Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

D.A. Carson – “The God Who Is There”

One of the books I am currently reading is Don Carson’s “The God Who Is There.” This book is a very good introduction the Bible and its major themes. I would encourage you to check it out.

Via Andy Naselli

On February 20-21 and 27-28, 2009, Don Carson presented a 14-part seminar entitled “The God Who Is There” at Bethlehem Baptist Church’s North Campus in Minneapolis. 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.

And now MP3s (full) and video (10-minute previews) are available for Carson’s 14-part series:

  1. The God Who Made Everything | MP3 | Video Preview
  2. The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels | MP3 | Video Preview
  3. The God Who Writes His Own Agreements | MP3 | Video Preview
  4. The God Who Legislates | MP3 | Video Preview
  5. The God Who Reigns | MP3 | Video Preview
  6. The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise | MP3 | Video Preview
  7. The God Who Becomes a Human Being | MP3 | Video Preview
  8. The God Who Grants New Birth | MP3 | Video Preview
  9. The God Who Loves | MP3 | Video Preview
  10. The God Who Dies—and Lives Again | MP3 | Video Preview
  11. The God Who Declares the Guilty Just | MP3 | Video Preview
  12. The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People | MP3 | Video Preview
  13. The God Who Is Very Angry | MP3 | Video Preview
  14. The God Who Triumphs | MP3 | Video Preview
Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Resources for Christian Counseling and Member Care

Over the past few months I have been meeting with some of the men from our church family to discuss the book Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. This morning we discussed pastoral care. When most people hear the words “pastoral care” they get the picture of a vocational pastor, or professional, providing care for people in time of crisis. In most cases this is true – because we have let it come to that.

The problem with this picture is that the body of Christ, the church, should be involved in communal care and discipleship before a situation ever reaches ‘crisis mode.’ This is what Chester and Timmis call preventative care. More than that, pastoral care is the responsibility of the whole body of Christ, and it is done in the context of intimate community. In most cases people are pushed to the pastor or professional counselor rather than being discipled in the context of a intimate christian community. I would go as far as to argue that the only reason the “Christian Counseling” ministry exists is because the church is not functioning as it was created to function. Counseling and member care is the job of the church community.

I agree with Chester and Timmis fully when they argue that:

It is our conviction that the gospel word and the gospel community do not fail us when it comes to pastoral care. Together they provide a secure framework within which to approach pastoral issues…The Bible addresses the entire range of problems we experience in living in this world. Biblical truth is not limited to a narrow sphere of life, not to a limited range of beliefs or convictions. It addresses all the basic and essential issues of what it means to be human, both in our sin and in our salvation.

The best resources I have seen for counseling and care come through the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation. These guys offer theologically solid, gospel centered resources for counseling and care. If you are looking to grow in your understanding of applying the gospel to the hard situations of life I would point you to the “Resources for Changing Lives” series from the CCEF. These are concise booklets that are about 20-25 pages each and provide a helpful introduction to problems that Christians faith. Here is a list of links to each of the topics they cover:

A great introduction to guide you in understanding the larger context of Christian counsel and care is Paul Tripp’s book:

Again, CCEF provides a wealth of resources in service of the church. Make good use of them, their vision is to “restore Christ to counseling, and counseling to the church.” – That’s you and I

Matt Capps Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

First and Second Corinthians – An Introduction

Derek Radney and I gathered/wrote this material for the teachers in our church as we begin studying 1 & 2 Corinthians.

The Letters to the Corinthians and Us

Paul’s pastoral method in writing letters is extremely clear when one ponders the riches of these two letters. While Paul was writing to deal with specific immediate issues in the Corinthian church, which could have been addressed in a few pages, he allows these issues to form a theological agenda for writing. In other words, the issues prompting Paul’s writing provide a platform to discuss certain things in a larger context.

So while these letters were written for a specific church in a specific context, to be circled to a group of churches in the surrounding region[1], its application transcends the immediate and is directly applicable to us today. Just a general overview of the key themes illustrates this:

  1. In First Corinthians Paul calls the believers, who are divided because of certain arrogant leaders, to work together for the advancement of the gospel. He urges them to “drop their divisive one-upmanship, build up the faith of those who are weak, and witness effectively to unbelievers.[2]
  2. In Second Corinthians Paul writes of the relationship between suffering and the power of the Spirit – in the context of his ministry, and the message of the gospel. In doing this he seeks to reconcile his relationship to the church in Corinth, which he loves dearly.

Corinth in the Time of Paul

The City of Corinth

Corinth was an ancient Greek city, dating back to beginning of the first millennium B.C.  However, in 146 BC, the Romans totally destroyed it and burned it to the ground because the citizens there led a coalition of city states in rebellion against Rome. The city was gone for 100 years until Julius Caesar built a new Roman colony there in 44 BC. Thus, Corinth was established again as a very Roman city.

The architecture, political organization, and the very ethos of Corinth was Roman. Therefore, in the time Paul wrote to the church in Corinth “it was geographically in Greece but culturally in Rome.”[3]

The Population in Corinth

The population was primarily made up of Romans, “Caesar colonized the city with persons belonging predominately to the ‘freedman class’[4] and with some soldiers.”[5] As a result the city had a mixed ethnic population that included descendants of the original Greek population as well as former slaves from everywhere in the world – Egypt, Syria, Judea – all who had some familiarity with koine Greek. Furthermore, during the time this letter was composed approximately ‘one third’ of the population consisted of slaves, and Corinth was a main slave trade depot in that part of the world

The Social Culture in Corinth

In Corinth society was hierarchical and elitist. Wealth, status, and power were the dominant values. “Many inhabitants of Corinth were prosperous, and wealth and ostentatious display became a hallmark of Corinth.”[6] The wealth of Corinth was largely owed to its location, which was of great commercial importance. Corinth had two large gulf harbors which made it a hub of commerce in that part of the world.[7] In fact, wealthy Corinth became one of the most notable centers for banking and finance in the world.[8]

At the same time, many of Corinth’s inhabitants were impoverished. One ancient traveler declined to enter Corinth once he learned of the “repulsiveness of the rich and the misery of the poor” in the city.[9] But Garland notes that since it was largely a freeman’s city, “upward social mobility was more attainable than in other more established cities in the empire with their entranced aristocracies. Socially ambitious Corinthians could seize the opportunity to advance themselves.”[10] Individual advancement and the pursuit of success were very possible in Corinth for everyone, and it was thus a high value.

The society revolved around displays of wealth and honor. People sought status by attaining patronage from the powerful through excellence in philosophical eloquence, business ventures, and political connections.  It was a highly individualist, egocentric, competitive society dominated by leaders who consistently showed their power, honor, and status. This environment is most obvious in the writings of the ancient philosopher Diogenes, who wrote of his experience while in Corinth:

“That was the time, too, when one could hear crowds of wretched sophists around Poseidon’s temple shouting and reviling one another, and their disciples, as they were called, fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems while others applauded, many jugglers showing their tricks, many fortune tellers interpreting fortunes, lawyers innumerable perverting judgment, and peddlers selling what ever they had.”[11]

The Religious and Philosophical Influences in Corinth

It was a melting pot of old and new religions flourishing together. There was worship of all the Greek/Roman gods, Egyptian mystery cults, magic, the imperial worship of Roman emperors, and Judaism. Aside from Judaism, most people worshiped gods from all sorts of religious backgrounds thinking that the more one worshiped the better. Therefore, the religious climate was strongly pluralistic and nationalistic. Among the many shrines and temples of Corinth the most prominent in the religious and architectural atmosphere was the Temple of Aphrodite.[12]

The Church in Corinth

The Church at Corinth was in a mess:

  1. There were divisions in the church.
  2. There was sexual immorality.
  3. There was boasting of every sort, especially in spiritual gifts, knowledge, eloquent speech, and status.
  4. There was greed, idolatry, and even some who refused to submit to God’s design in gender roles.

But, notice how Paul starts the first letter:[13]

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Cor. 1:2-3

The Church hardly looked like a sanctified bunch, and yet Paul greeted them as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together.” Paul called them sanctified despite their sinfulness because they had been set apart by God to be holy because of the blood of Jesus Christ. They had been made holy through the washing of Christ’s blood. So, Paul reminded them that they were to live like saints since God had made them holy. And, Paul reminded them that they were to live like saints together.

In one simple greeting, Paul got to the heart of their problem and reminded them of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were living immoral lives, but God had made them holy to live holy lives! They were living divided as a church, but God had called them into fellowship with himself and with one another.

Paul’s Ministry in Corinth

On Paul’s second missionary journey, he left Antioch, traveled through Asia Minor by passing through Cilicia, Galatia, and Asia before sailing to Macedonia where he planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. After planting these three churches in Macedonia, he turned south into Achaia and spent time in Athens. After planting three churches in Macedonia and experiencing persecution there, only a few people believe the gospel in Athens, and so he left Athens in peace without a dramatically effective ministry there.

It was no accident that Paul positioned himself in strategic cities during his ministry. The places where Paul focused his ministry were lively cities and formed a strategic triangle enabling the gospel to be spread among the busiest trade routs in the world. He had good reason to spend much time there. Corinth was specifically profitable for a few reasons:

  1. As a major destination for traders, travelers, and tourists in the eastern Mediterranean, Corinth was an ideal location from which to spread the Gospel.
  2. Corinth was an idea place for Paul to practice his trade as a tent maker. Because of its location and festivals there was a high demand for tents for sheltering visitors to the athletic games, awnings for retailers, and sails for merchant ships. This also allowed Paul to exercise some measure of economic independence.[14] Often Paul’s workspace would become a public forum to proclaim the gospel.[15]
  3. Because of Corinth’s vibrant economy, it was a magnet for immigrants from all over the eastern Mediterranean who came to work in its flourishing manufacturing, marketing, and service sectors. This influx of people provided the ideal circumstance to spread the gospel word to all nationalities.

Key Leaders in Corinth

Priscilla and Aquila

Upon arriving in Corinth, Paul linked up with Priscilla and Aquila. Aquila was a Jew originally from Pontus (the northern part of Asia Minor).  But, he had been living and doing business in Rome. His wife Priscilla was a Gentile, possibly from Rome. The two had been expelled from Rome because Emperor Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome in about 49 AD. The Roman historian Suetonius, writing 70 years after the event, said that Claudius expelled the Jews because there was consistent rioting ‘at the instigation of Chrestus.’ This is probably a reference to Jesus Christ. Thus, it appears that Christianity had reached Rome, and that it had caused a stir in the Jewish community to such a degree that all Jews were expelled. Aquila and Priscilla were Christians who had a tent-making business that most likely took them from Rome, to Corinth, to Ephesus. Paul worked for them as he also began his ministry preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath to persuade the Jews and Greeks that Jesus was the Messiah. We learn from the rest of Scripture that these two became great friends and ministry partners with Paul. They helped Apollos get his theology straight (Acts 18.24-26) and they were a tremendous help to all the churches that Paul ministered too (Rom. 16.4).

Apollos

While Paul traveled to Jerusalem and Antioch at the end of his 2nd missionary journey, a Greek Christian from Alexandria came to Ephesus. He was very eloquent, but his theology needed some updating since he had not heard of any baptism but that of John the Baptist. Priscilla and Aquila had stayed in Ephesus to run their business after Paul stopped briefly there on his way to Jerusalem, and they pulled Apollos aside to explain to him what he lacked (Acts 18.24-26). After this, Apollos left and went to Corinth to minister there (Acts 19.1, I Cor. 3.6).

Peter

Several things suggest that Peter ministered in Corinth after Paul planted the church and before he wrote I Corinthians. First, Peter is mentioned in chapter 1 as one of the person’s that people in Corinth were claiming to belong to. Apollos and Paul were the others, and this suggests that people were dividing up along the various leaders that had ministered in Corinth. Second, Paul alludes to the fact that Peter had the right to minister with a wife.  This lends support to, though it is not strong, the idea that Peter and his wife traveled to Corinth.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians from Paul

  • Author:  The Apostle Paul (I Cor. 1.1)
  • Date:  About 55AD from Ephesus on Paul’s 3rd missionary journey
  • Occasion: Division in the Church
  1. In Ephesus, Paul received a letter with some questions from the Corinthians.  The letter contained various questions concerning doctrine and practice.
  2. He also received verbal reports from ‘Chloe’s people,’ who may have carried the letter to Paul, and a band of three, Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (I Cor. 16.17) concerning the situation of the Corinthian church.
  3. Oral reports and the letter from the Corinthians brought about Paul’s letter.
  4. However, it is clear from I & II Corinthians that there were a number of letters between Paul and the Corinthians.  Paul probably wrote 4 to them in all, 2 being part of Holy Scripture.
  5. The main reason why Paul wrote this letter is thatthere were divisions in the church as a result of factions that had arisen because the Corinthians had not shaken the love of individual status, power, and honor that the surrounding culture loved.
  6. In this sense, I Corinthians is very relevant for the American church.  Their issues are our issues.  Their misunderstanding of the gospel is in large part our misunderstanding of the gospel.

Major Themes:

  1. Wisdom and Power
  2. The Character of Christian Leadership
  3. The Unity of the Body of Christ
  4. The Work of the Holy Spirit
  5. Ethics and Love
  6. The Resurrection and this Present World

The Second Epistle to the Corinthians from Paul

  • A.    Author:  The Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 1.1)
  • B.    Date:  Late 55AD or 56AD from Macedonia on his way to Jerusalem.[16]
  • C.    Occasion: Healing a broken relationship with the Corinthian church.
  1. Paul’s physical absence from Corinth created a vacuum of theological and administrative leadership. Paul continued his relationship through writing and occasional visits.
  2. In the first two of the four letters Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, Paul challenged important persons in the church for their unethical behavior and close association with idolatry. As a result some of the members became angered and opposed his leadership.
  3. Upon hearing of the situation in Corinth, Paul decided to change his plans and make an emergency visit to Corinth.[17] This visit turned out to be bitter for Paul. He was the object of attack by someone in the church community and no one took up his defense.[18]
  4. Paul then must have retreated back to Ephesus where he wrote a sorrowful letter which is alluded to in 2 Corinthians 2.4 and 7.8. Again, this ‘painful’ or ‘tearful’ letter was lost. But this letter apparently called the church to take action against the offender.[19]
  5. Paul had Titus deliver this ‘painful’ letter to the church in Corinth.[20] After this letter was written, Paul’s life was put into grave danger in Asia,[21] so much so that he attributed his survival to the hand of God. Paul then planned on meeting Titus in Troas where he could receive a report about Corinth.  He never managed to find Titus there, and so he went on to Macedonia.[22]
  6. Eventually, Paul and Titus met up in Macedonia[23] and Titus reported good news about the repentance[24] of the majority of the church and their love for Paul’s ministry.[25] Therefore we can conclude that the sending of the ‘painful’ letter and Titus helped begin the mending process between Paul and Corinthian church.
  7. At some point after Paul’s difficult visit and probably after the letter carried by Titus arrived, those who claimed to be ‘super-apostles’ arrived in Corinth and began to influence the church, and undermine Paul’s ministry in that area.[26] In response to this, Paul composed the letter that we know as 2 Corinthians.

Major Themes:

  1. Suffering and the Cross of Christ
  2. Ministry of the New Covenant
  3. Endurance amid Adversity
  4. The Transforming Presence and Power of the Spirit
  5. Repentance Expresses Itself Love and Unity
  6. Christ the Savior is also Christ the Judge

A ‘time-line’ of the letters to the Corinthians:

  1. Corinthians A = A letter Paul sent to them first, alluded to in I Corinthians 5.9
  2. Corinthians B = I Corinthians, carried by Timothy
  3. Corinthians C =The painful letter of II Corinthians 2.4 & 7.8 carried by Titus
  4. Corinthians D = II Corinthians

Continue reading “First and Second Corinthians – An Introduction” →

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

The Gospel in Life – A Study by Tim Keller

The Gospel in Life is an intensive 8 week course on the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life – First in your heart, then in your community, and then out into the world.

I am excited about going through this material on Wednesday nights at our West Campus starting May 12th, we will be meeting in room 3207 from 6:30-8:00pm. I encourage you to participate in this study. Each week we will read scripture together, watch a 10 minute DVD teaching by Dr. Tim Keller, and have discussion. Here is the calendar with a list of the topics:

May 12 – City: The World That Is
May 19 – Heart: Three Ways To Live
May 26 – Idolatry: The Sin Beneath The Sin
June 2 – Community: The Context For Change
June 9 – Witness: An Alternative City
June 16 – Work: Cultivating The Garden
June 23 – Justice: A People For Others
June 30 – Eternity: The World That Is To Come

For more information on the material see gospelinlife.com. I hope you will join us as we seek to further our understanding of how the gospel applies to all areas of life, personally and in the community.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Resources for the Study of Biblical Theology

Last week I completed teaching an 11 part course in Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church, where I serve as an Associate Pastor. In preparation I found that Graeme Goldsworthy’s book “According to Plan” was an excellent introduction to the discipline of Biblical Theology. So I organized the material after ‘Part Three’ of that book, while supplementing the notes with other resources. I hope to continue teaching this class throughout ministry. This is the first draft of the notes, which I will revise continually.

Here are the notes that I taught from, and handed out each week in the class.

  1. Introduction
  2. Creation
  3. The Fall
  4. God’s Covenant with Noah
  5. God’s Covenant with Abraham
  6. The Exodus
  7. God’s Covenant with Moses
  8. God’s Faithfulness and Israel’s Faithlessness
  9. God’s Rule Through Israel’s King’s
  10. Faith as a Life of Wisdom and Worship
  11. The Postexilic Prophets

For further study I would also recommend the following books:

If you are a Bible Teacher or Preacher I would also recommend these books:

I would also encourage you to visit the website “Beginning with Moses” for some excellent resources.

Matt Capps Books, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention

Review of Jim Belcher’s ‘Deep Church’ – Part 3

Note: In this three part series I have devoted two posts to summarizing Part 1 and Part 2 of Jim Belcher’s book Deep Church. In this post I offer some concluding thoughts.

Whenever a book review was assigned in seminary I would search for previously written book reviews to help me process the ideas presented in the book. Conversing with other thinkers on theological works has always been a high priority in my study habits, whether in conversation or in reading others thoughts. In preparation for presenting my thoughts on Deep Church I read reviews by Kevin DeYoung, Greg Gilbert, Steve McCoy, Scott Armstrong. I have posted some of their comments in the footnotes.

Let me start off by saying that the main desire that prompted Belcher to write this book is obvious, to see a ecumenical movement develop between those in the emerging church and those in the traditional camps, the vision is for “Christian unity, civility, and the desire for the church to move beyond the in-fighting to powerful mission in the world.”[1] I appreciate Belcher’s honesty and thoughtfulness in considering the possibility of such unity. I am glad that Belcher makes it clear that he rejects the most tragic theological flaws of some of the leaders in the emerging movement. This is where I doubt whether or not such unity is possible. When it comes to the ‘emergent’ camp I cannot see unity as a possibility when some of them are abandoning the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Sure, some of these are hard doctrines but the implications of rejecting such biblical truths not only cross the line into heresy, but also have massive implications on these churches as a whole. Belcher’s account of the meeting between Piper, Jones, and Pagitt serves to illustrate the point.[2]

With that said, I do think that Belcher offers some very helpful thoughts on ‘points of dialogue’ between the emerging and traditional camps. I agree with Belcher when he writes that we can learn from others even when we disagree with them. It’s funny, as I read blogs and reviews of the book I think Belcher has accomplished what he set out to do, which is provide conversation points for discussion.

Let me stick to the issues that have brought ‘controversy’ to discussions on this book. Belcher has caught some criticism on his definition of the ‘gospel.’ Here is his definition;

“The “gospel” is the good news that through Jesus, the Messiah, the power of God’s kingdom has entered history to renew the whole world. Through the Savior God has established his reign. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work and record (rather than ours) for our relationship to God, that kingdom power comes upon us and begins to work through us. We witness the radical new way of living by our renewed lives, beautiful community, social justice, and cultural transformation. This good news brings new life. The gospel motivates, guides, and empowers every aspect of our living and worship (121).[3]“

What I believe Belcher has done in his definition is attempt to ‘bridge the gap’ between the individual and corporate aspects of the gospel. In order to fully understand why Belcher expands his definition of the gospel beyond its individual aspects read Tim Keller’s article “The Gospel in All its Forms.”[4] In this article Keller writes that many have focused too much on the “simple gospel.” (The ABC’s of salvation)

“There are today at least two criticisms of this simple formulation. Many say that it is too individualistic, that Christ’s salvation is not so much to bring individual happiness as to bring peace, justice, and a new creation. A second criticism is that there is no one “simple gospel” because “everything is contextual” and the Bible itself contains many gospel presentations that exist in tension with each other.”

This not only helps one understand why Belcher expands his definition of the gospel, that the Good News is not only the forgiveness of sins but the promise and hope for new-creation, but also why he writes of “contextualizing the gospel for his community.” I think Belcher is saying here that Christians are to live as ‘Kingdom people’ in their communities. Therefore, the community that one seeks to penetrate with the gospel often shapes how the gospel is presented in ‘word and deed’. It’s not that the gospel message is changed, but the message is contextualized for that specific place, time, and people. There are different nuances to how people communicate physically and verbally in different cultures; these factors must be considered when one wants to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Belcher recently wrote in an interview;

“When you study Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts you see that he preached the gospel very differently to the Jews than he did to Gentiles. He presented the message differently in the cities than the small towns. He was contextualizing the Gospel…my former professor John Frame says, “Should we, then, preach in Hebrew, or Greek, or Serbo-Croatian? Should we make the gospel as obscure as possible so as to avoid catering to fallen pride? Should we present it as something irrational, in order to maintain the offense of the cross? Perhaps we should not preach at all, in order to let God do the work.” Of course Frame is using some rhetorical hyperbole but the point is that Paul thought we needed to “translate” the message to each unique audience. I think that it is what we are called to do.”

Belcher is exactly right when he says that the deepest division between the emergent church and evangelicalism is about the gospel itself. The gospel is where we find unity as believers, but if different groups cannot agree on the essentials on that message – unity is not possible in the greater sense.

I am on the same page with Steve McCoy, he says that Deep Church resonated with him in a personal way. I encourage all pastors and church leaders to read this book. While you may not agree with every single detail or thought, its wonderful to ‘walk alongside’ Belcher as he wrestles with these issues himself.

Belcher provides an excellent analysis of the main issues being considered by the next generation of church leaders. While I doubt that the ideal ‘deep church’ Belcher longs for is possible theologically for the Church. I will say that this book could serve as a catalyst to help us as Christians have deeper dialogue among the Church as a whole. Also, many of these principles will challenge you to think different about ‘how’ you are doing ministry in your own context.

Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of my review.

  1. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2009/11/30/a-conversation-about-deep-church/
  2. I agree with Gilbert when he writes, “Piper is right: To reject the idea of Jesus dying in the place of sinners, taking their punishment on himself for their sins, is to reject the gospel” totally.
  3. DeYoung notes that Belcher leaves out sin, the cross, and the resurrection. These “three items give no specific mention in Belcher’s definition of the gospel. This is a problem.” I think he is right to point this out.
  4. In this article Tim Keller defines the gospel as follows; “Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God fully accomplishes salvation for us, rescuing us from judgment for sin into fellowship with him, and then restores the creation in which we can enjoy our new life together with him forever.”
Matt Capps Books, Christianity, Culture, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention

Review of Jim Belcher’s ‘Deep Church’ – Part 2

Note: In this three part series I have devoted two posts to summarizing Part 1 and Part 2 of Jim Belcher’s book Deep Church. In post 3 I will offer some concluding thoughts – highlights and critical reflection.

Summary of Part 2 – ‘Protest, Reaction, and The Deep Church’

Deep Truth

The emerging church argues that the traditional church has gone too far in using the tools of Enlightenment reason and science to prove that the Bible is true. On the other hand, the traditional church has argued that the emerging church has denied the great metanarrative that makes sense of reality by rejecting any notion of transcendent truth. Belcher argues that we need to move beyond foundationalism[1] and hard postmodernism to a deeper understanding of truth.

“If its true that the traditional church’s realism is correct but not its foundationalism, and that the emerging church’s postfoundational critique is on target but not its metaphysics, what is the alternative?”

For Belcher, this third way rejects classical foundationalism and hard postmodernism. What does this mean? While no philosophical system can uphold our way of knowing, this does not leave us with an “everything goes” mentality. Belcher explains that Deep Church believes in foundations, but the foundations are built on belief, not reason. He explains that “this does not make us timid”, but gives us proper confidence. “We realize that we are sinners, prone to see reality through our selfishness and conceit.” The point is to pull away from confidence in ourselves, but trust in Christ.

Deep Evangelism

Simply put, people need to be “drawn to the well.” The emerging culture often places belonging before believing. ‘Belonging’ to a group means that you feel welcome, are able to be honest and open, you can simply come as you are. Belcher reflects on a conversation he had with friend Steven Cooper to explain how this works. Cooper argued from a pattern in the Gospel accounts that there are three stages to move from belonging to believing;

“In the first part of Jesus’ ministry, he’s training disciples so they would know exactly who he is. Through his teaching and miracles, his actions, his ministry, Jesus is answering the disciples questions about Jesus’ identity…[but then there is transition 1] Notice that Jesus asks the disciples the ultimate question, ‘who do you say that I am?’…[Finally transition 2] In the final section of the Gospels, Jesus unveils that he will…be rejected, suffer at the hands of men, be crucified, and then be raised again. Directly following this revelation, Jesus calls his disciples then to take up their cross and follow him.”

The point is simple. People are to first enter into the community. Once they have moved deeper into the community, truly belong, they are called to believe in Christ.

Deep Gospel

In the traditional church, Belcher posits, salvation is primarily personal- being saved from our sins and living morally before God. “This consisted mostly in doing stuff for God, saving souls, supporting our foreign missions program and having our quiet times…But Christianity is bigger than just me and my personal life.” He argues that the phrase ‘Kingdom of God’ is rarely talked about or properly explained in traditional churches.

Belcher exposes that there are weakness in the emerging churches as they react to the traditional churches who rarely talk about the ‘Kingdom of God.’ While he appreciates the focus on kingdom living, the descriptions often will leave one “powerless to enter the kingdom and live it out. The emerging leaders tend to react against the traditional church so there is little talk on the key doctrines of salvation. With no focus on the blood of Christ we are left with nothing more than ‘virtue ethics.’ So, what is supposed to be so liberating becomes legalism with a fresh face.

Deep gospel is explained as Belcher describes how their church contextualized the gospel message for Orange County.

“We wanted to stress the atonement as well as the Kingdom of God. We wanted to make it clear that Christ’s cross, which paid for our sins and took away our guilt, is the foundation for Christ’s victory over evil and oppression, and allows us to join God’s family and his kingdom reign.”

Deep Worship

‘Worship wars’ are still being fought in the trenches of many local churches across America. It seems to me, from what I have read (and experienced) that much of the ammo comes from nothing more than ‘proof text’ and musical preference rather than a theologically robust understanding of scripture. On a larger scale corporate worship has taken many forms, most notably when one compares the emerging movement and the traditional church. Again there is the tendency to swing the pendulum too far away from tradition (emerging) or attempt to suspend worship within traditional forms (traditional).

Belcher argues that “in order to be faithful we must draw on not only Scripture but tradition as well. But we also draw on our cultural sensitivities and our desire to ‘worship before the nations,’ making sure that our worship is accessible to an outsider. Keeping all three- Bible, tradition and culture- in mind, we are able to craft a worship gathering that is neither irrelevant nor syncretistic.” Belcher shares that his desire is to see a deeper worship looks like this;

“Worship that embodied a genuine encounter with God, had depth and substance, included more frequent and meaningful Communion, was participatory, read more Scripture in worship, creatively used the senses, provided more time for contemplation, and focused on the transcendence and otherness of God.”

Deep Preaching

Belcher mentions that he grew up hearing sermons that lacked inspiration. He heard the typical ‘three points and a poem’, which often comes across, in my opinion, as “plastic”. Sermons should have unity, clarity, thoughtfulness, and dramatic movement. What was typical in the churches that Belcher grew up in was preaching that exhorted the people to “love Jesus more, live more faithfully, avoid the world, and serve obediently in the church.” I agree with Belcher here, and I am deeply saddened when most of the preaching Christians hear is nothing more than an emotional plea to motivate better living. This is so powerless, and often leads to nothing more than “moralism or legalism.”

What is lacking is a sense of homiletical drama. Belcher argues that we should strive to “preach Christ in every text, laying out and analyzing the human condition through Scriptures and experience, and exposing the radical, shocking grace of God that enters our situation, transforms us and empowers us to live differently. Thus we don’t exhaust our energies preaching against the world- we have enough worldliness inside of us for sermon material. We don’t exhaust our energies preaching the need to try harder, love better and be more holy with our first exposing our inability to do so apart from the transforming power of the cross and the resurrection of our lives. Anything less is legalism- which ends in discouragement.” People need to be drawn to the well.

Deep Ecclesiology

When Belcher analyzed his first experience working on a church staff he realized that “over 60 percent of the week was taken up by meetings, committees, paperwork, and other institutional chores…institutionalism was killing our church.” The rest of his time was spent cramming for sermons and organizing programs and events. He came to the conclusion that many churches that function like institutions become ingrown and care more about survival. When this happens “church members are no longer interested in missional Christianity, that is, being sent out into the world to be salt and light. They want safety, not challenge; security; not risk.”

Is there a better way to form a more organic church, knowing that the more ‘networked organic churches’ cannot survive long without some form of structure? Each side, traditional (more institutionalized) and emerging (more organic) believe that they are biblical? Is there another way? Belcher argues that “tradition and history act as checks on our views of the Bible and the world. If we neglect this vital history of the church and God’s faithful working on it, we are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past. Instead, we need to learn from the mistakes, be recalibrated by the wisdom of the past, and work out what it means to be in the church today in light of the Bible, mission and tradition.”

Deep Culture

The Christian community is divided over culture, “a unified witness to the world around us does not exist.” The emerging voices often react against the culturally narrow fundamentalist approach of traditional church often being sectarian. While the traditional church pushes back at the emerging church for being succumbed to the worst forms of syncretism. “These standoffs breed distrust.”

Belcher hold’s up Abraham Kuyper’s example of the church being an institution and an organism as the better way. While the church as institution seeks to uphold and refine the traditional elements of the church that are true to the biblical mandate. The church as an organism works to train secret agents who permeate world and create a culture within the city. In one sense, our churches are to present a radical alternative community to the world, but also called to take their new perspective into the surrounding communities as salt and light.

Click here for Part 1 of this series on ‘Deep Church.’

[1] Belcher defines Foundationalism as follows; “the view that knowledge can be based on self-evident truths that don’t need any backing from religion or any other external authority, that is knowledge that has ‘invincible certainty.’”

Matt Capps Books, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention

Review of Jim Belcher’s ‘Deep Church’ – Part 1

Summary of Part 1: ‘Mapping the Territory’

Note: In this three part series I will devote two posts to summarizing Part 1 and Part 2 of Jim Belcher‘s book Deep Church. In post three I will offer some concluding thoughts – highlights and critical reflection.

Introduction

I was walking through the used book store the other day and found a copy of Deep Church by Jim Belcher. I have noticed the buzz about this book on Twitter and in the ‘blogosphere.’ It’s one of those books I have been meaning to buy, and I am glad I did. (Not to mention it was only $6.00 used.) The purpose of this blog series is to offer pastoral reflection on a book that many people are picking up and reading right now.

‘They’ tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but you can’t help but do just that with Deep Church. The very first thing I noticed was that the endorsements came from a wide array of leaders from very different Christian traditions – Tim Keller, Rob Bell, and Mark Driscoll among others.

But this helps explain Belcher’s goal. He asks, what does a Deep Church look like? “It is a missional church committed to both tradition and culture, valuing innovation in worship, arts and community but also creeds and confession.” Belcher is proposing that beyond the differences between the Emergent Church movement and the Traditional Evangelical Church, there can be a ‘third way.’

Belcher adds a ‘different type’ of voice to the dialog. Jim Belcher writes with a unique perspective. First, Belcher has ‘insider’ ties to the Emergent movement through friendships with those on the front lines, but he is also an ‘outsider’ in the sense that he has serious misgivings with certain aspects of the movement, most notable their “lack of gospel centeredness.” Secondly, I appreciate the style in which Deep Church is written. As you read this book you almost feel as if you are reading Belcher’s personal journal. The reader will get the sense that Belcher has seriously reflected on, and wrestled with the issues dividing the Emergent Movement from the ‘Traditional Church.’ Third, Belcher is no slouch, he is well educated (Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Georgetown University) he is also well read.

The Two Tiers of a Deep Church

The title for this book was influenced by a letter that C.S. Lewis wrote where he was exploring the commonalities of the often contrasted ‘high church’ and ‘low church.’ So Lewis suggested a third way. He wrote, “may I suggest ‘Deep Church’ or, if that fails in humility, Baxter’s ‘mere Christians’?” During the same year Lewis published Mere Christianity where he further developed this idea with the following analogy;

“I hope no reader will suppose that “mere” Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of existing communions as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone in to that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals.”

For Lewis the rooms represented separate church traditions. In these rooms the Christians divided over the ‘second tier’ issues, yet in the hallways we can experience deep fellowship on the basis of our commonalities. Lewis is describing what Tom Oden coined as ‘new ecumenism.’ This is what Belcher is exploring in Deep Church. Is there a ‘third way’ other than ‘Emerging’ and ‘Traditional?’ Belcher describes the two tier approach in the following way;

“A two-tiered system has a number of practical benefits. First, it minimizes triumphalism or denominational chauvinism. When the top tier is agreed upon, the various parties mutually trust and respect each other as orthodox. Then the discussions that deal with bottom-tier teachings become opportunities to learn and grow.”

In thinking though this ‘tier’ approach I would also recommend considering Albert Mohlers ‘three tier approach’ when dealing with theological issues.

The Protest of the Emergent Network

Belcher’s description of the “white elephant” in the room of the traditional church is well summarized. He gives seven descriptions of what those in the emergent network are protesting in more traditional churches;

  1. Captivity to Enlightenment Thinking – The church has been captive to the enlightenment ideals, condoning individualism, rationalism, and pragmatism.
  2. A Narrow View of Salvation – The church has been focusing too much on how an individual is saved and not enough on how one lives as a Christian.
  3. Belief before Belonging – People should be able to come and go, ask questions, engage in eternal issues, and get to know God through being part of a community.
  4. Uncontextualized Worship – The church is not effectively communicating the gospel to the culture around though music worship.
  5. Ineffective Preaching – The traditional style of ‘speeching’ is not as effective as challenging people through different modes of spiritual formation.
  6. Weak Ecclesiology – The traditional church is more concerned with from than mission. It cares more about institutional survival than being sent as the people of God.
  7. Tribalism – The traditional church is unwilling to engage the culture and has become a sectarian subculture know more for ‘what its against.’

I believe that the diagnosis offered by those in the emergent camp is in many ways legitimate and Belcher summarizes them well. I must say though, that the ‘cure’ offered by some of the emergent’s on these charges is often over contextualized. This is where Belcher becomes very helpful in explaining the Emergent movement. Belcher’s purpose in writing is clear – for unity in the essentials;

“I hope that both sides would work hard to understand each other, finding agreement on classic orthodoxy and striving to maintain unity even though there are second tier differences.”

Belcher proposes to offer a good model for the quest of unity. He argues that we should be learning from both emerging and traditional voices so that we can move beyond ‘secondary’ issues to a more excellent way. In part two of this series I will explain what Belcher actually proposes.

Matt Capps Books, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention

Ten Books for you to read in 2010

One of the greatest things I learned in seminary was “who to read; and who not to read.” In fact, I would argue that my most important spiritual and academic developments while in seminary came from reading good books. For me it’s in the process of wrestling with an idea, trying to prove a point, attempting to validate what I have always believed, that I find my whole world shaken and my roots grasping tighter in the soil.

I have been out of seminary for almost a year now, but the education has not stopped. The Christian book industry has been a perpetual flood of resources. Not all of them are good. Actually, most of them are not very good. See, once you regain your senses after passing through the “potpourri and decoration section” of the “Christian” bookstore you are left to your own devises to find a good book in a sea of ‘good looking books.’ (Hint: good marketing can’t make the book any better).

So, for all its worth, here is my list of books that I would recommend you read in the coming year. These are a few books that I have read (or that I am currently reading) in 2009. If you have not read them check them out;

In no particular order….

  1. The Prodigal God – Tim Keller
  2. Christ and Culture Revisited – D.A. Carson (academic)
  3. Finally Alive– John Piper
  4. How People Change – Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp
  5. Just Do Something– Kevin DeYoung
  6. The Meaning of the Pentateuch– John Sailhamer (academic)
  7. Jesus Made in America – Stephen Nichols
  8. We Become What We Worship – G.K. Beale (academic)
  9. The Courage to Be Protestant – David Wells (academic)
  10. Adopted for Life – Russell Moore

Note: Just because I have labeled a book ‘academic’ do not shy away from it. I often find that the deepest stirring of my Christian affections comes about as I work through a hard read.

Matt Capps Books, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention

The Literary Nature of The Gospel Accounts

When reading or teaching through the gospel accounts one must recognize their literary distinctiveness. One important characteristic about the genre ‘gospel’ is that superscriptions to these historical narrative accounts are worded “the gospel according to”, add the authors name. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) This implies that there is ‘one gospel’ in four versions.

Also of importance, the gospel accounts are ‘two level documents.’[1] The term gospel is a translation of the Greek word euangelion which means ‘good news.’ In the New Testament the word can either refer to ‘good news proclaimed by Jesus’[2] or the ‘good news of Jesus.’[3] In other words the gospel accounts consist of ‘sayings’ and ‘narratives’, or ‘teachings of Jesus’ and ‘stories about Jesus.’ Fee and Stewart argue;

“Our Gospels do indeed contain a collection of sayings, but these are always woven…into a historical narrative of Jesus life and ministry. Thus they are not books by Jesus but books about Jesus.”[4]

It’s important to note that the authors purposely structured their accounts of the good news. Remember, the gospel accounts are narratives that are not necessarily arranged in chronological order. It’s often helpful to read the gospel accounts while keeping in mind that the theological themes are sometimes the organizational element.[5]

So, these gospel accounts are not biographies in the modern sense of the term, but they are biographical. Modern biographies mainly focus on a persons psychology while ancient forms of biography tend to focus on the persons ‘action and/or teaching.’ As one author writes, “they are technically known as Christological biographies or historical stories about Jesus told for a particular theological purpose.”[6] Perhaps ‘sub-biography’ would be more appropriate? Goldsworthy argues that the gospel accounts presented a “new and distinctive literary genre that came about because of the nature of the gospel event and of the impulse to communicate it.”[7]

Either way, the writers understood that “their churches had special interests that…caused them to arrange and adapt what was selected”[8] by the work of the Holy Spirit. These writers faithfully told the story of Jesus for a theological purpose, and did so while emphasizing certain aspects of Jesus’ life and teaching for the persuasion of their audience.

We should be reminded that the authors could not tell all that there was to tell about Jesus.[9] Therefore, they had to choose what to include, what to omit, as well as how to arrange it in order to most effectively communicate the good news to their audience.

Fee and Stewart propose that there were three principles that guided the composition of each gospel account; selectivity, arrangement, and adaptation. All of these considerations are significant to show the reader that even the “literary structure serves a theological purpose.”[10] So, “the gospel writers are [not only] saying something about Jesus in each episode, they are saying something about Jesus in how they link the smaller stories together to form the larger story.”[11]