Eschatological Journeys

David Wells on Christ and Postmodernism

Tim — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:54:49 -0500

David Wells' new book Above All Earthly Powr's, will soon be released from Eerdmans. This is the fourth and last volume in Wells' series, which began with No Place for Truth. This promises to be good and helpful just as Wells' other books in the series.

Here is the books description:

In our postmodern world, every view has a place at the table but none has the final say. How, as Christian faith adjusts to a new culture, should the church confess Christ?

Above All Earthly Pow'rs, the fourth and final volume of the set that began in 1993 with No Place for Truth, paints a picture of the West in all its complexity, brilliance, and emptiness. As David Wells masterfully depicts it, the postmodern ethos of the West is relativistic, individualistic, therapeutic, and yet remarkably spiritual. Wells unabashedly locates American postmodernism's roots in the last century's waves of immigration — waves that, for all their diversity, have brought with them numerous new religions and a cultural relativism born out of confusion and a fear of offense. Wells also carefully differentiates between intellectual and popular postmodernism; while few Americans read Foucault or Derrida, nearly everyone is subject to the permeating flood of TV ads.

Wells's book culminates in a critique of contemporary evangelicalism aimed at both unsettling and reinvigorating readers. Churches that market themselves as relevant to consumption-oriented postmoderns are indeed swelling in size. But they are doing so, Wells contends, at the expense of the truth of the gospel, as the trappings they adopt come laden with theological consequences. By placing a premium on marketing, the evangelical church is in danger of selling authentic engagement with culture for worldly success.

Welding extensive cultural analysis with a formidable theological contribution, Above All Earthly Pow'rs will grip pastors, educators, and all serious readers concerned about the fate of evangelical Christianity.

http://www.eerdmans.com/shop/product.asp?p_key=0802829023

Neglect of the Return of Jesus

Tim — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 09:46:01 -0500

I am still confused on how so many Western Evangelical Christians live with so little a concern for the great return of the Lord Jesus. This reality was a great motivator in the New Testament. The irony is even more potent when one considers the popularity of the Left Behind Series. Here is an essay by Gareth Battan stating the same idea (HT: Bluefish).

Carson on the Dangers and Delights of Postmodernism

Tim — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:35:32 -0500

Carson writes,
"This essay does not respond to postmodernism systematically. That would demand quite a different piece. Still less have I attempted to sketch an alternative Christian epistemology, although astute readers will detect the direction I would take. My point has been simpler. Informed Christians will neither idolize nor demonize either postmodernism or modernism. Both are founded on profoundly idolatrous assumptions. And both make some valuable observations that, when they are properly integrated into a more biblically faithful frame of reference, enable us to reflect fruitfully on the world in which we live."
Read the remainder of the article here. Consider also Carson's larger treatment of postmodernity The Gagging of God.

Reformed Theology and Christian Assurance

Tim — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:59:18 -0500

Internetmonk writes,

I've been thinking about the subject of the Christian's assurance of salvation. To put my cards on the table, I don't struggle with assurance of salvation personally at all. I'm far more inclined toward the "wider mercy" view of God's love than I am toward any apprehensions about whether I am among the elect. My struggles are over entirely different subjects: Does God exist? How can I face death without losing my sanity? Check in with me on those topics and I'll buy your joe.

I'm interested because I spend a significant amount of time counseling students and adults on the subject of assurance. These are people who are unsure whether or not they are Christians at all. Some feel they never were, but most feel they've somehow started, and now failed, in their Christian faith. I rarely have anyone come to me doubting that God exists or questioning whether the Bible is true- both questions I would expect to hear frequently given the student population that I minister to at a boarding school. Instead of these fundamental questions, I continually have a conversation something like this:

"I used to think I was a was Christian, but I don't think I am any more."

"What has convinced you that you're not a Christian?"

"I don't live like a Christian. I do a lot of things that I know Christians don't do. I rededicate my life to Christ all the time, but I just go right back to the same old things, and I don't see how a Christian would be so hypocritical. I'm lazy, and I really don't live the Christian life."

See the remainder of the article here. He brings up a good point in this article, a point that is important for Christians to engage. The best book I know of for helping Christians think through issues of justification, sanctification, and assurance is The Race Set Before Us.

This is a great book and is well worth the price.

Reformation of the Arts

Tim — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 12:53:36 -0500

Thinking about the Arts? Here is a good page to get some helpful articles.

Sam Storms on Carson on Emergent

Tim — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 08:27:12 -0500

Sam Storms of Enjoying God Ministries and author of One Thing has entered into the critique of Emergent things. This is part 1 of the critique using Carson's book Becoming Conversant with Emergent as a foil for critiquing the Emergent 'movement'. Storms writes,

I can’t count the number of times over the past six months that people have asked me: “When are you going to write about the Emerging Church?” That question is almost always followed by: “Have you read Brian McLaren’s books?”

The answer to the second question is Yes. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve read all of McLaren’s books except the one on evangelism (“More Ready Than You Realize” [Zondervan, 2002]). I even used his book “Finding Faith” (Zondervan, 1999) as a required textbook in the course on Christian Thought that I taught at Wheaton College. But I’ve refrained from writing a review of any of them, in large measure due to the developing nature of his thought. In other words, it seems with each new volume another layer of the onion is peeled, revealing something surprising or sad or, on occasion, moderately encouraging. I’ve thus been fearful that no sooner would I write a response than he’d disclose something unexpected and render my comments either obsolete or inaccurate, or both."

Read the remainder here.

Some thoughts for Christian Hedonists to Keep in Mind

Tim — Wed, 25 May 2005 14:01:02 -0500

http://www.internetmonk.com/archives/2005/05/019911.html

Carson on the so-called New Perspective on Paul

Tim — Mon, 23 May 2005 15:33:22 -0500

Carson gave three lectures on this topic. They are good.

http://fieryones.com/lectures/

If God Ordains All Things...

Tim — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 08:12:40 -0600

Have you ever thought, "If God ordains all things, then why should I do anything?"? If so here is a short answer, but a good answer. Also check out the bibliography mentioned.

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2005/03/divine-sovereignty-and-necessity-of.html