partsofspeaking

  I am mystified by discussions of CRT being taught in seminaries. The old adage remains: whenever the church marries itself to a secular philosophy, it will be a widow in ten years. Why would believers need a Marxist-based theory (which is wrong not so much because of specific attitudes about capital and wealth* but because it denies God and His sovereignty and purpose in history, denies the Biblical view of human nature, and denies the basis of Christian moral and ethical living)? Is not the record of the early church enough, how much it had to fight against ethnocentrism and racism and assert plainly that there is no wall of separation between Jew and Gentile? That clearly leaders in the church were from different races and ethnic groups? Do we think the U.S. is the first nation that ever had a racism problem? Seriously? And do we really think white people are the only racists who ever lived? I do not speak of the secular world. I speak of the body of Christ. We need only em

 Pete Buttiegieg's name came out as Buddha's Edge, then corrected, Buddha Judge, on the news today. Appropriate?

 If  God is love (I John 4:8) and  God is infinite, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, all-powerful, all-wise, Then God is infinitely, eternally, all-knowingly, ever-presently, powerfully, perfectly wisely loving.  I think we all need that today.

I realized today that this week I have hugged more people than I have in the previous fourteen months.I doubt I am the only person with this experience.  This article resonated with me, but only because I, also like many, have felt so isolated. Although I myself did not isolate myself much during the pandemic, many of my friends did, for their own reasons. Sometimes elderly relatives they didn't want to put at risk, sometimes their own health issues, and sometimes what I thought was irrational fear.  https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/a36430913/the-year-of-lost-friendships-pandemic/?utm_source=pocket-newtab This writer comes from a secular viewpoint, although she makes some good points. However, this morning I am reading Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly , the chapter on the friendship of Christ. If we think friendship is about our benefits, we have missed the points. Those people whom one feel isolated and distant from after the pandemic's worst are probably the ones we s

In Life Group this morning the member who was teaching quoted the literature (which I confess to not reading this week) “we are supposed to be a nation of priest, not a nation with priests.” That got me thinking about the doctrine of the priesthood of believers. This is a doctrine we do not talk about much any more. It’s not a concept that is brought up much in the New Testament, but it is there. The questions are where? why? What do they   mean? And how does the teaching affect us? Exodus 19:6 “‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”   (This to Israel) I Peter 2:5 You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priest hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.   1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priest hood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who ca

 How much pain, and what kind, is hidden behind smiling Facebook photos?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=936BapRFHaQ  The opening violin of Finlandia gets me every time. The hymns' words:  Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heavenly Friend Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. Be still, my soul: The hour is hastening on When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

 

  Today I had a bit of an epiphany. We mistake being blessed for being privileged.   Not that I like to talk about privilege, because now it seems like you can’t hear the word or see it in print without the word “white” in front of it.   As far as living in the U.S., even people in minorities are privileged because we live with such conveniences, such wealth, such overabundance.   I was looking at houses today, driving around, checking out places I saw on Realtor.com (not many decent ones that are really available). They are either too far out, too expensive, or too—no thank you.   I would say it was a waste of time, but I have to get used to this if I’m going to make such a big decision. Yet I took some side streets and roads and saw some beautiful homes in spacious subdivisions I didn’t even know existed. Who has all this money? The people living in those homes probably didn’t question their ownership of it. They could afford it (or not), and they wanted it.   That is privi

  This article is needed in the debate I started with the post below about Al Mohler. Tish Warren says, "I want to minister, not be a lightning rod or a martyr or a trail-blazer for women's ordination." I'm not arguing for or against the ordination or pastorhood of women. I'm saying let's stop assuming every woman in these positions is a flagrant feminist only wanting to fight "the patriarchy."   In some traditions (Wesleyan/Hispanic/African American) it's not a new thing, anyway.   

Al Mohler, Women's Roles I admit to being conflicted over this article. He doesn't do a very good job of defending the "only men as pastors"position other than that it's part of the Baptist Faith and Message.  OK, no way to argue against that, of course.  And he argues, I think, that part (a significant part) of the reason for the liberalization of the mainlines Protestant churches was women pastors, and that the same issue was one of the reasons for the "Conservative Resurgence" in the SBC. Well, he would know better than I, I suppose, but I have my doubts. To me "women in pastoral ministry" was an effect, not a cause.   In my younger years (pre-60) I was all in with the idea of "male pastors only." I still bend that way, but ...I don't consider it a fundamental of the faith. Female missionaries have been leading the churches in other countries for over a hundred years. I am pretty tired of a 25-year-old having the opportunity to

  https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Philemon-Individuals-Groups/dp/B08QWBY38V/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+Gospel+According+to+Philemon&qid=1619915245&sr=8-2 A blog is free advertising! Seriously, I make no profit of any measure from these books. I sell them at the cheapest price Amazon lets me.  

That title is meant as click bait, not that I get much traffic on this blog.  I continue to read Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly, and recommend it, but really, a recommend the Puritans. In the Valley of Vision is a gem.   The thing about the Puritans is that they had little concern for social problems. They had two concerns: the glory of God (and by that I mean a totally theologically, God-based view of reality, both physical and spiritual) and the neediness of the human soul. They were in no way dualists; the physical world was real to them, but it is not our permanent place. (Most don't know the Puritans were enthusiastic drinkers.) Paul wrote "Where sin abounded, grace abounded more." (Romans 5:20). Not that we should sin to get more grace, but it is only in the full acceptance of our sinfulness that we really get it. It is grace, but it's also a self- and world-view that helps us live realistically.  Ortlund writes: "Fallen humans are natural self-advoca