Postmode

This video was interesting, especially in its observation about liberal versus conservative views of the role of government in charity.

Distilled essence: Conservatives are more generous with their own money; liberals are more generous with everybody else’s money. Socialism is government-sanctioned thievery, people.

And I am afraid there are Calvinists, who, while they account it a proof of their humility that they are willing in words to debase the creature, and to give all the glory of salvation to the Lord, yet know not what manner of spirit they are of. Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit. Self-righteousness can feed upon doctrines, as well as upon works; and a man may have the heart of a Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature and the riches of free grace.

- John Newton (coincidentally quoted in a book by the author below named, Reformed Is Not Enough)

Are you children of Abraham? Don’t show us the papers of your family tree — do the works of Abraham. Are you Lutherans? Then preach like Luther did. Are you children of Calvin? Then do the works of Calvin. Don’t read us the words of Calvin in a monotone; don’t read them off the marble monument you set up in the lobby of the Reformed museum. And if you try to read them in that monotone, and I object, don’t try to make it appear that I have problem with his words. Preach them to the world in the open air; preach them in such a way that people start accusing you of being a madman, or drunk, or evil, or something. Preach them in such a way that people set up anonymous websites to destroy your reputation. Don’t pin his words to a poster board like a row of dead but orthodox butterflies.

- Doug Wilson, “Orders of Magnitude” on Blog and Mablog

(HT: Thank you much to Jill Antolin for bringing these words to mind from C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain)

I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity today, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never meant to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps by God’s grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys: I am even anxious, God forgive me, to banish from my mind the only thing that supported me under the threat because it is now associated with the misery of those few days. Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had for me but forty-eight hours and then only by dint of taking everything else away from me. Let Him but sheathe that sword for a moment and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over–I shake myself as dry as I can and race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness, if not in the nearest manure heap, at least in the nearest flower bed. And that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless.

- C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp. 106-107

I connect so much with these words that Lewis wrote. It seems like there are these world-shattering moments of fear and complete helplessness, when I am so ready to rely on God and submit everything to him in prayer, but then daily life comes and the monotony of it all can be equally shattering to the strength of my faith in God. It is so easy not to take complete joy in Christ and to not be grieved by my own sin or hard-heartedness, and yet when I become fearful, there I am, begging him to keep me safe. Is it not a great wonder that he doesn’t cast us off? And is it not an odd coincidence that we look at the continued lack of faith in God on the part of the Israelites following Moses following God, and yet we think we would never be so blind and stupid; or that we look at the disciples in their constant ignorance about Christ and his sovereignty and lordship, and think we would never be so foolish? It is important to remember just how foolish we are, and how most of us have not by any means made any great progress beyond these fellow fools. God have mercy; God be pleased to grant us the grace to take joy in what he takes joy, and to be grieved over what he is grieved by.

As an American I think that I deserve so much, I deserve: great schools, financial help in a bad economy, health, good insurance, a life free of fear, low gas prices, social mobility, “The American Dream”, I deserve to be the master of my life. In actuality, I deserve far less. God would be totally just in condemning me. God does not owe me anything. If he destroyed me in his wrath it would merely be to the exaltation of his glorious justice. I am a sinner. Too often my actions seek to dethrone God to organize a cosmic coup where I seek to take his throne and rule myself and others. Yet God rich in mercy does not pour out his wrath on me for my sin. No, he poured out his wrath on his Son, killing Christ in my place. I deserve nothing and I have been given everything. So fundamentally, my lack of contentment shows a deficiency in my understanding of the gospel.

What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

- Phill Crust, “The Grace of God in Good Sermons”

A few wolves can do great damage in a naive flock.

- Mark Driscoll, “Putting Pastors In Their Place” (click to watch/download) - Text & Context, February 25th, 2008

If you’re saved by the blood of Christ, by his grace which causes you to have faith in him and rely on him for salvation… then you have at least one.

We don’t talk about these often, and when we do, it’s usually the crazy guy with white pants, a $400 weekly hair-cut, who always talks about slaying people in the spirit while pushing them over, and has a wife who wears too much make-up and is also called “pastor” - the “charismaniacs”, in Mark Driscoll’s words. And when these guys do speak about spiritual gifts, they sound and look like crackheads and so most people ignore them, and that’s good, because we don’t want you or me or anyone else to be listening to somebody who doesn’t know what in the hell they’re talking about, and while we’re talking about hell, who are also probably going there because they’re not obsessed with Jesus but with all the money that people will give them because they think they’re loving on Jesus by doing that. Those men are shameless, and I hope you never have to be exposed to teaching about spiritual gifts from them. But to where shall you turn?

Fear not! If you’ve never really thought about what your spiritual gifts may be, or don’t know much about what spiritual gifts are, there’s a good guy named Mark Driscoll who is a pastor up in Seattle at a little church called Mars Hill. He did a series of six sermons on spiritual gifts. I downloaded them all and put them up on my website for you to download (cause their website is kind of a hassle to use, a little bit). Here are links below. Right-click and click on “Save Link As…” (Firefox users) or “Save Target As…” (Internet Explorer users). I don’t know what text you have to click on in Safari to download sermons, but typically only smart people use Macs, so I figure you’ll probably already know how to download files anyway. Once you’ve downloaded them, you can listen to them in iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etcetera. Alternatively, if you just click on the link (instead of right-clicking) it should play in your browser.

Spiritual Gifts I: Overview, and Wisdom & Knowledge
Spiritual Gifts II: Faith, Healing, Miracles, and Discernment
Spiritual Gifts III
Spiritual Gifts IV: Encouragement, Giving, Leadership, Mercy, and Hospitality
Spiritual Gifts V: Tongues and Prophecy
Spiritual Gifts VI

I have long contended (privately, but now publicly) that the greatest thoughts come while taking a BM (bowel movement, in the vernacular). More support for this comes from Luther, perhaps:

There is also some debate over exactly where Luther’s insight took place. A somewhat cryptic remark in one of Luther’s personal recollections has been the subject of much interest. Luther wrote of being granted his theological insight in a room identified by the Latin abbreviation cl. What could this mean? One obvious interpretation would be that the abbreviation is to be understood as cloaca - a semipolite Latin term for “latrine” or “privy.” This possibility has provoked considerable discussion. For example, John Osborne’s 1961 play Luther represents Luther as achieving theological insight at the same moment as he experienced relief from a long-standing bout of constipation.

This might initially seem somewhat improbable. Nevertheless, Luther himself saw a link between Satanic temptation and latrines, even if that connection might well be puzzling to most modern readers. In a recollection dating from Christmas 1531, Luther quotes a popular poem concerning the monk who is caught by the devil reading his prayers in the latrine:

Devil: Monk on the latrine!
You shouldn’t be reading matins here!
Monk: I am purging my bowels
While worshiping almighty God.
You can have what goes down,
While God gets what goes up.

- Alister McGrath, In The Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture

Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have … The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.

- Thomas Jefferson

More evidence that our founding fathers thought it highly wise to maintain a highly limited government?

And I don’t mean King George.

Anonymous Attack Sites at The Waterspout.

Is it nothing to you that God should kill your child in anger, ruin your estate in anger, break your bones in anger, suffer you to be a scandal and reproach in anger, kill you, destroy you, make you lie down in darkness in anger? Is this nothing to you, that he might punish, ruin, and undo others because of your sin?

Let me not be mistaken. I do not mean that God always sends these things on His children in anger; God forbid! But this I will say, when He does deal with you in such a way, and your conscience bears witness with Him that you have provoked His judgment, you will find that His dealings will be full of bitterness to your soul. If you do not fear these things, I fear you have been hardened by sin.

- John Owen, Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers (HT: Bob Buchanan)