Monday, November 29, 2010
Jack Bauer School of Evangelism
You'll never lose another witnessing opportunity again! Check it out.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Children of Economics
"If we refuse to limit spending on health care--or on Social Security or national defense or education--because such limits will cause distress, suffering, and outrage, then we've decided to keep spending trillions we don't have, endlessly. There's a name for people who won't accept that life is difficult, and that hard choices must be made. We call them children"
William Falk, Editor-in-chief, The Week, Nov. 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The Forgotten National Holiday [repost]
Trapped between a day of druidism and a season of commercialism, Thanksgiving receives less and less worth in our nation. Since we have collective amnesia and willful ignorance, we have slowly forgotten what this holiday is supposed to be about.
Of course, as the church goes so goes the culture. And we have no one else to blame for this collective laziness but ourselves. Churches by the thousands abandoned the faith of our Puritan forefathers for an easier-to-digest civic religion. Many pontificate against that Pagan holy-day, Halloween, but know little to nothing about the Reformation that originated on that day. Others bemoan the commercialization of Christmas, but preach an impotent Christ and an emasculated Gospel. Sin is trivialized, so the Gospel loses its worth. God is humanized, so Christianity becomes voiceless. We preach perfectionism through works-righteousness; we present pep-talks with glittering lights; we talk of relationships and subjectivism, all the while ignorant of the objective truth that God saves sinners, of whom I am the chief.
Understanding the depths of sin (as displayed, for example, in the sacrificial system) is the beginning of thanksgiving. For to truly appreciate the blessings of our covenant God one must know they are blessings! Of our own hands we have not wrought this bountiful land known as America. From the wealth of money to the wealth of plenty, this material prosperity originated in God alone. Just as our salvation from first to last consists of God’s sovereign initiative and power, so, too, the material blessings (let alone the spiritual!) flow from that Fount of Life.
Deut. 8:11 warns the church of old and the church of today, both families and individuals, not to forget God and His ways, lest we think we have the power to gain wealth! “…for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…” (v. 18). This verse alone condemns all those half-truths and false Gospels which reject the Providence of God and extol the power of the will of man. When you realize that you are but dust in the wind, then you will be truly grateful and appreciative of all that God has given you. When you realize the despicableness and wretchedness of violating God’s Law and insisting upon your own way, then you will be truly grateful and appreciative of the All that God gave, His only Son.
====================
Dear reader, write out a list of all the material blessings you have in life. Write out the spiritual blessings you have. Which do you think of most? Which do you attribute to yourself?
Be thankful. You could have been born a Pagan in the middle of India or a Communist in the midst of China. Worst of all, you could have been born reprobate and cast into the Lake of Fire forever and ever.
What do you have that was not first given you? That is the question.
====================
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Col. 3:15
Of course, as the church goes so goes the culture. And we have no one else to blame for this collective laziness but ourselves. Churches by the thousands abandoned the faith of our Puritan forefathers for an easier-to-digest civic religion. Many pontificate against that Pagan holy-day, Halloween, but know little to nothing about the Reformation that originated on that day. Others bemoan the commercialization of Christmas, but preach an impotent Christ and an emasculated Gospel. Sin is trivialized, so the Gospel loses its worth. God is humanized, so Christianity becomes voiceless. We preach perfectionism through works-righteousness; we present pep-talks with glittering lights; we talk of relationships and subjectivism, all the while ignorant of the objective truth that God saves sinners, of whom I am the chief.
Understanding the depths of sin (as displayed, for example, in the sacrificial system) is the beginning of thanksgiving. For to truly appreciate the blessings of our covenant God one must know they are blessings! Of our own hands we have not wrought this bountiful land known as America. From the wealth of money to the wealth of plenty, this material prosperity originated in God alone. Just as our salvation from first to last consists of God’s sovereign initiative and power, so, too, the material blessings (let alone the spiritual!) flow from that Fount of Life.
Deut. 8:11 warns the church of old and the church of today, both families and individuals, not to forget God and His ways, lest we think we have the power to gain wealth! “…for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…” (v. 18). This verse alone condemns all those half-truths and false Gospels which reject the Providence of God and extol the power of the will of man. When you realize that you are but dust in the wind, then you will be truly grateful and appreciative of all that God has given you. When you realize the despicableness and wretchedness of violating God’s Law and insisting upon your own way, then you will be truly grateful and appreciative of the All that God gave, His only Son.
====================
Dear reader, write out a list of all the material blessings you have in life. Write out the spiritual blessings you have. Which do you think of most? Which do you attribute to yourself?
Be thankful. You could have been born a Pagan in the middle of India or a Communist in the midst of China. Worst of all, you could have been born reprobate and cast into the Lake of Fire forever and ever.
What do you have that was not first given you? That is the question.
====================
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Col. 3:15
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Obama, the Tea Party, and Magic Thinking
"During election season, we sometimes give ourselves permission to regress...we frequently suspend what we know about politics--most crucially, how difficult change is--and choose to believe that this time, by pulling a lever or touching a screen, the choice we make will have a magical effect...
"Politicians have always recognized and exploited such fantasies. This is, among many things, what the Obama movement of 2008 and the Tea Party movement of 2010 have in common: Their candidates ran grass-roots campaigns that made participants feel like they were empowered to enact those dreams, whether they were about electing a superhero or destroying one."
Jennifer Senior, The Week, Nov. 26, 2010.
[I am grateful to God for the bulk of the Tea Party nonetheless]
"Politicians have always recognized and exploited such fantasies. This is, among many things, what the Obama movement of 2008 and the Tea Party movement of 2010 have in common: Their candidates ran grass-roots campaigns that made participants feel like they were empowered to enact those dreams, whether they were about electing a superhero or destroying one."
Jennifer Senior, The Week, Nov. 26, 2010.
[I am grateful to God for the bulk of the Tea Party nonetheless]
Testing BlogJet
I have installed an interesting application - BlogJet. It's a cool Windows client for my blog tool (as well as for other tools). Get your copy here: http://blogjet.com
"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination." -- Albert Einstein
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Social Liberal Gene
"Now, scientists have isolated a gene that appears to be associated with having a liberal worldview."The Week, Nov. 19, 2010
More here.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Confused Coloradoan defends pedophilia
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Friday, November 05, 2010
Friday Funnies: Today in Church History (not entirely documented)
A modern remake of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God...for your enjoyment.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Replay: Peter Leithart Nails It
The debate about Federal Vision is a debate about theology, not a debate primarily about persons, movements, or labels.When it comes to what the theological issues are, I think Peter Leithart has absolutely nailed it in his book The Baptized Body, which you can read online here. While he nails the issue, he comes down totally on the wrong side, and I also do think that he has wrongly caricatured the other side at points....[continued here].
Monday, November 01, 2010
Hyperinflation?
This is one group's opinion. Others think deflation may hit first. Either way, get out of debt and be a boy scout about your essentials: be prepared.
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