Why I Like John Piper...and Keith Ferguson

Somewhere over a decade ago, someone whispered in my ear - "You should check out John Piper." OK, maybe they didn't whisper in my ear, but somehow it only sunk in subconsciously. It took awhile longer for me to follow this advice. My first hearing or two (this was by way of Podcasts), I wasn't all that taken. Piper's speaking style, emphatic emphasis, and cadence didn't sync with my preferences (think R.C. Sproul's almost pure didactic style and you'll get the gist of my personality type). Thankfully, I didn't dismiss him after such a short time.

It wasn't long before I not only began to tolerate this Reformed Baptist preacher from Minneapolis, but I began to like him. A whole lot*. I began hearing past the personality that was quite different than mine, as well as the stylistic conventions he used, and I began hearing something I realized I really needed to hear. What I needed to hear was the powerful combination of intellectual prowess and integrity, along with a heart-felt passion for God himself and His glory.

I learned that John was a very careful thinker - he didn't just give the standard Evangelical (or, indeed, even Reformed) answers just because he was socialized to do so. He was, and is, willing to go against the grain when he believed that he had scriptural or logical reasons to do so. At the same time, he approaches controversial topics with humility and grace. The only time I've seen him get his hackles up is when he believes the Gospel itself is being threatened. As far as public figures are concerned, I most closely and clearly identify with John Piper's theology and even (most of his) opinions, though not all of his behavioral convictions.

So - why am I tying all of this to my pastor Keith Ferguson? Keith is younger than me by more years than I am of Piper. I do have some life experience wisdom Keith simply cannot possess due to the reality of age. However, I have no problem listening to Keith's counsel as I believe he possesses some of the same qualities I admire in Piper. I believe Keith is a careful thinker, and is willing to re-examine positions if he believes scripture and reason drive him to do so. Keith is no slouch intellectually (he used the word ontology in the first sermon I heard him preach - I was hooked right then!), but he continues to grow in his passion for the Gospel of God's sovereign grace. With every new sermon series, I anticipate him stepping it up even more in his emphasis on God's over-powering Grace through the Gospel.

What I need from a preacher and pastor is both intellectual depth and integrity along with passion for the things of God - specifically, the Gospel. I have seen this "template" in John Piper, and I am seeing this develop more and more in Keith - in spite of their very different personalities. It will be God who ordains the breadth of Keith's ministry just like he has with John Piper. Regardless of what the future holds, my prayer is that Keith will continue to be faithful with the charge he has right now - which I have confidence in by God's grace. God is producing fruit from this small vineyard in Round Rock, Texas. Soli Deo Gloria!

*Yes, that's an intentional sentence fragment! It's used for conversational emphasis. Like. Totally!

Answering a Fool

The book of Proverbs is composed primarily of pithy statements that generalize how life operates, particularly with a view of God's design and sovereignty over His world. It is perhaps the one book of the Bible wherein we may pluck individual verses for quoting without worrying too much about the surrounding context. There are some exceptions of course, especially when you realize that the chapter and verse demarcations are of fairly recent origin (circa the 1500's).

One particular pairing of verses are used to indicate a paradox, very similar to philosopher Bartholomew J. Simpson's paradox. Here are verses 4 and 5 from chapter 26 (HCSB):

• Don't answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you'll be like him yourself.
• Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he'll become wise in his own eyes.

In a recent online "discussion" I initially weighed in favoring verse 5 - answering a fool for his foolishness. I was succinct, direct, and was trying to avoid any ad hominem attacks on this individual who was disparaging the God of the Bible. What I received back was bile, hatred, non-sequiturs, assertions and quotations without context.

There was no reasoning involved - only "yelling", presumptions of motives, and the claiming of the moral high ground without adequate cause. Once it became obvious that this individual cared neither for sound reasoning nor for the consideration of others, I applied the verse 4 side of the paradox and cut off further discussion.

Next time, I will be more mindful of Proverbs 29:9:

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

The Gospel in beat poem

Here's an incredible video with artist Jason Petty giving a clear and compelling presentation of the Gospel message.

Good News and Bad News

All of us are familiar with the setup, "I've got good news and bad news - which do you want first?" Most of the time, the conversation (or joke) proceeds with "Give me the bad news first!" Why is that? Well, generally, we just want to get the bad news over with, or we want a context for the good news after we've received the bad news.

What about the Gospel? The term Gospel is from the old English gōd-spell which means "good-news" or "glad-tidings". This, in turn, was derived from the Greek euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον), which literally means "good message" or "good announcement." So, when we are proclaiming the Gospel, we are literally telling people the good news! It is an announcement of what God has done for His people, not (inherently) a way of life or acts of mercy and charity.

So, back to my original setup here - if there's a good news to tell people, isn't there a corresponding bad news that helps contextualize the good news for us? I believe the answer is a clear yes. That bad news is the law - what God holds against us for our acts of treason against Him, and breaking the moral law which reflects His very nature. Only after we understand our debt before God can we appreciate the good news of God's amazing grace he extends to us through the cross.

I will have some posts later on

• What it is is that God holds against us.
• How we can understand the relationship of law and gospel.
• How the Gospel can really become the good news instead of "good advice," or just a way to have our best life now.

Is the Bible Like a Software License?

Although it seems to me that this illustration was probably done by a skeptic, I have to say it seems there's a modicum of truth to it.

Christians, let's prove this wrong!

Loving and Obeying Christ

As I began to grasp the doctrines of grace, I saw more clearly the depths of my depravity. I recognized that God's forgiveness to me was not conditional because Jesus had already met the conditions required for true righteousness. However, I still saw (and see to this day) a huge gap between a life that is pleasing to God and my own conduct.

How, then, may I live a life pleasing to God, yet not be focused on the deeds themselves so that I may boast in them (or find my justification)? Here's how God guided me through the process.

• Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commands (John 14:21, 23, 24).
• If we are forgiven much, we love much - if we are forgiven little, we love little (Luke 7:46-48).
• Our justification before God hinges not on our moral efforts, but our willingness to admit our depravity and need of forgiveness (and receiving that offer of forgiveness, trusting in the atonement and righteousness of Christ). See the parable of the Tax-collector and Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14.
• Finally, in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), we see that the servant departed thinking he could somehow repay God (vs. 26) for a "reprieve" vs. the actual offer of complete forgiveness (vs. 27). It is no wonder, then, that this servant went out and choked his fellow servant, not extending him any mercy.
  

So, how does all of this work together?

• We realize we have a moral obligation to obey God's commands, yet we find that we fail to do so, and often find we have a blatant lack of desire for obedience as well.
• Jesus words in Luke 7 tie the forgiveness we've received with our love for Him.
• If we, like the tax collector, realize just how sinful we are, and make no attempt to justify our standing before God because of our works, we stand in His justification.
• We must cast from our minds any belief that we have any ability to pay off our debt to God, but must instead just marvel as His amazing grace!

Now, this posting isn't the final word on how all of this works out. I'm certain there are many ministers of the gospel who have a more profound grasp of all of this than I, or how have a more elegant way to address this issue. All I am really saying is that this works for me, and I don't believe I've done violence to the texts I've cited or the essential meaning of the gospel.

I'd be interested in any comments, additional insights, or corrections about what I have written.

Influences on my Faith

I have had many influences in my life that have impacted my faith. However, in the last 20 years, two individuals stand out to me as far as how God used them strategically in shaping my thinking about the Christian life. I'd like to recognize them here.

• Michael J. Murray, philosopher and Christian apologist. Michael was my adult Sunday school teacher at Blackhawk Evangelical Free Church in Madison, WI. I was there less than a year, but Michael's approachable style and depth of knowledge awakened a hunger in me that I didn't realize I had. Most of my years growing up in the evangelical church (not the Ev. Free - I was raised Southern Baptist), I had been socialized to view the life of the mind as something a Christian needn't worry about. Questions either went unanswered or dismissed as the thoughts of a marginal believer. Although Michael was "just" teaching a Sunday school class, he was in fact influencing my thoughts in ways he probably never imagined - including my journey towards a more Reformed understanding of salvation and grace (I am most aligned with John Piper in his particular views on most things, hence my citation). Thanks, Michael, for doing a good job in what may have seemed pedestrian and mundane.
• Dave Geisler, Christian evangelist and equipper of saints in this post-modern era. Dave has been, and remains, a close friend. I think in the past 30 years, I can count on one hand the friends I've had who I consider as close as Dave (my wife excluded). Dave's main contribution to my life has been to think both strategically and tactically in how I articulate my faith and interact with others about it. Dave's techniques in talking to people about Christ (and more importantly, how to listen) and his gospel have proven not only effective, but indispensable in how I approach these conversations. Dave's tutelage, patience, and dialogs with me personally have made a life-long impact on me. Thanks, Dave - for being not only a teacher and mentor, but for being a good friend and willingness to put up with some of my perspectives that don't always match yours (see my Reformed theology reference above!).

There are many others who have made a significant difference in my life, but Michael and Dave have been the most catalytic in my thinking and general orientation to my faith. Thanks guys!

The Death of Death

I'm reading through The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, wherein John Owen argues for particular redemption. Nothing is more controversial, in what is widely considered as a distinct feature of Calvinism, than this idea (more popularly known as Limited Atonement).

I'm finding that some parts are easy to follow and track with him. Other portions of the text leave me wondering "where is he going with this?" As I talked with a literature expert, Jon Lamb (who just received his doctoral degree from UT), it is fairly typical of writers of this era to be exhaustive in every minor point to assure their readers they are giving the subject matter a thorough treatment. In this ADD age, we are used to sound bites and twitter feeds to give us the bottom line in a matter of seconds. I am being challenged to let the case develop methodically.

Having said all of that, I'm only up to chapter 5 of the first "book" in the book. I don't know whether he published this as an anthology or what (hence the books within the book). Still, that's kind of sad. I read maybe a few pages here and there, but the Kindle shows I'm only like 7% of the way through the book. Way to go Greg! :-(

Four Horsemen Discuss Genesis

Christopher Hitchens actually admits that the Bible's account of creation is correct. No wonder these guys are called the Four Horsemen of the Atheist Apocalypse!

How Amazing is Grace?

Often quoted, but still worth repeating. The words of John Newton:

My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things — that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.

Why "Reluctant Elder"?

I started this blog at the urging of my daughter, Deborah. She told me I had too many things rolling around in my head to keep them all bottled up. Maybe she was right...or not. I'll let you judge the final product.

As to the title, it describes me on two different levels:

1. I feel like I'm just now figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, and here I am having late middle-age effects. I don't mind the wisdom I have gained along the way - I just wish I wasn't so old to make use of it!
2. I started a 3-year term as an elder of my church in January. For a number of years, I resisted seeking the office of an elder because I thought that it was a prideful pursuit and that I was not up to the task. While I am now persuaded otherwise for the first belief, I still hold to the second. However, I know that God's grace is sufficient for what he has called me to.

So - what I intend to post here are short thoughts, snippets, insights, comments, etc. Nothing long, extremely deep, or overly provocative. Just musings and a bit of a journal of my journey through this phase of my life.