A gem of a comment by Kevin Swanson, buried in a footnote on page 154 of Apostate: “The heyday of humanism is long gone. This experiment with godless materialism is almost over.”
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Insane Nietzsche: Case Study #1 in Nietzscheanism
“When the self-consistent humanist finally comes to the realization that there is no essential meaning in what he says, he is forced to abandon rationality completely, and opt for insanity” (Kevin Swanson, Apostate, 152).
The Bleakness of Pagan Bravery
“Beowulf made answer, the son of Ecgtheow: ‘Grieve not, O wise one! Better it is for every man that he should avenge his friend than he should much lament. To each one of us shall come in time the end of life in the world; let him who may earn glory ere his death. No better thing can brave knight leave behind when he lies dead. Arise, O lord of this realm! Swiftly let us go and look upon the footprint of Grendel’s kin. This I vow to thee: in no refuge shall he ever hide, neither in the bosom of earth nor in mountain-forest, nor in the deeps of the sea, go where he will! For this day have patience in every woe, even as I know thou wilt” (J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, 53).
Crying Wolf (FULL MOVIE)
I don’t know how long this will be up to view for free. Better strike while the iron is hot.
Will to Power
“The goal of existence, according to Nietzsche, is more than survival (as Darwin held). It is the opportunity–or the ability–to discharge one’s strength; he calls this “the will to power” (Kevin Swanson, Apostate, 150).
Evil Barter
“Clamour arose in Heorot. Under the covering of dark she [Grendel’s mother] took the arm she knew so well. Grief was renewed, and was come again to those dwelling places. An evil barter was that, wherein they must on either side exchange the lives of men beloved” (J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, 51).
Human
“To be human is to be one who is addressed by God” (Carl R. Trueman, The Creedal Imperative, 62).
WCF. VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof – 1-2. Q&A
Blogging through and answering the questions from G. I. Williamson’s The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes for personal review and comprehension.
WCF. VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof.
Sections 1-2.
1. Why does the fall of man need much emphasis today?
It needs much emphasis today because of the prominence and acceptance of neo-orthodoxy, whose proponents typically deny that the fall took place when “an actual historical person . . . at a particular time and at a specific location on earth ate a real piece of forbidden fruit” (70).
2. What does neo-orthodoxy (the term itself) mean?
Neo-orthodoxy means “new orthodoxy.”
3. From what did it [neo-orthodoxy] arise?
It arose from and was a response to the “old rationalism” indicative of the post-enlightenment era.
4. Why did it sound promising at first?
Neo-orthodoxy sounded promising because it used the historical/traditional vocabulary of the Christian Church; the proponents of neo-orthodoxy would refer to “creation,” “the fall,” and “election,” however, they re-tooled the thing (meaning) signified by the traditional vocabulary. It had the appearance of orthodox Christian belief, but in the final analysis it lacked the content.
5. What is its tragic defect (basic to all other defects in it)?
The tragic defect of neo-orthodoxy is its “merely exchanging the old form of reliance upon the supremacy of man’s reason with a new form of the same evil” (70). The tragic defect is neo-orthodoxy’s treating God’s Word subservient to human reason.
6. When neo-orthodoxy says that a thing is “true” doctrine, what does it mean?
It means they believe the doctrine is “true” in a nonhistorical sense, i.e. it is merely symbolically or mythically.
7. Why does neo-orthodoxy take such a position?
Neo-orthodoxy takes this position, the position of attempting to affirm the Bible (that the Bible teaches truth) and deny (that what the Bible says is actually true) at the same time, because modernism created a milieu in which it which the traditional Christian belief that the Word of God was above human wisdom/human science was viewed as untenable (see page 70).
8. What choice were neo-orthodox theologians force to make?
“There were but two choices: (1) either accept the authority of God’s Word and lose standing with this world, or (2) retain the approval of the world, and reject the authority of the Bible” (70-71).
9. How were the neo-orthodox theologians more ingenious (and therefore more dangerous) than the older rationalists and modernists?
The neo-orthodox theologians chose the latter of the two choices above (retain the approval of the world, and reject the authority of the Bible), and the “ingenuity of the neo-orthodox theologians was seen in their ability to camouflage the loss of biblical authority. They did it by removing doctrine from history. And so long as they did not say that these doctrines are really true (that is, that they actually happened in history), they were free to say that they are symbolically true (that is, that they are above and beyond our world). In this way they were free to preach abut such things as “the fall” without losing their self-respect and standing with the world” (71).
10. How does the neo-orthodox attitude resemble that of Adam?
It resembles Adam’s attitude (sin) in that both attempt to have truth that is untethered and insubmissive to God’s word.
11. By “total depravity” which do we mean:
- that Adam had a nature like ours with added powers,
- that nothing human remains in sinful men,
- that every faculty of man’s nature is corrupt and polluted,
- that fallen man is stupid whereas Adam was brilliant,
- the faculties of human nature were annihilated by the fall?
Bullet point # 3 – “that every faculty of man’s nature is corrupt and polluted,” i.e. “The ‘total’ in ‘total depravity’ refers to the extent of the damage rather than the degree.
12. By “total depravity,” do we mean that the extent of the damage or the degree of the damage is complete in fallen human nature?
It refers to the extent. Sin is an ethical disease that affects the whole of our human nature.
13. Does man (being totally depraved) do anything that is not sinful? Why?
Not a single thing. Man being totally depraved can only sin. “Every man (who is not redeemed) worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25)” (72). Why is this? Because will flows from nature: if our whole human nature is sick/poisoned with the ethical disease of sin, then our will, desires, affections, and actions are sinful: “it is the disposition of sinful men to do their own will rather than the will of God, they are incapable of submitting their own will to his. The one thing that an independent will cannot do is to willingly submit, thereby ceasing to be independent” (72-73). As Romans 3:11 says, “There is none who seeks God.”
Musical Damage
“The musical Dionysian revolution [which the author contributes to pioneer composer Richard Wagner] captured the hearts and minds of several billion people in subsequent years. Without a cultural revolution in music, Nietzsche would not have nearly the same impact on the world. As the dust clears after the social and cultural atom bombs fell on Western civilization, we can assess the causes of the devastation. Perhaps it was more Wagner than Nietzsche that did the damage–music can carry ideas into the heart of a man, better than prose. Historians chronicling the decline of Western civilization would do well to study the connections between Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wagner, and the popular music revolution of the 1950s and 1960s [Footnote appended: E Michael Jones, Dionysos Rising: The Birth of Cultural Revolution out of the Spirit of Music (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994)]” (Kevin Swanson, Apostate, 148-149).
The Millenial Shape of the Modern Church
Thom Rainer recently ran this article on his blog.
Ten Ways Millenials Are Shaping Local Congregations Today
They are the largest generation in history. In the United States alone, they number more than 78 million, even larger than the seemingly ubiquitous Boomers. They are the Millennials. They are changing our nation, our world, and our churches.
For the purpose of today’s post, I want to focus on changes they are already bringing to our local churches. I have the benefit of a large research project on the Millennials, plus the ongoing conversations I have with members of this generation. And I have spoken with countless leaders in churches about their experiences with Millennials.
Keep in mind that the birth years of the Millennials: 1980 to 2000. So the oldest member of this generation is 34, while the youngest is only 14. But their impact is already noticeable, and it will be for years to come. Here are ten ways they are shaping local congregations today:
- More of them are attracted to smaller venues. They are thus one of the reasons for the incredible growth in the multi-venue model of churches and the growth of new churches. Leaders of smaller churches should be encouraged by this trend as well.
- They see culture as something to influence, rather than an enemy to denounce. Many Millennials truly have a missionary mindset. They are turned off by those who constantly rail against people.
- They like to cooperate with others. They do not view other churches and Christian organizations as competitors. They are attracted to congregations that are working with other congregations.
- They abhor worship wars. I have a previous post on this topic called “What Worship Style Attracts the Millennials?”
- They love churches that love their communities. One of the first questions a Millennial will ask a church leader is, “What is the church doing to influence, impact, and minister to the community?”
- They are attracted to churches that emphasize groups. The Millennials want to be a part of a congregation that has healthy small groups, Sunday school classes, home groups, or other groups.
- They want to be trained on their schedule. The Millennials truly desire training. But they are accustomed to having that training available when they are able to hear it or view it. Such is the reason that many churches are going to video training while having “live” worship services and small groups.
- They will question almost everything. This generation will want to know why a church does what it does. The most unacceptable answer is, “We have always done it this way.”
- They are slow to join, and slow to leave. Church leaders are often frustrated that a Millennial takes so long to commit to a local congregation. But they are intentional and thorough. Once they commit to a church, they are less likely to leave, especially over petty issues.
- They want to be involved. If a church does not have an intentional plan to get Millennials involved in ministry quickly, they will not reach Millennials.
I love this generation. I love their enthusiasm, their commitment, and even their questions. They are one of the reasons I remain an obnoxious optimist about the revitalization of local congregations.
I would love to hear from some of you Millennials. And I would love to hear from some of the older folks like me who are interacting with this generation. Your comments are always more valuable than my posts.