Update on the Insider Movement
This just in: the Bible answers the question about how converts in hostile countries are to bear witness to Christ: Publicly.
Does the Insider Movement contradict Jesus at this point, if it advises converts to sublimate their public profession or to remain as hidden believers or to hide their light under a bushel? To make things crystal clear, Jesus then gives a summary comparison: “Anyone who loves his father and mother more than me is not... Continue Reading
A Celebrity Status to Which We Aspire
There was plenty of celebritism in the church during the Reformation period. But here is a fame that can be celebrated.
Just like the Corinthian church, a big problem with the cult of celebrity today is that we are admiring men to a level that is inappropriate. Worship is to be given to God alone, and it is God who blesses a ministry in the way that he pleases. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered,... Continue Reading
1 Triangle, 3 Corners, 4 T’s
Every Christian, and every preacher in particular, has to go from the text to today.
A couple of weeks ago I quoted David Helm and his concern with lectio divina. His concern is exactly this—that lectio divina may too quickly move from the top of the triangle to the bottom-right. It moves from one corner to the other through prayer, meditation and contemplation, but in all of that may not adequately account for the distance between... Continue Reading
Is Christian Europe a Thing of the Past?
But it is not all doom and gloom. I think the door is closing. But a new one is opening.
Because God is God he usually does not tell us what he is going to do, and he is not reliant on our plans, procedures and programmes. Our task is to follow Jesus, to return to his Word and to stand amazed in humility as we see what he does. There is a famine of... Continue Reading
The Early Church on Creation
What did the early church believe about creation?
The Reformation leaders (AD 1517–1700) believed the Bible is the final authority (sola scriptura). The Reformers rejected allegorization and returned toward a literal, grammatical-historical interpretation. Martin Luther (1483–1546) and John Calvin (1509–1564) argued that the earth was created in six 24-hour days, fewer than 6,000 years in the past. Luther said, “We know from Moses... Continue Reading
R.C. Sproul Proves that God Does Not Exist
In this excerpt from his Foundations teaching series, R.C. Sproul proves that God does not exist
“Exist means to stand out of being or non-being, but the word that the theologians use with respect to the trinity is not the word three existences, but three subsistences. That is, underneath the pure being of God, at a lower dimension, we must distinguish among these subsistences which the Bible calls Father, Son, Holy... Continue Reading
“With No Doubting”?
What is our recourse if we are double-minded? James tells us to reassess our hearts.
“Doubts about God’s goodness and generosity echo the primal sin that came about as humanity questioned these same things in the Garden of Eden. James beseeches us to not repeat this sin, which is behind so much other sin. Jesus Christ and God’s lavish grace in him should have put such questions to an end,... Continue Reading
Where’s My Party?
It is not hard to find faithful Christians who are hurting. One can almost hear these friends saying, “What about my blessing? What about my party?
“When one considers David and Solomon, one tends to think of gold, silver, crowns, thrones, victory, wives, children, fame and pleasure. After all, were not David and Solomon both honored with a double-portion of this world’s pleasure? However, consider David in the cave, and consider David on the run from his own son. The same dismal... Continue Reading
9 Things You Should Know About John Calvin
Here are nine things you should know about the French theologian and Reformer
“Calvin initially had no interest in being a pastor. While headed to Strasbourg he made a detour in Geneva where he met the local church leader William Farel. Calvin said he was only staying one night, but Farel argued that it was God’s will he remain in the city and become a pastor. When Calvin... Continue Reading
And A Lutheran Will Lead Them
Amid the clamor on sanctification, what seems to be missing are the categories that differentiate Protestants and Roman Catholics
“Either way, the Phillips-Jones scenario seems to move the anxiety that Martin Luther faced from pre-justification blues to post-justification angst. Have I grown in holiness today? Am I becoming more sanctified and more sanctified? And if I am not, and if sanctification is necessary for salvation, then does my lack of growth in holiness mean... Continue Reading