March 15, 2007 Posted by Roger Overton
closeAuthor: Roger Overton
Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (570)
Justin Taylor has noted the passing of New Testament scholar Herman Ridderbos. Be sure to read about his life and work if you're unfamiliar with him.
The blogsphere has practically irrupted with reaction to John MacArthur's recent comments regarding Calvinism and eschatology. Most of it has been worthwhile discussion about Amillennialism: Dr. Scott Clark answers with what John Calvin actually said regarding the millennium. Fide-O provided some clarifications about Amillennialism (among other great posts on the controversy). Sadly, some of the discussion has degenerated into a Sola Institutio flogging of those of us who don't believe in every jot and title of certain Reformed confessions (such as the Westminster).
Dustin Steeve at The Right House wrote one of my all time favorite blog posts. It does a great job of explaining my childhood love for Legos and fiscal conservativism. Check out the picture!
So far as I can see at this point, Congressman Duncan Hunter is probably the best candidate for President in 2008. It's too bad he likely won't make it past the primary, but I don't think that's a sufficient reason to not vote for him.
Wm. B. Eerdmans is continuing down the path of losing its Christian identity (maybe it never had one and my assumption that it was a Christian company was wrong all along?). The last symptom was the publication of an explicitly Mormon evangelistic book (A Different Jesus? by Robert Millet). This week they've released another book by a Mormon author, Muhammad, Prophet of God by Daniel C. Peterson. I wouldn't make as big a deal about it except for the endorsement: “The best scholarly text on the prophet Muhammad written by a Christian. Parviz Morewedge — Global Scholarly Publications” Either Eerdmans can't tell the difference between Christianity and Mormonism or they don't care about the factual integrity of what's printed on their books.
N.T. Wright wrote an “interesting” article on C.S. Lewis in the latest issue of Touchstone.
Posted in Main Page, Miscellaneous, Roger's Posts 
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March 12, 2007 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger Overton
Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (570)
Posted in Main Page, Miscellaneous, Roger's Posts 3 Comments »
March 12, 2007 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger Overton
Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (570)
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The Roots of Endurance
is the third volume in a series of biographical books by John Piper called “The
Swans Are Not Silent.” Each book covers three figures from Christian history
under a common theme. In this book, Piper looked at the lives of John Newton,
Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce, each of which endured to their ends
facing remarkable adversity.
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Piper set the stage with an introduction connecting the
three men together in history, spiritually, and theologically. As usual, his
words are salted with spiritual wisdom and worth meditation. From the life of
John Newton, Piper explored “habitual tenderness” and what it means to have “a
tender heart and a theological backbone of steel.”
The biography of Charles Simeon is one of my favorite from
the series so far. For the first twelve years of his service at Trinity Church his congregation resisted and
rebelled against him, and yet he remained there for fifty-four years! And as
many now know due to the recent movie, “Amazing Grace,” William Wilberforce also
maintained his service through many years, though for him it was in Parliament
fighting slavery. Piper told the stories of these men’s inspiring lives along
with great academic footnotes and insightful practical application.
Unlike the other books in this series, I thought the
concluding thoughts to The Roots of
Endurance were a bit shallow (compared to Piper’s other reflections) and
perhaps rushed. However, the book stands well enough on its own without the conclusion
and I would recommending reading it if only for the biography of Charles
Simeon.
Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Roger's Posts No Comments »
March 11, 2007 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger Overton
Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (570)
Tomorrow morning I’ll be leading the catechism reading at
my church. Each week, we recite a few questions from the catechism written by
Benjamin Keach. As Reformed Baptists, we hold to the Confession of 1689. Keach
wrote his catechism in an effort to further explain the theology of the Confession.
Unfortunately, at least for us today, there are parts that
still beg further explanation. The question I have in mind deals with the
sacraments:
Q. 98. How do Baptism and the Lord's Supper become effectual
means of salvation?
A. Baptism and the Lord's Supper become effectual means of
salvation, not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them, but
only by the blessing of Christ and the working of His Spirit in them that by
faith receive them. (1 Peter 3:21; 1 Cor. 3:6,7; 1 Cor. 12:13)
I think the phrase “effectual means of salvation” can be confusing.
It could easily be taken as referring to a way in which we earn salvation, such
as a means to an end. We may even be encouraged to take it this way when
reading the first supporting passage: (1 Peter 3:21) “Baptism, which corresponds
to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal
to God for a good conscience.”
The problem with this interpretation of the question is
twofold. First, Reformed Baptists believe baptism and partaking in the Lord’s
Supper are the appropriate actions of someone already saved, and we are saved
by grace alone- not by works. So we would never say in a catechism that
practicing sacraments are ways to become saved. Second, I know of no Reformed theologian (Baptist
or otherwise) who believes that such a view is taught in the Bible, or
specifically in 1 Peter 3:21*.
So what do we mean by referring to the sacraments as “effectual
means of salvation?” The answer is found in a previous question of the
catechism:
Q. 95. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby
Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the
benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, Baptism, the
Lord's Supper and Prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.
(Rom. 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Cor. 3:5; Acts 14:1; 2:41,42)
The benefits of redemption begin first and foremost with our
justification before God due to Christ bearing the penalty for our sins on the
cross. But that is not the only benefit, and the benefits are not confined to
the moment we acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Savior. Rather, the benefits
of redemption are applied to us throughout our lives. Paul said in Philippians
to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” This doesn’t mean we work
toward salvation, but that we are to participate in the results (benefits) of
our salvation.
To the point, the sacraments are ways in which salvation is
worked out in our lives as a result of already being saved. The sacraments are
especially “effectual” because they are ordinances that were instituted and
commanded by Christ and the Holy Spirit makes special use of them in our
process of sanctification.
*For a good explanation of this verse, see Matt Slick's article.
Posted in Main Page, Poetry/Scripture/Liturgy/Etc., Roger's Posts, Theology 1 Comment »
There is much discussion these days about the dangers of confidence. Those who think their beliefs are true are feared and even hated. Evil of all sorts has been traced back to confidence, and confidence is declared its root and source. The remedy for evil in this view, then, is for everyone to reduce their confidence in their beliefs. It’s commonly thought that this would make the world a better place.
On the other hand, on this blog (see here and here, for example) I’ve argued that confidence is a morally neutral trait. Instead, what matters is what you’re putting your confidence in. If your confidence is well placed in the true and the good then great good will follow. But if your confidence is wrongly placed in false and evil ideas, then great evil will follow. The problem, therefore, is the false beliefs, not the confidence which can serve either good or evil. The remedy for evil in this view is for everyone to address the actual beliefs people hold, encouraging others to reduce their confidence in false beliefs and raise their confidence in true ones. The greater confidence people have in good, true beliefs, the better off this world will be.
If this second view is correct, then seeing confidence as the root of evil and pressuring everyone to have less confidence will have the unfortunate effect of causing a net loss of not only bad things in this world, but also a great deal of good. To do good is a very, very difficult enterprise–one that is often met with ridicule and intense opposition (just look at Jesus). Confidence is an absolute necessity for anyone who would persevere through this.
William Wilberforce is a perfect example of the blessings of confidence. How was he able to fight for twenty years, enduring scorn and personal attacks day in and day out, to put an end to the slave trade in England? Listen to his own explanation:
The grand object of my parliamentary existence [is the abolition of the slave trade]. . . Before this great cause all others dwindle in my eyes, and I must say that the certainty that I am right here, adds greatly to the complacency [i.e., the settled, peaceful confidence] with which I exert myself in asserting it. If it please God to honor me so far, may I be the instrument of stopping such a course of wickedness and cruelty as never before disgraced a Christian country.
Wilberforce was certain that he was right about what was wicked and cruel, and he was certain that the right thing for him to do was to stop that wickedness. That is what drove him steadily on to end the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people. Would you have chided him for his confidence? If so, what if he had listened to you? What if all the abolitionists had listened to you? The world would now be a much uglier place.
Let’s work to end evil, not confidence.
Posted in Amy's Posts, Culture, Main Page, Philosophy 9 Comments »
Maybe it’s not such a good idea for filmmakers to try to piece together historical evidence. Just as my hermeneutics professor always warned us not to be creative when we interpret the Bible, good historical analysis demands a certain lack of whimsical fancy. But how do incredibly creative people just turn that off?
They can’t, as you’ll see from the excerpt below from The Jesus Family Tomb (my comments in brackets):
“What about the ‘Judah, son of Jesus’ ossuary? What’s he doing there?” Jim injected. [Yes, what is he doing there? Don’t worry, they can make him fit!]
“After they killed fathers, they went after their kids,” Simcha said. “The Romans didn’t mess about. They called Jesus ‘King of the Jews.’ They mocked his royal lineage. Any surviving son would have been a target. He had to be hidden. That’s why we haven’t heard of him.” [Oh that’s why! There’s no mention that Jesus had a son, so therefore, that becomes evidence that he had a son. I see, I see. Go on…]
“Personally, Jim, I think he’s the ‘Beloved Disciple,'” I said.
“Or is he Judah, the brother of Jesus mentioned in Mark? Or, are they all one and the same–‘Beloved Disciple,’ ‘brother,’ ‘Son,'” I said, looking at Jim and Simcha. “Look at the history of Roman slaughter. The children of a contender were doomed–and yet, siblings were sometimes allowed to survive. When they killed Caligula, they also killed his infant child, but his sisters were spared, and his uncle Claudius even survived to become emperor. So, within Jesus’s inner circle, they knew that the Romans would kill the Prophet’s child, while a little brother might be granted at least a fighting chance.”
“So what you’re saying is that Judah, the ‘little brother’ of Jesus might actually have been the child of Jesus all along,” said Jim. “And the key to his survival was for the disciples to say he was really someone else’s child.”
“It’s not impossible,” I said….
“It sounds like madness when you first hear it,” Jim thought aloud, “but there’s a certain logic to it. The existence of this child of 80/501 [the ossuary designation], this child Judah, would have been concealed–probably even from most of the disciples–when Jesus was still alive. Concealed, probably, by Jesus’s directive” (pp. 90-91).
I’d like to make a clever comment here, but really, what can you say to that? This logic sounds like me trying to come up with a theory about what’s really going on in Lost. Somehow I can weave fantastic stories that make all sorts of details fit, and somehow I suspect I’m still terribly, terribly wrong.
The problem is that they can pull anything into their story. They aren’t building their story from the facts, they’re merely carefully and determinedly squeezing each new fact into their already developed story, as any of us could do with any theory and set of facts if we thought wildly enough (see my Lost comment).
For example, they say that Jesus’ ossuary was the plainest of all of them. This, they say, is evidence that it’s the Jesus of Christianity because he was a humble man. But this is a perfect example of how they can create a story to envelop any detail. If precisely the opposite evidence had presented itself (a highly ornamented ossuary rather than a plain one), they would have said, “See how honored his ossuary is! This must be Jesus!” Now instead, they’re saying, “See how humble his ossuary is! This must be Jesus!” If both ways could serve as equal evidence, neither carries any real weight.
For more on the weakness of their methodology in determining their theory, see my post “Statistics Aren’t Enough” on the STR blog.
And for some really wild speculation, read the chapter titled “Whence Came the Nazarenes” to learn about how this tomb is the source of all the Knights Templar symbols and the center of their worship (as revealed in the painting Supper at Emmaus, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci’s student). Its secrets were passed down by the Jewish Christians–like Paul–who never believed in Christ’s divinity. (And in case you’re wondering, no, I’m not making a joke here.)
Posted in Amy's Posts, Apologetics, Main Page No Comments »
March 2, 2007 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger Overton
Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009).
Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (570)
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We no longer attend funerals, we attend “memorials” or “celebrations.” While we’re there, we’re told that so and so went to the “big fishing hole in the sky,” regardless of whether or not so and so ever professed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are told that “Every cloud has a silver lining.” These are all indications that our culture cannot deal with the reality of sin and it’s consequences. In Too Good to Be True, author Michael Horton seeks to provide an honest look at sin and suffering and how Christians can deal with it.
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Horton begins by relating the tragic story of his parents’s deaths, setting the stage for the reality of sorrow we face in our lives. The book moves from suffering to biblical truths using autobiographical stories to bring to life the theological explanations of reality. Drawing from many passages of scripture and insightful theologians throughout Christian history, Horton offers explanations of the complex nature of the world we live in and points to the finished work of Christ on the cross as our true hope and joy for this life.
Michael Horton is a well established theologian with many academic works under his belt. Since I was only familiar with his academic work, I was somewhat surprised to find how well he wrote about his personal life in such a tender and insightful manner. Passages such as the following resonated with me and aided my perspective of God’s work in my life: “Even in my prayers, I can all too often identify with the hymn writer’s words, ‘Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.’ In moments of peak piety, I am still a struggling believer; and in moments of great transgression, I am still baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and thus a citizen of the new creation that has dawned with Christ’s victory over sin and death and his sending of the Spirit.” (p 146)
The result is an excellent book full of biblical wisdom and deep theology made practical for real life. I believe Too Good to Be True will be even more helpful for me when I return to it as trials occur in life, and I commend it to others as a faithful illumination of how Christians should deal with sin and suffering in their lives.
Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Roger's Posts 1 Comment »
In these current times when issues of truth about Jesus and Christianity come up, what we don't want to do is this.
(HT: Marko)
Posted in Amy's Posts, Apologetics, Main Page, Miscellaneous 2 Comments »
In a new documentary titled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” set to air on Sunday, James Cameron attempts to prove that archeologists have discovered not only Jesus' bones, but the bones of his mother, wife, child, and brother. If true, it would be the end of Christianity. As Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…[and] we are of all men most to be pitied.”
But (surprise, surprise) it turns out there are few problems with the evidence. I suspect we'll get a full refutation as time goes on, but for now, read about the situation in this article, see Ben Witherington's post for a quick response here, and see the STR blog for a note from Christian historian Paul Maier.
Regardless of how good the responses are, though, I'm sure people will quickly latch on to this story as a reason to reject Jesus' claims. This is good PR news for Cameron. With Jesus out of the way, this discovery should add some serious weight to his bid for King of the World.
Posted in Amy's Posts, Apologetics, Main Page No Comments »
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