Ever heard those stories about Calvin killing Servetus?

To bring some balance and historical truth to the mythical nature of Calvin killing Servetus, James Swan put together a list of interviews concerning John Calvin by Calvin experts. These interviews are in MP3 format and free for download.

Go to Calvin and Servetus Revisited to find out more.

The 10 Dumbest Things Christians Do

"Gunny" Hartman, from SEMPER REFORMANDA, has been doing a series of blog posts on Mark Atteberry's book, The 10 Dumbest Things Christians Do.

Based on Gunny's review, I already like the book.

So, what are those 10 Dumbest Things Christians Do?

• Dumb Move #1: Slinging Mud on the Bride of Christ
• Dumb Move #2: Winning People to the Church Rather Than to the LORD
• Dumb Move #3: Living Below the Level of Our Beliefs
• Dumb Move #4: Speaking Above the Level of Our Knowledge
• Dumb Move #5: Hopping from Church to Church
• Dumb Move #6: Fighting Among Ourselves
• Dumb Move #7: Missing Golden Opportunities
• Dumb Move #8: Settling for Mediocrity
• Dumb Move #9: Allowing Wolves to Live Among the Sheep
• Dumb Move #10: Accepting the Unacceptable

Gunny finished this series on 8 September 2009.

Mark Atteberry's book can be purchased here and here.

NCT Friday: Summarizing New Covenant Theology - Part 2

This post a a continuation of the previous one.

Summarizing New Covenant Theology (Part 3)

A Bird's Eye View of New Covenant Theology
A Bird's Eye View of New Covenant Theology (Part 2)
A Bird's Eye View of New Covenant Theology (Part 3)
A Bird's Eye View of New Covenant Theology (Part 4)
A Bird's Eye View of New Covenant Theology (Part 5)

First NCT Friday.

Christian book store sales people selling what they don't know

I dropped into a local Christian book store today just to browse around.

As I came to the Bibles section I overheard one of the store's sales people, a young guy, trying to tell a boy of about 16 and his mother about the different Bible translations.

I stood there for a few minutes listening in on his advice as to why they should buy one translation over another. For a moment or two I was quite stunned at what I heard.

The young boy asked the salesman about the ESV, just to be told that in the ESV and other more modern translations some words have been left out. At this point I jumped into the discussion just to help this poor boy and his mother out of the big hole they have been dumped into by this salesman.

I firmly believe that the salesman had no clue what he was talking about, read a couple of internet sites that claimed that modern translations leave words out and believed it! He referred to the KJV and the NKJV as the better translations based on his internet research.

The problem with the Bibles section in any Christian bookstore is that you cannot have a salesman like this with just a little bit of knowledge. He knows just enough to cause serious damage.

Each Christian bookstore should have a resident, trained person who understands the different translations, and not just the translations, but should have a strong understanding of the theory of Bible translation and of manuscript transmission.

If you do not know the product you are selling, you end up causing more problems than solving any. The same goes for the Bibles section in a Christian bookstore.

A couple of books I can recommend are:

The King James Only Contoversy, James R. White – Purchase: Amazon, Kalahari.
The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (4th Edition), Bruce M. Metzger – Purchase: Amazon, Kalahari.
The Word of God in English, Leland Ryken – Purchase: Amazon, Kalahari.
How to Choose a Bible Version (Revised), Robert L. Thomas – Purchase: Amazon, Kalahari.

NCT Friday: Summarizing New Covenant Theology

I studied at a Dispensational Bible College connected to Global University, back in the late 80's. Before I finished there, I started feeling a little uneasy about Dispensational Theology (DT). As I studied my Bible that unease continued to grow, until I completely discarded my beliefs in DT by the mid-to-late 90's. By that time I started to feel like I was the only one who believed like I did. The Bible just seemed so clear on the issues, however, I did feel a little lonely out there, since I felt like everybody around me believed in DT.

My family and I moved to the U.S.A. for two years (1999-2000), and it was there that I discovered New Covenant Theology (NCT). I was totally amazed that back in South Africa I came to a conclusion by myself, that had a name and a movement in America!

What is great, is that more and more Christians are discovering the interpretive framework of NCT. One such person is Andy Smith. He just started a short (or long) series of blog posts on discovering and summarizing NCT. So far he has done two posts:

Summarizing New Covenant Theology
Summarizing New Covenant Theology (Part 2)

First NCT Friday.
Next, NCT Friday: Summarizing New Covenant Theology - Part 2

July 2009 Issue of Themelios Journal available

"Themelios is an international [quarterly] evangelical theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith.

"Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. It was formerly a print journal operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008."

You can read the online version or download the PDF version.

The ungodly

I think that sometimes we tend to forget who the ungodly are. The liberal church especially, with their vain concoctions of the meaning of Scripture. Perhaps, once again, we need a reminder. You can find that reminder here.

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list, neither does it bring in the idea of those who live "good" lives but have rejected Christ.

Logos Print Bible Giveaway!

Yip!  You read that right. Logos, the Bible software giant is giving away 72 Bibles in the next 6 months. To become part of this giveaway, simply visit their giveaway web page!

You can enter via your website, blog, Twitter, Facebook or the Logos blog. Sounds strange? Then go visit the link to Logos above and find out today!

Latest 'Solid Ground' from Stand to Reason is available

The latest Solid Ground, "Ida: Missing Link, Missing Evidence", from Stand to Reason is available.

BiblioBlog Top 50 for June has been released!

I really do not know how good the blogs are that make it onto the Top 50 of the BiblioBlog, but I read or have read a few of them. Here they are:
6.  Daniel and Tonya - Hebrew and Greek Reader
24. Andy Naselli - Thoughts on Exegetical, Biblical, Historical, Systematic, and Practical Theology
38. Dave Black - Dave Black Online

July-August Issue of Sound of Grace available

Sound of Grace comes in PDF format, so you will need a PDF reader. Back issues can be found here.

Ark of the Covenant revealed?

Treasure hunters and archaeologists are always looking for a great new find. With the announcement by the leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that he was going to reveal the Ark of the Covenant (AotC) to the world on Friday, 26 June, the whole world was in a buzz!

Then, Friday came and went, and the unveiling of the AotC never happened!

In my opinion, there is no AotC! Even if there was, how would we know that it is the real thing? We have no idea what the real thing looks like, so there would be no way to differentiate between a fake and the real thing. What will we compare against?

Anyway, it would be just another idol to worship! The AotC is redundant!

This is what you get when you turn the church into the latest entertainment hall!

HT: Dan Phillips

WOW! and they're still alive?!

HT: Dan Phillips

Peter Masters puts the cart before the horse

Commentary on the church of Jesus Christ can be found all over the internet. Sometimes they are really good, and well, sometimes not so good. The one thing however, that a commentator must remember, is that when such commentary is made, that it has to be driven by Biblical exegesis. When personal feelings and ideas drive such commentary without it being based on actual Scripture, it might as well be written on the beach at high tide.

Of course, it is a given that no commentator on church issues always keeps to Biblical commentary of such issues. We are sometimes influenced by our backgrounds, and sometimes culture plays a bigger part than we would like to admit! This is where I believe Peter Masters fits in.

Well, here goes! Stepping on toes! Some holy toes! Oops... was that the sacred cow?

In his critique of the so-called new-Calvinism in his article The Merger of Calvinism with Worldliness, Peter Masters starts with:

"When I was a youngster and newly saved, it seemed as if the chief goal of all zealous Christians, whether Calvinistic or Arminian, was consecration. Sermons, books and conferences stressed this in the spirit of Romans 12.1-2, where the beseeching apostle calls believers to present their bodies a living sacrifice, and not to be conformed to this world. The heart was challenged and stirred. Christ was to be Lord of one’s life, and self must be surrendered on the altar of service for him.

"But now, it appears, there is a new Calvinism, with new Calvinists, which has swept the old objectives aside. A recent book, Young, Restless, Reformed, by Collin Hansen tells the story of how a so-called Calvinistic resurgence has captured the imaginations of thousands of young people in the USA, and this book has been reviewed with great enthusiasm in well-known magazines in the UK, such as Banner of Truth, Evangelical Times, and Reformation Today.

"This writer, however, was very deeply saddened to read it, because it describes a seriously distorted Calvinism falling far, far short of an authentic life of obedience to a sovereign God. If this kind of Calvinism prospers, then genuine biblical piety will be under attack as never before."

This is about as much substance in his critique as you will get, except for a thing here or there. Masters' critique is against the "syncretism of worldly, sensation-stirring, high-decibel, rhythmic music, [] mixed with Calvinistic doctrine." What is it with legalists that always want everybody else to keep to non-Biblical laws? BTW, how do you define worldly music? One beat to many? Drums? Perhaps too loud?

What is worldly worship? Perhaps it is when we sing a U2 song in church! (This should never happen!) The Bible does not give us any indication of the style or sound of Biblical music! To make claims this way or that way is to make extra-Biblical claims. What does worship sound like? Has anybody ever heard it?

Maybe I am a bit facetious right now, but c'mon! Are we really supposed to only use music that was written four centuries ago? Shouldn't we also only use instruments that were made back then? Should we sing hymns and psalms as they were written by a bygone era only? How far back should we go? To the 19th, 18th, 17th or 16th centuries? Perhaps their music was not good enough? So, let's skip the Dark Ages altogether and go back to the time of Augustine. No? Ok, what about all the way to the time of Jesus? Can you see how frivolous it can become?

In my opinion, Peter Masters is using a cultural norm (his own) as a litmus test to differentiate between old- and new-Calvinists. Does he really believe that a style of music can make you do immoral stuff? Maybe it'll make you use drugs or lust after lewd women? This is truly preposterous! An evolutionist, or perhaps a quacky psychiatrist, can believe that, since to many of them humans are but the sum of their chemicals. But, as a human being, made in the image of God, and able to think and make choices in life, I believe that I do things because I can think and make choices, not because a style of music makes me do things!

Music is a medium, and it is up to us what we do with that medium! It is like saying television is evil, so, all Christian programming by extension must also be evil.

What we can say with absolute confidence, is that worship has content! Biblical content! We can say that if music, any music, has content in it that is not true to the Bible, it would be worldly music, or at leat non-Christian. IMHO, when someone claims that a certain style of music is unbiblical or worldly, their knowledge of that fact was acquired by the thumb-sucking method. The fact is, that as much as people try to build laws for worship music styles, those laws are man made. They are not the laws of God. May we worship loudly? With lots of decibels? Can I use rhythmic music? Yes on all counts! When reading through the Psalms, you will notice that all classes of musical instruments were in use to worship God.

What is also amazing is that Peter Masters even attacks John Piper for "proclaiming Calvinistic sentiments" during the Passion conference in Atlanta in 2007. "Calvinistic sentiments?" John Piper is one of the clearest preachers on Calvinistic doctrine. Must he expound each and every Calvinistic doctrine to its fullest extent each and very time he preaches at a conference? That is simply unreasonable!

Of course, I do not disagree with Masters on every point. Such as Mark Driscoll's "'edgy' language and gravely improper humour." I agree with Masters' commentary on this. But you see, Scripture clearly tells us that dirty language and such is wrong! However, on musical style and lighting the Bible says nothing!

Peter Masters writes of the Puritans a lot in his critique. He clearly admires them, which is a good thing! The Puritans taught Christianity a lot. However, the Christian community is not called to emulate the Puritans! We are called to follow the Scriptures! "You cannot have Puritan soteriology without Puritan sanctification." That is true, but once again, we are not to seek Puritan sanctification! We seek Biblical sanctification. As far as the Puritans are in line with Biblical teaching fine, but we must depart where they differ from the Bible.

Masters makes an attack on several men of God, such as John Piper, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, etc. Some of these attacks are made indirectly, such as through Together for the Gospel.

This attack critique by Masters give us no definitions to work from. He claims that these Calvinists are leading people to worldly lifestyles, worldly worship, and basically for not being properly sanctified. What is a worldly lifestyle, in the opinion of Peter Masters? From his article, it seems to me to have a lot to do with his own cultural preference and very little to do with actual Biblical decree!

In conclusion, Masters wants everybody to live like he does, with his cultural norms. He has not shown me at all from a clear Biblical standpoint, why different music genres/styles could not be used in worship. He simply is not convincing at all in his criticisms on the men and ministries mentioned in his article, except for Mark Driscoll.

Is Peter Masters letting his cultural likes and dislikes be the guide to his Biblical ideas on this issue? Our cultural norms should be informed by the Bible, not the other way round.

Update:
After writing this post I was busy reading through some new blog posts that Google Reader picked up for me, and I found Dan Phillips' blog post on this issue with links to other commenters on Peter Masters' article. Here is more.