Be sure to read Lig Duncan’s remarks on “The Manhattan Declaration” which he wrote on behalf of the Alliance for Confessing Evangelicals (ACE). This statement is important. It addresses why ACE council members did or did not sign the document. For those who want to understand what’s at stake in this conversation, I think the key lines are here: “Those who did sign the document believe that it is a statement of solidarity, not of ecumenism, and that it represents the kind of principled co-belligerency advocated by, for instance, Francis Schaeffer and James Boice. . . The Council members who signed do not believe that the document commits them to…
-
-
“Twilight” Is a Mormon Love Story?
I just read a fascinating article in Touchstone magazine about the meaning of the Twilight vampire series. In his article “Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden,” John Granger argues that the Twilight story is actually a metaphor for Mormonism. “Twilight is essentially an allegory of one gentile seeker’s coming to the fullness of Latter-day Saint faith and life.” If this sounds far-fetched to you, then you need to read the article. Granger bears out his thesis by connecting the events and characters of the Twilight books to the history and theology of Mormonism. Given that author Stephenie Meyer is an observant Mormon, Granger makes an interesting case. The reader…
-
David Mathis Critiques N. T. Wright on Justification
David Mathis has posted a scathing review of N. T. Wright’s most recent book on justification. Mathis identifies five critical areas of weakness in Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision, and each one of them is worth the reader’s careful consideration. Not only has Wright failed to engage his most serious critics (e.g., John Piper), he also fails to produce any close exegesis of the relevant biblical texts. Mathis puts it this way:
-
Piper and Mohler at ETS
John Piper and Albert Mohler sat on a panel last week at ETS to discuss a recent effort to bridge the theological divide between Muslims and Christians. The effort resulted in a document titled “A Common Word Between Us,” and I wrote about it in early 2008 (read it here). I was at the panel discussion which featured two Muslim scholars and one Christian scholar in favor of the proposal, and Piper and Mohler who were opposed. Desiring God has made the audio available, and I commend it to you. J. P. Moreland moderated the discussion, and I have arranged the audio below to reflect the original order of presenters.
-
Turning the Bible into Toilet Paper
I mentioned yesterday that I am in New Orleans this week to deliver a paper on homosexuality at the Evangelical Theological Society. Yesterday I came across an article that relates to the subject matter of that paper. In an interview with Details magazine, gay actor Ian McKellen says that he tears pages out of Bibles that he finds in hotel rooms. Some of the Bible pages are hung up in his bathroom as toilet paper. Here’s the exchange:
-
McLaren, Homosexuality, and the New Testament
I am back home in the Bayou State for the 61st Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. The meeting is in New Orleans this year, and the theme is “Personal & Social Ethics.” I will be delivering a paper on homosexuality. Here’s the title: “Why Evangelicals Should Ignore Brian McLaren: How the New Testament Requires Evangelicals to Render a Judgment on the Moral Status of Homosexuality” For all of you in New Orleans this week, I’d love to see you there. Here’s the place and time of my presentation:
-
Look What the Cat Dragged In
There are certain moments in life that you never forget–those indelible moments that fix themselves in memory, sometimes for happy reasons, and sometimes for not so happy reasons. I had such a moment in the latter category when I was in the 8th grade. A friend of mine handed me a newly-released rock-and-roll album from a band that was just making its mark on popular music. I remember right where I was standing in the schoolyard of my junior high school when he gave it to me. The album cover showed four big-haired overly made-up vixens on the front of the album, and I remember thinking: “Wow, these girls are…
-
New JBMW
The Fall issue of The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood is now out, and you can download five of the articles from the JBMW website. Both of the “Studies” are worthy of special note. Dr. Andreas Köstenberger responds to Philip Payne’s New Testament Studies article on 1 Timothy 2:12, and Barry Joslin contests Craig Blomberg’s translation of “Son of Man” in Hebrews 2:5-9. I think you’ll find a great deal of useful material here, and if you are not a subscriber you should sign-up today. I’ve included the table of contents below.
-
First Theology
President Obama’s remarks at the Fort Hood memorial contained an unexpected pronouncement: “No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice — in this world, and the next.” It’s not the pluralism that’s unexpected, nor the condemnation of the killer. The surprise came in his belief in a judgment in the afterlife. In a 2008 interview for The Stranger, Obama’s tone on the afterlife was decidedly more agnostic. Recounting a conversation with one of his daughters, he said, “I wondered whether I should have told her…
-
Does God Love Homosexuals?
I got an e-mail today from someone who wanted to know if I believe that God loves homosexuals. The short answer is yes. But short answers aren’t nearly as good as biblical answers. So let’s look at three texts to establish the point. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”