Theology

I grew up in the church - conservative charismatic evangelical - but I am not sure if I was saved or not.  I went down during an alter call during a Carman concert in '94 and was soon after baptized.  Still, I was always burdened by my sin.  I would spend the next 10 years going to numerous concerts and youth events, rededicating my life to Christ over and over, tears flowing, sure that THIS TIME I was serious and this time I would have victory over sin in my life.  Every time I was met with letdown.

After I arrived at college, I came to understand, through the ministries of Way of the Master (now Wretched Radio), The White Horse Inn, and Desiring God, the necessity of the biblical gospel: Christ and him crucified and our response:  not feeling sorry for our sin, but instead 1) Repentance: turning from our sinful ways and 2) Faith: trusting in Christ's sacrifice for our salvation ALONE.  I had already been dabbling in Reformed Theology, and it was amazing how it all just fit together once I actually understood the biblical gospel!

While I once used the terms "Reformed Theology" and "Calvinism" to describe my belief in the "5 points of Calvinism" or the "TULIP" (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints), I now am more likely to describe myself as all-around Reformed -- that is, I am more confessional now than I used to be when I began this blog.  I am not yet fully Reformed, but am coming around, as it were, on my views re: Covenant Theology and how baptism, as a sign of the new covenant, is applied to individuals, not as a sign of the individual's faith, but as a sign of God's promise to save all who exhibit faith... just as circumcision was in the Old Testament.

My wife and three daughters currently attend our local Presbyterian (PCA) congregation in St. Charles, MO

Popular posts from this blog

Faith + Works of the Law = Severed from Christ (A look @ Galatians 5, its meaning in context, and how the TNIV/NIV muddies the meanings yet again)

Image
The more and more I try to like the TNIV, the more and more I find that I dislike it.  And the more I discover I dislike it, the more I realize that my disdain is not limited merely to the TNIV… but extends to the Evangelical’s favored version: the NIV. A while back, I published a brief article on one of the many reasons someone should avoid (or rather use with caution) Today’s New International Version.  After I hit the PUBLISH button, I thought I should double-check and see if the same translation error made in the TNIV was present in the NIV.  It was.  So today when I encountered yet another translation biff, I decided to check in advance.  And guess what – it was poorly translated both in the TNIV and NIV.  At least I know in advance.  Now once again, I am not accusing anyone who uses the NIV (or even the TNIV) of being a heretic.  It is, after all, a translation of God’s Word.  Neither the NIV nor the TNIV are among the absolute WORST Bible versions offered today (and I pray th
Read more

Thought Police Strike Again...

Image
Current mood: pessimistic Brazil judge in gay football row By Gary Duffy BBC News, Sao Paulo A Brazilian judge faces legal action for homophobia after giving a judgment in which he said football was a masculine sport, not a homosexual one. The judge is reported to have said no-one who had watched the golden era of Pele and others in the 1970s could ever consider having a homosexual idol. His comments emerged in a case brought by Brazilian footballer Richarlyson. Richarlyson, who plays for Sao Paulo, was named on national TV as a gay player by the manager of another team. The suggestion that a leading Brazilian footballer was gay had already been the subject of considerable public speculation. Richarlyson started
Read more

Mere Arminianism – Free Will, Predestination, and CS Lewis – Part One

Image
“ My toaster doesn’t have a love button! ” “No! And neither does a robot!” [1] This exchange, neither written nor uttered by C.S. Lewis, certainly represents his theology concerning the notions of God’s sovereign decree in election and of man’s autonomous will to freely choose God. Discussions concerning the freedom of the will, and by contrast divine election, are visible throughout Lewis’ writings - from his fictional works to his BBC broadcast-inspired theological Mere Christianity. In his unpublished paper To Choose or Be Chosen: C.S. Lewis’ Contribution to Free Will and Predestination , Georgian pastor John Alexander attempted “to reconcile predestination and free will through Lewis’ works and examine Lewis’ impact on modern Christianity through this reconciliation.” [2] Such “reconciliation,” however, is not necessary to understand the impacts of both Reformed Theology and C.S. Lewis’ theology on Christendom as a whole. Lewis’ relevant writings clearly point to a synerg
Read more