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Two pursuits, yet very similar.

Jerry Bridges wrote two books, "The Pursuit of Holiness" and "The Practice of Godliness".

Holiness and Godliness are two callings of a Christian; similar, but Bridges makes a distinction.  In the book on holiness, he talks about putting off the old man, Godliness is about putting on the new man.

Neither one of these works unless you include a generous sprinking of the Gospel.  Unless we have a full understanding that we are called to be perfect, but the only perfection we can rely on is the perfection of Christ, we will run into deep anger and dispair at the failure of our efforts.  If we don't understand that we cannot to it on our own, we run into deep pride.

And still, we are called to holiness, Godliness; we are called to be perfect, for the Lord our God is perfect.

What does it mean to be "holy"?  We turn away from that which is sin.  We love what is good and we hate what is evil.

What makes God angry also makes us angry.

In the call to holiness and Godliness, we strive (with the Spirit's sanctification) to become more like Christ.

What made Christ angry?  Those religious people who took what was evil and called it "good".

Immediately, Gene Robinson comes to mind.  Those religous people who look at abortion and call it a good, human right.

Those who look at women and call them inferior, denying them an education and a voice.  Men who abuse their wives and call it "leadership".

You see, there are extremes on either side.  To examine the extreme on one side without examining the log on your own side...

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"A Modest Proposal" at Christianity Today.

A couple of thoughts from the article...

egalitarians and complementarians can work together to oppose abortion on demand, an issue on which egalitarians stand together with complementarians against mainstream feminism

I don't know what rock he's been under...It took me about a minute to find the "Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice".

  • United Methodist Church (UMC website officially lists RCRC as an abortion resource.)
  • The Episcopal Church ("General Convention resolutions have expressed unequivocal opposition to any legislation abridging a woman’s right to make an informed decision about the termination of pregnancy)
  • Presbyterian Church (USA) (also lists RCRC as a ministry resource)
  • United Church of Christ (A founding member of RCRC)

What do these churches also have in common?  They are also egalitarian.

There are no complementarian denominations that show up on the members list of the RCRC.

So the author of the article should have said "complementarians and some some/many egalitarians..."

And

...egalitarians and complementarians can agree that homosexual activity is not a God-ordained lifestyle that should be approved within the Christian community...

Again, the word "some" (some/many) should appear before "egalitarian"...

which brings me to the next link:

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"O god of our many understandings..."

Opening inaugural prayer by (gay)(egalitarian)(bishop of the Episcopal Church) Gene Robinson.

Somehow I doubt that Robinson would like to unite with complementarians in defense of life and traditional marriage

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Underwater:  possible "stonehenge" in Michigan?

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From Huffington Post: Was "Jack the Ripper a Woman?"

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The desecration of the American Flag

(HT:  Michele Malkin)

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It resonates in my brain; no, in my soul.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures…1 Corinthians 15:3

This is what I come back to over and over again.

And everything we think and do should relate to the "Sola" - Solus Christus

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:5-7

Our focus on Christ should not be on "Christ is the ultimate example"...NO!  Jesus Christ our Lord gave Himself a ransom for all.

He died so that we might live.

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:12-14

Nor did He come to earth to start us on the path to social justice.

Jesus Christ our Lord came to earth to die on the cross; to offer Himself as the once and for all sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin.

First, we bid a man to begin by examining himself, and this not in a superficial and perfunctory manner, but to cite his conscience before the tribunal of God, and when sufficiently convinced of his iniquity, to reflect on the strictness of the sentence pronounced on all sinners. Thus confounded and amazed at his misery, he is prostrated and humbled before God; and, casting away all self-confidence, groans as if given up to final perdition. Then we show that the only haven of safety is in the mercy of God, as manifested in Christ, in whom every part of our salvation is complete. As all mankind are, in the sight of God, lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since, by His obedience, He has wiped off our transgressions; by His sacrifice, appeased the divine anger. (John Calvin)

If we call people to works, not godliness, we fail them.  If we don't give them the gospel, we fail them.

If we do the good works created for us without the gospel, we are attempting to earn our salvation.  We fail ourselves.

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On Complegalitarian, Don Johnson tells us how a complementarian can be a poor witness based on how they react when a woman teaches.  A complementarian is not to question, not to raise a fuss, they should either not attend if they know ahead of time or slip out quietly if caught by surprise.

How to turn this table?

If a woman is in a complementarian church and suddenly believes that she is to be in leadership over men, should teach authoritatively in the assembly - against the leadership of that church.

Should she stay and try to convince that church that she is right and they should put her in leadership, should she speak within that church against the leadership of that church and what they believe or should she leave quietly and go to a church who would put her in leadership?

I have asked that question before and an egalitarian answered that of course, she should stand her ground and fight the leadership.

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1 Corinthians 15:3
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

When I listen to a message I ask, "could this message have been given if the grave is not empty?"

There are a couple of terms I've been hearing

  • restorative justice
  • reconciliation
  • transformed lives

We speak of these things in terms of what we do for/with others on this earth; if we leave out the "why", we all lose.

  • The Son of God died to restore us - THEREFORE, we seek restoration in a social context for others.
  • Jesus shed His blood to justify us - THEREFORE, we seek justice for others.
  • Christ died for our sins to reconcile us to the Father - THEREFORE, we seek reconciliation with others.

To leave this out - we are left with nothing more than a devotional that could be preached in a Mormon church, in a Buddhist temple, in an atheistic social center.

I've heard "Jesus transforms lives" - which is no Gospel at all.

I have a friend whose great-aunt married an abusive man.  They joined the Mormon church and he stopped beating her.  The Mormon church transforms lives.

September 11, 2001 showed us the power of 19 men in airplanes to transform lives (and not in a good way).

I want to hear a man of God proclaim the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God for the remission of sin.

I don't want to have to listen to a podcast in order to hear the Gospel.

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At some point I'll get "official" on Thursday 13 again...but for now...

13 "baby steps" - goals that I won't meet, but that are good enough to try for

  1. drink all my water
  2. take my supplements half the time
  3. exercise a little every day (almost)
  4. remember moisturizer during the day
  5. take a "beauty rest" (nap) twice a week
  6. blog 30 posts each month
  7. read my Bible every day
  8. knit a little every day
  9. read a little every day
  10. eat 7 fruits and veggies every day
  11. drink green tea every day
  12. listen to music every day
  13. enjoy life every day