Status Report: December

Sitting… at the old dining room table pushed up under the front window, watching the world go by.

Drinking…my morning coffee. Black, french-pressed.

Planning…my day. It’s cold out and I’d love to just stay home, but I usually go work in the church library  for a bit on Friday. But I could take a week off, right? Especially since I have some other important things to do?

Waiting… for the temperature to rise. We’ve had a pretty mild fall and early winter, until this week, when we got a big dump of heavy snow, and then the temperature began to drop…down, down, down to -35C at my place at 7pm last night. Since then the thermometer’s been slowly rising, and it’s supposed to be above freezing this weekend. I’m waiting for it and hoping the weather prediction is accurate.

Reading… a few books. One is Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns by T. David Gordon. I won’t be reviewing it because my feelings about it are mixed and I don’t want to take the time to explain. Some of what he writes I agree with, but his arguments seem scattered in places, and I’d say he pushes his conclusions beyond what his arguments can support. That said, I learned some interesting things, like why, for instance, some newer worship songs are so hard to sing together as a congregation.

Deciding… what to give this Christmas. This is the part of Christmas I dislike most, not because I’m a Scrooge, but because I don’t like deciding, especially when there’s a deadline.

Anticipating… Christmas parties. Putting the tree up this weekend.

Wondering… if this will be a wicked winter and hoping that it’s not. Wondering when I got to be such a weather wimp.

Pondering… the incarnation. How can it be? What does it mean?

Thankful… for a warm home, for time by the fire, for hope.

Copying… Staci.

The Word

Don Carson, from The God Who Is There, on John’s use of the term “Word” to refer to Jesus in chapter 1 of his gospel:

[T]he term “Word” is an interesting choice. What title or metaphorical expression should be applied to Jesus in the opening verses of John’s Gospel? I can imagine various possibilities going round and round in John’s head. But at some point John remembers, for example, that in the Old Testament we frequently read expressions like this: “The word of the Lord came to the prophet, saying… .” So God disclosed himself by his word in revelation. Then perhaps he remembers Genesis 1: God spoke, and the world came into being; otherwise put, by the word of the Lord the heavens and earth were made (see Ps. 33:6). So here we have God’s word in creation. Elsewhere, biblical writers speak of God sending forth his word to heal and help and transform his People (see for example Ps 107:20). All these things God’s word accomplishes: by his word, God reveals, he creates, he transforms, and John thinks to himself, “Yes, that’s the appropriate expression that summarizes all who Jesus is.” He is God’s self-expression, God’s revelation; he is God’s own agent in creation; and he comes to save and transform God’s people.

I’ve listened to all of the talks on which this book is based and recommend them. I’ve read some of the book, and recommend it, too, especially because the talks are dense, so it’s good to be able to work through the materially slowly and think on it, bit by bit, as the explanations build.

And now, if you prefer, you can watch the talks on free video made available recently by The Gospel Coalition. Here’s how the series of talks is described there:

This series will serve the church well because it simultaneously evangelizes non-Christians and edifies Christians by explaining the Bible’s storyline in a non-reductionistic way. The series is geared toward “seekers” and articulates Christianity in a way that causes hearers either to reject or embrace the gospel. It’s one thing to know the Bible’s storyline, but it’s another to know one’s role in God’s ongoing story of redemption. “The God Who Is There” engages people at the worldview-level.

The link in the quote is added by me. How could I resist?

If you are already a believer, don’t let the “geared toward ‘seekers’” thing throw you off. The lectures and book would be valuable to anyone who is a student of the Christian faith, and if you’re a believer, that should be you.

If you don’t have time for all the lectures, consider listening or viewing only The God Who Becomes a Human Being (the chapter/lecture that contains the above quoted bit) as part of your preparation for Christmas, our celebration of God becoming human.

Theological Term of the Week

worldview
A network of presuppostions … in terms of which all experience is related and interpreted;1 a set of presuppositions (or assumptions) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously) about the basic makeup of our world,”2 and through which we make sense of reality.

• From scripture:
  

  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV)
  

• From Developing a Biblical Worldview by Mark D. Roberts:

  If you are seeking a biblical worldview, begin at the beginning in Genesis, in the first words of the Bible. From Genesis 1-3 we learn the following, all crucial components of a biblical worldview:

  1. There is one transcendent, sovereign, all-powerful God who created all things.

  2. Matter matters, because God created heaven and earth and saw that all things he created are very good.

  3. The image of God as male and female shows us that God is personal (not a thing or an it) and yet transcendent (not exclusively male or exclusively female).

  4. The image of God as male and female shows us that we human beings are: uniquely valuable; essentially male or female; meant to share life together in a complementary relationship as men and women; created for life in community.

  5. What’s really wrong with us is sin, our rejection of God’s rightful rule over our lives, seen in actions that disobey God.

  6. Sin explains what’s wrong in the world. Sin leads to brokenness between humans, between humans and God, and in creation itself.

  7. A biblical worldview does not minimize or deny the reality of pain and evil, but even the bad news of Genesis 3 offers glimmers of hope. God has not abandoned his creation or his people, but seeks us out. Jesus will ultimately crush the head of serpent, eradicating both sin and its consequences.

  Of course everything I’ve just said assumes the truthfulness of the Bible. A biblical worldview, reasonably enough, rests upon the Bible, and is adopted by people who accept the Bible’s authority and spend time learning its truth. Perhaps one of the most distinctive aspects of a biblical worldview in today’s world is the whole idea of absolute truth.

Learn more:

1. Kenneth Samples: What in the World is a Worldview?
2. Ligon Duncan: What in the World is a Worldview?
3. Mark D. Roberts: Developing a Biblical Worldview
4. Matt Slick: What Are Some Elements of a Christian Worldview?
5. Michael Horton: How Your Theology Shapes Your Worldview
6. New Links! Al Mohler: The Christian Worldview As Master Narrative: Creation; Sin and its Consequences; Redemption Accomplished; The End That Is a Beginning.
7. Greg Bahnsen: Introduction to Worldviews (series of 7 YouTube videos): Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.

Related terms:

• apologetics

1 From Introduction to Worldviews, Part 1 by Greg Bahnsen.
2 From The Universe Next Door by James Sire.

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.