Author: davidsschrock

From Eden to Zion: A Temple Story

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What is the best way to describe the Bible?

Is it a collection of verses that supply promises and warnings for the Christian life?  Is it a collection of books that each point to Jesus Christ?  Or is it an epic story of Paradise Created, Paradise Lost, Paradise Promised, and Paradise Made New in Christ?

Perhaps, the best answer is all the above.  While each of these three answers are correct, I think the last is the most difficult to see in Scripture.  In the last month, we have given attention on Sunday mornings to the tabernacle in Exodus and how it fits into God’s plan of redemption.  Because of that, I want to give you a biblical roadmap that traces God’s “tabernacles,” I think by seeing this line of dwelling places, it will give you greater ground for hope in God.  Let’s see. Continue reading →

Noonday Light: Reflections on Halloween

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“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
– Colossians 3:2 –

pumpkin

Halloween is America’s  second largest consumer holiday, one that is too easily rejected or embraced, without careful thought or biblical reflection. Therefore, on the eve of this dark night, take time to consider how a Christian should think about Halloween’s casual promotion of evil, death, and the grave.

Where Did the ‘-een’ come from in Halloween? Let the wordsmiths at Dictionary.com give you a brief etymology of the word Halloween. (Dictionary.com)

Christianity and Dark Side–What about Halloween? Albert Mohler points to a number of the concerns Christians should have with Halloween. (Albert Mohler)

Halloween and Evangelical Identities. Russell Moore provides a humorous and accurate ‘Rorschach test‘ to discern what various approaches to Halloween say about our evangelical identity. I guess I’m a conservative evangelical.

The Body of Jesus and Halloween. Patrick Schreiner helps us think about the ‘horrors’ of this life and how Christ’s death and resurrection are incompatible with Halloween’s glorification of evil (Ad Fontes)

Halloween: Mocking the Darkness. You can thank Tony Reinke for pointing to this excellent ‘spoken word’ video from “10 of those,” a Christian resources ministry from across the pond.  Watch it. And then watch it again. (Spurgeon.com)

Soli Deo Gloria, dss

1 John 1:1-4: We See Because He First Showed Himself

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In John’s first letter, he introduces his audience to the Christ who he and the disciples had heard, seen, and touched. While it is apparent John’s tactile verbs—‘we have heard’ and ‘we have seen’—are meant to stress the flesh and blood reality of Jesus Christ, a closer look at the structure of 1 John 1:1-4, shows John stressing the antecedent work of God to manifest himself in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

You can see this is in the complex chiasmus which organizes 1 John 1:1-4. Continue reading →

Noonday Light: Christians and the Public Square

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“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
– Colossians 3:2 –

New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam

While many stumble in the light of noonday, God offers light to those who look up to him. These links are given to help you walk in the light as a growing disciple of Jesus Christ.

From Moral Majority to ‘Prophetic Minority’: An Interview with Russell Moore. ERLC President, Russell Moore, explains how evangelicals must stand in post-Bible Belt America. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Russell Moore on Evangelicals and Politics (video). Here’s the follow up interview on Moore’s Wall Street Journal article. (C-Span)

How to Change the World. Josh Moody gives a few examples from church history that encourage us to be salt and light in the world. (The Gospel Coalition)

Soli Deo Gloria, dss

Evangelism Then and Now: The Same Seed, A Different Soil

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[This is the most recent “Feeding on the Word” article from our church newsletter]

Over the last few decades Americans have witnessed an unprecedented move away from traditional marriage toward a choose-your-own-adventure approach to sexuality. Influenced by academics, funded by political action groups, and promoted by entertainment personalities, our culture has bought into the notion that sex without limitations is the apex of American freedom.

It should not surprise us that the neighbors we are called to reach have enormous relational baggage. Their sordid stories break our hearts, confound our wisdom, and shut our mouths. Even if we believe—as we ought—that God can save the worst sinner, we see broken people and wonder what to do. Continue reading →

Jesus Knew His Calling: A Missional Christology

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In the Gospels, Jesus frequently spoke of why he “came.” For instance, in Mark 1:38, when the crowds are pressing in on him, Jesus tells his disciples, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”  While Jesus was attentive to the needs of man; he was perfectly obedient to his Father’s will. As John reiterates time and again in his gospel, the Son was ‘sent’ by the Father on a mission to redeem those whom the Father had given him before the ages began.

Thus, to understand who Jesus is one must look at his Christological mission—what missiologists might call the Missio Dei. As the image of the invisible God and the Son whose obedience pleased the Father, Jesus’ “I have come . . .” statements reveal the very heart of God and the work Christ came to accomplish. To know these statements is to know a great deal about our Lord. To overlook them is to miss a key insight into his self-identity and mission.  Continue reading →

Postmodernity and Evangelical Thought (5): A Post-Script for Postmodernism

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Over the course of this week, I’ve noted some of the tenets of modernism that have led to a postmodern view of the world, I’ve suggested some of the major trademarks of postmodernism, and I’ve posited an approach that calls evangelicals to wisely and selectively appropriate some of postmodernism’s better features. To conclude, let me offer a post-script for evangelicals that both warns and commends. Continue reading →

Postmodernism and Evangelical Thought (4): A Wise and Selective Appropriation

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After surveying many of the key figures and concepts that make up postmodern thought, the question becomes: Is postmodernism salubrious or toxic for evangelical theology?

The answer, not surprisingly, differs depending on who is speaking.  In what follows, I will list three postures to take towards postmodernism.  In today’s evangelicalism, some like Stanley Grenz, John Franke, and Roger Olson have gladly appropriated postmodern thought, others like Douglas Geivett and Scott Smith have rejected it. Still others, most sensibly, have selectively and wisely incorporated some but not all aspects of postmodernism.  We will consider these in turn as they explain how postmodernism has impacted evangelical theology. Continue reading →

How Can We Know an Invisible God?

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Colossians 1:15 says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Set in the context of a hymn worshiping Christ for his works of creation, providence, and salvation, Paul reflects on this sublime truth: The invisible God who dwells in unapproachable light has made himself known in the identity of Jesus Christ.

Set at the center of the Christian gospel, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, ties at least three truths about God together. If you are wondering how you can know an invisible God, perhaps this biblical meditation might help. Continue reading →

Postmodernity and Envangelical Thought (3): The Basic Tenets of Postmodernism

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Yesterday, I outlined a number of the basic features of modernity. Today, I pick up by looking at the shift from modernity to postmodernity.

Postmodernism’s Progenitors: Jacques Derrida and Friedrich Nietzsche

It has been said that in the history of Western thought there have been two French Revolutions that gave birth to modernism and postmodernism.  In the Enlightenment, Frenchmen Rene Descartes brought about a new way of thinking when his Cogito turned Western thinking towards the subject.  Instead of keeping God at the center, now all centered on man.  This was the first French Revolution.  The second was the rise of Jacques Derrida, who not only questioned the Author of the universe, he questioned every single author who rose in his place.  Derrida has rightly been esteemed as the forefather of postmodern thought, and for good reason. Continue reading →