The Work of Christ Portrayed by John White

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We have recently finished reading Gaal the Conqueror, volume two of John White’s Archives of Anthropos series. I previously reviewed volume 1, The Sword-Bearer.

I plan to review this book soon, but in the meantime, here is an extended excerpt in which White portrays the work of Christ at the cross. I thought this section was particularly well done. I was moved reading it and could not suppress a wide smile and triumphant gesturing as I read. You probably have to read the whole thing to appreciate this section, but I will try to capture it here in excerpt. A few explanations of characters are needed. Gaal is the Christ-figure- Son of the Emperor, incarnate to redeem creation. The satan figure is here portrayed as a bull (though he changes forms often in the story). John and Eleanor are the children from our world who have been transported to Anthropos. The first Regent (from the previous volume) portrays Adam. Anthropos is inhabited by various creatures, but humans only entered the world once the Regents (Adam and Eve) came. All the humans are thus descendants of the Regents. Pontificater is a winged horse (but if you read the book he is more complicated!).

“‘It is true that you will kill me,’ Gaal said. ‘you were a murderer from the beginning, and you are a murderer still. But when you kill me, it will be only as a knife kills a victim, a knife in the hands of a greater executioner. We both serve the interests of a higher justice – I willingly, knowing what I do, you as a fool and a liar.’
The bull roared so suddenly that John and Eleanor both jumped. It was hard to say whether it roared with rage or with laughter.
“‘Justice? What is justice? Only power matters now.’ It raised its head and shook it slowly from side to side as though it marveled at Gaal’s stupidity. ‘Even now you fail to grasp reality. You are not the victim of justice but my victim. Do you hear? My victim!’
‘Not so,’ Gaal replied quietly. ‘I am the victim of the One who must be true to himself! He is the real executioner, and his alone is the sacrifice. You are nothing more than an implement in his hand.'”
…
“‘Word, words, nothing but words!’ the bull bellowed. ‘Your only weapons are the words that come out of your mouth. Justice is a word – nothing more. What can words do? I have power. You die because I choose to kill you. The game is over. You are between my hoofs. I have won! Do you suppose I do not know you, Son of the Emperor? Ho, ho! The son himself’
‘You are forgetting something,’ Gaal replied quietly.
‘I never forget anything.’
‘You forget that I am also the last Regent. As the Son I do not fight with such as you. You were my servant once. But I am not only the Son.’
The bull’s eyes had narrowed to slits. It had ceased to paw the ground. ‘Well – and what of that?’ it said.
‘You deceived and defeated the first Regent!’
‘Just as I have defeated you.’
‘And so you have ruled his descendants as a tyrant.’
‘Precisely.’
‘So I have come as a Regent. I come to do what the first Regent failed to do – to overcome your tyranny and to undo what the first Regents did.’
The bull dipped its head in mock reverence. ‘And how will you do that, my Lord Last-Regent?’
‘You deceived the first Regent. You have not deceived me.’
‘But I have defeated you. What else matters?’
‘Not so. I am the last Regent, and I will give you a mortal wound. You will live for a time, and you will know you are defeated. It is not you who will defeat me. I am the one who will defeat you. I live forever.’
Then the bull roared yet more loudly, ‘Let us see!’ Lowering his head to the ground he rushed at Gaal. Gaal stood still as the black mass pummeled the ground in its race toward him. John lurched. Eleanor screamed. Suddenly the bull gored Gaal with one of his horns, tossed him high in the air and watched him disdainfully as he fell to the ground, to lie in unnatural stillness like a cursed and broken thing.
…
The bull raised its head and shook it, opening wide its throat and bellowing in triumph, ‘Now let the vultures pick at your bones! Your words were brave, but your strength was feeble. And as I have dealt with the Son, so shall I deal with the Emperor himself!’
…
[Gaal though wounded rises to finish his work by striking down the bull]
The bull had also knelt, and its head fell wearily forward. Sword in hand, Gaal surveyed it. He spoke softly but his words were clear, seeming to float through the still air to the most distant watchers with the greatest clarity. ‘Your time has come,’ he said. ‘Your power has now been broken, and death has lost its sting. For a little while you will make trouble. But your dying is now beginning.’ The bull made no sound.
Gaal placed his sword on the ground, strode to the bull and placed his right foot on the creature’s head. Then seizing the horn nearest him he tugged at it, tearing it
from the bull’s head and flinging it aside. The bull gave a roar of pain. He seized the second horn and tossed it aside too. Then he returned to Pontificater, picking up the sword which he raised above his head. Lifting his head skyward he cried with a loud voice that must have echoed among the invisible stars, ‘The task is accomplished! It is ended – done!'” (239-245)

After this Gaal does and later is resurrected. The Adam Christology, allusions to John’s gospel, and illustration of victory through suffering were great! This was a fun book to read which also was full of good theological and practical lessons.

“There are plenty of bad things that need killing”

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Every once in a while I mention here items on my Children’s literature blog. Certainly one role of a pastor is to encourage families in the training of their children.

Yesterday, I posted a reflection on a line from George Macdonald’s book, The Princess and Curdie. The wise, mysterious woman character encourages Curdie, a young boy, not to destroy his weapons even though he has just done wrong with them. Instead, she urges him:

“Keep them, and practice with them every day, and grow a good shot. There are plenty of bad things that want [need] killing, and a day will come when they will prove useful.”

This is a good point and one we should be communicating. Here is what I said at the other blog:

This is the real truth, but not very often told in children’s books today. We encourage not pacifism, but restraint and wisdom. For, we know there are bad things which need destroying. I intend to raise sons who can recognize such bad things and are able and willing properly to wield destructive force when necessary.

Interview with John Thornbury

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Recently I had the privilege of talking for a while with John Thornbury who recently retired from his church, Winfield Baptist, after pastoring there for over 40 years. He has also written several books. I was struck by the amount of wisdom and experience he has to offer to the rest of us, particularly as a man who has faithfully labored in one place for more than four decades weathering the ups and downs and seeing God build His church.

He graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me to post here. I was particularly struck by his comment, “Growing in the Lord means growing in love for his sheep”. I hope this is an encouragement and help to you as well.

1. What advice would you give to a younger pastor beginning ministry at a new church? Any warnings or particular encouragements about how he begins?
Candidates for pastoral ministry need to be aware up front that “the churches are not into you.” They perceive that the pastor is there to minister to them, to nurture, care for and bless them. This seems selfish and is I guess. I believe, however, that with time they will come to appreciate a true shepherd and will begin to seek to return the caring and loving relationship. Particular advice: respect has to be earned, it cannot be demanded immediately. Many people are suspicious of preachers, due in part to the bad reputation some have projected to the public.

2. I have heard you talk about key problems which can “torpedo” a man’s ministry. Can you list those and discuss them, explaining why they are key problems and how we can avoid them?
Problems that torpedo a pastoral position.
1. Greed. The pastor must beware of appearing to preach for money. A contract and understanding should be worked out with the church before he accepts the position so he does not have to rattle the cup after getting into the office. A friend of mine once said, “You can live on what God provides for you.”
2. Lust. No need to expand on this.
3. Ambition. The pastor must be able to look himself in the mirror without embarrassment. Sure, the goodwill of the people is necessary, but he must lovingly, but firmly stick by his convictions. If God has called him He will see the pastor through his difficulties. Craving to be popular is deadly.
4. Intellectualism. Beware of thinking that the only task of the preacher is to get up into a high tower and “hand down” the word a couple of times a week. He must be involved in people’s lives: hospital, funeral, counseling. Young pastors tend not to have natural compassion, so they should pray for it. Growing in the Lord means growing in love for his sheep.

3. While in many circles we have reclaimed the importance of preaching, there seems to be a lack of awareness among some preachers of the importance of actually shepherding the flock. Could you speak to the importance of the “out of the pulpit” side of ministry, including visiting the sick, counseling, and personal conversations?
Of all the spiritual roles one can have, the PASTOR is the most like Christ. He is a shepherd. What does a shepherd do?
1Feeds the flock. Teaching the whole counsel of God, expounding the word from the pulpit.
2. Cares for the flock. When sheep get in the ditch, he must be there. He must learn to pull them out. As I heard a preacher say yesterday, “Sheep are ignorant, defenseless and dirty.” Jesus will help the pastor to learn to be there for them.
3. Protects the flock. Protects them from false doctrine, false teachers, and wolves that abound today.

4. What basic advice would you give on establishing long term patterns for faithful sermon preparation?
One of the greatest examples of a balanced minister, from a Reformed standpoint (He would not like this term) is Spencer H. Cone, pastor of First Baptist of New York early in the 19th century. He believed that preparation for the pulpit is a 24/7 business. It is not just poring over book, but he is preparing all the time. Wherever he is: observing the world around him, at athletic events, at the beach. He believed a true preacher should be able to preach at the drop of the hat. The preacher should be aware of the world around him, every field is important. Drink in life and draw illustrations from real life experiences. Summary: the preacher should read but be thinking and preparing ALL THE TIME.

5. Is there any other particular advice you would like to give?
1. Pick the right wife. A pastor’s wife can make or break him. She should share the burden of ministry.
2. Put Christ in ever message. Take a text and sometime head with it to the cross. People need to hear about JESUS. “Sirs, we would see Jesus.”
3. Avoid the Moses syndrome. I have come to the conclusion that Moses was rebuked by God and did not enter the promised land because he became angry and impatient with the people. I believe God was saying to him, “If I can put up with these people, you can.” His smiting the rock instead of speaking to it showed his disgust.

Communion Is Not for Self-Flagellation

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I am currently working on a chapter on the practice of communion in churches (I promise, Tom and Matt, I am chasing that deadline!). I recently found an older expression of a view of communion which I want to counter. Here then is an excerpt from my work at this stage:

J. M. Pendleton in his Baptist Church Manual states, “If ever the tragedy of Calvary should engross the thoughts of the Christian to the exclusion of every other topic, it is when he sits at the table of the Lord.”[1] He draws this conclusion from Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 11:26- “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (ESV). I think Pendleton has improperly applied this verse and the results of such application are widely seen. Very often people do in fact approach the Lord’s table in this way, focusing exclusively on the tragedy of Christ’s death. The sense is that the purpose of this exercise is for us to focus on our sin, to remember afresh the depth of our wickedness and how much this cost God. It is almost as if God is that mother who constantly reminds the family how much she has suffered for everyone and wants to make sure you never forget it! But this most certainly is not the point Paul is making. Pendleton (and others after him) unnecessarily infers the word “tragedy.” Yes, the table proclaims Christ’s death, but not simply- or even primarily- the tragedy of His death. Notice the point is that this is “proclamation.” Elsewhere in the New Testament what is being proclaimed when Christ’s death is in view? It is not tragedy, but hope! It is the fact that the death of Christ has made possible the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, transference from being enemies of God to being children of God! What is proclaimed is good news, the gospel. We do wrong when our participation in communion is some sort of self-flagellating focus on tragedy. We do not gather to tell God we’re sorry He had to go through this. We are reminded of our sin, and the length to which the love of God went, but the focus is celebrating the grace of God and giving thanks to God for his amazing grace.

Pendleton goes on to say that communion is “a solemn celebration of his atoning death.” Here, I could not agree more. I simply think that the full weight of the word celebration was not allowed in his previous discussion and is often absent in our practice today. The taking of the elements is the tangible proclamation and reminder of the forgiveness of sins. It is one of God’s prescribed means of reminding His people that he has forgiven their sins. So, let us celebrate communion certainly with awe, amazed that God would do this for us, and with deep thanksgiving.

[1] J. M. Pendleton, Baptist Church Manual (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1966), 89.

Ken Myers on Titus and Cultural Engagement

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In the recent issue of Touchstone Magazine Ken Myers’ article “Waiting for Epimenides” draws from the letter to Titus lessons for cultural engagement. This is a good article both in its handling of Titus and in its observations of the current church scene. Here are some quotes:

“A passion for Christian maturity is easily obscured when church leaders become preoccupied with the church’s cultural relevance.” (9)

“Far from looking more like their neighbors in the interest of winsomeness, they are enjoined to live lives that put their neighbors to shame.” (11; commenting on Titus 2:1-10)

“St. Paul’s letter to Titus is a bracing rebuke to much of the vague talk about cultural engagement one hears in so many Christian settings….  It recognizes that cultural moods and styles can be enemies of faithfulness.” (11)

Noting that there are often secular voices pointing out the deadening effects of cultural trends, Myers goes on to say:

“But, all too often, these prophetic voices are ignored, as American churches have emulated the most popular trends of our time to attract people who want a spiritual supplement to the cultural status quo instead of a radical critique of the conventional wisdom. Christian leaders have assumed that “engaging the culture” means finding out what the majority wants and figuring out how to exploit those desires in the name of Jesus.” (11)

If you are not a subscriber to Touchstone, I would encourage you to try out the magazine.

Concordia Commentary

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I try to stay fairly well aware of commentaries and commentary series with my work at the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies and in writing an annual survey of Bible reference works for Preaching Magazine. However, I have recently realized that I had entirely missed a significant series. As part of the work for this fall’s article for Preaching Magazine, I have been perusing Reed Lessing’s volume on Amos in the Concordia Commentary. When I read the series description I was hooked. Here is the description:

Concordia Commentary: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture is written to enable pastors and teachers of the Word to proclaim the Gospel with greater insight, clarity, and faithfulness to the divine intent of the biblical text. This landmark work will cover all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, interpreting Scripture as a harmonious unity centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Every passage bears witness to the Good News that God has reconciled the world to Himself through our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.

The commentary fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture as it emphasizes “that which promotes Christ” in each pericope. Authors are sensitive to the rich treasury of language, imagery, and themes found throughout Scripture, including such dialectics as Law and Gospel, sin and grace, death and new life, folly and wisdom, this fallen world and the new creation in Christ. Careful attention is given to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. Further light is shed on the text from archaeology, history, and extrabiblical literature. Finally, Scripture’s message is applied to the ongoing life of the church in terms of ministry, worship, proclamation of the Word, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, confession of the faith – all in joyful anticipation of the life of the world to come.

Close attention to original languages, Christo-centric reading, and an eye toward the life of the church. And that description is so well written! Of course writing a series description and fulfilling it can be two different things, but this Amos volume seems to accomplish the goals.

I have only seen one volume, but this is now certainly a series I will look for.

Carl Trueman on Oversight of Souls

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If you are not aware of Carl Trueman’s writings you ought to be. His latest essay in Themelios is a summary of what he says to students wanting to pursue a PhD. Along the way in the argument, though, Trueman makes a key point about the importance of church membership and the personal involvement of pastors in the lives of their members. In this Trueman echoes one of key concerns of this blog and lands on the same conclusion I do regarding church size. Here is the quote:

Second, church involvement brings with it a natural accountability at a very practical level. Here I guess I show my strong preference for smaller churches. I cannot prove from Scripture that a church should never consist of more than three hundred or so people, but I would argue that a church which is so big that the pastor who preaches cannot know every member by name, and something about their daily lives, needs, and struggles, is a church where the pastor cannot easily fulfill the obligations of a biblical shepherd of God’s flock. Put bluntly, I want to be in a church where my absence on Sunday will soon be noticed and where the pastor or elders can draw alongside me and ask the pertinent questions. I want to be in a church where the eldership takes note if my behavior towards my wife or children is sub-par on a Sunday (hinting at much worse in private). I want to be in a church where I pray for the leadership and where they pray for me – not just in a generic sense of being part of the membership, but informed prayer based on real relationships. In other words, I want to be in a church where my pastor is, well, my pastor and not just that guy who is preaching over there in the distance on a Sunday morning. Put yourself in a small, faithful church, and the pastor is more than likely to hold you accountable to the basics of Christian belief and practice.

Carl Trueman- “Minority Report: A Question of Accountability”

The Sword Bearer

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The Sword Bearer, John White
The Archives of Anthropos series
(IVP, 1986), pb., 294
Ages 8 or 9+

When I was in about the fifth grade I had read the Chronicles of Narnia and was “hungry” for more books in that vein. In a church library I stumbled across John White’s The Tower of Geburah. I don’t remember much of the plot now, but I remember that I loved it! I have for some time then looked for that book to read to my boys. Along the way I discovered that it was part of a six volume series. I wish I had known this as a boy. I am sure I would have read them all. The series was out of print for some time so I was delighted a couple of years ago to discover that IVP had reprinted the entire series. For my birthday this year, then, my wife and boys gave me the entire set. Since that time (March) my boys have been eager for me to begin reading them. This summer we finally had the opportunity to read this book, the first volume of the series. I was excited but also nervous or uncertain for a couple of reasons. First, I had not read this particular volume before. Second, books that seemed great as a child sometimes end up having significant flaws when you see them as a result. Nevertheless, we began the journey.

The beginning of the book really made me question it. In fact at one point (one or two days into reading) I considered not continuing. The story started slowly (which is not that unusual) but it also was weird and graphic. The description of the death of the grandmother of John (the main character) was unnecessarily graphic and creepy. I had to do some significant editing in this portion. However, we persevered and were glad we did.

John accidentally finds his way into another world (in a way similar to Narnia) which he discovers in called Anthropos. In fact he finds that the inhabitants of this world believe he is the Sword Bearer, a prophesied and long-expected person who will help to deliver them from the oppression of the Lord Lunacy and his minions. The story as it develops from this point is adventurous and compelling. My boys were engrossed and particularly liked the characters Aguila (a giant eagle) and Oso (a giant bear). These characters and others were joined in an effort to overthrow the powers of evil which were dominating their land. They were led by Mab, a powerful prophet. Mab spoke for and wielded power from the Changer, the God-figure of the story. Several times in the story people would refer to Mab as a wizard, but he would quickly correct them saying he was actually a prophet. He traffics in no secret arts but simply wields the power of the Changer as the Changer sees fit.

The author also makes intriguing plays on words for his names and titles. The allegorical points are typically clear. One fun title was certain “magic” stones which could be used to request help from the Changer. They were called “pross” stones, but we discover that the real name is “pross ecomai” stones. That is basically a transliteration of the Greek verb for “I pray.”

As the story progresses John has to battle his own guilt and the temptations of the Lord Lunacy. He has to deal with his own pride before being willing to drink the “wine of free pardon.” John’s struggles resonate clearly and provide good examples of our own struggle with sin. The story provides good examples of the folly of arrogance, stubbornness, the damaging results of sin, the power of forgiveness (as well as the humility needed to receive it), the power of God, and the privilege of playing a part in the advance of his kingdom.

Though the beginning was rough, in the end we really enjoyed this book and are already well into the second volume. It has a number of similarities with the Narnia series but is not simply an imitation. It is not as smooth as Narnia- for example there are times when the characters seem to be unnecessarily slow in figuring out a problem. However, it is a really fun story with good adventure and great illustrations of our own fight with sin, guilt and forgiveness. I think it does a good job as well in tapping into that desire to be a part of a work or fight with cosmic significance. I know my boys sense that longing and books like this help them to see that the kingdom of God is the place to invest themselves and to find such significance. And that that only comes from being made right with God.

Calvin on Trusting the Love of God

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In looking through the recently published new English translation of Calvin’s sermons on Luke’s infancy narratives, I came across this quote which connected with my previous posts on trusting the love of God despite our feelings or circumstances. This is another example of pastoral preaching, of which Calvin is a great example. He is known as a great intellect but his sermons show him to also be a true shepherd in tune with the struggles of his flock and the troubles of the soul. May we also be such shepherds.

“The word ‘knowledge’ thus arms us against such devilish errors. When God gives us proof of his fatherly love, he desires us to have full assurance, so that we are not left to murmur to ourselves, ‘I think . . . I assume . . . That’s how it seems to me . . .’ No, this is the judgment each of us must make: ‘God never disappoints those who look to him. So when my trust is firmly fixed on him, he will never let me down.’ In ourselves we are guilty creatures, condemned to perdition. But when God, by his word, calls us to himself, we rise so to speak from death to life, we emerge from hell and draw near to him, knowing that we do not come to him in vain.

Inevitably we will experience doubt and distress. In this world our faith can never be perfect. We must battle with our troubles which, like the waves of the sea, push us this way and that. Are we tempted to distrust God? Are we weak in the faith? Is our trust in God’s word less firm than it should be? We should not lose heart, but instead remember that, whatever happens, God will not fail us. That is what we must do when the devil seeks to unsettle us, when he reminds us of our sins and sorely tries us. We know that we cannot live free of distress. Angry winds will swirl around us. Yet we must always come back to this fixed point: since our Lord has spoken, let us simply accept what he has said, persuaded that he will fulfill all our hopes and much
more besides. His goodness goes far beyond all we can conceive or imagine.” 111-112
(John Calvin. Trans. by Robert White. Songs Of The Nativity: Selected Sermons on Luke 1 & 2. Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth Trust, 2008)