Friday, December 18, 2009

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tiger Woods

From The First Epistle (newsletter of the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, MS) and Ligon Duncan:


Al Mohler has a terrific article on the very sad story of Tiger Woods (The Travail of Tiger Woods - Lessons Not to Be Missed). And C.J. Mahaney has a short piece called "Hunting Tiger Woods" that is well worth all of us pondering - particularly us, Christian men. Here's an excerpt of C.J.'s article (you can read the whole thing at www.sovereigngraceministries.org):

"Hunted by the Media - As expected, the allegations of adultery involving a public figure are attracting a media pile-on. This is a big story with a big audience and it's a story that will not disappear soon. Tiger Woods is being hunted by the media.

"But let us make sure we do not join the hunt. A Christian's response to this story should be distinctly different. We should not be entertained by the news. We should not have a morbid interest in all the details. We should be saddened and sobered. We should pray for this man and even more for his wife.

"And we can be sure that in the coming days we will be in conversations with friends and family where this topic will emerge. And when it does, we can avoid simply listening to the latest details and speculations, and avoid speaking self-righteously, but instead we can humbly draw attention to the grace of God in the gospel.

"Hunted by Sin - But Tiger is being hunted by something more menacing than journalists. Tiger's real enemy is his sin, and that's an enemy much more difficult to discern and one that can't be managed in our own strength. It's an enemy that never sleeps. Let me explain.

"Sin Lies - The Bible in general, and the book of Proverbs in particular, reveals an unbreakable connection between our character, our conduct, and the consequences of our actions. These three are inseparable and woven by God into His created order.

"Deception is part of sin's DNA. Sin lies to us. It seeks to convince us that sin brings only pleasure, that it carries no consequences, and that no one will discover it. Sin works hard to make us forget that character, conduct, and consequences are interconnected. And when we neglect this relationship-when we think our sins will not be discovered-we ultimately mock God.

"Sin Hunts - We've all experienced it: Sin lies to us. We take the bait. And then sin begins to hunt us. One commentator on Proverbs articulated this truth like this: "The irony of a life of rebellion is that we begin by pursuing sin.and end up being pursued by it!..You can 'be sure your sin will find you out' (Num. 32:23.)."* In other words, sin comes back to hunt us.

"In light of this fact, sin is an enemy Tiger can't manage. He can't shape this story like he does a long iron on a par 5. Tiger doesn't need a publicity facelift; Tiger needs a Savior. Just like me. And just like you.

And if by God's grace he repents and trusts in the person and work of Christ, Tiger will experience the fruit of God's promise that "whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).

"Conclusion - Tiger cannot intimidate this enemy like he can Pebble Beach or any of the field of professional golfers. And there is no privacy he can claim from this enemy, regardless of his resolve, his silence, or the name painted on his yacht. It's likely Tiger only perceives the press hunting him out of a vain "curiosity about public figures." But Tiger is being hunted and hounded by a far greater foe: the consequences of his sin.

And this story should humble and sober us. It should make us ask: Are there any so-called "secret sins" in my life? Is there anything I have done that I hope nobody discovers? Is there anything right now in my life that I should confess to God and the appropriate individuals?

And this should leave us more amazed by grace because there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Monday, November 16, 2009

I love people who don't mince words

Context: ridiculously wealthy bankers defending their excessive wealth as the work of the Gospel.


"Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, told the Sunday Times of London he is 'doing God’s work.' And Goldman international advisor Brian Griffiths was even more explicit in aligning his work in high finance to the 'message' of the Gospels: 'The injunction of Jesus to love others as ourselves is an endorsement of self-interest,' Mr. Griffiths was reported as saying. 'We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieving greater prosperity and opportunity for all.'

"...Evangelical Christian thinker Alan Jacobs, author of Original Sin, which looks at the reason for inherent evil in the world, was quoted as saying 'I consider the view of those British bankers to be one giant steaming pile of pure unadulterated s---...Those a--holes should read Ezekiel 34 — but of course they won’t think it applies to them.'"

Beautiful.


Prayerlessness is Unbelief

Prayer is essential for the Christian, as much for what it says about us as for what it can do through God. The simple act of getting on our knees (or faces or feet or whatever) for 5 or 50 minutes every day is the surest sign of our humility and dependence on our Father in heaven. There may be many reasons for our prayerlessness—time management, busyness, lack of concentration—but most fundamentally, we ask not because we think we need not. or we think God can give not. Deep down we feel secure when we have money in the bank, a healthy report from the doctor, and powerful people on our side. We do not trust in God alone. Prayerlessness is an expression of our meager confidence in God’s ability to provide and of our strong confidence in our ability to take care of ourselves without God’s help.

Too often when we struggle with prayer we focus on the wrong things. We focus on praying better instead of focusing on knowing better the one to whom we pray. We focus on our need for discipline rather than our need for God. Almost all of us want to pray more frequently, and yet our lives seem too disordered. But in God’s mind our messy, chaotic lives are an impetus to prayer instead of an obstacle to prayer.

You don’t need to work and work at discipline nearly as much as you need faith. You don’t need an ordered life to enable prayer, you need a messy life to drive you to prayer. You don’t need to have everything in order before you can pray. You need to know you’re disordered so you will pray. You don’t need your life to be fixed up. You need a broken heart. You need to think to yourself: “Tomorrow is another day that I need God. I need to know him. I need forgiveness. I need help. I need protection. I need deliverance. I need patience. I need courage. Therefore, I need prayer.”

If you know you are needy and believe that God helps the needy, you will pray. Conversely, if we seldom pray, the problem goes much deeper than a lack of organization and follow through. The heart that never talks to God is the heart that trusts in itself and not in the power of God. Prayerlessness is unbelief.

Prayerfulness, on the other hand is an evidence of humility and faith, which is why God loves it when we pray.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Hypersocialized Generation

Al Mohler writes a pithy article on our social networking/texting addicted generation.
(The sick irony is that I blog this article while sitting in class; Mohler would be justified in condemning me for addiction).
http://tiny.cc/aGL83

Jihadists In Military Playing U.S. for Suckers

Worth reading:

Monday, November 2, 2009

Six Questions for Evangelicals to Ask Themselves on Reformation Sunday

by

A good reminder of Reformation basics and some good questions from Chris Castaldo’s blog:

1. Ad Fontes. Do we read the Bible as often as we read books about the Bible?

2. Sola Scriptura. Is Scripture alone the supreme authority to which we direct thoughtful attention each day?

3. Priesthood of Believers. Do our neighbors and friends see in us a commitment to gospel ministry worked out in a regular routine of service?

4. Solus Christus. Do we enter God’s presence directly and with confidence by virtue of the high priesthood of Christ?

5. Sola Fide. Do we rest in our Lord’s finished work, accessed by faith alone, as the sole basis of our right-standing with God?

6. Soli Deo Gloria. Do we regularly communicate the good news of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and new creation, believing that the Holy Spirit will extend redemption through the foolishness of this message to save lost people and transform the world?

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

For Nat

Though this is a dark hour, and the grief and pain we bear is quite real, the question that begs to be asked is not, “Why?” It is not, “Why her? Why now? ” or “How?”. Rather, in the midst of this tragedy, the question that begs to be asked is “How, now, might Christ be glorified?...How, now, might Christ be glorified?”

For you see, if we fail to ask that question and if we only introspectively focus upon our own grief and loss, though it be very real, then we have missed the point of her life and the Gospel purpose.

The cry of Natalie’s heart was the love of her Savior and the desire for others to share in that same love. Indeed as Pastor [ ] noted, if she were with sitting here with us now she would say, “What’s all the fuss about?” She would remind us that there is light to be shown, a message to proclaim, and kingdom work to be done. If we are able point people to Christ and his saving grace in the midst of our sorrow and proclaim his great salvation, that same salvation that wholly defined our Natalie, then her death is not in vain. If we, here and now, proclaim the glorious might and faithfulness of Jesus Christ, Natalie is truly celebrated.

I love the words of the Apostle Paul. Hear what he says in I Corinthians. This is a beautiful, in your face moment, where Paul shoots off these rhetorical questions in pure, beautiful defiance of the darkness of this world.

“O death, where is your sting?” Where? Ha! Again, “O grave, where is your victory?” It isn’t there. It can’t be found. It has failed! “For death is swallowed up in victory, through Christ.”

Listen to that glorious truth: death, that last instrument that the Enemy had against us, that one facet that had even a smidgen of potential to separate us from God, that same God has stripped away any and all power the Enemy had. He has rendered him impotent, useless, pathetic. For you see the sting and pain and consequence of death has been swallowed up in the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Death no longer holds power over us. Oh, it may inconvenience us, shock us, cause us grief—but it is useless in an effort to overcome us. For you see, for the believer, for Natalie, all that death can do is speed up the process in which we reach Paradise. All it does is hurry as along out of this wretched world and into glory, into the Kingdom, to our eternal rest and reward with the Savior. All it does is quicken our reward and joy.

Paul says in Philippians, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The same is true for all believers and for our Natalie. If we live, Praise God! Christ is glorified in our life and in our service to Him and before the watching world. If we die, Praise God! We are going home to our Creator and Savior! You see, the enemy can’t win. Either way, if we live or die, because of Christ, we are victorious!

You see, it would be wrong of us to say we have lost Natalie. False. We have not lost her. Indeed how could anyone be considered “lost” when they are held direct in the palm of the Most High God? She has been bound and destined for eternity with Christ from the moment she came to saving faith in Christ Jesus. The Great King of the Universe has sealed his very name upon her, calling her daughter, Child of the Most High. Oh my friends, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, she is not lost. We have simply lost contact with her, and only temporarily.

If Natalie were here among us now, you know as well as I what she would want to say to us all: the cry of her heart,"Trust in Christ.” For there is none other, in heaven or an earth, whereby we can be saved. For it is in Christ alone that her hope was found, and it was He and His will that she sought with all her might. She was His! And she begs you now, though being gone, she still speaks: Are you a child of King? Have you placed your trust in him alone for salvation and clung to him alone for righteousness and forgiveness of sins? You could give no greater gift to Nat than if you were to do that this very day. How now shall we glorify Christ and honor Natalie?

Indeed she did, and does, belong to the Father. And it is that same Father that wraps her in a love that cannot ever be broken. All whom the Father has given to the Son can never be lost and never slip out of his grasp. No, friends, whatever trials and despairs circumstance or the Enemy may hurl at us, there is nothing so powerful that it can remove us from the love of the Savior. Hear the glorious promise: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Death is swallowed up in victory. Sin loses. Natalie and Christ win.

Hear these words of an ancient hymn: “My flesh in hope shall rest, and for a season slumber. Till trump from east to west shall wake the dead in number. Had Christ that once was slain ne’er burst his three day prison, our faith would been in vain. But now has Christ arisen! Death’s flood has lost its chill, since Jesus crossed the river. Lover of souls from ill, my passing soul deliver. Had Christ that once was slain ne’er burst his three day prison, our faith would been in vain. But now has Christ arisen!

For now, her flesh rests, and slumbers in peace, even while her soul rejoices now, and yet looks forward to that Great and Awesome Day of the Lord: The Day of His Coming, when all the dead in Christ shall rise again in triumph, in resurrection body, and obtain their hope of glory. Christ is and was Natalie’s hope of glory, indeed her hope in everything! The question is, is He yours?

Oh, Natalie, you are loved. You are loved by the Almighty Father with a boundless love that can never be broken, and you are a diamond in his eye. You are loved by the countless friends and families gathered here who cry, not as those who mourn, but as those who have great hope. We miss you dearly…And, even now, as you look down upon us in greater health and vitality than which you’ve ever been, we know, we know, we shall see you again, oh so very soon.

Praise God! Praise God for the life he has given us in Natalie and the for joy she brought to all of us. Praise for the glory and joy she brought the Father while here on earth, and now forevermore. And Praise God for his promise of eternal life through Christ Jesus. Praise God for his saving Gospel, and for the life of Natalie Beardsley who made that Gospel truth so clear to all of us.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Wow

Too Good not to Re-post

Dan Brown's 20 worst written sentences.
There's enough comedy here to keep an English professor belly-laughing for a week.

Click here.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Sleepy, "Lazy" Teenagers?

By Dr. Joseph J. Horton

“During the summer most teens get more sleep, staying up later and sleeping much later than they do during the school year. Are teens simply being lazy during the summer?” In “Sleepy, ‘Lazy’ Teenagers?” (702 words), associate professor of psychology at Grove City College and contributing scholar with The Center for Vision & Values— Dr. Joseph J. Horton—sums up the latest sleep research which reveals, “Being a morning person is not … an indication of moral superiority. It reflects one’s biology.” “The physiology of typical teens leads them to be night owls. This tendency to stay up late and sleep late is very resistant to change.” Citing a pilot study conducted with his colleagues at Grove City College, Dr. Horton validates the conclusions of a sleep-research pioneer, which suggest “that the students did not have a sleep disorder; they were simply sleep deprived. Teens may appear to have problems with sleep because we force a schedule on them that is not suited to their physiological cycles.”

Click here.

Let's Make Some Autumn Resolutions

By John Piper

God approves of New Year’s resolutions. And mid-year, and three-quarters-year, and monthly, and weekly, and daily resolutions. Any and all resolutions for good have God’s approval—if we resolve by faith in Jesus.

I would like to encourage you to make some autumn resolutions. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Well, the examined life is not worth living either if the examination produces no resolutions. What examination and experience teach us is that the unplanned life settles into fruitless routine. The drifting life—the coasting, que-sera-sera, unreflective life—tends to be a wasted life.

The opposite of this is self-examination—life-examination, routine-examination, schedule-examination, heart-examination—followed by “resolves for good.” That’s what I encourage you to do. Here’s why I think God will be pleased when you do this by faith in Jesus.
Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12,

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ

I find this extremely encouraging. Paul prays for us—and I pray for you even as I write this—that God will “fulfill every resolve for good” that we have. This means that it is good to have resolves. God approves of it. It also means that our resolving is important, but that God’s enabling us to “fulfill” the resolves is crucial. Paul wouldn’t pray if God’s help weren’t needed. “The heart of man plans [resolves!] his way, but the Lord establishes [fulfills!] his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

But it matters how we resolve. When Paul says, “every resolve for good and every work of faith,” he is not describing two different acts. He is describing one act in two ways. It is a “resolve for good” because we will it. It is a “work of faith” because we depend on Jesus to give us power to fulfill it. That’s how we resolve—by faith in Jesus.

So Paul says that the fulfilling of the resolve is “by his power.” That’s what we are depending on. That’s what we are looking for when we resolve. We are looking to Jesus who promised to be with us and help us. “I know that through . . . the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance” (Philippians 1:19).

This explains the words “so that” in Paul’s prayer: “...so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.” When you resolve something good and trust in the power of Jesus to help you do it, then “the name of our Lord Jesus is glorified.” If you depend on your willpower, your name will be glorified.

So Christian resolutions are different from the world’s resolutions. We believe that by grace alone we have been “called”—that is, captured by the truth and beauty of Christ. We resolve things not to make God be for us, but because he is already for us—that’s what his call makes plain. He opens our eyes to see and trust Christ. He shows us, in the cross, that he is totally for us. All our resolves are to walk more worthily of this calling.

They are faith resolves—faith that we are loved and called and justified. And faith that therefore Jesus will help us do what we resolve to do. When we resolve like that, the name of our Lord Jesus is magnified.

So pause sometime soon. Pause and examine your life this autumn. Examine what is missing that should be there. What is there that should be removed? What new dreams for ministry might you venture? What new habits do you want to build into your Fall schedule?

Remember: God will be pleased with new resolves for good if you resolve by faith in Jesus. I am praying for you “that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power.”


Seeking to glorify the Lord Jesus with you,

Pastor John

HT: DG

How Fail Went From Verb to Interjection

The New York Times, in a pop culture primer, tells how the word "Fail!" went from being a verb to being an interjection as in "A conservative blog posts an image of a United States-Russian diplomatic agreement with the president's name spelled 'Barak Obama' and calls it "White House Spellcheck FAIL."

Click here for the article


HT: Challies

Matthew Henry's Method for Prayer Online for Free

This is a most welcome development. Ligon Duncan and others have taken Matthew Henry's classic Method for Prayer, updated the language (including the ESV instead of KJV) and put the whole thing online for free.

You can use this biblically saturated resource in numerous ways:
(1) Read the book online.
(2) Follow the thread of a keyword through different parts of the book.
(3) Work through the heart of the book via daily devotional emails.
(4) Take advantage of the Index and Table of Contents.
(5) Perform your own search of the book's contents.
(6) Other features of this website.

I highly recommend checking it out and bookmarking it! There are few other resources as helpful for learning how to pray God's Word back to him

I haven't read this work through yet, but from my perusing, it seems to be a wonderful resource on helping believers build godly prayer lives and practices, a trend which is lacking to the detriment of the American church. I know I'll be using it.

Pass it on.

HT: JT

Monday, August 10, 2009

Amen

by Andy Naselli

Douglas Wilson suggests three senses in which the Bible uses the word "amen":
covenant oath
benediction
doxology


Here's how David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 11: To God’s Glory [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1998], 289-90) reflects on Paul's doxological use of amen in Romans 11:36 (concluding his third and final sermon on Romans 11:33-36):

So I put to you a final question. Having gone through this mighty revelation of doctrine, having followed the mighty demonstration of the great Apostle right away through to chapter 11 verse 32, having listened to the Apostle's doxology where he ends by saying, 'To whom be glory for ever and ever . . .' do you say 'Amen' to this?

What does this 'Amen' mean? It means that you confess that you are nothing, that you confess that you are a vile hell-deserving sinner, that you acknowledge gladly that you are what you are solely by the grace of God; that you have ceased to defend yourself, you have ceased to try to excuse yourself, you have ceased to try to justify yourself in any way whatsoever. I go further; that you have ceased to try to pit your mind against God's way. Are you still arguing against election? If you are you have not said your 'Amen' to all this. Do not forget the mighty demonstration of chapters 9-11. The purpose of God according to election! Are you still standing up and putting your mind and your opinion against it? If so you are not saying your 'Amen' to this great doxology. The man who says his 'Amen' is the man who says, I am nothing, He is all. I know nothing, I can do nothing, I have nothing. I am simply a vile sinner, I owe all things to the grace and the glory and the mercy of God and I give it Him. I give it Him with my lips, I confess Him, I say I am nothing, I say it is all of Him—I do it by my life. I am ready to say what Paul says, not only here but again to the Corinthians: 'Of him (of God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, him that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.' And I say 'Amen' to it. What can we say? There is nothing to say except what the Apostle says: 'To whom be glory for ever'!

[HT: JT]

Randy Alcorn: Taking Charge of the TV

Randy Alcorn has some helpful thoughts about taking charge of the television. You do not have to agree with all of it to benefit from his advice. (For instance, I do not watch TV, only the occasional movie or sports game). But, I imagine that many friends find their tube-viewing detrimentally in excess, so perhaps this advice from Alcorn will be useful. And lest we (I) be too cocky, social networking has taken the throne of excess use in my generation's life, so here is a link to an earlier article I posted about using social-networking time in a worthwhile way:

Redeeming Social Life Online: Click Here to check out some provoking thoughts on a Christian's approach to Facebook. I'm not sure how I feel about all it's nuances, but it certainly is something to ponder.

Redeeming Time: Speaking of which, here is an insight into ways to redeem that which we all have a tendency to waste: time.

Here are Alcorn's points (but click through to read his reasons):

1. Keep track of how much time you spend watching.
2. Decide in advance how much TV to watch per week.
3. Use a schedule to choose programs for the week--then stick to your choices.
4. Keep your television unplugged, store it in a closet, and/or put it in a remote part of the house (prevents mindless flip-on).
5. Periodically "fast" from television for a week or a month. Notice the "cold turkey" effects. (Avoids addiction, reminds you of all that can be done when TV off).
6. Choose programs that uplift rather than undermine biblical values.
7. Use the "off" switch freely. If it's wrong and you keep watching, you're saying "I approve." (Unless it doesn't present temptation and you're critically analyzing it).
8. Use the channel changer frequently.
9. Watch and discuss programs together as a family--to avoid passivity and develop active moral discernment through interaction. (Avoid the second TV set that splits the family and leaves children unsupervised).
10. Don't allow young children to choose their own programs--that's the parent's responsibility.
11. Don't use television as a baby sitter.
12. Spend an hour reading Scripture, a Christian book or magazine, or doing a ministry for each hour you watch TV.
13. Consider dropping cable, Showtime, HBO, or any other service that you determine is importing ungodliness or temptation into your home.
14. If you find you can't control it--or you're tired of the battle--get rid of your television.

[HT: Josh Harris]

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Winding Down

And so summer is thundering to a close, whether I like it or not.

Camp Judson's summer season has ended. I'm glad to be done with the kids--frankly, I'm drained and exhausted. But, I'm bittersweet because I know I didn't minister to the kids to the best of my ability and I didn't do by job to the best of my ability, and I didn't enjoy the place where I grew up and thought of as my home as much as I could; I was faithless many times. Yet God is faithful despite my faithlessness (thanks Westminster Confession and Lord's Supper at Hillcrest this past Sunday for that power reminder of truth).

As I write this, I'm sitting in the Tech Booth at the Youth Temple in Ocean Grove, NJ working as the Technical Director for the Leadership Summit sponsored by Willowcreek Church. Ocean Grove is one of the satellite sites for this summit and our job is to synchronize the satellite feed of all activities in Chicago and broadcast them on the big screen here on the East Coast. Honestly, this has been fun and fresh volunteer work with some of my very best friends mixed in with a vacation at a seaside resort. I haven't the highest opinion of Willowcreek or much of contemporary/pop-evangelicalism and I have mixed feelings on Tim Keller (who is speaking at the moment) and his programs-oriented style. All the same, he is the only Reformed preacher this Summit is broadcasting, and he is a man with a love and passion for the gospel "from whom much wisdom can be gleaned," according to Ligon Duncan. And if it's good enough for Ligon Duncan, it's good enough for me.

Plus, I get to wear a headset, namebadge, and operate a lot of fun looking control panels with lots of blinking lights and buttons. Worthwhile? I think so.

Soon, I will return to the haven of academia and Christendom which I love. I'm excited; there's much to be done and much to consider and much to tackle. I've got plenty of hesitation, not the least of which is serving in an RA capacity, learning Greek, taking over a conference, securing funds, participating in a small government, planning life, changing churches and denominations and doing all the aforementioned well.

Grace, anyone? Praise God it abounds from Him.

Still need to finish that silly paper from May Intersession. Too bad one can't drive and type at the same time.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Heresy of 'Individualism'?

By Richard J. Mouw

In her opening address to the Episcopal Church's recent General Convention, the Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the church's presiding bishop, made a special point of denouncing what she labeled "the great Western heresy"—the teaching, in her words, "that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God." This "individualist focus," she declared, "is a form of idolatry."

There is good news and bad news here. The good news is that the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop is not afraid to denounce heresy. The bad news is that we evangelicals turn out to be the heretics she is denouncing.

I am willing to meet her partway on the subject of her concern. Many of us in the evangelical world have devoted much effort toward remedying what we see as an unhealthy individualist focus in our ranks. If, for example, Bishop Jefferts Schori would take the time to browse through the pages of Christianity Today from the past half-century, she would find many calls for evangelicals to depart from the notion that all that matters is that individuals get saved and prepare for a heavenly reward. Much evangelical attention has been paid to systemic injustice, social structures, the central importance of "body life," and so on.

In all of this, however, the presiding bishop would discover an important nuance. We evangelicals never downplay the importance of individuals—as individuals—coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. We never say that an individual's very personal relationship to God is not important. What we do say is that individual salvation is not enough.

In my own thinking on this subject, which has made much of the centrality of the church and the importance of collective Christian address to the issues of injustice and public morality, there are actual stories that have kept me from endorsing the kind of un-nuanced verdict that seems to have come so easily to Jefferts Schori's lips.

Here is one that has stuck with me from my younger years. A man, a prominent leader in his local church, testified that before becoming a Christian, he had lived a dissolute life. A salesperson who was constantly on the road, he drank heavily and was frequently unfaithful to his wife. One evening, sitting alone in his hotel room, be became very despondent. He did not want another evening spent in the hotel bar, nor did he have an interest in seeking a sexual encounter. Remembering that there was usually a Gideon Bible in one of the dresser drawers in hotel rooms, he found the Scriptures, and began to read the passages recommended in the inside cover under the heading, "Feeling Discouraged? Read …". As he read the prescribed passages, he was overcome by a sense of his sin, and finally fell to his knees and pleaded with God to do something in his life. That experience was the turning point for him. He confessed his misdeeds to his wife, they sought out a church, and together they matured in the Christian life.

That story has always fit well with my views of salvation and the church. In a profound sense, of course, the church was a living reality in that hotel room—the invitation extended to him by the placing of a Gideon Bible in that room was as "churchly" a reality as any evangelistic sermon preached from a pulpit. But what the Lord, through the placing of that volume, was doing in the privacy of that hotel room was inviting an individual sinner to bring the burden of his sin and guilt to the Cross of Calvary. The man accepted that invitation, and he rightly moved on to the point of identifying himself with the body of Christ.

We evangelicals can tell many stories of that sort. I wish that Jefferts Schori would listen to them and discuss them with us. And I wish also that, having discussed these things together, she would joining us in singing: "My sin—O the bliss of this glorious thought!—/my sin, not in part but the whole, / is nailed to the Cross, and I bear it no more, / praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul."

Call that "individualism" if you want. But for us not only is it not heresy, it is at the heart of what it means to affirm the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts on Media Usage in Worship

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

What are your thoughts on drama, movie clips, and the like in a church service?

I'll start with the freedom that we have in Christ, and then I'll move to the position that I operate in.

The New Testament isn't explicit on forbidding using a screen to put the lyrics up, or to put the scene of a waterfall behind it, or to make the waterfall actually move behind it, or to show a picture of your fishing trip to illustrate the big fish that you caught and how your people should now go out and be "fishers of men." The Bible doesn't forbid it.

I'll be gone in a few years and you can do whatever you want to do, but I believe profoundly in the power and the till-Jesus-comes-validity of preaching. And by that I mean the spirit-anointed exposition of the Scripture through clear explanations and applications of what's there. There's something God-appointed about that.

I think the use of video and drama largely is a token of unbelief in the power of preaching. And I think that, to the degree that pastors begin to supplement their preaching with this entertaining spice to help people stay with them and be moved and get helped, it's going to backfire. It's going to backfire.

It's going to communicate that preaching is weak, preaching doesn't save, preaching doesn't hold, but entertainment does. And we'll just go further and further. So we don't do video clips during the sermon. We don't do skits.

I went to a drama at our church four days ago. I believe in drama. I believe in the power of drama. But let drama be drama! And let preaching be preaching! Let's have the arts in our churches, but don't try to squash it all into Sunday morning. So I get worked up about these things.

That's where I am on that. Free. Nobody is going to go to hell because of this, in the short run.


© Desiring God

Thursday, July 9, 2009

A Few Thoughts on Free Will

July 9, 2009 | By: John Piper

Category: Commentary

Before the fall of Adam sinless man was able to sin. For God said, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

As soon as Adam fell, sinful man was not able not to sin, since we were unbelieving,and “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

When we are born again, by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to not sin, for “sin will have no dominion over you” (Romans 6:14).

This means that what Paul calls “the natural man” or “the mind of the flesh” is not able not to sin. Paul says this in Romans 8:7-9

The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (See also 1Corinthians 2:14).

How then shall we think of free will?

It is not a saving power. In his freedom to will, fallen man cannot on his own do anything but sin. Such “free will” is a devastating reality. Without some power to overcome it’s bent, our free will only damns us.

We could stop here and turn with joy to the gospel truth that God overcomes our resistance, gives us life, wakens our dead inclination for Christ, and freely and irresistibly draws us to himself (John 6:44, 65; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 2:5; 2 Timothy 2:25-26).

But it sometimes helps to answer objections. One common objection is that, if we “cannot” do what is right, and “can only” do what is sin, then we are not acting voluntarily and cannot be praised or blamed.

Here is part of John Calvin’s answer to this objection:

The goodness of God is so connected with his Godhead that it is not more necessary to be God than to be good; whereas the devil, by his fall, was so estranged from goodness that he can do nothing but evil.

Should anyone give utterance to the profane jeer that little praise is due to God for a goodness to which he is forced, is it not obvious to every man to reply, “It is owing not to violent impulse, but to his boundless goodness, that he cannot do evil?”

Therefore, if the free will of God in doing good is not impeded, because he necessarily must do good; if the devil, who can do nothing but evil, nevertheless sins voluntarily; can it be said that man sins less voluntarily because he is under a necessity of sinning? (Institutes, II.3.5)

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE Day: when I was born again. “All things are lawful for me, but I WILL NOT BE ENSLAVED by anything” (1Cor 6:12)

HT: John Piper

Christians and Government

From Ligionier Ministries:

Both Peter and Paul call us to submit to governing authorities. In light of that, is revolution ever possible for a Christian, and if so, under what circumstances?

It certainly is clear that the New Testament puts an emphasis on the Christian's responsibility to be a model of civil obedience. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that the powers that be are ordained by God. That doesn't mean that they are sanctioned by God or that God endorses everything that civil governments do; we know better than that. But Paul is saying that it is God who brings government to pass, and we are called to submit to the rulers of the government out of respect for Christ.

Peter says that we ought to obey the civil magistrates "for the Lord's sake" (1 Pet. 2:13-17). How is Christ glorified by my submitting to the governor of the state of Florida or to the Congress of the United States of America? I think the broad issue here is the ultimate biblical struggle between competing voices of authority, the principles of Satan and of God. The issue is, Does the human person manifest a spirit of obedience to the law of God, or do we participate in a spirit of lawlessness? It's interesting that the Antichrist in the New Testament is identified with the man of lawlessness.

I think that when we are called to obey the civil magistrates, it's because the New Testament sees a hierarchical structure of authority, and that the ultimate authority in heaven and earth is God. God delegates authority to
his only begotten Son: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). Yet underneath the authority of the Son, who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, are levels of earthly authority, such as government at its various levels down to the authority of employers over employees and parents over children. We see that ultimately authority finds its sanction in God's authority and sovereignty. The principle is not difficult to understand: If I am willy-nilly and careless in my obedience to authority at the lower levels, I am therefore implicitly placing myself in a posture of disobedience to the ultimate authority that stands above and behind the earthly. It is the law of God that we disobey. We apply this principle when we say that a child who doesn't learn to respect his parents will have trouble respecting anything or anyone else. By my being scrupulous in my civil obedience, bending over backwards to obey my teachers, my employers, my governors, and my police officers, I am honoring Christ, who is the ultimate model of authority and of obedience to the law.

Is it is ever justifiable to engage in revolt? Many Christians would say no. This was a crucial question at the time of the American Revolution, and Christian theologians fell on both sides of that issue. I believe that those who did justify the Revolution said the only time it's justifiable to revolt is when the government itself becomes lawless and functions in an illegal or unlawful manner. In colonial America the revolt was against the unlawful taxation that was taking place. That requires a longer history lesson than we have time for here.

*****

Quoted in Now, That's a Good Question! by Tyndale House Publishers. Available here.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Wise words from John Piper



"
. . . the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small."

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sermon Archive

I've decided to start archiving my sermons. Mostly for personal benefit/reference and not so much because I think they're so grand that the world needs to see them. Frankly, a lot of the content of this year's sermons were borrowed (and acknowledged), and it is with this year's sermons that I am beginning the archive, not the years past. This year began my learning/attempting sermons in a grammatico-historical expositional method, particularly popular amongst Refomed preachers, as I myself have embraced Reformed theology more fully this year past. And, in light of this year's sermons, the ones in the past stunk and will not be archived.

So, sermonpress.blogspot.com contains my archive of those given from this year. Incidentally, I uploaded them in reverse order of when they were typed, so the ones at the bottom are the most recent. Silly me.


Saturday, June 27, 2009

Who do you say that I Am?

I can't say enough good things about this post. I simply love how poignantly and blunty DeYoung trashes the variety of psuedo-spiritual attitudes among evangelicals and people in general who have deluded themselves into thinking they actually know what they are talking about.

God knows we like to creat idols. Why else would it be forbidden in the Second Commandment? Even when God has graciously revealed His character to us in his Word and His Son, we still like to pervert it and mold it into whatever shallow, non-judgmental characteristics best fit our pathetic idea of what God should be like.

Man, we are full of ourselves.

(I especially like his mockery of the " Boyfriend Jesus" and the mystical-spiritual worship nonsense that goes on and is advocated by the modern church)

I Like What the Bible Teaches

By Kevin DeYoung

Christians should not only believe what the Bible teaches, they should like what the Bible teaches. All Scripture is not just tolerable, but profitable and breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16).The law should be our delight (Psalm 1:2; 119:77; Rom. 7:2). We should love the commandments of God (Psalm 119:47; 1 John 5:3).

This means perfunctory obedience is not the goal. We don't want to submit to our husbands out of duty, or sacrifice for our wives because we have to do, or refrain from sex because God's a meanie and he must be listened to, but because we want to. God wants more than begrudging obedience or external conformity, he wants us to delight in the law of God in our inner being. So pay attention not just to your wills, but to your affections.

This also means that we should do away with the pseudo-spiritual language of "I don't like what the Bible says about this, but I still believe it." Poppycock. While I suppose, all things considered, its better that someone embrace complementarianism kicking and screaming rather than not at all, why are you kicking and screaming at God's word in the first place? I understand that we may all have periods of struggle where we wrestle to fully understand and embrace some element of biblical teaching. But as an indefinite attitude, begrudging acceptance is not a good option. Don't we trust that God is good? Is not the law of the Lord our delight?

Believing but not liking what the Bible says is also a common refrain when it comes to the doctrine of hell. Obviously, none of us should be gleeful to think of sinners suffering in eternal torment. After all, Paul was pretty torn up about the plight of his kinsmen according to the flesh. But anguish over the souls of the lost is different than wholesale ambivalence about the existence of hell. When we say things like "If it were up to me I wouldn't have a hell, but God's word teaches it so I believe it" we are not being extra pious, only extra insulting.

First of all, it's not about to us. It never has been and never will be, so let's get that off the table. Second, when we put things this way it sounds like we consider ourselves better than God, like we're trying to be "good cop" to God's "bad cop." Third, and most importantly, we are missing the point of hell. God is glorified in the judgment of the wicked. That's a big gulp for postmodern (or modern) ears, but it's true. Were it not for hell, God's justice would not be upheld and the glory of his name would not be vindicated. If we accept the doctrine of hell only begrudgingly, we have not learned to delight in the glory of God above all else. We have not yet learned to pray as our first and foremost request, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

The Bible is true and the Bible is good. When we accept its truth without actually liking it, we have only come half way to mature faith. We are like kids saying "I'm sorry" while rolling our eyes, like a husband getting flowers so his wife won't be ticked, like a lover skimming through a letter from her beloved when she should be cherishing every word and every truth in her heart. Read the Bible. Believe the Bible. Delight in all that it affirms. Anything less is not good for your soul.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Cal.vini.st First Anniversary Giveaway

On the 12th of July 2008, I posted for the first time here at Cal.vini.st. Leading up to our first anniversary next month, I thought it fitting to have some celebrations. Several things will be happening here over the next month, not the least of which is that I am launching the Cal.vini.st First Anniversary Giveaway. Over the next month (June 12th – July 12th 2009) you have the opportunity to enter to win one of two major prizes.

What is the major prize?

BibleWorks 8I’m pleased to announce that Cal.vini.st has procured two copies of BibleWorks 8 as prizes — the premier software tool for original language exegesis of the Biblical text. Each copy of BibleWorks 8 is valued at $349 (US). It is a tremendous privilege to be able to give opportunity for two of my readers to win a copy of this terrific software package. I trust it will be used of the Lord in your sanctification, and His glory.

How do I enter the Cal.vini.st First Anniversary Giveaway?

  1. You must be a subscriber to the blog via RSS or Email.
  2. Visit the BibleWorks website to find the answer to this simply question:

    Name the three standard original language grammars that have been included in BibleWorks 8?

  3. Complete this form with all your contact details and include the correct answer to the above question.
  4. That’s it! On July 12th the first two randomly drawn entries which correctly answer the question regarding the original language grammars included in BibleWorks 8 will win a FREE copy. You will be contacted via email for shipping details and must respond within 72 hours before your prize is forfeited.

Can I Enter More than Once?

Yes you can, but only if you’re a blogger! If you have a blog, write a post which links to this post (the post you’re reading) that promotes the Cal.vini.st First Anniversary Giveaway. Simply provide the URL of that post in the optional last question when you enter the competition. You will then receive two entries into the giveaway and double your chances of winning!

Thank you for all your support and encouragement over this last year.

>>CLICK HERE<<
to enter the giveaway

HT: Cal.vini.st.
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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Trusting God's Judgment

If we're children of Christ and we stand before the judgment seat of God on the last day and God says to us, "You're covered by the blood of my Son, and it's a good thing, because you did this, this, this, this, and this," we won't say, "But, Lord, I did this in Your name, I did that in Your name. You really aren't being fair." However, there will be many who will respond in just that manner. Jesus is going to say to those people, "Please leave, I don't know who you are." A person who trusts God trusts not only His promises but His judgment. Even in a prayer of contrition, such a person acknowledges that God would be absolutely justified to destroy him for his sin. You can never come to God's church, come to the Lord's Table, thinking that God owes you something. If you do, you're better off not to pray, not to commune, because you are blaspheming and slandering the Giver of every good and perfect gift, Who has treated you only with mercy.

*****

From A Taste for Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by R.C. Sproul.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Day 1: Tolo, Greece

Nine hour flight  out of Philadelphia and 3 hour bus ride from Athens to our sea-side hotel. Felt like forever. I guess that doesn't compare to that 23 hour drive to Florida last year...

Stopped at the isthmus in Corinth for bit to take some fun pictures and tried Soblaki (essentiallt Greek steak on a stick). Quite delicious. Food here quite like which we had that night in Pittsburgh the night we visited the symphony: Rice, tomato sauce, beef, etc.

Warm and in 70s (Fahrenheit that is). Tomorrow will involve Mycenae and trekking to the Acro-Corinth the day after.

About 10:30 pm I'm sitting in a quaint little café, overlooking the Aegean Sea, enjoying some rather dry red wine and extremely salty peanuts with some friends. Life is good. And legal.

 I'll keep you posted.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Abroad

Friends,

As I write this, I tell you that I have a swirling torrent of thoughts and feelings running through my mind:

-Excitement for these coming two weeks in Europe!
-Bittersweet sentiment that my sophomore year of college is ended.
-Great pleasure that some of my closest friends are coming with me on this expedition!
-Eagerness for Camp Judson.
- Eagerness for August and the return to Grove City, a place which I regard with supreme fondness.
-A sadness that comes with lengthy separation from friends and companions--missing some especially.
-Excitement for these coming two weeks in Europe!

I will be traveling abroad in Greece and Italy for 2 weeks (returning to the USA on May 31). I will have occasional access to the Internet, so feel free to email me anything you desire, and I trust you will forgive my delayed responses. I would offer you the option to call my cell phone, but it is useless overseas.

As well, I hope to keep a travel journal/blog of our escapades and upload pictures to the Book of Faces as often as time and Internet access allows, so feel free to check back and see what international escapades and mischief I have stirred up, if you feel so inclined.

I look forward to hearing and sharing with you all.

Ridiculously yours,

Sean

Thursday, May 14, 2009

No Girls Allowed: Sweden Okays Gender Eugenic Abortion

Abortion was supposed to liberate women and protect them from unwanted pregnancies. But with prenatal testing and all, it is increasingly being used as a eugenic search and destroy tool to eliminate unwanted types of children prior to birth. In other words, eugenic abortion mixed with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis in IVF—and I believe, eventually infanticide—is transforming procreation from being about having children to about having only the kind of children we want.

One targeted class of this eugenic technique is girls. In India and China, ultrasound is used to identify female fetuses for elimination—a practice so ubiquitous that a huge disparity now exists between male and female demographics. Now, gender abortion has been approved in, of all places, SwedenFrom the story:

Swedish health authorities have ruled that gender-based abortion is not illegal according to current law and cannot therefore be stopped, according to a report by Sveriges Television. The Local reported in February that a woman from Eskilstuna in southern Sweden had twice had abortions after finding out the gender of the child.

The woman, who already had two daughters, requested an amniocentesis in order to allay concerns about possible chromosome abnormalities. At the same time, she also asked to know the foetus’s gender.

Doctors at Malaren Hospital expressed concern and asked Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) to draw up guidelines on how to handle requests in the future in which they “feel pressured to examine the foetus’s gender” without having a medically compelling reason to do so. The board has now responded that such requests and thus abortions cannot be refused and that it is not possible to deny a woman an abortion up to the 18th week of pregnancy, even if the foetus’s gender is the basis for the request.

How ironic: In the name of freeing women, Sweden allows open season to be declared on female fetuses (who, let’s face it, will be the usual targets of gender selection). India and China have at least outlawed this eugenic cleansing, making those countries more advanced in protecting against gender based eugenics than “enlightened” Sweden.

And in the US? A bill has been introduced in Congress (H.B. 1822) to prevent gender and racially based abortions: It has no chance of passage.

No, Mr. President.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Into the Twittersphere

This video clip (link below) is an excellent satire of Twitter and the general narcissm of our generation. I found hysterical, yet probing.
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/03/20/video-into-the-twittersphere/

Note: there is unfortunately one blip of minor vulgarity at 3:21 into the video. Skipping over it will not adversely affect your understanding or appreciation of the clip.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Prolific Quote of the Day

From a couple days ago...

Friday, May 8, 2009

Nietzsche Friday #9

Plato is boring.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Friday, May 8, 2009

Sorry, Al...

The world in 2008 has been cooler than at any time since the turn of the century, scientists say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7786060.stm

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Slandering Bristol Palin

by 


Poor Sarah Palin, Joan Vennochi writes today in the Boston Globe: Even though she has no shot at the presidency, Republicans and Democrats still fear her and attack her.

And her teenage daughter, apparently. Right across the New York Times editorial page from Nicolas Kristof’s column on the sex trafficking of teenage girls, Gail Collins tears into eighteen-year-old Bristol Palin:

But surely, when it comes to combating teen pregnancy, the Palin family has done enough damage already. What worse message could you send to teenage girls than the one they delivered at the Republican convention: If your handsome but somewhat thuglike boyfriend gets you with child, he will clean up nicely, propose marriage, and show up at an important family event wearing a suit and holding your hand. At which point you will get a standing ovation.

Interesting. I thought that the message the Palin family sent was: If you get pregnant outside of wedlock, your family might support and embrace you, despite the fact that they do not approve of pre-marital sex and that difficult times lie ahead. Maybe that message is unrealistic and dangerous to teenagers. Maybe it will tell young women and their families lies that will further teen pregnancy. Would Gail Collins have preferred not to have Bristol Palin on stage with the rest of her family? Would she have preferred a public condemnation of the girl?

Collins continues, “Now a single mom on the outs with the father of her baby, Bristol wants a new kind of happy ending. ‘I just want to go out there and promote abstinence and say this is the safest choice,’ she said on “Good Morning America.”

Going on national television and telling America that you made a mistake is not what I call a happy ending. But that aside, Bristol Palin is right: The safest way to avoid pregnancy is not to have sex. She isn’t lobbying for abstinence-only education; she’s reminding young women of the empirical fact that sex can result in pregnancy and that pregnancy can bring unplanned complications.

But Gail Collins agrees with Levi Johnston, Bristol’s “thuglike” ex-boyfriend, that such reminders aren’t going to work: “Because Bristol’s own philosophy seems, at minimum, tentative, it’s hard to tell whether she believes that cheerleading for abstinence should be coupled with education about birth control methods. She and Levi used condoms, except when they didn’t.”

Of course, “They used condoms, except when they didn’t” has absolutely nothing to do with Bristol Palin’s views on abstinence-only education and everything to do with how all people use condoms. Plenty of teenagers and adults thoroughly educated in safe sex have “used condoms, except for when they didn’t” with similar results. Claiming that imperfect use of birth control means support for abstinence-only education is, to put it mildly, a flawed argument.

Collins concludes:

But when a teenager goes out on this kind of mission, you have to wonder where her parents’ heads were. What does this say about Sarah Palin’s judgment?

Although we’ve sort of answered that question before.

How clever.

As despicable and illogical as a column like this is, there’s a reason behind its venom: Liberal America still hates Sarah Palin not for her proposed policies, but for who she is. Ironically, of course, Palin is exactly the kind of person that liberal Americans like Gail Collins claim to care about most. They are, after all, the people who love working class families, women rising in politics, pregnant teenagers, and ordinary folks.

But when those ordinary folks hunt caribou, when their daughters date scary hicks, when their sons are Trig and Track, when their husbands don’t apologize for working an oil pipeline, when their wives fail to abort disabled babies and aren’t the right kind of working-class woman—then there’s hell to pay. Then teenage girls get savaged on the editorial page of compassionate liberalism’s most prominent newspaper.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

From Parchment and Pen:

Today, at 12:33pm, while most of you were having lunch, the Emerging Church was taken off of life support.

Good Riddance.

Click here to read.

What?

Treasury to own at least half of GM: SEC filing

Restructuring could leave current equity holders owning 1% of carmaker

Click here

Hitler? VW? Anyone?

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Times They Are A-Changin



No matter the cultural change, may our unchanging God find us faithful.
HT: JT

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

From First Things Blog:

The Peace Corps in Ecclesiastical Drag

Fetching, no? That’s how Bill Murchison describes much of mainline Protestantism today:

The present presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, when asked by Time magazine a few years back to specify her focus as head of the church, replied, “Our focus needs to be on feeding people who go to bed hungry, on providing primary education to girls and boys, on healing people with AIDS, on addressing tuberculosis and malaria, on sustainable development.” And . . . and . . . On God, too? On Jesus? On sin and salvation? Not as the lady allowed. Not a word issued forth from her about those concerns for which the Episcopal Church—and all other churches—had supposedly gone into business.

The Peace Corps in ecclesiastical drag is what modern churches often resemble. You want to work for sustainable development? Well, then, off to church we go. It sounds a little silly, because it is silly. The government and a complex of secular organizations already address these concerns, often quite intelligently.

Which is not to say that the Church should not be engaged in feeding the hungry, but that she should make sure to provide the Bread of Life, too.

(via Strange Herring)

From First Things Blog:

Why Can’t We Concentrate?

Laura Miller reviews Winifred Gallagher’s latest book on—Wait, what was it on again? Oh, yeah.—our culture’s inability to concentrate and what we can do about it:

You don’t have to agree that “we” are getting stupider, or that today’s youth are going to hell in a handbasket (by gum!) to mourn the withering away of the ability to think about one thing for a prolonged period of time. Carr (whose argument was grievously mislabeled by the Atlantic’s headline writers as a salvo against the ubiquitous search engine) reported feeling the change “most strongly” while he was reading. “Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy,” he wrote. “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text.” For my own part, I now find it challenging to sit still on my sofa through the length of a feature film. The urge to, for example, jump up and check the IMDB filmography of a supporting actor is well-nigh irresistible, and once I’m at the computer, why not check e-mail? Most of the time, I’ll wind up pausing the DVD player before the end of the movie and telling myself I’ll watch the rest tomorrow. . . . .

Winifred Gallagher’s new book, Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life argues that it’s high time we take more deliberate control of this stuff. “The skillful management of attention,” she writes, “is the sine qua non of the good life and the key to improving virtually every aspect of your experience, from mood to productivity to relationships.” Because we can only attend to a tiny portion of the sensory cacophony around us, the elements we choose to focus on—the very stuff of our reality—is a creation, adeptly edited, providing us with a workable but highly selective version of the world and our own existence. Your very self, “stored in your memory,” is the product of what you pay attention to, since you can’t remember what you never noticed to begin with. . . . .

As long as we remain only dimly aware of the dueling attention systems within us, the reactive will continue to win out over the reflective. We’ll focus on discussion-board trolls, dancing refinancing ads, Hollywood gossip and tweets rather than on that enlightening but lengthy article about the economy or the novel or film that has the potential to ravish our souls. Tracking the shiny is so much easier than digging for gold! Over time, our brains will adapt themselves to these activities and find it more and more difficult to switch gears. Gallagher’s exhortations to scrutinize and redirect our attention could not be more timely, but actually accomplishing such a feat increasingly feels beyond our control. I can’t speak personally to the effectiveness of meditation, Gallagher’s recommended remedy for chronic distraction, but the effectiveness of meditative practices (religious or secular) in reshaping the brain have also been abundantly demonstrated.

Knee-jerk Internet boosters like to argue that the old ways of thinking are both obsolete and less wondrous than fuddy-duddies make them out to be. The next generation of citizens, they insist, will happily inhabit a culture composed of millions of small, spinning, sparkly bits and, what’s more, they will thrive in it. Tell that to the kids who spent all weekend holed up with the last Harry Potter book. As exhausting as it can be to fight off the siren call of the reactive attention system, some part of us will always yearn to be immersed, captivated and entranced by just one thing, to the point that the world and all its dancing diversions grows dim, fades and falls away.