for Jesus of course. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. For sin may have a thousand faces, but salvation has only one.
October 6, 2011
October 5, 2011
Thinking Through Your Church's Mercy Ministry
It is not imperative that every church have an official "mercy ministry" program. It is essential, however, that every congregation be involved in mercy ministry. Several years ago, while sitting down with leaders in our church who had a vision for helping hurting people, I laid out some of my thoughts on mercy ministry. I started with a few foundational truths and then outlined several methodological missteps.
Six Theological Foundations for Mercy Ministry
1. The rich are to be generous. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share."
2. We are not to get rich at the expense of the poor, nor are we to take advantage of the weak. Amos 8:12 "For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate."
3. True religion consist in personal holiness and helping the helpless. James 1:27 "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
4. Christians have a special obligation to care for the needy brothers and sisters in their midst. 1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
5. Christians should have a positive impact on their communities. Matthew 5:14-15 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."
6. Christians are compassionate. Luke 10:33-34 "But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him."
How to Get Mercy Ministry Off-Track in Fifteen Easy Steps
1. Participate just to assuage guilty feelings for being rich or white or suburban or whatever.
2. Feel superior to those who aren't as involved as you are.
3. Pursue too many good ideas at the same time.
4. Love the "poor," but not poor people.
5. Turn everything back into a discussion about politics.
6. Forget to pray.
7. Make evangelism and discipleship an afterthought (or worse, a never-thought).
8. Read books, complain, talk about stuff and never do anything.
9. Launch into a ministry program or ministry model that isn't sustainable.
10. Rally the troops with guilt and shame.
11. Idolize the poor.
12. Demonize the poor.
13. Do everything for the people you are trying to help.
14. Believe that every problem can be solved by simple charity.
15. Be blind to your own poverty and need for mercy.
October 4, 2011
Evangelicals and Church Architecture: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
[image error]Let me tell you about a book I've been looking for but I don't think exists.
I want a book on church architecture. But not a history book that details the different movements and styles. Interesting, but not what I'm looking for. I'm also not looking for a book that explains church symbols, takes you a on tour of European cathedrals, or defines architectural terms (even funny ones like nave and buttress). I want a book that can help churches think theologically about the building they have and the building they want to have.
I don't want a touchy-feely book about discerning the Spirit's leading in choosing urinals or a how-to book on negotiating land agreements and hiring a general contractor. I'd like a book with some pictures, but not pictures of the world's most famous and least reproducible churches. I don't want goofy looking avant garde churches either, the kind where the floor is made of recycled pop cans and the windows are the size of pinholes. I want pictures of normal churches that normal people attend. I'll take some "high" churches and some "low" churches. I'll take rural, city, and suburban. Just give me a look at the insides and outsides of churches that you might actually afford to build. I don't care if the book is pricey; I'd like some color photos and a few floor plans.
Most of all, I want someone to talk theologically about church buildings (this is a good place to start). I want this person to be an evangelical who understands the culture of evangelical congregations. I want the author to understand that church buildings are not ultimate, that "sacred space" is wherever Jesus dwells. But I also want this person to understand that church buildings don't have to be ugly. They don't have to be strictly utilitarian. They don't have to look like factories or office buildings. I want this person to help readers and churches think about how a church building can reflect good theology. Whether you worship in a crowded storefront or a downtown landmark there are ways to think theologically about your church.
The closest thing I've found to this sort of book is Christ and Architecture by Donald Bruggink and Carl Droppers. The book is beneficial, but not without serious drawbacks. It's outdated and heavily European. It assumes a high church world with big organs and small congregations. And it is far too dogmatic.
Still, the book raises a lot of good issues and lays down some helpful principles.
For example, Bruggink argues, "Because the Word is indispensable, the pulpit, as the architectural manifestation of the Word, must make its indispensability architecturally clear." He says the Communion Table should look like a real table that you might sit around for a meal. He discourages congregations from installing the organ or building the choir loft front and center as if they were part of the means of grace. You don't have to agree with all of Bruggink's assertions to realize he is asking questions most churches don't think about. I would never suggest church's that ignore these kinds of architectural considerations are unfaithful. But what have we got to lose by thinking theologically about the buildings we will be baptized in, married in, and will visit every week to worship the living God?
And then there's the matter of beauty. Churches have different financial resources, reside in different contexts, and are filled with different people. I don't expect that every church building should be in the running for architectural awards. But we should hope to add to, rather than subtract from, the aesthetics of the surrounding neighborhood. As Larry Norman might say, why should the liberals have all the beautiful churches?
So if anyone wants to write a book that helps us think responsibly, creatively, historically, and most of all theologically, about these things, I know a blog that can give you some free publicity.
October 3, 2011
October 1, 2011
RCA and CRC: What's the Difference?
This is an interesting post by CRC pastor Aaron Vriesman. Having attended an RCA seminary for part of his education and being good friends with his next-door-neighbor RCA pastor, Vriesman has insight into both denominations. His analysis is worth reading.
For example, he compares his time at Western Seminary (RCA) with his experience at Calvin Seminary (CRC).
The exposure and importance placed on the confessions is vastly different. While at Western Theological Seminary of the RCA, I remember studying the Heidelberg Catechism on two separate occasions over the three years I spent there. The Belgic Confession I remember consulting once, and the Canons of Dort not even once.
When I spent one quarter at Calvin Theological Seminary of the CRC to complete the CRC minister requirements, I had to look at all three confessions frequently. I was required to take an entire class on using the Heidelberg Catechism in preaching. This different emphasis on the confessions extends throughout both denominations.
Later he writes:
I remember attending Calvin Seminary (CRC) and noticing a distinctly different atmosphere than that of Western Seminary (RCA). Calvin's teaching had a classical character that valued theological tradition. The theological hero at Calvin was generally John Calvin, whereas the hero at Western was easily Karl Barth. Western's teaching had a neo-orthodox style that would often be linked to the oppression of women, minorities, and the poor.
Early on at Calvin I was sitting with a theology professor and asked, "Calvin or Barth?" I got a somewhat surprised look and a quick reply of, "Calvin." At Calvin Seminary I could use the NIV Bible in papers without being penalized, and I could say the word "mankind" without getting dirty looks. Believing that the Bible reserves the office of elder and minister for men was considered a valid position at Calvin. The handful of times I revealed this view at Western felt like "coming out of the closet." Usually laughter or wide-eyed looks would be the response, and the view was generally tolerated. But it also brought passing derogatory comments and even ended some friendships. These personal experiences reveal two denominations that are in different pools of influence.
Vriesman contends that the RCA and CRC, though they share a lot in common, have different roots, a different role for the confessions, different associations, and different priorities. In the end, Vriesman questions whether merging makes sense. Do we need to share the same institution in order to have the kind of unity Jesus prayed for? Vriesman says no, and I agree with him (though I wonder what sort of unity conservative RCA congregations and conservative CRC congregations truly have with the liberal wings of their denominations).
Read the whole thing.
September 30, 2011
Clarifying What I Mean By the Priority of Proclamation
I see in the comment section that there are some good questions about what exactly it means to make gospel preaching a priority. Again, I encourage you to read the book. There you'll find almost 300 pages on why we think the mission of the church is disciple making by verbal proclamation.
Recently I preached a sermon on this topic and finished with three points of application. They seem germane to this discussion.
First, if we as individuals and churches are becoming more like Christ, there should grow in us a spirit of deep compassion for the needs of hurting people. If we are like Jesus, we'll see the sadness and confusion and suffering in the world and something in us will cry out, "I want to do something about this. I want to make this better. I am sorry for this pain." We won't be able to do everything, but we can do something, especially for those closest to us. Our first obligation is to our family (1 Timothy 5:8). After that, Galatians 6:10 says, "As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith." So our church is the next obligation. But beyond that there is still a command to do good to all as we have opportunity.
What we see from the ministry of Jesus is that he had a heart to capitalize on those opportunities. We must be praying, studying, and growing so that we will have our eyes open to see opportunities for compassion. Jesus cared about all suffering. Jesus cared about bodies and souls. He ministered to bodies as well as souls. So will we if we are his followers.
Two, proclamation must remain the church's priority. It may not be your priority. You may be a doctor or nurse and your job is to help sick people get better. That's wonderful. Praise God for relief workers and doctors and farmers and well-diggers and reformers. But as the church thinks about his mission, I believe it must find ways to make proclamation its priority.
What does this mean? Well, let's start with what it doesn't mean. We see from Jesus' example that "priority" does not necessitate a strict chronological sequence. It's not like you can only help someone physically after you share the gospel with them. Jesus didn't work like that. Proclamation doesn't have to come chronologically before preaching. And, actually, it doesn't have to come chronologically after preaching. There's no indication that Jesus preached a sermon to everyone he ever healed. Sometimes he spent long hours healing and casting out demons. Did he help them only on the condition they would listen to his message? I don't fault organizations that have that principle, but Jesus' example shows we don't have to do it that way.
So what does "priority" mean? It means proclamation is what pushes us along. Jesus healed because he cared for people, but what propelled him from town to town was his desire to preach. This means there might come a time when a church looks at a mission or missionary or organization it supports and says, "I like the good work, but what about the proclamation of the gospel?" That's essentially what Jesus did at Capernaum. He healed into the wee hours of the morning and then the next day had to move one. He was not a travelling healer who happened to teach. He was an itinerant preacher who healed and cast out demons. In a world of finite time and finite resources, the church will not be able to support every good cause. Those efforts that bring the gospel to the lost and make disciples of the nations should be our first priority.
So I would say the Great Commission is what the church is sent into the world to accomplish while the command "do good to all people" is what we do as we have opportunity. The church's mission is not best described as "serving others as disciples of Christ" but "making disciples of Christ as servants of others."
Three, when our churches support "mercy ministry" or "relief work" or "humanitarian aid" or "city renewal" there should always be the overarching goal that Christ might be known, understood, believed upon, and followed. The world needs doctors, nurses, politicians, NGOs, agronomists, social workers, film makers, and thousand other vocations saturated with Christian professionals. But as churches think of mission work, mission organization, and its mission in general, there should also be a larger purpose aimed at and prayer for besides making the world a better place.
I'm not saying you only help people if they become Christians. I'm not saying you trick people into getting the gospel. I'm not saying being a Christian means you shouldn't aim for excellence in your vocation. What I'm saying is that those people and organization and institutions the church supports and sends out should have as their ultimate aim bringing people to faith in Christ. This may mean praying for opportunities that take ten years to materialize. This may mean you work in a country for two decades to build up trust so you can give a reason for the hope you have. This may mean your expertise is with crop rotation, but you develop friendships so that you might talk about Jesus. There are ten thousands ways to do this, and many of them take a long time. But Jesus was always purposeful in his ministry. There was no wasted effort. The bigger purpose in all he did was that people might see his true identity and follow him in faith. This is the big purpose of the church's ministry too. Keep it central. Make sure your church gives gospel proclamation the attention, the funding, the prayers, and the people necessary to keep the main thing the main thing.
