2009-03-30

Spurgeon, alluding to Peter warming his hands around the fire, exhorts Christians to choose to be cold rather than be warm where there is temptation. Better to Be Cold than to Warm Ourselves Where We Are Exposed to Temptation

White points to an argument that Ehrman repeats, wherein he asserts that White, Wallace, etc. don’t think that variants matter, when he is grossly misrepresenting evangelicals and his former faith. White quotes Wallace at length responding to Ehrman, saying that the 1% of meaningful and viable variants do matter, but they don’t affect any cardinal doctrine. It’s a massive leap to go from that reasonable position to the idea that they don’t matter at all, or to Ehrman’s idea that the original is hopelessly lost (i.e. the leap from "textual variants are important and should be studied carefully" to "we don't have a CLUE what the original writers wrote"), and both positions must be rejected. Bart Ehrman's Consistent Inconsistency

Here’s a short definition of teleological arguments. Particularly, this briefly discusses two forms of design arguments: The first is an argument from analogy that attempts to compare man-made objects to objects in nature, and so infer design; the second tries to discern reliable indicators of intelligent design such as fitness to accomplish a purpose and specific arrangement of parts necessary to bring about the purpose. Philosophy Word of the Day – Teleological Arguments, Part 1

Engwer has put together an impressive list of articles on Easter with an apologetics focus. Resources For Easter

Some interesting notes from AiG: “Time and time again, we encounter reports of an animal evolving “right before our very eyes.” So far, every time we’ve dug into the details, it turns out the scientists and reporters are—knowingly or unknowingly—pulling a bait and switch. While the headlines suggest animals are “evolving” in such a way that supports molecules-to-man evolution (i.e., Darwinian evolution), the facts merely show how natural selection can reduce the genetic information in a given animal population—the opposite of Darwinian evolution.” “Philip Skell, a member of the National Academy of Sciences for more than three decades, cautions against protecting Darwinism through censorship: “there are a number of us in the scientific community who, while we appreciate Darwin’s contributions, think that the rhetorical approach of scientists such as Coyne unnecessarily polarizes public discussions and . . . overstates both the evidence for Darwin’s theory of historical biology and the benefits of Darwin’s theory to the actual practice of experimental science… Examining the major advances in biological knowledge, one fails to find any real connection between biological history and the experimental designs that have produced today’s cornucopia of knowledge of how the great variety of living organisms perform their functions. It is our knowledge of how these organisms actually operate, not speculations about how they may have arisen millions of years ago, that is essential to doctors, veterinarians, farmers and other practitioners of biological science.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/28/news-to-note-02282009

DeYoung writes, “On May 31, 1567, Guido de Bres, 47 years old, was publicly hanged in the marketsquare of Valenciennes. He was pushed off the scaffold as he exhorted the crowd to be faithful to Scripture and respectful to the magistrates. His body was buried in a shallow grave where it was later dug up and torn apart by wild animals. Today few know the name of Guido de Bres, but millions continue to be nourished by the Confession he wrote.”  de Bres was instrumental in producing the Belgic Confession in an attempt to show the king that they were not anabaptist revolutionaries. The Belgic Confession and the Hero No One Remebers

Swan writes, “One of the leading Roman Catholic theologians of the sixteenth century was Johann Eck. He also wrote some virulent anti-Jewish tracts. Here we find two leading theologians of the Protestant Church (Luther) and the Roman Catholic Church both engaging in clearly anti-Christian attitudes. How could two of the best minds of the sixteenth century be so wrong and not realize it? Had it just been Luther, perhaps a critic could say: “See the basis of Protestantism is flawed and leads to anti-Semitism.” However, Johann Eck was considered a Roman Catholic theologian of great brilliance. He was respected and revered by the Papacy (and utilized by the Papacy!), and yet he also attacked the Jews unjustly…” Catholic Theologian John Eck's Anti-Jewish Writings

Phillips points out that not only is sin very bad (Christ died for it, the Spirit steers believers away from it, and so on), but Christians and pastors have been tasked by God to put pressure on other believers when they wander into sin. However, those who claim to be Christians have developed ways, not of ridding themselves of sin, but of warding off anyone who tries to call them to repentance. He identifies The "grace" card (antinomianism), but you’re no evangelical if you treat grace as if it were how God makes it "okay" for me to live under sin's power without feeling guilt; the “judge not” card, when Jesus explained how to judge others in the following verses; the ironically hypocritical “you did it with the wrong attitude” (which is judging the heart, right?), which is sort of like, ‘yeah well so’s your old man!”; and the pathetic subject-changing get-to-keep-your-sin self-pious retort, ‘you’re not loving.’Scripture has a good deal of wisdom for the rebuked, and how they should receive it. Ways to avoid dealing with your sin

Hays responds to a Romanist by pointing out that modern Catholic Bible scholars don’t employ methodologies or go about interpreting Scripture in a way that’s fundamentally different from how we see Evangelical Bible scholars interpret Scripture. Moreover, consider the spectacle of four high-level Catholic epologists (Carson, Prejean, Watson, Liccinone) who offer four divergent versions of the doctrine of development, each havign to formulate his own doctrine of the doctrine of the development, and unable to agree with each other on the correct interpretation of the doctrine of development, each is an idiosyncratic, do-it-yourself version of this doctrine. This illustrates the unavoidable recourse to private interpretation. Why my doctrine of doctrinal development is better than your doctrine of doctrinal development i

Piper points out that God does not do the tempting—he does not put evil desires in our hearts (for he can have no evil desires in his heart)—but he does bring us into the presence of many tests and temptations. "A man's steps are from the Lord" (Proverbs 20:24). The Lord’s prayer isn’t asking to avoid this sovereign guidance, but that God will deliver us from the temptations. Does God “Lead Us Into Temptation”-

Regarding the eye of the needle, contrary to certain wishes, there was never a “Needle’s Eye” gate in Jerusalem, and the point of the story is that it is impossible. It takes a miracle for a rich man to be saved. The eye of a needle

Challies points to the fact that the retired elderly spend 7 hours per day watching TV. This isn’t Christ-honouring as basking in the glow of a 37” screen doesn’t exalt Christ before the world. He takes a lesson for pastors from Timothy, namely, that the pursuit of godliness is the greatest service that a pastor could give to the church, and quotes Piper praying to the effect that God would save him from the curse of a wasted retirement (golf, TV, fishing, etc). Piper says, “millions of Christian men and women are finishing their formal careers in their fifties and sixties, and for most of them there will be a good twenty years before their physical and mental powers fail. What will it mean to live those final years for the glory of Christ?” To Be Full of God

Chan of Triablogue has a post with some considerations on homosexuality. i) Those who practice homosexuality are, like all people, sinners, and they are, like all, guilty of other sins. ii) Few homosexuals are monogamous, and putting aside homosexuality for a moment, sex outside of marriage is wrong. Even if homosexuals can legally ‘marry’, it is still sin. iii) Whether it is hereditary doesn’t excuse it (though it could potentially mitigate sin in some cases), since (a) original sin is inherited, and (b) something like anger, if inherited, would not excuse murder. Even if homosexuality were genetic that does not make it normal (cf. cancer). iv) Homosexuality goes against the order of creation, of how God created us "male and female." Eve’s name is even tied to her role as mother. The family is the building block of society. “Homosexuality does away with our God-given roles as men and women and as families.” There is also the negative impact of raising children in a homosexual environ. v) We must love those who practice homosexuality by telling them the truth about their sins and their need for the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Gay pride

Renihan at RBF discusses the difficulty with languages. God communicates to us by way of analogy, since the creature-Creator distinction is so great. Communication is intrinsic to human existence,  but multiple languages, lacking one-to-one correspondence, the nature of words, and how their meaning changes over time, the inadequacy of words in some places, are all difficulties for translating God’s word and for historical theology (e.g. we don’t necessarily understand why Calvin or Edwards would write the way they do). Ekklesia was translated as church instead of assembly; baptizo was simply transliterated, instead of translated, and so on. But let’s be thankful for one word which never fails to communicate-the Word made flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful in all things, and never fails us. The Problem with Words

Grimmond at Solapanel points to the seemingly eclectic letter that is 1 Corinthians, with Paul going all over the place. He says that the integrating theme is the Lordship of Christ, and, this concept frees Paul to live his life and give up his freedom for the glory of God. What matters when Christ is Lord is giving up your life for the salvation of others (1 Cor. 9:22; 10:31-11:1). Eating and drinking to the glory of God

Leeman at 9Marks summarizes a chapter in Worldliness by Kauflin: “the basic argument of the chapter is: (i) music conveys content, context, and culture; (ii) not listening w/discernment leads to compromise; (iii) we should listen for God's glory.” Kauflin makes this great point: "music and its associations don't create sin in our hearts--they simply reveal what's already there.” Music is a precious gift but it makes a terrible god. Worldliness--chapter 3 on music by Jonathan Leeman

Leeman summarizes Harvey’s chapter in Worldiness on Material stuff. Materialism is a focus and trust on that which we can touch and possess. Covetous is desiring too much stuff or stuff too much. Pride and covetous are inevitably intertwined – advertisers peddle to internal arrogance! Guard yourself: (i) Consider your true riches. (ii) Confess and repent. (iii) Express specific gratitude. (iv) De-materialize your life. (v) Give generously. Worldliness--chapter 4 on STUFF by Jonathan Leeman