A Riddleblog Update
Friday, April 3, 2009 at 07:40AM 
Time for a brief update . . . Its been a while.
* I'll be cutting back on posts this next week as I've got three sermons to prepare for Easter.
* Thanks to those of you who send me links to stuff to post. Keep it up! I truly appreciate it, and while I may not use them all, I do look at them.
* In addition to my pastoral duties, I've been teaching a course at Westminster Seminary California this semester (Doctrine of Christ). I'm pinch-hitting for Dr. David VanDrunen who is away on sabbatical. Needless to say, I've been very busy and therefore a bit tardy in posting original material and answering email. But I've got a good excuse.
* I was asked to give the commencement address at Westminster Seminary California's graduation this year (May 30--for more info, click here: Click here: Westminster Seminary California currentstudents. I'm truly honored to speak at my beloved alma mater on such a wonderful occasion.
* We have a number of White Horse Inn tapings scheduled between now and summer break. Please pray for everyone's health (some of the guys have some nagging stuff) and for the upcoming programs.
* In light of my current workload, please know that if you send me a question, I'll get to it when I can. Please be patient. If your question is one which can be answered by your pastor, please ask him.
* Several of you asked about the lack of recent video updates. I'm painting/remodeling my study (as I can), and then had a water pipe break in the attic behind my bookcases--making a huge mess. So, when my study is ready for public display, I'll post regular video updates again.
* Several of you have asked me about upcoming publishing projects. I've been asked to write again for Tabletalk (2010). I'm working on an essay for a upcoming Academic volume (the topic of which is a secret!), but you'll find out soon enough. I'm also pretty far along on a manuscript tentatively entitled The Christian Citizen (dealing with the two kingdoms and our responsibilities as Christians to each kingdom). My goal is to make significant progress on this during my summer reading month. I'll also start shopping my material on the Canons of Dort to various publishers (this is the stuff I've been posting on the blog as a series).
* That's probably a lot more than you wanted to know . . . But there it is! I do hope that you all have a blessed Easter.
He is risen! Indeed!
Reader Comments (26)
I do everything the old fashioned way. I read a lot of books and commentaries. I have read all of the Book of Concord and many other Lutheran sources.
What burns me up, is when someone says that they are Reformed or Lutheran and don't even know what they believe.
Anyone can ask me about Lutheran Baptism or Communion or most matters of doctrine, and I can just open up my Bible and give them the Scriptures for it.
We must, know what we believe, and memorize the Scriptures for all major matters of doctrine. As the Nike commercial used to say, "just do it."
How can anyone say that they are Reformed, and not have studied Calvin? How can anyone say that they are a Lutheran, and not have their faces in his books every single day?
I hate lazy Christians!
I too am ticked pink that you are not like those other lazy, obtuse and ill informed Christians . . .
I know Pastor Riddlebarger. I used to be a member of his church. I also was privledged to take a couple years of his classes at Christ Refomed Church. I am now an elder in a Lutheran church.
What is so darned impressive about Paster Riddlebarger, is that he is a great, great teacher. I learned a ton from him.
Even more than that, is his passion for Christ and theology. Kim takes to his theology, not only as his life, but like most men love their hobbies. (I'll bet, sometimes he'll drive his wife nuts with it. I know sometimes I'll drive my wife nuts with it, too!)
Being around Pastor Kim, and his tremendous zeal for God and theology, also rubbed off on me. (Although, I am not half as smart as he is!)
That is why I get so upset with lazy Christians. We all should have this desire, 24/7, to learn about God, and it should drive us all to seek more and more knowledge of our Creator. (Without taking short cuts, and running to our pastors with a bunch of silly questions, that we're too lazy to research ourselves.)
When you study Luther, it gets overlooked how much Luther emphasized the third use of the law. He lived his life with the same passion as St. Paul and Pastor Kim.
This is why I get so upset with lazy Christians. When these men used to get up in the morning (St. Paul and Luther), and a Pastor Kim, or my pastor at my Lutheran church, they want to learn more and more, and teach others what they have learned.
None of the above mentioned Christians had to be spoon fed, like a bunch of babies. But they had, and still have a desire to learn. I want to have that same desire to learn about Christ and His attributes!
Ken Samples is also in the same catagory as the about mentioned Christians!
I learned a ton from him also!
I make a habit of reading my Bible every day and reading a ton of theology, apologetics etc. My point wasn't that we should not do that.
What I was commenting about was not about whether as Christians we should spend much time in Word and study. Rather it was the judgmental and prideful tone of your comment. I kept thinking of the Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18 in contrast to the command to love our brothers in John 13, etc. There wasn't much love for our brothers in your criticism of "lazy" Christians.(whatever that may be). More a lot of judgment on specks in others' eyes.
Like you and I those "lazy" Christians are sinners who fall short of the glory of God. Perhaps in other ways (for example their love for their brothers) those "lazy Christians may be far better than us in their perseverance, godliness, etc.
As some others have written on comments to other posts (like in the recent one on Warren) there seems to be a tendency to look down on other less "perfect" believers in some of the comments and I just don't like that. Lets discuss and debate the Scriptures and God's revelation of himself to us. Let's not cast stones at our own.
Sometimes lazy Christians need a good kick in the behind. They need to progress in their walk with Christ. Shut the T.V. off, and start getting a little taste of heaven.
Apparently, the writer to the Hebrews was faced with, lovingly, trying to get lazy Christians to progress in their knowledge of Christ, and His Word.
These were not new believers being addressed here, but old timers.
Hebrews 5:12-14, says, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of Gods word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquaited with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
I'm just saying, as a Lutheran, when someone asks me what we believe. I surely don't want to say, "well my pastor says this, or Luther says that, or my adult Bible study teacher told me so." The answer that I usually give them, is, its not what Lutherans say, but, what does the Bible teach?
Then, I will show them from the Scriptures, what Lutherans believe and teach, and like I've said before, that if they go to the Bible with an analogy of faith, that the Bible is true in what it says, they will come away a Lutheran.
Then, when they see this reality, I will encourage them to read the Word, and to start learning the Lutheran confessions, and start reading Luther.