Bill Kinnon at Achievable Ends has a wonderful post on the power of music in worship, and particularly its effect on human beings: The Power of Music in Church.

Could it be that, we don’t just resonate with music, we are, in fact, music. Our physical reaction to music (toes tapping, body swaying, hands clapping, people dancing) is just a function of how we’ve been constructed. Which would explain both the power of music in the church, and the reason there’s so much discussion and disagreement about it.

Bill takes this into all kinds of places, but the interesting aspect to me is how Bill sees the other side of the undeniable truth of the seeker emphasis on music to attract people. Music also shapes us as persons, and as Christians.

Check it out, and the comment thread as well.

The Tall Skinny Kiwi, Andrew Jones, gives the Westy Seminary “Emerging Church Forum” high marks for integrity, fairness and a constructive- dare I say it?- conversation. This post includes Scot Mcknight’s excellent paper on the Emerging Church presented to the WTS faculty. Events like this forum have been plentiful in the past year, but the quality of the events have varied enormously. When the audio from this event becomes available, take advantage of the presentations, pro and con.

I wish I could say I’m surprised that so many critics of Mark Driscoll have admitted to never listening to his preaching until they decided to hunt down his “bad language.” Some people posting long comments have never listened to a Driscoll sermon. Mars Hill Church is very generous with their audio, and anyone grabbing traffic off “Driscoll porfanity” google searches ought to listen to a few sermons and consider what they are going to be accountable for writing. Odeo has all of Mars Hill’s audio. Check out the current messages on Jesus.

Glenn Lucke has posted this page from the up and coming Biblical theologian, Bill Wilder. Wilder has great lectures on N.T. Wright (mandatory if you want a mature perspective but won’t be reading all the books,) and Wilder’s current series on Intro to the Bible, which is outstanding stuff for adults. Get these good things.

Who cares where I found it, it’s sad to realize this needs to be said….several times.

Spurgeon is not, however, the final arbiter between orthodoxy and what some imagine to be “heresy.” Neither he, nor his preaching, is infallible. Preachers are the servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God – not the mysteries of Spurgeon….Your appeal to the authority of Spurgeon in the endless indictments you hand down upon servants of the same Lord Spurgeon served is misplaced, to say the least. If you believe Spurgeon is above criticism by other men, or that Spurgeon’s preaching is not liable to criticism or error, then your self-styled crusade against all those who don’t measure up to him makes perfect, if not regretful, sense…For my part, I will continue to thank God for men like Spurgeon, all the while remembering Paul’s words, “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” There is only one final court of appeal in the judging of men, and it is not Spurgeon’s. There is only One who deserves the place you seem to give Spurgeon, and that One is no man.

I love Spurgeon, but I don’t like Spurgeon as the way to judge other men. I don’t like exegetical preachers ignoring the fact that Spurgeon was topical. I don’t like the fact that Spurgeon did a lot of innovation in ministry that get’s winked at, while today’s innovators are criticized for selling out the Gospel.

Spurgeon’s quick wit and constant humor were considered by some to be highly inappropriate for a clergyman of his day, but his fans today won’t grant others the same right to use humor. (And I don’t just mean the Driscoll business. I mean the caricature of emerging preaching in general.)

Spurgeon was a cage phase Calvinist as a young man, but a generous one- maybe too much so in some opinions- as an older man. How many of today’s TRs would have Moody in their church?

Spurgeon’s lack of education may be providential, but that shouldn’t become a reason to list Spurgeon as anti-education. I like the fact that Spurgeon wasn’t a scholar, and he knew it. He quoted scholars and published reviews of helpful scholarly works. He knew what we owed to scholarly preparation, and what the dangers were as well.

Spurgeon loved the Puritans…and criticized them. He was a Calvinist who knew how to give invitations, tell stories, press the emotions….all things denounced today.

And he charged for tickets!

If the emerging cited Mclaren as a standard the way some reformed cite Spurgeon, it would come off as very unhealthy. Does it strike anyone else as odd that the reformed celebrate their heroes in a way that’s unlike any other group in Christianity except…..I won’t say it. It’s too crazy.

A good man. A great man. But give him his time and place, and give today’s young preachers THEIRS.