In Reply to Patrick Mead’s “The Problem with Elders,” Part 3A (Regarding Authority)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Jay F Guin

Let’s talk about positional authority. We’ve been down this road before, and so I’ll try to keep it brief.

The scriptures refer to the same men as “elders,” “overseers,” and “shepherds.” What would a First Century reader have heard in these terms?

Well, “overseer” (episkopos) refers to middle management.

BDAG (the premier Greek dictionary of our age) defines the word —

one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or seeing to it that someth. is done in the correct way, guardian

Continue reading →

Posted in Elders, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

In Reply to Patrick Mead’s “The Problem with Elders,” Part 2 (Summary of My Views)

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Jay F Guin

If you’ve not yet read them, here are Patrick’s original posts —

To help contextualize some of what I’m going to say, let me lay out a few principles regarding elders that I believe — Continue reading →

Posted in Elders, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

In Reply to Patrick Mead’s “The Problem with Elders,” Part 1 (Why So Many Bad Elders?)

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I’m a big Patrick Mead fan. He’s spoken at my home congregation more than once, I’m an avid reader of both his blogs, and I think he’s just a very fine preacher and writer. And I have great respect for him as a person and as a thinker.

However, Patrick has taken some positions in his recent series on elders that I question. I don’t disagree with everything Patrick has to say, of course. In fact, I strongly agree with much of what he says. But a couple of our disagreements are too important to ignore.

Here are Patrick’s original posts —

Please read Patrick’s posts before reading my responses. It’s important that you read Patrick’s comments in their entirety.

(I’ve corresponded with Patrick re this series.) Continue reading →

Posted in Elders, Uncategorized | 47 Comments

Further re Surgery and Break

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Jay F Guin

The second surgery went very well — better than the first. With both lenses replaced, I immediately had much improved vision. It was really a bit staggering.

Two days later, the vision is very clear, driving is easier, reading is easier, and I’m headed to the beach.

I still reach for my glasses. A habit of nearly 50 years standing is hard to break.

I get tired easily — eye strain, recovery from surgery. And fluorescent lights are really, really bright. I see halos around bright lights at night. But I sure do see better. And the rest will get better with time, I’m told.

So I’m headed south for a few days. I may or may not post while gone. Depends on how I feel and what time the grandbaby wakes up. He takes priority, you know.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Reader’s Question re Book Funds

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Jay F Guin

I get emails —

Our church, despite being 500-600 people doesn’t have a clear policy on a minister’s book fund. Do they get one? How much? Are the books theirs or the church’s?

Do you have any thoughts/advice on this?

Readers, I and my correspondent would be glad to hear your thoughts. Here are a few of my own. Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Surgery No. 2 and a Break

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Jay F Guin

My new eye is doing better, but I’m about to go under knife again come Wednesday. And I’ve just not been able to get caught up with not being able to see and all.

Well, I can see. I’m not blind. It’s just that my new eye and old eye don’t see the same way — and it gives me horrible eyestrain and headaches. (I actually wear an eyepatch to cover the eye that has NOT had surgery — because the eye with a new lens sees so much better!)

So I’ll be gone for a little while. With any luck, when they put the new lens in, I’ll see much better very quickly — and then I can write with two eyes, which is just going to be so much easier.

See you later.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

God’s Plan: Some Conclusions

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Jay F Guin

We’re working through Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan. by John H. Walton.

Walton suggests several conclusions from his work. To begin with, the Old Testament is largely not about the salvation history of the Jews. The Law of Moses is not “soteric,” that is, not about how to be saved in the New Testament sense.

After all, only a handful of Old Testament people received the Spirit, which is an essential element of New Testament salvation. That’s not to say that God didn’t save the faithful of Israel but that salvation in the New Testament sense is simply not the point of the Law of Moses. Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

God’s Plan: Why God Gave the Law of Moses, Part 2

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Jay F Guin

We’re working through Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan. by John H. Walton.

In Christ, the covenant relationship is redefined, but the basic thrust of the covenant has not changed. Now the character of God is revealed not through legislative examples of how a godly person will act, but by God’s Son who came and lived among us. The map has been replaced by a guide. That does not make the map wrong, but a guide makes a map unnecessary. The Sinai Torah covenant had not been distinctly new in providing new laws, but adopted much of the common law into a new framework—the foundation being the revelation of God’s character in the relationship of the covenant. In the same way Christ’s coming and teaching were not distinctly new in providing different law, but again adopted a new framework—the foundation being the revelation of God in Christ in the relationship with God available through the new covenant. The Spirit of Christ indwelling us is the law in our hearts that was promised in the new covenant (2 Cor. 3:3). Obedience to Christ is the new set of stipulations in the renewed covenant. Obedience to the law of Christ satisfies the requirements of the law.

(Kindle Locations 2314-2322). Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

God’s Plan: Why God Gave the Law of Moses, Part 1

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Jay F Guin

We’re working through Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan. by John H. Walton.

In chapter 10, Walton investigates the purpose of the Law of Moses. The New Testament, of course, is filled with the struggle over how the coming of Jesus affects the Law. Jesus’ debates with the Pharisees, Paul’s epistles on faith versus “works of the Law,” and Hebrews all deal very explicitly with the Law.

To modern Christians, it’s all very abstract and arcane. What do we care about the Law of Moses? Dispensationalists simply declare it repealed and move on, until they read passages where Jesus or Paul or others seem to apply the Law as though it’s not been repealed at all. Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan, Uncategorized | 26 Comments

Meet the Purple Hulls

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Jay F Guin

So my eyes aren’t working all that well (but getting better!). Still, I can hear pretty well, and I’m in gospel-bluegrass kind of mood.

First, an instrumental —

Next, a vocal —

I mean, how can you not love a group called the “Purple Hulls”?

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment