Sabbath and Tithing in Leviticius, Hebrews mp3, Jesus and the demonic realm, speaking schedule. (This is a reload of 71 for iTunes.)
Internet Monk Radio is on iTunes Podcasts for free. Search for Monk. I’ll appear right under monkeys.
The Internet Monk Radio Podcast is brought to you by The Theology Program.
Many of the books I review here at IM are books that are either sent to me by publishers or recommended by friends I respect. In the case of Daniel Taylor’s The Myth of Certainty, I found the book on my own, and quickly fell in love with every single page. I can’t think of a book in my library where I am more enthused over every sentence. If you’ve found this web site and my writing to be speaking your language and describing your experience, get this book.
Taylor is an English teacher at a Christian college and is known for his books on the value of stories. Taylor is also the voice of what he calls the “Reflective Christian” who finds him or herself somewhere between the certainties of Christians and the certainties of secularists. Taylor analyzes both sides of the certainty game, and encourages the thinking, thoughtful, often isolated believer in his or her journey.Continue reading “Recommendation: The Myth of Certainty by Daniel Taylor”
“Lessons from Mere Christianity 3” The third podcast examining Lewis’s apologetic approach in this classic book. I discuss Lewis’s introduction of Satan into his apologetic.
Coffee Cup Apologetics now has its own website: ccapologetics.wordpress.com
All the episodes of Coffee Cup Apologetics are now on iTunes. Go to iTunes and search for “Apologetics.â€
Answering the question “Where can you get your Jesus?” is very important.
Many of the divisions among Christians are actually a commentary on the relationship of the person of Jesus to various means of “accessing” or “localizing” Jesus. In other words, the question “Where is Jesus?” is an extremely important question and the claim to have a certain answer to the question is a matter around which Christians legitimately unite or divide.
On several occasions, Jesus said “I will be with you.” For instance, in Matthew 28, Jesus says “..And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In Matthew 18, Jesus says “…For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In John 15, in proximity to passages that speak of Jesus going away and sending the Holy Spirit as the “Helper,” Jesus tells his disciples repeatedly to “abide in him” in order that they bear real “fruit.” To abide or remain in Christ implies that Jesus is present. Jesus also spoke of himself as present in those to whom we minister, particularly the poor and the suffering.
How is Jesus, who left the world, present with us in it now? Is this presence of Christ connected to some “means” of accessing the reality of Christ, or is Jesus accessible to all Christians? Is the promise of Jesus to be “with” us tied to a church, or to the eucharist or a person? How localized, incarnated and mediated is Jesus in a particular local and physical reality?Continue reading “Where’s Jesus?: Thoughts On A Locally Available Christ”
Or think for a moment about the Beelzebul controversy in Mark 3. Jesus is accused of being in league with Satan. Now notice how Jesus responds to this charge. He doesn’t say, “I couldn’t do otherwise, because God foreordained me to do this, whether in league with Satan or on my own.” No, Jesus calls it blasphemy! To attribute the work of God to the work of the Devil is ‘blaspheming the Holy Spirit’ who only does good always. Now the corollary of this is also true. To attribute the work of the Devil to the work of God is also blasphemy. Careful Rev. Piper, you might being falling under this warning Jesus gave here to his interlocutors.
Read the entire post at Witherington’s web site, and prepare for the response.
Witherington’s point about ignoring secondary causes and attributing the work of the devil to God is exactly what certain other theologians were saying….and that brought forth the charge of committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. As I said then, it’s a common objection, and certainly has been part of the Wesleyan tradition of rejecting some views of God’s involvement in tragedy for a long time.
But this cannot be said of Rev. Piper, I am afraid. He’s just guilty of having an unBiblical view of God, that ironically is closer to the fatalistic one found in the Koran, than the Biblical one found in the New Testament.
Time for another round.
Here’s the last in our “Lutheran Theology and God’s Sovereignty Series.” I appreciate all the work Josh put into this and the good comments from those of you involved in the discussion.
How would Lutheran theology speak about God’s role in a tragedy like the I-35 Bridge collapse? Would you say God ordained it for his glory?
The important thing to remember in any question like this is that questions don’t happen in a vacuum, and neither is theology something floating around in a platonic realm of ideals. Generally, these questions are posed to pastors by real people, so what we always have is a pastoral situation. Even if you’re just a layman, you still have to deal with the person. But this is complex, so you’re going to get a long answer.
Abstractly, in the “ultimate reasons” sense, I don’t have any satisfying answer. Luther’s idea of being a theologian of the cross, which he develops in his Heidelberg Disputation, is hugely influential in the Lutheran tradition. You could probably add the theological part of the Disputation to the Confessions and no one would object. Continue reading “God’s Sovereignty in Lutheranism: An Interview With Josh Strodtbeck (5- Providence in Tragedy)”
After I finished reading The Shack, I wrote out some prayers, and this is part of one. -MS
Jesus, you don’t build institutions.
You don’t write catechisms. Or Systematic Theologies. Or critiques of someone’s theology or refutations of their catechism.
You don’t have a blog.
You don’t moderate debates.
You are the bread of life who gives himself for the salvation of the world. You are the one mediator between God and man. You are the bridegroom who loves his bride. You’re raising all of us like Lazurus. You’re healing all of us, casting demons out of all of us, calling all of us out of the un-real into the real.
The community that matters to you isn’t sitting behind some church sign. It’s not running around with some ridiculous label.Continue reading “A Jesus Prayer”
UPDATE:Tim Challies and I couldn’t disagree more on this review. He really disliked the book, and I – and my family so far- have been deeply moved and helped by it. That’s the way it goes.
The emerging church, whatever that is, is producing a body of literature of its own that reflects its particular approach to spirituality and theology. The Shack, an unusual novel by William P. Young, may be a significant contribution to that particular theological literature. Or you may just want to read it for a more ordinary reason: William P. Young wants to introduce you to what it means to be loved by the Trinitarian God, and he’s created a compelling story to do so in a way few sermons could ever begin to do.
Though written as a novel, The Shack is mostly a series of theological conversations and experiences between the main character and God, framed between a short plot, and covering a full menu of experiential and spiritual topics. Eugene Peterson’s recommendation compares The Shack to Pilgrim’s Progress, and while I doubt that comparison is particularly appropriate, The Shack is a book that can generate much conversation among anyone with thoughts of God and sure controversy among the rigidly certain. Through the author’s choice to present difficult theological concepts in a creative, even fantastic way, readers who would not approach theology will find themselves drawn into deep waters. Young has taken a dive into deep waters, and it’s an adventurous swim back to shore.Continue reading “Recommendation and Review: The Shack by William P. Young”
UPDATE: Well, I am going to suppose this post got linked somewhere. Amy? What have you done to me? 🙂 I really appreciate the kindness and all the time represented in the answers. I haven’t read the thread, but have read the MANY emails that I received. I’ll catch up on the thread later. (Internet has been down.) I especially thank those of you who know that I am not interested in converting to the Roman Catholic Church, but have friends I love who quite possible may some day, and I am asking in reference to my relationship to them.
Again, thanks for your gracious answers and the very helpful, positive tone of the discussion.
I have some questions for a knowledgeable Roman Catholic. Pretty important matters.Continue reading “Five Questions For Roman Catholics”
Good to know some reader thinks that after 7 years of basically reformed-leaning blogging, 4 Lutheran posts qualify as somehow unfair treatment of Calvinism. And the main complaint: “cheap shots.” If you could die from irony, we could really thin out the population on the blogosphere.
When Josh is teaching, there’s a lot to learn. Enjoy the post and keep it on topic in the comments please.
4. How would a Lutheran answer the question, “How can I know I am saved?” and where would election come into the picture?
I think by this point, people know what I’d say. I’d answer by saying, “Listen to what God says to you in the Word, and believe in what he gives you in the Sacraments.” Obviously, most Christians aren’t taught to believe that the minister has any kind of divinely established mandate to forgive sins, and they mostly look at the sacraments as impositions of obligation, memorials, or divine ordinances you obey in order to testify of your own faith. We believe that God is the one testifying in the sacraments, and he’s testifying to you and to the world that your sins have been nailed to the Cross.Continue reading “God’s Sovereignty in Lutheranism: An Interview With Josh Strodtbeck (4- Election and Salvation)”
The Internet Monk Archives