Justin Taylor's Blog, page 200
July 18, 2012
Pastors: Fight for the Time to Read!
Charles Spurgeon, reflecting on 2 Timothy 4:13 (where Paul said to Timothy: “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments”):
We do not know what the books were about, and we can only form some guess as to what the parchments were. Paul had a few books which were left, perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them.
Even an apostle must read.
Some of our very ultra-Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who comes up into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot and talks any quantity of nonsense is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men’s brains—oh, that is the preacher!
How rebuked they are by the apostle!
He is inspired, and yet he wants books!
He has been preaching for at least thirty years, and yet he wants books!
He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books!
He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet wants books!
He had been caught up into the Third Heaven and had heard things which it was unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books!
He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!
The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, “Give attendance to reading” (1 Tim. 4:13).
The man who never reads will never be read.
He who never quotes will never be quoted.
He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own.
Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers and expositions of the Bible.
Here’s how John Piper put it in his chapter “Fight for Your Life” in Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (new edition coming from B&H in February 2013):
I agree with Martyn Lloyd-Jones that the fight to find time to read is a fight for one’s life. “Let your wife or anyone else take messages for you, and inform the people telephoning that you are not available. One literally has to fight for one’s life in this sense!”
Most of our people have no idea what two or three new messages a week cost us in terms of intellectual and spiritual drain. Not to mention the depletions of family pain, church decisions, and imponderable theological and moral dilemmas. I, for one, am not a self-replenishing spring. My bucket leaks, even when it is not pouring. My spirit does not revive on the run. Without time of unhurried reading and reflection, beyond the press of sermon preparation, my soul shrinks, and the specter of ministerial death rises. Few things frighten me more than the beginnings of barrenness that come from frenzied activity with little spiritual food and meditation.
The great pressure on us today is to be productive managers. But the need of the church is for prayerful, spiritual poets. I don’t mean (necessarily) pastors who write poems. I mean pastors who feel the weight and glory of eternal reality even in the midst of a business meeting; who carry in their soul such a sense of God that they provide, by their very presence, a constant life-giving reorientation on the infinite God. For your own soul and for the life of your church, fight for time to feed your soul with rich reading.
“The Single Best Book on Christian Suffering Available”
Carl Trueman on the memoirs of the Puritan Richard Baxter upon losing his beloved wife:
One of the literary jewels Dr. Packer has given the church is his edition the Breviate where he intersperses his own wise commentary and thoughts. It is still available from Crossway as A Grief Sanctified and is, I believe, the single best book on Christian suffering available. I keep a copy on my bedside table and dip into it regularly. So much wisdom packed into so few pages. And as we all know, even the most devoted marriage ultimately ends in tragedy. Baxter’s bereavement awaits the marriages of us all.
Recently, I gave it to a much older Christian friend who had just lost his beloved wife of many years after a long and painful illness. Last week, I received a brief note of thanks from him: ‘It was just what I needed,’ he wrote, ‘and I will recommend it to others.’ There can be no higher praise or greater vote of confidence for a book on bereavement than that.
Piper and Keller on Justification, Sanctification, and the Dynamics of Faith
From Desiring God:
00:20 — How Keller talks about sanctification.
2:25 — What are we conforming to in sanctification?
3:45 — How does justification relate to sanctification?
6:40 — The psychological dynamics of faith.
9:00 — What does it mean to “owe God everything”?
11:20 — “I’m going to work my tail off for Jesus, and it’s all of grace.”
July 13, 2012
Jesus Has an Opinion on That
Doug Wilson on the size of government and the lordship of Christ:
Now the dictum that “Jesus is Lord, and not Caesar” requires that we go one way or the other, down into the details, and that we do so in His name. The only way to avoid that is to reject the claim that Jesus has something to say about how we govern ourselves. For as soon as you say that He does have opinions on it, then some bright fellow will ask, “Oh? What are they?” And I will say that Jesus wants us to stop spending money we don’t have, and a Christian Keynesian will say the opposite. And somebody is wrong, not only about the economics, but also about what Jesus wants.
The only alternative to this is to say that Jesus doesn’t care what the magistrate does. But if He cares, then His people will be asked how He cares, and how His care cashes out. As a minister of Christ, I don’t have the option of saying nothing.
You can read the whole thing here.
Hotel Pornography and the Market of Morality
Law professor Robert Miller has an important and sobering response to a letter from Professor Robert P. George and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf sent to hotel executives urging them to cease the sale of pornographic films and channels on their hotel TVs.
George and Yusuf, building on the idea that all that is legal is not necessarily morally right, present the heart of their argument as follows:
We urge you to do away with pornography in your hotels because it is morally wrong to seek to profit from the suffering, degradation, or corruption of others. Some might say that you are simply honoring the free choices of your customers. However, you are doing much more than that. You are placing temptation in their path—temptation for the sake of profit. That is unjust. Moreover, the fact that something is chosen freely does not make it right; nor does it ensure that the choice will not be damaging to those who make it or to the larger community where degrading practices and materials flourish.
They conclude their appeal as follows:
We believe that the properly regulated market economy serves the good of all by providing products and services at reasonable prices and by generating prosperity and social mobility. But the market itself cannot provide the moral values that make it a truly humane and just institution. We—owners, managers, employees, customers—must bring those values to the market. There are some things—inhuman things, unjust things, de-humanizing things—that should not be sold. There must be some things that, for the sake of human dignity and the common good, we must refuse to sell—even it if means forgoing profit.
In Professor Miller’s response, he identifies some of the obstacles to this proposal—namely, the financial cost of such a decision, and perhaps (amazingly) the illegality and liability of it, given the relationship between executives and shareholders within a corporation.
This is the most important part of Professor Miller’s perspective:
There is an important lesson here about how our society is organized, and it can be best brought out by a comparison. Like pornographic videos, videos espousing racist views are immoral but legal, but we never find such videos on offer in hotel rooms or, for that matter, almost anywhere else. Why not? Obviously, because practically everyone nowadays finds racist views deeply offensive, and any company that attempted to make money selling such trash would be severely punished by the market. The situation is different with pornographic videos because a significant portion of the population wants to watch such videos and, more importantly, a large majority of the population doesn’t object to their doing so. With racist videos, market institutions reinforce a moral result; with pornographic videos, market institutions reinforce an immoral result. The lesson is that, when a people’s desires are consistent with moral norms, markets produce moral results, but when a people’s desires are inconsistent with moral norms, markets produce immoral results. The economic institutions of capitalism are thus analogous to the political institutions of democracy. With limited exceptions, laws can be enacted and enforced in a democratic society only if they command the support of a large majority of the population. Hence, it is not so much wrong as it is impossible to impose moral norms through law: the only norms that can be imposed in this way are norms that already command broad support.
The legal institutions of a democratic and capitalist society are not designed to give people what is good and prevent them from getting what is bad; they are designed to give people what they want and not give them what they don’t want. For this reason, some people decry capitalism and democracy as amoral. Such views are misguided. In a democratic and capitalist society, there is a certain division of labor: it is up to the people themselves to become moral individuals with moral desires, while the political and economic institutions of the society implement the individuals’ aggregated desires. In any alternative system, there are institutions not accountable to the people and powerful enough to impose their will (really the will of the individuals who control the institutions) on everyone who disagrees with them. The historical record of such institutions has been terrifying, which is the best argument in favor of democratic capitalism. It is true that, in such a system, it may be harder to be moral when your understanding of morality is different from the majority view, but at least you will not often be forced into doing what you think is wrong. You may be seduced, but you will not be coerced. Democratic capitalism is a moral system, but in this system the guardians of morality are not institutions but the people themselves. . . .
Why Theology Matters in Parachurch Organizations
Christianity Today has done good work in covering the controversial comments from Exodus International President Alan Chambers and his desire to decouple unrepentant behavior from the reality and the assurance of salvation.
In this piece Chambers doubles down on his comments. You can also hear the perspectives of Russell Moore, Michael Horton, and Ben Witherington—all of whom express serious concerns about the antinomianism they are hearing.
I still think Denny Burk put this pretty well: “It appears that this has less to do with Chambers’ views on homosexuality than it does with his views on salvation. Chambers still affirms a biblical sexual ethic. He simply argues that Christians can ignore that ethic and still be considered Christians. It sounds like the non-lordship view of salvation that was made popular by Zane Hodges.”
For a primer on this issue of so-called Lordship salvation, see this older article by S. Lewis Johnson.
July 12, 2012
How Pastors Can Encourage Their Congregation in Missions
At the 2012 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting Mark Dever talked with with David Platt, Tom Elliff, and Zane Pratt on supporting missions through the local church:
TGC Women’s Recommended Reading
Audio and video from the 2012 Gospel Coalition National Women’s Conference is now available.
A couple of friends mentioned that they are unaware of the sort of books that the women teaching at this conference would recommend for further reading. So I decided to ask the female plenary speakers what they’d recommend what women who went to the conference and wanted to go deeper and further.
Kathleen Nielsen provided a reading guide on the TGC website, which would be a wonderful place to start.
Here are some other recommendations I received.
NANCY GUTHRIE
Far as the Curse Is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption by Michael Williams.
This book has really helped me to understand the big picture story of the Bible as well as the big themes of the Bible. I refer back to it again and again.
Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
This reference book with its short explanations of major doctrines has been a great help to me when I want a sound summary of orthodox belief on a doctrine or need to figure out how to explain something concisely.
The Goldsworthy Trilogy (which includes Gospel and Kingdom, The Gospel in Revelation, and Gospel and Wisdom) by Graeme Goldsworthy.
The development of understanding the story of the Bible as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s authority” helps me understand passages again and again throughout the Bible.
The Israel of God by O. Palmer Robertson
This book has helped me a great deal in understanding God’s past, present, and future plans for Israel. (The audio sessions of O. Palmer Robertson teaching this available at The Gospel Coalition audio resources is also a help.) Similarly, I found another book that has really helped me with this: Whose Promised Land? Israel or Palestine by Colin Chapman.
Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament by Christopher Wright and The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney.
These are the two books I started with to seek to understand how to see Christ in the Old Testament.
Guidance and the Voice of God by Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne.
So much wisdom here for a culture that longs to hear a supernatural word from God in the ordinary decisions of life.
The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric Bargerhuff.
When I received a copy of this book recently, I wrote the author and told him this was a book I have always wanted to write. He works his way concisely and wisely through often misused scriptures—the ones people claim as a promise that aren’t a promise and such—and brings clarity to them.
The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung.
I was able to read an advance copy of this upcoming book, and it is definitely one to pre-order so you get it when it is released!
JENNY SALT
Theology
Knowing God, by J. I. Packer.
A book that helps the reader to focus on the attributes of God, and deserves to be read again and again.
Biblical Theology
Gospel and Kingdom, According to Plan, by Graeme Goldsworthy.
Prayer
A Call to Spiritual Reformation, by D. A. Carson.
A thorough work on Paul’s prayers that challenges the reader about priorities in prayer.
Biographies
George Whitfield, by Arnold Dallimore. [See the big two-volume version here.]
Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ, by Roger Steer.
The Swans Are Not Silent Series, by John Piper.
Evangelism
Questioning Evangelism, by Randy Newman. A great book for everyone on day-to-day evangelism.
Singleness
Redeeming Singleness, by Barry Danylak.
Old Testament
Commentaries by Dale Ralph Davis. Non-technical commentaries that help the reader to have a better understanding of OT books like Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings.
CARRIE SANDOM
Basic Christianity
A Fresh Start , by John Chapman
Turning Points , by Vaughan Roberts
Christian Living
Distinctives , by Vaughan Roberts
A Call to Spiritual Reformation , by D. A. Carson.
Living the Cross Centered Life , by C. J. Mahaney
This Momentary Marriage , by John Piper
Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? by Carolyn McCulley
The Enemy Within , by Kris Lundgaard
Out of the Storm , by Christopher Ash
When People Are Big and God Is Small , by Ed Welch
Christian Biography
Five English Reformers , by J. C. Ryle
Killing Fields, Living Fields , by Don Cormack
Evidence Not Seen , by Darlene Diebler Rose
A Quest for Godliness , by J. I. Packer
Christian Truth
Pierced for Our Transgressions , by Steve Jeffery, Mike Ovey, Andrew Sach.
Knowing God , by J. I. Packer.
The Prodigal God , by Tim Keller.
The Cross of Christ , by John Stott.
Evangelism
Know and Tell the Gospel , by John Chapman.
If I Were God, I’d End All the Pain , by John Dickson.
Questioning Evangelism , by Randy Newman.
The Bible
Understanding the Bible , by John Stott.
Gospel and Kingdom , by Graeme Goldsworthy.
Digging Deeper , by Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach.
God’s Big Picture , by Vaughan Roberts.
NANCY LEIGH DEMOSS
With a different audience, I might offer suggestions that would stimulate women to love the Lord with more of their mind. However, my observation of the TGCW audience is that many of these women are already engaged in that pursuit. Hence, my encouragement would be to read books that help them love the Lord with more of their heart. Of course, there is value in reading books to stimulate both the heart and the mind. However, as this young-ish crowd ages (particularly those who will have multiple children), their available time for reading will likely be curtailed for a season and they will have to be highly selective. That being the case, I would encourage them to be sure to include:
Reading, meditation, and memorization of Scripture.
I do not assume this is a given. I asked 500-600 women in a breakout session at TGCW how many would say they do not currently have a consistent devotional habit. As is the case anywhere/everywhere I have ever asked this question (including groups of Bible study leaders, pastors’ wives, etc.), some 90% of the women in the room raised a hand in response. I don’t think we can stress this enough. It is His Word that gives life, and far too many believers, even those in vocational ministry, are malnourished from want of sufficient intake of Scripture. If you don’t have time to read anything else, read this Book!
Quality devotional literature.
Some of my favorites:
Spurgeon’s Chequebook of the Bank of Faith
The Valley of Vision
Elisabeth Elliot has several devotional books
Fenelon, The Seeking Heart , Letters to Women
Cowman, Streams in the Desert
Thomas Watson
William Gurnall
Oswald Chambers
John Piper’s The Godward Life, Vol I & II.
These provide fuel to keep my heart warm; they make me more receptive and responsive to the Word and the Spirit.
Biographies of (mostly dead) people who loved and served Jesus with all their heart.
Hudson Taylor
George Mueller
Gladys Aylward
Isobel Kuhn
Lilias Trotter
Mary Slessor
Helen Roseveare
Amy Carmichael
. . . to name a few. These have had (and continue to have) a huge impact on my life.
[Note: Noel Piper's Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God is a great introduction to a number of these women.]
Sermons of anointed preachers/pastors who proclaim(ed) the Word with hearts aflame.
These help me meditate on and better understand Scripture, while “taking it home” to the heart and life. Recently, I have been blessed by reading many of Spurgeon’s collected sermons on the Song of Solomon (The Most Holy Place).
As I said in my message at TGCW, “Sound theology should always lead to doxology and transformation.” I try to have a steady diet of books that help cultivate sound, biblical thinking and press me to worship and life transformation.
What Idolatry Hath Wrought at Penn State
Rod Dreher, responding to an unpublished op-ed by Joe Paterno claiming that “this is not a football scandal,” writes:
What eluded Paterno, and what is crystal-clear from the Freeh report, is that the quasi-religious reverence with which the football program was held within the culture of the university, and in particular the secular godlike authority granted to Paterno, made this horrifying scandal possible. When the perceived good of the institution (Penn State football) is taken as the absolute end to which everything must direct itself, this is what you get.
If not for the exaltation of Penn State football, Sandusky wouldn’t have had access to his victims. If not for the exaltation of Penn State football, the leadership who discovered his crimes wouldn’t have covered them up and turned a blind eye to them. It was the status of football at Penn State that enabled these crimes and their cover-up. To ignore or to deny that is to willfully fail to deal with reality.
You can read the whole post here.
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