Why Pastors Need a Vacation

August 2, 2012

You may or may not have missed this blog too much. I missed connecting with you folks, but of course, but one of the reasons this was not updated was because I was away on vacation. And, in all honesty, I was glad to be away from this blog and the other burdens of pastoral ministry.

Please don’t get me wrong. My family and I are happy to be serving our little church and love them all. But just as everyone needs to get away for a little bit to rest and recharge, so does the pastor. And while we as pastors never “turn off” (we’re always thinking about the church and its needs), the change of venue and schedule can be just what we need in order to be even more effective as a minister of the Gospel. Let me give you a few reasons why it is so important for the pastor to “get away”.

 Rest

Frankly, all people need rest. And pastors are no different. The burdens of ministry weigh down on pastors in some ways, like no other job. As administrators, public speakers, public relations specialists, researches, counselors, and various other hats, we have lawyers educations, work doctors hours, and generally do not receive similar benefits. The minimum we can do is take some time away to rest and detach from ministry for our own sake and for the sake of our families who put up with a lot less attention because we are devoting our attention elsewhere. Sitting in our little cottage in the Finger Lakes, we could do as we please: go swimming, go to the park, go to the zoo, or simply stay in and read and relax. What a blessing it is to do so!

 Reflect

It is true that pastors never truly “turn off.” We don’t have a profession like others who don’t have to think about it when they aren’t doing it. If you work in a factory, I doubt you worry about your machine working properly while you are away. Yet, pastors do not have true replacements. We are always thinking about the life of our church and how we can grow and improve. Yet, it is in a different context. Without all the routine of regular church life, we can focus and think about the big picture and the situation we are all in and how to make improvements and adjustments. We might not have major epiphanies but we often can think differently about our ministry while away to the benefit of all.

 Relax

The burden of Sunday’s can be exhausting. Planning and executing, preaching and reading. It’s hard sometimes as the pastor to actually enjoy the worship service. When we are away, we attend other churches and we are able to sit, and participate like other believers and be fed. All too often, despite all the reading pastors do, we don’t get fed enough because we’re always busy feeding others. Being away in another church allows us to be fed so we can be strengthened to be able to feed you further. Plus, there is the benefit that you will able to be fed by a different person than me. While consistency is good and having the same person preach each week is the best idea, it’s good for you to hear other people as well, especially people in our own flock. I am thankful for the men of our church and their excellent job in filling in for me. I think if the Lord ever took me from this Church (God forbid!) you would be in capable hands!

 Recognize

Lastly, what this allows us to do is to recognize just how blessed we are. Even though we get to hear other preachers and be with other Christians, we are always reminded how much we miss our own people when we are away. We were glad to get away on vacation, but we recognize where we want to be is with our church family. Thank you everyone for providing for us the time away to sit back and relax and rest and review. The greatest benefit of all, is that it, Lord willing, makes me a better husband, father, and shepherd of God’s flock!

 We’re glad to be home!

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Deacon’s (Benevolent) Offerings and Why They’re Good

June 19, 2012

Helping others, whether they be part of our families, part of our churches, or part of our communities is something that is sometimes very hard for us to do, but something that is incredibly important for us to pursue as Christians.

One of the many reasons I love our church so much is the fact that we care about others. I was so glad when I came to TBC and saw how we collected monies monthly in our Deacon’s Benevolent Offering to help meet the very real physical needs of people in our congregation and in the community at large. While we don’t always collect a large amount of money, the Lord often gives us resources to meet needs for people in our midst. Since I’ve been in Tunkhannock we’ve been able to reach out and meet various needs of people in our congregation for heating oil, groceries, transportation, and other such expenses. We’ve also been able to meet the needs of people in our community as well with things like rent, groceries, gasoline, and other things as well. You may wonder why we should help others with our resources. Let me help you consider a few reasons why.

The Image of God

All people are created in the image of God. In Genesis 1:26–27, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Here we see that in creation, God made us to be like Him. We have rational thought; exercise decision making; have a spiritual capacity; carry out our responsibilities that God has mandated. All of these things place an intrinsic importance on humanity simply because they are made in God’s image. As much as you might like your dog, for instance, it is not a person and not made in the image of God.

Sometimes, we think we should only help people if we can see them get saved. This misses the point that we should care for people, not just to see them saved, but because they have intrinsic value to them; they are made in the image of God. So one of the reasons we collect monies to give out, is because people have value to God and should have value to us.

Do Good to All Men

Galatians 6:10 reads, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Paul here reminds us that when we sow good works, we will reap in season, and that therefore, we have an obligation to do good to all men. Paul qualifies that we should focus our attention on the church (the household of faith) but not just to the church but to all men. One of the ways we demonstrate the charity and mercy and love of Jesus in our lives and in our churches is to help all people when we are able. So, one of the things we do is to help people in need when we have the resources to do so. We may not always see a tangible result at first, but vs. 9 reminds us, that when we sow, we too will reap eventually.

This is all to say that we should remember that we are obligated to care for people because they have value to God since they were made in His image, and that when we have the chance we should do good to all men for when we sow good, we will reap good in the end. This is why we collect funds to be distributed by the deacons to minister to people in both our congregation and in our community. Who knows what benefit and blessing it may bring!

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40 Questions About the End Times – Book Review

May 10, 2012
Title: 40 Questions about the End Times
Author: Eckhard Schnabel
Series Editor: Benjamin L. Merkle
Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional
Date Published: 2011

Eckhart Schnabel has written a book entitled, “40 Questions about the End Times.” With the current interest in the end times amid speculation about the end of the world, there is a need for a scholarly book to answer questions concerning the return of Christ, and Schnabel has written such a book. He states in his introduction that the goal of the book is to “answer the series of important questions that are raised about the times leading up to the end, while avoiding sensationalism.” (pg. 9)

He begins with a helpful discussion, in which he defines the theological terms associated with the end times. Precise definitions are given for amillennialism, premillennialism and postmillennialism and other terms. As an expositor, Schnabel has chosen not to use these terms throughout his book in an effort to keep the discussion focused on the Scriptures. This is refreshing and places the focus on the text rather than theological systems.

Next, Schnabel discusses his method for interpreting the eschatological passages of Scripture. He states that the text must be interpreted according to its “historical, cultural and linguistic context,” which is the way that all Scripture should be interpreted. However, then he states that he will interpret the text symbolically rather than literally. According to Schnabel, interpreting end times Scriptures literally whenever the text will allow is “an illegitimate demand because it leaves the decision when to interpret literally and when to interpret symbolically up to the modern interpreter.” (pg. 12) Schnabel concludes his discussion on interpretation vowing to use clear passages to interpret unclear passages, but he does not follow his own advice. For example, in Revelation 13:16, John discusses the mark of the beast. “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (NIV) The text clearly states that people will be forced to receive a mark on their hand or forehead, and yet in his discussion concerning the mark of the beast, Schnabel states, “The expression ‘mark of the beast’ is a symbolic way of describing the state’s measures that are designed to ensure that people submit to compulsory idol worship.” (pg. 203) The book contains other examples where he interprets clear propositional statements as being symbolic, in keeping with his focus on symbolism as opposed to the literal meaning.

Eckhard Schnabel has written a book answering important questions about the end times. His book is scholarly and pastors will find it challenging as they wrestle with the text of end time prophecies. But I would not recommend this book to my congregation, because of Schnabel’s preference for symbolic interpretations over literal in clear texts.

Pastor Allen Mickle Sr.
Walkerville Evangelical Baptist Church, Windsor, ON

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Contraceptives and the Constitution

February 15, 2012

This is a letter I sent to our local paper, The Scranton Times-Tribune, about the hub-bub over the contraceptive mandate and the first amendment. I am unsure if they will print it but thought it might be interesting reading for others.

“I am not Roman Catholic but I support them in their endeavor to uphold the first amendment when it comes to providing contraceptives/abortifacients via insurance providers. Whether a religious employer pays directly for women to receive these items or whether the insurance company that the employer pays premiums to is required to provide them, both are in clear violation of the free exercise clause of the first amendment.

Debates over Catholic women using these items or the cost savings of contraceptives over delivering babies (don’t get me started on the cost savings it was for us to have our son at home with a licensed midwife, but that’s another matter) are really smoke and mirrors. No Catholic is saying women cannot have access to these items (albeit we wish our culture embraced life rather than death); even the women in their employ (regardless of whether these women choose to obey the teaching of their religious faith). They are saying they should not be forced to violate their consciences as religious entities and individuals to pay for them de facto or de jure. Let them pay for them themselves.

Enshrined in the first amendment is the provision that the government will not restrict religious individuals and institutions from exercising their religion. Roman Catholics believe one cannot use contraceptives or abortifacients, and most orthodox Christians hold that one cannot use abortifacients; not because we suppress women and their rights, but because we uphold the right for all people to have life and to enjoy it abundantly; even unborn children in the womb. Therefore, to force religious groups to violate their inherent beliefs to uphold life by providing, even by extension, things that, in essence, prevent or destroy life, would be to violate their free exercise of religion.

This is not about Roman Catholics or about Democrats. It’s about the Founding Fathers protecting the rights of religious individuals from being infringed upon by the government. To force any to violate their devoutly held, and core, religious convictions for the sake of free or cheap contraceptives is a violation of the first amendment and should be decried by religious and secular alike who seek to uphold the rights and freedoms of Americans enshrined in the Bill of Rights.”

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Band of Bloggers 2012

February 14, 2012

2012 Band of Bloggers is now live! Do you blog? You’ll want to be here!

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Journal of Biblical Counseling

February 7, 2012

The Journal of Biblical Counseling is back and is now available online for free! Check it out here.

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“The Church Stands or Falls…”

January 30, 2012

I have been talking recently with other men about a Reformed ecumenical movement in our area centered around the historic faith. We have been considering the Cambridge Declaration as possible means of a doctrinal unity to what we are considering. One of the elements within it is the emphasis on justification by faith alone or what Martin Luther called, “the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls.” I thought it might be helpful to consider then what exactly justification is if it is so important. On that note, consider question 36 of the Baptist Catechism, which asks:

“What is justification?”

The answer is:

“Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

Here are my thoughts on this:

The doctrine of justification, being “declared righteous before the law”, is of critical importance to understanding our salvation. The great Reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) once said called it the “doctrine by which the church stands or falls.” So, let us make sure we get this right!

First, we see that justification is an act of God through his free grace. We have done nothing to earn this declaration of our innocence before the law. God justifies the unrighteous purely by His own desire. But what exactly is happening in justification? Our answer says it is where God pardons all our sins. All of our sins, past, present, future, are declared to be pardoned by God, as if we have never committed them. Paul writes in Romans 3:24–25 that we are “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” God is righteous and cannot simply ignore sin. Instead, Jesus Christ died so that through His death we could be declared righteous, even though we are guilty before the law. Elsewhere in Romans 4:6–8, Paul continues by saying, “just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:  ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’” The beauty of the doctrine of justification is that through it we are now said to be innocent before the Lord.

Second, we see that God accepts us as righteous in His sight. Paul talks about how we have become righteous because Christ became unrighteous for us in 2 Corinthians 5:19–21. He writes, “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ, in reconciling the lost to God died so we might live and not have our sins counted against us. He became sin so that we might be righteous. So when God looks upon the believer, He sees only the righteousness of Christ. Take heart Christian, you are not guilty! Your sin has been forgiven through Christ!

Third, we note that it is only through the imputed righteousness of Christ that God sees us as righteous. It is not because of our righteousness, but because Christ has given us His righteousness. Through faith it is as if Christ’s righteousness is our righteousness. Paul addresses this in Romans 5:17–19 where he writes, “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Just as we became sinners because Adam’s sin was given to us, we are righteous because Christ’s righteousness has been given to us!

Finally, this justification is by faith alone. Paul writes in Galatians 2:16, “yet we know that person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Again Paul writes in Philippians 3:9, “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” No works that we can do can make us righteous, in contrast to what Roman Catholicism teaches. We are only declared righteous by faith.

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“A Life of Satisfaction and Enjoyment”: The Glorious Reward of Heaven

October 26, 2011

Below is a recent article I wrote for The Gospel Witness (August 2011, pp. 10-13).

“A Life of Satisfaction and Enjoyment”:

The Glorious Reward of Heaven

The great English poet, John Donne (1572–1631), has given us a lyrical contrast between life here on this place and what heaven will be like:

Here in this world,
He bids us come;
there in the next,
He shall bid us welcome.

Christians of all times and all places have looked forward to that day when they would move from this world and to another where we would be welcomed with open arms by our Father. Christians do not believe that when one dies that it is simply the end. No, they believe that there is something beyond this life; something far better than what we have now. Now, we are “aliens and strangers” (Eph 2:19), and our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). And while Christians long for that time when “He shall bid us welcome” most have a rather confused view of what heaven will be like, and frankly, who will populate it.

Therefore, it is imperative to answer these two most fundamental questions when considering the doctrine of heaven. First, what is heaven? What will it be like? What will it’s nature be? What can we expect? Second, who goes to heaven? Who will be the resident population of heaven? What must one do to enjoy the glorious reward of heaven?

What is Heaven?

Our world is fascinated with the supernatural, the angelic, the other-worldly. Whether it be people who make pilgrimages to “Area 51” in the Nevada desert to prove that there is life out there in the universe, or the myriads of television viewers imbibing the constant stream of the fantastic supernatural creatures like vampires or zombies, most want to believe there is more than just what we absorb with our senses. There must be something more than this physical reality that we see here and now. And many want to truly believe, despite their religious persuasion or even their lack thereof, that there is something beyond death. But ask your average person in North America what heaven will be like and you will get some typical answers:

1) White robes
2) Harp playing
3) Cloud floating
4) Halos

Their understanding of heaven is that at death that we will proceed to enter into the “pearly gates” as long as St. Peter has us on his list and we will remain for all eternity relaxing on clouds playing harps looking like the innocent angel statues that frequent most Christian book stores. The problem with this is, it is exactly what heaven will not be. This then begs the question, what will heaven be like? For answers to this question we must turn to our only authoritative source, the Bible.

The reality is, heaven is not just an ethereal place where we float around. Instead, the Scriptures tell us that there will be after the final judgment, a new heaven and a new earth. Isaiah 65:17 reads, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”[1]

What we know of as the current space-time-mass continuum, all of the heavens and the earth; the entire universe, will be completely changed. Yet, it will not be destroyed. While some people today envision a full and final destruction of the universe which will leave absolutely nothing, the Scriptures instead present a new creation. In light of God’s purposes to redeem creation that had been marred in the curse (Romans 8:19–21), everything will be restored to absolute perfection. This will not mean the absence of the physical, but the physical made perfect. This is nowhere more clearly spelled out than in Revelation 21:1–8:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The theme here is one of newness. All things become new, yet not all things are fundamentally different from what they once were. While the effects of sin will be removed there will still be heaven and still be earth and the holy city Jerusalem will be there. This is a physical realm populated by physical people. We have a tendency, even in Evangelical churches, to sort of imbibe a platonic dualism that sees spirit as somehow “better” than matter. That one day we will shed this body and be pure and whole. The problem is, the Scriptures teach us that when we shed this physical body we will put on another physical, resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:35–49). And the place where these bodies will dwell will be on a physical new heavens and new earth.

This connecting of heaven and earth in a new creation presents a number of new changes. The Scriptures tell us there will be no sea, that there will be a new Jerusalem, where God Himself dwells, there will be no more darkness or sin, and no more tears. The dwelling place of the redeemed will be a place untouched by the ravages of sin. What God once called “very good” in the original creation will once again be very good as sin is purged and the curse is fully and finally destroyed. Everything that we think of as wonderful and beautiful will only be more so in heaven. Even our work, our service to god, will be redeemed. We will not float upon clouds playing harps but will joyfully serve Him on a real physical earth (Matt 25:23; Rev 22:3).
For those who will dwell in heaven, the final judgment and recreation of the universe to be our dwelling place is not something to fear but is something to rejoice over. René Pache captures this well when he writes,

It is told us that at the creation of the world “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [the angels no doubt] shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Since then, this joy has become dimmed by the fall and by the curse of sin, so that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of travail. When, at last, the new heavens and the new earth appear, the whole universe will resound with praise. Myriads of myriads and thousands upon thousands of beings around the heavenly throne have already sung of the God of creation, of redemption, and of judgment…. They will certainly burst forth again when, all things having become new, there will be seen descending out of heaven from God the new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.[2]

Who Goes to Heaven?

Once one understands the true nature of heaven, the logical question is, who will populate this renewed Eden? If it will be a physical place where people will dwell working, serving, and glorifying God through the use of their gifts and talents, who will these people be? Again, the average person in North America, when asked the question of how one gets to heaven will simply answer that you just have to be good enough. When we die and we stand before the gate to heaven, our good deeds and our bad deeds will be weighed on the divine scale and as long as the good outweighs the bad, then entrance is guaranteed. Who goes to heaven? Good little boys and girls who never did too many wrong things. Again, if we want to know who will be in heaven, we have to turn to Scripture and see what the prerequisites are for citizenship in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Pache is clear here about those for whom heaven is opened. “His will, then, is unmistakable: all sinners are invited to heaven, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.”[3] The entrance requirements to heaven are to simply respond in faith to the message of the Gospel proclaimed on earth. For all those who hear they are a sinner, repent of that sin, and trust in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice alone for their salvation, the doors are opened unto them. For all those who do not, there will be no place for them in heaven. No amount of good deeds done on earth, no amount of good intentions, will earn you a place in heaven. Simply, one sin will deprive you from an eternity with God in paradise. Instead, the Scriptures call you to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ; only then will you find that at death, you will have such a great reward.

Why is Heaven a Glorious Reward?

Frankly, the reality of what the Scriptures teach about heaven far surpasses the fluffy cloud, angelic harp-playing, that so many believe. The great English Puritan Richard Baxter remarked that “this is a life of desire and prayer, but that is a life of satisfaction and enjoyment.”[4] Often, when we consider the doctrine of heaven we only consider the myriads of questions regarding the details and neglect the true and real importance; that everything in the new heavens and new earth are beautiful and joyous. All of the physical details presented in the Scriptures point to a vastly beautiful realm of wonder and joy. Anything that we could hold dearly to in this life will be far better in the next. Yet, even for all the beauty that we will see around us in heaven, there is something far more important. Wayne Grudem writes about that when he says,

But more important than all the physical beauty of the heavenly city, more important than the fellowship we will enjoy eternally with all God’s people from all nations and all periods in history, more important than our freedom from pain and sorrow and physical suffering, and more important than reigning over God’s kingdom—more important by far than any of these will be the fact that we will be in the presence of God and enjoying unhindered fellowship with him.[5]

What beauty and wonder is there in the statement in Revelation 21:3 that reads, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” What better thing is there than to consider that God will dwell with man face-to-face? From the very beginning of creation when man walked with God, we have been striving to be with God again. Now, God, through His Son’s reconciling work, will provide that avenue. God will dwell with man in a new heavens and a new earth. In fact, God’s presence will mean there will be no more need for a sun because His glory will light the city (Revelation 21:23).

What better thing to look forward to for the Christian is the reality that God will dwell with man? It is fitting to close and consider again the words of Grudem,

When we look into the face of our Lord and he looks back at us with infinite love, we will see in him the fulfillment of everything that we know to be good and rich and desirable in the universe. In the face of God we will see the fulfillment of all the longing we have ever had to know perfect love, peace, and joy, and to know truth and justice, holiness and wisdom, goodness and power, and glory and beauty. As we gaze into the face of our Lord, we will know more fully than ever before that “in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11). Then will be fulfilled the longing of our hearts with which we have cried out in the past, “One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple (Ps. 27:4). When we finally see the Lord face to face, our hearts will want nothing else. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you…. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25–26). Then with joy our hearts and voices will join with the redeemed from all ages and with the mighty armies of heaven singing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8).[6]

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version.

[2] René Pache, The Future Life (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962), p. 330.

[3] Pache, The Future Life, p. 372.

[4] Richard Baxter, The Saints Everlasting Rest, (London: Printed for Thomas Underhill and Francis Tyton, 1654), p. 115.

[5] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 1163.

[6] Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 1164.

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Is Debating the Finer Points of Theology Important?

June 14, 2011

“If we cannot hope to understand these details why is it important?”

“Does anyone really believe Calvin and Lewis are now in Heaven debating the finer points of the atonement?”

These are some of the questions of recent that I have come across as a pastor both within my church and without. I have faced some heavy criticism of being a very heavily “theological” pastor. Whether it be preaching the Word or interacting with people or teaching a theology class in our PM services, I have felt that a thorough and sound teaching of the foundational theological truths is incredibly important for the life of the Christian and the church. Unfortunately, this has met with some resistance. When we have been discussing the finer points of thinking on human responsibility and God’s sovereignty in salvation I have heard the comments that this is really unimportant. We need simply to preach the Word. All of this fine theological discussion does not actually help us to grow in the faith.

Yet, does not our love for God grow through our profound knowledge of God? And as our love for Him grows does not our service to Him grow in proportion?

I had the same discussion with someone on Facebook about the differences between John Calvin and C. S. Lewis and that neither are debating issues of “Calvinism and Arminianism” in heaven. I was astounded at this. Will, when we reach heaven, know infinitely all there is to know about God and His plans? Or will we continue to plumb the depths of the wisdom and glory of God for all eternity since He is infinite and we will always be finite? No, Calvin and Lewis are seeking to still understand the wisdom of God in all these things. They’re just not doing it as acrimoniously as we do today.

I wondered if this was simply new to our age. We live in an age or feeling and emotion and care not for the finer details of theology. But as I was reading Justification Vindicated by the Scottish Covenanter, Robert Traill (1642-1716) written when it was a time when theological precious and acumen was greatly prized, I realized the same issue has existed forever. He writes,

A light, frothy, trifling temper prevails generally; doctrines of the greatest weight are talked of and treated about with a vain, unconcerned frame of spirit, as if men contended rather about opinions and schoolpoints than about  the oracles of God and matters of faith. But if men’s hearts were seen by themselves, if sin were felt, if men’s consciences were enlivened, if God’s holy law were known in its exactness and severity, and the glory and majesty of the Lawgiver shining before men’s eyes, if men were living as if leaving time and launching forth into eternity, the gospel salvation by Jesus Christ would be more regarded (pp. 39-40).

The reality is, these finer details of theology, about justification, regeneration, election, substitutionary penal atonement, are of paramount importance both for the individual Christian and for the church. And if we only recognized our own limitations and God’s glory, we would spend far more time seeking to fine tune our theology to be most faithful to the Word of God.

So, I continue to teach theology. I continue to preach the whole counsel of God. I continue to recommend (and read myself) good, solid books, emphasizing right theology. I realize it is not just this day that makes men sloth for caring about the eternal purposes of God in the Word, but every age. And with every age there needs to be pastors who prompt and prod his people to know God and His Word better and to live it more faithfully and teach it clearly to the next generation.

In the end, we’re not going to know everything. There is a certain mystery to so much of the workings of God. Yet, our goal is to know and love God completely. We won’t have that perfected even on the other side of glory, but that does not abrogate my responsibility to work at it. I pray, that as I teach theology to my people, they will in turn love God more, and serve Him more faithfully.

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Book Review – Rediscovering the Church Fathers

June 8, 2011

Michael A. G. Haykin, Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church (Crossway, 2011).

I consider Michael Haykin a dear friend. He previously had been my boss at Toronto Baptist Seminary and a one-time mentor to me on a now defunct PhD dissertation. I consider him one of the keenest theologians and historians in Evangelicalism today and am so thankful for his ministry in my life. One might think that would make the following review too biased to be worth reading. This would be true if the reviewer had nothing negative to say about the book. But while I think it is a wonderful contribution to Evangelical thinking on the Fathers, I think there are a number of deficiencies that create for it a rather limited market.

Haykin is a Patristics scholar par excellence and this volume brings his writings back to a subject area so precious to him. The introduction and the conclusion make reading the book imperative for any thoughtful Christian. His pilgrimage with the Fathers is something of an encouragement and challenge to us all as we seek to live out the historic Christian faith with our ancestors. Especially helpful is how Haykin lays out important and practical reasons for studying the Fathers that most of us would not have considered.

The main bulk of the book is chapters on particular Fathers treating particular issues in Christian thinking and practice (most of the chapters have appeared elsewhere). To those who are widely read in significant Christian theology or in Patristics these chapters are welcome additions from an Evangelical perspective on key issues. Yet, for those average Christian these chapters would be difficult to read and focus upon as they are fairly technical. If Haykin wants us in the church to learn to love and appreciate the Fathers then I would argue perhaps he should identify that his book is really written for pastors and scholars. Yet, the issues that are treated in it are imperative to have a firm understanding of. Ignatius of Antioch’s thinking on martyrdom, apologetics from the Letter to Diognetus, hermeneutics with Origen, the Lord’s Supper with Cyprian and Ambrose, holiness and the Spirit from Basil of Casesarea, and the missionary piety of Patrick are all important things to consider. Yet, the language and details offered put this book out of reach of most average Christians.

The other weakness of the book is the Fathers that Haykin leaves out. Interestingly, in his appendix on a guide to reading the Fathers, Haykin talks about reading Augustine, The Odes of Solomon, Hilary, Athansius, and Gregory of Nyssa. None of these were dealt with directly in the book. It is a shame that Haykin asks us to read the works of those that we might be unfamiliar with and does not introduce us to them through his book. Would not it have been better then to treat these as well if he wants us to become familiar with the Fathers? In the opinion of this reviewer, two monumental Fathers were left out of the main section of the book and it is virtually unforgivable: Augustine and Athanasius. No book seeking to introduce us to the value of the Fathers should leave out these two men.

Now, this is not to say the book is without value. If you are patient and read thoughtfully you will glean fantastic material that will challenge your mind and warm your heart and motivate your hands to serve God more faithfully. We have much to learn from those who have gone before us and those willing to mine the details that Haykin presents will not be disappointed. But, if you are looking for a basic introduction to the Fathers from an Evangelical perspective, I would not recommend Haykin. Instead I would recommend Bryan Litfin’s helpful, Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. In it he surveys the life, thinking, and major contributions of the major Fathers including Augustine and Athansisus and includes reading recommendations and study questions for each Father. Now, if you want to move further than an introduction, then Haykin is where you should turn, but for the novice looking to study the Fathers, Litfin is a better introduction.

So, while Haykin is a dear friend and I think his book makes a wonderful contribution to Patristics, it is not for those looking for a basic introduction to the Fathers. But, again, for those who want to mine the riches of the Fathers that Haykin does address, it is worth every penny.

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