Archive for May, 2010
The DNA of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries (RMM) started in 2001 on a Saturday morning with a group of singles. It was there I taught my first intro to theology course. It quickly became evident how important this type of ministry was. From there we began offering the courses to the entire church. When enrollment for the courses breached 200 with students from churches all over town joining us, we knew that God was doing something special. One course soon turned into six. We sought to focus all our intention on theological development of lay people. Not only this, but we wanted to do something that we did not see being done. We did not simply want to give people the right answers, but to lead through a process of thinking for themselves, grounding their beliefs in their own convictions.
Soon The Theology Program went viral on the web. In no time we were witnessing the work of God as thousands of churches began to offer The Theology Program locally as well as thousands of online self-study and certificate students. I knew that it was time to put all of my energy into Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. The Parchment and Pen blog was created in 2007 to introduce people to theological thinking. It is now one of the most popular religious blogs on the web. The Theology Unplugged podcast quickly became among the most listened to theology podcasts on the web. Finally, after much prayer and discussion among the board of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, we created and opened the first Credo House of Theology in Edmond, OK. It not only serves as the headquarters for Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, but serves the local community as an Evangelical theological outpost offering classes, seminars, and serving the world’s only Calvin Cappuccino. If you have been here, you know that it is like a walk through time as the very walls teach about the great heritage of our faith. Time will fail me if I expand upon all the other ways that God is using us.
However, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries has come to a very pivotal time. Possibly the most pivotal of all as our very existence is dependent upon those who believe in and support what we are doing. As a not-for-profit, if the financial contributions do not come in, so much of our ministry comes to a halt.
Right now Reclaiming the Mind Ministries is experiencing a short-fall of about $15,000 per month. During a tough economy, we have made many adjustments, but these have not been enough.
This is the longest I have gone since the ministry started without getting paid. As of today, we are close to $30,000 behind. As hard as it is for me to do I have been looking for employment outside the ministry so that I can support my family. I informed the Reclaiming the Mind Ministries staff of this Thursday. That was really hard for me to do! There is simply nothing I would rather do than to keep pushing forward and moving in the direction that seems right. I love what I do. I love being used to affect so many lives. But sitting here thinking about what to do does not put food on my table nor that table of my staff.
This is why I reach out to you through the blog. We simply need more support. We need to make up this $15,000 a month short-fall. We need more people, like you, who understand and believe in what we are doing to hold us up through your regular financial gifts.
If it were up to me and I had unlimited resources, I would that every major city had a Credo House of Theology, coming to the aid of the local church, serving and strengthening people’s faith. But we must take this one step at a time. I must remember how much good we are doing right now. And we have to get the financial support to facilitate our current budget. Our vision is big, but our current ministry is our focus.
I don’t really know what the Lord is going to do here. I pray that the desires of my heart are fulfilled. I will trust in him either way.
To donate or set up a monthly contribution, go here: http://store.reclaimingthemind.org/donate.asp
If you would like to talk to me personally more about this, please email me at: michaelp@thetheologyprogram.com.
I would also be more than willing to travel to visit you if you can put together a group of people who you believe might be interested in partnering with us. Maybe I can come talk to your church (and preach a sermon!).
Thank you for taking the time to listen. Either way, please be in prayer for us.
Michael Patton
President, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries
Source: C Michael Patton
The DNA of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries (RMM) started in 2001 on a Saturday morning with a group of singles. It was there I taught my first intro to theology course. It quickly became evident how important this type of ministry was. From there we began offering the courses to the entire church. When enrollment for the courses breached 200 with students from churches all over town joining us, we knew that God was doing something special. One course soon turned into six. We sought to focus all our intention on theological development of lay people. Not only this, but we wanted to do something that we did not see being done. We did not simply want to give people the right answers, but to lead through a process of thinking for themselves, grounding their beliefs in their own convictions.
Soon The Theology Program went viral on the web. In no time we were witnessing the work of God as thousands of churches began to offer The Theology Program locally as well as thousands of online self-study and certificate students. I knew that it was time to put all of my energy into Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. The Parchment and Pen blog was created in 2007 to introduce people to theological thinking. It is now one of the most popular religious blogs on the web. The Theology Unplugged podcast quickly became among the most listened to theology podcasts on the web. Finally, after much prayer and discussion among the board of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, we created and opened the first Credo House of Theology in Edmond, OK. It not only serves as the headquarters for Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, but serves the local community as an Evangelical theological outpost offering classes, seminars, and serving the world’s only Calvin Cappuccino. If you have been here, you know that it is like a walk through time as the very walls teach about the great heritage of our faith. Time will fail me if I expand upon all the other ways that God is using us.
However, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries has come to a very pivotal time. Possibly the most pivotal of all as our very existence is dependent upon those who believe in and support what we are doing. As a not-for-profit, if the financial contributions do not come in, so much of our ministry comes to a halt.
Right now Reclaiming the Mind Ministries is experiencing a short-fall of about $15,000 per month. During a tough economy, we have made many adjustments, but these have not been enough.
This is the longest I have gone since the ministry started without getting paid. As of today, we are close to $30,000 behind. As hard as it is for me to do I have been looking for employment outside the ministry so that I can support my family. I informed the Reclaiming the Mind Ministries staff of this Thursday. That was really hard for me to do! There is simply nothing I would rather do than to keep pushing forward and moving in the direction that seems right. I love what I do. I love being used to affect so many lives. But sitting here thinking about what to do does not put food on my table nor that table of my staff.
This is why I reach out to you through the blog. We simply need more support. We need to make up this $15,000 a month short-fall. We need more people, like you, who understand and believe in what we are doing to hold us up through your regular financial gifts.
If it were up to me and I had unlimited resources, I would that every major city had a Credo House of Theology, coming to the aid of the local church, serving and strengthening people’s faith. But we must take this one step at a time. I must remember how much good we are doing right now. And we have to get the financial support to facilitate our current budget. Our vision is big, but our current ministry is our focus.
I don’t really know what the Lord is going to do here. I pray that the desires of my heart are fulfilled. I will trust in him either way.
To donate or set up a monthly contribution, go here: http://store.reclaimingthemind.org/donate.asp
If you would like to talk to me personally more about this, please email me at: michaelp@thetheologyprogram.com.
I would also be more than willing to travel to visit you if you can put together a group of people who you believe might be interested in partnering with us. Maybe I can come talk to your church (and preach a sermon!).
Thank you for taking the time to listen. Either way, please be in prayer for us.
Michael Patton
President, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries
Source: C Michael Patton
One of the most terrifying things about going through depression is the idea that it will never end. Our minds are terrificly mysterious. Our minds play tricks on us. Whatever disposition we find ourselves in we believe it is permanent. When I experienced my time of depression last month, ignorance was not a friend. I did not know what was going on. I did not know why my mind was broken. This added to and, probably, prolonged the depression. Was it something I did? Was it something chemical in my brain? Did I need anti-depressants? Was there a lifestyle choice that built up over time and was taxing me? I did not know. Had I known it would have been much easier. If I had omniscience, I could have looked ahead into the future and known with certainty that it would subside in a few weeks. If I knew everything, I could correct the problem by taking the most definite measures to overcome it. But such is the plight of man. We don’t know everything. We don’t know the future. We have to live in such way where we attempt to make the most appropriate decisions as they seem to us at the time. We have to learn to trust the Lord, placing the future in his hands.
The Bible tells us that Christ can sympathize with us in all our weaknesses and that he has been tempted like us in everything (Heb 4:15). Many times I don’t really believe this. Think about it. There are some things that Christ was not tempted to do. For example, Christ was never tempted to tell a lie to cover up another lie! As well, there are certain weaknesses that I have which Christ does not seem to have had. For example, as I said above, I don’t know the future. Because of this, decision making is very difficult. It makes depression much more depressing. If I knew the future, this life would be much, much easier. Exhaustive knowledge of all things would be even better. So many problems and so much weakness would be done away with. Who should I marry? How many kids should I have? What vocation should I pursue? Why am I down? Should I send this email or not? How exactly should I respond in this or that difficult circumstance? If I could draw upon omniscience, all of these questions—all of these weaknesses—would be a snap. I would always know exactly what to do.
What were Christ’s limitations? Did he have any? Was he ever depressed, not knowing what the future holds? What did Christ know and when did he know it? What could Christ do and how could he do it?
Most Christians see Christ first through his deity. Sure we believe that Christ is both God and man, but when it comes to our default understanding of him as we read the Scriptures, we normally see only his deity. If he knew something which ordinarily could not be known, we attribute it to his deity. If he did something that could not normally be done, we credit his divine nature.
However, when it comes to some of the more troublesome passages, we often find our theology insufficient to cover the details. When Christ was in the Garden and asked that the “cup” of suffering pass from him (Lk 22:42), we are confused. When he asks the Father, “Why have you forsaken me” from the cross (Mk 15:34), we don’t know how to take it. And when he says that he does not know the day or the hour of his coming (Matt 24:36), we are baffled. In fact, so confused was some early scribe concerning Christ’s confession of ignorance, he omitted the phrase “nor the son” from the manuscript. The question is: How could Christ, who is God, not be omniscient (know everything, including the future)? Why didn’t Christ know the time of his coming?
There are a few options:
1. Christ really did know; we just don’t know why he said this.
2. Christ did not know for some unknown reason reason, but he knew everything else.
3. Christ did not know because, being a man, he was no longer omniscient.
4. Christ did not know since he did not access his omniscience due to the rules of the incarnation.
My contention is that number four is correct.
Let me be brief and clear with my thesis:
Although Christ was fully God, he never independently accessed any of his divine powers or knowledge. All of his miraculous actions and understanding were the result of his submission to God and came by way of the power of the Holy Spirit. Further, if Christ had at any time accessed his own power or omniscience independently, he would not be qualified as the second Adam and could not represent us in redemption.
This means that there were many things that Christ did not know. It was not simply that Christ chose on a one-by-one basis what not to know, but that he, like every human, had limitations of knowledge. He had to grow and learn just like all people. When he knew things that are beyond the abilities of normal humanity, like when he knew the background of the woman at the well (Jn 4:17-18), he knew them by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, just like the prophets. When he did things that are beyond the abilities of normal humanity, like walking on water, he did so by the power of the Spirit.
In summary, I believe that while Christ exercised divine prerogatives (forgiving sins, claiming to be God, receiving worship, etc.), he did not ever exercise his own divine attributes independently of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. His knowledge and miracles do not alone substantiate his deity, as parallels to all Christ’s miracles and knowledge can be found in the prophets. But his miracles substantiate his deity because they substantiate his testimony.
Concerning this, there is no one “orthodox” belief that all Christians of all time have held to. There seems to be spectrum of belief here. While orthodox Christianity does not entertain the idea that Christ was no longer God in the incarnation (kenotic theory), it does not necessarily speak as to whether or not he used his own divine powers independently or submitted completely to the Holy Spirit.
I believe the latter is correct for the following reasons:
1. It seems biblically correct:
There are many places in the Scripture that speak of Christ’s limitations and about his complete submission to God and the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 4:1 we are told that Christ was “full of the Holy Spirit” and that the Spirit “led” Christ into the wilderness to be tempted. Why didn’t he lead himself?
When Christ is tempted in the wilderness, he responds to the devil by quoting the Old Testament Scriptures, not using his own words (which were inspired by definition). Why not just speak directly?
Luke 2:40 speaks of Christ’s growth in wisdom, implying a previous lack.
In John 14:10 we understand that Christ does not speak on his own initiative, but based on the Fathers. Why not his own?
Acts 1:2 tells us that Christ instructed the Apostles through the Holy Spirit’s authority. Why not through his own authority?
Acts 10:38 tells us that Christ’s anointing was through the Holy Spirit and his power was from the Father. Why not use his own power?
In Acts 2:22 we are told that it was the Father’s power that gave Christ the ability to do the miracles. Again, why didn’t he use his own power.
Mark 13:32 demonstrates that Christ did not know the day or hour of his coming. How do we explain this void of knowledge.
In Luke 8:45 Christ was ignorant of who touched him. What a mundane thing to be ignorant of.
John 11:34 tells us that Christ was ignorant of where Lazarus had been laid. Again, another mundane statement of ignorance.
Is seems theologically correct:
Have you ever wondered why the Devil’s first temptation to Christ was to turn a stone into bread? What is the big deal in that? It does not seem like a sin. If I had that power, would it be a sin for me to use that power? However, the Devil’s plan was much more strategic than we often think. His goal was not simply to have Christ turn a rock into a meal, but to have Christ independently access his own omnipotence (power) for self-satisfaction. You see, Christ had to become like us in every respect in order to represent us. This is why the dictates of Chalcedon (451) are so important. If Christ did not become fully man, then we lose representation. If Christ was not fully God, there is no power of salvation. Christ had to be fully God and fully man for redemption to be accomplished and applied. Satan was tempting Christ to do something that would forfeit his representation of us and therefore forfeit redemption. Had Christ turned the stone into bread based on an independent use of his own power and authority, he could only represent those of us who can do the same by their own power and authority. Since there is no one who has such abilities, no one could be represented.
With this in mind, it is perfectly understandable why Christ did not know certain things, including the time of his coming. Christ only knew what needed to be known for his mission. This is like us. For both Christ and us, we must rely upon and trust in God completely for the unknown future.
Least you think I am saying something novel here, let me quote a few sources:
Donald Macleod:
“The other line of integration between the omniscience of the divine nature and the ignorance of the human is that just as Christ had to fulfill the office of Mediator with the limitations of a human body, so he had to fulfill it within the limitations of a human mind.”
Concerning the temptation in the wilderness he writes,
“Part of the truth here is suggested by the first of the three temptations in the desert: ‘tell these stones to become bread’ (Mt. 4:3). The essence of the temptation was that the Lord disavow the conditions of the incarnation and draw on his omnipotence to alleviate the discomforts of his self-abasement. He could have turned the stones into bread; he could have (perhaps) known the day and the house of his parousia. But the latter would have undone his work as surely as the former. Christ had to submit to knowing dependently and to knowing partially. He had to learn to obey without knowing all the facts and to believe without being in possession of full information. He had to forgo the comfort which omniscience would sometimes have brought.”
He goes on,
“Omniscience was a luxury always within reach, but incompatible with his rules of engagement. He had to serve within the limitations of finitude” (The Person of Christ, IVP, 169).
Millard Erickson:
“Perhaps we could say that he [Christ] had such knowledge as was necessary for him to accomplish his mission; in other matters he was as ignorant as we” (Christian Theology, Baker, 726; Leon Morris shares the same thoughts in Lord from Heaven, 48).
Tomas Oden:
“During his earthly ministry, the communication of divine power to the human Jesus was administered by the Holy Spirit, upon whom he constantly relied. Jesus taught, acted, and suffered what the Spirit enabled, directed, and permitted.”
He goes on:
“[T]here was sufficient impartation of divine empowerment to Jesus as was needed for each stage of the fulfillment of his office of Mediator” (The Word of Life, Prince Press, 183-184).
One point of note that needs to be reiterated here: While Christ did not independently utilize his divine attributes to make it through this life, he always had immediate access to them. Christ never ceased to be God and did not give up his divine attributes at the incarnation. He simply chose not to use them in order to qualify to be our representative. This is made clear by the very fact that Satan tempted him to use his own power to satisfy his hunger. If Christ did not have access to this power, then the temptation is meaningless. According to this line of reasoning, Christ’s full deity is actually substantiated.
But don’t be misled here. Ignorance does not equal error. Just because Christ, living according to the rules of the incarnation, was ignorant of some things, this does not mean he was ever wrong. He never spoke in error.
Was Christ ever depressed? To the degree that depression was not based on his own sinfulness, yes, he could have experienced depression. He most certainly experienced frustration, sadness, and anger. Christ was fully human. Christ had to suffer with the same limitations as us. He could only do, act, and know what was given to him by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. These were the requirements of the cross.
Having said this, I do believe that such line of reasoning causes us to pause and reflect on just how much Christ can relate to us in every way as a mediator. He was just like us. He had to trust in God for his future as you and I do. He had to rely on the Holy Spirit for his mission and power just like us.
I will attempt to answer some very worthy objections to this in the next post. However, feel free to comment and voice your own thoughts.
Source: C Michael Patton