There Are No Atheists, Only Rebels
If Paul was right in Romans 1, then you’ve never met an atheist
“Among the other implications of this text, what does it mean for evangelism? Simply put, it means that the first hurdle, the hurdle of “proving God’s existence” has been cleared. We don’t have to convince anyone of what they already know to be true; we need to help them stop suppressing it. This is not... Continue Reading
In Christ, Our Suffering Is Not in Vain
The believer's suffering is part of God's plan in His call on our lives to be witnesses to the Suffering Servant of God.
Paul rejoiced that his suffering was a benefit to the church. The church is called to imitate Christ. It is called to walk the Via Dolorosa. Paul’s favorite metaphor for the church was the image of the human body. The church is called the body of Christ. In one sense, it is proper to call the... Continue Reading
But There Is A Problem….
Leaving room no room to lament is a distortion of true Calvinism.
Calvinism, true Calvinism, is not to blame; but sadly there are Calvinists who are less innocent, who do reduce the problem of evil and suffering to tweetable soundbites which inevitably lack the complexity of the Biblical teaching, who do ignore the whole counsel of God in their teaching and preaching and choice of praise songs. And I... Continue Reading
Why I Am a Cessationist
A look at the sign gifts and their end with the closing of the canon.
But the idea that NT prophets could make mistakes isn’t persuasive for several reasons. 1.) The burden of proof is on those who say prophecy in the NT is of a different nature than prophecy in the OT. Prophets in the OT were only considered prophets of God if they were infallible (Deut. 18:15-22), and... Continue Reading
7 Observations on Church Discipline
For a church to be healthy, there must be prudently administered church discipline.
But when I write about church discipline, the topic expands into both biblical teachings, particularly ecclesiology, and practical church ministry. A healthy church is ultimately a biblical church. And there should be little debate about the biblical mandate for churches to exercise church discipline. ThomRainer.com focuses on the local church, pastors and staff, and... Continue Reading
Evangelicals: Alone and Exiled in Hollywood
Singing about God as an evangelical was too much for Academy which black-listed Joni Earekson Tada's song, Alone and Yet Not Alone.
The lesson to be learned: unless you endorse the Academy’s ideological line in thought, word, deed, and song, you will get no acknowledgement from Hollywood. Her story is the stuff Hollywood films are made of. She is a severely disabled woman with an inspiring story and the singer of a sweet song entitled “Alone and Yet... Continue Reading
How Ephesians Killed My Radical Christianity
The Christian life is not about going someplace for Jesus or doing great things for him. It is being holy right where we are
We don’t like Paul’s call to be radical because it is a lot easier to love the lost whom we haven’t seen than our wife who we see every day. We don’t like it because forgiveness is hard (4:32) and fornication is easy (5:3). We don’t like it because we would rather be known for... Continue Reading
Calvinism in Scotland
The belief that until very recently Scotland was a Calvinist nation is pure myth
Part of the reason is that Scotland sees its remaining Calvinist bodies through magnifying-glasses. We cannot shake off our fascination with the Free Church and the Free Presbyterian Church. They are part-bogeymen, part scarecrow, part dinosaur and part Super Ego. Between them they receive as much media coverage as the Church of England, yet the... Continue Reading
We Coddle Teens by Not Holding Them Accountable for Their Actions
For the millennial generation, raised in a therapeutic culture, when they commit crimes the ultimate culprit is usually one class of people: their parents
A teen who alleges that coddling by his wealthy parents led to his drunk driving manslaughter is now being coddled by the state of Texas. If you love America and the rule of law this ruling should be alarming. It points us to a future society where money and psychological imagination excuse people from being... Continue Reading
Lessons from the Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye Creation Debate
What Jesus will we declare and what Jesus did on the cross if there was no historical Adam who cast our race into sin?
Christians should desire to be thoughtful and we naturally desire to be accepted as reasonable by our secularist neighbors. But the Bill Nye – Ken Ham debate, and the media commentary that followed, argues that in order to remain faithful to God’s Word and bear a faithful testimony to the Jesus of the Bible, we... Continue Reading