The Top few books I want to read

Encountering Religious Pluralism: The challenge to Christian Faith & Mission by Harold Netland. (IV Press) -- I have to read it for contemporary theology, just need to get around to it.















Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Written by J.I Packer and IV Press

















Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People. By William Metzger and Published by Intervarsity Press (again)

MacArthur on Larry King Live

here

[HT] Challies Dot Com

Trueman on Psalms

Mark Loughridge is reading Wages of Spin by Carl Trueman at the moment.

HE writes..

"As well as that, he touches on the same issue in the next article, The Marcions have landed. Here's a great quote which made me laugh. I like this guy - he doesn't just make his point, he makes it in style:

Then, in our church practice, we need to take the Old Testament more seriously. It astounds me, given the overwhelming use of psalms as central to gathered worship in the first four centuries, the absolute importance given to psalmody for the first two centuries of the post-Reformation Reformed churches, and the fact that the Book of Psalms is the only hymn book which can claim to be universal in its acceptance by the whole of Christendom and utterly inspired in all of its statements - it astounds me, I say, that so few psalms are sung in our worship services today.

Moreover, often nothing seems to earn the scorn and derision of others more than the suggestion that more psalms should be sung in worship. Indeed, the last few years have seen a number of writers strike out against exclusive psalmody. Given that life is too short to engage in pointless polemics, I am left wondering which parallel universe these guys come from, where the most pressing and dangerous worship issue is clearly that people sing too much of the Bible in their services. How terrifying a prospect that would be! Imagine: people actually singing songs that express the full range of human emotion in their worship using words of which God has explicitly said, 'These are mine!' Back here on Planet Earth, however, there is generally precious little chance of overloading on sound theology in song in most evangelical churches as the Marcion invasion is pretty much total and unopposed in the sphere of worship. Yet I for one prefer Athanasius to Marcion as a patristic thinker and, in his letter to Marcellinus, he gives one of the most beautiful and moving arguments for psalms in worship ever penned. It is a pity more have not taken his words to heart.""

[HT] 3:17 - Mark Loughridge

Do Christians throw people out of their congregations?

Sickening

Is There a Rise of Radical Islam??

"Unlike radical Islam.. You will not kill to spread your faith, you will die to spread it." - Pastor John Piper.

This week Grove City College hosted a conference entitled, Mr Jefferson Goes to the Middle East. It was a fantastic conference with quite the lineup of speakers (just to name a few), Dr. Paul Kengor, Dr. Paul Marshall, Michael Novak and Daniel Pipes. As the title of the conference indicates the notion in question was democratic prospects is in the Middle East.

Lectures ranged from the effect of free markets, different interpretations of the Koran, the rise of the caliphate and a warning to neo conservatives.

A question that was raised several times throughout the pass two days was: Is there a rise of Radical Islam directly because of Democracy? Many men and women seemed to indicate and professed that they thought so. A possible example of this is in the past two weeks we saw a Christian man who for the better part of 2 decades was jailed and almost sentenced to death, only acquitted because he was found 'mentally ill.' This leads me to think more pessimisticly about whether or not democracy will work in the Middle East than I have been.

In both constitutions in the newly formed democracies of Afghanistan and Iraq, there is a simple clause submitting to Islamic law, being very careful not to contradict it. This brings up the question, does Islam allow for a democratic government? Many scholars these past two days said that Islam potentially provides a foundation for political freedom.

a profession of faith

What is the signficance of our public profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? I suppose i could ask the question what is the significance of saying you are married or single, American or British, male or female. All of those are impotant but they fall short of stressing the importance of identifying yoruself as a Christian. That is exactly what a profession of faith is. In Paul's epistle to Timothy, we are told of the profession this young elder made. (it is as follows)

1 Timothy 6: 12-16
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time--he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Timothy professed and covenanted to keep the great commandment (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.) free from reproach until Christ's second coming.

Meditate on this passage of Scripture which is nothing less than an elder's profession of faith from the apostolic era.