Joseph Hall:
Not to be afflicted is a sign of weakness; for, therefore God imposeth no more on me, because he sees I can bear no more.Putting the RANK in CRANK: DefendingContending Separates From John Piper
Heretic! Heretic! Heretic!
My blogging – both in terms of writing and surfing – has been nonexistent since this past winter. However, for some reason the Spirit moved me in my boredom a few days ago to visit the dudes at DefendingContending. I really shouldn’t have…
On 11/5/2009 Desert Pastor published this post: Piper – The Slope to Heresy?! [Sigh] Well… Team DefCon never has been very keen on subtlety.
[Full Disclosure: I have been shaped by very few men in my life more than I have been by John Piper. I am a member at Bethlehem Baptist Church. I love and admire John Piper.]
Desert Pastor (DP) says in this post that Team DefCon “can no longer endorse any teachings by Piper.” (I would interpret this move as a ringing endorsement for Pastor Piper.) DP claims Piper’s “downhill slide” has consisted in the following:
1) Mixing oxymorons for many years such as “Christian hedonism”
2) Openly endorsing Mark Driscoll (the vulgar, sewer-mouthed talker) with no known retractions
3) Blasphemously claiming the Lord of Glory was damned upon the cross
4) Openly endorsing the Federal Vision heresy as proclaimed by men like Douglas Wilson, and clearly indicating that Douglas Wilson is NOT preaching another or false gospel
5) Openly endorsing the New Perspective on Paul heresy as proclaimed by men like N.T. Wright, and clearly stating that N.T. Wright is also NOT preaching another or false gospel, but that the NPP is merely a “confusing gospel!
Let’s take these one at a time.
1) DP doesn’t like the term Christian hedonism. OK. It wasn’t my favorite phrase when I first encountered it either. I can live without it. Of course, I’m certain DP is aware that there is an entire system of thought lying underneath this phrase that finds its roots in the theological writings of men like Augustine, the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards and C.S. Lewis (I know, I know… another heretic). DP doesn’t spend any time explaining why this term is an oxymoron indicative of a “downhill slide” away from orthodoxy, but hey, Team DefCon has never been very keen on rigorous thought or charity either.
Is this really an issue over which to separate? And why has Team DefCon only begun to harp on this issue now? Desiring God was written almost 23 years ago. This feels like a last minute gripe that’s been less-than-thoughtfully tacked on to the real issues (2-5) that are chapping the collective DefCon hide.
(I wonder how long before the untouchable John MacArthur will be thrown under the bus to perdition with Piper? I wonder if DP is aware of MacArthur’s front cover endorsement of Desiring God – the book in which Christian hedonism is introduced and explained? Well, here it is: “A soul-stirring celebration of the pleasures of knowing God… A must-read for every Christian and a feast for the spiritually hungry.” Uh-oh… Did he say pleasures? Celebration? Wipe that smile off your face, Dr. MacArthur! This is heresy we’re talkin’ ’bout, here!)
2) Yep. Me too. (I’ve posted on the Driscoll controversy here, here, here and here.)
3) This is a completely vacuous charge based on a silly semantic argument. I discussed it briefly here.
4) This is really despicable stuff. DP is basing this allegation on a 3 1/2 minute Resurgence video:
I won’t pretend here to know a lot about the Federal Vision (FV) controversy, because I don’t. I do know that Wilson’s views on this issue are not easily packaged and labeled – for better and worse. I would agree with Piper that every time I’ve read Wilson on his controversial views that, while I don’t agree with them, they are not capital-H-Heretical. I’d wager my next month’s wages that no one at Team DefCon could give and accurate, intelligent and nuanced description of what Wilson actually believes regarding the FV controversy. They just know that FV is bad and Wilson is associated with FV. That’s all the information needed – and all the intellectual energy expended – by Team DefCon to affix the label Heretic to a professing brother in Christ (a brother in Christ with whom they would be in 99% theological agreement).
Either way (my aim here is not to enter the FV fracas), how does one come from this brief video clip to the conclusion that Piper endorses FV? Doesn’t Piper explicitly state here that he doesn’t endorse, adhere to or embrace it? Facts, schmacts… right, DP?
[Ugh... this actually gets worse.]
5) What?!?! Please read DP’s comment again. DP accuses Piper of “Openly endorsing the New Perspective on Paul (NPP).” The very same Piper who wrote The Future of Justification: A Response to NT Wright – a critique of N.T. Wright’s work on NPP! Click on the above link and read some of the one-star reviews, and then tell me Piper endorses NPP.
Also consider these articles at DesiringGod:
Jesus, Islam, Pharisees, and the New Perspective on Paul
Antidote to New Perspective on Paul
It seems the Team DefCon chaps reside in some sort of parallel universe where up is down and they wield the power to create realities – where none existed before – with a mere blog post.
DP is either colossally ignorant or he is a liar and a slanderer. He unbelievably construes Piper’s unwillingness to say in this brief video clip that Wright “preaches a different gospel” (and therefore his unwillingness to proclaim Wright a capital-H-Heretic and cast him into the fires of hell) as an endorsement of NPP. In what kind of logic-free world does that work? John Piper is arguably the most visible and well known critic of NPP! Good grief…
This is truly rank stuff. This is dishonest and slanderous. This is sin. Boys, you’re playing with hellfire. Please stop.
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For a laughably over-the-top example of the foaming-at-the-mouth, ignorant hysteria that defines Team DefCon’s rantings, check out Coram Deo’s beaut from 11/5/2009 at 9:28 PM. (Coram was an official contributor at Team DefCon, but is no longer listed as such on the site.)
While watching Ms. Garofalo tiredly label all conservatives as pathologically racist, ignorant, redneck “tea-baggers” with swollen limbic cortexes, my immediate anger quickly turned to laughter and then slowly deflated into a deep sadness. I think Ms. Garofalo would benefit from meeting with and having an open and honest conversation with a bona fide conservative American. She clearly has no conservative friends or aquaintances. You can only say these kinds of stupefyingly ignorant and hateful things about an entire class of your neighbors and fellow citizens without actually knowing one of them.
I’d like to open my door to Ms. Garofalo. In all seriousness, I’d love to sit down for dinner with her and have an honest conversation about life, politics, religion, music… whatever. We’re not going to convert one another – we’re clearly operating from VERY different worldviews. But perhaps, we might learn to understand and appreciate one another as thoughtful human beings; learn to better communicate with those we disagree with without resorting to the worst kinds of name-calling.
And I’m the real deal, Ms. Garofalo. I’m a conservative, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, pro-capitalism, anti-socialism, pro-defense, pro-gun, meat eating, global warming-denying, born-again-fundamentalist-Christian whack job. Necks don’t come any redder, ma’am.
Whaddya say, Jeneane?
I learned today that my former church (a group of believers God used to pour much grace on my teenage years) is preaching through Kerry and Chris Shook’s One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life. I visited the One Month to Live site and read the first chapter of the book along with several related blog posts.
Note the endorsements listed for this book on the site’s home page:
Rick Warren – “The fear of death paralyzes most people, preventing them from taking the risks necessary to fulfill God’s plan for their lives. Kerry and Chris Shook want you to grasp an amazing insight: Embracing your mortality sets you free to live a meaningful and significant life without regret. Like Queen Esther, God put each of us in the world ‘for such a time as this.’ One Month to Live is a great way to discover the purposeful, joyful, abundant life God created you to enjoy.”
Joel Osteen - “Kerry Shook is a friend, devoted father, supportive husband and inspiring pastor. As one of today’s most gifted communicators, Kerry’s unique and creative style enables him to take the most complex issues and make them practical and relevant to daily living. He has a genuine love for people that is contagious. His ministry is changing the lives of individuals and families here in Houston and transforming communities all across the nation.”
Bill Hybels - “Kerry and Chris Shook are world-class leaders whose lives and ministry have impacted untold numbers of people, including me. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, One Month to Live will challenge you to passionately live the life you were made for and leave an eternal legacy.”
- A veritable “Who’s Who” of the Seeker Sensitive/Church Growth movement.
I’m not going to engage in an extensive critique here, because I haven’t read the book. It just makes me sad. These kinds of movements within evangelicalism used to anger me (to be honest, they still anger me), but more and more they stir in my soul a deep sadness. I spent a good hour or two reading through the book’s site and watching the video introduction at Amazon. I was struck by the following quote from the book’s first chapter:
The results were nothing less than life changing! At the end of the thirty days, we all had a greater clarity of purpose and a renewed sense of passion for the things that really matter. Many people did some big, once in a lifetime things, like going on a dream vacation to Hawaii with their spouse, finally getting serious about a healthy lifestyle and losing twenty-five pounds or reconciling a relationship with a parent that had been neglected for years.
Sigh… I did not find one mention of Christ, the cross, sin, judgment, salvation, etc. at this site. Hopefully, the gospel is squeezed into this book and program somewhere, but I have my doubts. To borrow language from the White Horse Inn fellas, this all smacks of simply one more American expression of a sub-Christian, Christless (at the very least, Christ-lite), therapeutic deism.
Oh, that the American church would simply proclaim (not soft-sell) the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
=(
Gimme dat fire (fire)
Gimme dat flame (flame)
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Absolutely you can gimme dat
If it’s mine (gimme dat)
It’s good for me (gimme dat)
I want it all
Give me that Bible
Give me that mic
I’ll drop Jesus-centered weight so we can make a disciple
Can’t surpass Christ there’s no takin’ His title
A passion for Christ will have you prayin’ for revival
Give me my city – yeah give me that – let’s fish!
Gospel of peace – yeah, you can give me that – fresh kicks
Give me that rest with your blessin’ – Lord I’m desperate
You gave me your life so I look forward to my exit
I used to be a punk-kid, used to wanna run wit
Dudes who wanna hunt to turn our ones into hundreds
Used to want a blunt, to be blunt I wanted trees
Just to alter my mind, but now I find I’m wantin’ Jesus
Used to wanna roll mad deep with the street clique
Wanna hold the heat on the low like a secret
God’s Spirit penetrated my soul on a sneak-tip
Took control, now I’m in his fold like a leaflet
(CHORUS)
Gimme dat fire, Gimme dat flame
Gimme dat fresh wind, Gimme dat rain
Gimme dat freedom, You can have the chains
Gimme dat God who can gimme all things
Gimme dat fire, flame
Gimme dat fresh wind, Gimme dat rain
Gimme dat freedom, You can have the chains
Gimme dat God who can gimme all things
I know you got riches, I know you got ice
Your life is a big party, you’re partyin’ all night
You don’t mind not knowin’ Christ… in your mind “That’s alright”
You might not get this now, but you’re kind of a Saul type
You keep with the trends – “cool” is your middle name
On your pants you gotta chain, that droops like Lil’ Wayne’s
You’re tattooed, in a Benz or maybe you’re in a Range
Ladies, you drive them crazy, nothing’s crazier than your frame
This is a shame, but it’s the age and I’m game to be an agent of change, in an age that’s like a page in a flame
Just smoke, just mirrors, just vapor, it’s plain
To see a Holy God’s not one of your favorite things
I was just like you, but God moved on a fellow
Gave me good news that I could use on the ghetto
Maybe it’s you who wants to u-turn, to settle
Your debt if you do, I’ll tell you it’s been settled!
(CHORUS)
So you got platinum? We got a Lord
If we want we could ask Him, but He’s our reward
Gotta be perfect – it can’t be three out of four
If you’re sick of falling short, then He’s got a cure
Give me that cure, that door, that Hero
Give me that grace to never chase the dinero
How much glory should you give your boy? Zero
That would cause beef with the Lamb like a gyro
Give me that day we choose you over shinin’, truth over rhymin’, virtue over diamonds
Give me some change – sometimes I do need the dough
And give me some pain – something I do need to grow
Give me what I won’t ask for
Don’t give me what I seek – when I creep, I’m a sheep, give me your pasture
Give me life just like you intended
And sight to see you raised like the day you ascended
(CHORUS)
Yeah, this is just to let cats know
Don’t focus on what you can’t have
Get all you can have
We call that freedom
That’s the joy of God, and his poeple, in his world, on his terms
My wife and I (that’s right, honey – I’m not letting you off the hook!) made the mistake tonight of watching Walt Disney’s The Three Musketeer’s with our kids (4 and almost 2). It was considerably more violent than I had recollected and what I expected from a PG Disney flick. While I don’t think either of my children were traumatized, I saw a glimmer of Calvinism in my 4-year-old daughter, Lydia. At one point during the film, someone was about to be killed or executed. I made some comment about killing being bad. Lydia responded with a shrug of the shoulders, “When it’s time to be killed, it’s time to be killed.”
I’m not sure if I should feel pride or shame…
Tabitha Jo - 19 Weeks
Tabitha Jo Blatzheim is due at the end of June. I am very excited to meet her, but a bit wary of the impending shift of power in the Blatzheim household…
One of the funniest videos I’ve seen in a long time. Right up there with “Jesus Is My Friend” by Sonseed.
Sadly, as exaggerated as the parody above is, the principle behind it is a reality. Consider that incandescent light bulbs will begin being banned in 2012. The government is telling us what kind of light bulbs to use in our homes and businesses – demanding we use CFC bulbs (the squiggily ones). If they’re going to tell us what kind of light bulbs to use, what will stop them from one day telling us what kind of vehicles to drive?
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin
This past summer I saw Built to Spill play in Minneapolis with a good friend of mine. It was one of the best shows I’d seen… ever. It was really, really good.
Unfortunately, near the end of the show Brett Netson, guitar player, pleaded with the audience to tune into Amy Goodman on her leftist propaganda independent news radio program, Democracy Now!
I had a vague idea idea of who Goodman was, but I decided to give the show a shot. I added Democracy Now! to my Zune’s podcast queue and listened to the program for maybe a week. I just couldn’t stomach Goodman’s admittedly objective tone spewing forth some of the most biased Marxist propaganda I’d ever heard.
Then last Saturday… I stumbled onto this:
Republican IT Specialist Dies in Plane Crash
This is leftist paranoia at its finest. Amy Goodman, a very respected “journalist” among the die-hard left in this country, is interviewing Mark Crispin Miller, professor of media culture and communication at NYU about the death of Michael Connell, an Internet consultant for the Republican National Committee. I’d detail the madness, but it really has to be seen and heard first-hand. Let’s just say, Goodman and Miller are unconvinced this was an accident.
Sigh… This is truly despicable stuff.
(You can watch from the link above or from the two YouTube videos below.)
I love this song, this album and this video! The video reminds me of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album cover.
