Theology Links

Sovereign Grace Ministries has started a blog with contributions from C. J. Mahaney.

CT editor-at-large, Collin Hansen interviews Greg Beale and D. A. Carson, editors of the recently published Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (available from Westminster Bookstore at 40% off!)

Fred Sanders shares the Top Twelve Theology Books of Christian History, a list he compiled with fellow Torrey Honors Institute faculty members for their class "On Knowing God." In a follow-up post he points to where you can find the works online for free. (HT: Evangelical Outpost)

Monergism.com has created a free downloadable Puritan resource library appropriately called puritanlibrary.com

A Recent Discovery

Philosopher Victor Reppert, whose book, C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason, I referred to two posts ago, has a blog appropriately called dangerous idea. (HT: The Stuff of Life)

No, I Haven't Given Up Blogging

I'm just out of town this week and, though I brought my laptop with me, my temporary residence doesn't have wireless access as I had assumed. A friend kindly let me make use of his computer to check email and compose this but I'm doubtful that my schedule will allow me to do more than this for the remainder of my stay. It's kind of nice not being in front of the computer as much as I usually am anyway, so I'm not complaining. Lord willing, I'll be home Thursday evening and should be back to my regular schedule of irregular posting soon afterwards so please check back. Thanks.

For The List-less

Number 5 on Guy Davies' list of Ten Things for a Christian Blogger reads "Do lists. People like lists." Guy's conviction about this is evidenced by a series of "ten things" posts including the following:

Ten things for the Lord's Day
Ten things for a Christian mum
Ten things for a Christian dad
Ten things for a new Systematic Theology
Ten things a Pastor needs to be
Ten things to do while singing hymns and Psalms
Ten things to do while preaching
Ten things to do in a prayer meeting
Ten ways to encourage a preacher

Here are some other lists worth pointing to:

Joshua at Church Redone is in the process of searching for a new church home. As a result of his quest he's assembled a list of 10 ways churches can keep people from discovering and/or connecting with them. Pastors in particular should check this out. (HT: Church Marketing Sucks)

Doug Groothuis has posted two lists of tips for getting the most out of reading. It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Dr. G. that one of his recommendations is to stop watching TV. If you, like me, need help with that one, check out this article from Tim Challies' archives that has continually haunted me since I read it almost two years ago.

Technorati Tags: blogging, television, church, reading, books

Five(ish) Things I'd Like to Know About You

I'm honored to be among friends David Wayne tagged with a meme that made me do a lot of thinking. So, for David and anyone else who cares to read, here are my answers:

1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? (two sentences max)

I worked for two years as a personnel specialist at an agency that provided home attendants to elderly and disabled clients. The work itself wasn't fun but my coworkers were some of the funniest people I've ever worked with.

2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max)

Exercise regularly

B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (one sentence max)

Learn how to fence.

3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)

I'd like to be better at writing freely. Composition is agonizing for me because I want to start with the finished process and avoid the editing process.

(I'm assuming the two sentence limit is for each answer)

I'd like to have a better understanding of music theory. I regret not taking it more seriously when, as a child, I took piano lessons.

B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max)

An apprenticeship in biblical counseling with David Powlison. I'd hope to learn how to better apply the gospel to my own life and help others do likewise.

4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?

Intelligent

Reflective

Perfectionistic

B. Now list two more words you wish described you...

Disciplined

Patient

5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes-- three sentences max)

Theological education in the local church

Biblical Counseling

Reading

6) (sue me) Write--and answer--one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max)

What other vocation can you see yourself in? Hosting an interview-format radio program dealing with issues of Christianity and culture. That would combine my love of conversation, the exchange of ideas, meeting people from various perspectives, and debate. Radio is a better medium than television for the serious discussion of ideas and their consequences.

[Bonus: What is one question you wish people would ask themselves?]

Why do I believe that?

Heeding Dave's request that I tag five friends, here goes:

Sarah Flashing

Tony Byrne

Steve Costley

Tom Gilson

Phillip Bethancourt

Hey, I Think I Remember How To Do This

The lack of activity here over the last week was due to illness that slammed into me with hurricane-like force last weekend. Last Saturday evening I started to experience chills and fever making for a very aggravating and restless night of tossing, turning, and sweating, with little sleeping. This went on for at least one more night, accompanied by a marked decrease of appetite (dry toast, broth, and ginger ale was my portion for a number of days) and a perpetual state of feeling exhausted. Whenever I was able to catch some shuteye, either in naps during the day or at night, it was never enough. I repeatedly awoke feeling just as tired as if I had never slept.

As you can imagine, my interest in blogging (reading others' or posting to my own) and most everything besides lying down and trying to get some rest, was non-existent. It's amazing how discomfort has a way of readjusting priorities. Before the onset of this bug I eagerly and regularly checked my inbox, RSS feeds, and stat counter to see what was new. But I went for days not caring about any of that stuff. And now that I finally feel like I'm on the upswing, I think it's wise to take some of that attitude with me into the days ahead. In the midst of my misery I enjoyed a certain liberty from technological tools that all too easily become masters.

I'm happy to report that my appetite returned in time enough for me to enjoy the excellent Thanksgiving Day meal my wife prepared for our family yesterday. Fortunately, the aromas of food didn't make me nauseous at any time during my illness. As the smells of her cooking wafted through our home on Wednesday, I feared that I might have to settle for being just a spectator at the next day's evening meal. But that wasn't the case and the fact that I had not yet fully recovered from the flu led to some moderation that might not have been otherwise exercised.

Anyway, I wanted to let regular readers (if any remain) know why things have been so quiet here. Soon I'll be posting some of the things that were occupying my mind prior to my impaired health.

Helm's Deep

That's the name of philosopher and theologian Paul Helm's new blog where he will occasionally post papers that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published.

No More Squinting!

Those of you who've been stopping by for some time have probably taken note of a recently instituted change - the print is larger. If this makes your reading experience more enjoyable, I'm glad but I can't take the credit for the improvement.

Last week I had the pleasure of having lunch with Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds. Since his is one of the first Christian blogs I began visiting with regularity, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him better and discuss a wide range of theological and social issues. The conversation could have easily gone into the dinner hour as we each seemed to have a full arsenal of questions for each other. As we stood outside the restaurant about to part company, Justin said, "One criticism about your blog." This neophyte blogger shot up a one-second prayer that I'd have the humility to receive whatever he had to say and braced myself for what was coming. "The font is too small," he said. Ah, what a relief! That was painless.

So, if you're relieved that reading here no longer requires the straining of your eyes, you have Justin to thank.

Get to "The Point"

That's the name of the new group blog from the folks at BreakPoint with Chuck Colson.

(HT: Mr. Dawn Treader)

On Blogging

MercatorNet's weekly update focuses on blogging. Here's the lineup:

WILL BLOGS DESTROY ENGLISH?
By Michael Cook
Never before have so many people written their thoughts for the world. Will English literature survive the flood?


IT'S DOG EAT DOG IN THE BLOGOSPHERE'S FOOD CHAIN
By Matthew Mehan
Nature may be red in tooth and claw, but it's kind compared to the evolutionary struggle for supremacy among bloggers.

WHO NEEDS DRUGS? I'VE GOT A BLOG
By John Bambenek
With more than 50 million blogs on the internet, it's clear that too many people have too much time on their hands.

Still Here

I know. I committed the cardinal sin of blogging. I haven't posted anything for over a week. Fortunately, my hiatus was not due to illness or any other emergency. I've just been giving my attention to some other things on my plate that outweigh keeping the blog current. Not only did I fall behind in posting here, I also fell way behind in reading the blogs I usually check on a daily basis. I shuddered to see how many entries I had missed when I finally checked my Bloglines subscriptions. Had I tried to get caught up I'd still be reading so I'm sure I deleted a lot of good stuff. I was even more nervous about seeing how many subscribers I lost due to my inactivity but I guess it pays to be quiet sometimes because there are actually more than there were before my hibernation. Anyway, I intend to get back to posting more regularly even if it may not be a daily occurrence.

I can't recall which of his books I read it in but I'm confident that somewhere years ago I read John Piper recommend that believers select a trustworthy saint from the past to serve as a spiritual guide through their writings. Of course, Jonathan Edwards served in that capacity for Piper and at one time I thought I'd follow suit. Ambitiously (and perhaps naively) I determined to make it my lifelong goal to forge through all of his works. That didn't last too long. Don't get me wrong. I've profited immensely from reading him and expect that I will continue to in the future. However, the combination of the density of his thought, the style of his writing, the small print (at least in the two-volume collection of his works that I own) and my aging eyes has made me reconsider.

I now have what I believe is a more realistic endeavor that will not require my reading the entire corpus of the author's work but one volume. The author is the seventeenth century Puritan pastor Richard Baxter and the book I'd like to complete before my dying day is his A Christian Directory which I've made reference to in the past. No, it's not a phone book (though it's certainly thick enough). Baxter called it a directory because it is a compendium of pastoral counsel or directions for Christian living; hence it's alternative title A Sum of Practical Theology and Cases of Conscience. Baxter divided it into four parts: Christian ethics, family life (or economics), Christian ecclesiastics (having to do with the ministries of the church), and Christian politics in which he addresses the believer's societal responsibilities to his neighbors.

The more I read the more I understand why Dr. Tim Keller has called it "the greatest manual on biblical counseling ever produced." Baxter had a wonderful way of dovetailing biblical doctrine and specific situations with which people struggle. He didn't leave orthodoxy hanging in the air in vague generalities but brought it into potent contact with concrete life situations. Nor did he settle for simplistic behavioristic prescriptions. As Kenneth Roth notes in an article titled "The Psychology and Counseling of Richard Baxter (1615-1691)": "Baxter's approach aims at internal insight and change because he realizes that it is the internal motivations from which the external behaviors and problems stem" (Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 17 (1998): 323).

One of the things I appreciate most about works such as Baxter's is the repeated emphasis that doctrine, in concert with the Holy Spirit's activity, is intended to illuminate and transform how we live. That's the reason counseling issues are of such great interest to me. I fear that a largely theologically illiterate church has prematurely concluded that the Bible is only peripherally relevant to the nuts and bolts personal and interpersonal problems we've come to associate with mental health professionalism. Mine is but one voice in a chorus lamenting the psychologizing of the faith. What Christian psychiatrist Jeffrey Boyd has declared of our larger culture is likewise true of the household of faith. "Homo psychologicus has replaced Homo theologicus."

But it's not enough to bemoan the current situation, at least it's not if it's to be corrected. We need to admit that the emergence and proliferation of the therapeutic mindset in the church is due in large measure to the absence of the kind of personalized pastoral theology that Baxter and his peers were so skilled in. When we preach to a congregation we do our best to illustrate and apply the truths about which we're speaking. It's more challenging, however, when dealing with a particular person facing a specific trial or temptation, to help him interpret his life in terms of biblical themes and see the relevance of the gospel to the uniqueness of his situation. What, if anything, does Christ have to say to a young mother so frustrated by her child's behavior that she literally bangs her own head against the wall? What motivates her to such self-destructive and unproductive action? What biblical themes and categories might inform our conversation with her? Is there a way to give her biblical help without merely hurling verses at her? Is it possible to explore with her the possibility (make that the likelihood) that sinful desires are the delta from which her behavior flows but to do so in such a way that she knows that she is being loved and not condemned? And above all, can we aid her in seeing that the gospel has far greater relevance to moms who bang their heads against walls than she had ever thought?

Many of the pioneers of secular psychotherapy understood their efforts as an attempt to address issues that had previously been framed and treated in a theological context. Freud wrote in The Question of Lay Analysis that the analyst's function could aptly be described as that of a "secular pastoral worker." And Carl Jung, in Modern Man in Search of a Soul, wrote that "...we psychotherapists must occupy ourselves with problems which, strictly speaking, belong to the theologian." How ironic and tragic. Theses unbelieving men clearly saw their work as being about the same subject matter as that of the church. Today, the church has become so intoxicated from drinking from the therapeutic goblet, that its members are often resistant to the idea that theology is of any value for dealing with the complexities and pains of life.

Bloggers on Wieseltier on Dennett

The New York Times Book Review reports on responses around the blogosphere to Leon Wieseltier's review of Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell and advises readers to "Stay tuned for the next round of debate in September, when [Richard] Dawkins publishes his own book on religion, The God Delusion."

Old Friends, New Blogs

I wanted to let readers know about two relatively new blogs from men I admire:

A few years ago I participated in an email list devoted to the discussion of the apologetic method formulated by Cornelius Van Til known as presuppositionalism. Sean Choi was one of the members whose contributions I made it a point to read because I routinely learned from them. Sean's a graduate student in philosophy at the University of California who "sees academic philosophy--and the life of the mind in general--as a way of expressing discipleship to Jesus." I recently discovered his blog, The Plurality of Blogs, and look forward to reading him again.

The other blog, Key Lime Pi, belongs to one of my AOL friends of many years, Steve Costley. He's another guy who provokes my intellect and my desire to walk more closely with Christ. I've enjoyed numerous conversations with him about theology and culture so I enthusiastically recommend that you check out his musings. Steve's just getting started and promises "More coming on theology, philosophy, apologetics, law, logic, chess, culture, pie, and maybe pi if I think of something interesting to say about it." He also says that he hopes not to spend too much time writing so don't expect frequent posts. From my experience, whenever he does break the silence he'll have something valuable to offer.

A Night of Firsts

Yesterday was a historic date, indeed. First, last night marked the first time my son's pet ball python, Gary, ate his first adult mouse. Just thinking about it is enough to bring a tear to my eye. Our little Gary is growing up. We got Gary as a baby about five months ago. Then his diet consisted of newborn mice called pinkies because they look like little erasers. Soon, he graduated to fuzzies, baby mice that have just begun to grow hair. But last night we made our way to the local pet shop and purchased a mature rodent. The rule of "thumb," so I've heard, is that when the snake's girth at its widest is approximately the circumference of your thumb, then it's ready to move on to adult food.

Once we got home with the little mouse (that a pet shop employee was kind enough to terminate in the store), we treated Gary to his fare. He wasted no time getting down to business as he was slightly off his regular feeding schedule. When I considered that the mouse was larger than Gary's head, I was worried. However, I didn't let my son see me sweat since I knew he, too, was anxious. I don't know who I was trying to persuade more, my son or myself, when I told him not to worry because mice are able to squeeze themselves into very tight quarters so Gary would have no trouble downing his dinner. Gary did not disappoint. "Fascinating" is the only word I can think of to describe the experience of watching him dine. Agur counted the movements of a snake on a rock as one of a number of befuddling natural phenomena (Proverbs 30: 18-19). I wonder if he ever watched one eat.

I found out about the other "first" just minutes after placing a sated Gary back in his tank. While checking out sites that referred folks here, I discovered that mine was among a number of blogs nominated for one of Evangelical Underground's 2006 Evangelical Blog Awards. I'm very grateful to Milton Stanley at Transforming Sermons for considering my efforts noteworthy. I really admire and appreciate his fine work and so, am honored.

Comment Policy

I'm grateful to those who stop by and leave thought provoking comments intended to further fruitful discussion and understanding about the topics that arise. How I wish that I could interact with each one at great length but time doesn't allow. My failure to respond to a comment is not necessarily an indicator of my lack of interest or appreciation in what was said. I read and, in many cases, ponder readers' responses to my benefit. On the other hand, I do not appreciate commenters whose sole intent appears to be to make snide personal attacks. These do nothing to promote edifying dialogue and therefore will be regarded as spam and routinely deleted. Courteous, well-reasoned dissenting views are welcome but flaming won't be tolerated.

The Blog and the Pendulum

My thoughts about the merits of Christian blogging are in a constant state of flux. I know one should never say never but I think it's safe to predict that my voice will never be added to those of some who paint what I believe is an overly optimistic, quasi-utopian portrait of the medium and its potential. I think there needs to be far more question asking of the sort Pastor Mark is doing in the aftermath of GodBlogCon. I can usually be found traveling in the opposite direction of the latest evangelical bandwagon so I agree with him when he says "It's always good to be skeptical of group-think." (I just hope not too many others start thinking that way because then I'll have to rethink my position.)

On the other hand, the fact that I'm writing this post is evidence that I don't consider blogging a total waste either. Sure, there are days when I ask myself, "Why did you ever start doing this?" (at which point I reread my first post) but my frustration and skepticism have not won out. I do think there are valid reasons to continue my efforts. Two things happened this week that shored up that confidence.

Sunday morning as I walked down our church building's main corridor I saw a young man who moved out of state eight months ago with his family. For numerous reasons I was saddened to say good-bye to Mark and his wife, Raquel. They're a delightful couple who are just fun to be around. Both of them were actively involved in ministry and they are a teacher's dream! They are edge of the seat learners who consistently displayed a yearning to understand and apply God's word to their lives as well as gratitude and appreciation for those who taught them. I fondly remember receiving calls from them prefaced by "I hope I'm not bothering you..." in which they asked for clarification about something in the Bible or help with how to effectively minister to family and friends. Believe me, "interruptions" like that are most welcomed by this pastor.

When I first saw Mark I thought nothing of it because it seemed so "right" for him to be at church. In a matter of seconds I did a double take when it dawned on me that his family was no longer in the area. In the brief moments we had to catch up with each other Mark told me that unbeknownst to me I had been keeping in touch with him. It turns out that he and Raquel stumbled across the blog and have become regular readers. How gratifying it is to know that even from a distance I can continue to play a small part in their growth! I also had the pleasure of having them sit in on the class I'm teaching using Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth. Just like old times.

The other situation that moved me to the positive side of blogging happened yesterday when I received an encouraging email from someone I don't know who has become a regular reader. She's a Christian who has been blogging for a few months but only recently discovered Christian blogging. Prior to that she says the Blamires quote in the banner captures how she was feeling in the blogosphere. It means a lot to me that she took the time to express appreciation and gratitude and it's an example I want to follow.


So, at least for this week, when I ask myself "To blog or not to blog?" I'll choose the former.

The Pearcey Report

Today marks my son's 9th birthday and as traditional at the Plummer household, the birthday person gets to select the menu for the evening meal. That means we're most likely in for McDonald's or pizza. (I'm pulling for the latter.)

I was very pleased to learn just a few minutes ago (by way of Tim Challies) that something else was born today - The Pearcey Report! Rick and Nancy (Total Truth) Pearcey have launched a site of news, comment, information, and worldview. It just so happens that Tim is responsible for designing the site and, as you would expect, he did a great job.

Here's an excerpt from Rick's welcome message:

...nothing written here shall be deemed more important than how each one of us live and work day in and day out -- How we raise our kids, the choices we make, the culture we create, the assumptions we think through, the behavior we affirm or let slide. A disconnect in areas such as these has been known to turn fairly normal people into seedbeds of opportunism for PR sharpshooters, image magicians, money-grubbers, and influence-mongers of all stripes of religion and irreligion (and ever the twain shall meet). We would just as soon see a world without that junk littering the landscape.

Oh, my son arrived home a few minutes ago, read what I was typing, and informed me I was wrong on both counts regarding the menu. Oh, well.

Trying Something New With Comments

After being flooded with spam comments, all of which start off with flattering words like "Great blog you've got here!," I was toying with the idea of turning off the comments completely. This morning I discovered that Blogger has a word verification feature that requires anyone wishing to leave a comment to type a series of displayed characters before doing so. This is supposed to circumvent automated spamming. So, I'll experiment with that first. I'll just have to learn how to cope in the absence of all that "sincere" praise.

A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin (Proverbs 26:28)

In Recovery

From what I've read, it's customary to begin a post explaining why you've not been blogging for a while with an apology but if I were to do that it would be insincere so I won't. Apologies are appropriate when there has been an infraction of some kind but I don't think that's the case when one takes a hiatus from blogging. Now, when I move over to paid subscriptions and I miss a few days, then I'll apologize. 

Anyway, the demands of ministry as well as the necessity to get more pressing writing done have kept me away from this venue. At first I was slightly anxious about not having anything new to post but I soon got over it. I also didn't miss my regular trips to sitemeter and TTLB to see my ranking. I even fell behind in keeping up with my daily reads of the blogs I subscribe to via Bloglines. 

Overall, the time away was good for me. It helped me refocus on what’s really important and where my priorities should lie (a lesson I am forever in need of being taught). The time away also helped me realize the necessity and benefit of not waiting until life’s pressures force me away from being computer-bound but to take intentional steps to see to it that I do not allow technology to become my master. I took a small step toward this yesterday. I previously had my email program set to check for mail every 15 minutes. I’ve changed that to 45 and may up it to 60. My easily distracted and curious mind has frequently been sidetracked by the notification of new arrivals in my inbox. Too often I stopped what I was doing to read and immediately respond to the new messages, wondering why, at the end of the day, I didn’t get as much accomplished as I had hoped.

Among the blogs I made it a point to catch up with were some interesting posts related to the problem of media saturation:

Milton Stanley humbly articulated what I too have to confess -- “I’ve been spending way too much time on the computer and far too little time in prayer."

Al Mohler commented on this article by Lowell Monke about the adverse consequences of children spending excessive amounts of time on computers:

Computers have their place, and can be great learning tools for certain subjects. But children are now spending far too much time staring at electronic screens and “learning” through digitalized programs of study. Dancing electronic dots have replaced human interaction. Monke understands that education requires far more than this – and that what happens on the playground is important too.

(I shudder to think what I would be like if I had been exposed to computers at such an early age.)

Thanks to Macht for linking to Byron Borger’s impressive bibliography of books “that can help us think Christianly about cyberspace and computer science.”

Finally, in an Outtake item he called “Info Addicts,” Joe Carter cited a Ball State University study that found the average person spends more time using media devices than any other activity while awake. According to one of the researchers:

Television is still the 800-pound gorilla because of how much the average person is exposed to it. However, that is quickly evolving. When we combine time spent on the Web, using e-mail, instant messaging and software such as word processing, the computer eclipses all other media with the single exception of television.

Joe’s reference to information addiction brings to mind a vivid mental image that popped into my head not long ago. I'll set it forth for your consideration in the form of a question. Are bloggers analogous to a room full of bulimics feeding each other?

Bon Appetit!

Thus Bloggeth the Lord!

In case you've been wondering WWGB? (What Would God Blog?), wonder no longer. This morning's mail included a catalog from a local Christian bookstore store announcing the release of God's Blogs: Insights from His Site. The description reads:

"Blogging" is sweeping the Internet...but what would it be like if God had a blog? This humorous, yet thought-provoking, fictional, yet insightful book contains a series of online journaling entries from God! Illuminates biblical truth in a whole new way!

Back cover blurbs come from none other than Jeff Foxworthy ("Divinely inspired. This is an awesome book!"), Dolly Parton ("This book went through me like liquid fire. It is so inspiring, uplifting, and refreshing."), Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, and John Maxwell.


Divinely inspired, huh? Does this mean we're going to have to revise the canon?
It was just a matter of time.