TOTT Articles

Contemplative Prayer

Gary Gilley — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:28:00 +0000

(April/May 2012 - Volume 18, Issue 2)

Of all the spiritual disciplines the Spiritual Formation Movement promotes, none is more important than prayer and the intake of God’s Word. On the surface we would expect little resistance to these two disciplines since they have been recognized as essential to spiritual growth by virtually all Christians from all traditions. Sadly, upon closer examination we discover that what is meant by most evangelical Christians when they reference prayer and Bible intake is not always what the leaders within spiritual formation mean. We begin with Donald Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at Southern Seminary, who agrees with Carl Lundquist,

The New Testament church built two other disciplines upon prayer and Bible study, the Lord’s Supper and small cell groups. John Wesley emphasized five works of piety by adding fasting. The medieval mystics wrote about nine disciplines clustered around three experiences: purgation of sin, enlightenment of the spirit and union with God. Later the Keswick Convention approach to practical holiness revolved around five different religious exercises. Today Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of

Spiritual Formation

Gary Gilley — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:24:00 +0000

(February/March 2012 - Volume 18, Issue 1)

Almost everyone on the cutting edge of Christianity is talking about spiritual formation. From books to magazine articles to sermons to seminary courses, spiritual formation is a hot topic. What is spiritual formation? What does it teach? Is it something to embrace, ignore or fight? With this edition of Think on These Things I want to begin an examination of these questions and more. Lord willing, all of the TOTTs articles in 2012 will be devoted to detailing and evaluating some aspect of what some have called the “Spiritual Formation Movement.” In this lead article I intend to offer a definition of spiritual formation, trace its origins, mention a few of its practices, illustrate its recent popularity, and briefly identify its strengths and dangers.

In Search of a Definition

When the average person speaks of spiritual formation they assume that it is a modern or trendy synonym for discipleship. Throughout church history, in obedience to the Lord’s command found in the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20), the church has dedicated itself to the task

The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today - Part 2

Gary Gilley — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

(December 2011/January 2012 - Volume 17, Issue 6)

In the first part of this study, we examined together the history of the social gospel as it presented itself in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and then documented a resurgence of the social gospel agenda as found at the present time. The original social gospel movement began as an appendage to the emerging liberalism that started in Germany and ultimately swept through the Western church. As the growing liberal movement matured, it left behind most doctrinal distinctives held by earlier Protestants and eventually came to be defined by social action. Today a new wave of social involvement, as a major tenant of church ministry, is flowing through evangelical churches, changing the very nature of church dynamics and outreach. The issue at hand is not whether Christians should be involved with their culture, but to what extent attempting to solve the injustices and problems of the culture is the mission of the church. This has become one of the more hotly debated concerns (some believe the hottest) within evangelism today.

The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today - Part 1

Gary Gilley — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0000

(October/November 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 5)

One of the important issues which the church has always had to address is that of its role in society. In the Old Testament, the Lord chose Abraham to be the father of a called-out race of people. Years later, the Lord would establish the nation of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. Detailed laws and regulations were given to Israel at the time including how that nation was to be governed, how poverty was to be dealt with, how widows and orphans were to be helped and how injustices were to be corrected. All of these matters were addressed almost exclusively within the context of the nation of Israel, with relatively minor concern for the surrounding nations. The Old Covenant would continue to be in force throughout Old Testament history until finally superseded at the dawning of the church age in Acts 2 with the coming of the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost. While the Jewish people and the nation of Israel still retain a primary place in the plan of

The Tragedy of Self-deception

Gary Gilley — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0000

(August/September 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 4)

“The power of the human mind to deceive itself seems infinite”[1] The Greek philosopher Demosthenes said, “Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be truth.”[2] In his confessions Augustine wrote, “Man’s love of truth is such that when he loves something which is not the truth, he pretends to himself that what he loves is the truth, and because he hates to be proved wrong, he will not allow himself to be convinced that he is deceiving himself. So he hates the real truth for the sake of what he takes to his heart in its place.”[3]

The fact that we are easily self-deceived should surprise no Christian for, as the inspired prophet Jeremiah wrote centuries ago, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it” (Jere 17:9)? Jeremiah quickly adds, I, the Lord, search the heart and I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways,

Love Wins - Universalism’s New Champion

Gary Gilley — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:18:00 +0000

(June/July 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 3)

There was so much hype surrounding the publication of Rob Bells new book Love Wins that even before it was released emotional critiques were flooding the Internet and the bloggers were in full swing. When John Piper, who had not yet read the book, tweeted three little words, “Farewell Rob Bell,” the blogosphere exploded and the war was on. Bell, who claims credentials within the evangelical camp, was purported to be teaching universalism. When the book was finally on the market it immediately rose to the top of everybody’s bestsellers list. Bell was featured on the cover of Time magazine, interviewed on both secular and Christian television and radio programs and perhaps became the “rock star” that Time claimed he was some years ago.

When I reluctantly determined I needed to read what everybody was talking about I was speaking at a conference in Texas. I, with a couple of other speakers, went to the largest Christian bookstore in the city, an international chain, and after not finding the book I asked the

The Crossless Gospel - Part 2

Gary Gilley — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:49:00 +0000

(April/May 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 2)

In the first paper on the “Crossless Gospel” I identified four distinct positions taken by evangelicals in regard to the gospel. These four schools of thought have much in common but disagree on important points. The “Gospel is the Kingdom” view is the idea that the gospel is essentially the proclamation that Jesus is Lord over all things and it is the mandate of the church to work toward social/political/economic justice throughout the world. Some, such as N. T. Wright, would add a spiritual dimension to the agenda and call men to reconciliation with Christ while others, e.g. Brian McLaren, would see this invitation as unnecessary. Those who proclaim the gospel of “Lordship Salvation” are concerned with a right relationship with Christ. They believe such a relationship is possible only on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ who now offers salvation to all who repent and turn to Him alone by faith alone. Reception of the gospel involves surrendering our previous gods and that which we have formerly trusted and

The Crossless Gospel - Part 1

Gary Gilley — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:52:00 +0000

(February/March 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 1)

It is a bit unsettling to realize two millennia after the coming of our Savior to earth that His followers are still debating the content of the gospel, the good news, which He came to bring. This is not to say that there is not a degree of unanimity among those claiming to be evangelicals. It is hard to disagree with Paul’s clear statement in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 which informs us that the gospel that saves us concerns the death of Christ for our sins (i.e., as our substitute), His burial and resurrection. In these few words we learn that the good news centers around the cross on which the incarnate Son of God died in order that He might save us from our sins and give us eternal life. This shorthand version of the gospel is expanded through other Scriptures. When we put all the pieces together we find a four-layered message that can be outlined in four words: God, man, Christ, response:[1]

God: God is holy and

Atonement Wars - Part 2

Gary Gilley — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 06:00:00 +0000

(December 2010/January 2011 - Volume 16, Issue 6)

In Part one of “The Atonement Wars” a number of atonement theories having found favor at various points in church history were explained. These included the moral influence theory, Christus Victor and the Ransom to Satan theory. While I reject the last of these theories, the other two have biblical backing and thus fill out our understanding of why Christ went to the cross. However, I believe the central teaching of Scripture in regard to Christ’s cross-work is best defined as the Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA). It is PSA that is facing resistance from many who would be happy to embrace the cross as a moral example of love or a victory over the forces of evil. Yet the Bible teaches that while Christ’s death was a great example and resulted in the defeat of evil forces, more importantly His death was necessary in order that our sins might be forgiven and we be reconciled to God.

Definitions and Challenges:

Wayne Grudem provides this helpful definition,

Christ’s death was ‘penal’

Atonement Wars - Part 1

Gary Gilley — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:07:00 +0000

(October/November 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 5)

When Steve Chalk and Brian McLaren accused evangelicals who believed in the substitutionary death of Christ of embracing a form of Divine child abuse,[1] Christians everywhere did a double-take. Having sung with gusto for years that great line penned by Charles Wesley, “Amazing love, how can it be that Thou my God shouldst die for me” Christians could not believe that they were being accused of promoting child abuse by men who claimed to be at least on the fringes of the evangelical community. What McLaren and Chalk had done was bring to the surface for all to see the long-standing debate by theologians about the meaning of the cross. Almost no one in Christian circles doubts the historicity of the crucifixion, but why Christ died has long been contested. Of late, due to the rising popularity of everything from the Emergent Church to the Ancient-Future Faith movement to the New Perspective on Paul, the significance of Christ’s cross-work, often called the atonement, has regained traction. In particular what has

Inside the Insider Movement and More

Gary Gilley — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:22:00 +0000

(August/September 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 4)

In the 1970s, as I was being trained at Moody Bible Institute for future ministry, there was a consensus among evangelicals that Roman Catholicism taught a false gospel and therefore those within the Church of Rome (at least those believing Catholic doctrine) were in need of evangelism. Some mission organizations focused much, if not all, of their efforts on Roman Catholic countries throughout the world. The idea that Catholics were not truly Christians began to erode as various evangelical leaders stepped up to challenge this view and as others actually defected from their Protestant roots to Roman or Eastern Orthodoxy. This was followed by a major shift, at least in the minds of many, in 1994 when Charles Colson and Father John Neuhaus united leaders from both traditions around their now famous “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” document which, in essence, stated that while differences remained between the two branches of Christendom it was time that we recognized one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. With well respected evangelical leaders such as J.

Important Books

Gary Gilley — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:31:00 +0000

(June/July 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 3)

The evangelical press is pouring out hundreds of new books every year, most are forgettable but a few leave a valuable imprint upon the Christian community. Given the limited amount of time that even a serious student has to read it is important that attention is given to books that make a difference. I would like to devote this edition of Think on These Things to a few recent volumes that have caught the attention of many today. These are books that I am being asked about via e-mail or as I travel to conferences. Some are most helpful, others are of a serious concern, and others are mixed bag.

Crazy Love
by Francis Chan

The basic thesis of Crazy Love is sound. Since God loves us with a crazy, inexplicable love, our love for Him should be just as crazy and our resultant lifestyle should be radical in its sacrifice for Christ. Chan has no patience for “lukewarm Christians” (pp. 22, 65-88, 97-98), who are chasing the American dream rather

Edinburgh 2010

Gary Gilley — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 23:56:00 +0000

(April/May 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 2)

Those knowledgeable of current church history and missiology in particular are probably familiar with Edinburgh 1910. It was considered to be the greatest missionary conference to that date and subsequently has proven to be the most influential. In honor of its centennial, four major conferences are planned for 2010, having been in development since 2005[1] (along with many smaller venues), all connected with and under the umbrella of Edinburgh 2010. The first will be in Tokyo, May 11-15. Edinburgh is next up on June 2-6, followed by Cape Town, October 16-25 and finally Boston, November 4-7. Each conference is somewhat independent, with different rosters of speakers, papers and agendas; however they are working in cooperation and will be sharing their research and attempting to set directives and initiatives for future world outreach.

Edinburgh 1910

It is significant for our analysis of these conferences to look back to the original Edinburgh Conference and determine why so much excitement is being generated over what happened 100 years ago. In 1910 conference leaders John

The Manhattan Declaration

Gary Gilley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:27:00 +0000

(February/March 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 1)

The Christian village is all abuzz these days about The Manhattan Declaration, yet another brainchild of Charles Colson (along with Timothy George and Robert George) in his ever vigilant attempts at societal improvement and ecumenical unity. In his earlier efforts, in particular the Evangelicals and Catholics Together documents, Colson and Roman Catholic priest John Neuhaus attempted, with some apparent success, to convince Christendom that their two separate traditions held far more in common than it realized and it was time for both sides to lay down their arms and unite against liberal Christianity and secular ideology for the good of society. While admitting that strong differences still remained, Colson, Neuhaus and their supporters tried to maintain that the two communities were preaching essentially the same gospel message and therefore it was time to join forces against their greater enemies. The Manhattan Declaration addresses a similar theme but focuses more on remedying morally corrupting influences in America than on the nature of the gospel. While there are a great number of social evils that

My Favorite Books - Part 3

Gary Gilley — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:02:00 +0000

(December 2009/January 2010 - Volume 15, Issue 7)

A little over five years ago I wrote two papers identifying my favorite books in various categories. At this time I want to supplement that list for a couple of reasons. First, as readers of my articles and book reviews know, Think on These Things is largely a discernment ministry and, as such, many of our reviews are of a warning nature. Some have even asked if I am in agreement with any book. My standard answer is that I certainly am, as long as, and to the extent that, the book is faithful to Scripture. Realizing that all human efforts fall short at some point, it is important that we endeavor to be Bereans and examine books, not for the purpose of criticism, but for their compliance to the revealed Word of God. With that in mind, listed below are numerous books that, while I do not endorse everything contained in them, I believe meet the test of Scripture. Secondly, having read approximately 300 books since “My Favorite Books, Part 2”