Archive for the 'Tough Questions' Category
3. Where do you stand on the inerrancy of Scripture and why?
Published by Jeff, on January 27th, 2010 in 24 Theological Questions, Front Page.What’s the issue?
The question of Biblical “inerrancy” has been raised a number of times particularly in the past 50 years or so. Before answering this question, I think it’s important to simply highlight what the real issue is. » Click here to read the rest. «
This post is part of a series on explaining the whole bible.
Exile
The kingdom of Judah ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the brightest young people to Babylon. However, Jeremiah had predicted that the exile would last only 70 years, and Isaiah even predicted a king named Cyrus would be the one to return the Jews to their homeland. It turned out that both were exactly right. » Click here to read the rest. «
Why does God let us face trials?
Published by Jeff, on November 4th, 2009 in Front Page, Tough Questions, VIP.
James 1:2-3 gives the standard Christian answer to this question:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…
Of course, knowing the Sunday school answer and being okay with it are two different things entirely, but this week, I have gained a new perspective on the question that I thought I would share with you. Here are some significant verses from my devotional reading this week: » Click here to read the rest. «
“for the Bible tells me so” — documentary on homosexuality
Published by Jeff, on September 2nd, 2009 in Front Page, Tough Questions.
Tonight, our life group skipped our normal routine to watch a documentary purportedly on the relationship between homosexuality and religion called For the Bible Tells Me So However, the documentary was actually on the relationship between homosexuality and the conservative/fundamentalist “Christian right.”
Basically, the title calls to mind the song Jesus Loves Me (which should communicate that God loves us) in contrast to the words of those who would claim homosexuality is an “abomination” simply because “the Bible tells me so.”
Since I have already written a few articles on the topic, I won’t take the time to rehash my position. However, I need to make a couple comments.
More on Homosexual Recovery
Published by Jeff, on August 6th, 2009 in Front Page, Stuff I Find, Tough Questions.
This week, CNN posted an article describing a recent report that attempts to help homosexuals “recover” do more harm than good.
Since I wrote an article on this very topic (see Is There Recovery for the Homosexual?.), I thought it would be good to have a link to this new article here and to add a few comments of my own.
It just seems that the secular world is trying to ignore the truth that SOME people who self-identify as homosexual are able to ADJUST desires or at least find fulfillment outside the homosexual lifestyle.
What if we lived in a society with a VERY vocal and VERY strong lobby promoting the use of smoking? What if in the context of that society, a report was done testing the effectiveness of anti-smoking programs? What kind of news articles would we be reading? “Programs to change smokers to non-smokers don’t work, report says”
It’s the combination of a VERY vocal lobby, a VERY supportive society and the inherent attractiveness of sexual sin that wage war against any “change” programs.
It’s exactly the same as when you read about how “Abstinence Programs Fail Among American Teens.” If the society fully supports something that’s pleasurable, all programs opposing that position will fail more often than not.
Quick Study on the Rapture
Published by Jeff, on August 1st, 2009 in Front Page, My Beliefs, Tough Questions, VIP.
This week at my Life Group, we looked at the clearest teaching in the Bible regarding the rapture, and I’ve become even more convicted about one particular position. This post is intended to guide you through the same study we considered this week and to give an inside track on what I’m currently thinking about the matter.
What is the Rapture?
Before I talk about anything else, I should probably define what I mean by the rapture and why I want to talk about it now.
The Rapture refers to the event described in the Bible of Christ returning to earth and his followers being “caught up” to meet him in the air.
The major biblical controversy is twofold:
- Do the biblical statements on the rapture event indicate a literal and physical departure from the surface of the earth?
- When does the rapture event happen in relation to the rest of prophesied end-time events? » Click here to read the rest. «
You Can’t be Both Pre-Trib and Calvinist
Published by Jeff, on July 30th, 2009 in Front Page, My Beliefs, Tough Questions.If you are a Calvinist:
- you believe that God has “elected” or “chosen” those who would be saved from before the foundation of the world.
- you believe that those whom God has chosen have been predestined to respond to the gospel when God woos them.
- you believe that salvation comes entirely without regard to human works or merit.
- you believe that “elect” and “true followers of Jesus” are two ways of describing only one group. » Click here to read the rest. «
Greetings, interesting article. There are a few people who would disagree with you, for starters take Johm MacArthur. He recently opened up his 40 year vault of messages free to the public. He has 100s of messages devoted to the 5 points of Calvinism, which he strongly supports. He also has many messages on a pre-trib rapture, which he also supports. Boice, Barnhouse, Lutzer, etc. are just a few of the well known preachers who are 5 point and pre-trib. S. Lewis Johnson, considered by some the greatest exposito of the 20th century, was also Calvinistic and believed in the rapture. So, there are a few men who have studied the scriptures far more than you and I who came to a different conclusion.