Still Reformed Baptist

                     

The Little Black Spot on the Human Heart

There's a little black spot on the sun today

It's the same old thing as yesterday

There's a black hat caught in the high tree top

There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain 

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain.

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign 

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain.

There's a little black spot on the sun today, that's my soul up there

It's the same old thing as yesterday, that's my soul up there

There's a black hat caught in a high tree top, that's my soul up there

There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop, that's my soul up there

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain 

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain.

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign 

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain.

"King of Pain"

The Police

1983

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"

(Romans 3:23)



In writing the various controversial posts for this blog, it is possible for me to forget the majestic reservoir and foundation from where my theology is derived. I very much believe in the Augustinian and Calvinist conception of the grace of God and the depravity of humanity. I believe that in mankind's original state, Adam and Eve dwelt in a world of perfection but fell from grace. Because we are all direct physical offspring of Adam, we have inherited a sinful nature. We sin by nature and by choice and because God is absolutely holy, He cannot receive us as we are. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory and the wages of our sin is death and desolation. Things are now not the way they are supposed to be. The very world we live in is fallen.

The good news is that while there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from this fallen condition, God is merciful and has provided a way of grace and salvation for us.

God has provided the gift of His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again from the dead to give eternal life to all who will sincerely repent and believe.

Although we have fallen from grace, there is a way of escape and that avenue of redemption comes through faith in Jesus Christ who is the only way of salvation.

Jesus said,

"I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, except by Me."

                                                                                                  (John 14:6).

God's infallible and inerrant Word says,

"Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved" (Acts 14:12).

Jesus Christ is the way of grace for those who believe. Only Jesus can heal the little black spot of sin on our human hearts.

God is good and full of grace, we need to trust in Him today.



Think and Critique Everything

                   "But examine everything carefully, hold fast to the truth."

                                                            ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:21

American Bandwagon

The Kansas City Royals and why many Americans identify with winning sports teams even if they did not know who they were last week..

 

 

"Once I had fame
I was full of pride
Well, there were a lot of friends
Always by my side

But my luck ran dry
Now my friends begin to hide

Everybody loves a winner
Everybody loves a winner
When you lose, you lose alone."

 

U2

Achtung Baby (1991)

 

Like freshly made popcorn, I have seen Kansas City Royals hats "popping up" on people’s heads all over town and grown men frothing at the mouth and feverishly launching themselves on the trendy Kansas City Royals bandwagon quicker than jumping jack flash. 

 Now, don’t get me wrong, I like underdogs and I believe the Kansas City Royals deserve a lot of credit for making the Word Series after decades of losing and horrible teams.

Yet, recently I have noticed the “bandwagon phenomena,” that is a phrase I have coined to describe a pretty common tendency in many American sports enthusiasts to immediately become so called “fans” of a winning sports team. 

I have seen it for most of my life and it saddens me, because most of these people have not rooted for the Kansas City Royals before their run to the World Series and will drop them like yesterday’s trash if they lose to the Giants.

I wonder how many of these new Royals fair weather “fans” will pay attention to them next year?

I think we all have jumped on the bandwagon at one time or another but this is madness! People are spending their hard earned money on Kansas City Royals baseball caps and jeresy's even though they don't know where Kansas City is or that they were a major league team a month ago!

I believe this “bandwagon phenomena” betrays a tremendous weakness in American society and causes people to identify with winning sports teams as though this identification with a winner will somehow fill the tremendous void in their lives and authenticate their lonely existence. By identifying with a winner, they somehow feel they will be popular and be perceived by their peers as winners too.

It is a very sad trend in our culture and shows the bankruptcy and transient nature of American culture.

Just yesterday I heard a guy say that he would spend hundreds of dollars on a plane ticket and even more money on a World Series ticket is he perceives that the Royals have a shot at winning the championship because he craves the front runner...

I have a confession to make, I did not care about the Kansas City Royals before their recent run to the playoffs and while I think it is a novel thing to see them make the World Series this year, I don’t think I will care if they win or lose.

This sports bandwagon phenomena demonstrates the utter bankruptcy of the human heart and American soul.

 

 

 

Burned by the Fire of Fundamentalism

                                              "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord."

                                                                                            Psalm 130:1
                                 

                                                          

And when Man gained dominion
over land and the oceans
he began to harm the planet
with his asphalt and his toxins
and to lay the forest bare
and to poison even the air
and he killed every beast
and taught the seas how to bleed

Burned by the fire we make,
what a shame...

"Burned by the Fire we Make"

 Andrew Belew

------------

"Losing My Religion"

R.E.M.

Oh life, it's bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I've said enough

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour
I'm choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool, fool
Oh no, I've said too much
I've said enough

Consider this
Consider this, the hint of the century
Consider this, the slip
That brought me to my knees, failed
What if all these fantasies come
Flailing around
Now I've said too much

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why try
That was just a dream
Just a dream
Just a dream, dream

it was just a dream...

                                                              

Yesterday I received an email from someone I have not spoken to in several years. He started off the email, with the following words,

"Hope that you are doing well at Princeton. Be careful of all of the liberal theology."

This is not the first email or exhortation I have received like this. I have received incessant emails and phone calls warning me over and over again about perceived and alleged "liberalism" at the school and community I have chosen to earn a master's degree at.

I understand their concern, I really do. It is in the very fabric and cultural ethos of American Evangelicalism to attack perceived liberalism in everything and anything that comes its way.

I am personally burned out with this sort of fundamentalism. "Burned out" is actually a major understatement. I have been shredded bare by fundamentalist Evangelicalism. I am burned to a crisp and can not take any more. Specifically, I am opposed to the Christian fundamentalism that began in the early 20th century here in America as a reaction against alleged theological liberalism and cultural modernism in some mainline churches and in society. The worst case of this sort of fundamentalism was on display in the 1925 Scopes Trial and exists today in such denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention.


I have wasted almost my entire life being part of an expression of Evangelical Christianity that sees as one of its main functions is to attack liberalism.


As for me, I am not a fundamentalist anymore. I am not sure if I really ever was. I am just a Christian guy trying to make his way in this harsh and bitter world.


I have nothing more to give to a fundamentalist Christian movement that only criticizes culture and does a very bad job even doing that.

Yes, it is true. All the rumors are correct. I have lost my "religion" I have thrown away the fundamentalist creed of attacking what I we do not understand. I am done with that. I have lost the religion of fundamentalism for sure. In its place I have found the God of historic Christianity.

I should have been with Him in the first place. I still believe in God, the Trinity and all the essential truths of the historic Christian faith. I still can say this with all my heart.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Why I am Praying for Mark Driscoll

    By now most of us have heard that Mark Driscoll has resigned from his position as Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. If you have not heard this news, you can click on to the following links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/us/mark-driscoll-evangelical-megachurch-mars-hill.html?_r=0

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/10/15/mark-driscoll-top-megachurch-pastor-resigns/

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/october-web-only/mark-driscoll-resigns-from-mars-hill.html


I am personally saddened about this turn of events. I really respect Mark Driscoll on many levels and pray that his departure from Mars Hill is the best for him and his family.

While I can understand why Mark Driscoll stepped down from his ministry and probably support this step, I am heartbroken because I personally love him and believe in his ministry. As a fellow Evangelical with similar theological views, I agree with much of Mark Driscoll's outlook and feel bad that this has occurred. Mark is a great man and great teacher of God's Word and I wish him the very best.

I do not support many of the questionable things Mark Driscoll has done over the years and think over all that him stepping down from leadership from Mars Hill is best for his church and for American Evangelicalism. I do not rejoice in Mark Driscoll's resignation and fall from public grace.

Mark Driscoll is a very gifted man and my prayer is that God will restore him to ministry in some capacity in the future. I am very sad about this and words cannot express how bad I feel for him and his family. Whether or not if you were a supporter of Mark Driscoll, please pray for him and his family.

 I can only imagine how bad they feel right now. I hope he has a group of dedicated and loving Christians around him. I am sad that there are people out there who were hurt by Pastor Mark and pray for reconciliation between all parties.

There is much about Mark Driscoll I can relate to. His resignation from his pastoral position caused me to reflect upon my own life and ministry.

On Controversy, Blogging and Honoring Christ

Guess who's back, back again
Eddie's back, tell a friend
Guess who's back,
guess who's back,
guess who's back,
guess who's back
guess who's back
Guess who's back?

Over the last couple of weeks I have received a lot of feedback on some of the posts I have published here on "Theologian X." Through emails and instant messenger on Facebook, some people have let me know that they did not appreciate the controversial nature of some of my blog posts.

While I want to respect the concerns of these individuals and produce a blog that is honors Christ in all that I communicate, I think it is important that I state clearly at this juncture, that I cannot promise that I will not post blogs of a controversial nature. In fact, I will. I will also publish controversial blog posts regarding the Southern Baptist Convention. I will try not to let bitterness overtake me, but promise to comment on the SBC objectively in  manner that honors Christ and is relevant.

I have never been one to mince words and avoid controversy and I will not now. I will try to listen to the concerns of my readers, but cannot promise that I will always write on things that you agree with. I also want to say that the days of me taking down controversial blog posts are over. From now on, what I have written will remain as is on Theologian X whether or not it is controversial or happens to offend..

I plan on writing on a lot of issues facing the Evangelical Church and the Southern Baptist Convention and will often push the envelope in communicating my views. I do want to honor Christ in all that I do here, but cannot promise that I won't step on toes and break some dishes in the process.

Moving forward, I have big plans for this blog and am working on incorporating this blog into my larger website that will also include my podcasts and videos.

I plan on throwing down the proverbial gauntlet and to quote Eminem, "it is about to get heavy in here."