I’m one of those people – I’m a self-confessed introvert. I turn 20 in just over three months. For the most part, readers of this blog will not have met me in person, and so the above statement might surprise you. But a good number of my readers are folks who have – and most of them can testify that the first time they met me, possibly one of the first things they noitced is that Douglas really is a shy person. For a long time, I felt as though that made me less of a person. After all, I was born into a family who are anything but shy, retiring souls, lived in an area not known for its quiet folk and have spent most of my educational life surrounded by people who are anything but shy. With a world like that, you are automatically bound to feel as though you’ve failed in some degree. Until a couple of weeks ago, I even thought it was a sort of sin to be introverted – maybe not a sin against God, but a sin against others, considering I was trying to find ways of putting up walls between me and folks. Besides, people are not like books – now I like books…a lot. I’m always reading two or three on the go, and I’m frightfully conscious that people are not as linear as books, and so I’m not all that good with people.

But life as a introvert is further complicated, for lack of a better term, by one other huge part of my life – my struggle with depression. Close readers of this blog will know that I am very upfront about my depression and the crushing, negative effect it has on my everyday life. I will admit that this past year has been one I’d rather forget in so many ways and for so many reasons and being an introvert is very much one of them at times. How then, as a Christian, do I deal with the ghost of being an introvert in a world – and in a Church – which really doesn’t know what to do with introverts?

Firstly, acknowledge that God made no mistakes in making me the way I am. That is something which until a week ago (yes, that late), I refused to accept, but that isn’t Biblical. Scripture tells us in Ps 139:14 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made – even the introvert who is frightened of people and suffers from depression.

Secondly,  acknowledge that you cannot do it alone. My response has always been, “Leave me along to get on with it”. Bad response, very bad response. As Christians, we are born into a family and it would be the height of disrespect to reject that family, just because you prefer to be alone. Scripture speaks a lot about what I call “body life” – that life to which we are called as a body of believers – and living that, though it may be a struggle is a must.

Thirdly, reject the temptation to be someone else. I don’t think anyone understands just how condescending it sounds to be told in any way or form to feign confidence. I refused to do it because to me, that is no different to what rappers do when they pose with rented cars and chains, trying to make out they are rich. This may sound odd, but don’t try to put on something which you surely are not. If anything, dear friend, that’s bearing false witness about yourself and that is by no means the will of God – now or ever. “But then, people won’t notice me…” - well, I say this with all the love in my heart but what of it? I’ll try to avoid sounding like Joel Osteen but it’s really better for you to be able to look in the mirror and say, “I was honest with who I am and people didn’t get it” than for you to be someone else, even 10% someone else, and for folks to pay attention then.

Fourthly, reject the temptation to make others fit around you. Pretty much a logical extension of what I just said – if you shouldn’t try to be someone else, then you shouldn’t really expect people to be someone else for your sake.

In conclusion, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul:

Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God – 1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB

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It was August 21, 2007, in my bedroom, that I finally came to fully accept the doctrines of grace. It was something I’d been looking to for quite some time, but never in a million years did I think I’d leave Pentecostalism, which was synonymous with Christianity for me, for a theology which was so radically different to everything I’d ever know. But God has been faithful – from bringing me across sites like Pulpit Pimps to putting an elderly Welsh Presbyterian in my life to putting me in a sound church with a family of saints who, on so many occasions, feel closer to me than my earthly family.  In short, God put me on a journey which I never imagined would bring me here, and for that, I give Him all the glory.

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I’m thankful for the revival of interest in recent years in the doctrines of grace and in sound doctrine. I became Reformed three years ago this week (tomorrow to be exact) and I can say if I could do my life all over again, I’d start where I did August 2007 when I began to embrace the truths I hold so dear. Without a doubt, the rise of Reformed theology particularly among the young has been something I’ve been hoping to see for quite a  while. As Scripture implores us, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim 4:16)

However, as I’ve seen the last three years go by, and in the last 12 months in particular, I’ve seen some trends which have caused me to re-think my relationship to the New Calvinism. Now, lest I be seen as a harsh and unbridled critic, I want it to be known that this is not an article on individuals or churches, but just some observations I see, movement-wide, which haven’t been really discussed.

Now why would I want to discuss this? After all, aren’t I one of these New Calvinists? Well, technically, I’m an outsider to it. I came to an understanding of the doctrines of grace through reading a lot of books and studying the Scriptures. My favourite preachers weren’t Piper, MacArthur or Sproul – it was men like Dr. Alan Cairns, formerly of Faith Free Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC and Dr. Albert Martin, formerly of Trinity Baptist Church, Montville, NJ. It was older, more traditional dudes who shaped my thinking in terms of doctrine and practice. My mentor was a Welsh Presbyterian minister of 67 years, who was more at home with the Puritans than with what we’d call “the young, restless and reformed”. With time, I came to be aware of guys like Piper, Driscoll and co. – but for the most part (with Driscoll being the exception – I liked him…a lot), they didn’t really shape me as a reformed Christian.

I eventually joined a Reformed Baptist fellowship of believers here in London and this further put me in the place of a spectator to the New Calvinism with occasional involvement. But in the last 12 months, and especially over this summer, I’ve had three real concerns which have come into sharp focus.

Firstly, there seems to be a weak confessional stance. Now, this is not to say that the New Calvinism is like the seeker-sensitive movement with the equator in width and a puddle in depth, but it seems that for all the theological sophistication, there is a total abandonment (for the most part) of the confessions which came out of the Reformation era. As a Reformed Baptist, that would the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, for my Presbyterian brethren, that would be the Westminster Standards, for my continental Reformed friends, such as those in the URCNA, that would be the Three Forms of Unity and for my Congregationalist friends, the Savoy Declaration. The confessions aren’t inspired or infallible, they are beneath the authority of Scripture and thankfully so. However, the New Calvinism seems content with being a-confessional – and the result? Gaps are wide open in its theology. For example, in an article discussing the merits of the New Calvinism over “Old Calvinism” (which, in all honesty, I believe to be a caricature), Mark Driscoll says the following:

Old Calvinism was cessationistic and fearful of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. New Calvinism is continuationist and joyful in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Putting aside the reality that his argument is terribly anachronistic (the charismata became an issue again with the rise of the Pentecostal movement in the 1900s and the Charismatic Movement in the 1960s – Reformed theologians had been around for much longer on a time level and never dealt with the issue) and that is grossly misleading (Reformed theology has a rich history of discussing the person and work of the Holy Spirit – from John Owen to George Smeaton and James Buchanan and many others), one has to wonder whether Driscoll, and many others of a reformed persuasion, who nevertheless believe in the continuation of certain spiritual gifts, have considered the conflict between a position which affirms the full sufficiency of Scripture…and yet believe in some form of continuation of revelatory gifts.

Take another area – the doctrine of the church. In a conversation with my pastor this summer, I distinctly recall him saying that one of his concerns with the New Calvinism was its lack of a strong doctrine of the church. Now, my pastor is no expert in these things, by his own admission, but he’s not alone in that sentiment. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan, in an interview with my friend Nathan Bingham, remarked the following:

What can young people attracted by this faithful presentation of a big God, with huge grace, deep truth and strong love learn from the older confessional communions? In a word, ecclesiology (how the Bible says that we are be and what we are to do together as the people of God, that is, how we are to live and minister in the Christian community and in the world). The doctrine of the church has long been a lacuna in evangelicalism, and it is no different now, even among those attracted afresh to the doctrines of grace. And without confessional commitments and a biblical theology of the church, the awakening won’t amount to much in the long run.

Note how Dr. Duncan makes the same assessment – weak confessionalism will be the undoing of the New Calvinism. Of course, there is always the danger of a cold creedalism but dear friends, hear me out. The reality that creedalism is a real danger in reformed circles doesn’t mean that we swing the pendulum against respecting and having confessions.

I also appreciate that our confessions don’t address every modern concern and issues, and that not everything in them is airtight (for instance, the Papacy is called the Antichrist in both the Westminster and London confessions), but we’d be fools to reject the great body of truth handed down to us in our present day.

Next time, I’ll pick up with another concern…

(To be continued)

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Dangerous Doctrine – Justin Peters from Ner Rad on Vimeo.

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During his recent visit to London, Dr. Beeke preached a similar message at my home church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so here it is:

You can download both the audio and video for this sermon, courtesy of SermonAudio, here.

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Some of you may recall that I am writing a book during the summer months, and I made a start on this project on the 6th of June. It’s been fun so far, and I’m learning a lot in my own preparation and research.

Lord willing, I’ll be posting the introduction to the book on June 25th, so keep your eyes peeled for that one! As ever, you can support the project by investing in my wishlist and/or praying for the success and blessing of God on this project.

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John Douglas Sutherland Campbell:

John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 1845-1914

Unto the hills around do I lift up My longing eyes; O whence for me shall my salvation come, From whence arise? From God, the Lord, doth come my certain aid, From God, the Lord, who heav’n and earth hath made. He will not suffer that thy foot be moved: Safe shalt thou be. No careless slumber shall His eyelids close, Who keepeth thee. Behold, our God, the Lord, He slumbereth ne’er, Who keepeth Israel in His holy care. Jehovah is Himself thy keeper true, Thy changeless shade; Jehovah thy defense on thy right hand Himself hath made. And thee no sun by day shall ever smite; No moon shall harm thee in the silent night. From ev’ry evil shall He keep thy soul, From ev’ry sin; Jehovah shall preserve thy going out, Thy coming in. Above thee watching, He whom we adore Shall keep thee henceforth, yea, for evermore.

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Dr. Steven J. Lawson

Dr. Steve Lawson serves as pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church and president of New Reformation Ministries.

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I was reading a book yesterday evening, just before I planned to go to bed and saw an amazing little section on the mediatorial offices of Christ, and so I figured I’d post it. Enjoy…

When we speak of Christ’s office, we are saying that He is our great Prophet (Acts 3:22-26), our only High Priest (Heb 7:24-28) and our eternal King (Rev 17:14).

With these three offices Christ is unique in Scripture. No one else except Melchizedek held all these offices (Heb 7). During the kingdom years it was forbidden that the kings of Israel and Judah serve both as priests and kings. One of Judah’s kings, Uzziah, was stricken with leprosy for trying, as king, to perform the functions of a priest (2 Chron 26:16-21; compare with 1 Sam 13:8-14).

Doctrine According to Godliness, Ronald Hanko, Granville, MI: RFPA, 2004

A man might be a priest and a prophet, like Samuel, or he might be a king and a prophet, like David, but he could not be both king and priest. Only Melchizedek held both offices, and he was a unique picture of Christ. There is no one like Christ.

Because there is no other like Christ, we must have no other besides him – no earthly priest or prophet, and no king but Christ. His claims put to shame the claims of all those who say today they are prophets or priests or supreme rulers in the church of Jesus Christ. The church has no head but Christ, no prophet but the living Word of God, no priest but the merciful Son of God, the one who offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of His people. Of these things we will speak later.

However, before we look at Christ’s prophetic, priestly and kingly offices, we must understand what an office is. First, it is a position of service. With his offices Christ is identified in Scripture as the Servant of Jehovah, especially in the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah 53:11). As Servant of Jehovah He comes to do God’s will and work (Luke 2:49; John 4:34).

An office is also a position of authority. In his three offices Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18). The words he speaks as Prophet have such authority that those who do not hear him will perish. His rule as King is supreme over all. His work as Priest, both in making sacrifice and in blessing us, is a saving work, because He was given authority by God to make the one sacrifice that atones for sin and to bless with all the riches of salvation those whom God had given Him.

Finally, an office is a mediatorial position. As Prophet, Priest and King, Christ is our Mediator. He “stands between” God and us, not only to make a priestly sacrifice for sin that satisfies the demands of God’s justice, but also to bring us God’s Word as Prophet and to rule over us in God’s name as sovereign King.

His name Christ, the same name as the Old Testament name Messiah, shows us all this. That name means “anointed one” and referes to the fact that Christ is anointed and appointed by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, to be our Prophet, Priest and King.

Truly there is none like Him. Let us listen to no other, bow to no other, and trust in no other sacrifice but His. Then we can say in truth that to us He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

- Doctrine According to Godliness, R. Hanko, Granville, MI: RFPA, 2004, pg 145-146

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