Tony Campolo, who, despite absolutely awful theology for some reason continues to be an exceedingly popular Christian speaker and author, recently weighed in on the Emerging Church in an article published in the Winston-Salem Journal. He describes the movement as expressing “progressive evangelicalism,” and defines this as meaning that they hold to traditional Protestant theological…
It’s cold today, there is a bit of snow on the ground and this morning my windshield wipers were frozen to the windshield. Put it all together and it is clear that winter has arrived in Southern Ontario. Here are some tips to survive a Canadian winter. Rock Salt – You won’t make it through…
Historical Revisionism – There seems to be a movement out there that is trying to prove that just about every major historical figure was homosexual. The latest target, as you may know, is none other than Abraham Lincoln. C.A. Tripp, an associate professor of psychiatry at the State University of New York and a man…
Open Theism, once a doctrine known only to Christian academics, is slowly becoming mainstream among evangelicals. While it continues to be a minority position, it is gaining wider acceptance and several popular Christian authors are teaching it or teaching principles derived from it, even while denying their belief in it. This represents one of the…
Words of Wisdom – “What Is needed to-day is a Scriptural setting forth of the character of God-His absolute sovereignty, His ineffable holiness, His Inflexible justice, His unchanging veracity. What Is needed to-day Is a Scriptural setting forth of the condition of the natural man-his total depravity, his spiritual insensibility, his inveterate hostility to God,…
Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. The problem is not that it is a poor book but more that I had unrealistic expectations of it. I was hoping this book would be everything the church growth manuals are not; that it would be a knockout punch…
I have said much in the past year or two about the doctrine known as Open Theism. This is a doctrine that began on the fringe of evangelicalism but is slowly becoming increasingly popular. Many evangelicals, though not willing to embrace the view, are open to regarding it as a non-essential, optional doctrine. They do…
Sailor Refuses To Doff Hat – How’s that for a headline? The Canadian military has decided that it cannot force atheists to remove their hats in ceremonies that honor God. Lieutenant (this is Canada and for some reason in the Canadian military it is pronounced LEF-tenant rather than LOO-tenant) Darryl Scott, an atheist, refused to…
Much has been written in our day about healthy churches. Men like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, known as being at the forefront of the church growth movement, insist that their primary concern is not with making churches bigger but with making them healthier. Mark Dever, in 9 Marks of a Healthy Church includes an…
As a child I used to love buying a new pack of baseball cards. There was an experience involved – removing the wax paper outer packaging, popping the stick of gum into my mouth, brushing that powder left over from the gum off of the cards and then sorting through the actual cards, hoping against…
Peterson Gets Death – Scott Peterson, having already been found guilty of the murder of his wife and unborn child, has now been sentenced to die. “…To hear the jurors tell it, Peterson’s apparent lack of emotion, from the day his wife disappeared through the last day of testimony two years later, was the final…
The other day I mentioned that Dave Hunt has released a second edition of his anti-Calvinist diatribe What Love is This. Hunt came under fire from many believers for embarking on this ill-advised crusade, one which alienated much of his audience. After the publication of the book subscriptions to his newsletter, the Berean Call, fell…
Biographies – I have been updating my Amazon wishlist (link will take you to my Reading List site, not Amazon) and am looking for some suggestions on good biographies of great Christians. In particular I would like a biography of Calvin and one of Luther since I really don’t know about those men the way…
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold,…
Earlier this week I mentioned that the Supreme Court of Canada has allowed legislation to move forward that would legalize homosexual marriage throughout Canada. As with the United States, we currently have some jurisdications that allow it and others that do not, but this law seeks to change that. Under the proposed law, which is…
The Beginning of the End – With the emergence of Personal Video Recorders and other similar devices, we may be at the beginning of the end of the commercials we see on television. So many people simply skip over commercials now that many companies are beginning to re-evaluate how they advertise on television. Product placements…
I desperately wanted to write something deeply theological today. I found myself pacing up and down my office racking my brain trying to think of something to write. Over the past few days I have put a lot more time into the look of this site than the content and I feel guilty about that.…
Gay Marriage Update – Last night Canadians were indundated with pictures of gay men hugging and kissing and celebrating as they heard the news that the Supreme Court, as expected, had allowed a law move forward that will legalize gay marriage across the country. “The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that Ottawa has sole…
In the wake of The Passion of the Christ and the increased awareness of the events surrounding Jesus’ death I have seen several discussions about why Pilate showed surprise that Jesus died so quickly. These discussions are based on the gospel of Mark where we read: Now when evening had come, because it was the…
A Bit Late – I’m running a bit late this morning. I went to a Switchfoot concert last night and didn’t get back until pretty late (late for me, anyways). It was another great show, probably better than the first two times I saw them this year. There are some bands that play and put…