The Thirsty Theologian On the Web

2009-04-27T07:27:00.002-06:00

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2009-04-26T08:09:00.001-06:00

Tim Irvin —
Dear Facebook —
Once upon a time in a different, but much the same, Christian era (the 1970’s); the keyword was Journal. . . .

2009-04-26T07:15:00.001-06:00

Reformed Antithesis —
Bavinck: The Law-Gospel Distinction and Preaching —
I've been thinking about the law and how it relates to both the believer and the unbeliever . . .

2009-04-26T07:11:00.001-06:00

Julie R. Neidlinger —
Garbage poems —
I was sitting at a stoplight yesterday, watching a plastic grocery sack blow across the road and slam into cars. It was the kind of thing someone in a creative writing program in college would write a poem about . . .

2009-04-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

Tony Reinke —
Restoration Experts and Sharpshooters —
Whether it’s by protecting our hearts from subtle corrosive temptations or by standing over our lives with a loaded rifle on the hip, wisdom is working to protecting us.

2009-04-25T19:28:00.001-06:00

Tony Reinke —
“I’m With Jesus”: A Simple Approach to Apologetics —
“Yes, I do believe in that, because Jesus said it happened, and I’m with Jesus.”

2009-04-25T18:20:00.003-06:00

John Piper —
Can't We Get Any Straight Answers from Christianity? —
Read the whole thing and see if there is not enough that is crystal clear and beautiful and compelling . . . (video here)

2009-04-25T13:38:00.001-06:00

Ken Fields —
Pronouns and the Cross: Romans 5 and Limited Atonement —
. . . did Christ really die in the place of real people--releasing them from the sentence of death?

2009-04-25T09:35:00.000-06:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Dogs Reading Scripture —
The poker-playing dogs, immortalized in the famous paintings by Cassius Coolidge, announced last week that they have repented of their former ways and have replaced their Friday night poker game . . .

2009-04-24T20:06:00.001-06:00

Charles Spurgeon (posted by Justin Taylor) —
Spurgeon: Yet He Wants Books! —
He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains, proves that he has no brains of his own.

2009-04-24T15:26:00.000-06:00

Albert Mohler —
The Morning After Pill and the End of Parenthood —
. . . on some issues the secular left is absolutely of one mind and voice, and the promotion of birth control and contraception is one of these issues.

2009-04-24T15:06:00.001-06:00

Judith Lavoie —
Birth control touted as part of Earth Day —
"We can make changes, but they don't mean a thing if our population keeps growing," (HT)

2009-04-23T19:29:00.001-06:00

Frank Turk —
Blameless —
[Blameless] doesn't mean "tries real hard" or "is transparent about his flaws". It means "blameless." There's nothing to blame him for.

2009-04-23T19:16:00.002-06:00

James White —
Dan Barker on John Calvin and Michael Servetus —
This link is my way of telling anti-Calvinists who love to bring up Servetus to shut their ignorant mouths. Politely, of course.

2009-04-23T18:42:00.002-06:00

Michael Crichton —
Aliens Cause Global Warming —
You must read this to understand where global warming “science” came from. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had. . . . The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus. (HT)

2009-04-23T16:14:00.003-06:00

The Rape of Solomon’s Song — A collection of posts by John MacArthur, Tim Challies, and others on the recent scandalous abuse of the pulpit.

John MacArthur
The Rape of Solomon’s Song Part 1, 2, 3, 4--conclusion
Sermons about sex have suddenly become a bigger fad in the evangelical world than the prayer of Jabez ever was. MacArthur gets this exactly right.

Tim Challies
Missing the Forest for all the Trees
Tim comments on MacArthur’s article: I think his long and faithful ministry has given him the right to speak out and speak up. We’d be foolish to immediately write him off as old and irrelevant and out-of-touch (as some are doing . . .). Quite right, Tim. It’s amazing how often young and hip trumps old and mature these days. Amazingly foolish.

Erik Raymond
Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Mark Driscoll and a Frat Party
Irish Calvinist chimes in: The shtick is tired and old. It’s really time to turn the page and put the old Chris Rock routines to bed. After all, there is a gloriously infinite and inexhaustible fountain of Christological delight to be had in the gospel. Amen!

Paul Lamey
A word about Mark Driscoll
It is interesting to note that the same ones who defend him are making the claim that he has repented of such behavior. Apart from the fact that no evidence of repentance exists, why would someone excuse his behavior yet say he has repented?

Frank Turk
In Other Words
. . . there is no analogical rosetta stone for the reader of the song of Solomon to tell us how certain passages correlate to body parts or whether it is merely emotional and relational gratification the writer is “really” talking about.

Fred Butler
Glamour Magazine Theology
I am reminded of what the Scriptures say of Rehoboam in 2 Kings 12:8, But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

Related: Phil Johnson at the 2009 Shepherds’ Conference (here and here), and Frank Turk makes another relevant point. And another.

2009-04-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Yukon Rebecca —
Theological Term of the Week: hypostatic union
(Rebecca’s full glossary of terms)

2009-04-23T09:54:00.001-06:00

Pat Lencioni —
The S Word —
. . . the reality of socialism radically differs from the theory, and that even the theory itself has fatal flaws. (HT)

2009-04-22T13:33:00.002-06:00

The Washington Times —
Federal agency warns of radicals on right —
Consider yourself warned . . . about me! (HT)

2009-04-22T08:53:00.001-06:00

Daniel van de Laar —
Age Segregation in the church: Culture vs. Scripture —
. . . I don't think the sermon is the main point or even the highlight of our time together. My children are learning from my wife and I what is important to us.

2009-04-21T13:06:00.000-06:00

Dan Phillips —
Porn and paper pastors —
God gave you the pastor He gave you.

2009-04-21T11:19:00.001-06:00

Steve Weaver —
“When I See the Blood . . .” Exodus 11:1-12:36 —
Pastor Steve continued his series in the book of Exodus with a look at the first Passover.

2009-04-20T12:37:00.001-06:00

Dan Phillips —
Seven Pounds: impressions and reflections —
I saw Seven Pounds last week, and reading Dan’s “impressions and reflections” made me sad all over again.

2009-04-20T12:08:00.003-06:00

The Onion —
Media Having Trouble Finding Right Angle On Obama's Double-Homicide
. . . members of the American news media admitted Tuesday that they were still trying to find the best angle for covering the gruesome crime. (HT) Warning: The Onion is not a G-rated site.

2009-04-19T17:56:00.001-06:00

Tominthebox —
Extraordinary, Amazing, Outstanding, Fabulous Women and Their God Conference —
God has made us fabulous creatures. We should be excited about that!

2009-04-17T18:36:00.001-06:00

Phil Johnson —
Truth and Apologetics —
"How do I defend the sacking of Canaan by the Israelites?"

2009-04-17T18:24:00.003-06:00

Steve Weaver
“The Gospel in a Nutshell” 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (Easter Sunrise Service)
“God’s Amazing Grace” Ephesians 2:1-10

2009-04-17T09:49:00.001-06:00

Paul W. Martin
Whitefield, Godliness and Your Television —
Rarely does the devil force-feed sin.
Share Your Faith or Preach Jesus? —
I don’t like to be picky about words and phrases, but lately I have come to deplore the terms, “share your faith” and “outreach.”

2009-04-16T19:03:00.000-06:00

2009-04-13T20:39:00.001-06:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Excerpts from The Diary of “Dave” Brainerd
. . . I sought the necessary provisions for evangelistic success: the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the light of God’s Word, and a Facebook and Twitter account.

2009-04-12T20:12:00.001-06:00

CNN —
Poll: Fewer Americans support stricter gun control laws —
Could Americans be coming to their senses?

2009-04-12T19:40:00.003-06:00

It’s a bust! —
Get your historic Presidential bust here.

2009-04-12T19:29:00.000-06:00

CNN —
Woody Harrelson claims he mistook photographer for zombie —
For the record, I believe Woody.

2009-04-09T09:54:00.001-06:00

J.D. Hatfield —
Become a Deader You —
[God’s] agenda may not be for you to have a good life according to the word’s standards, or even your own supposedly godly standard.

2009-04-09T09:19:00.001-06:00

Yukon Rebecca —
I Started a Fight 1, 2, 3, 4, Conclusion —
The teacher had disagreed with me strongly, calling my view that God planned from the beginning for humankind to fall “twisted theology.”

2009-04-08T21:12:00.003-06:00

Todd Bolen —
The Jesus Tomb Unmasked
. . . this film reveals many of the falsehoods and distortions that were part of the recent sensational “discovery” of the burial place of Jesus . . .

2009-04-08T16:37:00.001-06:00

Julie R. Neidlinger —
It's not about the road less traveled. —
I have to stop thinking that there are do-overs in life . . .

2009-04-08T16:14:00.003-06:00

SBC Theme Song —
at least, it should be. (HT)

2009-04-07T17:26:00.000-06:00

Steve Weaver —
“God vs. the gods of Egypt” Exodus 7:14-10:29 —
Pastor Steve continued his series in the book of Exodus with a sermon on the first 9 plagues . . .

2009-04-06T20:41:00.003-06:00

John Samson —
"WORLD" - John's Ten Uses of the Word by Pastor John Samson —
The word “world” (Greek: Kosmos) appears 185 times in the New Testament: 78 times in John, 8 in Matthew, 3 in Mark, and 3 also in Luke. The vast majority of its occurrences are therefore in John’s writings, as it is also found 24 times in John’s three epistles, and just three times in Peter.

2009-04-06T18:47:00.003-06:00

Phil Johnson —
Frustrating, Funny, Fascinating, and Frightening —
Here's eighty-eight minutes of video . . . The key players . . . are Tony Jones, Kevin DeYoung, Scot McKnight, and Brett-and-Alex Harris . . .

2009-04-06T18:24:00.002-06:00

Thabiti Anyabwile —
Christianity Is Not Your Grandma's Preserves —
When Christians speak of “preserving a Christian heritage,” that’s the last gasping breath of a dying faith.

2009-04-06T18:17:00.000-06:00

Fred Butler —
True Discernment —
I just cannot see how a person can claim to be a follower of Christ and then live a life consistently making boneheaded choices. . . . Even worse than making consistently bonehead choices is how they justify these choices by claiming God is directing them.

2009-04-06T12:05:00.002-06:00

Tim Challies —
Evil as Entertainment — . . . [watchblogs] are really little more than entertainment.

2009-04-04T12:41:00.003-06:00

Scott Aniol —
Contextualizing the Gospel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 —
There is a popular thought today in evangelicalism that says that if we as Christians are going to reach unbelievers around us, we need to be more tuned into contemporary culture. If we want people to accept our gospel message, they say, then we need to present the gospel by packaging it in the language of contemporary culture.
Interview with Scott Aniol, author of Worship in Song

2009-04-04T11:54:00.001-06:00

Phil Johnson —
More On the Pornification of the Pulpit —
The message I gave at the Shepherds' conference three weeks ago on the pornification of evangelical pulpits continues to generate e-mail and questions.

2009-04-04T11:39:00.003-06:00

Dan Phillips —
Non Sola Scriptura: the Blackaby view of God's will 1, 2 —
Though Yahweh repeatedly points His people back to the given Word, even during the unfolding of revelation, the Blackabys would have believers keep looking for new words.

2009-04-04T11:29:00.002-06:00

Thabiti Anyabwile —
Why the Time Magazine Trumpeting of New Calvinism Is a Bad Thing —
Do most people even know what Calvinism is? Do we want a brief news blurb to be their introduction . . . ?

2009-04-04T10:56:00.002-06:00

Timmy Brister —
Post-Christian Culture and False Conversion —
There are things that can be mistaken that have little to no consequence, but conversion is not one of them.

2009-04-04T10:43:00.000-06:00

Jeremy Weaver —
Unremarkable —
I think the next time I’m asked what our worship services are like I’m going to answer, “Unremarkable.”

2009-04-04T09:43:00.001-06:00

Steve Weaver —
“Why God Does What He Does” Exodus 7:1-13

2009-04-04T09:30:00.002-06:00

Travis Hawkins —
Ignatius —
Übercool youth ministry. (HT)

2009-04-04T08:22:00.004-06:00

James MacDonald —
The Public Rebuke of False Teachers —
I do not view Brian [McLaren] as an ‘erring weaker brother,’ worthy of sympathy or olive branches, but rather as a dangerous false teacher . . . (HT)

2009-04-04T08:12:00.001-06:00

Albert Mohler —
Does Your Pastor Believe in God? —
The Dutch have become famous worldwide for their liberal approach to assisted suicide and euthanasia. In this case we see something new -- the suicide of a church.

2009-03-27T19:35:00.004-06:00

Frank Turk —
Limited Atonement —
Frank debates Limited Atonement at the Debate Blog. (Scroll to bottom of page to begin.)

2009-03-25T22:43:00.002-06:00

Libbie Muffin —
On ways in which I emulate Mary —
In which Libbie dares suggest that The Blessed Virgin was neither perfect, nor [blush] perpetually virgin.

2009-03-25T10:41:00.002-06:00

Tim Challies —
My GPS Leads Me Astray —
. . . since we got the GPS, I have gotten lost more often than when I handled the directions on my own. Here’s the reason. . . .

2009-03-23T09:12:00.003-06:00

Peter Robinson — Law and Justice with Antonin Scalia
Law and Justice with Antonin Scalia
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 —
This is the main reason the defeat of Obama was so vital in 2008, and will be in 2012: As long as he is President, no Justices like Scalia will be appointed. (HT: Justin Taylor, with some good commentary.)

2009-03-21T15:11:00.000-06:00

Dwayne Forehand and Mark Tubbs —
BlogThru: Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

2009-03-21T14:34:00.001-06:00

Tim Challies —
Ligonier Conference 2009 —
Live-blogging coverage.

2009-03-16T10:47:00.002-06:00

James H. Grant, Jr. —
Driscoll’s Confusion on “Old Calvinism”
. . . in which the author replies to some truly foolish statements from an unsurprising source.

2009-03-16T09:52:00.001-06:00

Thabiti Anyabwile —
Riding with the Anyabwiles —
So, what's the point of going to church?

2009-03-15T18:32:00.002-06:00

Steve Weaver
“The Excuses of Unbelief” Exodus 4:1-17
“God Reveals Himself!” Exodus 3:11-22

2009-03-15T18:27:00.001-06:00

Michael Beasley —
The Gospel —
15 minutes of time well spent.

2009-03-14T09:24:00.002-06:00

A letter from the boss —
Welcome to reality. (HT)

2009-03-11T12:17:00.002-06:00

Phil Johnson
addressing the 2009 Shepherds’ Conference

and answering his critics:

Preachin’ Dirty

2009-03-10T13:20:00.001-06:00

Daniel van de Laar —
If You Don't Believe It All You Don't Believe At All —
"For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

2009-03-07T15:24:00.002-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Motivational Poster —
A picture worth a thousand calories . . . and then some.

2009-03-05T08:30:00.004-07:00

What a deal!
Download the Listener’s Bible at 50% off today only.

ESV, KJV.

2009-03-04T13:00:00.003-07:00

Try something fun: Go to Google Maps and get directions, by car, from Seattle to Tokyo. (HT)

2009-03-04T10:52:00.003-07:00

Frank Turk —
What He Must Read —
A review of Voddie Baucham’s What He Must Be . . . and a chance to win a free copy. You need this book!

2009-03-04T09:47:00.004-07:00

2009 Shepherds' Conference live stream audio —
Beginning at 9:00 AM East Coast time today. The conference will also be live blogged at the Shepherds' Fellowship blog. The conference runs through Friday.

2009-03-04T09:33:00.001-07:00

Tim Challies —
Mom Shovels the Drive —
Dad is long gone. There is no one to give these boys the good, swift kick to the posterior that would get them acting like men.

2009-03-04T08:27:00.001-07:00

Owen Strachan —
What Masculine Provision Looks Like: From Six Figures to Cleaning Urinals —
“I am very proud of my husband that he will go to any lengths, do whatever it takes, to keep his family afloat, if it means mopping floors, cleaning urinals.”

2009-02-25T10:04:00.001-07:00

Tim Challies —
Snapshots & Screenshots —
. . . a collection of twelve of my favorite articles; twelve of the ones I remember as I think back over the past few years.

2009-02-24T16:29:00.001-07:00

Fred Butler —
John MacArthur Week —
Personal reflections on how John MacArthur's ministry has impacted me

2009-02-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hank Balch —
Christian Liberty in Genetic Engineering Children —
We want children our way, in our timing, and now in our image — or we do not want them at all.

2009-02-24T07:39:00.003-07:00

Steve Weaver
“God Always Requires a Choice!” Exodus 2:11-22
“God Always Hears His People!” Exodus 2:23-3:10

2009-02-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
If Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today —
Letters to the Editor

2009-02-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Daniel van de Laar — Double Crucifixion Part XVIII - The Argument

Double Crucifixion
How many times can Jesus be crucified for "all" your sins?

Part I - Introduction
Part II - Some Definitions
Part III - Follow the Rabbit
Part IV - Being Convinced Of The Impossible
Part V - Illumination
Part VII - Putting Some Things Aside
Part VIII - Putting Some Things Together
Part IX - Who is Who?
Part X - A literal Start
Part XI - A Figurative Nightmare
Part XII - What is a Partaker?
Part XIII - Tasting the Good Word
Part XIV - Taste The Power!
Part XV - What Did We Learn About The List?
Part XVI - Who Is This Hypothetical Fellow?
Part XVII - Almost done
Part XVIII - The Argument

2009-02-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yukon Rebecca —
Sunday's Hymn: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
(many more here)

2009-02-17T08:53:00.003-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Ezekiel Bread
(See here for context.)

2009-02-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Larry Elder —
Obama in prime time: 7 questions left on cutting room floor —
"CBO, the official scorekeepers for legislation, said the House and Senate bills will help in the short term but result in so much government debt that within a few years they would crowd out private investment, actually leading to a lower Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years than if the government had done nothing."

2009-02-13T13:34:00.001-07:00

John G. Stackhouse Jr. —
Memo to Worship Bands —
. . . cranking up the volume is just a cheap trick to add energy to a room. The comedic film This Is Spinal Tap showed us all the absurdity of using sheer noise to compensate for a lack of talent. (The knobs on the band members' guitars and amplifiers were modified to go to 11.) Do not compensate for mediocrity by amping it up to MEDIOCRITY. (HT)

2009-02-13T13:17:00.001-07:00

Dan Phillips —
Silly Calvinism —
By this I mean the sort of Calvinism that looks like a self-parody. It takes the truth of God's sovereignty and blots out other balancing Biblical truths such as human responsibility and the evil of evil.

2009-02-13T12:25:00.004-07:00

Steve Tuttle (Newsweek) —
You Can’t Friend Me, I Quit! —
The author explains why he’s quitting Facebook, which also happens to be why you’ll never find me there. As he concludes, If you want to friend me, buy me a beer. (HT)

2009-02-12T19:07:00.002-07:00

Teacher scolds girl, 5, for talking about Jesus —
“She said ‘my teacher told me I couldn’t talk about Jesus’ – I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.” (HT)

2009-02-12T17:02:00.002-07:00

Steve Weaver —

“God is Always in Control!” Exodus 1:8-2:10 —
This morning Pastor Steve continued his series of sermons from the book of Exodus . . .

Preaching Christ in Exodus —
When we think of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Moses, we can’t help but think of another providential birth about 1,500 years later. To this birth, the birth of Moses was the necessary antecedent.

2009-02-07T22:19:00.002-07:00

<trumpet fanfare>To whom it may concern: I've added a list of several reviews of The Shack under 2Corinthians 10:4-5 in the sidebar. Read and be edified.

2009-02-07T21:43:00.002-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Being Thankful For The Crumbs From His Table —
Let us never forget the amazing grace of God that not only supplies our every need, but takes lowly dogs such as us and inexplicably makes us co-heirs with Christ to one day share in His glory (Rom. 8:17).

2009-02-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Reformation by Calvin —
Smell Like an Old Theologian

2009-02-07T09:36:00.001-07:00

Zachary Roth —
How Theresa Hatt Caused The Financial Crisis —
or, How banks get you to pay what you do not owe.

2009-02-05T09:40:00.001-07:00

Tim Challies —
Finding God in The Shack (I) —
Olson’s presuppositions may just keep him from seeing what is all too obvious: The Shack is just plain wrong in some very fundamental areas.

2009-02-04T15:28:00.002-07:00

John Piper —
“I Will Not Be a Velvet-Mouthed Preacher!” —
The Life and Ministry of George Whitefield: Living and Preaching as Though God Were Real (Because He Is)

2009-02-04T09:01:00.004-07:00

Albert Mohler —
"The Ghost at the Table" -- Are Kids a Threat to the Environment? —
From the Times [London]: “I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate,” . . . [This father of eight is unapologetic about his “carbon footprint.”]

2009-02-04T08:46:00.001-07:00

The Sacred Sandwich —
Girl Scout Derails Church’s New Building Campaign —
After a short investigation by their finance committee, Badger Creek Baptist Church has uncovered the reason why their “God’s Dream” Building Campaign fell short of its fundraising goal in January. The main culprit? Girl Scout cookies.

2009-02-02T12:33:00.002-07:00

Mike Hess —
Dispensationalism and Two Ways of Salvation —
Personally, I do not have a problem with someone who is persuaded to believe the CT, PD or NCT position. . . . I just ask that the disagreements and accusations be fair and accurate. . . . what is important here brethren is an honest, humble and accurate discussion that abandons our presupposed strawmen and appreciates the contributions of both sides to the cause of Christendom.

2009-02-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Steve Weaver —
“God Always Keeps His Word!” Exodus 1:1-7 —
This morning’s message begins a new series in the book of Exodus.

2009-02-02T10:15:00.002-07:00

Phil Gons —
MS Word Tip: How to Replace Hyphens with En Dashes —
A little treat for the detail-obsessed. And yes, this is important! (HT)

2009-02-02T09:15:00.002-07:00

Morgan Freeman on "Black History Month" —
I’m going to stop calling you a white man, and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.