2009-02-12

For those wondering what Obama is up to these days: 1) "Obama opening floodgates by inviting Hamas to 'migrate' to the U.S.A.?"; 2) "Obama Makes Lawyer for Terri Schiavo's Husband Third-Ranking Justice Official"; 3) Barring the military from campus?; 4) "DAG Nominee David Ogden and Knox v. United States". HT: Patrick Chan of Triablogue; Obama's immigration reform, Obamanation- mainstreaming euthanasia, Obamanation- soldiers need not apply, Obamanation- mainstreaming kiddy porn.

new website: "Reformed Academic Press (RAP) has for a decade sought to bring the academy into the service of Christ and His people." That is, we have carefully sought to provide the most healthful fruits of sanctified scholarship and provide it for the well-being of the Lord’s people and the consecrated growth of the Church. Hence, for many years now RAP has sustained a modest publishing venture that entails the production of both scholarly and popular titles. Our aim is the provision of sound and substantial Christian literature for the edification of the Church." HT JT: Reformed Academic Press

Engwer points out that there was hardly a universal view of the sacraments in the Roman Catholic church for much of church history. The concept of Roman Catholicism's seven sacraments became popular, not universal, late in history, having been fixed in the 17th century, and that under such dubious circumstances. As to soteriology, even in Roman Catholic circles, there was a wide diversity of soteriological beliefs at the time of the Reformation and in earlier generations. See here. Somebody like Thomas Bilney could believe in the papacy and transubstantiation, yet be sympathetic to a Protestant view of justification. For some examples of soteriological diversity in patristic times, see Augustine's comments in The City Of God 21:17-27. See, also, here. Many groups could be said to believe in some form of infused grace, involving a combination between grace and justification through works. There was diversity even in pre-reformation times, so why should we think the Catholic view is universal? The Universality Of Roman Catholicism

Mohler discusses Obama's seeming ambiguity towards what he will do with funding for faith-based organizations. Bush protected the right of these to be true to their convictions, but Obama expresses a desire to see them securalized: When President Obama commented on this question, he made reference to the fact that religious organizations must avoid any effort "to proselytize to the people you help" through these funded programs.  Take a good look at those words.  That is a price too high for any Christian organization. Mohler warns against taking any government funding because of the seductiveness of money and that the brutal reality is that when government money flows, government regulation inevitably follows. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3268

Here's an interesting description of how vivid Spurgeon was in his preaching. He also has a comment on a hypothetical mother seeing her son being damned at judgment: "But now your mother says, now, my son, it is changed. I can weep no more now, for I am glorified. I can pray no more for you now, for prayers are useless here. You are justly lost. You are damned, and I must say Amen to your condemnation." An Interesting Morsel from an Old Magazine

Phillips comments on King Uzziah's pride, which led him to try to do the job of a priest and burn incense, which was forbidden by God. The problem was pride, even though he had been faithful to God. With pride finding a receptive ear for its whisperings, no doubt Uzziah convinced himself that his treachery wasn't really treachery. Or perhaps Uzziah reasoned that there were "two horizons," doncha know, and Times Had Changed. Culture had changed. Moses was dealing with his situation, but Uzziah's was totally different. Phillips then points out that King Uzziah had every bit as much right to burn incense on the altar as women have to be pastors in our day. And when rebuked, he was angry - not repentant. While today those who hold to Scripture are considered arrogant, the Bible makes the opposite connection. It is the man (or woman) who wanders off from God's commandments, after his own fancies and notions, who is arrogant (Psalm 119:21, 85). Notice that God doesn't blink at punishing Uzziah - he makes him leprous, which prevents him from even worshiping, let alone leading. He was... excommunicated. King Uzziah and women

Turk points out that while the common logic is that if some are God's elect, what can anyone do about it, this is absolutely contrary to Paul's statement that is an apostle "for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth." And every teacher follows in those footsteps, being the means by which God calls the elect. So, are you saying things for the sake of their faith, and for their knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ? Have you considered that your sermons must be about Him and not about them? Say Something

Phillips has the answer to the Larry King question: Challenge: So you think that all Jews who don't believe in Jesus are going to Hell? Response: Well, that's what the Torah says. Jesus believed the Torah. I believe Jesus. So...you do the math. The Larry King question (NEXT! #3)

Phillips gives his testimony. Definitely worth a read; his affection for Jesus is brilliant. Blessed re-birthday

There is a massive collection of Edward's works online. Thank You, Yale, For This Gift

Piper turns to Jesus when disillusioned by men. He gives the example of Lincoln: "In the 1858 Senate debates Douglas baited Lincoln with the assertion that "the signers of the Declaration of Independence had no reference to negroes at all when they declared all men to be created equal. They did not mean negro, nor the savage Indians, nor the Fiji Islanders, nor any other barbarous race. They were speaking of white men…. I hold that this government was established...for the benefit of white men and their posterity forever, and should be administered by white men, and none others." In response, Lincoln said he had "no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races." He was not in favor of "making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry." He said there is a "physical difference between the two" that would "probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality." " Admiring and Disillusioned, I Turn from Lincoln to Jesus

Swan quotes some Romanist literature which talks about the absurdity of calling Protestants separated brethren, insisting upon their complete damnation. One more evidence that the Roman Catholic church is hardly consistent. The Absurdity of Separated Brethren

Apparently, surely much to the chagrin of many a Romanist e-pologist: "Luther had correctly translated Paul's words as 'justified by faith alone', the well-known sola fide, Benedict affirmed, as reported in the newspaper. Some have blamed the widespread lack of biblical knowledge among Italians, on the Catholic Church due to its monopoly on the teaching of the Bible." [Source] Catholic Apologists May Lose One of Their Favorite Arguments

The EU Court of Human Rights has actually ruled in favour of a dissenting synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox church, after the socialist government of Bulgaria stripped it of its rights and property, and installed a government approved synod. Alliance Defense Fund attorney wins crucial victory for church worldwide

Bayly says, 'don't allow anyone else to give your Edwards to you.' Sarcastically, he says in reply to another statement, yes; that's the problem with Edwards. He's so negative you get an ulcer reading him. What we need today is something positive that people can relate to; something that will give people hope and not lead them into despair. Well, if you've read Edwards, you know that there are few men in the history of the Church who are more perfectly balanced, Biblically, in giving God's "no" and His "yes." Sublime meditations on the glory of God in Heaven and white-hot condemnations of annihiliationism. Read Edwards for yourself

In response to the statement, “Insist on yourself; never imitate" Haykin writes, "It is so Western, so quintessentially Enlightenment. And in one key sense, so fundamentally non-Christian. It militates against mentoring and advocates individualism to the highest degree. Yet, for me, Christianity increasingly is learning a path from others who have gone before. Hebrews 11 is so central to my vision of what it means to be a Christian. Of course, there is a place for doing what God has called you specifically to do—but Emerson’s thought is a plea for dismantling all the authorities and carving out your own philosophical vision." Pondering Emerson’s individualism

This is interesting: "His work has shown that the Neanderthal genome is as much as 99.5 percent the same as modern humans.... Other researchers are already planning comparative studies with genes known to influence speech and brain aging in humans. That work could rekindle a debate over whether early humans simply replaced Neanderthals, or whether the two may have interbred while their ranges overlapped in Europe more than 30,000 years ago." http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/02/12/neanderthal-genome.html

Ouch. The FCC wants churches to help inform congregants about the OTA HD switchover, and the new date. "Now, how am I going to fit--"did you know that your TV won't be able to pick up digital programming if use don't have cable or get a converter box?"--into a sermon on 1 John 4:1-6? Interesting how government bureaucrats see the church as some sort of community center.  I wonder how the FCC commissioner ever got that idea?"  Well, That Settles It, I'm Changing My Sermon

Challies writes about the difference between 'theology' and 'theology-ology', with the former being the study of God (not, as it is so often thought, being frigid, dead religion that cares more about principles and matters of the head than deeds and matters of the heart), and the latter being the study of the study of God - that is, the acquisition of knowledge without any intent to change. But every Christian loves God and should want to know more about Him, and change appropriately. Challies argues that the line between the two is found in how you approach Scripture - to learn from God what He is saying, or to perhaps prove your point, etc. Theology-ology

Apparently Greens MP's think that sniffer dogs will only cause teens to panic and swallow their drugs, so they blame police and for it? Media to blame, says Angry Middle-Aged Man

This interesting post compares the seeds of discontent deliberately sown by the feminist leaders, who would gather small groups of women and have them participate in 'consciousness-raising' where they would discuss the ways in which they had been oppressed and taken advantage of by the men in their lives, to many prayer meetings, where seeds of discontent are sown as someone complains about the church or another's behaviour. "our aim is not to validate and amplify each other's discontent. We have to be very aware that what is said creates a way of viewing the world in the hearers' minds too." We must not feed grumbling - maybe this is why Scripture speaks against it so much - but rather be thankful. Consciousness-raising