Announcement of an Exciting and Important Theological Debate

I'm excited to pass on word of an October 2008 debate between four excellent theologians on the Trinity. Below is the announcement of the debate, originally posted on the blog of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding (bookmark this link if you haven't already!). I added the bit at the end about the Henry Center, which is the academic center that I manage at TEDS. Hope to see you at the free debate in October--should be very stimulating and worthwhile as four theologians tackle the matter of how the persons of the Godhead relate to one another.

Here's the formal announcement (feel free to spread word of this as you can):

"The Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is excited to announce that on October 9^th, 2008 at 6:30pm, it will host a Trinity Debate at the TEDS Chapel in Deerfield, IL featuring Drs. Bruce Ware (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and Wayne Grudem (Phoenix Seminary) versus Drs. Tom McCall (TEDS) and Keith Yandell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) on the question:

“Do relations of authority and submission exist eternally among the Persons of the Godhead?”

This debate follows current argumentation in the academic sphere between the two sides. Though a theological exchange between expert scholars, this event will prove beneficial for Christians of all backgrounds. The doctrine of the Trinity is at the heart of the Christian faith and takes into account questions of scriptural interpretation, theological synthesis, and philosophical reasoning. Determining the identities and roles of the persons of the Godhead is thus of great importance not only to the academician, but to the pastor, the layperson, the student and all who would seek to probe and comprehend the beautiful complexity of orthodox Christianity.

The Center anticipates that the debate will be lively, informative, charitable, enjoyable, and, we trust, helpful to a wide variety of Christians and even non-Christians who wish to better understand one of the central realities of the faith. This event is not intended to be intramural, but rather to stimulate discussion that clarifies the Word of God in the life of Christ’s church. All should consider themselves invited and welcome to this free evening of debate and dialogue over theological issues that matter.

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About the Henry Center: Led by Director Doug Sweeney, professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought at TEDS, the Center seeks in the spirit of its namesake, theologian Carl F. H. Henry, to bridge the gap between the evangelical academy and the Christian church through conferences, lectures, and events. The Center focuses on the concerns not only of the Western church but of the international Christian movement. It is committed to the exchange of biblical wisdom, the authority of Scripture, and the advancement of kingdom work among diverse groups and peoples for the greater glory of God."

Prestige and its Unimportance in the Christian Life

I've been reading the autobiography of theologian Carl F. H. Henry recently. It's entitled Confessions of a Theologian and it is engrossing reading, particularly for those who enjoy study of twentieth-century Christianity. If you want an in-depth, personal look at this slice of history, you could do little better than to tackle this text.

In the course of the tale's telling, the matter of cultural and intellectual prestige comes up a number of times. The "new evangelicals", as they were called, wrestled throughout their existence as a movement with the matter of cultural prestige. Were they, in fact, to seek it? If so, how could get they it? If they got it, what would they do with it? These and other questions related to the matter of academic and cultural respectability constantly confronted and were raised by the neo-evangelical leaders--Graham, Henry, Ockenga, and others.

It struck me in reading this important and insightful book that we Christians care far more for strategy than we do for prestige. What do I mean by this? Only that a major factor for us in our decision-making must be, is this option strategic? What kind of kingdom-building strategic value does it have? This, and not, "Will this be prestigious? Will it gain cultural acclaim?" is the kind of question we must constantly be asking ourselves.

The point I am making here is basic, and for many of us, is not a matter of major struggle. But it seems to me that we can easily lose focus here. This is especially true if we find ourselves in social situations in which prestige is highly valued. Those of us in such places must constantly refer back to the apostle Paul's words: "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor. 1:20) The world's wisdom, and the acclaim that comes from aligning with the world's wisdom, is not our end. Of course, we need not fear cultural respectability, and it is no bad thing to use the culture's systems (of intellectual development, for example) for kingdom purposes. In addition, I don't think that we should intellectually bury our heads in the sand and studiously avoid engagement with cultural and intellectual thought. One need not be consumed by prestige to occupy prestigious positions in society or to use the world's standards for the purposes of kingdom advancement.

But with that said, we've got to be careful, don't we? If we allow our main criteria for our churches and organizations to be grounded in the desire for cultural prestige, we place such institutions in direct conflict with a biblical worldview. Far better to ask the question of strategic value than the question of prestige. "How can I use my mind to advance the kingdom in the realm of science?" "How can I use these literary abilities for the glory of God?" "What is the most strategic college in which I may educate young minds?" "As a future pastor, how can I train myself for strategic service to the church in my education?" "Who can I study under for the purpose of strategic positioning in terms of the academy?" These are all valid and helpful questions to ask of one's life choices. They reflect not an interest in self and self-promotion, but in Christ and kingdom-promotion. I would argue that they should be asked by any and all Christians, regardless of vocation, no matter the calling.

The drive for prestige will cripple us. Indeed, you can search your whole life for fulfillment in this area, it seems, and never truly find it. We don't have to shy away from culture and cultural systems to avoid this pitfall. We can educate ourselves, make good, strategic educational choices, make connections in life and business and ministry, and generally be wise as serpents in all that we do. But we should always do so out of the desire not to be prestigious, but to be strategic.

In this way, I think, we emulate in our callings our Savior, who cared nothing for fame and power, and who gave everything He had to strategically advance His kingdom for the glory of the Father.

Henry Center Travelogue, Day Five: Final Thoughts

Here's the recap from day five, the final day of the conference, May 31.

I’m not going to recap the last few talks, though I will tell you that this morning featured a stimulating session with Drs. Robert Priest of TEDS and David Lee of Evangel Seminary. In their papers, the speakers considered the topic of contextualization on theological grounds. Priest, an anthropologist, encouraged the audience to theologically contextualize–that is, adapt–their message to foreign contexts. Lee gave several examples of how this might be done, noting that in China, Christians can accommodate the biblical idea of wisdom to the lives of those to whom they witness with little trouble.

All this provoked reflection on the ways in which we as Christians fit the timeless truths of the Bible to the situations in which we find ourselves. We never simply teach the Bible in a new place–and that’s that. We’re always adapting what we’re teaching, choosing the right words, picking out certain clothes, deciding what we need to focus on doctrinally in this particular place with these particular people. All of us, then, do contextualization on a theological level, whether we realize it or not.
At the same time, though, the Bible is the norm that norms all other norms, as the Reformers put it. Though it comes to us in specifically Jewish and Greek clothing (with some other cultures in the mix as well), the truths of the Bible transform our reality and dictate to us the terms of our existence in the particular cultural situations in which we find ourselves. We don’t pick and choose which biblical ideals fit our situation best, and implement them as we see fit.

Becoming a Christian is at the most fundamental level a matter of submission. We as sinful rebels submit ourselves to the God who, with Spirit-opened eyes, we now see to be not a tyrant, not a deity we can manage, not a shadow, but a majestic being whose very existence threatens to destroy our own. From this posture, we run–we do not walk–to follow the will of this holy God, allowing Him to shape us and the cultural outlook we possess.

As one can see, there are significant issues to work out here. In some sense, this is the task of theology–to apply timeless truth to contemporary life.

Our conference is ended. We have had a very fruitful week in Hong Kong. We have heard from expert scholars and learned from global saints. We have broken bread–lots of it–with Chinese Christians, and we are all the richer for it. As we have considered the nature of evangelical identity through academic work, we have in some sense altered our own personal conception of evangelical identity. The act of international fellowship, after all, is no mere passing of the time, but is itself a transformational act. How thankful we at the Henry Center are for opportunities like this. We bear a huge debt to our generous supporters who, like Dr. Carl F. H. Henry, care deeply about the global church of Christ, and have taken tangible steps to nurture and support it. We look forward to our Nairobi conference in August 2008 and our Tokyo conference in 2010, endeavors that we trust will accomplish further advancement of God’s kingdom in our own lives and in our world.

On behalf of Center director Doug Sweeney, thank you for reading this series. All our best to you in your work to advance the gospel in a world that so desperately needs it.