John Piper gives an outstanding pair of messages on John 3:16. The second message is focused on the difficulty many have reconciling the universality of God's love for sinful humanity with the clear fact that only some are in fact saved by Christ's sacrificial, atoning death on the cross. On this topic, Piper recommends (as do I) a short, helpful book by D.A. Carson entitled Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God. An excerpt from Piper's 2nd message:We may, therefore, say to every human being, “God loves you. And this is how he loves you: He gave his Son to die, so that if you would believe, … [Read more...] about The Love of God and John 3:16 – John Piper
Notre Dame Students Respond
HT: Denny Burk … [Read more...] about Notre Dame Students Respond
At the Gates of Notre Dame
If you are looking for the definitive article on the Catholic Church's struggle and divide on the abortion issue, as exhibited in sharp relief by the decision of Notre Dame to grant an honorary law degree to President Obama this weekend, this lengthy essay by Joseph Bottum, published in First Things, is it. An excerpt: ...Abortion is not the only life issue, but it is the one that bears most directly on the lives of ordinary Catholics as they fight against the current to preserve family life. And until Catholic universities get it, they will not be Catholic—in a very real, existentially … [Read more...] about At the Gates of Notre Dame
Sixty Percent of Adult Baptisms in SBC Churches are “Rebaptisms”
In John Hammett's book, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, he cites a 1993 study done by the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention which revealed that "the majority of adult baptisms (60%) could be called rebaptisms. Some were baptisms of those who had previously been baptized as infants, but 36 percent of these adult baptisms were of those who had been previously baptized in Southern Baptist churches." They sought "rebaptism" because they came to be convinced that they were not regenerate at the time of their first baptism. Hammett goes … [Read more...] about Sixty Percent of Adult Baptisms in SBC Churches are “Rebaptisms”
Sweden Upholds Sex-Based Abortion
Amanda Carpenter, writing for the Washington Times: Swedish women will be permitted to abort their children based on the sex of the fetus, according to a ruling by Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare. Read the whole thing. … [Read more...] about Sweden Upholds Sex-Based Abortion
Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem
There are times when the title of a book is so immediately gripping that one must immediately buy it. This is such a case. Is it not the case that capitalism is increasingly under scrutiny (and even disrepute) in our day? Capitalism, we're told, is fundamentally based on greed. It's mean. It's the process whereby the strong prey on the weak. I'll never forget (now President) Barack Obama sometime this summer decrying the record profits of the oil companies. Citing the large profit figure, he cried out (absurdly), "That's your money!" Really? How can it be my money when they have it? I … [Read more...] about Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem