"Education with Force"

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In one of our Wednesday night classes we are reading and discussing Thabiti Anyabwile’s What is a Healthy Church Member? (which I have commented on here previously). Last night we came to this quote which Anyabwile cited from Jay Adams:

“When we are baptized into the church, we thereby matriculate into Christ’s school. Then, for the rest of our earthly life, we are to be taught (not facts alone, but also) to obey the commands of Christ. This is education with force, education backed up by the discipline of good order that is necessary for learning to take place.”

That is a great quote getting at the heart of what it looks like to mature in the Christian life and the role of the church in that maturation. Many today talk about the lack of discipleship, but often people fail to realize the missing link is “education with force.” The church has mirrored many of our schools- the removal of discipline has made it impossible for real learning and formation to take place.

Luther as Father

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In the Van Neste household here today is celebrated as Reformation Day and the kids love it. We do well to remember our roots in the Reformation and the blessings in many areas which have come to us as a result of this historic renewal of the church.

There are many important things which grew out of the reformation, but one that is often missed is the raising of the value of the family. This can be seen in many ways, but one way (as with much in the Reformation) is simply to look at the life of Martin Luther. One standard book on the Reformation makes this comment about Luther:

“The Luther that survived in the memory of Germany was not Luther the friar but Luther the father of a family.”*

From the Reformation doctrines emerges the idea of the father shepherding the flock of his family, teaching the scriptures to his children and leading them in prayer and singing. The church today desperately needs renewal once again and reclaiming this role of fathers, mothers and families will be one key aspect in such a renewal.

* Owen Chadwick, The Reformation (Hist of the Church) (Penguin Books, 1972), p. 74.

Reformation Day 2008

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Happy Reformation Day! Others may engage in Halloween or worry about Election Day, but let the church rejoice in the reminder of the recovery of the Gospel and in the reminder of the value of laboring for the purity of the church!

At Union we have had two wonderful chapel messages this week dealing with the Reformation. On Wednesday Kevin De Young, co-author of Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be, gave a great exposition of the gospel of justification by faith and you can find the audio here. Today Jim Patterson, Professor of Church History here, gave a moving overview of Luther’s work and its implications for the church today.

In a day where there is much concern about what will happen with our government (understandably), let us be reminded that the church is central. The church is the pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Tim 3:15) and the church is where we are to see the glory of God displayed (Eph 3:21). We need a recovery of the gospel in our day along with a renewal of teasing out the implications of this gospel in every area of life.

Previous Reformation Day Posts:
2007- Reformation, Mission & Suffering
2006- For All The Saints
2005- Parallels Between the 16th Century and Today

(In the photo I am holding a Luther-o-lantern carved by talented students!)

CT Article on the Psalms

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Christianity Today has just published an excellent article on praying the Psalms by Ben Patterson. Patterson recounts his own experience of learning more about prayer by praying the Psalms. This is an excellent article which makes me interested to check out the book from which this article is drawn- God’s Prayer Book: The Power and Pleasure of Praying the Psalms.

Here are a few quotes from the article:

“My problem with the Psalms was my problem with prayer: There was too much ‘me and Jesus’ in my praying, and there needed to be a lot more ‘we and Jesus.'”

“Enter the Psalms: I may not personally be in the dark pit the man who prayed Psalm 88 was in, but there are many who were and are this very moment, my sisters and brothers in the persecuted church worldwide. We are part of the same body; we are family in a family closer and more enduring than any earthly family. The psalm enables me to enter into real fellowship with them, whether or not I ever meet them on earth, whether or not I ever experience personally what they experience. Their experiences are ours.”

“I started reading and praying the Psalms like a child learning how to read, learning a new ‘vocabulary, a grammar, and a plot line’ – discovering a family tree I didn’t know I had.”

Stetzer on Living the Gospel

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Ed Stetzer was our speaker in chapel here at Union today. He did a great job preaching on living the gospel from 2 Cor 5:16-21. You can access the audio here.

He quoted Mark Twain saying that the church is good people standing in front of good people telling them how to be good people. This is indeed how the church is viewed too often- both inside and outside of the church. We so desperately need to become gospel-centered people- people who know our own deep need of the gospel, who have seen and experienced the beauty and power of the gospel , whose lives are increasingly shaped by the gospel, and who therefore seek to share this gospel with others.

The Use of the Psalms

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Over the years I have become increasingly interested in the role that the Psalms have played historically in the worship and life of Christians. Rarely in my circles does one ever hear of how central the Psalms have been in the congregational singing of the church historically or how common has been the practice of praying the Psalms. Yet, when you discover eras where these practices have been common, you typically find particularly hardy saints (e.g. the Huguenots & Covenanters). What is it in the soil of the Psalms that we are missing? Why have we paid so little attention to divinely inspired songs and prayers which can give us words for singing and praying? These are ongoing concerns of mine which will be reflected in a series of chapels at Union this Spring.

In thinking about this I was delighted this last week to purchase Solid Ground Christian Books’ recent Trilogy on the Psalms. Included are these books:
Rowland Prothero, The Psalms in Human Life (orig published 1903)
William Binnie, A Pathway into the Psalter: The Psalms: Their History, Teaching, and Use (orig. published 1870)
John Ker, The Psalms in History and Biography (orig. published 1886)

These are fascinating books. Ker’s volume goes through each Psalm in canonical order commenting on people or situations where that Psalm was used to encourage, challenge and bless. Prothero then goes chronologically through history commenting on how the Psalms were used by Christians in each period. Binnie, the longest book, deals with a number of technical issues in the Psalms, surveys their theology and then closes by examining who the church has used the Psalms over the years. These summaries of how the church has made use of the Psalms makes me yearn to make more of this great treasure.

Persecution and Slavery in Asia

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My friend Phil Eyster, of Eagle Projects International, has just returned from a mission trip to Asia and has reported on it in his mission ‘plogs’ (follow the link and click on ‘plogs’). The photo shown here is of some girls they have helped rescue from the child slavery market. Phil wrote:

I wanted to relate one story from our last night in Nepal. We had the privilege of meeting with 4 of the 24 young girls that we have rescued from the child slavery market. The statistic is that each year over 15,000 young girls are taken, from Nepal and sold on the worldwide market. In the last few months we were able to rescue 4 more. Their stories are too graphic and terrible to share here. It will take them many years to heal, but they are on their way. When they first came to us, they would not smile at all.

In the previous ‘plog’ Phil commented on their work in a very sensitive area, where they were monitored closely even having police watching them as they “shared” with 300 people gathered in the area. They were able to meet one of the first believers in this tribe and to hear his story of persecution and perseverance. Phil commented:

There are some extremely dedicated people here who are working under very difficult conditions. They are front line messengers who are plowing virgin territory for Christ. They are the real heroes of the faith.

These posts can help us in praying specifically for brothers and sisters who suffer for the faith in other parts of the world. You can also learn about, support and participate in the worthwhile work of EPI.

Iron Scouts of the Confederacy

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Iron Scouts Of The Confederacy, by Lee McGiffin
(Christian Liberty Press, 1993), pb., 157 pp.
Ages 6+

This was a fun book which also introduces the reader to some key leaders in the Confederate cavalry who are often overlooked today. According to the foreword, this book “chronicles the true adventures of two teenage brothers who grew up during the War Between the States as orphans and soldiers.” The fact that the main characters are boys themselves always adds to the interest level of my boys. Then, the fact that these are true stories adds even more to the interest.

The main characters, Gant and Ben Fane, boys aged 14 & 16, have been left orphans due to the war and are left in charge of the family farm. Eventually they end up involved in the war travelling from their home in Alabama to Virginia to serve under General Wade Hampton. Along the way they meet and serve under John Mosby as well. Hampton and Mosby were key figures both during and after the war though they are often forgotten today. I appreciated the opportunity to introduce them to my boys in this way. The story follows the adventures, sufferings and lessons Gant and Ben encounter through the war. Nobility, courage, character, perseverance, and loyalty are encouraged in the book.

We had a great time reading this book and commend it to you.

Fatherlessness

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I have been thinking a good bit recently about the problem of fatherlessness in our churches. In crisis after crisis I discover that one root has been the absence of a father in someone’s life- through absence, neglect, or abuse. I have seen enough of this that it has made me all the more earnest in fathering my own children, and it has made me begin to think how the church can address this pain in the lives of our people. It is not accidental that the commandment which marks the shift from dealing directly with God (1-4) to commands dealing with our interaction with other people (6-10) calls for the honoring of parents. As marriage is to portray Christ and the church, so fathers provide the earliest portrayal of God the Father.

While thinking on this, I came across James Grant’s post commending Doug Wilson’s review of The Shack. Wilson’s review is very helpful, both in being aware of this book and in diagnosing this key problem- fatherlessness- in evangelicalism. It is well worth reading.

Roger the Ranger

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Roger the Ranger: A Story of Border Life Among the Indians
, Eliza Pollard
(Inheritance Publications, 2008; originally published in London, S. W. Partridge & Co., 1893)
pb., 210 pp.
Ages 6+

This is an exciting story following the fortunes of two families in colonial America who have been very close for years but end up divided by the French and Indian War. My boys enjoyed the action and suspense. I also appreciated a good portrayal of life and issues of the time. Pollard gives a positive assessment of British and French leaders (Wolfe and Montcalm, as well as Howe). There is a fairly balanced view of both sides in the war which is valuable.

This book is a good representative of 19th century children’s historical fiction. Key virtues such as bravery, nobility, loyalty, faith, and family are stressed. War, at times, does seem to be presented as a good in itself, though.

In the end, this was a fun, informative read which encouraged key virtues. We enjoyed it and would commend it to others.

(The Amazon link says this book is out of print, but it is not. It is still available from the publisher).