December 2011
55 posts
Washington Post: Can a Christian be a Libertarian? →
We Three Kings of Orient Aren’t →
And Matthew says, “Behold, magi come! Astrologer-magician-sorcerer-pagan-sinners are coming to Jesus.” Don’t miss the shock of these Jewishly uncouth men coming to Jesus.
Sinner and Saint
I believe that God has sovereignly chosen to make me His adopted son.
In a trinitarian act of God’s mysterious will, the father chose me before he created the universe, sent his Holy Spirit to give me a new heart capable of choosing to love Him and worship Him. The son lived the life I couldn’t live and died the death I should have died and traded his righteousness for my sin in the...
“If our greatest need was to have our best life now God would have sent Joel...”
felicitee:
Faith is not knowing what the future holds but Who holds the future.
Christopher Hitchens Might Be in Heaven →
Excerpt:
But I’m not sure Christopher Hitchens is in hell right now. It’s not because I believe there’s a “second chance” after death for salvation (I don’t). It’s not because I don’t believe in hell or in God’s judgment (I do). It’s because of a sermon I heard years ago that haunts me to this day, reminding me of the sometimes surprising persistence of the gospel.
Fifteen or so years ago, I...
My Calvin College-attending Friends May Find this... →
Had he not transferred to Calvin College, the Christian Reformed liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Mich., where his father taught psychology, Mr. Plantinga wrote in a 1993 essay, he doubted that he “would have remained a Christian at all; certainly Christianity or theism would not have been the focal point of my adult intellectual life.”
Things That Drive Me Crazy About Christmas →
This is a riot! Especially that last sentence.
mikeclevenger:
For all of you upset over the “Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays” battle, I have a humble suggestion. Instead of being defensive, how about simply being the “Christ” that you’d wish to see in “Christmas”. -Brandt Russo
“For a Christian to be a Christian, he must first be a sinner. Being a sinner is...”
– R.C. Sproul, Reason to Believe
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls...”
– 1 Peter 4:19
A thought on Jesus vs. Doctrine
Jesus was called Rabbi, even by his enemies.
Rabbi means teacher.
Doctrine means teaching.
Jesus gave us doctrine because he wanted us to know him more intimately, so we might love him more fully for who he is.
Jesus vs. Doctrine?
I don’t think so.
One of my favorite Mars Hill Bands, Kenosis, has... →
The WCF On The Responsibility of Fathers
lifeinthestory:
Especially Heads of Families Most copies of the Westminster Confession of Faith begin with the brief note, “To the Christian Reader: Especially Heads of Families”. It contains a strong admonition and helpful instruction for fathers in leading their families into a knowledge of God in Christ. It is worth a read, particularly for fathers and single men who aspire to be. While both...
FREE eBook to help you engage skeptics in your...
“Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well”. in ePub (http://cway.to/BTGepub), .mobi (http://cway.to/BTGmobi) and .pdf (http://cway.to/BTGpdf) formats
Anonymous asked: But why did Christ fulfill the law in two sections and not the third? This takes away Christ fulfilling the whole Law, and if He did fulfill the third as well, then why do we still have to obey the third category and not the other two as well?
Follow Up: Cherry Picking scripture & The...
I’d like to offer a response to a recent post by a fellow tumblr (this-is-lucas) that was itself responding to an article I linked to about the kinds of laws that apply to us today versus those that are no longer binding for those who are in Christ.
Here are his words:
I rather disagree with this.
He quotes all these authors about how the Law is divided into these three categories but...
wisdomofscripture asked: your mission statement is hilarious :L
If there is any doubt that mankind's default mode... →
In fact, fellow believer, this tendency to religion is why we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day so that we don’t allow ourselves to slip into religious self-righteousness.
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
...
desertmanian asked: I just wanted to say that I think your blog is outstanding :) I just started following you but the content I've seen thus far is really great stuff. God bless you man!
“Let us never forget that our feelings about
Sundays are sure tests of the state...”
– J.C. Ryle
Cherry Picking the Bible? Are Christians Expected... →
I amazed at how many professing Christians aren’t aware of the distinction between ceremonial, judicial and moral laws of the OT. Moral laws are still in effect, ceremonial and judicial, not.
This great article by Jonathan McLatchie at Frank Turek’s site: CrossExamined.org covers the subject really well.
“The oldest surviving sermon of the Christian church after the New Testament...”
– 2nd Clement, Clement of Rome
“What you win them with is what you win them to.”
– Dr. James R. White
Good Cats Bad Cats: 3 Women to Heed, and Another 3... →
To the bad cats, I’d like to add Joyce Meyer
“The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will...”
– (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)
“You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of...”
– (Psalm 16:11 ESV)
100 Orthodox Rabbis Affirm that Gay Marriage is... →
In their statement, the rabbis clarified that “Jewish tradition unequivocally teaches that marriage can only exist as a union between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of a homosexual relationship. It is a distortion of Torah to confound that sacred principle.” Expressing disapproval of recent media reports that have suggested possible movement towards a change in the position of Orthodox...
Why hasn't someone made Schoolhouse Rock videos...
10 Darts from Scripture that Burst the ‘Tongues’... →
There is no real need for a condescending Greek lesson on the tense of “will cease” in 1 Cor 13:8. There is little call for a word study on “glossa” versus “glossolalia,” nor cross-referencing Acts 2’s proof that tongues was a known human language, nor the contextual significance of “when the perfect comes.”
Here’s a simple, gracious response to the challenge, “Why don’t you believe tongues are...
How to Shrink Your Church by Tim Suttle →
Sentimentality and pragmatism are the one-two punch which has the American Church on the ropes, while a generation of church leaders acquiesces to the demands of our consumer culture. The demands are simple: tell me something that will make me feel better (sentimentality for the churchgoer), and tell me something that will work (pragmatism for the church leader). Yet it is not clear how either one...
"Buddha's last words were: 'Strive without...
blakebaggott:
How beautiful of a Savior who did everything for me, the things that I could not do, so that I no longer have to strive for perfection, but, through Christ, I am seen as perfect in God’s eyes. He finished the task that I never could have even started. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Filed under: Gospel vs. Religion
Tweets I liked
“THEY CALL ME MR. PIBB!” - Dr. Pepper before med school.
If you can look past his words & actions Newt Gingrich would make a fine president.
Herman Cain is being character assassinated by his character.
No one’s impressed by puny weight loss, so I’ve spent the last six months gaining as much weight as I can before New Year’s Resolution time.
Starbucks just...