Some Old Resolutions (Pt. 2)

Today I want to continue the “New Year’s Resolution” theme by diving a little bit deeper into Edward’s resolutions then seeing what we can learn from him. I give you seven more resolutions!

11. Resolved, when I think of my Theorem in Divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if Circumstances don’t hinder.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest Temperance in eating and drinking.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive my self to grow in the Knowledge of the same.

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every Week to be brought higher in Religion, and to a higher Exercise of Grace, than I was the Week before.

37. Resolved, to enquire every Night, as I am going to Bed, wherein I have been negligent, what Sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied my self : Also at the end of every Week, Month and Year.

38. Resolved, never to speak any Thing that is Ridiculous, or Matter of Laughter on the Lord’s day.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost Niceness and Diligence, and the strictest Scrutiny, to be looking into the State of my Soul, that I may know whether I have truly an Interest in Christ or no ; that when I come to die, I may not have any Negligence respecting this to repent of.

I want you to stop and think for a second about the nature of New Year’s resolutions. We make them… clench our teeth and muster up all the power we can in our will then FAIL. I know I have already failed to keep some of my resolutions this year. For instance, I made the following resolution: “Resolved, to be less awesome this year.” And darn it, I failed already! All jokes aside, our failure to be able to keep our resolutions shows us something about our nature as fallen human beings. We cannot do what we know is right. Then I am reminded of the Gospel. Jesus knows I try and fail…. but more than that Jesus knows I am not just a person who sins, I am a sinner. Jesus knows this and covers my sins. But he doesn’t just leave us there. He doesn’t just say “BAM your sins are covered” and then walks away. No! He sends us his Spirit whom he has purchased for us so that we might live in a way that is pleasing to him. It is by his grace that we can live holy lives. It is by his grace that we can follow through with what we know we ought to do. It is His grace, through the power of his Spirit that enables us to do what we ought. Jonathan Edwards knew this. That is why he started off his resolutions by saying:

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s Help, I do humbly intreat him by his Grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his Will, for Christ’s Sake.

Edwards new that he was unable to do anything without God’s help. He knew he couldn’t muster up the inner strength to keep these resolutions. He knew it was only by God’s grace that he could do this. So this year as you try to follow through with your resolutions I entreat you, Don’t forget that it is His grace, through the power of his Spirit that enables us to do what we ought. And when you fall down and fail remember that Jesus has covered for your failings and that He is eager for you to run back into his arms.

Some Old Resolutions (Pt. 1)

A new year is upon us and its time to make some resolutions. I admit I should have probably done this on January 1st or December 31st before midnight, nevertheless it is never to late to “Resolve” to do something. However this set of resolutions isn’t mine. Its Jonathan Edwards’, nor were they made for the new year, In fact there are several resolutions that were made at “random” points throughout the 1720’s. So instead of posting my resolutions, I give you Edwards’. Most of these I would want to appropriate for myself, especially #4.

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Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the forementioned things.

[[3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.]]

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

[[8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. Vid. July 30, [1723].]]

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

Top Seven Books of 2012

The year has come to an end and its time to do what bloggers do… write a “Top x Books of the Year” list. I have read a ton of books this year. Over 130 which means that I read more than 2 books per week. CRAZY! However as I looked at those books most of them were published before 2012 so I was pretty limited in how many books are able to be put on this list. That’s okay though. I still believe that the following books are a worthwhile read. I broke up my top 7 books into several categories: Apologetics, Biblical Studies, Charismatic, Devotional, Ministry, Missions, Systematic Theology.

Apologetics – Where the Conflict Really Lies by Alvin Plantinga

Normally I don’t read apologetics books…. to tell you the truth I am not a huge fan of apologetics. If you want to know why you can ask me later. The truth is though, this book is not an apologetics book it is a philosophy book; Philosophy of Religion meets Philosophy of Science. And by “religion” I don’t simply mean Christianity, I (and Plantinga) include Naturalism within the scope of “religion.” Drawing mainly from the fields of Evolution, Divine Action Theory, and Physics Plantinga shows where the conflict really lies. His thesis is that “there is a superficical conflict but deep concord between science and theistic religion, but superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism.” He proves this thesis in four steps: 1-show the alleged conflicts between science and Christianity are not really conflicts at all, 2-show that the superficial conflicts between science and Christianity are not “defeater” type conflicts, 3-show that there is deep concord between Christianity and Science, 4- Show that there is deep conflict between Naturalism and Science. He shows this last point by arguing that naturalistic evolution is self-defeating. It is self-defeating because given naturalism and evolution our cognitive faculties are not reliable. While I don’t normally read apologietics I can recommend this philosophy book as an apologetics book because I feel like that is how most Christians will end up using this book anyway.

Biblical Studies – Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament by G.K. Beale

NT use of the OT is one of my favorite fields of study. I am absolutely fascinated with it, so when I saw that Beale was coming out with a “Handbook” on it, I had to snatch it right up. I have to tell you that I was extremely happy I did that. If you don’t know much about NT use of the OT then get this book! It provides an excellent introduction to the topic. However it serves as more than an excellent introduction, it also provides students with the tools to do this task. If you know Beale’s work on the NT use of the OT you know that whatever tools he is giving you are top quality tools. Beale wrote THE commentary on the NT use of the OT and wrote an excellent biblical theology which uses this method. So if you want to learn from the master pick up this book. Especially useful are his chapters on “an approach to interpreting the OT in the New” and “primary ways the NT uses the OT.”

Charismatic – Spirit Rising by Jim Cymbala

I sort of balk at using the term Charismatic for one of the categories, probably because the term does carry some baggage. See I live in a tension between several worlds; I grew up in a foursquare church, went to a baptist high school, go to Fuller seminary, and work at a broadly evangelical church. But through all these things I consider myself to be Reformed and Charismatic. I’m starting to see a lot of people who are Reformed and Charismatic these days so I am quite encouraged. Anyway, the book by Jim Cymbala is not Reformed but it it Charismatic. What I loved about this book were Pastor Jim’s stories. Stories of the power of God moving in a congregation, moving to help people in need, moving to bring people to saving faith in Christ. This book isn’t spooky or weird, its simple and straightforward. The point of this whole book is to show the reader that God WILL do great things when we open ourselves up to allowing the Spirit to move in our lives and in our churches. As I read this book I got so excited imagining all the things that God wanted to do at my own church. I was encouraged to pray and to seek God on behalf of my ministry. If you want to be encouraged and pumped up read this book.

Devotional – Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson

Open up this book and take a look at who endorses it… now close this book and tell me you don’t want to read it; you can’t! Matt Chandler, Trevin Wax, Sam Storms, Owen Strachan, Ed Stetzer, Tullian Tchividjian, and Chris Woznicki all recommend this book. (Yes I added myself to that list!) I read this book while I was going through a spiritually dry period earlier this year, and this book gave me exactly what I needed, a big dose of the marvelous gospel. Through illustrations and stories of real life people in his congregation Jared Wilson shows you how beautiful the gospel really is. Being enamored by the gospel is what Wilson calls “Gospel Wakefulness,” he defines it as “treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly.” This book helps you do that, and who doesn’t want that?

Ministry – Gospel Coach Scott Thomas and Tom Wood

To tell you the truth (once again) I found myself reading a lot more Systematic Theology this year and a lot less “ministry” books. I often find myself going through cycles though, for a few months it will be ALL NT studies, then ALL ministry, then ALL charismatic, then ALL systematic theology. Also, this year I didn’t find a ministry book that I was in love with, except for this one. Gospel Coach was so good and so practical. See here is the thing, I am HUGE on multiplying leaders and groups. Multiplication is a BIG deal to me, and you can’t multiply leaders/groups without coaches. So I really believe in coaching. Thomas and Wood tell us why we need coaches and provide a bunch of helfpul/practical ways to help our coaches do their job. However the thing that makes this book stand out is that it isn’t simply practical adivce, its practical advice rooted in the truth of the gospel. Coaching in light of the gospel; “A gospel coach provides Christian leaders a theological foundation and a practical system to develop and equip other leaders in the local church to make disciples and to shepherd them to glorify God and to effectively lead.” If you want to raise up these kinds of leaders read this book. If you want to raise up leaders who not only make other disciples but make other leaders, read this book.

Missions – Finish the Mission by John Piper and David Mathis

This book is a collection of talks given at the “Desiring God: Finish The Mission” Conference. It includes essays by Louie Giglio, David Platt, Ed Stetzer, and of course John Piper (only to name a few). Now there were better books on the practical side of mission, one that comes to mind is JR Woodward’s Creating a Missional Culture, but this book really captures the heart of mission: worship. This is the kind of book that will fire you up for seeing God glorified among the nations. If more people were to read this book and be captured by the vision of this book then the church, especially the consumer driven American church would be better for it.

Systematic Theology – The Theology of Jonathan Edwards by Michael McClymond and Gerald McDermott

Okay, I’m cheating this book came out at the end of December 2011 but its a no brainer! There were a lot of theology books released this year but this one makes the top of my list (I wish I could have read Oliver Crisp’s Jonathan Edwards on God and Creation because I’m sure that book would have given this book a run for its money). So here is the deal my opinion is biased. My studies (both for school and teaching) focus on the Gospels, NT use of the OT, and the theology of Jonathan Edwards, so its natural that a book on Edwards would top my list in regards to Systematic Theology. If you are into Edwards or want to get into Edwards go read The End for Which God Created the World then go read this book. This tome has everything you need to know to begin your studies on Edwards. Biographical Material: his ministry, his spirituality, and his context. Theological Topics: Strategies and Methods, The Triune God Angels and Heaven, Anthropology and Grace, Salvation History, Church, Ethics, Society, and much much more. Finaly interpretations of Edwards ranging from the New Divinity school to Modern Day interpretations like the one of Lee, Crisp, and Global interpretations. This book is extremely important as a reference book, no one has complied all of this information in one place, and as a book that will launch new topics of discussion.  If there were one thing I could say about this book to convince you to read (or at least buy) this $60 book its this: “Jonathan Edwards never wrote a systematic theology, but McClymond and McDermott have written one for him.”

MY BOOK OF THE YEAR

My favorite book that I read this year was T.F. Torrance’s Atonement but that came out in 2009 so it doesn’t count. However with that in mind my favorite book of 2012 was (drum roll please)…….

The Theology of Jonathan Edwards by Michael McClymond and Gerald McDermott.

Christological and Trinitarian Missiologies (pt. 2)

Today we wrap the comparison between the missiology of Samuel Escobar and Stephen Holmes by looking at their specific theologies of mission, then we conclude by comparing and contrasting them.

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Samuel Escobar

            Escobar begins his paper by noticing the incorrectly held assumption that Christianity is essentially a western religion.[1] Because Christianity is not necessarily a western thing, there is a “need for a radical departure from the Constantinian pattern of missionary enterprise”[2] that has pervaded the West. Escobar goes on to examine two ways of doing mission which have been popular in Latin America. The first way of understanding Christ and God’s mission is in light of the Liberation Theology tradition. He notes that Liberation theologies were birthed out of a Latin American history which is filled with oppression and conquest.[3] Although Liberation theology makes God’s word relevant in Latin America it has its faults, it places the establishment of God’s kingdom primarily in the hands of society. According to Escobar another way of understanding God’s mission is to adopt a Christology which emphasizes a high Christology but ignores Christ’s humanity. Escobar sees this is a common way of seeing Christ, as is evidenced in Latin American art which focuses on Christ’s infancy and crucifixion but not his life.[4]  He objects to this Christology showing that seeing Christ in this way is not relevant to social ethics in Latin America. He commends Justo Gonzalez for putting forth a Christology that rejects docetism, which is focused primarily in the future salvation of souls, and ebionism, which believes that man is going to establish the Kingdom of God.[5]

It is this type of Christology that will be relevant to Latin America and will best allow God’s people to embody His mission. The construction of this missiological Christology will need to answer several questions: who was Jesus of Nazareth, how did Jesus accomplish his mission, and what is the Gospel?[6] Noticing that the Church’s mission is derived from Jesus Christ   we must work on answering these Christological questions because Christ is “the content as well as the model and the goal for the proclamation of the Gospel.”[7]

Stephen Holmes

Holmes’ article explores using “missionary” as an attribute of God by exploring John 20:21-23, Augustine, Barth, and Joachim of Fiore. Holmes notices that there is much talk in theological circles about God having a mission, but there is much reluctance in talking about “missionary” as an attribute of God.[8] He says that there is much at stake in the difference between mission as an activity of God and an attribute of God. It is obvious that in the scriptures God sends and that the Son is sent,[9] and that by “the spirit, the church participates in the continuing working out of the mission given to Christ by the Father.”[10] However the reluctance in calling God a missionary God is rooted in Augustinian theology. According to the Augustinian framework “there is no sending or being sent within the eternal life of God,” thus God has a mission but is not a missionary.[11] Holmes notices that this aspect of Augustine’s theology as well as “many patristic debates over Trinitarian and Christological doctrine” was shaped by Greek philosophy.[12] In saying this he acknowledges that his own theological tradition was formulated in a Hellenized context. Since the doctrine that asserts that “missionary” cannot be an attribute of God is highly contextual we must we must not be nervous about reevaluating this doctrine. It is the task of the church to evaluate this doctrine because if it is true that mission is more than just something God does, but is part of God’s nature and character then “a church that refuses the call to mission is failing to be the church God calls it to be just as fundamentally as a church that refuses the call to be loving” is failing to be the church God has called it to be.[13]

Reflection and Response

            Both Escobar and Holmes acknowledged the fact that their theological traditions were highly influenced by the context in which they were created. Escobar reflects upon the history of poverty, conquest, and oppression that has plagued Latin America and is able to formulate a Christological missiology that addresses these social and spiritual issues. Holmes reflects upon the influence that Greek philosophy has had upon the theology of God’s attributes and brings to light how Greek philosophy has in a way belittled the Church’s responsibility in mission. Both writers root their missiology in God’s character, Escobar does this by focusing on Jesus and Holmes does this by focusing on the Trinity. Finally, Escobar and Holmes do not pretend to be offering an un-contexualized theology. Holmes explicitly acknowledges his indebtedness to Barth and Augustine and even uses the theology of Joachim de Fiore. Escobar acknowledges that he is dealing with issues which are very important in Latin America and takes on several Latino theologies as opponents.

Although both theologians are writing for different audiences and have different contexts, there is something that we learn from the both of them, namely that mission is more than just an activity of God it is part of God’s character. Also we learn that since the mission of the Church is rooted in its relationship to God we must learn to understand God’s character so that we may accomplish his mission in a way that reflects his nature and brings glory to him. Once we learn to do this within our own contexts then surely his name will be glorified.

[1] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,” 199.

[2] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,”  200.

[3] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,”  208.

[4] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,”  210.

[5] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,”  214.

[6] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,” 219-220.

[7] Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,”  221.

[8] Stephen R. Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” International Journal of Systematic Theology 8, no. 1 (January 2006): 72.

[9] Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” 73.

[10] Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” 75.

[11] Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” 78.

[12] Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” 81.

[13] Holmes, “Trinitarian Missiology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary,” 89.

Christological and Trinitarian Missiologies (pt. 1)

Over the next few days I will be examining and comparing the missiology of Samuel Escobar and Stephen Holmes; at the end of the mini-series I hope it becomes evident that our cultural/social/traditional context affects how we do theology.

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Missiology is an interdisciplinary discipline, drawing from various fields like biblical studies, anthropology, linguistics, sociology, and theology. In this blog we will be taking a look at the missiological contributions of two theologians: Samuel Escobar and Stephen Holmes. In “The Search for a Missiological Christology” Samuel Escobar, a Hispanic theologian, constructs a missiological Christology while Stephen Holmes, a theologian from the United Kingdom, constructs a Trinitarian missiology in his paper titled “Trinitarian Theology: Towards a Theology of God as Missionary”. Lets examine how their social backgrounds affect the construction of their theology. I will start of by saying a few words about the authors’ backgrounds then in the next blog I will review the positions put forth in their papers. I will wrap things up by reflecting on their contributions to the universal church.

The Authors

Samuel Escobar was born in Arequipa, Peru and completed his Ph.D. in Spain. When this paper was published he was the Thornley B. Wood Professor of Missiology at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.[1] As we will see, his upbringing in Peru has influenced his perceptions of various Christologies in Latin America.

Stephen Holmes is senior lecturer of systematic theology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He received all of his education in the United Kingdom and has done all of his work in the U.K. as well. He has done work on Evangelicalism, English Puritanism, and Baptist theology.[2]

 

Samuel Escobar
Samuel Escobar
Stephen Holmes
Stephen Holmes

 

[1] Samuel Escobar, “The Search for a Missiological Christology in Latin America,” in Emerging Voices in Global Christian Theology, ed. William A. Dyrness, (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1994), 253.