2008-11-24

Phil Johnson warns Christians about the new age movement. "The New Age movement is a diverse and eclectic approach to spirituality that stresses individual self-exploration through a variety of beliefs and practices borrowed from a wide array of extrabiblical sources and non-Christian belief systems, ranging from astrology to eastern mysticism to science fiction, and beyond." New age spirituality is radically syncretistic, man-centred, individualistic, subjective, and anti-authoritarians. It is the antithesis of a biblical worldview. http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/11/whats-new-with-new-age.html

Hays continues trying to interact with an atheist. Of note: 1) Christians don't believe things because they are in a book. Books just contain information. 2) "To “justify” altruism by appealing to natural selection commits the naturalistic fallacy. Morality is not about what is, but what ought to be. Even if our sense of altruism is a product of natural selection, that’s a descriptive statement, not a normative statement." 3) "We can observe an event, but the rightness or wrongness of an event is unobservable. Moral properties are not empirical properties." 4) "the conventional definition of divine omnipotence: God can instantiate any compossible state of affairs." Much of the post just deals with the atheist's self-inconsistency. http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2008/11/secular-scumbags.html

"The Holy Spirit comes through Jesus. Jesus immerses people in the Spirit. Baptism signifies all that the Spirit does for us. John's Gospel gives 4 effects of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He gives new life, makes us not just life-getters, but also life-givers, witnesses to Jesus, glorifies Jesus." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DGBlog/~3/464226256/

Mohler gives just a brief summary of the persecution arising in California for those who supported prop 8. "Where same-sex marriage is legal, the coercive effect is to punish anyone who will not recognize, endorse, or celebrate same-sex marriages." [Those who proclaim 'tolerance' are hypocrites]. Their efforts to get supporters fired, etc. are indicative of that which is to come. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2813

Christians in Iraq are receiving vivid death threats. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/challies/XhEt/~3/463870560/a_la_carte_1124_2.php

Challies gives ten tips on reading better. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/challies/XhEt/~3/463932343/10-tips-to-read-more-and-read-better.php

Patton gives a brief argument for why he thinks that the ETS inerrancy requirement is already too much. He thinks the expansion of the statement is wrong-headed as it goes against the original 'iron-sharpens-iron' intent of ETS - it is a place to 'do' scholarship among 'evangelicals.' His argument has three points: 1) He doesn't think inerrancy is of supreme importance. 2) Inerrancy is too narrow and lacks meaning and ability to anchor in our day. 3) Authority is the issue. [On point three, I'll note that authority begs the inerrancy question - unless you're Romanist. The Bible is authoritive if its true. Authority is predicated on truthfulness. Affirming authority and denying inerrancy means an ad-hoc approach to the authority. See Hays' discussion a few months ago.] http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ParchmentAndPen/~3/463644147/

JT: "In fact, fewer than 5 percent of churchgoers actually tithe 10 percent of their income; the average, according to numbers from Empty Tomb, a Christian research group that puts out annual reports on church giving, is now 3.4 percent, or 21 percent less than what dust-bowler counterparts gave during the worst of the Great Depression. Figures show that churchgoer contributions have been cascading downward since the 1960s. Religious conservatives do give more. Problem is, they only give nominally more and other groups give next to nothing." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/463996341/church-giving-during-depression-vs.html

Here's a funny comment on latin in schools. The quote ends, "... I came to the unfortunate conclusion that ethnic studies, women studies--indeed, anything "studies"-- were perhaps the fruits of some evil plot dreamed up by illiberal white separatists to ensure that poor minority students in the public schools and universities were offered only a third-rate education." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BetweenTwoWorlds/~3/464007584/victor-david-hanson-on-latin-in-high.html

Blomberg: National Geographic blows it again with an unsupported statement that the murders of the babies in Bethlehem under Herod almost certainly didn't happen because it is only recorded in Matthew (while reporting on the tomb that authenticates his existence). However, Josephus records Herod's cruelty and paranoia, where he has several sons and wives put to death! Matthew and Josephus both agree on the character of Herod, and 20-25 ordinary babies in Bethlehem weren't of concern for historians. A potential legal claimant to the throne would certainly become a target for the paranoid Herod. http://blog.bible.org/primetimejesus/content/national-geographic-blows-it-again

Bayly: Turns out Jehovah's Witness convert the artist formerly known as Prince [or whatever he calls himself now] is blunt about Scripture's teaching on homosexuality, while a baptist pastor simply appeals to 'it's just not been this way.'' http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BaylyblogOutOfOurMindsToo/~3/463388055/two-famous-californians-on-homosexuality.html

Bayly writes that God is indeed keeping count of the near 1 billion abortions. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BaylyblogOutOfOurMindsToo/~3/464208295/though-christians-try-hard-its-undeniable.html

Haykin: While Hitchens and other new atheists claim Christianity poisons the world, the ancient Roman pagans, who saw the remarkable love of the Christians, would likely beg to differ. http://www.andrewfullercenter.org/index.php/2008/11/more-on-centres-of-love/

The Screwtape Letters - on audio book - by John Cleese! http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2008/11/spectacular-find-screwtape-letters-read.html

AiG answers a 'contradiction' wherein it is said that Jesus violated the Mosaic Law by allowing the woman in adultery to go free. AiG answers by saying there were no witnesses left. [Better: The pericope is almost certainly not original, and besides, the contradiction wouldn't be that Jesus did that. it would be 'the NT claims Jesus is sinful, but the Law says...' At that point, one still must prove that Jesus broke the Law there - and He is free to dispense mercy.] http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/11/24/contradictions-against-the-law

Gender Blog points to 18 submissions at ETS that indicate that the Gender debate is far from over. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/genderblog/~3/464373056/Reflections-on-the-2008-Gathering-of-the-Evangelical-Theological-Society

David Allen cannot admit that he's wrong about James White being a hyper-Calvinist. It is disconcerting that this is what is coming out of the SBC's Arminian wing these days! http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=2988