Upon His Holy Mountain

(I claim no originality to this argument. I'm sure someone has already made it somewhere because it's so obvious) In my many travels and wanderings through this world, I chanced upon a man I had seen before but never spoken too. Now this man's name was Mr. Atheist, from the well known city of Skeptic in the country of  Disbelief. As we walked down the road a bit, and he discovering I am a Christian, we began talking about all those things related to God and His ways. Now it chanced that Mr. Atheist made this remark: Mr. Atheist: Well, I shall never believe in any deity whatsoever, and I certainly don't want my children hearing such nonsense. Me: But tell me, I pray, why not? If it is nonsense, and if your children are as smart as you, don't you think they'll eventually realize it's nonsense? Mr. Atheist: Well I uh, yes....I think they could realize that on their own, but what with all those influences like yourself, and churches telling them i

Tomorrow, Americans will be eating a feast of ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn and of course turkey. Thanksgiving is a great holiday that I personally enjoy (with all that good eating who wouldn't?) and while I don't admire everything about the Separatists, I still love Thanksgiving. But did you know this was not the first thanksgiving meal in history?  No I'm not going to talk about the Jamestown thanksgiving (December 4) or even the Spanish one (April 31). This thanksgiving meal is the greatest of them all and the oldest of them all- and one meant for all mankind to celebrate. So pull up a chair, sit back and let me tell you the story of this first thanksgiving. We have to travel back almost 2,000 years, to the Roman Empire, in a small province called Palestine..... It was night and  in a little second floor room in Jerusalem, a Jewish rabbi and His disciples were celebrating a great holiday- the Passover. This Rabbi however wasn't an ordinary

Earlier this year I wrote the lyrics to this song, "The Echoes of Eden".  It is probably my best attempt at songwriting (not saying much). In Biblical Theology Class today with Dr. Morales, I was reminded of this song as he talked about Edenic patterns in the Tabernacle etc. The thoughts of Eden that prompted this song ran through my mind again. A note about the music:  I regret to say I have no audio recording of this song, nor presently any plans of making one.   Basically, this tune is Celtic in nature, with a rising and falling cadence, a high pitch, ideally violin+flute like melody.  In short think "Danny Boy" and "Minstrel Boy" and you've got it. However, I have decided to format it more like a poem so that all have to do is read it and (hopefully) fall in with the cadence. The Echoes of Eden There are echoes of Eden in the tapestry of time Of Yahweh’s Holy Mountain, And of paradise sublime And there’s a longing f

I love William Tyndale. There was a man and a great one too! If you have not seen the movie  God's Outlaw  (a film about William Tyndale) I highly recommend it (just click on the link after reading this post). William Tyndale famously stated to a learned Theological professor: " I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life...I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the scripture than thou doust" Tyndale translated the entire New Testament into English and much of the Old. He has enriched the English language in so many ways. But that's the not the thing I admire most about Tyndale. Tyndale exhibited great courage, audacity, wit and love all at once even to his dying day on the stake. (That's what I love about the movie God's Outlaw - the actor conveys each of these with equal ability.) Tyndale gave his life so that the Bible might be in the common tongue. Anyone familiar with the history of the Church and especially the

As my senior year of high school is ended, I want to take a short detour from my worship/ theological posts and relate the story of how I went  from an apathetic thirteen year old nominal Arminian Baptist to an eighteen year old fiery Catholic (i.e. Liturgical) Presbyterian. One of the most difficult questions I have ever had in my life is, "So when we're you saved and how?" It's on nearly every form related to ministry and I still have trouble really answering it. Looking back, I would divide my life into three stages: (I've divided it by age but this is not an exact division...) Pre-Apathetic Period (1-6/7) Apathetic Period (6/7-13/14) Reformed Period (13/14 to the day I die...) From Eden to Egypt I don't have much to say about the first period. I remember little of it but I do remember a strong love for scripture and God. That's what throws the monkey wrench as we will see. At the age of about seven I slowly turned my back on God. I never st

(Explanatory note for the following terms: The terms "Primitivist" and "Progressivists" were used in the 19th century to describe those who wanted to go back (to nature or rural living, i.e. Ludites on steroids) and those who wanted to push forward (the optimists) respectively. I use these with the word "Ecclesiastical" (that dealing with the Church) in the following discourse). Ecclesiastical Primitivists are rampant in 21st Century American Christendom. Those of us who desire church buildings are told "Well the early Church met in houses!" To these people, if the 1st Century Church didn't do it, then we shouldn't either. They place that era of the Church in a context totally removed from it's cultural, historical, political and logical context and elevate to position of perfection. For example, concerning the above claim against Church buildings, I readily concede that most (emphasis on most) of the 1st Century Christians me

"Hold it! I think I found an Easter Liturgy!" It's Holy Week! Palm Sunday...Maundy Thursday...Good Friday...Resurrection Sunday. Aren't you excited? If you are, there is little need to read this post unless you want some cannon fodder. If you are rolling your eyes at me and muttering "Papist" under your breath then by all means continue reading. I am appalled, stunned, outraged and disgusted with the "Holiday Gestapo" who love to point to the pagan roots of Christmas and Easter, the lack of Biblical grounds and generally tear down these two holidays. And these are Christians who do this! Generally, there are two objections, the pagan elements supposedly just oozing out of them and the hardcore application of the Regulative Principle. Since the Passion Week is more or less free from pagan influence (the name Easter is derived from the name "Ishtar"- a Babylonian goddess. However, most people do not think of Ishtar when they he

The battered flag of Christendom still fluttered faintly in the breeze as her bedraggled army commanders assembled to determine their next move. A shiver ran up and down the spines of the assembly as the sound of a strange bugle blew off in the distance. Not to far away the Army of Humanism continued to march. Soon it would be upon the Christian Army. Seven officers- five men and two women- stood in a circle, awaiting the commanding general, Robert Henpecked, to start.  The general at last began the meeting. "What now, my comrades? Do we stand and fight? Or do we run and find better ground." General Hezekiah Cowpattie cleared his throat and replied, "We should wait and stand our ground but be ready to run again." "Again?" Quizzed Gen. Frogleg. "You said that last time." "I say we wait until the next election to give battle," offered Maj. Duckwaddle. "And you said that last time too!" Grumbled old Gen.

Random Arminian Friend: So you're a Calvinist? You (hopefully): Well, I believe that God predestines who will and will not be saved. Calvin also taught that so I am in agreement with, if that's what you mean. RAF: Yeah, whatever (Clearly confused) . Well, does that mean we don't have to evangelize? Like, if God's already decided all that, we don't have to do anything right? You (hopefully): No, because God tells us to spread the Gospel. We give the message and leave the results to God. RAF: Oh, Okay (Clearly still skeptical and confused) Isn't it awesome? God has charged us with the task of proclaiming His Gospel to "every creature" and promises to bring to Himself those who are His elect! Reformed Christians should be the most enthusiastic, determined and confident evangelist on the globe. After all, poor brother Bill the Arminian evangelist constantly worries about making the message more effective and more "appealing". We kno

America is full of ghost churches. How often do we see or hear of churches that start off strong and fast, only to vanish within few decades? One has but to visit many congregations in the South particularly to find churches where the youth is missing and the inevitable fate of "ghost church" awaits them. How does this happen? That's a rather complex question and I'm only dealing with one aspect. Basically it comes down to this: What is church's goals and how do they plan to accomplish said goals? Secondly, I want to talk about "being outdated". Okay, so what should the goal of church be (and this should be determined at the outset). Now, I'm tempted to repeat a lot of what I said in  a previous post , but I'll try not to. The Church, as the body of Christ and the people of God, exist to proclaim His Majesty and provide light to the world around us. Our job is to spread that light (with God's help) until it engulfs the entire globe. T

"Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship." If you really want to get me going, just say this phrase because this statement reduces the Christian Faith to a self help program with Jesus as your best friend or what have you. The Christian Faith is not a mere relationship. But what is it then? First off (and let's get this clear) Christianity is simply the body of thought about the Christian Faith. Christianity is an idea, in other words. Much like Theology is the study or thoughts about God, but Theology is not God. It is God whom we worship- not Theology. Instead of "Christianity", we should say "Christendom". Now, Christendom gives rise to many different connotations. Many Christians today would say "What? I have no clue what that means!". The more historically minded folks, such as myself, will think of Medieval Europe. Christendom simply means "the realm of the Christians" or Christ depending on the cont

"The Bible is our Creed" This is the answer many Christians (e.g. Mennonites, Church of Christ, Baptist, Charismatic etc.) will give when asked about creeds. But is the Bible a creed? First off, what is as creed, exactly? Well, the word creed comes from the Latin word "Credo" meaning 'I Believe". So, could that work in the phrase, "The Bible is my creed"? Of course, I do indeed believe the Bible. It is the infallible, inerrant, inspired word of God, the book by which lives and nations should be governed. Without it, we would be lost. But the Bible is not a creed. A creed, basically is statement of faith. It's what you would say if I asked, "So, what do you believe?" Are you going to quote the entirety of the Bible to me? No, you'll concise it and explain in your own words what you believe based on the Scripture (I hope). The Bible is not, really, a creed. It is the substance on which creeds should be founded. Some sa

I hope the title of this post hasn't frightened you but I do indeed ask that you avoid at all cost The Microwave. It is subtle and dangerous. Now I do not mean that apparatus whereby people in the modern culture obtain warm food at alarming and mind boggling speeds. I am referring to much more serious threat- The Biblical Microwave. A brief glance at most "through the Bible in a year" plans reveals something about the average American Christian- they think of the OT and NT as parallel books. You read X amount of the OT and Y amount of NT each day. And thus we run into the Microwave   (Begins the scary music and other equally disturbing sound effects.)  The Bible is a story. It a true story. It is story of the world, from the dawn of creation in Eden to the consummation of  all things with a new and restored Eden. It is amazing how much the beginning of the Bible is echoed in the final chapters. It also amazing how many Christians don't see it.  They compartm

The Clothing Civil War of the Church: The matter of dressing on Sunday is a hot topic in today's Christian world. For some, it's all about coming as you are and not trying to look self-righteous. Just throw on your jeans and T-shirt and you're good to go.  On the other hand, you have the conservative lynch mobs trying to tie nooses, er, ties around our necks. You're going to see the King of all Creation, the Savior, so you want to look your best. If I might be so bold, I would like to suggest that both sides are absolutely right, and absolutely missing the point. Here are a few things to consider, and that play a part in the rationale behind my personal Lord's Day attire. I want to hit on these very briefly. What is Worship? Worship is when God's people come into his presence to praise him, to hear his word, to pray and to feast at his table. Worship is not a casual event, but neither is formal.. It is a celebration. Should We Dress Up Then? This depe