February 2005 Archive
The Interview (02/28/05 - 0 Comments)
I mentioned a little while ago that Eric of Evangelical Underground had asked if he could do an online interview with me. Of course I was more than happy to participate. We did some back-and-forth and finally finished up tonight. He has posted the interview, which you can read here. We talked about two of my favorite topics: theology and blogging (and what happens when theology meets blogging).
A little observation based on reading through the interview: I am long-winded!
DVD Review - Hells Bells 2: The Power And Spirit of Popular Music (02/28/05 - 0 Comments)
Many years ago, when I was in my mid-teen years, I made the decision to stop listening to mainstream rock music and to turn instead to Christian music. Until that time I had been listening to whatever was on the radio. I had quite a few tapes and had once had a whole collection of those old vinyl 45's. While I was usually not interested in music that was blatantly anti-God, I did listen to some that would surely have made my parents cringe had they heard it. But when I was fourteen or fifteen, my conscience began to accuse me about this music and I remember what was a near-religious experience for me, where I biked down to a local waterfall and, with no one else present, tossed some tapes over the edge in what was really a ceremony whereby I repented of that music. In the subsequent years, I bought Christian music and have since had little interest in mainstream music. Every now and then a song or a band catches my attention, but since I have so little willful exposure to it, this is quite rare. At the same time, I have kept abreast of what is happening in the music industry. Music saturates our culture, and it is difficult not to know what songs and artists are popular, for they are played on television, in commercials and are piped through malls, airports and any other public location. Needless to say, where the music of the 80's and 90's was bad, the music of our day is even worse. There has been a continual slide whereby the mainstream songs of our day are far worse than what was acceptable even ten or twenty years ago.
A 24/7 Culture (02/27/05 - 0 Comments)
The past couple of Sundays I have posted excerpts from Don Whitney's book Simplify Your Spiritual Life and I will continue with this series today before concluding it next Sunday. Whitney has given me much to think about in the past weeks, and he continues to challenge me with today's reflection on our 24/7 culture.
The front-page headline of a recent issue of USA Today reads, "24/7 almost a way of life." The article begins with, "The nation has an unofficial motto...24/7. 24/7 isn't just an expression, it's a cultural earthquake that is changing the way we live."
In times past we had to arrange our lives so we could shop and run errands before places closed. Now we have the "convenience" of shopping at increasing numbers of stores that stay open around the clock. We can get the latest news or find something interesting on TV twenty-four hours a day.
The Church Is The Hope for the World (02/26/05 - 0 Comments)
Over the past week or two, I have been blessed to be able to order quite a lot of books because of my "blog design for books" campaign. Being the impatient type, I will consider myself even more blessed when they are sitting on my bookshelf (or lying open before me), but Amazon and Monergismbooks have never let me down before, so I am sure I will receive them in due time. I tend to keep a rather extensive wishlist at Amazon, and ordered books from this list. Any time I read a book review that sounds interesting, or receive an email with a solid suggestion, I add it to the list. Over the past week I sorted through the list and ordered the books I thought looked most interesting. It was not until I had completed my ordering that I took a step back to get an overview of what I had ordered.
The Inerrancy of Scripture (Part 3) (02/25/05 - 0 Comments)
This is the third and final article in the series on Biblical Inerrancy. Yesterday we defined what inerrancy is not and then attempted to define the term. I suggested the following definition: The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. Today we will look at some common objections to this doctrine as well as some problems that may arise if we deny it.
Objections
There are many objections that are commonly raised against inerrancy. For the sake of brevity I will address only the most common objections, and the ones I have encountered in recent discussions on this topic.
The Inerrancy of Scripture (Part 2) (02/24/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I began a short series on the inerrancy of Scripture. This series is an indirect response to the questions, concerns and doubts about inerrancy raised by Michael Spencer and affirmed by many others at his personal site and at Boars Head Tavern. One of my primary concerns was that there was so much discussion based on so few concrete definitions. When I began to tackle this doctrine, I found that the doctrines of Scripture cannot be neatly seperated, one from the other, for they are intertwined and interrelated. So in the first article I wrote about inspiration, canon, transmission and authority. Today I will turn to inerrancy, first explaining what it is not and then providing a working definition.
The Inerrancy of Scripture (Part 1) (02/23/05 - 0 Comments)
Over the past couple of weeks, inerrancy has become a hot topic in the blogosphere. The interest was ignited, in part at least, by comments made by Michael Spencer (aka Internet Monk and proprietor of Boars Head Tavern). It is difficult to know exactly what Michael believes about inerrancy, and I suspect he is as much in the dark as the rest of us. Whether he dislikes only the term "inerrancy" or the underlying doctrine is difficult to discern, but I suspect both are true, at least to some extent. I had first intended to write this article last week and to make it a direct response to Michael. Family illness and work responsibilities have delayed this article, so that much of the storm has passed. I may direct some comments at Michael, but will largely refrain from writing about him in particular. I feel like a guy who shows up at the party just as everyone else is leaving, but I've always been more of a designated driver than a partier, so it may be best this way.
Ignorance Is No Excuse (02/22/05 - 0 Comments)
I hesitate to write when I have a brutal head cold and am moderately medicated, because I'm worried that I will rant and rave and just embarrass myself. So I will approach a fairly innocuous topic today in the hopes that I will not read it tomorrow and realize I have made an utter fool of myself. Again.
This weekend I was chatting with my mother (our usual Sunday afternoon phone call) and we were discussing the amazing amount of information at our disposal these days. I wrote about this not too long ago in an article entitled Informaton Overload and it was an article that seemed to make sense to a lot of people. One of the most amazing statistics I found in researching the topic, in my opinion, was that an average edition of the New York Times contains in it more information than a man who lived in the 18th century would have encountered in his entire lifetime. Neil Postman had some interesting information as well. "Neil Postman, in a talk entitled Informing Ourselves To Death spoke about the information facing Americans: 'In America, there are 260,000 billboards; 11,520 newspapers; 11,556 periodicals; 27,000 video outlets for renting tapes; 362 million tv sets; and over 400 million radios.
More New Sites (02/21/05 - 0 Comments)
After posting last week about some new site designs, I had several people email and request information about having a redesign done by yours truly. I worked on a couple of designs last week and over the weekend before finishing them off this morning.
First up, we have someone many of you many be familiar with. PenguinBoy has moved from his old digs into a new domain (PenguinBoy.us) and has a new design as well. I am really quite pleased with the way this site turned out. There are a couple of tweaks I may want to make in the future, but on the whole I like it (which is quite unusual for me - I am my own harshest critic). I especially like the penguin sitting up at the top against the backdrop of the banner, and actually really like the whole banner. I'm also fond of the penguin foot favicon. If I had to do this site all over again, I might use a bit more color, but I know PenguinDude likes to post lots of pictures both in his articles and in his sidebars, so I thought I would let those provide the color.
Sick Day (02/21/05 - 0 Comments)
As you may know, I run my own business. Most self-employed people will nod knowingly when I say that this rarely gives me opportunity to take sick days. Back when I worked a real, salaried job I had 10 or 15 sick days every year, but now that I am self-employed, my ability to pay bills is directly proportional to my ability to work the necessary number of hours. Thus taking time off is really taking potential money out of my pocket.
I'm sick today. Actually, everyone in the family is sick today. My daughter has a fever of 102 and was up in the night, my son has an ear infection, I'm 24 hours into a whopper of a cold and my wife seems to have a delightful combination of all of the above. So while I am still working, I am simply incapable of doing the research I need to in order to write my post on the inerrancy of Scripture. Thus I hope to bring you that post tomorrow. I am taking a blogging (or researching, anyways) sick day!
Delighting In The Lord's Day (02/20/05 - 0 Comments)
Last Sunday I quoted extensively from Don Whitney's book Simplify Your Spiritual Life in which he writes about Three Views of Sunday. Today I will move on to Delighting in the Lord's Day.
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the biblical term Sabbath? Many people, including those familiar with the New Testament, may think first of legalism. That's because nearly every mention of Sabbath in the Gospels has to do with the Pharisees accusing Jesus of violating their manmade rules. God's original intention, however, was for the Jews to "call the Sabbath a delight" (Isaiah 58:13). He meant for each of them on that day to "delight [themselves] in the LORD" (verse 14). Far from being a day to dread because of its restrictions, God designed the Sabbath to be a delightful day, the best of the week.
Children's Bible (02/19/05 - 0 Comments)
I am looking for suggestions on a Bible for my children. My children are five and two and seem a bit bored by their current Bible story book. The one we have was given to us but features awful, cartoonish pictures and the text is very simple. So we would like to bump them up to something with less of a cartoon feel, but also something with more meaningful text.
We went to the local Christian bookstore last week, and while they have a very good selection, there did not seem to be one that was quite right. We did find one that both my wife and I thought looked excellent, but when I flipped to the story of Jesus' birth, it had Ave Maria printed in the margin and seemed to be as much an exulation of Mary as a story about Jesus. Looking at the back I saw that one of the three authors was a nun and another taught at a Catholic seminary.
Mark D. Roberts on the TNIV (02/19/05 - 0 Comments)
Mark Roberts, pastor, author and blogger, is in the midst of a series about Today's New International Version of the Bible. If you are not aware of the TNIV, allow me to explain. "This translation, though closely related to its predecessor, the NIV, is a new translation based upon the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts from which we get our English Bible. According to Zondervan, 93% of the TNIV mirrors the NIV, while 7% is a fresh translation. The new material 'clarifies and updates passages and words to provide a more timely, contemporary English rendition for a new generation of Bible readers.' Yet the TNIV is not meant to replace the beloved NIV, but to complement it. Nevertheless, Zondervan claims that the TNIV is 'uncompromisingly accurate Bible translation in today's language from the translators of the most trusted modern English translation, the NIV.' This claim to accuracy is central to the TNIV’s purpose."
It Was My Time To Shine... (02/18/05 - 0 Comments)
It was going to be my time to shine - my time to prove that I am a nice, thoughful guy. Of course this runs counter to my nature as really I'm more of a selfish person, but this was the beginning of a new me! And it was all for nought.
Perhaps I should backup for a moment. As you know, I am engaged in convincing Christian authors to sign and send me their books so that I can give them away. It sounds pretty ridiculous when I write it like that, but that is the gist of what I've been doing with these giveaways. Recently I convinced one of my favorite authors, Michael Horton, to participate. I have a friend who attends Westminster Seminary, so I worked out a whole great plan. I purchased the books and had them shipped to my buddy. He then took them to Dr. Horton to have them signed. But there was one caveat. I asked my friend to have one of the books signed over to my friend Doug, who loves this particular book (Putting Amazing Back Into Grace). Two weeks ago my friend wrote to say he had the books signed and they were in the mail.
Friday Roundup (02/18/05 - 0 Comments)
I had so many great articles I wanted to write this week, but unfortunately my time has been in short supply. The February giveaway ended this week, which required a lot of time, and both of my kids are sick which cuts into my evenings. Also, I currently have nine (count 'em, 9!) different web designs underway have provided several quotes that could well turn into work. This is not to complain, of course, as I have a rather hefty tax bill I need to address in a month or so. But all this work has sure cut into my blogging time, or more specifically, into my research time.
At the top of the list of my planned articles was one to address Michael Spencer's article on The inerrancy of Scripture. Michael writes "I don't believe in inerrancy, a view of how scripture is inspired that means well, but just can't get traction with me. My problems with inerrancy have been going on for a very long time, and I've heard it presented and taught by the best.
Book Review: How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian (02/17/05 - 0 Comments)
Almost everyone who believes in the existence of heaven also believes he will be there. I cannot count the number of times I have heard the statistic that fully 99% of Americans believe they will be in heaven some day. However, the Bible certainly gives no reason to believe that 99% of people will be welcomed into heaven. Thus many people, and perhaps even the majority of people, live with false assurance of their eternal destination. How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian by Don Whitney, is a book concerned with helping Christians understand how they be assured of their salvation and how to discern true from false assurance.
February Giveaway: Final Results (02/17/05 - 0 Comments)
Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway of The Reformation Study Bible (ESV) and The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.
Unfortunately, as with the previous giveaways, there can be only two winners. Before I announce their names, I would like to let you know that Monergismbooks.com, which co-sponsored this giveaway, has once again offered a great discount to all contest participants who purchase The Reformation Study Bible (ESV). This Bible is already available from Monergismbooks at a price lower than you will find in your local bookstore and even lower than what Amazon offers, but now the deal has been sweetened even further. You'll have to visit the site to read about it! The deal will not last long, so don't dawdle!
New Sites (02/16/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I finished off two new site designs for a couple of Christian bloggers. As part of their package (far and away the least exciting part of the package, I'm sure), they get one official shout-out from my site! So here goes...
First up is Noidlebrain.com, home to Colin Rowley. Colin is a kindred spirit and someone I enjoyed getting to know during the time I worked on his site. He wanted me to work with those LOUD colors, and I found it quite a treat since I am accustomed to working with such soft, muted colors. On the whole I am quite happy with the final result, though the three column design does leave a small content area for articles. However, that small complaint aside, I think the design is a success. And more importantly, Colin is pleased.
Feedback Files - Inherited Sin (02/16/05 - 0 Comments)
This post comes from within the Feedback Files. The Feedback Files are the questions I receive from readers via the Contact page. I thought it would be informative to open some of these questions and answers to the community.
Recently a self-professed "Baby Calvinist" wrote to ask, "If a person is "a child of wrath" from birth due to Adam's sin and unable to choose God because of Adam's sin, how is he responsible for his actions if he was born this way (and has no ability of his own to choose God)? ... If Christ didn't die for all men, yet all men were condemned for one sin (and by that sin, thereafter, unable to choose good), how is it just of God to condemn all men if they are "determined" to be sinful by the action of Adam?"
Monergism Conference 2005/2006 (02/15/05 - 0 Comments)
Monergism.com is one of the most valuble resources on the Internet. John Hendryx, whom I have come to know well over the past several months, has a true servant's heart and has created just an incredible site. It is one I turn to often when I need to do theological research or even devotional reading.
John announced today that he is contemplating a Monergism Conference. "This would not be a conference about Monergism the website, but monergism, the biblical truth of grace alone and regeneration of the Holy Spirit apart from any human cooperation. I would seek to highlight this conference with worthy speakers. I am excited by the thought of doing such a thing but would love to hear your input and wonder how many of you would be interested in attending such a conference. It would be a conference focused on the Third Person of the Trinity and His work in bringing glory to the Eternal Son of God. That is, about the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to salvation in uniting us to Christ. Many long time visitors of Monergism.com might be interested in such a conference and I trust would be interested in encouraging the attendance of friends who remain skeptical."
John is looking for input from the Internet community on whether such a conference would be welcome and whether you would be interested in attending. So please, read his letter and send him an email letting him know if this is something you would be interested in attending.
Homesick For Hymns (02/15/05 - 0 Comments)
Having collected Christian music since the early nineties, I have amassed a very extensive collection. A couple of years ago I began moving it all to my computer and now have some 5,200 songs in MP3 format. This respresents the bulk of the collection with the exception of sixty or eighty cassettes. I have some of the best and worst of Christian music. I have albums that have won grammies and albums that have been sent to me just because people couldn't believe music that bad was even possible and wished to share it with me! Strangely, though, over the past months I have grown increasingly tired of my music. Though I certainly hope this is not the case, is it possible that I am growing out of rock music? This is something my parents told me would happen some day. I do think they were motivated in telling me this by a desire to have me spend my money on more worthwhile pursuits than spending it all on albums. It could also just be owing to the fact that I have not spent much money on music in recent months and my collection is growing a tad stale, but with the sheer quantity of music I have at my disposal, it shouldn't ever be stale!
It Is A Fearful Thing... (02/14/05 - 0 Comments)
This morning I spent a good bit of time reading through some of my old journal entries. Sadly my journalling has tailed off as my blogging has increased. This is sad because journalling was an important spiritual discipline for me. While I often wrote about the same things I write about on this site, journalling was an opportunity to be more personal - to write things that I suppose only God and I will ever know. It is often interesting to go back and read entries from two, three, five or more years ago. In one old notebook I even found the rough notes I made for my wedding speech. And flipping back a few pages, I found some things I had written almost ten years ago now, when I was well, ten years younger! Some of these things make me wonder at my own youthful wisdom, and some make me laugh out loud at my youthful folly. One thing I know for sure is that we should all be glad that I gave up on writing poetry. Oh me, oh my!
Three Views of Sunday (02/13/05 - 0 Comments)
I assume that almost no one reading this needs to be persuaded to attend church. Beyond your good habit of church attendance, however, how do you decide what else you should or should not do on Sunday?
When it comes to making such decisions, I understand there to be three major views among Christians, One is the Christian Sabbath view. This view says that the Fourth Commandment - "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy..." (Exodus 20:8-11) - is a perpetual, moral law of God and remains intact under the New Covenant. Instead of a Saturday Sabbath as in the Old Covenant, Christians observe the Sabbath on Sunday in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Except for the ceremonial aspects of the Jewish Sabbath, all other Sabbath laws should be embraced by Christians today, just as much as any of the other Ten Commandments.
Album Review - PFR: The Bookhouse Recordings (02/12/05 - 0 Comments)
I still remember the day I bought my very first CD player. I had been saving my pennies and dimes for some time and convinced my father to drive me to Future Shop, which is Canada's answer to Best Buy. Just a couple of days before my previous stereo had gone up in a flash of smoke and flame, and I had no intention of going more than a couple of days without music. And so it was that I bought myself a new stereo, complete with CD player. Of course I didn't own a single CD, but the next day I remedied that. I made the treck to the local Christian bookstore and purchased Great Lengths by PFR (aka Pray For Rain) - my very first CD.
Since that time PFR has been one of my favorite bands. Having heard Great Lengths I soon purchased their two previous albums and enjoyed every song. It was a couple of years later that I began my own painting company, and I remember carving time out of each day for a good couple of weeks to head to the Christian bookstore to see if their latest album, Them had arrived. That soon because one of my all-time favorite albums and I must have listened to it every day for months.
The Cleverest Fools (02/12/05 - 0 Comments)
I often struggle with my decision to continually defend Calvinism. And more than defending it, I also "evangelize" it, explaining to others why I consider it to be nothing more or less than the Bible's teaching on the doctrines of redemption. I find my mind wondering if it really is important enough to dedicate such time to it, and if the distinctions between Calvinism and Arminianism are worth studying and writing about. I often wonder if my defense of Calvinism works to the detriment of the kingdom of God as perhaps my words can even serve to cause Christians who are not Calvinists to doubt their own faith.
Friday Frivolity (02/11/05 - 0 Comments)
Reach out and grab the book that is nearest to you. If there are two that are equally near, take the one with the prettiest cover. Open it up and turn to the 39th page. Find the third sentence. If a sentence carries over from page 38 to 39, consider that the first sentence. And now, click on the Post Reply button and let us know what it is.
In my case, the sentence is: "The prophecy in the Old Testament is that his name will be Immanuel, and then we go to the New Testament, and they don't name him Immanuel; they name him Jesus." For those who are curious, this is taken from R.C. Sproul's book Now, That's A Good Question which, for some reason, was propped on the printer beside me.
Seriously Disturbing
When I see things like this, I'm not sure if I should laugh or be shocked. Or both. Or maybe something else. You tell me...
On Testimonies And Total Depravity (02/11/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I posted an article that was formed around my apparently uninteresting personal testimony. It seems I am not the only one who has been deluded into thinking that my testimony, which is one of God's grace early in life rather than one of God saving me when I was an adult and deeply entrenched in my sinful ways, is boring. Stephen Dancer suggested that there was something missing from my article because I did not turn to an examination of what the Bible means by the word "testimony." Although that was not the thrust of my article, he is quite right that I should have done that. He said "Unfortunately the propensity for evangelicals to brush up on them in order to witness or prepare for their baptism has distorted what it basically means for the Christian to bear testimony. The Christian's testimony is very simple. Just look at 1 Cor 15:3-8. Only at the very end does Paul mention himself, and even then only briefly. The fact that the modern trend for bloated self absorbed testimony makes us feel inadequate simply obscures the basic testimony to Christ, which is common to all." He is absolutely right. In my experience it is only the rare testimony that includes a clear presentation of the Gospel message. Being the lazy sort, I challenged him to write about it and he took me up on the challenge. And what's more, he did a great job of it.
Total Depravity: The Great Equalizer (02/10/05 - 0 Comments)
I often feel that I have a ridiculously boring testimony. I can't count the number of times I have sat through courses, seminars and Bible studies and have heard the value of a good testimony in evangelizing the lost. And like any long-time believer, I have heard some incredible ones. I have heard about women who were prostitutes giving their lives to the Lord and becoming active in ministry to women. I have met men who were drug dealers, living lives that would cause the most hardened of us to pale, but who were convicted of their sin and, through God's grace, were saved. Compared to these, my testimony seems so bland!
My testimony goes something like this: I was born into a Christian home. I was a pretty good kid and never got into any real trouble. Sure I lied a little bit and stole some pocket change from my mother on occasion, but I never did anything really bad.
A Less Than Human God (02/09/05 - 0 Comments)
There are times in life when various "threads" seem to converge - times where I have been thinking about a few things and suddenly they all just come together. Yesterday I was thinking and writing about whether God loves everyone, believer and unbeliever alike. Tuesday evenings I lead a Bible study and this topic came up and created some interesting discussion. When I got home there was an email from the Reformed Baptist mailing list where a person wrote about an article written by Rick Warren where he indicated that God loves everyone alike. And then this morning I continued in my reading of The God Who Justifies by James White and the very first section I read was entitled "The Wrath of God and Propitiation" and it dealt, in part, with this same topic. So really, I don't see that I have any choice but to write about this today!
The Community Blog (02/08/05 - 0 Comments)
Several alert readers have noticed that new button at the top of the page. (Yeah, that one...the one that says "New" on it). I have hinted at this before, but have finally decided to go ahead with a community blog (click here to see it). Now you may be asking what exactly a community blog is. That's a good question and one I have been asking as well. The truth is, I don't really know. Ask me after we have been doing it for three or four weeks and I should be able to answer more clearly. But this is roughly how I envision it:
What Is A Community Blog?
A community blog is a blog where more than one person contributes. Some people refer to these as group blogs, but I prefer the term community. This blog will feature several writers to begin with and the number will likely increase as time goes on. This will be a place for people to interact with each other, to post articles, and to draw attention to interesting resources. I suppose it is much like any other blog, except that it will feature interaction between several writers.
Evangelical Blog Awards (02/08/05 - 0 Comments)
After a rather short voting period, the 2005 EU Evangelical Blog award winners have been announced. And here are the winners:
Best Evangelical Teen Blog
To Be Least
Best Evangelical Group Blog
Dead Yet Living
Best Evangelical Youth Pastor Blog
Stu’s Rants
Best Evangelical Missionary Blog
Under The Acacias
Best Evangelical Blog-Humor
Rantings of a Lord of the Rings Fanatic
Best New Evangelical Blog
Amy’s Humble Musings
Best Evangelical Blog-Pastor
Mark D. Roberts
Best Evangelical Blog-Apologetics
Weapons of Warfare
Best Domestic Evangelical Blog (U.S.)
From The Morning
Best International Evangelical Blog
Tim Challies
Best Evangelical Blog-Ministry
21st Century Reformation
Best Evangelical Blog-Politics
La Shawn Barber
Best Designed Evangelical Blog
Tim Challies
Best Overall Evangelical Blog
Alpha and Omega Ministries, The Christian Apologetics Ministry of James R. White
People’s Choice Award (highest vote total overall, including nominations)
Alpha and Omega Ministries, The Christian Apologetics Ministry of James R. White
February Book Giveaway (02/07/05 - 0 Comments)
As promised, I bring to you today the February book giveaway. Each month, for as many months as I can convince authors to sign and send their books to me, I will be giving away two copies of a Christian book autographed by the author.
As always, two equal prizes will be awarded in February. Each winner will receive an autographed copy of The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul as well as a hardcover copy of The Reformation Study Bible (ESV). You can be the first person on your block to own The Reformation Study Bible, which will be available later this month for the first time in the English Standard Version.
1st Annual Evangelical Blog Awards (Voting) (02/06/05 - 0 Comments)
So it's time to vote for the 1st Annual Evangelical Blog Awards. As I said before, I hesitate to bring these up as I don't want to seem self-serving. At the same time, I do want to be a responsible member of the blogosphere, so will play along.
Anyways, if you would like to vote, Send an email to eblogawards@gmail.com. I have been nominated in the following categories:
- Best Overall Blog
- Best Designed Blog
- Best International Blog
The complete list of finalists is here.
Book Review - The Cross He Bore (02/06/05 - 0 Comments)
Sometimes I read a book that has come with such numerous and lofty recommendations that really it can only be disappointing. Having heard so much about how the book will change my life and cause my faith to grow in leaps and bounds, I have often found the reality to be disappointing. Conversely, sometimes a book comes unhyped and unheralded and takes my heart and mind by storm. Such is the case with The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy.
Truthfully, I do not remember where I first heard of this book. I was surprised one day to see it turn up in the mail and I soon realized that at one point I had added it to my Amazon wishlist. I knew nothing about it other than what the cover told me: "Meditations on the sufferings of the Redeemer."
DVD Review - Amazing Grace, The History And Theology of Calvinism (02/05/05 - 0 Comments)
Who could have thought that a presentation of Calvinism lasting nearly four and a half hours could keep me at rapt attention? Actually, I suppose most people who know me wouldn't be too terribly surprised. Amazing Grace - The History And Theology of Calvinism is an examination of the doctrines of grace, produced by The Apologetics Group. It is hosted by Eric Holmberg and is a collage of interviews, historical readings, Scripture and drama. It examines "life's greatest mystery, that man's question for meaning and redemption is in the end the story of the Lord 'seeking and saving that which was lost.'"
Joel Osteen and "Joel-Likeness" (02/04/05 - 0 Comments)
When I was in the eleventh grade I decided to study Latin. I don't remember what it was that compelled me to study the language, but I suspect it had something to do with the small class size. Where most classes in my high school had twenty five or thirty students, Latin usually had only seven or eight. And so it was that for a year I studied Latin. The teacher, Dr. Helder, quickly became my favorite teacher and grade eleven Latin stands out as my favorite class in all my years of high school. Dr. Helder was faced with the daunting task of making a group of teenagers enjoy Latin, a dead language. Yet he succeeded in making us not only learn the language but also in making us enjoy learning it. How did he do that? He proved to us that Latin is not dead, but in fact, is still in common use. One ongoing task throughout the year was to collect Latin words and phrases we found in books, newspapers and magazines.
The Minister In The Garden (02/03/05 - 0 Comments)
Suppose you were facing the darkest hour of your life. You had been accused of false charges and there was no doubt that you would be found guilty. The punishment for your crime would be a brutal, torturous death. But suppose that for just a few moments you were allowed a visit from another person. Who would you want to sit with you to bring you some measure of comfort? Perhaps you would choose your husband or wife - the one you had shared more of life with than any other. Or perhaps you would call for your son and give him some final words of encouragment and exhortation - your final will for his life and your final testament of God's goodness in your life. Maybe you would want your pastor to sit with you and pray with and for you that you might stay strong through the tormentuous hours ahead. Perhaps comfort would come from the most unexpected quarter.
As the darkest hours of His life fast approached, Jesus took some friends with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was clearly a place He visited, for Judas knew that He would be there. But already, before the first solider had approached Jesus, His friends had forsaken Him. He was "sorrowful and troubled." He told his closest friends in His inner circle, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me."
Book Review - To Honour God: The Spirituality of Oliver Cromwell (02/02/05 - 0 Comments)
Few figures in history cause such heated debate as Oliver Cromwell. The Cromwell Association says rightly that "since his death as Lord Protector in 1658, Cromwell's life, ambitions, motives and actions have been the subject of scholarly investigation and intense, often vitriolic, debate. Whatever position is taken on Cromwell, 'Chief of Men' or 'Brave Bad Man', his importance as a key figure in one of the most troubled periods of British history is unassailable." Within the church there has also been debate about Cromwell as believers try to discern if Cromwell was a great Christian figure or one who merely operated under the guise of Christian ideals. Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes of Cromwell "That great period during Cromwell's Protectorate...was one of the most amazing epochs in the whole history of [England]. To me it was certainly one of the most glorious...Oliver Cromwell is a man whom we do not honour as we should." One of the oldest volumes in my library is one entitled simply Cromwell that was written by the great church historian J.H. Merle D'Aubigne in the first half of the nineteenth century. D'Aubigne says that the object of his work is "the rectification of the common opinion with regard to Cromwell's religious character." The way D'Aubigne proposed to rectify the common opinion of Cromwell's religious character is much the same as Michael Haykin has done in the contemporary volume To Honour God: The Spirituality of Oliver Cromwell - he has allowed Cromwell's words to speak for themselves. As D'Aubigne says, "it is not we who ought, in this day, to justify the great Protector; he should justify himself; and fortunately authentic and authoritative testimony is not wanting for this purpose."
Book Review - Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life (02/02/05 - 0 Comments)
I almost always carry a journal or notebook with me so I can scribble down thoughts as they come to me during the day. Some of these turn into articles and others turn into devotional material. More often than not I look at them weeks or months later and have absolutely no idea what they mean or what I was thinking when I scribbled them down. Recently I saw a comment in a notebook that did make sense to me. I had written about the difference between my friend Jason and myself when we sit down with a guitar on our laps and a sheet of music in front of us. I can read the music and strum those strings and make nothing but awful, painful sounds that bear little resemblance to music. Jason, on the other hand, can sit down and make music at will, even with no sheet music in front of him. The difference between Jason and myself is not necessarily inate musical ability or the quality of our guitars. The difference is in disciplined practice. Jason has dedicated thousands of hours to honing his skills so that it seems to require little effort to play the music. The freedom to play with this skill has come only at the expense of dedicated, disciplined effort.
Don Whitney uses this same metaphor to show the importance of being disciplined in the pursuit of godliness, for there is freedom in discipline. The freedom to grow in godliness - "to naturally express Christ's character through your own personality - is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines." (From the back cover)
Purpose, PEACE And New Spirituality (02/01/05 - 0 Comments)
Last month I read two books which exposed some of the New Age influences in today's evangelical churches. Deceived on Purpose and A Time of Departing each showed some different areas where the New Age has had great influence in evangelicalism. Both authors, to no one's great surprise, singled out Robert Schuller as being one of the primary influences in this movement. Schuller efforts in bringing the New Age into Christianity are well-documented in these books and elsewhere. Being a pessimistic sort of person, it did not surprise me to see that the New Age has made great inroads into Christianity. However, what did surprise me, is how New Age leaders have begun to use the same words and phrases that we find in Christianity.
Read this editorial description of one of Marianne Williamson's books:
In this relatable, down-to-earth book, Williamson explicates A Course in Miracles, which she describes as "a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy."
