Have you seen any of Pastor Rob Bell’s “NOOMA” videos? I first viewed a few of them a few years ago when a friend from church brought them to me and said that I needed to watch them. They are impressive in terms of production, and compelling in terms of Rob Bell’s delivery of the material. They are short, hip, punchy sermonettes that do a good job of reaching the pomo set. Greg Gilbert has written a 3-part review of the videos that is now available at the blog for 9Marks.org. Gilbert ends up being extremely critical of the videos because of their lack (and sometimes distortion of) gospel content.…
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Were the Invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq Just?
My friend Scot McKnight posed a fair question in the comments section of a previous post (comment #65), and I think a proper response deserves a new post. Here’s Scot’s question: “Do you really believe our invasion of either Afghanistan or Iraq was just war?” Before answering the question, I need to clear the decks with a couple of clarifications. First, please note that Scot is not asking whether I hold to some form of the just war position. He’s a pacifist and knows that I am not. He is not asking me to justify just war theory. He’s asking if these two particular invasions can be reconciled with the…
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Against Music
Greg Gilbert has written a must-read essay/exhortation titled “Against Music.” I second everything he says in this one. Here’s an excerpt: ‘I am really afraid that we’ve managed to create a generation of anemic Christians who are spiritually dependent on excellent music. Their sense of spiritual well-being is based on feeling “close to God,” their feeling close to God is based on their “ability to worship,” and being able to worship depends on big crowds singing great music.
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Watching the Super Bowl to the Glory of God
C. J. Mahaney has written some instructions about how to watch the Super Bowl to the glory of God, and I have copied them below. His remarks in this regard comprise but a portion of a larger essay titled “Thoughts on Super Bowl XLII.” Except for his intolerably heterodox disdain for the Dallas Cowboys, the rest of the essay is well worth the read.
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Richard Land’s Criswell Theological Lectures
Dr. Richard Land has been on the campus of Criswell College giving our annual Criswell Theological Lectures. Dr. Land’s subject matter derives from material contained in his new book The Divided States of America?. Audio recordings of the lectures are available here, or on the Jerry Johnson Live podcast. A local Fox News reporter came to campus during Dr. Land’s first lecture to tape a story about evangelicals and the current presidential election. The story features Dr. Land, his new book, and some students from the College. I saw the piece on television last night, and the video is available online here. Dr. Land delivered his third and final lecture…
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Christian Unity with Islam?
In 2007, 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals unanimously came together to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam. The document that they produced is titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” and it declares that “love of God” and “love of neighbor” are points of unity between Christianity and Islam. A group from Yale Divinity School drafted a response in late 2007 titled, “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You.” The response has been endorsed by over 300 Christian scholars and leaders, many of whom are associated with the evangelical movement in North America. The evangelical endorsements include…
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Hold Them Back
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is a national observation and affirmation of life. This observance coincides with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ruling which made abortion legal on January 22, 1973. Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is usually observed on the Sunday that is closest to the January 22 anniversary. My church observed on last Sunday, and what follows is the lesson that I taught there in my Bible Study class.
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First Human Clones Created in California
The Associated Press and NBC News reports that a group of scientists in a California lab have recently created embryonic clones of two men. The embryos were created in a lab using a donated human egg and DNA material from human skin cells. What’s the value of this new technology? According to the AP report, “Scientists say stem cells from cloned embryos could provide a valuable tool for studying diseases, screening drugs and, perhaps someday, creating transplant material to treat conditions like diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.” The ethical questions raised by this development are manifold. It is a staggering devaluing of human life. These human beings are being created with…
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Revival of Calvinism in the SBC
Christianity Today reports today on a revival of Calvinism within the Southern Baptist Convention. According to the report, only 10% of SBC pastors are Calvinists. But the number of recent seminary graduates holding to Calvinism is at about 30%. “Long considered more Arminian in orientation—emphasizing an individual’s need to respond to the gospel rather than God’s election in salvation—the nation’s largest Protestant denomination is grappling with doctrines of grace and election amid a seminary-led revival.”
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Should a Woman Be President?
I am a regular podcaster of Dr. Albert Mohler’s daily radio program. On Tuesday, Dr. Mohler discussed whether Christians should be concerned with the prospect of having a woman as head of state. He and callers discussed how God-ordained roles for men and women are to be realized in the secular world. You can hear the show by clicking on the following “play” button: [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/MP3/totl/2008/AMP_01_15_2008.mp3]