Two Rival Religions

Christianity and Post-Christianity

From Albert Mohler

ON NOVEMBER 3, 1921, J. GRESHAM MACHEN presented an address entitled, “Liberalism or Christianity?” In that famous address, later expanded into the book, Christianity and Liberalism, Machen argued that evangelical Christianity and its liberal rival were, in effect, two very
different religions.



Machen’s argument became one of the issues of controversy in the Fundamentalist/Modernist controversies of the 1920s and beyond. By any measure, Machen was absolutely right: the movement that styled itself as liberal Christianity was eviscerating the central doctrines of the Christian faith while continuing to claim Christianity as “a way of life” and a system of meaning.

Our Holey Holiness: A Conversation with Kevin DeYoung

from the Gospel Coalition (Matt Smethurst)
an interview with Kevin DeYoung

Holiness. Do you like that word? Or does it (off the record) sort of make you squirm?

By God's grace we hear a lot these days about gospel-centered living, books, music, conferences, ministries, and churches. But how often do we hear about gospel-centeredobedience? Is there, particularly among young evangelicals, an "enthusiasm gap" between our passion for the gospel and our passion for godliness?

That's Kevin DeYoung's concern, and he intends to "mind the gap" in his latest book, The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness (Crossway, 2012). "The hole in our holiness," DeYoung suggests, "is that we don't really care much about it." Readable and timely, clear and compelling, biblically saturated and pastorally sensitive, The Hole in Our Holiness is a fresh call to run after righteousness for the glory of the One who both demands and enables the pursuit.
I corresponded with DeYoung, senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, about how personal holiness relates to mission, the dangers of excessive "idol hunts" and "spiritual temperature checks," practical counsel for pastors, and more.

The Bible Meets the Modern Age: A Conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter

 R.Albert Mohler, 9th President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary interviews President Jimmy Carter on his most recent "Thinking in Public" podcast. It is an incredible listen, Mohler's post interview thoughts are vintage Mohler. Gracious, brilliant and full of helpful historical analysis and pastoral insight into how theology drives even a President of the United States. I enjoyed hearing President Carter in his own words and how much evangelicals should appreciate the good things he did as President even as we disagree with some of his errant theology. If you have time give it a listen here.   

The Challenges We Face by Albert Mohler

The Challenges We Face: A New Generation of Gospel Ministers Looks to the Future
by R. Albert Mohler (This story appeared here)

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” [2 Timothy 4:7] Writing to Timothy, the Apostle Paul was able to look back on his ministry and declare satisfaction that he had finished his course. Paul would be the first to insist that his entire ministry was evidence of the grace and mercy of God, but he was assured that, by grace, he had finished his race.

Paul’s statement of completion must be the goal of every Gospel minister. Our calling is not complete until we, like Paul, can know that we have finished our course. For most of us, the race still lies before us, and that makes our goal even more urgent.

When asked about my hope for the future of the church, I point immediately to the corps of young ministers now entering and preparing for ministry. In one of the great counter-intuitive developments of our times is the rise of a generation of young ministers who are committed to the faith “once for all delivered to the saints,” and who are eager to run the race to Christ’s glory.

What challenges lie ahead? The race this new generation is called to run will include several unavoidable challenges that will demand the highest level of biblical fidelity and theological courage, matched to keen cultural sensitivity and a deep love for human beings caught in the maelstrom of late modernity.

Children in Worship Lets Bring it Back

Jason Helopoulos is guest blogging for Kevin DeYoung at Gospel Coalition and has some terrific articles up this week. The following deals with children in worship services.

I remember sitting as a small child in church sucking on wintergreen mints and drawing battle scenes on the offering envelopes (my mother would always give me a tap of correction when the explosions were a little too loud with my scribbling pencil). And though I might have been preoccupied with my wintergreen mints and airplanes dropping bombs on tanks, I was picking things up. Was it easy for my single mother to corral a feisty little boy and his sister in the pew? No, it is a testimony to her patience and grace! But it was good for my soul.

Schaeffer on Bible Judging Culture

Wes White has an excellent post today from Francis A, Schaeffer in light of recent discussions on the "Historical Adam."

"Infallibility is used today by men who do not apply it to the whole of Scripture, but only to the meaning system, to the value system and certain religious things, leaving out any place where the Bible speaks of history and the things which would interest science." 

"Those weakening the Bible in the area of history and where it touches the cosmos do so by saying these things in the Bible are culturally oriented. That is, in places where the Bible speaks of history and the cosmos, it only shows forth views held by the culture in the day in which that portion of the Bible was written. For example, when Genesis and Paul affirm, as they clearly do, that Eve came from Adam, this is said to be only borrowed from the general cultural views of the day in which these books were written. Thus not just the first eleven chapters of Genesis, but the New Testament is seen to be relative instead of absolute. . . . There is no end to this. The Bible is made to say only that which echoes the surrounding culture at our moment of history. The Bible is bent to the culture instead of the Bible judging our society and culture." (Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Worldview, Volume Two, [Wheaton: Crossway, 1982], 163).

Biblical Adam or Historical Adam?

Two PCA Ministers interacted with one another over the historicity of Adam in the Bible at Reformation21 this past week. Professor Richard Belcher (RTS Charlotte) reviewed “Did Adam and Eve really Exist: Who They Were and WhyYou Should Care” an award winning new book on the historicity of Adam by Dr C. John Collins of Covenant Seminary. Dr. Belcher's review which can be characterized as a vigorous defense of the biblical Adam can be found here.

Among Dr. Belcher’s conclusions…

The line in the sand must be drawn concerning the interpretation of Genesis 2:7 and the historical nature of Genesis 1-11. The reason is that the nature and authority of Scripture is at stake. The current discussions of Genesis 2:7 are being driven by science. Scholars are willing to allow the findings of science to determine which interpretations of Genesis 2:7 are acceptable. In fact, the findings of science are the basis for denying clear statements of Scripture. We must make a stand on what Scripture says; otherwise, Scripture is not our highest authority.

A few days later Dr Collins responded also on Ref21

...we do most honor to the Bible if we interpret its parts according to our best literary judgment. I have argued for the literary judgment that Genesis 1-11 is indeed "historical narrative," but a particular kind that is known from elsewhere in the ancient world, namely "prehistory" and "protohistory." Professor Belcher argues for the literary judgment that it is "historical narrative like the rest of Genesis." I would confidently defend my conclusion against his…

Finally Dr Belcher gets the last word in his response (to the response of the ref21 review) 

I understand Genesis 1-11 to be historical narrative like the rest of the book of Genesis. Historical narrative can use figurative and symbolic language, but I believe Dr. Collins goes beyond that when he advocates for the advantages of a pictorial approach to the Bible (p. 20). After stating that the Mesopotamian origin and flood stories provide the context in which Genesis 1-11 are to be set in order to provide clues on how to read the literature, he states that there are reasons to accept an historical core to the story in Genesis (pp. 35, 66)…. It is problematic to take our cue from the Mesopotamian stories on how to read Genesis and to argue that Genesis 1-11 has only an historical core. I do believe that Genesis 2:7 demands (his words) the view that God took soil from the dust and made Adam the first man by breathing into his nostril the breath of life. 

Bert Elliot: a faithful star, rising night after night for Christ

I was listening on the radio to Kevin Boling at Knowing the Truth and was moved by the story of the death of missionary Bert Elliot, brother of beloved Christian martyr Jim Elliot. What a testimony these two brothers have had for the Lord!

Randy Alcorn posted recently about the death of Bert Elliot:

Missionary Bert Elliot (brother of martyred missionary Jim Elliot) went home to be with Jesus last Friday. Nanci and I met Bert and his wife Colleen in January 2006, which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the martyrdom of the five missionaries in Ecuador. In our church services I interviewed Steve Saint, son of martyr Nate Saint; Steve McCully, son of martyr Ed McCully; and Mincaye, one of the tribal warriors who killed the missionaries and later came to faith in Christ. Afterward we joined Bert and Colleen and other Elliot family members for dinner at Jim’s childhood home.
In 1949, when Bert and Colleen were students at Multnomah Bible College, they were invited to Peru by a missionary. They became missionaries to Peru years before Jim went to Ecuador.

Restore Conference 2012 (Tonight!)

We are looking forward to heading over to Tigertown this weekend to hear our own Richard D. Phillips joined by Dr. Bruce Ashford, Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. David Sinclair and others speak for the Restore Conference 2012: Reason for Faith. A Conference on Faith & Apologetics which is a joint endeavor of Crosspoint Baptist & Clemson Presbyterian Churches.

Here is some information from Restore Conference website which begins tonight and continues on tomorrow.  

A New Presbyterian Denomination?

Earlier in February Kevin Boling  asked me to speak on his "Knowing the Truth" radio program on the formation of the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECOP), a new affinity group/proto-denomination forming out of the mainline PCUSA. You can listen to program here.

Don Sweeting (President of RTS Orlando has a helpful article on the new group here. The group has begun to formulate its own polity and theological statements - see here.We wish these folks the very best as they begin a new family of Presbyterian churches. We also remember the wise words of a former Ameircan President "Trust but Verify."