2009-02-17

Phillips says: "Challenge: I think you can make the Bible mean anything you want. Response: So, you're saying that the meaning of the Bible is objectively fixed and crystal-clear?" Hehe... Bible interpretation dodge #1 — plastic text (NEXT! #4)

Turretinfan briefly comments on some Luther statements, which he thinks take the two kingdom view too far, in that they seem to diminish - perhaps implicitly - the real offices and authority in the organization of the church. Elder/deacons are not mere labels. Two Kingdoms, Yes - But Don't Go Beyond the Bible

Here's an article 12 year old girl who has faced opposition for choosing to do a speech on abortion for a speech context. Indeed, it is discomforting for people to wave their sin in their faces. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=89135

Interestingly, Romanist apologist Steve Ray argues that everything done is a spiritual act because it is what God wants you to be doing - which is a rather Protestant argument - whereas the medieval Catholic church offered the monastic life as a means to be truly spiritual. If you entered the monastery, you would be taking the path of the apostolic lifestyle. A renunciation of the things of this world was the way to deep spirituality. Swan then goes on to show Luther's position that all callings were sacred, not just that of the clergy and monastic lifestyles. Swan provides a quote of Luther on the burdens of parenting, and how such a view slights the Holy Spirit, since such work is adorned with divine approval. The difference, though, is that one must become perfectly spiritual in order to become justified in Roman Catholic theology; the soul must become objectively pleasing to God to merit heaven. For Luther, whatever work we do, we do out of gratitude to God for the perfect work of salvation Christ has accomplished already. Steve Ray Reinvents Protestant Spirituality

Here's a striking quote from Spurgeon about how he struggled at times with joy with the very words he preached, and one time he was struck to the heart with joy at hearing another person preach one of his sermons! Phillips points out that Spurgeon was no laboratory Christian: He experienced prayer, meditation, and temptation; and he admitted it. This is perhaps why Spurgeon remains so broadly useful. Faithful pastor- ever a waiter, never a guest-

Interesting quote from Schaeffer: "Nor should we think that our role will be passive. The moving of the Holy Spirit should not be contrasted with either proper self-fulfillment or tiredness. To the contrary, both the Scriptures and the history of the church teach that if the Holy Spirit is working, the whole man will be involved and there will be much cost to the Christian. The more the Holy Spirit works, the more Christians will be used in battle, and the more they are used, the more there will be personal cost and tiredness. It is quite the opposite of what we might first think. People often cry out for the work of the Holy Spirit and yet forget that when the Holy Spirit works, there is always tremendous cost to the people of God--weariness and tears and battles." Getting Things Done

Carolyn Mahaney exhorts single women to use one unique advantage - their time - and to use it to study God's word as much as they can. Use This Time

Apparently Muzzammil Hassan, founder of the Muslim TV station "Bridges TV" declared "the stories that are missing are the countless stories of Muslim tolerance, progress, diversity, service and excellence that Bridges TV hopes to tell" - and now he's charged with beheading his wife.  Click here: FOXNews.com - Muslim Television Channel Founder Charged With Beheading His Wife - Local News | News Articles | Nat" HT: The Missing Story of Muslim Tolerance

White comments on Ehrman's, and that of other postmoderns, tossing in of the towel, as it were, in the quest to find the original readings in the New Testament. White concludes, "Beware "leading scholars" who lead revolutions based upon a shift in worldview rather than a sudden increase in the underlying data relevant to that area of study. History tells us their revolutions are rarely worthwhile." Nothing has dramatically changed in the evidence to bring about this shift. A Very Telling Statement

Manata points out that, given that a person is still guilty of sin even if another causes him to sin, the common definition of cause, and the common man as the audience of the Bible, by the reasoning of recent Arminians, this proves compatibilism. Compatibilism About Moral Responsibility

Mohler reminds us that 'designer' babies are here, and many are in part or whole supportive. Those who honor the sanctity of life will have big problems with these technologies. Not only are genes for disease being targeted, but the extension to 'enhancements' and preferences is unavoidable and starting already. American consumerism applied to life. Genetic screening brings the brave new world of designer babies, dividing embryonic humans into those considered fit for life, and those considered unfit.  The "unfit" embryos are destined for destruction. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3311

Genderblog recommends Patrick Morley's new book, Pastoring Men: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why It Matter Now More Than Ever, which seeks to remedy the 'deer in the headlights' position of many men in the churches, who are hapless about everything from money to manhood to marriage. He argues that "they need to become authentic disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and all that that implies." Many pastors and lay leaders don't often have a clear, biblical answer for the question, "What is a disciple?" Pastors are exhorted to intentionally produce men who are passionate disciples for Christ. Genderblog concludes, "While you will not find a full-orbed theology of ministry to men, you will find good practical advice for ministering to men from a layman who himself is deeply involved in local church ministry" Pastoring Men Offers Practical Help for Men’s Ministry in Local Church

As opposed to Freudian mining through a person's past, Adams says that Nouthetic Counselors deal with the past only when it is actually present. e.g. if a person must still repent for something done in the past, the matter has never been settled to God’s satisfaction, and is, therefore, not a past issue. It is actually a present reality. Same with permitting past abuse to govern present life. Nouthetic Counselors help people to live in the present with an eye fixed on the future. If past tragedy guides them, it will be into an uncertain but certainly miserable future. Past Tense Living