Why I am Evangelical

The following is a definition of Evangelical by JI Packer (who is also Anglican). It summarizes better than anything else that I have found why I am Evangelical:

1. Enthroning Holy Scripture, the written word of God, as the supreme authority and decisive guide on all matters of faith and practice;

2. Focusing on the glory, majesty, kingdom, and love of Jesus Christ, the God-man who died as a sacrifice for our sins and who rose, reigns, and will return to judge mankind, perfect the church, and renew the cosmos;

3. Acknowledging the lordship of the Holy Spirit in the entire life of grace, which is the life of salvation expressed in worship, work, and witness;

4. Insisting on the necessity of conversion (not of a particular conversion experience, but of a discernibly converted condition, regenerate, repentant, and rejoicing);

5. Prioritizing evangelism and church extension as a life-project at all times and under all circumstances; and

6. Cultivating Christian fellowship, on the basis that the church of God is essentially a living community of believers who must help each other to grow in Christ.

Why I'm Episcopalian

Very recently, my wife and I became a part of the Episcopal/Anglican church and communion. Having grown up Church of Christ and Baptist, I've had many people ask how this happened. So, here's why I'm Episcopalian / Anglican*, in no particular order:

• Strong commitment to Christian unity and ecumenicism.
• Strong Reformed tradition within the communion
• Many of the people who were important to my Christian formation are Anglican (JI Packer, John Stott, NT Wright, etc.)
• Orthodox
• Great tradition of working for social justice (think William Wilberforce and Desmond Tutu)
• Doorway to Church membership: very wide. Doorway to Church leadership: very narrow
• High view of the sacraments
• High view of the visible church
• Apostolic succession (all ordained ministers in the Episcopal church can trace their line of ordination back to the apostles)
• Great tradition of support for the arts
• Paedobaptism and Paedocommunion
• Large presence in many countries and in many cultures
• High Church, Low Church, Broad Church, and Anglimergent

Obviously, the Episcopal church is not without its problems, but those things, together with a lot of thought and prayer is what led us to become a part of the EC. In addtion, I am now in the process (a very long process) of seeking to be ordained by the EC. I know that is short, but I hope it answers most people's questions.

*For those who don't know the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church are the same thing. The Episcopal Church is just the Anglican Church in America. Episcopal means "of bishops" from the Greek επίσκοπος.

CoffeeCover

Some friends of mine in Boulder have just started a brilliant business. Check it:

The CoffeeCover, a reusable coffee sleeve!

It has long been a dream of theirs to start a business that would also help the environment, and they have hit upon something brilliant (and affordable).

Give your coffee cup a makeover (and some flare) and help out the environment by using (and reusing) the CoffeeCover. The CoffeeCover is made with a soft cotton outer layer and has an insulating foam center. The average coffee shop uses over 4000 disposable sleaves every week, and the CoffeeCover is out to change this. Check out their website, and throw some dough their way: http://www.coffeecover.net/

New Texas Bishop

Texas has a new Episcopal Bishop: The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle

The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle, Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Texas was elected bishop coadjutor at a special session of the diocese’s 159th Council. In its visioning process in 2007, the Diocese of Texas identified “a youthful church” as one of its core values, and on May 24, it voted to personify that in its next bishop. “While we are electing a leader today, we are not electing a savior," said the Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas, in his sermon before the election. "We’ve already got one.”

I am personally excited about his election because he is orthodox, creative, and a part of the Anglimergent converstion. I pray that God would be with him in the coming years. For more info, check here.

Last Day in Boulder

Well, it has been a good run here in the People's Republic of Boulder. We've been here for nearly two years, but sadly, it is time for us to move on. It will always be hard to live anywhere besides Boulder because of all that this community offers, but life will have to continue none the less. We are busily packing all day today, and we will pull out for Texas tomorrow afternoon. We will spend several months in Texas working and continuing to prepare for Nepal, and then...the big move. We leave here with heavy hearts, but glad for the friends we've made and the experiences we've had. Boulder crew, we wish you the best. May you fare well and God speed.

Texas, here we come.

The World is Still a Mysterious Place

Researchers have produced aerial photos of jungle dwellers who they say are among the few remaining peoples on Earth who have had no contact with the outside world. More than 100 uncontacted tribes remain worldwide, and about half live in the remote reaches of the Amazonian rainforest in Peru or Brazil, near the recently photographed tribe, according to Survival International, a nonprofit group that advocates for the rights of indigenous people.

The National Indian Foundation, a government agency in Brazil, published the photos Thursday on its Web site. It tracks "uncontacted tribes" -- indigenous groups that are thought to have had no contact with outsiders -- and seeks to protect them from encroachment. The photos show men outside thatched communal huts, necks craned upward, pointing bows toward the air in a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest.

"These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," the director of Survival International said in a statement. "The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct... All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or decimated by new diseases"

Source

Good News, Bad News

Good News

More than 100 countries attending a conference in Dublin, Ireland formally adopted a treaty Friday to ban cluster bombs -- a large, unreliable and inaccurate weapon that often affects civilians long after the end of armed conflict. The countries agreed never to use cluster munitions or the explosive bomblets they contain, and they also agreed never to develop, acquire, retain or transfer cluster munitions, according to the official treaty document.

Bad News

The United States would not agree to any ban because the country considers cluster munitions an important part of its defense strategy.

Source

The Worship Industry

Where am I?

I've had a few people ask me lately where I stand in relation to the different theologies and Christian traditions, so I thought I'd put it out there:

Theology: I consider myself basically orthodox, reformed, covenantal, evangelical, and generous.

Ecclesiology: I am happily a part of the Episcopal/Anglican communion, though we are not without our troubles.

Also, I am interested in the emergent conversation, though I also have some reservations about where it seems to be headed at times. Generally though, I think many of their critiques of modernism and the modern American church to be valid.

I am very concerned about good theology, unity, abortion, ecology, social justice, peace, and third world debt.

--Jason

The Creed

Prayers...

...for my dear and beloved friends Matt and Lauren Larsen, and little Davi still growing in Lauren's womb. Lauren is in the high-risk pregnancy center as I write this. Her fluid level which should be at 20 is at 5, and if they don't fix it, Lauren is going to go into labor ... 16 weeks early.

For Lauren...
Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beg you to behold, visit, and relieve your sick servant Lauren for whom our prayers are offered. Look upon her with the eyes of your mercy; comfort her with a sense of your goodness; preserve her and give her patience under this affliction. Restore her to health. O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Lauren the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health and that, her health being renewed, she may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Matt...
O merciful Father, Look with pity upon the sorrows of your servant Matt for whom our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy, nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon him, and give him peace; O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift Matt, we pray, to your presence, where he may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Davi...
O eternal God, you have promised to be a father to a thousand generations of those who love and fear you: Bless this child and preserve her life; receive her and enable her to receive you. Heavenly Father, watch with us over your child Davi, and grant that she may be born in perfect health. Into your hands, O God, we place your child Davi. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in your Son's Name: We beg you mercifully to incline your ear to us who have now made our prayers and supplications to you; and grant that those things which we have faithfully asked according to your will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thought for the Day

True freedom is not simply doing what we please. True freedom is doing the will of God and delighting in that doing. Sin, in this sense, is what imprisons us and keeps us from being free.

An Evangelical Manifesto

In case you haven't heard, Os Guinness, Dallas Willard, and Rich Mouw to name a few of the dozens of signees, have recently released An Evangelical Manifesto.

The stated purpose of the document is to be "an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for. It has been drafted and published by a representative group of Evangelical leaders who do not claim to speak for all Evangelicals, but who invite all other Evangelicals to stand with them and help clarify what Evangelical means in light of “confusions within and the consternation without” the movement...the Manifesto is a serious call to reform—an urgent challenge to reaffirm Evangelical identity, to reform Evangelical behavior, to reposition Evangelicals in public life, and so rededicate ourselves to the high calling of being Evangelical followers of Jesus Christ."

I have not had an opportunity to read the EM closely, but still considering myself an "evangelical" in the best sense of the word, I am very interested in what it might say. Take a look at it, let me know what you think, and perhaps I'll post some thoughts on it in the days to come.

http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/

What is happening?

Lost Virtues: Simplicity

I am going to begin to do a series of posts on "the lost virtues" of Christianity...that being virtues that I percieve to have been at one time very important to Christians and the Christian community, that are no longer widely practiced or encouraged. The purpose of this posts will be, obviously, to re-commend these virtues to my brothers and sisters. The first lost virtue...simplicity.

Lost Virtue: Simplicity

Christian history is replete with stories of the faithful who valued simplicty as part of their calling and mission as Christians. As of late, though not surprising in our captivated by capitalism consumeristic society, simplicty is looked on with disdain or as some sort of oddity at best. Look around at our churches. Most leaders are very succesful in a material sense (fat wallets, nice cars, big houses), and those who are simple or from lower class will most likely never be seen in anything resembling a leadership role in the community. And the "health, wealth, and prosperity gospel"...don't even get me started. Garbage! That rant aside, here are the reasons I commend simplicty to you as a very important spiritual discipline and virtue:

1. As Witness

When Christians live simply and joyfully, it is a witness to the surrounding community that we are satisfied by something much more glorious and certain than cars, money, houses, and possesions. It makes Christ look glorious, and it is the aroma of heaven to all those others who are looking for their joy and self-worth in the things that they own but turn into dust in their mouths.

2. As Discipline

I know discipline is a "four letter word" in our culture right now, but simplicity is good for the Christian soul in the same way that fasting is. In fact, it could be considered a type of fasting. It keeps us from eating to much at the world's table so that when we show up at the table of the Lord we are already full and have no appetite for spiritual food. It increases our capacity to desire and appreciate God.

3. As Stewardship

In is a plain and simple fact that there are not enough resources in the world for everyone to live like an American. By refusing to own status symbols or gratuitous amounts of material possesions, we are conserving the limited resources of our home and planet. In that way we are loving not only the creation, but also our neighbor, and there for God as well.

4. As Devotion

We only have a limited amount of time, energy, and emotional resources to spend in any given day. If we are spending them worrying about the mortgage, upset about ruining our new shirt, or taking the other car in for another oil change, that means we cannot be spending those personal resources on loving God and our neigbor. By owning to many things, we end up spending all of our personal resources on ourselves. It is a selfish way to live. Having to spend less time on the things that we own frees up incredible amount of time, energy, and emotional resources to spend on the things of God and His Kingdom.

5. As Generosity

The almost goes without saying, if we spend less on ourselves, we have more to spend on others who may be in need.


For these reasons and others that have gone unnamed, I commend living simply to all my brothers and sisters. It will certainly not be easy. There are people spending billions of dollars, literally, to get us to believe that our lives consist exactly in the things we own and the things we do for ourselves. It is a lie. Do not believe it. Live simply.

Birthday Trip to the NorthWest

What it is like to travel with Jason Ballard

I took this picture of our nightstand at our hotel in Vancouver so you might get a real personal look at what it is like to travel with my husband Jason Ballard. This was just a spur of the moment 5 day trip mind you, and I could only laugh when our nightstand turned into a temporary theological library! The only demand that I had was that he carry the suitcase!

Here Come the Maoists

Former communist rebels won the most seats in Nepal's new governing assembly, taking more than double the number of their nearest rival, an election official said Thursday.

The former insurgents, known as the Maoists, are now expected to form the backbone of Nepal's new government and usher in sweeping changes to the impoverished Himalayan nation, although they will not have an absolute majority in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly. Among the biggest likely changes is the abolition of Nepal's 239-year-old monarchy, which the Maoists have repeatedly said must go.

But the Maoists, who are considered terrorists by the United States, have made it clear they are committed capitalists, albeit left-leaning ones, and have no plans to transform Nepal into a communist state. Apart from that, there's still much uncertainty over what the new government will look like.

The Maoists have been in talks in recent days with the other major parties about forming an administration and are pushing for the creation of a president. That job they want filled by their leader, who is known as Prachanda, or "the fierce one" in Nepali. "It is my desire to be the president," Prachanda told reporters Thursday after meeting with U.N. officials and foreign ambassadors in Kathmandu. "But since there is no provision in the present constitution, we will have to reach some agreement with the other political parties." Prachanda's reaction to Thursday's news was subdued -- he spoke about the mechanics of government and shied away from grand statements about Nepal's future. It was clear that the Maoists, who have led the vote tally since counting began, have moved past celebrating and are now trying to figure out just how to run the country.

Coffee With the Bishop

This is one of the most fantastic interviews of NT Wright I've ever read. Most of you know that NT Wright has been tremendously influential in my spiritual formation. If you are interested in him at all, you should take five minutes and read this. It addresses the Gospel in Public, John Piper, Doug Wilson, Resurrection, The Ascension, Third World Debt, his upcoming book on Paul (rubbing my hands together), and much more.
Read it: Wax with Wright

For those of you who don't know, NT Wright is the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and probably the world's leading New Testament scholar. He studied at Oxford and Cambridge, was a former professor at McGill and Oxford, and was previously the Canon Theologian of Westminster.

Vancouver and Out

Tonight we will be getting on a plane in Seattle to head back to Denver. It has been a heck of a time, and much needed. Jenny made an interesting point when she told me she had planned this trip. She said, "Well, we are heading to Nepal in just ten months, and then we will be there for several years. By the time we come back, we may already have children or we will be ready to have children. This could be our last chance to travel around our home country without kids." I thought it was a good point, and it has turned out to be a remarkable trip.

The highights of the last three days: tulip festival near Mount Vernon, wine tasting in the Pacific Northwest, exploring small coastal fishing villages, the town of Fair Haven, camping out in a small state park near the border, touring the University of British Columbia's Botanical gardens (amazing!), checking out Regent College (home of JI Packer and Eugene Peterson), walking down Jericho Beach, eating Afghan food, riding a tandem bike around Stanley Park and the seawall, exploring various old churches, having communion at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, , strolling through Gas Town and China Town, and having romantic meals in small coffee shops and cafes.

Pictures to come soon, and a post or two by Jenny... I promise.

Two Days Down

Two days down in Seattle, and it is everything I hoped it would be. Romantic, exciting, new, beautiful and adventurous. Highlights so far: Pike Place Market, World's First Starbucks, Space Needle, the troll under the bridge, Capital Hill, Mars Hill Church, taking the ferry to Bainbridge, the brew pubs, and walking hand in hand with my lover around the city. We have stayed the last two nights in the Green Tortoise Hostel, but we are heading out today for Mount Vernon area. Stay tuned, and we'll keep you posted.

Unbelievable Birthday

Well, my wife threw me an unbelievable birthday party tonight at the apartment. And aside from the Literary Study Bible (which I have been coveting for months), a membership to the Boulder Wine Club (from Jenny's parents), and the a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon (thanks Tim), the big surprise of the night is that my wife surpised me with a trip to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow (well, technically today)!!!

We are flying out for Seattle at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, going to Mars Hill Church on Sunday (I love that my wife knows me so well), checking out the original Starbucks, going to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, heading out to the San Juan Islands, and then we are going up to Vancouver. I have no idea how she pulled this off. She even got my shifts covered at work without me knowing. Unbelievable!!! My wife is indescribably thoughtful and amazing. I have never had such a birthday surprise in my life. I'll give a full report here when we get back.

I love you Jen.

Apostles to the Apostles

If you believe, as I do, that God is sovereign in all of life, then what are the implications of the fact that He ordained that women be the first witnesses to the resurrection? Apostles to the Apostles if you will.

I'm not sure the weight of this reality has been sufficiently felt by modern evangelicalism, especially Reformed types like myself. It would have been an apolegetic liability to the early church, and yet, there it is, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Next Up

...for those of you observing a Christian Calendar,

May 1st -- Day of Ascension

May 11th -- Pentecost

I'd love to hear from those of you who are thinking of observing these days and how you go about doing it. My wife and I started observing the Christian Calendar this past Advent season and it has been tremendously beneficial to both of us. As I've never celebrated either of these days before (my Reformation hertiage threw the baby out with the bath water), I'm still looking into exactly how Christains have gone about their discipline of celebration.

Tell Us How You Really Feel Piper

The Good Bishop on The Mission of the Church

Mission must urgently recover from its long-term schizophrenia. The split between saving souls and doing good in the world is not a product of the Bible or the gospel, but of the cultural captivity of both. The world of space, time, and matter is where real people live, where real communities happen, where difficult decisions are made, where schools and hospitals bear witness to the "now, already" of the gospel while police and prisons bear witness to the "not yet."...And the church that is renewed by the message of Jesus' resurrection must be the church that goes to work precisely in that space, time, and matter. -- N.T. Wright

Ballard Update

Well, sorry we have been away from the blogosphere lately, but here (by popular demand) is a quick update:

Jenny and I are enjoying marriage tremendously. We keep waiting for it to get proverbially difficult, but it continues to be nothing but pleasant.

Jenny is working at Pharmaca and I am still working at BSH. Our jobs are good as far as jobs go. We enjoy them, but we are really looking forward to heading to the Himalayas.

We have a Nepali language helper here in Boulder who is slowly but surely helping our language training come along.

We went up and did some hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park this week and got some much needed time in nature. We are looking forward to spring here on the front range and getting in mountains as much as possible.

Books we've been reading:
Surprised by Hope
The Reason for God
Cultural History of Nepal
Kingdom Under Siege: History of Nepal's Maoist Movement
The Resurrection of the Son of God
Dancing with Siva
History of Tibet
Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees