The role of psychology in the church is a challenging subject since there are things within the discipline of psychology that have proven very helpful to some people. With this being said, I lean on people who have made counseling their life’s work in order to gain my footing on the subject. Some of these people would be counselors such as David Powlison and Ed Welch from CCEF. I particularly love the vision they have for restoring Christ-centered counseling to the church. However, that is another subject for another time…

Psychology has no ability or inclination to deal with the spiritual motivations of the heart. Even many contemporary Christian psychology models (hence the …

Read the full entry

In Christianity Today article, it is reported that Pope John Paul II would regularly whip himself in an effort to promote personal humility and self-mortification. The article also points out that Mother Teresa actually wore a cilice, a strap secured around the thigh that inflicts pain with inward-pointing spikes.

While the need for humility and self denial are true in the life of those who follow Jesus Christ, there is a strange disconnect with the Bible in the use of self-punishment as a method for growing close to God. The writer of Hebrews makes this clear when he says,

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus

…

Read the full entry

Another session that I thought was extremely helpful in rightly positioning issues of culture and race in light of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. How involved should Christians be in politics and changing our culture? Are we called by God to do this? Or, are we supposed to merely be “aliens” just passing through? You will do well to play close attention to the argument that Thabiti builds from Colossians. Although it starts out a little slow, the case that is made is profound in its implications.

T4G 2010 — Session 4 — Thabiti Anyabwile from

…

Read the full entry

At the T4G the other week, John MacArthur gave a message entitled, “The Theology of Sleep!” I thought it was fantastic in identifying the role we play in communicating spiritual truth and the role that God plays in causing that truth to take root, grow and produce disciple-making people. Check it out.

T4G 2010 — Session 5 — John MacArthur from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Read the full entry

Even the demons believe—and shudder!

James 2:19

I just noticed that Antony Flew died.

Professor Antony Flew was one of the most prominent atheist philosophers of the twentieth century. He had little in common with the so-called “New Atheists” like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and others; Professor Flew was an intelligent and amiable fellow who simply disagreed with theists on the facts. He even struck up a rich friendship with Dr. Gary Habermas, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Philosophy and Theology Department of Liberty University.

Then, in 2003, a funny thing happened. Antony Flew, atheist extraordinaire, changed his mind at the age of 80. He decided there is a God after all.

What changed his mind? Two things: first, the idea …

Read the full entry

It is now Tuesday in the Passion Week of Christ. Jesus goes back into Jerusalem (Mark 11:27) and is immediately challenged by the religious leaders of the day: By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority? (see Matt. 21:23). These two questions set off a theological explosion, since these two inquiries focus on the epicenter of the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders: the true identity of Jesus Christ. It is easy to expose what the religious leaders of the day thought of Christ, since they viewed Jesus’ authority as fake. To the religious leaders Jesus was a simple poser that needed to be exposed as a heretic. It is now clear that …

Read the full entry

Stand to Reason posted some interesting excepts from Brit Hume on the Fox News Channel:

Then, Brit didn’t back down on ‘O Reily:

Although I don’t know what exactly Brit’s belief system entails, I must give Brit props for sticking to his guns and pointing our that Buddhism does not offer the objective forgiveness that Tiger so desperately needs. The type of forgiveness we all need. The type of forgiveness that is found in Jesus Christ alone.

Addition #1:

Brit Hume clarifies and explains even more so the unique solution Jesus offers …

Read the full entry

John Piper recounts his visit to Angola State Prison in his Nov. 20th blog: As Nice As They Let Me, As Mean As They Make Me.

I found a CBN report on how God is working in the lives of the prisoners at Angola, it is really amazing.

Read the full entry

Christopher Hitchens says religion is absurd:

“If Moses and Jesus and Mohammed had never existed — let alone Joseph Smith or Mary Baker Eddy or Kim Jong Il or any of the other man-made prophets or idols — we would still be faced with precisely the same questions about how to explain ourselves and our lives, how to think about the just city, and how to comport ourselves with our fellow-creatures. The small progress we have made so far, from the basic realization that diseases are not punishments to the noble idea that as humans we may even have “rights”, is due to the exercise of skepticism and doubt, and to the objective scrutiny of hard evidence, and not at all …

Read the full entry

The emperor’s meaning was plain. If Severinus wanted to become pope, he must sign a statement of faith that he knew was false.

“I will not do it,” said Severinus. “I will not agree to heresy.”

Three days after Pope Honorius died, Severinus had been chosen to take his place. In those days (640 A.D), the emperor in Constantinople had to give his approval before a pope’s election was official. Severinus sent messengers to the emperor at once.

But Emperor Heraclitis thought he knew what was best for the church. Because theologians disagreed over the nature of Christ, the emperor insisted that they accept a compromise called the Ecthesis. This was the brainchild of Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople. To Severinus, the Ecthesis …

Read the full entry