Church History - a Review

Church History by Simonetta Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a GREAT book. Geared as a textbook for roughly 7th-12th graders, Carr does an excellent job simplifying complex issues for students without dumbing things down. I used this as a homeschool text for a semester, and it was marvelous.

Carr is known for her shorter biographies of figures around the reformation, and applies her historical research more broadly, here.

Covering all of church history from 30AD to the present, worldwide, is quite a task, and some selectivity is needed. Here are some weaknesses, and then strengths of the book in this area.

Weaknesses:
The coverage is quite uneven. 30-1517AD is covered in 80 pages. Reformation to the present gets 170 pages. This is expected from a book published by “Reformation Heritage Books,” but still disappointing. Alfred the Great gets 2 sentences. Alcuin gets 3.

So many figures of history are given a little box with 2-3 sentences that I got ADD. It became just random facts, instead of a cohesive story.

The “Think about It” questions are helpful to engage students (and provide homework!), but they are often leading to a specific answer, rather than helping to think critically about a subject.

Strengths:
The visuals and high quality paper and binding are VERY well done. The book is beautiful and appealing, including many original portraits and pictures of historical figures, documents and assemblies.

The coverage of the Reformation through Westminster is thorough and excellent.

The coverage of history from 1900 on is the best I’ve seen anywhere, giving much detail and key figures I’d never heard of, worldwide from South Korea to Nigeria.


I don’t know if this is a strength or weakness, but the book is obviously from a Reformed Presbyterian perspective. It “takes sides” on the Arminius controversy and Dordt. Carr also is obviously keen to show that not only Baptists but Presbyterians sent out many missionaries in the 1800s. This makes her selective in modern history, focusing on Machen, Packer and Sproul, while Mohler’s historic reformation to orthodoxy of a major institution is absent.


Reformed homeschoolers should definitely get this book. Classical schools should consider it for their curriculum. We all need to know our history better, and this book provides a path to dip into history for as much time as you have. Either 5 minutes as a family devotion, or a semester as a high school course, Carr’s accomplishment brings you more understanding and spiritual edification from our Church family history.

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Seismic Shifts - a book review

 

Seismic Shifts: The Little Changes That Make a Big Difference in Your Life by Kevin G. Harney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book to spur you on to growth in the Christian life.

Continuing my streak of practical Christian living reading, Harney covers most of the basics: Scripture reading, prayer, giving, evangelism. But he also throws in some surprises: eating well. Using your tongue to build up instead of burn down. Resting in God’s peace instead of being anxious.

When I got toward the end, I admit I groaned. 3 chapters each on giving and evangelism! But they were good and many Christians today need to hear this perspective again. We need to be generous with our time and money for others, since we are merely stewarding our lives for God’s glory, not building our own empires. We need to see other people not as evangelism projects but as the image of God to value and love for their own sake, not so we can boast in converting them.

The book is 15 years old, and he is more enthusiastic for the Willow Creek model than I am. But it’s definitely worth the read. Especially if you’re sensing a need for change and growth in your walk with the Lord Jesus.


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First Freedoms - a book review

First Freedoms: Drawing Near to God by Cultivating a Wholehearted Prayer Life by Jennifer Barnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What weeds need removing from your life?
How does God mean for you to flourish and reflect His glory better?

In this book, Barnett covers the basics of the Christian life simply, with great illustrations.
The author is a friend of a friend, and this book was a treat to discover.

Sometimes I noticed she’s probably more charismatic than me, but that didn’t intrude overmuch.

Each chapter ended with questions for reflection and prayer, and questions for group discussion.

Having read mostly more theological writings in the last 20 years, I’ve found shifting gears to more spiritual edification like this to be very helpful. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are struggling with your relationship to God or your sanctification.

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Hamlet - a Review

Hamlet by William Shakespeare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars!

I just read Hamlet again, this glorious print edition we gave to one of my children recently.

Hamlet was a good guy. He wasn’t sure if he should take vengeance for his father’s death, but he did. (Very few are in his situation to do so, as son of the king, though.) He had almost rather died. Thus his “to be or not to be” soliloquy. He stood up as a man, and took cunning, well-reasoned action. All while acting like David, crazy before the Philistines (1 Samuel 21:13). He got the job done, though it cost him his own life.

When you read it, get a good edition with explanatory notes. About ¼ of the lines need explaining! But it is worth it.

Please read Hamlet.

Good quotes:

“Words without thoughts never to heaven go” – Act 3. Scene 3. Line 98
“I must be cruel only to be kind” – 3.4.178
“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will” – 5.2.11
“The readiness is all” – 5.2.194
“I am justly killed with mine own treachery” – 5.2.284


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A Gentleman in Moscow - a Review

 

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A rare 5 stars for a contemporary book.

There comes a time in a man’s life, when he sets aside the pursuit of ideologies for the finer things in life. It may be an internal impulse, as he is sickened by the desolate political landscape or the seeming hopelessness of making any progress in that realm. Or outward circumstances may foist it upon him, as they come upon “A Gentleman in Moscow.” When all the world is focused on the “Course of Human Events,” sometimes it is best to focus elsewhere.

As in the French Revolution, shortly after the revolution of 1917 the new Bolshevik party simply and surreptitiously shot most of those standing in their way. But Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, instead they confine to one of Moscow’s premier hotels for the rest of his life. Growing up as an aristocrat, he spends the second half of his life (1922-1954) as a Former Person, watched carefully by the KGB.

The beauty of this excellent book is how it conveys the essence of being a gentleman, through some of the most brutal and ideological of times and places: just a few city blocks from the Kremlin in Soviet Russia’s Red Revolution. He remains a gentleman, not becoming calloused, embittered, or partisan. He leads a significant life, investing in people, paying attention to the finer things in life, and serving others with what he has.

I would guess there are about 10 pages out of the 450 total that discuss politics and the revolution directly. Far more ink is spilled on the finer points of cuisine, conversation, and the Count’s heavy drinking. A superficial read would criticize the Count for burying his head in the sand (or the bottle), unwilling in his cowardice to enter the political fray of his day.

But that would miss the whole point. For Sasha, as his sister and closest friends called him, pursued the greater things in life. Not power and politics, but matters of the soul. A well-set table. Music. Setting the right wine with a carefully prepared meal. Crafting a conversation with whomever Providence sets before you. And most of all, cultivating the next generation and learning from it at the same time. It isn’t that he fought a cultural or political battle with these things. He sought them as an end in themselves, regardless of the ebb and flow of cultural tides.

Which makes a political point all on its own.
Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.

Amor Towles’ writing is exquisite, the literary allusions abundant. For the Ronald Reagan fan in me, the Cold War warrior, this was the perfect counterpoint: many Russians are cultured, refined, and virtuous, too. They know their Homer and their Montaigne. They pursue the good, the true, and the beautiful as vigorously as any patriotic American.

A true gentleman serves others first, before himself. He presents himself and does not hide in the shadows of conniving or bureaucratic anonymity. He sets others at ease, and engages them in constructive conversation and activity. He seeks to genuinely understand them, and puts that understanding to their service, rather than using them. All of this, Count Rostov shows us, can be done in the worst political conditions imaginable.

Also, the lessons aren’t just for the male species, here. The three main women in the Count’s life act like noble ladies in their own ways. They each have things to learn, just as the Count has things to learn from each of them. The book holds high the dignity of each individual as something to honor and cherish.

Now, the Count’s overriding pursuit of gentlemanliness makes those 10 pages or so of political critique all the more potent. Embedded in personal memories from before the Revolution, the Count is certainly not neutral in politics, nor resigned to the state of affairs. Towles marvelously depicts the Count’s joy hearing the village bells ringing as they sleigh ride at Christmas during the Tsar’s reign. And then the shock of seeing those bells (and the priest with them) cast down and reforged as cannons for the Revolution. His dear friend is caught up in the revolutionary fervor as a writer. His literary and love pursuits go nowhere, but the Count’s friendship stays constant. One of the funniest moments is when his friend relates in all seriousness the Revolution’s devotion to Japanese haiku. The Count simply responds: I am glad Homer was not born in Japan.

I’ve heard there is a movie made of this book. Do NOT see it. The sexual liaison implied but never explicitly described in the book is likely presented with more raw sensuality on the screen. Read the book. And just to offend everyone: do NOT listen to this book – it will not do it justice. (Listening to a book is not really reading it. But that’s an argument for another day.) Many sentences and passages need rereading for the pure enjoyment of how they are written.

A Gentleman in Moscow will make you think. It will awaken senses in your soul you had forgotten. It will turn your attention to the important things in life. Whatever is happening on the world stage today, you can become a gentleman or a lady, and act like one toward the people around you.

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Entangled in Sin - Doing what's hard - Joy - Worship - Prayer

I've been doing some good reading lately.
Here are random quotes.

Jennifer Barnett, First Freedoms

On entangling vines: "Green vines rapidly grow... we tugged and pulled, and used a chainsaw to rid our beloved trees of those vines... The know was the size of a grocery cart, and the vines extending from it were eighteen feet long.  Let's just say, the vines did not give up easily.  Spiritual entanglements look and feel much the same.  They grab our attention and seem inviting - even life-giving- but before we know it, we are tangled up in them....

No one searches on social media looking for an old high school love in hopes of ruining their marriage.  No one starts drinking socially in hopes of destroying their life with alcoholism....

Yes, we must repent.  Yes, we have to want to get untangled.  But often we get in over our heads and desperately need to be carried by the only One who is head over it all.  We need his hands to untie us, to pick us up, to place us on his shoulders, and to carry us back to the flock.  We cannot do it on our own" (121-123).

"Our flesh works the same way [as pulling weeds].  It requires daily and diligent maintenance to keep it from taking over.... Often the weeds of sin slowly take over, and when we realize this, we attempt to cover them up and hide.  Then we painstakingly try to pull all the weeds out on our own" (132).

Keith Miller, Habitation of Dragons, pg 54-55.
"I have often avoided things I really wanted to do, just because they were difficult....
Joy does not usually come from the trouble-free and effortless periods of life.  Rather, joy seems to be distilled from a strange mixture of challenge, risk, and hope."

Kevin Harney, Seismic Shifts
On worship: "Come rested and refreshed.... don't stay up until 2:00 a.m. on Saturday and then wonder why you can't focus during the sermon.... Come with joyful expectancy... God will be present, the Holy Spirit will be at work.... God does not merely suggest or hope that we praise Him; he calls us to sing songs of worship.  Even if you don't like your voice, you can be sure that God loves it.  He made you, including your vocal chords, and he delights when you sing to him....  [In worship] God performs spiritual surgery to cure us of our myopia, and we see the world through his eyes, not ours" (65-68).

On prayer: "Every follower of Jesus needs to learn how to recognize the way the Holy Spirit speaks, prompts, and directs" (89).

No One Doubts a Belly Laugh - a review

 

No One Doubts a Belly Laugh by Jason Farley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A slim but savory collection of poems organized around the 7 Medieval “planets,” Farley dishes some great phrases while often hinting delightfully at biblical truth. Often best read aloud, just a few at a time.

A sample:
Garden of Eden, and Garden of Eve, too.
Grace there to meet through, and strong grace to cleave to.
The birthright of beauty dickered for sweat-filled duty.
The image of God has become serpent-booty.

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Good Poems - a review

 

Good Poems by Garrison Keillor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The title is apt. These poems aren’t the great classics for the most part, but lesser known and more homely ones. Often endearing, sometimes disturbing or risqué, I read 2-3 poems a day for about 2 years, for a change of pace from other work and reading.

Examples:
O, my love’s like a red, red rose… (Burns)
Tell all the Truth, but tell it slant… (Emily Dickinson)
Ode to the Medieval Poets – W.H. Auden
Home on the Range – Anonymous – (the whole thing!)

Keillor regularly recited poems on the Prairie Home Companion, and this is a compilation of them.
Many of these poems reflect Keillor's own wandering from orthodox Christianity, so stay alert...

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Thoughts on DEI Training

So this week I went through the dreaded DEI training from HR, at your typical big corporate/public institution.

Here are some takeaways.

1. There was no overt hostility to Christians or conservatives in the program.

2. There was no insistence that you pledge personal allegiance to their dogma, besides giving “right” answers to vague and obvious questions.  (“Should you be okay with a racial insult or should you say something?”)

3. There IS an assumption that underprivileged groups are the only ones discriminated against.  This is a huge blind spot in the DEI/Left community right now.  They simply cannot see that their over-reaction to making sure minorities are not oppressed, winds up oppressing the majority.  Reverse discrimination is not a possibility in their minds, but it is obviously real.  If a black woman accuses a white man falsely, and she is assumed to be truthful because of group identity and history, that IS oppression of the white man.  Justice should be blind and impartial.  But what I was taught was all one-sided.  The majority needs to walk on egg shells to make sure they don’t offend any minority.  Now, of course, everyone should be sensitive to everyone.  But everyone also has a responsibility to strive not to take offense at “micro-aggressions.”

4. One spot was especially egregious – the assertion that a minority person offended does not have to accept an apology or any remedial action from the offender.  The implication was, they have the right to simply stay offended and keep the offender in condemnation and contempt.  Yikes.


Overall, this is a mixed bag.  There are naïve and innocent people trying to keep people being nice to each other, after the racism in our past.  And there are more devious elements sneaking in Marxist assumptions, which divides us according to group and class, undermining social cohesion, right when the former group thinks they are bolstering it.

Christian Nationalism

World Magazine's latest issue has a cover story on Christian Nationalism.
It's quite good, featuring most of the main players and critics.  

It points out how the Left wants to paint the Right all as nationalists, to energize the Left to vote against the Handmaiden's Tale vision in their heads.  

It points out Christian Nationalists aren't aiming for that vision.  

But it does point to problems, especially in Stephen Wolfe's book, the main catalyst of the discussion right now.

Wilsonites and Canon Press won't like being called a "tiny fringe," but they are.  Most Christian conservatives who are politically engaged do not share the "Moscow Mood."  I think Wilson has an important point to contribute (see next paragraph), but Moscow's messaging often hurts them more than it helps.

One thing the article doesn't cover enough is the underpinnings of theology at play.  Cornelius Van Til's rejection of neutrality anywhere, including politics, is a major factor.  It inherently rejects the secular liberal political order, where we think the same "natural law" rules can apply to everyone.  Can they?  No, CN says, we need God's revealed, special-revelation-law to apply to everyone.

World makes it seem like the choice is either secular liberal democracy a la Rawls, or theocracy.  This is a major flaw of the article.  Wolfe's book didn't do very well describing a path between the two.  Maybe Wilson's Mere Christendom does better.

It seems to me we want Christian worldview underpinnings to our law and politics, without the government fining or jailing people for worshiping in a way the state deems idolatrous (an absurdity at this point), taking God's name in vain or having their restaurant open on Sunday.

Most of CN is just Quixotic dreaming: "what would it look like if society actually implemented God's Word?"  They're not going to.  The last sentence of World's article sums it up: "It’s a sucker’s game. … You risk getting distracted from the things that actually matter."

Trump and Christianity

One of our family members gets regular anonymous hate mail from a leftist.

This arrived yesterday, with a Ruth Bader Ginsburg stamp on it:

"Trump has said that he has NEVER asked God for forgiveness.  Please explain to everyone how that is Christian."

1. I believe I remember Trump saying that.  I don't dispute the veracity of it.

2. It is not Christian.  Trump is a misguided or sub-Christian, at best, in his personal spirituality, in my estimation.

3. The writer assumes the Right's nominee needs to be Christian to be a valid candidate, and that conservative Christian voters will only vote for a Christian.  It's true pointing this out may make some Christian voters less motivated to vote for Trump.  But I think that would be a mistake.  Christians can vote for a politician who they don't think is a true Christian.

4. Thanks to the media, the Left now thinks most of the right are Christian Nationalists, who insist Christian doctrine be made law.  They project their own intolerance onto the Right.  The Left today is far less tolerant than the Right.  We just want to restrict people's freedom to kill others, whether that's a mother her baby, an illegal who just arrived, or a gang member in the inner city.  A DA is not free to not prosecute crimes, because he thinks the system is racist.  A president is not free to not enforce border laws, because he wants more votes for his party in the future.  A mother is not free to kill her baby, because she can't envision a good future if she doesn't.

5. Even with Trump's recent abortion statement, pre-born people in utero will be safer in a Trump presidency than they have been with Biden.  Trump will do more to preserve pre-born life than Biden will.  Even if he won't do enough, that's not a good enough reason to stay home and not vote against Biden.

6. On other issues more in the headlines, Trump is obviously better:
a. Better border policy
b. Not pressuring Israel to back off from Hamas.

7. It's pretty clear to me that both Biden and Trump are willing to use religion for their political purposes.  Neither seems very sincere on that front.  Trump is reading the political weather well on the abortion issue.  All the energy is on the pro-choice side, right now, and he's trying to blunt that.  I think he's being smart, politically, but it's disappointing.  We can expect more from our church leaders, but maybe not from our politicians in such a divided landscape.

8. Turnout decides elections in this climate.  Those who are angrier turn out more.  So our thought leaders are tempted to stoke anger in us, on both sides.  Instead decide to vote on principle, not emotion.

The Hammer of God - a Book Review

The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

2 Corinthians 2:16 – “Who is sufficient for these things?”

Have you ever wondered what a pastor thinks and feels, what his relationship with God is like, as he ministers at church or visits you in the hospital?

This unique novel offers three stories of three young ministers, each faced with a spiritual crisis. Each is spiritually zealous and equally misguided. The main message is that pietism has no answers for the basic questions of the real spiritual life. What do you say when an otherwise Christian man raves on his deathbed, speaking profanely of his many sinful experiences? How do you help a woman who prays and seeks for a pure heart, but knows all the time she doesn’t have it?

Without a foundation of God’s grace to us in Christ, the Christian life is a shaky and brittle endeavor. The genius of The Hammer of God is to show us the truth of this in the minister’s own spiritual life, and his public ministry as well. Pursuing revivals and calling people to obedience and purity can be done in a way that focuses everyone on themselves or on the pastor. Such will pass as a wind-driven leaf. But to ground all we think, feel, and do in reliance on God’s grace, not finding our righteousness in our thoughts, emotions, or deeds, looking to Jesus only, brings sturdy, Gospel hope.

I was a pastor for many years, and this book ably gets inside the pastor’s mind and heart, in many ways.

The author is Lutheran, and baptismal regeneration is assumed at various points. But this is not overdone, and the main theme of the book is one every Christian needs to hear.

A strange omission: none of the clergy were married. Marriage as a minister wasn’t even a passing thought. Probably because the perpetual theme was the pietism-fighting pastor.

“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” – Colossians 2:20-23.

Highly recommended, especially for pastors.

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Last Minute Palm Sunday Thought - Habakkuk 2

Most people and preachers catch the contextual point the Gospels make at Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides a donkey, from Zechariah 9.  It's right there on the surface: Jesus is the King of verse 9.

It's common to say those shouting "Hosanna" were expecting a military Messiah to drive out Rome, and I believe it.  It's an important warning to those who trust in earthly rulers to save, in every time.

But it's very UNcommon to hear an explanation of why they shouldn't expect Jesus to drive out Rome, given Zechariah 9:11-17.  Note all the military victory references, there!  (I think the answer lies in the multiple time-horizons of prophecy - the text doesn't always refer to the same event in the same epoch, even in the same chapter or verse, something the post- and pre-mil positions can't often grasp, and don't deal well with.)

Less obvious than Zechariah 9, but just as important, is Jesus' response to the Pharisees, when they demand He silence His shouting followers: "If these were silent, the very stones would cry out."  Often we think Jesus means all creation will praise Him, even if the Pharisees won't.  This is true, but not the point of the text.

Jesus here alludes to Habakkuk 2:11, "the stone will cry out from the wall," and its context.  "Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house.... Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!"  This is exactly what the temple leaders Jesus confronted were doing.  It's fascinating the context of the chapter includes the famous verse, the just shall live by faith," contrasted with the wicked's greed, indulgence, and oppression.  Instead of indulging themselves by politically allying with the pagan Roman oppressors (the Sadducees), the faithful were called to wait on the Lord and live by faith (Hab. 2:4), not taking up arms.

So Palm Sunday is

 - acclaiming the coming King

 - accepting the right Lamb for your Passover atonement (another post)

Yes.  

But it is also prophetic confrontation of governmental/national sin as a nation.

Jesus unleashes a veritable flood of Scripture, rich in context, at this event (not only King, but Prophet and Priest).

 - My house shall be called a house of prayer - read all of Isaiah 56.

 - A den of robbers! - read all of Jeremiah 7.

 - Hosanna! (Save, please!) - read Psalm 118:19-27.

This Prophetic breakout continues during holy week in Jesus' teachings...

The Moscow Mood - basic differences, and Moscow's take

So Douglas Wilson and Kevin DeYoung are two of my most influential contemporary theological writers.

A few months ago, Kevin critiqued Doug.
Here is Doug Wilson’s response to Kevin.

Some basic disagreements between them seem to be:

What is the right level of political engagement?  
Should we stay a bit distant, focused on more directly spiritual matters (Kevin)?  
Or go full-boar into the fray, since politics IS a spiritual matter (Doug)?

To what extent should we instigate conflict in culture and politics?  
Not much, since it draws attention to the wrong thing (Kevin)?  
As much as possible, since people’s focus needs to be here in this moment (Doug)?

Doug would say, we need to try to set the world right, and not retreat to only our churches and homes.
Kevin would say, to focus less on politics and provocative rhetoric, and more on our churches and homes is not retreat, but a proper biblical focus.

What is the “Moscow Mood”?
Moscow would define it thusly:
You can’t fight a culture without a culture.  The mainstream Reformed Evangelical movement (of which Kevin is coming to be a major leader) does not HAVE a meaningful culture of its own.  Moscow does, and it’s getting attention.  Build Christendom and fight the ungodly culture out there.  We want Christ as Lord over everything.  Not just Sunday morning.  Not just church and family time.

Many think fighting a la Moscow-style means scowling or indulging anger.  It doesn’t.
Fighting well means living a corporate, embodied Christianity with a purpose.

Lots of young people hear what they are supposed to be doing, but know they are not doing it, b/c they aren’t plugged into a community.  Faith is in the upper story only, to use Francis Schaeffer’s categories.  How do we live it out down here, in the lower story?  Or do we only escape to the upper story to live out our godliness and piety?  Christians don’t know how to build a robust Christian life here on earth.  God is bringing the Kingdom of God to earth, not only by the direct work of His Son apart from us, but also through our work here, building families, churches, communities and nations.

The mainstream Reformed Evangelical movement has forsaken this for either a carnal political solution (joining the Trump train, or going Sojourner/liberal mainline).  Or, rejecting that, an escapist pietism that ignores politics as much as possible.

Next time I’ll respond to Kevin’s critiques of this “mood.”
A hint: some of it is off base.  Some of it hits the mark.

The Moscow Mood - Introduction and Piety

It seems that since Kevin DeYoung critiqued the Moscow Mood a few months ago, Moscow likes to talk about their mood.

I’ve been around the Moscow Mood for over 15 years, and recently have attended other Reformed churches, which have very different “moods” from Moscow.  I think I have something to add, here.

Let me start with a question that exposes the important and differing assumptions everyone makes in debates like this:

What is piety supposed to look like?

A. In some Reformed churches, it is assumed that godliness – especially in worship – should be slow, somber, reverent, cerebral, formal and deliberate.  This is the Ligonier Ministries mentality - the bowed head, furrowed brow, and concerned tone.  Generally, this view assumes piety will look and feel OPPOSITE of the world.

B. In others, piety should look more easy-going, winsome, warm-hearted on your sleeve, emotionally expressive and sensitive.  This is the Tim Keller approach - the upbeat, always smiling, love-everyone-warmly tone.  This view more adopts the inter-relational customs and fads of how the world acts.

C. In stark contrast, the Moscow Mood thinks of piety primarily as a fight.  A recent CREC’s Council’s slogan was “Fight the Good Fight.”  Fight, Laugh, Feast!  “Nice” borders on being a swear word.  There is a battle going on for your country, family, church, and soul.  To not fight is compromise.  Of course, this is coming mainly from Doug Wilson: a combative, provocative tone meant to stir you to action in the battle, and usually to feel hostile to the world so you'll fight more effectively.

None of these are totally off base, but there are pros and cons to each.

A. Reverence is essential to piety.  Much of the evangelical world has lost it and churches aren’t encouraging it much.  Group A is right to react against that.  Believe it or not, some churches have almost total silence in the meeting room before the service, as an expression of this.  You can argue if that specific practice is ideal, but we must recover reverence.  

B. Love for neighbor should be integral to piety.  We are not hostile to anyone, but see the image of God in everyone we meet.

C. Fighting the spiritual war is also essential to piety.  We are hostile to a spirit of anti-Christian malevolence, wherever it appears.

I wish there were churches that blended all three of these together better, but alas, that seems beyond the reach of the current church.  We need reverent, warm-hearted, happy warriors.

There is much more to say about the "Moscow mood.”  In future posts I’ll interact with DeYoung and Wilson's response, consider "the mood" theologically (VanTil’s “no neutrality,” v. common grace), politically, and culturally (what is Christian culture?).

Until then, the question I leave you with is this: what is your standard for godliness?  We all have shorthand markers: things we think, feel, or do, that reassure us we are being godly.  What are yours?  Are those correct, in the light of Scripture?