The Archbishop of Canterbury on the Royal Wedding

I don't mean to cut down a tall poppy, but I think the Archbishop missed the whole theological point, symbol and 'mystery' of marriage: YouTube - The Archbishop of Canterbury on the Royal Wedding:

Speaking in a short film produced by Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury talks about the sense of hopefulness and generosity which lie at the heart of marriage, and what this also tells us about the 'mystery' and 'delight' which can be found in this life-time commitment.

Prominent Religious Leaders Debate God and Government

The American ABC interviewed Keller: Prominent Religious Leaders Debate God and Government - ABC News:

"At the very least, we should be creating individuals who know how to talk civilly,' said Pastor Tim Keller, who based himself in New York City with the mission of spreading the gospel to a city better known for stone-cold competition rather than Christian brotherhood.

Urban Legends: The Preacher’s Edition

I have heard of a few of these: Urban Legends: The Preacher’s Edition : Kingdom People:

Here are a number of urban legends that get repeated in sermons. Some are more pervasive than others, even appearing in commentaries and scholarly works.

Nero in Beijing — The Communist Party Declares War on Christians

Quite an interesting fact in China: AlbertMohler.com – Nero in Beijing — The Communist Party Declares War on Christians:

One dimension of the Communist Party’s idolatry is that it allows no mediating institutions between its power and the individual. It greatly fears these organizations, especially the church.

One reason — Christians in China now outnumber members of the Community Party.

Longing and Looking for a Good King

At the moment I am spending a lot of time in 1 Sam 8 for an exegetical paper and so I liked this post: Longing and Looking for a Good King – The Gospel Coalition Blog:

It’s not enough to have a king with the proper line of succession, or with the legal right to rule; people want a good king. They want a king with some dignity, who doesn’t bare a checkered past of divorce and sex scandals. And it’s not just the king’s subjects who care. Hundreds of millions around the world will be watching tomorrow.

The Proclamation Trust

A 2007 conference has just released their audio for free, including talks by Tim Keller and Dick Lucas: EMA 2007 | The Proclamation Trust:

What does it really mean to live and minister as an Evangelical in our times? Now free for the first time, Defining Times, the 2007 Evangelical Ministry Assembly is available as an mp3 download.

Differences Between Jesus and the Levitical High Priests

I like the book of Hebrews, this is a good table of information on the: Differences Between Jesus and the Levitical High Priests – Justin Taylor

Read Christ Alone, the First Book to Respond to Rob Bell’s Love Wins

The first book out responding to Bell: Read Christ Alone, the First Book to Respond to Rob Bell’s Love Wins:

In this highly readable and wonderfully engaging response (really, it’s a good read) to Rob Bell’s New York Times best seller Love Wins, Michael E. Wittmer examines Bell’s claims about “heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived” in the light of the Bible and historic Christian doctrine.

Why Conservative Churches Are Growing: David Brooks and the Limits of Sociology

Churches that make demands of people and say what is right and wrong last longer then liberal churches: AlbertMohler.com – Why Conservative Churches Are Growing: David Brooks and the Limits of Sociology:

The only problem with “The Book of Mormon” (you realize when thinking about it later) is that its theme is not quite true. Vague, uplifting, nondoctrinal religiosity doesn’t actually last. The religions that grow, succor and motivate people to perform heroic acts of service are usually theologically rigorous, arduous in practice and definite in their convictions about what is True and False.

A comparison chart of evangelistic courses

this is pretty useful: A comparison chart of evangelistic courses | Communicate Jesus:

I discovered a comparison chart of the following 6 courses – you can download the chart here.

Lloyd-Jones on video preaching

Blog - Redeemer City to City:

Dr. Lloyd-Jones effectively dismantles the idea that watching a video or listening to an audio of a sermon is as good as coming physically into an assembly and listening to a sermon with a body of people. It is obviously a good thing if a person who never hears or reads the Bible listens to the recording of a good gospel message and is helped by it. But the Doctor argues that people experience the sermon in a radically different way if they hear it together with a body of listeners and if they see the preacher. Watching on a screen or listening as you walk detaches you and the sermon becomes mere information, not a whole experience. There is a power and impact that the media cannot convey.

Variety within Calvinism

Variety within Calvinism | Jesus Creed:

Noticeably absent, in my opinion, among the many criticisms of Rob Bell on the part of the NeoReformed crowd was much attention to election or predestination — Rob Bell is strong on free will, but I heard very few of his critics score him on that account, and I heard no one defend double predestination, which in many ways solves most — if not all — the problems Rob Bell is seeking to resolve.

Social media will play a part in the second comming

This is a bit western and narrow. What about people in the third world that don't even have electricity? Hal Lindsey Redux | Jesus Creed:

“The Bible says that every eye is going to see [the second coming],” Graham told “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour. “How is the whole world going to see [Jesus Christ] all at one time? I don’t know, unless all of a sudden everybody’s taking pictures and it’s on the media worldwide. I don’t know. Social media could have a big part in that.”

For Those Who Rail Against Hell

Hell is hard to preach/talk about: For Those Who Rail Against Hell:

From the outset, let’s acknowledge that hell is a hard doctrine to digest—perhaps the hardest doctrine. It stretches our puny human minds to comprehend how divine justice responds to human guilt. We naturally resist the idea of God tormenting human beings in a lake of fire for all eternity. If you’ve never struggled with those issues, you’ve probably not thought deeply or seriously enough about hell. If you have struggled, you’re not alone; some of God’s choicest saints have shared your experience:

Did Christ ever descend to hell?

Grudem in his Systematic Theology has a whole series of arguments coming to the same conclusion that Piper comes to: Did Christ ever descend to hell? - Desiring God:

So I don't say that phrase 'he descended into hell' when I recite the Apostle's Creed. But study it yourself and see whether you think there are other foundations for it. As for me, though, I would say that the foundation for that particular sentence in the Apostle's Creed is pretty weak biblically.