Gospel Living

The new school year has begun, but are your kids the only ones expanding their knowledge?  Here is an excellent series of lectures from Faith Bible Church  of Springfield, IL (HT: Monergism.com ), for those interested: "The History and Theology of Calvinism" by Dr. Curt Daniel (Downloadable MP3 Messages) Message Play Online Download MP3 What is Calvinism Click Here Click Here Augustine and Pre-Calvinism Click Here Click Here The Reformation Click Here Click Here John Calvin Click Here Click Here The Spread of Calvinism Click Here Click Here The Synod of Dort Click Here Click Here The Puritans Click Here Click Here The Westminster Assembly Click Here Click Here Covenant Theology Click Here Click Here High Calvinism Click Here Click Here Amyraldism Click Here Click Here Calvinistic Antinomianism Click Here Click Here Hyper-Calvinism Click Here Click Here 18th Century Calvinism Click Here Click...

  Only a test. Please disregard.

I have no idea what this show is about, but this is either a mean husband or a great act borne from a couple's shared nerdery:

Jay Adams defines “ total structuring ” as “ looking at the problem in relationship to all areas of life ” ( The Christian Counselor’s Manual, [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973], 410). This means that when dealing with sin, we need to look at all contributing factors, not just at the sin itself. So, if a pastor counsels someone struggling with homosexuality, he must look at every other aspect of a person’s life the homosexuality touches. If the counseling focuses upon only the issue of homosexuality, usually it will fail. Poor health or lack of sleep (to consider only one area) can lead to a general inability to withstand temptation and a tendency to revert to old patterns, since they offer the course of least resistance and effort. Even rectal problems often associated with homosexual sin can become a trigger for failure. Medical attention may be required. Failure to perform properly at work, worries over financial incompetence, poor family or social relationships, and lack of ...

The Christian duty to the poor is not always as clear as how some Bible teachers state.  On the one hand, stories like the Good Samaritan seem to advocate a radical dedication to the poor and abused. Let's face it, though.  Many, if not most, of the American poor choose poverty.  Other verses comport with our common sense on the matter: "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (2 Thes 3:10). Those who appeal to Moses create more confusion.  Is Israel's call to social justice a 1:1 call to the church? Cripplegate is launching a new series on the biblical pillars for mercy ministry , and I recommend subscribing and following it to help you sort through these issues.

In 1997, the Harry Potter  series (HP) landed and sparked the hopes of wary educators that a generation of kids might start reading.  It also ignited a firestorm of Christian commentary on the perceived evils of a book dealing with things the Bible forbids, namely witchcraft. This ChristianAnswers.net article gives a good summary of why believers should  not let kids read the books (or, by extension, watch the movies).  I've got to admit it: it summed up my beliefs about HP (here we go) until recently. I agree with that article to the overarching question: HP is not "safe," but I disagree as to the meaning of that word and to some of the article's individual points.   HP is not safe in that nothing is safe without Christian, parental guidance (including your view as to what an appropriate level of violence might be); it will not unsafe, however, in that it is a beacon that will lead my kids into Satan worship.  I've read ...

Tomorrow's Monday, and if you're like most Americans, you'll be thinking about next weekend by 10:00am.  We like our rest, but rest need not consist of idleness.  While our real "Sabbath rest" remains, all respites until then should include prayer as well as reflection and meditation in the Word, as Cripplegate reminds us .

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Don't Blink. Blink and you're dead.  Don't turn your back. Don't look away.  And don't Blink.  Good Luck.

If you've been fed the "Galileo vs. religion" line, you may have missed the fact that Galileo, like many scientists of his day, was a Christian .

There are few debates within the church liable to hurt more feelings than whether the miraculous spiritual gifts belonged to the NT Apostles or to the whole church.  Those who believe the former are called "cessationists" because, to some degree, they believe the gifts ceased in the first century.  Those then who believe the latter are, of course, "non-cessationists" or "continualists." The debate devolves quickly into name-calling and un-Christian behavior in general.  Some cessationists cite the most bizarre examples like the antics of Todd Bentley as the normative, demonic practices of each and every non-cessationalist church. On the other hand, a few non-cessationists lob grenades called "cold intellectualism," "Holy Spirit haters," and one preacher's claim that "cessationism is worldliness" and akin to atheism . Ouch. Alright, debates of real value tend to shed tears (sometimes they shed more than that, as the...

We were made for Google.  Ask someone with a WiFi connection a question, and you'll see that is the way we now behave.   A recent study discusses the transitive nature of our memory now that computers store everything we need to know. It reminds me of a Stargate: SG-1 episode where a native people give up books in favor of having their brains plugged into the wireless Link (but I'm sure no one is altering information on the Internet in a systematic manner to shape our view of reality, really). Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in Scripture, and its majestic poetic form is about Scripture . Verse 11 says " I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. " We never know when trials and temptations will arise, but we can be ready even when we lack access to the Internet. Verse 97 says, " Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day ." There's nothing wrong with using the Internet to search God's Word (the...

(You may need to download the .wmv plug-in to view the video on this page.) ( Visit this NCW Page ) Thomas Kindell Seattle Creation Conference, August 2007 Download this video: Lower quality  15.5MB Med. quality  77.4MB Hi. Quality  359MB Purchase DVD PowerPoint: View PPT file Download  52.3MB About the video: Documents worldwide geological evidence demonstrating that the fossil record is best explained by the global flood of Genesis.

This passage is for any preacher who looses his compassion: There have been times in my ministry when an icy chill has come over my heart, when my soul no longer weeps, when my sermons no longer connect, and when the act of preaching becomes a drudgery. I know that I have then lost compassion for people. That is when I retreat to a small taco stand in the barrio of East Los Angeles, to a place where real people live. I order a cup of coffee and sit with my back against the wall. Then I watch, I observe, I read, and I listen intently for the heart cry.  A group of gang-bangers come in for a snack—one in four will die before the age of eighteen; two of the others will end up in prison. All are doomed to a hard life. A young mother comes in with her brood of youngsters. It is obvious that they are poor. They share drinks. They live in poverty; some will never see a forest or snow. An old drunk staggers in, begging for a meal. He is quickly thrown out. That was somebody’s ...