Nov
30
The subject is the beard. ‘Are you going to grow a beard like Joe and Grant?’ I’ve been asked about a dozen times over the last month. I can still sense the itchiness of my 2001 goatee on a warm day. Then Joe shocks the church by shaving his off yesterday! These are confusing times, indeed. I love to quote the saints of days gone by, and here are some from an early Church father, Clement of Alexandria:
- “How womanly it is for one who is a man to comb himself and shave himself with a razor, for the sake of fine effect, and to arrange his hair at the mirror, shave his cheeks, pluck hairs out of them, and smooth them!…For God wished women to be smooth and to rejoice in their locks alone growing spontaneously, as a horse in his mane. But He adorned man like the lions, with a beard, and endowed him as an attribute of manhood, with a hairy chest–a sign of strength and rule.” Clement of Alexandria, 2.275
- “This, then, is the mark of the man, the beard. By this, he is seen to be a man. It is older than Eve. It is the token of the superior nature….It is therefore unholy to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairiness.” 2.276
- “It is not lawful to pluck out the beard, man’s natural and noble adornment.” 2.277
OK, then–so Clement would think me effeminate for lathering up and using the razor every day. But what about the spirituality of curtailing those unruly nose hairs that make me twitch and those renegade eyebrow hairs that descend into my field of vision? Have the Amish been right all along?
This is a good time to remember a basic lesson or two in Christian ethics from the New Testament. First, the believer’s life is a life of Christian liberty in grace, governed by love. In Galatians 5:1 Paul asserts this in the face of those who would require circumcision of Gentile converts to the faith, and one could certainly make a better biblical argument for that than one can for the growing of beards! If I am reading Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 correctly, Clement has no biblical ground to judge me for shaving, nor should I enroll him in the Gillette shave test panel and have free razors shipped to his address in Alexandria every month. Shaving is a matter of ethical indifference. Clement is correct in his concern that men be men and not adopt effeminate ways. In our current cultural context, though, dragging a razor across my face in the morning seems pretty manly compared with the practices of the cross-dressing, trans-whatever subcultures in the West. Now there’s something to rail against!
We will always encounter issues in which we find fellow Christians condemning certain actions (wine, dancing, etc.) as always evil. What is condemned as evil may indeed be used wickedly, but that does not mean that it is evil in and of itself. Christ has purchased for us a liberty that is to be exercised for good of the Body of Christ. As we mature in Christ, we find ourselves seeing the world with new eyes. We see patterns of sin and unbelief where we never recognized them before. We find motives that are more mixed than we once discerned. We discover areas of our life which resist the lordship of Christ.
A believer is to endeavor to have and maintain a ‘good’ or ‘pure’ conscience before God and man (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 2 Cor. 1:12; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:3; Heb. 13:18; 1 Pet. 3:21). Here’s a good summary from Carl F.H. Henry’s Christian Personal Ethics:
The great purpose of God in separating for himself a people is not that they develop a negative or passive attitude toward certain areas of life. Rather, it is that they be conformed to the character of the Living God. Jesus reserved some of his most scathing denunciation for those whose separation was only legalistic negativism. Separation unto God does not imply that separation fro evil is unimportant, but only that separation from evil is the correlate of an intimate personal fellowship with the Living God.
Clement was a vegetarian too–but, well, never mind…
Below are pictures of (L-R): Clement, Joe, and Grant:
Nov
28
John Bunyan
Filed Under Books, John Bunyan, Puritans, Reading | Leave a Comment
Taking a glimpse at who was born on this day in history I noticed the name of John Bunyan. Bunyan was born in Elston, England on November 28, 1628. That historical fact gives me ample reason in this post to remind you of Derek Thomas’ parting words to our Fall Lecture series: “I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Pilgrim’s Progress and I hope you will reread it in the coming weeks.”
There is a misunderstanding amongst many Christians that to be a “well-read Christian” you need to have read many books. Against that thought, I would make the suggestion that your soul would be done much more good if you pick a handful of really great Christian classics and reread them numerous times. If we are going to agree with Solomon that, “to the making of books there is no end”, then we will also have need of some means of judging good books. The test of history is a hard test to pass. But if a book passes that test, you can be sure it is a good one. Pilgrim’s Progress has passed the test of history with flying colors. When I talk to dear old saints in Christ the one Christian book that always comes up as being of tremendous help to their souls is Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. So, if you don’t own a copy, by one. If you haven’t read your copy, take the upcoming Holiday season to read Pilgrim’s Progress and to learn at the tinker’s feet.
Nov
27
The Waterboys–Revisited
Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment
The Smithereens sang, ‘It’s Time for Something New.’ But like most of the sweets found at The Sweet Dropper, old recipes are hard to beat. I haven’t indulged my 80’s “revisited” fancies in a couple of months, so let me sing the praises of another obscure ’80’s act that is still around and making some good music: The Waterboys. Click here to visit their official website.
Scotsman Mike Scott formed The Waterboys in 1983 and released three very good albums exploring what Scott had dubbed ‘The Big Music,’ which he described in a 2000 interview as ‘a metahpor for seeing God’s signature in the world.’ They gained my attention at this time when they were opening for The Pretenders and U2. After their 1985 release This Is the Sea (The single ‘The Whole of the Moon’ is, I think, one of the best songs ever written, and I was pleasantly surprised to read recently Scott’s comment that C.S. Lewis was a primary inspiration for that song.), the band dissolved and re-formed, pursuing a more Celtic-folk sound well-represented by Fisherman’s Blues (1988). During the 1990’s the band dissolved and re-formed a couple more times, sometimes reflecting more rock influence and at other times swinging back to the Celtic-folk roots.
A college roommate of mine once derisively called The Waterboys ‘English major music,’ and yes, I hold a degree in English. What was intended as a dismissive comment from a banking and finance major actually contains a lot of truth. What makes their music fascinating and still worthy of attention beyond mere style and skill is the way that good literature has influenced the lyrics and music of the group–William Butler Yeats, C.S. Lewis, Robert Burns, George MacDonald, and James Joyce, to name a few. Christian symbolism and themes are scattered through every period of their music. It also needs to be noted that The Waterboys also show neo-pagan influences as well.
Mike Scott’s myspace.com site describes their influences as follows:
“Wind, sea, fire, earth, blood coursing through veins, bone, wood, Bob Dylan’s ‘reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it’, CS Lewis’s Further Up Further In, rock and roll, Steve Reich, Mark Helprin’s book Winter’s Tale, celtic fiddle and box music, the Isle of Iona, Joe Strummer’s stomping left foot, the Beatles doing ‘Hey Jude’ on TV with the audience on stage, Sitting Bull, Dion Fortune, gentle humour, unseen allies, all of the above and above all love.”
It’s music worth visiting and revisiting. Click on the album covers for Amazon listening and ordering info.
Nov
21
Thanksgiving or Grumbling?
Filed Under Christian Living, Prayer | Leave a Comment
Here’s a worthy quote from John Stott’s Baptism and Fullness:
We are to be “always and for everything giving thanks” (Eph. 5:20). Most of us give thanks sometimes for some things; Spirit-filled believers give thanks always for all things. There is no time at which, and no circumstance for which, they do not give thanks. They do so “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” that is because they are one with Christ and “to God the Father,” because the Holy Spirit witnesses with their spirit that they are God’s children and that their Father is wholly good and wise. Grumbling, one of Israel’s besetting sins, is serious because it is a symptom of unbelief. Whenever we start moaning and groaning, it is proof positive that we are not filled with the Spirit. Whenever the Holy Spirit fills believers, they thank their heavenly Father at all times for all things.
—John Stott. BAPTISM AND FULLNESS, Second Edition. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1976, p. 58.
Nov
17
Good Books to Give or Get as Gifts
Filed Under Books, Christian Living, Family, John Bunyan, Music, Reading | Leave a Comment
That time of year is approaching where we, in recognition of the tremendous gift of redemption we have received in Jesus Christ, give gifts to one another. In may be that your more planned out family and friends are asking what you would like to receive for Christmas. To that end let me suggest a few books that you’ll find great to give or receive.
- The ESV Bible - Phillip, Grant, and I use and love this translation. Don’t worry, you don’t have to feel disloyal to your translation of choice. I suggest everyone have one or two different translations they read from in addition to their favorite one. It keeps the text fresh. You’ll find the ESV to be on a higher reading level than the NIV and less wooden than the NAS.
- Calvin’s Institutes - This is the classic summation of Reformed Theology. Get the Ford Lewis Battles translation only. Some of it is going to be over your head but the majority of it is quite honestly the best devotional material ever written.
- Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress - If you don’t think you need to read this book, just ask someone who has attended our lecture series this fall. By most accounts this is the most popular book in history behind the Bible.
- Ryle’s Holiness - This book rocked my spiritual world when I read it first in seminary. I’ve reread it many times and used it in small group settings. Ryle is so Biblically honest and insightful about Christian living you are constantly in a state of conviction over your sin and encouragement over the promises held out in the gospel.
- Piper’s Desiring God - John Piper, in this book, elaborates on the first question of the Shorter Catechism, especially emphasizing our duty to enjoy God forever. If you think of Christianity as plan B drudgery full of sack cloth and weeping, this book will rock you back on your heels. Get it and find out what Piper means by “Christian hedonism.”
- Elizabeth Prentiss’s Stepping Heavenward - For you ladies, this is a “girl book.” Generations of women have found this fictional diary of a woman’s growth in Christ to be both searching and encouraging to their own walk with Christ. For you hymnologists out there, Elizabeth Prentiss also wrote the hymn, More Love to Thee, O Christ.
- The Trinity Hymnal - Every family should own a Trinity Hymnal. It is indispensable in conducting family worship in your home. It is also a tremendous aid in devotions as you read through hymnody, the devotion book of Christian history. As and added bonus you also pick up the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Westminster Confession, and Shorter Catechism as items included in the appendix.
- Terry Johnson’s The Family Worship Book - More than any other book this book helped me form the thought and practice behind how we do family worship in our home. It is intensly practicaly, providing the how-to’s that most fathers crave. If you’ve struggled to lead your family in worship, this will be a huge encouragment and help to you.
There are tons more that I could add but I’ll stop here for now. If Phillip, Grant, or you want to add to the list, simply leave a comment below.
Nov
17
Affections
Filed Under Christian Living, Jonathan Edwards | 1 Comment
A professor of classical literature told me about a conversation he had with a fellow Latin professor. The two were walking across campus, when my friend said, “You know, I was reading the most beautiful passage last night in Cicero….” “WHAT?” his colleague interrupted, “You don’t actually read that stuff at home, do you?” To one man, classical literature was the way he had chosen to make a living. To the other, it is a brilliant world in which he finds himself lost in wonder and excitement, even in his spare time. One man teaches a subject; the other bestows an infectious loveliness upon those who will listen. Which man would you rather have for a professor? Which would engage your attention and make you want to learn?
The best measure of the health of our souls is found in what we truly love. Right thinking is important, as is obedience, but of what value are these without our affections being captured with the majesty of God and the loveliness of Christ? That is what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength–all our deepest affections. Henry Scougal wrote some three hundred years ago: “The most ravishing pleasures, the most solid and substantial delights that human nature is capable of, are those which arise from the endearments of a well-placed and successful affection.”
Scripture describes godly religion as a matter of the affections and emotions: fear (Ps. 2:11; 19:9; 25:14; 33:8; 34:9; Lk. 12:5; Acts 9:31; Phi. 2:12; 1 Pt. 2:17; Rev. 14:7; 19:5), hope (1 Cor. 13:13; Ps. 146:5; 33:18; 147:11; Heb. 6:19; 1 Pt. 1:3) love (1 Tim. 1:5; Gal. 5:14; Rom. 8:8; Ps. 18:1; 31:23; 119:132), hatred (Pr. 8:13; Ps. 98:10; 101:2-3; 119:104), desire (Is. 26:8; Ps. 42:1-2; 63:1-2; 119:20; Mt. 5:6) joy (Ps. 28:7; 37:4; 33:1; Phi. 3:1; 4:4; 1 Thess. 5:16),sorrow (Mt. 5:4; Ps. 51:17; 34:18), gratitude (1 Chron. 16:7-41; Neh. 12:31,40; Ps. 28:7; 100; 107; 118) compassion (Ps. 37:21; Pr. 14:31; Col. 3:12; Mt. 5:7; 23:23; Mic. 6:8; Hos. 6:6), zeal (Titus 2:14; Rev. 3:15-19).
Note that these affections are not merely warm, fuzzy emotions. A Hallmark greeting card is sufficient to produce those kinds of emotions. Feelings themselves are not adequate indicators of regeneration, for genuine affection leads to fruit: thoughts, words, deeds which reflect what the heart truly loves and desires. It’s like having a Southern accent. As hard as one might try to disguise it in front of others (Why would one want to do so in the fuhst place?), eventually a word or phrase will give it all away.
Inevitably we are transformed into the image of that which we love. If we love what is base and vulgar, we will be base and vulgar people. If we love what is honorable and righteous, we will be honorable and righteous people. We should not expect our children to love and honor that which elicits from us no demonstrable love and honor. We should not expect the world around us to be attracted to Jesus Christ when we show so little affection for him. We should face the facts: How often our complaints about the church arise from our boredom with God. How often dull sermons arise from boredom with God–on the part of the listener or of the preacher! How often private worship and family worship seem unbearable because we have so little fellowship with the Triune God to begin with, when the TV is a more familiar friend and companion.
How should we then live? We should seek those means which increase and stir our affections toward God, namely worship, prayer, meditation on the Scriptures. We should be ashamed of our cold, hard hearts toward God and the Gospel, especially in light of God’s creation of us as emotional beings. Jonathan Edwards observed, “God has given to mankind affections for the same purpose as that for which he has given all the faculties and principles of the human soul, that they might be subservient to man’s chief end, and the great business for which God has created him, that is, the business of religion. And yet how common is it among mankind, that their affections are much more exercised and engaged in other matters, than in religion.” What do you love? Or, more significantly, whom do you love?