…is just not appealing to us. It’s too cerebral, too based on the brain, too intellectual. “Christianity is not intellectual, it’s faith, the heart, the soul” – according to a preacher friend of my dad’s. That attitude is pervasive in evangelical Christianity in general, but I seem to encounter it a lot in black churches.

For instance, I recently went with my Dad to go and visit a church. Now, whenever I go somewhere with Dad and people see this burly (well, kinda) guy right next to him, they usually think I’m one of his elders and so my Dad will point out that I’m actually his son. (I look more like Mum than Dad, so folks don’t make the connection that quickly). After the service, the pastor of the church, who used to pastor in the same denomination as my Dad when we lived in Germany, came and sat with Dad and myself and asked me what I was studying. Before I could even muster up an answer, my Dad mentioned what my degree is in and then (incorrectly) said I was also studying theology. Aside from the fact I was mildly annoyed – I am 20 and rather capable of answering direct questions, the pastor’s response was telling. The pastor immediately said, “Why?”, followed by a comment to my dad about how theologically-minded people are always the first to criticise his ministry. I said nothing – after all, I’m smart enough not to challenge someone in their own house, especially when I didn’t particularly want to be there. I kindly corrected my dad in the car home, reminding him that I don’t formally study theology and that he really didn’t need to mention that in the first place.

To be honest, the experience of a mild telling-off for no real reason had gotten to me, but it got me thinking. Why is it that the pastor in question, my dad (himself a pastor of many years’ experience), other pastors I’ve had the opportunity to come in contact with and loads of “lay people” have this aversion for the theological? What is it about theology makes Christians -  and especially black Christians, I would argue – so frightened of doctrine?

In his fantastic work Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Dr R.C. Sproul lists ten reasons why Christians in general tend to have an aversion to doctrine and theology – ten reasons I find all too easily in much of the black church as I get to see it.

1. The “Childlike Faith” Error

Time would fail me to deal with just how prevalent this idea is. Basically it goes a little like this: in places like Mark 10:15, Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Receiving the kingdom of God like a child is then taken to mean that like children don’t have all the knowledge in the world but just believe, so we should adopt that kind of attitude.

Now my gripe isn’t so much with Mark 10:15 – Scripture is Scripture. My gripe is with a reading of this text which equates to childish, not childlike faith. Dr Sproul explains:

There is a vast difference, however, between a childlike faith and a childish faith, though the two are often confused. A childish faith balks at learning the things of God in depth. It refuses the meat of the gospel while clinging to a diet of milk. For this, the childish Christian receives an admonition:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

A refusal to go deeper into the name of maintaining a misguided innocence is childish. In fact the Bible expressly commands us to grow up in terms of understanding:

[14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

(Ephesians 4:14 ESV)

[20] Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

(1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV)

Childlike faith is childlike in its dependence and trust, not in its inability to understand. The Bible calls us paradoxically to be mature yet childlike. It is foolish to pick one and reject the other.

2. Fear of Theological Skepticism

Let’s face facts – there are many unbelieving people with an interest with theology. As I write, I’m reminded of the name of Leslie Weatherhead. Weatherhead, a Methodist, was pastor of  City Temple, here in the city of London. To say he was a theological liberal would be something of an understatement. For instance, here is his take and you can read his words for yourself if you don’t believe I’m telling the truth:

The doctrine of Jesus’s “Virgin Birth” was not part of the missionary message of the early Church. As far as we know, Jesus did not mention it to His apostles. Certainly, Mark, Peter, Paul and John show no knowledge of such a miracle. And if it really had been a “Divine Conception”, surely Mary would have told her Son? If she had, then He and His apostles would undoubtedly have regarded it as highly significant, and included it in their teachings.

However, in St. Matthew’s Gospel we read that Joseph seemed shocked at Mary’s pregnancy and was “minded to put her away privily”, “not willing to make her a public example” [chapter 1, verses 18-19]. References elsewhere to his being “a righteous man” rule out premarital intimacy. Besides, if the child were his, Jewish law would have demanded his care for Mary and her unborn child. He would not have been allowed to “put her away”. Indeed, it would not have entered his head to do so.

Whence then came Mary’s pregnancy? Can we suppose that some village rascal was responsible for her condition? I hold that the beauty of the peerless story rules this out. Read again the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel and imagine a village maiden of sixteen or so, after some mystical experience beyond the power of any pen to describe, saying quietly, “Behold the slave-girl of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word!” [Luke 1, verse 38].

One explanation of Mary’s pregnancy has been put forward by Mr. C. A. Wainwright of Oxford. First, he refers to the “sacred marriage” ceremony which was an ancient and widespread custom in the Near and Middle East (including Egypt and India). The high priest played the part of a divine messenger. He was “married” to a virgin with whom he cohabited. The offspring of such a union was regarded as a son of god, or a divine personage.

Now Zacharias was the priest on duty in the temple at the relevant time. He “executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course” (Luke 1, verse 8). We are told that, though old, Zacharias was not impotent, for he made his wife Elisabeth pregnant though she was past the normal time of child-bearing. John the Baptist was their son.

We are also told that after Mary’s visitation from the angel who told her she was to bear Jesus, Mary replied: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Mary was then reassured: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God” [Luke 1, verse 35].

We are then told that Mary entered the house of Zacharias [Luke 1, verses 39-40], stayed there three months, and then returned to her own house [Luke 1, verse 56].

In a “sacred marriage” of the sort described by Mr Wainwright, a stay of three months was required in the house of the priest, or in the sacred precincts, to make sure that pregnancy was established*. This would explain why Mary stayed in the home of Zacharias for that length of time before returning to her own home. Indeed, what an otherwise strange reaction to Gabriel’s message was her hurried journey into Zacharias’s house! “Mary arose, and went with haste and entered the house of Zacharias” [Luke 1, verse 39].

Now here’s a man saying that the Virgin Birth was more a lurid tale of an older man sleeping with a younger girl in some weird kind of spiritual-sexual rite. But people will read stuff like that (and sadly, there is a lot of it) and say, “See, that’s where theology will take you. I’d rather just believe it and leave it at that.”

The problem is unbelief in the name of God isn’t all that new. In the days of the New Testament, there were a group of men called the Sadducees. The Sadducees were part of the ruling religious class of the day and they had some peculiar views. They denied any sort of resurrection, didn’t believe in the afterlife or in much of the supernatural. As you can imagine, they just loved Jesus and the Apostles. No, they opposed his message with everything they had – yet they felt themselves to be true to the Law of Moses. Why expect times to change? Didn’t Paul says that the risk of believing another Jesus was always a threat (Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Cor 11:4)? The existence of the counterfeit and false doesn’t rule out the existence of the genuine and authentic. The answer to theological unbelief is not the rejection of theology – it’s the rejection of unbelief! As Christians, we are a believing people – either we believe that God has spoken and we need to listen (which is the natural orientation of Biblical Christianity) or we believe that we have spoken and God needs to listen (every other form of “Christianity”).

Rejecting theology because of aberrant forms of it is like refusing to watch an Arsenal game because Spurs are useless. (UK readers: don’t argue – just smile and accept it.) In all seriousness, it’s more akin to rejecting the use of money because counterfeits are circulating. It’s like refusing to drive because they are drunk drivers or refusing to eat because some folks cannot cook. It sounds absurd, I agree, but that is what we do if we shun all theology because of the “bad apples”.

To be continued…

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2. On Being Black and Reformed (2): Is There Such a Thing as the ‘Black Church’? One of the integral issues relating to the issue of...
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Often I get asked how does being black and being Reformed work out. After all, the world I grew up was dominated by the theological superstructure of Pentecostalism. Until I was 18, I knew personally of two types of African Christian – Pentecostal and Catholic. There was a Baptist church behind my house – but they were (and are still) for all intents, Pentecostal. When I came under the teaching of Reformed theology, I knew I’d encountered a worldview shift of epic proportions. I also knew that a lot of reformed teaching clashed not just because of the theology I grew up with, but also because of things considered fundamental to being a ‘black Christian’. In short, I had – or thought I had – to make a choice: either I was going down the Reformed road or going down the ‘black’ road?

Fast forward the next few years to today and I am not so convinced I needed to choose. I am convinced however that there are some issues that need to be addressed. This series isn’t 100% planned out in my mind, but here are some of the issues I want to hit:

• Is there such a thing as the black church?
• Does it need reforming?
• Does being reformed entail an identity change?
• Do I need to be ‘white’ to be reformed?
• Is there a black theology?

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It’s 10:20pm on Reformation Day. October 31, 2011. 494 years after Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to a church door and sparked off the greatest revival of truth since the days of the early church. I struggled to think what to write for Reformation Day, even though today was my day off.

Then it hit me – times haven’t changed all that much since 1517. Luther had indulgences, promising blessing from God in return for cash and we have…well, we have this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What was the answer in 1517? A rediscovery of the Gospel of God’s glorious grace. And in 2011, well, the answer is still the Gospel of God’s grace. Take some time and rediscover the glorious truth of salvation by the free grace of God in Christ Jesus:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Studying the Bible is good for your Christian life

Monergism.com, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post, is a darn well amazing site. If you don’t use it, hang your head in shame, repent and start using it LOL.

I get email updates from them all the time, and I got a good one today. They featured a list of books which, after I looked them over,  I figured to share with the folks.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646

First book to make the roster is the Westminster Confession of Faith. This classic confession of the Christian faith from the 1600s put forward the great doctrines of our faith in pointed, firm terms, yet with a charitable flavour of it which makes it essential reading. You can access it at the Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics or get a print copy from the Tabernacle Bookshop.

A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson

Next thing in my little to-get list is A Body of Divinity by famed Puritan, Thomas Watson. This book, the first in Watson’s A Body of Practical Divinity, an exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, sets forth the fundamental doctrines of the faith in a clear yet profound way, making it a glorious read for anyone interested in the Reformed faith, set forth in an experiential manner. You can access this gem via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library or again pick up a print copy from Tabernacle Bookshop. The other two volumes are easily acquirable – The Lord’s Prayer and The Ten Commandments.

Moving on swiftly, my final pitch for your new theological basics library is Outlines of Theology by A.A. Hodge, son of Princeton theologian Charles Hodge. My hero C.H. Spurgeon had this to say about the book:

“We commend the Outlines of Theology to all who would be well instructed in the faith. It is the standard text-book of our college. We differ from its teachings upon baptism, but in almost everything else we endorse Hodge to the letter.”

Outlines of Theology, A.A. Hodge

I’m reading this book as part of my reading schedule and it’s awesome material. I had no luck procuring an online edition of this – but you can pick it up in print from those cool guys from Monergism Books (UPDATE, April 21, 2010: Thanks to a helpful tip from Hal in the comments, this book is available online here)

Really, if you are new to theology, there is one Book you need – the fountainhead of all true theology, the Bible. It’s no good reading any of the above with consistent time being spent in God’s Word. Be a Bible student – and while you’re at it, consider what some great minds had to say about a great Book

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This question was posed to me by pricechris on Twitter:

How can Americans help to positively change or shape the theological landscape of Europe?

Good question! My short answer is this: Help us over here to help ourselves. Having lived in two European countries (Great Britain and Germany), and having visited numerous others, I believe that we in Europe have the capability, God being sovereign, to help ourselves. A high literacy rate, the proliferation of information via the World Wide Web through podcasts, blogs, YouTube, etc., an increase in interest relating to doctrine and theology – all of these are factors which I think can be put to work for a good cause. Now, unlike the UK, from what I can see, the US has a proliferation of Reformed ministries -  like Grace to You, Ligonier, Monergism, Desiring God – and seminaries like Reformed Theological Seminary, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Westminster Seminary California to name but a few, which can assist sound believers in Europe , but there is something which I feel our brethren in the US need to avoid.

Can the US truly help Europe theologically?

Y’all need to steer clear of theological colonialism, and this is where we on the other side of the Atlantic need to sit back and take note. In the UK, we generally don’t mind visitors. We have people from all over the planet who call Britain home. Having lived in Germany, and in a major city (Frankfurt), as well as in my travels across mainland Europe as a whole, I’ve observed something and please, if you are reading this and you are American, do not take this the wrong way. By and large, Europeans are skeptical (and that’s being nice) about anything which comes from, or has anything to do with, America. Call it an unhealthy skepticism (I know I do), but the thought of Americans seemingly dictating anything is a turnoff, and that even includes religion.

What needs to happen is that these ministries and seminaries – and let’s not forget individual local churches – needs people who know the culture, know the language (if applicable), know the social dynamic and are passionate for the Gospel. That is one reason I am reservedly pleased about such things as The Gospel Coalition and its desire to start chapters in local areas. By allowing Europeans to develop resources, plant churches and do Gospel ministry in their context, rather than importing pastor-teachers and missionaries alone. [I insert a caveat here - I love folks like Doug McMasters over at Trinity Road Chapel, who come to London to serve in churches. I am not at all disparaging what many like him have done - in fact may their tribe increase]

In short, what can America do to help? Lock arms with your brethren in Europe and let’s get the Gospel work done!

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Of late, I have been loving the blog posts of Parchment and Pen (CMP, you’re a beast!). One of the posts I have really enjoyed of late has been his consideration of the need for hermeneutics which was pointedly titled It Does Not Matter What It Means to You. During the comment thread, one particular lady continued to make the point that we don’t really need theology at all. In her last post, a response to a comment I made, she said the following:

Douglas,
I think really the issues you have with me are more than just me being a little “argumentative as you have said in other places. Yes, God gave you a brain, but what does he say about puffed up intelligence?

1 Corinthians 3
16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Does that sound like God trusts us with our brains? And yes studying God through HIS word, not everybody else’s word.

Galatians 3
1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

What? You mean the Galatians started off Spirit filled and Spirit led until someone came along and preached something else and it bewitched them? You’ve got to be kidding that this could happen to Christians. The point is not the Judaizers (if that was who was preaching it, but I think not) but the fragility and vanity of the person who was gullible enough to go along with it.

Now this line of argument – i.e. “theology is problematic/evil, but it leads to puffing up in pride – is not new to me. I live with a Pentecostal pastor (my Dad) and attend his church (long story, search the blog for “the clampdown”) and generally doctrine is looked down upon. My problem with that line of thinking is that it is directly applicable to any sphere. Anything you do can become a means for pride – my question is, “Who is to blame?” Is it theology by its very nature that makes people prideful? Hate to say it, but nope it’s not. If that were true, Paul was incredibly prideful – having penned half our New Testament.

Well then what is truly to blame for the fact that some of the most prideful people are sometimes the most spiritually prideful? The sickness of the human heart. The fact that man does not merely commit sins, but that he is a sinner through and through. It pervades into his very nature, taking even good things like theology and using them to the end of self-glorification. What my friend the commenter didn’t understand is that it’s not the thing it and of itself that leads to the pride they were discussing – it is the sin-sickness of the human heart that leads to such.

In other words…don’t hate the knowledge, hate the one abusing the knowledge. In fact, don’t even hate them – pray that the truth in their heart will become a reality in the heart…

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The (500th) birthday boy...

Well, July 10, 2009 came and went. 500 years and 1 day  ago, Calvin was born and little did his parents know that his birth was usher in one of the finest theologians in the history of the Christian Church. Love or loathe him, no one can deny the influence that John Calvin has had on the evangelical, Protestant Churches, through his magnum opus The Institutes of the Christian Religion, his many commentaries, the many preachers who went forth from Geneva and the Reformed churches which stand in the memory of Mr. Calvin.

As we thank the Lord for the gracious life of his servant, may we realise that Calvin is not the real focus of this day – the Godhead are. The Father, in eternity past, chose Calvin to salvation, just as He chose you and me for salvation (John 6:37, 44; Acts 13:48; Romans 9:6-29; Ephesians 1:4-11 – yes Calvin was not specially elected above us mere mortals ) It was the Son who went to the Cross for him, just like any one of us (2 Cor 5:21; Romans 3:21-26). It was the Spirit who drew the young lawyer-in-training to himself out of the darkness of medieval Catholicism (John 6:44) and regenerated him (John 3:3-16).

I think it’s safe to say that July 10 was not about John Calvin at all – this is a day of praise to our Triune God for being with his ever-humble servant, John Calvin, during His earthly ministry. Now he’s enjoying the day off to end all days off – eternity with his ever-living Saviour God. So, Mr. Calvin, we salute you, a humble messenger of the great God.

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Ever since I put my laptop to the productive use of blogging over a year ago, I’ve often found it both a blessing and a curse to share my concern regarding what parades itself as Christianity. Having grown up in a Pentecostal family, then becoming Reformed Baptist, I’ve seen a fair deal of what parades itself as “Christianity”. From the Word of Faith movement and its excesses to the Emergent Church and its contradictory views on everything (I’m working on a post on that, so bear with me), I can say, in all humility, I have seen a great deal of things in the Church. On Monday, I was going on the bus and started thinking, “Where did Christianity go wrong?” You only need to look at some of the things which parades as “Christian” and you’ll see there is a problem. So, for the beginning post of this short series, watch the following smorgasbord of videos, thinking, “What’s wrong here?”

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