Down-under round-up: 9 December 2015

Issue of the week

Here’s a brilliant ethical critique of America’s suicidal quest for autonomy by the departmental chair of philosophy at Samford University. I found this helpful, not simply because of the difficulties it exposes with assisted suicide. Even more significant is how it illustrates the growing “supremacy of autonomy” in public discussions of morality: “If one can appeal to it, the argument is finished and exceptions are not allowed”.

It’s somehow self-evident to so many, but actually points to the sad triumph of radical individualism in society. Yet a little scrutiny shows how problematic and inadequate such a principle is for ethics: “Autonomy can never be a moral absolute, for it is vacuous of objective imperatives and equates the good with mere personal choice”. 

The author concludes on an encouraging note for believers.

As long as people long for fulfillment, not just for themselves but for the corporate whole and for creation itself, they will seek a reality greater than the god of choice. Mere autonomy will never fulfill humanity’s drive for meaningful and lasting relationships. Indeed, it would require a profound altering of human nature to erase this God-embedded drive for more than autonomy. 
Our society may take centuries to realize the paucity of the autonomy argument, but that day will come. In the meantime, let’s embody a better way.

Amen!

Making disciples of Jesus

‘Character before competence’ is the belated but excellent third post in Sandy Galea’s series on developing and sustaining an effective children’s ministry.

Well worth a read, whether you are directly involved in leading such ministry, or are a parent or pastor who wants to see it flourish.

Jason Meyer says it well in his ‘Complementarian manifesto against domestic abuse’. No blog-length article can say everything, but this is a good follow-on to his landmark sermon against hyper-headship at Bethlehem Baptist, where he followed John Piper as senior pastor. 

‘Yes, justification still matters’ is a very encouraging review of Tom Schreiner’s new Faith Alone—The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught… and Why It Still Matters. It sounds like Schreiner treads the old protestant path with surety, freshness, and a firm but irenic spirit.

This is one of a series of five books being published on the solas by Zondervan, leading up to the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther publishing his 95 theses on 31 October 1517, kicking off the Reformation.

Having done a few anniversary sermon series and lectures (e.g. Wilberforce and the 200th anniversary of slave-trade abolition in 2007; 500th anniversary of birth of Calvin in 2009; 400th anniversary of KJV in 2011; 50th anniversary of MLK's dream speech in 2013), one of the things I've learned is that to do it well, you need to read up in advance. 

If you prepare well, such talks can be great occasions for teaching doctrine and history. They often have created wider interest in the churches or even general community. But you cannot give much more than a Wikipedia version if you don’t start reading early.

One of the things that makes John Piper's annual biographical study of a Christian pastor or leader from the past so good is that his work is characterized by how he's read primary sources from the person being featured, along with quality biographical material.

If you want to be ready for 31 October 2017, then 2016 is the time to refresh your Luther reading, or to pick up one of the new books on Luther and the Reformation that will undoubtedly appear in the next year.

Image of the week

A video this week! Australian evangelist in the UK, Glen Scrivener, produces another of his quirky creative spoken poems: ‘Four kinds of Christmas’. That is, (skeptical) Scrooge, shopper, Santa or stable!

It’s worth sharing among your social media friends and family, and asking: which kind of Christmas will you have?