Catholicity, Orthodoxy, and Lordship
Friday, 8:16PM
Talk about records. Today my blog hit a new high of over 130 views…I guess you talk about the right issue at the right time and the bloggers come out of the closet. The last time I had over 100 views was when I wrote my series on why Baptists are not Reformed…well, I think you know why I got so many hits…hmm… what’s next?
Thursday, 8:34AM
In my attempt to finish things up this semester, I often forget the goodness of God in bringing me thus far.
Matt Lewis writes: “The only memorable exchange I can recall from tonight was the spat between Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.” In that exchange, the GOP was summarized. Mike Huckabee represented all the other eight candidates (including Thompson) and Ron Paul represented the non-interventionist position held by so many great man before.
Debates like tonight’s truly prove the substantial differences among the candidates. Ron Paul was probably at his best! He was firm, filled with conviction, passionate, committed, bold, and faithful to the principles of the Constitution. I must admit that watching Fox News is one of the most torturous activities that I have ever endured, nevertheless, to see Ron Paul’s exchange with Huckabee was priceless.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul stirred much of the excitement of the evening, repeating his anti-war stance and getting into a sparring match with Huckabee over whether it’s time for the United States to leave Iraq.
“Going into Iraq and Afghanistan and threatening Iran is the worst thing we can do for our national security. I am less safe, the American people are less safe for this. It’s the policy that is wrong,” Paul said, adding that he disagrees with war supporters who warn against leaving prematurely.
“The people who say there will be a bloodbath are the ones who said it will be a cakewalk or it will be a slam dunk, and that it will be paid for by oil. Why believe them?” he asked.
In response, Huckabee said that the United States agreed before the war started that if they break Iraq, it must buy it.
“Congressman, whether or not we should have gone to Iraq is a discussion the historians can have, but we’re there. We bought it because we broke it. We’ve got a responsibility to the honor of this country and to the honor of every man and woman who has served in Iraq and ever served in our military to not leave them with anything less than the honor that they deserve,” Huckabee said.
Paul then responded: “The American people didn’t go in. A few people advising this administration, a small number of people called the neoconservatives hijacked our foreign policy. They’re responsible, not the American people.”
Huckabee retorted that the United States is one nation. “We can’t be divided. We have to be one nation, under God. That means if we make a mistake, we make it as a single country: the United States of America, not the divided states of America,” he said.
“No, when we make a mistake when we make a mistake, it is the obligation of the people, through their representatives, to correct the mistake, not to continue the mistake,” Paul replied. a
Thank you Congressman for teaching us.
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The great Calvinistic ambassador of the Netherlands, Abraham Kuyper, was born in 1837 and died in 1920. According to his teachers, young Abraham seemed to be a dull boy. a As time progressed, however, Kuyper was able to excel in every academic endeavor. At the age of 26, he had received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology.
Among many great accomplishments, the founding of the Free University of Amsterdam in 1880 is most certainly remembered as one of Kuypers greatest legacy. b It is most remembered because it was established on the principle that so defined Dr. Kuyper. This principle is that the Bible is the unconditional standard on which to base the entire structure of human civilization.
This distinct framework led Kuyper to arrive in the United States in 1898 to deliver the now famous Stone Lectures at Princeton Seminary. Kuypers commitment to the authority of Scripture from a pristine Calvinistic worldview led him to become well versed in many subjects beyond the strictly theological. It has been said of Kuyper that no department of human knowledge was foreign to him. c What Abraham Kuyper acknowledged was that God was the principal foundation for all thought. Further, his sole desire was to see the glory of Christ and the worship of God permeate all areas of life. As he writes: That in spite of all worldly opposition, Gods holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which the Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God. d
The profound effect of Biblical revelation in Kuypers life led him to find no other source of authority or rule for the nations than Gods holy ordinances. The seriousness of the written word was more than an academic enterprise; rather, it transformed lives, homes, societies, and civilizations. Hence, Kuyper never tired of speaking about the power of word for salvation, but beyond that, the power of the word for all human life.
It is a touching testimony to read the writings of such a saint. One would be tempted to assume that Kuypers writings and thoughts never escaped the academic themes; however, Kuyper was also a man of piety. One reviewer once wrote of Kuypers devotional entitled To be Near Unto God, This book of meditations disproves the idea, that a profound theologian cannot be a warmhearted Christian. e The church still needs a fresh dose of Kuyperian piety and Calvinistic zeal.
It has been three days since my surgery and recovery has been slow, but steady. I have started to eat little bits. The medication has been somewhat effective. I have bee reading through: Stumbling Towards Faith. It is a horrific account of abuse and terror in a home and throughout life. It reveals much more about the naivete of our churches to deal with those who are hurting. My introduction to counseling class has been challenging and it has further introduced me to some new thoughts. Perhaps I will share as the months go by.
Bishop Wright has some thoughtful comments in his: Paul for Everyone: Romans: Chapters 1-8. According to N.T. Wright, understanding what Paul’s definition of “flesh” is in Romans will help settle Paul’s distinction between “fleshly” and “spiritual.” He writes:
But what do ‘fleshly’ and ‘spiritual’ mean? The first term, particularly, is so problematical that it would be nice (as I have tried to do with some other technical language) to avoid it altogether, but I have found that doing so produces even worse tangles. Better to learn, once and for all, that when Paul uses the word ‘flesh’ and other similar words he does not intend us simply to think of the ‘physical’ world, in our normal sense, as opposed to the ‘non-physical’. He has other language for that.
The word we translate, here and elsewhere, as ‘flesh’ refers to people or things who share the corruptibility and mortality of the world, and, often enough and certainly here, the rebellion of the world. ‘Flesh’ is a negative term. For Paul as a Jew the created order, the physical world, was good in itself. Only its wrong use, and its corruption and defacing, are bad. ‘Flesh’ highlights that wrong use, that corruption and decay. (p.140-41)
This is a helpful definition. What N.T. Wright has done is correct improper dichotomies in the text that are simply not found, but rather, take its roots in Platonic dualism. This is, furthermore, a stern rebuke of those who would like to use concepts such as “flesh” to identify everything that belongs to this world. In this worldview, the flesh can never be redeemed and the world is merely a necessary evil. The text simply will not allow these faulty ideas to occur. It has been the purpose of God to redeem the flesh and this world, hence, it is the corruption and defacing of the “flesh” that we as baptized Christians must avoid.
Laurence Vance is a contributor to two of my favorite websites: Lewrockwell.com and Mises.org. In the last few years, we have seen a resurgence of thought concerning the abolition of the current taxing system in the US. One proposal (endorsed by presidential candidate Mike Huckabee) is the FairTax plan. a The FairTax is “a proposal to replace the current system of federal income taxes, corporate taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, capital gains taxes, gift taxes, and estate taxes with a national sales tax on new goods and services that does not reduce the government’s overall tax revenue.” b Regardless of the current endorsement of “conservative” leaders for the FairTax, many still find it dangerous and working against the very principle it seeks to pursue: The Abolishment of the IRS. In this article Vance reviews the popular FairTax book written by Neal Boortz and John Linder. He concludes by offering 17 problems with the FairTax. A worthy read.
Nothing went well with my surgery this morning. Thankfully, the pain has diminished since this morning’s horror. After giving me the maximal amount of numbing shots, the procedures could not have been more troublesome. Their intention was to remove all four wisdom teeth; after the second one my blood pressure was so high that they could not proceed. Somehow, even through the shots to numb my gums, I still felt the pressure and the pain of forcing two teeth out of its roots. I pray this will hopefully be the closest to hell’s anguish and pain I will ever suffer. In two months I go back to remove the other two.
Psalm 121:1 presents an interesting dilemma for the Psalmist. a The text reads: I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come? Professor Mark Futato argues that Psalm 121 is a pilgrimage Psalm. The Israelites are headed to Jerusalem to one of the three great festivals. They are going to the temple; it is there where they long to be in the presence of God. However, to reach this temple they must pass through the ominous mountains. The author lifts his eyes with two distinct thoughts: a) The task is mighty indeed, but my God awaits me. It is there where I will find refuge and strength; the God of my salvation. b) His second thought relates to the dangers the mountains impose. He may face dangerous creatures eager to hinder his progress and to cause him harm; but the task is worthy. The pilgrimage to come to the presence of God and to see His glory manifested in worthy of sacrifice and pain.