The Folly of Toning Down Hard Truths by Charles Spurgeon

I see the spirit of compromise concerning holiness and sin, truth and error, far too prevalent. The spirit of compromise comes not of the Spirit of God, but of the spirit of the world.

It is always wisest and best to exhibit clear decision upon fundamental points; we must draw the line distinctly, and then stand to it firmly. Do not alter your course because of winds and currents. Do not try to make things pleasant all round.

Do not be like the fellow, in one of the American towns, who saw a traveller leaning against a lamp-post, weary and worn with his journey. The traveller enquired of him how far it was to such a place, and was told that it was ten miles. The weary traveller sighed, and said, "I shall never hold out. I shall faint on the road."

"Ah!" said his sympathizing informant, "I did not know you were quite so far gone, I will knock off three miles, and make it seven for you."

Of course, this operation in words did not alter the fact, nor really reduce the ten to seven. Yet this is the method of some weakly, amiable souls; they tone down truth, forgetting that their tone does not affect the fact.

This obligation is too severe; and, therefore, it is suggested that it may be somewhat relaxed. This doctrine is too stern; so make it wear a milder aspect. This manner of pleasing everybody at any cost is the style of the period. If sin, and human depravity, and so forth, are strongly spoken of in the old theology, run off to the new, and soften matters. If the punishment of the impenitent too much alarms men, treat it lightly, and spirit it away; who wants to win converts by fear?

Yes, yes; "make it seven."

But what avail your soft words? The distance is all the same for your lying; and when the deceived one finds it to be so, he will pour no blessings upon your heads.

May the Lord save us from the doom of deceivers of souls! May we be watchmen who will be clear of the blood of all men! Be decided yourselves; and then, like men who themselves stand fast, you will be able to help others whose feet are slipping.

The View From Oz 28/09

After a busy weekend ( I spoke five times at a children's camp), another busy week of ministry beckons. As well my usual three weeknight meetings our church in Lincoln is having its quarterly communion service, so that means four services on the Lord's Day. As its our communion season I'm taking a break from my regular expository series' in Mark and Joshua to concentrate on texts more directly relevant to the Lord's table, Christ's cross-work, and his subsequent exaltation. God-willing it should be a blessed Sabbath.

On the reading front I picked up a copy of Francis Schaeffer on Joshua for a couple of dollars in an Op shop (charity shop for those reading in the UK).Also I received a free copy of Big Truths for Young Hearts which I'm looking to forward to reading with my son when he is of age and my wife bought me a copy of John Calvin, Pilgrim and Pastor by Bob Godfrey ( a very welcome birthday present). I finished off reading LLoyd-Jones on Spiritual Depression which isn't really about the medical condition but it is a more general look at unhappiness in the lives of Christians. Its an excellent read and highly recommended to all but particularly, to unhappy Christians. Finally, I read, loathed and reviewed the Noticer by Andy Andrews, (self-help drivel) and read, generally liked, and reviewed Christianity in Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff ( spoilt by a very silly section on the Charismatic movement).

Idolatry New And Old by Tim Challies

A little while ago my friend Ian loaned me the PBS DVD series The Story of India This six-part series, which runs about six hours, simply tells the story of India from ancient times until roughly the time of Indian Independence. It is a good documentary, even if the host’s excessive exuberance toward all things Indian is a little bit hard to take after a while. “Oh, isn’t that wonderful! Fantastic! Remarkable! Unbelievable! Stupendous!”

As one would have to expect for a series focusing on the history and culture of India, this film devoted a good bit of attention to Indian religion. And, as you know, India is a hotbed of religious fervor where Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and nearly every other religion you can imagine coexist, at times peacefully and at times through great bloodshed. As much as the history of India is the history of faiths existing together in peace, it is equally a story of the battle for dominance of one faith or another. The documentary devoted a good bit of attention to the various means of religious expression, from Muslims venerating the tomb of a sufi to Jains pouring out their offerings to a statue of Gomateshwara to Hindus bowing low before their ancient deities. The idolatry, portrayed so vividly in full-color and wide screen is quite shocking. India represents a fascinating collision of the first world with the third world, of the ancient with the modern. Somehow it seems that this form of idolatry should have been left in the past; have we not evolved or developed or matured beyond bowing before gods of wood and bronze? Yet here are countless millions of men and women who are every bit as devoted to their gods as were the enemies of the Israelites of old.

As I watched these people venerate their gods I felt pity for them and I felt gratitude to God for his grace in saving me from such idolatry, such sinful adulation of Satan. I suppose that may sound arrogant; I do not mean it that way. Here were men and women bowing low before gods who were so clearly made in their own image—gods who were not good and righteous and perfect and omnipotent, but gods who are so often petty and perplexed and perverted—gods who are so very human. There is no transcendence here; there is little to distinguish these gods from those who worship them. These people are, in a very real sense, worshiping themselves. They create gods who are very much like themselves and then prostrate themselves before such pathetic deities. Rarely have I seen such a vivid picture of the idolatry that dwells within the human heart.

Yesterday the world memorialized Michael Jackson. The numbers are still being tabulated but there is little doubt that millions, probably hundreds of millions, watched at least a portion of the memorial service. How many did so, as did I, merely out a morbid sense of curiosity, probably cannot be calculated.

Jackson’s service was an representation of just the kind of pluralism that has marked India. Everybody involved wanted to invoke God’s name, as you’re supposed to do when remembering a loved one, but it was clear that most of them invoked a god made in their own image. Even those who spoke of Jesus or who prayed to Jesus did so without any clear reference to the Jesus of the Bible. They spoke of a Jesus who accepts all and even (or perhaps especially) those who had rejected him. Never did Michael Jackson give any evidence of putting his faith in Jesus Christ, yet those who watched were assured, time and again, that he was now safe in the presence of the Lord, waiting there for the rest of us to arrive. Words and phrases invoked God and used the Christian lexicon but without any reference to the gospel, the true gospel, the gospel that saves. Lost men declared to other lost men untruths about the god they wish for, not the God who is.

During the singing of the old song We Are the World, those who watched saw religious symbols from all faiths spinning across a video screen, blurring, blending their lies to the already blind.

All faiths are the same, don’t you know? Why dwell on such petty distinctions? God is whoever you want him (or her or it) to be. We are the world. We are god.

What surprised me more than anything was the genuine grief, the genuine mourning, of those who attended the memorial service. Of course his brothers and sister and daughter were distraught, but so too were many of the fans who so loved him. On the radio I heard an interview with a woman from Toronto who attended a screening of the service. She told how when she heard of Jackson’s death she collapsed and was inconsolable, at least until she could go to a tattoo parlor and have “Gone too soon” tattooed onto her body; that was the beginning of the healing process. She had brought her young son to the memorial service so he could see his mother’s love for this man she so venerated. All across North America, all across the world, there are similar stories of worship. Can we call it anything other than worship? I don’t think this is too strong a word. For many people, Jackson was a god; for many people celebrity is idolatry.

Yesterday we saw idolatry of a whole different order yet idolatry that is so similar to what I saw in The Story of India. There are some who, in their idolatry, bow low before gods of wood and stone and burnished bronze. There are others who, in their idolatry, live vicariously through celebrities and who bow low before the spirit of the age. Michael Jackson’s funeral, where God’s name was invoked and where Jesus’ name was supposedly held high, was as vivid an expression of idolatry as was the footage of hordes of Indian Hindus dancing with joy and veneration before their statues. One is a base idolatry, the other is sophisticated and proper. Both are the same ancient sin, the same ancient rebellion against the one true God.

Book Review : The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Andy Andrew's latest self-help book tells the story of Jones an enigmatic old man who has the gift of noticing things in other people's lives. Based in small town America Jones, always seen with an old tan suitcase, transforms lives with his homely wisdom. With his gospel of perspective ( the lack of it is apparently the origin of all our problems !!!) he rescues marriages, lifts young men out of poverty, and generally makes everybody happy. A sort of an older version of Oprah with a suitcase. The book ends with Jones doing a disappearing act, leaving behind his suitcase and a letter inside urging his followers to carry on his good work.

My view of self-help books is that they are a waste of time, ink, and paper. Sadly the Noticer confirmed my opinion. Jones 'wisdom' is claptrap. Articulate, fine sounding, and almost persuasive, yes certainly, but claptrap nonetheless. On page 135 he informs us with the less than thrilling insight that the greatest success secret in existence is to be a person others like to be around. Wrong. People liked to be around Hitler in 1930s Germany but I don't think he has been judged to be a success. In chapter four another Jones gem comes in the form of his solution to worry. In the world according to Jones (or should that be Andrews) only 8 percent of our worries are legitimate concerns and thus we concentrate on dealing with those and hey presto all anxiety is gone. Hogwash. See how the Jones formula works with the guy sitting in a cold, dark, prison cell awaiting execution in a few hours time.

This book described by Nancy Lopez as "the best book I have ever read" (presumably she doesn't read much) is a collection of self-help strategies, none of which stand up to scrutiny. Do yourself a favour, give Andy Andrews and his nonsense a miss try out Moses, Solomon, David Paul, and Peter. They are in the Bible and they know what they are talking about, unlike Jones.

Doug Wilson - What is Calvin's greatest contribution to the church?

Book Review - Christianity in Crisis 21st Century, Hank Hanegraaf

Christianity in Crisis 21 st Century is Hank Hanegraff's updated critique of the Word of Faith Movement. In this latest edition of his most popular work Hanegraaf sets out three objectives for the book. First, he wishes to help those who are Word of Faith adherents to see the truth of the biblical gospel; second, he seeks to clear up any confusion that may exist in the minds of believers concerning the movement's true nature; third, he wants to demonstrate to outside observers that the Faith movement does not represent biblical christianity.

The book is broken up into seven parts. In part one the reader is given an overview of Word of Faith teaching (mythology not theology) and is introduced to its leading proponents (a veritable rogue's gallery).A galaxy of famous 'Christian' authors and 'teachers' such as Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Ken Copeland, Benny Hinn, and many others are one by one named and shamed. In parts two through to six the movement's heretical teachings are explained and refuted at length. Its doctrine of faith, God, man, Satan, Christ, the atonement, wealth and want, sickness and suffering are all carefully dissected and examined in the light of scripture. They are all shown to be not merely unscriptural but decidedly anti-scriptural. In part seven the reader is given an essentials guide to biblical christian living. The book concludes with an epilogue and some helpful appendices.

In writing this book Hanegraaff has provided a much needed, well organised, extensively documented, thoroughly biblical, and simply written exposure of the Word of Faith Movement. He has unmasked some of modern day Christianity's most famous names as purveyors of soul destroying heresies. Personally, I was constantly shocked by the blasphemous statements and relentless false teaching of this movement. The scale of departure from the most basic tenets of biblical christianity was frankly overwhelming. It is a sad day in evangelicalism when such teachers dominate the shelves of mainstream Christian bookstores and continually preach to meetings of thousands and tens of thousands worldwide (not to mention the millions who constitute their TV congregation).

My one major concern with this book was Hanegraaff's attempt to distance this heretical grouping from the wider charismatic movement. Contrary to his assertion that the charismatic movement is a legitmate one within broad christianity, in fact it represents a departure from historic christianity and its influence in promoting false ecumenism and unscriptural views of the person and work of the Holy Spirit has been wholly negative.

With that important caveat kept in mind I feel this work will prove useful to all who read it with discernment and on that basis I recommend it.

Recreating The Tower Of Babel - RC Sproul

There are church buildings that are designed to give no hint of the building's true purpose as a house of worship. They're built to look more like town meeting halls. The chancel is no longer called the chancel, it's called the stage. The pulpit is not called a pulpit, it's called a lectern, and the congregation isn't called a congregation, but it's called an audience. Part of this is a desire to break through the old traditions that people have become inoculated against and no longer want any part of. In at least some cases, it is due to an abiding antipathy to beauty in worship, based on a desire to avoid an empty form of worship that is merely external. The church wants to exhibit that worship comes from the heart, not from external stimuli.

A crisis arises every time a congregation goes through a building program. Perhaps more people leave the church over what color the church basement is painted than over correct doctrine. Often, somebody will say, "We shouldn't spend money on our sanctuary. It would be better to give it to missions or to feed the poor," and how can one argue with that? On the other hand, some say, "We want the sanctuary to be beautiful. We want it to be a place that expresses our desire to honor the magnificence of God." That tension is always there.

It's easy for us to make our churches and our sanctuaries not so much a reflection of our desire to honor God with beauty, but rather an attempt to recreate the Tower of Babel and to build a monument to ourselves, to our affluence and our status. That's a precipitous danger anytime we're building a church. So we need to remember that when God built a church, He was concerned that it communicate not just His beauty but His glory, and His glory alone.

No church going through a building project has unlimited finances, but new buildings don't have to be overwhelmingly expensive. Whatever we do, with whatever budget we have, should be done tastefully and with a view toward making the church building a visible expression of our desire to honor God--in the architecture and in the adornment. Everything ought to be weighed and considered, even down to the matter of whether the pastor should wear a robe and, if so, how it should look; for what he wears will have an impact on the worship experience of the people. I sometimes wonder if we are more concerned about our own appearance, decorating our own bodies and our own homes, to a greater degree than we are of honoring God in worship. This should not be. Our church buildings and our church services should be marked by visible beauty, so that we might be reminded of the glory and beauty of God.

*****

From A Taste for Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by R.C. Spro

Keep to the Old Truth - Charles Spurgeon

Pyromaniacs: Keep to the Old Truth

Something Different For The Weekend - Michelangelo self-portrait' discovered in restored Vatican fresco

The restoration of frescoes by Michelangelo in the Vatican has revealed what is believed to be a self-portrait of the artist.

The face is in a wall mural in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel or Cappella Paolina, according to Maurizio De Luca, the Vatican’s chief restorer. The chapel, which is used by the Pope and not open to the public, was unveiled this week after a restoration costing €3.2 million (£2.7 million).

Professor De Luca said that a figure on horseback in a blue turban in Michelangelo’s The Crucifixion of St Peter was clearly the artist. “This is an extraordinary and moving discovery,” he said. He said that the resemblance to portraits by Giuliano Bugiardini and Daniele da Volterra, as well as to a bust by Giambologna, was striking.

The frescoes were painted by Michelangelo in the chapel beginning from 1542 to 1549, when he was 75. They depict the crucifixion of St Peter and the conversion to Christianity of the apostle Paul. The restoration began in 2004 and was funded by Vatican museum arts patrons.

"Where Do All the Colors Go at Night?" -- Children and the Need for Silence

One of the most lamentable aspects of modern life is the disappearance of silence. Throughout most of human history, silence has been a part of life. Many individuals lived a significant portion of their lives in silence, working in solitude and untroubled by the intrusion of constant noise.

Historians often point to the Industrial Revolution as a great turning point in the human experience of environmental sound and constant noise. The arrival of the factory and the concentration of human populations in cities brought a transformation that was accompanied by increased noise and the displaced silence. Today, the problem of noise pollution is a matter of concern to many of us, who find our lives frequently interrupted by unwanted sounds and constant noise.

Our culture now assumes noise and the constant availability of music, electronic chatter, and entertainment. In many homes, there is virtually no silence -- at least during waking hours. In some homes, family members live in isolated environments of independent sound, with iPods, televisions, radios, and any number of other technologies providing a customized experience of noise.

All this takes a toll upon the soul. Psychologists argue that the development of individual identity requires extended periods of solitude, reflection, and silence. The Christian tradition has honored silence as a matter of spiritual discipline and an intentional effort to flee the noise of everyday life in order to hear what noise cannot supply.

If this is true for adults, it is perhaps even more true for children. But today's children are often subjected to a constant barrage of noise. Many are raised to the soundtrack of the television or other forms of entertainment. Some parents seem to fear silence and do their best to make certain that children are never without some form of sound.

Writing in the June issue of Standpoint, Susan Hill argues that our children are being impoverished by being deprived of silence. We have betrayed children, she asserts, by "confiscating their silence." As she explains:

But so difficult has it become to find such oases of silence, that many children never experience it. In adapting to constant noise, we seem to have become afraid of silence. Why? Are we afraid of what we will discover when we come face to face with ourselves there? Perhaps there will be nothing but a great void, nothing within us, and nothing outside of us either. Terrifying. Let's drown our fears out with some noise, quickly.

Most of us will quickly realize the truth contained in her assessment. It seems that many of us are, to a greater or lesser degree, almost afraid of silence. Our children quickly inherit the same fear.

In "Silence, Please," Susan Hill describes the delights of silence in a way that beautifully captures what so many have lost:

In a quiet library, the turning of a page, the scratch of pencil on paper, are separate, distinctive, sounds. They identify themselves to us, they have a personality. They are beautiful. It is not only natural sounds that gain a richness set in the context of silence — all sounds do. To deprive ourselves and our children of the ability to distinguish such aural detail is to diminish our sensory life.

As Susan Hill acknowledges, complete silence is very difficult to achieve. Her goal is not to see children experience an artificial silence, but instead to see children experience the natural sounds that come as gifts -- sounds that require turning off the television to hear.

"Our children are too rarely given that opportunity or taught that the contrast between noise and quietness, like the parallel one between being in company and being alone, is vital to the growth and maturity of the individual," she explains. This growth and maturity, cultivated by silence, is essential to education -- both of the mind and the soul. Reading, writing, analysis, and reflection require some level of silence. Many children, particularly teenagers, are shortchanging their education by developing a dependence on noise, even when studying (or what they call studying).

The life of the mind and the shaping of the soul require the ability to hear, recognize, and understand what would be lost in a cacophony of sound. She expresses this beautifully:

If children do not learn to focus and concentrate in a pool of quietness, their minds become fragmented and their temperaments irritable, their ability to absorb knowledge and sift it, grade it and evaluate it do not develop fully. Reading a book quietly, watching a raindrop slide slowly down a windowpane or a ladybird crawl up a leaf, trying to hear the sound of a cat breathing when it is asleep, asking strange questions, such as, "Where do all the colors go at night?" and speculating about the possible answers — all of these are best done in silence where the imagination can flourish and the intricate minutiae of the world around us can be examined with the greatest concentration.

Where do all the colors go at night? All of us, what ever our age, need the gift of silence so that we can ponder such questions -- and hear what constant noise denies us.

Focused Preaching.

JI Packer comments on JC Ryle’s preaching:

“Ryle never just marked time, and again and again, to use his own phrases, he was able to focus his points in a few ‘picked and packed words’ that would ‘strike and stick’ His divisions were always clear (for one thing…for another thing), his headings stuck out, his down to earth illustrations and rhetorical emphasises gave a sense of the drama, the dangers, the challenges, glories, and joys of life under the hand of God.”