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A La Carte (12/9)
- 01/09/09
- 11
ESV Blank Bible for Sale
You know you want one.
Speaking of the ESV…
Speaking of the ESV, here is the new President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, being sworn into office with an ESV.
Adult Women Play House
“Many people like to stop and play with newborn babies, but now some adult women are playing house with fake babies. Some women are even going as far as taking day trips with the fake babies to the park, out to eat, and even hosting birthday parties for them.”
Staying Stuck
Lydia offers some good thoughts on being stuck in patterns of habitual sin. She offers five things that can keep us stuck.
Why I Am Not Charismatic
C. Michael Patton is in the midst of a series describing why he is not charismatic. Though his primary line of reasoning is perhaps not the strongest (he seems to be arguing largely from personal experience) the series is still quite interesting.
You know you want one.
Speaking of the ESV…
Speaking of the ESV, here is the new President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, being sworn into office with an ESV.
Adult Women Play House
“Many people like to stop and play with newborn babies, but now some adult women are playing house with fake babies. Some women are even going as far as taking day trips with the fake babies to the park, out to eat, and even hosting birthday parties for them.”
Staying Stuck
Lydia offers some good thoughts on being stuck in patterns of habitual sin. She offers five things that can keep us stuck.
Why I Am Not Charismatic
C. Michael Patton is in the midst of a series describing why he is not charismatic. Though his primary line of reasoning is perhaps not the strongest (he seems to be arguing largely from personal experience) the series is still quite interesting.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (11)
I love it when people use their personal experience to argue against being charismatic…but then criticize charismatics for doing the same. Both arguments are invalid; my experience or lack thereof should not determine my theology.
You’re right….I do want the ESV Blank Bible. Especially, since I am not required to make it. I have already imagined myself practically destroying 10 copies of the ESV Bible before I made one that was right. Tony Reinke made it look so simple…I’m afraid he hasn’t seen me in action. Thanks!
Heads up, Tim. It’s January :)
I always like these posts. Probably due to the natural, multi-tasking brain tendencies of mine. :)
…and because I also enjoy new leads to pursue.
Belated thanks!
What Patton’s actually advocating is a sort of agnosticism towards charismatics. He explicitly says that there is no biblical support for a dogmatic view that the gifts have ceased:
“I don’t believe that there is any compelling biblical evidence to say that the gifts have ceased in any dogmatic way.”
He then talks about how his experience suggests to him that they have. That’s fine. My experience leads me to a different conclusion. While I personally have never spoken in tongues, prophesied, healed anyone, etc., I know several people who do speak in tongues (when praying in private, primarily) and who do claim to have had “words of knowledge”. Now, do I know that these things are real? No. But I can judge the “fruit” in these peoples’ lives, and the fruit looks good.
Honestly it’s kind of a non-issue for me. Like “end times” debates. Could the gifts have ceased? Sure. That just means there are a lot of otherwise healthy believers who are misguided on this particular point. Could they have continued? Sure. With the same implication as the other view: a lot of otherwise healthy believers who are misguided on this particular point. Whether they have or haven’t ceased, though, doesn’t change my basic job as a believer (love the Lord my God, love my neighbor), the basic purpose of church, or my basic view of who God is.
I can’t say I’ve spent enough time studying what the Bible says about gifts to be sure either way. On the other hand, I have experienced both fake and what appear to be real gifts of the spirit. The fake was stuff like the dramatic people falling down thing, what a turn-off. The real was more subtle and is hard to dismiss if you believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When I hear the phrase ‘signs and wonders’ I assume the worst but the everyday coincidence type of stuff could very well be small scale prophecy.God bless,-jim
I agree, Ann. If CMP can argue for cessationism by saying “I’ve never experienced the gifts,” then charismatics can easily best him by arguing their experience.
On a side note: Can anyone point me to a Scripture which speaks of the sign gifts ceasing?
You have mass abortions on one hand and “adults” playing with baby dolls on the other. Can we go home now?
I think the article by Lydia at the Purple Cellar, entitled “Staying Stuck” is a very good, concise explanation of why we so “struggle” with sin. Thanks for the link!
@Ann - Thats a tough thing to say. A lot of people experience spiritual gifts before they understand them theologically. Evidence of such is all throughout the Bible.
@Ann - Thats a tough thing to say. A lot of people experience spiritual gifts before they understand them theologically. Evidence of such is all throughout the Bible.