The Adam & Eve Controversy

(Al Mohler) "EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first article that R. Albert Mohler Jr. plans to write on denials by some scholars of an historical Adam and Eve as the first parents of all humanity and as the solitary first human pair.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Each generation of Christians faces its own set of theological challenges. For this generation of evangelicals, the question of beginnings is taking on a new urgency.
In fact, this question is now a matter of Gospel urgency. How are we to understand the Bible's story, if we can have no confidence that we know how it even begins?
In terms of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the most urgent question related to beginnings has to do with the questions related to the existence of Adam and Eve as the first parents to all humanity and to the reality of the Fall as the explanation for human sinfulness and all that comes with sin."   More:

Mormons Using Web to Control Image

(The Washington Post) "Try this. Type “church,” “Old Testament” or even “friend” into Google, and the Web site of the LDS church, the Mormons, pops up near the top of the list. In the age of the Internet, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has found a way to dominate what is arguably today’s most important information source: the search engine.
.It’s all about Mormons controlling their own image, church officials say. They’ve been doing that for a century or more. And now, with two of their own vying for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential race, and a Broadway hit and reality television generating huge interest in the denomination, much is at stake."  More:

Beer, Bohemianism and True Christian Liberty

 (John MacArthur)  "If everything you know about Christian living came from blogs and websites in the young-and-restless district of the Reformed community, you might have the impression that beer is the principal symbol of Christian liberty.
For some who self-identify as "Young, Restless, and Reformed," it seems beer is a more popular topic for study and discussion than the doctrine of predestination. They devote whole websites to the celebration of brewed beverages. They earnestly assure one another "that most good theological discussion has historically been done in pubs and drinking places." They therefore love to meet for "open dialog on faith and culture" wherever beer is served—or better yet, right at the brewery. The connoisseurs among them serve their own brands and even offer lessons in how to make home brew.
It's clear that beer-loving passion is a prominent badge of identity for many in the YRR movement. Apparently beer is also an essential element in the missional strategy. Mixing booze with ministry is often touted as a necessary means of penetrating western youth culture, and conversely, abstinence is deemed a "sin" to be repented of..." MORE

The Pornification of American Culture

(Ed Stetzer) "recently wrote a journal article for the Assemblies of God Enrichment Journal. I will be turning that into a series here at the blog. The entire issue is worth your time and you can access it here.
Here is part 1: Introducing the Issue.
The world seemed shocked by the Tiger Woods scandal. The media feasted on the stories, rumors, and drama that surrounded Tiger's life of undisputed sexually infidelity. But who created Tiger Woods? From American hero worship to a dysfunctional childhood and everything in between, multiple factors contributed to Tiger being Tiger. His saga has emerged as one of the most sad and shocking stories in American sports history. But one thing is for sure--Tiger's story is only a symptom of our sex-obsessed, pornified culture. Even greater, our obsession with Tiger's story may be an indicator of where we are as much as where he is. Sexual deviance is now the norm, not the exception.   More:

Does Joel Osteen Promote Witchcraft?

 (Jared Wilson)
"The other day Joel Osteen -- or whoever runs his Twitter account -- tweeted this: "The more you say what God says, the more you'll experience His best. Remember to speak life over your situation today!"

I re-tweeted this statement, adding this comment: "This is witchcraft."
A few people asked me what was up with that. What he said might be a little "out there" or "un-helpful" (as one guy put it), but witchcraft? Really?
Yes.
Defenders of the Word of Faith-type preachers and "prophets" often point to verses like Proverbs 18:21:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Aside from the hermeneutical shakiness involved in building an entire theology out of a proverb, Word of Faith'ers misunderstand this verse. It is not saying your tongue holds supernatural power to speak matter or circumstances into existence. It is saying that it's possible to talk yourself into trouble. In the context of what other things the book of Proverbs says about the tongue, what this guideline means is that we ought to be careful what we say, sometimes be silent, and remember that we will be held to account for our words.
There are three biblical ways words can bring life: ...."  MORE....

Abortion Abatement: Keep Up the Momentum

(Chuck Colson)
"Pro-choice activists and the liberal media are hopping mad. Find out why you should be jumping for joy.

During the Clinton years, 56 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice, while only 33 percent of us self-identified as pro-life. But in just a decade and a half, the numbers have completely shifted.
According to the most recent Gallup polling, pro-lifers edge out those in favor of legal abortion by 47 to 45 percent. Half of all Americans agree that abortion is morally wrong.
And the news gets even better. Following a ground-breaking Nebraska law last year that bars late-term abortions because of the risk of fetal pain, five other states have passed measures outlawing nearly all abortions after five months of pregnancy. Legislatures in Kansas Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, and Oklahoma this year have enacted abortion bans after 20 or 21 weeks. The laws allow for exceptions when the mother’s life is at risk or she faces severe physical impairment...."      MORE: 

The Root Cause of the London Riots

(Paul Brewster)
"MADISON, Ind. (BP) -- It seems that the societal ills that plague inner cities everywhere are no respecter of nations. Britain is presently being rocked with social unrest that is quite out of step with what was once viewed proudly as the stodgy national character.
In any culture, revered traditions can only hold back disorder so long when young people are uneducated, impoverished and without opportunity. Prime Minister David Cameron has pointed out that Britain has created an atmosphere that is characterized by "children without fathers, schools without discipline, reward without effort, crime without punishment, rights without responsibilities [and] communities without control." He failed to add that Britain has also created a culture in which men have no souls..."      MORE...

Ask RC (RC Sproul Jr.)

(Founder, Chairman and Teacher of Highlands Ministries, Teaching Fellow at Ligonier Ministries and Professor at Reformation Bible College)
August 16, 2011

Given tough economic times and Wall Street’s screaming roller coaster ride, what ought Christians to do?

There is certainly a biblical injunction that we discern the times. God calls us to do this, however, not so we will know the right move to make at the right time, but so that we will remember what the right move always was. Circumstances don’t change our calling, though they can wake us up to our calling. Such is the case here.

Christians should do what Christians are always called to do. First, we should be looking to our own sin. Why is that that Christians are up in arms politically during a time of shocking deficits, high unemployment and a moribund real estate market, but have been comparatively content over almost forty years of abortion on demand? What does that say about us and our priorities?

The obvious answer is this- money is an idol to us. We think because money seems to be even more important to Gordon Gekko, or Donald Trump, that we are therefore free from seeing it as an idol. We think that having less than somebody else is proof we’re not greedy. But when what we have, whether large or small, is threatened by hard times we find out what a priority wealth is to us.

Evangelicals and the Gay Moral Revolution

(Albert Mohler)  "The Christian church has faced no shortage of challenges in its 2,000-year history. But now it’s facing a challenge that is shaking its foundations: homosexuality.

To many onlookers, this seems strange or even tragic. Why can’t Christians just join the revolution?
And make no mistake, it is a moral revolution. As philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah of Princeton University demonstrated in his recent book, “The Honor Code,” moral revolutions generally happen over a long period of time. But this is hardly the case with the shift we’ve witnessed on the question of homosexuality.:The Christian church has faced no shortage of challenges in its 2,000-year history. But now it’s facing a challenge that is shaking its foundations: homosexuality.
To many onlookers, this seems strange or even tragic. Why can’t Christians just join the revolution?
And make no mistake, it is a moral revolution. As philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah of Princeton University demonstrated in his recent book, “The Honor Code,” moral revolutions generally happen over a long period of time. But this is hardly the case with the shift we’ve witnessed on the question of homosexuality...."    MORE....

Preparing to be an Older Man or Woman

(Christian Communications Worldwide) "Like it or not, if you continue to live, you’ll get old. As you look around at all those ancient people in the grocery store, the golf course, the retirement village and the nursing home, don’t be smug—you’ll be there soon enough. It will do you well to prepare to make those years the best they can be for the glory of God.
It’s not uncommon for God to use older people. Take Caleb who fought giants as an octogenarian. Or Moses, who led a cantankerous people up to the promised land at 120. Remember Anna, the widow, who served God with prayers at the temple in Jerusalem. God delights in doing this, because it makes clear that the power for living and doing the will of God isn’t found in mere human capacity, but in God Himself. Is it possible that God could use you even more in your latter years than in the earlier ones? There is nothing to say otherwise, as far as God is concerned.
Here are some suggestions:..."            MORE...

My Help

(The Gospel Coalition Blog)  "Callie lived in a manufactured home that backed up to I-65 about 30 minutes down south of Birmingham. I grew up in a five-bedroom brick home in the wealthiest hamlet in the great state of Alabama. Callie’s and my lives intersected at my grandparents’ farm. (My Midwestern husband’s grandmother jokes that it can’t even be called a “farm,” since it only grew swimming pools and tennis courts. But I think the horses count.) Callie was my grandparents’ cook. When I’d go to the farm to play on the hay bales or cut down the family Christmas tree, Callie was there. She’d also babysit my sister and me when my parents vacationed in Cabo or Aspen. She was a soft, warm black woman in her 50s. Her generous laugh was sweeter than a songbird’s tune.
Though Callie was a cook, I can’t remember a single dish that she made. What I remember is how she asked what was going on in my life. And she really meant it. She knew more about me growing up than my own family did. She told me I was kind, smart, and important. But the most important thing she taught me was the gospel..."
More

The Unholy Pursuit of God in Moby Dick

(R.C. Sproul) "It seems that every time a writer picks up a pen or turns on his word processor to compose a literary work of fiction, deep in his bosom resides the hope that somehow he will create the Great American Novel. Too late. That feat has already been accomplished and is as far out of reach for new novelists as is Joe DiMaggio’s fifty-six-game hitting streak or Pete Rose’s record of cumulative career hits for a rookie baseball player. The Great American Novel was written more than a hundred and fifty years ago by Herman Melville. This novel, the one that has been unsurpassed by any other, is Moby Dick.
My personal copy of Moby Dick is a leather-bound collector’s edition produced by Easton Press under the rubric “The Hundred Greatest Books Ever Written.”              MORE...

The Effects of Reading Scripture

(Huffington Post) "What daily practice may help American Christians become more concerned about issues of poverty, conservation and civil liberties?  Reading the Bible. The answer may come as a surprise to those locked into viewing religious practices in ideological boxes. However, a new study by Baylor University researcher Aaron Franzen found frequent Bible reading predicted greater support for issues ranging from the compatibility of science and religion to more humane treatment of criminals."     MORE... 

Daughters and Dad’s Approval

(Wall Street Journal) "It's no secret that the past few decades have transformed traditional gender relationships. Both men and women are operating by a whole new set of rules.
Given the depth of the change, you might expect a dramatic alteration in one of the most fundamental male-female relationships: the one between dads and daughters.
In my research into the lives of some 75 high-achieving, clearly independent women, I knew that I would find a powerful connection between them and the first men in their lives. Many other studies have confirmed it. What surprised me was how deep (and surprisingly traditional) the bond is, how powerful it remains throughout their lives, and how resilient it can be—even when a father has caused it grievous harm..."
MORE...

Waiting for God's Will

(Steven Furtick) "A couple of days ago I started a short series on four signs that we still don’t get it. On some of the elementary things that are keeping us from launching into a whole new dimension in our relationship with God and the calling He has placed on our lives.
Today we pick up with the second sign. Since I did a promo post for our Easter worship experiences yesterday, I’ll do a special Friday post with the final two signs tomorrow.
Here’s the second sign that you still don’t get it:..."  More:

5 Early Warning Signs Your Shields Should be Up

(Kingdom People) Jean Luc Picard frustrates me. Not only do women find him more attractive than me despite the fact that he’s old, bald, and has a pointy nose, but he also has one really annoying habit: He never puts the shields up in time! If you’ve seen many Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, you know what I’m talking about. Faced with a terrifyingly dangerous situation, the Enterprise will be sitting there with it’s shields still down. Only after some alien vessel has actually blown a hole in the side of the Enterprise, will Picard finally yell, “Shields up!” And, it always leaves me thinking, “Um, couldn’t you have done that a bit earlier? You know, before people started getting killed.”

Having your shields down at the wrong moment can be very dangerous. The same is true in theology....MORE

Dating: When Words and Choices Clash

(Pyromaniacs): Coarse but pointed joke-that-you've-all-heard-anyway alert in 3... 2... 1....
So this iconic guy's talking with an iconic girl, and asks whether she'd be willing to engage in carnal acts for $1 million. She considers, shrugs, says, "For a million dollars? I guess." "Would you do it for $5?" he follows up. She is shocked, and deeply offended. "What do you think I am?" she rages. His classic retort: "Oh, we've already established what you are. Now we're just haggling over price."
And now, a moment's pause while Pyro readers wonder where this could possibly be going. Play the overture from Handel's Messiah in your head. Daaaa.... da-daaaa....  MORE:

Pondering Norway's Darkest Hour

(Challies) Norway has experienced a nightmare—3 hours of abject terror. On Friday afternoon, right around 3:30, thirty-two year-old Anders Behring Breivik ignited a bomb outside government offices in Oslo, killing at least 7. As the bomb exploded, he was on his way to Utoya Island, about 20 miles from Oslo, the location of a youth camp run by a political party. Dressed in a police uniform, he asked to address the group (there were some 700 people at the camp) before opening fire on them. He killed at least 86, gunning them down in cold blood. By 6:30 PM Breivik was in police custody, having taken almost 100 lives in 3 short hours. In the meantime, the eyes of the whole world had shifted to Norway and millions were wondering just who would do something like this, and why.  MORE

It Only Takes One Generation for a Church to Die

(Gospel Coalition) Sean Lucas, drawing on some of the lessons he is learning while researching the history of the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, MS, writes: "As part of the research work that I’ve been doing, I’ve tracked down various churches that are mentioned in biographical sketches or represented in various events. Just today, for example, I tried to find information about Point Breeze Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh (where Harold Ockenga ministered); Central Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga (where Wilbur Cousar pastored); United Presbyterian Church in Wheeling, WV (where John Reed Miller served for a time) and Central Presbyterian Church in Jackson (where R. E. Hough pastored). What do these congregations have in common? They were all thriving, large, significant churches, pastored by conservative, talented men: and they no longer exist today...." MORE