Apologetics
Van Til Diagrammed
Ultimate Reality One Circle People v. Two Circle People The One and the Many Great Chain of Being Faith-Reason Two Story House Introduction: Van Til's Copernican … [Read More...]
Is It Really Possible to Be This Stupid? Chick-Fil-A and Epistemological Self-Consciousness
It's called a face-palm. It's that expression of incredulous frustration prompted by someone's display of truly spectacular stupidity. I don't mean oops. I mean the kind of screaming, howling, frothing stupid that simply defies logic at every … [Read More...]
The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
by Robin Schumacher I have a friend who’s an experienced pastor, teacher, and Christian apologist. He’s very well educated, articulate, teaches in a way that hits the mark, and has a passion particularly for grounding young people … [Read More...]
Biblical Studies
What to Do with a Biblical Text
You are preaching or teaching this Sunday. You have spent time on your knees and the Spirit has given you a text. Now what? What do you do to expound a biblical text in a way that it becomes clear and compelling to the people whose hearts, lives, … [Read More...]
Total Depravity is NOT Cute.
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3EVzoolYugA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> … [Read More...]
Van Til Diagrammed
Ultimate Reality One Circle People v. Two Circle People The One and the Many Great Chain of Being Faith-Reason Two Story House Introduction: Van Til's Copernican … [Read More...]
How I Absorbed Three Punches and Stood Up Anyway
I found this on another blog. It spoke for me, and I think, for many. By Tom Chantry Although I’ve been worried about this election for months, only in the aftermath did I realize that I never really thought our country would re-elect a … [Read More...]
Is It Really Possible to Be This Stupid? Chick-Fil-A and Epistemological Self-Consciousness
It's called a face-palm. It's that expression of incredulous frustration prompted by someone's display of truly spectacular stupidity. I don't mean oops. I mean the kind of screaming, howling, frothing stupid that simply defies logic at every … [Read More...]
The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
by Robin Schumacher I have a friend who’s an experienced pastor, teacher, and Christian apologist. He’s very well educated, articulate, teaches in a way that hits the mark, and has a passion particularly for grounding young people … [Read More...]
On the Necessity of Youth Ministry
by J. Neil Barham From my children, I have learned a lot about "youth ministry." And the more I learn, the more questions I have. I am a member of a reasonably orthodox congregation in a reasonably orthodox reformed denomination. No, we … [Read More...]
Daily Audio Bible Revolutionizes Podcasting, While Leading Millions to a Better Understanding of God
Daily Audio Bible Revolutionizes Podcasting, While Leading Millions to a Better Understanding of God … [Read More...]
The Good, Insane Concordance Maker
May 11, 2005 | by John Piper | Topic: Christian Biography There’s a catch to this story that comes later. I hope you read to the end. I think you’ll be encouraged. I was. I read in a recent issue of Books and Culture a review (by … [Read More...]
The Torment and Anguish of Franciscus Spira
Written by Deejay O'Flaherty on September 2, 2011 · Leave a Comment Bunyan mentions the above case in his own spiritual autobiography Grace Abounding to the chief of sinners. The history of this man has also been responsible for some … [Read More...]
The Happy Man
I found this little gem here: http://www.reformation-scotland.org.uk/articles/happy-man.html Wonderful site -- Drop by and enjoy. Neil The Happy Man Lachlan MacKenzie The happy man was born in the city of Regeneration in … [Read More...]
A Better Solution
A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together. So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you … [Read More...]
My Credo By Cornelius Van Til
How can I express my appreciation adequately for the honor you have conferred on me by your contributions to this Festschrift? I shall try to do so first by setting forth in this, my "Credo," a general statement of my main beliefs as I hold them … [Read More...]
Bad Christians and Their Good God
by J. Neil Barham The problem of Evil is one of the most perplexing problems in apologetics. The broadest statement of the problem is as follows: Omnipotent Goodness would not permit Evil. Evil Exists. Therefore Omnipotent Goodness does … [Read More...]
A Series on Apologetics
Here is the outline for a series I did a while back on Sunday evenings. If you have college-aged or twenty- and thirty-somethings in your churches, then apologetics is a major issue for you. That is the period in life when major artillery is … [Read More...]
The Pardon of Michael Whitman
Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, a turncoat traitor, named Michael Whitman, was captured. At his trial it was proven that he had given the British army invaluable assistance on numerous occasions. He was found guilty of spying and sentenced … [Read More...]
The Medical Aspects of Crucifixion — Three Descriptions by Medical Doctors
WHAT IS CRUCIFIXION? A medical doctor provides a physical description: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RptnOb-IFFM Adapted from C. Truman Davis, M.D. in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 8 The cross is placed on the ground … [Read More...]
The Reformed View of Education
Cornelius Van Til Only upon a Reformed basis can God really be made central in education. This is true because only in the Reformed system are Christ and the Holy Spirit really central in education. The Reformed view is based exclusively upon … [Read More...]
The Growth of Our Faith: Doctrinal Development in the Christian Church From the Apostolic Fathers to the Council of Chalcedon
Here are a few notes on the church’s doctrinal development over the first four centuries. In themselves the are the thinnest whisper of a quick and dirty overview, but you will get an idea of what to look for as you begin studying historical … [Read More...]
The Birth of Our Faith: Major Events in the History of the Church from the Apostolic Age to the Council of Nicea
Here are a few notes on the history of early Christianity. This is a good starting point for anyone beginning a study of early church history. These lessons give a little nod to the development of doctrine, but for historical theology see the … [Read More...]
I’ll See You Soon
On February 9, 2010, my father went home to be with the Lord. I was on my way back to Louisiana to see him, coming from my current home in Miami, but I was a day late, and got the news by phone in a motel room somewhere in Alabama. After … [Read More...]
It Is Well — Horatio Spafford and Comfort Amid Loss
Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight … [Read More...]
The Use of Silence in the Worship Of God: An Old Testament Perspective
by J. Neil Barham We live in a noisy age. Every moment, a hundred trivialities cry out for our attention: commercials, alarm clocks, oven timers, telephones, radios, doorbells, car horns, and all the other instruments of the City of Dis, loud … [Read More...]
Cornelius Van Til — Brief Biography
Cornelius Van Til was born on May 3, 1895, in Grootegast, The Netherlands. He was the sixth son of Ite and Klazina Van Til, who emigrated to the United States when "Kees," as he was known to friends, was 10. He grew up helping on the family farm in … [Read More...]
THE HIGH CALVINIST AND HIS BROTHERS: IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE A REFORMED ECUMENICAL CHRISTIAN?
by J. Neil Barham "I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church." – The Nicene Creed "I believe…in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints…" – The Apostles' CreedEvery Sunday morning for nearly 1600 years, an impressive … [Read More...]
A Few Prayers of John Calvin
LAW & GOSPEL Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast made known thy law, and hast also added thy gospel, in which thou callest us to thy service, and also invitest us with all kindness to partake of thy grace; O grant, that we may not be … [Read More...]
Born This Way
by J. Neil Barham Pop icon Lady Gaga doesn’t have a beard, smoke a pipe, or read Sartre and Camus, but nevertheless, she is one of the most important and influential philosophers of our time. And like many of the great philosophers of history, … [Read More...]
Life’s Worst Problem
What’s my worst problem? What is the problem that totally dominates every area of my life, from which I can find no escape, for which there is no hope in myself? I am a guilty sinner who must face a holy God. The great question of existence, the … [Read More...]