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Blogosphere
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The
Rev'd Doug Wilson (CREC)
The Rev'd Dr. George Grant
(PCA)
The
Rev'd Dr. Peter Leithart (PCA)
The Rev'd Dr. RJ Gore (ARP)
The Rev'd Steven Wedgeworth (CREC)
The Rev'd
Fr. Drew Collins (ACNA)
James Hawthorne (CREC) |
The Rev'd Joseph Johnson
A
native of Greenwood, SC, he and his wife Toby are graduates of Emmanuel College, completing the BS in Religion degrees; he is also an alumnus of Erskine Theological Seminary,
completing the Master of Arts in Theological Studies ('99) and the
Master of Divinity (2004). He is currently pursuing the Doctor of
Education degree from Liberty
University., concentrating on curriculum philosophy. They have a daughter, Abby and a son, Benji. Toby is a homeschooling Mother, and full-time Mom! Rev. Johnson is
a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Association
of
Classical and Christian Schools. A traditionalist and perennialist,
below are some major influences.
Some of his favorite
authors, philosophers and theologians are and have been John Calvin (of
course), Martin Luther, Cornelius Van Til, Douglas Wilson, Greg Bahnsen,
RC Sproul, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, NT Wright, FF Bruce, St. Augustine, St. Aquinas,
Jonathan Edwards, Abraham Kuyper, Reinhold and Richard Neibuhr, Emil
Brunner, Rudolph Bultmann, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, SA Kierkegaard, FDE
Schleiermacher, Malcolm Muggeridge, FW Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, John
Owen, GK Chesterton, Francis Schaeffer, Thomas Watson, Klaas Schilder,
John Murray, John W. Nevin, Henri Nouwen, Ravi Zacharias, JI Packer,
John Piper, Ben Witherington III, Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Bruggemann, Jurgen Moltmann,
RL Dabney, Alister McGrath, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
His heroes are his father (Ben Johnson, Jr.),
the Martyrdom of Isaiah, St. Thomas, St. Paul, St. Polycarp of Smyrna,
St. Iranaeus, St. Andrew, John Calvin, John Knox, Gen. Thomas
"Stonewall" Jackson, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, any Jew that was martyred
in or survived Ha Shoah, and his favorite Presidents were John
Adams and his son John Q. Adams. Some of his favorite preachers as of late have been St. Peter, St.
Paul, St. Stephen, St. Polycarp, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Loyd-Jones, John Piper,
Malcolm X, William Augustus Jones,
Jonathan Edwards, Ebenezer Erskine,
Robert Murray M'Cheyne,
Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg and EV Hill.
Pastor Johnson enjoys coffee, bourbon, sweet tea, theology, philosophy,
yard work and smoking his pipe. You may catch up with his random
genius on his blog, "A
Higher Orthodoxy".
Some Thoughts for
the Journey . . .
Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for
reflection on one’s personal walk with Christ and discipleship. It is a
period of preparation and personal reflection that precedes Resurrection
Sunday (Easter). Lent in the days of the early church was called
Quadrasegsima (Latin for forty, standing for the forty days of
fasting practiced by Christians before Easter). Early English changed
the name of this 40 day period to "Lencten" (now Lent) which means
"Spring." Lencten was the Old English word for the month of
March; it literally means, "When days lengthen."
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. By observing
Lent to prepare for Easter, we imitate Jesus forty days of preparation
for His mission that culminated in Easter morning. Because Lent is a
preparatory time for Easter, the early church took this time to
rededicate themselves to God. The ancient church that developed under
the instruction of the Apostles observed Lent, believing it to be a
commandment from them. In the process of reflection and repentance, the
early disciples often fasted. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that
does not involve starvation or dehydration. It is about resetting one’s
priorities; putting those things away that distract us from fellowship
and devotion to Christ and abstaining from them.
As a church family going into this season of
Lent, let us remember that the reason for the sea-son is to take
spiritual inventory on our walk with Christ. It provides an look at your
life and your relationship to God and your own life of discipleship in
the spiritual disciplines.
How have you spent the last year in daily Bible reading, study and
prayer?
How have you spent the last year in serving others in need,
especially those whom you dislike or those that get on your nerves?
How have you spent the last year in church attendance and the life
events of the church?
How have you spent the last year growing in your knowledge of the
reformed faith through the study of our confession and catechisms?
How have you spent the last year in your contribution of your time
and talents in and for the church; equally in tithes and offerings?
How have you spent the last year in prayer, service or phone calls
to your fellow church members, in sickness and need?
Let us commit ourselves anew this season and
draw close to God, both individually and corporately as a church family;
spend more time in prayer for ourselves and each other.
In Grace,
Pastor Johnson
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