Theologian

I really enjoyed this article at Ligonier Ministries.

The Character of a Sound Christian in 17 Marks

I just found out today from the ESV Bible Blog that the ESV will be 5 years old on October 1st…

http://www.esv.org/blog/2006/09/five.year.anniversary 

October 1st is my birthday! That can’t be just a coincidence

This is good.
Since VeggieTales is getting more and more worldy, it’s time for “MeatyTales”…
http://www.americanvision.org/articlearchive/09-25-06.asp

As Rosh Hashanan was just upon us i thought this video is pretty funny…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkFpvzJiMkU

Appeals court says public libraries can bar religious services…
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/15975/government-libraries-can-ban-religious-services

Decision Banning Bible Distribution Appealed to 8th Circuit…
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/202006b.asp

The Challenge of Islam According to the Reformers..
http://electofgod.blogspot.com/2006/09/challenge-of-islam-according-to.html

Should the covenant with Adam before the fall be called “The Covenant of Works” as many have called it?

It seems that not eating of the tree would not be a work, but the negation of an act.

Would it be better termed …

“The Covenant of Fidelity” - since it was man’s fidelity to God that was being tested?

“The Covenant of Creation” - since it was a covenant inaugurated at creation.

lecture on tebtunis papyri…
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/events/details.php?webcastid=15772

university paper hit for Jesus cartoon…
http://washtimes.com/metro/20060914-112249-9999r.htm

fire, brimstone around Jesus film…
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4340346

beer glass Jesus to lead Christmas campaign…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/14/ujesus.xml

Microsoft Word Original Languages Plug-in…
http://www.esv.org/blog/2006/09/word.insertbible

From: Warfield, “Introduction,” Writings, 2: 103 -
It is not true that the Christian view of the world is subjective merely, and is incapable of validation in the forum of pure reason. It is not true that the arguments adduced for the support of the foundation of the Christian religion lack objective validity. It is not even true that the minds of sinful men are inaccessible to the “evidences”…

Did Warfield believe that the reason in unregenerate man was not so polluted that it could understand the Christian view? Or does he draw a distinction between the individual seeing the evidences and responding to them? If that’s the case, how unreasonable is that unregenerate reason which agrees with the evidence, yet still does not respond to it!

Man claims to be Jesus (watch video)…
http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_254163721.html

Church Sign Stirs Anger…
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/NEWS/609120341

Rosie O’Donnell says Radical Christians pose Islamofacist threat…
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51956

RTS Recommended Reading…
http://www.rts.edu/Site/Resources/Brochures/ReadingList/default.aspx

RTS Christian Thought Society (CTS)…
http://www.rts.edu/Site/RTSNearYou/Orlando/christian_thought_society.aspx

RTS Quarterly Mag for Fall, 2006…
http://www.rts.edu/Site/Resources/ReformedQuarterly/Fall_06/default.asp

A friend of mine who is a missionary told me a story of a fellow Christian who spoke in the authority of Christ to cast out a demon. This person did not raise his voice or use a “special” tone of voice, but simply spoke out from the Scriptures.
When my friend asked him why he didn’t change his tone and yell a little to be more authoritative, his response was something like - It’s not how I say it, but what I say. It’s because it’s God’s Word that it is authoritative, not because of anything that I do.

I got to thinking that there is a huge difference between speaking using an authoritative tone and truly speaking the authoritative words of Christ because they have authority in themselves.

Many a preacher has tried to demonstrate the authority of God’s Word by changing his tone to reflect authority. But in the end, that is trying to manufacture authority for God’s Word. In reality God needs no help in that department - His Word is authoritative as it stands.

Perhaps this is another way we try to hold on to our own “works.” Trying to help God out by making sure people know we are speaking the authoritative Word of God.

I would never advocate a “dry” reading of Scripture, but we must also be very careful of trying to manufacture something in an attempt to manipulate the audience we are addressing.

We ought to speak God’s Word as it was meant to be spoken, not being disconnected from it (and therefore too wooden), but certainly not trying to add “authoritative tone” to it and thereby adding our own “works” to it.