On 'The Mortification of Sin' Part 2

Yesterday I began an examination of John Owen’s classic The Mortification of Sin. I had only just begun to look at chapter one when I had to step away from the computer, so I will be picking up where I left off.

Owen begins a more in depth look at the verse by starting with the conditional statement. “But if.” There are two things, according to Owen that such conditionals can actually mean. One conditional is uncertain. Owen describes it thusly: “the uncertainty of the event of the event promised, in respect to them to whom the duty is prescribed.” It is not as though, on this sort of conditional, that the desired outcome is certain when the duty is performed. One does not necessarily follow from the other. For instance, if I say, “if I get to St. Louis I will attend seminary” I do not mean that going to St. Louis secures my position in Seminary.

Owen denies that this is the conditional Paul has in mind in 8:13. If we look at 8:13 this way we will discover why. “If you mortify the deeds of the body you will live.” If there is uncertainty between these two then it is possible, even if the person in question mortifies the deeds of the body, for that person to die and miss out on eternal life. Owen, however, points out that verse 1 of that same chapter of Romans says Christians face no condemnation. We are set free from the law of sin and death.

What sort of conditional do we have? This conditional is one of certainty. “If I get all the answers right I will pass the test.” This ‘life’ is the guaranteed result of mortification, though not through strict cause and effect. God promises the end (life) and he ordains a means (mortification) to get us there. The promise of life is the motivation for mortification.

To some this may sound dangerously close to salvation by works. It is not because eternal life is not earned through mortification. Rather the life is granted by God, but mortification will be exemplified in the actions of he who has been given life. If you do not mortify, you will die because you did not receive life.

Next Owen focuses on the people to whom the duty of mortification is given. A quick glance through Romans 8 will reveal that Paul’s audience is a Christian one. The chapter begins, as we saw above, by telling us how we no longer face condemnation when we are in Christ. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” This is certainly written to the Christian, and there is nothing between this verse and verse 13 to indicate Paul is referring to anyone else. We must not try to push this duty onto non-Christians. It’s foolish and they lack the power of the Spirit that is necessary. It is, as Owen indicates, the beginning of superstition and a perversion of the gospel.

I will wrap up this post for now. It is taking me longer to sort this chapter out than I thought, and I can only assume it will continue on this path. I could blog on this 176 page book for the next year and a half. It seems likely, since I am preaching on June 25, that I will shift my focus next week and write about the text of my sermon, which is the book of Habakkuk. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week.

Examining Owen's 'The Mortification of Sin'

I have of late been reading John Owen’s classic The Mortification of Sin. It has been revolutionary for me in my dealings with indwelling sin. The entire book is a meditation on Romans 8:13, which was the text I took for my own sermon on conquering sin. More accurately, it is a meditation on the second half of the verse, which reads, “…but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Owen goes on to say how mortification is to be done through the rest of the book. I have read it from cover to cover, but it is not really solidified in my mind. Since I do not have a good command of the material I have decided to go through each chapter in greater detail, and I will use this blog as a means of organizing my thoughts.

Chapter one is an exposition of the aforementioned verse. He first lays out a motivation to holiness, namely that “if you live according to the flesh you will die”. However, since his focus lies on the second half of the verse he moves on without much further comment.

The different parts of the verse are then divided and examined. He comes up with five parts that will help us grasp what Paul was saying. First, there is a duty prescribed, namely ‘mortify the deeds of the body’. But who should mortify? That is the second part. ‘You’, that is the Christian, should mortify the deeds of the body. Then there is a promise given. “You will live” if you mortify. Fourth, Owen shows that it is the Spirit who is the means of mortification. Only through Him can mortification be done. Finally, the conditionality of the verse is emphasized. “If you mortify…”

Tomorrow I will cover the second half of chapter one in greater detail, and if I am able I will do some work on chapter two as well.

Dreaming of Virtuous Sons

I have a bit of a dream. Here I am going off to seminary, my wife and I trying to beat back worry over our finances. I have a few prospects for some good jobs, and my wife could probably get a job if need be, but…that’s just not how we want to do it. Not that I don’t want a job, but we would rather she not have to work. What does my dream have to do with this? Wait and see.

We are planning on homeschooling our children. Classical homeschooling, no less. That’s reading-intensive stuff. I’m a pretty conservative chap, as you may have guessed, and I can tell you from experience that good reading material for young boys is hard to come by. You can’t just run to Border’s and pick up whatever is on the shelf. You might as well give your child unrestricted access to TV. There will be material there that is toxic to the Christian worldview.

No, I want books that will build virtue in my sons. I want books that build distinctively masculine virtues. Let’s face it: we live in a declining civilization. The young males in college, high school and on down are mostly barbarians. They live to satisfy whatever urge hits them the hardest. The kind of book I’m after teaches my sons to be disciplined, kind to those in need, and unflinching in the face of evil. I want characters that defer gratification, treat women like human beings worthy of honor, and swallow their fears in order to sacrifice themselves for greater things.

I know such books exist, but they’re often difficult to find. Because the demand in young culture is for smart mouthed kids with idiots for parents (see almost every cartoon on the air) good books are hard to come by. Few people are writing them now, and the old ones are out of print. Some homeschool parents spend hours searching antique book stores for little treasures, but that takes a lot of time. The boys are worth it, and I’ll do it if comes to that…but that brings me back to my dream. My dream would kill two birds with one stone.

I don’t imagine clairvoyance is necessary now to discern the content of my dream. I want to write my books. I don’t want to do anything enormous, perhaps just 250 pages worth of text, but if I could capture the virtues I’m thinking of in a compelling adventure story I would be thrilled. That might play a part in the inculcation of virtue in my sons. And if I could sell these books then my wife’s dream of caring for our home and children full time could come true as well!

I’ve already begun spinning my first tale of adventure and virtue about a cooper’s son who is thrust into more adventure than he bargained for. The story is set in an alternate world where magic does not necessarily have the occult connotations it does here (like Narnia and Middle-Earth in that sense), and there will be plenty of swordplay. I know it all sounds vague and underwhelming, but I’m just starting out. Who knows? The book may flop and nothing may come of this. But maybe the book will be well done and well received! Maybe one book will become a series! The future is uncertain, but for the sake of my sons, and for any of yours who may encounter my book(s), I must try.

Apologies

I have been absent most of this week due to a family situation and personal illness. I will resume regular posting next week.

God's Word: The Pillar of Certainty

I spoke with a friend over lunch of doubt and uncertainty. He had read my entry titled ‘God is in the Move’, which is about our troubles with money and the uncertainty they caused. His words were very encouraging to me and I appreciated them very much, but I think he’ll understand if I say that no word from his mouth can provide comfort and assurance like the Word of God.

Yesterday, just before our pre-service prayer at church, my brother Aaron shared a powerful verse that provides just such comfort.

Psalm 119:89
Forever, O LORD, your wordis firmly fixed in the heavens.

First Romans 8:28, now Psalm 119:89. God planted such amazing peace in my heart through that verse I immediately stood up from the table so I could grab paper and pen to write down the reference. I knew I had to take the time to meditate on it later.

There is a beautiful harmony between Romans 8:28 and Psalm 119:89. Romans 8:28 says those who love God are in His plan and their lives will work out for the good. We know that this good may not be our cultural ideas of good (comfort, ease, health and wealth), but instead the highest good, which is to glorify God. Whatever circumstance we face we can take comfort that God’s hand is in it.

But how do I know that this promise will stand? How can I be sure that God will abide by Romans 8:28? This is where Psalm 119:89 swoops in and provides a mighty pillar of support. “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”

God’s word is firmly fixed. It will not, cannot be moved. It is established. It is not tentative, and God does not hold it loosely. This means that not only Romans 8:28, but God’s sovereign plan for each of us as individuals is set. There is nothing that you, I, or Satan can do to destroy that plan, and if you love God and are called according to his purpose all the events of your life will work together for good.

How long is God’s word firmly fixed? The first word of verse 89 is ‘forever’. There is no time limit to the validity of God’s word. It is not as though Romans 8:28 was a limited time offer. God’s promise is out there for us to rely on today and it will be there tomorrow.

Finally, God’s word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Even the place of the fixing adds comfort to the verse. As John Calvin stated in his commentary on Psalm 119:89, “As we see nothing constant or of long continuance upon earth, he elevates our minds to heaven, that they may fix their anchor there.” Grass and flower fade away (1 Peter 1:24), the earth will crumble and decay. But God’s word, fixed in the heavens, is not affected by such things (1 Peter 1:25).

Every day that passes gives more reason to trust in the word of God. His promises will not fail, and no change in our circumstances should alter our trust.

Putting to Death the Deeds of the Flesh

In recent years I’ve become a bit of a church history buff. I love looking back at the lives of faithful men and women and seeing what they did to represent Christ. Their stories serve as an inspiration and a warning to me.

One of my favorite historical figures is Athanasius. Athanasius lived in the 4th Century and was a key figure at the Council of Nicea, though he was mainly there to assist his bishop, Alexander. The heresy of Arianism, which held that Jesus was created by God the Father, was poisoning the church in those years and Athanasius was the principle defender of orthodoxy. There was, in fact, a time when nearly the entire Christian world held to Arianism but Athanasius held to the truth.

Because of his unwillingness to compromise with these powerful heretics he was kicked out of his bishopric in Alexandria, Egypt and banished. He returned, only to be banished again. He was banished no less than five times, but still he refused to acquiesce. Not even when he was falsely accused of murder and witchcraft did he waiver in his faithfulness to the Lord. There is a reason why we say ‘Athanasius Contra Mundum’.

A second of my favorite church fathers is Augustine. In his public life, he, like Athanasius, defended the Christian faith against heresy. Interestingly, we also know a great deal about Augustine’s internal struggles. In his autobiography, called Confessions, he spoke his intense battle against sin. Lust was a major issue for Augustine, but he was eventually able to subdue the temptation that raged in his heart.

As I said, these figures are a source of inspiration for me, and well they should be! They did tremendous things in defense of the truth and did not deny Christ with their deeds as so many have done (Titus 1:16). But how? How did these men stand so firmly for Christ in the face mounting temptation? How did Athanasius conquer the temptation to save his own life and position as bishop? How did Augustine control the fire of lust that burned in his chest? The answer to this question is not found in a history book. For this we must look no other place than the Bible.

How Do We Treat Sin?

Before I actually look at a Biblical text I want to take some time for introspection. I want to examine how I, and I believe many Christians, have looked at sin. As I have reflected on my own life I can recall times that I have laughed at my own sin. When I was 15 I went to the beach with my cousin. Long story short, I got drunk and left my shoes on the beach where they were washed away with the tide. Though losing my shoes is a bit humorous, there is nothing funny about my drunkenness.

Another summer I spent time some time at a camp. While there a friend and I had a contest in which we tried to see who could eat the most pizza during lunch. We both gorged ourselves to the point that we vomited. For a long time I thought of both of those stories as good anecdotes. We’ve all been there, right? We’ve all overindulged in one way or another and that point of commonality makes the story funny. But here’s the rub:

It’s not funny.

What is drunkenness? What is gluttony (my experience with the pizza was certainly gluttony)? These things are sin. They reveal a lack of self-control, which is a quality essential to Christlikeness (Galatians 5:22-24). They reveal intemperance, which disqualifies one from being an elder (1 Timothy 3:2-4) at the very least. I am convinced that if I tell these stories God is not laughing.

Perhaps, though, you do not laugh at your sin as I have. But still we can stumble upon another error, that of excusing our sin. I was riding in the car listening to a sermon give by a prominent young Christian. He made light of his lack of compassion in his description of his failed pastoral ministry. According to his thoughts, his personality made him ill-suited for that sort of work. I understand that we are not all called to be pastors, but the compassion should mark pastors should also mark those of us who are not pastors. Galatians 5:22 says that gentleness and longsuffering are fruit of the Spirit. Whatever our ‘personalities’ are like is irrelevant. Our personalities are to be brought under the subjection of Christ so that we may be conformed to God’s image, not to be used as an excuse for sinful attitudes and actions. Would this man have spoken similarly if lust had been his problem rather than a lack of compassion?

The Bible’s Attitude Toward Sin

The Bible’s attitude toward sin is much different than those described above.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. -Romans 8:13 (ESV)

Romans 8:13 tells us to ‘put to death the deeds of the body’. What does this mean? It means we must kill those deeds. This is radical, violent language that must shape our attitude toward sin. We don’t laugh, we don’t excuse. These deeds of the body are to be destroyed in a ‘give no quarter’ fashion.

The question we must ask is, ‘are we ready to be radical?’ Many Christians in America are too interested in comfort and money to be ready to kill sin. The necessary steps cut too close to the things we hold dear. We like our lives as they are, and trading our pleasures can be a painful experience.

How to ‘Put to Death’*

What are these ‘radical steps’ we must take to kill our sin? How do we ‘put to death the deeds of the body?’ Romans 8:13 tells us that it must be done in the power of the Spirit. But what does that mean?

First it means that we cannot do this in our own power. There is no room for legalism in the killing of sin. No pharisee’s rule-keeping can conquer the lusts of our hearts. Such things affect only our external lives. This course will make us ‘whitewashed tombs’, to use Christ’s metaphor (Matthew 23:27).

John Piper has identified three steps in mortifying sin through the Spirit. First we must set our minds on the things of the Spirit. We can’t just say ‘no’ to sin. That is not enough. Our minds must be full of the things of Spirit. They must be our chief focus. We must also set our minds on the Words of God and the realities they stand for. This identifies what ‘the things of the Spirit’ are. 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 says that the things of the Spirit cannot be understood by the natural man. These things of the Spirit to which he refers are Paul’s own inspired writings. To put to death the deeds of the body we must embrace God’s Word. This is not simple reading, as the next step indicates. In Galatians 3:5 Paul tells us that God provides the Spirit for us not by the Law, but through hearing with faith. Hearing what? The Word of God. But simple hearing, like simple reading, is insufficient. It must be hearing with faith. Take God’s Word and believe it. Meditate on it. The Word must become so much a part of you that it changes the way you think and live.

Now we know it is through immersion in the Word that sin will be killed. Let me emphasis, however, that there is action that must be taken on our parts. We must be ruthless in removing those things from our lives that draw us into sin. Do you struggle with anger? Ask yourself, what do I have in my life that makes it easy for me to indulge my anger? The same goes for gluttony, drunkenness and lust. Often there are little things we allow to creep into our lives that lead us slowly down the wrong path. They must be rooted out and eliminated, remembering that it is only the power of the Spirit that enables us to conquer sin.
We are useless to God if we are enslaved by sin, and we bring reproach to His name, not glory.

My exhortation and counsel in conquering sin is that which I have learned from better men than myself. Make the Bible your bread. Root out those things that carry you away to sin. If these things are done in the power of the Spirit and not by your own flesh your life will bring glory to God. And there is no higher end than this.




*I am indebted to John Piper’s sermons on Romans 8:13 for much of this portion of the essay.

God is in the Move

The move creeps closer. On the first of July my family and I will move from Huntington, WV to St. Louis, MO so I can attend Covenant Theological Seminary. This is obviously a huge step for us. We will be far from our families. We will be ‘on our own’ for the first time. The thought of being known primarily as ‘The Duncans’ and not as the children of our parents is quite attractive.

But we are not taking this step without risk. We worked on a budget a couple of nights ago, and it was UGLY. Our expenses are too high. We’re taking out student loans. The specter of tremendous debt looms overhead. Worse, my wife has seen her dream of being able to leave work and stay at home with the boys full time slip away yet again. Long story short: we were depressed.

I travel for my job every Wednesday. I got into the CRV my mood was nearly as bleak as it had been the night before. My brain was swimming in fear and second guesses. What in the world will happen to us? How will I ever get my degree? Should I have just planned to stay in Huntington? The issue was compounded by the fact that I had already tendered my resignation for my job. I felt trapped. I went through the work day seeking relief and finding none.

On my way to Praise Team Practice that night God spoke to me.

Romans 8:28.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

A wave of joy washed over me. Somehow, some way, I had forgotten that Romans 8:28 was true! Once I thought about it, I realized that it really doesn’t matter if I get my M.Div. or not. It doesn’t matter if I have to take a semester off, or have to start taking classes part time. God is in this move. If I never finish my degree at CTS, yet remain faithful to Him and serve His purpose I am a blessed man.

After practice I drove home glorifying the Lord. He would not abandon me. He has promised to sustain me. My wife, however, was still hurting. When the time came for our evening Bible study she struggled for motivation. We turned to the book of Revelation and read chapter seven. We discussed different eschatological positions and enjoyed the praise that the multitudes gave to God. Toward the end of the study one of our boys woke up and I went to get him back to sleep. When I returned she pointed verse 17:

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

“I guess God never promised to make things easy for us here, did He?” she said. I sat down and we hugged each other for a while. Before we went to bed we prayed that we would find our satisfaction in God alone, not in money and not in a job or the lack thereof. That nigh sleep came easily.

Mark Dever on the Differing Approaches to Advocating Complementarianism

Mark Dever has written a fantastic post about complementarianism and the consequences of the egalitarian hermenutic over on Together for the Gospel. Read it!

Undermining Tolerance of Egalitarianism

HT: Justin Taylor

The Lazy Logician No More?

When I first started this blog I wanted to choose a name that reflected my personality and goals. At the time my desire was to be a philosopher in the analytic tradition, so technical precision and formal logic meant a great deal to me (they still do, but my trajectory is now toward the ministry, be it in a seminary or the pastorate). I chose the term 'logician' to reflect my philosophical aspirations.

I called my blog, and by extention myself, 'The Lazy Logician'. In that title I emphasized a rather unpleasant trait of mine: laziness. I referred to this blog's title as 'my scarlet letter' because it drew attention to something I wanted to change about myself. I suppose I was trying to use it as motivation, but it didn't work.

I have found that the only thing that can motivate me out of my laziness is Christ. Only God and His Word have proven sufficient to make me deny myself and do what must be done. I have known for many years that I represent Christ in everything I do, but only recently has that truth begun to sink in. I had fallen prey to one of the dangers of being raised in a Christian environment: my ears had been dulled by hearing the same truths over and over. I had not allowed them to impact my life.

By the grace of God all this is changing (and just in time for seminary!). Pray for me that this progress will continue. Since these changes are taking place, I have decided to change the title of this blog. I hope everyone who has linked me will update their blogrolls to reflect this change, but my blogging has been so spotty I doubt many people stop by anymore.

Regardless, here are some candidates for a new blog title:

1. Only and Good: Exercises in Glorifying God- 'Only and Good' referring, of course, to God. He is the only God, and He is a Good God.

2. A Puritan Path: Reformed, Always Reforming- This expresses my hope for my life as a Christian. As I've begun reading the Puritans I've been astounded by their devotion to living a holy life before God and through His power, all the while coupling it with deep, sound theology.

3. Joy and Slavery: Life in Christ- This one couples two concepts many would find difficult to reconcile. For the Christian, however, being a slave to Christ is essential for joy.

Right now I'm leaning toward 'Joy and Slavery', though I may change the subtitle a bit. I like 'A Puritan Path' but it might cause people to think I'll constantly be analyzing Puritan literature. I hope to do a lot of that, but that's not all I will be doing.

So here you have it; my own miniature blog revolution. The Lazy Logician will soon be dead, only to be replaced by a new blog with (hopefully) new motivation. I hope to post a worthwhile essay of at least 500 words every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. June promises to be my most prolific blogging month ever.

Book Update: Harry Potter and the Puritans?

Last week I mentioned that I had read the second and third installments of the Harry Potter series. I now inform you that I have read the fourth and fifth books, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, respectively. I am chuckling at myself because that's over 1500 pages in a week, and quite possibly over 1600. I usually don't read that much in a week, but as J.K. Rowling's fans can tell you, the books are page turners.

I do not yet have a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so I cannot go on reading that. What I do have is even better.

**********UPDATE: I HAVE NOW READ HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE************

I received three monetary gifts due to my recent graduation from Bible College. Out of this money I allowed myself $50 for books. A quick (internet) trip to the Westminster Seminary Bookstore yielded fantastic results. For $49.99 (including shipping) I purchased these books:

The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes

The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs

The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture with comments by Thomas Vincent

Yep. Seven books for $49.99. Needless to say, I am quite happy. I've started in on The Mortification of Sin and Precious Remedies already, and I've given a quick glance to The Christ of the Covenants. I've only gotten as far as the table of contents for Precious Remedies. If you've ever read it you'll know what I'm talking about. Brooks' ToC is detailed enough to be worth the purchase price on its own. So I'll have plenty to read between now and the time I start seminary.

I hope to emerge from each of these books a better Christian. Please pray for me in that regard.

God Chastened My Doubting Heart

Just a few weeks ago I was asked if I would deliver a sermon at nearby Kenwood Baptist Church. I had been there before and enjoyed the warmth of the congregation. They are good people as far as I can tell. I do not think of myself as a preacher, but I do not mind filling a pulpit when God provides the opportunity.

As a text I chose Romans 8:13:

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

I chose that text because I had heard John Piper speak on it and I was moved with conviction against my own sin (if you’re wondering, no I didn’t plagiarize his sermon). It is a powerful verse, especially considering our culture, which takes sin lightly. I really wanted to convey a passion similar to that of Dr. Piper when I spoke. I wanted to see that the people were moved as I was moved. I failed.

When my sermon was over and I stepped down from the platform my heart sank into my stomach. The sermon was too short. I fumbled with my words. I lacked the intensity I thought necessary for the subject matter. The people of the church congratulated me on my sermon and said they enjoyed it. I suspected either the Holy Spirit had done a work in spite of me or the saints of God were lying in an attempt to be kind. I chose to believe the former because, again, these were good people.

As my wife and I pulled out of the parking lot she asked how my sermon went (she had to take our sons down to the nursery). I told her that I laid an egg. She tried to raise my spirits by telling me someone had said they thought I would go far, but to no avail. I had failed in my own eyes, and I saw no one to blame but myself.

Roughly two weeks passed and my college graduation ceremony arrived. I enjoyed it very much and rather liked celebrating my achievement with my family and friends. After the ceremony was finished and the time for refreshments had arrived, I was approached by Jane Waddell, who attends Kenwood.

Mrs. Waddell took me aside and told me the story of what happened after my family and I left two Sundays ago. In the sermon I made the comment that we often laugh at our sin, as though it’s some big joke. This struck the heart of a young woman in attendance. She thought, “That’s me!” As I understand it she left the auditorium after I made this comment.

After the service was over and the pastor and some of the congregation had gone out to eat, he received a call on his cell phone. It was the young woman. She wanted to meet him back at the church. Long story short, she wanted to reaffirm her commitment to Christ. When I heard this I praised the Lord. God had shut my mouth for doubting the power of His Word, and I can think of few better outcomes than this.

A Time for Fiction

For the first time in a number of years I have begun reading fiction. For almost a decade I read little or no fiction because my experience as an English major in college sapped the joy out of the experience. It was then that I started focusing on philosophy, and the analytic branch at that. I wanted to get as far away from fiction as possible. The last year or so has softened me toward fiction, however, and I have polished off a few novels in the last few days. I must admit that none of them are difficult works, but one of them is a classic.

Two of the books are from the Harry Potter Series. Yes, yes, I know there are Christians out there who hate the books and think they're evil, but I'm not one of them. The two I've read in the last week or so are Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I read Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone early some time last year.

I'll admit it: I love the Harry Potter books. They are utterly delightful to read, whether they're considered children's literature or not. The stories are full of adventure and humor. But by far my favorite things about the series are the emphases on bravery and fighting evil. Harry gets scared, but he perseveres because he must do what he can to conquer evil (Voldemort).

The books also show that we do not come through these battles without scars, emotional and physical. Harry's parents lost their lives because they chose to do what was right. **SPOILERS AHEAD: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS SKIP THIS SENTENCE** Sirius Black died fighting the same evil, and so did the honorable Albus Dumbledore.

Harry Potter shows us that things will not always turn out as we want, but we must continue the fight. There are some things that are more significant than our lives. I think this is actually a valuable lesson for Christians in the West, though it is unfortunate if we have to learn this through Harry Potter when it should be learned from the Bible.

Obviously there are negatives about Harry Potter, but those have been well covered. If you're looking for a fun read, I recommend them.

The other novel I recently read was Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. Like Harry Potter, this book took me in with its story of adventure, piracy, and honor. Once I started reading it was difficult to stop. Though I knew the basic story, I didn't know all of the details. Not surprisingly, I recommend this book as well. I can't wait untill my sons can read!

I'm A College Graduate!

It’s over. I have finally, after 10 years, finished my Bachelor’s degree. On Saturday May 6, 2006 I will graduate from Tri-State Bible College with a BA in Biblical Studies. Praise God!! It has been a long road, but I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything. I can see how God has made me into a more mature person in the years between my high school graduation and today. I was ill equipped to make life-changing vocational decisions in 2000, which is when I would have graduated from college had I taken the traditional route.

Soon my family and I will move to St. Louis, taking us hundreds of miles from our parents and siblings. We will no longer have quick access to baby sitters. The boys’ cousins will see each other with less frequency. These are definite negatives.

On the positive side, I am sure as I can be that this move is the direction in which God wants us to go. Covenant seems to be a great school, and I very much look forward to my education there. There are also plenty of kids on campus for the boys to befriend and plenty of educational opportunities in the St. Louis area. Missouri is also pretty friendly toward homeschoolers as well.

I am still a little concerned for our finances. We’re taking student loans right now, but I would like to not have to do that any more after this year. That may be an unattainable dream, but I’m going to try to find a way. Pray for us that I will be able to find a job, as this will ease the burden somewhat.

Also, my wife and I are considering raising support. Pray for us to make the right decision on this matter, but most of all pray that we will rely on God no regardless of our money situation.

Mark Dever Writes on the Atonement in Christianity Today

Mark Dever has written an interesting article on the importance of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement in Christianity Today. Here's a link:

Nothing But the Blood

The gist is that the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement is under attack in the evangelical church today. I agree with Dr. Dever that it is, and I also agree that defending that doctrine is of the utmost importance. I'm glad that CT printed such a good piece.

HT: Justin Taylor

Link Changes

I added two links and dropped another today. I added the "Together for the Gospel" blog which features four men who I admire greatly. Alber Mohler, J. Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and last but not least, Mark Dever. All four men have a passion for God and His truth, and just about anything they write will be worth reading. I enjoy Dr. Dever's work in particular, and secretly dream of living in the D.C. are one day so I can attend Captiol Hill Baptist Church!

I also added the "Trivium Pursit" blog, which is run by the Bluedorn family. Some of you will recognize the name Bluedorn from Harvey and Laurie's book, Teaching the Trivium, which has helped many parents provide a Christ centered and classical education for their children. The Bluedorns have a large number of cool resources in their on-line store. They are pretty conservative (moreso than me), but I recommend a lot of their material.

Finally, in the spirit of adding influential classical home educators to my blogroll, I just added Susan Wise Bauer's blog to the roll. Susan wrote The Well-Trained Mind, which I own and highly recommend (full disclosure: I do not own Teaching the Trivium, but have read a number of resources by the Bluedorns and feel comfortable recommending their book). Enjoy!

On the other side of things, I have removed "Classical Education 4 Me". Kris is no longer doing classical education with her children, and that was why I linked her in the first place. Understand I am not being critical of Kris. She knows what's best for her kids and I know she would do nothing to harm their education. I hope God blesses her efforts, but linking her no longer serves my purpose.

God bless you as you enjoy these new links.

The Road to St. Louis Continues

The day approaches. In July I will likely be heading to St. Louis, Missouri to attend Covenant Theological Seminary. I say 'likely' because I'm not entirely certain I'll be able to pay for housing and tuition for the summer Greek course I want to take. My family and I are living with relatives right now so we can save money, but I can't make guarantees. The good news is that my financial aid award came in the mail today. I haven't actually seen the letter from CTS, but my wife told me about it over the phone. The bad news is, I'm fairly certain that I won't be getting that money until the fall semester begins. That means it will be of no use during the summer. We're praying that we will be able to find the money so we can maintain our current plan. We're also concerned that the aid we are getting will not be enough, which brings up the possibility of an unsubsidized Stafford loan. We don't want to do that for obvious reasons.

I am confident, though, that God will provide.

Toward Literacy: Helping a 3 Year Old Recognize Letters

A few weeks ago I made my first post chronicling my oldest son's journey toward literacy. We're still working on recognizing the letters of the alphabet. We've made some progress over the last couple of weeks, with many letters moving up into other categories. If you recall, I categorized all the letters according to my son's level of recognition. There was "Always Recognizes" (AR), "Often Recognizes" (OR), "Rarely Recognizes" (RR), and "Never Recognizes" (NR). After last night I am able to recategorize many of the letters.

Always Recognizes

A, B, H, K, L, O, P, Q, R, S, T, X

Often Recognizes

F, G, J, M, N

Rarely Recognizes

C, D, E, I, U, V, W, Y, Z

Never Recognizes

----

As you can see, no letters remain in the NR category. Last night he remembered 'W'for the first time. That was a big event, and was pleased that 'K' had moved from 'NR' to 'AR'. We had worked hard on that one.

That was the good news. The bad news is today I realized that I haven't been showing him lowercase letters. I was reading The Well-Trained Mind today and it hit me like a lightning bolt. I felt like a doofus, but then I also realized that we don't have anything that actually has lower case letters except a dry erase board that it too advanced for him. My wife and I are trying to decide if we want to buy a banner with upper and lowercase letters or if we'll make one on our own. Hopefully by the time his 4th birthday rolls around we'll have both cases down.

More Alphabet News

I know everyone is itching to hear about my oldest son's progress in learning to recognize his letters. Let's take a look, shall we? As you can see in my previous post on the topic, I divided his knowledge into four categories:

Always Recognizes (AR)
Often Recognizes (OR)
Rarely Recognizes (RR)
Never Recognizes (NR)

Since March 3 most of the letters have moved out of NR. Some of them, in fact have made it all the way up to AR. Some letters, however, have moved down on the list a bit. Here is how it currently stands:

Always Recognizes

A, B, H, K, L, O, P, Q, R, S, T, X

Often Recognizes

F, G, M, N, J

Rarely Recognizes

C, D, E, I, U, V, Y, Z

Never Recognizes

W

He still struggles with 'W', wanting to turn it upside down and make it an 'M'. I also want to add about all of the letters in the 'RR' category. Many of those he will not recognize at first, but with some verbal prompting like making the first sound of the letter name he is able to get it.

Congratulate Me! I'm a Daaaangerous Man!

I haven't mentioned it here before, but I am currently taking Tae Kwon Do courses at church (yes, you read right). I've always wanted to try some form of martial arts, so when we began offering a free Tae Kwon Do course as a ministry I jumped at the chance. Grand Master Chuck Martin has sponsored our church's group through the World Christan Taekwondo Federation, so we are an officially sanctioned school. It has been difficult, but rewarding. I'm fitter than I've been in a long time, my muscles are hardening, and I've even lost a bit of that fat that so stubbornly clings to my waistline.

Now that I've established some background I'll get on to the real topic of this post. Two weeks ago I passed the test for my yellow belt. The test was pretty easy, so my sense of accomplishment is small, but it's progress. It's funny because I used to look at people with belts beyond white as real 'martial artists', but now that I'm on the other side of the divide I know that I'm much too tenative to be any good in a fight. The main difference is that if I somehow did the right move at the right time it would hurt my opponent a lot more.

Teaching a 3 Year Old the Alphabet

As my *ahem* regular readers already know, my wife and I are homeschooling our children. The first thing I want to do is to get my oldest son reading. He's only three so I am trying to find a balance between being lax and being heavy-handed. I don't want to turn him off to reading, but I don't want to let him think it is unimportant. He loves books, and will sometimes "read" by himself. It's a pleasure to hear him tell a story he's familiar as he looks at the pages, or simply describe the pictures on the pages.

My main task at this point is making sure he can correctly identify all of his letters. He can recite the alphabet, but his recognition of the letters is spotty. I want this to be the initial post chronicling my Max's journey to literacy.

As far as I can tell, Max has four categories or levels of recognition for his letters. As common sense would have it, they are 1) Always Recognizes, 2) Often Recognizes, 3) Rarely Recognizes, and 4) Never Recognizes. Just to get them in order in my own head, I am going to categorize the letters.

Always Recognizes

A, B, H, L, O, P, Q, R, S, T

Often Recognizes

G, M, N

Rarely Recognizes

D, E, I, U, X,

Never Recognizes

C, F, J, K, V, W, Y, Z


There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to which letters he knows. Sometimes his mood plays a factor in which letters he "knows." If he was always cooperative I think at least 'G' and 'M' would be in the 'Always Recognizes' category.

Three of the letters in 'Never Recognizes' are there because Max confuses them with other letters. He always calls 'K' 'R', he calls 'V' 'A', and confuses 'W' with 'M'. He thinks it's upside down. The other five we haven't worked on very much.

I must admit my approach has been scattershot. At first I was too pushy, so we both ended up frustrated. My more recent approach has been to play with magnetic letters we have, periodically asking him to name certain letters. When we clean up, I'll purposely drop letters he is less familiar with and say, "Oh Max, could you pick up that 'F' for daddy?" or something of that nature. It has been helpful, I think. He learns to recognize them without feeling pressured to perform for me. I also ask him to name letters when we read at night, going back and forth between letters he doesn't know well and letters he knows very well (to review and bolster his confidence). I praise his successes, but try to avoid being too effusive.

In sum, we're making progress. I look forward to the day when that "Never Recognizes" category is empty, and even more so to the day when he will "Always Recognize" all 26. If anyone has any tips, I'm definitely listening!