Being Labeled

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung explains why he doesn't mind being labeled Reformed in 'What I Mean By Reformed'. I've been attracted to Reformed theology for the past couple years and his post explains perfectly why I'm so fascinated with it.

And it's not that I want to be divisive or separate myself (I admit I did so at first) by taking the label, it's just that Reformed theology is so rich and beautiful to me, and unlike anything I've ever heard in all my 25 church going years.

And I don't mean to say that no other 'label' or theology thinks and believes this way (link here for some harms of labels), it's just that I personally prefer Reformed theology to any other theology I've heard explained and preached.



I know, I know. I'm really weird. Can't I just post about something normal, right?

Promised Book Reviews

A while back I had promised to give book reviews on both Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart & Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Well, I'm probably not going to ever get to write a full review on either but I thought I'd just share a few thoughts on each.

To let you know, I have not read either book from cover to cover, but I have skimmed Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart and have read several chapter from Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Well, here goes...

Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart. This book presents a complementarian view of men and women as it relates to pre-marriage and marriage relationships. The book is split into two sections: Matters of the Heart (Theory) & Doing Things Right (Practice). If you've done any study at all into biblical manhood and womanhood and relationships then Matters of the Heart will be an excellent review. I mostly enjoyed the 'Doing Things Right' section of the book. I loved the short chapters and the chapter titles in this section are actually really helpful in themselves. A few examples of chapter titles: 'He Leads...She Guides', 'His Unmet Desire Drives Him toward Marriage...Hers Is Rewarded With Marriage', and 'He Loves By Sacrificing...She, by Submitting'. You could learn a lot just contemplating those short chapter titles! I think it is definitely a 'must own' book as it is an excellent resource on it's subject matter.

Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). This review is going to be very short, but what I liked most about this book was it's simple, matter-of-fact language. These guys aren't trying to start a fight or prove that their way is better. They give credit to the movement where credit is due and yet definitely maintain their separation from the movement. I enjoyed the footnotes and I think they present a lot of useful research and information for their readers. I'll definitely keep this on my shelf to read or reread a chapter here and there and use it as reference as needed.

If you're looking for full reviews, I'd recommend checking out Discerning Reader's reviews on both books, Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart & Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be).

More Wordles

These Wordles are really addicting! Here's a few I made from Heart Cry Missionary Society's Statement of Faith. The first is the doctrinal statement and the second is their essential convitions.

Theology Rapped

Watch Out! As Todd Friel puts it: 'You're about to get ripped through a catechism' rap style. Definitely worth a listen and I like Todd's commentary throughout. : ) The song is written Shai Linne.



Please go to Symphony of Scripture for the lyrics. The lyrics under the heading adoption are kind of neat--Romans 8:15 in the Paraphrased Rap Version. : )

The Most Important "Ology"

I found this article 'Living Theology' at the New Attitude blog. Check out the whole article here. It's good stuff. Here are a few parts I liked:

"I have read about and heard of people who cringe at the idea of ‘studying’ God, as if learning theology is clinical, like some kind of divine autopsy. But Scripture consistently calls us to grow in our study and knowledge of God and says there is an important connection between what we know about God and how we should live.

....God is the most important thing we can study, the most important “ology”. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul presents this as he talks about the importance of “being trained” in “good doctrine.” He directly connects theology to growing in godliness. Theology is not just book knowledge or head knowledge, it is heart and life knowledge. It is not just about what you know about God, but living in a way that is dictated by what you know. In their book, Let the Reader Understand, Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton say, “Doctrine has not been known properly until it has been lived out.” Wayne Grudem agrees in his definition of Systematic Theology when he says, “Defining Systematic Theology to include ‘what the whole Bible teaches us today’ implies that application to life is a necessary part of the proper pursuit of systematic theology (emphasis mine).” For Paul, having “good doctrine” is important because it causes us to grow in godliness – it affects the way we live....

The same needs to be true in every area of our lives: the way we run after godliness, the way we choose entertainment, the way we serve a friend, the things we say or don’t say, the way we give money or time to help those who are hungry, or sick or in need. How we live must be rooted in what we know about God. Knowing God will affect the way we live. Getting to know God is not about performing a divine autopsy; rather, it is the Living God making Himself known to us and then changing us by his grace to live out what we know. Study hard."

Are We Interpreting God Correctly?

I recently discovered Alabaster Box and Cross-Eyed (both blogs by the same author) and really find the content to be helpful and insightful. I enjoyed this recent post on Alabaster Box, Sending the Correct Message:

I was recently listening to a man who was preaching overseas to a large crowd using an interpreter. While he was speaking, the thought crossed his mind that the interpreter could (at any time) interpret his sermon incorrectly or misrepresent what he was trying to say. Although this thought was uncomfortable he continued on in faith and the crowd was blessed by his sermon.

Just like this preacher, God is speaking a message to the lost world through us. “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was making an appeal through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20) But are we interpreting God’s message correctly? Are we accurately representing His truth, grace, and character to others? Are our lives an appeal from God to a desperate world?

Read the rest of the article here; it includes some really helpful practical applications.

God: A Cosmic Mr. Rogers?

"While falling all over ourselves trying to conceal this 'embarrassing' feature of God's character (the wrath of God), we've sent this signal to our culture: God is infinitely understanding, sympathetic, patient, and sentimental. God is nice! God is a kind of cosmic Mr. Rogers, always ready to greet you with a warm smile and a pleasant word.

Because we have difficulty reconciling wrath with our perception of a loving God, the Church and this culture have sought to create God in their own image. But Scripture makes no apologies concerning the wrath of God. In fact, A.W. Pink notes that there are more references to God's wrath in the Bible than to his love. We probably don't have any of these passages underlined, but perhaps we should. We need to give serious study to the wrath of God."
~C.J. Mahaney

I found this quote at Reformed Voices. It think it is so important to "[n]otice how God is both kind and severe (Romans 11:22, NLT). The author of the quote is C.J. Mahaney. He is the president of Sovereign Grace Ministries and has also authored many books. I highly recommend his book Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. It's a short book too, so you could probably finish it an afternoon.

I Love Theology!

So, I really like theology. An especially good bit of theology can be found right here at HeartCry Missionary Society. Check out this snapshot of God: "There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. "

It really is refreshing to read good, solid theology. It is good to be reminded of the nature of God and the nature of man. Our own thoughts so often deceive.

I see theology as an overview and compilation of all that is in the Bible. The theological statement I linked to above is something that we should all be reminded of daily. Since we can't read the whole Bible every day, it's good to study snippets theology so that our view of God and His Word will continue to be enlarged and not limited to the experiences of our day or the few chapters we've read in the Bible.

I just ordered Bitesize Theology: An ABC of the Christian Faith by Peter Jeffrey. I'm looking forward to reading it! If you want a more extensive, systematic study, I think the best thing out there is Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. It is really formatted well and includes a hymn after every chapter that relates to the theological point just made. It's an excellent reference to have!

"Theology announces not just what the Bible says but what it means." ~J. Kenneth Grider