Westminster around the Web - Da Vinci Code

Should Christians Read The Da Vinci Code? This is the question that Richard Mouw - former President of Fuller Theological Seminary asks and answers at the Davinci Code: The Challange.

We are about to enter a new battleground - our Christian faith, everything we believe about Jesus Christ - divine Son of God, our very Biblical foundation - will be challenged. Vulnerable post-modern society with no foundational beliefs will be susceptible. The Doctrine of the Authority of Scripture in Chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith will be turned on its head. Dr. Mouw writes:

As a Christian, questions about who Jesus is are not for me matters of mere curiosity. They have to do with the most basic issues of life. I believe that he is exactly who the Gospel writers say he is: the heaven-sent Savior, the eternal Son of God who appeared in the flesh to do for us what we could never do for ourselves; it is only because of Jesus that sinners can get right with God and receive the gift of eternal life. If Dan Brown’s story is accurate—even only a few key details of his plot are true—my faith is fundamentally misguided.

How do we get ready for this challenge - read Richard Mouw.

February 12, 2006  |  Permalink   |  Comments (4)   |  TrackBack (0)

The Imperative of Scriptural Preaching

I know.... it's Thursday morning and I should be setting up the coffee for our morning Bible Study. But, if you know me, you know I can't stay away from searching for that last little tidbit to bring to study. I found a good one today. The Imperative of Preaching hits me on two levels. The first, the sufficiency of Scripture - as it relates to our study of the Doctrine of Holy Scriptures. The second, serving on the Pulpit committee, being reminded of the absolute requirement that preaching be expositional - verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Forcing us to be Christians who are passionate for Christ and Scripture.

Let me offer a quote - than read the rest.

The congregation can learn numerous lessons from expository preaching. A church that has expository preaching will be a church filled with Christians passionate for Christ and scripture (in addition, to understanding the congruency of the Bible, the contextual basis of a passage, and holistically looking at scripture.) This can only happen if preaching is placed as the primacy of the church. In other words, only if preaching is the centrality of worshipping corporately together will we find ourselves surrounded by doctrinal purity. I’m tired of preachers imagining they have an audible word from God; as if God spoke to them as he did to Moses. Expository preaching brings us back to the sufficiency of scripture. It is the dependence on scripture and the inspiration the Holy Spirit has provided through men who wrote scripture.

He goes on to say that modern evangelical Christians are plagued by the ideology of "Christianity is Life, not doctrine". "In other words, it's not about what you believe, hot how you work out the plan."

God does speak to us. It’s right in front of us and pastors have failed to look. It is of course Scripture. The supreme rule of faith and life is before us and pastors have chosen to tickle people’s ears.We need Men who realize the plight and disposition of man and the light of the gospel; moreover, we need men who understand the imperative of preaching as the means of grace toward their congregation.

Sorry if the coffee is late - good reminders are an addiction.

October 28, 2005  |  Permalink   |  Comments (0)   |  TrackBack (0)

New Testament for Men?

This is the latest from Thomas Nelson.

Chapter 1, sec. 5 of the Westminster Confession of Faith says:

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our heart.

High and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures is lacking in offensive material such as this!

October 26, 2005  |  Permalink   |  Comments (0)   |  TrackBack (0)

The Sufficiency of Scripture

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequences may be deduced form Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. - Westminster Confession of Faith

BUT.... we ask, what if a man never heard the gospel or read the scriptures? What of men who believe sincerely in another religion that has a god, but not Jesus Christ? What of Moses and others in the Old Testament who did not have the completed Scripture?

We will face these questions once again as we progress through the confession. In the meantime, let me point you to an article by J.I. Packer Salvation sans Jesus - where he answers the questions of universalism and inclusivism. Are the Scriptures sufficient for salvation or does God provide other means that are sufficient in themselves?

October 20, 2005  |  Permalink   |  Comments (0)   |  TrackBack (0)

Westminster around the Web

Still on Chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith where we are dealing with Scriptual Authority, Scriptural Sufficiency and the Doctrine of the Word of God. Is this doctrine settled, old or stuffy? Well, let's tour the Web and see who's blogging about these issues.

No doubt you've heard of the Jesus Seminar. A group of scholars who got together to prove (they said they were objective) that Jesus didn't really say anything that is reliable. That's old news.

Now we have The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown. A fiction novel that claims it is fiction, but at the same time claims it is factual when speaking of the historical Jesus, the gospels, and history of the New Testament. Dan Brown uses non-cannonical sources to prove his points, but dismisses the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Mark D. Roberts, pastor of Irvine Presbyterian, and a Ph.D in New Testament from Harvard has blogged about both the Jesus Seminar and The Davinci Code. Now he is blogging a wonderful series called, Are the New Testament Gospels Reliable? If you've been faced with questions - this is a good place for the laymen to start.

Another blog I'd like to recommend is Reformation 21, this is the blog of The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. They have insightful posts that are Reformed, current and often touch on Westminster issues. Currently Rick Phillips is taking a tour through B. B. Warfield's writings on divine revelation. If you haven't gotten to Warfield yet, these posts will give you a deeper understanding on how God has revealed himself to us. The post I really like is Modes of Revelation.

That's it for today's tour of Westminster on the Web.

October 14, 2005  |  Permalink   |  Comments (0)   |  TrackBack (0)

On Holy Scriptures - Chapter One

Hymn for Week 1: Standing on the Promises
This hymn speaks of the promises of God's Word as the eternally firm and unchanging foundation on which we can rest our faith. In the midst of doubt and fear these promises "cannot fail."

Scripture for Week 1: 2 Timothy 3:16: All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

Catechism for Week 1: Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 1-3

Suggested helpful reading is posted under Resources on the top menu.

October 11, 2005  |  Permalink   |  Comments (0)   |  TrackBack (0)