Geoff Ashley

disciple, husband, father, pastor | wordsmith | bibliophile | biblicist | calvinist | karaoke aficionado

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Where you start in theology can have significant consequences for where you end up.

For example, if you start from the unity of the Godhead and then work thru the distinctions between persons, that will affect the way you view the Trinity (which is partly why East and Western traditions have different nuances while both holding to trinitarianism).

Likewise, depending on if you start with the essential similarity between man and woman (shared humanity) or their dissimilarity (distinct sexes), you will view arrive at different implications and applications for gender and sexuality.

Regardless, the key is to not allow the origin to exert undue influence on the destination. Both unity and plurality exist in God and we need to allow both to speak. Likewise, both similarity and dissimilarity exist in sex and we need to allow both to speak. But we need to wrestle with what they are saying.

As Arianism compromises on unity in favor of diversity and modalism does the opposite, so egalitarianism and softer forms of complementarianism tend to downplay the significant sexed distinctions that God has wired into our common humanity. There is a way to exaggerate those differences (actual sexism), but that is not the greater danger to the church today. The greater danger is an emphasis on sameness to the dilution of distinction and the ultimate analogy of that is transgenderism in which sex means little to nothing. Rather than shying away from our differences they should be celebrated as both men and women reflect the image of God but in very distinct sexually specific ways according to God’s good design.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

When Paul says to “act like men,” that means more than just “act like a male.” It also means “don’t act like a boy.” Men are to be neither effeminate nor childish.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Fraud and Immigration in Minnesota: a few thoughts from Proverbs 29 (let the reader understand)

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

Proverbs 29:4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.

Proverbs 29:8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

Proverbs 29:9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Proverbs 29:10 Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.

Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Proverbs 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

“What is unknown remains unloved” (Bavinck)

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Why are we keeping Reformation Church open tomorrow despite the inclement weather? I sent this explanation to my church this morning.

Why we aren’t just canceling services? In short, we think the pros of a smaller gathering outweigh the cons of no gathering at all.

As elders, we believe that our authority is bound by Scripture and thus to bind men’s consciences beyond the boundaries of the word is never safe.

Binding the conscience can go in either direction. For instance, for us to say “you must come to services tomorrow” would be to bind the conscience beyond Scripture. The Bible commands the Church to gather in general, but that doesn’t mean that its never appropriate to miss services. By all means, if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable getting out in the weather, stay home tomorrow. You are not under any pressure or obligation from the Lord or the elders.

But another way to bind the conscience is to tell the church that they cannot gather. That’s a serious prohibition that we want to treat with gravity. To tell our members that they can’t gather, can’t hear the Word, can’t pray with others, can’t sing with others, and can’t partake of communion, is a weighty thing. Would we ever make that decision? It isn’t completely impossible, but I just want to make sure that we don’t swing the pendulum from one bondage to another. Given that the status quo is meeting, I think a very high burden needs to be met to disrupt that. Many churches throughout time and place have overcome the burden of inclement weather and I assume we can as well.

Some people have experience driving on ice, some do not. Some live far away, others live close to the church. Some have four wheel drive, others do not. Some are risk averse, others not so much. Some people have family at home, others are dependent on the weekly gathering for community and encouragement. There is no one size fits all approach so the only way to account for the diversity of the body is to entrust our people with options and encourage them toward wisdom.

If you can safely make it and desire to join us, then please do so. If you cannot, then stay home. We love you and God loves you regardless.

I realize that some of you may appreciate this posture and others of you may disagree. In fact, I’ve heard from many this week who are grateful that we are staying open and others who wish we would reconsider.

I’m not writing this to convince you to adopt our perspective so much as to understand our pastoral intent. Even if you disagree, hopefully you understand where we are coming from.

See y’all tomorrow or next week! Stay safe and warm.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

@dmichaelclary This is great. I wrote a post a while back on why polygamy is prohibited today but this article is a great companion piece to complement it by showing why it might have been tolerated in OT. Here was my post: https://t.co/XQo2OeLOnH

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

One strategy of the enemy is to take a contextual command that applies in some circumstances, but not others (do not judge, turn the other cheek, etc. all have legitimate biblical exceptions) and universalize it to make it analogous to what is actually universal (do not murder, do not commit adultery, forsake homosexuality, etc).

We may debate IF something is murder (trying to sort out individual acts to see if it was a justified killing) or adultery (there are differences of views on the permissibility of divorce), but there is no question that murder and adultery are NEVER permitted.

They relativize what is universal and universalize what is contextual. They ironically both add to and remove from the Word in so doing.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Israel to see the sites of biblical history, I’m leading a tour in Feb 2027. We are having an informational next month at Reformation Church if you might be interested. Thursday, Feb 5, 7pm.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

@Boanerghes_ Just a line in a book. Not the main point of the section but just got me thinking about imperialism. I’ll probably recommend the book for our men but want to finish it first.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Everyone is a cultural imperialist. Everyone thinks one culture is better than another. Even the person who says that no culture is better than another is arguing for a particular type of (inclusive, tolerant, pluralistic) culture. There is no such thing as a primordial unbiased worldview.

No culture is perfect, but some cultures better reflect biblical truths and virtues because they were originally influenced by Christian values. To whatever degree a culture is more biblical, it is better.

As Major Heyward says in Last of the Mohicans, “I thought British policy was ‘make the world England,” so the Church’s mission is the make the world Christian.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

@Boanerghes_ @thisisfoster Karma! But seriously, no clue!

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

With all of the recent drama in the PCA regarding egalitarianism (see helpful critiques of @thisisfoster) and progressivism (see recent PCA call of lament and prayer) and within the Catholic Church (see pope’s statements on immigration), it is abundantly clear that an episcopal or Presbyterian polity is not inherently better equipped to protect doctrine than congregationalism. We can debate the biblical merits of each system of governance, but the critique that congregational polity is intrinsically more susceptible to drift should be put to rest. Any church or denomination will eventually drift (or be steered) if it is not anchored to conservative principles. Neutrality is a myth.

[Michael Clary @dmichaelclary]

https://t.co/lAyVtk1DhL

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

This gives me hope.

Jeremiah 18:7-8 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, [8] and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

America is under judgment. Judgment for worshiping Baal by sacrificing our kids and Asherah by sexual perversity. Judgment for forsaking our Creator and repudiating our forefathers (rejection of the 5th commandment). Judgment for separating our rights from the Giver of those rights. We are witnessing the reality of Roman’s 1 play out. And witnessing a recapitulation of Israel’s pattern (they grew strong and thus arrogant and forgot the LORD).

And yet God reigns. God is compassionate. God has made promises in His word. May He turn our hearts to seek what is true, good, and lovely. May He have mercy on us as we seek to make disciples of all nations, especially our own.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

As always, we have to define our terms. What is love and how do we show love? Sin is always corroding our loves but it does so shrewdly. Sometimes it does so by convincing us to do something unloving by calling it loving.

I think there are probably a lot of cultural and philosophical streams that lead to what we see today. A “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality, a novel view of retirement, pietism and poverty gospel, etc. Would love to read an insightful piece trying to parse through some of those converging streams! I feel like I can see the symptoms but haven’t yet found anything super helpful to diagnose all the various underlying germs.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Thoughts on the ordo amoris…

The other day I read about a guy in the early 20th century who gave a fortune to charity while his kids went to bed hungry. A few days later, I read about a modern multi-millionaire who was leaving his fortune to charity and little to nothing to his kids.

These are tragic examples of an ordo amoris gone awry in that fathers bear a primary responsibility for their own families and not all other families.

In a similar vein, lots of churches give lots of money to missions but don’t pay a living wage to their staff or provide much benevolence to their members.

Again, I was reminded that pastors are primarily responsible for their church members and not all Christians or unbelievers.

This same thing applies to the institution of the nation in that government officials have a primary responsibility to care for their own citizens and not the world.

In all three institutions (family, church, and state), God provides leaders who are entrusted with the call to show principal concern with those entrusted to their care. That is the first, foremost, and foundational function.

That doesn’t mean that they should never help those outside their own family, church, and country. Love demands overflowing to other relationships to some degree.

But to forsake what is primary for what is secondary is to abdicate what God has entrusted to you. We should prioritize what is primary.

“Living a just and holy life requires one to be capable of an objective and impartial evaluation of things: to love things, that is to say, in the right order, so that you do not love what is not to be loved, or fail to love what is to be loved, or have a greater love for what should be loved less.” (Augustine)

“For so blind is our lust for improper affection that our desires run riot without limit or measure; and the result is that we love what we ought not to love, or love what we ought to love less more, or equally with what we ought to love most.” (Calvin)

“Sin is nothing other than the confusion and inversion of the order of things, the disordering of the ordo amoris.” (Bavinck)

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Our Culture and Theology seminar on abortion is now available on our website or podcast.

https://t.co/k2RxUJCl3X

You might also check out the other seminars we have done on feminism, politics, and homosexuality.

https://t.co/IEGodjD0Hn

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Either man’s work is dependent on God’s will or God’s will is dependent on man’s works.

Either man’s will is dependent on God’s work or God’s work is dependent on man’s will.

One sees man as dependent and the other sees God as dependent. IOW, where does ultimate and decisive dependence rest? Whose will and work is ultimately and decisively independent and free?

This is the essence of Augustinianism vs Pelagianism and Calvinism vs. Arminianism.

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

Just wrapped up 6 months of reading and thinking about abortion in preparation for tomorrow’s Culture and Theology seminar. Saturday, Oct 25, 8:30am - 12pm at Reformation Church. Come join us! https://t.co/39G5JHY3Lv

[Geoff Ashley @geoffashley]

You either have to adjust your culture and worldview to fit the Bible or you will be forced to adjust the Bible to fit your culture and worldview.

Either you must repent of what you think or you think God must repent of what He thinks.