Catholicity, Orthodoxy, and Lordship
No Other Standard – A response to Theonomy a Reformed Critique
By This Standard – Also by Greg Bahnsen
Paradise Restored – David Chilton
Debate Over Christian Reconstruction – Gary Demar
Follow the links to find each book on-line for free.
Enjoy.
Yes, I admit it! I am a Postmillenialist. I have been for over 2 years. There is a lot of story behind why I became a postmillenialist, but this is not what I am concerned about here. I am concerned about the majority of the Amillennial population, specifically in the PCA. It appears that to be associated with Postmillennialism today is to be automatically associated with the so-called “Radical Theonomists.” Well, perhaps “Theonomy” will be part of another confessional blog. So in order to not associate themselves with Postmillennialism they carry on their lectures speaking of the grand accomplishments of the gospel in the world both geographically and spiritual in this age, but yet maintain the label of Amillennialism.
Perhaps, some are not aware of strong Postmillennialists such as Ian Murray, Keith Matthison, or R.C. Sproul who are not theonomic in their outlook. The misunderstanding comes in defining Postmillennial eschatology. This misunderstanding stems from the erroneous association of modern Postmillennial thought with the eschatology of the Puritans. The Puritans were also Postmillennial in their view, but they took the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 as a literal reference. Whereas, current Postmillennial eschatology held by Gary Demar and Ken Gentry see the thousand years as symbolic of a fructiferous age in Christendom.
In Postmillennialism, sin will not be eradicated, people will continue to die and –believe it or not– Jews will still be saved by gospel. Ok, now that we know what it isn’t, can we take a step of faith?
The reason this is becoming such an issue to me is that this week alone I have talked to a prominent PCA minister and a prominent theologian in the PCA who are committed to an optimistic view of the church but continue to wave their Amillennial banners. I think they need to re-evaluate their labels and renounce their traditional flag and embrace a new one. Well, at least that’s what I think.
Today I had a most helpful discussion in class. As I has mentioned earlier, I had a debate on the topic of Islam, specifically is ” Islam inherently violent?” I took the pro position affirming that Islam is inherently violent on the basis of the Koranic writings, the expansion of Islam, their treatment of apostates, treatment of women, Muhammad’s example, and the application of Shari’a (Islamic Law) in nations all over the world. Though these arguments were forceful I was astounded by some of the consequences of this line of thinking. For instance, to affirm that Islam has grown through military conquest is also to affirm that in Israel’s history there was conquest through military extermination of entire cities.
Further, I have probed into the idea of how this affects my ideas on law and ethics in a thoroughly Christianized society in which the law of God reigns supreme in all the earth. If Muslisms and other non-Chistian religions must bow down to the law of God, then does it not follow that this is a form of violence, since imposition by nature is violent?
The excellent question raised by the defender of the con position was in regards to the very definition of “inherent.” That is, does the question ” Is Islam inherently violent” have any meaning since “inherent” is defined as a quality without which a religion cannot exist? The answer to this question at the outset would indicate that the entire discussion carries no real fruit since most would recognize that violence is not central to Islamic theology. But, I believe it is important to realize that “violence” is in fact necessary to Islamic theology, since if there were no initial military conquest there would be no expansion and if there were no expansion then the religion of Islam today would have been nothing more than a passing fad in the corridors of history. We would have discussed another religion this morning.
There is certainly much more work to be done in this topic, but for now I am convinced that the corruption of Islam is found in its main pillar, which is faith in the Islamic Creed which says, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” It is in the application and lack of submission to this mandate that the topic of violence becomes even more pertinent.
Tomorrow I have a debate in my history class on the nature of Islam. I will be defending the proposition that Islam is inherently violent. It is a 25 minute presentation and then a Q&A. I have spent a substantial amount of time working on it, but not as in-depth as I would like. Of course, Islam is almost as diverse as Christianity in terms of different sects.
Coming up I also have a 15 page paper on Baptism in the Early Church. I am not quite sure what route I will take. I have considered doing an analysis of the east vs. west view on baptism in the first four centuries of the church. I was inspired after reading a paper Greg Johnson did on a similar topic at Covenant Seminary.
I also have about 100 pages to read from Robert Raymond’s Systematic Theology and compare his view on the order of salvation with Sinclair Ferguson’s view, which he espoused in his book The Holy Spirit. With all that in mind, as time permits I wish to post some of my research for your benefit.
The Evangelical church has not awakened readily to a fact that many Roman Catholic apologists have been quick to notice. The simple fact of the matter is this: the modern Evangelical doctrine of Scripture-solo Scriptura-is self-contradictory and fundamentally absurd. If applied consistently it is fatal to Christianity. A growing number of Evangelicals are realizing this, and because they have been told that solo Scriptura is the Reformation and Protestant doctrine, they are flocking to Rome and Constantinople in an attempt to maintain a coherent faith.If Evangelical Protestantism is to survive, if it is to regain its calling, it must reject the essentially man-centered doctrine of solo Scriptura. The Evangelical church cannot call Christendom to reform and to a return to apostolic Christianity by rejecting one of the fundamental tenets of apostolic Christianity. Why should we expect or even want those within Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy to reject institutional autonomy in favor of individual autonomy? Solo scriptura cannot result in anything other than doctrinal chaos.Instead of advocating chaos, the Evangelical church must regain an understanding of the Reformation doctrine of sola Scriptura, which is essentially nothing more than the early Church’s doctrine of Scripture and tradition framed within a different historical context. The Church must affirm that Scripture is the sole, final, and infallible norm of faith and practice. And the Church must affirm that Scripture is to be interpreted in and by the communion of saints within the theological context of the rule of faith. Only by rejecting all forms of autonomy, institutional or individual, can any branch of the Church be in obedience to Jesus Christ the Lord. (Keith Mathison, The Shape of Sola Scriptura [Moscow, ID: Canon, 2001], pp.346-47)
Scott Peterson is sentenced to death!
As I suspected this would not be an OJ Simpson case. This time justice prevailed, even amidst many setbacks.
A California judge Wednesday sentenced Scott Peterson to die by lethal injection for killing his pregnant wife and her fetus, calling the deaths “cruel, uncaring, heartless and callous.”
I will attempt to put together a list of five movies that have made a lasting impression on me. My choice is based on a series of factors. Hopefully, you will consider these as well. 1) Redemptive themes, 2) Symbolizes Courage and Sacrifice, 3) Espouses a Biblical Worldview without having to be explicitly Christian, 4) Speaks of the existential and inner struggles of man, 5) Reveals the despair of mankind without Christ, 6) Illustrates the justice of God, 7) Portrays the Bible as a Book that is more than a Book, 8) Values human life, 9) Philosophically stimulating, and 10) Reveals a Cosmic Battle between good and evil.
With that in mind, here is a list of my top five with no particular order:
1) The Passion ( Historical ) R
2) To End All Wars ( War ) R
3) Amistad ( Slavery during the 1800’s) R
4) Magnolia ( Existential ) R
5) Braveheart (Historical) R
I have thoroughly enjoyed Peter Leithart’s blog the last few months. He has been by far my favorite sacramental theologian. Here are his thoughts on justification:
Justification is not the end of a story, but the beginning.
Consider Noah, who was righteous in his generations, and who was seen/judged righteous before Yahweh.
To be justified is to be distinguished from the wicked generation.
To be justified is to be preserved when the judgment falls.
To be justified is to be set up on Mount Ararat to offer thank offerings.
To be justified is to be renewed in the Adamic commission, to enter a new creation to rule and subdue it.
Justification is not the end of a story, but the beginning. And the story is the story of new creation.
I am in a sense addicted to Edwards’ Biblical imagery. Simply put, it appears that he is the medicine our modern day preaching needs to ignite a true godly revival in the church. So, which is more important, heaven or hell? According to Edwards’ a good image painted with eloquent but accurate language can display God’s love and wrath.
Update #1 – John Ashcroft resigns! This was not a big shock since the rumors had been going on in DC for quite some time now. Who will replace him and the new changes in the administration will be the topic of interest in the next few weeks.
Update #2 – According to Covenant News, it appears that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is dead, senior Palestinian political sources said on Tuesday. “He is dead,” a senior political source close to Arafat told Reuters in Paris, where the 75-year-old leader has been lying in a coma at a French military hospital. Of course, it may be a few days until we receive confirmation.
Update #3 – Doug Wilson and James White debated on the 6th of November on the topic: Are Roman Catholics My Brothers? For updates on the debate here are the links to both sites:
Douglas Wilson
James White