December 2006 Archive
King For a Week - titus2talk (12/31/06 - 3 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (in reality it actually tends to be every second week) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my left sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to...
The Death of a Tyrant (12/30/06 - 43 Comments)
"Saddam Hussein, among the world's most brutal dictators, struggled briefly after American military guards handed him over to Iraqi executioners. But as his final moments approached, he grew calm. Dressed in a black coat and trousers, he clutched a Qur'an as he was led to the gallows, and in one final moment of defiance, refused to have a hood pulled over his head. After a quarter-century of remorseless brutality that killed countless thousands and led...
Matters For Prayer (12/29/06 - 5 Comments)
Here are two prayer requests that have come to me via the blogosphere. Rick Phillips at the Reformation 21 blog asks for prayer for Dr. D. James Kennedy. Please pray for Dr. D. James Kennedy, his wife and daughter, and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Dr. Kennedy is in grave condition following a heart attack last evening. Jim's health has deteriorated markedly in the last several months, and he has manfully continued his ministry to the...
Friday Ramblings (12/29/06 - 32 Comments)
Ping! That's the sound of a pin dropping in the blogosphere. My RSS reader has been awfully quiet this week as I suppose the majority of bloggers are taking a break from the usual commitments. Good for them! Most people outside of the retail world are doing little if any work this week, and those of my friends and family who are working keep mentioning that they seem to be the only ones in their...
DVD Review - The Eden String Quartet (12/28/06 - 6 Comments)
The Eden String Quartet is a quartet composed of four members of the Miller family of Oakland, Illinois and a new DVD by Franklin Springs Media tells their story. Krista Miller and Megan Miller Goff play the violin, Therese Miller the viola and Leah Miller the cello. Having played for many years and having received training from highly qualified instructors, they play exceptionally well. The DVD combines documentary segments with a live concert. Songs the...
Christian Theologies of Scripture (12/27/06 - 3 Comments)
Those with an interest in the theology of Scripture may be intrigued by a book published this year by New York University Press. "All religious traditions that ground themselves in texts must grapple with certain questions concerning the texts' authority. Yet there has been much debate within Christianity concerning the nature of scripture and how it should be understood--a debate that has gone on for centuries. Christian Theologies of Scripture traces what the theological giants,...
The "S-Word" (12/26/06 - 21 Comments)
I've often wondered if children in school continue to read Huckleberry Finn. It is a truly great story by a master storyteller and is a book I enjoyed a great deal when we read it in the eighth grade. I can still remember my teacher, who also happened to be the school's principal, reading the story aloud to us and helping us understand it. While it is a great story, it is also one that...
Merry Christmas (12/25/06 - 9 Comments)
It is Christmas. Our day began a little bit earlier than I would have liked, but also a little bit later than I had expected. With our children growing older, we are finally able to celebrate Christmas the way I remember it as a child - a day of rising early and trembling with anticipation, hoping, just hoping, that the toy you wanted most is there, waiting under the tree. Christmas is a great time...
Book Review - Evangelical Hermeneutics (12/24/06 - 20 Comments)
There are some books I can read in an evening or two and feel like I have a good grasp of what the book is all about. There are others that I can pour over hour after hour and still feel like I am only scratching the surface of the book. Evangelical Hermeneutics falls into the latter category. Though not an easy read, this book is rewarding. Hermeneutics is one of the steps used in...
ChurchMerch - The Original Love Song (12/23/06 - 9 Comments)
ChurchMerch is a new feature here at Challies Dot Com. Under this heading I intend to examine some of the merchandise that is being and will be marketed to Christians. I will expand a little bit beyond merchandise and may also examine movies, television shows and other media targeted at the "faith and values" crowd. As this audience grows, so too does the amount of material intended for it and we will no doubt see...
Review - Speaking the Truth in Love (12/22/06 - 6 Comments)
As I began to review Speaking the Truth in Love, a biography of Roger Nicole, I felt uncertain how to introduce the subject. Nicole is a theologian whose impact is felt widely in the church, and yet one whose name is largely unknown. It occurred that David Bailey, the author of the biography, must have felt the same uncertainty. Here is how he chose to introduce Nicole: Do you know Roger Nicole? If you are...
Friday Ramblings (12/22/06 - 6 Comments)
Amazon likes to send me recommendations for books I may enjoy. They obviously check my account to see what I have purchased recently and run some kind of a script to determine what other books I may like based on what I have bought in the past. A couple of days ago I received a tremendously helpful recommendation. "We've noticed that customers who have expressed interest in The Bible or the Axe: One Man's Dramatic...
Prayer and the Empty Hand (12/21/06 - 16 Comments)
Last night our church gathered, divided into small groups, and went door-to-door in the neighborhood surrounding the school in which we meet. We went caroling and delivering copies of a book and an invitation to our Christmas Eve service to each of the homes in the immediate area. On the whole our efforts were well-received. While only a fraction of the people were both home and willing to open their doors, those who did seemed...
The Means to the End (12/20/06 - 30 Comments)
Not too long ago my youngest sister began dating a guy who seems to have made her all twitterpated. Shortly after she started seeing him, she drove up to Canada to spend a few days with my family. I took the opportunity to try to impart some big-brotherly wisdom to her. I told her that I have known a great many couples who began dating as Christians and who set strict limits about how far...
This Strange New World (12/19/06 - 15 Comments)
"An Indian runner who won a silver medal in the women's 800-meter run at the Asian Games earlier this month has failed a gender test and is likely to be stripped of her medal, news reports said Monday." According to many news reports, Santhi Soudarajan, a 25 year-old runner, was made to take a gender test after completing her event and placing second. A panel typically composed of a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, and an internal...
The Rise of Lakewood and Osteen (12/18/06 - 44 Comments)
Biography: An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another. Hagiography: A worshipful or idealizing biography. I suppose it is not always easy to determine where biography ends and hagiography begins. But in the case of The Rise of Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen, I am quite certain Richard Young has crossed the line. Lakewood Church was founded by John and Dodie Osteen on Mother's Day 1959. A former Southern Baptist pastor,...
King for a Week - GospelDrivenLife (12/17/06 - 12 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (in theory) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my left sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to encourage and support other bloggers while making my...
Book Review - Germ (12/16/06 - 6 Comments)
I do not read a lot of fiction. Of the titles I receive, I read only a small number since most do not interest me. Still, when a book looks as good as Germ looks (the cover is really catchy!), when the description mentions that the author's previous book (Comes a Horseman) is being made into a major motion picture and when the current book had six Hollywood producers bidding on it before it was...
Friday Ramblings (12/15/06 - 22 Comments)
William Wilberforce In February of 2007 a film titled Amazing Grace will hit theatres, though only in limited release (and I'd be surprised if it makes it to Canada at all). The movie deals with the life of "the world's greatest reformer," William Wilberforce. Ioan Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John...
The "U" in TULIP (12/14/06 - 122 Comments)
This is the second part of a series I am writing dealing with the doctrines of grace (otherwise known as the five points of Calvinism). I am writing these articles not primarily to rehash the theology of each of the points or to provide an exhaustive apologetic of Calvinism, but to draw some fresh application and to show what these doctrines mean to me as I ponder them and attempt to live in light of...
Why I Do Not Homeschool (Part 2) (12/13/06 - 157 Comments)
Yesterday I began explaining why my wife and I have decided not to homeschool our children (and, hence, why we have decided to place them in public schools). I guess this article struck a nerve since, at last check, there were over 100 comments posted by readers. I received quite a few emails as well. Reaction ranged from "Way to go!" to "You are sacrificing your children to Molech!" You can read the article here....
Why I Do Not Homeschool (Part 1) (12/12/06 - 119 Comments)
For some time now I have been pondering the value of writing about the reasons that wife and I have chosen to have our children educated through the public school system. Public schools are not the only option available to us. We are capable of homeschooling our children--we are both well-educated and each have a university degree. There are homeschooling groups in our town that we could tap into and endless numbers of homeschooling resources...
Guilt For Particular Sins (12/11/06 - 35 Comments)
Yesterday at church we met up with some friends who, having just moved to a new community, are looking for a new church family. They have visited at least a half dozen churches in the area seeking one that honors God and, preferably, is close to home. Their search led them to Grace Fellowship Church where my family attends. As my wife and I drove home, and later as we drove to the home of...
Bishop Jordan (12/10/06 - 31 Comments)
I've run across the name "Bishop Jordan" a few times recently, so decided to look into this man a little bit to see what he is all about. So if you are interested, here is a quick rundown. Bishop E. (Elijah) Bernard Jordan is a self-appointed "Master Prophet" who is founder and Senior Pastor of Zoe Ministries which is located in Brooklyn, New York. He has a television show that appears regularly on B.E.T. and...
Book Review: Touchdown Alexander (12/09/06 - 8 Comments)
Shaun Alexander is undoubtedly one of the best football players in the game today. Though he plays for the Seattle Seahawks, a team that does not get the attention of some of the franchises in the major markets, his name is known to any football fan. Last year he set a new single season touchdown record, scoring an amazing 28 times (though it appears that this record will stand for only one season as LaDainian...
Friday Ramblings (12/08/06 - 15 Comments)
I feel I should apologize about the relatively low quality of the articles I've posted this week. I decided to take a week's "sabbatical" to focus on writing the book. I thought of calling this a vacation, but that didn't seem quite right. In the end I settled on sabbatical since I like the sound of the word and since it makes me feel very professional. I wish I had had the opportunity to take...
John Calvin: His Life and Influence (12/07/06 - 40 Comments)
Depending on the perspective of the individual Christian, John Calvin may either be one of the greatest theologians or the worst charlatans who ever lived. For those who feel Calvin's teachings accurately interpreted the Bible, he is a great teacher and one who rediscovered doctrines of grace that had lay largely dormant for centuries. For those who feel Calvin's teachings are a gross misrepresentation of God's sovereignty and human freedom, Calvin is a deceiver and...
One Punk Under God (12/06/06 - 39 Comments)
Though it seems amazing that it could have been so long ago, it has been 20 years since the Jim Bakker scandal made international headlines. Indicted on federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering, Bakker was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. The sentence was later reduced and after spending less than 5 years behind bars, Bakker was released. But while he was free, his empire was shattered, his marriage over...
Revelation, Inspiration, Illumination (12/05/06 - 10 Comments)
There is a sense in which this blog is, for lack of a better word, living or dynamic. What I mean is that I sometimes write articles and return to them a year or two later and post them again, but only after refining them. As my understanding of various topics increases, I find myself drawn back to certain topics, wanting to improve upon and add to what I wrote in the past. I expect...
To Read Each Word (12/04/06 - 10 Comments)
It seems that I'm always in a hurry. Even when I'm kicking back on the couch to read a book, too often I find myself rushing through the pages. It's not that I do not enjoy reading - it just seems that I am always in a hurry to do whatever is next on my list of things to do. And I always have more things to do. When I read, I'm hurrying through the...
King For A Week - New Attitude (12/03/06 - 5 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (in theory) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my left sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to encourage and support other bloggers while making my...
Quelle Surprise! (12/02/06 - 12 Comments)
Aileen gave herself the best birthday present ever. On her thirtieth birthday she gave birth to our daughter, Michaela Joy. It was a great day, even if we didn't get around to having Aileen's birthday dinner that day. Now that it is my thirtieth birthday I have proven unable to deliver such a great gift for myself. Thankfully, I've got family on my side. This morning at around 10 AM my biggest little sister (Maryanne,...
The Twenties: A Retrospective (II) (12/01/06 - 23 Comments)
(This is part two of an article I began here). I ended the last article with the birth of our first child. It did not take long after the birth of our son to encounter difficulties with our church. I knew nothing of Baptists, but had begun listening to Charles Stanley on my way to work each day and quickly began to respect his passion for the Word and his ability to teach it simply....
