David VanDrunen on the Relevance of Daniel's Ordeal in Babylon

Dr. David VanDrunen, professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary California and the author of many books including Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law offers a good reminder of the relevance of Daniel’s ordeal in Babylon to contemporary audiences.

He writes,

Daniel and his friends find themselves away from theocratic Israel and in the center of pagan social and political life. Given that contemporary Christians have no theocratic homeland but are called to live in many nations and many social settings, we might suspect that the stories of Daniel 2-6 provide much relevant grist for reflection about how Christians today ought to undertake faithful engagement in and service to their societies. The NT confirms this suspicion when it portrays the Christian’s identity in the world in terms of “exile” (1 Pet. 1.1, 17) and uses the ancient city of Babylon as an image for describing the cities in which Christians live today (1 Pet. 5:13; Rev. 18).

David VanDrunen, Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2014) pg 196.

Pontus Wellgraf

How should the majesty and ancient authority of the Psalter shape our services?

Bradley Johnston, in his book "150 Questions about the Psalter", quotes from William Binnie to answer the question posed in our title. 

Question 140:

How should the majesty and ancient authority of the Psalter mold worship services?

Answer 140:

"In the Church of Jesus Christ, where the prayers are free, it is of utmost importance that services of worship should be molded in the forms of ancient authority; and surely the best possible mold is that which the Holy Spirit Himself gave by the Psalmists, which has left its divinely guided lines on the Church for these three thousand years."

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I'm struck by that phrase, "divinely guided lines", and the compelling suggestion that this is the mold that we are to see impressed upon our services of divine worship. As I continue to grow in my understanding of and appreciation for the Psalms, I'm amazed at the ways in which the indelible mark of the Holy Spirit's inspiration becomes more and more evident in these sacred compositions. 

What do we currently have in our repertoire that bears the majesty and ancient authority of Holy Scripture? 

Book Recommendation: Ordinary

Michael Horton's book Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World is a great read for every believer who is struggling to keep up with the demands of every new kid on the block with a new strategy to make us bolder and better Christians. 

I'd highly recommend Dr. Horton's message of finding life in the ordinary activities of the Christian life. We so easily neglect the most important means by which God builds our faith and nourishes our souls: His Word and the Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper). 

Here's an excerpt that identifies precisely what is the problem in our time:

“Commonly, the rhetoric of radical in our churches actually mirrors our culture, even when — no, especially when — it invokes the lingo of “countercultural,” “subversive,” “alternative,” “extreme,” and so forth. The likes of Athanasius, Augustine, Bernard, Luther, and Calvin sought to reform the church. But for centuries now radical Protestants have been trying to reboot, reinvent, start over, and reconstitute the real church of the true saints over against the ordinary churches.”

— Michael Horton, 'Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World'

Buy the book here

Read a helpful review of the book here