Paul's Passing Thoughts

Going into the holidays one thinks the weapons of discernment can be set aside until the holidays pass. But no, everywhere one surfs, whether Facebook, or elsewhere, New Calvinists are busy putting their Gospel Contemplative twist on the Christmas season. In my case, just yesterday, another assault came as I innocently checked my email and read an article sent to me that was written by the Sultan of Nuance, David Powlison.

The article is full of the usual strange Powlison-speak. For instance, throughout the article, “Scripture,” “ministry,” and Jesus work with people, but any mention of other believers working with troubled people is conspicuously missing. What’s that all about? Who knows! For readers who have any discernment at all, his writings create way more questions than answers.

The article also contained a dominate element of New Calvinism: it’s all about the personhood of Jesus and an avoidance of objective biblical instruction like the Bubonic Plague. You see, Jesus is not a “cognitive concept we apply to life, He’s a person.” It’s not about what our king taught, it’s about His personhood which is very, very, very “deep stuff” according to Powlison. Ie., don’t try sanctification at home, you need Dr. Powlison to guide you through the very tricky business of applying gospel truth to every aspect of life. As I recently heard from another New Calvinist, “the depths of gospel truth will never be learned for all of eternity.” And since the whole Bible is about the gospel, well, you fill in the blank. Like Francis Chan says: “We are just clay vessels trying to explain this incredible treasure.”

Yes, that’s why we need the brilliant, incomparable Dr. Powlison. Throughout the article, he proclaims that the “person of Jesus” is the answer to all of the questions that he presents. While that is true, Powlison conveniently forgets to mention that answers also lay in what Jesus SAYS, not just who he is as a “person.”  Apparently, that might temp people to “jump from the imperative directly into obedience.” My, my, we can’t have that—that’s a subjective gospel that was at the core of the Reformer’s contentions with Rome!  Also known as the “first generation of biblical counseling.”

That’s why CCEF has a “research and development team.” At the 2011 TGC conference, he had a workshop to reveal all of the “latest developments” in biblical counseling. Where do these “developments” come from? He revealed that in an interview with the New Calvinist 9Marks blog. We must research all the teachings compiled throughout history to find stuff that the “church has forgotten” and lost over time because it was about Jesus as a person and that kind of stuff is easy to forget, like what He plainly says in Scripture. According to Powlison, even when CCEF’s research and development team rediscovers it, it must be reexamined in its “socio-historical context.” Like I said, don’t you dare try this stuff at home!

So many flat rocks laying upon the Earth with truth underneath, so little time. But do not fear, Dr. Powlison is busy everyday looking under those rocks, anxiously anticipating the next new gift he can share with needy, totally depraved Christians. That’s why every day is Christmas for David Powlison.

paul