Sociological vs. Theological

I really appriciated this particular point that Horton made on page 439: "The sociological 'is' determines the theological 'ought', instead of being challenged by the latter. The question must be raised as to whether the contemporary churches are to exist passively in this evil age or draw a countercultural identity from the Word of God".

I found this very thought provoking and I think a lot of our churches are selling out for the sake of being reactionary to the culture around them.

Joy mixed with Sorrow

Burrough's makes an excellent point on page 248 concerning sorrow or joy over sin. It is very hard for me to come with both  emotions to Gods' throne. In many cases, my sin is overwhelming but I will overlook Gods' forgiveness. In other cases I overlook my sin very much ready for forgiveness but demonstrate true repentance. I feel like I often need reminders such as this to keep me on the right track!

Balance of Emotions

On page 369, Godfrey says: "An accomplished leader in the tradition of Finney can easily manipulate emotions in worship, particularly through preaching and music. An effective preacher can create emotions ranging from reverence to sorrow, from joy to a tangible sense of power."

While I understand the danger of manipulating emotions, I'm wondering how Godfrey would balance this out? Obviously good preaching should stir a response from the hearer, just as good worship should stir emotion based on what one is hearing.

Emotions in Worship

This is not necessarily a provocative question but after doing the reading I was curious as to what the author meant. In GPTG page 370 he talks about offering strange fire to God and worship offered to the golden calf as examples of allowing emotion to judge true religion and worship. Is he saying that contemporary music in the church is manipulating emotions? I was confused by the example and what the point he was trying to get across.

Catechismal Erosion

I remember several years ago learning the Westminster Shorter Catechism with my family.  It was a good cycle of family devotions; possibly the strongest we ever had.  My worry about teaching catechisms from birth comes from my few encounters with Latter Day Saints, who almost always subscribe to a faith that they can define, but do not understand.  They have memorized their confessions of faith.  How should Protestant catechism learning be different?  How do you teach truth without compromising the ability to reason?

Looking Back

  I think in many ways Duncan is spot-on. However, I don't know if I fully agree with his argument (on pg 328). We have progressed tremendously over the years.  He makes it sound like progress is a bad thing. How would we truly define progress other than what has been accomplished over the years?

Family Worship

On page 334 in GPTG it is speaking concerning family worship. The issue is the lack of time family's spend worshipping together and spiritually growing as a family. It is so true when it said that family worship has been replaced with small-group activities. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with small groups. There are actually many benefits, but I think there is something damaging with replacing family time in worship with other activities. Our society speaks of "family values" more now than it probably ever has, yet Christians value family worship and spiritual growth less now than ever before. What is wrong with this picture?