You Rather Expected This Didn't You, Sooner or Later.

I have, among various other talents equally valueless, a knack for noticing trends in my own laziness. Take this blog for example. Look at the history and you will see a circular trend (which tends to happen in history sometimes). It goes something like this- "Hey, I read this book recently. What is everyone else reading right now?" Flurry of posts follow on what everyone is reading, has read, and would like to read if they only had the time. Then, and this is key, there comes a period of time where we all remember what it was like to blog and so we raise our heads, sniff the air, and for a couple of weeks it almost seems like this really is a functioning blog. But then it peters out. Slowly yes, but just as certainly. Time passes. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and posts will pop up here and there like a dying man's final gasps.

Anyway, the whole point is this- I want to know what you two have been reading (and if anyone else wanders upon this ghost town in the backwaters of the internet, feel free to join in). I have been able to do a lot of reading since the semester is over, and I want to know about you guys. What has been good for you? What hasn't?

But, there is a catch here. Oh yes there is. Don't expect me to start blogging. No, not this time. I am going to break the circle! I just want to talk about books. That's all.

I should be putting up my list of recent reads very soon. (like, maybe Friday.)

Finally, A Link. A LINK!!!!

For all the masses out there slobbering after the opportunity to read John Ploughman's Talks for yourself, slobber no more (its disgusting...). Here is a link to the book, conveniently separated into chapters for your reading pleasure!

http://www.gospelweb.net/ploughnav.htm

ps- when you do read it, drop a line and let me know what you think.

Men So Sound...

I really like John Ploughman's Talks, and see more and more in it that translates very easily over into our own society. So, here is Spurgeon, on Religious Bloggers, uh, I mean Grumblers.

These do nothing but rail from morning to night at all who cannot see through their spectacles. If they would but mix a handful of good living with all their bushels of bounce, it would be more bearable; but no, they don't care for such legality. Men so sound as they are can't eb expected to be good at anything else; they are the heavenly watchdogs to guard the house of the Lord from those thieves and robbers who don't preach sound doctrine; and if they do worry the sheep or steal a rabbit or two by the sly, who would have the heart to blame them? The Lord's dear people, as they call themselves, have enough to do do to keep their doctrine sound; and if their manners are cracked, who can wonder! No man can see to everything at once. These are the moles that want catching in many of our own pastures, not for their own skaes, for there is not a sweet mouthful in them, but for the sake of the meadow which they spoil. I would not find a fault with their doctrine if it were not for their spirit."

Oh, I could go on and on quoting from this chapter! It's that good. I won't though. The moral of the story is, though, don't be a mole!

Pop Quiz

Okay, Pop Quiz. Who said this:

"And therefore it does not answer the aim which God had in this institution, merely for men to have good commentaries and expositions of the Scripture, and other good books on divinity; because, although these may tend as well as preaching to give men a good doctrinal or speculative understanding of the things of the Word of God, yet they have not the an equal tendency to impress them on men's hearts and affections."

I love this quote. It shows just how important preaching is in impacting the souls of men and women. God has ordained in His Word that preaching should "affect sinners with the importance of the things of religion, and their own misery and necessity of a remedy." Reading books is great, but it cannot replace the man of God, exhorting God's truth faithfully in the pulpit.

Scripture is Scripture, not a Textbook

I was reading J.I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness this afternoon, and I came across this wonderful quote from John Owen. It is well worth taking the time to read, and is certainly an encouragement to me when I think about studying the Scripture. It is also somewhat of an admonition to me as a student, that I need to be careful not to use the Bible for wrong purposes.

“Such a systematical proposal of doctrines, truths, or articles of faith, as some require, would not have answered the great ends of Scripture itself. All that can be supposed of benefit thereby is only that it would lead us more easily into a methodical comprehension of the truths so proposed; but this we may attain, and not be rendered one jot more like unto God thereby. The principal end of the Scriptures is of another nature. It is, to beget in the minds of men faith, fear, obedience, and reverence of God- to make them holy and righteous… unto this end every truth is disposed of in the Scripture as it ought to be. If any expect that the Scripture should be written with respect unto opinions, notions and speculation, to render men skillful and cunning in them, able to talk and dispute… they are mistaken. It is given to make us humble, holy, wise in spiritual things; to direct us in our duties, to relieve us in our temptations, to comfort us under troubles, to make us to love God and to live unto Him…unto this end there is a more glorious power of God in the Scripture…sometime an occasional passage in a story, a word or expressions, shall contribute more to excite faith and love in our souls than a volume of learned disputations.”

From Packer, pgs. 94-95.
From Owens works, Vol. IV: 188-190.

The Nature of Church History

For Christmas this year, my lovely young wife bought me Philip Schaff's eight volume History of the Christian Church. It is a simply fantastic set on church history from the apostolic times to the Swiss Reformation. If anyone else is interested, the set is on sale right now at Christian Book Distributors. 

Anyway, Schaff begins with a great chapter on how we, as students and Christians, should approach the study of history. I thought it would be helpful to post some of what Schaff wrote. He goes through the nature of History, the Branches of History, the Sources of Church History, the Periods of Church History, the Uses of Church History, the Duty of the Historian and the Literature of Church History. I doubt that I will be talking about every section of this, but I thought it would be a fun exercise to go through several of them.  Keeping in mind that Schaff wrote this work over a hundred years ago, it still has incredible relevance to us today. 

First, Schaff presents what he believes is the nature of Church History, and it is the perspective that makes a Christian historian, like Schaff, unique among historians. He believes that "history has two sides, a divine and a human." He continues by explaining the divine side of history in this way: 

On the part of God, it is his revelation in the order of time (as the creation is his revelation in the order of space), and the successive unfolding of a plan of infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy, looking to his glory and the eternal happiness of mankind. 

In other words, God is the author of history. He acts with infinite wisdom, shaping cultures and people for His own purposes. We, as Christians, should always look at history as though it has a purpose; it came about exactly as God had designed it to. God is also "looking to his glory and the eternal happiness of mankind." What exactly does this mean? It means, in Schaff's own words, that "the central current and ultimate aim of universal history is the Kingdom of God established by Jesus Christ." God is acting throughout history for the establishment of his kingdom. Here we can shades of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. 

He worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:21-23)

Of course, this would be utterly ridiculous to the secular historian, but, unlike them, we do not study history for history's sake. We'll look at the uses of  church history later, but it is enough to be said now that our goal is distinctly Christian in studying history. 

Now, history has another side, a human one. 

History is the biography of the human race, and the gradual development, both normal and abnormal, of all its physical, intellectual, and moral forces to the final consummation at the general judgment, with it eternal rewards and punishments. 

Again, you will not be finding this definition of history in the secular world. Schaff reminds his readers that we shouldn't emphasize God's role to the neglect of mankind's because it overlooks the free agency of man, as well as his "moral responsibility and guilt. " Ultimately the actions of mankind work to "serve the great purpose of God."

Our study of church history is the study of the growth, and the struggle, of mankind as it moves toward its final consummation. It is a record of God's providential work, Satan's evil activity, and man's maturation. It is a study of Christ's relationship to His church, which is the most important relationship in history, and in the present time. Ultimately the nature of church history must be understood as including both God's activity and man's activity. It must be understood with the Christ's church at the center. We, as students of the gospel, look at church history as 

"a continuous  commentary on the parable of the mustard seed and of the leaven. It shows at once how Christianity spreads all over the world, and how it penetrates, transforms, and sanctifies the individual and all the departments and institutions of social life."

So, before this gets too long and complicated, let me wrap it up. John, Steve and I all love to study Church History, and to read the works of great theologians and pastors. However, we don't simply love history for the sake of history (although I do love history a lot!). We love history because it is incredibly beneficial, and in some ways should be essential, to our growth as believers. It is the story of men and women who have gone before us, struggled with what we have struggled with, and attempted to pass on what they have learned. But most importantly, 

The history of the church is the rise and progress of the kingdom of heaven upon earth , for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.