Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism

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Coming in fall 2011:

More info.

Structure:

Introduction: Collin Hansen

  1. Fundamentalism: Kevin T. Bauder
  2. Confessional Evangelicalism: R. Albert Mohler Jr.
  3. Generic Evangelicalism: John G. Stackhouse Jr.
  4. Postconservative Evangelicalism: Roger E. Olson

(The authors respond to the other essays, following the format of the Counterpoints series, which breaks down into two categories: Bible and Theology [formerly called Exploring Theology] and Church Life.)

Conclusion: Andrew David Naselli

More on this later. We still have work to do.

Get Out of the Way

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Yesterday The Atlantic interviewed Tim Keller “about how his success as a writer has affected his church and the process he went through to write his latest book, The King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus , which comes out this week.” The final Q&A includes an outstanding illustration about humility when preaching and teaching God’s word:

[Question] As you were writing King’s Cross, was there anything you learned about the Gospel of Mark that you hadn’t noticed before?

[Tim Keller] No one thing. I’ll tell you, the thing I struggle with is doing justice to it. When I’m preaching I don’t quite get the same— When you’re writing a book, you feel like you’re putting something down. It’s a little more permanent. And therefore I actually struggled just with a feeling like I’m not doing justice to the material, which is the Gospel of Mark, or more directly, Jesus himself. There’s a true story, evidently, of [Arturo] Toscanini. He was director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra years ago, here in New York. And there was some place where he had just conducted—actually it was just a rehearsal. He conducted a Beethoven symphony. And he did such an incredible job with it that when it was all done, the musicians gave him a standing ovation. And he started to cry. He literally started to cry, and he actually had them sit down, and he wouldn’t let them applaud, and then he said, “It’s not me, it wasn’t me, it was Beethoven.”

Now, what he’s getting across there is a feeling like, “I’m just trying to do justice to the material.” And usually I don’t. And if occasionally I do ok, you shouldn’t be applauding me. It’s just, I got out of the way. I just got out of the way and we actually heard how great the music was. And I feel the same struggle. I’m just trying to get out of the way. And you can’t. [Read more…] about Get Out of the Way

How to Play Uno in Real Life

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“What to Do When Someone Is Different from You” is chapter 8 in Dave Swavely‘s Who Are You to Judge? The Dangers of Judging and Legalism (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005). It has four headings:

  1. The Principle of Acceptance
  2. The Principle of Personal Conviction
  3. The Principle of Edification
  4. The Principle of Conscience

Here’s an excerpt from the section on edification (120–23):

Even when we have freedom before God in particular areas of our lives, we may sometimes need to restrict our freedom for the purpose of building up our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is because God does not want anyone to act against his conscience (see the next section), and we must be careful not to tempt anyone to do so. Paul explains all this in Romans 14:13–21 . . . .

One time I was playing Uno® with three of my children. The youngest one, Madison, was only four and still learning how to win and lose with grace. So when things were not going her way in the game, she would be tempted to whine and cry. In one particular game, she was not doing well at all, and she was on the edge of losing it. I, on the other hand, was about to win, and I almost put down a “Draw Four” card which would have put her deeper into the hole and almost certainly sent her over the edge emotionally. But I didn’t want to have to discipline her for throwing a tantrum, and I wanted her to have a good first experience with the game, so I kept the “Draw Four” card in my hand and picked one off the pile (which disadvantaged me, of course). Then the next time around, the only card I could play was the “Draw Four,” but after staring for a moment into her gorgeous blue eyes and noticing her quivering lip, I kept it in my hand and drew again. This happened a third time, and a fourth time, until Maddy finally won the game, and I was left with a big stack of cards! [Read more…] about How to Play Uno in Real Life

Judgmental Statements

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Dave Swavely, Who Are You to Judge? The Dangers of Judging and Legalism (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005), 1–3 (numbering added):

Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:5–6 . . . says that we should not judge one another, and that we should not “go beyond what is written” (NIV, ESV). . . . [I]t seems to me that the most committed Christians are actually more susceptible to this problem than those who are not as strong.

The sin of judging is a root cause in most of the interpersonal conflicts that arise in the lives of believers, and so learning to identify and avoid this sin will go a long way toward promoting peace and joy in the body of Christ. And legalism, which is the institutional form of judging, is a dangerous disease that plagues many of our Christian institutions, from churches to schools to families, sapping their spiritual strength and weakening the work of God in their midst.

Here are some examples of judgmental and legalistic statements that I have heard from Christians, all of which we will discuss at some point in this book:

  1. “I know what you’re thinking,” or “I know why you did that.”
  2. “There is no way someone can drive a car that expensive and be a godly man.” [Read more…] about Judgmental Statements

Should Christians Tithe?

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That’s question 38 in this book:

Thomas R. Schreiner. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010. 256 pp.

Here’s how Schreiner summaries his answer (p. 221):

Even though tithing is not mandated, there is no call in the New Testament to hoard one’s possessions or to live selfishly. Believers are commanded to support those who proclaim the gospel (Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:6–14; 1 Tim. 5:17–18). Those who are blessed with wealth are to enjoy the good things God has given them, but they are also to be generous to those in need (1 Tim. 6:17–19). The New Testament clearly teaches that wealth is dangerous because it can seduce us so that we stray from the Lord. God is to be our treasure, and hence believers are to give generously and freely. For most believers in the West, that means giving more than a tithe. Still, the tithe itself is not mandated by Scripture, and Scripture is our rule and authority rather than a tradition that requires believers to tithe.

Related: What We Should Do with Our Money (esp. the resources at the bottom of the post)

Why?

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David Hackett Fischer. Historians’ Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. xxii + 338 pp. [Cf. previous post.]

This excerpt from chapter 1, “Fallacies of Question-Framing,” argues that the question “Why?” is often imprecise (pp. 12–14, numbering added):

The fallacy of metaphysical questions is an attempt to resolve a nonempirical problem by empirical means. . . .

Some historians of a humanist bent will protest that all historical problems are metaphysical problems. This is humbug. . . .

These are urgent questions, and they are empirical questions, which can be put to the test. The reader will note that none of them are “why” questions. In my opinion—and I may be a minority of one—that favorite adverb of historians should be consigned to the semantical rubbish heap. A “why” question tends to become a metaphysical question. It is also an imprecise question, for the adverb “why” is slippery and difficult to define.

  1. Sometimes it seeks a cause,
  2. sometimes a motive,
  3. sometimes a reason,
  4. sometimes a description,
  5. sometimes a process,
  6. sometimes a purpose,
  7. sometimes a justification.

A “why” question lacks direction and clarity; it dissipates a historian’s energy and interests. “Why did the Civil War happen?” “Why was Lincoln shot?” A working historian receives no clear signals from these woolly interrogatories as to [Read more…] about Why?

Bob Yarbrough’s Evolving Faith and Crises of Faith

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Steve Hays and James Anderson, eds. Love the Lord with Heart and Mind. 2nd ed. n.p.: n.p., 2009.

Excerpt from the interview with Robert W. Yarbrough (pp. 140–41)

9. Looking back over your life as a Christian, how would you say that your faith has evolved over time? How, if at all, does your lived-in faith differ from when you were younger?

In general, the older I get the more gratifying it becomes to know God through faith in Christ, not least because this enriches immeasurably all other areas of my life. At the same time, the difficulties of loyal service to Christ, to the extent that I may ever approximate it, seem to grow thornier. Jeremiah said the human heart is deceitful and sick [Jer 17:9]. I’m afraid that I become personally ever more acutely conscious of this about myself as time goes by. . . .

11. Since you’ve been a Christian, have you undergone a crisis of faith? If so, how did you work through it? [Read more…] about Bob Yarbrough’s Evolving Faith and Crises of Faith

Seven Essential Elements of an Effective Shepherding Ministry

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That’s the title of chapter 9 in this book:

Timothy Z. Witmer. The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2010. 268 pp.

Excerpts (pp. 193–224):

Fail to include one of these elements and the plan will be deficient and likely to falter. . . .

  1. An effective shepherding ministry must be biblical. . . . [U]nless the shepherding ministry is founded on biblical convictions, it is unlikely to survive. . . .
  2. An effective shepherding ministry must be systematic. . . . [T]here must be a plan. If shepherding the flock is something elders are called to do, it is important to have a well-considered strategy to accomplish the task. . . . [Read more…] about Seven Essential Elements of an Effective Shepherding Ministry