David Murray: Is "Holy Hip Hop" holy?

David Murray had an intriguing article on his blog last week titled, "Is 'Holy Hip Hop' holy?" reflecting on his meeting some New Calvinist rappers at a recent Desiring God conference.  Here is an excerpt:

But can't we redeem it for the Lord? Can't we take the beat, the clothes, the postures, the culture, and simply change the words from violent, rebellious, proud, disrespectful, vain, self-worshiping, woman-hating, rape-glorifying, crude, perverse, and sex-obsessed to Christ-like and cross-centered preaching and/or worshipping? (It's difficult to know if "Holy Hip Hop" is preaching or praise. I'm assuming that as most - even its supporters - find it almost impossible to join in with it and "sing" along with it, it is more a form of preaching than praise).

The Church is always at risk of slipping slowly and imperceptibly away from the "foolishness of preaching" to the seemingly reasonable and persuasive "wisdom of this world." In ancient culture, worldly wisdom said to Gospel preachers, "Use philosophy!" or "Use miracles!" but Paul stuck by the seemingly foolish method of a single, unaccompanied human voice authoritatively declaring the Truth. He did not use the common Greek Socratic method or the accepted Jewish Rabbinic model. He used God's method and model of preaching - culturally unacceptable then as now.

Through the years, the Church has been continually tempted to use various cultural fads and trends to reach the lost - Christian punk rock, Christian glam rock, Christian death metal - usually with little lasting fruit. The temptations take different forms in different cultures, but God has designed and designated preaching to be the universal means of gathering in His elect, no matter what culture or age we live in.

JTR

R. Scott Clark: "Was Paul Mean?"

R. Scott Clark posted an insightful article yesterday titled "Was Paul Mean?" reflecting on Paul's blunt words to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.  Concering Paul's rhetoric, Clark offers this observation:

It is also interesting to observe Paul’s rhetoric here. He speaks bluntly, forcefully, and even dogmatically. He doesn’t qualify his statement. There’s no equivocation. He doesn’t seem terribly concerned with how the Thessalonian Christians will hear his words. There’s a certain sharpness and directness to his words that is, in our most sensitive culture, well, not very nice. Consider what he’s saying to Christians: “If you won’t be productive, then starve.” Hyperbolic? Perhaps but he said it. He’s an Apostle. 2 Thessalonians is God’s holy Word. Evidently he meant it and it’s hard to see how rhetoric of this sort squares with the reigning evangelical ethos of “niceness.”

He closes by asking what our hyper-sensitive culture would make of the apostle:

How would these words go over today in the average evangelical or Reformed congregation? Would the one who spoke them find himself in trouble? One wonders. When we read (or hear) Paul’s words our first reaction might be to think, “My, that’s harsh.”  If we do think so perhaps we need to re-calibrate our meters.

JTR

Spurgeon on the Difficulties and Duties of a Pastor's Wife

Spurgeon thus described “the difficulties and privileges of a pastor’s wife”:

I would not marry a minister, because the position of minister’s wife is a very difficult one for anyone to fill. Churches do not give a married minister two salaries, one for the husband and the other for the wife; but, in many cases, they look for the services of the wife, whether they pay for them or not. The Pastor’s wife is expected to know everything about the church, and in another sense she is to know nothing of it; and she is equally blamed by some people whether she knows everything or nothing. Her duties consist in being always at home to attend to her husband and her family, and being always out, visiting other people, and doing all sorts of things for the whole church! Well, of course, that is impossible; she cannot be at everybody’s beck and call, and she cannot expect to please everybody. Her husband cannot do that, and I think he is very foolish if he tries to do it; and I am certain that, as the husband cannot please everybody, neither can the wife. There will be sure to be somebody or other who will be displeased, especially if that somebody had herself half hoped to be the minister’s wife! Difficulties arise continually in the best-regulated churches; and the position of the minister’s wife is always a very trying one. Still, I think, that if I was a Christian young woman, I would marry a Christian minister if I could, because there is an opportunity of doing so much good in helping him in his service for Christ. It is a great assistance to the cause of God to keep the minister himself in good order for his work. It is his wife’s duty to see that he is not uncomfortable at home; for, if everything there is happy, and free from care, he can give all his thoughts to his preparation for the pulpit; and the godly woman, who thus helps her husband to preach better, is herself a preacher though she never speaks in public, and she becomes to the highest degree useful to that portion of the Church of Christ which is committed to her husband’s charge.

From C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography: Volume 2: The Full Harvest (Banner ed. 1973): p. 443.

The Vision (11/11/10): Reflections on the Bible and Personal Prayer: Part 1 of 3

Note: The following devotional article was written by Michael Cressin. Mike discovered CRBC after hearing our snow cancellation notice on local radio. He joined with our church plant in the early days and is now a founding member of our church body. Mike serves as our greeter coordinator and schedules our Lord’s Day Scripture readings.

Prayer is an essential dimension of a Christian's existence. Prayer is the constant, ongoing sense of God's presence and power in a believer's life. It is the arena where the Spirit of God meets with the human spirit. Prayer brings necessary growth. It enhances a Christian's sense of God's presence and providence within his life. Just as the fish of the sea must live in an aqueous medium and breathe oxygen through their gills, so the Christian must live in a Godly atmosphere and breathe His Holy Spirit in order to survive and thrive in the faith.

A personal prayer life is certainly not an easy thing to cultivate. The fast pace of our contemporary society and what appears to be an ever-increasing hostility of our world towards the gospel makes it often seem like an uphill battle. Nevertheless, it is simply an absolute necessity for a Christian to have a personal prayer life. As with any living growth process, food is needed. God gives us the ultimate manna from heaven in and through His Word in the Holy Scriptures. By cultivating a familiarity with the Bible and all that is contains we are fed the essential food for our growth in grace. But how does this relate to our personal prayer life? And what exactly is the relationship between prayer and reading the Bible?

First of all, we must realize that prayer is much more than merely piling up petitions. It is not a laundry list of wants and needs. Yes, intercessory and petitionary prayer is one aspect of Christian prayer, but it is far from the total picture. Praise, thanksgiving, repentance, meditation and simply listening or waiting upon the Lord are all essential elements of prayer. If we are merely reading some Scripture and then spouting off a list of petitions to God we are missing out on the real power of prayer. The Word of God has been given to the Christian Church as “a light to our path” (Psalm 119: 105). Jesus said, “ If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8: 31-32).

What does Jesus mean by abiding in His word? This is exactly what personal prayer should be. It is time set aside to abide in God's Word, to really absorb the truth contained within the scriptures, and to experience the transforming grace of God.

The first hurdle that one must get over is simply the setting aside of time to pray. I have known many Christians who have the tendency to put prayer time on the back-burner. “Oh, I'll get to it, if I can find the time!” If this is our attitude, chances are we won't find the time. In our contemporary world our lives are indeed busy. In order to find time to pray, however, the Christian simply must take the time. He must set time aside specifically marked out as prayer time. Here I would like to suggest that the reader commit himself to not just one but two daily times for prayer. I strive to have an AM time and a PM time. The morning time tends to be a short span, while the evening time can usually be longer. By setting aside these two time periods, two daily focal points, one's day becomes framed around two periods of concentrated quality time with God. Often these two times can be inter-related. All or some of the same passages from the Bible can be utilized within each. For example, in the AM period I might read and consider John 8:1-12, the passage dealing with the woman caught in adultery. Using the same passage in the evening may very well yield some deeper understanding of the text. This PM time could also be used to look up related Scripture passages, particularly if one is employing a Bible with cross references or footnotes. Further time might be spent in reflecting on how this passage has relevance in my own life. I might ask the Holy Spirit to help me have a more Christ-like reaction to people trapped in serious sin. Or I might simply repent of my own sins and ask God for help in avoiding them in the future.

Taking time to pray with the Word of God means that we must slow down. Quality prayer time is never hurried. In prayer we cannot read the Bible the same way we read a newspaper or a novel. Yes, it does contain good news for us, and yes, it is filled with intriguing stories, but reading Scripture just to get through it will be less than productive. Asking the Spirit to help us concentrate can help focus our minds and rid them of distractions. Slowing down and persevering is essential.

Michael Cressin

The Reformed Baptist Trumpet (November 2010): "Neo-Evangelical Calvinist or Reformed?"

The November 2010 issue of The Reformed Baptist Trumpet, the e-journal of the Reformed Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, was sent out today.  Thanks again to Judi LaGrange of CRBC for her work in putting it together.  The issue includes an article by David P. Murray titled Christ in Creation from the 2010 Keach Conference and a book review of James M. Renihan's Edification and Beauty:  The Practical Ecclesiology of the English Particular Baptists, 1675-1705 (Paternoster, 2008).  You can read the entire issue on googledocs here.  Below is the editoral:



Neo-Evangelical Calvinist or Reformed?

Our generation has witnessed a revival of interest in the doctrines of grace or five-point Calvinism. Journalist Colin Hansen has tagged these new Calvinists as “young, restless, and reformed.” The movement has been spurred by the writing and preaching of men like R. C. Sproul, John Piper and Wayne Grudem. It has been celebrated and promoted in conference movements like “Together for the Gospel” and “The Gospel Coalition.”

There now appears, however, to be a divide forming in the ranks. On one side are the neo-evangelical Calvinists who are passionate about Calvinistic soteriology. On the other side, are those who say that merely embracing the five points of Calvinism does not go far enough. The latter contend that reformed theological principles must be applied to all other aspects of doctrine and practice, most significantly to the doctrine of worship.

I have attempted to trace below a few of the dividing lines on various issues between those who are seeking to be more self-consciously “Reformed” and those whom I am calling “Neo-evangelical Calvinists.” I do this with caution, realizing that some Presbyterians (like R. Scott Clark) would argue that Baptists cannot properly be identified as “Reformed” given that they depart from the magisterial reformers on the issue of baptism. For a counterpoint to Clark, see James Renihan’s book Edification and Beauty on early Particular Baptist ecclesiology (reviewed in the November 2010 issue of The Reformed Baptist Trumpet) in which he convincingly argues for the Reformed roots of these early Baptists who “believed that they had taken the principles of the reformation to their logical conclusion,” and thus “they were self-consciously more reformed than the paedobaptist reformed churches” (p. 17)!

Dividing Lines between Reformed and Neo-evangelical Calvinism

Confession

Reformed: Prefer the detailed, robust, and historical confessions of faith and catechisms that come from the classical Reformation era (e.g., Canons of Dort, Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Westminster Confession of Faith, and Second London Baptist Confession of Faith).

Neo-evangelical: Argue that classic confessions of faith need fresh interpretations for the contemporary context or less strict subscription for evangelistic purposes. Often prefer confessions of faith that allow broader interpretation (e.g., among Baptists preference for the New Hampshire Confession over the Second London Baptist Confession).

Lord’s Day

Reformed: Hold to the abiding validity of the fourth commandment as part of God’s moral law, though recognizing that the day of rest is Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection, under the new covenant. Describe Sunday as the “Christian Sabbath.”

Neo-evangelical: Reject concern over the Lord’s Day as legalistic. See the fourth commandment as completely nullified, perhaps due to the influence of dispensationalism. Compare comments by John MacArthur in his Study Bible notes on Exodus 20:8: “Significantly, the command for the Sabbath is not repeated in the NT, whereas the other 9 are. In fact, it is nullified (cf. Col 2:16, 17). Belonging especially to Israel under the Mosaic economy, the Sabbath could not apply to the believer in the church age, for he is living in a new economy” (p. 125). Southern Baptist theologian Thomas Schreiner has likewise recently concluded, “Believers are not obligated to observe the Sabbath” (in his forthcoming book 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law).

Worship

Reformed: Hold firmly to the Regulative Principle of worship. The only proper elements in worship are those commanded by God in Scripture. See the worship service as a set and designated time on the Lord’s Day. Strive for reverence and simplicity. Likely to have minimal instrumental accompaniment or, increasingly, none at all. Likely to include the singing of canonical psalms. Those who speak publicly in worship services are ministers and elders.

Neo-evangelical: Hold to the Normative Principle of worship. Worship elements not expressly forbidden by Scripture are allowed. See worship as inclusive of all aspects of life and not just designated worship services on the Lord’s Day. Likely to make use of contemporary and “third wave” hymns and songs in worship and may have a choir or even a “praise band.” May allow persons other than elders, including women, to speak and lead in public worship.

Miraculous Gifts

Reformed: Hold to a cessationist view. Though God may perform miracles as he pleases, miraculous gifts and extraordinary signs ceased at the end of the apostolic era. The emphasis now is on the sufficiency of Scripture and the ordinary means of grace.

Neo-evangelical: Hold to non-cessionist view. Some, like Sovereign Grace churches, openly affirm and promote such practices. Others hold to an “open but cautious” view.

Purpose of the Church

Reformed: See the purpose of the church primarily as worship. Focus on the ministry of Word and Sacrament. The church’s call is clearly to preach the gospel and administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper till Christ returns.

Neo-evangelical: See the purpose of the church as evangelism and missions. Seek to study the culture and present the gospel in terms and through media that are intelligible to this age. Seek to be “incarnational” and “missional” in ministering to this culture. The church’s ministry includes concern for the environment, the arts, social justice, and mercy ministry to the poor and disenfranchised.

Officers

Reformed: Uphold the view of the ministry as a distinct office in the church and practice distinct ordination to gospel ministry. Though some have adopted the “parity” of elders view, most hold that the office of Ruling Elder is distinct from that of the Minister.

Neo-evangelical: Downplay the distinct role of the ministry and the practice of ordination to gospel ministry. Uphold egalitarian “parity” view of elders, though they may still provide for the role of a “Senior Pastor.”

Scripture

Reformed: Uphold the doctrines of the infallibility and the divine preservation of Scripture as outlined in Reformed confessions (Westminster, Second London Baptist). More likely to make use of the traditional text of Scripture (Masoretic text of the OT; received text of the NT) and translations that are based on this text (e.g., Geneva Bible, KJV, NKJV, and NASB).

Neo-evangelical: Uphold doctrine of inerrancy of Scripture, including the inerrancy of the “original autographs,” as outlined in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Prefer modern critical Biblical texts (for the New Testament, the UBS/Nestle-Aland 27th ed.) and translations that are based on this text (NIV and, predominantly, the ESV).

One question that arises in making these distinctions is what the future will hold for neo-evangelical ministers, churches, and para-church ministries that have embraced Calvinistic soteriology without further Reformed commitments. Will they still be Calvinistic in soteriology in the next generation and beyond? Does a strong stand on the sovereignty of God in salvation alone ensure doctrinal fidelity? More foundationally, what do the Scriptures teach on all these subjects (Sabbath, worship, charismatic gifts, etc.)?

JTR

Spurgeon on the Five Points

We believe in the five great points commonly known as Calvinistic; but we do not regard these points as being barbed shafts which we are to thrust between the ribs of our fellow Christians. We look upon them as being five great lamps which help to irradiate the cross; or, rather, five bright emanations springing from the glorious covenant of our Triune God, and illustrating the great doctrine of Jesus crucified. Against all comers, especially against all lovers of Arminianism, we defend and maintain pure gospel truth. At the same time, I can make this public declaration, that I am no Antinomian. I belong not to the sect of those who are afraid to invite the sinner to Christ. I warn him, I invite him, I exhort him. Hence, then, I have contumely on either hand. Inconsistency is charged against me by some people, as if anything that God commanded could be inconsistent; I will glory in such inconsistency even to the end. I bind myself precisely to no form of doctrine. I love those five points as being the angles of the gospel, but then I love the centre between the angles better still.

From C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography: Volume 2: The Full Harvest (Banner ed. 1973): p. 12.

JTR

Textual Notes: 2 Peter 2:6

Two issues:

a. Is the word katastrophe authentic?

External evidence:

Inclusion is supported by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, and the Majority of manuscripts. This is the traditional reading.

Nevertheless, the word is omitted in p72 and Vaticanus. The modern critical text places the word in brackets and the UBS gives it a “D” reading.

Internal evidence:

Metzger notes that the “shorter reading might well have arisen by transcriptional oversight” since the word that follows (katekrinen) also begins with the prefix kata- (Textual Commentary, p. 702).

Translation choices:

Translations based on the traditional text, of course, include the word (KJV: “overthrow”; NKJV “destruction”). Given that the modern critical text supports the traditional reading by including katastrophe (though in brackets), most modern translations also include it (NASB “destruction”; ESV “extinction”), but the NIV proves the maverick again and omits it.

b. Should it be asebesin (noun “ungodly”) or asebein (verb “to act in an ungodly way”)?

External evidence:

The traditional text reads asebein (“to act in an ungodly way”). It is supported by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus and the Majority. The minority reads asebesin (“ungodly”) and is supported by p72 and Vaticanus. This is yet another example of a situation where the so-called “oldest manuscripts” do not agree with one another.

Internal evidence:

Metzger speculates that from the point of view of “transcriptional probability” the copyist “would be more likely to change the noun to the infinitive than the reverse.” He adds that from the point of view of “intrinsic probability” the noun “gives the better sense” than the verb, but he offers no rationale for this assertion (Textual Commentary, p. 702). The modern critical text splits the difference between the two readings by placing the sigma in brackets: asebe[s]in.

Translation choices:

Translations based on traditional texts or following the traditional reading:

“making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” (AV);

making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;” (NKJV);

“having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter;” (NASB).

Translations based on the modern critical text and following the alternative reading:

“and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;” (NIV);

“making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (ESV).

JTR

Percentage of Births to Unwed Mothers in US Rising

In yesterday afternoon's sermon on "We Affirm Biblical Manhood and Womanhood" I noted a recent AP article that reported 72% of African American children are born to unwed mothers.  The report adds:

"The black community's 72 percent rate eclipses that of most other groups: 17 percent of Asians, 29 percent of whites, 53 percent of Hispanics and 66 percent of Native Americans were born to unwed mothers in 2008, the most recent year for which government figures are available. The rate for the overall U.S. population was 41 percent."

We have many who are upset about our nation's current dismal economic indicators but what about these even more alarming moral indicators?  If our church's children and grandchildren continue to abide by Biblical standards for marriage and family they will increasingly become the minority.  It will soon be considered counter-cultural to live by basic Biblical standards for marriage and family (i.e., marriage before sexual relations and having children), unless the Lord graciously intervenes to reverse this slide.

JTR

Textual Issues: 2 Peter 2:4

The major issue in this verse is over whether the text should read “chains (seirais) of darkness” or “dungeons (sirois) of darkness.”

External evidence:

“Chains” is supported by p72, P, Psi, and the Majority of manuscripts. This is the reading that appears in the traditional text, and it is also the reading adopted by the modern critical Greek text.

“dungeons” is supported by Sinaiticus. Codices Alexandrinus and Vaticanus also offer support but apparently alter the spelling from sirois to seirois.

Internal Evidence:

Metzger defends the original reading as seirais. He speculates that 2 Peter is literarily dependent on Jude and that the author of 2 Peter “substituted the more elegant word serais for the commonplace desmois of Jude 6.” It is “both the oldest (it is read by p72) and the most widespread” (Textual Commentary, p. 702).

Translation choices:

Translations based on the traditional text read “chains” (see KJV, NKJV). Given the support of the traditional reading in the modern critical text, various modern translation also follow suit (cf. NRSV, HCSB, ESV). Some modern translations, however, offer a rare departure from the modern critical text and follow the alternative reading (cf. NIV: “gloomy dungeons”; NASB: “pits of darkness”).

JTR

How to plant a church

Not exactly the plan we are following at CRBC but pretty funny.

The Vision (11/4/10): The Compassion of Christ

Note: In the month of November we are giving emphasis to Public Witness and Outreach at CRBC. The notes below are taken from a sermon preached at one of our first gatherings as a church plant on January 10, 2010.

Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

One of the great things that we learn here is that the general disposition of Jesus toward sinners is one of compassion. There is a place for the wrath of God, for the justice of God. But here we see the compassion of God as expressed through Christ. When we see people who follow false religions or those who fall into the new atheism, we might have a tendency to be angry or frustrated with them. But notice the kind disposition of Jesus. He aches for those who are scattered on the mountains of unbelief. He hurts for those who lack the True Shepherd. He longs to feed them, to nurture them, to bind their wounds, to guide them, to protect them from wolves. We Calvinists with a high doctrine of God are quick to speak of the justice and wrath of God—and rightly so—but let us not forget the love of God and the compassion of God!

Indeed, what we are seeing here is not merely human compassion in Jesus but divine compassion as well. In Deuteronomy 30:3 Moses had prophesied to Israel of the day when the Lord would bring them back from captivity and “have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you.” This is now being fulfilled in Christ. God Himself is having compassion on a people.

In v. 37 the metaphor shifts from a pastoral or shepherding image to that of a farming or agricultural image. Jesus also turns his attention from the vast crowd to his disciples, to his followers. And he says, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (v. 37). Notice that now in Christ’s eyes the scattered, battered, and forlorn sheep are seen as a vast and abundant harvest. Think for a moment of the more than 200,000 people who live in the area around where we are right now. Think of how many of those do not know their left hand from their right, spiritually speaking. Go some day to Rt. 29 or Wal-Mart or the Downtown Mall and just watch as people pass by and consider how Christ looks upon them not with scorn but with compassion. Then lift your gaze beyond our little area to this larger nation and then to this world. Consider how the Lord looks upon those who follow Islam. Think that he is moved by their plight and sees them as a vast harvest that is ready to be gathered into his barns.

No believer can look around at the world and say, “Well, there’s really nothing left for me to do. The Bible has already been translated. There are plenty of churches out there dotting the landscape. There really isn’t anything left for me to do.” No. There is a vast harvest out there, just waiting to be gathered for the Master’s good keeping. And, what is more, if it is not taken in while it is ready it will all go to ruin. It will rot and be good for nothing but the fire. The harvest is plentiful.

Yet here is the contrast. The laborers are few. The size of the task is always out of all proportion to those who are willing to wade into the fields and gather the harvest for the Master. Where is our passion for the harvest when we know the great compassion of Christ? The famed missionary Hudson Taylor was given a burden for the land of China while he was still a teen. He wrote once to his mother contemplating the fact that each year 12 million would die in China with no knowledge of Christ:

Think, Mother, of twelve millions—a number so great that it is impossible to realize it—yes, twelve million souls in China, every year passing without God and hope into eternity…. Oh, let us look with compassion on this multitude! God has been merciful to us; let us be like Him….

Maybe God would give you a heart of compassion and action for a people group like that which Taylor had for those in China. Maybe he will grant you such compassion even for those who surround us here in this community.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

CRBC November 2010 Sermons

Image:  Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaching.  Lloyd-Jones (1891-1981) was instrumental in the revival of expositional (verse by verse) preaching to which CRBC is committed. 

November 7

AM Pride of False Teachers (2 Peter 2:18-22)

PM We affirm Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

November 14

AM Unwilling that any should perish (2 Peter 3:1-9)

PM We Affirm Separation and Mission

November 21

AM The day of the Lord: A spur to holiness (2 Peter 3:10-13)


PM Thanksgiving (Psalm 95): Teacher: Jeff Wagner

November 28

AM Be diligent to be found by him (2 Peter 3:14-18)

PM We Affirm the Doctrine of Last Things

Field Trip to Tinkling Spring

Image: Front entrance to sanctuary designed by R. L. Dabney at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church

We had a great field trip last Friday to Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church in Fishersville.  About 20 CRBC folk made the trip on a crisply cool morning.  Though the current church is affliliated with the mainline PC-USA it has a wonderful museum which outlines the Scottish Reformation, the immigration of the Scotch-Irish Protestants to this area of Virginia, the role of this congregation in the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War, and Reformed worship (Lord's Day observance and psalm singing).  After the museum we went into the sanctuary and I did a biographical talk on R. L. Dabney, former pastor of the church and designer of its sanctuary.  We then explored the cemetery.  We had planned to picnic outside but given the cold weather we accepted an invitation from the McGonigals to have lunch at their home after the visit.  Here are a few photos. 

Challenging Questions for Military Chaplains

What will the impending repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the US military mean for evangelical chaplains serving in the military?  The Associated Press ran an article a few days ago titled, Retired Chaplains warn against 'don't ask' repeal.  SBC pundit Al Mohler also wrote a compelling article last June laying out what this change means.

This raises the general issue as to whether or not there should be state sponsored chaplains serving in the military at all.  What Biblical precedent do we have for men who serve in ad hoc ministry apart from local church oversight?  How can a man serve as a gospel minister under Caesar's pay and oversight?  Will this not inevitably lead to compromise?  Will they not be like Naaman who had to beg Elisha's leave  for bowing down in the temple of Rimmon at the elbow of the king (2 Kings 5:18)?

JTR

CRBC Reformation Weekend Field Trip to Tinkling Spring: October 29th

Field Trip:  A CRBC Reformation Weekend Family Field Trip Day is set for Friday, October 29 to the Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church in Fishersville (exit off I-64).  This historic church was founded in 1740.  Its ministers and members played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and in the Civil War.  R. L. Dabney was a past minister of the church, and he designed the church’s sanctuary.  The church has a professionally created, museum quality, historical display on the church’s history that includes information on the Protestant Reformation, American history, and Reformed worship.  We will meet at Tinkling Spring at 10:00 am, and then tour the historical display, church building, and cemetery.  Bring your own lunch and we will eat together on the church grounds after the tour.  Anyone is welcomed to join us.

JTR

Matthew Mead: 8 Kinds of Counterfeit Zeal

Matthew Mead’s The Almost Discovered Christian Discovered (first printed 1661; SDG ed., 1993) was written “that the formal, sleepy professor may be awakened and the close hypocrite discovered” (p. xv).

Along the way, Mead notes 8 kinds of “counterfeit zeal” (pp. 55-60):

1. There is a blind zeal, a zeal without knowledge.

This was the zeal Paul had while a Pharisee and persecuting the godly.

2. There is a partial zeal.

It is to be “fire-hot” in one thing but “key-cold” in another. Many are “first-table Christians” yet neglectful of the second. While “others are mindful of the second-table, but neglectful of the first.” “So where zeal reaches to every command of God alike, that is a sign of a sound constitution of the soul.”

3. There is a misplaced zeal fixed upon unsuitable and disproportionate objects.

This is “a superstitious zeal” usually found in unconverted men “in whom grace never was wrought.” This is the zeal Paul had for “the traditions of his fathers” before his conversion.

4. There is a selfish zeal that has a man’s own end for its motive.

“Jehu was very zealous, but it was not so much for God as for the kingdom.”

5. There is an outside zeal.

Such was the zeal of the scribes and Pharisees who “would not eat with unwashed hands, but yet would live in unseen sins.”

6. There is a forensic zeal that runs out upon others.

“Many are hot and high against the sins of others and yet cannot see the same in themselves.” “It is easy to see the faults in others and hard to see them in ourselves.” “This zeal is the true character of a hypocrite. His own garden is overrun with weeds while he is busy in looking over his neighbor’s pale.”

7. There is a sinful zeal.

This is “a zeal against zeal.” It is a “devilish zeal.” It is a zeal against godliness and truth.

8. There is a scripture-less zeal that is not butted and bound by the Word, but by some base and low end.

“Many a man’s zeal is greater then and there, when and where he has the least warrant from God. The true spirit of zeal is bound by the Scripture, for it is for God and the concerns of His glory. God has no glory from that zeal which has not Scripture warrant.”

JTR 

The Vision (10/28/10): Thoughts on Church Officers

This Sunday (October 31), we will be asking our members to nominate men for consideration for service in our body as church officers (Ruling Elder and Deacon). Members will be given a slip of paper and may nominate as many men as they wish for each office. The Pastor will review these nominations and hold interviews with those who receive a significant number of nominations to discuss calling, qualifications, and expectations. He will then nominate candidates for election by the congregation at our Annual Church Conference in January.

Here are some thoughts to consider for each office:

Ruling Elder:

A good summary of the qualifications appears in Paul’s instructions to Titus in Titus 1:5-9:

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you -- 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Since the Ruling Elder will be serving in the government of the church, he must first be one who has an established and exemplary track record in ruling or governing his own household (see vv. 5-6). This includes his marriage relationship and his relationship with his children. This does not mean that his wife and children are merely outwardly submissive to him. Is it evident that he has led in his home with authority and love?

Next, he must have an established track record in personal and spiritual life management (see vv. 7-8). Does this man govern himself and make good stewardship of his gifts for the kingdom? Does he speak the truth in love? Will he work in harmony with the Minister, with his fellow Elders, and with the church body? Is he a lover of strangers (hospitable)? Is he “holy,” distinctly set apart for God’s service?

Finally, and most importantly, he must be one who has demonstrated a passion for the truth (v. 9). Does he hold fast the faithful word? Is he sound in doctrine and able to exhort and convict those who contradict it?

Deacon:

A good summary of the qualifications for Deacons appears in Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:8-13:

8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

We see some parallels with the expectations for Ruling Elders:

He must be a man who has proven himself to be a good steward of his household (vv. 11-12). Will his wife complement his ministry? Has he managed his household well?

He must be a man who has shown good stewardship of his personal life (vv. 8, 10). Is he pious, reverent, and truthful? Note that Paul contends that a man first be “tested” before taking this office.

Finally, he must be doctrinally sound (v. 9). He must hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. Notice that unlike the Elders there is no requirement that he be apt to teach. His primary role in the church is that of service (cf. the “seven men” in Acts 6:1-7).

Conclusion:

Having reviewed these qualifications, we might well say with Paul, “And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). Indeed, in one sense, no one is worthy to serve in these exalted roles. Again, we learn from Paul who would say of this call to the apostleship, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not even worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Yet, Paul concluded, “I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain” (v. 10). Indeed, Paul records that Jesus said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The standards are exalted, men are weak, but this only magnifies our utter dependence upon the Lord for all things, including the supply of officers to teach, lead, and serve his people.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Barcellos responds to Schreiner on Sabbath

Richard Barcellos--on the Midwestern Center for Baptist Studies blog--is posting a series of irenic critiques of Tom Schreiner's recent comments on the Sabbath (see my previous post).

Barcellos' first two responses can be read here and here.

JTR

Be a church and not a museum

Image:  Fort Sumter

Below is the introduction I used for the message I preached back on 10/17 for the Homecoming services at St. John’s Bethel BC in Moncks Corner:

Yesterday my family visited Fort Sumter in the Charleston harbor. As you likely well know, Fort Sumter is the site of the first shots fired in the American Civil War (or War Between the States). I learned yesterday that even after that war the fort remained a military installation for many years. In fact, it was fitted with anti-aircraft batteries during World War II to protest the city of Charleston from air attack.

Only in 1948 was the fort decommissioned and turned over from the War Department to the National Parks. Now, it is no longer a fort but only a museum and historical attraction.

Here is the lingering question today. Are you still a congregation that is an active outpost of the kingdom? Do not settle for being a religious heritage society, a museum. Be on the front lines, defending the faith, taking ground for your Commander and His noble cause.

Be a church and not a museum.

JTR

More Charleston Churches

Last post on our Chareston church visits from last week:

Image:  St. Philip's Episcopal Church

Images:  St. Philip's cemetery holds a signer of the Constiution (Charles Pinckney) and a signer of the Declaration of Independence (Edward Rutledge).

Image: Not far away is yet another Episcopal church with a massive spire:  St. Michael's.

Image:  Not to outdone by St. Philip's, St. Michael's cemetery has two signers of the Constitution (Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and John Rutledge)!

Image: Finally, the First (Scots) Presbyterian Church

Llew and the children were gracious (and patient) enough to let me visit all these edifices.  We were thinking of visiting the synagogue when we ran out of energy for the day.  Maybe next time.  The diversity and heritage of these houses of worship remind you that we are a nation of immigrants that thrives on religious liberty.

JTR