Category — Ecclesiastic

It may seem paradoxical, but confessional faith maintains catholicity. The opposite of a fully engaged and rigorous framework of theology is simply chaos — intellectual, ecclesiastic and social. But, even worse, the unwillingness or suspicion towards any kind of confession ends with a sort of false humility that is in fact perfidious prevarication, as Cyprian so alliterally put it.

Tightening up is good. This is not to say that there will not be development and improvement. In fact, the tightening up process is where reformation happens. Jettisoning what has already been gained is not good. This is just the old radicals in robes again. They are father haters.

The trouble is at the social level, the place in which the conversation happens. The catholicity of the faith starts with the ecclesiastics, not the members of the church. Agreement and unity must begin with the bishops, as Cyprian put it:

“And this unity we ought firmly to hold and assert, especially those of us that are bishops who preside in the Church, that we may also prove the episcopate itself to be one and undivided. Let no one deceive the brotherhood by a falsehood: let no one corrupt the truth of the faith by perfidious prevarication. The episcopate is one, each part of which is held by each one for the whole”. — Treatise on Unity, Chapter 5

“Gargantuanism and the care of souls cannot coexist”. — George Grant

I started finished reading Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola. I realize this book is ancient now, given the pace of modern church publishing, but I was given it by a friend and so I go. I would probably not be reading it otherwise. But I highly respect my friend who is much older than me, has a ton more experience, and has been working in the church for the better part of his life, both full-time and bi-vocationally. He is an elderly iconoclast of sorts, but he is also a man of peace who wants nothing more than to know Christ, so I take his recommendation seriously. 

I have no intention of “blogging” through the book, as this has been done by numerous good brothers across the planet, and my views have been covered somewhere by someone I am certain. Suffice it to say that I have had a mixed response. I think that some of the argumentation is quite “leap-ful”, although many of the premises are provocative and stirring. If nothing else, it is a good conversation starter. I have irenic feelings towards some of the ideas in it, but I am not ready to jump ship and join a house church. 

Viola’s observations on the preaching ministry of the church has got me thinking about some things though. I have to ask myself the question: “How many sermons do I remember?” And, more pointedly, “How many sermons have I heard and having heard been truly helped in my Christian walk?” Well, not to bust the bubble of my pastor friends, but I think about…two*. Truly, it is preachers who get the most excited about preaching. 

Before anyone jumps on me and says, “Well you must not have heard REAL preaching yet”, believe me, I have. I have sat and listened to what would be called the very best of the best**. In fact, my previous pastor in the PCA is one of the greatest rhetoricians and speakers around today. This is a universal judgment amongst PCA’ers and beyond and not just my own. But, I remember him saying to me one Sunday at his table, “I don’t preach so that people remember what I said. I preach with the intention of them having met God”. He wanted to leave us, not so much with a headful of notes, but with an “impression”. I am now wondering if an hour long sermon is necessary to receive such an impression. Also, funny that I remember what he said to me at his table, but for the life of me I can hardly remember what he said from the pulpit. More on that later. 

Back to the question. Having pondered and answered this for myself, I then asked, “When was I truly helped?” The answer comes to me immediately: at the table of older brothers in the Lord. No doubt. It has been while sitting and talking about all manner of things, listening to them, asking questions, eating, laughing, crying and praying, that I have received the most nourishment and help. It is in the presence of my elder brothers that I have confessed my sins, had my pettiness confronted, been comforted in my loneliness and been given direction in my life. I have had the best theological education while drinking dark coffee and hashing out an issue through the Scriptures. The very presence of my elder brother has taught me that to be haughty and nasty in debate is unacceptable. Peace and fellowship come first. This is the short list of what I have gained from them. I have been blessed with older brothers who have been real elders to me, even though they had no official titles. 

Closing remarks: Viola strikes me as leaning toward a Marcionite view of the OT. Likewise, he does not have a clear philosophy of the mind that is rooted in Scripture. He tends towards mysticism on some points in regards to learning. 

* The sermons were preached by Dick Lucas and Sinclair Ferguson. Dick preached on Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal and Sinclair preached on the subject of Justification by Faith Alone. Both were galvanizing.
**I have listened to many tapes and MP3s by a “who’s who” of 20th century preaching.