Here are all the entries from my old blog that I had posted between October 25, 2004 and March 20, 2005.
Who is critiquing emergent?
Date: 3/20/05 at 3:00PMI found this interesting. I’m wrestling through the current criticisms of emergent for myself right now. I don’t know what to think yet.
Criticism of Emergent on emergent-us blog.
Ligers are Real!
Date: 3/19/05 at 3:27PMIn case you didn’t know, I’m a Napoleon Dynamite junkie, and this made my day:
Sierra Safari Zoo - Liger
T.I.G.E.R.S. - Liger
Wikipedia Entry on “Liger”
Wikipedia Entry on “Tigon”
Why Did Claytonius.com Disappear for a Month?
Date: 3/16/05 at 11:45PM.I know all of you, my thousands of readers were greatly concerned to see my posts disappear because they were such a wealth of information and insight. I have been peppered with emails begging, pleading, offering me large sums money to once again resume posting. The world has been waiting and wondering if or when the Postmodern Puritan would once again write…Actually, no one really cared at all. Most of my site up this point has just been links. Not much real writing ever made it up here, and for that reason I don’t have a lot of readers. There wasn’t much to read.
And yet someone out there may wonder, “Why did you take the site down for a month?”
Well, it began with a busy month of school and work. I have had quite a few papers and presentations for classes, plus several sermons, preparation for marriage this summer, and planning for post-graduation work and housing. I felt like I needed to not be so distracted by my blog. It was taking up more time than it was worth. So, I took the whole thing down. Why the whole thing? Why not just stop writing for a while? I guess I thought, “If the site just isn’t there at all, I will be less inclined to feel like I have to check it or update it. If I can just imagine its not there, I’ll waste less time messing with it, and I’ll get more work done.” So, I took the site down. It did not really help keep me on task, but it did something.
With the site down, it let me do a little bit of thinking of how I might want to use this site in the future. I began to realize that I had not done a very good job representing myself and my views up here. Someone surfing in would have found a few links to random articles, some book recommendations, and almost no significant content from me. I didn’t think it showed what I was really about. I realized I need to give a fuller picture of what I believe before and as I comment on things that come up in church and culture. That way, people will be able to put my comments in context. I imagine that some people see this site and paint a picture of me that is skewed. Is he a hardnosed and dogmatic Calvinist? Has he sold-out to Emergent? How can he have links to an orthodox woman, Jonathan Edwards, N. T. Wright, and the XXX Church? What is up with this kid? I thought, I might want to explain what I am really about here.
Of course, even if people picture me in a skewed way, that is not really of much consequence in the long run. That will likely happen no matter what. Ultimately, I am more concerned about is whether people are actually being edified by what I write. If people can’t come here to find some substance and something to guide them in a good direction, what am I doing? I am thinking now that I need to be more intentional about how I post. I need to give people some of what I am really thinking and let them react to it and chew on it. There needs to be something worth reading up here.
Here’s how it is going to start. I’m going to begin posting some portions of my Philosohpy of Ministry paper that I wrote for “History and Philosophy of Christian Education” last semester. I feel like it begins to give a framework for what I am thinking about. That will probably come in installments over the course of the next month or so, which means that at the very least you’ll have a few weeks worth of solid posts to look forward to. After that, we’ll see what happens.
Oh, and I’ll post the old posts again too. However, I will have to post them all in one post. I must have gotten something wrong when I backed them up, and I can’t figure out how to restore them correctly. I still have the text of them, so I’ll just repost that. I’m also going to be updating my links and bio soon, and maybe uploading some pictures.
I guess my goal is to make this site worth something. Here goes.
Grace and peace,
Claytonius
Calling All Disciples
Date: 2/11/05 at 2:29PM
The guy who wrote “The Vision” and started 24-7 prayer wrote this. It got me a little pumped: Calling All Disciples by Pete Grieg.
I truly believe that we spend much too much time trying to figure out what God’s will is for our lives. I think we know what God’s will is. He has told us. It’s all right here. Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God. So many of us overlook, forget, ignore and don’t have the imagination to see what it means to do that. Usually, we’re unwilling to step out and do what we are called, very clearly, to do. Once we master living the things God has told us, then we can worry about searching out God’s will for our lives, or maybe we won’t have to.
I know I have said that I would post thoughts from the Emergent Convention, and I still intend to do so. I’m busy with other more pressing matters at the moment. Besides, I still need to process some things. Epistemology is really challenging, so I’m wrestling with the foundationalism thing. I’ve got lots of developing thoughts about the worship service, though. Those will probably come up first.
Kepano Green is Back
Date: 2/7/05 at 10:04PM
I haven’t heard any of the new stuff yet, but they are back together, and that is sure to be good: Kepano Green.
Back from the Emergent Convention
Date: 2/6/05 at 10:26PM
Well, it was a great week. Lots of experiences. Lots of thoughts. The three biggest topics that I have been chewing on from the convention, and will hopefully be writing about in the near future are:
-Foundationalism, nonfoundationalism, and epistemology
-The role of the public worship service in the life of the Christian
-The nature of preaching and the role of the Bible in the Church
Overall, I would have to say that I am much less uneasy about emergent. I am not there on everything all of them do or say, but I’m part of “the conversation” now. Being a conservative person in the emergent discussion will surely lead to disagreement, and I know that being an emergent person among my more conservative, Reformed friends will draw flak, but I don’t mind. I’m happy to be a “Postmodern Puritan.” We’ll see where this goes, but it should be fun.
Luther was a Blogger, Emergent Convention
Date: 2/1/05 at 1:05AM
An article that compares blogging to Luther’s 95 Theses and Thamas Paine’s Common Sense. It’s nothing new, but I like to think that out of the blogosphere, there will emerge cultural influences: Chill, blogophiles; you’re not the first to do what you’re doing
More importantly, I will be heading out to the Emergent Convention in San Diego tommorow. Chris McElwee and I are going to develop our ideas about Emergent and get some new ideas for Ecclesia. We’ll also be sure to enjoy a little In and Out, some frisbee golf, and the 70 degree weather. When you’re from Chicago, that sounds like paradise in Februrary. Hopefully, I’ll come back with some thoughts and reactions that I can share here. Pray for us. We’ll need wisdom, and we’re hoping for some fresh ideas too.
McElwee Rocks Two in a Row
Date: 1/25/05 at 5:12AM
My partner and boss, Chris McElwee, just gave two messages on missional living and what our ministry, Ecclesia, is all about. They are long, but he did really well. Check them out. By the way, we’ll be posting all the sermons and maybe some of the music from Ecclesia at our website (which right now is just a blog). Here’s the link to the first of Chris’ messages, and we’ll post the second one in a day or so.
Smerickson’s Intro to Emergent Bibliography
Date: 1/24/05 at 10:24PM
One of my good friends Steve has posted a good list of links and rescources about the Emergent movement in order to help people get aquainted with the movement. I think he has done a good job gathering entry-level resources. I look forward to reading his opinion of the movement.
An Emergent Church Bibliography
Internet Monk’s “A Story About Bob”
Date: 1/24/05 at 8:09PM
This article/story was interesting. At least, it made me think. I know the feeling this story expresses, and I have seen it in others. The question I would ask is: What is the alternative? What does it look like to do something else? How do we promote and design our communities to facilitate the family as a “minichurch”? How do we encourage “Pastor Dad”? How do we unite families in their pursuit of God? How do we move the spiritual responsibilities off of the professional staff and back onto parents? I’ve got my own thoughts, but they are nothing near to a solution. Take a read, and let me know what you think: “What’s Best for the Children: A Story About Bob” by Michael Spencer (Internet Monk)
Another Keller Article Worth Reading
Date: 1/24/05 at 6:16AM
Okay, so three posts in a day is great for me. This is another good one. Again, I would like to see it expanded, but this is great to chew on: The Missional Church by Timothy Keller
Timothy Keller on Reformed Postmodern Ministry
Date: 1/24/05 at 5:51AM
I think Timothy Keller does a good job in this article addressing the way Reformed Christians should do postmodern ministry. It is brief. I would like to see a book on this some time, but I think he sees it. This is the kind of stuff that I have been feeling and thinking, and I am glad to see a faithfully Reformed Christian get it. Note, he is a part of the PCA, and he is speaking to others in his denomination in this article, but if you are in the Reformed camp in general, you can appreciate what he says:
I see people who are desperately trying to reach the post-everythings who in their desperation are trying to throw out essential elements such as the substitutionary atonement, forensic justification, imputed righteousness, the Sovereignty of God, or the inerrancy of Scripture. Many of them are probably over-adapting to the post-everything situation. But while they do not have our theological resources, often we do not have their level of engagement with the people of the emerging society. To correct this, let us confess that we really have failure across all our parties to reach the coming society, and let us resolve to use the premier resources of Reformed theology. If we can make these changes, then we may really start to see renewal and outreach, and we might actually be a resource for the broader body of Christ in this culture.
Read the whole article here: Post-Everythings by Timothy Keller
A Great Comment on the Last Entry
Date: 1/24/05 at 3:47AM
Brian Tatnall wrote a very insightful comment on the last blog entry on college kids and sex. I whole-heartedly agree with him. Tatnall is one of my good friends, and this is one of his passions. He’s worth listening to on this one:
An interesting read. A few comments.
Let us not forget that the daughters and sons of America aren’t only beginning to think about things this way in college. A cognitive frame is developed and not simply imported into the mind. While, the coed dorms certainly increase the likely hood of sexual relations, the lusty eyes begin for many at a much younger age. We start to teach most our children, thanks to SIECUS, in 5th grade. Where boys and girls who never knew what lust was now know. Unaware, they figure well that’s something new lets try and the seeds of sin begin early.
I remember my 5th grade teacher willing to ask ANY question a student had. Curiosity aroused at the chance to talk about something taboo, I began my first ‘alternate’ vocabularly. Those of you who attend or attened public schools understand precisely what I’m talking about. The language in the middle schools and high schools that just about everyone knows, but never ends up on papers turned in for assignement. As other students asked suprisingly detailed questions while the teacher answered with no reservations as if a 5th grader should certainly be aware of such thing, I think back about how implicitly it taught each of the students in my class. You see the sexual things are supposed to be discussed in school. If you went home and asked your parents about these things they might wash your mouth out with soap or punish you….matter of fact if any of the parents had been in the room I’m sure they would have been horrified and shocked at the same time.
Most parents aren’t willing to talk with their children to the same extent the schools already do. Be it in health class or a ’sex’ center the middle schoolers visit. Children are intrinsically taught that sexual talk occurs at the school. While, many embarking on their teenage years are ashamed to talk about such things in their own home.
Therefore, is it to anyones suprise that when college, another school, encourages sex…..it happens? As a Christianity Today article, which I’m sure many parents will read, I hope it doesn’t solely cause them to cringe in replusiveness. I hope that it also brings parents to understand they must prepare their child for college. At young ages, daughters need to know how important their purity is and that there are very real and strong pressures out there. Young males need to know that they must respect females and treat them well….like ladies. I ask are our young men being taught how to treat women like ladies….from their parents?
I think the article is great, but it leaves out so much. It recognizes the problem, but doesn’t encourage Christian mothers and fathers to prepare their children well. So that when they do go to college, let’s be honest you NEED to go to college these days and simply not going isn’t an option, they are ready and have a strong foundation in something other than themselves….namely , God.
Simply blaming the college institutions doesn’t fully grasp the scope of the problem. It recognizes ONE of the reasons for sexual immorality in the college days, but it doesn’t point to the cognitive framework that is already being developed in each child before reaching college. The framework developed in our high schools and homes.
I have more to say….this is a topic that is very close to my heart….truly —- Brian Tatnall
Amen. The problem of youth and sex begins at home with parents, in elementry school, on TV, on the internet, at the and at lunchtable. The important thing to me and what I am most passionate about seeeing happen is to have people see the problem of sex in our society (and any of our problems) as systemic and cultural problems, not simply matters of the does and don’ts of an individual’s moral will-power. It is about mindsets, attitudes, messages that are ingested without thought, and systems that promote (if not coerce) certain behavior. This is an issue of how people are formed by their culture and the structures around them.
College Students and Sex
Date: 1/22/05 at 6:14PM
This is a truly well done article. Although I do not go to public University or even a non-Christian one, I have seen the effect of the attitudes described in this article. In my friends, and even to some degree the mindset of people at my own college, I can recognize the values shift about sex has happened. (Note, the shift in mindset of sex is not happening. It has happened. Older views of the preciousness of sex are gone. What is left is residual feeling of things not being right, but the values are gone.) Too often Christians see the current situation as merely being about “saying no” and following the rules, but this article sees also the cultural, systemic, and value shifts that impact how we see sex. I especially like the explanation of the college’s culpability and the relationship of co-ed dorms to alcohol consumption. The author’s observations about how Romeo and Juliet no longer makes sense (as well as several other movies and books) because of the collapse of traditional mores were also very insightful. I think that our sexual culture is the root of most of our societies problems. Abortion, homosexuality, eating disorders, pornography, and many other blights on our society are directly linked to our sexual issues, and this article does well to include alcohol abuse among youth as well. It stirs up many more thoughts for me, but I will simply point you to the article: Dorm Brothel.
High School Youth Group Winter Retreat
Date: 1/15/05 at 6:27AM
If anyone out there reads this before this weekend, I could use your prayers. I am speaking at a High School youth group retreat this weekend up in Wisconson. I’ll be speaking from John 4 (Woman at the Well) on the theme of “Thirst.” The first message will be on “Thirst and Sin.” The second will be on “Thirst and Worship.” The third, “Thirst and Mission.” I’ll be speaking Saturday night, Sunday night, and Monday morning. There are about a hundred students going, and this is my first time doing a retreat. I really would love to see God change some lives and see some kids meet Jesus for the first time. None of that will happen unless the Holy Spirit does his work. That means we’ll need a lot of prayer. Thanks.
Malcolm Gladwell
Date: 1/12/05 at 2:17AM
Okay, so I looked up the author of the article in the previous post, and I found his website with a bunch of his stuff. It is so facinating. He’s into business, psychology, advertising, trends, and that sort of thing. When I say that, it probably sounds dull, but trust me, its worth reading. Try the articles about why you can’t sell fancy ketchup or how to sell khakis. Very intersting.
Thin-Slicing
Date: 1/11/05 at 11:48PM
This is an incredible article. Facinating. The story about the morse code readers is amazing. Its a little long, but worth it: Exerpt from Blink.
This Cracked Me Up
Date: 1/5/05 at 8:57PM
The Great Mollasses Flood of 1919
We Don’t Need No Education…
Date: 12/16/04 at 11:24PM
It’s over! Classes done. Tests completed. Papers turned in. Finished! Happy Christmas Break! Time to relax. I love it. So, what am I doing over break with my new found freedom? I think I’ll read a little and maybe write some. Haha. I’ll also register for wedding gifts and celebrate Christmas with my family. All 10 of my sisters will be here, and I’m looking forward to it. It should be a good time.
Study Break
Date: 12/6/04 at 10:03PM
So, I’m taking a break from my marathon of paper writing. I am just about finished with a paper analyzing the philosophy of ministry of Charles Spurgeon. What a stud! This guy was amazing! I “wasted” about two hours at lunch today just reading his sermons. They are insightful, full of grace, funny, and dead on faithful to the Scriptures. This guy was unreal. Who would have thought that a Calvinist could fill a 10,000 seat sanctuary on a regular basis and consistently have to turn people away? Only by the power of God, that’s what I think. The man was anointed. If anyone wants to buy me a Christmas present, this will do: Spurgeon Collection
I’ve still got another 10-12 pager to write after this one. This one is on evangelism in the book of Acts, and we aren’t supposed to use any commentaries. I’m not sure if that will take more or less time.
Well, back to sudying…
Finally, Storm’s Site is Up
Date: 12/1/04 at 3:54AM
Check out Sam Storms new website…So it looks like a knock off of Piper’s Site. What’s new?
He’s got a lot of great recources up there. Class notes, sermons, theological articles, etc. Quite excellent. One recent article of note: His review of Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. I think he did a very good job assessing it.
Two Articles about Blogging
Date: 11/9/04 at 6:48AM
Two articles about blogging that were interesting:
Bloggers vs. Big Media in Campaign 2004: Score One for the Little Guys
Blogger Predicts Revival via Web
I find both grassroots movements and unexpected cultural changes so interesting. I think the phenomenon of blogging characterizes our culture in a curiously accurate way. It fits our values, and it makes sense that it is so popular.
Timothy Keller Rocks!
Date: 11/1/04 at 11:05PM
I have never been to his church. I don’t know if there is some glaring reason why I should not like this guy, but I haven’t seen one yet. He is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. The guy is one of the best pastors I’ve ever encountered when it comes to articulating challenging theological and spiritual realities in direct and understandable language without sacrificing any of the depth of the truth he is trying to explain. I love his sermons, but I am in complete awe of his Q and A sessions. To be able to answer on the spot questions like those with such clarity and succinctness is a gift. Check them out. Download them all, set them in a playlist and listen to them straight through. It makes for a great ADD sermon. A different topic every three minutes, but a solid thought to ponder each time.
Good Books
Date: 10/29/04 at 4:56AM
I realized the other day that I read a lot of books that are either heady or potentially controversial. I’m a theology student and over time my reading had become more and more oriented towards books that require a bit of formal training or at least a fair amount of familiarity with theological terms and positions. I’m really not all that educated, but enough where I can read something and see the implications of what the author is saying and what other theological positions they might be implying. Because of this, I am a little bit safer reading something that is possibly false or heretical. I’m at least alert to possible theological pitfalls to avoid. I post the books that I am reading, and I afraid that someone is going to surf into the site and see a book or author that I am reading critically, and not realize that I may not agree with it. I may be reading with with my antennae out for bad theology, but someone else might take my reading it as an endorsement of the book. Recent examples of this include Barth and N. T. Wright. There is a lot I enjoy and agree with in both of these authors, but I would not endorse them without reservations or to someone who was new to theology. So, I relaized that I would feel a little bit irresponsible if I did not at least post some solid books and authors for those interested in good Christian theology to check out. Here is a short list off the top of my head of books that I would heartily recommend to the theologically untrained and those who want overall good theology. These, in my opinion, are books you can trust to tell you the truth. They aren’t perfect, but they are going to be heading you in the right direction.
Desiring God by John Piper – Honestly, this book is the one that has impacted me more than any other book, except for the Bible. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this book changed my life. The basic premise is that God is out to seek his glory first and foremost, and the way that human beings fit into that plan is that they were designed to pursue their joy in God. Hence, the books catch phrase, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” Essentially, Piper argues that in order to most honor God you have to be as hedonistic as you can be, you need to pursue your pleasure to the maximum. The trick is, the place where you can get the most pleasure is in God. Sounds like a simple idea, but it is incredible how many different ways this changes how you live life. The book essentially lays out a worldview based around the idea of enjoying God in order to glorify God. The book is worth buying, but it is also available online for free, not to mention a lot of other good essays and sermons by Piper that will help you understand it: Desiring God Website
Pleasures of God by John Piper – If you want to dig deeper into the theology behind Desiring God, check this book out. It tells a lot of the same truths as Desiring God, only it tells them from God’s side of things. Instead of looking at how we glorify God by enjoying him, Piper talks about how God pursues his own joy in his own glory. God is the happiest being there is, and to study what makes him happy will inevitably change you and what makes you happy. After reading each chapter of this book, I definitely found myself praising God for who he is. Unfortunately, this book, unlike Desiring God, is not available for free online. So, read Desiring God first, and if you really like it, read this one. It will make the vision ten times deeper.
Knowing God by J. I. Packer – Christians must be obsessed with knowing God. We are not interested in merely knowing about God, but we want to know that is see, savor, interact with, and encounter God. This is the concern of Packer’s book. Each of the chapters in this book could potentially stand alone as a discussion of an aspect of God’s character, but together, they make up a sweeping panorama of wonders that inspire nothing but awe and a desire for greater understanding of who God is. If you want to read something by someone who knows a lot about God because he has truly known God, Packer is the man to read. He is incredibly humble, and his soul is truly rich, not to mention his brain is enormous, so you’ll learn something from his book too.
Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer – Mmmmm…Tozer. Good for the soul. Passion, wonder, depth…all of it oozes from his books. The man was blessed, no anointed, by God to draw people into his presence and worship. He’s a mystic with a mind. Most of us do not encounter God like he clearly did, and to read his words is to get a taste of what it is like to plumb the riches of the glory of God. Although it is short, this book was meant to be read slowly so that you have time to bask in the beauty of what Tozer is showing you. Read. Worship. Read. Worship. Read. Worship. That is how to get through this book.
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon – Spurgeon rocks! Possibly my favorite character from church history. This is his daily devotional. Its kind of my alternative to Oswald Chambers. Not that there is anything wrong with Mr. Chambers, but Spurgeon just blows him out of the water. Read a page in the morning, a page at night, and worship all throughout the day. A little thought from Scripture, expounded in the most beautiful images and language, geared to touch your heart and make you realize what a precious and lovely savior we have. He’ll stir up your affections towards Jesus, and you’ll love it. Plus, he has really solid theology, so he’s got light to go along with his heat. Its available online, which is real nice.
That should get you started. I may put up some more later.
I Hate Squirrells!
Date: 10/25/04 at 6:45PM
I carved a pumpkin on Saturday with Michelle, my sister, and her fiance. It was fun, and mine turned out pretty good, I thought. But now, those dirty little rodents that hang around my apartment are eating my pumpkin! Darn those squirrells!
Media Player Recommendation
Date: 10/25/04 at 5:19AM
I tried this. I like it.
First of all, I realized I hadn’t mentioned on the blog that the new ministry that Chris and I are starting at Wheaton Bible is finally off and running. It is called Ecclesia, and we’ve had three worship gatherings on Sunday nights. 
We start small groups in a matter of weeks. The small groups will be structured around service and witness, not simply personal growth of the members. One of our core values and ideas in Ecclesia (some of which I hope to be writing about here on the blog soon) is being a missional community. That means that we see life as the Church, always on a mission to 
focus on forming people who are engaged in Christ’s mission to the world. Each small group will be linked to a local outreach or service ministry. Through this, we hope these smaller community groups within our larger community will be able to experience living life together as the people of God on a mission to the world. The other main component of the ministry is our worship gatherings. These worship gatherings are unabashedly spiritual, Christian, Bible-centered, and community oriented. We are trying to promote creative expression of the wonders of God. To this end, we are encorparting art as much as possible in our worship gatherings. We aim to worship through more than simply singing. We spend about 45 minutes each week expositing the Scripture. Right now, we are working through the 
