Salvation by Works

Through reading Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, I came across a quote that I've heard several times:

I was a good monk, and I kept the rule of my order so strictly that I may say that if ever a monk got to heaven by his monkery it was I. All my brothers in the monastery who knew me will bear me out. If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, reading, and other work. (p. 34)

This reminds me somewhat of my pre-conversion experience. Granted, I was not nearly as dedicated as Martin Luther, but I had a similar view of my life. I was chaste, and I served the church. I did many things, and the activities of the Lord's kingdom became the activities that were placed front and center in my life. However, my own false sense of my own righteousness fooled me.

I can truly empathize with Brother Martin who tried so hard to live a good life. However, Bainton makes it clear that "the trouble was that he could not satisfy God at any point" (p. 34). Constantly working under the pressure that you'll never measure up is a rather disconcerting condition. Sadly, I feel that it is the condition of many. I am reminded of a short phrase used by Dr. Moore in a chapel sermon during the past semester or so. He uttered a string of phrases that spoke of conversion experiences that included something similar to "or the 7-year-old boy saved from a life of Southern Baptist self-righteousness."

Bainton quotes Luther's comments on Christ's Sermon on the Mount, which described the "disillusionment" of his lost condition and how he viewed righteousness and holiness:

This word is too high and too hard that anyone should fulfill it. This is proved, not merely by our Lord's word, but by our own experience and feeling. Take any upright man or woman. He will get along very nicely with those who do not provoke him, but let someone proffer only the slightest irritation and he will flare up in anger...if not against friends, then against enemies. Flesh and blood cannot rise above it. (p. 34)

Luther recognized his own sinful nature, and Bainton adds that he "simply had not the capacity to fulfill the conditions" (p. 34).

However, God cannot allow sin into His presence. Thankfully, Jesus Christ is my righteousness! I have no goodness of my own that I can claim as my entrance into heaven. Instead, I come by the blood and plead the righteousness of Christ by grace through faith.

If you're a believer, thank God that Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for you. If you're not, consider why God should allow you into His heaven. He demands perfection, and if you're not trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior, you only have your own righteousness to claim. However, human "righteousness" at its best is only filthy rags, which means that you'll never measure up on your own. Turn to Christ! Repent and place all your trust in Him.

If you're unsure of your standing with God, please feel free to e-mail me. For so many years, I was too ashamed to admit to another person that I didn't think I was really a Christian. I was afraid to seek out a believer out of fear. What would they think of me if I were to admit that I, although a minister, was lost and not a Christian, living a false life serving a Christ who was not really my Savior?

Thankfully, the Lord convicted me, and I could not escape so great a salvation. I e-mailed Dr. Moore and, for the first time, really expressed that I knew that I was lost for all of those years. I wished I would have surrendered sooner, and I don't want you to be slowly sliding toward eternal destruction due to the same fears that I had. Ultimately, it was pride that was keeping me from God, and I'm thankful that He invaded my life, broke through the pride of my heart, and rescued me from my slide into the torment of hell. He gave me peace!

Truly, these are matters of life and death, and I encourage you to e-mail me or seek out a Christian. Make sure of your standing with God, and do not make the mistake of letting pride keep you from humbling yourself to admit your need. God is near to the humble, and He is mighty to save those who come to Him by grace through faith.

"The Look"

I traveled to Amelia, Ohio today to spend time with relatives, and during the course of my 2-hour journey I found myself listening to my newly purchased Sovereign Grace CD, Songs for the Cross Centered Life. I listened to one particular song time and time again. The song, simply called "The Look," paints a picture of one standing at Calvary, looking upon the Savior. It is a very simple song that speaks of the atoning work of Christ.

How fitting it is for the Christian to think of Calvary, to think of the suffering that secured pardon and the blood that purchased redemption! My prayer is that God will grant me such an allegiance to the crucified Savior that it may be honestly said that the purpose of my ministry is that I may "know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2, ESV).

As I kept listening to this song today with eyes full of tears of gratitude, I was reminded of how undeserving I was, am, and forever will be, of the grace that God has shown in saving a wretch, a worm, like me. I deserve judgment, hell, and God's wrath. He chose to display mercy instead. That is why I can earnestly and truthfully sing the chorus of this song and why my life will continue to sing His praise:

Forever etched upon my mind
Is the look of Him who died
The Lamb I crucified
And now my life will sing the praise
Of pure atoning grace
That looked on me and gladly took my place

Christian Incineration?

It's not often that you come across the question of cremation and its appropriateness for the Christian. Thanks to a recent broadcast of the Albert Mohler Program hosted by Dr. Moore, a caller posed a question about cremation during an "Ask Anything Wednesday" program (click here to find more information about that broadcast as well as download options). Thankfully, because of this question, Dr. Moore decided to post a link on The Henry Institute website to an article entitled "Grave Signs," written for Touchstone Magazine.

I can still remember hearing a defense of cremation during a rehearsal of the Shorter College chorale. Our director said that he wanted to have his body cremated so that money can be saved and the rest of his monetary wealth given to the poor. The body is not the real "person," so to speak, so why waste the money on a burial? It made sense to me, and I remember telling my parents and others that I would like to be cremated when I die.

Shortly thereafter, I learned and thought more about the significance of such an event for the believer. Ultimately, through my reading, I came to the conclusion that Dr. Moore came to in his article, and his article has simply fortified my understanding of Christian burial.

Dr. Moore makes several strong points. He points to the reality that "the body is not a shell, a husk tossed aside by the 'real' person, the soul within. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but the body that remains still belongs to someone, someone we love, someone who will reclaim it one day." The body must be treated with respect. To present a body to the ground implies the safekeeping of rest and a deposit that will be redeemed at the resurrection of the saints.

Another strong point of the article is Dr. Moore's reminder to us of the imagery of sleep in the Bible. Sleep is a common metaphor for death. Truly, death is not the end for the believer. The satin pillows we see in caskets accompanied by sighs of "he looks so peaceful" are not the trite pleasantries of an awkward sadness. They point to the Christian's rest. Cremation points to finality and futility.

The act of burial is an important one, and I would commend it as the option that Christians should consider. Cremation is by no means sinful, for God can and will resurrect many ashes of believers throughout the ages. However, Dr. Moore reminds us that a Christian burial says a lot, probably more than many Christians and unbelievers usually consider when deciding upon their last wishes:

"Christians at a burial site remind themselves and the watching world, by committing a seemingly 'sleeping' body to the ground, that one day this same northern Galilean accent will ring from the Eastern skies--and 'they that hear shall live' (John 5:25)."

I cannot help but think of my own grandfather, James Ralph Wells, resting in the ground in Chatsworth, GA, waiting to be awakened by the same voice that once called Lazarus forth. My grandmother no longer utters, "Shhh! Don't wake up your grandpa." That's the task of the Lord of Lords now, and that Galilean accent will awaken Papaw most gloriously!

New Link: Archives and Special Collections (SBTS)

If you're a Southern Baptist, you're probably aware that The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has a fascinating history. I encourage you to check out the Archives and Special Collections website of SBTS. You'll be able to become well-informed of the history of this great institution as you come across captivating stories, quotes, and facts about SBTS. It's worth your time to take more than just a glance!

New Link: Christian Classics Ethereal Library

I have just added a new link for the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It is a virtual storehouse of biblical, theological, and historical resources of the Christian faith. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to think to add this wonderful resource. You'll want to bookmark this site!

New Book on Baptism

A new book on believer's baptism has been published by B&H Publishing Group, the publishing entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. The book is entitled, Believer's Baptism: The Covenant Sign of the New Age in Christ. Judging by the editors and contributors, this book will undoubtedly prove to be of extreme help to me, my fellow Baptists, and others who desire to interact with the credobaptist (believer's baptism) position.

I will be interested in seeing how the book is received.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Valley of Vision

One of the most soul-stirring books that I use in my personal devotions and prayer life has to be The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. The prayer entitled "A Minister's Preaching" has made such an impact on me that I usually pray it on a day that I have the opportunity to preach. It reminds me of the seriousness of the occasion and that I "go weak and needy to my task" (p. 191).

However, what brings me to write at the moment is a desire to recommend a new CD to you, "Valley of Vision," produced by Sovereign Grace Ministries. The first song, "In the Valley," is one of my favorites:

Verse 1
When You lead me to the valley of vision
I can see You in the heights
And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision
It's here Your glory shines so bright
So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown
To be low is to be high
That the valley's where You make me more like Christ

Chorus
Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You're near with every breath
In the valley

Verse 2
In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley's where Your power is revealed

Click here to buy an MP3 from the Sovereign Grace Ministries online store.

Also: Visit www.valleyofvision.org to learn more about the project and access various files such as lyrics, lead sheets, and chord charts. May these songs and their lyrics become tools to enrich and deepen your devotion to the Lord.

I'm Back...?

For the first time in several weeks, I am now able to access my blog from home, which means that I'll be posting more often. Thanks for your patience!

Hopefully my problems with Blogger and other Google sites will not resurface...For the meantime, I'm enjoying being able to blog at home again!

"Hold the Fire and Brimstone, Please"

The title of this post is the title of a short article by Burk Parsons in this month's issue of Tabletalk, a magazine published by Ligionier Ministries. In the article, Parsons recalls an incident where he was teaching a class on heaven and hell to a class of middle-aged students. Not one student could raise his hand when asked to recall the last time a sermon was heard on the topic of hell. The same response was given when asked about heaven, except this time a few could say that they remembered hearing a pastor at least mention heaven in a sermon.

So, where did hell go? Hell is an important biblical truth, and one that is not a peripheral matter to the truth of the gospel. It goes to the core of divine justice and man's sinfulness, the foundation blocks for a true understanding of the gospel. Everyone is sinful, and unless the individual recognizes his sinfulness and the fact that he deserves hell, he will remain lost. A sense of God's divine justice and our sinfulness is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that God's power would be shown in great ways, manifesting itself in many being drawn to Christ for salvation if only more pastors would speak of the judgment to come? Let us not forget the marvelous revival that began with Jonathan Edwards preaching "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which graphically depicts the precarious situation of the lost in regards to divine judgment. Sinners who would flee to Christ must know why and from what they are fleeing!

Parsons ends his article with a defense of the usefulness and necessity of the doctrine of hell and divine retribution:

The subject of the eternal destinies of human beings is not a footnote to the Gospel, it is at the heart of understanding the very essence of the Gospel. We would not need mercy if we had no sin, and we would not need grace if we had no future. God bestows His grace upon us not merely so we can get a fire ticket out of hell. In fact, in preaching fire and brimstone, the Lord graciously provides us with a bad impression of ourselves so that we might be offended by our sin and turn to Him in repentance and faith through Christ.

New Link: The W.A. Criswell Sermon Library

I encourage you to visit the W.A. Criswell Sermon Library. The website has numerous sermons delivered by W.A. Criswell in various settings. As I've mentioned before, he was a hero to my grandfather, and I remember hearing stories about W.A. Criswell before I knew who he was. My grandfather particularly liked his material on premillennialism, and I was able to purchase a tape of the lecture that Criswell gave at Moody Bible Institute, "Why I Am a Premillennialist."

I think he was more pleased by that gift than any other gift that I ever gave him, which lets you know of the impact that Criswell had on him. I've been blessed to be able to hear some of Criswell's sermons, and I encourage you to do the same.

The Cross Centered Life

It's amazing how much of an impact that a small book of under 100 pages can have. I highly commend The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney to you. This is the kind of book that exalts the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that the believer may know how to live the gospel.

For me, it's a reminder of the Lord's grace in my own life. It is only in recent years, since my conversion, that I have even begun to learn what it means to live the Christian life. Before my conversion, my view of Christian living was summed up in rules and laws that I couldn't live up to. I felt condemned before God and walked around knowing that I could never live up to His standards. I thought Him to be a harsh judge and a Father with little time to fool with or care for someone like me. Little did I know, it was that realization of my own condemnation that would lead me to saving faith.

It's hard leaving behind the chains of legalism to flee to Christ. I still find myself pondering my "performance," and then I must confess and repent of the sin in my own heart. Oh, how I wish I were not so apt to fall prey to the Tempter himself.

In this book, C.J. Mahaney lists three areas that keep us from living a life that is centered on the cross of our Lord:

1. Legalism, which means basing our relationship with God on our own performance.
2. Condemnation, which means being more focused on our sin than on God's grace.
3. Subjectivism, which means basing our view of God on our changing feelings and emotions. (p. 23)

The chapter on legalism profoundly affected me and caused me to flee to Christ even more. He shares the story of a plate spinner that he saw on the Ed Sullivan Show as a child. The man would have those long rods with plates spinning on the top of them. He would keep adding plates, and Mahaney grew anxious as he watched the man on television add new plates and try to keep the previous ones from falling. He compares this to the life of a new believer who hears of various spiritual disciplines and receives advice from other believers about matters of spiritual living. This Christian then adds more and more plates to the rods of his life, and "instead of being a further expression of his confidence in God's saving work in his life, his spiritual activities became spinning plates to maintain" (p. 29).

Mahaney goes on to mention that even the worship and heart attitude of this new believer is manifested differently at different times as a direct result of his performance-based mentality:

The shift is plainly seen on Sunday mornings. On one Sunday, Stuart sings and praised God with evident sincerity and zeal. Why? Because he's just had a really good week. Not a single plate has wobbled.

But on another Sunday, following a week in which several plates fell, Stuart is hesitant to approach God. He finds it difficult to worship freely, because he feels that God disapproves of him. His confidence is no longer in the gospel; it's in his own performance, which hasn't been so great lately. (p. 29)

Mahaney's answer is to ponder the meaning of justification. At salvation, God declares us to be just. We've been given the verdict of innocent because Christ took our punishment. At salvation, we repent of our sins and receive Christ's righteousness accredited to our account! Mahaney urges the believer who is prone to legalism to remember that "God completely and totally forgave you. He not only wiped the record of your sin away, he credited the righteousness of His Son to you" (p. 31). Oh, how marvelous is the love of God! My right-standing is based on Christ's righteousness. I obey Him now not out of debt or duty, but out of love and through grace.

In the end of that chapter, he admits that he knows the temptation to legalism: "That's why, when I complete my daily devotions and close my Bible, I make a point of reminding myself that Jesus' work, not mine, is the basis of my forgiveness and acceptance by God" (p. 35).

I encourage you to pick up this little book. I'm not a quick reader, yet I was still able to finish it in a few days just by reading a few minutes each night. It has changed the way I view my Christian life, and it was an encouragement to my soul.

Christian, always ponder the cross and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Once Was Cool

Before I get to the main part of this blog, I need to give an update on my current blogging plight. It seems that a program, probably my firewall/filter software, prevents me from logging into either Gmail, Blogger, or anything Google-related. Since I'm home for Christmas, I thought I'd post a couple of things. I'll be traveling back to Louisville tomorrow where I cannot login at home, unfortunately. I can always blog at school, which I may try to do more often.

In the meantime, I apologize for inability to keep the blog updated.

Okay...Now to the main feature...

For those who haven't heard, my dad has a Myspace page now. Click here to check it out! He puts some neat videos and things on there from time to time. I must admit though that he normally sends the links to me first, so I get a backstage pass, so to speak.

He currently has a slide show of pictures from our family get-togethers. The first section (the large majority) are from the event we had with my mom's family, the McEntire's. Some of the pictures in the middle are of the Wells family event held at my grandmother's house. Then, there are a few taken here at our house with my parents, my sister, and my brother-in-law. It's pretty neat, and I thought it would give some of my friends an opportunity to "meet" my family. Click here to check out the slide show.

I'd also like to give kudos to my dad who did a wonderful job teaching Sunday school this past Sunday. He's the new Sunday school teacher for one of the adult men classes. He did a wonderful job, and I'm very proud of him. It's so great to see him using the knowledge that he has learned over the years. He's always been such a good teacher!

All that was to say that I'm proud to be the son of Mr. Once-Was-Cool!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

This has always been, and will continue to remain, the big holiday of my extended family. We gather with both my mom's and my dad's side of the family on Christmas Eve during two separate family functions. It was a blessing to see all of my family again and enjoy the laughs that come so easily with the ones you have loved for years.

However, as good as all of the festivities and gifts are, it's amazing that these temporal things still do not compare with the wondrous gift of Jesus Christ, in the flesh, the incarnate Son of God.

I heard a great sermon yesterday from Pastor Tim Batchelor of Spring Place Baptist Church here in Chatsworth, Georgia. The sermon focused on the meaning of Jesus as Immanuel. It brought to my mind the glorious reality that Jesus Christ walked among real people in real time and space. Brother Tim pointed out that this was not a symbolic title. God incarnate walked among men.

For some reason, my thoughts turned to my new shoes. In a pre-Christmas feeling of compassion, my mom decided to buy me two new pairs of shoes. My old ones were simply horrible. It's hard to describe the condition they were in, but it's like the vinyl part on top was peeling off. They looked pathetic... Both my dad and mom commented on how awful they looked.

At the same time, I thought also of Christ. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths, literally rags. I knew how much I hated wearing my ugly old shoes, but they were all I had. I really didn't have the money to go out and buy some new pairs of shoes to replace. If I had more resources, I sure wouldn't have chosen to keep wearing those old shoes. Yet, when it comes to the incarnation, Christ chose the rags. I don't understand that, but I know that it's true. Christ chose to debase Himself and become low.

My thoughts turn to Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV). Christ "made himself nothing" (Phil. 3:7, ESV) and became a servant. His goal while walking this earth was to glorify the Father and be obedient to Him in all things, including the call to go to Calvary. He chose those rags for His sheep.

My new shoes are a testimony to my parents' generosity and care for me. They have chosen to bestow honor on me through giving me nice things and have taken away the shame of my poor, ratty, old shoes. In a similar way, Christ no longer bears the rags. He no longer endures the suffering of Calvary or the shame of being stripped naked before a crowd and slowly murdered by angry religious zealots.

No, the Father has lifted Him up, and He bears a name to which all in the universe will one day bow. The Father has chosen to honor His Son. He no longer has those rags. Instead, He bears wisdom and power and honor and glory and blessing.

I pray that when I wear my new shoes I'll be reminded of Christ's humiliation and the subsequent glory He bears in His glorified body. I pray that my every step will be a reminder to endure the humiliation of the world as a follower of Jesus Christ as well as a reminder that the pain and suffering of this world brought about by sin will one day vanish.

I thank God for those new shoes, but I think Him even more for the Christ who chose the rags.

My New Friend

Meet my new friend, a great new resource entitled LibraryThing! It's a free resource where you can catalog your books into an online catalog. The good news is that it's free for up to 200 books. Anything over that costs $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime subscription. Still great, in my opinion!

Click here to check out what I already have catalogued in my library already. I think I catalogued 115 books yesterday, according to the stats. Please do not pity me for staying home on a Friday night cataloguing books...I rather enjoyed it!

And, for those of you who know me...Yes, I am putting my whole library into this catalog, and yes, I am putting labels on each of my books using the Library of Congress catalog numbers. I know there's probably something really wrong with me, but I get a kick out of stuff like this!

And, finally...yes, this is how some of my free time will be spent during the winter break in December and January. I'm serious, I really do enjoy this!

Sanity in Suffering

Josh Harris shares a couple of stories in his latest blog entry along with a quote from David Powlison about the "joyous sanity" of the believer who trusts God and the gospel in the midst of suffering. It's worth your time to read. Click here to read it.

The Christian and Horror Movies

John Divito serves as a deacon at Parkwood Southern Baptist Church, where I previously served as Minister of Music. I know that he has a blog and that he has also seen as many horror movies as I have seen, it seems. Since I know of his knowledge of horror movies and his keen Christian apologetical mind, I simply could not resist writing him and asking him to write about the topic. He has some good thoughts and resources, and I encourage you to check out his latest entry, "The Redemption of Horror Movies?"

For those that don't know, one of my fondest childhood memories was watching the "Howling" werewolf movies with my grandmother. We would shoot the "bad guys" when our hands weren't busy feeding our faces with apple slices, cheddar cheese wedges, and crackers. Ironically, eating healthy always went hand-in-hand with watching monsters. Don't ask me why...

Just to show you how serious of a horror aficionado that I was, I once owned the complete "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie collection on VHS. It didn't include the last movie in the series, which I had on VHS as well as DVD anyhow.

Months after my conversion, I felt it was wise to dump the whole collection in the trash. I didn't exactly have an explicit scriptural support or a well-developed theological under-pinning for that decision. I must admit that I still don't.

However, John's article helped provide another thoughtful response to a topic that is so sure to receive more heat than light.

That's why they call him the Reformed Baptist Thinker!

Bad Piper

Here's a silly little clip about John Piper that made me laugh today.

HT: Jim Hamilton of For His Renown

Amazing Photo!

I found a link at the Pyromaniacs blog of a lightning strike that was caught on camera, and it was too amazing not to share. Click here to check it out!

Criswell, Cowboys, and Papaw

I happened to be a few months shy of 6 years old in May of 1988. Although I heard my grandfather, especially, talk of them, I was unaware of this tribe called "liberals" in an organization called the Southern Baptist Convention. I did not realize what was at stake in the battle, or even that there was much of a battle raging. The only battle I faced was trying to stop sucking my thumb because it would make my teeth look crooked. However, my grandfather at that time spoke of a greater battle than my ascetic, thumb-sucking struggles, and he spoke of a hero called W.A. Criswell.

It was on May 13th of 1988 that Criswell delivered a sermon that still echoes in the hearts of the conservative Southern Baptist. The address is, "The Curse of Liberalism." I first saw the video after I began working at the music and audio/visual library of SBTS. I remember taking it home and playing the tape after a long day, and I felt like I was watching a western. I can only imagine what it was like to be in that room, but I got a good taste of the atmosphere during the cheering after he announced his sermon title.

To my grandfather, he was a cowboy hero, unabashedly standing for what was true and right. As I grew older, I realized what was at stake. I didn't quite avoid those long, drawn-out conversations with my grandfather about theology and the state of the SBC anymore. I saw a passion in those rants that let me know that he wouldn't put up with anyone tampering with the nature of the Word of God.

One of the last coherent conversations that I remember us having occurred after I made the decision to enroll in Boyce College. He was wary of me coming to SBTS, for he was a pastor in Kentucky for many years and knew where the school had been. I kept telling him that things had changed. I went home for a visit on that Labor Day of my first semester, and he told me about a recent portion of D. James Kennedy's program that he saw where Kennedy was lauding Dr. Mohler and the SBC for its return to its biblical roots. My grandfather was content when he heard that, and he was satisfied with me attending a school of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I think it put his mind at ease in those last few months of his life.

He passed away the same year as his hero, W.A. Criswell. Thinking of these two men being laid to rest, I give thanks for my heroes, those who stand upon the truth of the Word of God and do not retreat in the face of opposition. I thank God for Russell Moore, the man who was instrumental in my conversion and who baptized me. I thank God for my pastor, Dr. Mark McClellan, and for his example of humble, wise pastoral leadership and compassion for the flock. I thank God for my mentor in the faith, Todd Crosby, who meets weekly with me to discuss very practical areas of ministry, and who has shown me how to preach with boldness and clarity while rightly interpreting the Scripture.

I encourage you to thank God for the "cowboys" that He has put in your life.

What are Southern Baptists?

Dr. Russell Moore gave a great lecture on the identity of Southern Baptists entitled, "Confessions of a Fundamissional Dean: Are Southern Baptists Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, or What?" Click here to download the MP3 file from the seminary website.

It's a good look at who Southern Baptists are.

As I'm listening to the lecture now, I appreciate some of Dr. Moore's comments on the emerging church. He used an analogy in which he compared them to bungee jumpers. Bungee jumpers want the rush but without the danger. He said that often emerging church folks will darken the rooms, use candles, etc. in an attempt to be counter-cultural and see themselves as returning back to the ancient church. However, even in the midst of a dark room with candles, they aren't facing the dangers of the ancient church. It's just not the same.

Dr. Moore also pointed out that they strive to be counter-cultural, but you find that most of their views on culture tend to be quite in step with the the culture. Granted, they are counter-cultural to evangelical culture, but they tend to be quite like the world. They desire to distance themselves from the plain folk, like me and my family.

After listening to Dr. Moore's lecture, it made me think a little more about this emerging church business. I must confess that I don't wear Birkenstocks, hang out in coffee shops, or use mild profanities. I don't show video clips during my sermons, and I rarely go to the movies to find engaging quotes for sermons or lessons. I don't refer to myself as a story-teller or elevate narrative. I'm not particularly fond of using props in sermons, and I believe that some types of humor profane the sacred task of expositing God's Word. I don't particularly try to shape myself to fit the mold that the world expects, because, truth to be told, I'd never look cool anyway and would just come across as a phony. I guess the only book I could write is White Like a Cracker.

So, call me simple...I realize that I'm far from emerging, and the emerging folks would say that my "plainness" is keeping me from having more of an impact on the culture. However, when did culture become the starting point for how we live our lives as believers? Food for thought...