I noticed this morning that there is a new entry on Ergun Caner’s blog in which he defines hyper-Calvinism. I guess he felt compelled to define this term since he keeps referring to James White as a hyper-Calvinist. Caner defines a hyper-Calvinist as having two characteristics: (1) hyper-Calvinists believe in “reprobation” and (2) I quote, “If anyone believes that there is even the possibility of an infant (‘non-elect’) going to hell, that would be clear hyper Calvinism.” I don’t understand why Caner defines hyper-Calvinism this way. Historically, hyper-Calvinism has been marked by two characteristics: (1) a refusal to offer the gospel to all without distinction, and (2) a minimization of…
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Caners vs. Calvinism
I was looking forward to hearing the debate over Calvinism that was to take place in Lynchburg, Virginia this month. Ergun and Emir Caner were set to take on Tom Ascol and James White on the perennial evangelical dispute over the biblical doctrines of Grace. The Caners were going to argue against the Calvinist position, and Ascol and White were to argue in favor of it. Sadly, the debate has been cancelled just two weeks before the event was to take place. Apparently, the debate moderator changed the terms of the debate without getting permission from both sides to do so. This was most unfortunate as the two sides went…
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What about Mark Foley?
As the news was all abuzz last week with reports about lurid e-mails and text-messages, I’m sure it seemed strange to some that I had no reflections to offer on the Mark Foley scandal. Indeed one commenter on this blog questioned why I was so silent on this very public and political spectacle.The truth of the matter is, I was just trying to sort it all out. All last week, just when I’d thought I gotten a handle on the story, some new revelation would come to light, and I would have to start from scratch in trying to put all the pieces together.
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No Good Options on North Korea
It’s late tonight (1:09am), but I have been glued to the coverage of the news out of southeast Asia. North Korea claims to have successfully tested a nuclear weapon. There is no definitive confirmation yet, but the U. S. and South Korea say they detected seismic activity in the area of the test. What are the options for the U. S. and its allies in addressing this new threat? Well, it would appear that there are no good options. Any military solution the U. S. might consider would result in a destabilization of the region. 1,000,000 North Korean soldiers would probably march right across the DMZ, and there would be…
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Are You Ready for Speaker Pelosi?
Is it time to hand Congress over to liberal leadership? If the Republicans lose their majority in the House of Representatives this November, Nancy Pelosi, liberal Democrat from San Francisco, will become the next Speaker of the House. The Associated Press reports what she has promised to do in her first 100 hours as Speaker.The most troubling tidbit in this report is not her promises to roll-back the Bush tax-cuts and to raise taxes (though who could possibly be very excited about that prospect?). The most distressing part is her vow to broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds and to do so with what she…
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The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals
Christianity Today has compiled a list of the “The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals.” The fifty books they selected are billed as the “Landmark titles that changed the way we think, talk, witness, worship, and live.” What book do you think would be number one on a list like this one? If you guessed C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, you would be wrong (#3). You would also be wrong if you guessed J. I. Packer’s Knowing God (#5), Carl Henry’s Uneasy Conscience (#15), or even John Piper’s Desiring God (#39). The number one book that has shaped modern evangelicals is Learning Conversational Prayer by Rosalind Rinker.
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North Korea’s Turn on the Axis of Evil
In his now famous 2002 State of the Union speech, President Bush warned of an “Axis of Evil” that threatens the security of the world with weapons of mass destruction. The “Axis” included Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. In hindsight, we can all see the President was right. Of course the Iraqi regime is no longer a threat, but Iran and North Korea still are. Both Iran and North Korea are seeking to obtain nuclear weapons.
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John Piper at “Above All Earthly Powers”
I have eagerly anticipated the release of the messages from the 2006 Desiring God National Conference, “Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in the Postmodern World.” The conference was held just this past weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John Piper, my favorite preacher on planet earth, was one of the keynote speakers, and the audio and the transcript of his message is now available for download. Dr. Piper’s text was John 17:13, and the sermon is titled “The Supremacy of Christ and Joy in a Postmodern World” (transcript, mp3) He argues that true joy in God must be founded on true knowledge of God. To the degree that the…
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The Confessions of a Fundamissional Dean
I cannot commend to you highly enough two messages from Dr. Russell Moore, Senior Vice-President at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “The Kingdom of God in the Wal-Mart Break Room: Poverty, Partiality, and the Perils of a Gentrified Christianity” “Confessions of a Fundamissional Dean” The first message is a sermon that Dr. Moore preached in August in Southern Seminary’s chapel. The second is a lecture that he gave at an event sponsored by the Theology School Council, also at Southern Seminary. The two talks are linked by a common theme: that certain sectors of evangelical and Southern Baptist life have become elitist. He sees this problem not only among some…
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I Steam, You Steam, We All Steam at Osteen
Well, maybe we’re not that mad at Joel Osteen, but Greg Gilbert’s new review of Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now, reminds us of why we are appalled at his version of “Christianity.” Greg Gilbert describes Osteen’s work this way: It should be noted clearly and widely that there is nothing Christian about this book. Yes, Osteen talks about God throughout, but it is not the God of the Bible he has in mind. Osteen’s God is little more than the mechanism that gives the power to positive thinking. There is no cross. There is no sin. There is no redemption or salvation or eternity. . . If Joel Osteen…