Every metaphor is an allegory in little.

Quotations Metaphoric
Verbatim: Folks C.S. Lewis

It was a severe morning, and on his way It is a serious mistake to think that metaphor is an
home at noon he did not recover heart optional thing which poets and orators may put into
enough to practise the bullfrog’s croak, the their work as a decoration and plain speakers can do
craft of which Sam Williams had lately without. The truth is that if we are going to talk at
mastered to inspiring perfection. This all about things which are not perceived by the
sonorous accomplishment Penrod had senses, we are forced to use language metaphorically.
determined to make his own. At once Books on psychology or economics or politics are as
guttural and resonant, impudent yet plain- continuosly metaphorical as books of poetry or
tive, with a barbaric twang like the plucked devotion. There is no other way of talking, as every
string of a Congo war-fiddle, the sound had philologist is aware.
fascinated him. It is made in the throat by a
process utterly impossible to describe in C.S. Lewis
human words, and no alphabet as yet
produced by civilized man affords the symbols to
vocalize it to the ear of imagination. “Gunk” is the We can make our speech duller; we cannot make it
poor makeshift which must be employed to indicate more literal.
it.
C.S. Lewis
Booth Tarkington

Fifteen birds in five firtrees,

The most conspicuous point of contact between their feathers were fanned with a fiery breeze!
meaning and poetry is metaphor. For one of the first But, funny little birds, they had no wings!
things that a student of etymology— even quite and O what shall we do with the funny little things?
amateur student—discovers for himself is that every
modern language, with its thousands of abstract Burn, burn tree and fern!
terms and its nuances of meaning and association, is Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch
apparently nothing, from beginning to end, but an To light the night for our delight,
unconscionable tissue of dead, or petrified, meta- Ya hey!
phors. If we trace the meanings of a great many
words—or those of the elements of which they are Bake and toast ‘em, fry and roast ‘em!
composed—about as far back as etymology can taked till beards blaze, and eyes glaze;
us, we are at once made to realize that an over- till hair smells and skins crack,
whelming proportion, if not all, of them referred in fat melts, and bones black
earlier days to one of these two things—a solid, in cinders lie
sensible object, or some animal (probably human) beneath the sky!
activity. So dwarves shall die,
and light the night for our delight,
Owen Barfield Ya hey!
Ya-harri-hey!
Ya hoy!
Joss shrugged his shoulders. To attempt to reason
further would, he saw, be a waste of time. His J.R.R. Tolkien
companion had spoken of this project of his as an
idea, but J.B. Duff did not get ideas, he got obses-
sions, and on these occasions was like the gentleman
in the poem who on honeydew had fed and drunk
the milk of Paradise. You just said: “Beware, beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!” and wove a
circle round him thrice, and that was practically all
you could do about it.

P.G. Wodehouse

2 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

Credenda/Agenda is pub-
lished by Time Warner Inc. as one Metaphor
of the literature ministries of Christ
Church (the other is Canon Press), Volume 14, Number 1
a member of the Confederation of
Reformed Evangelicals (www.cre On Theme:
pres.org). Credenda mailing and Stauron: On The Cross
phones: P.O. Box 8741, Mos- House of Bread
cow, Idaho 83843. (208) 882– Verbatim: Quotations on Our Theme Gary Hagen 16
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For subscriptions, mail your ad-
dress, a photocopy of your face,
Poetics: On the Arts
and a donation to the address Thema: A Column on Our Theme God The Riddler
above, or email christkirk@ The Metaphorical Word Douglas Jones 19
moscow.com; letters to the Douglas Wilson 4
editor to credenda@att.net
Liturgia: On Worship
A statement of faith is avail-
able upon request. We are in es- Presbyterion: On Church Government The Metaphorical Principle
sential agreement withthe con- This and That of Worship
fessional statements of classical Douglas Wilson 9 Peter Leithart 20
Protestantism. The statement de-
scribes our doctrinal editorial
policy; it does not define our
Husbandry: For Husbands Similitudes: Stories with a Point
boundaries of fellowship. Quota- Sex In Heaven The Firedrake
tions are from the AV unless oth- Douglas Wilson 11 Douglas Wilson 21
erwise noted. Permission to repro-
duce material from this publica-
tion is hereby freely granted, ex-
Childer: On Child Rearing Recipio: Taking Back Culture
cept in the case of fiction Imitation and Imagination True Fiction
and poetry
poetry. Please provide ap- Douglas Wilson 13 Ben Merkle 23
propriate credit and send a copy
of the reprint to the address
Flotsam: Jetsam Incarnatus: On Poetic Knowledge
above.
Bad Poets Knowing is Loving
Editor: Nathan D. Wilson 14 Douglas Jones 25
Douglas Wilson
Senior editor: Tohu: Bohu Pictura: A Story, not too Long
Douglas Jones Mole, Myth, and Metaphor Red Barn
Managing editor: Jared Miller 15 Douglas Wilson 34
Nathan D. Wilson
Contributing editors:
Chris Schlect, Jim Nance,
Beside the Point: Cultura: On Culture
Ben Merkle, Duck Schuler Testing Christian Colleges
Jack Van Deventer, Gary Roy Atwood 22
Hagen, Peter Leithart, Patch
Sharpening Iron: Letters and Things
Blakey, Joost Nixon, Gregory C.
Dickison, Jared Miller, Roy Assorted Folks 6 Doctrine 101: Basic Christian Teaching
Atwood, Matt Whitling. Synergistic Salvation
Contributors: Anvil: Editorials Patch Blakey 24
Nancy Wilson, Woelke Leithart, Assorted Dougs letting off steam 8
Fred Kohl, Stonewall Thompson Meander: A River in Greece
Technical editors: Musica: On Perky Tunes No Matter How Thin You Slice It,
Nancy Wilson, Paula Bauer Sons of Asaph It’s Still Baloney
Circulation: Duck Schuler 10 Douglas Wilson 27
Judi Christophersen, Chris
LaMoreaux
Femina: For Wives Ex Libris et Imagibus: Reviews
Cover design and setup: Unmarried Daughters Various reviews, various reviewers 28
Paige Atwood
Nancy Wilson 12
Original cover art: Cave of Adullam: Mutterings Regnant
Rebekah Lee Merkle
Poimen: Pastoral Stonewall Thompson 30
Unofficial Surf Sponsor:
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www.pwave.com Joost Nixon 17 Eschaton: Finale
150 Years of Driving In Reverse
Virga: On Discipline Jack Van Deventer 31
Valedictorian Mace
Matt Whitling 18 Footnotes, etc.: Where We Got All This
Our impeccable sources 32

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 3

 is spoken. The universe speaks—not as an independent
The Metaphorical Word
Word source of knowledge—but speaks as my words, for
Thema: Douglas Wilson example, “speak” about me. The spoken always
“speaks” about the speaker. What follows from this?
Everything created therefore reveals something about
THE UNIVERSE IS A METAPHOR. AND NOW THAT I the Creator. Everything is therefore, at some level, a
have your attention, allow me to explain metaphor. If every aspect of the created order reflects
immediately what I do not mean. the glory of God, then we can rejoice in that fact.
As I have noted elsewhere, the modernist But after we have done this, we should push on into
and the postmodernist agree on one essential new territory. How does the created order glorify
thing—metaphor is meaningless. The God? It does so through being like Him, distinct from
modernist therefore seeks rationalist Him, and, in some reflective way, identified with
meaning in brute factuality, the objectivist Him.
view of scientific materialism. The All things are therefore cognates. And the wide-
postmodernist grants that metaphor is eyed Christian should look around at the resemblances.
meaningless, but then wants to go on to The affinities are necessarily there. If a meadowlark is
say that everything is metaphor. We should then see tied to some aspect of the Creator, and the tidal
that he is saying that everything is meaningless wave is reflective of another characteristic within
(except for him talking about it, but we weren’t Him, and so on, then what follows? All attributes
paying him to be consistent). Postmods may want to within the Godhead are all internally consistent—He
represent this as a simplistic conservative distortion is never at odds with Himself. This means that all
of their sophisticated position—but this is how things in the universe (the meadowlark, tidal wave,
postmodernism still shows up in the classroom and and bamboo grove) are all created cousins at peace.
on the street. But these are just introductory com- And this is what makes effective “horizontal”
ments, not the central point; the only reason for metaphor within the created order possible. There is
bringing them up is so that I will not be confused always a connection somehow.
with them, in both senses of the phrase. But ner- What else follows? This view of things considers
vousness about postmoderns ignores the subject of the poet more as seer, and less as maker, although he
the initial assertion, universe. In order to predicate still genuinely “makes” in some sense. What the
anything about the universe, it has to really be there poet sees are the interconnections between appar-
first. Nothing argued here contradicts the objective ently disparate things, but the interconnections
materiality of a universe made of stuff, a universe which he sees are not imposed by him; they are a
full of stuff that we can know genuinely. given, like the segments of an orange. The striking
Neither am I using metaphor as it comes up in metaphor does not tie two isolated and fundamen-
English class, alongside metonymy or simile. I am tally alien things together, but rather reveals a
using it in a much broader sense. similarity initially spoken by God, and then dis-
Nevertheless, God created the heavens and the cerned and declared by the poet. Of course this does
earth through the Word, sustaining and holding not mean anything can relate in any way to any
together the heavens and earth through this same other thing. It has to relate in a way consistent with
Word. The universe is the result of God speaking, as how God shaped the world. Some do not do this;
only God can. God said, “Let there be light.” Every- this is why poor metaphors are also possible.
thing that exists is a visible word (Ps. 19). This does A metaphor is present when, in different senses,
not denigrate or threaten the primacy of Scripture or one thing both is and is not something else. In this
sacraments at all. The Word and sacraments are not sense metaphors are everywhere, and “mere” names or
examples of God speaking as if He is silent in all symbols are much richer than we suspected. There is a
other things. Rather, they are examples of God trinitarian reason for this; the Father is not the Son,
speaking to us in a clear manner so that we might and the Son is not the Father. And yet, if you have seen
come to understand how it is He has spoken in and the Son you have seen the Father. The Son reveals the
through everything else. Father by not being the Father, and the Father and the
So, God the Son is the ultimate Word. We also know Son are one.
the Holy Scriptures are the revealed Word and the oak Christians should therefore maintain that not only
tree on my property is a created word from God. And may a metaphor communicate truth, but ultimately
how are we trying to sort all this out? With words. We it is the only thing which can do so. And this means
see the uncreated ultimate Word, we see the revealed that a Christian speaker has to understand the Word
inscripturated Word, we see the created words before he can hope to work effectively with words.
around us; and man, himself a created word in the The Word of God is not a metaphor in the sense that
image of this speaking God, sees everything in we derive our understanding of Him from studying
wonder, and speaks about that wonder in words. our small m metaphors. Rather, the ultimate Word is
Now the Bible teaches us that the created order that from which every word spoken by every crea-
speaks about God. But it speaks precisely because it ture, whether spoken in heaven or on earth, derives

4 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

its name. We do not derive Him from our meta- creation into being, so the creation speaks (through
phors; our metaphors are faint images of Him. being spoken) about the Word in love. And so the
Our understanding begins with an ultimate heavens declare the glory of God. The universe is
metaphor. The foundation of all this is found in the therefore a lesser metaphor of the Word of God. Day
triune nature of God. In the beginning was the after day pours forth speech.
Word—en arche en ho Logos. In the first place, at the Man was created in the image of this speaking,
arche, in the place of preeminence, at the place where self-revealing God. Man is therefore created in the
all things cohere, was the Word. The Word was with image of God the Speaker, God the Spoken, and God
God, and the Word was God. That is, the Word is the Interpreter. In the first created place, in that
God fully, and, at the same time, the Word is dis- lesser arche, therefore, the word was with man and
tinct from God in the sense that we are able to say the word was man, and a spirit of love bound the
He is “with” God. The Son is God but the Son is not two together. Created in the image of God, we speak
the Father. words and, marvelous to relate, we understand them.
Now it is clear that between God the Speaker and God gave this man dominion in the earth, and
God the Spoken there is no degradation of meaning. commissioned him with the authority of naming. This
Nothing whatever is lost. The Word does not obscure means that whenever a man lawfully names, he is
meaning, but rather reveals it—all of it. This is a exercising the authority of covenant-naming, and is
revelation of love. This means the connection between doing so as a covenant head and lord. What is man,
God the Speaker and God the Spoken is not a matter of that God is mindful of him? Whenever a man
mere data transfer. The Father and Son love one names, therefore, he reveals himself. When a man
another with an everlasting love. This love is Himself a names lawfully, that which he names becomes that
person, the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of the thing—this is true in history, in literature, in
Word. This Spirit is the same One who gave us the science, and art. Adam had the authority to name the
words of all Scripture. animals, and Eve. Eve had the authority to name her
Thus, the Father speaks the Word in love, and the children. Since the creation of our first parents, we
Word spoken reveals the Father in love. This is the have never stopped naming. But naming lawfully is
unifying Spirit of love, the Spirit who is the reason dependent upon a hermeneutic of humility. A word
why there is no degradation of meaning. The divine has fuller meaning within the context of a sentence,
hermeneutic is therefore the Holy Spirit. He is the a sentence has fuller meaning within the context of
One who searches the deep things of God (1 Cor. a story, and a story has fuller meaning within the
2:10). The ultimate hermeneutic is therefore a divine context of a religion. In order to name rightly, a man
Person. must be right with God.
The Word spoken by God is not a solitary word— Because man has fallen into sin, his redemption
neither a lonely frozen monistic Noun, nor a frantic must include the redemption of metaphor. Since the
Verb in the flux of any created temporal process. Yet Fall, whenever a man names he reveals himself as a
the Son is eternally begotten, the Word is eternally sinner. He is a fallen lord, a fallen namer. His words
spoken, the Light eternally shines. Thus the Word therefore obscure meaning, not because they are words,
contains within Himself all the wisdom of the but because they proceed from a lying heart. The
Godhead. The Word is therefore the Metaphor of God. Word took on flesh, and dwelt among us. The
We will only find this shocking if we have bought into Incarnation of the Word was directed in part to the
the lies that unbelievers tell about metaphor. restoration of words. This is why the Scriptures
Not surprisingly, the way God is affects the cre- place such importance on preaching and on the
ation He spoke into being. God spoke the created sacraments—words which are heard, words which
universe into being. God the Father “God-the-Son-ed” wash, and words eaten.
light, and there was light. God the Speaker Worded the Because there is no degradation of meaning at the
heavens and the earth, and so they came to be. ultimate place of metaphor—the Word being distinct
But God did not need to create the universe in order from the Father, and yet fully revealing Him—we have
to speak this Word. The Son was eternally begotten by a basis for confidence in our own faithful use of things
the Father. The Word was eternally spoken by the that reveal something else, and in a mysterious way are
Father without dependence on any aspect of the that something else. Because Christ is the Word, we
creative decree. The creation did not bring the triune can speak of Him—and of everything else.
nature of God into being. Nevertheless, when God in A man’s words reveal, first, the man. The words are
the good pleasure of His will determined to create the not the man, and yet they reveal him faithfully. Out of
heavens and earth, it was fitting and necessary that the abundance of the heart the man speaks. The
He speak the universe into existence through His foundational nature of all language is therefore meta-
“organ of speech,” that is to say, through the Word. phorical because every word a man speaks reveals
Without Him was not anything made that was made. him—just as God reveals Himself through His Word.
As the Father speaks the Word in love, so the Every word spoken ultimately identifies with the
Word spoken speaks in turn about the Father in love. speaker, and yet is not that speaker; and this can
As the Word, in the will of the Father, spoke the only be explained by the Lord of metaphor.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 5

 good action. Thank you for A LITTLE DIG
From Us:
Sharpening Iron:
Here we go again.
acknowledging Kit Smart (whom I
read first in a college 18th century Dear Editors,
lit course taught by a professor Since I rarely find myself in
Another day, another
who thought the Journals of John such agreement with your maga-
innocent tromp out to
Wesley were relevant to everything) zine, I had to write! Thank you
the mailbox and the
and The Frogs. . . . I can think of for your issue on C.S. Lewis; the
discovery that we are
no other publication (unless the man deserves more credit than is
still alive and well and
conversations of my friends over usually given. Now if only your
mailing people things.
pizza were published unwittingly) other issues would embrace the
Things like this issue on
that would simultaneously ac- “loveliness of courtesy and man-
Metaphor, or the upcom-
knowledge both. Thank you. And ners” D. Wilson supposedly
ing issues discussing
thank you again. learned from Narnia, I might
Fantasy and the meaning
I've often wondered why enjoy reading them as much as
of Wood. Yes, we yet
Reformed Christians who have this one. . .
kick, and have no inten-
gone back far enough to fall in Kate Timmer
tion of stopping. Even
love with George Herbert or John Grand Rapids, MI
worse, we add to our
number. Jared Miller, Milton haven't stumbled on nutty
Matt Whitling, and old Christopher Smart, and I’m
glad that you have pointed him BOOM CHICKA BOOM [13/1]
Woelke Leithart are now
spilling ink within our out to Reformed passers-by. As
for The Frogs, trying to pass off Dear Editors,
pages. Jared is scuba
your luggage for a descent to the Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Just Love It)
certified to fifteen feet,
underworld on a dead guy in his Daddy Dewdrop
Matt has a son named
Cotton and while Woelke’s name is own funeral is just doggone
funny, and how, and I think all Last night I had a crazy dream
Woelke, and that should be good
Reformed people need a dose of ‘'bout a chick in a black bikini,
enough for any man, it turns out
doggone funniness. In a related ugh!/ Ah, she looked so good, she
that he, in his greedy way, is also
story, I wish more people in my couldn’t be real/ She must be a
named Otto. You will find our new
Sunday school classes would read magic genie!/ But she disappeared
friends’ contributions under the
the play, so I could make allusions around the corner/ All I saw were
banners of of Tohu, Virga, and Ex
without all the painful blank three doors and the top of her
Libris respectively. Let us know if
stares (I almost got removed from bikini/ I made it through the first
they displease you and we may
the rotation for talking about door, there was a party goin’ on/ I
promote them, so take care.
Plutarch—a little Demosthenes asked about the chick but what
and I think I would come under they said was freaky. . ./ Chick-a-
From You:
You: discipline—I don't even want to boom, chick-a-boom, don’t ya just
think about what happens if I love it/ Chick-a-boom, chick-a-
mention Greek comedy). To bring boom, don’t you just love it/
BAD ESCHATOLOGY?
it back to the original point, Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, don’t
simply talking about these two ya just love it/ Chick-a-boom,
Dear Editors,
items bought you a philosophical chick-a-boom-boom-boom/ I found
Just when I think you’ve
indulgence in my mind to con- the bottom part behind the second
yanked my chain for the last time
tinue reading your sestannual door/ Which took me to Africa, I
. . . that I will no more scan the
besplattering of the world with presume/ This really far-out cat
pages of C/A and risk being
sour dregs from the winecup of was screamin’ half-crazy/
embarrassed to be reformed, that I
Reformed truth. ”Whomp-bobba-looba ba-lomp-
will no longer debate how men
So keep it up then. I will bam-boom”/ I said, “Hey man, cut
who like such good beer can like
continue to think of you as wacky that jive and tell me where the
such bad eschatology, that I will
in a Gilligans-of-the-Reformed- chick went”/ But he looked at me,
finally acknowledge that only a
Island sort of way instead of as spaced as could be/ And said
cult could be headquartered in a
thinking of you as wacky in a these words but I wonder what he
place called Moscow, Idaho. . .
other-hobbies-of-a-serial-killer-sort meant. . ./ Chick-a-boom, chick-a-
then you make me like you again.
of way. Adieu, adieu, to you and boom, don’t ya just love it/ Chick-
And now for an overly
you and you, and thanks again, a-boom, chick-a-boom, don’t you
paranthetical paragraph that
just love it/ Chick-a-boom, chick-
addresses that point. I went back
John Calvin Blessing a-boom, don’t ya just love it/
to catch the postmodern issue
Greenville, SC Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom-
from last fall (maybe?), and
boom-boom/ Ah, don’t ya just love
hokey-pete-apalooza, that was
it/ Um hmm, don’t ya just love it

6 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

Don't ya love it, don’t ya love it/ logic and the relationship between physics, and hence different
Oh yeah, don’t ya love it/ Don’t ya poetic and rational knowledge very miracles. However, God could not
just love it now/ I opened the illuminating—that is, when I can create a world that has no love,
third door and there she was/ And follow your arguments, which, justice, or in which Modus Ponens
she whispered so sexy and low given my own poor background in is invalid. The reason that God
Ooo!/ I tried to do the same and formal logic, is about half the cannot create a world without love
impress her with my style/ But time. I find myself agreeing most or justice is because they are
why I said this, I’ll never know.../ of the time—or at least wanting to attributes of God Himself. But
Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, don’t agree. If we’re thinking biblically, this would then imply that logic
ya just love it/ Chick-a-boom, then why, for instance, should an too is an attribute of God. Clearly
chick-a-boom, don’t you just love appeal to emotion be automatically it is not lord over God’s other
it/ Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, regarded as fallacious reasoning? attributes, otherwise it would be
don’t ya just love it/ Chick-a- This certainly didn’t seem to be a included in lists of God’s at-
boom, chick-a-boom-boom-boom/ concern of Nathan’s when he tributes in the Bible—logic is
Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, don’t confronted David with the truth either on the same level as, or
ya just love it/ Chick-a-boom, of his situation, and there are subordinate to things like love and
chick-a-boom, don’t you just love many such examples of this sort justice. But still, contrary to
it {fade} of problem, as you point out. But Jones’ assertions, logic appears to
Fernando on the other hand, when it is be an attribute of God.
Near Chicago, IL suggested that the law of noncon- Matthew N. Petersen
tradiction might not apply to Moscow, ID
Doug Wilson replies: When I used the things nonphysical, I start to get
title ‘Boom Chicka Boom’ for my Mean- nervous: don’t the carefully Doug Jones replies: I thank Mssrs.
der column in 13/1 I was plundering the worded Definition of Chalcedon Goolsby and Petersen for their kind and
Egyptians. They had a little gold, I and Athanasian Creed assume that thoughtful letters on the Incarnatus
wanted it. Don’tcha just love it? the law of noncontradiction columns concerning logic. I was sure
applies to the Godhead as well? If only three people read that column, but
this assumption is tossed out the these letters now move the total to five.
POSTMODERN FICTION window, what then? You may The worries in each letter seem similar,
well be right, but the implications and the worry seems to be that without
Dear Editors, might prove to be bitter to the Logic solidly entrenched somewhere in
Thank you for including a belly. reality we are left in cosmic chaos:
fiction department in C/A. I Abe Goolsby either Logic or chaos. But my articles
would like to respectfully submit Nashville, TN tried to make the point that those aren’t
(as my nasty comment) to Mr. the only options. Why must we assume
Nathan Wilson the suggestion that we need Greek Logic in order to
that he shed the vestiges of ANOTHER FOR JONES preserve objective orderliness? Scrip-
postmodernism in his creative ture doesn’t invoke Aristotelian neces-
writing. My opinion is that poetry Dear Editors, sity. The Trinity supplies all the objec-
is the proper context for vague and The “Incarnatus” articles are tive law, necessity, and orderliness we
ephemeral concepts, while prose Solomonic and full of gold. That need. The Greeks introduced Logic to
is for stories. Readers are surfeited said, “Knowing is Tracing” is the give order to wild chaos, but that isn’t
with cryptic style at the hands of Titus Andronicus of the lot. While the Christian universe. And modern Logic
the New Yorker and the Atlantic it is the case that logical impossi- wouldn’t even solve the worries raised,
Monthly. It would be so refresh- bilities can be explained by physi- since it only claims to control the rela-
ing to read straight-up, unashamed cal impossibilities, there is some- tions between thoughts or propositions
stories for a change, especially thing more to logical impossibili- alone, not the realities referred to (that’s
from a writer with straight-up, ties than this. God could not why it’s called “symbolic” logic).
unashamed theology. cause me to be elect, and yet at
Chelsea Batten the same time not elect; however,
San Diego, CA God could cause the water at Cana
to become wine. This could be
resolved by noting, as Lewis did,
NONCONTRADICTING JONES that Christ’s miracles repeat more
vividly what God always does
Dear Editors, through nature. However, this
This is in response to Doug again seems to miss something.
Jones’ Incarnatus column. I’ve Certainly, God could create a
found your exploration here and world with different laws of
elsewhere of the limits of pure

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 7

 Thundering Naivete
Anvil: Lee Irons, a well-known kingdoms out there, so what is a But the really breathtaking
Reformed writer and poor pastor’s wife to do?” And that thing about the article is the
thinker (OPC), has done is what I thought she was going to thundering naivete, and despite the
it now. He has posted do, staying safe and close to the show of learning, she is shilling for
on his church’s web shore. In part she does do this, and a position, and not really following
site an article by his her basic argument at least has the an argument. For example, in
wife calling for “civil virtue of being understandable. If responding to the slippery slope
same-sex marriage.” Not we do not support the rights of argument against legal homosexual
only so, but this is homosexuals in a pluralistic society, marriage, she says, “People who like
trumpeted as a “conser- then how can we ask for Christians having sex with family members or
vative Christian case” to have any rights in that same dumb animals are making perverse
for same. And herein pluralistic society? But note the sexual choices. By contrast the vast
lies a warning. given—gotta have that pluralistic majority of homosexuals did not
Richard Weaver taught society. The Great Commission choose to be homosexual.” I see.
us years ago that ideas have does not apply to America, and so Incest and bestiality are flatly out,
consequences. If this is right, and we have to make our peace with the no matter how pluralistic our
we think it is, it follows that idols. society gets. Why? They are “per-
pesky ideas have pesky conse- At the same time, the article is verse sexual choices.” Okay. But
quences. The pesky idea in this shot through with phrases that who says? By what standard? Other
instance is the factory-direct two- indicate she is more than a little basic questions come to mind, but
kingdom muddle that frequently sympathetic with the homosexual not to her mind apparently.
attends all amillennial attempts at line. For example, she assumes I am very sorry to be put in the
cultural relevance. throughout the possibility of position of having to show rudeness
The muddle could have been “committed and sexually respon- to a lady. But Mrs. Irons wants to be
kept at its normal muddle level if sible relationships” in homosexual a Christian writer and thinker, and
she had argued that “of course marriages, and she is more than a she is not up to the task. And if she
homosexuality is vile and abomi- little impatient with the standard can’t stand the heat, she should get
nable, but there are these two biblical responses to homosexuality. back in the kitchen.
Douglas Wilson

The Thrill of Crisis

You must know someone who the crisis go away. The trick, of up to a meaningful life. The Left
thrives on personal crises. They course, for politicians is to make can get all pious and weepy; the
suck it in like a drownee, it makes the crisis last as long as possible. Right can get high on just causes
them glow a bit more, and they Even good, decent politicians and civil unitarianism. It raises
secretly wish they could be slip into this without blinking. everyone out of tedious responsi-
attached to it intravenously. Politicians don’t actually create bilities; it permits transcendence
Whenever things calm down a bit, anything to sell but their own of the mundane. It’s what people
they turn despondent, depressed, power. So if they get the chance to love who don’t embrace the
watch reality TV. If the drought do what they love—protect with permeating glories of Trinity and
goes on for more than a day, they power—they jump at the chance. Incarnation. It’s for people who
start to manufacture problems on One doesn’t have to question want the thrill of magic and
until something bigger comes the justice of the current war to supernatural awe but can’t
along. realize that it’s the perfect war for squeeze it out of cosmic accident.
This is all a brilliant cover for politicians. The targets are elusive As I write, I hear in the
laziness. Crises give us permis- and scattered. They can show up background that the Federal
sion to set aside hard responsibili- in any country, and in a flash they Energy Regulatory Commission
ties, especially the boring ones. can sneak in our back door. They says it intends to create manda-
It’s easier to live as a martyr than have no borders or headquarters. tory universal rules for the
an ant. “This could take years.” And a nation’s electricity markets.
Politicians love crises for the planet of money. Somebody’s bound to be drowning
same reasons. Everyone pays Non-Christians especially like somewhere. Quickly, give us an
attention. People do what you say. a crisis because it supplies suffer- air pump to suck. Necessity is the
They pay anything, just to make ing and resentment that might add prostitute of crisis.
Douglas Jones

8 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 But such an historical sketch is too facile. If the
This is That appeal to a sensus plenior, the fuller sense, came from
Presbyterion: Douglas Wilson Origen, or from other Alexandrians before him, then
what are we to make of the very common assump-
tion throughout the New Testament that the Old
WHEN A MINISTER ENTERS INTO THE PULPIT, HE
Testament had a sensus plenior? Where did Jesus and
does so to declare and proclaim the Word
Paul get this hermeneutical technique? Did they get
of God. In order to do this, he must first
it from embarrassed Greek philosophers too? I am
handle the Word of God. And how shall he
afraid we have honestly trained ourselves to miss
handle it?
what the New Testament writers are doing with the
Of course we want to say that he should
text—and we act like the early fathers received no
handle it wisely and well, but this is not
encouragement whatever from the New Testament.
helpful when it comes to the basics of
But Christ was a Rock that followed the Jews in
exegesis. Wisely and well by what standard?
the wilderness. The flood in Noah’s time was a
Most modern pastors have been trained in
typological representation of Christian baptism. The
what is called the historical/grammatical
bronze serpent in the wilderness was a type of the
method of exegesis, but which might
crucifixion. Sarah and Hagar were representative
more accurately be called the tight histori-
types of two covenants. Melchizedek was a type of
cal/grammatical method. “Tight” means
Christ, and the etymological history of his city—
that the exegesis is limited to lexical,
Salem, meaning “peace”—was also typologically
syntactical, historical, and contextual
significant. The writers of the New Testament saw
study, which is to say, Enlightenment exegesis.
Christ in the Old when He was expressly predicted
But a problem for this approach is created by the
(“A virgin will conceive”), but it has to be said that
New Testament. As conservative ministers of the
they also saw Him everywhere else. And Jesus was the
Word, we are fond of affirming the sufficiency of the
one who taught them this hermeneutic.
Word for all things, and in all things. We do not
So then the question becomes whether we the
need supplementary help from secular psychiatry,
uninspired are to learn from their handling of the
secular astro-physics, or any other branch of secular
Scripture: How is it to be done? Is this a don’t-try-
whatever in order to supplement the Scriptures. The
this-at-home kind of thing? If the latter, then how
problem is we abandon this admirable stance when it
and where does Scripture teach us our hermeneutic?
comes to our method of getting at the Word of God.
If the former, then we have to learn how uninspired
Scripture is sufficient for all things, including
men can learn from inspired men how to handle the
the task of teaching us how to learn from Scripture.
Scriptures. In his book on this subject, Richard
And does this not mean we should learn how to
Longenecker allows that various forms of typological
handle the Scriptures from the Lord Jesus and the
exegesis are very common in the New Testament but
Apostles? The New Testament is filled with cita-
wants to say that we should not attempt this apart
tions from the Old Testament, and we have more
from special revelation. For him, literal exegesis is
than enough material to show us how they handle
safe—staying close to the shore.
the text. This presents a problem of loyalties.
The problem here is that when Jesus teaches His
Moderns want to say that the “allegorical
two disciples on the road to Emmaus about these
method” of interpretation arose because Greek
things, He rebukes them for not having read the Old
philosophers were embarrassed by the shenanigans
Testament in this way already—apart from special
of their Homeric gods (whose authority could not be
revelation. In other words, we do not abstain from
directly challenged), and so they devised allegorical
this method of exegesis (rightly performed) because
interpretations to provide edifying meaning for all
we are concerned for exegetical prudence, but rather
Zeus’ bedhopping. And this is true—that is exactly
because we are slow of heart to believe everything
what happened. And so they continue, the early
the prophets have spoken.
church father Origen brought this fanciful exegesis
The question immediately arises—where are the
into the Church because he was swayed by such
brakes on this thing? Why is the erotic rabbis’
pagan allegorists, and so the medieval church was
interpretation wrong? A detailed answer will have to
brought under the pernicious influence of “edifying”
wait until another time, but a few comments can be
allegorism.
made here in conclusion. First, the concern is in
Before replying to this historical reconstruction,
principle correct—given the sin and folly still resi-
let it first be said that allegoristic exegesis in the
dent in any interpreter, we do need to know where
Church was frequently taken to excessive lengths,
the brakes are. The full answer is that Christ is Lord.
and amounted to little more than imbecilic trifling
And, as an afterthought, we need to remember that
with the text. My personal favorite is the view that
every hermeneutic needs brakes, and not just the
the Shulamite’s belly, that lovely heap of wheat,
typological. And the Enlightenment hermeneutic is a
actually represented the Great Sanhedrin. I picture a
350-year-old runaway train.
group of bearded rabbis sitting in a solemn assembly,
and it just plain tickles me.
Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 9
 There are no “five easy minutes to reading music”
Sons of Asaph courses that work. The music director must be ready
Musica: Duck Schuler to plan a course of teaching that will include years of
training for the congregation. He must also be
willing to lead an unwilling congregation into this
IN THE LAST ISSUE OF CREDENDA AGENDA, I
daunting task. Almost everyone wants to be able to
discussed the general duties of the priest-
read music, but very few people are willing to make
hood of believers in guarding the sanctu-
the sacrifice necessary to acquire the skill with some
ary with regard to music. All Christians
degree of proficiency. You can teach people in several
have an obligation to bring glory to the
hours all that is essential for reading music, but
Lord in the music they employ when
training the ear to use that knowledge takes years of
worshiping Him. However, those Chris-
painstaking practice. This is best done by teaching
tians who are called to be musicians have
children to read music. It is much easier to do with
an even greater responsibility in guarding
children than with adults, however adults need to
the music of the sanctuary. This would
learn as well.
include any musician who exercises
Children’s choirs are a great way to implement a
leadership in choosing or leading music, in wor-
music reading program in your church, but you
ship–composers, music directors, choir directors,
must make it clear that the primary purpose of the
organists, and some pastors. These positions are
choir is not performance but learning music skills. If
most often included under the heading of music
the choir is performance oriented, the music will
director or as is popular in many churches today, the
most often be learned only by rote because the
chief musician, and it is to those who hold this
exigencies of time require the children to learn the
position that I will be directing my comments.
music in the fastest way possible. I have found that
The music director is responsible for overseeing
some sort of solfeggio training is the best way to
the music education of the people of the congrega-
train the ear and the eye to read music. It has the
tion. The levitical musicians at the temple were
advantage of developing sound relationships in the
divided into twenty-four courses according to 1
ear that correspond with the notes on the page.
Chronicles 25. These courses were established in
Ideally, music reading should be taught and
order that all the musicians would not be at the
practiced on a daily basis. This is not always possible
temple at any one time. Thus they were on duty in
for the church music director. He may want to urge
the temple two weeks of the year. Surely the rest of
the local Christian school or home school parents to
Israel would not be willing to pay a tithe to men
provide for daily instruction in reading music.
who would not work most of the year. What were
As well as teaching the congregation to read
they doing the rest of the year? Most likely the same
music, the music director should also teach them
things that all musicians do when they are not
about music. This might include music history—
performing—they are practicing and teaching. The
especially hymnology and psalmody—and apprecia-
Israelites were (and still are) famous for their music
tion of various music styles and forms. The disci-
skills all over the world (see Psalm 137). Music skills
pline of music is a vast field, the depths of which
are not something that develop on their own. They
would take many years for anyone to even begin to
must be taught. So the Levite musician would be at
exhaust.
the temple two weeks while the rest of the time he
The church music director should give the
was back in his home town where he taught others
congregation at least a small understanding of the
how to sing and play instruments. Even in the
background of the hymns and psalms that they sing.
synagogues, the “reading” of the Scriptures was not
It is also helpful for the congregation to know the
actually a reading but a chanting of the Word. The
formal structure of music so that they can learn
professional, the levitical musician, would be ex-
with understanding and also appreciate the beauty of
pected to teach these skills.
the music they are singing. Teaching form and
Music is a glory cloud we put around the words
structure in music is a great way to help people
that God gives to us for our edification and around
understand the form and structure of creation as God
the words we offer back to Him as a spiritual sacri-
has given it to us. Form in music is a microcosm of
fice in congregational worship. Therefore, the
how God knit together the creation. When people
modern-day church music director must see to it
understand the structure of the music, they begin to
that the congregation enters worship with the
understand what it means to bear the image of God.
necessary skills and understanding required for the
There are other responsibilities that a music
musical worship that is brought before the Lord. The
director has, such as decisions about what music to
glory should be true glory which pleases the Lord
use and what sort of theological training he should
and which is performed “skillfully” (Psalm 33:3).
have. I will save these as subjects for subsequent
The music director should not be satisfied until
articles. If the music director diligently teaches his
the entire congregation is able to read music. Teach-
congregation well, the other duties will be made
ing people how to read music is extremely difficult.
clear by necessity.

10 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 Jesus becomes one with Him in spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).
Sex in Heaven? The former is a metaphor for a heavenly reality
Husbandry: Douglas Wilson beyond our comprehension. But we have to take care
here, because we have learned to understand the
word spirit here as necessarily ethereal. Spiritual
NOW THAT SOME MEN HAVE BEGUN TO READ THE union does not mean ghostly union. The Lord Jesus
article simply because of the title, we may did not become a neutered or androgynous thing in
save them some time by answering the the resurrection. He remained a man, but what this
question immediately—yes and no. actually means transcends our understanding. He is
At the same time, the question remains the ultimate man, the glorious bridegroom. He
an important one. There is a natural purchased a bride for Himself, and the union be-
tendency among some Christians to give tween the last Adam and the last Eve is an everlast-
the right answer here for all the wrong ing one.
reasons. More than a few Christians But for some this still disappoints—not because
throughout the history of the Church it is not glorious—but because we have not yet
have had difficulty with the fact of sex answered the question that every happily married
here, and this is the basis for them think- couple still has. “What will my relationship to my
ing of sexual relations in heaven as a wife or husband be like?” The answer is that it does
theological impossibility. But this is a not yet appear what we shall be like, but our unbelief
rationalistic inheritance from the Greeks, is revealed in our fear that whatever it is, it will
and not the teaching of Scripture at all. involve a significant downgrade. We imagine that
This means that in answering the question the only options are the same as what we have here,
tentatively we have to do so in a way that does or a blundering or malicious eradication of every
justice to the fundamental goodness of the created trace of what we have here. And this reveals that we
order, to the materiality of the resurrected body. do not understand the fundamental direction of
Discussions of this question turn naturally to resurrection. We err because we do not know the
the exchange Christ had with the Sadducees. They Scriptures, or the power, goodness, and kindness of
brought up the woman with seven husbands, and if God.
marital sexuality is a feature of resurrection life, When we learn that we will not be married in our
then the Sadducean question holds. Whose wife is mundane sense, we imagine that we will be unmar-
she? Far from exalting marriage, anyone who holds ried in the mundane sense–—and heaven is viewed as
to marriage and sex (as we understand it) in the one great big college-and-career church group. But in
afterlife is actually advocating everlasting polyandry the resurrection, we will be meta-sexual beings.
(multiple husbands) or polygamy. But the resurrec- Whatever our relationships will be, it will be better
tion does not involve us in such tangles. than what we have now, very different from what
But neither does it require that a husband and we have now, and have a basic continuity with what
wife, dearest of friends here, will drift apart to mere we have now. But when we imagine “different,” we
acquaintance. When they have been there, ten want to imagine something ethereal, wispy, “spiri-
thousand years, bright shining as the sun, he will tual.” In contrast, life in the resurrection will be
not run into her some aeon or other and say, “Oh, more real, more substantive, more material.
hi. It’s you.” Our form of marriage is not a heavenly We may gather an illustration for this from the
institution, but neither is our form of divorce. subject of food. Paul himself uses food to illustrate a
Throughout the creation week, God repeated His point about sex. Food for the stomach, and stomach
claim that the created order was good. After He for food, Paul says, but God will destroy them both
created a solitary male, He said that it was not good. (1 Cor. 6: 13). And at this mention of destruction,
He then created Eve from Adam’s side, and the many Gnostics cry, “Ha! Good riddance. See? It says
creation of man was complete—male and female destroy.” But this overlooks what God always does
created He them. The world and all it contains, when He destroys. He raises to life again, and this is
sexuality included, is blessed by God. the whole point. The resurrection body always has
The coming resurrection is not a vaporization an element of continuity to that which died. But it
into spiritual ether. We are not Greeks, and do not is also taken up qualitatively to a much higher
hold to the immortality of a disembodied soul. In the degree of glory. The discontinuity is also great. What
resurrection, men will be resurrected men, and was dishonorable is now honorable. What was
women will be resurrected women. When the apostle corruptible is now incorruptible. What was con-
Paul addresses this question (and he does, actually, temptible is now glorious.
in several places), he argues that sexual union here is So will there be food in heaven? Yes, of course—
a dim shadow of an ultimate union. This is a great we will sit down at the wedding supper of the
mystery, he says, but the point is Christ and the Lamb—and the feasting will be beyond all reckoning.
Church. The man joined to a woman becomes one And so will be the occasion for the feasting. Will
with her in flesh. But the one joined to the Lord there be food in heaven? Of course not.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 11

 her role in the church? Does she have a purpose if
Unmarried Daughters she is unmarried? Is it just to look for a husband?
Femina: Nancy Wilson Should she pursue a career? Unless the unmarried
women are instructed carefully and encouraged
regularly, they can fall prey to discontent, self-pity,
YEARS AGO MY HUSBAND AND I WERE ATTENDing or anxiety, and become unfruitful members of the
a church dinner where part of the program church. Or they can fade into the woodwork, feeling
included asking all the “singles” in the a little useless.
church to stand. At that time there were To make the unmarried feel a part of the church,
only three, my oldest daughter and two some churches start ministries to singles or have
young men. When my daughter’s turn career groups that meet regularly for fellowship. Of
came to be introduced, my husband said, course, this is not necessarily a bad thing itself,
“She’s not single. She’s a daughter!” unless the group is devoted to silly skits and junior-
Our individualistic culture wants to label high-level games. But even if it is a sound group, it
the unmarried as singles, but in the cov- can become unhealthy if the only regular contact the
enant community of God, there are no unmarried women have with the church family is in
singles. God calls us family, brothers and their own peer group of “singles.” These women
sisters, mothers and fathers, in Christ. We are each need to be integrated into the families within the
to be wonderfully connected to the other as part of a church. We are designed to fellowship with all age
church community, where each person is needed, groups, babies to grannies, and we should not
appreciated, and attached to others in her own family become exclusively attached to our “group.” A
as well as to the broader church family. Christian culture integrates everyone, young and old,
In a healthy covenant community there will, of married and unmarried, into the life of the church.
course, be many married couples with children of God did not design His people to live as singles.
various ages; but there will also be widows, couples We are to live as families even if we are not under
who do not have children, old people, college stu- the same roof. An unmarried woman is to have a
dents, and unmarried men and women. This is as it high view of marriage, but she is also to have a high
should be. We are to minister to one another in view of God’s sovereignty in her own life. He directs
various ways, and if we were all the same, life would our steps, He establishes our ways, and He certainly
be static, boring, and unproductive. Fruit is never decrees when and if and to whom each woman is to
uniform; it is scattered about, some branches more be married. He does all things well. Whether a
heavily laden than others. Fruit can be messy, but it woman is called to singleness for a short time or for
is delightful. The church community is much the her whole life, she is called to be fruitful in God’s
same. The unmarried woman is just as much a part kingdom. She is called to glorify and enjoy her God
of the covenant community as the mother with ten with her whole heart. She is called to grow in grace
children. And she can be just as fruitful as the and faith and to be of great use to the kingdom of
mother with the large family, even if her fruit God. Marriage is a means, not an end. It is one of
doesn’t look the same. In the providence of God, the means God uses to glorify His name among us,
each of us has a unique place among the saints. but it is not His only means.
Still, even if we adopt a new terminology and do All of Scripture is given to all of us. The passages
not call the unmarried woman a single, we have to in the Bible that speak to women, speak to married
stop treating her as a single. This requires wisdom and unmarried alike, though points of application
for all the church, because the woman in this may differ. The unmarried woman is to rejoice in her
category has a difficult time today finding her place calling before the Lord. She is to be virtuous. She
in the world as well as in the church community. must cultivate a biblical femininity, be modest and
She can feel a very real pressure and expectation to pure, and overcome the hindrances to fulfilling her
get married. Many of the saints make well-meaning, ministry. She must love the sisters and view mar-
but thoughtless, comments that exert this sort of riage as a good thing. And best of all, she is to walk
pressure. “Why isn’t a pretty girl like you married?” before her Lord in humility and hope, growing in
Responding to such comments requires a gracious faith and love as a vital part of the covenant commu-
spirit and a liberal dose of good humor. And after nity.
years of such comments, a great deal of patience is Finally, if we are striving to be a covenantal
necessary. community, we must all take pains to include the
Another part of the difficulty is the emphasis in unmarried among us in our hospitality, our prayers,
the church on family. This is as it should be, for God our family times of celebration, and not view them
designed the family as one of His great blessings to nor treat them as “singles.”
us. However, so much of the church’s good, biblical
teaching revolves around being a godly wife and
mother that the unmarried woman can wonder what
she is supposed to be doing with her life. What is

12 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 Incidentally, this is one reason why all forms of
Imitation and Imagination cyber-education will necessarily, at best, be second
Childer: Douglas Wilson best. Certain things can be acquired at a distance,
and in one sense every book ever written is a form of
distance learning. Consequently, those things which
CHILDREN LEARN MOST NATURALLY BY IMITATION. can be placed on a page and withdrawn from that
In their manner of speech and walking, in page many years later, can also be posted on the web.
their habits of thought and feeling, in But the center of true education will always be flesh
their grasp of their native language, and blood community—first in the family and
imitation is one of the foundational laws church, and then in the school or college. Flesh and
of learning. And that which is acquired blood situations are those in which the powers of
through imitation lies close to the bone. imitation display their potency.
The principle does not change with age, Biblical parents of course know that it is neces-
but it does become harder to apply because sary to live out themselves what they require of
of adult pride, and slows down because of their children, and not simply in an attempt to avoid
adult “settledness.” But Scripture makes the charge of “do as I say, not as I do” hypocrisy.
this observation about children, and does But another problem frequently arises from
so while exhorting adults to be more childlike in parental inconsistency (as well as inconsistency in
this. Christians are to be imitators of God, as dear teachers). A child can know and make the distinction
children (Eph. 5:1). In many ways, in many places, between the message and the faults of the messen-
the Scriptures call disciples to a life of imitation (1 ger, and he can be fully willing to do the right thing.
Cor. 4:15–17; 11:1; 1 Pet. 2:21; Heb. 13:7). This But he still does not know what it looks like. Without an
comes easily to children, and it is harder for adults, incarnational model to follow, he does not know
but all are called to it. exactly what to do.
Now when it comes to the life of the imagina- “Kindness to a wife” are just words on a page to
tion, the assumption of moderns is that creativity a son who grew up in a home where it was not
must spring unbidden from the artist’s heart, and practiced. An “incarnational aesthetic” is an impos-
that imitation is the practice of hacks. But this owes sible ideal for a daughter who does not know how to
more to the junk philosophy of Rosseau than to the adorn a table for a feast. “You iron the napkins?”
Scriptures. A biblical aesthetic requires that true There are many young people who are sold on the
creativity be built upon an inheritance. Perpetual concept, but they still have never seen it. When
revolution is as destructive to the arts as it is to civil children see something put into practice, they can
order. The fact that some imitate without under- imitate it. When they start imitating at a young age,
standing should not cause us to turn away from this and if they do it long enough, it settles into them
approach at all. Some students struggle through and they understand it. Then they are in a position to
math classes too, contenting themselves with the exercise true creativity, and what they do becomes
mere memorization of formulae, and they do not worthy of imitation.
think about what they are learning. Nevertheless, we Abstractions can be true, and they can be af-
know that the truly creative work in mathematics is firmed. But they cannot be imitated. This is why
done by those who have internalized the basics— many churches are filled with children who learn
those who have grasped their inheritance can go on theological abstractions, and can repeat them back.
with it and do great things. But there is nothing to imitate. Children from other
For a student hungry for imaginative wisdom, denominational traditions repeat back a different set
privileged to study with a wise master, there is no of abstractions. The lives of the two groups of
substitute for the opportunity to imitate. Imitation children do not differ that much from one another,
brings the student “up to speed,” and once this is because you imitate what you see, not what you
done the mystery of God’s giftedness to him then hear. And none of the children see a distinctively
comes into play. J.R.R. Tolkien once spoke about Christian culture—they all see the same basic secular
how his creative work sprang up out of the “leaf American culture, poured through a rudimentary
mold of his mind.” But how does that “leaf mold” sieve designed to catch the larger chunks of secular-
get there in the first place? John Bunyan, speaking of ism into the jars of differing ecclesiastical traditions.
the creative process, said that as he pulled, “it came.” And they imitate what they see.
But where does it come from? The fact that this final If we want a rennaisance of the imagination in
mystery in creative imaginative work appears to the next generation, we have to give them some-
come ex nihilo is only an appearance. True creativity thing to copy. If they can imitate it, they can even-
assumes a foundation of imitation. Spurious creativ- tually surpass it. If they cannot, they we will con-
ity wants to pretend that no outside influences can tinue our time in this cultural quicksand.
be permitted, and that the freer an artist is from
such influence, the more creative he is. But such a
man, could he exist, would be autistic, not artistic.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 13

 Eventually, even though it is unlikely that we
Bad Poets
Poets
Flotsam: Nathan D. Wilson
would ever reach the very bottom, and find the
smallest brick, we as Christians must say that the
apple, and everything else, is made out of nothing.
There is nothing that God used to make this apple.
MODERNS AND POSTMODERNS LIKE TO THINK OF We do not say that nothing was grabbed and shaped
themselves as distinct philosophical clubs. and moulded into an apple, but that there is quite
The postmoderns think that they have literally no thing that it is made out of. This apple is
transcended the folly of their fathers, and held in existence, extended spatially and temporally,
the moderns look down on their poor idiot by the omnipotent Word. This apple is spoken from
son. But when it comes to metaphor they nothing. This apple is made by nothing other than a
are the same salesman. word, an all-powerful, all-creative, all-beautiful word,
Metaphor is exactly where they feel they spoken by the one Word.
differ, and metaphor is the bed they share. This is true for everything around us in time and
While the postmods think that all of space. It is true for time and space itself. All things,
communication and reality is metaphor, the mods at all times, are composed of nothing. They are the
refuse to acknowledge their own use of it. They miraculously enfleshed words of God. The miracle of
dismiss it as imperfect and useless, pursuing perfec- creation is constant, and should a thing no longer be
tion through math and other false attempts at held, should the apple no longer be spoken, it would
abstraction. The postmods say that such escape into be gone and no parts of it would clatter to the
abstraction is impossible. The mods say “nu uh,” ground beneath, because there are no parts. There are
and so on. But when the issue shifts from where only words. Only, but only is the wrong word.
metaphor is used, to what it is, they are in agree- But what does all this mean? How does it affect
ment. Metaphor is nothing. Both parties agree that metaphor? It affects metaphor because we are God’s
metaphor is meaningless. metaphors. We are His story.
We, like the moderns, must say that there is This doesn’t mean that we are not real. But it
meaning in the world though we must not place it does change how we think of the real. We are not
in puppet abstraction as they do. Like the just dirty bags of mostly water. We are wonderfully
postmoderns, we must say that all is metaphor, but miraculous dirty bags of mostly water. We are
must not say that metaphor is meaningless. created from nothing. We are not illusions, we are
In a Christian world (this one), you can drink not the wisps of sound spoken by human voices. We
metaphors. You can eat them. You can crack your and the stones have shape. We walk through time
skull with one, or skin your pudgy knee. In this and space with weight trouble and stubbed toes. We
world, to exist is to be spoken, spoken by the One eat and drink, we laugh and our noses run. We are
Who speaks all. We are held in our being by His words, but we are words with mass. We are words
Word. All of creation is metaphor, but it is metaphor that can stink, need baths, snore at night, and love
that you can measure, metaphor with weight, mass our wives. We are real, far more real than we imag-
and dustiness. ine, because we are words. We and the world have
Human metaphor is a means of knowledge and meaning because we were spoken.
communication. We point with ours, but God’s take This is appalling to all modernities. There is
on flesh—the flesh of fruit and trees, the flesh of meaning, and it is found in the Word. Our own
wind and weeds. All of reality is nothing but words, words, patterns, natures, are metaphors for it. They
but they are His words, and they are incarnate. are the only way that we can communicate; they are
On an ultimate level reality is made from noth- the only things that we can be. We are the felt-board
ing. We know that there was no matter before shepherds and sheep. We are the story, the painting,
creation and that God did not make creation out of the song. We are all metaphors, and we find meaning
anything. He spoke, and it was, and it is. That is because of this fact. We are all spoken by God in a
what the world is made of. Nothing. No things. relationship of reflection to Him.
There was no matter, then there was matter, and Those claiming postmodern status see one-half of
that matter, the matter that we and the world the metaphor, things floating, and then deny reality
around us are made of, is made from and out of because of it. God is erased, and metaphor becomes
nothing. meaningless. Moderns deny God as well, and achieve
But not really, right? meaninglessness but are not content to remain there.
What’s an apple made of? It’s made of glucose, They strive to climb up their own backs into the sky,
that is made of carbon that is pulled from CO2 that hunting for categorical imperatives, pi, a straight
we, among other things, breath out. Apples are made line, and ones, and zeros.
out of the air through a fun game played by the Sun. But we are words, and so we should dance. We
What is carbon made of? Well, molecules, and should stomp and play, grow muddy and take baths.
atoms, and then electrons, and elementary particles We are words, and so we know we have weight.
or something, and then something else.

14 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 Great World. Mr. Badger is the quintessential domes-
The Mole, the Myth, and tic gentleman; Toad is the restless, reckless, and
Tohu: the Metaphor dissipated aristocrat who is continually either bored
or obsessed. He embodies that sort of friendly fool
Jared Miller who is both harmless and dangerous, and though
one must take him very seriously, it is impossible
not to make light of him. Mole and Rat strike the
EVERY BOY OF SPIRIT, UPON READING KENNETH
golden mean, often having adventures but always
Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, has felt.
returning home, companions of Toad on the open
He is not sure what he feels, and it does
road but comfortable at home with Badger. When the
not occur to him to find out. He is simply
Seafarer tempts Rat toward permanent wandering,
taken into the story. With Mole he breaks
Mole must intervene and save him from a romantic
free from the earth into the springtime; he
(but rootless) life.
meets the River and longs to simply “mess about in
More basic than Home and Road, however, is the
boats”; he is both troubled and amused by the
call, the desire, which pulls creatures like gravity to
inexhaustibly conceited Toad; he looks with inde-
both. It explains both themes and ties them together
scribable longing upon the revelation of Pan at the
at the point of Pan’s apocalypse. Lewis called it
Gates of Dawn; he exults finally at the triumphant
“sehnsucht,” 3 the indescribable and wistful pang of
cleansing of Toad Hall. A.A. Milne is dogmatic:
longing for something always glimpsed and never
“One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows.”1
possessed, and in it lies the power of myth. For
In its pure, raw power, the tale achieves myth. It
myth is the fundamental metaphor that stands with
is myth written for children, to be sure—a fairy
one foot in our ordinary everyday world, and the
story—but those are often the greatest sort of all. It
other in that Other which we see as the truly Real.4
was clearly intended to rise above simple beast fable.
By exalting the ordinary and joining it with that
Its twelve chapters recall the epic tradition, and the
strange and enchanted realm, it arouses in us the
final one explicitly alludes to the Odyssey. Further-
sehnsucht to seek that place where we feel our true
more, if we take the first chapter to be introductory,
home to be: to wander, as it were, towards home. As
the others form a chiasmus centered on the
Chesterton wrote in Manalive, the only proper road
numinous appearance of the god Pan in chapter
home is the “round road”; that is, “going right round
seven, which is the strangest and strongest mythic
the world is the shortest way to where you are
portion of the book.2 Is this too much analysis for a
already.” Myth like Grahame’s leads us to appreciate
mere children’s story? I think not. There is no such
the ordinary where we are.
thing as a “mere” children’s story; every story a child
Christians confess that the reality we long for is
hears is of the greatest moment. Stories may be good
a Person, the One who is writing the ultimate myth,
or bad, but they are never “mere.”
and has managed to make Faery become Fact in the
Like all good fairy tales (I use the term inter-
joining of story and history. Every story should
changeably with “myth”), Grahame’s story strikes a
remind us of this, for every story is a miniature
blade’s balance between the ordinary and the en-
incarnation, a way to really meet with the real. It
chanted. The Faery requires the ordinary; if every-
gives us a taste so that we desire more.
thing is enchanted then nothing is. This juxtaposi-
It is difficult to explain all of this to those who
tion, and the seamless progress from the everyday
have not felt it, and perhaps I’ve made a rough go of
world to the mythic, is indeed one of the defining
it. After all, we had better laugh at a joke than
characteristics of fairy-myth, if not its central trait.
vivisect it. Writing stories is better than writing
In the first chapter, Mole is engaged in his
about them. But what we can’t afford to do is to
awfully mundane spring cleaning, when suddenly he
write them off. Every child requires high doses of
feels the call of spring which commands all life to
Badger and Toad and Rat and Mole, and all their fairy
break out and fool about in the sunshine. With a
kin. Fairy stories are not optional. I confess freely
“Hang spring cleaning!” he obeys, and instantly we
that they are escapist; but when we escape our every-
are catapulted into the sunshine and led down to the
day through them, it is only so that we may go right
River where Mole and Rat meet and begin their
round the world and escape back into it again. And
adventures. The River remains the central and most
there is nothing any sensible person would rather
profound symbol throughout, “a babbling procession
have than the ability to escape “into” the ordinary—
of the best stories in the world,” and its nature as a
for that is precisely what the good life is.
home, a wanderer, and a story allows it to unify the
major themes of the book.
Grahame (consciously or not) arranged the
themes to flank the central Revelation, placing
opposing ideas and characters concentrically around
it. The contrasts portray Home and Wandering,
domestic comfort and the bewitching call of the

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 15

 display a characteristic of one thing to describe
House of Bread another. The wind whispers. The king is a lion. An
Stauron: Gary Hagen old golfer is on the “back 9 of life.” An argument is
ironclad.
One of the increasingly common sins of blue-
C.S. LEWIS ONCE WROTE, “IT IS THE VERY NATURE chip evangelical apostasy is a method of Scripture
of thought and language to represent what interpretation that takes much of this verbal imagery
is immaterial in picturable terms.”1 and turns it into mere myth. The end result is to say
From our earliest years we hear, think, or that it cannot be taken as a guide for faith or prac-
say things in terms of pictures. This tice. Or at least not all of it, just the parts we like.
format can serve a number of functions. Often this is done by mythologizing the tenor (the
As Gregory and others have written, using subject) of a metaphorical passage or the vehicle (the
a thing that is known to explain that thing someone or something resembles). But just
which is unknown is an essential means because there is no specific lion in view doesn’t say
of teaching. For example, death is often the king lacks the traits (courage, power, ferocity)
referred to as falling asleep and waking ascribed to a lion. Nor does it follow that lions are
elsewhere. Who among us cannot remem- fantastic fabrications.
ber falling asleep as a small child—only to awaken The opposite of this error is to do what some
the next morning somehow transported and tucked cults have done in literalizing the wrong figures of
snugly in between our own flannel sheets? Since speech. Mormons, for example, say God must have a
metaphor is a basic construct of semantic memory, body since the Bible talks of the face, hand, and
these verbal vehicles are extremely effective peda- strong arm of the Lord. This latter problem was the
gogical tools. type of fallacy that tripped up Jews and disciples
At other times, such picturesque speech can alike in John 6. This passage still causes problems,
serve merely as a form of verbal shorthand, wrapping but not because the saying is hard. It is because our
many attributes into a single phrase or sentence. The hearts are hard with unbelief, and in Scripture this
saying “Don’t be a big baby” immediately calls to includes a petrified brain (John 12:40 cf. 6:36).
mind an image of a large person complete with In John 6, the disciples had just finished cleaning
pampers and pacifier. We understand this to convey up 12 baskets of leftovers from five barley loaves
immaturity, whining, high-maintenance, and emo- that fed 5,000 hungry men. When these men crossed
tional shallowness. The contrast of “big” and “baby” the Sea of Galilee from Tiberius to Capernaum the
drives home that this is highly age inappropriate. next day to find Jesus, He accused them of looking
But sometimes verbal imagery is used simply as a for breakfast. He warned them to work “for the food
more attractive, effective, and natural form of which endures to everlasting life.” Undeterred, the
communication. What is amazing is how effortlessly crowd asked for another sign—more bread from
this occurs. Almost subconsciously images roll off heaven. Christ said He is the true bread of heaven
our tongues and are comprehended without difficult (vv. 35, 41), and told them that they must eat His
mental translation (“Hmmm, let’s see, what he flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. This
really meant was . . . what?”). Our expressions find metaphor offended just about everyone because they
this form naturally because this is the way God failed to see it properly.
created us to think. Metaphor helps us to see the Opinions are divided as to whether this is an
familiar from a new perspective. early reference to the Lord’s Supper. But either way,
Both Scripture and church liturgy are treasure we have to be careful not to fall into a wooden
troves of rich metaphor. We sing “A Mighty Fortress understanding of regenerational communion. My
is our God” and recite “the LORD is my Shepherd.” understanding is that Jesus was simply speaking
The LORD is the rock of our salvation. Jesus told prophetically of His sacrifice on the cross, the giving
His followers to take up their crosses — daily. John of his flesh and blood, as being the only source of
told us to behold the Lamb of God. His words are eternal life. And we are filled with this “food” only
sweeter than honey. Believers are the light of the by coming to Him believing in His sacrifice (vv. 29,
world. God blots out our transgressions. Judgment 35, 47, 51). This faith in turn comes by His word as
comes from the hand of the LORD. Disciples are applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit (v. 63 cf. vv.
fishers of men. 68–69).
All sentences in the preceding paragraph were Our salvation was won by the One who is the
metaphors. If space permitted, we could discuss perfect metaphor, the exact picture, “the express
simile, allegory, metonymy, and more. How are they image” of God (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:14–15; 2 Cor. 4:4):
different? Or perhaps more importantly, what do the Word of God. He was God, born in the flesh
they have in common? Simply put, all of these are (John 1:1, 14).
used to enhance meaning or refine description. Our
word metaphor comes from the Greek word
metapherein, which means to transfer. Metaphors

16 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 of the means of grace. Prayer slackens, and then
Pastor T raps: Sexual
Traps: abates entirely. Personal application of the Word
Poimen: Infidelity gives way to the chug and clank of the machinery of
sermon prep. And before long, the anorexic pastor
Joost Nixon gives up the charade entirely, and begins preaching
exclusively out of his file cabinet. It is in this
Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his enfeebled state that he encounters the allure of the
sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay “foreign woman.” Given her substantial arsenal—
with the women who served at the doorway of oily speech, brazen eyes, flaunted beauty, and a
the tent of meeting. . . cunning heart—there is little doubt of the outcome.
1 Sam. 2:22 The shepherd has himself become a prey (Prov.
6:25).
IF THE WORLD WERE TO REASON FROM PRACTICE Neglect of the means of grace is what begins
to policy, it might be forced to conclude marital defection. But there are other factors, and
that one of the standard perks of pastoral one of them is not pursuing your wife and being
office—duly noted in the contract—is exhilarated with her love (Prov. 5:15–20). It is
sexual favors from the communion-lady.1 impossible to run in two directions at the same time.
Sexual indiscretion by spiritual leaders has A man cannot pursue his wife and that of another
reached such a height that the Church has become a man simultaneously. If one is tending one’s garden,
byword and an object of hissing among the nations. and its beauty is conspicuous, why would he be
One survey of almost 300 pastors reveals that 23 tempted to dwell amongst the bramble across the
percent of them admitted to sexually inappropriate way?
behavior, and 12 percent to sexual intercourse with Another factor is that some men are simply naïve
someone other than their wife. Almost 40 percent of about the avenues down which some temptations
this porneia occurred with ladies from church. The travel. Pastoral counseling is one area. A “weak
statistics are depressing, and one surmises that the woman weighed down with sins and led on by
reality is far worse. There is a glut of the sons of Eli various impulses” meets caring, naïve, and touchy-
in the Church, and seeing it the world chortles, feely pastor. They speak—necessarily—of her prob-
blasphemes, and tells itself “there is no God” (Ps. lems, sometimes probing deeply. He listens encour-
14:1). agingly. She senses his concern and reciprocates with
“The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He effusive thanks and praise. Naïve pastor feels re-
who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it” (Prov. spected, begins comparing counselee favorably
22:14). Sex is an alluring and deadly trap for men, against wife (who is more apprised of his shortcom-
and particularly for pastors. Proverbs tells us that the ings), and the rest follows an established pattern:
house of the adulteress is really a morgue stacked increased contact, personal sharing, small decep-
with “many” and “numerous” corpses (Prov. 7:26– tions, excuses to meet together, “innocent” touch-
27). If one were to read some of the tags dangling ing, larger deceptions, clandestine meetings, heavy
from their cold rigid toes, he would be shocked by petting, and then—we saw it coming—outright
names like David (the man after God’s own heart) adultery. This road to Sheol begins so innocuously
and Solomon (unsurpassed in wisdom). And many of that by the time you realize you are on it, it is
our contemporaries lie there. Of course there are the extremely difficult to arrest progress. As Charles
likes of Bakker, Swaggert, and Jesse Jackson, but Bridges says, “Dread the first step, and dream not
there are also men like MacDonald, Cocoris, and that you can stop yourself at pleasure in her course.”
Hocking. You may not like their theology—certainly In the spirit of “dreading the first step,” pastors
it may not be as staunch as yours—but David’s should establish firewalls to protect themselves. The
theology was pretty fair, and yet he is among their first precaution is guarding the heart, for “from it
number. And in any case, a sense of swaggering flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23). We must train
invulnerability is a sure sign that your toast is about ourselves to love the good and abhor the evil (Rom.
to get burned: “Let him who thinks he stands take 12:9). Applied to our topic, this means recognizing
heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). that, though our culture glorifies the adulteress, the
Adultery begins with spiritual starvation. And Bible looks upon her as a monster. In addition to
though it may surprise the reader, pastors can be guarding the heart, there are the usual precautions:
some of the most spiritually emaciated folks out the glass door to the study, the cultivated emotional
there. Some pastors lay out a weekly feast from distance with women not your wife, and the blue-
which they refuse to partake. When, in well-meaning hair rule. The latter precaution is the policy that you
rebellion, they neglect their own souls to care for the will never be alone with any woman (other then a
flock, they grow weak, drop their guard, and become close blood relative), who is not sporting blue hair.
a target. Defection from the honors of the marriage This effectively excludes everyone but women old
bed begins with a defection from God. And this enough to be your grandmother.
defection occurs in the most normal of ways: neglect

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 17

 ster behind us at the checkout counter using his
Valedictorian Mace
Virga: Matt Whitling
magnum-length gummy worms to smite his mother
across the chin, and we think that what he needs is a
healthy dose of discipline. The truth of the matter is
that his mother has been disciplining him all along,
BOLT UPRIGHT, AGAIN. THERE I WAS WITH ARM even as she gently peels the worm off her face and
extended and finger pointing accusingly at airily tries to smooth the snail tracks out of her make-
this most odious and frequent offender. up. What her son needs is discipline of a different
Nate Mace, my twelfth-grade basic-math kind, faithfulness of another sort. A student who is
student, was at it again. “Nate sit down and disobedient or disrespectful in the classroom is
keep your hands off of Cheryl. . .” I was faithful, but not to God. The object of one’s faithful-
halfway into my less than gentle reprimand ness is always the primary issue in discipline. It is not
when something knocked the air out of me. enough to simply disciple children, every teacher or
A blow on my right shoulder drove me into and over parent does this—what principally matters is whom
the podium. I tried to block the next one with my your children become disciples of.
math book, but both arms were pinned against the Consider the terrorist hijackers who flew them-
overhead projector in which I was entangled. Another selves and their victims into the World Trade Center
jolt, not so jarring this time, and I turned to face the on September 11. They were a well-disciplined group
assailant—there she was, my wife, next to me in bed. of men. They were made faithful (disciplined) as
“What are you doing here?” I gasped, as I groggily youngsters, and they had faithfulness (discipline) as
gained consciousness. The clock smiled a blurry 2:00 adults in a profound and tragic way. It is clear that
a.m., I was up disciplining in the wee hours of the what they didn’t need was more faithfulness, instead,
morning, again. It was my first formal teaching they needed a different object of their faith.
position—remedial math at Meat-Grinder High, and Proverbs 22:6 contains a glorious promise to
one lesson unrelentingly impressed upon me that year parents in this area, “Train up a child in the way he
was the need for discipline. It was quite possibly the should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from
only lesson that any of us learned. Each day was filled it.” We need to keep in mind that training up children
with the constant struggle for control in the class- is not an optional activity. It is not that some people
room, and each night I disciplined and redisciplined train up their children and others don’t. Everyone is
this purgatorial class like a drowning June-bug that training up his child, everyone is disciplining, and
can’t quite get out of the swimming pool. every child is learning the lesson. Your children are
Discipline. The word often conjures up images of and will be faithful for all of their days. They are and
rulers, spoons, glue-sticks, willow wands, and other will be well-disciplined. The question is—faithful to
martial utensilry. These pictures, however helpful, fall whom? If a young man rolls his eyes when his
short of representing the heart of true discipline. mother gives him instruction, and his father chooses
Discipline is the quintessential element in disciple- to deal with it by ignoring the behavior, the lesson
making. Christians are called to be disciples of Christ, being boldly proclaimed to the entire family is “You
and Christian parents are called to make disciples of all can be disrespectful in this house and it is good, right,
nations, including, most importantly, their own and proper.”
children. The teacher who does not train his students in
Let’s begin by defining what discipline is. Disci- faithfulness to the God of the Bible is actively training
pline when used as a verb is what takes place in order them to be faithful to some other god. That god may
to make someone a disciple. It means to make faithful. be pragmatism, pietism, pluralism, or open paganism,
The teaching, training, correcting, and encouraging of but whatever the particular flavor of idolatry, it is just
a child that makes them into a faithful disciple is that—faithfulness, allegiance, devotion to some false
called discipline. When a father spanks his son for god. You are either making disciples of the living God
stirring up dissension with his brothers, he is seeking or you are making disciples of some other god, but
to make that son faithful. Discipline is also used as a what you cannot escape is the fact that you are
noun, and as such it means faithfulness. The son who making disciples.
learns the lesson from his father and grows up consid- In light of their involvement with the government
ering others better than himself is said to have disci- schools, it should come as no surprise that many
pline—faithfulness. So, you discipline (verb) someone Christian parents and teachers are up late at night
in order to make them faithful, and someone who has pondering issues of discipline. There is no neutrality
discipline (noun) is faithful. in discipline, and every parent, administrator, teacher,
Given these definitions it is impossible for a coach, textbook, policy, etc., that interacts with a
teacher or parent to abstain from disciplining. Those child is contributing to the overall discipleship of him.
who work with children can no more refrain from After thirteen years of government schooling, it could
disciplining than they can refrain from breathing. We be that Nate Mace was not an odious and frequent
are always disciplining, regardless of whether we offender at all, but instead the most astute disciple in
acknowledge it or not. Many times we see the young- the class.

18 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 Sometimes God’s riddling is explicit. He tells
God The Riddler Ezekiel, “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a
Poetics: Douglas Jones parable to the house of Israel” (Ez. 17:2). Notice that
riddles and parables share a platform. Solomon tells
FINE METAPHOR IS PRAISED FOR ITS MYSTERIOUS us that divine wisdom will enable us to “understand
ability to capture much more about reality a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and
than monotone literalness could ever their riddles” (Prov. 1:5, 6). Then he gives us a
dream. Unlike the allegedly simple corre- whole collection of riddles called Proverbs. Samson, a
spondences of literal speech where each type of Christ, is best known for his riddling (Jdg.
word is tied to—one and only one—refer- 14), but Daniel also was described as one who was
ent, metaphor shoots off in many direc- known for “solving riddles” (Dan. 5:12).
tions at once. And its imagery can reach Towering above all of these, though, is the Son
down deep inside of us and hook emotions of God Himself, the master riddler. We praise
and aesthetic affections and inexpressible metaphor for its mysterious clarity, but sometimes
devotions that no simple proposition could such games as metaphors and riddles are intended to
ever pull up. Metaphor can do this not only test and confuse. Christ comes speaking riddles or
because it pretends to make a surprise identity where parables. Were these just helpful sermon illustra-
none truly exists, but it does so via images, and tions intended for flannel-board clarity? Of course
images can call up seven other images, and those not. When His disciples asked, “Why do You speak
bring their friends too. The simplest metaphor to them in parables?” (Mt. 13:10), He answered, “it
produces a parade of referents, associations, connota- has been given to you to know the mysteries of the
tions, imaginations, melodies, and more. kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been
When, for example, Solomon says to his son that given” (Mt. 13:11). The parallel passage in Mark
wisdom will be a “graceful ornament on you head, explains that He speaks in parables “so that ‘Seeing
and chains about your neck” (Prov. 1:9), he invokes they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may
images of health and peacetime and wealth and royal hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and
power. But “chains about your neck” imagery doesn’t their sins be forgiven them’” (Mk. 4:12). In short,
just stop with the positive; the images keep going, He speaks in figures in order to exclude the dull of
inviting suspicions of burdens and responsibilities heart (Mt. 13:15). There’s a chilling edge to His
and even hints of ancient slavery. Similar displays ways. This game is for keeps.
appear when Jude describes lewd hypocrites as In fact, we might tend to joke among ourselves
“clouds without water. . . raging waves. . . autumn that some of us are more poetic, and others of us are
trees without fruit. . . wandering stars” (Jude 12, 13), of a more scientific bent, and never the two shall
or when Christ is described as a lion (Rev. 5:5). This change. But Christ assumes that a lack of poetic
most famous image asks us to think of Christ as not sense is a moral failing. When the disciples had
only fearless, calm, and majestic, but also as terrify- forgotten bread, and Christ made reference to the
ing and merciless and unpredictable and wild. Our “leaven of the Pharisees” (Mt. 16:6), the disciples
God is wild, it says. thought He was grumpy about a lack of bread.
Metaphor can go to such depths, wreaking amaz- Christ doesn’t apologize for waxing too metaphori-
ing clarity for us, but it does more than this. If we cal. He rebukes them for their spiritual lapse: “How
stand back for a moment from metaphor, especially is it you do not understand that I did not speak to
scriptural metaphor, we can see that not only do you concerning bread?” (Mt. 16:11). In another
individual metaphors tell us about God and the world, context, He rebukes them for not grasping His
but the whole process of metaphor making itself parables: “And He said to them, ‘Do you not under-
reveals an aspect of the personal style of the Triune stand this parable? How then will you understand all
God. the parables?’” (Mk. 4:13). He shows equal rebuke to
Most importantly, it reveals the playfulness of Nicodemus who is having trouble understanding all
God; it reveals God as a holy riddler. One of the this talk about reentering his mother’s womb: “Are
beauties of metaphor is its coyness, its indirectness, you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these
its refusal to be straight with us. When someone uses things? . . . If I have told you earthly things and you
metaphor or any of the common figures of speech, do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
they are playing a bit of a game with us. They are heavenly things?” (Jn. 3:10, 12).
giving us a puzzle to sort out. Give us ears to hear. Save us from sanitizing the
This becomes especially intriguing when we Master Riddler.
realize that God Himself delights to toy with us by
using this sort of language from Genesis to Revela-
tion. Of course, it’s not just in the pervasiveness of
figurative language that He does this. All of redemp-
tive history is a play within a play, much like that of
Job’s drama.
Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 19
 more literal teaching; they don’t give us any insight
The Metaphorical into the nature of worship and no principles for
Liturgia: Principle of Worship
Worship guiding how we worship.
Yet, in a crunch, everyone resorts to metaphor
Peter J. Leithart when talking about liturgy. No one in John Knox’s
day was offering literal “strange fire,” but that didn’t
GOD IS GREAT IN MERCY, AND ONE OF HIS stop him from citing Leviticus 10:1–7 to warn
mercies is that the Bible is not written like against worship that deviated from the “express
an encyclopedia or the IRS code. Instead of commandment of God.” For Knox, “strange fire” was
systematic and comprehensive coverage of a metaphor for all liturgical deviations. It still is.
every possible subject, the Bible gives us Contemporary Reformed pastor Carl Bogue has
stories, torah, letters, proverbs, poems, and written that the evangelical church is full of Nadabs
phantasmagorical prophecies. Unfortu- and Abihus, illustrating the point by suggesting that
nately, Christians have often considered altar calls are an example of “strange fire.”
the Bible’s form a flaw rather than a The question is not whether we will resort to
mercy, and have set out to correct it. metaphor in formulating our theology and practice of
If, however, we assume that God knew what He worship. The issue is whether we will employ good
was doing, some interesting things happen when we metaphors or bad, whether we will employ them
try to interpret and apply Scripture. Because the Bible poorly or well. (For my money, the analogy between
does not cover every ethical situation that confronts an altar call and the sin of Aaron’s sons is tenuous at
us, we are forced to apply Scripture to situations that best.)
Scripture never mentions. To use Scripture at all, we Instead of shoving sacrificial metaphors to the
have to notice that while, on the one hand, “this is margins, we should take this language as a crucial
not that,” yet, on the other hand, “this is that.” In clue to the New Testament teaching on worship.
other words, the Bible forces us to think metaphori- Just as Paul and the others reasoned metaphorically
cally. about paying the pastor, so they reasoned metaphori-
Death-by-flying-axe-head is the key example of cally about worship. The apostles’ language is an
manslaughter in Deuteronomy (19:4–6), but we’re indication that they saw a similarity between burn-
unlikely to face that exact set of circumstances. To ing an animal and singing a psalm, an analogy
apply this law to a traffic accident, we have to ask, between preaching and cutting an animal into bite-
“Is losing the brakes and ramming into a pedestrian sized pieces, a metaphorical connection between the
like killing someone with a loose axe head? Or, is it Old Testament feasts and the Lord’s Supper.
more like lying in wait for a brother? Or, is it more But what’s the bottom line? Can metaphors
like leaving a pit uncovered?” When that “made in really give us practical instruction about how to
China” label pricks our conscience, we might ponder worship? Does a metaphorical principle of worship
the analogies between buying Chinese toys and have teeth? Sure. Let’s try out this metaphor: The
eating meat sacrificed to idols. Paul applied the law Lord’s Supper is the Christian Feast of Booths.
this way when he urged the Corinthians to purge Literally, that’s not true; we don’t construct tents
the incestuous man from the church (1 Cor. 5:13), from tree branches, and our celebrations normally
and when he observed that muzzled oxen resemble don’t last a week. But there is an analogy between
underpaid ministers (1 Cor. 9:9–10). the Old Covenant feast and the New Covenant feast.
A similar kind of reasoning underlies the numer- Just as the Feast of Booths celebrated the gathering
ous New Testament passages that use terminology of the harvest, so the Supper is the meal to which
from the sacrificial system to describe Christian the nations are being and will be gathered. Every
worship. Christians are to offer “a sacrifice of praise time we gather for the Supper, we are declaring, by
to God” (Heb. 13:16) and “spiritual sacrifices accept- an objective sign, that this meal, and this harvest,
able to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). God’s have begun.
word is a sword dividing between “joints and mar- According to Deuteronomy 16:13–17, the Feast of
row” (Heb. 4:12), and the prayers of Cornelius Booths was to be celebrated with great rejoicing, and
ascended “as a memorial before God” (Acts 10:2). the worshipers were to be “altogether joyful.” It
Jesus used a number of sacrificially loaded terms hardly need be said that this is not the way that
when He instituted the Lord’s Supper—“body and Christians have normally celebrated the Supper. In
blood,” the “blood of the covenant,” “memorial.” many churches, the Supper is more wake than feast,
Word and sacrament, prayer and praise—none of more tomb than table, more famine than harvest. By
these are “literally” sacrificial acts (in the Levitical the metaphorical principle of worship, such anti-
sense), but they are all described as sacrificial acts by celebrations violate the character of the Supper.
the Apostles. Anyone coming to the table in mourning is a true
By and large, Reformed liturgists have refused to Nadab and Abihu, offering strange fire.
do much of anything with these metaphors. Sacrifi-
cial figures are mere figures, decorations attached to

20 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 the boy almost turned round to watch it fly over the
The Firedrake mountain behind him. But at the last moment, the
Similitudes: Douglas Wilson dragon (for it was a dragon) reared back, and slowly
lowered himself to the ground with long, lazy beats
of his six wings. His rear haunches touched the
THE WALLED GARDEN WAS VERY NEAR THE ground and his wings folded back along his sides
summit. A cliff face rose steeply from the with a scraping. His long scaled sides were both
back of the garden up to the top of the black and silver. His chest was a deep crimson, and
mountain, which was about a hundred his head was like burnished bronze. He settled down
feet higher. The wall formed a semi-circle, on his belly and yawned deeply. The boy could see a
and was broken only by the gate in the glow in the back of his throat. They both looked at
middle, which faced the steep mountains each other for many minutes. Finally, the dragon
on the other side of the valley. The moun- spoke, and his voice was a mountain brook clattering
tains were all very high, but there was no down over a steep jumble of rocks. “You think
snow on them. The air was still and thin, yourself the master of this garden?”
but not cold. “No. But I have been asked to guard it.”
He had been told to stand just inside the “What is your name, small one?”
gate, and to guard it, and not to let anyone The young boy thought for a moment, interested
enter, but he could not remember who had in the question. “Andrew,” he finally said. “What is
told him this, or why. Neither could he your name?”
remember how long he had been there. He was “You could not pronounce it. But men call me
vaguely hungry, and so he picked a large golden apple Silverdrake.”
from a nearby branch, hanging low, almost to the Andrew nodded at this, and stood quietly. After a
ground. Though he did not know why he was there, moment he asked, “Why have you come?”
he was nevertheless well content. He ate the apple “I have come back to my home. This is my
slowly, gazing at the grass in front of the gate. garden. And I must ask you to let me in.”
The grass was lush, but short. It did not appear Andrew could not remember who had com-
to have been mown, but simply to have reached its manded him to guard the gate, or where he had come
full height. The lawn sloped away from the garden from, or what had brought him. And yet he could
and after about fifty feet the slope dropped away into remember the feeling he now had in his throat.
a tumbled mass of boulders and smaller rocks. The Some other time, in some other place, he had dis-
boy walked forward and stood in the gate. obeyed. That is why he was now here. He could not
Behind him the garden was filled with fruit trees remember how he had disobeyed, but he did remem-
around the perimeter, and inside the band of fruit ber the constricting of his throat before he had, and
trees was another circle of very rich but very ordi- the sickness in his chest after. Whatever he did, he
nary vegetables. If the boy had been curious, he could not disobey again. And so he shook his head.
would have wondered at the presence of such ordi- “So you will not allow me to pass?”
nary plants in such a mysterious garden. But he was “I cannot let you pass with my favor and bless-
not curious at all—and the emerald beans hung over ing. You can fly and the wall is low. You are large
their supports like royalty. The garden was a compli- and I am small—you can walk past me, or over me.
cated pattern of pathways through a crosshatch of If this really were your home, I cannot see why you
flowerbeds. At the center was a carved throne on a would even speak with me. And if it is not, I cannot
dais, and around the base of the throne were a series see why I should disobey.”
of faded runes. Behind the throne was a solitary oak, The dragon leaned his head to the side. “Disobey?
ancient and yet still small. You have a master, then?” Andrew nodded.
The air was completely still, and the boy could “What is his name, Andrew?” The dragon’s voice
not even hear the faint murmuring of insects. And was soothing, subtle, and very wise.
this is why, after about a half an hour, his attention “I do not know.”
was drawn to a faint metallic sound, like silver coins “Then perhaps he sent me.”
stirred in a chest in a distant room. This interrup- “No,” said Andrew.
tion caused him to look around at his surroundings “Perhaps I am he.”
with interest for the first time since he had been left “No,” Andrew said again. He knew that since he
there. He soon located the direction of the sound—it knew nothing, and could give few reasons for his
was coming from a spot over the opposing mountain refusal, he needed to stop speaking. So he stepped
range, moving toward him. At first he assumed it back into the garden, and swung the long gate shut.
was a large bird, but as the sound grew he could When the brass found its latch, Andrew was com-
make out three pairs of wings on the creature’s back. forted with a decisive clack.
It did not occur to the boy to be afraid. Outside the firedrake lay down his head, and
The creature came almost directly overhead, and went to sleep.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 21

 those actions borne faithful fruit or discipline
Testing Christian
Cultura: Colleges
without succumbing to legalism?
On which principles has the college compromised
in order to get approval to participate in federal and
Roy Atwood state programs, accreditation, academic associations,
etc.? How does the college justify acceptance of state
THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF COVENANT COLLEGE and federal money for projects or financial aid?
recently fielded a question about how his Sadly, most Christian colleges and their constituen-
school planned to avoid becoming one cies have been more eager to find approval from the
more Christian institution that was keepers of the pagan academic status quo than to
apostate longer than it was orthodox. The reform higher education according to the Word of God
question caught him a bit off-guard and without apology or crossed fingers. But as James
revealed he really hadn’t given the matter Tunstead Burtchaell’s withering indictment of histori-
much thought. After a verbal pause (“Well, cally Christian colleges suggests, the process of aca-
that’s a very good question . . .”) to collect his demic apostasy begins at this very point, with a series
thoughts, his answer was brief: “With a lot of of self-deceptions, little compromises on principles, and
prayer.”1 Prayer is good, of course, but during half-truths offered to constituencies about fundamen-
wartime such an answer is dangerously inadequate. tal issues of institutional integrity. In his book The
The promotion and preservation of faithful Dying of the Light: The Disengagement of Colleges and
institutions designed to educate and equip the next Universities from their Christian Churches (1998),
generation of covenant youth for the difficult Burtchaell shows how churches, parents, alumni,
cultural and religious wars ahead requires our best faculty, and administrators have repeatedly failed to
strategic and tactical planning, not pious platitudes. guard or to reinforce their college’s founding mission,
And after the battle has begun is not the time to doctrinal standards, and principles of conduct, and by
start thinking about how to guard the gate. As the that neglect have unwittingly become accomplices in
Lord taught us in the Parable of the Talents, faithful- their college’s spiritual demise. The sad stories of
ness requires more than a wing and a prayer. If we Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are well known, of course,
aren’t disciplining ourselves and our children daily to but Burtchaell documents how even small, conserva-
be faithful in the lesser things, then almost certainly tive evangelical colleges—Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran,
we won’t rise to the challenge of the greater things Presbyterian, and Reformed alike—are far down the
at the moment of crisis. path toward a similar fate. For example, Burtchaell’s
Unfortunately, Christian academics have been assessment of Dordt College, one of three Presbyterian
remarkably thick-headed and complacent about and Reformed church-sponsored colleges he studied
learning from past collegiate apostasies. Christian and a favorite in conservative Dutch Reformed circles,2
colleges have become practiced at passing off recruit- ends on this depressing note: given the trajectory of the
ing slogans as serious discussion of first principles. college and the Christian Reformed denomination that
In fact, Presbyterian and Reformed colleges are sponsors it, it is “unlikely that Dordt’s educators will
legendary for their complacency and for their inad- have enough theological insight or inclination to
equate attention to spiritual fidelity in the lesser awaken and inspire their students’ minds to distinguish
details of organization, operation, and discipline. For what is fraudulent from what is prophetic, what is
example: seductive from what is sound.”3
How many faculty members embrace feminism, Christian higher education is in crisis, and many of
homosexuality, multiculturalism, openness theol- our most “conservative” Reformed and Presbyterian
ogy, evolution, or clever variants of the same? colleges have become part of the problem, not part of
How many faculty members have been disci- the solution. No matter how much rhetoric a college
plined or dismissed from the college for holding and/ may spew about its Reformed heritage or distinctive
or teaching positions contrary to the college’s own worldview, a distinctly anti-Christian paradigm still
statement of faith or doctrinal standards, or for dominates Christian higher education. If Christian
violating the college’s code of conduct? colleges simply refused to play the game according to
How many students have had extramarital sex, the rules established by the anti-Christian academic
children out of wedlock, or abortions while under establishment, the Church would no doubt see a
the college’s oversight this year? How many stu- wonderful reformation in its midst, and the schol-
dents have tried illegal drugs or been drunk this arly world would be turned upside down. But lack of
year? nerve and lack of faith keep the historically Christian
By what biblical principles does the college colleges following the world, not leading it. The
justify having dormitories? followers of Christ need faithful colleges and strong
What positive steps has the college taken to leaders who are devoting themselves to do more than
promote personal holiness and cultural reformation pray after the enemy is already in the gate.
among its faculty members and students? Have

22 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 It certainly is odd that we think of fiction to be
True Fiction amoral, value neutral, and capable of being bent to
Recipio: Ben Merkle justify any atrocity, when we see Scripture use fiction
as one of the most powerful expressions of God’s law.
When Nathan confronts King David regarding his sin
WHEN A MAN COMES HOME FROM WORK IN A FOUL with Bathsheba, he uses a story. Nathan’s story,
mood and explodes at his wife, he finds rather than being morally ambiguous and capable of
himself faced with one of two options. He any interpretation, is quite pointed and leaves David
may either confess his sin and get things with no wiggle room. What is odd is that there is no
right, or he may let the sin sit and fester. argument other than the story itself. Nathan doesn’t
When he chooses the latter, he will work from premise to premise, he merely tells the
quickly begin retelling the story of his story of David’s sin. The story itself is an argument.
encounter over and over again to himself, God’s law is wrapped up in narrative. Could David
trying to find some way to put himself in have listened to the story and then declared that the
a favorable light. “I really am not to be rich man who stole his neighbor’s ewe lamb was
blamed. She should have seen that I’ve justified? He wasn’t able to because God’s law
had a hard day, and I just needed a break. But instead shines in fiction even when the reality is clouded in
of welcoming me, she instantly began listing off all our own heads.
the jobs I needed to do around the house. It was sin Jesus is the real master of story telling. He uses
on her part, and I needed to point that out. I was parables repeatedly to convict the Pharisees of their sin.
harsh because it was the only way to get her atten- In Luke 18:9–14 Jesus tells the Parable of the Phari-
tion.” He will continue retelling the story, trying to see and the Tax Collector who went into the temple
tell it in such a way that he turns out to be the hero, to pray. The Pharisee thanks God for what a wonder-
or at least the innocent victim. Tolkien’s Gollum ful man he is, while the tax collector begs God for
exemplifies this well, spending his whole life in one mercy. Jesus declares that the tax collector left
long conversation attempting to justify his sin. “It justified. Is it possible to disagree with Christ’s
was my birthday present,” he explains again and conclusion? Christ appeals to a self-evident principle
again, attempting to justify the strangling of Deagol, that the proud will be brought low and the humble
his friend who had first found the Ring. But one of will be lifted up. Jesus uses a presuppositional
the things that we learn from Gollum is that, no argument, but one that couldn’t be gotten to apart
matter how many times we retell the story, the from telling a story. Ask someone who is pointing to
whole matter will always lie heavy on our conscience his own righteousness as grounds for his salvation
until it is confessed. Despite our urge to retell the to explain this passage. The response is always a
story over and over again, we can never make it get blank stare. Fiction declares the law of God to sinful
us all the way off the hook. minds with a clarity like nothing else.
The urge to retell the story points to an odd Many Christians assume that somehow God is at
predicament. We have an instinctive conviction that a loss in the category of fiction, that fiction is an
if we could just make the story work, our con- escape from His authority. We might trust in God’s
sciences would leave us alone. If we could tell the sovereignty, that He predestines all that comes to
story just right, we would be the hero and the guilt pass. We might believe in postmillennialism, that He
would be gone. But for some reason we can’t ever will rule this earth. We might even believe in paedo-
really get our retelling of the story to work. The baptism, that He is the Lord of our children. But
cranky husband’s story never really satisfies him. after all that, why do we suddenly believe that God
Only the confession of sin will relieve his guilt. had met His match when He saw the first short
Gollum had retold the story of his murder to himself story? We act as if this was a category that He would
for hundreds of years, yet he remained touchy about have no say in. He is Lord of all; and when man, His
the subject to the end of his days. creation, tells a story (even a sinful, fallen man),
Our compulsion to retell the stories of our sins that man can’t escape the law of God written on his
and our inability to get the stories to do what we heart.
want them to do evidences the great power of the Every story teaches a moral code. This is why sin
narrative. We often think of fiction as an infinitely loves to try to tell stories. It hopes that it can teach a
malleable category. We assume that the realm of the moral code that will excuse it, relieve its guilt. But sin
imagination is an utterly unrestrained, no-holds- is drawn to story telling the way moths are drawn to
barred affair. But if that is the case, why can’t our the fire. In stories we meet the consuming righteous-
stories justify us? Why can’t the husband declare ness of God. We come to stories thinking that we will
himself the hero and his wife the villain? If we are wield them to justify ourselves. But every story de-
the authors of our own stories why can’t we make pends on and points to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
them say and mean whatever we want? The answer Jacob. And when a story attempts to justify sin, that
is that our assumption that the category of fiction is story will fail as a story, because God can’t deny Him-
removed from reality is a foolish assumption. self.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 23

 Adam used his free will after creation to seek death,
Synergistic Salvation
Doctrine 101: Patch Blakey
not only for himself, but for the whole world.
Another example is found in the prophecies of
Ezekiel when the Lord carried Ezekiel and set him
down in the valley of bones. God commanded Ezekiel
UNBELIEVING MAN CLINGS TO HIS HUMAN to prophecy to the bones, “Thus saith the Lord God
autonomy. This is not strange, consider- unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to
ing that he is at enmity with God, loves enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay
the darkness rather than the light, and sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you,
seeks his own way which ultimately leads and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and
to physical death. Unregenerate man is ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord”
dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). (Ezekiel 37:5-6). A couple of points to note: first, the
As a result of being a son of Adam (Rom. bones were dead until God gave them life. Second,
5:12), and because of his own sin (Isa. the bones did not have any say in whether they
59:2), unbelieving man is separated from would be given life or not. God didn’t even woo the
God. The root cause of this human au- bones to try and get them to come to Him for life.
tonomy is pride. He decreed life, and they lived.
Now what should strike us as odd is that In the New Testament, Jesus had a friend, Lazarus
many Christians cling to their human who became sick and died. Jesus went to Bethany to
autonomy. Despite the fact that they raise Lazarus back to life. When Jesus commanded
verbally acknowledge that God was the One who that the stone covering the tomb should be removed,
saved them, when pressed on the point, they gener- Martha, one of Lazarus’ sisters, complained that
ally tend to say that it was by the exercise of their Lazarus would stink, having been dead and buried for
own free will that they were saved. In other words, four days. But Jesus persisted, and when the stone
as the teaching goes, God made salvation possible, was rolled away He prayed to His Father, “And when
but man had to exercise his sinful free will to believe he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,
the gospel, resulting in his salvation. This is most Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43). Lazarus came
assuredly a synergistic approach to salvation. forth from the grave alive. Again, it is instructive to
Synergism is a process where two or more note the pattern. Lazarus was dead, Christ spoke,
organisms achieve an effect of which each is indi- and Lazarus came to life. No wooing, no choosing,
vidually incapable. Many Christians teach and no synergism; just God-given life.
believe that God is incapable of saving anyone apart Even in Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus, Jesus
from their choosing to be saved, and that man is rebuked this master teacher of Israel for not knowing
incapable of saving himself apart from the atoning that he must be born again to enter the kingdom of
work of Christ. But together, as a sort of cosmic God (John 3:3-10). Now, what newborn ever contrib-
team, man can be saved. This is theological syner- uted to his own conception by an exercise of his free
gism, which only serves to preserve man’s sinful will? In fact, Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus that
human autonomy, and at the very point when God it was God alone who gave life, “The wind bloweth
makes a sinful man into a new creature. We’ve where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
imported into our theology of salvation the very but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
poison that resulted in mankind needing a savior in goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit”
the first place. (John 3:8). If we had a part in our own salvation,
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore if any man be then we would certainly know it, but then this
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed would make nonsense of Jesus’ analogy.
away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. Let’s be clear. We do have a will, but it is a human
5:17). And again, he stated, “For in Christ Jesus sinful will, full of pride and self. This is unredeemed
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor man at his worst. As God’s new creation, we need to
uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Gal. 6:15). leave the old man behind, including our human
What God desires is a new creature, not the same old autonomy, and deny as a heresy the idea that God
sinful one. Otherwise, from what were we then has done His part, and that man must do his.
saved? Synergism has its place, but not in the biblical
Now the Bible makes it clear that God is the doctrine of Christian salvation.
Creator, the source of all life. Only God creates new
life. Let’s look at some examples. Moses recorded the
creation of Adam like this, “And the Lord God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul” (Gen. 2:7). It should be noted in this
first formation of new life, that Adam did not
exercise his free will to help God create him. In fact,

24 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 Incarnatus:
emotions in a quasi-perceptual fashion in which
Knowing is Loving emotions are value-laden images or metaphors in
Douglas Jones which we “construe” one thing in terms of some-
thing else. On this scheme, emotions are vaguely
like colored transparencies which we lay over and
MOST TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY TENDS TO around the objects we perceive. It’s “as if” these
assume that emotion is always an obstacle colors classify and judge the objects according to our
to real knowing, never a help. Emotions values. Or our emotions allow us to see people and
are closely tied to the body, and, to them, events in terms of some type: “He’s a bear.” “She’s a
the body is almost always a roadblock. But witch.” We know how love “covers a multitude of
if, as this column has been sketching, the sins” and how shallow love can make the most
Incarnation provides a model for knowing, disturbing of suitors appear to be Mr. Right. Simi-
then we can’t denigrate emotion in that larly, when we’re angry, the object of our anger can
way. The kind of knowing pictured in the do nothing right; we interpret their every action as
Incarnation is not just ideas manipulating some pernicious conspiracy. We haven’t lined up the
endless ideas. It was a doing, indwelling, correct emotions/metaphors, and we fuzz the proper
imaging, and tracing, all of which is interpretation. This may help us make better sense
pushed forward by the emotional frame of out of scriptural judgments, such as “the natural
love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
only begotten Son” (Jn. 3:16; cf. 1 Jn. 4:9; Tit. 3:4). for they are foolishness to him” (1 Cor. 2:14). He
Alvin Plantinga summarizes this connection at cannot discern because he cannot align the right
the creaturely level: “There are certain things you emotions to reality. It’s all fuzzy.
won’t know unless you love, have the right affec- This emotion-focus analogy rests on picturing
tions”1 and vice versa. W. Jay Wood draws the knowledge in visual terms. That has benefits and
connection even more tightly: “emotions and moral dangers, but the analogy could also be made audi-
virtues are to our cognitive life what rudders are to tory. Emotions are like ears or tuning instruments
an airplane: they are part of the thinking apparatus itself. which pick out fine sounds. Similarly, we could
If they don’t function properly, our cognitive life imagine emotions in a more tactile fashion in which
doesn’t function properly.”2 emotions are like a firm grip on a handle, and so on.
But how does this work? One way to characterize It’s easy to intellectualize emotion and neglect
how emotion shapes our knowledge is to imagine it its close connection to the body. Emotions are never
as analogous to the focusing action of a projector or merely bodily feelings, though popular misconcep-
camera. When the lens is out of focus, the object is a tions picture them this way. But they’re not bodiless
fuzzy blur. In focusing the lens, there is a midway either. Instead of the visual picture above, where
point, either side of which objects get fuzzy. When emotions are like colored veils (value-laden percep-
the lens correctly links to the traits of the object, tions), we might see them as judgments grounded in
clarity appears. Clarity depends upon both parts our bodies. Emotions impel bodily action, just as the
matching up. Incarnation was impelled by love. It’s as if emotions
By analogy, proper emotions focus our connec- exhibit how much body we’re willing to sacrifice in a
tion to the world; they sharpen our understanding. given situation. Anger may give up plenty of pain.
God has morally designed objects and events in the Hope and joy and compassion make the body perse-
world to be loved, liked, disdained, hated, etc., vere. Patience picks its battles carefully. Indifference
according to His master interpretation. When we won’t sacrifice anything. But “Great love” lays down
direct the proper emotions upon their proper recipi- a whole life (Jn. 15:13).
ents—objects or events—they come into focus. At Whatever the exact case, emotion plays a very
the largest view, this means that the universe central role in knowing. Needless to say, this has
remains fuzzy unless we see it as the creative gift of giant implications for a philosophy of education.
God. At a more local view, it means that I can’t Oftentimes, we assume education is just about ideas
really know my brethren, amoeba, and work, unless I and information. But if no genuine knowledge can
have the appropriate emotions lined up correctly. occur without the presence of certain emotions, then
Even more narrowly, individuals increase and im- moral/emotional education would need to have to
prove their knowledge of their callings—woodwork- play a much bigger part. But “emotional education”
ing, computer programming, literature—depending involves far more bodily wisdom and subtlety than a
on their love of the subject in question. Conversely, typical curriculum could ever hope to capture.
we’re called to dislike and hate other things, and if,
instead, we love them, we distort our knowledge.
Growing in wisdom is learning what emotions are
appropriate in what contexts.
Metaphor is also a helpful way of understanding
how emotions work in knowledge. Some speak of

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 25

 Christ Church Ministerial Conference
October 21–23, 2002
Moscow, Idaho

Liquid Gospel, Edible Words:

The Sactamental Theology of
Historic Protestantism

Topics and Speakers:

Douglas Wilson:
The Early Reformers and the Lord’s Supper
True Blessings, Real Curses
Worthy Participation
Puritan Approach to Metaphor

Peter Leithart:
In Defense of Ritual
Neither Jew nor Greek
One Loaf, One Body
Do This

Douglas Jones:
A Theology of Taste and Touch
Sensing Bread, Sensing Wine
The Poetics of Water

Duck Sculer
Music of the Supper

This conference is for pastors, elders,

deacons (and wives) and for those aspiring
to these positions. (No children, please.)
Discounted rates will apply if registration is
postmarked by September 30.
Contact Chris LaMoreaux at 208.882.2034 or
email christkirk@moscow.com for further
information on rates and registration
or to obtain a brochure.

26 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 handles the ball. Baseball is rhythmic and cyclical
the Meander:
No Matter How Thin Y ou
You and football is linear. Baseball attracts cultural
Slice It, It’s Still Baloney leaders as fans and spectators, while football pro-
duces former players who are cultural leaders.
Douglas Wilson Baseball is competitive but essentially peaceful.
Football is competitive, violent, and essentially
warlike. Baseball traffics in potentialities—some-
As I write this, I am sitting in the Atlanta thing might happen at any time, at any point in the
airport, which is a teeming Yankee ant field. Football contains far more predictable events:
farm, and despite my thorough going at prescribed intervals something will happen involv-
agreement with R.L. Dabney’s warnings ing all the players, with the only question involving
about the New South, I still have to how big the play is. Baseball has no prescribed
confess a certain admiration for how length for a game, while football conforms to the
efficiently we can shuffle people around clock. The teamwork of baseball is limited to a few
the country. I woke up in Idaho, and I players in any given play, while in football the
shall go to sleep in Florida. And not only teamwork is engineered for every player every play.
are we adept at the macro-shuffle, but we And finally, in baseball, the locus of leadership on a
also move people around inside the airports team is more fluid and relaxed. In football, leader-
with singular competence and remarkable ship is structured into the game, and is placed on the
aplomb. I got off the plane at terminal E, coach and quarterback. There.
found the train, and then, zip zip, I find myself
typing this in terminal A. And the plane isn’t even
here yet.
•••
We Christians ought to do far more than we have
••• been doing to help bring back widespread consump-
tion of whole milk. The fat is the Lord’s. Skim milk
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey looks and tastes like water that somebody cleaned a
Carpenter, is a remarkable read. The book contains paintbrush in.
many details about how The Lord of the Rings came to
be written, and very helpful directions on how the
books should be read. More importantly, the reader
•••
comes away understanding how they are not to be
read. God is everywhere present in the books, but Steve Schlissel has sent along a profound look at the
nowhere mentioned—and this for an important deep world of conspiracy by pointing out that when
reason. Gandalf is not a wizard in the sense that he the letters of the word Presbyterians are rearranged it
is a practitioner in magic arts, but is rather an spells—Britney Spears. “Coincidence?” he asks. “I
angelic figure, sent by the Valar, who are also think not.”
angels. The books are not an allegory, except to the
extent that all of life is allegorical. •••
It is hard to tell if the movie would have been a
source of grief and distress to Tolkien. But these Covenant Media Foundation has some valuable
letters reveal that he was an exacting author, and material available. One is a small book titled The
was much grieved by bungling translations and radio Destruction of Jerusalem. The book is a very helpful
productions. And so the movie’s bungling of Aragorn (and comparatively brief) collection of historical
and Arwen would have been a big deal to Tolkien, details surrounding the first-century destruction of
even though the visual effects were spectacular. Jerusalem. The first interest of the book is to estab-
lish the credentials of the Lord Jesus as a true
••• prophet of God. What He said would come to fulfill-
ment within one generation did come to complete
Let’s take a moment to compare and contrast two and astonishing fulfillment.
quintessential American sports—baseball and foot- Another item from their catalog that could prove
ball. And let us do so with a full appreciation of very helpful to us in our post 9-11 era is a tape set
both, and let debates about the superiority of one on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Greg Bahnsen
over the other deservedly languish. Baseball is a far represents the Christian faith, and the Muslim on
superior springtime sport and football rules the the tape set is the same johnny who participated in
autumn. Comparing the two competitively is like the polytheistic worship service at the National
asking which of the primary colors is the best. Cathedral.
Baseball is a sport in which the defense handles
the ball the entire time. In football, the offense

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 27

 Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham way America celebrates Christmas to make it a
Ex Libris: (Doubleday, 2001)
Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of
satire. But, sadly, Grisham cannot fully escape
Christmas in his book. Try as he might (and perhaps
Apollo 13
13,, by James Lovell and Jeffrey it wasn’t his intention to try), he cannot avoid
Kluger (Houghton Mifflin, 1994) making this book into another holiday feel-good
Reviewed by Woelke Leithart story. As you no doubt can guess, the moral of the
story is not “Skipping Christmas is a good thing.”
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE, AMERICA IS A RATHER That’s true; it’s not. But the ending nevertheless
schizophrenic country, and in no place is manages to become the very thing it seemed to be
this more evident than in the Christmas satirizing—a celebration of the way that Americans
season, the one just past being no excep- celebrate Christmas. If anything needs skipping, it’s
tion. There are endless comic strips, TV the end.
specials, and inspirational books which tell Verdict: If you enjoy Grisham’s style of writing,
us the “true meaning of Christmas” and don’t bother to buy this one, though it’s a good read.
bemoan the ceaseless commercialism. At For one thing, at 177 pages it hardly qualifies as the
the same time, Christmas decorations “novel” it claims to be. If you’re interested, check it
begin earlier every year; this year they out of the library.
appeared in our local stores in mid-October.
John Grisham’s latest effort, Skipping Christmas, Lost Moon
is no exception to this pattern. I’ve been a fan of
John Grisham for several years, and not merely for President Kennedy’s famous proclamation that
his ability to weave plots that are intriguing. It’s America would win the space race began a long love
certainly not great literature and never will be, but affair between America and that short stretch be-
it’s always good to see a professing Christian hold- tween us and the moon. From the beginning, with
ing his own in the secular market. Grisham’s books the cramped Gemini spacecraft to the modern-day
don’t get relegated to the “Christian” section of the space shuttles, America has always been enchanted
bookstore, not because they are never preachy or with the space program. The excitement peaked in
never involve explicitly Christian ideas and themes, July 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the
but because he isn’t writing only for Christians. Moon itself. The Apollo program continued on until
He’s writing to tell a good story, and that’s what 1972, sending another five missions to walk on its
makes him a good writer. surface.
Skipping Christmas is another change from Not every Apollo mission involved the glorious
Grisham’s usual law-related books. With few attor- event of a moon walk. There was one mission
neys present and not a courtroom in sight, the book which, in spite of its original flight plan, was unable
tells the tale of Luther and Nora Krank (one of to land on the surface of the moon. As many know
several names in the book which are a little too from the movie a few years back, this was the
obvious), an older couple who decide to skip Christ- “unlucky” Apollo 13. Due to an internal problem in
mas. After Luther, an accountant, totals up the the spaceship, the originally planned moon landing
money that they spent last Christmas on such was aborted, and the crew returned home with
things as gifts, cards, parties, and decorations, he nothing to show for their ordeal but the pictures
discovers that they could spend less money and have they took of the Moon landscape as they passed by.
a less stressful holiday if he and his wife took a Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 was
vacation instead. And so they book a cruise in the written by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger and pub-
Caribbean. The catch, of course, is that they can’t lished it in 1994. It tells the story of Jim Lovell, Fred
spend that same money on their normal Christmas Haise, and Jack Swigert, the three astronauts whose
paraphernalia. spacecraft nearly became a permanent satellite. As
The story is set in the stereotypical suburban the title implies, they lost their only chance to land
neighborhood, and so of course the neighbors notice. on the Moon and walk where few have ever walked.
At first, they consider it a joke but then are indig- Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. After
nant at the decision the Kranks make for the simple two successful days of traveling on course, a routine
reason that the street they live on, Hemlock Street stir of the oxygen tanks caused a decidedly non-
(another painful name), will no longer win the city’s routine explosion. With the loss of power, the crew
coveted Best Decorated Street award. And thus the was forced to evacuate the larger command-module
peer-pressure sets in. of the spacecraft in order to take advantage of the
The rest of the book is taken up with the various lunar module which was still working. Using the
antics of the Kranks to avoid having to celebrate engine of the lunar module, which was originally
Christmas. They have nothing against it, of course, designed to land on the Moon itself, to make certain
but not this year. And definitely no decorations. they were on course for a return for earth, the crew
The book is well written and enjoyable to read. was able to turn themselves toward Earth. Within
At the beginning, it almost pokes enough fun at the four days of the explosion, an eternity in the vacuum

28 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

of space, the crew splashed down in the Pacific fascination that results from the knowledge that the
Ocean on April 17, 1970, decidedly shaken but, with crew arrives home alive.
the exception of Fred Haise, who was running a The most noticeable thing about the book is its
slight fever, none the worse for wear. attention to detail. Details of how space flight works
In their book, Lovell and Kluger succeed admira- are strewn throughout the book. There are numbers
bly in their two purposes, first to show that Apollo galore, but they are not really very distracting; they
13 was a harrowing and dangerous mission. Time simply tell the story precisely. Many books are
and time again, the astronauts are faced with a overwhelmed by details and numbers, but Lost Moon
serious problem, such as the loss of their oxygen as is not one of them. Even while it fills the pages with
it slowly converts into carbon dioxide. As soon as details, Lovell and Kluger have not made them up.
they fix this problem, however, another serious They recount in an appendix the steps they took in
problem emerges. The fact that the vacuum of space order to ensure that what they were recounting was
is literally only inches away from where they are an accurate rendition of those four terrifying days in
breathing and fighting for their lives only adds to 1970. They interviewed the people involved, they
the danger. listened to hours of NASA tapes, they read hundreds
Related to the first, the second point the authors of pages of NASA documents, and they used Lovell’s
make in Lost Moon is that the astronauts were own experience and memories.
fortunate to live through their experiences. The But Lost Moon has its shortcomings too. One of
number of problems that they had to overcome in the most obvious is the book’s focus on Lovell.
order to return home safely is staggering. Without While the book is written in the third person in
the hard work of the men on the ground in Houston, order to emphasize the fact that more people were
who took the tired astronauts through every step of involved, it remains the case that this is a book
the procedures they needed to go through in order to about Lovell. There is nothing wrong with this; after
return in one piece, it is impossible to imagine that all, he co-wrote it. But the stories of how Lovell goes
the three men could have returned at all. At the close through the Naval Academy, while interesting,
of the book, the authors spend most of the epilogue divert the reader from the principle subject at hand.
explaining what went wrong with the spacecraft. It is rather distracting to have a chapter about how
The number of things which combined together to Lovell first entered NASA in the middle of two
cause the explosion in the oxygen tank are mind- chapters about the crisis aboard Apollo 13. Again,
boggling. By simply looking at the bare data, one these diversions are interesting, but distract from
wonders how they made it home at all. They were the main focus of the story.
indeed fortunate. Of course, Lovell isn’t perfect. As one of those
As a book, Lost Moon has many strengths. Perhaps saved by the hard work of NASA and its employees,
its greatest strength is the fact that it is a true story. he is hardly critical of the agency. While it is cer-
Apollo 13 was an actual spacecraft that really had tainly possible that, had NASA performed more
problems hundreds of thousands of miles from stringent tests and inspections of the Apollo 13
Earth. Jim Lovell was a real person who almost spacecraft before its launch, the disaster could have
didn’t make it home from outer space. Unlike so been averted, Lovell nowhere mentions this. No-
many exciting stories written today, the events where in the book is a critical tone adopted toward
recounted in the pages of Lost Moon really did hap- NASA. Perhaps they don’t deserve it, but either way
pen. The fact that one of the authors of the book Lovell appears reluctant to criticize the agency that
was one of those who was actually on board Apollo saved his life. This is understandable, but exposes
13 adds a sense of realism to the story. one of his biases.
Unlike many books of its kind, Lost Moon is also a In spite of the shortcomings of this book, it can
completely riveting book. Authors Lovell and Kluger be heartily recommended for telling the story of one
are excellent writers who know what they are talking of the most harrowing chapters in space exploration
about. They are able to write about the events taking in a manner that is not at all difficult to follow or
place inside a spacecraft and make it seem real. Part comprehend. Lost Moon may not be the best book
of this is due to the fact that Lovell was actually ever written by someone who was actually involved
there, but it’s also because of the way they write. in a crisis, but it certainly is one of the most fun to
Another strength of this book is its happy read.
ending. Stories with happy endings really are more Verdict: An excellent story, largely because, like
fun to read. Had Apollo 13 ended in disaster with the all the good stories, it’s true. If you can find a copy
crew losing their lives, books would certainly have of this, it’s worth buying.
been published on the event. But reading the conver-
sations of the crew, which the authors took directly
from tapes provided by NASA, would then become a
rather morbid occupation of reading the words of
men who died shortly thereafter, rather than the

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 29

 Mutterings on the Ultimate Forgery
A Christian catalog company had a little sidebar
Cave of Adullam: Regnant Follies thingy entitled “Seven Creative Ways to Share
Stonewall Thompson Jesus.” The first one was “Send a friend a greeting
card of encouragement and sign it from Jesus.”
You may have to practice the handwriting some.
We Already Knew This
A scientific study at Cambridge University
has determined that if you drug mice, and Les Behind, as the French Say
then make them listen to loud dance
We obtained an evangelistic tract called “Left Behind:
music, it kills them. The study has been
The Message.” After the message part, the suggested
attacked as “despicable” cruelty by animal
prayer starts this way: “Dear God, I believe in You,
welfare campaigners.
and I believe everything You say in the Bible is true.
Loud dance music? The minuet is the only
I believe the earth’s last days are close . . .”
dance we know of, and a harpsichord can’t play
Some folks believe their eschatology strongly enough to
loud. What kind of science is this?
include it in the Sinner’s Prayer. But do they believe it
strongly enough to include a clause that allows someone to
opt out when the whole thing turns out to be another dud?
Credit-Where-Credit’s-Due Dept. Again. “I believe everything you say in the Bible is true, and
We are not sure, but we think that Willow that earth’s last days are close. But if it turns out that they
Creek Community Church has made it are not close, and this whole business is just one more false
into the Cave more than anyone else. alarm, and the Lord has not returned by 2010, I am afraid
Some folks know how to strive for excel- I will have to call into question everything else in the Bible,
lence. and leave the church that scared me into the faith under
After the 9-11 attacks, Senior Pastor Bill Hybels false pretences. Thank you, Lord, for . . .”
invited a local Muslim leader, Fisal Hammouda, to
speak to the assembled worshippers—about 17,000
over four services. One worshipper commented after asdlkdskg
the service that she had not known that Muslims
Sometimes we are tempted to think that the market
believed in Jesus too. “I thought it was interesting
on superstitious religious folly has been cornered by
how much we have in common.”
modern evangelicals. But then we get hold of some-
A Muslim is a Unitarian in a turban. A modern
thing that shows that this kind of thing has been
evangelical is a Unitarian in a fog.
going on for quite some time now. So check out the
products at monasteryicons.com—especially those
magnet ones for the fridge.
Yet Another Flyer dgdsg
Another church, which shall remain nameless, but
which almost certainly has “Community” in their
name, has sent out a flyer to get people to come to Principled Decisions, Pt. XXXIX
their services. There is a picture of a rocketship on
The Western Division of the Salvation Army has
one side of the card, and a cheerful “Join as we
reversed its earlier stand on same-sex partner ben-
launch!” on the other. Worshippers are exhorted:
efits, and has decided to offer them. This move will
“Come in your jeans, t-shirts, and dirty old ball
allow them to compete for taxpayer money in San
caps . . .”
Francisco, which has an ordinance requiring city
Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with
contractors to offer such benefits to their employees
absolutely no demands, and multitudes of pathetic expecta-
with domestic partners, whether married or unmar-
tions.
ried, inboard or outboard. One spokesman for the
Salvation Army said, “This decision . . . is made on
the basis of strong ethical and moral reasoning that
Those Darn Assault Weapons reflects the dramatic changes in family structure in
A minuteman is the school mascot of a middle recent years.”
school in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. This minuteman used Kind of restores your faith in human nature. This is the
to hold, in the typical fashion, the kind of musket kind of thing we need much more of in these relativistic
that these extremists used to carry around back in days—why can’t more organizations see the benefits of
the day. But the principal of said school, saying that “strong ethical and moral reasoning”?
guns have no place at school, had the picture re-
painted, sans gun.
We think he should be painted a third time, this time
without a backbone.

30 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

 since the times of the Apostles. Darby rejected the
150 Years of Driving
Years advice of knowledgeable counselors who criticized
Eschaton: In Reverse his doctrinal inventions as “speculative nonsense.”
About the same time in America, an uneducated
Jack Van Deventer farmer named William Miller came up with similar
sounding doctrines, predicted the Lord’s return in
IF ONE WERE TO PONDER GOD’S JUDICIAL SANC- 1843, and had more than 50,000 followers within 5
tions in history, what might they look years. Dispensational prophetic speculation remains
like? Stated another way, if you were to wildly popular today with the success of authors like
make a list of the ways in which God Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, and Jerry B. Jenkins, the
punishes His covenant people for disobedi- chief spokesmen and theologians for these fanciful
ence, what specific curses might be poured doctrines.
out? Although God’s judgments could Trend 3: End Times Anticipation
Anticipation. Edward
(and possibly will) be worse, the trends in Irving’s emotionally-charged preaching on the
Christianity over the last century and a imminent second coming led to an expectation of the
half indicate judgment, not blessing. return of supernatural gifts of the Spirit. When an
Through disobedience the Church has outbreak of “tongues” occurred among the women of
become plagued by such things as liberal- Irving’s church, all London was in an uproar. Ob-
ism, feminism, anti-intellectualism, emotionalism, servers noted uncontrolled outbursts and shrieks
etc. More and more, the Church has left its first love sounding like “Lall lall lall!” Irving, described as “a
and failed in its mission. ship without a keel,” was powerless to stop it. Many
Until repentance in the Church takes root and Englishmen agreed with Irving’s friend, Thomas
God restores His blessing to His people, these sins Carlyle, who wondered, “Why was there not a
will continue to plague the Church. Below, are listed bucket of cold water to fling on that lah-lalling
five historical trends in the Christian church that hysterical madwoman?” Good question. The modern
suggest God’s displeasure. charismatic movement, the outgrowth of unre-
Trend 1: Pessimism. The idea that the strained prophetic anticipation at Irving’s church,
Church would fail in its God-ordained mission of remains with us today.
discipling the nations seemed a foreign concept in Trend 4: Anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism. Charles
the first half of the 19th century. God was under- Finney popularized preaching which emphasized
stood to be sovereign and He ruled the nations; so emotionalism and sentimentality. D.L. Moody
who could stop Him? In the early 1800’s, doctrines applied Finney’s techniques as well, while de-
began to be formed anticipating the Lord’s soon emphasizing doctrinal content. Emotional preaching,
return, despite the fact that the nations hadn’t been it seemed, was viewed as the essential catalyst for
discipled yet. Gradually the focus of the Church leading people to Christ. When Billy Sunday, a
shifted from the long-term (cultural transformation former professional baseball player, sat for his
through gospel preaching) to the short term (“Come Presbyterian ordination exam in 1903, his typical
rescue me quickly, Lord Jesus”). Christ’s lordship, it response to questions of theology and history were
seems, no longer extended to all nations but merely “That’s too deep for me” or “I’ll have to pass that
to the hearts of men. Mankind “invariably fails the one up.” But emotion won the day as Sunday
test” and could not be viewed as a reliable vehicle for confessed, “I don’t know any more about theology
global evangelism. God was perceived as playing a than a jack-rabbit knows about ping-pong, but I’m
diminishing role in human history while Satan was on my way to glory!” Is it any wonder that spurious
expected to become increasingly active in world teachings, especially with regard to “end times”
affairs. Thus, the traditional doctrines of God’s speculation, remain with us today?
sovereignty and providence are no longer relevant in Trend 5: The Erosion of Doctrinal Integ-
this pessimistic worldview. rity
rity. Few things have changed more in the last 150
Trend 2: End Times Speculation. Beginning years than the proclamation of the gospel. Sermons
with the French Revolution, date-setting concerning on the God’s power to draw all men to Himself have
the Lord’s return became popular, if not frenzied. been replaced by man-centered sermons on personal
Much of the date-setting speculation took place by pietism (the narrow scope to which Christ’s lordship
lay people, people outside the Established Church, or is still acknowledged). Most modern evangelicals
renegades of one type or another who lacked doctri- now dismiss the notion of winning the world to
nal accountability. The belief among the speculators Christ. To this day, even the foundational doctrines
was that one only needed to find the hidden pro- of Christendom are unpopular in most churches.
phetic key in Scripture that would unlock the secret These trends suggest the Church, due to disobe-
code necessary for predicting the Lord’s return. J.N. dience, is under the judgment of God. The Church
Darby, the father of dispensationalism, had his must repent and regain the strength that comes from
unique strategies for prophetic interpretation and rightly worshipping an all-powerful and sovereign
believed that God had shown him truths hidden God.

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 31

 Quotations in Order of Appearance: Poetics:
1. Enderton, Herbert, A Mathematical Introduction to Logic
Verbatim: (New York: Academic Press, 1972) p.15.
1. Tarkington, Booth, Penrod and Sam (New York:
Doubleday, 1916) p. 149. Cultura
Cultura:
2. Barfield, Owen, Poetic Diction (Middleton: Wesleyan 1. Interview of Frank Brock, president, Covenant College,
University Press, 1973) p. 63. Lookout Mountain, GA, by Dr. Robert Rayburn during Adult
3. Wodehouse, P.G., The Most of P.G. Wodehouse (New York: Sunday School, Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA), Tacoma, WA,
Simon Schuster, 1927) p. 537. Summer 2001.
4. Lewis, C. S. , The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval 2. I should note that Dordt is my alma mater (B.A. in
Tradition (London: Oxford University Press, 1938) p. 60. philosophy, 1975), so Burtchaell’s assessment is personally
5. Lewis, C. S., Miracles (New York: Macmillan, 1960) p. 72. disappointing.
6. Ibid, p. 79. 3. Burtchaell, James Tunstead, The Dying of the Light: The
7. Tolkien, J.R.R., The Hobbit (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Disengagement of Colleges and Universities from their Christian
1966) p. 94. Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998) p. 809.

Incarnatus:
Tohu:
1. Plantinga, Alvin, Warranted Christian Belief (New York:
1. It is worthwhile to reproduce more of Milne’s encomium: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000) p. 303.
“One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young 2. Wood, W. Jay, Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually
man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does Virtuous (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998) p. 176.
not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on
his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of
character. We can’t criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I
must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it,
A Little Help for Our Friends
don’t be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in
judgment on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You
are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy:
• Canadian Law allows for the private sponsorship of
I don’t know. But it is you who are on trial.” I couldn’t find the international refugees. For information of the sponsorship of
original source; it is quoted on several websites. persecuted Christian Sudanese email vanderwoerd@shaw.ca or
2. This scene, or indeed the story as a whole, is not likely phone/fax 604-882-1170
intended to be Christian. Grahame himself seems to have • More Canada. Covenant Reformed Church’s (10803 94th
discarded his Scottish Christian background for some sort of Street, Grande Prairie, AB) Covenant Press is a distributor of
Romantic, Victorian neo-paganism. However, this does not Canon titles for Canada. www.covenantpress.ca.
diminish the value of his fairy tale. Today’s Christians, who • Pastor Randy Booth has sponsored a mission in the
think Janette Oke is a great writer, are certainly not in a position Houston area, and we are ready to welcome any who wish to join
to criticize it. us. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church is now meeting at
3. See Rolland Hein, “C. S. Lewis: Myth and Sehnsucht” in Rosehill Christian School, 19830 FM 2920, Tomball, Texas.
Christian Mythmakers, (Chicago: Cornerstone Press, 1998). I do Lord’s Day services start at 10AM and conclude with lunch for
not unilaterally endorse Hein’s views (e.g., his dainty distaste for all. Please call (936) 931-2787, write genef@accelernet.net or
the climax of Perelandra). Grahame’s own sehnsucht takes on check out our web site at www.gcpchurch.org.
new meaning when you consider his boring job shuffling paper • Christ Reformed Church is now functioning in the
for the Bank of England and his otherwise rather depressing life. Waterville/Winslow area (Maine). Those interested should write
He had little good from Home or Road. His mother died when P.O. Box 148, Waterville, ME 04903 or call 207-437-2222 or
he was young and his father was an alcoholic. His marriage was 207-445-2488
mediocre at best. He did very little with himself from when the • Send Wodehouse books to Lutheran missionaries in Chad.
Willows was published in 1908 until his death in 1932. His only Info: Paul and Teresa Szobody, Mission Fraternelle Lutherienne,
son Alistair (nicknamed Mouse), for whom it was written, B.P. 11, ounou Gaya, CHAD, Africa
committed suicide at the age of 19 by throwing himself under a • 2002 Christian Worldview Student Conference sponsored
train. by Calvary ReformedPresbyterian Church.
4. I am not perpetuating Lewis’ lingering Platonism. I do Date: July 8–13, 2002
think there is a valid ontological distinction between the world Location: Christopher Newport U. Newport News, VA
of our perception and the Reality of God’s existence: one is Speakers: Steve Wilkins, George Grant, Gene Veith, Ken
derivative being and the other is self-referential being and the Gentry, Rick Yates and David Longaere.
two differ qualitatively. Our reality is not less real simply For information contact: crpc@visi.net or CWSC, 403
because it is derivative; rather, being derivative is what makes it Whealton Road, Hampton, VA 23666; or call(757) 826-5942.
real in the first place. Myth drives us first to God’s Other
Reality, which is one we cannot experience; but more impor-
tantly it drives us to the greatest thing we can experience: the
future glorified state of our present reality, which will be more
than enough to fully satisfy every sehnsucht.

Stauron:
1. Lewis, C. S., The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval
Tradition (London: Oxford University Press, 1936) p. 44.

Poimen:
1. Or the organist, or the secretary, or the leader of the
Woman’s Auxiliary, what have you.

32 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

God of All Glory Conference
Sponsored by Christ Church, Spokane
May 10–11, 2002
Spokane, Washington

Speakers: Phillip Johnson and Douglas Wilson

Friday Evening, May 10

Sessions
Douglas Wilson: Honoring the Triune God as God: Why a
Sovereign God is Not Muscle-Bound

Phillip Johnson: The Beauty of Holiness

Saturday, May 11 Registration

Sessions Deadline:
April 30
Douglas Wilson: Kindness and Severity: Why the Love of God is
Not What Openness Advocates Say It Is Information:
Susan Williams
Phillip Johnson: God Without Mood Swings
(509)928-5919
Douglas Wilson: Gratitude and Goodness: Understanding the
Goodness at the Heart of True Christian Thanksgiving swilliams@oaks-
online.org
Phillip Johnson: The Sin of Forgetting God’s Sovereignty

Saturday, May 11
Evening Ball
Doors open: 6:00 P.M.
Grand March: 6:30 P.M.

Reservation Deadline: April 15

Cost Pre-deadline: $15 single, $25 family
Cost Post-deadline: $25 single, $35 family

Reservations: Laurie Ditton, (509)459-4734, sptelecom@quest.net

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 33

 government was sympathetic with the demand and
Red Barn that international pressure was mounting on New
Pictura: Douglas Wilson Kirkland.”
Her voice was striking, reassuring, and confi-
dent, but not at all brassy. “The celebrated cause of
WHEN RECOUNTING STRANGE EVENTS, A COMMON Dr. Morrison received international attention when
device is to tell it all as a dream—but this it was revealed that the jury which had convicted
was not really a dream. I was asleep, I think, him on violent rape and sodomy charges apparently
but one of the images was more like a vision, did so in part because of Dr. Morrison’s role in
and the other scattered images that night editing the collected works of the Marquis de Sade.
seemed as though they were a reception of The editor’s preface to those works, written by
broadcasts from another time. That other Morrison, and published by a major New York firm,
time was nothing like the past, and so that was entered into evidence by the prosecution. A jury
left the future. In seeing the broadcasts, I convicted Morrison three weeks ago, and two days
knew their stories, but had no idea how. later the district judge sentenced him to death by
The vision was the first thing I saw, and hanging. The execution is scheduled for a week from
whenever the other tangled images got too compli- today.
cated, this vision would silently reappear. It must “President Romanowski has the constitutional
have done this three or four times through the authority to grant a pardon and release him to the
night. international observers, or send him directly back to his
native Baltimore in southern New York. The adminis-
tration has scheduled a press conference for nine in the
morning, mountain time, which our web page will
The barn was a common red for barns, on the bright cover live. And now sports, after this.”
side, and was tilted slightly forward. It was sur-
rounded by water, up to the hay loft. The water was
not the water you see in farm country in time of rivers
flooding, but rather it was a cold, blue, silent ocean. I saw a clean cell with one bunk in it, a chair, a small
The water had a very slight chop, and extended in every table, and a toilet in the corner. A slight mousey-
direction, as far as the horizon, and in the middle, looking man sat on the edge of his cot, dressed in an
facing me obliquely at an angle, was this barn. I could orange jumpsuit. His hair was like oakum, and his
not tell if the barn was floating, or if the ocean was professorial moustache highlighted the fact that he had
shallow. Further I could not tell if the water was no chin to speak of. He sat on the edge of his bed, near
receding or soon to overwhelm the barn. I had no the end, a pathetic crumple. When his hands moved,
notion of what it might mean, and honestly have to which was rarely, they had a furtive, lubriceous
say that I still do not. fondness for one another.
Two cops from the sherriff’s department were
sitting together, in an anteroom outside the cell
block, each on the front of his chair, leaning toward
Susannah Watson was an attractive brunette prepar- one another, heads together, and speaking intently.
ing to turn to the first camera in a busy newsroom. “Did you see the netcast from New York? The
The volume was down, but I could hear her urgently demonstrations in the street? The signs they were
telling one of the cameramen that he needed to back carrying? ‘A Freedom Writer is a Freedom Fighter!’?”
away to the left. One of the studio hands indicated The other cop chuckled. “I wish they could see
five seconds to air time, and Susannah quickly placed their grand hero, drooling and masturbating in his
a long white linen cloth on top of her head, which cell.”
fell gracefully down to each shoulder. She hadn’t had “Naw, they don’t care to see him. But they sure
to wear one at her previous job, but this network want to talk about him.”
was more conservative—and more to the point, paid
much more.
Earlier I had seen the complete studio, but suddenly
I just saw her speaking, but there was no screen. The The odd thing about the barn was that virtually
volume jumped to normal. nothing happened in the vision. Whenever I saw it, it
“This evening President Hawkins of New York seemed that I was seeing enormous stretches of time,
called upon New Kirkland to release Dr. Morrison during which the water just softly lapped against its
immediately into the custody of international observ- sides.
ers sent from Geneva. These comments were made at a
joint news conference with the president of Aztlan,
Miguel Ortiz. Ortiz, visiting from Los Angeles for the
signing of a controversial trade agreement, said that his

34 Credenda “Things to be Believed” Volume 14 / Number 1

The president turned to his three ministers sum- handhelds, were ready in short order. While they
moned to his office for a late evening meeting. were readying themselves, Susannah introduced
“What’s your take?” herself to Dr. Morrison, who simply nodded at her
The minister of defense was a retired general quietly.
named Jonadab Smith, one who had very few opinions “Time,” the first cameraman said.
outside his craft. “I know what I would do if this were “Dr. Morrison, this is the first time you have agreed
a court martial. We wouldn’t be talking about it to speak out publicly on your conviction. Do you have
because he would be two weeks dead already. But what any comments on the trial or sentence?”
you really need from me is not advice but rather a His face was ashen with fear, but like a man
report. Our forces are strong in the south where the possessed he simply licked his lips for a few seconds,
real threat from Aztlan is, and sufficient to the east. It then looked at Susannah and swore blasphemously at
is not always this way, but on this go round at least, her. The deputy who had spoken earlier looked at the
you can afford to do what is right. And remember that cameramen. “Turn those things off.” When one had,
Aztlan has Spanish Texas to the east, and their ambas- and the other pretended to, the deputy looked down at
sador told me we should hang him high.” Morrison and said, “You speak that way to a Christian
The minister of state, Clifford Case, shook his head lady again, and I’ll break your little pencil neck.”
nervously and quickly urged the president to sign a “You agreed to the interview,” Susannah said, “but
pardon, and be done with both the issue and the man. do you still want it?”
“He is a true creep, I agree, but it was probably not wise Morrison shook his head slowly, and stood up,
to let his academic work be entered into evidence. And trying to look magisterial, but it seemed as though
the last thing we need is for this whole issue to become invisible fingers were plucking at his limbs. At the
an obstacle to our border negotations. If Milwaukee door, he turned back. “In the name of true philosophy,
goes to New York, we will have trouble there for all is permitted.”
years.” “Including what will happen to you,” Susannah
The minister of justice was named Mike Ralston, said. Morrison fell backward as though he had been
and spoke last, looking sideways at the minister of struck in the face, and he was caught by the deputies,
state, somewhat defensively. “No, Cliff, the trial was as who then turned him back and steered him through
fair as it gets. The preface he wrote was relevant the door. The three sat alone in the conference room
because most of the things he did to Mrs. Johnston for a few moments, and then stood up to leave. On the
were written about beforehand in detail in this pur- way back to their vehicle, the second cameraman began
ported work of high scholarship. And beyond the to chortle. “I can’t believe he didn’t check!”
fairness of the trial, how can we start letting the cities
of the plain start telling us how to administer justice?
This guy is the Nietszche of orgasm, and there is only
one honorable way to be rid of him.” The hangman stood quietly at the rear of the plat-
The president sat quietly at his desk, tapping his form. He had spent the morning testing the trap
teeth with a pencil. mechanism, and had checked and rechecked the noose.
A minister sent by the Convocation stood on the right
side of the platform. Coming up to the top of the stairs,
Dr. Morrison spat at him and missed. But the minister,
Susannah stood in the waiting room of the county jail who was there to read Scripture aloud only if Morrison
where Dr. Morrison was being held. He had agreed to wanted it, simply stepped back. His Bible remained at
an interview just hours before, but then the his side.
sherriff’s department said there was only one afternoon The process was soft, swift, and methodical.
when it was even possible, and that was that same day. Morrison’s hands were handcuffed behind him, a hood
Two cameramen, both griping about the fact that was placed over his head, and the noose fastened.
they didn’t had time to bring the good equipment, Behind a one-way glass, up behind the platform, Mrs
stood behind Susannah, fooling with their palm Johnston sat with her family, hands folded on her lap.
cameras. After a few moments, the taut rope creaked into
A deputy soon escorted them to a large meeting silence. To the very end of his life, he could fear an
room, where they found Dr. Morrison seated at a large argument, but not follow one.
brown conference table, and two large deputies stand-
ing behind him, one at each shoulder.
“Is there any way we can have you gentlemen off-
camera?” Susannah asked. Shortly before I woke, I saw the barn again, and for the
“I’m afraid not, ma’am. This one doesn’t look like last time. The only difference I could make out was
much, but he is a danger. The sherriff said this is the that I could now see the top of the door.
only way we can do it.”
“Thank you. I was just asking.”
The cameramen, for all their complaints about the

Agenda “Things to be Done” Volume 14 / Number 1 35