Greg Steward – Head Tangler
Some people come to religion looking for good advice; the heart of Christianity is Good News.
Not a quote, but based upon a comment made by Michael Horton in a talk given on May 2, 2009.
His talks (three plus Q&A), Gospel-Driven: Good News People in a Bad News World, are available for download.
Westminster Theological Seminary has put up a website on the subject of Dan Brown’s book “Angels and Demons,” This website addresses some of the claims made in the book. It may be a novel, but Dan Brown has been explicit that he is using the novel format to help the medicine he is providing (would that be hemlock?) go down smoother.)
The following is from the “about” page.
Westminster Theological Seminary’s web site, TheTruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com joins Westminster’s already well recognized web site TheTruthAboutDaVinci.com. Both seek to present a balanced assessment of Dan Brown’s narratives, the historical data, and the philosophy set forth in his best-selling novels and movies. These are not “boycott” sites, which tell people to avoid the movies or books, or “rebuttal” sites whose only purpose is to oppose fact with fact. Our aim is to follow the injunction of the apostle Peter, who instructed the church to be prepared to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you… yet with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
While appreciating Brown’s engaging narratives, and recognizing any author’s right to present a good yarn, we are concerned because the mix of fact and fiction in his books and films are leading many readers to question the Bible’s message and its impact on history. Using the best resources we can find, both human and written, we want to set the record straight and commend the historic Christian faith to the sincere inquirer.
Carl Trueman has a thought-provoking essay that considers the relationship between form and content in worship services (Look, It’s Rubbish at Reformation 21.org).
If God is awesome, sovereign and holy; if human beings are small, sinful, and lost; if Christ died and rose again by a most miraculous and costly act of grace, then this should impact the way things happen in church. This is not to argue for a one-size-fits-all-my-way-or-the-highway approach to church. Context and culture are important; but what is expressed through the idioms of particular cultural manifestations of the church should be awe, reverence, and, above all seriousness – not a colourless and cold miserable seriousness but a fitting amazement at the greatness of God and his grace.