This Week in Calvinism - April 23, 2010

• Chuck Wiese hopes to host a Calvinism vs. Lutheranism debate and cook-off.
  
  
• Steve Hays with another example of the "Calvinists are mean" meme .
  
  
• Notes from a reluctant Calvinist.
  
  
• The Reformation Study Bible is the "worst Bible ever"?
  
  
• Tim Brister is between hyper-Calvinism and pragmatism.

Jason Robertson on Covenant Theology

What is Covenant Theology, and who subscribes to it? Jason Robertson starts off by explaining what Covenant Theology is not:

• It is not a response to dispensationalism — for dispensationalism, in fact, did not even exist until the nineteenth century.
  
• It does not teach paedobaptism, covenant successionism, paedocommunionism, or baptismal regenerationism.
  
• It does not teach any kind of philosophy of education such as homeschooling or Christian schools.
  
• It is not sectarian, but has roots from the early church to all the branches of the Reformed church.
  
• It is not anti-Semitic nor "replacement theology", but CT teaches the fulfillment of the promises to Israel in the person and the work of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, who established the church in organic continuity with Israel, not a separate replacement entity.
  
  Covenant Theology is a system of theology that explains the entire Bible in one systematized story organized around three great covenants (Redemption, Works, Grace). CT is a hermeneutic, an approach to understanding Scripture, biblically explaining the unity of biblical revelation.

Read the full post here.

This Week in Calvinism - April 16, 2010

• Bobby Grow promises that his blog, The Evangelical Calvinist, will focus more on Calvinistic stuff. His other theological thoughts can be found at his new blog, Christianly. By the way, he will be having cancer surgery on May 6, so please keep him in your prayers.
  
  
• Allen Yeh on paedobaptism vs. credobaptism.
  
  
• Dr. James Galyon on the heinous error of hyper-Calvinism.
  
  
• The Seeking Disciple asks, "Does Calvinism make it easier to sin?"

T4G Audio and Video Now Available

Audio and video from this year's Together for the Gospel conference is available online here.

Galatians 5:14

This Week in Calvinism - April 9, 2010

• The Calvinist blogosphere has been abuzz ever since John Piper invited Rick Warren to speak at this year's Desiring God conference.
  
  
• Bob DeWaay, senior pastor of Twin City Fellowship, was on Crosstalk to discuss "Warrengate."
  
  
• The First Things blog makes some excellent points regarding the reaction of many Calvinists to John Piper's invitation to Rick Warren.
  
  
• Jack discusses John Piper, Rick Warren, and ranting Calvinists.
  
  
• Martyr for Calvin?
  
  
• The new book Whosoever Will: A Biblical and Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism is garnering attention.
  
  
• A fictional, misguided, ill-informed "dialogue" on Calvinism.

He's Alive!

This Week in Calvinism - April 2, 2010

• The Christian Science Monitor on Calvinism's comeback.
  
  
• Sonny Burrell offers a word on on 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 and the usage of the term Calvinism.
  
  
• Christ suffered for about three hours on the cross. How is that sufficient enough to wipe out an eternal debt of sin? John Piper answers.
  
  
• What the bodily resurrection of Christ means to Pyromaniacs Phil Johnson, Dan Phillips, and Frank Turk.

This Week in Calvinism - March 26, 2010

• Ryan the Calvinist lists some podcasts worth listening to.
  
  
• Another (i.e. the same, old, tired) argument against Calvinism.
  
  
• Dr. James Galyon reviews When Grace Comes Home, a book he calls "one of the best works dealing with practical theology in relation to the doctrines of grace."
  
  
• One young blogger wraps up a brief overview of the five points of Calvinism.

The Reasons for My Lack of Blog Posts

I have three very good reasons for not posting more frequently. Here they are, in no particular order:



Going from zero to three children in six months doesn't leave one with much free time. I hope to post more about that here in the near future, but you can catch some of the details on our family blog under the tags "China adoption" and "Haiti adoption."

This Week in Calvinism - March 19, 2010

• Al Mohler on apostate pastors.
  
  
• Is FAITH the new TULIP?
  
  
• Mark Driscoll offers three steps to being missional.
  
  
• An appreciation of Calvinism from a non-Calvinist.
  
  
• David Mathis at DesiringGod.org reminds us, "Don't limit your understanding of God's absolute sovereignty to five points in a mnemonic device (TULIP). Do start there, or at least cover that terrain in due course, but know that there is so much more to the full biblical worldview sometimes called Calvinism."

This Week in Calvinism - March 12, 2010

• Bobby Grow considers himself a "progressive dispensationalist," but he can still appreciate the amillennial approach.
  
  
• On this the Seeking Disciple and I agree: "We can debate Arminianism and Calvinism but in the end, the glory of God demands that we worship, exalt, and declare His glory alone above all others."
  
  
• A Unitarian Universalist (i.e. non-Christian) claims, "For better or for worse, Unitarian Universalism wouldn't exist without John Calvin."
  
  
• Breaking news from TBNN: North Korea declares war on Calvinism.
  
  
• The 75 Best Dressed Men of All Time, according to MSN, has John Calvin listed at number 52: "Because the most famous minimalist in world history knew a man didn't need expensive clothes or bright colors to convey authority. Black and white, worn with the requisite gravity, can be powerful and intimidating. Just look at the Secret Service. Or the Reservoir Dogs."

This Week in Calvinism - March 5, 2010

• Jim thinks that if Jonathan Edwards were alive today, he would be accused by modern Calvinists "of not understanding the doctrines of grace."
  
  
• Allen Yeh offers a Calvinist apology.
  
  
• Ken Pulliam, Ph.D., paints John Calvin and, by association, Calvinists in general as genocidal maniacs.
  
  
• Arminius on repentance and faith.

This Week in Calvinism - February 19, 2010

• Calvinists attacked. What else is new?
  
  
• Eight reasons why Calvinists believe in evangelism.
  
  
• Voddie Baucham answers the "doesn't Calvinism kill evangelism?" question.
  
  
• Even animals love Calvinism.

This Week in Calvinism - February 12, 2010

• Excellent reminder from Gavin Ortlund: "God forbid we ever make him more complicated than he makes himself in his word!"
  
  
• Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, will be holding a conference entitled "Calvinism for the 21st Century" April 8-10. You can register now through March 22.
  
  
• Steven doesn't see "any reason to be anything but a Calvinist if we do not have libertarian freedom of the will."
  
  
• Is "Reformed Baptist" an oxymoron?
  
  
• According to Larry, Calvinism "is as impotent in reaching up into heaven and grasping God as is Islam or any pagan religion." Again, let's try to have some understanding about those subjects on which we decide to comment.
  
  
• Desiring God offers resources on the doctrines of grace.