peterlumpkins.com

Puritan Calvinist Issac Watts on the state of dying infants--'annihilation on one hand and resurrection on the other'

pic source Puritan minister Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748) was pastor of a large Congregational church in London and perhaps best known as the "Father of English Hymnody" Watts wrote over 750 hymns, including "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," "I Sing the Mighty Power of God," "Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed," and "Joy to the World," many hymns of which are still favorites in the Baptist Hymnal. Watts also wrote a book on formal logic which used at Oxford for over... Read more →

On Hell: A Helpful Bibliography by Peter Lumpkins

James Davidson Hunter noted in his 1987 landmark study, Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation (University of Chicago,1987, 38), "…it is clear that there is a measurable degree of uneasiness within this generation of Evangelicals with the notion of an eternal damnation” while Richard Bauckham had already lamented a decade before--since 1800 “no traditional Christian doctrine has been so widely abandoned as that of eternal punishment” (Universalism: A Historical Survey,” Themelios 4 (1979) 48). Indeed Bauckham quotes H.R. Macintosh from 1914>>> “If at this moment a frank and confidential plebiscite of the... Read more →

Judgment is No Joke by Peter Lumpkins

A few years ago, I preached a message entitled “Judgment is no Joke” based upon perhaps the most provocative words the Lord Jesus ever spoke; so provocative, in fact, some scholars deny the Lord of Glory spoke them. In part Jesus said>>> "And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire…And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to... Read more →

Clark Pinnock on Eternal Torment & Millard Erickson on Clark Pinnock by Peter Lumpkins

The late Clark Pinnock was one of the more provocative evangelical theologians.* His firey literary style riled his many (and just) critics about as much as some of his theological heterodoxy>>> Note how Pinnock framed the doctrine of eternal punishment: "Let me say at the outset that I consider the concept of hell as endless torment in body and mind an outrageous doctrine, a theological and moral enormity, a bad doctrine of the tradition which needs to be changed. How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and... Read more →

Note to Southern Baptist Educators: Take a Clue on How to Deal with "Outing Heresy" from Dr. Ben Witherington by Peter Lumpkins

I know. I know. I said I was done with this. But, the chatter continues. Trevin Wax floated a link he feels we should consider on Rob Bell, while Founders Ministries advocate, Timmy Brister, deals with the issue in a more generally focused post on hell>>> Few "heavyweights" from Southern Baptist quarters have weighed in. Drs. Al Mohler and Denny Burk, both of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary gave their take early. Predictably both supported The Gospel Coalition blog squad. I mean, why not? Both are strongly "Reformed" in outlook as... Read more →

Annihilationism vs. Universalism: Acceptable Error or Condemnable Heresy? by Peter Lumpkins

My raising the question concerning The Gospel Coalition’s fairly obvious duplicity in describing Rob Bell a heretic for his alleged universalist and/or annihilationist views while theologically cuddling up nice and cozy with Anglican scholar, John R.W. Stott, even though it is common knowledge Stott embraces some form of an annihilationist position concerning the after-life created many defenders who suggested annihilationism, although an error to be sure, hardly meets the “heresy” criteria that universalism does>>> In fact, I had an email exchange with a TGC advocate who alleged my point was... Read more →

A Rob Bell Remix: So, it’s O.K. to Yell “Heretic” if it’s Only Rob Bell, but not John Stott by Peter Lumpkins

Apparently, Justin Taylor and The Gospel Coalition team’s criticism of Rob Bell did not go so well. The thread in which I participated had about as many who questioned the rationale for criticizing a publisher’s book cover rather than engaging the author’s book. Taylor deferred explanations to questions for Kevin DeYoung to sort out—two questions in particular>>> The bottom line for DeYoung? Here it is: “Rob Bell is right about one thing: what you believe about heaven and hell says a lot about what you believe about God. That’s why... Read more →