Calling All Reformed Bloggers

As most of you who read me on a regular basis know, I'm a Presbyterian pastor who is a pretty dyed in the wool advocate of Reformed theology. Adrian Warnock and I have teamed together to start a Reformed Blog Aggregator that is called Post Tenebrus Lux. I'm going to moderate this and in the next few days I plan to put up a kind of vision statement and guidelines for it and will be inviting reformed bloggers from everywhere to join me in this.

However, for now I wanted to float an idea by those of you who would consider yourselves to be Reformed. I am thinking of hosting a "Carnival of the Reformation," which would be devoted to advocacy of the distinctives of Reformed theology. My initial thought is to host the first one on October 31 of this year, as this is Reformation Day. I don't have the time and energy to do this every week and the topic is so narrow that I don't think it would be wise to do a weekly carnival. Plus, I really, really like the Christian Carnival and don't want to compete with it. I still hope that most of those who are interested in such things will make a regular practice of entering the Christian Carnival, as well as some of the others.

So, I am thinking that we might do this "Carnival of the Reformation" once every month or two depending on interest. We would keep the format like the other carnivals, i.e. you would be asked to enter a post you have written since the last carnival. This would open the door for you to enter posts that have been composed over the prior month or two.

I am also considering having each carnival be devoted to a single theme. If there is interest in doing this I would want the first carnival to be devoted to the theme of Sola Scriptura. Future carnivals would be devoted to the other "Sola's" of the Reformation, and then, once those were completed we could move on to carnivals on the themes of the five points of Calvinism, and other things like "what is a reformed worldview," reformed spirituality, reformed sins, a reformed view of politics, evangelism, education, and other topics of interest. So, whereas the Christian Carnival and the other carnivals are open to entries on anything, this would require entries on a single topic.

Entries could be expositions of scripture related to a topic, a theological essay on the topic, a story illustrating the topic, or a testimony of how God has used a particular doctrine in someone's life. Someone might want to write an essay on "The Relevance of Sola Scriptura in a Postmodern World," or "How can we proclaim the doctrine of sola fides in a pluralistic society," or "What does God's sovereignty have to do with my daughter's ballet recital?" I'm being a bit silly on that last one but I am saying that to say that I'm not interested only in theological treatises. I would love to see some of our bloggers use their creativity to address topics that aren't addressed in the standard systematic theologies and show how a reformed worldview affects all areas of life.

So, this comes as a question to those of you who are Reformed out there. Do any of you have an interest in such a carnival? If so, please leave a comment. I'll probably send out an e-mail to some folks in the next couple of weeks because I know there are reformed bloggers out there who aren't in the blogdom of God and I would like to give many folks the opportunity to participate. I'll judge by the response whether or not to proceed. So for now, if you are interested, please let me know by leaving a comment on this post. Thanks.

Comments

[Ales Rarus]

Got room for a blogger who's ex-reformed? ;)

[Kyle]

Yeah. I've got a gret deal of interest in such a Carnival. Unfortunately, it sounds like I'd have to read all those proposed articles to determine if I actually was reformed or not. I'm very reticent to label myself, and since I wasn't brought up being told, "you're a presbyterian, here's what you believe," I have no idea if my beliefs match up with "Reformed" theology.

You wouldn't have a link to a "you know you're Reformed if..." site would you?

[Paul]

JollyBlogger: Yes, I'd be interested.

Kyle: Just read the questions of the Shorter Catechism and see if you agree with the answers. It and the Westmister Confession of Faith are the "you know you're reformed if" litmus test. :)

God Bless

[rebecca]

I'd be interested.

[Scott McClare]

Yeah, contingent on the definition of "Reformed" (making sure I qualify), I'd love to participate in something like this. Not on a weekly basis, of course, but a monthly or bi-monthly carnival would be great.

It would be good if participants knew what the theme was well in advance, so we would know what to write (assuming nothing would otherwise fit the bill).

[Funky Dung]

"You wouldn't have a link to a 'you know you're Reformed if...' site would you?"

A decent start would be to take BeliefNet's Belief-O-Matic Quiz.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

[David]

Scott and Kyle - I would agree with Paul in encouraging you to check the catechisms to see if you are in line with Reformed theology, but I would expand it beyond the Westminster standards. I don't know how familiar you are with the confessional documents but there are others besides the Westminster Standards that I think fall within the framework of being "reformed." The London Baptist Confession certainly fits the bill - I wouldn't want a baptist who disagrees with the Westminster view on infant baptism to feel like they shouldn't participate. Also, the continental reformed churches have different expressions of reformed theology that are great - the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt are good expressions of the Reformed position.
Another issue I want to address, and I will do this in a further post if the interest seems high, is what to do about Lutherans. In the most technical sense there is a divide between the Lutherans and the Reformed. However, many Lutherans still agree with the Five Sola's of the Reformation and so I would want Lutheran's who affirm these things to contribute. What's a good confessional statement for Lutherans - "Formula of Condord." Are there any Lutherans out there who can help me out here?

[Paul]

You are correct. I apologize, I should have mentioned that Westminster is only a good starting place and there are certianly other good creeds and counsels that can be referred to. I myself cannot subscribe fully (that is, without any exceptions) to Westminster - and someone who is unable to do so should certainly not consider themselves to be on the outside of the camp, looking in.

[maphet]

Sounds like a good idea. I'm interested.

[Jim Bob Howard]

I'm interested... ...in reading such a Carnival, for sure!! :)

[David]

Ales,
I was really planning to make this a carnival for advocates of the Reformed position. I anticipate disagreement and discussion, but I was thinking that would probably happen in the comments sections of the blogs that enter or in responses on other blogs. So, I would need to know where you are coming from. I have met folks who moved from "reformed" to "Lutheran," and still hold to the five solas. Others cross the Tiber or go to Byzantium and are anti-reformed. So, those kinds of things would determine whether or not you would be in the carnival.
However, you give me an idea. I don't know what kind of "ex-reformed" blogger you are, but if you aren't in a position to be an advocate of a reformed view I may be willing to give you a guest post on my blog to interact with something in the carnival. Or, you could just do something on your own blog and we could interact that way.

[matt h.]

Yup - count me in.

[Mike Terrell]

Like Jim Bob, I'm quite sure I'd be interested in reading this sort of thing, but until now, I have been completely ignorant of this "carnival" concept. I reckon there would be a good bit of variety in terms of depth and writing skills, as folks like little ol' me might qualify being "Reformed" and a "blogger" but generally being a step down in terms of content compared to other contributors. I'll bookmark your site here and check in often for updates.

[Jeremy Pierce]

I'd make an effort to try to contribute.

[Brant DeBow]

I would definitely be interested in contributing, if I'm allowed. I'm a Lutheran, so hopefully I can clear up a few questions in the comments sections. First off, I think most Lutherans would say the defining confession is the Book of Concord (Augsburg Confession, Small & Large Cathechisms, etc).

Also, I must distance myself from the liberal policies within the ELCA (the big Lutheran denom). I personally don't know how a person could be considered Lutheran and deny the 5 Solas. Calvin's 5 points may be an area of technical disagreement, but the Solas strike me as the basic core of the Reformation.

So if by "Reformed" you mean from any Reformation denom, I'd love to do my best to represent the Lutherans.

[Funky Dung]

"I don't know what kind of 'ex-reformed' blogger you are, but if you aren't in a position to be an advocate of a reformed view I may be willing to give you a guest post on my blog to interact with something in the carnival. Or, you could just do something on your own blog and we could interact that way."

My question was only half serious. I'm a smart alec who likes a good argument. ;) I was raised Lutheran, fell into agnosticism, briefly flirted with a non-denom Christian group, was led to the Catholic Church by the witness of some wonderful friends, and crossed the Tiber in 2000.

Obviously, my counter-reformational beliefs wouldn't mesh with the Carnival, but I'm always interested in keeping the lines of dialogue open. Healing the fractured Church Militant is an important cause for me and seems to be a vocation of sorts. There are some Protestants of various flavors reading and commenting on my blog. Feel free to join the discussions. I'll try to do the same here. :)

Pax Christi

[Scott McClare]

David wrote: "Scott and Kyle - I would agree with Paul in encouraging you to check the catechisms to see if you are in line with Reformed theology, but I would expand it beyond the Westminster standards."

Thank you. That was exactly the sort of answer I was looking for; as a Reformed Baptist, I am in general agreement with the London Confession and therefore with the Westminster Confession, obviously excepting those places dealing with baptism and church polity. (Some would still consider even this level of dissension from the Westminster standards to be not "truly Reformed.")

My question also pertained to the scope of participating blogs. Where on the spectrum between Reformed-person-with-blog and blog-dealing-with-Reformed-theology would the cutoff point be?

[JosiahQ]

Ah, so its like a convention, instead of for sci-fi or fantasy geeks, its for Reformed geeks!

[David]

Josiah - that's basically correct. BTW - what is chattablogs? Is chattablogs a host, a server, or a blogring. I've seen it a few times just haven't taken enough time to get famiiliar with it. Does this carnival idea appeal to you at all?

[David]

Ales - that's the trouble with the internet. I couldn't hear your snicker or see your little wink wink. I'll try to stop by more often and am glad that you are stopping by here.

[Kyle]

Ok. I'm in. When I get done being a Baptist (my first attempt at denominationalism, I'm planning on joining these guys: www.epc.org

They say they're reformed, and I haven't found any position of theirs that I disagree with yet. Unless somebody else wants to contest their reformed status, I must be reformed too! :-)

[Funky Dung]

Sorry to be nitpicky, but "Ales Rarus" is the name of the blog, so I go by "Funky", not "Ales". The title is a Latin play on words. Gold sticker and smiley to you if you decypher it. ;)

[Funky Dung]

I just noticed my typo. I filled out "Name" with the name of my blog, "Ales Rarus", instead of my pseudonym,"Funky Dung". *smacks head*

[David]

Ales Rarus - OK, I looked it up on some latin places on the internet and came up with

Ales - omen
Rarus - rare

I haven't got a clue after that???????

[David]

OK wait a minute - I found this about Ales when it is used as a name:

Although the name Ales creates the urge to be reliable and responsible, we emphasize that it causes a blunt expression that alienates others. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses through worry, mental tension, and tension or accidents to the head.
Your name of Ales gives you self-assurance, independence, and confidence. You have depth of mind and the ability to concentrate and to follow a line of thought to a logical conclusion. Your love of challenging the concepts of others invariably leads you to create your own ideas and to pioneer new lines of thought. Your strong characteristic of individuality qualifies you as a leader. You must be independent and you do not brook interference in any way. Although you do not tolerate interference in your own affairs, this characteristic does not prevent you from interfering in the affairs of others.

OK - so you rarely interfere in the affairs of others?

Ah, I'm never gonna get that smile face.