15
Oct
2014
Alistair Begg on Separation
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In the midst of Paul’s argument for the bodily resurrection of believers, he offers a proverb: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Cor 15:33). At first it seems a bit out of place—why would Paul be concerned about who the Corinthians are hanging around? Isn’t his focus on what they believe?... Read More
13
Oct
2014
MACP: Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel
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The Mid-American Conference begins this Thursday, October 16, at the Inter-City Baptist Church, 4700 Allen Road, Allen Park, MI. The theme is “Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel.” The speakers are: David Doran, Pastor, Inter-City Baptist Church & President, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary Jim Newcomer, Associate Pastor, Colonial Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, VA... Read More
7
Oct
2014
Why You Must Be a Calvinist or an Arminian
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A few weeks ago, Mark Snoeberger had a post arguing that in the matter of salvation, especially the issue of regeneration, there are only two possible options, which he labeled as Calvinism and Arminianism. As might be expected, there was some push back to the idea of this two-option-only proposal. Mark also alluded to an... Read More
4
Oct
2014
New Book—A Conservative Christian Declaration
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Last month a new book was released titled A Conservative Christian Declaration. Co-authored by six men (Kevin Bauder, Scott Aniol, David de Bruyn, Mike Riley, Ryan Martin, and Jason Parker) this fairly short volume (92 pp.) is intended to articulate “a fully orbed conservative Christianity that includes both doctrine and practice” (6). Although six men... Read More
30
Sep
2014
Jesus and the Promise of the NT Canon
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Among the many promises of John 14–17 are several that anticipate heightened activity by the Holy Spirit in the apostolic era. These have long been a source of both comfort and confusion to NT believers. Assurances that the Spirit would assume new functions of “bringing to remembrance” Christ’s words (14:25–26) and empowering the testimony of... Read More
24
Sep
2014
Revisiting Common Grace
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It’s mid-September here in Michigan. The much-anticipated, season-changing cold front has gone through, the mornings have become crisp and clear, and the first smells of Autumn have started to fill the air. And this week my son and I are observing a little-celebrated but highly anticipated local holiday: the start of small game season. By... Read More
22
Sep
2014
John MacArthur Rebukes Joel Osteen
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A few weeks ago there was an event here at Dodger Stadium with Joel Osteen, thirty-five thousand people at Dodger Stadium, something like that. He is now the largest, quote/unquote church…. I’m using the word loosely…in America down in Houston. You need to understand that he is a pagan religionist in every sense. He’s a... Read More
20
Sep
2014
On the Buying of Seminary Textbooks
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In August 1998, I ordered some of my first seminary textbooks as a student. That particular semester, one item stood out above the rest. Philip Schaff’s 8-volume History of the Christian Church stood out primarily due to its price. At the time Schaff retailed for about $249. Most of us discovered that you could purchase... Read More
18
Sep
2014
On Being a "Biblicist": Why You Can’t Choose "None of the Above" on the Calvinism/Arminianism Question
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For my whole life I’ve been broadly a part of an ecclesiastical culture/movement that has been disinclined to commit either to Calvinism or Arminianism. A steady stream of articles, essays, and blog posts have kept this delicate balancing act alive for decades (for a recent and more-than-usually scholarly example, see the ongoing series here—I was... Read More
16
Sep
2014
Gospel Issues and Weighing Doctrines
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One of the issues that still needs clarification in Christianity is how to weigh doctrines. Christians have historically recognized that certain truths are fundamental or essential to Christianity, while others have less importance. But how do we know which doctrines are which? In the last issue of Themelios, D. A. Carson writes an editorial offering... Read More