Covenant Seminary

Reflections on Jerram Barr’s Introduction to and Viewing of Wit

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

“You cannot imagine how time can be so still. It hangs. It weighs. And yet there is so little of it. It goes so slowly. And yet it is so scarce.” (Vivian Bearing, Wit)

Last night, in a small, dimly lighted theater in Frontenac, Jerram Barrs introduced the movie Wit (referral link). The audience consisted of 20 Covenant Theological Seminary board members, a dozen faculty and staff, and as many students and alumni.

Wit is a film about Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson), a professor of John Donne’s 17th Century poetry. The film begins with the announcement that she has cancer, and the story follows the remainder of her days. Vivian’s character development, intellectual assent and physical decline, center on the poem by Donne, “Death Be Not Proud.”

Jerram commented as introduction, “The poem by Donne is [perceived] a paradox, but not really. It sounds like a paradox, but for the Christian it is the ushering into glory. It’s harrowing. Be prepared to be moved, dealing with questions of death and suffering.”

The Film
The very first words of the film, spoken by Dr. Harvey Kelekian, are, “You have cancer.” No name. No recognition of the human element under duress of the “insidious…treacherous” news of cancer: just the mechanical diagnosis of disease. This inhuman treatment, developed throughout the film in the behavior of most every doctor (most of them males), stands in direct contrast to the treatment of two women: a nurse, Susie Monahan, and Vivian’s professor, Evelyn Ashford. It is just one of the many demonstrative paradoxes that graphically illustrate the tension of Donne’s poem.

Kelekian and research assistant, Jason Posner—referred to largely as Jason—are painstakingly deliberate in their careless treatment of Vivian as a human being. And yet, they are the characters most reduced in their own humanity: singularly focused, shallow, and trapped in cause-effect thinking. This is further illustrated by the fact that, after the first appearance of each, they are almost universally referred to as “Kelekian and Jason”: two men not even worthy of having full names.

Jason, meaning “healer” in Greek, is anything but that. His bedside manner is nonexistent. He is crass, abrupt, and intrusive. At one point he bluntly states, “There’s a whole course on [bedside manner] in med school. It’s required. Colossal waste of time for researchers.”

Knowledge versus Meaning
For her part, Vivian stands between two poles of great magnitude. On the one side, her own lonely cynicism in Donne’s “paradox” finds voice in the person of Dr. Kelekian. To call him stoic or emotionless is inaccurate; he lacks compassion, but then seems to take great delight in urging Vivian on toward “the full dose,” with a pat and a feigned smile. On the other side is Vivian’s own professor, Evelyn Ashford—a woman who, in the words of Jerram, “gets it. She understands Donne’s faith in a way that Vivian never gets…until the end.”

The call of both is pronounced:

Kelekian: This treatment is the strongest thing we have to offer you. And as research it’ll make a significant contribution to our knowledge… The important thing is for you to take the full dose of chemotherapy… we've got to go full force.
Ashford: The standards of scholarship and critical reading which one would apply to any other text are simply insufficient. The effort must be total for the results to be meaning.

Kelekian offers knowledge. It’s tempting. Vivian echoes the offering, “Knowledge. Yes.” It’s the lie of Satan, to discover the cold, isolated fact of some unknown quantity apart from relationship, apart from reality, apart from God. Knowledge—scientifically constrained and pragmatically analyzed. Jason the “healer” sees the knowledge. For him, cancer is “awesome… the only thing I ever wanted.” The word choice is particular: not, the only thing I ever wanted to study. Simply, “Cancer’s the only thing I ever wanted.” Jason chooses knowledge.

Ashford, for her part, offers meaning, and Vivian chooses it. Her reflections that take her back to childhood and the classroom, to moments of joy and those of harshness, serve as moments of self-realization. Even as her body dies, her mind grows: reflective, longing, regretful, wistful, reminiscent. As she does, she grows more honest, “I don’t feel so sure of myself anymore... I used to feel sure.” Meaning will always win the day for those who look for why within the what.

Knowledge is hermetic. Meaning is contextual. Knowledge demands no relationship. Meaning depends upon it. Knowledge asks only what; meaning must seek why.

Why...hope?
So far as I can remember, the word hope is used but once throughout the film. Kelekian flippantly tosses the word to Vivian as she is first taking in her condition: “You just have to hope.” And yet the only real hope is presented, paradoxically—not through science, nor research, nor through doctors, nor medicine, nor “the full dose”—but through the words a of child’s book. Evelyn Ashford crawls up into bed with the now-dying Vivian and reads to her from The Runaway Bunny (referral link). At one point she pauses and proclaims, “Look at that. A little allegory of the soul. Wherever it hides, God will find it. See, Vivian?”

Vivian does see—for after the passing of her mortal flesh into the darkness that is that initial shroud of death, her voice rises again in the words of Donne:

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more…(comma) death, thou shalt die.

Jerram Barrs is Professor of Christian Studies and Contemporary Culture at Covenant Theological Seminary. He is also the Resident Scholar of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute. He is the author of several books, including “Learning Evangelism from Jesus” (referral link) which won Outreach Magazine’s book of the year award in 2010.

Mr. Joel Hathaway
Director of Alumni and Career Services
Covenant Theological Seminary

Covenant Seminary Alumni Devotional: Helpless and Omnipotent

2012-01-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

(Meditations on John 1, Col 1, Heb 1. )
Jesus, as a baby in His mother’s arms, looked so helpless, so non-threatening. When He was born, He was a mess. Having just passed through the birth canal, His head and face were swollen, He was covered in blood and water, and He struggled to catch his first breath. Mary and Joseph cleaned Him up with water that likely wasn’t very sterile but was all they could get in a stable; and Mary held Him close to her chest to warm Him and protect Him from the cold night air. Later that night when he woke hungry, she feed Him in the manner that mothers do.

As a newborn human baby in which the Son of God is clothed, He looked so helpless. But as the divine Son of God, He was actually holding every molecule of Mary’s body together. Her every breath was a gift from Him. He sustained her, even as she sustained Him. The star, the place, all of the universe, and scripture’s fulfillment, were and are held together under His divine control.
Fast forward 33 years, His mother can hardly look upon her son; so swollen, bloodied, hanging limp from 3 nails pinning Him to a cross. He had just struggled to take His last breath and announce the completion of the contract between the Creator and the Created. He looks so helpless this time too. Within the hour, word comes from Pilate that two men have asked for His body, and the death certificate is written with the point of a spear pushed up into his chest and more blood and water. It is what He came to do for us out of obedience to the Father, love for us, and the “joy set before Him.” In His humanity, He looked so helpless. In His divinity, He held together every molecule of His few friends and many enemies gathered around Him. Every breath they breathed to cry or to curse was a gift from Him. He sustained them even as His enemies killed Him. The storm, the torn curtain, all of the universe, and scriptures’ incredible fulfillment, were and are held together under His divine control.

Three days later the Divine and the Human are re-united as the One who laid down His life, took it up again. He sprung the surprise on His followers to their delight like a child opening a Christmas present under the tree, but better. He came back to them bearing the marks on His body, a smile on His face, and hope for their eternal future.

And He offers these to us, also, this Christmas. Have you loved and thanked Him?

Covenant Seminary Alumnus
Mike Mahlbacher (MDiv '95)
Louisville, KY

Covenant Theological Seminary Alumna Named CIU Alumna of the year

2012-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Covenant Seminary alumna, Wilma Cross (MATS '71) was named Columbia International University's almna of the year. An article by Katie Weaver notes that, "In early November, Columbia International University (CIU) in Columbia, S.C., hosted its homecoming ceremonies, which included a special assembly to honor distinguished alumni for outstanding work in areas of mission and ministry. The 2011 Alumna of the Year Award went to Wilma Cross, a 1969 CIU graduate who has since dedicated her life to, as she says, 'knowing God and making Him known.'

Miss Cross serves with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Chile. After graduation and a few years on-staff at McLean Presbyterian Church, Miss Cross joined World Presbyterian Missions (precursor to Mission to the World). She was assigned to the WPM’s Bible Institute in Chile, and she taught there for nine years. During that time, Weaver reports, Miss Cross "felt called to mercy ministries and in 1979 began a Bible study with the women in Santiago’s Quillota prison. She eventually established Chile’s first evangelical prison ministry and became an officially recognized chaplain in women’s prisons."

You can read the full article here. You can read more about Wilma here (about halfway down the page).

A Crisis of Competence

2011-12-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

(by Covenant Seminary alumnus Rev. Tom Stein)

How do you live when all is new?
The axiom is correct: we live in a world of change. Sometimes you seek change, and sometimes change seeks you. Soon all is new. What do you do? As I reflect upon this year, I realize I have been the sought. I did not seek change, but change found me, and now all is new – especially in the work I do.

The people are new. The organization is new. The computer and its operating system are new. The copier is new. The processes and procedures are new. My new cry is, “I take 10 minutes to complete a 30-second task.” It is humbling and sometimes humiliating. The people who know the system do not always remember your newness, so they wonder, “Does he have any sense?”

I wonder, too. In my former calling as a pastor, I achieved a level of competence. God willjudge my effectiveness or excellence, but in the old days, I needed only 10 minutes to complete each 10-minute task.

So how do I survive and serve, when all is new?
I begin by reciting the words of Nebuchadnezzar, after his humbling and humiliation: “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth” (Daniel 4:35). This newness is His pleasure, even when it is befuddling to me. I must recall this again and again, when this crisis of competence becomes a crisis of confidence.

I continue by rejoicing in the words of Paul to the Romans: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Romans 12:6). For some reason, someone in this new place sees or senses gifts in me. In a broken world, my gifts will never perfectly match my calling. But when He calls, He has equipped, and He will equip.

Finally, I learn to live what I have taught: all I do, I do in the name of Jesus, and for the sake of Jesus (Colossians 3:17). Change mystifies. Change disorients. Change hurts. Even when you seek it, it exacts a steep price upon body and spirit. But I bumble on and fumble ahead, offering myself anew each day, asking the Lord to make me competent in my work, and confident in Him.

Rev. Tom Stein (MDiv '91)
Director of Alumni, Geneva College
Beaver Falls, PA

Ritual Without Righteousness Will Not Do

2011-10-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

--by Covenant Seminary alumnus Dr. Hadyn Marshall
Amos lived in a time in which evil was rampant. It was a time of greed; it was a time of oppression of the poor; it was a time of corruption in the justice system; and it was a time of loose sexual standards, in which a man and his son would sleep with the same woman. Yet, in spite of all that was going on, people were still “going to church.” They were still bringing offerings, as if that was all that was required. They were still singing religious songs and playing music on harps. It did not seem to occur to them that there was a major contradiction between their religious rituals and the events of their daily lives.

God made it clear that he would have none of that. The language he used was quite strong: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies… Away with the noise of your songs!” God made it clear that he had no interest in empty ritual; what he wanted was for righteousness to roll on like a river, and justice like a never failing stream.

Are the words of Amos relevant to us today? Are his times in any way similar to our times? In this part of the world, where Christianity is pretty much a part of the culture, we are ever in danger of practicing the familiar rituals without being careful to practice righteousness. We are ever in danger of being satisfied with making the right Christian noises and, consequently, not making the required effort to complement our acts of piety in church with acts of righteousness in our daily lives. If our profession of faith in Christ does not impact positively on how we run our businesses, do our jobs, treat our spouses and children, and relate to or fellow men, then we are behaving like the people to whom Amos prophesied.

It is a good time for us to pause and remind ourselves that God strongly disapproves of ritual without righteousness. The person who will stand in God’s holy hill will be a person “whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous.” (Psalm 15: 2) It will be a person like Daniel, who was found to be clean, when examined by his hostile co-workers. It will be a person like Joseph, who stood tall in Potiphar’s house as a man who could be trusted. It will be a person like Paul, who functioned with integrity as a tentmaker in Thessalonica. It will be a person who is not content merely to have the outward form of godliness, as expressed in religious rituals, but who seeks to maintain a walk that is consistent with his/her profession of faith in Christ.

The message Amos preached was not designed to get the people to cease religious activities; it was designed to get the people to examine themselves, and make the necessary adjustments, thereby ensuring that their public worship would not continue to be empty ritual. Similarly, God is not asking us to stop going to church. He is not asking us to stop singing the great hymns of the faith. He is asking us to seek, by his grace, to ensure that our acts of worship in church are supported by acts of righteousness on the outside.

This is what will bring delight to his heart.

Rev. Hayden Marshall (DMin ’09)
St. Vincent and Grenadines
Dissertation Topic: Why do so few young males of St. Vincent embrace Christianity?

John Hodges in Chapel Today

2011-09-30T09:14:00.001-07:00

(update: these lectures are now available at Covenant Theological Seminary's Resources page)As part of the Francis Schaeffer Institute Lecture Series, Professor John Hodges spoke in chapel today.

If his credentials were not impressive enough--conductor, lecturer, composer, teacher, and writer; conducting orchestras and choruses since finishing graduate studies in music at Indiana University in 1983; composed and arranged music for Second Presbyterian Church for 10 years, and conducted their choirs; lectures on the subjects of aesthetics, classical education, and music, and writes occasional articles for various publications on the arts; held the position of Associate Professor of the Arts and Culture at Crichton College where he taught classes in worldview, history of music and visual art, and reader’s theater; etc. etc.---

If his musical accompaniment of the worship team--leaving the podium to take up his guitar and bring forth a moving rendition of "Caedmon's Call"'s Shifting Sand(referral link)--

If his unfolding of David's desire for and satisfaction of the Lord's beauty (Ps. 27:4)--gazing with fulfilled contentment on the beauty of the Lord, and full, and resting; resting that explodes into song--

If his reflective theologizing on transcendental elements of creation--truth, goodness, and beauty; and the interpretive nature of music (as composition) that allows for, yes invites, critique on artistic criteria--

If his description of music as language--a unique syntax that communicates through the elements of rhythm, harmony, melody, structure, form and texture, reflecting the relationship between music and lyrics--

...the moment of glory came when--just before taking the stage--John's wife, Day, reached out from one row back to cup his hands in hers as if to say, "I am your prayer, Christ is your strength. Now...go get them!"

And how did he! Thanks John.

(This chapel message will be available to download from the Covenant Seminary alumni portal early next week).

Waiting and Wildernesses: Reality Failing Expectation

2011-09-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

(above: photo of Almanzo Wilder fades into image of Covenant Seminary alumnus Curtis McDaniel; the Wilder house in Mansfield, MO)

Recently, John Roberts (MDiv ’99)--head of school at Covenant Christian School--let me tag along on a 6th grade retreat, where we toured Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Mansfield, MO home. The short doorframes gave way to low ceilings, narrow stepped passage ways, and generally uncomfortable-looking furniture. It was overall…disappointing. Not because it was somehow not what Wilder had written about, but because it was rooted: planted in one place, timed, real. I was disenchanted walking through the same spaces, touching the same walls, turning the same knobs.
Good writing is timelessness, otherworldly.
There is a comfort (like home) in words that in reality grows cold, strange, and utterly unfamiliar. The hot summers described burn blisters on the imagination; in reality, heat is a debilitating inconvenience. The thought of cold is a pain that produces reflection; real cold simply numbs to incoherence. That house, described in all its reality, took on imagined forms that transcend a single place at a particular time. Reality undoes imagination, and the exalted becomes common again.

The problem is not with imagination nor with reality, but with expectation. Expectation serves as an interpretive key to our experiences. Where otherwise we would have heat or cold or an old wooden farmhouse, expectation places demands on the passage of time and experience. And when expectation fails, there is dismay.

Tim Frickenschmit (MDiv ’07) reminded me (and the congregation of All Saints) as much, in this sermon from September 4, 2011. We expect things from people, from life, even from God. But all of these—foremost God—are unpredictable. God does not succumb to our expectations.

Tim states, “Genesis ends with these words, ‘Joseph is put in a coffin in Egypt.’ That’s how the book ends… That’s to point out something that Joseph knew: that God’s people were supposed to be living in the land of Canaan, not dying in the land of Egypt. But Joseph also knew that this was not the end of the story, that God would visit his people…and take them to the land of Canaan, but he would do so in his timing. And his timing was four hundred years. That’s a long time to hold on to a dead man’s bones… It’s apparently not too long to wait when you are dealing with the God of the Bible. Because not only here, but throughout the scriptures, we see time and time again that waiting is a part of engaging with God, it is part of being in relationship and communion with God. All of the people in the Bible, throughout it…everybody waits.”
Waiting is not generally something I expect.
I expect expedience and am dismayed when I have to wait. I expect health, and am dismayed with illness. I expect life and am dismayed by death. There is no failing in my ability to imagine a world without waiting, illness, and death. The deficiency is with reality.

The Kendall family knows something is wrong; imagination has Walt (DMin ’09) living to 93 not dying at 55. Curtis McDaniel (MDiv ’09) knows something is wrong; expectancy would give birth to a child, not loss. Waiting sucks (I can't think of a more descriptive word), especially when imagination can produce such worlds of expectation that the faintest indications of sin are pushed back into the fading recollection of bad dreams. Then reality breaks in. We turn the knobs of those once-closed rooms to see—expecting magic and glory—but seeing only dust, cobwebs, and worn out furniture.

This is the wilderness of life. Israel expected to go north toward water and war (in Frickenschmit’s words). I expect reality to match imagination. God is unpredictable. “And God’s unpredictability can and will make us doubt his presence with us.

“What God does in redemption is…to transform us into people who will follow him, regardless of where it is that he leads…. That’s really why he sends Israel into the Wilderness. Ultimately, it is an act of grace…and love. Israel, like us, needed to learn to follow after the Lord. The text always places God with his people, but always places God before his people—leading them. Israel needed to learn to follow, and what a better place than the desert. God leads his people into the desert to develop faith in them and reveal himself as their Savior. The wilderness reveals God as absolutely necessary and exclusively available. Friends, all people will suffer, but the promise of the Gospel is that the Lord will take the pains of his people and transform those pains into something that he uses to gain our hearts and transform our lives” (Frickenschmidt).

Perhaps it is not that I expect too much, but that I expect too much, too soon, today.

It’s the waiting that’s hardest: Laura waiting for Almanzo to finish the fireplace. Curtis waiting for the resurrection of his child. Me—waiting for words to make the otherworldliness of books into the common experience of the life, but without the growing neglect that comes when there is too much of a good thing.

Here’s to the expectation of waiting, and the wandering in wildernesses the world over.

Joel Hathaway
Director of Alumni and Career Services
Covenant Theological Seminary

The Covenant-Seminary Family Tree: Why Context is Important for Ministry Preparation

2011-09-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

(left to right: Jenilyn Swett [center]; Doug & Julie Serven ; Brad Anderson [right] with son and brother)

Chapel today was great: Rev. Mark Davis (MDiv ’97) preached. The sermon was encouraging--I’d recommend you listen to it at the alumni portal (it’ll be up next week)--but more than that, I loved how he brought together the spanning generations of Covenant Theological Seminary.

In one powerful statement—that was part humor and part seriousness--Davis poked fun at Ed Dunnington (MDiv ’98) and remembered the Commencement address by J. Render Caines (DMin ’87), all while commending us to love Jerram Barrs even more (if that’s even possible).

What struck me most was how seminary is more than information or knowledge; more than academics and assignments; more than tests and textbooks. It was all of that and more embedded in the intricacies of human relationship--friendship and mentoring.

With more and more “instruction” being done through technological vehicles, there are more barriers between author and audience, instructor and student. Where once language and culture (and perhaps time) were the only barriers, now it may be a screen, comprehension, and the human-trust element necessary to compel our belief or commend our acceptance of truth.

I was actually struck by that idea another time this week. A current student, Jenilyn Swett (pictured above), posted on her FB wall her “Covenant Family Tree.” What’s that? It’s the series of people who got her to Covenant Seminary. In one post, she expressed how thankful she was to have met Chris Curtis (MDiv ’04) who recommended she come to Covenant Seminary. Chris chimed in with thanks and appreciation for Doug Seven (MDiv ’00) who encouraged him to come. And Doug, in turn, weighed in with appreciation for Brad Anderson (MDiv ’99) who encouraged him to come. Who encouraged Brad? Maybe it was Hugh Barlett (MDiv ’90)--with whom Brad worked and served before and after seminary. And if Hugh was on FB (maybe he is), he could name the person who sent him. It's a family tree...of encouragement of grace toward minstry preparation, predicated on trust.

The point is, the training, the information, the knowledge and assignments and classes make up the mold into which we are being shaped. But it is the relationships which fill the negative space of existence with the intricacy of significance, unfolding the place where there was nothing and then--wham!--life! It’s the mutual sharing of common experiences along the road until the paths diverge—this is what it means to prepare for ministry. It’s Jesus walking with his disciples. It’s Jerram talking to students in his office. It’s Mark Davis laughing about times shared with Ed Dunnington. You just can’t get that online.

In fact, content was never enough. In the words of Jay Sklar, “Context is king.” Well, in this case, Jesus is King--but the context in which we learn to proclaim Him is certainly of much greater value than internet-based instruction acknowledges.

Joel Hathaway
Director of Alumni and Career Services
Covenant Theological Seminary

Thanks Not Withstanding

2011-08-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

(Above, an image from of the student body in front of the old administration building merges innto an image from the 2010 graduating class of Covenant Theological Seminary)

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Prov. 3:27)

It surprised one woman to hear that--in my job as the Director of Alumni Relations--I didn’t regularly ask alumni for money. The concept seemed lost on her, even as I sought to explain the vocational nature of many of our graduates.

Beyond that, I struggled to convince her of the value (far beyond monetary) of our alumni presence--how four of every five new students come to us by way of an alumnus. How the testimony of faithful life and service as exhibited by our alumni in the little-c church (e.g. pastors, teachers, counselors, and ministry leaders of every kind) and as part of the big-c Church (e.g. a coffee shop owner in Colorado, a US congressman, a State Department field agent, a banker, a software engineer, several authors, a few medical doctors, a nuclear engineer, financial planners, a restaurant owner, and more than a few homemakers; to name a few) serves the hopeful glimmer of refracted light pointing future-ward, toward glory and tomorrow and tomorrow.

What is Shared
Yours is a testimony of a memory once remembered. Yours is a testimony of a past, shaped by the pursuit of a shared ending--a warm meal, a savory drink, a smile, an embrace, a dusty stretch of sidewalk. The classrooms may change, technology advance, and professors retire; but far beyond the acres of 123330 Conway Road, you share a native land in common. And testify to the same.

I mean no false praise. Scripture reminds us of the view of ourselves when pride overcomes--that when we have left behind our “dingy” for the Savior--(Can you hear Dr. Robert Vasholz saying that--interrupted by his occasional, deeply guttural, Yoda-like grunt?)--we yet remain “unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). This is a self-reflective view necessary in our arrogance, and not the way our Savior see us.

These words from Luke 17 come after the parables of the lost: lost sheep, lost coins, and lost children (Luke 15). John summarizes Jesus’ intent, “No longer do I call you servants…but I have called you friends” (15:15). For to see ourselves as we are is human; but to see ourselves as Christ does--that is the power of the looking-glass upon which Mercy set her heart. John Bunyan writes, “Now the Glass was one of a thousand. It would present a man, one way, with his own feature exactly, and, turn it but another way, and it would show one the very Face and Similitude of the Prince of Pilgrims himself.”

As More than Servants
We are common servants, but more--Christ has made us friends. You labor, though not in vain. You work, and what history cannot remember heaven will never forget. And you send those who would do the same. Yes, alumni donate financially to the seminary. Our care for, appreciation of, and praise on behalf of these men and women is not less than that--but vastly more.

Our thanks is, I pray, what good we can bestow as we mutually labor for the Kingdom. Until all things are made manifest--let us render your praise as good. For this at least is in our power!

Joel Hathaway
Covenant Theological Seminary
Director of Alumni and Career Services

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Why Pastors Need to Tell Their Story with Adjectives

2011-08-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

“You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific. They say it has no memory.” (Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption)

My job lets me meet with current and would-be pastors, to hear about their sense of call. Inevitably, I ask each of them to tell me what they see themselves doing. More often than not—something like 80% of the time—the answer is, “Teach, preach, and lead God’s people.” (That’s not a summary. That is the answer, verbatim.)

My issue is not with the content of the answer but the one-dimensionality of the way it is conveyed. Being a pastor isn’t like buying a car—“I want one that is reliable”—but more like getting married. How many married men would be single today if they had applied the same one-dimensionality to their dating relationships: “Hi, I want to get married to have sex and not be lonely.”? (Answer; all of them!) At the point of pastoring and marriage, accuracy isn’t enough. In fact, anybody who phrases his desire to get married in the above terms is not just immature: he’s downright crass.

Why can’t these would-be pastors describe their work more…well, descriptively? Because often they have not learned to tell their own stories, adjectives and all! As addicted we are to entertaining narratives, we’re pretty poor communicators of our stories.

Before you can tell, you have to Remember!
Forgetfulness—which includes a "failure to be reflective"—undermines our ability to tell our own. Maybe this is why the Pentateuch commands (imperative) the people of Israel to “remember” even more than it commands them to love or obey. The Pentateuch uses the imperative form of remember fourteen times; ten of those are in Deuteronomy. The Israelites are commanded to remember the Lord, His faithfulness, His deliverance, their present dependency, their past sins, their enemies’ threats, and that they were once slaves. This is no one-dimensional list of things to remember. This isn’t a list of their accomplishments and awards. It’s a list of God’s faithfulness in the face of their failings.

Forgetfulness is easy. Do nothing and you are likely to forget. But remembering is hard—which is why scripture so often commands that we do it. As Christians, we must be self-disciplined in artful remembrance, even more if we are to communicate our own stories powerfully.

Power in Authority. Assurance in Submission.
Remember the woman to whom a man (hypothetically) said, “I want to get married to have sex and not be lonely”? She’s got to have more to go on, if for no other reason than that the flat, self-description applies to the vast majority of males the world over. There’s no differentiation.

Should a church expect less from its next pastor? When a congregation extends a call to a pastor, they are submitting their own lives, their children, spouse, finances, and some measure of their time to the oversight (and possible correction) by that man. (Now some will say congregations don’t do that, but we're talking about what should be.) Yes, in polities that endorse a plurality of elders, he is just one man among many. But he is still one man with lots and lots of influence over the shaping of lives and understanding of scripture. That’s such a dangerous place to be that scripture warns against it (James 3:1)

Before I submit my children, my wife, and myself to the leadership of one person, I want to know his character, his desires, and his passions. I want to hear him describe, in his own words, how God has gifted him and where he is weak. “Teach, preach, and lead God’s people”—while accurate—offers no reassurance.

The Place of Naming
One reason we’re bad at remembering is because forgetting is less painful. Who hasn’t suffered and would rather forget it? I’m sure the Israelites were thinking the same thing: “Moses, can’t you please stop reminding us of our past disobedience?” Remembering is not only hard work; it hurts.

This is where the little talked-about practice of naming is essential. Naming was the very first duty Adam was given. “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and …brought them to the man to see what he would name them” (Gen. 2:19). Before Adam was fruitful and multiplied and filled the earth, he named, in detail. That’s why—instead of “cattle” and “gigantic-cattle” and “striped-cattle” and “cattle with brown spots and a long neck” and “cattle that make silly noises”—we have horses, elephants, zebras, giraffes and donkeys. Adam wasn’t afraid to be original, creative, and descriptive. Neither should we!

Remembering must include naming. It isn’t enough to remember how we failed, but to name what desire or longing urged us in that direction. It isn’t enough even to remember how other people have failed us; we have to name that, out loud, in detail, with words. I usually hear this when people are talking about the failings of their parents. Someone will vaguely comment, “Dad and mom did the best they could” and then go on to explain some truly tragic event. That isn’t naming! That’s ignoring the impact of the past on the present and refusing to name the realities that have deeply wounded our hearts.

Naming isn’t Blaming! But Adam showed us both.
The flip side of naming is blaming. It’s the other thing Adam taught us how to do. “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit…and I ate it” (Gen. 3:12). That wasn’t the answer to God’s question. God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree…?” Adam could have named his failings, but instead he blamed.

Ironically, those who refuse to name reality—what they’ve experienced and how they have been treated, how they failed and how they succeeded—end up with a story full of words that sound like “cattle that make silly noises.” Accurate, yes; fully-dimensional, far from it!

Back to the issue of pastors and the way they describe their sense of call—it’s time to get descriptive and name the realities, strengths and weaknesses, that make up who you are. A couple of points that can be helpful from scripture:

1. God promises you have gifts; name them (Eph. 4:8).
2. This means you don’t have all the gifts; name as much (1 Cor. 12).
3. Remembering includes what God promises (see #1) and how I’ve failed (Deut. 9:7)
4. Naming involves all the above!

What a Powerful Personal-Description Looks Like.
Recently, I met with another pastor and asked him what he felt called to do. He answered with such believable passion, “I find encouragement in relating to members of the church, drawing out their stories, and sharing appropriate emotions with them—sorrow when sorrow is due; joy when joy is due; tears when tears are necessary; laughter when laughter is called for. From these stories, I find echoes of scripture dignifying the lives that these saints are living, fulfilling the promises of a good God. And I preach those promises—from the pulpit, from the lectern, at the bedside, on the ball field, and in my prayers for these people. As a pastor, I’m called to serve in the unfolding of human dimensionality, through the Spirit, for the glory of Christ.”

WOW! Kind of appropriately puts “teach, preach, and lead God’s people” in its place. I’m not suggesting that this man is going to be a better pastor, but I am positive that he’s given more thought as to what that role will require of him and how his gifts commend him for it. And the church that interviews him is going to have a lot better idea of who they are inviting to lead them. The fact remains that—in the words of Dan Doriani—“no Christian leader is self-qualified, either morally or spiritually. No one deserves to lead the church.” But the goal of honest, broad dimensional, self-description was never to self-qualify. If anything, it was to be fully human and name reality.

Of course, that can’t be your story until you have been willing to remember (and reflect) upon your own personal narrative and then name the promises of God—where you are strong and weak. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne says something else: “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really: get busy living, or get busy dying.” For the rest of us, the simple choice comes down to this:

Get busy remembering, or get busy forgetting.
_________________
Joel Hathaway
Covenant Theological Seminary
Director of Alumni and Career Services

Rest, Activity, and the Temptation of Self-Reliance

2011-07-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

(A devotional by Covenant Seminary Alumnus Gavin Ortlund)

Last spring and summer I went through a less busy season of life, and it was very spiritually fruitful for me. God taught me things I could have learned in no other way. What is it Milton says? "They also serve who only stand and wait." There is something about waiting, something about inactivity and reflection that can teach us things we cannot learn when we are constantly bouncing from one responsibility to the next.

Since last fall, however, I’ve been in a busy season again. And I am finding that it also can be very fruitful. Learning to live with incompleteness teaches me to walk by faith. There are so many things these days I don’t have time to do: people to spend time with, books and blogs to read, things on my desk to get uncluttered, details to check off my to do list. I am learning to view this as an opportunity, not a problem, because God has not called me to do more than can be done in the time that I have. If I can’t work hard and then leave the results to God, that shows I am ultimately trusting in myself, not Him.

Especially in my sermon preparation, I am learning that over-preparation can be a form of self-trust. The feeling that I need to have every word exactly planned out and every thought exactly filled often shows up because I don’t trust that God’s power is what really matters, and because I am not looking to him in the moment of preaching. God is helping me to work hard on my preaching without trusting in my hard work. Right before I stand up to preach or teach, in that moment of poignancy nd nervousness, I am learning to repent more deeply, to surrender more fully, to give myself away to God again. In my incompleteness, He has more room to show up with His power.

Gavin Ortland (MDiv '08), Covenant Theological Seminary Alumnus
Youth Pastor, Sierra Madre Congregational Church
Sierra Madre, CA

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Covenant Theological Seminary Alumus Begins House-based Christian Community

2011-06-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus, Rev. Tom Becker (MDiv '99) has begun a new ministry called "The Row House."

Becker defines the ministry as a place that...

1. Embraces the doctrine of Incarnation and consequently brings the rule of Christ to bear on our block and in the city we find ourselves in.

2. Resources local congregations and the broader church in the area of community-building through our events.

3. Engages friends and neighbors who are not Christians with lived, thoughtful, modest answers to their largest questions

The Row House (TRH) board has completed registration as a non-profit organization, and have begun partnering with churches in the area, including Wheatland Presbyterian Church.

The Row House can also be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRowHouse

Alumni Prayer Needs

2011-06-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

Several people have remarked how all (or most of) the Covenant Theological Seminary alumni updates (posted on the Facebook Group and the Alumni Blog) that I post are of the celebratory kind: a new birth, marriage, a new call, a successful this or that.

True: almost all the publicly posted updates are positive for two reasons. First, those are the updates that alumni feel comfortable sharing publicly. Second, those in ministry (and pretty much any service industry) are the least celebrated people. When's the last time you saw a businessman or woman passing out cool drinks to the hard working lawn maintenance people. Those people are there to serve. Sadly, we often take that to mean they are also there to ignore.

I am daily writing notes, cards, and email to alumni regarding very sad and intensely serious situations in which they find themselves or issues they are attempting to deal with. While it would be inappropriate--and not my place--to share the names or specifics of these people, I can share these prayers.

Going forward, I will be sharing some of these prayers--so that, if for no other reason, others may be encouraged to hear the patient sufferings of fellow believers:

On Lonliness and Transition
Dear Father, we remain unsettled from the moment you ushered our parents from Eden. Sin keeps us so, as does the longing for the unchanging peace we have in your presence. May you grant to _______, ______, and their ________ a peace that assures of your presence, your calling to this place and time; and a comfort in the midst of the listing boat. Give each of them a place of stability near to you that says, “Here, Christ has founded me. Here, I am unshaken.” And from that place of stability give them a ministry of the Word that brings hope to many. Provide friends—as even Paul did not have peace in the absence of Timothy. Provide laughter—as the sorrows of this life are too much to not be broken by song. Provide rest—that they may rise renewed. Do this for Christ’s sake we pray, and in His name, Amen

On Grief and The Loss of a Spouse
I am sure that your memories are collaged of good and bad, joys and grief, laughter and tears, hopes and disappointments, and all other contrasts of this life. My prayer is that the thread of thankfulness would intertwine the whole of your memory with an unbreakable strand. And may that strand weave to completion an eternal gratitude and hope throughout the rest of your days. May the Spirit of God also be the near presence of comfort that whispers peace in the all-too-quiet and all-too-familiar places that _________once filled.

Redemption and Residue: Me, and all things, new.

2011-06-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

by Covenant Theological Seminary Alumna, Stephanie Nelson (MAEM '10)

And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." - Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

There is this moment in the movie The Passion of the Christ, that if I've held it together thus far, I will absolutely loose it. Jesus is making his way through the streets with the cross, falls, and Mary helps him up. He looks at her and says "Behold, I make all things new." I burst into tears at that point. It just wrecks me; and the reason why is a huge part of my story.

Several years ago I went through an intense season of restoration. Up until then, I understood God forgave me for my sin. I also knew he was continually shaping me to be more like him. But what I didn't realize was the ugliness my sin left behind in my heart and how that sin wounded me. There was residue from sin; in the form of doubts, or the intense desire to be perfect or worrying about not being good enough (to name a few). During the season of restoration, I realized and rejoiced that this residue was something God was going to clean up. I just stood back in awe and saw him work. Change occurred in ways I never imaged possible and in completely expected ways. He restored many things in me.

And he’s still doing it. He is making all things new.

Sin has ravaged our bodies and our hearts. The fall didn't just create a gap between us and God, it broke our hearts. When sin entered the world, everything changed. This residue sin leaves behind can take many forms: feelings of inadequacy, uncertainty, shame, or guilt. Sin has brought all these feelings upon us. Here’s the good news of this: These are the feelings God wants to restore. He wants to lead us to a place of joy and love, and out of this place of despair and wounding and into beautiful redemption.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (ESV)

Healing an injury is usually a big inconvenience. We want so badly to be the way we were; sometimes we try too soon to go on as usual. In the process, we re-injure it, having to start all over. His restoration of our souls should be treated the same way. It’s often a slow process, and the hard part here is accepting God’s timing as being better than your own. It lies in fully trusting that God will fulfill his promises, and pursue us with unrelenting love. It lies in seeing the redemption amidst the residue.

Batter My Heart , by John Donne

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to'another due,
Labor to'admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly'I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you'enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Stephanie Nelson (MAEM '10)
Director of Family Life
First Presbyterian Church, Casa Grande, AZ

Dr. Robert Peterson Responds to "DoomsDay Prophet" Harold Camping

2011-05-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Reverend Harold Camping has been making news about the coming judgment and apocolypse on May 21, 2011. While such false teaching is often humerous, it can also be detremental to the reality that the Bible talks about.

Dr. Robert Peterson--professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary--responded to Camping in an interview with Fox 2 News of St. Louis. You can read the entire article here.

Review of Thomas Watson's The Doctrine of Repentance , by Todd Gwenapp

2011-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

In an era where Christian doctrine and preaching has often lapsed into the merely therapeutic, Thomas Watson calls believers to recover the primacy of repentance. He structures this discussion of repentance by first treating what repentance is not. It is not, he argues, a sense of one’s guilt (15), a resolution against sin (15), nor even leaving some sins behind (16).

Having established the properties of counterfeit repentance, the remainder of the first half of the book is devoted to the nature of true repentance. According to Watson, true repentance has six ingredients: sight of sin, sorrow for sin, confession of sin, shame for sin, hatred for sin, and turning from sin (18). In chapters three and four, he elaborates upon these six principles, offering Scriptural support and answers to proposed questions and objections. These two chapters are themselves worth the modest price of the book. Watson’s treatment is so thorough that one cannot help but understand what true repentance is. In an age of quick fixes and cheap grace, he reminds us “that repentance is of such importance that there is no being saved without it” (13). Watson emphasizes that repentance that omits any of the six ingredients “loses its virtue” (18), noting indeed that “[false] repentance damns many” (15). He helpfully distinguishes between sorrow over an offense and sorrow over punishment (21), between confessing sin and excusing it (32), and between leaving sin and loathing it (45). These distinctions mark the difference between true and false repentance, and they are distinctions God’s people need to hear today.

In the second half of the book, Watson exhorts Christians to repentance--offering reason upon reason not to delay. In chapter six, entitled “A Serious Exhortation to Repentance,” he offers a practical guide for repenting. He enumerates the various things for which we all must repent, dwelling on both the corruption of our natures and our actual sins (74).

As the book draws to a close, Watson’s exhortation not only challenges the mind but inflames the heart and empowers the will. I found myself having to put down the book every few pages to repent. I was seriously convicted by my own lack of repentance, my love of certain sins, and my ambivalence towards pursuing holiness. Watson is a gentle guide with a pastoral sensibility--concerned to see both God’s people and unbelievers repent at the urging of the Spirit and in the strength of Christ.

I would heartily commend this book to any pastor, as it is easy to read, informative, and moving. Watson challenged me in ways I have not been challenged in years, and God used this man mightily in my personal sanctification. I would offer, though, one small caution. While this book could be given to an average layperson and understood, I would hesitate in giving it to a person of tender conscience struggling with assurance of salvation. Although Watson notes in several places that his desire is not to undermine assurance, his harping on ensuring that our repentance is genuine could adversely affect those prone to doubt their salvation already. That being said, this book will be one I recommend frequently to those desiring to know what true repentance is. It will stay on my “frequent use” bookshelf.

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus, Todd Gwennap (MDiv 09)
Assistant Pastor
Arden Presbyterian Church
Arden, NC

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Great Picture of the Table

2011-04-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Talk about an invitation to the presence of God:

Review of Cornelis Van Dam’s The Elder, by Walt Nilsson

2011-02-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

Part of the Explorations in Biblical Theology series edited by Robert A. Peterson.

Cornelis Van Dam’s book The Elder is a thorough yet accessible study of the office of elder through the Old and New Testaments. He identifies the task of the elder to be “preserving and nurturing life in the covenant with God” and he develops this idea by expositing and expounding: the image of the shepherd and his flock, the role of the Old Testament elder in his leadership and judicial duties, the continuity and discontinuity from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and the Old Testament background for the apparent distinctions of ruling and teaching elders in the New Testament. The book then concludes by addressing two current issues: whether Scripture opens the office of elder to women, and definite or indefinite tenure of the eldership.

Van Dam’s particular contribution in this work is his analysis of the office of elder in the Old Testament and the backdrop that it provides for understanding the elder’s role in the New Testament. Through it, he cogently articulates the distinction between ruling and teaching elders, yet their unity in the office of elder.

In the OT church, the people of God always partnered a teaching office with the office of elder. The elder principally served as a leader and judge, a role which emerged out of the familial and tribal structure. The teaching duties in ancient Israel resided primarily with the Levites yet were also shared with the elders to a limited extent. For example, every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles both the elders and the priests were to read the book of the law, and children were to go to their fathers and the elders to explain to them the “days of old.”

Given this Old Testament background, the office of the New Testament teaching elder shows continuity with elements of the office of priest, and the office of ruling elder shows continuity with elements of the Old Testament elder. Despite these distinctions, or two offices as Van Dam argues, there remains an underlying unity to the offices of teaching and ruling elders. Both teaching and ruling elders are charged (Acts 20:28) with the care of the flock and both require the ability to teach (1 Tim 3:2).

This book would be of particular benefit to those who would like a greater understanding of the development and role of the ruling elder and the teaching elder (including the pattern of monetarily supporting teaching elders and not ruling elders).

As Van Dam states, “certain gifts of God need to be constantly rediscovered, lest they be taken for granted and neglected.” Through The Elder, Van Dam rediscovers the relevance and vital ministry of the elder for the church today.

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus Walt Nilsson (MDiv '05)
Senior Pastor
Cornerstone Presbyterian Church
California, MD

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A Review of Christopher Morgan’s Suffering and the Goodness of God by Tom Galpin (MDiv ’09)

2011-02-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

One cannot go through life without being wounded by and suffering at the hands of evil. In one sense it is a great equalizer. Whether it is the loss of parental abandonment, spousal betrayal, the death or sickness of a loved one, or emotional and/or sexual abuse, for many the scars left by these events do not go away. Images of personal pain and suffering play through the minds and dreams of evil’s victims. Such experiences--and either the accompanying personal or vicarious suffering--beg the question about the presence and activity of an all-powerful, benevolent God. The cry of “Where are you God?” rings heavily on the blood and tears of victims across the world. As the Church we cannot be silent about evil and suffering. As the Church we cannot continue to be concerned only with personal piety. And as the Church our language, ethics, hermeneutic has to encompass the cries of the wounded if we are going to grow and bring the good news of the Gospel to a needy world.

To being to do this, the editors of Suffering and the Goodness of God set out to examine contemporary questions, interpret key biblical texts, recount the overall biblical story, address central issues in theology and philosophy, speak to church and individual concerns, engage personal, pastoral and academic questions and offer hope through testimonies of God’s sustaining grace (pg. 22). Without a doubt, this is a large undertaking. At the very least Suffering and the Goodness of God serves well to begin this conversation afresh within the Church’s discussion of suffering.

In his concluding essay, John Feinberg notes that the one’s suffering does not always need a philosophical or theological discourse (223) or a sympathetic sharing of despondent feelings (222), rather what is needed is a sharing of burdens through pastoral care (222; 223). Yarbrough’s opening essay and his eleven theses begin to equip the reader to do such. Here, the opening the book fleshes out well to enable the reader to enter into a narrative of Biblical suffering. From Kaiser’s exegesis of suffering in the OT to McCartney’s exegesis of the NT to Morgan and Peterson’s walk through a brief look “at suffering from a wider angle” (117), Suffering and the Goodness of God works well to ready the reader on Scripture’s address of evil, suffering and the Lord’s intentional--and overt--devotion to the eradication of such suffering. Frame’s essay additionally provides a nuanced philosophical treatment of the “problem of evil,” along with some theologically wise advice on language and rhetoric in the discussion. Similarly, Edgar’s essay provides a wise pastoral lens through which the contemporary Church is to understand and address specific cases of terrible suffering (e.g. the rampant, global sex trade). And finally, Calhoun and Feinberg’s respective essays provide the reader two images of their very spiritual and corporeal suffering, and the corresponding stories, language and ethos that has become part of their health and healing.

Again, Suffering and the Goodness of God serves well to begin and/or continue the Church’s conversation on suffering in Scripture and one’s own life. Because of the different authors and their unique perspectives, the strengths of this book are numerous. A few of these strengths are as follows: Yarbrough’s essay “Christ and the Crocodiles” beautifully (and skillfully) summarizes the book by achieving three things simultaneously. First, it draws the reader into a visceral encounter with the Biblical narrative of suffering; that is to say, it invites (by recreating) the reader to enter into the Biblical story. Second, it challenges the reader to think, act and feel as a Christian toward suffering and evil in general, and toward specific contemporary instances that need to be addressed. And third, Yarbrough presents Gospel hope, affirmation and encouragement for the Church and the victims that can (and does) carry tremendous weight.

Dan McCartney’s essays of suffering and the goodness of God in the NT flesh out much of the same principles and ethos as applied to the NT narrative. A key point in this, of which Mcartney does a stellar job of recounting and reminding, is the suffering of Christ as a pastoral and theological center. In one such instance (of many worthy quotes), McCartney summarizes beautifully: “...if suffering truly is necessary, it is not arbitrary or haphazard but purposeful. Therefore, while the proximate cause of suffering may be evil, its presence in the overall scheme of things is for biblical writers not something that calls God’s goodness into question; rather, it is the means by which God’s goodness is expressed. All true redemption is via suffering--first the suffering of God’s own Son, and then by application the suffering of the disciples as they are linked to the Son.” (85)

Two final essays to note: “Poems in the Park,” by David Calhoun, and “Journey is Suffering,” by John S. Feinberg. Both essays work well together to invite the reader into personal stories of grief, tragedy, suffering and Gospel hope and comfort. As the book itself notes, evil and suffering function as a mystery. That is, there is a level to which it doesn’t make sense. In this, then, the Church’s pastoral response must first be one of care, concern and love. And, the first way to do this toward others, is to be invited into their story and their pain. Calhoun and Feinberg both do this wonderfully. Through each, I felt both a deep sadness for the brokenness of the world and the body, but also a deeper comfort through the hope and healing that only the Gospel can provide.

Without a doubt, I would recommend this book. Specifically, some of the stronger essays do a tremendous job educating, informing and shaping a community that must be a Gospel comfort and hope to those who suffering, both in the community and those outside. Again, the greatest strength of Suffering and the Goodness of God is that it serves well to begin afresh a conversation in the Church on suffering. From this, I hope that this book will challenge us where we need to be challenged, affirm us where we need to be affirmed, and comfort us where we need to be comforted.

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus Tom Galpin (MDiv ’09)
Pastoral Resident: Grace Church Seattle
Seattle, WA

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Dr. Brian Shelton (MDiv '97) named Vice President of Academic Affairs at Toccoa Falls College

2011-01-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus, Dr. Brian Shelton (MDiv '97) was recently named as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Toccoa Falls College. Shelton was formerly the dean of the School of Christian Ministries. Shelton has been on staff at TFC since 2001.

In addition to his duties with Toccoa Falls College, Brian has written the book, "Martyrdom from Exegesis in Hippolytus: An Early Church Presbyter’s Commentary on Daniel” (Paternoster, 2008).

Toccoa Falls College is small, Christian liberal arts college, located in Toccoa, Georgia. The campus is approximately 1,100 acres and borders the Chattahoochee National Forest--home to Toccoa Falls: a 186-foot high waterfall. For more information visit www.tfc.edu.

Review of Sarah Young's (MAC '77) book Jesus Calling

2011-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Covenant Theological Seminary graduate Sarah Young (MAC '77) wrote Jesus Calling in 2004. Recently, the book was reviewed (and recommended)in this article in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Reviewer Al Perkins writes, "In 'Jesus Calling' we are reminded daily that we are known and loved by the Lord, and that He has words in His Word for us."

Read the entire review here.

Sarah lives in Australia with her husband, Stephen, where they have been living and serving as Church Planters among Japanese immigrants for over 16 years. More about Stephen and Sarah Young and their ministry can be found here.

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I Need a Prophet

2011-01-21T10:28:00.001-08:00

--by Matt Weinken (MDiv '00)

I need a prophet,
To tell me who I am;
I need a seer,
Who sees my inward man.

I need a preacher,
To pierce me with God’s Word;
I need a counselor,
To show me I’m absurd.

I need a friend,
Who knows me to the core;
I need an enemy,
Who helps me by his war.

I need a teacher,
To tear my mental maps;
I need the poor,
To teach me without facts.

I need great pain,
To train me God knows how;
I need His peace,
So for God I'll bow.

I need the Word,
To show me all my sin;
I need the Word,
Who died and rose again.

I need the church,
To bear my sorrows too;
I need Christ’s body,
To love me through and through.

I need to love God,
Who makes me what I am;
I need to love all,
For God became a man.

---------

Covenant Theological Seminary alumnus Matt Weinken (MDiv '00 lives and works in Lewisberry, PA doing financial compliance for the service industry. He attends Calvinistic Evangelical Free Church. More of Matt’s writing can be found at www.lovetogod.com

"Can Man Create...Life?" A Response to The Economist

2011-01-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

The headline of the May 22-28, 2010 magazine The Economist read “And Man Made Life: the first artificial organism and its consequences”. Oh great, I thought, here we go again another ethical controversy and hullabaloo like we had in the mid 90s when scientists cloned Dolly the sheep. But when Craig Venter announced that he and his colleagues had successfully made synthetic life he was greeted by – yawns. Now two months later there is no controversy, no discussion, no excitement. Why?

I think in part because people see that the accomplishment of Craig Venter’s team, though remarkable, is but one step among many. So what did Venter actually accomplish? They did make life from scratch – in a sense. Essentially what they did is take the genetic code of the bacterium mycoplasma mycoides and rewrite a section of the code thus making a brand new species of bacteria. Here is Venter’s explanation at his May 21, 2010 press conference:

“We started with a digital code in the computer, building the chromosome from four bottles of chemicals, assembling the chromosome in yeast, transplanting it into a recipient bacterial cell and transforming that bacterial cell into a new species. The first self-replicating species whose parent is a computer.”

OK, so what in the world does that mean!? I said the same thing until I sat and thought about it for a while.

I’m not a biologist but here is my understanding of what Venter accomplished. The M. mycoides bacterium that Venter’s team used as a starting point has one million base pairs (sort of like 1 million letters/characters in the genetic code). So this simple bacterium’s genetic code is roughly equivalent to a 400 page book. Venter and his team read the 400 page book and changed the last page or two to “create” a totally new book, i.e. species. Venter’s work is an advance because they didn’t just remove a book from an already living bacterium and tear off the last page and stitch on the conclusion they wanted. Venter and his colleagues did something truly novel: they started with four bottles of off the shelf chemicals to “create” their book from scratch. In other words, the code they inserted into a host cell had never lived before. The chemicals (in the correct order) sprang to life. Not unlike how Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein sprang to life from cadaver parts in her novel.

Now it does need to be said that Venter's team did not totally make life from scratch because they relied on the cytoplasm contributed by a regular bacterium and they used the help of other living organisms like yeast. That is why the Vatican’s stance was that the scientists had not created life, they had just “replaced one of its motors.” But their accomplishment is still noteworthy. It is sort of the equivalent of making a brain (albeit a very tiny one) from scratch, inserting it into a body and voila! - the creature starts thinking. The first creature without an ancestor. And it must be said that if scientists can make a bacterium’s “brain” (genetic code) from scratch presumably one day they may make the rest of the bacterium from scratch too.

What does this breakthrough demonstrate? And does it threaten the Christian worldview – particularly the belief in a Creator? I would suggest that Venter’s successful experiment reinforces three principles:

1) Life is composed of chemicals. Venter’s team was able to make the DNA of a self-replicating organism from scratch, i.e. from four basic chemicals. But this is not surprising to careful readers of the Bible. For Genesis 1:24 says “And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds- livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so.” By the word of God living creatures were brought forth from the earth. This was true even for man: Genesis 2:7 “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” In other words, life is composed of chemicals or more fundamentally from the elements present on this planet.

But what Venter’s team accomplished (and probably why their research drew yawns) is a far cry from proving one of the fundamental assumptions of macroevolution: that living matter came from non-living matter. To put it simply – they cheated too much. They relied too heavily on already living organisms. A true sensation would be the team that created not simply the DNA but the cytoplasm, cell wall, flagellum and every other component of a bacterium from bottles of chemicals. Would the creature truly made from scratch by man live? I’m not sure. For even if man were able to absolutely copy a living organism molecule by molecule, the Scriptures still say that in addition to the dust of the ground that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. In other words, life does not come from non-living matter; life comes from the life of God!

2) Life at its core is information. Richard Dawkins said of the DNA in cells, “The machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like.” (River Out of Eden, p17). Since Venter and his team began to build the genome of their bacteria on a computer their experiment seems to have demonstrated this convincingly. It should not surprise us that life at its core is information, for the Bible describes God as creating by spoken word. In Genesis chapter one there is this repeated refrain: “And God said, …” (v3,6,9,14,20 & 24). This is the Bible’s description of God ordering the universe. Did He use His divine power? Yes of course. But quite clearly the Genesis account of the beginnings of life emphasizes God speaking. And why did God speak if not to communicate information!? Life at its core is information, information or code that God wrote.

Contrary to this interpretation, one columnist drew this conclusion from Venter’s experiment: “It demonstrates more forcefully than anything else to date that life’s essence is information. Heretofore that information has been passed from one living thing to another. Now it does not have to be. Non-living matter can be brought to life with no need for lightning, a vital essence or a god.” (The Economist, Vol. 395 No. 8683, p81) Does Venter’s success really suggest that life spontaneously generated without input from God? Hardly. Remember that the genetic code for the bacterium Venter developed is 1 million base pairs long, the equivalent of a 400 page book. But did Venter write this book from scratch? No. He took the genetic code of M. mycoides and copied 398 pages verbatim and rewrote only 2 pages. Christians will understand, then, that this new species is fundamentally dependent on God’s original design of its ancestor bacterium. So from a Christian perspective, we could say that this achievement, while significant, reflects more of the scientific plagiarism of God’s original design than the creation of an artificial “life” form. That brings us to my third and final point:

3) Life universally points to an Intelligent Designer, i.e. a Divine Creator. Bill Gates stated, “DNA is like a computer program, but far, far more advanced than any software we’ve ever created.”(The Road Ahead, p228) If you’ve ever written a computer code you know how essential it is to get everything precisely correct. A single mistyped character can render a program inoperable. Venter and his team discovered this firsthand. At the press conference Venter revealed that after 15 years of effort their first DNA transplant failed. Why? Because they had made one base pair error (i.e. they typed one letter wrong in the 398 pages of the code which they copied directly). It took 3 months for them to find their error and another month to repair it. Venter said, “Accuracy is essential. There are parts of the genome that cannot tolerate a single error. And there are other parts of the genome where we can put in large blocks [of our own code] and it can tolerate all kinds of errors.” It is noteworthy that the part of the bacterium’s code which Venter’s team rewrote was in the area of non-essential genes (genetic code probably necessary for the bacterium in the real world but not required in the ideal lab environment).

What does all this suggest about the origin of life? If there is one typo in the 400 page code of a simple bacterium that makes life a “no-go” how could we possibly suppose that undirected, random chance could be the cause of complex information such as this? Rather than arguing for macroevolution, Venter’s experiment in synthetic biology argues implicitly for an Intelligent Designer or Creator. Biochemist Dr. Michael Behe teaches a concept called “irreducible complexity”. This is the idea that if an organism is so complex that it could not have come together piece by piece and still function; all the parts must have come together at once in order for the organism to function at all. In other words, Venter did not hire a chimpanzee to sit in front of a computer and randomly type out the one million character code of his bacterium. He copied 99.5% of M. mycoides verbatim. All the pieces had to be there at the same time for his experiment to work. Venter admits that it required exacting precision for the bacterium to spring to life at all. Does this suggest spontaneous generation of life? No. Sir Frederick Hoyle was a British astronomer, who set out to calculate the mathematical probability of the spontaneous origin of life from a primordial soup environment. He was shocked to discover that the probability of such an event for a simple self-replicating bacterium was 1 in 1040,000. So if scientists are open to following the evidence wherever it takes them they will come to see that Someone designed all that we perceive in the physical universe. For the universe consistently points to an Intelligent Designer - a Creator. The quaint comment of Roy Rogers rings true: “When you see a turtle on a fence post, you know it didn’t get there by itself.”

Rev. Josh Brumbaugh
Pastor, Oak Grove Church
Evansville, IN

Covenant Theolgoical Seminary Graduates Lead: In Business and Discipleship

2011-01-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

Two Covenant Theological Seminary graduates were in the news recently for their leadership in two very different settings.

First, Mark Stirling (MAET '07) was listed among the speakers for the 2011 European Disciple-Making Leaders Network: Foundational Seminar. The bio says, "Mark Stirling is the leader of the European Disciple-Making Leaders Network. He is a former medical doctor who has worked in student ministry with the Navigators in Edinburgh. In 2007 he completed an MA in Exegetical Theology at Covenant Seminary in St Louis. He, his wife Jenny and their four children now live in St Andrews, Scotland. where they seek to help students grow to maturity in Christ. Mark is also engaged in PhD studies in Theology and Biblical Studies (Learning Christ in Ephesians) at the University of St Andrews and is involved in helping to lead the work of the Navigators amongst students in the UK." You can find out more information on the European Disciple-Making Leaders Network here.

Second, Eric Herrenkohl (MDiv '96) received praise from The Globe and Mail on his book "How To Hire A-Players." The book was listed as #6 in the top 10 business reads of 2010. Eric is president of Herrenkohl Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping executives create the businesses they want by creating the organizations they need.

We praise the Lord for these alumni and their work for Christ and His Kingdom!

A Blade of Grass: A New Year's Meditation, by Phillip Mayberry

2010-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

In a few hours, we will say "goodbye" to 2010, and pass into 2011. I want to wish you a happy New Year, and also to reflect with you a moment on the goodness of God in our lives over the past year.

Consider if you will all the things that we have known in the last year: the triumphs, the disappointments, the loss, the gain, highlights, and the low-lights. Now consider that fact that God knew all these things before the foundation of the world. Consider that all the events which you have known, and all the things which you have not known (such as the microscopic processes by which the blade of grass outside you window grows, the insects buried beneath the winter ground as they prepare for summer, and the supernova that no mortal has seen), all these things were both known to God, experienced by God, and comprise but a tiny fraction of his knowledge. Indeed, he sees these things every year, and has for many thousands.
Consider that the length of our lives are but a drop in the bucket to God: just a breath in the nostrils. Consider that we are like a blade of grass to him, which grows and then fades.

Consider that all the greatest accomplishments of mankind are like a flower, which does the same. If you are old, you will grasp this truth more readily. If you are young, consider that you will soon be old, and apply this perspective (God's perspective) to your life to your own benefit. In watching a year pass, we have a rare opportunity to share the perspective of God on time: for consider how brief it has been!

Now consider that, though we are insignificant creatures, God sent his only begotten Son to die on our behalf. Consider that he cares for us, infinitely more than we care for our own gardens: for which of us tenderly cares for a blade of grass?
Now consider this: God has given us instructions for our own happiness during this brief existence, as we watch the years fly by. Has it not been your experience that, insofar as you have obeyed God it has benefited you, brought you lasting happiness and joy, and left you with meaningful moments to remember and savor from 2010? And can one of you name a single time when you have rebelled against God which has brought you similar savor? Have not all the instances of your sin over the past year been either bitter to your memory, or simply passed into the abyss of wasted time?

Therefore, my friends, I urge you to apply this perspective to 2011. When you sit upon the cusp of the future, and have the decision to either dine upon the riches of Christ, as he is offered to you in the gospel, or rebel against him, remember how it affected you in the past, and act to the glory of God and your own benefit! Let us grow ever towards the sun: for that is all one can ask from a blade of grass, which now is, and soon will not be. Therefore I pray on your behalf that you will feel the warmth of the smile of Christ upon your face, as he lifts up his countenance upon you and gives you peace.

In the coming year, do all to the glory of God. For the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever!

Rev. Philip Mayberry (MDiv '08)
Solo Pastor, Ashe Presbyterian Church
Jefferson, NC

A Review John Bunyan's Prayer, by Tucker Else (MDiv '09)

2010-12-23T05:27:00.000-08:00

When I think of John Bunyan, I usually think of Pilgrim’s Progress or The Dangerous Journey, the children’s rendering of that story with illustrations and abbreviated prose. Yet Bunyan was an incredibly prolific author, even beyond these books.

I Will Pray in the Spirit and With the Understanding Also, or A Discourse Touching Prayer, was written in 1662 while Bunyan was in Bedford prison, and published that same year. He had been imprisoned for opposing the prayer forms found in the Book of Common Prayer, and used the opportunity “in gaol to continue his opposition thereof” through the medium of literature rather than non-compliance.

The Saints’ Privilege and Profit, or The Throne of Grace as it was also called, was written in the last years of Bunyan’s life, and was published posthumously in 1692. His exegesis of Hebrews 4 (“the throne of grace”) provided the outline of how Christ-followers are to direct their Spirit-fed prayers in the midst of adversity and suffering.

These two books, I Will Pray in the Spirit and The Saints’ Privilege and Profit, were published alongside each other in the comprehensive Bunyan’s Works, as edited by George Offor. The Banner of Truth Trust published these two books together originally in 1965 as Prayer, and the result is a rich and heartening commendation for the saints to pray in sincerity at the throne of grace so that they may “receive mercy and find grace in their time of need.”

I recently attended the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference in Minneapolis, MN, and had the privilege of spending a great deal of time in the “bookstore” near where the conference was being held. Amidst all the new literature by rock-star pastors, there was an incredible selection of books from Puritan authors: Richard Sibbes’ The Bruised Reed, Jeremiah Burroughs’ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, and Thomas Watson’s The Duty of Self-Denial, to name a few. I walked away from the conference purchasing a number of these books. In the meantime I was in the midst of reading Bunyan’s Prayer. In reading these Puritan jewels, I have discovered 3 things: (1) these are not for the faint of heart nor for the sleepy—the Puritan style of writing (if I can dare lump them all together) can be tough sledding. The prose, vernacular, and run-on sentences can be a bit daunting. (2) There is a richness and a beauty in the writing that is somehow comforting and nearly always edifying; and (3) it is refreshing to see substitutionary atonement assumed rather than defended!

In part I of the book, I Will Pray in the Spirit, Bunyan writes that prayer is “a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to his Word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God.” He then goes on to elucidate this definition to the minutest detail. And yet this highly articulated definition is so thoroughly exegeted as to become impossibly rich and impossibly glorious. Bunyan states (and I quote the passage in its entirety):

“When a man is indeed sensible of his sin, and God’s curse, then it is a hard thing to persuade him to pray; for, says his heart, ‘There is no hope, it is in vain to seek God (Jer. 2.25; 18.12). I am so vile, so wretched, and so cursed a creature that I shall never be regarded! Now here comes the Spirit, and stays the soul, helps it to hold up its face to God, by letting into the heart some small sense of mercy to encourage it to go to God, and hence he is called ‘the Comforter’ (John 14.26)” (27)

Bunyan presents praying in the Spirit as the antithesis of praying according to prepared forms, and as the only true and necessary prayer! How many of my own congregants (and I would include myself) are encouraged by this word as our hearts and very souls cry out to God for relief in the midst of tragedy, suffering, and grief? Bunyan’s pastoral heart is never far from his words, as he applies the truth of Scripture and his thesis there from to the lives of his readers.

In part II of the book, The Saints’ Privilege and Profit, Bunyan walks the reader through Hebrews 4.16. And it is here that the exalting, God-honoring prose of Bunyan is at its richest. For example, he writes regarding suffering and Christ’s sympathy as our high priest: “no child can be so tender of its sore finger as is the Son of God of his afflicted members; he cannot but be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (146). Part II is a further discourse of his previous treaty regarding prayer in the Spirit and where that prayer is to be directed. His writing conveys an urgency and hunger for the grace of God in a way that elicited urgency in me as well. I found myself praying with greater conviction and confidence, with greater desperation and hope. In light of this, I realized early on that the book is best taken in small doses so as to digest the richness therein. Attempting to knock out 30 pages at a time proved to be like trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant. But reading 8-10 pages per sitting lent itself to a greater application in my own prayers.

John Bunyan will still be that guy that wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, but I have a great appreciation for his book Prayer and consider it an excellent boost in directing my gaze to the throne of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

Tucker Else (MDiv ’09)
Pastor, Denver Baptist Church
Denver, Iowa

(this post contains affliate links to Amazon.com)

Covenant Thelogical Semianry Alumni Interview: Dwight L. Dolby (MDiv '90)

2010-12-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

Dwight Dolby (MDiv ’90) is originally from western Pennsylvania. He attended Asbury College and went on to earn his M.Div at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He and his wife, Marcia, have six sons and two daughters. He is currently serving as the senior pastor of Auburn Road Presbyterian Church, in Venice, FL.

Q: Tell us the story about how you got to Covenant Seminary, who influenced that decision, and what difficulties you had to overcome in order to get there.

DD: Through the influence of the Holy Spirit, Banner of Truth Trust, R.C. Sproul, J.I.Packer, and my dad ( a Christian and Missionary Alliance minister), I transitioned into the Reformed camp following my undergraduate studies at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY. My wife and I began attending Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, FL after college and soon joined. Pastor Wyatt Folds and Associate Pastor George Hutchinson encouraged me to attend Covenant Seminary. In 1985, we moved to St. Louis from Lakeland. God provided part-time employment with UPS. Great health benefits enabled us to care for our first born, Austin, who was born in Florida with Spina Bifida the spring before our arrival. Marcia, my wife, was able to stay home with Austin and she and Austin enjoyed St. Louis Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children. I moved boxes, and studied Hebrew.

Q: What have been some of the greatest lessons you have learned since graduation?

DD: That our Lord and His Word will sustain me from week to week and year to year. That when answers to difficult circumstances aren't forth coming, God's people appreciate a pastor's presence. Finally, I'm still learning this, to invite people to look beyond me to Jesus. You cannot be Jesus for His people.

Q: What is a topic you wish you would have paid more attention to while in seminary?

DD: Probably counseling. I can often analyze the problems. Helping people resolve them has not proven to be my gift or strength. This has led me to purse local Christian counselors in our area.

Q: Thinking about students entering ministry today--do you have any advice for young men and women training for vocational ministry in the local church?

DD: Nothing new: love God, love people, don't stop.

Q: What does 'local ministry' mean to you?

DD: Living alongside our Lord's people in the context of covenant bonds in the church, and encouraging His people to live out their union with Christ in the community. Reading and preaching God's Word over all of our lives regularly, listening, praying, listening, praying, asking forgiveness and forgiving others, being part of the local expression of the body of Christ. Growing deeper with the saints in love and labor, and enjoying our Lord's family. My lines have fallen in pleasant places.

For more information about Auburn Road Presbyterian Church, clik here. Dwight can be found on Facebook here.

Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church Makes Gospel Investment in Local Community

2010-12-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

Rev. Mike Jones (MATS '00), pastor of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist and the congregation of FTMBC were recognized by Cityside for their investment in the community around them.

The article reports that "the start of the residential project also represents the continuation of investment in the neighborhood by the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, adjoining the construction site of the former Arlington School, designed by St. Louis architect William B. Ittner and built in 1899."

You can read the full article here.

Covenant Seminary Alumni Take Leadership in Presbyterian Youth in America Conference (YXL Glorieta)

2010-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

Praise God for the leadership that Covenant Theological Seminary graduates have taken in the YXL Glorieta. I don't know how many of our graduates and fellow alumni have taught at their conferences, but I am encourgaed by this list of alum who current serve to give direction for the organization:

Tom Franklin (MDiv '05)

Chad Scruggs (MDiv '07)

Patrick Tebbano (MDiv '07)

John Ranheim (MDiv '06).

Thank you guys for your service and leadership. (To find out more about YTA Glorieta and their youth ministry conferences, go to: http://www.yxlglorieta.org/

Giving is Good: Image Bearing reflects the Goodness of God through Mercy and Grace

2010-12-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

As pastors and ministry leaders in Gospel work, you know the Biblical call to give to, share with, and participate in the lives of others (2 Corinthians is all about this). It should come as no surprise that this divine mercy and grace reflection impacts those who give as well as those who receive. It’s in the image bearing.

I think you will be encouraged to see these facts found true in the world at large, as documented in this report by the Gallup Group—further evidence that what the Bible says, and what we confess to believe, is true truth.

Giving and Your Community Wellbeing

"Give blood. All you'll feel is good."
As this slogan from an American Red Cross campaign illustrates, giving is good for both the recipient and the donor. Psychologists have conducted experiments to determine if this Red Cross claim is true -- and it turns out that this is one slogan that passes the truth-in-advertising test. People reported experiencing increased moods before and after they donated blood.

At the highest end of the Community Wellbeing continuum is giving back to society. This may be what differentiates an exceptional life from a good one. When we asked people with thriving wellbeing about the greatest contribution they had made in their life, with few exceptions, they mentioned the impact they have had on another person, group, or community. Not only had these individuals made a substantial contribution to something bigger than themselves, but they also had been recognized for their community involvement...(click here to read full article at Gallup Group).

A Biblical Guide to Commentaries and Reference Works, by John F. Evans (revised and updated)

2010-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Dr. John Evans' (MDiv '89, ThM '95) book A Biblical Guide to Commentaries and Reference Works is now in its 9th edition and available through Doulos Resources. This revised and updated edition is over 400 pages long and spans the entire bible.

John lives in Nairobi, Kenya with his family, and he is a faculty member at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology.

You can download a sample of the book from Doulos Resources here. To order a copy of this work, go to http://doulosresources.org/. Doulous Resources is a publishing ministry organized and operated by two pastors: Richard Burguet and Ed Eubanks, Jr. (MDiv '05).

(this post contains affliate links to Amazon.com)

Alumnus Matt Loveall (MDiv' 10)--Featured in "The Banner"

2010-12-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Matt Loveall (MDiv '10) was intervied in "The Banner"--a regional newspaper in Naples, FL--this past spring as he moved from an assistant pastoral role to serve as the planter of a new work in the Bonita Sprigs area. Here's the article:

(click on the image to render full size)

The Bronze Serpent by Rev. Caston McKay

2010-12-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Alumnus McKay Caston (MDiv ’95, DMin ’05) recently wrote a book on prayer called The Bronze Serpent. You can get the book at Amazon. McKay serves as the church planter of Creekstone Church (PCA) in Dahlonega, GA. You can find out more about Creekstone Church here: http://www.creekstonechurch.com/

In his intro to the book, McKay writes:
There are a lot of books on prayer and lots of books centering on Bible study. My desire in this effort was to join the two: the Bible and prayer. Therefore, you will notice that each prayer is also a theological and practical reflection on a particular passage of Scripture. My goal was to let the Bible inform my conversations with God, turning prayer into a dialogue that centers on my need to live completely in dependence upon the grace of God--in view of the cross.

THE QUIET INVASION, by Luke Davis (a Devotional)

2010-12-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

“How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is given/So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven/No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin/Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.” (third verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, written by Phillips Brooks)

No one misses the onset of the Christmas season, especially in America. The enzymes have barely begun working on the pumpkin pie when many thoughts turn to shopping on Black Friday and getting the deals we want. Christmas, it seems, comes with an economic bang. But the first Advent of Jesus’ arrival seemed to be more of a whimper. His birth couldn’t have been more under-the-radar. A stable for a delivery room. Rather than a team of advertisers and public relations experts hailing his arrival, Jesus dozed to the noises and smells of donkeys, sheep, and cattle. The greatest Gift ever was not given by a slow angelic descent from heaven to the sounds of the “Hallelujah Chorus..” Instead, it was a silent stealth mission.

God seems to have that way of doing his business, and we should refrain from thinking that God’s kingdom is only clicking when He is making a loud racket. If he is the all-powerful and all-loving Sovereign of the universe, then surely He can be completely effective without getting above the decibel level of a cotton ball being laid on a bed of ricotta cheese.

Joanna Flanders-Thomas is a remarkable lady in South Africa who worked against the racist policies of the white-dominated government. After apartheid ended with the presidential election of Nelson Mandela, Joanna then turned her attention to a local problem: Pollsmoor Prison, the most violent prison in South Africa. It was where Mandela himself was shackled for eight years. Joanna and her husband Julian began visiting prisoners at Pollsmoor daily, and shared with them a simple message of forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and hope for the future. She would ask violent prisoners if they had any needs she could pray for. That was all she did. No cameras. No vast money resources. No hype or promotion. But her quiet invasion changed the face of the prison. The year before her visits began, the prison recorded 279 acts of violence. The two years following her first visit, there were a combined total of ten violent acts! Prisoners who converted to the Christian faith would engage in regular worship services. And all Joanna did was silently enter in and speak to people about Christ. (Phil Yancey, "What Good is God?”)

That is a small human example of the quiet invasion that Jesus undertook at the start of his earthly life. No loud trumpets announced that the King of Kings was sleeping in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. None were needed. And because that same Christ can rule in your heart, he can work effectively through you to continue the work he began years ago. How silently, indeed, the wondrous gift is given.

Luke Davis (MDiv '96)
Upper School Chaplain
Westminster Christian Academy
St. Louis, MO

"The Moral State of Black America" by Rodrick Burton (MAEM '07)

2010-12-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Alumnus Rodrick K. Burton (MAEM '07) recently self-published a book called "The Moral State of Black America." Rodrick serves as the Director of Community Awareness for Teen Challenge of St. Louis. His book can be found and downloaded for free at: www.rodrickburton.com. Here is the forward to the book:

Shortly after midnight on January 1, 2004, I completed this book. It would be almost a year before it was self-published. The Christian publishing houses were honest in their rejections, most of which concerned economic viability. Publishers knew that an apolitical cultural critique of African Americans from a Christian perspective would not be well received. As with the case of O.J. Simpson’s, If I Did it, there would be backlash and extra scrutiny. If the thesis was politically driven, the book could have acceptable and profitable. That was not the case and after several years of vigorous and strategic promotion on a shoestring budget, the book remains an overlooked and obscure text. I am very thankful that God employs a variety of messengers and mediums to communicate his message.

That message for Black America is that it must wake up and address the current moral crisis in the black community. We are living in a time where our collective house is on fire. Those who should be screaming, “the roof is on fire” are determined to keep the party going while ignoring the fire. Since the completion of this book in 2004, we have witnessed the destruction of the “Chocolate City,” the impotence of a post 911 government that is supposedly better prepared for crisis, and been exposed to the underreported plight of the poor, all within in one catastrophic event: Hurricane Katrina.

The Government, which black people simultaneously depend on and loathe, was charged with racism in its response to this unprecedented act of God. For all the calls for unity and outcries against racism, no voice seemed more absurd than Minister Farrakhan’s, which charged that U.S. Navy Seals destroyed levies protecting New Orleans’ poor black neighborhoods. If only the Navy’s commandos were that effective in Baghdad, our troops would have been home years ago. His outrageous claims are sadly characteristic of black leadership in recent years... (click here to read more).

Advent Memorial for Dr. Venon Grounds (submitted by Steve Bostrom)

2010-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

(above: Dr. Vernon Grounds)

Here is an Advent poem by Vernon Grounds (July 19, 1914– September 12, 2010)--who, at the age of 96, went to heaven to be with his Maker and Redeemer. Vernon was President of Denver Seminary. When I was a student there, he invited me to meet with him and three other students to pray from 6:30 AM until our first class. It was one of the honors of my life.

Bethlehem
Why is the Thing that happened there
Still gladly remembered everywhere?

Why does the Thing that happened then
Still deeply enthrall the hearts of men?

Why does the Birth, to this age without creed,
Still mean what the skeptic is loath to concede?

Why does such glory and radiance cling
About that everyday, commonplace Thing?

Why does that Place with a star poised above
Prompt us – by giving- to show forth our love?

Immanuel! Yea, the old Story is true
That God in His love was spendthrift too!

--byVernon Grounds

May the blessings of Advent be yours.

Steve Bostrom (MDiv '77)
Pastor of All Souls Community Church (Helena, MT)

Review of The God of All Comfort: Finding Your Way into His Arms, by Dee Brestin

2010-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

While many books on the subject of grief help the reader find catharsis—primarily by putting words to profound emotional turmoil—Dee Brestin moves beyond describing. She informs her readers from the perspective of one who has actively sought God the Healer during a time of deep loss. She details—in alternating journal entries and reflective narrative—the circumstances of her husband's battle and untimely death from cancer, and her own resultant upheaval. Then, she offers experiential wisdom to assist hurting souls in finding the succor of God. Additionally, while it may seem insignificant, the fact that the author completes her writing five years after the death of her husband gives valuable perspective to those whose grief is raw and whose bereavement reigns. Like one grieving mother cried to me, “I want to see someone who has suffered as I have, and who at some point is able to smile again, and to find meaning in daily life.”

Woven into these intimate disclosures is a pattern for finding peace amidst personal bereavement. Especially meaningful are Brestin’s discussions centering around the healing power of music (ch. 3); the power of godly counsel (ch. 4); and (3) the power of lament (ch. 8). First, she says, seek the healing qualities of music, including those of classical music, hymns, and spiritual songs in order to calm the “fretful spirit.” Quoting The Mozart Effect, Brestin denotes studies in which playing Mozart “improved the chances of survival for premature babies, reduced seizures for those with epilepsy, [and] was as effective as Valium for critical-care patients” (54). In providing this healing balm of music, the author collaborated on a project with singer/songwriter Amy Shreve to produce a CD of hymns (also “The God of All Comfort”).

Next, she breaks her own barriers to seeking grief counseling and support, and describes why that was especially vital to the healing process. As those working in ministry, we can easily recount the self-justification grieving and broken individuals give for not counseling with a pastor or professional, or even joining a support group. Not only had Brestin resisted help herself, but also had chided herself for even considering such care. After all, she thought, I lead those very same groups. Confronting what she calls her own pride and denial finally gave her a breakthrough. In citing Joan Didion's book The Year of Magical Thinking, Brestin says that while one may appear to be doing well after loss, there are lingering fantasies that can persist. For instance, keeping a deceased spouse's clothing in case he should return. Brestin says that it was after a year of this “magical thinking” that she realized she wasn't getting better, and “finally accepted that I needed help, another voice to speak the truth to my soul” (119). This account of finding marked growth and strength through the counseling process is especially helpful to those of us working to assist grieving men and women.

Finally, the power of lament. While well-intentioned words are often offered to those suffering loss, Brestin reminds us that one's empathetic presence in the life of the bereaved is often far more effectual. She recounts the old Jewish custom of “sitting shiva.” She writes, “Shiva, a Hebrew word, means 'seven,' which is the biblical number symbolizing completion. The custom was to go and sit silently with a grieving friend for seven days, or, in essence, for the time it takes to give him genuine comfort” (175). It is when a grieving soul's helplessness and utter devastation are on display that a friend can be a great source of solace, strength, and steadfastness in trial. Through Job's example, Brestin concludes that in the vulnerable state of grief, one's close comrades may stay or sway his very faith. “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 NASB). For Dee, it was those enduring times of weeping with a friend, walking together, or remembering stories about her husband, that were a renewing force that enabled her to press on.

In conclusion, while Dee Brestin gently draws the reader into her realm of great grief, she leaves the reader with no less than a firm foundation upon which to move through the grief process. Chapters three, four, and eight are must-reads, as they enrich and enforce this sure knowledge of God's presence in the greatest places of suffering.

Vicki Hand (MDiv ’01)
Pastor’s wife
Chandler, AZ

Review of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs.

2010-11-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

For ministers, the continual nagging-dissatisfaction, wrestling with unfulfilled pursuits, and being easily swayed to certain challenges in ministry—all yield a lack of focus on Christ. Yet, the issue overlooked that appears to surface time after time is the lack of contentment which exists among the shepherds of Christ’s church. Paul in Phil 4:11-12 writes:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

You and I are neither content nor satisfied, either with the church or ourselves. We want more, or we want it better for us or our family. I believe we have forgotten the source of contentment. We fail to wait on the leading of the Holy Spirit to work through the church and the lives of her people. We attempt to make church the place where things are happening through the most exciting programs, music, and activities.

Burroughs causes intense reflection on my own condition when he writes, “I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart, through the grace of Christ that is in me. Though I have not outward comforts and worldly conveniences to supply my necessities, yet I have a sufficient portion between Christ and my soul abundantly to satisfy me in every condition.”

The fight to be content is no better seen than in Proverbs 14:14, where the root such lack or contentment is filled in the fruit of our own ways, which leads to a walk away from the provisions of God: The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

Burroughs says, “That to be well skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment is the duty, glory, and excellence of a Christian" (1Ti 6:6,8).In his book he has four areas of explanation on contentment: 1) The nature of this Christian contentment: what it is? 2) The art and mystery of contentment; 3) What lessons must be learned to bring the heart to contentment; 4) Wherein the glorious excellence of this grace chiefly consists.

This is a timely reminder in this age of economic and cultural waffling to be drawn back to the heart of God in searching your own heart to examine where your contentment resides and acts. The heart of a Christian can only find contentment in God, who is Himself the author of contentment. The Christian heart reveals and glories in the Heart of Heaven through letting his heart out to God. The Christian heart knows with certainty Heaven has been secured for the saints by the supreme work of Christ. The Christian heart delights in examining his own heart and seeing a glimpse of Heaven in the Real World of Christ.

Rev. John Carrico
Assistant Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
Tuscumbia, AL

Rev. Darrin Patrick recently preached on Phil. 4:10-14 on the topic of contentment. Click here to listen or download.

Covenant Seminary Alumni on CBS News!

2010-10-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Alumni Doug (MDiv '03) and Masha (MATS '02) Shepherd appeared on CBS News this weekend, after witnessing--and cathing on film--this lion attack in Ukraine.

A Review of The Nearness of God, by Lanier Burns.

2010-09-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Part of the Explorations in Biblical Theology Series, edited by Robert A. Peterson (P&R Publishing, 2009)

What is the real purpose of learning theology? How does learning about God, the nature of man, and the nature of the church, help us deal with the issues of everyday life? This is a question that many of us are invited to think about when dealing with the issues of everyday life--loneliness, conflict, anger, and so forth. It is also the question that is answered in this book.

The Nearness of God develops the theme of the Presence of God throughout scripture--the presence of God in creation, in the history of Israel, in Jesus Christ, and in the Church. In his introduction to the book, Dr. Burns presents God as someone who desires relationship with his people (p4). That desire for relationship results in God being present with his people. This presence of God then has implications for everyday life.

Dr. Lanier Burns did a great job in making the theme of God’s presence applicable to the lives of people who face the issues of everyday life. He uses illustrations, some of them from personal experience, to show how an understanding of the presence of God affects a person’s life. It is also helpful for its study questions for each chapter (p227-232).

The first chapter focuses on Jesus’ incarnation as a revelation of God’s presence. Burns finishes this chapter with application of the truth that God has revealed himself in Jesus—calling us to get beyond the quest for greatness in the eyes of people to a realization of God’s love and a focus on covenantal faithfulness with the Savior (p34-36).

The second chapter considers God’s presence from the time of Adam up to Moses. Burns reminds us that life is a journey, and God desires that we walk through the obstacles and joys of life with him (p49) and with other believers (p61). Walking with God entails focus on a destination, which is heaven (p58), and requires us to avoid straying from the path to heaven by disobedience.

The third chapter looks at God’s presence with Moses. This section has a long consideration on prayer (p82-88). Burns reminds us that God’s presence implies the possibility of intimacy with God, which grows through honest prayer, something that the author exemplifies. This is important as we struggle with prayer.

The fourth chapter focuses on God’s presence and the sanctuary (tabernacle and temple). Here Burns focused on worship for his application, noting how its meaning has become fuzzy. Burns calls us to “foundational principles” one of which is that everything Christians do (no distinction between sacred and secular) must be done with a sense of God’s presence (p116). This includes the music in worship and the service that Christians perform.

The fifth chapter examines God’s presence in the history of Israel, through the true prophets. This presence takes the form of promise for the future. Burns points us to the importance of Godly families as vehicles of God’s presence as it worships together, and passes on the truth about God’s law and promises through the generations (p149-153). In the world of alienated families, it’s good to be reminded of the importance of families in God’s plan.

The sixth chapter focuses on God’s presence in the New Covenant which the Messiah inaugurates. Burns calls the church to live as people of the new covenant- forgiven and filled with the Spirit and personally transformed. This would entail becoming more Christ-like (p188) so the world may see the love of God. This chapter reminds us that the New Covenant means a new beginning and that newness must be proclaimed through words and actions.

The seventh chapter focuses on God’s presence in the New Jerusalem, which is the destiny of believers. Burns sees the New Jerusalem as the fulfillment of the desires of the believer. He lists ten desires and relates each one to the New Jerusalem (p200-219). This chapter motivates the believer to look to his glorious hope, the coming of Jesus, in the midst of the trials and tribulations of life.

The book concludes with a call to remain faithful in the journey of life, with eyes fixed on Jesus (p226). May this book motivate those who read it to faithfulness to the one who has been faithfully present among his people, the Alpha and the Omega.

Emmanuel Viray (ThM ’09)
CCW, Lutheran Child and Family Services
Chicago, IL

Alumni IM: Jonathan Weyer on New Book and Old Atheism

2010-09-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

As part of our ongoing effort to invite alumni to speak into the ministry formation of students, Rev. Jonathan Weyer (MDiv ’01) Skyped into the Covenant Seminary chapel this morning (Sept 28). Jonathan serves as the CCCO minister at Ohio State University. He is the founder of The Thomas Society—a ministry dedicated to answering questions from doubters, agnostics and atheists. Along with the atheists at Ohio State, he won a Multicultural Award from the university. Because of his work with atheists, the Secular Student Alliance added him to their speaker's bureau. He is the author of the upcoming book, The Faithful, a novel about a minister's crisis of faith told through a ghost story/murder mystery in the tradition of Charles Williams. The Faithful will be released on October 1st. Jonathan lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, three kids and a crazy cat.

Joel: Thanks so much, Jonathan, for Skyping into chapel this morning. Lots of good comments from people about that. You definitely got them thinking. There was an audible groan mixed with laughter when the feed kicked out. I think everybody was holding their breath to hear about the “crisis of faith” in the life of the main character of your new book. Let’s start there—what is your new book about?

Jonathan: The book, “The Faithful,” is about an assistant pastor's crisis of faith that comes from his idealism not lining up with the reality of his church. Work and life struggles have put him at the point of not believing anymore, when his ex-fiancee is murdered and she starts haunting him. So, he decides to figure out who murdered her

Joel: I won’t ruin the ending by asking if he finds out. More importantly, why a murder mystery?

Jonathan: Well, the whole mystery is wrapped up in the ghost story. She had to become a ghost somehow. :) In seriousness, I have always liked murder mysteries and paranormal stories so, it seemed to fit. Plus
all the good ghost stories are usually from a tragic death/murder.

Joel: Have you gotten any negative pushback--like "You're a Christian…so why are you writing about stuff like THAT?"

Jonathan: At first, yes, then I explain that there is a long tradition of Christian writers who have done this sort of work. Charles Williams being the prime example. Then I say, “Well, the Creed does say that God is the creator of the seen and the unseen.” The unseen part always gives good stories. There is a quote at the beginning of the book by St. Augustine that basically says, “The Dead never leave us, but they are invisible."

Joel: In many of the churches I’ve attended (or know of) artists, writers, creators in general--they’re kind of, well, on the outside. Nobody seems to know what to do with them. How would you encourage pastors to draw on the gifts of these people for the “building up of the whole body” (Eph 4)?

Jonathan: Well, Greg Blosser (MDiv ’02) had a great quote two Sundays ago. He said, “You know, all the Dr's, lawyers, nurses, emergency personal, etc…you all are going to be out of a job in the new heavens and earth. It's the artists who are going to have a job in heaven.” In our fallen world, we have it backward. We have to train people in the church to see that God is an artist—a masterful artist.

Dorthy Sayers has a whole book about that, by the way. So, as a pastor, read how God instructed the artists to set up the temple…and then figure out ways that artists can play a huge role in the life of the church: establish art guilds, encourage your musicians, hold art gallery nights and encourage everyone to enter something. This is harder in our tradition because we think bare walls are the closest thing to godliness in our churches.

Joel: Are you part of any artists/writers guilds?

Jonathan: Yes. I am. And I'm thinking of establishing my own, if the writing career really takes off.

Joel: Some of the students were interested in hearing more about your regular involvement with the Atheist Club. I’m not even sure what to ask—but they want to know more. It sounds downright scandalous in many reformed circles.

Jonathan: LOL. Well, let me put it this way. I’m the only Christian minister on the SSA [Secular Student Alliance] speaker's bureau, which means they pay me to speak to their student groups about Jesus. I'm upfront about who I am and what I will talk about. I'm creative with that, of course. For example, I’m speaking in Seattle in the middle of November on why God calls us to be Skeptics, which ends with being skeptical of ourselves.

Joel: That is creative. Is the Seattle gig an open forum--I mean, could anybody come?

Jonathan: Of course. There might be two. We are working on the second one at University of Washington. They want Christians to come, in fact

Joel: Does the SSA ever feel like you did a hat-trick, promised one thing and delivered another?

Jonathan: No, because I have always been upfront about who I am. The difference is, I let them have their voice, as their voice, not what I think it is. I give up power and the right to control the conversation. Which, really, is how Jesus did things. I go to their groups instead of expecting them to come to mine.

Joel: That comment about power--it's something else someone picked up on from our Skype interview. Changing gears--would you ever be interested in coming to campus and doing a ministry lunch?

Jonathan: Yep, would love it. In fact, I'm coming in the first weekend of November. I could do it on that Friday, which is the 5th.

Joel: Thanks Jonathan. We appreciate you.

Please leave your commments or questions below about the Skype Interview, the above blog post, or any thoughts you have about a ministy lunch with Jonathan in November.

Part 1 of 2: Interview with Dr. Phil Douglass

2008-06-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of 2: Interview with Dr. Phil Douglass on his book "What is Your Church's Personality?"

2008-06-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

Resume & MDF: How Does Your Church Do it?

2007-12-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

For local congregations, December is all about Christmas cantatas, outreach events, dinners, parties, and regular celebration of our Savior’s birth. For seniors at Covenant Seminary, December is about ramping up the ministry placement search—pulling together information for the Ministry Data Form (MDF) and resume. And so the questions come: What are churches looking for in a resume? What should I put in the cover letter? Should my MDF be more succinct or more personal?

So we’re asking the experts—you! As a pastor or ministry leader, whether in hiring an assistant/associate pastor or in the interview process yourself, what recommendations do you have for these pastors-to-be? What works? What doesn’t? What mistakes have you made that should never be repeated? Take a few moments to encourage these pastors-to-be by sharing your thoughts.