John Piper will be "weighing in" on the important, controversial topic of justification and the works of believers with a significant book called The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright--which, in case you missed it, is a play on words, since Wright and others like to talk of justification as being "future" (pronounced at the end of a believer's life, and based on one's faith in Christ and the works that flow from that faith). The other day DG posted a portion of the conclusion chapter. Here's an excerpt: Our only hope for living the radical demands of the Christian life is … [Read more...] about John Piper on “Future Justification”
Mohler on Homosexuality
Dr. Mohler explains that even though our society is increasingly accepting of homosexuals, we nevertheless have a deep-rooted, intuitive understanding that intimate same-sex relationships are neither natural or normal. … [Read more...] about Mohler on Homosexuality
Global Church Advancement (GCA) Conference
In the midst of getting ready to move to Riverside, CA, my wife allowed me to sneak out of the house on Friday to catch the last two sessions of The Global Church Advancement conference (geared for church planters) was held at the north campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church. The long list of speakers included John Piper, Ed Stetzer, Randy Pope, and Steve Childers, and there were both large-group sessions as well as many advanced training workshops. The banner over the entire conference was that the advancement of the church is the hope of the world. The leadership held out a beautiful, robust … [Read more...] about Global Church Advancement (GCA) Conference
SBJT on the Atonement
From a Southern Seminary press release: Essayists in the Summer 2007 edition of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology (SBJT) interact with both evangelical and non-evangelical scholars who reject the penal substitutionary view of the cross, and contributors defend the historic orthodox view of Christ’s atoning death in the place of wrath-deserving sinners. Another excerpt: “Sadly, some of the standard objections to penal substitution outside of evangelical theology are creeping their way into evangelical treatments of the cross,” Wellum writes. “[Some evangelicals] are embracing a typical, … [Read more...] about SBJT on the Atonement
Albert Mohler on Mormonism
Dr. Mohler has been debating with Orson Scott Card on the question "Are Mormons 'Christians?'" His concluding post includes this excerpt: The debate is not over the right of Mormons to hold their faith, promote their faith, and spread their faith. That, too, is a constitutional right – the same right that protects the religious liberty of all persons of all faiths and no faith. For me, and as the question was posed to me, the issue is theological. That is why I cannot answer the question except as I have from the start. Here is the bottom line. As an Evangelical Christian – a Christian who … [Read more...] about Albert Mohler on Mormonism
Calvinism vs. Arminianism – IV
I previously summarized the position of Walls and Dongell. Response to Walls and Dongell Walls and Dongell make three unwarranted assumptions: (1) that God cannot love people whom He allows to remain in sin; (2) that God cannot have two levels of “wishing,” whereby He simultaneously desires that all be saved (I Tim. 2:4), but decrees that not all receive electing love (Rom. 9:20-24); and (3) that God is obligated by His character to show saving mercy to everyone. They distort the Scriptures by reading these philosophical commitments into the biblical texts. In short, they reject Calvinism … [Read more...] about Calvinism vs. Arminianism – IV