This is perhaps the all-time classic debate among Christians. Who does what in salvation? Are Christians elect because God foresaw that they would put their faith in Christ, are did we put our faith in Christ because we are elect? Well, I completed another paper in my Practical Theology course. This one had to do with the TULIP acrostic. We attended a seminar from Pastor John Piper on the topic (available on CD) and then read the following works (all by Piper): T.U.L.I.P-- What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism Chapters 2 and 5 of The Pleasures of God. Chapters 3, 10, 11 of The … [Read more...] about Calvinism vs. Arminianism
Our Daughter – Walking
Things are really crazy right now as we're getting ready to move in a couple of weeks (which is why this blog has gone dark over the last few days). For now I'll just post some videos of our cute baby girl walking (videos which cannot be hotlinked). These videos are about a month old. … [Read more...] about Our Daughter – Walking
A Blog Dedicated to The Great Commission
My friend Bob Hayton has organized a blog that is totally focused on issues related to facilitating and finishing the Great Commission. The authors of Kingdom Surge "share an independent fundamental Baptist past, a conversion to Reformed theology, and an appreciation for the writings of John Piper. We also share a burden for world missions, specifically the unreached people groups of Central Asia." Three of the authors are employing pseudonyms for security reasons, as they are advancing the gospel in sensitive parts of the world. They have already written a series of posts explaining the … [Read more...] about A Blog Dedicated to The Great Commission
2007 Peacemaker Conference: Sept 20-22
The 2007 Peacemaker Conference, That We May Be One, will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 20-22. Speakers include: Randy Alcorn - Founder and President of Eternal Perspectives Ministries. Mr. Alcorn is also the author of 25 books including the bestsellers Heaven and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, have two married daughters, Karina and Angela, and are the proud grandparents of three grandsons. They reside in Gresham, Oregon. Edward Gilbreath - Editor of Today's Christian and an editor at large for Christianity Today. He is a co-author of Gospel … [Read more...] about 2007 Peacemaker Conference: Sept 20-22
New R.C. Sproul Book on the Cross
The doctrine of penal substitution is under attack in our day, as I've mentioned before. This new book by R.C. Sproul looks like yet another helpful response. If you are looking for a primer on the doctrine of the atonement--a helpful presentation of its importance, without getting lost in theological jargon--this sounds like the book. "The Truth of the Cross is the best book on the cross I have read. It is a 'must' for every church library and a book that I will give away many times to friends. This is so because it is sober (i.e., it contains historically informed reflections on salient … [Read more...] about New R.C. Sproul Book on the Cross
Sermon Manuscript on Titus 2:11-14
One of our assignments in Preaching Class (with Pastor John Piper) this past year was to write a sermon. Interestingly, we each preached a message from both the Old Testament and New Testament, but this was to be a different sermon. I chose Titus 2:11-14, in part because I had preached through the book of Titus in the summer of 2004 at Grace Community Church, and I wanted to improve upon a previous message. Here is an executive summary of my message: In this season between justification and our future glorification with Christ, God’s grace instructs us to progressively “put off” all that … [Read more...] about Sermon Manuscript on Titus 2:11-14