Saturday, June 18, 2011

What They're Saying 06.18.11

Wilhelmus à Brakel, courtesy of Kevin DeYoung, gives us the marks of a true Christian

"How can you tell the difference between a true Christian and a false professor or heretic? Wilhelmus à Brakel in The Christian’s Reasonable Service (c. 1700) lays down six propositions to get us started. (1) A Christian must have a great love for the truth; all splendid pretense void of love for the truth is deceit; (2) A Christian must have great love and esteem for the church; (3) The Holy Scriptures are the only rule for doctrine and life. (4) Regeneration is the originating cause of spiritual life, and of all spiritual thoughts and deeds. (5) A Christian avails himself of faith; (6) All of man’s felicity, here and hereafter, consists in communion with and the beholding of God."

RC Sproul spurs us on to be in prayer, whether prayer accomplishes things or not (but, it does accomplish things)

"Given these scriptural passages, and the many, many more that clearly show that prayer does achieve things, we are not free to say: “Well, God is in control. He’s sovereign, immutable, and omniscient, so whatever will be will be. There’s no point in praying.” Scripture universally and absolutely denies that conclusion. Instead, it affirms that prayer does effect change. God, in His sovereignty, responds to our prayers."

Catholic Priests in Phoenix, AZ, establish a website to publicize the identities of pedophile priests

"It’s about time the entire U.S. Roman Catholic Church use a little digital media to protect its parishioners. For now, the Diocese of Phoenix is joining those that have taken the step. The Arizona Republic reports: The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix says it will publish a comprehensive list identifying abusive clergy as part of its newly revised website." [This is all great stuff, but I wonder how long it will be until the Vatican tries to put a stop these noble efforts. When Bishops in Ireland tried to crack down on pedophile priests in 1997, the Vatican also rejected their efforts. -SEAN]

BioLogos attacks the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy

Look, I believe in evolution. But I also believe in biblical inerrancy. Claiming to trust the Bible only on spiritual matters is intellectual suicide - how can you trust the Bible on spiritual things (which can't be proven or disproven) if you think that it's unreliable on every other topic (which can be proven or disproven)? If the Bible fails on every other subject, then there is no way that we can trust it on spiritual matters either. This kind of liberal Christian faith is inconsistent faith, maybe even no faith at all. Peter Enns' entry for the BioLogos blog is simply wrong. -SEAN

Just in time for Fathers' Day, Mark Driscoll shares 5 tips on being a dad

"By being a good Christian, you develop a relationship with your heavenly Father, the perfect Dad, that informs everything you do as a dad. And by cultivating a deep understanding of the Scriptures, you grow in wisdom, grace, and ability to raise your kids well and to the glory of God."

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