Here is my attempt to make sense of beauty. Wendel Berry’s novel is a masterpiece, and I commend it to everyone.
Jayber Crow: A Book Review
A Theology of Water
While we sometimes get lost in debates about the mode of baptism and who are the recipients of baptism—whether infants and adults or only those able to articulate the faith—it seems we overlook the backdrop of baptism.
All our debates would be useless if there were no water. But the way the prophets spoke of Jesus’ coming was to use the imagery of water. The redemption of Jacob was like an outpouring of water and Spirit on dry land (Isa.44). The water will provide life to the parched forest and garden (Isa.41). Israel needs to be sprinkled with water when they enter the land after exile and the sprinkling of clean water is directly connected to the work of the Spirit (Ezk. 36). And Isaiah 52 says that the Messiah will sprinkle the nations and shut the mouths of kings.
This is why when John the Baptizer comes, he comes from a dry place—the wilderness—because he symbolizes that Israel needs to be washed clean by Jesus himself, who is the water of life. So, John is the water prophet, the cleansing prophet who comes to teach Israel that unless they turn to the fountain of living waters, they will perish like many of their forefathers.
This morning, Brian comes to the font of baptism because it is through water that cleanses the land and through waters that he cleanses and calls people to himself. Brian confessed the faith of his mother and stepfather, and he eagerly sought me to share his desire to be baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. It is an honor to see his mother and his little brother baptized at Providence and now to add Brian to the Christian faith.
Infant Baptism and the Future of the CREC
In the latest Perspectivalist episode, I discuss the role of circumcision in the argument for infant baptism. Our guest Adam McIntosh, published an intriguing article at Theopolis Institute arguing for a more consistent pattern for infant baptism throughout the whole Bible: https://podcasters.spotify.com/…/Season-4–Episode-6…
And over at Kuyperian Commentary, Rick Davis interviews the Presiding Minister of Council for the CREC, Virgil Hurt, on celebrating our communion’s 25th anniversary this September in Moscow, ID. and what he expects for the next 25 years:
Overview of Lectures at CALLED Conference 2023
Lecture One: A Biography of the Devil’s Strategies
In this first talk, I will explain the devil’s wicked schemes and how he seeks to devour us.
Lecture Two: The Priestly Armor: A Theology of Perseverance
In this second talk, I will provide the basis of our perseverance. The Christian is not left naked among the many schemes of the Devil, but rather he is assured that the great High Priest, Jesus, will cover him with his own righteous armor, vindicated at the Resurrection.
Lecture Three: The Foundation of Truth and Righteousness
In this third talk, I will offer the opening features of this armor. They are given to establish a proper foundation for the Christian. His priesthood is fastened to the very fabric of his being. This is a work wrought by the Spirit of God. Unlike the old Adam, the armored Christian receives the Spirit of the Risen Messiah.
Lecture Four: Activating Gospel Confidence
In this fourth talk, I will argue that faith activates the armor so that it can produce good fruits. Without faith, it is impossible to walk rightly and defend yourself against the many devilish strategies.
Lecture Five: The Aaronic Benediction: Sending Forth Armored Warriors
Finally, I will explain why prayer is a priestly benediction. We pray so God may send us out as good stewards of this armor. Our identity is found in the armored One who fought for us and our salvation and now sends us out armored by our baptismal clothing to go forth as sons and daughters of God into war.
Tattoos and Stories
Doug Wilson says that the Church needs more tattooed men in our midst. And what he means is that we need to have men who come into the Church from rough and turmoiled places. What fascinates me is how few, if any, of these men would actively encourage their own children to get tattoos. They may not express the anthropology of the thing or even the worldview behind the act. Still, instinctively they know that tattoos are acts of bodily deformation to some extent or another.
It reveals uncertainty about the future by forming a present iconography to still the present. Further, it creates a world in which baptism is not enough. If the font reforms, bodily paintings deform. So, blessed are the tattooed who come into the Church, but may their children leave the paint brushes behind.
With few exceptions, among them imposed, there is no rationale for getting a tattoo that cannot be lived out without one. In many cases, they are revelations of a self-formed liturgy which is why they are so common among military and gang members. But in recent years, they seem to also branch out to other bonds among gamers and other identifying markers among the very young. These go beyond arm tattoos to what some consider to be the dominating trend of 2023– finger tatatoos. It is unmistakable that these are offered as bonding ceremonies.
I sought some advice from a tattooed friend I know, who offered the following observation, which confirmed my suspicion:
“Young men and women who are struggling to find identity see tattoos as a way to individualize themselves or set themselves apart while still wanting to belong to something greater or more important than themselves.”
I argue that those desired bonds can also be built around other more lasting liturgies sealed by a covenantal marking not made with human hands.
The reason virtually every Christian parent I meet with tattoos discourages their children from getting one is that they see a better way to find identity and communicate than a permanent bodily image. The trend among the youth reveals a desire to tell a story. And while there may be plausible reasons for tattoos under unique circumstances, we should affirm that the body is a gift from God and tattoos are attempts at telling stories. For the Christian, baptism is God’s story over our body. Therefore, tattoos are not ordinarily necessary. The story of redemption is told more beautifully and eternally in the body-markings of Another.
RIP, Alan Stout Sr.
Nietzsche famously said, “In heaven, all the interesting people are missing.” Nietzche never met Alan Stout Sr. Alan had a soul reshaped by the God who makes all things new. God had put interest in things, ideas, themes, and rhythms in the life of this dear saint. He was a walking encyclopedia of interesting things because he had lived an extraordinarily interesting life.
Our Church gathered on two occasions to sing to this precious saint, and in our last Psalm-Roar, we sang 11 pieces of music to send this beloved to the Beloved One. We closed with the Song of Simeon because now it was time for Alan to depart in peace according to God’s word. He did depart less than 24 hours later. His life was a song filled with interests. He was interesting because he saturated his existence in the eternal good and the eternal God.
Death is not the soul’s escape to non-interest but the saturation of the soul in the truly interesting world. This dear saint has now joined the choral majesty of Augustine, Luther, and all those who died in Christ. When his soul entered into sabbath rest, he delivered all his interests as a gift to the Interesting God; the God who holds our attention in this world.
Alan’s soul is now absorbed into the interests of the world to come. The dead in Christ will find comfort and eternal repose in the interests of the Ascended Messiah who rules and reigns to make all worlds interesting in his sight.
Nietzsche was wrong. Heaven is where all interesting people go. To be in heaven is to enter into the poetry of existence. It’s where all earthly interests find sabbath rest, surrounded by interesting martyrs, angels, and archangels. Alan is now in their company!
Rest in Peace, Alan Stout Sr.
A Pentecostal Meal
This Supper is a Trinitarian event. Here at this table, the Father who is kind to His children offers us the living Bread of His Son, which He does through the baptism of His Spirit. Jesus has ascended into heaven and is no longer with us in the flesh. But He is with us, both here at this table, and elsewhere, through the power of the Spirit, as the Lord who is Spirit.[1] The Lord’s Table is a Pentecostal meal.
In Acts 2, the outworking of this Spirit-presence is the breaking of the bread among brothers and sisters. Food brings people together and it is purposefully given to us to bind our hearts and minds in the bond of peace. This feast is a unifying feast; an invitation to taste of the mercies of Christ by the power of the Spirit. Today, all of you baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are called to this table. The Spirit of God says, “Come.”
[1] Leithart
Resurrection Joy
Francis Shaeffer observed that “what we are in our thought world determines how we act.”[1] The Apostle Paul articulates this point well in his resurrection theology. Underneath all the dismaying problems in Corinth, there was one massive theological fallacy: they denied the resurrection of the dead. By doing so, they denied the “importance of the world that God created.”[2] And when you deny creation’s importance, when you deny the future of a renewed creation, morality is also denied a central place in our lives. We are not moralists, but we are moral. We are called to be moral and ethical because we properly understand our bodies and their future in creation.
We do not preach the resurrection of Jesus so that you may find your human potential or enlightened self-understanding. We preach the resurrection of Jesus so you may live resurrected lives now, avoiding the deeds of the flesh and submitting to Christ as Lord of everything.
On the other hand, we do not preach the resurrection, so you may daydream about going to heaven and drinking the pietists’ champagne. The resurrection is not declared so you can spend more time meditating and introspecting. The resurrection is declared so you may strive for righteousness and find joy and delight in serving our Lord.
[1] Francis Schaeffer, How Shal We Then Live? Pg. 19
[2] Hays, 277.
Best Podcasts in 2023
My favorite podcasts in 2023, in no particular order:
a) Theopolis Podcast -Unmistakably the richest biblical resource you will find. If you are looking for lectures, sermons, and conversations that will stir your biblical imagination and indoctrinate you with biblical categories, look no further.
b) The Civitas Podcast – My friends James Wood and Peter Leithart offer some of the finest conversations on political theology, challenging standard classical liberal principles on both the left and the right through the lenses of a robust ecclesiocentric perspective. The podcast is still in its infancy, but every single conversation and interview gets better and better.
c) Knox Unplugged Podcast – Some of the people I love most listen to this podcast, and it took me a while to get on board because of concurring interests. Still, David Shannon and Jason Farley are the intellectual testosterone we need today. In a very conversational style, Mr. Surfer-Dude, Jason Farley, delves into deep philosophical concepts, and David (Knox) brings the whole thing home. This podcast will give you great conversation starters.
d) The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast – Jordan is the secular C.S. Lewis of our age. He may be already in the kingdom, but I don’t have any proof. Every single conversation he has is a case for thunderous common grace. Peterson is the happiest generalist I know and can easily converse on any subject like he’s played that role on TV all his life.
Honorable mentions:
The Daily Poem with David Kern offers various poetry readings with helpful backgrounds and explanations.
Canon Calls with Jake McAtee is always insightful. His guests are always compelling. I was probably the exception.
Reformed Forum Podcast is a VanTillian and Classical podcast offering an overview of fascinating Reformed figures and discussing profound theological subjects. These guys are academically trained in language and history.
Full Proof Theology Podcast with Chase Davis. Watch out for this dude! He is going places.
“I believe firmly in plodding. Productivity is more a matter of diligent, long-distance hiking than it is one-hundred-yard dashing. Doing a little bit now is far better than hoping to do a lot on the morrow. So redeem the fifteen-minute spaces. Chip away at it.”
-Douglas Wilson
A Critique of Full Preterism
Welcome to this new season of The Perspectivalist!
Episode 1 of Season 4 begins with an interview with one of the world’s foremost scholars on full-preterism, Dr. Samuel Frost. This movement has gained some notoriety recently due to controversies that erupted on social media. Sam was deeply invested in the movement speaking at their main conferences and engaging their main leaders. Still, he recognized that the movement lacked biblical ground and sought to re-invent central doctrines of the Christian faith. He wrote a book to tell his story (see link in the comment section.
We discussed many things, including the history, appeal, and esoteric nature of the movement, questions concerning infinity, Christology, and a look at the central Ascension text in Acts 1.
In addition, we will provide another 30-minute conversation for our paid subscribers tomorrow, where we discuss the Gary Demar controversy and a few pertinent biblical passages in this present discussion. You can subscribe for special episodes and interviews for $1 a month.
Our music for this season is from Mr. George Reed.