Are we all cessationists? Jim Hamilton says we are in an interesting essay on the cessation of the gift of apostleship. His conclusion: “So it seems to me that everyone who thinks that there are no more Apostles like Peter and Paul thinks that at least one spiritual gift has ceased. It seems, then, that this discussion is simply over the degree of cessationism that we hold, because anyone who holds that there is no one in the church today with the same kind of authority possessed by Peter and Paul believes that the gift of Apostle has ceased. In conclusion, it seems to me that, at least as it…

Last Fall, I wrote about the “Building Bridges” conference that was held in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. Featured speakers included Calvinistic Baptists and non-Calvinistic Baptists. The presentations from that conference are being published as a collection of essays, and the book is available for pre-order from Amazon.com. Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue. Ed. Brad J. Waggoner and E. Ray Clendenen. B&H Academic, 2008. Here is the table of contents:

Dr. Mark Dever is the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D. C. He is a faithful pastor and expositor of God’s word, and I have benefitted greatly from his ministry over the years. Dr. Dever recently completed an excellent sermon series on gender roles, and all of the audio is available via his church’s website and podcast. The four sermons are listed below. Gender Identity in Creation – Genesis 1:27 Gender Identity in Redemption – Galatians 3:28 Gender Roles in the Family – Genesis 2:20-24 Gender Roles in the Church – 1 Timothy 2:12 The introduction to the sermon on 1 Timothy 2:12 is an adaptation of…

The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (JBMW) is a theological journal that focuses on gender issues from a complementarian perspective. Last year I was hired as the editor of that journal, and the first issue for which I am responsible has just come back from the printer. I have made some changes in the format that I hope will open up the journal to a wider audience. I explain those changes in my editorial. The current issue includes articles from John Piper, Mark Dever, Jim Hamilton, Ligon Duncan, and more. In addition to my editorial, two articles are available on the website for free: “Pursuing Manhood” by Ray Van…

On Monday, Pastor Jeremiah Wright had the following exchange with the moderator at the National Press Club (transcript): MODERATOR: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but through me.’ Do you believe this? And do you think Islam is a way to salvation?” WRIGHT: “Jesus also said, ‘Other sheep have I who are not of this fold.'” Wright’s response clearly implies that Muslims are among the “other sheep” to which Jesus refers in John 10:16. Thus Wright affirms that people who do not have conscious faith in Christ can nevertheless have the hope of salvation — an inclusivist position that…

I listen regularly to Pastor John Piper’s sermon podcasts. Recently, he finished up a series on the new birth, and in the final sermon Piper gives ten encouragements to Christians to do evangelism. Not only does Piper give some great practical instruction, but he also shares about his own evangelistic habits. “I’m Sending You to Open Their Eyes” – by John Piper [audio:http://www.desiringgod.org/download.php?file=http://www.desiringgod.org/media/audio/2008/20080413.mp3] In the course of the sermon, he mentions two items that he has written as aids for evangelism. One is a tract, and the other is a book. Both of them are aimed specifically at the conversion of the lost. As you may know, not all gospel…

Dear friends, I’m experimenting with Greek fonts again. Sound off if your browser shows the following as the Greek text of 2 Corinthians 5:21. τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ