A Latter Day Re-Gift

Some Christians are up in arms about the possibility of a Mormon becoming president.  They fear that somehow Mormonism will be given greater credibility if that should come to pass.  I'm not so sure.

Mormonism for all its quirks, is not all that new.  Here is an insightful video highlighting the similarities between Islam and Mormonism.  While the graphics are a little cheesy the dialog is not.  I admit that I had never seen these similarities until now.

Go here for more information about the video and its creator.

What is a Cult?

As a young Christian one of the first serious books I purchased was Kingdom of the Cults by Dr. Walter Morris.   The book provides a helpful analysis of groups as diverse as B'hai, Mormon, Unitarian, New Age and more.  Yet, a question lingered in my mind:  What is a cult?

The two most famous in recent times include Jim Jones who along with 700 + followers committed suicide in the jungle of French Guyana and David Koresh and the Branch Davidians who died in a fire at their compound in Waco, Texas.  Is Morris correct in his use of the term 'cult' or should we view these groups in a different light?

In its broadest sense the word "cult" describes a group of people who worship.  That term could be applied to Christian and non-Christian groups alike.  A narrower definition would apply the term to those who follow  a charismatic leader and who live an unorthodox life in devotion to such leader.  Enter Jim Jones and David Koresh.

For what it is worth I prefer to apply the term in a more narrow sense.  But what about Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons?  This is where a second term can be applied: sect.  A sect is a group of people that diverge from orthodoxy in belief or practice.  They may be understood to be schismatic and exclusive (we are the true believers).  They may also embrace heretical teachings.  This term can be applied to Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons as well as Seventh Day Adventists, Oneness Pentecostals, and others.

Why do I prefer the term 'sect' over 'cult'?  The answer is simple:  It is easier to dialog with adherents of such groups when the term 'cult' is not used.

Over at Ligonier Ministries a helpful article was posted that sheds some light on this question.  Though I disagree with the major premise of the article it still has some redeeming points.  One of the major points concerning orthodoxy is this:  Cults and sects add or subtract to received Christian teaching.  They either come up with a new book to complete what the Bible teaches (e.g. Book of Mormon) or they subtract from Christian teachings (usually focused on Jesus and defining him in non-Nicene and non-Chalcedonian terms).  
Such groups also divide and multiply.  Go to the link to read the rest of the article.

Genesis One

Recently I began preaching through the book of Genesis.  For a long time I stayed away not quite sure how to navigate its opening chapters.  I've read as much as I can and contemplated the various views concerning the creation account. 

I won't go into a defense of any single position here but for the uninformed there are five major views of the creation account: Days of Ordinary Length, Days of Unspecified Length, Day-Age View, Framework View, and Analogical View.  Some might be surprised to learn that reformed stalwarts like B.B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen, Herman Bavinck, Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, Herman Ridderbos, and others held positions other than the first one listed above. 

One might be puzzled at this point as we commonly hear that the length of creation days is a test of orthodoxy.  Is it?  Consider that all five views affirm the following tests of orthodoxy:

• Creation ex nihilo
• The federal headship of Adam
• The Covenant of Works
• The doctrine of the Sabbath
• The sufficiency and perspicuity of Scripture
• The historicity of the creation account

For further reading I suggest the following position papers on this topic: 

PCA Position Paper on Creation

http://www.pcahistory.org/creation/report.pdf

OPC Position Paper on Creation
http://opc.org/GA/CreationReport.pdf

Westminster Theological Seminary Statement on Creation http://www.wts.edu/about/beliefs/statements/creation.html

The Agenda of Some College Professors

Gene Edward Veith has posted a thoughful article about what motivates some who teach at the university level. The comments, written by the late professor, Richard Rorty, are chilling.

The fundamentalist parents of our fundamentalist students think that the entire ‘American liberal establishment’ is engaged in a conspiracy. The parents have a point. Their point is that we liberal teachers no more feel in a symmetrical communication situation when we talk with bigots than do kindergarten teachers talking with their students ...So we are going to go right on trying to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussable. We are not so inclusivist as to tolerate intolerance such as yours . . .

One could argue that the same thing has been happening in public K-12 schools over the past few decades, though parental involvement sometimes keeps it in check.

You can read the rest of the post here. At a minimum Christian parents ought to carefully consider Rorty's comments -- not just for the sake of their 18 year old whose off to a state university but also for younger children who are being exposed to the same worldview in local, public schools.

The Inerrancy of the Autographs

How do we know that the Bible is accurate? After all, none of the original documents exist. We don't have the first version of Paul's letter to the Romans. None of the original Gospels have survived. How can we be so sure that the Bible isn't just a compilation of clever stories and teachings?

These are the questions that skeptics raise all the time. At a recent gathering someone posed that very question to me. My answer affirmed that the original documents (autographs) are no longer in existence. However, ample manuscript evidence along with the writings of the church fathers (who quoted Scripture often) indicate that what we have contained in the Bible is accurate.

Dr. Keith Mathison at Ligonier Ministries has posted a helpful article about this topic on Ligonier's blog (it was published in Tabletalk). He explains in layman's terms the science of textual criticism -- comparing manuscripts to one another and dealing with the errors and mistakes of those who copied the manuscripts for general use in the early church. Here is a quote:

Since we do not have the original manuscripts, some have urged that an appeal to the lost originals renders the whole case for the inspiration of the Scripture irrelevant. To reason in this manner is to do despite to the very serious work that has been done in the field of textual criticism. Textual criticism is the science which seeks to reconstruct an original text by a careful analysis and evaluation of the manuscripts we presently possess. This task has to be accomplished with respect to all documents from antiquity that have reached us through manuscript copies. The Old and New Testament Scriptures are probably the texts which have reached us with the most extensive and reliable attestation. For more than ninety-nine percent of the cases, the original text can be reconstructed to a practical certainty.

Click here to read that article: Ligonier Ministries Ligonier Blog

If you think that all of the manuscripts have been found, think again. Christianity Today (May 2008) posted an article about unstudied manuscripts held in the National Archives of Albania. Researchers were told that there were 13 manuscripts but upon arriving they found 47 manuscripts! All have been photographed for further study. The lead researcher has leads on other manuscripts and believes that there might be as many as 1,000 yet to be photographed and studied. Here is a link to a slightly longer article posted online in April 2008: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/aprilweb-only/117-32.0.html?start=1

As the science of textual criticism continues in the coming years it will shed light on troublesome passages and support what is already known about the rest of the Bible. Perhaps the skeptics will realize that they are not standing on such solid ground after all.

Nancy Pearcey - Report on 'Beyond Expelled'

Last evening nearly 800 people heard Nancy Pearcey explain how Darwinism has evolved into something more than a theory. As such it has gone way beyond the bounds of traditional science. The implications for American culture are staggering.

The Northwest Florida Daily News includes this biographical sketch:

A former agnostic and author of “Total Truth,” Pearcey studied at L’Abri in Switzerland under American Christian theologian Francis Schaeffer. She is currently the Scholar for Worldview Studies at the Center for University Studies at Philadelphia Biblical University and senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, the center of the intelligent design movement.

Click below to read a newstory from the event. As an added bonus there is also a 2 minute video clip of Dr. Pearcey's address.

The intelligent design of life - Northwest Florida Daily News

The Veritas Forum: Belief in an Age of Skepticism?

Ever wonder how to defend the Christian faith? Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City demonstrates that in a winsome way at UC-Berkley.

While I have known about Dr. Keller for a while (and even listened to a couple of his sermons), I now have a much deeper appreciation for him and his ministry.

May you be encouraged by this address!

Beyond Expelled -- An Evening With Author-Speaker Nancy Pearcey

When I started our church I said from the beginning that I'd like to be a church that engages the culture, in part, through an annual lecture series. My vision has been to bring in top-notch Christian scholars to speak to Christians and non-Christians alike about the issues of our day.

Nancy Pearcey is one of the names that comes to mind. She is the author of the book, Total Truth, and has co-authored The Soul of Science with Charles Thaxton. She studied apologetics under Dr. Francis Schaeffer and theology at Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri). Currently she serves at Professor of Worldview Studies at Philadelphia Biblical University.

This church, Westminister PCA in Fort Walton Beach, Florida is hosting an event that it quite similar to what I have in mind. To the left is their poster for the event later this week. Below is a link to Nancy Pearcey's blog with additional details.

Pro-Existence: Beyond Expelled -- An Evening With Author-Speaker Nancy Pearcey

Archaeology Supports Authenticity of the Bible

Recently a seal from the first temple (Solomon's Temple) dating back 2,500 years was unearthed in Jerusalem. The stone seal cites a family that was sent into exile to Babylon and then later returned when Babylon fell to the Persians.

Archaeologist Dr. Eliat Mazar is quoted as saying, "The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find." She believes that this family is recorded in Nehemiah 7:55.

Read about here:

First Temple seal found in Jerusalem Jerusalem Post