Reflections on James MacDonald, TD Jakes, and the Trinity

This might have been the issue behind DeYoung's post on the Trinity yesterday. Driscoll goes into more detail: Reflections on James MacDonald, TD Jakes, and the Trinity | Pastor Mark:

The debate land mine that MacDonald has stepped on is in large part over the word “manifestations”. In its simplest form, this is the language of Modalism. In classic Modalism there is one God who manifests Himself in three ways (Father, Son, and Spirit) but is not three distinct persons. By this it’s meant that God is successively Father, Son, and Spirit but not simultaneously Father, Son, and Spirit. Think of it in terms of someone who is an actor playing three different roles in a play with wardrobe changes between scenes.

Till Death Do Us Part…

I really like the articles on this blog, they are cutting: Till Death Do Us Part…:

I have yet to come across any blog posts, articles, or editorials that even touch on this viewpoint of the whole Robertson brouhaha. Maybe they are out there, but I just haven’t stumbled upon them. Why is it that this Alzheimer’s thing is causing people to have such a cow? Because it seems cold and selfish to walk out on a woman who has lost her mind? Well, to me it’s cold and selfish when you walk out on your wife and kids who do still have their minds and are left reeling in the pain and disillusionment of a divorce. Yet far too many people don’t even bat an eye at that.

Multi-Site Churches Are from the Devil

Edgy, and a few pastors on the Gospel Coalition do have multi-site churches: Multi-Site Churches Are from the Devil – Pure Church by Thabiti Anyabwile:

At bottom, I think the kind of multi-site churches (realizing there are a few different approaches) that feature one pastor being beamed into several sites around a region—and in some cases around the country or world—is simply idolatry. It’s certainly cult of personality multiplied and digitized for a consumer audience. As a brilliant young man remarked to me this morning, “The pastor now becomes the new icon in the midst of the Protestant worship service.” I think that’s well said. Video multi-site tends to idolatry, pride, and self-promotion—even where the ambition of spreading the gospel is genuine. In other words, the ends do not justify the means because some of the ends produced will undoubtedly be odious in God’s sight.

The Doctrine of the Trinity: No Christianity Without It

A good overview: The Doctrine of the Trinity: No Christianity Without It – Kevin DeYoung:

The two key words here are essence and persons. When you read “essence”, think “Godness.” All three Persons of the Trinity share the same “Godness.” One is not more God than another. None is more essentially divine than the rest. When you read “persons”, think “a particular individual distinct from the others.” Theologians use these terms because they are trying to find a way to express the relationship of three beings that are equally and uniquely God, but not three Gods. That’s why we get the tricky (but learnable) language of essence and persons.

“Why Can’t I Own Canadians?” Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

A response to some common points about the laws in Leviticus that float around the internet. I always want to ask the questioner "Who is the book of Leviticus written for?" to see if they even know the context of the book itself: “Why Can’t I Own Canadians?” Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth - White Horse Inn Blog:

Although the responses aren’t usually this clever, the “Do you really want to go to Leviticus?” argument packs a punch in contemporary debates. Often, the critic assumes that every biblical command is a timeless and universal law. They really can’t bear the blame by themselves for this misunderstanding, since it’s common to a lot of Christian preaching through the ages. Medieval popes invoked these “holy war” passages for the crusades and appealed to Leviticus for prohibiting the charging of interest on loans to Christians.

Some Thoughts On Ministering to the Sick and Dying

Some useful advice from DeYoung: Some Thoughts On Ministering to the Sick and Dying – Kevin DeYoung:

I am no expert in ministering to people in suffering. It is a privilege to be with the sick and dying, but it can also be scary, hard work. I have great respect for chaplains, calling pastors, solo pastors, and other believers who spend a lot of their time comforting the sick and suffering with the gospel.

Video and Audio from the 2011 National Conference

Another Desiring God conference took place and they have put up all the talks for free. I like their style: Video and Audio from the 2011 National Conference - Desiring God

Divided the Movie

A free documentary that looks at age segregated youth ministry in churches. It looks interesting...Divided the Movie:

Traveling across the country conducting research and interviewing church kids, youth ministry experts, evangelists, statisticians, social commentators, and pastors, Philip discovers the shockingly sinister roots of modern, age-segregated church programs, and the equally shocking evidence that the pattern in the Bible for training future generations is at odds with modern church practices. He also discovers a growing number of churches that are abandoning age-segregated Sunday school and youth ministry to embrace the discipleship model that God prescribes in His Word.

Rob Bell to Leave Mars Hill Church

Rob Bell to Leave Mars Hill Church | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction:

Feeling the call from God to pursue a growing number of strategic opportunities, our founding pastor Rob Bell, has decided to leave Mars Hill in order to devote his full energy to sharing the message of God's love with a broader audience.

Bagpipes and Fallacies

When Dawkins lights into radical Muslims going crazy over the Danish cartoons, I am right with him. Something really needs to be done about those people. When he talks about how Pope John Paull II made way too many people saints, my Scottish covenanter blood begins to rise, and I start hunting around for the psalter, claymore, and bagpipes. I begin muttering aye to myself. But then I come back to earth. And I wonder how it is that a false medical treatment can be used as an argument against all medical treatments? How does that work? How do forgeries prove that there is no original? How do counterfeiters show that there is no such thing as real money? Ah, I think to myself. There is some kind of funny business going on here" (The Deluded Atheist, p. 12).

Bagpipes and Fallacies

Who is the most dangerous guy at your church?

Interesting answer but with good reasons: Who is the most dangerous guy at your church? | Ordinary Pastor:

Instead, the most dangerous person at your church is the apparently smart guy who is unteachable.

Queer Hippo: musings on human sexuality

Its a long read and I only skimmed it, but it does ask "what is normal": Queer Hippo: musings on human sexuality « Shored Fragments:

This is important: too much conservative Christian ethics concerning human sexuality assumes that there is a norm – heterosexual monogamy – that is accessible and livable by the generality of people. The Scriptures deny this straightforwardly, of course (‘If it is like that, it is better not to marry!’ – Mt. 19:10), but conservative Christian commentators are not, unfortunately, always very interested in what the Scriptures actually say. And too much liberal Christian ethics concerning human sexuality assumes that there are a certain limited number of norms – including faithful and exclusive gay and lesbian relationships – that between them are accessible and livable by the generality of people. The Scriptures deny this straightforwardly, of course, but liberal Christian commentators are not, unfortunately, always very interested in what the Scriptures actually say.

Is heterosexual monogamy normal? No. Augustine and Foucault can agree on that. Are faithful and committed gay and lesbian relationships normal? No. Augustine and Foucault can agree on that also. In Hippo, nothing is normal, and everything is queer.

‘Tasmanian Lower House set to back gay marriage’

Well the ACT did get civil unions, but that got recalled by the Government: ‘Tasmanian Lower House set to back gay marriage’ : Anglican Church League, Sydney, Australia:

Tasmania’s Lower House looks likely to become the first in Australia to vote in support of same-sex marriage. Labor has indicated it will support a motion from its state power-sharing partners the Greens, who have tried and failed to introduce state-based same-sex marriage legislation in the past…

God’s Grace in Our Worst Preaching Mistakes

Some mistakes done while preaching by Dever, Chandler and MacDonald. Its a little funny: God’s Grace in Our Worst Preaching Mistakes – The Gospel Coalition Blog:

It is a homiletical balm to hear of other preaching goofs, where pastors just blow it with a sermon or illustration and, yet, God graciously still produces fruit. I’m sure many of you can relate and provide stories that get belly-laughs every time you tell them. In this video Matt Chandler, Mark Dever, and James MacDonald share three of their most harrowing preaching moments.

The Inclusive-Language Debate

A book by Carson from 1998 is now free online: The Inclusive-Language Debate – The Gospel Coalition Blog