Sanctification List

I wanted to take a moment to share with you something that I have started doing that has been beneficial to my walk with the Lord. Over the last couple of weeks, I have compiled a list of things I need to work on to become more Christ-like as I think of them. When something comes to mind, whether it be from a comment of someone’s, a reflection, or immediately after I act in a way I regret, I type it into my iPod right away, before I forget it. Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised at how fast the list grew! I have begun to realize that there are many important areas in need of growth and attention that I simply loose track of in the constant flow of information through my mind.

Here is the list as of now:
Pride
a) display of works and talents
b) do not boast in myself

Serve
a) rediscover servant mindset

Lying
a) complete truth; no half-truths

Slander
a) speak evil of no one

Stewardship
a) consider how a choice will affect the promotion of His Kingdom

Discipline
a) consistent time in the Word
b) practice memory verses
c) stick to schedule
d) contribute to blogs

People
a) ask specifics, not just how are you doing
b) help others achieve their goals
c) do not neglect to invest in other Christians in meaningful ways

Commitment
a) strong effort toward my responsibilities

Sarcasm
a) remove sarcastic comments from my speech

Volunteer
a) lead groups in prayer
b) do extras at work

Just today, while I was pondering seeing my coworkers, I started thinking of what specific thing about their life I could ask them about. I truly believe this was on my mind in part because I simply took note of it last night when Sarah Gonzalez made a comment in Home Group about doing so with the people in her life – thanks Sarah!

Do any of you do something similiar to this? Do you have any suggestion for me? Does it seem too legalistic? I am thinking it may be good to come up with some verses to attach to each of these little categories, if anyone knows any good ones for a particular topic.

Noam Chomsky

My professor mentioned the idea of innate linguistic qualities again yesterday, and he spoke of Noam Chomsky. I will just post a small blurb from Wikipedia regarding his theory concerning Universal grammar:

Linguist Noam Chomsky made the argument that the human brain contains a limited set of rules for organizing language. In turn, there is an assumption that all languages have a common structural basis. This set of rules is known as universal grammar.

Speakers proficient in a language know what expressions are acceptable in their language and what expressions are unacceptable. The key puzzle is how speakers should come to know the restrictions of their language, since expressions which violate those restrictions are not present in the input, indicated as such. This absence of negative evidence—that is, absence of evidence that an expression is part of a class of the ungrammatical sentences in one’s language—is the core of the poverty of stimulus argument. For example, in English one cannot relate a question word like ‘what’ to a predicate within a relative clause (1):

(1) *What did John meet a man who sold?

Such expressions are not available to the language learners, because they are, by hypothesis, ungrammatical for speakers of the local language. Speakers of the local language do not utter such expressions and note that they are unacceptable to language learners. Universal grammar offers a solution to the poverty of the stimulus problem by making certain restrictions universal characteristics of human languages. Language learners are consequently never tempted to generalize in an illicit fashion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar

Interesting!

Principles of Language Innate?

While attending my Philosophy of Language class the other day, the professor mentioned an interesting fact near the end of our time together. He said that there have been recent studies pointing toward the idea that humans are innately born with certain elementary principles of language, such as having a natural sense of whether a the order of particular sets of words and the ideas they represent “fit” together, or flow and form a coherent message. Unfortunately, he did not have time to further explain his statement, but I found the thought interesting.

Would it not make sense that God would instill some of these princples within us to properly set us up for the ability to communicate with one another? I wish he had been able to explain more…perhaps I will have a chance later to further explore this topic.

Viewing His Victory

Tonight I had the opportunity to join a group of fellow believers in the viewing of Mel Gibson’s blockbuster movie, The Passion of the Christ. I had seen the film a number of times prior to this evening, but there was something unique about this instance. While observing what the Bible describes as the final hours before His crucifixion, I was inwardly stunned at how not angry I was at those battering my Savior, how I could stare at the piercing of the hands of my God without moist eyes. Now, do not get me wrong: I did not enjoy watching the brutal slaying of Jesus of Nazareth; I did not relish in this recreational murder the way His Jewish and Roman assailants did. I had become irate and bereaved in past viewings, but not on this occasion.

Though I was distressed and somewhat disturbed at my lack of feeling toward Jesus’ situation, once my Lord and His cross were erected on display to His cruel audience, I immediately felt a rush of fervor flow into my heart – a tide of victory, triumph, accomplishment. This was not a demonstration of shame and calamity I was witnessing, but the supreme embodiment of the promises of Almighty God, for “all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory” (2 Cor 1:20).

These evil acts of depraved men did not serve to unravel God’s ultimate will, but as part of the process of His crowning achievement: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’– for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:26-28).

Much more could be said of this fantastic film, but instead I will simply request, by God’s grace, a renewed understanding and appreciation for the horrid yet wondrous death of Jesus the Christ.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
(Col 2:13,14)

Westminster Controversy – Peter Enns (UPDATED 4/3/08)

I have been in the process of researching and investigating potential seminaries I would be interested in attending after my time here at Arizona State. I have recently learned that one of my prospects, Westminster Theological Seminary, is currently experiencing a bit of turmoil surrounding the suspension and possible termination of one of its long-time faculty members, Peter Enns. This is reportedly in response to a theological divide among the seminary’s professors believed to be caused by debate over Enns’ controversial book, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament.

I have been most persuaded by those that point to what Scripture says about itself rather than how our view of Scripture should be influenced in light of extra-biblical sources. Would anyone like to discuss or disagree with this admittedly simplified generalization of each viewpoint?

However, let me emphasize that the primary purpose of this post is not to inform you of the issue and request a sharing of opinions, but to ask for prayer for God’s will in the upcoming dialogue and its resulting decisions. May God grant wisdom and discernment to all involved – the Board, faculty, alumni, prospective students like myself, unaffiliated individuals concerned with the issues presented in Dr. Enns’ book, etc.

If you would like to become more knowledgeable of the subject, here are some helpful links:

Christianity Today’s article on the matter.

A Westminster student’s article and audio concerning the April 1st Special Chapel session regarding suspension.

A very thorough and involved discussion occuring at Green Baggins.

A critique by D.A. Carson, “Three Books on the Bible: A Critical Review,” including a portion addressing Inspiration and Incarnation.

A petition against the overall direction of Westminster and the suspension of Dr. Peter Enns.

A satisfyingly complete collection of links regarding information on the current controversy compiled by Brandon Withrow, a graduate of Westminster.