Martin Luther on Christmas

There are many Christmas legends surrounding Martin Luther. According to one source...

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth. (www.christmas-tree.com)

Whether or not the great Reformer began this tradition may be speculative, but one thing that we are absolutely certain of, was his devotion to the real meaning of the season. Consider this small extract from a Christmas Day Sermon preached from his Wartburg Church pulpit from 1521-1522...

How could God have shown his goodness in a more sublime manner than by humbling himself to partake of flesh and blood, that he did not even disdain the natural privacy but honors nature most highly in that part where in Adam and Eve it was most miserably brought to shame? so that henceforth even that can be regarded godly, honest and pure, which in all men is the most ungodly, shameful and impure. These are real miracles of God, for in no way could he have given us stronger, more forcible and purer pictures of chastity than in this birth. When we look at this birth, and reflect upon how the sublime Majesty moves with great earnestness and inexpressible love and goodness upon the flesh and blood of this virgin, we see how here all evil lust and every evil thought is banished.

With profound clarity of thought and expression Dr. Luther once again leads us to honor our Savior at this special time of the year.

So with that thought, Two Institutions wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Machen, The Savior of the SBC?

Several months ago if you had asked me who J. Gresham Machen was I would have told you that he was some Presbyterian professor from the turn of the century. Honestly, I knew very little about the profound impact that he had in his day and the legacy that he left for us to follow in ours. Machen's theology and approach to ministry may very well be the key to finding the glue that will hold together a convention like the SBC that finds itself in the midst of growing pains.

Consider the historical context into which Machen was thrust. He had modernists like Fosdick on one side who under the influence of German higher criticism and the social gospel were laboring to set aside the atonement for a theology that was in line with modern sensibilities. On the other side, there were fundamentalists who had retreated to their conclaves, and were eschewing everything of science, academia and culture that was not in the King James version of the Bible. Yet in the wake of such extremes, Machen found a middle ground in his Cross centered, Reformed, theology that makes him a model for us all to follow. If we as Southern Baptists want to see our denomination stand up to the challenges of our day and the days ahead, we would do well to look to Machen.

Having said this I highly recommend a couple of books that I am reading on the man and his theology:

"J. Gresham Machen: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought" by Stephen J. Nichols and

"Christianity and Liberalism" by J. Gresham Machen

My Top Ten Last Minute Gift Book Buys List will be posted soon!

The Supremacy of Christ

If there has been one consistent theme that the Lord has been teaching me this Christmas, it has been the supremacy of Christ. To celebrate this season from tradition, or out of duty or obligation or even fascination wont satisfy the deep Christmas longings of your heart. The power of the gospel to transform from death unto life in the unbeliever and from life unto abundant life in the believer flows from a proper reverence of the supremacy of Christ. Don't let this timeless truth slip by you this holiday season.

There was a wonderful book written on the subject which I hope to read soon but can wholeheartedly recommend notwithstanding entitled, "The Supremacy Of Christ In A Postmodern World." by David F. Wells. Check back soon, I will be posting the Two Institutions absolutely best last minute gifts list soon. Emmanuel, God with us!

Faithful To The Season And To Our Readers

The Christmas rush is upon us. With all of the spiritual, familial, and social commitments that this time of the year requires, it can be tough to get to everything on your schedule. In the rush that accompanies this season, however, we do not want you, our loyal Two Institutions readers, to want for content.

To that end, I will ask that you exercise a little flexibility in our posting schedule. We will, most likely, be posting smaller, more frequent posts at irregular intervals over the next few weeks. So, check back often for the gems we plan to share when we get breaks from our holiday schedules.

And just so you don't go home empty handed let me give you three nice Christmas freebies:

First, be sure to check out this free tract entitled: The Character of An Old English Puritan, or Non-Conformist. It was frequently referenced in Dr. J.I. Packer's lectures pod casted on Itunes U by RTS and mentioned by me in my last post.

Second, be sure to check out this podcast produced by InQuest Ministries of Steve Wright discussing his new book entitled reThink.

Third, in case you haven't seen any cool Christmas light shows, check this one out.

Merry Christmas, and stay tuned!

The Puritan Way

In my study of the Puritans, I have learned that stereotyping is satans way of keeping us from goodness. The Puritans, as a lot, have been far too criticized and looked over as antiquated and backwards. I am learning to look at these our spiritual fathers in a whole "new light" (no pun intended Daniel and Shubal). Consider the following:

1. Puritans had a much better sense of humor than you might expect.
2. They didn't go around lifeless, dull, and dispassionate (in fact it was quite the opposite was true.)
3. They knew what it meant to make churches out of their families with Dad's serving as pastors.
4. They were intent on authentic worship and discipleship.
5. They believed in social action and reached into the community to help all in need.

If you have a hard time believing this, I urge you to surf over to itunes and look for the itunes U section. There you will find a series of wonderful lectures by Dr. J.I. Packer on all aspects of Puritan ideology, philosophy, and practical pursuits. The best part of all is that these podcasts are 100% free. Take advantage of this glimpse into the real life of Puritanism. What you find might just surprise you.

Click on this link to go to the Packer podcast lectures.