When I first read news yesterday of Pat Robertson’s remarks about Haiti, I couldn’t believe that he had done it again (e.g., here, here, and here). The news report that I read said that he attributed the earthquake to a divine “curse.” Reading further, I found that his “curse” remark actually had more context–a context which only seemed to amplify the offense not lessen it. Read his remarks for yourself below, or watch the video above.
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Russell Moore on the Social Gospel
Russell Moore has a great piece on the social gospel in the latest 9Marks journal. Among other things, he asks and answers the question whether the emerging church represents a revival of the social gospel. He writes: “The doctrinal left wing of the ’emerging’ movement isn’t clarifying the doctrinal content of Christianity, but using, it seems, cunning words to downplay this doctrinal content in order to substitute a social program there instead. This can—and has—happened on the political right as well as on the political left, and with the same kind of wreckage left in its wake. . . “Let’s remember that the gospel is social but the social gospel…
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Air-Conditioning Hell
Albert Mohler says “embarrassment is the gateway drug for theological accommodation and denial.” The line appears in his article in the latest issue of the 9Marks journal, “Air Conditioning Hell: How Liberalism Happens.” Mohler argues that many evangelicals slip into liberalism simply because they are ashamed of certain doctrines. He enumerates four phases of backsliding that evangelicals go through on their way to liberalism. First, a doctrine simply falls from mention. Second, a doctrine is revised and retained in reduced form. Third, a doctrine is subjected to a form of ridicule. Fourth, a doctrine is reformulated in order to remove its intellectual and moral offensiveness. This is a really helpful…
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Piper’s Message at Angola Prison
In November, John Piper wrote about his experience at Angola Prison in Louisiana. This prison has only murderers, rapists, armed robbers and habitual felons. The average sentence is 88 years, and 90 percent of the inmates will die there. Nevertheless, there is a wonderful move of God going on among the prisoners. Piper’s message to and Q&A with the inmates is now available. You can watch both of them below.
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John Piper on Twitter
In this video, John Piper has a short exhortation about using Twitter. He also explains that he writes his own Tweets. Watch above or read the transcript here. You can follow Piper’s Tweets at @JohnPiper.
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Read the Greek NT in One Year
Below is a schedule for reading the New Testament over the course of a year. For the most part, it tracks pretty closely with Lee Irons’ excellent schedule for reading the Greek New Testament in a year. My plan, however, varies a little bit. Because John’s writing is simpler Greek, my schedule goes through John’s Gospel at a faster pace than Irons’. As a result, there are no readings scheduled at the end of the year from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. These open dates at the end can be used as catch-up days. The schedule is given in two formats below. DOC – Read the Greek NT in…
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My Plan To Read the Bible in 2010
In years past, my usual mode for reading the Bible through every year involved starting in Genesis and reading right through to Revelation. I estimated that about four chapters per day would get me through in under a year’s time. The method worked reasonably well, but it wasn’t without its problems. Sometimes I would miss a day (or days) and get behind, and I had no way to keep up with my progress. I needed a schedule so that I could keep myself accountable for finishing in a year.
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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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Piper to the Pope
Here’s what John Piper would say if he had two minutes with the Pope.
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Ingram wins Alabama’s 1st Heisman
In the closest Heisman vote ever, Mark Ingram brings Alabama its first ever Heisman trophy. I wish Tebow would have won it, but Ingram’s win was well-deserved. Congratulations.