Hello! Third Monday posts are monthly, more incidental, personal, and situational updates on Greatheart’s Table, on my life in general, and on the possibilities and circumstances of ministry. I hope you read through and let me know what you think at randy@greatheartstable.com or in the comments below. This month we are a bit rushed, but here it is!
I
I recently read Tim Alberta’s generally good and often depressing observation on the captivity of the modern American evangelical church, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. Besides not wanting to use the term “evangelical” any more, and a quibble or two that Alberta’s fact checkers should have caught (I mean, last I checked, the Ephesus to which Paul wrote was in what we now call Turkey, not Greece), the book sparked in me a couple of incidental thoughts that seen to have a place here.
Alberta says, “Christians are taught never to place their faith in man. Yet the heart, to quote John Calvin, is an idol-making factory.” (p. 389)
I’ve often heard this thought attributed to Calvin, but I can’t recall anyone ever giving a reference. Is this something that Calvin ever wrote? If so, where? If you know, please let me know!
I’m a bit of a pedant when it comes to these things. If we are going to “quote” someone, whether it is Calvin, Luther, Lewis, or Twain (Mark, or Shania, it doesn’t matter) then let’s make sure we are in fact quoting them. There is a lot, for example, that Twain (Mark, in this case) “said” that he never actually said.
II
Elsewhere in the book Alberta quotes (actually, this time) Daniel Darling, former head of the National Religious Broadcasters, commenting on the difficulty most pastors have with becoming politically involved. Darling said,
“Most pastors are thinking about their sermon for Sunday. They’re tied up with the person they’re visiting in the hospital, the marriage counseling they’re doing — and oh yeah, they’ve also got a troubled kid at home. They don’t want to get sucked back into this political junk.” [p. 353]
The sentiment is all good, but I’m struck by the “oh yeah” aside. Rare is it ever acknowledged that among the things with which many pastors struggle is their children. When pastors have kids who are wandering from the faith or from Christian practice, they rarely have a space to talk about it. Darling’s comment acknowledges that this is a far greater reality than many are willing to admit.
Many pastors question their calling and feel deep shame because their kids are not being what they, or their congregations, think they should be. If that’s you, you need to find a safe place to talk about it. If you have no such safe place, go ahead and email me. You aren’t alone.
III
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that the acknowledgment of the pain of such children, what I call “Off-Script Kids,” is an important part of the work that I’m trying to do. To this end Greatheart’s Table sponsors a retreat for parents which you can read about here. If you or anyone you know might benefit from this, please let them know about it. It’s the only way I can get this info into the hands of those who need it.
I’m also willing to bring this material to churches. We have successfully served churches in this way by presenting this in a two day conference format. You can read more about that, including testimonials, here.
I know this is something that weighs heavily on the hearts of many pastors and many of their people. I want to serve you through this material.
IV
I mentioned in our last Third Monday post how my book Something Worth Living For1 was being used for ministry. In response, I received a note about how one person is using it as a private devotional resource.
“In the morning, as I carve out the time to read from the scripture, I always try to emphasize a reading from the Psalms. After prayer, I try to find time to read a little Christian non-fiction as well -- not as devotions, but to center my mind through (written) conversation with believers. At the moment, I'm reading a book by Philip Yancey (Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive The Church) and Something Worth Living For. Each morning, I read the question from the catechism that corresponds with that day's Psalm (numerically), slowly working my way through your book. In a troubled time, your reflections bring me peace and hope.”
I’m gratified to hear this!
V
Just a reminder that when you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Thank you for reading, and thank you for telling others about us.
Well. Now I'm the embarrassed one. You guys are both write, and as I looked it up in my copy of the Institutes, there it is - marked and highlighted by me. I'm guessing that to some degree when something is quoted by everyone, and by those whom I doubt have read the original, I begin to wonder if it is spurious. Anyway, thanks for re-discovering this for me.
I wondered about the pre-industrial nature of it, too. I'm curious now of what the original word was, but not so curious to try to track it. My copy of Websters says that factory as a word was not used until the 1580s, in English, and even then in a sense not quite the same as we use it.
Anyway, I feel better now. Thanks!
Institutes 1.11.8. Greg has the quote right.
Though now to think of it, factory is a strange word for a pre-industrial author. Maybe workshop is a better translation of the Latin. 🤷🏼♂️