Critique—done well—is a gift to the one being criticized. We should welcome the opportunity to have our thinking corrected and clarified. We see through a glass dimly, and God has gifted the church with teachers who often see things more clearly than we do at present. In God’s providence and through the gift of common grace he may also use unbelievers to critique our views, showing our logical mistakes or lack of clarity.
God likens His prophets to watchmen on the wall (Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:17; 33:2, 6, 7; Isaiah 52:8). Accordingly, it is their duty to see far and carefully detect threats which may prove pernicious to God's people. Ezekiel says, "And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me (3:16-17). Just as the watchmen were strategically stationed on the city-wall watchtower to blow the shōphâr when the sword came upon the land, so God's prophets were strategically placed in Israel to give warning concerning spiritual invaders likely to barbarize the flock >>>
When I first noticed an "Open Letter to Peter Lumpkins", my gut reaction was, "Oh brother. Here we go. I am the bane and embarrassment of the Southern Baptist Convention. My site is ungodly, my blogging is ungodly, and I am ungodly. I'm a God-hater, law-breaker, and the most careless, arrogant snipe on the internet. My heart is unclean. Therefore, I must be publicly exposed and confronted."** >>>
Paul M. Dohse has written an open letter to me addressing my contention with Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. And, I must say, he makes some compelling observations >>>
In 1994, Dr. Paige Patterson was President and Professor of Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In November of that same year, he presented a paper at the National Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society held in Chicago, Illinois >>>
Adam Harwood's new book, The Spiritual Condition of Infants: A Biblical-Historical Survey and Systematic Proposal (hereafter, Spiritual Condition) was released this past Spring by Wipf & Stock Publishers (March 2011, $23.00). Dr. Adam Harwood, Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, answers a profound question which has baffled the greatest minds of the Christian church--the eternal destiny of children. Paige Patterson wrote the Foreword while endorsers include Charles White, James Leo Garrett Jr., Malcolm Yarnell, and Rustin J. Umstattd >>>
Writing as a guest blogger at SBC Voices, Alan Pearce* penned a provocative response to Brad Whit's bombshell, "Young, Southern Baptist, and Irrelevant?," which first broke news in South Carolina Baptist's The Courier, and later was picked up by several state papers as well as Baptist Press (BP positioned Whitt's piece alongside a counterpoint view by Ben Simpson). The Baptist Banner of Virginia picked up Whitt's piece and published it in the 2011 June/July edition. Though it is the same essay as originally appeared in The Courier, Pearce is responding to The Banner printing >>>
Recemtly, I posted one of the most unpleasant pieces I've logged since I began blogging in 2006. By no stretch did I take particular satisfaction in publicizing a former SBC president's representative participation in a legally questionable pyramid scheme, nor in raising ethical concerns about the appearance of exploiting pastoral authority to potentially squeeze money from unsuspecting church goers. Even so, it was the right thing to do even if it was the painful thing to do. We now discover Alice's evangelical rabbit hole goes deeper still >>>
Dr. John MacArthur is not known for literary vagaries or indecisive language. He sports few, if any, words which meet the characteristics of what some dub "weasel words"—slippery little fellows which suck the significance out of a word leaving but an empty hull behind. MacArthur's latest online contribution entitled "Beer, Bohemianism, and True Christian Liberty" does not disappoint >>>
The Family Research Council sponsors an annual Witherspoon lecture symposium dealing with public policy, political philosophy, and moral issues. Those who give lectures are among the most accomplished scholars in their respective fields. A decade ago, natural law philosopher, Jay Budziszewski delivered the Witherspoon lecture >>>
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