March Musings (3/13/2024)
Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:
My Riddleblog series, “The Basics” has wrapped up. You can find it here
My exposition of Paul’s Thessalonian letters as a free pdf download is coming, but the editing process is taking much longer than expected. Sorry.
I’m beginning a series on ecclesiology entitled “Christ’s Spotless Bride.” In this series we will consider the attributes and marks of the church. Here’s the first installment: Christ’s Spotless Bride: Some Thoughts on the Doctrine of the Church (Part One)
We are continuing to work through the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians in season three of the Blessed Hope Podcast. If you are enjoying the pod, tell a friend!
Thinking Out Loud:
The upcoming presidential election is not a lesser of evils choice since neither candidate (IMHO) has any business being president again. These are two very flawed and self-deluded men, both of whom are far too old to serve in such a demanding office, and too stubborn to do what is right for the country by stepping aside. Three cheers to the editors of the Dispatch for making the case to do what is right (vote for neither) instead of letting two main political parties foist terrible candidates upon us. Here’s their excellent editorial: The American People Should Demand Better
I wonder, who comes up with the names for medications I see advertised on TV and in social media, such as Cymbalta, Jardiance, Otezla, and Ozempic, etc. Why not name the drug for what it does? “I Feel Better,” “Make the Rash Go Away,” “Hurt less,” “Pee More Often,” “Poop Less” etc. And while we are at it, how about a bit more clarity with side-effects: “Take this and it might kill you,” or “side effects require you to take eight additional medications to counteract the side effects of this one.”
I’d like to see a few new “Reformed” medications come to market. Infralapsa, for those who cannot let go of trying to figure out the mysteries of predestination. Or Assurenza, for those who struggle with their assurance. Or Repenta, for those struggling with indwelling sin.
Currently Reading:
Tadataka Maruyama’s 2022 volume Calvin’s Ecclesiology: A Study in the History of Doctrine (Eerdmans, 2020) is an outstanding book and highly recommended for anyone interested in Calvin’s view of the church and his early development as a leader in the Reformed churches.
Maruyama covers Calvin’s rise as a self-trained theologian who followed Farel into Evangelical biblicism (Maruyama’s term for those who followed Luther), and away from Erasmus (the Reform-humanist camp). Many insights here, and a thorough mastery of the primary sources, many of which are still not translated into English.
Calvin’s time with Farel and Bucer had a profound influence upon him, although Calvin moved beyond insights initially gleaned from them to what is now a distinctly Reformed ecclesiology (in contrast to Romanism). This, the author contends, eventually led to a final phase of development in Calvin’s ecclesiology, what Maruyama identifies as a broader Reformation ecclesiology once Reformed Protestantism spreads beyond Geneva and the initial small circle of Reformed churches in France and Switzerland.
Maruyama’s volume bears the imprimatur of Richard Muller, no small feat. Much here I didn’t know, it is well written and sourced, and highly recommended. Dr. Harrison Perkins reviews it in detail here: Harrison Perkins on Calvin’s Ecclesiology
Recommended Links:
I’m not, but why are Evangelicals drawn to Trump?
Daniel Hummel on Four Snapshots of Dispensationalism. Very helpful.
Dean Davis on the Dispensational Interpretation of Revelation (a Response). Another excellent essay!
Have Some Fun with These:
Watching the preacher get a haircut? I’ll bet he spent a lot of time on sermon prep! A shave and a haircut
Doomsday prep How millionairess prep for the end
An Antarctic accent? What isolation can do
Evolutionary progress? Missing your tail?
Barbie is sure hell to watch: I couldn’t agree more
Prices at Subway sure have gone up: How much is that foot-long Tuna water sandwich?
Previous Musings: February 2024 Musings
Video:
This looks like a blast if you are a musician. Some interesting and ordinary participants joined in.