The Missing Pulpit

Author and professor David Wells, speaking on the White Horse Inn, on October 5, 2008, had the following to say about the significance of the absence of the pulpit the evangelical Church today:

In this last book I wrote, The Courage to be Protestant, I talked about the transition from the Pulpit to the Plexiglas stand to the Barstool. And nobody, none of us, would say that the Word of God is chained in its delivery to a pulpit...Of course the Word of God can be preached outside a pulpit. But I think the importance of this transition has less to do with the thing that has been abandoned (i.e., the pulpit) and much more to do with the internal change which has happened. Because the preacher is now orienting himself to the congregation in a relational fashion, whereas the pulpit symbolized the preacher’s orientation toward God in a theological posture. That’s what the pulpit was saying in traditional churches. It was elevated because the Word of God is elevated, as it were, over the congregation. And the preacher stood before God to deliver that Word. So there is an internal posture that was intended to be symbolized by that pulpit. That internal posture before God, and the whole theological frame of understanding that, has disappeared in many churches today. And, therefore, what you have as a consequence is the rearrangement of the church to adopt a nightclub atmosphere, or entirely religiously neutral atmosphere, so you have no religious symbols, and so forth.

The Barracuda

Here are a few descriptions I heard or read about Governor Palin's speech last night at the RNC, from both conservatives and mainstream media alike:

"Stunning." "Phenomenal." "A home run." "Elegant." "Poised." "Connected with middle America." "She was impalin!"

In my opinion, Sarah Palin knocked it out of the park last night. She had a tall order to fill. She had to do exceptionally well, to convince America (and her numerous vitriolic critics) that she is a force to be reckoned with, that she is qualified to be where she is, and that she deserves some respect. I believe she did all that and more. And she left the opposition and critics scrambling.

And, in the midst of all this, her teleprompter broke. Nevertheless, Palin continued, unfazed, to deliver her exceptional speech without any interruption. (Compare that to how Obama reacted when his teleprompter went out.)

A Modern Proverbs 31 Woman

On the Frank Pastore Show yesterday, Rebecca Hagelin, VP of Communications for the Heritage Foundation, said the following:

"Sarah Palin is the modern Proverbs 31 woman."

Thoughts?

Pelosi Condemned by Catholic leaders

US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has recently been chastised for speaking on theological positions about which she, apparently, knows very little.

"Pelosi Gets Unwanted Lesson in Catholic Theology"

I'm no Roman Catholic, but abortion is one issue where the Protestant Church stands side-by-side with Rome. And the US cardinals, archbishops, and bishops have emphatically taken Pelosi to task for her ignorant attempt to defend abortion a la St. Augustine.

UPDATE: Excerpt from the Bishop of Fargo's letter of condemnation:

The Christian teaching on abortion throughout history is unchanged. Human life from the moment of conception is to always be respected, treated with dignity, and protected. Catholics who support so called abortion rights support a false right, promote a culture of death, and are guided by the “father of lies” rather than by the light and truth of Jesus Christ. Out of respect for the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Church, any Catholic who supports abortion rights has placed himself or herself outside of visible unity with the Church and thus should refrain from receiving Holy Communion. Catholics have a responsibility to study the teaching of the Church on human life and when life begins. This teaching is affirmed by revelation and is a basic truth of natural reason. I ask all of you in your presentations, teaching, or preaching to state the truth of this teaching in an unequivocal manner.

(h/t: www.townhall.com)

What I Learned in Traffic School (Part 1)

Yes, I got a ticket. But it's only my second ever. Then again, it was my second in about as many years. Yes, it was for speeding. But I was trying really hard to drive the speed limit; I looked up from my speedometer for just a couple seconds and--BAM!--there were those flashing red and blues. He didn't seem to buy my story, either...

Anyway, so in order to avoid getting a point on my driving record I had to face the long, dull, drudgery of Traffic School. I chose two weeknights over an entire Saturday. Orange County doesn't let you do this over the internet, like some other counties. And they no longer have those famous Comedy or Gardening or Beach Party Traffic Schools either. They actually expect you to sit in a class and learn about how to be a better driver. The nerve!

Thankfully, they do their best to make the 8 hours go by as painlessly as possible. After spending a full half hour walking the class step by step through the process of filling out our certificates (something that should only take about 5 minutes), the teacher began discussion about traffic safety issues. This mostly involves asking people what they "allegedly" did, and making fun of them for being an idiot.

Through all of this, you actually learn some pretty useful stuff. Much of which, it seems, most people don't really know. So I thought I'd provide a list here of some of the more informative points:

1. 2-Point Infractions. Most tickets (speeding, running a stop sign, etc.) only give you one point on your DMV record. But there are more serious things that will give you two points--and you can't go to traffic school unless a judge lets you (which means you would have to go to court). Some of these infractions are: DUI, hit & run, reckless driving, wet reckless driving (i.e., involves alcohol, below the DUI level), speed contest (racing), exhibition of speed (revving engine and squealing tires), evading, driving while suspended, driving wrong way on a one way st.
2. Stop, Drop, or Roll. When you come to a stop sign, cops are watching your wheels closely to see if they completely stop turning. Therefore, to be safe, you should always stop for a full 3 seconds. (If you have those spinner caps on your rims, you're pretty much screwed, so you'd better stop for even longer.)
3. Your Best Response Now. When you get pulled over, the cop will invariably ask you this question: "Do you know why I pulled you over?" And you will answer as follows: "Officer, I have no idea!" If you say something stupid like, "I think, maybe I might have run right through that red light back there, just a little bit," the officer will write this down as an admission of guilt which will be used against you if you decide to fight the ticket in court.
   

more to follow!

Remember the Sabbath Day

We just finished a kitchen remodel. In the course of events we also purchased new ovens. Beautiful, stainless steel, convection, double ovens from Kitchen Aid. As I sat down to browse through the instruction manual (hey, I'm an engineer! what do you expect?) I learned that our ovens keep the Sabbath. And boy do they ever!

When the Sabbath Mode is set, only the number and start keys will function, no tones will sound, and the displays will not show messages or temperature changes. The heat sources icons will appear lit on the oven display throughout the Sabbath Mode. When the oven door is opened or closed, the oven light will not turn on or off and the heating elements will not turn on or off immediately.

If a power failure occurs when the Sabbath Mode is set, the oven(s) will remain in Sabbath Mode but will no longer be actively cooking. The “ON” indicator will no longer be lit. Touch OFF to return to normal operating mode (non-Sabbath Mode, not cooking)

It continues like this, spanning two pages. There are countless steps for enabling, disabling, setting, changing settings, and on and on.

Is this really what God intended when He gave us the gift of the Sabbath? How on earth does this complicated mess of intricate steps, lights not turning on, and indicators remaining lit fulfill the Fourth Commandment?

Jesus repeatedly condemned the Jewish leaders of His day for adding to His Law. They piled additional burdens upon the people while refraining from keeping the essence of the Law. I find it amusing (actually, quite sad) to see that even ovens are a means for perpetuating this ungodly legalism today. May God have mercy and bring the light of the Gospel to the Jews.

Practical Preaching?

I was catching up on listening to episodes of the White Horse Inn on my iPod on the way into work this morning. Toward the end of the 2/16/2008 episode ("What would Moses Do?"), Dr. Horton offers a couple of nuggets of wisdom on preaching and the Bible, which I had to transcribe:

When people say, "I need more practical preaching," what they're saying is "I need more Law." Now, they may be right. But a lot of times the sheep don't know what they really need. And if, by nature, we crave more instructions and less about Christ--if, by nature, we take Christ and the Gospel for granted, but really want to hear about how we can have a better marriage--don't you think it's better for us, especially as ministers, to say, "No, Christ told Peter, 'Feed My sheep.' And I'm going to feed you as well as direct you. You need this [Christ-centered, Gospel-oriented preaching] more than you realize. What you're asking for in 'more practical preaching' is more about what you should do and less about what Jesus has done." ...

Now[days], the Bible is God's instruction book. And that's how a lot of people talk about it. Or it's the "Owner's Manual." Well, what is an owner's manual? An owner's manual is a guide you go to that tells you how to fix your car. Folks, that's the wrong category. The Bible is not, primarily, God's instruction book. It has instructions, and they need to be preached. But it is not primarily that. In fact, the Bible's silent on half the things that preachers want to talk about on Sunday morning--when it comes to the "practical."...I don't need a Christian diet; I need a Christian Gospel, if you've got that. Tell me something I can't get from Oprah or Dr. Phil...

Scary Things on the Internet

You gotta be careful on the Internet. Sometimes you might run across something really frightening, hidden deep on some page of some website somewhere, like this:

Happy International Pipe Smoking Day!

My friend, Nathaniel, has said it well. What else can be said?

Light up and enjoy!

Edifying Thoughts of a Tobacco Smoker

On land, at sea, at home, abroad, / I smoke my pipe and worship God."

Here's a little poem I discovered that is believed to be written by none other than Johann Sebastian Bach, illustrating the contemplative nature of pipe smoking and Bach's right understanding that all of life--even the most mundane parts--is an act of worship.

Whene'er I take my pipe and stuff it
And smoke to pass the time away
My thoughts, as I sit there and puff it,
Dwell on a picture sad and grey:
It teaches me that very like
Am I myself unto my pipe.

Like me this pipe, so fragrant burning,
Is made of naught but earthen clay;
To earth I too shall be returning,
And cannot halt my slow decay.
My well used pipe, now cracked and broken,
Of mortal life is but a token.

No stain, the pipe's hue yet doth darken;
It remains white. Thus do I know
That when to death's call I must harken
My body, too, all pale will grow.
To black beneath the sod 'twill turn,
Likewise the pipe, if oft it burn.

Or when the pipe is fairly glowing,
Behold then instantaneously,
The smoke off into thin air going,
'Til naught but ash is left to see.
Man's fame likewise away will burn
And unto dust his body turn.

How oft it happens when one's smoking,
The tamper's missing from it's shelf,
And one goes with one's finger poking
Into the bowl and burns oneself.
If in the pipe such pain doth dwell
How hot must be the pains of Hell!

Thus o'er my pipe in contemplation
Of such things - I can constantly
Indulge in fruitful meditation,
And so, puffing contentedly,
On land, at sea, at home, abroad,
I smoke my pipe and worship God.

From "The Second Little Clavier Book For Anna Magdalena" by J.S. Bach

The Happiest Place on Earth

While I already didn't believe the slogan, going to Disneyland in the middle of the "Christmas Break" should be enough to make anyone confident that the exact opposite is true. In the midst of the huddled masses, long lines, and exorbitant prices, there was this small, wonderful glimmer of grace and happiness:


I love my little "Space Ranger 2." :)