In that the ultimate purpose of human existence is to glorify and to enjoy God, the purpose of the church of Jesus Christ is to lead people into glorifying and enjoying God.
In that the purpose of the church of Jesus Christ is to lead people into glorifying and enjoying God, the purpose of the Foundation is to help the church lead people into glorifying and enjoying God.
The Foundation does this particularly through strengthening pastors in their ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ as attested to in the Scriptures, as summarized in the creeds and confessions of the church, and as articulated in the classic texts of Reformed theology. . . . [Read more.]
Even the Westminster Shorter Catechism drew its language not from the thin air of then contemporary experience but from the rich heritage and tradition of the church.
It is written in Augustine, On Christian Teaching, Book One:
"There are some things which are to be enjoyed, some which are to be used. . . . Those which are to be enjoyed make us happy; those which are to be used assist us and give us a boost, so to speak, as we press on towards our happiness, so that we may reach and hold fast to the things which make us happy. . . . If we choose to enjoy the things that are to be used, our advance is impeded and sometimes even diverted, and we are held back, or even put off, from attaining things which are to be enjoyed, because we are hamstrung by our love of lesser things." (section 7, emphasis added)
"To enjoy something is to hold fast to it in love for its own sake. To use something is to apply whatever it may be to the purpose of obtaining what you love." (section 8, emphasis added)
"The things which are to be enjoyed, then, are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (section 10, emphasis added)
I am writing today to invite us all to give to the Foundation, to support our mission and work, and so to participate financially in this great endeavor for helping the church lead people in glorifying and enjoying God. Already this year, friends of the Foundation have given $75,488 to the Foundation. For that, we are profoundly grateful.
If we could all together give an additional $75,000 in the remainder of this week, by the end of the year, that would provide funding for seminars for ministers and elders, for translations and publications of Reformed theology, and for scholarships for Reformed theologians, all for glorifying and enjoying God.
Please send your gifts to the Foundation for Reformed Theology at the address in my signature below. For more information about giving, see Donate.
Thank you for your consideration.
Grace and Peace,