CALVIN AND HOPS

It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, "God Bless Us, Every One!".
Charles Dickens

December 6th

Location: Kelly's Tavern; Newport News

(click here for directions)

TOPIC: Christmas!

FOCUS POINT: How to move beyond mere anti-commercialism into a truly biblical celebration of the Incarnation.

Some questions to ponder in preparation:

TERMS: Can you define/describe the following?

Advent
Incarnation
Christmas
Feast

Does the regulative principle (See John Frame's article) apply to celebrating Christmas? If so, how? If not, why?
What do various Christmas symbols mean?

Tree - George/David Altmann
Lights
Wreaths - Tim Gowins
Candles
Santa Claus
Gift Giving
etc.

Why is the Christmas season one of the most depressing for many people?
If we give gifts at Christmas, what principles, if any, should guide us?
Is the singing of songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer harmless fun?
What are you saying to the world through your celebration, or lack thereof, of Christmas?

Some Research Links:

On The Incarnation - Athanasius
Christmas Keeping and the Reformed Faith - David W. Cason
The Places of Christmas - 6 Weeks of Service Plans for Advent and Christmas
Mary Bursting - Douglas Jones
Christmas Worldiness - Nancy Wilson
Christmas and the Church - Douglas Wilson
Xmas and Children - Douglas Wilson
Evangelical Feast Days (Canon Press Audio Set) - Douglas Wilson
God Rest Ye Merry Hostages - Credenda Agenda
Celebrating a Calvinist Christmas with a Clear Conscience - Mark Horne
The Observation of the Birth of Christ, the Duty of all Christians; or the True Way of Keeping Christmas - George Whitefield
Why Isn't Jesus in Christmas? - Demonbusters.org

PHILOSOPHY BEHIND CALVIN AND HOPS

Gentlemen,

One of my all-time favorite quotations comes from John Wayne. “Life is tough…it’s tougher if you’re stupid.” Though not necessarily related to stupidity, there exists a common failure on the part of Christian men to humbly sharpen their reasoning skills and learn from one another. We, like much of the heathen world around us, fall into the trap of failing to ever challenge one another’s thinking either because of personal cowardice or for unreasonable fear of causing offense. While I do not advocate offense for its own sake, I do advocate the sharpening of one another in the bond of true Christian love, toward the end of excellence in spiritual warfare with the forces of darkness around us. Let us help each other “take every thought captive to Christ!”

Calvin and Hops is a monthly (generally) meeting of men from a variety of Christian churches in the Spokane area in an informal setting to discuss a topic of general interest. Our primary objective is to grow in knowledge and wisdom and the ability to reason, for the sake of the gospel. Christ is Lord of all, and we need to be able to communicate that to others. This is true whether we are discussing Biblical canon or homosexual marriage. But, I ask you, which is the more likely subject in your workplace? Which is the more likely handle with the unbelievers around you that you can use to lead them to knowledge of the Holy One?

I will establish the topic of the evening as indicated on this blog. However, the topic of the evening may be trumped by another “hot” topic if it seems appropriate. Please use information posted on this blog to prepare for meaningful discussion. Also, I’m always soliciting for topics of interest. Just email them to me at: jack.jkfam@gmail.com

Please mark you calendars and feel free to pass this on to other men you think will be interested. If they want to be on the mailing list they’ll need to send me an email address and a name.

Press On!

Jn 3:30

CALVIN AND HOPS

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