Archive for the ‘Tri-Perspectivalism’ Category
Nietzsche vs. Christianity: Part 2
This lecture is an explanation of the Protestant Christian worldview from Genesis to Revelation. Audio is available here.
I. Creation
A. Ex Nihilo
B. Out of God’s pleasure
C. Creation was good
D. Man made in image of God: male and female
E. Cultural Mandate
F. The task given Adam was to make the whole Earth like Eden by:
“numerically and geographically expand God’s image over the face of the
entire Earth”
- Covenant of Works (Hosea 6:7)
- Adam is Federal Head (Rom. 5:12-21)
- Blessings for obedience; curses for disobedience
a. Blessing – Life
b. Curse – Death
c. Divine benevolence, Human loyalty
II. Fall
- Serpent tempts Eve, questions God’s goodness
- Adam was there and doesn’t say anything
- Curse:
- All humanity fell in the Fall because of Adam’s representative nature
- All creation fell and feels the frustrating affects of the fall
- Proto-Euangelion – Gen. 3:15-20
- Seed of the woman vs. Seed of the Serpent
Abel Cain
Seth
Enoch Enoch
Lamech Lamech
Noah
Shem/Japheth Ham
Abraham
Isaac Ishmael
Jacob Esau
III. Redemption
A. Covenant of Grace
1. Noah – establishes stability on the Earth (Gen. 6, 9)
-Baptism: deliverance from waters of judgment
2. Abraham – establishes promised offspring who will bless all nations (Gen. 12:1-3; 15; 17), (Gal. 3:16)
3. Moses – establishes law and order above natural law (Ex. 19-24)
-“I will be your God and you will be my people”
4. David – establishes eternal king/throne (Psalm 89)
5. Christ – fulfillment of the covenant of grace (Jer. 31; Ezek. 36/37)
B. Historical Summary
Creation, Fall, Expulsion, Cain/Able, Flood, Babel, Shem
Abraham moves, Abraham/Lot, Abraham/Melchizedek, Abraham Covenant, Abraham buys land in Canaan/Eden
Isaac, Jacob/Esau, Jacob/Israel, 12 Sons, Joseph into Captivity, Famine
400 Year Enslavement/Exile, Moses/Pharaoh, Passover, Egypt to Sinai
Sinai, Law at Sinai – Tabernacle, Priesthood, Purification, Yom Kippur, Feasts: (Sabbath, Passover, Sabbatical year/Jubilee, Weeks, Tabernacles)
Wilderness Wanderings, Encampment at Canaan, Canaan Conquest/Joshua, Jericho vs. Ai, Land Divided
Judges-Ruth – ‘Everyone did what was right in his own eyes’ (Judges 17:6)
Eli, Samuel, Rejection of YHWH as king, Saul
David – covenant – line/throne, unification, conquest (iron), Bathsheba
Solomon – Temple, wealth/wisdom, Phoenicians, foreign wives/gods
Divided Kingdom – Rehoboam (S – Judah), Jeroboam (N – Israel/Ephraim)
North – Babsha, Omri, Jehu, Ahab/Jez/Baal vs. Elijah, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, 3 kings – Menaham, Pekahiah, Pehah, Hoshea… Assyria/exile
South – Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah, Manassah, Josiah – Amon/Jeremiah, Jerusalem Sacked – 586
Cyrus’ Decree, Return from Exile, 2nd Temple/Wall (Ezra-Nehemiah),
Late Pre-exilic
-Nahum – God’s wrath on Nineveh
-Zephaniah – The Day of the Lord
-Habakkuk – Resolving questions about God’s justice
-Joel – Day of the Lord is both near AND future
-Lamentations – God as source of both good and hard providence
-Obadiah – pride goes before a fall
Exilic
-Ezekiel – Judgment and restoration of Judah
-Daniel – God’s rule and care for his people
Post-Exilic
-Haggai – setting priorities
-Zechariah – God’s restoration of zion
-Malachi – Honoring God
400 years of silence
C. Prefigurations
1. Melchizedek
2. Angel
3. Manna
4. Rock
5. Tabernacle
6. 3 fold office: Prophet/Priest/King
D. Jesus
1. Virgin birth
2. Hypostatic Union – God/man
3. Prophet/Priest/King
4. Law – civil/ceremonial/civil
5. Penal Substitution – great exchange – my sin for his righteousness
-New Record
-New Heart
-New World
6. Death/Resurrection
7. Ascension
8. Enthronement – Intercession
IV. Consummation
1. Redemption of all of creation
2. Redemption of the church
3. Inauguration/Continuation/Consummation
Tri-Perspectival Leadership Diagram
Here is a link to an incredibly helpful tri-perspectival church leadership diagram. I think the assessment is pretty fair all the way around.
3 Month Introspective
Introspective
So, I’ve been blogging consistently for three months. This is the week of Christmas and I’ll be all over the place. I thought I would briefly summarize the 3 months of blog series on here:
Blaise Pascal: We took a look at Blaise Pascal’s thinking, its use of aphorism and its relationship to both tri-perspectivalism and presuppositionalism. We also looked at his use of aphorism and his warnings against deism and atheism.
Thoughts on Evangelicalism Past, Present, and Future, Parts 1-7: We defined the term evangelical. We looked at its historical roots in the First Great Awakening, Second Great Awakening, and its ties to celebrity culture, democritization of knowledge, and modernism. Then we looked at the roots of liberalism, the Protestant split and suburbanization, and defined and outlined evangelical populism and their game plan for reaching America. Finally we assessed the current status of American evangelicalism and then made some predictions of future trends.
Introduction to Apologetics, Parts 1-7: We looked in broad strokes at the various schools of apologetics. We then took a more in-depth look at: Classical Apologetics, Evidentialist Apologetics, Presuppositional Apologetics, and the specific apologetics of Blaise Pascal and Alvin Plantinga. Finally, we employed the three phases football as an analogy for the different apologetic schools and I likened Tim Tebow to the presuppositionalists.
Thoughts on Evangelicalism Moving Forward, Parts 1-10: We looked at some analysis of some shifts evangelicalism will need to make moving forward: Doctrine, Worldview, Urbanization, Globality/Mobility, “Post-Modernism,” American Culture(s), Contextualization, Balance, and Final Analysis.
Top ~10 Books by Topic:
Top 10 Systematic Theology Texts
Top 10 Books on Science and Christianity
Top 10 Books on Christian Biography
Top 15 Books on Status of American Evangelicalism
Top 10 Books on Church History
Top 40 Books to Read While in College
Top 10 Books on Missions, Discipleship, and Evangelism
The 25 Most Destructive Books Ever Written…
Top 10 Books on Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Best Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms of the Christian Church
A Comprehensive List of Top 10 Book Lists of 2009
Up Next: We will be looking at some thoughts on the economy and investment and then delve into the mind of Friedrich Nietzsche…
Top 40 Books to Read While in College
Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
You will never have more discretionary time than while in college. This is a critical time for you to develop your character and mind. This is a list of what I think are the most important books to work through during your time as an undergrad. These books focus on developing your heart to affection (orthopathos), renewing your mind to truth (orthodoxy), and provoking your hands to kingdom work (orthopraxis). Take 10 books a year and devote 30 minutes a day – you’ll finish the list, perhaps even early.
Note: I have listed them in order of how I think they should be read and not necessarily in order of how good they are. For sake of space, I am not going to do a writeup on each of these. If you have a question(s) about a book(s), just post in the comments.
1. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
2. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever
3. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
4. Designed for Dignity by Richard Pratt
5. The Fuel and the Flame by Steve Shadrach
6. Tell the Truth by Will Metzger
7. The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
8. Holiness by J.C. Ryle
9. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable by F.F. Bruce
10. Universe Next Door by James Sire
11. Knowing God by J.I. Packer
12. Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
13. Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
14. Pensees by Blaise Pascal
15. No Place for Truth by David Wells
16. The Cross of Christ by John Stott
17. Culture Wars by James Hunter
18. Let The Nations Be Glad by John Piper
19. Salvation Belongs to the Lord by John Frame
20. Desiring God (or something else more substantial) by John Piper
21. The John Frame Trilogy: Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, Doctrine of God, Doctrine of the Christian Life by John Frame
22. The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel Huntington
23. Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
24. Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe
25. Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
26. Love the Lord Your God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland
27. Darwin on Trial by Phillip Johnson
28. Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark
29. Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley
30. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
31. How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Fee and Stuart
32. He Gave us Stories by Richard Pratt [there is a nice summary here]
33. Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin
34. Confessions by St. Augustine
35. Warranted Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga
36. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (I included this book because it is important for us to study antithetical works, I will make a list of books like this one later)
37. What is a Healthy Church Member by Thabiti Anyabwile
38. Habits of the Mind by James Sire
39. Why We’re Not Emergent: From Two Guys That Should Be by Ted Kluck and Kevin Deyoung
40. Baptism and Fullness by John Stott
What books would you add?
Top 10 Systematic Theology Texts
Doctrine of the Christian Life... oh so good
1. Doctrine of God/Knowledge of God/Christian Life (Lordship Trilogy) by John Frame [y, l, e, p, s]
Frame is comprehensive in laying out the foundation for how we know God and how we live in light of the Scriptures.
2. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem [y, l, e, p, s]
A highly readable systematic theology.
3. Reformed Dogmatics vols. 1-4 by Herman Bavinck [p, s]
A solid Dutch Reformed work, translated well in English. It is a pretty technical read but worth the effort.
4. Institutes of Christian Religion (2 vol.) by John Calvin [e, p, s]
Calvin’s classic, need I say more?
5. Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof [e, p, s]
Fairly readable and thorough systematic.
6. Salvation Belongs to the Lord by John Frame [y, l, e, p, s]
This is Frame’s mini-systematic, a good first systematic.
7. Institutes of Elenctic Theology by Francis Turretin [p, s]
Want to read the text that John Calvin’s seminary used? Charles Hodge/Old Princeton also used this text.
8. The Christian’s Reasonable Service (4 Vol) by Wilhelmus A Brakel [l, e, p, s]
Thanks to Reformation Heritage Books you can now actually find these books in the same place. He was a Dutch Pastor who wrote this 4 volume systematic theology for the people in his church.
9. A New Systematic Theology Of The Christian Faith by Robert Reymond [e, p, s]
Reymond has written a sound Presbyterian systematic theology.
10. Christian Beliefs by Wayne and Elliot Grudem [c, y, l, e, p, s]
This book is a heavily condensed version of #2 on this list. I included Christian Beliefs because the text is understandable to all people of all ages. I think it is important to have at least one book that covers all ages.
Honorable Mention: Christian Theology by Millard Erickson [y, l, e, p, s]
(c=children; y=young adult; l=lay leader; e=elder; p=pastor; s=scholar)
Introduction to Apologetics, Part 7: Concluding Thoughts
Tim Tebow as Presuppositionalist
I see a place for all the apologetic schools in defense of Christianity. There are some that are firmly entrenched in their particular school or tradition, and for the most part I understand where they are coming from. I happen to think the presuppositionatlists are head and shoulders above the other schools and I happen to agree that their approach is the most Biblical, and therefore the most God glorifying. However, I see a lot of value in the classical and evidentialist schools and I don’t think we should throw the baby out with the bath water. From a personal perspective, intelligent design, the teleological argument, and the ontological argument had a profound impact on my life.
I think the main value of evidences are to bolster pre-existing faith by showing that our faith is not unreasonable, unjustified, or unwarranted. I think the main value of presuppositional apologetics is calling all non-Christian worldviews to task over the fact that they hold mutually exclusive propositions and cannot account for all things.
Perhaps its a silly analogy, but I liken apologetics to the three phases of football: offense, defense, and special teams. The presuppositionalists are on the offensive challenging false notions in other worldviews. The classical and evidentialist apologetists are defending the reasonability of the Christian faith. Then there are guys like Blaise Pascal, and Alvin Plantinga that specialize in kickoffs, punts, PATs, and field goals. Together they present a coherent, consistent, and believable Christianity that makes sense of existence intellectually, emotionally, and experientially.
Seeds of Tri-Perspectivalism
This picture is of John Frame. He is quite possibly the most brilliant human being alive. If you have not read his Divine Lordship Trilogy (Doctrine of God, Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, and Doctrine of the Christian Life), it is most thorough, thoughtful, and foundational (and surprisingly readable). If you don’t know what Tri-Perspectivalism is, I suggest you read this primer from Frame, or this more succinct article on wikipedia. We all have beliefs/positions/opinions and we also all have frameworks through which we come to affirming those beliefs/positions/opinions. The beauty of tri-perspectivalism is that it Biblically accounts for knowledge from Scripture, from experience, and from interaction with others…
Well, one of Pascal’s most intriguing thoughts is #170. These foursentences are an incisive critique of different theories of knowledge, as well as, a shell of an epistemological framework:
170. Submission. One must know when it is right to doubt, to affirm, to submit. Anyone who does otherwise does not understand the force of reason. Some men run counter to these three principles, either affirming that everything can be proved, because they know nothing about proof, or doubting everything can be proved, because they do not know when to submit, or always submitting, because they do not know when judgment is called for. Skeptic, mathematician, Christian; doubt, affirmation, submission.
Pascal deconstructs the person who doubts everything – the skeptic, and accuses them of never knowing how to submit. Pascal deconstructs the person who thinks that everything can be affirmed – the Mathematician (or axiomatic thinker), and accuses them of not knowing the limits of pure axiomatic reason. Pascal deconstructs the person who submits to everything – the Christian, and accuses them of not being more discerning in their judgment.
I don’t think that Pascal’s – submission/affirmation/doubt perfectly fits the Tri-perspectival mold. It doesn’t. However, Pascal is balanced on the issue of faith and reason and elsewhere on the use of heart knowledge. This heart knowledge does take into consideration faith, experience, and interaction in community. Are there seeds of Tri-Perspectivalism in Pascal’s epistemology?
Here are two more tidbits:
183. Two excesses: to exclude reason, to admit nothing but reason.
110. Principles are felt, propositions proved, and both with certainty though by different means.
