Online Survey
A Christian group is seeking to collect data through an online survey. If you have time to take part in a 3 minute survey on the relationship between Christian doctrine and personal experience click here.
The Rebelution - Do Hard Things - Coming to Portland, OR
On May 3rd, 2008 The Rebelution will finally be coming to Alex and Brett's home-state of Oregon. The Portland Conference primarily serves Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Nevada, and Idaho.
REGISTER TODAY - DOWNLOAD FLYER
ROLLING HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH (Church Website)
9AM-5PM, SATURDAY, MAY 3RD, 2008
3550 SW Borland Road - Tualatin, OR - 97062
Read this letter to parents about this conference
Coming in October
There are people I like and respect a great deal who seem to be getting VERY excited about the new ESV Study Bible that is due to come out in October (Dr. Wayne Grudem is the General Editor). They are saying some extra-ordinary things about it - and this from folk who are not generally known for "hype" or "exaggeration." The quotes below certainly have peaked my interest...
"The ESV Study Bible is the finest study tool I have seen in fifty years of Bible teaching." Jerry Bridges
"The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God." - John Piper
"Wow! Concise, lucid, enlightening—the ESV Study Bible is an amazing resource. With its textual fidelity, doctrinal substance, and artistic beauty, the ESV Study Bible will be an immense help to all who hunger for God-breathed Scripture. I wholeheartedly recommend this exceptional resource." - Randy Alcorn
“Outstanding! The ESV Study Bible is a treasure—a beautiful volume, filled with a wealth of resources. It will be just as useful for the seminarian and long-time pastor as it will be accessible to the brand-new Christian.” - R. Albert Mohler Jr.
"I can’t imagine a greater gift to the body of Christ than the ESV Study Bible. It is a potent combination indeed: the reliability and readability of the ESV translation, supplemented by the best of modern and faithful scholarship, packaged in an accessible and attractive format. A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation." - C. J. Mahaney
“Like the ESV itself, this Study Bible sets a new standard in excellence. The craftsmanship invested in every page—from the insightful articles and informative notes to the crisp design and gorgeous illustrations—makes it an invaluable tool for students of God’s Word. As a pastor it’s my goal to get one into the hands of every member of my church.” - Joshua Harris
You can find out more about the ESV Study Bible here.
Tim Keller in Portland 03/08
ON Tim Keller's recent visit to Portland, my new friend David DeYoung snapped a few good pictures before and during his book discussion.
Current Specials 2-14-08
Here are some current limited-time specials on theological books that we would encourage you to not pass up:
Spirit Empowered Preaching: Involving the Holy Spirit in Your Ministry by Art Azurdia 50% off - probably the best price you will ever find on this truly helpful book. We want to get as many of these into hands of pastors as possible. Great gift for your pastor.
Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch - 50% discount!!!
best price ever - Although this title uses thereputic language, and thus will likely turn many of you off, the content is about idolatry and is thouroughtly God-honoring.
The Divine Inspiration of Scripture by Louis Gaussen - Classic! 50% off
Morning & Evening: Daily Readings (Burgundy) by C.H. Spurgeon - Classic Spurgeon - 50% off
Hearts and Hands: Volume 4: Chronicles of the Awakening Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow - 50% off
This is a history of the first Great Awakening writen for children.
The Sermons of Martin Luther (7 volume Set) - 88% discount
Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: Four Volume Set by Richard A. Muller - 61% discount
Important Links 02-12-08
Here are some really helpful links
An Exposition of the Book of Revelation - Free MP3 CD Giveaway
Dr Arturo Azurdia III - (mp3s) - 81 Sermons Free MP3 CDs!
With the generous permission of Dr. Arturo Azurdia III, Monergism is giving away for free this life-changing 81-part Exposition on the Book of Revelation in MP3 format on 2 CDs. These will to be mailed directly and we only ask that you cover shipping. (Includes 2 CDs with 81 MP3s).
CHRISTIAN THUMBNAILS, a survey of the core beliefs of Christianity (.pdf)
Dr Joseph Mizzi - an introduction to biblical doctrine from a Reformed Baptist and amillennial perspective
The Reason for God (7 MP3 Sermons)
by Tim Keller - The Trouble with Christianity: Why it's so Hard to Believe it. Sermons which relate to his new book coming out Valentine's Day
The Children of Caesar (DVD) Voddie Baucham, Jr. (Presenter) New!!!
Dr. Voddie Baucham knows what most parents are too quick to dismiss: whoever is teaching our children is also discipling them. Voddie persuasively argues that Christian parents need to take the initiative in their children's education and stop turning them over to the anti-God environment of the government school. Using Scripture, statistics, and sound reasoning, Voddie powerfully makes the case that whoever controls the schools does indeed control the world.
Thoughts & Excerpts from Culture Shift by Al Mohler
Dr. Mohler’s stellar cultural and political commentaries on his daily blog made me curious about his new book on the subject ... a subject, frankly that I am usually skeptical about due to the many Christian books that overemphasize (or underemphasize) the importance of the Christian's cultural or political role, but we gladly recommend Al Mohler’s new book, which strikes the right balance. In Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth, Dr. Al Mohler crafts air-tight arguments against the intellectual dishonesty and bankruptcy of those who espouse a secularist state void of all religious influence. The book is a beautiful exercise in clear thinking, such that, it should lead Christians to engage and participate in the culture and the political process in meaningful ways. Mohler correctly notes that many Christians have the tendency to “swing between two extremes, either ignoring the City of Man or considering it to be our main concern … Love of neighbor for the sake of loving God is a profound political philosophy that strikes a balance between the disobedience of political disengagement and the idolatry of political as our main priority.”
In chapter 3 of the book Mohler articulately exposes of the myth of the secular state, a position which I personally consider foundational if we are to actually have the opportunity to engage and persuade. The following are some extensive quotes from this chapter which expresses some very important basic truths that we should all take the time to understand. Mohler begins by explaining three secular myths:
Continue reading "Thoughts & Excerpts from Culture Shift by Al Mohler" »
Reformation Society of Oregon - January 18th Meeting
Special Guest Speaker: Dr. Art Azurdia
January 18, 2008 - At Estacada Christian Church - 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Topic: monergistic regeneration
Doors open at 10:30 am, We will have two lectures with a lunch served from 12:00 to 1:00. Lectures will begin promptly at 11:00 am. The charge for this event is $5 per person (pay at the door). Immediately following our last lecture we will have a short meeting to discuss membership in the Reformation Society of Oregon. Monergism Books will be on site and have a number of titles available for sale as well. Please register no later than January 15, 2008. ALL ARE WELCOME.
Contact: Pastor David Thommen @ 503-630-6707.
Estacada Christian Church is located at: 29101 SE Eagle Creek Road. Estacada, Oregon, 97023.
Free Shipping @Monergism Books - This Weekend Only
Free Shipping this weekend
Guaranteed Christmas Delivery! - Your purchase is guaranteed to arrive before Christmas. Click on the link for instructions.
Buliding Bridges Conference: Southern Baptists and Calvinism
Streaming audio and/or MP3 podcasts of sessions from the Building Bridges: Southern Baptists and Calvinism conference, sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Founders Ministries. The conference, which takes place Nov. 26-28 at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center, consists of sessions featuring speakers who address different perspectives of each of the topics listed below.
Buliding Bridges Conference: Southern Baptists and Calvinism <
Stem Cell Breakthrough Uses No Embryos
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer
NEW YORK - Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy. More....
Growth Update
Thank you for continuing to use the vast resources available at Monergism.com God has graciously blessed us over the past several years by increasing the traffic more than we anticipated. By order of magnitude, it has now become the largest Reformed website on the Internet (having 10s of thousands of links to valuable resources). This has now exploded into various side projects such as the Hall of Contemporary Reformers, TakeUpAndRead ((book reviews), China Christian Books (Free Reformed Essays in Chinese), and our disount retail online store Monergism Books and several other new surprise projects that are soon-to-be-launched.
If you are considering supporting this ministry, remember that you can do so simply by purchasing books & resources at our newly designed store. Today there are many new items we have put on deep discount in our sale section. Take note that one of our most popular sellers, Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges and its study guide are now available again after the first printing sales were exhausted at the publisher. We are also building a section for recommended Christmas gift bundles. Peace on Earth
J.W. Hendryx
Reformation Study Bible for $15.17
This Wednesday, October 31 (in a one day sale) Ligonier Ministries is commemorating Reformation Day by offering their Reformation Study Bible for $15.17. See here.
Monergism Books Free Shipping Til Reformation Day
In celebration of our newly redesigned bookstore we are extending free shipping to our registered customers until Reformation Day, 11:59 p.m. October 31st, 2007. Take advanatage of this offer which includes all books, sets and gear on all orders over $25. If you are a first time customer, just register and you will be eligible.
In order to get free shipping please follow these instructions:
Monergism Books Launches Major Website Upgrade
We are excited to announce that the new and improved reformed Monergism Books Website is now here! Monergism Books has been completely redesigned, redeveloped, and reformed to provide you with even better service. Just as at Monergism.com, we at Monergism Books are committed to equipping you in the faith by making available the finest classic and contemporary books in the rich tradition of historic Christian orthodoxy.
We encourage you to visit MonergismBooks.com to check out these new and improved features:
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Customer profile: Now you can save your personal information so that you don’t have to reenter it every time you make a purchase. In addition, your profile will keep track of your purchase history.
Easier browsing: Our products have been completely re-categorized to make it even easier for you to find what you’re looking for. Now you can also browse for titles according to the publisher.
Improved search functions: We now offer an advanced search function in addition to the basic search. Also, search results now display images of the book covers for quicker identification.
Recommendations: Many items now have a section with several related items that you may also like. In addition, each product page displays a list of products also purchased by customers who purchased that product.
Customer reviews: Now you can read what other customers think about a particular item, and you can also post your own reviews for others to read.
Wish list: You can create and save a list of products that you wish to purchase at a later date.
Product ratings: You can rate each product (on a scale of one to five stars) for your own personal reference as a way to record your research and increase the efficiency of your shopping.
Email items to friends: You can now email product pages to a friend to whom you want to recommend certain items.
Affiliate program: As a shopkeeper or blogger, you can now earn store credit for cross selling our products on your website. If customers make purchases on Monergism Books as a result of clicking through a link on your site, you will receive a commission.
Also, be sure to take advantage of our even better price for economy shipping. For only $3.99 we will ship an unlimited number of items (in the continental US).
Please remember that every time you purchase something from Monergism Books, you help support the ministry of Monergism.com. In doing so, you enable us to continue to provide you with an ever-growing number of high quality resources for absolutely free.
California Conference on Reformed Theology
The Meaning of the Cross
What does the cross mean for our daily lives? Historically, Christians have believed that the death of Jesus Christ bore the fruits of justification, adoption and sanctification for all believers. But what do those terms mean and how do they matter? To help us understand the cross’ centrality in all these benefits, we’ve brought together two nationally recognized Christian pastors and scholars who will join us for the second annual California Conference on Reformed Theology and a Christ-centered weekend of worship, fellowship and teaching. We warmly invite you to come and participate. Speakers include Dr. Derek Thomas and Dr. Stephen Nichols.
November 3-4, 2007
Sierra View Presbyterian Church
2435 N Thesta
Fresno, California 93703
Dr. Michael Horton to Appear on CBS's 60 Minutes
Currently scheduled for Sunday, Oct 14th, the interview will focus on the teaching and ministry of popular televangelist Joel Osteen, author of Your Best Life Now. 60 Minutes airs on CBS Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT (check your local listings).
Monergism Books Getting Major Upgrade!!!
Monergism Books Getting Major Upgrade!!! (pdf screenshot 1.2 Megabytes)
Completely Redesigned, Redeveloped, and Reformed - Coming VERY Soon. Big News!
On the Net - August 17th, 2007
New Reformed Blog - Theology and Steak - Meat for the Mind, Body, and Soul (Assembly of God Semi-Pelagian turned Calvinist - now pursuing a ThD at Whitefield Theological Seminary)
Lamp Mode Recordings is an independently owned and operated recording label based out of Philadelphia, PA. Highlighting the Character of God, while presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ and a biblical world view through hiphop culture.
Includes Calvinist hip-hop with such song titles as "Solus Christus project" "Killing Sin"...ect
Even in their resource section all of the links are to reformed theology, including monergism. Wild eh?
Reformation Society of Oregon, Inaugural Meeting
Reformation Society of Oregon, Inaugural Meeting
Pastor's Breakfast
Special Guest Speakers:
Dr. R.C. Sproul & Rev. Richard D. Phillips
The Old Church
422 SW 11th Avenue, Portland
Friday September 14th, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Dr. R. C. Sproul will conduct a question and answer discussion specific to pastors, and Rev. Richard Phillips will give a devotional and discuss his new Ligonier / Reformation Trust book Jesus the Evangelist.
There is no cost but seating is limited! Please register by emailing the Reformation Society at reformationsocietyoregon@yahoo.com. Please give your name, phone, address, email address, and affiliated church when you register. You will receive a confirmation response notice.
Doors open at 8:30 am, Breakfast served promptly at 9:00 am, Lectures begin promptly at 10:00 am. This is a free event sponsored by Monergism Books and Estacada Christian Church. Open to all pastors, elders and local church leaders. Event only open to the first 100 registrations. Contact: David Thommen 503-630-6707 or John Hendryx (503) 620 6926.
You may also log on to the Estacada church's website to register
John Piper responds....
Response to Rabbi Kushner....... August 6, 2007: By: John Piper
From 11 to 12 this morning, Gary Eichten of Minnesota Public Radio interviewed Rabbi Harold Kushner about the collapse of the 35W bridge. Kushner is best known for his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. There were several astonishing things about this interview—not unusual for religious talk shows on public radio, but astonishing still.
1. The most astonishing thing is that God’s grace is so great neither the Rabbi nor I was struck dead by God during the interview—he, because of his blasphemous belittlings of God, and I, because of my contaminated anger at what he said.
2. Another astonishing thing is that Gary Eichten, as far as I heard, never challenged the Rabbi to support anything he said with an authority beyond his own opinion. Think of it. Here is a solitary, flawed, finite, fallible human being (like you and me) speaking over public airwaves with no support beyond his own personal viewpoint making unchallenged pronouncements, with no accountability whatsoever, about the greatest Person in the universe—statements that are contrary to what most Christians and Jews and Muslims have believed during the entire history of those religions. And they let him just go on and on preaching his opinions.
Announcing the Launch of the Reformation Study Center in Phoenix, Arizona
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2007 marks the flaunch of the Reformation Study Center in the Greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Full details here.
Believing that the greatest need of the church today is a biblical understanding and proclamation of God as He really is, and the Gospel as it really is, the Reformation Study Center is being established to come alongside the Christian community to provide teaching and resources that will promote sound Christian doctrine.
OUR VISION LOCAL, GLOBAL AND COMPREHENSIVE
We seek to use all available means to propagate sound biblical and theological teaching. As God gives us the means (energy, man-power and financial resources) this includes:
PERSONAL TEACHING
AUDIO RESOURCES
VIDEO RESOURCES
RADIO MINISTRY
TELEVISION MINISTRY
THE PRINTED PAGE (books and theological articles)
TRANSLATIONS INTO OTHER LANGUAGES
THE INTERNET
TEACHING AND TRAINING CURRICULUM
CONFERENCES
BOOKSTORE
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CENTER OF LEARNING
This vision that started as a seed in my heart, has become my burning passion, and my prayer is that it is something that will be shared by many. As God graciously provides a united team of commited praying people giving of their time, talents and treasure I believe so much will be accomplished as God blesses our efforts. Would you pray about your potential involvement in this vision? I covet your prayers enormously.
As we work together in this great venture, I believe God will be glorified and His purposes will be served in the earth, bringing Him much glory and honor. May God bless you richly.
Yours in the Master's service,
Rev. John F. M. Samson
www.reformationstudycenter.com
Monergism Books: 3rd Annual Banner of Truth Mega Sale
Works Of John Owen-16 Vol Set ; The Works of Jonathan Edwards ; Works of Richard Sibbes:The Works of John Bunyan ;D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Romans 14 Volume Set:Works of Flavel ;Exposition of Hebrews by John Owen ;Works of Thomas Brooks;Puritan Paperback Bundle
AMAZING!
Simply amazing! Go to the link here at Dr. James White's blog and scroll down the page until you come to the entry for "06/16/2007 - This Is Just...Special" - then just click on the link there.. and.. just enjoy!!!
Web Designer Position at Monergism
Web Designer/Graphic Designer Position at Monergism
Do you have a passion for creating great cutting edge web projects? Monergism is looking for a front-end web designer to join our Interactive group. You should be a hard-working and self-motivated individual who has proven experience in brand development.
You will be leading all design aspects of Monergismbooks.com, Monergism.com and its' planned online community, email newsletters, online advertising and collateral. This is an energetic work environment that thrives on individual creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. If you like to get in and get involved taking charge and driving the direction of your projects, then this is the place for you!
The ideal candidates must be extremely creative, have plenty of experience working on logos, the Web, brochures, print collateral, and some packaging.
Ideally the candidate is based in Portland, Oregon but we are open to off-site freelance based on qualifications.
PCA General Assembly to Look at Federal Vision
Just found out from Justin Taylor's blog that the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is being webcast live. This afternoon they will be looking at the Federal Vision.
New Particular T
A big thank you to Tony Reinke, Monergism's moderator for TakeUpandRead, who helped deign our T-Shirt concept, then took the following photos of his son wearing it:
Revelation 5:9 - Particular T
Photos (c) 2007, Tony Reinke, The Shepherd's Scrapbook
Reformation Theology Booksale
To Kickoff the Summer, Monergism Books is extending some really deep discounts on some Reformed titles:
Truth in All Its Glory: Commending the Reformed Faith by William Edgar (A great intro to the Reformed Faith)
Regular Price: $14.99 Special Price $4.50 - 70% Discount
Let the Reader Understand:A Guide to Interpreting and Applying the Bible
by McCartney, Dan and Clayton, Charles Retail Price $16.99 Sale price: $12.49 .... $6.79 - 60% Discount
("The best introduction to biblical hermeneutics for serious seminarians and other students of the Bible ... Each section presents profound concepts simply and clearly." Bruce Waltke)
The Pacific Northwest L’Abri Conference 2007
http://www.labri-nw.org/
See you there.
Monergism Books - Full Catalog by Author
At Monergism Books, for your convenience, we just put together a full catalog of our books listed by Author. This was not previously available so those of you who find it easier to search by author, hopefully this is beneficial to you. You may actually find some books on the site that you did not know we carried. Thanks to Jonathan Bicker for putting this together.
Messianic Jews in Israel
An video from Israel Channel 2 News - 23 on Messianic Jews in Israel
John Piper Gets a Face Lift
You may be interested to know that John Piper got a face lift at the
Hall of Contemporary Reformers. <<< See his face lift here
We also now have stock of Piper's New Book & DVD
Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure
Helpful Links 03-22-07
Calvinism Vs. Arminianism Debate
Reclaiming the Mind Ministries is hosting a special Converse with Scholars during the next two weeks. I am very excited about this program as there will be two fine scholars on to represent their respecting positions. Tonight, March 22 at 10pm EST, Roger Olson will be joining the program to discuss the Arminian position. The following Thursday, March 29 at 10pm EST, Samuel Storms will be discussing the Calvinist position.
19 Free MP3 Downloadable Lectures on the Attributes (or Perfections) of God by J.I. Packer
The Morning I Heard the Voice of God by John Piper
Prayer List - J.W. Hendryx - making a list of things to pray for.
Vast Numbers of MP3s Available by Reformed Speakers
Book Review: Unless You Repent by Jonathan Edwards - by Tony Reinke
Take Up and Read
New Feature at Monergism.com
Take Up and Read, a website of weekly book reviews at Monergism.com.
At takeupandread.com our goal is to sift through the thousands of good volumes to recommend the very best literature for your time and money. Our goal is to expose you to historically important volumes, old books that are timeless in application, excellent contemporary books hot off the press, multi-volume facsimile reproductions, small single-volume books you can read in one day, and searchable electronic books on CD-ROM. Our weekly reviews are published in the hopes of helping you build a diverse library of Christian volumes with tested theology and reliability.
This week's review:
Unless You Repent by Jonathan Edwards
A Sample of Comments Received on the New Monergism.com
The following are samples of emails I have received over the past week regarding the launch of the new website. . Names have been removed...
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Dear Mr. Hendryx,
Thank you for Monergism.com. I am an Area Director for Young Life and on the long term track at RTS and monergism.com has been a great asset to those of us in Young Life who are distinctively reformed. Your site is the first place I refer younger staff folks and is the place where I go for quick reference.
One thing I have looked for and have not been able to find is a summary article that categorizes major contemporary publishing houses, seminaries and "celebrity" authors by their theological distinctives. This would be useful because I am often given books, articles or particular fad authors to read and knowing the theological background of their source would be useful. There maybe a forum for this already and this may be something that is already a part of Monergism.com, but I have not been able to find it.
Thanks for all you do!
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Your website it excellent and contains an immeasrable wealth of truth. Having a resource such as this is a treasure, expecially in this semi-Pelagian dessert of central Kansas. A more penurious understanding of the doctrines of grace and appreciation of the Reformation would be hard to locate than what one finds all around us here. So I appreciate your work and generous resources. Keep up the good work.
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Continue reading "A Sample of Comments Received on the New Monergism.com" »
Monergism.com To Launch Major Upgrade
Important News from Monergism.com
Hear ye, hear ye.... Glad tidings! If the Lord wills, Monergism.com will finally be launching its long anticipated major upgrade sometime next week (the week starting Feb 18th), corresponding to the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). It is pretty certain that we will receive some hate mail from those of you who have become comfortable with the old site, but when you experience the ease of finding what you are looking for, it is likely that your complaints will be quickly silenced. :)
New Features will include:
Redesign of the look and feel of the site. Color theme similar.Highly Scalable
RSS and Email Subscriptions
Dynamic databased driven directory of theology
Search on Every page (smooth as silk)...
The capacity for "Moderators", of whom we can assign a password and category. In other words, Monergism.com will no longer be limited to the work of one person but is slated to be a collaborative effort among Christ-centered, Reformed-minded folk. Categories can be assigned to experts or Aficionado on the various topics.
While the focus of the content will remain the same, Lord willing, we will continue to add new features, articles and categories to the site. The goal is continue to be a vertical Christ-centered portal for the historic Christian faith.
Friday, Dec. 29, 2006 and Tuesday, Jan. 2nd, 2007
Just a short note to ask if you would kindly pray for me and all those who will listen in to two upcoming live Christian radio programs. Each program lasts a full 2 hours and allows me as the host to speak for 10-12 minutes on any given biblical subject (one subject for each hour) and then take callers' comments and/or questions. It is an amazing opportunity as I am told that 20,000 plus people are tuning in at any given moment. Unfortunately, only those in the Phoenix, Arizona area can listen in to the show and there is no web casting, but please pray for the word to go forth in clarity and power and for many lives to be impacted. In the 4 hours of live programming I am planning on talking about the Deity of Christ and the challenge of the cults; justification by faith alone; the nature of true saving faith; and the preservation of the saints. The details: KPXQ 1360AM Radio, Phoenix; Friday, December 29 & Jan. 2, 2007, both from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Arizona time) - Pastor John Samson
Mnt Hood
As you may know, three experienced mountain climbers were lost here on Mt. Hood (right near where we live) in Oregon. One of them was Kelly James, who's body was found after 8 days of failed rescue attempts. The bad weather made it nearly impossible for any resue crews to reach them. Kelly was a member of a PCA congregation in Dallas, TX. His brother, Frank James, is President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL and was my Church History professor. Please pray for their family and for the continued rescue effort for the remaining two men who have not yet been found found. The weather has been quite terrible, but the rescue crews and the families are hopeful that these men are hunkered in a snow cave waiting for the weather to pass.
If you need a beautiful example of a Christian interacting with the media and hoping in God during a trial, go to KATU Channel 2 News (www.katu.com) and watch the raw video coverage from last Wednesday. Frank James addresses the media and reads a statement from the families. It is moving and instructive to those of us who represent Christ Jesus in this world.
Keep Looking at the Unseen!
Coming from England, the birthplace of soccer (or football as it is called there), I maintain an interest in "the beautiful game." As I read this story online today, my first thought was that this must be some elaborate joke, but apparantly this is real. The World Blind Soccer Championship is taking place right now in Argentina (please check out the story on the CNN web site here). All players (excluding the goalkeepers) are legally blind, they use a ball which sounds like a rattlesnake, the crowd isn't allowed to make too much noise to help the players hear the sounds around them, and they play on a hard surface rather than grass for the same reason... Those who observe this spectacle, are amazed at how sightless players are so attuned to the sounds, vibrations and the quick-changing position of their opponents and adjust accordingly. These highly gifted players are extremely attuned to their surroundings, making lightning fast decisions based on the kind of sounds and noises they are hearing at the time.
As I read the story, I have to admit, my imagination kicked into gear as I pictured myself being in the stands of the stadium, really trying to get into the spirit of the game. I've got a pretty good imagination and I laughed out loud as I imagined obnoxious fans around me shouting out at the referee when they didn't agree with a call... something like, "O come on ref, are you a SEEING PERSON or something!!!" or "hey ref, your SEEING EYE DOG isn't real!!!"
Seriously though....
Monergism.com Ministry Update
I know many of you are anxious to see the roll out of the new website. There is a huge amount of data at Monergism so it is a lot of work for the engineer to carry it over into the database for the new site. But, as promised, and Lord willing, it will be launching soon, but unfortunately we do not yet have a date for you. The new design is complete and it looks good but still some technical hurdles to overcome.
In the meantime, Monergism.com continues to grow. Last month (September) we had over 91,000 unique visitors and nearly 600K page views. This is a new record. Thanks to you and for continuing to tell others about the site.
Many of you also know that we have moved our ministry and bookstore into a much larger facility. We tried to make the transition seamless and we apologize if our service lagged in any way in the last week or two. The new facitlity has an office up front and a warehouse for our books in the rear. Around 2100 square feet in all. Many expenses were incurred so thank you for continuing to support us by purchasing books though us and for your generous donations.
Here are the top 25 pages listed by traffic at Monergism.com over the last month:
Sermon Manuscripts
The Hall of Contemporary Reformers
Multimedia
Commentaries
Online Books
John Piper (in Hall of Contemporary Reformers)
Jonathan Edwards
Bible Studies
Bible Research and Bibliology
Eschatology (Study of the Last Things)
Covenant Theology
Bad Theology
Calvinism
Doctrines of Grace
Systematic Theology
Freewill & Bondage of the Will
Five Solas
Attributes of God
The Puritans
Prayer
Church History A.D.
Tim Keller
Jesus Christ
Credo Baptism Vs. Paedo Baptism
Seeker Sensitive Purpose Driven
Comprehensive Jonathan Edwards Resource Available Online
A Comprehensive Internet Resource: The Works of Jonathan Edwards Online is an extensive source for Jonathan Edwards texts on the web. Drawing heavily on the fifty-plus years of editorial work done by the Works of Jonathan Edwards project at Yale University, the Works of Jonathan Edwards Online will digitally publish manuscripts and edited versions of all of the 100,000 pages that Jonathan Edwards produced in his lifetime. Editorially tagged and fully searchable by chronology, theme, and scripture, as well as full text, the Works of Jonathan Edwards Online offers an expertly guided research experience in the papers of Jonathan Edwards.
Baptists and Calvinism Debate, October 16, 2006
On October 16, 2006, Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries, and Pastor Dr. Tom Ascol, will be debating Dr. Emir Caner of Southwestern Seminary, and his brother, Dr. Ergun Caner of Liberty University, at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA, on the topic of "Baptists and Calvinism."
Concerning this debate, John Orlando writes, "The matters being discussed are central to Biblical Christianity. Some people refer to this as an in house debate, but I prefer to call it an in community debate. We are in the same community, in that we are united in Christ, believing that salvation is by faith alone in the finished work of Christ. But if we’re honest, these are two completely different houses built upon two totally different foundations. One house is built on the sure foundation of an omnipotent and absolutely sovereign, Triune and perfect God who brings about all of His perfect will without fail, and the blood of a perfect Savior who never fails to save those given to Him by the Father, and the mighty regenerating power and grace of the Holy Spirit of God, who never fails to bring those chosen from before the foundation of the world to saving faith by first removing their stony hearts and giving them hearts of flesh. The other house is built on the sand of human autonomy and vain human philosophy that ultimately places man as the captain of his own ship, and God as the innocent bystander who nervously paces the halls of heaven in hopes that someone…anyone, might “select” Him. One house can rightly say that salvation is by grace alone, because it is a grace that is truly amazing in that it secures, and bestows, all that is necessary for salvation, to include the ability to savingly believe the Gospel and repent from sin. The other house can only say that salvation is by grace, but that grace doesn’t secure or bestow anything except an “opportunity” for the person, in the power of his own flesh, to muster up the moral ability to comply with the command to repent and believe the Gospel."
This quote is taken from an article John Orlando has written that highlights the issues foundational to the debate, found here. Though the article is a little lengthy, I am sure many of our readers will find the citations regarding the Arminian view of the atonement and inerrancy to be highly informative.
When Charles is crowned King of England
Prince Charles has long been a proponent of religion - all types of religion. One of the titles given to the King or Queen of England is "Defender of the Faith" - the faith here refering to the Christian faith. However, Charles has long said that he would want to change this title to "Defender of the Faiths" in keeping with his snycretistic religious world view.
Along this line, it has emerged this week that when the time finally comes for Prince Charles to become King of England, his coronation will not be a distinctly Christian ceremony, breaking with the tradition of many centuries. Instead it will be a decidedly multi-faith event. See here.
Questions for R. C. Sproul
From the blog at http://fide-o.blogspot.com, Jason Robertson writes:
Today, I am attending “The Cross of Christ: Redemption Accomplished” Conference in Anaheim, California with R.C. Sproul and Ligon Duncan.
Last night I got a chance to spend some time with Dr. Sproul and talk about eschatology. I mentioned to him that I felt like in his book “The Last Days According to Jesus” that he really didn’t let his readers know which eschatological camp he was in: Premil, Postmil, or Amil. He laughed heartily and replied, “That’s right, because I don’t actually know. I see valid points in all of them and weaknesses, too.”
R.C. made sure that I knew that he was a partial preterist who viewed this age in a very positive way. He talked about how the church in the West is filled with apostasy and liberalism but in other parts of the world the church is doing great. When he spoke of these matters he sounded like an Amillennialist. But he said that when it came to Romans chapter 11 that he agreed with Charles Hodge and believed that there was something in the future specially for the ethnic Jews of Israel. His view of Romans 11 was similar to Historical Premil. He then apologized to me for being confused. Now that was humbling. If it were not for Dr. Sproul quite possibly I could still be an Arminian – so don’t apologize to me, Dr. Sproul. In fact, to confess that some theology confuses you encourages me and reminds me that we all approach the Bible from the same place – a place of desperate need for God’s wisdom!
Desiring God Website Update
Dr. John Piper's ministry has long been appreciated for its God centered, Christ centered and Gospel centered emphasis. The news this week is that the Desiring God website, which was already a treasure trove of resources, has expanded even further. All 25 years of Dr. Piper's sermons are now available to listen to free of charge here. This expansion of resources is a very generous gift to both the Body of Christ and to our world.
Let us continue to pray for John and his family, his church (Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota), and for the staff at Desiring God Ministries. May God's hand continue to be upon this ministry. May He use it mightily. Our prayer is that He would be pleased to cause the ripple effects of this gift to resound to His glory, now and for all eternity.
Pastor John Samson
John Piper to Write Book in Response to N.T. Wright
NEWS: August 2, 2006. John Piper is writing a new book which he says, "is a response to N. T. Wright on the doctrine of justification. I have no immediate plan to publish it until I get the feedback from critical readers. My motivation in writing it is that I think his understanding of Paul is wrong and his view of justification is harmful to the church and to the human soul. Few things are more precious than the truth of justification by faith alone because of Christ alone. As a shepherd of a flock of God’s blood-bought church, I feel responsible to lead the sheep to life-giving pastures. That is not what the sheep find in Wright’s view of Paul on justification. He is an eloquent and influential writer and is, I believe, misleading many people on the doctrine of justification. I will keep you posted on what becomes of this manuscript." From this essay
Members of Federal Vision Study Committee Appointed
The 34th PCA General Assembly approved erecting an ad interim committee "to study the soteriology of the Federal Vision, New Perspective, and Auburn Avenue Theologies, which are causing confusion among our churches. Further, to determine whether these viewpoints and formulations are in conformity with the system of doctrine taught in the Westminster Standards, whether they are hostile to or strike at the vitals of religion, and to present a declaration or statement regarding the issues raised by these viewpoints in light of our Confessional Standards." The GA authorized the moderator to appoint the members of this committee. The moderator, TE Dominic Aquila, has appointed the following:
TE Paul Fowler, Convener
Assistant Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
Augusta, GA
TE Ligon Duncan
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
Jackson, MS
TE Grover Gunn
Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church
Jackson, TN
TE Sean Lucas
Assistant Professor of Church History
Covenant Theological Seminary
St. Louis, MO
RE Robert Mattes
Christ Presbyterian Church
Arlington, VA
RE William Mueller
Kendall Presbyterian Church
Miami, FL
RE John White
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Atlanta, GA
The General Assembly authorized receiving designated gifts to cover the expenses for the study committee. Send your gifts to: PCA Administrative Committee, 1700 N. Brown Rd., Suite 105, Lawrenceville, GA 30043. Indicate for: "Federal Vision Study Committee."
Source: By Faith Online, Web Magazine of the PCA
Monergism Updates & Other Virtual Phantasma
"The theologian's task is not to divert the ears with chatter, but to strengthen consciences by teaching things true, sure, and profitable" (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 1.14.4).
Christian Biography - Subsection Updated @Monergism.com. Lots of helpful resources, articles & MP3s.
Credobaptism & Paedobaptism Subsection Updated @Monergism.com.
Presuppositional Apologetics Subsection Updated @Monergism.com
Legalism & Antinomianism Subsection Updated @Monergism.com
Biblical Anthropology Subsection Updated @Monergism.com
Perseverance of the Saints Subsection Updated @Monergism.com
Christianity 101 An Introduction to the Historic Christian Faith. Subsection Updated @Monergism.com
Biblical Theology Updated subsection @Monergism.com
Offsite
Check out the new Jonathan Edwards Blogspot
simul justus et peccator by James Spurgeon
“Now…This”: Daily News and the Death of Wisdom by Joe Carter
Are current events anything other than a mindless form of amusement?
I Went to the Movies Today by Pastor John Samson
"Everything in The Da Vinci Code is wrong, except Paris is in France; London is in England and Leonardo da Vinci painted pictures. All else is fabrication." - Sandra Miesel, coauthor of The Da Vinci Hoax.
"Don't they have editors at Doubleday in New York; don't they have fact checkers? Put it this way: there is not one ranking scholar in the entire world who supports what Dan Brown has done with history." - Dr. Paul Maier, coauthor of The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?
"Perhaps not since the third century — when Arius used prose and verse to spread his antichrist heresies — has popular culture been more thoroughly seduced by “doctrines of demons” dressed up in the guise of literature." - Promotional Material for The Da Vinci Delusion (DVD) by Dr. D. James Kennedy
I went to the movies today and saw the Da Vinci Code. I would not recommend that everyone see it, but as a pastor, I felt it was my duty to do so. I had prepared the flock that I serve by speaking about the Dan Brown book, bringing in my friend, Dr. James White, an expert in church history and apologetics, to speak on the issue to the Church (back in January). I bought copies of the May 2006 edition of Tabletalk magazine (from Ligonier Ministries) for each family (as it is devoted to debunking the many falsehoods the book churns out). I felt I also had to see the movie for myself so that I would know exactly what was being communicated to people. I want to be armed and ready to serve my neighbor who will see it, and perhaps may ask me why I still believe the Bible when, in his eyes, Dan Brown has once and for all debunked the claims of Christianity. I also want to serve those under my care who will no doubt see the movie and become troubled by the many false and outlandish claims they hear. Again, I do not suggest that everyone should go and see the Da Vinci Code. Not at all. But I felt I just had to.
Dan Brown's book is one of the best ever selling books of all time (more than 40 million sold), next to the Bible, yet in our visual age, the impact of the movie may perhaps be even greater than the book. I've no doubt that many will simply take the movie's false claims as "Gospel" and not check out the facts. Its strange to use the word "Gospel" in this context, because it is the true Gospel of Christ which the book and the movie seeks to destroy. (Just try for a moment to imagine the complete uproar that would ensue if a movie of this nature was made about Mohammed and the Quran).
All who hate the true Gospel will find much comfort in this movie. The heart of unregenerate man hates God and His gospel with a vengeance, and this movie will cause many to at least try to still the voice of their consciences. Yet it does provide us as Christians with a marvellous opportunity to share the truth with people. In many ways, the movie can actually become a great witnessing tool.
I didn't go to the movie alone. I went with my friend Dr. James White. After the movie we had lunch and discussed the movie together...
Continue reading "I Went to the Movies Today by Pastor John Samson" »
Renewing Your Mind with Dr. R.C. Sproul launches on DirecTV ®
Orlando, Fla., April 22, 2006 — Renewing Your Mind (RYM) is embarking on a new era of outreach by broadcasting on the NRB Network, channel 378 on DirecTV ®, with a potential audience of more than sixteen million subscribers. This new broadcast will contribute quality programs that provide a platform to expand the kingdom of God by increasing the reach of biblical truth. RYM will feature teaching by Dr. R.C. Sproul, airing for thirty minutes at both 7:30 EST in the morning and evening.
Since Americans are watching television now more than ever, the need for solid Christian programming with content that rivals secular channels has increased. John Duncan, executive producer for RYM, said, “The opportunity on the NRB Network brings the ministry to its knees in prayer, because we are at the threshold of something that has the potential to be as effective as the radio outreach. As we did not realize the profound impact that the radio ministry would have in the world, so the new television ministry opportunity has also opened up endless possibilities.” For the first time, Dr. Sproul will be invited into viewers homes, while they come face-to-face with his deep theological knowledge and characteristic, practical teaching style.
The NRB Network “exists to represent the Christian broadcasters’ right to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.” Senior vice president and chief operating officer of the NRB network, Troy Miller, said, “As of yet, there is not a Christian network seeking to compete with the secular broadcasters such as the Hallmark Channel, the Discovery Channel, Bravo, Fox News, PBS, PBS Kids, and so on. The NRB Network enters the market to answer the challenge — bringing a solid biblical world and life view, coupled with a modern and more mainstream programming approach.”
Dr. R. C. Sproul is featured on RYM, an international radio broadcast that has aired for more than ten years with an estimated two million people tuning in every week. Dr. Sproul is a respected teacher, theologian, and pastor. He is currently serving as the director of Serve International, and senior minister of preaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida. He has had a distinguished academic teaching career, written scores of articles for national publications, is general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, executive editor of Tabletalk magazine, and he has written more than 60 books, produced more than 300 lecture series, and recorded more than 80 video series — which will be prepared to air on the RYM television program. For more information please visit www.ligonier.org.
Practicing Multiculturalism
In a more culturally confident age, the British in India were faced with the practice of "suttee" - the tradition of burning widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands. Gen. Sir Charles Napier was impeccably multicultural:
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks, and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
Will We Stick Our Necks Out for His Faith? By MARK STEYN
Thanks to Between Two Worlds for this link
Fundy Turned Skeptic
Bart Ehrman, previous evangelical/fundy turned skeptic, in his New York Times bestseller, Misquoting Jesus, argues that we can't trust the New Testament documents and we can never truly know what they originally said. He is getting a lot of press and some are making a bit of noise about it. His most recent book is number 9 on the Amazon list and he was even on Jon Stewart's Daily Show on Comedy Central the other day, which I suppose is an appropriate forum for his speculations :) I suggest if visitors to Reformation Theology.com have not already done so, that you get to know a little about him. As the Davinci Code comes out in Theaters, his theories will likely be brandished about by naive people in the street and you should all be ready to give an answer.
Until recently, Bart Ehrman was basically only known in the academic field of New Testament studies. Among academics, he was mostly well known for his work in textual criticism, and his controversial book, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture. In recent months Ehrman made the contents of the academic book into a more more digestible form and popularized it for the masses in the pages of Misquoting Jesus. Ehrman essentially argues that scribes maliciously changed the New Testament text to create doctrines like the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Thus, according to Ehrman, we can't trust the New Testament documents and we can never truly know what they originally said.
Believe it or not, this textual criticism for lay people, has becomes a New York Times bestseller. This guy Ehrman is now all over the place talking about this book--in national television, radio, and print interviews. The recent interview in the Washington Post will give you a bird's eye view of what Ehrman's all about. Perhaps only The Da Vinci Code has a bigger platform for radical skepticism than Misquoting Jesus.
Monergism.com Needs Your Advice
Thank you for reading this. Monergism.com is due for a major overhaul. We are writing to ask for your advice about going forward in the functionality of the website. As you may know, Monergism is something I designed in 2001 mostly as a hobby and it has grown in content and traffic more than I could have possibly imagined ... to the extent it is now a full time endeavor with 80,000 unique visitors a month. Although it is bulging with 1000s of essays and information, one of the key factors of its success, I believe, is that it is not a data dump. Our society is now overwhelmed by the amount of information we intake every day. Our brains hardly know how to process so much data, nor which information is important enough to store, but at Monergism.com we have tried, by God's grace, to cut through the clutter and useless information, and rather, focus in on that which we believe is worthwhile, meaningful and God-honoring. Hopefully we have succeeded to some extent in doing this though we could do it much better.
Tim Keller Written Up in the NYT
Tim Keller Redeemer Presbyterian Manhattan (PCA) and member of Monergism's Hall of Contemporary Reformers, was recently written up in the New York Times.
Preaching the Word and Quoting the Voice
By MICHAEL LUOIn the twilight of the biggest snowstorm in New York City's history, the pews of a rented Baptist church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan were packed for the Rev. Timothy J. Keller's fourth sermon of the day.
The 600 or so who braved the snow for the evening service got what they had come to expect — a compelling discourse by Dr. Keller, this time on Jesus' healing of the paralytic, that quoted such varied sources as C. S. Lewis, The Village Voice and the George MacDonald fairy tale "The Princess and the Goblin." It was the kind of cogent, literary sermon that has helped turn Dr. Keller, a former seminary professor whose only previous pulpit experience was at a small blue-collar church in rural Virginia, into the pastor many call Manhattan's leading evangelist.
Over the last 16 years, Dr. Keller's church, Redeemer Presbyterian, has swelled to 4,400 attendees, mostly young professionals and artists who do not fit the prototypical evangelical mold, spread out across four different services on Sundays. Although Dr. Keller, 55, is hardly a household name among believers outside New York — in part because he has avoided the Christian speaking circuit — his renown is growing in pastoral circles and in the movement to establish or "plant" new churches, a trend among evangelicals these days.