I’m sorry, but due to health and time limitations, I can not write the Best Blogs Digest this month. Please check back next month.
Archive for the ‘best blogs digest’ Category
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Feb. 2011)
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Jan. 2011)
Monday, January 31st, 2011How Would You Summarize the Bible’s Message in One Sentence?
26 Christian leaders reply. Here are 2 of my favorites…
“Kevin DeYoung: A holy God sends his righteous Son to die for unrighteous sinners so we can be holy and live happily with God forever…
Tom Schreiner: God reigns over all things for his glory, but we will only enjoy his saving reign in the new heavens and the new earth if we repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the crucified and risen Lord and who gave himself on the cross for our salvation.” What’s the Message of the Bible in One Sentence? by Dane Ortlund
How to Teach Calvinism to Arminians
“In other words, we are Calvinists. But that label is not nearly as useful as telling people what you actually believe! So forget the label, if it helps, and tell them clearly, without evasion or ambiguity, what you believe about salvation. If they say, ‘Are you a Calvinist?’ say, ‘You decide. Here is what I believe…’” Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying “Calvinist” by John Piper
Top 5 Books on Calvinism
1. Still Sovereign by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware
2. God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism by Bruce Ware
3. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J. I. Packer
4. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility by Don Carson
5. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
Top Five Books on Calvinism by Sam Storms
Top 10 Trends in Biblical Counseling
“here are the top ten positive trends that I see in biblical counseling today” including…
“1. A Gospel-Centered Focus
Biblical counselors are emphasizing that wise counseling centers on Jesus Christ—his sinless life, death on the cross, burial, resurrection, ascension, and promised return. Biblical counseling points people to a person, Jesus our Redeemer, and not to a program, theory, or experience. We place our trust not in any human system but in the transformative power of the Redeemer as the only hope to change people’s hearts. Wise counselors seek to lead struggling, hurting, sinning, and confused people to the hope, resources, strength, and life that are available only in Christ…
5. A Comprehensive Model
In the past, biblical counseling might have been seen by some as somewhat one-dimensional with a focus on combating the impact of the fall/sin. Today, biblical counseling comprehensively examines creation (understanding people from God’s original design), fall (diagnosing problems resulting from sin), and redemption (prescribing God’s solutions through our salvation and sanctification in Christ).” The Top Ten Trends in Biblical Counseling by Bob Kellemen
Top 10 Counterfeit Gospels
“Below is a list of counterfeits I considered. I’m interested to see which ones you think are most prominent. Take the poll below and let me know” Which Counterfeit Gospels are Most Prevalent Today? by Trevin Wax
One Wife’s Rebellion Is Another Wife’s Submission
“When we move beyond the generalities of gender roles, we find that the specifics may look very, very different from one couple to another. Within the Bible’s general guidelines, there are many ways to work out the details…Which is to say that the way my wife submits to me, as the leader in the home, may look quite different from the way another wife submits to her own husband…If a wife wants to know if she is submitting to her husband, it may be that the better question for her to ask is, ‘Am I actively rebelling against his leadership?’ It’s not a matter of the particulars of what she does compared to other women, but whether she is following her husband as he leads her into being his perfect complement.” Whose Wife Are You? by Tim Challies
Law-Gospel Distiniction or Divisiveness?
“Mike Horton (MH): The Gospel can’t be lived. It’s the Law that’s lived. We obey the commands that we find in Scripture, we do not—the Gospel is not anything for us to do.”
GG: “those who do not OBEY THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thes. 1:8).
“those who DISOBEY THE GOSPEL of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17).
“we are proclaiming GOOD NEWS to you that you should TURN from these worthless things to the living God” (Acts 14:15).
“Frank Turk: but often WHI denigrates people who would say in concrete ways that they enjoy the Gospel — that they live for it and by it and through it.
Kim Riddlebarger (KR): we believe the Gospel, we obey the Law—and if you are not clear about that, then you’re going to go off on a mission and as you risk, as Jesus warned, making people more fit for Hell than they were before.”
“John Frame: It has become increasingly common in Reformed circles, as it has long been in Lutheran circles, to say that the distinction between law and gospel is the key to sound theology, even to say that to differ with certain traditional formulations of this distinction is to deny the gospel itself…The sharp distinction between law and gospel is becoming popular in Reformed, as well as Lutheran circles. It is the view of Westminster Seminary California, Modern Reformation magazine, and the White Horse Inn radio broadcast. The leaders of these organizations are very insistent that theirs is the only biblical view of the matter. One has recently claimed that people who hold a different view repudiate the Reformation and even deny the gospel itself…I believe that we should stand with the Scriptures against this tradition.
GG: The first time I heard the claim that the whole Bible can be divided into either law or gospel, I thought it sounded simplistic and reductionistic. When was the law-gospel distinction invented, the 16th century? If so, how could 15 centuries of Christians be ignorant of this gospel truth? Why did God not reveal this Bible key explicitly (instead of implicitly, as they claim?)
As the verses above and John Frame below show, the gospel includes the commands to repent, believe, and obey. A far more accurate distinction than law-gospel is indicative (truth)-imperative (command). And between those 2, we need Biblical balance. Open Letter to Michael Horton by Frank Turk, and Law and Gospel by John Frame
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Dec. 2010)
Friday, December 31st, 2010“We’re NOT Like All the Other Churches”
Let’s Rejoice More in Christ Than Our Distinctives
If you wrote a list of what you want in a church, what would be #1?
“Even though the gospel was preached in Rob’s church, the deacons seemed to save their heartiest ‘Amens’ for whenever the preacher went off script and started reminding them of all that set their church apart from the others in town. The preacher and congregation took pride in the fact that their church was traditional…He sits down one evening and writes out a list of all the things important to his church experience. By the time he puts the pen down, he is frustrated that he can’t find ‘the right church.’…
Rob’s church and Kelli’s church look very different, and yet they are very much the same. Both churches proclaim the gospel, but both center their identity in aesthetic tastes and styles. The gospel is preached, but the style is what’s celebrated.
Week after week, the churches emphasize and celebrate what makes them different from other churches. They celebrate their uniqueness – not the gospel uniqueness that shines light in a dark world, but a worldly uniqueness that would have us base our identity in stylistic distinctions between brothers and sisters.
Whenever we are formed within a context that celebrates certain cultural expressions over against other expressions, we begin to expect the wrong things from a church. So when the day comes for us to unite with a different congregation, our list of expectations is devoid of the gospel. The saddest result of Kelli and Rob’s church search is that neither of them were looking primarily for a church that preached and celebrated the gospel. They were lost in a sea of peripheral issues because that is what their churches had celebrated.
Pastors and church leaders, it’s important that we believe the gospel; it’s also important that we celebrate this gospel in a way that makes clear it is ‘of first importance’.
What do we celebrate as a church?…I pray that we celebrate the gospel in a way that leads our church members to easily cross cultural divides because of the centrality of the cross. What we celebrate is just as important as what we believe.
‘D.A. Carson: I have been teaching more decades now that I can count and if I have learned anything from all of this teaching, its this: my students…learn what I’m excited about. So within the church of the living God, we must become excited about the gospel…But, at this point, the gospel is not what really captures us. Rather, is a particular form of worship or a particular style of counseling, or a particular view on culture, or a particular technique in preaching, or – fill in the blank. Then, ultimately, our students make that their center…’” What You Celebrate as a Church is Just as Important as What You Believe by Trevin Wax
Can Children Understand the Preaching?
Remember, the smartest man who ever lived was able to explain deep doctrinal truths so that uneducated farmers and fishermen could understand. One of the best cures for “scholarism” is to teach children’s Bible study. If you can explain God’s Word to kids, you can explain it to anyone.
“However, in many circles, especially perhaps in some Reformed churches, we may be in danger of over-complicating sermons.” A Plea for Profound Simplicity by David Murray
Ms. Pastor? Encouraging Women More How They Can Serve Than How They Can’t
The best sermon I ever heard on women in the church was by Erwin Lutzer. He showed how God used women in redemptive history from Genesis - Revelation: Eve, Sarah, Deborah, Mary, Lydia, etc. He focused more on what women could do than what they can’t do (pastor).
“Few issues are so hotly debated today in evangelicalism as the issue of women in leadership…Yet just as there are common themes that tend to run through conversion stories, so too there are three common factors that emerge as chief influences in the lives of the contributors to this volume. While not true of every essay, the following pattern is consistent:
1. The author was raised in a fundamentalist Christian background that was highly restrictive of women’s involvement in the church (this accounts for about half of the essays).
2. The author married, or was herself, a highly capable woman with strong leadership capabilities (this was true in nearly every essay).
3. The author revisited Scripture, reinterpreting the ‘restrictive’ passages of the New Testament in light of the ‘broad sweep of the biblical narrative,’ which he or she saw as indicating freedom for women to serve in any leadership capacity within the church…
What follows are…points of application/observation that complementarians can glean from How I Changed My Mind:
1. Most significantly, many women have genuine pain and confusion about their place within the church…Compassion, not simply confrontation, is needed at precisely this point…
2. In light of the above, complementarians need to make as much room as possible for women to exercise their considerable giftedness within the church…Indeed. When complementarians become more preoccupied with telling women what they can’t do, rather than resourcing them for what they can do, the church as a whole suffers for it.” How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership by Gerald Hiestand
Top 10 Theology Stories of 2010
1. Francis Chan Resigns, 2. N.T. Wright Clarifies, 3. John Piper Rests, 4. David Platt Challenges, 5. Glenn Beck Mormonizes, 6. Matt Chandler Suffers, 7. Ergun Caner Fired, 8. Philip Ryken Hired, 9. BioLogos Evolved, 10. Crystal Cathedral Bankrupt. My Top Ten Theology and Church Stories from 2010 by Colin Hansen
Top 10 Christian Books 2010
Of all the Top 10 Book lists I’ve seen, this is my favorite. Top Ten Books of 2010 by Chad Knudson
O.T. Promises to Israel Fulfilled by the New Israel: Jesus
“In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is cast as the true and faithful Israel. Matthew is retelling Israel’s well known story, but he’s putting Jesus right in the middle as the main character in the story. Jesus is the new Israel…
Not only is Jesus the new Genesis, his life embodies the new Exodus…
Following right on the heels of Jesus’ exodus out of Egypt, we come to his baptism in the Jordan in Matthew 3. Again, I don’t think Matthew is trying to be speak in secret code, and he certainly isn’t making the stories up, but he has arranged the material in such a way as to retell Israel’s story, with Jesus now as the true Israel. So just like the Israelites left Egypt and then passed through the Red Sea (baptized into the sea according 1 Cor. 10:2), Jesus too leaves Egypt and passes through the waters in his baptism.
Just to point out one more parallel, think what happens to the Israelites after they pass through the Red Sea. They wind up in the desert where they wander for forty years. And where is Jesus in Matthew 4 after his baptism? He is in the desert about to be tempted after having fasted for forty days and forty nights.” Out of Egypt I Called My Son by Kevin DeYoung
How the NT Interprets the OT
“1. Keep in mind the NT’s purpose in referencing the OT.
2. Along these lines, remember the NT often uses the OT simply as a vehicle of expression.
3. The NT may press home the significance of a passage without trying to explain its original meaning.
4. We must allow for a broader view of ‘fulfillment’ language.
5. Similarly, some OT passages are fulfilled typologically.
6. OT prophecy is full of examples where there is a near and far fulfillment….
The other lesson is that we need not be embarrassed to use a strong theological lens on top of our appropriate grammatical-historical lens. This is not an invitation to allegory or a reason to search for hidden spiritual meanings…But it does mean we should, like the NT writers did, read the Bible across the whole Bible. We should see Jesus in all of Scripture. We should read the end in the light of the beginning and the beginning in view of the end. Above all, we can celebrate that Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of all that was imperfectly prefigured in the OT.” Can That Be Right? The New Testament’s Use of Old Testament Prophecy by Kevin DeYoung
Culture’s Sentimental Love vs. God’s Holy Love
“1. Applied to God, the sentimental view generates a deity with all the awesome holiness of a cuddly toy, all the moral integrity of a marshmallow. In the previous lectures, I briefly documented this point with examples from films and books.
2. Applied to Christians, the sentimental view breeds expectations of transcendental niceness. Whatever else Christians should be, they should be nice, where “niceness” means smiling a lot and never ever hinting that anyone may be wrong about anything (because that isn’t nice).
3. In the local church, it means abandoning church discipline (it isn’t nice), and in many contexts it means restoring adulterers (for instance) to pastoral office at the mere hint of broken repentance. After all, isn’t the church about forgiveness? Aren’t we supposed to love one another? And doesn’t that mean that above all we must be, well, nice?
4. Similarly with respect to doctrine: the letter kills, while the Spirit gives life, and everyone knows the Spirit is nice. So let us love one another and refrain from becoming upright and uptight about this divisive thing called “doctrine.” (pp. 11–12; numbering added) Popular Culture’s View of Love by D.A. Carson
Finding Your Place in God’s Story
Free audio and video of The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story by D. A. Carson. “This series will serve the church well because it simultaneously evangelizes non-Christians and edifies Christians by explaining the Bible’s storyline in a non-reductionistic way. The series is geared toward “seekers” and articulates Christianity in a way that causes hearers either to reject or embrace the gospel. It’s one thing to know the Bible’s storyline, but it’s another to know one’s role in God’s ongoing story of redemption.” The God Who Is There by D.A. Carson
Hypocrites on the Worship Team?
“They might ask to participate, even in public roles, perhaps as musicians. As church leaders, how should we respond to these requests?…TGC asked four other pastors, ‘Do you invite non-believers to participate in corporate gatherings of the church by playing instruments or assisting in other public roles? Why or why not?’” (GG: I agree with 9Marks.) TGC Asks: Do Non-Believers Play a Public Role in Your Church Services? by Collin Hansen
A Life Worth Modeling: Follow Roger Nicole as He Followed Christ
“J. I. Packer has a gift not only for summarizing theological truth in a concise, compact way, but also for getting to the heart of a friend’s character and legacy. A few years ago he was able to summarize Roger Nicole in a sentence:
‘Awesome for brain power, learning, and wisdom; endlessly patient and courteous in his gentle geniality; and beloved by a multitude as pastor, mentor, and friend’…The couple did not have biological children but there are 19 people in the U.S., Africa and Asia who call them Mama and Papa. ‘These are some of the students we sort of ‘adopted’ throughout my career who regard us as their parents,’ Roger Nicole said.
John Piper has written that ‘One clear mark of Christlike tenderness is love for children,’ and several of Roger Nicole’s friends have noted his love of children. David Bailey says, ‘He converses as effortlessly with a five-year old child as with an academic colleague.’
Timothy George writes of Roger and Annette, ‘For many decades they have modeled the graces of Christian hospitality. Several generations of students and colleagues have known the largesse of their table and the conviviality of their home.’…
During his lectures, several of the students, on occasion, would weep…He was gracious in handling questions from ‘difficult students.’ We were deeply impressed by his complete transparency regarding his own Christian pilgrimage, his manifest godliness, his willingness to share with the students volumes from his own library…One feels both more intellectual and more Christ-like just spending time with Roger Nicole.
David Wells, his Gordon-Conwell colleague, dedicated a collection of essays on Reformed theology to Roger Nicole, and tried to get at the ‘center’ of his theological vision:
The sovereignty of God, expressed in grace and in judgment, has always been at the center of Roger’s vision. It has led him to think globally. He has always been a strong supporter of missions because he is confident that God is great enough to accomplish his saving purposes worldwide. It has also led him to walk humbly because he knows that in our human fallenness resides no spiritual life. To know this is to be liberated from the clutches of that exaggerated and false sense of self-importance, which, in the end, undermines all human well-being. And it has given his life a serenity and stability that have been an example to his colleagues, students, and the administrators with whom he has worked. In times of crisis, he has been a source of wisdom; in turbulence, a source of strength. His unerring instinct for what is noble has touched those who have known him and has ever pointed to Jesus Christ, ‘the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.’” Roger Nicole (1915-2010) by Justin Taylor
Making Scholars or Disciples?
Scholars can be pastors. But pastors don’t need to be scholars. Most seminaries train pastors so differently than Christ trained the 12. Seminaries often focus on scholarly details and debates. Yes Jesus debated and defended the truth with details. But he focused more on the big picture gospel, character growth (faith, love, and obedience), and how to’s (evangelism, prayer, and preaching). He chose men including uneducated fishermen to lead the Church. (Only Paul, whom Jesus called later, was a scholar.)
“To qualify for college or seminary positions, a theologian must earn a PhD, ideally from a prestigious liberal university. But at such schools, there is no training in the kind of systematic theology I describe here. Liberal university theologians do not view Scripture as God’s Word, and so they cannot encourage theology as I have defined it, as the application of God’s infallible word. Students are welcome to study historical and contemporary theology, and to relate these to auxiliary disciplines such as philosophy and literary criticism. But they are not taught to seek ways of applying Scripture for the edification of God’s people. Rather, professors encourage the student to be “up-to-date” with current academic discussion and to make “original contributions” to the discussion, out of his autonomous reasoning. So when the theologian finishes his graduate work and moves to a teaching position, even if he is personally evangelical in his convictions, he often writes and teaches as he was encouraged to do in graduate school: academic comparisons and contrasts, minimal interaction with Scripture.” The Problem with and the Future of Theological Education and Scholarship by John Frame
Porn: Freedom Resources
“If you are struggling with porn, or seeking to help someone who is, there is help” “I Looked for Love in Your Eyes” by Justin Taylor
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Oct. 2010)
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010By Greg Gibson
Distinctives-Centered or Gospel-Centered?
Bob Gonzales wrote my unauthorized biography. Looks like we were both distinctives-centered instead of gospel-centered: “I also had a tendency to be hypercritical of Christians and churches that didn’t share all my beliefs and convictions – while remaining to some degree blind to my own remaining sins and weaknesses (Matt 7:1-5). Instead of focusing primarily on the central truths of the gospel, I was overly preoccupied with beliefs and practices that distinguished me from all other Christians and exalted them to a place of unwarranted priority (Matt 23:23). (GG: Emphasis mine.) As a result, I so focused on minute orthodoxy that I lost sight of brotherly love (Rev 2:2-4) and humility (1 Cor 4:7).
Related to the tendency above, I esteemed my own ecclesiastical tradition so highly that at times I forced the teaching of Scripture into the mold of my tradition or failed to hear the teaching of Scripture because I too highly venerated my tradition. Instead of reading my tradition in the light of Scripture, I tended to read Scripture in the light of my tradition. As a result, I proudly thought myself superior to other Christians (Mark 9:38-40; 1 Cor 12:21) and that I had little if anything to learn from them – only much to teach them. Worse, my veneration of human tradition sometimes invalidated the teaching and mandates of God’s own Word (Matt 15:1-9).” Confessions of a Recovering Legalist by Bob Gonzales
Why Some Covenant Theologians Are Sectarian
“Evangelicals: We can and we must distinguish between essentials and non-essentials better. Draw our circles too tightly, and we slip into fundamentalism. Draw our circles too wide, and we slip into liberalism.”
There are 2 kinds of Covenant Theologians. Those who base their fellowship on…
1. The simple gospel alone: In Acts, the apostles preached what we must believe to be saved. And in the epistles, the apostles confessed the simple gospel that unites all Christians. (1 Cor. 15:3-7; Phil. 2:6-11; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 6:1-2; and 1 Jn. 4:2).
2. The simple gospel + doctrinal distinctives (like Calvinism, the Covenant of Works, the imputation of Christ’s active obedience, or Sabbath-keeping). They reason (illogically) that denying any of those 4 doctrines undermines the gospel/justification. So they look at the majority of Christ’s Church with suspicion instead of love. And they fellowship with a few “sister churces” hours away, instead of dozens of gospel-centered churches nearby. Many of these brothers are divisive and sectarian, promoting men and a movement more than a Person.
However, Michael Patton suggests 4 tests to distinguish doctrinal essentials from non-essentials:
1. Historicity: When was it invented, and how many Christians believed it? (“that which was believed everywhere, always, by everyone.”)
2. Explicitly Historical: Did the Church confess it explicitly (not by implicit logic)?
3. Biblical Clarity (Perspicuity): Is the doctrine taught clearly in Scripture?
4. Explicitly Biblical: Does any Bible text teach it explicitly (not by implicit logic)?
Parts of the 5-points of Calvinism pass and fail each of the tests. But the other 3 alleged, gospel-related doctrines above (the Covenant of Works, the imputation of Christ’s active obedience, and Sabbath-keeping) fail ALL 4 tests. “Make every effor to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit” (Eph. 4:3-4). Evangelicals: We Can and Must Distinguish Between Essentials and Non-Essentials Better by C. Michael Patton
Did Anabaptist Leaders Teach Justification by Faith?
Several Anabaptist leaders, including Hubmaier, Philips, Sattler, and Simons, taught justification by faith. “Anabaptists seldom used ‘justification’ to describe their own views, for they approached the issues involved from a different angle. Like Protestants, they emphasized that God initiates the salvation process, and that individuals enter it through faith. Yet they often complained that Protestants, by emphasizing ‘faith alone’, minimized sanctification and encouraged sub-Christian behavior.”
Did Anabaptists Believe in Justification by Faith Alone? by Kent Brandenburg
Justification by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
The Hope of the Christian Believer According to Menno Simons by Menno Simons
Menno Simons on … justification by faith by Menno Simons
Positive Thinking Church Files Bankruptcy
“Crystal Cathedral Ministries, an Orange County landmark and megachurch founded by television evangelist Robert H. Schuller, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday morning. The cathedral owes about about $7.5 million to unsecured creditors. The bankruptcy filing seeks court protection from its creditors.” Crystal Cathedral Megachurch Files for Bankruptcy by MSNBC
How to Fight Fear by Believing God’s Promises
“When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, ‘I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you’ (Psalm 32:8).” How to Battle Anxiety with the Promises of God
Pure Churches Protect Christ’s Reputation
11 reasons why churches should remove non-attending members. What is Gained by Removing Members from Church Rolls? by Doug Richey
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (Sept. 2010)
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010By Greg Gibson
Church Ex-Commnunicates 575 Members
“Okay, why? What did they do?…
Well, it’s not so much what they did but what they didn’t do. The members we removed were no longer actively involved with our church. Half of them had moved away, and the other half still lived in the area but never worshiped with us.
Inactive membership is contrary to what the New Testament teaches about the life of the church, so our action in removing members was motivated fundamentally by a desire to become a more biblically-functioning church.
What biblical passages are you thinking about? And why is such inactive membership ‘contrary to what the New Testament teaches about the life of the church?’
The language of membership in the New Testament is metaphorical. To be a ‘member’ is to be part of a body (1 Cor 12:27) and part of a family (Eph 2:19). Both of these images depict vital relational connections. If we saw a foot in a jar on a lab shelf or met a daughter who hasn’t spoken to her parents in twenty years, we would know in both cases that something had gone wrong.” Church Disciplines 575 Members by Jonathan Leeman
12 Questions to Unmask Your Idols
“Whatever we direct our affections, energies, and hopes towards is our object of worship. Our heart needs Jesus; our flesh craves idols. This is why growing in love for Christ requires daily execution of idols. But how do we know what our idols are?Yo
1. I am preoccupied with ________.
2. If only ________, then I would be happy.
3. I get my sense of significance from ________.
4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost.
5. I fear losing ________.
6. The thing that gives me greatest pleasure is ________.
7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed.
8. For me, life depends on ________.
9. The thing I value more than anything in the world is ________.
10. When I daydream, my mind goes to________.
11. The best thing I can think of is ________.
12. The thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning is ________.” 12 Steps to Identifying Your Functional Saviors by Jared Wilson
3 Interpretations of Hell: Mythical, Literal, or Metaphorical?
“People interpret the ghastly descriptions of darkness, fire, and suffering in at least three ways.
1. Mythically. Some argue that traditional Christian conceptions of hell are a product of Roman and pagan myths.
2. Literally. Some think that the descriptions are literal, meaning that the darkness, fire, and suffering are actual darkness, fire, and suffering.
3. Metaphorically. Others say that some or all of the descriptions are metaphorical in the sense that the darkness, fire, and suffering may not be actual darkness, fire, and suffering.
John Piper explains, ‘Consider some of the word pictures of God’s wrath in the New Testament. And as you consider them remember the folly of saying, ‘But aren’t those just symbols? Isn’t fire and brimstone just a symbol?’ I say beware of that, because it does not serve your purpose. Suppose fire is a symbol. Do people use symbols of horror because the reality is less horrible or more horrible than the symbols? I don’t know of anyone who uses symbolic language for horrible realities when literal language would make it sound more horrible.
People grasp for symbols of horror (or beauty) because the reality they are trying to describe is worse (or better) than they can put into words. If I say, ‘My wife is the diamond of my life,’ I don’t want you to say, ‘Oh, he used a symbol of something valuable; it’s only a symbol. So his wife must not be as valuable as a diamond.” No. I used the symbol of the most valuable jewel I could think of because my wife is far more precious than jewels. Honest symbols are not used because they go beyond reality, but because reality goes beyond words.
So when the Bible speaks of hell-fire, woe to us if we say, ‘It’s only a symbol.’ If it is a symbol at all, it means the reality is worse than fire, not better. The word ‘fire’ is used not to make the easy sound terrible, but to make the exceedingly terrible sound something like what it really is’
We may disagree about some finer nuances of our literal and metaphorical interpretations of hell’s darkness, fire, and suffering, but we should agree that, at the very least, the New Testament teaches that hell is eternally miserable, terrifying, and painful. It’s certainly no better than being cast into literal “outer darkness” or being tormented with literal ‘fire and sulfur.’” Hellfire and Brimstone: Interpreting the New Testament’s Descriptions of Hell by Andy Naselli
Annotated Bibliography on Hell
See 7 recommended books on hell. An Annotated Bibliography on Hell by Gavin Ortlund
Hyper-Gospel Sanctification: Growth Without Obedience?
“One of the standard features of Christian ethics is that it has an indicative part (what God has done for us in in salvation) and an imperative part (how we are to live in consequence). In other words, because of what God has done for you, now you should live in a manner worthy of your salvation…Where am I going with this? Well my concern is that some are beginning to replace the imperative element in Christian sanctification (i.e., the need to diligently prosecute, pursue, and cultivate holiness and godliness) with the need for more knowledge of the indicative (i.e., believing more in the grace of God).” (GG: Remember the old hymn Trust AND Obey?) Christian Sanctification: Indicative But No Imperative? by Michael Bird
Anabaptists’ 6 Key Hermeneutics
Some Anabaptists had clear, New Testament insights on church and law. “For three quarters of its history, the European Church has operated within a Christendom framework. Only in the first three centuries, in persecuted movements between the fourth and nineteenth centuries, and in the last century has this mindset been challenged…Those who have examined the hermeneutics of the Anabaptists have identified six key components:
(1) The Bible as Self-interpreting: The widespread Anabaptist conviction that Scripture was clear enough for ordinary Christians to understand and apply without assistance of education, philosophical or theological expertise, clerical guidance or ecclesiastical tradition…(GG: Amen, how many times do Covenant Theologians reply, “You need to read this theology book [to understand God's Word]?)
(2) Christocentrism: The centrality of Jesus in Scripture was foundational for Anabaptist hermeneutics and theology. He was regarded as the one to whom all Scripture pointed and witnessed, and his words and deeds were authoritative and normative…
(3) The Two Testaments…Most were convinced that the new covenant he introduced made it impossible to put the Old Testament on the same level as the New…
(4) Spirit and Word…Accused of both literalism and spiritualism, most Anabaptists were committed both to the normative role of Scripture and to the active involvement of the Holy Spirit in the process of interpretation…
(5) Congregational Hermeneutics: This conviction that the congregation was where Scripture should be interpreted, rather than the university, the preacher’s study or the mind of the individual, was significant in some Anabaptist groups…And the Anabaptist emphasis on obedience as a prerequisite for understanding Scripture meant that only a community of would-be disciples could expect illumination. Unfaithfulness could make a congregation unable to function properly as a hermeneutic community. (GG: Amen!)
(6) Hermeneutics of Obedience: The importance attached to ethical considerations in interpreting Scripture, both in the legitimising of interpreters and the testing of their conclusions, is clear from Anabaptist writings…
The synthetic model that can be extracted from Anabaptist hermeneutical principles and practices is that of a Spirit-filled disciple, confidently interpreting Scripture within a community of such disciples, aware that Jesus Christ is the centre from which the rest of Scripture must be interpreted.” (HT: BW) Anabaptist Hermeneutics: A Summary by Stuart Murray Williams
Political Idolatry: Faith in Conservativism or Liberalism
“Both the left and the right subscribe to this Americolatry. If our government does X, Y, and Z, then we will be joyful, satisfied, safe, and complete. Then we will live in heaven. But if the other guys get their way, it’ll be hell. In that equation, God is no longer our joy, our comfort, our satisfaction, our all.” Americolatry by Justin Taylor
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (July 2010)
Monday, August 2nd, 2010By Greg Gibson
Theistic Evolution’s Achilles Heal: Pre-Fall Death
“The Genesis record is a beautiful picture of God’s creation. Order, purpose and harmony permeate His completed work. Man relates righteously to God; Adam and Eve relate lovingly to one another; and animals dwell peacefully among them. No sign of conflict, fear, violence or death appears, until the day Adam sinned against God. That’s a problem for evolution—a big problem. Christians who flirt with evolution have some serious explaining to do when it comes to the existence of death before Adam’s transgression. How can God pronounce a world filled with violence, disease, suffering and death “very good”? Answer: He can’t. (GG: The new creation will be a restoration of the pre-fall creation. There will be “no more death” in the new creation, just like the pre-fall creation.) The Achilles Heal of Theistic Evolution by John MacArthur
7 Beliefs of the New Atheism
“The points detailing the distinctions of the New Atheism are as follows…
1. Celebration of Atheism – no sense of mourning as seen in the “Victorian Loss of Faith”…
2. Changed and clear direction of attention – No longer the philosophical rejection of God but a rejection of the God of Christianity specifically…
3. Explicitly based in scientific argumentation…
4. Attack upon moderate and liberal Protestantism…
5. Belief in God is not to be tolerated…
6. Theism is seen as harmful to children – teaching a child theistic beliefs is tantamount to child abuse and on the same level as (if not worse than) physical abuse…
7. Theism should be eliminated because of all the harm it has brought to humanity”…New Atheism? Yea, yea, yea whatever… by Carrie Hunter
Good and Bad Reasons to Leave Your Church
“Good Reasons for Moving On—The Four P’s
-
1. Providential moving
2. Planting another church
3. Purity has been lost
4. Peace of the church is in jeopardy due to my presence
Possible Reasons for Moving On – The Three S’s
-
1. Spouse…
2. Special Needs…
3. Special Gifts…
Reasons Often Used Which are Insufficient
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1. Children’s Ministry…
2. Buzz…
3. Youth Group…
4. Church has changed…
5. New Pastor…
6. I’m Not Being Ministered to…
7. Music…
8. There are others…”
Jason Helopoulos on Good Reasons for Moving On by Jason Helopoulos
Seminary Training by Dr. Jesus
“Here is the heart of the problem: we had taken a great means of grace and a critical support for life and faith and the crucial tool of our ministry – Bible understanding – and had turned it into the end, rather than the means to the end. We told ourselves we were mature Christians because we were educated rather than because we delighted ourselves in the Lord. We turned our devotions into comprehension exercises.” Training Preachers by Marcus Honeysett
Pastors: Visit Your Men at Their Workplaces
“Pastors, go to where your men work. During my past 4 years as a pastor in the Bay Area I quickly discovered that one of the most important things for me to do was to hang out with men in my church at their workplace. This helped the men. It showed them that I care about their callings, how they spend 50+ hours of their week, and the people they work with. This helped me. It taught me about the unique opportunities & challenges men were facing in their different workplaces, it opened my eyes to a world bigger than our church, and it helped set new trajectories for my preaching and discipling.” What is one of the best ways for a pastor to gain evangelistic opportunities? by Brian Croft
Pastoring Women
“We want to reflect on what he uniquely and wonderfully intends for women in the life of the church, and how to specially pastor them.” See 9 articles from the 9Marks e-Journal Pastoring Women
Bible Inerrancy: Annotated Bibliography
“Behind the centrality of expositional preaching is the assumption of the authority and truthfulness of God’s Word…I’ve saved the best for last. If I could just recommend one book on the inerrancy of the Bible it would undoubtedly be this one—John Wenham, Christ and the Bible (Tyndale Press, 1972 [UK]; IVP, 1973 [US]).Wenham’s book has been through three editions and makes the simple point that our trust in Scripture is to be a part of our following Christ, because that is the way that Christ treated Scripture—as true, and therefore authoritative. (Robert Lightner, a professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Seminary published a similar book a few years later, A Biblical Case for Total Inerrancy: How Jesus Viewed the Old Testament [Kregel, 1978].)Wenham had first put these ideas in print with a little Tyndale pamphlet in 1953 called Our Lord’s View of the Old Testament. In Christ and the Bible, Wenham, an Anglican evangelical who taught Greek for many years at Oxford, has done us all a great service in providing us with a book which understands that we do not come by our adherence to Scripture fundamentally from the inductive resolutions of discrepancies, but from the teaching of the Lord Jesus. Only because of the Living Word may we finally know to trust the Written Word. May God use these resources of those who’ve gone before us to equip and encourage us in so trusting.” (HT:JT) Inerrancy of the Bible: An Annotated Bibliography by Mark Dever
Best Blogs Digest: For Busy Disciples (June 2010)
Thursday, July 1st, 2010By Greg Gibson
The New Calvinists
This is not your grandparent’s Calvinism! A good analysis of the new Calvinsts, followed by some interesting discussion. The New Calvinism Considered by Jeremy Walker
Schreiner: Salvation Promises and Warnings Harmonized
“I have argued in this book that the warnings and admonitions in the Scriptures have a particular function. By them believers are warned against departing from Christ and the gospel. If they do apostatize, then they will face final damnation….It is by means of taking the warnings seriously that the promise of our salvation is secured.” Assurance, Perseverance, and the Warning Passages of Scripture by Justin Taylor
“One of the most difficult issues in reading the scriptures is explaining the tension between warning passages and texts that promise assurance.1 On the one hand, the warning passages, such as are found in Hebrews, James, or Revelation 2-3, are incredibly severe, even frightening. They seem to warn believers that if they abandon the faith, continue to do what is evil, and fail to persevere until the end, the only prospect is eternal judgment and hell. On the other hand, the texts on assurance, such as John 10:28-30, Romans 8:28-39, and Philippians 1:6, seem to guarantee that God will continue the good work that he has started in believers, and he will see to it that those whom he has elected to salvation will make it to the end…for I am persuaded that the scriptures do teach unconditional election, and that God’s electing and sustaining grace is such that his sheep will never perish. They never perish precisely because they listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice which effectively admonishes and warns them lest they fail to follow him and perish.” Perseverance and Assurance: A Survey and a Proposal by Thomas Schreiner
“’Once saved, always saved.’…But is that the central theme of the New Testament’s teaching on perseverance?…Schreiner continually points the reader back to the Bible, the cross and Jesus’ perfect righteousness to answer the objections to his view of perseverance. Thirdly, this view of perseverance gives the warnings found in the New Testament their teeth back, while at the same time granting comfort and assurance to the believer. The warnings are shown to be one of God’s tools to keep us running the race and fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Run to Win the Prize by J.J. Sherwood
10 Evangelism Starter Questions
- “1. When you die, if God says to you, “Why should I let you into Heaven?”, what would you say? Are you interested in what the Bible says about your answer?
2. If you were to die tonight, where do you think you would spend eternity? Why? Are you interested in what the Bible says about this?
3. Do you think much about spiritual things?
4. How is God involved in your life?
5. How important is your faith to you?
6. What has been your most meaningful spiritual experience?
7. Do you find that your religious heritage answers your questions about life?
8. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? Well, the Bible says…
9. To you, who is Jesus?
10. I often like to pray for people I meet; how can I pray for you?” Ten Questions to Ask to Turn a Conversation Toward the Gospel (HT:9M) by Don Whitney
3 Numerical, Gospel Errors
“Graham Cole notes that there are three ‘ways to spoil the gospel’”
1. addition
2. subtraction
3. disproportion” Three Ways to Spoil the Gospel by Andy Naselli
The Victorious Life Defeated
Perfectionism, Higher Life, Victorious Life, Deeper Life, Abundant Life, and Spiritual Christians: What do these views of sanctification all have in common? They give the unregenerate false assurance, rely on spiritual experiences, view sanctification as instant instead of progressive, and lead to pride for the “haves” or frustration for the “have nots.” KESWICK THEOLOGY: A SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION IN THE EARLY KESWICK MOVEMENT by Andy Naselli
Typology Defined in One Sentence
“Typology: The idea that persons (e.g., Moses), events (e.g., the exodus), and institutions (e.g., the temple) can—in the plan of God—prefigure a later stage in that plan and provide the conceptuality necessary for understanding the divine intent (e.g., the coming of Christ to be the new Moses, to effect the new exodus, and to be the new temple)” .Defining Typology in One Sentence by Justin Taylor
34 Bible Software Programs
16 New Bible Software Tools and Methods
5 Commercial Bible Software Programs
6 Free Downloadable Bible Software Programs
7 Free Online Bible Software Programs
New Ways to Study the Bible by Tyndale House
Bible Translated Into Every Language in 15 Years
“A Christian endeavor of almost 2,000 years could be substantially completed by 2025. Protestant translators expect to have the Bible — or at least some of it — written in every one of the world’s 6,909 spoken languages…Portable computers and satellites get the credit for speeding things up by about 125 years….About 2,200 languages remain without a Bible. About 350 million people, mostly in India, China, sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, speak only these languages. Working on this “to-do” list are about 6,600 career and short-term missionaries with training in the Bible and linguistics.” Bible translators hope to have every language covered in 15 years by The Denver Post
90% of Southern Baptists Unregenerate?
“Although the Southern Baptists claim 16,228,438 members, on average only 6,184,317 people (guests and non-member children included), a number equal to only 38% of the membership number, show up for their church’s primary worship meeting (usually Sunday morning)…In the average church you can cut the 38% Sunday morning attendance by about two-thirds or more when counting those interested in a Sunday evening service…the number of Sunday evening attenders was equal to only 12.3% of the membership (in churches that had an evening meeting)…And remember that the numbers of those attending include many non-member children and guests, often making up a third of the congregation’s main meeting attendance. When all factors are considered, these figures suggest that nearly 90% of Southern Baptist church members appear to be little different from the ‘cultural Christians’ who populate other mainline denominations…We might reverse some of our proclivity to continue as normal if we introduced our preachers more accurately in our evangelism meetings and convention settings. Try using this introduction: ‘Here is Brother ______, pastor of a church of 10,000 members, 6400 of whom do not bother to come on a given Sunday morning, and 8600 of whom do not come on Sunday evening. He is here to tell us about how to have a healthy, evangelistic church.’ It might be better to ask a man to speak who shepherds 100 members, all of whom attend with regularity and all of whom show signs of regeneration—a man who, in the last year, has baptized 5 people who stick” Southern Baptists, An Unregenerate Denomination by Jim Eliff
Charles Darwin’s Wife: His Mental Problems From Guilt
“Darwin’s many psychological or psychologically influenced physical health symptoms included severe depression, insomnia, hysterical crying, dying sensations, shaking, fainting spells, muscle twitches, shortness of breath, trembling, nausea, vomiting, severe anxiety, depersonalization, seeing spots, treading on air and vision, and other visual hallucinations…The physical symptoms included headaches, cardiac palpitations, ringing in ears (possibly tinnitus), painful flatulence, and gastric upsets,,,Others, including Darwin’s own wife, argued that his mental problem stemmed from guilt over his life’s goal to refute the argument for God from design” (GG: Beware how the author redefines sin as mental illness and psychiatric disorders. God’s Word is sufficient for our mental problems.) Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.
Best Blogs Digest - May 2010
Monday, May 31st, 2010By Greg Gibson
Six-Word, Evangelism Opener
“Over and over I’ve seen one simple question open people’s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words-only seventeen letters in English-I’ve seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. The question is, “How can I pray for you?” Six Words as an Opener to the Gospel by Don Whitney
Four-Point, Evangelism Outline
“Everyone has their own version of the ‘gospel’ story:
-
1. Creation – who I am or who I should be
2. Fall – what’s wrong with me and the world
3. Redemption – what’s the solution
4. Consummation – what I hope for”
(GG: If you need an outline for Christ’s redemption, try 2 M’s + 6 R’s:
Messiah, miracles, righteous, Redeemer, risen, reigning, returning, and repent.) Everyone Has a Gospel Story) by Tim Chester
Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities
“The dominant mode of evangelical preaching on sanctification, the main way to motivate for godly living, sounds something like this:
-
You are not _____;
You should be _________;
Therefore, do or be ________!
Fill in the blank with anything good and biblical (holy; salt and light; feed the poor; walk humbly; give generously; etc.).” (GG: To preserve balance, see the helpful comments by Andrew Faris and Andy Naselli.) Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities by Justin Taylor
Living in Constant Guilt?
“I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt. How do we feel guilty? Let me count the ways.
-
We could pray more.
We aren’t bold enough in evangelism.
We like sports too much.
We watch movies and television too often.
Our quiet times are too short or too sporadic.
We don’t give enough.
We bought a new couch.
We don’t read to our kids enough.
Our kids eat Cheetos and french fries.
We don’t recycle enough.
We need to lost 20 pounds.
We could use our time better.
We could live some place harder or in something smaller.”
Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time? by Kevin DeYoung
Christ-Centered Preaching: A 2nd-Century Example
In the 2nd century, Bishop Mileto of Sardis preached, “This is he who made the heavens and the earth, and formed humanity in the beginning, who is announced by the Law and the Prophets…” This Is He by Trevin Wax
Jonah’s Sectarianism vs. God’s Gracious Heart
“We can’t escape a stark contrast in this story—the tribal mindset of Jonah versus the missional mindset of God…A tribal mindset is antithetical to the gospel. The gospel demands that we be missional, because the gospel is the story of God sacrificing himself for his enemies. Both these approaches are robustly present in Jonah’s story. Jonah represents the best of a tribal mindset, the absolute best. He’s like the trophy for the tribal person. And God—ever-gracious, ever-pursuing, ever-compassionate—serves as the trophy for the mission-minded. Jonah runs from his enemies; God runs toward his enemies. Jonah serves himself; God serves the world.” Are You Tribal or Missional? by Trevin Wax
Giving: Tithing, Guilt, or Generosity?
“He begins by identifying two different extremes that Christians often hold with regard to possessions. Either: 1. God wants you to give 10%, and after that you can do whatever you want with your money. 2. Whatever you give, you should be giving more.” The Generosity Matrix by J.D. Greear
How to Write an Awful Worship Song
The top-7 tips…
-
3. Be Vague About Your Theology.
4. Make the Song All About You.
How to Write an Awful Worship Song by Stephen Altrogge
Fruitless: Fifty Years of Christian, Political Activism
“Over the past 50 years, conservatives have spent tens of billions of dollars lobbying, trying to elect candidates, trying to organize in various ways…And what has it gained? Are we any better off…What have all those conservatives and libertarians done with those billions of dollars that has shown any improvement in the political or the moral climate of the country? Now, if that money had been put into the preaching of the gospel…perhaps there would be something completely different to show for it…And I learned a very good lesson on Capitol Hill – that what happens there is of little consequence. That if one is interested in changing society, you don’t go to Capitol Hill, you preach the gospel. If anybody is operating under the illusion that political action is going to make a significant change in society apart from a sea change in the beliefs in the American people, then they’re condemned to futility. They will waste their lives.” (GG: Spend more of your time and money evangelizing than politicizing, changing hearts than changing laws, and working for the kingdom that is eternal rather than temporary.) Co-Belligerency by John Thomson
193 Scientists Who Believe in Creation
Biologists, Chemists, Geologists, Physicists, etc. Some modern scientists who have accepted the biblical account of creation by Answers in Genesis
C.S. Lewis: Not a Christian Leader
“A recent article in Christianity Today admits, ‘Though he shared basic Christian beliefs with evangelicals, he didn’t subscribe to biblical inerrancy or penal substitution. He believed in purgatory and baptismal regeneration.’” C.S. Lewis by Gary Gilley
Should a Calvinist Marry a Pentecostal?
“If you’ve counted the costs laid out above, if you’re able to receive one another in the gospel, if you’re able to be unified in your church life and your child-rearing, if Aimee’s willing to follow cheerfully, if Calvin’s willing to lead self-sacrificially, then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Should We Marry if We’re Theologically Divided? by Russell Moore
13-Year Old Divorced 5 Times
Date and divorce, marry and divorce. Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Date, Divorce, Marry, Divorce, Marry. - 5.0 by Rick Thomas
Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies: Guess These Quotes?
“I thought ‘This fortune sounds like something Joel Osteen would say.’ And then it struck me–there is very little difference between Joel and those fortune cookies (except that the cookies are delicious, of course). And now, to prove it, I will give you these twelve quotes. You tell me which are from the fortune cookies and which are from Joel Osteen.” Joel Osteen or Fortune Cookies by Tim Challies
Edited 6/01/10
Best Blogs Digest - April 2010
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010By Greg Gibson
Did Jesus Preach Justification by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone?
“I would use the title “Did Jesus Preach Paul’s Gospel?”—the gospel of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness alone, for the glory of God alone…there is the suspicion (or even conviction) that justification by faith alone is part of Paul’s gospel, but not part of Jesus’ gospel…When we start reading one of the Gospels, we already know how it ends—the death and resurrection of Jesus as a substitute for our sins (Mark 10:45; Matthew 26:28)—and we should have that ending in mind with every verse that we read.” Did Jesus Preach the Gospel of Evangelicalism? by John Piper
55 Things the Gospel Isn’t
“Here are ways we often miss the center of the Gospel. Note that these may, or may be not wrong concepts; most have truth in them, and are good things. But they are not the “center” of the Gospel. They can misguide the believer when they are taught as the center, taught as the focus, taught as the key, or become the emphasis of our teaching, because they draw attention from the true center which is person and work of Christ…The Gospel Center is Jesus’ person, work on the cross for forgiveness of sins, and his resurrected triumph over death. From that center we understand the fuller work of the triumphant Christ, from his perfect life to his enthronement and return.” 55 Things the Gospel Isn’t by Jeff Louie
Theistic Evolution vs. Christ’s Virgin Birth, Miracles, and Resurrection?
“Lastly, I am astonished by the naivete of these scholars. Do they think they can restrict the hegemony of science over Scripture to the realm of creation issues? What will science make of the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, and the resurrection? The 20th Century gives us the answer. Moreover, do they think they can avoid worldly scorn merely by jettisoning biblical creation, while still holding to even more obnoxious doctrines like substitutionary atonement? The hermeneutics behind theistic evolution are a Trojan horse that, once inside our gates, must cause the entire fortress of Christian belief to fall under the humanistic sword.” (GG: It’s hard to believe that God evolved the old “creation,” but created the new creation.) Theistic Evolution: A Hermeneutical Trojan Horse by Rick Phillips
Pediatricians: Homosexuality Not Genetic or Unchangable
The American College of Pediatricians: “There is no scientific evidence that anyone is born gay or transgendered. Therefore, the College further advises that schools should not teach or imply to students that homosexual attraction is innate, always life-long and unchangeable. Research has shown that therapy to restore heterosexual attraction can be effective for many people…
Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the Genome Project, has stated that while homosexuality may be genetically influenced, it is “… not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations. He also states [that] “…the prominent role[s] of individual free will choices [has] a profound effect on us.
The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) recently released a landmark survey and analysis of 125 years of scientific studies and clinical experience dealing with homosexuality. This report, What Research Shows, draws three major conclusions:
(1) individuals with unwanted same sex attraction often can be successfully treated;
(2) there is no undue risk to patients from embarking on such therapy and
(3), as a group, homosexuals experience significantly higher levels of mental and physical health problems compared to heterosexuals. Among adolescents who claim a “gay” identity, the health risks include higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, alcoholism, substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide.”
(GG: My wife and I know 4 children who formerly acted gay. But my wife exhorted them, and they changed. We’ve also observed that adult, gay males act more feminine than females. They have to practice acting feminine because it is unnatural to them.) American College of Pediatricians: Homosexual Attraction is Neither Innate Nor Unchangeableby Kevin DeYoung
Family Worship Resources Bibliography
Teach your family to worship the Lord with this huge list of articles, sermons, books, and websites. Creating a Family Worship Time (A Compilation of Resources) by IBC Parents (HT:JG)
How to Pray for Revival in Your Church
“You can pray that God would move in way that results in:
* hundreds of people coming to Christ,
* old animosities being removed,
* marriages being reconciled and renewed,
* wayward children coming home,
* long-standing slavery to sin being conquered,
* spiritual dullness being replaced by vibrant joy,
* weak faith being replaced by bold witness,
* disinterest in prayer being replaced by fervent intercession,
* boring Bible reading being replaced by passion for the Word,
* disinterest in global missions being replaced by energy for Christ’s name among the nations, and
* lukewarm worship being replaced by zeal for the greatness of God’s glory.” Pray for an Awakening in Your Church by Justin Taylor
