Fear and Trembling

This is a test to see if I can post with my new iPhone (Note: This phone is highly addictive.).

The quotes below are from Dalia Mogahed in an interview with Warren Larson (“Islam According to Gallup: Analyst Dalia Mogahed says it's time to rethink what we think we know about Muslims.” posted 11/14/2008 09:04AM at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/november/26.38.html?start=1 ). Dalia Mogahed is a “senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies,” and her comments are based on a standard scientific survey that covered “90 percent of the global Muslim population.” How do you respond to conventional wisdom that says the Qur'an espouses violence? First, [violent] verses have a historical context and must be understood and interpreted in a specific way. Second, if the Qur'an espouses violence, then we should have a greater percentage of Muslims involved in violence. Violence is usually politically, not religiously, motivated. Third, terrorist sympathizers or the "cheering section"—the 7 percent who are politically radicalized—...

Two men start to walk across a 300 foot bridge that spans a mile deep chasm. One man walks confidently and makes consistent progress while the other steps catiously and nervously, starting and stopping along the way. Which of the two reach the other side? Both. The integrity of the bridge remains the same for both men and is the only reason for there successful crossing. There is only One Bridge with the eternal and redemptive integrity that will carry a sinner into God's presence. His name is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God. - Rick Frueh , a comment on Camp On This

The wonder of Christmas has overwhelmed me again. I am taking a week or so off from blogging to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with my family. I wanted to leave you with these links: Martin Luther on Christmas Ligonier post on Christmas - note free resources Stand to Reason on Christmas in history May your Christmas be filled with hope and your New Years filled with joy!

It is interesting to see the fire-storm of rhetoric that has ensued over Obama’s pick of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Please see the well written posts by Al Mohler and Ben Witherington . It is ironic because I have lone admired Warren for one thing, despite the many theological differences we have. Warren has steered away from politics in his pulpit, and he has urged other pastors to do the same through his Purpose Driven Church Conferences. He now finds himself in politics up to his neck after hosting the presidential debate in his political forum. (Note the lack of political posturing here and the article here .) Some comments on the separation of church and state. I am for it. So are many Baptists throughout history. Warren has positively influenced me to keep out of politics on this blog except where matters of ethics are involved. I am for letting any candidate and / or elected public official pick whichever religious leader he / she wishes to ...

“What is the greater miracle: the raising of the dead man in Lazarus, or the mere existence of the man who died and of the witnesses who swore to his revival?” - William F. Buckley, Jr.

R. C. Sproul does a good job of explaining what we can know about the origin of sin in “The Mystery of Iniquity” over at Ligonier’s blog. I’ve tried to tackle the issue here and here , but R. C. does a more professional job.

I have been reading The Shack by Wm. Paul You ng over the last few weeks. Evidentially, I am not alone in this . While I do find much of the book to be somewhat helpful when read very carefully, I cannot help but express some concerns with its theological underpinnings. I am going to leave some of the issues it raises regarding the trinity, theology proper, the incarnation, Christ’s exclusivity, and special revelation to those more able. (See Norman Geisler here .) I want to focus on the way the book expresses the atonement (what Christ did in His life and death to secure salvation for us). On pages 95 and 96, we are told that God the Father has “scars in her wrists” just like Jesus does. The character that represents God the Father says that Christ did at the cross “…cost us dearly.” In this book’s scheme, the Father does not desert Jesus on the cross. The Father suffers with Christ. This has implications for other areas (see here and here ), but it also has very personal i...

Mohler has a very helpful article on the use and benefit of study Bibles here .

Best u-tube video I’ve seen in a long time is linked to here .

Stand to Reason gives a link to a World Magazine article on the persecution of Christians in Iraq . Here’s an excerpt: As a result, over 2 million Iraqis—about 25 percent of them identified as Christians—have fled to neighboring countries, mostly Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. (View the map.) Judging from extensive conversations with Iraqis living in Jordan and Syria, few want to go home. While at least 40,000 Iraqis have been killed in fighting, random violence, and terrorism since the U.S. invasion in 2003, these refugees are the Iraq War's living casualties—psychologically damaged from the prolonged terrorism, afraid of the next text message or the letter on the doormat, and helpless before a fearful future. The most appalling thing that I hear about the Iraq war is the notion that Christians were better off under Saddam Hussein than under the current government. It breaks my heart that my friends are going to Iraq to get shot at so that we can let the new government we h...

Thanks to The Point for a link to an article on “three dead, more wounded” in ‘Black Friday’s’ shopping spree. The Guardian article says in part: Two men shot and killed each other in a crowded Toys R Us shop in southern California on Friday as shoppers thronged to the sales on what is normally one of the biggest retail days of the year in the US… A Wal-Mart employee was killed when a crowd, which had gathered for a sale at a Long Island outlet, surged into the shop as the doors were being opened at 5am… It is humbling to see where unbridled consumerism leads us. Once we start to depend on things we buy to make us happy, we start down a road without a cross-over for a u-turn. I know I have been guilty of the same kind of spirit. It’s so easy to use that credit card to purchase something. In any circumstance, we always do what we want to do, and we always want to do what will make us the most happy. (That’s my short version of the book The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards.)...

Between Two Worlds passes on a definition of Hyper-Calvinism that I wish some of my Calvinist friends on the internet would read. Here’s a part: A hyper-Calvinist is someone who either: Denies that the gospel call applies to all who hear, OR Denies that faith is the duty of every sinner, OR Denies that the gospel makes any "offer" of Christ, salvation, or mercy to the non-elect (or denies that the offer of divine mercy is free and universal), OR Denies that there is such a thing as "common grace," OR Denies that God has any sort of love for the non-elect. All five varieties of hyper-Calvinism undermine evangelism or twist the gospel message.

The Point gives a link to an article on a study of teen sexuality from CBS News (“Study Links Sex On TV To Teen Pregnancy: Girls Who Avidly Watch Racy Programs Have Higher Pregnancy Rates, Research Claims” CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2008 ). The study: …suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who have tamer viewing tastes…[It] is the first to link those viewing habits with teen pregnancy, said lead author Anita Chandra, a Rand Corp. behavioral scientist. Teens who watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years as those who watched few such programs. Previous research by some of the same scientists had already found that watching lots of sex on TV can influence teens to have sex at earlier ages. The conclusion reached: “Shows that highlight only the positive aspects of sexual behavior without the risks can lead teens to have unprotected sex "before they'...

Camp on This gives some great quotes on election. Two are reproduced below with my comments. "Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect alone are they whose eyes God opens, that they may seek him by faith. Here, too, is displayed a wonderful effect of faith; for by it we receive Christ such as he is given to us by the Father -- that is, as having freed us from the condemnation of eternal death, and made us heirs of eternal life, because, by the sacrifice of his death, he has atoned for our sins, that nothing may prevent God from acknowledging us as his sons. Since, therefore, faith embraces Christ, with the efficacy of his death and the fruit of his resurrection, we need not wonder if by it we obtain likewise the life of Christ." -John Calvin I once heard Jerry Vines say that the gates of heaven had a messag...

Ligonier Ministries blog posts a section from one of R. C. Sproul’s books on election : We conclude that fallen man is still free to choose what he desires, but because his desires are only wicked he lacks the moral ability to come to Christ. As long as he remains in the flesh, unregenerate, he will never choose Christ. He cannot choose Christ precisely because he cannot act against his own will. He has no desire for Christ. He cannot choose what he does not desire. His fall is great. It is so great that only the effectual grace of God working in his heart can bring him to faith. Sproul’s approach to election leaves a man responsible for his choice because he chooses according to his own desires. He can be called to account for his rejection of Christ because nothing outside of him causes him to choose as he does. He is responsible before God to repent of his sins and believe the gospel. Sproul also accurately describes a man’s bent toward evil. Men will not choose Christ without the i...

I wanted to link to a post by Al Mohler giving his post-election commentary . Here’s the best part (but please follow the link and red the rest): Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command… …We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together… We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's...

Today is Reformation Day. Wikipedia gives a helpful note: On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church doors. …the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran tradition was born. This in turn would later ease the creation of the Reformed and Anabaptist traditions as well. Monergism gives more details here , along with links to m3 sermons on topics related to the Reformation. A great post over at Stand To Reason outlines the meaning of Martin Luther’s seal. Here’s some audio and video from Ligonier Ministries that outline the Reformation’s theological issues. This is a holiday that Southern Baptists should celebrate. We have wanted a Christian al...

A very interesting article, “Is Richard Dawkins still evolving?” by Melanie Phillips ( The Spectator.co.uk ; Thursday, October 23, 2008), notes an interesting statement in Richard Dawkins’ last debate. It seems Dawkins recently made the statement: “A serious case could be made for a deistic God.” The article is a very interesting read. Here’s an excerpt from the article: ...I asked Dawkins whether he had indeed changed his position...He vehemently denied this and expressed horror that he might have given this impression. But he also said other things which suggested to me that some of his own views simply don't meet the criteria of empirical evidence that he insists must govern all our thinking. For example, I put to him that, since he is prepared to believe that the origin of all matter was an entirely spontaneous event, he therefore believes that something can be created out of nothing -- and that since such a belief runs counter to the very scientific principles of verifiable e...

Thanks to Debbie Kaufman at Ministry of Reconciliation for a great post found here . Here’s the post: ‘Be a better mom, be a better wife. Be a better dad, be a better husband. Do more try harder, keep busy’ is what is being preached today, but where is Christ and what He did at the cross? That is the message from Michael Horton. We have lots of Christian T-shirts, bumper stickers, jewelry, WWJD bracelets. We have those who say if one is a true Christian they cannot vote for (fill in the blank). But where is Christ in all of this? Michael Horton gives his view and it’s one I agree with. But you knew that or I would not be highlighting this podcast would I? One thing Michael said that I think is profound :”Christianity is being used as an adjective today. ” ending the podcast with “Christ has won the victory on the battlefield.” This should be the message the church gives, not Christ is our helper. Please listen and prayerfully consider if Michael Horton is right, and if he is right, whi...

I am looking forward to getting a copy of Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael S. Horton . I listen to White Horse Inn broadcasts avidly, and I agree wholeheartedly with much in their current series on “Christless Christianity.” Here’s the established website for book information .

What a nation needs more than anything else is not a Christian ruler in the palace but a Christian prophet within earshot. - Kenneth Kaunda Elections are important. Platforms should be carefully reviewed, and candidates should be selected with care. But politics must be kept in perspective. A “good Christian” leader will not move this country toward holiness. Revival, brought about by the Spirit of God in the hearts of people, is the only hope we have. That’s about as political as I will get on this blog.

Craig Hazen does a good job of reviewing the movie Religious here . Here’s a sample: Maher is pitching this film as mavericky—telling the truth about religion that everyone else is afraid to address. But Religulous is nothing more than filthy, nudie, druggie, and obtusey. There is little to laugh at and nothing to learn…

A quote from John Newton given by The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies is here . Here’s the quote: The message I would bear is Jesus Christ and him crucified and from the consideration of the great things he has done, to recommend and enforce Gospel holiness and Gospel love, and to take as little notice of our fierce contests, controversies and divisions as possible. My desire is to lift up the banner of the Lord, and to draw the sword of the Spirit not against names, parties and opinions, but against the world, the flesh and the devil; and to invite poor perishing sinners not to espouse a system of my own or any man’s, but to fly to the Lord Jesus, the sure and only city of refuge and the ready, compassionate and all sufficient Saviour of those that trust in him. [Cited Marylynn Rouse, “An important turn to my future life”, The John Newton Project Prayer Letter (October/November 2008), p.1].

Nine Marks Ministries Gives a strong list of books for church planters to read here.

Thanks to Answers in Genesis for a good short article and for this picture.

It seems that human evolution has come to an end. See posts here and here .

A recent Christianity Today interview, “After the Aloha Shirts” (Interview by Timothy C. Morgan posted 10/01/2008 07:28AM.) Here’s an interesting section: Is the career missionary obsolete? We need far more missionaries than we have right now. What we need is in addition to that. We need an amateur movement out of love. We have to remember that in the first 300 years of the church, it was pretty much all amateurs. Paul and Barnabas were sent out by a church. It was local churches sending out their people to go around the world. My prayer is that we will work hand in hand. The expertise of missionaries can be used and multiplied. I put Rick Warren’s PEACE plan on my prayer list a few months back. The movement could do much good. It intends to mobilize local churches in partnership with oversees groups and churches to advance the gospel. It can conceivably create a mob of short-term missions volunteers. There are some drawbacks to short-term missionaries. Most notably the tendencies of...

A t-shirt available at Despair.com captures my take on the government’s buy-out plan. For the best summary I have found. For opinions I respect, see The Point and Al Mohler . For a view of the crisis from the outside, see The Point (note that this is American Triumphalist).

I found a very interesting article in this month’s edition of Mission Frontiers Magazine (September-October 2008 – The U. S. Center for World Missions – 30:5). “Today’s Iranian Revolution: How the Mullahs Are Leading the Nation to Jesus” by Krikor Markarian reports that a cultural revolution is underway in Iran that could re-shape the Muslim world. This cultural revolution is sparked by the breakdown of government under the Shiite sociopolitical system. Here’s a section of the article: … In the year 2000, Christian satellite broadcasting began beaming the gospel to almost every home in Iran. This was made possible by the fact that millions of satellite dishes had been illegally smuggled into Iran by corrupt members of the same government that had outlawed them. The Christian satellite programs became a lifeline for the church in Iran. Much more, when the Iranian people learned that the government was trying to scramble the broadcasts, they became an overnight sensation. Recent nationwi...

Thanks to Adrian Warnock for a quote from C. H. Spurgeon that is well worth repeating: The gospel is a reasonable system, and it appeals to men's understanding; it is a matter for thought and consideration, and it appeals to the conscience and the reflecting powers। Hence, if we do not teach men something, we may shout, "Believe! Believe! Believe!" but what are they to believe? Each exhortation requires a corresponding instruction, or it will mean nothing. "Escape!" From what? This requires for its answer the doctrine of the punishment of sin. "Fly!" But whither? Then must you preach Christ, and His wounds; yea, and the clear doctrine of atonement by sacrifice. "Repent!" Of what? Here you must answer such questions as, What is sin? What is the evil of sin? What are the consequences of sin ? "Be converted!" But what is it to be converted? By what power can we be converted? What from? What to? The field of instruction is wide if men a...

Please pray for my niece, Lilah. She is two months old, and she has some very serious heart defects. Updates can be found here . Also, there are several other issues facing my family right now: my father-in-law’s leukemia and hospitalization, and several other stressors are making life difficult। Something(s) we are doing are ticking Satan off, and God must really think a lot of us or we wouldn’t have all of this ( 1 Cor. 10:13 ).

I just finished Al Mohler’s book Atheism Remix . It’s a short, pithy call to Christians for a distinctly biblical response to Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. Crossway’s new book blog has a link to a clip of Mohler talking about the topic. The book is a good read. Mohler summarizes a response from Alvin Plantinga in an article on the web called “The Dawkins Confusion: Naturalism ad absurdum.” The web article was worth the price of Mohler’s book. Mohler chooses to summarize other people’s arguments instead of putting forth his own, and that does trouble me.

New Attitude gives a good introductory answer to questions about the Israelite conquest of Canaan and God’s direction to kill the inhabitants. It’s a sensitive answer to a question that makes many stumble.

Conversations with Kevin over at HeathenZ inspired me to write this post. I have tried to expand the comment I posted at HeathenZ and make it a little more understandable. It is a cogent argument for God’s existence from God’s creation, a cosmological argument . I exist. I must exist in order to deny my own existence. This may seem an obvious point, but some make much of the idea that everything we see is an illusion. Even if that is the case, I must exist in order to have the illusion. I was caused. There was a time when I came to be. My own self-awareness and the empirical evidence that I find support this. There must have been a cause of my existence. Something must have existed before me in order to bring about my existence. Out of nothing, nothing comes. There is something now, so there was never nothing. Remember this is about causing to be. It is about existence itself. If I trace back from the cause of my existence to the cause of the cause of my existence, and so o...

The Ministry of Reconciliation blog gives an article on Egyptian women and their fight against Female Circumcision. More should be said about this horrible practice and about the Islamic nations which allow it!

I have a copy of John Macarthur’s book The Truth War on the shelf at home. I was a great read. I have an mp3 disc of the messages at last’s years Ligonier conference where Macarthur spoke. In both places, he handled the ‘problem of evil’ very well. Ligonier Ministries has now posted links to Macarthur’s address . These are great links to follow.

Breakpoint commentaries are always informative and help me to think clearly. That is true even when I do not necessarily agree with the conclusions reached. Today’s commentary by Mark Earley is a good example. Titled: Google and Our Heart's Desire, today’s commentary bounces off an article from the Atlantic Monthly’s July/August edition by Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains.” To the Breakpoint commentary: …Google and the Internet-at-large are convincing us that knowledge ought to be at our fingertips; whether it is a map, stock-price, article, quote, or video clip…As author Carr puts it, “the Net seems to be . . . chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” Carr is right. No wonder we are so crazy about it—it gives us the instant gratification we crave. While the Scriptures teach us that one of t...

Stand to Reason’s Blog relates the story of a Hamas Leader's Son named Mosab Hassan Yousef who has become a Christian. The FOXNews version is here . Here’s a quote from Yousef: When I studied the Bible carefully verse by verse, I made sure that that was the book of God, the word of God for sure, so I started to see things in a different way, which was difficult for me, to say Islam is wrong.

Thanks to Between Two Worlds for links ( here and here ) to interviews of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and family. I grieve with that family on the tragic loss of their daughter to a freak accident. I have been a fan of Steve Curtis Chapman’s music for a long time, and I cannot imagine the grief they feel. I applaud the courage they are showing by undergoing the interviews.

Try the article on modern atheism by Veith here . Here’s a taste: ...The atheists' problem, though, is that however much they attack belief in God, their own worldview lacks all appeal. They get hung up on the last remaining absolute: Atheism is not beautiful. It is so depressing.

I have grown to appreciate the apologetics ministry of Ravi Zacharias , so it should come as no surprise that I purchased and read a copy of his latest book. The short little book is titled: The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008), and it is a winsome and effective counter-argument to Harris, Dawkins, et. al. Zacharias’ polemics are clear and convincing. His version of the moral argument for God’s existence is emotional and intellectually vital. Here is part of his response to Harris’ argument that evil and suffering prove that an all-powerful, good God cannot exist: Harris’ antagonism toward God ends up proving that he finds some things reprehensible. But he cannot explain his innate sense of right and wrong – the reality of God’s law written on his heart – because there is no logical explanation for how that intuition toward morality could develop from sheer matter and chemistry. Popularly stated, I would put it this way: * W...

I am currently reading a book by Tony Jones called The New Christians: Dispatches From The Emergent Frontier (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008). I understand what Jones is reacting to, and I share many of his concerns, but some of his “dispatches” give me a splitting headache when I think about them. Take for example Dispatch 13, delivered after a brief discussion of Stanley Fish: Emergents believe that truth, like God, cannot be definitively articulated by finite human beings (p. 153). So, Tony, is that a definitive truth? It seems that you cannot escape a truth claim even when you claim to have no truth claims. The notion is self-defeating (or self-refuting ). If Dispatch 13 is false, then there is some truth. If Dispatch 13 is true, then it proves itself to be false, because it is a definitively true statement. He states the notion another way on page 154: "…“truth” is not the hinge on which the biblical narrative turns." There’s only one response to that from some...

I “took the plunge” this week and went to see the new Batman movie . I was not disappointed. The action was a bit over the top, but that is to be expected these days. Heath Ledger’s Joker was the best villain I have seen on the screen since Darth Vader. Something about the smeared make-up brought out the “best” (do you say “worst” for a villain?) in the character. I never thought of Batman as a Christ Figure before this film. I am torn between not revealing the end of the movie and explaining what I mean. I’ll leave it at this: Jesus Christ took all of our sin and shame upon himself on the cross. He was the only One big enough to handle that shame, and He took our shame from us as He paid the penalty for all of our sin . Batman gets the chance to do essentially the same thing for another character in the film. Other interesting reviews of the Batman movie can be found here , here , here , and here .

Stand to Reason’s blog has some great quotes from early church fathers on justification here . I like these quotes enough to post all of them. For by grace you have been saved through faith," in this way: "All we bring to grace is our faith. But even in this faith, divine grace itself has become our enabler. For [Paul] adds, 'And this is not of yourselves but it is a gift from God; not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8-9).' It is not of our own accord that we have believed, but we have come to belief after having been called; and even when we had come to believe, He did not require of us purity of life, but approving mere faith, God bestowed on us forgiveness of sins. - Theoloret of Cyrrhus, in his fourth-century commentary on the Epistles of Paul, speaking of Ephesians 2:8 So that you may not be elated by the magnitude of these benefits, see how Paul puts you in your place. For 'by grace you have been saved,' he says 'through faith.'...

This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed. - Martin Luther I have been a Christian for thirty-two years as of a few days ago. It was very simple when I was young. Christ died for my sins, and I didn’t have to worry about God being mad at me for what I had done or would do. I learned to do the right thing, not because I wanted God to like me, but because it was the right thing to do in and of itself. I wish my life had continued to be that simple. I learned to complicate it while sitting in revival meetings, on the forth or fifth verse and chorus of “Just As I Am.” I learned that I shouldn’t be so sure that Christ had died for my ...

According to the post and links here , it takes about ten hours to arrange for and purchase a child slave from Haiti from New York City. What would Wilberforce do?

An interesting bit of information is highlighted here on Ben Witherington’s blog. I use his words: David Jeselsohn bought an ancient tablet …but he was totally unaware of its significance. Now it may be the earliest Jewish evidence for the idea of a dying and rising messiah figure. The stone has been credibly dated to the first century B. C., before Christ's birth, and this has caused quite a bit of discussion. Isaiah 53 foretold the Messiah’s death a few hundred years before this stone’s composition, so I don’t think this stone should surprise most Christians. (Other prophecies from the Jewish tradition concerning Christ’s suffering are found here and here .) Of course, that will not stop some sensationalists from reaching extreme conclusions like those related here . What’s BW3’s conclusion? …the real implication of this for Jesus' studies should not be missed. Most radical Jesus scholars have argued that the passion and resurrection predictions by Jesus found in the Gospe...

It’s good to hear that William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith is going to be released in a third edition. I like this book, particularly it’s comprehensive overview of theological trends and, of course, it’s treatment of the Cosmological Argument . The book is one of my favorite. See also the Christianity Today cover story here .

Ligonier Ministry’s blog has a series of posts from John Gerstner on the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. You can find the first three here , here , and here . The last post above contains great examples of Christ’s influence on the world. Here’s an excerpt from the summary: We are fully aware that to attribute Godhood to any man is a colossal affirmation. It borders on the incredible--the impossible. But when we consider the impression of Christ's humanity, the great claims He made for Himself in the most humble way, the unrestrained adoration and worship of those who knew Him, the miracles associated with Him whose life was a "blaze of miracles," and the constant recurring miracles of grace which have attended the heralding of His name throughout the world, we propose that (if it is difficult to believe that a man was also God) it is impossible to deny Christ's deity. It is difficult to believe; it is impossible to doubt.

Several posts and articles on Christianity in China have recently caught my attention. See the posts here and here and follow their links. It seems Christianity is no longer just a Western phenomenon. (Not that it ever was to begin with.)

Thanks to Between Two Worlds for printing the prayer below: O God of grace, Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute, and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness. I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for thou dost always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, Father, forgive me, and thou art always bringing forth the best robe. Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out t...

I’m reading the best recovery / self-help book I’ve seen. The book, The Last Addiction: Why Self-Help Is Not Enough , is written by Sharon A. Hersh (WaterBrook Press: Colorado Springs, 2008). The book’s take on “surrender” is the most Biblical expression of the concept I have read. Here’s an excerpt: When I surrender my wounds to [Christ’s] death on the cross for me, I am acknowledging that I can’t save myself. This concept of surrender is more foreign [than] we might think, especially if we are familiar with words of faith. We can believe that Jesus died, was buried, and arose again. We can say the words, “I know Jesus died for my sins. I want Him to come into my heart.” But surrender goes further. Surrender is joined to belief when I know that I am utterly helpless, and I exchange my ways of being good, of proving myself, of pulling myself up by my bootstraps, for The Way of needing [Jesus’] love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and holiness as much as I need oxygen. This despera...

I appreciate the post over at Ligonier’s blog on Bible Reading . R. C. gave a similar list of books to start reading in his Knowing Scripture . It helped me to read the books of the Bible he recommended in order to get the big picture of the Bible’s story. I then went back and read the other books to fill in the details.

I have been obligated to confess some deeply troubling personal sins over the last few weeks. I’ve always loved the Psalms, and I quickly found Psalm 51 when God was pleased to change my heart and grant repentance. I find that David’s prayer gives expression to the pain and turmoil I find myself in as I confess my sins to God. John Piper made some comments on this Psalm in a recent sermon that are worth quoting at length. He explains some of the darker feelings I have been having. Here is part of what he says, and I encourage you to follow the link and read the whole thing. …David is forgiven for his sin and justified in the presence of God. But what Psalm 51 describes is what David felt and thought as he laid hold on God’s mercy. Some might say that Christians after the death of Jesus do not pray and confess this way. They should not think and feel this way. I don’t think that’s right… This is foundational to everything. Being a Christian means being broken and contrite. Don’t ma...

Stand to Reason’s blog contains a great post on the new video from our modern aethiest group. Here’s a sample from the post. Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris are actually doing us a favor. The thing I appreciate about these men is that they don't view religion as a relativistic, subjective enterprise. They take the claims of Christianity seriously by addressing them as truth claims, not preferences. In the first ten minutes of a video they've titled The Four Horsemen , they express frustration about the fact that people have made religion untouchable--that if a person tries to argue against the truthfulness of a religion, even the non-religious will shake a finger at him for criticizing it. I couldn't agree more with their frustration... I agree. I dislike the way most people in the modern church make religion subjective. When religion moves into the are of “blind faith,” our critics are right to ridicule us. The Christian faith...

This is my 200th post to Fear and Trembling. I have enjoyed the time spent posting to this blog and I have learned much from the conversations. I have also enjoyed the give and take on many other blogs on the web. Thanks to some special friends and foes at the following blogs for making this activity interesting. http://extranos.blogspot.com http://www.extremetheology.com http://www.founders.org/blog http://www.ligonier.org/blog http://my2shekels.blogspot.com http://thatatheistguysblog.blogspot.com http://africacfar.blogspot.com http://debbie-thoughtsof.blogspot.com http://trevorburrus.wordpress.com http://youcallthisculture.blogspot.com http://theoldadam.wordpress.com http://burchbusiness.blogspot.com http://theologica.blogspot.com http://shamelesslyatheist.blogspot.com http://carolyn-ann.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogroll-changes.html http://rtjones.wordpress.com/ http://predestinariansuccession.blogspot.com/ Please leave a comment if you have benefited from the posts and conversations ...

Skeptic magazine gives a summary of possible explanations for the universe we live in. The article (“Why This Universe?: Toward a Taxonomy of Possible Explanations,” Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Skeptic, Volume 13, Number 2, 2007 .) starts with the question “Why is there something rater than nothing?” and notes many of the alternatives scientists and philosophers put fort as possible answers. This listing, or taxonomy, is intended to promote useful discussion about the alternatives. The article states that each of the alternatives given is “logically permissible.” This is a misnomer; “logically permissible” implies that there is a cogent argument in support of the explanation. Since many of the explanations are contradictory, this cannot be the case. To imply otherwise makes no sense. The author does note that these possibilities “should not be mistaken for scientific theories or even scientific possibilities.” I agree, but would add that logic in and of itself excludes all of the poss...

I wanted to reprint a letter to the editor I found while going through some old files of mine. Please note that this basic argument can apply to many scientific theories that claim that evens happen “by chance.” May evolutionists and scientists use that type of language. Dear Sir or Madam: William M. Montante’s article titled “Journey to a Definition of Chance” appearing in the August 2004 issue of Professional Safety hinted at a very important point about chance. However, it failed to adequately express the main philosophical issue. “Chance” is spoken of at many points in the article as if it were a tangible being that has the power to cause something, namely an accident. Some examples are the phrases “through which chance can act,” and an “outcome [that is] chance dependent” (page 39). Chance is an abstract concept. As such it has no existence. It is not a thing, no-thing, nothing. It cannot cause anything since it has no existence in reality. It has no being, and hence no po...

See here.

Christianity Today ran a great article for their June edition on an apologist named Jay Smith (The short internet version is here .). This article gives us a glimpse into the life a very direct, confrontational person who confronts Muslims with the grace of Jesus Christ. I don’t know much about Smith yet, but I will learn more. I appreciate direct communication. Not all aspects of the Christian message are positive. Here’s a part of the CT online article. Smith calls on Christians to match the passion of Muslims. "I was never commissioned to go and die," Smith says. "Most people ask me, 'Aren't you scared for your health? Aren't you scared you're going to be killed?' "So what? Yes, probably I will be killed. I told my wife I'll probably die before she does. If I were to die, there would be 10 or 20 people to take my place willingly." Smith has several You Tube videos, and you can find a sample here .