Tuesday is for... stuff that... Tuesday...is... ah... for...
It seems to be the hep-cat-yo-dog-g*money-cool thing to do, if you want to be culturally relevant and all Emerging and all that deconstructive jazz, to periodically post a somewhat pretentious cataolog of stuff... and name it something along the lines of "Music Monday," or "Phriday is for Photos," or "Wednesday is for Wookies," or something along those lines.
Sorry, dudes; couldn't come up with anything snazzy to rhyme with "Tuesday." Doh.
But, in the interest of keeping up with the ECM Joneses, and given that it's been a while since my normally loquacious self has posted anything (I have a really good excuse - but more on that later), here's a smattering of blogposts and newsitems which have caught my attention over the span of the last few weeks, in no particular order...
- The Phonics Preacher is back. Good-natured humor aimed at the now-somewhat-defunct Blog Of Which We Do Not Speak whose actual happens to sound awfully similar to "Phonics Preacher" and refers to a self-immolating bird of mythical origin.
- Clipped from my Blazer browser on my greatly-beloved Palm T|X, this article, which is both a sign of the times and heart-rending.
- Great wiki on Presuppositionalism (I am personally very sympathetic to aspects of the presup apologetic)
- An article about a strange alien world composed of "hot ice"
- I may have posted this one before, but it's worth repeat-posting: the return to popularity of steady-state cosmology - or at least an open-ended, non-cyclical Big-Bangish one. Now this eschatology is really defeatist...
- Hello, John; meet Jacobius - interesting blogpost on the tension betwixt God's sovereignty and man's free moral agency
- Johnny Mac on the subject of the Age of Accountability
- A Scientific American article trying desperately to answer the great question, if evolution is true, why are humans the only primates who've lost their body hair?
- Breathrough Brings "Star Trek" Type Teleport A Step Closer - using one of the more fascinating, "spooky vagaries of particle physics, quantum entanglement.
- Yet another article by our friends at the ever-increasingly appropriately entitdled open source theology blog, God as Hypothesis? Let me summarize it for you: Propositional truth is not germane to faith. This is Kierkegaardian existentialism all over again [see here and here]
- James White on Greg Stafford's intellectual gymnastics to get around the clear implication from Scripture that Jesus is Very God of Very God. Useful in dealing with your friendly neighborhood JW.
- Bob Hyatt answers "team pyro" RE: his "from the inside" critiques of the ECM (and links to several good blogposts of his examining some of the theologically less sound elements of the ECM - a movement he identifies with)
- An article on money matters by a pastor of Calvary Church, the local "big boy on the block" congregationally-speaking...
- Great post by the Linux Journal examining whether or not we should fight for the Ogg Vorbis media file format
- An article by a sci-fi writer examining why humanity will "never" colonize the stars
- Confessions Of A Former Dell Sales Manager - great tips on buying a Dell and getting good service out of the deal. Note: This article garnered the author a "cease-and-desist" order; if you want to read it, read it soon before/in case it's taken down...
- Physicists are closer than ever to discovering/proving the existence of the Higgs Boson - the so-called "God particle"
- simplemindedpreacher has a great blogpost on what constitutes a "successful ministry"
- Mike Newnham examines the Phoe-- er, the Blog Of Which We Do Not Speak's recent sunset on the blogging scene here, here, and here. An ex-PP'er comments here.
- On the subject of TBOWWDNS, the From the Ashes blog continues a series on their purpose with an article entitled, Our DNA: Part 2 - Community
- ...and finally, those wily Baptists have put up a great bunch of articles of interest to and in support of bivocational pastors, of which I am one.
Well, that's it for now, kids. It's late, I have to drive in to Grand Rapids tomorrow for Day Two of my new "day job to support my habit."
Rock on.
8 comments:
Whoa! How'd you find that Phonics Preacher? I thought I shut that down ages ago. Didn't even know it still existed.. (good stuff though)
Wow! A Calvary dude who is into Presuppositionalism. I never thought that I'd see the day!
The take-over of the "dark side of Calvinism" is almost complete. Bryson and Hunt were right all along!
Seriously, I am one myself. It's pretty good stuff. Try reading John Frame, sometime, on the subject. I've had wonderful conversations with folks using some of the basic tenets of it. Many people use it, in witnessing, without even knowing it.
I won't let the magistrates know what you are into. We'll keep it under the rug for now!
Oh, don't get your Dortian boxers in a bunch over presup, Shane m'lad... I am sympathetic to aspects of the presup apologetic - namely that there is no such thing as a neutral worldview or neutral assumptions (and the logical consequences that naturally and necessarily flow from this "first principle").
Though the overwhelming majority of your presups are pinko commie Calvinists, I do not even begin to believe that the apologetic is inextricably tied to Reformed soteriology - any more than I believe that dispensationalism is tied to Calvinism, either (sorry, Jonny Mac).
Welcome aboard the Pre-sup train my Arminian friend. Our minions have been successful. It's just a matter of time now...ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he....etc, etc, etc.
Soon our takeover will be complete. Bryson and Hunt underestimate the power of the darkside. Soon, we will rule the world!!!!!!!!!!
Nah.
I'm predestined to freely choose otherwise.
Neener.
;D
I couldn't resist Mike. I just found out that the top 2 churches in America who are "multiplying" are....yes that's right Calvinist churches.
Redeemer Pres. Tim Keller
Mars Hill Mark Driscoll
http://outreachmagazine.com/docs/25innov_JA07.pdf
So much for the theory that Calvinism brings death.
Back to the drawing board for old Hunt and Bryson....sorry guys!
Yes, yes... we can all find exceptions to general rules - like finding non-extreme Word-Faithers, moderate Muslims, and evangelistic Calvinists.
I contend, bro, that evangelistic Calvinism is inherently inconsistent (I know, I know... I'm wrong, you're right, I smell bad, you smell good, I look ugly, you look pretty... etc., etc., etc...)
I live in West Michigan - an area of our great nation caught in the throes of terminal Calvinism. We have the headquarters of two Calvinist denoms here (the CRD and PRC), a major Calvinist seminary (Calvin Seminary), many smaller Calvinist universities and colleges (such as Hope et. al.), and a very deeply ingrained Calvinist culture; a majority of people who identify themselves as Christians here also identify themselves as Calvinist.
I see the effects of terminal Calvinism every day.
One of the reasons why I keep praying for a cure.
Again - I don't care if someone comes down with a mild case of Calvinism - so long as the sufferer makes sure to drink plenty of liquids, get some rest, and not operate heavy machinery until they're quite certain how the Canons of Dort will affect them.
Mild (i.e., inconsistent) Calvinism isn't the problem.
Terminal (i.e., consistent) Calvinism is.
That's funny, because I "swing" in the Southern Seminary (and Boyce College) cirles here in Kentucky. The colleges/seminaries are bursting with many young "calvinist" pastors/missionaries. Attendance is growing and growing (at an all time high). Churches are being planted. Dead SBC churches are coming back to life, etc, etc. The exact opposite of what you are experiencing.
Perhaps, it's not Calvinism that is at the heart of what you are seeing/experiencing? Traditionalism? Lack of the Spirit? Pride? Other factors?
When I see pathetic "arminian" dead churches around Kentucky--I don't assume right away that it's because of that theology. I look for other factors. Sometimes it's a little dose of liberalism that's bringing them down. Or a lack of confidence in God etc, etc.
I think that the problem with you Bryson/Hunt types is that you assume that ONE factor in theology is going to steer the entire ship. Many other factors can be involved. Is it even a little strange to you that some of the greatest revivals in church history were reformed in theology?
The Reformation? The Great Awakening? Spurgeon in London? The missionary movement in England? The current Reformed resurgence in America? Does it give you even the slightest pause?
I think that you are painting with a very broad brush when you claim that Calvinism is at the heart of these problems. I would never assume that the Calvary Chapels are having their various problems because they are Arminian.
I don't think that Keller and Driscoll are exceptions to the rule. That's like saying that Chuck Smith is an exception to the rule that all Arminians have a low view of God. I believe that many in Calvary have a high view of who God is.
Oh well...I just thought I'd rub your nose in some "reality" (ie facts) rather than some of the stuff that's been fed to you.
Have a good day today!
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