America: A Nation of Heretics

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has written a book entitled Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics. In it he describes the sad state of religion in America, from how we twist the gospel for our own prosperity to the "messianic" status we assign to our political leaders.

Douthat, a conservative Catholic, discusses his book in this NPR interview:

The Book of Romans in 45 Tweets

We don't yet have a Twitter-ized version of the entire Bible, but we do have a nice summary of the Book of Romans:

Romans 1
The resurrected Lord Jesus has commissioned the advance of his gospel for the sake of his name among all nations (#Romans 1:1-7).

Serving God in the gospel of his Son and obligated to all peoples, preaching the gospel is marked by eagerness (#Romans 1:8-15).

The gospel is God's power that results in salvation for everyone who believes. Everyone who believes (#Romans 1:16-17).

God's wrath is made known against man's unrighteousness — all who rebel against God to worship creaturely stuff (#Romans 1:18-32).

Romans 2
You presuming upon God's kindness and refusing to repent is you storing up wrath for yourself on the day of judgment (#Romans 2:1-11).

A true Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is really a matter of the heart, by the Spirit (#Romans 2:12-29).

Romans 3
Jewish people are advantaged, entrusted with God's oracles. Their faithlessness doesn't nullfy the faithfulness of God (#Romans 3:1-8).

We're all the same, Jew and non-Jew. We're sinners. None is righteous, nobody. And we can't save ourselves (#Romans 3:9-20).

All who believe are justified by God's gift through Jesus, who bore the wrath we deserved. Our boasting is excluded (#Romans 3:21-31).

Romans 4
Abraham is faith's "Exhibit A". He trusted the one who justifies the ungodly and it was counted as righteousness (#Romans 4:1-12).

It all rests on God's grace, not works. The righteousness counted to Abraham is counted to us who believe in Jesus (#Romans 4:13-25).

Read the rest here.

Doug Wilson Responds to Tim Keller's Series on Evolution and Creation

Tim Keller wrote a six-part series of articles for BioLogos entitled "Creation, Evolution, and Christian Laypeople." In those articles he addressed several questions regarding creation and evolution, discussing the relationship of biblical revelation and science.

After reading Keller's series, Doug Wilson had some questions of his own:

Keller does a fine job in stating the most formidable objection to theistic evolution, but then provides no adequate answer for it whatever. He says, "The process of evolution, however, understands violence, predation, and death to be the very engine of how life develops. If God brings about life through evolution, how do we reconcile that with the idea of a good God? The problem of evil seems to be worse for the believer in theistic evolution." If, as I believe, the answer to this dilemma is that we can't, Keller appears to grant this point by default because what I say we can't do, he doesn't do.

The reason for postulating millions of years of life on this planet is to provide an account for the fossil record. But the fossil record is made up entirely of bodies. It is a graveyard record. It is a record of death. But this means that Adam did not bring death into the world -- rather death brought Adam into the world. But Paul says that it was the other way around (Rom. 5:12). Moreover this would mean that God settled on millions of years of "nature red in tooth and claw" as His ideal means of creation -- entirely apart from any sin or rebellion on anyone's part -- and that He looked down on this agonistic morass and pronounced it good. Talk about the problem of evil.

Since the work of the Church in this world is the restoration of Eden, it is worth noting that theistic evolution mandates a complete reversal of the definition of creational good. It turns out that Eden was as bloody as the post fall world. What did we fall into then?

Read Wilson's full post here.

This Week in Calvinism - April 13, 2012

• Audio from the Together for the Gospel 2012 conference is available for download.
  
  
• For those of you unable to attend the conference, Tim Challies has the T4G book list.
  
  
• Charles Spurgeon on irresistible grace.
  
  
• This video from Kerrigan Skelly, "The Parable of the Wicked Fireman," is a weak and ignorant attempt to refute Calvinism, something he has been trying to do for some time now. I wonder how he would respond to my burning question for Arminians.
  
  
• Another anti-Calvinist video. This time it's Tim Warner explaining how this "evil and wicked doctrine" undermines God's character, making him "irrational and arbitrary."
  
  
• Mark Driscoll's scheduled speaking engagement at Liberty University is making waves.
  
  
• Mike Leake concludes his series of posts entitled "The Root of Angry and Divisive Calvinists."
  
  
• Reformation and rediscovery: an interview with Herman J. Selderhuis.

What to Do When You Run Out of Sermon Ideas

If your well has run dry, and you just can't come up with any compelling sermon ideas, do what Pastor John Van Sloten of New Hope Church does: let popular musicians do the preaching for you.

This Week in Calvinism - April 6, 2012

• Free ebook: What is the Reformed Faith? The High Points of Calvinism, by Thomas E. Tyson and G. I. Williamson.
  
  
• Uniting Calvinism and feminism?
  
  
• Christopher Macfarlane is bothered by the fact that James White considers Arminians to be brothers in the Lord.
  
  
• The Father's Cup, a Good Friday account by Rick Gamache.
  
  
• Audio and video from the recent event Race and the Christian, featuring John Piper, Tim Keller, and Anthony Bradley, are available for download.

Visual Theology: The Ordo Salutis

This and other prints are available from Tim Challies at the Visual Theology Store.

This Week in Calvinism - March 30, 2012

• Does Calvinism make people jerks? "No," writes Kevin DeYoung. "But Calvinism is a useful tool for jerky people to act like jerks."
  
  
• Case in point: Fred Phelps. His son, Nate, discusses his father's religious tyranny that helped push him toward atheism. "The actual theology is called Calvinism. And at the centerpiece of Calvinism is this idea of absolute predestination, that God is the one that picks the saved, as opposed to us making that decision for ourselves. And it was, you know, the environment was such that whatever our father defined as the doctrines of the Bible was what we were required to believe. So there really wasn't any choice in the matter."
  
  
• Carson T. Clark affirms neither Calvinism nor Arminianism, and is committed to "trying to make an effort to commend and criticize both as warranted by the present and historical realities."
  
  
• Scott L., who has moved away from Calvinism, believes "the typical paradigm of the Calvinist-Arminian debate will no longer greatly serve the church or the world of today." He concludes: "It's time to move on to the relevant and important things of today and not stay too well stuck in debates of a previous period." Why does it usually seem to be non-Calvinists who think this particular debate is unnecessary?
  
  
• If you already assume scripture clearly teaches "that turning toward God is a matter of free will," then of course you'll deny that Acts 13:48 has any Calvinist implications regarding God's sovereignty.

Atheist Penn Jillette Does Not Want Christians to Shut Up

The following quote from atheist Penn Jillette was featured as an audio clip on Wretched Radio last Monday:

The only people I don't understand are people that say they don't care about the whole issue. I love evangelicals. One of the things I learned doing Penn and Teller: Bull----! on Showtime for all those years is that Christians are really good. They're really good people. You notice there wasn't an anti-Muslim show that we ever did. We did a bunch of anti-Christian shows. That is the biggest compliment I can give. The fact that Christians will really believe...American Christians...will really, really believe in the marketplace of ideas. And I love the fact that there are people that talk to me after the show and pray for me and give me Bibles. I never understand the atheists that say it's OK as long as they shut up. They believe that there is eternal life. They believe you can be saved. What could be more hateful than shutting up?

This Week in Calvinism - March 23, 2012

• Credo Magazine interviews David VanDrunen on the historic Reformed doctrine of the two kingdoms.
  
  
• "What's the point of Calvinism? The very nature of Calvinism makes it unnecessary as a theology or doctrine. If every thing Calvin claims is true, what need is there to teach it or even argue over it? It matters not, one way or another, it is nullified." So...having a God-centered theology is pointless?
  
  
• Roger Olson begins a series of posts critiquing the book The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices. His main complaint (as usual) seems to be that it's too Calvinistic.
  
  
• Terry Tiessen has completed a 12-part series reviewing Roger Olson's book Against Calvinism.
  
  
• Calvinism's "dangerous ideas" aren't unique to Calvinism.
  
  
• Like it or not, total depravity is a biblical doctrine.

Religious freedom in...Pakistan?

It is strange to read something like this, especially with "free" nations like Canada trying to make it illegal for homeschoolers to be taught that homosexuality is a sin, and authorities cracking down on home Bible studies right here in America. Gary North shares an email he received from a missionary in Turkey. In it the missionary describes the religious freedom he saw while visiting the Islamic country of Pakistan:

There is another side of Pakistan that you never hear about. I truly believe that the churches and believers in Pakistan are the most spiritually blessed that I have ever seen. In fact, they have more freedoms than any other Christians in any other country that I have visited. The believers do know that they could suffer persecution at any moment but they never back down for a second.

There are around 20 million Christians in Pakistan, whole neighborhoods and villages are Christian, with some neighborhoods having up to 60 churches in them. There are mixed Muslim/Christian villages and neighborhoods and they generally have decent relationships with one another. Many churches broadcast their services on loud-speakers so that the whole community can listen in, especially for those that are not able to attend. The Muslim neighbors listen to the sermons and service whether they like it or not every day!

The Christians hold outdoor meetings weekly (like tent services) over loud-speakers. One that I spoke at over 350 attended and it was right across from the mosque! Many churches meet for prayer, worship and a sermon every night. And they are always packed! The last night I was there I preached at one such service. During the church services the women sit at one side, (cover their heads for prayer), the men sit on the other side and they sing, worship and pray for hours.

Christians can openly state that they are Christian, wear crosses, put religious symbols on their taxis, rick-shaws and are open about their faith, unlike here in Turkey. There are many Christian private schools for one to be educated in, however the majority are poor and sending their kids to school is not an option.

Pastors work hard doing up to 20-30 home visits daily. They visit the members of their church, pray for their needs and encourage them. I went on many home-visits with the local pastors and prayed for these wonderful brothers and sisters. I was shocked to hear that the churches hold evangelistic crusades in open air stadiums where up to 3,000 people or more attend. In fact, I was asked to be the speaker at a 3 day crusade that will be held in a city south of Lahore next year.

The Christians that live in the villages live in a close community, and in the neighborhoods in the city the doors (curtains) to every home are always wide open (even at night, and street cats wander into your room!), there is a feeling of security and trust among each other and in the areas they live in.

Read more here.

This Week in Calvinism - March 16, 2012

• Michael Horton and Roger Olson join Ed Stetzer to discuss their respective books, For Calvinism and Against Calvinism.
  
  
• According to one "Bible teacher," Calvinism teaches that "God knowingly created most of His children to be lost." And here I always thought Calvinists believed that none of God's children would be lost.
  
  
• Spurgeon on total depravity.
  
  
• Do we Calvinists believe in salvation by faith alone? No, not really.
  
  
• Does Calvinism threaten the spread of the gospel? "No, Calvinism shouldn't hinder evangelism. If anything, it should give our witnessing great boldness with pure motives."
  
  
• John Piper asks, "Will we arrive blameless on the day of Christ?"

This Week in Calvinism - March 9, 2012

• Where TULIP goes wrong.
  
  
• The conservative force of Calvinism.
  
  
• What about those who have never heard of Jesus?
  
  
• John Piper on God's sovereignty in the recent tornado tragedies.
  
  
• Surprise, surprise. Roger Olson weighs in on Piper's article.
  
  
• Olson is at least civil. Writer Vox Day, on the other hand, accuses John Piper of worshiping Satan. Of course, Day has admitted that his own "theological stance is more accurately described as Pelagian," so his hatred of Calvinists really isn't all that surprising.
  
  
• James White responds (mp3) to Vox Day's ignorant attack. (The response begins about 30 minutes into the podcast.)
  
  
• Les Puryear discusses how to avoid hiring a Calvinist pastor.
  
  
• Arminian William Birch on the requirement for unity among Southern Baptists.

Luther Insult Generator

Looking for a great comeback? Check out the Luther Insult Generator.

This Week in Calvinism - March 2, 2012

• Atheist Daniel Fincke describes his brief foray into Calvinism while in college.
  
  
• A commenter on Fincke's blog post notes that while Calvinism is morally repugnant, it does answer a lot of the hard questions in Christianity, especially those surrounding God's sovereignty: "It makes God into a monster, but there are fewer gaping holes in the fabric of their logic." I can think of one prominent Arminian who would agree with the first part of that statement.
  
  
• A review of John Samson's new book Twelve What Abouts: Answering Common Objections Concerning God's Sovereignty in Election.
  
  
• Pastor Bob Hadley addresses monergistic Lordship salvation:

  How does the presence of sin in the life of the new born Christian challenge the Lordship aspect of the monergistic role of God in the salvific process? If God and God alone does save and cannot fail in His decretive work, it would seem that God's salvific work would also make God sovereign in the Lordship aspect of the new born Christian's existence and that would by necessity lead to a life of sinlessness for the new born Christian.

  Well, Pastor Hadley, why doesn't God simply glorify us immediately upon regeneration?
  
  
• The Masked Arminian Pastor answers your questions.