I’ve thought a good bit about blogging these past two weeks. Whereas I’ve left blogging here at the RV as a chapter in my blogging past, I’ve decided to start a new chapter in a different direction. Through blogging, I’ve found a love for writing. What I want to do next is to give myself to writing longer pieces, with more content, less often. It is my hope that these longer pieces will follow along the lines of Bible study, Christian biography, book reviews, summaries of theology, and thoughts on engaging culture with the gospel. Of course, that will mean less personal updates on my family and UVA basketball. If those things interest you, you’ll just have to call me more often.

Nevertheless, you can find the next stage of my blogging existence over at Mining Grace.

Again, I’m humbled that anyone would find anything I write interesting or useful enough to read.

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With much forethought and prayer, I’ve decided to discontinue blogging at The Reformed Virginian for awhile. Six months since its inception the RV has logged close to 10,000 visits. I still don’t know quite why you all come. This site started out mainly for family and friends. It’s grown to be something a bit more. Don’t worry, nothing horrible has happened to me, in fact it is quite the opposite. Two great things have happened to me recently.

• One, the birth of my fourth son.  Charlie is wonderful.  I took some time off from blogging to better enjoy husbanding and fathering. It has been great!  So I started thinking, why don’t I just continue my blogging hiatus… and here we are.
• Secondly, our gracious Lord continues to work on me. His nearness to me over the past months has been edifying and a little unnerving.  Quite honestly, I want more of that too.  So, secondly, I’m going to take some time off for some good soul work.

I’m still going to leave the site up for you to take a look at where we’ve been over the past few months.  And who knows, I may pick it back up sometime in the future.

Don’t worry, you can still find me online if you need me.  I still plan to comment on other folks’ blogs.  I’ll still be posting at sporadically at our church blog, The Sweet Dropper.  I’m also going to continue to update my tumblelog.  As always, you can find me on facebook.

Thanks for the comments and for making this blog a true labor of love.

My fourth son, Charlie, was born last night (7 lbs 3 ozs, 19 inches).  I’m well on my way to the basketball team I’ve always wanted.

Obviously, blogging will be sporadic here for awhile.  For the time being, rejoice with me over the birth of another son of the covenant.

This is part 3 of my look at the Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents. Having finished up my look at the Confessional Statement in part 2, I’m now going to piece my way through the five parts of the Theological Vision for Ministry. I’ll be honest, I think philosophies of ministry are fascinating. Theology is not worth studying if it doesn’t make a difference in your life and ministry.

This post will just look at section 1 entitled, “How should we respond to the cultural crisis of truth?” or The Epistemological Issue. I’ll admit upfront that I haven’t done a whole lot of study into the history of the philosophical understanding of truth. Nevertheless, I found this section to be very interesting. Here are some thoughts:

• A helpful preface. As I said in part 1, one of the additions to the final form of the GC documents was this preface. It is a diagnosis of the current cultural trends in epistemology. It frames current conversations on truth as a dialog between the rationalistic Enlightenment view of truth and the postmodern view of truth. The preface seeks to navigate between the errors of each view. We do not propose that unaided human reason is able to arrive at truth objectively. This is to discount the noetic effects of sin. The other error to avoid is the proposition that truth only exists within and is created by people groups who share a common societal narrative. This is to discount absolute truth. Whether we like it or not, the church must figure out how to present the truth of the Word of God in the midst of this dialog. The preface does a good job of describing the playing field.
• A nod to David Wells? Maybe I’m reading too much into this preface, but it sounds a whole lot like the four works of David Wells analyzing the most recent cultural shift into postmodernity. I noticed that the second to last sentence contained a phrase that is the title of the first book in Wells’s series, No Place for Truth. Is this a cameo appearance?
• TVM-1a: Scripture presents truth that directly corresponds to reality. What the Bible says is true is true. Scripture describes reality most accurately. This is the point at which someone with a degree in philosophy could add a whole lot more.
• TVM-1b: The conveyance of truth in Scripture is presented in multiple genres that must be respected. Truth is propositional. But the complexity and depth of Scripture cannot be presented solely in propositions. Scripture uses various forms (poetry, metaphor, narrative) to present the whole counsel of God. This is a slight discussion of the relationship between systematic theology and other areas of theological study, like biblical theology. Paul Helm has recently written a good article on this distinction. This issue will resurface in more detail under section two of the TVM.
• TVM-1c: Truth, as it is revealed in Scripture, corresponds to a covenantal relationship with God. Christianity is not just head knowledge. It is a relationship to be lived. God reveals his truth in order to create and sustain relationship with his people. Truth is intended to be lived out in relationship with God. It was the incarnate Son of God who called himself “the Truth”.
• What it looks like. This section concludes with a few thoughts on how these principles are lived out. First, they adopt a chastened correspondence-theory of truth. I’m not quite sure what that exactly means but I assume it is a summary of the tension presented in the preface between rationalism and postmodernity. Secondly, the document reasserts that truth is practical and should be lived out in worship and wisdom. Thirdly, that even though our grasp of truth is partial at best, we can still be certain that what the Bible says is indeed true truth.

Those are my thoughts on section one of the TVM. When I have some more time, I’ll take a look at section two on hermeneutics.

Driving down the road the other day I came to a stoplight. I glanced over my left shoulder at the truck beside me. It was an old, light blue, chevy pickup. The man driving looked to be in his late 50’s to early 60’s. He wore a white undershirt, red suspenders, and a tell-tale green hat with a yellow patch on the front. His truck, clothing, and sun-leathered face gave him away as a farmer.

Seeing this man, I began thinking to myself, “How do I reach this man with the gospel of Jesus Christ?” This of course was simply for the sake of thought, since I had no idea of his spiritual state. He might have been, for all I knew, much more holy than I. But I came face to face with the difficulty I bare, as a minister in a small Southern town of approximately 7,000 people.

I can’t go to the local Starbucks and hope he pops in for a venti latte. First of all, we don’t have a Starbucks or any other coffee shop for that matter. Even if we did, he certainly wouldn’t be found there. I can’t make an appearance at the concert of the newest underground indie-rock band. Of course, we don’t have any indie-rock bands, much less new ones, and if we did, he certainly wouldn’t be found there.

I could go through the list of what constitutes cultural engagement in any metropolis of significant size, but none of it quite corresponds to where I am. What I do have, however, is the Bible. I can love him. I can become as he is that I may win him to Christ.

So what am I doing? I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m growing corn. It’s a little garden in my back yard, but I’m learning about farming. I learned yesterday from a farming friend that my corn is currently falling over because I didn’t plant it “two knuckles deep”. I’m also seeking relationships with men in my congregation who are involved in the farming and cattle community. I’m trying to equip my folks to do the work of ministry as I struggle to do ministry along side them. I may never see that man with the green hat again. But if the Lord should so order that he and I should cross paths, I want to look back on the time between that stop light and our next meeting, and say to myself, “I’ve prepared as best as I can to present to this man the very words of eternal life as winsomely as I possibly could. The rest is up to the sweet, sovereign mercy of God.”

1 Corinthians 9:19 - For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

After offering some thoughts on some changes that had occurred in the development of the Gospel Coalition Documents, I want to take a post for reflection on the Confessional Statement. (You can find copies of the document here and here. You can find multiple posting on it over at Justin Taylor’s blog beginning here.)

[Bias Alert - I love The Westminster Confession of Faith. It is the confession of my faith and what I believe to be the most accurate, confessional document on Biblical theology. Although I've done some study on the 39 Articles and the early creeds of the Church, The Westminster Confession is the Confession by which I judge other Confessions. I also realize that the Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement is by no means intended to supersede the Westminster Confession but rather to be broad enough for those who claim the Westminster Confession to be comfortable with it.]

Structure of the Confessional Statement (with related chapter of the Westminster Confession)

1. The Tri-une God (WCF 2)
2. Revelation (WCF 1)
3. Creation of Humanity (WCF 4, 24)
4. The Fall (WCF 6)
5. The Plan of God (WCF 3, 5, 7)
6. The Gospel (though mentioned 27 times in the Westminster Standards, it is difficult to pin down one section)
7. The Redemption of Christ (WCF 8 )
8. The Justification of Sinners (WCF 11)
9. The Power of the Holy Spirit (WCF 10-1
10. The Kingdom of God (WCF 25)
11. God’s New People (WCF 25, 26)
12. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (WCF 27-29)
13. The Restoration of All Things (WCF 32, 33)

Some thoughts on the CS…

• Trinity first. This is certainly not a big deal but there is the age old question on how to begin a confession of faith. Do you start with the nature of God or with the Bible?
• The Word. The Bible is verbally inspired, authoritative, inerrant, complete, sufficient, and final.
• Complement, Complement. CS-3 is a clear description of a complementarian view of gender roles rooted in creation and not “sidelined by appeals to cultural developments.”
• The Redemption of Christ. CS-7 is a clear, basic statement of the person and work of Christ. My only quibble is that it mentions Jesus fulfilling the office of Priest and King but has no mention of the prophetic office. That three-fold distinction is so dear to me, especially in my practical theology, that I missed seeing it in the section on The Redemption of Christ.
• Imputation. CS-8 clearly sets forth the perfect obedience of Christ, “credited to all who trust in Christ alone for their acceptance in Christ.” It was good to see that explicit statement included to guard against those who would deny the imputation of Christ’s obedience to the believer.
• The Holy Spirit. One critique of The Westminster Confession is that it does not have a section on the Holy Spirit. The retort is that the divines organized their confession through the grid of Covenant Theology, and therefore the Holy Spirit, though not having a specific chapter, is woven into the unfolding of the covenant of grace, especially through chapters 10-18 of the Confession. CS-9 subsumes the ordo salutis under the title of The Power of the Holy Spirit. Though I like the logic of The Westminster Confession and would not change it, I also like the emphasis placed on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. You can also note in this section, the lack of anything relating to the charismatic debate.
• Kingdom and Church. I was glad to see separate chapters on the Kingdom of God and the Church (God’s New People). This is an especially crucial distinction to understand in light of the differing views of how to engage culture with the gospel.
• Noticeably Inclusive. The sections on the sacraments and eschatology are noticeably inclusive. If Evangelicalism is going to unite around a common goal, there must be the charity of allowing differing opinions on these subjects.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. Considering the theological minds that went into writing this Confesssional Statement, I realize that my comments are much like the little leaguer critiquing Barry Bonds’ swing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading and thinking about the document and its focus on our common faith and common Lord.

Feel free to offer thoughts of your own.

With all the talk about tuberculosis, my thoughts have been drawn to the life of David Brainerd. What is the connection between the disease and this preeminent American missionary? Well, Brainerd died of tuberculosis. Not only did he die of that disease but he spent the last 19 weeks of his life in the home of Jonathan Edwards. Brainerd was nursed by Edwards own 17 year old daughter, Jerusha. No doubt, the time spent with Brainerd left a deep impression on Edwards. Edwards said of Brainerd’s stay with his family,

I would not conclude my observations on the merciful circumstances of Mr. Brainerd’s death, without acknowledging with thankfulness, the gracious dispensation of Providence to me and my family, in so ordering that he (though the ordinary place of his abode was more than two hundred miles distant) should be brought to my house, in his last sickness, and should die here. So that we had opportunity for much acquaintance and conversation with him, to show him kindness in such circumstance, to see his dying behavior, to hear his dying speeches, to receive his dying counsels, and to have the benefit of his dying prayers.

If it were not for Brainerd’s disease and the ensuing stay in the Edward’s home, Jonathan Edwards may not have been lead to publish The Life and Diary of the Rev. David Brainerd. Many a missionary claim that book as the primary instrument that God used in calling them to missions.

So, as tuberculosis makes headlines, take a moment to think back on the brevity of life, the great commission, service to our God, the sweetness of the gospel, and the lives of holy men and women who have preceded us.

For a short piece on the life of David Brainerd, I heartily recommend John Piper’s biographical essay on Brainerd.

I’ve come to the end of my month long abstinence from caffeine. No, I don’t think I’ll continue caffeine-less. To tell you the truth, this past week I’ve been counting down the days until Friday and my first early morning cup of java. Plus, my wife is due with our fourth child in about a week. Approaching that sweet time of sleep deprivation, I know I’ll need some healthy jolts of coffee. What are my parting thoughts on caffeine free living?

• I found that I didn’t need any less or more sleep without caffeine. I had first expected to need to sleep more. I counted on a good bit of grogginess without coffee. That, however, was not the case. My theory on this is that, without caffeine, I slept the same number of hours but in a deeper sleep.
• I found that without caffeine my thought processes were generally more focused but slower. Without caffeine I tended to excel in work that required me to think thoughtfully and slowly. But, on the other hand, I was not able to think as quickly in situations that required more quick responses or multi-tasking.

All in all, it was an interesting month. I’m glad I did it. But I’m also glad that my 5am cup of Friday coffee is fast approaching.

We just finished a short chapter on Creation and now move into a chapter on Providence. Remembering what we talked about when we discussed God’s decree, we consider the outworking of that decree in terms of two categories: creation and providence. The rest of the Confession is really just an explanation of different facets of God’s providence. This week we come to a general definition of providence.

WCF 5.1 God the great Creator of all things doth uphold,(1) direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things,(2) from the greatest even to the least,(3) by His most wise and holy providence,(4) according to His infallible foreknowledge,(5) and the free and immutable counsel of His own will,(6) to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.(7)

(1) Heb. 1:3.
(2) Dan. 4:34,35; Ps. 135:6; Acts 17:25,26,28; Job 38,39,40,41.
(3) Matt. 10:29,30,31.
(4) Prov. 15:3; Ps. 104:24; Ps. 145:17.
(5) Acts 15:8; Ps. 94:8,9,10,11.
(6) Eph. 1:11; Ps. 33:10,11.
(7) Isa. 63:14; Eph. 3:10; Rom. 9:17; Gen. 45:7, Ps. 145:7.

We notice first of all that the Confession gives a nod to God as Creator even within this section on providence. It is important to remember that these two concepts are linked. God is the Creator-Provider. We do not hold a Deist position of a God who is a Creator but not a Provider. Neither do we hold a Pagan view that God is a tinker in human events but not a sovereign Creator. We hold, simultaneously, that God both created and governs all things.

Secondly, note what is included under the providence of God. He is sovereign over the greatest to the least. He calls the immense hosts of heaven by name and not one of them is missing. At the same time, not a sparrow falls to the ground without his permission. The heart of the king is in the Lord’s hand. At the same time, the number of the hairs on the head of the most impoverished is known by God. He governs everything. As Abraham Kuyper wrote, “In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, ‘That is mine!’”

Thirdly, we see again what we discussed under God’s decree, that God’s providential governing of all things is only dependent on his own sovereign, free, and infallible will. The Confession flatly rejects Open Theism. God is very sure of the future. He has planned it all and executes it as he wishes. He does not have multiple options based on the actions of man. All the actions of man are a part of his single plan. God does not approach his creation in the posture of a chess master waiting to respond to the next move. Rather he is the sovereign executive of all that has or ever will come to pass.

Lastly, we see that providence, like everything else has its terminus in the glory of God. It is a tributary that flows into the immense sea of unending praise and honor to the King of kings. More specifically though, providence tells us something about God’s character. We see in his providential rule his natural attributes (wisdom and power) as well as his moral attributes (justice, goodness, and mercy). To what should the doctrine of providence motivate us? The simple answer is: worship. We worship a God who is sovereignly in control of all things. To deny God his sovereign providence is to deny him of worship rightly due to him from his glorious creation.

Well, I’ve taken a look at The Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents. I wanted to offer a few of my thoughts on the documents. This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive critique. These are just a few of the things that I noticed upon my first and second read of the documents. In this post, I only intend to comment on the changes between the previous and final form of the documents. I’ll comment on the content of the documents in subsequent posts.

This morning I read Justin Taylor’s blog which informed me that the version I read on Friday may not have been the final version of the documents. I went over to Steve McCoy’s site this morning and printed out the final version. I have a strange interest in the development of creeds and confessions. These are a few of the more interesting things I noted between the two versions of the documents I read.

• Cleaned up wording. The final version had a number of minor corrections that mainly reflected changes in wording to aid readability and clarity.
• Imputed Obedience of Christ. One of the larger additions was an added sentence in Confessional Statement 8 on The Justification of Sinners which adds an explicit belief in the imputed obedience of Christ to believers. The added sentence reads, “by his perfect obedience he satisfied the just demands of God on our behalf, since by faith alone that perfect obedience is credited to all who trust in Christ alone for their acceptance with God.”
• Added preface to point one under the Theological Vision for Ministry. This preface was not present in the earlier document and provides historical and cultural context for the proclamation of truth in a postmodern society.
• The ordering of the Theological Vision points was changed. The section on Hermeneutics was placed before the section on Contextualization.
• A stronger conclusion. The final paragraph of the document was changed to provide a stronger summary statement of the Theological Vision for Ministry. The final sentence of that paragraph is an excellent encouragement to gospel ministry: “We are ashamed of our sins and failures, grateful beyond measure for forgiveness, and eager to see afresh the glory of God and embody conformity to his Son.”

If I missed any other changes, feel free to let me know. I’m very impressed with these documents and look forward to seeing the work of the coalition move forward.