Good movie at The Ross

A couple of days ago, I saw a great film at The Ross called After the Wedding directed by Susanne Bier. Bier is a Danish filmmaker most famous for her dogme 95 film Open Hearts. I watched this film and other Danish films in my European Cinema class.

After the Wedding is a top notch production. I especially enjoyed the brilliant and compelling plot (which I won't spoil) woven by film-writer Anders Thomas Jensen. The acting was also wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Rolf Lassgard, who plays a mysterious millionaire family man Jorgen, and Stine Fischer Christensen, Jorgen's naive daughter.

It is well worth the money to go see it. Additionally, you will get a chance to support The Ross, which has provided us with so many good, independent and foreign films.

Interesting Federal Vision Quote

I was reading an article on the Federal Vision this morning and I came across an interesting quote in opposition to the movement:

"Extensive study of their [the Federalists'] oral and written teachings on the special concerns of the Federal Vision convinces me that they have taught, alongside some wonderful truths, some serious errors about covenant theology and its implications for salvation, personal and corporate spirituality and piety, the use and understanding of the sacraments and the conduct of theology and biblical studies in general. Sadly, their mistakes undermine their very laudable goals. Their attempt to assure tender souls who doubt their salvation while they trust in Christ collapses and the poor souls are left more confused than before, because the objectivity of the covenant is inadequate to the task-while the presumptuous, who hear that aspect of their message may be led, inadvertently, to the false assurance of formalism. At the same time, their attempt to destroy the complacency of the presumptuous is in profound danger of promoting a false legalistic notion of works righteousness" (p.306)."

- Cal Beisner

I thought that this quote captured some of my feelings and concerns with the Federalists. I tend to view this movement as mostly wrong but containing some good truths and correctives. The problems are compounded by a lack of direction and unity within the movement. Earlier in the article, the author Anthony R. Dallison states:

"Sadly, the so-called 'Federal Vision' is no vision at all in the end, but a 'Federal Fog', and that of a most serious nature indeed"

I agree that the movement is "foggy" but I am also not ready to come down on it with severe judgement. I disagree with many of its premises, but, in some ways, I also disagree with the way that the PCA is trying to control it. Is this really an issue challenging Justification by Faith Alone? Certainly the doctrine could lead to a misunderstanding of Justification which could be heretical. But how is this different than any other way of organizing theology. Every way to present theology could be taken to an extreme that warrants condemnation. Mostly, I think it is an issue of how we read the Westminster Standards. I favor a fairly loose reading of the confession, so as to allow room for generations to make it applicable to the cultural needs. This is not to say, of course, that the issue of Justification by Faith Alone is a cultural understanding of scripture. But I don't really think that FV proponents want to discard this doctrine.

"In essentials unity,
in doubtful matters liberty,
in all things charity."

-Rupertus Meldenius (via Millard J. Erickson)

These guys are good

I can't stand Lifeway Christian Store. It is one of the most commercially driven, useless stores in the U.S. But I had a gift card to Lifeway worth $18 and I knew it would be a waste to throw it away. So I went to there (I had to go twice because I couldn't find anything there that I wanted the first time...I mean nothing). The second time I went I decided I should just purchase some music. I bought David Crowder's new b-sides album, a mini-album-follow-up to his last release "A Collision." I also purchased "Redemption Songs" by Jars of Clay.

Redemtion Songs is a great album. It is a collection of old hymns sung to modern tunes, many of which are Indelible Grace (RUF). I have know about this cd for a while and I know that many of my friends own it. But I was listening to it for the first time the other day and I was struck by how good the music really was. I mean, Jars of Clay is a really good band. They do a great job with keeping the tunes of the hymns, while giving them elaborate intros and fresh rhythm structures.

I've always liked Jars. I saw them live when I was in high school and I remember being impressed. I loved them even more when I found out they were reformed and Presbyterian (PCA). I respect them spiritually and musically. I guess I just had forgotten their talent. Its a shame that a lot of people stopped listening to them after their "glory days" of Christian pop music in the late nineties.

...the joy, joy, joy joy, down in my heart, where?

John Piper says that, for the Christian, there is no difference between the experience of joy, happiness, glee, (insert happy word here). He says that all of the Biblical words used for these emotions are used interchangeably. While I can't, at this point, check his greek and hebrew skills, I think that he may be right. I always got a weird feeling when someone would say that Christians experience "joy" while non-christians have only fleeting "happiness".
Usually people say this when they are going through tribulation or sorrow. They say "although I can't be happy, I can have joy because I know that I have Jesus." I think this has some validity. We need to recognize the presence of Jesus during hard times. But I think that Christians can and should seek real, smiley, bubbly, happiness even during hard times.
I'm not trying to minimize the pain and struggles of life, and I realize that we need to be sensitive to people and not try to make them artificially happy when they are really grieving. At the same time, if we really truly believe Romans 8:28, we should probably be smiling more.