Gospel Living

Kevin DeYoung's post on the dangers of mysticism is worth the read . There are lines I want to highlight for my next post (which will be up either tonight or tomorrow): "[I] n order to find truth or life or salvation–in a word, to find God–a person need not go outside of himself but need only descend within himself ." " Scripture contained nothing other than what a person had already learn by God’s Spirit ." " With their new found inner truth, these people grow dissatisfied with sermons, notions of authority, and Church-as-we-know-it ."

Obama's speech in Cairo is cause for much political discussion, but I'll leave that to others. I want to highlight only one section: As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam - at places like Al-Azhar University - that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. Really? Obama has read some interesting history books, because this is just silly. In fact,...

Forgot about Writing Wednesday! I've been working on some stuff, so I'll have it going again next week. I'm sure no one is disappointed, but still...

Franky Schaeffer says he and other pro-life leaders are to blame for Dr. Tiller's murder. Slimjim says that's poppycock. Read why . John MacArthur refuses to accept the survey that says Christians get divorces at the same rate of unbelievers, and lays out his reasons in parts one and two .

This is a paper I wrote back in 2006 for a film class, with some minor alterations. __________________________________________________________________________  hristians face tough questions when dealing with popular culture. Whereas in the past, issues of popular culture were reserved to the realm of paintings and materials in print, the Twentieth Century found a new medium of entertainment – film art. Film deals with issues of life in both visual and audible form, making it a power means of communicating ideas. The Christian’s dilemma is in answering the question of how to approach the motion picture industry. Introduction: Brief History of Film      Toys which gave the illusion of “pictures in motion” were already extant in the earlier parts of the nineteenth century, such as the Phenakistoscope and the Zoetrope, and undoubtedly gave the inspiration for the youth they affected to create what we call “motion pictures” or simply “movies.”   It bega...

I like this simple definition of justification from Bruce Demarest.  Since it was required memory work for our Theology III class, it appears I wasn't the only one!  Check this out:  Justification is " God's gracious, legal verdict in respect to those who believe in Christ, forgiving their sins and declaring them righteous through the imputation of Christ's righteousness " ( The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation .  Foundations of Evangelical Theology.  [Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997], 367.).