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November 2011

Tradition Suspicion

By DaviddB Tue, 11/01/2011 - 12:00am

Rightly viewing tradition

The religious scene of South Africa is populated by mainline Protestant churches, some of whom place great emphasis on tradition. However, in many of these churches, the gospel itself is all but invisible, an assumed but unseen foundation of the house. The problem is, most of those in the house have never clearly heard or understood the gospel, and the same might be said for many of the religious professionals who teach there.

Once a person comes under the sound of the true gospel and believes it, he is struck by the sad irony of having attended a church for decades in which the gospel itself was never proclaimed. Inevitably, this new-found knowledge of biblical truth tends to produce a desire to distance himself from anything and everything connected with the former church, including any allegiance to tradition. Since such churches often rely on and turn to their traditions, the new Christian concludes that tradition must be part of the problem that caused the gospel itself to go into eclipse in such churches.

The truth is, tradition is indeed a double-edged sword. When tradition preserves the truth, it is a reliable record that comes to a newer generation without that generation having to re-invent the wheel. When tradition preserves untruths, it becomes the guardian of a lie that will not die. It is an accomplice to deception, using its antiquity to give credibility to its spurious beliefs and practices.

In reaction to gospel-eviscerated traditionalism, it is possible to identify tradition itself as the problem. This would be a mistake. If a particular museum keeps something worthless, this does not negate the value of museums. Clearly, what matters is what tradition preserves. A gospel-eviscerated tradition is a bad one. A gospel-centered tradition is a good one. read more

The Gospel According to Dracula: A Bible Study

By Aaron Blumer Tue, 11/01/2011 - 6:54am

“Brackin tells the classic tale of Dracula in a fashion true to Bram Stoker, and draw parables from each chapter to teach Christians how to have a deeper intimacy with God.”

District holds Pillsbury tours ahead of Nov. vote

By sifilings Tue, 11/01/2011 - 1:43pm

District holds Pillsbury tours ahead of Nov. vote

The impact on an average priced homestead of $150,000, if all three questions pass, is $110.50 per year or $9.20 per month.

Three Clear Concerns for the Young Restless Reformed

By sifilings Tue, 11/01/2011 - 3:28pm

John MacArthur weighs in, via video, on what he is thankful for within the YRR movement and the three biggest issues he sees in it.

The three issues are:
1. A low view of Scripture in practice
2. A low view of God - trivial approach to God and a lack of soberness/seriousness
3. A low view of the Church

Evangelical Spectrum: Four Views or Two Views?

By KevinM Wed, 11/02/2011 - 12:00am

Image of Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology)
by Roger E. Olson, John G. Stackhouse Jr., R. Albert Mohler Jr., Kevin Bauder, Collin Hansen, Andrew David Naselli
Zondervan 2011
Paperback, 224 pp.

Just when readers think that the evangelical “four views” genre has covered every possible angle, editors Andy Naselli and Collin Hansen have come up with a book that explores evangelicalism itself. Zondervan’s Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism succeeds in presenting four engaging essays that describe the range of positions within evangelical thought. But the book leaves readers with a question. Are there really four views, or can they be boiled down to two?

More specifically, are we headed toward a convergence between mainstream fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals?

Sorting out the positions

Kevin Bauder presents mainstream fundamentalism as an idea worth saving, but not a movement worth saving. While many readers within fundamentalism are familiar with his views, the other three authors seemed somewhat surprised by his measured tone and his willingness to critique his own movement. Bauder contrasts his position with hyper-fundamentalism and populist revivalism, which he identifies as “deficient forms of the movement.” Bauder even worries that these two forces are now more prevalent in fundamentalism, with his own position losing influence. But for those who think that mainstream fundamentalism is identical to conservative evangelicalism, Bauder clearly states that it is not. For Bauder, there are still doctrinal differences related to the definition of the gospel, and practical differences related to separation. (Kevin Bauder’s chapter is excerpted as “Defending the Idea of Fundamentalism” in the November/December Baptist Bulletin.)

Al Mohler chose the term confessional evangelicalism to describe his own position in order to emphasize evangelicalism’s doctrinal center. He could have chosen the more popular title “conservative evangelicalism” (and in conversation he acknowledges they refer to the same movement), but the word “conservative” carries its own political baggage. Unlike the two authors who follow him in the book, Mohler wants an evangelicalism with clear, gospel-defined boundaries. His “first level theological issues” sound a lot like “fundamentals,” which he confirmed to me in a later Baptist Bulletin interview. For that matter, Kevin Bauder also affirms that they are talking about the same essential doctrines. But the difference between their two positions remains a matter of discussion. read more

Girl Scouts open to everyone--even boys

By Aaron Blumer Wed, 11/02/2011 - 7:00am

“Rachelle Trujillo of the Girl Scouts of Colorado decided that if a boy wants to live as a girl with his parents’ approval, they would welcome him.”

Patience and Providence: Phill Kline’s six-year investigation of Planned Parenthood planted seeds that are now, finally, bearing fruit

By sifilings Wed, 11/02/2011 - 8:09am

The new attorney general, Republican Phill Kline, was poking around state agencies looking for figures and documents related to Planned Parenthood and late-term abortionist George Tiller, both staunch political allies of the governor. read more

Confession of an Incurable Evidentialist, Part 4: Is Curiosity a Sin? Is Interpretation a Hindrance to Truth?

By Jeff Brown Thu, 11/03/2011 - 12:00am

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Thomas Edison had over 1100 patents to his name. His inventions included the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, the moving-picture camera, the electric locomotive and the alkaline battery. “My philosophy of life,” said Edison, “is work—bringing out the secrets of nature and applying them for the happiness of man.” Among other things, Edison possessed an uncommonly strong work ethic, an unwavering practical bent, an almost boundless optimism, and an unusually high amount of curiosity.

A driving force

Curiosity is a driving force in the human psyche. Martin Heidegger, in one of his numerous sallies into the labyrinth of lost ideas to find Dasein (existence), attempted to explain curiosity for us. First, he says in a rather backward fashion, curiosity is “letting the world be encountered by us in perception.” Then, he proceeds to relate that curiosity “seeks restlessness and the excitement of continual novelty and changing encounters.” Through curiosity, existence is constantly uprooting itself. Heidegger then concludes his dismal discourse by saying that curiosity always ends in ambiguity (Being and Time, 1.5).

We may all thank our lucky Daseins that Thomas Edison never read Heidegger. We may also be certain that Heidegger wasn’t thinking about children at all as he discussed curiosity. If he had spent much time studying little children (or remembered his studies), he would have comprehended that curiosity is an inborn tool for learning. It provides the drive to discover. An infant, regardless of its environment, will put this tool right to work early in life: looking at things, grasping at objects, playing with them, talking to them and putting them in his mouth. Aristotle said, “All men by nature desire to know.” (Metaphysics, I.1) We may well add, the desire is awakened shortly after birth. read more