2008-11-09

Justin Taylor points to various errors in an article published by Steve Lemke (who is also the speaker at the John 3:16 on irresistable grace), entitled: "What Is a Baptist? Nine Marks that Separate Baptists from Presbyterians." Among the numerous errors, he asserts that Presbyterians believe that baptizing babies saves them, and seems to conclude from this that Mohler saying baptism isn't a first order issue means that if a Baptist does not put "believer baptism" in the essential, first-order doctrine category, than he cannot rule out declaring that a Presbyterian infant is saved through baptism. Taylor concludes, "given that Lemke is one of the speakers at this conference, and given the level of scholarhip and thinking on display in this article, I don't have high hopes that it will be a meanginful engagement with what Calvinists actually believe." http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/11/john-316-conference-steve-lemke-and.html

Francis Beckwith writes about post-election thoughts. Among other things, we see this thought: "I felt a deep sense of patriotic pride welling up inside of me when I fully realized that America had in fact elected a black man." (But isn't this thought racist, in that it congratulates a man on the basis of his skin colour rather than his character?) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/443514960/francis-beckwith-thoughts-on-election.html

Thabiti gives some post election thoughts [I like him, and he has elsewhere pleaded for people to drop the category of race altogether]. He gives three thoughts: 1. Remember that President Barack Obama is not just the first African-American president, he is also the 44th white President. 2. Keep working on the issues you care most passionately about. 3. Pray for those in authority over you. He concludes that the day after the election, no law has yet changed, and ground has not yet been lost or gained. Your work is still before you. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/443526080/thabiti-anyabwile-day-after.html

Scott Klusendorf gives some post-election thoughts [cf. Phil Johnson's critique of his both Gospel and anti-abortion]. He says some good things here: "There’s no doubt we’ve experienced a crushing defeat in the current political cycle. The executive and legislative branches of the federal government are now firmly in the hands of those deeply committed to the proposition that an entire class of human beings can be set aside to be killed simply because they are in the way of something we want." Commenting on Obama's ability to enact the Freedom of Choice Act: "Indeed, there’s no mistaking that FOCA is the most dangerous piece of pro-abortion legislation to date. Obama has said this would be his first objective. In its current form, FOCA creates a federally guaranteed right to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy that goes way beyond Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Should the federal courts ever reverse or otherwise gut Roe and Doe, FOCA would enshrine abortion rights into law at the legislative level. Parental consent, informed consent, restrictions on tax-funded abortions, and physician conscience laws would be swept away, along with federal and state bans on partial-birth abortion." He believes Obama can sell this to the public: "He will justify it by telling the nation that abortion is a tragic choice, but laws regulating abortion don’t work. What’s needed are social programs aimed at reducing the underlying causes that lead women to abort in the first place. The moral logic in play here is baffling. First, if abortion does not unjustly kill an innocent human being, why is Obama worried about reducing it? But if it does unjustly kill a human being, isn’t that good reason to legislate against it? Second, laws which allow—indeed, promote—the killing of unborn human beings are unjust even if no one has abortions."...  "Obama is just plain wrong to say that abortion control laws don’t work. Sure they do. Michael New points out that between 1992 and 2000, many states that passed modest abortion-control legislation saw their abortion rates drop by 21 percent or greater. Meanwhile, Tom McCulsky writes that states with FOCA-style laws saw their abortion rates go up while the national average went down. Nevertheless, Obama is poised to sweep all these pro-life gains away with the stroke of a pen, and the public will buy his explanation." He also explains how "differences of size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency are not relevant in the way that abortion advocates need them to be." He also describes an attack on pro-lifers close to home at UBC: "These young pro-lifers were hardly extremists, and nothing they did was illegal. They were sensitive to set up warning signs about the graphic abortion photos on the main walkways. They offered a toll-free telephone number to students facing a crisis pregnancy. They never shouted at anyone. They patiently stood by the signs and gave solid answers to tough pro-abortion questions. In short, they were gracious witnesses against the evil of abortion. Nonetheless, their on-campus display was viciously attacked and torn down by three pro-abortion students (so much for pro-choice “tolerance”). The entire attack was caught on video. Shockingly, the Crown refused to bring criminal charges against the attackers, one of which was a Student Council Representative."  http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/11/stayin-alive-pro-life-advocacy-in-obama.html

Randy Alcorn gives his post-election thoughts. "The key to change and influence in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus. " He points out that while the election is over, the cause for the unborn isn't. "You and I can each defend ourselves in this national debate. The children can’t. We are the only voice they have. Who is more poor and needy, more incapable of speaking up for themselves than these unborn children, created in the image of God? Who in our country has been stripped of legal protection and is being killed at the rate of over one million per year?" "America may or may not unravel in coming decades, but God’s kingdom certainly won’t. People of the world don't need America; they need Jesus." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/443344884/randy-alcorn-its-over-but-its-not-over.html

Eric Redmond gives his post-election thoughts. After expressing his distaste for both candidates and the problem of abortion and homosexual support from Obama, he says: "the temptation to justify voting for Obama was strong, for I did not want to be against the side of history—of an African American finally making it to the Oval Office." [isn't this fundamentally racist? It is just that, a temptation, on account that it is electing a person on the basis of his skin colour, not his character!] To his credit, thought, he says, "So I made two very difficult choices: First, I chose to vote rather than stay home. Second, I voted for lives of the unborn rather than for approval from the vast majority of my own ethnic community. The latter choice took the risk of being reproached for the name of Christ, for I only voted for life because of the fear of my Lord (cf. Ex. 1:15-2:12)." He then discusses the differences between Iraq, economics, etc. and abortion; e.g. " I do not think a recession can be said to be taking people to death unjustly, especially when many in Maryland voted to throw their lots in with bringing slots to my state." He explains how he can live a soli deo gloria life under Obama, and says "I can follow the admonition and example of Calvin, who, in the quote above, preached that believers should impute to themselves the ills of government and recognize the common grace given to mankind through human governing authorities." "My humble proposal of an attempt to be Christocentric rather than Afrocentric will not be received with approval by many African Americans that I know. I hope to live long enough to witness another African American become a candidate for President of the United States of America—a candidate who is pro-life and pro-righteousness." He says, "the Gospel calls each of us to stand against an ethnic-centered philosophy of one's own race, for such a philosophy is naturally conformed to this present world and is in need of redemption." In speaking foof the vision of those who fought for civil rights for African Americans, he says, "That quest is continued by finding a candidate who seeks to see African Americans, even those in the womb, treated humanely—as people rather than as cattle for our labor and experimentation or as a 3/5th-human fetus." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/443285842/eric-redmond-living-soli-deo-gloria.html

Spurgeon rails against postmodern thinking. In the 19th century. To the one who says, with so much disagreement, how can I know? Spurgeon says, read it yourself. "Never get into religious controversies," says one; that is to say, being interpreted, be a Christian soldier, but let your sword rust in its scabbard, and sneak into heaven like a coward. http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/11/19thcentury-preacher-confronts.html

Paul Manata: A summary of five arguments that work against the claims of Moore and his 'every person has sovereignty over what stays in his body.' http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2008/11/king-of-comedy-and-hits-just-keep-on.html

Interesting fiction by Hays called Holodeck Heaven. This is hilarious: "Heaven also had a lingua franca. This was the Ur-tongue of Adam, from which all the subsequent tongues of man derive. It was also the language employed by the Seraphim and Cherubim when addressing the Almighty. Thankfully, since he used to own a dog-eared copy of the King James Bible, Jesse was already fluent in the lingua franca of heaven." http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2008/11/holodeck-heaven.html