Covered in Hot Gravy

Covered in Hot Gravy:

Uptight food scruples, as they commonly operate in the church today, are an insult to justification by faith alone, the principal glory of which is table fellowship (Gal. 2:14-16). Pastors should be far more jealous on the point than they are. But confronting food divisions within a congregation takes courage, and we think the apostle Paul used all of that kind of courage up.

Organized religion 'will be driven toward extinction' in 9 countries, experts predict

I thought they were saying the same thing about religion 100 years ago. No mention of South Korea which I thought bucks this trend: Organized religion 'will be driven toward extinction' in 9 countries, experts predict – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs:

Organized religion will all but vanish eventually from nine Western-style democracies, a team of mathematicians predict in a new paper based on census data stretching back 100 years.

Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics

Very interesting, although maybe a bit sensational in the paragraph below: BBC News - Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics:

They could be the earliest Christian writing in existence, surviving almost 2,000 years in a Jordanian cave. They could, just possibly, change our understanding of how Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and how Christianity was born.

Okay, Two More

9marks on Bell again: Okay, Two More | 9Marks:

the point is simply that Bell’s book itself is full of examples of this kind of dishonest caricature and mocking ridicule of Christian and Jewish doctrine. So if Bell's supporters are going to make the pointing out of snark, passion, and 'meanness' one of the main issues for discussion, they need to consider carefully that that's going to cut both ways.

Tinkerbell Christianity

A good read: Tinkerbell Christianity:

For the last fifty years, we have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on crusades, television and radio broadcasts, concerts and outreaches trying to get as many people as we possibly can to “believe” in Jesus. We have told millions of people that if they just “acknowledge Jesus as their savior, they will be saved!”

Really??

Free Will: A Primer

I wonder if the last line is too strong?: Free Will: A Primer – Justin Taylor

Proof that God Exists! Or Doesn't!

What proof do you need to believe in God?, or what does God need to do to prove himself?: YouTube - Proof that God Exists! Or Doesn't! - Penn Point (its a Penn Point, so a language warning always applies)

David Platt: “Do We Really Believe What We’re Saying?”

David Platt: “Do We Really Believe What We’re Saying?” – Justin Taylor:

A powerful challenge for those critiquing universalism—we must fight not only “intellectual universalism” (taught by “others”) but also “functional universalism” (modeled by many of us)

Two Cents, and Not a Penny More, on Love Wins. | 9Marks

My "Blog This" app wasn't working when this whole Bell thing came about, but here is yet another review of Love Wins. It is a bit over my head with some of the Greek comments: Two Cents, and Not a Penny More, on Love Wins. | 9Marks:

Pointing these things out isn't just a matter of 'picking on' Bell, either. It's a matter of doing our best to make sure little errors don't become part of our atmosphere. Otherwise, before we know it we'll have people in our churches saying, as if everybody knows it already, that Luther was a universalist and that the Bible doesn't have a concept of 'forever.' So in the interest of preventing that, here are just a handful of the things that Bell gets flat wrong in his book.

If a Charlie Sheen Rant Were a War

If a Charlie Sheen Rant Were a War:

The current action in Libya is ill-defined, unconstitutional, muddled, and being made up as we go along. If a Charlie Sheen rant were a war, this is what it would look like. But our military, in the main an extraordinarily competent organization, is trying to divine a coherent mission from the White House and State Department chaos, and is trying to execute something sensible. Good luck to them, says I.

Jesus, the Law, Divorce, and Remarriage

Driscoll on marriage: Jesus, the Law, Divorce, and Remarriage | Sermon Notes, Luke #67 | The Mars Hill Blog:

You need to be very careful who you marry. For those of you who are single, the second most important decision you will ever make is who you marry. (The first important decision you will ever make is which God you will worship.)

A Theological Conversation Worth Having: A Response to Brian McLaren

Mohler and McLaren on Bell's new book: AlbertMohler.com – A Theological Conversation Worth Having: A Response to Brian McLaren

Obams Away!

Both sides still go to war, and its still over oil: Obams Away!:

If George Bush were the epitome of conservative foreign policy, then Obama's quiet adoption of his policies would say something profound. Gitmo is still open, the Patriot Act is still here, rendition still occurs, and so on. But the logic can work the other way too. Let us ask it this way: is Obama more of a true blue leftist than Bush was a true blue conservative? If so, then maybe the comparisons should be going the other way. Maybe Obama is being less inconsistent than some of his predecessors.

Breaking Free of the Matrix

A good article on manhood: Breaking Free of the Matrix:

So thinking about this movie, it dawned on me that we have men today that are living in the matrix where they are not living real lives; rather they are living a virtual life that is only pretend or imagined. Understand that there are two major things a man desires: first, is to be a hero and succeed in life and second, to be sexually fulfilled. I dare say that both these things are increasingly being lived out and experience by men only at a “virtual” level via video games and pornography on screens.

Fountain Pens and Signing Ceremonies

Fountain Pens and Signing Ceremonies:

Christians who believe the Bible invented free societies. Secularists who worry about fundamentalist Christians sneaking in to spy out their liberties are like a prodigal son, buying drinks for the house, secretly worrying that his father will break into his room that night in order to steal all his money.

When did baptists become paedobaptists?

This is a response to another post about child baptism: When did baptists become paedobaptists? | 9Marks:

Here’s 9 (it had to be nine!) reasons why it is a bad idea to baptise people before they are at least approaching adulthood.