Singing the Praises of ... Free Will?

I think I'm going to rename my blog Old Truth: 2nd Edition. Jim keeps posting some gems and today's article is no different. The highlight is the YouTube video of a church service extolling the virtue of man's free will to choose his own way. Honestly, I would not have believed it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes and ears. I thought it was satire; hilarious, gut-busting satire. But no- it's man singing his own praises to God.

Beware: If you are of the Reformed persuasion you may go into shock viewing this video. It is pure unadulterated Pelagianism. You've been warned.

Link: There's more to Christian Music Than the Style

From Adam to Christ

I finally got my chance to share the full gospel message with the two student workers I have been chronicling about in my past several Adventures in Evangelism posts. Ned is the scientifically minded skeptic who nonetheless is considering adopting Judaism as his faith. Michael is a citizen of Zambia who is a Hindu by upbringing.

Last week as they were leaving my office I made an appointment to meet with them at the student union after work, have a drink and discuss religion. They agreed without hesitation to meet on Tuesday. The day came and I had them working with me that afternoon. We never discussed anything about the meeting or religion during work. At 5:00 they headed home. I almost forgot the appointment myself. I raced out the door and caught them just outside the building.

I said, "Remember our appointment today? Are you guys still game?"

Why We Should Read the Puritans

World from Our Window has an excellent article quoting a passage from Joel Burke's book Meet the Puritans on the benefits of reading books from the Puritan movement in the 16th and 17th centuries.

I must admit, I haven't read a lot of Puritan works aside from John Bunyan (highly recommended), John Owen (highly recommended with a caveat; he is difficult to read) and selected texts from others of that period. I've been reading Jonathon Edwards, yet he wasn't really considered a Puritan. He came along after their time, yet his works do reflect the Puritan mindset, theological leanings and pure devotion to God and His glory. Edwards is widely considered to be the greatest theologian ever born on American soil. I cannot dispute that claim.

Great teachers still teach long after their deaths. The Puritans were outstanding teachers and preachers of God's word and we can still benefit from their collective wisdom today in this Postmodern world.

I thank God for books. They allow us to build upon the wisdom of generations gone by. I thank God that every new generation that rises up in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't need to re-invent the wheel, theologically and doctrinally. The bible is a huge volume of knowledge and wisdom. Its contents are not easily digested. It would take many lifetimes of intense study to master it. Yet, we don't need to start with a blank page. The dead speak to us from the grave. Many men in church history have devoted their lives to mine the great truths of this holy volume. Take heed and learn!

Note: If you are interested in purchasing Puritan books check out this section from Monergism Books. Personally, I plan on getting the Puritan Paperback Bundle (bottom of page) at some point in the future.

Decisional Regeneration: The Heresy of Baptismal Regeneration Reborn?

Huh? You say.

I'll let this excellent video excerpt from a CrossTV series explain.

Note: I originally found this video on the home page of Old Truth. I linked to the YouTube site because the video image is bigger. Thanks again to Jim Bublitz for providing us with such excellent material.

Subjective Interpretation: How Not to Conduct Group Bible Study

Jim over at Old Truth has an excellent article on this subject.  You must check out the YouTube video included in the post.  It gives an excellent illustration of what's wrong with many small group bible studies today.  I think if we were all honest, we would admit some degree of guilt to this form of biblical interpretation.
Enjoy!

Tiptoeing Through the TULIP: The Importance of the Doctrine of Radical Corruption - Part 2

In part 1 we learned the importance of teaching the doctrine of Radical Corruption is in bringing us to realize we cannot please God in our natural state. All attempts to do so should immediately be abandoned. it is utterly futile. Our offenses against God cannot be overcome by the counterweight of good deeds, no matter how impressive. Our sin is always before us. The wages thereof is death.

In light of this reality,

Radical Corruption teaches man to forsake his works and cling to the work of Christ.

Christ lived a perfectly sinless life. He was the spotless lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for all sins for all time. The shedding of his blood on the cross remits the sins of all who come to him. His bodily resurrection assures the bodily resurrection of all who are called by his name. The burden and curse of the law upon us is taken off our backs and laid upon Jesus Christ. In return it pleased the Father to impute (or transfer) the righteousness of Christ to us, so that at the judgment on the last day, all God will see is the work of Christ on our behalf and not the sins we have committed against him. The gavel of God's decree will strike a thunderous blow, echoing across the cosmos, proclaiming the justification freely given us by God's good grace.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom 10:3-4)

Tiptoeing Through the TULIP: The Importance of the Doctrine of Radical Corruption - Part 1

We live in a truly miraculous day and age. Here in America, life has been made easier (but more complex) by the combination of great advances in technology and fertile imaginations. Cell phones enable us to contact anybody just about anywhere at any given time. Notebook computers can wirelessly access the internet from just about any location imaginable. The internet itself has become the world's knowledge-base. There is no subject that cannot be thoroughly mined by simply 'Googling' it. Oh how I wish the internet had been around when I was in school. I actually had to go into a library and read books! Life is good. Life is accessible. Life is easier than at any time in history. But as Paul Simon once sang, 'These are the days of miracle and wonder. Don't cry baby, don't cry.'

The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Just Another Excuse For the Deceitful Heart

Most everyone has heard by now about the controversial new documentary directed by Simcha Jacobovici and produced by James Cameron called 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus'. It aired this past Sunday on the Discovery Channel.

I admit, I watched it. Including the Critical Look afterwards. I tuned in with absolutely no apprehension whatsoever that my faith would take a critical hit after observing the evidence.

My confidence was well justified.

A Blessed Birthday

I turned thirty... something today. It has been a relaxing, thoroughly enjoyable birthday. I am surrounded by my loving family and am rich beyond measure with all of God's blessings.

Speaking of blessings, I took the day off of work and simply kicked back, read my bible and played a little football on the kids' XBox. In the evening we ate supper at my favorite Mexican restaurant with all of our relatives. However, I must admit, the most exciting part of the evening came when I sat down at the dining room table to open presents!

Yes, I know, how carnal of me, right? Wait a minute! Don't be so quick to judge! I received two of life's greatest necessities; clothes and books! Books specifically designed to aid in my study of scripture. Here's what I got:

Man Came Not from Monkeys Nor from God?

For almost the entire past two weeks I have had the pleasure of working closely with two student employees in helping me install micro-projectors in university classrooms. 'Ned', who I have witnessed to in the past (see here) and his close companion 'Michael' are able workers and have helped me tremendously in completing my latest project. I have been looking for opportunities to preach the gospel to them, but we have been so busy with the installations, time has not permitted much dialog between us. The chance finally came at around 4:45 P this past Friday after we had completed the job. We were all gathered in my office resting from our labors, having casual conversation. Surprisingly, Michael and Ned broached upon the subject of religion.

Ned made a remarkable comment saying science would likely disprove the existence of God in time. I had discussed evolution some with Ned before and realize he puts much of his faith in science. I found it odd, because he had admitted to me in our previous discussion he was considering adopting Judaism. I didn't bring up his apparent contradiction in thinking here.

Caution: Bloated Blog Ahead

Pardon me, my hypocrisy is showing.

Let me explain.

I enjoy reading a variety of Christian blogs on a daily basis. However, I limit myself to five or so of my favorite sites due to time constraints. I'm also concerned of digesting too much varied information in a short span. This often leads me to remember absolutely nothing about what I read that day.

What wasted labor!

I am often turned away by posts that are too long. I just don't have time to work my way through them. My mindset while browsing my favorite blogs is to read quickly and move on to the next post.