May 12th, 2008 | First Corinthians | No Comments
From Arsy Varsy — Reclaiming The Gospel in First Corinthians, by Phillip A. Ross, ©2008, 352 pages, Pilgrim Platform.
And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, each one’s work shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try each one’s work as to what kind it is. If anyone’s work which he built remains, he shall receive a reward. If anyone’s work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? — 1 Corinthians 3:12-16
May 9th, 2008 | First Corinthians | No Comments
From Arsy Varsy — Reclaiming The Gospel in First Corinthians, by Phillip A. Ross, ©2008, 352 pages, Pilgrim Platform.
And I, brothers, could not speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to fleshly, as to babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with solid food, for you were not yet able to bear it; nor are you able even now. For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men? For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he who plants anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. So he planting, and he watering, are one, and each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For of God we are fellow-workers, a field of God, and you are a building of God. According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let every man be careful how he builds on it. For any other foundation can no one lay than the one being laid, who is Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 3:1-11
May 4th, 2008 | First Corinthians | No Comments
From Arsy Varsy — Reclaiming The Gospel in First Corinthians, ©2008, 352 pages, Pilgrim Platform.
What kind of title is Arsy Varsy? It’s an old Puritan word similar to vice versa. Where visa versa means conversely or a change in order, arsy varsy (pronounced ahr-see-vahr-see) means “1. (adj.) wrong end foremost, i.e., completely backward, an arsy varsy way of doing things; and 2. (adv.) in a backward or thoroughly mixed-up fashion, i.e., the papers are all filed arsy varsy. Today we might use the expression ass backward, which suggests that something is happening the wrong way, with the rear coming first. It indicates the complete reversal of the correct order.
Mar 28th, 2008 | Culture | No Comments
Elliot Spitzer was caught with his pants down. So, what’s the big deal. Sex is everywhere. Should we just get used to it?
First, the fact that immorality is everywhere does not make it moral (right). Morality is not a function of popularity, it is a function of righteousness.
The control and discipline of sexual energy and sexual activity is an engine of civilization. Sex is not simply about two people getting glassy-eyed. The connection between sex and civilization is not the sexual act itself, but the nature of the traditional marriage relationship that legitimizes or legalizes the act. Marriage is the key to a proper understanding of it, not the sex. And traditionally, marriage and sex have been held together in an exclusive union by religious and social mores — not just Christian, but biblical Christianity makes the best defense of sex being exclusively limited to marriage. Marriage fidelity is woven into the legal system of virtually every society.
Feb 3rd, 2008 | Culture | No Comments
As the rhetoric heats up, I’d like to make a few comments about the 2008 Presidential campaign.
First, I think it would be great if electing a President would solve our national problems, even our political problems. But it won’t, and it can’t. From where I sit it looks like we have a choice of more of the same, in either red or blue. How quickly do we want to plunge into Hell? Don’t get me wrong, there are good, rational arguments for both answers: “quickly” or “slowly.”
Obama is running on a platform of “Change We Can Believe In.” The problem is that with Ted Kennedy’s ringing endorsement that Obama is ready to be President on “day one” means that Obama is in Kennedy’s hip pocket, so to speak. And Kennedy is not for change at all. He’s for the liberal status quo. So, Kennedy’s endorsement means that Obama’s platform is ingenuous. It’s not about change or new politics, it’s about good old liberal politics. Kennedy isn’t interested in change, he’s interested in the liberal agenda. And to continue in that direction is not change, unless you think that change means acceleration.
Apr 16th, 2007 | Christianity | No Comments
About the book, Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian McLaren.
Tim Challies’ review of this book in December, 2004, is worth reading.
According to the site www.generousorthodoxy.net, this is another instance of what is known as “Progressive Christianity,” formerly known as Liberalism.
“www.generousorthodoxy.net represents the perspectives of those who are variously called progressive evangelicals, postconservative evangelicals, post-evangelicals, younger evangelicals, liberal evangelicals, and/or left evangelicals.”
Also see:
http://tcpc.org/template/index.cfm
http://www.progressivetheology.org/
This strategy is to consistently and continuously change the terminology that describes Liberalism in an effort to keep detractors off balance. As soon as the new terminology is identified, a newer iteration of Liberalism pops up under a different nomenclature — a la Generous Orthodoxy. This keeps their enemies (Traditional Chnristians) in a reactive mode, always reacting to the new terminology. But it is the same old shtick.
Apr 9th, 2007 | Christianity | 2 Comments
What makes a person Christian? It sounds like a simple question, but it has been complicated by sin and history.
Jesus’ first sermon set the standard — “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Clearly, Christians are repentant people. But is that it? Is repentance enough?
Yes, and no. It is the primary response to the gospel and includes the renunciation of sin that all Christians make. It was enough for the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42-43) who was about to die, but it was not enough for most other people. Why not?
In part because of Peter’s first sermon. “Repent and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38). Peter repeated the message of Jesus in Matthew 4:17, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven in near.” Norman Shepherd makes this argument clear in his book, The Call of Grace (P&R, 2000):
