2009-07-15

In light of NT Wright’s article in the Times, Bird hopes that the American Anglicans, the Anglican Communion, who have kept the faith, while the Episcopal Church distances itself, receive the recognition they should. Tom Wright on recent TECs schismatic actions

Upwards of 70 percent of U.S. couples are cohabiting these days before marrying, the researchers estimate. There is a correlation between cohabitating and failure in marriage. "Cohabiting to test a relationship turns out to be associated with the most problems in relationships," Rhoades said. "Perhaps if a person is feeling a need to test the relationship, he or she already knows some important information about how a relationship may go over time." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532600,00.html?test=latestnews

This Christian evangelizes at bus-stops, because people seem more apt to give an ear there, since they are, well, bored. That and when the bus comes, the conversation is over, so they know that it won’t be endless. http://goodnewsfortoronto.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/why-bus-stops/

AiG writes of secularist Dr. Shermer that he “makes the claim that it would be unscientific to accept a dogmatic claim that is not based on scientific inquiry. But he expects us to accept his dogmatic assertion without proving it by any scientific means (which would be impossible). Again, an assertion is made with no rational reason to accept it.” He also does not provide a reason for the assertion that science can only be based on observations by the senses. If this claim is left as an arbitrary assertion, then there is no logical reason to accept it. To the reply that creationism has failed the tests of science, “it would interest us to know how the supernatural creation of the universe was observed through the senses (what measurements were involved) and shown to be false. The very claim is outside of the capabilities of the model of skeptical science set forward.” The Skeptics Society, with their scientific and rational skepticism, is ultimately dogmatic and self-refuting. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/07/14/self-refuting-skepticism

The speakers for the DesiringGod conference offer the things they would change about Calvin. What's One Thing You'd Change About Calvin-

This prof. at Koinonia has some problems with “Calvinism” – I think he’s referring to the culture more than the theology. He relates some anecdotes (one of someone evangelizing door to door by asking if he knew the five points), charges a bunch of people with thinking they have God ‘neatly wrapped into little packages’, and then says, “You know what we can all agree with? The best thing about Calvinism is Calvin.” [No, actually, I really don’t agree with that… I would think that the truth of God’s sovereign hand and mighty works and self-glorifying purpose, etc. is a better thing than Calvin.] Return to Calvin- A Personal Reflection on how Calvinism has Lost its Way By Douglas Estes

Patton quite personally relates his own brokenness – but in the midst of brutal honesty about conflicting emotions, etc. he writes, “I suppose there is no better place to be. Broken before the Lord. Like a child in the womb of a mother, I am in his womb. No viability on my own. I have no reason to rise up before him and salute myself. He sees to that.” He admits that if he had the ease he longed for he probably wouldn’t stay at the Lord’s side. Uncle, Lord!

Adams writes, commenting on the plethora of denominations, from 1 Corinthians 11:19, that while a factious spirit is bad, and divisions aren’t strictly good, it is good that Christians hold the line, don’t compromise, and that the genuine are therefore distinguished, and there will be divisions in this case. When truth is at stake we’re not quibbling over differences in opinion, and we can’t sweep things under the rug. Denominations

Turk endorses DeYoung and Kluck’s book, Why We Love the Church, as being the book he was writing for a publisher, and now he will have to stop and do something else (hence the post title). Kluck says, “At the end of my life, I want my friends and family to remember me as someone who battled for the Gospel, who tried to mortify sin in my life, who found hard for life, and who contended earnestly for the faith. Not just a nice guy who occasionally noticed the splendor of the mountains God created, while otherwise just trying to enjoy myself, manage my schedule, and work on my short game.” And this book hammers out the essential nature of the church for the believer. I Lose, You Win

Turk writes: dramatic warming of the planet 55 million years ago cannot be solely explained by a surge in carbon dioxide levels, a study shows, highlighting gaps in scientists' understanding of impacts from rapid climate change. gaps

Powlison writes that fair-minded criticism, the words of those who take you seriously, who lay it on the line, is one of life’s best pleasures, and these people are messengers from God for your welfare. (Prov. 27:6). Only listening to yes-men and allies is like narcotics. God uses critics to help us greatly by pointing out our miserable failures. We should not be too quick to go on the defensive. Consider the ways you might be failing to communicate, riding hobby horses, failing to answer serious questions, or using the wrong tone. Powlison- Fair-minded Criticism Is One of Life’s Best Pleasures

Uggh. Thabiti points to two special interest study bible. 1) there is The Green Bible. There's also the New Testament for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender.  Sub-titled--get this--"With Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning and Context." As Thabiti says, “Yeeaaaaahhhh.  Riiiggghhhhtttt....  Hmmmm....” Another Special Interest Study Bible- by Thabiti Anyabwile

John Piper's new book Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ is now available. It is the fifth volume in his The Swans Are Not Silent series. New John Piper Book- Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ

Mohler writes on the Episcopal Church’s defiance of the Anglican Communion, as the denomination has pressed forward with the agenda of normalizing homosexuality and homosexual relationships and the moratorium on gay bishops was, in light of larger developments within the church, both awkward and artificial. They already had elected/consecrated the openly gay priest Gene Robinson in 2003. They have denies a request for a moratorium, and to cap off with insult on top of injury, have the audacity to say that they’re committed to the worldwide body. This is a clean sweep by what is becoming the ‘fundamentalist left’ for the liberal agenda. The orthodox are apparently finished in the ECUSA. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4122

Patton, noting the titles of a few recent books that have the phrase “Beyond the Bible” in the context of moving to theology, notes that theology is NOT about moving beyond the Bible any more than a child’s development moves beyond his DNA. Theology and application is about living out in faith and practice that which the Bible teaches – it’s an outgrowing of truth, with the primary source of knowledge being the Bible – but we never move beyond it. We move with it, we move toward it in belief and practice. Theology = Beyond the Bible-

Piper summarizes, with quotes, the true stories of the animosity of two sons for their fathers, one CS Lewis, an avowed atheist, and the other Robert Louis Stevenson. Their fathers were Christians, and the sons were not. The fathers kept communicating, despite harsh statements, profound disrespect, and horridly cruel comments. Stevenson never believed. Lewis did eventually, after his father died. “What it [their father’s support] shows is not approval, nor that the sorrow had disappeared. Rather, it reveals a kind of bond between fathers and sons that is the foundation of pain, not its removal.” http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/4101_The_Sorrows_of_Fathers_and_Sons/

Alan Jacobs on the Green Bible: “The Green Bible presents us with a curious kind of natural theology: We start with things we know to be true from trusted sources—Al Gore, perhaps?—and then we turn to Scripture to measure it against those preexisting and reliable authorities. And what a relief to discover that God is green. Because we already know that it’s good to be green—what we didn’t know is whether God measures up to that standard.” [if it’s not clear, that last bit is a really bad thing] Alan Jacobs Reviews The Green Bible

Looks like the apologetics315 blog is an excellent ongoing source of apologetics/philosophy audio/video. Philosophy Audio and Video on the Web

T-fan notes that Gregory of Nyssa does not identify the Bishop of Rome as the head of the church. Rather, he identifies Christ as the head, chorus-leader, pilot, and the general of the church, explicitly appealing to Scripture, views Peter as the "leader of the apostolic chorus" and considers him (along with James and John) to be of "special rank among the other apostles" but still reserves the title of "head of man and the entire church" for Christ, and he refers to Paul, not Peter, as the leader of the Church. This doesn’t quite fit with what one would expect from a Romanist. Gregory of Nyssa on the Head of the Church