One of the most troublesome passages for many Trinitarian Christians is when Chirst said that he did not know the time of his coming, but only the Father knew (Matt. 24:36).

If Christ is God, how could there be something he does not know?

Is Christ less God than the Father?

Did Christ strip himself of the divine attribute of omniscience in the incarnation?

Join us as we make the argument that Christ was fully God even when he uttered these words. How does this work? Find out.

 

 Theology Unplugged - Problems Passage 3: Why Did Christ Say He Did Not Know the Hour of His Coming? [28:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (221)

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This is a new local church networking site for those of you who are interested in starting The Theology Program in your area. We have thousands of churches already. This should benefit those who are already offering TTP and those who are exploring the option.

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Sometimes it is frustrating to introduce yourself to theological issues. Most people who get deeply involved in theology quickly realize how much they don’t know. Confident seminary students enter their training thinking that they are going to breeze their way through as they have their prejudices confirmed by their soon to be impressed professors. After the first year, their countenance is soured as their confidence turns into an insecure angel (or devil) on their shoulder who says, “Who did you think you were presuming God called you into ministry?” They begin to realize that they came to seminary to find out how much they did not know! Some get discouraged and leave, others harden in their categories becoming unable to learn. But the best adjust their expectations, knowing that an admission of ignorance is a fundamental foundation to learning.

There is an old dictum to knowledge. It goes something like this:

There are four types of people:

1. The one who doesn’t know, and doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. He is a fool–shun him. Continue Reading »

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No, this is not some profound theological blog connecting computer crashes with the doctrine of imputation. My computer really did crash. I am on a different computer writing this. So . . . you know how this works. I lost quit a bit of stuff, but I did do a back up two weeks ago!

Unfortunately, I lost many emails from the last few days. If you emailed me recently, sorry, but it may be lost. Once saved always saved does now work in the computer world. Forgive me if it seems like I am ignoring you. I am not.

As well, blogging may be slow for a while. I am so increadibly busy with other ministry issues (talking to pastors about The Theology Program, training new employees, teaching, development of a new seeker program called “Credo”, etc) it was bound to slow down anyway. Besides, I have told you all everything I know . . . as well as some things I don’t know!).

Anyway . . . I am down in flames scrambling to find myself without my computer. My email is back up though!

Talk to you all soon!

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Want your own blog? Many of you have responded and become part of the Reclaiming the Mind blog community. Because of the interest, we have updated a few things, giving more explanation of what this involves. Get your blog now and join the ring.

Featured blogs in the RMM blog ring:

A Dangerous Idea

Submerging Influence

Worship While its Warm

Theological Word of the Day

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I am working on a manuscript designed to recognize John Calvin’s 500th birthday coming up July 10, 2009. Its a historical and contemporary study of opinions on this most influential man.

As a Reformed Christian, I owe a lot to Old JC, but the honest truth is: I have a love-hate relationship with the man. For the most part, he was a kindly gentleman who did a lot of good things. But he also set the stage for a theological worldview that many people perceive to be far more negative and mean-spirited than the Way of Christ permits.

Now, I know many of you will say that the stage was set by Paul, by Augustine, by Luther and others. But Calvin had a huge role in promoting and disseminating the Calvinist theological worldview. Continue Reading »

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So here’s my take (since you asked…): if an evangelical thoughtfully changes parties because he really thinks that the Republican party does not line up with his beliefs, I disagree, but ok.

Andrew Faris, over at Christians in Context, gives advice for people to be thinkers, not trendy when it comes to politics.

“But it appears to me that going more liberal is thoughtlessly trendy. Thus the constant invocations of phrases like, “Would Jesus have been a Republican?” and the like. Maybe he would’ve, maybe not, but it’s really not that good of a question because of how limited his mission was.
 
. . . .
 
It’s edgy and hip to be an evangelical who challenges the Republican party. The fact that Obama is so compelling and McCain is sometimes so senile doesn’t hurt this. So do promises for universal health care and the end of an unpopular war.
 
But these are exactly the kinds of things that we have to think critically about, rather than just make moves on. Is the Iraq War really that bad? Don’t just say “yes” without giving me some good reasons why, and read some folks who think it isn’t. Is universal health care really that good of an idea? Tell me how it won’t sink the economy and end up backfiring in the process. Should we really give up on fighting abortion? Is Bush really not doing anything about Africa? Is the economy really in a recession, or just in a normal cycle? Is it really the government’s fault that gas is getting so expensive?

Read the whole thing.

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In 1844, the Tübinger Jahrbuch published an essay by F. C. Baur to the effect that John’s Gospel should be dated no earlier than AD 160, and probably closer to 170. Baur came to this conclusion because he was heavily influenced by G. F. Hegel, the father of the “dialectic” named after him. Hegelian dialectic is known today mostly by its curt description: thesis, antithesis, synthesis. That is, one school of thought exists, followed by one that is strongly opposed to it. As these two duke it out, a third school emerges which gleans from the pugilists certain harmonizable ideas, thus reaching a compromise or, more accurately, a new synthesis. Baur applied HD to the New Testament and came to the conclusion that the Gospel of John was probably the last book of the NT to be written. It synthesized the Peter school of Jewish Christianity with the Paul school of the mission to the Gentiles, forming a new amalgam that attempted a harmonization between the two. Hence, it could not have been written in the first century, according to Baur, since such a rapprochement did not exist historically in the first century.

Baur went on to wrestle with the implications of Hegelian dialectic for all of NT history and early Christianity. He is rightly called the “Father of the Tübingen School” of theology. This was both a movement and a place. The movement was essentially the implications of Hegelian dialectic teased out for the NT. The school was a university, with its own seminary, in southern Germany, about 20 minutes from Stuttgart (by way of Autobahn; I’ll drive). The university was founded in 1477; the Protestant seminary in 1536. Both thrive today. Continue Reading »

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I sat down with a young lady a couple of weeks ago and had a conversation. This was a conversation about faith—her faith. Better put, this was a conversation about a faith that once was and is no more. She was a very interesting and bright lady—inquisitive, well-read, and suspicious. She began by telling me that she was a Christian (past tense) and had since left the faith. Christ was once a part of her confession, but, as she recounted to me, after a long voyage of not finding sufficient answers for her doubts, she believes that she had no choice but to follow her own integrity and renounce Christ all together. I asked her what her problems were and she became very emotional. It was like I represented Christianity and she was ready to take it all out on me.

Ignorance. Pity. Shame. These are all good descriptions of what she thought of Christianity. But the primary description that I felt coming from here was “betrayal.” She had been betrayed by the Church because they duped her into a belief not unlike that of the tooth fairy. When she discovered this betrayal, no one had a valid answer or excuse. So she left. She is now an unbeliever—a soon-to-be evangelistic unbeliever.

One fascination, obsession, and focus (neurotic pulse?) I have in my life and ministry is with regard to those, like this young lady, who leave the faith. You may have noticed this. I have over a dozen books giving  autobiographical sketches of those who once proclaimed to be Christian and are now evangelistic atheists, agnostics, or skeptics, with their goal to convert or, rather, unconvert others. I have been in contact with many people who either have already left or are on the verge of leaving. I get emails, phone calls, and visits from the same.

No, it is not a neurotic pulse. I believe that it is the recognition of an extremely serious issue that we are facing today. We are facing an epidemic in Christianity—an epidemic of unbelief among our own. Crowding our churches are those who are somewhere in the process of leaving. No, I am not talking about leaving a denomination. I am not talking about abandoning some institutionalized expression of Christianity. I am not talking about leaving the church (though related). And I am not even talking about renouncing religion. I am talking about those who are leaving Christ.

Over 31 million Americans are saying “check please” to the church, and are off to find answers elsewhere. Jeff Schadt, coordinator of Youth Transition Network, says thousands of youth fall away from the church when transitioning from high school to college. He and other youth leaders estimate that 65 to 94 percent of high school students stop attending church after graduating. From my studies and experience I find that leaving church is many times the first visible step in one’s pilgrimage away from Christ.

The question that we must ask is a very simple one: Why? Why are people leaving the faith at this epidemic and alarming rate? In my studies, I have found that the two primary reasons people leave the faith are 1) intellectual challenges and 2) bad theology or misplaced beliefs.

First, I want to explain this transition process, focusing on the first: intellectual challenges. You might even find yourself somewhere on this journey.

Step one: Doubt
Step two: Discouragement
Step three: Disillusionment
Step four: Apathy
Step five: Departure

Step One: Doubt

Here is where the person begins to examine his or her faith more critically by asking questions, expressing concerns, and becoming transparent with their doubt. Continue Reading »

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Nicholas Perrin joined us this past Thursday evening on Paltalk for our Converse with Scholars broadcast to discuss his book “Lost in Transmission”. Topics covered:

Can we trust that Christ’s words were preserved accurately by way of the Gospels? Is the Gospel of Thomas canonical? Was Bart Erhman right in his book “Misquoting Jesus”? Find out by listening in or downloading the audio below.

 

 Nicholas Perrin - Lost in Transmission [69:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (388)

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Even though the full document of the Evangelical Manifesto appeared last Wednesday, I have not had a chance to read it until now. And I must say, it’s far more impressive (and longer!) than I expected. It answers the objections that many raised to the notion that to believe in a Christ who is above politics is to believe in the real Jesus and is to be a real Christian. I was fascinated by those who signed this document—folks on the far left politically and those on the far right.

I do have some problems with the Evangelical Manifesto, however. But the problems are not intellectual, nor political, nor ideological. Rather, they are problems with me. There is a strong call to community repentance here, and it begins with the framers of this document. There is a recognition that all of us who go by the name ‘Evangelical’ are in need of repentance. I felt convicted over many things. Continue Reading »

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It would seem that according to much of the latest conversation, people would think that Evangelicals have sold their soul to the political world (specifically the Republican party). This current survey, however, says that most Americans do not believe Christians are too involved in politics (this would most certainly include Evangelicals). In fact, it says that “Only 21 percent of religiously affiliated persons said they believe Christians at times are too politically involved.” Continue Reading »

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For all you Americans who watch to many Bond films, here is the real deal:

“I am English. And if you’re reading this blog, it most likely means you’re not. A 86.36% chance to be exact (I checked the blog statistics ). So just so we’re on the same page, I thought it might be fun to give you my run down on the 6 things I find people get wrong about the English. I do apologise to any English readers that might be offended by falling into any of these spiffing categories. Tally ho!

1. All English people drink tea. Don’t get me wrong, I love tea! And so do most English people… but you rarely find any non-adult drinking it, it’s more of an aquired taste. Think of it like vegetables! Oh, by the way, Tea doesn’t come from England .

2. Our favourate food is fish and chips. Surprisingly enough we eat more curry than fish and chips. It’s just so much more interesting and exotic that way! By chips I of course mean ‘fries’.

3. We all speak either like John Cleese or Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins. Don’t get me wrong there are some (not that many) who speak like this. But for the most of England we have too many different accents to count. I come from a town called ‘Darlington’ (which, by the way, invented railways and trains) with a population just over 100,000 and I wouldn’t be able to count the amount of different English accents on one hand… never mind the fact we have plenty of Polish, Indian, Asian, Irish, Scotish, etc. people living here aswell.”

Read the rest.

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I don’t know about you, but one thing I don’t like . . . I mean, really don’t like . . . is when there is a piano playing softly in the background while someone is praying during service. You know, this always happens during the nice sweet tender moments of a message. It may be at the giving of the Gospel, the conclusion of a message, or during the prayer. Slowly in the background, somehow without you noticing, the pianist has stuck back up to the stage and began playing softly. Continue Reading »

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Source

“Prominent evangelicals urged Christian conservatives Wednesday to support “an expansion of our concerns beyond single-issue politics,” angering some leaders on the religious right who have been closely allied with the Republican Party.

In a 19-page document called “An Evangelical Manifesto,” more than 70 theologians, pastors and others said faith and politics have been too closely mixed. They warned against Christians adopting any one political view.”

Here is the list of the steering committee:

Timothy George
Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

Os Guinness
Author/Social Critic

John Huffman
Pastor, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA
Chair, Christianity Today International

Rich Mouw
President, Fuller Theological Seminary

Jesse Miranda
Founder & Director, Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership, Vanguard University

David Neff
Vice President and Editor in Chief, Christianity Today Media Group

Richard Ohman
Businessman

Larry Ross
President, A. Larry Ross Communications

Dallas Willard
Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California
Author

“James Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, reviewed the document and was invited to sign it, but did not, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson. Dobson consulted the group’s board of directors — a common practice — and the board agreed he shouldn’t sign “due to myriad concerns about the effort,” Schneeberger said.”

“One of the things that disappointed Dr. Dobson was that when the manifesto was initially circulated, no African-American pastors or theologians were on the invite list,” Schneeberger said. “His thinking was, ‘How can this purport to represent the voice of evangelicals when people so vital to who we are as a movement are excluded from involvement?’” . . .

“Janice Shaw Crouse, director of the Concerned Women for America’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, said the manifesto was “blurring the distinctions between liberal and conservative” and would confuse Christian voters about the issues that are most important: opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

Jerry Newcombe, a senior producer of the conservative Christian TV show “The Coral Ridge Hour,” said the manifesto creates a “straw man” by portraying some evangelicals as intolerant and seeking to create a theocracy.”

“Separate polls have found that many non-Christians have negative views of today’s Christians, saying they are too judgmental and political.

Our problem is not mislabeling by the press or rebranding because we have a bad image,” said Os Guiness, an evangelical scholar and a drafter of the document, which was released in Washington. “The problem is reality. Much of evangelicalism is not evangelical.”

Interesting. I will probably have more to say about this later.

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