What is the Worst Thing About Hell? (RC Sproul)  "R.C. Sproul’s answer may surprise you:
It is common to say that hell is the absence of God. Such statements are motivated in large part by the dread of even contemplating what hell is like. We try often to soften that blow and find a euphemism to skirt around it.
We need to realize that those who are in hell desire nothing more than the absence of God. They didn’t want to be in God’s presence during their earthly lives, and they certainly don’t want Him near when they’re in hell. The worst thing about hell is the presence of God there..."



 

Luther’s 95 Theses: An Inteview with Carl Trueman "This Sunday is Halloween. But more importantly, it’s Reformation Day—when the church celebrates and commemorates October 31, 1517. It was on this day (a Saturday) that a 33-year-old theology professor at Wittenberg University walked over to the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed a paper of 95 theses to the door, hoping to spark an academic discussion about their contents. In God’s providence and unbeknownst to anyone else that day, it would become a key event in igniting the Reformation..."




 

Living and Dying with Jesus (Various authors)  "Living and Dying with Jesus

 

Tony Reinke reproduces a moving section from a Charles Spurgeon sermon (November 2, 1884):

• The best preaching is, “We preach Christ crucified.”
• The best living is, “We are crucified with Christ.”
• The best man is a crucified man.
• The more we live beholding our Lord’s unutterable griefs, and understanding how he has fully put away our sin, the more holiness shall we produce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Profile of Robert Schuller’s Beliefs (Joseph Gudel)  "'Why would any Christian write an article criticizing Dr. Schuller? Isn't this being negative? Isn't this being unloving?' These and similar questions are raised automatically by many people whenever one Christian criticizes another Christian; especially when the one criticized is as notable and well-liked as Dr. Robert Schuller.
I believe the first question raised above will be answered as we examine the content of Dr. Schuller's theology. To test or criticize someone whose teachings are aberrational is not being negative; in fact the Bible commands us to do this. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica, he told them to "test all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21).
The question still remains: "Is this unloving?" The most unloving thing that we could do would be to close our eyes and turn our backs as untold numbers of people are being led astray by false teaching. To critique a Christian who has erred from the truth is the most loving thing we could do for him. The Apostle James wrote: "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).

Urlich Zwingli: The Reformer of Zurich (Reformation Society)

Ulrich Zwingli was the father of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born and raised in the Alps, Zwingli was one of the most colourful and audacious characters in Swiss history. A devout student of the Scripture, Zwingli was transformed and shaped by the Word of God. He has been described as “an amazing combination of intellect, passion and wit.”
MAN OF THE MOUNTAINS
Born at an altitude of 3,600 feet (1,100 metres), the son of the Mayor of Wildhaus, Zwingli studied in Bern, Basel, and Vienna. In 1506, he received his MA degree. As a pastor in Glarus, Zwingli served as a chaplain with Swiss mercenary soldiers in Italy. The Swiss regularly hired out their men to fight for foreign powers. At that time, the Swiss generally believed that their national economy depended on this war industry."

John Knox: The Reformation in Scotland (Reformation Society)

"As the books of Martin Luther, and Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament, entered Scotland, they were received with great interest. Students at St. Andrews University began to take their faith seriously. Patrick Hamilton, a student at St. Andrews, wrote a book that was condemned as heretical. He fled to Germany, met with Luther and soon returned to Scotland. Hamilton began preaching the Protestant Faith with great boldness."

William Tyndale: The Battle for the Bible (Reformation Society)

"Did you know that the first English translations of the Bible were banned? That the first printed copies of the New Testament in English had to be printed in Germany and smuggled into England in bales of cotton? Did you know that the Bible translator responsible for this was burned at the stake for the crime of translating the Scriptures into English?
Bishop Stephen Bradley observed: “We are in danger of forgetting truths for which previous generations gave their lives...”"

John Calvin: A Heart Aflame and a Mind Renewed (Reformation Society)

"The exiled French Reformer, John Calvin, became the most influential man of his age and his teachings have proven to be some of the most influential in the shaping of Great Britain and the United States of America.
Some of the greatest philosophers, writers, Reformers and Christian leaders in history have described themselves as Calvinists. Some of Calvin’s influential disciples include: John Knox, William the Silent, Oliver Cromwell, John Owen, John Milton, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, George Whitefield, William Carey, William Wilberforce, Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Shaftesbury, Charles Spurgeon, David Livingstone, The Covenantors in Scotland, The Hugenots of France, and the Pilgrim Fathers to New England..."

What Evangelism is Not (Baptist Press)  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Great Commission Resurgence proposals within the Southern Baptist Convention have reminded us of the high priority of evangelism and local/global missions. The same is true of many denominations across the theological spectrum of beliefs as Christian leaders worldwide seek to regain strongholds of spiritual influence in North America and Europe. However, unless we're cautious and clear, a sloppy, imprecise definition of missions and evangelism will destroy renewal efforts. Let's define evangelism by what it is not and then by what it is. Evangelism is not ...



 

Chilean Minor Gives Minors Sermons, Music (Baptist Press) SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--As the day of their rescue draws near, trapped miners in Chile are listening to recordings of sermons, Bible studies and Christian music a half-mile underground, thanks to the efforts of Chilean engineer Igor Bravo. Bravo has been part of the rescue efforts for 33 trapped miners in northern Chile for weeks. But it isn't only the miners' physical needs that concern him -- it's their spiritual needs as well.....

2 Chilean Miners Accept Christ While Trapped (Baptist Press) SANTIAGO, Chile (BP)--José Henríquez leads a small group of men in prayer every evening in northern Chile -- 2,300 feet below the surface of the earth. For more than two months, 33 Chilean miners have been trapped beneath the desert floor in a chamber the size of a living room. A partial collapse blocked the mine exit Aug. 5.  Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne confirmed Oct. 11 that a trial run of a rescue capsule was successful. The miners' rescue is scheduled to begin at midnight, Oct. 12...

A Luther-Lantern for Halloween (J.D. Wetterling) "There’s a carved pumpkin on my doorstep this season but it's no pagan icon. It honors a backwoods monk from sixteenth century Saxony who, in God’s providence, changed the world on what the culture now calls Halloween. It was on that day in 1517 that 37-year-old monk and University of Wittenburg theology professor, Martin Luther, nailed a challenge to the church authorities on the bulletin board—the church door—to debate ninety-five points of Scripture and church custom..."

Luther’s 95 Theses  "Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will be the subject of a public discussion at Wittenberg under the presidency of the reverend father, Martin Luther, Augustinian, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and duly appointed Lecturer on these subjects in that place. He requests that whoever cannot be present personally to debate the matter orally will do so in absence in writing. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.... "

Martin Luther: Lessons from his life and labor (Piper)

"One of the great rediscoveries of the Reformation -especially of Martin Luther- was that the Word of God comes to us in a form of a Book. In other words Luther grasped this powerful fact: God preserves the experience of salvation and holiness from generation to generation by means of a Book of revelation, not a bishop in Rome, and not the ecstasies of Thomas Muenzer and the Zwickau prophets (see note 1). The Word of God comes to us in a Book. That rediscovery shaped Luther and the Reformation...

How Much Do You Know About Religion? (The Pew Forum Quiz) "And how do you compare with the average American? Here's your chance to find out. Take our short, 15-question quiz, and see how you do in comparison with 3,412 randomly sampled adults who were asked these and other questions in the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. This national poll was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life from May 19 through June 6, 2010, on landlines and cell phones, in English and Spanish. ..."

 

Five Ways to Change Your Ways Series (Counseling Solutions)  "David slept with another woman. In the heat of the moment and the dark of the night David committed adultery with Bathsheba. Rather than changing his ways, he chose to cover his steps. You know the story. He had Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, killed so he could marry her. Once married, the sin was covered and there was no need to repent (Read: change), according to David.  What David did not count on was the relentless love his Father had for him. God is good and part of his goodness motivates him to help us live holy lives. Though David was physically and spiritually deteriorating because of his unwillingness to repent, he was determined not to change..."

Engaging the Culture (Phil Johnson) "In one of my messages last week at the Ocean City Bible Conference, I remarked that evangelicals should spend less energy desperately seeking new ways to be hip and trendy, and invest far more of our time and resources in the work of proclaiming and defending the gospel.
After all, when we call ourselves EVANGELicals, we are purporting to hold the gospel message in high esteem. It is therefore ironic (and utterly inappropriate) that the mainstream of the contemporary evangelical movement is so blithely willing to adjust or tone down the gospel message in order to try to get in step with the values, trends, and dominant worldviews of our culture..."