Justin Taylor's Blog, page 330

What Happened to Sarah Palin?

I appreciated this post by Ross Douthat, in which he offers a sympathetic lament—with lessons for all of us. In my experience it's rare for a political analyst to step back and consider the trials and temptations that affect people not first as politicians but as human beings.

An excerpt:

Palin was caricatured viciously, but in response she decided to essentially become the caricature, giving her enemies exactly the kind of Spiro Agnew-in-heels performance they expected, and then chasing celebrity in destructive (if lucrative) ways once the initial firestorm around her subsided. The only thing that can be said in her defense is that her choices, while misguided, have been very, very human. Consider: If you were bounced from obscurity to national prominence and immediately found yourself attacked from every angle imaginable — the personal, the political, and everywhere in between — to whom would you instinctively turn to for advice and counsel? To the elite Republicans who seemed to disdain you from the beginning? To the McCain strategists who sent you out as an attack dog and then blamed you for their own missteps and misjudgments? To the establishment media mavens who never gave you a fair shake? Or would you turn instead to the various conservative commentators, activists, radio hosts and bloggers who made it their business to champion you as the second coming of Ronald Reagan, to defend you from every attack (fair and unfair alike), to spin your blunders as successes and your gaffes as wisdom, and to generally insist that you could do no wrong?

We know how Palin answered that question. She has been ill-served, to put it mildly, by her "you're great, you're perfect, don't change" admirers; she would have been far better off taking advice from some of her more constructive critics instead. But listening to one's critics is hard; listening to the people who stood by you when you were in the crucible is far more natural and understandable. And that all-too-human tendency, as much as anything else, explains why we've ended up with a Sarah Palin who sounds more like, well, a right-wing talk-radio host than the promising politician she once was.

(My emphasis.)

Cautions on Preaching Christ in All of Scripture

A helpful TGC Asks with answers from Tim Keller, Don Carson, and David Murray to the question, "How would you caution teachers intent on preaching Christ in the Old Testament?"

Here is Keller's answer:

1. Don't "get to Christ" so soon in the sermon that you don't unfold the meaning and application of the text to the original hearers. If you "jump to Christ" too soon that often means you inspire people but you don't give them concrete application for how they are supposed to live.

2. Don't "get to Christ" so late in the sermon that he seems like an add-on, a mere devotional appendix. If you wait too long to get to Christ listeners won't see how Jesus' work is crucial if the listeners are going to obey or heed the text.

3. Don't get to Christ artificially. This is a big subject of course, but I believe two of the best ways are (a) by identifying in your text one of the many inner-canonical themes that all climax in Christ (Don Carson's language), and (b) identifying in your text some "Fallen Condition Focus," some lack in humanity that only Christ can fill (Bryan Chapell's language).

Writing Advice from Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens's reflections on his "year of living dyingly" have been moving, and his latest—about losing his voice on account of his cancer—is no different. I continue to pray that God would save him.

In the course of his essay he also includes some good writing advice:

To my writing classes I used later to open by saying that anybody who could talk could also write. Having cheered them up with this easy-to-grasp ladder, I then replaced it with a huge and loathsome snake: "How many people in this class, would you say, can talk? I mean really talk?" That had its duly woeful effect. I told them to read every composition aloud, preferably to a trusted friend.

The rules are much the same:

Avoid stock expressions (like the plague, as William Safire used to say) and repetitions.

Don't say that as a boy your grandmother used to read to you, unless at that stage of her life she really was a boy, in which case you have probably thrown away a better intro.

If something is worth hearing or listening to, it's very probably worth reading. So, this above all: Find your own voice.

The most satisfying compliment a reader can pay is to tell me that he or she feels personally addressed. Think of your own favorite authors and see if that isn't precisely one of the things that engage you, often at first without your noticing it. A good conversation is the only human equivalent: the realizing that decent points are being made and understood, that irony is in play, and elaboration, and that a dull or obvious remark would be almost physically hurtful. This is how philosophy evolved in the symposium, before philosophy was written down. And poetry began with the voice as its only player and the ear as its only recorder. Indeed, I don't know of any really good writer who was deaf, either. How could one ever come, even with the clever signage of the good Abbé de l'Épée, to appreciate the miniscule twinges and ecstasies of nuance that the well-tuned voice imparts? Henry James and Joseph Conrad actually dictated their later novels—which must count as one of the greatest vocal achievements of all time, even though they might have benefited from hearing some passages read back to them—and Saul Bellow dictated much of Humboldt's Gift. Without our corresponding feeling for the idiolect, the stamp on the way an individual actually talks, and therefore writes, we would be deprived of a whole continent of human sympathy, and of its minor-key pleasures such as mimicry and parody.

You can read the whole thing here.

New Edition of "Christianity Explored": 20% Off

I hope a lot of readers will explore the new revised edition of Christianity Explored. Sinclair Ferguson writes, "I wish every Church, every Sunday School Class, and every Small Group would use Christianity Explored at least once a year." Here's why:

Then our churches might once again become what they were meant to be: God's evangelistic society and network of spiritual maternity hospitals where we live in expectation that new Christians will be born.

I personally value Christianity Explored as a tool for evangelism for a wide variety of reasons:

Because of Rico Tice's clear and engaging presentation of the Gospel
Because Christianity Explored uses The Gospel (of Mark)—and not just a few isolated texts—to tell the Gospel of Jesus
Because using it in the church family creates a context for Christians to use their gifts together to show others, as well as tell them about, the good news and the new life they have found in Christ
Because it also walks those who are already Christians through the Gospel and strengthens both their understanding of it and their ability to express it.
Because I have rejoiced to see people come to faith in Christ through its ministry.

Kevin DeYoung, in a helpful overview of a previous edition, says, "If you are looking for an evangelism program to use in your church, I strongly urge you to consider Christianity Explored."

Michael Horton recently raved about the tool:

The program is based on the content, not vice versa. But there is a DVD (also CD), with Rico walking folks through Mark. There's a Leader's Guide as well as a Handbook for others following along. You can do this with your family, invite over some neighbors over to the house or do the course at a local spot where non-Christians who wouldn't attend church can show up, listen in, and ask questions. And you can go through the course with your whole church. Even mature believers will gain new insights-and fresh appreciation for the glory of Christ in his gospel.

Sorry to go on about this, but "Christianity Explored"—especially with this newly revised edition—is exactly what we've need for a long time. My prayer is that churches faithful to getting the gospel right will become just as known for getting the gospel out. And "Christianity Explored" is the best supporting resource I know of for helping us to do that.

In addition to the materials and samples and extras you can view at the WTSBooks site, you can also go to the excellent publisher, The Good Book Company. Note that WTS does not ship outside the U.S., but I think the publisher has distribution networks outside the U.S.

On Losing a Baby

Many of you reading this have lost a child—in miscarriage, in childbirth, as a newborn, or older. I hope that you will find this post by Lisa Blanco, full of gospel hope and encouragement and peace and pain, will be used of God to minister to you.

An excerpt:

Haddon struggled through severe anemia and a virus, and his sweet daddy visited him nearly every hour, loving his little son who looked almost identical to him. For 40 hours we were with him, hearing a roller coaster of good news and bad news. On April 2, the Lord took our sweet boy to be with him. Just before he passed, we were able to sing to him. Ernie sang "It Is Well" and I hummed "A Mighty Fortress" the best I could. I held him for the first time, telling him we'd see him soon. I passed him to Ernie, and when the time came to take all the machines off, Ernie quoted Numbers 6:24-26 as the last words Haddon could hear:

The LORD bless you, and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up his countenance on you,

And give you peace.

As our plans as parents have been thrown into confusion and sadness, we are faced with the question of what happens next. I long each morning to wake up to a crying baby to console in my arms. Ernie longs to come home from a long day of work to play with his son, and each time we walk to the garage we have to pass an empty nursery painted in blue. Through each seemingly impossible fear that rushes to our minds, the Lord has calmed us with several great truths about himself and our circumstance.

Keep reading. . . .

Parent-Child Conversations on the Gospel

Kevin DeYoung gives a fairly typical example of what gospel-centered attempts at parenting can look like in action:

Me: What's the matter son?

Child: I want that toy and he won't give it to me!

Me: Why do you want the toy?

Child: I don't know.

Me: What's going on in your heart when you desire that toy?

Child: I don't know.

Me: Think about it son. Use your brain. Don't you know something?

Child: I guess I just want the toy.

Me: Obviously. But why?

Child: I don't know.

Me: Fine. [Mental note: abandon "why" questions and skip straight to leading questions.] Do you think he is having fun playing with the toy right now?

Child: No.

Me: Really?! He's not having fun? Then why does he want that toy in the first place?

Child: Because he's mean.

Me: Have you ever considered that maybe you are being mean by trying to rip the toy from his quivering little hands?

Child: I don't know.

Me: What do you know?

Child: I don't know!

Me: Nevermind. [I wonder how my brilliant child can know absolutely nothing at this moment.] Well, I think taking the toy from him will make your brother sad. Do you like to make him sad?

Child: I don't know.

Me: [Audible sigh.]

Child: He makes me sad all the time!

Me: Well, I'm getting sad right now with your attitude! [Pause, think, what would Paul Tripp do?  Thinking . . .  thinking . . . Man, I can't stop thinking of that mustache. This isn't working. Let's just go right to the Jesus part.] You know, Jesus wants us to love each other.

Child: I don't know.

Me: I didn't ask you a question!

Child: [Pause.] Can I have some fruit snacks?

Me: No, you can't have fruit snacks. We are talking about the gospel. Jesus loves us and died for us. He wants you to love your brother too.

Child: So?

Me: So give him the toy back!

Then I lunge for the toy and the child runs away. I tell him to come back here this instant and threaten to throw the toy in the trash. I recommit myself to turning down speaking engagements on parenting.

Read the whole post, which is encouraging. A couple of lines that stood out: the quip cited by Alistair Begg: "When I was young I had six theories and no kids. Now I have six kids and no theories." And from Kevin's church secretary: "Most moms and dads think they are either the best or the worst parents around, and both are wrong."

Here is Kevin's upshot:

I just know that the longer I parent the more I want to focus on doing a few things really well, and not get too passionate about all the rest. I want to spend time with my kids, teach them the Bible, take them to church, laugh with them, cry with them, discipline them when they disobey, say sorry when I mess up, and pray like crazy. I want them to look back and think, "I'm not sure what my parents were doing or if they even knew what they're were doing. But I always knew my parents loved me and I knew they loved Jesus." Maybe it's not that complicated after all.

And while we're on the subject of parenting kids with the flavor of the gospel, let me again recommend the new book from Crossway, Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson.

How Sin Can Dehumanize the People in Our Lives

Paul Tripp, What Did You Expect? (Crossway, 2010), pp. 47-48:

Because sin is antisocial, it tends to dehumanize the people in our lives.

No longer are they objects of our willing affection. No, they quit being the people we find joy in loving.

Rather, they get reduced to one of two things.

They are either vehicles to help us get what we want or obstacles in the way of what we want.

When your wife is meeting the demands of your wants, needs, and feelings, you are quite excited about her, and you treat her with affection.

But when she becomes an obstacle in the way of your wants, needs, and feelings, you have a hard time hiding your disappointment, impatience, and irritation.

This is where another eloquent biblical observation comes in. It is that we are kingdom-oriented people. We always live in the service of one of two kingdoms.

We live in service of the small, personal happiness agenda of the kingdom of self, or we live in service of the huge, origin-to-destiny agenda of the kingdom of God.

Beale and Trueman: "Scripture: God Speaks"

Trent Hunter:

Clarus is Latin for clear, bright, or radiant. From April 29-May 1, believers from Albuquerque, NM, and the surrounding Southwest region gathered at Desert Springs Church for Clarus '11, a Regional Conference of The Gospel Coalition.

This year's theme, "Scripture: God Speaks," focused our attention on the subject of the Bible, God's Word written. Our speakers, G.K. Beale and Carl Trueman, both professors at Westminster Theological Seminary, approached this theme from a variety of angles: what Scripture says about itself, how Christians have understood the nature of Scripture throughout history, the effects of meditating on Scripture, the need to defend Scripture, how the Scriptures persevere us in suffering, how Jesus fulfilled Scripture, why and how Scripture is meant to be preached, and how Scripture shapes Christian marriage.

In addition to a panel discussion led by Ryan Kelly, both men spoke a total of four times. For those who couldn't join us, video will be available in the weeks to come, and audio is available now:

G.K. Beale

"The Effects of Meditating on God's Word" (Ps. 1)
"How to Guard the Good Deposit of Scripture" (2 Tim. 1:13)
"The Centrality of Scripture in Marriage"
"Receiving and Resounding God's Word" (1 Thess. 1:6-10)

Carl Trueman

"The Prophetic Word: What Preaching Is (and Is Not)"
"Scripture's Authority: An Ancient Doctrine"
"A Clear and Present Word: Luther and the Clarity of Scripture"

"Like Sheep without a Shepherd" (Mark 6:30-44)

Bob Jones Sr. to Billy Graham: A Bad Prediction, Some Good Advice

In December of 1936, a depressed and dejected 18-year-old named Billy Graham sat chewing his fingernails in the office of his 56-year-old college president, Bob Jones Sr. The patriarch of fundamentalism had learned that Billy and a fellow classmate were planning to transfer from Bob Jones College (in Cleveland, Tennessee) to Florida Bible Institute (just outside of Tampa).

Billy's first semester had been marked by sickness, bad grades, and a "stack of demerits" for falling short of the school's strict standards. After learning about the planned transfer, Dr. Jones gave Billy a warning and a prediction:

Billy, if you leave and throw your life away at a little country Bible school, the chances are you'll never be heard of.

At best, all you can amount to would be a poor country Baptist preacher somewhere out in the sticks.

Given the network of fundamentalism, it was not an unreasonable prediction. But of course it turned out to be quite wrong.

The relationship between the two men was repaired before it ruptured again. Twelve years after this meeting (1948), Bob Jones University would confer on Billy Graham—then the president of Northwestern Baptist Bible College in Minneapolis—an honorary doctorate. In March of 1950 Graham held an evangelistic rally on the campus of BJU (now located in Greenville, SC). (The mayor ordered the stores in town to close and the schools were dismissed early for the event.)

Billy had formed a friendship with Bob Jones Sr. and Jr., with Billy inviting criticism and guidance from "Dr. Bob."

The elder Jones took him upon on the offer. The following excerpts are from a letter to Billy that contains some helpful advice (May 22, 1952):

I would advise you to take a few campaigns in small towns and pull your budget way down. It will do your soul good to get away from the cities and into small communities where Americans live and where there is not so much glamour. . . .

Make it clear that you are not in the business to get church members, but to get church members converted.

Then Jones raised the issue of politics, a source of perennial fascination and power and temptation:

Now, politics has been my weakness. It is going to be a weakness with you. Watch about your association with politicians. If you are not careful, you will be used sometime when you are not conscious of being used. . . .

Graham would go on to know and pray with and counsel eleven different U.S. Presidents, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. (See The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House.)

Recently—nearly 60 years after receiving this letter from Bob Jones Sr.—Billy Graham was asked about his regrets and what he would have done differently. In addition to spending more time with his family, he mentioned his association with politicians:

I also would have steered clear of politics.

I'm grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to.

But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn't do that now.

In the mid-50′s Bob Jones Sr. and Billy Graham increasingly moved farther apart over issues of separation from and cooperation with modernists. The "bridge too far" was Graham's major six-month crusade at Madison Square Garden in 1957. The two men became exemplars of fundamentalism and neo-evangelicalism and went in different directions.

I have the sense that younger evangelicals today are often ignorant of the modernist-fundamentalism divide in the early twentieth century, followed by the fundamentalist-evangelical divide in the mid-twentieth century. But there are great lessons for all of us to learn from studying these important events, including the virtues and flaws of our forefathers in the faith.

(A good historical introduction is George Marsden's Reforming Fundamentalism.)

Plant! Conference Audio

Main audio sessions below from the recent Sovereign Grace Plant! Conference (March 24-26, 2011 at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA):

Dave Harvey, "Sending Onesimus"
Darrin Patrick, "The Call for Men"
Mark Dever, "Church Planting and the Great Commission"
C. J. Mahaney, "Profile of a Church Planter"
Darrin Patrick, "Mistakes in Church Planting"