Considering Total Church

I’ve come across Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community via the internet.  A growing number of church planters are utilizing the concept.  Steve Timmis, one of the authors of the book, is the new director of Acts 29 Europe.  The San Diego Church Planters’ Boot Camp, hosted by Kaleo, was on Total [...]

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Considering Straw Men

Polemical Theology, whether in written or verbal form, can quickly descend into some ungodly places.  Name calling, anger and refusing to listen to what another actually says are evidence of a lack of love.
Another form of “unfair” dispute is the use of the straw man argument.  Here is a good, quick definition:
A straw man argument [...]

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Considering Books on Justifcation

Since I’m preaching through Galatians, one of the topics or themes is justification: how we are in a right relationship with God.  It is the main idea of the letter since they had fallen prey to false teachers with hetero-gospels.
I thought it would be a good time to list my recommendations for books on the [...]

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Piper’s Finally Alive Available

Yes, John Piper has another new book out (I’m already behind).  It is called Finally Alive, and it explores the biblical doctrine of regeneration, being born again.  This is a much needed book since there is so much misunderstanding about what it means, and how it radically affects our lives.
You can look at sample pages.
Not [...]

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Considering Calvin and the Free Offer of the Gospel

One of the controversies that has sadly plagued those who embrace Calvin as one of the more astute and faithful theologians concerns the “free offer of the gospel.”  Some followers of Calvin, a minority of them, reject the free offer of the gospel.  They believe, erroneously, that the gospel is only to be offered to [...]

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Considering Books on Prayer

Steve McCoy did a Big 5 on Prayer. 
Here are some of my favorite books on prayer:

Pray with Your Eyes Open by Richard Pratt.  A great book by one of my professors that helps you to utilize Scripture in expanding your prayer life.  With a study guide included it works with small groups and Sunday School.  [...]

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Considering Nominal Christians

Henry Scougal gets to the heart of nominal Christianity in his book The Life of God in the Soul of Man.  This book is foundational for the ministries of such godly men as George Whitefield and John Piper.
“Men are unwilling to quarrel with the religion of their country, and since all their neighbors are Christians, [...]

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Considering Deaconesses

A few years ago, the ARP was in the process of evaluating (and eventually affirming) our statement on Women in the Church when explained why we do not ordain women as elders, and why the issue of women deacons is left up to the Session of each congregation.  There are some in the ARP that [...]

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Considering the Summer Sale

WTS Books is having a summer sale until 7/30, so you had better hurry up!  They offer flat rate shipping and books are 50% off, so now is the time to buy!  I just wish I had a book allowance to enjoy this great opportunity   However, if enough of you, my fair readers, [...]

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Band of Brothers: My Answers

To be fair, I thought I’d put down how God brought me to embrace Reformed Theology as the most consistent understanding of biblical theology.

What was the first book you read that introduced you to Reformed Theology?   That would be Packer’s Knowing God, though I didn’t know it at the time.  I had been a Christian [...]

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Considering Piper and Chandler

I listened to a great Q&A from the Resurgence Conference: Text and Context with John Piper and Matt Chandler.  It was an interesting dynamic.  Mark Driscoll was the one asking the questions, with some commentary.  John Piper is in his 60’s and Matt Chandler is in his 30’s.  They are in very different places in [...]

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Preparing for Surgery

Assuming all goes well, and CavSon does not get sick, he will have surgery tomorrow.  His palate will be repaired, his lip scar touched up and tubes put in his ears.  It is outpatient surgery, so barring complications he and I will be there less than 24 hours.  I’ll be spending the night with him [...]

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Considering Revivalism

Iain Murray traces the development of Revivalism in Revival & Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism.  Three factors are most important in the development of revivalism as distinct from revival: the Kentucky revivals, Dr. Nathaniel Taylor and Charles Finney.
The story begins in Kentucky during the revivals during the Second Great Awakening (early 1800s).  [...]

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Considering Driscoll on Revival

I forgot Iain Murray’s book at home so my post on Revivalism will have to wait.  But while checking a few blogs I ran across this recent interview with Mark Driscoll.  In this section he addresses the question of revival and the remarkable growth experienced by Mars Hill and some other Acts 29 churches.
JV: Do [...]

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Considering the Fog of Leadership

A few months ago I had to put together a CD of sermons for the search committee of a church.  I took a chance, a calculated risk.  Among the sermons on the disc was one I preached over a year ago about the future of our now-defunct congregation.  I likened my present state of mind [...]

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Considering Ethnic Badges and the Gospel

I think this will be my final post on The Future of Justification: a Response to N.T. Wright by John Piper.  I think it is more of an assessment than a response.  Piper does a good job of laying out N.T. Wright’s distinctive views on these issues, and then weighing them.  Piper does more than [...]

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Considering Paul and 2nd-Temple Judaism

N.T. Wright builds much of his case on “Second-Temple Judaism”, arguing that it has been mischaracterized by many and that Paul is in agreement with “Second-Temple Judaism”.  John Piper summarizes those claims in the 9th chapter of The Future of Justification.
“According to Wright, the term “works of the law” referred not to law-keeping in general, but [...]

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Considering N.T. Wright & Imputed Righteousness

In the 8th chapter of The Future of Justification, Piper asks the question of whether or not N.T. Wright is merely using different terminology to say the same thing as the Reformed heritage from whence he comes.  The question ends up revolving around what he means by “basis” when saying that the basis of our [...]

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Considering Works and Righteousness

In the 7th chapter of The Future of Justification, John Piper looks at the basis of justification in N.T. Wright’s writings.  Wright talks about our present justification on the basis of faith, and our future justification on the basis of works.  It is important that we understand what he means by this, if possible.
Romans 2:13 [...]

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Considering Righteousness and Justification

In the 4th chapter of The Future of Justification, John Piper continues to assess N.T. Wright’s use and application of the law-court dynamics.  The first problem he encounters here is that Wright fails to come to terms with the omniscience (all-knowledge) of the Judge.  In God’s law-court we have to deal with an omniscient and [...]

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