"The Confusion of law and gospel has been and still is one of the principle causes of all the abuses in the church." Theodore Beza
After 25 years of serving as a pastor, I would have to say brother Beza was right. Most people are still struggling over getting the Gospel right.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Best of 2010 - Top 6 Movies
It is hard to find a worse year for good movies at the theater. More and more we see the kind of eye trash that is targeted at 13-15 yr.olds and is forcing more discerning families to stay home and rent a video. Since we don’t have cable, this is what we tend to do anyways. The good news is that Christian backed productions are coming to the fore in quality and content.
1. The Dawn Treader
2. The Secret of Jonathan Sperry
3. Toy Story 3
4. Secretariat
5. The Legend of the Guardians
6. The Clash of the Titans
Thursday, December 23, 2010
source for Christmas gifts
My idea for Christmas gifts, was something I adapted from William MacKenzie of Christian Focus Publishing in Scotland. All credit for originality goes to my Scottish friend.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Best of 2010 - Top Ten Books
Best Reading (not what was published this year, just what I found good)
In our ipod and digital age, the art of reading books is rapidly declining. Just consider how this past year Barnes & Noble has filed for bankruptcy and Borders Books is shutting down stores. All point to the growing illiteracy in our culture- which has always been a sign of spiritual darkness. Wherever the Gospel permeates a culture, it brings the power of the Word in written form, because the Word is what gives life. The Reformation brought the fire of truth to the masses through the publication of books. It is why Reformed Churches stress the ministry of books and the value of reading. I know this list seems a little cerebral, but only reflects what stands out in my mind as good literature I’ve enjoyed this last year.
James Boswell, The London Journal, was a surprise find at a Library sale. Boswell is known as the biographer of the great Samuel Johnson who wrote the famous Dictionary of the English language back in the 19th Century. This journal records the year Boswell lived in London and his first meeting with Johnson, a larger than life man of the town, yet deeply religious. Johnson was the antithesis of Boswell, who was raised in a strict Presbyterian home in Scotland and had come to London to escape the watchful eye of his father, who hoped his son would pursue a nobler calling than a literary one. Embedded in the detailed account of his days and reflections of his diary, one gets a sense that Boswell grew more and more distant from his childhood faith, while at the same time sporadically attending various churches and chapels near his flat in central London. He grew in his skepticism and unbelief, while very respectful of Johnson. What this book shows us is the sad descent into unbelief is even more common today among the new atheists who, unlike Boswell, see nothing good in faith.
C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, is the third of his so called sci-fi trilogy. It is really not about aliens and space travel, but about the nature of evil at work in the ordinary scheme of life. At the center of this story is a married couple and how evil seeks to destroy their marriage and how the Gospel seeks to restore the original design of a man and woman in holy matrimony. This was the first time I understood that this book is really about marriage.
Lewis, The Discarded Image, was a book by C.S. (Jack) that was one I’ve never read, till now. It is part of his literary critical work, in which he put forth his argument in the value of medieval models of thinking and art for Modern consideration. This work shows how Lewis was writing all his work from a vantage point that was pre-modern and yet not uncritical. In other words, he could see the problems of modern man in rejecting the Supernatural with unequaled intelligence and accuracy. He was a prophet from another epoch, looking into our own time pointing us to the enduring standard of God’s truth.
Timothy Keller, The Reason for God. The pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City shares his insights and shows years of wisdom in dealing with skeptics and unbelievers. This is a valuable example of actually doing apologetics (defending the Gospel) and commending the Faith to our unbelieving society.
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark. We have been taught that the Crusades were all bad from root to fruit and how we should carry the guilt of Western Civilization on our collective shoulders. Stark likes to shake the established view and does it with this book. Looking at the historical and fundamental military reasons for these wars, it becomes apparent that the fight for protection from Islamic tyranny, while not always offering a better solution, was a key motivation for these “religious” or cultural wars. I don’t agree with him on all points, but it is a good alternative to popular political correctness.
“Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens of C.S. Lewis”, by Michael Ward, is making the case that he has the golden key to understanding the scheme behind all that Lewis wrote. And he is right. Scholars dedicated to Lewis’ work might have laughed him off the stage, if they did not come to agree with Ward. They do agree with him. Most of us, including me find the medieval world too distant to understand it. Ward does understand this world and helps us all understand Lewis (a professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature) a bit more.
The Westminster Assembly, by Robert Letham, shows some of the thinking behind the Confession that would become the English speaking Reformed Church’s key theological framing document. We owe much to Letham’s work as a historian and writer to give us this much needed work.
Risking the Truth, by Martin Downes, has many contributions from various theologians and pastors on the danger of heresy in our day, when even among conservative evangelicals there is a desire to tolerate diversity at the risk of losing the truth.
The Young Calvin, by Alexandre Ganoczy, is a careful study of the early influences in the life of Calvin from his days in Paris and his struggle to come to terms with the need to break from the Church and make a clear stand for the Reformed faith. This is a good and fair treatment of Calvin, even though it was written by a Roman Catholic scholar.
Packer and Mark Dever, In My Place Condemned He Stood. Here two respected leaders and thinkers representing Anglican and Baptist confessions come together around the centrality of the Subsitutionary Atonement. Many today are rejecting this basic evangelical doctrine (like Emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren) and this book is a clear and beautiful call to return to the Cross for the vitality of the Gospel and the life of the believing Church.
In our ipod and digital age, the art of reading books is rapidly declining. Just consider how this past year Barnes & Noble has filed for bankruptcy and Borders Books is shutting down stores. All point to the growing illiteracy in our culture- which has always been a sign of spiritual darkness. Wherever the Gospel permeates a culture, it brings the power of the Word in written form, because the Word is what gives life. The Reformation brought the fire of truth to the masses through the publication of books. It is why Reformed Churches stress the ministry of books and the value of reading. I know this list seems a little cerebral, but only reflects what stands out in my mind as good literature I’ve enjoyed this last year.
James Boswell, The London Journal, was a surprise find at a Library sale. Boswell is known as the biographer of the great Samuel Johnson who wrote the famous Dictionary of the English language back in the 19th Century. This journal records the year Boswell lived in London and his first meeting with Johnson, a larger than life man of the town, yet deeply religious. Johnson was the antithesis of Boswell, who was raised in a strict Presbyterian home in Scotland and had come to London to escape the watchful eye of his father, who hoped his son would pursue a nobler calling than a literary one. Embedded in the detailed account of his days and reflections of his diary, one gets a sense that Boswell grew more and more distant from his childhood faith, while at the same time sporadically attending various churches and chapels near his flat in central London. He grew in his skepticism and unbelief, while very respectful of Johnson. What this book shows us is the sad descent into unbelief is even more common today among the new atheists who, unlike Boswell, see nothing good in faith.
C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, is the third of his so called sci-fi trilogy. It is really not about aliens and space travel, but about the nature of evil at work in the ordinary scheme of life. At the center of this story is a married couple and how evil seeks to destroy their marriage and how the Gospel seeks to restore the original design of a man and woman in holy matrimony. This was the first time I understood that this book is really about marriage.
Lewis, The Discarded Image, was a book by C.S. (Jack) that was one I’ve never read, till now. It is part of his literary critical work, in which he put forth his argument in the value of medieval models of thinking and art for Modern consideration. This work shows how Lewis was writing all his work from a vantage point that was pre-modern and yet not uncritical. In other words, he could see the problems of modern man in rejecting the Supernatural with unequaled intelligence and accuracy. He was a prophet from another epoch, looking into our own time pointing us to the enduring standard of God’s truth.
Timothy Keller, The Reason for God. The pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City shares his insights and shows years of wisdom in dealing with skeptics and unbelievers. This is a valuable example of actually doing apologetics (defending the Gospel) and commending the Faith to our unbelieving society.
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark. We have been taught that the Crusades were all bad from root to fruit and how we should carry the guilt of Western Civilization on our collective shoulders. Stark likes to shake the established view and does it with this book. Looking at the historical and fundamental military reasons for these wars, it becomes apparent that the fight for protection from Islamic tyranny, while not always offering a better solution, was a key motivation for these “religious” or cultural wars. I don’t agree with him on all points, but it is a good alternative to popular political correctness.
“Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens of C.S. Lewis”, by Michael Ward, is making the case that he has the golden key to understanding the scheme behind all that Lewis wrote. And he is right. Scholars dedicated to Lewis’ work might have laughed him off the stage, if they did not come to agree with Ward. They do agree with him. Most of us, including me find the medieval world too distant to understand it. Ward does understand this world and helps us all understand Lewis (a professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature) a bit more.
The Westminster Assembly, by Robert Letham, shows some of the thinking behind the Confession that would become the English speaking Reformed Church’s key theological framing document. We owe much to Letham’s work as a historian and writer to give us this much needed work.
Risking the Truth, by Martin Downes, has many contributions from various theologians and pastors on the danger of heresy in our day, when even among conservative evangelicals there is a desire to tolerate diversity at the risk of losing the truth.
The Young Calvin, by Alexandre Ganoczy, is a careful study of the early influences in the life of Calvin from his days in Paris and his struggle to come to terms with the need to break from the Church and make a clear stand for the Reformed faith. This is a good and fair treatment of Calvin, even though it was written by a Roman Catholic scholar.
Packer and Mark Dever, In My Place Condemned He Stood. Here two respected leaders and thinkers representing Anglican and Baptist confessions come together around the centrality of the Subsitutionary Atonement. Many today are rejecting this basic evangelical doctrine (like Emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren) and this book is a clear and beautiful call to return to the Cross for the vitality of the Gospel and the life of the believing Church.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Great Christmas Gift Ideas
Turn Christmas time giving into a sharing your faith gift: Give away a Christian book.
Who to Give To?A new believer to encourage them
Your next door neighbor
The person in your office.
A new person at Church
Your car mechanic
Your dentist or doctor
Your child’s teacher
Your boss
Your mailman
Your secretary or someone at work
To a missionary
To your barber or hairdresser
To the checkout clerk at the market
Your children
Your spouse
To any one – a random act of love!
Good books to Give Away
The Valley of Vision (Puritan Prayers)
J.I. Packer’s “Knowing God”
Sproul’s “The Holiness of God”
C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity”
Jerry Bridges, “Transforming Grace”
Phil Ryken’s, “The Prayer of our Lord”
John Stott’s, Basic Christianity
Francis Schaeffer’s “The Mark of a Christian”
Quotes on the value of books.“The person who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books.” Oswald Saunders
“One of the acid tests of a really fine book is that while you are reading it you put it down and start to think.” A.W. Tozer
“After studying the challenge of world evangelism for more than 50 years, the only plan I have that would result in the fulfillment of the Great Commission is a literature distribution ministry.” Oswald J. Smith (Canadian pastor)
“Reading on wise and virtuous subjects is, next to the Bible and prayer, the best improvement of our hearts. It enlightens us, it calms us, it collects our thoughts and prompts us to better efforts.” William Law
“ Paul is inspired yet he wants books: he has been preaching nearly thirty years, yet he wants books: he has a wider experience than most people, yet he wants books: he has been caught up into heaven and heard things which it is unlawful to utter yet he wants books: he has written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books.” Spurgeon on 2 Timothy 4:13
“If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth is not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his work will gain the ascendancy.” Daniel Webster
There you have it. The best Christmas gift idea ever. Give away books!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Children of the Covenant Part 2
1. What does baptism represent? When we seek to describe the sacrament of baptism, it is God’s Word that provides our only rule. Calvin wisely taught that if we cannot show from Scripture why we believe some thing to be true, then we should abandon that belief as not resting on the sure foundation of the Word of God.
Christ commanded his disciples to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat.28:19). So we baptize not on our authority, but on the authority of Jesus Christ.
Baptism in the Bible represents many truths about what God does in our salvation. It is not merely a public testimony of what we have done or what we believe.
Baptism portrays our dying to sin and new life in Christ. It pictures our entrance or adoption into God’s family. It portrays our washing from sin and the cleansing of forgiveness. It primarily is a picture of what God is doing for us in salvation. It is not tied to a specific time in our life, but tied to the reality of Christ’s work on the Cross.
2. What makes baptism effective? In fact, when baptism becomes just a testimony or expression of a person’s faith, then it only has meaning when the faith is real. It is true we must as evangelical believers be leery of empty rituals and religious observance where no true faith is required. God condemns such empty worship.
The church has experienced much damage by nominal Christians who have the false notion that they are true Christians because of some ritual they have had. Baptism without a serious commitment of faith and active obedience in a church family turns covenantal baptism into a lucky charm, ritualism or family tradition.
But, the danger of empty ritual, does not mean we correct the abuse by requiring something unbiblical – or extra-biblical.
When true faith is seen as a requirement to be a proper recipient of the blessings of baptism, then it is the experience of faith that becomes the foundation of Baptism, rather than God’s grace. What often happens then is a continual rebaptism – a person can have several baptisms, if they believe that they have a “true spiritual” experience that supersedes what they had before. This seems to me, to be a gross distortion of what Baptism represents.
There is nothing quite like the picture of infant Baptism that symbolizes the grace of God that chooses us and claims us, before we are able to acknowledge our need for God. In short, it is a picture of the Gospel, which is what defines the nature of a sacrament. They are visible pictures of God’s provision for us in Jesus Christ. Again, this is just as powerfully displayed in an adult believer’s baptism. An adult conversion from unbelief to accepting what Christ did and seeing a life transformed is a powerful testimony of God’s grace. May we see much of this in our church as well. But we believe God does not limit this sign to just adults. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Marvin Rosenthal, writing in Israel, My Glory, tells about a mother who was asked by a census taker how many children she had. She responded, “We’ll there is Billy and Harry and Martha and…” “Never mind the names,” the man interrupted, “Just give me the number!” The mother became indignant and replied, “They haven’t got numbers, and they’ve all got names.”
That is the way God sees his covenant children. He knows each of us by name and he knows those who truly belong to him. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows those who are His.”
Baptism does not make us Christian, it is God’s grace that does that. We belong to God, because God in his mercy gives us what we could not do for ourselves. We come; no we are brought to Jesus like helpless infants, for we are – incapable of doing anything, apart from God’s sovereign power (John 6:44). Baptism is a sign of what God is doing. It is not a sign like we might see on the side of the road that reads, “Men at Work” rather it is a sign that declares “God is at Work”.
We Come to Christ like Children
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them”. Mark 10:15-16
The puritan writer Chadwick reflects on the weak condition of children as a model for approaching the Lord. He writes, “A child is not humble through affectation, it never professes nor thinks about humility. But it understands, however imperfectly, that it is beset by mysterious and perilous forces, which it neither comprehends nor can grapple with. And so are we”.
Matthew Henry, the esteemed Bible teacher notes the manner of our coming to Christ. “That there must be something of the temper and disposition of little children found in all that Christ will own and bless. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children (v. 15); that is, we must stand affected to Christ and his grace as little children do to their parents, nurses, and teachers.” (Commentary on Mark)
Covenant children are brought to Christ, because they cannot come on their own. It is a reflection of the Christian parent to trust in God’s covenantal promises for us in our salvation and our children. The theologian J.I. Packer asserted pointedly that, “The Gospel of God is not properly understood till it is viewed within a covenantal frame.” Like all redemptive covenants, which are by nature covenants of grace, the pledges and signs are given to God’s people not on the basis of rewards but in the sovereign mercy of a God whose grace precedes our faith.
My prayer, dear parent is that you would understand that at the heart of covenant baptism is the picture of the Gospel of Grace. And that this sacrament would lead you to greater faith and love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and finally for your child as he or she grows up in the covenant community always hearing and receiving the means of grace. As Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” Romans 10:17 (ESV).
Dr. Todd Douglas Baucum
First Presbyterian Church
Enterprise, AL
Christ commanded his disciples to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat.28:19). So we baptize not on our authority, but on the authority of Jesus Christ.
Baptism in the Bible represents many truths about what God does in our salvation. It is not merely a public testimony of what we have done or what we believe.
Baptism portrays our dying to sin and new life in Christ. It pictures our entrance or adoption into God’s family. It portrays our washing from sin and the cleansing of forgiveness. It primarily is a picture of what God is doing for us in salvation. It is not tied to a specific time in our life, but tied to the reality of Christ’s work on the Cross.
2. What makes baptism effective? In fact, when baptism becomes just a testimony or expression of a person’s faith, then it only has meaning when the faith is real. It is true we must as evangelical believers be leery of empty rituals and religious observance where no true faith is required. God condemns such empty worship.
The church has experienced much damage by nominal Christians who have the false notion that they are true Christians because of some ritual they have had. Baptism without a serious commitment of faith and active obedience in a church family turns covenantal baptism into a lucky charm, ritualism or family tradition.
But, the danger of empty ritual, does not mean we correct the abuse by requiring something unbiblical – or extra-biblical.
When true faith is seen as a requirement to be a proper recipient of the blessings of baptism, then it is the experience of faith that becomes the foundation of Baptism, rather than God’s grace. What often happens then is a continual rebaptism – a person can have several baptisms, if they believe that they have a “true spiritual” experience that supersedes what they had before. This seems to me, to be a gross distortion of what Baptism represents.
There is nothing quite like the picture of infant Baptism that symbolizes the grace of God that chooses us and claims us, before we are able to acknowledge our need for God. In short, it is a picture of the Gospel, which is what defines the nature of a sacrament. They are visible pictures of God’s provision for us in Jesus Christ. Again, this is just as powerfully displayed in an adult believer’s baptism. An adult conversion from unbelief to accepting what Christ did and seeing a life transformed is a powerful testimony of God’s grace. May we see much of this in our church as well. But we believe God does not limit this sign to just adults. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Marvin Rosenthal, writing in Israel, My Glory, tells about a mother who was asked by a census taker how many children she had. She responded, “We’ll there is Billy and Harry and Martha and…” “Never mind the names,” the man interrupted, “Just give me the number!” The mother became indignant and replied, “They haven’t got numbers, and they’ve all got names.”
That is the way God sees his covenant children. He knows each of us by name and he knows those who truly belong to him. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows those who are His.”
Baptism does not make us Christian, it is God’s grace that does that. We belong to God, because God in his mercy gives us what we could not do for ourselves. We come; no we are brought to Jesus like helpless infants, for we are – incapable of doing anything, apart from God’s sovereign power (John 6:44). Baptism is a sign of what God is doing. It is not a sign like we might see on the side of the road that reads, “Men at Work” rather it is a sign that declares “God is at Work”.
We Come to Christ like Children
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them”. Mark 10:15-16
The puritan writer Chadwick reflects on the weak condition of children as a model for approaching the Lord. He writes, “A child is not humble through affectation, it never professes nor thinks about humility. But it understands, however imperfectly, that it is beset by mysterious and perilous forces, which it neither comprehends nor can grapple with. And so are we”.
Matthew Henry, the esteemed Bible teacher notes the manner of our coming to Christ. “That there must be something of the temper and disposition of little children found in all that Christ will own and bless. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children (v. 15); that is, we must stand affected to Christ and his grace as little children do to their parents, nurses, and teachers.” (Commentary on Mark)
Covenant children are brought to Christ, because they cannot come on their own. It is a reflection of the Christian parent to trust in God’s covenantal promises for us in our salvation and our children. The theologian J.I. Packer asserted pointedly that, “The Gospel of God is not properly understood till it is viewed within a covenantal frame.” Like all redemptive covenants, which are by nature covenants of grace, the pledges and signs are given to God’s people not on the basis of rewards but in the sovereign mercy of a God whose grace precedes our faith.
My prayer, dear parent is that you would understand that at the heart of covenant baptism is the picture of the Gospel of Grace. And that this sacrament would lead you to greater faith and love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and finally for your child as he or she grows up in the covenant community always hearing and receiving the means of grace. As Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” Romans 10:17 (ESV).
Dr. Todd Douglas Baucum
First Presbyterian Church
Enterprise, AL
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Why Join a Church?
From time to time there are people I meet who think that membership to a local church is optional. I can't say it enough...there is no such thing as a Christian without the Church; no lone believers; no rugged individualist...
So, I wrote this for our people and those who come visit us on Sundays, warm pews and might just be wondering what's all the fuss about putting one's name on paper.
What we really hope for is that you will come to know and love Jesus more and more. This is why we are here, because the Church is all about making Jesus known to the world. Notice how we talk about the Church – there is “one Church” and it was formed by Jesus Christ, he died for it and rules over it as Lord (Eph.1:18-22). So, it is hard to believe in Jesus and not love His Church. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we cannot do without it (Col. 2:6-10). Our local expression (First Presb.) is a part of this “One Church” and we share in the unity of this Body in baptism, faith and witness. As Presbyterians we are part of the Presbyterian Church in America, a biblical denomination, which is a called to live in obedience to Jesus Christ, following a biblical pattern of “presbyters” or elders who oversee the work and ministry of the congregation. Every believer is called to be a part of a visible fellowship, because the Holy Spirit has appointed offices and gifts to build up the Church for God’s glory (1 Cor. 12:27-31). This is why it is important to join a Church. Does this mean you should join us? Only if you think we are faithful to the Scriptures, preach the whole Gospel and encourage people to love Jesus more and more. If you do, we gladly welcome you.
Monday, December 6, 2010
How churches lose the plot, Part II - Reformation21 Blog
How churches lose the plot, Part II - Reformation21 Blog
Carl Trueman shows us why the battle for truth is usually lost from the rear guard. I highly recommend this post from Reformation 21. Of course the battle for truth when it comes to challenging someone's views does not necessarily follow that it be nasty or vitriolic. Published views either in books or blogs by officer bearers in Confessional churches are fair target, so long as the aim is fair.
Carl Trueman shows us why the battle for truth is usually lost from the rear guard. I highly recommend this post from Reformation 21. Of course the battle for truth when it comes to challenging someone's views does not necessarily follow that it be nasty or vitriolic. Published views either in books or blogs by officer bearers in Confessional churches are fair target, so long as the aim is fair.
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