HT: Zan…

I’ve told you before that I am a loyal reader of Modern Reformation magazine which is edited by the estimable Michael Horton–no shallow Calvinist I assure you. Besides my hero DA Carson (and maybe John Calvin) I’m not sure there is a more deeply devoted-to-Reformation-theology Christian on the planet than Horton. (Maybe Brendt.)

Well, in the most recent issue, March-April 2009, Michael Horton wrote: “As Richard Foster observes, Protestant Movements such John Wesley’s ‘holy clubs’ and the ‘inner mission of the Norwegian Pietists have their roots in the heritage of Catholic spirituality, identified with medieval writers such as Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)” (page 48, my emphasis).

It may be nothing, but I could have sworn Richard Foster was on the list of confirmed heretics. And now the bastion of conservative Reformed theology, host of the White Horse Inn, author of many books, editor of Modern Reformation, professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, is quoting him? I know this is an innocuous quote, but it is a quote. Maybe there’s another Richard Foster that I’m unaware of and in that case, this post can be safely ignored. But if he is quoting the Richard Foster (the one constantly dragged through ADM mud, author of many dangerous books on spiritual disciplines, and perpetual Guilt By Associator) then this is a whole new ball game.*

*

Reading through part 25 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, a decidedly Reformed Confession, one comes across this:

V. The purest Churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated, as to become no Churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall be always a Church on earth to worship God according to His will.

Well, my friend Chris L., who also blogs here sometimes has taken a lot of heat for his use of the ’synagogues of Satan’ phrase found in Scripture and his particular application of it. But here we see that even in this Confession, this is a validly used phrase to describe *some* who have drifted away from so-called orthodoxy. So, let’s rework this ‘confession’ of faith and give it a broader application, 25:5:

V. The purest blogs on the internet are subject both to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated, as to become no blogs of Christ, but blogs of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall be always a blog on the internet where the Word of God is rightly divided.**

Thanks Chris, for a great series of posts on the Revelation.

**in case you missed the categorization, this is satire and meant to lessen the tension by giving you a laugh or two. May your pleasures be many, your troubles be few!

We’ve been studying the book of Matthew on Sundays at my church. The last 5 weeks have been spent covering Matthew 5:20-40, noting how Jesus taught us that we need to go beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. It also points out that, apart from His grace, we’re all in deep doo-doo, because most can’t even keep the letter, and none can keep the spirit.

But He wasn’t just “kicking it up a notch”. What Jesus was teaching was far more radical than that. Especially verses 39-40. And especially “the other cheek”:

But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

One note on this in particular — in case the idea isn’t ridiculous enough in and of itself. Things written and said in Bible times (unless specifically stated otherwise) assumed right-handedness. So if you were going to slap someone on his right cheek with your right hand, it would be a back-hand. In our day and culture, the back-handed slap is derisive and humiliating. But in first-century Israel, it was even moreso.

So what Jesus is saying is that we should not retaliate when someone not only injures us, but does so in an intentionally and significantly derisive and humiliating manner.

CS Lewis once wrote that to say the things that Jesus said, He had to either be a liar, a lunatic. or the Lord. Boys and girls, I’m sorry, but by all measure of human wisdom, you have to go with option #2 (He was a lunatic).

Or perhaps, human wisdom is faulty, and what He said really is true, and we are supposed to obey.