A Brief Thought on Health Care Reform

Ephesians 4:28: "Let the [politician] no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."

This Week in Calvinism - August 28, 2009

• Carl Gobelman reviews The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel.
  
  
• Doug Wilson has an excellent post on Brian McLaren's decision to join Muslims in observing Ramadan.
  
  
• Daniel Townsend offers a thoughtful critique (part 1, part 2) of open theism.
  
  
• In discussing the fact that we can sin without actually committing the act itself, Peter Pike heaps another coal on the Arminian fire.
  
  
• Arminians often equate Calvinism with determinism, saying that it makes God the author of sin. Dominic Tennant argues that Arminians are just as "deterministic" as they accuse Calvinists of being.
  
  
• Halden Doerge, a foaming-at-the-mouth anti-Calvinist blogger, attacks the "false god" (more like straw man) of John Piper.
  
  
• Speaking of John Piper, the Desiring God Conference is coming up September 25–27. This year's theme: With Calvin in the Theater of God.

This Week in Calvinism - August 21, 2009

• Dr. James Galyon has been stirring up hornets' nests over the issue of regeneration.
  
  
• The Seeking Disciple asks, "Was Calvin more biblical than Calvinists?"
  
  
• John Heuglin, speaking as an Arminian-leaning Pentecostal, "cannot come to the conclusion that we should not call [Calvinists] our brothers and sisters in Christ or deem them as apostates or false teachers." That's certainly more gracious than some.
  
  
• John Calvin: Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.
  
  
• Steve Hays wonders whether or not Arminius was as complicit in the execution of Servetus as Calvin is accused of being.

Christianity vs. Atheism: Some Brief Observations

Christianity is defined by a belief in something -- particularly, a belief in the God of the Bible. Atheism is defined by a non-belief in something -- particularly, a non-belief in the God of the Bible.

Christians choose to be identified by that which they believe to be true. Atheists choose to be identified by that which they believe to be false.

The practice of Christian apologetics is based on defending a belief. The practice of atheist apologetics is based on attacking a belief.

Christianity teaches absolute truth based on the unchanging word of God. Atheism teaches relative truth based on the changing scientific consensus.

Christians look to God's word as their objective moral standard. Atheists have no objective moral standard, so whenever they discuss morality (which cannot be accounted for in their naturalistic worldview) they must steal from Christians.

Christianity offers purpose and meaning in this world and hope beyond. Atheism offers none of the above, yet atheists continue to proselytize.

This Week in Calvinism - August 14, 2009

• Meet Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833), America's first black preacher and a Calvinist.
  
  
• Dr. Dave Noffsinger is "an enemy of the doctrinal teachings of John Calvin or any that line up with his heresy." He claims Calvinism destroys the very person and purpose of God because Christ "came into the world to save sinners! All sinners!" So, since not all sinners are saved, does that mean God failed? Calvinists happen to believe that Christ actually saved everyone given to him by the Father (John 10:29).
  
  
• Tullian Tchividjian is correct when he notes that every church is dying.
  
  
• Was Spurgeon KJVO?

This Week in Calvinism - August 7, 2009

• Those pesky Calvinists.
  
  
• Arminian Peter Lumpkins takes on R.C. Sproul.
  
  
• Let me get this straight: Election is based on God's foreknowledge of who will respond to the gospel, but in order to respond to the gospel those people must first be given the grace necessary to do so? Then on what basis does God choose who receives this grace? If Arminians argue that everyone receives the same amount of grace, then salvation is ultimately up to man since it hinges on his decision. If, on the other hand, only certain individuals receive this grace (or receive greater amounts of it), then Arminians are right back to square one on the election issue.
  
  
• Why read Calvin?
  
  
• As far as Catholic M. Barnes is concerned, there is no such thing as Calvinism. He writes, "Calvinism does not exist, at least not any more than the Ku Klux Klan does. Oh sure, there are still several groups that run around in rural communities in the South, calling themselves everything from 'The Traditional Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan' to the 'International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan'. But everyone knows what Nathan Bedford Forrest started over a century ago after the War Between the States has long since disbanded, only to be revitalized by kooks, losers, and provocateurs trying to keep the torch aflame every other decade or so." Talk about your papal bull. He goes on to excoriate Calvinists for their lack of authority and unity. Oh, if only we could learn to be as submissive and unified as Catholics...

What Are the Desires of Your Heart?

Lately I've been reflecting on Psalm 37:4, which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Contrary to what the Word-Faith false teachers may tell me, this is not a promise that God will grant me health, wealth, and whatever else I want in life.

I also know that this verse is not a cryptic statement that in some twisted way means that God will not grant me the desires of my heart. He will. But I must first ask myself what it is I desire and why. I may think that promotion, new car, and bigger house may help my Christian walk, but perhaps they will only hinder it. Maybe I am allowing the material trappings of this world to divert my attention from the Source of all things (which is more likely the case).

What, then, does the psalmist mean? If I truly delight myself in the Lord, then my desires will coincide with God's, and he will give me the desires of my heart according to his good and perfect will. In the end the focus will be on God, not on me.

This Week in Calvinism - July 31, 2009

• Gene Edward Veith reconsiders Calvin and culture.
  
  
• Was John Calvin really a monster? Christopher Howse avoids answering the question.
  
  
• Tullian Tchividjian presents gospel gold from John Calvin.
  
  
• Stephen Garrett discusses three steps to Hyper Calvinism.
  
  
• Some theorize that a personal struggle with the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination greatly affected the thinking of Tyrant, er, President Abraham Lincoln.
  
  
• Contrary to what some may believe, Calvinism can't heal all wounds.

The Day We Met Our Daughter

To say that Monday, July 13, was a whirlwind day would be the understatement of a lifetime. Dawn and I woke up in Beijing at 4:00am, finished packing, and ambled down to the lobby at 5:15. This was the day we had been waiting for.

After a two-hour flight we landed in Chongqing. Hot. Muggy. Barely a breeze. But a really cool city!

We arrived at our hotel with plenty of time to spare.



To pass the time we began to unpack, get all the baby's clothes and toys ready, and anything else to keep our minds off the wait. Sure, we waited three years, but that doesn't mean the last three hours are any easier.

Before long, we were off to the Civil Affairs office. The best way to describe what we were feeling is...not being exactly sure what it was we were feeling.



That non-feeling feeling grew into nervous anticipation as we sat in the waiting room with the other parents.



Then, before we knew it, our name was called.



It's amazing how far along Olivia has come since that day. We praise and thank God for his tremendous blessing, and look forward to the day when all of our kids are under one roof.



You can see more pictures at our family blog.

This Week in Calvinism - July 24, 2009

• John Wesley charges that Calvinism makes God out to be worse than the Devil.
  
  
• Eddie Eddings presents another installment of Strange Facts about Christian Leaders.
  
  
• The 700 Club recently featured a report on the modern state of Calvinism. You can view it here.
  
  
• Calvinism is not a dour theology.
  
  
• David Mathis of Desiring God has posted part 5 of a 9-part series on the life of John Calvin.

This Week in Calvinism - July 10, 2009

• Frank Bellizzi wishes John Calvin a happy 500th birthday.
  
  
• Puritain Lad rightly reminds us that a belief in Calvinism is not part of the ordo salutis.
  
  
• Margaret DeRitter, who has a love-hate relationship with the reformer, is "grateful there's more to Calvinism than predestination."
  
  
• At 500, John Calvin still holds relevance in social and theological thought.

Where I'll Be for the Next Two Weeks

One of the reasons blog updates have been rather infrequent lately is that I've been busy getting ready to leave the country. My wife, Dawn, and I are finally going to China to meet our daughter! We've been waiting for this day for over three years now, so you I'm sure you can imagine our excitement.

We would appreciate your prayers as we embark on this adventure. Dawn had sent this list of requests out to our friends and family. If you would, please pray...:

1. That we will have safe flights. We have seven flights over the next two weeks.
   
   
2. That we will stay healthy.
   
   
3. That we will not be quarantined. The U.S. State Dept. has a travel advisory regarding the quarantines, which last up to 7 days, with reports of some poor conditions (not enough water to drink, lack of good water and food, etc). Upon arrival in Beijing, you stay seated on the plane while people enter in hazmat suits and take the temperatures of all the passengers. If we or anyone within three rows of us have fevers or exhibit H1N1 symptoms, we will be quarantined. This would be difficult to accept as we would miss the Beijing tour (The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, and more), but it would also delay our "Gotcha Day" when we meet and receive Olivia. This would also add expense. We have also learned that some hotels are checking the temperatures of guests. There have been adoptive families quarantined on their trips, although overall, quarantine percentages are low in comparison to amount of travelers.
   
   
4. That we and the other families will have fast and healthy bonding with their babies/kids. We witnessed that this can happen with our kids in Haiti and with fellow travelers. We believe it can happen here, too!
   
   
5. That Olivia and the other kids with have smooth transitions and don't get sick. It is stressful for the kids as they have to adjust to so much -- new caregivers, different schedules, food, surroundings, etc. Aside from the day she was born, Olivia has never been outside the orphanage.
   
   
6. That we will bless others around us and be an example for Christ. We have to show our passport to attend an International Church service, which reminds us of the blessings we have in this country.
   
   
7. Please pray for our older two, Patricia and Philippe, in Haiti. There are families visiting in June and July and we know it must be hard for them as they watch to see if we will get out of the van. Patricia kept asking if we were coming back in June and was so sad when we said no. They know about Olivia, but will see her picture for the first time on July 15th or 16th, when another Haiti mom will visit and share pictures with them.

Above all, we want to bring glory to our Heavenly Father, who adopted us into his family.

Soli Deo Gloria!

What We Mean by "Inalienable Rights"

This is the time of year when we patriotic Americans like to reflect on our "rights" and what has been done to secure that freedom. Some of us may even pause to read the Declaration of Independence and contemplate just what it means to have certain inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I would submit that we have no rights, at least not in the eternal sense. To argue otherwise is to adopt an entitlement mentality. Sadly, we Americans can't seem to help looking at liberty from the perspective of what we believe we are entitled to. When we complain about government intrusion into our lives, we gripe about "our freedoms" being taken away.

We need to remember that everything we have was given to us. We are entitled to nothing. In fact, the only things we deserve are death and eternal punishment (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9). So, from a Christian standpoint, how do we reconcile our theology with the traditional American view of liberty?

The best way to interpret the concept of "inalienable rights" is to flip it around. When we speak of the right to life, liberty, property, the pursuit of happiness, etc., think of it not in terms of what a person deserves, but what a person isn't entitled to do to someone else. It doesn't mean that I am entitled to life, since that is an undeserved gift from my Creator; rather, it means that you have no right to take my life. The Bible calls that murder (Exodus 20:13). You have no right to take my property. That would be stealing (Exodus 20:15). And so on.

One important thing to note about the Ten Commandments is that in using words like "you shall not," they focus on God's rights, not ours. Since all men are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), all men should be treated with dignity, respect, and love -- not because they deserve it, but because God deserves it.

This Week in Calvinism - July 3, 2009

• Good old Calvinism.
  
  
• There's a new play about John Calvin entitled "Geneva in Flames" that will make its debut in Switzerland. The director see it as "an opportunity to deconstruct some of the clichés and unfavorable images surrounding the character."
  
  
• Tom Usher of Real Liberal Christian Church hates Calvin. And he thinks Calvinists are idiots. He writes, "Now, if you can't see that Calvin was a buffoon, what can anyone do for you?"
  
  
• Mr. Usher hates Calvinism because it "doesn't jibe with Christianity," or what he calls "Acts-communism."
  
  
• James is a former Southern Baptist who thinks his fellow Catholics should bone up on their Calvinism in order to better grapple with it. I still think James and I would get along. He may not be a Calvinist, but he is an LSU fan. :)
  
  
• Calvinism in African-American history.

This Week in Calvinism - June 26, 2009

• Barry Wallace longs to see the church "passionately move forward in God-glorifying, laziness-jolting, one-other-inflaming obedience in our worship."
  
  
• What we can learn from a different Calvin.
  
  
• William Birch asks, "So, when a Calvinist is angry at false teaching, or false religions, or atheists, or child molesters, or adultery, or nudity, or America's moral decline, should he not really be angry at his God, for it is He who has foreordained whatever comes to pass (as the Westminster Confession teaches)?" I'll let Jonathan Edwards answer:
  
  Thus it is necessary, that God’s awful majesty, his authority and dreadful greatness, justice, and holiness, should be manifested. But this could not be, unless sin and punishment had been decreed; so that the shining forth of God’s glory would be very imperfect, both because these parts of divine glory would not shine forth as the others do, and also the glory of his goodness, love, and holiness would be faint without them; nay, they could scarcely shine forth at all. If it were not right that God should decree and permit and punish sin, there could be no manifestation of God’s holiness in hatred of sin, or in showing any preference, in his providence, of godliness before it. There would be no manifestation of God’s grace or true goodness, if there was no sin to be pardoned, no misery to be saved from. How much happiness soever he bestowed, his goodness would not be so much prized and admired.
  
  
• Damien Garofalo recaps the Sovereignty of God Conference.
  
  
• Tom Ascol recaps the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention.
  
  
• A list of some of the events around the world commemorating the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth.