Carl Giordano's poems "The Church of God - alive or dead?" and "America...you let the devil in"

The two poems by Carl Giordano, "The Church of God - alive or dead?" and "America...you let the devil in" are worth reading and prayerfully reflecting on.  They are posted on Walking In Truth by his wife Connie at http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Church---America.html?soid=1102251333016&aid=0muGQ5pewHk&goback=%2Egde_2924394_member_182901861 [accessed 8 NOV 2012].

Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. "Jack" Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, PA

The 2012 Election and the Voting Issue for Christians

(chronological order)

Judd Birdsall, "Is the President America's Pastor in Chief?: Why Mitt Romney's Mormonism does matter." (13 AUG 2012); on Christianity Today at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/august-web-only/is-the-president-americas-pastor-in-chief.html [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

Owen Strachan, "Our American President: The 'Almost Pastor' of an 'Almost Chosen' Land: How Christians might think about the type of leader they vote into the presidency" (13 AUG 2012); on Christianity Today at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/august-web-only/our-american-president-almost-pastor-of-almost-chosen-land.html?paging=off [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

 

Denny Burk, "Should Mormonism Be a Factor in Evaluating Romney?" (14 AUG 2012); on Denny Burk at http://www.dennyburk.com/is-the-president-our-pastor-in-chief/ [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

Sean Perron, "No Valor" (1 OCT 2012), on unspoken at http://unspokenblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/no-valor/ [accessed 5 NOV 2012].

Dan Phillips, "This election's choice: Romney, third-party (=Obama), or don't vote (=Obama)?" (3 OCT 2012), on Biblical Christianity at
http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2012/10/this-elections-choice-romney-third.html?spref=bl [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

"Is it a Sin to Vote for a Mormon or Roman Catholic?", posted by Nathan W. Bingham (9 OCT 2012); on Ligonier at http://www.ligonier.org/blog/it-sin-vote-mormon-or-roman-catholic/ [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

"In this excerpt from a Questions & Answers session at our 2012 National Conference, Albert Mohler, Robert Godfrey, and Sinclair Ferguson discuss the question, “Is it a sin for a Christian to vote for a Mormon or a Roman Catholic for President of the United States?”"

Michael Farris "The Importance of Voting" (HSLDA, 18 OCT 2012); on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyJMtmyGC6Q&feature=youtu.be  [accessed 26 OCT 2012].

Randy Alcorn,  "Election 2012 Part 5: Is it Wrong to Vote for the Lesser of Evils? Shouldn’t We Instead Vote for a Third Party Candidate?" (25 OCT 2012); on Eternal Perspective Ministries at http://www.epm.org/blog/2012/Oct/25/election-2012-part-5 [accessed 25 OCT 2012].

Joel Beeke, "Why My Conscience Won’t Let Me Not Vote for Romney" (2 NOV 2012); on Joel Beeke: doctrine for life..." at http://www.joelbeeke.org/2012/11/why-my-conscience-wont-let-me-not-vote-for-romney/ [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

Daniel B. Wallace, "Why We Should Vote" (2 NOV 2012); on Daniel B. Wallace at http://danielbwallace.com/2012/11/02/why-we-should-vote/ [accessed 2 NOV 2012].

Denny Burk, "Can Evangelicals Vote for a Mormon?" (4 NOV 2012), on Denny Burk at http://www.dennyburk.com/glenn-becks-bridge-to-evangelicals/ [accessed 4 NOV 2012].

Finally - 

"My Politics", from the Letters of John Newton, on Grace Gems at http://gracegems.org/2012/11/politics.html [accessed 5 NOV 2012]:

"The whole system of my politics is summed up in this one verse, "The Lord reigns! Let the nations tremble!" Psalm 99:1

The times look awfully dark indeed; and as the clouds grow thicker the stupidity of the nation seems proportionally to increase. If the Lord had not a remnant here, I would have very formidable apprehensions. But He loves His children; some are sighing and mourning before Him, and I am sure He hears their sighs, and sees their tears. I trust there is mercy in store for us at the bottom; but I expect a shaking time before things get into a right channel before we are humbled, and are taught to give Him the glory.

The state of the nation, the state of the churches, both are deplorable! Those who should be praying are disputing and fighting among themselves! Alas! How many professors are more concerned for the mistakes of government than for their own sins!"

Fall Family Festival (rescheduled)

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its Fourth Annual "Fall Family Festival" on Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 4:00-7:00 PM at the church. Wayside Gospel Chapel is located in Greene Township on the corner of Roemerville Road and PA Route 390 about 4 miles south of Promised Land State Park in Pike County. The activities at the Fall Family Festival will include turkey bowling, leaf jumping, pumpkin carving, hay bale throwing and more. There will be food and a bonfire. All ages are welcome, and there is no charge. Activities will take place inside and outside, so please wear warm clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty! For more information contact Pastor Jack Jeffery at waysidegospelchapel at yahoo dot com.

Descend From Heaven Celestial Dove, by Joseph Hart

Descend from heaven, celestial Dove,

With flames of pure seraphic love

Our ravished breasts inspire;

Fountain of joy, blest Paraclete,

Warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat,

And set our souls on fire.

Breathe on these bones, so dry and dead;

Thy sweetest, softest influence shed

In all our hearts abroad;

Point out the place where grace abounds;

Direct us to the bleeding wounds

Of our incarnate God.

Conduct, blest Guide, thy sinner-train

To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain,

And with us there abide;

Let us our loved Redeemer meet,

Weep o’er his piercèd hands and feet,

And view his wounded side.

From which pure fountain if thou draw

Water to quench the fiery law,

And blood to purge our sin;

We’ll tell the Father in that day,

(And thou shalt witness what we say),

“We’re clean, just God, we’re clean.”

Teach us for what to pray, and how;

And since, kind God, ’tis only thou

The throne of grace canst move,

Pray thou for us, that we, through faith,

May feel the effects of Jesus’ death,

Through faith, that works by love.

Thou, with the Father and the Son,

Art that mysterious Three-in-One,

God blest for evermore!

Whom though we cannot comprehend,

Feeling thou art the sinner’s Friend,

We love thee and adore.

Joseph Hart, in A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship, by William Gadsby (London: Gospel Standard Publications, 1987; also, n.p.: Gospel Standard Trust Publications, 2000), pp. 38-39, Hymn #29.  Meter: 8.8.6.  Ezek. 37:5, 9; Jn. 16:14.

The Fall Family Festival has been postponed until next Lord's Day, November 4th, due to forecasted inclement weather  putting the "damper" on the planned outdoor activities.  

Reminder: Next Lord's Day is also Orphan Sunday and the change to Daylight Savings Time!

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. "Jack" Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, PA

2012 Fall Family Festival

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its Fourth Annual "Fall Family Festival" on Sunday, October 28, 2012 from 4:00-7:00 PM at the church. Wayside Gospel Chapel is located in Greene Township on the corner of Roemerville Road and PA Route 390 about 4 miles south of Promised Land State Park in Pike County. The activities at the Fall Family Festival will include turkey bowling, leaf jumping, pumpkin carving, hay bale throwing and more. There will be food and a bonfire. All ages are welcome, and there is no charge. Activities will take place inside and outside, so please wear warm clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty! For more information contact Pastor Jack Jeffery at waysidegospelchapel at yahoo dot com.

Touchstone Magazine's server back up

Touchstone Magazine's site is back up.  The following was posted by James M. Kushiner on Thursday, 10 MAY 2012 to Touchstone's "Mere Comments" blog page.

Yes, Our Server Crashed

Thursday, May 10, 2012, 11:36 PM

James M. Kushiner

My apologies to our readers–our server for www.touchstonemag.com has been done [sic] most of today. We’ve addressed the issue and things should be back to normal now. Thanks for your patience.

Source:  Touchstone Magazine at http://touchstonemag.com/merecomments/2012/05/yes-our-server-crashed/ [accessed 12 MAY 2012].

As a result, readers may now access Joe Carter's blog post:

The Blasphemy of Barack Obama

Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 11:00 PM

Joe Carter

Source:  the "Mere Comments" blog on Touchstone Magazine at
http://touchstonemag.com/merecomments/2012/05/the-blasphemy-of-barack-obama/ [accessed 12 MAY 2012].

Pastor John T. Jeffery

The Blasphemy of Barack Obama

The article below is by Joe Carter who is an editor of the Gospel Coalition. It is being posted here since access to Touchstone Magazine, including the "Mere Comments" page where it was posted, has continually produced the following or similar responses regardless of which browser or Touchstone page URL is used:

"Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /merecomments/2012/05/the-blasphemy-of-barack-obama/ on this server.

Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request."

 

Denny Burk has done the same on his blog site at http://www.dennyburk.com/the-blasphemy-of-barack-obama/ [accessed 10 MAY 2012]:

 

"UPDATE: Some readers have pointed out that the link to Joe Carter’s article is broken. It looks as if the entire Touchstone magazine site is down at the moment. For now, I’ll post Joe’s full remarks below until the link is restored."

Joe Carter's article follows.

 

The Blasphemy of Barack Obama
Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 11:00 PM
Joe Carter

 Mr. President,

... Earlier today you made a statement that will go down in history as one of the most audacious ever made by a sitting President.

And no, I’m not talking about your admission that you supports gay marriage. The only thing surprising about that revelation is that you decided to stop lying about your position before the election.

No, I’m referring to the fact that you’ve made one of the most theologically ignorant claims in modern history:

This is something that, you know, we’ve talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do. And that is that, in the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people and, you know, I, you know, we are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president.”

Considering that you once defined sin as “being out of alignment with my values,” it’s not surprising that you quickly gloss over all that “Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf” stuff (presumably Jesus died on the cross to save us from our misaligned personal values, right?). But your implying that Jesus supports same-sex marriage—and there really is no other way to interpret your statement—is nothing short of blasphemous.

No, Mr. President, Jesus does not support same-sex marriage. Even a liberal Christian like you should not be able to make such an historically and theologically absurd claim with a straight face. The history of Christian thought on sexual ethics from the time of the stoning of Stephen to the Stonewall riots has been consistent that engaging in homosexual behavior is strictly and clearly prohibited by God’s Word.

Indeed, Mr. President, you’ve embraced a position that even the godless pagans of antiquity would have considered too radical to for decent people to champion. Admittedly, we now live in a culture so morally obtuse that we can look to barbarians and heathens as moral exemplars on the issue of marriage, so maybe we shouldn’t blame you for not tacking with the political winds. Also, you’ve never been one to exhibit moral courage, and it would have required more than you could muster to stand against your party’s big-money immoralists in an election year.

Nevertheless, to imply that Jesus would support same-sex marriage is contemptible. I realize it probably won’t hurt you come election time—too many Christians are more concerned about saving your seat in the Oval Office than they are with slander against our Savior—but I encourage you to repent of your blasphemy.

Please, Mr. President, for once in your career set aside your magnificent ego and humbly admit that you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m praying that you’ll do the right thing and admit you were wrong. If not, you’ll discover that God and history are harsh judges with long memories."

Ladies' Seminar

What Women Want

We all want something.

It’s human to want.

But what if we don’t get what we want?

Or worse, we get what we think we want,

and we realize that it wasn’t really what we wanted.

What then?? 

Come and explore the answers to these questions

from three women who share a few things in common:

• they all love the Lord God,
• they all love to study and teach His Word,
• and they all have a degree in counseling.  

Speakers:

Janet Lanton

Natalie Burns

Tanya Hurlbert  

Location:

Wayside Gospel Chapel

Rte 390 & Roemerville Rd.

Greentown, PA 18426 

Apx. 2.5 miles south of Promised Land State Park 

Nearest address:

1422 Rte 390, Greentown (Pike County), PA 18426 

GPS Coordinates:

N 41 deg. 17.009'

W 75 deg. 14.972' 

Date and time:

Saturday June 2^nd 2012

9:00am-3:00pm  

Also:

Child care upon request

$5 suggested lunch donation 

RSVP to:

Martha Jeffery

sewhappyshop at yahoo dot com

2012 Sovereign Grace Chapel Bible Conference

Friday, October 12th - Sunday, October 14th, 2012

Location:

Sovereign Grace Chapel
449 Main St.
Southbridge, MA 01550

Speakers:

Peter LaRuffa, Associate Pastor, Grace Fellowship Church (Florence, KY)
"The Daily Life of the Gospel"


Ben Skaug, Pastor, Covenant Grace Baptist Church (Greenville, SC)
"Christ in the Old Testament"

Schedule:

Friday:  6:45-9:00 PM
Refreshments provided by Sovereign Grace Chapel at 6:45 PM

Saturday:  8:00-11:00 AM, 6:00-9:00 PM
Dessert provided by Sovereign Grace Chapel at 9:00 PM

Sunday:  9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Lunch provided by Sovereign Grace Chapel at 12:00 PM

Special worship music is included each day.

Conference cost: 

Free

Registration: 

None, but please RSVP Pastor George at the email address below if you are planning to attend.

Contact information:

Pastor Gary George at gsg1023@gmail.com
http://www.sovereigngracema.org/Conferences.html

Monumental Theonomic Revisionism

Monumental Theonomic Revisionism

I have serious issues with Kirk Cameron's movie, Monumental (Fathom Events, 2012)[1].  However, before spelling out the issues that I have with this movie "event" by way of questions that it raises, certain definitions need to be understood.

Definitions:

1.  Historical Revisionism -

"In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event."[2]

2.  Theonomy -

"Since the mid-1970s, the term Theonomy has been most often used in Protestant circles to specifically label the ethical perspective of Christian Reconstructionism, a perspective that claims to be a faithful revival of the historic Protestant view of the Old Testament law as espoused by many European Reformers and Puritans. Some in the modern Reformed churches are critical of this understanding, while other Calvinists affirm Theonomy."[3]

3.  Dominion Theology -

"Dominion Theology is a grouping of theological systems with the common belief that society should be governed exclusively by the law of God as codified in the Bible, to the exclusion of secular law. The two main streams of Dominion Theology are Christian Reconstructionism and Kingdom Now Theology. Though these two differ greatly in their general theological orientation (the first is strongly Reformed and Neo-Calvinistic, the second is Charismatic), they share a postmillennial vision in which the Kingdom of God will be established on Earth through political and (in some cases) even military means."[4]

4.  Christian Reconstructionism -

"Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Evangelical Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all areas of life, within the private sphere of life and the public and political sphere as well. The primary beliefs characteristic of Christian Reconstructionism include:

Calvinist Protestantism (particularly Neo-Calvinism), for its description of individual spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit that is required to change people on a personal level before any positive cultural changes can occur,

Theonomy: applying the general principles of Old Testament Law and New Testament Law to the corresponding family, church and civil governments (compare with theocracy); while in favor of separation of church and state at the national level, theonomists believe the state is under God and is therefore commanded to enforce God's Law.

Postmillennialism, the Christian eschatological belief that God's kingdom began at the first coming of Jesus Christ, and will advance progressively throughout history until it fills the whole earth through conversion to the Christian faith and worldview,

The presuppositional apologetics of Cornelius Van Til which holds there is no neutral philosophical ground between the regenerate elect person and the unregenerate person, that the Bible reveals a self-authenticating worldview and system of truth, and that non-Christian, non-Reformed belief systems self-destruct when they become more consistent with their fundamentally trinitarian Christian presuppositions (or the presuppositionalism of Van Til's fiercest critic Gordon Clark), and Decentralized political order resulting in laissez-faire capitalism and minimal state power, but only with respect to economics."[5]

Issues:

An old commercial jingle went:  "You wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!"[6]  After viewing Kirk Cameron's movie I have no doubt that a similar "jingle" is called for in response to:

1) its selective reading of history,

2) its subtle and not so subtle proselytizing for Dominion Theology,

3) its revisionist propagandizing concerning the founding of the American nation and the character of its Founders,

4) and its implicit call for a "Christian Sharia" based on Old Covenant Law. 

Now for the jingle: "You wonder where the truth about the founding of America went when you fill your mind with Monument!"

In my opinion, at least the following twelve questions need to be asked and answered for an objective assessment of this movie to take place.

1.  Where did the other 12 Colonies disappear to in the propaganda of Monumental?  If you are left wondering why I mention the five colonies below, then you need to study their character from their "nonrevisionist" history.  If you do that, then you may understand why they were left out in Dominion Theology's revisionist approach to the founding of America!

For example:

• Rhode Island?
• Pennsylvania?
• Maryland?
• Virginia?
• Georgia?

2.  Where did the non-Puritans disappear to in the propaganda of Monumental?  As you may suspect, there are connections in these questions to the colonies in the questions above.  However, there is more here than meets the eye.  When the smoke and mirrors of Dominion Theology's revisions are cleared away, how non-Puritans were treated in the Massachusetts Bay Colony needs to be taken out, dusted off, and shown the light of day!

For example:

• Where did the Baptists go?
• Where did the Quakers go?
• Where did the Roman Catholics go?
• Where did the Anglicans go?
• Where did the prisoners go?
• Oh, and by the way, where did the Jews go? 

3.  What is Glen Beck doing there?  How would this Mormon have fared in the Plymouth Plantation or the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

4.  What is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter doing there?  Is King's Gandhiism part of the heritage to be found in the Plymouth Plantation?

5.  Why is the issue of the "Great Compromise" legalizing slavery swept under the carpet?

6.  Why are the deism, the anti-Biblical teachings, and the profligate behavior of many of the Founders swept off the table?

7.  Is the notion presented here of "America the Christian Nation" any safer for those who disagree with the theonomy of these revisionists for independents, dissidents, and "free churches" than it was for them in the Plymouth Plantation and the Massachusetts Bay Colony?  Were they not guilty of precisely the same intolerance and persecution as was done to them in "jolly old" England (and in some cases, worse)?  How is their "New" England, any better for independents, dissidents and free churches than it was for them in "Old" England?

8.  Throughout the movie Kirk Cameron pounds nails into the map and then wraps wires around these nails connecting them.  Why are the dots connected in a straght line progression for the Puritan Separatists as if that is the "be all and end all" for the foundation of America?

9.  D. James Kennedy, the great popularizer of Theonomic Reconstructionism, is dead.  Are we looking at his heir apparent in Kirk Cameron?  Is he the new "Golden Boy" for the Theonomic Reconstructionists, the Dominion Theologians, and their brand of historical revisionism?

10.  On what basis can attempts to impose the Sharia of radical Muslims based on the Koran be opposed, while at the same time insisting on the "Christian Sharia" of these Theonomists?

11.  Were the Ten Commandments focused on in Monumental with the subtle suggestion that they should be made the "law of the land"?  Did this include the Fourth Commandment?  And, what, pray tell, would be the fate of non-Sabbatarians and Sabbath breakers under such a system?

12.  Can anyone buy into Kirk Cameron's and David Barton's[7] vision of "Christian American" without embracing a "Galatian America" that implicitly denies the Gospel of the New Covenant while explicitly bringing Old Covenant Law in the back door?

John T. Jeffery

Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel

Greentown, PA

Monumental Theonomic Revisionism

by John T. Jeffery

Copyright 2012 by John T. Jeffery.

All rights reserved.

The use of excerpts or reproduction of this material is prohibited

without written permission from the author.

Contact the author at:

722 South Main Ave.

Scranton, PA 18504

Home phone:  (570) 342-5787

Email:  johntjeff@verizon.net

---

[1] "MONUMENTAL: In Search of America’s National Treasure LIVE", on Fathom Events at http://www.fathomevents.com/originals/event/monumental.aspx?utm_source=MonumentalMovie&utm_medium=WebSite&utm_campaign=Monumental [accessed 28 MAR 2012].

[2] "Historical Revisionism", on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_revisionism [accessed 28 MAR 2012]. 

[3] "Theonomy" on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theonomy [accessed 28 MAR 2012].  See also Theonomy: A Reformed Critique, eds. William S. Barker and W. Robert Godfrey (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1990), pp. 9-10, 13.

[4] "Dominion Theology", on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Theology [accessed 28 MAR 2012].

[5] "Christian Reconstructionism", on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Reconstructionism [accessed 28 MAR 2012].

[6] Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsodent [accessed 21 APR 2010].  Video at Ad Classix at http://adclassix.com/classictvcommercials/1948pepsodenttoothpaste.htm [accessed 21 APR 2010].

[7] "Child star turned fundamentalist Christian activist Kirk Cameron's pseudo-documentary Monumental is coming to over 500 theaters across the country on March 27, and from the clips available online, it's clear that Cameron's movie promises to be packed with the same Christian nationalist historical revisionism that David Barton is so well known for. In fact, Barton himself appears in Cameron's film. One of the clips available online shows Cameron visiting Barton's personal museum in Texas, and hearing a few of Barton's lies about the early Congress and Thomas Jefferson printing Bibles to spread the word of God to all American families."

Source:  Chris Rodda, "Monumental" Lies - Kirk Cameron Visits David Barton" (22 MAR 2012), Talk To Action at http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/3/22/134734/092 [accessed 28 MAR 2012].

Note:  Further research on who David Barton is and what he really believes is encouraged, and is enlightening!

N. T. Wright on the Literal Understanding of the Genesis Creation Narrative

A Critique of The Biologos Forum interview of N. T. Wright by Peter Enns, 

"What Do You Mean by ‘Literal’?" (September 8, 2010).[1]

Anyone who has read or listened to N. T. Wright soon develops an appreciation for his skill in communication, and for the high level of scholarship that he is capable of.  That, along with his extensive sphere of influence, makes what he does with the issues on the table here of critical importance.

N. T. Wright is very good on the difference between literal and metaphorical, and will find broad agreement with where he goes with the question right "out of the gate".  Notice, however, that he does not give a straightforward answer to the question.  Crediting him with the assumption that he  knows very well what the issue is, the immediate impression is that he answers like a "slippery" scholar!  It certainly seems that he does not want to be pinned down, knowing full well the implications of a clear answer in either direction!

He asserts at the outset that the difference between literal and metaphorical is not the issue.  By doing so he lays his foundation before proceeding  to the implications of the question for the Genesis account.  He gives what appears to be a very clear and straightforward answer to the exact same question when it comes to the Crucifixion.  The very fact that he is unwilling to do so, or at least that he fails to do so, when it comes to the Creation account should be seen as  significant. 

In the process of this initial development of the difference between literal and metaphorical he makes an issue about the nature of parabolic literature:

"The point is this is a cheerfully fictitious story, but often the real meaning remains concrete.  If they do not hear Moses and the prophets..."[2]

What is his point in doing so?  He is going somewhere with this!

"So it is a much more interesting and complicated question than your culture or mine has ever allowed us to get into by this literal/non-literal split.  When you get back to Genesis with all of that I really want to know what did the writer of Genesis, or the people who wrote the bits and pieces that came together as Genesis, what did they intend to do by this story?"

It begins to be clear at this point that Wright's concern is not with the words that God inspired, but with authorial intent.

Listen very carefully to the framework he casts the Creation account into, to how he speaks about it.  Wright makes it clear that in his understanding this is all about the meta-narrative!  The words, the explicit words of the Scriptural narrative, are made secondary to a meta-narrative that gives every appearance of being either preconceived, or brought to the passage from subsequent exegetical conclusions.  The construction of a Temple (G. K. Beale?!?!) to be inhabited by God is the primary thing. 

            "It's a Temple story..."

This is the important issue.  The rest of it, the "structure" is secondary.  The "formal structure" is the words of the narrative itself.

"And suddenly Genesis 1 instead of it being were there six days or were there five or were there seven or were there 24 hours, it's actually about God making heavens and the earth as the place where He wants to dwell, and putting humans into that construct as a way of both reflecting His own love into the world, and drawing out the praise and glory from the world back to Himself."

Wright's final sentence is telling:

"And that's the literal meaning of Genesis, and the question of the formal structure has to fit around that as best it can."

At the end of the day, our understanding of "literal", and the way Wright uses it in his conclusion appear to be saying diametrically opposite things.  Once this is understood the issue is, on one level, semantic.  However, on another level, we are back to the age old problem of the "high-jacking" of theological and exegetical terms via redefinition and obfuscation.  These terms then must be qualified to distinguish the Biblical truth from error.  This is precisely why we must now speak of believing not just that the Bible is the Word of God, but that it is the verbally, plenarily, inspired, infallible and inerrant Word of God written. 

Wright bemoans what he refers to as our cultures' "literal/non-literal split", and then takes the word "literal" and embraces the meta-narrative with it.  He did not hesitate to separate the Crucifixion from the Parables by employing literal and metaphorical respectively.  When he gets to the Creation account, however, he not only avoids referring to the account itself as metaphorical, i.e., as a figure of speech (non-literal), but actually shunts the narrative itself aside so that he can use the word "literal" to describe the authorial intent, i.e., the meta-narrative.  Wright's "literal" is not "literally" literal at all, rather the metaphorical of the Gospels is now the literal, and the literal of the Gospel accounts, as he expressed it, is either not to be found in Genesis, or at best, is not the "real meaning" or "concrete" meaning (Wright's words).  His purpose in stressing the need to understand the metaphorical nature of the parabolic literature now becomes clear.  The metaphor found in the words of Scripture is not the "real meaning", nor is it literal, or "concrete".  The literal meaning, the real meaning must be found elsewhere, and this elsewhere is sufficiently divorced from the figure of speech that it only provides a "formal structure" that must fit the "real meaning" as best it can.

At stake here is the issue of our age now subtly being attacked and undermined once again - the issue of Bibliology, the doctrine of the inscripturated Word of God including the hermeneutics utilized in understanding Scripture.  The conflicting views of propositional versus potential revelation, verbal as opposed to conceptual inspiration, and literal versus allegorical interpretation are once again on the table (as if they ever left), and the ivory tower of Anglican academia and American pseudo-science will not let it rest.

On the Biologos Institute and the Creation account in Genesis see also the following:

John MacArthur with Phil Johnson, Evangelicals, Evolution, and the Biologos Disaster, GTY136, on Grace to You at http://www.gty.org/products/audio-lessons/GTY136 [accessed 5 APR 2012].  MP3 available on Grace to You at http://webmedia.gty.org/sermons/High/GTY136.mp3 [accessed 5 APR 2012].  Transcript not available as of 5 APR 2012.

Albert Mohler, "No Pass from Theological Responsibility - The BioLogos Conundrum" (Nov. 9, 2010), on AlbertMohler.com http:/www.albertmohler.com/2010/11/09/no-pass-from-theological-responsibility-the-biologos-conundrum/ [accessed 5 APR 2012].

D. A. Carson, "Three More Books on the Bible: A Critical Review", Trinity Journal 27:1 (Spring 2006), pp. 1-62; reprinted in D. A. Carson, Collected Writings on Scripture, compiled by Andrew David Naselli (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), pp. 237-301.  The original article is available as a PDF file on The Gospel Coalition at http://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/2006_three_more_books.pdf [accessed 11 APR 2012], and without footnotes on Reformation 21 at http://www.reformation21.org/shelf-life/three-books-on-the-bible-a-critical-review.php [accessed 11 APR 2012].  This article and chapter by Carson includes reviews both of Peter Enns, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005), pp. 18-45, pp. 255-283 respectively, and N. T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God (London: SPCK, 2005); also published as The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005), pp. 45-62, and pp. 283-301 respectively.

Robert V. McCabe, "A Defense of Literal Days in the Creation Week", Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 5 (Fall 2000) pp. 97-123; available as a PDF on Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary at  http://www.dbts.edu/journals/2000/McCabe.pdf [accessed 11 APR 2012].

Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. Jeffery

Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel

Greentown, PA

17 March 2012

N. T. Wright on the Literal Understanding of the Genesis Creation Narrative

by John T. Jeffery

Copyright 2012 by John T. Jeffery.

All rights reserved.

The use of excerpts or reproduction of this material is prohibited

without written permission from the author.

Contact the author at:

722 South Main Ave.

Scranton, PA 18504

Home phone:  (570) 342-5787

Email:  johntjeff@verizon.net

---

[1] The Biologos Forum at http://biologos.org/blog/what-do-you-mean-by-literal [accessed 17 MAR 2012].

[2] Is he giving with one hand while he takes away with the other?  Does he really believe that Moses authored the Pentateuch?  Is multiple authorship part of where he considers going with his authorial intent concern?  Consider the very next quote!  How can he knowingly cite this New Testament passage concerning Moses when J-E-P-D redactors or something  very similar is out there?  Are we back to meta-narrative issues even when it comes to the Scriptural documentation of authorship?  Are men like O. T. Allis rolling over in their graves?

One Good Reason To Study the King James Version

Degeneration into sloppiness in the English language over centuries is the only way that I can explain the loss of accuracy and precision language as exhibited, for example, in the inability of modern English to distinguish the second person plural personal pronoun from the singular. This linguistic decline in the English language was the subject of a debate in Britain in 1978 in the House of Lords. It was recorded under the title, "The English Language: Deterioration in Usage".
Source: Robert McCrum, William Cran, and Robert MacNeil, The Story of English (New York: Viking, 1986). The transcript of this debate is in Hansard (21 NOV 1979), Vol. 403, cc. 156-96, on Hansard at http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1979/nov/21/the-english-language-deterioration-in-1 [accessed 10 APR 2012].

Carelessness in communication is evidenced in other ways. I am unsure if other languages have exhibited similar degeneration, and thus have no basis for assuming that it is predictable or inevitable. However, it leaves me wondering if the ascendancy of nihilistic linguistic theory lies behind this degeneration at least in the English language. This would manifest itself by provoking despair in accurate communication, and the consequent demise of precision in vocabulary, grammar and syntax.

Whatever the cause, the effect is that modern English has no viable alternative to the 17th century's ability to distinguish the second person personal prounouns with "thou, thee, thy", and "you, ye, your". As a result of this loss of precision in all modern English translations I have advised many who do not have facility in the Greek New Testament to consult the KJV in their studies for accuracy with the number and case of personal pronouns. See Brian Tegart's helpful article, "The KJV's Archaic Language Pros and Cons" on The KJV-Only Issue at http://www.kjv-only.com/theethou.html [accessed 10 APR 2012]. By the way, do not be alarmed by the name of his web site!  Brian is certainly anything but "KJV-Only", as you will soon detect as you read this article!
Note: I had previously credited this article and web site to Doug Kutilek, but received information concerning the correct author in an email from Doug 12 APR 2012.  Doug's web site is The King James Only Resource Center at http://www.kjvonly.org [accessed 12 APR 2012], and is recommended as a similarly helpful site on this issue.  I apologize for any confusion this may have caused in the interim.

My favorite example is the interplay between the singulars and the plurals in the following passages found in Paul's epistles to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - 16 Know ye [pl.] not that ye [pl.] are the temple [sing.] of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you [pl.]? 17 If any man [sing.] defile the temple [sing.] of God, him [sing.] shall God destroy; for the temple [sing.] of God is holy, which temple [sing.] ye [pl.] are.

1 Corinthians 6:13-20 - 13 Now the body [sing.] is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body [sing.]. 14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us [pl.] by his own power. 15 Know ye [pl.] not that your bodies [pl.] are the members [pl.] of Christ? shall I then take the members [pl.] of Christ, and make them the members [pl.] of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye [pl.] not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body [sing.]? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man [sing.] doeth is without the body [sing.]; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body [sing.]. 19 What? know ye [pl.] not that your [pl.] body [sing.] is the temple [sing.] of the Holy Ghost which is in you [pl.], which ye [pl.] have of God, and ye [pl.] are not your [pl.] own? 20 For ye [pl.] are bought with a price [sing.]: therefore glorify God in your [pl.] body [sing.], and in your [pl.] spirit [sing.], which are God's.  

2 Corinthians 6:16 - And what agreement hath the temple [sing.] of God with idols? for ye [pl.] are the temple [sing.] of the living God; as God hath said , I will dwell in them [pl.], and walk in them [pl.]; and I will be their [pl.] God, and they [pl.] shall be my people [sing.].

Another alternative was employed by William Hendriksen, who addresses this issue in his New Testament Commentary series published by Baker. He does so by placing spaces between the letters of the second person plural pronoun:

"Please Note In order to differentiate between the second person plural (see Luke 12:57: "Why do y o u not judge...?") and the second person singular (the next verse: "...when you are going"), the letters in "y o u pl." are spaced, those in "you sing." are not."

Source: William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), pg. xiii.

Note: This constructive alternative utilized by Hendriksen helps with the issue of number (singular versus plural), but does nothing for the loss of distinction of the case (nominative/subjective versus genitive/objective), which is understood to be of lesser concern.

The example Hendriksen cites in his commentary on Matthew is 26:64 where the differentiation of the second person singular pronoun from the second person plural pronoun is noted. Other examples are cited where this note is found in some of his other commentaries (but not all). It appears that Simon Kistemaker did not continue this practice when he continued the series following Hendriksen's death as, for example, no such note is found at the beginning of his volume on Hebrews. However, Logos includes a note on this set of commentaries on their web site:

"Please Note: In order to differentiate between the second person singular and the second person plural, the publisher indicated the former as follows: “you”; and the latter as follows: “y o u.” The digital edition follows this innovation."

Source: Logos at http://www.logos.com/product/4233/bakers-new-testament-commentary [accessed 10 APR 2012].

Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, PA

10 APR 2012

One Good Reason To Study the King James Version

by John T. Jeffery

Copyright 2012 by John T. Jeffery.

All rights reserved.

The use of excerpts or reproduction of this material is prohibited

without written permission from the author.

Contact the author at:

722 South Main Ave.

Scranton, PA 18504

Home phone:  (570) 342-5787

Email:  johntjeff@verizon.net

10th Annual Wayside Weekend Bible Conference

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its 10th Annual Weekend Bible Conference Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1, 2012. Two sessions are scheduled for Saturday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a Fellowship Dinner between sessions. The closing session of the Conference will be the Sunday morning worship service beginning at 11:00 a.m.

David B. Morris will once again be expounding the Scriptures at Wayside. David is no stranger to Wayside Gospel Chapel as this is his ninth visit as our featured Bible Conference preacher.

Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (left) with Pastor David Morris (right)

David studied Classics and Linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, following his conversion in 1973. After nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry, he entered an itinerant ministry of evangelism and conference speaking. He and Terri, his wife of 31 years, have six children.

David has ministered in the past at:
1) the John Bunyan Conference (New Ringgold, and Lewisburg, PA);
2) the International Baptist Conference (Toronto, Canada);
3) the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference founded by Elder D. J. Ward, Main Street Baptist Church (Lexington, KY); and most recently at
4) the Center for Pioneer Church Planting of To Every Tribe Ministries (Los Fresnos, TX).

Some of his sermons are available on SermonAudio.com at David Morris [accessed 18 FEB 2012].

Pastor David Morris (left) with Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (right)

Don't miss this opportunity to gather at Wayside as we are ministered to by this gifted preacher and teacher of God's Word! Please contact Pastor Jeffery if you plan on attending Saturday evening to assist with planning the dinner at waysidegospelchapel@yahoo.com.

John Bunyan Conference

The 2012 John Bunyan Conference is scheduled for April 23-25 at Reformed Baptist Church in Lewisburg, PA

Speakers and Topics:

Chad Bresson - Preaching the Psalms in New Covenant Theology - 2 Messages

John G. Reisinger - Role of Conscience in Old and New Covenants

Dr. Tom Schreiner - The New View of Justification - 3 Messages

A. Blake White - Cruciform Love - 2 Messages

Steve West - Revisiting Free Will - 2 Messages

Dr. Fred Zaspel- (1) The Law Fulfilled (2) The Doctrine of Forgiveness

Lodging for the conference is available at a reduced rate at the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson in Lewisburg, PA. Just mention that you would like accommodations for the John Bunyan Conference to receive a double occupancy room for only $89.00 per night which includes a nice continental breakfast.

Reservations must be made by no later than April 7, 2012 to receive this reduced rate.

Reservations at the Country Inn and Suites may be made by calling 800-456-4000 or 570-524-6600. Their website is www.countryinns.com/lewisburgpa and the address is 134 Walter Drive, Route 15, PO Box 46, Lewisburg, PA 17837.

Meals for lunch and dinner will be available at the church.

The registration is $65.00 per individual and includes four meals.

Space for meals is limited and registration will be restricted to the first 80 individuals who register. Please register by no later than April 7, 2012. Sign-in for the conference will be from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on Monday, April 23, 2012 at Reformed Baptist Church.

Please call 301-473-8781 or email johnbunyanconf@comcast.net to register; Discover, Visa or MasterCard accepted.

Please register by no later than April 7, 2012.

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2012 JOHN BUNYAN CONFERENCE, LEWISBURG, PA APRIL 23-25, 2012

□ Register me for the 2012 John Bunyan Conference. Enclosed is a check for $65.00.

□ Register me for the 2012 John Bunyan Conference. Enclosed is a check for $20.00; I will pay the remaining $45.00 upon sign-in.

Make the check payable to

Sovereign Grace New Covenant Ministries with a note "For 2012 John Bunyan Conference" and mail to 5317 Wye Creek Dr, Frederick, MD 21703-6938.

Name: ____________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________________________

State/Province – Zip/Postal Code: ____________________________________________________

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Discover ______ ______ ______ ______ Exp Date ____/____ CCV No. _____

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□ If you would like to make arrangements with another individual to share a room and its costs, please so indicate and we will maintain a list of any who may be interested in such an arrangement.

Name: __________________________________________________

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