New Year Musings (1/3/2025)
Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:
I am continuing my Riddleblog series, “Francis Schaeffer — Apologist and Evangelist,” as well as an exposition of the Book of Hebrews.
In season three of my Blessed Hope Podcast series on 1 Corinthians, we are tackling the controversies in chapters 12-14: Gifts of the Spirit, Baptism in the Spirit, the abiding characteristic of love, and the gift of tongues and their interpretation. What about the questions these chapters raise? Do the gifts of the Spirit continue today? What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Is tongues a known language (hint—”yes!”) or a heavenly or ecstatic utterance? (hint—”no!”).
Thinking Out Loud:
Kawnzaa is an absolute farce—invented by a convicted sex-offender as a Marxist alternative celebration for oppressed non-white people in lieu of Christmas. Festivus is a satirical holiday invented by Seinfeld writers as a mockery of the commercialization of Christmas (regardless of the motive, it was brilliant satire). Festivus grows more popular by the year on social media, while people (other than Kamala Harris who thinks it is wonderful) ask, “what is Kwanzaa?” I love the Festivus miracles, feats of strength, and especially the airing of grievances. Next year, “you people are rally gonna hear about it!”
I’m simply amazed how the evangelicalism of my youth—which stressed missions and evangelism, lay apologetics, and believed arguments over doctrine were important and worth having—has largely become a gospel-less, conglomeration of political tribes serving political masters, far more interested in social media diatribes and pastors as political pundits and culture warriors, than with the preaching of the gospel or biblically-based worship. Granted, there are a number of noteworthy exceptions. The Reformed can always find something worth debating, and there is a wonderful new emphasis on doctrinal retrieval.
The MAGA theme for 2025 will end up being “Let’s get ready to rumble!” But not against Trump’s political opponents. The MAGA in-fighting has already begun, the ultra thin MAGA majority in the House is gonna have trouble getting anything done. DOGE (which I love!!!) is gonna be challenged by hours of negative news coverage whining about how unfair it is for these poor, irreplaceable government workers to lose their jobs. If Trump can’t make good progress on a significant number of his campaign promises early in his term, MAGA is gonna get slaughtered in the midterms. It is far harder to defend a party’s record while in office than it is to criticize the party in office.
The pontificating of the Christian nationalists about what our government will be like when the millennial age dawns with them holding sway, is like me asking whether or not I should style my bald head with a mullet or a fade.
Has anyone else entertained the question as to why so many Christian nationalists strive to look like Civil War Confederate generals?
Reflections on 2024 and Hopes for 2025
Christmas 2024
I thought I’d skip the usual book notice/review and instead offer a few thoughts about 2024 and hopes for 2025.
In 2024, three men died in Christ who had a huge influence upon my life.
Dad Rod Rosenbladt died on February 2nd, 2024. I really miss him—especially our email repartee about the Kennedy assassination, presidential politics, among other things. A dear mentor and friend.
John Warwick Montgomery died on September 25. I hadn’t seen or spoken with him for quite some time (the most recent was a White Horse Inn recording session back in 2007). But he was the one who urged me to go to seminary (something I had never remotely considered) and then gave me my first job as a professor—changed the whole course of my life.
Dr. Robert Strimple of WSC died on November 17th. He was instrumental in my giving up dispensationalism and my embrace of infant baptism. He was remarkably patient with me and my endless questions, “but what about . . .?”
Some of my favorite sports heroes died in 2024 (Jerry West, Roman Gabriel, Bill Walton, Fernando Valenzuela among others), along with some good friends. A few decent politicians and memorable celebrities died too, but the one which troubles me most is OJ Simpson. I find it hard not to be gleeful at his demise, if for no other reason than the relief for the Goldman family. Should I have been praying for his repentance, not hoping for divine judgment? Yeah . . .
While I always look forward to New Year’s college bowl games, those annual retrospective lists of the notable who died that year remind us that life is fleeting and the curse is all-too real. I am also reminded of how many of them I had already forgotten about—the fate of most of us after we die.
But the highlight of the year was my 70th birthday party thrown for me by my wife. My family and lots of dear friends were present. It was truly a wonderful day and a good time was had by all.
The feedback from the Blessed Hope Podcast has been very encouraging as are the faithful readers of the Riddleblog! Thank you!!!
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As for 2025, I am praying for an end to the war in Ukraine. Putin and the Russian invaders have inflicted over a million casualties on both sides (the Russian army alone sustained over 400,000 casualties in 2024), and both nations are in shambles. This needs to come to a resolution, and soon.
I am also hoping for the fall of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel has done the heavy lifting while the Obama and Biden administrations naively thought if only we were nice to Iran, they’d join the world order and cease supporting terrorism. Thankfully, and despite his political issues at home, Benjamin Netanyahu has Churchillian clarity about the nature of the Shi'ite Jihad. Israel has done a near miraculous thing in securing freedom and safety in the face of a shameful rise of world-wide antisemitism. May Israel’s decisiveness lead to the end of the tyranny of the Ayatollahs and freedom for the Iranian people.
I am also hoping against hope that our congress is forced to work together to get vital legislation passed and on to Trump’s desk. We face two serious issues. One is that the congress has miserably failed to do its job—legislate and thereby limit the power of the presidency. Congress is now a stage for political clowns auditioning for a lucrative media gig or a podcast when they leave office. Two, both parties need to stop assuming that their goal is partisan purity and slavish loyalty to their leaders, rather than seek to get things done which are in the national interest. As it is, our congress is an embarrassment and rapidly losing it most capable members because of threats of being primaried or fear of being doxxed.
Also, I will continue to pray that the evangelicalism of my youth will recover its love for Christ, sharing the gospel, defending the faith, and establishing healthy families. Better still, may confessional Reformed and Presbyterians be a light to those seeking to do the former. And that means that we too grow in our love and zeal for Christ, our desire to share the gospel and defend the faith, and establishing churches and encourage the building of healthy families.
The missus and I await the birth of a fifth grandchild in May-June, a granddaughter. We are thrilled!
May the Yankees be a little more competitive in the World Series and may the USC Trojans get back to the college football playoffs.
But my biggest desire is, “Maranatha, come quickly Lord Jesus!”
Recommended Links:
Mike Horton on his personal note from Jimmy Carter
Keith Mathison on Immutability and the Incarnation
I thought climate change was the new name for global warming. I guess not. A polar vortex is on the way!
The Church of England continues to reach new lows. I’ll bet you didn’t know the Bible is pro-trans
Nice essay from Tom Schreiner on the role of good works in justification
Links:
Don’t own a gun? Well then, Go to jail!
The judge is not amused. Just quit it already!
From a five star restaurant to zero stars. Montezuma gets his revenge, again
California has its share of creepy critters. But nothing like this
If PETA doesn’t like Nosferatu, they’d hate Willard. I saw it a drive-in with some buddies, back in the day. Fun being packed into a car watching your friends try not to act freaked out
Previous Musings:
December Musings, Updates, and Lots of Links (12/13/2024)
Video:
A great way to open a concert—with a sampling of songs their fans love, but that they are not going to play in the concert! I’m not a huge Rush fan, but wow, these guys are really good at what they do. My wife goes into a conniption fit whenever she hears Geddy sing Tom Sawyer.