John 15 - The Vine and the Branches

Hey Friends,

This is the sermon my new pastor, Tom Lutz preached today at my church here in Anderson, IN.

...Doesn't he look like John Piper?!? haha!

enjoy.

P.S... can you guess where I am? :)

... (facebookers go to http://www.joshryanbrown.blogspot.com )

-josh

The King of the king of pop - ALIVE!

The following is a post from one of my favorite Pastors, Jim McClarty.

The King Is Alive

Most of you know that I come from an entertainment and music background. Among my musical peers and associates, Michael Jackson was considered an icon; someone who had gone further in the business than anyone had imagined possible. Years ago Elvis Presley was dubbed the King of Rock'n'Roll. So, intent on dubbing himself musical royalty, Michael granted himself the mantle of King of Pop. In fact, in his last press conferences in London, the podium bore that moniker.

This evening, as the news of Michael's death swirled around the news cycles, the most common headline I saw was "The King is Dead."

No He's not.

The real King is alive and reigning at God's right hand.

Paul Simon wrote, "Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts." As I've often said, people want to worship something. And if they cannot worship God, they'll worship other humans -- the creature rather than the Creator. Michael basked in that worship for most of his life.

Like ancient people and long-forgotten empires, earthly kings, icons, and idols come and go. But, when Michael stands before the King of Kings, there will only be one star in the room. And it won't be Michael.

I used to hobnob with wealthy, famous folk. Some were happy, some were miserable, most were obsessed with their fame and wealth. But, they all die. Death is the great equalizer. And, no matter how much stuff you accumulate here and now, only one thing has any eternal value. And it's not fame. In Heaven, only one person is famous.

The news tonight really drove home that point again. I'm 53. Michael was 50. I survive on what would have been his pocket change. But, I have eternal riches in glory.

I wouldn't trade.

The Relevance Of The Puritans

Taken from "The Story Of The Puritans" by Erroll Hulse

Read the full book here: The Story of the Puritans

Who were the Puritans? When did they live? What did they accomplish?

What did they teach? History is not a popular subject.

We cannot assume that those who are British are automatically

well-educated in English history. It is rare for those outside Britain

to know English history. How can we introduce overseas Christians

to the best theological inheritance ever?

My concern extends beyond narrating the story. I want to create

enthusiasm for the Puritans in order to profit from their practical

example and benefit from their unique balance of doctrine, experience,

and practice. The Puritans were men of deep theological

understanding and vision who prayed for the earth to be filled with

a knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

Today missionaries are involved as never before in taking the

Gospel to all the world. Bible-based Christianity is spreading

gradually in most of the 240 nations of the world. Believers have

multiplied in great numbers, especially in sub-Sahara Africa, the

Far East, and South America. Teaching which engenders holy living

and stability is vastly needed. Historically the Puritan epoch is best

able to supply this need for they were strongest where the churches

in general are weakest today.

In face of the philosophic and religious trends of today, the Puritans

are certainly relevant.

Post-modernism (PM) — Gradually from the 1960s and 1970s,

the Western World has moved philosophically from Modernism to

Post-modernism. For about two centuries thinking has been shaped

by the Enlightenment with its emphasis on human reason and its

optimism about human ability and human achievement. This arrogance

has by-passed God and his revelation and led to the collapse

of morality. Is Puritanism relevant within the present philosophical

climate of Post-modernism? Writing on the subject of PM in Foun2

dations, Autumn 1997, Andrew Patterson of Kensington Baptist

Church, Bristol, suggests that the Puritan approach is relevant. He

maintains that “genuine spirituality consists in a re-discovery of the

cohesive and comprehensive nature of the grace of God in the life

of the believer.” This he urges, “rejects the isolating, fracturing and

compartmentalizing effects of the last two centuries, and looks back

to the time of the Puritans and Pietists, when there was an approach

that was far healthier, vibrant, holistic, real, scriptural, and Godhonouring.”

With the demise of Modernism (the Enlightenment) we now

have a vacuum. This provides us with a unique opportunity to rebuild

the foundations. We are challenged to understand and apply

the Word of God today. As we do so we can look back and draw on

the legacies of the Puritans. We can avoid their mistakes and weaknesses

but learn a great deal from their strengths. Part 3 consists of

ten subjects in which we can obtain help from the Puritans.

PM is fiercely antinomian. It is admitted that people make mistakes,

but the word “sin” is seldom mentioned and the idea that we

all sin against God is avoided. Right and wrong are judged according

to human feelings. The idea that God has an unchangeable,

holy, moral law by which he will judge every person is unpopular.

What does Puritanism have to say to the different evangelical

sectors of the Church world-wide today?

Neo-orthodoxy — Of the theologians classified as Neoorthodox,

Karl Barth (1886-1968) is the most significant as he,

more than any other this century, affected the course of Protestant

theology in Europe and beyond. He set some on the road of studying

Luther and Calvin and the Reformation of the 16th century. But

while Barth challenged the Liberal establishment, there was a failure

to set the record straight with regard to liberal views of the

Bible. For instance, it is absolutely vital to believe in the historicity

of Adam and Eve. It is essential to endorse the supernaturalism that

pervades the biblical records. With Neo-orthodoxy one is never sure

about the foundations. It is like walking on sinking sand. Puritanism

shares with Neo-orthodoxy the challenge to use the mind, to think,

and to analyze. But the strength of the Puritans is that there is never

any question about the validity of the Scriptures. One walks always

on the solid rock of the infallible Word of God.

Fundamentalism — Thankfully the Church of Jesus Christ on

earth is always wider and larger than any one segment or denomination.

The evangelical movement known as Fundamentalism is only

a part of the wider body. That movement gathered momentum in

the 1920s and 1930s. Fundamentalists came together into a movement

out of the need to combat modernist theology. The leaders

drew up a list of basic truths designed to keep intact doctrines

which were denied or undermined by Liberals. Fundamentalism

was strong in the USA and spread to other countries. The Puritans

would agree with the passion to defend and promote basic truths

such as the reliability of Scripture, the Trinity, and the deity of

Christ. Unhappily Fundamentalism added to the “basics” a premillennial

view of prophecy and in some cases dispensationalism,

which is a view of history as specific time periods. The biblical basis

for these periods is tenuous to say the least, yet the system is

imposed by its propagators in an arbitrary way on the Bible. The

Puritans were mostly postmillennial. A small number were premillennial.

Eschatology was not made a point of division. We can learn

from the Puritans not to major on minors. Christ’s second coming to

judgment, the end of the world, the universal, physical resurrection

from the dead, eternal heaven and hell are major issues in which we

cannot compromise. But apart from a general outline we cannot

map out the future. Evangelical unity is a precious commodity, and

we should avoid damaging unity over matters which are not central.

Fundamentalists have also been inclined to add such issues as a

ban on alcohol, card-playing, tobacco, dancing, and theater going.

This has been the cause of endless strife and division. For instance,

concerning alcohol, the Bible teaches temperance, not total abstinence.

Wine is used at the Lord’s Table. Some fundamentalists

even try to change the meaning of the word wine to uphold their

total abstinence view. Puritanism is a wonderful antidote to the

harmful and needless divisions which are caused by adding manmade

rules to Scripture. Worldliness is an enemy. The cure is in the

heart. A man can keep many rules but be worldly still, and at the

same time possess a deadly spirit of Pharisaic self-righteousness.

Puritanism concentrates on the great issue of the state of a person’s

soul. When a soul is truly joined to Christ, every part of him—his

thoughts, his words, and his actions—will be subject to the Word of

God. While he makes rules for his own life, he will avoid making

them for others. The Puritans included a chapter in the Westminster

Confession on the subject of Christian liberty and liberty of con4

science. The Puritan message is one of liberty combined with selfcontrol

and discipline. The Puritan Confessions of Faith (Presbyterian,

Congregational and Baptist) are silent where the Scripture is

silent. For instance, there is nothing in the Bible about smoking, but

there are passages which urge that we should care for our bodies as

temples of the Holy Spirit. Liberation from harmful habits comes

through the freedom imparted by Christ. That freedom comes by the

inward persuasion of the Holy Spirit.

The New Evangelicalism — Fundamentalism has worn an angry

face being fiercely separatistic, intolerant, and aggressive. It has

been viewed as the religion of the clenched fist. It was inevitable,

therefore, that more friendly and reasonable avenues of expression

would be sought. This came in the form of The New Evangelicalism:

broad, scholarly, and friendly. However, this movement within

evangelicalism has been troubled by compromise on the central issue

of the inspiration and authority of Scripture. The New

Evangelicalism split over the issue of the inerrancy of Scripture.

Again Puritanism is commended. While the Puritans could not anticipate

the details of this controversy, we appreciate the solid

foundation that is laid with regard to the nature and authority of

Scripture in the opening chapter of The Westminster Confession.

Pentecostalism — The Pentecostal movement, which is as wide

and diverse as a rainbow, is noted for emphasis on three important

subjects: the reality of spiritual experience, the demonstration of

spiritual power, and joy in public worship. These matters were also

stressed by the Puritans.

First, the Puritans placed great stress on the spiritual experience

of God’s free grace in conversion. The parameters of spiritual experience

with regard to joy in justification, the love of the Father in

adoption, patience in tribulation, and enjoyment of Christ were explored

to the full by the Puritans. The Puritan view is that we are

now complete in Christ. Spiritual experience consists of the ongoing

application of the believer’s experimental union with the three

Persons of the Trinity. The New Testament does not suggest or

command a specific second experience after conversion as though

something has to be added to what we already are in Christ. Many

in the Pentecostal movement concede that all who are in Christ have

been baptized spiritually into Christ (1 Cor 12:12); no second specific

experience is mandatory, and no second experience is to be

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regarded as a type of “open sesame” to a Pandora’s box of new experiences.

The Puritans would concur that spiritual power or the

anointing of the Holy Spirit is needed not only for preaching but for

service generally and for endurance in tribulation. The Holy Spirit

is always at work in the believer to correct, guide, comfort, and empower.

Second, there is a stress in some Pentecostal denominations on

the continuation of signs, wonders, and miracles. The Puritan view

is that the apostles and prophets of the New Testament were extraordinary.

They were given a special enduement for the work of

setting the foundations. We do not have to repeat their work. It is

not necessary to vindicate the Word of God with new signs and

wonders. Puritan teaching is wonderfully liberating because spiritual

leaders are not required to walk on water, replace missing

limbs, raise the dead, or perform stupendous miracles such as creating

fish and bread. The Word of God is all-sufficient, and we do not

need to exercise the supernatural gifts of prophecies, tongues, and

interpretation of tongues. As we examine the history of the Christian

Church through the centuries and through the 20th century, the

absence of miracles is evident. A major ethical embarrassment takes

place when miracles are offered, especially miracles of healing, and

then failure is evident. How sad it is to claim to be a miracle-worker

and then to disappoint the hopes of hurting people. When such

promises fail, disillusionment sets in which is very deep and

wounding. We do not make promises we cannot fulfil. Rather, we

point to the promise which will never fail, and that is the promise of

the gospel—eternal life to everyone who repents and believes.

Third, there is the need for joyful public worship. Dull, lifeless

worship is a contradiction of the joy of salvation. The regulative

principle is important. This is a principle by which public worship

is regulated according to the specifics of the New Testament. In

other words, we should engage only in spiritual worship which is

specified by Scripture—the public reading of Scripture, preaching,

intercessory prayer, and singing. There is no specification as to how

these elements are to be arranged. This suggests freedom. There is

no reason why we should not have great joy and edification in our

public worship. We do not need to resort to imitating the world or

to entertainment. We can combine dignity and reverence with joy

and gladness. Stephen Charnock, in an exposition on John 4:24,

places the focus on God as central in worship when he refers to

some of the essential elements involved:

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“God is a Spirit infinitely happy, therefore we must approach

him with cheerfulness; he is a Spirit of infinite majesty, therefore

we must come before him with reverence; he is a Spirit infinitely

high, therefore we must offer up our sacrifices with deepest humility;

he is a Spirit infinitely holy, therefore we must address him with

purity; he is a Spirit infinitely glorious, we therefore must acknowledge

his excellency; he is a Spirit provoked by us, therefore we

must offer up our worship in the name of a pacifying mediator and

intercessor.”

Needless to say, tedium must be avoided in worship. The challenge

for preachers not to weary their hearers will be addressed in a

separate chapter on preaching.

Shallow evangelism — Possibly here more than anywhere the

Puritans can help evangelicals who use the altar call and who too

readily pronounce people converted simply because a decision for

Christ has been recorded. One of the legacies of the Puritan era is a

stable doctrine of divine sovereignty and human responsibility to

insure against the errors of Arminianism on the one hand and Hyper-

Calvinism on the other.

Reconstructionism — This is a movement emanating out of

America which stresses the importance of the moral law and holds

to a post-millennial position which foresees that Christianity will

prevail to the point where civil governments around the world will

become Christian. Reconstructionism stresses the application of

biblical teaching to every facet of life, private and public, and by

exposition of the Scriptures seeks to equip politicians to apply biblical

law to public life. Puritanism would endorse the emphasis on

the Ten Commandments and the need to persuade and teach politicians

to apply these commandments in legislation. However, the

Puritans would part company with any who sought to follow theonomy,

that is the application of Old Testament laws to public life.

With regard to the future, as has already been pointed out, the Puritans

varied. They were mostly postmillennial, but their optimism

was centered in the transforming power of the gospel and the building

up of churches, rather than preoccupation with the powers of

civil government.

Broad evangelicalism — Broad evangelicalism is innocuous

and is no threat to the world, to sin, or the devil. The Puritans exer7

cised spiritual power. They brought down the opposition of darkness.

The English Puritans gave to England the Christian family and

the Lord’s Day. Allied also to broad evangelicalism is impotent

scholarship which is undisciplined and effete. Allied too to broad

evangelicalism is shallow evangelism. In a recent book Are You

Really Born Again? – Understanding True and False Conversion

(EP), Kent Philpott testifies how he has moved in his ministry from

shallow evangelistic practice with its altar call to Reformed and Puritan

practice. With regard to scholarship the Puritans were full of

practical application. Sadly, often where we find substantial evangelical

scholarship today, it can be lacking in the area of

application.

Calvinistic Sovereign Graceism — Some readers may wonder

what this is. The fact is that many churches disown the description

“reformed” because they disagree with the Law and the Lord’s Day

chapters (chapters 19 and 21 in The Westminster Confession of

Faith or its Baptist counterpart The 1689 London Confession of

Faith*). They embrace the five points of Calvinism. These five

points are easily remembered by the acrostic TULIP: total depravity,

unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace,

perseverance of the saints. This formulation originated at the Synod

of Dort in Holland in 1618-19.

The five points highlight the truth that we are saved by grace

alone. There are, however, dangers in a simplistic reduction of Calvinism

to five points. In Scripture wherever the truth of salvation by

grace alone is stated, it is in the context of practical application.

Without spiritual application there is the danger of being merely

academic or intellectual. This was largely characteristic of fundamentalism.

As with other groupings of churches, Sovereign Grace

churches vary widely in character. A few have fallen prey to a cultic

spirit by implying that only those who believe in the five points are

true, born-again Christians. Puritanism corrects such error by keeping

to the biblical centrality of union with Christ as the main feature

of the Christian, a union which brings with it at one and the same

time justification imputed and holiness of life shown by fruitfulness

(Rom 6:1-18). The Puritans were careful not to add to justification

by faith alone. In some instances “Calvinistic Sovereign Graceism”

adds to justification by faith by insisting that to be a true believer

one must possess the five points. But faith alone joins the believer

to Christ. To that nothing must be added.

Hyper-Calvinism — The essence of Hyper-Calvinism is to deny

common grace of the love of God to all men. In other words, God

only loves the elect and only hates the non-elect. Further, Hyper-

Calvinism denies the sincere free offers of the Gospel to all men. C.

H. Spurgeon was a Puritan in every fiber of his being. In his preaching

we have wonderful examples of the five points of Calvinism

preached evangelistically. For instance, Spurgeon poured scorn on a

general redemption that supposedly made salvation possible but

does not in fact actually save anyone. Spurgeon preached particular

redemption in a most powerful evangelistic manner. The Puritans

can provide stability today in the biblical manner that they held to

the different facets of the love of God and the way in which they

held in harmony the doctrines of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

One example of that is John Flavel’s Christ Knocking

at the Door of Sinners’ Hearts which was published as a paperback

by Baker Book House, 400 pages of gripping exposition all from

one text, Revelation 3:20.

The Church of Christ on earth at the end of the 20th century is

larger and more diverse than it has ever been. Only some aspects

and strands of that huge body have been referred to, yet from these

descriptions it should be evident that the Puritan writings are relevant

today.

Why I Left The Honor Academy...

It's true. I officially left the Honor Academy on Sunday. I know for many of you this came as a complete suprise. For many of you, I didn't have the chance to say goodbye... let alone explain why I left. Let me say to all of you at Teen Mania that I love you and I'm praying for you, and I'm sorry for any pain or confusion my leaving may have caused. My attention was not to hurt anyone or cause any trouble.

First let me say, that my decision to leave the Honor Academy came purely from conviction. I was not dismissed from the Honor Academy, and Teen Mania leadership even granted me a release from my commitment. I did my best to leave honorably, and I made sure to seek council and wisdom before deciding to leave. That is not saying that we shouldn't always honor our commitments. I believe we should. However, my decision to leave came from conviction about many things we do at Teen Mania that I believe to be unbiblical.

Please forgive me if I've caused any of you sadness or if my words seem arragant. I simply want to Glorify God in every aspect of my life. And I truly believe if I stayed at the Honor Academy for another 2 months I would be in sin. My Family Core and my duties with Terra Nova had a huge involvement in deciding to stay as long as I did. I actually began to seek a way to be released back in March.

If you'd like more information behind my actions, I'd like you to personally speak to me. I'd be more than happy to explain in detail why I left. I'll finally have a cell phone this Saturday and I want to do my best to stay in touch with you. I'm also planning on blogging and using Facebook as much as I can.

So what am I doing now?

I have a lot of free time on my hands. A LOT of free time. I found a church in my area that I really want to plug in to and will begin this Sunday. Check out their website:

http://www.edgewoodbaptistchurch.net/

I'm setting aside the next several weeks to study, pray, and catch up with Family. After that, try to find a car, a job, and start college.

I miss all of you already! Continue to seek truth at all costs and fall in love with the Glorious Gospel daily!

grace and peace,

-josh

Effective Prayer

Check out this sermon on how to have an effective prayer life by Charles Spurgeon.

Effective Prayer

You Follow Calvin? Well, I Follow Christ! Part 2

Wow, so here's something ironic. Right after posting my last blog on 1 Cor 1:10-17, I stumbled upon this youtube video entitled "Calling All Calvinist: A Call To Repentance."

The video is 31 minutes and 20 seconds long. Props to anyone who can watch past 11 minutes. That's as far as I could go.

The Speaker in this video is Monica Dennington. A Christian Musician and Speaker for Christian women's conferences. If you can stomach this video by her, there are three other videos in this series.

I think there are several errors in her call for Calvinist to repent. (At least in the 11 minutes that I watched.)

For one, I don't know of any Calvinist that views John Calvin as an Idol or higher then our Saviour Jesus Christ. This seems to be her main argument. She even starts the video by using Phil 2:3 to imply that argument... not to mention she uses this verse to show that Calvinist apparently belief that their better then non-Calvinist and therefore must struggle with humility more then non-Calvinist.

If I may use my own experience as to how I came to the Doctrines of Grace, (Calvinism)I barely knew anything about John Calvin when I first began studying the Reformation. Most of my coming to Reformed Theology was by simply reading God's Word.

Secondly, she calls it "dangerous territory" that Calvinist believe Calvinism is a good ideology for the Gospel... and then uses Isaiah 48:11 to somehow prove that we're again giving John Calvin the glory for the Gospel instead of Christ.

I would argue (which arguing in its self is wrong to this lady when it comes to Christian matters... ironically she's arguing her own point to Christians)that Calvinism is indeed the Gospel!

Please tell me.... how can anyone... Calvinist or not... preach a Gospel without a theology behind it? It's not possible.

Thirdly, please read my last blog if you haven't already.

I pray that Monica Dennington would repent of such arrogant attacks on Calvinist and come to a true understanding of the Gospel.

Now, here's the video. (again, if you're reading this on Facebook, go to my actual blog page)

-josh

You follow Calvin? Well, I follow Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (ESV)

Sectarianism Is Sin

10I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no(Q) divisions among you, but that you be united(R) in the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is(S) quarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that(T) each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow(U) Apollos," or "I follow(V) Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 13(W) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you(X) baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except(Y) Crispus and(Z) Gaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also(AA) the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and(AB) not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Sectarianism is what Paul's talking about in this passage of scripture. Sectarianism, can be described as Denomination zeal, or a devotion to a certain party. Paul is urging us in this passage not to be Sectarian for the sake of unity.

So where does this passage come in on the topic of Calvinism or Arminianism?

I don't believe it does.

I know of many people (including myself not too long ago) that refuse to carry the title of "Calvinist" or "Arminian" because of this passage of scripture.

But let's look deeper in to this passage.

Verse 10 - Paul is strictly speaking about Doctrine in this verse, not spiritual unity of the Church as a whole. Paul is saying that we should all agree with the same Doctrine. Without a strong commitment to Biblical Doctrine inside the Church, the Church will weaken. We should also be united with the same mind and judgement. (Phil 3:15-16.) We are to be unified in our beliefs, convictions, standards, and in applied principles of living. (Acts 4:32; Eph 4:3)

Verse 13 - this verse is stressing that no human leader should receive the praise or Glory of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Paul hated the idea of receiving more glory then God.

So the question is, does this passage apply to the Calvinism-Arminianism debate?

No.

Christ, Chloe, Paul, Apollos, and Peter all had the exact same theology.

So on the issue of Calvinism or Arminianism, we have to understand that one of two theologies is wrong... because they both have completely different Doctrinal stances.

So if I were to call myself a Calvinist, it's because I believe Calvinist theology is Biblically correct... as opposed to Arminian theology, which I believe is Biblically incorrect.

Now lets look at verse 10 again.

10I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no(Q) divisions among you, but that you be united(R) in the same mind and the same judgment

Now, if we're supposed to be united in mind and judgement... and believe in the same Doctrine.... should we belong to a Church that holds to a theology different from our own? I don't believe so.

Check out this video. (if you're reading this on facebook.... go to my actual Blog)

-josh

The New Calvinism

I like Reformed theology. At this point, it's obviously not a secret. It wasn't until about 9 months ago that God slowly began to give me true revelation while reading his word. As an Undergrad at Teen Mania's Honor Academy last year, I'm very thankful for the discipline of daily quiet times made as an Honor Academy rule. But as I'd read my Bible...I couldn't help but wonder about how literal the words on the page actually were. (Previous to becoming an HA intern....I never had quiet times, never prayed, didn't have a passion for God's word, and I'm convinced I wasn't actually saved by God's grace until coming to Teen Mania.)

But God in his sovereignty still gave me a passion to pursuing God and his plan for my life, which led me to the Honor Academy. I came to campus with two main goals: to get a grip on this whole Christianity thing..... and figuring out what to do for the rest of my life.

That was back in August of 07. Almost 2 years later, I now know I'll never get a full grip...as I'm a fallen creature who won't be fully redeemed until I enter God's Kingdom. And I strongly believe God's call for my life is to be a Pastor.

I'm a young man who's been given grace by a good and merciful God. I believe Christ is my Saviour. I believe in prayer. I believe in the Bible, and take every word of it literally as "God-breathed" truth - 2 Tim 3:16

The Bible has shown me some amazing truths that completely contradict everything my flesh wants to believe.

But I believe the Bible is true. There really is a literal Heaven and Hell. God is in complete control over the entire universe...even Satan. I am totally depraved. God's grace is unconditional. God has a limited atonement. God's grace is irresistible. And all true Christians will persevere until the end.

Below is a blog originally posted by Pastor Jim McClarty from Grace Christian Assembly Church in Smyrna, Tennessee. This post by Pastor McClarty brings me a lot of encouragement, seeing that I'm not alone in my Biblical convictions. It brings me great joy to see that young and old alike are turning back to the theologians of Spurgeon, Tozer, Ravenill, Edwards, Piper, and today's Paul Washer. Let me know what you think.

grace and peace,

-josh

The New Calvinism

I know sometimes we Reformed folk feel very alone. I get email all the time from folk asking "Is there a church like GCA in my area?" We all want to fellowship with like-minded people, just so we don't feel so isolated from the church world at large. Worse, I receive regular correspondence from people -- especially young people -- who are ostracized or rejected by their church leaders and families because they have embraced Calvinism. Words like "cult" get tossed around and the critics insist that Calvinism divides churches and ruins fellowship.

Well, this past March TIME magazine published a series entitled "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now." Number 3 on the list is: The New Calvinism. And they do a pretty good job of describing it.

So the next time that someone tells you that you're involved in some fringe group or that what you believe as a Calvinist is unbiblical, schismatic, or just plain "made up," point them to the TIME article and help them understand that Calvinism was once the bedrock of early American thought and politics. In fact, the author of this article closes by mentioning the fact that Calvinistic Theology represents the God of this country's infancy.

Here's the link:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884760,00.html

It's interesting that Calvinistic theology is making such inroads into modern thought and culture that even a secular magazine like TIME has recognized it. And that fact give me hope for the future of Christianity in America.

T.D. Jakes Doesn't Proclaim Salvation In Jesus Christ Alone

Listen carefully to T.D. Jakes on this one.

Another Victim Of The Modern Gospel?