I just heard this story today and was so disgusted and appalled by the ludicrous actions of the Judge Edward Cashman, of Vermont, that I had to inform you of this story. Cashman sentenced Mark Huelett to 60 days in jail for molesting a girl for a period of four years beginning when she was six. I cannot even express how absurdly ludicrous this is. How can 60 days in prison be a proportionate punishment for four years of child molestation?

“During the sentencing, Cashman said the best way to ensure public safety was to get Hulett out of prison so he could receive sex offender treatment.” How in the world can letting a self-confessing child molester loose be in the best interest of public safety? This is most assuredly a result of postmodern thought and ecumenism.

For more information you can read the whole story here Vermont asks judge to rethink sex offender’s 60-day sentence. Thankfully, the judge has been under extreme criticism after this ridiculous mockery of justice and last Thursday he increased the prison sentence to three to ten years. Even at that, this is absurd and should hardly be considered as justice. The story covering the sentence increase can be read here Judge, under fire, increases sentence for sex offender.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

v.21, 22-23, &24-25 These three sets of verses all follow the same progression of events which Paul repeats three times in three different ways to nail this truth into our hearts and minds. First, knowledge of God, that has been made plain to them, is exchanged for a lie that God is like a created thing. This leads to an inherent failure to glorify God whom then gives them over to their sinful lusts. Idolatry is generally associated to the worship of images resembling birds and animals and reptiles; however, the first idol listed in verse 23 is one in an image resembling mortal man. While individuals do worship money and status, among other things, the most rampant form of idolatry involves worshiping a god that resembles mortal man.

The there are two specific idols I want to address the ecumenical/postmodern idol and the idol which has resulted through embracing the American dream. Sadly, the worship of these idols runs rampant in the “church.” Proponents of ecumenism have created a god who resembles mortal man in his tolerance and acceptance of sin. They say things like, “my Jesus would not send people to hell.” Your Jesus? As if, you can just create your own. God is not ecumenical (Isaiah 42:8, Luke 12:49-53). God does not tolerate or accept sin (Romans 2:5, Romans 8:8, 35-37). Salvation is found in Christ alone (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

The result of the American dream is an idol whose main concern is the safety and comfort of man. Through embracing the American dream, the church has not only become idolatrous; but also created a god who is idolatrous as well, a god who worships man by placing a higher value on the safety, or comfort, of his creations rather than the advancement of his kingdom and his glory. God does not exist to make you safe (Matthew 10:37-39, John 21:19, Hebrews 11, 13:12-14). God created you for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). His purpose in your life is that you would glorify Him and teach others to glorify Him. God does not exist to make you healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. The idolatrous god of the American dream is a farce. God killed His Son in order to advance His Kingdom and Glorify His name. Why would He treat you any differently?

It is time to stop reinventing Christ and return to the Biblical Jesus, Biblical Christianity, and the Biblical purpose of the Church. Anything less is idolatrous.

At the Together for the Gospel Blog, Albert Mohler posted some of his thoughts on reading books and while I try to keep everything here somewhat original I had to refer you on to read his post, Some Thoughts on the Reading of Books. I love books and I love to read so for me one of the saddest and most disturbing trends within among modern evangelicals and within America, as a whole, is a lack of reading. I think it is safe to say that the majority of reading that does occur is of the superficial fictional type that fails to stimulate deep thought. This is largely due to our incessant desire to be stimulated by the onslaught of vivid images provided by television and video games. I mainly read books on theology but I also enjoy reading books about WWII and Scotland; I find books on war particularly interesting because they remind me of what the Christian life is, a war for eternal freedom, and what this war requires, great sacrifice. On this theme, Erwin Raphael McManus said the following, “God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of war. Not where we kill but where we are willing to let others kill us. Not where we hate but we are willing to embrace the hate of others. Not where we are violent but where we take the violence of the world upon ourselves and allow the love of God to prevail. I wonder how many of us actually believe God can prevail if we love the worst of sinners; if we extend our lives into the most dangerous situation in the world?”

As I slowly read various books I plan to begin posting book reviews hoping to encourage you with, exhort you through, and expose you to the wisdom of Godly men.

Recently, I was given a copy of John M. Frame’s short booklet Studying Theology as a Servant of Jesus. John M. Frame is the Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

In his short (17 page) booklet he offers nine points of advice (including the conclusion) for “young theologians,” those just beginning to study theology. While the book is written to young and prospective seminarians is my hope that you would see the important role of theology in your own life. In its simplest form, theology is the study of God. More importantly, the theology you develop through your personal study of God is essentially the application of God’s Word to your life. I think this booklet offers solid advice to ensure that you study correctly, which should result in proper application to your life.

There are three important points that I would like to draw out of Frame’s essay. First, theology is the study God and this is a spiritual pursuit. You cannot know God or grow in your knowledge of him apart from the redeeming work of Christ on the cross. Frame states the goal of this pursuit as such: “theology, as the application of God’s Word to human life, is a spiritual task, and, as such, requires you to have a close walk with God and a willingness to do theology his way.” Your lifestyle reflects your theology if you do not live what you believe then you do not really believe it. While this is a spiritual pursuit, it will nonetheless require diligent study and much rigorous thought.

Second, theology, as the study of God, is a pursuit that results in increasing obedience and submission to Christ. Upon growing in ones mental understanding of God it naturally follows, that one will grow in obedience to God. For those of you who do not see this as a natural result consider this warning from Romans 2:4-5; “4Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” Our hearts must not be hardened; but by the grace of God, in Christ, we must pray that our hearts be pierced by the Word and led into deeper obedience to God. Obedience must not be a rote process devoid of emotion. Our obedience must be a passionate and joyful obedience. The Puritans called this phenomenon “logic on fire;” which means that as we grown in our knowledge of God, theology, we must grow in our passionate love for God. A proper knowledge of God results in a proper and ever increasing love of God and love for God. A proper love of God and for God cannot exist without knowledge of Him (Romans 10:1-4).

Third, the study of God must be pursued with immense humility. As stated above you cannot know or grow in you understanding of God apart from Christ (I Corinthians 1:21, 30). Because of this man cannot boast as if he discovered or found God (I Corinthians 1:28-29). As you study theology you must constantly give thanks for and boast in the unfathomably gracious God that allows you to know, study, and obey Him (I Corinthians 1:31 & Galatians 6:14).

Implied in all of this is that the study of God must be a study of the Bible. God has so graciously blessed us with the undeserved privilege of reading His words and hearing Him speak in Scripture. We must never place human experience, scientific evidence, or any other knowledge gained from general revelation above what God has self-disclosed to us in Scripture.

I have thought about all of the excellent sermons that we were able to hear at Resolved that I would love to share but I really want you to see the result of God’s Word and how it changes everything about life. Rick Holland began one of the sessions by telling the story of a young man named Ryan Gay who a week before the conference had gone to the doctor because of a very bad cough and was diagnosed with a very large cancerous tumor that was located in between his heart and left lung. Ryan immediately began aggressive Chemotherapy and was subsequently unable to travel across America to Resolved. Rick called Ryan so that we could all hear him and pray for him; upon Rick asking what we could pray for Ryan listed several things including his family, friends, and the conference and he never once mentioned himself. Of all the things that stuck in my mind after Resolved it was this when Rick asked Ryan how he was doing and Ryan’s reply was this, “God has shown me so much through this I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” Of all the preaching and singing that occurred during the entire conference I think God was most glorified in those words. Life and the world look so different when Christ is your treasure. Oh that we would learn to treasure Christ like Ryan.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Philippians 3:8