Friday, January 21, 2011

Calvinist Crossing

Four helpful posts I recently encountered involving Christian roles and relationships. Enjoy.

  • Whose Wife are You? Challies rightly identifies the missing-link in much of the complementarian debates - distinguishing role from function:
    ...I wonder if we spend far too little time talking about how this husband and this wife complement one another. When we move beyond the generalities of gender roles, we find that the specifics may look very, very different from one couple to another.
  • Is Small Talk Worthless? Still chewing on this one from Powlison (via Mahaney). Powlison contends the futility or fruitfulness of chatter is embedded in its intent:
    ...when you climb into anything a person ever says you find profound things revealed about what they are about: what they are after, what their intentions are, what their worldview is. Even in small talk there is a revelation of the heart that God is searching out, and he weighs the intentionality of small talk.

    ...Small talk is going to be judged by God for the kind of deep intentionality it is. In other words, small talk is counsel.
    Admittedly, still on the fence with this. I doubt that encouraging "small talk" is really the needed emphasis in our "social network" age. It brought to mind 2 of the points from the Scots' Confession of the Sins of the Ministry (ca. 17th century):
    FRUITLESS conversing ordinarily with others for the worse rather than for the better.

    Foolish jesting away time with impertinent and useless discourse, very unseeming the Ministers of the Gospel.
  • Leading from Your Strengths will Look Unusual. Citing an example from business, Matt Perman offers some needed counsel:
    You will be more effective being who you are than who you are not. In fact, it’s often the most unconventional minds that make a difference because what seems unconventional is often simply counterintuitive wisdom.
    I almost avoided pastoral ministry because I was repeatedly given bad counsel along the lines of "If you're going to be a pastor, you'd better learn to be __________ (gregarious, life of the party, fond of small talk [see above], etc.)." I was preserved from such horrendously bad advice by learning the simple truth,"be who you are" - by His providence and in His grace.
  • God Didn't Create a Mistake. (HT: Challies). I've always enjoyed Tony Evans' pulpit style (and many moon ago, edited his radio program for a short time) and this clip does not disappoint (I wish I could pull-off that blue suit!):



    “There may be illegitimate relationships, but every child that comes out of ‘em becomes legitimate." Well-said and well-remembered.

1 comment:

  1. Steve I do appreciate Tony Evans words about illegitimacy...amen. I've always felt that even though my daughter wasn't born in wed lock that she is still beautifully and wonderfully made. What a blessing to know that God didn't make any mistakes, when he made her. Even if the situation she was born into was wrong. He worked it all out and made it right. Love your blogs. ;) Sharon...

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