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Sunday, December 30
Buy my books!
by
Roger
on Sun 30 Dec 2007 07:05 PM PST
Due to recent events (my old car died on the way home from ETS and had to be towed 56 miles home) I've had to buy a new car and that's presented some financial issues. So I've decided to sell off a good chunk of my library (at least 20%). This means over the next few days hundreds of my books will be listed on Amazon. I've already listed over 200. Many of them are actually good, or at least interesting, and I tend to list them at the lowest price options. So go have a look and help a brother out. If you want to buy a few from me directly, I can save you on shipping (since Amazon charges $4 per book).
 Update: For those interested, I've finished listing the books I'm looking to sell at this point. And I should clarify that I'm not in any sort of financial crisis. The "issue" is that buying a new car delayed my plans for going back to school full-time any time soon. So my effort to sell some of my books is really about getting back to school full-time sooner than later. Saturday, December 29
How Not to Do Apologetics
by
Roger
on Sat 29 Dec 2007 11:46 AM PST
The following is intended to be a humorous list of steps to follow to do apologetics the wrong way. Unfortunately, I think it accurately describes how apologetics is sometimes done.
How Not To Do
Apologetics
by: Jonna Sutherland
1. Target unsuspecting victim. {Umm, I mean, client. You know, the poor
bloke who may be willing to speak with you.}
2. Size-up client - Make list of various rascals and scoundrels that client
has:
a. dined with,
b. potentially whispered with,
c. obviously plotted with, or
d. never heard of.
Note: Call in resident witch-smeller for wafting scent-analysis, as a last
resort only.
3. Form preconceived notions as to client's character and belief system
based upon:
a. known associates,
b. associates of disgruntled former associates,
c. last known location, and
d. mother-in-law's opinion.
4. Determine pigeon-hole into which client may be summarily dropped.
5. Convince self that you are on a mission to enlighten the client, as
only you can:
a. assume the odds of client already knowing and having considered your
arguments to be negligible,
b. assume the odds of your success to increase in direct proportion to
your level of sarcasm and derision, and
c. assume that distortions and character assassinations are allowed, as
long as you get the job done.
5. Ask client a probing question. Pull back, cock head sympathetically
to one side, and wait for response.
6. Take response from client and:
a. add-to,
b. exaggerate,
c. twist, and/or
Wednesday, December 26
Understanding Dispensationalism by Poythress
by
Roger
on Wed 26 Dec 2007 07:42 PM PST
HT: Between Two Worlds
Vern Poythress's book, Understanding Dispensationalism, is now online. Lord willing, by the end of 2008 I'll be doing an extensive series on the Covenant/Dispensation debate. Poythress's book will be required reading. Table of Contents Wednesday, December 19
Practicing the Bible is a Crime in Finland
by
Roger
on Wed 19 Dec 2007 11:45 PM PST
This was posted on the CBMW blog last week, but it's important enough to highlight even if I'm a bit late...
"A pastor in Finland and two of his evangelical colleagues are suffering the consequences of obeying the Bible's injunction that forbids female pastors in an egregious violation of the separation of church and state. A Finnish district court last week convicted and fined Ari Norro, a preacher in the Luther state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), with criminal discrimination for refusing to conduct a worship service with a female pastor, according to a Christianity Today report. Norro was fined the equivalent of 20 days of his salary, according to CT. Acting vicar Tauno Tuominen and Pirkko Ojala, chairman of the Lutheran Evangelical Association of Finland, were also found guilty of similar charges and fined. All three men will now have a criminal record. The case first unfolded in March when Norro was scheduled to preach at a Sunday morning communion service in southern Finland. Fifteen minutes before the service, female preacher Petra Pohjanraito arrived to serve at the altar. Norro offered to leave the church, but Pohjanraito chose to leave instead. A church council requested a police investigation into the matter, leading to charges against Norro, Tuominen and Ojala. Finland's laws prohibit any discrimination either in the workplace or in public based on race, language, age, family ties, health, religion, political orientation, work, sexual orientation, or gender." For the rest of the post, go here.CBMW is an outstanding ministry, and donations count for double right now. After you're done buying everyone gift cards for Christmas (really, who wants anything else?), consider sending some money to CBMW during their matching grant opportunity: "Through December 31, two generous individuals have agreed to match every contribution to CBMW up to $10,000. If you are able to give this month, your $50 gift will become $100, or $500 will become $1,000, and so forth to serve churches on gender issues.
Our goal at CBMW is to make high-quality Biblical resources available for free to persuade and encourage believers around the world. We are grateful to God for healthy churches and individuals who kindly donate to make this ministry possible." Tuesday, December 18
In the Scope 12/18/07
by
Roger
on Tue 18 Dec 2007 11:24 PM PST
Take a stand for the Truth! Tell Hilary there is nothing wrong with home made cookies: http://swiftkidsfortruth.org/
FoxNews posted 21 questions and answers about Mormonism today. The answers were provided by "The Church." Unfortunately, the answers are at best deceptive and this worked out to be a great piece of propaganda for them. Rob Bowman provides some clarity on the article. Melinda at Stand to Reason posted a blurb about Craig Hazen's forthcoming book Five Sacred Crossings. This book has been awhile in the making and it's great to finally see it coming out. Dustin Steeve dissects Mike Huckabee's problematic foreign policy. The Black Knight always triumphs! Or in this case, the new trailer for The Dark Knight triumphs. Since there will apparently be no 24 season 7, The Dark Knight and Prince Caspian are about all I have to look forward too... Curt Schilling weighed in on the Mitchell Report before it went public. It was a sad day, but a necessary day for baseball. It may be the case that some of the names mentioned are not guilty as charged, but most of them probably are (including my childhood hero, Roger Clemens). I don't think most players use HGH or steroids, which is why the players association needs to shake hands with Selig and put an end to this mess. Yea, Mitchell and Selig should have played nicer with the MLBPA, but they still need to represent the players who are disadvantaged because they play the game with integrity. Monday, December 3
Apologetics on the Mission Field
by
Roger
on Mon 03 Dec 2007 12:31 AM PST
Seven years ago Paul Carden wrote an important article about the need for apologetics around the world. "CONFRONTING CULTS ON WORLD MISSION FIELDS: Will We Rise to the Challenge?" demonstrates the dire need for Christians to take seriously the influence cults are having beyond our local neighborhoods...
"Around the world, cults and controversial new religions are multiplying
as they gain cross-cultural sophistication, increase their missionary
forces, and step up their translation capabilities. They appear at
disaster sites to distribute relief supplies and counsel refugees, and
they're going toe-to-toe with evangelical missionaries in the most
unexpected places. Their proliferation points to the need for greater
awareness among missions strategists and a wider, more effective
response on the field." One example of this happening is the growth of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia: (other examples can be found in the article) "Cults lost no time in entering the former Soviet Union, where Jehovah's
Witnesses grew at the amazing rate of about 30% per year between 991
and 997, tripling in size. If they continue at this pace for the next
six years, there will be half a million active Witnesses there,
spending 50 million hours per year spreading the Watchtower message.
The Witnesses already boast of being the "fifth-largest Christian group
in Russia," and the damage from the cult's efforts extends well beyond
its own membership: Jehovah's Witnesses distribute nearly 5,000 tons of
literature per year in Russia alone - material which undermines trust
in the Trinity, the biblical Jesus, and a host of core Christian
doctrines, thus inoculating untold numbers of people against the Gospel
message, even if they don't fully commit to joining the sect." In less "modernized" areas it is not uncommon for Christian missionaries to convert members of a group of people, set up a church, and leave, only to find out that a cult came in afterward and gave the converts "further revelation." The gospel does need to go forth throughout the nations, Christians should be interested in caring for the sick and the poor, but we must also be concerned with protecting people from the dangerous errors the enemy is spreading. It is for these reasons that I'd like to draw your attention to a new branch of Carden's ministry opening in Africa: the Africa Center for Apologetics Research, which will be headed up by our friend John Divito. For those who don't remember, John joined our blog during the celebrations of Joseph Smith's 200th birthday to help us discuss Mormonism. He since launched his own blog (The Reformed Baptist Thinker) and once enough money is raised, he will be moving his family to Uganda. As a college student I don't have much money to shell out to ministries, but John's is one of the few I've endeavored to help out because of the urgent need for such learned men to confront these issues in such a localized and constructive manner. Of course I like John because he's a Reformed Baptist, but I also believe he's uniquely equipped to handle this ministry with great effectiveness for the Kingdom of God. For more information about his ministry, check out the links below: The Challenge The Vision Endorsements Blog |
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