I’m writing this note to draw your attention to a new book titled Restoring Integrity in Baptist Churches, edited by Thomas White, Jason Duesing, and Malclom Yarnell (Kregel, 2008). This book is a collection of essays taken from the “Baptist Distinctives Conference” held on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in September of 2006. Mark Dever, Danny Akin, Greg Wills, David Allen, Malcolm Yarnell, and others are all contributors. The sundry essays address the topics of church membership, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, church discipline, and the priesthood of belivers.
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Caitlin Flanagan’s Remarks on Teenage Sexuality
Anti-feminist Caitlin Flanagan writes in the New York Times about what she would do if her teenage daughter became pregnant out of wedlock. The column is inspired by the movie “Juno” (which produced 3 Golden Globe nominations), and here are some of Flanagan’s observations: “The bitterly unfair truth of sexuality: female desire can bring with it a form of punishment no man can begin to imagine, and so it is one appetite women and girls must always regard with caution.”
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Huckabee on SBC Complementarianism
In last night’s GOP debate (transcript), Mike Huckabee was asked about his support of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) statement of faith, which explicitly affirms complementarian principles. The following is a video of the exchange, but I have also included a transcript of the same at the bottom of this post.
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CBMW’s half-day conference for Fathers and Sons
John Piper is encouraging attendees of the 2008 Desiring God pastors conference to bring their father and son and the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is doing the same for its annual pre-conference event. CBMW will examine the topic of women in ministry at its annual “Different by Design” half-day conference to be held from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 4 at the Minneapolis Hilton, prior to the pastors conference.
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What Evangelism Isn’t
An excerpt from Pastor Mark Dever’s new book on evangelism appears today in Christianity Today online. You can read the excerpt here. You can order the book here. In the excerpt, Dever says this: “Who can deny that much modern evangelism has become emotionally manipulative, seeking simply to cause a momentary decision of the sinner’s will, yet neglecting the biblical idea that conversion is the result of the supernatural, gracious act of God toward the sinner?
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Huckabee on Homosexuality on ‘Meet the Press’
Governor Mike Huckabee appeared on “Meet the Press” this morning (Barack Obama was on as well), and Tim Russert threw a string of “faith” questions at him. You can read the transcript here, or you can listen to the entire interview below. The faith questions occur near the end (at 20:57-29:16). [audio:http://msnbcpod.rd.llnwd.net/e1/audio/podcast/pd_mtp-12-30-2007-094559.mp3] This is a fascinating interview in which Huckabee comments on abortion, homosexuality, the first amendment, separation of church and state, and more. I will comment on one item that I thought was very interesting. Russert asked Huckabee, “Do you believe you’re born gay or you choose to be gay?”
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The Incarnation
There is hardly anything more mysterious and wonderful to me than the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God became a man. Jesus Christ is at once fully God and fully man. God took on mortal human flesh and became subject to all the things that every other mortal is subject to. He sneezed. He coughed. He got headaches and an upset stomach. Every morning he got up, shook the dust out of His hair, and served His Father faithfully.
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Joel Osteen Again Falls Short of Christian Orthodoxy
Joel Osteen is a false teacher (see previous posts). I think he’s sincere about his beliefs, but that only makes his ministry all the more tragic and dangerous. Unfortunately, Osteen demonstrated again this weekend why his commitment to Christian orthodoxy is often questioned. In an interview with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” the following exchange occurred. (Click the play button and read along with the transcript.) [audio:Osteen-FNS.mp3]
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The Gospel according to Judas Debunked
Earlier this year I wrote about the so-called “Gospel according to Judas” that was being rolled out by the National Geographic Society (click here to read post). I pointed out then that this heretical document was being introduced to the public when it was for publicity reasons. The lead-up to Easter is attended annually by hucksters who like to exploit the holy season to peddle their religious (or in this case, irreligious) wares. What was surprising at the time was that the respected National Geographic Society and some noted scholars had gotten caught up in the hype.
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John Piper: When Satan Hurts Christ’s People
Christ is so good to us. He gives us promises and hope even in the midst of pain and loss. This is the subject matter of a little essay by John Piper that appeared on the Desiring God website today. Piper writes: