The Goal of Atonement

"The goal of atonement, of redemption, is the rule of God over a kingdom wholly subject to the law of the covenant, and joyfully so....Without the dimension of law, life is denied the meaning and purpose of re-birth." ~R.J. Rushdoony

John Calvin on the Gospel

(Quotes taken from Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion)

“By the Gospel, I understand the clear manifestation of the mystery of Christ. I confess, indeed, that inasmuch as the term Gospel is applied by Paul to the doctrine of faith (1 Tim. 4:6), it includes all the promises by which God reconciles men to himself, and which occur throughout the Law. For Paul there opposes faith to those terrors which vex and torment the conscience when salvation is sought by means of works. Hence it follows that Gospel, taken in a large sense, comprehends the evidences of mercy and paternal favor which God bestowed on the Patriarchs. Still, by way of excellence, it is applied to the promulgation of the grace manifested in Christ.” (2.9.2)

“Paul, after calling the Gospel “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,” shortly after adds, that it was “witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,” (Rom. 1:16; 3:21). And in the end of the same Epistle, though he describes “the preaching of Jesus Christ” as “the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began,” he modifies the expression by adding, that it is “now made manifest” “by the scriptures of the prophets,” (Rom. 16:25, 26). Hence we infer, that when the whole Law is spoken of, the Gospel differs from it only in respect of clearness of manifestation.” (2.9.4)

“The sum of the Gospel is, not without good reason, made to consist in repentance and forgiveness of sins; and, therefore, where these two heads are omitted, any discussion concerning faith will be meager and defective, and indeed almost useless.” (3.3.1)

“Hence Paul designates faith as the obedience which is given to the Gospel (Rom. 1:5); and writing to the Philippians, he commends them for the obedience of faith (Phil. 2:17). For faith includes not merely the knowledge that God is, but also, nay chiefly, a perception of his will toward us.” (3.2.6)

“Moreover if it is true, and nothing can be more certain, than that a complete summary of the Gospel is included under these two heads—viz. repentance and the remission of sins, do we not see that the Lord justifies his people freely, and at the same time renews them to true holiness by the sanctification of his Spirit?” (3.3.19)

Books Update

And it's time for another book update! I love reading and I love it when I can share what I have been reading with others. Here is my attempt to briefly summarize my reading since January or so.

Books I have Read Recently:

The Greatness of the Great Commission by Ken Gentry

This book goes through the giving of the "Great Commission" (Matt. 28:16-20) in a very detailed way, showing its comprehensive nature. It is a great book dismantling dispensational/pietistic views of "soul saving" that don't really effect one's life and culture. Gives a good foundation for viewing Christ's redemption as saving the soul, body, person, life, culture, nations, etc... It especially focuses on the four alls of that passage: "All authority," "all nations," "all that I have commanded," and all times ("I am with you always, to the end of the age").

The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson

This book I read for the Wednesday night study that our church does mainly for training future church leaders. This book is the classic book on covenant theology done in the last hundred years. I think that the two most important doctrines for us to master in our day are the doctrines of the Trinity and of Covenant. The idea of covenant pervades and structures Scripture and history. It is the way God relates to man, and thus forms a central importance in creation, providence, and redemption. Because of covenant theology we can see the consistency between redemption in the Old and New Testaments, instead of seeing God dealing with sinners in separate ways in history. I think I benefited a little more from Joe Morecraft, Louis Berkhof, and Kevin Swanson than from Robertson on the subject of covenant theology, but it was still a good book laying out God's covenant relationship with His people throughout biblical history (and Morecraft and Swanson have drawn much from this book as well).

The Bible & War in America: A biblical view of an American obsession and steps to recover liberty

by Joel McDurmon

This is a short book on a very important topic in our day. It lays out a biblical view of war and military (especially using Deut. 17:14-20, 20:1-20, and 1 Sam. 8), then shows through American history the decline of the biblical view, and then shows the steps needed to recover a more biblical system in our day. I wish it was longer and more expanded in some parts. But I think the book is very needed in our day where Christianity is so mixed up with militaristic imperialism. 

Why I Believe God by Cornelius Van Til

This is the first thing written by Van Til that I have read (although I have read quite a bit that was heavily influenced by him and about him). Much of his writing involves heavy thinking, but this is a pretty simple paper written in a conversational style where he is talking to an unbeliever about why he believes God. You can read it here: http://www.reformed.org/apologetics/index.html?mainframe=/apologetics/why_I_believe_cvt.html

Born-Again Dirt: Farming to the Glory of God by Noah Sanders

This book cultivates a biblical vision for agriculture. The author, Noah Sanders, was interviewed on Generations Radio here: Farmer Boy 2012. We read much of the book out-loud on our way back from the Family Economics Conference where Noah spoke. When reading it I was struck with the many similarities with my book, even though I believe he read my book after he wrote his (and vice versa). I like it where he recognizes faults in both conventional farming and the alternative/organic farming, seeking solid biblical principles for farming. Another great thing about the book is Noah's humility in his writing, which I think I could learn from. A very practical book, whether you are a full time farmer or a gardener.

Federal Theology by John Girardeau

A small book written by Girardeau in 1881 defending "federal theology" (i.e. covenant theology, federal coming from the Latin word for covenant). He is mainly concerned with Christ's sacrifice and its application to us, especially against the Arminian view of salvation. Very good at comparing Adam's covenant headship and Christ's covenant headship.

Books I am reading:

In History:

Union 1812 by Langguth

A book on the War of 1812 that I got at the battle of Tippecanoe last year. It spends almost half the book talking about the time before the war started, which makes it hard since you feel like you are reading a really long introduction. Some of the bias of the author makes me unsatisfied with it, but it still has good information that I can use to piece together the history of this war and is pretty well written. After I'm done with this book I'll probably continue to look for "the book" I'd recommend to people interested in studying the war, but will still be glad I read.

Southern Presbyterian Leaders by Henry Alexander White

This book, written in 1911, covers the history of Southern Presbyterians from 1683 to 1911. It does a good job of piecing together this history and the accomplishments of Southern Presbyterians, although it doesn't get as deep as I would like, as it is more of a broad overview than a detailed examination of someone's life. I quoted from it here. You can read it on Google Books here.

In Theology/Philosophy: 

Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof

I am reading this book for our church's Wednesday night meetings. I like Berkhof's clear and organized style that makes it relatively easy to read. Sometimes it feels a little too precise, and it's not as beautiful as Calvin's Institutes, but for the most part it is a great systematic theology. I especially like the part on the covenant. Right now we are going through the ordo salutis (i.e. the order of salvation).

Study Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith by G.I. Williamson

Again, this is for the Wednesday night meetings. It goes through the Westminster Confession of Faith, explaining it in simple writing. A classic work on the WCF that has been used by many to understand Biblical/Reformed/Presbyterian doctrine. I actually met the author at our presbytery last month and enjoyed talking to him. This June will be the 60th anniversary of his being ordained as a minister of the gospel.

Early Christian Doctrines by J.N.D. Kelly

Again, this is for the Wednesday night thing (there is a lot of reading for this). Of course, saying that doesn't mean the that I don't like these books; on the contrary, I love the opportunity to read all these books. This book teaches the early church's doctrines (from the Apostles to Chalcedon). A very well researched examination of the various debates and teachings during this time. Pastor Swanson really is inspiring a love for the early church fathers in these meetings, as they really help us see what the fundamentals have been over time.

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

This I am reading for Shepherd Center, and reading it for the second time (the first was in 2009). We are going through the exposition of the moral law now. A classic work of Christianity, and one that I enjoy reading. Not merely is it a systematic theology, but it is also concerned with real practice and piety.

Institutes of Biblical Law by R.J. Rushdoony

This is probably one of the most important books written in the last one hundred years. We are reading this also for Shepherd Center (Pastor Buehner is teaching it). If you are not familiar with R.J. Rushdoony you should become familiar soon. He lived from 1916-2001 and had a huge influence on the following movements (in no particular order): presuppositional apologetics, creation science, Christian schools, homeschooling, theonomy, reformed and calvinistic theology, post-millenial eschatology, the "Christian Right," providential history, etc... If you have ever been influenced by ministries like Vision Forum, Generations with Vision, or American Vision, you probably have been influenced by this man. Even folks like Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry have acknowledged being influenced by Rushdoony. And he's the kind of guy that folks either really love or really hate. This book is considered his greatest work and contains an exposition of the Ten Commandments and many of their applications to life today.

The One and the Many by R.J. Rushdoony

Also by Rushdoony, I had been waiting to read this book for a while. You might have noticed me using the idea of the Christian "the One and the Many" before, and that was because I had read the first chapter before and had heard the idea taught by others. This book does go beyond "the One and the Many" into a history of philosophy from ancient Egypt to the present, especially noticing the effects of philosophy (Christian or otherwise) on social and political order. Takes some thinking, but a worthwhile read.

Joy at the End of the Tether by Douglas Wilson

I have just started reading this and am looking forward to it. It is a commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, which has been a favorite book-of-the-Bible of mine for at least six years. I knew I wanted to read it after Joe Morecraft told me that he thought highly of it (although he has problems with some other things Wilson has written). 

Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism, Volume II by Joseph Morecraft

And I'm still trying to get through Pastor Morecraft's five volume commentary on the Westminster Larger Catechism. I have been slowing down, not because it's hard reading (I find it very easy to read), but because of the other books (above) that have a higher short-term priority.

Despite the evidence to the contrary, I don't really like reading many books at the same time. But I do like reading lots of books, and this is what happens. Hopefully I will be able to whittle this list down to a reasonable size soon. I hope you all are reading good books as well, and if you have read any particularly good books recently, tell me in the comments.

Ralph Vaughan Williams on Hymnody

For those interested in Church music, I would recommend reading Ralph Vaughan Williams's Preface to the English Hymnal, 1906. There is wisdom in this short essay written by one of the better composers of the Edwardian era. I have found its recommendations helpful as I help my own church with its music. Here are a few favorite quotes from the Preface:

"No doubt it requires a certain effort to tune oneself to the moral atmosphere implied by a fine melody; and it is far easier to dwell in the miasma of the languishing and sentimental hymn tunes which so often disfigure our services."

"A tune has no more right to be dull than to be demoralizing."

"The congregation might be encouraged to sing and appreciate the finer melodies if a system of monthly congregational practices were held, at which the less known tunes could be made familiar..."

"The original rhythms of many of the old psalter tunes have also been restored, especially the long initial on the first syllable, which gives such a broad and dignified effect to these tunes. Attempts to adapt them to the procrustean bed of the nineteenth century hymn tune have merely taken away their character and made them appear dull."

William Wallace and the Psalter

The primary source for much of what we know about William Wallace is Blind Harry's Wallace. It is a twelve-book, 11,877 stanza poem written by Blind Harry, also known as Henry the Minstrel, who lived c. 1440-1493, who claimed that he based it upon the writings of John Blair, a childhood friend of Wallace's. At the very end of the poem, at the last moments of Wallace's life as he is being executed in England, a very interesting section reads thus:

Wallace about him, from his Child-hood kept,

Where e'er he went, whither he walk'd or slept,

A Psalter Book, which he beseech'd the Knight,

Lord Clifford, might be brought into his Sight.

Which done, he caus'd a Priest upon the Place

To hold it open straight before his Face,

On which he look'd, sometimes his Eyes up cast,

Religiously unto his very last.

Then quickly came the Executioner who,

Gave him the fatal, and the Mortal blow.

Thus in Defence, that Hero ends his Days,

Of Scotland's Right, to his immortal Praise...

The psalms were important to William Wallace, let them be to us as well.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:16)

The quote above is from the edition edited by William Hamilton of Gilbertfield, published 1722. (http://www.mostly-medieval.com/explore/intro.htm)

"A Stone Lying in Deep Mire"

Here is an excerpt from Patrick's Confession, written by Patrick of Ireland himself in the 5th century (basically his autobiography). 

"12. I am, then, first of all, countryfied, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see into the future, but I know for certain, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his great favours in this world and for ever, that the mind of man cannot measure."

You can read the rest of it here: http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/p01.html

Samuel Davies and George II

Here is a great story concerning Samuel Davies, a great pastor and preacher of the Great Awakening, told in a book I am reading, Southern Presbyterian Leaders, by Henry Alexander White (great book so far):

"According to tradition, the King of England, George the Second, attended one of his [Davies] public services and expressed in loud tones to those near his royal person his satisfaction at hearing and seeing the dissenting minister. Dr. Davies interpreted this conduct as irreverence in the Lord's house. He, therefore, paused and looking at the King, said: 'When the Lion roars the beasts of the forest all tremble; when King Jesus speaks, the princes of the earth should keep silence.' The King kept quiet, it is said, his respect and admiration for the minister being largely increased by the boldness of Davies." (emphasis mine)

Samuel Davis went on to inspire the young Patrick Henry, who would later have is own show down concerning George II's son, George III. It's amazing how God weaves the web of history. May our current 'princes of the earth' learn to listen to King Jesus.

Two Quotes from R. L. Dabney

I've been reading some of R. L. Dabney's Discussions and I thought I'd share two good quotes from him to whet your appetite for this very insightful man (he's not good on everything, but amazing when he's right).

From his essay The Standard of Ordination written in 1891, "In one word, if anything is made clear in the Bible concerning ministerial duty, this is clear: that Christ has appointed the pastors and evangelists of his church to be the teachers of religion to men, the appointed school-masters of the world in the one science of theology. But as Lord Bacon shows, this is the splendid apex of the whole pyramid of human knowledge. It is the mistress of all sciences to whom all the rest are tributary, history, ethnology, zoology, geology, literature, and especially philosophy, her nearest handmaid. The mistress must dominate all and rule all lest, becoming insurrectionary, they should use their hands to pull down the foundations of her throne. The teachers of the supreme science must not be ignorant of any other science. They ought to be strong enough to lead the leaders of all secular thought; for if they do not, the tendencies of the carnal mind will most assuredly prompt those secular leaders to array their followers against our King and his gospel.”

From his essay The Uses and Results of Church History written in 1854 (I'll probably use this sometime concerning food), "Those things which are the most operative elements of social, national and religious welfare are just the things which historians have been least careful to record. The knowledge of them has, in many cases, perished away for ever from our search. In secular history, battles, sieges, coronations, conquests, treaties; and in ecclesiastical history, councils and their canons, controversies and anathemas, have been the favorite themes of the story. But the food which nations ate, the clothing they wore, their domestic life, the state of domestic discipline, their arts, agriculture and amusements, the method of their devotions, their superstitions, the hymns they sang, the preaching to which they listened, the books they most read, the color of the national and social passions, the pecularities of the national spirit; all these every-day and homely influences are the causes which potentially form the character and compose that mighty current of the age on which kings, battles, conquests and conquerors are but the floating bubbles which indicate its motion. But all this historians have usually left to die with the passing time, as if it was unworthy of the dignity of their drama."

http://www.dabneyarchive.com/

Oikos-baptism

Now that I have been writing for a year and a half I think I can touch this controversial subject (not like I haven’t been controversial before). I don’t think the timing of baptism is a major issue by itself, although it is often a sign of larger problems in how we think of families and the church. This won’t be comprehensive, but hopefully it will be a good introduction to the subject. And hopefully this post will edify, not divide.

You might be a little confused by the title of this post. First, let me explain some terms. Paedo-baptism is the doctrine that children of believers should be baptized (paedo = child), while credo-baptism is the doctrine that only those who make a credible profession of faith should be baptized (credo = believe). I think paedo-baptists put themselves at a slight disadvantage with that name, as the primary point isn’t that children of believers should be baptized. The larger point is that children of believers should be baptized because they are members of households, the households of those with credible professions of faith, that should be baptized. This is why I would prefer to call myself an oikos-baptist (oikos = household) (you can call me a paedo-baptist, but I think oikos-baptist might be a more helpful term). Briefly stated, baptism is the sign and seal of the covenant of grace, and the covenant of grace is not only made with individuals, but with their families as well. In the Old Testament, whether it was Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15), Noah (Gen. 6:18; 9:9), Abraham (Gen. 17:7, 11-13), Moses and the Israelites (Deut. 29:10-15), or David (2 Sam. 7:12, 29), the covenant not only included the individual, but his household and offspring. Then when we get into the New Testament we see this pattern continued with verses like,

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38-39, emphasis added)

The Lord opened her [Lydia’s] heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:14-15, emphasis added)

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Acts 16:30-34, emphasis added) (Notice “he had believed God”, but “all his family” was baptized.)

Credo-baptists will often point out that there are not explicit examples of infants being baptized in the New Testament. But using the Old Testament as a background, and knowing that the covenant of grace (and the covenant of works) had always been made with households before, it is the credo-baptists that need to supply the proof that a believer's family was purposefully excluded from baptism. And to my knowledge there isn’t an example or teaching of that.

As result of oikos-baptism and covenantal thinking we can have Christian families. The family becomes more unified, and receives a greater emphasis than it would otherwise. As baptism is the public initiation into the visible covenant community (the church), the whole family is regarded as part of the church. The church is then largely made up of households, and not merely individuals. Children of believers are accepted as Christians (even before baptism, thus they receive baptism), as members of the church, unless they apostatize (and it must be remembered that the covenant can work as a greater curse to those who apostatize, Malachi; Deut. 28:15-68; Acts 7:51-53).

This doctrine of household baptism and the covenantal doctrine that it flows out of has a great influence on our method of discipleship. Discipling your children is not so much like evangelizing heathen, as much as it is to teach them to, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Using my last post’s example, it is to grow the subjective communion of life with God in faith, of which the objective covenant relationship is a sign and seal. As children in the covenant, we learn to repent of our sins, and believe, love, and obey God as a way of life, not trusting in baptism, in obedience, not even in faith for salvation, but trusting and believing in the saving work of Christ alone for salvation. For some, this faith might come later in life, while for others it may happen at, and even before birth (Luke 1:41,44; 2 Sam. 12:23; Ps. 22:9-10; 71:5-6), but regardless, we are called to accept our covenant responsibilities now and always, to trust God and rely on His grace. Christian parents have hope in the promise of God to be their children’s God, and they have the responsibility to bring up their children to share in the life of the covenant. In fact, their efforts to disciple should be encouraged by this hope of it actually succeeding by the grace of God.

With all that said, I do recognize that we are not always consistent with our doctrine, and that some credobaptists have done a better job than some paedobaptists at integrating the family into the church, and teaching families to disciple their children in the faith. I have a number of good friends that are baptists, and even just looking at the followers of this blog it looks to be about a 50/50 split (I actually have much more in common with reformed baptists than with many 'paedobaptists', i.e. Roman Catholics, liberal protestant denominations like the PCUSA, etc...). But while there are other issues that are more important, I think it is good to bring this issue out every once and awhile, especially in the individualistic culture of today. As I said in my last post, I think covenantal thinking is vitally important for us today. While there is much more to covenantal thinking than baptism, it does play a part, and should not be ignored.

Covenantal Theology and Society

You might remember my post a while back on Rules and Relationships, or you might have seen my post on Centralization on my food website. Both of them were dealing with the idea of covenant. The two very interwoven aspects of covenant can be called rules and relationships, and objective and subjective. In the marriage covenant there is an objective vow, structure, and rings that connect the man and women and a married couple, but there is also the relationship and love between the them which is essential for them to be one. Without the structure and objective connection there is an undefined basis (i.e. no basis) for love, and it is not what we would call a marriage. But without the love and subjective relationship, the structure and objective reality is legalistic and artificial. My pastor, Kevin Swanson, has described our covenant with God with the example of a branch being grafted into a tree. There is both an objective connection by binding the the branch to the tree by the physical band, but there is also the actual interchange of nutrients, water, sap, which makes the branch a living part of the tree. Louis Berkhof explains this idea in his Manuel of Christian Doctrine, that in the Bible the covenant has both a legal and objective aspect, as well as a communion of life (i.e. faith, love) that the legal aspect is a means to. Using Old Testament terminology, there is an objective circumcision of the flesh, and a circumcision of the heart. In the New Testament there is the baptism by water, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Both are very important, and they work together.

We can see how we have drifted away from covenantal community and the disastrous consequences of doing so. In the civil sphere the state has grown more and more objective and legalistic, centralizing power away from the local and relational community. This has resulted in public schools, state-funded impersonal welfare, vast amounts of rules regulating every minute part of life, and many other tyrannies. In the ecclesiastical sphere the church has gone the other way, becoming more and more subjective and individualistic, focusing on saving your little soul and your emotional affection towards Jesus. The Bible is losing objective authority and often can mean whatever you want it to mean for you. The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are often regarded as mere memorials, which are nice things that should make you feel better (and, of course, should only be done after your personal emotional experience). The invisible church (the truly elect Christians, not necessarily those part of the institutional church) is really all that matters to the the average evangelical, and sometimes the institutional church is even seen as a negative thing that gets in the way of true spirituality. In the familial sphere, families have gone both ways. Often conservatives have had a tendency to be more objective and legalistic, while liberals have a tendency to be more subjective and carefree with regards to rules and discipline, but families can fall into either trap fairly easily.

Now I am not against rules or relationships. I want them both, and both of them will help form the other one when done properly in covenant. I love the truth and I love people (at least I aim to do both). I believe that covenantal thinking is vitally important to living and working properly in life. Without it, our relationships to people and to God will be messed up. That is a very serious matter.

An Introduction to Missouri Folk Music

For your entertainment/edification/cultural enrichment here is a short introduction into the native folk music of my home state. 

First, a bit of old time fiddling. This is played at Ozark speed (which tends to be faster that the northern parts of the state) and is commonly played for square dances or contra dances. This tune is called Walk Along John.

Dave Para and Cathy Barton are an amazing husband and wife team that have been playing Missouri folk music for over 30 years. They generally play music more typical of "Little Dixie," in central Missouri. 

To be more complete I would need a video of bluegrass from Missouri, but I don't have the time to find a video. My mom played in a bluegrass band when we lived in Missouri, and we went to quite a few bluegrass festivals growing up. It is especially common near Branson area.

And just when you thought you had Missouri figured out, here comes a curve ball. Did you know that Missouri has had a French speaking population in its Old Mines district? The language is nearly dead now, although in the late 80s there were still about 1,000 native French speakers. They've been here since the 1700s. Here is a neat article about the French culture in Missouri: http://www.archaeology.org/online/interviews/stroughmatt.html

This song was recorded in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, July 2007.  It is called "La Guillanee", and is a Illinois-Indiana-Missouri French New Year Song.