evangelicalism – Christ the Truth

Lost in Translation 4

GlenSeptember 22, 20134 Comments

Here are ten Scriptures that get lost when translated into our church practices. The second phrase of each pair might never be articulated and it will often have much truth to it. But there's a mould we tend to press the Scriptures into - and it's not always useful...

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" becomes "Have a quiet time."

"Pray without ceasing" becomes "Have a quiet time."

"Preach the word" becomes "Explain the passage."

"Do not give up meeting together" becomes "Schedule weekly Bible studies."

"Confess your sins to one another" becomes "Join an accountability group."

"You will be my witnesses" becomes "You ought to do some evangelism."

"We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God" becomes "Please come on our course."

"You must be born again" becomes "You must be able to narrate a dramatic conversion experience."

"Pursue righteousness" becomes "Avoid porn."

"Flee from idolatry" becomes "Don't love things too much."
Can you think of others?

Ode to an Evangelical Sage

GlenAugust 22, 2013January 27, 2014Leave a comment

The tune for 'Praise My Soul' works

O thou brain -- exalted, senior,
Holding forth from pulpit's throne.
Feed us with thy academia,
Meted out in monotone.
‘We could never,
‘We could never,
‘Plumb such myst'ries on our own.'

Hear the classics now recited,
Tumbling from thy tutored lips.
Nooks ignored are now ignited,
By thy Greek and Latin quips.
‘O how richly
‘O how richly,
‘Wisdom from each sentence drips.'

Teach us frames to fathom glory,
Scriptures' tale doth not agree.
Pure distil the Jesus story,
Into subtle sophistry.
‘All was darkness
‘All was darkness,
‘Till thou spoke and now we see.'

Pompous, ponderous, proud, pretentious,
Leaning o'er thy preacher's perch.
Pressing out the sap that quenches,
Thirst for knowledge, Eden's search.
‘Breathe thy wisdom
‘Breathe thy wisdom
‘Till inflated is thy church'

O thou noble mind pray guide us,
Through the darkness and the lies.
Warn us from thy foul deriders,
We shall fear, avoid, despise.
‘Raise a banner
‘Raise a banner
‘We shall chant thy tribal cries.'

How to mark our true devotion?
What could ever count as praise?
But to clone thy stale emotion,
Forced to feign thy learned ways.
‘Where's my study?
‘Where's my study?
‘I'll abide there all my days.'

Marching strong into the brightness,
Resolute, we set our face.
Staunch persistence, clothed in rightness,
Rectitude, our saving grace.
‘Call us onward
‘Call us onward
‘Grimly to our resting place.'

Then one day in vindication,
Face to face at last we'll see
Precious few in that location,
Gathered with thy coterie.
‘Now receive us
‘Now receive us
‘To thy ‘ternal library.'

Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture – A Poem About Preaching 4

glenscrivJanuary 24, 20134 Comments

For more vitrio-verse on "preaching" check out this hymn.

And here is a poem to encapsulate all that's worst about show-pulpitry...

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture,” he loudly proclaims
“Our rule and our guide, Our fount and our frame.
We stand on the bible, for better, for worse
But let me give vent to my own bluster first.”

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, so let me digress –
To warn you of others who do not confess
Our creed guaranteed to produce a revival:
We are the ones who honour the bible.”

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, though some shun our scheme
Daring to preach on one verse, or a theme!
I really must warn you about all our rivals,
And then I will ask you to take up your bibles.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, and so I rehearse
Our constant insistence on verse by verse.
Methodical, logical, slowly proceeding,
This is our system, now, what was our reading?

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, but don’t be naive,
The troubles with preaching you would not believe.
We must invest time in Corinthian Gnostics,
The value of genre and Hebrew acrostics.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, a difficult book,
But do not despair for to me you can look.
The dirty great chasm between then and now
Is bridg’d by my painstaking, expert know-how.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, The clock is against us!
I fear that I shan’t do this passage its justice.
We’ve only got time for a mere bible dip,
Yet before we explore – a joke and a quip.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, but first let me quote
From Shakespeare and Churchill, a drole anecdote,
My children’s exploits and the signs of the times,
The state of the church, and, my, how time flies!

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, just time for essentials,
But, wait, have I listed my many credentials?
My friends in high places, the people I meet,
The man I converted in the aeroplane seat?

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, although it’s a drag
I’ll lighten the tone with a mother-in-law gag.
And stories I’ve stolen from preachers at will.
Consider it sugar to sweeten the pill.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, though sixty six books –
This story of glory’s more plain than it looks.
Distilling its filling through splendid oration,
You’ll see it boils down to this fine illustration.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, the detail’s not vital,
I’ve spent all my time on a memorable title
And quaint turns of phrase that will please only me,
And predictable points, beginning with ‘P’.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, my time is now through,
My pithy summation will just have to do.
You guessed it the moment my sermon began:
God is the Boss. Submit to His plan.

“Tis Scripture, Tis Scripture, And now let us pray,
‘I thank You my Father You made me this way,
Not like all those others about whom we’ve heard
For I am the preacher who honours Your word.’”

We don’t need better preachers… [repost] 9

glenscrivOctober 20, 20119 Comments

preacher We don't need better preaching, we need a better gospel.

Yes I'm being provocative and hyperbolous. Let me remind you that this is a blog.

What I mean is this: there's a lot of focus on becoming better preachers. The real need is to preach a better gospel.

These thoughts were prompted by a Spurgeon comment as quoted by CJ Mahaney at T4G 2008:

"Whitefield and Wesley might preach the gospel better but they cannot preach a better gospel."

Spurgeon's point is that the power is in the gospel, not the preacher. Amen. But if the gospel preached aint the gospel, then we need a better one.

'Better gospel?' you ask - how can you improve on the good news?

Well you can't improve on the biblical gospel. But you can darned well improve on the gospel preached by some. Here's a false one I hear around the traps (there are others, but this is the devil I know best):

'God is power. We must submit. Since we don't, God has a plan B. It's a wonderfully clever mechanism called penal substitutionary atonement. For those who profess faith in penal substitutionary atonement (and submit the whole of their lives to God in total self-surrender and who pass on this 'gospel' and persevere to the bitter end), then... well... they will avoid hell. Probably.'

Lord save us from well illustrated and applied, passionate, persuasive and prayerful preaching of this 'gospel'. Remember that the evangelism of the Pharisees made converts twice as much sons of hell as they were. (Matt 23:15)

What a thought! The perversion of a false gospel is multiplied in those it converts. Preachers - don't work on your preaching, work on your gospel.

Tough, challenging and hard-hitting? Really? 37

GlenMay 7, 201137 Comments

London Men's Convention ended a few hours ago. The subject was "Faithful". And, apparently, the Faithful One is me. Or at least that's how so much of it came across (the opening of Rico's talk excepted).

Men leaving the Albert Hall could be divided into those saying "Grrrrr" and those saying "Grrrrr".

The vast majority of Grrrrrs were resolutions towards godliness. And this time they really, really, really mean it. My Grrrr was frustration. A day spent together with men who want to hear the word of Christ. What glories we could have been singing about on the train home.

Instead, all the conversation was about ourselves - "Gosh, that was convicting." And all the tweets I've read have said "Tough", "Hard-hitting", "Challenging", even "Super-challenging." I found it none of those things. It is not tough to tell conservative evangelicals they need to repent more. It's really not. To tell bible guys who have paid good money to attend a conference called "Faithful" that they need to smarten up and get serious for Jesus is not challenging. It is boring. It is predictable. And it is the safest preaching imaginable. It is 100% guaranteed to be lapped up by all.

Preaching the free grace of Jesus for sinners - that would be challenging. Mega-challenging I'd say. That would get the tweets in a flutter. That would produce resistance and angry opposition. But it'd also get people talking about Jesus.

If you were there, you might disagree with my assessment of the day. You might disagree with my theology. But my one plea is this - even if you want to argue that men need pep rallies like this in order to be "faithful" - don't pretend that it's brave to preach like that. It is not brave to preach law. It's brave to preach gospel.

Double Standards

GlenApril 26, 2011Leave a comment

Here are some double standards I'm aware of from my corner of conservative evangelicalism:

* When we preach "Come to Christ and you won't have such a lousy eternity" it's "God-centred."

* When they preach "Come to Christ and you won't have such a lousy life" it's "man-centred"

* When our preachers go outside the text for 6 historical witnesses to support its truth it's because we value the word.

* When their preachers go outside the text for 6 inspiring stories to support its truth it's because they don't value the word.

* When we run a toddler group for the community it's gospel ministry.

* When they offer DIY around the local housing estate it's a social gospel.

Others???

Ode to an evangelical sage (repost)

GlenApril 14, 2011Leave a comment

O thou brain -- exalted, senior,
Holding forth from pulpit's throne.
Feed us with thy academia,
Meted out in monotone.
‘We could never,
‘We could never,
‘Plumb such myst'ries on our own.'

Hear the classics now recited,
Tumbling from thy tutored lips.
Nooks ignored are now ignited,
By thy greek and latin quips.
‘O how richly
‘O how richly,
‘Wisdom from each sentence drips.'

Teach us frames to fathom glory,
Scriptures' tale doth not agree.
Pure distil the Jesus story,
Into subtle sophistry.
‘All was darkness
‘All was darkness,
‘Till thou spoke and now we see.'

How to mark our true devotion?
What could ever count as praise?
But to clone thy stale emotion,
Forced to feign thy learned ways.
‘Where's my pulpit?
‘Where's my pulpit?
‘I'll abide there all my days.'

Then one day in vindication,
Face to face at last we'll see
Precious few in that location,
Gathered with thy coterie.
‘Now receive us
‘Now receive us
‘To thy ‘ternal library.'

The tune for Praise My Soul works

Nice and Christian [repost]

GlenApril 7, 2011Leave a comment

Those two things aren't the same you know. But often we forget that. Especially as we try to live in community. I mean, think about it - what helps our Christian communities function?

Surely we get along because we all play nice, right? Empowered by the gospel of course. We have to add that caveat. But now that it's added we settle down to the real glue for any community: being nice. When people are nice, communities flourish. When people are not nice communities fall apart. This is obvious.

Just look at Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Yep. See? Be nice. Be nice and everyone will get along. Cover over all that nastiness with sweetness. Or polite reserve. Or effusive flattery. Whatever you do, don't be nasty. The minute someone's nasty, it's over.

Really?

Well that would be the case if we were a part of any natural community. What did Jesus say? Pagans love those who love them. (Matt 5:46-47). You don't need the Holy Spirit to do that. You don't need the supernatural grace of God. You don't need a new heart of flesh to be nice.

So what's going to mark supernatural communities?

Look at how Colossians 3 continues...

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13)

Natural communities don't have this. At the first hint of nastiness, natural community fractures. But for Christians nastiness is an opportunity. Here's where we truly show ourselves to be the people of Jesus. We forgive.

Many people think nastiness ends Christian community. The gospel says nastiness is where Christian community begins.

What about blogging? A million blogs can be nice. It doesn't make them Christian. Now may Jesus deliver us from nasty Christian blogs. Please Lord! But niceness is not the cure. Many may think they have a Christian blog because everyone is nice. That doesn't make it Christian. It's Christian if Christ is the glue. It's Christian if Christ in us answers nastiness for the sake of Christ and in the way of Christ.

We wouldn't dream of getting right with our Father without going through the Mediator. We wouldn't dream of being nice enough for Him. But we always assume that when we turn to family relations, the Mediator is surplus to requirements. We imagine that we need Jesus for God but we need niceness for our brother. How many Christian books on marriage, for instance, trumpet "communication" as the key to a good marriage! But that's just a gospel of works for community living. No we need Jesus for God and neighbour. Because we're not nice. We're just not. And communities that run on niceness haven't begun to be Christian. Inject some nastiness, then we'll see if they're Christian.

Models of Masculinity 13

GlenMarch 31, 201113 Comments

I first posted this after attending the 2009 London Men's Convention. I'm genuinely looking forward to the 2011 London Men's Convention (with Mark Driscoll!) and will be going with 25 guys from our church. I'm sure I'll learn loads and be encouraged. But I'll still be asking the same questions I did two years ago...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's an age-old question, but it's taken the Flight of the Conchords to pose it again with aching poignancy:

What man? Which man? Who's the man?
When's a man a man?
What makes a man a man?
Am I a man?
Yes... technically I am.

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDPg2Lmj9nA"]

On reflection there were two models of masculinity on show at the London Men's Convention on Saturday.

The first was communicated in mainly non-verbal ways. As John has put it, there was, at times, a 'Top Gear' spirituality (Top Gear is a popular British TV programme where middle aged men salivate over an array of sports cars). You can guess the kinds of things - jokes about sports teams, jokes about baldness (lots of them!), jokes about scrotums. All the usual stuff. There was an uncomfortable insistence on making fun of the main speaker (Tim Keller) in a laddish kind of, 'Hey, you big bald son of a gun. Not much hair on you is there? Baldy. You big bald son of a bald man. Ha!' That kind of thing. Graciously Keller did not call down bear attacks as was his right as prophet of the LORD. Now that really would have sorted out the men from the boys.

(Just as an aside - British men, the cruelty that passes for 'banter' among men is quite shocking for foreigners to cope with. On one hand I speak as someone who's lived here half his life and, for better and for worse, speaks the lingo. I also speak as an Australian male. But I confess that even we hard-headed convicts gape in wonder at the incessant jibes about 'Fatty' and 'Who ate all the pies?' when the man in question is only slightly overweight. Or 'baldy', when we're really dealing with a high forehead. Or - and I dare not even name what red-heads are called in this country. I would try to dissuade anyone with auburn hair or lighter from stepping foot in the British Isles. The word "Ginger" could be followed by any number of appellations, most of them four-letter. And this kind of culture is rife in the church too. Last night in the pub I heard two Christian men speak about another Christian friend in shockingly unChristian ways. But it was completely in keeping with this lads culture.)

Under this first model of masculinity we're told that we have a God given masculinity to be lived out. Which is true. We're told what a huge problem it is when men aren't real men. Which is true. But then it's basically assumed that everyone knows what a real man is.

So Mark Driscoll bemoans the prevalence of 'chickified' men in church.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrZVF3FEUQ]

Apparently the real men are those "watching a ball game, making money, climbing a mountain, shooting a gun, or working on their truck." And these are the men that are getting it done in the world. So Driscoll wants these kind of men in the church.

Well. Alright. It'd be great to have them in church. And yes, in some limited sense they'd make a welcome change from the other kind of false masculinity that abounds. But let's be clear - all natural masculinity is wicked. Masculinity as it occurs in its natural state is horribly and dangerously perverted. Whether the perversion occurs in the cowardly retreat direction or the aggressive domination direction, it's a perversion.

The other model of masculinity came in Keller's talk on the cross. He took us to Gethsemane where Jesus was at His wits end, craving the support of friends, crying, sweating blood contemplating the cross. The furnace of God's wrath lay ahead of Him. He begged His Father for another way. But there was no other way to save us. The prospect was simple: It was Him or us. And so Jesus said 'Father, Let it be me.'

That's a man.

Laying down His life for others, bearing shame in their place, accepting weakness to strengthen them. None of these things looked impressive. He looked like a total failure, naked and choking to death on a cross. He did not look manly. And men from all sides told Him so. They had all sorts of opinions about what Jesus needed to do to be a real man. They were all wrong. He reigned from that tree. Here was the manliest thing ever done.

And it has nothing to do with back-slapping dudesmanship. It's not about being mechanical or sports-loving. And it's not threatened by aesthetic sensitivity or quiet thoughtfulness. It's defined by heart-felt, loving, sacrificial service. It's stepping into the roles Christ has for us and saying 'My life for yours. My weakness for your strength. Father, Let it be me.'

Oh for real men! Oh to be a real man. But not like those 'real men' we're told to be.

When being right is oh so wrong 10

glenscrivMarch 28, 201110 Comments

About 10 years ago I wound up in the office of a Christian counsellor. I couldn't believe I was about to confess to depression. Me, a church worker! Me, conservative evangelicalism's next big thing!

The cause? Several very stressful things were happening in my life, but the tipping point into depression was a frustration with the gospel that was being preached around me. And I fell flat on my face in despondency.

My counsellor took me to Jeremiah 2:13 and said (very graciously) I'd been digging some kind of broken well which had dried up. Now I was slumped at this false life-source with a mouth full of mud. He asked what the broken well might be. In an instant I knew: "I need everyone to read the bible the same way I do". Not for the glory of Jesus, but to be right!

I asked "What should I do?" He said, "Give up on it and turn back to Jesus." As soon as he said "Give up on it" my whole flesh rose up and said "Never!" Instantly I knew that this idol had its hooks in me. And it shocked me.

My theological paradigm had become my god. And it was so subtle. Because here's the thing: I prided myself on the fact that my paradigm was uniquely Christ-centred.

But when I identified the pride issue a weight fell off my shoulders. The issue was not the idiots out there, the issue was the arrogance in here. I'd been thinking of it as a complicated issue of theological debate with no way through. In fact it was a simple (but very ugly) issue of plain old sin. And the gospel has a solution for sin.

Someone has wisely said that if you diagnose your problems as requiring anything less than the blood of Jesus for their solution, you haven't diagnosed your real problem. My hour with the counsellor cut through to the real problem. But thankfully the real problem has a real solution. And it's already mine. Or rather, He's already mine. I left that office with a massive weight off my shoulders.

Not that I didn't think the issues mattered any more. They did matter. They still matter. But I looked at them through a different lens.

For one thing, I started pitying the Christ-lite Christians around me - not despising them or competing with them. But genuinely feeling sorry for them and wanting something better for them. I gave up on being the one who would crush them in theological debate and started to think more in terms of sowing seeds and trusting the results to God!

I get this wrong all the time and there's still much of the arrogant young man to me. But I also think God's been teaching me some things about how to live and minister among other Christians with whom I disagree. I'll share a few thoughts in no particular order:

* I love the saying (which I think goes back to Wesley?) that the way to handle opponents is "to out-live and out-love them, out-preach and out-pray them." That's got to be the way forward. And I think it begins with repentance. I repent of trusting in my christocentrism. I turn to Christ!

* If I'm tempted to pride it's good to turn to Elijah's example in 1 Kings 19. And to laugh at myself. "I, only I am left!!" he says, exhausted by his own righteousness! "Ummm" says the LORD "I think you'll find there's thousands like you. Get some rest!"

* I find it very tempting to try and be John the Baptist - a voice crying in the wilderness. But that's not our calling. We're to get around others with the aroma of Christ. And the aroma of 'young hot-prot' is not quite the same.

* When relating to church leaders, get a vision for what's already good about their preaching, leading and ministry. It's so tempting to look for what they do badly and to miss the hundred things they do well. Anything and everything we can rejoice in, we should. Loudly.

* People can change. Not through grand-standing argumentation. But through a drip, drip, drip of gospel juiciness.

* I'm only beginning to learn this one: Usually change happens when people taste the gospel dishes you serve up. If you consistently serve up Christ-exalting stuff that releases hearts into gratitude and love, then people will ask you about the recipe. Don't start with the recipe: "Right, here are the ingredients you need - you've been doing it all wrong. This is the order..." Start by dishing out gospel goodness - then they'll want the recipe.

And now, for the real wisdom on these issues - check out the comments... (don't let me down guys)...