Friday Fun

Excerpts from Right Behind - A Parody of Last Days Goofiness by Nathan Wilson and Mr. Sock........

p.28 "Buford Tin had been quite forthright in his explanations to passengers. He had told them all he knew about dispensational eschatology. He had described the beast, its mark, and all the antics of the Antichrist as best he could. He had delved into the books of Daniel, Revelation, Numbers, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and several portions of the Apocrypha. All in all, he had passengers fairly well prepared for what was coming....He had then gone into the cockpit to watch the landing. This was pretty irregular, but when people disappear, a few rules have to go."

p.90 "Buford...You were Raptured in the same way as my wife and son, only they went out windows. Why have you stayed? It's been at least a week now. Have you been on this ceiling the whole time? How do you go to the bathroom?"

back cover: "Right Behind is at least as horrible as the original." - St. Augustine

The One and Only WORLD Magazine

I am a huge fan of WORLD magazine. For around 3 years now, this reformed, evangelical weekly mag has been a great companion. Gene Veith, Marvin Olasky, Joel Belz and others form a great team of journalists. I had the privilege last Friday of meeting one of my favorite contributors to WORLD, senior columnist Andree Seu. Andree is a 40 or 50-something lady who runs the cafe at Westminster Seminary in Philly, PA. She is a widow and mother of four children. My wife and I have truly benefited from and been blessed by her weekly, penetrating articles. In the spirit of the whole magazine, Mrs. Seu does not write Christian 'fluff'; rather, she tackles the tough issues of life and culture - whether that be depression, eating habits, or present-day financial scandals among Evangelicals. It was very uplifting to meet Andree and to be able to put a face to a familiar 'friend.' Her articles are read by well more than 100,000 people per week. A very humble lady in spirit, she makes sandwiches day-in and day-out at the tiny cafe at WTS. We prayed together, then she said that my name and my wife's name would find a place on her little 'prayer board' in the back kitchen.
By the way, WORLD magazine is an extremely worthwhile investment. Comparatively, I've recently been receiving my 3 complimentary copies of Christianity Today (go to their website to get your 3 freebies). This Evangelical mag is a Christian mainstay and has been on the scene for 50 years now (WORLD celebrated its 20th anniversary 2 issues ago in a fascinating edition). I think CT is worthy of an occasional perusal. But much of it makes me simply want to gag. The ecumenical impulse and subtle bashing of conservative (right-wing) Christianity is sometimes a little much. Greg Wills, professor of church history at Southern Seminary, expressed his sentiment towards CT in calling it 'Christianity Astray'.....this seems like a good assesment. All this to say, WORLD is a must-read mag for any follower of Christ who wants to develop a comprehensive worldview and enjoy great writing and news-reporting. GET IT!

Evangelism, Calvinism, and the Caner Brothers, Pt.2

My alma mater, Liberty University, is now a Southern Baptist school. The newly appointed dean of Liberty Baptist Seminary is Dr. Ergun Caner. His brother, Emir Caner, has left his post as professor at Southeastern Seminary to launch the undergraduate program at Southwestern Seminary in Texas. Both men are well educated, articulate, former Muslims, and quite loud in their rantings against Calvinism. Both are prominent on the Southern Baptist scene, as key leaders in the Convention continue to ensure their 'rise to the top.' Dr. Ergun Caner, with his passionate and engaging style of communication, has become known on the campus of LU for his disparaging remarks of men such as John Piper. The Caner brothers are certain that the Calvinism of Piper, Sproul, etc. is indeed 'hyper-Calvinism.' For how can it not be, as it inherently cripples evangelism? The problem I see in this situation is not that these brothers don't believe in the doctrines of grace - this much is clear; rather, these prominent leaders, who influence thousands on a weekly basis are propogating what is a tremendously unhelpful display of scholarship and arrogant spirit in debate.

Evangelism, Calvinism, and the Caner Brothers

I am a Southern Baptist...I was reared in an SBC church and am honored to be a student of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. 25 years ago, the SBC underwent a dramatic, miraculous turnaround - Liberal theology and ideology was abandoned (though not overnight) and the Bible returned to its rightful place of prominence. Men who loved God's Word took a stand that has had great results. Now, whenever the Word of God is 'recovered', be it in Nehemiah's day, Luther's day, or in the modern SBC, there naturally follows a second step. Step #1 - Return to the Bible as God's clear, inerrant revelation of Himself through Jesus Christ. Step #2 - Pour over the 'newfound' Scriptures to see or rediscover what God has revealed concerning Himself and our response to Him. The Southern Baptist Convention presently finds itself in Step #2. We have done away with that guise of Christianity that only views the Bible 'critically'. And now, we are eager Bereans, searching through God's precious Word.
So, what do we find? Well, among many, many things we could mention, plenty of Southern Baptists have come to see the glory of the sovereignty of God. The Bible is not vague about God's rule over every square inch of life, including human salvation. Election, we find, though not easy at first to swallow, is clearly taught throughout Scripture. So, what does all of this have to do with the Caner Bros? Stay tuned....

Monday at Merck

Let's do a quick book review....A Vision for Missions by Tom Wells, published by the Banner of Truth. This, let me say, is an excellent, excellent little book. Wells is a longtime pastor in Cincinnati (I hope to visit his church when I return to Louisville). This book is by no means a 'manual' for how to 'do' missions; rather, it is a very well-written treatise on the very foundation for all and any mission enterprise. God, His glory and His great name, is the theme of this book. This, in some ways, is certainly the seminal work to Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad. Wells is a first-rate theologian, and this book on missions is a great read for any Christian. The main part of the book addresses the attributes of God and how each of these key characteristics bear upon the mission mandate. Only when we truly know God, in the full display of His glory and character, do we rightly understand the significance of 'trumpeting' his name in the earth. This is a must read, garnering an easy 9.6/10.

Those Amazing Heels

Well, today is the start of that great season of the year for college basketball fans - March Madness. 64 teams will soon become 32 by midnight Friday and 16 by Sunday's end. As a proud native of the Tar Heel state, I must comment briefly on a truly incredible season in Chapel Hill, NC. The UNC TarHeels, the reigning champions of Div.I college basketball, lost virtually every key player from last year's awesome lineup. Anyone would've told you that this year was going to be quite ugly for Roy Williams' gang. Instead, this team - led by some very talented freshmen - has exceeded any crazy expectations. Roy Williams should be an easy choice for coach of the year. I haven't followed college ball to any degree of depth this year, but the story of this Heels squad is truly unbelievable and motivational. Now a #3 seed in the tourney, anything these guys do will be icing on a great season.

On the Reading of Books as a Very Gracious Gift

My parents were faithful in doing those 'small' things that can make a huge impact in a child's life. I enjoyed hearing a good story when I was a child. My love for reading did not blossom, however, until my college days. For four years now, books - overwhelmingly Christian and theological in genre - have given me great joy. I can recall being in a teenage leadership seminar when Ray Hardee, the speaker of the hour, delivered this stimulating quote: "You will be the same person your entire life; the only thing that will ever change about you (or change you) are the people you meet and the books you read." Now, this quote is certainly not an inspired piece of Scripture, but I have always found it interesting. God has richly blessed this only child with a wealth of relationships - true brothers and sisters - throughout my life. God Himself has used these people to change me and shape me. He has also seen fit to radically renew my mind over the years through the written word. Thus, I hope to write not a few entries about specific books and things of this nature. We are quite adept, as a society, at not using our minds. Modern Evangelicalism is certainly no exception to this cultural rule. I am so thankful for a mind that allows me to read, to comprehend, to think and mull over books, and I am thankful for those people and schools that have pushed me to expand my horizons in this way ---Southern Seminary, Kristie Randolph to name a couple.

First Day on the Blog

Well, today I enter the world of blogging. Modern technology is truly amazing, allowing us to consume massive amounts of information in a small time. I hope that this blog will not be trivial or amount to much time wasted in light of the eternity that very shortly awaits. I must say that I am very excited about the opportunity to simply have this venue to express various thoughts. The world of the internet has opened to me lately...My current part-time security work allows some time for me to discover the world of various ministries and their media outlets. My thanks go to Justin Taylor, editor for John Piper, and Craig Sowder, former assistant to John Frame, for their encouragement (unbeknownst to them) in starting this blog.