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.

Contemplate Heaven with Me for a Minute: Edward's "Heaven Is a World of Love", Pt. 3

I'm glad that some of you are enjoying these quotations from "Heaven Is a World of Love." Here's the final one you'll see on this blog. It encapsulates the themes seen in the previous quotations and paints a beautiful metaphysical, emotional, and spiritual picture of the realm to come. Wherever you are, take just four minutes to read it. Then give yourself just a moment to consider what you've read.

The reason Edwards could write jewels like this was, in part, that he cultivated the habit--and it is a habit--of theological meditation. He did not simply read and then rush away. He read and then took a long horse-ride through the lush New England countryside to think on what he had read. As his horse canted softly through a fall forest scene, Edwards was mulling over the doctrine of original sin. As he rode past a lively stream, Edwards was transporting himself to the heavenly realm, pondering the relationships found there between God and God, God and man, man and man. Life for Edwards was not merely an exercise in study, then. It was also an exercise in meditation, in the refinement of thought, the cultivation of expression, such that when he wrote to instruct the saints, the riches flowed liberally, as they still do.

A Closing Picture of Heaven’s Beauty--And they shall know that they themselves shall ever live to love God, and love the saints, and to enjoy their love in all its fulness and sweetness forever. They shall be in no fear of any end to this happiness, or of any abatement from its fulness and blessedness, or that they shall ever be weary of its exercises and expressions, or cloyed with its enjoyments, or that the beloved objects shall ever grow old or disagreeable, so that their love shall at last die away. All in heaven shall flourish in immortal youth and freshness. Age will not there diminish anyone's beauty or vigor; and their love shall abide in everyone's heart, as a living spring perpetually springing up in the soul, or as a flame that never dies away. And the holy pleasure of this love shall be as a river that is forever flowing clear and full, and increasing continually. The heavenly paradise of love shall always be kept as in a perpetual spring, without autumn or winter, where no frosts shall blight, or leaves decay and fall, but where every plant shall be in perpetual freshness, and bloom, and fragrance, and beauty, always springing forth, and always blossoming, and always bearing fruit. The leaf of the righteous shall not wither (Psa. 1:3). And in the midst of the streets of heaven, and on either side of the river, grows the tree of life, which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields her fruit every month (Rev. 22:2). Everything in the heavenly world shall contribute to the joy of the saints, and every joy of heaven shall be eternal. No night shall settle down with its darkness upon the brightness of their everlasting day.

Read more in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, ed. Wilson Kimnach, Kenneth Minkema, and Doug Sweeney (Yale, 1999). You'll find in it this sermon and several other treasures that will, if you commit to reading them, transform your understanding of Edwards and, I'm confident, the Christian faith. The book is not long and is an inexpensive paperback. Wonderful reference tool, as well, for pastors and those looking to mine Edwards for their ministry.

Also, see the following accessible works related to Edwards:

• A Jonathan Edwards Reader, ed. John Smith, Harry Stout, and Kenneth Minkema. Another very useful Edwards work--a paperback collection of some of the key texts of the Edwards corpus, with readable sections from some of Edwards's most important philosophical-theological writings.
• Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought. By Stephen Nichols. A very quick little paperback introducing readers to the ideas and events of Edwards's life. Excellent resource, though if you want a really substantive, enriching read, get Marsden's magisterial biography (Jonathan Edwards: A Life).

Interesting Books I'm Reading; Also, a Time of Transition

1. Richistan--A pop sociology book on America's "new rich" economic class. I'm just a little ways into it, but it looks very interesting. I'm not sure why, but I love pop sociology stuff. The study of culture has always drawn me, and I enjoy finding out what the broad mass of people are doing and why they're doing it. I don't really enjoy sociology as a discipline, as I think it gets a little out of hand and is rather nonacademic at the core, but I do enjoy the pop sociology stuff which doesn't take itself too seriously.

2. Bonfire of the Vanities--I'm not actually reading this yet, but I will be soon. I love Tom Wolfe's writing. He takes on these massive social shifts and movements and writes a tome about them. Few other contemporary authors are as ambitious as Wolfe is, and few have his talent for description and anthropological insight. This will be a fun one to read.

3. American Shaolin--A very strange book about a Princeton student who went to China's Shaolin temple to study martial arts for a spell. Not far into it, but thus far it's an interesting portrait of confused, spiritually drifting masculinity and what life looks like for a person of this type, particularly when such a person is from a wealthy family and can afford to do such things.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I have very recently decided to take a position at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. I'll be working at the Henry Center for Theological Understanding at TEDS and will also do a PhD in Theological Studies with an emphasis in historical theology. Bethany and I are excited about this new stage of life, and I am quite happy that she will now be able to do pretty much what she likes with her time. The MDiv is a grind, and it (and other degrees) take the greatest toll on wives and families. I am so thankful to the Lord for this neat position, for the opportunity to work with and study under a pastoral scholar like Doug Sweeney, and for the change in life situation it affords my wife. However, we will miss Louisville when we move next month, and our time here has been richly blessed and filled with sweet memories of family, friends, and profitable experiences. Soon, then, we will be saying goodbye to Louisville and hello to Deerfield.

The Rise of the Pastor-Theologian

Came across this quotation by Jonathan Edwards scholar Doug Sweeney. Those familiar with Edwards's works will recognize Sweeney as an editor of volume 23 of the Works volumes (it's pretty sensational to have your name alongside that of Jonathan Edwards on the author listing). Sweeney is an impressive scholar, but he is also a man with a love for the local church. Several years ago he said this of Edwards's pastor-theologian model:

"Edwards teaches us that theology can and should be done primarily in the church, for the promotion of Christian wisdom among God’s people. In Edwards’s day, America did not yet have any modern, post-baccalaureate seminaries. Pastors were our nation’s most important theologians, and parishioners understood better how much our lives depend on God’s Word. Today, many pastors have abdicated their responsibilities as theologians. And many theologians do their work in a way that is lost on the people of God. I want to be realistic in making this point. A certain amount of specialization is inevitable in modern, market-driven economies. And the specialization of roles within God’s kingdom often enhances our Christian ministries. But when pastors spend the bulk of their time on organizational concerns, and professors spend most of their time on intramural, academic concerns, no one is left to do the work that Edwards knew is most important: the hard work of opening the Scriptures in ways that deepen the faith, hope, and love of the church." (Trinity Magazine, Spring, 2004)

I hope to talk more about this in coming days. These are powerful words that all seminarians should consider, particularly those who are intellectually gifted. In past years, the pastorate was not a subsidiary calling for those not intelligent enough to be professors. It was the primary theological office. We are seeing a return to this model in the current day, and this only portends good things for the Christian church.

(Don't worry, Steve Weaver, I'm sure you'll do fine--and no, I don't think I'll be at SBTS next fall, though I'm not sure where I'll be. Thanks for asking, brother.)

HT: Iustificare