Aaron Armstrong

bloggingtheologically.com

teaching

Weekend reading (2/24)

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Weekend Reading

As I shared earlier this week, we just launched a brand-new podcast with the Gospel Project called The Hero of the Story. I hope you’ll check it out, subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Solo: The “Sabotage” Cut

This fan-edit trailer of the upcoming Han Solo movie is one of the best uses of this specific Beastie Boys song I’ve seen recently. (Note: language warning, hence no embedding for me).

When I Am Afraid In The Airport

Steve Burchett:

I enjoy following along on social media as different pastors and church groups travel to various countries for ministry. Pictures, updates, videos—never have we had such colorful, immediate knowledge about the efforts of other believers. I especially like to look at the faces of the people when pictures are posted of the group sitting in the airport, awaiting their adventure. Some look eager and prepared. Others are goofing off to pass the time. A few appear anxious. I can relate to that last group.

What does gospel-centered teaching look like? 

Trevin Wax explains:

3 ways to disciple our children in an age of confusion

Jenna Fleming:

It is not enough for us to take our children to church, send them to camp, or play only Christian music. The stakes are too high to assume that a formulated Christian worldview will take hold. For example, some researchers believe that a child’s first exposure to pornography is around eight years old, and yet many Christian parents have yet to discuss or shape their children’s understanding of a biblical sexual ethic. The conversation is not an all-at-once, beginning-to-end formulation, but an ongoing discussion that matures over time as our children mature.

Sing Your Heart Out at Church (Even If You Hate the Music)

Brett McCracken:

The worship at my current church has been hard for me. It’s louder, newer, more electric than I like; it’s much more charismatic than I’m used to. At least half the congregation raises their hands throughout the 30-minute singing time on Sundays, and often people are dancing and clapping and moving their bodies in emotionally expressive ways.

All of this was far from my comfort zone when I started attending the church five years ago, and to some extent it’s still far from my comfort zone.

He Never Wore Skinny Jeans

Darryl Dash:

I heard Billy Graham speak only twice, and I only remember one thing he said.

Billy Graham came to Toronto for the fourth and final time in 1995. The visit didn’t go as planned. On June 6, he told business and civic leaders that he’d had “a hard couple of hours physically.” He collapsed during the speech and was rushed to hospital.

There’s only one book no one can make me get rid of

A favorite from the archives:

My Bible is more important than any other book I own. It is the book from which I learn about God’s nature and character, about the grand plan he has been working throughout all of history to reconcile all things to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the promise of the new creation and the certain hope of salvation through faith in him. Every page, every word, every syllable offers something more valuable than even the greatest literary works in my library. There is no more important book I own, even when I fail to treat it that way.

When we get kind of weird when writing about marriage and intimacy

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Feet in bed

I doubt I’ll ever write a marriage book.

Sure, I might joke about it. I might even write a satirical version of one on occasion. But I won’t actually write a real one. Why? Well, for one thing, I don’t have enough to say. I’m 38 and have been married for less than 12 years. Which means, I don’t know what I’m talking about. But aside from that, I’d be nervous about writing about marital intimacy.

Specifically, I’d be nervous about being kind of creepy about it. Why? Because just about every marriage book I’ve read over the last six years has gone kind of weird when it got to that subject. I suspect a lot of it has to do with trying to correct false perceptions about Christian sexual ethics (“repressed,” and “archaic,” are two charges that have been leveled at us). I think it’s valid to discuss the issue, especially in a tactful, biblical fashion, of course. But seriously guys, there are so many overcorrections out there. Instead of underselling sex, it gets presented as something unrealistic, and sometimes a bit creepy.

We overshare. And no one can have a real conversation when that happens. So what does that mean for us, especially when there’s such a great need to teach Christians about a realistic view of marriage and intimacy?

1. Avoid being prescriptive where the Scriptures aren’t.

Some folks have thrown out a daily challenge as a “sure-fire” way to cure what ails you in your marriage, others have gotten really specific about their own marriages (usually this involves being overly prescriptive about how often we’re intimate with our spouses). But I’m not sure we need that. After all, the Bible doesn’t get terribly specific at all. We’re not going to find a commandment to the effect of “thou shalt sleep with thine spouse daily.” The most prescriptive teaching on the subject would be 1 Cor. 7:1-5, which effectively says, “Be together as frequently as you both agree upon.” So, if the Bible isn’t terribly specific about something, perhaps we should avoid doing so as well.

2. Consider the influence of the culture on each of us.

In North America, we live in a completely sex-saturated culture. You can’t walk into a mall anymore without having a 30-foot tall scantily clad (and heavily Photoshopped) woman hit you in the face. As such, we would be foolish if we failed to recognize the culture’s impact on us or to think that somehow we’re immune to its effects.

Yet, we are called to not only reject sexual immorality, but to strive to not have even a hint among the body of Christ (Eph. 5:3). This should impact the advice we give in sermons and books on this subject by frequently calling us back to our own need for the gospel and to think about that which is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (cf. Phil. 4:8).

3. Remember to be sensitive to the consciences of others.

Finally, Paul reminds us to never cause another believer to stumble in exercising our freedom in Christ (Rom. 14:13-23). Love for our brothers and sisters in Christ should always lead us to be careful to consider what we teach about marital intimacy. As such, we need to remember that our experiences of freedom in this area (and any other) are not normative for all believers. Some feel free to exercise a great deal of liberty in their own marriages and that’s wonderful—but not everyone does. When we treat our own experiences as the standard for all believers, we risk causing them to experience feelings of inadequacy and shame. So instead of sharing a bit too much info, maybe we always ask, “In saying this, am I showing the greatest amount of love and respect to the consciences of my brothers and sisters in Christ or am I putting my freedom ahead of the needs of others?”

This post is based on an article written in 2012.

Links I like (2/07)

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The Five Tests of False Doctrine

Tim Challies:

No wonder, then, that John tells us to “test the spirits” and Paul says, “test everything” (1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21). It is our sacred responsibility to examine every doctrine to determine if it is true or false. But how can we distinguish sound doctrine from false? How can we distinguish teachers of truth from teachers of error? In our opening article, I said that putting a doctrine to the test is the best way to determine if it is true or false. As we test the doctrine, we learn our responsibility toward it: We either hold to it or we reject it. I am returning to those tests today to explain them in greater detail. They provide a grid that is useful for testing any doctrine.

5 Practical Ways to Drive Values Deeper

Eric Geiger:

I have given up on the fantasy that a leader can get in front of a group of people and declare a culture into existence. We are not the Lord; we cannot speak something into existence. Creating and cultivating a culture takes time. I asked our team if they really believe our mission and values have worked their way into our culture. They shared stories of how our values impact decision-making, inform execution, create shared energy and enthusiasm, and increase our ability to attract the right people to the team. Here is a copy of our team’s mission and values.

So how, over five years, have we driven these deeply into our team? Here are five practical ways.

What Is Biblical Preaching? Driving the Sermon

HB Charles:

We’ve all heard sermons that would fit into this list. Perhaps some of us have even preached them. Now, all of them are important: our illustrations help our hearers connect. Our ideas can be helpful, especially as we seek to apply a text. And anytime we preach, of course it should be something that is on our hearts. But none of these should be driving the sermon. Only Scripture can do that.

On Black History: From Platitudes to Participation

Taelor Gray:

Over the past 4-5 years, I have been part of maybe 100+ conversations about pursuing ethnic diversity in churches and Christian communities at large. This conversation is an evolving one for me, but there are consistent factors. I began with addressing the general scope of engagement with black history in order to compare and contrast with the social dynamics of this activity amongst professing Christians. The engagement is often very similar in a less than flattering type of way.

How I Gleaned Hope from the Darkest Psalm

Christina Fox:

Psalm 88 isn’t a feel-good, everything-will-be-all-right kind of psalm. In fact, it’s the darkest one. If we put it to music, it’d be set to the tune of a sad country song—if not a funeral dirge.…While other biblical laments end on a note of trust and worship, this one ends without any light or hope. It simply concludes, “Darkness is my closest friend.” The end.

Despite the dark tone, however, there is hope to be found in Psalm 88. Here are four reasons.

Why I Would Like to See a Moratorium on Using the Word ‘Literal’ When It Comes to Biblical Interpretation

Justin Taylor:

Since I have no real authority to call for an actual moratorium (and it has little chance to be enacted), my alternative proposal is that when someone asks you if you take the Bible “literally” or a passage “literally,” you ask what they mean by the word and then proceed to answer in accordance with the definition they provide.

In order to show that the word literal and its usage has multiple meanings, shades of nuance, and varying connotations, consider this analysis from Vern Poythress. In it, he identifies at least five different uses of the term.

Consider preschool before the pulpit

A favorite from the archives:

Not a lot of men seem to enjoy children’s ministry, especially those who have a desire to preach. Though never voiced, some see it as somehow being beneath them… which it’s not. It just lacks the perception of glamor that comes with preaching in the wider service. But children’s ministry has a great deal to teach us about pulpit ministry, and make us more effective as a result.

For the last few years, I’ve been teaching in our children’s worship service, usually once a month (sometimes more, sometimes less). I started out teaching the kids between 5 and 8 years old, but now primarily focus on the older kids (ages 9-10-ish). My experience with both age groups has been extremely helpful. Here are three things I’ve been reminded through it.

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