Photo from the honeymoon

Muiredach Cross, Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland

Re-opening soon. . .

13 months have passed since Kelly and I informed our handful of readers that we were closing the blog. Well, I'm bringing her back. I cannot guarantee that Dotson will be back as I have not discussed this with him, but perhaps he'll join me once again. A lot has changed in my life since August of last year: I've gotten married, bought a house, quit my job, started law school. . . Anyway, check back soon for a more detailed update.

Neill

The kitchen is. . .

If there are any of you still visiting this blog, you've probably noticed that neither Kelly nor I have posted anything on here in a while. Kelly is busy being married and working at the new Madison Heights church plant, and I'm. . . well, I've lost time and interest in this blog. I became convinced some time ago that the culture of the blogosphere has done the church much more harm than good, and thus, the party must end. There are many excellent blogs out there, such as the blog over at Reformation21. I think that the best blogs, such as Ref21, are very good because they serve primarily to keep the reader up-to-date on current events in the church, new book releases, available online resources, etc. Their purpose is to inform, not speculate and theorize with matters which are too holy for such reckless play.

To any of our friends who wish to keep in touch: I can be found on MySpace and on Facebook. Just search for me by name. If you want to keep in touch with Kelly, well, try to catch him via email. I do keep a blog on my MySpace page, but it is pretty much what this blog became--a place for me to link/paste interesting bits of news.

Thanks for all the kind comments and constructive criticisms over the past year or two. Soli Deo Gloria.

The Rev. Dr. Alexander Duff on his father

Alexander Duff was born in 1806 and was the first Church of Scotland missionary to India. The following is a portion of what he wrote to a friend upon learning of his father's death:

"If ever a son had reason to thank God for the prayers, the instructions, the counsels, and the consistent examples of a devoutly pious father, I am that son. Though sent from home at the early age of eight, and though very little at home ever after, the sacred and awakening lessons of infancy were never wholly forgotten; and, in the absence of moulding influences of regenerating grace, the fear of offending a man who inspired me in earliest boyhood with sentiments of profoundest reverence and love towards himself, as a man of God, was for many a year the overmastering principle which restrained my erring footsteps and saved me from many of the overt follies and sins of youth.

"Originally aroused to a sense of sin and the necessity of salvation, when a young man, under the remarkable ministry of the late Dr. Stewart of Moulin... my father was led to flee for refuge to the hope set before him in the gospel. And the spark of light and life then enkindled in his soul, far from becoming dim amid the still surviving corruptions of the old man within, and the thick fogs of a carnal earthly atmosphere without, continued ever since to shine more and more with increasing
intensity and vividness.

"In the days of his health and strength, and subsequently as often as health and strength permitted, he was wont to labour much for the spiritual improvement of his neighbourhood, by the keeping of Sabbath schools, and the holding of weekly meetings, at his own house or elsewhere, for prayer and scriptural exposition. In prayers he was indeed mightyappearing at times as if in full view of the beatific vision. In the practical exposition and home-thrusting enforcement of Scripture truth he was endowed with an uncommon gift. In appealing to the conscience, and in expatiating on the bleeding, dying love of the Saviour, he displayed a power before which many have been melted and subduedfinding immediate relief only in sobs and tearsand being equally fluent in the Gaelic and English languages, he could readily adapt himself to the requirements of such mixed audiences as the Highlands usually furnish.

"In addressing the young he was wont to manifest a winning and affectionate tenderness, which soon riveted the attention and captivated the feelings. His very heart seemed to yearn through his eyes as he implored them to beware the enticements of sinners and pointed to the outstretched arms of the Redeemer...

"Next to the Bible my fathers chief delight was in studying the works of our old divines, of which, in time-worn editions, he had succeeded in accumulating a goodly number. These, he was wont to say, contained more of the sap and marrow of the gospel and had about them more of the fragrance and flavour of Paradise than aught more recently produced...

"In the sharpness and clearness with which he drew the line between the merely expedient and the absolutely right and true; in his stern adhesion to principle at all hazards; in his ineffable loathing for temporizing and compromise, in any shape or form where the interests of Zions King and Zions cause were concerned; in his energy of spirit, promptness of decision, and unbending sturdihood of character; in the Abraham-like cast of his faith, which manifested itself in its directness, simplicity, and strengthin all these and other respects he always appeared to me to realize fully as much as of my own beau-ideal of the ancient martyr or hero of the Covenant as any other man I ever knew. Indeed, had he lived in the early ages of persecution, or in Covenanting times, my persuasion is that he would have been among the foremost in fearlessly facing the tyrant and the torture, the scaffold and the stake. Oh that a double portion of his spirit were mine, and that the mantle of his graces would fall upon me!"

Duff's father was a farmer, not a minister. I love my dad, as I'm sure you love yours, but...if only we had more fathers like this today.

Ancient pyramid in Bosnia?

Experts Find Evidence of Bosnia Pyramid
By AMEL EMRIC, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 19, 7:35 PM ET


Researchers in Bosnia on Wednesday unearthed the first solid evidence that an ancient pyramid lies hidden beneath a massive hill — a series of geometrically cut stone slabs that could form part of the structure's sloping surface.

Archaeologists and other experts began digging into the sides of the mysterious hill near the central Bosnian town of Visoko last week. On Wednesday, the digging revealed large stone blocks on one side that the leader of the team believes are the outer layer of the pyramid.

"These are the first uncovered walls of the pyramid," said Semir Osmanagic, a Bosnian archaeologist who studied the pyramids of Latin America for 15 years.

Osmanagic said Wednesday's discovery significantly bolsters his theory that the 650-meter (2,120-foot) hill rising above the small town of Visoko is actually a step pyramid — the first found in Europe.

"We can see the surface is perfectly flat. This is the crucial material proof that we are talking pyramids," he said.

Osmanagic believes the structure itself is a colossal 220 meters (722 feet) high, or a third taller than Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

The huge stone blocks discovered Wednesday appear to be cut in cubes and polished.

"It is so obvious that the top of the blocks, the surface is man made," Osmanagic said. He plans to continue the work throughout the summer, "after which the pyramid will be visible," he said.

Earlier research on the hill, known as Visocica, found that it has perfectly shaped, 45-degree slopes pointing toward the cardinal points, and a flat top. Under layers of dirt, workers discovered a paved entrance plateau, entrances to tunnels and large stone blocks.

Satellite photographs and thermal imaging revealed two other, smaller pyramid-shaped hills in the Visoko Valley.

Last week's excavations began with a team of rescue workers from a nearby coal mine being sent into a tunnel believed to be part of an underground network connecting the three pyramid-shaped hills.

They were followed by archeologists, geologists and other experts who emerged from the tunnel later to declare that it was certainly man-made.

The work will continue for about six months at the site just outside Visoko, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Sarajevo. Two experts from Egypt are due to join the team in mid-May.

"It will be a very exciting archaeological spring and summer," Osmanagic said.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060419/ap_on_sc/bosnia_pyramid

Say it ain't so...

Barbecue meats linked with prostate cancer
Reuters - April 2, 2006 08:36:53 PM PST

A compound formed when meat is charred at high temperatures -- as in barbecue -- encourages the growth of prostate cancer in rats, researchers reported on Sunday.

Their study, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, may help explain the link between eating meat and a higher risk of prostate cancer.

It also fits in with other studies suggesting that cooking meat until it chars might cause cancer.
The compound, called PhIP, is formed when meat is cooked at very high temperatures, Dr. Angelo De Marzo and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported.

It appears to both initiate and promote the growth of prostate cancer in rats, they said.
"We stumbled across a new potential interaction between ingestion of cooked meat in the diet and cancer in the rat," De Marzo said in a statement.

"For humans, the biggest problem is that it's extremely difficult to tell how much PhIP you've ingested, since different amounts are formed depending on cooking conditions."

For the study, Yatsutomo Nakai and other members of De Marzo's team mixed PhIP into food given to rats for up to eight weeks, then studied the animals' prostates, intestines and spleens. They found genetic mutations in all the organs after four weeks.

wrapping up the PCRT

We're wrapping up the 32nd Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology here in Jackson. First, let me say thanks to the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and Trinity Presbyterian Church for putting on the event in Jackson this year. I think it is safe to say that it has been a great blessing to all involved.

I had the particular joy of being Dr. Robert Godfrey's driver for the weekend. For those of you who are unfamiliar with him, Bob Godfrey is president and professor of church history at Westminster Seminary California. I'm just going to put it simply: I really like this man. He is incredibly well-read, gracious, and genuine (I hate to use that word--sounds so postmodern).

The speakers at the conference were Dr. Godfrey, Ligon Duncan, Phil Ryken, Rick Phillips, Sinclair Ferguson and Derek Thomas. The topic: the doctrines of grace. Tonight in his sermon/address, Dr. Godfrey made a great point: Calvinism does not have five points (you know, the infamous TULIP). Arminianism has five points, and Calvinism has five answers. If you want a summary of Calvinism, the TULIP simply will not suffice. The Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity--now those are adequate summaries of Calvinism!

Mouse testicle cells behave like embryonic stem cells

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer
Fri Mar 24, 4:27 PM ET

German scientists say cells from the testes of mice can behave like embryonic stem cells. If the same holds true in humans, it could provide a controversy-free source of versatile cells for use in treating disease.

Embryonic stem cells can give rise to virtually any tissue in the body and scientists believe they may offer treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes and spinal cord injuries.
But to harvest the cells, human embryos must be destroyed. Some religious groups and others oppose that.

The new research into testicular cells, published online Friday by the journal Nature, comes from Dr. Gerd Hasenfuss of the Georg-August-University of Goettingen in Germany and colleagues.

Lab tests found that the mouse cells closely mimicked the behavior of embryonic stem cells, Hasenfuss said Friday. He said he is optimistic about finding human testicular cells that will do the same. Work has already begun on that, he said.

If such cells are found in men, "then we have resolved the ethical problem with human embryonic stem cells," he said in a telephone interview.

That would also open the door to removing testicular cells from a male patient, growing some tissue the patient needs, and transplanting that tissue into the same man without fear of biological rejection, he noted.

The mouse cells were found to give rise to a variety of specialized cells in the lab, including heart cells that contracted and nerve cells that produced dopamine, the chemical messenger that Parkinson's patients lack, he said.

Cells typical of the liver, skin, pancreas and blood vessels were produced as well, he said.
___
On the Net:
http://www.nature.com/nature

Married?

Yes dear friends, Kelly is a married. I've tried to load some pictures as proof of the fact, but they don't seem to want to participate in vindicating me and my marital status (that's marital, not martial. There is a difference. For more on this go to "google.com" and type in "Chuck Norris").

Now, maritally speaking, I'm no expert. I have only been married for a few days (about 11 now, I think). But after 11 days I feel as though I can offer a bit of advice to all of those men who are seeking to get married.

1. You suck. Don't try to argue the point. You do. That's all there is too it.
2. You are probably wrong, even if you are "right". And that is not some sort of off handed remark about your wife saying that you are wrong. No, even at the height of your righteousness of being "right" you still are a sinner who is wrong in more ways than you know. Thankfully, your wife will let you know that.
3. You can never love your wife enough.
4. It has to take a while to figure out number 3... I am hoping that I can figure that out before I am sixty.
5. Your wife is far better than you are... She has to be, she married you. My friend and usher in my wedding Scott Haynes put it well when he shockingly said, "We all marry up."

That's all I got for tonight. I am tired. I hope you enjoy the blog and come back often.

Let Neill and I know if you visit by leaving a comment. You can even tell us that we suck if you want.

Kelly

Baptist babies

There is an interesting dialogue going on over at the Reformation21 blog between Rick Phillips and Justin Taylor regarding how Presbyterians view the status of Baptist children. Rev. Phillips does an excellent job of summarizing the Presbyterian view as well as outlining our chief concerns with the paedobaptist approach. Among other things, he points out that Baptists and Presbyterians believe baptism symbolizes and accomplishes different things. For any fruitful dialogue on this issue to occur, we must all understand where our brothers on the other side are coming from.

The conversation begins with Taylor's post "The Babies of Baptists" on Jan. 28.

Os Guinness Book of World Records?

Do you get the picture? You should cause its huge. Huge, I tell ya'. Recently my pastor, Scott Lindsay at South Baton Rouge Presbyterian sent an email to the congregation informing us that Os Guinness would be speaking at my Alma Mater, Louisiana State University, on Sunday, March 12th and Monday, March 13th. Here is a link to the Veritas Forum http://www.veritas.org/LSU/schedule.htm, the group who is sponsoring the lectures. I know very little about the Veritas Forum group. Regardless, they know a heavy hitter when they read one and I appreciate them working to have Os Guinness at LSU. Remember a few posts ago when Neill said that he was shocked that MC asked DA Carson to speak to their students and faculty? That was shocking, but this is down right scary. Most of the faculty at LSU would probably say that a man like Os Guinness has no buisness in an academic setting. If can, try to go see him. If you can't please pray for him while he is on LSU's campus. And as always, remember to pray for the men and students who are ministering in Christ's name every day, specifically, the Rev. Keith Berger and all the students of RUF.

Unwelcome visitors

A few nights ago, I was walking up the steps to my apartment when I heard a scuffling. On the first landing, I saw what I thought was the ugliest cat on the planet, but then I realized that it was one of these:

Actually, there were four of them. They ran away. I thought it was funny, went into my apartment and carried on with life.

Then I saw them the next night.

And the next night.

And the next night.

Sure enough, the little thieves were back tonight. I don't know why their presence bothers me, but it does. I guess it is because, growing up in the South, raccoons are never really considered apart from 'coon huntin'. At any rate, I want these overgrown rodents outta here.

So, I googled the phrase "get rid of raccoons" and found this webpage. According to it, I should try the following:


"Sealed or sheltered trash bins will discourage raccoons."


"Fenced gardens will dissuade raccoons from feasting."


"Live 'Havahart' traps will help you get rid of raccoons."


"Motion-sensing lights and sound devices will keep raccoons away."


"Commercial repellents will stop raccoons."

This is ridiculous. I will not allow a raccoon to run the show, and thus have a better solution:


"Raccoons can't bother you if they're dead."

However, I face three obstacles in my quest to vanquish my foes:

1. The Jackson Police Department
2. The administration of Reformed Theological Seminary
3. Non-Southern fellow students who might not be used to the sound of a shotgun going off in the middle of the night.

So, I don't know what I'm going to do. However, I am confident that I will not be using any of the costly, non-violent methods suggested on the website above. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave a comment.

PATHETIC:

This story is absolutely incredible. I'm no fan of the mainline denominations, trust me. They may have no theological backbone, but AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT CANCELLING SUNDAY SERVICES BECAUSE OF CHRISTMAS!

An excellent diagnosis: "This is a consumer mentality at work: 'Let's not impose the church on people. Let's not make church in any way inconvenient,' " said David Wells, professor of history and systematic theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

But here is what I find really interesting. Whenever something significant happens and the media wants the "evangelical" opinion, they always go to some sensationalist nut like Falwell or Robertson. When the news story is about "evangelicals" such as Benny Hinn or Willow Creek, they come to us. Remember that special that Dateline did on Benny a few months ago? NBC talked to Michael Horton at Westminster Seminary California. Now, when they want an opinion about Willow Creek and the megachurches, they came to David Wells. Astonishing. Okay, not really. But perhaps in the future, men like J. I. Packer, John Stott and James Montgomerey Boice will again be the faces that the world associates with Protestant Christianity.

(HT: Brad)

Why we love the Puritans...

From The Valley of Vision:

Glorious God,

I bless thee that I know thee.

I once lived in the world, but was ignorant of its Creator,
was partaker of thy providences, but knew not the Provider,
was blind while enjoying the sunlight,
was deaf to all things spiritual, with voices all around me,
understood many things, but had no knowledge of thy ways,
saw the world, but did not see Jesus only.

O happy day, when in thy love's sovereignty
thou didst look on me, and call me by grace.

Then did the dead heart begin to beat,
the darkened eye glimmer with light,
the dull ear catch thy echo,
and I turned to thee and found thee,
a God ready to hear, willing to save.

Then did I find my heart at enmity to thee, vexing thy Spirit;
Then did I fall at thy feet and hear thee thunder,
'The soul that sinneth, it must die',
But when grace made me to know thee,
and admire a God who hated sin,
thy terrible justice held my will submissive.

My thoughts were then as knives cutting my head.

Then didst thou come to me in silken robes of love,
and I saw thy Son dying that I might live,
and in that death I found my all.

My soul doth sing at the remembrance of that peace;
The gospel cornet brought a sound unknown
to me before that reached my heart -- and I lived --
never to lose my hold on Christ or his hold on me.

Grant that I may always weep to the praise of mercy found,
and tell to others as long as I live,
that thou art a sin-pardoning God,
taking up the blasphemer and the ungodly,
and washing them from their deepest stain.

Please, stop calling allegory "typology"

This post is limited in its intended audience, and I apologize for that.

I've noticed over the past few months that Federal Vision pundits in the blogosphere consistently misrepresent or confuse allegorical interpretations of Old Testament passages with typology. Thus, I offer the following:

"The theory and practice of allegorical interpretation goes back to pre-Christian times. Many Stoic philosophers respected Homer as a classic text, but were embarrassed by the crudities and absurdities of stories about the gods and goddesses of ancient polytheistic Greek religion. Some interpreters in the Stoic and Platonic tradition reduced this tension by reinterpreting the personages and activities of these gods and goddesses as human qualities or elements of nature. Stories about Apollo, Hera and Poseidon could thus be read as accounts of interactions between sun, air and water. Plato spoke of a 'meaning below' (hyponoia) the surface of the text, and many 1st-century writers describe this as allegoria. From Greek thought, this method of reading a text found its way into Jewish circles. Philo wrote as a Jew seeking to commend Jewish faith to educated Greeks and Romans. He used allegorical interpretation as a device for re-reading passages in the early chapters of Genesis which he found embarrassingly anthropomorphic, or passages in Leviticus which described the minutiae of animal sacrifice. Thus the method was established in Jewish and Greek circles before its growth within the Christian church.

"Allegorical interpretation has had an ambivalent status in Christian tradition. Origen argued that Paul himself provides precedent for allegorical interpretation in his identification of the wilderness rock with Christ in 1 Cor. 10:1-4. There has always been controversy about whether this passage and Gal. 4:22-26 constitute genuine examples of allegorical interpretation. Much depends on definition and questions about Paul's purpose. Many draw a firm distinction between allegory, which depends on a correspondence between ideas, and typology, which depends on a correspondence between events. Some argue that Paul uses typology but not allegory. However, while it is true that events are given whereas ideas are entertained, criteria for the typological interpretation of such events remain problematic.

"Clement of Rome (c. AD 96) provides a very early example of Christian allegorical interpretation. Commenting on Jos. 2:18, he observes that the Israelite spies gave Rahab a sign 'that she should hang out a scarlet thread from her house, foreshadowing that all who achieve and hope in God shall have deliverance through the blood of the Lord' (1 Clem. 12:7). Clement of Alexandria, a century later, argued that the interpreter should expect to find hidden meanings in the biblical writings, because the mystery of the gospel transcended the meaning of any particular passage. Origen argued that the interpreter should begin with the plain or grammatical meaning, but should then 'rise from the letter to the spirit'. He saw the outward events or outward grammar of a text as like the human body: what gave it soul was moral application, and what gave it spirit was the frame of reference informed by spiritual perception. In spite of his attempt to acknowledge, at least in theory, the importance of the letter, or of the grammatico-historical meaning of a text, his own use of allegorical interpretation moved too far in the direction of those Gnostic opponents who also ransacked the Bible for esoteric or 'secret' meanings. By way of response and reaction, the fathers of Antioch, especially Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428) and John Chrysostom (344/354-407), opposed the allegorical excesses of Alexandria , and insisted on the priority of linguistic considerations."

From A. C. Thiselton, "Hermeneutics" in New Dictionary of Theology. Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright and J. I. Packer, eds. Downers Grove: IVP, 1988.

My plea: Please stop redefining words.

I do not expect these confusing eisegetical ramblings to cease, but I do hope that readers of these fast-and-loose interpreters will see these opinions for what they are: allegorical interpretations.

David Wells on accountability, knowledge, perspective and depravity

"If the genesis of modern individualism lies in the idea of the dignity of the individual, the genesis of modern humanism lies in the failure to acknowledge the companion reality of human depravity. The capacity for ultimate knowledge that we are given by creation is a fearful thing when it is unhitched from the knowledge of sin. This uncoupling gives rise to individuals who are unsuspicious about themselves, who infuse their own ideas with divine authority, who are oblivious to the inherent darkness of human nature...

"The contribution of the Reformation, therefore, lay in the confession of two theses—(1) that the individual has access to ultimate reality without the interposition of any intermediaries save for the Word written and living, and (2) that this truth must be held in tension with the reality of the corruption of the human being. Note that the companion truth is human corruption, not human creatureliness. Reinhold Niebuhr assumed that the former should be understood in terms of the latter, but the Reformers distinguished sharply between them—as does Scripture. Our access to truth is fractured not by our smallness, our finitude, or the relativity of our human perspective, not by the limited and fragmented way in which we know things—not, in fact, by any natural inability at all. If that were the case, we would be without blame before God, for we could not rightly be expected to know and obey things that we are inherently incapable of knowing and obeying. No, our access to truth is fractured by a moral inability. What limits us and what always threatens to pervert what knowledge we do have is not our relativity but our moral corruption."

David Wells, No Place for Truth: Or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993, pp. 147-149.

Almost everything Wells says in this book is quotable. In this section, he is explaining the difference between the individualism of the Protestant Reformation and the individualism of the Enlightenment. The key difference, he argues, is the issue of accountability. Historic Protestant individualism was/is the result of an acknowledgement of universal human depravity and the ultimate moral responsibility of each man before God. Enlightenment individualism, however, was/is the product of a worldview which says that each person is accountable only to himself. The essence of the Enlightenment was to shake off all historic and external authority structures, particularly the religious. Tradition-be-damned, so to speak. Protestantism teaches that there are many levels and spheres of authority, but ultimate authority lies with God, not the state, the church or the self.

I also appreciate the comment in the latter section quoted above with regard to the human capacity for knowledge. In stating that we have "the capacity for ultimate knowledge", Wells means knowledge that corresponds with reality, not comprehensive, unmediated and unaccommodated knowledge. Wells' position (which is that of historic Protestantism) is in stark contrast to the postmodern view of knowledge, perspective and interpretation. The postmodern notion that all data is received subjectively, interpreted subjectively, and therefore lacks substantial correspondence with, or reflection of objective truth has infected American evangelicalism to its core. Sadly, the Reformed churches and seminaries (who should know better) in this country are travelling along this same road.

Photos of the Lewis statue in Belfast

Yesterday, in a post over at the Reformation21 blog, Derek Thomas posted perhaps the smallest photo on the planet of the C. S. Lewis Centenary Statue in Belfast. I'm sure it was the best he could find, or that he had a reason for posting what amounts to an icon (not that kind of icon!). Online photos of this statue are actually quite rare, although I am sure that will change with all the hype surrounding The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I would like to point our readers back to a previous Fried Pickles post in which I displayed some photos of the statue I took while in Belfast over the summer.

Click here to see the post and photos.

December Reformation21 focuses on Lewis

Head over to Reformation21 and check out the latest issue. This edition focuses on C. S. Lewis in anticipation of the December 9 theatrical release of Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The featured article is titled "C. S. Lewis: Apologist with an Imagination" and is written by Dr. Andrew Hoffecker, our esteemed church history professor here at RTS Jackson. I actually signed up for Dr. Hoffecker's class on C. S. Lewis last semester, but had to drop it due to time constraints. I regret that decision, and have since before I even turned in the drop slip. Go read the Ref21 articles, and don't miss the movie on December 9. And if you are planning on seeing the film, and have not read the book, do yourself a favor and read something (anything) which will explain the symbolism of the story before you see it. It will mean a great deal more to you if you do so.

Official SUPERMAN RETURNS Teaser Trailer

Click the shield.

What Should We Do With All These Promises?

Readers and Non-Readers Alike,

Here is a great critical article on the popular book/lifestyle The Purpose Driven Life, written by Mike Horton at the White Horse Inn. Warren's popularity is waning and has been for the last year or so from over-exposure-- even Evangelicals get tired of their heroes from time to time-- but I still think that we should know the benefits or dangers of Warrenianism (my word, just made up on the spot). So read the article if you think you should be conscious of the Evangelical world around you.

A theme park for the Holy Land?

American Evangelicals and Israeli officials plan to unveil this month a $60 million park where Jesus walked.
By Ilene R. Prusher Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

JERUSALEM - Officials in Israel say that out of about 2 million people who will realize their dream of visiting the Holy Land this year, more than half will be Christian. And among those, more than half will be Evangelical.

With that in mind, the Israeli ministry of tourism has gone public with a plan to build - in partnership primarily with American Evangelical churches - a sprawling Holy Land Christian Center on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, home to some of the most notable chapters in Jesus' ministry. The center, to be built on approximately 125 acres that the Israeli government is offering free of cost, would be a Christian theme park and visitors' center, one that would be particularly attractive to Evangelicals and other Christians who want to spend more time in the places where Jesus walked.

Highlights may include a Holy Bible Garden, full of plants and trees mentioned in the New Testament, and equipped with quiet sites for reflection and prayer. A Sea of Galilee Amphitheater will overlook the mouth of the Jordan River and hold 1,500-2,000 worshippers. And the park will have a Christian Experience Auditorium and a Multimedia Center. The center would also feature an online broadcast center, which would give religious leaders an opportunity to address their followers back home, live, near the tranquil blue waters of the Sea of Galilee (which today is considered a lake).

"It will focus on the real places where Jesus walked," says Ido Hartuv, a spokesman for the tourism ministry. "It's a place where pilgrims can touch the experience - they can touch the Bible."

Israeli officials say they are in advanced discussions with several prominent churches that will serve as investors and builders of the $60 million center. Tourism Minister Abraham Hirschson told the Haaretz newspaper that he hoped the first of several agreements would be signed this month, and that one of the key figures at the heart of the project would be Pat Robertson, the prominent televangelist and founder of The 700 Club.

"It thrills me to think that there will be a place in the Galilee whereEvangelical Christians from all over the world can come to celebrate theactual place where Jesus Christ lived and taught. It will be our pleasure tofully cooperate with this initiative of the Israeli Government," says Mr.Robertson.

The plans to build the center - and to turn a large swath of the pastoral waterside territory, from Magdala to Bethsaida, into a Galilee World Heritage Park, complete with hiking trails along paths Jesus would have walked - come at a time of seesawing in relations between Israel and various US churches.

Ever since Benjamin Netanyahu - Israel's prime minister from 1996 to 1999 - cultivated ties with US Evangelicals and other Christians during his tenure, Israeli governments have sought to strengthen relations with the sector of the Christian world which, for religious reasons, tends to take a pro-Israeli view of the Arab-Jewish conflict. On Mr. Robertson's website, he says that God gave this land "to the descendants of Israel," not to "so-called Palestinians." Older churches, such as Orthodox and Catholic denominations, have more local Palestinian followers and tend to support that side of the conflict.

But Uri Dagul, the head of the Israel Youth Hostels Association and the creative force behind the project, says it is more focused on tourism than politics. The idea, he says, reflects an improvement in Jewish-Christian relations, underscored by the visit of Pope John Paul II here in 2000. Mr. Dagul says the project should be a nondenominational Christian center, not an explicitly Evangelical one.

Some of the existing churches and monasteries the shores of the Sea of Galilee - such as in Tabgha and Capernaum, where Jesus lived for a time, were built as recently as the early 1900s by prominent churches in the Holy Land: the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics, represented by the Franciscans. But the area has not, more recently, been developed for visitors, says Dagul, and so the busloads of tourists who come to the coast north of Tiberius find it difficult to secure a place to pray and reflect, much less find a rest-stop equipped to accept hundreds of pilgrims.

"Jerusalem comes only later in the story, but most of Jesus' history is in the northern part of the Sea of Galilee," says Dagul. "We can give people the opportunity to experience it, to pray here, to broadcast to their home congregations, to walk on Jesus' trails. People go to churches all over the world, but this is the place where it happened."

A spokesman at the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ), which represents Christian Zionists from around the world, views the center as an important step towards developing sites for Evangelicals, whom he says make up the fastest-growing segment of Christians.

"The Protestant world in general got a late start on the Bible-sites business. While the Greek Orthodox - as the successor to the Byzantine empire - and the Roman Catholics have been involved in identifying Christian sites and maintaining them for pilgrims for centuries," says David Parsons of the ICEJ. "It's very astute of the Israeli government to do this, with all the support of the Evangelical world out there," he adds. "We have a stake in the tourism industry here, and this gives us a place to call our own."

Whether the development will resemble a study center more than a theme park is unclear. The developers say they plan to check kitsch and commercialism at the door. "No way will it be a Disneyland. We have to keep the spirit of the place," Dagul says. "You can see the movie about Jesus' life, then see the mountain," he says, referring to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his essential teachings. "But if we lose this spirit, with too many lights and projectors, it will be a catastrophe."
And bowing to protests from Orthodox Jewish groups, the Christian partners will have to agree not to go out and proselytize to local Jewish Israelis.

www.csmonitor.com Copyright © 2005 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.

Click here for the full article.

What are we supposed to do with this?

Minesweeper PUNISHED!

Confession: I'm addicted to Minesweeper. New high score:

Two kinds of dangerous

I was talking last night with my roommates and one of them expressed concern about the danger of postmodern theology. His concern was specifically for his less discerning friends who might fall into the snare of the Emergent Church movement. I have actually spent a good deal of time lately thinking about how to gauge the danger of recent trajectories in theology, specifically the New Perspectives on Paul and postmodern theology.

I have come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of danger. The first category is "Big Angry Bear Dangerous." I would apply this to the New Perspectives on Paul.

The second kind of danger is "Small Child Running with Scissors Dangerous." This description fits the Emergent Church quite well.

Please don't ask me to explain why I've designated said movements as such. If you don't get it, don't worry about it. Besides, it would take more time than I have to explain.

An exciting discovery

To attempt to describe this wonderful find to you would inevitably ruin its beauty. Please click here and visit The Sacred Sandwich. Possibly the best website I've come across in months.

Rating:

"Thank you for calling ONSTAR. How may I be of service?"

Hello All My Friends,

I have returned from the "Islands". The British Virgin Islands to be more specific. It was a wonderful trip. Just the thing I needed to refresh my soul after my bout with Mono/streptococcus/tonsillitis and having my tonisils and uvula removed. I wish I had a picture of my throat to show you. Here are some pictures from last years trip, with more to come from this years trip as soon as I get them... Ok, so they are up there. Enjoy.

I never thought it was possible...

Press release from the Mississippi College website:

ANNUAL SPELL LECTURE FEATURES D.A. CARSON, TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL, GUEST LECTURER

(17 Oct 2005) The Department of Christian Studies, Mississippi, will present the annual Spell Lecture on Monday, November 7, at 7 p.m. in Anderson Hall East of the B.C. Rogers Student Center. Dr. Wayne Van Horn is chair of the Christian Studies Department. The guest speaker is Dr. D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield Illinois. Admission to the lecture is free and the public is invited to attend.

On Tuesday, November 8, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., in Anderson Hall East of the B. C. Rogers Student Center, Dr. Carson will lead the study for the Christian Leadership Institute. The study is entitled “Why Does the New Testament Quote the Old Testament Like That?” The study will center around studies from the Book of Hebrews. There is a $20 registration fee.

Donald Carson's areas of expertise include biblical theology, the historical Jesus, postmodernism, pluralism, Greek grammar, Johannine theology, Pauline theology, and questions of suffering and evil. He has written or edited over 45 books including the 2005 revised edition of An Introduction to the New Testament (Zondervan). Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois, and they have two children.

I will go on record as saying that Carson is one of the finest theologians alive today. Honestly, he has forgotten more stuff than you or I will ever know. His grasp of ideas and history is unbelievable. And he is an outstanding lecturer and preacher. If you can make it to MC to hear him, GO.

Why am I so surprised that MC would host Carson? True, MC is a baptist school, and Carson is a baptist (Evangelical Free Church). However, he is also very Reformed, and MC is not generally known for its hospitality towards Calvinism. But I'm not going to ask too many questions. Maybe there is hope that one day my alma mater will allow me, a Presbyterian, to teach theology and church history there (doubtful).

Happy Reformation Sunday!

While the rest of the world is celebrating Halloween, Protestants are (or should be) celebrating Reformation Day. It's not that we are necessarily opposed to Halloween, but that we have something much better to celebrate. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenburg, an act which is generally considered to be the formal beginning of the Reformation. The Sunday which either falls on October 31 or the Sunday preceding that day is celebrated as Reformation Sunday in Protestant churches. Today is that day. Thank God for Saint Martin, that "drunken little German monk."

It's that time of year again...

PCA teaching and ruling elders + rented sailboats = Island Time. Yes, several PCA leaders get together every year around this time and take a much needed vacation. Every now and then, some unordained men are allowed to accompany, if their gifts are seen to be complementary to the sailing task. Our very own Kelly "OnStar" Dotson has received this honor for the second consecutive year, and we hope that this will give him a chance to relax and fully recover from the MONO which nearly took him a few months ago. I believe that Kelly was invited last year because, well, he is very good at Island Time-ish activities. However, I contend that last year his true gift was discovered and this was the basis for his current invited status. It seems that Kelly is a human GPS unit. He can sense when land is near, even from as far as 100 yards away, earning him the nickname "OnStar" (he also owns an OnStar visor, which he insisted on wearing the entire trip). You never have to worry about accidentally running ashore when Dotson is aboard:

Setting: Sailboat, somewhere in the Virgin Islands.

Kelly: (standing, pointing) "Land ho!"
Person 1: (laughing) "Thank you, Kelly, we see that."
Kelly: (still standing and pointing) "Land ho!"
Person 2: (laughing) "Okay, Dotson, we get it. You're OnStar."
Kelly: (still standing and pointing) "Land ho!"
Person 3: (laughing, but becoming annoyed): "Kelly, we see the land. It's like 50 yards away."
Kelly: (pauses, looks confused, then smiles and points) "LAND HO!"

Kelly will be back in a couple of weeks. Please keep these men in your prayers.

THEOLOGY OF GLORY vs. THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS

Read:

http://www.opc.org/new_horizons/NH05/10b.html

Here we go again...

The latest "zine" from Thomas Nelson, Inc. You may be familiar with Nelson's other BibleZines. According to the publisher's site, the Align New Testament offers men articles on the following topics:

Leadership
Family
Relationships
Women
Sex
Bible Knowledge
Community Involvement
Money
and much more...

I hope that the "much more" category includes THE GOSPEL. While this is the list that Nelson provides in the product description, the cover of the "zine" lists the following content:

Sexcess: Success with the opposite sex!
Improve your people skills and WIN!
Learn to prosper without cutting corners
Maintenance HOW-TOs for life & faith
Top Ten lists for getting ahead
Got Gadgets? 34 Tech-savvy IDEAS

Just when I thought that Evangelicalism couldn't get any worse...More cheesy nonsense. Why not just call it The Osteen Study Bible?

HT: Justin Taylor

James MacDonald on the Emergent(ing) Church

On Christianity Today's leadership blog Out of Ur, James MacDonald (pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois) explains why he has not jumped on the postmodern bandwagon. He makes the following points, explaining each quite well:

1. Because observing the bad is not a credential for guiding us to the good.
2. Because God is looking for obedience to revealed truth, not just sincerity.
3. Because Christ’s is a kingdom of substance, not style.

Stay tuned to Out of Ur for the Part 2 of this article.

New baby in Neill's family

No, she's not mine. Yesterday (Oct. 18), my cousin Brad Noel and his wife Christy had their second child and first daughter, Mary Grace. Christy and Mary Grace are both doing fine, and Brad and John Taber are very excited. The Noels live in Oxford where Brad is in grad school, Christy is a teacher, and John Taber runs a daycare.

A "real" photo, as requested by "yankee"

Someone called "yankee" who left a comment on a previous post has requested that I post a "real" photo of myself, claiming that in my mustachioed photo (see below) I am trying to look like a professor. I think that in that photo I look like a used car salesman or a sex offender, but I digress. Here is a photo of myself and my brother Scott outside Castle Coole in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.