Dr. Knox Chamblin (1936-2012)

I will never forget the first day of Johannine Literature when Dr. Chamblin trembled and wept as he began to teach on the Word of God, Jesus Christ.  The moment was sobering as well as sacred.  That semester I was so blessed by his teaching - that was rigorous, but most helpful in getting us to see Christ in the primary source.  He was relentless in his desire for his students to wrestle with God and to find refuge in his Word.

But he was also a gracious man.  He not only studied the Word of God, but he studied his class role before every class so that he could know his students.  He ended every class with an invitation to join him for lunch.

I was convinced that he loved me, with a Christ-centered and enabled love.  He always answered my questions.  And if he could not answer then, he would tell me so.  Days even weeks later, I would receive an email or a note with either an answer or direction towards an answer.  I was overwhelmed by his humility and his simplicity.

After emailing him about a biblical question, some year and a half after taking his course, Dr. Chamblin wrote this:

Scott, It was good to hear from you. I have fond memories of our study together during the fall of 2008, pondering the depths of the Fourth Gospel...May our faithful God enlighten and empower you by his Holy Spirit for the work of this term - including your study of the Gospels and Acts.   Yours in Christ, Knox


Dr. Knox Chamblin was brilliant, yet modest; simple, yet obviously desired to use his deep knowledge for the glory of his Lord - the Lord that he now sees clearly.  I eagerly await the day when I will be able to see this man again in glory.  


Dr. Knox Chamblin (1936-2012)

A Cartoon on Racism

Absolutely Certain Proof for the Existence of God

There are many who say that if they were provided proof for the existence of God, they would believe in him. This is nothing new.  Even in Jesus' day, people were asking for a sign so that they might believe (Matt 12:38-39; Jn 3).  The trouble with this is that it presupposes something incorrect about the nature of mankind.  It asserts that the chief problem with man is that he lacks information, and, that given more learning, he will turn in the right direction.

The truth is that man is not inherently innocently ignorant, ultimately in need of more information or scientific facts. Jesus, truth itself, stood in front of a man who asked, "What is truth?" (Jn 18:38) Christ, the God-man, stood right in front of the religious who demanded a sign that would somehow be more convincing than God himself!

Even if we were to try and prove something other than theistic matters, I think most of us can agree that we have empirically seen how man, being presented with the clearest, most-resonable proof, is knuckle-headed and stubborn. How many times have we experienced in others (or even ourselves!) the direct denial of truth ultimately because untruth was simply more desirable?

As a man who sleeps with someone other than his wife ultimately knows he should do otherwise, he does not do otherwise.  He wants the other woman more than his wife, and will argue (against what he knows to be true) why he should be allowed to have her.

The fact is that man follows and argues for what he loves; and, he rejects and argues against what he does not love - even though it may be completely unreasonable to do so. Therefore, God himself could stand right in front of an atheist, and because the atheist hates God, he will deny God. Reason is pushed aside by moral hatred.

This is why we must not confuse that which is objectively valid and that which is subjectively acceptable. We could give the most objectively valid proof, and it would still be subjectively unacceptable to the unbeliever. As Van Til once wrote, "It is true that no method of argument for Christianity will be acceptable to the natural man. Moreover, it is true that the more consistently Christian our methodology, the less acceptable it will be to the natural man."

There is absolute certain proof for the existence of God. Van Til pointed this out when he said, "The existence of the God of Christian theism and the conception of his counsel as controlling all things in the universe is the only presupposition which can account for the uniformity of nature which the scientist needs.  But the best and only possible proof for the existence of such a God is that his existence is required for the uniformity of nature and for the coherence of all things in the world...Thus there is absolutely certain proof for the existence of God and the truth of Christian theism.  Even non-Christians presuppose its truth while they verbally reject it."

Every time an unbeliever opens his mouth, performs a scientific experiment, or even flushes the toilet, we can point to that as proof for the existence of God. For, in doing each one of these things he is presupposing the uniformity and coherence that only Yahweh provides. And, in denying God in this, he is allowing his hatred to triumph over his reason.

Not That I Have To, But That I Get To - An Amazing Story of How A Husband Kept His Word

Robertson McQuilkin was the third president of Columbia International University from 1968-1990.  He stepped down from his duties to preach and teach in order to care for his wife who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

This is truly a God-glorifying story.

Falling With The Facts: How My World Is Presently Collapsing

We are not primarily thinking beings.  There is a trap to believing this; a trap that is set by the right laws, facts, and morals; and that is sprung by our deep acceptance that the changing of one's mind will ultimately change one's life.  And so we read more than repent, we learn more about him than lean more upon him, and we are more dedicated to hearing with our ears than feeling with our hearts.

We cannot understand why the Bible just doesn't work in the heat of the moment - when the girl walks by, when the curse comes our way, and when we simply cannot make ourselves feel the way we know we are supposed to.  Our facts seem sharp when we write them down, but then sink into dullness when we attempt to take them when we are at war.

I believe in facts.  I believe in doctrine.  I love to learn, read, and argue my orthodox positions.  It is not right to abandon these things.  But it is wrong to believe that they are to remain alone - colorless, lifeless, loveless.  Weapons are no good without strength.  Laws are no good without love. And right now, I feel like a boy trying to swing Conan's sword.

I have always believed that to follow Christ is simply to learn his way and then to do it.  I was thinking one way, now I must think another way.  I was living one way, I must now live another way.  A changed mind, after everything has made reasonable sense, has been my ultimate goal. Why repent when you have a big library...

I have been forced to believe otherwise.  I have learned that, even after being well informed, I have wounded, bruised, and abandoned God's gift to me.  This education has made my ultimate goal now my ultimate condemnation. What good is the Bible when we beat people over the head with it?

Yesterday, my eyes burned because they were emptied of their tears.  I sat there with my head in my hands, leaning upon her shoulder, feeling my world collapse right before me. I have never felt so helpless.

I wanted to run and watch less than honorable things on the internet - but covenant eyes stopped me in my tracks.  I wanted to go read some apologetics - but my desire to read quickly faded.  I wanted my wife's approval - but she had already given it, and it wasn't enough.  I knew all of the right things. I understood my errors. At that time no amount of learning could fix me.

My heart, for the first time in a while, longed deeply for Jesus.  But I didn't know how to reach him, other than to simply ask my heavenly Father to help me.  At that moment, color filled my life's picture.  I felt more human as I felt the Divine add life to my heart. It was enough for me.

Nothing has been more humbling than to know what to do and how to act, but to be completely paralyzed when it matters most.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot make my heart feel something I won't.  This tall man, fell.  No, rather, this tall man is falling.  Intellectually I know it's a good thing. But it hurts. I want it over. I want to be fixed.

At the same time, however, I desire heaven more.  I have called upon my Lord more.  And quite frankly, because all other options have abandoned me, I have trusted him more.  I may be reading ten chapters of my Bible per day and thus remaining faithful to my reading plan; but without love it is utterly useless - a painful clanging in the ears of those around me.  Only his faithfulness is enough. Only Jesus can change my heart to give life to my informed (and otherwise dead) mind.

Lil' Wayne and Gang Rape Are At Least First Cousins

I get asked all of the time if it is okay to listen to secular music? My typical answer (depending on the person asking) is that it is okay, given he or she is listening to it redemptively - with the goal to glorify God, through the standard and lens of Scripture, and with the motive of love.

Secular music is extremely powerful, having the ability to steer emotions, transform culture, and motivate millions to do things they otherwise would never do.  Therefore we must not only listen redemptively, but carefully.  More importantly, however, we must not allow our over-desire for "over-cleanliness" to keep us from this redemptive activity.

The work of redemption demands that we come in contact with dirty things - even dirty people.  If we don't, dirty people will die.  If no one had, we would have already died.  Our refusal to learn about the things that harm other people, simply because WE do not struggle with those things, leads us into countless accounts of spiritual malpractice.  It's like refusing to stop a child from smoking crack because you don't want to touch drugs.  

With this said, I want to address some things that I have recently come in contact with, and propose that the two are very related.

While driving down the road the other day, I was listening to the radio and heard the Lil' Wayne's song, "I Just Wanna F**k Every Girl in the World."  Yes, this was on the radio.  If the title has startled you, the lyrics are nothing short of derogatory and explicit verbal pornography.

Place really good music behind those lyrics, and you have a song that makes its way onto public radio.  When confronted, people say things like, "I just like the beat...I don't really listen to what he is saying..."  Sure.  Countless songs from this artist and others are filled with this misogynistic, heinous, image of God hating crap.

Then I read things like this in the news:

In 2009, in Richmond, CA, investigators say as many as 20 people were involved in or stood by and watched the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a California high school homecoming dance.  Even more disturbing was that not one student sought to intervene during the 2.5 hour ordeal.  

In April of 2010, a 15-year-old went to a house party in an apartment complex in Trenton, NJ.  She was accompanied by her 7-year old step-sister.  During the party, the older girl allowed men to have sex with her for money.  Seeing an opportunity to make more money, she began to take offers to touch her younger sister.  This initial molestation quickly turned violent as at least seven men raped the child.  

In March of 2011, The New York Times reported the gang rape of an 11-year-old Texas girl by 18 men ranging in ages from 16 to 28.  

The purpose of this post is to simply state that the music and the news above are not unrelated.  And while we cannot relieve the criminals of their obvious responsibility for their crimes, we should not relieve the arts of their culpability either.  

The constant objectification of women; the constant promotion of the acceptance of such; the constant message that women must act this way to be accepted; and the condoning of all of the above has led to a culture where the grace of God seems to be waning, and where the gospel of redemption seems to be completely absent.  

As Christians we must see the connection and attempt, by whatever means possible (without falling into sin), to bring the fulness of Christ to these dark, related areas of our culture.  The shock of the lyrics and news above should bring color to our doctrine of depravity; it should bring us to our knees; it should send us into the streets with the Good News.  Christians do have something to say.  Nothing but redemption will do.  There is simply too much at stake.

For more on this, I suggest the book called "The Deadest Rapper Alive" by J. Johnson

The Glory of Marriage

The vows of two individuals to remain committed, loyal, understanding, honoring, and faithful til death is nothing less than glorious.  And when a community gathers to observe such a union, in marriage, they see a reflection of that glorious love Christ has for his church.  It is a shame that many from Justin's community have seen more funerals than weddings.  This is a fact that should plague our prayers, haunt our evangelism, and completely remove superficiality from our very existence.

Marriage is glorious.  And when it is marred and left without expression, Christ is misrepresented and defamed.  But when it is celebrated and fought for, Christ is proclaimed as the strong, faithful, sacrificial, and loving husband that he is.   

Meet the Bumpers who are now married.  With every serious and sincere bone in my body I beg you to pray for this couple who have made Christ the object of their faith and seek to live under his reign and rule every day.