tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76157872024-03-13T05:20:19.387-05:00Dead Theologians"I have lived nearly sixty years with myself and my own century and am not so enamoured of either as to desire no glimpse of a world beyond them."
C.S. LewisJared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.comBlogger781125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-14202829128970500052018-06-18T07:59:00.000-05:002018-06-18T07:59:01.688-05:00Considering Overture 24 GA 2018A Detailed Account of the Reconvened Session of Overtures considering Overture 24<br />
<br />
<i>These Are My Recollections from inside the committee when they were called back to bring a recommendation to the Assembly. This is for the curious, and a simpler more general account of the whole process I am sharing elsewhere, but
this is for the procedural-minded:</i><br />
<br />
After the Assembly sent the Overtures Committee
back, the debate was started by a motion that the Minority Report become
the majority recommendation of the committee. (Later someone
would insist we also must "vote to reconsider," though some of us
believed the action of the assembly did this, we voted on that to make
sure we were doing everything according to procedure.) Debate ensued
with a few people formerly in opposition voicing support to Overture 24
if it was cut down to 59-1, 59-2, and 59-3. But a few men voiced
continued opposition due to the content of 59-1 and 59-2. One elder
objected that the language of 59-1 was perhaps not sufficient for civil
disobedience. Another elder objected to 59-2 for its assumption that
Reformed ministers would necessarily be performing marriages (as in our
tradition some have said the church should not perform weddings, the
civil government only should). It seemed like they would be in the
minority to vote against it, but still a significant minority.<br />
<br />
At this juncture, an elder introduced a substitute limiting the constitutional status just to
59-3, and retaining all the old language of the rest of the Chapter.
This was attractive to many who had wanted to retain the old language
because it was historic and had been useful to them. <br />
<br />
A few members, including myself, still had opposition. I voiced
opposition to making just 59-3 constitutional because 59-1 as binding
had use for religious liberty and civil disobedience reasons. 59-2 was
also useful as binding due to the instructions on not marrying those
unequally yoked. And finally, those instructions in the BCO would be
important even if these are in the Westminster Confession of Faith,
because the BCO gives us our PRACTICE, and 59-3 at the time only
concerns belief (59-3 was merely a restatement of the WCF).<br />
<br />
A final motion was made to amend 59-3 by an elder,
adding the line about restricting the practice of ministers who marry.
(he deftly worded it as “minister who solemnize marriage” so as to allow
that we may have ministers who refuse to perform weddings) A
short time of discussion followed, but soon an elder called all
questions before the house. We voted. The amendment about the practice
of ministers passed. Then the vote to make the substitute the main
motion passed. (at this point I voted yes, with the addition of the
sentence of practice and having been convinced by the speech of an elder
that this was not only what could pass on the floor, but also
presbyteries, and could be our overwhelming recommendation to the
Assembly). The Substitute of the now revised 59-3 became the main motion
and the vote was 104-1-1. One other note: without revealing identities,
I knew the man voting against it, and he formerly supported the
Minority Report, so I assume voted against the final because he did not
believe 59-3 was enough.<br />
<br />
To close the session, it was suggested
and agreed we should sing the doxology. Another note, there exists a man
on Overtures with perfect harmony to the doxology that is indeed
goose-bump producing. This is not exhaustive, but as well as I can
remember.Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-30788889251807840662017-01-27T14:00:00.002-06:002017-01-27T14:00:33.905-06:00Stop Worrying About Everything All At Once<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0jFjwn6cE7aSERbhBaC3Jfir93AsHNrjocnn136lbB461J54PotEeCaUMOmHTIwzzFMJNNuUuLOnu5o0Ee3ld9VPI0I9Om7UqodL2jgIxxlOYZIMihQdRtwwhDU_Iyw16E8yZw/s1600/220px-Gordijnen_aan_venster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0jFjwn6cE7aSERbhBaC3Jfir93AsHNrjocnn136lbB461J54PotEeCaUMOmHTIwzzFMJNNuUuLOnu5o0Ee3ld9VPI0I9Om7UqodL2jgIxxlOYZIMihQdRtwwhDU_Iyw16E8yZw/s200/220px-Gordijnen_aan_venster.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Why engaging LESS in reading newspapers, watching TV news, and
flicking through Facebook posts may be one of the best things for your
soul:<br />
<br />
"It is one of the evils of rapid diffusion of news that the
sorrows of all the world come to us every morning. I think each village
was meant to feel pity for its own sick and poor whom it can help and I
doubt if it is the duty of any private person to fix his mind on ills
which he cannot help. (This may even become an escape from the wor<span class="text_exposed_show">ks of charity we really can do to those we know).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
A great many people...do now seem to think that the mere state of being
worried is in itself meritorious. I don't think it is. We must, if it
so happens, give our lives for others: but even while we're doing it, I
think we're meant to enjoy Our Lord and, in Him, our friends, our food,
our sleep, our jokes, and the birds song and the frosty sunrise." - C.S.
Lewis in a letter</div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-73210955964355727582016-07-27T08:21:00.000-05:002016-07-27T08:23:00.630-05:00Francis of Assisi: Use Words, They are Necessary<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ikI4X7kPa1D1an5hFPlGuhqogM9UVgP6IK9th-uC2NqJybATj7sYPxoZi97rj8_GPx-FM59B3X1yZRJuer_sU7Txi5R6nO9DNYXHtfb_xQfOxLFVvxawOnLOyzeFEeD74uMD2A/s1600/15032_saint-francis-of-assisi-detail-628x377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ikI4X7kPa1D1an5hFPlGuhqogM9UVgP6IK9th-uC2NqJybATj7sYPxoZi97rj8_GPx-FM59B3X1yZRJuer_sU7Txi5R6nO9DNYXHtfb_xQfOxLFVvxawOnLOyzeFEeD74uMD2A/s320/15032_saint-francis-of-assisi-detail-628x377.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Francis
of Assisi is known for 3 things. A poem he likely didn't write, a
love of animals that was likely oversold, and a saying he never said:
“Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” It is popular
to quote this and attribute it to Francis of Assisi, but again, he
never said it.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Francis,
in fact, would never have said something like that. Francis was a
traveling preacher who left his wealthy family's money behind to call
people to repentance. In the 1200s, the rulers and even clergy were
focused on the new mercantile economy and the race to gain wealth.
Francis preached the gospel of Jesus, and emphasized the treasure of
heaven and the temporariness of wealth on earth. And he used words. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Some
of his favorite words came from Christ: </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Blessed
are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are
you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are
you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people
hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name
as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap
for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their
fathers did to the prophets.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> "But
woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe
to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you
who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. </i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Woe
to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did
to the false prophets.</span></i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>”</i></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">
(Luke 6:20-26)</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> These
words emphasized that the rich and powerful are not those you should
envy. It is tempting to think that if you don't end up rich,
powerful, or famous, that you have not “arrived” and you have not
succeed in life. Christ instead speaks of a time to come, a reward
that is not here, but is to come. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Francis,
in his time, was sad over the wars that developed between the West
and Islamic State to the East. So he went to the Sultan al-Kamil to do something
bold: preach the gospel...with words. He spoke to the Sultan about
Christ who died and rose again, and whose riches were not of this
earth, but of greater value in forgiveness, peace with God, and
newness of life. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The
Sultan's advisers suggested beheading Francis for attempting to
convert the Sultan. But the Sultan took Francis aside and told him
that he was impressed that Francis cared for his soul. As a result,
within a year the Sultan negotiated peace with the West. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But the
Sultan told Francis that he could not convert. It would cost him his
throne and his life. The heavenly treasure cost an earthly treasure he was not willing to pay. When Francis left, the Sultan asked Francis to pray
for him. Francis' words made him pause, and he said he wanted Francis
to pray that he would be shown the truth. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The
lesson of Francis is not silent preaching, but the power of words.
Words can cause our grip on mere things to be loosened. Words can
bring peace to a war. And words of the good news can deliver us from
this world, to the next. Follow the example of Francis. Preach the
Gospel. And use words, they're necessary.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Much
Love in Christ,</i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pastor
Jared Nelson</i></span></span></span>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-37358168396191755652016-06-14T08:23:00.004-05:002016-06-14T08:23:59.210-05:00A Note Regarding Rejecting "White Privilege" in the Church Race Conversation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuucVh9KN8IPz3_-r0_i0qD48PI4GNR6lLBw5vALVYX8KgfRtvvNEGZtXTuyHUIW8Dwc8TlO9nawp5j3bkctiJxhaoPeFukbHC-CDGZwGVC0CR6dsMFJLa_m3HThL0Sb2KTgzsfQ/s1600/white-privilege.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuucVh9KN8IPz3_-r0_i0qD48PI4GNR6lLBw5vALVYX8KgfRtvvNEGZtXTuyHUIW8Dwc8TlO9nawp5j3bkctiJxhaoPeFukbHC-CDGZwGVC0CR6dsMFJLa_m3HThL0Sb2KTgzsfQ/s200/white-privilege.jpg" width="200" /></a><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>To follow up with more detail about my
particular problem with the idea of “white privilege” being used in the
ecclesiastical conversation.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>My particular problem with the term "white privilege" is not its complete falsehood in every aspect that it entails. Rather, it is the way
it takes a reality and frames it in political and unhelpful ways. Let me
count the ways the term is unhelpful</span><br /><br /><b><span>1) “White Privilege” trivializes the weigh of the issue of racism and justice:</span></b><br /><br /><span>
Yes, there are aspects of society where blacks (and other minorities,
depending on the area of societal life) are treated differently. This
reality is not a “white privilege” but a human right issue – a human
justice issue. It is not a privilege to no be pulled over for the color
of your skin, it is a violation of your right to be judged on the basis
of your merits and character rather than appearances. White privilege
frames such a problem as more trivial than it is (again, what is at
issue is rights, not privileges), it turns the issue on another
ethnicity in particular and feeds into the politics of resentment, and
simplifies the issue of race relations into a monochromatic frame. As
such, it is unhelpful in this second way:</span><br /><br /><b><span>2) “White Privilege” uses the politics of resentment</span></b><br /><br /><span>Now,
you may object that privilege merely means the privilege of being
unaware or lacking that experience of being the subject of racism. Are
whites (or Asians or Latinos) lacking in the experience of being treated
differently based on race? Certainly in some areas. But not in others.
And in fact, all ethnicities have their unique set of experiences that
are tied to the mere fact of their heritage and appearance. To what
degree it is reality or perception, African Americans, Latinos, Asians
and Whites all believe they have been disadvantaged in different areas
based on their race. </span><br /><br /><span>Think
of the similarities of when “White privilege” is declared, as the
mirror image of the effect of labeling someone an “Affirmative Action”
exception. Over the past 7 years, I have heard a term used for our
President: The Affirmative Action President. The appellation was used
for the same reason that it was first applied to Justice Clarence
Thomas. To declare that those individuals were not evaluated on their
merits, but were allowed in by a lowered bar based on race. This is a
declaration of resentment, a feeling that certain jobs and educational
institutions discriminate against whites (again, this is perception, I
don't necessarily speak to reality). And it is used for a particular
effect:</span><br /><br /><b><span>3) “White Privilege” is used to silence voices.</span></b><br /><br /><span>The
reason this term “Affirmative Action _____” is thrown around is to
silence certain voices in a conversation, or delegitimize them. If you
call Obama an Affirmative Action President, you reject his positions
without having to engage the conversation. Its a shout of “shut up!” The
term “white privilege” has been used, with its roots in the political
conversation where it is borrowed from, to do the same thing. “Check
your privilege” is to say “you don't know what you are talking about, so
shut up.” This is wrong whether using the politics of resentment on the
right (in regards to affirmative action labels) or the politics of
resentment of the left (using the labels of white privilege). The
example of Joseph and his brothers should be a warning about the danger
of letting a resentment based on perception of favoritism stew and boil
in our hearts. </span><br /><br /><span>One
may protest and say that is not what is meant in this context. Yet, when
a term is borrowed from another sphere, it carries the baggage of that
sphere into the conversation. So is it true: </span><br /><br /><span>1) African Americans face discrimination in certain areas that certain other ethnicities do not, even still today? Yes</span><br /><span>2) Are many other ethnicities unaware of some these injustices? Yes</span><br /><span>3) Should this be part of what the gospel declaration addresses? Absolutely</span><br /><br /><span>Each of these truths can be communicated without </span><br /><br /><span>1) Lessening the sin of racism by lowing the vocabulary of the conversation from rights to privileges.</span><br /><span>2) Engaging in the politics of resentment.</span><br /><span>3) Implicitly or Explicitly seeking to silences voices in the conversation.</span></span></span></span>Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-70088345432241350562016-06-09T08:43:00.001-05:002016-06-10T07:31:32.204-05:00Reflective Review - “Heal Us, Emmanuel”<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhuwKkQRNcmsMopuR5i85eEQmvirzjt1EwfqYzz4X54RNvWp7YUAwbMAdjyz71JA1VbXIsmeLHNdFgWVITd5WgP-VogDTXrWaf3FRo16LORA2nLxLKNk08ABdGDs7gUwlTHmZOw/s1600/41d2qYqLVqL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhuwKkQRNcmsMopuR5i85eEQmvirzjt1EwfqYzz4X54RNvWp7YUAwbMAdjyz71JA1VbXIsmeLHNdFgWVITd5WgP-VogDTXrWaf3FRo16LORA2nLxLKNk08ABdGDs7gUwlTHmZOw/s320/41d2qYqLVqL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Us-Emmanuel-Reconciliation-Representation/dp/099739840X?ie=UTF8&keywords=heal%20us%20emmanuel&qid=1465479648&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1">“Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church”</a> is a collection of 30 essays by PCA
Elders on the subject of race and reconciliation (a hot topic
especially as this year the PCA's General Assembly approaches). Many
of these elders have been pushing for some sort of statement or
public confession by the PCA General Assembly that deals with Race,
especially concerning the acts of “conservative Christians” in
the Civil Rights Era. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
book is laid out in 6 sections: An Invitation to Listen, Awakening to
Privilege, Sins of Omission and Commission, Historical and
Theological Perspectives, Confession and Reconciliation Are
Necessary, and A Way Forward. Under each are five or six essays on
that theme.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
review will seek to summarize some of the content of the book as well
as give a critical response. The book is a “call” but I hope to
invite a conversation on it, rather than a monologue of demands. I
found the book to be mixed in its effectiveness, depth, and quality.
As such, let us first look at what are a few truly interesting and
worthwhile articles for your time. So first, the positive:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">HELPFUL
AND INTERESTING:</span></span></u></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chapter
11 includes an entry by Samuel N. Graham, an elder on the session of
Independent Presbyterian (IPC) in Memphis. This was one of the few
entries in which the relating of personal biographical details was
interesting and relevant to the topic. The Chapter on Independent
Presbyterian in Stephen Haynes' “The Last Segregated Hour” gives
a better narrative of the process leading up to IPC's racial
repentance, however Graham's article gives a glimpse of the inside
process that compliments that narrative in helpful ways. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another
essay worth considering is by Kevin Twit of RUF (Chapter 15). Rev.
Twit details some of the thought process behind the latest Indelible
Grace record and the incorporation of different styles to reflect
diverse cultural inputs. It certainly is worth considering, even if
Twit's Nashville context is perhaps a unique case of cultural and
musical diversity. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Briefly,
a few other chapters offer relevant information, and most interesting
were the five essays on a Historical and Theological Perspective.
Sean Lucas' personal history in regards to race (Chapter 18) provides
the background to his recent book on the history of the PCA and work
with a movement for a Civil Rights Era statement from the PCA.
Chapter 17 contains Bobby Griffith's summary history of race in
American Southern Presbyterianism, which despite its choppy
structure, offers a few nuggets of historical interest. Chapter 19
contains William Castro's critique of “racialist” views of the
church, which tends to divide along racial lines rather than bringing
them together. His critique of Frame and others who justify separate
churches based on cultural preferences is intriguing, even though the
solution is often allusive evidenced by the lack of integration in
most churches on Sunday morning. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All
of these essays seek to build a historical foundation for the
conversation over race. These help us understand the questions of
both “why now?” and “why this subject?” To show my cards,
this reviewer tends to agree broadly that race is a present issue in
the church and in particular in the history of the Presbyterian
Church in America by reputation of certain particular churches
especially in the south, and even of entire presbyteries (especially
those of the former Synod of Mississippi which explicitly defended
segregation in the 1950s and 60s). </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">The
conversation broached in this book is a necessary conversation, even
if uncomfortable. Part of that uncomfortable aspect is exploring the
paradigms we use to approach this subject, and here is where critique
is also necessary. Scripture tells us that when exploring a sin and
solution, two ditches must be avoided. As the prophet Jeremiah puts
it some “have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying,
'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.“ (Jeremiah 6:14) While our
Lord warns others “ tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay
them on people's shoulders.” (Matthew 23:4) The essays of the book
falter when falling into one of these two ditches. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A
CRITIQUE:</span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
weakness of the book is largely in what it carries as features of the
book.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1)
The book is heavily personal, but in so doing at times becomes too
autobiographical in nature. The book is intended to be personal, but
despite the number of writers, the biographical details become
repetitive. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2)
The book is intended to be a “call,” however this causes the
essays to feel largely monolithic in perspective. Again, the book
itself is not a dialogue, but rather a “call” as the title
declares. Thus, let us explore having the conversation.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">CAN
WE DIALOGUE?</span></span></i></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">If
this book is inviting a dialogue on the issue of race, let's address
why this topic is so messy: </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Racism
is hard to have a dialogue about. Motives are constantly questioned
and when writing about such a serious issue it is tempting to signal
your virtue, rather than acknowledge the complexity and messiness of
the issue. Racism is a result of the fall, not mere history, and so
is universal in its subjects. Thus it is easier to signal your
innocence than to actually process it. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My
reservations with the book have nothing to do with the subject, or
even most of the recommendations. I have set myself to the task the
2015 GA gave to elders, namely to explore racial sins and the
relation of the denomination to those sins. I believe there are
issues of sin related to race at the individual level, the local
church level, and in more than one presbytery. I was interested if
the book would touch on any of the questions I recorded nearly a year
ago that accompany the current issue such as what is the nature of
covenantal repentance, the types of racial sin that exist, and on
what level of church government they occurred in the past, as well as
practical ways to address them in the present. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There
are omissions that hamper the final product in its execution. While
the book wants to be a monologue (a call), I hope this book can be
part of a dialogue. As such, I aim to push back and challenge the
thrust of the book in two areas:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1)
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><b>Resist
t</b></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><u><b>he adoption of the
terminology and categories of the political left.</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beyond
the acceptance of of terms like “Microaggressions” (page 21) the
most troubling term of the political left used in the book is “White
Privilege” (page 60, 91, 95, 238, etc.). White Privilege has arisen
in the political realm, largely on the political left, and as such
both carries baggage from that realm and has secular ideologies
informing its use.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Granted,
there is existing institutional power to certain families that can be
identified along racial lines. Also, we should note that while
everyone has obstacles to overcome, some have more obstacles based on
their ethnicity than others. To frame this reality, and blame “white
privilege” rather than focusing on true racism creates guilt
burdens about realities that are not necessary to repent over. One
should repent over placing obstacles in front of others based on
race. One should not repent for not having as many of those
obstacles.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ethnicity
exists alongside economic position, education, and two-parent homes
as factors which shapes future success and progress of persons into
adult life and society. Focusing on the fact that white families tend
to have more factors that lead to education and job opportunities
mixes too much correlation with causation. It also unnecessarily
sweeps whites without those advantages into this stereotyped “white
America” that all has these advantages. As I work in an area with
much blue collar poverty, many in our area would be surprised to hear
of their privilege based on their race, when their education,
economic, and family situation is anything but privileged. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
most troubling aspect of this, however, is the diversion it makes
from the ecclesiastical and spiritual realm into a focus on the
secular and political realm as paramount. This shows itself most
starkly in the repeated implied message that pastors need to side
with specific political or current event controversies to be
sufficiently race conscious. Let us take Doug Serven's piece in
Chapter 16 as the prime offender: Ferguson, Charleston, and the
McKinney Texas Police incident, and the name of the Washington
Redskins were all cited (pages 156-159) and the “right side” is
always implied as synonymous with the right spiritual attitude to
race. This suggests a need to be up to date on all the current media
events, and to take public political positions on them. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
have my own personal opinions and thoughts based on what I know of
those events. Yet, the requirement to be fully read up on media
events (real or generated by the media for ratings), and to take the
particular views Serven has taken as a precondition for being
racially conscious is a human requirement, not a spiritual or
Scriptural one. I certainly have my own thoughts on some of these
events, but I have purposefully not made them public because I think
it would be needlessly controversial, and misinterpreted - a barrier
to the gospel rather than an avenue to it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Why
am I as a minister supposed to speak publicly on an issue that
happened, for instance in Missouri, that is quite complicated (more
complicated than I think Serven lets on)? It is not to argue that
particular case, but one sees the issue of the sin of racism becoming
bogged down in the particulars of media and social media events. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">To
have silence about those events equated to apathy is just wrong. Why
am I morally required to speak on every event listed?</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">
By what authority? In fact, shouldn't our judgments especially on
murky criminal acts be tempered by the fact that we are not on the
jury and not privy to all evidence? Shouldn't wisdom be used to
distinguish between clear instances of racism such as Charleston, and
more complex issues such as etymological histories of the names of
NFL teams?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">The
weight of the 9</span><span style="color: black;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="color: black;">
Commandment would seem to dictate to not bearing false or at least
not bearing uninformed or hasty witness. To take it a step further,
why does the author</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">think
his opinion is the clear Christian opinion? In at least two cases, I
disagree with his verdict, and so does that make my private opinion a
sin? Why are these reactions and “hot takes” of media events the
gauge of our biblical obedience rather than our individual
interactions and actions with people? We must be careful not to think
our political opinion on a complicated issue or event is synonymous
with the law or the gospel.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That
leads to my second challenge:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2.
Address Racism with Deep Biblical Exegesis</span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scripture
is sufficient to address all things we need for the man of God to be
complete (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I wish there were more deep biblical
exegesis and application in the essays of this book to the problem of
racism, rather than the adoption of socio-political categories and
theories. Sociology and Politics will not address this problem
adequately, nor a general call to grace or the cross. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This
is not to say there is no Scripture or exegesis in the book on these
matters. In Chapter 19, “Toward a Compelling Theology for Unity,”
Rev. Garriott makes a few brief universal theological points. Rev.
Ward in Chapter 21 does as well by way of a thorough and fair
critique of Morton Smith's 1964 article that argued for segregation.
This is helpful as a picture of the theological errors of the past,
though I would be surprised if there is much agreement today in the
PCA with Smith's 52 year old article.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yet,
where is an extended look at Ephesians 2:11-22 or Galatians 3:27, or
the biblical theological theme of the bringing in of Ruth the
Moabitess to God's People or Solomon's Temple as a place for
inclusion of the nations into Israel? Certainly, Galatians 3:27 and
Ephesians 2:14 are cited, yet they are proof texted rather than
expounded in the depths those passages can teach us. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">A
great missed opportunity of this book was to explore the nature of
the repentance/confession that some call for. Chapter 24 is titled
“Why we must confess corporately” but the article is only 4 pages
long, and does not exegete Scripture so much as cite it and offer
some quick application. Part of this exegesis should be anticipating
objections: What are the limits, intent, and effects of covenantal
repentance over racism? Who has covenantal relationships with each
other to accomplish such a task? Is there a difference between
confessing the iniquity of our fathers and confessing the sins of our
fathers? How does the 5</span><span style="color: black;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="color: black;">
Commandment relate to Daniel 9, Ezra 9 or Nehemiah 9? What is going
on in those passages and why do they confess the particular sins they
do, and not others? How does someone individually innocent relate to
his covenantal guilt, especially of previous generations? What steps
are taken after such confession toward repentance?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">These
questions have answers, but they are not in the book. I agree with
the conclusion of Chapter 24 on the sins of racism within the church:
“I did not personally commit them; nevertheless, they are mine.”
(page 252) Yet mere “corporate identification” is not a
sufficient argument for this conclusion. Rather, the corporate
covenantal body, as an acting body with members that suffer corporate
pollution and contamination of the sins of the past, mired in the
iniquity of the fathers, is the point of Daniel 9, Ezra 9, and
Nehemiah 9. Exegetical explanation should include the historical
context (Babylonian exile), the past sins (Sabbath breaking,
inter-faith marriage, etc.) that caused it, and what that particular
repentance meant, namely 1) being currently guilty of sin by
imitation, 2) being currently polluted by the consequences of those
sins, and 3) being committed in the future to turn from the sins of
their fathers to obedience of God's Law. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">These
principles should have obvious application to the issue of racism
today, which plagued many of our forefathers in the PCA. These are
iniquities that still pollute the witness of PCA churches today that
are associated with it, that certain churches have needed to address
in order to move forward. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Thus,
this collection of essays was a golden opportunity missed to make the
case </span><span style="color: black;"><i>why</i></span><span style="color: black;">
denominations, presbyteries, and local church bodies need to repent
and not just individuals. They could have also offered details on </span><span style="color: black;"><i>how</i></span><span style="color: black;">
these bodies repent with regards to Scriptural precedent. Merely
citing Daniel 9, Ezra 9, and Nehemiah 9 are not enough, they need to
be deeply exegeted and applied. Indeed, the Bible is capable of, and
should, deeply impact our view of race and the sins of racism, so
shouldn't ministers bring that fully to bear on this subject rather
than assume it? </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">CONCLUSION</span></span></u></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">First
this book certainly has an important subject matter and notable good
efforts to identify the history and personal aspects of the problem.
Furthermore, the book excels when addressing real racism at the
individual and local level that were solved by true and detailed
confession and repentance such as at IPC. For those essays in the
book I am thankful. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However,
the book shows its deficiencies when there was a vague or undefined
view of repentance, surface exegesis, or when it relied on
non-theological diagnoses and prescriptions to the problem. The task
of the church is not to syncretize political and sociological
paradigms into its theology, but to bring the gospel of grace to bear
on the problems of sin, not just in the notional or “awareness”
realm but in the practical realm. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
solution to the problems of the sin of racism must be of a sufficient
level to answer the problem. While this book may identify many of the
problems, I fear it heals the wounds of the people too lightly and
generally, while bringing unnecessary burdens with some of its
adopting of outside sociological and political concepts. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">APPLYING
LESSONS</span></span></b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During
the upcoming PCA General Assembly, I hope that commissioners are
aware of the history in this book (which if they have read Lucas'
book or Haynes' book, they will be aware of the important details
already). But the issues need to be framed in biblical rather than
political ways. The PCA General Assembly should avoid vaguely
confessing sins, with no specificity of the current polluting sins
that linger, no biblical idea of its connection to those sins, and no
plan of repentance. To treat the wounds of racism too lightly, or as
a way to placate white guilt, rather than address racial sin nearly
guarantees that the exercise will merely placate consciences while
leaving a sin issue largely untouched in its treatment. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Since
racism is not a mere cultural or ethnic problem, and is a human
fallen condition, we must seek the answers to those problems in
something bigger than political, sociological or historical analysis.
It must be examined in the heart of every individual, and not just
one ethnic group. It must be based on the Scriptures, on true
covenantal connection to a particular body, with a right view of
repentance, sin, iniquity, covenant, and costly grace. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
am encouraged that a few of the Overtures (Overture 1 and 50 in
particular) this year names particular sins, and directs the bodies
of the church (presbyteries and local churches) to examine if and
where they have occurred to address them at that level. I hope
specificity and localness are embraced by the Assembly. Our sin
problem is deep, and in need of deep exegesis, and deep grace from
Christ to address. I pray we can see with the eyes of Scripture to
address this problem without either creating artificial burdens or
crying “peace, peace!” where there is no peace. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">-<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Review by J<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">ared Nelson</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">P<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">astor N<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">e</span>w Life PCA</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Aliquippa<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">, P<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">A</span></span> </span> </span></span> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-22267947011470039582016-05-18T09:27:00.001-05:002016-05-18T09:27:37.199-05:00PCA and Race: Reflective Review - Divided by Faith
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Divided by
Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith</u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jFwIk_Opgbac_DDXas2DUekWkijrSHihFRPDdDf4fN_9wXyIUllr7W3G-I0MOf1zcs38ykj9vLKdiDX1nVRPF_9hNoLAhClNFbsWVHt5Pq1-Zj2LhP_EKEmQnI7vmE14KHM2DA/s1600/images.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jFwIk_Opgbac_DDXas2DUekWkijrSHihFRPDdDf4fN_9wXyIUllr7W3G-I0MOf1zcs38ykj9vLKdiDX1nVRPF_9hNoLAhClNFbsWVHt5Pq1-Zj2LhP_EKEmQnI7vmE14KHM2DA/s1600/images.jpe" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> One author may be familiar to the reader. Christian
Smith is famous among evangelicals for coining the term “Moralistic
Therapeutic Deism” to describe the state of American
Evangelicalism. This book, co-written with Michael Emerson, seeks to
explore the issue of race in evangelicalism and how race divides the
church today. While there are many aspects worthy of greater reflection, I wanted to highlight one concept worth considering:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> Early in the book, the
authors posit their position that America is a “racialized
society.” By this term they mean: </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>In the post-Civil
Rights United States, the racialized society is one in which
intermarriage rates are low, residential separation and socioeconomic
inequality are the norm, our definitions of personal identity and our
choices of intimate associations reveal racial distinctiveness, and
where 'we are never unaware of the race of the person with whom we
interact.'”</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> [page 7] </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> They also posit that race
is a social construct. Many people say that, but it is refreshing
that “social construct” has specific meaning - firstly that race
is used to classify people (where foot size or ear shape is not) and
secondly that race as social meaning. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> In both of these
observations they are just that: the reality as they observe it, not
as it ought or ought not be. To talk about race is not to say that
race <i>should matter</i> in the ways it does today, just that it
<i>does matter</i>. There is much in the way of exposition and
example of this, and how our racialized society leads to disparate
results and institutionally affects individuals differently based on
their race. I will not get into the detail, rather commend the book
for how this displays itself. However, I will focus on just this
one application:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>APPLICATION:</u> <b>No
one is colorblind</b>. It has been popular to say “I don't see
race.” However, only a blind man can say that with honesty. And
even a blind man will notice differences in culture: language,
concerns, attitudes, etc. Race has been associated in our minds with
culture. And when cultures are different, we treat others
differently. The authors are right that we live in a “racialized”
society, for good or ill. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> Which leads to this
conclusion: We should not be color-blind, but race conscious. This
isn't being a “social justice warrior” or someone that “raises
awareness” for its own sake. But we should be aware when
racialization causes us to act in sinful ways: needless separation,
stereotyping, excluding, or just not venturing out in love.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> To say “I am color
blind” is actually a sort of “virtue-signaling.” It says
something about how you see yourself, but not how 1) the world
actually exists or 2) How you really see the world. No one is color
blind in a racialized society. And it effects the church too. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> This post is in part an
encouragement to read the book, and I would recommend you do so with
this reservation – Emerson and Smith seem quick to say the job of
the church is to be involved in political movements to reform various
laws that cause disparate racial consequences. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> As a firm believer in the
mission of the church as Word, Sacrament and Prayer – I would not
say the church has nothing to say about race. Indeed, when we preach
Ephesians 2:11-22, or Galatians 3:28, we better have something to say
because Scripture has something to say. Yet, each person lives out
their faith in their particular vocation. For a pastor to dictate,
for example: specific and detailed legislation, is just as wise as a
politician giving the Sunday Sermon, or for my CPA to perform an
appendectomy. That's not their vocation. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> But to conclude, this
should inform those considering the upcoming PCA GA debate on race
that indeed, this IS a needed and relevant topic. And if you claim
you are “color-blind” odds are you are actually lying, firstly to
yourself and secondly to others. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> To conclude: our society
has created institutions, actions, and conclusions based on race.
Addressing them is not a matter of pretending they don't exist, but
deal with reality as it exists, not as we wish it were.</span></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-21352232557534185322016-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:002016-01-26T16:08:12.436-06:00PCA and Race: Reflective Review of "The Last Segregated Hour"<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgequnHxbWwlD2hJkwt6qxk4Ab8Pyb6EPGxRg6oGoQqSkvhvj-dy_VrVhUeCvAKOJlrgF9FsJFkqE9E0YNw7a2fEP7NKbl0gZJfKqKnhr7R9FoNYYKr6QK1RXMZaWRGq6JHgmsV0g/s1600/lsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgequnHxbWwlD2hJkwt6qxk4Ab8Pyb6EPGxRg6oGoQqSkvhvj-dy_VrVhUeCvAKOJlrgF9FsJFkqE9E0YNw7a2fEP7NKbl0gZJfKqKnhr7R9FoNYYKr6QK1RXMZaWRGq6JHgmsV0g/s320/lsh.jpg" width="212" /></a><u><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"The Last
Segregated Hour" by Stephen R. Haynes</span></i></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> Historian Stephen R. Haynes wrote an account
of the effect of the civil rights movement on churches in the Memphis
area for Oxford Books. One particular chapter has special relevance
for the PCA, and that is chapter 12: <i>“A Season of Prayer and
Corporate Repentance”: Wrestling with the Past at Independent
Presbyterian Church (IPC)</i>. Those in the PCA may recognize that Independent
Presbyterian in Memphis is a church in the PCA. Below is my reflective review of that chapter.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>A Summary of
the Chapter:</b></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> Independent Presbyterian
Church (which given Presbyterianism's connectional nature seems an
oxymoron) began in schism over the move towards integration by way of
rotational session membership (to get the resistance elders out
presumably) by Second Presbyterian Church. 340 persons gathered for
worship in the Plaza Theater in East Memphis in 1965. In other words,
Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC), began its existence in a
sinful resistance to the doctrine of the image of God in all persons,
and the unity not only in Adam's blood, but Christ's blood. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> By the 1980s, the new
members knew little of the founding principles of IPC. A pastor named
Sartelle seemed to be aware of the past of the church, but largely
ignored it, often working at odds with its spirit in mission projects
in Memphis across racial lines. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When John Wilfong in the
1980s began bringing in African Americans in outreach opportunities,
the past began to come into focus. As IPC became more involved in the
community, the reputation and history of the church, known in the
community, became a sore point of shame. During the Sartelle tenure,
the segregation policy was quietly rescended, but nothing publicly
stated. IPC joined the PCA in 2000, and Sartelle retired in 2005. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> When a new pastor
named John Hardie took over, he mentioned parenthetically that the Bible
does not ban interracial marriage. When conversations arose from that
comment, Hardie called for repentance for those who held views
against interracial marriage in the church. Eventually after a
controversy and tension arose, Hardie resigned, and the session
adopted rotating elder terms at IPC, like SPC had done years ago.
Eventually with a new session and new pastor, IPC called for
corporate repentance in regards to its past policies in 2012. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>RELEVANCE:</b></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> To each of my readings, I
hope to give some reflections to how this might be relevant to the
current question before the PCA in regards to a denominational
repentance. My numbered reflections on this text's relevance for the current discussion on race in the PCA: </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>FIRST</u>: It is significant
that <b><u>IPC's racial sins preceded their membership in the PCA by 35
years</u></b>. Also worth noting was that one pastor <i>in practice</i> reversed course by his actions, but
without a public statement and acknowledgment by the church <i>in words</i>. Thus the next
pastor tripped on landmines he didn't know existed.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>SECOND</u>: Even if actions of a body
have changed, <b><u>the reputation of a church can be hurt by past actions
and sins of the corporate body</u></b>, especially if those were public
actions. Thus, public actions cannot be merely reversed by private
and secret actions. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>THIRDLY</u>: <b><u>The acts that
were repented of originated in the body that committed them</u></b>. IPC
repented for their actions as a church, just as individuals were
called on to repent of their actions as individuals. Absent from this
process was confessing the sins of other courts (presbytery or
general assembly). The session confessed and turned from their
policies that their body had done. Individuals turned from their
actions. A lesson to be learned: Confession and repentance should be located at the level in the body
that the offense occurred.</span></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-88022835283454818942016-01-12T08:00:00.000-06:002016-01-26T16:20:33.337-06:00PCA and Race: Reflective Review of "The Dangers of National Repentance"<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpU-loXSs_EZe8hGb-tRiqdh4z-2LiQa-vFn4OB5ze83LENU2TGl6objfWsj-BGSyXmj5DTsrd82iSIsDLR43iMXIZSJJdNpF-EZtNvbNzoc-cFIoV2NmIY1caEhtxCBndeQQBA/s1600/afca96e1d8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpU-loXSs_EZe8hGb-tRiqdh4z-2LiQa-vFn4OB5ze83LENU2TGl6objfWsj-BGSyXmj5DTsrd82iSIsDLR43iMXIZSJJdNpF-EZtNvbNzoc-cFIoV2NmIY1caEhtxCBndeQQBA/s320/afca96e1d8.jpg" width="199" /></a><u><i>An Essay by C.S. Lewis:
The Dangers of National Repentance. [Found in God in the Dock]</i></u></div>
<u><i>
</i></u>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
C.S. Lewis did much of his best
writing and reflection in the era during and after the Second World
War. This essay ("The Dangers of National Repentance") was written in response to a drive to declare a
national repentance and confession of sin in England for their part
in guilt for the war.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>A Summary of Lewis'
thesis:</b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>“They are ready to believe that
England bears part of the guilt for the present war, and ready to
admit their own share in the guilt of England.”</i> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But Lewis wonders:
“<i>What that share is, I do not find it easy to determine.”</i> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
and
goes on to ask: <i>“Are they, perhaps repenting what they have in no
sense done?</i>”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>A few more relevant lines:</u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<i>Men fail so often to repent their
real sins that the occasional repentance of an imaginary sin might
appear almost desireable.”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i> </i>But Lewis then goes on to illustrate the
perils of doing so:<i> "The young man who is called upon to
repent of England's foreign policy is really being called upon to
repent the acts of his neighbor.”</i> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So that: <i> “The first and fatal
charm of national repentance is, therefore, the encouragement it
gives us to turn from the bitter task of repenting our own sins to
the congenial one of bewailing – but first of denouncing – the
conduct of others.”</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lewis goes on to reflect that: <i>“A
group of such young penitents will say, 'Let us repent our national
sins': what they mean is 'Let us attribute to our neighbor (even our
Christian neighbor) in the Cabinet, whenever we disagree with him,
every abominable motive that Satan can suggest to our fancy.” </i>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This doesn't mean that Lewis rejects
that there may be a need for national repentance, or that national
repentance may need to be preached by the church ("It think it is" says Lewis). Rather, Lewis goes
on to say that national repentance may be necessary, but only with a
discharge of “reluctance.” Just as one should not gain too much
delight out of rebuking one's mother.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b>RELEVANCE:</b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
To each of my readings, I hope to give
some reflections to how this might be relevant to the current
question before the PCA in regards to a denominational repentance. Though I would also recommend on this essay to read it for yourself, since the essay is short (5 pages). I think all PCA
elders would gain something from reading it. My
numbered reflections on Lewis' essay:
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>FIRST</u>: Lewis in my opinion is right
to warn of some of the self-righteous dangers of an endeavor of group
repentance. Often this can be confessing the sins of one's neighbor,
rather than your own sins. In those cases “we” really means
“they.” Thus, there must be some reflection on the personal
nature of such a confession. Is this the confession of a true acting
collective whole, or the acting of one group or generation against
another? Lewis warns of the violation of the Fifth Commandment if one
is labeling something sin that is not, or just airing the sins of
one's fathers unnecessarily. So two lessons from this point:<br />
<br />
1. One must be careful that in
covenantal repentance, you are not confessing the sins of others,
especially without their permission.<br />
<br />
2. One must guard against passion for
the sins of others, that distracts from one's confessing of your own
sins.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>SECOND</u>: On the other hand, Lewis is also right to say
there can be need of national repentance. Nothing in Lewis' essay,
nor in the Scriptures, bars national repentance or what I would call "covenantal repentance" of a group body. If a group is constituted as a
collective, and acts for the whole, then it commits acts for good or
ill. Those acts should either be celebrated or repented of,
respectively. Thus, there comes times when a group must repent of
sinful acts and actions taken by the whole. The Lesson:</div>
<br /><ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Covenantal repentance is valid,
yet even when necessary must do so, it should have a tone of solemness and perhaps
reluctance. We ought to honor our fathers, even if we must confess
their and our iniquities as one body.</div>
</li>
</ol>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-40872016203214400152016-01-05T13:02:00.000-06:002016-01-07T14:20:12.178-06:00PCA and Race: Reflective Reviews of Books<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTRM_cfspW1fhWies8mXnpTUDy9D8XXqU16hVNjWmUIBCbG9ljYC7DH23n9hfNBWEVzvI8lay3OGHlhe_lL6T6Ujdfad3oZJdnEQbVxCV0TCYYrYB5rKO5yU3u-8SDufjmhVebA/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTRM_cfspW1fhWies8mXnpTUDy9D8XXqU16hVNjWmUIBCbG9ljYC7DH23n9hfNBWEVzvI8lay3OGHlhe_lL6T6Ujdfad3oZJdnEQbVxCV0TCYYrYB5rKO5yU3u-8SDufjmhVebA/s320/IMG_8959.JPG" width="240" /></a><i> "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." -Proverbs 18:2</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Over the next few weeks and months, I intent to write and explore what I have been studying over the past few months on the topic of race. I have refrained from interacting and sharing my opinion for the reason of the above proverb. I sought understanding, not opinion. The books I read come from various perspectives and were recommended to me from those of a variety of perspectives on race. I do not offer these books as endorsements, but to share what I have read and gained, what was helpful and what was not. I pray it is helpful for your own pursuits, especially if this is discovered by other PCA Teaching Elders preparing for the next General Assembly.<br />
<br />
Take and read with understanding.<br />
<br />
-Teaching Elder Jared Nelson<br />
<br />Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-32291652761485623552015-06-18T09:00:00.000-05:002015-06-18T09:18:04.687-05:00PCA and Race Part 3: Some of my particular Questions I am exploring...<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here are some my honest questions I am exploring:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What does it mean for a
denomination to confess/repent? What is the nature and purpose of
the repentance of an organization (or nation, or covenant community)
as opposed to an individual?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What specific acts are in view for
the General Assembly to confess and repent of (or directing congregations and individuals to repent of)? We are told to
confess our particular sins, particularly, so what are the
particular sins? (What History do I need to be familiar with to make that determination?)</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What are the particular sins that
my presbytery may need to repent of? What are the particular sins of
my church? What does that look like?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Are we mostly looking at sins of
omission? If so, what act was necessary and was not pursued?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In a confession of a sin in regards to the civil realm or ecclesial realm? </div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Can we confess this sin if the
ones confessing are not the ones who sinned (at least in this
particular way) and if those who are committing these sins presently
are NOT repentant?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How can action by the upper court
remedy local problems?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What does passing this resolution
mean? What does this confession do? How is repentance different from
confession?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What fruits of repentance must
flow from such a confession?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What role does the RPCES tradition
(which is as much a part of the history and ancestry of the PCA as
the PCUS and continuing church movement) play in such a repentance?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If there are individuals and
churches that were active in racial reconciliation and civil rights,
does this need to be acknowledged (if it is necessary for their sin
to be acknowledged, how about their good works)?</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How does a theology of the
covenant affect those who are in the same denomination? </div>
</li>
</ol>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-50750161864289404462015-06-17T09:00:00.000-05:002015-06-17T09:00:01.412-05:00The PCA and Race Part 2: Why I was confused...<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Knowing now what the debate at the final session of the 43rd General Assembly of the PCA was about (confessing our denominations shortcomings in regards to the issue of race especially in regards to civil rights),
here's why I was confused at the final session of General Assembly:<br />
<br />
The unanimous decision of the
committee seemed very wise to take time to do this right. I heard so
many questions like:<i> “What are we confessing, in particular?”</i> and
<i>“Is this saying we are all a bunch of racists?”</i> and <i>“Is this
just another piece of paper that makes us feel good but does
nothing?”</i> or <i>“If two Southern ministers (Duncan and Lucas) can't
call us to repentance, who can?”
</i><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You can see the range of those
questions. A few wondered at any need for the resolution or action on
this issue of race and the PCA (after all, the 30th General Assembly did something very similar to this). Many were cynical whether the
resolution did anything but say words without actions, where there
was a real need for the denomination to act. I actually met very few people that were satisfied with the resolution as is.<br />
<br />
Such a range, in
addition to what seemed like a majority of the AAPF (African American
Presbyterian Fellowship) wanting to delay the resolution to perfect
it until next year, should give us pause about interpreting the vote
in one way or another, or imputing motives to either side. This was in fact something I heard on both sides, a suspicion at their vote.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, let me make my position known:<b> I voted in the majority to
refer the issue to the next assembly</b>. I also did not sign the protest of that action (you can read a very positive account of it: <a href="https://pastortimlecroy.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/the-protest-of-2015/">here by TE Tim LeCroy</a>), nor do I regret not signing it for I believe unless this is done right, every decade or so, it will be redone with similar results.<br />
<br />
I'll also admit this, that I myself was cynical and suspected motives: I told a friend
before the Assembly started that the resolution was toothless, and did more to placate consciences and white guilt about the past, than to actually address
particular sins that exist in the denomination (and I believe
particular sins do truly exist and are harmful to individuals and our
witness, but none seemed to be particularly named by the resolution). So my original desire was actually to vote to accept the
Resolution, merely to avoid the being misunderstood as being in the camp that thinks all is well on race issues, when really I believed the resolution was too weak and
vague and broad. In other words, I went in too cynical, and expected everyone
to be shamed into doing something fairly routine, that would happen again when we realized the words on paper didn't really do much.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With the Committee's recommendation, I
was pleasantly surprised. I heard not a few members of the committee
remark on their surprise and thankfulness at the unanimity that came
out of the committee (which originally was divided) to so something
right, rather than just do something right now.It sounded as if the committee actually listened to each other and wasn't suspecting motives. I was somewhat rebuked!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That's why I was confused on the floor,
as it seemed some of my fears played out. When the unanimous recommendation
came down, it was met by opposition and visible anger in at least one
speaker, who had seen the division in the committee <i>before</i> the
unanimity after talking to the AAPF. There was a cry to do it now, and that immediacy was more important than accuracy (as I heard at least one speaker make that case). As the issue was discussed, the old suspicion of motives seemed to reappear...even in myself of others.<br />
<br />
Yet, during the discussion, I
realized it was happening, and I also realized I shouldn't merely declare “I'm confused” or “I don't
understand this” but own that. So here's my confession: I <b><i>am</i></b>
confused and I <b><i>don't</i></b> understand all the issues involved, as before us
is both present and past sins, the nature of group versus individual responsibility, and issues that predate my time in the denomination as well as my very existence. As I have struggled to understand the
current issues, I perhaps need to revisit the history. I needed this
year to do that, and to talk to the people I may have suspected of acting out of rashness or white guilt. That is suspecting motives, and I need to listen before I make those sorts of judgments.<br />
<br />
As for me, this is my<i> ambivalence </i>(note: rightly understood, ambivalence is not apathy, but two opposing inclinations in the same person that live in tension.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was ordained in the PCA in 2011. I
joined a PCA church in 2007. I was born in the North in 1981. The PCA
was formally founded in 1973. There are many chronological reasons to say the the
Civil Rights Movement that achieved its greatest victories in the
1960s is an issue of the past, and one for which I am not affected or
culpable. But I don't know if that really is true. I live in the world the 1960s created, for good and ill. I am in a church that dates back to 1823. I am in the Presbyterian Tradition in America that dates back to the 1700s.<br />
<br />
Also, while I may have never owned slaves nor denied someone access to a business based on their ethnicity (the sins of the previous generation), those sins shape the present. At the present, particular churches and individuals <span data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1n.1:4:1:$comment851925778214873_853442238063227:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0">may have held prejudicial views, looked down on another ethnicity
afflicted with the legacy of the sins of the previous generations, and even tolerated in our churches those who were
members of a group whose purpose was to harm people of certain
ethnicities. The sins of this generation are not necessarily the sins of
our fathers, but are shaped by the sins of our fathers. While I am not guilty of sin merely for the color of my skin (white), I have perhaps learned sins, and tolerated sins in community. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I will post occasionally as I read
the history, study the theology of covenantal repentance, and explore the issue in my own church and my own
presbytery. These posts are for my own benefit (since I often think
better when writing), but thought it may benefit others, especially
other Teaching Elders in the PCA who may be starting a similar
journey in response to the direction of the Assembly.<br />
<br />
So I ask you, if you follow this, to be
patient. When I ask questions, I don't have all the answers...so that's why I ask them. When I read, I am not inclined to agree with every author but to consider their perspective and ideas.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here, I will share what I read, some
thoughts in respect to conversations I have, and what I discover in my
context concerning this issue.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
NEXT: Some of my particular Questions I
am exploring...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-13479068953486168262015-06-16T09:00:00.000-05:002015-06-16T09:00:06.728-05:00The PCA and Race Part 1: Confused in Chattanooga<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>“For the sake of the peace and purity
of Christ's Church, and in preparation for the 44<sup>th</sup>
General Assembly, the Committee encourages sessions and presbyteries
prayerfully to consider any and all sins of racial prejudice and to
pursue a proper course of action humbly, sincerely and expeditiously.
(Matthew 5:21-25; Ephesians 2:1-22, 4:1-32)” - Grounds of the
Overture Committee of the 43<sup>rd</sup> General Assembly for
referring a Personal Resolution on Race to the 44<sup>th</sup>
General Assembly.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is an introduction, which is partly in response to the expressed desires of the 43<sup>rd</sup> General Assembly. I want to take some time over the next year to read, learn, talk, think and especially listen about an issue that was before the last session of the Assembly. So, first, a short introduction may be necessary about what that issue was about:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At the final session of the 43<sup>rd</sup>
Assembly there was a desperate effort to somehow reverse the
unanimous recommendation (80 to 0) of the Committee, even by members
of the Committee that originally filed a minority report, then
withdrew it, then regretted withdrawing it. Originally the delay on
the measure was passed unanimously after conferring with several
members of the the AAPF (African American Presbyterian Fellowship) a
new group in the PCA. However, some of that group did not agree and
believed action was needed now.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Confused yet? You aren't alone. I would
say confusion was my dominant state while listening to speaker after
speaker passionately oppose what had been a unanimous decision regarding the overture. What was this overture that was submitted to this Assembly to consider?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<u><b>Personal Resolution On Civil Rights
Remembrance</b></u></div>
<div align="CENTER">
<br /></div>
<b>Whereas,</b> last year and this year mark significant
anniversaries in the Civil Rights movement: 2014 was the sixtieth
anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision Brown v.
Board of Education and the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights
Act and Freedom Summer, and 2015 was the fiftieth anniversary of the
Voting Rights Act and the Selma-to-Montgomery March; and<br />
<br />
<b>Whereas,</b> many of our conservative Presbyterian
churches at the time not only failed to support the Civil Rights
movement, but actively worked against racial reconciliation in both
church and society; and<br />
<br />
<b>Whereas,</b> the 30<sup>th</sup> General Assembly
adopted a resolution on racial reconciliation that confessed its
covenantal, generational, heinous sins connected with unbiblical
forms of servitude, but failed to deal with the covenantal,
generational, heinous sins committed during the much more recent
Civil Rights era (cf. Daniel 9:4-11); and<br />
<br />
<b>Whereas,</b> the 32<sup>nd</sup> General Assembly
adopted a pastoral letter on “the Gospel and Race” that was
produced under the oversight of our Mission to North America
committee, but that also failed to acknowledge the lack of solidarity
with African Americans which many of our churches displayed during
the Civil Rights era; and<br />
<br />
<b>Whereas,</b> our denomination’s
continued unwillingness to speak truthfully about our failure to
seek justice and to love mercy during the Civil Rights era
significantly hinders present-day efforts for reconciliation with our
African American brothers and sisters; and <i> </i><br />
<br />
<b>Whereas,</b> God has once more given our denomination
a gracious providential opportunity to show the beauty, grace and
power of the gospel of Jesus Christ by showing Christ-like love and
compassion towards the greater African American community.<br />
<br />
<b>Be it therefore resolved,</b> that the 43<sup>rd</sup>
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America does
recognize and confess our church’s covenantal and generational
involvement in and complicity with racial injustice inside and
outside of our churches during the Civil Rights period; and<br />
<br />
<b>Be it further resolved,</b> that this General
Assembly recommit ourselves to the task of truth and reconciliation
with our African American brothers and sisters for the glory of God
and the furtherance of the Gospel; and<br />
<br />
<b>Be it finally resolved,</b> that the General Assembly
urges the congregations of the Presbyterian Church in America to
confess their own particular sins and failures as may be appropriate
and to seek to further truth and reconciliation for the Gospel’s
sake within their own local communities.<br />
<br />
TE Sean Lucas<br />
TE Ligon Duncan<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b><i><br /></i></b></u>
</div>
<u><b><i>
</i></b></u>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><b><i>How had the Overture Committee responded?
</i></b></u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Due to the gravity and complexity of racial sin, and sympathetic
with the need to pursue corporate and personal repentance over it,
the Committee believes that:<br />
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A perfected version of the
resolution would effect particular denominational, regional, and
local church repentance more particularly, and could include
specific suggestions with regard to the nature of the fruit of such
repentance (Matthew 3:8; II Corinthians 7:10; WCF5, 6);
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
More time for Dr. Lucas’s
research to be disseminated and studied by the church would also
help effect a more particular and heartfelt repentance (cf. WCF1);
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Time for our African-American
brothers to visit with the Overtures Committee in next year’s
Assembly will further perfect the language and allow our repentance
to be more heartfelt and accurate (cf. WCF 15.2)
</div>
</li>
<li>These matters of corporate repentance ought to come through
lower courts of the church rather than by personal resolutions. [It
is important to note that personal resolutions have special
provisions in the RAO for people without access to the courts of the
PCA or in case of emergency. (Cf. RAO 13–2; RAO 11–2:
“Communications from individuals shall not be received by the
General Assembly, unless they originate with persons who have no
other access to the Assembly.”)]
<br />
</li>
</ul>
For the sake of the peace and purity of Christ’s Church, and in
preparation for the 44th General Assembly, the Committee encourages
sessions and presbyteries to prayerfully consider any and all sins of
racial prejudice and to pursue a proper course of action humbly,
sincerely and expeditiously (Matthew 5:21–26; Ephesians 2:1–22;
4:1-32).<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://theaquilareport.com/pca-general-assembly-refers-personal-resolution-on-personal-resolution-on-civil-rights-remembrance-to-the/">http://theaquilareport.com/pca-general-assembly-refers-personal-resolution-on-personal-resolution-on-civil-rights-remembrance-to-the/</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Next: Why I am Confused...</div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-32274278229443657522015-06-15T13:04:00.000-05:002015-06-15T13:04:14.838-05:00RIP Elisabeth Elliot<a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2015/06/15/elisabeth-elliot-1926-2015/">http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2015/06/15/elisabeth-elliot-1926-2015/</a>Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-314107700761719322014-12-23T09:01:00.002-06:002014-12-23T09:01:43.399-06:00Gifts of the Wise Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguoQSzWtqOFxDXRCK2igud6MVll98trePBTTFSV511oqbul_3hxOXMIJMZvw4hEBtX3KHs-1WARyVoxyqRD36ZV9FZvTqcgUupy4eyizvPLM28z-F6Br1qvqhrt-fC7ICbBmxUw/s1600/just+magi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguoQSzWtqOFxDXRCK2igud6MVll98trePBTTFSV511oqbul_3hxOXMIJMZvw4hEBtX3KHs-1WARyVoxyqRD36ZV9FZvTqcgUupy4eyizvPLM28z-F6Br1qvqhrt-fC7ICbBmxUw/s1600/just+magi.png" /></a></div>
Recently finished a sermon series I always wanted to do, one for each of the gifts of the Magi and their meanings. The individual sermons are below or the sermon archive is at <a href="http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php">http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php</a> :<br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MDcwN2UyOGRjMDgwNWFlM2RlZjQyNzhhNTQwYTE4NGU6Ojo6MjAxNDEyMDdSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkdpZnRzb2Z0aGVNYWdpR29sZGYubXAz">1) Gold for a King</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MmNmN2IyMGI5OTk0ZDk5MGFhY2U3NzU0ZWU2MjU0Zjg6Ojo6MjAxNDEyMTRSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkdpZnRzb2Z0aGVNYWdpRnJhbmtpLm1wMw==">2) Frankincense for Worship</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MWVkMGQ0NmJjZjhlMDExZjg1NTU1OGI2ODBiOTU0OTk6Ojo6MjAxNDEyMjFSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkdpZnRzb2Z0aGVNYWdpTXlycmgubXAz">3) Myrrh for Burial</a>Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-67628110380908699402014-10-07T07:00:00.000-05:002014-10-07T07:00:05.348-05:00Habakkuk: Where is the God of Justice? sermon series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd89cpqcDGNpXw1y3BVMdwVlY4swPP1oL1vuuu19kbr1Vp51HoJ_raRhtoWE6f52Y6RN1zGujCWCUuMEWDZxBTNa9ajS99yE3mQdSucO1AHVhnukU7qn6D_lszIYGlANlHRCYKg/s1600/watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd89cpqcDGNpXw1y3BVMdwVlY4swPP1oL1vuuu19kbr1Vp51HoJ_raRhtoWE6f52Y6RN1zGujCWCUuMEWDZxBTNa9ajS99yE3mQdSucO1AHVhnukU7qn6D_lszIYGlANlHRCYKg/s1600/watch.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Last Sunday was bittersweet, finishing up a favorite Old Testament book: Habakkuk. I find it more satisfying after studying it for a month than ever before. The God of Justice, and the God of Mercy are the God of Habakkuk, and so the most satisfying point is the four words: In wrath, remember mercy.<br />
<br />
The series is here if you want to catch up: <a href="http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php">http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php</a><br />
<br />
<ul style="background-color: #fcfcf2; font-family: tahoma, geneva, kalimati, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style-type: square;">
<li>September 7, 2014 - <a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6YzAwOTEzYTY3ZmRhYmFkMGFlMzEwZTczZmE5M2U0MTk6Ojo6MjAxNDA5MDdSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbldoZXJlaXN0aGVHb2RvZkp1c3QubXAz" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s ease-in; transition: color 0.1s ease-in;">Where Is The God of Justice? The Burden of Injustice</a> - Habakkuk 1:1-11</li>
<li>September 14, 2014 - <a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6YzBlZTg1M2ZmODM2MTU5ZmM1NzU4M2NiOTViOTZmZDE6Ojo6MjAxNDA5MTRSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbldoZXJlaXN0aGVHb2RvZkp1c3QubXAz" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s ease-in; transition: color 0.1s ease-in;">Where Is The God of Justice? Trusting His Righteousness</a> - Habakkuk 1:12-2:4</li>
<li>September 21, 2014 - <a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6ZTlkOGI0ZGIyNjgwNmM2MjIyMTQ4ZWJhNzEwZWU3OWQ6Ojo6MjAxNDA5MjFSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbldoZXJlaXN0aGVHb2RvZkp1c3QubXAz" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s ease-in; transition: color 0.1s ease-in;">Where Is The God of Justice? He Is Not Silent</a> - Habakkuk 2:5-20</li>
<li>September 28, 2014 - <a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6ODhkYTg2NTlhY2VjMDI0MmVjNDQ2N2MyYzAyMGZiMDE6Ojo6MjAxNDA5MjhSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbldoZXJlaXN0aGVHb2RvZkp1c3QubXAz" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s ease-in; transition: color 0.1s ease-in;">Where Is The God of Justice? In Wrath, Remember Mercy</a> - Habakkuk 3:1-16</li>
<li>October 5, 2014 -<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6YTlmNDE1M2E2OGE5YmQ3ODgwNzU0OTMzMGEwZGU4YTQ6Ojo6MjAxNDEwMDVSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbldoZXJlaXN0aGVHb2RvZkp1c3QubXAz">Where is the God of Justice? - It Is Well With My Soul</a> - Habakkuk 3:17-19</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX8E-Lfb1TfCxJwzeAoBGZ7KW-i_ZR9xZ1wmNBeFeqWet9_Yz3oAqNdrJke_OH6s96sGJduKYlvF7-NfzpcV4xz39Pjl7ncw7XKk9kNz8NGJja2eU0SOCYUvZMbqrYgQtbB1UgQ/s1600/7a8d1823f2504eea5aecc59e323127c9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX8E-Lfb1TfCxJwzeAoBGZ7KW-i_ZR9xZ1wmNBeFeqWet9_Yz3oAqNdrJke_OH6s96sGJduKYlvF7-NfzpcV4xz39Pjl7ncw7XKk9kNz8NGJja2eU0SOCYUvZMbqrYgQtbB1UgQ/s1600/7a8d1823f2504eea5aecc59e323127c9.png" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-9805124211716978132014-09-03T07:26:00.000-05:002014-09-03T09:59:40.912-05:00How Jesus Uses the Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip8ZCqt2h9yo2w0P9nRAR9DHAsbpB6n1nIOo8zmMg7_fRAuploIexiL8Mw5wfiWxbyJ-IGYgE7eTSKwbtK4WHbLYW2zhHRlqs5Ck0NpQkGp8ZbNi0xmDqTeC4CNxTqiV9dh4efg/s1600/Scripture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip8ZCqt2h9yo2w0P9nRAR9DHAsbpB6n1nIOo8zmMg7_fRAuploIexiL8Mw5wfiWxbyJ-IGYgE7eTSKwbtK4WHbLYW2zhHRlqs5Ck0NpQkGp8ZbNi0xmDqTeC4CNxTqiV9dh4efg/s1600/Scripture.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I've most recently been in a sermon series entitled:<b><u> "How Jesus Uses the Word"</u></b> which explores the relationship between Jesus and the Bible, especially for our practical Christian walk. <br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span>Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-8253977026626435362014-08-28T07:03:00.000-05:002014-08-28T07:03:00.454-05:00Prayer Changes Things (Pastor's Corner)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Have you ever been surprised in an
answer to prayer? Perhaps you prayed for something, and were shocked that it
actually happened. In the book of Acts Chapter 12, that exact thing happened.
Peter is arrested and the authorities were ready to execute him for preaching
the gospel. The Church was still in shock from the death of James, the brother
of John. They prayed, (Acts 12:5) but knew Peter was likely headed for the same
fate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yet, in the middle of the night,
like a dream, an angel of God frees Peter from prison and Peter decides to
visit a group of Christians who at that moment were praying, probably for his
release (Acts 12:12). The servant girl is so shocked he leaves Peter at the
door knocking and tells the praying Christians who don’t believe her! (Acts
12:15) When they finally opened the door, Scripture says “they saw him and were
amazed.” (Acts 12:16)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is much to love in this story.
First, the humor of Peter showing up and being left knocking at the door. But
also, it is amazing to see the church pray for something they seemed not to
believe would be answered in the way they desired. Perhaps this shows that the
strength of the faith of our prayer is not the factor, but the strength of the
One to Whom we pray is what counts! Certainly, God does not always answer us
exactly how we want. Jesus prays to avoid the cross if possible, praying “may
this cup pass from me” but ultimately submits to His Father, that His Father’s
Will be done: “not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Our prayers, for
the sake of our good and God’s glory must sometimes be answered: “no.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That fact, however, should not lead
us to abandoning prayer because it would “not change anything.” God is
sovereign, yet still God sovereignly decided that prayer would change things
humanly speaking. God loves to use means (our confession of faith even says so!
WCF 3.1). God does not have to use the means of his Word to convert, yet God
uses that secondary means. God also does not have to use the means of prayer to
affect events, yet God ordains the prayers and events of history at times to
aid our faith, and even advance the gospel. Stephen prayed for Saul, and Saul
was converted. The church prayed for Peter’s release, and Peter was released.
Hezekiah prayed not to die, and God gave him 15 more years. God answers
prayers, for our benefit, and sometimes intervenes in ways that would be
different if not for our prayers because God wills that prayer be the deciding
factor. Prayer becomes a means of our peering into the graciousness and mercy
of a Father who listens to His beloved children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One such prayer, that changed all of
our lives, was uttered by Christ on the cross. “Father, forgive them.” Although
God does not answer all of our prayers “yes” he does answer the prayers that
are best for us. We can thank God then for a “no,” such as the Father answered
Jesus’ prayer that the cup pass from Him, so that God could answer “yes” to the
prayer: “Father, forgive them.”</span></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-4579132706102836482014-08-21T07:02:00.000-05:002014-08-21T07:30:48.103-05:00Prayers of a Mother (Pastor's Corner)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnta0x3cvAvnH42mpvOkV3ExrBXLHYwQsTMTyYwAXoqqll368jhaFq8SC7HxK-HLpFNUcPM1-o75Now5R22bi0hGa83y7QsM4MrhNlFWqq6S8rE1nfZYGbL3SWGtAP8up67vOdDw/s1600/prayer-on-my-knees42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnta0x3cvAvnH42mpvOkV3ExrBXLHYwQsTMTyYwAXoqqll368jhaFq8SC7HxK-HLpFNUcPM1-o75Now5R22bi0hGa83y7QsM4MrhNlFWqq6S8rE1nfZYGbL3SWGtAP8up67vOdDw/s1600/prayer-on-my-knees42.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prayer is powerful. It is powerful
not because prayer itself is powerful, but because the God to Whom we pray is
powerful and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">is able to do far more abundantly than all
that we ask or think.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[Ephesians 3:20] We might hear that, but does it
actually happen?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aurelius Augustus (popularly known
as “Augustine”) was a saint, as all are who believe in Christ, but if you read
his life in his autobiography “Confessions,” your first reaction would not be
to call him holy. Augustine recalls his “hedonistic” days when he stole for the
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This was not how Monica, his mother,
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most of all to be a faithful Christian. But as Monica watched Augustine
shacking up with various women, follow teachers and philosophers around and
even move hundreds of miles away – she did more than watch. She prayed. A lot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As Augustine wrote his autobiography, the narrative is the
form of a prayer to God as he sees the hand of God on his life, and God seeking
him, even when Augustine was not seeking God. Soon, Augustine met a Christian
friend and listened to a preacher named Ambrose and picked up the Scriptures
after hearing a child’s voice playing, saying “Tolle Lege!” or “Take and Read!”
Augustine read a section of Romans about the evils of sin and glories of Christ
and was convicted, turning to Christ. The first thing he did was tell his
mother, whom he knew was praying for him. He wrote: </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“From there we went in to my mother,
and told her. She was filled with joy. We told her how it happened. She
exulted, feeling it to be a triumph, and blessed You [God] who ‘are more
powerful to do more than we ask or think’ [Ephesians 3:20]. She saw that you
had granted her far more than she had long been praying for in her unhappy and
tearful groans.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7615787#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our Confession calls prayer a “means of grace.” Yet, prayer
is unique since the grace for whom it may be a means may not even be the one
who is praying. Prayer was a means of grace for Saul as Stephen prayed for his
soul. Prayer was a means of grace for Augustine as Monica prayed for her son’s
soul. Prayer can be a means of grace as we pray, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“offering up our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in
the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement
of his mercies”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7615787#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></b></span></span></span></a></i>
as we pray for grace for our family, friends and even enemies to know the God
of grace.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7615787#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a>
Augustine. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confessions.</i> chapter
VIII.xii</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7615787#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a>
Shorter Catechism Question 98</div>
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Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-76901817734838967942014-06-16T08:00:00.000-05:002014-06-16T08:00:09.848-05:00Good Works and Salvation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFykqrHGRJP1loG2K5H6wflGQRXJuhKE3FdwWb0rifCrNWSB5w1l-Qz4BPypVK12WT6E0QatiT4Wfw3UWkxbMy7J7UhzlBa44eXLm5uLviqihQW6mTorYnf7IefOiM8GGZq2bUTw/s1600/colquhoun-john-the-law-and-gospel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFykqrHGRJP1loG2K5H6wflGQRXJuhKE3FdwWb0rifCrNWSB5w1l-Qz4BPypVK12WT6E0QatiT4Wfw3UWkxbMy7J7UhzlBa44eXLm5uLviqihQW6mTorYnf7IefOiM8GGZq2bUTw/s1600/colquhoun-john-the-law-and-gospel.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
John Colquhoun’s propositions on “The Necessity of Good
Works” [From A Treatise on the Law and Gospel. Pages 289-303]:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b>In what ways good works ARE NOT necessary:</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are not necessary to move God to be
merciful and gracious to us.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Our good works are not necessary to afford us a
right to trust in Christ for salvation</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Neither are good works necessary to acquire for
us a personal interest in Christ</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good Works are not requisite to acquire for us a
right to increasing degrees of sanctification</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Once more, good works have no place in obtaining
for the saints a right to eternal life in heaven.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><b>In what ways good works ARE necessary:</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>They are necessary as just acknowledgments of
God’s sovereign authority over believers, and as acts of obedience to His
righteous commands</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are indispensably requisite as being
one special end of election, redemption, regeneration, and effectual vocation
of the objects of God’s everlasting love.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are also necessary inasmuch as they
are one great design of the gospel, and of the ordinances and providential
dispensations of the Lord.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>It is indispensably requisite that believers
perform good works as expressions of gratitude to their God and Savior for all
His inestimable benefits vouchsafed to them.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are not less necessary as they are
our walking in the way which leads to heaven.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are also indispensably requisite in
order to evidence and confirm the faith of the saints.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are necessary to believers for making
their calling and election sure to them.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are indispensably requisite for the
maintenance or continuance of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are no less needful in order to adorn
the doctrine of God our Savior, and our profession of that holy and heavenly
doctrine.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good works are also requisite to stop the mouths
of wicked men and to prevent offense.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>They are necessary, moreover, for the
edification and comfort of fellow Christians.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Finally good works are indispensably requisite
for promoting before the world the manifested glory of Christ, and of God in
Him.</div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-49670115552091049312014-06-11T08:25:00.001-05:002014-06-11T08:25:35.304-05:00Colquhoun on Good Works and Salvation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAsLaE0NlM4eWpihMcHHUVgjpVJWsOBjutaqngz8parQvMFWrwh-MSFpya7_fG2_ZgIXgLg-O4dnVkt_opezpE_13_Ga30kcH9wPwwEHlhAJAggZCh3limlGK58_mdBJ6KYe4Rw/s1600/colquhoun-john-the-law-and-gospel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAsLaE0NlM4eWpihMcHHUVgjpVJWsOBjutaqngz8parQvMFWrwh-MSFpya7_fG2_ZgIXgLg-O4dnVkt_opezpE_13_Ga30kcH9wPwwEHlhAJAggZCh3limlGK58_mdBJ6KYe4Rw/s1600/colquhoun-john-the-law-and-gospel.jpg" /></a><i>In commending good works, John Colquhoun adds this important warning:</i><br />
<br />
Believers are not saved either by their works, for their works, or according to their works:<br />
<br />
We are not saved by them: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." (Titus 3:5)<br />
<br />
We are not saved for them. "It is not for your sake do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you" (Ezekiel 36:32)<br />
<br />
We are not saved according to them. "He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace." (2 Timothy 1:9) Men are indeed to be judged according to their works; but are not to be saved according to them. The rule of judgement will be the law; but the rule of salvation will be the gospel.Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-75985115238676603662014-06-06T09:19:00.004-05:002014-06-06T09:20:31.720-05:00The Arrabon of the Holy Spirit<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"This phrase is twice used by Paul in another Epistle (2 Cor 1:22, 5:5).
The metaphor is taken from bargains, in which, when a pledge has been given and
accepted, the whole is confirmed, and <u>no room is left for a change of
mind</u><u>."</u> -</span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John Calvin</span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> on Ephesians 1:14</span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Paul explains in Ephesians
1:14 that the Holy Spirit is given to us as an “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arrabon</i>” (</span><span style="font-family: "TITUS Cyberbit Basic","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">αρραβων</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">) (the Greek word here) or in English: “Pledge” (NASB), “deposit”
(NIV), or “guarantee” (ESV, NKJV) or “down payment” (NET) or “earnest” (KJV, ASV)
or “first installment.” (Message) When all those possible translations are
taken together, the meaning starts to become clear. The Holy Spirit is the down
payment or first installment of salvation, that <u>which is begun</u> and that <u>which
is to come</u>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So if the Holy Spirit is the
down payment, the pledge, of our inheritance our salvation, then it is sure to
be completed. Yet, some that will see the Holy Spirit pledged as a down payment
or first installment and say that God can then take back the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arrabon</i> the pledge of the Holy Spirit. It
has even been said: <i>“</i></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">the
arrabon of the Holy Spirit, the down payment of future glory is given to
all members of the visible church merely by being baptized and can be lost.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>”
</i>This is blasphemous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To explain it in
contemporary terms: you have all had a major purchase, whether a house or a car
and know you that when you make a down payment, a pledge, a first installment,
if you do not end up purchasing it or redeeming it, <u>you do not get the down
payment back</u>. Once you hand over the pledge, that pledge or down payment is
now theirs. Perhaps today, some of those rules vary, but it did not in
Scripture.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAOPhmywStLT-O6OENGQmYvLU5vm6HfxpK_62L7BRxWWhcwyzS2blLMGy7rNgJjcIT7ZU6QYWbs4wlOmEmUXJ5CYSzUj0DzKMWLVTtNhaynjgDFTR4kpgn4MtT6VJZvkMSI1B-Q/s1600/Figures_Judah_Gives_his_Signet%252C_Bracelets_and_Staff_in_Pledge_to_Tamar-375x250-375x250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAOPhmywStLT-O6OENGQmYvLU5vm6HfxpK_62L7BRxWWhcwyzS2blLMGy7rNgJjcIT7ZU6QYWbs4wlOmEmUXJ5CYSzUj0DzKMWLVTtNhaynjgDFTR4kpgn4MtT6VJZvkMSI1B-Q/s1600/Figures_Judah_Gives_his_Signet%252C_Bracelets_and_Staff_in_Pledge_to_Tamar-375x250-375x250.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The word “<i>arrabon</i>” appears
in the Old Testament in the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Old Testament) in
Genesis 38. Judah gave the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arrabon</i> to
Tamar, and this pledge of his signet, cord and staff was a guarantee of the
final payment. When he did not pay the final payment of the goat, he lost his
pledge, with his personalized signet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That means, if God could
give you the Holy Spirit as an <i>arrabon</i>, and does not in the end redeem you,
then He doesn’t get the Holy Spirit back. If you can be given the Holy Spirit
as an <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arrabon</span></i> and end up in hell,
that means the Holy Spirit can end up in hell. God would end up in hell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To say one can lose the <i>arrabon</i> of the Holy Spirit is to call God a liar. You do not receive a pledge
back if you don’t provide the payment. That’s what makes it a pledge. If you go
back on your pledge, you lie. Now for someone to say that God can give the
Spirit as a pledge and take Him back not only makes the whole transaction
worthless, (what’s the point of the pledge then?) but saying God can give and
then take back his pledge is calling God a liar. Or, it is to curse God to
hell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To all that have the Spirit
as an <i>arrabon</i>, He is bonded to the soul of a believer. Where you go, He goes.
Where ever you go, the Spirit goes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let me assure you, the
Spirit will not go to hell. Christ experienced the wrath of God which is hell,
but if God gives you the Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity knows what the
Second Person of the Trinity endured in the hell of propitiation, of the hell
of God’s wrath being poured out on Christ. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Spirit bore Christ up
during that, and He won’t go through that again. The Spirit will not be
eternally grieved, the Spirit will not be thrown into hell, that means if you
have the Spirit as an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">arrabon</i>, as a
down payment, BONDED to your soul, SEALED to your fate, your fate will not be
eternal death. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Can God assure you any more
than giving you Himself in the Spirit as the pledge, the guarantee of the
inheritance in Christ? </span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God is true to His word, we dare not
blaspheme God in claiming otherwise.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></u></b></div>
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<![endif]-->Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-59812554086725816302014-05-14T08:54:00.001-05:002014-05-15T16:47:12.777-05:00Staying PCA: A Confessional's Counterpoint to Webb's 5 Reasons.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBucAnBlf3ErFjyKni8VhV59X2NtUlWX09eL3-aafgCKdzt04GeXo-9mbrXVeuZlkBPXQr_qbynJlJ03FGpFOXEvClJ-lyHIU0eaZVbI_YdzooX1wTI4KZZAhOKJI5Vr6-gxR6Jg/s1600/6458607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBucAnBlf3ErFjyKni8VhV59X2NtUlWX09eL3-aafgCKdzt04GeXo-9mbrXVeuZlkBPXQr_qbynJlJ03FGpFOXEvClJ-lyHIU0eaZVbI_YdzooX1wTI4KZZAhOKJI5Vr6-gxR6Jg/s1600/6458607.jpg" height="90" width="200" /></a>Recently, PCA pastor Andy Webb
posted “5 Reasons it might be time to leave the PCA” over at his blog “Building
Old School Churches.” [<a href="http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-pca/">http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-pca/</a>]
and it has been republished at Aquila Report at: <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-presbyterian-church-in-america/"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>http://theaquilareport.com/5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-presbyterian-church-in-america/</a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
issues Webb wrestles with are many I have wrestled with in my admittedly
shorter time in the PCA. And as I have wrestled, I have written. Thus, I have a
respect for Andy Webb and his perspective and this does not intend to be a
debate, but merely a counterpoint – another perspective on the issues that he
raises here and why I come to different conclusions. </div>
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This article is partly working through
these issues for myself, but also to any friends I have that are PCA and
looking over fences to "greener pastures." Below, I offer a brief interaction
with each point, as well as some positive points about the PCA. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before you jump, let me attempt to dissuade
you from jumping ship.</div>
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I do so as one who is a
Confessional Pastor in the PCA. I took no exceptions to the Confession, meaning:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am an exegetical 6 ordinary day
Creationist, I believe in an historical Adam who probably didn’t have a belly
button,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and my favorite self-identifier
is the same as Derek Thomas’ self-appellation: a plain vanilla Calvinist. I
believe in applying the Regulative Principle, and in the ordinary means of
grace. I am amillenial and neither a Theonomist/Reconstructionist nor a full
throated Two Kingdoms (or R2K or whatever) guy. If you want to know what I believe
about doctrine open up the Confession. There it is. </div>
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So I am one that would be a
possible sympathizer with Webb’s document, and his trajectory. However, at this
time: I am not. Not because I am never against leaving, but because the reasons
cited do not rise to the level of leaving and writing the proverbial “Ichabod”
above the PCA’s door post. [<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+4%3A21%2C1+Samuel+14%3A3&version=ESV">1 Samuel 4:21</a>]</div>
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I will interact with Webb’s points
in reverse order:</div>
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<br /></div>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>A Failure
to Stand against Moral Compromise</u></b></li>
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This point seems vague enough that
specific instances need to be cited to illustrate, and the specific instance
cited is questionable. Of those close to the RUF Vanderbuilt situation, it
appears the structure of RUF actually was not affected by the decision of the
University. Other campus groups, which are
actually less strong in their ecclesiology and do not use an ordained
minister were effected in their student leadership, whereas RUF does not rely on student leadership. This fifth point seems to suggest
that RUF should have given up local ministry to “make a statement” or stand in
solidarity with other campus ministries. That's a judgment call, but the more I
read about this situation, the more I am comfortable with RUF's decision here,
and men I respect who worked with the details were also comfortable not
abandoning the local ministry on this campus in order to make a statement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Failure to
Maintain the Teaching of Scripture Regarding Six-Day Creation</u></b></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
I classify myself as an “exegetical
Six-Day Creationist” and am glad that the <a href="http://www.pcahistory.org/creation/report.html">Creation Study Report of the PCA</a> took
a decisive stand against theistic evolution. The Study report did not, however,
disallow various “Old Earth creation” stances, for instance Day-Age, Analogical
Days, and Framework perspectives. In this area, the PCA followed, in large part,
the approach of the OPC. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
I would merely say this is not a
“make or break” issue for me. The PCA has rejected theistic evolution both by
<a href="http://www.pcahistory.org/creation/report.html">declaration</a> and <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/pcas-standing-judicial-commission-has-spoken-no-officer-or-teacher-may-hold-to-theistic-evolution-by-don-k-clements/">in discipline cases before the Standing Judicial Commission</a>.
Leaving a denomination over this issue (allowing Young and Old Earth Creation)
would need to mean that to have an Old Earth perspective so perverts the
Scriptures in interpretation to the point that it effectively rejects the
Scriptures as plainly true (in a similar way that ignoring Paul’s instruction on women being teachers in the church in 1 Timothy 2 would). Although interpretation of Old Earth Creationism runs
into several interpretative problems (death before the fall, etc), most will
acknowledge these as unresolved matters, as the PCA position paper does.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
This area, it may be also noted,
is one that a particular presbytery may enforce as narrow as Young Earth only or
as broad as the position paper. If you don’t think Old Earth ministers should
be ordained, stop voting for them at presbytery. Argue against it at
presbytery. Ask the presbytery to adopt a position paper. On many issues, we
should stop thinking upper level first, and focus on our local areas of
influence. Think Global, Act Local. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Note:</u> If this is a make or break issue for you, you will also
have to pass up as a home the Orthodox Presbyterian Church which has a similar
approach and latitude on this issue.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Failure to
Safeguard the Sacraments</u></b></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
The practice of paedocommunion and
intinction is disallowed by our Standards. However, both sides in each of these
areas have falsely believed the arena for taking care of these infractions is
to have the General Assembly talk a lot about it. If a minister knows of these
practices taking place in their presbytery, they ought to go to those pastors
and sessions first, gives some time for reformation and if it does not occur
begin discipline at the presbytery level. This needs to start happening rather
than having this discussion at General Assembly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe this being cited in this article reveals
a confusion over process in the PCA. Some presbyteries have
allowed paedocommunion as a conscience objection (the pastor personally
believes it should be practiced), but not to be practiced by that pastor. Now,
I see this as unwise and would not vote for someone taking exception in this
area. Yet, if it is practiced in your presbytery by a church, see the previous
paragraph. And if you want to see this exception no longer taken as an
exception, vote against candidates who have it as an exception and encourage
others to do so as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Anarchy in
Worship</u></b></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Worship practices except for the
Lord's Supper and Baptism are not dictated in the PCA’s Constitution. The “Directory
of Worship” is not constitutionally enforceable in the PCA's Constitution and
this has been the case as far as I can tell since the founding of the PCA. I
agree with those that say this is quite unfortunate, although to rectify this,
it would also take a revision of the “Directory of Worship” since it seems to
easily have things stuck in it for years because no one reads or follows it
anyway. Instead, each congregation is allowed great deference in their worship,
which can look anything from traditional Confessionally Reformed, to Anglican,
to Contemporary, to whatever.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Yet, this has always been the case
in the PCA and those getting in the PCA knew this on the outset. In the PCA,
the case for ordering worship is made by persuasion and Scripture, but not
enforceable by discipline. This being the case, RPW types (such as myself) need
to do two things: 1) Worship God in such a manner within this principle 2)
Write and persuade others to do the same, not as a matter of preference but
conviction. Perhaps a 3<sup>rd</sup> could be added in attempting to bring to
constitutional enforcement the directory of worship. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Yet, again, we all knew in
entering the PCA that worship is not a constitutional matter in the PCA, and
thus this would be a reason for never becoming PCA rather than leaving. This is
not an area that has changed, but has never been present. Semper Reformata. Let
us reform it rather than abandon it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>A Failure
to Exercise Discipline.</u></b></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
This is the one area that causes
me more pause and internal conflict. I was involved in the early process of brainstorming
a response to the horrendous <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/final-sjc-decision-on-the-leithart-case/">Leithart decision</a> (I have no qualms calling that,
since the decision was a travesty of ecclesial justice, theology and simple
logic). Let me say further, and make no qualms even as I say this about
something written by men I otherwise respect: The 5 page decision in the
Leithart trial is an embarrassment to the PCA , Reformed theology, and all
ministers in the PCA. [I recommend the <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/dissent-opinion-in-the-sjc-leithart-case/">dissent in the case</a> to understand the errors of the decision] It needs to be repented of, and our process needs to be
changed to make sure this does not happen again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Yet, the question is this: now that the PCA
has failed to discipline Leithart (and lets be fair: at least 3 other alleged Federal
Visionists, 2 of these 4 cases being men who have signed the FV Joint
Declaration): Does this case of failure to discipline mean that the PCA has
lost the “Third Mark” of the Church in discipline?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Let me ask this about another
instance: Did the OPC cease to be an expression of the visible church when it
failed to discipline Norman Shepherd who taught the same doctrines as Leithart
(in a more proto-FV form)?<i> [Some details are different, but at the presbytery level, Shepherd was acquitted and transferred out of the OPC to the CRC later]</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Also, does the PCA through the
presbytery of Illiana get any redeeming marks for disciplining Burke Shade, who
was in some ways the first PCA Federal Visionist, even with the expert
testimony of Peter Leithart and Jeff Meyers defending him? Does Illiana
protecting the doctrine of justification and baptism give any counterweight to
Pacific Northwest, Missouri Presbytery and others failing to do so? My question
is: has discipline died, or <u>has it failed in<i> these circumstances</i></u>? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Yet, if it has failed, what is the
alternative? It is as if one cancer treatment failed and we call for
euthanasia. Perhaps the right course of action is </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Correcting procedures.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Protecting our presbyteries (in examinations or
like <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/pcas-evangel-presbytery-votes-not-to-grant-permission-for-its-ministers-to-labor-in-crec-churches/">Evangel Presbytery refusing to let Federal Visionist Peter Leithartminister</a> with approval in their presbytery borders). </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Writing and teaching persuasively against these
doctrines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Conclusion:</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In all,
of the 5 points, at least 3 I would also name as real problems within the PCA.
Yet, is the diagnosis that the patient is </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>well with a few minor problems, </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>sick with major problems, </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>perhaps terminally ill without intervention, or</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Dead?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
I am alarmed enough especially by
Reason 1: Failure to Discipline to sympathize with the diagnosis of a sick PCA
(either option 2 or 3), but certainly not option 4. At least not yet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
The article about “5 reasons It
may be Time to Leave the PCA” fails to convince on the particular reasons, but
also fails to convince for me in providing principles to judge when to leave,
or to acknowledge the positives of membership in the PCA. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
I am happy to be in the PCA not
merely because it’s not bad enough to leave, but because the PCA has positive
qualities that attract me to it, and I find being within the PCA aids rather
than hinders my ministry in connectional help, helpful oversight, and positive
theology to offer a confused, sinful and dying world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Let me offer then 10 brief
positive Reasons that it may NOT be time to leave the PCA:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>10 Brief Reasons that it may NOT be time to leave the PCA.</u></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The PCA is a largely faithful, Reformed,
evangelizing denomination</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Through PCA churches I have seen
outreach, evangelism and a seriousness about the bible and theology. This is
true in churches throughout the denomination. There are many encouraging things
happening in the PCA, and we shouldn’t let the negative aspects discourage us
from celebrating the work of missionaries, church planters, and faithful ministers
and laypeople across the PCA.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The grassroots nature of the PCA
protects faithful congregations through every wind of new doctrine and fad.</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Because the PCA in practice works
from the ground up, with great latitude given to congregations, this curse can
also be a blessing. Throughout fads and waves and winds of new doctrine, a
local congregation can function in faithfulness until that wind passes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The most important relationship of
the local congregation, then, becomes not the relationship of the church to the
General Assembly, but to the presbytery. This is truly the measure of whether
one should stay or go. Is your church protected by faithful men at the
presbytery level? Do you trust them in potential discipline cases? Will they
reject unorthodox men heading towards your pulpit when you leave? If the answer
to these questions is yes, known from years of relationships, then it very well
not be time to risk a bad presbytery in a “good denomination” versus a good
presbytery in a “bad denomination.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The PCA is much healthier than the PCUS
it left in 1973.</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The issues facing churches in the
PCUS was a breakdown of fidelity to the Scriptures. This manifested itself in
the debate over women’s ordination. This is a problem facing congregations even
today in the RCA, CRC, and the EPC. Perhaps seeing other struggles in other denominations may put our
debates over intinction and worship in perspective. Not to lessen
the importance of fidelity to Scripture and God in all areas of life, but some
areas must be admitted to be more black and white than others, and some issues
are a matter of interpretation, and others over believing the bible. Are our
issues over interpretation or over the authority of the Bible? I think more
often than not, it is the former (interpretation), which is actually encouraging. I will take
the controversies in the PCA over the controversies in the RCA or PCUSA or even
the EPC any day of the week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The PCA has not sanctioned heresy or
immorality</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Although discipline has failed and
will fail in a few instances, the PCA as a body does not endorse in position
papers or generally accept: heretical views of the gospel, homosexuality, women’s
ordination, fornication, errant views of the inerrancy of Scripture, or other
gross errors. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Non-confessionals burnout too.</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Ligon Duncan’s chapter in “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Risking-Truth-Handling-Error-Church/dp/1845502841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400158747&sr=8-1&keywords=risking+the+truth">Risking the Truth</a>,” ends with this advice for combatting error in the church: “We must
out-live, out-rejoice, out-love, out-preach, out-serve and out-die the false
teachers and errorists.” [<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Risking-Truth-Handling-Error-Church/dp/1845502841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400083539&sr=8-1&keywords=risking+the+truth">Risking the Truth</a>. Pg 202] The longer I see these
debates, the more I grow to see this advice as supremely wise. What do you
think of when you think of a conservative Presbyterian? Is it a loving,
rejoicing, persevering, effective preaching, service oriented and boldly life giving
person? If not, why not?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yet, if we look around the PCA,
less-than-confessional pastors often do not last long, in my observations.
Conservatives are not the only ones who bolt a denomination, despite the common
complaint: “We are always the ones that leave.” Quite a few pastors have left
for the less restrictive EPC lately. Some have left the ministry. Those with
really bad theology, as I have noticed, cannot help but have their heterodoxy
produce immorality, and a few have left over moral reasons/failures. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
It is not immediate, it is not
sexy, but outlasting heterodox agitators may be one of the best ways to affect
faithfulness in the PCA. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Liberals may not be as liberal as you
think</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Every progressive PCA Teaching
Elder I have met would be too conservative to be ordained in the PCUSA. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many “progressives” have ordinary means
services like the conservatives. The theological range in the PCA is much smaller
than some would imagine, and one should talk with those you may label as
liberal to discover: What do we really disagree about? Perhaps it is like the
Charles Hodge versus the New Schoolers: His problem was not so much with what they
confessed but what they tolerated. Thus, perhaps the major conversation that needs
to happen, one-on-one, is the necessity of discipline, and discipline as an act
of love (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012:5-6&version=ESV">Hebrews 12:5-6</a>), and the lack of discipline as hate and violence
against sheep and shepherds. A major problem in the PCA may be a low view of discipline, which instruction and conviction in
this one area could do much towards the health of the denomination.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Leaving would make the PCA less healthy.</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
This should be obvious, and Andy
Webb said as much in this earlier article: <a href="http://theaquilareport.com/an-open-letter-to-james-kessler-and-the-leaders-of-the-national-partnership/">http://theaquilareport.com/an-open-letter-to-james-kessler-and-the-leaders-of-the-national-partnership/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Lack of good alternatives</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As a northerner and
confessionalist, I find myself with great affinity for the OPC, but several of
reasons Andy Webb cites would preclude joining the OPC, the next biggest
conservative Presbyterian denomination, including creation and discipline
issues. The other alternatives are either extremely small, premillennial,
fundamentalist, exclusive psalmity or <i>a capella</i>, or have their own unique problems, or some combination of the
above. That is, unless one is exclusive psalmody, there are few alternatives
outside the PCA and OPC for a confessionalist to go, and if your reasons are
problems within the OPC, then do you start a new denomination?<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Starting a new denomination is hard and
expensive. </u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Study the history RIGHT AFTER the
split of the PCA and the OPC from the mainlines. Note how many agencies worked
to create momentum, publish books, publish curriculum, host meetings and
general assembly and travel expenses, etc. This is not to say new denominations
may not be necessary at certain times in history (i.e. the OPC and PCA thought
so), but is this such a time? </div>
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Not to mention other questions with the founding of a new denomination: What new boundaries
or mechanisms would stop trends that happen in the PCA? Would you be welcome in
the new denomination another person wants? New denominations are necessarily
strict in some areas and not in others. Who decides this time? Can you tolerate
someone with other convictions in a new denomination in what you sing, how you
interpret the OT law, or how certain elements of worship are done?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Is leaving the easy way out?</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Are the problems in the PCA worth
leaving over, or are they worth attempting to be good churchmen and fixing over
the period of years of not merely voting in GA, but working locally, taking in
interns, faithful shepherding your congregation and working towards renewal and
repentance and growth in your own local church and presbytery? Do we find it easier to write “Ichabod” above the PCA than to do the work
of reformation and local ministry?</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Prioritizing</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If you are leaving, I think there
may be no better resource for thinking through this than Kevin DeYoung. He is a
minister facing many of these questions at present and gives good counsel about
principles, grace in leaving and warmth in deciding:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>For an individual member:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/05/25/how-to-leave-your-old-church/">http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/05/25/how-to-leave-your-old-church/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>For a denomination:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d recommend listening to this, especially when DeYoung talks about life int he RCA or when the other minster talks about leaving the Episcopal church:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://t4g.org/media/2014/04/denominations-your-grandfathers-oldsmobile/">http://t4g.org/media/2014/04/denominations-your-grandfathers-oldsmobile/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
All this is not to say that I aim to
keep my head down and ignore these issues. I aim to go to every presbytery
meeting possible and every General Assembly I can attend. I intend to make good and
honest relationships with as many people in the denomination as possible and
talk about being a confessional church. I intend to listen as well as speak
about my positions, and read and keep learning. I intend to ask questions of ministerial candidates dealing with FV, creation, and their will to discipline.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Risking-Truth-Handling-Error-Church/dp/1845502841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400083539&sr=8-1&keywords=risking+the+truth">“Risking the Truth” by Martin Downes</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>about doctrinal
controversies in the church, (an invaluable resource to any PCA minister) my
conviction was this: It is better to be involved, dialogue, and work towards
good ends rather than agitating to leave the denomination. The PCA is not at,
or even extremely close to, a point where I am wanting to leave. This is not to
predict the future that such a time may come in 5, 10, 20 or even 50 years. But
that time is not now.<br />
The PCA has the gospel, practices the two Christ-ordained
Sacraments, and exercises discipline, though like all churches, ebbs and flows
between “more or less pure” as the confession puts it. The PCA is my home, and
it will take more than cited to make me leave. Now, if I get evicted…that’s
another story… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Respectfully with much love in
Christ,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Pastor Jared Nelson<br />
New Life Presbyterian<br />
Hopewell Township, PA<br />
<br />
<i>[update: Andy Webb has clarified a few of his points, I add them here without comment: <a href="http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/clarifying-addendum-to-5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-pca/">http://biblebased.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/clarifying-addendum-to-5-reasons-it-might-be-time-to-leave-the-pca/ </a>]</i></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-48229364730456367252014-04-18T14:51:00.000-05:002014-04-18T14:51:25.328-05:00A Good Friday Reflection<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Trial of Jesus calls for a judgment. - What is your judgment? </span></u></i></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How do we evaluate the so-called
“Son of God”? When he stands before us, do we take the judgment seat?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate, we are told, “sat in the
judgment seat.” He was asked to give a <u>verdict</u>, to give a <u>sentence</u>
based on that verdict. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate wasn’t the first to get a
chance to sit in judgment over Jesus. The Gospels tell us that Religious
leaders, Herod and the crowd also were giving their verdicts. Jesus was a very
judged man. And in the end, everyone who sat in judgment over Christ, didn’t
get what they wanted from Him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Before Jesus got to Pilate, the <u>Religious
Leaders</u> had judged Jesus guilty! They were tired of Jesus calling them, the
most religious people in the whole society, Jesus was calling them: <u>sinners </u>along
with everyone else! They not only followed the Law (as they understood it) and
even new parts of the law they made up! How offensive is that to be told your
piety isn’t good enough!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Before Jesus got to Pilate
finally, <u>Herod</u> had judged Jesus guilty…of not being <u>entertaining
enough</u>. Herod demanded a sign! He wanted signs and miracles just for him.
He wanted a Santa Claus, giving him goodies. And when Jesus was silent to that
request, when Jesus didn’t answer his prayer for goodies, Herod was done with
Jesus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now, Finally, <u>Pilate</u> sat in
judgment over Jesus, but didn’t really find a problem with Jesus, so it seemed.
But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>everybody else</u></i> seemed to.
So Pilate says with his lips that he doesn’t find guilt with Jesus, and<i><u>
then Pilate does what to an innocent man? </u></i>Pilate has Him tortured.
Mocks Him, makes Him the center of ridicule. Which lied, his lips or his
actions? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When the crowd, when <u>everyone
else</u> wants to be rid of Jesus, when the world is found to cry for his
death, when it might be costly and hard to declare the truth about Jesus…Pilate
asks <u>“What is truth?”</u> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate denies Truth itself,
standing in front of him, Pilate has the <u>WAY</u>, the <u>TRUTH</u> and the <u>LIFE</u>
in front of him, and sends him down the WAY of the Via Delarosa, he lies about
the TRUTH, and he sentences LIFE to death.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Neutrality and apathy of a
Pilate, always finds itself crucifying Christ. The fence sitters, seem always
to find themselves right along with the crowd when it comes down to the real
choice that was before them. The choice was between the INNOCENCE of Jesus <u>or</u>
their own INNOCENCE. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate starts by saying “I see no
crime in him! He seems innocent,” but ends with saying, “I am innocent of his
blood! I wash my hands!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<u><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate couldn’t be neutral</span></u><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">. And
neither can you. In the end: <u>only one can be innocent</u>. The Trial of
Jesus calls for judgment. All men, in one way or another, attend the trial of
Christ. They are asked, as Jesus did to his disciples: “Who do you say that I
am?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Your verdict on that question, is
the <u>most important question</u> you will ever answer. Who do you say Jesus
is? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Is He the Son of God? If not, the
religious leaders were right to declare him guilty. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Is He supposed to be Santa Claus?
If so, Herod is right to dismiss Him when he doesn’t get his every request. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Is He to be the popular King? The
cool friend? If so, then Pilate is right to deliver him to the crowd, when the
world rejects Christ.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pilate sat in the judgment seat
and made his verdict known. <u>Pilate was more concerned to declare Pilate’s
innocence.</u> In fact, everyone there thought they were innocent! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That’s what makes an innocent
verdict so hard to pronounce over Jesus. If Jesus is innocent, then what he
says is true. When He says He came for sinners, and points to you, either you
are a sinner He came for, or He is a lying sinner for saying: you are a sinner.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It comes down to this: Either
Jesus was innocent or you are. <b><u>Which is it?</u> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Are we wrong when we sit in
judgment over Jesus for not confirming us, telling us “Good job applying the
law to others and not yourself! Good job following your own rules and not
God’s!” Are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>we guilty</u></i> for
dismissing Jesus when he doesn’t do this, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>is Jesus guilty</u></i>?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Are we in the wrong when we sit in
judgment over Jesus because he doesn’t give us a all WE want? Are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>we guilty</u></i> for treating Jesus like
Santa Claus, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>is Jesus guilty</u></i>
for not being our personal Santa Claus?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Are we in the wrong for ignoring
Christ, for saying we don’t find guilt in him, but in the end, not concerning
ourselves with Christ crucified when the world is found to be against him? Are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>we guilty</u></i> for going along with
the world, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>is Jesus guilty</u></i>
for not being what the world wants? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The trial of Jesus demands a
judgment.</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> What is yours? Do you sit in judgment over Jesus? Or does he stand in
judgment FOR you? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Just know this: Jesus only stands
in judgment for the guilty! The minute you say “I am innocent” is the minute
you cry out “Jesus is the guilty one! Crucify Him!” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Is Christ’s rightful place on the
cross, or is yours? Before the cross is what Christ took <u>in your place</u>,
you must see <u>your rightful place is <b>on</b> the cross.</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The story of the trial and death
of Jesus is not a tragedy. The story of the passion is <b><u>not</u></b> in
order to parade before you the man Jesus to pity. <u>It is the story of the
God-man Jesus Christ having pity on you.</u> It is the story of Jesus saying to
the Father “Forgive them.” The Father saying “Only if I forsake you.” And Jesus
saying, “Your Will be done.” It is the story of Jesus then saying to the
penalty that hung over us: “It is finished.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is the story of what <i>you </i>deserved,
and what Jesus took for you. Only then, can you see the good in Good Friday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’ll tell you the good I see in
this Friday: In the cross of Christ, there is my judgment, as He takes my
cross, the cross I earned, the cross I deserved, and He bares it in love for me
and His Father. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Trial of Jesus calls for a
judgment. Who is the guilty one? My judgment: I AM guilty. <u>What is your
judgment?</u> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Prayer:</span></u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Father, for the sake of the Pure and Spotless
Lamb of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.</span></i></div>
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-48503819597960566082014-03-18T13:36:00.002-05:002014-03-18T13:36:52.066-05:00First half of EphesiansRecently I have had the honor of opening up the book of Ephesians to the saints at New Life in Hopewell Pennsylvania. We reached the halfway point, a noticeable hinge of the book. To review, I thought I would post the links here: <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_apu22KRML0Fe93VIKcLH9-asWItvhOhCWy3dj8Fid1B-hOraIKE1qsYu3w7BrNV5ewxHk0F1sAM9hDFmDL6D9iCMcAg-B4Zb7IchSgNpiQBH6G29VhioVzOf1oHj1YURhAvrA/s1600/url.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_apu22KRML0Fe93VIKcLH9-asWItvhOhCWy3dj8Fid1B-hOraIKE1qsYu3w7BrNV5ewxHk0F1sAM9hDFmDL6D9iCMcAg-B4Zb7IchSgNpiQBH6G29VhioVzOf1oHj1YURhAvrA/s1600/url.jpeg" height="146" width="200" /></a><br />
If interested, click on the title to find the audio below:<br />
<br />
Collected Sermons will be here:<br />
<a href="http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php">http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Sermons.php</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MDYzNDE5ZTY4ZWMwNDcyOWY1MzQ0OTIwYmJhNzJkMjc6Ojo6MjAxNDAxMTIwN1JldkphcmVkTmVsc29uSW50cm9kdWN0aW9uc2FyZWluLm1wMw==">Ephesians 1:1-2 Introductions are in Order</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6NWQ5MWY2YmQxYzA4ZjhjYmQ3ZWMxYmMwNTYzMWUyZDY6Ojo6MjAxNDAxMTlSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkJsZXNzaW5nRmF0aGVyLm1wMw==">Ephesians 1:3-6 - Blessing Father</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MDkzYmIzYzZmYWNhYTRjZDE5ODBjYWZkMmEwZDg5MTg6Ojo6MjAxNDAxMjZSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkluQ2hyaXN0QWxvbmUubXAz">Ephesians 1:7-12 - In Christ Alone</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6YTZkM2Y3NDcyNzBkNTRiYWE0YjE4YzhlOWNhMDJlMmM6Ojo6MjAxNDAyMDJSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvblNwaXJpdEd1YXJhbnRlZWQubXAz">Ephesians 1:13-14 - Spirit Guaranteed</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6MTgyMjNlZGZmNWUzNTQ0MmRhNmY4MmM1MjdlODk4MWY6Ojo6MjAxNDAyMDlSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvblRoYW5raW5nR29kZm9ydGhlQ2h1Lm1wMw==">Ephesians 1:15-23 - Thanking God for the Church</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6Yzk0NmFhMTYzYWRmZjRkYmJiZWFlNGUwODkxMjEwYzk6Ojo6MjAxNDAyMTZSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkRlYWRpblNpbkJ1dEdvZC5tcDM=">Ephesians 2:1-7 - Dead in Sin...But God</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6ZGIyMjk2NjhiMjNkN2Y1ODJkMmVlODc2ZWJkMmQ3Y2Q6Ojo6MjAxNDAyMjNSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkJ5R3JhY2VBbG9uZVRocm91Z2hGLm1wMw==">Ephesians 2:8-10 - By Grace Alone, through Faith Alone</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6M2ZiYzJiNGUzOTRmMDU0MWIzNWQzMDM3ZDNmZjc0MDg6Ojo6MjAxNDAzMDJSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvblN0cmFuZ2Vyc05vTW9yZS5tcDM=">Ephesians 2:11-22 - Strangers No More</a><br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6NzRkY2Q5MWE4ZmUyYmFjNDI5Zjk1ZGIyNDQ5ZmNhMjk6Ojo6MjAxNDAzMDlSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkFteXN0ZXJ5UmV2ZWFsZWQubXAz"><br /></a>
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6NzRkY2Q5MWE4ZmUyYmFjNDI5Zjk1ZGIyNDQ5ZmNhMjk6Ojo6MjAxNDAzMDlSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbkFteXN0ZXJ5UmV2ZWFsZWQubXAz">Ephesians 3:1-13 - A Mystery Revealed<span id="goog_726319646"></span><span id="goog_726319647"></span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserver.net/obj/RDNCNDE2RUFDMzBCMjEzMTdEQzk6Zjg4NjA1NDhkODA3NjIzZDhjMmJhZjhkNmI2MWIxMTk6Ojo6MjAxNDAzMTZSZXZKYXJlZE5lbHNvbk1vcmVBYnVuZGFudGx5VGhhbldlLm1wMw==">Ephesians 3:14-21 - More Abundantly than all we Ask or Think.</a><br />
<br />
If you are in the Pittsburgh area on the Northwest end, join us for worship:<br />
<a href="http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Home_Page.php">http://www.newlifehopewell.com/Home_Page.php</a>Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615787.post-5401155806986364592014-02-13T14:53:00.001-06:002014-02-13T14:54:09.956-06:00Nashville "End Times" Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VqhVpFqNeiCjoqvQV2KM8N3-rDL7AjphpdzFOQ9J8KnBTGEYGq7-6PnAOryLGDs5UVt7TeV4mUcHIHRX4z7HKmVVVIp8SZ4lG_YXEx3zwkumUoFg4ek_KKnjTdPKxT-gMtRrgg/s1600/lb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VqhVpFqNeiCjoqvQV2KM8N3-rDL7AjphpdzFOQ9J8KnBTGEYGq7-6PnAOryLGDs5UVt7TeV4mUcHIHRX4z7HKmVVVIp8SZ4lG_YXEx3zwkumUoFg4ek_KKnjTdPKxT-gMtRrgg/s1600/lb.jpg" height="115" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /> <a href="http://www.covenantpres.com/">Covenant Presbyterian Church</a> in Nashville will be hosting faculty from <a href="http://www.wts.edu/index.html">Westminster Theological Seminary</a> and Dr. Harry Reeder (Westminster board member and Pastor of Briarwood
Presbyterian Church in Birmingham) on February 28th and March 1st, a
Friday night and Saturday. The conference is on the topic of
eschatology, or a study of last things. They will address the popular
theology called Dispensationalism (the theology behind the Left Behind
series of books) and look carefully at what Scripture teaches about the
"end times". </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Register here: <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-seminar-on-the-last-days-registration-10166483225">http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-seminar-on-the-last-days-registration-10166483225</a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Or for questions: Contact</span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"> Pastor Matt Bradley </span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">(615) 383-2206, ext. 209 <a href="mailto:mattb@covenantpres.com">mattb@covenantpres.com</a> </span><br />
<br />
Jared Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18445783451815077626noreply@blogger.com0