...and I finally cried.

To say that this has been a difficult week would be a massive understatement.  The circumstances of my life are still raging around me and I have been stunned this week by not one, but two deaths.  A college friend of mine passed away just a few days ago.  We haven't spoke in a few years, since at least graduation, but I will always remember that he was good for a good conversation.  Unfortunately, he left behind a wife and two small children. 

And now I just received this in my email:

"ATS Alumni,

With great sadness I share with you that Professor Emeritus, Dr. Luke Lee Keefer, Jr. passed away last Friday, December 10.

"Dr. Keefer was a highly respected and beloved member of our community. Following is a compilation of sentiments shared by many. If you would like to express your own sentiments to the family, you may do so via the funeral home web page here: Hoover-Boyer Funeral Home
Service information is as follows:

"Visiting hours will be Friday, December 17, 2010 from 5-8 PM at Hoover-Boyer Funeral Home, 118 South Market Street, Millersburg, PA 17061. The funeral service (with burial following) will be at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 18, 2010, at Free Grace Brethren in Christ Church, 2134 Route 209, Millersburg, PA 17061. There will be an hour of visitation prior to the service beginning at 10 AM.

John C. Shultz, President, Ashland Theological Seminary

Tribute to Dr. Luke Keefer, Jr. Professor Emeritus, Ashland Theological Seminary

"Ashland Theological Seminary lost an invaluable member of our community with the death of Professor Emeritus, Dr. Luke Lee Keefer Jr. Dr. Keefer was employed as Professor of Church History and Theology from 1987 until his retirement in 2008. As a former pastor, teacher/principal in the mission field and college professor, he brought a depth of understanding and breadth of perspective that continues to impact his former students and seminary colleagues.

"Luke’s students describe him as kind, knowledgeable, organized, supportive and always concerned that they be developing critical thinking skills. They continue to comment on his passion and abilities as professor, mentor and friend. In addition to his obvious living out of the fruits of the Spirit, some have called him the wisest man they have ever known. He modeled sensitivity and grace whenever students would ask a question or assert a point that demonstrated their tendency toward self-assurance without foundation. He never shamed anyone, or shot down the ideas of others, but would quietly challenge class members to consider the weight of their words and to follow through on the effects of their stated beliefs.

"His seminary colleagues valued him as a true man of God, gentle and passionate to his core. He had a God-tuned sense of justice that led him to speak to principle. He brought a singular voice of reason, tempered with compassion, sharpened with intellectual inquiry and grounded in unwavering faith. His insights into the kingdom of God were profound. His contributions in various meetings were always received with the greatest attention and deepest respect; because we knew that he spoke carefully and scripturally. Luke was a servant-leader who modeled obedience of the two great commands in a noticeable and impactful way. He loved God with all his heart and he cared for others in genuine and meaningful ways.

"It is difficult to imagine what activities he’s currently participating in…he may be discussing the back story of the Asbury revival with the Holy Spirit or reviewing the fine points of theology with the Wesley brothers or catching up with all the Messiah/Brethren in Christ/Ashland Theological Seminary friends who have gone on before. These choices and many more are surely a thrill to him in his new home. Whatever are his rewards, we are relieved that his suffering is over forever. At the same time we grieve deeply with all those whose hearts have been broken with the departure of a committed husband and father, a true friend and an inspiration to all who knew him. May we all honor his life by loving God and others as our friend, Dr. Luke Keefer, Jr. sought to do."

Dr. Keefer was one of my most wise men I have ever known.  He was extremely kind and unassuming.  He always drove a red pickup truck to class and had an infectious grin.  He had a knowledge and perspective of church history that helped me further develop my passion for historical theology.  He was just an incredible man and I know who is enjoying sitting and chatting with the saints of God. His impact on me has just simply been immense. 

Welcome home, Dr. Keefer.  Thank you for a life well lived and the legacy you left behind.  You will be missed.

Listed below is his obituary:

Luke Lee Keefer Jr., 70, of Ashland, Ohio passed away Friday, December 10, 2010 at Cleveland Clinic after his long-term illness became more aggressive during the past eight months.
He was born September 22, 1940 to Luke L. Sr. and Martha (nee Melhorn) Keefer in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. They both preceded him in death.
Luke graduated from Millersburg High School in 1957. He attended Messiah College where he received a B.A. degree in 1962 and a B.Th. in 1963. He received a Masters of Divinity in 1971 from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in 1982 from Temple University.
His past experiences include pastor of several churches, teacher and principal at Navajo Mission, New Mexico and Millersburg, Pennsylvania. He was a Professor of Bible and Religion at Messiah College for 15 years and retired in 2008 after 21 years as Professor of Church History and Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary.
Luke was a devoted member of the Ashland Brethren in Christ Church where he was a Sunday School teacher, occasional music leader and pulpit supply. He was also an evangelist; speaker for Bible conferences, retreats, and camp meetings; and served on many boards within the Brethren in Christ Church denomination. He was also author and editor of numerous books and articles.
He enjoyed traveling and led numerous tour groups abroad, most frequently to England. At home he enjoyed reading, Yankees baseball, Penn State football, hunting, table games, movies, and ice cream.
Luke's life was an inspiration to many, not because of what he accomplished but because he tried to emulate Christ in all he did. He was ready to transition from this world to his eternal life in heaven. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Doris (nee Bowman) Keefer of Ashland; three children, Brian Keefer of San Mateo, California, Dale (Aimee) Keefer of Webster, New York, and Barbara (Ian) Graham of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; five grandchildren, Elizabeth, David, and Annemarie Graham and Kallisto and Mason Keefer; and four sisters, Geraldine (Ed) Keiter of Halifax, Pennsylvania, Martha (Ray) Lauver of Millersburg, Pennsylvania, Anna Carr of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Nancy (Donald) Prowell of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.
Funeral services will be held, Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in the Ashland Brethren in Christ Church, 2750 Mifflin Avenue, Ashland, OH 44805 with Pastor Keith Tyson and Revered Dr. Matthew Lewis officiating. Friends may call Wednesday, December 15, 2010 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Denbow-Primm-Kemery Funeral Home, 313 Center Street, Ashland, OH 44805 and one hour prior to the service at the church from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
An additional funeral service will be held, Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in the Free Grace Brethren in Christ Church, 2134 Route 209, Millersburg, PA 17061 with Pastor Keith Tyson and Reverend Dr. Matthew Lewis officiating. Interment will be in the Free Grace Brethren in Christ Cemetery. Friends may call the evening prior at the church, Friday, December 17, 2010 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the service from 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to: West Milton Christian Center, PO Box 69, West Milton, OH 45383 or Brethren in Christ World Missions, 431 Grantham Road, PO Box 390, Grantham, PA 17027-0390.
For those who may not be able to attend, online condolences may be shared on the funeral home's website at http://www.dpkfh.com/
Denbow-Primm-Kemery Funeral Home is handing the arrangements. Hoover-Boyer Funeral Home in Millersburg is handling local arrangements.

Time and The Order of Salvation

"Time, why you punish me?
Like a wave bashing into the shore
You wash away my dreams.
"Time, why you walk away?
Like a friend with somewhere to go
You left me crying
"Can you teach me about tommorrow
And all the pain and sorrow
Running free?
"Cause tomorrow's just another day
And I don't believe in time"

Hootie and the Blowfish
"Time"
Cracked Rear View

As in my previous two posts, I still am requesting much prayer.

            I also have been thinking about something that I do not think is quite fully developed yet, but nevertheless, would like to get it out there.  In reformed theology, much emphasis is put on the ordo salutis, also known as the “order of salvation.”  It is very important for Calvinists to place regeneration before the moment salvation to preserve the sovereignty of God.  As a matter of fact, in the whole system of Calvinism, it is important to note that God elected believers from the foundations of the world.  It is important because the emphasis in reformed theology is grace alone through faith alone.

            To be honest, I do not know a lot about Arminianism other than that I am probably not one.  Roger Olson’s book on Arminianism is on my “to read” list, but I just haven’t got there yet.  (By the way, I just finished the 11^th and final book of Harry Turtledove’s TL-191 series.  I’m finally setting aside Turtledove for some other reading.) In Arminianism, it seems that the emphasis is on the free will of man and if I understand the theology correctly, it places the regeneration of the Holy Spirit after the initial act of salvation.

For the past few years, I have described myself as a “questioning Calvinist” with the emphasis much more on the questioning part.  It is not that I have slipped from my belief in the sovereignty of God; on the contrary, it has become stronger.  As a matter of fact, if forced into a corner, I will often err on the side of the sovereignty of God.  But it is not the only important theological issue.  In other words, is God sovereign in salvation?  I believe the Bible does teach that.  Do we come to God on our own free will?  I also believe the Bible also teaches that…

…which brings me to my thought.  I am beginning to believe that time is a created thing.  On the surface, this seems like a no-brainer.  But if time is a created thing, then there was a time (pardon the pun, but language is limited for this) that God did not exist within a time and space continuum.  Therefore, God exists outside of time, so is there really a need to talk about the order of salvation?  Think about it this way: If God stands outside of space and time, then our concept of time, i.e. past, present, and future, is all already known to God.  So, to God, everything is happening right now. Even saying the words “right now” can be a stretch to a God who stands outside of time.  Things just are.

As it turns out, in my limited research of this issue, I am not the first to try and tackle it.  St. Augustine of Hippo also tacked this issue all the way back in the fourth century.  It seems that I stand in good company.  If my research is correct, he thought that God viewed things as the “eternal present,” which is essentially what I am saying above.  I need to do some more research on this (if I can ever find the time, again, no pun intended), but if this is true, then why is it necessary to talk about the order of salvation?

My overly simplistic answer is that since time is a created thing by God and God the Father chose to insert God the Son, Jesus Christ, into this space/time continuum in the form of a human, then even if time is a created thing, God has chosen to work within it.  The only answer that my finite brain has come up with is that God has to try and help us understand the concept of salvation and what it means. 

Think about the repercussions of that, too. If God employed the use of time to help us understand salvation, then does that mean that salvation is a far greater thing than we can understand?  I think it does.  And then what do we do with the arguments of Paul in Romans?  Was the idea of justification as Paul explained it just a method to try and explain something much bigger that he was?  I’ll let you answer that one for yourself. 

I think there is a temptation here to view things as black and white and simply rely on the Scriptures for the information that we need and I am not saying that is a wrong way to approach it.  The Scriptures are what we have to help us understand the things of God; we are to view them as the infallible inspired words of God, but this goes beyond the mere question of the Scriptures being fallible or infallible and goes directly to the limits of our human understanding about who God is and just what exactly He did to save us.  Frankly, it all makes my head hurt. 

My point in all of this is that I think we should be less focused on the ins and outs of the order of salvation and more focused on helping someone come to faith in Christ and helping them to live out that faith.  I have grown very weary of those who want to argue about this issue when I think it is so much less important than what I in the past have made it out to me.  The question for me is what am I and what are you doing right now to live as saints of God?