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Feedback? Working towards a Theological View on Self-governance…

October 28, 2010 in Coram Deo, Theology, Theology as Life with 4 Comments

In mid-November I will be speaking on “A Theological View of Self-governance” at one of CDA’s High School house system assemblies. These are my initial thoughts on the subject, and as I study through scripture and church history to confirm or discard them I would love some feedback:

  1. Self-governance is a result of the Fall.
  2. Self-governance leads towards the idolatry of Nationalism (more so that many other forms of government.)
  3. You cannot legislate changed hearts.
  4. That being said, as Christians, we are to be agents of reconciliation in all arenas of life, including government.
  5. All attempts at influencing government must keep these points in mind.

Thoughts, hate mail or concerns?

Why we read the Pentateuch the way we do

October 27, 2010 in Coram Deo, Theology, Theology as Life with 1 Comment

Part of my job as a teacher is teaching the Old Testament to a group of 8th grade students. We spent the first 8 weeks of school studying Ancient Near East and Egyptian civilizations, and are now beginning our time in the Old Testament. The next two quarters will be spent on the first five books or the Pentateuch. This post stems from a conversation we had in class about why we read the Pentateuch the way we do.

How should we read the Pentateuch?

As a historical document, inspired by God, and penned by Moses, that teaches the history of the people of Israel and lays the foundation for the Messiah.

The Old Testament progressively reveals the Messiah:

The Pentateuch: Foundation for Christ
The Books of History: Preparation for Christ
The Books of Poetry and Wisdom: Anticipation of Christ
The Books of the Prophets: Expectation of Christ

Why should we read the Pentateuch that way?

Short answer: Because Jesus did.

Longer, but still pretty short answer: In Luke 24, Jesus teaches His disciples, “starting with Moses”, what all the Scriptures say about Him. The Scriptures are one continuous story of God revealing Himself and His plan to save humanity.

What are the major themes and lessons of the Pentateuch?

Major themes:
The election (Genesis), salvation (Exodus), sanctification (Leviticus), discipline (Numbers) and instruction (Deuteronomy) of the people of Israel.

Lessons:
Salvation is essential. (Genesis)
Deliverance is essential. (Exodus)
Holiness is essential. (Leviticus)
Perseverance is essential. (Numbers)
Obedience is essential. (Deuteronomy)

Recommended Resources:

Old Testament Survey Series, The Pentateuch by James E. Smith

The Reformation Study Bible (ESV), The ESV Study Bible

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament

Tim Keller’s Old Testament Studies

RTS on iTunes U (various classes)

Contradiction, Paradox and Mystery

September 5, 2010 in Coram Deo, Theology, Theology as Life, Trinity with 0 Comments

Part of my new job as a teacher is teaching (go figure) a 12th grade Theological Foundations and Apologetics class. We are starting out the year working through several books, articles and teachings on the Trinity. In many of these readings (from within the church and without) there is a great deal of reference to contradiction, paradox and mystery. Here is a great summary of the distinction between Contradiction, Paradox and Mystery:

  1. Contradiction – something that defies the laws of logic and therefore is inherently unintelligible.
  2. Paradox – something that sounds contradictory, but upon closer scrutiny the tension is resolved.
  3. Mystery – things that we as yet do not understand. R.C. Sproul elaborates by saying that these are things “we believe to be true, but we don’t understand how or why it is that they are true.”

Using the Trinity as an example, it appears that a contradiction exists. How can God be both One and Three? A more than surface-level look at the Doctrine of the Trinity reveals that we believe that God is not One in precisely the same way He is Three. Does this leave room for Mystery and Paradox from a finite human standpoint? Yes. Is it a contradiction? No.