You need to read this book (10/9/09)

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

This is by far the best book I’ve read this year. Horton argues that the American church has been slowly moving away from the gospel of Jesus as the center of our life and preaching to softer, gentler forms of legalism (moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion). We need to stop preaching “Do better, try harder” and start preaching Jesus.

“When we try to fit God into our life movie, the plot is all wrong – and not just wrong but trivial. When we are pulled out of our own drama and cast as characters in his unfolding plot, we become part of the greatest story ever told. It is through God’s Word of judgment (law) and salvation (gospel) that we are transferred from our own pointless scripts and into the grand narrative that revolves around Jesus Christ” (Christless Chrisitianity, 94).

A few things to be excited about.

1. Jesus is alive.
2. Tim Keller’s new book, Counterfeit Gods (of which you can download the intro here)
3. Tim Keller’s new blog.
4. Michael Horton’s new book, The Gospel-Driven Life.
5. The Avett Brothers’ new album, I and Love and You.
6. A free Sojourn demo of “O For A Thousand Tongues”.

John Piper on the new birth

One of the unsettling things about the new birth, which Jesus says we all must experience in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3), is that we don’t control it. We don’t decide to make it happen any more than a baby decides to make his birth happen – or more accurately, make his conception happen. Or even more accurately: We don’t decide to make it happen any more than dead men decide to give themselves life. The reason we need to be born again is that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. That’s why we need the new birth, and that’s why we can’t make it happen. This is one reason why we speak of the sovereign grace of God. Or better: This is one reason why we love the sovereign grace of God.

- John Piper, Finally Alive

Piper vs. Wright?

For those of you who may be interested in the justification debate between John Piper & N.T. Wright (and a whole host of others…), Trevin Wax put together an overview that was published in Christianity Today this past month.  It is now available at his blog.

Piper’s book responding to Wright.

Wright’s book responding to Piper.

.pdf summary of Piper & Wright’s respective positions.

Kevin DeYoung also posted some good thoughts on the subject a few days ago.

For the record, I’m with Piper on this one, but I have tremendous respect for both men and have benefited from both of their work.

I haven’t died, but I haven’t had a lot of time to blog lately.  More coming soon…

Jerry Bridges on sanctification

“It is the glory of Christ revealed in the gospel, the good news that Jesus died in our place as our representative to free us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its dominion.  A clear understanding and appropriation of the gospel, which gives freedom from sin’s guilt and sin’s grip, is, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, a chief means of sanctification.

To the degree that we feel we are on a legal performance relationship with God, to that degree our progress in sanctification is impeded.  A legal mode of thinking gives indwelling sin an advantage, because nothing cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt.  On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truths that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ.”

- Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Francis Schaeffer, art, and Animal Collective.

I am giving a presentation on Monday for my Christianity and Culture class on how Christian are to relate to popular music.  While reading Francis Schaeffer’s classic Art & The Bible, I came accross this killer quote:

“For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts.  A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God.  An art work can be a doxology in itself.”

One album that I have really been enjoying lately is Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective.  I bought a few months ago during spring break because it was on sale for $7.99 on iTunes and I had wanted to listen to it for a while.  I was a little nervous because it is very different from the kinds of music that I usually listen to, but I really, really like it.  They are one of the most innovative, strange bands out there, but I would highly reccommend it.  If you give it time, this album gets better with every listen and every beat, layer, synth, and strange, oddball noise points me to our innovative, glorious Creator.

Here is the video for their song “My Girls”:

The album cover:

C.J. Mahaney on worldliness

“Resisting worldliness is absolutely vital, but not ultimately most significant.  Jesus Christ is most important.  We must fight worldliness because it dulls our affections for Christ and distracts our attention from Christ.  Worldliness is so serious because Christ is so glorious… Meditate on the cross.  Consider the wonders of the Savior who died for sinners and rose victorious over sin and death.  Dwell where the cries of Calvary are louder than the clamor of the world.”

- C.J. Mahaney

Buy Worldliness

SB ‘09 Reading

The Courage to be Protestant

Vintage Church