January 13, 2009 · 7:04 am

Pondering the Baptism of Jesus

 

trinity-copy2This Sunday, the gospel reading was the baptism of Jesus, and was used as a springboard into a discussion of the Holy Trinity, as it is one of the places where the Trinity is most explicitly seen in scripture. As in most contemplations of the nature of God, the ramifications can be a bit of a mind-bender!

Particularly in this story, as the Father sends down the Spirit upon the Son.

 

On of the pictorial explanations of the Trinity affirms rightly that the Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit is not the Father; while the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.  None is 1/3 God, each is complete, and the Godhead is complete in each. We are not polytheists!

 

So, what does it mean that

The Fullness of God

Anointed

The Fullness of God

With

The Fullness of God

 

All present in fullness and undivided essence, yet each distinct and unconfused uniqueness.

Full of wonder!

 

(Hat tip to The Foolish Galatian for the image)

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January 13, 2009 · 3:51 am

What do we mean by “The Bible is the Word of God”?

See Biblical inerrancy -what does it really mean? for a nicely done overview.

 

My comments repeated here:

My own take on the Bible as the Word of God will probably satisfy few. It is certainly not philosophically rigorous, but it has the huge advantage of being fruitful for me.
Thomas Cranmer wrote a prayer for the Anglican Book of Common Prayer:

Blessed Lord, which hast caused all holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn ,and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of Thy holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our savior, Jesus Christ

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January 6, 2009 · 8:07 am

More about judgement:

I’ve run into a lot of voices, from old-line Christians to liberal Christians, to tired and wounded semi-Christians to agnostics who all have a strong reaction to the idea of damnation. 

As a new and thoughtful contribution to this continuing discussion I commend Keith Goodwin’s blog here.

http://keithgoodwin.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/salvation-and-damnation/#comments

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January 5, 2009 · 11:32 pm

“What’s the Point of it all?” : a cross post from St. Disillusion

Browsing through the blogs, I found a very interesting blog from “St. Disillusion” on “Christianity is a Travesty”, with a post here:

 

I am so taken with the blog and the good saints comments, even more his questions, that  I posted a rather extensive response to his remarks about the purpose of life. Since I have been mulling these ideas over for a post here, I decided to break protocol and cross post my own response, although I very much encourage you to go visit with Saint D. I expect to return often.

For the record, I thing God is greatly pleased when we ask such questions in the same spirit with which a child, having been wounded or undone by the actions of a parent, never less comes to that parent in faith to make his complaint.  Think the book of Job.

Below is my response, which I hope to flesh out almost as a theme to these pages.

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December 14, 2008 · 11:08 pm

Meditation at a Funeral

As I have mentioned before, as a funeral director, I attend a lot of funerals, and probably spend  more time than most people thinking about death. For the past few weeks, I’ve had a theme in mind that seems of some use, and yesterday, I finally said it at the conclusion of a service for an elderly lady. There were many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren gathered, and many stories from their early years. This is what I had to say.

As I’ve listened to the stories from your years with your mother, your grandmother, and the great grandmother of these little ones, I’ve been thinking of how God has been preparing us for this day since we were just babies. From the first time we played “Peek-a-boo” with our mother, we learned that when we could not see her face, she was still there. You can still see it in the face of your children, the anxiety when your face is hidden, and the delight when you reappear. We learn that what we see does not define the whole of reality, that there is more to reality than what we see.

And then we have our first sleepover away from home. That can be scary, but we learn that even though we are away from home, we still have a home. Separation does not mean forever.

As we grow, we continue these lessons, through going to camp, going away to school, even leaving home and starting our adult lives. We learn them as we teach them to our own children as we enjoy playing “peek-a-boo” … 

God has been teaching us these lessons all our lives. And now as we say goodbye to (Mrs. Jones), He reminds us of what He has taught, of what we have learned: That when I can’t see someone, it doesn’t mean that they are gone; there is more to reality than what we see; and that separation does not mean forever.

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December 13, 2008 · 9:48 am

More on damnation v. universal salvation

Since I first wrote this post on the doctrine of damnation, and why it seems to me inescapable, I’ve stumbled upon a number of other conversations on the subject, with many voices from the universal salvation perspective. I have read defenses of that position from both liberal and conservative Christians, but to my mind, they all fall short on either or both of two fronts.  Sometimes the view of Heaven seems not fully thought through. What is the nature of eternal life, and does it admit even the possibility of the admission of the unwilling? I contend that this would be like insisting that a circle be made with more corners.

 

The second error seems more peculiar. I contend that the universalist’s view of humanity is too low. For God to produce what I think He intends in us, it is necessary that we have a free will which is efficacious. God cannot trump it without denying and defeating His own purpose. A think that is a lot of the point of the story of Noah and the flood.  

 

For those interested in the question, I suggest the following two discussions, along with my own post below.

 

-Blessings

http://interspiritualchristian.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/on-the-nature-of-scripture/#comment-3

and

http://chadholtz.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/the-universal-good-news/

 

 

 

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May 7, 2008 · 1:20 pm

A book worth reading:

I am posting the following 2 reviews in their entirety, because I think they very accurately describe my wife’s second book,IMPRINTS.

Although I have not posted a review of my own, (who’s gonna believe the proud husband?) I affirm every word of these two reviews. The first is by a very wise spiritual director, the second by a professional reviewer and author.
Stephanie and I write in very different styles. I write “theory.” Stephanie cares nothing for “mere theory,” reality is real. Struggle is real, pain is real, sin is real, grace is real, God is real, victory is real. Life is about what is real, or it isn’t real life. That is what Stephanie’s writing is about.
As I said, Stephanie doesn’t write like I do. I don’t write like she does.
But I often wish I did.

Read the reviews, and check out her site. There are links there from which to order this book, and her first one,
Facing Me: Breaking the Bonds of Siezure Confinement 

Stephanie Sawyer is an accomplished writer and musician, an advocate for people dealing with seizure disorders, and a committed Christian. Five years have passed since her first book, Facing Me, was published. In that first book, she shared honestly her struggles with seizure disorder with a goal of helping others. Imprints documents the Lord’s victory in her shattered life. These are vignettes of her journey through stark circumstances, told in this writer’s honest and erudite style.Gut-level Faith
Gut-level Faith
Stephanie Sawyer’s life is proof that if one enters into deep and honest relationship with God, and has the courage to live with an open heart, that heart is going to be changed! It won’t always be fun, it won’t always look pretty, but it will always result in new life, a view through new eyes, and another step toward wholeness. Going to the mat with the living God is not for sissies. But after each round, the bell sounds with joy! I commend Ms. Sawyer for her honest, vulnerable, lay-it-all-out-there style.
– J. Troy

Despite financial downturns, public seizures, fractured relationships, a failing marriage, and disappointments, Sawyer’s indomitable spirit survives. The appearance of a loving Lord Jesus saves her from a destructive life spiraling out of control. Unexpected gifts of compassion from friends and strangers brighten her darkest days. In her lowest hours, God sends who and what she needs. Sawyer considers these human gifts from God to be kindly angels, diamonds of light sent to illuminate her path to wholeness. An empathetic pastor gently eases her back into the Christian community she deserted out of despair. A wise mentor dispenses support and advice in generous measure. Discerning strangers provide kindness and concern in troubled moments.

These are stories of Christ’s healing grace, told by a woman who has struggled and failed but finally emerged victorious. The message throughout is that Jesus can help us overcome any trial if we open our hearts to him as Ms. Sawyer did. She shares her story without self pity or recriminations. The result is heart warming and encouraging to any reader who has ever grappled with illness, rejection, sorrow, or failure. Imprints is Ms. Sawyer’s gift to us all and highly recommended.

Review by Laurel Johnson

 

 

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February 24, 2008 · 4:54 am

How can a loving God damn people to hell?: a response

I won’t attribute the source, since I can’t now find it; but in the blog of a friend of mine the question of damnation came up as an example of a religious dogma which cannot be accepted.

I beg to differ. If one accepts at least for the purpose of this discussion certain propositions about God, and heaven (I will reference these propositions as we go along) then some sort of doctrine of damnation is inevitable. The only other alternative is for our independence and autonomy to be an illusion.

 

Orthodox Christians may object that my argument is very short on appeals to the Bible. That is by design. In our current climate, appealing to Holy Scripture is mostly preaching to the choir. Continue reading →

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April 14, 2007 · 4:20 pm

Is Creation Finished?

Mr. D. C. Toedt, who is a friend of mine from my church, writes a blog called The Questioning Christian
In a post entitled “The world isn’t broken, it’s just unfinished”
He suggests

1. Suppose hypothetically that God is still creating the world, using processes we’re only beginning to kinda-sorta understand — processes that entail generating lots of variations and keeping the ones that “work” as the starting point for later variations.

(These processes of the ongoing creation seem to include us as construction workers, incidentally: our powers of imagination let us generate new variations, while our powers of perception and memory let us see and remember — imperfectly — what does or doesn’t work.)

This hypothesis is not totally implausible, not if you take a long view of what we think we know of history. …

Now, D.C. (for whom I have a great deal of respect) and I disagree about much in the church, including what is the very nature of “church” and even what it means to be christian. I would argue that to be a christian means to accept Jesus as Lord, as being God incarnate who died in the flesh and rose again so that we might be released from the bondage of our sin. I will let D.C. speak for himself, which he does quite well, but he would more describe it as following the commandments of Jesus in that we are to love God and our neighbor, and teach others to do the same.

But in this post, I think he has it pretty much right. The main difference is that Continue reading →

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April 11, 2007 · 9:49 am

Sweethearts in Heaven

As a funeral director, I hear many interesting things at funerals! A while back I heard a song that got me thinking. A folk singer sang a song something along the lines of “I don’t know if there are sweethearts in heaven, but if there are, I want you for mine.” It was sung on behalf of the decedent as a proclamation of his enduring love for his widow. It was very touching, and very sweet. Even while I liked the song, though, I was bothered a bit Continue reading →

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