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Best Blogs Digest - March 2010

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

What Is God Doing in Our Generation?
“This leads me to a few thoughts on the young, restless, reformed movement. I believe God is at work in the under-40 generation, doing something doctrinally, ecclesiologically, and doxologically healthy among many youngish Christians. Further, I believe this work of God is being mediated through a remarkable network of like-minded pastors, preachers, and scholars. I don’t know when there have been so many folks, often friends, saying and writing more or less the same things about the gospel, the atonement, the Scriptures, the glory of God, the doctrines of grace, the centrality of the church, the importance of preaching, the roles of men and women, and on and on it goes. We are blessed with an inordinate and growing number of good teachers, good books, good blogs, and good conferences…The goal is not to be a T4G-TGC-CHBC-ACE-PCA-SGM-DGM groupie. The goal is to know God, love God, and serve God–all of which can be helped, and is being helped, by the love for gospel truth in these groups (and many others).” A Generation of Bandwagon Jumpers by Kevin DeYoung

7 Counterfeit Gospels
“In one of his books (co-authored with Tim Lane), How People Change, he identifies seven counterfeit gospels—-’religious’ ways we try and ‘justify’ or ’save’ ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards?”
1. Formalism
2. Legalism
3. Mysticism
4. Activism
5. Biblicism
6. Therapism
7. Social-ism
Counterfeit Gospels by Paul Tripp and Tullian Tchividjian

Which Theological Errors Lead to Hell?
“Where an issue falls within these categories should be determined by weighing the cumulative force of at least seven considerations:
1. biblical clarity;
2. relevance to the character of God;
3. relevance to the essence of the gospel;
4. biblical frequency and significance (how often in Scripture it is taught, and what weight Scripture places upon it);
5. effect on other doctrines;
6. consensus among Christians (past and present); and
7. effect on personal and church life.”
Levels of Doctrine by Justin Taylor

“But I Was Born That Way”(?)
“The key to answering this question—which usually arises in discussions about homosexuality and Christianity—is to insist (with the Bible) that genetic dispositions are not equal to sinful determiners. Our individual makeup and background provide the context for sin and may fuel the craving for sin but never alleviate the responsibility for our sin and the requirement that we imitate God’s holy character…Indeed, human beings are condemned by virtue of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:16, 18). Such a radical view of sin in which we inherit a sinful nature from Adam means that sinful predispositions are part of our personalities from our inception. Hence, even if it were discovered that we are genetically predisposed to certain sinful behaviors like alcoholism or homosexuality, such discoveries would not eliminate our responsibility for our actions, nor would it suggest that such actions are no longer sinful. The Scriptures teach that we are born as sinners in Adam, while at the same time they insist we should not sin and are responsible for the sin we commit. We enter into the world as slaves of sin (Rom. 6:6, 17), but we are still morally blameworthy for capitulating to the sin that serves as our master.” Are We Still Responsible for Sins for Which We May Be Genetically Predisposed? by Justin Taylor and Thomas Schreiner

“Unless Your (Imputed or Imparted?) Righteousness Surpasses That of the Pharisees”
“In Matthew 5:20 Jesus at a pivotal point in His Sermon on the Mount utters the following serious warning: ‘For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven’…this context the question is not at all one of imputed righteousness, but of imparted righteousness. And it is a question of imparted righteousness as necessary in the day of judgment. First, we need to be clear that Jesus is not speaking our initial justification by faith. Entrance into the kingdom is eschatological here–as it often is in the synoptic gospels. Cf. Matt. 6:10; 8:11-12; 13:43; 25:34. This observation is confirmed by the consistently eschatological perspective of the blessings promised in each of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10. It is also confirmed by the frequent references to the day of judgment in the comments of Jesus which follow (Matthew 5:22, 26, 29, and 30). It is further confirmed by the parallel passage in Matthew 7:21-23 where the scene of entrance into the kingdom of heaven is the day of judgment.” Is There a Future Justification by Works at the Day of Judgment? #6 by Sam Waldron

If Man Is Sovereign, Why Pray?
“If I [believe in libertarian freedom and] plead with God to remove my friend’s illness, that is not absurd, for God can answer that prayer without negating anyone’s freedom. But what about the request that God change the attitudes and actions of my friend’s tyrannical boss?…” If Libertarian Free Will Is True, Why Pray? by John Feinberg and Justin Taylor

Christ Rose Into the New Creation
“But the resurrection of Christ is also inaugurates something much broader—the re‐creation of the universe.” Christ’s Resurrection and the Dawn of the New Creation by Tony Reinke (HT:JT)

Universalism Refuted: Bibliography
“We recently had an email inquiry to The Gospel Coalition asking for resources on ‘Christian Universalism.’” Responding to “Christian Universalism” by Mike Pohlman

How to Lead Your Church in Prayer: 13 Tips
“1. Prepare. Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most are studied prayers. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought through ahead of time. Public prayer is often boring because little thought is put into it. There’s no training for it, no effort put it into it. An hour or two is not too long to spend in preparing a long, pastoral prayer.” Thirteen Tips for Leading the Congregation in Prayer by Kevin DeYoung

Piper Values Marriage Before Ministry
“…the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon. I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit.” John Piper’s Upcoming Leave by John Piper

Zwemer: How to Pray for Muslims
Want to know how to pray for Muslims? See missionary Samuel Zwemer’s prayer for Muslims. Prayer for Muslim Lands by Kevin DeYoung

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Best Blogs Digest - Jan. 2010

Monday, February 1st, 2010

By Greg Gibson

Prevent Divorce by Believing the Gospel
“I once confronted a ‘Christian’ couple who were getting a divorce with this: Have you ever considered being Christlike and forgiving your spouse? But you don’t know what they have done! What about not being a unmerciful servant and forgiving the smaller debt of your spouse in light of the insurmountable debt you had cancelled in Christ on your behalf? But you just do not know Mike! How about expressing your new nature in Christ? What about the love of God poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit that was given to us? What about the new heart? What about the circumcised heart? What about love, joy patience, goodness, gentleness…etc. Why is your supposedly circumcised heart so hard? Why can you not forgive and allow Christ to do a miracle in your life/marriage? Why won’t you die to yourself? You can’t express the nature of Christ towards your spouse?…Why is that? I have a very good idea. We don’t believe the Gospel. Thats it. Our churches are packed full of people who do not believe the Gospel…If you can’t do that a home, you definitely can’t do that in the church.” Divorce and the Gospel by Lionel Woods

How to Live With an Ugly Wife
“It is said that she never provided him a sit-down meal at their home…When he returned home at night, he was not able to be in the same room with his wife because he would get a tongue-lashing, so he went to his study. But his wife controlled the coal bin and the oil for the lamp, allowing him no fire to warm himself or oil to light his lamp…Once, when the local Presbyterian pastors were gathered, a toast was offered for the wives of the pastors. The man offering the toast turned to Fraser and said, probably with a knowing smile, ‘You’ll want to offer a toast to your wife as well, James?’ “So I will and so I should,’ said Fraser. ‘For my wife has been better to me than all of yours put together!’ ‘How so?’ they asked, with their mouths agape. ‘My wife has driven me to my knees seven times a day, and that is more than any of your wives have done for you!’” Making the Best of an Ugly Wife by Jim Eliff

God Is Saving Thousands of Muslims
“Many Muslims are hungry for the gospel and thousands are coming to Christ every month. In the most recent issue of Mission Frontiers, David Taylor describes a few of these developments: In Iran, a strong underground church movement continues to emerge with thousands of house fellowships multiplying throughout the country. Surveys in the country indicate that Christian satellite broadcasting in Farsi, which began in the year 2000, is being viewed by well over half the population. Equally impressive are the results of radio and satellite broadcasting throughout the Arab world. One ministry, SAT7, has a regular audience of 8.5 million people. In North Africa, the Berbers are responding to the gospel in massive numbers, with one movement among the Kabyle encompassing several hundred thousand believers.” Open Doors in the Muslim World by Mark Rogers

The 50 Worst Countries for Christian Persecution
“The World Watch List (WWL) is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst.”
1. North Korea
2. Iran
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Somalia
5. Maldives
World Watch List by Open Doors

Adding Jesus, Subtracting Idols
“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols. What does it mean to “accept Jesus”? by Ray Ortlund

How to Become a Liberal Pastor by Seeking the Praise of Men
“Other pastors, having started as evangelicals, become liberal. It’s not that they begin to deny the Formula of Chalcedon or the Nicene Creed. It’s not that they reject the bodily resurrection of Christ or the virgin birth. It’s simply that, over the course of their ministry, sound doctrine increasingly takes a back seat to effective practice and the demands of a growing budget. Hard truths are replaced by happy thoughts, tips for a successful life, and programs designed to attract crowds whose content is devoted to making those crowds feel loved and accepted…No, I’m a pastor who loves Jesus because he’s God Incarnate and who loves the gospel because it’s true, regardless of how my life turns out. But I’m also a pastor at risk of becoming a liberal, because I don’t just love God. I also love the sheep. And I love myself. And it’s those two loves, wrongly focused, that tempt me down a gospel-denying path. LOVING THE SHEEP MORE THAN THE GOOD SHEPHERD” How to Become a Liberal Without Attending Harvard Divinity School by Michael Lawrence of 9Marks

Preaching Is Counseling
“What is interesting is that Scripture says very little about the kind of one-to-one application of the Word which biblical counseling represents; rather, the focus in the New Testament (and, indeed, in the Old) is upon the Word of God coming to the people as a whole and impacting the community of believers as a whole…does the rise in biblical counseling, and the growth in the number of biblical counselors, signal a crisis in confidence, not simply in the pulpit, but in the Word of God to achieve its purpose? Now, do not misunderstand me: I am not saying that counseling has no place, nor small group; but surely, if the biblical pattern is representative of healthy church life, then 95 percent of the problems addressed by counseling should actually be addressed and solved by simply proclaiming the perennial Word of God. Is it perhaps the case that fewer people would need counseling if more people actually listened prayerfully to what their pastors were telling them from the pulpit every Sunday morning?” The Therapy of the Word by Carl Trueman

Book Review: Depression, A Stubborn Darkness by Ed Welch
“There are three fundamental failures in Welch’s approach to depression. The first is that Welch does not seem to understand what depression is…The second failure is Welch’s misunderstanding of what causes depression…The third failure of the book should then be obvious. With no fundamental understanding of what depression is, or what causes it, we could hardly expect to find real answers or solutions and Welch offers none.” Book Review: Depression, A Stubborn Darkness by Donn Arms

55 Questions for Prospective Pastors
“It is not uncommon for a pastor to be opposed by the very people who at first enthusiastically promoted him. Why? Often it is because only surface communication took place between the potential pastor and the congregation before he assumed his position in the church. In our day it is possible for a pastor to be chosen for a church with almost no serious questions being asked, much less any doctrinal questions. This should never be the case. We suggest that churches seek the most complete dialogue possible about matters of doctrine, practice, and lifestyle. If the church fails to do so, the prospective pastor should call for it. This procedure protects both pastor and church.” Questions for a Prospective Pastor by Jim Eliff and Don Whitney

Outline of Packer’s “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God”
“The aim is to dispel the suspicion that belief in the absolute sovereignty of God hinders evangelism and to show that it actually strengthens evangelism…The book divides logically into four chapters. (See the outline of the book below.)” Summary and Outline of J. I. Packer’s “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” by Andy Naselli

Finding Christ in the Pentatech
“To all pastors and serious readers of the Old Testament—geek, uber geek, under geek, no geek—if you graduated from high school and know the word meaning, sell your latest Piper or Driscoll book and buy Sailhamer,” Piper blogged. “There is nothing like it. It will rock your world. You will never read the Pentateuch the same again.”…Backed by these endorsements, Sailhamer’s 610-page tome on the Bible’s first five books briefly broke into the top 100 in Amazon.com’s sales rankings…I take the view that the whole of the Pentateuch is about Christ, but that doesn’t mean that Christ is in the whole Pentateuch. Finding Christ in the Pentateuch means learning to see him when he is there rather than trying to see when he is not there. I like to tell my students that we don’t need to spiritualize the Old Testament to find Christ, but we do need to read it with spiritual eyes…I’ve found that if you show someone that Christ is really there in the Pentateuch and the Old Testament, they will come back to see more—not merely because they have come to revere the Pentateuch as a foundational book, but more importantly because they want to see more of Jesus…All the evangelism we read about in the book of Acts was the result of the gospel they proclaimed from the pages of the “Old Testament.” Finding Meaning in the Pentateuch by Colin Hansen (HT: JT)

An Inconsistent Postmodern Architect
“He said, ‘This is America’s first postmodern building.’ I was startled for a moment and I said, ‘What is a postmodern building?’ He said, ‘Well, the architect said that he designed this building with no design in mind. When the architect was asked, ‘Why?’ he said, ‘If life itself is capricious, why should our buildings have any design and any meaning?’ So he has pillars that have no purpose. He has stairways that go nowhere. He has a senseless building built and somebody has paid for it.’ I said, ‘So his argument was that if life has no purpose and design, why should the building have any design?’ He said, ‘That is correct.’ I said, ‘Did he do the same with the foundation?’ All of a sudden there was silence.” Postmodern Architecture by Ravi Zacharias via Justin Taylor

Edited 2/3/10

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Best Blogs Digest - December 2009

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

By Greg Gibson

Calvinist Pharisees
(GG: Beware of sanctification by theology alone.) “Here’s the first reason I’m a Pharisee and Calvinist, or, one reason why those two things happen together far more often than they should. The Pharisee and the Calvinist are both exacting persons. They care about precision, about ‘getting things right.’ They care about the letter because each believes getting the letter correct is important. And it is. So, there is this ‘bent’ toward intellectual things. There is this tendency to live in our heads. And when that meets with a theological tradition as rich and robust as the Reformed tradition, sparks fly–in our heads. Add to that a pinch of argumentative spirit and out comes the Pharisee. But you know what’s lost? The spirit, or the Spirit…But here’s the bottom line: As long as my inclination toward detail ends with “getting it right” and not with getting more of Jesus, I’m going to be a Pharisee. Our theology doesn’t keep us humble. Jesus keeps us humble. I think there are a lot of Calvinist Pharisees out there, like me, who push deeper into the theology trusting the next truth to abase them before God. But we keep getting “puffed up” instead. Why? We settle for knowing more rather than knowing Jesus. We don’t stop to sit at Christ’s feet, to adore Him, to commune with God the Spirit. Far too often, that’s not the goal we have in mind…Here’s the second reason I’m a Pharisee and Calvinist, or, another reason why those two things happen together far more often than they should. The Pharisee and the Calvinist are both suspicious. Now I’m suspicious of a lot of things, but I’ll just mention one. I’m suspicious of joy. Yep. Now, not my joy. That’s another problem. No. Like a good Pharisee, other people’s joy makes me nervous. Not all people. Just those people who don’t express their joy the precise way I think they should. You see, without the ‘appropriate bounds’ their joy just may make them careless, lead them to error, hurt the church and cause of Christ. Their joy is combustible; it’s dangerous. It’s enthusiasm and flights of fancy that need to ballast of sobriety and sound theology.” Calvinist Confessions 1 and Calvinist Confessions 2 by Thabite Anyabwile

The Top 10 Theology Stories of 2009
“Counting down the events, debates, and books that shaped evangelical theology over the past year.” My Top Ten Theology Stories of 2009 by Colin Hansen (HT: JT)

Which Doctrinal Truths Would You Die For?
“I often tell people that there are some things that I believe that I would die for; there are some things that I believe that I would lose an arm for; there are some things that I believe that I would lose a finger for; and then there are some things that I believe that I would not even get a manicure for….

1. Essential for salvation
2. Essential for historic Christian orthodoxy
3. Essential for traditional orthodoxy
4. Essential for denominational orthodoxy
5. Important but not essential
6. Not Important
7. Pure speculation”
Essentials and Non-Essentials by C. Michael Patton

Sanctification by Psychiatric Drugs Alone?
“Pretty soon, we are going to have a pill that will take care of every disorder and sin…Wow! Complete sanctification, from beginning to end, in a bottle…Is it possible that depression is often something that accomplishes the will of God more than being ‘happy’? Is it possible that anxiety is a tool God uses to help us recognize our need for him. Is it possible that giving kids meds to control their attention could be sterilizing their giftedness…Is it possible that these mind altering drugs are causing much more harm than good?” (GG: If you struggle with depression or other mental-emotional “disorders,” consider natural, nutritional supplements like 5-HTP, lithium orotate, Sam-e, St. John’s Wort, etc. Thousands of former-psychiatric drug users have testified that natural solutions work better, with far less side-effects.) “Let’s Make Mommy Happy” or Martin Luther on Zoloft by C. Michael Patton

Gospel Pictures in the Old Testament
The Abrahamic Covenant, Old Covenant and Law of Moses, Ten Commandments, Circumcision and Baptism, and the Sabbath Gospel Pictures by Mike Adams

Promises to Israel Fulfilled by Christ and Believers in Him
“Those who have faith in Christ are the children of Abraham (i.e. Israel) (Gal 3.7)” Church and Israel by Blake White

Greg Beale Articles and Audio
“Beale’s work in the area of biblical theology is very helpful, especially in relation to the way in which in New Testament uses the Old Testament.” Gregory K. Beale Resources by James Grant

Harmonizing Jesus’ Genealogies in Matthew and Luke
“So why are the genealogical trees in Matthew and Luke so different? Matthew begins his Gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, while Luke places it, strangely, between Jesus’ baptism and temptation. Matthew has an ascending list, moving from Abraham up to Jesus, while Luke has a descending list, moving from Jesus down to Adam. Matthew’s list is partial; Luke’s is complete. And most significantly, while the two lists are virtually identical from Abraham to David, they diverge greatly from David to Jesus…Are there difficulties in reconciling the genealogies? Can they be harmonized? The answer in both cases is yes. Matthew’s and Luke’s lists stem largely from Old Testament genealogies (see Gen. 10-11 and 1 Chron. 1-3) and Jewish sources, and the differences between the names occur largely because each evangelist was selective in whom he included.” Who Was Jesus’ Grandfather? by Grant Osborne

100% of Men Have Seen Porn
“’We started our research seeking men in their 20s who had never consumed pornography,’ said Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse. ‘We couldn’t find any.’” How to overcome temptations to porn: 9 articles and 3 books. Porndemic by Justin Taylor

Child Abuse Recovery by Psalms Counseling
“David Powlison’s booklet is being posted online in two parts. As he talks through the issues of recovering from abuse, he suggests turning to Psalms 55, 56, and 57, using four different colored markers to mark four different strands. Here’s an excerpt:” Recovering from Child Abuse: Help and Healing for Victims by Justin Taylor

MacArthur Cremates Oral Roberts and TBN
“Oral Roberts was certainly the 20th century’s leading advocate of that idea. His prosperity doctrine laid the foundation for an enormous media-based religious system, and Oral Roberts was indeed its chief architect…One leading charismatic figure this week stated that without Oral Roberts’ influence, “the entire charismatic movement might not have occurred.” That may well be true…One thing all the obituaries agree on is that Oral Roberts paved the way for all the charismatic televangelists and faith-healers who dominate religious television today…The channel lineup I receive includes at least seven other channels whose schedules are filled with false teachers and charlatans. There’s The Church Channel, Daystar, GodTV, World Harvest Television (LeSEA), Total Christian Television, and several others…Like Tetzel on steroids, the Crouches and virtually all the key broadcasters on TBN live in garish opulence, while constantly begging their needy viewers for more money.” Measuing Oral Roberts Influence and Unholy Trinity by John MacArthur

Edited 1/2/10

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Best Blogs Digest - Nov. 2009

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

by Greg Gibson

Does Being Christ-Centered Lead to Imbalanced Trinitarianism?
“Does ‘Christocentrism’ betray an asymetrical trinitarianism that neglects the Father and the Spirit?…Christocentrism can happily co-exist ith orthodox trinitarianism because (1) it is only through Christ that we kow of the Trinity, and (2) the Trinity itself is Christ-centered.” Christ-centered hermeneutics, salvation-history, preaching, evangelism, and sanctification. Christocentrism: An Asymmetrical Trinitarianism? by Dane C. Ortlund

Christ-Centered Preaching: Every Message or Every Ministry?
“Here Hood points out that the NT sees the OT stories as both pointing to Christ and given as moral encouragement, warning, in sum as examples. The book of James references four OT characters and the prophets all of whom are used as examples for the guidance of NT believers (Jas. 2:14-26; 5:10-28). The author of Hebrews appears to challenge Chapell’s disavowal of ‘be like’ interpretation; he repeatedly mentions believers as models of active faith in the face of difficulty. Parables also routinely call hearers to imitate the character in the story. The ‘be like’ emphasis seems entirely appropriate in the parable of the wise builder (Matt. 7:24-27), the wise virgins and investors (Matt 25:1-30) and the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-27). Jesus even concludes some of the parables with the words, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Christ-Centered Interpretation Only? by Patrick Schreiner (HT:TW)

“Hood’s major concern is that the positive push to interpret Christ in all the Scripture has led pastors and scholars to sometimes overlook and even belittle moral instruction. In response, Hood cites several New Testament examples to make the case for moral instruction. Writing in Romans 15:4, the apostle Paul says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Similarly, he writes in 1 Corinthians 10:6, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” According to Hood, these passages show that Christians don’t just see Jesus in the Old Testament. They also see themselves. Paul says the Old Testament offers believers encouragement and warning. Surveying the New Testament, Hood finds several examples of the exhortation some Christ-centered interpreters denigrate. Chastising the selfish Corinthians, Paul shows them Christ’s way of self-sacrifice (1 Cor. 2:2). The “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11:2-12:4 showcases Old Testament believers worthy of imitation. And who can forget Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), which he concludes, “Go and do likewise.” After amassing this evidence, Hood writes, “Claims that we only teach and preach Christ and that every sermon must be focused squarely on Christ are misguided. Hood acknowledges that a compelling apology for the Christ-centered interpretation comes from the road to Emmaus: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Still, Hood wants interpreters to proceed with caution. Luke notes only that many passages testify to Christ, not that every passage leads to Christ.” (GG: John Frame is correct: Every ministry, not every message, should be Christ-centered.) Christ-Centered Cautions by Colin Hansen

Sanctification by Anti-Idolatry: Is All Sin Really Idolatry?
“I have noticed that couching sin in terms of idolatry seems increasingly to mark some recent attempts to communicate the gospel to a new generation. Judging from common counseling approaches, best-selling books and blogosphere endorsements that extol this idolatry model, I doubt mine is an isolated observation. Which leads me to ask: In the increasingly fashionable world of Reformed Christianity, is idolatry becoming the new sin?…This take on idolatry speaks of sin not so much as “doing bad things” as it does “making good things into ultimate things.” In this model, sinners do not so much commit a crime as elevate good things of life beyond their proper place…idolatry-oriented approach to the sin problem…defining sin in these terms of idolatry harbors at least two defects: first, it misreads the biblical examples of genuine idolatry; and second, and even more importantly, it diminishes both the essence and the effects of sin…This reality is reflected in part in the Scriptural correlation that “greed” (or “covetousness”) is “idolatry” (Col 3:5; cf. Eph 5:6). That statement literally does not say that it is the thing (the supposedly overly-valued “good” thing) that is the idol. That statement literally says it is the wanting, the craving condition of man’s heart, not so much the thing that is craved, that is idolatrous.”

(GG: Six Concerns About “Hyper-Anti-Idolatry”:
1. God’s law is summarized by love (not idolatry).
2. The NT spiritualizes idolatry only twice [Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5]. Beware of emphasizing it more than the NT.
3. Greed is both idolatry and false lordship (Mt. 6:24). But we don’t use lordship as the organizing key to sin or sanctification.
4. The Prophets called idolatry (spiritual) “adultery.” But we don’t use adultery as the organizing key to sin or sanctification.
5. Sanctification is multi-faceted, with no reductionistic, simplistic key.
6. Over-emphasis on spiritual idolatry leads to introspectionism, instead of Christ-centeredness. Not every sin has hidden motives.
In summary, be conscious of spiritual idolatry, but beware of hyper-anti-idolatry. Balance, balance, balance!) Is Idolatry the New Sin? by Carlton Wynne

N.T. Wright Converting Protestants to Rome
(Francis) “Beckwith told Christianity Today, ‘I have met several former evangelical Protestants who have told me that Wright’s work in particular helped them to better appreciate the Catholic view of grace.’ Also, Taylor Marshall, director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., said he speaks with new Catholic converts every month, about half of whom have been ‘deeply influenced’ by Wright. Isn’t that interesting? N.T. Wright and Rome by Blake White

Prayerlessness Is Unbelief
“Almost all of us want to pray more frequently, and yet our lives seem too disordered. But in God’s mind our messy, chaotic lives are an impetus to prayer instead of an obstacle to prayer…If you know you are needy and believe that God helps the needy, you will pray. Conversely, if we seldom pray, the problem goes much deeper than a lack of organization and follow through. The heart that never talks to God is the heart that trusts in itself and not in the power of God. Prayerlessness is unbelief.” Prayerlessness Is Unbelief by Kevin DeYoung

Six Things for Which Paul Gave Thanks
“1. He was thankful for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, 1, 2 Thessalonians, Philemon).
2. He was thankful for their love for all the saints (Ephesians, Colossians, 1, 2 Thessalonians, Philemon).
3. He was thankful for their steadfastness, especially in trial (1, 2 Thessalonians).
4. He was thankful for their spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians).
5. He was thankful for their partnership in the gospel (Philippians).
6. He was thankful for their history and mutual affection (2 Timothy).” How Did Paul Give Thanks? by Kevin DeYoung

Pastor-Author Donates 90% of His Income
“According to one comment he made in a sermon, Chan gives away about 90 percent of his income (though his church administrator preferred the phrase “most of his income”). Chan doesn’t take a salary from his church, and his book royalties, which total about $500,000, mostly go to organizations like International Justice Mission, which rescues sex slaves in foreign countries. The Chans often open their home to families who need a place to stay. One of Cornerstone’s community pastors, Bill Lucas, lived with Chan for nine months, and says he “lives out what he says.” Francis Chan by Blake White

Christian Rap Sounds Like Speaking in Tongues
This is my first (and last?) time to listen to Christian rap. If the lyrics weren’t printed, I couldn’t understand them. “Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying?” (1 Cor. 14:9). And I found the music rather irritating. “The fruit of the Spirit is…peace” (Gal. 5:22). Nevertheless, praise God for the beautiful gospel lyrics. “The important thing is that in every way…Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:28). I have to wonder if the Lord would use this brother’s ministry even more if the lyrics were wrapped in a more beautiful package? The Greatest Story Ever Told by Shai Linne

Free, Church Bulletin Inserts
“Free downloadable bulletin inserts for personal or church use.” (GG: Theologically faithful and well-written.) Church Bulletin Inserts by Jim Eliff and CCW

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Best Blogs Digest - October 2009

Monday, November 2nd, 2009
By Greg Gibson

What You Must Believe If You Are a Premillennialist
“If you watched or listened to the eschatology roundtable discussion at Desiring God, you heard Sam Storms make the case that when Christ returns, the NT is clear that a number of things will end at that time (sin, corruption, death) and a number of things will begin at that time (our physical resurrection, final judgment, new heavens and new earth). In other words, when Christ returns, it’s “curtains” on sin and death. But in Premillennialism, there are still a thousand years of sin and death and corruption.” What You Must Believe If You Are a Premillennialist and “Thrones” in Revelation by Sam Storms

How to Attract the Next Generation
(GG: Everything said here about how to reach youth could also apply to how to reach postmoderns. Forget the philosophizing. Simply amaze them with God!)

“You just have to be like Jesus. That’s it. So the easy part is you don’t have to be with it. The hard part is you have to be with Him. If you walk with God and walk with people, you’ll reach the next generation. Let me unpack that a bit. After thinking through the question for over a year, I’ve come up five suggestions for pastors, youth workers, campus staff, and for anyone else who wants to pass the faith on to the next generation: Grab them with passion. Win them with love. Hold them with holiness. Challenge them with truth. Amaze them with God.” Grab Them With Passion by Kevin DeYoung

“Jesus said it best: ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’…Jesus did not say ‘They will know you are my disciples by how attune you are to new trends in youth culture.’ Or ‘They will know you are my disciples by the hip atmosphere you create.’ Give up on relevance, and try love. If they see love in you, love for each other, love for the world, and love for them, they will listen. No matter who the ‘they’ are.” Win Them With Love by K.D.

“What I’m saying is that being experts in the culture matters nothing, and worse than nothing, if we are not first of all experts in love, truth, and holiness. Look at what God says in 2 Peter 1:5-8…For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you pick up on the promise in the last verse? If we are growing in faith, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love, we will not be ineffective ministers for Christ. If ever there was a secret to effective ministry, these verses give it to us. Grow in God and you’ll make a difference in people’s lives.” Hold Them With Holiness by K.D.

“Doctrine and preaching—88% said the doctrine led them to their church and 90% said the preaching led them there, in particular, pastor who preached with certitude and conviction.” Challenge Them With Truth by K.D.

“If only I would trust God that God is enough to win the hearts and minds of the next generation. It’s his work much more than it is mine or yours. So make him front and center. Don’t preach your doubts as mystery. And don’t reduce God to your own level. If ever people were starving for a God the size of God, surely it is now.” Amaze Them With God by K.D.

Purity, Sex, and Marriage Books
See this helpful annotated bibliography. Sexual Detox: Recommended Resources by Tim Challies

Tom Schreiner’s Theology Articles
Learn from Schreiner’s journal articles on topics including God’s law, book reviews, and more. Thomas R. Schreiner by Thomas Schreiner

Propitiation as the Ground of Christus Victor
“So it’s not Christus Victor (Christ defeating his enemies) instead of propitiation (Christ bearing God’s wrath)–rather, it’s Christus Victor because of propitiation. Both are gloriously important, but only in that order.” Propitiation as the Ground of Christus Victor by Justin Taylor

Critiques of the Missional Church
“I have no idea when exactly conservative evangelicals co-opted the term “missional.” [9] My guess is that conservative writers and pastors in the emerging church movement like Mark Driscoll, after tromping through some of the same fields as their liberal counterparts, reached down, pulled up the missional plant by the roots, and then transplanted it into conservative soil.” What in the World is a Missional Church by Jonathan Leeman

“1. What are the Strengths of Missional Churches?
    A. Missional Churches Have a Commendable Passion for Evangelism.
    B. Missional Churches Have a Laudable Commitment to Engaging Culture.
    C. Missional Churches Have a Profitable Impulse for Reexamining Church Tradition.
    D. They Also Possess an Admirable Devotion to Social Impact.
2. What are the Weaknesses of Missional Churches?
    A. Missional Churches Tend to Be Mission-Centered Rather Than Gospel-Centered.
    B. Missional Churches Tend to Have a Reductionistic Ecclesiology.
    C. Missional Churches Tend to Confuse Culture Engagement with Cultural Immersion.
    D. Missional Churches Tend to Downplay the Institutional and Organizational Nature of the Church.
    E. Missional Churches Tend to Have an Insufficient Understanding of Apostolic Ministry.” Critiquing the Missional Movement by Tony Reinke

Seminary Training On Campus, Online, or Where?
(GG: The advantages and disadvantages of seminary training on campus, extension centers, Internet classes, J-Terms, and independent study.) “There is no ‘best’ option for taking seminary courses. Each of the options has been helpful to me, depending upon my stage in life and ministry. The best thing a prospective student can do is consider the positives and negatives and figure out which option best suits the current need.” Seminary Online, by Extension or On-Campus? by Trevin Wax

Muslim Population Growing to 1 in 4 People Worldwide
“Nearly one in four people worldwide is Muslim — and they are not necessarily where you might think, according to an extensive new study that aims to map the global Muslim population…There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the report, ‘Mapping the Global Muslim Population,’ by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. That represents about 23 percent of the total global population of 6.8 billion.” Nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide is Muslim, report says by CNN

Evolution’s Missing Link Disappears
“Remember Ida, the fossil discovery announced last May with its own book and TV documentary? A publicity blitz called it “the link” that would reveal the earliest evolutionary roots of monkeys, apes and humans…The new analysis says Darwinius does not belong in the same primate category as monkeys, apes and humans. Instead, the analysis concluded, it falls into the other major grouping, which includes lemurs.” ‘Missing link’ primate isn’t a link after all by MSNBC

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Best Blogs Digest - September 2009

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

By Greg Gibson

God’s Presence From Eden, to the Temple, to the New Earth
Understand God’s redemptive-historical plan to expand His glorious presence from the Garden, to the Temple, to the New Earth. Much of this material is taken from the book “The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God by G.K. Beale. Two sermons: “Why Is the New Heaven and the New Earth Equated with the Temple?” Highest recommendation. Part 1 and Part 2 by G.K. Beale

12 Reasons Why Adam Was a Real, Historical Person
“But the twelve observations above indicate that the historicity of Adam is a thread woven all the way through the Bible’s history, theology, and ethics. Pull out that thread and sooner or later the whole garment will unravel.” Was Adam a Real Historical Individual? by James Anderson

Biblical Counseling Training
Where can you find training in Biblical counseling (as opposed to psychological counseling)? Top Choices for Counselor Training by Rick Thomas, and Biblical Counseling Training by 9 Marks

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ by Schreiner
“Christ the Center was pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner to discuss New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Dr. Schreiner’s book has been warmly welcomed by many respected scholars in the reformed community and listeners will understand why when they hear Dr. Schreiner detail his project.” New Testament Theology by Thomas Schreiner

Evangelizing Headhunters and Cannibals
“’There are lots of unreached tribes in Papua New Guinea. Some of them are cannibalistic and hostile headhunting tribes; they are completely unreached by the gospel. Come with me brother – Let’s go get some of them for Jesus.’…There’s an important difference between unevangelized and unreached peoples. Unevangelized people are unconverted individuals in places where there are established churches. Unreached peoples are those that live in regions where there are no churches and no access to the evangelical gospel in their culture. And to answer your question about the present trend; 96% of the missionary work force is still laboring in unevangelized, but not truly unreached regions. Here it is again – 9 out of 10 Christian missionaries that go cross-cultural are still going to reached places! Here’s still another way to say it – Something like 90% of all “ministers” worldwide are concentrating on only 2% of the world’s population! We are massively overly evangelizing places where the gospel is already well planted! I believe that we need a substantial strategic redeployment of the missionary workforce to the areas where there is still no access to the evangelical gospel.” Interview With David Sitton

“Stop Dating Churches, and Marry One”
Why join a church?
“1. Make visible your commitment to Christ and his people…
2. Makes a powerful statement in a low-commitment culture…
3. We can be overly independent…
4. Keeps us accountable…
5. Help your pastor and elders be more faithful shepherds…
6. Gives you an opportunity to make promises.”
Why Membership Matters by Kevin DeYoung

Diversity in Musical Style, Unity in Christ-Centered Lyrics
“I believe it very good for our churches to sing songs from different eras, traditions, and styles…Songs with 101-level truths should not be the staple of our musical diet, but they should be on our plate…Imagine if the church stopped singing new songs after the Reformation just because the songs were new. No “And Can it Be,” no “Amazing Grace,” no “Holy, Holy, Holy.”…Christ–sung in our songs, called up in our prayers, and heralded in the preaching–will be the glue that holds us together, and not music. That’s the kind of unity in diversity worth celebrating.” In Defense of Musical Diversity by Kevin DeYoung

History of “Grace to You” With John MacArthur
“This year marks the ministry’s 40th anniversary…And within 5 years the ministry was distributing a million tapes a year. (We get that many downloads in a typical month today.)…How many employees does GTY have? Around 50 full time plus 175 volunteers who donate time and energy every week…Our annual budget today is about $17.9 million.” Meet the Ministries: Grace to You by Tim Challies

A Self-Worshiper vs. a God-Worshiper
“There was a stark difference between the two acceptance speeches. As I listened to the two speeches, all I could think of was the old commercial catchphrase, “Like Mike… If I could be like Mike.” Unfortunately, in this instance, Mike was the last person anyone should aspire to be like. This was definitely not a Michael Jordan highlight. Jordan’s Speech was self-centered, indulgent, arrogant, and at times embarrassing. In contrast, David Robinson rose to the occasion and made a brief, inspiring, encouraging speech (see his speech here) that made his family, his team, and his friends proud.
David Elevated Others…Mike Elevated Mike
David Honored His Family…Mike Honored Himself
David Was Brief…Mike Was Indulgent
David Honored God…Mike Honored Basketball
David sees His Legacy in His Family…Mike sees His…in His Highlights”
Be Like David… Not Like Mike by Voddie Baucham

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Best Blogs Digest - August 2009

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Problem: Disinterest in Evangelism - Solution: Passion for Christ
“Mission is not to be the focus of our life and faith…God calls us to a growing commitment to a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, not a growing commitment to a task, even one as admirable as mission…I can’t endorse this phrase anymore ["The church exists for mission like fire exists for burning."]. The church does not exist for mission. It exists for the Lord Jesus Christ…we dare not make something we do the justification of our existence. Lack of interest in mission is not fundamentally caused by an absence of compassion or commitment, nor by lack of information or exhortation. And lack of interest is not remedied by more shocking statistics, more gruesome stories or more emotionally manipulative commands to obedience. It is best remedied by intensifying people’s passion for Christ, so that the passions of his heart become the passions that propel our hearts.” Confession of a Recovering Mission Fanatic by Tim Dearborn

Theological Perfectionism (”Sanctification by Theology Alone”)
“I recall when I was in seminary (Westminster Seminary California, 1992-96) that many of the young men used to sit around and debate the fine points of Van Tillian presuppositional apologetics for hours. They would be incredibly critical of any other form of apologetics, even other Reformed apologists like Francis Schaeffer or R. C. Sproul. The interesting thing was that it was a debate about the theory of apologetics. But the time and effort spent on getting the theory right was not matched by an equal zeal to actually use the theory in evangelizing unbelievers. Why? Because they were more interested (and I am guilty of this myself) of being right than in seeing sinners come to Christ. In other words, theological perfectionism had become an idol…Do I enjoy the polemics of infant baptism a little too much, meanwhile neglecting to remember my own baptism and all that it proclaims to me about my union with Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6)? Am I more concerned about critiquing the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Zwinglian views of the Lord’s Supper than I am in actually enjoying communion with Christ in the table, in all its mystery?…Millennial views. We get so bogged down in the charts and debates that we ignore the cardinal issue — being spiritually awake and ready for the Master’s return…But while we are arguing over whether there will be a future for national Israel, we fail to reflect on the future hope that we all agree on, the hope of the resurrection and being with the Lord forever. We must not strain out the gnat of Dispensational errors only to swallow the camel of being spiritually asleep…Theological perfectionism promotes spiritual pride…Theological perfectionism always causes disunity and dissension in the body of Christ.” (GG: Beware of the error of “Sanctification by Theology Alone.” Been there, done that. Guilty, repented, forgiven.) The Problems of Theological Perfectionism by Lee Irons

“No New Doctrine” - Is Your Confession of Faith Inerrant?
“I discovered a darker side to the Princetonian tradition. That darker side involved an absolute devotion to the Westminster Confession as the pinnacle of theological achievement that could never be improved upon. Charles Hodge boasted that a new idea never arose at Princeton. Warfield, although a much better theologian than Hodge never wrote a systematic theology because he believed that his mentor’s Systematic Theology could not be improved upon. They adopted a mentality which Briggs labeled orthodoxism. ‘Orthodoxism assumes to know the truth and is unwilling to learn; it is haughty and arrogant, assuming the divine prerogatives of infal­libility and inerrancy; it hates all truth that is unfamiliar to it, and persecutes it to the uttermost’…the Princetonian pre-commitment to the Westminster Confession…I also discovered that while the Princeton theologians themselves were able to maintain a warm personal piety with their commitment to the system, the graduates of Princeton were not. it is not too much to say that many even among the Old School read only the theological material of the Princetonians. This fact contributed to a cold creedal orthodoxy among a significant contingent of the Old School with its stress on pure doctrine…I also discovered a deep dichotomy between the head and the heart. Charles Hodge, as representative of the Princetonian position, displayed a great antipathy for any emphasis on the subjective nature of Christianity. At one point he stated: ‘The idea that Christianity is a form of feeling, a life, and not a system of doctrines is con­trary to the faith of all Christians. Christianity always has a creed. A man who believes certain doctrines is a Christian.’…This stress on the objective nature of the Faith has led to the charge that Princeton was rational­istic in its approach to Christianity. Numerous historians and theologians have contended that the Princetonians compartmentalized faith and life.” Princeton and Propositions by James Sawyer

A Church Making Disciples by the Word
“David Platt has preached for seven hours straight. He can recite Romans 1-8 on the spot. He delivered the most powerful sermon in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference. People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that his shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Okay, so the last item was Peter, not Platt…I go to other places, such as house churches in Asia, and they study for 11 or 12 hours, knowing they risk their lives. They’ll dive in deep. We came back and tried to do something similar here. We call it secret church and do it a couple times a year. We gather together for intensive study with no frills, nothing flashy, no entertainment value. The first time, about 1,000 showed up. We studied Old Testament overview from 6 p.m. to midnight, but usually it goes longer, supplemented by times in prayer for the persecuted church. It’s all ages, but the predominant demographic is college students and young singles. It’s grown to the point where we need to offer tickets at $5 for reservations and the cost of a study guide. We’ll do it again in October with 2,500 folks. It’s theological in nature. We’ve done a night on the Atonement, another on the doctrine of God. This time we’re doing spiritual warfare. It’s one of my favorite sights as a pastor to look out at 12:30 a.m. and see a room full of 2,500 people, their Bibles open, soaking it in.” The Word Does the Work

Chrysostom: 4th Century Expository Preacher
“John preached through books of the Bible, verse by verse. The first of many such records we have are 67 sermons on Genesis, verse by verse, from beginning to end. This forces the preacher to tackle all sorts of things he normally could avoid.” Ministry Lessons from Chrysostom

Why Gays Will Ask Your Counsel
“Do you want guys confessing their struggles with pornography as they seek to join the church? Do you want people with real problems (homosexual urges and the fallout from past sexual sin, whether lingering STD’s or guilt from an abortion) joining the church and coming for counsel in their struggle against sin?…You don’t get this from wearing cool clothes, having a trendy name for your church or learning to preach from comedians. If it comes…it will come by the power of the Spirit through the preaching of the Word.” True Authenticity by Jim Hamilton

Ministry Success From Vision or the Gospel?
“Western evangelicalism tends to run through cycles of fads. At the moment, books are pouring off the presses telling us how to plan for success, how “vision” consists in clearly articulated “ministry goals,” how the knowledge of detailed profiles of our communities constitutes the key to successful outreach…one may perhaps be excused for marveling how many churches were planted by Paul and Whitefield and Wesley and Stanway and Judson without enjoying these advantages…Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel…We depend on plans, programs, vision statements—but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning…I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.” The Cross and Christian Ministry by Don Carson

High Moral Failures in One “Pastor” Churches
“The case for plurality of elders can be argued along four lines: biblical, historical, theological, and pragmatic. At bottom, I would say that the reason the scriptures teach multiple eldership is at least twofold: (1) mutual accountability is necessary if leaders are to avoid falling into sin; and (2) a church takes on the personality of its leader/s: if there is just one leader, the church will inevitably take on that man’s personality, including his quirks and faults. But if more than one person leads the church, there is the greater chance that the church will be balanced…The biblical evidence is overwhelmingly on the side of multiple elders. The few passages which might otherwise be interpreted certainly do not have to be so interpreted and, in fact, most likely should not be. This fact illustrates a fundamental principle of biblical interpretation: do not follow an interpretation which is only possible; instead, base your convictions on what is probable…Churches that have a pastor as an authority above others (thus, in function, a monarchical episcopate) have a disproportionately high number of moral failures at the top level of leadership.” Who Should Run the Church? A Case for the Plurality of Elders by Daniel Wallace

“Free Will” - Free to Do What?
If you (or your friends) are struggling with the question of how God’s will interacts with man’s will, here is some clear thinking. Do We Have a Free Will by Andy Naselli

Deadbeat Children
“Why is it that we heap scorn on “deadbeat” parents who fail to take care of underage children, but excuse adult children who don’t take care of their feeble parents?…One friend recalled having to bathe his grandfather. ‘Being a typical self-absorbed college student, I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect,’ he said. But he quickly became mindful of Christ’s humility and service toward us. This was nothing compared to what Jesus had done for me—this was nothing compared to what my parents and grandparents had done for me.” Honor Thy Father’ for Grownups by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway

12 Bible Reading Plans
Choose from 10 ESV Bible reading plans, The Discipleship Journal Reading Plan, or the Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan Bible Reading Plans by Justin Taylor

Fundamentalism Is Changing
Remember Falwell, Van Impe, Bob Jones, Hyles, King James Only, and the GARBC? “…one underlying thesis of this series is that the fundamentalist movement no longer exists. The unraveling of the movement began in the 1960s and has continued virtually without interruption. At the present, little coherence remains among self‐identified fundamentalists.” Fundamentalism: Things Have Changed by Kevin Bauder

United States: A Hindu Nation?
But recent poll data show that conceptually, at least, we are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity…According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life”…So here is another way in which Americans are becoming more Hindu: 24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris poll. We Are All Hindus Now by Newsweek

Compassion for Lost Worshipers
Have you ever seen lost Buddhists or Hindus worship their gods? “There are 16,000 people groups in the world. Over 6,000 are considered unreached. That’s 1/3 of the world’s population…70% of Asians have not heard of Jesus Christ…The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time…Go, send or disobey.” Tears of the Saints

How NOT to Be a Youth Pastor
Sometimes you can learn how to minister the right way by studying bad examples, then doing the opposite. “Preach the Word!” Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor by Justin Taylor

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Best Blogs Digest - July 2009

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

By Greg Gibson

6 Evangelism Courses Reviewed
Six popular evangelism courses compared and contrasted: Alpha, Christianity Explained, Christianity Explored, Coming Alive, Discovering Christianity, and Simply Christianity. And, the winner is…Evangelism Courses Comparison Chart and Evangelism Courses Comparison Guide by Greg Gilbert at 9Marks.

Without the Gospel…
“Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we are…” Calvin on the Gospel by John Calvin.

Recession Inspires Doubts of Prosperity Gospel
“In times of record-high foreclosures and Treasury Department scrambling to shore up loan-refinancing initiatives, the Prosperity Gospel can sound as if it comes from preachers who live under rocks, not in mansions: ‘God wants to give you your own house,’ big-cheese pitchman Joel Osteen announced in 2007’s Your Best Life Now…Yet he artfully disappears for housing-crisis questions like ‘Why, if God wants to reward the faithful with material possessions, are so many believers in foreclosure?’ These high rates in particular have made some Doubting Thomases of Prosperity’s controversial centerpiece: the belief in ‘positive confession,’ or the idea that the faithful can ‘name it and claim it…’ God and the Recession by Slate Magazine.

Pope Seeks Global Government, Economy, and Religion
“Pope Benedict XVI today called for reforming the United Nations and establishing a ‘true world political authority’ with ‘real teeth’ to manage the global economy with God-centered ethics…the pope says such an authority is urgently needed to end the current worldwide financial crisis. It should ‘revive’ damaged economies, reach toward ‘disarmament, food security and peace,’ protect the environment and ‘regulate migration’…The encyclical also echoes Benedict’s many speeches, saying that to reach sound a global economy every responsibility and commitment must be rooted in the values of Christian truth.” (GG: Didn’t we try a Roman Catholic theocracy once before? Do you remember the result? Persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom to dissenters like Anabaptists and Reformers. Two of the threats that Rome fears most are freedom of worship and speech. Oh, how soon we forget history! P.S. Does the title remind you of Rev. 13 and 17?) Pope Calls for God-Centered Global Economy by USA Today.

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Best Blogs Digest - June 2009

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

By Greg Gibson

If You Commit Adultery…26 Consequences
“So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. (Proverbs 6:25-29)…If we would rehearse in advance the ugly and overwhelming consequences of immorality, we would be far more prone to avoid it.” Counting the Cost of Sexual Immorality by Randy Alcorn

Piper vs. Wright: The Justification Debate Abridged
If you don’t have time to read their books, here’s a concise summary of their differences. The Justification Debate: A Primer” by Trevin Wax

MacArthur: Seeker-Sensitive Movement Is the New Liberalism
“I can listen to a guy preach—put anybody in front of me—and I’ll tell you what his view of Scripture is by what he says. If he doesn’t preach out of the Bible, I know what his view of Scripture is, I don’t care what he says. I don’t care if he wants to die telling me he’s a believer in inerrancy, if he gets up and does not preach the Word of God, that’s his view of Scripture leaking all over the place. Look, every preacher preaches for impact, for effect, for result. You’re up there saying what you think is going to get you the best result….I mean, it’s that simple! It comes down to this loss of preaching.” (GG: Notice the historical development from Norman Vincent Peale (self-confessed Freemason) to Robert Shuller (heretical false-teacher) to Bill Hybels to Rick Warren.) Seeker-Friendly - New Liberalism by John MacArthur

Why Your “Secular” Job Is Really Spiritual: Christ’s Incarnation
“As a student of the Reformation, I have been convinced for decades that the sacred-secular tension that my wife feels and that many who have grown up in the evangelical community feel, arises from a misreading of Scripture, and a misunderstanding of the nature of God and his relationship to creation. Beginning in the ancient church there was a wedge driven between the material and the spiritual with a corresponding wedge drawn between the secular and the sacred…Certainly the fact that the Incarnate God worked at a secular and ordinary (GG: carpenter) job, gives the lie to the idea that it is only “the spiritual” that matters. The eternal Son of God, by, through and for whom the entire universe was created, out of love and compassion for His creation, united himself eternally to humanity in its ordinariness and its physicality.” God and the Ordinary by M. James Sawyer

5 Distortions of the Gospel
1) The Cake Mix Gospel
2) The Cultural Gospel
3) The Cool Gospel
4) The Carnal Gospel
5) The Careful Gospel
5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day by James MacDonald

The Gospel Is for Unbelievers and Believers
“In counseling, I often come across two kinds of people: Some people think they are true Christians, but are probably not. They need a dose of gospel confrontation. Other people doubt they are true Christians, but probably are. They need a dose of gospel comfort.” Gospel Confrontation and Gospel Comfort by Trevin Wax

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Best Blogs Digest - May 2009

Monday, June 1st, 2009

By Greg Gibson

Why Many Young Christians Are Becoming Calvinists
“Here are the two most important things you need to know about the rise of the New Calvinism: it’s not new and it’s not about Calvin…’Please God, don’t let the young, restless, and reformed movement be another historically ignorant, self-absorbed, cooler-than-thou fad.’…I’m praying: ‘Please God, don’t let the New Calvinism ever, ever be about the New Calvinism.’…But if the New Calvinism is to continue as a work of God, which I think it has been, it must continue to be about God. Young Christians have been drawn to Calvinism not because they were looking for Calvin or an ‘ism,’ but because they were drawn to a vision of a massive, glorious, fall-down-before-Him-as-though-dead kind of God who loves us because He wants to. The influence of Calvinism is growing because its God is transcendent and its theology is true. In a day when ‘be better’ moralism passes for preaching, self-help banality passes for counseling, and ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ music passes for worship in some churches, more and more people are finding comfort in a God who is anything but comfortable. The paradox of Calvinism is that we feel better by feeling worse about ourselves, we do more for God by seeing how He’s done everything for us, and we give love away more freely when we discover that we have been saved by free grace…What draws people to Reformed theology is the belief that God is the center of the universe and we are not, that we are worse sinners than we imagine and God is a greater Savior than we ever thought possible, that the Lord is our righteousness and the Lord alone is our boast. The attraction of the New Calvinism is not Calvin, but the God Calvin saw.” Why I Am a Calvinist by Kevin DeYoung

The Virgin Lips Movement
“…a sizable number of younger evangelical couples are saving their first kiss for their wedding ceremony. In a culture where casual sex is the norm, some Tennesseans have taken the purity pledge to a whole new level, through a practice that some teens refer to as the ‘Virgin Lips Movement.’” True Lips Wait by Al Mohler

China House Church Preacher Training
“Each student, by the end of the year, has to be ready to preach (without notes) a one-hour sermon on each of the 66 books of the Bible. This sermon is to include an outline of the content of the book, and contemporary application to the individual, the church and the nation of China.” Preaching Curriculum by Peter Mead

The Postmodern Preaching Fad: Contextualization or Proclamation?
“Expository preaching…doesn’t fluctuate with culture…First of all, you have to understand that when you talk about a postmodern culture, that’s an academic assessment of the culture. The average Joe doesn’t have any idea what that means. All he knows is he’s pretty much free to think and do whatever he wants. That’s how postmodernism filters down to the guy in the pew. It’s not a philosophy—it’s a lifestyle…But all this goes completely against the grain of his conscience and his reason, and ultimately what he knows to be true. The unbeliever’s conscience is a reality, and even reason tells him that there have to be some absolutes. The bottom line is that expository preaching confronts the amorality of postmodernism with an authoritative message of absolute truth. It’s not a question of debating. It’s not a question of trying to find some way to sneak that in. It’s an issue of confronting this kind of thinking with the absolute authority of Scripture and then letting the Spirit of God make the application to the heart…In my own preaching, my objective is not to court the postmodern mind. My objective is to confront it—to hit it stone cold in the face with truth…I didn’t need to give an intricate philosophical defense, because this is exactly what Scripture says, and there is no need to defend it. You just proclaim it. See these guys were struck by the fact that what they heard was an absolute authoritative statement of a worldview that takes on postmodernism, without having to fuddle around and make all kinds of philosophical and rational arguments, and without having to answer every objection that arises…Paul says, if I speak to Jews I speak a certain way, and if I speak to Gentiles I speak a certain way. But that’s only at the point of entry. That has nothing to say about the style. In other words, people today are used to watching sitcoms on TV, but that doesn’t demand that you preach in a narrative style…Rather than trying to take the Bible and bring it into the modern day, I try to take the modern day and bring it back to the Bible…This stuff about culture shaping preaching is taking the Bible and redefining it in modern terms. My goal is to take modern culture and the people of that culture and redefine them in biblical terms so that they are living back in the Scriptures.” (Greg: If postmodernism is the current philosophy, what were the previous philosophies? Did preachers have to adjust their preaching for those philosophies? Is postmodernism the first and only philosophy for which evangelicals must adjust their preaching? Will preachers have to adjust their preaching for the next fad philosophy? What’s wrong with this picture? Faithful preaching adjusts the hearers, not the preacher.) Expository Preaching in a Postmodern Culture by John MacArthur

Legalism, Guilt, and Gospel Grace
“Pharisee-type believers unconsciously think they have earned God’s blessing through their behavior. Guilt-laden believers are quite sure they have forfeited God’s blessing through their lack of discipline or their disobedience. Both have forgotten the meaning of grace because they have moved away from the gospel and have slipped into a performance relationship with God.” All of Grace by Jerry Bridges

How John Stott Prepares a Sermon
“IV. Arrange your material to serve the dominant thought. A. Chisel and shape your material. Ruthlessly discard all material which is irrelevant to the dominant thought. Subordinate the remaining material to the dominant thought by using that material to illuminate and reinforce the dominant thought.” (Greg: Many preachers struggle to identify the major theme of the passage. Those who preach from short passages often over-emphasize a passing thought, like a theological doctrine, by making it the main theme. The cure for this is “Big Picture Preaching” from long passages, instead of short passages.) How Stott Prepares a Sermon by Colin Adams

S. Lewis Johnson Sermons Free Online
“Through the years, I have listened to the preaching of S. Lewis Johnson more than any other preacher” (Dr. John MacArthur). “Dr. S. Lewis Johnson was the greatest expository preacher of the 2nd half of the 20th century” (Dr. Bruce Waltke). Read and hear Dr. Johnson’s sermons here: The SLJ Institute by S. Lewis Johnson

10 People a Pastor Should Fear
“7. The guy on the theological hobbyhorse. His spiritual energy revolves around the rapture, paedocommunion, Calvinism or Arminianism, evolution, what-have-you and he thinks yours should too. These are distractions especially tempting for nerd pastors like me.” 10 People a Pastor Should Fear by Jared Wilson

How to Be a Friend of Sinners
8 practical ideas to befriend sinners to help them out of sin. Simplified Missional Living by Jonathan Dodson

The Top 5 Mistakes When Evangelizing Children
“1. Oversimplifying the Gospel of Christ
2. Coercing a Profession of Faith
3. Assuming the Reality of Regeneration
4. Assuring the Child of Salvation
5. Rushing the Ordinance of Baptism”
Evangelizing Children Part 1 and Part II by Grace Community Church

9 Reasons Why Christ Ascended
“…I began to realize how little Christians think about or emphasize the ascension today…Ask for contribution from the congregation to answer the question: “What are the most significant events of Jesus’ life or aspects of His work for us?” Answers will do doubt include such things as His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection. Sadly, I have yet to hear anyone mention the ascension…” The Importance of the Ascension of Christ by Keith Throop

Discontent Charismatics and Christ’s Sufficiency
“…during my time as a Charismatic, it seems that this higher level of expectation always resulted in a quest for more. We needed a greater happenings, more miraculous signs (not that anything I witnessed ever really qualified as such), more healing, more deliverance, more prophecies, generally a greater move of God. Whatever was existent never seemed to be enough. Since I served on the worship team for four years (keyboards/vocals), the expectation was that we would serve as the catalyst to make this happen, to “usher in the presence of God”, as was stated so many Sundays…Yes we really did need more of God in our lives and looked for it in external manifestations in order to affect an internal change. It seems to me there remained a continual state of dissatisfaction that only more could fill…and all instruction is for the purpose of completing every person in complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28). We who claim Christ as Savior have been made complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). That means He is all sufficient. What further are we looking for?…So we have sufficiency of the Spirit, sufficiency of Christ, sufficiency of the Word. What’s Missing? I contend that the insufficiency resides with us. We are what is missing. It seems to me that if we have the everything we need sufficient for life and godliness, as 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, that the more we are seeking may not be found in greater external manifestations but a greater capacity for divine connectedness. So maybe that means more surrender, more worship, more learning, more kneeling, more prayer, more giving, and more service. We can’t get anymore of something we already have but I am assured each day that the Spirit can always have more of us…” A Theology of More by Lisa Robinson

Who Is Better Qualified to Counsel: Psychologists or Christians?
“The most experienced psychologist or observer of human nature knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the Cross of Jesus.” Bonhoeffer on the Difference Between the Counsel of Psychology and Christianity by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Should You Confess All Your Sins Publicly?
“Students were lined up at microphones to ‘confess’ before whole auditoriums of people a lot of things that were very lurid and not in keeping with the cautions of Ephesians 5.3,4. What is there about the confession of sin that requires private shameful acts to be confessed before audiences of both genders, not bound by close relationship to the one confessing? That smacks of the courtroom, not Christian fellowship. Or to think of another scenario: many of us have heard of congregations which try to take church discipline seriously by requiring not-yet-married couples,discovered to be promiscuous, to make open confession before the whole congregation with which they have been associated…I would add that the old practice of private confession to a priest–now making something of a comeback among Catholics–was so beset with priestly indiscretions that it became one of the best arguments for clerical marriage. Another Perspective on Confessing Sins Publicly by Ken Stewart

How NOT to Evangelize
“The controlled conversation technique is something new in evangelism and represents a real break-through in soul-winning…He gives not only the words, but the actions and gestures that need to go along with them.” (Greg: Where did Christ and the apostles ever evangelize like that? Guaranteed to fill the church with unregenerate hypocrites who will soon apostatize. Christ is glorified in disciples, not decisions.) Soul Winning Made Easy by Tim Challies

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