Revisiting Christian Apologetics....A Brief Book Review

I've lost count all of the times I've been asked about by view of Christian apologetics.

Sometimes people are looking for philosophically sophisticated answers to common objections. Others come looking for a list of sure-fire 'evidences' that will convinced their unbelieving friends.

I realized this in a new way back in early 2004, when my friend Brenda asked me to present something akin to an 'Apologetics Workshop 101' for a group of college students at UCSD. They were a good group of kids, but what I noticed is that almost all of the questions the kids asked fell in one of these 2 groups.

That's when I realized that modern evangelicalism has conditioned people to think of 'apologetics' in a completely wrong manner. This explains largely why I just don't get excited when I see a new book coming out on apologetics...because so many of them (if not most of them!) are just not worth my time for perusal.

However, the recent publication of Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Apologetics (ed. Oliphant and Tipton) is a happy exception, a book that cuts through the confusion caused by so much of modern Christian thinking on the discipline of apologetics. Oliphant and Tipton explain the following near the beginning:

"Because the defense of Christianity has, at least historically, taken place in the context of philosophical objections to the faith, apologetics has taken on a reputation as, in the first place, a philosophical discipline. Much of the history of apologetics has been concerned to show, philosophically, that Christianity can stand intellectual scrutiny and emerge without too many bruises.

The trend, however, has had the effect, directly or indirectly, of undermining the discipline itself. It has led many believe, and some to argue, that the most difficult issues of philosophical theology or theological philosophy should be engaged only by those philosophically trained, those whose minds have been able to meld together the best of theology with the best of philosophy." (p. 2)

Here's a rather condensed summary for the precise reason I have virtually no interest in 'apologetics' books...because they seem more intent on dealing in the realm of philosophical abstraction that Biblical argumentation.

If you want a book with some great articles that suppliment good apologetics with fresh exegetical insists, this book succeeds in ways that few (if any) in the past have fared.

Gaffin's exegesis of I Cor. 2:6ff. (Chapter 1), Tipton's look at the Apostle Paul's Mars Hill defense (Chapter 2), and Tipton's redemptive-historical reflection on Paul's Christology argument in Colossians 1 & 2 (Chapter 5) are three of the chief highlights that stand out, particularly because they refuse to deal in the realm of theological abstractionism that's devoid of careful textual consideration.

Get this book and read it!

Wedding photos....Part 1

These shots were taken from my Uncle and a few other family members.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashleymorgan/

I'll try to post some of my 'official' photos here when I get a chance. The came in this last week, and they are absolutely marvelous!

Life in the 50's

Pope Anathema IX

A little encouragement, courtesy of the Vatican.

It's always good to know as a Christ-professing Protestant pilgrim, there are people out there who think you are in far *worse* Spiritual condition than you actually are.

Can you say..."Arrivederci, Vatican II!"???

It's amazing to think....

When I started college (1992), no one had heard of the internet. Our 'chat rooms' were the student lounges and cafeterias. Our 'facebooks' were black-and-white printed directories. 'Aim' was a nickname for my little sister. Our 'text messaging' used real lead and ink.

When I started seminary (1997), I can remember only 3 or 4 guys having laptops...and only one with a cell phone.

A lot can happen in 15 years...

Headlines, Headlines!

My '15 minutes' (or rather, 4 lines) of fame.

We're Back!

Apart from the usual 'wedding drama'...everything went great. So many helpers made it all possible that we hardly know where to begin our thanks!

Things are slowly returning to normal! I'll throw some marriage photos together when they start trickling in; we should have some great one's from Vicky's cousin. The pair above are ones that Cliff Mak took a month prior to our wedding.

Thanks for everyone that could make it; no worries to those that couldn't.
And an extra set of thanks for all of the generou$ gift$!

A Roman Catholic weighs in on the Federal Vision....

Many of us who are concerned by some of what we are hearing out of 'Federal Vision' circles are routinely accused of trying to press their theological formulations to their logical conclusions. They would prefer we simply deal with what they are saying, not with whatever theological consequences are judged to result from them.

The difficulty with that line of argumentation stems from the fact that theology always has consequences. In fact, even the Federal Vision advocates understand that, as they 'critique' the current state of affairs in Reformed & Presbyterian circles. They routinely do more than simply state what their opposition says; rather, they press their opponents to their logical conclusions based largely on their own presupposed conclusions.

In other words, the FV understands the Van Tillian 'transcendental' critique all too well when they are are the one on the offensive. The problem is they don't like it when that same sort of 'transcendental' critique is done to them!

I have refrained from saying too much here about the Federal Vision, largely because there are plenty of other blogs you can visit if you want 'the latest and greatest' rancor hot off the press.

But I make an exception this time. Someone this morning forwarded me a link for one Taylor Marshall's blog site. Marshall is a Westminster East-trained, ex-PCA, ex-Episcopal, Roman Catholic convert.

Why bring up Marshall? Much has been made about Scott Hahn's departure from the Reformed faith to Rome being attributed to (in his own words!) the theology of Norman Shepherd in the past, with many arguing that Hahn is just an aberration and not true to Shepherd's theological trajectory.

But here we have another. Marshall is the latest installment of that slide from the Reformed faith to the Roman Catholic church. But more to the point, I think he understands what is at stake in the Federal Vision debates in a way I find myself concurring with. Hey, see, I can agree with a thorough-going Roman Catholic after all, even if I don't agree with his being drawn to something 'robustly Biblical'! Marshall concludes:

Ultimately, I think that younger Presbyterians will gravitate toward what the Federal Vision offers. Many will sink their teeth into it and many will find it wanting. Many will discover that the Catholic Church is their true home, and many will discover her in a great moment of joy. This Federal Vision is really only a peek into the keyhole of the Catholic Church. The Federal Visionist has a vision of the beautiful things inside, but they have not yet appreciated the warmth of a true home.

Click here for the entire article.

His description under 'What is the Federal Vision?' is remarkably accurate. Notice Marshall concludes that it has much more in common with Roman Catholic theology than traditional Reformed theology. Notice that Marshall understands exactly why the 'Presbyterian establishment' would be up in arms about it's theology.

Marshall is right about the recent draw that many Presbyterians have towards the FV. And many of those individuals will quickly find out: 'What the Federal Vision does, the Roman Catholic Church does much better.'

The Final Countdown....

Under 12 days now....wow, where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was proposing before I moved down from Vancouver. And to think we were actually thinking of doing the wedding in March! Eeeks!

My lack of attention to detail has been particularly evident these last couple of weeks. Missed graduations because of bad planning. It really hit me when I showed up to Tim's graduation party (from Cal) on Saturday, when I walked in and the first thing I remember hear out of Wayne's mouth, "You look out of it!" Yes, that's when I realized that I've been running from one thing to the next, trying to keep up with a fiancee who's much more organized than I. I think it might be time to get a that refurbished Palm for scheduling.

Stay tuned for details, wedding pics, etc.

A new kind of cross-cultural experience....

I've been fortunate enough to go on three different extended summer 'mission' trips of sorts -- one during HS to the Philippines, one during college to Kenya/Uganda, and one during Seminary to Uganda. Usually in preparation for these trips, there's a lot of talk about 'preparations' for 'cross-cultural awareness' -- much of which is blown way out of proportion, if not bordering on a complete waste of time. Apart from the obvious differences like a different language, no running water, currency exchange, the danger of malaria, or 'Africa time,' there's really not all that much to 'adjust' to. In all of my times oversees, I don't remember being adversely overrun with homesickness, stomach sickness, or that 'lost' sickness that many feel when entering a so-called 3rd-world country.

Not even living in Canada for two years and living in a neighborhood that was predominantly Chinese and Indian made me feel 'uncomfortable'!

Moving to 'LA LA' land from Texas to go to college? No big deal.

What about working at a food pantry, a trouble-teens house, a soup kitchen, and the like? No problem.

What about moving to Berkeley? Different, yes...but so what! I just roll with the punches and fit right in.

However, yesterday I finally had the over-arching sensation of what one missiologist called, 'cross-cultural confusion'. I was lost, shocked, bedazzled...yea, even a bit terrified. And interestingly, I only had to drive about 15 minutes down the road to discover such confusion.

Although I didn't need a passport for entry, I discovered there's a whole knew 'country' that goes by the name of Victoria. And, no, this new 'country' is not my fiancee, Vicky.

I'm sure lovely Vicky has many secrets that I will soon discover....but long before I met Vick, there was another Victoria in town....who had a whole truck load of 'secrets'!!

Yes, I have finally been exposed to world of women's lingerie!!!

To be perfectly fair, someone previously signed me up for the Victoria Secret's catalog while I was in seminary....under the name, Ashley Morgan. Never did find out who it was, although I have my suspicions!! That made for a nice laugh every few months, but nothing more.

But this time around, I had to actually learn what all of these things mean. For example, I learned that a 'merrywidow' is not an old lady who discovers new love at the age of 73. And I learned that a 'cami' is not something you wear to hide while playing paint ball in the forest.

[Trying to understand women's clothing sizes is hard enough. I'm convinced that some women long ago purposely came up with these odd 'numbers' just to confuse men trying to shop for their women. I mean, just think about it -- would a guy ever call something a 'Size 0'?? I rest my case.]

Suddenly, I remembered a joke from one of Bill Engvall's stand-up routines -- "I've imposed a new rule for my teenage daughter: the label on your panties better not be the biggest piece of material!" Now, it all made sense!

I just loved the over-eagerness of the employee girls to help me find what I was looking for. I almost felt like asking one of the girls, "Does my shirt have a sign on the back of it that says, 'Clueless Shopper!'?"

I have to lay some of the blame on the ladies that attended Vick's bridal shower last weekend. Listen, I don't know much about bridal showers...but one thing I know is that a few people are suppose to bring lingerie. So when Vick was a bit disappointed that she didn't get any, I decided I would have to take things in to my own hands....which might not have been such a good idea.

For now on, I'm buying online -- there are some stores where men just should not physically enter!