The Problem of Evil & the Fullness of God’s Attributes

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 24, 2007 in Culture, Teaching | 6 comments

The Problem of Evil & Suffering was the topic of this months Men's Group at Kaleo Church.  I encourage you to visit David's site, as he put the study up and it an excellent work on the subject (philosophically, theologically & pastorally). 

One observation: David quotes a professor at Oxford by the name of John Mackie. Mackie states, "If God exists, there couldn’t be evil unless he would have a reason for justifying his permitting it."  And Mackie assumes God couldn't have a reason to justify this.  This reminded me how evil is necessary for us to understand God. Since we are created in God's image and are not like the angels, we have been created for a different purpose.  It is only through evil we are able to see God's mercy, grace, righteousness, justness, love, compassion, etc.  In light of eternity, we would not truly comprehend the fullness of God if we didn't go through this season.  (Now I say this knowing this is not the comment I'd give to someone experiencing suffering.  And the article clearly states it is wrong to deal with the problem of evil and suffering purely academically.  It must always be done with the heart of a pastor.)

Read the article, it begins:

Q-How can an all-powerful and all-good God allow evil and suffering in His world?

INTRODUCTION

This question has a long history. It is a question that is not asked in academia alone, but increasingly the man on the street is aware of this problem and is either seeking an answer out of genuine curiosity, or is using this problem as a way to bolster their reasoning for disbelief in the Christian God.

As we come to this problem and attempt to consider whether or not a solution is possible, let’s do so from a couple of different perspectives. Since this is as much a personal problem as it is a professional academic one, we should strive to understand how to handle this question from both angles.

We need to think of this problem at the level of the philosopher as well as a Christian or counselor. For me to give you tips and hints to disarm someone from a philosophical perspective without addressing this issue as a pastor or counselor who is seeking to reach the person is not only damaging, but has no warrant Scripturally.

Continue reading: Problem of Evil & Suffering

Gospel Theology – Moving beyond Systematics

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 7, 2007 in Church, Teaching | 13 comments

There is often something quite arrogant about Calvinists.  I think many people gag against the 'know-it-all-ism' that exudes from these (often) academic theologians who seem to have God in a nice neat little box.  Personally, I often warn people of the dangers of reformed theology, because like a kid with a new sword they end up hurting more Christians swinging this new sharp blade without any skill.  In many circles, this season can last a lifetime before their reformed theology truly helps them worship God for the grace that was shown them, accept their new identity, be transformed by the gospel and sent on mission.  I believe a major stumbling block in diving into reformed theology is that it typically begins with systematic theology.

The danger is systematics are a normative expression of theology.  That is, it is true but often misses how we should absorb the information.  For example, it is true to say, "God elects" but this defines God, we are the benefactor of God's grace which changes us in many ways.  This is the challenge, systematics usually leave out the full gospel picture of how this God's grace works it's way out in our life. This is what Francis Schaeffer saw as the great spiritual crisis in his book True Spirituality.  Schaeffer saw that many people who claimed to uphold orthodox theology had very little true spirituality.  Schaeffer realized he too, although he had the doctrines down, lacked spiritual transformation.  For all his knowledge, Schaeffer began to see true spirituality is not just a matter of the mind, but a matter of the heart.

This is where I found a great chart in the GCA Church Manual from Steven Childers.  In this chart, The Radical Grace of God in the Gospel: The Whole Gospel for the Whole Person! (pdf) Childers outlines systematic 'precepts' in a more complete gospel picture.  I'd encourage you to download it and check it out.  Here is one example:

It is in this type of presentation, theology goes beyond systematics.  A whole gospel picture begins to emerge as we begin to talk about things like election and justification.  Rather than jumping into TULIP, a conversation that deals with the predicament, problem, provision, promise, precept and new picture would provide the listener a greater understanding of who God is, how He works and His great love and grace.  This is the grand story that people can see through redemptive history as told in the Bible.

Receive Monthly Summaries of the Best Theology Books of the Year

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Jan 18, 2007 in Church, Church Technology, Teaching | 5 comments

During my flight to Hawaii, I cracked open the SkyMall.  In it, I found an advertisement for Soundview Executive Summaries.  For a yearly subscription, you can receive summaries of the best business books of the year in your choice of print, audio, CD-ROM, or online formats, covering subjects like management, leadership, strategy and more.

I know many of you read (or would like to) a large number of books.  BUT what if someone did the same thing for theology & church-related books?  People could subscribe to receive summaries of the best theology/Church titles of the year and (buy them if they like it or at least learn from the book).  I suggested it to Tim Challies for Discerning Reader (since he reads more books than 10 people combined).

What do you think, is this something you'd be interested in? 

Goodmanson.com – 500th Post

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 3, 2006 in Church, Church Planting, Church Technology, Culture, Ekklesia, General Technology, Leadership, Monk Dev, Sermon, Sheep&Goats, Teaching | 3 comments

Welcome to Goodmanson.com .  If you are new(er) here, I began this blog in July of 2004 and today I've posted for the 500th time.  I got out my calculator and discovered that over these 825 days, I've made a post every 1.65 days.  Over the years I've posted a lot on church planting, technology, churches, leadership and culture.  Here are some posts I'd recommend if you haven't been here the whole time.

CHURCH PLANTING 

Five Trends for the Future of Church Planting 26Aug06

The State of the American Church – Why Church Planting is Critical to the Future of American Christianity 16May06

CHURCH

A Partnership of Externally Focused Churches 11Aug06

Emerging From Church De-Construction to Church Kingdom Building 19Sep05

Fun with Angry, Yelling, Legalistic Christians who Know Everything 03Apr05

Is the Twelve Tribes a Cult? 02Nov05 (From my year-plus stint as a weekly Sheep & Goat column for the San Diego Reader)

LEADERSHIP

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself 26Oct06

Deacon Training & Development 02Jun06

Triperspectival Ministry Assessment 12Oct06

The Dangers of Confession while in the Pulpit 20Oct06

TECHNOLOGY

Why God is more glorified by Web 2.0 09Oct06

Technology and the Mission: Conference Session 25Sep06

List of Church Technology & Website Blogs & Resources 27Sep06

CULTURE

My own ‘Sin City’ 18Apr05

The role of the Christian artist in the secular world 20Aug04

FAMILY

New Son Roman! 30Jan06

Gideon Turns 2 Years Old 26Mar05

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Oct 26, 2006 in Church, Sermon, Teaching | 17 comments

At Kaleo Church we teach that the Gospel isn't just a means of salvation, but it is the very way we grow as Christians.  When Paul writes his letters to the Galatians or Corinthians, he addresses each problem in the Christian community with the gospel.  (eg., Peter, who eats stops eating with the Gentiles isn't told to 'stop' which would be legalism, but is told that his actions aren't walking in line with the gospel.  His motivation for change is a reminder of who Christ is and what he has done for us and how that sets us free by grace.)

From this a term used is, 'I need to preach the gospel to myself'.  It refers to the need to go through the same process Paul does when he addresses sin.  But how do we preach the gospel to ourselves, what exactly is the process?  I decided to create a diagram to illustrate it (click on thumbnail for larger Preaching the Gospel diagram)

UPDATE: David Fairchild preached an excellent sermon based on this, you can see the sermon at Sermon Cloud: How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself.  It includes (1) a Word document handout that outlines the process, a (2) PowerPoint slide (click on image to the right), (3) the sermon notes and (4) the mp3 for you to download.

How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself

The two critical events are repentance and faith.  Errors people commonly fall in are (1) only dealing with the surface sin instead of the root sin and (2) preaching moralism to ourself instead of the gospel.   

PART I  DOWN THE SLOPE OF REPENTANCE – Objective: To see and confess that I am a bigger sinner than I thought. 

1. See and Own Your Sin:  Examine yourself in the mirror of God's Word, your negative emotions and attitudes, and the responses of others to you.  Guard yourself against sin's deceitfulness: the tendency to water down God's standard, compare yourself to others, shift the blame or commit ourselves to trying harder.

2. See the Sin Beneath the Sin: Don't move too quickly to confess and receive forgiveness for the surface sin (cheap grace, "I'm just a sinner" attitude.  If you are anxious, yes go to Phil. 4, but what is causing your anxiousness?)  Push the 'Why?' question until you find what you are looking to other than Jesus (your functional messiah) for meaning and value in life.

3. Expose the Idols of your Heart: Idols always disappoint 

They are weak: They can't deliver when you succeed; they can only raise the bar. They can't forgive you when you fail; they can only lower the boom.
They are harmful: They hurt you spiritually, emotionally and physically.  They hurt others by undermining your ability to love.
They are Grievous: Most importantly, by going after these idols/other lovers you are saying to God: "Jesus is not enough.  I also need _________ in order to be happy.

EXAMPLE: Athletics
Sin: I get frustrated when I don't win at sports.
Sin beneath the sin: I need the approval of others to feel better about myself.
IDOL: ACCEPTANCE of others/Self Worship

Weak: The approval is always based on your performance.  If you fail, you get angry/rejected.  When you succeed you need more/to continue to perform and receive value.

These idols will lead you into slavery James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

CONCLUSION: I am a much bigger sinner than I thought.  I am a worthy recipient of God's judgment.  Trying harder won't cut it.  I am helpless and hopeless in myself.  BUT there is One… 

PART II UP THE SLOPE OF FAITH – Objective: To thank God that Jesus is a much bigger Savior than I thought.  

1. Repentance is a gift: Pray for the gift of repentance.  Do not 'try' to stop sinning, but ask God to change your heart.  If the Holy Spirit does not address your heart, your repentance is only 'horizontal' and true gospel change will not happen.  You may change for a season by your own 'will-power' but eventually you will become resentful or fall back into worshiping your false idols, which are your true 'functional messiahs'.

2. See Jesus as the only true Savior

Jesus lived for me.  Think about and give thanks for specific ways Jesus has lived obediently where I have failed.

Jesus died for me. Think about Jesus' death on the cross for my specific sins and idolatry.  Thank God that my sin has been punished once and for all.

God sees me in Jesus. Think about how God sees me in Jesus, clothed with His perfect righteousness.  Thank Him specifically for how He provides for me in Christ that all my idols promised but could not deliver.

Jesus lives in me.  Thank God that He does not leave me to live the Christian life on my own, but the Spirit of Christ now dwells in me.  Ask Him to live His righteous life through me, specifically in the areas where I have confessed sin.

3. Gospel-motivated living: Embrace and know that the gospel is how you change (2 Cor. 3:18b), it is the gospel that empowers you to serve (2 Cor 3:5) and it is through the gospel that you meet God (2 Cor 3:18a; 4:6)

CREDITS: The pastors of Harbor, Tim Keller @ Redeemer and David Fairchild at Kaleo. 

Triperspectival Ministry Assessment

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Oct 12, 2006 in Church, Church Planting, Leadership, Teaching, Triperspectivalism | 2 comments

Today the elders of Kaleo Church met to discuss the different ministries.  We agreed that we needed to assess the current state of the ministries and we needed a framework of how we would keep an ongoing tab on the health of the ministry.  We can determine the state of each ministry using analysis from a triperspectival framework. 

Don't know the triperspectival framework?  This framework is based on John Frame's The Doctrine of Knowledge of God.  John writes: “The knowledge of God’s law, the world, and the self are interdependent and ultimately identical” (The Doctrine of Knowledge of God, Presbyterian and Reformed 1987, p.89). “Human knowledge can be understood in three ways: as knowledge of God’s norm, as knowledge of the situation [environment], and as knowledge of ourselves. None can be achieved without the others. Each includes the others.” (p.75)

Normative: the Word, authority
Situational: the World, environment
Existential: our self

These perspectives were perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ as a Prophet, Priest and King. 

Role
Prophet - Jesus declared the norm/Word with authority
Priest - Jesus ministered God’s presence to the people perfectly redeeming them.
King - Jesus exercised God’s control and had full dominion over creation.

It is from these perspectives that we must evaluate the ministry as Prophet, Priest & King.

Triperspectival Ministry Assessment 

Prophet Analysis – What is the purpose/goal/vision of the ministry?  Do these goals agree with the Bible?  Are those involved in the ministry aware of the theological convictions guiding their ministry?  Have we taught on these areas as needed? 

Priest Analysis – Is the ministry grace centered?  What is the motivational structures people use to serve in the ministry?  Is it the gospel?  Does the ministry take the needs of the people into account?  

King Analysis – What people, systems, resources does the ministry need?  What needs to happen to improve the ministry?  What development, training or other coaching would benefit the people involved?

Other Triperspectival applications: How triperspectivalism should shape your worldview, How triperspectivalism shapes Church Leadership and how you staff a church, Triperspectival Leadership Conflict Resolution, Triperspectival church planting, Triperspectival Deacon Training & Development

Also see David Fairchild's posts, such as Ministry through the lens of Multiperspectival Epistemology