John Piper says that no one wants Hell and that C. S. Lewis was wrong to suggest otherwise. He writes: ‘The misery of hell will be so great that no one will want to be there. They will be weeping and gnashing their teeth (Matthew 8:12). Between their sobs, they will not speak the words, “I want this.” They will not be able to say amid the flames of the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), “I want this.” “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night” (Revelation 14:11). No one wants this.
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The Myth of Monogamy
An article on CNN.com suggests that monogamy is on the decline and that serial monogamy and polyamory may be better alternatives. Serial monogamy is “a model in which people move from one committed long-term relationship to another and choose partners for different reasons at different stages of their life.” Polyamory is “the practice of having romantic relationships with multiple people at the same time with the full knowledge and consent of all involved.” This article is really sad for a lot of reasons, but I do think it accurately describes the decline of sexual mores in American society. What’s interesting, however, is that the author does not present any of…
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The State of the American Woman–Part 2
CBMW hosted a short, informal discussion about feminism last week between Jim Hamilton and me. The article from TIME magazine that I wrote about last week is the point of departure for our conversation, and the video is above.
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Jim Hamilton on 2 Samuel 11-12
Jim Hamilton’s exposition of the story of David and Bathsheba is among the best I have ever heard. He delivered the message in SBTS’s chapel yesterday, and I encourage you to listen to it, take heed, and beware of sexual temptation. The Wife of Uriah [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/fall2009/20091027hamilton.mp3] [Download Here] Jim is the pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky and Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Seminary.
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Evangelical Syncretism
I am astonished at how many evangelicals think that it is okay to observe a Ramadan fast with Muslims. Christianity Today has published remarks from ten evangelicals, five (or perhaps seven) of which think that it’s okay to fast with Muslims during Ramadan. Douglas Wilson is the last of the ten, and he sounds the clearest note against such a practice. He writes: “It is not appropriate to fast alongside Muslims. I wouldn’t make a point, if I were in a heavily Muslim state where everybody is fasting during the day, of fixing a hot dog and walking outside and eating it … but to observe Ramadan along with your…
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Kids Pray the Darndest Things
We often snicker when my three-year-old daughter prays. She knows that she is supposed to kneel, to close her eyes, and to put her hands together. She has heard enough praying in her short life to know what kinds of words to include in a prayer. The only problem is, she hasn’t a clue how to put the words together in an appropriate way. For instance, she’s infamous in her Sunday School class for having prayed, “Lord, thank you for our sin.” Just this morning at the breakfast table, she prayed, “We thank you for God, and we forgive you.” Not exactly model prayers.
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The State of the American Woman
I was grateful to be a guest on The Albert Mohler Program yesterday to discuss the recent TIME magazine cover story, “The State of the American Woman.” [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/totl/2009/AMP_10_22_2009.mp3] Here’s a description of the show: “Time Magazine has recently reported on the state of the American women. Though many modern women are more powerful and make more money than any generation previously, they are far less happy. As the family unit dissolves and the gift of motherhood is set aside for cultural achievement, women are losing a sense of sure footing and purpose in life. As Dr. Mohler notes today, women will find genuine happiness through the gospel, faithfulness to His…
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A Conversation with Mark Dever
I had a free-wheeling conversation with Mark Dever last week during our weekly Boyce College dorm meeting (listen or download below). Dever serves as chairman of our board of trustees, and it was an honor to have him address our students. Boyce College’s dorm meeting meets pretty late (9:30pm on Monday nights), and it is an informal affair. So you’ll notice that the mood is quite light in this conversation. A Conversation with Mark Dever[audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/BoycePodcast/20091012_boyce_dorm_meeting.mp3] I think Dever was in rare form. We had a spirited exchange about multi-site churches. He also talked about his statement from a sermon last summer to the effect that it’s sinful for churches to…
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SF Chronicle Compares Interracial Marriage to Gay “Marriage”
In my last post, I warned that people would compare the Louisiana case to gay “marriage.” It’s already happening. In the online edition of today’s San Francisco Chronicle, Yobie Benjamin writes: “If you think gay couples are the only ones being denied the right to marry, think again. Racism and anti-miscegenation (the banning of interracial marriage) is alive and well in Louisiana… The case is clearly no different from the discrimination gay couples suffer when government refuses to grant them right to marry.”
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Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License
The Associated Press reports that a Justice of the Peace in Hammond, Louisiana has denied a marriage license to an interracial couple. The Judge says that he is not a racist, but that he has good reason for withholding the license: “I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house… My main concern is for the children… I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves… In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer… I try to treat everyone equally.”