Friday Frivolity: Penguins, Archimedes, Phil Johnson, Adrian Warnock and More... (09/30/05 - 0 Comments)
Adrian Warnock, whom most people know only as a pixelated face superimposed over a picture of Big Ben (click here), seems to want to fight. And as history has proven time and time again, these British folk, like the little kid on the playground who runs to the safety of his big brother, will only fight when the Americans have their back. Thus Adrian has also seeks to poison the mind of Phil Johnson so that he will turn on me.
And so today, I present to you a list of the top 10 reasons you should read Adrian's blog and Phil Johnson's blog instead of mine.
Monsters, the Moon, Cinnamon Buns and the Bible (09/29/05 - 0 Comments)
Last night was a rough night. My daughter woke up at 11:30, terrified about something. My wife eventually surrendered and brought her into bed with us. When my daughter climbs into our bed I always end up with her pointy end (her toes) jabbing into me, so I soon gave up and went to sleep in her bed. No sooner had I gotten back to sleep than my son woke me up complaining that he was having bad dreams about aliens. And so on. It was one of those nights parents just have to deal with. My efforts at creativity this morning fell flat, so I peered into the archives of this site to find an article that discusses a topic I have been thinking about a little bit recently. I have made several changes to the article, which I first published a couple of years ago, and am publishing it again.
The Enemy Next Door (09/28/05 - 0 Comments)
I grew up in a Christian culture in which very little evangelism took place. How little? Well, the first adult I ever witnessed getting baptized was my wife (she was my girlfriend at the time) and that was when we were nineteen or so. I believe it was also the first time our church had ever baptized an adult. And what's more, it was the first time most of the people who attended that church had ever seen an adult get baptized. While it is not necessarily so, it seems that there is bound to be something amiss with the evangelistic focus of churches that never, ever see any outside converts through their ministry.
A Purpose Driven Hostage Update (09/27/05 - 0 Comments)
You all remember, I'm sure, the story of Ashley Smith and Brian Nichols. Nichols, of course, is the man who overpowered a deputy escorting him to a rape trial, assaulted her and then killed a judge, court reporter, and a deputy in and outside the Fulton County courthouse. Later that night he fatally shot a federal agent at his home in Buckhead. Nichols took Smith hostage in her home before surrendering to authorities. Smith later told reporters how she had read Nicholas chapters from The Purpose Driven Life and she became an instant Christian celebrity. She quickly cashed in with a book and movie deal. She is also on the speaking circuit.
Invitation To Silence and Solitude (09/27/05 - 0 Comments)
The subtitle to Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton is "Experiencing God's Transforming Presence." Had I been the editor, I might have suggested something a little more appropriate. Perhaps "A Textbook in Eisogesis" or "Constructing Complex Theology From Non-Supporting Scriptures." And really this book is an adventure in poor use of Scripture and unsupported statements.
Reflections on a Funeral (09/26/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday afternoon I attended the funeral of my friend Mike (context here and here). It was quite a nice funeral, as these things go, and was more a celebration of his life than a time of mourning for his death. There were hundreds of people in attendance, enough that my friend and I, and many other people, were forced to stand throughout. It was also ridiculously hot for an late-September funeral in Canada. As always, the funeral gave me opportunity to reflect on a few things and I thought I'd share some of those today.
Sunday Ramblings (09/25/05 - 0 Comments)
I attend a church where the majority of the members are new believers. Many of them have never attended another evangelical church. This introduces some good elements and some bad to the church. On the good side, few of them have any real expectations or baggage that they bring from other churches. Every church has two or three people who are always saying, "Well that's not how we did it at [insert previous church here]" and they are generally tough people to deal with...
Study Guide Edition of Total Truth Hits Bookstores (09/24/05 - 0 Comments)
I received the following news from Nancy Pearcey. I have had opportunity to browse through the Study Guide Edition of Total Truth and it looks great. I will have a thorough review of it next month.
World Journalism Institute is happy to announce that the study guide edition of Total Truth:Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity is now in bookstores. Total Truth is an award-winning book on Christian worldview by Nancy Pearcey, WJI's Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar.
Friday Frivolity (09/23/05 - 0 Comments)
I'm going to be rolling out a new feature of this blog on Monday. Or am am hoping to, anyways. It is a feature that is long overdue, and one I hope contributes to the blogosphere. So check back Monday for that - it's guaranteed to be a letdown.
Two weeks from today I will be making the trek to the bustling metropolis of Minneapolis to attend (and blog) the Desiring God National Conference.
The Infinite Value of Scripture (09/22/05 - 0 Comments)
One of my long-time favorite shows on television is The Antiques Roadshow. It is a show that has been a staple on PBS for many years and on British television for longer than that. Recently they have even begun a Canadian version which I have not yet had opportunity to watch. The show affords people the opportunity to bring their antique possessions, whether furniture, paintings, toys or anything else, and have them appraised by some of the world's foremost experts in antiquities...
Book Review - Is The Reformation Over? (Part 2) (09/21/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I provided the first part of a critical review of Is The Reformation Over? by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom (read it here. I wrote a summary of each chapter, allowing the reader to understand the author's arguments as they reached the conclusion that the Reformation is, indeed, over. Noll and Nystrom feel that the most important differences between Catholic and Protestant theology are no longer based on issues of soteriology (how people can be saved) but now primarily concern issues of ecclesiology (the nature of the church). Today I would like to provide some analysis of the book and the author's arguments.
Book Review - Is The Reformation Over? (Part 1) (09/20/05 - 0 Comments)
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-21).
Jesus' High Priestly prayer, clearly shows the emphasis Jesus places on unity within the church. His desire is that the church show forth the same unity expressed in the relationship between the members of the Trinity - a unity that is perfect and beautiful to behold. This prayer has two dimensions to it: a future fulfillment where the unity among believers will be as perfect as that displayed among the members of the Trinity, and a present fulfillment where believers enjoy unity, albiet imperfect unity, with one another. To be faithful to our Lord we must work towards that present unity while looking forward to the final unity, that the body of Christ may not be fractured.
A Heavy Heart (09/19/05 - 0 Comments)
Last week I shared an article about my friend Mike. I though I would update the situation. This morning I received the following, long-awaited email. I have modified it very slightly to protect the family's privacy.
"...it is with a heavy heart that I inform you all that Mike passed away peacefully on Saturday morning September 17th at 6:15 am at Princess Margaret Hospital. Mike's mom and I were with him when he went and held his hand and told him how much we loved him and that he would be missed, and that he was incredibly brave for all that he has been through this past year...
September Giveaway (Pick-A-Prize Month) (09/19/05 - 0 Comments)
I thought for the September giveaway I would mix things up a little and allow the winners to pick their own prizes. As always, two equal prizes will be awarded based on a random drawing from all entries received.
Each winner will be able to select one Bible and one book from a selection of available options. The selection of Bibles includes the Compact TruGrip ESV Bible (available in four styles) OR ESV Bible, Compact TruTone Edition (Cranberry, Filigree Design, Red Letter).
The Servetus Problem (09/19/05 - 0 Comments)
John Calvin is a man loved and respected by some, despised and reviled by others. Those who dislike Calvin and his theology are likely to protest on many grounds, but the most common are his view of predestination and an understanding of Calvin as something of a dictator over the town of Geneva. It is not unusual to find people who villify Calvin as nothing short of tyrannical - a despot who let no one and nothing stand in his way. Calvin is most notorious for the situation regarding Servetus, a man who was found guilty of heresy and executed for this belief. Here are a few quotes I found regarding Servetus:
Book Review - Common Grounds (09/18/05 - 0 Comments)
It seems that "theological novels" are becoming increasingly popular. Of course English literature began with a theological novel in the form of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. In more recent years we have seen a series by Richard Belcher that has been quite popular in Reformed circles and Brian McLaren's somewhat notorious series, popular in Emerging Church circles, that began with A New Kind of Christian. A recent addition to this list is Common Grounds written by Glenn Lucke and Ben Young.
Every Dog Has His Day (09/17/05 - 0 Comments)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition (2002) defines the proverb "every dog has his day" as meaning, "Even the lowest of us enjoys a moment of glory." In our culture we often hear about people enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame. What few people realize is that it was none other than Andy Warhol who coined this phrase (or the basis for this phrase) when he said in 1968, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Later, in 1979 he declared that his prediction had come true: "...my prediction from the sixties finally came true: 'In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.'"
Book Review - What's the Deal with Wicca? (09/16/05 - 0 Comments)
Wicca, and witchcraft in general, have seen a great resurgence in interest over the past few years. There are several factors that have contributed to this, not the least of which is the success of the Harry Potter books and movies. Witchcraft is widely-regarded as "just another religion" - one that is not much different from any other. But what sets Wicca apart from the alternative systems of religion is the attraction it has to young people, and young girls in particular. Teens are turning to witchcraft in droves, proudly adopting a system of religion that they feel allows them great freedom.
Friday Frivolity (and a word about RSS) (09/16/05 - 0 Comments)
There is quite a large number of people who read this site through RSS readers. I have no idea how many of you there are as you only rarely make yourselves known. But I know you exist because whenever I post the details of a new giveaway I am immediately inundated by a large number of people signing up - far more than read the site in the span of a few minutes. I think I am rambling. I would like the RSS folk to know that I will be making some changes to the RSS feed later today. I am consolidating the feeds and will be pointing them all to a Feedburner RSS feed. This should make absolutely no difference to you and I do not think you will need to update your settings. However, if you find you are having trouble with the RSS feeds later today or over the next few days, please let me know.
Radical Reformission (Part 6) (09/16/05 - 0 Comments)
This is the sixth article in a series about Mark Driscoll's book The Radical Reformission. You can find the first article here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here and the fifth here. We are reaching the end of the book; all that remains is today's chapter and then the conclusion.
This chapter is an attempt to explain postmodernism. As anyone can attest who has attempted to define such a monster, arriving at a satisfactory explanation is no small feat.
Purposeful Interference - An Update (09/15/05 - 0 Comments)
Some time ago I wrote an article entitled Purposeful Interference in which I claimed that Rick Warren and his representatives within the Purpose Driven organization had suppressed the publication of the book Pyromarketing: The Four Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep them For Life by Greg Stielstra. The article coincided with another brief article dealing with the same subject that was published by Publishers Weekly. The article was widely-read and talked about within other blogs.
Book PREview - Twelve Extraordinary Women (09/14/05 - 0 Comments)
John MacArthur wears a lot of hats. He is a pastor, theologian, author, teacher and president of a seminary. He also speaks at conferences and hosts a daily radio program. I assume he also finds time to spend with his wife and family. While he clearly excels at all of these roles, the one for which most of us know him best is simply as teacher of the Bible. And honestly, I cannot think of any man of this generation who does a better job of expositing the Scriptures. MacArthur has the amazing, God-given ability to make what is difficult seem simple. His years of passionate, careful, deliberate study of the Scripture have served to bring untold blessings to the body of Christ.
Two Much Good News (09/14/05 - 0 Comments)
They say bad news comes in three's. I don't quite know who the "they" are that keep spreading such words of "wisdom," but I've often heard people express this type of superstition. I don't believe it. Yet it seems to me that good news often arrives in bunches. Today I am going to share with you two pieces of good great news. For your reading pleasure I present this news in a handy, tabular format.
Radical Reformission (Part 5) (09/13/05 - 0 Comments)
This is the fourth article in a series about Mark Driscoll's book The Radical Reformission. You can find the first article here, the second here, the third here and the fourth here. Today we arrive at a chapter cryptically entitled "the sin of light beer." As usual the subtitle is more helpful: "how syncretism and sectarianism undermine reformission."
Book PREview - Humility: True Greatness (09/12/05 - 0 Comments)
I've often wondered how I missed out on C.J. Mahaney's books for so long. While I've now read several of them, I did not read the first until earlier this year. And now I'm hooked. I love Mahaney's style of writing in which he blends sound, biblical teaching with humility and just the right amount of humor. I've found his books to be practical, yet not legislative, as if we needed him to dictate every aspect of the reader's life. I was excited, then, to be given a sneak-peek at his upcoming title, Humility: True Greatness. What follows is a short preview of this book, due for release next month.
Book Review - The Deliberate Church (09/12/05 - 0 Comments)
As I closed the cover on this book, having read it over the course of several days, I felt a strange disappointment. This book has no 10-step path to success! It has no baseball diamond model for ministry and no acronym-driven program planning guidebook. Nope. It's just old-fashioned Bible-driven, Spirit-led Christianity. And somehow I let myself feel disappointed by that. I guess I've just read too many market-driven, church growth books that make church into a program, defining it in sexy terms and slick marketing.
Sunday Reflection (09/11/05 - 0 Comments)
This was a particularly busy week for me. I had several hard deadlines I had to meet and only just managed to get the work done. I find that the busier the week, the more I appreciate my day of rest. As I reflected on this, I remembered a hymn written by John Newton. So as I rest, I leave you to ponder "Safely Through Another Week." It is a song of thanks for another week of safety and a song of petition, that we may feel God's presence near to us during the upcoming week.
Movabletype 3.2 (09/10/05 - 0 Comments)
A couple of weeks ago Six Apart released the latest version of Movabletype, the software that lies at the heart of this site and hundreds of thousands of other blogs. The new version, 3.2, offers so many new features that it could almost have been called version 4.0. Here are a few of my favorite features and wishlist of things I would like to see in the future:
DVD Review - Roger Williams - Freedom's Forgotten Hero (09/09/05 - 0 Comments)
Who is Roger Williams? I knew the name and knew something of the man largely because of my reading of and about the Puritans. But I had little idea of his importance to America. This short video, produced by Freedom Research Productions, attempts to set the record straight on a man who was courageous, compassionate and filled with love for God.
DVD Review - Reformation Overview (09/09/05 - 0 Comments)
As Christians living in lands where we enjoy religious freedom we are apt to forget the price that so many have paid for their faith. As Christians with a great wealth of theology at our disposal, we also forget that the faith as we know and love it has been bought with the price of much blood. The history of the church is filled with stories of men and women who advanced our understanding of the Scriptures only at great cost to themselves. Even those who did not sacrifice their lives often paid a terrible price as they were despised and rejected by their peers. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those whom God chose to use in this way.
I Just Don't Want To Get Over It (09/08/05 - 0 Comments)
How does a man say goodbye to his little girls, knowing that he will never see them again? And how does he do so without letting them know that this is the last time they will see their daddy? Does he look them straight in the eyes and affirm his undying love for them, or do words fail him so that he can do little more than hug and kiss them for the last time and then send them on their way? Does he still hold out hope that he will see them again? Or does he know in his heart of hearts that this is the end? Maybe he is so worn down from his long fight with cancer that he can barely feel or express emotion anymore. Maybe he just wants to be gone.
Open Theism in Action (09/07/05 - 0 Comments)
My favorite class in high school was Latin. Strange choice, is it not? The reason I so loved the class was that the teacher, Dr. Helder, formed the lessons in such a way that he made a dead language come alive. He showed us how Latin is alive and well in many areas of our culture, either in terminology or in the roots of other languages. I think he touched on an important principle - that for teaching to be interesting it must also be shown to be relevant.
Radical Reformission (Part 4) (09/07/05 - 0 Comments)
This is the fourth article in a series about Mark Driscoll's book The Radical Reformission. You can find the first article here and the second here and the third here. We are progressing through the book and have arrived at a chapter in which Driscoll begins to apply his understanding of culture and reformission. This chapter, entitled "going to seminary at the grocery store" has the more helpful subtitle, "connecting with culture in reformission." Driscoll begins by providing an example of a cultural disconnect, recounting a time he went to India and was unable to communicate with the people from that culture, not because they are deaf or stupid, but because they speak a different language.
DVD Review - Jihad According to the Quran and the Hadith (09/06/05 - 0 Comments)
Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, there has been an increased interest among Christians in understanding Muslims. As Christians it seems inconceivable that a religion could condone and even celebrate such acts of terrorism. What seems barbaric to us is considered admirable by others. It is in this context that Faith Defenders produced Jihad According to the Quran and the Hadith.
The DVD features Dr. Robert Morey, a Christian apologist who specializes in defending the faith against cults and Islam. Dr. Morey is a well-known and highly-trained apologist who studied under such men as Walter Martin, Francis Schaeffer, Gordon Clark, Van Til and John Murray. It also features brief interviews with Muslims and Islamic converts to Christianity.
Hymn Revival (09/06/05 - 0 Comments)
There is an old phrase which states "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Yet this is no mere cliche when it comes to hymns. Over the past few years worship music has taken the Christian music world by storm. Artist after artist, band after band fed the craze by releasing albums of praise music, some filled with original songs and some with songs that had been previously-recorded. But with such a finite number of songs available, and with so many of them sounding just about the same, this got old quickly. At one point I compiled fully sixteen different versions of "Shout to the Lord." It is a fine song, but it can only be recorded so many times before it begins to lose its lustre.
Infantile Baptism (09/05/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday afternoon my son and I sat down to watch a DVD called Reformation Overview. It is a 6-part presentation covering some of the most important contributors to the Protestant Reformation, and yesterday we watched the segment on the Anabaptists. My son seemed to enjoy it, though I had to distract him from a scene where they showed the torture and death of Michael Sattler (and then described how his wife, Margaretha Sattler, was drowned the next day). Incidentally, while the detail was blessedly toned-down, this is the torture and death Sattler endured after being captured by the Roman Catholic authorities and charged with heresy:
Katrina: The Southern Baptist Response (09/05/05 - 0 Comments)
Much has been said, over the past week, about relief organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. But one major organization which, as far as I know, has received no significant recognition in the media is the Southern Baptist Convention's Disaster Relief organization which is part of the North American Mission Board. What many people do not realize is that the Southern Baptists have the third-largest disaster relief organization in North America (and possibly in the world).
Lessons in Fatherhood (09/04/05 - 0 Comments)
I am in a reflective mood today and since I have been experiencing one of those frustrating times with my children began to think about what it means to be a child of God. I was reminded of an article I wrote a couple of years ago and decided to resurrect it, editing it and adding to it a little bit.
Being a parent is such a profound experience. My children make me want to laugh and cry. They will fill me with love at times and with frustration at other times. I have learned so much about myself and about human nature through being a parent. But that is not all. Parenthood has also taught me so much about God and why He refers to Himself as my Father.
Prayer Request Update (09/03/05 - 0 Comments)
The following was sent to me by Lighthouse Trails Publishing:
At around 1:15am (EDT), Steve Muse's wife, Catherine, passed away quietly and peacefully. She was 49 years old.
The outpouring of prayers, concern and compassion have upheld Steve and his family during these past few difficult days. He is comforted to know that Catherine is in the loving arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
DVD Review - The Story of Eric Liddell (09/03/05 - 0 Comments)
Last month I posted a review of Pure Gold, a wonderful biography of Eric Liddell. Liddell is best known for being the subject of the biographical film Chariots of Fire which traced his rise to prominence in Scotland. Liddell refused to participate in the Olympic race he was favored to win because to do so he would have had to violate his beliefs about the Sabbath. He became a hero to the Scottish nation for winning another event, and a hero to Christians for standing firm in his faith.
More Katrina Links (09/02/05 - 0 Comments)
I'm not going to talk about politics anymore. One of the primary reasons I shy away from sharing my political views on this site is that fewer issues ignite more passion. Unfortunately, politics seems to ignite anger more than anything. So I try to leave the politics to the big guys. I'll stick to theology!
Here are a few Katrina links I've dug up (including some I posted yesterday):
A satellite photograph of Katrina taken as it hit the coast. Take a look and be amazed at the power of God.
Time to Turn Off the Television (09/02/05 - 0 Comments)
I have watched far too much coverage of the Katrina aftermath. In fact, I don't think I have watched so much news coverage since 9/11. I do not have a lot of choice of what to watch, as CNN is the only news outlet in my list of channels that is constantly covering the event. This morning I did spend a bit of time watching coverage on some of the morning news shows.
The Worst Mayor in America (09/02/05 - 0 Comments)
Ray Nagin is the worst mayor in the United States. Or surely close to it. I just finished listening to an interview with this man on WWL radio and am amazed at his inability to show any type of leadership and even to express himself coherently. Only rarely does he formulate a sentence that does not include the word "frikkin'" or that does not end in "man?" He has threatened President Bush and other government leaders with the wrath of God for not doing enough, suggesting that God is looking down on the relief efforts and that Bush is going to pay for not doing more and doing it sooner. His sentences are punctuated with slang and profanity. He is out of control.
Prayer Request Update (09/02/05 - 0 Comments)
A couple of days ago I posted a prayer request for Steve Muse's wife. Here is an update from Steve:
To my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am overwhelmed by your genuine concern and prayers for my wife Catherine. Please allow me to thank all of you for your love and for your continued prayer.
Katrina (09/01/05 - 0 Comments)
I know some people have wondered why I've had nothing to say about Hurricane Katrina. Fact is that I simply don't know what to say. I've spent hours and hours watching CNN just trying to make sense of it all. It is just an incredible catastrophe that seems so out-of-place here in the industrialized world. Isn't this sort of thing supposed to happen in parts of the world most of us will never see?
Beautiful, Reckless Desire (09/01/05 - 0 Comments)
The past twenty-four or forty-eight hours have been the most successful in the history of my company Websonix, at least in terms of sales. I have been literally inundated with work. Of course I am not complaining! Far from it, I am very thankful for the work that has come my way. It has meant, though, that my blogging time has been somewhat reduced as I have several imminent deadlines. I thought of posting an as-yet unfinished article, but wanted to be sure I did it justice. So instead of rushing something to "print," I thought I'd post an article written by a reader (who also happens to be my sister) who pondered what I wrote about sex and intimacy and subsequently wrote down her thoughts. From here on out you're reading Susanna's words.
