KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

I am restructuring my site. I will edit posts to shorter entries. Long Posts will be placed on separate pages. 

Stay tuned!

 

Less is More - Shorter Blog Posts

I have recently come across Abraham Piper’s Blog, “Twenty Two Words“.

He makes a good point about brevity. I like the idea.

 

Dr Who theme composer dead at 82

Just noticed this on news.com.au

“TRISTRAM Cary, the composer of the Dr Who theme tune and a pioneer of electronic music, has died in Adelaide aged 82.

…

He died last week at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.”

As a Dr Who - aphile I have many fond childhood memories of the haunting theme music of this (originally) kitsch and brilliant sci-fi series from BBC. I’ve also enjoyed the light entertainment provided by the new series.

Theology that makes sense

When approaching theology, there is a distinct difference between contemporising your message and contextualising it. The concern of a theologian is how to maintain balance in presenting the message of Christianity from scripture amidst (and often against) the constant flux of culture and technology whilst avoiding obsolescence (i.e. contemporising) and compromise.

 

The Laminin Factor

Previously mostly only known to scientists, laminin is an important cellular protein that provides for the molecular binding of our cells. Ok, ho hum… At present though, due to the increasingly popularity of Louie Giglio’s ‘How Great is Our God’ presentation and DVD, laminin has become somewhat of a fad amongst evangelicals. If you’re not entirely sure why, do a web image search for laminin and you’ll soon see. Diagrammatically the four strands or arms of the protein are often shown in the shape of a cross. This alone is enough to prompt many evangelicals jump up and down. However when you come to understand the nature and function of laminin there may well be more (genuine) cause for excitement. For a very basic explanation we turn to Wikipedia and read:

Laminin is vital to making sure that your overall body structures hold together. If laminin isn’t produced correctly, your muscles may form improperly, giving you a form of muscular dystrophy.

As Louie correctly notes in his talk, this is a brilliant illustration of the nature of Christ as described in Colossians 1:17 - “… in him all things hold together.”

That the protein is usually depicted in the cross shape is merely coincidental and more than likely just an easy way to draw a cross section of the 4 strands that make up the protein. What laminin does demonstrate is though, is, in the same way that our cells cannot be properly held together without laminin, by extrapolation, our entire life and existence becomes impossible without Christ. And seeing how Colossians 1:16 tells us “all things were created through him and for him” then this applies as equally to laminin as it does to you and I.

The Method of Communicating Theology

In preparing or planning a theological methodology there are some basic steps that can be beneficial as sound guidance as noted by Erickson and can also double up as a basic hermeneutic philosophy:

 

No Pictures and Graphics equals no hits

Since clearing off a number of pictures and graphics that I couldn’t properly attribute or footnote ownership I noticed a serious decline in site hits/visits. Quite a huge drop from several hundred a day down to less than 50

One thing I have taken onboard is the need to be more interactive with the blogs I link to and other I read. I can’t recall the exact citation, but Spurgeon’s counsel applies here - something along the lines of in order to be well read you have to read well. i.e.  In other words, if you don’t read and interact with the work of others, don’t expect others to read and interact with your work.

So more discipline on my part is required. Lets see how I go. In the interim I will return to my personal debrief of Erickson’s Theology text in preparation for my Seminary classes coming up in May.

The Starting Point of Theology

Erickson proposes a thesis though that enables belief concerning God and the bible to be both reasonably established and scrutinised. Both God and his self-revelation are presupposed together as a single presupposition. There is no single antecedent. He quotes Bernard Ramm:

“There exists one Triune God, loving, all-powerful, holy, all-knowing, who has revealed himself in nature, history, and human personality, and in those acts and words which are now preserved in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.”

From this a theology is formulated which in turn reflects in an adherents’ worldview and can be tested for veracity. On the basis of this thesis the Christian Presuppositionalist can stand with confidence as having a reasonable basis to present the reality of God as presented in the bible and account for man’s responsibility towards God.

 

Back to School

I have enrolled in a Masters of Religious Education (MRE) through Asia Baptist Theological Seminary. I have the minimum standard required (academically) by the majority of evangelical organisations in Aust & throughout SE Asia. However due to what can only be attributed to an over emphasis on secondary separation (an unfortunate by-product of IFB distinctives) the school providing this training did not have recognised accreditation. This created a obstacle to obtaining access to post graduate training and standing towards a Masters degree.

This has been a personal disappointment for me for many years and I have, to some extent, allowed it to affect my own motivation and pursuit of full time ministry. It was a convenient excuse to not apply for positions that became available when opportunities arose that I would be more than capable of excelling in. As a result I became distracted and enamoured with career development in the IT industry. This affected my personal walk with the Lord, my marriage and has resulted in hindering my effectiveness as an example of Christ to others. The years have not been wasted as there have been many lessons to learn and a lot of personal growth to experience. There is little point to any ‘what-if’ debates and time for regret is past. My focus now is ‘ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιπόν’ or ‘exagorazomenoi ton kairon’ if you don’t have Greek fonts (see Ephesians 5:16 if you’re still unsure)

1st unit to tackle will be Systematic Theology. Lectures start on 12 May. This blog will provide a great forum to debrief on the content and progress of the course as well as preparing for the assessment which is conducted in the 3 months following the lectures.

 

Recovering Fundamentalist

Have just came across “Reforming Baptist”. One article in particular provides sound counsel and warnings for those (like I and my wife) who have “exited” the IFB movement (or at least changed in attitude and philosophy significantly - like William D we still serve with an independent church, however the ministry model is vastly different to the typical IFB both here in Australia and North America). When we made our first move away from this stifling IFB environment, our new pastor said he was treating us the same as someone recovering from a cult. We had been burnt out, lied to, abused and left for dead and were in every aspect exhausted. It has taken the better part of 10 years to reach a point where we would be willing to re-engage in ministry in any significant capacity and even now we are still weary.

His list is obviously not exhaustive - however we were particularly prone to points 3 & 4. William also has another article that expands further on point 8 - regarding why, sometimes, people who leave IFB’s tend to abandon their faith altogether.