on son number three as poet

My youngest son the other day had an assignment in school. He had to write a poem. He handed it in with something like, 'Well, I did it.'

Here is the result, I thought it was pretty good, but I am biased of course:

Seeking the Saviour

Men seek their gods with all their heart
As blind lead blind they all depart
On pilgrimage and journey long,
They join the sighing, searching throng.

Toward the ground some fixed their gaze.
"The earth's grass is worth my praise!"
Like vultures watch with hungry eyes,
They stood there to philosophize.

Beside the road some took their place
And mocked the others with sneering face,
"Look not in weeds and dirt for peace,
In our own selves we find release."

And on they plod with patient toil,
In search of God in self or soil.
If they but knew how small the cost
To look upon the true Lord's cross!

on Shelton Smith and the blogosphere

Shelton Smith, the editor of the Sword of the Lord, wrote an editorial regarding the blogosphere here. I don't know how many people blogged about it, but I first became aware of it here, at paleoevangelical, a post linked by Greg Linscott at Current Christian. Later Bob Bixby unleashed on it over at Pensee's. Paleo Ben, as I like to call him, linked to Bob's post by commenting again on paleoevangelical here.

I finally got around to actually reading Smith's article after all these links and commentary. I have to wonder what all the anxiety is about. Shelton Smith didn't say that Christians should never have a blog or comment on a blog. What he said is that Christians should be responsible when they blog. What is wrong with that? By ranting and raving about Shelton Smith and his call for responsibility, I suspect that the rant is about something else. I wonder if those complaining (especially Bob and Ben) read the same article I did. They certainly got a different impression.

It seems that Bob's offense with Smith's words has nothing to do with what Smith actually said. It has to do with fundamentalist politics in general and in particular with Smith and the SotL's practice of editing sermons they publish, especially Spurgeon's sermons. They have a tendency to edit out the more Calvinistic bits. Well... I suppose that is true. What does it have to do with the content of Smith's editorial? What, specifically, is 'anti-blog' about it? The editorial seems to accept that blogs are here to stay (they are until the next fad). It merely suggests that those of us who blog should be careful about what we say and make absolutely certain about the assertions we make.

I know first hand how easy it is to post something that one regrets later. I have done it more than once. The on-line world is self-corrective, they say. Yes it is. But one error can seriously damage an individual and his future ministry. (At least I haven't gone so far as to damage my ministry -- that I know of, anyway!) Surely Smith's call for caution is well worth heeding. And it is well worth reading as well. Go over and have a look. Compare it to the reaction. Don't you agree that those reacting are over-reacting?

Is the Sword the absolutely best periodical in fundamentalism? Maybe not. But the reactions to the editorial were weird. They had nothing to do with what was said and everything to do with an axe that keeps getting ground at certain blogs. Methinks those protesting protest too much and become an example of what Smith was editorializing about. From a knee jerk antagonistic reaction to Smith and the SotL, the invective becomes a rant against the whole of fundamentalism, caricaturizing it in a way consistent with the blogs involved, but not consistent with the reality I have experienced.

These are bro. Smith's recommendations for the blogosphere. They are well worth heeding:

1. I’m all for free speech! Our First Amendment freedoms have come at great cost, and they are precious!

But Christians (of all people) should use their freedoms responsibly. Opinions, rumors, etc., should be checked, rechecked and fully certified before being repeated or published. ...

2. Scandals (even Christian ones) should be exposed! If and when there are issues of scandal, the scoundrels should expect to get some bad press. But the blogosphere so often has no journalistic credibility whatsoever. It often is “my thoughts” and “your thoughts” which are given with no other purpose than to smear good people. ...

3. Gossip is not a Christian activity! Even if you do it with a computer, it is not right! The fact that you have your own blog does not give you scriptural license to peddle gossip. ...

4. Christian integrity demands accountability of all of us. Don’t open your mouth unless you’ve done your homework and know for sure whereof you speak.

5. It is neither faithful nor fruitful, neither pious nor prudent to tell everything you know—even if it is true! Some things serve no public good by being spoken. ...

6. Some things are issues of sufficient public interest and for the public good that they must be reported. But even then, it should be done in a responsible manner. Facts must be checked and rechecked. Primary sources must be consulted. Be accountable for your actions. Sign your name to whatever you say or write.

7. Christians ought to be Christian! As I review the Christian blogosphere, I see a lot that doesn’t look certifiably Christian to me.

All Christian bloggers would do well to abide by these recommendations. In particular, the question we should ask is this, "Is it necessary?" Perhaps it would reduce our output, especially posts such as this one that holds others up to criticism. The temptation is to simply let fly. Better to wait. Think it through, and ask God's guidance.

Regards
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

on an interesting quote regarding dumbed down Christians

Daniel Wallace, writing a review of a book by the apostate Bart Ehrman acknowledges the damage that Ehrman's writings can inflict upon the church with this line:

The intentional dumbing down of the church for the sake of filling more pews will ultimately lead to defection from Christ.

A biblical ministry must make faithful teaching of the whole counsel of God a priority.

[Please note: I don't agree with all of Wallace's conclusions in this article, just noting this pithy comment.]

on piper's ongoing association and support of driscoll

I am almost finished with my renovation project, so I hope to have more regular posts shortly. I thought I would bring a little item to your attention in the meantime.

John Piper is continuing to allow his name to support Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. A conference will be held at Willingdon Church in Burnaby, BC April 18-20, 2007 called reFocus. Some of the other names involved in this conference may also be suspect, but one supposes they are for different reasons.

I find this quite surprising in light of the criticism Piper received after having Driscoll in his own conference last fall, but I am not really surprised on the general 'broader evangelical' approach of Piper being involved in such a conference. In spite of the desire of many to make him a different kind of evangelical, I don't think he really is. He is consistent in the kinds of associations he forms. What mystifies me more is that some supposed fundamentalists seem to think that Piper is moving in a more conservative direction.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

on the northwest regional fbf fellowship

Our regional fellowship commenced last night with a message by evangelist Dave Barba on Heb 13.5, warning us against covetousness and reminding us of the all-sufficient presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The service was a good beginning.

The host church for the fellowship meeting is Galilee Baptist Church, Kent, WA, pastored by Tom Nieman. Pastor Nieman energetically provides the leadership for the fellowship in this region of the world. His church, and many others in the area are interested in church planting. In recent years, several churches have been started through the influence of the local FBF pastors. The theme of our conference this year is church planting. We will be hearing from a number of the church planters in the sessions today and tomorrow.

I'll post some highlights as we go through the conference. It is always a blessing to meet with the good men out here, and I hope that some of what is said might be a blessing to you as I post it here.

Regards
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

on the burial of Jesus hoax

The Biblical Archaeological Society put together a free e-book on the controversy. It is available for anyone who wants to receive the BAS newsletters. You can always unsubscribe later if you don't want to receive them. The BAS is notoriously not conservative, in fact, it is generally liberal, but they do have good information from time to time. The download of the free e-book is available here:

http://jesustomb.bib-arch.org/

The download itself is 17.3 megabytes, so not a small file

1. What Did Jesus’ Tomb Look Like?
2. Did a Rolling Stone Close Jesus’ Tomb?
3. Does the Holy Sepulchre Mark the Burial of Jesus?
4. The Garden Tomb: Was Jesus Buried Here?
5. The Garden Tomb and the Misfortunes of an Inscription
6. Jerusalem Tombs from the Days of the First Temple
7. All in the Family

This looks like a reasonably interesting resource on what Jewish burial practices were like in the first century, although I haven't had time to read much of it. Be prepared for cautious statements that sound like scholarship but are really masks for unbelief and doubt.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

on the concerns of the WCC over doctrinal decline

MTV Overtaking Whole Bible Generation, Warns Church Head

This article from the site of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada quotes a WCC ecumenist as being concerned about the spiritual decline of the young. They are being absorbed by the culture and are not absorbing the gospel. Here's a quote:

“Even in the so-called Christian countries, the majority of the youth are biblically illiterate but well-informed about the latest MTV programs,” said Kobia on Wednesday, according to WCC.

“Unless something drastic is done now, the Church will lose a whole generation of leadership” to the infotainment industry, he warned.

Very interesting, especially coming from the LEFT.

Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3