John Starke’s interview with Fred Sanders over at the Gospel Coalition is a really good read. I think it demonstrates the fraternity that can exist between brothers who differ with one another over the doctrines of grace. I welcome the warm expressions that Sanders offers towards Calvinists, and I would simply reply that the feeling is mutual. There was one section from the interview that I thought worthy of highlighting. Starke asks Sanders to complete the following sentence: “If you think Arminianism is semi-Pelagian, then…” Sanders replies:

David Platt has some helpful remarks about the “Sinners Prayer” dust-up that has captured the attention of many Southern Baptists over the last few months. Platt also comments on the “Sinner’s Prayer” resolution that was adopted at the SBC in New Orleans last week. No one should be surprised that he voted in favor of the resolution. He writes:

Yesterday, I sat for interview about complementarianism on the Janet Mefferd program. Janet had followed the online conversation between me and Rachel Held Evans and was interested to explore whether or not complementarianism really is patriarchy. I gave her my opinion on that question as we discussed a number of biblical passages. You can download the interview here or listen to it below. Interview with Janet Mefferd [audio:http://media.townhallstore.com/jm/rs/jm_rs_20120621-3_Thu_fb5701da-d6a0-4dc6-97dd-42eda28b0331_radio-show_Hi.mp3] It’s very difficult to say everything that needs to be said on a topic like this one in a single interview. I recently preached an expositional sermon at my church on Ephesians 5 that gives a more systematic presentation of the Bible’s…

Michael Foust of the Baptist Press does a fantastic job summarizing the conversation that Southern Baptists are having about the doctrine of salvation. As is well-known by now, recent dialogue has been focused on responding to the “Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation.” Foust overviews responses and rejoinders from Albert Mohler, Jerry Vines, Malcolm Yarnell, Eric Hankins, Chris Roberts , Roger Olson, Bob Hadley, Tom Ascol, and Dave Miller. For those of you who haven’t had time to follow the countless blog posts and rejoinders related to this debate, Foust is your one-stop spot to catch up on the heart of the discussion. Read…

Do dead saints praise the Lord? The Psalmist says that they don’t. Read for yourself from Psalm 115:17-18: The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence; But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD! For those of us grew up in churches that teach about saints praising God in the afterlife, this text can come across as quite a jolt. It reads as if departed saints are just dead. No praise. No afterlife. Just dead.

Tim Challies offers a counterpoint to John Piper’s claim that Christianity has a “masculine feel.” Challies writes: John Piper sparked quite a storm with his biographical message on the “frank and manly” J. C. Ryle. One of his conclusion was that Christianity is meant to have a masculine feel to it… I find that I do not agree. For those of you who are given to over-reaction, just breathe—I am allowed to disagree and I’m sure Piper is just fine with people disagreeing. If you don’t have a category for charitable disagreement on secondary matters, you need to develop one! I still love the man, but want to offer an…

When I was in seminary, Dr. Howard Hendricks used to tell us what he thought about preachers who wanted to make the Bible relevant. He thundered, “The Bible’s not irrelevant! You’re irrelevant!” What he was trying to tell us also applies to preachers who desire to mitigate what they find boring in the Bible. The Bible’s not boring! You’re boring! The point is that as communicators we should strive to have a delivery that serves and reflects the message we wish to preach. And boring sermons say in a non-verbal way something profoundly untrue about God’s word.