The Great Edifice of Scholarship

Posted on 28 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Written from one demon to another:

As a result, university libraries today are littered with forgotten and useless dissertations, each one a brick in the Great Edifice of Scholarship. They are usually written on arcane subjects, favoured by intellectually insecure, who hope that they will not be subject to adverse criticism from their colleagues on subjects that none of them knows (or cares) about. We have so centred their attention on brick-making that we have made them virtually incapable of becoming architects.

The practice of literary criticism today produces articles laden with cumbersome jargon, intended to boost the self-esteem of the authors in the mistaken notion, promulgated by us, that their incomprehensible multisyllabic verbiage bestows intellectual cache and dignity.

From a letter by Slashreap to Scardagger compiled for us by Richard Platt, As One Devil to Another, pages 18-19

This compilation of letters carries C. S. Lewis’ tone better than Alcorn’s bold Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. Almost every page of Platt is quotable, fresh, and useful. An excellent Christmas gift.

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Mentally Bad or Morally Bad?

Posted on 22 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

As one surveys the political field of nearly any country, it doesn’t take long before you find those in power making inexplicable decisions. I recall hearing George W. Bush mocked as the “stupidest president” America has ever had, and an educated Brit once told me while in line for a visa that it’s better to have a president who is “clever” than a confused but “nice” one. As these and other eddies swirl around me, I’ve begun evaluating people’s arguments–and sometimes the people themselves if they are persistent enough–by the two categories: mental and moral.

Mental errors include politicians who just weren’t made to be public speakers. Try though they might, they don’t have much stage presence or wit enough to parry the blows of the media or political opponents. Into this category goes genuinely or vaguely nice leaders who aren’t readers, struggle with management, can’t memorize, don’t know history,  lean too heavily on aides, and battle to communicate especially the big picture issues. Leaders like this encourage inflation because they don’t understand money in the first place. They grow the government because on the surface of things it sounds like a big organization can do big things. Mental errors. They should have digested Thomas Sowell on economics or Isaac Watts on logic, but for some reason they weren’t able to drill down into the real pith of things so that they understand the way the world really works.

Everyone should be able to come up with a handful of examples of this category, but let me supply a few just in case. The common scene in South Africa’s Home Affairs offices where applications are lost, odd counsel is given (I was once told to drive 6 hours to the Joburg airport to renew my visa), and workers are unresponsive (on more than one occasion, workers have turned away from me without explanation while they were waiting on me).

Moral errors open the door to words like self-centered, money-loving, or unrighteous. Some arguments placed before the public stem (or at the very least seem to stem) from motives that are something less than pure. These leaders may be very clever in that they are able to speak quickly and confidently, yet all the while they know what they want, and they will use anything to get it. The exceedingly large number of politicians who accept bribes or give them fit here along with most arguments for abortion.

It should be evident that a given argument could demonstrate both errors. There really isn’t a neat dividing line between the two because in one sense, to make one of the mistakes is to make them both. If a leader accepts a bribe, then he is mentally bad because he doesn’t realize that bribes encourage corruption which damages the economy. His short-sighted vision keeps him from seeing into the future where Christ sits on the right hand of God.

He’s also morally bad though because it was his own moral laziness that kept him from studying hard at his work so that he would understand all the issues better. Like a famous pastor who are asked on national television about a popular cult. When he said he didn’t know what they believe, that is a mental problem from one perspective. But at the same time, couldn’t we see it as a moral problem as well? Does he mean to say that he wasn’t even able to search Google for what this cult believes before he went on prime time television.

Personally, our family has taken to using this binary approach. When we hear an argument that isn’t right, we’ll often ask each other, is the error mental (by which we mean did he have good intentions, but inefficient implementation)? Or was his argument morally invalid because at his heart he loved money, so he was just using whatever issue as a vehicle to procure his real treasure?

Maybe you will find it helpful to examine your own speech to see if you can find mental or moral errors the most. May God so sanctify His people’s hearts that they don’t register for either one.

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A Reason to Love Election

Posted on 21 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Frankly, the only reason to believe in election is because it is found explicitly in God’s Word. No man and no committee of men originated this doctrine. It is like the doctrine of eternal punishment in that it conflicts with the dictates of the carnal mind. It is repugnant to the sentiments of the unregenerate heart. Like the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the miraculous birth of our Savior, the truth of election, because it has been revealed by God, must be embraced with simple and unquestioning faith. If you have a Bible and you believe it, you have no option but to accept what it teaches.

John MacArthur, in an outstanding foreword to Foundations of Grace, page 11

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Science Fiction Rather than Creation

Posted on 20 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Though it’s too difficult to believe in a supreme Being who created the world, and though it is laughable to think that there is a written account that is inerrant, and though Jesus Christ’s claims can be scoffed away, here is an example of something solid and firm. An epistemological and philosophical foothold for the weary post-modern is now offered to us by Stuart Sutherland, PhD. And here is a précis of what we can expect under his tutelage:

Did Martian meteorites seed the young Earth with simple life forms? Investigate this intriguing hypothesis. … Could our planet have been seeded with life from elsewhere? How have natural forces conspired to remove most traces of life from the planet? And how has life itself responded with determination to survive and thrive in a multitude of astonishing forms? Learn about the amazing story of our world— its origins, extinctions, and evolutions—in the 36 lavishly illustrated lectures of A New History of Life. This is a gripping presentation that assumes no background in science.

They not only want us to believe this, but they think it is somehow easier to accept than the basic starting point of God. Furthermore, we are expected to pay for these lectures and honor the “scholar” who knows more than the Author of Genesis. After all, he has to know what he’s talking about because he has lavish illustrations to back it up. Honoring this kind of presentation deserves a place in the Rewarding Mediocrity Book of Remembrance.

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The Consequences of Fornication

Posted on 18 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Whether pornography, premarital relations, strict adultery, or homosexuality, satisfying sexual appetites in immoral ways brings dreadful and far-reaching consequences. This list originally arose from meditation on Proverbs 5 and serves as a helpful tool in preaching, counseling, and personal sanctification.

  1. It shows dishonor to my Savior Jesus Christ to whom I have committed my life and eternal destiny.
  2. It sets a habit of selfish expectations.
  3. It hinders me from walking in the Spirit.
  4. It prevents my prayers from being answered.
  5. It diminishes lawful pleasure in marriage by setting up unrealistic expectations, storing covenant-breaking memories, and crassly revealing the mystery of conjugal intimacy.
  6. It plants seeds that may be reaped in my spouse and children.
  7. It steals my reward when Christ returns for He will repay every man according to his faithfulness.
  8. It causes disease.
  9. It brings guilt and emotional pain.
  10. It damages my reputation with my wife, children, church, family members, and unsaved friends.
  11. It weakens the integrity of the family by producing illegitimate children, cracking the foundation of marriages, and teaching all parties that integrity is not as important as personal gratification.
  12. It adds strength to the common though unstated notion that women are objects to be consumed.
  13. It increases poverty in a society because prosperity is dependent on strong families and workers with integrity, both of which are undermined by promiscuous pleasure.

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How to Converse Well

Posted on 14 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Mortimer Adler’s advice for good conversation.

Stick to the issue. Stay within the framework of the subject under consideration, either as a whole or with respect to one or another of its parts. Don’t wander off and talk about something else or intrude irrelevancies into the course of the conversation.

In short, be relevant, first, last, and always. I wish I could write out a prescription for being relevant. It would provide the remedy for so many of the ills that beset our talking with one another. Being relevant simply consists in paying close attention to the point that is being talked about and saying nothing that is not significantly related to it.

How to Speak, How to Listen, page 150

This is another way of calling for careful definitions, and which of us has not been speaking with a friend (or adversary) only to be amused, frustrated, or dismayed that they were not able to keep to the point? Jesus always stayed on the right point, and thus was always relevant. His followers should follow Him even in this.

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Six Reasons I Strive to be Christ-centered in my Preaching

Posted on 11 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Having attempted a definition of preaching Christ, I would like to list some reasons why I strive to be Christ-centered when I preach.

1. Inspired NT commentary on OT texts and events.

Recently, as I read through John 6 in the morning, I noticed that Christ claimed to be the true manna. Now, who would have thought about the Messiah when they saw bread on the ground in the OT? Yet Christ interpreted the miraculous provision of food for the Israelites Christologically. In the previous chapter (5:39), Jesus said that the Pharisees should know him because the purpose of the OT is to testify to Christ.

2. The internal testimony of the Spirit urging me to look to, love, and enjoy the Son of God.

3. The apostle Paul’s emphatic statements about the centrality of the gospel in everything he did.

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Gal. 6:14

“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Cor. 2:2

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Cor. 4:5

And throughout the book of Acts the message of the other Apostles is repeatedly described as preaching Christ. Acts 5:42; 8:12; 10:36; 28:31

4. I long for sinners to be converted through my preaching.

5. We are members of the New Covenant with a new Mediator, and the Old Covenant is entirely abrogated.

“God who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant…” 2 Cor. 3:6 The paragraph goes on to contrast the two covenants putting down the previous administration as one of death, condemnation, and inferior glory. This passage lists entire discontinuity exalting the New Covenant at the expense of the Old. And it is this new agreement between God and man of which we are ministers. When I preach, this new agreement is what I have been given as a stewardship and by which I will be held accountable.

6. Some people I respect in church history have been Christ-centered and Gospel-centered in their preaching.

Not only the Apostles, but Carey and Spurgeon!

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Lasting Love Vs. Temporary Love: An Interview With a Rural, African Churchplanter

Posted on 11 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Over the last few days we have had the privilege of hosting Pastor and Mrs. Wastemore Sarireni in our home and at our church in South Africa. This couple lives in an undeveloped area in Zimbabwe with the church they officially planted in 2012. Wastemore is a graduate of the Limpopo Bible Institute who also benefited from training at the African Pastors Conferences as well as other South African churches.

Wastemore and Mary Sarireni

Below is the transcript of portions of an Interview With Wastemore Sarireni (17 min. 8 mb) I conducted with him a few days ago. It is encouraging to see genuine pastors living in difficult circumstances, and his comments about money are especially meaningful because of the context in which he serves.

SM: First of all, could you introduce yourself to us?

WS: My name is Wastemore Sarireni, and I am married to Mary, and God blessed us with three kids: John (13), Sharon (9), and Keith (5). We are in a rural village, in Dzingira where I’m a pastor there at Dzingira Baptist Church.

SM: So, Dzingira is in Zimbabwe, southern Zimbabwe?

WS: Yes, Masvingo Province. In the far south.

SM: What’s the difference between a rural area and a city area?

WS: A rural area is where there is no electricity, no [avenues] for employment, no tarred road. And we rely on water from the well. It’s undeveloped.

SM: And are most of the people poor there?

WS: Oh, the people there are very poor. They depend on other people for living, maybe on their brothers, sisters, their sons who are working in towns to support themselves.

SM: How did you become a believer?IMG_0527

WS: It was a time when I was in Joburg [2008] during xenophobic time. And Pastor Brosnan came with his church which is Calvary Baptist Church, came to preach to us. I had to ask a lot of questions concerning the Word of God. And he has to show me that I have got a problem. And I need to be correct with God, and he shows that the problem I had was that I was a sinner. I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. And I had to understand it, but it takes time for me to confess that Jesus is my Lord.

SM: So, the xenophobia was critical in your coming to Christ?

WS: It was critical. But at the other side I can say it was the right time that God sent His servants so I had to understand it.

SM: I just think of the Puritans where the one man [William Still] said, “God uses sin sinlessly.” He took that terrible thing, xenophobia, and He used it to save you and other people as well.

WS: I also believe on that. Because when we look to the book of Genesis, Joseph says to his brothers, “You meant it bad, but God meant it good.” Which means God can use any means.

SM: Tell us briefly about your church. What is your church like?

WS: Our church is in a rural area. We don’t have a building, but we know that a church is not a building, it’s believers. We have about 60 people coming to the church. We teach the gospel, and we love the doctrines of grace in our church because we know that God is doing everything, not us doing everything. We are only the tools to reach the other people.

SM: Where does your church meet?

WS: Now because of the number, we are meeting under the tree outside.

SM: Do you have chairs?

WS: We have got almost 27 chairs which is not even half of the people coming to the church. Which means others are staying on the stones, others on the ground.

SM: How many of those are true believers?

WS: Maybe, I can say, 30 of them. Others are still, I am still looking at them. I don’t see fruits coming out of them. To be a shepherd is to see that you have to look to your sheep and find their health.

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SM: Many pastors in the African villages love money. If they can get any connection with US dollars—they’ll do anything to get that connection. How can we avoid that? How can we avoid giving money to foolish men while at the same time helping people who are in genuinely in need?

WS: That’s true. When you meet a guy who says he’s a true Christian, true pastor, a true servant of Christ—you don’t rush to help him or to work with him. You take time looking at him. As I said, many people say I [Wastemore] am a pastor who is looking at fruits. Look at him, something must be seen. Even the time will tell if he’s a true pastor or if he’s not a true pastor. Don’t just work with him, go with him. He will reveal himself if he is a true servant or false servant.

SM: So, it takes time?

WS: It takes time. Take time. Don’t rush to help.

SM: What advice do you give to a Western missionary, someone coming from another economic world; how can he tell the difference between a “rice Christian” and a true Christian?

WS: Something must be seen in a believer’s life. Time will tell. As Galatians 5 is talking about the fruits, the fruits of faith. Faith should produce something in the life of a man. So we have to see what comes out of the man. Others they can trick us, but let us be sure that we know the people very well.

SM: Do African churches need American money? Would they be better off if America kept its money? And if they do need the money what does that say about the Holy Spirit—does the Holy Spirit need that money to keep the churches going?

WS: If you say, they have to wait for the money to start the churches, I can say, “No.” But there are sometimes when they need the money. They can live in a very poor, rural area, but of course, they can live without the money. Someone who is a true believer and a true servant in Christ can shift his direction looking for the jobs to support the family. It takes faith to remain in the church. Which means we can say it’s a balance. They can live without the money, or they can live with the money.

SM: So, in one sense, yes, and in one sense, no.

WS: In one sense, yes.

SM: Who is right in the debate about social ministry or churchplanting? Should we obey the Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, or should we obey the Great Commission to evangelize people? Should Christians come to an area to bring development or churches or both?

WS: Planting churches is good because even the Great Commandment starts with “Love God.” And how do you love neighbor if you don’t lead him to Christ? You don’t love your neighbor. If you lead him to Christ, you show you really love your neighbor. If you don’t, it’s not a lasting love. It’s a temporary love.

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Metaphoric Fire

Posted on 7 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

Now do not begin telling me that that is metaphorical fire: who cares for that?  If a man were to threaten to give me a metaphorical blow on the head, I should care very little about it; he would be welcome to give me as many he pleased.  And what say the wicked?  ‘We do not care about metaphorical fires.’  But they are real, sir—Yes, as real as yourself.  There is a real fire in hell, as truly as you have now a real body.

Charles Spurgeon

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Honest, Clear, and Short

Posted on 5 November 2013 by Seth Meyers

This guy passed me on the path the other day, and I wondered what businessman planned to print shirts like this. Was he wondering if it would catch on, or was he sure that he’d just hit on a cash cow?

Now, if we could just encourage this guy and all his friends to vote...

Now, if we could just encourage this guy and all his friends to vote…

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