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Archives for April 2010

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Tim Keller on Proverbs, Community and Culture

Here is a really outstanding post by Tim Keller on how to read and benefit from the Proverbs. What Keller says in this article is absolutely necessary for a right understanding of individual Proverbs. I would only add (as I assume Keller would) that the Proverbs need to be read in their redemptive-historical context, namely, how Christ realizes in Himself and exemplifies t...

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Roy Taylor's Presentation of the PCA Strategic Plan

Here is the link to Roy Taylor's presentation of the proposed PCA strategic plan....

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Christ and Culture: Common Grace, Natural Law and Eschatology

Part four of Christ the Center's series on Christ and Culture is now available online. You can listen here. In this episode Dennison, Hart, Kloosterman and Wilson present their various views on common grace, natural law and eschatology....

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The Donkey Driven Church

I've met plenty of dog lovers, cat lovers, horse lovers and even reptile lovers, but I have never met a donkey lover. Donkeys are not highly sought after animals. They rate low on the totem pole of animal desirability. They are the Datsun or the Hyundai of animals. You never hear someone saying, "I really want a donkey for Christmas." And yet, it was a donkey that our Lord...

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The Love is in the Small Things

Last year Jeff Waddington wrote a post in which he had taken a picture of B.B. Warfield's handwritten manuscript of the farewell address that he gave to graduating students from PTS in 1914. Jim O'Brien, in his own peculiarly observant manner, noticed something in the picture that may be more impressive than the handwritten manuscripts. Jim wrote, "What struck me more th...

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The Connected Kingdom Podcast

My professor and friend Dr. David Murray is now co-hosting a podcast with Tim Challies called "The Connected Kingdom." You can currently listen to Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3. It looks like it will be an interesting and informative podcast (though it should never be viewed as a replacement for Christ the Center)! If you are a Facebook junkie, there is a Connected Ki...

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Sinclair Ferguson on the Nature of Grace

Grace is not a "thing," it is a "Person," as Sinclair Ferguson notes: It is legitimate to speak of “receiving grace,†and sometimes (although I am somewhat cautious about the possibility of misusing this language) we speak of the preaching of the Word, prayer, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper as “means of grace.†That is fine, so long as we remembe...

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Uncovering Noah's Ark?

Here is a video in which evangelical archeologists in Turkey are shown discovering what they believe to be Noah's Ark 13,000 feet up Mt. Ararat. For decades pictures have been taken, as peopl...

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T4G Videos

Here....

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Martin Downes on the Heidelcast

Here is the link to Martin Downes recent appearance on the Heidelcast. Martin brings a sober and balanced emphasis on the imperative need for ministers to guard the people of God from destructive false doctrines....

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PCRT Live Feed April 30-May 2, 2010

This weekend, D.A. Carson, Sinclair Ferguson, Michael Horton, Richard Phillips, Philip Ryken and Cornel Venema will be speaking at the PCRT in Philadelphia, PA. This event will be available online via live feed. The webcast will start Friday, April 30, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. and will run through Saturday evening, May 1, 2010. Visit AllianceLive.org to register and watch the...

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Poythress on the Role of the Presence of God in Exegesis

Here is one of the best articles I have come across on the importance of having our grammatical-historical interpretation method guided by the theological significance of the text. Poythress' argument is the foundation for my work on the Song of Songs. Every serious student of Scripture should read this article. In order to better understand the process of departure from t...

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The Devil's in the Resales

The audio and video from the Sunday morning service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church is now online. The text was Acts 5:1-11 and the title was "The Devil's in the Resales." You can listen to the audio here. You can watch the video below: Keep Reading

"Me-Monsters" and Social Media

Thanks to John Starke for posting what is my favorite stand-up comedy act and making it relevant with regard to the way in which people use social media these days. What Starke notes is an ever present danger in a day of instantaneous publishing. You can read the post and watch the video here....

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Alexander Brown Called as Pastor of Golden Isles PCA

The church I grew up in on St. Simons Island, Ga. has recently called my friend Alexander Brown to be their minister. Alex is originally from Dundee Scotland. During his university days he was a member of St. Peter's Free Church where Robert Murray McCheyne once ministered, and where David Robertson is currently pastor. Pray for Alex as he labors to grow and shepherd a chu...

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The Proposed PCA Strategic Plan

If you are a minister or member of the PCA, or a sister NAPRC denomination, you have most likely heard about the proposed strategic plan. The plan was drafted by a members on the Strategic Planning Committee of the PCA, and was presented by Dr. Bryan Chapell. You can watch the the videos of the entire presentation here. Roy Taylor, the stated clerk of the General Assembly ...

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Enjoying The Son of Man

John 1:51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." John 3:13-15 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him ma...

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Christ Is All When Your Husband Dies

This cut scene from the movie We Were Soldiers is sobering. The husband of the woman singing the solo (though she doesn't know it yet) is killed in that Sunday battle, and he will never return home. This same dreadful loss happens to many of the young women sitting in that little church. In the face of pain like that, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood a...

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N.T. Wright's Redeemer Prebyterian Church Lecture

Kenneth Kang-Hui, a ruling elder in the PCA in New York City, has given us a very helpful analysis of N.T. Wright's recent lecture at Redeemer Presbyterian Church's Center for Faith and Work. Here is the full review: "N.T. Wright made a splash Tuesday night in New York City as the guest lecturer at an event sponsored by the Center for Faith and Work (CFW), the marketplace ...

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Ligonier National Conference Ticket Giveaway

David Wheaton, over at The Christian Worldview, is giving away 10 tickets to this year's Ligonier National Conference. You can read the details and enter the contest here....

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Burk Parsons on the Wisdom of Listening

This is a very thoughtful and needful post by Burk Parsons on the need we have to ask for and listen to wise counsel. It is essentially a practical application of what the Proverbs have to say on this matter specifically tailored for ministers....

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Herman Bavinck's Biography by Ron Gleason: on its way!

Ron Gleason’s new biography, Herman Bavinck: Pastor, Churchman, Statesman, Theologian (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publications, 512 pps., $29.99, paperback, available May 31, 2010) is a warm and inviting portrait of one Holland’s most influential Reformed theologians. Bavinck’s theology is rigorous yet deeply concerned with the quality of the life of faith a...

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...So Could I!

If Abraham could hand his wife over to other men--two times!; if Isaac could show partiality to Esau; if Jacob could deceive his brother and steal the birthright; if Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah could doubt the promises of God; If Samson could give his strength to pagan women--twice!; if David could commit adultery and premeditated murder, and in pride count the number of I...

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Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics: Rocket Science for all God’s Children

Creation, says Bavinck, is a revelation of God. There is not a corner of the universe that does not reflect something of his glory. But creation does not reveal God’s perfections like they do in Christ. There are distinctions and gradations throughout creation from the archetype to the ectype. The incarnation of the suffering servant finds his parallel in, “th...

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Meditations on Isaiah 53 (Part 3)

In the previous meditation we considered the lack of outward beauty found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He had nothing externally attractive--either in His Person or social status--that we should desire Him. Now the prophet shifts gears to explain what is the most attractive thing about Him: "But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the cha...

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2010 Greenville PCRT - Joel Beeke on "The Age of the Spirit"

How many confusing ideas surround the theme of the age of the Spirit. Even among the best theologians there is a sort of vague understanding of the age of the Spirit. How did the Spirit work in the Old Testament era? When does the age of the Spirit actually begin? How do we define revival? How do we understand Pentecost? Should we expect it to happen again? What are the ma...

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2010 Greenville PCRT - Michael Horton "This Present Evil Age"

The first talk on Saturday morning at the Greenville PCRT Conference was given by Dr. Michael Horton. In keeping with the theme of eschatology the title of the talk was "This Present Evil Age." If an individual's view of the end times is not focused on Jesus Christ, His Person and work, we ought to become suspicious of that approach. One of the questions that arises today ...

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2010 T4G Audio

Here is the audio from the 2010 Together for the Gospel Conference....

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Christ and Capitol Hill

Christ the Center has posted the second part of the four views on Christ and Culture series. This week Dennison, Hart, Kloosterman and Wilson present and debate their respective views on "Christ and Politics." You can listen here. Below is the discription of this series from the Reformed Forum: This is part two of our series entitled Christ and Culture.  Four men par...

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Meditations on Isaiah 53 (Part 2)

There is a tendency in our day--even in the most biblical churches--to focus on the external attractions of the church. We hire graphic designers, interior decorators and web consultants to improve the physical and technological dimensions of our churches. On one hand there is nothing wrong with maximizing our resources. But we must not forget the nature of the message of ...

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PCRT Greenville Pre-Conference #2 - Cornel Venema on "The Olivet Discourse"

The second pre-Conference talk at the Greenville PCRT Conference was given by Dr. Cornel Venema. The text was Matthew 24 and the title was "The Olivet Discourse." Dr. Venema opened by suggesting that we must exercise a measure of modesty and reserve when we approach the subject of eschatology. Geerhardus Vos once make the point that exegesis of many of the disputed texts c...

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PRCT Greenville Pre-Conference #1 - Rick Phillips on "What Cannot Be Shaken"

The 2010 Greenville PCRT Conference opened with a talk by Rev. Richard D. Phillip on Hebrews 12:25-29, titled "What Cannot Be Shaken." See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promis...

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Martin Downes "Heresy Never Dies" Twin Lakes Fellowship 2010

Last week Martin Downes delivered a great message at the Twin Lakes Fellowship on the nature of heresy, specifically with regard to the link between Socinianism and Open Theism. You can access the audio here. You can watch the video below: Keep Reading

Lex et Euangelium

Steven Carr has graciously asked me to contribute, from time to time, on a new blog--Lex et Euangelium. Check it out and let me know what you think. It looks like it will be a theologically rich blog....

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Meditations on Isaiah 53 (Part 1)

Isaiah 53, the fourth Servant song in Isaiah's prophecy, is arguably the most powerful Old Testament prophecy. Written nearly 800 years prior to the birth of Christ, it is undoubtedly the clearest representation of His substitutionary sufferings and subsequent glories. In the weeks ahead, consideration will be given to some of the spiritual riches of this magnificent chapt...

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Christ Desires Our Supreme Good

A friend of mine posted these words from Helen Roseveare recently.  May God work these kind of desires in our hearts . . . Helen Roseveare, a missionary doctor to the Congo for twenty years, writes: To be a living sacrifice will involve all of my time.  God wants me to live every minute for Him in accordance with His will and purpose . . . No time can be considered ...

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Your Name in a Book

Do you long to see your name mentioned in a book, or on the cover? This is something that many pastors have hidden deep within in their hearts. It is a subtle desire that creeps in ever so slowly in circles where authors and Conference speakers are seen as "those who have made it," or have finally achieved some sort of success in Christian ministry. There is a desire for f...

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Steps to Legalism

Mark Driscoll has a nice step by step approach to determining whether you are living in legalism or not: 1. Make rules outside the Bible 2. Push yourself to try and keep your rules 3. Castigate yourself when you don't keep your rules 4. Become proud when you don't keep your rules 5. Appoint yourself as judge over other people 6. Get angry with people who break your rules o...

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Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics: Being There

Any religion that first had to prove its god existed prior to worship is impoverished from the get go. Bavinck has demonstrated from an array of philosophical and theological authors that God’s essence cannot be grasped by (critical) reason, morals or ethics. Some have left God in the dark. Others have split God’s revelation between ethics and the rest of the...

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PRTS "The Beauty and Glory of Christ" Conference

Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary will be having their annual Fall Conference on August 26-28, 2010. The theme of the Conference is "The Beauty and Glory of Christ." You can see who is speaking there and find out more details here....

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Edward Donnelly Sermons on Preaching the Word

Edward Donnelly recently delivered two messages in a series called 'Preach the Word' (Part 1 and Part 2) at Second Presbyterian Church's Pastors and Seminary Students Conference. These messages are a good reminder of the centrality of preaching the word of God in a day when many have itching ears, and do not want to hear that word. Rev. Donnelly also preached a sermon the...

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More Walke on Evolution

Bruce Waltke has given several clarifying points concerning the recent Biologos Foundation video on evolution and the church. I, for one, am thankful that Waltke was given the opportunity to clarify the things said in the video (knowing that organizations often takes things out of context), but am still wondering how any Reformed man can say that "creation by the process o...

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Free Sermon Hosting and Sermon Player Resource for Church Planters

Having been called to plant a church with no people and little to no ministry budget, I have become painfully aware of the need to find good free and/or inexpensive resources. I recently came across this site. It is the best free sermon hosting site that includes a sermon player which can be embed in your church website. You are allowed to upload 10 GB of storage for free,...

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