President Thompson, Principal Wellum, Faculty, Staff and Students. It is my great privilege to stand before you this evening as Valedictorian for the academic year of 2008. I am greatly humbled by the honour that you have bestowed upon me and am thankful to God for the work that he has done in my life through TBS. I first came to Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College in the summer of 2003. Michael Haykin had just become Principal and he asked me to join him as his research and administrative assistant. It was an interesting period in my life; a period of great change. I am originally from Windsor, Ontario and before coming to Toronto, I had never moved. The house that I came home from the hospital in as a baby was the same house that I left to come to the big city. For any of you who know me, I am much more at home in a boat with my fishing rod in the water than I am in a place like this. Coming to Toronto was an eye opening experience with its size, its cultural diversity, its population and its noise all beyond what I was used to. I would sometimes joke that I came to a city where the Rolling Stones held a concert whose number more than doubled the population of my hometown! Yet, moving to Toronto and enrolling at Toronto Baptist Seminary, first as an undergrad, and now as a grad student, was one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. What I have received from TBS far surpasses merely academic knowledge, though it certainly includes that! TBS has developed my character, it has shaped my spiritual life and it has given me the tools to be able to approach this world with the life-changing gospel of the living Christ. I want to take a moment and speak about character. This is a word that is so misunderstood in our day. No longer do we live in a society where good and evil are clearly distinguished. Gone are the days of John Wayne who could squarely face a tough situation and you could be sure that he would do what is right. But what I have found amongst the community of TBS is character. It is character that was clearly modeled to me in the lives of my professors. These men and women who sit before you today are not just teachers who sit coldly removed from their students as in so many universities. Rather, these are people who care deeply for not only the academic achievements of their students, but also for the character of each person who sat in their classes. TBS is a place where we learn that doctrine is practice, that you cannot have right living if you do not have right belief. When we learn about the mysterious depths of the Trinity, or of Jesus as the God-man, or how a holy God can forgive sinners, we are learning how to live our lives. Such living is manifested in the regular daily devotions of the Christian life, in prayer and in Scripture reading. It is manifested in character. One of the most profound memories that of I have of TBS is of a trip to England that I went on with Dr. Haykin four years ago. What struck me, just as much as seeing all of these fantastic sites from church history, was the time we spent praying and reading the Bible together in a hotel room. Those were glorious times where I saw the depths that Christians were willing to go to honour Christ, as in the case of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, sixteenth century Protestant martyrs whose place of burning I stood in Oxford. Yet, just as profound, I saw the Christian life modeled before in the life of one of my professors. Probably the most spiritually enriching class that I have ever had, and probably ever will have, was Prof. Martin’s course on pastoral leadership. It is not often that one sits in a class in tears having just been confronted powerfully with the reality of my own sin and the even greater reality of the grace of God in the gospel. Each one of us men who took that course were changed deeply and would count Prof. Martin not only as a teacher, but as a mentor. I can never thank Prof. Martin enough for that life changing experience. Character development also manifested itself in the relationships that I have shared at TBS. We are a small school and that has many wonderful advantages. Over the course of five years of study I have made deep and long lasting friendships with some of the most amazing people that I have ever come into contact with. I can recall time spent in Prof. Humfrey’s office where the weight of spirituality was so heavy in the room that it was almost physically tangible. Although Clint was only ever my first year Greek professor, his impact upon my life will only be realised in the life to come. I have found great friends in former students like Justin Galotti, John Bell, Josh Moser and Scott Bowman. Friends who have so shaped me that I would not be the Christian I am today if it were not for them. And I credit all of this to the glorious plan of God who brought me to TBS. Toronto Baptist Seminary is a school that has high academic standards. I have heard testimony of students who have attended both the University of Toronto and TBS and who swear that our Seminary is much more rigorous. We learn languages like Greek, Hebrew and Latin. We take courses on western philosophy and church history. We delve deeply into the bible both in terms of biblical and systematic theology. We learn first hand applied theology in our fieldwork, internships and pastoral theology classes. When a student graduates from TBS you can be assured that he or she, to quote Prof. Humfrey, “Knows his onions.” Yet all of the rigour, all of the late nights writing papers and studying for exams, all of the long classes and Greek and Hebrew exegesis, all of this is for nothing if it does not help us come to know God more in Christ. The measure of a school is taken by how well it prepares the student for whatever line of work they have trained for. The value Toronto Baptist Seminary is immeasurable because of what they have both taught and shown their students is priceless. You have shown us Christ and for that I am profoundly thankful. Last year TBS celebrated its 80th anniversary. May it be in the providence of God that we will celebrate another 80 years with the same commitment to academic rigour, biblical fidelity and the building of Christian character. And may it all be to the glory of the Triune God.
Tonight is the 2008 graduation ceremony for the students of Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College. And your's truly is one of the graduates! Our keynote speaker is Dr. Tom Nettles who teaches historical theology at Southern Seminary. The ceremony starts at 7:30pm and is held at Jarvis Street Baptist Church. It is open to the public. Come one, come all!
Sorry I keep posting videos, but I'm too budy to write anything. This is a song called "Weighty Ghost" by an amazing band from the Maritimes (Halifax) called Wintersleep. What a catchy song! And so Canadian!
Well, if you were at all frustrated with my last Dropkick Murphys video-post, here's a better one. At least in this one the audio and video are in sync. Really, this is just an excuse to post another Dropkick video. I luv 'em.
William Edgar teaches apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary (PA) and is also an accomplished jazz musicians. He's also one of my favourite theologians. His lecture on Music and the Regulative Principle is on the WTS site. I haven't listened to it yet, but I look forward to.
Since discovering that my old Dropkick Murphys CD The Gang's All Here wasn't stolen along with the rest of my CD collection (thank you Toronto street thug), I've been on a Dropkick Murphys kick (pardon the pun) lately. You gotta love Boston Irish punk. I thought I'd share a video of my favourite Dropkick song, from an earlier album, called Bar Room Hero.
The following is a report that I had to hand in for my class on worship this semester. It is an evaluation of the excellent Worship in Song conference hosted in March by Grace Fellowship Church of Toronto. I don't note it in the report, but we received some cool free stuff, including a sample CD from Sovereign Grace Music. I also picked up a couple of SGM CDs including the amazing Valley of Vision. The three lectures are available for download at Sermon Audio.
On March 1, 2008 I attended the Worship in Song Conference at Grace Fellowship Church of Toronto. This was an excellent conference that sought to share theological and practical insights on worship with area churches. About 80 were in attendance. The conference was well organized, with a full staff of volunteers who did everything from registration to parking lot attendance. It was very helpful having them available. The conference itself consisted of three lectures by Rev. Paul Martin. First called, “Why Do We Sing?” the second “How to Pick Songs” and the third “How Do We Lead Worship in Song?” In between the second and third lecture was a breakout session. Attendees had to choose which session they were going to attend. I chose Julian Freeman’s very useful “Why We Do What We Do – Planning Workshop.” Opening and closing as well as between each lecture was the actual practice of worship in song led by GFCTO’s lead worshippers called “Band of Brothers.” A vibrant and worshipful group, they consist of vocals, guitars, keyboard, bongos and bass. They did a great job in leading in worship; one could tell that they were well practiced and that they had engaged their hearts in worship as well. They did not overdo their playing and managed to keep attention off of them an on God. They were true leaders. Their attitude was contagious and it was a delight to be led by them. The first lecture, “Why Do We Sing?” set the theological foundations for singing in worship. Pastor Martin noted that singing was something that people rarely consider though we do it often. A biblical answer to this question needs to be given. Martin offered two “artificial” categories to think about regarding the nature of worship: all of life worship and corporate worship. AOLW is something done all the time by the individual Christian, whether in a gathering with other Christians or by themselves. To be a true worshipper one must be a true follower of Christ (Col. 3:17; Rom. 12:1). Corporate worship is specifically when God’s people come together to respond to who God is. CW is part of AOLW. The time of CW is whenever Christians gather, the location is wherever they gather, the purpose is to respond to God and the means is growth in the knowledge and delight of God. As a result, the true worshipper should experience affection for God. It should be ordered both by structure and spontaneity (1 Cor. 14). Singing is an important part of worship (Eph. 5:19) and is a result of joy in the Lord. Jesus sang (Mk. 14:26); God exalts over us with singing (Zeph. 3:17); the inhabitants of heaven sing (Rev. 5:9); Paul sang (1 Cor. 14:26); and genuine singing should be whole hearted (Eph. 5/Col.3). In terms of structure, Martin offered a modified regulative principle that was very helpful to think about. All of worship (and life) should be regulated by the bible. But the Puritan form of the RP is both inconsistent and impracticable. Worship should excite the affections (Edwards). The second lecture, “How to Pick Songs” was very practical and at times quite funny. Songs should be chosen first based upon their biblical, theological content. There should be variety and richness to the choices (Wright) but they should not be frivolous (Calvin). In terms of style of music, the bible does not address this, and though the primary focus is content, music style is also important. The content should be personally relevant and applicable, theologically rich and culturally appropriate. Not all traditional hymns are worth singing nor are all contemporary songs. A good resource to help choose hymns is www.cyberhymnal.com. The person choosing the songs should be walking with Jesus (John 4) and be theologically informed. Good books to read in this respect are Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters; J.I. Packer’s Concise Theology and Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. When choosing songs the person should begin by reading it without the melody before evaluating the music. This protects the person from choosing tune over theology. But, the music must also be intelligible; its tune should match the words (negative example: O Happy Day), it should be singable with a melody that is easy to pick up. The style should be common to the people and should fit the instruments. Thematic choices coinciding with the sermon is also highly recommended. The third lecture, “How Do We Lead Worship In Song?” was again very practical. Rev. Martin emphasised that what the church needs is “lead worshippers” not “worship leaders.” The difference is that lead worshippers worship God first and shepherd and direct second. Their primary objective is to engage with God, they are not just “hired guns.” A helpful definition by Kauflin was given: they are to be led by the Spirit, combine biblical truth with music to magnify the work of God to motivate the church to cherish this truth and live it. Therefore worship is not performance, nor is it only the singing that is part of worship. Preaching as well as the other parts of the service are worship as well. Lead worshippers must walk with Christ (contra Keller’s model) and must be theologically informed. The group of lead worshippers has to be careful of their own sin, as the one major hindrance to worship is the self and sin. It is easy to default into idolatry when we worship, this is something we must always be ware of. Our appearance, the quality of our playing/singing, etc. can all play a sinful part. Julian’s breakout session was very helpful. It was well-presented, clear and informative. It was also practical. Julian’s first emphasis was humility. When planning worship, humility is key. Attention must be shifted to Christ, not the worshippers. The chief end of planning is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Julian showed us some samples of his music database, which is a list he keeps of songs to make sure that good ones are rotated and played equally. He gave websites such as http://www.sovereigngraceministries.com/ and others that offer worship resources. They are good to watch for new songs. Julian also emphasised prayer and openness with the congregation. Being attuned to their preferences is important, so long as it meets the criteria learned about in the lectures (i.e. theology and singability). The conference was a success in many ways. I was thankful to be able to take all of the principles learned in the worship class at TBS and see them worked out before my very eyes. Having taken copious notes and having the lectures on CD will prove to make the impact of this conference last in my life and ministry. I can’t wait until the next one!
It was good to have lunch with Thomas Goodwinyesterday. No, not the 17th century Puritan, but Mark Jones, the guy who runs a blog named after said Puritan. Mark is in the midst of writing a PhD thesis on Goodwin for the University of Leiden. Dr. Haykin is one of Mark's supervisors and they met yesterday at TBS to go over what Mark has done so far.
Mark is also pastor of Faith Vancouver, a PCA church on the west-coast. We had a good time yesterday, it was good to finally get together. A memorable moment came when we were discussing pastoral ministry sitting in P.J. O'Brien's. He said something to the effect: "Academics is great, but pastoral ministry is Formula One." Great quote.
Alright! Dr. John Currid is now blogging - this is great. I really enjoy his stuff. Check out True North.
He has a series of lectures called Crass Plagiarism on the itunes.rts.edu site that takes the issue of whether Moses plagiarised ANE religions in his writing of the Pentateuch. Very, very good stuff. Dr. Currid did his PhD at the University of Chicago and now teaches Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte.
Ligon Duncan was interviewed on why we should study patristics. I'm looking forward to this, especially considering he studied under the late David F. Wright, one of the leading patristic scholars of our generation.
My review of John Frame's book Worship in Spirit and Truth is up at the Discerning Reader website. We read large chunks of it for our course on worship at TBS. It really reshaped the way I think about how worship is conducted in the local church. I am very thankful to Frame for his insights and his willingness to say hard things, in spite of opposition. Even if one doesn't always agree with him, Frame proves to be thoughtful and forces the reader to challenge their presuppositions (pun intended).
William Stuntz and David Skeel co-blog at Less Than the Least. They are both elders at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Both of them are lawyers and at their blog the post on everything from their faith to law and culture. Sadly, William Stuntz has cancer. He's been blogging of it lately and I must say, as sad as it is, his posts are quite encouraging. See his latest More Cancer and please pray for he and his family.
I had the privelege of getting to hear Dr. Liam Goligher speak at the annual Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies lecture this past Saturday in Cambridge. He spoke at Grace Bible Church on the emergent church phenomenon and on penal substitutionary atonement. The lectures are available in mp3 from the TBS website. Highly recommended.
***Update: Kirk Wellum offers his thought here.*** ***Another update: Dr. Haykin also offers some thoughts here.***
I am very excited to read Bob Kauflin's new book Worship Matters: Leading Others To Encounter the Greatness of God (Crossway, 2008). It has some heavy-duty endorsements by guys like D.A. Carson, Wayne Grudem, John Frame and Mark Dever. Paul Martin has also talked alot about it in our worship class at TBS, having read an advanced copy.
Clint has posted some thoughts about the excellent book The Tyrannicide Brief: The Story of the Man Who Sent Charles I to the Scaffold. I read chunks of it last summer before school started again, but had to put it down. I can't wait to finish it - John Cook was a great example of a godly man who risked his life for the cause of God and truth. Read this book!
Credenda/Agenda magazine has returned to its early policy of offering its subscription for free. If you want intelligent, entertaining and thoughtful reading go here.
We are allowed to live with the heathen, but we are not allowed to die with them. Let us live with all men, let us share their joys on the ground of a common humanity, not a common superstition. We are like them in possessing human souls, but not in the way we live. We share the world with them, but not their error.
Tertullian of Carthage (d. 220?), On Idolatry, 14.
Anne Rice is well known for her vampiric novels, the most popular of course being Interview With A Vampire, which was also made into a movie. In recent years, Rice has been converted to Christianity. A large part of her conversion had to do with reading the scholarly works by theologians like D.A. Carson, Leon Morris, Richard Bauckham and N.T. Wright. In fact, Rice credits Wright's books on Jesus as being key in her change of thinking.
A couple of years back Rice and Wright shared a stage and discussed matters of faith and culture, in particular, writing. I listened to the discussion some time ago, and while there was much I didn't necessarily agree with, it was intriguing to hear both of their thoughts on a range of subjects. Check it out here. The direct link is here.
I was doing a search for Tim Trumper's article on adoption that he did a few years ago for the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology and I came across the website for 7th Reformed Church that have a load of his sermons (some of which are on adoption!). Check it out here.
Trumper is very much a part of the redemptive-historical stream of systematic and biblical theology, a la John Murray and Richard Gaffin. These sermons are sure to be a treasure.
I was wondering if Thabiti Anyabwile would have anything to say about Rev. Wright's recent racially charged statements. Thankfully he has, in Christianity Today.
