About Piety and Theology

From The Resurgence Blog Theological Enemies Post

Philip Ryken, President of Wheaton College and author of Loving the Way Jesus Loves, writes on loving your theological enemies. He says, "Be loving in church, in friendships and online." There are blogs that I don't like to go to now because the comments are not loving. People are bent on being "right". LORD, please forgive our pride. No longer do I care to debate. I care to grow in sanctification, love for my LORD and for everyone.

Video from The Gospel Coalition on Pietism and Confessionalism

Mike Horton, Ligon Duncan and Devin DeYoung discuss this issue. Duncan says, "In the face of dead orthodoxy all of us are concerned about piety, and about confession and about a lived-out theology. We are not interested in having our heads filled up with notions that do not express themselves in the totality of our being in the way we think, in the way we act, in the way we life." Horton says he is not a pietist, but believes in piety. I wonder if I am a pietist at heart reacting to the Reformed debates which see to go on endlessly.

From the Ligonier blog  Theology and Doxology

Here Michael Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at Southern Baptist Seminary, writes on the "cold intellectual system" of the Sandemanians. He points out that "faith and right theology must entail more than knowledge."

LORD, may I show Your love in my life, not just theological obsession. I repent of my theological obsession earlier on this blog. When I get to heaven, may You say well done with how I handle creeds and piety and keep me growing in wisdom and knowledge. Amen.

How Goes It With Your Walk With the LORD?

     Hyper-calvinists and some Calvinists are accused or taking it too easy on themselves because they believe they are the "elect". I do think some Reformed people major on orthodoxy and not orthopraxy--faith for them is to be defended above all and orthopraxy is secondary almost automatic. Certainly the seriousness of confession before communion in Reformed churches shows a concern for orthopraxy. But where is piety in all of this talk?
     I sometimes wonder where is the godly character in men (and women) who major on debate in Reformed circles? A person is not necessarily growing in faith by being able to debate the ins and outs of eschatology, Federal Vision, law and grace, cults and any number of issues. We can talk until we are blue in the face about Clark, Van Til, and become the best debater, but if we have not love we are a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.
     Perhaps where the rubber meets the road is something called piety. Before I was in a Reformed church, I was a member of another denomination. The early pietists in that denomination asked two questions. 1) Where is it written in Scripture? (orthodoxy) 2) How does it go with your walk with the Lord? (orthopraxy) That second question is very personal, you say, but don't we need that question? Don't we need to be bringing out the best in each other just because of Who we serve and our privilege to serve that almighty God?
     One blogger quotes John Calvin, but also writes: "Most of the Christian life can be broken down to a need of a love for righteousness and a need for self-denial. When one looks to the righteousness of God, one will be challenged to deny anything that is selfish and contrary to the character of a righteous God."* Alas, there are pietiests among the Reformed. They know that self-denial is not what gets them into Heaven, but they choose to live a godly life.
     How goes it?
*http://remissioned.com/2010/04/19/to-love-righteousness/