I'm going to try a historical theology sermon series at church next term. Having never done anything like this before, and being something less than an expert historian it's going to be a challenge. Hopefully I'll be able to pull together enough interesting and useful material to give our congregation a sense of the depth of thinking that has gone on over the last 2000 years.
So far I have a title for the series Antique Theology. And I've chosen my topics:
Athanasius and the nature of Jesus Christ
Augustine and the two cities
Anselm and the atonement
Luther and faith
Calvin and the church
Edwards and emotions
Bonhoeffer and discipleship
The first 5 topics really picked themselves. The last two were more difficult. I thought about Wesley or Whitfield instead of Edwards. But I've read more of Edwards than the other two, and I think Whitfield is really more of a practitioner than a theologian, and it would probably be easier to work with the Reformed Edwards than the Arminian Wesley.
As for Bonhoeffer, it was tricky thinking about a modern theologian to deal with. I could have done Barth, but Bonhoeffer is such a great story, and again I think slightly easier to come to terms with some of his stuff than Barth who no one seems to be able to agree on what he was really saying!
Anyway - let me know if you think I've missed anyone important, and if you have any better titles for a church history series.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Priorities for single staff pastors
Old but good post I came accross here from CJ Mahaney from Soveriegn grace ministries. Very wise advice from my experience. Although I'm now looking for the post on how to actually do what I've prioritised.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recipe - Chicken and Bacon stuff
Well, I've been tagged by Simone to provide a recipe. I think I'll just have to give the one for what we had last night. It's a Simone special, designed for dinner last night, and it was good enough for me to want to have it for lunch today as well.
2 Chicken breasts
a couple of rashers of bacon, chopped
an onion, chopped
some olives
some capers (I think these would be optional)
a large can of tomatoes
a splash of red wine
a teaspoon of crushed garlic
Put all the ingredients in an oven proof dish and bake for a while - probably 45mins - 1 hour (we had to finish it off in the microwave because the chicken wasn't quite cooked).
Serve with Rice
YUM
2 Chicken breasts
a couple of rashers of bacon, chopped
an onion, chopped
some olives
some capers (I think these would be optional)
a large can of tomatoes
a splash of red wine
a teaspoon of crushed garlic
Put all the ingredients in an oven proof dish and bake for a while - probably 45mins - 1 hour (we had to finish it off in the microwave because the chicken wasn't quite cooked).
Serve with Rice
YUM
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Calvin on knowing God
We know the most perfect way of seeking God, and the most suitable order, is not for us to attempt with bold curiosity to penetrate to the investigation of his essence, which we ought more to adore than meticulously to search out, but for us to contemplate him in his works whereby he renders himself near to us, and in some manner communicates himself.
Institutes I.v.9
Institutes I.v.9
Great point from Calvin on ceremonies
And we ought to note this fact even more diligently: all men have a vague general veneration of God, but very few really reverence him; and wherever there is great ostentation in ceremonies, sincerity of heart is rare indeed.
Institutes I.ii.2
Institutes I.ii.2
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Nehemiah the Godly Isrealite
I'm preaching on Nehemiah at the moment, and I've been thinking about two questions. First, what impact does the 'first person' nature of the book have on the way we understand it. What I mean is, all the events in Nehemiah are mediated to us through the perspective of Nehemiah himself. This is different from other Old Testament Narratives, where you often get the divinely inspired narrator giving us direct access into what God is doing in a particular set of events. However in Nehemiah there is no narrator, and so it is entirely his opinion about what God is doing and what is happening in general.
In my mind, the first person nature of the book (technically bits of the book are known as the Nehemiah Memoirs) draws us in to identify very strongly with Nehemiah. You can't stand back from his decisions and choices and feelings and analyse what God is doing objectively. You really enter into his world. I think this means that you can't avoid but read Nehemiah as a godly role model.
Which leads me onto my second question: What Biblical Theological theme does Nehemiah fit into. I think often, because he is such an effective leader, we tend to place him in the leader/King theme of Biblical theology, and see him as a type of Jesus our King. However in Nehemiah 6 it is made very clear that Nehemiah is NOT a king. He is not from the Davidic line and he is not presented as God's annointed leader. I want to suggest that a better Biblical theological theme in which to place Nehemiah is the faithful Israelite.
Right from the start of the Book Nehemiah, where Nehemiah is the repentant Israelite confessing his sins and praying for the return of the exile, through his wholehearted love for his neighbours (Neh 5), his respect for the temple (Neh 6), and his continual request for God to look favourably on him. Nehemiah seems to present himself, in contrast to the other Jews, as the faithful Israelite living the life of wholehearted obedience that Deuteronomy 30 called for.
As such, Nehemiah is not a type of Jesus our King, but a type of Jesus the true Israelite who is able to do what Nehemiah couldn't do - live on behalf of his people, deal with their sin and send his holy spirit to give them new hearts.
As a faithful Isrealite, Nehemiah is also, again more naturally an example for us. He is not an annointed King. He is not a Prophet. He is not a priest. He is a faithful follower of God seeking to serve him with all his heart and live according to his plans. He perhaps lack the confidence in God's grace that we have through Christ. But He stands as a great role model of someone who was absolutely serious about God's plans.
In my mind, the first person nature of the book (technically bits of the book are known as the Nehemiah Memoirs) draws us in to identify very strongly with Nehemiah. You can't stand back from his decisions and choices and feelings and analyse what God is doing objectively. You really enter into his world. I think this means that you can't avoid but read Nehemiah as a godly role model.
Which leads me onto my second question: What Biblical Theological theme does Nehemiah fit into. I think often, because he is such an effective leader, we tend to place him in the leader/King theme of Biblical theology, and see him as a type of Jesus our King. However in Nehemiah 6 it is made very clear that Nehemiah is NOT a king. He is not from the Davidic line and he is not presented as God's annointed leader. I want to suggest that a better Biblical theological theme in which to place Nehemiah is the faithful Israelite.
Right from the start of the Book Nehemiah, where Nehemiah is the repentant Israelite confessing his sins and praying for the return of the exile, through his wholehearted love for his neighbours (Neh 5), his respect for the temple (Neh 6), and his continual request for God to look favourably on him. Nehemiah seems to present himself, in contrast to the other Jews, as the faithful Israelite living the life of wholehearted obedience that Deuteronomy 30 called for.
As such, Nehemiah is not a type of Jesus our King, but a type of Jesus the true Israelite who is able to do what Nehemiah couldn't do - live on behalf of his people, deal with their sin and send his holy spirit to give them new hearts.
As a faithful Isrealite, Nehemiah is also, again more naturally an example for us. He is not an annointed King. He is not a Prophet. He is not a priest. He is a faithful follower of God seeking to serve him with all his heart and live according to his plans. He perhaps lack the confidence in God's grace that we have through Christ. But He stands as a great role model of someone who was absolutely serious about God's plans.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Survey of Childcare/parenting in the Bible
As promised, here are some thoughts on childcare in the Bible. The post has gotten a bit out of hand - it's trying to survey bits of the Bible explicitly touching on parenting. However, having done this survey it's pretty clear to me that most of the significant things the Bible says about parenting are not explicitly about parenting - they're about godliness.
But since I've done this survey - here it is.
The Bible starts with the important command to humans to 'Fill the earth and subdue it' (Gen 1:28), suggesting that parenting is an important part of what we are created to do. In addition the curse in Genesis 3 points to the particularly central role that childbirth plays for women.
As we move on through the pentateuch we don't see a lot about the actual day-to-day childcare arrangements of children. Although one interesting situation is Moses and his mother, where it is clearly seen as a great blessing that his mother can keep nursing him, even though he is adopted by the Princess of Egypt. (Exodus 2:1-10)
It is interesting that there are no direct laws about childcare, and in fact a lot less laws about parenting in general than there are about the importance of children respecting their parents. The one, absolutely vital, command for parents is to instruct their children in the laws and the mighty rescue that God accomplished for them (Deut 6:7,20-25). The other responsibility parents have to their children in the law is to not allow them to intermarry with the surrounding people.
Moving on from the pentateuch, we come to the interesting case of Samuel, who is sent off to the temple as soon as he is weaned (wonder what age that was). This is certainly seen as a positive in the story, and interestingly the sadness in the story is not for Samuel living away from home, but for his mother who has lost her son. The blessing from ELi is that she would have other children to replace the one given to the Lord. In this particular situation Eli of course is seen as a weak parent because of the poor behaviour of his sons. Although no mention of the particular childcare arrangements are made.
Moving on to 2 Kings there is the situation of the Shunamite's son who when he has 'grown' goes out to be with his father and the reapers and then gets sick (sun stroke??) and dies. He can't have been that old, however because he dies sitting on his mothers lap. Don't think it's making any point about childcare but it certainly reminds us that culturally things are very different. Most kids aren't going to wander out and reap with their dads these days! There tends to be this massive divide between home and community.
In the book of Esther, Esther is brought up by Mordecai her cousin, but there is an explanation to the effect that this is becaue her parents have died, assuming that in normal situations they would bring her up.
The book of Proverbs perhaps has the most to say about parenting in the Bible, discipline and wise teaching are counselled as being essential to wise and godly children (6:20 etc). Proverbs also has the interesting picture of the proverbs 31 super woman who seems to be able to care for her household and have a range of business interests all at the same time.
Turning to the New Testament, there is again not a lot of direct teaching about parenting. Jesus' parent clearly have a significant input in his life. But the exact nature of that input is not spelt out.
Jesus himself commends respect for parents, but also indicates that to leave parents or children for his sake is an appropriate thing to do. He may well be talking about adult children in this verse.
Jesus also assumes that parents love and care for their children in his parables - eg the prodigal son (Luke 15) and the equating of God with a father who wants to give good gifts to his son (Luke 11:11-13).
Moving on in the New Testament, the key direct instruction about parenting is in Ephesians 6:4. In many ways this verse picks up the key idea of proverbs - that fathers should not exasperate their children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
In the pastorals there is rather difficult verse from 1 Timothy 2 about women being saved through childbirth. This may indicate the special place that child rearing has in women working out their salvation - although to be fair I think there is legitimate dispute over the exact meaning of the verse.
The other important verse in the pastorals is Titus 2:3-5 where the older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children and to be busy at home. This verse certainly suggests that women had a key role in the home, but doesn't directly address the childcare question.
To conclude this survey, it seems to me that the overwhelming concern of the Bible is that Parents raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. This comes through again and again in the law, the wisdom and the New Testament. And I would think this would be the first and most vital question to ask when thinking about childcare arrangements. How will they effect our task in bringing children up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
It is assumed in the Bible that parents will love their children, and that mothers have a special role around childbirth and the home. However I don't think from what is said about parenting it can be supported that mothers must be at home all the time with their children, or that it is wrong to have some parts of childcare done by others. The Bible genuinely leaves this as an area of freedom.
There are of course other issues that we will need to be aware of when making decisions about full-time mothering and childcare. These include materialism, careerism, the value of children and opportunites for ministry and service in the community and what is loving for our particular children. But I think that is definitely another post.
Love to hear if I've missed any important passages.
But since I've done this survey - here it is.
The Bible starts with the important command to humans to 'Fill the earth and subdue it' (Gen 1:28), suggesting that parenting is an important part of what we are created to do. In addition the curse in Genesis 3 points to the particularly central role that childbirth plays for women.
As we move on through the pentateuch we don't see a lot about the actual day-to-day childcare arrangements of children. Although one interesting situation is Moses and his mother, where it is clearly seen as a great blessing that his mother can keep nursing him, even though he is adopted by the Princess of Egypt. (Exodus 2:1-10)
It is interesting that there are no direct laws about childcare, and in fact a lot less laws about parenting in general than there are about the importance of children respecting their parents. The one, absolutely vital, command for parents is to instruct their children in the laws and the mighty rescue that God accomplished for them (Deut 6:7,20-25). The other responsibility parents have to their children in the law is to not allow them to intermarry with the surrounding people.
Moving on from the pentateuch, we come to the interesting case of Samuel, who is sent off to the temple as soon as he is weaned (wonder what age that was). This is certainly seen as a positive in the story, and interestingly the sadness in the story is not for Samuel living away from home, but for his mother who has lost her son. The blessing from ELi is that she would have other children to replace the one given to the Lord. In this particular situation Eli of course is seen as a weak parent because of the poor behaviour of his sons. Although no mention of the particular childcare arrangements are made.
Moving on to 2 Kings there is the situation of the Shunamite's son who when he has 'grown' goes out to be with his father and the reapers and then gets sick (sun stroke??) and dies. He can't have been that old, however because he dies sitting on his mothers lap. Don't think it's making any point about childcare but it certainly reminds us that culturally things are very different. Most kids aren't going to wander out and reap with their dads these days! There tends to be this massive divide between home and community.
In the book of Esther, Esther is brought up by Mordecai her cousin, but there is an explanation to the effect that this is becaue her parents have died, assuming that in normal situations they would bring her up.
The book of Proverbs perhaps has the most to say about parenting in the Bible, discipline and wise teaching are counselled as being essential to wise and godly children (6:20 etc). Proverbs also has the interesting picture of the proverbs 31 super woman who seems to be able to care for her household and have a range of business interests all at the same time.
Turning to the New Testament, there is again not a lot of direct teaching about parenting. Jesus' parent clearly have a significant input in his life. But the exact nature of that input is not spelt out.
Jesus himself commends respect for parents, but also indicates that to leave parents or children for his sake is an appropriate thing to do. He may well be talking about adult children in this verse.
Jesus also assumes that parents love and care for their children in his parables - eg the prodigal son (Luke 15) and the equating of God with a father who wants to give good gifts to his son (Luke 11:11-13).
Moving on in the New Testament, the key direct instruction about parenting is in Ephesians 6:4. In many ways this verse picks up the key idea of proverbs - that fathers should not exasperate their children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
In the pastorals there is rather difficult verse from 1 Timothy 2 about women being saved through childbirth. This may indicate the special place that child rearing has in women working out their salvation - although to be fair I think there is legitimate dispute over the exact meaning of the verse.
The other important verse in the pastorals is Titus 2:3-5 where the older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children and to be busy at home. This verse certainly suggests that women had a key role in the home, but doesn't directly address the childcare question.
To conclude this survey, it seems to me that the overwhelming concern of the Bible is that Parents raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. This comes through again and again in the law, the wisdom and the New Testament. And I would think this would be the first and most vital question to ask when thinking about childcare arrangements. How will they effect our task in bringing children up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
It is assumed in the Bible that parents will love their children, and that mothers have a special role around childbirth and the home. However I don't think from what is said about parenting it can be supported that mothers must be at home all the time with their children, or that it is wrong to have some parts of childcare done by others. The Bible genuinely leaves this as an area of freedom.
There are of course other issues that we will need to be aware of when making decisions about full-time mothering and childcare. These include materialism, careerism, the value of children and opportunites for ministry and service in the community and what is loving for our particular children. But I think that is definitely another post.
Love to hear if I've missed any important passages.
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