What the Thunder Said...

Closing & Moving

2011-11-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

After many years of enjoying What the Thunder Said... we're closing up shop. The site will stay open, but none of the posts or links will be curated.

And also, we're moving to BrianJLund.com

See you over at the new site!

The Security of the Shepherd and the Sheep

2008-04-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Reading: Murray, John Redemption Accomplished and Applied
Enjoying: poptarts with the wife (nutritious!)
Listening: The Killers

For an upcoming sermon on the I Am saying from John 10, Calvin draws an interesting application that illuminates some of the struggles the Reformer may have keenly felt. From his commentary on John 10:4, 9: "When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice... I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture:"

This passage should make us deeply ashamed. First, because we are so unused to the voice of our Shepherd that hardly anyone listens to it without indifference. And then because we are so slow and lazy to follow him. I am speaking of the good, or at least of the passable, for most of those who claim to be Christ’s disciples openly rebel against him. Lastly as soon as we hear the voice of any stranger, we are carried unstably here and there, and this unsteadiness and levity shows just how little we have advanced in the faith so far. But although the number of believers is less than we would want, and many of this small number continually fall away, faithful teachers have the consolation of knowing that they are heard by God’s elect, who are Christ’s “sheep.” It is our job to work hard and to strive in every way to bring, if possible, the whole world to agreement in the unity of the faith. Meanwhile, we must be content with our number.

The pressures of reforming the Church and the seeming apathy and disobedience of Europe must have been taxing on the consciences of the Reformers. However, it is especially comforting to know that, despite the shortcomings and weaknesses of this preacher, "God's true sheep will hear God's pure word" (emphasis mine).

Tags
[Calvin] | [exegesis]

Diakonia, Ecclesia, and Two Kingdoms

2008-02-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

Reading: Ordained Servant
Enjoying: ice cream and chocolate
Listening: The New *Stenographers "Twin Cinema"

Does one's view of church and state affect their ecclesiology, or (for that matter) vice versa? Some Reformational groups apparently viewed the state and the church as coterminous (though not equally elect), and this affected their view of the diaconate. Ms. McKee notes,

In this view, Christian rulers are the leading laity and thus the natural church members to hold the public offices of moral oversight, education, and relief for the poor. For example, among Lutherans and the Zwingli Reformed, the ministry of Word and sacraments was the only clearly ecclesiastical office. Oversight of Christians' morals and care for their daily lives were happily left to the Christian prince or explicitly assigned to the Christian magistrate. Neither tradition made conscious provision for a situation in which the civil ruler was not Christian, an important factor for the development of diakonia in the post-Reformation age.[1]

I wonder if this has any relation to what I posted here, in the third section regarding how the Church should spend her resources in relief.

If we are serious about what the biblical texts have to say about the two offices of the church and their nature, will this begin to affect our politics and how we give philanthropically?

__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]McKee, Elsie Anne. Diakonia in the Classical Reformed Tradition and Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Press, 1989) p. 38.Back

Tags
[theology] | [diakonia]

(Mostly) Ecclesial Links

2008-01-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

Reading: Kromminga, Man Before God's Face in Calvin's Preaching
Enjoying: Cody is out visiting
Listening: Anberlin

We've got a real ticket for you tonight. A little music, a little culture, and lot o' ecclesiology: prayer, theology, church discipline, church calling, church planting... its all in the works. Enjoy!

K. Cawley's 2007 Music Round Up
This is great if you're looking for top quality un-pop music. Cawley rounds out his top 30, with a few (fair) honorable mentions. I especially agree with #1, 5, 10, 12, 13, and 24. Honestly, I'm not sure that Neon Bible is top dog, but its his list, right? My take away: get to know Aqualung.

Challies.com: Middle-Earth or Narnia?
Challies explains that the difference between Tolkien and Lewis is the difference between Second Life and an average RPG. For Lewis, the story is the universe; for Tolkien, his universe is telling a story. Agree?

How the Godfather Got His Groove Back
Apparently James B. Jordan, patriarch of the FV, has a new blog at Biblical Horizons.

Whose Kingdom? The Far Limits of Anti-Empirism
I have often linked favorably to Peter Leithart, but here's an example where I disagree. Oh its about an empire/kingdom to be sure, but I don't think Rome is anywhere in the picture here.

WSJ on Excommunication: "Help, my pastor just called the cops on me!"
Sure it seems insensitive to them, but that's because they get the whole thing wrong. Quote: "pastors in large and small churches across the country are expelling members for offenses ranging from adultery and theft to gossiping, skipping service and criticizing church leaders." Ok, lets be clear: there has always been and only can be one sin for which one can be excommunicated - being unrepentant. But aside from that, does this article catch your ~~ear~~ eye?

Of Prayer
Faith and Prayer
Lee Irons shows the inherent connectedness of faith and prayer.

Praying without Ceasing
John MacArthur's take.

Gospel Driven Prayer
=-==-==-=

Calvin on Imputed Righteousness

Is there a Ministerial Glut (in the PCA)?
(HT: Dr. Clark)

Is there a Ministerial Need (in the OPC)?
Perhaps there's a solution somewhere in there...

Tags
[links] | [blogging]

Links

2008-01-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

Is covenant close to the center of theology for Barth? “...God's Word spoken both in the relation of the history of Israel to the history of Jesus Christ and the relation of the history of Jesus Christ to the history of Israel..."

Francis R. Beattie Gives an Exposition of the Westminster Standards: Online Edition

What is Trent's only comfort in life and death? The Heidelberg Q.1 according to Rome.

Dr. Estelle on the Exodus Motif in Isaiah. Thank you, New Horizons.

John Piper on why children should pray to their heavenly Father. Sean Michael Lewis on why this makes Piper sound covenantal.

"The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church" - mp3 of Rod Rosenbladt (White Horse Inn)

In picking up WTJ Fall 2007 to browse Tim Witmer's ("Seminary: A Place to Prepare Pastors?") and Paul Kjoss Helseth's ("Christ-Centered, Bible-Based, and Second-Rate? 'Right Reason' as the Aesthetic Foundation of Christian Education") articles on education, Dr. R. Scott Clark reminds us that Voetius is excellent in attacking middle knowledge. What else is in WTJ Fall 2007? Terrence L. Tiessen's "Why Calvinists Should Believe in Divine Middle Knowledge, Even Though They Reject Molinism." I only had a chance to thumb through the article, but Tiessen is aware of Voetius' and Richard Muller's concerns, but I think Tiessen thinks his thrust is different from what the Divines were dealing with in the 17th century and following. I'll try to report back. Anyone can feel free to chime in, by the way.

Tags
[theology] | [links]

I AM Sardis

2008-01-14T23:37:00.000-08:00

Reading: Waltke's new OT Theology
Enjoying: rolo's
Listening: muse

So, normally when I haven't posted for ages I go into this long apology/excuse as to why I haven't posted more, but for cryin' out loud... I'm under grace, baby. Now to pick up where I left off.

You’re St. Melito of Sardis!

You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins.

But for real, you basically copied and pasted the entire OT canon (minus Esther; bling!), and you may or may not be responsible for early anti-semitism. Also, you are probably amillenial.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

I think this may disqualify me for my licensure...

Tags
[blogging]

Free Download: EverNote

2007-11-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

EverNote is available free for download for today (Thursday, 11/15) only! Reaching near cult status in some circles, this app is note taker, project manager, and more all wrapped into one. From the Give Away of the Day site, this is perhaps one of their best offers yet.

Download EverNote

Tags
[EverNote] | [download]

Links: In Other News

2007-11-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

In other news on culture, evangelicals, politics, theology, movies, and other news...

Slate: Not All Its Cracked Up to Be
David Sessions, a self-described politically interested evangelical from Patrick Henry College, writes on evangelical presence in politics, a united front in the primaries, and whether the evangelical impetus is waning.
(HT: Cranach)

WSJ Articles for Free Online
In other written media news, the WSJ is offering material free online. With the help of social networking client digg, formerly reserved articles are now available to the public.
(HT: Lifehacker)

Olasky Manifesto, Gay Marriage & State Sovereignty
In other Cranach news, there is a post pointing out a section of the recent Olasky manifesto, specific to same-sex unions. There is some helpful discussion (I recommend reading into the comments) regarding the roles of state and family.

Americanitis: Wilson on Hart
In other news on culture, these are some of the posts Doug Wilson has posted in reading through D.G. Hart's A Secular Faith.

Transforming Culture with a Messiah Complex
(In other theology news...) Everyone's already linked to it, but this article by Dr. Michael Horton is so helpful, I think. Not only dealing with culture and the church, but also read it for fine theology on the ascension and eschatology.

Out of Ur: Willow Creek Repents
In other church news, awhile ago Bill Hybels "repented" and "had the wake up call of his adult life." A church poll of Willow Creek reported that while the church was meeting the needs of those new to the faith ("kicking the tires of Christianity," as my pastor likes to say), older Christians were not being fed.

While I'm glad that Willow Creed is recognizing that they need a more biblical program in place, is this not the same old methodology? Willow Creek is, it seems, still being "seeker sensitive," its just that for once, the felt needs of the demographic really are the needs that need to be met. But what happens when this group tires of biblical teaching? Is it on to whatever they ask for next? My prayer is that during this season when they ratchet up their bible teaching, they'll realize whole new paradigms - biblical ones - for doing church. Perhaps something along the lines of gospel, water, bread & wine, and applying these in discipleship/discipline.

The Logical Fall Out of the 7 Deadly Sins
When theology and geometry meet, watch out. I think this just proves that total depravity extends even to the laws of mathematics.

His Dark Materials vs. Christianity
Philip Pullman's trilogy is about to gain a wider audience when the first episode, The Golden Compass, hits the silver screen this winter. An important part of Pullman's project is to undermine the Christian world-and-life-view by offering a new mythology. Hanna Rosin in the latest issue of the Atlantic:

In the books, Lyra is the new Eve, but an Eve who brings humanity to its full realization by eating the fruit. The climax of the trilogy comes when Lyra, the 12-year-old heroine, shares a red fruit with her friend Will. They kiss and Pullman draws a discrete curtain over the rest: "Around them there was nothing but silence, as if all the world were holding its breath" is as explicit as he gets.

Pullman told Rosin that this Eden-reversal scene is crucial to his effort to unravel Christian mythology: "They become aware of sexuality, of the power the body has to attract attention from someone else. This is not only natural, but a wonderful thing! To be celebrated! Why the Christian Church has spent 2,000 years condemning this glorious moment, well, that's a mystery. I want to confront that, I suppose, by telling a story that this so-called original sin is anything but. It's the thing that makes us fully human."

No doubt Dr. Peter Jones would have a field day with this, but the ironies abound. Pullman, like so much of the hedonism characterizing the current culture, is vainly struggling to realize human sexuality. In the Christian "mythos," however, Adam and Eve are created naked, are told to fruitfully procreate - i.e., they are given divine fiat to engage in sexual intercourse - and all of this nudity and sex is "very good" in the eyes of God. Contra Pullman, humanity doesn't become aware of sexuality at the Fall, rather their once beautiful nudity becomes shame to them. Where Pullman wants his prototypical Adam and Eve to attract attention with their bodies, our first parents were created to serve one another and, ultimately, their Overlord, Elohim. Pullman, like all of us sinners, would sooner get what he wanted if he would quit kicking against the goads and find his hopes already graciously promised and answered in biblical witness to Jesus Christ, who has come to restore and redeem all the problems already in this world, problems created by visions of humanity and reality like that of Pullman's.

Tags
[links] | [blogging]

Sacramental Radio?

2007-11-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

On the AM dial, 1210 comes in as KPRZ (which is to be pronounced "K-PRAISE"). This channel of Christian Radio has come up with a new (to me) slogan to promote itself: "Here's the KPRZ promise: listen to K-Praise just three hours a day and your walk with God will increase." That's right. For just three hours of your listening time, the station guarantees greater sanctification. But that's not all. I've also heard them promise improved relationships with your parents, a more dynamic relationship with your spouse, etc. The model and ratio are straight from many of the fat supplement commercials they advertise: you give us x number of hours, and we guarantee you these stipulated results.

Now wouldn't this match nearly sacramental terms? Hasn't listening to the radio become a means of grace? What I find so surprising, however, is the near ex opere operato status of this blank check. There's nothing about faith or obedience on the part of the listener. Nothing about being a Christian, merely a blanket appeal to anyone with ears. There is certainly nothing about faith in the work of Jesus.

While there's a lot to say about this, its getting late, so let me surmise this: this actually isn't a sacramental view, but I'm afraid its not for the wrong reasons. I think if pressed, no one at the station would actually admit that listening to their programming would give grace. However, I do think they would honestly and earnestly contend that their broadcasts do help people become better. In other words, I'm afraid that people aren't becoming closet sacerdotalists, but rather that they don't think we need grace anymore to get better; we just need better advice. And that, of course, is the Pelagian position.

Thoughts? Is this a helpful/correct analysis? Have you heard similar things? What is really being meant here?

Tags
[theology] | [radio]

Just in time for finals...

2007-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

We've already noted our propensity for this kind of black humor, and now it seems we've hit the motherload.You mean other people think these are hilarious too? I apologize, but I can't stop.
(that last one's for you, Dad!)
Check them all out.

And if you into a particular niche, why not combine demotivation with NBC's The Office?You can find more here.

Tags
[tagname1] | [tagname2]

WSC Resources

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Reading: HALOT
Enjoying: pork chops
Listening: the reindeer section "you are my joy"

The Warfield lecture was quite interesting, and, as Ben mentioned, look for both Mr. Glomsrud and Dr. Horton in the forthcoming Engaging Barth.

Tomorrow marks Dr. Bauckham's lecture on the canonicity of the Gospels, and then several lectures at the ETS convention. I'll post some of the lectures I get to.

A few more Westminster resources:
The new audio page has podcasts, mp3's, and more to peruse and download.

Also, keep in mind the upcoming faculty conference: Missional & Reformed. Need a place ot stay? The Lund B&B is always open...

Tags
[WSC] | [resources]

soof-yan on old and new

2007-11-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sufjan: Rock is dead
(HT: Cawley)

... so own his music. Merry Christmas!

A great interview and a great offer. Sufjan Stevens, folk-indie hero, has a couple of juicy little offers out there to tantalize. Stevens in conclusion:

“Rock and roll is a museum piece. It has no viability anymore... You’re watching the History Channel when you go to these clubs. They’re just reenacting an old sentiment... It’s been done. The rebellion’s over.”

Thoughts? Rebuttals?

Tags
[Music] | [Sufjan]

Back to Blogging | Busy-ness | Barth

2007-11-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Reading: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
Enjoying: warm San Diego weather
Listening: Indelible Grace

I apologize for the lack of blogging here at What the Thunder Said... There has been far too little of it, a fact we hope to correct. That being said, this is the worst of weeks to renew one's commitment to blogging, for its going to be quite the hectic week.

This week features ETS and AAR/SBL conferences in San Diego later this week, and Dr. Bauckham will be taking some time out to lecture on campus. There are tests and a project due next week, as well as concerts and birthday parties.

One item on the docket is tomorrow's Warfield Lecture with WSC alum Ryan Glomsrud. He'll be lecturing from a recent project of his entitled "Barth's Reception of Calvin zwischen den Zeiten". He interacts with Barth's initial introduction to Calvin, especially as a "cultural critique" allied with the likes of Plato, Nietzche, Dostoyevsky, and Kierkegaard against the neo-Protestantism of his day. I'm especially interested in what he has to say regarding the dialectical approach of Platonic onto-theology in meta-ethics vs. Calvin's de-ontological ethics (pun intended).

Now here's where I need help. I need all you quasi- and closet Barthians to let me know some questions to ask to press Mr. Glomsrud. What concerns do you have of Barth's use of Calvin? How does Barth's attempt at meta-ethics and ontologizing history escape the problem of Schleiermacher and modernity (or fail to escape)? What kind of influence did Calvin have on Barth's Romerbrief? Broader issues in Calvin, Barth, or methodology of 1920's historical theology? All these and more I need questions for. Have any questions you would pose? Leave any suggestions in the comments.

sorry for the short notice...

Tags
[Calvin] | [Barth]

Editing to a whole new level

2007-10-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Amateur
source

Tags
[Art] | [video]

Returning to a semblance of normal

2007-10-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Reading: Still, William The Work of the Pastor
Enjoying: being in our apartment! (and ginger ale)
Listening: Reindeer Section

We are so thankful to be home, and my wife faithfully recorded a synopsis of our recent trials. Thank you to so many of you who prayed for our safety. God was incredibly kind to us, and we hope to recount more of His faithfulness in future posts.

We'll try to get things back to "normal" as much as possible.

Tags
[events]

Home!

2007-10-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is Sam again. We're home! Most of Escondido opened back up on Wednesday morning and that is when we made our way back. We are so thankful to the Lord for his merciful protection. He was so good to us. The closest home burned 2 miles to the west and another less than 3 miles to the south. The firemen worked so hard, preventing it from coming into more urbanized areas. And the Lord made the Santa Ana winds slow down. Our running trails are totally burned up! Both of our schools resume this week. We will continue to keep those who lost much in our thoughts and prayers.

So Cal Fires

2007-10-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is Sam. Just wanted to let you know that we've evacuated our Escondido apartment and are now in Temecula. We made it up here just before another small fire jumped Hwy 15 and they closed the freeway. We were thankful! Our cars are loaded with some very special and necessary items. Some very gracious families from church have offered us a place to sleep. Westminster has canceled classes for the week (the guys are getting out of midterms...at least for a week!) and my school, Heritage K-8 Charter, is closed at least through tomorrow. We've been jumping coffee shops (with free wifi!) all day with the Haecks, Recios, Brittons and Justin Eckert. We just got an update and the fires are directly south of our apartment by a few miles heading northwest. We covet your prayers! We are enjoying our day, though, with our friends. And just trusting that the Lord knows what's best. "When you walk through fire you shall not be burned...For I am the Lord your God..." Love you all...thanks so much for thinking of and praying for us (and our little apartment!)

Links & Notices

2007-10-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Reading: Dunahoo Making Kingdom Disciples
Enjoying: York mints
Listening: Muse Black Holes and Revelations

In this edition (/pretentious):
Politics | Technology | Books | Theology | Financial | Links

Iraq and Ideology
The number one reason for the way things are going in Iraq is a difference of mettle: Islam has it, and materialistic narcissists don't. This is especially demonstrated in the united front Islam shows in its contempt for Western ideology. Cranach's Dr. Veith notes Mr. Steyn on the lack of resolve from Uncle Sam.

Financial
Two blogs I sometimes swing buy are The Simple Dollar and Get Rich Slowly. There is often a variety of ideas, from budget suggestions, coupons and saving ploys, and financial organization in the big picture. One tool that may help on the small scale is Xpen$er, a Web 2.0-ish app to help record every purchase. I'm going to be looking into putting this one into practice in the near future.

Links
Philosophos
For students, teachers, and lovers of philosophy.

Vicipaedia
Wikipedia for the Latin inclined.

Top 10 Needs of a Theological Institution
I think WSC is a grand slam on all of these, except with a little more clarification on how they do #2. (Hint: church planting with ordained ministers)

Books
Speaking of making purchases, a few new titles have been on my horizon. Bavinck's anticipated fourth and final installment of his Dogmatics is up for pre-order, and I've seen similar offers for the upcoming ETS & AAR/SBL catalogs. (The conferences are in San Diego this year; come hang out!) Also, John Piper's newest title on N.T. Wright and justification is available for $5. Meanwhile, WSC Bookstore recently made Vos' Grace & Glory available... and I've got gift certificates. Watch out.

I was recently opining with Ben that Carl Trueman's latest temptation John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man is exorbitantly priced. This just in - What the Thunder Said... will now be published by Paternoster, Ashgate, and Wipf & Stock. You've just been charged $9.99 for reading this. Your ISP will be billed accordingly. (Even though the Owen book figures at about $.15 a page, I'm still tempted. I need help.)

Technology
For those of you rocking the pocket pc/smarthphone devices, check Handango, which is offering a Free App every Friday. (This is especially nice if you had your wild hopes set on the HTC Kaiser being given away for free from Gear Diary. Clearly, only a hypothetical.) The Nokia 810 came out, and received a positive review from Oliver Starr.

I'm into my second month on our HP Pavilion dv9600t laptop, and overall, I'm pleased. I'm still not completely sold on Vista. The beautiful Altec Lansing speakers sit below the screen and above the keyboard, so they are muffled if you play music with the screen closed. I'm pleased with responsiveness. Its working out well.

Bucer on Marks of Unity

Those who call upon our Lord Jesus Christ in truth, whatever their outward customs and identity may be, we wish to acknowledge and love as our members in Christ the Lord. And they will also treat us in the same way, irrespective of the fact that we may not share the same ceremonies and church practices. For the fellowship of the Christian church consists not in ceremonies and outward practices, but in true faith, in obedience to the pure gospel, and in the right use of the sacraments as the Lord has ordained them. Everything else each church has to arrange as it finds best for itself. In any case this is something which the old holy fathers recognized and maintained.

Concerning the True Care of Souls and Genuine Pastoral Ministry
(HT: Jonathan)

Tags
[links]

Leithart on Adam on City Building

2007-10-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Reading: Ridderbos Coming of the Kingdom
Enjoying: waffles
Listening: Kanye West "Stronger"

Peter Leithart argues that Adam was to build a city, foreshadowed in Eve. Is he echoing Kline and the Megapolis?

Tags
[Leithart] | [Kline]

MxPx Plays Oceanside

2007-10-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Whoa, talk about a blast from my past. This weekend etnies is sponsoring the Goofy vs. Regular Surf Competition, and Bremerton's finest will be playing.Check the site for tickets. The event goes from 8 - 4 this Saturday.

I think MxPx was my first mosh pit, and my buddy Cody was thrown into a guy so hard he knocked the 300 lb stranger's pants off. Seriously.

Tags
[mxpx] | [concert]

Reading Trail for New Perspective on Calvin

2007-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry
R. Scott Clark

Review: No Reformed Doctrine of Justification?
Mark Garcia

"The New Perspective on Calvin: Responding to Recent Calvin Interpretations" (.doc file)
Thomas Wenger

Review of Wenger | Wenger Responds in Comments

Tags
[Calvin] | [theology]

Trinity, Christology, and Anglican Bishops

2007-10-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Does getting Messianic consciousness wrong ultimately lead to Adoptionism, Nestorianism, and Trinitarian heresy?

Wright, Chalcedon, and Nestorius

N.T. Wright on Person and Nature

From New Horizons

...my ongoing reading of Dr. Wright leaves me with growing concerns about his Christology, especially his view that the messianic consciousness of Jesus during his ministry on earth was no higher than that of an eschatological prophet, without a consciousness of his essential deity (e.g., his Jesus and the Victory of God, pp. 651-62). This troubling view appears to imply something less than Trinitarian orthodoxy... the Fesko review raises concerns that at the very least point to the need for Dr. Wright to be clearer than he has [been] about the doctrine of the Trinity.

R. Gaffin, Jr.
Blue Bell, Pa.

NH (May 2007) p. 20.

Finally, while G. Vos recognizes the prophetic aspect to the office of Messiah, he dismisses it in two sentences. Possibly, this is because Vos recongizes the prophetic role of Christ in His delivering up the New Covenant documents, all 27 books of the NT. His earthly role accomplished the kingly and priestly aspects, and any sense in which Christ is eschatological prophet occupies His heavenly reign. See his The Self-Disclosure of Jesus p. 112, 117.

Tags
[Wright] | [theology]

BAD-U

2007-10-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

~~snicker~~

Congrats to Thate

2007-10-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Having noted his previous work before, we here at What the Thunder Said... would be remiss not to point out what slid across our desk this morning.

Thate, Michael J. "Conditionality in John's Gospel: A Critique and Examination of Time and Reality as Classically Conceived in Conditional Constructions" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Vol. 50, No. 3 (September 2007) 561 - 72.

Michael Thate is a Ph.D. student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Kudos, Mike.

On Why Angels Are So Overly Negative

2007-10-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, CBS "60 Minutes" did a piece on Joel Osteen, which involved WSC's own Dr. Michael Horton. Apparently, Joel Osteen can bench 300 lbs. Best quote from the fallout:

If angels rejoice over sinners who repent, then please note that Osteen believes both terms - "sinners" and "repent" - are overly negative.
- Michael Spencer

There is already far too much bandwagon to jump on, so to ~~mutilate~~ manipulate from another context, if Osteen is right and his message is true, then pastors need to get a useful job, like truck driving.

Watch the whole segment: Preacher to the Masses - Osteen Answers His Critics

Tags
[Osteen] | [Horton]

Proof Ghosts Exist

2007-10-15T22:06:00.001-07:00

Tags
[ghost] | [video]

Christology Bibliography

2007-10-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Reading: Wall Street Journal
Enjoying: chips & salsa
Listening: The Stereophonics "Dakota"

I've had the privilege of spending the past couple of weeks looking at a few of the lines of the Apostle's Creed with our Sunday School class - "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary..." Here's a few of the works I've found useful in studying on the subject.

On the creed in general:

Heidelberg Catechism

Ursinus, Zacharius Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism trans. Williard (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1852).

Witsius, Herman Dissertations on the Apostle's Creed (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1993).

On Christology in particular:

Athanasius De Incarnatione Verbi Dei (New York, NY: Macmillan Company, 1946).
(With an Intro by C. S. Lewis!!)

Daniels, Richard The Christology of John Owen (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2004).

Dunn, James D.G. Christology in the Making: A NT Inquiry into The Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1980).

Evans, C. Stephen "The Self-Emptying of Love: Some Thoughts on Kenotic Christology" ed. Davis, Kendall & Collins The Incarnation (Oxford University Press, 2002).

Horton, Michael S. Lord and Servant: A Covenant Christology (Westminster John Knox Press, 2005).

Macleod, Donald The Person of Christ ed. G. Bray Contours of Christian Theology Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998).

Peterson, David The Word Became Flesh: Evangelicals and the Incarnation (Paternoster Press, 2003).

Spencer, Stephen Roberts Reformed Scholasticism in Medieval Perspective: Thomas Aquinas and Francois Turretini on the Incarnation (Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University, 1988).

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Good Tidings of Great Joy: Christ's Incarnation (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1901).

Wright, N. T. "Jesus' Self-Understanding" ed. Davis, Kendall & Collins The Incarnation (Oxford University Press, 2002).

Vos, Geerhardus The Self-Disclosure of Jesus (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publications, 1953).

Tags
[books] | [Christology]

The Danger of Theology

2007-10-12T16:15:00.001-07:00

Who says studying theology isn't dangerous? This thing had like 30 legs and jaws/fangs the size of Oregon. The pictures totally don't do it justice. I was in a fight for my life.

For the PETA friendly and animal conscious, I can assure you that no spiders were harmed in the making of this documentary. However, one spider was significantly killed in opening my textbook. My bad.

Ben, you can't use this as an excuse to go East.

Tags
[spiders] | [books]

Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye

2007-10-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally ~~kicked out~~ said goodbye to the Borgs who had visited with us. We got them on the plane back to Wisconsin on Wednesday, and Sam and I are trying to get back to speed. We had a terrific time with them out here, and were so thankful for their company and friendship. Thanks you guys!

Be sure to check out their account of the adventures at their new blog, and I'll hopefully get around to posting some pictures of our fun together.

Tags
[Borgs] | [events]

On the Federal Vision

2007-10-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Best comments section. Ever. Please go read it immediately.

(HT: Green Baggins)

Tags
[federal vision] | [comments]

Lems on Bavinck on the CoW

2007-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Rev. Shane Lems of Sunnyside URC logs in with another theology tid bit, this time from Bavinck on the Covenant of Works.

“Prior to the fall, the state of humanity and of the earth as a whole was a provisional one that could not remain as it was. It was such that it could be raised to a higher glory but in the event of human transgression could also be subjected to futility and decay” (Dogmatics III:182).

“The covenant of works and the covenant of grace stand and fall together” (Dogmatics I: 579)

Read the whole thing to get all the quotes.

This is one of several posts drawing from Rev. Lems, whose has struck before on righteousness and covenant.

Tags
[Lems] | [Bavinck]

Fast, fast, super fast

2007-09-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

From Gizmodo:

Markus Stoeckl is nicknamed "Hercules," because he is 6'4", weighs 220lbs and travels at 130.7mph on a bicycle. Mr. Stoeckl devastated the previous record by a blistering 14.0mph. The super speed antics took place on a 2000m stretch at a 45 degree run in the Chilean Alps. To prevent his helmet from fogging up, Mr. Stoeckl had to hold his breath for the entire 40s it took to complete the distance.

I think I did this once at band camp...

Tags
[biking] | [Gymnasium]

Internet "Gospel"ing

2007-09-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Reading: Stewart, Melville The Trinity: East/West Dialogue
Enjoying: coffee on our unusual Autumn day
Listening: vidcasts of the DG conference

From the Cranach blog, regarding one of the regular readers:

But I appreciate SteveG, an agnostic who reads this blog, for weighing in.

SteveG, if the only Christianity I knew was mainstream liberal Protestantism, I would be like you. I'd much rather be an agnostic--or even a "bright"--than a theological liberal. Theological liberals don't believe Christianity either, gutting it of the good parts (the Incarnation, the Atonement, the Gospel) and leaving only religiosity and do-gooderism. I have no respect for that. You are better off leaving, as you did.

As a Lutheran, I confess, in the words of our catechism, that "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him." Luther continues: "but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." Faith is a gift. I can't help having it.

Why do I have it and you don't? I don't know. It is certainly not because I am better than you. It is probably because I am worse than you. I suspect that you consider yourself to be a good person and are fairly satisfied with your life. If so, you are right. Christianity has nothing for you.

If, however, you do not live up to your own standards, if you have known guilt and failure, if you ever feel lost in the cosmos, if you struggle with the meaning of life and death, then the message that God became a human being; that somehow He took into Himself your griefs and transgressions; that God died for you; that He rose from the dead and somehow carries you with Him. All of that can become quite compelling. Not as an intellectual theorem but as something--rather, someone--that possesses you.

I know Christ not just as some idea to be debated, nor even just as a historical fact, nor even as an imaginary friend inside my head. He is outside myself, but really present. I hear His voice everytime I open my Bible or hear good preaching. I can pray to Him and I have the sense that He is listening. I encounter Him, not abstractly, but in His body and blood when He gives Himself to me again in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

I can't explain this, and I'm not saying it makes sense, but this is a genuine conviction, the evidence of something not seen, a kind of trust and relationship that is faith. Not faith in an emotion or a choice or an idea but faith that has the object of God enfleshed and nailed to a cross.

Tags
[Cranach] | [evangelism]

An Annotated Bibliography on Jeremiah Commentaries

2007-09-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to apologize for the lack of content lately, as I was preparing for a sermon I recently preached this past Lord's Day. I preached from Jeremiah 23:1 - 8, and I thought it might be helpful to give some comments on some of the works I found helpful.

The following comments are practically meant to only regard the above eight verses, and commentaries may be weaker or stronger elsewhere. Also, I say some things below that make me sound like I'm an expert passing judgment. That is false; I am not the expert, the following are. I'm just trying to call 'em like I see 'em.

Dearman, J. Andrew. Jeremiah and Lamentations ed. T. Muck The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 2002).
Dearman's commentary is straightforward and helpful for drawing out explicit applicatory ideas. Due to the nature of the series, he cannot devote too much space to any given pericope. Dearman properly located Jeremiah's prophecy of chapter 23 to the judgment of Judah's leaders, and for the most part gets the broad sweep of Jeremiah. One curious note was how Dearman personalized Jeremiah's prophecies - thus, Jeremiah's tirade against the false prophets isn't so much that the prophets are false ones but that they stood against Jeremiah. Hence, some of the applications seem more individualistic and contemporary. Not a big weakness, but noteworthy. A general, straightforward commentary.

Achtemeier, Elizabeth. Jeremiah ed. J.H. Hayes Knox Preaching Guides (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1973).
This delightful little monograph was my dark horse. Achtemeier proved a delight with an amazingly succinct, yet complete discussion of the pericope. Dealing with the text in a loose manner by organizing only broadly by sequence and giving weight to topical content, Jeremiah 23 is discussed directly after ch. 12 and preceding ch. 27. She, more than most, properly exegeted the relationship between kings, prophets, and exile. She also had some good application. Kudos. (I sort of hate it when the liberals get it sooooo right...)

Caulvin, Jean Sermons on Jeremiah tr. B. Reynolds (Dyfed, Wales: Edwin Mellen Press, 1990).
These are translated sermons by John Calvin on his preaching from Jeremiah. However, the sermons only cover Jeremiah 14:19 - 18:23. So, not exactly germane, but still helpful. Calvin's sermons are succint, immensely applicable and hortatory. Next time, check the table of contents before you check the book out of the library.

Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile & Homecoming (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmanns Publishing, 1998).
This is actually Brueggemann's second and more recent contribution to Jeremiah. I'm not sure how it stacks up to his previous work, but I assumed that it portrayed any progression he has made himself on the subject. Brueggemann correctly grasps, but is less confident, of the flow of the text. He above all the other commentaries most adequately addresses various scholarly aspects of the text, including various forms of critical reading. His exegesis gives the strongest punch to the narrative thrust. He also interacts critically with Holladay's acclaimed monograph on the same subject. He is not overly cowed by academia, and pushes the text to give solid answers. In my view, Brueggemann is a necessary, but not sufficient, resource to address.

Fretheim, Terence E. Jeremiah "Smith & Helwys Bible Commentary" (Macon, GA: Smith & Helwys Publishing, 2002).
I've already noted one caveat I had with Fretheim. Other than this, however, I think this commentary was my favorite. He was solid historically, linguistically, and exegetically. I really appreciated his skill at biblical theology and working within redemptive history. Fretheim knew the arguments well, and tipped his hand often enough to give the readers time to keep up. Though on the face of it Fretheim is not trying to produce a homiletical commentary, his own insights, rabbit trails, and "Connections" sections give several insights. I was very thankful for this commentary.

In conclusion, I would be remiss not to note that it was Tremper Longman's analysis of OT commentaries that led me to the above monographs. I hope this can be helpful to anyone else studying these passages.

Tags
[Jeremiah] | [commentaries]

Christianity & Yoga II

2007-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago, a slight blogstorm whirled up regarding Christians practicing yoga. As usual, I stuck my fool head into the argument, and this was the result. I'm not sure if I still understand the cult/culture distinction in the same way, but that was what I wrote then.

Recently, two theologian/pastors - united in their ability to deftly comment on seemingly anthing and everything - debated the merits of Christians practicing yoga: John MachArthur and Doug Pagitt. Their debate, though not extensive, is not new, either.

At around the same time, a certain Swami commented on our blog regarding "Christian" yoga. I'm not sure, but I think he's against it. He's even got a Youtube video (medium is the message?).

So what do y'all think? What relationship does Christianity have with yoga? Can we divorce physical actions from spiritual concepts? What does our answer say about gnosticism and Two Kingdoms theology? What's your favorite yoga position?

Let the comments fly!

Tags
[yoga] | [theology]

DSS in SD

2007-09-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

A few of us from school are going to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in San Diego on Monday. The event is going to be held Natural History Museum. Presumably, there will be 27 scrolls on display, including the War Scroll. Apparently, 10 of them have never been on display before. Don't worry, I'm bringing BDB to crack any codes and decipher what was really going on in 2TJ. Be sure to check back to this blog on Tuesday, since I'll probably have cracked NPP, and NT theology afterwards. All in a days work.

Tags
[dss] | [events]

Incredulity at Fretheim on Jeremiah 23

2007-09-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Fretheim's commentary on Jeremiah (ed. Nash, R.S. S&H Bible Commentary Series. [Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2002]) for a sermon I have to preach next week. Overall, it has been a fantastic commentary, and I would highly recommend it. It is very thorough-going as a commentary, and as regards grammar and technical aspects, it plays quite nicely. Readers looking for a top line scholastic work should probably read Brueggemann's Jeremiah: Exile & Homecoming, but this interacts with his at important points and drives Jeremiah's rhetorical force better than Brueggemann's.

I couldn't believe what I read in his commentary, back to back.

After the analysis and commentary sections of an extended pericope, Fretheim utilizes a "Connections" section, where he deals with various aspects of thought, history, or supporting arguments. I'm not sure if this is unique to Fretheim or is standard for the series. Regardless, after concluding the exegesis of Jeremiah 22:1 - 23:8, Fretheim deals with three sections. The first is on ethics, but the second two deal with God's foreknowledge and divine-human agency, respectively.

Dealing with the conditional that YHWH proposes in Jeremiah 22:1 - 5, Fretheim notes that, "For each of these options to have integrity, God cannot know for sure what will in fact happen, at least at the time this oracle is delivered. If God knows for certain that the negative future will occur, then for God to offer the positive future would be a deception" (p. 329). In order for God to deal honestly, he contends, God must not be able to know what is yet to occur. He concludes, "Yet God, too, moves into a future that is to some extent unknown."

The next section deals with divine agency. In Jeremiah 23:2, the "shepherds" are blamed for driving the people/remnant into exile, while the following verse attributes this to God. Is this a problem for our borderline-open-theist Fretheim? Not at all. Bucking the scholarly consent (he dismisses Holladay's celebrated Fortress Press commentary and insight), Fretheim notes that "readers are not being asked to choose among these statements, as if only one of them could be correct" and that "agency is here conceived in a complex sense..." (330). While acknowledging that the evil shepherds, the Babylonians, and the people are all responsible agents for their various actions, it is actually that "God uses them to mediate His judgment." There you have it: a complex, nuanced, exegetical description of compatibilism.

I couldn't believe what I had just read. I wish you could see how close these two sections are to each other on paper. If ever I was a fan of redaction criticism, it would have to be now redacting between the older Calvinist Fretheim and the newer open theist Fretheim. I'm not sure how the two halves of his brain function so closely together: blatant Open Theism and compatibilist Augustinianism put side by side!

Of course, the best part is that Jeremiah's own texts go on to corroborate the prophecies of ch. 22 that Fretheim is certain show that YHWH's future is open. Apparently that doesn't phase his earlier (or later!) exegesis.

Tags
[theology] | [jeremiah]

Contra Advertizing

2007-09-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

"The Pretender"
Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters

Tags
[music] | [foo fighters]

Motivation

2007-09-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Is it sad that I think these are hilarious?

Tags
[adversity] | [humor]

USTA 2007 Predictions

2007-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

For the quarter finals, Federer and Djokovic are sure wins. I think Tommy Haas is going to upset, and if Ferrer can maintain his momentum after shocking Nadal, he could win his match as well. It is difficult to decide if Nadal was imploding and his knees were breaking, or if Ferrer was playing out of his mind.

I'm not sure that matters all that much, because it is difficult to imagine the semi-finals without Federer and Djokovic winning again. Regardless of who they play, it seems these two are destined to clash in the finals.

So who walks away from NYC the victor? While there has been much (rightful) talk of Djokovic the up and coming, I'm not sure he's arrived yet. Secondly, I don't think Federer is anywhere near being on his way down. His mental toughness won't stop until after he's won his 15 Slams; only then is there any hope of him relaxing and letting up a bit.

Who do you plan to see serving under the lights? Who walks away victorious?

Tags
[tennis] | [USTA 2007]

Christian Weltanschauung?

2007-09-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

A Christian view of everything?

A Christian view of everything.

I need to go back over these.

Thate on Christian Reading

2007-09-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Nice work on the reading list, Mr. Michael Thate.

On Scandal: Of TheologyPart 2

2007-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Roger Olson, of Truett Seminary, recently penned his reaction to the I-35 Bridge collapse in MN, along with his reaction to other reactions, most noticeably certain Calvinists. Chris Coleman thinks about the fallout for worship. Dr. R. Scott Clark thinks Dr. Olson is asking the wrong questions and that the smart aleck answer is the correct answer. Macht gives a neo-calvinist take on articulating sovereignty and idolatry. Justin Taylor quoted choice tidbits. One commenter (leaping to Olson's defense!) noted that:

Olson's point in this sentence, is nothing different than what Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and every other classical Arminian like them have been saying for centuries... Olson thinks like an Arminian.

And this is all, I'm sure, a fairly good thing, since the man who penned this book ought to think like an Arminian.

But I do have a question that I need some help with. Yes, Dr. Olson did pen the above mentioned book, but I have a question of Arminian theology that maybe someone can illuminate for me.

First, Dr. Olson says, "The pastor and the band are Christian determinists." The pastor he is referring to is John Piper, and I don't ~~care~~ know who the band is. However, if he is talking philosophically, Piper is a form of Christian compatibilist, not determinist. I think Dr. Olson knows this full well, and it isn't hard to demonize compatibilists, so why the wrong label?

Secondly, Dr. Olson seems to imply a limitation on God's part. I infer this from quotes like the following:

Is God, then, the author of evil? Most Calvinists don't want to say it. But logic seems to demand it. If God plans something and renders it certain, how is he not culpable for it? ... Many conservative Christians wince at the idea that God is limited. But what if God limits himself so that much of what happens in the world is due to human finitude and fallenness? What if God is in charge but not in control? What if God wishes that things could be otherwise and someday will make all things perfect?

Now here's where things get sticky for me. As I understand it, one of the main tenets of classic Arminianism (which Dr. Olson subscribes to and defends) is God's complete foreknowledge of all things. If this were not the case, then God could not look down through the corridor of history and elect individuals based on their faith; the Arminian doctrine of conditional election. So - 1) Dr. Olson claims God limits Himself, and 2) classic Arminian theology acknowledges God's complete (fore)knowledge of the future. This leads me to believe, then, that Dr. Olson thinks God is either limiting His desire or His ability to act in these situations. Since God completely knew every detail of the bridge's collapse, He could have limited His desire or will to save the people on the bridge - He simply didn't want to. Or, perhaps God perfectly knew of the bridge's collapse, and perfectly wanted to save them, but (perhaps for a variety of reasons) wasn't able to save them.

Am I tracking with everyone? Are there any Arminians out there who agree/disagree? Are there any options I've missed? Remember, this isn't Open Theism, where God doesn't know for sure if the bridge will fall. In Dr. Olson's Arminian theology, God completely foreknows, since the dawn of time, that this bridge will fall on that day at that certain time and that many people will die or be injured. So am I right so far?

Dr. Olson asks, "What if God is in charge but not in control?" I'm not quite sure what this statement means. I don't wish to go exegeting sentences that were meant to be throw away statements, but I imagine it means something like, "God is responsible (in charge) but unable to make things act how He wishes (not in control)." Wait, God's still responsible but unable to make it go His way? How does this help Dr. Olson's theodicy?

Lastly, I would like to admit that I have taken Dr. Olson's final request seriously, and that I am reconsidering what effect my Calvinistic lens has on my understanding of God's character. Thank you, Dr. Olson, for desiring to be careful to honor God's character. May we all be as quick to honor God's character.

So, any Arminians out there to help me out? Especially if you've recently graduated from Truett?!

Tags
[Arminianism] | [Olson]

On Scandal: Of PoliticsPart 1

2007-09-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Reading: Skilton, Scripture and Confession
Enjoying: ABCs "Brothers & Sisters" (meh...)
Listening: soof-yan

So, Sen. Craig of Idaho got caught man-trolling in a Minneapolis airport. Pastor Doug Wilson weighed in his thoughts about the issue speaking as an Idahoian (sp?). Sandip Roy of the New American Media (yea! new!) writes in "The Outcome of Wanting (Gay) Sex: A Shakespearean Tragedy" that the only crime committed by the Senator was desiring to have sex, and what happened in that Minneapolis airport stall was comparable to what happens every night in singles' bars across the country. Macht wonders why we all assume that Sen. Craig is "gay" when, if he has a wife and kids at home, we don't immediately assume he is actually "bisexual?"

Does anyone expect our singles out cruising in a bar to be held to the same standard as our elected officials? Theoretically, there was a time when holding office meant putting personal wants and lives on hold for the service of the state. Big deal if all the Senator wanted was sex. If we ever get to the point of multi-sex bathrooms, I don't want anyone being able to hit on me while I'm trying to do my business in a stall. That's why we have singles' bars.

Tags
[politics] | [Craig]

Around the Blogosphere in 80 days

2007-08-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Reading: Witsius' Dissertations on the Apostle's Creed
Enjoying: strawberry cheesecake yogurt
Listening: Damien Rice 9

Good news, bad news, links, updates, and humor. What more could you ask for?

In God's good providence, more of the Korean hostages have been released. On July 19, 23 hostages had been kidnapped. Two have been martyred, two released. Now, the Taliban leaders are beginning to release more with plans to release the rest. Some question how this will affect relations with the Taliban in the future. We thank God for every life spared, and pray for repentance on all sides.

Adam L'Herault Stand Up Comedy

How great is this. For those of you in the Twin Cities, be sure to support Adam in round 2. Congrats, bro!

I found this discussion that included Dr. R. Scott Clark regarding righteousness and justification to be helpful. I thank God for Reformed "apologists" like the good doctor.

This cartoon was banned from several papers in several countries (click to enlarge).
GTD: Read blog posts with more discernment

The Complete Works of Rev. Robert Traill
(HT: Rev. Hyde)

The Critical Importance of Family Worship
amen

Updates
The Wilco concert that I went to on Monday rocked. Thumbs up: two encores, a beautiful evening (it was an outdoor concert), opening act Richard Swift, and Chipotle beforehand. Thumbs down: the guy who had bad weed behind us. whew... Here's a set list of the songs they played. Having already heard a number of blazing guitar solos early in the concert, I was still blown away when they played "Impossible Germany," a song I appreciate with an snazzy solo. Good job Wilco.

If you're looking for more good music ideas, check out K.C.'s music list (who just happens to be church planting in KC).

Also in updates:
Some guys have responded to the book meme. More good book suggestions.

Tags
[links]

Music Meme

2007-08-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

Having already completed a recent book meme, David (father of Solomon) Griffiths of the normal christian life has tagged us in, this time on music. Turns out, we're even less interesting on music than I you thought.

I guess Mr. Griffiths got this from WORLD.

1. You would be surprised that I listen to __________.
2. You probably have never heard of __________.
3. I hope nobody sees this amidst my collection: ___________.

1. Beyonce? "Crazy in Love" with Jay-z is "fly." Godsmack? I really loved Cake's "Fashion Nugget" (I can play the bass line to every track on that album) and Bush's sixteen stone, though that is not braggable. Really braggable. Plankeye?

2. Silversun Pickups? Fielding? Plankeye?

3. Again... Plankeye? My amazing collection of Michael W. Smith? (Although to be honest, I'm not that embarrassed.)

Okay, the real all stars are
Silversun Pickups (see above) - "Lazy Eye"
Austin Britton - "Daily Resurrection" (though everything is good)
Matt Haeck - "Liberty on Parade"
Grins Edge - "This Melon"
And yes, Plankeye really is the answer to all of the above questions...

Tags
[meme] | [music]

Updates

2007-08-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Reading: Ridderbos When the Time Had Fully Come
Enjoying: weather and a nice cup o joe
Listening: Fielding - you look like a robot

Part of the reason updates are necessary is because we've been in between computers, but now have the new one up and running. An HP Pavilion dv9600t. Its nice, a bit bigger than our oldie. Its still HP, its got Vista Premium, but other than that its ok. Vista hasn't taken too long to get used to, and we haven't had too many problems with transferring programs and what not. Its shiny. Also, my iPAQ puked out over the summer, so I've upgraded to a Toshiba e830. That is provisional on the idea that I can get the Pocket PC's Bluetooth to talk to my bluetooth keyboard (Stowaway Sierra). But nice new gear.

My little toenail on my right foot is hanging on by a thread. I'll spare you pictures. I argue with my wife whether to pull it or not. So far she's winning.

I get to go see Wilco tonight in southtown. I'll let you know how it goes. If you're in San Diego and going to the show tonight, look for me. I'll be the one with brown hair and blue jeans.

I've restrung both my acoustic and bass guitar. This guitar string eclipse will match up perfectly with the lunar eclipse that occurs tomorrow night.

In preparing for the Fall semester of Sunday School, I've been reading Scripture and Confession, ed. J. H. Skilton. So far one of the best chapters has been by one Norman Shepherd. *gulp* Seriously though, its been terrific book. Machen, Clowney, Van Til, Murray, et al, have been heavy hitting. It was published in '73... should I feel somewhat safe?

Can Christians work with Muslims in a Two Kingdom theology? My questions.

"Multiculturalism was conceived by the Western elites not to celebrate all cultures but to deny their own: it is, thus, the real suicide bomb" (Mark Steyn, America Alone, p. 194).
(HT: Doug Wilson)

Greek Orthodox Calvinism? I hear Eastern Orthodoxy is the silent killer of non-emergents. Thoughts?

I'm getting a haircut today.
More to come. Its good to be back.

Et cetera

2007-08-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Korean Christian Hostages
Please continue to pray for the 23 Korean Christians who were abducted by Taliban leaders.

M. Malkin: The Martyrs No One Cares About
1 Korean Christian Executed by Taliban
2 Korean Christian Hostages Return Home

Piper: Sex, Culture, and God

More on Solzhenitsyn
Previously, we had posted on Alexander Solzhenitsyn's interview with Der Spiegel. This new title came out a little bit ago. (Ironic?) From the review:

If a single figure summarizes the meaning of the twentieth century—in its magnificent highs no less than its miserable lows—it is Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Like all masters of culture both ancient and modern, his work transcends academic categories. As the editors make clear, Solzhenitsyn embraces the empirical and the ethical, the national culture of Russia and the global condition of Western civilization. The cloth of heroism is woven in respect for everyday life. Solzhenitsyn knows this, and this fine collection is a stark testament to the precious gift of his life and the enrichment he has given to ours.

The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings (Amazon)

Banality
According to Google News, the things I should be interested in right now are lil' Bush is getting married, Michael Vick kills dogs and its a federal offense (too bad he didn't kill a human; it would have been a much lighter sentence) and David Beckham is changing American soccer. Hmmm... not so much.

Tags
[news]

Book Meme

2007-08-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

We here at What the Thunder Said... have been tagged by Mr. Wireman (who is either at blogger but sorta moved kinda to wordpress - you're tough to keep track of!) on a book list meme. If that interests you, ~~click through.~~then you have a book fetish. If you have a book fetish, ~~get help!~~then click through. (I'll try to keep the answers mildly interesting...)

Without further ado*:

1. One book that changed your life:
Silence, by Shusaku Endo. This was the book that forced me to challenge all preconceived notions and deal with overwhelming evil. This book is still the closest I have ever come to giving up the Reformed faith. I still love this book and refer to it occasionally.

2. One book you've read more than once:
"Batman: Year One", by Frank Miller. No lie. I am the Dark Knight.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
"How to Get Off A Desert Island." Zing!!
Um... probably The Christian's Reasonable Service, by Wilhelmus A' Brakel, I think. Head's up in left field, huh?! To be honest, I haven't even finished it yet, which is even one more reason to have it with when marooned. Who wants to die half way through a book?

4. One book that made you laugh:
The Stranger, by A. Camus. I'm like: Really? Is this really what you base a life system on? Summary of plot: "I cannot feel. The sun is hot, glaring on me. I will shoot the Arab. I am Meursault. I am upset with the priest. I hope I die." As an author, this is not the inspiring prose I want to build my life and work around. He makes Hemingway seem like Seuss. Really, Camus? Is this how you wanna go out. Laughing at absurdity...

5. One book that made you cry:
Going with the comic theme: "The Death of Superman." Ok, in sincerity, The Nature of Indwelling Sin by John Owen. In the words of Rabbi Duncan, "Prepare for the knife..."

6. One book you wish had been written:
The Sons of Elendil: Of the Fall of Numenor and the Rise of Men by J. R. R. Tolkien. This would round out the Second Age, and fill in Aragorn's lineage. Also, a history of the dwarves. Please take your "geek" and "nerd" responses elsewhere, thank you...

7. One book you wish had never been written:
This one is a tie. Systematic Theology, Charles G. Finney. Hello. Also, probably some of the Late, Great Planet Earth and Left Behind ilk.

8. One book you're currently reading:
I've listed some of them on my sidebar to the right. I haven't, however, listed any books that I'm reading for class. One title I'm excited for is by Sidney Greidanus.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. I've heard he is really good, and has a terrific lens on modern Jewish culture.

10. Tag 5 other readers:
Let's see:
Ben - Deus Dixit
Carney - Carn-Dog Comments
Morrow - Morrow's Words
Kyle - Synod of Saints
Recio (which, Recio, you have to keep this to ten questions and not the billions of books you read per day.)

* Let's be real. This is blund. If I were to be completely honest, all of the above answers would be answered with one of two Calvins ("Calvin & Hobbes" or John Calvin), Tolkien and Owen. I had to make it somewhat interesting.

Update:
A few guys have already posted. Check out Ben, Kyle.

Tags
[meme] | [books]

He's funny because millions of people in cubicle's everywhere can relate...

2007-08-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Of Being Anglican, on Catholicity and Reformed

2007-08-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

Reading: Ridderbos, Coming of the Kingdom
Enjoying: vanilla ice cream
Listening: actually, not much lately. A bit of the Foo...

Just wanted to keep you posted on the nice conversation developing with Nigel. After wondering about the nature of being Anglican and its implications of holding to confessional identity, Nigel has some great thoughts in the comments. Choice quotes from the comments:

...communion with Canterbury is clearly accidental to the Anglican identity. And clearly ... unity with Canterbury is simply a pragmatic, rather than an essential, symbol of unity. If Canterbury has abandoned either the symbols (which it has not) or the doctrine expressed by those symbols (which it effectively has), then faithful Anglicans, to remain truly Anglican, must ironically enough separate themselves from a Babylonian Antichrist masquerading in English vestments.

...Reformed and Presbyterian denominations [show a] quicker willingness to separate and split themselves due to doctrinal variance on a very nuanced plane of debate, whereas Anglicanism has tried to maintain ecclesiastical unity despite, at times, overwhelming disagreements about some core issues... I don't think that it is sufficiently catholic to get together for NAPARC conferences or joint OPC-PCA picnics: what good reason can there be for these branches of Christ's visible church to be separated? Unity between these factions (I know it's a strong word) must be pursued... As Anglicans, we need to see our identity much more closely identified with a common kerygma (proclamation), and not just a common table, and we need to strengthen the force of our ecclesiastical discipline as well as unity.

What parts are correct, and what needs fine-tuning? Where are areas of ecumenicity that still need to be developed? Anglicans as well as others are invited to lend their voice to the discussion!

Tags
[catholicity] | [theology]

iBible

2007-08-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

(HT: Compton)

Tags
[ibible] | [tech]

Or... we could just stop making pictures of Him altogether...

2007-08-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

...since no one has a clue what He looks like anyway.

What color should Jesus be [in artistic pictures]?
More on the color of Jesus

Remember, its not what He looked like, its what He even now looks like.

Tags
[Jesus] | [art]

Link Mashup

2007-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Some of my recent browsing has led me to a number of similar themes, some that I though might be helpful here. It would be fun to annotate these, but its just too nice outside. There are too many hat tips to go around; my apologies to those who were slighted. Hope you enjoy!

[Update: Oops! Forgot one in Media!]

Church Planting

Sovereign Grace Ministries Church Planting Page
Acts 29: The Church Planter Ultimatum
Old School Presbyterian Church Planting
Keep your eyes fixed to this blog.

On the Rigor of the Ministry and the Need for Pastor-Scholars

Quote from Richard Baxter
Michael Horton on the Necessity of an Educated Ministry
Dr. Peter Jones (Westminster Professor) Interviews with Local Paper on Dead Sea Scrolls

Theology: Paul, Justification, and Assurance

Simon Gathercole on Paul and New Perspective(s)
Augustus Toplady on assurance and perseverance
John Owen on final perseverance and justification
J.I. Packer on Justification and Atonement
Works of Jerome Zanchi

Media
Duncan: How to Listen to a Bad Sermon
Gospel Coalition Audio & Video

Youtube: Christian & Christ-follower (Mac vs. PC parody) (Maybe the Updated Video Roundup ought to contain some of these?)
Christian vs. Church Planter
Christian vs. Christ-follower
This is my HSHD (Holy Spirit Hard Drive)
Counseling Session

Tags
[links] | [theology]

When You Speak, We Will Listen

2007-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Der Spiegel interviewed Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great writer, Nobel laureate, and critic. I was made to read A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in high school, and my amazement and admiration for Mr. Solzhenitsyn was cemented. The interview is quite good: despite his age, it is clear that Mr. Solzhenitsyn's fire has not yet flickered, and his keen mind seems still sharp. The interviewers comment early in the interview at the amount of work he still manages to accomplish, now well into his 80's.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky first awakened in me the love of Russia, in his The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot (among others). It was this love that was refueled in Mr. Solzhenitsyn's work, but along side of it was, in my mind at least, no trace of the Romantic view that Dostoyevsky still had. Solzhenitsyn seemed to be able to write free of any manacle, to capture things as they were. His grasp of the heavings of history astounded me.

An Interview with Alexander Solzhenitsyn: "I Am Not Afraid of Death"

(click through for some choice quotes!)

Solzhenitsyn: I have grown used to the fact that, throughout the world, public repentance is the most unacceptable option for the modern politician.

***

SPIEGEL: ...Communism was not the result of the previous Russian political regime; the Bolshevik Revolution was made possible only by Kerensky's poor governance in 1917. If one follows this line of thinking, then Lenin was only an accidental person, who was only able to come to Russia and seize power here with German support. Have we understood you correctly?

Solzhenitsyn: No, you have not. Only an extraordinary person can turn opportunity into reality. Lenin and Trotsky were exceptionally nimble and vigorous politicians who managed in a short period of time to use the weakness of Kerensky's government. But allow me to correct you: the "October Revolution" is a myth generated by the winners, the Bolsheviks, and swallowed whole by progressive circles in the West.

***

SPIEGEL: ...Looking back today, can you say to what extent [your book, The Gulag Archipelago] has contributed to the defeat of communism in the world?

Solzhenitsyn: You should not address this question to me -- an author cannot give such evaluations.

Tags
[Solzhenitsyn] | [culture]

Tech Roundup

2007-08-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

YouVersion has recently released their alpha model. YouVersion is a combination of Bible software along the lines of social bookmarking. Users will be able to tag their verses with categories and favorites, share across the net, and search amongst user tagging, among other options. If you are interested in learning more, seeing screenshots, finding out the other strengths of YouVersion, or being an alpha tester, click here.

Two tools that have helped manage time and keep on task are SLIMTIMER and workrave. SLIMTIMER, developed by Richard White, is a terrific time tracking applet that works within your web browser. You can assign various tasks and projects to keep time tracking separate, and further distinguish your tasks and projects with tags. After recording the amount of time you've spent on something, the applet syncs the time up with the server website, allowing you to view your time spent however you'd like. It is highly customizable, and quite versatile. The applet that opens is small, and you can keep it out of the way.

Workrave, on the other hand, is a kitchen timer plus project time keeper plus exercise monitor.By setting various alarms, workrave monitors the amount of time you spend at your computer, then forcing you to take appropriate breaks, thus emphasizing productivity as well as giving your eyes | body a rest from the computer. I've learned to love that little fluffy sheep. Granted, the various exercises the program suggests are not always followed by this user (*gulp*), but its helpful in its own right.

(Disclaimer: What the Thunder Said... is in no way affiliated with any of the above resources, nor do we benefit in any way from them. Except for the warm feeling in our collective stomach.)

Tags
[tech]

Requirements for Anglican Communion

2007-08-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Reading: Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied
Enjoying: beautiful SoCal weather
Listening: MuteMath's self titled album

William G. Witt wonders whether communion with Canterbury really is necessary to be considered an Anglican. Contrary to a recent statement made by Archbishop Rowan, Witt concludes otherwise. From the article:

If one actually reads Cranmer or Jewel or Hooker et al, it becomes quite clear that (as they broke with Rome) they would have had no hesitation to break with Canterbury should Canterbury break with the doctrines and practices which encapsulate the gospel--because the identity of Anglicanism does not lie in communion with an historic see, but in doctrines and practices that adhere to the gospel.

What is more, Witt argues that aforementioned "doctrines and practices" probably did include sexual ethics, which early Anglicans mentioned in passing to defend themselves against charges of antinomianism or practices of adiaphora (which, by the way, were wedding rings, not the sexuality of your spouse).

I wonder what our Peruvian Anglican Nigel would think of all of this? He has written on concerns touching this before. What say you, Nigel? Is Mr. Witt going in the right direction? (Are you back yet?!) People want to know!

(HT: Dr. Koyzis)

Tags
[Anglican] | [theology]

We're Home!

2007-08-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

Reading: Girl Talk blog with Sam
Enjoying: late night cereal (Sam gets extra milk!)
Listening: barking spiders...

The Lord graciously granted us a safe trip home. (Sam and I are co-blogging this one before we turn the lights out. She's a great blog editor!) We had a terrific summer, and are already missing all the family and fun we had. Today we ran errands and went to the beach.

We've been watching a lot of 35W Bridge collapse footage. We've been eerily fascinated by it all. Sam drove over that bridge twice every day to work (and home) for a number of years, and I was on the bridge at the time of the collapse two days before.

P.S. - Kyle and Rachel Borg are coming to visit in October, and we can't wait!

Surviving Sermon Summaries

2007-07-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Reading: New Horizons (July, 2007)
Enjoying: Dunn Bros coffee and wireless
Listening: oldies station, but I did get to listen to 93X in the car

I'm in the Twin Cities, helping Ben & Anna Dahlvang move apartments. Then I'm heading back to Fairmont tonight. Everyone who loves the Dahlvangs needs to see this. Seriously. And yes, that is Ben.

God faithfully sustained me in my preaching judgment-ordeal, and I am infinitely thankful for His grace. In the morning I preached at Bethel Ev. Free Church on Exodus 33:18 - 23. In the evening I exhorted at Mission OPC from I John 3:4 - 10.

In the future I may get a chance to post more about these experiences, but I wanted to jot down a few exegetical notes right away. First, from Exodus 33, Moses' request to see God's glory is antithetical to the Israelites pursuit of glory in the golden calf made of Egyptian gold. Moses is a typological law keeper, who follows the second commandment and intercedes for law breakers. He then returns to the camp, aglow with the glory of God. I tried to bring John 1:14 - 18 and II Corinthians 3:15 - 4:4 to bear on the texts. Having been rescued from our self-glorifying by beholding the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to the next. Glory is not as the world defines it, but is found chiefly in the cross of Christ, where our pursuit of our own glory dies and where Jesus is truly glorified. In Christ's resurrection, our hope for a new body that will not be consumed in the presence of God - that CAN look on His face and live - is realized. In the meantime, rather than our faces, our hearts (Paul's "inner man") is lit ablaze with the glory of God, with which we are to return to the camp and proclaim the glory of Jesus' gospel. Obviously, volumes more could be said of this.

In I John 3:4 - 10, I attempted to explain the insidiousness of "lawlessness;" that rather than merely being the breaking of God's law, lawlessness is actually any time I assert my will above God's expressed will, which plunges me into historia lineage of the seed of the serpent, making me a child of the devil and a participator in satanic, antichristian behavior. This historia damnatia actually runs against the historia salutis and God violently wrenches us away from our satanic father and adopts us as His own sons. Christ, our Elder brother, teaches us brotherly love by pouring out His own Spirit of Love upon us, that instead of taking our brother's life like Cain did, we now live to lay down our lives for our neighbors, and show them the knowledge and vision of God's love. This conquering Love(r) keeps us from sinning, so that we are no longer able to practice a lifestyle of sin.

No doubt there will be more to follow.

Tags
[sermons] | [exegesis]

Two Tech Notes

2007-07-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Two things real quickly:

If you've tried to call me recently, you may have noticed something funny with my voicemail. If you haven't noticed this, its because you haven't tried to call me recently and it hurts me. Please, stop hurting me.

The reason my voicemail is different is because I've been experimenting with callwave, a Web 2.0 device for cell phones. It does some handy things, like send text messages to your cell phone of voicemail, ringing your computer when your cellphone isn't getting reception, etc. I haven't used it long enough to be able to recommend it whole heartedly, but it may be worth checking out.

I'm not really sure what its like to leave a voicemail for me, but your mileage may vary.

Secondly, I've joined facebook. It is easily already one of the most frustrating things I've ever worked with. I think I'm simple.

Tags
[tech] | [callwave]

To All the Haters

2007-07-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Reading: Wall Street Journal
Enjoying: cup o' joe
Listening: Rich Mullins

You can't phase me. You won't bring me down. You guys don't know the truth. We're gonna fight for our right to blog as sporadically and inconsistently as we please...

In all truth, its fun to find time to post again. Getting out of Fairmont, MN - which happens to be an internet black hole - and taking some time off from work to think through sermon prep gives me the opportunity to post. I'll be preaching twice this Sunday in two different churches from two different texts. That line from The Fray has been a theme song lately: "Everybody knows I'm in over my head..."

I've really felt something was missing from my life. There was just this gaping hole that Chipotle could not fill (try as I might). So, in good ol' American fashion, I solved the problem by going out and making a purchase. I went out and bought a brother-in-law. His name is Alex, and so far he's been working out really good. Sometimes I think about bringing him back to the store because (obviously, as you can see) he's better looking than I am, so I feel a bit threatened. He was expensive, so I traded in my little sister for him. So far, he seems to have been worth the trade. Welcome to the family, Al (~~because as everyone knows, you're not really in until you've been recognized on a blog... or facebook~~).

A few things to point out:
_______________________________

Mr. Shane Lems' (xanga) church, Sunnyside URC, now has an official website. Pray for God's grace there as the kingdom work continues through the Gospel.

Michael E. O'Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack, two researchers writing for the New York Times, penned a surprisingly about-face article, "A War We Just Might Win." Its a surprising article for a number of reasons: both authors, who had been previously frustrated and negative with Iraqi results, were now writing positively and with a marked note of hope in the NY Times, of all places. Might be worth a look.
(HT: P. "Diddy" Loebs)

Kyle Borg of Synod of Saints posted some gleanings from the Church Fathers on justification. I would like to point out that more than merely being data on justification, I think much of the language in the quotes argues not merely for a Protestant understanding of justification but also the imputation of Christ's active righteousness. Swing by his blog and see if you agree. A question for Kyle: which Gregory is the second quote by, and can we get some page numbers?

For more, check out James Buchanan's Justification. Google him with *church father quotes* and see what comes up.

One of the best blogs you aren't reading right now is Kevin's ::cawleyblog::. I'm glad to see he is back from his self-imposed hiatus. Check out some of his recent brilliant Friday Photos. Also, he recommends some interesting reading (Christology) and listening (pinback).

We're leaving for SoCal next week, so maybe you'll hear more from What the Thunder Said... then... or not.

On the Road Again

2007-06-07T02:45:00.001-07:00

In just a few short hours my lovely wife and I will begin the arduous trek home. We can't wait!

Tags
[events]

How To: Pick A Seminary

2007-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

As we previously noted here at What the Thunder Said..., we had just recently survived the final exams judgment-ordeal. And with the end of the year comes graduation for the seniors. They recently completed and commenced with their studies, more of which can be found here. Congratulations to them all for their hard work.

Among the graduates was Mr. Shane Lems, whose expertise has filled these pages first here on righteousness, and then secondly here on covenant and election. Shane (his blog here) has reflected on his selection of WSC, and his thoughts are very helpful:

“Why did you choose Westminster Seminary California?” I have heard this question many times since I came to Escondido three years ago, and my answers have always been these three reasons: (1) Gospel-centered Teaching; (2) Outstanding Faculty; (3) Commitment to Reformed Theology.

While Shane's reasons are terrific, they are also the reasons I would give for being at WSC. These are, I'm convinced, the things to be thinking about when choosing a seminary. I'm very thankful for all I learned in my first year.

Shane Lems: Graduate Profiles

Tags
[WSC] | [seminary]

D. France

2007-06-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an old brother from BBC moving up in the world. Nice, David.

(HT: Pilgrim in Progress)

Tags
[David France] | [music]

Barth & Evangelical

2007-06-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone going to this? It looks really interesting, with a terrific line up of Barthian scholars. Unfortunately, the registration is already closed. Anyone know someone going?

Tags
[Barth] | [conference]

WSCAL 1.0 Upgraded to 2.0

2007-05-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is me delivering the knock out punch to finals. I'm all done! (Or, of course until grades come back, it could be finals giving me the knock-out punch...) I'm all set for year #2.

Now to enjoy the summer...

On Covenant, Election, and Current Debates

2007-05-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Reading: Kline, M. G. Kingdom Prologue
Enjoying: not being able to feel my toes from want of sleep
Listening: the tick-tock of the clock until finals are over

We posted an earlier nugget from soon-to-be-graduated Shane Lems on righteousness in different perspectives. Now he's composed another one:

Dr. Norman Shepherd
"We should view election from the perspective of the covenant of grace, and not vice-versa."
"The Covenant Context of Evangelism" in The New Testament Student and Theology (ed. J. Skilton), Presbyterian & Reformed, 1976: 60 - 61.

Rev. Rich Lusk
I suggest ‘viewing election through the lens of the covenant’ is one helpful way of conceptualizing what Paul is doing in texts such as these (Romans 8, 11)."
(Covenant & Election FAQs; Question #2)

(Here's one I found by Lusk)
"Actually, the Bible speaks of election from the perspective of the covenant more often than the reverse."
(BAPTISMAL EFFICACY AND THE REFORMED TRADITION: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE; n. 40)

Geerhardus Vos
"Theologically speaking, we would say that the berith (covenant) had its source in the divine election" .
(Biblical Theology [Eerdmans, 1948] 260)

Tags
[covenant] | [election]

Political Links

2007-05-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Though some of these are quite old, hopefully they overcome the modernist journalist supposition that for reporting to be good, it must be new. Thus the demise of pop culture, the trivialization of history, etc. Obviously, that is the start of rant for another blog post. Have you read the following articles?

Is there a Saudi-Iranian Rift?
What is the role of Middle-Eastern people in our plans?

10 Things We've Forgotten About the Iraq War
Once you're done reading you can be one of the 200+ commenters engaging in Blog War.

How the U.S. Government Spends ~~Its~~ Our Money
A break down of the budget. Fascinating. Or, if you want to know how you are personally contributing, go to this page and follow the directions.

"Aliens Cause Global Warming"
A piece delivered to the California Institute for Technology by Michael Crichton. He argues against consensus science and places the importance of being a skeptic back in academia. He asks, "Nobody believes a weather prediction twelve hours ahead. Now we're asked to believe a prediction that goes out 100 years into the future? And make financial investments based on that prediction? Has everybody lost their minds?"

Mohler on the WSJ on Jihad on America
The difference between jihad and America is perseverance; jihad has it, the West doesn't. Professor Bernard Lewis explains.

Tags
[politics] | [links]

Pointing to the Scoreboard

2007-05-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

As we had predicted earlier, the Spurs outlasted the Suns in six games Friday night. You'll read a lot about the shafting of the Suns and how it affected the series, when Robert Horry cross checked Steve Nash in Game 4 resulting in the (some say unfair) suspension of two of the Suns top players, Stoudemire and Diaw. Yes, the Suns may always be haunted by what-ifs, but they shouldn't be.

The Spurs don't technically win games, they merely beat their opponent. Game 5 helps to highlight this: when nearly every game showed both teams over the century mark, the low scoring game 5 (in which the Suns were missing their key players) had a box score of 88 - 82. The Spurs don't have a scoring ploy, other than to shut down the opposing team and run their own offense. This is a refreshing change from the outscore-your-opponent NBA. However, clearly not everyone agrees with me.

The Spurs face the Jazz for the Western Conference finals, and should deal with them easily (five or six games). I think they'll similarly dispatch whoever wins in the East between the Pistons and the LeBron James revamped Cavs. I'd love to see a Spurs - Pistons finals, which would be a battle of coaches. Unfortunately for the Pistons, I think Popps just has more talent to work with.

In hockey, the Red Wings are locked up at two games apiece with Anaheim. It looks like the Ottawa Sens are making the Buffalo Sabres look like the Red Sox of hockey. They lead the series 3 - 1. I'm hoping for a Red Wings - Senators final, which would be too tough to call.

Update:
Scott Burnside argues that whoever wins Sunday's battle between the Red Wings and Ducks has the edge. While the Big Red Machine has been tied at 2 a piece in each of its previous series (and then gone on to steamroll the opposition), the Ducks are taking their first real postseason challenge. Whoever wins game 5 in a 2-2 tie have historically gone on to win the series 80% of the time. Will this hold true here? Go Red Wings!

Any predictions from the readers? Favorite teams or players? Who do you think will go the distance? Leave your crystal ball readings in the comments, or shoot me an email!

Tags
[basketball] | [hockey]

Luther on Christian HedonismTopic: Theology

2007-05-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a great excerpt from Luther on the nature of faith, which includes some of his thoughts on the relationship from faith to works, and the position of joy in faith. While this is of course under the category of commentary and not dogmatics, it should be taken in with his entire corpus in mind. What the Thunder Said... has written on the place of joy in faith elsewhere. Here's a post from a while back on Beza, Turretin, and Berkhof on the "treasuring" or "embracing" nature of faith.

Christian Hedonism is - for those of you unused to the term - a novel idea coined by Pastor John Piper to describe the sense in which believers are commanded to delight in the Lord, and derive their joy from Him.

So now add to those thoughts from the scholastics some more from Luther. This is from his commentary on Romans, and all highlighting for emphasis is mine.

Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream
is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by
good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they
say, ``You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.''
They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working,
creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ``I
believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything
from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this
`faith,' either.

Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives
new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us
completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits,
our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with
it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this
faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't
stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone
asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without
ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an
unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good
works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.
Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many
words.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy,joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.[1]

__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]

An excerpt from
"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"
Luther's German Bible of 1522
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith
from DR. MARTIN LUTHER'S VERMISCHTE DEUTSCHE SCHRIFTEN.
Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63
(Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854), pp.124-125. [EA 63:124-125]
August 1994

This text was translated for Project Wittenberg by Rev. Robert E.
Smith and is in the public domain. You may freely distribute,
copy or print this text. Please direct any comments or
suggestions to:

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Walther Library
Concordia Theological Seminary

E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu

Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (260) 481-2123 Fax: (260) 481-2126
Back

Tags
[theology] | [Luther]

Links

2007-05-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Reading: Gospel of John commentaries
Enjoying: 90 degree weather
Listening: Emery "In a Win, Win Situation"

Christianity is NOT a Metanarrative
Justin Holcomb responds to a Dr. Carl Trueman book review regarding the use of 'metanarrative.' Arguing from Lyotard, Mr. Holcomb irenically maintains that the Christian academy is misusing the concept, and in the process undermining scholarship.
(HT: Macht)

The 17th Century and the Federal Vision Debate
Do the debates John Owen and Richard Baxter engaged in shed light on the current ecumenical debate?

*Blogs of Note*

Reformed News
(HT: Doug Wilson, I think)

Dr. Lucas' Blog
Dr. Sean Lucas of Covenant Seminary and On Being Presbyterian

Femina
The blog only mostly for women by Nancy Wilson.

Gospel Driven Blog
Again.

Here's something for the funny bone. From Reformed Catholicism:

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) goes back to 1847 and practices “close” communion (not, mind you, “closed” communion). The LCMS also has a more or less congregational polity, which means that any local church can submit memorials or proposals to the national convention. Grace Lutheran Church in Queens Village, New York, submitted the following to last summer’s convention.

“Memorial 3–45 TO INCLUDE COMPANY OF HEAVEN IN COMMUNION FELLOWSHIP: Whereas, the LCMS only communes those who are members of the LCMS and are in fellowship with it; and Whereas, Jesus and many of the saints in heaven were on earth long before the establishment of the LCMS; and Whereas, during the Lord’s Supper we celebrate the holy meal ‘with angels and archangels & with all the company of heaven’ (LW pp. 146–48); therefore be it RESOLVED, That we make all the company of heaven honorary members of the LCMS, even if they were not Lutheran in life, so that we are not breaking our own rules when we come to the Lord’s Table; and be it further RESOLVED, That we declare Jesus the Christ to be an honorary member of the LCMS so that in His second coming He will not be turned away from a Lutheran altar.”

The memorial was not adopted. Moreover, it is reliably reported that many delegates made it emphatically clear that they were not amused.

(Source: RJN, “While We’re At It,” First Things. January 2002.)

Tags
[links] | [blogs]

Binary Art

2007-05-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Fractal Flames
by Cory Ench
|source|

If you understand this, here is some of the math behind it:

Tags
[art] | [fractal]

Manton's Works for Free

2007-05-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

The complete works of Thomas Manton (1620 - 1677) have been digitized and made available for free online. Manton was one of the Oxford trained Puritans who, with John Owen, served Cromwell during the Lord Protectorate. His works were published in 22 volumes in 1870, and the digitized version for download reflects the age. His "Treatise for the Afflicted" is one of his better known pastoral works that has been a cure for many distraught souls.

Don't be alarmed if the text looks faint; often you are seeing the next page through the paper. This is one of the better facsimiles I've seen. You have several options for reading (including .PDF, .RTF, and .txt), and may I recommend Foxit Reader? Its just like Adobe, except healthier for your computer (and free!). (9 out of 10 moms recommend fox it...)

As with all internet resources, I never know how long things like this will be up. I'd recommend downloading all 22 volumes and keeping them on your computer. They are roughly ~70 MB each, so it won't take a toll on your machine. Enjoy the reading.

Download The Works of Thomas Manton, D.D. (22 Volumes)
(HT: Green Baggins)

Tags
[manton] | [books]

Master of Doom, and by Doom Mastered

2007-05-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

O! That I may not covet thee!

I always liked Tuor, but not how I loved Turin son of Hurin. I'm thrilled to finally get the chance to dig all the way into the Narn i Hin Hurin as it was meant to be read, rather than gather gleanings from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. Just when I thought I already had too much to read for the summer!

What is your favorite Tolkien tale? It can be The Hobbit, any parts of The Lord of the Rings, or any other section you highly enjoyed. Leave your vote in the comments!

Tags
[tolkien] | [hurin]

Predictions

2007-05-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

Not being a prophet nor the son of one, my predictions are always a bit dicey. But I've been downright giddy at the prospect of both the Detroit Red Wings and the San Antonio Spurs going deep into the post season. Here's some thoughts and early predictions.

Hockey

This is a terrific time for hockey fans, with one of the better and more bitter conference finals in years. Detroit vs. Anaheim. Ottawa and Buffalo. Both contests feature a lot to love, and a lot to hate. I doubt there are many fans who don't have strong opinions about every team.

For me, its simple. I love the Big Red Machine. I despise the Disney Ducks (not only for what they did to my MN Wild back in '03). So that match up is important to me. The Eastern finalists should be a terrific match, and there is already bad blood between the two clubs. While I would love to see Detroit win it all, their play off mettle seems streaky. Of course, the last time they made it past the first round meant a Stanley Cup (they also had Hasek then, as well). I would love to see them do it again. If they don't, I think Ottawa will.

Basketball

Ever since the glory days when the Admiral commandeered the San Antonio Spurs, I have loved that team. Having Poppovich and Tim Duncan just made it better. I think whoever wins that match up will face the Pistons in the championship, but the Western team will win.

As of this writing, the Spurs just dropped Game 2 to the Suns. I'm not worried - the Spurs always lose one game. Usually its there first game of the series, but they have to relax and get all the kinks out. I don't think they like to hurt other teams feelings with a sweep. If they can bounce back and take this series, I think they'll have the whole thing wrapped up.

Baseball

The season is just getting started for the boys of summer, but I'll hazard a few guesses. Being out in SoCal, we automatically no longer root only for our beloved Twinkies, but also for the San Diego Padres. We had the chance to go watch them beat the Washington Nationals last Wednesday night, and they have a beautiful stadium.

Both teams, the Twins and the Padres, are good, and the Padres made the playoffs last year. Both teams are currently in third place in their divisions. If the Twins can get healthy and hold their team together, they could be playoff bound. Unfortunately, that's a big if. The Padres, on the other hand, won't have to do that much to make the playoffs. I think it looks better for them. But I'm holding out for my Twinkies.
______

So those are my predictions. What do you think? Chime in with your own in the comments!

Tags
[sports] | [red wings] | [spurs] | [twins]

The Law of Blog

2007-05-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

Reading: Ferguson Backgrounds of Early Christianity
Enjoying: cup o' joe
Listening: D. Webb's The Ringing Bell

While we here at What the Thunder Said... enjoy our blogging as much as the next mate, we had no idea it could get so tedious. Enter "12 Important U.S. Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know," a ~~scary~~ fairly complete roundup of most blogging activity and its ramifications with the law. While many/most bloggers will probably never need to familiarize themselves with this, its good to keep on hand and reference from time to time. Maybe throw it in your bookmarks that you look over, or if you GTD, tickle it for next month.

Directory Aviva:
Blog Law >> 12 Important U.S. Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know

Tags
[blogging]

Gospel Driven Blogging

2007-05-07T14:57:00.001-07:00

Walter Marshall writes in The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification:

I am telling you to act according to your state in Christ. Obey God and do the works of the law by gospel principles and means. This is the rare and excellent art of godliness, in which every Christian should be a skilled expert.

One of the blogs we've recently run across that is really pointing this out in a challenging, helpful, and biblical way is the Gospel Driven Blog.

Consider:

The problem with most Evangelicals today is not that they lack relevant, practical, tips for daily living. The problem is that a great deal have no idea of how to live by Gospel principles and means. They do not know that the true way to live is to live by faith in Christ (cf., Gal. 2:20) not simply by stirring oneself up to live by principles and practical tips. Sanctification does not consist in trying to tame one’s flesh or conquer sinful urges by one’s own efforts. Believers are not called to make their fallen natures better by giving them an ultimate makeover. Believers will not be more inclined to holiness by struggling and wrestling with their flesh. The flesh will inevitably rise up and pin the believer to the mat! Many think that trusting in Christ to help them keep their resolution is the key to a holy life.

Fact: the odor you are just noticing that blew into the room is called conviction.

There are a lot of posts worth checking out, but we would recommend reading through his Intro to GDL, or specifically Intro Part Quatro.

Reflections on Righteousness in Recent Theology

2007-05-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

Dr. Peter Leithart:
"Righteousness...is a covenant term, describing loyalty within a covenanted relationship." ("Judge Me, Oh God" an internet essay from 2004).

Dr. N.T. Wright:
"It [righteousness]...is the covenant faithfulness of the one true God." ("On Becoming the Righteousness of God,” Originally published in Pauline Theology, Volume II, ed. D. M. Hay: Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 1993, 200–208.)

Herman Bavinck:
"Righteousness is not...something like covenant faithfulness." (Reformed Dogmatics, II.225)

(HT: Shane Lems)

Tags
[theology] | [righteousness]

Things I Have Found Interesting...

2007-03-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

...and you should too!

Reading: Ridderbos' Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures
Enjoying: my new Moto HS850
Listening: Modest Mouse

This week is midterms (technically only two more to go!), and Saturday is the Amillenial super conference. The following week, Samantha and I are heading up into Cali to do a little exploring and take a much needed vacation over spring break. So other than conference notes, posting might be a bit spotty. To tide you over, here's some of the links I've been perusing.

Before we get to those, I just wanted to point out few things in the sidebar. You can click on |Noteworthy Posts| or |Blund Web Comments| to see other places I've been busy with. See what sites I've been visiting, get involved with the discussion, and show me where you've been. I'm curious to see where you spend your time. And now on with the links!

Mouw on Kuyper on Culture
President Mouw gave the address, “Culture, Church, and Civil Society: Kuyper for the New Century” for the Kuyper Prize Lecture. These are some notes.
(HT: Macht)

Nicolas of Lyra, Aristotle, and Redemptive Historical Hermeneutics
Dr. Peter Leithart notes that there may have been a "double literal" meaning to the text, and we shouldn't be surprised if the original Hebrew audience understood the Messianic referent. Oh yeah, it also makes sense with Aristotelian philosophy as well.

John Frame on N.T. Wright on the Bible
Prof. Frame reviews Dr. Wright's recent The Last Word. Overall, Frame is disappointed.
(HT: JT)

A Man Ahead of His Time
This is the man to elect president for all the conservatives who want the border fixed, international relations solved, and fiscal solutions.

Also, by Augustine X:
Alas, alas: How the Next Generation Dresses
(I was trying to find one of his war posts, but can't find it...)

Carl Trueman on How To Revise the Westminster Standards
Ok, a tad over the top. More of his opinions about it than anything else.

Overcoming A Frat Party Reputation
The new direction of the beer hall. "Respect Beer."

===================

** Intermission **

During the intermission, enjoy this video:
Foo Fighters Everlong at Hyde Park 2006

I think this is an amazing example of the intimacy so many feel at concerts, this despite the fact you are surrounded (in this case) by 79,999 other strangers. This was quite a moving performance; I was amazed at how Grohl captured the closeness of an acoustic coffee house and a rock tour. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
source
===================

Of Piscator and Denying the Imputation of Christ's Active Righteousness
As it applies to the FV and NPP movements. Good research, good reading, and good debates.

Church Growth Model: The Lego Church
Words fail. For Regulative Principle advocates, is this an element or circumstance?
(HT: Macht)

You might say that some of his forays into philosophy are at best sophomoric, but that would be unfair to sophomores...
Sir Plantinga on Dawkin's latest. "...the fact is (grade inflation aside), many of his arguments would receive a failing grade in a sophomore philosophy class. "
(HT: Dr. Mohler)

Are the Dutch Returning to Biblical (Reformed?) Roots?
An important percentage of the country - frustrated with the licentious urban - are turning to biblical values, and giving the conservative, biblical political parties more control.
(HT: Byzantine-Rite Calvinist)

Book of Common Prayer Lectionary Readings
How do you order your Bible readings? This has been my morning pattern for about four months now.

Leftward Christian Soldiers
Darryl G. Hart on why the Religious Right may not always be in the GOP stable.

Promoting Family Worship
Joe Thorn weighs in on family worship, and then again with Dr. Tom Ascol.
(HT: JT)

The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
The 1692 monograph by Walter Marshall. A must read, especially in pairing objective and subjective, union with Christ and His benefits. I'm working on putting together a handy, readable and edited version to print out. Email (or comment) if you'd like a copy, and I'll let you know when its done.

Well that's all. Thanks, and hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a great week, and a blessed Palm Sunday | Holy Week.

Tags
[links]

Where There's A Will, There's A kIWI

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

I just saw this at Prosthesis, and had to point it out. Enjoy!

Kiwi!

(HT: Macht)

Tags
[kiwi] | [video]

Application in Preaching

2007-03-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

Reading: Kitchen Ancient Orient and Old Testament
Enjoying: grape juice, and the thought of a cozy bed
Listening: AFI

The subject of application in preaching has been much on my mind lately, including being the subject of a paper I produced in the first semester at seminary ("Preaching As Sacrament"). This video is 208 seconds of Piper explaining how he understands his preaching to function in God's grace and application.

source

What do you think? Is Piper consistent with his theology? With broader Reformed theology?

We here at What the Thunder Said hope to think through this issue more with you, but hope you'll get the conversation going in the comments! Let's hear it: how should application function in sermons with God's grace?

(HT: DG Blog)

Tags
[Piper] | [preaching] | [application]

On Worshipping Well [Part 1]Hearing the Word of God

2007-03-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

Reading: The Reformed Pastor: Lectures on Pastoral Theology (Princeton Theological Monograph) ed. Sam Hastra, Jr.
Enjoying: cho-co-la-te
Listening: Evanescence and SOAD

Seeing as how tomorrow is the Lord's Day, one of the better things to occupy a Saturday evening with is preparing for the next day. To that end, here is a helpful post on dealing with listening to the sermon.

How you can stop sermons being boring

We realize that the link above seems to put stock in whether something is exciting, and the title of the post (and hopefully, series) of "worshipping well" probably sounds pragmatic, but just actually read the linked article and see if you still think so (and if you still do, send hate mail in the comments).

From the article:

It would be odd if your pastor turned up one Sunday with no notes, and simply asked, “Has anyone got any ideas what I should preach on this morning?”. But is that our attitude when we come to hear a sermon?...

A sermon is served like a Sunday dinner, not like an intravenous drip. It has to be chewed, digested and swallowed. We cannot simply sit back and expect to be fed...

Too often we equate worship with singing. Certainly our singing ought to be worshipful, but the whole service is a worship service. Everything that we do during a Sunday service ought to be worshipful, and that includes listening to the sermon...

So how do we stop sermons being boring? With a soul that is prepared, a mind that is alert, a Bible that is open, a heart that is receptive, and a life that is ready to spring into action.

What are your thoughts? Does he capture all the elements of good sermon listening? Try employing what he suggests tomorrow morning or the next time you sit under God's word. (How well did it work for you? How did it make you feel? What were the benefits? < /end sarcasm>.) Leave your reflections, responses and opinions in the comments. If the sermon is truly God speaking through the mouth piece of the minister, we need to give the sermon its due.

Tags
[worship] | [listen] | [sermon]

Twice A Son of...?

2007-03-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

Perspectives: Body Count Evangelism

From the concluding paragraph:

The inescapable conclusion is this: the Body of Christ in America is not growing -- either numerically or spiritually. It is, relatively speaking, shrinking -- burdened by crass commercialism, a lack of integrity, and the quest for power and glory of celebrity preachers. An all but inescapable second conclusion is this: the rest of us, if we do not speak out against the lies of those who practice "body-count evangelism," are standing by just as Paul stood by when he guarded the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen. We, likewise, are guarding this cloak of falsehood -- subjecting the Body of Christ to a modern stoning of its own.

Click on the title to read the rest regarding mission in America.

Whether or not his research is acceptable, it does seem fairly conclusive that, if evangelism and church growth are moving in a such a positive direction - and from every corner: missional, emergent, Billy Graham, megachurch, etc. - where are the effects? We've commented here before on American [Pragmatic] Morality and that crisis. If the seeds are really growing as so many claim they are, where is the fruit?

Share some of your theories in the comments, or email with your ideas.

You may also want to check out this post with maps of the demographics of religion in America.

(HT: Craig S.)

Tags
[evangelism]

Battling Blogger 2.0

2007-03-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Apologies to all, but updating to the latest form of Blogger is playing with the settings of the site. A lot of ancient posts are being republished, which will only affect those reading by RSS or Atom (XML) subscriptions. We heartily apologize and suggest ignoring the feed or unsubscribing for a bit until we can get things back up and running. Thanks for your patience.

The Management

Rembrandt, Paul, the Sword, and swords

2007-03-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Apostle Paul
Paul in Prison
St. Paul at his writing desk
Self Portrait

Tags
[Rembrandt] | [Paul]

Concert

2007-03-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

If you are in the North County area, come check out the action. Sorry ladies, they're spoken for. (Or was I not supposed to give that away until they were already inside?...)

Matt Haeck MySpace
Austin Britton MySpace

Tags
[Concert] | [Haeck] | [Britton]

A Spoonful of Sugar

2007-03-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't keep your fingers on the pulse beat of contemporary short fiction, here is Nate "Son of Doug from Moscow" Wilson's The Rise and Fall of Circumcision. Apparently, Esquire sent out calls for a short story that could be fit on to a napkin, and the above story is Mr. Wilson's harvest.

The story is suggestively well done, and it reminds us of the dark grace to be found in Flannery O'Connor's works (which is, of course, a compliment). We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Best Lines

"I'm Jewish," he says... "Right," I say. "So am I." I'm not.

"Three most dangerous jobs on this continent," he says, holding up fingers. "NY cop, bounty hunter, graveyard in a c-store." He nods like I don't believe him. "Not necessarily in that order."

"Huh," I say. I want to say less.

There are a few other zingers, but we don't want to give any of it away. What do you think? What were your favorite lines? What is other good literature out there on the internets? Write your thoughts in ~~a napkin~~ the comments below!

(HT: Wilson Sr.)

Tags
[Wilson] | [fiction]

These End Times That Try Men's Souls

2007-03-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Despite our bed & breakfast induced absence from the blogosphere, we were able to keep abreast of the Pastor MacArthur | Premillenialism fiasco. Now, it seems there are too many links to point to in order to capture the hoo-rah, but here is Challies' comments, Rev. Riddlebarger's thoughts, and Mr. Phil Pyro-Johnson, for a sampling of some of the buzz.

Now, its clear that everyone has a dog in this fight; who's going to be impartial? So we're in a bit of a pickle: on the one hand, we have immense mad love for JMac (that's what we call him when we hit the links together), are thankful for his witness to the Word, and for what he has done for so many people. Heck, I think he may be my wife's favorite preacher to listen to on the radio. Most importantly, I don't want to slander a minister of the church, or my theological-more mature-wiser elder. But on the other hand, we think he's wrong on this point. What to do?

Simple! You find quotes by dead guys and let them contradict MacArthur! While there is no doubt scads of stuff out there giving another reading to what Pastor MacArthur came away with, we simply point you to one of our past posts concerning G. Vos and Premillenialism. We hope you enjoy his thoughts.

Tags
[MacArthur] | [Vos] | [Premillenialism]

Bed & Breakfast Closed For the Season

2007-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Reading: Bryan Chapell's Christ Centered Preaching
Enjoying: cup o' joe
Listening: soof-yan

As much as it saddens me to say this, the Lund|Escondido Inn is officially closed down for the visiting season. Our last guest vacated the premises over the weekend (fortunately Samantha came back!), and then there were two. It was a ton of fun having everyone out, and we hope we're as popular next year. ~~Lodging rates will definitely be going up, however.~~

All total, we count 17 people made their way through our doors. Family, friends, prospective students, and the odd "how is she related to you again?" all graced us with their presence. Now don't worry, not everyone in that mob actually stayed in our apartment - several stayed at the nearby Holiday Inn. We're not sure who's sanity was being protected in those scenarios, but it always seemed to work out well. Sam and I are thinking of developing an award gala to celebrate the tourist season - you know: "Favorite Relative to stay with us," "Least Knowledge of Personal Hygiene," "~~Wore Out Their Welcome Fastest~~Marathon Man," etc. All told, we had a blast with everyone, and our only regret was when our friends and family had to leave. And the fact that I didn't snap as many pictures as we could of (though get a blast from the past - go see our first visitors again.)

The upside of all of this is a return to blogging for me. So, there will be more posts again at What the Thunder Said..., and it remains to be seen if that is a good thing or a bad thing!

Tags
[blogging] | [bio]

Tozer on LiturgyTopic: Theology

2007-02-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

I ran into this nifty little piece in NTJ.[1] Tozer, one of the great theologians of the Christian Missionary Alliance, was definitely no proponent of a highly liturgical church service. So perhaps his remarks can be taken in a spirit of constructive criticism.

"We of the nonliturgical churches tend to look with some disdain upon those churches that follow a carefully prescribed form of service, and certainly there must be a good deal in such services that has little or no meaning for the average participant - this not because it is carefully prescribed but because the average participant is what he is. But I have observed that our familiar impromptu service, planned by the leader twenty minutes before, often tends to follow a ragged and tired order almost as standardized as the Mass. The liturgical service is at least beautiful; ours is often ugly. Theirs has been carefully worked out through the centuries to capture as much of beauty as possible and to preserve a spirit of reverence among the worshipers. Ours is often an off-the-cuff makeshift with nothing to recommend it. Its so-called liberty is often not liberty at all but sheer slovenliness.

"The theory is that if the meeting is unplanned the Holy Spirit will work freely, and that would be true if all the worshipers were reverent and Spirit-filled. But mostly there is neither order nor Spirit, just a routine prayer that is, except for minor variations, the same week after week, and a few songs that were never much to start with and have long ago lost all significance by meaningless repetition.

"In the majority of our meetings there is scarcely a trace of reverent thought, no recognition of the unity of the body, little sense of the divine Presence, no moment of stillness, no solemnity, no wonder, no holy fear. But so often there is a dull or a breezy song leader full of awkward jokes, as well as a chairman announcing each "number" with the old continuity patter in an effort to make everything hang together."
__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]SC88 "Cease Fire?" The Nicotine Theological Journal. Vol. 10, No. 1. January 2006, p. 8. Back

Tags
[Tozer] | [liturgy]

MiraclesTopic: Theology

2007-01-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

Reading: Susan Hunt Heirs of the Covenant
Enjoying: Scoresby's
Listening: Ordinary Means podcast

Whenever miracles are recorded in the New Testament, one of their primary duties is to point to either the arrival or the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God in this present evil age. The miracles Jesus performed show Him to be the true King, who binds Satan, sickness, and evil, and each miracle is a shaft of light piercing through the clouds and showing the imminent arrival of the kingdom.

Now, post-resurrection, the apostolic miracles confirmed this truth, and furthered the joys to be owned in the eschatological age. All miracles were in this sense redemptive-historical, ultimately pointing to God's glory and causing men to glorify Him. Ridderbos notes, "...in the whole of Jesus' power to work miracles the coming of the kingdom is realized and is evidence of its presence... Jesus' preaching of the kingdom and his miracles are repeatedly mentioned in the same breath (cf., e.g., Matt 4:23, 9:35)... Moreover, the real issue with miracles is the glorification of God..."[1]

One other interesting aspect of miracles is their function in an apologetic nature in furthering the kingdom individually upon men's consciousnesses. Francis Schaeffer noted a kind of "pre-evangelism" that clears away people's preconceived ideas that hinder them from believing the Gospel when it is presented. An example would be explaining theodicy - the problem of evil - to someone who cannot stomach the message of Christ crucified because he is too overwhelmed by this seeming impossibility. Thus explaining the problem of evil is not necessarily preaching the gospel, yet it is an important part of the entire evangelical process with the individual.

Calvin recognizes a similar function for miracles. In his commentary on John 3 when Nicodemus inquires from Jesus, he notes, "In a word, as miracles have a twofold advantage: to prepare the mind for faith, and, when it has been formed by the word, to confirm it still more..."[2] Here, Calvin describes miracles as going before "the word," and then following to confirm the faith "still more." The clear miraculous quality of what Jesus had done, and what his followers continued to do, overwhelmed any carnal defenses the mind had projected to defend itself, and the Holy Spirit "irresistibly" draws the heart to belief in the good word of the Gospel. Finally, the miracle functions to strengthen and confirm the individual's faith. "God always intended that miracles should be seals of his doctrine."[3]

This is not, as Calvin goes on to say, grounds for thinking that "faith depends on miracles."[4] The word of the Gospel is the fulcrum on which these two uses of miracles turn, "for this reason the miracle in itself is not the most important thing nor even the sharing in Jesus' miraculous power, but much rather, the participation in the redemption of the kingdom which is thereby revealed... where Jesus interrupts the miracles in order to go elsewhere to preach the kingdom of God with words..."[5]

Is there a sacramental parallel with miracles? In some senses, such language could be justified. While miracles are not the Gospel, "they make visible and audible the fulfillment of the promises, the coming of the great era of salvation... Jesus' miracles reveal the coming of the kingdom of God." Again, while they are not properly the Gospel, they do produce the same crisis: "A miracle, as much as preaching in its sense of being a revelation of the kingdom of God, is a confrontation which necessitates a decision: for or against Jesus as the victor of the Evil one and the Bearer of the Spirit of God."[6] So like the sacraments, miracles do herald signs of the Gospel, but ultimately are in the end signs of the Gospel themselves.

Except in certain circles, no matter one's cessated view we live in an age where there seems to be less miracles than in the apostolic era. While healings and other miraculous occurrences still pop up, they seem more sporadic and less sensational (no doubt due to several factors, materialism and technology not the least of these). Nevertheless, one of God's greatest miracles is power of godliness the releases and enables men and women to walk by the Spirit. The God who stopped the sun, split the sea, and raises the dead has made us His handiwork for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). The faith He has planted in our hearts, which was a divine gift, has the seeds of love within it. Our regenerated lives with hearts that love for the first time are His miracles. We have been resurrected (Colossians 3:1), and we who were dead in trespasses have been made alive and live with our Life, Christ Jesus, in heaven (Colossians 3:3-4).

We ought to think further how the miracle of resurrection living can function in Calvin's two bookends of miracles. Our resurrected lifestyles should "prepare the mind [of others for] faith," and it ought to confirm the good word of the Gospel preached. If we for even a second focus on the bookends to the exclusion of the Gospel-middle, we will be lost. At the same time, Christian character has for too long been a stumbling block to the free offer of Christ crucified, and instead of holding forth the miracle of the new birth it looks more like hypocritical curses. Only by recovering an emphasis on Gospel will our miraculous lives have any lustre to prepare minds, and only by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus will we find the grace to live Spirit-led lives that confirm His good testimony.
__________________________________

What do you think? Is this an accurate portrayal of miracles? Of faith? Of evangelism and the Gospel? Follow up with a comment or shoot me an email.

__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]Ridderbos, H. The Coming of the Kingdom. P&R Publishing, 1962. p. 65, 70. Back

[2]Calvin, John. Commentary on John, Vol. I. Christian Classics Ethereal Library (John 3:1-6). Back

[3]Ibid. Back

[4]Ibid. Back

[5]Ridderbos Coming of the Kingdom p. 70. Back

[6]Ibid. Back

Tags
[theology] | [miracle]

My Hitchhiker's Guide to the BlogosphereTopic: Blogging

2007-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

While no doubt this post won't be as good as the books (but better than the movie), here's a few things we here at What the Thunder Said... have been reading in a drive-by fashion. Click through for cyber-stimuli on tech tricks, lying to God in worship, Bono the arch-capitalist, the PCA on NPP & FV, how to swear, and more.

Free up space on your Windows XP with free/open source programs that work better than your commercial apps. Especially Foxit Reader. Especially.*

***

Bono gets dumped on for being quite so altruistic. So the article premised that Bono was some sort of tax-evading, hypocritical fraud. Then you read the article, get to the end, and realize its that Bono is just a really shrewd businessman (an "arch-capitalist," by one critic), and also happens to speak out for a lot of good causes. It is also the case that he's smart enough to realize he holds more power/loyalty than do most national governments, and he throws his weight around. Big deal. Of course I think the RED campaign is a waste of money. That doesn't make Bono any less brilliant than he truly is.

***

The Siouxlands Presbytery Committee Report on New Perspective(s), Federal Visiony stuff, and N. Shepherd was posted to a flurry of comments. Some charitable, some less so. In regards to "The Law of God: 3.a," we too, were surprised at the original wording. In the comments (#22 - 24) it is clearly and (to our minds) satisfactorily explained, but why not edit the original document? Thanks to Lane and Wes for the hard work.

***

Bob Kauflin of Worship Matters weighs in an important subject: what place do first person declarations have in corporate worship, especially in singing? From the title, if we sing "I will glory in my Redeemer //... I have no longings for another/ I'm satisfied in Him alone" and yet at times are not satisfied in Him alone, are we lying to God?

Kauflin argues that such instances are appropriate, as they are not only pleas (Lord, help me to be satisfied in you alone) but also statements of general truth. He compares such statements to how we would address our spouse.

Our take: hypothetically, Kauflin has a point, but I think this isn't dealing with all the data. Statements such as these run rampant in contemporary song lists, while statements that reminds us we are unfaithful and adulterous (even NC believers, cf. James 4) are fewer and farther between. Our take is that the Psalmist correctly balances the fraility of humanity as well as our longings to live like Christ, who alone says that He is satisfied in His Father alone.

***

While we've logged our disgust with New Year's Resolutions (NYR, and easily the most bizarre of all hobby-horses to ride), surely there are a few exceptions to every rule. Here are Jonathan Edwards' resolutions (not New Year's, mind you) grouped into ten categories. We hope you might enjoy them as immensely as we do. In just glancing over the list right now, there is not one that I cannot grow in much more. Here's to hope in God's grace in '07. What think ye? Log your vote in our poll, and take a look in the sidebar on the bottom to the right.

***

You probably saw the blogstorm produced when John Piper talked about using "foul language" and then talked about NOT doing it. On top of all of this, Wayne Grudem weighed in with his opinion on "foul language." Now we may be going out on a limb here, but with all respect, we are going to disagree with Grudem and, to a lesser extent, with Pastor John. There was much to agree with, like Piper pointing out he would not choose to go this route a second time, or Grudem's pointing out continuum(s) of language, and bringing the Scriptural text to bear on the issue. Nevertheless, we may have to develop a "theology of swearing." Look for it in future posts. Until then:

Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.
The Bible determines what is wrong, and culture only derivatively.
There is no speech as bad as profaning God's holy name, including "the F-word."

These ideas will be elaborated on later. What do you think? Also, consider Dr. Gene Veith's insight into the difference between Old World and American profanity: holy vs. bodily.

*And yes, that means Firefox, too.

Tags
[blogging]

Book Alert: Hyde's The Good ConfessionTopic: Blogging

2007-01-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

Rev. Danny Hyde, pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church (URC) and prolific blogger over at Pilgrims & Parish has published another book:
The Good Confession: An Exploration of the Christian Faith.

Begun out of his own membership courses, this latest effort is a workbook set to help introduce and establish new members into the beauty of biblical Christianity through the historic creeds and confessions of Reformed Christianity.

Reformed pastors are always looking for a good curriculum to use with new Christians and inquirers that is solidly Reformed, yet which does not major on the minors. The Good Confession is a well-balanced book that will help us instruct all those inquiring about our doctrine.

Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, Christ Reformed Church, Anaheim, CA

For more info on the book, including further reviews and comments, take a look at it on Rev. Hyde's blog. For purchasing information, see the book at Wipf & Stock publishers.

Tags
[books] | [Hyde]

Bid For A DegreeTopic: City of Man

2007-01-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

Reading: Tripp Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands
Enjoying: Rocky Road Ice Cream
Listening: Soular (HT: WHI)

No doubt you've heard about internet scams where you can buy a degree for $19.99. Personally, I don't know what the big deal is. I'm sure glad I got my Ph.D. in Religion from the prestigious Progressive Universal Life Church. I guess to be honest, I'm a bit miffed that I have to pay my current institution thousands of dollars for a measly M.Div, and I've already got a Ph.D. Sheesh.

But despite all of my angst, this might be taking it to a new level. Oklahoma Wesleyan University has put one year's tuition up for bid on eBay (HT: Slacker Manager). While I agree with Slacker Manager, I disagree with the update. We here at What the Thunder Said... think its a dumb way to get tuition no matter what clauses are added. You get what you pay for, no? Of course, that is why I am so proud of my Ph.D. in religion. Does anybody know of any job openings? And yes, that is Dr. Lund to you.

Tags
[City of Man] | [ebay]

Attention: Bavinck & Ordinary MeansTopic: Blogging

2007-01-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

Reading: Trinity Psalter
Enjoying: some ~~cardboard~~ healthfood bar
Listening: "Battesimo Del Fuoco" The Dearhunter

Just wanted to quickly point out a few resources you may have already heard about. The first is a new website devoted to Herman Bavinck, the great Dutch theologian. It has some terrific material - both his own, on the impressive articles page, and by modern scholars, such as Joel Beeke. Its a well done page (~~in my expert opinion. What? You don't think I'm an expert in these things? Just look at the aesthetic beauty of this page, bub! That's right!...~~ Sorry for the rant) with pictures, quotes, and more. Dr. Beeke is on a committee that is attempting to republish his works, and if you've ever benefited from Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology, then you owe Bavinck a "thank you."

The second is a podcast we had failed to mention last time.Recently, What the Thunder Said... composed a list of hip podcasts, and regrettably, this particular one was not on our radar screen. So without further ado, it is our pleasure to introduce to you Ordinary Means, "where ordinary men call you back to the ordinary means of grace." The discussion follows the three pastors Matt Bohling, Peter Jones, and Shaun Nolan, and it looks like they are currently posting roughly once a month. Enjoy them.

Thank you, that is all. We hope you enjoy your new reading and listening.

Tags
[Bavinck] | [Ordinary Means]

TranscendentalTopic: Art & Culture

2007-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

Transcendental
Christian J. Faur
encaustic on panel

source

Tags
[art] | [Faur]

WSC Conference NotesTopic: Downloads

2007-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

Westminster Seminary California recently held their annual conference on the Law and the Christian. Dr. R. Scott Clark posted a few of his thoughts as well as some nifty pictures, and Matt Haeck did a terrific job live-blogging the event.

I took some (incomplete) notes on the lectures, which may be of some use to some of you. Horton's opening lecture was a popular recap of the highpoints of his latest book on covenant theology, so be sure to check that out. Dr. Estelle's lecture was based off a handout, but I think I got most of the quotes for you to follow up on if you'd like. The elective sessions were also based on handouts (bug Dr. Clark to post his), and if anyone wants them I'll upload them. Dr. Hywel Jones lecture was amazing and worshipful, but my wife was resting on my shoulder and I couldn't keep up (I know, I'm such a wuss...). Its not much, but maybe there will be a few quotes to chew on. Click the link to download a .doc file (MS Word).

Conference Notes

Tags
[downloads] | [WSC Conference]

Owen & Historical TheologyTopic: Theology

2007-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

One of my requirements this past semester regarding historical theology was to find instances of the process done poorly. Posting some finding publicly isn't for the sake of discredit or pointing fingers, but to warn others of missteps and (re-)circulate better scholarship. Without further ado:

My example of bad historical theology is derived from Alan C. Clifford’s Atonement and Justification: English Evangelical Theology 1640 – 1790, An Evaluation.[1] His work stems from a personal reevaluation of Calvinism in light of contemporary research suggesting a discontinuity from the actual thinking of John Calvin and latter forms which would bear his moniker. Having been stimulated and confirmed by R. T. Kendall’s works,[2] his monograph deals with the issue of the nature of the atonement further down the chronological chamber than Kendall’s work. The fruit of his labors investigates the relationship between atonement, justification, and orthodoxy particularly between John Owen (1616 – 83) and John Wesley (1703 – 91), with Richard Baxter (1615 – 91) and John Tillotson (1630 – 94) filling in middling voices. His concluding observations lead the reader to understand that Calvin’s theological legacy was varied, and not always best continued by those who taught under his name.

There are a few puzzling moves Clifford makes that betray holes in his overall presentation, and we will here present three. First, Clifford thoroughly interacts with Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, but does not deal significantly with Owen’s mature work on Clifford’s locus, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith.[3] Secondly, the theological and social contexts that Owen and Wesley worked in varied significantly: different continents, denominations, contexts, and theological trends. These differences are not, however, developed by Clifford, and instead it is assumed without apology that their respective work and views can be thought of univocally.[4] Finally, Clifford anachronistically fails to account for development both philosophically and theologically: first regarding Owen’s and Wesley’s views and uses of Aristotle (part II, chapter 6) and within the Reformed tradition from Calvin to Owen to Barth. His misuse of Owen and Aristotle, and especially Clifford’s own appeal to David Hume and Bertrand Russell – which compounds the problems, has been pointed out before.[5]

__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]Clifford, Alan C. Atonement and Justification: English Evangelical Theology 1640 – 1790, An Evaluation. Oxford: Oxford & Clarendon Press, 1990. Back

[2]Trenchant among was: Kendall, R. T. Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649. Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1997. Back

[3]Mason, Mattew W. “The Significance of the Systematic and Polemical Function of Union with Christ in John Owen’s Contribution to Seventeenth Century Debates Concerning Eternal Justification” M.Th. Diss. Unpublished, May 2005. p. 34, n. 112. Back

[4]Ibid. p. 17 – 18. Clifford notes, “The fact that Wesley was not a contemporary of the others in no way affects the investigation, which is concerned primarily with their convictions rather than their careers” (ix). Back

[5]Trueman, Carl R. The Claims of Truth: John Owen’s Trinitarian Theology. Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1998. p. 216. Back

Tags
[Owen] | [historical theology]

Paradise RestoredTopic: WtTS Stuff

2007-01-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

Reading: Tripp Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands
Enjoying: Christmas candies
Listening: R. Scott Clark's CrossTalk

Well, we're back in sunny SoCal after a wonderful vacationing in ~~siberia~~ Minnesota. Actually, it wasn't that bad; the weather in MN was quite balmy all things considered, and when we finally did get snow on New Year's Eve, it only made the winter wonderland more beautiful. But we gave thanks for good weather and safe travels, along with another year and the Christ child.

We'll have tons of pix to put up over at the Thunder Photo Album, including some of our recently released Firebellied Frogs.

I was excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry, a monograph I have been ranting about and salivating over for a long time now. Now the book hasn't been out that long, and already its promoting strong reactions. For several positive reactions, keep your eyes glued to The Heidelblog for many of the positive reviews and blurbs. However, another book has already been planned, A Faith That Is Never Alone, as a critical response to the book. Further comments on the book:

The Center for Cultural Leadership announces it will be publishing a symposium in response to Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry: Essays by the Faculty of Westminster Seminary California, P & R Publishing Company, edited by Scott Clark. The provisional title of our symposium is A Faith That Is Never Alone: A Response to the Faculty of Westminster Seminary California, edited by P. Andrew Sandlin. Contributors include John H. Armstrong, John M. Frame, Don Garlington, Mark Horne, P. Andrew Sandlin, and Norman Shepherd.

Obviously, this is going to present some challenges. I find the authorship of the responding monograph somewhat troubling, but I look forward to seeing what the actual arguments are. Ligon Duncan has already responded, and I'm sure this will manage to produce far more writing flurries.

Tags
[WtTS Stuff] | [books]

Who's The Man Now, Dawg?*Topic: Tech

2007-01-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

There's a new game in town, and for my money, this machine is eating up the action. We've spent a good deal of time here at What the Thunder Said... coming up with what makes the best Pocket PC device, and this one has it. Now there may be detractors (EDGE and download speeds?), and we accept that, but allow us to make our case and then feel free to make yours in the comments.

For starters, you can't just jump into this discussion. You've got to discuss pedigree. The device, going by various names of HTC TyTN, Hermes, and Cingular 8525, has not dropped out of the sky, and follows a particular train of thought both from HTC and the larger Pocket PC/Smartphone community. While we don't pretend to know every intricate loop and detour in that pedigree, it is still important to consider, and we'll try to do just that.

Currently, the best all-around Pocket PC device is the HP iPAQ 5555. Please close your mouths. You heard it, and we know you are shocked. This device has the best memory, processor, and connectivity available. You may ask about the hx4705 by Hp, and while it is superior in some aspects, its touchpad, lack of sled connection, and WM 5.0 upgrade flaws leave it just shy of first place. (The late-release and little produced Toshiba e830 may actually be the true great, and we hope to get our mits on one, but its scarcity leaves it out of contention.)

And what is it about the iPAQ 5555 that makes it so great? For starters, it was one of the last great devices HP made before its ship began to sink, and so marks an important era in PPC craftsmanship. This is seen in that the iPAQ 5555 was one of the first HTC composed devices, yet it still retained the old Compaq iPAQ shape that allowed it to insert into the connectivity sleds.

Not only did the 5555 possess the HTC mark, but it had 128 megabytes of RAM and a 400 megahertz processor. It possessed both Bluetooth and WiFi, and carried the peak OS at the time, Windows Pocket 2003 SE. Its connectivity with past extension sleds and forward looking technology (like being the first device with thumbprint security) set it apart. Indeed, about the only deficiency is the dwarfed infrared (and $price$), which was on the decline anyway.

Into this consideration, consider what has been produced since. The Treo has become a major force on the market, and while HP has struggled with various hw-converged and media-centric devices, HTC has risen to the forefront. This article should not be thought to dismiss Dell's contributions too lightly, or any other player (Acer, eTen, etc.), but their respective shares of the market have generally been divided and too small (except for perhaps Dell's Axim vX series. These may show greater showings in the future).

So with HTC being the major player in the new world of converged devices, the primary question is which HTC device is the best? While the Wizard was gargantuan and formidable, its strengths became its weaknesses and became too bulky for consumer use. The Hermes' size and usability commends itself.

Its produced by HTC. It bears the leading OS - WM 5.0. It has 128 MB of RAM, a 400 megahertz Samsung processor. A not-leading-but-none-too-shabby 2 megapixel camera. Side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth (2.0!), and Wifi. Quadband, HSDPA. Scroll wheel for top notch one handed use. The Hermes was clearly well thought out by HTC, and the accompanying software is terrific. While no doubt there will continue to be improvements made on devices in the future, the HTC TyTN will stand as a benchmark for awhile.

*Obviously a very obscure, very coulture, and very high brow reference to Finding Forrester,you know, with Sean Connery and what's his name...

Tags
[tech] | [hermes]