2009-04-14

Here’s fifty books that the DesiringGod staff are reading. 50 Books DG Staff Are Reading Right Now

Challies reflects on the hymn’s phrase, "It was my sin that held him there." There was a pattern in Jesus’ ministry of Him offending people, and then escaping their wrath. Gethsemane was different, and when Peter, assuming they would also escape that situation, rushed with sword to Jesus’ defence, Jesus could have summoned "more than twelve legions of angels.” But He didn’t. And on that cross, He gave up His spirit. He was in control of the timing of His death. No one took His life from Him. It was our sin that held Him there, since in perfect love and obedience He remained in agony, willingly, until the redemption of His people was accomplished. He didn’t lost His life – He gave it. Behold the Man Upon a Cross

Kevin Turner, COO of Microsoft says, "Vista today, post-Service Pack 2, which is now in the marketplace, is the safest, most reliable OS we've ever built. It's also the most secure OS on the planet, including Linux and open source and Apple Leopard. It's the safest and most secure OS on the planet today." http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/turner/2009/04-06MMCIOSummit.mspx

Hays points out the evil conduct of Catholic epologists like Armstrong, who exploit Patty Bonds (James White’s sister) as a stalking horse to attack the theology of James White. Since they can’t beat him in a formal, moderated debate, they are using Patty Bonds as a weapon. One would think that the one true church would want to exercise a little more quality control over its public image rather than contract out its defence to anyone with a blogger account. Hays goes into more detail evaluating Bonds’ allegations. Into darkness

Bird points to a quote by Horton that the preaching, singing, etc. of God’s word doesn’t just prepare us for mission; it is a missionary event, as visitors see the Gospel communicated and the communion it creates. Michael Horton on the Marks of the Church

This blog writes on the ‘modesty of personal restraint’ for women, which means modesty beyond mere physical. It includes having a ‘gentle and quiet’ spirit and knowing the context in which things may be disclosed, as sharing confidences forms a bond intrinsically. It includes recognizing the difference, for single women, of interacting with single men versus married men, and the great degree of restraint and caution required in the latter. Modesty of speech in the workplace is essential, and one must restrain from disclosing intimacies to which only the spouse should be privy. Office banter can be a slippery slope. The Single Woman and the Modesty of Personal Restraint

Thabiti reminds us that Jesus came at just the right time to say just what He wanted to say in the way He wanted to say it to reach all of His people. He came after Greek had become a widespread language and before the printing press. Thabiti warns against ‘twittering’ the Easter message, on account that not every medium is good for the message. The message wasn’t timed for the mediums of our day. God's Timing and Twitter by Thabiti Anyabwile

White, looking at the article, Them Fightin’ Words, writes that there no evidence that Mr. Krattenmaker took the time to do more than look at Ehrman's claims. Counter-claims, or even a study of the relevant fields of NT studies, do not seem to find a place in the background research for the article. The article says, "Is the Bible the literal word of God, or a historical compilation written by different people in different situations over a period of years? This question has provoked some soul-searching about the very foundation upon which the Christian faith is based” apparently unaware that Christians hold that it is both, and only reductionists like Ehrman have a problem with this. Ehrman piously says that to harmonize is to dishonour the original gospels, but then uses disharmony to show that their content is bogus! Ehrman takes the truth that we read these in context, but goes way past it, and ignores it himself by rending them from their context in the believing community. Ehrman's reading, for example, forces us to think Luke would contradict Mark while writing for the very same audience that already possessed Mark's gospel. Ehrman’s objections are old, and in the vast majority of cases, have been answered by believing scholarship for a long time, a point on which Krattenmaker even misrepresented Ehrman. When Ehrman openly identifies the historic, orthodox Christian position regarding eternal punishment as entailing a God who is a "never-dying eternal divine Nazi" he is expressing his true feelings, quite relevant to establishing that Ehrman is dripping with bias. Krattenmaker seems to think the synoptic problem is new and that all conservatives can do is ‘demonize’ – but this only shows his own terrible and widespread ignorance. Tom Krattenmaker on Ehrman, Me, and Demonization - A Study in Liberal Media

In Philippians 2:3, 4, Paul gives two principles, which are not hard to grasp, just hard for quarrelling people to follow: Get rid of selfishness or vane thinking about your own worth, while at the same time considering others better than your self. Instead of being all—fired concerned with your own interests, for once in your life begin to put the interests of other before your own! After all, this is what Jesus did for us. Women at Each Other’s Throats-

MacArther laments the use of garishly explicit sexual language, of a sophomoric variety, in the preaching of some as they strive for relevance, so as to connect with today’s culture. But the language Scripture employs when dealing with the physical relationship between husband and wife is always careful—often plain, sometimes poetic, usually delicate, frequently muted by euphemisms, and never fully explicit. There is no hint of sophomoric lewdness in the Bible. These preachers will take Song of Songs and make it an object of carnal jesting, turning its beautiful word-pictures into exploitive commands. He chides Mark Driscoll for contributing to the undignified treatment of this book. The Rape of Solomon's Song

DeYoung writes that several times in Kings and Chronicles we are told that so-and-so did what was right, except… except for the high places (1 Kings 22:43). This little bit of pagan influence, this little capitulation to the culture was too ingrained in their thinking to be seen. Or if it was seen, it seemed too normal to think of doing anything about it. This applies to us - even though we may not be able to notice every error, it’s still worth thinking and praying about what mistakes we are making without realizing it. He wants to look at areas that may be high places for Christians. The first is the lack of Psalm singing in our churches. He’s not Psalms-only – but you could make a better scriptural and historic case that we should sing only the Psalms than you could make a case for singing everything but the Psalms. Historically, the church has loved the Psalms. Their use is commanded; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16. Future generations will be puzzled by our avoidance of the Psalms. Our High Places (1)

Britain's Worst Hour: This article describes the rapid decline of morals in England. And second and similar article says that Scotland is staring into the abyss of social collapse. It seems that England has need of a new Wilberforce. From Challies: 14)

Scottish preacher Eric Alexander’s sermons are online at a new website. HT: JT Eric Alexander

Here are parts three and four of Witherington’s review of Ehrman’s Jesus, Interrupted. Bart Interrupted- parts 3 & 4

JT: “250 years ago today the composer George Handel (1685-1759) died. It was the day before Easter. If Handel had had his way, he would have postponed his death by just one day, as he desired to "meet his good God, his sweet Lord and Savior, on the day of his Resurrection."” George Frideric Handel

Sholl at Solapanel relates a story where, upon purchasing a nice used vehicle, owned it for little more than 30 minutes by the time a neighbour managed to collide with it – offering him the opportunity to illustrate to his children their lessons from Matthew 5, to love one’s neighbour – especially when it’s not easy to do. He was enabled to say, “My relationship with this guy is more important than a scratch and a wonky number plate.” Is it easy to love our neighbours-

Walter Kaiser notes that, with the diminishment of biblical principles, animals are being considered increasingly close to humans in terms of rights and worth. Spain is in the process of granting basic rights to apes. California is passing legislation granting more animal ‘rights.’ Kaiser agrees that we have ethical obligations to the whole of creation, and that sin has affected the created order, but that even if we became vegetarians, who is to say plants don’t feel ‘pain’ if animals do? We must pay more attention to this area as the gap between mortals made in the Imago Dei and the rest of the creatures of creation continues to become so narrow that one will not be able to set any type of priorities or levels of importance among all the species except for the responsibility of one order of species (mortals) to be responsible to care for all the other levels of creation. Animal Rights and Imago Dei by Walter C. Kaiser Jr

AiG offers six main geologic evidences for the Genesis Flood: Evidence #1. Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level; Evidence #2. Rapid burial of plants and animals; Evidence #3. Rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas; Evidence #4. Sediment transported long distances; Evidence #5. Rapid or no erosion between strata; and Evidence #6. Many strata laid down in rapid succession: They point to the Grand Canyon, which poses a dilemma for uniformitarian geologists. Folds in the layers of rock show no sign of fracture, yet these geologists hold a time span of about 440 million years between the first deposit and the folding. How could the Tapeats Sandstone and Muav Limestone still be soft and pliable, as though they had just been deposited? Wouldn’t they fracture and shatter if folded 440 million years after deposition? The process of hardening, known technically as diagenesis, can be exceedingly rapid. Now, the conventional explanation is that under the pressure and heat of burial, the hardened sandstone and limestone layers were bent so slowly they behaved as though they were plastic and thus did not break, but there is simply no evidence of such in the minerals, which there would be. The only way to explain how these sandstone and limestone beds could be folded, as though still pliable, is to conclude they were deposited during the Genesis Flood, just months before they were folded. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v4/n2/folded-not-fractured

Paul Helm likes Timothy Ward’s Words of Life. It is explicitly Reformed, and “a beautifully written, clear, calm, reasonable – very English - treatment of the historical evangelical and classical Christian approach to Scripture.” He draws attention to the most noteworthy aspect – it’s treatment of inerrancy. Ward aptly rebuts the notion that it is a late addition owing to western post-Enlightenment rationalistic thinking, and says that the inerrancy of Scripture is logically subordinate to and so a consequence of the Bible’s teaching about the authority of God’s words. Scripture is breathed out by God, in His own words, and God cannot lie, and He alone is utterly true and trustworthy. Helm also likes Herman Selderhuis’s John Calvin, a Pilgrim’s Life. Helm has a description of Calvin that makes him sound human. New Books, Fresh Books

Here’s a neat parable. Just read it. Best of -- a Pyro Parable

Turretinfan writes that “Benedict XVI used the following line in his "Good Friday" meditations: "Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality." That line is apparently taken from Brahadaranyakopanishad an Hindu writing.” Benedict was praised for this by Hindus, and meta-ecumenicism is the zeitgeist of Vatican II. Plunder the Philistines or Joining them-

Bird points to a British journalist who says of the Church of England, particularly under Rowan Williams, has “become an institution which is more politically correct even than our government; you look to it for moral leadership and it offers none whatsoever” as it has “swallowed whole every convenient shibboleth of modern liberalism, every transient political fashion.” Rod Liddle on the COE

Paul Tripp challenges Christian schools to examine themselves to see if they try to do with law what grace does, and if they are legalistic. “Is your school something more than a system of rules, offenses and punishments?” Rules never deliver a child from sin. Your Christian School- A Culture of Grace-

Phillips responds: “Challenge: Prophecy is no more infallible than preaching. Response: Okay, now replace "prophecy" with the pan-Biblical definition of (1) "inerrant, (2) morally-binding (3) direct revelation from God," and try that again.” Charismatic low-octane prophecy dodge (NEXT! #10)

Turretinfan notes that while God’s knowledge is undivided intrinsically, it can be considered as natural and free knowledge extrinsically. Natural Knowledge is God's knowledge of the extent of his own power without considering how God plans to exercise this power (the possible; in the mind of God), whereas Free Knowledge is God's knowledge of the actual exercise of his power. This is relevant to molinism. Middle Knowledge - Part 1

Hays points out that, well, spreading harmful rumours (especially without hard evidence) is gossip – and that’s a sin. (This with respect to the Romanist e-pologist treatments of James White). Tabloid apologetics

On April 18, 2007, two Turkish Christians and a German missionary were tortured and killed inside a Bible Publishing house in Malatya, Turkey. A documentary, Malatya, is coming out exploring how three Christian martyrs have shaken the nation’s roots. New Documentary Film on the First Martyrs of the Turkish Church DVD

It seems many atheists like to champion the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, a view that holds a world for all possibilities. Hays observes that one ironic implication of the formulation is that if the many-worlds interpretation is correct, then there’s an actual world that corresponds to Bible history–where the events of OT and NT history occur. Miracles, multiple histories, and many worlds

Challies reviews Scott Klusendorf's The Case for Life. He summarizes some points. i) both sides in the abortion debate "bring prior metaphysical commitments” to it, and ask, “what makes a human life valuable?” Thus it’s incorrect for the pro-choice side to dismiss the pro-life as ‘religion fundamentalist bringing only faith, not reason, etc''. ii) The issues are presented as being far more complicated in the debate than they really are - Proving the humanity of the unborn simplifies and, as far as the Christian is concerned, ends the debate. iii) He thinks that Christians can work with those of other faiths (co-belligerents) if we don’t lose our doctrinal purity – Challies thinks this is very difficult to do in practice. Challies recommends the book. The Case for Life

Hays points out that whenever a sex crime is alleged, either the accuser is the victim or the accused is the victim. For the accused, the very allegation renders everything you say suspect, removing the presumption of trust. The victim can be alone and doubly victimized if no one believes the claim. Moreover, therapists can plant ideas in the mind of an individual. Self-delusion. she said

Hays talks about the time travel paradox. He says, “occasionalism [events are causally insulated, and discontinuous, as God is the direct cause of all events, and our experience of causality is simulated by God] is the only mechanism I can think of to coherently model time-travel. Of course, that doesn’t make it true–or even plausible. But given the popularity of time-travel scenarios, and given the further fact that many SF buffs are ardent secularists, it’s somewhat ironic that only a theist has the metaphysical resources to pull this off.” Terminating John Connor

Here’s an interesting site full of devotionals. http://devotionalchristian.com/

Swan writes, “The ironic thing about the NCAB and its use of the NAB (text and notes) is it actually does do a good job showing the lack of unity in Catholicism when it comes to the Biblical text. That is, I think the NCAB fairly represents Catholicism. We've got all these Catholic apologists running around that would march along with DA's inserts, while at the same time, there is another group that would march along with the NAB notes. Then, there are probably those in the middle of the two extremes. Catholic apologists criticize Protestants for lack of unity, while at the same time they distribute book like the NCAB. Go figure.” NCAB Update

Idolatry is just plain silly. http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2009/4/14/i-hate-it-when-that-happens.html

JT points to articles by David Powlison on worrying. Powlison- What Good Is Don't Worry in Times Like These-

Scientists in Britain want to harvest organs from aborted fetuses for organ transpants. Kill babies, take their organs. Mohler writes, “This is about as scary as the news can get.  Here we confront a serious proposal to use aborted fetuses as factories for spare organs and tissues.  Having commodified the human embryo and then allowing its destruction in the name of medical progress, the fetus is next in line.” the argument for the use of human embryos in medical research is precisely the argument for using fetuses as well. Human dignity rests on an eroding foundation in terms of secular argument.  We can see human dignity as it is more and more endangered with every passing proposal like this. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3449

Responding to an allegation of contradiction in Genesis on the origin of nations and peoples, AiG writes, “These groups of people did not willingly and obediently separate to fill the earth. Rather, we learn in Genesis 11:1–9 why these families separated from each other and how it came to be that there were so many languages in the world… Moses merely put the effect before the cause. Genesis 10 gives an overview, and then Genesis 11 fills in the details. You often find the same technique in other history books. One chapter might contain an overview of World War I—along with a list of major events. But the very next chapter might detail what the world was like in the years before the war and what events led up to it.” http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/03/16/contradictions-the-order-of-nations