I recently read this powerful quote on tradition from The Case for Covenant Communion: “It is the power and danger of tradition that it can create a paradigm of understanding and interpretation so compelling and satisfying that it renders many minds oblivious to problems and incapable of imagining another viewpoint.” (15)

Of course, in many evangelical circles today, it is a matter of great pride not to have a tradition. Entire denominations today claim to be free from tradition. This is obvious nonsense. No human is free of tradition, including all denominations and faith groups who pride themselves on having no tradition.

I don’t hate tradition. When it is consistent with the Bible, I love it. Tradition, when consistent with Scripture, is a wonderful thing. However, when inconsistent, it can so effectively blind the eyes, stop the ears, and dull the mind as to prevent even the consideration of the most cogent Word-based arguments.

No, I am no enemy of tradition. But, that said, all tradition, even tradition held by those who claim to hold to no tradition, must be answerable to the Scriptures. Further, and perhaps even more importantly, we must be prepared to not only examine but discard those traditions that, when compared to the Bible, are found wanting.

Further, I have found that tradition that is held by those who claim to hold no tradition is even more powerful because those traditional beliefs cannot be recognized as such.  A tradition that cannot be recognized as a tradition becomes even more powerful and potentially dangerous.

I have recently had the opportunity to practice much of this in my own life as I have, over the past couple of years or so, come to question and reject many positions that I held based upon tradition while not recognizing them as such. [continue reading…]

The Lord works in mysterious and wonderful ways.  One of those mysterious and wonderful ways through which He works is our children.  The Bible is full of examples.  Enoch, famous for being the only patriarch in Genesis 5 who does not suffer death, “walked with God after he fathered Methuselah.”  (Genesis 5:22, emphasis supplied)  Isaac’s impact on Abraham’s life is legendary.  And, the list could go on and on.

I think that is why I ended up liking the movie Despicable Me.  It has some crude humor, uses words a few times that our family does not use, and includes some other mildly objectionable content.  Dreamworks is no Pixar.  (For a more detailed review, click here.)

But, overall, I liked the movie because of the character change that occurs in the main character Gru.  Gru is an aspiring supervillian who encounters three little girls who change his life.  He sums it up poignantly in a little book he writes for the girls at the end of the movie.  It reads: [continue reading…]

One of the most wonderful things in the world is the simple faith of a child.  Children are perfect examples of trusting dependence.  In this regard, the younger the better.

Jesus affirms this in Matthew 18:1-14.  In this passage, he sets a little covenant child in the midst of the disciples (who were arguing about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven) and declared that the humble, trusting dependence (or faith) of a little child is the prerequisite for entrance into His Kingdom.  It would not be too much of a stretch to state that Jesus holds out the faith of this little covenant child as the model those in His Kingdom. 

Interesting, isn’t it, that Jesus tells us to develop faith more like that of a child while we tell children to develop faith more like ours.  More than a little scary when one considers the warning Jesus gives to those who offend the faith of one of these little ones causing him or her to stumble.  (Read Matthew 18:6 and note that this particular millstone that Jesus is referring to had to be turned by a donkey.  Imagine trying to swim with a rock that big tied around your neck.)

Why am I bringing this up today?  Because for weeks now I have not been able to get this poignant (and heartbreaking) blog post out of my head.  It appeared in the Motherlode blog, which is hosted by the New York Times, back in October.  You should read the post for yourself.  In it, KJ Dell’Antonia, a mother, is describing how she handled questions about God and heaven coming from her very young children.  The response of one of her children, Rory, to her answer about heaven is enough to make me weep.  (And, it does make the child weep hysterically.  Read it.  I promise it is worth your time.)

Compare that to the book that I have been reading by Rick Lusk entitled Paedofaith.  He argues that, rather than attempting to squelch the marvelous faith of our children, we should be encouraging it and taking every opportunity to firmly attach it to the Lord Jesus Christ. [continue reading…]

Two great quotes from R.J. Rushdoony’s The Institutes of Biblical Law.

[T]he reduction of religion to the church is a modern heresy; the domain of religion is the whole of life, and the concern of the sanctuary was the total life.  (69)

It is truncated and defective faith which stops at the altar.  The altar signifies redemption.  It sets forth thus the rebirth of the believer.  But rebirth for what?  Without the dimension of law, life is denied the meaning and purpose of rebirth.  Not surprisingly, altar-centered faith is heaven-centered and rapture-centered rather than God-centered.  It seeks an escape from the world rather than fulfillment of God’s calling and law-word in the world.  It has no knowledge of the throne.  (73)

Four hundred and ninety-three years ago this coming Sunday (October 31), Martin Luther nailed his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the church door of the castle church in Wittenberg.  Through that formerly unknown Augustinian monk who was serving as a professor of theology in a theretofore unimportant university, the Lord God literally transformed all of Western Civilization and indeed the world.  We stand as heirs and beneficiaries of God’s gracious work through Martin Luther and the other reformers who would soon follow him.  Thus, the Chrisman family celebrates Reformation Day.

In addition, this Reformation Day we will have something else very important to celebrate — the baptisms of our children!  (We will also be celebrating our joining with Providence Church in membership.)

Any of our friends and family who can make it are more than welcome to attend.  It will be at Providence Church, with worship beginning at 9:00 a.m.  A Reformation Day and Baptism celebration will follow the services.

The Bible clearly teaches the concept of private property.  For this, one need look no further than the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not steal (Exod. 20:15 and Deut. 5:19).”  If there were no concept of the private ownership of property, there would be no need for a commandment against stealing.  How would you know if I stole your laptop if there was no concept of it being your laptop?

This should not be understood to deny God as the ultimate owner of all things.  Many passages clearly demonstrate that God is the owner of everything.  For example, Psalm 24:1-2 says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he had founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”  (See, e.g., Ps. 50:10-11, 89:11.)  God is the owner because He is the Creator.  He made the universe, and He is the ultimate owner of everything in it.

Rightly understood, we are stewards of His creation.  He has seen fit to entrust it to us, and we should use it for His glory.  Genesis 1:28 contains this initial grant to the first man and all of his descendants.  “And God blessed them.  And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Thus, our property rights are derived from God, the ultimate owner, but they are property rights none the less.

In our day, many would like to oppose the idea of private property rights.  [continue reading…]

Most people do not think of business and business activity as a good thing.  Even within the church, business is not viewed positively.  This is probably due in part to our modern socialistic leanings, which exist both within the church and within conservatism.  These socialistic leanings contribute to our viewing businesses and business owners in a negative light, often as a menace to “working people.”  Socialism is an anti-God, anti-biblical philosophical/economic system, and therefore Christians should seek to remove its influences from our thinking.

In addition to the influence of socialism, the fact that the “secular-sacred” distinction has come to so dominate the thinking of the church in our time also contributes to the failure to view business as a good thing.  It is viewed as important, sure, because the church needs money.  [continue reading…]

As Americans, we pride ourselves on being hard workers.  We are so busy, and we often brag to each other about how busy we are.  It is a status symbol.  To admit that you are not busy, or to confess sloth, is anathema.

But, we are actually quite lazy many times.  I heard Chip Ingram define laziness once as not doing what you should be doing at the time.  Proverbs 20:4 bears this out.  Thus, just because you got 150 emails answered doesn’t mean you aren’t lazy.  It only means you weren’t being lazy if you should have been doing that at that moment.

Further, as Americans, we are addicted to entertainment and leisure.  Entertainment and leisure are not necessarily evil.  There is a time to rest, etc.  However, the amount of time that most Americans dedicate to entertainment and leisure rises to the level of idolatry. [continue reading…]

There is the falicious idea among we moderns that somehow life can be compartmenatlized such that only certain things implicate theological issues.  We want to entertain the idea that we can separate those things that are inherently religious or sacred from those things that are not.  (I have written about this in other posts on the “secular-sacred” distinction here, here, here, and here.)

However, despite what we may want to believe, all of life, including the law and “secular” government, is inherently and inescapably theological.  What you believe about who God is, who man is, what God expects of man, how we all got here, etc. necessarily impacts every part of life, including the so-called “secular” parts of life.  Maybe especially those parts.  [continue reading…]