Swan appreciates Roman Catholic Zachary J. Hayes’ candor regarding purgatory. He writes, “Roman Catholic exegetes and theologians at the present time would be inclined to say that although there is no clear textual basis in Scripture for the later doctrine of purgatory, neither is there anything that is clearly contrary to that doctrine.” He even says that Trent read 2 Maccabees 12:41-46 with medieval eyes. He seems to take the view of modern Catholic exegetes: “Since the text seems to be more concerned with helping the fallen soldiers to participate in the resurrection of the dead, it is not a direct statement of the later doctrine of purgatory.” He takes the acorn and oak tree approach. Swan appreciates the honesty and points out that time could be saved in interacting with Roman Catholics if they would admit that proving purgatory has more to do with finding biblical passages that seem to be in harmony with the development than actually proving it. For Catholics, purgatory begins outside the Bible and is read back in. For Protestants, it begins with Scripture, where no warrant is found. Defending Purgatory With All Your Cards On The Table
A Roman Catholic tries to argue that Luther thought 1 Maccabees was canonical. i) Luther didn't think the apocrypha was canonical because it was not in the Hebrew Bible. ii) The editors of Luther’s Works explain, “In keeping with early Christian tradition, Luther also included the Apocrypha of the Old Testament. Sorting them out of the canonical books, he appended them at the end of the Old Testament with the caption, ‘These books are not held equal to the Scriptures, but are useful and good to read.’” Alert the Catholic Apologists- A Roman Catholic Discovers Luther Held 1 Maccabees To Be Canonica
Grimmond of Solapanel writes that the search for respectability, particularly in trying to bolster a message from Scripture by appealing to statistics to show the advantage of biblical truth, actually undermines the proper foundation by appealing to an authority outside of the Bible. Moreover, the Scriptures are clear that tribulation and suffering will mark the Christian life. There are, of course, massive promised benefits, but these are in the framework of faith, and the reality is that promises of Christ reshape our whole concept of what is good in the world. “I suspect we need to work out how to begin engaging the non-Christian world on its own terms, but without giving ground to their ungodly presuppositions.” Lies, damned lies, and … (#2)
AiG comments on a lecture given by anti-creationist Dr. Barbara Forrest. “When asked in the Q&A time what people could do to oppose these “creationist” efforts, she said that university science professors need to act locally to teach evolution in workshops for public school teachers. But she added, “we can’t solve this with science . . . . It’s a political problem, so we need to elect people who will vote for science.” And then, if nothing else, people should send money to organizations working on the front lines to resist the ID and creationist efforts, such as the atheist-led National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Dr. Forrest thinks that IDers are all “about religion, politics, and power—it’s about controlling public policy.” But this is precisely what Dr. Forrest, the NCSE, and other anti-Christian evolutionists are focused on themselves.” … “Think about the implication of these evolutionist statements. The evolution view is so weak, and the evolutionist science teachers are so incompetent, and the ID and creationist science teachers are so slick in their teaching skills, and the students are so poorly-trained (by the public schools) to think critically, that students cannot be exposed to “scientifically unwarranted critiques of evolution” because they almost certainly will be duped into believing those “ridiculous” anti-evolutionary views of origins. The evolutionists indeed have a problem. And that’s why they resort to legal and political intimidation, firing or denying tenure to scientists and science teachers who are creationists or ID proponents … and using economic boycotts to protect their theory.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/23/slam-dunk-science-constitution
How convenient: “The London Times reports1 that a recent study by The Bible Society concludes, contrary to half a century of feminist ravings about patriarchy and misogyny in Scripture, that the Bible is not misogynist.” http://creation.com/london-times-reports-that-the-bible-is-not-anti-female-is-this-news
AiG has some comments on the authorship of Deuteronomy and the inclusion of Moses’ death in the book. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/02/23/contradictions-dead-man-writing
Challies uses his own dependence on his GPS for directions (which has caused him to get lost more often than before he used it) as an analogy for disciples who are always spoon-fed every answer, unable to think biblically for themselves. He exhorts pastors to teach them to search out answers for themselves – short answers can be good, but pastors must show them how to check and research for themselves. My GPS Leads Me Astray
Peter Pike provides some general observations on the ‘testimony’ of one who deconverted to atheism. i) The atheist claims to have ‘felt’ God (obviously now that he disbelieves he wouldn’t think this is God). Pike observes that Christians believe now that you must “experience” God in some manner, and that manner is subjective. Yet most churches never bother to try to discriminate between a typical emotional response to stimuli and an actual feeling of God Himself. ii) Pike compares a Three Days Grace concert (secular) with a promise keeper’s “Christian” concert “worship service” in the same venue, both of which had the same response from the crowd. iii) Sexual ethics by self-admission had a lot to do with the atheist’s deconversion - Anyone who is in bondage to sin will refrain from fellowship with God. It’s easier to not believe what you’re doing is wrong than it is to refrain from committing sins. iv) He didn’t like how he felt, so he acted to remove the guilt. This is purely emotional. v) He attended an emergent church – and if emergents lack anything, it’s reason. vi) The pathetic anti-intellectualism rampant amongst Christians contributed here. vii) The atheist could have used the same internet from which he gets porn to find answers to his questions. viii) Hosea 4:6 tells us: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Jesus said, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24). Studying Scripture leads to truth. ix) The atheist's ‘Christianity’ made isolation from evidence and reason a virtue – something that aptly describes atheism: “what evolutionary benefit would there be to deluding yourself that God exists, as all but the 3% of people who are atheists (according to some polls) do? From purely naturalistic principals, the universality of religion is impossible to explain: it must provide an evolutionary advantage, yet it is supposedly completely irrational!” x) He will either accept theism, or hold to reason for the same emotional reasons he left religion (reason is just as delusional in atheism, for without God, it is groundless). Emotion or Reason-
JT also recommends Steve Nichols’ and Eric Brandt’s book: Ancient Word, Changing Worlds: The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age. It's short yet just meaty enough. Ancient Word, Changing Worlds- The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age
Bird provides this quote from Karl Barth: "The fact that I live in the faith of the Son of God, in my faith in him, has its basis in the fact that He Himself, the Son of God, first believed for me ... the great work of faith has already been done by the One whom I follow in my faith, even before I believe, even if I no longer believe, in such a way that He is always, as Heb 12:2 puts it, the originator and completer of our faith ... His faith is the victory which has overcome the world" Karl Barth on the Faithfulness of Christ
Crossway has now made the Online ESV Study Bible available for purchase for just $19.99. As always, online access is available for free to all who purchase a print edition.
Patton argues that the idea, “belief is no good without practice,” in the sense of reducing belief as a means to the end doing nice things is obtuse (the context is, his expository preaching class insisted on application, “without it your message will fail to do what God actually intended it to do.”), pointing out how some think this idea is manna for heaven that Piper and MacArthur groupies just need to hear. Rather, Patton argues that God cares more about belief than he does practice (cf. Jer. 9:23-24). “The “why” is more important than the “what”. The “how come” is more important than the “when.” The “because” is more foundational than the “so that.”” He writes, “Oh that Jeremiah could be resurrected and speak to this pragmatic generation who wants to set aside knowledge and understanding for minimally based practice.” Belief, truth, doctrine, theology, are ends in themselves, and a great pleasure to God. While God says, boast in knowing and understanding Him, many today make understanding an unboastable thing. We are losing our reason for boasting. Sometimes belief is application enough, bringing great glory to God, and God wants us to know and understand, in contrast to the pragmatism of our day. Application is the handmaiden of truth - knowing and understanding God will change lives by bringing people in a right orientation with the way things actually are. “Belief is No Good Without Practice” and Other Stupid Statements
Bayly points out that German publishers have enacted their copyright and pulled the Greek text under MorphGNT, thus resulting in ReGreek.com being tanked. “The team responsible for maintaining the MorphGNT project was recently notified that the German Bible Society doesn't license the NA27 or the UBS4 Bible text for open source projects "as a matter of principle". Consequently, they requested that the MorphGNT be removed. The MorphGNT team notified Zack Hubert, and the rest, as they say, is history.” Bayly goes on about the corporate money-grubbing in the Christian publishing industry, and how, while the word of God belongs to the church, these folks withhold it unless paid. “As David and I have said many times (including personally to those who make a living off copyrights they hold on English language Bibles), no one and no corporation and no non-profit organization should ever be allowed to hold a copyright on any text of Scripture for anything other than assuring the integrity of the text they worked to produce… It is not right for Bible societies or corporations or scholar-businessmen to refuse to allow the use of a particular translation of Holy Scripture simply in order to protect their cash cow.” German Bible Society takes principled stand and shuts down open source Greek Bible tools
Turretinfan notes the tragic mess of the pagan Indians who object to the Scripture’s teaching that idolatrous places of worship should be torn down – and how the Bible publishers have apologized. “The pagan religions of India, both the major religions and the tribal religions are false religions. Their groves ought to be cut down, their idols smashed, and their hearts turned to the unseen God.” Sarna to be Cut Down
Adams argues that the balance of preaching should be from the New Testament. This isn’t to say that one shouldn’t preach from the OT: “you ought to preach some from pivotal OT texts, but even more, perhaps, from OT texts as a backup to those NT passages that you preach. The OT exposition, in such cases, will grow out of the NT passages, often as background information that helps understand the NT text.” Preaching from the OT
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