The Knee & Me (Running Schedule/Goals)

O.K...so I guess I did something to my knee running Palo Duro.  It didn't hurt the entire run, but the next morning I felt like I had wacked in on something...like a bruise.  My wife, who is a highly skilled massage therapist, says I probably bruised a tendon and it just needs to rest.  That is fine, but I am itching to run!

In fact, I still plan to run the Pikes Peak Marathon route before the end of the year, only because I want to run the two, North American, marathons with the highest and lowest points respectively-Pikes Peak and Death Valley-in a single year.  This knee thing though is slowing me down right now...

I ran about 9 miles in the Garden of the Gods yesterday with my wife, but it bugged me all day.  I ran about 3 miles last Saturday, and I could feel it then too.  I thought that with almost a week off since the 50K, I would be good to go, but today my knee feels like it did the day after Palo Duro...?  I might try to take a whole week off of any running at all, have Elke work on it, and see if that wont get me through this right now.

I plan to solo/self support the Pikes Peak run, stashing a few fuel drops on the way up, and, taking advantage (by way of a few dollars in cash), of Barr Camp and the snack bar at the summit (this will be one time I am glad it is there).  I should be able to get'r done in about 6 hours.  The big question is whether or not the dog (Ezra) can make this run.  He normally does about 5-15 miles at a time with me, but I am not sure that he can do 26.2 of moutain running.  He is going on 8 years old, but acts like he is 3.  So immature...

(Not) Like Father; Like Son

I hope that this is over a theological disagreement, and that Robert A. (the son) is interested in actually moving in a Christian direction (Robert H.-the famous father-is a heretic along the lines of the ancient heretic Pelagius)...

...here is the story:

GARDEN GROVE, California — Crystal Cathedral founder Reverend Robert H. Schuller has removed his son as preacher on the church's weekly "Hour of Power" syndicated TV broadcast.

Schuller said in a statement read to some 450 congregants Saturday by church president Jim Coleman that he and his son, Robert A. Schuller, "have different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry."

"For this lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this is placing this entire ministry, it has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways," Schuller said.

Robert A. Schuller will remain as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, though it was unknown whether he will continue to preach, a church spokesman told the Los Angeles Times.

The elder Schuller said in the statement that he was bringing in guest pastors to preach during the show.

Church officials did not return messages left Saturday seeking comment from Robert A. Schuller and details about what prompted the schism between him and his father.

Robert H. Schuller had turned over the church ministries and the "Hour of Power" TV program to his son during an emotional service at the Crystal Cathedral in January 2006.

The Protestant Reformation (Part 2)

There were two main products, or recoveries that come from the Reformation:  The Gospel and pure Worship.  And while most RIGHTLY look back to the Reformation as a time when the Church recovered a clear articulation of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, it is in fact, John Calvin in his, The Necessity of Reforming the Church, who argues that even as important as justification by faith alone is, it is still the pure worship of God that is the most important.

Rome had polluted both the Gospel and the Worship of God by adding to what God had given.  In the Gospel, they made the fatal error of putting sanctification (i.e. the process of becoming more righteous) before justification (i.e. the declaration of the verdict 'not guilty').  This effectively turned justification, which biblically is a singular, one-time, ACT, into a PROCESS.  And particularly a process that conditioned justification upon a persons righteousness.  That is, we must first be sanctified in order to be justified.

But the glorious truth of the Gospel is that God justifies the UNGOLDY.  It is "good news" to sinners...not to saints.  People who are well do not need a physician...but those who are sick do.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  But Rome had said that salvation is something that you must work out and attain to.  The Reformation recovered the free grace of the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And, as with the Gospel, the Reformation recovered pure worship, meaning, that they took away all the additions that had been added to what God had given.  The smells and bells, the new inovations that sought to make the worshipper feel like he or she was in the presence of God, etc.  The rule of worship that the Reformers found in Scripture is that we should only do what God commmands.  That is, whatever is not commanded is forbidden to be added to our worship.

This was a great relief to those who desired to draw near to God on His terms, but were greatly hindered by Romes props, etc.  Jesus called for worship that was in Spirit and Truth, and this is what the Reformation sought to return to.

A New Hero!

Not really...not at all.  But, I do find this funny.  I also think it is amazing that in this day and age, in light of all that is allowed to be said out there-all the religion 'bashing' that goes on in the name of 'free speech'-that the gays would get a serious ear from anyone on this.  Why, when believers are mocked, is it not contributing to "a climate of intolerance"?  But, when an 82 year-old comedian says something that is really funny, we're supposed to hold our cap in hand and show contrition...?

I was in New Zealand 20 years ago and I remember joking with friends there then about how 'gay' cricket seemed.  So when I heard that Lewis said, "Oh, cricket? It's a fag's game. What are you, nuts?" I busted up laughing my head off! 

I think he should counter-complain against the GLAAD gays for slurring his comments as, "cheap homophobia".  That's just plain mean.  I think they are being really irresponsible by saying that about him.  I think they might have hurt his feelings by saying that...

...please!

Here is the news report: 

CANBERRA, Australia — Veteran comedian Jerry Lewis is under fire again for making an anti-gay slur on Australian television similar to one he apologized for using on his annual U.S. telethon a year ago.The 82-year-old King of Comedy dropped the slur when he was asked by a Network Ten national TV reporter following a press conference in Sydney on Friday for his opinion on the Australian nation sport of cricket.

"Oh, cricket? It's a f— game. What are you, nuts?" Lewis replied.

The network broadcast the comment in full on its Friday evening news bulletin along with footage of Lewis handling an imaginary cricket bat with an effeminate gesture.

Lewis apologized in September last year for using the term "illiterate f---" in Las Vegas during his annual Labor Day telethon that raises money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

In a statement released a day later, he described the slur as a "bad choice of words."

New York-based media discrimination watchdog Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, called for Lewis to again apologize.

GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement that "in an effort to be humorous, he has once again managed to offend and defame the gay community."
 
"For someone so well-known for helping others, Mr. Lewis shows an incredible lack of dignity and respect when he makes comments that contribute to a climate of intolerance," Giuliano added.

The Australian Coalition for Equality, a gay rights group, also called for an apology.

"Mr. Lewis is widely admired by many people for his talent and his charity work, so his words carry great weight," coalition spokesman Rodney Croome told The Associated Press on Saturday.

"He owes an apology to the gay community, to cricketers and to comedians for debasing their trade with his cheap homophobia," Croome added.

The comedian's Australian spokeswoman, Julie Cavanagh, said Saturday that Lewis did not intend to comment.

Lewis held Friday's press conference to promote his latest stage show that is touring Australia. It is a retrospective of his career that includes show tunes with a 24-piece band, excerpts from his scores of movies and television shows, and his trademark slapstick comedy.

Hundreds of Marathon Runners May Be Stranded in Heavy Mountain Flooding

LONDON — Mountain rescue teams were searching for stranded competitors Saturday after an elite marathon was called off because of heavy rain, flooding and high winds.

The athletes were competing in the Original Mountain Marathon, a two-day race across rough country in Britain's Lake District, about 300 miles north of London. High winds and heavy rain affected much of northwest England on Saturday.

According to the marathon's Web site, the race was called off just after noon Saturday. It's unknown how many people are stranded in the mountains."It is impossible to say how many people are up there because there is no mobile (phone) reception," said Bob Liddell, a member of a local mountain rescue team. "I don't believe the organizers will have been able to account for everyone at this stage."

Liddell said rescue teams would not be using Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopters because of the wind.

In a statement, Cumbria Police said about 840 people had taken shelter in four different locations in the area, including a school, farm, and outdoor center.

"The competitors are mainly seasoned mountaineers, and are expected to be carrying suitable equipment to cope with adverse weather," the release said.
 

The Original Mountain Marathon Web site says the race was founded in 1968. Teams are "totally self-supporting," and competitors do not carry global positioning systems or mobile telephones, the Web site says.

Competitors race in pairs and carry their tents, clothing and enough food for 36 hours.

"The ethos of the event is to be totally self-reliant, in the wilds, carrying all equipment, no outside support," the Web site says.

"The event is for experienced fell (large hill) runners and everyone should have been able to cope," said Shane Ohly, who spoke to the BBC after completing the race. He said that if competitors got into difficulty they should be able to get into their tents to ride out any bad weather.

Mark Weir, who manages a mine in the area, said he had sheltered about 300 athletes.

"The weather is absolutely horrendous and it's a scene of chaos up here," he said.

The sleepmonsters.co.uk Web site, which filed reports on the race, said conditions had deteriorated throughout the afternoon.

"It seems likely many of those retiring will have to spend the night in whatever shelter they can find ... and everyone will have to wait until the rain stops and the waters subside," the Web site said.

None of the race organizers were immediately available for comment.

According to local hospitals and rescue services, more than a dozen people were treated for minor injuries and mild hypothermia.

The Protestant Reformation

The Reformation was an amazing time in the history of the Christian Church.  All at the same time it was a rebuke, a recovery, and a rupture.  Rome had blown it and needed rebuking.  The Gospel had been buried and needed recovering.  But, neither of these necessities could happen without struggle, pain, and consequences...a rupture.  On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany, and never again would the world be the same.  From that hammer blow came Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox; the clearest articulation of the Gospel of free grace ever formulated by the Church; the purest manner of worship after the Apostles.  But today, as we sit back and ponder the finer points of theology, we forget that the Reformation struggle, which America owes its' existance from, was one to the death.  These were not the days of endless and meaningless Ph.D.s, prolific self-publishing and self-promotion, or internet chat groups.  When you came to a conviction, it would most likely mean your life.  This is why I tend to trust the Reformers more than today's psuedo-scholars.

More to come...

 

2008 Palo Duro Trail Run 50K

Well, I did my first "ultra" this past Saturday in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX.  We loaded the kids in 'Vanmorisfun' (our '90 VW Westfalia Camper), and drove down through New Mexico for a very quick weekend.  We camped in the canyon with a few of the guys and families from C.R.U.D. (Coloradians Running Ultra Distances), and were totally attacked by bugs!  That part was lame...

...the race began at 7:00am, and we ran the first hour in the dark by headlamp.  I made the mistake of going to the back of the pack, instead of positioning myself more in the middle.  I ended up having to risk ankle-twisting, as I was passing people for the first 2-3 miles of single-track in the dark.  After about 2 miles I caught Teddy from C.R.U.D., who seemed to be fighting to get past slow-pokes as well, and ran with him for about 6 miles 'til he dropped me (he ended up winning the masters-over 50-division)!

The next 10 miles or so, my stomach gave me problems.  I had to keep my pace down or else I would almost barf.  On top of that, I kept feeling like one of the safety pins holding my number on was scratching me.  I looked down, and I had a big, red, blood stain around my left peck...my (white tech) shirt had rubbed off the ends of my nipples.  I took my shirt off and ran the rest of the race shirtless, which given the hot weather, was just fine.  The nausia kept up, but finally, at about mile 25, I got my tummy back and was able to finish the last 6 miles pretty strong.  I finished at 6:15, which is really slow, but it was great to see that I could do this distance pretty reasonably, and, that longer races are possible for me.

We ended up getting back to Amarillo, TX for church on Sunday morning and visited the Orthodox Presbyterian Church there.  We had a great time of worship and fellowship with them, and ate lunch at the church building with the congregation. 

I am already looking forward to hopefully running the 50 miler next year, and getting back to the church there in Amarillo.  I also look forward to running and learning more with the C.R.U.D. guys. 

Exercise 10/06-10/11

Monday 10/06- Ran 9 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Wednesday 10/08 Biked 2 miles

Thursday 10/09-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Friday 10/10-Biked 10 miles

Saturday 10/11-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Total Running: 21 miles

Total Biking: 12 miles

Other: 0

 

Exercise 9/27-10/4

Saturday 9/27-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Monday 9/29-Biked 2, Ran 19 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Wednesday 10/1-Biked 10 miles

Thursday 10/2- Ran 10.5 miles at Rampart Res.

Satuday 10/4-Biked 10, hiked 2.5 Mt. Cutler

Total Running: 35.5

Total Biking: 22

Other: 2.5

Running in 2008 & 2009

In a few weeks, I will be attempting my first true "ultra" marathon, the Palo Dura 50k trail run.  I actually have my sights on a 50 miler next year (actually, Palo Dura also has a 50 miler simultaneous with the 50k but I am not ready for that yet), so this will be a good test and revealer of where I am right now.  Thus far this year, I have run the Death Valley All Trail Marathon (Feb.), the Pikes Peak Ascent (August), the Imogene Pass Run (Sept.), and, Palo Duro (Oct.) will do it for the year.  Next year I hope to run Death Valley again (Feb.), Greenland 50k (Apr.), the Collegiate Peaks 25 miler (Apr.), and, if schedules work out right, the Great Wall Marathon in China (May)!  Then, later in the year, I hope to do the 50 mile version of Palo Dura...

...we'll see!

Imogene Pass Run

This last weekend, my good friend Jorge and I (and our wives and my kids...his are grown) ran the Imogene Pass Run from Ouray, CO to Telluride, CO over, you guessed it, Imogene Pass.  This was my third running of the race, and his second, and we had a great time.  Here is a general overview of the run from the website:

The Imogene Pass Run (IPR) is a 17.1 mile point-to-point mountain race within the western San Juan mountains of Colorado, run along a route which connects the towns of Ouray (7810 ft.) and Telluride (8820 ft.) by way of 13,120 foot Imogene Pass. The IPR is held on the first Saturday after the Labor Day holiday, at the seasonal transition from late Summer to early Fall. Mountain weather at this time is famously "squirrelly" (rapidly changeable), and participants through the years have encountered a variety of weather conditions ranging from virtually perfect to terrible. This spectrum of weather during the race is in fact part of its lure and mystique. In good weather years the challenge of the mountainous traverse is rewarded by unsurpassed vistas and no small feeling of accomplishment upon crossing the finish line. In bad weather years, the wind, fog, rain and/or snow along the course make the successful arrival in Telluride a virtual rite of passage into the realm of true mountain running.

Each participant should keep in mind that the IPR is a mountain run in every sense of the word, and that "The Mountains Don't Care". The reality is that despite whatever emotions we may have for the mountains and their environment, they are in fact unfeeling objects and they follow the natural rules of physics which are not always benevolent toward living creatures, great or small. It is up to the participants themselves to be properly prepared for the challenges of this alpine foot journey, fair weather or foul. Despite the enthusiastic volunteer support at intervals along the course, each participant is ultimately responsible for his or her own safety and risk.

Except for short pavement stretches at the start and finish and a short trail section immediately below the pass, the IPR is run along a course consisting of normal to 4x4 dirt road. This is a traditional summer travel way between Ouray and Telluride and there may be minor vehicle traffic during the race. A total of six aid stations will be manned during the race (including one at the summit), support personnel will be stationed at critical junctions along the course, and numbered orange traffic cones will be placed at every mile interval from the start to the finish.

The VW Westfalia & Women

This post will be mostly unintelligable to most readers. Only those who have owned a VW Westfalia, or know someone well who has, will get this...

Recently I was trail running with some good friends. One of them, Jorge, has a '91 white Westfalia affectionately named "Vanna White". My wife and I own a dark blue, '90 Westfalia named, Van More-is-fun" (most VW owners have names for their cars and vans). We got to Barr Camp up on Pikes Peak (the big mountain here in the Colorado Springs area), and got talking with Neal Taylor, the camp director, who also has a Vanagon Westfalia. As we talked, we noticed a common thread between our lives, beyond simply being trail runners (Neal is an accomplished ultra-marathoner with multiple 100 mile races under his belt...Hardrocks at that!) and VW camper van owners. That common thread was how much our wives loved our vans. Neal said he would have parted with their's years ago, but his wife wont let it go. We are on our third VW Westfalia, and to obtain our current one, my wife flew to California, and drove it back with her sister (who we then flew back home to California). Jorge recently blew the engine on his, and when discussing whether they should invest in a new engine with his wife, learn that she intends to be buried in it!

There is an unnatural relationship between some women and the VW Westfalia. I do not know what it is (although I really like these vans as well), or how to explain it, but that little illustration above is the best attempt that I have seen. That might as well be my wife, or Jorge's, or Neal's, etc...

Top Hamas Leader's Son Converts to Christianity

The son of a top Hamas leader has converted to Christianity and prayssomeday his family will also accept Jesus Christ as their savior, an Israeli newspaper reported. "I consider Islam a big lie," said the son of one of Hamas' founders. Mon, Aug. 04, 2008 Posted: 05:11 PM EDT

________________________________

The son of a top Hamas leader has converted to Christianity and prays someday his family will also accept Jesus Christ as their savior, an Israeli newspaper reported. Masab Yousef, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheik Hassan Yousef, revealed for the first time in an exclusive interview with Haaretz newspaper that he has left Islam and is now a Christian. Prior to the interview's publication last Thursday, Yousef's family did not know of his faith conversion even though he is in regular contact with them. "[T]his interview will open many people's eyes, it will shake Islam from the roots, and I'm not exaggerating," Yousef, who now resides in the United States, said. "What other case do you know where a son of a Hamas leader,who was raised on the tenets of extremist Islam, comes out against it?" Yousef, who is now 30-years-old, was first exposed to Christianity eight years ago while in Jerusalem where out of curiosity he accepted an invitation to hear about Christianity. Afterwards, he became "enthusiastic"about what he heard and would secretly read the Bible every day. "A verse like 'Love thine enemy' had a great influence on me," Yousef recalled. "At this stage I was still a Muslim and I thought that I would remain one. But every day I saw the terrible things done in the name of religion by those who considered themselves 'great believers.' "I studied Islam more thoroughly and found no answers there. I re-examinedthe Koran and the principals of the faith and found how it is mistaken and misleading." But with Christianity, Yousef said he could understand God as revealed through Jesus Christ. He said he could talk about God and Jesus for days, but Muslims are not able to say anything about God. "I consider Islam a big lie," said the son of one of Hamas' founders. "The people who supposedly represent the religion admired Mohammed more than God, killed innocent people in the name of Islam, beat their wives and don't have any idea what God is. "I have no doubt that they'll go to hell. I have a message for them: There is only one way to Paradise - the way of Jesus who sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us." Four years ago, Yousef decided to convert to Christianity but did not let his family know. He still helped his father with his political activities,and his father only knew his son had Christian friends. "I felt responsible. It was better for me to be there rather than a gang of fools who would poison his mind," Yousef explained. "I tried to understand those people, their thoughts, in order to change them from inside by means of a strong person like my father, who admitted to me in the past that he does not support suicide attacks." Yousef described his father as a moderate Hamas leader. But even before his encounter with Christianity, Yousef had already become disenchanted with Hamas and Islam while being imprisoned at the age of 18years old for heading a youth Islamic movement at his high school. He described the Hamas leaders he met in prison as people with "no morals"and "no integrity," although they hide their corruption better than Fatah party members. "Nobody knows them and how they operate as well as I do," Yousef said, recalling how the family of Hamas members killed by Israel were forced to beg for financial assistance while the leadership "abandoned" them and "wasted" tens of thousands of dollars a month only on security for themselves. "Then (in prison) I understood that not everyone in Hamas is like my father. He's a nice, friendly man. But I discovered how evil his colleagues are, "Yousef said. "After my release I lost the faith I had in those who ostensibly represented Islam." Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Israel, and many Western countries. The group has publicly vowed to destroy Israel. Now Yousef, the eldest son of Sheikh Yousef, says he "admires" Israel. "You Jews should be aware: You will never, but never have peace with Hamas," Yousef stated. "Islam, as the ideology that guides them, will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews. They believe that tradition says that the Prophet Mohammed fought against the Jews and that therefore they must continue to fight them to the death." He denounced the "entire" Palestinian society as one that "sanctifies death and the suicide terrorist." "In Palestinian culture a suicide terrorist becomes a hero, a martyr. Sheiks tell their students about the 'heroism of the shaheeds (martyr).'" Yousef highlighted that Hamas was the first to use suicide bombers as weapons against civilians. "They (Hamas) are blind and ignorant. It's true, there are good and bad people everywhere, but Hamas supporters don't understand that they are led by a wicked and cruel group that brainwashes the children and gets them to believe that if they carry out a suicide attack they'll get to Paradise," he said. The Muslim-turned-Christian says he does not think Islam will survive formore than 25 years because the truth about Islam will be exposed given the mass communication available in the modern age. For his part, Yousef says he hopes to "open the eyes" of Muslims and "reveal the truth" to them about Islam and Christianity with the goal to "take them out of the darkness and the prison of Islam." "In that way they'll have an opportunity to correct their mistakes, to become better people and to bring a chance for peace in the Middle East," he said. Yousef, who has taken the biblical name of Joseph, said he dreams of one day becoming a writer to tell his personal story and about the Middle East conflicts. "But at the moment, at least, my ambitions are only to find work, a place to live," Yousef admits. "I have no money, I have no apartment," said the son of the Hamas leader who left behind properties in Ramallah to find true freedom. "I was about to become one of those homeless people [in the United States]," he confessed, "but people from the church are helping me. I'm dependent on them." He also dreams that someday he can return to his homeland and his family will accept Jesus Christ. "I know that I'm endangering my life and am even liable to lose my father, but I hope that he'll understand this and that God will give him and my family patience and willingness to open their eyes to Jesus and to Christianity," Yousef said. "Maybe one day I'll be able to return to Palestine and to Ramallah with Jesus, in the Kingdom of God."

Ethan Cole: Christian Post Reporter

DUDE!

I was born and raised in Southern California, and having moved away about 13 years ago, and seeing the spread of that culture throughout the rest of the States, this commercial/video is just too funny not to post: DUDE!!!

The Household of Faith (Part 4)

III. A Biblical Household and Baptism

Finally then, we want to consider a biblical household and baptism. The majority of the baptisms in the NT in which an individual is named, include the baptism of his or her whole household as well. It is not the case that those who were baptized believed and therefore they were baptized—in some cases that was surely the case—but that is not at all said to be the case with every person baptized. Rather the reason given in Scripture is that members of the household were baptized because they were members of the household of a new believer.

A. The Philippian Jailer

A clear understanding of this text has been hindered by some unclear translation. Some translations read that the jailer rejoiced, having believed in God with his whole household. The implication of that translation is that his whole household believed as well. But that is not what the Greek says or implies. Rather the Greek is clear and precise here, and the ESV has gotten it right saying, And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

You see the jailer was called to believe for the saving of him and his household. He believed, and therefore he and his whole household were baptized. And at that moment this Greek Oikos Household became a Covenant Home. Every member of that household became a member of the Church—the Body of Christ—no matter whether there were wives or children, infants or little ones, slaves or servants in the household, they were baptized into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and now considered to be part of the Household of God.

B. Noah

In fact there is a parallel to the Philippian Jailer’s belief and baptism that is cited numerous times throughout the NT. The early, post-Apostolic Fathers recognized this parallel, among many, and saw a typological reference to households and NT baptism in the OT account of Noah and the flood. Clearly, they did not make this up, but were led to think this way from the Bible itself.

In 2 Peter 2:5, we read concerning God that, …if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; then He can surely rescue the righteous today and condemn the ungodly. Again referencing Noah, we read in Hebrews 11:7,

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

The terminology and concepts here, are almost identical to that of the account that we are considering of the Philippian jailer: There is the faith of the head of the home and because of his faith, the saving of his household.

In fact all of this is clarified even further, and the connection between Noah believing and saving his household through the ark with the believing heads of households and the saving of their families through baptism in the NT, is cemented when Peter says in 1 Peter 3:20-21

…God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Noah and his faith and his bringing his household into the ark and thereby bringing salvation to that home, is a parallel to Christian baptism and the head of the household’s faith and the whole household being baptized because of the head’s faith.

Freudian Christianity

[NOTE: The brief comments I originally posted with this link (they were up less than 24 hours) were confusing in that it seemed I was potentially slandering Wilson with the accusation of being liberal and loose in his stance towards cussing and drinking. I regret any confusion on that matter that I may have caused. My intention was to note a connection on an entirely different level.]

The following article by Carl Truman is excellent...

http://reformation21.com/Counterpoints/Counterpoints/300/vobId__5197/

...he puts his finger on the particularly American problems of independency and novelty that have spawned such "children" as Doug Wilson and the Federal Vision. In saying this I am not making a connection between the practical symptoms that Truman chooses to address (cussing and drinking) and Doug Wilson (I do not know his practice in either of these areas). The connection I see between the article and Wilson, and the FV, is in Truman's observation that, “I would extrapolate and say that some of the least attractive aspects of the modern Reformed world in particular can be fruitfully studied from the perspective of Oedipal rebellion against parents.”

Well worth the time it takes to read...

The Household of Faith (Part 3)

II. A Biblical Household

Now while the proceeding might be all fine and good, we are Reformed Christians. We form our theology from the Bible, and the Bible alone. When it comes to the question of how we are going to understand the household baptisms of the NT, we must let the Bible define the issue for us. In fact our Confession states (WCF 1.9),

“The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.”

So what is a household in the Bible? What is the Bible referring to when it says, “household?”

A. Household in the OT

For sake of time, we will not delve further into creation and its ramifications on how we understand a household, but rather let’s hit the most obvious and clearest passages which bear on this matter. In Genesis 45:17-19, after Joseph has proved himself to be a faithful and wise overseer for Pharaoh, we read,

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

So on this account, the “household” included the little ones and…wives. In the account of David eating the showbread when he was on the run from Saul, and the help that Ahimelech had given him, we read in the next chapter, 1 Samuel 22, that Saul punished Ahimelech and condemnation came upon his household (1 Sam. 22:16, 19),

And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”…And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

So here again, a “household” comprehended all the living members of the family: man and woman, child and infant. The head of the home made the determination—federally—for the rest of the family. The ramifications of the choices of the head of the family came upon the whole household. Thus we have Joshua declaring (Josh. 24:15), But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And we have Ruth declaring her allegiance to, and submission under, Naomi’s new head-of-house status (Ruth 1:16-17):

“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

So a household in the OT included all the men, women, children, and servants of the family. And as went the head of the household, so went the rest of the family.

B. Household in the NT

Has this changed in the NT? In fact it has not. The same household concept that is seen in the OT is found as clearly and definitely in the NT as well.

When Paul is laying down the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy, he states that a man who is going to serve in that office (1 Tim. 3:4-5),

…must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

In the same letter, giving instructions to Timothy about welfare issues he says, (1 Tim. 5:4, 8):

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God…But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

In the NT children are comprehended in the definition of a “household”. And in fact God declares that His Church is His household, again from 1 Timothy (3:15):

…if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God.

So at this point an important question needs to be considered: Does God have children in His Household? Are children to be understood as part of the Church?

The resounding answer to that question is an undeniable “YES!”. Turn a moment to the book of Ephesians. In chapter 2 Paul says (Eph. 2:19):

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:14-15 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family (fatherhood) in heaven and on earth is named,

In chapter 4:11-14, he speaks about the nature of the Church and its Ministry, and that God has given ministers to the Church so that we may grow up to manhood and no longer be children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. This assumes that not all are mature in the Body of Christ and that there will be a need to grow up and mature to attain manhood. Not only is Paul speaking spiritually here, but as he goes on to address individuals in the body with specific instructions, it is clear that he is also addressing real parents and real children.

In 5:1 he begins, Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (i.e. as members of the Household of God) And then what follows is instruction to every member of the household. In 5:22-25, Wives, submit to your own husbands, …Husbands, love your wives. In 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents…(again) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, and then the instruction but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

You see, children are considered to be part of the body of Christ…they are being taught and addressed as members of the Body of Christ. And this again is ‘household’ language. In fact there is even the inclusion of “slaves” as part of the Body here (6:5-9) Slaves, obey your earthly masters. In fact in the parallel to this teaching that Paul gives to the Colossians he succinctly addresses all the members of the household in a few verses saying (Col. 3:18-22):

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, letting the Bible define its own terms, a biblical “household” includes husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and children and slaves.

Why Christians are Hated in Modern America

It is no secret that hostilities are mounting against Christians in America. In a recent article by a conservative Rabbi at WorldNetDaily, there was an impressive list of books that evidence the growing disdain and assualt on the "Religious Right". But why? What is going on?

The answer to why Christians are hated in America is no doubt complex, but I would like to forward one contributing reason. To set the stage for the answer, I would like you to image for a moment a scene from high school.

Think about the "cool crowd". Remember the "in-crowd" and how they acted like they were the only ones that mattered? Think about how important being "cool" was to them all. Recall how what they wore, what they listened to, what they were into, how they talked, was so important to them...they acted like they owned the various things they were into and they dispised anyone else who dared to try to enjoy the things that they liked...

...Now think about some uncool kid trying to fit in with the "in-crowd". Think about his pathetic attempts to be like them...act like them, talk like them, dress like them. He follows them around and for a while they simply laugh at him and make fun of him...but he doesn't go away. Now he is annoying them and infringing on their "cool".

Now, do you remember the cool kids liking the fact that this geek was trying to imitate them and be like them? Did they just shrug off the fact that he was infringing on their "cool"? No. They begin to hate him and openly ridicule him and sometimes even beat him up...

All in all the entire scene is sad: both the cool kids and the geek. The cool kids are so superficial and self-important, as if their music or their clothing really mattered. How ridiculuous and childish to think that others can't be into the same stuff as you are... And the geek is sad too, trying to be like these kids who aren't worth emulating. He thinks that he will be someone if he is like them, when in fact, if he actually attains his goal and becomes like them and they accept him...he will have gained nothing of value...become a nobody...will have lost his soul.

Are you beginning to get the picture? American non-Christians are the "cool" kids. The Church in America is the "geek kid". They hate us and are publicly ridiculing us because we have not gone away. We have pressed in and "stolen" their culture. We copy everything they do and try to be like them at every turn...and they despise us for it.

Yet we think that they want us to be like them, and in fact we have the stupid idea that if we pretend to be like them, they will ultimately realize that they should actually be like us! But what is "us". We have done nothing but tell them by our geeky following of them, that they in fact are who we want to be like. We esteem them and are trying to be like them! How are they ever going to understand that we think they should be like us when we only copy them?

Christians are hated in modern America because when modern America looks out the window at the Church, it sees a geek trying to be cool, and now it is getting annoying.

The Household of Faith (Part 2)

I. A Household

A. Human Culture

It may sound odd at first, but the debate over infant baptism hinges as much on cultural issues as it does upon theological issues. We are Western Individualists—products of the Enlightenment—and we consciously or unconsciously repel the idea that anything external to ourselves affects or can determine our destiny. We choose, we determine, we will, and nobody can put a constraint upon us…we are philosophical, social, and cultural Arminians.

We teach our children that they can be anything that they want to be when they grow up and we teach them explicitly or implicitly that if they “believe in themselves” they can accomplish anything. Thus we teach them that “faith” is a self-actualizing tool that they have at their disposal to make themselves into what they want to be—not a Divine gift granted by God to the elect so that they can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

The EnLIGHTenment was a reaction against, and throwing off of, the DARK Ages. It was a rejection of the Old world and its structures and constraints, and a move into the New world of the SELF and freedom.

When Paul and Silas answered the Philippian jailer here saying (16:31), “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” they used the Greek term oikos, which the jailer would have understood in terms of his time and culture…not ours…an old world understanding; not a new world understanding. The Wikipedia online Encyclopedia defines it this way: “An oikos is the ancient Greek equivalent of a household, house, or family. An oikos was the basic unit of society in most Greek city-states, and included the head of the oikos (usually the oldest male), his extended family (wife and children), and slaves living together in one domestic setting.”

In other words, parallel to the Hebrew concept of the Covenant Family, is the Greek concept of the Oikos Household. A man’s household included everything that was his: His wife, his children, and his slaves. Thus it would not have been just the Hebrew who would have understood the promises as being to his children, as would have naturally be expected—as the men of Jerusalem would have on the Day of Pentecost when Peter proclaimed, “For the promise is for you and your children…”—but the Greek would also have naturally understood this kind of offer—as the Philippian jailer did here, when Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household”.

B. God’s Nature

You see, what is under girding all of this is that even though man has suppressed the knowledge of God in unrighteousness, bits and parts of God’s nature are still found reflected in His creation. Paul says concerning unrighteous men and cultures (Rom. 1:19-20),

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature (or “Godhead”), have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

The whole household concept that is found in every culture is a reflection of the very being of God—His nature; His Godhead. The Greek Oikos Household and the Hebrew Covenant Family are both grounded in the person of God. These conceptions of the family existed in the Old world because all men are God’s creatures and though fallen, they still reflect to some degree His image.

Therefore, God has always and only dealt covenantally with households—that is, parents and children being considered as organically connected; federal units of society—the Oikos Household among the Greeks or the Covenant Family among the Hebrews—when He has dealt with mankind. God dealing this way is a vital aspect of every single Covenant administration that He has established with man, and it is this way because it comes from the very nature of God Himself.

Thus this mode of dealing with mankind—by family units—was not temporary or typological, but rather moral and permanent. Like the moral law of God, God would have to sooner pass away than His law pass away, because it is in fact a reflection of His own character. And in fact this principle and mode of dealing with mankind is enshrined in the moral Law—the Ten Commandments—and the reason that it is based upon is the actual nature of God Himself. Concerning why we should not engage in false worship God says (Ex. 20:5-6),

…I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

That is dealing with mankind as covenantal family or according to the Oikos Household because that is who God is! Later when Moses desires to see the Lord and His glory, God proclaims His glory and character to Moses saying (Ex. 34:6-7)

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

And this is why the Bible says that every household or headship or fatherhood derives its name from Him, as Paul said (Eph. 3:14-15),

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family (Lit. “fatherhood”) in heaven and on earth is named,

We are a culture that is in rebellion against God. We are trying to remove every vestige of God’s remembrance from our lives and we are trying to change the natural order and definition of things such as marriage and the family. But God has not changed and He has not changed the way that He deals with mankind. And He has not stopped dealing with households because He cannot…that is who He is and that is how He has made us. Thus while we must love our brethren of different persuasions—and I do love those of you who differ with us here—we must reject aberrant philosophies such as Individualism and Feminism, as well as errant theologies such as Arminianism and anti-Infant baptism. These beliefs are all ultimately inconsistent with the very being of God Himself as He has revealed Himself in both nature and Scripture. Every individual is comprehended as being part of a larger family unit—a household. Every household has a covenant head. And every covenant headship is modeled on God’s own federal headship over creation, and all works that way because of who God is.

The Household of Faith (Part 1)

Over the next few weeks I intend to post a 5-part series on household baptisms in the New Testament. This was originally a sermon which I preached to my congregation (http://www.springsreformed.org) before the baptism of one of our covenant children, but I think that it can be read with profit as well. Please read Acts 16:25-34 before you read further.

Introduction

Before us today is the often quoted—but most often, partially quoted—succinct, apostolic answer to the Philippian jailer’s question: What must I do to be saved? In this apostolic answer, there is a solid affirmation of the divine promises of the Covenant of Grace. God had sworn to Abraham that he would become the father of many nations and that through his Seed all the nations of the world would be blessed with salvation. And now, in the Book of Acts, we are seeing the fulfillment of those promises given to Abraham—the promises of the everlasting Covenant of Grace—being fulfilled as the good news of Jesus—the Seed of Abraham—is being preached from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and into the uttermost parts of the earth. As Paul says (Gal. 3:8-9),

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

But you see, even as it was with Abraham, when God calls a person into the Covenant of Grace, He claims Lordship over the man and his entire household. And so even as God said to Abraham (Gen. 17:7)…,

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

…He is here saying to the Philippian jailer—a Gentile (Acts 16:31): “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

And just as the sign and seal of righteousness by faith—circumcision (Rom. 4:11)—was applied not only to believing Abraham, but to all the males in his household (Gen. 17:11-13)…,

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

…so also we read here of the believing Philippian jailer, that not only did he receive the sign and seal of salvation by faith—baptism (Col. 2:11-12), but that his entire household was baptized (Acts 16:33), and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

This then brings us face-to-face with the subject of “household baptisms”. The account here in Acts 16 is one of 5 household baptisms that we know of in the New Testament. In fact there are only 9 persons mentioned in the NT specifically as having been baptized: In Acts we read of the Ethiopian eunuch, Simon Magus, Saul who became Paul, Cornelius, Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and Crispus, and from 1 Corinthians, we learn of Gauis and Stephanas.

Two of these specifically mentioned, most likely did not have any immediate families: the Ethiopian eunuch and Paul. And concerning two of these specifically mentioned, we are not told anything concerning whether they had families or not: Simon Magus and Gauis. Concerning the 5 other individuals that are mentioned in the NT as having been baptized, we know that they had households, and in each case their households were baptized with them.

In the studies to come, we will consider first, generally speaking, "a household", then "a biblical household", and then finally "a biblical household and baptism".