CarBlogging!! Finally!!
By BlackCalvinist | February 8, 2010
Something new I’ve been thinkin’ on for a few months and finally decided to DO:
Expository preaching vs Topical Preaching…..a few thoughts.
Topics: contending for the faith, the Word of God | 1 Comment »
Quiet as Kept…..TCDC turned 14 this weekend.
By BlackCalvinist | January 23, 2010
http://theologicallycorrect.com/?p=172 – Take a read.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
CSF – The Fruit of Affliction – One
By BlackCalvinist | January 14, 2010
The afflictions of John Bunyan gave us The Pilgrim’s Progress.
The afflictions of William Cowper gave us “ThereIs a Fountain
Filled with Blood” and “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” And
the afflictions of David Brainerd gave us a published Diarythat
has mobilized more missionaries than any other similar work. The
furnace of suffering brought forth the gold of guidance and inspi-
ration for living the Christian life, worshiping the Christian God,
and spreading the Christian Gospel.
Thereis a certain irony to the fruit of these afflictions.
Bunyan’s confinement taught him the pilgrim path of Christian
freedom. Cowper’smental illness yielded sweet music of the mind
for troubled souls. Brainerd’s smoldering misery of isolation and
disease exploded in global missions beyond all imagination. Irony
and disproportion are all God’s way. He keeps us off balance
with his unpredictable connections. We think we know how to
do something big, and God makes it small. We think that all we
have is weak and small, and God makes it big. Barren Sarah gives
birth to the child of promise. Gideon’s 300 men defeat 100,000
Midianites. A slingshot in the hand of a shepherdboy brings the
giant down. A virgin bears the Son of God. A boy’sfive loaves feed
thousands. A breach of justice, groveling political expediency,and
criminal torture on a gruesome cross become the foundation of
the salvation of the world.
This is God’s way—to take all boasting off of man and put it
on God. “Not many of you were wise according to worldly stan-
dards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but
God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God
chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose
what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not,
to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might
boast in the presence of God….‘Let him who boasts, boast of the
Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, 31, RSV).
Not surprisingly (1 Peter 4:12), therefore, suffering fits into
God’s design in ways that sometimes baffle us and test us to the
limit. This very baffling and testing is part of the design:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be per-
fect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
(Pages 19 and 20)
How difficult it is to embrace this concept, being all high speed internet, multiple cars in your home, an ACTUAL home, central air, gas heat, air conditioning, enough clothing to last weeks before repeating, food on your table and a job.
On the flip side, have you ever considered what a scary thought it is to have a God who does NOT control suffering, but simply ‘allows’ it to happen to folks, even though He knows it’s coming to you ? Thankfully, the Bible doesn’t teach this kind of ‘god’ exists, though he seems to get a lot of press in some Christian pulpits.
Next time through: God designs our suffering ?
God Bless.
K. Joel Gilliard
Theologically Correct dot Com – http://theologicallycorrect.com
Life | Doctrine | Music – http://www.lifedoctrinemusic.com
Topics: life, theology | No Comments »
Happy New Year – So What ?
By BlackCalvinist | January 2, 2010
A little something I wrote three years ago going into 07′.
Thinking Biblically Commentary – January 4, 2007
K. Joel Gilliard
Every year on December 31, great festivals and celebrations around the world are held to ring out the old year and bring in the new year. In fact, starting backwards from December 26th, news broadcasters begin to reflect on past events of the year, who died, who got married and whatever the big news stories of the year that there were.
Many people use this time of year to do their own reflection on the events of the past year in their personal lives. Many make promises to improve themselves in the coming year and as we well know, these things have a tendency not to last.
Many have come to think of New Year’s resolutions as a cliché for ‘Heh. Let’s see how long that lasts.’ People make grandiose claims and promises only to break them before the end of the month (usually within the first 5-15 days of the month).
Now let’s think for a moment. Biblically, if you will.
Is it wrong to reflect over our lives and think on the major events of our lives? Of course not. Is it wrong to make plans for change ? Not at all. Scripture is replete with folks who do these very things – from David in the Psalms to Isaiah in his book.
The problem is our thinking at how to go about accomplishing these ‘resolutions’ that we make. There’s usually two faulty assumptions that go along with most new year’s resolutions-making.
Read the rest here:
Theologically Correct dot Com :: LIVE Your Theology. Blog Archive TBC – 1/06/07- Happy New Year – So What ?
Audio version: http://theologicallycorrect.com/realaudio/tbc-1-06-07.mp3
Topics: from the pen and mind, life, oooh! stuff to read!, resolutions | No Comments »
Why I Won’t Be Signing the Manhattan Declaration
By BlackCalvinist | December 9, 2009
Sproul: http://new.ligonier.org/blog/the-manhattan-declaration/
MacArthur: http://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/pulpit/Posts.aspx?ID=4444
Dan Phillips: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/nineteen-questions-for-signers-of.html
Between these three, I believe the issue is pretty clear.
While I understand why Dr. Mohler signed it, I think his choosing to do so was a bit short-sighted….especially since he has stated that his signing it did NOT imply that he believed that Rome’s gospel and the gospel as found in scripture and held to by evangelical protestants was the same:
I cannot and do not sign documents such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together that attempt to establish common ground on vast theological terrain. I could not sign a statement that purports, for example, to bridge the divide between Roman Catholics and evangelicals on the doctrine of justification. The Manhattan Declaration is not a manifesto for united action. It is a statement of urgent concern and common conscience on these three issues — the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage, and the defense of religious liberty.
My beliefs concerning the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches have not changed. The Roman Catholic Church teaches doctrines that I find both unbiblical and abhorrent — and these doctrines define nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But The Manhattan Declaration does not attempt to establish common ground on these doctrines. We remain who we are, and we concede no doctrinal ground.
Even though the document does the very thing he says it does not:
We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities.
and especially:
We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.
Which gospel ?
So more than a few folks remain perplexed as to why Mohler, Grudem and a few more solid names have signed the document. We can freely pursue these causes lock-step with Catholics and the Orthodox without claiming to be all ‘Christians’, when in doctrinal practice and affirmation, we can’t claim each other (well…..protestants can’t claim Rome or the Orthodox…. Rome calls protestants ’separated brethren’). People like Rick Warren, Colson and others, I expect to sign it, since they all tend to be wishy-washy on doctrine (and strangely, on things like THIS important doctrine).
I’ll admit: I was persuaded a bit by Mohler’s argument until I really READ the document. While I agree with its’ aims, there’s too much assumed by it in regard to the gospel. Ultimately, the only thing that will truly change the human condition from a social standpoint is the real gospel. Anything else is simply moralism and religiosity.
Topics: in the headlines, life, politics, politics, politics, theology | No Comments »
Blogwatching: The Manhattan Declaration….Signing It…or Not ?
By BlackCalvinist | December 1, 2009
I haven’t done a blogwatching in a LONG time.
Two very well respected men (Al Mohler and John MacArthur) have come down on opposite sides of the fence on the issue of the Manhanttan Declaration.
For those hiding under a rock, read it here:
http://manhattandeclaration.org/images/content/ManhattanDeclaration.pdf
The document calls for cultural co-beligerency between Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants to deal with three major social ills that are symptomatic of our present society’s downfall (at least in the US and most of the west).
MacArthur: Why I didn’t sign it
Mohler: Why I signed it
So far, quite a few of my favorite folks….. have both signed and abstained. I’m waiting to hear from John Piper on the issue.
Meanwhile, we’re talking it up on LDM. Come join us. Would YOU sign the document ? Why or why not ?
Topics: blogwatching! | No Comments »
A Theology of Thankfulness: Psalm 103
By BlackCalvinist | November 26, 2009
Topics: Theological | No Comments »
This post will never die. The comments still keep growing….
By BlackCalvinist | November 21, 2009
Which post ? This one: http://theologicallycorrect.com/webmaster/blogs/?p=266 on the Soldier’s Outreach/Soul Factory/New Name and Cliché Church run by Deron Cloud. I’ve been popping in and out on it, but the comments always seem to get more and more interesting as the years roll by.
Cloud seems to have his following, just like every other gimmick-based-megachurch pastor and they defend him to the end, even in the face of the Bible saying something completely opposite. Armed with their slogans like “don’t put God in a box” and “Watch God show up”, they continue to fight forward in the face of people quoting the Bible at them.
Oy.
Prayer.
And maybe a bit more patience. Maybe.
By the way, their website has changed: http://www.thesoulfactory.com/
Topics: heresy and screwy teaching.... | No Comments »
While we’re waiting: Old Reading
By BlackCalvinist | October 25, 2009
I’m so thankful to the Internet Archive. I was in the process of looking up some old posts from prior to my converting my blog from b2evolution over to Wordpress (which I did back in 07 or so….) and to my dismay, a lot of ‘huge’ posts I’d done were lost. 
Until today. 
I decided, on a hunch, to put in the URL to some of my old blogposts that were cut off at “More::” (as in “click on this link to read more”). Turns out the archive saved a LOT of my old blog back in December of 06.
I even got back all of “The Bible as the Word of God….for CHRISTIANS….” which I’ve been meaning to get back for ages now.
I also managed to get all of my post back where I talked for a bit on Calvary Chapel and restore the entire post.
I was reading my wife a bit of old blog posts to my wife and noticing that I’ve been a perfectionist a lot longer than I really realized (I even mentioned it in an old post). It’s interesting to look back at old blogposts and see where you’ve grown from. Strangely, I had a lot more time years ago to blog more consistently. I blame work and the rest of life.
Well, off to blogging again. If I know how God operates, something I read recently on my blog will arise in my life as a reminder in the next few days and I’ll be posting on it in hopes of others being edified as a result of it.
Topics: Personal, life | No Comments »
Upcoming: Life | Doctrine | Music
By BlackCalvinist | August 7, 2009
Wrote a little blogpost on it and stuck a FAQ up on the main site.
Read that entry here: http://theologicallycorrect.com/?p=115
and visit the site for more info: http://lifedoctrinemusic.com
and no, TCDC isn’t going anywhere.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
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