A La Carte (8/5)

  • Tim Challies
  • 08/05/09
  • 4
Alcorn’s Rescue Story
Randy Alcorn shares a story (complete with video) that happened exactly twenty years ago. “Well into the flight we were cruising over a beautiful waterfall at three thousand feet, when suddenly the engine lost power. Smoke billowed, oil splashed on the windshield. Seeing that there was no oil pressure, Barry had to shut off the engine, which looked like it was about to burn. Suddenly we were descending rapidly in a rough mountain pass where there was no place to land. It looked like we wouldn’t make it.”
Carson on Inerrancy
D.A. Carson explains what inerrancy is and whether or not it is an essential Christian belief.
Calvin on Discernment
Monergism shares some wise words from Calvin on discernment, showing that discernment is wholly lost until we are regenerated.
Kindle and the Future of Reading
The New Yorker writes about Amazon’s Kindle. This is a favorite line from the article: “Here’s what you buy when you buy a Kindle book. You buy the right to display a grouping of words in front of your eyes for your private use with the aid of an electronic display device approved by Amazon.”

Comments (4)

1
Anonymous's picture
a comment from Mason • 08/05 @ 9:55am
› visit my web site.

The Carson video was quite interesting, thanks for sharing.

I do wonder though if people who affirm the truthfulness of Scripture and yet want to distance themselves from ‘inerrancy’ per-say are in fact doing so because of misrepresentations of the doctrine as Carson implies.

Maybe they do understand the doctrine properly (as stated in the Chicago statement and elsewhere) and find it unpalatable because they see it as arguing in terms and directions that the Scriptures themselves never seem to use?

2
Anonymous's picture
a comment from wilco • 08/05 @ 9:58am

Alcorn’s rescue took place 20 years ago, not twelve. I love your blog, thanks for the time you put into this!

3
Anonymous's picture
a comment from matthew lipscomb • 08/05 @ 12:53pm
› visit my web site.

I enjoyed the link - but I think that the whole “innerancy” topic really has to do with “Modern” man’s scientific/rationalist fixation - and not the self-authentication, self-affirmation that we are called to have towards the scripture. Innerancy is a scientific term - it is not truly a theological one. The stance that we should have and the reply that we should always have to this question is that “it is authoritative.” If you understand Postmodernity - then you understand what it is reacting against: Modernity - and once you understand Modernity, you understand that the Gospel is neither “Modern” nor “Postmodern” and if you keep trying to address it with terms that are really fixated within those concepts, you are going down a path that will really lead you nowhere. These concepts only have limited apologetical capabilities - and therefore limited use, IMHO.

4
Anonymous's picture
a comment from sojourner • 08/08 @ 6:00pm

You know, you’re a smart guy. Try reading Charles Williams (Descent Into Hell, most especially!) and G.K. Chesterton (Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man). Also, The City of God, by Augustine of Hippo, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and Centering Prayer, but Basil Pennnington.

Best and blessings.

See you in eternity.