seeing in a mirror dimly

Calvin was not a “Calvinst”….

Mark — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:22:43 +0000

… But neither were the Calvinists … Who is a Calvinist anyway…? argues Richard Muller in this fascinating article.

As part of the 2009 Calvinpalooza of events, Richard Muller gave this address at Calvin Theological Seminary in the States.

It is an absolutely superb discussion of the following types of things:

Is it anachronistic to describe Calvin as adhering to TULIP?
Did Calvin teach Limited Atonement?
Why have we moved on since the Calvin vs. the Calvinists thesis?
How do Humanism and Scholasticism relate to Calvin’s teaching?
What does it really mean that Calvin moved around the locus of Predestination in his Institutes?
Is anyone really a “Calvinist”?
Why pitting the 16th and 17th century Reformed theologians is ridiculous.

All these questions and more by arguably the world’s leading Reformation scholar. Download the PDF! Here’s a snippet:

“By way of addressing these issues, we should note first and foremost the problem of TULIP itself — an acrostic that has caused much trouble for the Reformed tradition and has contributed greatly to the confusion about Calvin and Calvinism. (I don’t plan to tiptoe through this issue.) It is really quite odd and a-historical to associate a particular document written in the Netherlands in 1618-19 with the whole of Calvinism and then to reduce its meaning to TULIP. Many of you here know that the word is actually “tulp.” “Tulip” isn’t Dutch — sometimes I wonder whether Arminius was just trying to correct someone’s spelling when he was accused of omitting that “i” for irresistible grace. More seriously, there is no historical association between the acrostic TULIP and the Canons of Dort. As far as we know, both the acrostic and the phrase “five points of Calvinism” are of Anglo-American origin and do not date back before the nineteenth century. It is remarkable how quickly bad ideas catch on.”

And if you’re really keen to dig deeper, check out his Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics (picture above – it looks nice on the bookshelf!). This has proved to be one of my best purchases whilst at college – I’ve found it an invaluable resource for doing a whole bunch of my college assignments!

PS – Just in case you’re wondering, Muller’s argument isn’t a negative neo-orthodox position, but quite a nuanced take on the Reformed tradition.

Pilgrim’s Podcast #21: Counselling Series Wrap-Up, A Multitude of Shoutouts, and Speeches

Mark — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:50:06 +0000

Well, this episode of the Pilgrim’s Podcast goes back to our roots. The way things are supposed to be. Good banter, great rambling, many shoutouts, and a bit of normal conversation. After all, this is the 21st episode (we prefer “birthday”) of the podcast!

Inside this riveting episode of the Pilgrim’s Podcast you’ll find Steve and Mark:

Concluding the series on Pastoral Care and Counselling
Sharing what we personally learnt and got out of the series
Giving an unprecedented 10+ shoutouts!
Coming up with all sorts of random things.
Giving some speeches on account of the 21st birthday of the Podcast!

Check it out, and email/sms/tweet/reply/post/blog about the Poddy for your own personalised shoutout!

Listen:

Pilgrim’s Podcast #20: Helen Blake, Vulnerability & Self-Awareness, and How to Change!

Mark — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:53:21 +0000

Well, here’s the second half of a cracking couplet of interviews with our guest counselor, Helen Blake.

In this interview we continue our discussion of bullying to focus in on what reasons people might develop bullying tendencies. One of the ways that Helen suggests for ironing out bullying tendencies in us is to develop both vulnerability and self-awareness. These are both excellent insights, and I’d really encourage you to mine the gems from this discussion. Lastly, Helen gives us some tips and pointers on how to change. What a really great discussion – Steve and I’ve learnt so much! Can I seriously encourage you – whether you’ve thought about bullying or not – to listen to this interview. It might save you a lot of heartache down the line!

Thanks also to the many people who’ve emailed or spoken to me about this series. I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of appreciation many people have had to get this sort of conversation happening. The series isn’t over yet – but I’d even now be encouraging others around you (and theological college faculty!) to work out how to integrate this into your life!

Enjoy!

Pilgrim’s Podcast #19: Helen Blake, Feeling & Thinking, Shame and Bullying

Mark — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:15:57 +0000

Well, this is our third week in the series on Pastoral Care, Counselling and Psychology. It was so great that we split it into two halves!

Steve and I headed out to visit the lovely Helen Blake, a counselor who teaches at St. Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra. I’ve had the privilege of being a St. Anne’s Church, Strathfield with Helen and Garth and have found them to be keen, sharp, and warm friends in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Helen has recently done some work on the topic of shame, so we took off from that point and delved into a number of issues with respect to bullying within the church and interpersonal contexts. This was an absolutely fascinating discussion on the symptoms of bullying, and how we might be helped in dealing with it. Steve and I found that our eyes were opened to some really important things to consider in our lives and ministry, and hope you’ll be blessed similarly also!

Listen:

Pilgrim’s Podcast #18: Jenny Brown, Family Systems Counselling, Anxiety and Emotional Maturity

Mark — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:09:02 +0000

As part 2 of our series of Pastoral Care, Counselling and Psychology we had a fantastic interview with Jenny Brown of the Family Systems Institute. Not only did we discover that Jenny has great taste in coffee (she drinks Campos!) but we discovered that Family Systems Theory sheds a whole lot of light on our own actions and reactions to things.

Jenny speaks to us about what Family Systems thinking is, what things might cause our anxieties, how our family upbringing influences the way we handle tensions now, and we think about how this might impact Church and family life today. We also thought about what emotional maturity looks like.

Steve and I really enjoyed this interview with Jenny – and we trust you will too! Again, I feel very much like a beginner when it comes to pastoral care and counseling, but am very thankful for the wisdom of others such as Jenny.

In addition to this great interview, Jenny has kindly pointed us to a number of helpful resources on Family Systems:

One Family’s Story: An easy to understand overview of Family Systems theory.
Resources applied to Family and Church: click here.
An excellent book for Church leadership (I’ve used this myself – it’s good!): “The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation.“
Another good book: “Creating a Healthier Church (Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling)“
Systems in Ministry Resources – From Jenny and the Family Systems Institute. CDs and DVDs to purchase: Healthy Relating in Marriage, Family ties that Bind, Parenting and Systems ideas, Systems and Pastoral Care Dilemmas. Call the FSI: (02) 9904 5600, or you can find email details at: www.thefsi.com.au

Listen:

Pastoral Care Resources

Mark — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:22:13 +0000

As an appendix to the latest Pilgrim’s Podcast on Pastoral Care, Jan Corbett-Jones has very kindly provided some resources which are fantastic (just right-click the links and “Save As..”):

1) Six Functions of Pastoral Care. This short document details the background of the 6 different functions which Jan mentions on the Podcast. It also has a nice and neat explanation of each.
2) A Hurting Heart Has No Ears. This document outlines how to listen, how to empathise, the power of words, and the importance of body language.
3) A Reading List. This list of books is the reading list which Jan, Allen and Morris Key use in their training of Moore college students.

I hope you find them really helpful in caring for people to God’s glory. Thanks again Jan!

Pilgrim’s Podcast #17: Rev. Allen Cook, Jan Corbett-Jones, Pastoral Care, and How to Help

Mark — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:15:08 +0000

This week the Pilgrim’s Podcast began it’s first ever series: Christianity, Pastoral Care, Counselling and a touch of Psychology! This promises to be an exciting series where we delve a little into how to care for people.

This week we had the privilege of interviewing Rev. Allen Cook and Mrs. Jan Corbett-Jones. Allen worked in parish ministry for many years, then as a Chaplain at Westmead Hospital and currently serves with the Anglican Retirement Villages. Jan, a mother and grandmother, now works with Anglicare with pastoral care at the RPA. Both Allen and Jan teach pastoral care as part of the Diploma course at Moore Theological College.

In this great interview we look at the difference between Pastoral Care and Counselling, Why Pastoral Care is so important, what to say and what not to say to those who you are caring for, and how to think about Evangelism, Scripture and Prayer in the context of Pastoral Care. Also, both Jan and Allen share how we can educate those at our church (either large groups or small groups) in Pastoral Care.

As a sneak preview of the interview, these are the 6 functions of Pastoral Care which Jan explains:

Guiding
Healing
Nurturing
Reconciliation
Sustaining
Liberating

Allen and Jan may pass on some further information about Pastoral Care – if so, I’ll post up any PDFs or information they provide. Also, Jan and Allen would love to hear from you if you would like to know more about Pastoral Care. For Jan, please email me via the Contact Page and I’ll put you in touch with her and for Allen, please email Allen.Cook@arv.org.au. Once I’ve got their best contact details, I’ll post their contact information up soon!

PS – Apologies at the mobile phone signals! Allen and Jan are in demand!

Update:
Jan has given me some resources which are now available on Pastoral Care. Download them here.
Also, for those interested in studying Pastoral Care, the 400 hour course which Jan and Allen run is worth 9 credit points with the Australian College of Theology and 18 credit points with the Sydney College of Divinity.

Listen:

Pastoral Care, Counselling and a touch of Psychology

Mark — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:00:29 +0000

Well, Steve and I are really excited about what’s coming up on the Pilgrim’s Podcast. Starting this Sunday, we’re doing a short series on Pastoral Care, Counselling and Psychology. Basically, the lineup will look something like:

Christianity and Pastoral Care: With Allen Cook (ex-Chaplain Westmead Hospital, currently Anglican Retirement Villages) and Jan Corbett-Jones (Anglicare).
Family Systems, Church and Home: Jenny Brown (Family Systems Institute)
Christian Counselling: Helen Blake (Counselling @ St. Mark’s Theological College)
Christianity and Psychotherapy (Dr. Carlos Raimundo, creator of the “Play of Life”)
Pastoral Care and Ministry (TBA)

It should be a cracker of a series. Steve and I want to look at a whole bunch of topics such as: caring for each other at church, what to say/not to say, how manipulation works, signs of spiritual bullying, sexual abuse, and when to seek the experts, and more.

We’ve got a great line-up of guests who are all very experienced and well thought-through in their fields. If you’d like a particular question to be asked of any of our guests, please email me (via the Contact Page) and we would be more than happy to (anonymously if you like) ask your question.

Steve and I will be praying that these Podcasts will be a great blessing to you.

God’s Will: Two Aspects

Mark — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:29:03 +0000

Have you ever wondered why God wants all men to be saved, and yet not all are? Or why God’s will is that you abstain from sin, and yet we continue to sin? Or why we pray for God’s will to be done, and it oftentimes seems that it isn’t? Without wanting to try and give overly exhaustive answers to these enormous questions, I want to posit a really helpful distinction in thinking about God’s will towards these and other things.

Scripture

In the narrative of God’s restoration project of the cosmos, we see two sets of things: what God wants and what happens. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, yet he does not let it happen (Gen. 22). He wants Pharaoh to let his people Israel go, yet hardens his heart so that he does not do it (Ex. 4:21). He has Isaiah tell Hezekiah that he will die, yet adds fifteen years to his life (Isaiah 38:1,5). He prohibits us from condemning the innocent, yet Jesus is delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23, 3:18, 4:28). God does not will sin; he is far from iniquity, yet it exists and is subject to his rule (Ex. 4:21, Acts 2:23, Rom. 1:24, 26, 2 Thes. 2:11). He wills the salvation of all (1 Tim. 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9) but has mercy on whom he wills and hardens whom he wills (Rom. 9:18). God commands, prohibits, warns and admonishes us for our disobedience to Him, yet He is meticulously sovereign over all things (Ps. 33:11, 115:3, Dan. 4:25, Is. 46:10, Matt. 11:26, Rom. 9:18, Eph. 1:11, Rev. 4:11)! How do we begin to understand this?!

Church History

Well, early Church fathers like Tertullian, Augustine, John of Damascus and Peter Lombard made distinctions between a ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ will (also “antecedent” and “consequent” among other distinctions) . This further was developed in the Reformation and Post-Reformation (and by Roman Catholics in the Counter Reformation) such as Calvin, Luther, Zanchius, Walaeus, Votius to be known as the distinction between God’s “Decretive” and “Preceptive” or “Secret” and “Revealed” aspects of God’s will (Cf., Deut 29:29, esp. Psalm 139). Modern theologians such as Frame and Carson (and even Barth!) utilise such a distinction also. Basically, the decretive will of God (God’s eternal decree) orders all events of history (God’s providence) and His preceptive will (God’s precepts) gives an indication of what God wills for us to do.

Objections

Now, some may object that this is an overly scholastic and speculative distinction (why not add Aristotelian, abstract and “not-Trinitarian-enough” to that list!?). This doesn’t make sense, firstly on the grounds that it was a pre-scholastic definition and secondly, that there are good and bad speculations! Biblical speculation (as per Sola Scriptura) is surely not bad speculation. That is, good systematic theology derives from exegesis within a biblical theological framework using historical theology as a guide. But another may object that if Christ is the full revelation of God – how do we deduce such a distinction simply from His person and work? Fair question, but it’s changing the goalposts. This objection presupposes that Christ is the only revelation of God. To which we would reply that this distinction is grounded on the revelation of the Word of God; that is, the Word of God written! We are the people of Christ and the people of the Book!

Problems in denying it

If we collapse these two aspects of God’s will into each other, then we are faced with a massive problem: God is robbed of His omnipotence, wisdom, goodness, and immutability. A significant dualism is introduced between God’s intent and the actual result of world history. God risks, and God fails. God is disappointed as Satan rejoices. Moreover, core conflicts can be introduced in to the Trinity: for instance, if Christ wills for all men to be saved, then the Holy Spirit must not!

If the decretive will of God is denied, then we will have a very attenuated view of God’s omnipotence, wisdom and sovereignty! On the other hand, if the preceptive will of God is denied, then we’ll fail to do justice to God’s holiness, the moral demands placed on us in Scripture and with the seriousness of sin.

What’s the payoff?

Thus, this distinction between aspects of God’s will give us great pastoral help with understanding guidance: God sovereignly orders our steps in secret, but reveals the blueprint of human moral conduct (Prov. 16:9). In regards sin (though this is complex and beyond the scope of this little article!), God permits its intrusion into creation and commands that we flee from it. In regards salvation, God predestines His elect for salvation, yet since we are creatures who listen humbly to His revealed will in Scripture, we must work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12) and seek to save the lost! God providentially orders even the minutest elements of the universe, but cares about our most minute thoughts, words and deeds. He is not a distant and removed Father, but comes close to us in His Son, and speaks to us by His Word.

Update:
For more info, check out Carson (How Long, O Lord?), Frame (The Doctrine of God).

Pilgrim’s Podcast #16: Richard Glover, Christ on Campus, Church in the Graveyard and Inspiring Stories from Cambodia!

Mark — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:23:14 +0000

Well, after a short hiatus of being snowed in by doctrine essays (I think I might even split the essay up into a few short blog spots – God, risk and middle knowledge being the topic), we’re back on the bandwagon for the Pilgrim’s Podcast! (and there’s plenty of interesting interviews coming up!)

This podcast is a cracker! We sat down with Richard Glover (no, not from ABC’s drive program!) who is a wonderful and keen Christian fella from Sydney University’s Evangelical Union. He’s a passionate guy about Christianity and politics, and in fact – Christianity and all of life! Moreover, he puts his love for Jesus into practise in different ways at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Newtown. Richard’s a ‘kingdom-minded’ dude who is hoping and praying about the prospect of serving Jesus in Cambodia and we hear lots of really inspiring and encouraging stories about what God is doing there.

So, enjoy! Of course, there’s plenty of rambling too. *we know you’ve missed it*

Listen: