“As art is tied to reality in this way, there is a place to speak about truth in art. Does it do justice to what it represents? Does it do this in a positive way? Does it show the depth and complexity of what it is talking about? Art may be simple; it must be …
The Folly of Preaching
“The foolishness of preaching saved those who believed, and the preaching of the gospel continues to manifest itself as the power of God after conversion. But to those who perish, preaching is always held in contempt; it is foolishness. Those who believe the Scriptures should not be astounded that preaching today is held in such …
Like A Feather Boa
A shrewd observer of my exchanges with Dr. Clark contacted me privately and made a point that I think is well worth repeating here. I would urge anyone who needs the refresher to read through our respective posts, along with the comments. You can look through the Auburn Avenue Stuff on this blog for the …
Some Trust in Missiles, Some in Fleets
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! In times of trouble, May God listen to you! May the name of Jacob’s God defend you. May He send out help from His sanctuary, And strengthen you from Zion’s hill. May He remember your offerings; May He accept your ascension gifts. …
If You Can”t Take It With You, Then Send It On Ahead
Once there was a young man who was not very wise with his money. He actually had some because of his paper route, but he consistently squandered it, and was usually bone dry for some days before his next payday. His mother noticed this almost right away, but let it run for a few months. …
More Than Welcome
This Table is all about grace, forgiveness, kindness, and acceptance. God receives you here. This is the normal way we ought to think of it. Not only does He receive you here, but he does so knowing all about your sins. Jesus said that this was His blood of the new testament, which was to …
Saving Faith is a Busy Bee
All right, let’s recap. Dr. Clark says that I have unwittingly denied the Reformation because I hold that saving faith is holy. I say that when God calls us effectually and regenerates us and gives us a new heart, this new heart turns away from sin (in repentance) and turns to Christ (in faith). Because …
A Wee Bit More
A couple of very reasonable posters have urged me to spend my time on more fruitful endeavors than trying to persuade Dr. Clark of my orthodoxy. While I have no intention of conducting a debate like this ad infinitum, I do believe it is fruitful now. While it would be wonderful to persuade Dr. Clark, …
Soup to Nuts
My conversation with Dr. Clark goes on. I asked him to cite some examples of where I have said that God considers the moral quality of my faith (as having been formed by love) as the basis or foundation for justifying me. I deny teaching this. To his credit, Dr. Clark acknowledges that I am …
Glorify It Yet Again
Father and gracious Lord, we praise and glorify Your name, and ask You to glorify it yet again in our celebration here. We pray that You would bless the labor that put this meal together, and bless our enjoyment of it. We ask that You would use this food to strengthen us, and prepare us …