I'll be back soon

I haven't posted in a while because I was out in the field with my battalion.  We were going to try to get a satellite internet connection up, but didn't get it working in time for me to use it.  Overall it was a crazy week.  Now, I am on vacation with my family over my kids' Spring Break.  I have a few posts churning around in my head that I want to put out here.  As soon as I get time I will do that.  So, I haven't abandoned this blog.  Please check back.  There will be new content soon.

Classical Music

So, I have been on a classical music kick lately as I make my 40 min commute to and from work.  It all started when I read "Evening in the Palace of Reason" by James R. Gaines.  It is about an epic showdown between Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederick the Great, which really symbolizes the collision between two worldviews and two eras in world history.  Anyone who is into music or history would love reading it.  Anyway, because I read this book, I had to go out and get a J. S. Bach album to listen to while I drive.  This week, as I was listening to Bach's music I had an interesting experience.  It was the auditory equivalent of staring into the flames of a fire, with its endlessly flickering patterns.  Bach's music is similar.  Many composers write their music in what I call "musical sentences" - a series of notes that end in a "note of resolution" - such that it goes in series of 4 - 8 or 10 notes that culminate in a note held just a little bit longer and then a small pause that seems to close out that series.  I am sure any of you that know musical theory could enlighten me on what that is called.  Anyway, much of Bach's music does not do that.  It just keeps going in endlessly flickering patterns.  Many times you will hear what seems to be a note of resolution, but it won't pause and another thread of melody will take up the lead.  It was quite surreal.  It also seemed to me that listening to Bach was the musical equivalent of reading a deep work of philosophy or theology.  It was dense - as opposed to most other classical music and definitely modern music, which is more like reading a pulp fiction novel.  Any other classical music buffs out there?  What do you like?

Essence

It has been a few days since my last post.  Crazy week at work and trying to finish taxes can take a lot of time and energy.  So, this isn't a start to my series just yet. 

But, another thought on how we do church: 
My parents used to say that losing weight is quite simple in concept:  you just have to burn more calories than you ingest.  Everything else is just fads.  Now, I know there is a little more to it than that:  good fats vs. bad fats, best exercise intensity to burn fat, etc.  But these things just assist the core concept.
Similarly with what happens when the church meets together.  The core concept is simple:  As I see from Scripture, there are  four main things that should happen:
(1) Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
(2) Breaking of bread (Communion)
(3) Prayer
(4) Preaching the Word (which I think of as reading it and explaining it).
We get wrapped up in the fads of how we do these things, but they only assist (or detract from in many cases) the core concept.  And, God's Word should be central to all of these four activities.  Our songs should be Scripture-saturated.  Our breaking of bread and prayer should be in accordance with the Word.  And, our preaching should be more God's Word than our own words.  God's Word is power.  He spoke and the universe was created.  We should trust His Word to do His work in His church.  Not our little faddish methods.

Post series coming

I don't have time for a post tonight because I have been spending too much time commenting on other people's blogs.  However, I want to start a series (I guess that is what all the cool bloggers do) in which I look at the leadership styles in the early church.  I have no idea how long it will take.  I may finish it in one post.   But, I want to take a bit deeper look than that, so we'll see.  More later.

One month

Wow.  I have had this blog going for a month.  I have exceeded the posting frequency that I expected.  However, that is probably the rush of a new thing.  We'll see if I can keep it up.  For those few who have come to read what I have posted here, I do hope that you will interact with what I have written.  It is an "iron sharpening iron" opportunity that I would appreciate.  I intend to keep writing whether people read and comment or not though.  I see it as an opportunity to develop more intellectual discipline and organization.

Learning to love people we don't like very much...

Since I was just posting about why it is important to be involved with a local church body, the following post by Doug Wilson caught my eye:  He has the Same Problem.  It starts out:

"As one writer aptly put it, one of the reasons we go to church is to learn how to love people we don’t like very much. And the testing point of this is here, at this Table. When you come, you are coming as a reconciled people, and this means that you are not only reconciled to God, but also to one another."

I encourage you to read the whole thing.

Do you love the Church?

A friend of mine recently posted on his blog that lately he doesn't much like going to church, and he is in full-time ministry.  I can relate to his feeling because churches can sometimes seem so dysfunctional, and the members can sometimes be so messed up and even mean.   The following is a slightly adapted version of my comment in response. 
Christianity is not about feelings, it is about Truth.  We have to act in accordance with our truth commitments despite what we feel.
So, what is true in this matter?
Well, God's Word says in Hebrews 10:25 not to neglect meeting together.  Why?  So we can stir one another up to love and good deeds and encourage one another.  I know that, unfortunately, the churches we know today do not do these things.  But, you cannot help improve something unless you take part in it.  And, it is still a command.
Another thing that is true is that you cannot say you love Jesus if you do not love His Bride, the church, and all your fellow members thereof.  John the Apostle, speaking to the Church, writes of this in his first epistle. (I John 2:10-11; 3:10; 4:7-8). 
Marriage is a useful analogy here.  In marriage, there are many times that you don't feel "in love" with your spouse, that you don't feel like being around the one you have committed your life to.  But, having made a commitment, you choose to love that person anyway.  You choose to do what is best for him/her. 
There is certainly a lot that is broken in our modern Church.  Jesus knew that, but He loved us anyway.  How can we do any less?

Means and Ends

Speaking of putting experience over theology, I had an experience with that just yesterday. In his sermon, using John 7:37-39 as his text, the preacher at my church spoke of the possibility of the Holy Spirit being active in our lives. He said that Jesus wants to give us more. He said that it is not coming to church that we need, it is not more Bible reading that we need, it is not Bible studies that we need. We just need Jesus. We just need to experience more of Him.
Now, this is a message I have heard before and, quite frankly, it irritates me. How, exactly, do they expect us to "experience Jesus"? Should I sit on a mat in the lotus position with my eyes closed? Should I go about my normal business and wait for Him to "show up"? If He did, what would it look like? (We are usually told that you just know).
What the preacher was doing, along with many others who convey a similar message, is confuse the ends with the means. It is true that our Christian life is not about "doing stuff" like Bible reading and going to church meetings - it is about a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, these speakers are right to try to turn our focus to the ultimate purpose that needs to be in view. But, you can't leave out the means to achieving that end. One experiences Jesus by reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, meeting with others who love Him, etc. I don't think it is helpful to tell people that these things aren't important.  It is important to teach that they should not be an end in and of themselves, but they are a means to an end, namely experiencing Jesus.
Sorry, this hasn't been my most organized post - I know I rambled a bit.  The important thing is that we do develop an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus (experience Him) through Bible reading, prayer, fellowship with other believers.

Theology shapes experience

This week, my first issue of "Christianity Today" showed up in the mail.  I didn't subscribe to the magazine.  I still don't know who signed me up.  I have shied away from CT in the past because it has seemed to me that they have succumbed in no small way to liberalism and cultural relevance.  It caught my eye, then, that the cover story was about doctrine.  This is a hot-button issue for me because I think it is woefully neglected in our churches today. 
I was pleasantly surprised to read the article by Darren C. Marks, "The Mind Under Grace: Why theology is an essential nutrient for spiritual growth".  He holds up doctrine and theology as a starting point in our Christian lives, rather than our own spiritual experience.  He states, "I see doctrine not as a boundary but as a compass.  Its purpose is not to make Christians relevant or distinctive but rather to make them faithful in their contexts [emphasis his]".  Mr. Marks holds up Friedrich Schleiermacher as one who has led the church down the wrong path in this regard.  Schleiermacher taught us to start with our spiritual experience and to build theology around those experiences.  Mr. Marks comments, "A theology grounded in experience ultimately fades into soft moralism, humanism, or, in the unique case of American Christianity, a civic religion wherein God and country are easily confused". 
In contrast, the Bible should inform our doctrine, which should shape our experience.  As stated by Mr. Marks, "We do not start with 'my spirituality' and then identify core beliefs.  Instead, we begin with core beliefs - those discovered by the church as it has intellectually wrestled with the truth of Scripture in the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit.  These beliefs, which come from outside myself, correct and shape my spiritual experience".  Deitrich Bonhoeffer is held up as a counter example to Scheiermacher.  "Bonhoeffer knew, as did Calvin, Augustine, and many others, that dry, seemingly irrelevant ideas like the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, and eschatology are crucial elements of our spiritual formation". 
I could go on about the importance of doctrine and theology in our lives and our churches; and I will in posts to come as God gives me grace.  However, this is enough for now.  Suffice it to say that this article was a welcome surprise.  If you can get a copy of the March issue of CT, I highly recommend reading the whole thing.

An Escape from Captivity?

A few days ago I posted about the Western Church today being in a Babylonian captivity. It appears that Os Guinness has written a book about that The Last Christian on Earth - actually he has updated a book of his, The Gravedigger File, from 1983. But, the Church has not escaped its captivity in that time. If anything it has gone deeper into captivity. Mr. Guinness' book is intended to open Christians' eyes to the dangers and act as a call for renewal. Justin Taylor has posted an interview with Mr. Guinness at his blog. I will be adding this book to my "need to read" list - which is already too long.

Therapy Session

Michael Patton over at Parchment and Pen has a good post about the importance of theology - whether you want to admit it or not. He makes three main points:
1. There is no way to distance yourself from theology. Everyone has a theological position. The only question is whether you can account for your position.
2. No one can live rightly without believing rightly. Belief drives practice. You will always act in accordance with your beliefs (but not necessarily in accordance with what you say you believe).
3. Get over the fear of being wrong. Don't avoid the search for truth because you are scared of being wrong. The truth is worth the danger. You may be wrong from time to time. Be willing to change your mind if it is demonstrated convincingly that your position is in error.

Read the whole thing.

Disposable Beauty

I got a glimpse of God's extravagant wealth this morning. As I was driving to work, God drew a gorgeous sunrise across the eastern sky. It made my heart ache to look at the magnificence of those vivid pinks and oranges, especially since I realized that in a few seconds it would be gone. But then it occurred to me that God is so abundant and overflowing in majesty and splendor that he can casually produce such a display of beauty, then throw it away and do it all again tonight or tomorrow morning. It is more amazing than Michelangelo recreating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel every morning and evening. It is a foretaste of the streets paved with gold. God is so overflowing with glory, wealth and beauty that it is commonplace, a casual everyday thing - just an expression of who He is. May the inexpressible wonders of God's creation continue to lead me to Him who created them.