A Thanksgiving Hymn

This is all reposted from the Indeliblog. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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In honor of Thanksgiving I thought I would post this background to a great Thanksgiving hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” by Martin Rinkart (A 17th century German hymnwriter). The following is from Catherine Winkworth’s “Christian SIngers Of Germnay.” She is the one who translated the hymn in the 19th century.

This classic hymn was written by a pastor (Martin Rinkart) who suffered greatly through the 30 Years War in Germany during which (through war and famine) 4/5 of the population of Germany died. He himself was in extreme poverty and when the pastors of his 2 neighboring towns died he ended up having to do the work of 3 pastors, burying 4,000 people in 1637 (50 per day!) - including his wife - when the plague hit. This was followed by a famine so severe that 30-40 people could be seen in streets fighting to the death over the corpse of a dead cat. And then right after this the Swedes invaded and demanded a ridiculous amount of money in tribute. The story goes that he went to intercede with the Swedish commander to reduce the tribute and the commander refused. At this point Rinkart turned to the crowd that was with him and said “Come my children, we can find no hearing, no mercy with men. Let us take refuge with God.” he then fell to his knees and prayed with such pathos that the commander reduced the tribute from $30,000 to $2,000. He wrote this hymn in 1644, 4 years before the Peace of Westphalia that ended the War in 1648.

Here is the text:

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" -- Mikes Hymn o' the week for Friday, Nov. 1, 2007

In honor of the recently-passed Reformation Day, I present what many have called The Battle Hymn of the Reformation, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," by Martin Luther (tr. by Frederic H. Hedge).

A Mighty Fortress is Our God
by Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

"Here I Stand"

Four hundred-ninety years ago today, a revolution was launched in Wittenberg, Germany. It began quietly, as God chose a pious and somewhat belligerent Augustinian monk-turned-professor of theology -- Martin Luther -- who, on this day in 1517, pounded his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" -- which later became known as the 95 Theses -- on the church door at Wittenberg. With every pound of his hammer he sent echoes through the Christian world, and he got noticed, and soon he found himself targeted as a “wild boar” to be hunted in the “vineyard” of the Church of Rome.

Luther did not set out to break away from the Church of Rome. He merely saw in the Church’s behavior what he believed Scripture proved to be error, and called on Rome to repent. His primary dispute was with the sale of plenary indulgences, which supposedly granted the buyer a free pass out of purgatory into the gates of Heaven; "when the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs,” goes the saying attributed to Johann Tetzel. The money Tetzel and others were collecting from the poor peasants was being used to facilitate the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. As an example of Luther’s style, his Thesis 86 asks, "Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?"

For all his well-documented faults, it seems that Luther understood the depth of his sin to a great degree. He was a pious monk who could find no solace in any of his rituals or confessions. In fact, it is said he wore his abbott out with confessions; he always felt he could have done things better. In fact, he wrote: “If ever a monk got to heaven by his sheer monkery, it was I. If it had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, reading, and other work.” The analog to Paul is painfully obvious, as one is reminded of his words in Phillippians 3:

“If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

And Luther understood that this -- the resurrection from the dead unto glory -- was exactly what was at stake. He came to understand Paul’s words in Romans, that the “just shall live by faith,” meant that no one is saved by works or law-keeping. It is not the purchase of an indulgence that will allow one to stand before God at the final judgment, but instead the truths found in what are known as the “five solas” of the Reformation: eternal life given is only by the sovereign grace of God (sola gratia) to those to whom He has granted faith (sola fide) in Jesus (solus christus), as taught in Scripture alone (sola scriptura), to the glory of God(soli deo gloria). It was this convicting knowledge that allowed Luther, knowing he would very possibly die, to stand before Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor (who wanted Luther to recant, to go back on his writings), at the Diet of Worms in May of 1521, and say: “Unless I shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear reason ... I neither can nor will make any retraction, since it is neither safe nor honorable to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Today, my friends, I encourage you to remember the sacrifices made by Luther and others, as we commemorate the glorious return of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into Western Christendom. We simply cannot fathom how different our lives would be if God had not raised up people such as Luther, Calvin, and others like them. Our modern understanding of the Bible as the sole infallible guide for faith and practice can be traced directly back to the Protestant Reformation. Quite frankly put, if you are not a Roman Catholic, this is your heritage, and to ignore the teachers God has provided to teach his people throughout history is downright disrespectful.

If this topic interests you further, I’d encourage you to give the latest Apologetics.com Radio Show a listen, as it covers this very topic: The Reformation Show.

I leave you today with the first two questions (and their answers) from the Heidelberg Catechism, a confession springing up out of the Reformation. In my mind, they capture some of the best, most important truths in all of Scripture.



Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
Question 2. How many things are necessary for thee to know, that thou, enjoying this comfort, mayest live and die happily?
Answer: Three; (a) the first, how great my sins and miseries are; (b) the second, how I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries; (c) the third, how I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance.

much thanks to christopher neiswonger for inspiring some of the phraseology above

"Who is This?" -- A hymn

I realize I have been extremely poor at blogging lately. The only excuse I can make is a decided lack of time. Even now, I should be studying for my topology exam on Friday night, but there is a hymn I want to share very badly, so I'll get right onto it.

The hymn is called "Who is This (So Weak and Helpless)?" and it is lyrically magnificent (I must also put a plug in for Sandra McCracken's performance of it on the Indelible Grace IV: Beams of Heaven CD...it's wonderful). This is one of the most profoundly Christological hymns that I can think of, and lays out quite clearly the idea of the infinite almighty God taking on human flesh, that the man "who hangeth dying while the rude world scoffs and scorns" is, in fact, "the God who ever liveth 'mid the shining ones on high"; the man "despised, rejected, mocked, insulted, beaten, bound" is our God, who "shall smite in righteous judgment all His foes beneath His throne." The way the first half of each verse describes a limitation of the human and the second half of the verse so clearly illustrates the way in which our God is so utterly perfect is one fantastic example of why I love hymns so much, and what deep theology we're NOT learning from much (though not all) of what is being written and sung today.

Who Is This (So Weak and Helpless)?
By William W. How

Who is this so weak and helpless, Child of lowly Hebrew maid,
Rudely in a stable sheltered, coldly in a manger laid?
’Tis the Lord of all creation, who this wondrous path hath trod;
He is God from everlasting, and to everlasting God.

Who is this, a Man of sorrows, walking sadly life’s hard way,
Homeless, weary, sighing, weeping, over sin and Satan’s sway?
’Tis our God, our glorious Savior, who above the starry sky
Now for us a place prepareth, where no tear can dim the eye.

Who is this? Behold Him shedding drops of blood upon the ground!
Who is this, despised, rejected, mocked, insulted, beaten, bound?
’Tis our God, who gifts and graces on His church now poureth down;
Who shall smite in righteous judgment all His foes beneath His throne.

Who is this that hangeth dying while the rude world scoffs and scorns,
Numbered with the malefactors, torn with nails, and crowned with thorns?
’Tis the God Who ever liveth, ’mid the shining ones on high,
In the glorious golden city, reigning everlastingly.

"O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week for Friday, September 28, 2007

I love how even old, familiar hymns sung in new ways or new contexts seem to feel brand-new again. Last night at the weekly meeting for Campus Crusade for Christ, our speaker spoke on 2 Samuel 9. I was as shocked as anyone to hear a speaker at CRU speak on an OT text. :) But it's a very beautiful story of David as king remembering his covenant with Jonathan and showing kindness to Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, who was lame in both feet.

Anyway, our speaker closed by having us sing a few verses of this old hymn of Wesley's, the lyrics of which are printed below, and come courtesy of CyberHymnal.org. Seriously, that website rocks.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Words by Charles Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" -- Mikes Hymn o' the Week for Friday, September 14, 2007

This week's hymn is "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise." I recall singing this hymn growing up in the LCMS; it was one of the hymns I looked forward to singing, because I appreciated the melody. Now that I'm (a little) older, I really appreciate the lyrical depth, as Smith draws together so many different and varied attributes of God and weaves them together unto His Glory.

Enjoy the words of Walter Smith.

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
By: Walter C. Smith

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 4:20

1 Corinthians 4:20

"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."

John Calvin:

"20. For the kingdom of God is not in word As the Lord governs the Church by his word, as with a scepter, the administration of the gospel is often called the kingdom of God Here, then, we are to understand by the kingdom of God whatever tends in this direction, and is appointed for this purpose — that God may reign among us. He says that this kingdom does not consist in word, for how small an affair is it for anyone to have skill to prate eloquently, while he has nothing but empty tinkling. Let us know, then, a mere outward gracefulness and dexterity in teaching is like a body that is elegant and of a beautiful color, while the power of which Paul here speaks is like the soul. We have already seen that the preaching of the gospel is of such a nature, that it is inwardly replete with a kind of solid majesty. This majesty shows itself, when a minister strives by means of power rather than of speech — that is, when he does not place confidence in his own intellect, or eloquence, but, furnished with spiritual armor, consisting of zeal for maintaining the Lord’s honor — eagerness for the raising up of Christ’s kingdom — a desire to edify — the fear of the Lord — an invincible constancy — purity of conscience, and other necessary endowments, he applies himself diligently to the Lord’s work. Without this, preaching is dead, and has no strength, with whatever beauty it may be adorned. Hence in his second epistle, he says, that in Christ nothing avails but a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) — a statement which is to the same purpose. For he would have us not rest in outward masks, but depend solely on the internal power of the Holy Spirit. But while in these words he represses the ambition of the false apostles, he at the same time reproves the Corinthians for their perverted judgment, in measuring the servants of Christ by what holds the lowest place among their excellences. Here we have a remarkable statement, and one that is not less applicable to us than to them. As to our gospel, of
which we are proud, — “Of which we boast and glory so much.” where is it in most persons except in the tongue? Where is newness of life? Where is spiritual efficacy? Nor is it so among the people merely. “And it is not among the people merely that this defect exists.” On the contrary, how many there are, who, while endeavoring to procure favor and applause from the gospel, as though it were some profane science, aim at nothing else than to speak with elegance and refinement! I do not approve of restricting the term power to miracles, for from the contrast we may readily gather that it has a more extensive import." 1

May God give us power and not let us try to rely on our selves.

1 From John Calvin's commentary on 1 Corinthians 4:20 found at Christian Classics Ethereal Library: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom39.xi.iv.html

"How Can I Keep From Singing?" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week for Friday, September 7, 2007

Sorry I didn't get this out earlier. Things have been crazy around here with the start of school, and getting into a minor car accident the other night, and suchlike. I hope to return to the blogosphere in full force very soon. Until then, I give you the following hymn. This one is different in that I have never actually sung it or heard it sung; the words are enough to move me, though, and that, I think, is the true beauty of hymns--it's in their lyrical content. Yes, of course the music is good, and in many ways exemplifies what modern music is lacking. But it's the lyrics that teach us good, true, beautiful things about God and ourselves and how we relate to God and the world around us. It is in that very sense that Lowry's words are beautiful to me even though I lack the musical experience of singing the song.

How Can I Keep From Singing?
By Robert Lowry

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav’n and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

Trinitarian Heresies

Here is a start of a two part post concerning the Trinity and heresies of the Trinity. The following is the Athanasius Creed which lays out the true belief of the Trinity. It's a good forerunner because it is better to understand what is true before you look at what is false.

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the catholic faith.
Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally.
Now this is the catholic faith: We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is
still another.
But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.
What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit.
Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated
is the Spirit. The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit
is infinite. Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is eternal;
as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is
uncreated and unlimited.
Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one
who is almighty.
Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is
God:
And yet there are not three gods, but one God.
Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord:
And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.
As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.
The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten;
the Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten of
the Father; the Spirit was neither made nor created, but is proceeding from
the Father and the Son.
Thus there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.
And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other;
but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.
Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.
It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.
For this is the true faith that we believe and confess: That our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man.
He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father, and he is man, born in the world from the being of his mother -- existing fully as God, and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body; equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity. Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ.
He is united because God has taken humanity into himself; he does not transform deity into humanity.
He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures.
For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man.
He suffered death for our salvation.
He descended into hell and rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life, those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith.
One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Athanasian_Creed"

"Not What My Hands Have Done" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week for Friday, August 31, 2007

I hope to put some content that is not a hymn up here sometime soon, but no promises. School has started, and I am busy. I need to figure out how my schedule will shake out....

Anyway, this week's hymn is "Not What My Hands Have Done," which again comes to me via the Indelible Grace project. It's a wonderful reminder of our utter inability to save ourselves before the God of the Universe. We rest entirely on His grace and His love for our faith: " ’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives; I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives."

At any rate, here is the hymn text.

Not What My Hands Have Done
By Horatius Bonar

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

"O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go" -- Mikes Hymn o' the Week for Friday, August 24, 2007

Here is another fantastic hymn from the Indelible Grace project. I'll let the words speak for themselves.

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
By George Matheson

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

"The Sands of Tme are Sinking" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week for Friday, August 17, 2007

I apologize for missing last week. Jordan and I were camping in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park; I had intended to post early, and then simply ran out of time.

This week's hymn is, "The Sands of Time are Sinking" -- it's probably my current favorite. Again, it was introduced to me via the Indelible Grace project (I've italicized the verses appearing in their version for the interested reader), and it speaks in beautiful language of the coming glory of the new heavens and new earth, and how the beauty of that place will be the glory of the Lamb: "not at the crown he giveth, but on His pierced hand/the Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land."

The Sands of Time are Sinking
By: Anne R. Cousin

The sands of time are sinking, the dawn of Heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for—the fair, sweet morn awakes:
Dark, dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

O Christ, He is the fountain, the deep, sweet well of love!
The streams of earth I’ve tasted more deep I’ll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Oh! Well it is forever, Oh! well forevermore,
My nest hung in no forest of all this death doomed shore:
Yea, let the vain world vanish, as from the ship the strand,
While glory—glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

There the Red Rose of Sharon unfolds its heartsome bloom
And fills the air of heaven with ravishing perfume:
Oh! To behold it blossom, while by its fragrance fanned
Where glory—glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

The King there in His beauty, without a veil is seen:
It were a well spent journey, though seven deaths lay between:
The Lamb with His fair army, doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory—glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Oft in yon sea beat prison My Lord and I held tryst,
For Anwoth was not heaven, and preaching was not Christ:
And aye, my murkiest storm cloud was by a rainbow spanned,
Caught from the glory dwelling in Immanuel’s land.

But that He built a Heaven of His surpassing love,
A little new Jerusalem, like to the one above,
“Lord take me over the water” hath been my loud demand,
Take me to my love’s own country, unto Immanuel’s land.

But flowers need nights cool darkness, the moonlight and the dew;
So Christ, from one who loved it, His shining oft withdrew:
And then, for cause of absence my troubled soul I scanned
But glory shadeless shineth in Immanuel’s land.

The little birds of Anwoth, I used to count them blessed,
Now, beside happier altars I go to build my nest:
Over these there broods no silence, no graves around them stand,
For glory, deathless, dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Fair Anwoth by the Solway, to me thou still art dear,
Even from the verge of heaven, I drop for thee a tear.
Oh! If one soul from Anwoth meet me at God’s right hand,
My heaven will be two heavens, In Immanuel’s land.

I’ve wrestled on towards Heaven, against storm and wind and tide,
Now, like a weary traveler that leaneth on his guide,
Amid the shades of evening, while sinks life’s lingering sand,
I hail the glory dawning from Immanuel’s land.

Deep waters crossed life’s pathway, the hedge of thorns was sharp;
Now, these lie all behind me Oh! for a well tuned harp!
Oh! To join hallelujah with yon triumphant band,
Who sing where glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

With mercy and with judgment my web of time He wove,
And aye, the dews of sorrow were lustered with His love;
I’ll bless the hand that guided, I’ll bless the heart that planned
When throned where glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Soon shall the cup of glory wash down earth’s bitterest woes,
Soon shall the desert briar break into Eden’s rose;
The curse shall change to blessing the name on earth that’s banned
Be graven on the white stone in Immanuel’s land.

O I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved’s mine!
He brings a poor vile sinner into His “house of wine.”
I stand upon His merit—I know no other stand,
Not even where glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

I shall sleep sound in Jesus, filled with His likeness rise,
To love and to adore Him, to see Him with these eyes:
’Tween me and resurrection but Paradise doth stand;
Then—then for glory dwelling in Immanuel’s land.

The Bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory but on my King of grace.
Not at the crown He giveth but on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.

I have borne scorn and hatred, I have borne wrong and shame,
Earth’s proud ones have reproached me for Christ’s thrice blessed Name:
Where God His seal set fairest they’ve stamped the foulest brand,
But judgment shines like noonday in Immanuel’s land.

They’ve summoned me before them, but there I may not come,
My Lord says “Come up hither,” My Lord says “Welcome home!”
My King, at His white throne, my presence doth command
Where glory—glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

Faith

An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Luther’s German Bible of 1522 by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

“Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. “Faith is not enough,” they say, “You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.” They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, “I believe.” That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn’t come from this `faith,’ either.

Instead, faith is God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they’re smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.” Martin Luther. 2.

"Jesus, I Come" -- Mikes Hymn o' the Week for Friday, August 3, 2007

This week's hymn is "Jesus I Come," by William T. Sleeper. It's one that's been on my mind for a few weeks now. Enjoy Sleeper's words!

Jesus, I Come
By: William T. Sleeper

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessèd will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy throne,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

"The Lord Will Provide" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week for Friday, July 27, 2007

This week's hymn is "The Lord Will Provide," by John Newton. It must be one of Newton's lesser-known (certainly lesser-known than "Amazing Grace"). A cursory Google search did not yield the full set of lyrics. I should say, I have usually been getting them from CyberHymnal.org, and there is a hymn there entitled, "The Lord Will Provide," but it is not this one. Instead, it comes to me via Matthew Smith's CD, "All I Owe" (and its liner notes).

The song as whole is a great testament to the Christian's life, lived dependent wholly on God. The most beautiful part of the song for me is the very last line: "We hope to die shouting the Lord will provide". It puts a tear in my eye as I pray that it will be true of me. A man whose life ends shouting, "the Lord will provide" is a man whose life was lived by that philosophy, who has no fears, doubts, or regrets, but instead knows that his Lord will welcome him with open arms into Paradise. May it be true of each of us, that we die shouting, "the Lord will provide!"

The Lord Will Provide
by John Newton

Though troubles assail and dangers affright,
Though friends should all fail and foes all unite;
Yet one thing secures us, whatever betide,
The scripture assures us, the Lord will provide

The birds without barn or storehouse are fed,
From them let us learn to trust for our bread:
His saints, what is fitting, shall ne'er be denied,
So long as it's written, the Lord will provide

We may, like the ships, by the tempest be tossed
On perilous deeps, but cannot be lost.
Though Satan enrages the wind and the tide,
The promise engages, the Lord will provide.

His call we obey, like Abram of old,
Not knowing our way, but faith makes us bold;
For though we are strangers we have a good Guide,
And trust in all dangers, the Lord will provide

When Satan appears to stop up our path,
And fill us with fears, we triumph by faith;
He cannot take from us, though oft he has tried,
This heart-cheering promise, the Lord will provide

He tells us we're weak, our hope is in vain,
The good that we seek we ne'er shall obtain,
But when such suggestions our spirits have plied,
This answers all questions, the Lord will provide

No strength of our own, or goodness we claim,
Yet since we have known the Savior's great name;
In this our strong tower for safety we hide,
The Lord is our power, the Lord will provide

When life sinks apace and death is in view,
This word of his grace shall comfort us through:
No fearing or doubting with Christ on our side,
We hope to die shouting the Lord will provide

"The Church's One Foundation" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week, Friday, July 20, 2007

This week's hymn for contemplation is "The Church's One Foundation," words by Samuel A. Stone. If ever there is a good old Reformed hymn, this is it (actually, there may be others that are better, but there are great examples of Reformed theology in here). Aside from that, it is a wonderful song of the Church and her relationship to the Godhead.

But hey, I'll stop blabbing and let the hymn speak for itself.

The Church's One Foundation
By: Samuel A. Stone

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!

’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.

O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
Forever shall abide!

Hope from History (via the Trinity Law School blog)

Just thought I'd share a very cool post by Donald McConnell over at the Trinity Law School blog (Dean McConnell is also writing for the Christian Theology team blog). He opens with

Do not be discouraged.

In the fight to reform America and her laws, it could be easy to become discouraged. More and more people seem to be rejecting the very idea that moral truth exists, can be known, and should be the spirit behind all human laws.

But things have been as bad or worse at other times in history.

and then continues to lay out a few examples. It's a great reminder to not get too caught up in the moment but to instead understand that God can work even through times such as these that we find ourselves in now.

From the Confessions of Augustine:

Book I, [IV] 4. What art Thou then, my God? What, but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong; stable, yet incomprehensible; unchanging, yet all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking; supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. And what have I now said, my God, my life my holy joy? or what saith an man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not, since mute are even the most eloquent.

I really enjoy the last two sentences the most. Also, does anyone know if Augustine was Roman or African? I know he was born in Numidia, but that area was controlled or was previously controlled by Rome, correct? And, was he originally writing in Greek or Latin? Becasue he said he enjoyed learning Latin and not Greek. Anyway, it really doesn't matter at all; I was just wondering.

"For all the Saints" -- Mike's Hymn o' the Week (Friday, July 13, 2007)

In an effort to encourage my small sphere of influence on the Interweb to sing more hymns, I am going to begin posting a favorite hymn of the week on Fridays-ish every week. Many will likely have come to me via the Indelible Grace project, which I encourage all of you to check out. They release CDs full of hymns set to modern music (though generally very strongly influenced by the familiar tune known to people familiar with the literature of hymns). This week's hymn is the title track off their third CD, "For All the Saints," as performed by Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay. I include all the verses of the original hymn, a subset of which are sung on the album. They are denoted by an asterisk (*), in case you are interested.

The verse beginning with "But lo there breaks..." does not fail to put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye as I think toward the glorious future hope that the saints of God hold. Enjoy, and may your spirit be renewed by How's lovely words.

For all the Saints
By: William W. How

*For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

*Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

*O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

*The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

*But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thoughts on a conversation with secular humanists (A first post of many)

A friend of mine and I were in downtown Lincoln, NE, last Friday night (as been our pseudo-ritual this summer), where there is a particular street preacher who we occasionally have discussions with. Evidently, over the course of the past year, the Lincoln Secular Humanists have taken it upon themselves to stand on the opposite street corner with signs that say things like "Good Morals Don't Come from the Bible," "Humanists Don't Blow Up Buildings," and my personal favorite, "Honk for Tolerance." Words and their actual meanings aside, the most interesting part of the night was a conversation James and I had with two humanists on the nature and existence of morals.

At one point, we wondered where they thought their morals came from, to which they replied, "our parents," who got them from their parents, etc. They insisted that they were not relativists, yet some form of moral relativism, while not guaranteed in such a system, is eminently possible (and, I would argue, probable). Eventually, they shifted their position slightly and said we should refrain from doing certain things (like random killings, torturing babies for fun, etc.) because they either are illegal or, more generally, they would prevent the continuation of the species. These are generally true descriptions of the way the world is. If I abide by the law, I will refrain from committing all sorts of heinous acts and I will help to continue the existence of the human race (if only by refraining from taking members out of it). These are true facts, though they say nothing as to whether or not I am a "good" person, because they do not define goodness, only legally acceptable things. Further, they offer no account of the value, or oughtness, implicit in the statement "murder is wrong," for instance. Why is murder wrong, and not simply illegal? Why is the continuation of the human race considered a "good" thing? Invariably, it seems to me that this eventually, in one form or another, regresses to a statement of "because I/we said so," without ever addressing the real question of moral content. If a society exists in which murder is not necessarily wrong, but allowed in certain circumstances, we begin to tread relativistic waters. And yet the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), among others, endorses a universal morality.

In his book, "A Christan Manifesto," Francis Schaeffer points out that "Humanism, with its lack of any final base for values or law, always leads to chaos. It then naturally leads to some form of authoritarianism to control the chaos." I do not think it's difficult to see why this would be true, if man is indeed the measure of all things. How dangerous is that idea! One sometimes hates always bagging on Nazi Germany, but it's just such a good example of what can go wrong when we take our prescriptives for morality and behavior from societal codes: chaos and authoritarianism.

Note that, regardless of what they thought we were saying, we never once accused them of being immoral people. No properly functioning Christian would accuse a humanist of being completely amoral. Of course, everyone is capable of immoral behavior; that's not the issue. We merely pointed out that they cannot account for a moral order in the world. They may certainly point to laws and parental directives, but that is to simply skirt the issue of the existence of a universal moral order.

As I continue to pursue a career in academia, I am constantly reminded (and disheartened) at the pervasiveness of secular humanism in the academy, both among my fellow graduate students as well as my professors. As such, I am anticipating an ongoing series of thoughts on conversations I have with my fellow students and others on this subject. I'll doubtless post on other topics, as well, but this is a theme (along with the more general theme of the intersection of Christianity and the academy) that I will continue to explore, especially as I have a chance to attend the C.S. Lewis Foundation's National Faculty Forum, entitled "The Crisis of the University: Religion and the Future of the Academy," this fall.

Quick shout out

Just wanted to let everyone know about a team blog (it is on our favorite's list) called Christian Theology. Check it out.

P.S. Mike is on there...he'll probably be mad that I told you, so don't let him know it was me :)

Examine yourself by Paul Washer

Hopefully soon I will be making posts other than these links, but I find that they should be listened to. Take what is said and hold it in the light of Scripture to see if it is true or not, but listen to it and read Scripture without trying to fit what you believe to it, but conform yourself to Him and His will nonetheless.


http://www.evangelismteam.com/sermons/mp3/examine.mp3


Take care all,
Jordan

I've been thinking that I need to apologize for some of the off-handed, arrogant comments that I've made. I would like to apologize specifically to James. Sometimes for me to learn (and ironically to be humbled) I shoot off at the mouth (or keyboard) so I can be corrected and see if what I believe are legitimate or not. I am a young believer and need to be reminded of it often. Mike made a comment once that he was contemplating "purpose". I'm trying to do that now also.

If you haven't noticed, I have horrible organizational skills. So, from all that, I'm going to jump into some other ideas. My brother posted this link on his blog and I wanted to share it with you all.

http://wayofthemasterradio.com/listenwatch/ToddFriel_Sermon-Bethel_TX.mp3

P.S. Mike and I joke (well, sort of) about eachother being heretics...well, from doing some reading lately God has shown me that I tread off the narrow path of Truth. I suggest...though some of you probably already do...to read up on the nature of God, because if we don't believe in the God of the Bible then we don't believe in the one true God who is justified in crushing all sinners and mighty to save.

Jordan

A hymn: "Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken"

I think I'm just going to continue to post hymns as they strike a chord in me. This is the latest culprit. I may come back and edit this post later to include some of my reasoning, but for now I leave you with "Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken", by Henry F. Lyte.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
By Henry Lyte

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and Heaven are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”;
I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
All must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
Rise o’er sin, and fear, and care;
Joy to find in every station
Something still to do or bear:
Think what Spirit dwells within thee;
What a Father’s smile is thine;
What a Savior died to win thee,
Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Haste then on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heaven’s eternal day’s before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Wrath of God

Just wanted to share this with you all. It is a sermon by Pastor Jim Tieszen in Vermillion, SD.

http://www.mkjanssen.com/mp3/PT-Wrath_of_God.mp3

From Charles Spurgeon

Just Damnation

I know that you have attended this Tabernacle ever since it was built, and listened to our ministry for years; but boast not of that; away with that as a ground of trust; pull off that garment. You have never failed in business; you have brought up your children well; you never swear; you were never a drunkard; midnight orgies never saw you mixed up in them; this is well, but I pray you, put not on this as your proper dress: the proper dress for a sinner to go to Christ in, is sackcloth and the rope. “Well,” says one, “I never will acknowledge that I deserve to be damned!” Then you never will be saved. “Well,” says another, “I never will take the language of a great sinner upon my lips.” Then you shall never be saved; for unless you are willing to confess that God may justly damn you, God will never save you; but if you feel in your heart to-night, that if He sends your soul to Hell, His righteous Law approves it well ; if you wonder how it is that you are not in the pit, and marvel why such mercy should have been shown to you, come, brother, come; come as you are, for you wear the true court-dress of a sinner. When a beggar goes out to beg at the door, should he put on a new black coat, and a clean white cravat, and kid gloves. Nay, verily, let him clothe himself in tatters — the more rents he has the better — for tatters are the livery of a beggar, and rags are the court-dress of a mendicant. So, come in your sins; come in your doubts; come in your hardness of heart; come in your impenitence; come in your deadness; come in your lethargy; come as you are — foul, vile, filthy, waiting for no amendment, but with a rope upon your neck, and a garment of sackcloth about your loins; come now, come now; God help you to come.

I just read this on the front page of wayofthemasterradio.com and it corresponded with some things I have been thinking about. I find that when the battle of my flesh and the Holy Spirit is the greatest is when I do not have either a correct view of God, or I forget what an undeserving wretch I am and that, as Spurgeon put more eloquently than I can,

"God may justly damn [me]" and "if He sends [my] soul to Hell, His righteous Law approves it well".

_______________________________________________________

I'm going to copy Mike and share a hymn that was sung last Sunday night at a Community Bible Church:

GRACE GREATER THAN OUR SIN

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, Yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Refrain:
Grace, grace, God's grace (split part: Marvelous grace, infinite grace) Grace that will pardon and cleanse within! [repeat]

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Refrain

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide-
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! there is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.

Refrain

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Refrain

Schaeffer on Faith

Living in the second half of the twentieth century, we must keep on saying what faith is, in the biblical sense. Christian faith is never faith in faith. Christian faith is never without content. Christian faith is never a jump in the dark. Christian faith is always believing what God has said. And Christian faith rests upon Christ's finished work on the cross.

--Francis Schaeffer, "True Spirituality" p. 78

Lift High the Cross

The Presbyterian church I have been attending since I've arrived in Lincoln has been great for many reasons, but one of my favorite aspects of weekly worship at Grace Chapel is singing the great hymns of the faith (modern arrangements with modern instrumentation, yes, but the hymns nonetheless). This morning we sang one I was familiar with from my days in my old Lutheran church, but had nearly forgotten about. The words are, as usual, wonderful. Enjoy.

Lift High the Cross
by George W. Kitchin, Michael R. Newbolt, and Sydney H. Nicholson

Refrain

Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world adore His sacred Name.

Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
The hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.

Refrain

Each newborn servant of the Crucified
Bears on the brow the seal of Him Who died.

Refrain

O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
As Thou hast promised, draw the world to Thee.

Refrain

So shall our song of triumph ever be:
Praise to the Crucified for victory.

Refrain

Christopher Neiswonger on Calvinism

The coolest co-host not to be on an Apologetics.com podcast this year (Chris Neiswonger) is doing a series at his blog on Calvinism.

A recent spate of Calvinism, Part One
A recent spate of Calvinism, Part Two
A recent spate of Calvinism, Part Three
A recent spate of Calvinism, Part Four
A recent spate of Calvinism, Part Five

As always, I appreciate his words.

I do find it interesting, as he points out in Part Three, that the idea that man, in his fallen state and apart from the grace of God, is inclined to sin is held basically across denominational lines. I'm not sure that I'd ever given much thought to what different denominations hold on this, but it makes sense. The question then is, since we need grace to do good, where will it come from? And that is where they start to diverge.

Schaeffer on the Supernatural Universe

The Bible insists that we live in reality in a supernatural universe. But if we remove the objective reality of the supernatural universe in any area, this great reality of Christ the bridegroom bringing forth fruit through us immediately falls to the floor, and all that Christianity is at such a point is a psychological and sociological aid, a mere tool. [...] In Julian Huxley's concept of romantic evolutionary humanism, religion has a place, not because there is any truth in it, but because in the strange evolutionary formation, man as he now is simply needs it. [...] We are merely shut up to anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and all that we say about religion in general--and Christianity specifically--falls to the ground except as it relates to a mere psychological mechanism. All the reality of Christianity rests upon the reality of the existence of a personal God, and the reality of the supernatural view of the total universe.

--Francis A. Schaeffer, "True Spirituality", p. 56

Schaeffer on Christian Mysticism

Here is true Christian mysticism. Christian mysticism is not the same as non-Christian mysticism, but I would insist that it is not a lesser mysticism. Indeed, eventually it is a deeper mysticism, for it is not based merely on contentless experience, but on historic, space-time reality--on propositional truth. One is not asked to deny reason, the intellect, in true Christian mysticism. And there is to be no loss of personality, no loss of the individual man. In Eastern mysticism--for which the West is searching so madly now that it has lost the sense of history, of content, and the truth of biblical facts--there is always finally a loss of the personality. You will remember the story of Shiva, who is one of the Hindu manifestations of the Everything. He came and loved a mortal woman. Shiva put his arms around the woman in his love, and immediately she disappeared, and he became neuter. This is Eastern mysticism. It is grounded in the loss of personality of the individual. Not so in Christian mysticism. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality and without my being used as a stick or a stone, either.

--Francis Schaeffer, "True Spirituality," p. 49 (emphasis mine)

On the beauty of the hymn and the tragedy of its loss

I while back, I posted about a specific experience I had with hymns one Sunday morning. I had also talked with Jordan previously about writing this current post, as I have recently (in the last year or so) become a cheerleader for hymns. I want to share a bit about my experience, and make a case for singing more hymns in our churches today.

As I may (or may not) have mentioned before, I grew up in a very conservative, traditional Lutheran church. I didn't hate it, but I definitely did not love it. One of the reasons I would give for not liking it very much was the fact that the music was (and is still) very old-fashioned: hymns accompanied by organs. And I'm not here to give a defense of organ-playing in churches; that's not the issue. I don't think it's a "dead instrument" by any means, but that is not what I'm writing about. I cannot tell you now whether it was the hymns or the instruments they were played on that I disliked, but regardless, I did not see the beauty in any of it.

How foolish I was!

It may take a certain amount of maturity to see the beauty in hymns, I acknowledge that. The same way one does not expect a seven-year-old child to see the beauty of the language of Shakespeare, one cannot expect that same seven-year-old child to see the beauty of the following gorgeous hymn we sang just yesterday at Grace Chapel:

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
by Joseph Hart, 1759

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus, ready, stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power.
He is able, He is able;
He is willing; doubt no more.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry 'til you're better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended;
Pleads the merit of His blood.
Venture on Him; venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
None but Jesus, none but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.

The song is a wonderful reminder of our brokenness and God's call. The second verse brings me to tears. There are a few different contemporary praise songs that I could think to compare it to (as far as content is concerned), but none that even approach the majesty or poetry of the language. But this is a song of another era, an era that put more emphasis on the life of the mind. And that, I think, is the key.

In mid-April, the Apologetics.com crew tackled the relationship between Christianity and Aesthetics. It's a great listen (as are the majority of their shows), and somewhere in the last hour (maybe even the last half-hour), a caller suggests that the reason the Church in general has fled from the richer, more beautiful expressions of the faith found in hymns is that our superficial culture simply cannot handle the depth presented in them. Initially, my reaction was "that can't be it!" -- however, as I thought about it, I have come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, correct. Most observers of culture (be they Christian or secular) are of the opinion that American culture as a whole is becoming more and more vacuous. The church, in particular, suffers from this. Is the answer, then, to encourage it by eschewing the singing of songs of theological content and poetic beauty? It seems to me that doing so only exacerbates the problem. The last church I was a member of (while I love it very much and would generally make the case that they are a bastion of thinking Christians) frustrated me on this point by allowing only one hymn per Sunday service. I understand that they aim to be seeker-friendly (though I don't think that is necessarily a good quality in a church), but I never, never understood that rule.

Does it take more effort to find the beauty in a hymn? Absolutely. Although it is generally pretty apparent, it can take some quality thought (especially by today's standards) to follow the verses and see their meaning. However, it is so, so worth it that to cut out hymns simply so we don't have to think so hard is embarrassing.

More later, if I think of something.
-Mike

Schaeffer on the importance of Christ's death

If we forget the absolute uniqueness of Christ's death, we are in heresy. As soon as we set aside or minimize, as soon as we cut down in any way, as the liberals of all kinds do in their theology, on the uniqueness and substitutionary character of Christ's death, our teaching is no longer Christian. On the other hand, let us remember the other side of the matter. If we forget the relationship of this order (rejected, slain, raised) to us as Christians, then we have a sterile orthodoxy, and we have no true Christian life. Christian life will wither and die; spirituality in any true biblical sense will come to an end.

--Francis Schaeffer, "True Spirituality" (p. 22)

God of the Gaps? Not my God.

There are quite a few possibilities for posts bouncing around in my head right now, but I'll stick with this one for tonight. This was put in my mind this morning by Doug Eaton over on his blog (Doug contributes to Apologetics.com relatively regularly, and does a fine job there, too), though I confess that the gist of this post has been with me for a while.

The charge occasionally made by the naturalist that the Christian needs a supernatural explanation to fill in the gaps of knowledge (especially scientific knowledge, it seems to me). Forgetting for the moment that I am not aware of a Christian ever actually using God as a stopgap to plug up holes in our knowledge (though I suppose someone probably has), the argument nevertheless is fallacious, as Eaton points out:

The problem with the “god of the gaps’ argument is that it is a question begging argument since it assumes from the outset that God is merely an explanation to unknown things and not an actual being. As the argument goes, since we now understand so much more than we did in previous generations, we have less need to create a god to answer our questions, and we can now live without this myth called god. This may be a good way for the naturalist to side step the issue of whether God really exists or not, but pulling premises from your conclusion in order to validate your conclusion never makes for a good argument.

Eaton also quotes Bonhoeffer admirably:

How wrong it is to use God as a stop-gap for the incompleteness of our knowledge. If in fact the frontiers of knowledge are being pushed further and further back (and that is bound to be the case), then God is being pushed back with them, and is therefore continually in retreat. We are to find God in what we know, not in what we don't know; God wants us to realize his presence, not in unsolved problems but in those that are solved.

Exactly! I see this in my own discipline (mathematics). Not many mathematicians have undertaken the task of articulating a distinctively Christian perspective of the philosophy of mathematics (though some have). Nevertheless, I do not believe that I am in error when I say that most Christian mathematicians see their discipline not in the formalist tradition of playing games within a formal system using pencil and paper, but as a extant, pure scientific discipline that can make meaningful statements about the world in which we live. All of the mathematics that is known currently, in addition to all the mathematics that will ever be known, has been known to God from all eternity.

I look at the grand structure of mathematics and see God's handiwork. The key here is that act of plugging the gaps in mathematical knowledge only serves to further the awe I have of God's mathematical creation. As useful as it is, the arithmetic known to the ancient Greeks does little shed light on the beauty of God's mathematical creation. Having had the chance to study even rudimentary abstract structures and begin to see the glorious beauty in them, I am more convinced of God's creative power than I ever would have been if I had simply learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. I see the same thing happening in the other sciences. As scientists have studied the Earth, its inhabitants, and our place in the solar system, galaxy, and universe, we see that we are...fortunate in our location (with respect to all of those locations). In other words, the more we know, the more we see God in our knowledge, and not in gaps in knowledge.

Australia

Just a few quick notes on what's going on in Australia. I don't have much time to type and so this will be brief and disorganised.
First of all, I like Australia for the most part. I am in Brisbane at Griffith Uni. on Nathan campus working with Student Life (partner with Campus Crusade for Christ). 19 other U.S. college students are with me. We are making relationships with Uni students in order to plant seeds and preach the gospel. Ausies are very relational, but many don't like to talk about deep spiritual ideas...i.e. death, salvation, sin, Jesus (the last three being words many have never heard) I've been fortunate to talk with a few people who are open to going a little deeper. I actually presented the gospel to two girls last Thursday and it looked like lights came on behind their eyes (pray that I and a Stinter are able to meet with them again). Just to end and to partially in response to a comment by James(?): I hope this doesn't read like I'm being mean or arogant, because I'm really trying not to...it's hard to write out how I want to say things...but anyhoo:
If anything I'm only a three point Calvinist. I don't believe you can take from Scripture as a whole that there are those who are chosen by God to go to Heaven and those chosen to go to Hell. I'm hoping to elaborate on what I believe after I get back to the States, I just wanted to let you know where I stand first off...I'm open to the fact that I could be wrong also..........so, the reason I do evangelism becuase I am responsible for preaching the gospel to those who have never heard, not for them choosing but for them hearing, becuase how can they choose if the have not heard, and how can the hear if no one tells them. Again, I hope this comes across as me simply letting you know where I stand. I'm looking forward to discussing this more in depth with you all later...Mike will get the brunt of it outside the cyber-world :)
Please pray for my team and I to have unity among eachother and to stay focused on what we are here to do and to have confidence in that. Especially pray that we rely on God for everything we do and want to do, because if we don't have the Holy Spirit working through us then our works are worthless.
Jordan

P.S. Mike, I miss you buddy.

I love hymns (an example)

If you know me very well at all, you know that I've come to have a tremendous amount of respect for the traditions of the Christian Church, especially the (relatively) recent tradition of singing hymns. Even a year ago, that was not the case, but it is now, even if I cannot exactly pinpoint the reason why (though I plan to expound upon the beauty of the hymn in contrast with the advent of contemporary worship music in a later post).

This morning in the traditional old Lutheran church of my youth, we celebrated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and sang the hymn "Holy Spirit, Light Divine." One verse in particular made me think of some diagrams used by CCC. The verse reads:

Holy Spirit, all divine, dwell within this heart of mine
Cast down ev'ry idol throne, reign supreme, and reign alone.

Amen.

Summer plans

As was mentioned in a previous post, this blog's founder (Jordan) is gone for the summer on a summer project in Australia. However, I am not. I'll be bouncing around for the next week or so before settling in Nebraska. I will continue to post as much as I can, so I hope people keep reading. Speaking of reading, I figured I would spend a little time detailing what books I have planned to read this summer. I am not sure how many future comments will be spent on my thoughts on these books, but I imagine there will be a few.

Anyway, here's what I'll be reading:

• The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning
• The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, by Robert Louis Wilken
  
• On Christian Liberty, by Martin Luther
• True Spirituality, by Francis Schaeffer
• The God Who is There, by Francis Schaeffer
• Escape from Reason, by Francis Schaeffer
• He is There and He is not Silent, by Francis Schaeffer
• The Reformation: A History, by Diarmaid MacCulloch
  

Additionally, I will be studying a few more reference-style books:

• Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, by William Lane Craig, and J.P. Moreland
• Faith Has Its Reasons, by Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman, Jr
• Aquinas' Shorter Summa, by Thomas Aquinas
  

So obviously this is all going to take a long time, and I likely will not finish this summer. I am nearly done with The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, and I am getting into The Ragamuffin Gospel. Also, On Christian Liberty (also known as On the Freedom of a Christian) is very short. I look forward to reading what many consider to be a groundbreaking work by Luther; additionally, the works by Schaeffer are considered classics, and I look forward to familiarizing myself with his monumental contributions to twentieth-century Christian thought.

"Happy the people whose God is the Lord" -- Religion, politics, and Jerry Falwell

I wanted to pass along this article (reprinted in its entirety at the end of the post), written by a California pastor I have much respect for, Paul Viggiano. I was introduced to this man last fall when he appeared on the Apologetics.com weekly radio show on the Reformation (a fantastic two-hour listen, if you have the time).

For me, the highlight of the article is his statement near the end regarding those who would have Christians leaving their faith and Biblically-based ethics out of their politics, a criticism of the religious right that has never made any sense to me. Pastor Viggiano writes,

Those who take part in the political process, at some level, do what Falwell did - they marshal their efforts to promote what they believe to be in the best interests of the people. There is a veiled hypocrisy lurking in the bosom of those who seek to chastise Falwell simply because they disagree with the source of his value system, which happened to be the texts of the Old and New Testaments. Why should his sources be excluded form the marketplace and other sources accepted? People hated his ethics and thought they should be excluded, but they love their own ethics and promote them with gusto.

Exactly. The USA is a nation of ideas. In many ways, it is more of an idea than a place. There is a free market of ideas and we have always taken pride in that. Of course, I cannot agree with the secularist and his/her basic presuppositions about the nature of reality or ethics, but I will not attempt to unduly silence those who hold those viewpoints. At the same time, I expect to be able to argue and reason from my own presuppositions and arrive at conclusions like a reasonable man. When I hear someone say something like "religion should be kept out of the political process," I am simply incredulous. Even should I not refer to my religious convictions explicitly, they are intrinsic to my person and govern my thoughts and actions each and every day so that I may not extricate myself from them. An example: without referring to Jesus, I simply do my best to treat people as He would have me do, as people created in the very image of God Himself. I am to love others; even my enemies.

Now, of course I very often fail at doing all of this. But I know it, and regret it.

Anyway, here's the article.

Falwell's impact will remain

Minister isn't being judged by the espousers of modern liberalism and apostasy. He's facing a higher judge and will have little reason to apologize.

By Paul Viggiano

I never considered myself a huge Jerry Falwell fan - at least until now. The hue and cry cascading off the walls of the dark caves of Western paganism at the mere sound of Falwell's name leads me to conclude that the man was acutely efficient at leading a vanguard of righteousness.

It appears men would have preferred a duplicitous Falwell. For all the talk of hypocrisy and double-mindedness in the church, Falwell is castigated for being single-minded and a man of conviction. "No," his detractors say, "it was not his convictions. It's was his binding of conservative Christianity with conservative politics." As if his particular world view is not allowed to penetrate the sacred halls of government - where, by the way, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are commonly ground in granite.

Falwell is no longer suffering the cackling hens of modern liberalism and apostasy. He stands before God and will, I suspect, apologize less than most of us for not acknowledging Jesus as king of kings.

It's telling to hear the caviling of those who have no bones speaking ill of the dead. Falwell made a huge difference, and the enemies of biblical ethics would exhume his bones, grind them to powder and have them cast off the Golden Gate.

Leftist angst against Falwell is due in large part to his success. I doubt that Falwell will go down in history as a master theologian. A broader historical examination will reveal that it was the ethical anarchy of the 1960s that made Falwell's career. As we slid into a moral freefall, those who were maintaining their sanity (not me, I saw Woodstock six times in my banana pants and tye-died shirt) wanted to know if God cared about cultural licentiousness or if the Bible had any significance when it came to the reality of a society and its laws and leadership.

Falwell, mirroring historical, biblical Christianity, said yes.

Crimes, by their very nature, are (or at least should be) immoral. The popular slogan that you can't legislate morality is a staggeringly daft proposition. Why in the world would something be a crime if it were not immoral? Falwell's simple argument was that morality makes a difference in terms of the success and happiness of a nation - or as the Bible would put it, "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."

Those who take part in the political process, at some level, do what Falwell did - they marshal their efforts to promote what they believe to be in the best interests of the people. There is a veiled hypocrisy lurking in the bosom of those who seek to chastise Falwell simply because they disagree with the source of his value system, which happened to be the texts of the Old and New Testaments. Why should his sources be excluded form the marketplace and other sources accepted? People hated his ethics and thought they should be excluded, but they love their own ethics and promote them with gusto.

There is truly a sad irony that so many would seek to vilify a Christian man simply because he sought to be faithful to the very God the vast majority of our founding fathers appealed to in the process of creating this nation. It would be helpful if his detractors showed us their sacred text so that we might hold it under the same scrutiny.

The Rev. Paul Viggiano is pastor of the Branch of Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Torrance. His e-mail address is pastorpaul@integrity.com.

Away for awhile

Hey all. I just wanted to let you all know that I will be out of communication for 6 or 7 weeks and sorry about not responding to comments, I'll get to that when I'm back. Pray that God works through me while I am preaching.
Thank you,
Jordan

Plantinga on Dawkins: "The Dawkins Confusion"

I just thought I'd pass along an interesting article over at Christianity Today by Alvin Plantinga (one of the preeminent Christian philosophers working today) on the ideas of Richard Dawkins, noted atheist and the author of books such as "The God Delusion."

Plantinga's conclusion is, interestingly enough, that

People like Dawkins hold that there is a conflict between science and religion because they think there is a conflict between evolution and theism; the truth of the matter, however, is that the conflict is between science and naturalism, not between science and belief in God.

The weight of our sins.

"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?' that is, 'MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?'"
-Matthew 27:46


A friend and I were sharing the gospel with a guy over supper. He was interesting. One of the biggest stumbling blocks he had was that he didn't believe the Bible was anything more than a book written by some men. My friend asked him if he were to be hit by a bus today and die, what would be the percentage of him going to Heaven? "100%, I'd go to Hell"... he wasn't confused about this. He then proceeded to let me share the gospel with him and he reiterated it all back to me: he understood all of it. As we were talking with him, he asked me why Jesus would say "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"; sadly, and with much regret now, I didn't have an answer for him. I believe I do now.

God, knowing everything: omniscient, knew everything and everyone before he created the heavens and the earth. He knew you, me, your friends, family, enemies, neighbors, every single person to ever have lived since the first man (and before). He knew our minds, our hearts, our thoughts, our actions, our every move...our sins: every single sin.

Think for a moment about today, ask yourself what sins you have done...just today. If you don't believe you can make a list, then you need to learn what God's standard is for what is right and wrong. Make a mental list of all the sins you have committed today...trust me, I'm sure you can fill up a few pages if you are truly honest. First of all you need to know that Jesus Christ came to die for your sins, let me emphasise this: JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOUR SINS, and bring you to Himself, if you don't know this then ask.
Take one item off of your list of sins, actually take the "smallest" sin from your list. That single "small" sin of yours is what put Jesus Christ to death...yes, that one single "small" sin hung our Savior, Redeemer, God, beaten and torn on a cross. Now focus on the fact that Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the entire world and because of God's omniscience, He died for every sin committed by every human being since. He knew what he was dying for.

If only one single "small" sin put Jesus Christ to death, imagine how horrible it must have been for Him to take on every sin of every human being then to now to when He returns. If you didn't catch that or didn't understand that, I said he took on every sin...think about that and let it sink in. I'm not a theologian or a scholar of metaphysics, so I can't explain how this happened but I can understand it. The Father turned his face from the Son because the Son for a short time took on EVERY SINGLE SIN OF EVERY SINGLE MAN AND WOMAN TO HAVE EVER LIVED! How painful that must have been. Any words I use do not, or can not, come close to what happened in those moments.



Jesus cried out..."ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACTHANI" : "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME"



I cry out...MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY DO I FORSAKE YOU!

About Mike

Jordan requested that I tell everyone a little bit about myself. So I'm going to do that; specifically, I will discuss how I came to be a Christian.

In 1980, Charles Malik, a former UN ambassador and Greek Orthodox Christian, spoke on the campus of Wheaton College. His talk was entitled "The Two Tasks of Evangelism." These two tasks, he said, were "saving the soul and saving the mind," converting people both spiritually and intellectually. As such, I think it is unwise of me to tell the story of my conversion to Christianity without recounting both.

I grew up in a wonderful family, attending what I now understand to be a pretty solid Lutheran church (doctrinally). I came to know that God had come down in the form of Jesus of Nazareth and died on a cross for the sins of the world. I knew that I was a sinner, and that if I believed these things, that I would be saved. And looking back on it, I really think that I did believe that. Thus, even though I was not familiar with the "personal relationship" buzzword, I am starting to wonder if I wasn't saved. Regardless, it wasn't terribly relevant to me. I felt disconnected from my church and most of the people I knew that were strong Christians were of the what-is-he/she-doing Pentacostal variety, and so I ultimately was confused.

When I came to college, I was mildly involved with the Lutheran campus ministry on campus my freshman year, and basically not at all as a sophomore. I was just doing the "church thing" because I thought that I should, but it wasn't a great situation. I was not living like a disciple of Jesus Christ, and again, the Luther Center seemed irrelevant to my life.

In mid-May of 2005, I moved into an apartment here in Vermillion, and decided that, since I was going to be in Vermillion allllll summer long, I had better find a church to go to. I don't know why I thought that. I hadn't regularly attended a Sunday-morning service since high school. So I did whatever any 20-year-old would do and went to Google to find a listing of area churches. I figured I would just church shop until I found one I liked. So, late one Saturday night, I checked out some websites, found a service time for my first stop, and went.

I fell in love with the place. There were people there my age, some of whom I even knew, and I had a completely new perspective on the Body of Christ. I got involved in a Bible study that summer that challenged me intellectually and emotionally and helped me to a true and lively faith. Additionally, I met one or two members of the local chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ, a movement which I joined the following year and had the privilege to serve as a student leader of this past year. Both of these organizations contributed to my changed heart, but my mind was slower to turn around.

I confess now that even last year, my first year truly living my faith, I was sort of embarrassed about my new passion for God. Being involved in the University Honors Program put me around a host of intelligent people, and if there's one thing many intelligent people are is arrogant. They will often deride God's faithful, and sometimes rightly so. We do not always communicate in a way that is intelligible to secular people, and we should be embarrassed about that. It is our God-given responsibility to care for them, and if we come off looking like nutjobs, we are not doing our duty to our fellow brothers in Adam or to our Lord. One of the things we should be doing a better job of is thinking. The Christian faith has a deep, rich intellectual history that many of the faithful know nothing about, and that is, quite frankly, pathetic. I feel uniquely qualified to say that because of the predicament I felt myself in last year. A classmate would make a disparaging remark about Christianity or the wackos many of us seem to be, and I had to admit his point. Worse, I had no retort. None. I was a vacuous Christian who was saved, but did not have a converted mind. I remember as a freshman having a discussion with a friend of mine who expressed incredulity at the idea of God writing a book: "If he wanted me to know something, why doesn't he just tell me?"

I had no response.

However, one day last April I was browsing through the podcast directory on iTunes and found a very interesting entry in the Education directory: Apologetics.com. It's a two-hour weekly radio show in the greater Los Angeles area that had recently begun releasing its weekly shows for download in MP3 format. It literally changed my life. Their slogan is "Challenging believers to think, and thinkers to believe" -- I definitely fit under the first category, and they pushed me. Of course, I enjoyed their personalities and banter, but more than that, I enjoyed the high level of scholarship presented. For the first time in my life, I could see the truth of the Christian religion, why it explains so well our human nature, and why, among other things, it made sense to think that God would write a book (and how that book came to be what we know as The Bible). I felt as though I had good reason to believe the things that I had come to believe. I felt whole, and like I had finally found my unique way of serving Christ's body, the Church, through a ministry of providing apologetical, polemical, and philosophical answers.

And that's me, in a nutshell.