Trying to Fix the Blog

We are sick and I'm just trying something.

Liturgy for the Modern Evangelical Church?

Gentlemen:

First, please accept my apologies for being absent from the conversation for quite a long time. Summer has quite an effect of encouraging me to slack off in many ways, and blogging doesn't seem to come naturally to me in times of idleness. Business is my muse, which I utilize in genuine escapist fashion!

Secondly, I just finished reading Worship by the Book, edited by D.A. Carson with Tim Keller, Mark Ashton, & Kent Hughes contributing. Essentially the book is prefaced by a broad biblical theology of worship, and the three contributors explain in great detail how they go about applying those basic truths in the "mechanics" of building liturgies for their own congregations. I found it to be an excellent read, especially because it allows a "one-stop shop" for interacting with different traditions. This short volume contrasts the traditions of the Free Church, evangelical Anglicanism, and Reformed/Presbyterian.

My question for you fine men is this: What, if anything (we can be honest, we're among friends here), do you consider when creating a liturgy (order of worship). If you've never attempted this, then what are your thoughts on this matter? Is a liturgy still relevant today? Should we call it something else?

I'm interested in seeing varying viewpoints with respect to various theological traditions within our little group.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Prayer Request

I have been entrusted to lead a group of young people up to White Plains, NY next week (we leave tomorrow). This trip is designed to provide support for a church plant by the name of Christ the King. Our group will be participating in various servant evangelism tasks as well as survey evangelism. This area is spiritually dark with only one evangelical church (CMA) in the city. The people there are interested in spirituality, but they have very mixed ideas as to what that really is. Many are hostile to the Gospel. Pray that we will have opportunities to share. Pray also that the young people will have boldness. Thank God that I have a wonderful support group of adults going with me. Pray that we provide an excellent witness for this church plant and ultimately Christ in the community of White Plains. I doubt I will have access to the internet; therefore, I will not be able to give updates as to the progress of the mission. However, when I return, I will let everyone know how things went.

Seatbelts and Helmets

This post is probably the result of boredom, but here goes. Yesterday, the quarterback for the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, ran his motorcycle into an on-coming car. This accident was serious enough as it was, but it was made more dangerous by the fact that Ben was not wearing a helmet. In Pennsylvania, the governing body repealed the law enforcing motorcyclists to wear helmets two years ago. This got me to thinking about the constitutionality of seatbelt and helmet laws. The question is not whether it is foolish to drive without a seatbelt or ride a bike without a helmet. What I am more interested in is whether or not it is fair for the government to actually force us to do something like this. Or, the way one person explained it today, is it fair for the government to protect us from ourselves? What do you think and why? I know this is a little outside the realm of our normal discussions, but I think it is more pertinent than we might initially realize.

Craig- Ehrman Debate

Hey all,

Sorry I've been out of the loop. For all of you who are interested in apologetics, here's a link to a recent debate between William Lane Craig and Bart Ehrman on the resurrection of Jesus. I haven't made it all the way through myself, but it's looks to be a good intro to Craig's apologetic approach (as well as Ehrman's skepticism).

Is God present everywhere?

Today, in Sunday School, someone asked an interesting question. Is God present in Hell? Like all orthodox believers, we would all quickly say God is omnipresent, everywhere at all times. The question is then, is God present in Hell? If so, how? Isn't Hell separation from God? God can't be in the presence of sin, right? But isn't Hell the ultimate reality of sin and sinfulness?

I have thoughts, but I would like to get answers from you guys. Flex some theological muscles for me. I will post my thoughts in a couple of days.

Favorite Charlie Memory

Gentlemen, as a final blog salute to our patriarch, Mr. Wallace, please share your favorite memory of Charlie. I look forward to thoroughly embarassing our good friend.

Golf

I had the greatest pleasure to enjoy my last round of golf here in North Carolina with Drew and Michael this morning. It was always fun to play bad golf, laugh at each other's bad shots, and sprinkle theological discussions in and around strokes.

Pictured above: Drew's second shot on Wil-Mar's third hole.