Combing the Net – 7/17/2012

9 Really Strange Sports That Are No Longer in the Olympics — Probably a good thing they went back to using clay pigeons for shooting events, rather than live ones…

“The Vertue of the Coffee Drink”: An ad from the 1650′s — This incredible new beverage sounds like a magical elixir that can cure anything! I’m a believer.

A Man Is Punctual: The Importance of Being on Time — This is a tremendous (and convicting) list of reasons why it is so important to be on time. The summary:

Being late takes a toll on your life. Always running behind simply hurts you in all areas of your life. It results in lost opportunities: missing a plane, missing a meeting, missing an important part of a lecture, missing a wedding. It creates stress and can lead to car accidents and traffic tickets. It results in embarrassment and forces you to come up with excuses for why you’re late, putting a strain on your honesty. Basically, it makes your life more complicated; for men seeking to simplify their lives, cultivating punctuality is an essential part of that path.

Two Classes in America, Divided By “I Do” — A thought-provoking article on how members of different income brackets approach marriage and family differently.

Estimates vary widely, but scholars have said that changes in marriage patterns — as opposed to changes in individual earnings — may account for as much as 40 percent of the growth in certain measures of inequality. Long a nation of economic extremes, the United States is also becoming a society of family haves and family have-nots, with marriage and its rewards evermore confined to the fortunate classes.

Is Your Church Unified in These 5 Ways? — Mark Driscoll on why churches should strive for theological, relational, philosophical, missional, and organizational unity.

What Is the Rapture? — One of things which would fall under the category of “open-handed issues” in the previous article is eschatology. Christians can have differing interpretations of how and when Christ will return, while remaining unified on the fact that He will return to put an end to sin forever, and that believers will spend eternity with the Lord. I, for one, share R.C. Sproul’s interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which is the passage most commonly referred to as describing the “rapture” (though I wish he’d left out the paragraph where he describes an encounter with a “leading representative” of an opposing viewpoint, which is a fallacious argument; I know plenty of Dispensationalists who do “get [their] theology from the Bible rather than from Sunday School lessons [they] heard years and years ago).

One of the reasons I love the guitar is it’s versatility. People are always finding new techniques to make this instrument sound amazing! (HT: Z)

Combing the Net – 5/22/2012

Tennessee’s Newest State Park — At noon today, Cummins Falls State Park will be officially dedicated. This has been one of my favorite local outdoor spots since shortly after moving to Cookeville in 1999, but I didn’t realize until seeing this article that it had been “one of Travel and Leisure magazine’s top 10 swimming holes in the country for more than 100 years”.

Competitive Mothering — This is a really great article! Ladies, mothering is hard enough without the temptation to constantly compare yourself to every other mom’s success stories on Facebook and Pinterest.

Today you open up Facebook or blogs and you see daily updates from the moms who lead the way, who set the standards. They keep the house spotless every day, even while homeschooling six kids. They never miss a day of devotions and love every minute of working their way through Jonathan Edwards and John Owen. They go thrifting and put together a magazine-worthy home on a budget of very nearly nothing. They dress beautifully or eclectically or whatever their style is, without spending any money. Their husbands are that perfect combination of handsome and harmless, good-looking but not demanding. Their children are mischievous but not rebellious, they make funny messes in the home, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a hug and a few homemade chocolate chip cookies.

The Coming Meltdown in College Education — Lots of people have talked about an economic “higher education bubble”, but this article by Mark Cuban is one of the better ones I’ve seen. (HT: Z)

Idolatrous Worship Singing — Paul Clark cautions us against an idolatrous spirit in our corporate worship, a constant temptation for all of us.

At what stage of planning worship to attract outsiders does the controlling point of worship move to formation based upon what will “please” the target of attraction?  Is this really the biblical purpose of Christian worship?

4 Ways to Fight Clean Over Doctrine — Is it possible to hold to our theological convictions yet be able to fellowship with other believers who have different convictions? I believe it is, but these suggestions are vitally important if we hope to keep the conversations civil.

Q&A With Matt Chandler About His New Book — Mark Driscoll recently interviewed Matt Chandler about The Explicit Gospel, an excellent book which I reviewed last week.

I’ve been greatly enjoying the album From Age to Age since it was released a little over a month ago. This acoustic version of the song “Glorious Christ” is a lot of fun! (SSBC members may recognize the song, as this is the album that has been played before our worship services the last couple weeks.)

T.D. Jakes and the Elephant in the Room

I know that most readers of my blog don’t keep up with every theological controversy in contemporary evangelicalism. Lord knows we have enough of them! However, there is an important conversation going on right now, with the potential to have far-reaching consequences.

Here’s the CliffsNotes version:

Last year, a Chicago pastor named James McDonald hosted a conference called “The Elephant Room“, intended to model grace in disagreement by arranging a series of moderated discussions between influential pastors. These pastors (James McDonald, Mark Driscoll, David Platt, Matt Chandler, Greg Laurie, Perry Noble, and Steven Furtick) represented a wide spectrum of contemporary evangelicalism; while they largely were united on the essential doctrines of orthodox theology, they differed significantly in their methods and presentation of the Gospel. While there was some controversy involved, this conference was, by and large, seen as positive. Here is a good example of the type of discussions that took place:

The level of controversy was elevated for this year’s Elephant Room. When news broke that T.D. Jakes had been invited to participate, it stirred up a lot of criticism due to his association with Oneness Pentecostalism and his teaching of modalism (a heretical doctrine that denies the Trinity). Mark Dever, who had been announced as a speaker, backed out rather than participate in a conversation in which each man on stage would be assumed to be a brother. Pastors on all sides of the issue have weighed in over the last few months, ultimately leading to James McDonald’s resignation from the Gospel Coalition.

At the conference last week, T.D. Jakes gave at least a token affirmation of the orthodox understanding of the Trinity, but was not challenged on his “Word of Faith” preaching. Though McDonald and Driscoll embraced him as a brother, many were unconvinced.

Rather than adding my own thoughts to the fray (other than to simply concur with those who remain to be convinced that Jakes has repented from his false teaching), allow me to just point you to some of the responses which I feel are most measured, to save you the trouble of wading through much that has been published which is unhelpful. This ongoing discussion will be interesting to watch. Prosperity preaching is rampant in American churches, and I believe that Christians have a responsibility to be aware of the challenges to the Gospel and be able to address those challenges with Truth and grace.

• Grace and Truth Beyond the Elephant Room — Trevin Wax attended and live-blogged the conference. All of his notes are worth reading, but this is his summary at the conclusion of the event. His conclusion is spot on: “We need charity and clarity. But civility is not a love-fest. We will disagree – strongly at times. Why? Because theology matters. The stakes are high. Bad theology hurts people.”
• Bishop Jakes, 2nd Decisions, and Coming Home — James McDonald’s own wrap-up.
• Reflections on James McDonald, TD Jakes, and the Trinity — Some of Mark Driscoll’s thoughts, including a lot of excellent teaching to help understand modalism and the doctrine of the Trinity.
• The Elephant in the Room — An excellent article from Voddie Baucham, who turned down an invitation to ER2 because of Jakes, but planned to participate in a men’s conference at McDonald’s church scheduled for this past weekend. Because of  comments he made publicly criticizing Jakes and ER2, MacDonald challenged him upon his arrival in Chicago, and they agreed it was not a good idea to speak at the men’s conference.
• Theological Sleight of Hand at the Elephant Room — Chris Rosebraugh (who was threatened with arrest upon his arrival at the ER2 conference) outlines exactly what Jakes said, and why many consider that an insufficient recantation of his previous positions.
• The Problem With T.D. Jakes Goes Beyond Modalism — Here’s a local pastor’s take on the controversy. Jeff Wright is pastor of Midway Baptist Church in Cookeville.

Book Review: Religion Saves (and Nine Other Misconceptions)

“Religion Saves (and Nine Other Misconceptions)” by Mark Driscoll

Three years ago, Mark Driscoll — the pastor of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church — asked church members and Internet voters to submit questions they would like to have answered. He was inspired to do this while preaching through 1 Corinthians, a letter in which Paul is answering questions asked by Christians in the city of Corinth. After nearly 900 questions were submitted and over 300,000 votes cast, Driscoll was able to sort the questions into broader categories, and narrow these categories down to the nine most requested.

Driscoll’s answers to these questions first became a sermon series (which you can watch or listen to online here), and then were fleshed out more fully in this book. I watched this sermon series about a year ago and thought it was quite good; Driscoll gave thorough and thoughtful answers to some very difficult questions, delivered in his characteristically engaging style. I expected to just skim the book, figuring it would basically be a transcription of the sermons. Was I ever wrong! I was not prepared for the depth of the book, which included far more material, and was, to me at least, even better than the sermons.

The nine categories/questions are:

1. Birth Control — “There’s no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black and white topic, or does it fall under liberties?”
2. Humor — “Why do you make jokes about Mormon missionaries, homosexuals, trenchcoat wearers, single men, vegans, emo kids and then expect these groups to come to know God in the same sermon?”
3. Predestination— “Why does an all loving, all knowing, and all sovereign God will into creation people He foreknows will suffer eternal condemnation? Why does Romans 9:20 feel like a cop-out answer?”
4. Grace — “Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What’s hardest for you to believe?”
5. Sexual Sin — “How should Christian men and women go about breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin?”
6. Faith & Works — “If salvation is by faith alone (Romans 3:28), then why are there so many verses that say or imply the opposite, namely that salvation is by works (James 2:24, Matthew 6:15 & 7:21, Galatians 5:19-21)?”
7. Dating — “How does a Christian date righteously; and what are the physical, emotional, and mentally connecting boundaries a Christian must set while developing an intimate relationship prior to marriage?”
8. Emerging Church — “What can traditional/established churches learn from ‘emerging’ churches?”
9. Regulative Principle — “Do you believe that the Scripture not only regulates our theology but also our methodology? In other words, do you believe in the regulative principle? If so, to what degree? If not, why not?”

While in a book like this different chapters will appeal to varying degrees to each reader, there is definitely something here for everyone. In fact, there is probably much more here for readers than they might initially expect. For instance, as a married man, I did not expect to find much of particular interest or value to me in the chapter on “Dating”, but found myself drawn very much into it. Driscoll has a way of making each topic seem relevant and important to each reader.

There really are no “weak” chapters in this book, though they vary widely in style and substance. I particularly enjoyed his examination of the Emerging Church; a difficult and often divisive topic (due to the variety of theologies and methodologies employed by emerging churches) of which Driscoll has a rather unique perspective, given his former involvement with the Leadership Network and the early days of the Emergent Village.

For many, the term “Regulative Principle” is likely unfamiliar. However, a church’s position with regard to this principle (whether using that term or not) has major implications on the life of the church and the style and form of worship there. Driscoll’s treatment of the subject is the best I’ve read, and avoids the extremes of this debate in favor of what I believe to be a more biblical “middle ground”.

If you have even so much as a passing interest in any of the topics addressed in this book, I heartily recommend it. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll learn something new, and probably have a good time in the process. Buy it here.

Book Review: Pastor Dad

“Pastor Dad: Scriptural Insights on Fatherhood” by Mark Driscoll

This short book is basically an edited and updated transcript of one of Driscoll’s sermons from 2001. In his direct and to-the-point style, Driscoll addresses several areas of fatherhood (inseparable from a father’s role as husband), including a man’s Biblical obligation to instruct his children in the Lord, cultivate his family’s development in every area, provide for his family, and protect his family from their own sin as well as from the sins of others.

Driscoll’s basic premise is that every husband is the pastor — the shepherd — of his family. Though this is a counter-cultural teaching, and one that is often neglected or openly disdained even by those within the Church, I believe that this is the clear teaching of Scripture. Rather than portraying a father’s duty as a burden, this book shows that Biblical fatherhood is the path to “The Good Life”. Driscoll gives evidence to this by expositing Psalm 128:1-6 as the book progresses.

Those unused to Driscoll’s blunt language may balk at a few things written in this book. What he writes is pretty much straight out of Scripture, but sounds a lot harsher than we’re used to hearing… which may be a good thing. For example, in summing up a church’s responsibility to hold men accountable and discipline them when necessary, Driscoll writes: “Simply, churches must demand that sinful men change or leave.“

There are a few places where I might take issue with Driscoll, but many of these may be cleared up if I had the opportunity to hear him expound a little more fully what he means. In such a short booklet (only about 40 pages), he just doesn’t go into much detail. A notable example of something I question is Driscoll’s insistence that men not just provide for their family, but “out-earn other men” (p. 23) and “make a lot of money” (p. 25). I suppose it would depend on how he defines this. By worldly standards, I am certainly not “out-earning” most men, and am far from achieving my earning potential, but I love what I do, I feel I am serving the Lord to the best of my ability with the gifts He has given me, I am in a position to exert positive influence on my family and many others, and I have no doubts about my ability to comfortably provide for my family’s financial needs. Some of Driscoll’s wording makes it sound as if I should be unsatisfied with all of this, but perhaps I mistake him.

That said, I love the way he phrases and teaches most things in this book. I have particularly benefited from his explanation of the difference between punishment and correction. Many of my guy friends will also want to read his thoughts on recovery from porn addiction (more fully fleshed out in another e-book which I’ll review soon).

In short, this is a great book for every Christian dad. It’s available for free online here. Check it out!